Author: Alexander Fawn

The junior officer was in the building on his own, working overtime.

It was a regular practice. He didn’t mind doing it and the pay was good. The place was a secure facility for the storage of police evidence. It was getting late and the young man was tidying his desk when he heard the buzzer sound at the front door. This surprised him. Normally, when it was closed after hours, the building remained shut and fully secure. He walked through and checked the image on the screen on the wall. It showed a man in a police uniform waving up at the camera. He was opening the door slowly to get a better look at the visitor when it burst in almost knocking him over. The intruder pulled a flick-knife and snapped it open. He waved it around and gestured for the officer to lead the way back down the hall.

As they went, the intruder said, “You won’t get hurt, if you cooperate. Just take me to the evidence room.” The officer did as he was told and they both came to the door. It was protected with a keypad set into the wall. It had the usual grid of numbers and characters.

“It’s locked,” said the officer.

The man sneered. “Of course it’s locked. Now, I need you to open it.”

“I can’t. It needs a combination.”

The man took hold of him, bringing the knife up under his chin.

“Before you tell me that you don’t know the combination, I’ll explain something. I’m here to collect one small item from this room. It could be months before it’s needed. It could be months before it’s missed. When it is, it could be put down to human error. So, you see, do as you’re told and tonight never happened?”

He moved the blade to between the other’s shoulder blades.

“Now, like I said, I don’t want to hurt you, but I will, if that’s what it takes to get this door open. I we clear on this?”

The officer nodded and spoke for the first time. “OK. I need to think. There are ten numbers, and I have to get them right.”

“Go ahead and take your time.”

Slowly the keys were pressed, one at a time, finishing with a hash. A small red light began flashing along with a series of sharp beeps.

The intruder, realising that a duress code had been entered, said, “You shouldn’t have done that.”

The officer turned to face the man. “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t let you take evidence while I’m on my watch. You have around ten minutes before police arrive. I suggest you get going.”

The man shook his head. “I’ve been sent here to do a job and I intend to do it. I know about these systems. In less than three minutes I need to persuade you to key in the retraction code to cancel the alarm.

“I can’t do that. I wouldn’t know how.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

The man pulled a hand gun from the back of his waist band, and repeated, “Are you sure?”

“OK. Yes, I can do it! I can do it. It’s a number and a phrase I have to use. They’re on my phone.”

“Get on with it, then.”

He took out his phone and entered the numbers carefully. He stood, listening. When a voice came on he brought up the wording on his screen and said, “This is 128 Principal Avenue, sweet and sour pork for one, please. Thanks.” He clicked off and looked up at the blinking light.

The other watched it too. “OK. You’d better hope that it worked. How long does it take to cancel?”

“I honestly don’t know. I’ve never done any of this before.”

They both stood watching the light and hearing the beeps for several long minutes. The man with the gun grew more and more agitated. Finally, the door buzzer sounded and the man jumped.

“It’s OK,” said the officer. “That’ll be my girlfriend, she’s come to pick me up. I’ll get rid of her. I’ll say that I have more to do and I’ll get a taxi.”

The intruder said, “Make sure you do. Remember, I’ve got a gun and I’m not afraid to use it.”

“OK. I won’t risk getting her hurt. Just stay out of sight and I’ll handle it.”

The officer made his way to the door, checking the screen as he went. He quickly set the keypad to lock the door from the inside before opening it.

He greeted the delivery boy with a smile as he closed the door behind him.

“Just in time,” he said, as he took the bag. “On my tab, OK?”

“No problem,” said the other and climbed back onto his scooter and gave a wave.

He watched the delivery guy shoot off on his scooter, then turned to look back at the door. Considering the fact that the building had no duress code system in place, and knowing that the red light over the security door only flashes as a warning when someone enters a wrong number and can be cancelled by simply pressing the asterisk key, and knowing that he had only read about code phrases that would allow the duress alarm to be cancelled, considering all this, along with the fact that because he was a regular customer and a good tipper, he knew how quickly the guy on his scooter always delivered, he felt that he had done rather well.

Predicting that the events of the evening would be good for his future in the police force, he walked across to his car and got in. He sat in the passenger’s seat with his Chinese meal on his lap. He phoned the police station and had an urgent call put through to the police chief. After explaining that he had a criminal locked up in the building, he rang off and checked the time.

He had just enough time to eat before the cavalry arrived.

The virus that the woman had wasn’t properly understood.

Professional opinions had differed about that. The tests didn’t seem to be helping. It was getting her down. All that could be said with certainty was that it was new. It had not been seen before, and because it had been in her system, undetected for some time, the thing was changing. It was mutating. It was travelling to different parts. This transformation seemed to allow it to modify itself to some degree. This would worry those who studied it because it was not something any of the experts had so far encountered. Over a period it seemed to take on the ability to communicate with its surroundings. That way it could adapt to any changing conditions. It became unstoppable.

Finally, she came to the conclusion that her pc’s antivirus software was just not up to the job of protecting her personal computer.

She would have to bite the bullet and buy new software.

He really didn’t want to leave her.

They sat looking out into the street, his arms wrapped around her. Parting was not good for either of them. Soon a cab would come to take him to the airport. It was agreed that she stay on at the house until he returned. The job would take him so far away. She really couldn’t go with him. He couldn’t ignore the fact that an opportunity like this would only come once in a lifetime. Whispering softly, he talked about how they both met. It was a time for remembering all the wonderful times that he and Daisy had had together. He was going to miss her so much. Tears were shed, his rolled heavily down his cheeks. The car pulled up and he left her where she sat. He picked up his cases and left.

Giant, stuffed, fluffy, pink rabbits really didn’t belong on a mining camp.

His blog comments gratefully appear,

With many touching and sincere.

They are not ignored,

Briefly read, then stored,

With a careful review each year.

