Planar Wars: Apertures (Book 1)
Page 10
I did get a good look at the giant insects. They did look like ticks, but with yet more legs and long forked tails. Creatures out of nightmares.
“I think we’d better get ready,’ came Henry’s calm voice. But my eyes were fixed on the monsters until Jen hit me on the shoulder. I couldn’t wrap my mind around the idea of huge, really repellent, and disgusting creatures. God had a reason why this world’s insects were tiny, even minuscule. They looked terrifyingly alien when seen through lenses. I didn’t think mankind would have evolved if insects were the size even of cats, if we could see what they really looked like – day in, day out, how they waved their spiny legs and gaped their disproportionate, serrated-edged, clacking jaws as they chewed on their closest insect foes.
Our ancestors would have all have been driven mad.
What would be next in the craziness around us? Gigantic cockroaches?
Henry was already putting on his backpack. I hurried to do the same. Jen was already ahead of me. We knew the moment the defenders saw the new attack, they’d move to thwart it, and a high possibility existed that the house would be within the area of fighting. Chances were that it would be small pieces of stone, bricks, and wood by the time the bastards were done with their deadly dance.
We moved to the back door. Jen grabbed the shoulder bag, insisting I’d be of no help if I was weighed down. Henry opened the door slowly and checked the surroundings. We immediately crouched and moved quickly. Fortunately, the woods appeared deserted, but I guessed it would soon change when the forces on this flank clashed.
We proceeded as fast as we could, checking the sky from time to time for vagrant flying creatures—as if we could do anything anyway, if one attacked us. Molotovs didn’t do shit against flying targets, unless one got a lucky hit. There was a fat chance of that happening and it wasn’t as if we had an unlimited supply.
The trees around us would also be burned, giving rise to a forest fire, leaving only the choices of burning alive or being bitten to death. That was also the time I experienced the unforgettable fear, the ever-present dread, of being hunted. Not that we were actually being chased, but I knew only a slight misstep, an errant gaze in our direction would transform an escape into a hunt. Considering what I’d seen, it would be a very short one.
About two miles away from the house we stopped to take a much-needed break. This was such a perfect, quiet place too, with a small stream running beside the trees under which we took shelter. And best of all, although there was a copse of trees, we had good visibility and could see no beasts, no fighting, no dark skies. And we heard nothing but the gurgling water and the cries of small birds.
I washed my face in the water, relieved.
Then it struck me.
Ms. Adley.
I—we—had forgotten her.
Epilogue
I think I lost my mind for a while. At least that’s what they told me. Jen said I suddenly stood up and said “Oh my God! Ms. Adley!” Then I sloughed off my pack, picked up my spear, and started to run back toward the house. Fortunately, Henry was quick enough to tackle me. Jen said I was trying to claw my way forward, muttering.
It’s my fault! Oh, my God… Ms. Adley! If she dies, it’s my—
Henry had my arms and body pinned to the ground and hurriedly asked Jen to pour water on my head. That brought me back. At least I wasn’t shouting, said Jen.
That would have raised the possibility of attracting lethal attention, even from afar; who knew how good these creatures’ hearing might be? Henry, on the other hand, told me it was a good thing I responded to that “water cure,” otherwise he would have been forced to knock me out. A headache would have been the result when I woke up, plus severe muscle pain, depending on how he did it.
But all that information came afterward.
I was crying when I came to my senses. Guilt is really a heavy burden to bear. And Ms. Adley had been close to us, to me. To think I had forgotten about her was, to me, unconscionable. And she made me think of Mom again. She was like Mom, in some ways, warm, maternal, older…funny. I could not just leave her.
Henry let Jen try to calm me down. But when she embraced me, the only thing I remembered was how Ms. Adley had hugged her the day before.
Everything, everywhere, was Ms. Adley. The truth was, I couldn’t feel anything; my mind was fully on my failure. The one thing I could have done—should have done—I had failed at.
Henry came and sat beside me, looking down at the ground.
Jen left us, knowing it was the right thing.
Henry didn’t give me that “man up” bullshit speech, but calmly told me that up until that morning, we didn’t know the place was going to be monster central. And to come out into the open to go to Ms. Adley’s house when things had started to go to pieces was an idiotic way of committing suicide. He was certain there were unseen lookouts while the ceremony to open the rift was going on.
The nether lord or boss who had performed the rite would not be that stupid to not be on the lookout. I listened quietly, my brows knitted. I felt I wanted to cry.
Then he smiled.
“Remember this, son. We all make mistakes. I sure did. Got blindsided once. People died because of it. Man, I contemplated suicide during that time. For some time, actually. Then I decided that with my skills and expertise, the best way I could rectify my mistake and honor those who’d died was to make sure it didn’t happen again. Ever.”
