The Beast.

Chapter 1

The moonlight trickled though the bare, twisted tree tops, inviting shadows to dance playfully on the wintry ground below. As she made her way through the park she saw him, watching, waiting for her, half hidden under the darkness of the great oak tree, and she smiled. Emerging from the shadows he moved towards her. "You’re finally here then!" He joked as he drew her into his arms. "I came as soon as I could. It’s been way too long," she whispered before pressing her lips against his. "I've missed you so much." He spoke softly. "Not as much as I've missed you!"

Perched up high on a naked branch of the tree, the beast watched the two human bodies in the freshly fallen snow. He slowly raised his head as he anticipated the flavour of their ripe young blood. An evil grin spread his snout, the tips of his sharpened fangs glinting in the moonlight. He made his decent along the heaving mass of tangled branches and stopped directly above the couple, who were blissfully oblivious that they were about to become dinner.

"What was that?" She sat up looking up in to the tree but all she could see was the darkness of the shadows. "What was what?" He laughed, gently kissing the back of her neck. "I didn't hear anything." "I thought I heard something. Up there in the trees." She pointed her finger up to the tree. "It was properly just a bird!" He placed his hands firmly on her arms. She relented falling back in to his embrace.

A huge weight fell from above, pinning her underneath his body, unable to escape the vice like grip. A strangled shriek rang through her ears, taking a moment to realise it was her own voice. She saw the panic in her boyfriends eyes rise then explode like a river bursting its flood wall. A drop of saliva dripped from the beast’s sharpened fangs, landing on her face, as he lunged his head into her boyfriend’s neck, excitedly gorging on his youthful flesh. She turned her head away as if it would help escape the terror, terror she never thought possibly existed, flow through her boyfriends face. As she saw the blood running like red rivers in the snow and felt the last glimmer of life ebb away from the drained, limp body above her, she closed her eyes and knew her time had come.

Chapter 2

It was another cold wet day in Seven oaks, Kent. Professor Frank Warren had been sent here from the London museum to verify the authenticity of the finds of The royal collage of Kent's excavation dig. A few Roman bones had been found, along with some coins and some crockery, nothing of any real value or interest. Frank took a sip of his cold coffee and instantly spat it back in to his cup. God he wanted to go home. The workers had carried on digging regardless of the rain. Frank was pleased as it meant he wouldn't have to stay here, bored out of his mind for very much longer. It had been so boring Frank even found the sound of the rain bouncing off the large green four man tent quite exciting, like a fountain splashing on the pebbles below. In the last few hours its soft pitter pattering had calmed his distemper at finding nothing new contained in the latest samples. Frank stretched his arms, a loud yawn escaping from his lips. This tent had been his home for the last six weeks and quite comfy it was too. It had a little heater and a little fridge and they had even given him a little television. The camp bed was comfortable and his workstation had a laptop, microscopes and lots of text books and paperwork. Frank took a beer from the fridge and quenched his thirst. Putting the beer down he lay his head on the desk.
"Mr Warren come quickly!" Dean Jones, a worker on the excavation team, panted as he burst through the tent doors at great speed. Professor Frank Warren raised his head above the huge pile of books that surrounded his workbench.
"Nice to see you to Dean! What can I do for you?"
"We've found something, something big!"
"Calm down man! What on this earth is so important? Have you found gold dust or something?" Frank laughed and closed his thick text book. "Come on then, what have you found this time?"
"Look you have to come with me now! You have to see it to believe it" At six foot three Dean cast a menacing figure to the outside world. Inside, however he was as soft as a puppy. Frank laughed to himself. In the six weeks since starting this dig Frank had grown to like the gentle giant, as he had been nicknamed. A Roman coin or a piece of jug were enough to excite Dean and turn him in to a hyperactive child. Dean's whole body was shaky and beads of sweat were running down his face. His breathing was laboured from where he had been running making his words difficult to understand. There was a serious look in Dean's eye that was unnerving Frank.
"Just come now!" Dean shouted as he turned and disappeared from the tent as quickly as he had arrived. Frank stood up and followed him across the sodden, muddy field. Dean was now frantically struggling through the thick mud. The constant rain had turned the earth in to slush and Frank joined Dean in his battle to get to the other side of the field, walking as if they were wearing lead boots.
There were fifteen men and women on this dig, who, in six weeks of digging, had created a small hill and a twenty foot hole in the ground. All of the diggers had gathered around the hole transfixed. As Frank got closer he witnessed the look of pure horror that had registered on their tearstained faces. His pace quickened as curiosity surged through his veins making his skin tingle.
"Crap" He thought "This must be big."
Although the sunlight was bright at the moment he still could not make out why everyone was upset. As he stood there peering in to the hole someone handed him a flashlight, it's beam ripping through the darkness like a knife through butter. He saw them almost immediately. Fear gripped his stomach, heaving it's contents through his mouth and on to the muddy ground beside him. Twenty feet beneath ground level lay the drained, decaying human caucuses of ten babies, each of which had their heads removed.

Chapter 3

The ground was so hard after yet another day of heavy snow that Willie was having great trouble penetrating the frozen earth with his spade. The combination of many a years heavy digging and working outside in all weathers had left Willies hands tired and old. Arthritis had set in a few years back making every single day more painful that the last. "I'm getting much too old for this!" Willie muttered to himself. He was sixty five now and all he felt like doing was going home to his wife, Vera, their warm cosy home, a plate of steaming hot food and stay there. Retire and spend his time gardening or playing golf maybe. Willie sighed and threw his spade to the ground. He sat down on a nearby log for a well earned break. Taking a pouch from his pocket he rolled himself a cigarette. He sat there thinking quietly for a few minutes, puffing vast white clouds of smoke into the frosty air, his mind clouded with visions of early retirement.
There were only a few feet to go before the grave reached its six foot minimum, its twin lying only feet away having been completed only hours earlier. In normal circumstances he would have finished it tomorrow but the service had been booked as the first appointment for the morning. According to a conversation he had overheard between the priest and one of the fathers, the graves belonged to a young girl and her lover. Their deaths had been most brutal. They had been attacked so viciously that it had been difficult to determine who's flesh was who's. Their skulls had been removed from their torsos and What was left of their bodies, which was not nearly enough to fill one coffin, had been shredded and scattered around as if some kind of animal had been feasting on their remains. The police, who had to go round picking up half a kidney here and half a liver there, concluded that either a large animal had killed them both or that some lunatic had hacked them to pieces. But why? And what kind of animal with enough strength capable of killing two humans like they were mice can be found in Kent? Maybe Africa but certainly not Kent! "Poor mites!" Willie thought as he picked up his spade and continued to dig.
The graveyard was dark now but the full moon gave out enough light to cast shadows behind the tombstones making them seem alive with evil. Everyone had gone home leaving the graveyard deserted and Willie on his own. Willie shivered. You would have thought that forty years in the grave digging business would stop you getting spooked about death but Willie feared ending up here more than anything. He thought about the young couple who were about to inhabit these graves. Willie was right underneath the ground now and was getting spooked. He just wanted to go now so he began digging a bit faster. A sound of a snapping branch made Willie jump and drop his spade. Cautiously peering out from the freshly dug grave, he glanced around the grave yard. There was nothing there. Willie laughed to himself. "You silly old fool!" He picked his spade back up and started to dig again. A large shadow suddenly blocked out the moonlight. As he felt warm breath on the back of his neck Willie became aware there was something behind him and froze. Gathering his courage he began to turn. His grip around his spade tightened as he suddenly found his voice.
"What do you think you are doing here?" Willie stopped as he saw what kind of animal was here in Kent that could kill two people so horribly. Willie would be the third. The beast ripped the flesh from his neck, as Willie let out his final scream, the sound continuing to emerge from his mouth long after his dismembered torso had fallen in to it's early grave.

