Read Online The Moon Stealers and The Children of the Light by Tim Flanagan - Free Book Online

had been dragged into cold storage.
    ‘There could be a survivor trapped inside,’ said
Flora. ‘We need to check.’
    ‘Take my sword,’ instructed the Grey Man to Edgar, who
was surprised by the weight of the Donestre sword in comparison to Ethera.
    The Grey Man grasped the metal handle that locked the
fridge door ready to open it. Everyone else moved round the island, grabbing
whatever metal implement they could get hold of.
    The Grey Man paused.
    As soon as the door was open, they would find out what
had been dragged inside and whether any survivors were using it as a hideaway.
He pulled on the metal handle which slid the bolt out of the frame and into the
locking mechanism. As soon as the bolt was released from the frame, the Grey
Man could feel the door spring towards him slightly.
    He looked at Edgar who nodded back.
    They were ready.
    The Grey Man pulled the heavy door into the kitchen.
There was a small hiss of air as it rushed into the refrigerator. Edgar could
feel the wave of cold as it flooded into the kitchen and washed over his feet.
    Instinctively, Scarlet screamed.
    Edgar drew a quick breath in surprise.
    Standing in the doorway was a Moon Stealer, its arms
raised and ready to strike.
    But, it didn’t move.
    Edgar, noticed that something wasn’t quite right. He prodded
the creature in the body with the point of his sword.
    Nothing happened.
    ‘It’s frozen,’ Edgar said to the rest of them.
    ‘But there’s no power supply going to the fridge,’
said Joe.
    ‘The thick walls and vacuum inside would have held the
temperature at a constant rate. Long enough to freeze it. The temperature will
only slowly come back to normal over time.’
    ‘The creature doesn’t look like it’s been harmed.
Whoever put it in there didn’t escape without injury,’ added Flora looking at
the smear of blood on the floor again.
    Edgar passed the Donestre sword back to the Grey Man
and stepped towards the creature. On closer inspection, the black skin was
coated in a frosty yellow liquid that had crystallized in the cold air. What he
didn’t notice was the small pool of yellow liquid that had begun collecting
around the creature’s feet, a sign that the temperature inside the refrigerator
had already begun to rise, slowly allowing the fluid to defrost. What they also
failed to notice was a tiny muscle spasm that flickered around one of the claws
of its feet.
    ‘Can we close the door again?’ asked Scarlet. ‘Even
though it’s dead, it still makes me feel uncomfortable.’
    The Grey Man nodded and pushed the door back into the
frame, locking the bolt back into place.
    Leaving the kitchen behind, they moved back into the
restaurant. Apart from the chairs and tables there didn’t appear to be any
other rooms to explore. The Grey Man walked behind the bar and looked at the
variety of wines that were stacked neatly on the shelves. The sound of his
shoes on the wooden floor echoed in the small room, but as he moved further
along the bar, the sound changed. Instead of a solid, deep thud, the sound of
his footsteps changed momentarily to a lighter, slightly higher pitched hollow
sound.
    Edgar heard the change in sound and turned immediately
to the Grey Man.
    ‘The floor beneath you is hollow,’ he said.
    The Grey Man looked down to his feet. Cut into the
wooden floor was a square shape that had a recessed brass clasp on one side.
Automatically, the Grey Man began to reach down ready to lift the hatch to see
what was down there.
    ‘Wait!’ shouted Edgar. ‘What if there are creatures
trapped down there as well? Or even nervous survivors with weapons.’
    Edgar moved round the bar to stand beside the Grey
Man. He searched amongst the bits and pieces that were in the drawer beneath
the cash register, pushing pens, paperclips and business cards out of the way
until he found what he was looking for. He then searched around for the
compulsory romantic table candle and lit it with the lighter he had found in
the drawer.