WITHIN THE DARKENED FOREST
It was
another busy day at the Armstrong Detective Agency and lead detective
Lewis Thompson had called the two newest employees, Henry Williams
and Jake Robert, to his office. “Sir you called for us?” asked
Williams. Thompson stood up from his desk. “Yes I did. Have a
seat.” Williams and Robert went up to Thompson's desk and sat down
in the two small chairs facing it. Then they folded their arms and
began listening to what Thompson had to say.
“You
see guys, over the past week more than five people have gone missing
in the Armstrong forest and none of their bodies have been found.”
“Sounds like a normal event to me. Especially around here,” said
Williams. Thompson nodded. “Yes but the interesting thing is that
when their family members and friends were questioned, it was
revealed that all of them were huge science fiction fans and huge
believers in the Armstrong Alien myth. We believe that the alien is
located in the forest, hunting and killing locals.”
Robert
stopped Thompson from going further. “Wow, wow, wow slow down. Okay
so you're telling us that a local myth is real and is hunting science
fiction fans in the local forest? Am I correct?” he asked. “I
know it sounds hard to believe but all the evidence is here in this
folder,” Thompson said as he plopped a thick file folder down on
the desk. Williams and Robert opened the folders and began looking
through the papers. There were live images of a blurry figure
standing around the site where the victims were killed. There were
also sample illustrations of the mythological alien that matched up
with
descriptions from the death sites.
“Local
citizens have appointed me to journey into the forest to try and
capture the alien. However I cannot accomplish this on my own and
need some help, so I was wondering if you two would tag along with
me.” Both Williams and Robert perked their heads up at this. There
was a minute silence before Williams spoke up. “Sir I don't know
who you are to not only accept this task, but ask us to tag along. I
mean nobody has traveled more than five of the two hundred miles into
the forest in the last twenty years. And the fact that there may be a
mythological alien lurking around doesn't help. I mean what's next?
You're going to ask us to help you hunt down Bigfoot or the Loch Ness
Monster or Pegasus the Flying horse?”
Thompson
nodded. “I understand. It sounds ridiculous. Dangerous too. But we
need to do this. The entire town is in hysterics and will continue to
be until we at least find the bodies of these men.” He remained
silent for a moment, then got up from his desk and walked up so that
he was looking Williams and Roberts directly in the eye. “Listen.
If you tag with me on this mission you will get a 25,000 dollar
raise, plus you will be promoted to staff detectives.” He then got
up and walked over to the door. “I'll let you two make up your
minds in peace.” He then left the room.
The
second he was gone, Williams and Robert tried to make their decision.
“Jake if we go through with this we may never see our families
again. There’s a vicious alien lurking around the forest, tons of
wild animals that could kill us as well, rotting willow trees that
could hammer us into the ground, and broken stumps and sinkholes that
could make us fall and break our necks. We can't go,” said
Williams. Robert shook his head. “I get that this is a dangerous
mission but we need the money and the status. I mean isn't 25,000
dollars much better than 5,000?” Williams sunk his face into his
palms. He remained in deep though for about twenty minutes. He then
looked up and stared Robert directly in the eye. “Okay. We'll do
it.”
Thompson
was standing in the hallway, looking at his watch, when Williams and
Robert came out. They walked over to him and looked him right in the
eye. “Well?” Thompson asked. Williams and Robert looked at each
other, then looked back at Thompson. “We accept.” Thompson was
silent for a
moment.
Then, a grin started to grow on his face. It grew so large that it
looked like he was going to burst his cheeks. “I'm glad you're
coming,” he said. He grabbed Williams and Robert by the arms and
started pulling them down the hallway. “We'll need to pack the
essentials. Food, water, extra clothing. But we'll also need to bring
a variety of other things. A large net, pistols, rifles, knives,
clubs …” As he continued listing, Williams and Robert looked at
each other and smiled nervously, starting to regret their decision.
The
three detectives gathered the supplies they needed into a small jeep.
They then boarded it and drove to the Armstrong forest. The opening
trail was blocked off with crime tape and there were warning signs
everywhere. “I don't like the look of this,” said Robert as
Thompson got out of the jeep to cut down the crime tape. When he was
finished, he got back in and began the deadly drive. For three
straight hours the detectives saw nothing. No moving object of any
kind. However they did have some unfortunate encounters with falling
trees and quicksand.
Suddenly,
Thompson stopped driving. The jeep slammed to a stop, throwing
Williams and Robert forward. They managed to untangle themselves and
sit back up. “What in God's good name was that about?” asked
Williams. Thompson raised a finger. “We're about to pass the five
mile mark,” he said. Williams and Robert looked forward and saw the
gray marker that marked the five miles that had been explored. They
were now going into uncharted territories. Their lives were now in
full risk. Thompson took a deep breath. “Alright … here we go.”
He started up the jeep again and began the drive into the place that
very well may be the sight of their deaths.
As he
drove, Thompson turned over to Williams and Robert. “Now that we're
in dangerous
territory
I need you guys to start loading the weapons,” he said. Williams
and Robert nodded and started taking out the guns and ammunition from
the big black sack in the back of the jeep. They began loading the
guns with the ammunition clips.
As
Thompson drove on, all three of the began more and more scared. The
trees in the woods became much thinner, taller, and rotten. Sounds of
vicious animals ran out. More and more mud grew. Another four hours
of driving and not seeing any dead bodies or aliens passed.
Eventually dusk was setting upon the three lonely detectives. They
had packed no blankets or pillows so they couldn't rest. And if they
did, they would run the risk of being the next victims of the alien.
So all
that the three detectives could do was take out the perishable food
that they had packed and have a snack. “Are you getting tired of
driving?” Williams asked Thompson. Thompson nodded. “Why don't we
switch?” So Thompson stopped the jeep and traded places with
Williams. Williams started up the jeep again and continued driving
through the dark and gloomy forest. Two hours later, the jeep came to
a an area that looked quite pleasant compared to the other areas they
had crossed. There were only a few willow trees spread across the
boundaries and between the two groves was nothing more then open,
grassy land. The only problem was that the land was tilted to the
side, forming a light hill. This wouldn't be a problem except that
the jeep was a lot lighter than any other vehicle in the area.
Thompson was worried and tried to direct Williams. “Now I want you
to go real slow and try to keep as close to the bottom of the hill as
possible. You got that?” Williams nodded and slowly began driving
across the hill.
“I
told you to stay as close to the bottom as possible!” yelled
Thompson. “I'm trying but the bottom is blocked by those old
stumps,” replied Williams. He was clearly getting stressed out and
started rocking the jeep back and forth in anger. “Calm down
Henry,” said Robert as he put his hand on Williams's shoulder.
Williams shrugged the hand off and continued driving. Suddenly, the
wheel hit a
stump
hidden by the wavy grass. The jeep lurched forward, tipping over
frontwards and sending all three of the detectives flying through the
air and landing on the patch of tree stumps. They cried out in pain
as their backs and bellies were cut by the sharp pieces of wood
sticking out of the centers of the stumps.
Williams
tried to force himself up, but he only tripped over a twig running
from one stump to another. He flew forward again and landed face
first into a mud puddle. For a moment he just laid there silently.
Then he moved his arm forward and rubbed him forehead. He opened his
mouth to spit out the
mud that
had been forced into his mouth. However when he did this he didn't
taste the earthy, rich, rocky taste of normal mud. No this mud tasted
much different. It was salty and metallic with a sweet aftertaste.
