Pounding of hooves

((Closed off to: Emma, Dakota and Sebastian, Mal and Meta))

Sebastian leaned over the railings in the upper section of the race course stadium, watching from a far as the jockeys had let their horses out for a walk. He clicked his neck, glancing up to the sky with a small scowl. He took off his jacket, placing over his shoulder and went to sit down. In the far corner were some small-time drug dealers who had just finished the trade-off. He looked to them, giving them a side ways glance and slightly jerked his head. It was his way of saying that their time slot had passed and it was their time to move on before the show had started.

There was a race in a few hours time and he could see people already coming and lining up, some parking their cars. Humans were so boring, he had yet to find a human who really entertained him. Sighing, he stood back up, with his jacket slung across his shoulder and walked down onto the track, waiting for the jockeys to come back around.

"Johnson and Gert, remember, you have to win this, there are many others who are wanting others to win, don't let them, don't play dirty. I'm watching and you know what happened to the last two jockeys who had played dirty…" Seb rubbed his hands together as a warning before walking into the small stables they had to visit the stablehands. He viewed the place with a scrutinizing eye, he wasn't really sure to what was going on but the stablehands were off, they were not around.

He shook his head, checking that the people commentating were all good and were not too impatient, they seemed rather content. It was all good. Hopefully he would not have to do too much as he needed to slip away halfway through to manage the mafia group he had. A complicated life indeed.

Dakota walked up to the ticket booth for the upcoming horse race. She had been to exactly one other race in her whole life, and Kota had really loved it. Unfortunately, her semi-busy lifestyle prevented her from having enough free-time and money to come watch the races. But she had gotten a part time job at a local café, so shehad racked up enough cash to buy herself a ticket.

There was a sign hanging over the ticket booth that said when the next race was. That would be in a few hours, so Dakota had time to walk around. She paid for her ticket quickly, and then started walking. There wasn't that much to see, as most of the horses and jockeys were warming up. Then Dakota spotted the stable.

As a kid, Kota had always fawned over horses. They used to be her favorite animal when she was young. But after Kota ran away, she didn't have time for favorite animals. Horses were forgotten as a tough life filled the gap.

Now, hearing horses neigh and seeing a stable, Dakota's mind went back to childhood and her favorite animal. She whipped her head around to see if anyone was watching her, then went through a small, child-sized gap in the stable door.

Dakota, at first, didn't even notice the girl petting a chestnut horse. Kota was too fascinated over a dappled mare in one of the first stalls. It was really a beautiful horse. Dakota saw a random apple onthe floor and held it out to the mare. The horse took it gently from Dakota's hand and finished it quickly.

Dakota looked around the horse's stall for a nametag, andthat's when she noticed the young girl petting a different horse.
"Hi Lightning, I'm Ellie. Nice to meet you," the girl said.

"Oh, hello there," Dakota said. "Come to check out the horses too?"

A while had passed since Eric's fateful escape from the orphanage. He had met Captain Jack, and after dealing with strange phenomenons, he had been adopted of sorts by the war hero. The concept of time travel had been alien to Eric, but after exposure to the idea of it, and Jack's assertion that it was indeed real, he accepted it. He had avoided telling Jack the orphanage he had come from, and as a result, Jack had put him in a decent school and let him stay with him til he had time to check things out. Sudden missions had come up which meant that he was often out more often than he was in. He missed Jack a bit, but at the same time he worried that when he was back fully, he might find the orphanage he was at and send him away again.

He always had one of the Torchwood team watching over him while he was at home, which was the torchwood building. "Home" he found absolutely fascinating. There were so many computers and screens, and technology and gizmos he'd only begun to understand. The torchwood team were pummeled with questions about each little item, and when it was time for him to go outside or go to school, they were probably relieved. Seeing new things made him that much more eager to learn, and when they shooed him out finally, he was somewhat disappointed. But he always found something else to occupy his eager mind.

