7/3/08
Title: Forgotten
Chapter: 7 – Disturbance
Author: Squeezynz
Setting: Post S2Ep7
Pairing: Stabby all the way.
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Abby glanced up at the clock on the library wall and sighed again. It had been two hours since she'd kissed Steve goodbye on the pavement outside. With the greatest reluctance she had managed to convince herself she had to put some work into the project she was there for, if only to justify the use of the room at the hotel. That the room had a use now beyond just sleeping in was an unforeseen bonus. That she had someone to take back there was another surprise. She smiled to herself, the text of the book in front of her going out of focus as she daydreamed about the man who had changed everything. Just thinking about what they'd done that morning brought a hot flush to her face and made her squirm in remembered delight, various parts of her anatomy and long unused muscles aching in a very pleasurable way. The banging shut of a door made her jump and she hastily blinked to bring herself back from her semi-dream state. The books on the desk seemed to stare back at her accusingly, as if saying 'why did you get us out of our shelves if all you're going to do is let us sit here unopened?'.
Banishing all lustful thoughts to the back of her mind, she pulled the lined refill back in front of her, resuming leafing through the dusty tome currently open, stopping only when it showed a full page illustration of what looked like a maze. She felt her heart jump in shock and her blood freeze, the image jumping out at her, the unmistakable depiction of an anomaly hovering in black and white above the neatly cut shrubs. Here was proof that all those articles sent to the ARC had a basis in truth. Whoever had sent them had some idea of what an anomaly was, and it's importance to human history. Here was proof that anomalies were not just doorways to the distant, primeval past, but to the more recent as well. She searched the text for some reference to where the maze was, any clues to the date and circumstances of the picture. It listed the garden feature as belonging to a grand house near Penrith, Ashley Court, the country seat in the sixteenth century of a family called Stonebridge. She pored over the book, making copious notes, several times finding a reference to a lady that visited on a number of occasions, a noble woman simply known as Helena, her surname not mentioned.
It was the best lead Abby had found so far. Taking the book to the desk, she had the librarian photocopy the woodcut illustration then returned all the books before asking for any information on Penrith and the surrounding area. With two excellent booklets about Cumbria tucked into her bag, she left the library and started back to the hotel.
In her haste, she forgot she was supposed to phone Steve and let him know when she was done, her distraction almost total as she stared at the folded piece of paper in her hand. So total that she stepped out into the road without pausing, only the intervention of a hard body with a strong arm sweeping her back onto the pavement prevented her stepping out in front of a delivery van.
"Woah Abigail...what the hell? You nearly got run over!"
Clutching the coat of the man who'd saved her by the skin of her teeth, Abby stood on the kerb and shook, the piece of paper fluttering out of her hand to land on the pavement unnoticed.
"I never saw it...thank you..."
Stephen felt a trifle shaky himself. He'd seen her come out of the library, but instead of seeing him wave, she had pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket and started to walk away from him. Thinking quite rightly that she was distracted, he jogged after her calling her name. Deaf and blind to her surroundings Abby had walked on not hearing him until she stepped off the kerb into the path of the van. By then Stephen had caught up with her, snatching her off her feet and back to safety, the van honking its horn in annoyance at the crazy pedestrian.
"Hey, you okay?" He pushed her back a little to peer into her face, his hand brushing back her hair.
"Yeah...I was just..."
"Distracted...I noticed." He saw the paper on the ground and bent to pick it up. Abby reacted by snatching it from his hand before he could see it properly. "Abigail...what's the matter?"
Stuffing the now crumpled sheet into her pocket she plastered a smile on her lips and leaned into him, hugging him closely. "Nothing at all now you're here."
Not buying into her deflection for a moment, he gave her a wry look. "I thought we were going to the pub for dinner."
"We could eat at the hotel."
"If you like. Did you find anything interesting in the library?"
Abby pushed away from him then linked her arm with his, resuming her course towards the hotel.
"I found some interesting stuff, and a great deal of not so interesting stuff."
"I see." He waited for her to continue, but Abby remained silent. Deciding that now was not the time to probe for details, he tucked her arm against his side and picked up the pace. "Wanna hear how I got on?"
