SODIUM:1 Harbinger

by Stephen Arseneault

  Chapter 9

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  We decided to stay at our previous campsite by Laurel Lake. It offered open expanses going out several hundred feet to the woods. And there were almost none of the horrible baseball-sized rocks lying around. To our back we had the lake. If the demons were to attack us here, they would need a new strategy.

  With our limited amount of daylight remaining, we gathered an abundance of sticks and branches, which were just dry enough to burn on our fire. We built a defensive rock wall with stones large enough to not easily get knocked away by thrown rocks, and we set up several fires that we could use to keep our perimeters lit up.

  We took a few minutes to inventory our ammo, and the count was much lower than desired. Bull had brought a box of fifty of the .45 cal rounds, of which he had used twenty-four. Allie and Kyle each had a box of 9 mm rounds, with sixty-one remaining. Since we had been using Susi's .22 for hunting, she was down to twenty-eight, as she had only begun with half a box. We would have to be careful with our ammo. Other than our guns, we were left with my bat, Bull's bear bow with four arrows, a small hatchet on Bull's pack, and several hunting knives.

  We would not reach the area where the meteor had fallen previously for another day, and we would then have at least one additional day after that to make it back to any civilization. If we were able to find and to free Kyle, we would try for the Cherry Lake dam in hopes that there would be a telephone there.

  The others had a forlorn look to them. I was still all hopped up on the fact that those were aliens out there that we were fighting with, and we had evaded them once and then beaten them back. I was also excited that I had a secret weapon waiting in the woods should I really need it. I had convinced myself that Minhafa was real.

  Allie returned with another rabbit, and with my three fish, we had our first full, hot meal in several days. We needed every bit of it, as our energy levels were all low after slogging through the rain and fighting with the demon. Our lack of sleep was of no help either.

  When I offered up the fish, I told the others of my Minhafa sighting across the lake. They all brushed it off as coincidence. I took it as a sign that it was there to watch over me. A week before, I would have called anyone who thought such a nutcase, but that wasn't what I believed anymore.

  As we sat around the campfire, we talked about the skirmish with the rock-throwing demon. It looked as though they were not equipped with any weaponry other than being able to heave heavy objects at us, to make use of the tools on their legs, or to spray the green fog we had seen in our last encounter.

  We talked about how the girls had managed several hits on its body with the 9mms and how I had the one shot that blew a hole straight through it, yet it was still able to turn and flee. We reasoned that perhaps I had missed anything critical, or maybe they were just that tough. We had no way of knowing.

  The one thing we were sure of was we had done enough damage, or had at least offered enough of a defense, that it knew it was time to leave. I reasoned perhaps it was scared, if it was possible for a machine to be scared, and it decided to cut its losses and run. I was thankful there had not been two of them together or we would have surely been overrun. Losing was not an option. Going forward, we would have to be careful as we moved about, always looking for cover or for a good defensive position.

  I was fascinated by the intelligence we had seen displayed by a machine. They could think on the fly as well as any of us. Even though our little group was now at war with them, I had a strong desire to meet the makers of the machines face to face.

  I pondered how interesting and exciting it would be to talk with a being from another world. What other technology did they have? Flying cars? Force fields? And rockets that could reach other planets... my mind was consumed with thoughts of what we might learn from galactic travelers.

  But none of that really mattered while we were at war. They had outright attacked us and possibly even kidnapped one of our own. The answers to my many questions would have to wait until such time as we came in contact with a live alien or captured one of the machines.

  As my mind continued to wander, I imagined dunking a live alien repeatedly in the cold mountain water or threatening to burn out its eyes with red-hot coals. That is, if they even had eyes. If the stories from Roswell were true, then their eyes would be big and black. I imagined them telling me everything I wanted to know after I worked them over with my bat. Maybe that was just a bit of my short attitude coming through; I wasn't sure, but it was exciting to think about it as it fed into my already excited state.

  Bull interrupted my alien daydreams by telling me to hit the hay, as he and Susi were taking the first watch. We might as well start early so we could maximize our sleep. With about six hours’ sleep in the last two days, I did not foresee bedding down early being a problem. As I lay in my sleeping bag, I once again began to think about the aliens and what might lie ahead for us. The fatigue took me down in only a few minutes.