Chapter 4

The rain came down in such fast rushing torrents they were almost pushing Frank Warren over as he struggled to get one foot in front of the other, trying to reach the children. He could hear them calling him "Help us Frank, PLEASE HELP US!" Frank ran faster and faster but the mud just kept getting thicker and wetter, dragging him back further. The babies were still screaming for him and the rain just kept on coming. Thunder crushed the clouds whilst the lightning set them alight. He summoned up the last of his strength, finally breaking free of the mud. He ran and ran as fast as he could, running towards the sound of the children. "It's going to be ok. I'm coming kids I'm coming!" He reaches the edge of the pit and stares into the darkness, then there's blinding light and his eye's hurt. There they are. He can see them but their heads are gone. "Help us get our heads back!" Voices without mouths say.
Frank bolted up straight in bed covered in sweat and gasping for breath. It had been three weeks since finding the bodies of those poor babies. The sight of their decomposed bodies had invaded his dreams every night, causing him to wake shaking and crying. The last two nights he hadn't slept at all. He looked haggard and dark rings were beginning to encircle his eyes, marking the signs of stress. Frank had also lost two stone. Every time he tried to eat the raw smell of death filled his nostrils, making him to vomit.
The high pitched beeping of the alarm made Frank hurl the clock at the wall, Smashing it in to tiny pieces on impact. He reached over and opened his bedside drawer, removed the top from the valium bottle and swallowed two. These dreams were doing his head in. Frank had been on sick leave since the incident and partly held this to blame for the dreams. He had too much time on his hands, time to think and grieve. What he needed was get on with his life and start living it again, not raking over that day again and again with so called counsellors.
The inquest had shown that there was a tunnel underneath where they had been digging. An unused mine tunnel or something. The children had been there for about six months. Nobody had any idea where the children had come from, as no one had reported them missing. Post-mortems had shown that they were between the ages of three months and twelve months. Each had been decapitated.
The press had gone crazy, offering huge rewards for the murderers capture. They had camped outside Frank's house for two whole weeks, hounding him every time he left his front door. His friends had stopped coming round and his telephone was constantly unplugged. Picking up the phone he dialled his work partner.
"Hi Wes, It's me Frank, look mate the thing is I want to come back to work. I can't take any more sitting around in this house!"
"Good man Frank. It's about bloody time. See you tomorrow. Chow" Frank replaced the receiver feeling happier for making a move in his life. He hoped that he could now get on with his life and forget this ever happened.

Chapter 5

The rain fell in a steady flow unlike their customers recently. George and Mary Amos owned a little farm and sold their produce in a small shop in town. A large supermarket had opened down the road and George's trade was falling. The supermarket could afford to sell at cheaper prices than himself. George sighed heavily. If business didn't pick up soon it would be running at a loss. He had been in the shop all day by himself apart from the one and only customer, who only bought bread and milk. At the ripe old age of sixty, any plans he had of retiring with a tidy sum in their pockets were quickly flying out of the window.
It was five-thirty and George was looking forward to a bowl of homemade soup that Mary made so well. Ah she was a good sort was Mary. Fifty years they had been married and he could honestly say he was more in love with her now than he had ever been. They were more than just lovers were they were best friends, soul mates if you like. A wide grin spread his face as he remembered their wedding day. Him in a suit borrowed from his older brother and Mary in a dress her mum made from salvaged parachute silk. Their reception had been in the local pub. George could still feel the silky touch of that dress as they waltzed their way around the pub floor, full of happiness. George removed the day's meagre attempt at a profit from the till and placed it in the safe. He took his mackintosh and hat from the stand and made his way to the front door checking the pockets for his keys. He changed the sign on the door to closed, locked the door and entered his jeep. It was a half hour drive to the farmhouse he shared with Mary. George twisted the knob on the radio, filling his ears with war time melodies. He manoeuvred his way round the winding country lanes like a pro. Well he had lived here all his life. He knew where every pothole and every bend lay in this stretch of the road. He reached the turn off for his farm and smiled. The sun was beginning to set casting a dusky hue across the fields.
George parked up outside the farmhouse. A shiver ran up his spine, the hair on his neck suddenly standing to attention. Something was wrong. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but something was definitely wrong. Then it came to him. "Where's Ben?" Every day their retriever Ben would greet him at the jeep, barking like there was no tomorrow but there was no sign of him today. "Ben, Mary where are you?" He shouted but there was only silence. Even the birds had stopped chirping in the sky. He quickened his pace almost running into the kitchen. His soup was boiling up over the edge of the pan, hissing furiously as it hit the naked flames. George took the pan off the heat. "Mary! Where are you?"
After hurriedly checking the rest of the house George ran outside to check the barn. He was getting seriously worried now. Mary had angina. What if she'd had an attack or had fallen over and couldn't move. Running now he burst though the wooden doors of the barn screaming for Mary. His own heart began to vibrate at the sight of his beloved Mary having her brain extracted by an animal of some kind. The beast was at least seven feet tall, its shaggy matted fur soaked in Mary's blood. The beast had ripped Mary's head away from her torso, which lay on the floor, her blood seeping in to the hay. The beast sharply turned it's head and glared at George with it's jet black eyes. Mary's life juices were dripping from it's sharpened fangs in to a little puddle on the barn floor.
George was shaking now, his heart beating so fast he thought it was about to burst through his chest. Glancing around the barn George saw that his four prized horses had suffered the same fate as his wife. Anger surged through his veins now. Retracing his steps George backed off towards the door where he kept his shotgun. It was loaded thank god! Trying not to let his tears interfere with his aim he shot the beast in the back. The beast threw Mary's dismembered skull to the floor and charged towards George, its razor sharp talons ripping his flesh to pieces. George fell to the floor landing in something sticky.
"Ben!" The beast's huge weight crushed George's chest, puncturing his lungs with his own ribs. The beast let out a deafening roar. Lifting George's head with its large paws he smacked it on the concrete, cracking his skull in two like a coconut. As his life flashed before his eye's George thanked god that it had been spent with Mary and that he had kept his promise. He would never live without her.