While they strolled back to the Craig, he told her about his visit to the doctor, his visit to his landlady and his visit to the local fossil museum to have the specimens they'd collected identified and categorized
"I'm sorry to report that what we found are disgustingly common."
"You were expecting something rare?" Abby laughed, "I imagine these rocks have been well picked over by all the local rock hounds. We were lucky to find anything at all."
"Yeah, you're probably right. I still want to get them polished and set."
"Why, if they're as common as you say?"
"As a memento of the day. You gotta admit it was quite a day, as days go."
Abby laughed again. "That's one way of putting it."
They reached the hotel and reserved a table for dinner before carrying on up to Abby's room. As soon as the door was shut behind him, Stephen pulled her into his arms and set about distracting them both, books, bags and coats dropping to the floor unheeded, other items of clothing quickly following until they fell on the bed in a tangle of limbs.
"How...how long have...we got?" Abby managed to get out, her breathing becoming ragged as her determined lover delved into her underwear and made sparks explode behind her closed eyes.
"Long enough," was the answering growl between drugging kisses and tormenting caresses.
She gladly gave in to his demands, craving his skin, her own questing fingers finding his hardness and wrapping around it, anticipation making her as hot as the sun, feverish with need to have him part of her.
Stephen feasted with his eyes and his mouth, pushing her soft thermal t-shirt up before drawing her soft breast into his mouth, suckling the hard nub right through her bra, his arm lifting her lower half up so he could position himself between her thighs and sink home, Abigail wet and ready for him. She was like a writhing flame, hot and silky around him, his mouth marking her as his, her panting gasps urging him on.
It was urgent, intense and incredible, both of them riding the crest until they lay shuddering on top of the bed covers, neither fully naked, but both well satisfied with the outcome.
Abby let her arms relax from clutching his shoulders, her hands falling to the bed to lay beside her head. Half opening her eyes, he met his, drowning in their depths, his body hard and joined with hers as they panted in unison.
"God we're good together," Stephen said softly, his hands smoothing the tousled hair back from her face. She could see the pulse still hammering in his neck, his lips pulled back in a smug smile that she felt mirrored by her own.
"Aren't we just," Abby agreed, shifting just a little and squeezing her internal muscles, making him slam his eyes shut and grunt for a moment at the feeling of her tight flesh around him.
In revenge, he grinned before swooping down to kiss her, his tongue sweeping all before it, possessive and demanding, her response both welcoming and surrendering.
The chiming of the small mantle clock reminded them of the time, Stephen lifting himself off her with a groan, at last able to kick off his trousers, although still leaving him wearing a sleeveless white body vest, the garment molded to his torso as if painted on. Under it she could see the new dressing for his damaged side. Sitting up, she leant against his back, her head on his shoulder, her arms looped about his neck in a loose embrace. Stephen bent his head and kissed her arm, content to be her support.
"I have to go up to Penrith tomorrow..." Abby murmured, finding and nibbing his ear.
"That's north of here, isn't it?"
"Yeah...I shouldn't be gone more than a night." she nuzzled his neck, planting a kiss on any patch that wasn't bewhiskered.
"Not thinking of leaving me behind, are you?" His hand reached up and came to rest on hers, his head turning to see her out of the corner of his eye. "I'm coming with you."
Abby stilled her playful kisses. "You can't."
"Why not?"
"I...we...you just can't."
"Sorry love, but where you go, I go...I don't think I could survive a day without you in it."
She chuckled and gave him a squeeze before releasing him. "I know how you feel." She sat back on her heels and stared down at the covers, her mouth turned down at the corners.
Stephen twisted to better see her, his fingers catching her chin and tilting her face up. "Read these lips...these same lips that want nothing more than to map every inch of your delectable body. Where you go, I go."
They stared at each other for a long moment, as if in a silent battle of wills. Abby was the first to drop her gaze, launching herself at him and wrapping her arms about his neck and holding on tight. "I don't think I can do anything now without knowing you're there...God, what have you done to me."
"Whatever it is...we've both caught it." He hugged her back, every curve of hers fitting his body like it was made for him. They stayed like that for several minutes before they separated.
