Ben Hammott - Siberia

“I won’t, but where did they come from?”

“It’s all extremely top secret, but the weapons came from an alien spaceship found buried in the ice in Antarctica. Don’t ask me anymore because that’s all I know.”

Luka shrugged. “I thought they looked strange but didn’t for one moment imagine they came from a UFO.”

“Technically it wasn’t a UFO as it wasn’t flying, but that’s enough about that. We need to concern ourselves with catching this thing, alien or otherwise. Hopefully, we’ll soon have it contained. Then maybe we’ll find out what it is.”

Glancing at Vadim across the room to make sure they weren’t being observed, Luka held Krisztina’s hand. “Be careful and don’t get near it, even if it looks dead. And whatever you do, don’t let it touch you. I’ve chopped off enough limbs for one day.”

“I’m inquisitive, not stupid. I’ll be careful.”

Luka nodded and released her hand. “Good to hear.”

“I have to go. Maybe I’ll be able to see you later, but with all that’s going on…”

“I know. And I have a chimp to catch.”

He followed Krisztina out of the laboratory.

Because EV1L still wasn’t strong enough to reveal its presence to the humans, it had hidden when two of them had entered the animal room, interrupting its feeding. However, when they had discovered its hiding place and poked it, its defensive instincts had prompted its attack.

Having finished consuming the flesh, muscle and sinew from the human arm, EV1L slithered off the bones in search of additional nourishment. It needed to grow stronger quickly to survive now the humans were aware of its presence. It climbed up the side of the metal cupboards the cages rested on and headed for the first of the small four-limbed creatures that barked at its approach. Whimpering from fear of its strangeness when it entered their cage, they cowered into a corner. It would devour them all.

Having devoured the beagles, EV1L moved along to the next items on its menu. The spider monkeys screeched, hooted and displayed their teeth at the approaching menace. EV1L melted through the gaps in the wire mesh and reformed on the other side.

One of the spider monkeys attacked. Its hands grabbed at the black blob, stretching out glutinous lumps that wrapped around its small paws. Failing to break free from the rubbery restraints it tried biting through them. EV1L attacked and wrapped around its face. The monkey’s terrified features were revealed in the substance covering its contours. The creature’s muffled screams continued until lack of air released it from its pain. The remaining spider monkeys pressed themselves into the far corner of the cage and huddling together, trembling while they awaited their fate.

Alexei and Svetlana cautiously entered the animal room and closed the door. The first thing they noticed was the lack of sounds or movement coming from the cages. Always expecting they were going to be fed, the animals normally reacted when anyone entered the room, but now there was only ominous silence.

Spying the remains of Waldemar’s arm bone, Alexei pointed it out to Svetlana, who wished he hadn’t. They crossed to it cautiously and discovered it was absent any Black.

Svetlana gazed into a nearby cage and stepped nearer to investigate. It was empty, and so was the next and the next. All the animals were gone.

Adjusting his hold on the heavy fire extinguisher under one arm, Alexei’s head swiveled anxiously as he searched for the black blob Luka had described.

Spying no sign of it, he glanced back at Svetlana following closely and raised the thin metal rod gripped in his free hand. “Use this to search the cages and let me know if you find it.”

“Have no fear on that as it’s not something I’m planning on keeping secret. When you hear me scream, you’ll know I’ve found it.”

Svetlana glanced worriedly at the plastic container she held and wondered if it would be strong enough to contain the creature. It had melted Waldemar’s flesh, maybe it could do the same to plastic. She opened the first cage and poked the sawdust covering the bottom with the metal pointer. Finding nothing but mouse droppings, she moved along to the next.

Alexei was searching the third cage on his side of the room when the rod snagged on something concealed beneath the sawdust littered with pungent rabbit droppings and urine. A bead of sweat dripped from his forehead as he slowly raised the object. He relaxed when part of a rabbit’s ribcage lifted clear of the sawdust. He shook it off and continued along the line of cages. He paused at one of the two large primate cages at the end of the row and stared at the half-eaten corpse of a spider monkey. Flesh-cleaned bones of its cellmates lay scattered around the cage. He focused on the monkey’s face. Normally they wore a cute, slightly mischievous expression, but now, abject terror was frozen on its face. He turned and clicked his fingers to attract his comrade.

Svetlana crossed to the cage and glanced inside. Moving her gaze away from the poor creature’s dead, fear-filled face, she examined the wounds. There was hardly any blood and the flesh seemed to have been melted from the bones that also showed signs of being dissolved, digested. She turned to Alexei. “I wonder why it didn’t finish it off?”

Alexei shrugged worriedly as he gazed around the room. “Probably full from gorging itself on all the other animals.”

“Or we disturbed it when we entered,” offered Svetlana ominously.

“Oh, great. It knows we’re here.”

“It could be a good sign,” suggested Svetlana.

Alexei held the thin rod out like a sword, as if ready to stab and slice at anything that attacked. “If it is, it’s lost on me.”

“It could mean it’s frightened, or at least wary of us.”

“Not as much as I am of it. It’s a puddle, it could be anywhere.” Alexei poked the bottom of the monkey cage but found nothing black and dangerous.

Crouching, Alexei waved the rod under one of the metal cupboards the cages rested on. The clangs of rod striking against the legs rang through the room. He placed the extinguisher on the floor and taking a small flashlight from his pocket, aimed it along the gap beneath the cupboards running the length of the room.

Observing, Svetlana said, “You do know that if this was one of those American horror movies, something would lunge out and attack or pull you under.”

Alexei glared at her. “You’re not helping. Go search the end of the room.”

“In horror movies, splitting up is also a bad idea.”

Svetlana turned away from Alexei’s glare and began searching the animal food preparation area at the far end.

After Alexei had finished searching the gap beneath the cupboards, he turned his attention to the ceiling. The pipes that ran the length of the room and branched off through the walls were too high to reach, but he saw no evidence of the creature hiding there. After he had searched inside the cupboards, he returned to Svetlana.

“We’ve searched everywhere. It’s not here.”

Svetlana wasn’t convinced. “It has to be, the door was shut. It can’t get out.”

“It had to have gotten in here somehow, so it might have left the same way.” When Alexei’s eyes came to a halt on the air vent, he pointed the rod at it. “And that I believe is it.”

Svetlana focused on the vent. “If you’re right, it could be anywhere now.”

“I suppose we had better check inside or Stanislav will only make us come back.” Alexei dragged the empty cage below the vent off the table and let it crash to the floor. He then placed the extinguisher on the table and climbed up.