A Girl Between

by Marjorie Weismantel

  There it goes again, that funny scream. It was closer to me here then when I heard it before so I decided to check it out. I left the gym and went around the corner into a short hallway. At the end of the hall was the door into the girl’s locker room. I tried to open it but it was locked. That’s when I noticed a sign on the wall with an arrow: Girl’s bathroom downstairs. I followed the arrow which took me down another hall to a stairwell. I thought I heard a faint scream again but I wasn’t sure. I continued down the stairs and around the corner.

  I stopped and looked around. I was in an old hallway that looked like it hadn’t been used since my grandma went to high school. There were cracked linoleum floors and dirty, marked-up walls. Exposed light bulbs and grimy old pipes hung from the ceiling. Across the hallway was a door with that funny old fashioned mottled glass that you couldn’t see through. There was a number on the door so I figured that it must be an old classroom.

  I walked further down the hall to the girl’s bathroom and opened the door. The dim light lent an odd cast to the sinks and the toilet stalls. The faucets looked all rusty. I doubt they even worked. I walked further in to check out a toilet. It was sooo gross. It was all black inside and completely dry. Two of the stall doors were missing. I flushed a toilet and a loud shriek came out. That sound; that was it! That was the muffled scream I had heard. Someone was down here flushing these toilets? I shrugged and turned around to leave. A sudden sense of dread came over me. I felt a need to RUN, not walk out of this place. As I reached for the door, I heard a loud crack of thunder that sounded like it was directly above the school. Then, complete and utter darkness.

  Oh, my, God! I can’t even see my hand. It’s pitch black in here! Why am I such an idiot? Why do I always do these things? I tentatively felt around for the door and turned the handle. I couldn’t get it to open. I kept on twisting and turning, but it still wouldn’t move. What do I do now? I’ve got to get outta here before I go nuts. I remember seeing a window near the last sink. I crept over there by grabbing each sink until getting to the last one, then I groped around for the window. I grasped the handles and gradually pulled it up an inch at a time until it came to an abrupt stop. I couldn’t budge the window after that. There was no way I could fit through that opening.

  Suddenly, there was a bright FLASH!!! It was lightning, immediately followed by a loud CRASH of thunder. The storm was directly over us. I backed up against the sink and put my face in my hands. What can I do now? I can’t get out of here. Will, Doug and Sam should eventually start looking around for me. It could take them all night to find me in here! I breathed in and out, in and out, trying to keep my panic at bay. I have to calm myself down. When Will does find me I don’t want him to see a raving lunatic. I sat down on the floor to wait it out with only the sporadic lightening to illuminate my dark cold confines.

  43. Surprise Visitors

  I must’ve dozed off because something caused me to jerk awake. It took me a few seconds to remember where I was. Crap! I’m still in this nasty bathroom. What was that scrabbling noise? I sat quietly and listened. Something BIG and FURRY scurried across my foot at the same time the lightning flashed. WAS THAT A RAT????!!! “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH” I screamed as I shot up and banged my head on the sink. More lightening. I KNOW I saw more than one black furry thing running around. This really sucks! Lightning flashed again. Oh, my, God! There were dozens of rats coming in through the window!!!! At that moment, I felt one trying to crawl up the inside my pant leg! I immediately kicked it off me and climbed up on the sink. I have to do something NOW!! No time to think.

  I immediately leaned down and turned the sink on full blast. Then, I stepped over to the next sink and turned that one on. I straddled the two sinks and started rubbing my hands together. I continued rubbing and rubbing while I watched more rats coming in through the windows, their eyes gleaming. They have me trapped. I continued rubbing and rubbing while I was kicking at the rats. I could hear their sharp teeth chattering. I could feel them trying to bite at my toes!

  I sensed that it was almost time. I closed my eyes and kept on rubbing and rubbing. My head felt like it was about to burst. I paused for a second then I flung the electric ball onto the floor with all of my strength. At that same exact moment, lightning crashed through the window, fused with my high voltage ball and exploded onto the floor, CRACK…… SIZZLE…… POP…. Sparks zinging off the pooled water, furry bodies sizzling…..