Today was one of those days when he was eager to get back home to "explore", a past time that made the torchwood team wary. He skip hopped down the road, a few books in his backpack, and a ton of ideas going through his mind. They had studied about rockets today, and while it was simple history combined with a little bit of simple physics, he had decided he would build a rocket. A little working rocket, with engines and everything. He didn't know where he would get metal and fuel however, but he was certain he could do it. Well, maybe if he found an instruction book on how to do it. But he was sure Jack or one of his members could help him find things.

And then he had decided to take a shortcut home. He knew the surroundings well enough, but there were parts of the surrounding city still unfamiliar to him. It wasn't like he would be late arriving home. So turning to the right, he skip hopped across the street, with half a mind to the color of the light. A car honked at him as he sped by, but he was already onto the sidewalk, his hands in his pockets as he shuffled along.

Then he stopped, his nose twitching as he looked right and left. He heard the distinctive sound of horses neighing, and now he was curious. He had never seen a horse in real life before, only in picture books. So he followed his ears until he came to a large looming gate, with people filing in and handing a man coins, with the man handing them a piece of paper. His hands felt in his pockets for a few coins, but he only found the money slotted for a piece of candy. So he watched as all the adults filed in, with the ocassional child held by the hand. That was it! He decided, he would go in with one of those adults. So he hopped between two, and walked as they paid for their tickets. Children under ten were apparently free, and he looked younger, so he was in without a hitch.

Once in, he skip hopped across the field, past several adults and into the stables. He almost gasped as he saw the horses heads poking out of the stalls. My but they were BIG! He jumped back as a horse stuck his nose down, nuzzling the back of his head with a wet nose. He reached his hand out timidly, and then snatched it back before the horse could bite him or something. For an awkward moment he just stood there, staring at the horse and the horse staring back at him. Then he got this great idea, and summoning up his courage, he opened the door and walked in with the horse.

Inside the stall the horse looked even bigger. There was so much horse, and touching the horse Eric could feel its strong muscles. It was also well groomed, but that bit was lost on him as he looked for a foot mount. This horse had a saddle, but try as he might, he could just not get his foot into the stirrup. After several tries, he ended up falling against the wall, and as he sat there, he looked around the stall. Ahah, there was the horse's feed bucket, and if he could just get that onto the trough...He picked himself up and placed the bucket upside down on the trough, and stood up on it. It teetered to and fro, and Eric waved his hands unsteadily as he tried to balance on it. He still couldn't reach the horse, so he grabbed onto bits of the fence like structure surrounding the horse, and hoisted himself up. Very carefully, he maneuvered over to the horse, and once he had positioned himself above it, he dropped himself down. It gave him a gleeful feeling as he imagined himself one of those cowboys in that one western, and he grabbed the reigns.

"Giddap!" The horse just stood there, snorting as it continued to chew on its breakfast, leaving a very flustered Eric in its saddle. Why wasn't it moving? "Giddap!" He said, louder than before, and this time kicked at the horse's haunches. Another snort, and the horse turned its head back to look at Eric, its eyes asking, 'Just what are you doing?' By now, Eric was really frustrated, and had no idea what to do to make the horse go. Was there something he was failing to do? Was there something else the cowboy did in that movie to make his horse go?

"Giddap!" He shouted this time as he kicked out, and at the same time, there was a loud crash. It was the bucket falling off the trough, and it spooked Eric as much as it did the horse. It leapt out, and although he made a valiant attempt to hold on, he fell off the saddle as the horse ran out of the stall. The hay outside cushioned his fall, but he still felt a bit bruised and dazed as he rolled, while the horse began to trot around outside.

Sebastian was rather irked by the fact that the people were so slow at lining up, getting in and taking their seats, some going off to buy drinks. People cheered as he passed, but it did nothing to his ego. He didn't really care about the lives of humans, unless they had committed a crime…in which, he cared quite considerably. That would be the part where he'd suck their souls from their body and return to his planet and deposit it, rinse and repeat.

He was on his second round, a few minutes before the race started. Seb was on high alert for potential customers…clients…victims. He started for the stables, making a few stops on the way to have a brief conversation with 'fans.' That was one thing he never got about humans, their way of speaking was so complicated. Sometimes it had made his head hurt. Many of the times, he wanted to become his other self, but he was stripped. Stripped from all of his powers, except from the part where he looked as if he was in his thirties, when he really was seventy-something.

