Killing the Beasts by Chris Simms Page A

concentrated in the bone itself, losing strength with the speed an oven cools down. Several minutes later he was able to hobble to his feet, just as he heard the thrum of the approaching helicopter. He realized his radio was in the car.
     
    Tom was working in Daniel's office when his mobile rang. He glanced down at the phone's display and picked it up. 'Jon, how are you?'
    'Fine Tom, cheers. Are you at work?'
    'You could say that. I'm in the Seychelles, but believe me, it's no holiday. There's been a disaster at work.'
    'Oh,' said Jon. 'I'm afraid I'm not ringing with good news either.'
    'Go on. It can't get any worse.'
    'Your Audi was taken off your driveway last night. I actually chased the guy. He crashed your car into a gatepost and, I hate to say, escaped. The car's pretty much screwed. It's in the police compound now, being dusted for prints.'
    Tom let out a long sigh. 'They didn't do the house too, did they?' 'No,' said Jon. 'Just hooked the keys through the letterbox.'
    Tom groaned. 'And you bloody warned me.'
    Jon said nothing.
    'Oh well, 'Tom continued. 'Cheers for letting me know. Look, I'd better go – there's all sorts going on.'
    'OK mate, phone me for the number of the police compound when you get back.'
     
    Two thirty arrived and with it Charlotte rapping on the door. Tom had spent the morning writing to his clients with the nearest deadlines, explaining their problems with the printers. He'd been able to speak with Ges at one o'clock, only to learn that the other two companies in the Manchester area with printers capable of producing building wraps were booked out for weeks with council-paid banners for the Games.
    'OK, OK,' he answered irritably. 'Just shutting down.'
    She came in and looked at the untouched sandwiches a staff member had brought into him an hour earlier. 'You've missed lunch again?'
    'What? Oh yeah, I'm not hungry. It's this heat,' he said, even though the room was air-conditioned.
    At the pool they stripped down to their swimsuits and climbed in the shallow end. 'Right,' said Sean. 'Tom, let's get yours on first.' He hoisted the single tank on to Tom's back and then pointed out how to tighten the straps. Turning to Charlotte he did the same for her. Tom noticed him gently reposition her shoulder straps, letting his hand brush against the outside of her breast as he did so. She glanced up, but Sean's eyes were hidden behind his mirror shades.
    Once his own gear was on, Sean said, 'So, the way the regulator works is simple. You put the entire thing inside your lips and up against your teeth. When you want air you bite down on it and breathe in slowly. Of course, opening up your lungs goes completely against your instincts once your head is underwater, so take your time.'
    Looking suspiciously at the black mouthpiece, Tom sniffed it then slipped it into his mouth. Immediately he found the size of it intrusive, the rubbery surface nauseating. It felt similar to the type of gum shield rugby players wore. He could never face using one of those during his playing career. Slowly he tried to bite down on the inner part, but the sensation was unpleasant – like chewing on especially tough gristle. His tongue made contact with it and he realized that it tasted the same as it smelled. Suddenly the presence of it under his lips and against his teeth was too much. He began to retch and pulled it out.
    'Made you feel sick, yeah?' asked Sean.
    'Yes. 'Tom wiped his lips, looking at the glistening object.
    'Don't worry mate, plenty of people spit their dummy out to begin with. Just try again; there's no rush.'
    Tom looked at him, wondering if the reference to dummies was part of some diving lingo or an attempt to belittle him. Gingerly he tested the mouthpiece in his hand, feeling its pliability and imagining all the other mouths it had been in before, picturing their saliva coating its surface, particles of food catching in its crevices. Meanwhile Charlotte, used to snorkelling, had sunk slowly below the