Story of Lion Man

Chapter 5

This is the fifth chapter. Hope you enjoy it. This is now after Ryan has run away from home.

RIP Captain Sir Tom Moore (1920-2021). Thank you for all the money you raised for the NHS and all the hearts you opened.

Now outside of in the woods around the town, Ryan was flashing his torch on the path ahead, since it was the middle of the night and pitch black. He had other things than the pain of the slight hit on his head from a low hanging tree branch he hadn't seen due to the darkness. In his haste to leave home, he hadn't packed any food or water, and he had no idea how long he was going to be out in the woods for. At the moment, he was climbing a steep hill, bending down and using his arms and legs to climb, holding his torch in between his teeth.

When he reached the top, he saw the silhouette of a house in the middle of a clearing. A house figth in front of him meant one thing: a way to get food. Walking towards the house, he had a thought: if anyone lived here, they wouldn't dare just give food to a stranger from the woods, and they might ask questions to him, report him to the police, who would probably take him home, so he had one option: take food with anyone knowing. That would mean stealing. He knew that was against his interests, but since he needed food, he had no choice. Walking along the wall, he then noticed an open window on the first floor, but he had no way to get up there. Then he spotted the gutter with lead up right besides it. He took a deep breath, summoned his courage, and, using both hands and his feet, climbed slowly up the gutter. He'd never been good at climbing, but he was actually doing very well and after a few careful seconds, he reached the window (on his right). Gripping his left hand tight against the gutter, he moved his right hand and leg over to the windowsill, grabbed them, and as quick as a flash, he moved his whole body on the windowsill. Removing his left hand from the gutter, he then nudged with window open slightly with his right foot, before carefully, sliding his body through the space with his arms above his body. Moving them down as he was now firmly on the floor, he then looked to his left and saw a door, tiptoeing across the dark room, opened it and moved down the stairs as quietly as he could.

Once down the stairs, he then moved quietly around the house, and found what looked like the kitchen, but due to darkness it was hard to make out the contents, so he flashed his torch around, then knelt down and began looking in all of the cupboard, looking for food, but besides a few pans and utensils , he could find anything "Maybe they keep their food in the basement." Ryan thought. He then tiptoed out into the hallway, looked around at the door to his right, and the room next to that door, which looked like a lounge. He then flashed the light at the door, moved towards it, opened it slowly, seeing a set of stairs. Instantly realising he found the way to the basement he walked down the stairs.

Once in the basement, he flashed his torch around, and sure enough, he spotted a fridge to the left, and several shelfs next to it with food on them. He took a step forward before he felt something against his chest. He fought against every urge to scream, and felt it with his right hand, feeling a rope, pulled, and suddenly the room was filled with light. He bumped into the light switch! Mentally chastising himself for such a stupid thing, he then took another step forward, when he then looked to his left, and saw a grey steel safe. "That's odd. Why would they have a safe in the basement? And what could be in it?" He thought as he no longer cared about food and water and, with a peaked interest, headed towards the safe. He then saw it had a tumbler, which meant a code was needed to open it. He then turned around and looked around the room, and saw a cylinder of liquid Nitrogen, along with several of vials filled with chemicals around it on a table on the other side of the room. Remembering what he learned about Liquid Nitrogen in science class, he had a brainwave.

He found a drill nearby, drilled a hole in the top of the safe, and pulled it out when he felt it had gotten through. He then picked up a bucket lying on the floor nearby, tiptoed quietly upstairs, and using his torch, he filled it with water. Carrying carefully back into basement, and closing the door behind him, he then picked up a plastic funnel, placed it in the hole he drilled, holding it in a position that was as upwards as he could get. He then grabbed the bucket handle with his left hand, and poured the water into the funnel and through the hole into the safe. He then went over to the over side and picked up the Liquid Nitrogen, held its cylinder hole up against the hole he drilled and turned the valve. He could hear the sounds of the Liquid Nitrogen entering the safe, and then heard the sound of ice forming. He then switched off the valve, removed the cylinder, and ran over to the right hand side of the stairs, as cover. The sounds of ice were heard for several seconds, before a cloud crack and bang were heard. He moved over to the other side of the stairs and saw the safe door was broken open. It had worked! 

Heading over to the cracked safe door, he saw the contents: two vial holders, which held a dozen of  two vials: one slightly orange and one slightly red. "What the...? Why would he keep vials in a safe?" Ryan asked in his head, starting to think he had wasted his time. Not knowing why he did it, he then picked up of the orange vials with his left hand, before putting it in his pocket. He then went over to the fridge and took some food that he thought would last long. He then went upstairs and, after digging around in the kitchen utensils he found a water bottle, using his torch, and filled it with water. He then retracted his steps, going back up into the same room, as before, climbing down the gutter, and went off into the night. Little did he know of the consequences of stealing that vial...

This is now the longest chapter I've written. The next chapter will be out soon. Please leave a comment.

Let me tell you something in these pandemic times: listen to what your government says, wash your hands after going outside, always wear a mask when indoors, except not at home, wipe down your shopping with antibacterial wipes, if you have any, and only go out if necessary.

Do these, and stay at home, and you will protect your health services, and save lives.