by Tim Flanagan
A second dull thud, slightly louder than the first, bounced off the thick walls from above them.
'They must be trying to get in through a door in the roof,' said Steven as he turned and began running up the staircase, furiously loading two more cartridges into each of his shotguns. The staircase followed the curve of the outer wall, broken by the narrow slits in the stonework that allowed the rapidly diminishing light in. Steven tried to move up the stairs as far out of reach of the windows as possible in case a creature was nearby, but occasionally the steps were too narrow or crumbly and he needed to take them nearer to the outer wall. As he reached the second floor, he looked over a ledge and saw Tracker's peaceful body spread out on the stone floor below.
A third thud, this time heavier and much stronger. Steven jumped at the sound then turned away from the crumbled floor and followed the corridor past a chapel then on to another staircase which wound higher. By now his legs were beginning to burn and feel tired, but he knew he had to continue, his body running on high levels of adrenaline and pure fear. Finally, the staircase reached a large flat piece of stone which provided a choice of doors. One was simply made, whilst the other appeared to be constructed from thick oak studded with black iron rivets and crossed horizontally with iron bands. Steven pressed his back up against the studded door and listened, but the only thing he could hear was his own heavy panting from running up the stairs. Steven held his breath and listened again. Through the door, he was sure that he could hear chirping noises, like crows fighting over a piece of food. Logic told him it was not crows he was listening to, but the creatures, excited over the potential food that was to come. As if to confirm their presence, Steven was jolted forward by a fourth slam against the door as another creature threw itself at it, trying desperately to break in.
There was a pause before another, slightly smarter creature, did not try knocking itself out against the wood, but began scratching at it with clawed fingers, desperately trying to tear the wood away. A strange sharp smell hit the back of Steven's throat, followed by a tinkling noise as a piece of metal fell to the ground on the other side of the door. The metal banding would prevent the wood from splintering. Steven looked at the metal bolt that secured the door to the wall. Although it looked strong enough to withstand the creatures, the metallic sound from outside worried him and he couldn’t afford to take any chances. He noticed that on either side of the doorframe there were two metal brackets for a wooden bar to go across to bolster the door even more. He looked across to the other door at the top of the staircase and decided to look in there for something to help strengthen the door and prevent the creatures from getting in.
As he opened the other door, Steven walked into what looked like an abandoned dovecot. The room was a simple circular room that reached high up above the buttresses of the Keep roof. In the roof of the room were a series of small holes that pigeons would have flown in and out through. Around the sides, the brickwork was punctuated by regular breaks that would have provided roosting holes for the birds. At the top of the dovecot a crack in the roof had allowed rainwater to drain down one side forming a soft cushion of algae and moss over the stones. Steven put the shotguns over his shoulders so that his hands were free, and began using the roosting holes as hand holds to climb up. Moving several feet off the ground, he managed to stretch high enough so that he could see through one of the small exit holes and look down onto the roof of the Keep outside. A round circular cap covered the centre of the Keep roof that the black creatures swarmed and leapt across erratically, driven on by the lure of food. From where he was, Steven could just about see the door at the top of the staircase, but this time from the other side. At first, he couldn’t quite understand what he was looking at, so he moved his feet into the next roosting hole to lift himself up higher and get a clearer view. He looked again towards the rooftop door. There was a strange coloured smoke starting to seep from around the metal of the door.
Amongst the excited chirping sound from the creatures was a high pitched clatter of metal as another bolt fell onto the stone floor of the roof amongst the creatures black clawed feet, smouldering and melting.
Steven thought back to the evening in Parsley Bottom when Coldred and Seward had explained what they had found following the dissection of the infant creature.
'We found traces of nitric acid in the skin of the creature, similar to the acid in your stomach, designed to dissolve and digest food,' Coldred's words echoed in Steven's head.
'I don’t believe it,' Steven said to himself. 'They're using acid to weaken the metal.'
Another piece of smouldering metal clattered to the ground, pulled away by a creature's hook. Steven could see that with so many hooks clawing at the door, the wood was beginning to move slightly in the frame. More pieces fell to the ground closely followed by the first piece of wood. Steven leapt down and ran from the room back to the top of the staircase. From inside Steven could now see a small hole with blackened hooks feverously clawing, desperate to remove the wood. Small splinters began to chip away. As a hook pulled against the oak, it began to rock freely from the metal rivets and banding. Steven pushed the barrel through the hole in the door and pulled the trigger. The explosion echoed loudly at the top of the stone enclosed staircase. The splatter of juices that erupted from the hole in the chest of the creature, only added to dissolving the metal frame of the door. Steven pulled the gun away and began running down the stairs desperate to let the others know and help them escape. The staircase bent to the right, he managed to jump two at a time, but in the darkness that shadowed the staircase, he lost his footing. Steven's left foot slipped off the edge of a step, causing him to fall backwards. He landed against the sharp edge of a step before tumbling onto his side and rolling down a few more steps. He was now lying on his back facing up the staircase. From the top of the Keep, a strange wrenching sound filled the air, which could only indicate one thing. The creatures had broken through.
