Sinister Shadows

by Simon Smith-Wilson

  ‘Is this why we came here?’

  ‘Yes. To save your people, we must use deadly force.’

  ‘I don’t believe in violence,’ protested Dr Jones.

  He could hear Emerson chuckle as she walked into the room, ‘that’s what the others once said to me.’

  ‘Where are these others?’ Dr Jones asked, refusing to approach the room of death.

  ‘They are all dead.’

  ***

  A quick glance confirmed that death was only mere moments away. A room of pure gold stood before him. Gems the size of a grown man’s head covered the golden walls and golden pillars that held up the gem covered ceiling. At the far end of the room was a set of stairs, leading to a golden throne where the small boy in the space suit was sat. He was chuckling happily to himself, reading a book in his hand. Aiden looked for the boy’s father, but there was no sign of the man. Aiden weighed the gun in the palm of his hand, familiarising himself with the weapon of death, but there simply wasn’t enough bullets. Pushing fear to one side, he stepped forward into the room. The beautiful woman in the white dress remained in the doorway, a sad expression painted upon her angelic features. Low growls surrounded Aiden, as the towering wall of muscle stepped forward. He swallowed down the lump in his throat, keeping his eyes on the boy he came to rescue, but it was hard to ignore the hundreds of red furred beasts that surrounded him. The room was packed with hundreds of the six legged creatures. They looked like overgrown wolves, but with more teeth than days in the year. The wolves stood almost six foot tall from paw to ear. Whimpers and cries echoed out, as they turned on each other, snapping at one another, as they inched towards Aiden. The path he walked disappeared behind him, as the wolves closed in all around him.

  ‘Kid,’ said Aiden, his voice echoed off the golden walls.

  ‘Hello,’ said the boy, noticing Aiden for the first time.

  He placed down his book on the arm of the massive golden throne.

  ‘Why don’t you come down here? I will take you to your mum.’

  ‘No thank you,’ said the boy, ‘I am not allowed to talk to strangers.’

  ‘I am a friend of your mum. She is worried about you.’

  ‘I am safe,’ the boy cocked his head to one side as if listening to someone stood beside him. ‘You can tell her that I will be seeing her soon.’ The boy listened some more. ‘I am going to be king,’ the boy laughed.

  Aiden looked at the empty space of air that the boy kept talking too.

  Was someone there?

  ‘Kid, this is no game, and you are no king. You need to come with me right now.’

  ‘He said I won’t be king,’ said the boy, frowning. Once again, he looked off to the side and listened. ‘No. He says you are lying and that I will be king.’

  ‘Who said I am lying?’

  The boy listened for a moment, ‘he doesn’t want me to talk to you anymore.’ The boy hopped down from the golden throne and rushed off through a side door.

  ‘Kid, wait!’

  Aiden was suddenly aware of the change of atmosphere. The red-furred wolves pulled themselves up to full height, low growls turned to loud haunting noises that came from deep down within their throats. And then it happened. In a blink of an eye, the beasts attacked. Aiden barely managed to raise his gun hand. A single gunshot rang out, but it did nothing to stop the horde. Agonising pain cut through his body, as thousands of teeth ripped away limbs in a blink of an eye. Aiden released a sound he wasn’t aware he was able to make. It was a frightening scream that no human should have been able to make. Within seconds he was dead. Within minutes there wasn’t even any evidence that Aiden had been here. Blood, bones and everything internal now rested within the bellies of the beasts.

  Chapter Seven: Countdown to Death

  ‘Oh god, Oh my god,’ moaned Matthews, as he interlinked his fingers with Shiva’s. The naked God was straddling him in the centre of a super king sized four poster bed. The intensity in her eyes was causing all sorts of incredible feelings to bubble within the depths of his stomach. Sweet erotic moans leapt forth from her mouth with each incredible roll of her hips. Matthews could feel his manhood hitting her so deep. Her wetness consumed him, welcoming his hardness within her. Her breasts bounced before his eyes. They were the type of breasts that other women wished they had. ‘I love you,’ he told her. He didn’t know where the words came from, but he meant every single word. ‘I fucking loving you,’ he called out, as he climaxed inside her.