  What was that smell?? Dead, burned flesh. Electrocuted rodents. They stunk so baaaaaad. I hung onto a pipe above the sink. I didn’t plan on falling onto the floor. It was covered with water and a layer of floating dead rats.

  Occasional flashes of lightning cast an eerie picture of rain pouring through jagged glass. It was getting colder in here. I deliberately averted my eyes from the dead rodents floating around below me. I heard thunder, but it was muted. Was it further away? My arms were killing me but I didn’t dare let go. My flip flops (why did I wear these darn things?) weren’t too steady on the surface of the slippery sinks. If I get out of here in one piece, I’m swearing my flip flops off (at least for a while).

  BANG, BANG, BANG. “Tess, are you in there?” Sam yelled.”

  Thank you, God, thank you. “Sam, I’m in here. Get me out!” I screamed.

  “It’s stuck. I can’t get in. I’ll be back.”

  As the lightning flashed again, I glanced toward the window. Glowing eyes and clicking teeth. More rats were crawling in. I’m gonna lose it if I’m in here much longer.

  “Tess, can you hear me?” it was Will!

  “Yes,” I answered weakly.

  “The maintenance guy’s coming. You OK?”

  Breath in, breath out. “It’s really bad in here, Will. You gotta get me out,” I pleaded.

  CLANK, CLANK, CLANK, smash. “I’m trying Tess. Hold on.”

  I heard the sound of wood splintering. SMASH . . . . SMASH. The door banged open and Will charged in. “What the…?” he shuddered, looking around. Then, he came over and gently lifted me down from the sink. “We’re outta here, Tess.”

  I laid my head on his shoulder and he carried me out.

  44. My Protector

  Will was carrying me up the stairs when we bumped into Sam and Doug on their way down. They were with the school maintenance guy. Will paused for a second so I looked at his face to see what was going on. I was shocked. Will, who was always so cool about everything, was in a complete rage. He proceeded to direct his fury at the janitor. “That place was disgusting! There are dead rats floating around in there! Tess got locked in that room. How did that happen? Somebody will be held responsible for this.” The maintenance guy looked back at Will like he was from another planet, then he continued on his way down the stairs.

  “Let’s get outta this place,” Will muttered to Sam and Doug.

  When we got to Will’s car, he settled me in the front seat and covered me with a blanket (this is becoming an all too familiar story). I was shivering violently from head to toe so he started the car up and blasted the heat in my direction.

  Will turned to Sam and Doug in the back seat. “I’ll let both of you guys off at Sam’s house. I have to get Tessie some medical attention as soon as possible.” Doug started asking me something but Will sharply cut him off. “No questions for Tess right now. She’s been through a horrific experience and now she’s in shock. We can find out what happened later.”

  “Will, where are we going? Are you taking Tess to the hospital?” Sam inquired, looking at me anxiously.

  Will shook his head. “I want to take her home first. My mom’s a nurse and she can at least treat any symptoms of shock and look her over. I’m afraid if I take Tess directly to the emergency room she’ll have to wait forever and frankly, she needs to be treated quickly. After that, I can bring her in, if need be.” Will then gently took my hands, looked me in the eyes and quietly asked, “Is that alright with you, Tess?” I simply nodded yes and then turned away. I had made a decision to shut myself dow
n. I couldn’t stand thinking about those rats with their gleaming eyes and clicking teeth. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Will glance worriedly to his friends. I wanted to reassure him, but I just didn’t have the energy.

  After the boys got out at Sam’s house, Will drove directly home. I knew he was anxious as he was flying down the road. He’s not the type to be a big-shot speeder. As he pulled into the driveway, I automatically snapped off my seat belt and started opening the door. Will quickly leaned over and grabbed hold of my wrist. “Tess, what’re you doing? I’m bringing you inside. Haven’t you even noticed that your feet don’t look so good?”

  I glanced over at him. “Gee, Will, I thought you just felt liked carrying me.”

  He leaned forward and kissed me lightly on the mouth. He quietly murmured, “But I do, Tess.” He shifted his body around and pulled my head to rest against his upper chest. “So sorry for all of this,” he whispered. I rested there for a minute with my forehead nestled into his neck, and let my mind drift into oblivion.