Chapter 6

This is a preview of the whole essay

Chapter 6

The disused tube tunnel was bitterly cold, thanks to the wind that screamed through the tunnel, but his thick layers of fat and fur helped keep him warm. In this dug out part of the tunnel, which used to be used by the miners as a resting spot, was the beast's lair. The walls were thick stone with an underground stream running through it. On the opposite side of the stream, lay his pile of trophies. Dinner tonight had been a cow saved from the kill last night. And what a feast that had been. The old woman's brain had tasted nice but he didn't think the man's was very good. He didn't venture from the tunnels very often, only when the supply of rats that had wondered in to his path had depleted. Rats were ok as a snack but they didn't make a fulfilling meal. Flesh was good but brains were his best part. Especially human baby brains.
He had managed to avoid being captured so far by hiding in these tunnels but he knew they were looking for him. He could smell them. He was getting stronger now and he knew it. He would be ready for them when they finally came but for now he knew he had to follow his instincts. They hadn't bargained on him being so clever. He licked his fur, washing the wound he acquired last night, removing bits of bone and lumps of dried blood. He was tired now and lay on his side. Gradually his breathing got shallower and shallower until he was in a land where there were baby brains for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Chapter 7

Captain John Spencer was pacing up and down the floor of his office at such a great speed, his lieutenant Jack Davis wondered why his ankles hadn't caught alight yet.
"How on earth did this happen? Heads are going to swing for this and I just know that mines going to be first. I just know the General is going to demote me for this, I just know it!" Captain Spencer's face had turned a strange shade of crimson; sweat beads began to find escape routes down the side of his round face.
"Sir, with all due respect, if we find this thing we will all be in the clear." Lieutenant Davis tried to pacify his commanding officer but he didn't seem to be listening.
"We have managed to pass sightings off of this thing as another beast of bodmin or something but we won't be able to pass it off if someone happens to have a camera." Sweat was pouring down his face now. Lieutenant Davis handed him a tissue.
"We managed to tag it before it escaped but the damn thing has no signal. He most likely pulled it off by now."
"It's been six months Davis. Six months." Captain Spencer was still furiously pacing the carpet. "Do you have any idea how large that thing will be by now? How strong it will be? How much it can eat?"
"No sir but the report I got last night will give us a clue. Project thirteen was seen running away from a farm in Aylesford by our twilight team. When the property was searched they found a couple, man and wife. They had been decapitated, also four horses a number of cows and two dogs were also decapitated."
"Where was its last confirmed location?" Captain Spencer stopped for a moment, wiped his brow then continued to pace the floor.
"Well sir," Lieutenant Davis searched the paper file on his lap and found the sheet with the co-ordinates on. "First it was Westenhanger then it was Maidstone and then last night, Aylesford. It seems to be heading north towards London."
"Have we got Maidstone barracks on the case?"
"Yes sir but they don't know what they're looking for, this being classified."
"If that thing gets to London I cant even begin to think of how much damage it could do." Captain Spencer's face had turned a bright beetroot colour and little spit balls had collected in the corners of his mouth. He wiped his sweaty palms on his dark green uniform and picked up the telephone. "Yes Martha. Can you get me Professor Wes Browne's phone number please. Thank you."

Chapter 8

Frank gazed up at the museum in awe as he stepped out of his freshly cleaned silver ford Mondeo. The sun was gleaming; it's rays bouncing off Frank's freshly polished shoes reflecting it's own happiness on to the beautiful old building. He dusted down his dry cleaned pinstripe suit and took a minute to enjoy this moment. This was the start of a new life for him. It had only been a few weeks since he had last been here but it felt like an eternity. Taking a deep breath he half ran, half skipped up the stairs to the huge entrance doors.
The dusty aroma flew up his nose provoking a sneeze. That smell instantly transported him back to his childhood. He remembered coming to this museum when he was just a boy. The memory of being transfixed by the huge T-Rex skeleton or being amazed by the process of fossilisation stuck in his long-term memory. That was partly the reason he became a palaeontologist. Walking through the huge entrance hall Frank was in a world of his own, daydreaming to himself, he found himself suffocated underneath a huge pair of breasts. They belonged to Karen Bates, the receptionist.
"Professor Warren your back!" Karen squeezed him even tighter. "It's good to see you. How have you been coping with well you know?" Karen let him go and gave him her sympathetic puppy dog eyes that screamed "I understand what you are going through." As if she or anyone could ever understand what he had been through. "It's nice to see you too Karen." Taking a few deep breaths, he smiled. "And I'm fine thank-you. So, what's been happening whilst I have been gone? Not to much excitement I hope?"
"Not much really. This place is so dead, excuse the pun.
"Oh right, well never mind. Right, I'm going up to my office. See you later." Frank continued up the stairwell to the third floor, which housed his office. It was a smallish office, about the size of a very small bedroom. One wall was decorated with all of his qualification certificates. The other wall had several small shelves, which held artefacts from around the world. There was a lion tooth from India, a salvaged ivory tusk from Africa, and a claw from a crocodile just to name a few.
"Hi Mr Warren. Mr Browne won't be in today as he's been called out somewhere." Frank's secretary Ellen was already sitting behind her desk sorting out the mail. "You've got lots of mail here too."
"Hi Ellen." Frank smiled. "Give it here and I'll take a look at it."
"Nice to see you back." Ellen winked before starting the filing.
Frank sat down at his desk, placing his coat on the chair and his briefcase on the desk along with the mail. He opened the first letter that was from the lab about some test results on a substance he had found in a cave in Africa. The second letter was a request from Professor Kym You, from China, to study some strange fish fossils they had found.
Frank was a palaeontologist but he also had several degrees in genealogy, archaeology, chemistry, you get the picture. His speciality was animal behaviour. He was the one who would go on location to study the animal movements, learning about their natural communication, how they interacted with each other, that sort of thing. He prided himself on not only being able to understand living animals, but predict lifestyles and predatory habits of animals. He could also work out extinct animal patterns like the Dodo or dinosaurs for example. He would take a look at the evidence and work out where the animal would go next. What would they eat? Where would they drink? He also found just about all of the artefacts stored in the museum, often travelling to far-out countries, Indiana Jones style, to discover them. Wes Browne was a genetic scientist. In particular, he liked to study animal genetics. They had met at collage when they were forced to share a room and been friends ever since. The two of them worked well as a team with Frank doing the groundwork and Wes doing the lab tests. They were trying to find a certain gene that determines an animal's instinct at the moment. Progress hadn't been very responsive so far. Settling in to his paperwork, which had steadily increased since his departure. Frank was soon lost in his work and not thinking about those babies for the first time since that day.

