Chapter four.
The van pulled up the the police station and the men got out.
Jerry looked around. He saw the large man walk up to the door.
"Yo Tom. Here it is."
He slipped something under the door. There was a pause, during which
Jerry grew more and more scared. He had seen things that would have
normally have him screaming in terror. But he felt calm.
It wasn't the things he had seen that scared him.
It was his own state of mind.
He felt as if he was in a dream. This could be a dream, or insanity.
The door opening broke his train of thought. The men all walked inside.
As Jerry did he cast his mind back to Samantha. She was probably in here.
She would help him.
Across the street a small figure looked on. It was carrying a knife.
It had seen Jerry before. It nearly killed him.
Then there was the light from above that had stopped it.
Jerry was special.
His master would want him.
Inside it looked like a regular police station. There were a few men by windows,
who seemed to be guarding the hideout. The men walked to the end of the room
and were let in a larger area by another police officer. Inside were about fifty people.
The room was boarded up and had mutiple police officers. The only exit was the main
door. There were families with children, much like those he had seen in the hospital.
The largest man told Jerry to wait. He then walked to the front door. The door
seperating the townspeople and the front door was closed.
The sounds of the room were many. Cries from children. Mothers singing to
babies. Men pacing back and forth. As Jerry sat down a voice spoke to him.
"You from around here?"
Jerry turned to look at the man who had spoken to him.
"I mean, your suit. You from outta town or something?"
Jerry looked down. He was wearing his suit, but his jacket was missing.
His white shirt was covered in dirt and blood. He never wore a tie but
was lucky he didn't. The man smiled at him, watching the out of towner
before him.
"Hi, my name is Ronald. Ronald Braun. And yours is...."
The man was short, almost midget-like. He was going bald on top and
had his ruffled up hair back in a short pony tail. He held out his hand to Jerry.
"Jerry. Jerry Roman. Could you tell me what is going on here?"
"Well, I have no idea. I was working on the, uh, docks loading cargo and I heard
a noise. It was coming from the sea. I got my binoculars and looked out, and saw
it. It was a..."
He stopped to wipe his brow.
"A giant octopus. Its tentacles had to be the size of a car. I just ran.
Eventually I got picked up by these guys. We were at the hospital but when
they went on their last search before the hospital incident, me and a few others
offered to go look for the bus depot, so we could load everyone on the buses.
Well, we did and we got ambushed. I was the only survivor. When I returned to
the hospital the place was in uproar. I got picked up then and went to the
cop shop."
Jerry smiled a little.
"You are lucky they went back to check for any last survivors in the hospital,
or you would be dead."
There was a bell sound from the wall above the door. The room grew quiet.
"That's the monster alarm. There must be one outside. It's a signal for
us to sit quiet."
Jerry didn't listen. He pushed his way past the crowd and out into the main
area of the police station. The men were by all the windows.
The largest man signalled for Jerry.
"Hey, the names Richard. People call me Bull. Look, out there."
Jerry followed his gaze out the window.
Coming along the street was a large humanoid figure. It was about the height
of a double-decker bus, but pretty thin in size.
Its skin was green, and covered in scales. It had a long, bird-like head
and two small leathery wings. As it walked its feet clicked along the road.
Its hands ended in long claws. The men in the station aimed their guns.
Jerry watched it for the five minutes it took to walk the street before them.
It stopped only once, to sniff the air.
That action was greeted by a tightning of grips around guns.
It eventually walked around the corner, and out of view.
The men eased up. Across the room one spoke up.
"He was scared! He sensed us and..."
His words were cut off as the creatues huge claws smashed through the front of
the police station. They ripped the man in half and started pulling out furniture.
The men opened fire on the beast. It felt the bullets and reeled back.
As it did the men opened the front door and ran out, firing at it.
It fell back and lay there as the men shot at it. Then, from down the street,
came two more of them. One grabbed a soldier in both hands and bit off his head.
The other dove on the group of men firing, crushing a few.
The men outside tried to get in but the creatures were blocking their escape.
Jerry felt dizzy. He walked across the room and reached inside a weapons crate.
From it he pulled a shotgun. He casually walked across the room and out the front
door. The creatures turned to face him. He aimed and shot the first in the face,
blinding it. The other struck out at him. Jerry fell down the stairs and rolled.
He shot at it and leapt over the dead one. It brought its claws down on Jerry but he
dodged them. As it pulled its claw out of the road the men opened fire.
It staggered back and fell into the front of the building and died.
Three giant creatures now lay defeated. Four men were dead. Jerry laid down
the shotgun and walked inside. He sat down in a corner and stared at his hands.
"What has happened to me?" He screamed into the darkness.
The men cleaned up the mess and brought the dead men inside.
Richard saw Jerry and knew something was troubling him.
"So Jerry. Any army training?"
Jerry shook his head.
"Any specialist training of any kind?"
Jerry stood up and walked to the window. The men were boarding up the place
where the monster had crashed through.
"I don't know what came over me. I just felt calm."
"Yeah well, it's settled. You are coming with me on the next search."
Jerry smiled weakly. "I'll try to help you."
Across the road, in the darkness, a small creature sniffed the air.
It was the size of a rat. It had diamond shaped scales along its body.
It scuttled across the road and to the wall of the police station.
It could smell food.
He had to tell the others.
It turned and went back into the night. The thick cover of the fog soon
covered it.
Back inside Ronald Braun had a nightmare. He dreamt he was back in prison.
He dreamt the cops were after him.
He dreamt the people in the same room as him were conspiring to get him.
But he was smarter than them.
Quietly he sneaked over to a sleeping soldier and took his pistol.
He tucked it under his pillow.
He was all alone.
