A Girl Between (22 page)

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.

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 down.  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?”