Skypoint

SEVENTEEN

Owen was surrounded by darkness. It was complete and total, and he knew that it was Death.

He had been here before. He remembered it the way that young babies must remember the womb.

There was a strange sensation of suspension. Like floating in the densely salted water of a relaxation chamber. Except that there was little that was relaxing about Death. It was cold, and every nerve in his body was screaming with tension. Because although this was Death, and this was the end, with no afterlife, with no hope of resurrection or salvation, he knew – as all the dead knew – they were not alone here.

There was something in the darkness.

And, whatever it was, it would find him defenceless because he could not move, he could not run and there was nowhere to hide. The darkness may have been total but instinctively he knew that it could see him.

Owen!

And sooner or later it would come for him.

Owen!

Just as the thing had come for him out of the wall.

Owen!

And shook his shoulder.

‘Owen!’

Consciousness hit him like a hammer right between the eyes.

‘Jesus Christ!’ he gasped.

‘Owen, are you all right?’

This time it was a different voice. A woman’s voice. He found himself on the carpet in the SkyPoint apartment. Gwen and Jack were crouched over him.

Jack was smiling. ‘Thought we’d lost you again there, buddy,’ he said and shook Owen’s shoulder once more.

‘It’s difficult to tell with a corpse,’ said another voice.

Owen turned his head and saw Ianto over by the sound system. He really hoped Ianto hadn’t been going through the CD collection in case he had passed on for keeps this time.

‘Yeah, well I was waiting for someone to give me the kiss of life, wasn’t I?’ he said, looking at Gwen.

‘So what happened?’ Jack asked, taking in the apartment and throwing himself onto its oversized couch. ‘You missed your ten o’clock call-in. We got round here and found you on the floor.’

Gwen was helping Owen to his feet as his head caught up with him.

‘And where’s Tosh?’ she asked.

‘Lucca,’ Owen gasped. His memory falling back into place with the impact of a bomb. Quickly he brought them up to speed with what had happened up to Toshiko slamming the door on him.

‘Then it came out of the wall,’ he said.

Somehow it had seized the door so that he couldn’t escape, and then it had come for him. Emerging from the wall, a shapeless mass that was neither solid nor gas, or liquid. Like nothing he had ever seen before. But there had been lights within it, like stars. It had been like looking into a galaxy that came drifting towards him, enveloping him.

… That was all he could remember.

‘But it didn’t take you like it did the others,’ observed Ianto.

‘Maybe it prefers fresh meat,’ said Owen.

‘We don’t have time to work it out now,’ Gwen told them. ‘This creature – whatever it is – is going to have to wait. First we have to get Tosh back from Lucca.’

Jack leaped over the back of the couch. ‘That’s right. Come on.’

As one, they moved out into the passageway, but they hadn’t reached the elevator when a man came crashing through the stairwell doors. He was in his pyjamas, a dressing gown flapping around him. It was the beachball man from the Lloyds’ welcome party, his face was pale but his eyes were red with tears. All he could do was cry one word again and again…

‘Gillian! Gillian!’

Gwen caught him in her arms. ‘Calm down, love. Calm down. What is it? What’s happened?’

‘She’s gone,’ he cried. ‘She’s gone!’

Behind them, another door opened. It was Andrew and Simon, disturbed by the beachball man’s cries.

‘What on Earth’s going on?’ Andrew demanded.

But Simon saw his distressed neighbour. ‘Ryan? Whatever’s wrong?’

Ryan the Beachball’s eyes were huge, threatening to burst out of his head. ‘Something, it took her! Gillian! It came out of the wall!’

Andrew raised his eyebrows in disbelief and looked at his partner. ‘I never took him as one for the…’ And he mimed a spliff.

Owen turned towards them. ‘He isn’t. He’s not hallucinating. There’s something in the building and everyone in it is in danger. You were right before, Andrew, people haven’t been running out on their payments. People are getting killed. So do yourselves a favour, pack a bag and get out.’

