by Rick Kueber
“Start from the beginning. You said something about them showing up a few weeks ago. Is that right?” I tried to be as straightforward as I could muster. “Just be honest, and don't spare any details, even the ones that are theories.”
“Okay, here goes...” Elle crossed her hands on her lap and turned toward me. “It was a Tuesday. I was on vacation with my brother and his family. We had been to the Grand Canyon, and then traveled to just about ten miles from here in a rented R.V. We had parked it off the road, and gone out for a day hike, to do some exploring, climbing, and just to take in the amazing views of the Mojave desert.”
“So that's where we are!” I exclaimed excited by the realization that I recognized these locations, but I was quickly hushed by three scowls from the couch. “Sorry.” I almost whispered.
“It's okay, but we are still in danger, and the darker it get outside, the more the danger grows,” Tory said, understanding my elation.
Elle continued. “It was growing later in the afternoon when we were making our decent. There was this sound like the thunder of a squadron of jet fighters and the pulsing 'thwap-thwap' of a military helicopter fleet. We searched the skies above us but saw nothing at first. We sat on a flat rock nearby and continued scanning the overcast skies. The sound was growing along with our concern, when my brother pointed to the horizon and shouted 'There, look there!' It was hard to believe that three small objects in the distance were making such a racket, but they drew closer, and their thumping and humming became nearly unbearable. The objects, were the Titans, and they glowed from their belly side, and smoke or contrails billowed behind like they were huge asteroids, crashing to earth. As they shot closer and closer their massive forms were daunting.”
“We cowered with our hands over our ears as two of the three came crashing and sliding into the desert sands below us. The force caused the earth to quake with such strength that the side of the cliff we had been exploring crashed down around us. My brother's entire family was killed in the landslide.”
I took Elle's hand and comforted her. She shed no tears, and I imagined what she must have seen since then to have caused her to have the strength to hold in such powerful emotions.
“When the third Titan, the pale one, cleared the plateau, we felt its impact shake the ground, but it must have fallen many miles away because it didn't cause the same magnitude of damage as the other two had. My brother and I scrambled to the bottom and peered from behind a few large fallen boulders. My brother, Bobby, rushed out from our hiding spot to get a better look. I grabbed at his shirt, but couldn't stop his curiosity. He ran out and vanished into the dusty cloud that rolled out from the impact zone. I watched as the cloud rolled in like a fog. I pulled off my t-shirt and covered my mouth, nose, and eyes...and I waited. I sat in silence for a long time. I began to hear the humming, like electricity through the high tension lines. It took forever for the dust and smoke to settle, but when it did, I was awestruck at the sight that took form before my eyes.”
Elle paused for a minute, and Darcy asked, “Would anyone like a cold drink?”
“Cold, really? I would love one!” I looked at Elle. “Share one with me?” she nodded.
“They aren't really cold, but we found a storm cellar under this cabin. There is a trap door over here under the rug, and it's really cool down there, so we put most of the drinks down there yesterday. Not cold, but they are pretty refreshing.”
I gave Elle the first drink and when she finished, she handed it to me and continued her recant.
“Well, there amidst the dust that still hung in the air, I could see what I can only describe as a trapezoid shaped, metallic dark blue structure. There were blackened smoky stains that radiated from underneath it and two circular and rectangular structures that ran across the lower half of the main 'trapezoid' on each side. They were ginormous, and I can only compare their size to a building the size of a football stadium, laying on its side. The sand had been melted into glass by the intense heat from their entering the atmosphere, and jutted out around them like inverted icicles, disfigured cone shapes the length of telephone poles, some longer.”
Something Elle said caught me by surprise and I could feel the blood leaving my face as it paled. She said 'when they entered the atmosphere'. Was she really implying an alien invasion of some sort?
“Aliens, as in alien invasion?” I questioned.
“I don't know for sure, invasion gone wrong, or accidental. Maybe they were mistakenly caught in our gravitational pull and it caused them to come pummeling to earth by chance or mistake. From the scene of the landing, or crash, which is more accurate of a description, I don’t think they meant to invade...at least not yet. Not like this.
