AEON
Someone shouted and everyone turned toward the sound. A strange creature had appeared at the edge of the clearing. At the blink of an eye another one appeared and then another. Soon there were thirty or more of the creatures standing in a circle around them. The things were like something out of a horror movie. Their legs were long and slender and bent back like a kangaroo. Their arms were muscular and ended in three long fingers. At the end of each finger were long sharp claws. Their bodies were thin and muscular and above that, they had a long neck, and a tear shaped head. One of them twisted its upper body completely to the back without moving its lower half.
The head reminded Kevin of a giant version of the praying mantas from Earth. It had no hair and its skin was a light green. A membrane of clear skin flashed up and down over the huge dark green eyes and it had two slits where its nose should have been. Under the slits was a vicious looking mouth full of razor sharp teeth. A clear slime dripped from one corner of the creature’s mouth and a long tongue darted in and out. One of the creatures extended its legs and rose to well over six feet.
Everyone in the group quickly made a circle. Kevin’s mouth felt like cotton as he held his sphere out. Were these the creatures that built the ship, but they had no weapons. They didn’t even wear clothing.
Suddenly one of the creatures jumped from the ground to a limb of a nearby tree. The limb was over twenty or so feet above the ground. Even in the lighter gravity, it was quiet a jump. It balanced there easily, turning its ugly head from side to side. Then leaning down toward the others, it began to make sharp hissing and chirping sounds. The sounds were familiar, and then Kevin realized that it sounded like the bat things. The other creatures turned their heads up as the creature continued its rhetoric and then turned sharply back to the humans. Without warning, they begin to jump in toward the humans and then back out again. The chirping sounds became louder and louder. Each jump brought them closer.
Mike was the first one to speak. “Try for their belly!” he yelled. The creatures stopped in their tracks at the sound of the human voice and stood there, turning their heads back and forth. Then the one on the limb make a sharp chirping sound and the creatures begin their onslaught again.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Coming Soon.
A CRY IN THE DARK
Jennifer woke in complete darkness. She was on her stomach and her hands were under her. Everything about her hurt; her head throbbed, her mouth was dry, her wrists and hands were on fire and the side of her face hurt. She slowly realized that her hands were tied, and she was on a carpet floor. She could hear the throbbing of engines. There were other faint sounds a long way off. Then she realized that she was in a tiny room or closet. There was a tiny slit of light coming from under a closed door. After several tries she managed to turn over on her back. It relieved the pain in her face. Her wrists were tied to the front and they were too tight. The last thing she remembered was parking in the parking garage below the FBI building. Another car had bumped her car in the back. Two men got out of the other car and approached. She remembered hiding her cell phone somewhere; she couldn’t remember where. Everything was still fuzzy. She had opened the car door to get out, but one of the men had pushed her back inside. She tried to fight back but then a strange tasting mist floated toward her.
Jennifer held her breath. She heard voices. They were faint at first and then grew louder. The language wasn’t English, but she recognized the dialect. It was Arabic. The she realized something else. The floor was moving. A terror began to crawl through her guts. The movement was a rocking motion. She was on a boat. A door opened and light blinded her. She felt hands pulling her to her feet. She was dragged down a short hallway and forced through a metal door. Inside was a bunk bed and next to the bed was a small table with food and water. She was untied and thrown on the bed. A metal bracelet was slipped over her wrist. A length of chain was attached to the chain. The shadowy figures left. There was a light behind her and she turned toward the light. It was a porthole. She could see blue sky. Jennifer stood on the bed and pressed her face against the cool glass. There was water as far as she could see. It was a beautiful clear day. Jennifer jumped from the bed and started toward the door, but the chain stopped her.
Jennifer’s eyes adjusted to the light from the porthole. She was starving; she turned to the food and began to cram it into her mouth. It was a sandwich of some sort. She reached for the water and felt the coolness of the liquid as it wet her dry throat. Jennifer leaned back against the wall. She could feel the nourishment flowing through her body. She finally fell back on the hard mattress and felt something inside her bra. She pulled the cell phone out and began to laugh. She couldn’t stop. It was a release from the terror of the kidnapping, from the fear. It was hope that the phone could give her a way out. She tried to dial but there was no signal. She quickly turned the phone off. She had to conserve the batteries. She drew her knees up tight against her stomach and began to cry. “Oh God Tom, please find me, please!
