Lower Level Parking(Graham Kendall) LOWER LEVEL PARKING

Robert had assumed that a British seaside resort in late autumn would be as quiet as a ghost town. He’d expected to see windows boarded up against the ravages of the winter gales and to find the streets virtually deserted. He was surprised, therefore to discover the seafront heaving with almost manic activity.
Because this was the English north western town of Blackpool, a brash, loud refuge for people who needed their entertainment and enjoyment clearly directed. Hordes of red-faced holidaymakers thronged the blasted pavements in mutual grim determination to seek out whatever hedonistic pleasures were available to them. Overhead, hundreds of strings of coloured lights waved madly in the strong breeze casting contradictory shadows everywhere and serving to illuminate the filth of the place.
‘Look at them!’ he grumbled as he steered the car slowly through the throng, ‘Look at all these people! Are they mad? It’s bloody freezing out there!’
Amanda said nothing, and instead peered through the passenger window with the same disinterested stare that she’d managed to maintain throughout their long journey. She hadn’t wanted to come to Blackpool in the first place and had made her displeasure abundantly clear by her continued, sullen silence. Robert had insisted; he hadn’t seen his old friend John for close on ten years and it was time to rebuild bridges and make up for lost time.

The town was in the death throes of a wild and wet October and the incessant rain lashed the windscreen of the car as if attempting to break through and engulf them both with its ferocity. Undaunted, the crowds continued to mill about, like zombies in a horror movie.
A group of youths stepped suddenly into the road, causing Robert to brake sharply. ‘Bloody fools!’ he cursed as he sounded the horn angrily if unnecessarily, but the men seemed oblivious to his presence and faded into the rain.
‘I’m hungry,’ said Amanda, ignoring his irritation, ‘can’t we park somewhere and get something to eat?’
‘You’ll only get fish and bloody chips in this place,’ he answered as he inched the car forward again. The vehicle in front of them stopped suddenly, it’s brake lights dazzling Robert’s eyes. ‘Shit! Now what?’
‘I wish that you wouldn’t swear so much,’ Amanda complained, ‘it really is so unnecessary.’
He glanced across at her and was met with a stony stare. He knew that she was right, but the drive up from London had been hell. The traffic on the motorway had been a nightmare and his head ached from his needing to concentrate for so long. ‘Sorry dear,’ he said, I just want to get to John’s place.’
‘How much further is it?’
‘He lives at the north end of the town. It’s not that far.’
‘Please let’s eat', Amanda implored, 'I don’t care what. Please park and let’s find somewhere; anywhere.’
Robert sighed exaggeratedly, knowing that he would get no peace unless he agreed to his wife’s demands. '
‘They’ve changed the one-way system since I was last here,’ he muttered, ‘I’m not sure where to look.’
‘Follow the signs,’ replied Amanda in an exasperated tone.
‘Oh right,’ Robert answered sarcastically, ‘I would never have thought of that.’
‘Look! There’s a sign for parking there!’ his wife suddenly barked, ‘turn right!’
Robert swung the car sharply into the right-hand lane, barely bothering to look in his mirrors. The slow-moving traffic heading towards them on the opposite side of the road eventually allowed him to turn off the main road. Squinting through the rain-dashed windscreen he followed the numerous arrowed signposts that bore the legend “Town Centre Parking”. The streets instantly became narrower and their progress was impeded by illegally parked vehicles and the ever-increasing mass of faceless figures, some of whom seemed intent on throwing themselves in front of their car.
‘Sweet Jesus! Is anybody sober in this fu…’ He stopped himself, sensing Amanda’s wrath.

At last, the cavernous entrance to a multi-storey car park loomed before them. They entered the mouth of the sombre building and the wipers screeched against the windscreen. Robert turned them off and then switched the headlights onto full beam. He drove swiftly up the ramp and onto the first level. He didn’t bother to check for spaces at first, knowing that it was unlikely that he would be lucky enough to find anywhere to park so quickly. It hadn’t been that sort of day.
After reaching the third level he slowed down and began to search. Nothing. Occasionally, he saw what appeared to be a space, only to have his hopes dashed when he discovered that it was occupied by a small car or, even more maddeningly, a motor bike hidden behind a larger vehicle as if it had been done on purpose, just to irritate him. Level four, then five, six. The further up they travelled it became more and more apparent that they were going to have to park on the roof. He knew that Amanda hated that. The gale would be even stronger up there and her long hair would be blown about in all directions. Still, he mused; it was her idea to park. She would have to suffer the consequences.
