“I’m going to throw up.” I said. Then I did. Chunks of my half digested breakfast spewed from my mouth and nose. Tears leaked from my eyes.

Mallory grabbed the garbage can and pulled my hair from my face all while crying. She was resourceful like that. We sat there for 5 minutes like that. Me vomiting and her rubbing my back, soothing me. She was a dutiful friend.

I had just found out my husband was dead. Massive heart attack. The genius scientist done in by his own body. He didn’t have the courtesy to tell me goodbye, let alone clean up his mess in the basement. It was the source of most of the tension in our marriage. In fact, I had been giving him the silent treatment for the past month after I’d seen it. He had promised me over and over that he’d take care of it and now here we were.

Mallory cleared her throat.

“I can’t imagine what you’re feeling right now. I think it goes without saying, I’m here for you. Let me know if you need anything.”

“He told me he’d take care of the basement. And he didn’t. His experiments are all over down there. I nagged him to clean up. But, he didn’t do it.” I sobbed.

“Oh, sweetie, don’t feel bad about that. You didn’t know this would happen! How could you?? I can help when you’re feeling up to it,” she said as she pulled me into a hug. Then I had an idea.

“Could we do it now?” I asked.

For a split second, a look of confusion swept over her face. But then it was gone. She nodded her head.

“Of course we can.”

I asked her to go down first and wait for me at the bottom of the stairs. I went to the safe and took out my late husbands handgun. I loaded it and hid it behind my back as I descended the stairway.

“When did you guys install a deadbolt down here?” Mallory asked.

“He did about a month ago. He like his privacy.” I said with a sniff.

Mallory was too polite to bring up the fact that the deadbolt was on the wrong side of the door for privacy. Instead she unlatched it and opened the door.

The creatures were on her instantly. She barely had enough time to scream before they sunk their gnarled teeth into her. I began firing. The chaos was done as quickly as it had begun. Mallory and the three creatures laid lifeless on concrete floor. The guilt of using my best friend as bait overwhelmed me. But, I had to get rid of them, before someone found out. I threw up again. Then I sunk to my knees and examined the last mess he’d left me.