A CRY IN THE DARK
Jennifer woke in complete darkness. She was on her stomach and her hands were under her. Everything about her hurt; her head throbbed, her mouth was dry, her wrists and hands were on fire and the side of her face hurt. She slowly realized that her hands were tied, and she was on a carpet floor. She could hear the throbbing of engines. There were other faint sounds a long way off. Then she realized that she was in a tiny room or closet. There was a tiny slit of light coming from under a closed door. After several tries she managed to turn over on her back. It relieved the pain in her face. Her wrists were tied to the front and they were too tight. The last thing she remembered was parking in the parking garage below the FBI building. Another car had bumped her car in the back. Two men got out of the other car and approached. She remembered hiding her cell phone somewhere; she couldn’t remember where. Everything was still fuzzy. She had opened the car door to get out, but one of the men had pushed her back inside. She tried to fight back but then a strange tasting mist floated toward her.
Jennifer held her breath. She heard voices. They were faint at first and then grew louder. The language wasn’t English, but she recognized the dialect. It was Arabic. The she realized something else. The floor was moving. A terror began to crawl through her guts. The movement was a rocking motion. She was on a boat. A door opened and light blinded her. She felt hands pulling her to her feet. She was dragged down a short hallway and forced through a metal door. Inside was a bunk bed and next to the bed was a small table with food and water. She was untied and thrown on the bed. A metal bracelet was slipped over her wrist. A length of chain was attached to the chain. The shadowy figures left. There was a light behind her and she turned toward the light. It was a porthole. She could see blue sky. Jennifer stood on the bed and pressed her face against the cool glass. There was water as far as she could see. It was a beautiful clear day. Jennifer jumped from the bed and started toward the door, but the chain stopped her.
Jennifer’s eyes adjusted to the light from the porthole. She was starving; she turned to the food and began to cram it into her mouth. It was a sandwich of some sort. She reached for the water and felt the coolness of the liquid as it wet her dry throat. Jennifer leaned back against the wall. She could feel the nourishment flowing through her body. She finally fell back on the hard mattress and felt something inside her bra. She pulled the cell phone out and began to laugh. She couldn’t stop. It was a release from the terror of the kidnapping, from the fear. It was hope that the phone could give her a way out. She tried to dial but there was no signal. She quickly turned the phone off. She had to conserve the batteries. She drew her knees up tight against her stomach and began to cry. “Oh God Tom, please find me, please!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The Three Puppets
The old man pushed the hold button, and checking the hallway, moved to a space without blood. Leaning against the elevator wall, he pulled his shoes off and placed them in the bag. He pulled a slipper from a side pocket and another one from the other pocket. He slipped them on and sticking his head out into the hallway again, looked both ways. Then staying clear of the blood, he stepped into the hallway. His gloved hand reached back in and pressed the down button.
He didn’t want to track blood, Mark thought dully. The elevator doors closed, and Mark felt its surge as it dropped for the lobby. Oh God! He cried silently. Oh God!
His right foot moved, and he could turn his head. The sightless eyes of the young woman stared at him. Mark quickly shifted his eyes from one to the other. All of them were dead. He felt the elevator come to a stop. His eyes jerked up as the elevator doors opened slowly, like in a slow motion dream.
Outside the elevator was a ring of faces, faces filled with shock and disbelief, and then horror. Screams and shouts filled the air, and then the faces were gone.
Mark could move a little more now. He tried to shake his hand, to rid himself of the cursed gun, but his fingers wouldn’t move. The elevator doors shut, and then opened again. He looked up as more shouts sounded from the lobby. Blue uniforms appeared all around the door. They were shouting at him to drop the gun. Suddenly, he could feel his legs. Mark tried to push himself to his feet. The shouts came louder and more urgent. They wanted him to get rid of the gun, the dreaded thing hanging like a dead weight from his fingers. His lips began to move, and
he could whisper.
“I can’t,” he whispered. He made his tongue move again, trying to say it louder, but it was still only a whisper. They would never hear him.
Gunfire sounded and something pushed at his arm; the same arm with the gun. Another gunshot sounded, and he was falling sideways down the elevator wall. He blinked his eyes, but the dim light turned to blackness, and he felt himself falling into its depths. The last thing he remembered was the cursed gun slipping from his hand.
The old man pushed the hold button, and checking the hallway, moved to a space without blood. Leaning against the elevator wall, he pulled his shoes off and placed them in the bag. He pulled a slipper from a side pocket and another one from the other pocket. He slipped them on and sticking his head out into the hallway again, looked both ways. Then staying clear of the blood, he stepped into the hallway. His gloved hand reached back in and pressed the down button.
He didn’t want to track blood, Mark thought dully. The elevator doors closed, and Mark felt its surge as it dropped for the lobby. Oh God! He cried silently. Oh God!