"Come on...just time to hop in the shower before they ring the gong." He pulled her off the bed and across the carpet to the bathroom.
"If we both go in there, we won't be getting out in time to eat."
"Then you'll just have to stop distracting me!" Stephen laughed, sweeping her off her feet and carrying her kicking and squealing into the bathroom.
An hour later they presented themselves at the door of the dining room to be seated. Both of them had wet hair slicked back and silly smiles only for each other, holding hands as they followed the waiter to their table. Several heads turned to watch their progress, having previously seen the slender young woman in the long sleeved, body hugging tunic over leggings, eating alone on other nights. Now she was obviously reunited with her missing husband or boyfriend, the pair of them head over heels with eyes only for each other. Several dinners turned to their own partners and remarked how lovely to see young love in bloom, wondering if the couple were on a second honeymoon or something similar. Some of the more acerbic remarked they were probably having a dirty weekend away from their spouses, but those waspish remarks were largely ignored. Most of the regular hotel guests were just pleased to be reminded of their own heady days of love and laughter, many feeling lighter in heart at having witnessed such obvious happiness.
For Stephen and Abby all the comments and glances went unnoticed and unremarked. The evening passed in a blur of good food, some wine and a rosy glow. They didn't linger after the meal, but left the dining room and headed back upstairs, the early night put to very good use until the lovers, exhausted and ridiculously content, fell asleep in each others arms, the bed once more both a haven and a disaster zone.
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They ended up using his car, Abby a little taken aback to find it was a similar model to the car they used at the ARC, only a two litre rather than the huge three litre double cab. This Toyota had the same design at the front, and a rear tray, but was only a single cab, a two door in black, rather than silver. It still served to remind her why she was here and what the trip to Penrith was really about. She had all her notes, plus the photocopy of the maze, and only hoped that nothing occurred to force her to lie to Steve.
She was glad he was with her, for more than just the simple fact she was in love with him. He made her feel safe and protected, feelings she largely dispensed with in her role as independent single woman with a career in a largely male domain. That those self same reasons had been why she'd been attracted to Stephen Hart so long ago, she refused to acknowledge. She was even starting to like his face fuzz, finding that his whiskers, when employed with his lovely talented mouth, had the ability to send her into a mindless, writhing, frenzy of pleasure, especially when they worked their magic south of the border, so to speak. Even thinking about it make her want to burst into flames, her face suddenly burning as she turned away to stare out the passenger window.
"You okay?" Stephen had glanced over at her just before she turned away and saw the tide of color in her face. He loved that she was still able to blush, and not only on her face, his current objective to find out just how many parts of his Abigail were capable of blushing, and what he had to do to make it happen. Just thinking about what he'd done that morning, and her abandoned response to his wickedly staged ambush on her nether regions, made parts of him perk up and take notice. Shifting in the drivers seat, he tried to discreetly adjust his trousers without her noticing.
"I'm fine," Abby replied, feeling sufficiently under control to flash him a smile before pulling out the map book and poring over the pages as a way of distracting herself. She ran her finger along the line of the A592, the road they were on having just gone over the Kirkstone Pass, before heading around the picturesque lake Ullswater. They could have headed to the M6 but that would have bypassed all the wonderful scenery, plus they were in no hurry. Penrith and Ashley Court were not too far north of Bowness, about an hour or so by the scenic route. She had already scouted the place they were headed for, finding out that Ashley Court was open to the public, the maze, which backed onto a large acreage of forestry, a popular tourist and off road destination in the summer. In the off season, she hoped to have the place pretty much to herself. She was excited to see how much the place differed from the old woodcut illustration. She also hoped to find out more, from the curator of the home, about the history of the family and their mysterious visitor, Helena.
The last thing she wanted to encounter was an anomaly.
Banishing such speculation, she tucked the map book down beside her seat and sat back to enjoy the ride.
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They pulled off Stagstones road and tooled along the driveway leading to Ashley Court, a monumental pile that sat squat on its foundations, a remarkably unattractive edifice and obviously a victim of successive generations adding their particular building style over the years.
"God that's ugly." Abby announced as they bumped over a cattle grate and pulled into the public carpark.
"I can't judge if I've seen better, but I have to agree with you. Why are we here again?"