Steven looked up the staircase as far as he could, whilst desperately trying to stand. But his ankle gave way and he landed back onto his knees. His back hurt and every time he breathed in, the pain across his chest was unbearable. He put an arm in front of his chest to try and cocoon his ribs, but the pressure only hurt more. He suddenly forgot about the pain he was in as a sound in the stairway made shivers crawl across his skin. From above came the clear chirping sound he had heard on the roof together with an ear-piercing screech. Enlarged black silhouettes fluttered down the staircase towards him. With his free hand, Steven pulled the trigger of the shotgun trying desperately to shoot at the lead creature; however, because of the pain, he missed and shot exploded into the dry stone ceiling. Stones now began to fall from above striking against the creatures, knocking them from their flight and crushing them against the stairs. As soon as one stone had become dislodged, the weight of the old structure bore down on the gap, releasing a torrent of stone into the stairway. Soon a grey cloud of ancient masonry dust enveloped Steven.
The rumbling sound of falling stone was like a small earthquake within the Keep, the vibrations rippled down to the first floor where the others waited. After the rumbling finished and the silence returned, they waited some more, but Steven didn’t return.
11. A Night in the Chapel
The women exchanged glances with each other, desperate to know what the thunderous sound they had just heard could be. They listened intently for any more sounds, not knowing if they would soon be joined by the creatures. Suddenly, waking up with a start, Tracker took a deep breath and sat upright with the same look of fear on his face that he had when the creature was pulling him backwards. His eyes darted around the chamber, not recognising his surroundings, then twisted round to see if the creature was still on his back. He pulled off the jacket that he wore and threw it to the floor. Where the creature's juices had splattered over his back, there were now holes in the leather where it had dissolved, making it look like a fine cobweb.
'What happened?' he asked, e
xamining the jacket with a look of confusion.
'The creature dropped you after Steven shot it,' Georgia paused, 'but, we don’t know where Steven is. He thought the creatures were trying to break into the Keep through another door on the roof.'
'We heard some gunshots then the whole building shook,' added Shirley.
'Stay here with Annie,' Tracker instructed the old lady whilst grabbing weapons for himself and Georgia. 'He risked his life to save me. I'm going to find Steven; if he's dead, then at least we leave knowing we haven’t abandoned him.'
Georgia nodded, glad that Tracker was willing to look for Steven even though it could put him back in danger. She threw a flashlight over to Tracker, took one for herself, then together they traced the same route Steven had taken up to the first floor, checking cautiously around every corner as they went. As they started to walk up the second staircase, the air tasted drier in their mouths. The higher they went, the more they noticed that the stone steps were covered with a soft layer of dust. More was beginning to settle on their hair making them appear almost ghost-like. Small stones that had rolled down the staircase and come to rest against the outer wall were easy to step over, but as they continued to walk up the staircase, the volume of bricks and stone became more concentrated and they had to pick their way up with more caution.
The beam from the flashlight punctured a hole in the darkness that sparkled and glittered as more dust cut through the light as it continued to fall and settle.
'Glad you've decided to stop sleeping while the rest of us secure the building,' said a familiar voice from somewhere in the darkness.
Georgia swung her light round towards the sound of the voice and her beam fell on an unusual crumpled shape rolled up against the outer wall that didn’t look quite like a rock.
'Well, this is certainly one way of securing the building,' answered Tracker with a smile on his face. He too had swung his light towards the shape that was slightly further up the staircase than they were.
'It worked didn’t it?' Steven replied with a laugh. The shape they had been looking at transformed as Steven awkwardly pulled his jacket off the top of his head where he had been sheltering from the clouds of ancient stone dust. Despite trying to protect himself, there was still a lot of grey dust on his face which contrasted strikingly against the pink of his mouth as he spoke.
'Are you hurt?' asked Georgia as she began picking her way over to him.
'Plenty of bruises, and my ankles trapped.'
Tracker began picking up some stones and moving them away from where Steven was sitting. When the ceiling collapsed, the stones had tumbled down the staircase, carrying him with it, but trapping his right ankle between several stones. Georgia held the flashlight so that Tracker could see what he was doing and soon Steven's legs became exposed. With a push, Tracker managed to increase the gap between the rocks that clung to Steven's ankle.
'Where are the others?' Steven asked.
'Still downstairs.'
'Is the entrance door secure?'
Georgia nodded. 'The creatures haven't attacked it since we managed to get in.'
'I saw them on the roof. They’re using acid to dissolve the metal on the doors so they can get in. We need to secure the one downstairs better or they'll get in there too.'
Steven leant on Tracker's shoulder as they made their way back down the stairs. He couldn’t put much weight on the ankle that had been trapped so was hopping on his good leg. By the time they reached the other two they had devised a way of defending themselves for the night.
'Metal and wood won't hold the creatures for long,' Tracker explained to Shirley and Annie. 'They know we are in here and we can assume that they will keep trying to get us throughout the night. Our defences need to be strong. If we use some of the stones that have fallen in the staircase we could barricade ourselves in.