His right foot moved, and he could turn his head. The sightless eyes of the young woman stared at him. Mark quickly shifted his eyes from one to the other. All of them were dead. He felt the elevator come to a stop. His eyes jerked up as the elevator doors opened slowly, like in a slow motion dream.
Outside the elevator was a ring of faces, faces filled with shock and disbelief, and then horror. Screams and shouts filled the air, and then the faces were gone.
Mark could move a little more now. He tried to shake his hand, to rid himself of the cursed gun, but his fingers wouldn’t move. The elevator doors shut, and then opened again. He looked up as more shouts sounded from the lobby. Blue uniforms appeared all around the door. They were shouting at him to drop the gun. Suddenly, he could feel his legs. Mark tried to push himself to his feet. The shouts came louder and more urgent. They wanted him to get rid of the gun, the dreaded thing hanging like a dead weight from his fingers. His lips began to move, and
he could whisper.
“I can’t,” he whispered. He made his tongue move again, trying to say it louder, but it was still only a whisper. They would never hear him.
Gunfire sounded and something pushed at his arm; the same arm with the gun. Another gunshot sounded, and he was falling sideways down the elevator wall. He blinked his eyes, but the dim light turned to blackness, and he felt himself falling into its depths. The last thing he remembered was the cursed gun slipping from his hand.
TheHunters
THE HUNTERS
The man, if you could call him that, darted around the patch of trees and slid down the steep gully on the other side. He had a thick beard and long dirty looking hair and his clothing was little more than a tattered shirt and cut off jeans. He was more of an animal than a man, darting for cover at the slightest sound, his head moving from side to side trying to catch the slightest movement and the constant sniffing the air for any strange order. He climbed the almost straight up grade on the other side effortlessly and moved smoothly, silently through the thicket of small bushes and trees near the top of the grade. Reaching the top, the man squatted like an animal and studied his back trail with a pair of worn field glasses.
He mumbled softly to himself as he scanned the woods, jerking the glasses back as he caught a movement. Suddenly the still air was broken by a dreadful sound. It wasn’t a howl but close to it. It was their way of talking. In the distance he heard several of the hunters answer from areas spaced well apart. They were in a giant semi circle and were drawing it tighter and tighter.
They had his scent now. It would only be a matter of time. Then he saw the thing merge from the forest on the other side. It stood close to seven feet tall and must have weighed over four hundred pounds. It had a small head for its body but the mouth was massive and full of razor sharp teeth. The head looked something like the dinosaurs from Earths past. The body stood on two muscular legs. It had two huge almost human looking arms and a long neck that led to the head. The neck moved back and forth like a giant snake. The thing could tear a humans head off with one rake of it razor sharp teeth, and the man had seen it happen. The thing raised its head and sniffed the air. Then it turned and its large yellow eyes looked straight at him. The man squirmed deeper into the soft pine needles. The monster opened its mouth, revealing a long flickering tongue. Slime dripped onto the forest floor. It would wait there for the others and then close for the kill.
The man, if you could call him that, darted around the patch of trees and slid down the steep gully on the other side. He had a thick beard and long dirty looking hair and his clothing was little more than a tattered shirt and cut off jeans. He was more of an animal than a man, darting for cover at the slightest sound, his head moving from side to side trying to catch the slightest movement and the constant sniffing the air for any strange order. He climbed the almost straight up grade on the other side effortlessly and moved smoothly, silently through the thicket of small bushes and trees near the top of the grade. Reaching the top, the man squatted like an animal and studied his back trail with a pair of worn field glasses.
He mumbled softly to himself as he scanned the woods, jerking the glasses back as he caught a movement. Suddenly the still air was broken by a dreadful sound. It wasn’t a howl but close to it. It was their way of talking. In the distance he heard several of the hunters answer from areas spaced well apart. They were in a giant semi circle and were drawing it tighter and tighter.
They had his scent now. It would only be a matter of time. Then he saw the thing merge from the forest on the other side. It stood close to seven feet tall and must have weighed over four hundred pounds. It had a small head for its body but the mouth was massive and full of razor sharp teeth. The head looked something like the dinosaurs from Earths past. The body stood on two muscular legs. It had two huge almost human looking arms and a long neck that led to the head. The neck moved back and forth like a giant snake. The thing could tear a humans head off with one rake of it razor sharp teeth, and the man had seen it happen. The thing raised its head and sniffed the air. Then it turned and its large yellow eyes looked straight at him. The man squirmed deeper into the soft pine needles. The monster opened its mouth, revealing a long flickering tongue. Slime dripped onto the forest floor. It would wait there for the others and then close for the kill.
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