This wasn't mud. This was … blood!
Williams
instantly jumped up and put his hands in his mouth. When he pulled
them out he indeed saw the dark, thick sight of blood. He screamed
and started spitting and wiping his mouth out with his shirt. He
looked around to try and find the source of the blood. Then he saw
it. A gruesome, sickening sight. A severed arm sitting in the mud
puddle with blood and tissue flowing out from several cuts and
depressions in the rotting flesh. Williams slowly turned away and
vomited into the grass. Thompson and Robert managed to get themselves
up from the stumps and walk over to see what had happened. Once they
saw the grotesque limb, they too turned away and vomited.
Once he
managed to get over himself, Thompson inched his way over to the limb
and picked it up. A stream of fresh blood spurted out onto his hand
and flew out onto the grass. Thompson dropped the hand back into the
mud puddle. It was then that he realized something … else sitting
in the mud. He couldn't quite make it out due to the darkness and the
dirt covering it. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and reached
down to pick it up.
He felt
the slimy texture of mud mixed with old, crusty blood. Then he felt
something else.
Something
spiky and greasy. Hair. He held his breath and proceeded to lift the
severed head of Jimmy Henderson out from the puddle. Thompson
screamed louder than he had ever screamed in his life. He then tossed
the head to the side, forcing it into the arms of Williams. Williams
too, screamed and threw the head to the side. This time it landed in
the arms of Robert who screamed as well. It then became a game of
basketball as all three of the detectives passed Jimmy Henderson's
skull and brains into each others arms. Finally, Thompson made a move
and used his hand to smack the head out of reach. It went flying
through the air, and then fell down onto one of the stumps. The head
exploded, spilling brain matter and blood onto the faces of the three
terrified detectives.
For
about five minutes, all three of them stared in shock and disturbance
at the rotting head laying on the stump. They managed to catch their
breath and then turn over and stare at each other with wild
expressions. Then, they broke out into laughter. Simple, friendly
laughter. The situation that they had just gotten themselves into was
so absurd, that they couldn't help but laugh.
However
the laughter was halted when Robert gasped out in pain and collapsed
onto the ground, a bloody mark on the back of his head. Thompson and
Williams knelt down and managed to lift their friend up. It was
revealed that he had been knocked out. While Thompson dried to revive
him, Williams ran over to the jeep and took out one of the loaded
pistols. Then he began searching around for the attacker. “Hello?
Come out right now or I'll shoot you!” he said. “Hello?”
Suddenly, he tripped over something. But it wasn't a stump. Oh no not
at all. Williams bent over to pick it up.
It was a
hammer. A small, hand held carpentry hammer. Blood rested on the
head, making it obvious that this tool was used to knock out Robert.
Williams ran over to Thompson and showed him the hammer. Thompson
pressed it against the back of Robert’s head. The hammer head and
the mark on Robert’s head matched. Suddenly, rustling was heard
from the bushes nearby. Thompson hid Robert and Williams pointed his
gun forward. However the rustling had stopped. Williams was just
about to let
his guard
down when something lurched out of the bushes. Williams didn't have
time to stop and see what it was. He screamed in terror and fired
five shots into the living object, which sunk down into the grass.
Williams waited for a few seconds, then began inching his way toward
whatever it was that he had shot. He discovered that it wasn't an
alien, it was a coyote.
After
that unfortunate episode, Williams and Thompson gathered the weapons,
food, and water
from the
jeep. They removed the guns and ammunition from the sack and put
Robert inside. They used the clothes they had packed to stop the
bleeding from his head and give him warmth. After that, they strapped
the weapons to their bodies, shoved the food and water bottles into
their pockets, and started hiking on through the forest. They were
forced to carry Robert like a stretcher. One carrying one end and the
other carrying the other. They were forced to due this as they hiked
through quicksand and mud puddles, climbed over rotting logs, and
swept through grassy fields. Eventually, they had to take a break and
rest, but this was about the time that dawn was arriving. They
decided to camp out in front of a big birch tree in the middle of
another grassy field. They drank the now warm water from the bottles
and ate the crumbled fruit from the packages. About twenty minutes
later, Robert regained consciousness.
“What
did I miss?” he asked. “Only us carrying your beefy body through
twelve miles of misery,” answered Williams in an angry, yet
humorous voice. Robert laughed and rubbed the back of his head. “What
happened to me?” he asked. “Oh someone … or something, threw a
hammer into the back of your head,” answered Thompson. “Ouch,”
said Robert. Williams began to chuckle. “Jake remember when your
wife came to work and told me that you were overweight?” “Yeah.”
“Well I never believed her until about three hours ago. The three
of them broke into another fit of laughter. In fact they laughed so
hard that they didn't even hear the snapping of branches from above.
As they
continued to laugh, something dropped down onto Williams's head.
Something …
heavy.
Something … fat. Something … wet. Williams felt the top of his
head. He felt a thick liquid. He brought his hand back down and saw
blood running down it. He slowly looked up and saw Daniel
Richardson's entire body, head and all, sitting on top of him. All
three detectives screamed and jumped up. They began scrambling
around, trying to get away. It was revealed that Richardson's eyes
had been gouged out along with his face being slashed a number of
times. The terrified detectives continued to run and scream.
Eventually they calmed down.
Williams
shook his head. “Oh we are such animals. Barn animals. Getting
worked up about everything. Eh Jake?” Robert nodded. “You can
say that again.” “Eh Lewis?” Williams asked. There was no
reply. “I said eh Lewis?” There was still no reply. Williams and
Robert spun around to see Thompson … gone. Suddenly, screams ran
out. Williams and Robert looked to the side, just in time to see
Thompson be dragged into a grove of apple trees by an unseen figure.
“Lewis!” shouted Williams. “We've got to help him!” said
Robert. “Yeah,” replied Williams. He looked around for something
to do. It was then that he remembered the guns across his chest. He
pulled out a rifle for himself, and a pistol for Robert. The two
loaded their guns, then started running the direction where Thompson
was pulled away.
They ran
as fast as they could through the apple grove. They had to jump over
more dead logs and walk through more mud but they didn't care. They
were off to save not only their boss, but their friend too. As the
two got further and further into the apple grove, the screams of
Thompson began to grow again. They grew louder and louder until they
could actually be made out. Williams and Robert got through the apple
orchard and started into another grassy field. They saw a very
disturbing sight: their boss and friend, Lewis Thompson, hanging from
a tree, his shoulder slit and his forehead caved in. He was still
alive but barely. Below him were countless dead bodies. All but two
of the science fiction fans were there, along with people that had
been marked dead for decades.
“Help
me!” Thompson managed to say in his slurred voice. Williams and
Robert ran over and tried to untie the ropes that were hanging him
up. However they were tied in pretty good. Williams then took a
pocket knife from his pocket and used that to cut his friend down.
They tried to help him up so they could run away but he had lost too
much blood to do so. Robert took out some of the bloody rags that had
been used to bandage himself, and used them to apply pressure to
Thompson's wounds. As he did that, Williams stood on guard. There
seemed to be nothing. Nothing living nearby except for him and
colleagues.
Then, he
saw it. The most terrifying sight he would ever see in his entire
life. The Armstrong alien, rising up from under the ground, fork and
knife in hand. He had clearly been planning to eat Thompson. Williams
couldn't say anything. To see illustrations of a monster was one
thing. But to see a monster in person was another.
