Terri can tell that the action pains the older woman. She grimaces, then smiles.
“Your name is Caleb, isn’t it?”
Caleb nods. “Yes, Ma’am.”
Mrs. Carlucci smiles again, but now Terri sees the fear behind her expression. “And very polite, I see. Well, Caleb, I’m Mrs. Carlucci. And you know what?”
“What?”
“I want to go home, too.”
“Where do you live?” Caleb asks.
“Three doors down, with my little ones.”
“Are you a grandma, too?”
Mrs. Carlucci laughs, and for a moment, the fear, pain, and unease are gone from her eyes.
“Bless your heart, no. No, I’m not a grandmother. But I have four kitties—Hannibal, King, Queenie, and Princess.”
“How come Hannibal has a different name than the others?”
“Well, because I got him from a shelter. The people who had him before me named him that. I didn’t think it would be right to change his name.”
“Why did they take him to the shelter? Did they die? Maybe the Tick Tock Man got them, too.”
Mrs. Carlucci frowns.
“The leader,” Terri explains. “The…fat man.”
“The ugly one who’s head goes from side to side?” Mrs. Carlucci nods in understanding. “That’s a good name for him. But no, Caleb, he didn’t—”
“I agree it’s a good name,” Sam interrupts, “but it’s about all we know right now. We need to figure this out.”
“Maybe we should talk about it later,” Turo says, his eyes and gun pointed at the barricade.
“I think it will hold,” Sam replies. “I don’t hear the chainsaw, and the hallway isn’t wide enough for more than two of them, side-by-side. They might be able to get through, but it’s going to take a while, and we’ll hear them long before they do.”
“I don’t know about anybody else,” Stephanie says, “but I could use a break.”
“He’s right,” Shaggy agrees. “I could use one, too.”
“She,” Stephanie corrects him.
“What?”
“I’m a she, not a he.”
“You’re a he-she, more like it.” Shaggy chuckles. “Ain’t you still got a dick?”
“Hey!” Turo glances at him. “Dude, chill the fuck out with that shit.”
“What? I’m just asking. Does he have a dick or don’t he?”
“I don’t know what Stephanie has,” Sam says, stepping toward him. “But I’ve got this axe I stole from one of the fucks on the other side of the door. So why don’t you lay off her?”
Shaggy puffs out his chest and flexes his arms again. “That supposed to be some kind of fucking threat? Look at you, all out of breath and wheezing. You gonna hit me with your pot belly? You gonna kill me in a fucking story?”
“Mommy,” Caleb whispers. “Please, can’t we leave here?”
“Excuse me,” Terri interrupts, as Sam and Shaggy square off, “but my son is scared and so am I. Can we please figure out what we’re going to do? What’s happening?”
Everyone stares at her, not speaking. They glance at each other, and then back to her. Terri begins to feel very uncomfortable. Outside the bedroom, somebody pounds on the door.
“I want to go home,” Caleb complains. “Right now!”
“I’m with him,” Stephanie says. “What do we do?”
“We can’t go out the window,” Mrs. Carlucci informs them. “It’s a twelve foot drop, and even if we don’t break our legs, the backyard is full of them.”
“Not if we land on the roof of the car,” Turo says.
“The car is parked in front of the next apartment over. Only the trunk is under Sam’s window.”
“So, I’ll land on the trunk.”
Mrs. Carlucci shakes her head. “And then what? They’ll surround you before you can get down.”
Sam crosses the room, raises the axe, and points it at the wall. “We go through there.”
Turo glances nervously at the barricade, as the sounds on the other side grow more insistent. “Say what?”
“Terri and Caleb’s apartment is on the other side of this wall. And we all know how thin these walls are. We tunnel through, come out in their apartment,
“Your name is Caleb, isn’t it?”
Caleb nods. “Yes, Ma’am.”
Mrs. Carlucci smiles again, but now Terri sees the fear behind her expression. “And very polite, I see. Well, Caleb, I’m Mrs. Carlucci. And you know what?”
“What?”
“I want to go home, too.”
“Where do you live?” Caleb asks.
“Three doors down, with my little ones.”
“Are you a grandma, too?”
Mrs. Carlucci laughs, and for a moment, the fear, pain, and unease are gone from her eyes.
“Bless your heart, no. No, I’m not a grandmother. But I have four kitties—Hannibal, King, Queenie, and Princess.”
“How come Hannibal has a different name than the others?”
“Well, because I got him from a shelter. The people who had him before me named him that. I didn’t think it would be right to change his name.”
“Why did they take him to the shelter? Did they die? Maybe the Tick Tock Man got them, too.”
Mrs. Carlucci frowns.
“The leader,” Terri explains. “The…fat man.”
“The ugly one who’s head goes from side to side?” Mrs. Carlucci nods in understanding. “That’s a good name for him. But no, Caleb, he didn’t—”
“I agree it’s a good name,” Sam interrupts, “but it’s about all we know right now. We need to figure this out.”
“Maybe we should talk about it later,” Turo says, his eyes and gun pointed at the barricade.
“I think it will hold,” Sam replies. “I don’t hear the chainsaw, and the hallway isn’t wide enough for more than two of them, side-by-side. They might be able to get through, but it’s going to take a while, and we’ll hear them long before they do.”
“I don’t know about anybody else,” Stephanie says, “but I could use a break.”
“He’s right,” Shaggy agrees. “I could use one, too.”
“She,” Stephanie corrects him.
“What?”
“I’m a she, not a he.”
“You’re a he-she, more like it.” Shaggy chuckles. “Ain’t you still got a dick?”
“Hey!” Turo glances at him. “Dude, chill the fuck out with that shit.”
“What? I’m just asking. Does he have a dick or don’t he?”
“I don’t know what Stephanie has,” Sam says, stepping toward him. “But I’ve got this axe I stole from one of the fucks on the other side of the door. So why don’t you lay off her?”
Shaggy puffs out his chest and flexes his arms again. “That supposed to be some kind of fucking threat? Look at you, all out of breath and wheezing. You gonna hit me with your pot belly? You gonna kill me in a fucking story?”
“Mommy,” Caleb whispers. “Please, can’t we leave here?”
“Excuse me,” Terri interrupts, as Sam and Shaggy square off, “but my son is scared and so am I. Can we please figure out what we’re going to do? What’s happening?”
Everyone stares at her, not speaking. They glance at each other, and then back to her. Terri begins to feel very uncomfortable. Outside the bedroom, somebody pounds on the door.
“I want to go home,” Caleb complains. “Right now!”
“I’m with him,” Stephanie says. “What do we do?”
“We can’t go out the window,” Mrs. Carlucci informs them. “It’s a twelve foot drop, and even if we don’t break our legs, the backyard is full of them.”
“Not if we land on the roof of the car,” Turo says.
“The car is parked in front of the next apartment over. Only the trunk is under Sam’s window.”
“So, I’ll land on the trunk.”
Mrs. Carlucci shakes her head. “And then what? They’ll surround you before you can get down.”
Sam crosses the room, raises the axe, and points it at the wall. “We go through there.”
Turo glances nervously at the barricade, as the sounds on the other side grow more insistent. “Say what?”
“Terri and Caleb’s apartment is on the other side of this wall. And we all know how thin these walls are. We tunnel through, come out in their apartment,
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