Last time he had checked, the stable door wasn't open. He had closed it on his way out. Seb approached the door, his senses going haywire but his hand did not follow what his brain was telling it to do. Then, one of the jockey's helper came over.

"Mr. Cairns! Lovely to meet you at last! It's a wonderful thing you did with the racecourse!" Said the helper.

"Yes, thank you. Let the best jockey win, shall we?" He said with a slight tilt of his head, a false smile imprinted on his face.

Someone was definitely inside, he could hear it. Someone was stirring up the horses…but the helper was too excited to let him get on with his own business, Sebastian was considering offing the man. He would not be missed too much, would he?

The impact with the hay cushioned his fall, but left Eric feeling rather disorientated. He was aware of the presence of others, and that they were friendly, but he just wasn't aware enough yet to actually respond. So he dumbly sat up, looked up at the hand offered to him, and grabbed it, lifting himself to his feet. He staggered about slightly, his brown eyes roaming around warily for the horse. Where had it gone? Where had that big brown horse that had dumped him gone? It wasn't very nice, he hadn't yet had a chance to grab the reigns firmly to actually ride it!

His eyes looked up at Ellie, noting that she was a little taller than him, and thus a few years older. Still not by much, he was still big enough to be considered in almost the same age group as her. She was looking around nervously, and then suddenly she had indicated hiding up above. Why? Who was coming? He didn't follow immediately, instead walking quietly towards the stable doors. Yes, someone was out there, two men talking in a higher and lower pitched voices. Yes they were close, and not talking of anything of any importance, though from Ellie's behaviour, he was probably not supposed to be here. A sudden prick of fear went through him. If they caught him, would they send him back to the orphanage? Nah, Captain Jack would see to it he wouldn't go back. Or would he?

Suddenly, he had turned and raced for the hayloft. There was another girl, much older, in the stable, but his mind was busy on escape. Or hiding. He should've run for the door, but then they'd be right there, ready to drag him into a white and black car with flashing lights. His little hands grabbed the rungs of the ladder, and he bounded up, one step at a time. He would've skipped two, but his legs nearly slipped. Regardless, he was soon up, and his eyes sought a hiding place. Up on top were bales of hay, and a pitchfork. A handy tool for attacking provided he could lift it. He tried, but ultimately failed and resorted to hiding behind the bales of hay. Once crouched down, he once again spotted Ellie behind another bale.

"Who are you? And who's the other girl? Is she your sister? And who's coming? Are they police?" He shuddered slightly at the last question.

Dakota knew by Elli's tone of voice that she was afraid of getting in trouble. But Dakota had no intentions of 'tattling'. She didn't even have time to comfort the youngster, as a crash scared a horse and... rider out of one of the stalls. The attempted rider seemed to be a boy just about Ellie's age, maybe younger. The boy landed on some hay, cushioning his fall slightly. Ellie immediately went over to help him, and Dakota realized he was alright.

But there were voices outside, and Dakota saw the horse as it burst through the stable doors. Fortunately, the two young children were up in the hayloft. They looked well hiden among the hay bales... but where could Dakota go? The horse had pretty much opened up the stable doors really wide, and there were voices coming from out thre earlier. Dakota saw the two people talking, one a helper, and the other looked like he was in charge and powerful.

In charge and powerful people had a tendancy to be a bit ruthless at times. They usually weren't friendly to a 19 year old tresspasser. But thank God the kids were already hidden. Dakota didn't even have time to run. The two otside were sure to see her, unless they went after the horse instead.

Sebastian finally managed to get out of the conversation and his hand pushed open the door, his eyes immediately darted to the horse, completely skimming the figure that was standing there, writing her off as a stable hand and tended to the horse. He managed to calm it down but it wouldn't head back into the stall. Standing back, he raised his hand to his face in frustration, glaring at the horse through the cracks in his hand.

