The Amphiblets Read Online Free

months.’
    ‘Have you heard what they’re saying about her?’ Sam glanced over towards his colleague as they wandered towards the mansion.
    ‘No.’
    ‘Apparently she’s changed.’
    ‘Huh?’ Bear wrinkled his face. ‘In what way?’
    ‘Her appearance has altered. Her fingers have become webbed.’
    Bear laughed. ‘You’re pulling my leg! That stuff only happens in science fiction movies.’
    ‘What did the inspector say when you interviewed him?’ asked Sam.
    ‘He was in shock. I couldn’t get much information from him at all. He mentioned his visit to the Professor and said what a friendly chap he was. He said he made him tea and offered him biscuits. They had a long chat and time passed quickly. Nothing out of the ordinary. After the visit, he returned to his boat and made his way back home to the mainland. He was unaware that a woman had stowed away on his boat, hidden beneath a blanket, until he reached land. He got the shock of his life when she rose from the crumpled heap, pleading for help.’
    ‘Did he mention her appearance at all?’
    ‘No, and I didn’t ask. Besides, our interview was interrupted by Scally, who informed me he would take over from now on.’
    ‘Didn’t that strike you as odd?’
    ‘Not really. We help each other from time to time.’
    The back door was the last exit to keep under surveillance. The Professor could not escape. An announcement was given that a group of officers would enter the property via the front door. From the back of the house, Sam and Bear could hear the splintering crash of the front door being smashed open. Five police officers forced open the front door and separated to search the rooms. Their footsteps were heard tramping in every direction. An officer waited at the bottom of the stairs whilst the rooms on the ground floor were being searched first.
    ‘All clear in this one!’ came a voice from a nearby room.
    ‘It’s clear here too!’
    ‘And here!’
    Soon there was one last door to open. The handle was turned and it was clear to see that this room was very different to all the others: the ceiling was made of glass panels, revealing the shimmering stars beyond. It was a peaceful moment – like the calm before a storm. No one could say exactly what happened next. Just that the moment was surreal, like a nightmare.
    One minute an officer was standing before them and the next his body had been whisked away as something moist sprayed their faces.
    ‘Stan!’ screamed his colleagues, but there was nothing – no reply. ‘Stan!’ Their cries echoed on the night air. The room was filled with darkness. Torches were switched on, their beams darting in every direction. A switch was found on the wall. Someone pressed it. Light flooded the room.
    As the officers looked at one another their faces paled beneath thin films of blood – Stan’s blood. Covering the ground was a trail of further bloodstains as something had been dragged across the ground towards the bushes. There was a hand lying on the ground, completely severed from its body.
    ‘Retreat!’ came the order and the men dashed from the room, securing the door behind them. They were breathing hard amidst the silence – a horrible, cold silence that sent shivers down their spines.
    Needless to say, they fled from the mansion as fast as they could, before informing their colleagues by radios of what had happened. When the details emerged, it was more horrendous than anyone could ever have imagined. Stan’s body had been ripped to shreds.
    ‘Blood everywhere!’
    ‘His body was torn to pieces!’
    ‘A human couldn’t have done this!’
    ‘It must’ve been a guard dog!’
    ‘It was more than a guard dog,’ shivered one of the officers who had been with Stan at the time and now saw his broken body each time he closed his eyes.
    No one knew what type of animal could have been responsible for inflicting such horrific injuries in so short a time. It was a mystery that needed to be solved