Lurker by Fry Gary

Author:Fry, Gary [Fry, Gary]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: DarkFuse
Published: 2013-11-09T00:00:00+00:00

6

That evening, after Harry had called with his usual tales of occupational woe, Meg found herself watching a TV documentary about the role of prosthetic devices in human evolution.

The narrator suggested, with video footage to support the claims, that mankind had developed the way it had not simply through natural selection, which characterized the animal kingdom, but also through the use of objects. People naturally adept at manipulating all kinds of tools had boasted an evolutionary advantage, passing onto offspring the same biological inscribed abilities. Such individuals had flourished, surpassing those less able, until the world had become populated only by skillful tool users. The opposable thumb had been a great boon in this process; the ability to grip objects had conferred upon individuals a physical prowess that transcended the more primitive body. In this way, cultural factors in the form of inventions had transformed the genetic basis of humanity.

Meg found this kind of material fascinating, but was nonetheless eager to review the book she’d taken from the library. Once the documentary had ended, she switched off the TV, brewed a mug of strong coffee, and then settled down in the armchair in one corner of the lounge. And that was when she—

—heard a knock at her front entrance.

She panicked, imagining that large insectlike creature she’d spotted on the front page of the newspaper had come to visit, using what passed for its hands—no more than the ends of jelly-esque tentacles—to punch at her door. But then after getting up from the chair, Meg noticed what she hadn’t moments earlier: the curtains were lit up from the outside; the cottage’s security light had been triggered.

This implied a tangible visitor, someone much realer than her stupid, involuntary imaginings. Nevertheless, while heading for the door, Meg remained anxious, her heart running beneath her ribs as if with multiple limbs. She’d locked the front door earlier, a matter of habit after living in a city for so long and certainly not because she was fearful of anything out here, on the trouble-free coast.

But a woman has gone missing recently, a soft voice spoke up in her mind, and the recollection made her hands shake as she reached for the key in the lock.

“Who…who is it?” she called, attempting to steady her voice, but an involuntary stammer betrayed her unease. She hoped whoever was outside—perhaps the police, come to question her about the missing woman—had failed to detect her discomfort. A wind howled, cutting across the coastline like a cry of seabirds. Meg thought maybe this had masked the sound of an approaching vehicle—a police car, she hoped, bringing a man in reassuring uniform.

Moments later, however, it was a woman who replied.

“Oh, hi there. Sorry to bother so late in the evening. But I was wondering if you could help. I’ve booked accommodation in this area, but am struggling to find it. I’ve been looking for about an hour, with no luck. And I just wondered, what with you being a local, you might be able to help out.

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