Tom rushed into the lounge. He stood against the door and was breathing heavily. He was almost sweating.
Mike didn’t bother to look up from his book. He was tired of scary shadows and menacing broken lampposts. At this point in his life, even Moby Dick, yes, MOBY DICK was more interesting than the hyperbole that would about doubtlessly burst from Tom’s lips.
“Mi…Mike,” uttered Ruby, “I think he is serious this time. Look at him…” Mike wanted to ignore her, but Ruby’s tone brought back cold memories.
He looked up. Tom was white. Pale.
“Where is Mary?” Mike looked around, as did Ruby. Tom ran down the corridor and checked each bedroom. Mike: the kitchen, the Library. Ruby: Bathroom and upstairs.
“Fuck,” said Mike. “What happened Tom? What did you see?”
“See? I didn’t see anything. I heard. I heard voices. Loud, and clear.”
“Are you sure?” Ruby turned to face the men (She was a woman by the way. Sorry for adding that, it just feels sexiest of something to say “men”, but are “boys”, “guys” or “dicks” any better?)
“What do you mean “voices”?” she asked.
“Like normal voices. Speaking, arguing actually. Like real stuff. Not a recording like last time.”
One of them needed to say what they were all thinking?
“Soldiers…?”
Tom shrugged his shoulders, he shook his head too. “I don’t know, I don’t know.”
“Fuck… where the fuck is Mary!? Mike, where was she going?”
“I don’t know,’ he stammered. “Maybe to get a DVD? A book?”
“We need to go…”
“Yes, yes…"
“Arrete!” It was Tom. “We have to wait until it gets dark. And then one of us can go. One only.”
Mike was quite startled by his friend’s tone. Tom was being assertive? Taking leadership? Mike was about to tear Tom to pieces, and even Ruby looked like she was ready to join in, but then immediate issue of a possibly missing Mary returned to the forefront of the worries. Tom’s sudden backbone could be made fun of later. Yes, that is what they would do.
“Mary! Damn!”
“Why don’t we use the walkie talkie?”
“If she heard what I heard, then hopefully it’s turned off?”
Tom was ready to go. He packed a torch and had his walkie talkie turned off.
“I’ll head to the shops, the back way. Hopefully she’ll be heading back…”
Mary opened the door, walked in and locked it behind her. She looked at the startled faces.
“I head voices. But not a recording like last time.”
The collective sigh of relief (Tom, Mike, Ruby) startled Mary. She managed to stammer out, “What’s going o…?” before she had three people hugging her, rather forcefully too.
Mike pushed Tom away.
“Family first,” he said.
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