The back room was quiet. Boxes were lining the left wall. The kitchen's right side was equipped with an industrial grill and two ovens. That's where the magic happened. The far wall held the sinks, racks of dishes, random cleaning supplies, and the back door.

The door was solid steel equipped with two locking bars and several sliding deadbolts. Sal liked security. On the left side, just above the handle, was a hole the size of a fist. The metal looked as if something had blown right through it. Jagged shards of razor-sharp steel unfurled around the hole like the petals of a rose. Blood and fur were caught on them when the beast had drawn its arm back through the hole.

"Is that door solid steel?" Elliot asked, though the answer was clear.

“Yep. I installed it myself. Heavy bastard, too. I built the frame into the surrounding brick. Steel supports go four feet in each direction. This thing goes into the wall of the basement and up into the wall of the apartment above.” Sal said proudly.

The three men decided to move one of the freezers in front of the door to keep it from being pushed open. Luckily, it had wheels on it. The freezer had to weigh at least a thousand pounds if not more. Once in place, they took turns knocking the wheels off, placing the freezer there more or less permanently.

Sal then decided they should brace up the walls in the basement in case something decided to break in down there.

They had been in the basement a few times over the last two days, moving boxes and bringing up dry goods. Sal had all sorts of dehydrated foods down there. The basement had small archways with single-layer brick walls between each business. They seemed secure, with no windows out to the street and the only ventilation being ductwork from the building above.

#

They turned to head back into the main bar area and then to the basement, and that's when it happened. A horrible, hair-raising guttural sound filled the bar.

It sounded like a pack of wolves were growling all at once, sharing the same voice. Mikel’s hair stood on end. Fear locked him in place. What good would an old baseball bat do against a thing that could utter a sound like that?

Jesse came through the door, closely followed by Seth, Becka, Julie, and Byron. David was last. As he was pulling the door shut, something pulled it open with such force that both the door and David flew backward into the bar.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Elliot screamed David's name and ran after him. Sal followed close behind. Byron grabbed the handgun from Jesse and moved to the doorway.

Jesse ran behind Mikel, who stood there, glued to his spot like a useless puppet whose puppeteer had forgotten him.

Shouting filled the air. Then, the ear-splitting shockwave of the shotgun in close quarters. More shouting followed. Sal fired the AR several times before entering the doorway, followed closely by Elliot.

Elliot looked dazed. Sal covered their retreat. David didn’t come through the door.

“David’s gone. That animal just…took him.” Elliot said, then started crying.

Sal stood at the doorway, watching for any movement. He talked over his shoulder to us.

"It came up out of the basement. Most of the group ran back upstairs. The rest were running in here. We got out there before it got away with him. Elliot fired a shell and caught it in the arm. It staggered back a bit but didn't go down. I fired a few rounds but didn't want to hit David, so most of mine went wide. Took him right back into the basement. I'm sure they're long gone by now. It looked like it wanted to keep him alive, not hurt him. The thing was fast, too. Even on three feet, it moved faster than anything I've seen on TV. Doubt it'll be back, but I am not about to let anything take David like that." Sal's voice cracked. He was on the verge of tears. Clearly, he cared deeply for David and would do anything to save his friend.

Mikel spoke next.

“I’ll be right next to you, Sal. Give me that shotgun. Let’s go.”

Jesse hugged him tightly and told him to be careful. Byron walked up and asked for Sal's other AR. Everyone looked surprised. Sal tossed him the keys, and he disappeared for a few minutes.

Byron reappeared from upstairs with Seth and Becka, a soft carry range bag, and a smaller duffle presumably filled with ammo.

“What? I’ve been staying here since my divorce. Sal and I’ve been going to the range a lot. I like it. It’s therapeutic and shit.”

Julie smiled and said, "It suits you, Mr nurse practitioner." She kissed him on the cheek and whispered for him to come back safe.

He took three handguns out of the bag and gave them to Julie, Jesse, and Rob. He then gave Edward a rifle.

“If shit gets weird, lead them to your apartment, Julie. It’s safe. Just be sure to take the stairs. Aim for the chest.”

Edward stood and jogged over to catch up.

“I’m coming with you guys. I can’t just sit here while you go off and risk everything to find David. I have to help out.”

“Well, let’s go then. Maybe it’ll give you something to write about.” Sal said.

A few laughs lightened the mood a bit.

“No drinking till we get back. If we aren’t back and shit gets weird like Byron said, go to Julies, and we’ll meet you there.”