Abby threw Stephen a look before climbing out her side of the car. There were only one of two other cars in the lot, and she thanked the threatening weather for keeping the tourists away. Hoisting her bag over her shoulder, she waited for Steve to lock the car and join her, their hands automatically locking together before they walked towards the entrance of the ancestral monstrosity.
All along the roof of the building they could see gargoyles leaning over and leering down at any passersby. Abby gave a mental shiver at their uncanny likeness to several creatures she had already encountered during her time at the ARC. Even the incredibly vulgar marble fountain that sat in the middle of the gravel driveway had carvings that seemed to suggest that fantastical creatures from the past had somehow been used to inspire the artist's muse. There was no water cascading down, so she peered a little more closely, blinking when she recognized a tiny reptile crawling it's stony way around a beautifully carved marble elephant ear leaf.
She hardly needed to see any more, the evidence clearly indicating that the illustration was more fact than fanciful fiction. What puzzled her was the knowledge that the fountain couldn't be any older than a couple of hundred years, maybe younger, more likely from the eighteen hundreds than the fifteen hundreds.
Intrigued, she almost ran up the sweeping steps to the entrance, dragging Stephen up beside her.
"What's the rush?" Stephen laughed, seeing the look of determination on her face and wondering what was getting her all of a twitch.
"I just want to see inside...did you see the animals on that fountain? Pretty outrageous."
"Yeah...ugly mother, just like the house."
"Shhhhh...there's the housekeeper." They stood on the black and white marble tile floor and waited for the woman to approach them, her face expressing nothing but polite expectation.
"Welcome to Ashley Court. I hope you enjoy looking around the house and grounds."
"Thank you," Abby replied, "I was wondering if we could see the maze?"
The woman's expression slipped a bit. "I'm afraid it's hopelessly overgrown and almost impassable." She waved her hands deprecatingly "Despite the income from visitors, it barely supports keeping the house in good shape. There's little left over for maintaining the maze as well. You're welcome to take a look, but I'm afraid you will be disappointed."
"We don't mind...really. I look forward to hearing all about the history of the house and family after we take a look, if that's alright." Abby smiled engagingly and the woman thawed a little in face of her obvious enthusiasm.
"No problem at all...if you care to pay the admission, I'll show you through to the rear of the house and leave you to explore. Just ring the bell when you're ready to see the inside, I'll be in the office."
"Is there a brochure we can read while we look around?" Abby asked, the woman handing over a small printed handout after they'd paid their entrance fee.
"This way please." They were led past the lofty entrance foyer through a hallway leading out to an airy conservatory, which in turn led out to the back garden and the land beyond.
"As I warned you, the maze is quite beyond repair," the housekeeper gestured to the towering yew hedge stretching away into the middle distance. "There's a map of the maze in the brochure, so don't hesitate to refer to it is you go in and get lost." She glanced up at the sun, a few clouds starting to obscure the sky and darken the afternoon. "If you make it to the center, there's shelter there, and down most of the long walks if it starts to rain. I'll make sure to switch on the spotlights, although I can't say how many are still working." As if realizing that she was hardly making the prospect very appetizing to her visitors, she shut up and waved them off.
"Do you get the feeling they don't really take care of their prize exhibit?" Stephen whispered as they walked away. Abby didn't reply immediately, her nose buried in the brochure while she read what little information it had to impart.
"The maze is much older than the house, according to this. It was originally part of the forest surrounding the site, but one of the previous owners decided to anticipate the craze in the eighteenth century and planted the ground with over a thousand yew trees in an attempt to lure the monarch of the period to visit. Apparently is was known as the Stagstones Maze, and quite popular with the local gentry in it's day, but also regarded with some suspicion after a series of unusual events..." Abby's voice tailed off as she read further.
"What sort of unusual events?" Stephen asked, trying to peer over her shoulder.
"Er...it seems there were several people that went missing."
"Missing?"
"Over the years since it was created there have been twenty one unexplained disappearances." Abby explained. "with no particular pattern. They have been noble and common, old and young."
With his arm looped over her shoulder, Stephen leant in and whispered. "Spooky!"
