aisle and away from the strange man. They passed a little old lady with nothing in her cart but hunks of plastic wrapped meat. The lady hardly acknowledged them and staggered along in a zombie-like state. Cheryl couldn’t help but notice the drool running off her chin. All she could do was shake her head and start plucking items from the shelves that looked somewhat new. Alley and Bobby clung to her side like they were walking through some sort of haunted house. Which, in truth, Cheryl felt the same way.
She made quick trips through the aisles, grabbing random things, and rushed to the counter. The same stained tooth man rung them up and kept eyeing the kids. He didn’t say a word, just looked at them like a madman in a scary movie. Cheryl paid him and pushed the kids back to the car. She was freaked out. Something was very strange about this town and she couldn’t wait to be out of it.
8
Steve originally wrapped his hand in a cloth and taped it. But as he sat and waited for his family to return, he realized that if they knew he had been bitten by a bat, they would freak out and demand to leave. So he removed the cloth, examined the tiny bite marks, and decided a band-aid would do. If Cheryl or the kids asked, he would tell them he got a small cut while unpacking.
Steve hoped the little pests in the attic would keep quiet long enough for him to figure out a way to kill them. While he finished unpacking he listened intently for any noise. There was none. He set up the kids room the way he thought they would want it, and he set up his and Cheryl’s room the way he knew she would love it. Just as he finished, his family walked in the door.
He rushed down the steps wiping sweat from his forehead on his shirt.
“Hey babe, what do you think?”
Cheryl looked around and had to admit she was impressed. The house was almost starting to look livable. She gave her husband a kiss and said she had to talk to him in private.
Steve was a little put off by her concerned look, but told the kids to check out their new rooms as he led Cheryl into the kitchen.
“What’s up?”
Cheryl took a deep breath. “Well, it’s hard to say, but the people in town are really weird.”
“Weird like how?” Steve asked while grabbing a glass of water.
“I don’t know. Everything seems rundown, and everybody walks around like they’re in a trance.”
“Oh, c’mon honey. I’m sure you’re exaggerating a little. I know you really didn’t want to move here either.”
“No, I’m serious. It’s weird.”
Steve swayed the conversation by leading her up to their room. He hoped it would impress her and get her mind off of, what he thought, was her overreaction to the town folk.
He had hung all their favorite paintings and family pictures on the walls. He made the bed the way she liked it and set up her knick knack’s on the dresser. He left everything of his own out. There were no pictures of him being drafted in the NFL. There was just him and his happy family lining the walls.
It worked. She was overwhelmed by all he had done to make her feel at home, and she couldn’t help but hug and kiss him. With that done, he said he had to run to town for some tools and cleaning supplies. He added that he would like to see for himself how strange the town was. She urged him to hurry and get back.
9
Steve pulled up to the hardware store smiling about how silly his wife was, claiming that the town was full of zombies or something. She could be so dramatic sometimes. He got out of the car and looked up and down Main Street. It was quiet, but there were a few people here and there. The only thing he found odd was that there were no kids playing or biking around. Oh well, they probably had cooler places to hang out. He walked into the hardware store and a little bell rang above his head.
“Hello?”
“Hello?” A deep scratchy voice called back. “I’m back here.”
Steve proceeded forward in a dimly lit aisle made of broken shelves holding random used car parts and assorted junk. There sure wasn’t much for organization. When he reached the end, he saw a tall counter with a head barely poking over the top. Grey hair was all he could make out of the person sitting behind the counter. Again he said, “Hello?”
The man slowly stood up holding his back for support. At first glance, he seemed like a typical old fellow, but as Steve approached, He noticed his eyes seemed intense and full of anger. A little droplet of spit hung at the corner of his mouth. Steve tried to proceed gently.
“Hi, nice to meet you. I’m new in town and I was wondering if you could give me some advice?”
The man’s glazed eyes looked him up and down before he spoke. “Advice huh? Well, I lived many years and learned a lot along the way. So let’s hope I can help you out.”
“My problem is the house I just bought has a few bats living in the attic. I was wondering if you knew a way to get rid of them.”
“Ooh, that’s a tough one my friend.” The man’s left eye seemed to twitch a little.
“Why is that?” Steve asked.
“Well, bats don’t scare off very easily. People try to say that if you hang moth balls in your attic, or use some other type of rat poison; they’ll be annoyed by the smell and leave, or die from eating it. But sad to say, these methods don’t work if colonies of bats have decided to use your attic as a breeding ground.”
“Well, I don’t think there’s a colony up there.” Steve said. “As far as I could see there’s only a couple.”
“It only takes a couple before it turns into a couple dozen.” The old man argued.
“How do I stop it before it happens?”
“The only way I see is to catch them and carry them out. Then seal off any holes you find in the attic so they can’t get back in.”
“Why not just kill them? That way I know they won’t come back.”
“YOU CAN’T DO THAT!” The old man screamed.
Steve took a step back in shock at the man’s outburst. “I’m sorry, I…”
“No, no I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bark at ya. My name is Henry.” He stuck out a wrinkly hand.
“Steve.” He said and shook his hand.
“Did you know that it’s illegal to kill bats?” Henry asked.
“No, why?”
“They keep the insect population down. Without bats, we would be swarmed with mosquitoes, and gnats, and every other flying insect you can name. They’re good for the environment.”
“I don’t think my wife would think so.” Steve said. “She’d leave in a heartbeat if she knew the little critters were up in the attic.”
“Yes I understand.” Henry walked around the counter heading for a garbage filled aisle. He returned with a fishing net. “This is all I can offer you. Use this to catch them. If you have problems, I can send someone out to help. Whatever you do, don’t kill them!”
“Alright thanks.” Steve paid the man and walked out with the fishing net. He scoffed at the stupid thing as he stuffed in under some coats in the trunk. He didn’t think it was much of a solution, but he had to keep it hidden so his wife and kids wouldn’t know what he was up to. He jumped in the driver’s seat and headed home.
10
Five tiny bats were perched on the edge of the attic door feeding on droplets of Steve’s blood. Their little tongues lapped up every last bit, but their craving was not fulfilled. It was just a tease. They wanted more, needed more. The more they could consume, the bigger and stronger they would get. Soon they would be strong enough to hunt. It was only a matter of weeks until they’d be grown enough to feed like their elders.
11
When Steve pulled in the drive, he saw his family had set up a little picnic area in the front of the house. He was delighted to see smiles on their faces. Maybe they were adjusting to the change. It filled him with relief, but he had to figure out a way to get rid of those pesky bats before they noticed. Otherwise, he’d be back to square one, and most likely repacking their stuff and moving back to Chic
ago.
He got out of the car and joined them at a plastic patio table. His belly rumbled as the smell of baked beans and hot dogs hit his nostrils. They talked and ate under a boiling sun. There was something about eating in the open desert that gave him a feeling of absolute peace. In this moment, he was living what he had dreamed of when he decided to move.
They talked of taking a walk after lunch to the hills in the distance. Steve said it was a great idea, but in the back of his mind he was trying to think of a way out of it. He needed time alone to get rid of the bats. He came up with a plan. He would start to walk with them, then at the last second say he’d forgotten to make a really important phone call to his agent. He would tell them to go ahead without him, and that should buy him enough time to get rid of the annoyance in the attic.
The plan worked out perfect. Cheryl and the kids bought his lie hook, line, and sinker. He ran back to the house, stopping to make sure they weren’t going to return, and grabbed the fishing net from the trunk and headed inside.
He scooped up the step ladder on his way up the stairs and set it under the attic door. He took a deep breath. He wasn’t thrilled about