Out of a Dust Demon 5000

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February 22nd 2012 | 8 Comments | Category: Supernatural | Author: Shaun Adams | 1007 views

Rex Mosley peered through the reinforced window at the object within containment room C. Every night at this time, he paused in his janitorial duties for a coffee break. As usual, all was silent in the basement of Alternative Technologies Inc.

Back in the early days when Rex first joined the company things had been a lot livelier down here. That was twenty years ago and, like himself, Rex figured that old vacuum cleaner was running out of steam.

Sighing deeply, Rex bent forward and picked up a thermos flask from his cleaning trolley. He shook his head, thinking how he had probably done more miles with the trolley along the corridors of this building than he had in the battered old Buick he drove to work each evening.

He sipped at the hot sweet coffee, taking comfort from the familiar special flavouring he added to ‘keep the damp out of the bones.’ He peered at the Dust Demon 5000, resting on the concrete floor in its cell. It looked the same now as the day it had first arrived.  It had gained no scratches to its red plastic contours, its chrome still untarnished.

For the first three years after it arrived in the basement, it had attracted a great deal of interest. Technicians with clipboards watched it twenty-four hours a day. Rex could not help but be impressed that an unplugged household appliance could produce such an amazing light show. Stranger things happened too.

There had been stories circulating about the prototype vacuum cleaner undergoing trials at an employee’s home.  Of odd noises in the night, flashing lights, tales of a missing pet dog.  The man’s own firstborn baby boy, gone.  In place of the child, they discovered a foul smelling eyeless fish asphyxiating in their son’s cot. As far as Rex knew, the company still covered that employee’s medical expenses as a long-term patient over at Hill Crest asylum.

Occasionally the vacuum cleaner had continued to create a spectacle for the technicians. The things that came out of it were hastily bagged up and taken away. Rex shuddered at the memory of the terrible screams they sometimes made and he did not think they lived for very long.Times between these events gradually grew longer. The technicians lost interest and drifted away.

Rex often missed their company and the occasional bursts of excitement during an event. Officially he was not supposed to have been present, but they had been so used to him he just  blended into the background. Oh my, had he seen some things.

Draining the last dregs of his coffee, Rex stirred himself for another couple of hours touring the building before dawn and home time.

“Yeah, sure is lonely down here at night, they plumb forgot about you and me both,” he said shaking his head. He glanced toward the vacuum cleaner one last time.

“Well I’ll be damned.” Rex stood with his mouth wide open. .

Looking at him, on the other side of the window, stood an angel.He had no other point of reference to describe the creature that smiled back at him from behind the glass. It stood roughly his height.  He could not guess if it was male or female. Its skin and hair were golden. From its back, great white feathered wings protruded. The creature raised a beautifully formed hand beckoning Rex with a long delicate finger.

Rex recalled the technician’s long ago words about informing them immediately if anything unusual should ever happen, and most importantly not to go into the room alone, for any reason.

He took a step toward the window; he knew the number of the combination lock. Surely, it could not hurt to take a closer look.

Authors note: This was written for a contest awhile ago. If it bears a passing resemblance to ideas put forward in S.Kings ‘From a Buick8′ that is intentional. Call it a a parody, a whimsy if you like, in honour of one of my favourite books.

February 22nd 2012 | 8 Comments | Category: Supernatural | Author: Shaun Adams | 1007 views