  “Thank you, Will,” I breathed.

  After a minute Will shook me lightly, pulled away and held my face. “Unfortunately, you have to be checked, Tess. We have to go inside.”

  I sighed, “I know. You’re right.”

  He carried me into the house and carefully laid me down on the living room couch, placing a pillow under my head and tucking a blanket around me. Will studied me for a minute. “I was really worried about you earlier because it looked like you were going into shock but I think that’s slowed down. Your color’s returning and you’re not shaking like a leaf. Your eyes look like you’re living in the present. Are you feeling better?”

  I nodded and answered softly, “I started feeling better after we put some distance between us and those rats. You were the one who got me outta there, Will and I’m so grateful.” I looked him straight in the eye and squeezed his hand. Will was watching me, but he seemed to be caught off guard. I think he was blushing! He’s always so confidant, sometimes too confident. But none of that matters. He got me out of there. I will never forget what he did.

  Suddenly, we heard footsteps on the stairs. It was Will’s mom, wearing a bathrobe and slippers, her hair wrapped in a towel. “So Will, how did the…..?” Her voice drifted off and her eyes widened slightly when she saw me. “Tess, is that you?”

  “Mom, Tess had a real situation tonight. I wasn’t sure if this was hospital worthy and I didn’t want Tess to have to wait for hours in the emergency room. I figured that my beautiful mom, who is the best nurse around, could check her out.” Will smiled broadly at her.

  Mrs. Jacobsen was frowning, as she came closer to me. “What happened to your feet?”

  I glanced self-consciously at my feet. They had small bite marks on my toes and the tops of my feet! I’d been totally oblivious with all that was on my mind and I hadn’t noticed them. Who checks their feet anyway? Up to now they just felt numb, although I was starting to feel little zaps of pain. My flip flops were all dirty, falling apart. Fortunately, most of the damage was on the tops, not the bottoms. Instinctively I was embarrassed at their grossness so I tried to tuck them away. Mrs. Jacobsen sat down on the edge of the couch, took my right foot in her hand and gingerly removed my dirty old flip flop. “Those look like teeth marks.” She leaned down and studied my foot more closely. “What kind of animal was biting you, Tess?”

  I shuddered, “Rats, they were rats, hundreds of them.”

  “Rats?” Mrs. Jacobsen looked a little shocked.

  “Yeah, mom, I saw them, too. Like she said, hundreds of them,” Will said impatiently. “Tess got stuck in a bath room and couldn’t get away from them.”

  Mrs. Jacobsen frowned as if in thought. “Hmmm, that’s funny. I just read an article in the Tri Town Journal. People have been reporting packs of rats roving around, particularly during twilight or early morning hours. It’s odd because I’ve lived here all my life. I’ve never heard about packs of rats around here.”

  Will grimaced, “In this case, though, it wasn’t a pack, it was more like a herd. They crawled through a window into the basement bathroom at the school we were at. You’d think they were deliberately seeking Tess.” He shook his head. “It was one of the creepiest things I’ve ever seen.”

  Mrs. Jacobsen looked between Will and Tess, “It’s probably best to finish this conversation later. Right now, Tess’s wounds have to be cleaned thoroughly with a strong antiseptic and she’ll definitely have to go to the emergency room.” She touched my arm sympathetically. “Tess, I’m sure you’ll need a tetanus shot and some antibiotic treatment. You should also be aware that rat bites can cause rat-bite fever.”

  I squeaked, “Rat-bite fever? Is it as bad as it sounds?”

  “Yes, and it can be fatal,” she answered.

  “Fatal, like you can die fatal?” I yelped.

  Mrs. Jacobsen nodded her head, “I’m afraid so, dear.”

  I put my head in my hands and sat there for a minute thinking. Finally I looked to Will. “This can’t be put it off any longer. I better call my Aunt Amy. I was hoping to avoid telling her because she’s such a worry wart. This is all she needs.”

  “That’s a very good idea Tess. Let me get the phone,” Mrs. Jacobsen answered.

  I quietly stated, “I’d like to have my aunt come get me and take me to the emergency room. I’m so grateful for everything you guys have done for me but, really, I just can’t ask you to do any more.”

