EPISODE FOURTEEN
1215 Words
FOURTEEN
Lights came on and a strong hand shook my shoulder.
"Wake up!"
Still shocked, I gazed around. Roome and the others in varying degrees of night attire, all gathered about my bed.
"You are having a bad dream!"
I ran my pyjama-clad sleeve across my sweating forehead.
"No s**t! A nightmare more like!"
McQueen chuckled.
"Yo u woke the rest of us up in a hurry."
I shook my head.
"I'm sorry, but God, seemed so real. This buzzing noise filled the air and when I went to investigate, Turner came to life and grabbed me."
Roome shuddered.
"Jesus!"
I got out of bed and buried my face in my hands massaging away the sleep.
The others dispersed back to their beds, when I found, I did need to use the toilet after all. Feeling nervous, I went down the corridor, grateful that the experience happened to be nothing like my hallucination.
On my way back I stopped at the door to the room where we put Turner's body and I could hear no sound at all. I found I wanted to open the door, despite being so afraid.
I moved on, then stopped, angry at my fear. I strode back and opened the door.
Like my dream, the black room contrasted with the small blue square of the window. However, the square-filled with a strange-pointed silhouette.
I blinked and pinched the bridge of my nose with my finger and thumb, closing my eyes. I opened them again. I flicked on the light switch. Almost at once, the blue became featureless black.
I walked into the room, looking at the hessian shroud containing Turner's body, with nervous anxiety. With the traumatic hallucination still fresh in my memory, I found I could not take my eyes off the cadaver as I edged past to the window.
I turned away and pressed my face up to the glass to peer out. Nothing, or...
Suddenly, I realized something is near to my face, separated only by the thickness of the glass. A corrugated tubing, like on a gas mask.
Fundamental terror snatched like a human blow at my chest. f**k me, something with goggles...
I screamed and threw myself backwards with such violence, I crashed into the table and hurling the body of Turner on to the floor, the dead weight falling with a sickening, bone-snapping thud. I staggered back until I collided with the wall.
Roome and McQueen found me still transfixed with shock, eyes riveted at the window. Roome took one view at the direction of my stare and ran to the window. He could see nothing. He turned back to me.
"What did you see?"
"Something is outside; wearing a sort of masked face."
McQueen did not hesitate and on his way out through the door, with Roome close behind.
I snapped to.
"Wait."
They paused. I felt embarrassed, guilty.
"For f**k's sake, you two, don't go out!"
The wind gave a sigh, snowflakes stuck to the windowpane. As if nature itself, sensed our discomfort.
A quick glance flickered between Roome and McQueen. Clarifying to me, they did not believe me. Am I still dreaming? Breaking up under the strain.
I shook my head.
"Don't go. Whoever killed those two people; butchered them with phenomenal strength."
More snowflakes touched the window.
Roome nodded.
"You don't need to tell me, but I have a duty. Might be a German pilot, or one of our boys."
"You don't realize what you're up against!"
But without another word the two policemen turned and made down for the main door. McQueen appeared with torches and iron staves.
"Just in case."
He held out one to me. "Are you coming?"
Conscious of the eyes on me, I swallowed hard.
"Okay. Let me fetch my boots and coat."
Roome rammed back the bolts.
"We'll wait."
The cold air struck us like a physical force. We played torches out on the snow. The way to the right obscured by a massive water tank.
Roome gripped his bar and muttered through clenched teeth.
"Careful! Might be lurking "
With extreme caution, we edged forward, poles elevated at the ready. McQueen peered at Roome, who nodded.
The big Coastguard struck the tank a hefty blow at the side. The enormous clang made us both leaps back, terrified at what might be about to spring out at us.
Nothing happened.
We thrust past, into the deepening snowfall as we neared the corner of the building. As we reached it, Roome glared back at me.
"Are you certain this is not a fantasy?"
"Positive."
Roome turned his attention back to McQueen.
"Ready?"
"Yes."
"One, two, three, go."
Iron bars high, we all leapt around the corner.
A sudden whirl of flakes right in the face blinded us for a moment. However, as quick as it came the flurry ended. Nothing out there. I heard Roome's breath coming out in a long sigh.
The iron rails felt substantial, and we lowered our guard.
"Which window is the one to the room?"
McQueen scrutinized me and answered.
"Fourth along."
"Right. Do not tread all over the place. I want to see if there are any tracks."
Three pools of light merged as they moved with caution forward.
Beneath the window, no mistaking footprints of something huge.
McQueen the first to speak.
"You are right."
I stared hard at the pair of them.
"Thanks for your vote of confidence. There seems to be some doubt as to my sanity."
Roome gripped my shoulder.
"Sorry, I thought for a moment..."
I pulled his arm away.
"I understand. Let us forget it."
We had our back to the window when out of the blue someone flung the damn thing open, startling us all.
"Jesus man!"
McQueen exploded, whirling around.
"Are you trying to give us all heart attacks."
Pendergrass ignored the reprimand.
"The Geiger-counter's, going berserk!"
He held the square black box out through the window, its audible warning mechanism emitting a steady crackle. With a spine-chilling shock, I recognized the buzzing sound of my nightmare.
As McQueen took hold of the detector head and swung round, the sound level increased without abating.
"The source! Coming from over there!"
We stood huddled together, eyes screwed up against another flurry of snow, staring in the route of a small snow-covered rise two hundred yards away.
Roome kept his voice hushed. Not wishing it to carry, and disturb whatever terror hid in the darkness.
"It must be on the other side of the hill."
He continued to stare straight ahead, before turning his head my way.
"Seems like you are lucky to be alive."
"No s**t!"
My voice matched Roome's in lowness.
"Can you describe it?"
Roome's voice, tense, and expectant.
"Not much; it all happened so fast. It wore a mask. The eyes flashed like goggles would, and..."
I remembered.
"Wait a minute!"
Roome moved his head closer.
"What is it?"
As realization came at what I had seen, my face reflecting my disbelief.
"Before I put the light on, I saw its head in silhouette. Like a Ku Klux hood."
In the hush the Geiger-counter clamour, faded away until it became silent.
McQueen's voice, at normal volume seemed like shouting, startled the little group.
"It's gone away -- for now."
- Writer
