TO BE FREE

In a surreal world so like our own an alien darkness hunts the inhabitants for its own needs, perhaps just like they do on our world.

    The blue flower grew on the bluff, bobbing in a salty breeze. The sun shone down through shifting grey clouds of mist that coiled and twisted, forever reaching toward the land. Seagulls winged and spun in the salty ocean air, their voices loud and calling, so like wild mad laughter.

     He felt the presence of something dark and seductive, something beautiful and alluring. His curiosity unleashed he lifted his wolfish head and sniffed at the ocean air. It wasn't something physical but more mental maybe. He trotted along, heading back to his wolf pack. He'd been out hunting and had come up with nothing so in defeat he was heading home. Very hungry still too. He trotted along the damp sandy beach and tilted up his head to look skyward. A tiny dot hovered high up in the sky, so high there was no way it could be of this Earth. It slowly spun, catching the sun on its surface, making it wink like a star.

    What sort of alien thing is that, he wondered. He felt a shiver ripple through his body. The presence was still there, stronger now and throbbing, pulling at him, demanding he pay attention to it. Up ahead of him he saw the shadows along the rocky bluff shift and fold. He stopped. The very air hummed with something dark and alien. Looking up again he saw the tiny dot still spinning and zooming about high overhead.

     Along the beach the shadows continued shifting and folding. He crept along, scanning the rocky bluff, looking for what he did not know. Then he spotted it, what he had been looking for unknowingly. A narrow dark opening in the rocky hillside. He moved toward it slowly, cautiously and stood unmoving at the entrance. It was totally dark within but something was there, that dark presence seducing him with its throbbing caresses on his mind with sweet promises of unbelievable pleasures. He didn't want to go in but how could he resist? He felt like he was under an evil spell, that he was enthralled. Resisting was pointless.

      He slipped into the opening and slowly moved along the dark tunnel blindly, following it as it unfolded itself into the darkness before him. Deeper and deeper it went. It was cool and damp, then it was cold and damp. The sound of water dripping in the darkness was loud. It echoed through the chamber and many hidden ones as well. Roots from twisted trees growing on the bluff were like coiling living things. He had the feeling they were moving, deliberately scraping themselves against his wolfish coat of hair. His mind told him to turn around and go back, go no further but the dark spell tugging at him forced him to continue onward to what he had no way of knowing yet he was fearing.

      A voice whispered deep within the earth, “Come. Come.” It could have just been a hiss, a hiss from something or maybe a hiss from nothing. It didn't matter to him as he continued his downward journey. And he knew he was going downward and he couldn't help it. He couldn't fight what had a total hold on him now.

     Hell is waiting for me. I should turn back now. I must turn back. I have to fight this and return to my pack and warn them to avoid the beach where this thing exists, waiting like a trap. But the voice or the hiss was too compelling. He heard it now as if from another world, or another life. Something dark and alien to this Earth.

     The distant sound of seagulls echoed down the tunnel, reaching him where he was. These wild and free creatures called, maybe not so loud but still very clear. His pointy wolfish ears flickered, listening. He paused, feeling like his will had returned to him somewhat. He looked back the way he had come. His eyes blazed bright intense blue. He made a whimpering sound. Why was he here, so far down within the earth? Something alien to the planet was here, luring him to his doom with sweet promises that were only lies. He took a deep breath and turned and started trotting back the way he had come. What madness is this? What alien thing is here luring the unwary to their deaths. Food, what ever it is wants him and any others it lures down here for food. He increased his pace until he was almost running, his shaggy wolf tail streaming out behind him.

     “Come. Come.” The whisper or the hiss or whatever it was, called to him. Powerful, compelling, demanding. It was a powerful lure but he had some of his free will back and was able to resist its demands now.

     He opened his muzzle to deny the summons with his voice. His long white fangs flashed in the nonexistent light. His anger granted him even more power to resist the summons pressing down on him, trying to make him turn around and continue his journey to it and certain death. He cried out, his howl loud and long, denying the alien thing trying to control him still, his howling reverberated deep within the cavern. His talons clawed at the ancient dried floor of the tunnel as he raced along, showing the alien that he was not to be controlled anymore. He kept his rapid pace, not hesitating or slowing as he ran back up the tunnel to his freedom and his life. To continue going to where the alien was calling to him from would mean enslavement to what ever the creature wanted and he didn't want that.

     The voice screamed, “You will be cursed forever, you will never find peace in the outer world. I, alone, can grant you what you want. Serve me or die!”

     He paused only for a couple seconds, feeling the shiver of certain fear ripple throughout his body at actually hearing the alien's voice and understanding clearly what it said but then shook it off. He continued onward. The voice had no power over him any more. He had beat it. He would not surrender to it ever again nor end up in its hellish pit somewhere beneath the earth. He'd fought the compulsion and had won. He would warn his pack members to avoid this area of the beach.

     He could smell the salty air of the sea and moved forward faster. He burst out onto the beach. It was night now! What had seemed only minutes had been hours, days, weeks, maybe months or years. He didn't know. He only knew he was free and ran away from the opening in the cliff wall.

     Three blue flowers bobbed in the cold salty wind in the moonlit night. He raced past them, noticing them as he did. He opened his wolfish muzzle and howled. Three blue flowers where there only had been one! He looked to the night sky, it had been day when his nightmarish journey into the earth had begun, and saw three dots zipping about, moon light flashing on them making them wink like stars.

      An ominous chill engulfed him. He ran, an unknown terror riding him hard.

Reviews

[Coyote Song]

This is very very eerie. You could easily take out the wolfish character and put in a person instead. Who knows if aliens are haunting is on this earth but they very well could be, luring people to a death that they are never discovered from. So many people go missing every year who are never heard from again and nothing is ever found of them. They just disappear. This is very haunting and chilling. I'm glad the character managed to escape the alien's hungry evil clutches.

[Wolf's Dark Song]

Impressive story. It really pulled me in deep. I'm glad the character escaped in the end. Who knows what horrors were awaiting deep down there in the earth?

[Star Wolf]

This is deeply disturbing and eerie. I got a real chill as I read this. Even though this wasn't about a human and alien it still has the ring of truth to it if we are to believe the stories of abductions of humans by aliens. I enjoyed this awesome story!

[Eric Cox]

Cool tale. Excellent imagery and story weaved. Cool fantasy created. Excellent pen upon this tale.

[Black Cat Fever]

This is very mysterious and deeply disturbing and creepy too. All the way through the story I wondering what this alien in the ground could be. Lucky the main character escaped its evil influence. This very well could happen here or already is happening. Outstanding story!