The Numinous
Tristan Michie
Published by Tristan Michie, 2015.
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
THE NUMINOUS
First edition. July 17, 2015.
Copyright © 2015 Tristan Michie.
Written by Tristan Michie.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Prologue
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Epilogue
CONTACT ME
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To Claire, my one true love.
Special thanks to Lustmord for the inspirational music.
Prologue
Deep in the vast darkness of the void it slowly moved through the emptiness. Frozen stars, millions of light years away, stared at its massive bulk as it glided through the silence. It seemed long dead, empty of life. A vast carrier of long expelled existence and consciousness on a journey to nowhere, covered in ice and shadow. Far below the thick, metallic hull, miles of dark lifeless corridors stretched throughout the dead ship. Here and there the occasional light would briefly jump into life before being devoured by the darkness, illuminating a barren scene of a place where once life had thrived. Sparks of electricity danced around frayed and broken wiring, emergency power was low and the ships reactor was long past its life expectancy.
Somewhere, deep in the bowels of the ship a screen flashed into life, flickered and turned itself off. A light overhead tried to brighten the room, flickered a couple of times and died. Moments later the emergency lighting kicked into life, flooding a large room in red light. The ships reactor was having difficulty even with this, and shortly after the main lights went out leaving only a third of the room in a dim red glow. The room was a hyper-sleep lounge, Stasis chambers lined two opposite walls, about twenty in total. On the end of each was a control panel, originally this would of displayed the name, age and sex of the person within as well as their vital signs. These chambers had none of that, just a small red or green light to say if it was in use or not. All but one showed a red light, one chamber was in use. The screen in the room jumped back into life again, flickered a few times, but manage to stay on. Rows of text swamped the screen, followed by what could have been names and personal details. The screen stopped on one name and at that point a hydraulic hiss came from the only occupied chamber in the room as the door slowly slid open...
1
“Why do you have to go daddy? When will you come home?” The boy's face looked sad as he looked into his Fathers eyes.
“I won't be gone too long son, and don't forget we can talk using the computer whenever you like.”
“But why do you have to go?”
The boys father looked at him for a moment,
“I'm sorry, but I have to go. But I WILL be home as soon as I can, and then we will go see the dinosaurs.”
“The dinosaurs?! Promise?” The boy's face had lit up quite considerably.
“Yes son, I promise!”
The father tucked his son into bed.
“Now, you get yourself to sleep OK? Your mummy is going to be needing your help whilst I'm away. You are gong to be the man of the house!”
The boy looked quite happy at that prospect,
“Goodnight daddy.”
“Goodnight son, see you soon.”
The father stayed with his son until he fell asleep, gently stroking his forehead. A sadness gripped him, this was going to be a long trip, he'd only ever been away for two or three months at a time, this time it was going to be about ten years. It would of broken his heart to tell his son that.
Later, while he lay in bed listening to his wife sleeping next to him, he thought about the mission that lay ahead. Nothing like this had been undertaken before, and the dangers were obvious to say the least, but if they were successful.... Life would never be the same again. He thought of his wife and son and he drifted into a deep restful sleep.
So dark, can't breathe, suffocating! Can't breathe, help, HELP!
The door of the Stasis chamber was open above him, he clutched at his throat desperately trying to catch a breath, panic was taking over. An oxygen mask lay at his side and he frantically clawed for it, shoving it onto his face. Cool air filled his lungs as he took in as much oxygen as he could. Gradually his breathing stared to calm, and his panic began to subside. He lay in the chamber staring at the ceiling. He tried to ask for help, but his throat was dry and parched and the only thing that came from his mouth was more of a growl than any form of speech. Slowly he lifted himself up and surveyed the room. It was large, at least fifty foot long and about 30 foot wide. He was sat up in a Stasis chamber furthest from a large door, above which a red lamp gave off a very dim glow – it barely lit the room at all. He had to squint to make out any real details and even then they were so vague he wasn't entirely sure what he was looking at. By the door, set into a wall was a computer terminal, something was displayed on the screen, but he couldn't see what from this distance. To his right a row of Stasis chambers lined the wall, about ten in total, including the one he was sat in. A further ten stood along the opposite wall, each of the other Stasis chambers had a red light at it's foot. He realised he was the only person here, all the other chambers must be empty.
The man sat in silence, looking into the gloom. He felt ill, he wasn't completely sure where he was or why he was here. His head was pounding and his body ached, he was weak and dehydrated. He slowly lifted himself from his chamber, he was only wearing his underwear and the freezing floor sent a massive shock wave through his body as his feet came into contact with it. He shuddered and staggered forward, almost loosing his balance, it took all his strength to stay on his feet. He was a lot weaker than he thought.
