The wolves made short work of the body in the elevator. One of them finished a femur and tossed it out into the lobby. It had a portion of the lower leg and several tendons still attached to it.
The bone landed within a few feet of the entrance to the baggage room. Trisha saw it and took in a sharp breath. The wolves heard her.
Mikel was watching them through the crack in the door. He saw them step out of the elevator and silently approach the baggage room.
Just as he prepared to step out and fire, the wolves turned to the front door. They dropped to all fours and pounced toward something Mikel couldn’t see.
Several shots rang out, and Trisha came sprinting into the stairwell. Glenn made it halfway before being hit in the hip by a stray round. He went down hard and slid a few feet before regaining his senses and attempting to crawl to the stairwell, pulling himself along with his arms.
A wolf fell to the ground, dead. The second backed up towards the elevator and stumbled over Glenn as he tried to make it to the stairwell. Mikel finally caught a glimpse of Byron and a woman he didn’t recognize coming up the lobby entrance. Behind them was Sal. He was aiming his rifle at the second wolf, and when he fired, it went down. In a last desperate attempt to get away, it grabbed Glenn and used him as a human shield.
The three stopped firing, circling the beast to get clear shots. The enraged wolf tore at Glenn and effectively disemboweled him there on the lobby floor, his blood spilling on the marble tile. Mikel stepped out and fired once into the beast's skull, finishing it off.
Glenn wasn't dead but would be without serious medical attention, and soon. Byron would only be able to do so much without an operating theater, and everyone knew that.
They quickly pieced together a makeshift gurney and rushed him onto the elevator, pressing the 17th floor.
#
Julie wasn't about to take any more of Elliot's whining. He started complaining around the fourth floor. Every landing they came to, he would make a quip along the lines of, "What, this not good enough for you?"
He was sweating, breathing hard, and lagging behind by the 8th. The 11th found him questioning the reasoning behind why they came here in the first place. When they reached the 14th, he pointed out the lack of a 13th floor. Then he tried to sound smart about it like it was a conspiracy or something. The 15th was met with him railing against the rich and powerful because who needs to live in an apartment this high in the sky?
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The 16th is when Julie turned to him as soon as he opened his mouth and said point-blank, "Shut the hell up, you inconsiderate asshole. Go somewhere else if you don't want to accept my help. You don't want to rub shoulders with wealthy people? Don't. Get out of my building, and don't let the broken door hit you on the way out. Jesus. The arrogance of some people."
“He’s an idiot, but he’s harmless. I, for one, can’t wait to see your place again. I have always loved your apartment.” Becka said, lowering the tension on the landing.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I do talk a lot when I’m nervous or scared. Guess what? I’m both. I live on the 12th floor of my building. It’s not even as nice as these stairs, though. I wish it were, so I guess I’m scared and jealous.”
“I get that. I’m scared, too. I’m terrified. This whole thing is just… a lot, you know? Plus, I can’t remember for sure if I cleaned up before I went out on Saturday. My place might be a disaster. Don’t judge me.”
“You think we really care about some misplaced towels and a shirt here or there? Come on, Julie, you’re so perfect all the time. It’d be nice to see through the facade, at least once.” Becka said, a little more snarky than she meant.
They opened the door to the 17th floor and found it empty. Julie moved forward and unlocked her apartment, leaving it unlocked for the others to gain access when and if they arrived.
#
Byron and Seth led the charge from the elevator to Julie’s apartment, carrying Glenn as they ran. Sal and Mikel covered them from behind. Trisha, Jesse, and Polly brought up the rear.
Seth was disappearing through Julie’s door when the second elevator door dinged and started to open. Scrambling, frantic hands tore at the gap as it widened, trying to escape the car and whatever it held. Mikel motioned for Jesse and the others to get inside while he stood guard. Sal refused to leave him alone, so the two stood there, waiting for whatever was in the elevator to exit and attack.
The frantic escape attempts finally paid off, and the person in the elevator came storming out. He appeared to be unharmed, though terrified. There was fresh blood across his face and hands as if he had been in an altercation from which he clearly came out on top. He locked eyes with Mikel and didn't move. He just stood there, staring. Mikel stared back for a moment, then warned Sal of what was going to happen.
The man took his chance. He moved to his right as if he were water in a stream, then leaped through the air as effortlessly as a deer. His teeth bared; he was clearly targeting Sal's neck with this attack. He flew hard to his left in mid-flight as Mikel caught him with two shells in the chest. Mikel stood over the body for another moment before turning back to Sal.
“This one was more active than Holly or Julia. They were mean as hell but not leaping through the air and trying to bite all of us. Good to know it gets worse!”
“Holly was like this?” Sal asked.
“Not all jumpy, but still mean.”
“She could always be mean, but not super mean. Anyway, it’s okay. Let’s not disparage the dead. Glad you guys mostly made it. Too bad about Rob. We found David’s shoe. He’s still alive. For some reason, they’re taking him with them. Not sure why, but he stuck his shoe on a fence post as they carried him away. Let’s get inside before something else comes along.”
They went into Julie’s apartment, leaving the dead man halfway down the hallway, blood pooling on the marble tile around him.