‘You’re joking, aren’t you?’ said Simon. ‘This is some sort of a wind-up.’

‘No,’ said Jack. ‘It isn’t.’

Above him on the wall was the fire alarm. He pulled his Webley from its holster and used its butt to smash the glass. The building was instantly filled with the scream of an alarm.

‘OK,’ he said. ‘Let’s get everybody out of here.’

‘I thought we’d said we couldn’t evacuate the building,’ Ianto pointed out, ‘in case we lost the shapeshifter.’

‘That’s right,’ said Jack. ‘But on the other hand, look at the size of this place. We could be here months and never find it.’

‘I don’t follow,’ said Gwen shaking her head.

‘I do,’ said Owen. ‘This is its hunting ground. We reduce the food supply.’

Jack grinned. ‘Exactly. With the residents gone there’s just us.’

He looked pretty pleased with his plan; the others looked at each other. They would become the hunters and the hunted. It made sense. The only problem was that from the way Owen had described what attacked him, it didn’t sound like bullets were going to have a whole lot of impact.

But that was going to have to wait now; there were people showing up from their apartments. Owen saw Wendy and Ewan Lloyd running towards them. They had hurriedly dressed and had Alison between them in her dressing gown. She held Wendy’s hand with one hand, the other clutched the pixie doll to her chest, intent on saving her own most treasured possession.

‘What’s going on?’ Ewan demanded, looking flushed with barely controlled panic.

He was looking at Owen, but Jack answered. ‘There’s an emergency. You have to get out now.’

‘Is it a fire?’ Alison gasped, her eyes large with excitement.

Owen bent down to her. ‘No. It’s not a fire, but you have to get out of the building as quickly as you can. Don’t worry, you’ll be safe.’

‘If it’s not a fire, what’s happening?’ demanded Wendy. ‘And who are you people?’

‘Everything is going to be fine,’ Gwen told her. ‘Just get into the lift and leave the building.’

As she spoke, she was easing the family towards the elevator.

‘No,’ Ewan said, suddenly defiant. ‘Not the lift. Not if there might be a fire. It’s dangerous. We’ll take the stairs. Come on, Wendy.’

‘There isn’t a fire, Ewan,’ Owen said quickly. ‘The lift’s quicker.’

‘We’re not using the lift!’ he snapped.

The elevator doors opened, and Andrew and Simon went for it without a second thought, taking the whimpering beachball man with them.

‘Well, we are,’ said Andrew. He lashed an accusing look at Simon. ‘I always told you there was something wrong with this place, but you wouldn’t listen, would you?’

Ewan was drawing his family towards the stairs. ‘Come on, Wendy, Alison. This way.’

Owen strode after them. ‘OK, if you want to take the stairs, I’m coming with you.’

Ewan glared at him. No way did he want Owen with them, but right now he didn’t seem to have any choice. Owen didn’t stop to think about it. If Ewan wanted to be an arse, that was up to him.

As they went through the doors to the stairwell, Owen turned back. ‘Make sure you get Tosh, Jack.’

‘Don’t worry,’ Gwen told him.

And Owen was gone.

Jack turned to Ianto and told him to take the elevator down to the ground floor with Andrew, Simon and the beachball man. ‘Pull up the records on the desk computer in the reception hall – there’s got to be a list of everyone who lives here. Check them off as people reach the ground. I want to know that everybody is clear.’

Ianto nodded and jumped into the elevator cabin. Andrew glanced at him appreciatively, then caught Simon’s look. Ianto just hoped it was a very fast ride to the ground.

He saw Jack wink at him as the door closed on the elevator cabin and it began to descend.

At the same time Jack checked the cylinder of the Webley .38. All six chambers were loaded.

‘OK,’ he said to Gwen. ‘Item One – let’s get Tosh back.’

Gwen pulled her own automatic out.

And then the fire alarm stopped. And the lights went out.