The
alien was not pleased that two detectives were stealing its
breakfast. It grumbled and growled, them began running toward
Williams at an amazing, supernatural speed. Williams managed to
scream and run over to Robert and Thompson. Robert looked up from his
medical work and saw the alien for himself. “Oh my god,” he said.
He then turned over to Williams. “What are we going to do?”
Williams held Robert close and whispered into his ear. “If you take
Thompson and try and run all the way back to where the jeep is, you
can turn it back over and start it up. I'll stay here and hold the
alien off, then join you later.” Robert looked concerned. “But
that's such a long walk.” Suddenly, a loud grumble was heard and
the two detectives spun around to see the alien almost upon them.
“There isn't any other choice!” shouted Williams. “Okay, okay,
okay,” said Robert as he ran over to Thompson, picked him up, slung
him across his shoulder, and started running back through the apple
orchard.
Meanwhile,
Williams was firing at the alien to try and hold it back. He shot it
several times and each time, grotesque blue blood spurted out from
the point of impact. But that didn't stop the alien. In
fact it
barely even noticed that it was being shot at. Williams continued
firing until he was out of bullets. He tried to reload but by then
the alien was now upon him. He dropped the gun and ammunition clip,
and ran forward at the alien. He took it full on, tackling it to the
ground and punching it repeatedly. The alien tried to fight of the
blows with his fork and knife, but Williams simply punched them out
of its hands. Williams continued to punch the alien over and over
again. However he eventually stopped due to exhaustion. When he tried
to catch his breath, a sharp stick ripped its way out of the alien's
abdomen and planet itself into Williams' instead. Williams gasped in
pain and shock. He clutched his stomach to pull it out, but the alien
forced it in even further with its twenty toed foot. Williams fell
off of the alien, spitting blood.
While he
lay there in pain and misery, the alien stood up, brushed itself off,
picked up its fork and knife, and prepared to bring them down upon
Williams. The scream of Williams was heard by Robert, who was now
halfway out of the apple orchard with Thompson. He laid Thompson down
beside a tree, then started running back the way he came. When he
finally ran out of the apple orchard and re-entered the field, he saw
the alien beating Williams with its utensils. Robert ran forward and
tackled the alien to the ground, letting out a battle cry as he did
so. The alien gasped and sputtered as it took more blows to its fat
body. Williams managed to get back up and help Robert beat the alien.
They
continued to slap and kick the creature until Robert gasped and
rolled off of it. Williams saw that the alien had sunk his fork into
Robert’s stomach, slicing it open and spilling entrails out.
Williams was too distracted by his friend's grotesque injury, that he
didn't notice the alien get up and charge at him. He let out a gasp
of surprise as the alien jumped onto him and threw him to the ground.
The alien then gave him a taste of his own medicine and began
punching and kicking him. However Williams used his fingers to pinch
the alien in the heart-like ball located in its throat. That seemed
to weaken the creature and it rolled off of Williams. A large tumble
then ensued as the alien and Williams
rolled
around in the grass. Eventually Williams managed to pin the alien to
the ground so it could not regain power over him. He proceeded to
punch the alien in the face harder than he had ever done before.
The
alien wasn't focused on Williams though. Instead it inched its way
over to Robert and sunk its twenty fingered hands into his wide open
abdomen. Robert screamed as the alien pulled out a handful of his
entrails and sunk them into its mouth. It then went back in for more.
“H-Henry! H-Help!” Robert screamed as loud as he could. Williams
stopped punching the alien in the stomach and
looked
over to see what the creature was doing to his friend. He yelled out
a battle cry and jumped on top of the alien's back. He knocked the
wad of entrails that it was just about to eat out of its hand, then
shoved his own hand over its mouth.
He then
grabbed the alien's fork and used it to cut open its stomach. He
reached his hand into the open abdomen and pulled out a handful of
grotesque blue entrails. Then he forced the alien's mouth open. “You
want more? You want more don't you? Alright then HAVE SOME!” he
shouted as forced the entrails down its throat. The creature groaned
and spat, obviously not happy with what it was being given. However
Williams kept forcing more and more of the entrails down its throat.
“HAVE MORE! I THOUGHT THEY WERE YOUR FAVORITE FOOD! THEN KEEP
EATING THEM! SAVOR IT! LET THE JUICES MARINATE YOUR FILTHY MOUTH!
KEEP EATING! YOU NEED TO FINISH YOUR BREAKFAST! KEEP EATING YOU OLD
MUTT!!!”
Eventually,
the alien couldn't take it any more. Williams was swept off of the
alien by a gigantic wave of blue entrails and green saliva. He clawed
it off his face just in time to see the alien raising its fork. He
braced for impact but none came. He slowly opened his eyes and saw
that the alien was no longer standing over him. Instead it was laying
on the ground, the fork penetrating from its throat. Williams looked
over to see Robert wink at him. He had clearly done this work.
After
Williams got himself back up, he picked up Robert and used his own
shirt to close up his wounded pal's stomach. Then he ran back through
the apple orchard and found Thompson. With his two friends slung
across his back, he hiked all the way back to the jeep. He managed to
turn it over and put them in the back. He drove all the way back
through the forest, then back into civilization where he took Robert
and Thompson to the local hospital. However both of them died the
next morning due to heavy blood loss and shock.
Williams
retired from the detective agency and instead spent his time mourning
his dead friends. Over fifty years later, he is currently 85 years
old and is the bestselling author of the non-fiction book The
Armstrong Forest: An Encounter with a So Called Myth,
a memoir detailing what went on in the Armstrong Forest between he
and his colleagues, and the alien. Although he is happily living with
his wife and four children, Williams is still haunted by his past and
uses it to scare local tourists away from the darkened forest.
FUTURISTIC FANTASIA
The
simple Futuristican rode through the streets of Futuristica on his
simple hover board. He rode silently, not bothering to turn his head
and view the same process that he was performing being performed by
the other 1,000 Futuristicans who lived in the same simple, sad world
that he lived in.
The simple Futuristican guided his hover board toward the big clear
dome in the center of town where he and 200 other Futuristicans
enslaved there selves day after day, performing cellular removal on a
series of alien bacteria provided from the distant planet of Undris.
The big, clear dome was named The Futuristic Department for Outer
Atmospheric Operations; or, FDOAO, or the place of endless work in
big, colorless environments performing dangerous experiments for a
penny an hour. It was a hard life to work at FDOAO, but it was one of
the only places in Futuristica to work.
The
simple Futuristican parked his hover board next to the other 200 ones
lined up down the length of the parking lot and wiped his brow. He
was in for a long, hard day of dissecting alien bacteria and he was
not looking forward to it. But he needed the money and besides, it
was illegal not to work in Futuristica anyways.
The
simple Futuristican pushed the big blue button on the top of his
head, which opened an invisible hole in the FDOAO dome, and entered.
Immediately, his eardrums were greeted by the sound of machines and
computers buzzing away at their work, creating an atmosphere of
enslavement and endless work. The simple Futuristican took a long,
deep breath, then walked into the workshop and took his place at seat
8, table 4, section 5, of the workroom.
He
pulled his chair up to the table in front of him, which held, a large
platter topped off by a huge blob of green bacteria called Zoofungus.
He opened his dissection kit, pulled out a scalpel, and sliced into
the Zoofungus. After cutting a long, thick slit down the bacteria's
skin, the simple Futuristican put his scalpel away and took out a
spoon, then proceeded to remove the organs of the Zoofungus and dump
them into a bowl. Once he had removed all the entrails, he got up,
and left the workroom, taking the bowl with him.
