The Aberration Read Online Free Page B

outside.
    “Greg?  Uh… I thought he was gone.  Maintenance leaves with first shift.”
    “Yeah, but Greg always rides the clock for a few more hours.  Doing his last inspection before he leaves.”
    “You saying he uh, had an accident ?  Is he hurt?  You saying that?  Is that what you’re saying?”
    Michael gave Rob a withering glance.  “Jeez, Rob.  Get a hold of yourself.  Let the man get it out.”
    Guy hesitated.  It was that pause that alarmed her, that moment when she knew it was going to be much worse than any of them expected.
    “He’s dead .  It was no accident.  There’s nothing on the stairwell that could do that to him.”
    “Do… what ?”
    Guy’s eyes stared.  For a moment he looked as lost as Drake, who still sat whimpering.  Guy’s voice was barely above a whisper when he finally spoke. 
    “He’s all over the place.  Something completely tore him to pieces.”
     

Accoutrements of Carnage
     
    Michael felt the spider legs of apprehension crawl across the room.  They all looked at Drake, who shivered silently in his chair, eyes glazed.  They looked back at Guy, who met their gaze unblinkingly.  If Drake was in that kind of state of shock, Guy had to be right.  But…
    “What do you mean some thing ?  I mean, it’s got to be some one , right?  Who… would do something like that?”  He looked at Drake.  “Snap out of it, man.  Did you actually see anyone else up there?” 
    Drake’s wildly staring eyes finally focused.  “No… I didn’t see anyone… else.”  He shivered, almost a convulsion.  “But Guy’s right – nobody could do that to someone!  There’s… there’s something in this mill.  You didn’t see the body.  It looked… like a dead animal after lions… ripped it apart.”  His eyes squeezed shut.  “It was… just sick !  God… oh God …”
    Michael barely noticed when Fran gasped and grabbed hold of his arm.  He expected someone to say something, but Rob just sat down hard in a chair.   His mouth worked wordlessly.  “Uh… uh…”
    Michael looked at Guy, who seemed to stand apart even with everyone crowded together.  Concentration melded his face into an iron mask, almost a caricature of steely resolve. His voice was completely calm when he spoke.
    “All right.  Mike, come with me.”
    Rob practically leaped out of his chair, blinking rapidly.   “Uh… where are you going?  It’s hardly safe…” 
    “Shut up , Rob.  We can’t just sit here and think everything is going to be ok.  I need to go to the locker room for something.  Then me and Mike are gonna have a look around.”
    Michael swallowed hard.  “We are?”
    “Come on.”
    He had to disentangle from Fran’s arm.  It actually took some gentle pressure; she had developed barnacle fingers when he wasn't looking.
    “Be careful.”  Her voice was a shaky whisper; her watery eyes were glued to his as if trying to memorize his face.  As if she would never see him again. 
    His smile quivered weakly across his cheeks.  “Nothing to it.”
    “Come on, Mike!”
    He took a look back as he followed Guy.   Drake, Fran, and Rob all stared like abandoned children before the swinging door obliterated the sight.
    Guy's long strides were catlike, a panther stalking down the hall.  Even if it was all bravado, it still infected Michael as he half-jogged to catch up.  “What’s in the locker room?”
    “Listen, I didn’t want to say this in front of the others.  You saw how they were.  On the verge of falling apart.”  He gave Michael a sidelong glance.  “You're different, though.”
    Michael wasn't sure if he should have felt proud or frightened.  “What… what are you talking about?  Look, if Greg was… murdered… the chances of the killer still being in the building are…”
    His back slammed against the wall.  It took a startled moment to realize Guy had seized him by the collar.
    “Guy… what the hell ?  Are you crazy