“Did it happen again?” I asked, barely looking up.
“Nope. Scores of ops, and I didn’t lose a man. Some wounded, but that goes with the territory. But the strain of trying to out-think your enemy and stave off moronic bureaucrats was too much. Not to mention orders based on the reality existing on another planet. I believe they thought of me as a troublemaker. I told off two-star and three-star armchair generals. And the suits? I lost count how many times I told them to shove their idiotic ideas where the sun didn’t shine. Even told an asshat Senator of one intelligence committee to scratch his balls thrice and wash his hidden orifice before he came back with another masterpiece of a plan. Respectfully, of course. They gave me a choice. Resign or be fired. I resigned,” he answered.
Then he put his hand on my shoulder as he stood up.
“And it’s alright to cry, you know. We all do. It’s one way of honoring the dead in our memories. Though we really can’t say Ms. Adley is dead. A high probability, perhaps, but until we see her body or other proof comes around, she could have escaped. Grandma’s feisty enough to do a Houdini.”
“Thanks, Henry,” I said. The man had clearly known death, sorrow, and despair. And he’d become stronger for it. In this familiar yet strange, new and extremely dangerous world, I guessed I had to learn to adapt too.
Jen came back and sat beside me again. She didn’t say anything. Her left arm closed in around my right and then she rested her head on my shoulder.
We all needed to adapt but retain what made us human in the first place.
I could smell Jen’s hair. The scent was wonderful. Strawberries.
I was glad I had taken a bath.
About the Author
Active Member, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA)
A Goodreads Author.
Writer – ACCIDENTAL ARCHMAGE SERIES, ARCANUM ASTRAY SERIES, PLANAR WARS SERIES, and MANUS DEI SERIES.
Soloflyte Worlds
https://soloflyte.blog/
Soloflyte Worlds on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/embatara/
emb.iwrite@gmail.com
Fantasy and science fiction have always been my favorites, especially those stories from the era of dime novels and genre magazines, the time when both were still deemed fringe. Those stories spark the imagination and bring a reader to worlds and concepts beyond his reality—though I have to admit, reality is fast catching up with science fiction. Fantasy, on the other hand, is being enriched by today’s gaming and movie technology.
My writing preference is fiction anchor
ed on a familiar fact – be it mythology, historical events, or even a physical feature, something one knows exists in the real world. It makes immersion in the grand adventure easier and more enjoyable.
A book may be an author’s creation, but it doesn’t mean there couldn’t be a common point of reference between the writer’s story and the reader’s experience. Or even between readers.
Writing started as a hobby on free serialized novel websites, for the pleasure of writing and sharing one’s stories. Mostly, it was a stress-relief exercise. I was fortunate that other people found them engaging and enjoyable.
Publication then followed. To my readers; thanks!
I still write on the free websites, but unlike with full-length books, readers do have to wait for periodic installments. And I welcome constructive feedback and engage readers in discussions about the mythos as the comments and discussion sections of such serialized stories will show. But I do try to avoid spoilers.
There are innumerable worlds out there.
Explore, let your imagination fly. Unlike for the protagonists in the stories, there is no dark Elder god, no tentacled monstrosity, no stabby assassin, or a vengeful deity waiting outside your door. Nor will opening a book suck you into a separate dimension. Well, hopefully not.
Enjoy the journey. Have fun.
And thanks again.
Published Books
The ACCIDENTAL ARCHMAGE Series
ON PRE-ORDER
The ARCANUM / SUMMUS MAGISTER Series
The MANUS DEI Series
Boner the Barbarian: A LitRPG Satire
A Child’s Magical Adventure
Upcoming Works
Continuation of The ACCIDENTAL ARCHMAGE Series
Tartarus beckons
SCIENCE FICTION
Mad nanotech / Reality is relative
FANTASY
A curse to be redeemed by death / Eric’s problems get bigger / A Duke of Hell visits
SPECULATIVE HISTORICAL FICTION
An ancient assassin cult turns the world upside-down
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Table Of Contents
Author's Introduction to the Series
An Ancient Prophecy
Series Prologue
1 Beginnings
2 The Fog of Lies
3 Fetching Jen
4 Carnage
5 Escape
6 Evasion
7 Predator and Prey
8 More Strange Beasts
9 Rock Salt and Cocktails
10 Pazuzu of Kur
11 Stupid Idiot
12 Not a Simple Matter
13 Is There a War On?
14 The Gathering
15 Evicted
Epilogue
About the Author
Published Books
Upcoming Works