Chapter 9

The wind picked up a coke can, banging it against the wall like a drum as the helicopter hovered above the roof of the building . Captain Spencer and Lieutenant Davis were standing by the landing pad awaiting Professor Browne's arrival. They had both heard a lot about Professor Browne's work with animal genealogy and hoped he was the one to get them out of this mess. The helicopter finally landed and a very green looking Professor Browne emerged. The roof of the building closed up behind them, bright lights finally replacing the darkness. "Professor Browne I presume." Captain Spencer offered his hand to shake. "I am Captain Spencer and this is Lieutenant Davis. How was your journey here?"
"Not very good actually, I think I'm gonna be sick." Wes watched their bemused faces for a while. "Yes it is a bit bumpy up there." Captain Spencer shot a quick glance at Lieutenant Davis. "Davis you go on ahead and get everything ready. Professor Browne if you would like to come with me I will fill you in on what’s been going on. There's just a little paperwork to sort first." It was obvious that people were used to being told what to do around here but he wasn't someone who would jump through hoops for anybody. Captain Spencer lead Wes in to what looked like a little hut on the roof. Sliding his security pass through the slot the doors opened slowly.
"After you professor." The room was covered in mirrors from top to bottom showing the lack of sleep on Wes's face. He wished he hadn't drunk that half bottle of whiskey last night and wished he could have been bothered to shave. Captain Spencer slid a mirrored panel to the side and entered another four digit code. Slowly at first then faster they began to descend. Quite how far down they went Wes wasn't quite sure but he felt it was quite far under ground level. The lift stopped at a level called U13. The two of them entered the corridor and entered the Captains office.
"Would you like a tea or coffee or something?"
"No thanks. That copter ride has sent my stomach in to orbit. I just want to know why I'm here thanks."
"No problem but before I can tell you have to sign this document." Captain Spencer opened the top drawer of his desk and handed Wes the form. Wes's eyebrows nearly touched his hairline as he realised what he was being asked to sign. "But this is the official secrets act!"
"I know. This incident is an official secret. Common procedure really. “Captain Spencer was sitting in his huge leather chair, half sneering, maybe smiling at Wes.
"Well maybe it's common procedure in your life but its certainly not in mine. What the hells going on down here and why do you need me?" Wes was starting to panic slightly. He hadn't quite believed the phone call this morning but had given it the benefit of the doubt but this was getting a bit too much.
"I understand professor Browne but I can't tell you any more if you don't sign the form."
"Ok, ok. If I sign the form I can still leave whenever right?"
"Right. Your not under arrest or anything." Captain Spencer held out a biro for Wes to sign the form which he duly did. "Good now we can get down to business." Captain Spencer replaced the form in the drawer. "A year ago nearly to the day can you remember what was happening?"
"We were going to war with Iran wasn't we?"
"Hit the nail on the head there you have. Well about the same time the prime minister gave us instructions to develop the perfect weapon. Something that had regeneration ability’s, agility, versatility and of course strength. We looked in to lots of different avenues and decided not to go in to anything nuclear or machine orientated." Captain Spencer took a sip from the glass of water next to him.
"I still don't understand why I'm here sir."
"I'm getting there. Our scientists looked at the way animals protect themselves you know, how a tiger stalks it's prey and so on. We began looking to see if we could find that killer gene and somehow use it to our advantage." Captain Spencer walked over to a video and TV over the other side of the room. "We found the gene that tigers have that makes them such good predators and we implanted it in to a bear embryo."
"You did WHAT? What on earth were you thinking. You have no idea what might of happened."
"We know. We also, as a safety measure, implanted a computer chip that would terminate the animal if anything were to go wrong. Unfortunately whilst still in the womb the embryo somehow interfaced with the chip and disconnected the override codes. It began to learn about our systems and, when the time came, it completely shut us out. We hadn't even thought it was possible so no one had checked if the chip still worked until we tried to use it."
"Are you all crazy. I can't even believe I'm hearing this at all. So what happened?"
"You need to watch this to fully understand what happened that fateful day six months ago." Captain Spencer turned the video on, a very pregnant bear filling up the screen.
"Here you can see project 13. She is in one of the pens we had specially designed. Those fences are titanium steel. The strongest metal for holding animals. The fences were two inches thick and forty feet high. We had adjusted room temperature for each animal and included their natural habitat as accurately as we could."
"Do you mean to tell me you didn't just do this to one animal?"
"No we tried all different animals first but many didn't make it to childbirth."
"What about the one's that did?"
"Most of the hy-breeds that made it to childbirth died in the following few days." A painful scream made them both jump. The bear on the video was going through the last stages of labour. The bear was having a terrible time and it was obvious this child was going to be huge. The head began to emerge at great speed. There was a big problem however.
"That thing has got teeth. No infant has teeth at birth!"
"I know. Poor animal was ripped to shreds before it even got the blasted thing out." The newborn had almost ripped its mother in two before his legs had touched the ground. He was hungry and wasn't about to wait. As he turned the video got a full length shot.
"That is no bear Captain!"
"No it's not. Were not quite sure what it is to be honest." Captain Spencer got up and turned the video off. "That's where you come in. This thing has escaped and we need your help to track it down!"

Chapter 10

Wayne Roberts was five years old tomorrow as he'd been telling everyone who had walked past his garden fence that day. There hadn't been very many people to tell though. They lived on a farm where the nearest house was a half a mile away. There had been the postman, who had given Wayne a handful of brightly coloured cards, which he put in his room for the morning, and the milkman, who gave Wayne an extra pint of milk to drink. Oh yes and that funny man who came round in a suit every now and then. Wayne didn't like the funny man as he smelt funny. And every time he came to the house he made Wayne's mummy cry.

