Better Eight Than Never

Chapter 42: Onomatopoeic shenanigans

"What!?" Toda yelped, springing to his feet. "What happened!?"

"I'm not sure..." Leah said, setting the phone down on the table. "I answered it, and I think was Jill, and it sounded like some–"

The phone began to ring, and swiftly he jumped up and answered it, putting it on speaker. "Jill!? Simon!?"

He was greeted with a loud smack sound, as if the phone had been dropped, then a gunshot, and then finally shouting on the other end.

"I THOUGHT YOU SAID WE GOT THEM ALL"

"I SAID WE MIGHT HAVE!!!"

Toda's ears went back quickly. Over the phone Jill and Simon sounded so alike... "Are you okay!?"

Nobody answered him, there was simply a bunch of disembodied sounds.

Whhhiirrrrrrrr ratatatatatatatatatatat shatter "EEEP!"

*BANG* *BANG* THWAK!

"STACEY GET BACK!" Thud thud thudthudthudthud KLANG

splinter "RRRAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Pphhhhhiiiiiimmmm *BOOM* CLATTERCLATTERCLATTER

That sounded like a bomb had gone off next to the phone and sent it flying, and Toda felt knots settle in the pit of his stomach.

"Can anyone hear us!?" Bato called, stepping over.

On the other end, there was a gunshot, and then silence. Toda cast a quick glance at Tanya, and the two wordlessly came to a decision. He grabbed the phone, she grabbed her gun, and together they ran out of the house and down the hall, leaving the front door to the apartment wide open behind them. They took the stairs, footsteps echoing thunderously as they sprinted downward, two steps at a time.

As they barreled into the parking lot, Toda put the phone to his ear, swallowing as he heard nothing on the other end.

But then he did hear something, the distinctive clomping of shoes, or perhaps octoling boots, on wooden flooring. He tried to be quiet but quick as he got into the car, holding the phone between his cheek and shoulder as he buckled his seat belt.

But then were was a repeated beeping sound, an explosion, and splattering sounds, blasting directly into his ear. He hurriedly turned the phone off speaker mode with a cringe. That had been painful.

"BOOYAH!" Even while the phone wasn't against his head he heard Jill shout, there was no way that could be anyone else.

He sighed in relief and put the phone back to his head as they started off down the road, listening intently.

"-of the house. Who knows where else they could be hiding" That voice was Stacey.

"This is like, giving... off serious horror movie... vibes right... now." Said... one of the twins.

"Simon, where did Dad go?" Said, well, Jill, that must mean the last person was Simon.

Toda swallowed. "Hello? Jill? Simon? Can you hear me?"

"I saw him get splatted, he dove in front of me, I don't know if he's ok." That was Stacey again. Her voice was strained, she probably shouldn't have gotten up to fight, but she might not have had a choice.

There was a loud THUNK, like somebody set something heavy down on the floor.

"We need to find the phone... Where did it go?" Jill said.

"HELLO!" Toda shouted, hoping it would be loud enough for them to hear him.

"Hey, I think I found it." Stacey said, and then her voice became clearer. "Hey Toda, is that you?"