*****
Joseph Miller knew what a lift was. He had seen one in Saint Petersburg many years ago. He even understood the general concept of how it worked. This did not mean that he had any idea of how to operate one. After leaving the two wolves alone with their dinner date, he had limped off in the direction he was pretty sure that he had come in, only to be stopped in his tracks by the stairs. In his current rather itchy state he could not even manage to take the first step up. His injured leg could not support enough weight to move up to the next step. The hero of ages had been stopped in his tracks by stairs. Miller got a good chuckle out of this.
So here he was at the lift. He stared at the door for some time. There appeared to be no handles, just a small arrow to the right of the door that pointed up. He understood that it went up, but how should he open it? Perhaps if he just asked?
“Excuse me, fine, uh,” he lacked the words, “contraption. Would you mind taking me to the next floor?”
The door did not respond. He knocked politely. Still the lift stayed shut. He tried to pry the door open with his free hand. It did not move an inch. He shouted. The lift ignored him. Frustrated, Miller leaned on the wall to the side of the elevator and let out a long sigh. The TV had been so much easier.
Suddenly a bell dinged and the doors to the lift slid open. “Aha!” Miller cried, limping his way inside. Perhaps the door had finally found him worthy. He was not was about to question his change of luck. He leaned hard against the wall of the lift, taking the weight off the bad leg. It still hurt to walk but he had dealt with worse in the past. Glancing around the inside of the lift, he found it to be empty except for a panel of numbers on the wall. Was it as simple as pressing a number? The doors closed again as he pressed a number at random. The number lit up at his touch, and he felt the lift move up.
“Fantastic!” Miller grinned to himself, once again taking his place against the wall at the back of the lift. Now he needed a plan and weapons. Also, a few more working limbs would be helpful. If he could find a way to free his arm, it would be a great help. But where to start? He knew nothing of this place or time. He needed help.
As if heeding his call, the elevator stopped. Before Miller could begin to move out, two figures entered the lift. One was an attractive, dark-skinned woman. The other was the demon that had tried to feed him to the beast downstairs.
This was awkward. He tensed, ready for battle, but the two were in the midst of a conversation and did not seem to notice his presence.
“Mary, I have to say, you look amazing!” the dark-skinned woman said.
The demon smiled almost shyly at her in response. “Thank you, Martha.”
“I didn’t even recognize you. I was only in Cardiff for two weeks. It’s like you’re a whole new person. Where did you get your work done?”
“My work? Oh yes, here actually. If you like I can introduce you to the doctor who did it.” The demon grinned at its little joke. There could be no mistaking its intention. It planned on eating this woman or adding her to the brood. Miller would have to stop the demon here and now, but how? He had only just managed to avoid the crippled one. What could he do in such a tight area? At last the dark-skinned woman called Martha seemed to notice him.
“Sir, are you supposed to be out of bed?” There was a look of concern on her face.
“Of course, lass. I’m just out for a bit of exercise. Good for the blood.” He smiled at her, but couldn’t hold onto it as the demon’s eyes focused on him. Uh-oh.
“You? But how?” it stammered. Miller braced himself. Maybe if he moved fast enough he would have a chance. The demon suddenly lurched forward, so violently that Miller paused in his offensive. It seemed to be hearing something Miller could not make out.
“Arrrgh! Not now!” It held its head in its hands. “It is too early. That idiot!” The lift dinged again and the doors slid open. The demon stepped into the hallway. “No matter, I’ll still have you two.” It reached for Martha and Miller. He sidestepped the grab and tried to get a grip on Martha, but he was too slow and before he could get to her, the demon had her by the throat and was out in the hallway. He followed, intent on rescuing the woman, but as he made it out of the lift they were already far down the hall. In the time it took for another few of his limping steps, the demon and the woman had vanished.
Ancient Awakening (The Ancient) Page 17
