Werewolf Suspense (Book 4): Outage 4 (The Reckoning) by T.W. Piperbrook

involuntarily fell to the victim at the doorway. The man had been torn apart at the midsection. His chewed legs were separated from his torso, his mouth stuck open in a dying scream. Abraham clutched the screwdriver.
    The beast watched them. Abraham stared at the creature for a split second, torn between moving, fighting, or staying still. At the last second, he devised a plan.
    "Lift the bed!" he screamed to Sally.
    Whether it was the urgency in his voice or the sight of the creature, Abraham wasn't sure, but Sally sprang to action. Abraham dropped the screwdriver. They overturned the bed, getting it into the air as the creature pounced.
    All at once, Abraham, Sally, and the bed slid back against the radiator. Abraham felt a brief, oppressive weight, and then heard the sound of shattering glass as the beast flew over them and crashed through the window.  
    Its shriek echoed into the night as it plunged three stories and to the ground.  
    Looking next to him to ensure Sally was all right, Abraham said a silent prayer.
    We're still alive , he thought incredulously. We're still alive.
    He lowered the bed, staring out the broken windowpane. The wounded creature flopped in the snow, then went still.
    They pushed the bed away. The beast might be dead. But the open door across the room, and the carcass at the entrance, were proof they were still in danger.

Chapter Twelve

    Tom studied the little boy crouched in the elevator car. Although Silas was breathing heavily, he appeared unharmed. He kept hold of the knife as Tom knelt down beside him.
    "Are you all right, Silas?" Tom asked.  
    Silas nodded, but his eyes reflected the carnage he'd seen. Thank God he hadn't been killed. Tom glanced over his shoulder, observing the empty, carnage-strewn corridor. They needed to get out of here.
    "Let's get up to the third floor," he said. "Back to your sister."
    Tom glanced back at the elevator doors, which were blocked by the laundry bin. He peered over the edge to check on the injured woman. But the woman was no longer looking back at him.
    Her eyes had gone vacant; her mouth was agape. Her hands had fallen off the towel, revealing a bloodied mess beneath. It didn't appear she was breathing.
    Tom yanked the bin toward the elevator.
    "Watch out, Silas! Make room! We have to get her upstairs!"
    Silas scuttled into the corner. Tom fought with the laundry bin, turning it sideways to maneuver it inside. He needed to get the woman to the nurses. They might be able to do something, where he had failed.
    Silas let out a startled cry, snapping him to attention. A beast charged down the corridor, feet smacking the bloodstained floor. It was a hundred yards away.
    "Shit!"
    Tom rotated the bin, pressing his back against the elevator. Silas scooted with him. The elevator doors remained open. Dammit! What's going on? Tom watched in terror as the beast advanced. The bin must be blocking the sensor. He yanked furiously, trying to reposition it.
    "Silas! Hit the button! Close the doors!"
    The little boy cried out and jabbed the buttons. Tom's heart galloped as the creature closed the distance. It splayed its fingers in anticipation of clawing, tearing, eating . Several buttons lit up before Silas pressed the right one.
    The doors whirred closed. Sensing its waning opportunity, the beast hurtled the remaining steps and dove. The doors had almost shut when a claw jutted through the opening.  
    The doors retracted.  
    The beast snarled.  
    Tom fought with the creature on the other side of the bin as Silas screamed. The beast thrashed wildly as it tried to get inside the elevator car. Tom still had the axe in his hands, but in order to swing it, he'd have to let go of the bin, exposing them to attack. The dead woman's body slid back and forth, trapped in a bitter game of tug-of-war. But the beast had no interest in her.  
    Its eyes were on Tom and Silas.  
    Finally, Tom shoved the laundry bin, hurling the creature back into the hallway. The creature