By the sounds of it, the race had just begun and he was supposed to be out there 'cheering' but he had something that wasn't feeling quite right around the stable. Sebastian looked around, checked his watch, growl developing in his chest. But when he was done with the horse and it was safely back into it's stall, he scanned the area, his eyes stopping at a young woman. It did not lift the corners of his mouth as he frowned.

"Who are you?" He said, placing both hands in his pockets but somehow managed to retain the aura of being in charge.

"I'm Dakota," she said. She didn't think there was any reason to lie in this position. Dakota made sure not to look up to the hay loft where the kids were hidden, she didn't want them in trouble as well as her.

She noticed that the guy assumed the aura of command in his tone of voice as he demanded to knoww who she was.
He must be the owner of the racetrack, Dakota thought to herself. But she was a bit worried of what this guy was going to do to her. I mean, he looked like someone you didn't want to trifle with in any situation.

"What are you going to do to me, anyways? It's not like I...." Dakota paused. If she wanted to keep the kids hidden, she would have to assume responsibility for the escaped horse. Even though it was returned to its stall...

"Okay maybe I did accidentaly let your horse get away... but he's fine now," she whispered, looking down.

Eric sat behind the bay of hale quietly, watching the open space through bits of hay and the wooden framework holding up the loft. The voices stopped, and then came one of its sources, a man. A man in a black suit with a bright red shirt and tie. He watched as the man calmly retrieved the horse and returned it to its stall, and given his appearance it would have seemed he was a man of authority and calm tempered. Someone who could be trusted. But the frown that adorned his face as he focused on the lone girl, almost adult below told him otherwise. There was something cruel, something sinister about the way he spoke. It made that tiny irrational prick of fear that much stronger, and that much more rational. He gasped slightly as the man turned his head, the whinney of a nearby horse luckily masking the sound. But for a brief second, at the instant of his gasp, the wall behind him flickered. It was more like a sudden discharge of static electricity, only noticable to anyone up on the loft, and only to anyone looking. For a brief second, that blue spark was there, and then it was gone.

But in that instant, a voice whispered to him. He remembered it as the voice back in the library, but why it tried talking to him now escaped him. He only listened to the words, brief as they were, and faint as they were; this man was dangerous. It sensed it. He was contemptable, evil, like the devil in disguise, parading around as someone of authority while waiting to pounce. Really he was just another useless creature.

With an inhale, Eric managed to get his emotions under control. The man was dangerous, and that girl down there was in trouble. The little girl next to him was in trouble. He was in trouble if the man discovered them. He had to get them away, he had to save them. Even if he was just a little boy, even younger than the others, he still had to do something. So he sat there, and thought hard. His eyes roamed about the interior, looking for something to distract the man. But if he made any noise, the man would see him and the little girl too! Something needed to get the man outside. But he couldn't just climb out of the loft and run around the back and yell. He'd be seen escaping. He'd be chased. They'd throw him in an orphanage again. Outwardly he shuddered slightly. What could he do?

Then he had a sudden idea. A brilliant idea only a genius boy who had been surviving on his own could think of. He reached into his pocket, withdrawing one of the coins he had been given for candy. He looked at it mournfully, but knew that escaping and saving everyone was more important than candy. Then he stood up, carefully, making sure the man's eyes weren't focused upwards, and hurled his arm in a mighty pitch.

His plan hadn't quite worked as he had intended, but it actually worked better in the end. He practically fell back behind the hay bale, breathlessly watching the man as the coin flew through the air. The coin sounded with a clink, not against the man's head, but against the side of the open door. It ricocheted off the door and flew outside, disappearing into the grass.

Something had flown by his head, his eyes narrowed dangerously as he inspected the woman further. "Scram, get out of here." He said simply, reaching into his pocket, resting his hand on a knife. Sebastian shrugged, looking around once more before exiting, closing the door with a slam as he did so, heading once more back out onto the sun and the crowds of people. They cheered and he simply raised his hands above his head with a look of 'I don't really know what I am doing but I'm doing it for reasons'

Jockeys were coming to their third and final lap, in which there would be a short break and a new race would start as the presenters and judges made up their mind of the overall winner.

