SWNOVELS Chapter Chapter Twenty-Two
Gary spent his few hours of captivity propped in a corner drifting in and out of sleep. Each time he awoke he would wave his arms over his head to trigger the lighting attached to the motion detector. Then he would watch the busy beetles build stalactites until he drifted off again. He had no desire to further explore the columns of the drawers after viewing the contents of the first tin. Lord knows what else lurked in the cabinetry.
As dawn approached, Gary assembled his clothing into an easy-to-carry bundle. His wallet and phone were tucked into the front pockets of his jeans. His socks were balled and tucked into one shoe; his t-shirt was rolled and tucked into the other. The shoes were placed in opposing directions with their tops facing one another and then the pair was tucked inside the waistline of the jeans. Gary flipped and folded the denim into a tight little package that could be easily carried by the legs as a handle.
The absence of windows blocked any visual triggers to alert Gary to the rising sun. He didn’t need the clock on his phone to tell him to get ready. There were always those feelings. His blood pumped faster. His hearing and sense of smell sharpened. His coccyx tingled with the anticipation of new growth.
Gary shook his arms and legs loose as if he were about to sprint the fifty-yard dash. He raised a bent arm behind his head and pulled at the elbow with the opposing hand and then repeated the process for the other limb.
“It should happen anytime,” he thought.
“What do you think you’re doing?” A muffled query came from the hallway just outside the door.
Gary froze momentarily. He scanned the room for a place to hide. The best he could do was to grab his bundle of clothing and tuck himself into an alcove that faced away from the entry to the room. The door opened to a crisper conversation.
“Why do you always get to push the red button? Just once I would like to open the chamber.”
A pair of security staffers, quite possibly the ones Gary had encountered earlier, entered the room.
“You can be so juvenile!” the larger of the two stated.
“I’m juvenile? Who just elbowed who out of the way so that they could push the button?” the second, shorter guard countered.
“I’m in charge. I push the button,”
“I’m in charge. I push the button,” mocked the short one.
Gary peered from behind his bundle, praying that he could remain unnoticed. The two scanned the columns of drawers and stopped halfway across the room.
“I’m guessing this one gets filed under ‘Physical Attributes’.”
The smaller of the two held out a metal tin and read from the top of the container.
“Nordic Bodybuilder.” He placed it into the drawer.
Gary growled involuntarily. The hair along his spine bristled as it sprouted. His eyes narrowed. His upper lip curled.
The security duo turned toward the rumble to catch Gary in mid-turn. He was crouched on his hands and knees. A surge of fur shot down his spine and continued past his backside to form a tail. His ears became pointed and then covered in short black fur. His chest heaved as additional nipples strafed his underbelly.
“What the what?” The lanky one exclaimed as he positioned himself behind his cohort.
“Oh, hell no!” Shorty twisted spun and pushed the one in charge toward the beast.
Gary snarled a warning as his face elongated into a snout. The taller one reached frantically for something in his front pocket. Opting for an escape over confrontation, Gary snapped up his bundle of clothes and charged through the trap door the lyrebird had used earlier.
Lanky withdrew his hand from his pocket and shook it vigorously.
He held the inhaler to his mouth and struggled to suck in a hit from the nebulizer. Shorty patted his back, reassuring him that he would be okay.