Alex flickered his eyes open, trying to focus, trying to make sense of the pleasant whistling he could hear. He thought he must be dreaming, and he remembered the bus, getting off the bus... where had he been going ? The ten pound note, that's right, he had found a ten pound note on the floor, right after he had watched the bus drive away. The ten pound note ......

Alex had felt great putting that money in his pocket, thinking of the things he'd like to get with it. That was if Charlene didn't get her hands on it, the cow. Why was he putting up with her anyway ? He deserved better, perhaps he should move in with Eileen, as she'd been winging at him to do for weeks. Sod Charlene and the brats, Eileen let him do what he wanted, every Wednesday afternoon, and she asked very little in return. She was too stupid anyway, better to find them that way, so they wouldn't keep thinking they could outsmart you.

He had bumped into someone, and had absent-mindedly mumbled at the idiot to get a guide dog if he needed help watching where he was going. Was the world peopled with idiots, or just the area he lived ? After that, he couldn't remember all that well. Things had started going foggy, he recalled feeling tingly, especially the tips of his fingers, as if he had received a slight shock, and it seemed to be getting difficult to walk, his feet getting heavier with each step. It was getting dark fast, the wife would no doubt have a field day nagging when he got in, but had he cared less, he would have seen he gave her reason to. Heck, half the time he enjoyed pissing her off. He stumbled, landing heavily on one knee, straight into a puddle, great. It was too dark now to see what the puddle was, had it rained earlier ? It hurt his head too much trying to think.

He stood clumsily, and moved forward, now completely disorientated. The street was deserted, somewhere ahead he thought lay his home, but his mind buzzed and he couldn't quite get a fix on where home might be exactly. The ground rushed up to meet him as he fell forward, his face returning to the puddle his knee had left just moments before. Bad dream, he thought as the darkness overwhelmed him and he passed out, soon wake up, will be all just a bad dream, soon wake up, soon .....

In the dimly lit cellar, Roderick sat on a stool watching his sleeping guest. He sucked heavily on a cigarette, and waited patiently for the unconcious man to stir again. It amazed and satisfied him how easy it had been, and he felt this could be a nice hobby, this one here, the first of many ? So far it was running real smooth. He had waited for his neighbour, knowing what time the creep left his whore to come home, that it was always quiet on the streets at that time, and the money on the ground had been to divert his attention as Roderick bumped into him, the syringe he carried easily penetrating the coat Alex wore. Real smooth.

The figure tied to the chair opposite began to stir, calmly Roderick rose and moved to the table, where his babies waited in line, various electrical house and garden implements he had collected with glee, a an electric carving knife, a drill among them. He lovingly stroked each one, as the man seated came fully awake, and began to splutter and protest behind the masking tape covering his mouth. Roderick stopped whistling, and spoke to his tools soothingly, soon my friends, I will let you all have a chance to play, soon ....