"Hopefully, they are my jockeys, that win." He muttered to himself.

For a panic filled moment, Eric thought the man in red and black would look up towards the loft. But he didn't, and he breathed a sigh of relief as the man slammed the door to the stable. He slumped back, just relaxing as he got over the nervous shock of the situation. He was safe, and the rest were safe. His heartrate began to settle as his mind began to calm, although he felt dazed as to what to do next. He would've continued to sit behind the haybale, had the girl beside him not suggested they leave. He got up silently, following her down the ladder, grabbing onto each rung with firm, slightly sweaty hands. When he dropped down onto the hay, he was face to face with the little girl a few inches taller than him.

"My name is Eric," he said, wiping his hands on his trousers. "What's yours?" He was beginning to lighten up, feeling more willing to talk as he followed the strange girl out. Coming outside, he saw the occasional horse grazing in the small pasture outside, but he was not about to try riding one again! He shuddered slightly as the bulk of a large brown horse passed him, and he backed into the stable wall.

"I don't know," Eric whispered back. "That creepy man in red will be watching the stables." He knew this for sure as he recounted something he'd seen on the telly, and he nodded his head emphatically. "I bet he's an evil henchman. Or maybe he's the boss. No, the boss hides in his office. Evil henchman." He nodded again, before his eyes searched over the field the race track and stables encompassed. Then a smile moved over his face. "Hey, see that building over there? Hiding behind the big one the people are going into? We should see what's in it." Then, checking to see that the man in red was not about, he snuck towards it.

Sebastian wasn't alone for long as two men came wandering up to him, dressed in smart casual outfits but it was unmistakably his men from the mafia. "Gerard…what's the news?" He said, both of them leaning towards the racecourse and Seb was facing towards the stands.

"We have a small problem with a client, they won't pay and the extra time is over. We need a final decision." Gerard had a slight accent, not really noticeable until you got really close. Sebastian sighed, glaring hard at the other wall. He would have to green-light the client and possibly have to give anyone who had done the final hit, a pay rise.

The other person, a woman spoke up. "And a client has come up to us about another gang that seemingly is after him, we don't provide protection but we can…support him in this time."

He pulled a hand and put it on his face, a slow face palm. "Right…" A rustle in the wind paused him in his thoughts, good time as a few visitors walked passed, paying no attention to the three against the railings.

He then signaled for the two to follow him, it was a small area just behind the stands which he had converted into a small office, dimly lit but it was enough for small time businesses, there was blood on the ground that he needed to clean. The two stood side by side, ignoring the chairs that were there for the taking.

What Seb didn't know was that the door was open as he began to speak.

"Gerard, put the green-light on the client and make sure his body disappears, I don't want a large federal search out for me or anyone in the mafia. And, Sera? Go and do whatever you think is best to get whomever is on that client's trail, dispose of them if you really must. Report back when it's complete. Now…shoo."

Dakota gaped at her luck. The man had just left her! Although, he did have a knife... that may prove to be dangerous. But Dakota wanted to get after this man, find out who he was and why he looked so impotrant and dangerous. She saw him walk off with two people, so Dakota followed them. They were talking about something, and it didn't sound like they were plannin a surprise birthday party. No, there were talking about disposing of someone, as far as Dakota could tell.

Dakota just wanted to know who, so she could possibly warn the man. She wondered if the people inside would indeed "shoo," or if they had something else to tell the man. Dakota didn't know, but she didn't want to be caught outside the door. She backed away quickly, and stumbled over a pipe laying on the ground. She went down in a crash, and gasped out loud. What would happen now?

Eric looked around as he snuck for the building, but in the end he broke into a sneaky sort of run. By the time he had crossed the field, his legs were moving at top speed, and he nearly crashed headfirst into the wall. His hands pressed against the wall as he broke his run, panting as he looked about. Good! That scary henchman hadn't followed them or seen them. He was probably still watching the stables for them. He snickered to himself, feeling like he had outwitted the older man, and feeling quite proud of himself. When he got inside, he was mildly disappointed there was nothing interesting inside. But only mildly, because there were doors leading elsewhere. Outside he could hear cheering noises and the horses, but he disregarded them as he moved for the other door. He could watch the horses after he had finished exploring with his new friend Ellie.

