***
The Sluagh stood at the base of the cell tower, looking up into the night sky toward the top of the structure. The tower stood at over two hundred feet, but the agile creatures had no fear of heights, for even falling from the top, though it might be painful, could not kill them.
There were a dozen of them, and they had a single objective: to inflict as much damage on the tower’s delicate antennae array as possible. Through their Queen, they had learned that, by disabling the tower’s equipment, they would ensure that the raid on the town would not be hindered by outside forces. How the Queen knew this, they did not know, and it was not their concern. She often went out alone to watch the humans and gather information. She was intelligent, and she knew the ways of the humans.
Miles away, another group was poised to take down the telephone lines which ran into the town. This, the Queen had assured them, would totally isolate the people of the town from the outside world. When the siege began, they would not be able to call upon other humans for aid.
Soon, they would have their run over the town. The only demand that the Queen had made was that the children were not to be touched. While this ran contradictory to the nature of the Sluagh, it was an acceptable arrangement due to the sheer number of victims that would be available. Also, a successful assault on the town itself would assure that the Sluagh would attain the dominant rank in the hierarchy of the Fey.
The Sluagh checked the position of the stars. It was time.
They began to ascend the tower.