by Chris Hechtl
Raymond scooped an old woman up and carried her to expedite the movement. “Get them inside! Get what you can! Strip the place but keep climbing! Get a map!” He panted to a couple teens and Dom. Dom nodded and gave him a thumbs-up.
“You okay, Nanna?” a teen asked. “My name is ….”
“Save it kid, we've got to get moving,” Raymond panted, getting the old woman inside. He set her down and then pushed her to her teenage grandson. “Get her and everyone else upstairs fast!” he ordered then turned back to help others.
The able-bodied did their best to strip the bottom floor of any useable gear and supplies. Finally they used a fire ax to cut up the stairs.
“They can still climb. They can stand on their hind legs. I've seen them climb on top of each other in circuses,” a guy said. A teenage girl with a ponytail nodded. She opened her mouth to say something more, but the guy pushed her away.
Raymond scowled and then looked up. “Then we keep going up. Everyone keep going up until you reach the top,” Raymond ordered. Dom waved them to keep them moving. “You … um …,” Raymond snapped his fingers to get a name.
“Call me Dom,” the Italian guy said, eying Raymond.
“Cool. Dom. I'm Raymond,” Raymond said, holding out his hand. Dom looked at it, snorted, but shook it briefly.
“I'm Ezra,” an old Jewish guy said waving a hand. “And now that we're all properly introduced can we get on with this? I want to die with dignity or not at all.”
“I'll prefer a postponement myself,” Raymond stated flatly. “You two get some others and get everyone out. Have them keep climbing and looking for things we can use.”
“Got it,” Dom said, nodding.
They rigged a sling for the elderly and handicapped who had been caught out on the ground floor with the scavengers. Dom swore, but he got up there and then drafted volunteers to help them haul people up.
Raymond was the last to go up the broken stairwell. He turned back to see the irises of elephant eyes in a small window. He could feel the rumble on the other side of the glass. The door flared open, then was yanked away.
The improvised rope dropped down onto his head. He grabbed for the lifeline it was. “Climb!” a voice urged from above. He grabbed the rope and started to climb for all he was worth. He hated heights. He muttered about it a lot as he went up, over and over until someone from above scolded him to shut up about it and keep moving.
“We should have waited on cutting the stairs until everyone was up,” he panted.
“Sure, you think of that now!” Dom said from above.
“The other stairs?”
“Worry about your own sorry ass. We've got the other stairs covered and the elevator. Just get your sorry ass up here,” the guy admonished.
“Easy for you to say. I flunked this in gym class,” Raymond muttered as his arms screamed in agony. He took a momentary break and made the mistake of looking down. He felt a trickle and warm feeling between his thighs.
“Don't stop! And don't look down!” a girl scolded.
“Sure, now you tell me,” Raymond muttered, clutching at the rope. He felt it moving up. He started to climb again. When he got to the top hands helped him up. He rolled on the floor and pulled his legs away as a teenage female rapidly drew the rope in. The heard a crashing sound near the door.
“They are getting in!” a girl said, near hysterical.
“Climb,” Raymond urged breathlessly. “And keep quiet!” he murmured. They moved out.
“Some thanks,” the girl with the rope said eying him. “I'm Amy. That's Sydney, Whitney, and Oasis,” she said, pointing to a gaggle of teenage girls nearby.
“I'd say pleased to meet you but I'd be lying. Let's go, ladies,” Raymond urged. “Up the stairs,” he said, slumping slightly in relief at the sight of the narrow staircase.
---<(+)>~~<(+)>---
“A willingness to sacrifice oneself to protect others? Other of his species at the end of their lives? Those without utility in the coming trial? See? This species is insane.”
“I think we are seeing something different. This human is following a different path. One you are not willing to accept, Commander.”
“The trial is not yet over,” the commander stated flatly. “He may yet be overwhelmed by those in his group prone to violence.”
“Perhaps. And yet … perhaps not. Let us observe and see.”
“Truth.”