Seven, eight, nine. On the tenth level he saw a large BMW parked in such a way as to occupy two spaces and he immediately hated the owner with a venomous passion. He was minded to stop his own vehicle right in front of it, just for devilment, to block the offender in, but then thought better of it. The BMW was probably a company-owner vehicle and the driver would no doubt think nothing of ramming his way out. He carried on driving slowly, muttering silent oaths to himself.
They broke free of the dingy catacombs of the car park and were once more engulfed by the relentlessly lashing rain. They were on the top level, completely at the mercy of the elements. Robert drove slowly around the lines of parked vehicles and found, to his dismay and profound annoyance, that even here there wasn’t a space to be had. He drove round again, as if in the vain hope that some giant hand had miraculously plucked one of the cars from the room and thrown it over the edge. Giving up, he steered the vehicle once more into the gloom of the lower levels.
He continued to drive slowly, peering constantly from side to side. Still nothing. ‘It’s no good,’ he growled, we’ll have to give it up as a bad job. Come on. We’ll drive to John’s.’
‘But I’m starving!’ complained his wife.
‘Look,’ he snapped, ‘if I can’t park, I can’t park! What d’you want me to do? Drop you off at a restaurant and drive round and round till you’ve fed yourself?’
Amanda sighed with annoyance and folded her arms across her lap. Robert glanced at her and gripped the steering wheel tightly. She always did that when she was angry with him. He chose to ignore her display of petulance and started to drive faster as they reached the ground floor. ‘They had better not expect me to pay for this circular tour of their delightful premises,’ he hissed.
‘There!’ said Amanda suddenly. She pointed excitedly to a darker area of the level. Robert could just make out a barely discernible sign that promised “Lower Level Parking”. He sighed. He’d had about enough of this fruitless quest.
‘Oh, let’s go,’ he said, ‘it’ll be just as bad down there.’
Amanda glared at him. ‘I told you I’m hungry. You could at least try.’
Robert shrugged and steered the car towards the darkened entrance to the cellar. They moved slowly downwards.
The ramp was steep and seemed to go on for ages, twisting and turning in a manner that appeared to have been purposely designed to test the skills of the most adept of drivers. The sound of the engine echoed against the walls of the tunnel, roaring as though it was coming from the throat of some terrifying monster waiting in the eerie depths ahead of them. The windows of the car were steaming up rapidly, the combination of the heater and the air-conditioning having little effect. Robert wiped the windscreen with the back of his hand, just in time to allow him to see the black hulk of a large van parked a few feet in front of them. He jammed the brakes on. the car screeched to a halt and the tyres squealed against the concrete, the noise amplified a thousand times against the damp, graffiti-strewn walls. There was a gentle thud followed by the sound of broken glass.
‘What the hell are you doing?’ gasped Amanda.
‘I couldn’t see,’ he protested, ‘it must be bloody damp down here. I’ve never known windscreens to steam up so quickly.’
‘Well wind your blasted window down.’ Robert did as instructed and managed to reverse the car and then eased it carefully past the other vehicle. His headlights illuminated the grim cavern. Amanda tugged at his arm. ‘See,’ she said smugly, ‘I told you.’ Ahead of them stretched a huge, concrete cave with less than a dozen or so parked cars occupying the numerous spaces.
‘I’d better check the damage,’ he said.
‘Park first,’ she ordered in reply. Robert shrugged again. He knew that it wasn’t worth arguing with the woman. He steered the car to the nearest bay and parked it flush against a wall, then turned the engine off with a considerable sense of relief. He sat for a moment, still gripping the steering wheel tightly with one hand. The sudden silence had the effect of calming his nerves quickly and he wound his window up before carefully opening his door. He’d parked close to the wall, perhaps a little too close in his haste to appease his complaining wife and he found it impossible to open the door far enough to enable him to get out. Amanda opened her door and climbed from the vehicle; she was in no mood to wait any longer. He slid himself across the seats and followed her out of the passenger side.