  I was awakened by Bull at 1AM Allie was up and Susi was fast asleep. Bull had let me sleep over the hour after several failed attempts to wake me at midnight. I thanked him for giving me the extra rest and then pressed him to get some sleep of his own.

  Bull had a nasty knot on his forehead from the ricocheting rock and a small cut on his scalp. The knot was still prevalent, but shrinking, and the cut had scabbed over. It was the first time I ever thought of Bull as being vulnerable. It seemed he was human after all.

  When the girls had tended to our wounds at the end of our demon skirmish, they had taken the time to remove all the small pieces of rock embedded in my lower face. It was painful, but they managed to get every little piece. I then washed my bloody face in the lake before dousing it with iodine from our small med kit. I was not in need of an infection on top of my other injuries.

  The rock debris had not gone deep into my skin, but it left me with a face full of small scabs. I thought at the time it was just a few more minor wounds to add to my long list of maladies from the trip: two near drownings, almost falling sixty feet into a ravine, bruised ribs, hornet stings, rope burns, a broken wrist bone, and a long list of other bruises. The scabby face was just icing on the cake.

  Had I been lucky or was I really just that tough? I preferred to think the latter, and if anyone asked, that was what I would tell them. And to top it off, I had taken on an alien machine with nothing but a bat.

  As we sat by the fire, Allie was the same quiet self that she had been the last several days. I didn't really mind this evening, as it gave me time to daydream and to plan out strategies. I thought we might have an advantage if we could lure one of the demons into a trap.

  The girls’ backtracking had worked wonders, and if we could outsmart these things with more trickery, I was all for it. They had laid their own trap on us during our last battle, when the demon waited quietly for one of us to raise our heads. It had almost killed Bull with a rock in that encounter, which had barely missed but had still managed to cut his scalp.

  I wondered if we could lure one of them into a ravine where we could attack it from above, or maybe we could gain advantage on the steep trail by rolling big boulders down at it. My mind was whirring away at coming up with any idea that we could use.

  Up until that day I had been a curse on the outing: always getting injured, always with a negative attitude, always complaining. But I had blown a three-inch hole in an alien machine the afternoon before, possibly saving us all with my one quick thought and move.

  I didn't want to take credit from the girls for their crossfire, but it was my one dead-on shot that had convinced the demon to turn and run. It was the one right thing I had done on the trip, and I wanted a little pat on my back for it, even if it was me doing it to myself.

  We kept just enough wood on the fire to keep it burning low. The light from it was good and the heat from it warm, but we did not want it to attract attention. The night was calm, as were the woods surrounding us... up unti
l about 3AM. That was when our night of terror began.

  Several owls could be heard hooting out warnings during the normal quiet. I took Allie by the arm and gestured in the direction the sounds had come from. She replied in a low voice that it could be our demon, or possibly just one of the predators that lurked about, hunting at night. Many of the animals in the Yosemite area were nocturnal.

  I kept a close lookout for signs of the demon in that area. For an hour there was nothing. But the demons were on the hunt that night, and it was us who were their prey. The red demon eyes of an alien machine soon made themselves known as they peered through the woods. I scrambled to wake Bull and Susi.

  We stayed low behind the rock wall we had constructed, peering intently into the woods. The eyes just stared at us as if in a contest of wills. Then, just as suddenly as they had appeared, they were gone. We waited patiently for their return, but they did not come. Bull made the decision to be the aggressor; we were going to walk the perimeter line of the woods.

  My reasoning mind not happy with the idea of scouting for the demon, but for some reason I volunteered to go along. The girls stayed crouched behind the wall as Bull and I made our way across the clearing before us. I was apprehensive and constantly turned my gaze from side to side.

  When we reached the edge of the woods, Bull stood quietly staring into them for several minutes. The calm and quiet of the woods now somehow seemed sinister. I fully expected a rock to emerge from the darkness, striking me in the head, at any moment. I began to shiver from the intensity of the situation and the cold night air.

  I was then startled by the sound of splashing water. Bull had thrown a rock into the lake to see if it would draw attention. It did not. I chastised him in a low voice, to which he replied that sometimes with a predator you needed a diversion; they would be wary of any other activity that was close by.