The simple Futuristican entered the Production Department, aka the
most disgusting place in the whole of Futuristica. The simple
Futuristican walked up to the Depository and dumped the Zoofungus
entrails into it. The entrails were carried out of the Depository and
put onto a conveyer belt which carried them up to the grinder, which
reduced them to nothing but large shards of green goop. The green
goop was then carried to the Mold area, where they were pressed
and shaped into burgers. After being painted in the colors of brown,
red, green, and yellow, the goop was put into cardboard boxes and
then given to the strange creatures known as humans, who devoured
them happily.
The simple Futuristican was shocked and disgusted by the fact that
the humans mindlessly bit into the goop without knowing what it
actually is made of. The simple of Futuristican was in the middle of
loathing, when he heard a loud, soul piercing sound followed by a
scream and the sound of chairs shuffling. He ran out of the
Production Department and back into the workshop. Nearly every worker
in the room was gathered in a large circle and there were shouts and
cries rising up.
The simple Futuristican pushed his way through the crowd until he
was at the front. It was there that he saw the most horrifying sight
his eyes were every exposed to. Another Futuristican, a co-worker no
less, laying flat on the ground with his head and neck half devoured
by a Zoofungus. He was laying in a pool of blood and Zoofungus guts
and his arms and legs were flailed off into disturbing, unnatural
positions. Beside him, a female Futuristican was weeping and it
became even more saddening when it was realized that she was the poor
Futuristican's wife.
Suddenly, a loud shout ran up from the end of the crowd and everyone
in the room turned to see the President of Futuristica, Futurist
Finallita and his secretaries pushing their way through the crowd.
When President Finallita saw the dead Futuristican and his wife
sobbing, he didn't get down on his knees and console her and send
everybody home early, instead he simply shrugged his shoulders.
“What?” he asked. “A Futuristican dies, so what?” “Sir
what would you like us to do to the worker?” one of the secretaries
asked. “Just leave him the way he is and send him through the
Production Department with the Zoofungus.” The simple Futuristican
was shocked. His mouth nearly dropped down to his feet in shock. In
fact, he was so shaken up, that he didn't realize the secretary
pointing at him.
“You!” the secretary shouted. “Bring this sucker to the
Production Department and run him through the processor.” With that
done, President Finallita and his staff turned and left and the rest
of the workers got up and went back to work, not bothering to help
dispose of the body. Even the wife of the dead sucker went back to
work as if nothing had ever happened.
The simple Futuristican knew that if he declined the order to
dispose of the body, he would be sent right to Prism #8 and he most
certainly didn't want that. So he sucked it up and brought the body
away. But it wasn't easy. Not only was the body completely soaked
from head to toe in thick, black blood, but the Zoofungus entrails
ran down the body when the corpse was picked up.
The simple Futuristican finally managed to drag the body into the
Production Department and throw it onto the conveyer belt. He tried
to leave, but his eyes seemed to stick him onto the body being
carried up the conveyer belt. Suddenly, his ears became distorted by
a loud crackling sound coming from the Grinder. It took the simple
Futuristican very little time to realize that this sound was the poor
worker's bones being torn to bone meal. The simple Futuristican
continued to watch in horror as the grinded entrails were brought
into the molding and coloring areas where they were pressed and
colored into burgers like the Zoofungus'. The meat of the poor worker
was then put into cardboard boxes and handed out the window to a
human who bit into it and swallowed it with great pleasure.
Suddenly, the simple Futuristican felt sick. His stomach twisted and
growled and he felt his adrenaline rush. Without warning, he fell
over on the ground and vomited onto the floor of the Production
Department. Like no day before, he felt a sensation of hate, fear,
embarrassment, and pity. The simple Futuristican knew only one thing
after wiping away the vomit: he was living in a world that needed to
be overthrown and he was the one that needed to do it. So he went
back to work removing jiggly Zoofungus guts, then left FDOAO at 6:00
and went home to his holographic house.
That night, the simple Futuristican developed his plan to overthrow
Futuristica and bring peace forward. The next day, he would enter
FDOAO at 7:00 and go to work at his desk, dissecting Zoofungus. But
he would also secretly pump one bacteria up with a full shot of Pure
Deson Doxide, the most deadly chemical known to Futuristica. He would
then carry the infected zoofungus up to Finallita and tell him it was
dead. When President Finallita will cut open the zoofungus to see for
himself, he and his staff will get drenched in Deson Doxide, causing
them to disintegrate.
As the simple Futuristican sat in his house at 12:00 at night,
filling up a large syringe with Deson Doxide he drained from his
microwave, he wondered if he was making the right choice. Not only
would he be killing another Futuristican, something he had never done
before and never desired to do, but he would also risk being sent to
prism #8 and all that was known of that place was that people who
went there never came out. But then he remembered the poor worker
being fed to the beastly humans and the image of his dead body
devoured by a creature that Futuristican health policies had denied
to ensure was safe. And he knew that he was doing the right thing.
The simple Futuristican did this dirty work in the viewing room
under candlelight so that no neighbors could see him and report him
so law enforcement. But he ran into a whole knew problem: his XNB.1.
An XNB.1 is a super computer that is given to all Futuristicans to
use as guides and resources. But the big secret behind them is that
they are programmed to report suspicious activity to the Futuristican
government. And filling up a syringe with a deadly chemical sure
looks suspicious.
The XNB.1 noticed the work the simple Futuristican was doing and
immediately went crazy.
The simple Futuristican nearly dropped the syringe out of fear when
his viewing room glared red and a warning siren sounded.
“THREAT DETECTED!” the XNB.1 shouted in a monotone, robotic
voice. It instantly began programming information to the capital of
Futuristica and the simple Futuristican instantly knew that he was in
trouble. He put the syringe down on the coffee table and got up. He
ran to the doorway and peeked outside. There was nobody else in sight
but the simple Futuristican could faintly hear sirens growing in the
distance.
Knowing that he was about to get shot, he ran back inside and
picked up the syringe. He puts his coat on, then left the room again,
but not before spitting on the monitor of the XNB.1. He then ran
outside and mounted his hover board. By now several other
Futuristicans were gathered outside and some were even beckoning him
to stop. But the simple Futuristican ignored them and turned on his
hover board, then raced out of the driveway and off into the night.
His plan was to drive all the way to the end of Futuristica and then
enter the desert from there. He would travel until he came to a far
enough area, then hide in hole and make up Plan B. With that in mind,
he turned his hover board onto Windletter Street, the main street
that led to the desert. He drove until he reached the desert, then
took a deep breath and continued on. He did not stop again until he
reached the top of Farthington Heights, where he stopped to refresh
with water. And when he turned to look back down at Futuristica , he
saw nearly a hundred red and blue sirens blaring in front of his
house.
“What exactly did you see him do?” It was twenty minutes later
and every law enforcement agency in Futuristica was gathered in the
simple Futuristican's house. President Finallita was sitting in front
of the XNB.1., asking it questions. “I saw him fill up a syringe
with Pure Deson Doxide, and talk about overthrowing our government.”
President Finallita jerked his head up. No one had ever planned to
overthrow Futuristica before. And then he came to the conclusion that
this Futuristican was dangerous and needed to be stopped.
“There he is.” It was ten minutes later and President Finallita
and his staff were gathered in front of security cameras. They
managed to track the simple Futuristican's whereabouts through the
cameras. He was currently hiding under a rock, trying to make up a
second plan. “Gather every soldier, officer, and warrior in the
world,” President Finallita said. “We need to stop a monster.”
