Thursday, 4 September 2014

"The Beholden" - Alien sci fi horror short story





The Beholden”


Harsh invasive light moved from left to right as I looked out the gap in the door, creating shadows that ran the opposite way as it passed through the slats in the linen cupboard I was hiding in.

The towels were soft but at the same time scratchy meaning they were getting close to being at the end of their life.

 “What the hell and I thinking about towels for” I said softly to myself. The smell of detergent and fabric softener strong on my senses, as I dared to peer out between one of the lose slats to see what was going on. Only a millimeter or two but I could still make out shapes.

Oh shit! They are coming again. This is the third night in a row, what the hell am I supposed to do? I’m a fifteen year old girl in her jammies for god sake, GOD! Where are you now? I thought this sort of stuff was all made up bull, crap, as my friends would say.

 I had to endure dads Carl Sagan DVD’s about the crop circles, alien technology and markings within the cosmos and all that guff, only to now end up being one of the unwilling believers. 

Shit Mum! Where are you going, “Dad stop her” I said to myself but then saw him following right behind her.

Noise, coming from my bedroom, oh god it’s looking for me, quiet gotta be quiet, if he hears me thinking I’m stuffed. Oh no Jeremy, not Jeremy he’s only seven leave him alone. I started to cry and my eyes filled with the warm salty fluid as I watched my little brother march slowly past the door. My tears had made a silent trial to my top lip that was now securely shut by my bottom teeth. I tasted my own fear as I watched them walk slowly to the front door and out into the never yet again.

More noise, again from my room, doors slamming, my mattress and sheets now a mess on the floor, I can hear my clothes being thrown all over my room, Shhhhhh be quiet, it stopped, Christ its searching the house, oh shit it’s looking for me, I can hear it chattering like an old typewriter clanging out letters and then a faint gurgle in reply, oh shit there is two of them looking for me.

 I snuck another look, lights moving, and horrible greenish yellow lights that if you look at for too long the rays hurt the back of your eyes as it bores into your frontal lobe.

My hand slowly moved to my side so I can try and move back further into the closet but there is no room, knitting needles mums’ old aluminium knitting needles are now under my palm the cool metal feels somewhat comforting as I think of that old red sweater she made me when I was six, I loved that damn thing.

The door flew open and all I could see was what passed as a head, it was huge, bulbous and grey in colour with the slight hint of a violet or purple hue to it, right in front of me. It had slightly humanoid features just like the shows dad made me watch and a small slit where the mouth was, but only slight unremarkable holes that sat under folds of skin for a nasal cavity.

It had a look of despair on its somewhat aquatic looking face and then what I suppose passes as excitement or the Aha face you get when you find someone hiding.

 I’m frozen; my spine cold as ice, abject fear has me and then thank Christ the human survival instinct kicked in flee or fight, my right hand grasped those knitting needles and before I even realized it they were sticking out of the things huge left eye and it’s expression soon changed to one of pain and horror as it stumbled on backward facing knees. I saw my window of opportunity and took it.

I’m running as fast as my jelly legs can carry me, the front is covered, the back door, run, run, oh shit it’s locked.

Hide!

 No RUN! I can hear them clattering behind me looking talking.

The laundry window is open, run, the windows open half way get out, freedom, run, oh shit!

I hear Screams! My screams

So cold so very cold, Oh shit not again, tears now were streaming down my face getting in my ears. I’m awake and  on a cold, I think metallic table, naked, trapped, held in place by some force I can’t explain, they are looking at me three of them tall strange looking things wearing something that could be a tight fitting suit, maybe, an almost organic thing that looks like a syringe in one of the things so called clawed hands, oh Jesus get away from there, that’s not for anyone, pain or is this hell, I can feel the warmth as I start to piss myself.

Oh dear god, mum, dad someone I scream as they insert something into me, it’s cold and it’s moving, oh god its moving! Tears were now a constant stream almost creating a furrow down my face.

I black out.

My room is in that not cold not warm, tepid state and the morning light was dappled as it often was when you just see the sun rays pierce through the new mornings clouds.

 My stomach hurts and I think I need to puke, I got up and slowly made my way to the toilet at the end of the hall, ah that’s not right, I look down blood, I only just finished two weeks ago! I thought to myself.

“Mum can you get me some pads please?” A flash as I went cold something hit me in my mind’s eye a figure, cold, nasty. I felt my abdomen as the pain inside threatened to double me over as it hit me again.

I placed the palm of my right hand on the area just above my pubic bone, I had a flash of pain and my body trembled with blood that had turned ice cold as a new fear hit me.

It was then I felt it move inside me!




Copyright - Graeme Hawke 2014

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