‘Why didn’t you move it?’ Amanda demanded as he flipped the switch on the key-fob that triggered the car’s central locking system. He ignored her and went to check the front of his automobile. ‘Just a scratch on the top of the wing,’ he said, ‘nothing to worry about’. he walked over to examine the vehicle ha had hit. The flickering fluorescent tubes set in the low roof above him provided little illumination but there was enough for him to see that he had shattered the van’s rear light. He began to search in his pockets for a pen and a scrap of paper.
‘Now what are you doing?’ Amanda asked with scarcely concealed exasperation.
‘I’d better leave a note,’ he replied.
‘Oh come on, nobody will know it was you. Let’s go. She gripped his arm but he shook himself free.
‘Amanda,’ he said firmly, ‘I want to leave a note.’ He retrieved an old petrol receipt from his jacket pocket and hastily wrote his name and telephone number on the back along with a brief apology for the damage caused. He then stuck the piece of paper under the windscreen wiper of the old van.
‘You really are stupid,’ said his wife crossly, ‘the state that that van’s in; the owner probably wouldn’t even notice. Besides, how would he know it was you?’
Robert shook his head wearily. ‘That’s not the sort of thing that I do. It’s as simple as that. Now, come on. You’re the one that wanted to eat so desperately.’ He glanced around and saw the sign indicating the stairs. The couple walked swiftly towards it, their footsteps echoing loudly against the damp, grey walls.

The meal was basic but filling and the restaurant had been quite plush by seaside resort standards. Once her belly was filled Amanda became calmer and the evening was really quite pleasant. A quick phone-call to John and they had arranged to meet him the following day, deciding to check in to their hotel instead after they had eaten. The journey had left them exhausted and it seemed the wisest thing to do.
‘Did you check what time the car park closes?’ asked Amanda as they hurried back along the grey, rain-swept pavement.
‘Eleven-thirty’ replied Robert.
‘It’s nearly that now! Where’s the entrance?’
‘Just around the next corner. Come on, we’ll be all right. They won’t lock us in.’ Robert almost dragged his spouse into the next street and through the darkened portal that led to the stairs and lift. They hurried down the steep, concrete stairway to the lower level.
‘God, this place stinks,’ complained Amanda, her face twisted into an expression of disgust. Robert had to agree. The stale stench of urine permeated the atmosphere, almost causing him to gag. They reached the foot of the stairwell and the smell seemed to be even stronger. He was grateful when they stepped into the relatively less unpleasant atmosphere within the parking level itself.
‘Where’s the car? I can’t see it.’ Amanda was looking around the dimply lit place in an almost blind panic and Robert realised that her old ghosts were tormenting her. Ever since being trapped in a lift as a small child she had had a terror of closed-in spaces. In truth he had been surprised that she’d directed him to steer the car into the depths of the old car park. Clearly, her hunger for food had made her overcome her irrational fears, albeit temporarily. He peered into the semi-darkness, trying to get his bearings. These damned places all looked the same; a maze of metal and concrete pervaded by an ambience of gloom. Most of the parking bays were now occupied, the cars evidently there for the night. Amanda clutched his arm tightly and he felt her fingernails digging into his flesh through his thick coat.
‘Over there!’ he said suddenly, ‘over there in the far corner.’ They moved swiftly along the long line of vehicles. Suddenly, Robert stopped short. ‘Oh shit, I don’t believe it!’
‘What?’ said Amanda, ‘what’s the matter?’
‘Look at what that bastard has done’ he indicated their car with an angry gesture of his arm. The old van that they had clipped on their arrival had been moved and now stood squarely behind their own car. This, coupled with the fact that another vehicle had been parked in the bay immediately next to them, meant that they were completely boxed in.
They walked slowly towards their car, Robert staring in disbelief at their predicament. ‘I told you not to leave that note,’ muttered Amanda unhelpfully, ‘how did he know that it was you that hit him? Did you give him your registration number as well?’
There was an element of sarcasm in her tone that annoyed him. ‘Of course not!’ he snapped. ‘He must have seen the damage to my wing and put two and two together. Anyway, who’s to say it was a man? It could easily have been a woman.’
‘A woman wouldn’t be so vindictive.’
Robert chose to say nothing in reply, refusing to take the bait. He walked slowly up to the van and peered through the black-tinted windscreen but saw nothing apart from his own angry reflection. He stepped back and turned to face Amanda. ‘I’ll have to go up and tell the attendant. Perhaps he can do something. You wait in the car.’