The simple Futuristican indeed was trying to make up a second plan.
But since he was a wanted person, there really wasn't anything else
to do. He was in the middle of pondering, when he heard a loud bang
run out from the distance. He dug himself up and looked down at
Futuristica to see at least 3,000 military vehicles heading his way.
“You can run but you can't hide.” he heard President Finallita
yell through a megaphone.
The simple Futuristican took that advice and ran. He ran until he
came to a cave. He looked back to see the tanks and jeeps coming over
the horizon, then ran inside. The cave was dark and gloomy and sounds
of bats and bears ran out. Still, the simple Futuristican took cover
behind a rock. He waited for at least ten minutes, then peeked out.
He was shocked by what he saw. Nearly two thousand law enforcers
gathered in front of him, pointing weapons at him.
The simple Futuristican did the only thing he could think to do and
pulled the syringe out of his pocket. He ran to the first enforcer
and sunk the syringe into his neck. The enforcer jerked and coughed
as his biochemistry went wrong. The simple Futuristican laughed
hysterically and did not mind the other enforcers slam into him with
guns and fists and pull him to the ground.
“UGH!” It was 2:00 in the morning and Joel Finallita had just
risen from his terrible nightmare. His wife rose as well and
comforted him. “Oh Beverly I had a terrible dream that a weird guy
tried to overthrow my company and he actually succeeded.” “It's
okay Joel,” Beverly said. “Nobody could ever overthrow the
President of the world's largest fast food corporation.” Joel
nodded and went back to bed, preparing for another day as President
of Burger-o-Rama.
STRANGE HAPPENINGS
A
Letter From Reverend George St. Paul to His Sister Charlotte
My
Dearest Charlotte.
The happenings in
recent hours have been so strange and bizarre that I fear that they
are stripping me of my sanity. It all started on Sunday when I was
cleaning up from mass. I began hearing a strange sound that was
unlike one I had ever heard before. I went to the window and
discovered a large disc shaped object sitting on the ground. There
were tiny blue creatures leaving the craft and scurrying around the
ground. One of them looked up and saw me. I fell back, scared out of
my mind. When I looked back out the creatures were coming up the
stairs. That meant they were coming for me. I instantly ran from the
altar and ducked down in one of the pews. I prayed to my dearest God
that my life be saved. After a while I peeked up to see the creatures
coming down the hall. I screamed and bolted from the church and
toward the tower. I didn't look back but I could hear the pitter
patter of the creatures' feet hitting the floor. As I am writing this
letter I sit in the clock tower with my cat Hemia and my crucifix. I
I am praying to God as hard as I can for the creatures are climbing
up to me! I need a way to get out of here and send you this letter so
you can get help. Looking down about thirty feet I see my carriage
sitting directly below the tower with the horses up and moving. I'm
going to try and jump. MAY GOD BLESS MY POOR SOUL! SEND HELP!
- George
A Letter From
Charlotte Wilder to Reverend George St. Paul
Dear George,
Oh dear God sweetie
I feel so bad for you! You must have jumped or else you wouldn't have
mailed me this letter. You need to get home soon! Escape from those
horrendous creatures and ride home as fast as you can. The ride to my
house is nearly 800 miles so go fast. I am praying for you. I will
not rest until you are upon my shawl. GO HONEY GO!
A Letter From
Reverend George St. Paul to His Sister Charlotte
Dearest
Charlotte,
Thank goodness you
got my letter. I need to tell you what has happened. I jumped from
the tower with Hemia I my arms when the creatures were at the top of
the tower. I landed right in the carriage. I threw Hemia in her bed
and covered her with blankets, then jumped into the front and rode
away. After a while I looked back to see the church disappear into
the dark horizon. But I could see the creatures jumping down from the
clock tower. They are after me! I rode for a while, then stopped the
carriage. I looked behind me and saw nothing but the dark trail, them
jumped out and posted my previous letter in the mail box. I then got
back in and rode off again. Hemia was fast asleep and the horses were
on track so I decided to lay back in my cot and get some rest. I was
able to get about twenty minutes worth of sleep before I was awakened
by a high pitched buzzing sound. I looked back behind and saw the
creatures hovering toward me at a supernatural speed. I yelled and
jumped into the front again. I took up the whip and lashed the horses
so hard that they screamed and buzzed forward more fast then the
creatures themselves. I decided to trick them and set them off course
so I turned a left and started up onto a hill. We rode faster and
faster until they could be seen no more. I saw a mail box up ahead
and it was a PO box so I jumped off to get your letter, I dug through
the very few letters and picked out yours, then got back into the
carriage. I read yours and am writing this one as I ride. There is no
sign of the creatures behind me . . . yet. There is a mailbox up
ahead so I will post this letter. Thank God if it reaches you.
-George
A Letter From
Charlotte Wilder to Reverend George St. Paul
Dear George,
Honey I am weeping
as I write this so excuse me if there are tears on this sheet. I feel
your pain so much. You need to go as fast as you can and not run into
anymore trouble. There's not much I can do for help because as you
know I live on the trail you took in the middle of nowhere. There is
a neighbor thirty miles away but I am afraid to go outside. Oh dear
please get home!
A Letter From
Reverend George St. Paul to His Sister Charlotte
Dearest
Charlotte,
A lot has happened
since I picked up your letter ten miles ago. A bit after I posted my
previous one, both my horses died of exhaustion. I jumped up and
began crying. Although the creatures were far off, I knew they were
headed my way. I looked around for help. I spotted an old man sitting
in a carriage of his own a ways away. I ran over to him and tried my
best to explain the situation. Once he heard the entire story of my
suffering, he told my to get on. I hopped up into the back of his
carriage. He got up to the front and lashed his horses. He turned off
of the hill and started back down the road again. I write this letter
in the back of the carriage while the man does is best to get me
home. The creatures have been gone awhile so that buys us some time.
There is a mailbox a few miles head so I will post this letter. I am
praying to my Lord and savior that my life will be saved.
-George
P.S. I just realized
something. I was so quick to get into the man's carriage that I
forget Hemia in the back of mine. No wonder they haven't showed up in
a while.
A Letter From
Charlotte Wilder to Reverend George St. Paul
Thank goodness for
that kind old man. But poor Hemia! I am crying right now just
thinking of what those monsters could be doing to her. I have faith
that you guys will get to my home soon. Stay strong!
A Letter From
Reverend George St. Paul to His Sister Charlotte
Dearest
Charlotte,
Things have gotten
bad again but this time they are worse! When the man stopped his
carriage so I could get your letter from the nearest mailbox, I
happened to notice eight small black figures standing at the top of
the hill. Upon closer inspection I found that they were the
creatures. They recognized me too and started down the hill. I ran
back to the carriage and jumped in. The man lashed the horses and we
were off again. After I caught my breath, I turned around to see the
creatures zooming right toward us as full speed. I asked the man what
to do. He said that he had a gun in a box in the back. I found the
box and dug out the gun. I inched my way toward the end of the floor
and took aim at one of the creatures. I fired and hit one of them
square in the chest. Dark goo spurted out and the creature collapsed
to the ground. The other creatures crowded around it. The man lashed
his horses even more and we got further and further away from the
creatures until they could not be seen anymore. When I managed to
calm down I found a whole new problem. The man was passed out in his
seat. He showed no signs of murder so he must have died from a heart
attack or shock. I looked back down the road and although I couldn't
see the creatures, I knew they were coming. So I threw the man off
the carriage. Hopefully that will give the creatures something to
eat. I feel so bad for doing that and I am praying to God to forgive
me for my actions. I am writing this letter as I guide the horses. I
am praying for dear God to save my soul.