"It also says here that locals think the maze is haunted, probably by all the missing people."
"You mean we could see a ghost? Wicked."
Abby grimaced up at him, shucking off his arm and ignoring the broad grin stretching his features.
She came to a halt several feet away from the entrance to the maze, the unkempt yew hedge stretching as high as ten feet in places, the uncut top sporting many long arms of untidy growth. She glanced down at the brochure, her forehead wrinkling. "It says here that throughout the maze are standing stones, the original Stag Stones that date back to the bronze age, about one thousand years BC."
"I think I saw that movie."
Abby swung around and glared at her companion, his unrepentant grin making her laugh. "Oh you are impossible. You aren't taking any of this seriously."
"You mean you are? It's all just a load of hokum for the tourists. I bet the American's lap this stuff up."
"Alright, we'll see mister cynical. Come on." Forgetting entirely why they were there in the first place, Abby darted away, running towards the entrance of the maze, Stephen a few steps behind her.
They kept up the pace for about a hundred yards down the first avenue then slowed to a walk. The towering hedges were, in some places, almost meeting overhead, the branches blocking the light to make shady grottoes When they reached the first standing stone they paused to inspect it, Stephen crouching down to look at the faint carvings on the weathered surface, Abby studying the map to see where to go next.
"How many of these stones are there?" Stephen asked.
Abby turned the brochure over and squinted at the text. "Umm...thirteen in all, spiraling towards the center of the maze. They make a pattern...see?" She held up the page for him to see.
"Yeah...pretty arcane number. Wonder if it's supposed to be lucky or unlucky?"
"It's just a number. Maybe they lost a few along the way." Resuming her study of the map, she didn't notice Stephen walk ahead a few paces then simply disappear from sight. "I wonder..."Abby looked up and realized she was alone. "Steve? Hey...Steve! Where'd you go?"
Puzzled but not unduly worried she walked ahead and found a side path that stretched for several meters before coming to a dead end. "Hey...not funny any more." She called out, feeling the first trickle of fear snake down her neck.
"What's not funny?" His voice right by her ear made her jump and scream.
"You bastard..." whirling around she flung herself at him, finding herself enveloped in a bear hug, her anger dissolving into laughter. "You wretch...you scared me to death!"
"You look adorable when you're scared...and scream like a girl!"
"Hah...you just wait," Abby grinned evilly. "I'll get you back for that."
"Ooh I'm scared..." Stephen pretended to be afraid of her, pantomiming biting his nails in a fit of nerves.
"Just you wait you smug ratbag..." she shoved at his shoulder to make him release her, her eyes dancing. "Come on...we have to get to the middle of this maze."
"Well you've got the map...lead on."
It took them an hour to battle through the overgrown maze to it's heart, some of the paths knee high with weeds while others had long whippy branches blocking the way. They'd found and passed more of the ancient menhirs, each one having a different set of carvings, some of them hidden by the encroaching greenery. Overhead the sky was getting darker and darker with heavy clouds threatening rain, the air alive with static and the promise of a storm.
Abby and Stephen burst through the final barrier and found themselves at the heart of the maze, a collection of the stag stones arranged in a circle at the very center. Small shelters were positioned at either end of the rectangular layout, with stained marble benches set beside the gravel paths, all of it choked with rank weeks and the overhanging yews.
"This must have been really something in it's day," Stephen observed, walking around the circle of stones, trailing his hand over their smooth surface. Abby stood just outside the ring, her arms crossed over her chest as she turned her head to survey the area. She looked up, imagining what it must have looked like with a sparkling anomaly shining overhead, a fat drop of rain choosing that moment to fall right onto her forehead.
"Ugh...it's raining!"
"The housekeeper thought it might. Come on, lets find the shelter least likely to fall about our ears."
Stephen jogged over to the first, but left it just as quickly, the roof holed in several places. As he approached the second one the sky lit up with a bright flash of lightning, the boom of the thunder following a few seconds later. Abby squealed and clapped her hands over her ear. The fat droplets were starting to fall more frequently, leaving dark spots on the monoliths and weeds.
