Vaporized

by Simon Rosser

  The stairs ascended on both sides of the main hall, and Amber proceeded up the right side, to the open walkway above, which extended across to the right over the main hall, and also to the left, which was in total darkness.

  Just at the top of the stairway, close to the rear wall of the corridor, sat a wood and glass display cabinet, approximately four feet high and six feet long, containing the fossilised remains of some Stegosaurus dinosaur eggs.

  There was just enough space behind the cabinet for her to squeeze behind. Apart from the dark corridor ahead, she thought it would make the perfect spot for a hiding place. The location wasn’t too far away from the main exit doors, and she’d be well hidden from anything that might be lurking inside the museum.

  She moved to the left side of the cabinet, knelt down and shoved her backpack into the space, fashioning it into a make-shift pillow. She then walked around the front of the cabinet and crawled in the opposite side, wedging herself in between the wooden base of the display cabinet, and the cold, interior, brick wall of the building.

  As she lay there, she thought about her parents back home, wondering if they might still be alive. She knew however, in her heart of hearts, that they were probably dead. They had to have been vaporized, like everyone else. Tears welled in her eyes, as she realised she’d never see them again, and she wished she’d gone back home a fortnight ago to visit, as planned. It was only a heavy workload, for a court case the following week, which had prevented her from doing so.

  What a joke, she thought to herself. The world had all but ended, and, two weeks ago, she’d been worrying about a stupid personal injury claim. Life really sucks.

  As her eye lids became heavy, her thoughts drifted to the alien invasion she’d seemingly witnessed, if indeed that’s what it was. It was, of course, possible that some military or scientific experiment had gone awry, but she doubted it. She’d witnessed something, some alien intelligence, which was able to control Earth’s water and mimic the humans that had been vaporized, in almost perfect detail, even down to their voices. What could do that?

  She considered the fossilised remains of all the dinosaurs around her, and wondered what would it would be like if humans could somehow travel back in time, 65 million years, to their world. It would indeed seem like an alien planet to anyone who managed to travel back, the dinosaurs would be no friendlier than the aliens that were here now.

  Amber’s mind began to spin, as she thought about the myriad of life-forms, all at various stages of evolution, and intelligence levels, which must exist in the universe. It made her realise that humans were simply insignificant, in the grand scheme of things. If Earth had been invaded by alien life-forms, perhaps they had just come for the water? It kind of made sense to her. Didn’t most life require water to survive?

  For them, perhaps, it was simply a question of survival. Vaporize the planet’s inhabitants, presumably a fairly painless and arguably kind way to kill everything off, and then just take all the water they needed. The fact that they were making the Earth their home was simply bad luck for the human species. Perhaps countless other life-forms had befallen the same fate, in the 13.8 billion years the universe had been around.

  Amber attempted to carry out some mental arithmetic as she drifted off to sleep. She knew that the Earth was in the region of 4.5 billion years old. Dinosaurs had existed for 165 million years, dying out around 65 million years ago, a mere fraction of Earth’s age. Modern humans, or homo-sapiens, on the other hand, had only been around for the last 200,000 years, a mere 0.004% of the planet’s history! The possibility that other intelligent life forms existed out there, when considering the vast timespans involved, was, she considered, inevitable.

  Her mind became lost in the calculations, as she slowly succumbed to sleep.

  CHAPTER 19

  Post Event – Day 3

  AMBER OPENED HER eyes with a start. It took her a few seconds to remember where she was. Then, somewhere in the main hall below, she heard a click, click, clicking sound, which she assumed had woken her, echoing up from the main hall below.

  The fog of sleep was forced from her mind, and replaced with a primal fear, bringing clarity of thought in an instant. What the hell is that?

  She heard it again, click, click, click.

  Her stomach churned as she ran through the possibilities of what, or who, could be making the sound. She was still wedged between the cold brick wall and the display cabinet, and had been sleeping on her back. She felt as stiff as a board, and her back, legs and shoulders ached like hell.

