Take Me To Your Reader: An Otherworld Anthology

by Amy A. Bartol

  Chapter 7

  He walked out from behind a nearby tree. I tried screaming out for K, but obviously Rakar had taken control of my vocal chords.

  "Don't be afraid. It's me."

  "Bullshit, Rakar. K told me everything and when he comes back, your ass is toast."

  "No, Jenn, listen. Rakar is still controlling my body, but he is letting me talk to you. Kawise is lying to you. Rakar is not a criminal. He is a renowned scientist on Xorpeen. He was working for their government, trying to develop a cure for a mutant gene that affects their species, when he discovered the government had lied to him and were planning on using his research to develop a weapon. He couldn't allow it to happen, so he destroyed his data, took the only remaining sample of the virus and fled."

  "If you're telling the truth, why didn't he just go to their police or whatever they have?"

  "He had nowhere to go. They come from a hostile galaxy of planets whose ruling bodies are all battling for control over the precious elements they need to survive. Kawise works for the government. He is only using you to lure Rakar out, and then he will likely kill you."

  "Oh, like that's not Rakar's plan too. Why won't he stop controlling me and just take his virus and leave?"

  "He will if you will come with us. Trust me."

  "Ha. I don't even know if it's really you talking to me, and you want me to trust you?"

  "It is me, Jenn. Just come with us now. Rakar will take what he needs and leave, then we can be together, just like before."

  "I want to, but I don't know who to believe."

  "Believe me," he said, walking toward me with his arms outstretched. I held my hand out to take his when a booming sound like thunder cracked around us.

  "Rakar, stop!" K commanded, flanking us from behind one of the abandoned buildings.

  "Greetings again, Kawise. I assumed you would be joining us, a little later than I expected, however. I have already explained the truth to the female," Rakar answered. At least they were speaking in our language, so I was able to follow along.

  "You mean your version of the truth. Regardless, you are coming with me, now," K said, holding up some type of gadget that didn't exactly look menacing.

  "Do you really think I am going to willingly give up my host and allow you to imprison me in your little cage there?" Rakar answered, indicating the device that K held in his hand. I couldn't imagine what it was, but Rakar obviously did not want him to use it. Rakar reached quickly behind his back, pulling out a nine-millimeter pistol he had tucked into his pants. "I didn't want it to come to this, but I will kill the female and unleash the virus on this planet before I will let you take it back to Xorpeen. Now, step away and lower your entrapment device," Rakar said, pointing the gun at me.

  K looked at me before returning his gaze to Rakar. He lowered the gadget he was holding to the ground and took two steps backward.

  "You. Go retrieve the device," Rakar said, barking the order at me.

  I walked over to K and reached down to pick up the strange contraption. His eyes remained fixated on Rakar.

  "Very good. Now, if you will excuse me," Rakar said after I handed it over to him. He returned the gun to his pants, reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked to be a regular smartphone. After swiping the screen and tapping a few times, K suddenly dropped to the ground. The human host remained in a heap, evidently unconscious while K stood before us in his true form. He looked like the luminescent liquid inside a hot lava lamp. The only time you could make out his limbs was when he moved, at which point you could see that he had an almost human shape to him.

  "I am sure you are curious as to what this little device is," Rakar said. "You see, what Kawise would tell you if he could speak in your language at the moment is that each of our species is embedded with a molecular code, a security combination, if you will, that enables us to inhabit and uninhabit a host without risk of being removed without our control. I have created an algorithm using your cellular technology that unscrambles our molecular code, allowing me to remove Kawise from his host."

  "You did that with a cellphone?" I asked in disbelief.

  "Indeed. 'There's an app for that,' as you humans like to say," Rakar replied, chuckling. "Now, we will get Kawise tucked away in the entrapment unit, and then tend to you, my dear," he continued, pointing it at K. Before he could activate the device, I grabbed him by the arm, sending me flying back, but also causing Rakar to drop the entrapment unit. K surged forward, grabbing Rakar as a struggle ensued. Bobby's body suddenly flopped to the ground and the two alien forms continued to attack each other. The air around them zapped and popped, and they became so bright I had to shut my eyes.