"Abigail...come on, this one at least has a solid roof!" Stephen shouted over the sound of another loud rumble, the clouds overhead moving at speed as the wind picked up. Abby didn't move, her hands still clapped over her ears, her eyes now squeezed shut to block out the static discharges coming more and more frequently.
"Abigail... sweetheart, come on...you'll get soaked out here," Stephen hooked his arm about her waist and practically dragged her along the path, Abby stumbling each time lightning spiked the sky with jagged fingers of bright light. He hustled them both into the shallow shelter just as the skies opened, the rain falling in a continuous sheet. Thunder rumbled overhead and Abby buried her head against Stephen's coat, her shoulders hunched about her ears. She shook with tiny tremors every time lightning flashed, Stephen holding her tightly and whispering silly endearments into her hair to try and sooth her.
Abby had her back to the storm raging outside so didn't see the anomaly form in the air directly within the circle of stones. A wind like a mini tornado swept over the maze, scooping up all the debris and loose leaves, creating a vortex that cavorted around the stone ring while the light at it's center grew brighter and brighter before Stephens unblinking gaze.
"What the hell?" his awed whisper managed to penetrate Abby's terror, her head lifting to peer up at his face, what she saw there made her forget her fears for a second, twisting around to see what he was seeing.
"Oh my God...it's an anomaly!"
"A what?!" Stephen had to shout to be heard, the storm now overhead with the crash of thunder almost simultaneous with the flash of lightning strikes.
"Anomaly...that thing..." Abby clutched at his leather jacket, torn between watching the portal to the past actually form, something she'd never seen happen before, and the desire to bury her head and block her ears from the storm passing overhead.
The flickering light of the anomaly grew stronger with each passing second, unaffected by the sheeting rain or the leaves and debris being thrown into the air all around it. One singular flash of lightning hit right in the center of the ring of stones, blinding Stephen and Abby, the explosion sending them tumbling to the back of the shelter, the crash of the accompanying thunder deafening them. In the aftermath, the gyrating anomaly expanded and contracted several times before forming a steady pattern, the storm already moving away, leaving behind a path of destruction it would take days to clean up.
Stephen lay winded against the back wall of the old shelter, blinking to clear the spots still dancing in his vision, his ear ringing. Abby was sprawled on top on him, her fingers still buried in the folds of his jacket.
"Abigail...hey, come on sweetheart...we have to get up...we have to get back to the house!"
Abby groaned and took the hand he offered, glad to have him to hold on to, her legs decidedly shaky. They both turned to look out of the shelter and Abby gasped to see the fully formed anomaly still doing its thing between the stones.
"We have to get out of here Steve...these things...we don't know what's going to come through...we have to go!"
"I couldn't agree more...but you have the map?" He held her by her upper arms as she still appeared dazed with what had happened, her body swaying as she nodded her head.
"The map...yes, I have it somewhere..." she started to rummage in her small bag, but when that didn't produce the map she started on her pockets, her movements becoming erratic when it became clear that the map wasn't where she thought it was.
"Did I give it to you?" She asked, looking a little panicky. Stephen shook his head, having seen her with it when he was inspecting the menhirs.
"Sorry love, I saw you with it just before the storm struck."
"Then I've lost it...shit!" She swore and turned to look at the ground, as if anything could have stayed put after the storm had whipped everything not nailed down up into the sky.
"Abigail...what did you mean when you said things come through that?" He pointed to the anomaly, the light coruscating around the edges now taking on a strange color
Abby swallowed and tried to marshal her thoughts. It was pointless trying to come up with a rational explanation for what they were looking at. Steve may have lost his memory but he wasn't an idiot, not by a long chalk.
"I meant that things...creatures from another time could possibly come through that...that..."
"Anomaly?"
"Yeah...they could come through...and they won't necessarily be beneficial to human life."
Stephen stared at her, his expression grim. "What exactly are we talking about here?"
Abby ducked her head and closed her eyes. "Dinosaurs. It's possible that depending on what time is on the other side of that...thing...dinosaurs could possibly find their way through."
Stephen gave her a look that clearly said he thought she was going crazy. "You're joking right?"
Abby shook her head. "Sorry...not even close."
Suddenly the penny dropped. "You know all about these, don't you? This is what you were looking into? This is your research!"
