Part 16 (1/2)
He leaned out of her reach, still grinning.
”Give it to me, and I'll leave you alone.”
She tightened her grip on the hammer and swung again. This time, she threw it through the window of the shop's front door with a loud crash.
”Ping! Help me! Piiiiiiing!”
She collapsed on the floor behind the counter, enveloped in slugs.
The old man moved behind the counter, opened two cabinet doors, randomly pulled out items and threw them on the floor.
”Come on home, boys,” he said. The slugs on the floor skittered toward him, over his shoes and up his pants legs. His pants rippled as they climbed.
He stiffly crouched down and opened the junk drawer.
The bell above the door jangled.
”Mara! Where are you? What happened?” Ping ran into the shop and up to the counter.
The old man stood up. The grin was gone. The swarm of slugs leaped at Ping. He disappeared into a cloud of dust that filled the air in front of the counter. The slugs continued to fling themselves into empty air as Sam walked in.
”Ping? Mara? Where are you guys?” Sam called out.
His eyes widened as he took in the old man standing behind the counter with slugs crawling on his shoulders and over his s.h.i.+rt collar.
Sam wrinkled his nose and said, ”Gross.”
Most of the surfaces in the shop rippled and s.h.i.+fted as the slugs made their way back to the man. His clothing bulged and rippled.
Sam stepped back as a couple jumped in his direction. Moving forward again, he locked eyes with the old man.
”You don't want to be here now,” Sam said.
”I need to leave now,” the old man said. ”I need to gather my friends.”
”No, you don't. You'll make new friends. Leave now.”
The old man walked around the counter and out the front door. The slugs left behind melted the instant he crossed the threshold.
A moment later, a hand covered in what looked like motor oil reached up from behind the counter, grabbed its edge, lost its grip, fell out of sight and then tried again. With the second attempt, Mara hauled herself up and flopped down across the counter with a wet slap. Displaced slime oozed over the front of the counter.
”Get me a paper towel,” she said.
”Mara?” Sam asked, unable to recognize her through the muck.
Next to Sam, a swirling mote of dust gathered into a cloud, took the shape of a man and filled out with the smiling features of Ping.
Mara wiped slime out of an eye, slung it on the floor, lifted herself off the counter, and said, ”Get out, both of you.”
CHAPTER 26.
OVERNIGHT THE SLIME covering most of the shop grew snotty and began to get crusty along the edges where it had pooled. When Mara walked in, Bruce stood in front of the work counter trying to get strings of the stuff off his fingers.
”What the h.e.l.l happened in here?” he said, slinging his hand, throwing translucent ropes of goo onto the floor.
”I wish I had an explanation,” she said, too tired to make up something. Out of habit, she turned to flip the Open sign on the door. No need. A piece of plywood filled the s.p.a.ce where the window had been. ”I'll be cleaning up today.”
”My grandfather would have a heart attack if he saw this,” Bruce said, turning in a circle, surveying the mess. ”What happened?”
”As hard as it is to believe, a customer came in late yesterday and released a bunch of slugs. It was a complete nightmare. Please don't tell your grandfather about this. There's nothing he can do about it, and it will just upset him while he's recuperating. I'll clean everything up.”
”I'd stay and help, but we're doing a charity ride down the coast, and I'll be out for a few days,” he said.
”Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it.”
”Sorry. I wish I could help.” He walked into the back.
She moved behind the counter, wiped off a stool with a paper towel and sat down. For the first time since Mr. Mason had left to have his surgery, she wondered if she could actually keep things going at the shop. She put her face into her hands but refused to cry.
The bell above the door jangled. She did not look up.
”Would you like some help cleaning up?” Ping asked.
”Please just leave me alone. I'll take care of it.”
”A city inspector halted the work in the bakery because some paperwork did not get filed properly. I have an entire crew of construction and clean-up people who I will have to send home. Why not put them to work?”
”I don't want a bunch of strangers to see this mess.”
”Don't worry about it. I told them the shop was vandalized by a group of teenage pranksters. They are glad to help. They can have this place cleaned up in a few hours. It would take you more than a week by yourself. I will send them over. You get them started, and then I'll come take you to an early lunch.”
”I want to stay.”
”I promise you that they will work faster if you're not lording over them. They are a good crew. Look how fast the bakery has come together. Besides, Sam will be here to keep an eye on things.”
”That puts my mind to rest.” She rolled her eyes.
”He's a good kid, a great kid.”
”I'll go to lunch, but no stuff from The Twilight Zone. Just an everyday lunch.”
”I promise. We won't talk about anything you don't want to.”