He was already headed for the door, which was only a few paces away, when he heard Ellie's frantic whispering. Someone was coming? Immediately he scampered after Ellie, disappearing into the larger room in the back. Though it was still small, there was enough room to walk around and hide. He almost slipped and fell, and as he grabbed the floor for support, his hands felt something wet. At first he thought it was water, but as he raised his hands to brush them off on his pants, he saw blood. He gulped, and looked at his hands. They were wet with water, but there was the bearest traces of red.

"Ellie..." he began nervously, but Ellie was already dragging him towards another door. They crammed inside the small closet, with Eric trying not to bump into the paint cans and utensils that were stored in here. There was no room to squat, so he just stood, breathing quietly so as not to be heard. He wanted to speak, but the men were talking, and he listened. Their talking confirmed what he'd thought all along; the man was evil, although he'd decided that he was the number one evil henchman, who took orders from an invisible boss, and passed those orders onto stupid minions. Unfortunately those minions were taller than him, and he couldn't just throw another penny out the door to get rid of them. But at least they hadn't discovered him, right?

The longer the conversation went on, the more Eric realized that they had to be captured and turned in. He just needed a plan. Maybe Ellie could help him there. They needed to trick these baddies into a trap, tie them up with rope, and then present them to the police! As much as he felt nervous, he also felt spurred on by his plan that wasn't quite formed. As soon as they left the room, he and Ellie would sneak out and follow them. There was bound to be plenty of rope in the stables.

Then there was the sound of something clanging against the floor outside. The talking stopped for a second, and Eric held his breath in terror. For a moment, he thought he had moved something in the closet. He relaxed slightly when he realized it wasn't him, but his insides were practically exploding to tell Ellie his plan, and what he had found on the floor. "Ellie," he whispered as quietly as he could manage, "They kill people in here. There's blood on the floor outside. Those guys need to be stopped. We can get some rope, and make a trap, and tie them up."

Sebastian turned at the small disturbances. He eyed his fellows carefully as they nodded and walked out, they knew what they would do. It was like Seb had said to do over and over, which was to seek out the source of the noise and bring it to him to make the final decision. He watched as they left, Gerard and Sera both had ignored the girl on the ground as they simply thought she had tripped, and wasn't any threat to their boss.

Whilst they were out looking for that source, Seb did a bit of his own stuff, bringing out his knife and scrapping a bit of blood off the ground. It would have been used as evidence if the police had gone into this section and found it on the ground. He couldn't get it off, so he stubbed it with his shoe a few times before clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. Maybe he could paint over the whole floor, his head turned to the cupboard as he remembered putting the paint cans in there since last time.

Did paint have an expiry date? He shrugged. The only thing he knew was that you were to get a 'brush' and put it in to the can of paint and then paint it. It was simple and he headed towards it, noticing that the door was open just a crack, his hand paused and it fell to his side. Focusing on his own breathing, he managed to quieten his breathing and soon heard the sound of shallow breaths within the cupboard. He narrowed his eyes, a plan coming to his mind as he glided over to the door, locking it and then taking out his phone, pretending to dial someone. He couldn't be too careful, even if it was just a mistake and was something of his own mind playing a trick on him.

"Ah…Mr. Gideon…I believe that you have some…unfinished business that you owe me…yes? Those people are part of my little 'cult' as you so call it but I will be collecting very soon, and you've seen what I can do…so, bring me the money and I will cut you a deal..."

He continued to speak, the door was locked and hoped that whoever was in the cupboard would be feeling as if they were safe enough to come out, if there was anyone in there, during that 'conversation', he had removed his jacket and placed it on the chair.