  We began a long, slow walk along the tree line, peering constantly into the darkness that lay beyond. Just as we reached the halfway point of our journey, Bull turned and placed his hand out. In the distance of the deep wood, we could see a single red eye moving to the left. The demon was moving around behind our camp.

  I pleaded with Bull to return to the security of our block wall, but he had another plan in mind. Suddenly, in a quiet sprint, he headed into the dark wood. He was intent on circling in behind the demon before it could do the same to us. I shook my head in disbelief as I quickly and quietly followed after.

  It was madness, chasing into the dark woods after an alien machine. Bull carried his .45 and I my trusty bat, but the alien had a nearly unlimited supply of anything that could be thrown. I was not looking forward to confronting it. We were at a disadvantage, fighting an enemy we did not know.

  For the better part of twenty minutes, we worked our way in and behind the slowly moving machine as it continued to work its way toward the left side of the camp. Bull moved silently, like a lion in the tall grass, while I followed clumsily behind. It was not long before I stepped on a large branch, causing it to snap loudly under my foot.

  The red eyes spun around in our direction. Bull and I stood still. For several minutes the demon peered in our direction. I stood in plain view, holding my breath, only concealed by the darkness of the night. The demon took several steps toward me and then stopped. It continued to stare for several minutes, waiting for a foe to emerge. I stood frozen, frozen in fear, my breaths slow and steady, my bat held firmly by my side.

  The demon again took several steps toward me. It then stopped and turned slightly away, peering into the darkness from where it had come. Bull waited patiently behind the cover of a large tree, his weapon by his side and at the ready. The standoff lasted for several minutes before the alien machine again turned and continued on its previous path.

  I wondered if perhaps their vision in the darkness was no better than ours. It was difficult for me to conceive of an alien race that could travel the stars but who did not have the power to see in the dark. It was an ability that I was ever so glad that they did not have or for whatever reason could not use. I took a long breath as the alien moved away.

  I stood motionless for several more seconds before being able to take my first step, terrified that at any moment I would again give away our position. Each foot probed the forest floor gently in front of me before bearing any weight. My confidence slowly began to return.

  We followed the alien machine for another half hour before it stopped and slowly turned toward the camp. It moved to a position just short of the tree line and began to probe around in the pine straw for items that could be thrown. Over the course of another half hour, it amassed a pile of several hundred projectiles. We watched quietly from the woods behind it. Again, the fear built up in me, as only thirty meters of wood stood between us and our nemesis.

  The demon began to quietly take the stones it had gathered and to gently toss them into the clearing that separated the woods from our campfire. I was unsure of its purpose until Bull whispered that it was likely seeding the grounds in front of it before attempting another rock-throwing advance.

  I marveled at the intelligence the alien machine displayed. It was above and beyond my thinking, making me ever more thankful for the accompaniment of my friend. Bull had a way of figuring out people's plans before there was an impact. He would then plan for his own actions to counter whatever was coming his way. He was one of those people who always seemed a step ahead and always played to win.

  We watched quietly from behind as the demon rolled fist-sized stones out into the open grass. Every few seconds Allie would pop up her head to scan the clearing, each time from a different position behind the rock wall. Once the demon picked up its final stone, I clinched my bat tightly. The time for action was about to begin.

  When the alien machine took its first quiet step into the clearing, Bull decided to make his move. Without warning, he sprang forward, yelling at the top of his lungs. Shots rang out as he closed on his target from an angle where his misses would not continue on toward the girls.

  Several rocks flew in our direction as Bull continued to charge. The machine, caught off guard, then turned and sprinted further out into the clearing. Allie was ready with a barrage of her own. The demon, caught in the crossfire, made a hard left and headed back toward the tree line. The girls held their fire, as they were unsure of our location.

  The red eyes then turned in my direction as the beast moved into the trees. Bull continued to fire whenever he thought he had a shot. The demon raced directly toward me. I was standing beside a tree with my bat held high as the red-eyed demon began to run past my position.

  I brought the bat down hard just as it moved by and was rewarded with the feeling and sound of a deep metallic crunch, but the alien machine continued its sprint through the woods and quickly disappeared into the darkness. I stood with my bat at the ready should it decide to turn back my way.

