The Amphiblets Read Online Free Page B

him too.’
    Four men disappeared into the hall. Bear awaited anxiously for news of Sam. He prayed that the boy had escaped – prayed he was still alive. The group returned a few minutes later. Judging by their expressions it was clear they didn’t have good news.
    ‘Sam’s dead, Sir,’ they explained, ‘the floor is a glistening pool of his blood.’
    Then, if that wasn’t bad enough, a sudden sound of gunfire, in the distance, startled the men. It came from the direction of the boat shed. The night air was filled with ominous screams. The crackle of gunfire continued as the sergeant and his team sprinted towards the chaos. They arrived within two minutes, only to find everyone gone.
    It had become so quiet – too quiet.
    ‘I don’t like this! Where are they all?’ whispered the sergeant.
    Torches were shone around and lit up guns scattered on the ground. There was the gruesome discovery of a hand, amputated from the rest of its arm but still clutching a weapon, and a few metres away a boot was found still containing a foot.
    Keeping together, the men slowly inched their way towards the water’s edge. In the dim light they saw something floating in the water. Torches were shone on to the surface. There in the gleaming light, bobbing close to the boats, were the heads of the missing men.
    ‘What on earth are we up against?’ whispered the sergeant in terror.
    For the next five minutes the men regrouped in a circle, facing outwards, keeping watch for the mysterious monster. But it did not resurface.
    Relief flooded through them all, when a few minutes later, three helicopters could be heard in the distance. One helicopter remained airborne, so the pilots could use its heat sensitive equipment in order to track the ferocious killer. The other two helicopters landed on the vast lawn, their swirling blades gradually slowing to a halt.
    This was now the beginning of a massive hunt for a murderer who had already managed to kill ten men.

7
Unknown Creatures
     
    The sun rose, announcing the new day and casting light on what had been a most ill-fated night. But there was little to celebrate, for ten men had died in a murderous rampage, and a terrible loss faced their families. A hundred men from the armed forces now dominated the area since the army had sent scores of their men to help hunt for the killer.
    Unfortunately, there had been no further sightings of the ferocious beast. The helicopter crew had reported nothing unusual and no one else had anything to report. It was as if a phantom had manifested and then disappeared into the shadows of the darkness from whence it had come.
    Not until the early hours of daylight had anyone dared to set foot inside the mansion. At seven in the morning, the men received permission to enter the property with caution, checking every shadow and behind every door. Despite the sunlight outside, the mansion interior was gloomy. There were no electric lights in the main house but several old lanterns rested on dirty tables or cabinets.
    Men positioned themselves on the ground floor and on the stairs, keeping watch, while the rooms were being thoroughly searched. The house was neglected and dirty. The room where Stan had been murdered was filled with soft cushions, stained with his blood. A team of forensic scientists was already at work, recording everything. Cameras flashed as photographs of the crime scene were taken and video footage recorded. With patience the entire area was examined for clues. Nothing went uncovered.
    While this area was being investigated, the first floor was being searched. Many empty rooms had been discovered as well as two abandoned bedrooms and a locked door. It appeared that at this point only two people had been living there. While the men were pursuing to unlock the door, another team went upstairs to the second floor. The floorboards were thickly covered in dust, indicating that no one had been up there for many years. The rooms were all completely