Payback Barn by Elizabeth Obadina

Torn and twisted the woman lay broken on the earth floor. Old hay bales and black pellets scattered about her body and Employment Tribunal summons fluttered from an open case whilst an Apple Mac flickered out its last charge. Shafts of morning sunlight cut between broken rafters illuminating ancient oak columns dribbled white. An upside-down chest, missing its bottom drawer hung from the barn wall and a brand-new Tesla was wedged in mud after the woman’s attempts to reverse it into the open barn door the previous evening had failed. She had misread the satnav guidance to the country hotel that was her temporary home, failed to U-turn and had been stuck in the middle of nowhere.

The woman moaned and rolled on to her good arm. The not-so good one hung limply in the ripped Versace jacket. She pushed herself to sitting and fumbled for her mobile phone – still no signal. Last night she had tried climbing higher in search of a signal – and rescue - but had been attacked.

She felt yesterday’s escape from shrieking banshees with terrifying flat white faces was yet another sign that she was one of humanity’s chosen ones, a super special being meant for higher things. A lesser mortal would have died.

Someone would find her soon. The Tesla would be sending out emergency signals and there must be search parties out looking for her. Meanwhile she could work on the reasons she’d fired half of the long-standing staff members she found lazing in the latest school she’d had to save. With her one good arm she stretched for the laptop, gathered the papers she could reach and started reading.

Watching from their nesting chest above her, a mother barn owl and four large owlets eyed the terrifying being who’d attacked their home the previous evening with a silent tractor and who’d then scrambled high holding a glittering stone aloft – aiming for their nesting chest. They’d escaped with a great deal of fluttering and shrieking and the beast had fallen – but not for long. In the morning light the monster was stirring and the owls were on high alert.

Twenty miles away, the staff of High Ridge Academy breathed a sigh of relief as it became apparent that their new principal was not going to attend the morning briefing. The sun was shining brightly and for the first time in months and months teachers began their day’s work with smiles, cheerful chatter and a profound sense of release.