He had to escape.
The van pulled up the the police station and the men got out.
Jerry looked around. He saw the large man walk up to the door.
"Yo Tom. Here it is."
He slipped something under the door. There was a pause, during which
Jerry grew more and more scared. He had seen things that would have
normally have him screaming in terror. But he felt calm.
It wasn't the things he had seen that scared him.
It was his own state of mind.
He felt as if he was in a dream. This could be a dream, or insanity.
The door opening broke his train of thought. The men all walked inside.
As Jerry did he cast his mind back to Samantha. She was probably in here.
She would help him.
Across the street a small figure looked on. It was carrying a knife.
It had seen Jerry before. It nearly killed him.
Then there was the light from above that had stopped it.
Jerry was special.
His master would want him.
Inside it looked like a regular police station. There were a few men by windows,
who seemed to be guarding the hideout. The men walked to the end of the room
and were let in a larger area by another police officer. Inside were about fifty people.
The room was boarded up and had mutiple police officers. The only exit was the main
door. There were families with children, much like those he had seen in the hospital.
The largest man told Jerry to wait. He then walked to the front door. The door
seperating the townspeople and the front door was closed.
The sounds of the room were many. Cries from children. Mothers singing to
babies. Men pacing back and forth. As Jerry sat down a voice spoke to him.
"You from around here?"
Jerry turned to look at the man who had spoken to him.
"I mean, your suit. You from outta town or something?"
Jerry looked down. He was wearing his suit, but his jacket was missing.
His white shirt was covered in dirt and blood. He never wore a tie but
was lucky he didn't. The man smiled at him, watching the out of towner
before him.
"Hi, my name is Ronald. Ronald Braun. And yours is...."
The man was short, almost midget-like. He was going bald on top and
had his ruffled up hair back in a short pony tail. He held out his hand to Jerry.
"Jerry. Jerry Roman. Could you tell me what is going on here?"
"Well, I have no idea. I was working on the, uh, docks loading cargo and I heard
a noise. It was coming from the sea. I got my binoculars and looked out, and saw
it. It was a..."
He stopped to wipe his brow.
"A giant octopus. Its tentacles had to be the size of a car. I just ran.
Eventually I got picked up by these guys. We were at the hospital but when
they went on their last search before the hospital incident, me and a few others
offered to go look for the bus depot, so we could load everyone on the buses.
Well, we did and we got ambushed. I was the only survivor. When I returned to
the hospital the place was in uproar. I got picked up then and went to the
cop shop."
Jerry smiled a little.
"You are lucky they went back to check for any last survivors in the hospital,
or you would be dead."
There was a bell sound from the wall above the door. The room grew quiet.
"That's the monster alarm. There must be one outside. It's a signal for
us to sit quiet."
Jerry didn't listen. He pushed his way past the crowd and out into the main
area of the police station. The men were by all the windows.
The largest man signalled for Jerry.
"Hey, the names Richard. People call me Bull. Look, out there."
Jerry followed his gaze out the window.
Coming along the street was a large humanoid figure. It was about the height
of a double-decker bus, but pretty thin in size.
Its skin was green, and covered in scales. It had a long, bird-like head
and two small leathery wings. As it walked its feet clicked along the road.
Its hands ended in long claws. The men in the station aimed their guns.
Jerry watched it for the five minutes it took to walk the street before them.
It stopped only once, to sniff the air.
That action was greeted by a tightning of grips around guns.
It eventually walked around the corner, and out of view.
The men eased up. Across the room one spoke up.
"He was scared! He sensed us and..."
His words were cut off as the creatues huge claws smashed through the front of
the police station. They ripped the man in half and started pulling out furniture.
The men opened fire on the beast. It felt the bullets and reeled back.
As it did the men opened the front door and ran out, firing at it.
It fell back and lay there as the men shot at it. Then, from down the street,
came two more of them. One grabbed a soldier in both hands and bit off his head.
The other dove on the group of men firing, crushing a few.
The men outside tried to get in but the creatures were blocking their escape.
Jerry felt dizzy. He walked across the room and reached inside a weapons crate.
From it he pulled a shotgun. He casually walked across the room and out the front
door. The creatures turned to face him. He aimed and shot the first in the face,
blinding it. The other struck out at him. Jerry fell down the stairs and rolled.
He shot at it and leapt over the dead one. It brought its claws down on Jerry but he
dodged them. As it pulled its claw out of the road the men opened fire.
It staggered back and fell into the front of the building and died.
Three giant creatures now lay defeated. Four men were dead. Jerry laid down
the shotgun and walked inside. He sat down in a corner and stared at his hands.
"What has happened to me?" He screamed into the darkness.
The men cleaned up the mess and brought the dead men inside.
Richard saw Jerry and knew something was troubling him.
"So Jerry. Any army training?"
Jerry shook his head.
"Any specialist training of any kind?"
Jerry stood up and walked to the window. The men were boarding up the place
where the monster had crashed through.
"I don't know what came over me. I just felt calm."
"Yeah well, it's settled. You are coming with me on the next search."
Jerry smiled weakly. "I'll try to help you."
Across the road, in the darkness, a small creature sniffed the air.
It was the size of a rat. It had diamond shaped scales along its body.
It scuttled across the road and to the wall of the police station.
It could smell food.
He had to tell the others.
It turned and went back into the night. The thick cover of the fog soon
covered it.
Back inside Ronald Braun had a nightmare. He dreamt he was back in prison.
He dreamt the cops were after him.
He dreamt the people in the same room as him were conspiring to get him.
But he was smarter than them.
Quietly he sneaked over to a sleeping soldier and took his pistol.
He tucked it under his pillow.
He was all alone.
He had to escape.