-George
A Letter from
Charlotte Wilder to Reverend George St. Paul
(Unopened by Him)
Dear George,
Honey there is not
much I can do for you but pray. The task of getting home by yourself
again will be hard but you can surely do it. Throwing the man off to
the creatures was an evil, but clever idea. Hopefully it will buy you
some time. I have calmed down now and am waiting for your arrival.
Reverend George St.
Paul's Journal
Dear Journal,
A lot has happened
in the last day.. I shall start after I threw the man off of the
carriage. Just like I thought, the creatures stopped to devour him. I
whipped the horses as hard as I could and they really took off. When
I got to a mailbox I stopped to post Charlotte's letter, than got
back on and continued the journey. For the rest of the night I rode
alone, wincing at every sound and praying to my lord above that I
would survive. I thanked the Lord when morning arrived but even though
it was 8:00 A.M., it still felt like night because of the pitch black
storm clouds looming over the endless, lonely dirt road. I knew that
Charlotte probably had already written me back but I decided not to
retrieve it to give me more time. At around 8:30, I noticed the
creatures sailing up behind me. I began panicking and whipped the
horses maniacally. This drove them crazy and they spun to the side,
sending me flying out of the carriage. The last thing I remember is
being thrown into a creek and landing head first on a rock, knocking
me out. I woke up a few hours later in the back of a hospital wagon.
Me and two other men were laying on warm cots with soft blankets in
the covered part of the wagon, sheltering us from the raging thunder
and lightening storm that was going on outside. A nurse came over to
me and pressed a cool cloth against my forehead. She then told me to
get some more sleep and went off. I laid silently for a moment, then
decided to see where on the route home I was. I leaned forward and
opened the flap on the wagon and looked outside. A huge downpour was
raining down from pitch black clouds that spewed bright streaks of
lightening and deafening thunder claps. Suddenly, the sound of the
storm was taken over my another sound. A soft, buzzing, electric
sound. I looked toward the back of the wagon to see the dark shadows
of the creatures speeding on its tail! I threw myself back onto my
cot and kicked the flap shut. I breathed softly for a few minutes,
then reached to the small bookshelf behind me and pulled out the
Bible. I clutched it deep in my arms and tried to get some sleep. I
awoke several hours later and found that the wagon was stopping. For
a moment I feared that the creatures had killed the driver, but when
the nurse opened the front flap, I saw that we had stopped at a
hospital sitting in the middle of a forest on the side of the lonely
dirt road. Two more nurses joined the other one and helped carry me
and the other men out of the wagon and into the hospital. I smiled
when I felt the warmth of the hospital and I instantly knew that I
was under great protection. I was changed out of my hospital robe and
helped into a steaming hot bath. After cleaning up I was put into a
pair of heated pajamas and taken down to the hospital dining room. I
hadn't realized how hungry I was until now. I was pleased to be given
a roast chicken done up with peppercorns as well as dressing,
potato's, and gravy to feast on. After finishing my dinner, I was
taken to the ninth floor of the hospital and taken into a room. The
room was a cozy little hole that consisted of a made bed, a fur
carpet, a nightstand with candles and a copy of the bible, a desk,
and a strange painting that I could not make out clearly sitting
above my bed. After the nurse gave me some medicine, I wrote a letter
to Charlotte telling her the story I have been telling you and how I
will be home tomorrow. I then gave the nurse the letter and she put
out my candle and laid me down to rest. I felt drowsy from the sounds
of the downpour outside and began to fell asleep. The last thing I
saw before I fell asleep was the painting above my bed. And for the
first time I could make out what the picture was of: three green
creatures scurrying down a seemingly endless dirt road in the night.
The next morning,
Right know I am in
the hospital wagon on my way home. After I woke in the morning I had
a breakfast of flapjacks, eggs, and ham. I was then brought into the
wagon and laid on a cot with the two men from yesterday. The wagon
then started off. The nurse came into the back and gave me a letter.
It was from Charlotte. I thanked the nurse, then read the letter.
Charlotte said that she was glad for the hospital and could not wait
for my homecoming. She said that she had ran to my cousin Miguel and
his wife Tina's house to spend the night. Their house was only about
five miles from where I was at the moment so I would be back in
Charlotte's arms soon. At the moment right now I am getting off the
hospital wagon and preparing to go inside. The rain is still pouring
and thunder and lightning still going.
That night,
A lot has happened
in recent hours. After I went inside the house I was greeted by a
teary Charlotte. She threw her arms around me and planted kisses on
my cheeks and cried that she was so glad I came back in one piece. I
then greeted Miguel and Tina who also were glad for my survival.
After a change of clothes and a dinner of roast ham, dressing, and
honey, we all sat by the fire. I told everyone the entire story of
the recent days. They listened carefully and when I told of my times
of near death, they acted like the same events were happening to me
at that moment as well. At ten o' clock we went to bed. Charlotte
slept in a bed in the corner of the fifth room of the house and I
slept in a big armchair by the window. I slept soundly for about
three hours. Then, suddenly, I awoke without reason. I rubbed my head
and eyes and got out of my chair. I went over to the window and
looked out. What I saw made my heart drop to my stomach. One of the
green creatures that had pursed me for the last week was slowly
inching its way up Miguel's driveway. I instantly ran forward out of
the room and down the stairs. I ran through the halls, through the
kitchen, and into the foyer. I ran up to the door and kicked it open.
The creature was gaining on me. I meant to call out to him but
collapsed to the floor. A few hours later, Miguel, Tina, and
Charlotte found me. Tina and Charlotte carried me up to my room while
Miguel ran to find some help. As of this moment I am sitting at my
desk, waiting for a doctor to arrive. I think I hea . . . HELP ME!
AHHHH!