  I struggled to my feet, reaching for the entrapment device that lay on the ground. I had no idea how it worked, but it had a trigger that looked like any other gun. K and Rakar continued to struggle. Even if I wanted to use the device, I couldn't tell their forms apart. I could just as easily trap K. Holding the device out in front of me, I pointed it back and forth at each of the forms, trying to discern who was who. "K!" I yelled to get his attention. In a split second, one of the forms shoved the other away and turned my direction. It had to be K. I pointed the device quickly at the other form and pulled the trigger. A jolt of energy shot from the gun, pulling the form into the entrapment device like a tractor beam. It became instantly hot to the touch, causing me to drop the device at my feet. K, who had once again inhabited his previous human form, rushed over to pick up the device and tapped some type of code into a small screen.

  I ran over to Bobby, who was beginning to regain consciousness. "Bobby, are you okay? Can you hear me?" I asked.

  "Yeah, I feel okay. Just dizzy," he said, trying to sit up.

  "Do you remember anything?" I asked.

  "I remember everything. Where is Rakar?"

  "He's in the entrapment device," I answered as K walked over to where Bobby and I were sitting.

  "My planet owes you a debt of gratitude," he said with a smile on his face. It suited him, even if it wasn't his true form. "By the way, what made you decide which of us to believe?" he asked.

  "Well, K. I don't know how they do it on your planet, but here on Earth, we have what is called a bullshit meter, and mine is as good as you will find. I could tell by the way Rakar snickered after his corny app joke that he was full of it."

  "Ah, yes. Speaking of which, I have examined this cellular device Rakar has devised, and I believe I can use it to remove the virus from your system."

  Chapter 8

  The last thing I remember before blacking out is K tapping the screen of the cellphone. I woke up on my couch, lying in Bobby's lap as he stroked my head. My eyes fluttered open and began to adjust to the light.

  "Hey, sleepyhead. How do you feel?" Bobby asked.

  "Fine, I think. How did we get here?" I asked confused.

  "You said you wanted to watch a movie, but you conked out like halfway through. Hey, by the way, did you tell your mom we had a fight? After you went to sleep, she threatened me that I better not hurt her little girl, or something. She looked like she wanted to tear my eyes out."

  "Huh? No, I meant—where's K?" I asked, sitting up.

  "Who's K?" he replied. He looked at me like I had two heads. "Babe, did you have a bad dream or something?"

  "Maybe, I guess. I'm not sure," I said, shaking my head. It couldn't have been a dream. Everything felt so real. "I have to go the bathroom," I said, standing up.

  "Okay. When you come back, do you want to go grab a cone from Rodeo Whip?" Bobby asked as I walked away.

  "Yeah, sure," I answered, waving over my shoulder. I walked up the stairs, confused, but thoroughly convinced that none of this had been a dream. I walked into the bathroom, locking the door behind me. As I stood, staring at myself in the mirror, I felt something in my pocket. Reaching inside, I pulled out what looked like a bright green emerald about the size of a golf ball. I held it up to the light when suddenly an image appeared from the strange stone.
It looked like a hologram of K and he began to speak.

  "This message is for you and you alone. It will only play once and will not work for anyone else. I have cleared any memory of Rakar and the other events from Bobby's memory. The virus has been removed from your system, so feel free to continue on as if nothing ever happened. As I stated, my planet and I owe you a great debt. Perhaps one day I will figure out a way to show our gratitude, but for now, I leave you with the memory of our fascinating encounter together. I am certain that one day we will see each other again. Take care and farewell.

  With that, the image disappeared. I caressed the stone in my hand. Even if he was wrong, and he never came back to Earth, I would always take pride in probably being the only person who ever spoke to an extraterrestrial. It was one heck of a story. I only wish I could tell it to someone.

