Afraid of the Dark Page 3

  “Dad something's in that hole.”

  “Probably the neighbor's Pekinese, good riddance to the little yapper,” Todd growled.

  “Todd, don't say that,” Mary said in dismay.

  “Hell, you know you're thinking the same thing,” he told her as the boys started to creep past them. “Hang on a bit, there could be something going on.”

  “Like what dad?” Brian asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

  “Like I dunno, the ground could be messed up. Let me go check it out.” He fumbled around until he found the flash light at his side and turned it on. He saw a flash of movement and then eyes.

  “What the hell?” he said as he felt, then heard something growl. Instinctively he stepped back.

  “What the hell is it?” Mary asked, ignoring her own moratorium on swearing for once.

  “No idea. Maybe it’s a dog. Or a cat. Okay kids, maybe it’s a good idea to just...”

  “Yeah,” TJ said, putting a restraining arm on his brother as they backed away.

  “Your father's right. It could be hurt,” Mary said, getting to her knees. Suddenly something lunged out of the shadows and into the center of the yard.

  “What the hell!” Todd said, catching the movement and then pinning it with the light. What he saw took his breath away in shock and terror.

  It was small, about the size of a cat, a big cat. It had scales though, and a long thick tail. A tail it swished back and forth. It had four legs, so it... no, it had four eyes... animals on earth didn't have eyes like that. Not four of them! He thought in stunned disbelief.

  The thing squinted in the light, turning its head away. He saw a fringe of something; skin and bone go up on its back. It had horns and spikes on its spine. There was a rustle and he turned to see another set of eyes and then another, all coming from the meteor.

  “Inside,” Mary whispered urgently.

  “Yeah,” Todd gulped. Before he could get up the thing turned and charged.

  “Damn!” he said, reaching for a weapon, anything. His hand caught the hose and he swung it. The metal tip connected with the thing, smacking the metal nozzle into the creature’s eyes and sending it back squealing.

  “Inside!” Mary said as he crawled back on the seat of his pants. He felt her tugging at his arm as he heard the kids open the sliding glass door behind them.

  “Shit, what is that?” he demanded, watching the thing as it squinted its wounded eyes and pawed at them. The other two slowed their approach. One split off and tried to circle them.

  “Mom I can't find it! The shotgun where is it!” TJ screamed urgently.

  “Shit,” Todd said, managing to get to his feet as the second one charged. It zigged to one side but he caught it with the hose. It scrambled back just as he heard Mary scream and go down beside him. He looked down at the thing tearing into his wife.

  “Shit! Get off my wife!” he snarled, slamming the butt of the flashlight into its head. It squealed and backed away, then growled.

  “Mary get up, get up,” he said, nudging her. He got a gurgle and weak “Go,” for a reply.

  “Not without you.” He turned a little, still watching the thing. “TJ the gun's in the closet. Ammo is in the box in the hope chest at the foot of the bed. Find it. Brian call 911!” he bellowed. Screams and sirens were going off all over the place now.

  “Mary,” he said, tucking the flashlight in his armpit and grabbing her by one arm. “Come on babe, let’s go. Time to get the hell out of Dodge,” he said. He took a chance to look away and down. What he saw tore at his throat and heart. He thought he was going to vomit.

  Mary's head bobbed, blood dripped from her torn throat. He turned her and she stared at him with glassy eyes. He felt a welter of disbelief, grief, and finally rage flow through him. He felt and heard the growl again and looked up, this time meeting the alien growl with one of his own.

  A snarl ripped at his throat, a snarl for his lost love. He didn't care about anything right now, he just wanted blood. He lashed out, hooking the center one with the hose on the back leg and pulling it off balance. It spun and tried to bite the hose but he yanked it away. His fingers tightened on what he had, all that he had to defend himself and his family with. He watched the thing in the center hunch and then when its haunches tucked he moved to one side, keeping the iron fence nearby so he had some cover on one flank. He turned to see where the other two had gone. Both were trying to get close to Mary, he wasn't going to allow it. They were not going to violate his wife.