‘No! I’m coming with you!’ Amanda’s face was as white as chalk and he could see that she was trembling. He slipped his arm around her shoulders and held her tightly for a moment.
‘Come on then,’ he said quietly. ‘it’ll be quicker if we walk up the ramp.’
Suddenly, a thunderous screeching sound of metal rasping against metal echoed around the damp walls.
‘What’s that?’ Amanda’s question was barely audible over the hellish din.
‘I don’t know,’ replied Robert. He looked quickly about him in a vain effort to determine the cause of the racket. He even glanced at the old van, half expecting to see it grinding its rusting hulk against his precious car, but the foul thing remained unmoving. A sudden realisation hit him. ‘The gate!’ he exclaimed, dragging his shocked wife upwards along the ramp, ‘they must be closing the gate!’
They hurried up the long slope, the metallic sound still screaming at them down the dark tunnel. Then there was silence. They slowed their pace and Robert listened intently for the sounds of human voices or footfalls. There was nothing to be heard, apart from the drip, drip of water somewhere in the darkness. They moved forwards again and were soon faced with the mesh of metal barring their exit.
‘Oh my God!’ sobbed Amanda as she leaned heavily with her back against the damp wall. ‘What are we going to do?’
Robert banged heavily on the heavy, steel shutter, the metal wavering and shuddering but otherwise unmoving, clearly unlikely to give way to his feeble attempts at escape. The noise that it made crashed like thunder about them. ‘Hello!’ he yelled at the web of steel. ‘Hello! Is there anybody there?’ He rapped hard again and the rough surface of the metal cut into his flesh. ‘Hello!’ he demanded again. There was no response. Amanda began to cry loudly.
‘I’ve got to get out, Robert,’ she wailed, ‘please, darling, I’ve got to get out!’
He turned to her and held out his hand. She clutched at it like a little child. He palm was soaked with cold sweat. ‘Don’t worry,’ he said soothingly, ‘we’ll have to leave the car. We can get out by the way that we came in. Come on’
‘But the hotel is miles from here,’ Amanda reminded him, nevertheless making quickly down the ramp again, still holding his hand tightly.
‘That’s what taxis are for dear.’ They walked hurriedly back down the slope and returned to the parking area. He glared at the old van as they walked past it. It seemed to be mocking him with its silent, solid presence. They moved across the level until they came to the stairway. The stench hit them immediately. Robert turned his head away and took a deep breath, then held it as they almost ran up the steep, stone steps.
The sight of the shutter barring their way at the top of the stairway hit him like a bolt of lightning. He beat angrily with his fists against the cold, unyielding metal but knew that it was no use. He turned to face his wife and rubbed his bleeding knuckles. Amanda merely stood motionless, her chest heaving rapidly. ‘We’ll have to use the lift,’ he said eventually and he turned to walk back down the steps. He half-expected his wife’s response.
‘No, Robert,’ she pleaded, ‘I can’t go in a lift!’
‘We’ll have to! It’s only one floor! Come on, girl, you can do it!’ he gripped her wrist and dragged her behind him until they once more reached the lower level. The gate to the lift was immediately next to the entrance to the stairway. He pressed the call button and listened. No sound. Nothing, save that infuriating sound of dripping water in the darkness. He let his arm fall wearily to his side. ‘Well, girl,’ he said, gently, trying to maintain a calmness of tone but fully aware of the terrors that must be filling Amanda’s mind at this moment, ‘it looks like we’re here for the night. We’ll have to sleep in the car.’
Amanda’s face suddenly brightened. ‘Oh Robert, we are stupid! Your phone! Ring the police of fire brigade or something!’
He pulled his mobile from his pocket and pressed the emergency code. Nothing. He shook the handset angrily then tried again. ‘Nothing!’ He gasped, ‘no signal! For f**k’s sake!’ He ran back up the steps and tried again; still nothing. ‘This place is like Fort Knox!’ he exclaimed as he re-joined Amanda, ‘all this concrete and steel. I tell you, if ever there is a nuclear war then this is the place to be!’
His attempts at humour calmed Amanda a little and she took a deep breath, then gagged, thanks to the foul stench invading her nostrils. She took Robert’s arm and they began to walk back towards their car. Suddenly there was a loud click sound and they were plunged into darkness. Robert slipped his arm around his wife’s shoulders and hugged her close, flicking on the torch facility in his phone. ‘At least that works,’ he grumbled.