Footsteps; they came closer and closer. At first, Eric just listened quietly as he waited for the man in the red and black suit to finish his evil tasks. First a sort of heaving scraping sound on the floor, then a bit of stamping and shoe scuffing. What was the guy doing out there? Was it safe to take just a tiny little peak? Just as his hand reached out to push open the door a crack, Ellie had already done so. But then she was peeking through the door, and there was no way he could see about her! Frustratedly, he tried to move about and under her, frowning heavily and nearly stamping his foot when he still could not see what was going on. Finally, Ellie nearly jerked back, and he was able to twist to peek through the door. He was just in time to see the man with some sort of tool, scraping at the floor which Eric had slipped on moments before. He was trying to remove the blood! The fiend! Or whatever he'd heard in a movie... Which meant he was guilty for sure, and needed to be stopped, somehow. Eric bit the inside of his mouth as he pondered how he was going to do this. There was no rope in the closet, he had looked. There were only paint cans and some old brooms and other tools. He wasn't sure how any of them were going to nab the man, unless he bashed one of them over the man's head and ran for the police. Maybe if he cut off the ends of that mop, he'd be able to tie together an odd sort of rope.

Just as he looked up to see if the man had left, he froze in terror. The man was coming towards them! He almost rammed the wall with his back, his foot bumping into a paint can but thankfully making no noise due to the soft sneaker he wore. The footsteps drew closer, and for a moment, they stopped. He was very close; was he about to open the door? Or was he doing something? For a moment, no sound could be heard inside, or outside the closet, save for the sounds of Ellie's and his own terrified breathing. Ellie's hand had clutched his, and he squeezed back, both to give her some assurance and safety, and to give himself a little security.

Then the man's footsteps moved again, and through the crack in the door he saw the dark shape of his red shirt...like blood on a wall. For one moment, he was scared the door was about to open, and he squeezed Ellie's hand that much harder. He had to do something, fast! The man was about to open the door, and if they didn't make a quick getaway they'd be dead and like those bloodstains on the floor. But what was in the closet to use? He didn't even have time to look, and his hand grabbed for the nearest thing it could find. A broom...a lightweight broom, and probably not the best choice of weapon. But instead of opening the closet, the man disappeared, and the footsteps moved away. Eric breathed, perhaps too heavily, a sigh of relief, as he set the broom down. They were safe for now, he hadn't noticed them. He hoped, because he had stopped near the door an awfully long time, and if HE could peek through the door, then couldn't the man have?

Then the man's voice sounded again, and he guessed he was talking on the phone. Eric couldn't help the sigh that left his lungs; was this man EVER going to leave? He couldn't exactly pitch another penny out, so he began looking about the closet. It was exceedingly dim, and he could only make out dark blobs and other vague shapes. So he crouched down and began feeling about the closet. His hand went over the surface of a cylindrical lid and over the side, feeling a thing metal handle...that was probably a paint can. And the thing on top, also felt like another paint can. And another! Were there only paint cans in this closet? His hand felt over the poky bristles of a brush, and immediately jerked back as he felt something slightly icky move under his hand. Wasn't using that, he decided. Picking up a broom and moving it around, was very awkward, and he tried real hard not to bang it against the wall in his attempts. Thankfully, the man's voice probably drowned out any noise he made, but he put it back down.

"Ellie," he whispered. "I don't think that man is going to leave soon. Did he see you when you looked out?" No, he couldn't have or he WOULD have opened the door. No adult was that stupid if he killed people who weren't supposed to overhear bad things. "We need a plan. Hopefully he'll go out on his own, but if he doesn't..." His hand felt around and grabbed for the paint can. "We'll use this paint can! If he opens the door, we'll throw it on him, and he'll slip and fall, and we'll escape!" With two hands he grabbed the handle and pulled, but realized that it was far too heavy to pick up and pitch the paint out. He looked at Ellie through the dark for help.

Sebastian was tired, but he wasn't going to give in until he was completely certain of what lay behind that door was no threat to him, even so, they would have seen his face and he did not like the fact that he had been seen. Sebastian only wore a mask when it was something big and being around his racecourse was no place to put it on, to much of his disappointment.

Sometimes, he thought Humans were rather stupid but then, they had everything he could have longed for in terms of weaponry. All he had were horses, and as much as they were special to him, they had no sort of weaponry whatsoever! The door was pounded on again, he frowned, heading over there, readying in case it was some form of attack. "It's Gerard! Let us in Seb!" Shaking his head, Seb went over and unlocked the door, Gerard and Sera stepped back in.