  He dropped his wife's arm just as he heard something behind him. TJ came out with the shotgun. He grabbed it in one smooth motion, cocked it and fired.

  The blast tore into the second animal, right in the side sending it tumbling into the grass beyond. The third animal hesitated and then backed away, sniffing. He turned to the first animal but it was no longer there. He snarled and tucked the gun in his armpit and pulled his wife up to drag her into the house. The flashlight dropped to the ground and rolled back and forth facing out, the creatures hesitated.

  “Inside,” he said gruffly, moving back quickly. Brian came out with the phone in one hand and a steak knife in the other. He looked at his mother and started to cry.

  “Inside I said!” He jerked his head to TJ. “Get your brother inside now!” he roared, moving as fast as he could.

  “Dad what do we do?” TJ asked as he crossed the threshold with Mary's body and slammed the door shut.

  He glared at the red gold cat eyes on the other side of the glass. He reached out and switched the porch light on. The flood lights sprang to life, making the animals screech and back into the dark. “Hell if I know son, but we better figure it out soon,” he replied. “For now let's reload.”

  ...*...*...*...*...

  The entire planet was forever changed as a rain of a different sort began to make changes to its ecosystem with first millions and then billions of falling pods. Some of the pods fluttered down with wings like a flying maple seed, the wing shape allowed the pods to helicopter down, slowing their blistering speeds for a softer landing.

  Some pods had organic parachutes that opened, or in some cases didn't open, as they hit thicker pockets of air. A few were torn apart by the strain and the hurtling pods dug their own graves.

  Across the world pods landed in the dark, marching across the planet's surface, following the setting sun. Some that hit water splashed and foamed, a few that came in too fast or at the wrong angle hit the water too hard, either skipping across the surface before sinking or shattering into fragments before sinking into the depths. Pods that hit hard objects like cement, buildings, rock, or tarmac tended to splatter rather spectacularly.

  Millions of pods missed the planet, they either fell into an orbit of the planet or moon or kept going into the outer dark. Those pods that were on the outer edge of the comet had been exposed to the greatest variant in temperature as well as radiation. Few of the contents of those pods that managed to land survived.

  The major news media were slow at first to react to the scattered reports, most had been primed to cover the shower, but none had really considered that it might turn into a global disaster and certainly not an alien invasion!

  The internet was alive with people talking about what was going on, ordinary people awake and covering the shower. Many of course were out to see the showers in the first place, so they had a firsthand look at what was going on. They were the lucky ones. They called in other people to go to look.

  As the rain of pods passed over populated areas many smashed into homes and buildings. Many people were killed in such crashes, or by the falling debris. When the pods hatched terror struck.

  The aliens ripped through people and animals. Some of the aliens were like babies, stumbling along and generally avoiding contact. But others... predators... They were incredibly fast and relentless in their hunger.

  Small arms proved relatively useless, only an eye or mouth shot would cause them serious injury. A knife in the throat
or a heavy caliber weapon was the only way to insure a kill, and sometimes even that was not enough.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  Shane woke to the sound of the dogs barking and the girls screaming at them to shut up.

  “Trina, Tori, go back to bed, I'll deal with it,” he sighed pulling the sheet off and kicking his feet out of the bed.

  “Something going after the rabbits?” Jen asked sleepily, sitting up.

  “No idea. Might be a cat, I'll check it out,” he said, getting the flashlight and kissing her on the cheek. “Try to get back to sleep dear.” He knew it was useless, she'd be up in a few minutes, worried about the animals.

  He sighed and headed outside to see what was happening. Something was out there, something... a cat maybe, he could see light reflecting from eyes. Definitely not a coyote. A couple of them, maybe a whole pack. Max and Rufus were going nuts at the door, but their mother Broadzilla was looking unsure.

  “Scaredy cat,” he said looking at her. He fumbled the lock open and then had to haul Max back from the door so he could get it open. He opened the security door and the dogs shot past him, snarling. “Go get em!” he said stepping out with Mama.