---<(+)>~~<(+)>---
They got up the stairs, then followed the troop up another flight. Once they were up there, Raymond turned to see the linebackers acting as the rear guard come up rushing quickly behind them. They went to work right away, backing their way up the stairs as they ripped at the stair below with crowbars and axes. When they were done they took a break on the landing, wiping sweat from their bodies.
“Someone better not bill us for the damage,” one of the guys snorted.
“Screw ‘em,” another said.
“Now what?”
“Find a place to hide. Go up if you can. Otherwise be quiet,” Raymond said. They nodded.
They could hear the low rumble of the animals outside. A few brave souls peeked out the window on their knees. One quick witted boy used his cell phone like a periscope.
“Shut it people!” Raymond ordered, with enough authority in his voice to get a few near him to obey and stop gibbering. He scowled at them blackly. A few of the others passed on the order to people to be quiet. “They can hear, smell, and see better than us. They can hear sonic vibrations through their feet. They hear in frequencies lower than we can hear.”
“Where'd you learn that?”
“Animal Planet. Now zip it.”
“Figures.”
“We are so screwed,” the guy said. Raymond glanced at him then away to the windowsill.
The elephants tore up ground floor for a time but didn't find them. They then went outside and tried to climb the stairs and fire escape to the second level. They failed, their girth and mass crushed the stairs into ruin. They wrapped their trunks around the steel stairs and yanked them down to clatter around them. Raymond wasn't the only one to wince in sympathy at the pain of that much metal dropping on the pachyderms, but he wasn't quite sympathetic either. They were here to kill them. It was kill or be killed he thought … or was it? He cocked his head thoughtfully. Did they have to kill them? Was there another way? A way to end the cycle?
The elephants were enraged with frustration. They took out their impotent rage on the ground floor, ripping at the walls. The building shook. Eventually they started to pile material and debris outside and in the stairwells.
“What are they trying to do? Clean the place?” Dom demanded.
“Hardly.”
“They are trying to build a ladder. Something for them to climb to get to us,” Amy whispered. She licked her lips nervously and pointed as an elephant tried to climb on top. It roared, flapping its ears as its trunk tried to grab anything to help balance it. But the banister it grabbed wasn't enough; it ripped it out as it fell.
“She's right,” Ezra groaned. “That' won't stop them for long.”
“Just be glad they haven't figured out fire,” a guy said. He hunched his shoulders when a lady hit him on the shoulder.
“Keep saying that loud enough and they just might!” She scolded, eyes glittering. He muttered a sorry but no one heard him.
“I think they are in musk. At least the males. See the stuff dripping off the sides by their ears?” Amy asked. Raymond looked and then nodded. “Driven mad by hormones. But directed at us not each other.”
“This is insane,” a woman said, shaken. She shook her head.
Sydney whimpered. She saw the angry eyes looking up at them and shivered. She rocked herself, praying quietly over and over.
“Someone come quickly! Something’s going on outside!” Wilson said, pointing urgently to the window. A few people rushed with Raymond and Amy to look.
“A freaking tower?”
&
nbsp; “They are nothing if not persistent.”
“It won't work,” Roberto said. They turned to him.
“Why not?”
“Improper foundation and a lack of support,” the man said with a shrug. A few people eyed him, clearly expecting more. He grimaced. “Look, I was in construction before I became a postal worker,” he said, hunching his shoulders.
“Trust the spic to know that. Been to any good home improvement places lately?” Oasis asked nastily.
“Shut it, lady,” Dom growled, glaring at her. He shouldered his way in and looked. “Merda. Merda man. But the spic's right, I think it ain't gonna hold though, ya know?”
Raymond nodded. “We'll see. But get others to watch the other approaches in case this is a distraction. And we need a fallback plan.”
“What we need to do is start hitting back,” Dom said.
“No, I think that's the last thing we need to be doing now.”
“Hey man, this is an eat or get eaten world. The damn ET's set this up remember?”
“Yeah, but just go with me on this. If we can get away with not killing them, let's do that.”
