EXTRACT FOR
Ganged By Gremlins
(Anna Mann)

An hour later and she was on the road with all her windows down, reggaeton blasting out from the stereo that she'd had installed the previous afternoon. Everything was right in her world, for a couple of years she'd had a pretty lean time, there weren't that many well-paid jobs around, and although racism was supposed to be a thing of the past she'd constantly been overlooked at job interviews in favour of less qualified, but decidedly paler skinned candidates. But her patience and persistence had paid off as she landed a position in the administration offices of a major publisher.

I've got a great job, and now I've got a great car too she thought as she turned the music down and left the main road to follow a narrow country lane. Sandra had no idea where she was heading, she was leaving everything to chance. And I don't know where I'm going to stop, but I'll know the perfect place when I spot it.

That's a strange sound she thought, with the music volume reduced she could hear something like a scratching coming from behind her. It's like there's an animal trapped in the back, trying to claw its way out. She wondered if a cat had managed to crawl into the trunk, or a rat she thought with a shudder. The next place I find to pull over I'll check she decided. The scratching sound returned, muffled this time, yet closer. 

Whatever it is has got under the back seat she told herself, the padding was muffling the sound.

"Now this is getting spooky!" she declared, another sound very similar had just emerged from under the dashboard in front of her. It has to be rats she thought, a whole family of them.

Sandra spotted a field gate ahead and began to slow, at exactly the same moment the engine coughed, quickly she pushed on the clutch and coasted as the engine misfired.

Now I find out that this car wasn't quite the bargain I thought she told herself as the engine died just as she pulled off the lane and into the gateway.

She turned the ignition key. No lights glowed on the dashboard and there wasn't even a click from the starter motor.

I think the electrics are dead she told herself as she popped the bonnet, she didn't know what she could do, but decided she had to look in case it was something obvious, she didn't want to call for help only to find that a battery lead had come loose.

Behind her the scratching sound returned. I'll look at the front first she decided, then find out what's trapped in the back.