  “You too...” he said as she stalked by him. He heard crunching and winced. He was wrong, definitely a coyote he thought, wondering now if it was such a good idea to be out there unarmed.

  He heard one of the dogs yelp and then something moved, leaping in the shadows. There was an animal squeal and he felt his heart begin to hammer, smelling blood. He shined the light and saw something insane... something tearing up his German Sheppard puppies. The mother was barking hysterically, dancing around. The lights came on, something he should have thought of before.

  A spotlight illuminated monsters the size of large cats, lizard creatures with spines and sails on their backs. Two were in a tug of war, tearing apart one of the puppies. Other animals were swarming all over the place. Some went right over or through the fences. Most screeched or hissed as light hit them, shying away from the spotlights, retreating into the dark.

  He could hear more altercations from his neighbors. He waved to Jayne as he heard her sliding glass door open. “Get back inside!” he yelled. She looked out, saw something and screamed. He heard the door slam shut and then winced at the sound of breaking glass.

  Broadzilla was frantic now, barking and snarling and whining. He started backing up, and then checked his six, unsure about what was behind him. One of the animals tried to make a run at him and the mother dog snapped at it. With a whirl the thing spun and tore into her, another leaped on her hind quarters and she went down with a frightened squeal.

  “Damn it,” he said backing up fast. He knew that Broadzilla had just saved his life and had gone down fighting like a true man's best friend. He got inside and screamed at his family to lock the doors and to get away from the windows. Jen came running, belting her robe on and wanting to know what was going on. She looked outside to see the animals fighting over the body of the dog. “Oh my god,” she said, hand going to her mouth in sudden shock, the sudden attack scared her.

  “Go,” he said, pushing her back, not caring if he was too rough. “Get to the kids,” he hissed at her, looking around frantically for a weapon. He grabbed a dirty steak knife from the counter then tossed it aside and pulled out a chef's knife. “I've got to get a better weapon,” he said. Jen reached around him and pulled the knife drawer open. She grabbed a pair of knives and headed out at a run.

  He made his way to the gun cabinet and fumbled in the dark for the combination. At least it was a combination lock, not a key, right now he was cursing himself for not opting for the thumb print lock.

  Shane got to his shotgun just as he heard breaking glass in the dining room. He loaded ten shells fast and turned just as the four eyed monster came around the corner.

  He blasted it, watching it rebound off the lower kitchen cabinet and then shake itself. Its sail was pretty torn up but otherwise it appeared to have suffered little damage.

  “Shit,” he said, giving it a second and then third shot. Another animal came around the corner and he gave it a load of buckshot as well, flinging it onto its' back.

  “Shit! What does it take to kill these things?” he snarled, firing a second and third shot into the overturned animal's exposed abdomen. It writhed on the ground and he was gratified to see purple guts suddenly fountain up.

  “Gotcha, that's for Max you bastard,” he snarled.

  “Dad!” Nick said, opening the garage door. He whirled leveling the gun then quickly dropping the muzzle down. “Damn it Nick!”

  “Sorry,” Nick said, coming in and hefting an ax and hatchet in either hand.

  “Give me that,” Shane said, handing the boy his shot gun as he took the ax. He turned and swung just as the first alien started to recover. Three good strokes were all it took to sever the neck, purple blood squirted out, spraying him and the kitchen. He turned, ignoring the mess.

  “Dad what's going on?” Tori said coming into the kitchen. “Have you gone nuts and lost it?” she said, eyes wide. “What happened to... wait that's not Rufus is it? What...”

  Nick turned and handed his father the gun. Shane tucked the ax under one arm as Nick approached the horrified Tori. “Tori,” he said touching her arm. She was shaking. “Look Tori, we don't have time for this,” he said. When she started to tear up and bite her lip he grabbed her arms and shook her.

  “Listen to me. Come on,” he said, taking her by the arm and pulling her away. She looked back, eyes wide.

  “Come on, where is your hair stuff?” he demanded.

  “Huh?” she asked as he pulled her down the hall. “In the bathroom of course. You know that,” she said.

