'Graham, what's this shit you've been buying?'

Yet another window lit up, but this time the wooden frame squeaked as it opened, and the brothers tried their best to remain still. Even Kalroth had stopped moving, a small blessing that the creature didn't want to draw human attention.

'Those aren't mine.'

'Graham!'

'I swear. I've not seen those things in my life. What the hell are they anyway?'

The lights went out, and muffled footsteps sounded from inside the house as the humans rushed to investigate.

Coop didn't waste any time as he grabbed both backpacks and launched them ahead. Then he took his brother's arms and pulled hard to drag him across the stone paving.

Kalroth saw them and leapt after. The witch was unwilling to let them escape, so it quickened its pace and pressed its paws so hard against the ground that the dimly-lit surface cracked.

Coop gritted his teeth and swung one backpack through the cat flap, followed by the next. Then, with one final heave, he launched through what remained of his brother and dove after.

Tark panted, already looking back at the paint-stained plastic flap. 'Where is it? Where's Kalroth?'

Coop shrugged. 'Maybe the witch won't fit.'

'Won't fit?' Tark shook his head and unbuckled the belt hanging around his waist. 'Just tie my leg to stop the bleeding.'

'But, you're not bleeding.'

Tark looked down, shocked. Sure enough, instead of a bloodied stump, there was a jagged clay edge.

He tapped his upper thigh, then again below, with enough force to leave a bruise. 'I could have sworn that I'd felt it trickle.'

'Still, want me to tie it off?'

Tark nodded and held his hand out to let the belt drop.

'Got it,' answered Coop. 'On three-'

'Just do it!'

Leather stretched as the buckle fastened into place, and Tark had to bite his hand. The last thing he wanted to do was scream, not that it would have made a difference; the chunky, black house cat was already perched on the countertop above them.

And with only the blue glow from the fridge to under light its whiskery face, the creature appeared every bit the villain.

Naturally, the cat sensed their fear and rolled onto its side before clawing at an open bag of crisps. And the more the packet crinkled, the more the cat attacked. Then the thing started meowing and licking its lips.

Coop hissed back, waving his hands. However, the cat thought he was playing and swiped at him instead.

Tark tucked away the loose leather from his belt and stared at his brother in disbelief. 'You just couldn't resist, could you?'

Coop waved his hands again. 'It won't go!'

Suddenly, the hanging kitchen light burst to life to wash out the glow of the fridge. And the cat meowed before being grabbed by its owner.

'Not this time,' said Graham. 'We must have spent hours looking for you last night.'

The owner picked up a torch and opened the kitchen door. 'Maria, get in here.'

'What?' She asked, looking directly at Graham.

He pointed outside. 'They're gone.'

'Weird. Maybe Jasper got to them-'

Graham was already holding up the meowing cat. 'I think he's been here the whole time.'

'Well, they couldn't have just gotten up and walked away!'

The humans continued to bicker, so Tark and Coop seized the moment and slowly began to tiptoe across the white tiled flooring. Of course, it would have been easier if Tark had both feet.

Their efforts ultimately proved pointless, though, for the cat spotted them and began to wriggle free. Yes, the furry creature's eyes bulged, and its paws swiped as it yearned to hunt.

Graham gripped the creature tighter before concluding his half-hearted search. Then he turned around. 'What the hell is that?! Maria!'

'No need to yell, dammit. I'm standing right next to you.'

Tark frowned at the gawking couple and reached into the front pocket of his backpack, hoping to find anything that might save them.

He first found stacks of paper with blue-inked sigils inscribed on them. The Gnome only meant to set them aside to reach the music scrolls; he should have known that the magic within would activate on touch.

So, when the image of an otter grew and jumped from the page, it quickly took form and scurried under Maria's legs. And the distraction worked because Graham was already trying to catch the thing.

'Which way?' whispered Coop.

Tark gestured to the only open door and began to hop while Coop grabbed both backpacks and walked behind.

The passageway was lined with paintings and family photos. And on two of the three side units, there were ornaments from around the world, and one, in particular, caused Tark to stop mid-step.

'I recognise this.'

'That's Hadrian's Wall.'

'Of course! The fabled Roman fortification.'

Coop made a face. 'The Romans built it for us to share. Remember?'

'Right,' replied Tark. 'Because that worked out so well for us. I wish we'd known then that the Romans wouldn't share anything. Think it'll still look the same?'

'After thousands of years, I doubt it.'

Tark glanced around to make sure no one was there. 'Well, we need a destination. Someplace we can operate from as we rescue more of our people.'

'A means of getting there would also help.'

'The cat?'

'That thing couldn't carry us out the door, never mind miles across the countryside.'

The brothers were still talking when they saw the otter climb the table unit in front of them and dart up the stairs. Then they heard an obnoxious thud before the cat scrambled after it.

Coop was about to move when Tark held him back. 'Not yet.'

Maria and Graham charged from the kitchen up the stairs, taking several steps simultaneously. Their shoes trailed mud across the cream carpet, and coats once hung on their wall hooks fell into a heap.

The otter had gone above and beyond with its mission, but because of it, the brothers didn't have many options for where to go next.

'Back yard?'

Tark scowled. 'Kalroth might expect that.'

'Well, we can't follow them upstairs!'

'Living room-'

The sudden halt of human conversation caused the pair to stop. The silence was so profound that one could have heard a pin drop. And when the cat and otter came tumbling downstairs together, they knew something was up.

Coop pointed, but his brother ushered him forward instead. 'After you.'

'Fine, just a second,' the garden gnome returned to the kitchen to retrieve the backpacks and propped them under the wooden unit beside his brother. 'We can't forget these.'

Tark nodded and watched Coop go. The house remained eerily quiet, so the garden gnome moved cautiously, taking one step at a time as if any might be his last.

'Here kitty, kitty, kitty.'

'Don't be an idiot!' Yelled Tark.

Coop stuck up his middle finger. 'Don't want the whisker face to eat me, do I? You do you, brother. Leave me be.'

'Idiot.'

'Here, kitty.'

Neither the cat nor otter answered his calls. The runaway creatures had hidden well; whatever had scared them had done such a thorough job that not even a faint cry or squeak could be heard. So, Coop focussed on the stairs and the sloppily white-painted ceiling above him.

Each step was like a mountain to him, they were so high, and to make matters worse, he couldn't see whatever lay in wait. If the humans had prepared a trap, he wouldn't know about it until it was too late.

It wasn't until the final step that he noticed four towering grey clay legs. The trousers covering them had lost their colour, but the frayed holes in the first pair seemed more definitive now. And so, already suspecting the worst, Coop slowly tilted his head to see the attached torsos and arms frozen mid-motion.

The confused and fearful expressions on the humans' faces told of their final moments. Coop knew the experience all too well. At first, they'd have thought their minds were playing tricks until their skin turned rough and grey and their voices caught in their throats.

The garden gnome tried to see past the unlucky couple, but it was too dark. One thing was clear, though. Kalroth had gotten inside their home and was likely watching them.