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Horror on the Orient Express - episode 16

Page history last edited by PBworks 17 years, 1 month ago
The boat was rowed slowly back to Sofia. A tree branch was used in place of the missing oar. On arrival boatmen gathered around to look at the screaming lunatic in the bottom of the vessel and to ask where their friend Jakob had gone. Ali Osman explained that Slovdan, the lunatic, had killed him. The Police were quickly summoned and the companions were all questioned extensively before Slovdan was cuffed and taken away.
 
The next morning the gentlemen visited Professor Fellowes in his hospital bed. The vicar appeared well, although still groggy, and eventually discharged himself. 
 
Over the next few days the gentlemen spent some time trying to find out what had caused the destruction in the caverns and where the head had gone. They discovered nothing. Eventually they decided to cut their losses and to travel on to Istanbul
 
As they boarded the train on the last leg of their journey the gentlemen passed a small Scot’s boy and his grandmother. These two sat near the travellers in the saloon car and the boy read Blake’s poem “Tiger” aloud from a book his grandmother handed him. Shortly after this the gentlemen heard the boy say he could see a tiger outside the window. Ali’s driver Malik thought he saw something outside as well, something with eyes that glowed in the darkness. 
 
A short time later something could be heard on the roof. Ronald and Reverend Fellowes made for their cabin as rapidly as they could. Here they found the pieces of the Sedfkar Simulacrum hot to the touch. A thump on the roof above them startled them and they gathered up the statue and dived quickly into Malik’s cabin. The others joined them there.
 
A short time after entering the cabin and knock was heard at the door. It was opened and the small Scots child was observed to be standing there. As if in a trance the boy told Ronald to “give the tiger his skin back” and then walked away.
 
Another thump was heard upon the roof. Peter and Harry set off to see what was up there. They stepped into the gap between carriages and here Harry clambered up a ladder. From this he could see little through the darkness and the smoke. Harry was about to climb onto the roof when he heard a growling sound and felt hot, moist air upon his neck. He barely had time to scream before he was lifted into the air and vanished before Peter’s started eyes.
 
Seconds later Harry fell from the air and landed with a thump upon the small bridge that spanned the two carriages. Harry was alive, but was bleeding heavily from a huge gouge to the flesh in his shoulder. Peter helped him to his feet and the two fled back inside as something in the darkness screamed and swooped towards them.
 
Peter and Harry ran to Malik’s cabin and slammed the door behind them. The gentlemen waited fearfully here as heavy steps padded slowly along the corridor. The footsteps stopped outside the door and a voice spoke with ancient menace. “Give me my skin”, it said “and I warn you now, one passenger will die every 20 minutes until you do.”
 
Ronald looked at his companions quickly for agreement and then flung the door open. A wrinkled, hollowed out man with great claws for hands stood before them. Ronald ducked out of the way as Harry unloaded both barrels of his shotgun into the creature’s chest. It dissolved into a mist which vanished into the darkness.
 
Attracted by the sound of the shotgun blast, a guard came running down the train. He was armed with a pistol and demanded to know what was going on. Harry’s wounds and the smell of cordite made him suspicious and he began interrogating the gentlemen. In mid-question the guard’s voice trailed off into a strangled cry. The gentlemen turned and through the window they observed large claws slowly tearing the small Scots boy into bloodied pieces.

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