  Amber slowly twisted her body around, until she was facing in the direction of the stairway, at the end of the main hall, and lay there, motionless, listening, her heart pumping furiously in her chest.

  She had no idea of the time, her watch had stopped working, and her cell phone battery had gone dead some twenty-four hours ago. It was still dark outside, so she guessed the time could be anywhere between midnight and five a.m.

  She remained motionless, listening intently. Click, click, click... There was no doubt about it; something, or someone, was walking around in the main hall.

  Amber slowly raised herself up, on her right elbow, in order to peer through the glass cabinet, to the top of the stairway, which led down to the main gallery.

  She could see very little, just shadows being cast by the dim yellow lights, still illuminating the wall and ceiling above the stone stairways. The clicking got louder. Whatever was making the sound, appeared to be moving her way.

  Amber’s mind raced, as she considered what could be making the sound. The water-based entities, when not attempting to imitate human speech, made a slight watery, sloshy sound when moving, but mostly, they were silent. Whatever was walking around down there wasn’t made from water.

  Taking ever more shallow rapid breaths, Amber considered the possibility that a dog may have survived the initial event, and had been hiding inside the museum. If so, she would have a companion. But a more horrifying thought quickly occurred to her. What if one of the museum exhibits, had been imitated, or somehow been reanimated?

  Her skin crawled and she could feel goose bumps rising, as she hid behind the display cabinet.

  Amber thought about the collection of Earth’s life on display within the museum, as exhibits; creatures that spanned literally millions of years of evolution. As she considered the museum’s exhibits, she felt more terrified than at any time since the start of this cataclysmic event, as she thought about what could be wandering around in the main hall. But how could anything have come back to life? Could the alien presence, assuming that’s what it was, be capable of somehow reanimating, long since dead, stuffed, museum animals?

  The chilling sound got closer. Click, click, click, click, and then silence for a few moments. Then, click, click, click, click again, as whatever was making the sound, advanced towards the stairway. As Amber listened to the odd tapping, she suddenly realised what it could be; sharp claws, perhaps talons, moving across the terrazzo floor.

  The next sound she heard started her heart racing faster, a low, guttural growl, belonging to some creature that surely hadn't walked the Earth for thousands of years.

  Amber strained to look through the glass cabinet. Whatever had made the sound was about to come into view. Then she saw it. She watched in abject terror as a creature the size of a very large lion, but with more powerful forelegs and shoulders, - and a beige matted fur coat with dark stripes, came into view. It ascended the stairway leading up to the corridor, opposite and parallel to the one she was on.

  The creature’s powerful shoulder muscles rippled in the dim light. What the hell is that thing? Amber asked herself.

  As it reached the last but one step, it stopped, lifted its huge cat-like head, turned to the side, and started sniffing the air.

  You’ve got to be kidding me? Amber thought, staring at the huge cat. She realised she was looking at an animal that had been extinct for at least 10,000 years. The huge, curved, canine teeth ga
ve the animal away in an instant. It was a Smilodon, - a sabre-toothed cat.

  The very sight of the creature caused her to lose control of her bladder, and a warm, wet, sensation spread across her pelvic region.

  She continued watching the Smilodon, as its back legs reached the top of the stairway. The huge cat then looked to the left, then right, and then back down to the main hall where it had just come from, before moving slowly along the corridor to the left, its sharp claws clicking on the terrazzo floor, as it moved stealthily into the shadows.

  I’ve got to get the hell out of here, Amber told herself, too petrified to move. A few seconds’ passed, as her adrenal glands started flooding her bloodstream with the fight/flight hormone. Her head was telling every fibre of her being that the latter option was most suited to her survival.

  Very slowly, Amber sat up, her head now above the top of the display cabinet. She could hear the click, click, click, of the tiger’s claws fade, as the creature moved further into the depths of the museum.

