This Broken City Sky

The long street was quiet, save for the momentary stir of leaves, and bicycle tires that rolled over the pavement. Everything was still, as well, which wasn't especially extraordinary for a Monday morning.

"Car!" One of the two riders said loudly, and they both swerved to the side of the road to let the car zoom past.

"Someone's got a meeting with the president, apparently." The other girl said, as they slowed their bikes to a stop, and looked after the speeding car. Both watched until it disappeared, it's brakes squealing as it took the turn.

"Whatever," The taller of the two muttered, "Let's get inside, I'm freezing balls." The other nodded faintly, and, dismounting their bikes, began to push at the handles.

While the deep autumn chill hadn't crept into the air yet, the weather was brisk, and the leaves were beginning to abandon the trees. The two girls walked up the driveway of a yellow house, then into the open garage to stow the bikes.

"Lil, how far is the grocery store anyway?" Again the taller spoke as she pushed down the old kickstand with a little work. She glanced up at her cousin, who was trying to get the rusty kickstand down as well.

"I don't know, like, five blocks? Not THAT far..." She stamped her foot down hard on the rusty bar, and it came down reluctantly. The other trapsed over to the door leading into the house, and opened it.

"As is, she should have been home right now?" Lily followed.

"Yes, Dylan..." She sighed heavily as they emerged into the warm kitchen. Dylan yanked open the refridgerator door, grabbed two bottles of water, and twisted the top off of one. Lily walked over to the counter, leaning her back against it, and Dylan handed her the other water.

"God I can't wait to go home..." She sighed, her long auburn hair falling over her back. Lily nodded, then took a long drink of the water. Then she thought about Dylan's definition of home; a 1,700 square foot apartment in Manhattan, a rich, attractive boyfriend, and a job that paid her just to be pretty. All of which, Lily was jealous.

"Just one more day!" She sighed dramatically, then smiled at her cousin, who mirrored the smile, only better, it seemed. When they were quiet once again, they heard the familiar sound of tires on the garage floor.

"Nnnanna's home!" Dylan smiled brightly, and the two waited expectantly for the door to open, and the familiar old woman hobble through the door. Lily nodded, and twisted her body around, looking back into the living room, then the door opened, so she turned back.

"Oh my god, nanna, what the hell?" Dylan squeaked and immediately stepped forward toward their grandmother. Lily frowned, and did the same. The old woman was dragging a little, her feet unusualy lazy. Her wrinkled face was a little more grey than usual and she wasn't standing straight.

"Oh this crazy woman-! I was carrying my-my groceries back to my car-" She paused for a long time, and Lily grabbed her bottle of water off the counter, unscrewing it fast.

"Here..." She shoved it at her grandmother as Dylan helped her over to the kitchen table. They looked down at the feeble woman for a bit as she sipped the bottle of water delicately.

"Okay, now, what the fuck happened, exactly?" Dylan crossed her arms over her chest, and frowned. Lily glanced over at her briefly; for someone so beautiful and seemingly elegant, Dylan was brash.

"There was..." Their grandmother sighed, "This-this woman....In the parking lot...She was dirty and she looked confused, I can't....." Again she stopped to take a deep breath, and Dylan exchanged glances with Lily.

"Take it easy nanna, its okay..." Lily said quietly, her brow furrowing a little more. Then there was a tense silence.

"Nanna!" Dylan snapped, but with good intention. Their grandmother sighed again, and took another drink of the water.

"She c-came at me, snarling and she pushed me down....There was a man there and he wrestled her away but it was so strange....She was-...she was snapping at me like some animal..." She looked up at Lily and Dylan, who arched one shapely eyebrow.

"She tried to bite you?" Dylan grimaced with confusion. Lily's face distorted as well.

"Did more than try, the bitch!" Lily and Dylan were forced to smile, "Bit down on my hand pretty good, but it didn't do me any harm..." She sighed heavily yet again, and held up her hand.

"Ew, grama, she bit you-" Dylan started as they looked at the reddening bite mark

"Gross, we need to get that cleaned up." Lily said automatically, and dashed to her elder's side. Dylan nodded in passive agreement, and watched as her grandmother stood.

"I'll need to lie down, I think I hit my head..." She muttered as Lily ushered her down the hall off the kitchen that led to her bedroom, and the only bedroom in the tiny house. Dylan resented this house more than life itself, but she'd spend take a few days out of her busy summer to grace her odd cousin, and grandmother with her presence.

"Put some rubbing alcohol on it!" She shouted to them as they turned into the bathroom. Lily turned on the faucet immediately, and forced her grandmosther's hand under it. She glanced down at it for a moment as the old woman ran a bar of soap over the inflamed wound, then began rifling through the medicine cabinet next to the sink.

"Why didn't you call the cops or something?" Lily asked, after grabbing a pottle of iso-propyl alcohol to put on the bite before dressing it. Her grandmother dried her own hand, then Lily dabbed on some of the alcohol with a cotton ball.

"I didn't think she broke the skin but...look at that..." Lily peered over her grandmothers hand to see what she had indicated; there was a thin cut, about half an inch long. The skin around it looked bruised, and it didn't bleed.

"Hmm...Here, but a bandaid on it at least." Lily handed her the tiny bandage, and turned to leave the bathroom so her grandmother could as well.

