Mandibles Read Online Free PDF Page B

overweight with unruly red hair, point a gun in the cashier's face. The guy in front of the door took out a gun of his own. "All right, lovely patrons of Seth's Quik-Stop, it is my great pleasure to announce that this fine establishment is now in the process of being robbed! Which of you loyal patrons would like to be our first volunteer to get shot in the head?"
----
*-CHAPTER FIVE-*

"Roberta, I think there's something you need to see," said Agnes, standing in the doorway.

"We're kind of in the middle of a root canal right now," Roberta explained. Zachary, lying on the chair with the rubber dam over his face to isolate the tooth being worked on, incoherently grunted his agreement.

"I know, but it's kind of important."

Roberta sighed with annoyance, but Dr. Ruiz waved her away. "Go on. I can handle it. Zachary's a good patient." Zachary grunted his agreement again.

Agnes led Roberta out to the waiting room, where Mrs. Baine, a short, fragile woman in her seventies, stood peering out the glass door.

"Oh my God," said Roberta, looking outside.

There had to be a couple of hundred ants scurrying along the sidewalk and around the unpaved parking lot. That in itself was no big deal, except that these ants were _huge_. One of the dark red insects was crawling on the door, and it had to be the length of a business card.

"I left my purse in the car," Mrs. Baine said. "But I can't go back and get it by myself."

"Have you ever seen ants that big?" asked Agnes.

Roberta shook her head. "Never."

"What should we do?"

"Mrs. Baine, I think we should reschedule your appointment. I'll help you get out to your car safely, okay?"

"Yes, that would be good," Mrs. Baine agreed.

Agnes returned to her desk and began typing on the computer. "Do we have any Raid or anything?"

"No," said Roberta, picking up the fire extinguisher. "But this should keep them away from us."

"Should we call the police?"

"Uh-uh. It's just some bugs."

Agnes nodded, though her face had turned pale and a bead of sweat trickled down her forehead. She looked over at Mrs. Baine. "I can get you in at four o'clock on Tuesday if that's okay."

"Yes, yes, that's fine," said the old woman, nervously fiddling with her wedding ring as she looked outside.

Roberta walked over and put her arm around her. "Don't worry, I won't let any of them get on you. Do you have your keys ready?"

"They're in my purse, in the car."

"It's not locked, is it?"

"No, no, I'm sure it's not."

"Good. Okay, I need both hands to use the fire extinguisher, so if you'll open the door, we'll head on out."

Mrs. Baine opened the door and the two of them quickly stepped outside. Roberta immediately sprayed the sidewalk in front of them, knocking several ants away with the yellow foam.

Several more ants began scurrying toward them.

Roberta sprayed those away as they moved off the sidewalk into the parking lot, keeping as close together as possible. More ants followed. "My God, look at the way they're coming at us," Roberta said. "Ants don't do that, do they?"

"Several people have died from ant bites this year," Mrs. Baine noted, as Roberta sprayed one that was mere inches from her foot.

"I heard that on the news, but I didn't hear anything about ants being so big."

Mrs. Baine was moving with surprising speed and agility for somebody her age, but Roberta still wished she'd pick up the pace. The ants seemed to be all over the grocery store parking lot as well, and most of the cars had at least two or three crawling on them. Where had they come from all of a sudden?

"Which one's yours?" asked Roberta.

"The blue Plymouth, right there."

Roberta missed one of the ants with the fire extinguisher spray, and stomped on it as hard as she could. Mrs. Baine let out a yelp and frantically brushed something off her back. "One's on me!"

"Turn around!"

Mrs. Baine did so.

"You're okay, there's nothing there." Roberta stomped another ant.

"I can feel it!"

"No,