V O N: The Devourer from the Stars

by Tracy Gilmore

  WARREN

  After being humiliated on the street and fighting with people to get his clothes back, Warren was able to get away from the large crowd of people bashing him on the streets of uptown New York. He was hassled and laughed at as he got in his car, made his way down the street and around the corner. He got off the highway heading home.

  “That bitch Mireya throwing out my clothes and treating me as if I’m shit. I got a number for her fat ass.” He grumbled.

  He stayed at his place getting ready for the moment he would strike. He grabbed his backpack. Stuffing it with the money he collected from various female friends and a few clothing items.

  He paced the floor of his studio, in a bad part of town where people hung out on the steps, outside apartment doors and there was trash everywhere. Women were hanging out the windows talking to their friends on the street, kids were hustling for pocket change and in broad daylight, and someone was getting a blowjob in the alley.

  Yeah, he enjoyed staying with Mireya, she had the nicest crib he had been in, with her clean streets, low crime and fresh air, but he messed it up. He was blaming her for catching him in the act, but if he was honest with himself, he knew he was wrong.

  No matter, he can’t be the one looking bad.

  He would have to wait for it to get dark to go back and face her, the plan evolving as he took a beer out the tiny fridge. After dark would be better, he nodded his head sitting on his bed going over every detail.

  Everyone in New York knows not to be out on certain streets when the sun sets, at least if you don’t want to end up on the front page as a corpse or missing person. Warren already had a rep in this area, the women loved him, the men wanted to be him and he can’t blame either of them.

  He was a handsome dude.

  He gave himself an approving nod checking the rearview mirror. He has soft wavy hair in a short cut but enough for the ladies to fondle. His hazel eyes, a gift from his mother, along with the deep dimples. His body, well he didn’t really know what his father looked like so he went by what the ladies liked and kept himself toned and looking good which meant he couldn’t just put anything in there that was his temple. He ate good and healthy, including his monster. Strong abs for heavy lifting when required, sculpted arms to hold back the onslaught of women and his nine inches to keep them all sated, that was the case, until Mireya threw him out.

  Word travels fast in the small community she was living in and it wouldn’t take long for that rumor to fly faster to those who knew him on the street.

  “Fuckin bitch!” he grunted hitting the steering wheel.

  He drove past a few more streets and found a spot where he could park his car. He reached for the small handled brush to tend his beard and then grabbed the other large one from his bag to brush the fine lines of his head.

  “Bitch think she can mess up my life forever. I got a surprise for her.”

  He waited. Checking his social networking status. He had over a thousand messages on Facebook from women everywhere talking about him. His twitter account was blown up as well as Instagram. The video of him fighting for his clothes went viral it was already at four thousand views and growing.

  He was ruined.

  He wouldn’t be able to get a job in the states, people would recognize his face right away. He took the battery out of his cell phone and tossed in the back seat.

  “Fuck! Now I gotta move to some hick town with no internet just to survive.” He leaned to the side reaching in the glove box of his Audi. “If I’m going down, I ain’t going alone.” He pulled out the unregistered 9mm Glock and checked his ammo. He tucked the gun in the back of his jeans. He would make a pit stop to see the woman who ruined his life, silently kill her and then leave. By the time anyone discovers her dead, he would be long gone. The money he has, he can get on a plane and be in Canada in no time. He would be a suspect, but they would have to find him to prove it was him.

  “Yeah bitch, I’m coming straight for your ugly fat trifling ass.”

  MIREYA

  At the end of the hall, and mind you my hall isn’t very long, the little girl with the yellow dress was standing there. Her apparel the cleanest I’ve seen for a kitty eating beast. With a face, she might be cute.

  I stared at her in disbelief. “Y-you’re not real.” I heard myself whisper in a shaky stammer. My lip trembled as I repeated the sentence to tell myself it wasn’t real. She couldn’t be. The distant metallic scent of blood was thick, akin to a fresh kill only I saw no trace of a victim. There was a bright red dribble of blood on the side of her smudge of a face and then her tongue oozed out of the blackness to lick the area clean.

  “N-no. You’re not real. You’re not real.” I said again a little louder. My breathing just as ragged as the legs I was standing on. The warmth between my legs grew cold, my toes curled and I balled my fist. “You’re not real!” I shouted. Normally in my dreams, bravery was a solid form of battle solider I could project. My chest would be puffed out and my stance true. In my hallway however I had no such armor. I was as frightened as any woman or child could be. I wanted my daddy to come and get rid of the monster and my mother to soothe my fears telling me it would be alright but neither were around to do so.