It took them minutes to fumble their way back to their vehicle. They squeezed past the filthy van and Robert unlocked the car. He opened the passenger door. The faint interior light seemed to welcome them into a haven of familiar territory. They slipped quickly into the seats and Amanda closed the door, plunging them into darkness. Robert used his torch to find the switch on the dashboard and flicked on the interior light again. He slipped his arm around Amanda’s shoulders. She was still trembling noticeably.
‘Remember when we used to do things like this for fun?’ he said tenderly, hoping to calm her down.
‘What d’you mean? Getting trapped in car parks?’
He laughed. ‘No, I mean all those times when we would drive to quiet, dark little places when we first started dating.’
Amanda smiled and cuddled up close to him. ‘That used to be nice,’ she said, warmly. Robert leant over and kissed her lightly on the cheek. She’d stopped trembling. He was grateful for that.
‘Let’s lay the seats back, it’ll be more comfortable,’ he said. He turned on the ignition and flicked the appropriate switch on the dashboard. The electric motor hummed and the two front backrests slipped gently backwards until they reached their limit, resting on the edge of the rear seat to form a kind of makeshift bed. They lay back in silence for a few moments, staring absently at the roof of the car.
‘Shall I try my mobile?’ asked Amanda, ‘it might work. It’s in my bag.’
‘It’s a waste of time,’ he replied, ‘it won’t work any better than mine.’
‘We can at least try,’ she snapped as she sat forward and retrieved her handbag from the floor. She pressed the appropriate keys and held the device to her ear.
‘Well?’ he asked, fully knowing the answer. Amanda prodded a few more buttons and listened again. She shook it firmly and prodded for one last time. Robert grinned.
‘Oh shut up,’ she said lightly. ‘We could probably discover the weather in outer Mongolia on these things,’ she said. She tried to text but found, as expected, that the message couldn’t be sent. She dropped the phone back where she had found it and tossed the bag onto the floor again. She lay back alongside her husband. ‘What time is it?’ she asked after a moment. Robert raised his arm and glanced at his watch.
‘Just after twelve.’
‘I’m wide awake. I’m never going to get to sleep like this.’ Robert leant over and stroked her forehead lightly with his fingertips. To his eyes she looked unusually lovely in the soft light, whilst at the same time pale and vulnerable. He bent his head and kissed her lightly on the lips. She smiled slightly. ‘I’m sorry that I’m such a moaner,’ she said, her voice scarcely above a whisper.
Robert kissed her again, this time with more urgency and then he rested his hand on her full breast. ‘What do you think you are doing?’ she breathed. He put his fingertip to her lips to hush her and then ran his hand down the front of her body until he tugged at the hem of her dress. They kissed again.
When he entered her he realised that he couldn’t remember the last time that they had made love.

Robert awakened suddenly. The unfamiliar pitch-blackness of his surroundings confused him for a brief moment until he recalled the nature of their predicament. He raised his head stiffly. The only illumination in the car came from the small digital figures of the clock, which silently proclaimed the hour as a quarter past three. As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness he glanced at the slumbering form next to him. Amanda was breathing heavily, obviously deep in sleep. He lay his head back and closed his eyes. He heard a faint scurrying sound that seemed to come from beneath the car. ‘Rats,’ he thought, thankful that his wife couldn’t hear the eerie scratching noise.

Robert steered the car quickly along the never-ending tunnel, its walls smooth and red, shining with some sort of translucent light that seemed to give them life. The tunnel twisted and turned like the intestines of some monstrous beast, sometimes rising sharply and at other times descending steeply into oblivion. The engine roared like a caged animal and the tyres screeched incessantly. Then he saw daylight; the exit of the car park was straight ahead! The attendant stood there in his pristine uniform, gesturing him onwards without asking for payment. He was free!
Suddenly, he felt something touch his shoulder like an invisible hand, tugging at him, trying to drag him out of his vehicle. He struggled to fight against the nameless intruder but the grip held him and shook him vigorously. He snapped his eyes open and it was dark again. Amanda was kneeling over him, clutching his shoulder tightly.
‘Robert,’ she hissed, ‘Robert, wake up! I can hear something.’