Dom eyed him coldly for a long moment. Raymond kept looking down at the growing tower before he returned the gangster's cool gaze. He heard Amy suck in a soft breath at the tableau but didn't blink. It was like staring into the eyes of a predator. Finally Dom sniffed. “Hey man, your funeral. But if they come for me, I'm capping some dumbo's ass.”
“If you can get through their hide and body. It takes an elephant gun to put one down,” Amy said. “Hence the name.”
“Merde. We are so screwed,” Dom said, shaking his head. He grabbed Wilson and a couple of the other guys. “Come on. Let's go see if we can find some artillery.”
“What about bottles and stuff? You know, set that tower on fire?” Wilson asked hopefully.
Dom stopped to stare at the teen, then slapped him upside the head. “What, you want to die too?” He shook his head. “Death by fire and smoke ain't my way to go man. Screw that.”
Wilson hunched his shoulders but nodded. They moved off. Raymond and Amy looked over their shoulders to watch them go.
“The odds of them finding a useable weapon here …,” Ezra shook his head.
“I know. A part of me hopes they do, but then ….”
“Why not fight back? You ain't a part of the A club are you?”
“A club?”
“Scarlet letter? Sack cloth and ashes green movement? Masochistic schmuck?”
“No, my reasoning is different than that. I think if we kill them or even wound them we'll get penalized.”
Ezra stared at him then heaved a sigh. “Oy Vey, that makes sense. If any of this damn meshugana zyyat makes any sense,” he said shaking his head. “Look at me, about to be killed by a beheima. I'm gonna go find me something strong and get ferschicket.”
“Do it later. Hell, I may do it with you. For now, keep a clear head,” Raymond said absently as he kept a wary eye on the elephants. He looked over his shoulder. “Do we have something heavy? Something we can drop on the tower to make it fall?”
The Jewish old man's eyes lit as he rubbed his beard. “I think we can come up with something,” he said with a hint of a twinkle. “Let me go look.”
“It looks like something from Home Alone 2,” Whitney murmured. Amy looked at her. Raymond chuckled. Trust someone to find some sense of whit, some humor even if it was black humor in a life or death situation. He shook his head and chuckled softly.
Ezra came back a few minutes later making a racket, enough to alert them of his approach. He had Dom, Wilson, Will, Oasis, and a few other interested or curious people in tow. A few were taking bets on if it would work or not. Ezra was hefting a bowling bag.
Raymond glanced at Amy then raised his eyebrow in inquiry. “Where did you find that?”
“In the attic. You'd be surprised what people keep and don't bother to throw away,” the old man said. He was panting a bit though, struggling with the load. It was obvious that none of the younger men were going to step up and help him though. Raymond stepped aside to let him aim.
“Should I take it out of the bag?”
“Hell with that. Do what you want old man. Just don't miss,” Dom said. He leaned on the windowsill, ready to get a good view.
Ezra used both hands to bring the ball up to chest height, then leaned out the window.
“A little to the left. You're left,” Dom said.
“Kacken zee ahf deh levanah. I've been bowling strikes since long before you were a gleam in your mother's eye,” the old man said. Dom snorted.
“Bombs away!” Ezra said letting the bag go. People leaned into the windows to watch it fall. They collectively held their breath as it hit to top pallet, smashed through, then kept going. Dom groaned, it didn't seem to do enough, but it knocked out a couple supports before it rolled off a piece of a couch and onto an elephant's rear end. They winced and laughed as the elephant trumpeted in surprise and pain. The elephant wrapped it's trunk around the structure and shook it. That was enough to make the tower come tumbling down.
Elephants scattered as their tower to Babel came crashing down. The humans hooted and high-fived each other. Dom grinned. “Strike!”
“Indeed,” Ezra said, sounding pleased with himself.
“Uh oh. I think they aren't too happy about that,” Amy said as something came flying up into the air. She ducked away from the window. “Nope!” she said as something shattered near the window. “Not happy at all!”