Tomorrow Wayne was gonna have a party with jelly and ice-cream with chocolate sauce. Wayne had been born with epilepsy or lepsby as he called it. His fits were so severe it meant he couldn't attend a normal school. Wayne, however, didn't know that and had settled in very well. Garath Hunt was Wayne's best friend. Garath, had Downs syndrome or downs sindy as Wayne called it. They were like two peas in a pod, even talking in their own language. Garath was coming to Wayne's party and he couldn't wait.
Wayne picked up his action man and went to the back door. Slowly he pushed the door and it swung open. Running through the kitchen calling his mother's name he came to a full stop, skidding on the shiny tiled floor. His mother sat on the couch in the living room, sobbing like a baby. She caught sight of Wayne and wiped the tears from her wet cheeks. "Why are you crying mummy? Did the funny man hurt you?"
"No darling. I'm all right. Come here and give me a squeeze you little squirt." Outstretching her arms he ran to her, taking in her warmth and enjoying her smell. "Love you mummy." Wayne reached up and kissed her on the cheek. Licking the salty taste from his lips he buried himself in her chest. "Love you too baby." His mother smoothed his baby blond hair and kissed his cheek. "Now upstairs to get clean before daddy comes home. I've run you a bath, not too hot mind and I will be up in a minute."
Wayne loved his mother so much it could burst sometimes but his father was a different matter. Wayne's father was a bully both to his wife and his child. Just the mere mention of his father sent shivers up his spine. Wayne's father worked on the farm. It was a large farm so they often wouldn't see him all day. Usually, he came home at around six, had his tea then went to the pub most nights, often returning drunk and violent. Wayne had hidden his head under the pillow many times before, trying to block out the cries of pain from his mother's beatings.
Wayne stared at the bubbles, which were pilled high in the tub. With a cheeky giggle he scooped some up with his tiny hand before smothering it over his chin to look like a beard. "Oh Wayne!" His mother stood hands on hips trying to look cross. "What have I told you about bubbles?" Wayne flashed another cheeky grin at his mother, knowing she couldn't resist. "Look mummy, I'm Father Christmas!" Wayne pulled at his T-shirt and shorts and jumped in the bath with an almighty splash, water flooding the bathroom floor. Wayne's mother lay a fluffy white towel on the floor to absorb the water. "Come on you get washed. I need to get dressed and get dinner ready for your dad. Call me when you want to get out of the bath, ok honey?"
"Ok mum. Brruumm!" Wayne was racing his toy duck against his boat. Wayne's mother laughed and went to her room. Wayne loved bath time. His mum said he was a water baby. He liked that, it was like in the book that his mum had read him when he was littler.
The duck, which had won the race yet again, was taking a lap of honour round the bath as the boat sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Wayne was a scuba diver now, swimming under the sea looking for sunken pirate ships. The fishes swam underneath him, all brightly coloured floating gracefully in the sea. There it was, he could see it in all its glory. The pirate ship had a hole in the bottom. "I bet it was a cannonball!" Wayne swam through the hole looking for treasure. Suddenly something was behind him. Oh no it was a shark. Wayne swam as fast as he could to the surface, taking a huge gasp of air as he arrived.
The bath water was cold now and Wayne wanted to get out. "Mum." He shouted. Wayne could hear something but it was mumbled. Clearing the water from his ears he strained to hear. "I said why isn't my dinner ready yet you useless cow?"
"I'm sorry Mick, Wayne was in the bath and.."
"Don't answer me back you imbecile!" Wayne heard the slap all the way from the bathroom. "Oww.. Please Mick don't hurt me." Wayne's mum was sobbing now, her chest heaving.
"Look at the state of this house an' all. Look at you, you look a state. Don't cry or I'll give you something to cry about." Mick raised his hand making Wendy cower in fear. He enjoyed the feeling of power it gave him, the feeling of strength. He enjoyed the torment and if he was truthful he enjoyed giving her the beating. Although he didn't like to hurt her too much before she had cleaned the house and cooked his dinner. "I want steak and onions for my tea. Get in the kitchen now and get cooking or you'll be sorry."
"But.. we haven't got any steak."
"What do you mean we haven't got any steak?" Mick grabbed her by her hair and dragged her across the room to the fridge. He pulled the door open and shoved her head inside. "What the is this?" He pointed to the jelly, sandwiches and chocolate rolls that she had made for Wayne's party. "They are for Wayne, for his party.." He slapped her hard round the face. "I told you not to answer me back you slag! You can buy that little retard food but you can't buy me, your own husband, a steak for my dinner!" Shoving her head back in the fridge he slammed the door shut, trapping her head. Blood began to trickle down the door on to the white kitchen floor tiles. "Look what you've done now!" He raged as he slammed the door again and again. "Daddy no!!" Wayne was standing naked at the top of the stairs, still dripping from the bath.
"Get in your room now you little retard or you'll get some too."
"Mummy!" Wayne screamed, turned and ran to his room. Wayne's father was still beating his mother, her muffled screams just audible to his little ears. "That will teach you!" Mick stepped back to admire his handiwork and smiled. The back door was still open letting a cool breeze dry the sweat from his body. He stood there for a few moments, enjoying watching his wife squirm in pain, laughing at her discomfort.
Wayne, now hiding under his duvet, felt compelled to go back downstairs to see his mum. Lifting his head he strained his ears listening for signs it was over. Silence. Nervously clambering out of the side of the bed he entered the hallway. Wayne reached the top of the stairs and lay on his belly so he could see in to the kitchen. There was his mum on the floor laying in a pool of blood , her chest still heaving with tiny sobs. His father stood above her, his back facing the back door. Barney, Wayne's dog was barking loudly outside, disturbed by the tension. "Barney, shut up or I'm gonna shoot you!" Barney stopped barking and Mick smiled. Even the dog was listening to him now. "Who da man?" "I da man!" Mick opened the fridge door and took out a beer. Letting the cool air wash over him he stood there for a few moments. He felt something warm brush up against his leg.
"Is that you Barney? You sure smell bad." Mick turned round, his words stopping and his face turning in horror as he saw his new friend, was in fact not Barney, but what looked like a yeti with five inch talons and four inch fangs, which were open at the ready. The beast's long snout reached out and sniffed Mick's head and chest. It didn't help that he had been working all day in the slaughterhouse. The beast's eyes lit up as he plunged his fangs in to Mick's neck, ripping the flesh clean away. The beast took one swipe at Mick's head with his large paw, instantly decapitating him. Pulling the skin away from his skull, the beast dug out Mick's brain with his paw and ate it. The beast moved on to the one on the floor. Her head was already split open, spilling its contents over the kitchen floor. Lifting her head with one hand he cracked it in two on the hard floor, eating what was left inside, like sucking the milk from a coconut. When he had hovered up every last drop the beast tossed her skull over his huge shoulders. Her skull landed next to her former husbands.
Wayne was still at the top of the stairs lying on his belly. He was shaking like a leaf, too terrified to even breathe. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed, but pinching himself until his skin turned purple had convinced him he was still alive. He wanted to cry, to run to his mum but he was too scared. The monster looked huge and vicious with his long claws and snarling mouth that was covered in blood. No Wayne was just going to stay here and close his eyes. Then he could wake up in the morning have his party and his mum and dad would be alive and it would be the best fifth birthday in the world.
The beast looked around for more prey. His vision was infrared so he could literally see their heat. He spotted his next victim at the top of the stairs. Bounding up with his huge paws he reached Wayne within seconds. The beast straddled Wayne, sniffing his head, eagerly anticipating this ripe young human's brain. The beast licked Wayne's hair, it's breath warm on his neck. Wayne was so scared now, thought he was going to die but still he couldn't scream. It was as if someone had climbed into his mouth and stolen all of the sounds. He waited for something to happen but was praying for his life that it wouldn't. The beast jumped up bellowing so loud Wayne was sure his eardrums were about to burst.
After a few moments Wayne opened his eyes again. The beast had left as quickly as it had arrived. Cautiously Wayne ran down the stairs to find his mum. Her bleeding body lay limply on the floor, still warm. Wayne lay next to her, wrapping his little arms around her waist, he breathed in her warm smell for the last time and begun to cry.