Apparently, she had no idea what the man at the front door could want, so late at night.

She looked through the spy hole and saw it was the man she had met briefly on the bus going to work. She couldn’t believe her luck. He was certainly nice enough, but she was making it plain that she was wary of what he was doing at her front door. Making sure that the safety chain was in place, she opened the door slowly. He was most apologetic for calling around so late unannounced, but he was concerned for her safety. He explained that his twin brother had seen them talking together on the bus and was saying crazy things about putting a stop to it. He described his brother as a person with mental problems who had been known to become violent towards women very easily. He wanted to know if she seen anybody like that lurking around.

She said she’d seen a man loitering around her front gate earlier and had taken a photo of him earlier, because she thought it was suspicious. She said she would get her phone and show him. She left him waiting for a couple of minutes. When she returned, she held the phone up above the security chain. As he peered at it, the phone was quickly replaced by a jet of pepper spray…

Flailing around, he was hardly aware of the police-issue handcuffs being snapped on.

That morning, in the detective’s office, she’d seen the update on the wanted man’s details, especially the fact that he didn’t have a brother!

It had been a good evening with her small apartment filled with guests.

As parties go, it was nice and relaxed with soft music and plenty of finger food. Everyone was well behaved, with the exception of her latest boyfriend, who got drunk and had to be helped into a taxi halfway through the evening. She was grateful that nobody seemed to notice, but knew that something had to change. She would think about it later. The remainder of the night went well. Towards the end her guests slowly drifted off in small groups, after thanking her for the evening. It was nearly midnight when she had the place to herself. She had a fair bit of clearing up to do. She didn’t want to wake up to it in the morning.

It took her the best part of an hour to go around generally tidying up before she set about washing up. There was a lot of it and she almost filled the sink with soapy water. Feeling tired, she slowly washed, dried and put everything away.

Back at the sink she pulled the plug and thought about him as she watched the sink empty.

It was at this point that the answer suggested itself to her, as she watched the dirty water disappear down the gurgler.

She was just a girl who liked everything black.

Although she was a brunette, she dyed her hair black. Her hair clips were black. She always wore black lipstick. Her eyeliner and brow colour were black. Her mascara and eyeshadow were always black. With regular visits to her local nail salon, she had her fingernails and toe nails coloured black. Naturally, it goes without saying that her clothes were chosen in a similar way. Putting it simply, everything she wore was black. Tops and jackets, jeans, slacks and shoes, all black. She wore black scarves and only used black handkerchiefs. When it rained she used a black umbrella. When the weather was cold she wore a black beanie.

At the end of the day, she was just one of those people who preferred the gothic look. She was extremely fond of black. All this being said, she was actually a very nice person.

Which makes it particularly sad to say that when walking home late one night she was run over by a car.

He was sitting, relaxed for a long time, eyes glazed.

He could feel it coursing through his veins. The warmth moved through him, bringing a blissful grace. His thoughts, his feelings, his sensations, were all changing, becoming more real, yet somehow not real at all. It was as though a completely fanciful hallucination had taken hold. He was experiencing a kaleidoscope of emotions. It was like some great surging sense of euphoria had taken him into a dream world while being still quite awake. From time to time he would drift out of his body, then slowly return. It would be difficult for him to fully express the ecstatic joy he was feeling. The rapture of it was carrying him to an amazingly new sphere of existence.

He knew only too well, that the pleasure, the excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness, were all brought about by the activation of a region of the brain triggering the release of feel-good hormones like dopamine. But, that was science, and that was not this…

A kindly attendant passed in front of him, pointing at the clock.

The spell was broken.

Staring at Botticelli’s Primavera oil painting had always made him feel this way.

Something stirs beneath the muddy waters of the swamp.

Many creatures inhabit wetlands, and the everglades of Florida are no different, but the reptilian form that scrambles out of the swamp can be found nowhere else. It slithers its way into the sun and lies perfectly still; it’s species unknown. It remains basking until its last slimy scale is baked hard and brittle. The outer layer is then violently shaken off, leaving the manlike thing to climb to its feet. It begins to walk, slowly at first, then faster and faster. The naked form breaks into a steady run. It has a long way to go before finding what it needs, a residence, a home.

It is night and the large house is quiet. The last of the lights go out and the figure finds a way in and climbs to the bedrooms. Three sleeping figures, mother, father and son. Going from room to room, it touches the foreheads of each and their sleep is made deeper. It finds the man’s clothes hanging and selects. Dressed now, it gathers a cell phone and cash. Back down in the lounge, with lights on, a fast learner, it sits using Google maps. Destination, the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Sixteen hours by car, two weeks on foot. It chooses the latter. It steps outside, leaving the front door ajar.

It begins to walk.

Its purpose, unknown.

Nobody saw it arrive.

It is a sleek, silver disc, inhabited by two of the fleet’s most decorated soldiers. It is an alien ship, fully equipped with the latest and most sophisticated otherworld technology. It has entered a new region. As a craft, its military capabilities are phenomenal. Slowly, it lowers towards a truly vast expanse of sea. It settles noiselessly on the surface. The craft floats silently on a frothy sea. The water looks murky. Great bubbles slide around on its surface. The occupants arm themselves and open the main hatch.

Moments later the two indescribably ugly aliens emerge. The saucer rocks gently on the surface as they stagger out onto the railed observation deck built into the edge of the craft. They each make notes on what they are seeing, on their hand-held report pads.

Momentarily the sky grows dark.

The woman returns to the kitchen, notices that she hasn’t emptied the sink after washing up and pulls the plug. She doesn’t notice the tiny disc swirling around and disappearing down the plughole. She doesn’t hear the strange screams, screams that are being drowned out by the familiar gurgling of the emptying sink.

Nobody saw it leave.