On the bottom half of the Stasis chamber the word 'water' was written next to a small access point. His hand shook almost uncontrollably as he opened the small compartment, inside sat two small bottles of water and another bottle containing a thick, white substance. He struggled to open the water and greedily gulped it down, being careful not to choke. He threw the empty bottle aside and grasped the other, drinking it's contents in one. Moments later, as the water hit his stomach, he was bent over in pain. Stomach cramps like he had never felt before made his whole body hurt, the pain was phenomenal, but as he lay on his side on the floor it gradually started to calm, it was as though his body had taken in nothing for years. He picked himself back up and looked back in the compartment, he reached in and took the last bottle. He tried so hard to remember what it was, he knew he had to drink it, but he just couldn't remember how he knew. His hands slowly unscrewed the cap, he lifted it to his nose, it smelt almost fruity. He drank, slowly at first, then deeply until the bottle was drained. It tasted much like it smelt, almost fruity but with something else. He put the bottle aside and slumped against the Stasis chamber, trying to form some memories. Everything was a blur, some images tried to get through but were lost before he could make any sense of them. His eyelids started to drop, he gave in without a fight and let sleep take him.
A journey across a vast distance, to a place never seen before by Mankind.
He awoke, startled. His heart was racing and panic had once again began to take over. Something was in here with him. He heard it, it had awoken him, had felt it. He looked about the room, his eyes darting all over. Trying to make out something in the dim light. He staggered to his feet and grabbed the oxygen mask from the Stasis chambe
r. Slowly he started to calm himself down, he knew he had been dreaming but it felt so real. There was nothing here with him, but his memories had started to return, and for that he was grateful.
He was on board a huge ship, the name he couldn't as yet remember. It had a crew of roughly three hundred and was a very long way from home. They were on a mission, but like the ships name, he couldn't quite remember what it was. His memories of Stasis had come back a little too, paranoia and disorientation were normal after hyper-sleep, the longer you slept the more severe the symptoms. Temporary memory loss was also a common side effect. He remembered what the strange drink was as well, a yoghurt style drink packed with vitamins and nutrients – a quick shot for a weakened body. He had a wife and son, their names currently escaped him but he had remembered his own name – Markus, his name was Markus Clyde.
His short sleep along with the water and vitamin drink had taken effect on Markus' body, he felt stronger and more alert. Again, he scanned the dimly lit room and allowed his eyes to fall upon the computer terminal. Slowly he made his way across the room, checking the observation windows on the other Stasis chambers. As expected, all were empty, they didn't even show any signs of having been used at all. Why would he be the only one here in hyper sleep? With such a large crew surely more people would have been in Stasis. Perhaps he had been sick and needed isolation? Hopefully the terminal could answer some of his questions. As he reached the computer, something by the door caught his eye. A scratch about six inches long on the wall, about two foot up. It was deep, like someone had taken a knife to the wall. He stood staring at the scratch for what felt like several minutes before pulling himself away and directing his attention towards the computer terminal.
The terminal display was fuzzy, constant static rained down the screen which made it difficult to read. It showed a map of the room showing twenty Stasis chambers, each were numbered one to twenty. According to the screen the only chamber in use was number ten, which had been logged to 'Markus Clyde'. He scanned the screen for any further options, he selected 'History Logs'. The screen went black and after a few seconds a new display was on screen, this showed all chamber use in the last twelve months. Again, like before his was the only chamber in use, there was no mention of any other chambers being used. Markus selected the option to look further back through the history logs but was met with an 'Authorisation password' prompt. He reselected the original screen showing the room layout, and selected his own name. Several options appeared on screen, the most noteworthy being 'Personal log' and 'Delete entry', perhaps the other crew members data for these chambers had been deleted for some reason? Although the reason that would happen he didn't know, or maybe just couldn't remember. He selected the 'Personal Log' option but straight away was met with the 'Authorisation' prompt, the result was the same with the 'Delete entry' option as well. Markus let out a sigh, he was tired,confused and cold. He needed to find some clothes, he looked towards the door.
The door slid open part way as he approached, it jammed open about twelve inches so he had to force it the rest of the way, the effort nearly exhausted him. He was stronger than when he first awoke but still far from his normal self. The room beyond was a lot smaller than the hyper-sleep lounge, it seemed to be a locker room, which was one of the few things that made sense to Markus right now. The lockers, like the Stasis chambers were arranged in two rows of ten, both against opposite walls, they were numbered as well. From one to twenty. Markus approached locker ten and tried the door, it was unlocked and opened freely. The locker room had the same lighting as the hypersleep lounge, but due to it's size was lit up fairly well. Markus could see what was in the locker quite clearly and reached in for the clothing and boots, putting them on as quick as he could. Next he reached in and removed the flash light, switched it on to test, turned it off and attached it to his belt. Nothing much else of any value was in the locker, scraps of paper, pens and a book. He closed the door and looked at the other lockers. He opened locker nine, to his surprise it was full of clothing and personal effects, as was locker eight and seven. In fact all the lockers had clothing and other bits and pieces within. Why would the lockers be in use if the Stasis chambers were not, if his memory served him correctly, crew members would leave their stuff here before entering Stasis and reclaim them when they awoke. Why would they leave all their stuff here? What was going on?