Chapter 11

Captain Spencer sat at his desk watching the video again. He looked at his watch. It was ten-thirty already. It was dark in his office. Apart from the light coming from the TV there was only one little lamp on. Captain Spencer opened the top drawer taking out a bottle of scotch. He took a swig, his face flushing as the warmth hit his chest. It had been a long day. His eyes were aching but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the TV screen. The Professor had only seen the carefully edited version of the tape. The real one was on now.
Up to the birth of the beast the other tape was very accurate. What it hadn't shown was the three scientists who had been savagely and fatally attacked. Their screams echoed around Captain Spencer’s office, bouncing off the walls and imprinting themselves on his brain yet again. Taking another large swig of the scotch, he rewound the tape, starting again from the beginning. This had been his ritual every night since this terrible event had occurred. He tried to kid himself that he was looking for a clue, something that would help find it, but he knew deep down that he was just torturing himself, making himself watch it every day so he would never forget what he had done.
The video had climaxed again, The terrified screams begging for help that would never come. He saw the last glimmer of hope fade from their faces and prayed they were now in peace. He hoped too that god would forgive him his sins when he finally made it to the gates.
The shrill ringing of the telephone zapped his brain, every ring shaking in his head. "Hello, Captain Spencer here."
"Sir, Lieutenant Davis, There's been another attack."
"Where now?" Captain Spencer felt like crying. Not another attack, not so soon.
"Guilford sir!"
"Guilford? What do you mean Guilford? How could it get that close so quickly?" Captain Spencer took another gulp of his scotch. This was getting fucking serious. "How many dead this time?"
"Two adults, several animals. Lot of damage done. The boys are repairing it now. There's something else sir."
"What now?"
"There's a survivor, A boy very young."
"What do you mean there's a survivor? How badly injured is he?" There had never been anything that survived in the beasts path. Even the smallest of animal, even flies he ate. They had found literally a path of death in his wake. "He hasn't got a scratch on him sir. He's pretty shocked, but then he just saw his mum and dad get killed."
"Yeah sure I understand. Bring him in. I'll be waiting for you. I'll send the chopper for you and the boy."
"Yes sir. I thought it might be a good idea to bring some of his stuff with us, like clothes, toys. He gonna have a tough time in the centre. He's just a kid." Lieutenant Davis really felt for the lad. At the moment the lad was hiding underneath his jacket.
"Sure, good idea Davis. See you soon."
Lieutenant Davis replaced the receiver and went to find the boy. He lifted the flaps of his military jacket to expose the boy's tearstained face. " Hello" There was no response from the boy, who was just staring blankly still shaking he hugged his legs with his arms. "I'm going to get some of your toys and clothes. Then I'm going to take you somewhere you will be safe and nothing will hurt you. Do you want to come and get what toys you want?" The boy finally looked up at him. "Do you want to come with me?" Davis tried again. Slowly the boy nodded his head and stood up. Davis held out his hand. The boy lifted his little hand and placed it into Davis's.
Climbing the stairs Davis pointed. "Is that your room?" The boy nodded. "Come on then. Why don't you choose what toys you want to take with you and ill get some clothes from this drawer. Davis opened the drawer and took out some underwear and socks. Opening the next drawer he found some t-shirts. "Wayne Roberts? Is that your name? That's what it says on this t-shirt label." The boy nodded again. "Ok Wayne, my names Davis. I'm pleased to meet you." Davis packed a few more clothes for Wayne. The sound of a helicopter shook the house and Wayne began to shake again. "It's ok Wayne. It's a helicopter. We're gonna fly in it. Now have you got what you want?"
"Yes." Wayne voice was so quiet Davis barely heard it. "Come on let's go!"