  Snow Globe

  By C.A. Kunz

  For information on other titles

  Visit the author's website: http://cakunz.blogspot.com/

  Snow Globe

  "Aliens freaking do exist," I whisper through cold chapped lips while approaching the back door to my house.

  With the assistance of my cell phone's flashlight app, I can see the remnants of a pre-winter frost covering the screen mesh of the exterior door. It's only November 1st and we've already had at least four inches of snow, which has to be some kind of record.

  It takes a few moments for the shock from what I just saw in the forest to wear off, but even now there's still some residual disbelief.

  A bright light.

  A crashed spaceship.

  A flippin' gorgeous human-looking alien who can somehow speak English.

  A flurry of thoughts race through my head as I try and comprehend the fact I just had a conversation with an extraterrestrial. A freaking extraterrestrial.

  I close the flashlight app and stuff the phone into my jeans pocket before reaching for the flimsy metal door handle. I see my hand trembling from the adrenaline rush enveloping me, and it's literally taking every ounce of my self-control to not scream out, "Aliens freaking do exist!"

  Ever since I was a little girl, I've been absolutely one hundred percent positive that other intelligent life forms were out there amongst the stars. I knew we couldn't be all alone in this universe. My nana was the only other one in our family who shared these views, and because of this, we spent many nights while she babysat me and my siblings, having X-Files and Roswell marathons. We'd discuss in great detail all of the conspiracies surrounding Area 51 like they were truths and not some made-up pieces of fiction. My parents would call us both crazy, but now I have proof. I just never thought my proof would be in the form of a hot alien guy in the woods behind my house.

  I push open the interior door with a sense of caution as to not make my parents stir upstairs. It's almost one in the morning, and my dad has to be at work early today. He'll be seriously pissed if I wake him.

  Moving into the kitchen, after easing the back door shut, I take a mental note of the things I want to grab before I head back outside. I have to hit up my room for some essentials first though.

  No matter how quiet I try to be, it seems the house wants to wake everyone. With each step I take, the old floorboards creak in the foyer, causing me to cringe and constantly look up to the second level to see if my parents' bedroom light comes on. Luckily, my room is on the first floor, but unfortunately, so is my younger sister. We share a bedroom since our two older brothers called dibs on the other ones upstairs. It kind of sucks being seventeen and still sharing a space with your twelve-year-old sibling.

  The door to my room is cracked open and I push it the rest of the way, all the while trying not to make too much noise. Thankfully, the doors don't squeak like the floors do in this old farmhouse. I scan the two walls comprising my side of the room and see all of the alien posters plastered across them. My eyes land on the three shelves where the majority of my sci-fi memorabilia I've collected over the years is placed with purpose and care.

  Shaking my head, I think to myself, It's so crazy how totally accurate, and completely way off at the same time, Hollywood was about aliens.

  I make my way over to the far corner of the room to the dresser my sister and I share. I become hyperaware of every little noise my winter coat makes as my arms brush against my sides with every step. When a small moan sounds from my sister's bed, I stop dead in my tracks. It's followed by some stirring about under the covers until she seems to find another sleeping position. I breathe an internal sigh of relief and continue toward the dresser.

  Kyle, which is the name I gave the alien after he said his real name and it sounded like someone talking under water, told me he was on a peaceful reconnaissance mission around Earth. He's a part of his race's form of military and is called a, for the lack of a better word, scout. His job is to take routine scans of our planet and return to his officials with a list of findings. According to him, it was all going smoothly until his ship collided with one of our satellites, and he crashed into my backyard. I decided to help him in his task by collecting things from around the house that I love, at the off chance he might find them interesting too.

  I pick up the novelty plastic snow globe from the dresser and watch as the white iridescent flakes swirl around the image of a stereotypical big-headed green alien giving a peace sign next to the words Area 51. I thought it'd be funny to show Kyle how some here on Earth perceive his kind. My nana brought this back for me after she took a trip to Roswell, New Mexico, two years ago. It was on her bucket list, and she almost wasn't able to do it once her cancer began to worsen. This snow globe is one of the few things I have left to remember her by. It means so much to me, and acts as a constant reminder of how much I miss her, especially now since she's the only one who'd completely understand how awesome my current situation is.