When the tower they had been creating failed, the elephants tried to throw the pieces of wreckage up at the humans. They took cover, and anything that didn't shatter they used to create a shelter with. A pallet splintered on impact; one piece impaled Dom's arm. He grimaced but pulled the jagged piece of wood out. He saw Amy look at him with horrified eyes and snorted. “What this? This is a scratch cracker lady. Mind your own business,” he said with a nod of his chin as he yanked it out.
Ezra grimaced at the sight of blood but looked away. After a moment Amy pulled out a blue bandanna and handed it to Dom.
“What? Wrong color,” Dom stated.
“It'll be red soon enough,” Sydney said, taking the bandana. She wrapped it around the wound making Dom gasp as she tightened it up. He grimaced as she tugged and made certain it covered the wound, then tied it down tight. “What, I thought it was just a scratch.”
“Still hurts!” Dom said, knowing better than to cuss at her while she was tugging on his wounded arm. They both ducked as a piece of concrete came a little too close to hitting them.
“That's it? That's all you got? You boys best go home!” Dom bellowed.
“Don't piss them off any more than they are,” Sydney warned.
“Heh. What are they gonna do? They can't get their fat asses up here!” Dom said with a triumphant grin. The grin slipped when the building rocked. When it jiggled a bit more, he scowled.
“Quake?”
“Nah, man, it's …”
“Shut it,” Raymond said, holding out a hand. He put his hand on the roof and then leaned down as Dom scowled at him.
“Hey man…”
“Shut it. Now isn't the time,” Raymond said.
“What do you hear?” Ezra asked, looking concerned at the roof. A few people whimpered. Dom glared at them to shut them up.
“Nothing good. I think ….” There was another jolt then something ripped into floor they were standing on from below. Ceiling pieces dripped down into the sudden hole as people screamed and scrambled away. They gathered against the walls or climbed into the attic. Ezra and Amy pushed and cursed at the terrified people until they got the kids up there since they were lighter.
“We have to survive this shit till dawn?”
“Yeah. I think they are wearing themselves out though. This is a steel, concrete and …,” Raymond stopped talking as the building shook again. There was a groan then a meaty thud below. An elephant trumpeted. “Yeah. Elephants ca
n push over trees if they are insistent enough. But a steel and concrete building is a bit harder to beat down,” he said.
“Right.”
“Still, we need to dissuade them. Any ideas?”
“Well, you did say they can smell real good, right?” a guy said. Raymond turned to him. The guy was hefting a half-filled container of bleach. “I grabbed this from the kitchen. I figured we could use it for a weapon.”
“Wait, you saw that first Terminator movie? The one where the guy makes plastic explosives with that stuff?”
“A bunch of household ingredients in the right proportions,” another guy said. “Tremors I believe.” A few people around him snorted. “Or was it MacGyver?” he mused.
“I don't know about that, but if we can find some other stuff we can, I dunno, dribble it on them? Blind them or something?” The guy with the bleach asked hopefully. “Stink bomb?”
“Stink I like. Bleach is powerful. Find some more stuff folks. And find something to deliver it.”
“Will condoms help?” Oasis asked, pulling out a couple packages from her pockets. She saw the expressions and looks around her and shrugged. “What?” she demanded. “A girl's gotta be prepared in this day and age, right?”
“If you say so, ma'am,” Raymond said with a straight face as he gingerly took the packages. He handed them to Will and Wilson. “Figure it out. Fill them with some fluids, blow them up a bit, then tie ‘em off like a balloon. Then when all of them are ready we'll drop them through the holes.”
“And for God’s sake, hurry up!” Dom urged as the building shook again.
---<(+)>~~<(+)>---
“Fascinating. To use the beast's, I mean prosecutor's own senses against them? Yet not do them permanent harm?”
“But do them harm,” the commander replied.
“Yet no permanent harm. It is almost over. I see this as an unnecessary defense, but it is still fascinating.”
“If it is unnecessary they shouldn't do it. They are doing harm.”
“Commander, that is petty. They obviously don't know that it is nearly over. That the building will not fall.”