Chapter 12

Wayne Roberts sat in the cold room which had been designated as his new bedroom. It was a standard single room that any ordinary soldier would sleep in. Captain Spencer had decided that it would be better for him to sleep down here where an eye could be kept on him at all times. The soldiers had put a few football posters on the walls to brighten the room and make him feel a bit better but it hadn't worked very well. He sat on the hospital like bed swinging his little legs to and fro. The walls were plain white but felt cold, as if they were made from metal. The floor was covered in hard white tiles giving the place that sort of hospital room. There wasn't any windows in the room which gave it a claustrophobic sort of feel. He jumped down and picked up his toy car that he'd bought with him from his house and pushed it along the shiny floor.
He tried not to think about his mother as he couldn't stop crying when he did. He had convinced himself that he was here on a secret mission and when he went home his mummy would be waiting with his birthday cake and presents, surrounded by balloons and streamers and it would be the best party ever. He knew, however, that this was unlikely to happen.
The heavy steel door swung open and lieutenant Davis walked in. Wayne carried on pushing his car up and down the length of the floor. "Hey Wayne. How are you doing?" Davis's eyes were full of sorrow for the little fellow. Wayne didn't answer just carried on pushing his car. "Wayne I need you to come with me for a minute." Still no answer. Davis bent down to Wayne's level and took hold of the car. "I know this has been really awful for you but your safe now." Wayne looked up at Davis with his sorrowful brown eyes, his floppy brown hair half covering them. "How could you know?" He thought but said nothing. Davis tried again. "Look, I need you to come with me Wayne." Davis stood holding out his hand. Reluctantly Wayne took his hand and followed him out of the door.
The corridors looked as sterile as his new bedroom. They seemed endlessly long and straight to a little boy. After a few minutes they reached a big wooden door. Davis banged on it three times before it swung open. "Come on then Wayne, after you." Davis gestured for him to enter. Inside was a long table covered in balloons and streamers with a birthday cake that housed five candles along with other chocolate goodies. At one end of the table sat Captain Spencer who he had briefly met last night. At the other end sat a few present's covered in brightly coloured wrapping paper.
Wayne's eyes filled with tears as he looked at Davis. "How did you know?" He croaked.
"We found them in your house. These are the presents your mummy and daddy bought you. Its even the cake she had got you. With five candles as well." Davis held his breath waiting for the hysterical crying which hadn't yet materialised since Davis had found the youngster still clinging to his mothers body. The boys had found the presents whilst they were cleaning up the place and put two and two together. It had been Davis's idea to hold this little party hoping it would cheer the little lad up a bit. Now he was praying to god that it wouldn't backfire on him. Slowly Wayne released his grip on Davis's hand slowly approaching the table present end first.
Slowly he began to unwrap the first present. It was a Chelsea football. One by one Wayne opened the six presents, his smile getting broader with each one. Captain Spencer and Davis watched in silence letting him take his own time. After a few minutes Davis picked up a flat parcel handing it to Wayne. "This is from us here at the centre. We had it specially made for you!" Wayne unwrapped the parcel taking out the contents. "It's an army uniform like yours." Wayne looked confused.
"I know. We're making you an honouree soldier due to the fact that you have been so brave!"
"Yes Wayne." Captain Spencer finally rose to his feet. "You are a very brave young man and we want brave young men on our team."
"I'm an army officer? Really?" Wayne's face lit up. He had always wanted to be in the army and now he even had his own uniform.
"So Wayne." Captain Spencer continued. "As your now an officer of the land what would you like to do?"
"Well I'd like some birthday cake please but I don't want you to sing. My mummy will do that when I go home." The two grown ups glanced at each other strangely but he didn't understand why. "Of course you can have some cake. Shall I cut it?" Davis picked up the large knife that the kitchens had lent them. "Would you like a large slice sir?" He draped a tea towel over his arm imitating a waiter. Wayne's eyes lit up at the sight of the rich chocolate cake. "Oh yes a very large piece please."
"That's please sir now you're an soldier." Captain Spencer laughed, as Davis cut Wayne a slice that nearly covered the whole of the paper plate before cutting two more for himself and the Captain.
After five minutes of them stuffing their faces in silence Captain Spencer stood up again. "Son now you're an officer we need your help."
"Sir yes sir." Wayne stood and saluted at the captain who tried to contain his smile. "We need you to help us find that thing that was in your house. Do you think you could talk to us about it tomorrow?" Captain Spencer watched his face for any sign of reaction.
"Well," Wayne started, "I will on one condition. Davis plays football with me tonight with my new ball." Captain Spencer looked at Davis who nodded then turned back to Wayne.
"Well I think that's ok, but to make it better I'll send a few other soldiers down to make it a proper game. How does that sound?"
"Cool. Thank you Mr Captain sir." Wayne smiled properly for the first time he'd been here.
"Come on Private Roberts lets put your toy's away in your quarters."
Wayne had insisted on changing in to his uniform as soon as he got to his room. Wayne mum had written a birthday card for him but Davis was reluctant to give it to him. Toys were one think to a kid but his mothers private message was another. Davis left it on the bed as they headed to the gym for the Foote match, thinking he would rather read it alone where he could shed a few tears without feeling anyone was watching. Davis had really taken to the boy and was on strict instructions to stay with him as much as possible.
Captain Spencer had been right about sending the boys down. The gym was full of at least twenty soldiers who cheered happy birthday as he walked in. Wayne had picked his own team for the five a side game and had felt so proud when he had scored with his new Chelsea football. They made him man of the match and carried him around the gym on their shoulders. Just for that moment Wayne forgot everything that had happened to him in these last couple of days.
Walking back up the corridor to his room Wayne suddenly stopped and looked up at Davis. "Davis, Thank you for being so nice to me. Thanks for my uniform and my birthday party as well!" Davis looked at him in his little doc martins and camouflage gear. He ruffled Wayne's hair. "It was all my pleasure. Come on lets get you in to bed young man." After getting Wayne in to his pyjamas he gave him the card. "This is from your mummy. We found it with the presents." Wayne just stared at it. "When and if you want to read it it's here. I’m in the room next door so come and get me if you need me okay?"
"Okay. Davis, will you tuck me in tonight?"
"Course I will." Davis lifted him up on the bed and wrapped the covers around his little body. "Now goodnight and sweet dreams young man." He whispered before kissing him lightly on the forehead and returning to his Captains office.

