This year I am working on a story called Bob vs. The Alien Slug Monsters. Instead of an outline I have a basic list of plot points I want to cover between meeting Bob and sending him off to fight the king of the slugs. There is more of a cast of characters than an actual outline, so we will see how the story develops. And with that intro we continue with Bob Versus the Alien Slug Monsters…
Day 31: He saw one of the pavers, normally lining the flower beds, on the tile floor inside.
He saw one of the pavers, normally lining the flower beds, on the tile floor inside. He saw the broken glass on the floor and could easily picture one of the residents, or Eddie or Enid picking it up to hurl inside to set off the alarm. He had the same idea, but wished they talked about silent versus loud alarms before he went off to inspect the road.
‘Of course I suspected something was wrong then.’ Bob shook his head. He knew something was wrong when their bridge was out and Eddie claimed not to have done it. His suspicions flared when they were driving up the hill and saw issues with town. They were more or less confirmed when Herman was spotted wandering through the trees.
‘We should have come together for a plan,’ Bob thought.
He sighed. This type of thing wasn’t his strong suit. He thought about the slug monsters on their flying disks. ‘Whatever this actually is,’ he added.
He knew it was trouble, just not any sort he expected. ‘Who expects giant slug monsters,’ he thought.
There was no sign of movement anywhere. If the Slugs left some one around, they were hiding. The place had the feel of abandonment.
‘But that could just be the broken window.’ Bob eased himself forward and looked into the main lobby of the admin building. He looked past the flung paver and the broken glass. The window was in the main lobby area. On the wall he could see the security systems indoor box. It looked like someone had hit it with a flame thrower. The electronics box was smashed and fried, the wall surrounding it blackened and blistered.
‘I guess flame throwers don’t make loud noises either,’ he decided.
No one was moving inside that he could see so Bob looked back towards the little houses. Before the wide and open pathways with flowerbeds planted in the corners where the strips of concrete met seemed practical for those using walkers or wheelchairs to get around. It was ideally designed for them while still being aesthetically pleasing.
Now however it looked like a lot of open ground. The trees were all along the edges, their limbs trimmed back so that the residents would have sunny pathways in good weather and so they wouldn’t trap moisture and ice with shade when the weather wasn’t fine. Bob had is back pressed against the brick of the administration building and saw no hidden approach between where he stood and the little community of houses. If there was anyone lurking he would be spotted immediately.
‘I suppose it means burglars have a harder time sneaking up on residents,’ he decided. It didn’t help him now, but he could see the reason the choice was made. Nothing was moving and bob decided it was now or never. He took a deep breath and launched himself onto the nearest pathway. He moved as quickly as he could, racing to Herman’s cottage. From there he knew he would have at least a little cover.
Bob moved quickly, his heart pounding in his throat as he waited for someone to spot him. No shout went up. He didn’t hear the sound of those little flying disks and no flames erupted as someone used whatever they used to silence the alarm on him.
He reached Herman’s house and saw the door was open. Without thinking he went directly inside. Bob scanned the small space and found no one, human or slug monster inside. He walked over to the smaller sofa and sat down to catch his breath.
Ten til Midnight 