"Lock the door."

Gerard did so without any questions but his facial features said otherwise. Sebastian, seeing that there were more of them this time, pointed a finger at the cupboard with a brief nod. They both frowned and it was Sera that spoke this time. "Seb, what's going --" sebastian glided over to her, wrapping her hand around her mouth. She froze. Seb smirked before letting go, sure now that she wouldn't say anything stupid now.

Gerard had gone over, glanced over the door once before yanking it open and raising a brow, stepping to one side. "Boss. Looks like we have a small problem."

Sebastian glanced to where Sera had now pointed. There stood two kids. What on earth were they doing here?!

"You lost?" He asked.

Dakota felt relieved when the two people who came to check out the noise just ignored her completely. They probably reasoned that she had simply stumbled and fell, nothing to worry about here! Dakota figured that if it had been the bossman himself coming out to check, Kota may be dead right now. He seemed like that sort of fellow, not very forgiving. It wouldn't do to stick around here, Dakota thought, but what about the two kids? She saw them going into the room, and she distinctively heard the lock clicking after the two people, a man and a woman.

Kota knew that the kids were in trouble, but hey, on this cloudy day, she had to get out of the way. Indirectly, Dakota was also in danger. If any of the three adults came out of that room and saw Kota again, she would have a lot of explaining to do. Otherwise, she would be... out of action. And then she wouldn't be able to help the two children!

Quietly getting up from the ground, Kota moved behind the corner of the building. If anyone came out of the room, they wouldn't be able to see her. On the other hand, Dakota was still in earshot just in case the door did open. On the other, other hand, (an alien, perhaps?) Dakota had no clue what she wouod do if someone did indeed walk out of that door.

With Ellie's help, Eric managed to drag the paint can off the other. He staggered awkwardly, and couldn't help knocking over a broom as he fumbled for the paint can's lid. Off that went with a dull clang, which was more than certain to let the red man know that someone was inside. It worried him, but he was too busy trying to steady the paint can and not drop it. The result was white paint was getting all over his shirt and trousers, but he paid it no mind. Pounding on the door outside indicated that more people were coming, and he finally stopped moving as he listened instead to the outside noise. Some woman had started speaking, and then footsteps sounded again. They were swift and close, and before Eric even knew what was happening, the door had opened. He gulped, as he stared straight into the face of a towering human, who didn't seem all that friendly. He was practically frozen as he stared up at him, then over at the red man who asked if he was lost.

"Um..." That was about all that came out of his mouth. All thoughts of being sneaky flew out of his mind as he stared at the red man. He wasn't so friendly looking either, and suddenly his plan of running for the door seemed to go out the window. He literally froze in place as he stared wide eyed at the man, then over to his associate. Suddenly that paint can felt heavier, and he had to strain not to let go.

"Uh..." After a moment of the wire handle digging into the palms of his hands, he remembered his ingenious plan. It would've worked better had he been prepared, and been able to toss the paint over the first man. Now he risked it going all wrong. But he was certainly going to try. His eyes flickered first from the red man, then to the henchman standing near the door, before he jerked suddenly.

"Now Ellie!" He heaved his arms forward, doing his best to hurl as much paint as he could at Gerard. He probably caught the man offguard, but he didn't stop to look. Paint went everywhere, on the floor, on the man's pants, perhaps even a little bit on the man's upper body and face. The weight of the paint can had dramatically reduced, and as he spurred his feet into action, he found it that much easier to move. And just a tiny bit slippery, as his sneakers stepped in globs of wet paint and he went skidding. That did not stop him however! As soon as he came in range of the red man, he flung the rest of the paint and the can at him, and ran for his life. He almost fell as he moved for the door, and as he reached it, he grabbed on with wet hands, almost clinging to the door knob. It was then that he realized the door was locked, and the excited and concentrated look fell from his face. Suddenly, as he hung from the door knob, and stared up at the others in the room, he realized just how much trouble he was in.