Chapter 13

Frank Warren had enjoyed his first few weeks back at work but not as much as long hot bath he was enjoying now. It had taken him all day just to sort through his post and e-mails, most of them irrelevant. He had received an invitation to speak about palaeontology and what sort of career it offered the students studding it. He'd had a few invitations to speak at Oxford university about his work before but he didn't really want to go in to the teaching aspect of his work. He preferred the hands on experience. He put the flannel over his resting eyes. He was almost on the verge of sleep when a furious knocking at his front door disturbed him. Scrambling for a towel to cover his modesty, He went to see who was there, leaving a trail of soggy footprints in the shag pile carpet.
Opening the door Frank was surprised to see Wes, His partner in crime. "I know you like me but you could of waited till the morning to see me!" Frank stood aside to let him in.
"Sorry, couldn't wait till morning. You need to pack a bag and come with me now. I'll explain on the way!" Wes stormed through in to the living room.
"On the way where? What are you going on about?" Confusion was beginning to set in.
"You know I had to go somewhere a few weeks ago right? Well they want you as well and it's big, god man it's so big!" Wes was sweating now, the drips using his nose as a mini ski jump.
"What's big? I don't understand." Frank was now totally lost. He stared at his friend for a few seconds before asking, quite seriously, "Are you on drugs Wes?"
"No I'm not but I think I need to be. Give me a scotch will you. Right I'll start at the beginning. The other morning, a few weeks ago, I had a call from the army. They said to go up to the roof of the museum as they had a chopper waiting for me!" Frank handed him the scotch and he took a large gulp.
"A chopper?" Frank was so confused. Why a chopper for his mate? It had to be a wind up.
"Yes a god damn chopper. They blindfolded me and took me to this place where they say they need my help to catch this thing that's escaped. I have to pick a team but you have to be in it as well. So I'm like what is this thing and their like you have to sign the official secrets act first before I can tell you. So come on pack a bag we've got to go."
"Wait a minute, you don't seriously expect me to go with you do you? It's a Sunday." Frank handed Wes his scotch and poured another for himself, gulping it back quickly. This couldn’t be happening.
"I need you frank. You're the best tracker in the world. And anyway an army helicopter will be here in five minutes to pick us up and if you don't come their going to kill you." Frank waited for the cheeky grin to appear on Wes's face but it didn't come. "Your serious aren't you?"
"Of course I'm serious now get dressed and get packed quick. Now come on."
Frank went to his bedroom. He dressed and packed in two minutes flat. Was this really happening. The army wanted them to hunt down some little animal. There had to be more to it than that. But what? Never mind he would find out sooner rather than later. "You ready?" Wes was standing in the doorway with another scotch for them both. "Here we need this. And look whatever happens we'll stick together ok man! You're my bud and I love you."
"Hey don't get all sentimental on me. Give me that drink monkey boy!" Frank smiled as he took his drink. "So what exactly is this thing? Mammal, primate? Any info about it at all?"
"Not much. Its mammal I think. Well part mammal anyhow!" Wes diverted his eyes to the floor.
"What do you mean part mammal anyway? It's not all the same animal? What is it a hybreed or something?"
"Well it's defiantly something! I cant explain here you have to see the tape. We have our own flat and offices over there so I'll explain later okay?" The pager in Wes's pocket started to bleep, alerting him that the chopper was on the roof. "Right, you ready?"
"As ready as I'll ever be I suppose. Are you?" Frank looked around the apartment before locking up and setting the alarms. He wondered when he would be back and what he would find when he got there. His mind was going into overdrive the whole way to the roof. What could possibly be part mammal? Why were the army involved? Why wouldn't Wes tell him any more details? Why was he here? There were just so many unanswered questions that he wasn't sure he'd ever know the answer's to.
The helicopter was so big Frank wondered how it had ever managed to get up in the air. Three armed soldiers stood lining their path to the chopper. A man in a different uniform stood at the door. As they approached he held out his hand. "Professor Frank Warren I presume. I'm Lieutenant Davis at your service. Now sorry to have to do this but you need to be blindfolded as a precaution." Lieutenant Davis handed them both a blindfold which they both then put on. As they were guided in to the chopper Frank had a funny feeling that his life would never be the same again.
The helicopter took nearly thirty minutes to get to wherever it was going. Frank had to admit he was interested, scared and excited all at once. The helicopter finally landed and Franks blindfold was removed. He adjusted his eyes and looked around. Above him flaps from the roof were enclosing the helicopter what looked like a huge steel warehouse. It was the size of a small football pitch, with army personnel milling about around the other helicopters and planes stored here. Luminous lights glared from the ceiling panels that were now fully closed. Now this was weird. "Professor Warren, this way please." Lieutenant Davis was standing outside the helicopter with another much larger man and Wes. "Captain Spencer," the larger man offered his hand as Frank stepped out. "Frank Warren." Frank replied as he returned the handshake.
"Well now we are all introduced lets get down to business." Captain Spencer led the way across the large room to a door in the wall. He inserted his key card in to the slot, opening the door to the lift. As before they descended at great speed. The lift door opened and they stepped out in to the metallic brightly lit corridor, continuing until they reached Captain Spencer's office.
Frank and Wes sat on two leather chairs whilst Captain Spencer sat opposite with Lieutenant Davis standing behind him. Captain Spencer opened his desk drawer, took out a form and passed it to Frank. "Your colleague has already signed this but we need you to sign before we can proceed any further." Frank looked at the form. It was the official secrets act alright. Wes hadn't been lying to him after all. There was no way on this earth that Frank wouldn’t sign that piece of paper. He wanted to know what was going on now, his curiosity had been alighted. He took his parker pen from his left inside pocket and marked his name at the bottom. Captain Spencer smiled as he took the signed form. “Good.” He placed the form back in to the drawer and removed a video. “This is for you two. It’s a video of the creature you are looking for. So far this thing has killed everything in it’s path bar one thing, a boy. His name is Wayne and he’s five. His parents were killed this week, but the animal left him alone. We need you to find out why.” Captain Spencer looked at Frank who had visibly paled. “I’ll let Davis take you to you apartment. It’s been a long day. We’ll take you to the labs in the morning and give you limited access to our computers.” He stood up and shook both of their hands again. Frank and Wes stood up and followed Davis in to the corridor.
Frank Warren stood in a state of shock. He hardly believed the events that had unfolded today. Yesterday morning had been normal like any other, he was sitting eating his cornflakes without a care in the world and this morning he was in an army base talking about a genetically modified animal that had escaped and was heading to London. That part of it he understood, sort of. What Frank didn’t understand was why was he here? Yeah he was a palaeontologist and that but he had never dealt with genetically modified animals. He wondered where on earth he would begin the search as it was highly unlikely that there were reference books on beasts.
The corridors of this building were long and very unfriendly. It took about five minutes to walk around to the lift’s which Davis opened with his key card. “What is this place?” Frank gasped as they walked though door after door, looking at technology they hadn’t known was invented. “This is where it all started.” Davis outstretched his arms and twirled around. “This is where eight months ago our lives changed forever.”
”Heavy man.” Wes shot Frank a wink, but Davis didn’t realise he was taking the pee.
”No, really, it changed like you wouldn’t believe. The scientist guys came up with the idea of implanting genes in to embryos. More specifically killer genes of other animals in to an animal with the strength and potential to be a killer. So what do you get if you mix killer instinct with killer capability what do you get?”
”An angry bunny?” Frank couldn’t contain his laughter over Wes’s one liner.
”No you get a killing machine. This Beast has got the capability to destroy the earth.”
”Surely not. How, I mean why don’t you just shoot it?” Frank was worried. There was something about this whole thing that just didn’t add up.
”It’s not as easy as just shooting it as you put it Mr Warren. This creature has regeneration properties and can heal itself faster than you can whack another bullet in. It also has a chip in its head and managed to download most of our computer database and reprogram it. He has perfect night vision and perfect daytime vision too now I come to mention it. It has the strength of fifty men and a running speed faster than anything else on the planet. It can detect our radars and tune in to our radio signals. It also has heat sensors so it doesn’t matter if he cant see you he can sense you. And he has killed everything in it’s path and I mean everything down to fly’s even ants, everything but the boy.”
”Why is that? What does the boy have the others didn’t?”
”There wasn’t enough of the others to determine anything. We only found the boy by chance. His parents were both killed in front of him. Were trying to get him to tell us something but we’ve had no joy so far.”
”It bound to take time for him to adjust he’s what five, six?”
”Five. He’s a lovely lad. He’s really pleased that he’s in the army!” Finally they reached their flat. It was nice and comfy with their own kitchen and bathroom. A roomy lounge boasted a large television and cream leather sofa, whilst each of the two bedrooms had large double beds. Frank dived straight in to his bed and collapsed for the night.

Chapter 14

"Please help us Frank, please we need you." He could hear the voices but he couldn't see them. He couldn't see a thing. Everything was black as black as the night sky. In this sky there were no stars only voices. Children’s voices screaming "Please help us!" into the night sky, into the darkness. "Frank, come here." He could see the light beginning to open at the end of the darkness. So bright was the light it nearly blinded him. He covered his face slightly with his hand and began to walk. The little voices say "That's it Frank, walk to the light. We need to show you for you to help us."
"What do you want to show me? I don't understand" Frank screamed into the night. Still he walked on closer to the light, closer to the truth. The wind blew his clothes so hard he thought they would rip from his body. The closer he got to the light the harder it became to walk, his legs buckling like jelly. "Come on Frank, don't give up please!" The little voices plead. Frank struggled to carry on towards his goal, the light at the end of the tunnel. Then he was there. The wind stopped and light engulfed his vision. Sinking to his knees he hid his face as his eyes adjusted to the light. He felt a little tug on his arm and looked up to see a little girl of about three standing there. "I have to show you" She said before placing her hand on his forehead. As soon as contact was made a blinding pain ran through his head causing him to scream in pain. A thousand visions flooded his brain at once, too many to distinguish one from the other. All were of children dying horrific deaths, Their heads all being torn from their bodies as easily as if they were jelly babies. He saw their bodies all heaped together on one bloody pile of rotting carcases. Some of them looked newborn. He screamed for them, for him, and for everything that was wrong with a world that this could happen. He felt their pain surge through his veins and he felt their anger. They wanted to go home but they couldn't.
"Help us go home Frank!" The little voices said.

The Beast.

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