This choice: Too much TV sends you to sleep. • Go Back...Chapter #6Too much TV sends you to sleep. by: Saracen1187   A half hour later, Veronica was soaking in the tub, and her two daughters were still sitting on the couch, Rebecca was now watching cartoons and her sister Melissa was sat next to her, legs crossed, texting to another friend on her mobile phone. She looked up occasionally and shook her head when she heard her father and uncle shouting in the next room. “Men!” she muttered under her breath in clear disapproval.
Veronica was quietly humming away to herself in the bath as she continued relaxing her body in the lavender and herb treated water, the aromatic scent that pervaded her nasal cavity had helped her drift off into a semi-conscious state.
Meanwhile in the next room, the hockey game on TV had finished, but flicking through the channels…Ben had found a replay of a baseball game between the Red Sox and the Braves. He and his brother had watched the game live yesterday but were prepared to sit through it again, such was their love of sports.
And across the room, a focused Jason was on the next to last level of God of War on his PSP, and nothing it seemed was going to distract him.
“Aww now that was out, someone should get that umpire some freakin’ glasses and a couple of brain cells” Ben growled, having seen a Braves player reach third base.
“Someone probably bribed the asshole!” Robert then grumbled, shaking his head, as the next Atlanta hitter stepped up to the plate.
As Robert yawned and had a good stretch, a peculiar, unseen haze began descending from the ceiling in both rooms, emanating from the sprinkler heads. The gas that was slowly being pumped into the room had an effect almost immediately. Ben slumped back into his seat, and continued mumbling abuse at the TV before finally lapsing into unconsciousness.
Robert lasted a little longer, but he too succumbed to the effects of the gas, falling asleep next to his brother. While Jason, being so focused on his game…was the last to go, he vainly tried to keep his eyes open, but he soon collapsed onto the table, his PSP remaining switched on.
Meanwhile, in the next room, Rebecca had already been half asleep when the gas was released into the room, it took only a few seconds for her to pass out. Melissa proved remarkably resilient at first, as she feverishly text her friend about the ‘shithole’ of a hotel she was stuck in. But after a minute’s exposure to the gas, Melissa found her vision going blurry, unable to see the keys on her phone…she decided to put off sending the message while later. But before she could put her phone away, she slumped over the arm of the couch unconscious.
And in the bathroom, the girls’ mother Veronica was just getting out of the bath when the gas started having its effect on her. “Oooh, must have stood up too quick” she muttered to herself, as she tried supporting herself on the sink. She then held her head and tried keeping her eyes open, before ultimately collapsing to the floor next to her clothes, a large white towel loosely wrapped around her body.
For another five minutes or so, the gas was allowed to permeate every corner of both rooms, and it hung in the air even after the valves were closed. The built-in ventilation system was then activated and the gas was sucked out of the two rooms. Several more minutes passed before a hidden panel slid open and several masked individuals entered the two rooms. One by one…the members of the Higgins family were then carried off through the open panel, which led to a narrow, dimly-lit corridor and a spiral staircase going down several floors.
While just about to exit the room, one of the masked men suddenly glanced behind him as Melissa’s phone started ringing, he slowly walked over to it and picked it up. He waited until it stopped ringing, then he gently put it down on the arm of the couch...before leaving the room and closing the panel behind him.
‘1 missed call’……
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