there are in the parking lot above. The Exit debates his choices. His apartment is three doors down. He can park in front of it, using the car as a partial blockade, and try to get inside before the hordes can reach him. Or, he can continue across the yard, swerving around the forest to the rear of the property and heading back out toward the entrance to the apartment complex. The only problem with that second choice is that he’ll have to drive through a fairly deep culvert, and also weave around the garbage dumpsters.
There are angry, guttural shouts behind him as many of his attackers scurry down the hill and stairs. One of them trips and falls, and disappears beneath the feet of his onrushing companions. None of the crowd stops, or seems to show the least bit of concern.
The Exit is about to try for his apartment when he is presented with a third choice, as further out in the yard, he spots two of his neighbors—old Mr. Hicks from next door and a young man who lives in Building C—about to be set upon by a pack of opponents. Gripping the steering wheel, he stomps the accelerator and speeds toward them. The tires spray grass and dirt and rocks on his pursuers.
They do not slow down.
He doesn’t slow down either.
Eight - Phil and Beth: Apartment 8-D
“Maybe we should go out there,” Phil says again, listening to the sounds of chaos all around the complex. “Just take a quick look and see what’s happening.”
“Are you crazy?” Beth is staring at her cell phone, trying to make a call. “Do you hear that?”
“Yeah, I hear it. That’s why I’m thinking I should check it out. What if somebody is shooting up the complex?”
“What do the police say every time that happens?”
“To shelter in place?”
“Right! Shelter in place.” Beth turns her attention back to the phone. “We need to stay inside. Whoever it is has guns. We should stay away from the doors and windows and…”
She trails off. The phone shakes in her hands.
“Who are you calling?” Phil asks.
“My Mom.”
Phil blinks twice before responding. “Beth, what’s your Mom going to do?”
“I don’t know, Phil! But I’m scared and I want my mother and don’t you dare go outside and leave me in here by myself! Just don’t…”
Sighing, Phil walks back down the hallway, where Beth is crouched with her back against the wall. He reaches out and strokes her hair. Then he kneels beside her, looking his wife in the eye.
“Baby, listen. I know you’re scared. Truth is, I’m scared, too. But think about it for a minute. I mean logically. What’s your Mom going to do? Even if she came down here, what’s to say she wouldn’t be in danger, just like everybody else?”
“I don’t know.”
“And I don’t either. But save the battery on your phone. We don’t know what’s happening. Better to stay prepared.”
Blinking, Beth wipes tears from her eyes. “It doesn’t matter anyway. I can’t get a signal. What if she’s worried about us? If this is on the news already, she might try to call me and make sure we’re okay.”
“I’m sure she’s fine. And even if she does try to get here, they’re not going to let her through.”
“Do you think so?”
Phil nods. “Sure. I’ll bet they’ve got a police cordon up around the whole complex. Nobody in or out except emergency personnel. It’s not like somebody is shooting up all of Central Pennsylvania. Whatever is happening out there, it’s only happening right here.”
“How do you know?”
“Because that’s crazy.”
“Not if it was terrorists.”
“Terrorists attacking here? Come on, hon. I know you’re scared, but we can’t start overreacting. We need to keep our shit together.”
Beth shrugs. “Yeah…”
“It’s like you said. We should stay here and shelter in place. You were right.”
Beth smiles. “Say that again.”
“You were right.”
“I never get tired of hearing that.”
“Some women prefer hearing ‘I love you’
There are angry, guttural shouts behind him as many of his attackers scurry down the hill and stairs. One of them trips and falls, and disappears beneath the feet of his onrushing companions. None of the crowd stops, or seems to show the least bit of concern.
The Exit is about to try for his apartment when he is presented with a third choice, as further out in the yard, he spots two of his neighbors—old Mr. Hicks from next door and a young man who lives in Building C—about to be set upon by a pack of opponents. Gripping the steering wheel, he stomps the accelerator and speeds toward them. The tires spray grass and dirt and rocks on his pursuers.
They do not slow down.
He doesn’t slow down either.
Eight - Phil and Beth: Apartment 8-D
“Maybe we should go out there,” Phil says again, listening to the sounds of chaos all around the complex. “Just take a quick look and see what’s happening.”
“Are you crazy?” Beth is staring at her cell phone, trying to make a call. “Do you hear that?”
“Yeah, I hear it. That’s why I’m thinking I should check it out. What if somebody is shooting up the complex?”
“What do the police say every time that happens?”
“To shelter in place?”
“Right! Shelter in place.” Beth turns her attention back to the phone. “We need to stay inside. Whoever it is has guns. We should stay away from the doors and windows and…”
She trails off. The phone shakes in her hands.
“Who are you calling?” Phil asks.
“My Mom.”
Phil blinks twice before responding. “Beth, what’s your Mom going to do?”
“I don’t know, Phil! But I’m scared and I want my mother and don’t you dare go outside and leave me in here by myself! Just don’t…”
Sighing, Phil walks back down the hallway, where Beth is crouched with her back against the wall. He reaches out and strokes her hair. Then he kneels beside her, looking his wife in the eye.
“Baby, listen. I know you’re scared. Truth is, I’m scared, too. But think about it for a minute. I mean logically. What’s your Mom going to do? Even if she came down here, what’s to say she wouldn’t be in danger, just like everybody else?”
“I don’t know.”
“And I don’t either. But save the battery on your phone. We don’t know what’s happening. Better to stay prepared.”
Blinking, Beth wipes tears from her eyes. “It doesn’t matter anyway. I can’t get a signal. What if she’s worried about us? If this is on the news already, she might try to call me and make sure we’re okay.”
“I’m sure she’s fine. And even if she does try to get here, they’re not going to let her through.”
“Do you think so?”
Phil nods. “Sure. I’ll bet they’ve got a police cordon up around the whole complex. Nobody in or out except emergency personnel. It’s not like somebody is shooting up all of Central Pennsylvania. Whatever is happening out there, it’s only happening right here.”
“How do you know?”
“Because that’s crazy.”
“Not if it was terrorists.”
“Terrorists attacking here? Come on, hon. I know you’re scared, but we can’t start overreacting. We need to keep our shit together.”
Beth shrugs. “Yeah…”
“It’s like you said. We should stay here and shelter in place. You were right.”
Beth smiles. “Say that again.”
“You were right.”
“I never get tired of hearing that.”
“Some women prefer hearing ‘I love you’
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