"I'm going to lay down, Lily, thank you...." Lily watched apprehensively as her grandmother walked into the bedroom at the end of the hall, and lay down on the bed.

"Okay....We'll be out here...." She muttered, and turned, walking down the hall to the living room.

"Like, what the hell is wrong with people?! Biting old ladies at the grocery store? I mean come on." Dylan scoffed, as she followed Lily toward the couch.

"It's friggin disgusting." Lily added, as Dylan switched on the TV, taking charge of the remote as usual.

An hour passed them by, which they spent watching television, and chatting here and there. It was nearing two in the afternoon when Lily pushed herself off the couch.

"Gunna go check on nanna..." She told Dylan, and walked off down the hall.

"She's probably asleep..." Dylan added sarcastically, and raised her eyebrows. She blinked at the TV screen, and the opening credits of a show.

"Uuum...Dylaaan!" Lily called from the back bedroom.

"What?" She yelled back, not moving her eyes, or any other part of her body, for that matter.

"Could you uh...Come here please?" Lily's voice coaxed Dylan to look to her right. Lily was standing next to the bed, but that was all she could see.

"What's up?" Dylan asked, as she unfolded her long legs, and stood up from the old sofa. She hated that thing too.

"Well, look." Lily turned her head to watch Dylan lope down the hall, and into the stuffy bedroom.

"Oh...Woa...." She frowned when she saw her grandmother, and her strange appearance.

"Nanna," Lily reached out a hand, and touched the woman's shoulder, shaking lightly, "Wake up." They both gazed down at the open mouth, and glistening forehead of their grandma.

"She looks green..." Dylan mumbled, her expression showing mild disgust. Just then the old woman moved her head, closed her mouth momentarily, then sighed.

"Lily...could y-...water?" Her voice was raspy and quiet. Lily looked over at Dylan, who took that as a cue to go get water. When she had left the room, Lily turned her eyes down to her grandmothers wounded hand, and reached her hand out, picking back the edge of the bandaid a little. She peeled the sticky part back to reveal a festering, dark purple wound. The veins that sprawled away from it, like a river map, were all purple as well.

"Ew..." She muttered, pressing the bandaid back into place. Dylan stepped back into the room.

"Here, nanna," She said, taking Lily's place. She waited a moment, expecting the old woman to sit up and take the glass, but she didn't. Lily looked at her cousin, who shrugged, "Grama." Dylan raised her voice a little, and bent down slightly. Still, their grandmother didn't move.

"Just leave it, she probably fell asleep again." Lily stated quietly, and again Dylan shrugged.

"Alright." She set the glass on the night stand, and they both left the room.

Once out in the living room, they sat down again, both sighing.

"Think we should take her to the hospital?" Lily asked, as Dylan began to flick through the channels again. There weren't that many, and it angered her to no end.

"Nah, she'll be alright." She shrugged carelessly, and settled on the news. Lily's gaze lingered on her, then turned to the news reporter.

"-are asking us to let you know that the ferrys that run to and from New York are now being shut down. They are also asking us to stay at home if possible, and uh, now we'll go to Maureen with traffic, Maureen I understand it's a mess out there-"

"...the fuck?" Dylan muttered, and clicked the channel. Outside, the sirens on a fire engine blared loudly. The emergency alert system was running, with it's droning tone.

"What's goin on..." Lily frowned at the screen as Dylan changed channels again. There were just colors on the screen, and a long beep.

"I don't like this..." Dylan said, her tone almost scolding. Lily looked back down the hall to their grandmothers open door, because she saw movement.

"She's up....Nanna, you okay?" Lily stood, and rounded the couch, so she stood at the end of the hall. Her grandmother's shadowed figure stood on uneasy feet at the side of the bed, her head turned toward the hall. Lily frowned, and took another step forward.

"Uh..Lily I don't think sh-" Dylan said, standing behind Lily. But before she could finish her sentance, their grandmother launched herself toward the bedroom doorway, and down the short hall. Dylan gasped a little, and stepped back, but that was all she had time to do. The next thing either of them knew, the small old woman had sprinted the length of the hall, and tackled Lily to the ground. Lily let out a scream unconsciously as she held the woman by her shoulders. Dylan let out a yelp as well, but before she could think, her feet were carrying her to the kitchen. While she fumbled for something in the cabinets, Lily tried her best to keep the clamping jaws of her grandmother as far away as possible,

"Dyl-Dylan!" Lily felt her arms weaken a little, but there was no thought in her mind about letting her arms give way, even though her "grandmother's" hands clawed and scratched at her face viciously. In a moment though, Dylan rushed back into the scene, holding the largest, cast iron pan she could find. She hesitated, as she stood over the two, unsure of what to do.

"DYLAN! COME ON!" Lily yelled unabashedly, and Dylan grimaced unhappily.

"Sorry nanna..." She muttered as she gripped the handle of the pan like a baseball bat, and swung it back, then foreward as hard as she possibly could.

It connected with the old woman's skull with a nauseating crack along with an unfamilliar squelching sound. But she lay on the floor next to Lily, motionless. Dylan stared at the body, her eyes widening as she watched the blood pool next to Lily, who looked up at her cousin, panting and wide-eyed as well.