  I snapped my fingers, to wake myself from the nightmare, but she was still there. I hadn’t blinked, I knew what would happen if I did. My eyes watered and as one last moment of fearlessness, I made a defiant declaration.

  “YOU ARE NOT REAL!”

  It’s been said that affirming to an apparition the fact they are not real and therefore you don’t believe in them would cause them to fade away, disappear and not return.

  She must not have gotten the memo because she turned to face me with a wide grin.

  This was a wider smile than she would normally flash at me. Her teeth were larger and instead of them being white, they were silver and glimmering at me. I glanced to her pockets and there were no kittens for her to munch on. As if she heard my thoughts she brought her hand up from behind holding a full sized brown and beige cat.

  It looked to be Mrs. Charlotte’s cat or at least one of them. Sparkles I believe his name was, meowed once letting me know he was still alive. She lifted him, extended her mouth wide enough and slid all of him inside.

  My jaw fell open, a tear ran down my cheek and then I heard the cat making horrid screeches as she crunched down on him. Poor guy, he wasn’t a bad kitty but if she did that to him, was I to be next? Her head turned to me as her tongue licked all around the rim of her mouth answering my question.

  Shit.

  V59ON7

  “This is Researcher V590N7, Captain of the Proteus. The planet called Earth is an oxygen rich, species populated orb. The natural resources consumed by the humans is at seventy-five percent, up a full three percent from last year. The rate of violence the humans have towards one another has increased by twelve percent. Such a waste of good humans. The purity of the air has fallen by fifteen percent, the rate of re-population has increased in some countries by thirty percent, and drug interactions are at an all-time high. At this rate, there may not be much left of human race to survive off of.” I sighed resting back in my chair. “It is my determination that the human species will be the downfall of all existence on Earth.”

  My extensive research of this planet has been concluded. Humans are an interesting species to watch, but I must get back to my home world. I have been observing their culture and activities for the last six years. I knew enough about them to honestly say this was a disturbed planetoid.

  “Captain?” the ships robot called out to me.

  “What is it?”

  “Are we getting ready for departure?”

  “Yes, we are. I am just shopping for the journey back.”

  The ships robot has been keeping me company during the many cycles we have been collecting specimens. It performs its duties as good as any other well programmed piece of electronic equipment. It doesn’t carry on as a live being, wanting to consta
ntly talk and always questioning all of my decisions. It doesn’t require rest, food, entertainment and most importantly it doesn’t require companionship.

  I was pleased to have purchased the ship with just the robot and not have to deal with other insubordinate crew members. It has been many solar cycles since I had been home and being able to finally return will be good. Once this journey is over, I will stay on my home world to live out the remainder of my life.

  “Earthlings have such strange customs and activities.” I mumbled.

  I was able to get plenty of unique specimens and continue my research with but with the hour being so late, I was hungry and now I’m contemplating on what to eat.

  “Hmm, so let me see, what do I feel like tonight?” I mumbled as I perused through the humans on the Vidscreen. “Do I want Chinese, Indian or Italian?”

  “Do keep in mind Captain the Mexican you had last week did upset your stomachs.” The robot said as it came back to the viewing room.

  “Yes, he did.” I groaned still feeling the burn in my throat. With my species having three stomachs we tend to eat large amounts but we don’t need to eat as often as humans. “I will also need a large variety for the celebration at home.”

  “Very well Captain. By my calculations you will need one hundred humans for the trip and to serve all in the celebration. Not including the special one for your own personal ceremony.”

  “Yes, I believe I will get a female this time but which one?”

  “Captain. It is forbidden to take the Earth females because of their procreation ability.” It told me in a cautious voice.

  “I am aware of that robot. The humans will not miss one Earth female no more than they miss the handful of males we have already taken. There are billions of them and with the rate they reproduce, they will make up for it.”

  I scanned over an area zooming in closer to get a better view. The skinny ones toughen too easily when roasted and don’t have very much meat on them. The overweight ones have too much fat and the meal is a waste when you have to trim off so much of it.

  The hyperactive ones, constantly in need of trimming and toning themselves, they are also tough to eat. They are most common to have some form of surgical alteration of adding plastic to their body thereby tainting the good proteins their natural body had. Finding the right one of a good height, size and weight will not be easy.