There was a chill in the air, he'd been cold since he had woken up, but this seemed a different coldness – one that wasn't there before. Even with the clothing he had found, he felt so cold, he began to shiver. Where had this come from?
“Maybe I am sick.” He said aloud,
Maybe I was isolated, I was contagious so they had to keep me separate.
Markus quickly checked the last few lockers, he found a small rucksack in one and some bars of Neutrichoc in another. Neutrichoc was a long lasting, neutrience rich, chocolate bar; recommended eating after Hyper-sleep. As soon as he saw the Neutrichoc he realised just how hungry he was. He unwrapped one immediately and quickly devoured it, he expected massive stomach cramps like he experienced after drinking the first bottle of water, they came but were significantly milder than before. The Neutrichoc tasted good, he ate another and put the others in the rucksack which he then slung over his shoulder.
His head was starting to hurt, and the chill appeared to be getting worse.
“I need to get out of here, there must be someone here.” He said to the empty room.
There was another door opposite the one he had entered by, he crossed the room towards it. Unlike the other door this one opened in one smooth movement, he stepped through. He had emerged in a corridor, it was dark. A small amount of red light from the locker room leaked out but beyond that it was pitch black. Markus retrieved the flash light from his belt and switched it on, it wasn't overly powerful, but lit the way about 20 foot before him. He shone the torch up and down the corridor. There were numerous doors either side, some had a sign outside and from what he could make out these doors led to other hyper-sleep lounges. He stood in the corridor debating with himself what to do next, he needed to find help, he was beginning to feel weak again and the cold chill and headache were just making him feel ill.
“HELLO!” He called,
“HELLO, IS ANYBODY THERE?”
“I NEED HELP!”
The darkness gave him no response, if anyone could hear him they chose not to answer.
“ANYONE?”
Something didn't sound right, he couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was, but it was like sound was being absorbed. There was not the slightest sign of any echo, the sound just disappeared, almost cut short.
He started to feel light headed, the headache was really starting to get to him now, the pain was becoming more severe. He clutched his head wincing,
“God, I need to lie down.” He whispered to himself. He walked back through into the locker room, switching off the flash light and returning it to his belt, the door slid shut behind him.
The pain was getting worse.
He quickly walked through the locker room and back into the hyper-sleep lounge, pulling the door closed behind him, and made his way back to his Stasis chamber, climbed inside and closed his eyes. The pain was getting intense, like something was slowly burrowing out of his head. His eyes felt like they were being pushed out of his skull. And then darkness. He never knew if sleep had taken him again or he had passed out from what had become an almost intolerable pain but like before, he was thrown back into consciousness.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Something was banging against the door, it was loud, it sounded like metal against metal.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Something was trying to get in.
BANG! The door was starting to move, Markus sat up, staring at the door as it was violently forced open. Something stood in the doorway and just looked at him.
2
She clenched her fists and swung her arms, they were everywhere, in the air flut
tering about her head, crawling on her, on her Stasis chamber, they were all over everything. Thousands of them, like moths only larger – about the size of a fist, but what disturbed her the most was their faces, they looked almost human but with red eyes, small red, nasty looking eyes. These creatures weren't in anyway graceful, their wings were far too big for their bodies which made them fly about in the most peculiar of ways and their limbs were grotesque, spindly little appendages, spiked at the joints and ending in strange looking pincers. They were nasty to behold but didn't seem hostile towards her, but she couldn't bear to be within their swarm. For each one she hit, or crushed with her fist ten more would take their place. She was terrified, tears were streaming down her face, she tried to scream out but couldn't and even if she could the almost deafening 'buzzing' sound they made would probably drown her out. She crawled out from her Stasis chamber, batting wildly with her fists all the while, she slipped and crashed to the floor; hitting her head hard. The last thing she remembered was watching those strange insect-like beasts circling overhead.
Hours could of passed when she finally came to. Her head was pounding, she lifted her hand to her forehead and winced as it brushed against a quite sizeable bump. She felt moisture on her finger tips, she had been bleeding. She slowly sat up and rested herself against the side of the Stasis chamber. The room she was in was silent, nothing moved. She remembered the strange insects that had swarmed all over her. Where were they? There had been thousands of them. She was sat facing the wall so tried to get herself to her feet so she could see the rest of the room. She was overcome with dizziness as soon as she stood up and immediately let herself slide back down the side of the chamber. She slowly got on all fours and crawled out from behind the chamber. The room was small, perhaps four meters each way, with enough room for two Stasis chambers, a computer terminal sat on a desk and two lockers. A door was set into the wall opposite her chamber. A red light on the ceiling above her would intermittently switch off and on, but the room was small enough to be reasonably illuminated. She slowly tried to raise herself up again, this time the dizziness, although quite severe, didn't make her fall back down, she leant against the Stasis chamber for sometime.
The Numinous Page 1