AHTA
SATA
LA
BOUTI
THE GALACTIC HOUSE
As the Pluto V spacecraft glided through the cosmos, the astronauts onboard couldn't help but notice the strange objects that surrounded them. On every side of the craft there were large green rocks, huge pieces of minerals with eyes sticking out of them, infinite loops of bright, white light, and alien like technology that looked like it hadn't been used for centuries. Captain George Shiendberg realized that these phenomena could potentially be dangerous, so he ordered Pilot Bernard Henderson and Co-Pilot Henry Stephenson to avoid getting in their paths. Captain Shiendberg then went over to the mission computer XIM.445 and began telling it to send signals back to Earth. "XIM I want you to tell the Earthlings that we are now in the cosmos and are coming across some very strange phenomena." "Yes Captain Shiendberg," replied XIM.445 as it began programming information back to NASA computers. Captain Shiendberg was just about to sit down and have a cup of coffee, when a loud shout ran out from the other room. He ran in to see every astronaut crowded close to the windows. Captain Shiendberg managed to push his way through the crowd and get a look as well. What he saw was mind blowing. A large, birch house slowly rotating through the cosmos. It was a normal looking house, like the ones you would find in a New England suburb, which sent out a vibe of uncertainty and danger to Captain Shiendberg. "What should we do Captain?" asked astronaut Mike Freedman. "Should we stop and go explore it or go on?" Captain Shiendberg looked around and saw that everyone had their eyes on him, clearly with the same question on their minds. "Hold up for a second," he said, then went back into the cockpit. "Bernard I want you to slow down and move the craft toward the house," he said. "Yes captain," replied Bernard as he began inching the craft toward the house's front porch. Captain Shiendberg then sat down next to XIM.445. "XIM I think it is best if we stop and explore the house for a bit," he said. XIM.445 agreed. "Yes Captain Shiendberg I think that would be a necessary thing to do. However we must make sure we get this information back to NASA. If you turn on you XoWatch during the exploration, I will program, the information back." Captain Shiendberg nodded. "Good thinking XIM." He then went back to the astronauts. "Alright guys I am going to explore that house. Are there 4 brave spacemen who would come with me?" For about 10 seconds, nobody came forward, but after Captain Shiendberg raised an eyebrow, Mike Freedman walked forward and joined him. Then, Julia Johnson came forward, followed by Howard Thompson and George Steadaco. Captain Shiendberg was pleased and led his crew to the door. Bernard connected the craft to the porch and XIM.445 lowered the door. Captain Shiendberg switched on his XoWatch and XIM.445 instantly began programming information back to NASA. Then, the crew left the craft and stepped out onto the porch of the Galactic House. Captain Shiendberg walked up to the front door and twisted the knob. It wouldn't open. So instead he pressed the blue button on his XoWatch, which shot out a large flame and reduced the door to ash. "Everybody stay together," said Captain Shiendberg as he led his crew into the unexplored territory. The first stop in the house was the foyer. As the crew looked, they realized that the house was potentially abandoned. There was dust and cobwebs everywhere and the floors creaked with every step. And as the astronauts looked around further, they saw that they were in a museum of the history of Earthborn spacecraft. On the wall hung Voyager 1, Pioneers 10 and 11, and Cassini-Huygens. No wonder NASA couldn't find them. They had been stolen by someone . . . or something. His XoWatch was still sending information to XIM.445 so that meant that NASA, and potentially the rest of the world was seeing this too. For at least 5 minutes, everybody was silent. Then Howard Thompson stepped forward. Captain Shiendberg wasn't there to see it, but it happened quick. The floorboards had caved in under Howard's feet, sending him down into an infinite void of darkness. For a while after that, everybody was scared to move. Captain Shiendberg noticed the rug leading into the next room. "Everybody follow me over this rug," he shouted to his three surviving fellows. He then jumped over the floor onto the rug and helped the others do the same. When everyone was safe and sound, he led them on into the next room. That next room was a kitchen. Like the foyer it was dusty, gray, and full of cobwebs. There were no dishes or utensils in sight, so Captain Shiendberg moved toward the cupboards up on the fall. When he opened them, his mouth dropped down to the ground. Inside these cupboards was a collection of old astronaut food from as far back as the Apollo 11 mission. There were peas, carrots, and pears, as well as ice cream and pizza and drinks. How whatever took these got its hands on them was beyond Captain Shiendberg. His pondering was suddenly interrupted by a loud bang and a series of screams. He turned to see Julia and Mike gasping, but no George. He looked at Julia, who pointed into the oven. And for the first time on this entire mission, Captain Shiendberg felt sick to his stomach. Apparently, George had been a little freaked out by the entire experience and started backing up. Then, the oven mysteriously sucked him inside exactly like a black hole would. When the oven was opened, George was no where to be found and the sucking was gone. With two crew members down and only two left, Captain Shiendberg was eager to get out of the house and back on the spaceship, but the house phenomena was too strange to be ignored. With that in mind, Captain Shiendberg, Mike, and Julia started up the staircase of the house, hopping over as many stairs as they could to avoid another accident. Once upstairs, they split up and went into the three rooms on the second floor. Captain Shiendberg explored the bathroom, Julia explored the bedroom, and Mike explored the closet. Captain Shiendberg found nothing in the bathroom except a few toothpicks and floss cases and Mike found nothin but must in the closet. Julia however, found something much greater. Much more horrifying. It was Captain Shiendberg who heard her scream first. When he and Mike ran in, they saw something that made their stomachs drop. The burnt, mangled bodies of Francis Scobee, Michael Smith, Christa McAuliffe, and the rest of the Challenger crew laying atop the musty king sized bed. Captain Shiendberg and Mike fell over on the floor and vomited. When he was able to pick himself up, Captain Shiendberg knew only one thing. They had to get out of this horrid place immediately. "Run!" he shouted to Julia and Mike. He then bolted out the doorway and Julia and Mike were not far behind. Well . . . Julia at least. Captain Shiendberg heard Mike scream like he had never heard him scream before. He spun around to see Mike being sucked into the mouth of Francis Scobee by a strange green laser. Captain Shiendberg ran over to him and tried to grab Mike's hands, but an unseen force slashed him across the arm, causing him to fall back. And that was the last of Mike Freedman. By now Captain Shiendberg and Julia were practically out the doorway. They raced into the hallway and ran toward the stairs, but they didn't get there. A huge metal cage full over them, trapping them under steel bars. They screamed and shouted and kicked and squirmed, but it was no use. Captain Shiendberg fell back against the cage to catch his breath. Then he became obvious to a strange sound. It was the sound of feet coming up the stairs. Captain Shiendberg drew Julia close as the stomping feet became louder and louder. Then, Captain Shiendberg saw something that made him freeze in time. A small, green, black eyed alien coming up the stairs. Captain Shiendberg heard Julia scream as the alien pressed its face against the bars. He hid her face in his suit and turned away from the alien. For a while, he heard nothing but the alien's soft breathing against the bars, nothing else. Then, at least four minutes later, the alien spoke up. "Hello human. I am an alien. I know who you are. You are Captain George Shiendberg. And you are Julia Johnson. This is my house. For centuries before I have hunted down your culture and work. I taught myself your language. I learned your biology. I ate your food. You are a strange group. Very strange. You dared to come to my house. You dared to come that far. Now you must die." With that said, the alien took outa strange laser and aimed it at Captain Shiendberg and Julia. "Please no!" shouted Captain Shiendberg. He dropped on his knees and begged for mercy, but his cries were not heard by the alien. With the pull of a trigger, the house became a cloud of blue light. Captain Shiendberg looked around to see the images of Earth. Earth from the beginning of time to the present day. Images of past humans and lives. Captain Shiendberg looked out the house window to see the Pluto V spacecraft speed away, the rest of the astronauts peeking out of the windows with horrified looks on their faces. Captain Shiendberg knew that he was going to die here. He knew it very well. But his XoWatch was still working and as far as he knew, XIM.445 was still programming information to NASA. So Captain Shiendberg died, knowing that the rest of his lost civilization would here the rest of the story.