He fought off the grip of sleep and his nightmare faded into nothing as he once again angrily became aware of the true nature of their discomfort. He listened to the silence. ‘I can hear nothing,’ he muttered, ‘go back to sleep.’
‘Listen!’ she snapped.
He heard the scratching sound again. ‘It’s nothing, probably just a mouse,’ he lied. The scraping continued for a few moments and then stopped. Suddenly, he heard a loud hiss, followed by a strange gurgling sound that reminded him of the noise water makes as it disappears down a storm-drain. There was more scratching and then a loud clang of metal against stone. He sat bolt upright and swung round to look in the direction of the sound through the rear wind screen. Through the steamed up glass he could make out the ghostly shape of the black van, their foul captor that had been the cause of their discomfort. He stretched over and wiped the glass with the back of his hand and then peered out. The van stood in silent triumph, teasing him with its bulky presence.
He lay back, unsure as to what to do or say to calm Amanda, who was now clutching his arm so firmly that it hurt. The scratching and scurrying was louder now and it sounded like it was coming from all around them. There was a sudden thud as something very heavy hit the roof of the car and Amanda let out a stifled scream. Robert assumed that a large rat had fallen from one of the pipes that criss-crossed the low ceiling above them and prayed that she wouldn’t see it. He pulled himself up to a sitting position and reached for the light-switch. The dim light flickered when he turned it on but the illumination was enough to mirror the windows and hide the offending creature should it appear before his wife’s viewpoint.
He heard movement above him, as something seemed to slide along the full length of the car roof. Amanda sat bolt upright. ‘What the hell is it?’ she demanded, still gripping his forearm painfully. ‘Mice don’t make that much noise!’ she snapped. There was another thump on the roof, and then another. ‘Oh my God!’ she exclaimed, her voice betraying her near panic, ‘it’s rats!’
‘Don’t worry,’ Robert replied, trying to remain calm but in truth beginning to feel more than a little apprehensive himself, ‘we’re safe in here.’
‘We’re not!’ she insisted, ‘they can get in, you know that they can! Rats can get in through the smallest of gaps! They can squeeze through the heating vents or come from under the seats!’ her apparent desire to win the argument caused her to become more terrified. She curled her feet under herself and wrapped her arms around her knees. There was another, much heavier thud and the car shook violently.
‘That was no rat,’ said Robert, regretting the remark immediately.
‘Then what the hell was it?’ his wife shrieked.
‘How the f**k should I know?’ he snapped back. The obscenity and the unaccustomed sharpness of his tone had the effect of stunning her into a brief but welcome silence. More thuds, hisses and gurgles ensued, each sound amplified by the stark walls of their prison. The car shook repeatedly, as if being attacked by an invisible mob of rioters engaged in some sort of mass protest. Robert gripped the steering wheel tightly. There was a loud bang and the rear of the car swung wildly to one side with a deafening squeal of the tyres until it smacked heavily against the adjacent vehicle.
‘That’s it! He snapped, ‘I’m going to see what’s going on!’ Amanda grabbed hold of him.
‘No! Don’t go out! You don’t know what’s out there!’
He forced himself away from her. ‘We can’t just sit here and let whoever it is smash the car up! It’s probably kids, having a laugh at our expense!’
‘If it’s kids, how did they get in here?’ Amanda’s logic was, as usual, impeccable but his patience had been stretched to the limit.
‘The same way as the bloody rats,’ he answered angrily. He pushed the driver’s door open. The movement of the car had made it possible for him to ease himself out. He forced his legs through the narrow gap, the car door crunching against the stone wall. As he put his feet on the ground something slipped across them, causing his heart to leap in his chest. He wrenched his legs back in the car and slammed the door shut.
‘What is it? Said Amanda, her tone fearful in the extreme.
‘It’s not kids, that’s for certain,’ he replied. He turned on the ignition and flicked a switch. The backs of the seats rose up slowly. ‘It must be rats,’ he continued after a moment. ‘Don’t worry, they won’t get in here. They’re as scared of us as we are of them.’
‘I doubt that,’ replied Amanda, ‘and, anyway, how did rats manage to move the car?’ Robert didn’t reply. There was nothing that he could say. They listened in silence for a full ten minutes. The noises had ceased and all that could be heard was the sound of their own, laboured breathing.
‘I think that they’ve gone,’ whispered Robert eventually. He hugged Amanda tightly around her shoulders. ‘D’you want me to lower the seats again?’
