Escape!

    Escape? Oh yes I want to escape. I’ve tried driving out of The Village, I stole a taxi, but that thing, that white amorphous Guardian thing blocked the road. While I was in the taxi I was fine, well the Mini-Moke collided with something in the road, I lost control and crashed. There I was lying for dead on the grass verge, well I might as well have been dead. Have you ever been suffocated by one of those “things?” I don’t recommend it.
    Then I tried running for freedom, through the woods and out into open countryside. Then I felt pain in my shoulder, then blood, I’d been shot!
    I thought I’d go water skiing, and if luck was in my way I’d over power the helmsman and escape by sea. Luck was in my way alright! I had been water skiing for a few minutes when I deliberately let go of the towing line. The speed boat turned back for me, the man helped me out of the water and into the boat, that when I saw the large spanner lying in the bottom of the boat. I reached for it and cracked the man’s head open with it. He went down like a sack of potatoes. But the craft was mine, and now behind the helm, the throttle wide open the speedboat skimmed across the waves, I had left The Village far behind, and growing fainter in the distance.
    What the devil do you think you’re doing? This isn’t helping, and you’ll only regret it sooner or later, possibly sooner if that white sphere in the distance is anything to judge by!
    Where was the voice coming from? I looked over my shoulder........a helicopter was in pursuit! And yes, ahead of me, in the distance but closing all the time, the white sphere of the Guardian.
    Turn back before its too late, turn back I tell you.
    I ignored the voice, and pressed on knowing that as long as I remained inside the boat I would be alright. But suddenly the engine coughed, spluttered and died! The Guardian floated on the water, while the helicopter hovered close by, and I sat there in the boat wondering what to do next. The helicopter moved closer, the Guardian moved away, then the helicopter landed on the water its large grey floats maintaining its buoyancy.
   Step aboard Number 2’s voice invited.
   I looked at the distance between the jet boat and the helicopter, it was more than a step away, affording me every chance of falling into the water and ending up as prey for that white amorphous thing. Standing up I moved to the side of the boat, it dipped down due to my weight, I thought it was going to capsize. I flung myself overboard reaching out for the ropes that secured the float to the helicopter’s skids, my legs dangling in the water as the rotor blades began to turn faster and faster until the helicopter lifted off the water and took to the air.
    I managed to pull myself up holding onto a strut, only too happy to have avoided a wet encounter with the Guardian. As I clung for dear life to the strut, I gazed through the Perspex canopy into the cabin. There was a white roundish shape in the pilot’s seat......................

BSEENU