  “Good, go get it,” he told her. He came back and yanked the extended lighter off the key rack and when Tori returned with an arm load of cans he took one can, gave it a shake, lit the pilot and then pointed it at the broken window just as another alien came up to it. He pressed the can nozzle and a burst of flame licked out into the alien's face. It screamed and backed away, pawing at its face, its ears and sail on fire. It tumbled away in grass and other aliens came to investigate it as Shane checked the window.

  Shane watched warily as one of the newcomers poked at the wounded one. The wounded beast turned and swiped at it. The second creature backed off a little, hissing and arching its back. Jen flipped the patio lights on, the aliens screeched, red eyes closing, bellies flat. They spun and ran away into dark. “Good job kids,” Shane told them, nodding. Jen moved to the coffee table but Nick saw and understanding her intent and took it from her. He wrestled it in front of the broken window. “What are we going to do dad?” he asked.

  There were screams in the night. Some of them were human, all too many sounded alien. There was a weird chitterling sound, and strange animals growled and roared.

  “I think we've got a problem,” he said softly looking around. He was a cop; he knew what was going on right now. The police and military were most likely swamped. Anyone who was armed, like the gangs or for home protection were probably fighting for their lives. Most were likely losing, taken by surprise and lacking the experience and discipline necessary to overcome the invaders.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  William Hsu wasn't sure just what had woken him but the first thing that his sleep fogged mind was able to focus on was the noises coming from the living room. Climbing out of bed carefully so as not to disturb his still sleeping wife he padded barefoot into the hall and turned into the living room doorway, his first thought was that there was an intruder in the house, a burglar and for the moment indignation at the idea suppressed the fear that might have arisen had he had time to gather his thoughts and consider the potential risks involved in confronting an intruder.

  He didn't bother to turn on a light, there was enough illumination coming through the blinds from the street lighting outside to allow him to see his surroundings and he was familiar enough with the layout of his home that he co
uld navigate it easily enough in the dark. There was certainly enough light for him to see that the living room was unoccupied though the noises persisted and he realized they were coming from the chimney breast. Indignation vanished and the first stirrings of fear were swept away to be replaced by relief. “Sounds like we've got a bird or squirrel in the chimney again,” he muttered to himself.

  “Definitely,” he snorted, bending and pulling the big mesh fireguard away from the open fireplace. A swarm of dark shapes erupted into the room, leaping and hopping. “Locusts!” was his first startled thought, but the dark, glistening shapes that swarmed around him were too big to be locusts and even in the poor light he instinctively sensed an unearthly wrongness about the rapidly moving creatures. The alien insects surrounded him like a shoal of piranhas, jumping and biting, needle sharp claws and razor edged mandibles tore at the exposed flesh of his head, upper body and feet and shredded the pajama pants which where all he wore.

  He screamed shrilly and turned to run, blinded by the monstrous insects which clung and tore at his face and too panicked to think he tripped over the low coffee table and fell heavily, hard edged bodies cracking and squirming beneath him. Dazed by the fall and covered in a living blanket of biting insects he thrashed wildly but was unable to rise and very shortly his struggles ceased and the room was silent except for the clicking and scraping of the swarm as they consumed him.

  Roused by the commotion his wife Shani stepped into the room, reaching for the light switch beside the door, she froze, horrified as she saw the writhing mass of hard shelled bodies that slithered and roiled in a mound in the middle of the room. Then she saw her husband's outstretched hand, slashed and bloodied but momentarily free of insects, and raising her hands to her face she screamed hysterically. The mound of insects exploded as they swarmed toward this new prey.

  ...*...*...*...*...

  As the city gradually began to wake and realize what was happening people began to panic. Many gave into the urge to flee, with no plan of action and no destination in mind they climbed into their cars and tried to escape. Unfortunately there was nowhere to escape to, the horror was everywhere, many roadways had become battle grounds as people who had come out to watch the meteor shower struggled to get back to safety indoors or simply to stay alive as the aliens attacked and in nearly every street there were clusters of aliens feeding.