  The corridor to Amber’s right headed deeper into the museum and was pitch black. She feared that it joined up with the corridor on the opposite side, and that the Smilodon would be able to loop back around towards her. If it could detect her scent, which was highly likely, it would hunt her down in seconds, especially now she had peed in her pants. She cursed to herself for losing control of her bladder, realising it could prove to be fatal.

  The main Exhibition Hall appeared quiet. She had to take the chance, try and get back down into the hall, and out through the main entrance door. A door she’d done her best to secure last night, in order to keep the alien entity out.

  She shuffled out from behind the cabinet, now feeling totally exposed and incredibly vulnerable. She moved around to the other end of the cabinet, as quietly as possible pulling her backpack out off the floor. She kept her focus on the dark corridor ahead, the hairs on the back of her neck prickling, as she sensed the danger lurking somewhere off in the darkness.

  Amber crept towards the stairway, feeling the muscles in her legs contract and her heart and respiratory rate escalate from the adrenalin now being pumped into her system.

  Amber reached the top of the stone stairs, and was about to proceed down, when she heard a crash, followed by glass shattering somewhere off to her right, deep inside the museum. Something heavy, possibly a display cabinet had been pushed over.

  Amber stood still for a second, listening, but heard nothing.

  It was now or never. She hurried down the steps to the main hall, her trainers squeaking on the hard floor, and stopped at the split landing, in front of the statue, and scanned the large hall below. All appeared as it has done when she’d entered the building, the evening before, no further sign of any danger.

  She then ran down the last flight of steps. The dark passageway, to the right of the stairway, appearing even more foreboding than it had before. She moved across the front of the stairway and checked the other dark corridor, also quiet.

  Amber sprinted across the hall towards the main door, her trainers squeaking upon the terrazzo floor as she ran. As she reached the huge foreleg bones of the Diplodocus skeleton, she heard a low rumble, which resonated through her body. She froze, praying that she had imagined the sound but she hadn’t.

  A second, low growl, from somewhere behind and above her, filled her with terror. Amber turned, and came face to face with a creature that looked like a cross between a modern-day lion, and a werewolf.

  The ferocious green eyes of the huge Smilodon stared back at her. The creature was stalking her, from the upper walkway she’d just descended from. The sabre-toothed monster looked down at her through the ornate balustrade, narrowed its eyes, and let out a bone-shaking roar, which echoed around the quiet hall.

  Before Amber had a chance to consider her options, the creature reared up onto its hind legs, rested its front paws on the wide stone balustrade, and then, in one fluid motion, brought its hind legs up, and leapt towards her.

  CHAPTER 20

  THE SMILODON MISJUDGED its leap, and landed squarely on top of the Diplodocus skeleton, its hind legs and plate-sized padded paws with protruding serrated claws, scrambling for purchase, just inches above Amber’s head.

  The animal’s forelimbs had become entangled in the Diplodocus’ skeletal bones, which began to crack under its weight, as the huge cat struggled to free itself.

  Amber, who was momentarily stunned by the sight, realised she had one last chance to escape, and sprinted towards the door. As she did, the Diplodocus’ long neck collapsed as the supports holding it broke, and came crashing to the floor in front of her, blocking her route to the exit.

  Unable to think properly and with the Smilodon temporarily trapped in the dinosaur skeleton’s rib cage she turned, and ran back past the flailing creature, towards the left side of the stairway, and down the dark corridor, towards the museum’s Blue Zone.

  As Amber sprinted down the corridor, she could hear the Smilodon breaking through the Diplodocus’ rib cage. It would be free any second now, and would come after her. She knew she had only seconds to spare. She crashed through some double swing doors into a second corridor beyond, which was thankfully illuminated with low, indigo-coloured, emergency lighting.

  A vicious roar echoed along the corridor from the main hall, followed by heavy footfall, and a rapid click, click, clicking, echoing from the Smilodon’s claws on the hall’s hard floor.