A COSMIC REMEDY
It was a bright, sunny day in the town of Pine Valley, Maine and 10-year-old Billy Williamson was sitting in his room with the door locked, reading the latest issue of CosmicComix, his favorite comic book series. Billy had been reading the series since the third grade and he had no plans for giving his habit up. He just loved the way the series combined science fiction and cartoony violence into funny, intriguing stories. It truly was a great way for Billy to spend his spare time. Billy was in the middle of the part where Captain Black Hole confronted the aliens about turning off his artificially intelligent computer system when he heard a scream from downstairs followed by a sneeze like none he had ever heard before. It took only a few seconds for Billy to realize that these horrid sounds came from his mother. Knowing that, he threw down CosmicComix and unlocked his door, then rushed downstairs into the family room where his mother was napping. What he saw made his mouth curl into a big, wide O. His mother, laying on the sofa among a pile of used tissues with huge purple bumps all over her face and hands. She had an ice pack pressed against her face and a James Patterson paperback laying astray among the mess. "M-Mom? What happened?" Mrs. Williamson turned her head in Billy's direction. "Billy? Is that you? I can't see!" Billy ran over to her. "Mom you're sick!" "I know Billy." Just then, Mr. Williamson came home. "Hello everybody I'm home . . . WHAT THE HECK?!" When he saw his wife among the tissues and pages of I, Alex Cross, his mouth curled into a huge O just as Billy's had. "What happened?" he asked. "Mom's sick," Billy answered. "Really sick." "I can see that," Mr. Williamson replied. "What does she have?" "It's probably the measles or smallpox," Mrs. Williamson said, then sneezed a sneeze that nearly blew the roof off of the house. Suddenly, Billy realized something. His mother didn't have the measles or smallpox, she had the Nebulic infection from issue 56 of CosmicComix. Billy told his Mom and Dad his conclusion. "What exactly is the Nebulic infection," asked Mr. Williamson. "It's the disease that Captain Black Hole created to shut down the systems of the aliens after they programmed NASA'S computers to purposely cause the Challenger disaster. Some of it spread back down to Earth," Billy answered. "Well how do we cure it?" Billy thought and thought, trying his best to find out how the Nebulic infection was cured. Then he remembered. Professor Supernovae said that the cure was Iondinie, one of the minerals that made up the planet Goofundoffus. "Well how the heck are we going to get to planet Gooferadoofu . . . whatever you call it?" Billy smiled. We have to find a rocket ship. So Billy and his father went to www.SpaceShipsForSale.com. "Oh no," Billy said. "What?" "They say we're not eligible to rent a rocket ship." "Dang it!" Mr. Williamson was upset and tried to think of somewhere else they could get a rocket ship. However he could think of nowhere. "Well then I guess we'll have to build one," said Billy. Mr. Williamson took Billy to his brother Sam's workshop to collect parts for the rocket. "I have everything you need guys," Sam said. "Metal sheets, screws, nuts, bolts, computer processors, RAMs, hard drives, motherboards, thermal paste, welding technology, glue, paint." "Thanks uncle Sam," Billy said. "We'll take everything you just said plus a keyboard, monitor, navigational screen, and some jelly donuts." Sam laughed. "Better get some bags." Billy and Mr. Williamson collected their tools and went back home. They then began to build their rocket ship in their front yard while Mrs. Williamson watched from the front window. A few hours later they were finished. They stocked their ship full of books, food, and water and installed navigational computers. Then they stuffed the rocket in a canon and got in. But there was a problem. They had nobody to light the fuse that launched their rocket into space. So they went to their neighbor Tucker's house and asked him to do it. "Alright guys," Tucker said. "As long as it goes over quickly." So Billy and his Dad got into the rocket and braced themselves as Tucker lit the fuse. 10 . . . 9 . . . 8 . . . 7 . . . 6 . . . 5 . . . 4 . . . 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . LIFT OFF! The feeling of the rocket soaring from the ground and out of the atmosphere made Billy's ears buzz. He turned and looked back down at Earth through the bottom window. He saw his mother waving to him from the front window. Billy waved back. He also saw Tucker standing on the ground shaking his fist up at him. He had been charted by the cannon. In less than 20 minutes, Billy and his father were in outer space. It would take another 7 days to get to Goofundoffus so all they could do was sit back, eat some jelly donuts and read some Shakespeare. "Dad?" Bill asked. It was nearly three hours since the time of the launch and Billy was deep into King Lear. He had something on his mind that he felt was necessary to ask at this time. "Yes Billy?" Mr. Williamson replied. "Do you believe in aliens?" This was a hard one for Mr. Williamson to answer. "I guess so," he finally said. "Why?" "Well if the planet Goofundoffus is anything like it's portrayed in CosmicComix, then we are face some serious aliens." "How serious?" "Serious to the point of capture and enslavement." "Well then we'll just have to take some supplies." Mr. Williamson pulled down two books from the shelf. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy and A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. "These will cause some serious head injury," Mr. Williamson said. He gave the books to Billy who nearly dropped them due to the weight. 6 and a half days later, the two got their first glances at the planet Goofundoffus. It was purple and had a white swirl throughout it, as well as a giant red spot like the one of Jupiter. "It's beautiful," said Mr. Williamson. "Beautiful until you realize what rests on the surface," Billy replied. He handed a spacesuit to his father. "Time to gear up." Once the spacecraft had dropped onto the surface, Billy and his father opened the door of the rocket and stepped their first steps onto the surface of Goofundoffus. "Now time to find some Iodinie and heal mom," said Billy. With that said, the two adventurers embarked on a descent across the planet. They saw no aliens, put the threat was still there. Four hours after they left the craft, Billy collapsed onto the ground. Mr. Williamson collapsed to his knees. "Billy wake up! Get up you're alright." Billy groaned. "I'm just so tired." Mr. Williamson helped his son up. They were just about to continue on with their journey, when Billy noticed something on the ground. "Hey look!" he shouted. Mr. Williamson turned around to see a big hunk of golden mineral sticking out of the spot where Billy had fallen. "Is that the stuff?" he asked. Billy nodded. "Well dig it up!" Billy fell over on his knees and started digging up the Iodinie. It was just when he got it out of the ground when he noticed the strange shapes coming over the horizon. It took him only a few seconds to realize that these were the aliens who caused the Challenger disaster and cost NASA billions of dollars in replacement PCs. The only word that could come to his lips was: "RUN!" Billy and Mr. Williamson did just that. They ran and ran and ran. Ran like they never had before. Ran like it was the end of the world. The aliens followed close behind, almost exactly on their heels. Billy clutched his side as he felt himself loosing his breath. He saw the rocket ship up ahead and desperately sped up his speed. He and his father were barely among the metal capsule when Billy was tackled to the ground by one of the aliens. "Dad help!" he shouted. Mr. Williamson ran over and shoved the alien off of Billy. He then threw his son into the ship and closed the door. By now the alien was up and ready to attack Mr. Williamson. It ran forward bringing him to the ground. Mr. Williamson struggled and kicked but the alien held him down. he finally managed to kick the alien in the mouth. He pushed it off of him and got up, but a second alien grabbed him and threw him against the ship. Mr. Williamson shouted and kicked and fell over on his side. The alien went back for a second try. Mr. Williamson had only his hands and legs to fight with. Then he noticed A Game of Thrones laying outside the ship. It had fallen out when he threw Billy inside. Mr. Williamson managed to free one arm and grab the book. He lifted it up and kneed the alien in face, sending it back. He then thrust the book forward, hitting the alien in the mouth and sending it onto the ground. Mr. Williamson didn't stay any longer. He ran over to the ship, opened the door, and ran inside. He locked up the door tight, then pressed the LEAVE button. Within a few seconds, the ship was going back toward Earth. Mr. Williamson looked over toward Billy and the Iodinie. "Better start on Titus Andronicus," he said. 7 days later, Billy and his father were sitting next to Mrs. Williamson on the couch. They had just given her the pure Iodinie and she was doing well. "Thank you so much boys," she said. "It must have been quite an adventure up there." Billy looked at his father. "Oh it was, it was," he said.
If you have any ideas for a science fiction story, or would like to share your own, contact me at shanedelmonaco@gmail.com.