Abby covered her face with her hands for a brief moment then let them drop. "Yeah...I know all about these. This..." she pointed to the gyrating light show, "...this is my job."
"But..." he struggled to make sense of it, "this isn't known by the general public...is it?"
"No."
"And you do in fact work for the government?"
"Yes. But I wasn't expecting to actually find one of these..." at that moment her phone rang shrill and clear in the silence following the thunder storm. "I'm sorry, I have to take this."
Abby turned her back on Stephen and pulled out her phone, flipping it open after glancing at the caller id on the screen.
"Yeah Connor I know...the detector has pinpointed another anomaly." She paused to let the other person speak. "How do I know? I'm standing right next to the thing." Another pause. "Yes I saw it form, it happened right in front of me." She glanced at Stephen who was staring at the anomaly in some fascination. "No...I'm not alone...I'm with someone." She passed a hand over her eyes. "No, of course you don't know him...we just met." She looked up and met Steve's eyes, holding his stare for a few seconds before breaking the connection with him. "It's a bit hard to do that now...he was here when the anomaly appeared." She paced away then back again. "No...nothing has come through as yet...Connor, the location is...awkward."
Stephen listened to the phone conversation with only half an ear. Something was nagging at his memory, some important something was trying to fit what he'd seen into a context he could understand. It was like having an itch you just couldn't reach, his brain clouded and foggy, but with occasional snatches of things and people breaking through the shroud, like now, and presenting him with snippets of things just beyond his understanding.
"Abigail..." he raised his voice, Abby not pausing in her conversation as he started to back away from the anomaly. "Abigail...how soon can you get whoever you're talking to here?"
Something in his tone drew her attention away from talking to Connor, her glance taking in his expression before she whirled to see what he was staring at.
Stephen glanced over at her. "If you have a really big gun down those really tight jeans, I suggest you produce it now..." Stephen swallowed and kept on backing away, Abby now mirroring his movements, keeping them slow and steady, drawing closer and closer to a gap in the overgrown hedge and possible escape from what was starting to come through the sparkling anomaly.
Abby held her phone up to her ear and spoke one last time before shutting it down. "Connor...get help here fast...you're going to need a really, really big gun this time." Snapping shut her phone, she slipped it into her pocket then reached for Stephen's hand. "We need to get out of here, we have to get away before it senses us." The tremor in her voice was enough to tell him they were in really big trouble. He grasped her fingers in his own and drew her to his side.
"Without the map we'll be running blind in this maze."
"I know but if that thing decides we look like dinner..." She choked and they froze, the head of the reptile turning in their direction. "I don't know what it is, but it looks like a meat eater," she whispered, wishing herself anywhere but standing where she was, with only a few feet between her and an enormous carnivorous therapod slowly pushing it's way through the light field, it's mouth sporting more teeth than any creature had a right too. The head was huge, a long snout that tapered to a rounded point, containing many and sharp looking dagger like incisors. The skin was scaly and looked wet, the creature's front legs held off the ground, suggesting it moved on it's well muscled back legs, very long claws testifying to it's favorite mode of capture. It had small eyes and Abby hoped it had rotten eyesight to give them a fighting chance. Just as they reached the overgrown entrance to lead them back into the maze, the spotlights positioned half hidden by the weeds suddenly came on, the creature taking fright and roaring it's unease, stepping fully out of the anomaly and flexing it's fearsome front legs.
"I think this would be a good time to run..." Stephen whispered, tugging on Abby's hand to pull her after him as he backed away another few steps.
"I need to take a picture to send to Connor so they know what they're dealing with." Abby pulled her hand free and slowly fished in her pocket for her phone. With a shaking hand she held it up and framed the creature on the screen. Biting her lip to still the trembling in her fingers, Abby pressed the button, the sound of the click very loud. The creature heard it and whipped its head around, its jaws falling open to display those formidable teeth.
"Oh God..."Abby gasped, her legs turning to jelly as the carnivore took a step in their direction.
"Run!" Stephen hissed, grabbing her arm and pulling her around, the creature behind them letting out a roar as they pounded down the pathway and turned a corner, taking them beyond its line of sight.
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to be continued...