His wife shook her head. ‘I’m not going to be able to sleep now. Let’s just talk. What time do you think they’ll open the car park?’
‘Dunno. Early I expect.’
She snuggled closer to him and nuzzled her face against his. ‘You need a shave,’ she purred. Robert kissed her lightly on the cheek. ‘That was nice, what we did earlier,’ she continued, ‘it’s been a long time since we did anything like that; in the open I mean.’ Their mouths met and they held themselves together in a long and tender embrace.

The heavy thud on the roof of the car came without warning and caused them both to gasp aloud. Another and another followed until there was a rapid succession of thumps against the thin membrane of metal above them. Robert sat upright again and, for no real reason pressed the palms of his hands against the plastic covered interior of the car’s roof. The thuds continued unabated, their weights causing his arms to shake.
‘Robert, please, what’s happening? What do they want?’ Amanda clawed at his jacket hysterically, her voice trembling with fear. Robert said nothing but merely grabbed hold of his wife and held her protectively against his body. He could feel her heart thumping against his chest and his shirt rapidly became wet with her tears. There were more thuds and then the vehicle began to rock violently as if unseen hands were shaking it. For no reason other than it was all he could think of to do he rammed his hand hard against the steering wheel to sound the horn. The blast that echoed around them was deafening. Robert hammered his hand repeatedly against the wheel, each time uttering an obscenity. Amanda grabbed hold of his arm and wrenched at it.
‘Robert! Please stop it!’ she begged. He let his arm relax and fell back against the seat, his heart racing and his breathing laboured. He looked at his wife. Her wet cheeks were streaked with black rivulets of mascara and her eyes were filled with an expression of pure terror. He listened hard over the sounds of her sobs. Silence. He drew a long, deep breath, hoping that the sound of the horn had scared whatever it was that was out there away.
For some long and agonising minutes there was nothing, and then it started again. This time there was no thudding or rocking of the car, just the gurgling sound that they’d listened to earlier coupled with a definite slithering movement against the roof of the vehicle. Robert’s eyes followed the sound as he unconsciously sensed the direction of its slide towards the front of the car. He stared at the top of the windscreen, daring the foul creature to show itself. Slowly, something that was neither web nor claw appeared against the glass and clung with sucker-like lumps that appeared to be secreting white, viscous fluid. Amanda screamed and the thing disappeared.
‘That wasn’t a f***ing rat!’ she exclaimed. Ordinarily Robert would have been amused by her inane comment and her use of the f-word but, just now he was in no mood for laughing. Whatever it was, it didn’t belong here, in this car park, in the centre of a holiday resort. Not even on God’s earth for that matter.
The scurrying, slithering sounds started again. Robert made a sudden decision. He leant forward and turned on the car’s ignition. The engine roared into life as he rammed his foot hard down on the accelerator. ‘What are you doing?’ begged Amada hoarsely.
‘We’ve got to get out of here!’ he bellowed in response. ‘Sod the car! I’ve got to try to shift that van!’ with that, he forced the gears into reverse and eased his foot from the clutch. The tyres squealed like tortured pigs as the wheels spun against the concrete floor. The car to the side of them shifted slightly as the two vehicles ground against each other and it became wedged against a pillar. There was a loud snap as the rear wing of his car buckled against the side of the van. Robert pressed hard on the accelerator and released the clutch completely. The car shuddered and the engine stalled. Cursing under his breath, he restarted it and repeated his attempts at freeing them, knowing that they still had to face the steel barrier at the top of the ramp. Despite this, he felt that if they could just force the van far enough back so that they could escape its trap they could at least move and maybe crush whatever the hellish thing was beneath their wheels.
There came a distinct and unpleasant smell of burning rubber as he balanced the accelerator and the clutch, anxious not to stall the car again. The engine roared like some extinct reptile and the fumes of the exhaust clouded around them. The old van began to move, creaking and complaining as Robert ground the rear of his precious car against the offending vehicle. He heard the sound of glass breaking and the painful noise of metal snapping under pressure. He looked over his shoulder and began to move his feet rhythmically against the pedals, watching in triumph as the black hulk shuddered slowly backwards.
