As they recognized him, the dogs began to whine and strain, pulling against their leads. These retrievers, poodles and dachshunds were all that remained of the hundred or so animals who had once lived in the upper floors of the high-rise. They were kept here as a strategic food reserve, but Royal had seen to it that few of them had been eaten.
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As Royal paused behind an elevator head, a group of his top-floor neighbours erupted on to the roof. Led by Pangbourne, they spread in a loose circle across the observation deck, ready to celebrate a recent triumph.
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Two “guests’ had been picked up, a cost-accountant from the 32nd floor with a bandaged head, and a myopic meteorologist from the 27th. The woman carrying the cassette player, he noted calmly, was his wife Anne.
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“Flying School! Flying School!” The sullen chant was taken up. Looking down at this unruly gang, Royal could almost believe that he was surrounded by a crowd of semi-literate children. The zoo had rebelled against its keeper.
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Let the psychotics take over. They alone understood what was happening. Holding to the Alsatian, Royal let the dog drag him away towards the safety of the darkness near the sculpture- garden. The white forms of the birds were massed together on every ledge and parapet.
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He unlocked the gate of the sculpture-garden and moved through the darkness among the statues, releasing the dogs. One by one they scrambled away, until only Royal and the birds were left.
I love your chapters with lego characters.
Thank you, mortal. It has been several long months of hard work, but it is worth it.
As always, brilliantly done! Your ability to capture the mood of each chapter continues to astound me!