  “No, no dear. We’ll take you to the emergency room, after all, I work at the hospital and I can get you in quickly. Just call your aunt and let her know, or better yet, I can explain everything to her once you get her on the phone. She can meet us there.” Mrs. Jacobsen smiled reassuringly at me.

  This whole situation was starting to make me feel too emotional and I was getting choked up. It would be better if I could calm myself down so that I could talk to my aunt. I leaned back and closed my eyes, but that made it worse. I felt the darkness close in on me. I was feeling trapped. My heart was racing. Rats crawling around, clicking their teeth. Breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out. Feeling faint so put head down. Breath in, breath out.

  Will came over and stroked my hair. He talked in a low, soft voice. “Tess, it’s OK. You’re alright now. We’ll take care of everything. You have nothing to worry about.”

  Breath in, breath out.

  Mrs. Jacobsen came in with a basin of water and some supplies. “Dear, just put your feet up on the table and we can clean you up nicely. Will, why don’t you call Tess’s aunt and explain everything to her?

  Breath in, breath out. I was starting to feel better. I whispered, “Thank you.”

  Mrs. Jacobsen cleaned me up and Will called my aunt. He then wrapped me up in a blanket and started carrying me out to the car. As we were walking out, Mrs. Jacobsen said casually, “You know that newspaper article I was telling you about? I meant to mention something else that was in it. It’s so crazy. People were claiming to see packs of another animal around here. Have you heard about that?”

  Will answered, as if he were just humoring his mom, “No, Mom, I haven’t heard anything. What other animal are they seeing around here?”

  She responded with a puzzled look on her face, “Cats. People have been seeing roving bands of cats. One elderly woman was working in her garden and a pack of seven cats went right up to her. She got so scared she ran into her house. And people have reported seeing a lot of those exotic cats, you know, those Siamese cats. Isn’t that strange?”

  45. Visitors

  I was lying on the couch, my bandaged feet propped up, staring out at the miserable freezing cold wet weather. It had been showering off and on with intermittent thunder and lightning since I had gotten up. Beauty Queen, as usual was sticking to me like glue. She wasn’t even letting me go into the bathroom by myself. And I was so bored, I was even thinking about doing homework! My aunt’s voice made me jump.

  “Tess, Mercy’s here to see you. Are you u
p for it?” She asked, eyebrow raised and hands on her hips. “You know, I think you could use a little rest and you should stay off your feet. Why don’t I just tell her you’re sleeping?”

  “Aunt Amy, I don’t want to lie to Mercy. Besides, I’m bored out of my mind. I’ve been sitting here with my feet up for the last two hours. I can’t take it anymore,” I whined.

  “Oh, dear, two hours! I’m sorry that you have to suffer so much when you’re stuck here with us,” Auntie responded in a dry tone.

  I raised my eyebrows at Auntie. “Could you just send Mercy in, please?”

  Aunt Amy sighed. “All right, all right, how about if I bring in a batch of peanut butter drops, your favorites? I made them last night after we got back from the emergency room. I find that it’s best to keep myself very busy when I’m crazed with worry.” Aunt Amy proceeded to glare at me.

  “I’m sorry, Auntie. People don’t get bitten by rats on purpose you know! It was a freak thing.” I gave her the most pitiful look I could manage. I had to be careful not to overdo it because I wanted to get out of the house as soon as possible. Thank God she doesn’t REALLY know what’s going on. She’d lock me up in the attic and never let me out.

  Mercy made her appearance while my aunt went to get the cookies. It was great to see her breeze in with her big smile. She was wearing pants for a change with a big crazy top. Her hair looked like she stuck her finger in the plug and kept it there. “Tessie, how are you doing?” She leaned over to give me a quick hug.

  “Where’d you get that top?” It just popped out of my mouth. I couldn’t help myself. I really wondered because she couldn’t have bought it in any store I’ve ever been in, not that I’m any fashion expert.

  “Oh, this”, she answered breezily. “It’s my mom’s. She used to wear it in her old hippie days. I think it’s called a dashiki. I wear it so much she finally gave it to me. Don’t you just love it?” She asked while turning around to show me the back. I literally had to shield my eyes from the bright glare.