'But we will be trapped,' Shirley said.
'Only until the morning. When the creatures go back to their nest out of the sunlight, we can dig ourselves out and continue on our journey to London.'
'What about the cars?' Annie asked.
'I don’t think the creatures will attack the cars. There's nothing in there they want. But they do want us. If the creatures get inside the building, we won't stand a chance of escaping.'
'The creatures are persistent and organised,' Steven added.
'Georgia and I will go back up to the first floor and roll stone over the ledge where the floor was, into the centre here,' he pointed to the middle of the room in front of the fireplace where the floor above them was missing. 'If you empty one of the larger bags you can fill it with the rocks then drag it over to the door where the stones can be piled up. It will take a lot of effort, especially as Steven is out of action, but if we work together we can get this done and all settle down tonight knowing we are safe.'
'You can count on us,' Shirley said, putting her arm around Annie's shoulders. 'I may be old and Annie may be young, but we both have hands that can move stones.'
Everyone worked in silence and bit by bit a stone wall began to pile up in front of the door. Steven leant against the outer wall of the Keep, trying not to put any weight on his ankle, but still managing to help by placing rocks where Annie couldn’t reach.
Once the door was secure, they moved all of their supplies up to the second floor and into a small chapel. It would be easier for them to keep warmer inside the chapel than the larger room downstairs. A tiny arched window at one end had been glazed by the restorers of the Keep and looked out across the silhouetted outline of the roof tops of the town beneath them. They blocked the window with jackets and blankets then Georgia lit a small camping light creating a gentle orange glow in the room. They each put on as many clothes as they could find inside the bags and began eating some of the food they had brought with them from the car. Tracker found some bread and opened a tin of baked beans with a pen-knife. Baked bean sandwiches, sterilised milk and a chunk of chocolate for desert had never tasted so good.
During the evening Georgia examined Steven's ankle, and although it was badly bruised, she didn’t think it was broken, so wrapped it tightly with some strips of fabric to give it some stability. Shirley and Annie huddled together beneath blankets and eventually exhaustion overtook them and they fell asleep. Georgia also began to nap, despite the occasional bang from different areas of the Keep as the creatures tested it for weaknesses. Even though they knew that the entrances were blocked, Steven and Tracker both found it hard to sleep. They each sat on the floor with their backs against the wall of the chapel, guns across their laps and boxes of extra cartridges at their sides, should they need them.
'Do you think the survivors from the radio will still be there when we get to London?' Tracker asked Steven in a quiet voice.
'Maybe,' he replied. 'Of all the buildings in London, the American Embassy is one of the most secure. But these creatures are clever and resourceful. Humans can't hide in the Embassy for ever, they must go out into the open at some point.'
'Can humans live side by side with these creatures?' asked Tracker.
'Surviving in this world will be a huge challenge for all of us. Even if we can find an impenetrable building, we have other problems to overcome. The food and water we currently have will not last forever. Even if we collected everything we found, it will soon perish and rot. Eventually, we would need to start farming to grow our own food, as well as finding a fresh water supply. If there are no other options, we will be forced to live with the constant threat of the creatures hanging over us.'
As if to remind them of their presence, a high pitched screech cut through the night air as a creature flew across the sky. In the distance a similar sounding call replied.
And all the humans could do was listen.
12. A New Addition
'We only have one go at this,' whispered Tracker from within the darkness. He picked up another stone and carefully moved it into the centre of the chamber where they had slowly gathered a pile of rocks
during the last hour. At the very centre of the Keep the darkness was broken by a hazy light that bounced off the opposite wall high above them, but in the archway within the thick stone outer wall where the door was, it remained eerily black.
'Are you sure they've gone?' Annie asked nervously.
'I've been watching ever since dawn,’ reassured Steven. ‘As soon as the sun broke through the clouds, they disappeared. I don’t know where they went, but they seemed to vanish.’
'We thought they only came out at night-time before, but last night it wasn’t completely dark when we saw them above the road. What if they can come out during the day?' said Georgia voicing her own concerns.
'I know,' replied Steven in a solemn voice. He had considered the same possibility. 'They’re changing.'
'What do you mean?' asked Tracker.
'The bacteria quickly adapts to its environment. At first they were light sensitive, but as they grew they started to develop an alteration to their skin that could protect them from the light. We came across an immature creature which was examined in the lab. They said that it had thicker skin cells around its head that interlocked like the overlapping tiles of an armadillo's shell.'
'How can they change so quickly?' asked Shirley.
'The conditions on this planet are just right for them. Our air is rich in nitrogen which they breathe and there is a large source of protein walking the planet. Not to mention that we are the wettest planet in the solar system. They need water just like us. And, of course, at the moment, they have no natural predators of their own.'
'Well, that’s one thing I intend to change,' added Tracker.
'Guns are not going to be enough. One day we will run out of ammunition - what happens then? If we want to control the threat these creatures are to us, we need to find another way,' said Georgia.