Anyway, I stepped away from the stone barrier that I had hidden behind and went to find Bobby. I had journeyed about a hundred yards when I realized two things. One: they were much larger than a football stadium, and two: they had not been completely disabled in the crash. The sun was low on the horizon when the whirring and buzzing increased in speed. The sand beneath my feet vibrated nonstop, and the closer of the two titans began to move in a jerky, awkward motion. It started to rise off of the ground when I figured out the attached structures, the circular parts, were actually moving parts and the other rectangles were stretching out like the legs of a deformed robotic dog.”
“YES! Exactly! Kinda like a monkey, I thought.” Said Tory and everyone nodded in agreement.
“To shorten the tale, since I don't know how much time we have, both Titans raised up and very slowly turned towards the mountains. They took awkward step after step, and though their movements were slow, their immense size allowed them to cover a lot of distance in a fairly short time. One of them froze when a tour bus pulled over near our R.V. It appeared to sit like an obedient dog, and that's when I saw them for the first time.
A hoard of people clambered off of the bus to see the amazing Titans. An opening at the ground level had appeared and a dozen 'beings' exited the craft. The sun was almost completely gone and the sky was turning dark. These 'beings' were a translucent gray color and emitted a dull glow. They didn't light up the area around them, but they were easy to see in the darkening desert. They approached the stunned tourists, who just stood there like they were going to shake hands with the friendly little grays from that Close Encounters movie. The beings, the Ahsusha, did reach out to them, but their 'hugs, enveloped the people, one by one. They all just stood there like cattle as the Ahsusha absorbed the energy from one passenger at a time.”
Elle paused only long enough to take the drink from my hand, wet her throat and hand it back to me. She placed her hand on my thigh as she continued.
“This part is a theory, but I think everyone who has had any encounter with them will agree it is a good theory, and as accurate as anyone from this planet can formulate.” She was articulate, intelligent, strong, and beautiful. “The people didn't die, but it's like the humanity died in them. I rushed to a nearby outcropping of rock to hide and watch. After they had taken what they wanted from these people, they herded them into the Titan and it 'stood' back up and began its ground shaking trek up to and then over the mountain. Once it seemed clear, I ran to the R.V. and tried to make a getaway, you know, to tell somebody what was happening, but it wouldn't start. Dead battery. It was the same for the tour bus. I think it had something to do with the titans because I haven't come across anything battery powered that works since then, not even the flashlights in the R.V.
Anyway... I took off on foot from there and that's when I found these cabins and met Mel and Irene. They said there was a family staying in the other cabin that had gone sightseeing about twenty minutes before the crash. I told them to stay put, and I would try to find them... figured I would keep an eye out for Bobby too, but I already had a very bad feeling about him.
So, over the past couple of weeks, I have ventured out finding random people and bringing them back here. It was on one of those searches that I nearly stumbled upon a
n entire herd, like 20 people...or, at least, they used to be people. I saw one walking from a distance and thought it was someone who was hurt or dehydrated or something. I ran up to her, and I swear her eyes had gone completely pinkish red. No pupils, nothing, just this sickening pinkish red color. I tried to shake her, and that's when she grabbed my wrist and I couldn't believe her strength for someone who looked like a career crack head. You know the look, strung out, nappy hair, skin and bones, sunken cheeks... but she opened her mouth and aside from the horrid breath, she let out this low rumbling tone... almost like she was singing a very flat note that didn't fluctuate. She held it the entire time she had my wrist.”