  Suddenly, he awoke.

  Wide eyes looked around the unfamiliar room.

  It was a small room with a bed beneath a window and no other furniture.

  Tracy was leaning against the door-less brick doorway in her engineers uniform.

  ‘Having a nice dream?’ she smirked.

  Matthews sat up, placing his pillow over his groin.

  ‘What happened?’

  ‘You passed out,’ she replied, ‘that happens the first few times of mirror walking.’

  ‘Where is Shiva?’

  ‘She is busy, trying to save our people.’ Tracy walked into the room and sat down beside him on the edge of the bed. ‘Do you trust her now?’

  ‘I don’t know if I trust her, but I do believe her.’

  ‘I trust her,’ admitted Tracy, ‘I didn’t at first. I was just like you, but she showed me how to bring others here to this safe place. She showed me how dangerous this planet is. Do you know more people have died since the crash than during it? It is like everything on this planet is against us. There are beings here that are trying to kill us off. Shiva is the only one trying to protect us. She is the one that will keep us safe until we are rescued. That’s if we are ever rescued. If you give her a chance, you will learn to trust her too.’

  ***

  ‘You don’t have to do this,’ begged Ryan, fighting against the metal shackles around his wrists. The Peace Office was lying naked in the centre of a cold stone table. His arms were chained to the rock above his head, whilst his legs were chained by the ankles. He could feel his heartbeat growing faster by the second. Two disfigured men were busy at work organising the wide array of razor sharp instruments to the side of the room. Neither of them had shown him the slightest bit of interest since he woke up. It was like he wasn’t even there. ‘I can take you back with me. We have a camp. You will be safe there.’ Blood seeped from open wounds on the men’s backs. It looked like they had happily walked through a wood chipper. Ryan cringed at a three pointed silver fork. It was the type of thing you would use to help carve the Sunday roast. ‘Just tell me what I have to do to get out of here?’ One of the gruesomely disfigured men turned to face Ryan, holding a short silver saw. ‘Come on. You don’t have to do this. We came to rescue you. You don’t have to do this.’ Ryan kicked and screamed as the jagged teeth of the cold blade were placed against his naked torso.

  ***

  Sheridan tried to block out the sound of Ryan’s gut curdling screams. Never had she heard someone in such pain before. Her mind threw up all sorts of gruesome scenes of what could possibly be happening across the hall from her. She fought against the chains that bound her to the slab of rock that was carved into the form of a table. Her clothes had been cut free, leaving her entirely naked.

  ‘It is a lovely sound, don’t you agree?’ asked her father.

  The old man was leaning against the wall with a twisted smile on his face.

  It was no smile her father had ever shown her before.

  ‘You are not my father,’ she told him.

  ‘No. I am not,’ he replied, as his face morphed into Ryan’s. ‘I am someone far greater than some cowardly dead old man.’

  ‘You mother fucker,’ she fought against the chains, wishing to throttle the man to death.

  The face of Ryan turned into Peace Office Matthews, as this strange man began to slow walk around her table. Sheridan tensed up at the feel of his fingertips stroking down her legs. ‘I am going to give you a choice. You can pledge yourself to me
, serving under me until the day you die, or...’ he allowed Ryan’s scream to fill in the blank. ‘It really isn’t pleasant what is happening to him in there, but I guess I could make this pleasant for the both of us.’ The man let out a loud laugh, as the face of her father returned. The tone of his voice was pitch perfect. ‘I know just how to make you submit to me.’ He walked by her feet and stroked his fingers up the full length of her leg. The sickening smile was so wide that it threatened to consume his eyes and ears. Sheridan closed her eyes and turned her head away, as her father’s tongue licked up the side of her face. Ryan screeched out for a long continuous moment of sheer agony and then went silent.

  ‘NO!’ Sheridan let out her own scream, as her father pushed his fingers into her most sensitive spot.

  ***

  ‘I don’t want to hurt anyone,’ said Dr Jones, as Emerson placed another rifle into a silver duffle bag. ‘Dr Emerson wouldn’t hurt anyone either.’

