Monty, CJ, and Tommy slipped into the hallway. They quietly shut the door behind them. The first thing CJ noticed was the bodies that were laying at the top of the stairs yesterday were gone. No drag marks anywhere. CJ peered down the hall in the opposite direction. Most doors were closed but the ones that were open showed a grim tapestry. The walls near the open doors had claw marks and bloody handprints. That was all he was able to spot before Monty kicked him in the shin to get his attention. The now two foot tall rabbit really whacked him. CJ needed to lift his leg up and rub it for a second.

“Quit being such a little bitch. We need to jet,” said Monty before turning toward the stairs.

Tommy wasn’t waiting. At the top of the stairs, he glanced down to the first floor. There were scorch marks on the ground and splashed against some of the entryway. Tommy took in a sharp breath once he realized the entryway was no sans door. Turning back to CJ and the rabbit, he waived them forward. He spoke in hushed tones once his companions arrived.

“Check it. The doors gone. Everything out there has unfettered access to the building now. What are we going to do?” asked an agitated Tommy.

It was then CJ noticed Tommy had his tire iron slid through one of his belt loops. CJ didn’t think to switch from his patent leather shoes to sneakers. In hindsight, a pair of boots would have been even better. He was out of his element. CJ had spent most of his life doing card tricks. Barely keeping a refrigerator stocked with frozen pizzas, soda, and the occasional pint of ice cream. He was no outdoors man. The thought of roughing it sent shivers down his spine. Then again, he realized he needs to stick with Tommy since he’s got access to this damn slate thing.

“The firetruck. That guy said to meet outside the town, right? Something about the pine barrens. Let’s head that way,” CJ responded.

“Fuck. That’s four blocks south from here to get to the highway. Fine, let’s go,” replied Tommy as he made his way down the stairs.

Monty hopped down the stairs after him. CJ wondered while he watched the two move forward, if he could stop at a Payless or Footlocker to grab a pair of sneakers. His running shoes were behind him in his apartment but the thought of going back that way filled him with dread. He proceeded down the stairs to catch up with his group.

Tommy popped his head out of the doorway and looked left and right. To their left were the rays of the rising sun. Also, a street filled with ruined cars. It seemed the firetrucks cow catcher was not kind to their resale value. To his left were more vehicles pushed off the center of the road but far less. There were more shops and stores the closer you got to the highway entrance. Tommy assumed less on street parking and more parking lots. Some streetlamps were flickering in the dawn light. Most likely on timers if the all the electronics at the power plants were failing.

A family of four burst out from a cross street between CJ’s building and their path south. They had duffle bags slung over their shoulders while holding hands with two little ones. The kids couldn’t have been more than five or six. Both with tussled brown hair. The mom had blonde hair down to her shoulders and the dad had short cropped black hair. He had an even build but his speed was held back due to holding one of the children’s hands.

“What are they running from?” asked Tommy.

“Who? Lemme see ya big mook,” said Monty as he bounded from wall to wall climbing high enough to slide over Tommy’s right shoulder.

“Who or what? Guys if we’re leaving you have to move out of the doorway,” CJ said as he tried to push Tommy forward.

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A rumble could be heard from upstairs as more glass was broken. They all looked up and to their left as half of the winged snake was sticking out of the building while it searched for more prey. That was enough to get them all moving at a sprint down the street. They crossed the first street on their way and noticed many others one block over making their ways south. In CJ’s mind, he thought there’d be more people.

Once they arrived at the second intersection, they heard people screaming. Looking left as they crossed the street they witnessed an amalgamation of two dumpsters, connected by sinew and sticky fluid, gobbling up people in their path as they swung each other from the left to the right. CJ thought this must be what that family was running from before. The connective tissue between the dumpsters was grotesque. It was off color yellow and brown with a hint of blood red. The dumpsters themselves were green chipped paint with wide mouths.

“Right, we need to go faster. Isn’t there a bike shop around here somewhere?” asked CJ.

“Morelins? Yes, it’s at the end of the street. I doubt they’re open,” answered Tommy.

“He doesn’t plan to buy today if that’s what your concern is. Probably just a test ride,” Monty quipped.

“Right, you are my furry friend. Let’s get some wheels,” jested CJ.

They made their way to the Morelins bicycle repair shop to see they weren’t the first people with this idea. The street facing glass was already broken and several of the normally on display bikes were already gone. CJ hopped the counter to check the wall behind the registers. The shop had four rows of parts and accessories. Everything from different bike seats to gear wheels with varying chain lengths were represented.

“The racks are picked clean. I’m not going to wait around for that dumpster monster to get us. I say we hoof it,” Tommy blurted out.

“Patience. How’s your arm doing?” asked CJ while he was looking through a rolled up towel with small tools in it.

“It still hurts if you really want to know,” Tommy shot back.

“Yea well, I’m hoping you clotted enough overnight. If we keep running like this your wound is going to reopen. Didn’t bring the kit with us so let’s try to avoid that,” said CJ barely sparing Tommy a glance as he found what he was looking for.

CJ took the pair of tweezers and an extra thin flat head screwdriver over to the door to the back room. It was obviously locked, but CJ was confident that he could get it open.

“Time me,” said CJ as he went to work on the door.

“Time you? My iPhone doesn’t work anymore. How am I supposed to time you?” asked Tommy.

“Doesn’t matter now,” CJ replied as the lock popped and the door swung open.

The back room was poorly lit, but it had a work bench, a filing cabinet, a desk, and some very promising looking bikes. A cursory evaluation of the first few found one didn’t have a chain, no tires on another, and finally no handlebars on the third. The last two must have been orders waiting to be picked up. One was blue with under curving handlebars. An obvious racers bike. The second was pink with a white and pink woven basket hanging off the handlebars. The plastic ends of the handlebars had white and blue streamers hanging out of them.

“Dibs on the blue one,” said Tommy before swinging his leg over the seat.

“We are running for our lives from monsters. I’m not gonna fight you over dibs. Even though I’m the one who picked the lock and thought of the bikes,” CJ said, that last part under his breath.

Shortly there after they were back on the streets. Zooming their way toward the freeway exit. Tommy was clumsily steering his racing bike while Monty was sitting comfortably in the basket of CJ’s ride. His floppy ears twitching left and right every time he heard a noise. CJ was getting irritated by how much they obstructed his vision. The rabbit was barely the length of his forearm when he bought Monty and now, he was a rather robust specimen.

“More people coming from our right. Get ready for company,” Monty said, turning his head back to speak to CJ.

“Tommy. Contacts on the right,” hollered CJ, getting a curt nod in response.

Six people boiled out of a nearby alley, bags in tow, as they made their way to the highway. The last one had four foot-tall green men with bulbous heads clinging to his back. As soon as the sun’s rays hit them, they hissed and dropped off him slinking back into the shadows of the alley way. That was a wakeup call for CJ who pedaled even faster.

“Oh shit, oh shit what the hell was that!” shrieked Tommy.

“Goblins. Better keep going. This town is about to get a lot less friendly,” answered Monty.