Nick contemplated going over to the cupboard and yanking the girl out by force, but decided that would be an unkind thing to do and counterproductive to his situation. No, his only option was to keep speaking and try to reason with her.
There was breathing. Nearby.
Nick sensed a presence behind him. He heard the panting breaths of a stranger right at his back. Before he even had chance to turn around someone pummelled him in the spine and sent him reeling forward onto his hands and knees. He twisted around onto his rump and saw a hunched-over old man in an olive-coloured cardigan. The woollen garment was covered by flakes of scalp and grey dandruff.
The old man was insane, just like all the others.
Nick scampered back to his feet just in time to dodge an attack from the old man. He quickly ran to the corner of the aquarium and tried to find an escape. But there was none. He found himself cornered between an opened-top terrarium of Musk turtles and a tank of blue lobsters.
The old man’s eyes went unnaturally wide as they stared at Nick, almost as if they were going to pop out of their sockets and land on his shoes.
With nowhere to run, Nick stepped forward to meet the old man’s charge, grabbing a fistful of his cardigan and holding on tight. He used the old man’s momentum as a weapon and twisted sideways, flinging him headfirst into the tiers of fish tanks. Water flooded out onto the carpet as the glass frontages shattered.
The old man’s head had impacted a tank full of neon tetras and was now lodged between the jagged edges of the glass. The vicious crags bit and tore at the soft flesh of his wrinkled neck and his attempts to get free only opened up the wounds wider.
Nick staggered away, dizzy from exertion.
I can’t take much more of this.
Blood mixed with the remaining water at the bottom of the broken fish tanks and turned the liquid a murky red. The poor neon tetras inside did their best to keep swimming in their suddenly shallow tank. The old man continued twisting and squirming and the gash in his neck opened up even further. Eventually it began to spout thick arterial blood. His sandaled feet twitched and kicked for a few moments as he continued trying to get free.
Then he went still.
Nick sat down on the floor and took some deep breaths. Being on such high alert, so full of adrenaline, was beginning to take its toll on him. The urge to scream at the top of his lungs and yank out his hair was beginning to take over. Nick just wanted it all to stop. It was too much to deal with any longer.
“What’s happening?” It was the girl in the closet. “What’s going on out there?”
“I think I just met the owner,” he said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. “I wouldn’t recommend his customer service. Are you going to come out now? I could really use some help.”
“No.”
“Stop hiding out in a cupboard like a goddamn child. You need to get a grip.” There was more silence, but he was sure the girl was thinking things through in there. “Come on,” he said. “I’m not looking to hurt you.”
Slowly the cupboard door began to open. From behind it the girl peered out. “Fine,” she said irritably. “But the first sign of danger and I am back in the closet.”
Nick nodded wearily. He tried to smile. The girl was still just a teenager – possibly early twenties. She was a dark-featured brunette with lighter streaks in her chocolate-coloured hair. Her big brown eyes were full of trepidation and she viewed Nick with suspicion. The look suggested that maybe her morning hadn’t been much better than his had been.