Elle paused for a moment to rub her eyes and take another drink. “Then I saw them over this woman's shoulder. The rest of them were quickly moving in my direction. I struggled to get away from her grip, but it was like her fingers were locked around my wrist like a handcuff. As the others drew near, I became frantic and could see two of them in the crowd were different. They were still the same crack headed, zombie looking people, but their eyes, they were illuminated. They had the same gray glow as the Ahsusha's entire bodies had. I panicked and then I did what was the most horrible thing I had ever done. I reached to my side and drew out this knife,” she motioned as if actually retrieving a knife from its sheath, “and I swung it as hard as I could and cut her hand from her wrist. Blood sprayed everywhere, all over me, all over the ground, and her hand lost its grasp and fell. I turned and ran as the chorus of Takers, moaned in unison and followed after me. I hid and I watched them from afar, as they meandered up the road. I kept my distance, but I felt that somehow they knew I was there but had another, more important, agenda. I watched as they came to a camp area, and I looked on in horror as they rounded up men, women and children from their tents and campers and locking them in their grips, hurried them back to the road where they stood as the ground shook. One of the Titans was approaching from the south. I studied their actions, from my hiding spot, and that's when I saw one of the gray eyes standing apart from the rest. His eyes were actually glowing more intensely than before and suddenly, like jello, an Ahsusha came out of him. I don't know how to explain it exactly, but maybe it was like a ghost leaving a body of someone who had died. The host body of the man then crumpled to the ground like a pair of dirty discarded jeans or a bicycle inner tube with a hole in it, deflating, limp and lifeless.”
“I came face to...whatever with one once,” said Mark. “It was the creepiest thing I have ever seen, even in the movies. This thing had a mostly human form, but it was kind of bulkier, I dunno if that's a good way to describe it, but yeah, it was like a luminescent gray jello. I had my pistol, and I shot it right in the head. I guess it was the head, anyways.... kinda hard to tell...they don't have a face like we do, no eyes no mouth, no nothin', really creeped me out bad, but I pulled the trigger and I thought I blew its brains out, but it just kind of formed back together, and the little gray glowing bits that I blew everywhere, well, they just kinda made their way back to its body. It wasn't fazed at all. It reached out for me and moved in my direction with a handful of those takers.
I'm not particularly proud of it, but I shot four of them dead. It felt more like putting down a rabid dog, ya know? I was afraid of them, but it was kinda sad when they just dropped like somebody pulled the plug on one of those blow-up, holiday yard decorations. I managed to get away and was running for my life through the pines when Elle grabbed me, and I damn near shot her too.”
Elle smiled at the tale and responded with, “You would have shot me if I wasn't such a bad-ass. I took that pistol from you with one hand.” and the whole group of us smiled and chuckled under our breath.
Just then, Jamie rushed in the front door, and cringed into Tory's arms, pointing at the door. Mark, Elle, and I popped up from our seats and flew outside with total disregard for our own safety. “What's goin' on out here?” I shouted and then prepared for my reprimand from Elle, but she said nothing as we both focused on the teenaged boy Todd, who was holding up a coyote pup in one hand by its hind legs.
Chapter 4
THE GATHERING
Todd had a blank look on his face and quickly began his apology. “I didn't mean to scare her really. I just found this out there in the woods and thought it was cool. I ran back here to show everybody.. and I guess I almost hit that little girl with it when I came around that corner over there.” He held back a laugh and pointed to the cabin across the clearing from us.
“Drop it,” said a monotone voice. “How far away?” I was shocked to realize that the emotionless, robotic tone came from Elle, the woman I had just been daydreaming about earlier. She had been wrapped in a towel, soaking wet, whispering words that sounded like an angel. Suddenly she had turned into a cold huntress, and killer, at least, her voice had.
Todd dropped the pup where he stood, held his hands up and backed away. His face paled and worry clouded his expression. Elle swiftly approached it and began examining it thoroughly. She raised one of its limp eyelids to reveal a gray pupil-less eye, and turned her face to me, over her shoulder, with a concerned look. Frantically, she looked around and I could see her mouthing numbers as she counted.
“Get everyone inside this cabin, now!” Her voice never raised, but its intensity was such that it didn't need volume to get her point across. I made eye contact with everyone, waving my hand like a traffic cop to 'keep it moving' but with a little more haste. I too counted and checked faces as they passed, remembering who was left inside, and who was just sent in.
“Mel and Josh aren't here,” I whispered to Elle.
“You check the other cabin, and I'm gonna check right around here and in the woods.” She directed.