  Emerson looked up from her kneeling position and frowned. ‘I am fully aware of all of her thoughts and desires. Emerson understands what needs to be done. She agrees with my choice of action. I need you to help me with this.’ Emerson slung the duffle bag over her shoulder and headed for something that resembled a mini-gun on a tripod. She grabbed one end of the weapons and gestured with a nod of the head for Dr Jones to grab the other end.

  ‘I am not a killer. I do not want any part in what you have planned.’

  ‘All of your people will be dead if you do not help me.’

  ‘I don’t believe in fighting and war,’ protested Dr Jones.

  ‘If you believe in them or not is regardless. Your people are dying. By doing nothing, you are just as bad as the people that are killing them. Help me carry this weapon back to the train and help me save your people before it is too late.’

  ***

  Dust flicked of the space suits helmet, as the motorbike sped across the open land. The engine roared powerfully between his thighs, blocking out the possibility of any other sounds. Andy wrapped his arms around his brother, holding tight, as the bike's suspension tried to compensate for the potholes hidden within the uneven suffice. Andy glanced up at the glowing white figure of Jesus, standing on the top of a boulder with his arms reaching up to the heavens. The glow of his white robe shone like a lighthouse on a cliff top on a stormy night at sea. A wide smile consumed his angelic face, as the motorbike carrying the brothers flashed by the boulder. Andy glanced back at the boulder, but only darkness awaited him. Jesus reappeared half a mile away, standing upon another boulder, like a beacon guiding them forward. Chris pulled back on the throttle, pushing the bike forward at speeds that even daredevil riders would cringe at. Andy looked forward to their God. Images of Omar being crucified in the village wouldn’t leave his mind. Would God really do such a thing? His thoughts drifted to more pressing matters, where was Jesus taking them now?

  ***

  The green glow of the light filled the airlock. A loud metallic crunch filled the air, as the reinforced door opened with a hiss. Kimberly trod brown dirt down onto the doormat of her home. The box of syringes from Gabriel’s laboratory was tucked under her elbow. Carefully, she unclipped the helmet of her dusty spacesuit and placed it on the hook on the wall. The interior lights of the house were still on from where she had rushed off earlier in the night, but something was different. The television was on. Kimberly placed down the wooden box on the floor and approached the living room. Her heart sank down into the pit of her stomach at the sight of Christopher sat on the couch, eating a packet of crisps, as he watched one of his cartoons. It was like time had just stopped. He was here. He was alive. Kimberly burst forward, swooping Christopher up into her arms.

  ‘Mummy,’ he cheered, happily.

  Tears fell from her eyes, as cries of pure relief leapt forth from her mouth.

  ‘Thank god, you’re alive. My baby is alive.’ She threatened the squeeze the life out of him she was hugging him so hard. There was no chance she was ever letting him go again. Twice he had been taken from her since they reached this shitty planet. Kimberly made a promise to herself. Never would she let him out of her sight again.

  ***

  The mess hall was long enough to house an entire army. Artificial lights shone through the brickwork of the sand coloured walls. Stone pillars, in rows of three, ran the length of the room. Each pillar had a beautiful hand carved image of Shiva in some empowering pose. The sheer detail of the Shiva statues was extraordinary. Every single inch of her incredible body was captured perfectly. Wooden tables and benches, made from a strange black wood, filled the hall. Tracy tapped Matthews on the shoulder, as she walked by him.

  ‘You must be hungry. I will show you where the food is.’

  She walked by the pillars and benches and headed to the right-hand wall. Matthew’s stomach grumbled in protest. He didn’t like feeling hungry. It always made him act stupid and grumpy. It was like his brain refused to engage until his stomach was well fed. Tracy approached a hole in the wall. It was like a letter box that was about two foot wide. Matthew’s could see that these holes were periodically placed along the right wall.

  ‘Gluten free chocolate corn flakes please,’ said Tracy. A strange suction sound could be heard coming from the hole, and then a tray appeared. On the tray was a brown bowl of yellow slime and a wooden spoon. Tracy flashed Matthew’s a smile and sat down on the nearest bench. ‘The dispenser will produce any food that you desire,’ she explained.

