By R. John Quisenberry
Stephen and Lorelei managed to get their crowd moving, but it was maddening. Getting them all going in the same direction at once proved difficult without resorting to violence. They would pause and stare into space if either of the shepherds did not keep at them. Apathy seemed to be their default reaction to the world.
When they finally reached the waiting area where Susan had kept watch yesterday morning, their useless charges just flopped on the floor with direct disregard for the comfortless chairs.
Looking at Lorelei, Stephen was filled with apprehension. Her cheeks were flushed with stress and her skin had an unhealthy sheen of cold sweat. The lack of tight focus in her eyes was the most worrying thing though. “You keep an eye on ‘the kids’ while I see if the door works.” Her nod of assent did nothing to allay his fears as she stared listlessly at her pathetic charges.
His fears were not helped by the puddle below the splatter of blood on the lobby door. The door’s true nature was revealed by the dents and scratches in and around the blood spatter. Bits of hair and bone still clung to some of the deeper ruts in the revealed silvery metal. Looking closer, Stephen could have sworn the hair was a match for Susan’s bleached blond locks.
The doorknob did not even wiggle no matter how much force he tried. Looking back towards Lorelei, movement in the hall behind her turned his blood cold. Just as he opened his mouth to shout a warning, a distorted human form lunged from the shadow of a plastic potted plant. “Look out Lorelei!” he shouted as he caught sight of the oddly distended face of Dick. The lights went out and there was a scream. A series of grunts followed as Stephen tried to reach the position where he last saw Lorelei. Moments later, he found the light switch and turned it on. The sight that met his eyes was disturbing, to say the least. Bodies were strewn around the room. Their necks were distorted. Looking closer Stephen saw rents in the flesh of their necks from the sheer force that had been used to twist them had torn skin and muscle. The looks of mild surprise on their dazed faces were chilling.