  Bull followed in chase, running past my position with his .45 aimed in the alien's direction. He vanished into the blackness of the forest before two more shots were fired. I stood, listening, waiting for a sign that my friend was still alive. Five minutes of fear and anxiety passed before he began to emerge from the darkness. He stopped beside me, placing his giant hand on the back of my neck before shaking me lightly and smiling. He then gestured back toward the camp.

  Only minutes after Bull's rampage had begun, it was over. He had chased the demon from the vicinity of our camp. We collected the rocks from the open area and returned to the comfort of the fire, settling in around its warmth. I continued to shiver from shock as we talked of what had just happened.

  My nerves were frayed. I was suddenly nauseous. I stood and stepped quickly into the clearing beyond our rock wall. I then bent over violently as I threw up what dinner I had left in me from the evening before. Even though terrified, I had acted bravely when the moment of need had arisen, but I was no warrior. The remains of the rabbit and fish spread out on the tall grass before me told of my true statur
e. I then stood and slowly walked to the lake's edge to clean off my humiliation.

  When I returned to the campfire, Bull again placed his hand on my shoulder and then began to tell the girls of how I had taken my stand in the face of danger. I stood firmly, in plain view, without giving away our position. I had then given the demon a pounding with my bat as it attempted to flee. I could tell he was genuinely proud of his little friend. It was a boost of confidence that I was desperately in need of.

  As Bull continued to tell the girls what had happened, he reasoned that perhaps his actions had been foolish, but he felt as though he could no longer sit idly by while we were being stalked. He thought that the demons might leave us alone if they found us to be too aggressive. It was a gamble. I hoped it would somehow pay off.

  Once we had settled down, I realized that there were still several hours left in the night. We remained vigilant, watching and waiting for our enemy to return. Our fears were soon realized when a set of the red demon eyes again appeared deep in the woods. We watched intently as again the alien began its test of wills. Allie then formulated a plan of her own.

  I was told to move over toward the left end of the clearing. I was given instructions to then jump up and down and to make noise. I would be a distraction to the demon as Bull and Allie attempted to crawl through the tall grass to the tree line on the right. They would then slip quietly through the woods, coming up behind the alien beast as it continued to watch my strange behavior. With luck, they would open fire and put an end to the alien machine's existence.

  It was a bold plan. As I stood and walked out into the clearing, I again began to get the shakes. My nerves were frayed, and the adrenaline coursing through my veins only added to my condition. When I reached my target spot, I laid my bat down in the moist night grass and then began to do jumping jacks.

  I could not fathom what mechanical thoughts were going through the alien's brain as it observed my bizarre behavior. I called out numbers as I completed each move. For several minutes I kept the alien's undivided attention as Bull and Allie slithered quietly away. When they had reached the tree line, I stopped and instead began to sing.

  The demon continued to stare in my direction as I gave my best rendition of Camptown Ladies. I was a horrid singer and had a sudden thought of the alien turning away in disgust, but it continued its stare. When my rendition had ended, I then picked up my bat and began to stretch as I belted out the national anthem. Strangely, I began to feel a sense of pride that brought a calm to my nerves.

  I lived in what I believed to be one of the greatest nations the world had ever known. We were a free people who believed in justice and liberty. We had our issues, but being pushed around on our own soil was not one of them. I then began to look directly at the alien machine as I recited the pledge and pointed my bat at it in a taunting manner. For a brief moment, I had the urge to begin a charge into the woods of my own.

  As I began to lean in the beast's direction, its eyes suddenly shifted to its left, to where I would have expected Bull and Allie to be. The red demon eyes then turned back in my direction and suddenly began to grow in intensity; it was coming my way. I lifted my bat and then began a charge of my own before three shots rang out from its left. The red eyes then quickly turned away and again disappeared into the darkness of the wood.

  Twenty minutes passed before Bull and Allie emerged from the tree line. The demon had gone. It had stopped briefly on a small rise, looking back for a moment before turning and continuing away. Bull and Allie had followed just long enough to convince themselves that it was indeed leaving.

  We did not sleep for the remainder of the night, as we each spent the final hours staring out into the darkness of the woods. The red eyes remained unseen, and as the first light began to break, I felt a genuine sense of relief. Our night of terror had finally come to an end.