  ‘That doesn’t look like chocolate corn flakes,’ replied Matthew’s.

  She laughed.

  ‘No. It really doesn’t, does it? Everything the dispenser creates looks this way, but the taste is exactly like the food you ordered. The food will have all the same ingredients and nutrients as the food that you requested. Give it a go.’

  Matthews let out a sigh.

  The sight of the yellow slime was really not appealing.

  ‘A cup of white coffee and a bowl of porridge,’ he told the machine. A strange suction sound could be heard, and then a tray appeared in the hole in the wall. On the tray was a wooden cup of yellow slime and a matching bowl with a wooden spoon. ‘Great.’ He picked up the tray and sat opposite Tracy.

  ‘How are my favourite people this morning?’ Shiva asked, appearing from nowhere. She was sat just mere inches from Matthew’s, wrapped in a lovely silk gown that hung from her slender figure. The fabric was see through, which allowed him to easily see her nipples. Matthew’s pulled his eyes away from her and focused on the bowl of slime in front of him.

  ‘I am good, Shiva,’ replied Tracy.

  ‘I’m fine,’ replied Matthew’s, picking up his cup of hot slime. He gave it a little sniff, surprised to find that it actually smelt like a lovely dark roast coffee. His eyes were telling him one thing, his nose was telling him another, and his stomach didn’t actually care. The peace officer took a small sip of the yellow slime half expecting the texture to cause him to instantly gag, but the drink tasted like the nicest cup of coffee he had ever had the fortune to taste.

  ‘Good, isn’t it?’ laughed Tracy.

  ‘How is this possible?’

  ‘It is one of the many achievements my followers created before the disaster.’

  ‘And what disaster would that be?’ asked Matthews, tucking into his bowl of porridge.

  ‘There was a battle between my people. The result caused the death of millions of innocent lives on this world and the destruction of thousands of planets across the universe. There was never supposed to be any conflict. All we wanted was to leave this planet and go out on our own, but our elected leaders forbade this. There were many debates and votes on the matter, but it didn’t matter. All we wanted was freedom. Having others decide if we can leave or not is not freedom.’ Shiva let out a long and sad sigh. ‘Violence began to spread amongst our followers, and arrest orders for people like me were put out. That was when the war truly started. They killed our leader. They thought if they could silence the per
son in charge then the rest of us would stay, but it had the opposite effect. The war didn’t last very long. One of our people knew he was going to lose, so he unleashed a terrible weapon on this world. He launched thousands of weapons into space, targeting the home worlds of his enemy’s followers. Somehow he made the others think I did this act. I did not. In a blink of an eye, he murdered trillions of innocent people. I wanted no part in the violence and was arrested. I was trapped in that laboratory where the man called Omar went.’

  ‘Omar was the one that released you?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘It wasn’t Captain Abbott?’

  ‘No. The Captain was trying to stop him.’

  Matthews could feel his stomach twist. He has gunned her down and for what reason?

  ‘You were responsible for the deaths at the dig site?’ asked Matthews, turning to face her.

  ‘No. That was at the hand of another. It was an old friend.’

  ‘Innocent people died!’ Matthews roared in anger, knocking his bowl to the floor.

  Shiva didn’t even flinch.

  ‘Every person that is not a follower is a threat. Only those that can see you can be trusted. If my friend couldn’t touch those people, then they had to be removed, as any single one of them could have been a wolf in sheep’s clothing. You have seen this for yourself when you walked through the mirror. There are forces at work that are manipulating the survivors of your crashed ship. I do not condone the actions of my friend, but I have not killed anyone. In fact, I am trying to help you save your people.’

  ‘What do you want from us?’ asked Matthews, full of suspicion.

  ‘I want you to live.’

  ‘But what do you want from us?’ he repeated.

  Shiva smiled softly, ‘what I have always wanted. I want to be free.’

  ***

  ‘I only ask you for one thing,’ laughed the old man, ‘please scream as loud as you possibly can.’ Wide eyes looked up at the jagged teeth of the razor sharp knife. Sheridan attempted to turn her head away from the disfigured man looming over her, but there was nowhere for her to go. The chains bounding her to the stone table had seen to that.