  "Andi?" I hear a soft voice whisper behind me.

  I spin around and see my sister, Abigail, sitting up in bed with the covers drawn back and her favorite tattered stuffed purple bunny nestled in her arms. She rubs her eyes and then says my name again when I don't immediately answer.

  "Shhh. Yeah, Abbi, it's me," I reply as I move over to her.

  "What are you doing?

  "Don't worry about it. Go back to bed," I say, and then begin to pull the covers back up to her chest.

  "Why are you dressed and not in your comfy pajamas?" she asks after rubbing her eyes again.

  "The truth?"

  "Uh-huh," she responds through a yawn while holding the covers at bay, and not allowing me to move them.

  I think for a moment, and then an idea hits me. I'll actually tell her the truth. She'll never believe me.

  "Well, the truth is, there's an alien in the woods, and I'm bringing him stuff that he's never seen," I explain with a smile.

  Her facial features scrunch into a questioning look as she begins to lie back down. Pulling the covers up to her chin, she says, "You're so weird, Andi, you know that? I'm going back to sleep."

  "Thanks, love you too," I say with a giggle. "Good night."

  After placing a kiss on the top of her head, I back away in the direction of my bed to grab a couple things from the shelves above it before heading out of the room.

  I retrace my steps back toward the kitchen, though for some reason the floor decides to creak even louder this time. I find myself cursing each and every one of the boards the second they decide to make a noise. Instead of continuing to take my chances by creeping across the loud-as-hell floor, I decide to leap from where I'm standing to the kitchen. After landing safely, and more importantly, quietly, I make a beeline to the refrigerator. Pulling it open, I search out the shelves in the door for the blue tube of Pillsbury chocolate chip cookie dough. An alien hasn't truly lived until they've tried some raw cookie dough.

  Before I close the door, I see the corner of what looks like the orange wrapper of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup sticking out from behind a six-pack of Diet Coke. Dad probably tried to hide this from Mo
m, since he's not supposed to have them. It's his favorite candy in the whole entire world, and he was crushed when his doctor told him he had to start watching his sugar intake.

  "Consider this a favor, Dad," I say, taking out the Reese's and snatching up a can of Coke in the process before tucking both items into my coat pockets.

  Through the little window in back door, I see snow swirling around outside in a whimsical flurry display. This is the kind of snow I love to see—winter wonderland snow, not snowpocalypse.

  Pulling up the hood of my coat, I open the door and step out. The instant the cold night wind sweeps by me, I shiver and clutch myself in a tight hug to ward off the sudden chill spiraling throughout my body. Drawing out my phone again, I turn on the flashlight app and shine it in front of me toward the forest. It cuts a path through the darkened backyard, illuminating my diminished footprints from earlier.

  The snow crunches beneath my boots as I follow the faint tracks back toward the woods. Staring at the wall of trees in front of me, I feel like I'm about to walk into another world, especially knowing what's waiting for me in there. Excitement bubbles up inside of me with every step I take, and the anticipation of seeing Kyle's beautiful face once more is enough to make me all giddy—not to mention, he's a freaking alien. I really wish my nana was here to meet him.

  Maneuvering through the trees, I push aside the many branches that impede the route back to the crash site. The fastest way is unfortunately through the thick shrubbery that lies off the manmade trail etched through the forest. I high step through the many bushes and continue to swat away the tree limbs that attempt to assault my face when I try to move passed them.

  After a few minutes of trudging along through the snow-covered greenery, I finally emerge into the clearing that Kyle's spaceship created when it landed. Downed trees fill my vision, leaving behind a huge gap in the canopy of trees for the large full moon to shine through. The moon's light shimmers off something surrounding the spacecraft, and immediately catches my eye. When I move closer, I notice the thing surrounding the ship is giving off a faint neon blue glow.