  Amber burst through another door and found herself at the entrance to another huge exhibition hall, this time, The Mammals - Blue Whale - Gallery.

  Diffuse dawn light, from outside, penetrated down into the gallery from the large glass windows high above. Amber could make out the silhouettes of numerous life-size models, belonging to some of the ocean’s many mammals, which were suspended from wires fixed to the gallery’s ceiling.

  The dominant exhibit was the massive Blue Whale, the largest animal to have ever lived, which took up most of the gallery. In front of the Blue Whale, were positioned some of the planet’s land mammals, a giraffe, elephant and rhinoceros and, above these, hung some huge skeletal models of other ocean mammals.

  Amber frantically looked around for a position of safety but, aside from trying to hide amongst the exhibits, there was no obvious place. On either side of the gallery were sweeping, ascending ramps, leading to walkways which formed viewing platforms to enable visitors to look down on all the exhibits.

  The sound of the Smilodon approaching, sent a fresh wave of panic over her, and she ran up the closest ramp on her right, and continued along until she was close to the end of the gallery. She was now standing directly in front of numerous, suspended, life-sized models of dolphins and whales.

  A sound from the gallery’s entrance caused every hair on her body to stand on end. The gallery’s swing doors pushed violently open and Amber stared in horror as the Smilodon’s head, followed by its set of powerful shoulders, came into view. Its huge canines glinting white in the diffuse morning light, entering the gallery from above.

  Of all the horrible ways to die, Amber had always imagined being eaten alive by a Great White Shark as one of the worst. As her life flashed before her eyes, she never expected she’d have to confront an even more terrifying fate; being ripped to pieces by a sabre-toothed-tiger.

  The Smilodon’s gaze locked on to her, as it advanced up the ramp towards her. Cautiously at first, its shoulder blades pumping up and down like the pistons of a powerful car, and then, at twenty feet distant, it sank back onto its hind legs in readiness to pounce.

  Amber felt a massive surge of adrenalin rush through her, and she vaulted onto the low partition separating the viewing area from the hanging exhibits, diving onto the back of the closest mammal, an Orca killer whale.

  The Smilodon pounced, skidding on the carpeted walkway as it reached the position Amber had been standing in a second earlier. As it did, the sabre-tooth whipped out its left paw, catching Amber’s left ankle. She screamed in pain as t
he creature’s sharp claws tore into her skin.

  Amber, lying face down, and clinging to the swinging Orca exhibit, scrambled to her feet and leapt onto the next closest model, a Bottlenose dolphin.

  The Smilodon leapt from the carpeted walkway onto the back of the Orca, which started to swing from side to side under its huge weight. The huge cat snarled viciously, baring its lethal fangs, as it swayed back and forth on the fibreglass model.

  Amber, struggling to keep her balance on the arched back of the narrow dolphin, held on to the wire attaching the dolphin model to the ceiling. Fearing the Smilodon was about to try and follow her onto the dolphin, Amber leapt onto the next model, a slightly larger species of dolphin.

  The Smilodon then did something completely unexpected and even more chilling. It jumped off the Orca and back onto the viewing walkway, where it started stalking her, from the safety of the solid floor.

  Amber watched the huge cat pad along the walkway, from her precarious position atop the hanging dolphin. She looked down. Any fall from this height would probably kill her, but that would be preferable to being ripped to shreds by the Smilodon.

  She considered her options. She could just wait, in the hope the cat would get tired, and perhaps wander off, or, perhaps get attacked by another reanimated museum animal. She wondered why she’d not encountered any other animals, and whether the sabre tooth had been somehow reanimated, or, was it just a copy of the animal under the control of the aliens? Whatever was going on, she was freaked out, and terrified.

  Five minutes passed, and the Smilodon became restless and started pacing from left to right on the walkway in front of her, just like lions did inside their cages at the zoo. Then, suddenly, the sabre-tooth stopped, turned to face her, fell back on its haunches, and prepared to jump.