There was another, much louder crash of splintering glass, this time coming from the front of the car and the interior was immediately filled with the stench of prutrescence. Robert gagged and swung round and saw, to his horror, that the windscreen had been completely shattered and, coming through the jagged gap, evidently oblivious to the shards of razor-sharp glass, were grey, eel-like appendages soaked in slime. He hammered his fist down onto the wheel to sound the horn but this time the dreadful noise had no effect on the intruder. The creature’s foul-smelling tentacles slithered rapidly into the car before he could move any further. Amanda screamed, a piercing shriek that was to be the last sound that he would ever hear her make.
Before Robert could do anything one of the tentacles shot forwards and curled itself rapidly around her neck whilst a second was forced effortlessly into her mouth. Amanda choked as the stinking appendage snaked quickly down her throat and her chin became coated with a mixture of slime, saliva and vomit. A third, larger tentacle was pressed against her nose and immediately appeared to flatten until it completely engulfed her face.
The horror had happened so quickly that Robert had had no chance to do anything to stop it. He leapt forward and grabbed hold of the slithering fingers, then dug his fingernails into the soft, slimy flesh. He tugged as hard as he could and, at first felt that he was winning. The tentacles appeared to be slowly withdrawing. He pulled harder and then realised, to his horror, that Amanda’s lifeless body was being dragged from the seat towards the shattered windscreen. He tore at the oozing mess that covered his lovely wife’s terrified features but to no avail. Slowly but surely the creature dragged Amanda’s limp form forward until her head and shoulders were hauled through the window-frame. Splinters of what remained of the glass flew in all directions as, with a mighty wrench, her body disappeared out of the car and fell with a thump onto the concrete below.
Robert sat for what must have only been seconds, shaking uncontrollably as he tried to make sense out of what was happening. The gurgling noises increased to a crescendo, coupled with the sounds of tearing flesh and the cracking of bones. He tried to push his door open but the movement of the car had forced the vehicle once again too close to the wall. He moved quickly across and tried the passenger door. It, too, was jammed shut. Something very heavy was crushed against it.
There was only one way out; the same way that Amanda had been dragged from the car. Robert had no idea what he was going to do, but he knew that he had to try to save his wife. He grasped the edges of the windscreen frame and pulled himself out and onto the car bonnet. The broken slivers of glass still embedded in the rubber bit into his hands but he felt nothing. After forcing his legs out of the car he sat for a moment, scarcely daring to look down. There was a loud snap followed by the sickening crunching sound of bones being devoured as though by a wild animal. Robert peered into the gloom. There was no sign of Amanda, just a mass of putrefying ooze undulating and slithering over the floor. Other, smaller lumps moved to fuse themselves against it, the revolting heap of slime growing rapidly.
His mind twisted by rage and terror, Robert jumped down and sank to his ankles in the heaving mass. Almost immediately, the slime began to rise, twisting and turning formlessly around his legs. He felt a sudden, searing pain as the acid bit into his flesh and knew that this was the agony that his wife must have suffered. His vision became clouded with manic fury and he dived forwards in a last hopeless attempt to save the woman whom he loved. His hand sank into the bubbling filth and he became numbed to the pain as he groped blindly to find her. He touched something hard and knew that it was Amanda’s head. With all the strength that he could muster he tugged at her. The slime enveloped his arms and began to curl around his neck. He could feel his strength failing him as the flesh of his legs and arms seemed to dissolve within the hellish creature’s grip. He roared in agony and pulled harder. Suddenly the head broke free and he stared at her. The eyes and most of the flesh had gone and her jawbone had almost been completely eaten away. He fell forward and pressed his lips against what remained of her loveliness as the ooze finally engulfed the two lovers completely.

The cleaner looked in disgust at the mass of pipework that criss-crossed the ceiling of the lower level. Patches of greyish slime seemed to be everywhere, no doubt encouraged by the dank atmosphere of the place. He cursed under his breath. He’d lost count of the number of times that he’d told his supervisors about it, but nothing had been done. A health hazard, he thought to himself. Bloody disgusting.
He rounded a corner and stopped short as he came upon the wreck of a car parked in the corner of the level. The windscreen had been smashed and the rear of the vehicle was barely recognisable. He glanced up. There was even more slime above him in this corner and it was reddish in hue, indicating that the pipes were beginning to rust. He shrugged his shoulders and began to brush the broken glass from the damp floor.
‘F***ing vandals,’ he muttered.

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