“Okay. Be careful.” I said as I trotted up to the cabin porch.
“Always am.” She whispered back and then vanished into the dusky twilight.
I emerged from the cabin a few moments later holding Mel by the upper arm and escorted him to the cabin. I was focused on my purpose, and probably seemed more like an angry cop pulling a detainee from his home and into custody than a friend, but I was acting in his best interest. I rushed him into the other cabin and counted faces once again. Two short, Elle and Josh. I spun around and darted for the door saying, “Wait here!”
Shooting out of the door and off of the rustic wooden porch in two long strides, I jumped to the ground. I stifled a guttural noise that tried to force its way out of me when I landed hard on the uneven ground and the discomfort of my injury immediately switched to a shooting pain. I composed myself and hobbled around the corner of the cabin and almost plowed over our two missing companions.
Once back inside the cabin, Elle began turning out the lights and blowing out all of the candles. “Get the blinds and curtains quick!”
Tory, Mark, Darcy and I made the rounds, haphazardly twisting blind rods and releasing the curtains from their tie backs until the cabin had gone dark. We carefully found our way back to the front room and took seats where we could find them.
“Alright,” I huffed, out of breath from the rush of adrenaline and nerves, “new guy here... what's going on?”
“That pup was like a wet noodle, hadn't been dead long, and I found no marks on it anywhere. So, what's going on is this; There is an Ahsusha out there somewhere, probably too close for comfort...maybe that Taker we saw earlier. If they took the life from that pup that close to the cabins, they know we're here. No question.” Elle was always the one to have the answers. She had become the leader of this motley group of castaways.
“Okay, so what does that mean, and what are we doing here in the dark?” She always had answers, but I always had one more question.
“It means we aren't safe. We're probably on their 'radar' now. And as soon as we can, we need to get out of here.”
Tory broke in, “We can't go now, it's almost dark out there.” The children tensed up, sensing the fear in her voice.
“You're right, but we can't just sit here.” Mar
k earnestly replied.
“Over there, under the rug,” Elle pointed to the far side of the large oval area rug some of us were sitting on, “is a trap door to a utility room, where the water heater, electric box, and furnace are. It might be a tight fit, but everyone can all squeeze down there, and if you're all silent as the dead... you just might stay alive.”
“You said 'you' like you aren't joining us... or did I just read too much into that?” deciphered Mel.
“I'm not. Someone has to put the rug back and then draw them away from here. That someone is me.”
“Elle, I'm not trying to sound sexist, but I can do this, you hide with everybody, and I will go.” I was trying to do the right thing, besides, these people needed her... she had been the one who had kept them alive so far, and I didn't know if I, or anyone else here, could do that.
“No, I'm staying topside, and you have a bad leg anyway... that's like, not even fair, right?” She looked at me with sorrowful eyes, and I had a feeling that something, though I didn't know what was about to go terribly wrong.
“I don't have time to argue or explain right now, but Elle, you aren't staying up here alone. I'm staying with you.” I smiled at her, thinking to myself that I was most likely committing suicide, but I was not about to hide in a hole while this incredible woman, once again, saved all of our hides.
She knew exactly what I was thinking, I could see the remorse on her face as she admitted, “I could use the backup... but everyone else, in the utility room now. No arguments!”
We rolled back the rug. Todd went first, followed by the children. Mel and his wife went next and then Mark and Darcy. Just as Tory was about to climb in, we heard a rustling noise off in the distance outside. Our widened eyes darted back and forth to each other, and Elle and I hurried Tory down the rabbit hole. I rolled the rug back into its place and Elle pointed to her ear twice and then to the door. I listened and she was right, the shuffling-rustling sounds were growing louder, closer. My heart sank and my stomach was in knots. They say you have butterflies in your stomach when you are nervous, but I had two rabid, fighting wolverines. I didn't know what to do, where to go, I was lost. I feared that busting out the front door would be like a scene from an old western...running out of a saloon with six-guns blazing, only to find ourselves in the midst of an ambush.
