4

4
It was well into the next day when we first heard the noises. A shuffling, scratching thudding noise in the hallway. The radio batteries died a few hours before and the silence of the apartment was loud other than the slight drumming rain that persisted into its fifth day.

We were missing the reports of the floods now and all of the havoc many feet of water was causing. Other reports of people out in the rain during rescue efforts were starting to get sick. Those were interesting but then due to the dead batteries they stopped along with our only line of information to the outside world.

 The sounds in the hall kept up to the point of needing someone to check it out. Sam and I did rock, paper, scissors to see who investigated the hall. I lost, I'm not sure Sam would have been able to open the door anyway, but I was. Barely. Getting up I knocked over the beer can pyramid and found my way to the door in the hazy dark.

 I opened the door to see a couple of National Guard uniforms with bright reflecting vests. I felt better but they really didn't look well. "What's up?" I got a reply of "Aaarrrrggggmmmmm!" in a moaning cadence. "Aaaarrrrggggmmmmm!" not being a word I was familiar with I closed the door. And locked it.