had stopped crying for help. Nathan turned his flashlight on to the door of Doris Bellman’s room.
‘Let’s take a look inside, shall we? There won’t be anybody in here, will there?’
‘No. Sister Bennett said the next resident won’t be coming till tomorrow – well, later today.’
Nathan tried the handle. The door was unlocked. He eased it open and shone his flashlight inside. The bed was made, and ready for its new occupant. The birdcage had been taken away, as well as the ivy plants. All of Doris Bellman’s photographs had gone, as well as her crucifix, although there were shadowy marks on the wall where they had hung for so long.
The room smelled strongly of Dettox.
‘Nothing here,’ said Nathan. But he hunkered down and shone his flashlight into the corners of the room, and under the bed.
‘What are you looking for?’ Grace asked him. ‘Come on – I really think we need to get out of here.’
‘Basilisks were supposed to have been like lizards, they were constantly shedding their scales. I was just hoping that this baby might have left one or two of them behind.’
‘Hurry up,’ Grace urged him. ‘I’m sure I can hear somebody coming.’
Nathan was about to leave the bedroom when he saw what looked like a black stick, protruding two or three inches from the back of the nightstand. He bent down and picked it up, and examined it closely. It wasn’t a stick, but a fragment of black horny material, like an antler. He showed it to Grace and said, ‘What do you make of this?’
Grace peered at it closely but she wouldn’t touch it. ‘It could be anything. I don’t know. Piece of a broken walking-stick?’
‘I don’t know. I’ll take it back to the lab and analyze it.’
He dropped the black stick into his shirt pocket, and quietly closed the door of Doris Bellman’s room. It was then that they heard another scraping sound, much louder this time, much sharper, and followed by a complicated shuffle.
‘What’s that?’ said Grace. She was frightened now.
‘Whatever it is, it sounds like it’s coming closer.’
‘Nate, I seriously think we should go.’
There was yet another scrape, and then a harsh, high-pitched whine, like somebody trying to breathe with clogged-up lungs. Grace started to head back toward the stairs, but Nathan caught hold of her arm.
‘Grace – wait up – it sounds like it’s just around the corner. Come on, sweetheart, if it’s really here, I need to see it.’
‘No – we need to go. I’m sorry. This is crazy.’
She tugged herself free, but as she did so, a shadowy figure appeared around the corner of the corridor. It stood there, swaying slightly. It was hunched, and it appeared to have spines on top of its head, but it didn’t look nearly as bulky as Nathan had expected it to be. After all, whatever had made its way along this corridor to Doris Bellman’s room had been tall enough to scrape furrows in the ceiling.
He shone his flashlight at it, and he saw at once that it was an elderly man in a sagging brown bathrobe, with his hair sticking up. One lens of his eyeglasses was covered up with silver duct tape, but he lifted his hand to shield his other eye. ‘What’s going on?’ he demanded. ‘What time is it? Didn’t you bring the car round yet?’
‘Michael?’ said Grace. ‘Michael Dukakis?’
‘That’s right. Who is that? You want to take that flashlight out of my face?’
‘It’s OK, Michael. We’re just making sure that you’re safe.’
‘Michael Dukakis’ came shuffling toward them in his worn brown slippers. ‘None of us is safe. Not one of us. Not while that creature’s still here. It took Doris and it’ll take the rest of us, if we give it the chance.’
‘Have you seen it again?’
‘Michael Dukakis’ shook his head. ‘Haven’t seen it, but I’ve sure heard it. Late last night, dragging its way down the corridor. Went past my room, and paused awhile, and I swear that I could hear it breathing. I was lying
‘Let’s take a look inside, shall we? There won’t be anybody in here, will there?’
‘No. Sister Bennett said the next resident won’t be coming till tomorrow – well, later today.’
Nathan tried the handle. The door was unlocked. He eased it open and shone his flashlight inside. The bed was made, and ready for its new occupant. The birdcage had been taken away, as well as the ivy plants. All of Doris Bellman’s photographs had gone, as well as her crucifix, although there were shadowy marks on the wall where they had hung for so long.
The room smelled strongly of Dettox.
‘Nothing here,’ said Nathan. But he hunkered down and shone his flashlight into the corners of the room, and under the bed.
‘What are you looking for?’ Grace asked him. ‘Come on – I really think we need to get out of here.’
‘Basilisks were supposed to have been like lizards, they were constantly shedding their scales. I was just hoping that this baby might have left one or two of them behind.’
‘Hurry up,’ Grace urged him. ‘I’m sure I can hear somebody coming.’
Nathan was about to leave the bedroom when he saw what looked like a black stick, protruding two or three inches from the back of the nightstand. He bent down and picked it up, and examined it closely. It wasn’t a stick, but a fragment of black horny material, like an antler. He showed it to Grace and said, ‘What do you make of this?’
Grace peered at it closely but she wouldn’t touch it. ‘It could be anything. I don’t know. Piece of a broken walking-stick?’
‘I don’t know. I’ll take it back to the lab and analyze it.’
He dropped the black stick into his shirt pocket, and quietly closed the door of Doris Bellman’s room. It was then that they heard another scraping sound, much louder this time, much sharper, and followed by a complicated shuffle.
‘What’s that?’ said Grace. She was frightened now.
‘Whatever it is, it sounds like it’s coming closer.’
‘Nate, I seriously think we should go.’
There was yet another scrape, and then a harsh, high-pitched whine, like somebody trying to breathe with clogged-up lungs. Grace started to head back toward the stairs, but Nathan caught hold of her arm.
‘Grace – wait up – it sounds like it’s just around the corner. Come on, sweetheart, if it’s really here, I need to see it.’
‘No – we need to go. I’m sorry. This is crazy.’
She tugged herself free, but as she did so, a shadowy figure appeared around the corner of the corridor. It stood there, swaying slightly. It was hunched, and it appeared to have spines on top of its head, but it didn’t look nearly as bulky as Nathan had expected it to be. After all, whatever had made its way along this corridor to Doris Bellman’s room had been tall enough to scrape furrows in the ceiling.
He shone his flashlight at it, and he saw at once that it was an elderly man in a sagging brown bathrobe, with his hair sticking up. One lens of his eyeglasses was covered up with silver duct tape, but he lifted his hand to shield his other eye. ‘What’s going on?’ he demanded. ‘What time is it? Didn’t you bring the car round yet?’
‘Michael?’ said Grace. ‘Michael Dukakis?’
‘That’s right. Who is that? You want to take that flashlight out of my face?’
‘It’s OK, Michael. We’re just making sure that you’re safe.’
‘Michael Dukakis’ came shuffling toward them in his worn brown slippers. ‘None of us is safe. Not one of us. Not while that creature’s still here. It took Doris and it’ll take the rest of us, if we give it the chance.’
‘Have you seen it again?’
‘Michael Dukakis’ shook his head. ‘Haven’t seen it, but I’ve sure heard it. Late last night, dragging its way down the corridor. Went past my room, and paused awhile, and I swear that I could hear it breathing. I was lying
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