In Caelum Fero
Dan took a few minutes to calm down, and stabilize his breathing. He could fell the cold sweat running down his body, damping his T-shirt. " What was THAT ? It didn't sound like nothing I've heard before".
When, finally, he lifted himself up, he went, foot by foot, to the window, to give a quick glance below. The sound had disappeared as rapidly as it had come, and so had Hyas.
Dan quickly closed the window shut, gladly relieved as he noticed that the glass in it was, actually, some sort of reinforced polymer fiber. It looked pretty solid. And what about the cat ?
"Screw the cat", mused Dan, "If there's something out there then it's too bad for him !".
What to do ? The best would be to go to warn somebody. Dan opened the room's door and stepped out.
There was a vague scent in the air, something familiar, that Dan didn't recognized right away. It was a smell of parsley.
Surprisingly or perhaps not so, it was as quiet there as it was when he first entered. Didn't anyone hear THAT sound ?
It was dark downstairs, but he saw the light coming from underneath a door to the left. As he got within two steps of the door, he began hearing Vincent's voice. He seemed to be talking with someone. "But I thought that everybody were asleep", Dan thought.
Dan peeked through the door's slit, at the hinge's side. Fortunately there was enough space to get a glimpse to the other side.
He saw Vincent, turned at an angle, next to a small shelf full of test tubes. He was filling something, saying:
- Yes, my friend Vinnie, we have a new permanent guest.
"What the ...?", thought Dan, he couldn't see nobody else there.
- Now, I think I'll be able to get conclusive data. We need results quickly. - continued Vincent.
Then he turned a little bit, and Dan saw what he holding. It was a syringe, to which Vincent was pouring a violet liquid:
- He will then join the others.
Who was Vinnie? Dan was certainly confused by what he was seeing... Could the "new guest" be him ? And then Dan realized that the man was talking to himself !
Dan backed away. As he was doing so, he stumbled in some furniture behind him, and his cell phone fell from his trousers' knee pocket, sliding a few feet away. He heard a « Who is it ? » from the kitchen. Vincent had heard the noise and was coming. Dan ran to the stairs and climbed them, to ask for help from the other workers.
At the top of the stairs, Vincent ordered him:
- Stop right there, you meddler. Or you might get shot.
Dan halted, and, turning back, realized that Vincent was holding a gun. In the other hand he had the syringe.
- It's time to take the medicine... don't worry, it's alcohol free... - then Vincent, inadvertently, stepped on Dan's cell phone and slipped, making it slide once again and dropping his weapon, and the vaccine too, away. Seeing that, Dan hesitated just a fraction of an instant, before flying from the top of the staircase onto the man getting up. The fight ensued.
They rolled over each other, one trying to reach the gun first than the other; Vincent punched Dan, backing him away, but Dan quickly recovered and pushed the other against a couch; they had left the hall and were now in the living room; Dan picked a painting and smashed it on the man's head, but Vincent returned with a kick in the stomach; Dan fell in the floor; Vincent got up and jumped on him, trying to choke him; Dan managed to reach with his arm to a dark, small object in the shape of a shell; it was his cell phone; he picked it and smashed it in the head of his opponent; Vincent released him and contorted in pain; Dan kneed him in the chest; Dan got up quickly and picked the man up, by the collar, and pushed him against a table. The answer was a quick elbow blow to his shoulder.
They were now leaned onto the living room table, pushing it to the cabinet on a bookshelf attached to the room's wall. Dan's efforts weren't working, as he was desperately losing the fight. That man was lean, but had an unusual strength in him, and was resisting like a mad man. Suddenly, a tapisser chisel with a silver handle fell from the top of the cabinet, hitting the man (handle first) in the head, stunning him for a moment. Dan immediately punched him in the chin, knocking him out, and almost breaking his own hand:
- It serves you right, you schizoid freak.
When, finally, he lifted himself up, he went, foot by foot, to the window, to give a quick glance below. The sound had disappeared as rapidly as it had come, and so had Hyas.
Dan quickly closed the window shut, gladly relieved as he noticed that the glass in it was, actually, some sort of reinforced polymer fiber. It looked pretty solid. And what about the cat ?
"Screw the cat", mused Dan, "If there's something out there then it's too bad for him !".
What to do ? The best would be to go to warn somebody. Dan opened the room's door and stepped out.
There was a vague scent in the air, something familiar, that Dan didn't recognized right away. It was a smell of parsley.
Surprisingly or perhaps not so, it was as quiet there as it was when he first entered. Didn't anyone hear THAT sound ?
It was dark downstairs, but he saw the light coming from underneath a door to the left. As he got within two steps of the door, he began hearing Vincent's voice. He seemed to be talking with someone. "But I thought that everybody were asleep", Dan thought.
Dan peeked through the door's slit, at the hinge's side. Fortunately there was enough space to get a glimpse to the other side.
He saw Vincent, turned at an angle, next to a small shelf full of test tubes. He was filling something, saying:
- Yes, my friend Vinnie, we have a new permanent guest.
"What the ...?", thought Dan, he couldn't see nobody else there.
- Now, I think I'll be able to get conclusive data. We need results quickly. - continued Vincent.
Then he turned a little bit, and Dan saw what he holding. It was a syringe, to which Vincent was pouring a violet liquid:
- He will then join the others.
Who was Vinnie? Dan was certainly confused by what he was seeing... Could the "new guest" be him ? And then Dan realized that the man was talking to himself !
Dan backed away. As he was doing so, he stumbled in some furniture behind him, and his cell phone fell from his trousers' knee pocket, sliding a few feet away. He heard a « Who is it ? » from the kitchen. Vincent had heard the noise and was coming. Dan ran to the stairs and climbed them, to ask for help from the other workers.
At the top of the stairs, Vincent ordered him:
- Stop right there, you meddler. Or you might get shot.
Dan halted, and, turning back, realized that Vincent was holding a gun. In the other hand he had the syringe.
- It's time to take the medicine... don't worry, it's alcohol free... - then Vincent, inadvertently, stepped on Dan's cell phone and slipped, making it slide once again and dropping his weapon, and the vaccine too, away. Seeing that, Dan hesitated just a fraction of an instant, before flying from the top of the staircase onto the man getting up. The fight ensued.
They rolled over each other, one trying to reach the gun first than the other; Vincent punched Dan, backing him away, but Dan quickly recovered and pushed the other against a couch; they had left the hall and were now in the living room; Dan picked a painting and smashed it on the man's head, but Vincent returned with a kick in the stomach; Dan fell in the floor; Vincent got up and jumped on him, trying to choke him; Dan managed to reach with his arm to a dark, small object in the shape of a shell; it was his cell phone; he picked it and smashed it in the head of his opponent; Vincent released him and contorted in pain; Dan kneed him in the chest; Dan got up quickly and picked the man up, by the collar, and pushed him against a table. The answer was a quick elbow blow to his shoulder.
They were now leaned onto the living room table, pushing it to the cabinet on a bookshelf attached to the room's wall. Dan's efforts weren't working, as he was desperately losing the fight. That man was lean, but had an unusual strength in him, and was resisting like a mad man. Suddenly, a tapisser chisel with a silver handle fell from the top of the cabinet, hitting the man (handle first) in the head, stunning him for a moment. Dan immediately punched him in the chin, knocking him out, and almost breaking his own hand:
- It serves you right, you schizoid freak.