“What’s on this level?” Grayson asked.
“I’m not sure. Never been.”
There were only two doors available. One looked just like his apartment, solid wood with a brass knob, the other, reinforced steel, out of place within the ancient architecture.
However, once they flung it open, it became apparent why the difference. It sealed off a bio lab.
And, within, Leila wielding a lit torch.
CHAPTER 6
Leila workedinto the wee hours and, as a result, slept in late. A rarity for her. She scurried to the dining room for some breakfast, relieved to find it empty, which meant she could grab her breakfast and go. She’d left the blob in a glass aquarium overnight and wondered if the little sample had finally realized it lacked a body and died.
She entered her lab with her croissant, coffee, and a container of bacon, only to stop dead.
The aquarium holding the sample appeared empty. Had the tissue disintegrated? She set down her breakfast items and, as she headed for the vacant tank, scanned the room and received a shock as she noticed the disarray. The blob hadn’t died, but rather escaped, had somehow managed to climb the sheer and slippery walls of the containment unit while she slept. Even worse, it had sought out food.
The mice, kept in cages at the far end of the room, were dead, with only their skeleton remains left behind. The holes in the metal mesh were small enough to keep the rodents in, but not to keep the small blob out. It hadn’t stopped with the mice, though.
Glass jars had been knocked over and broken, the tissue samples within gone. The thing had gone after all the flesh in thelab, but of more concern, it obviously managed to propel itself and showed enough intuition to not only detect but consume. And why did it want to eat? Only one disturbing reason came to mind. To grow.
“Where are you, my squiggly blob?” she murmured, crouching to see if she could spot it. It had to be in here. The reinforced metal door, which she locked every time she left so no one could accidentally wander in, remained intact and lacked any kind of gap for escape.
Tinkle. The faint noise of glass scattering drew her gaze to the far corner of her lab, the view blocked by a large metal island with reinforced cabinets underneath.
The blob must be on the far side, hiding. Unsure of what she might face—and suddenly recalling Asterion’s mention of the movie with the blob that absorbed everything in its path—she cast about for a weapon. Her gaze settled on her butane torch. Most living things feared fire.
She grabbed and lit it, the blue flame sizzling and, hopefully, a deterrent in case the blob proved dangerous. Given how it had consumed everything meat-based, it might try to do the same to her. Perhaps she should call for help.
“Tower, I might need a hand with my situation.”
No reply. However, she didn’t doubt it would send someone to aid. Perhaps even the handsome new Libra. What was she thinking? Since when did she notice a man’s appearance? Not the time to analyze the why.
She crept quietly, even as she didn’t know if the blob could hear. A few paces from the counter, she paused. Was startling it really the best idea? What if it waited in ambush? She grabbed a pen and tossed it on the floor, watching it roll to within a foot of the metal island. Nothing stirred.
If it lacked auditory senses, then noise wouldn’t draw it out. However, it obviously could sense, or smell, what it needed togrow. She retreated for her breakfast and grabbed the bacon. She flung a piece of bacon a few paces from her, then another piece a little bit beyond, and, finally, a third piece just past the far corner of the island.
With her flaming torch in hand, she crouched and watched. It didn’t take long before she heard something moving, almost a scritch, as if something sharp dragging. It turned out to be claws.
Her jaw dropped as the blob came into sight, only it was no longer a misshapen hump but a miniature version of the aliens responsible for the recent attacks around the world.
“Oh, that’s not good.” For several reasons. One, the aliens the warriors killed might have come back to life. Two, even small pieces of the aliens retained enough instinct to seek out and consume the nutrients required to grow and evolve into new threats. Lastly, and of more imminent concern, she faced off alone against an alien, which fixed her juicy body with its three eyes. It might only be the size of her fist, yet she didn’t doubt it posed a danger.
With two of its orbs fixated on her, and the third glancing downward, the creature took a step and grabbed the next strip of bacon, unhinging its jaw and ramming it in. It shuffled for the last piece, and she retreated, holding out her torch.
The tiny alien paused after swallowing the last piece of bacon and stared at her. Maybe it wouldn’t attack? After all, she did technically outsize and outweigh it.
With it standing still, she studied it. Four-armed, three-eyed, and with a stubby tail, just like the bigger versions she’d seen on the news. Obviously hungry, given its overnight escape and the way it devoured everything it could get its grubby claws on. She wished now she’d had cameras installed in the lab. It would have been interesting to watch its progression from blob to fully limbed alien, the speed of which astonished. Had the large versions begun as tiny hunks, too?
It darted at her so fast she barely had time to react, uttering a small shriek and retreating from it while waving her torch. The creature screeched when it neared the flame and paused to eye her balefully. Maybe not the most scientific observation, but she sure felt like it glared at her with hatred. Or was that hunger? Most likely anger because she wouldn’t let herself be eaten. As it growled and clacked its teeth, she realized, in her panic to stay out of its reach, she’d placed herself farther from the door. The alien now stood between her and the exit—bad planning on her part. She needed to somehow shift it away so she could escape.
What did she have that might tempt it? It had already devoured everything flesh-based sitting on her counters. Had it missed anything? Her gaze slewed to the unopened fridge with its chilling samples. She had a few vials of blood and tissue in there.
Her momentary lapse of attention led to it scurrying in her direction. Once more, she held out her torch and stayed out of reach. It slowed its rush but kept creeping in her direction, staying just out of range of the flames, biding its moment.
Sly little bugger. She reached the fridge but didn’t turn to look inside, rather held the torch outstretched while fumbling with her free hand to open it. The blast of cold against her back almost distracted, but seeing the creature tense, she remained with her gaze forward and locked as she scrabbled to grab.
Her fingers closed on a test tube, and she pulled it free, not caring what sample it was. She tossed it to the floor, and when it shattered, the blood within spilled. The little alien didn’t seem to care about the shards as it pressed its mouth to the tile and suctioned. Surprise had her gaping rather than fleeing for the door.