  The fat ratio has to be just at the minimum to keep me and my kind healthy. Too much fat in our food and it upsets all three of our stomachs, such was the case with the Mexican or was he too spicy?

  “I have made a buffet style selection, I know a few of them like wild game, so I have transported some ranchers and a various assortment of what they call ‘roughnecks’.”

  “Very well Captain. I will secure them for the journey.”

  The cargo hold the humans were in emits a special gas to keep them asleep and fresh until arrival. The tables they will be secured to, have devices to collect any waste, which is usable on my planet. We do not discard any part of a human.

  With the robot gone, I could continue to search for the female. Normally I would only take the males of Earth since there were so many and it was permitted by the High Counsel on my planet, but I had a taste for a different flavor altogether. It is often hard to choose the right one without being able to touch the item before taking. Once they are aboard, I do not return them. None I have seen so far, tempts my voracious palate.

  My dashboard sensors begin to flicker rapidly when there was an increase in activity among the specimens I was observing. As with any research, certain subjects are tagged to keep track of their activities. Specimen F3M89L, was one of mine. I was able to implant a small tracer in her skull to monitor her activities.

  Her brain activity is of a special interest since she often has nightmares causing her stress and discomfort. With her being overweight, I estimate it is only a matter of time before her nightmares would escalate to the point she might have a heart attack.

  Name: Mireya Halloway Gibbons

  Age: Twenty eight years

  Weight: Two hundred fourteen pounds

  Height: Five foot four inches

  Eye Color: Brown

  A portly brown tone female with some artificial hair, and an unusual interest in males with fidelity issues.

  I discovered her one night as she was gazing up at the starry sky. She appeared to have a curious look about her possibly wondering what lay past her surroundings.

  I had seen much of her life and she has gone through some challenging times. The disappearance of the adult male N05X27 when she was a youngling. He died of unnatural causes she is not aware of. Then there was the loss of the adult female I86TCD to a common Earth disease.

  It wasn’t until later on I noticed her relations with the male D24OAC.

  She allowed him to mistreat her and yet she continued to give him all he required just to be happy. There are however many of the females that allow such things to happen, but there was something unique about this particular female. Her readings were heightened showing an aggressive tone, one she hasn’t shown in some time.

  “Ah, it seems specimen F3M89L has finally discovered the wrong doing of her mate D24OAC.”

  I had always wondered why it took her so long to see what the insensitive male was doing. With a close friend warning her about him, she still didn’t listen. Looks like she plans on having a drinking binge.

  I had intentions on finding another but she would do nicely. She has no other family. She doesn’t stand out as a high profile type and what little people who do know of her, do not contact her often.

  She was perfect.

  Her health readings were way above what I normally seek, but in the journey it takes to get to my home, I’m sure the robot can tone her body so she would be better seasoned for the celebration. I will retrieve her tonight.

  I appear in her building cloaked, when the strong scent of fear passes my nostrils. When humans are afraid, the aroma they release is nothing more than a mist of perfume. Strong when first released then fades away to nothing in the air.

  This scent was heavy. It made my mouth water to savor the sweet juices, to have a sample of the morsel sending my senses higher. I followed the overflowing aroma to female’s door. She has nightmares but this was not her typical nightmare scent. She was truly terrified to the point she would not be alive much longer.

  “Captain, my sensors indicate there is another creature in the room with her.” The robot informed me.

  I mentally let out a curse knowing I would have to put up a fight to get the female away. Good thing I brought my weapon with me.

  MIREYA

  My brow wrinkled and the warmth of my pants greeted me again. This time it tickled down my leg, pooling at my foot. I eased a step back only to slip and fall. When I looked up she was closer to me. The scent of rotting flesh was strong in the narrow space. I wanted to throw up but my stomach refused to release anything since my mouth was trembling and refused open.

  Her hands, which were covered in blood and dirt, were bony and had long sharp nails, extended out to me. Her arms were covered in what resembled rotting sores, blisters spewing a thick green pus and black and blue bruises. I quickly crawled backward to the wall, my chin rattling as if its twenty below, and my breathing came out my nose in short shuddered breaths.

  Tears clouded my vision and still I was whispering ‘you’re not real.’

  She knelt down to the spot where I left a puddle, her palms on either side, her face hovering just above it. She moaned or made a purring sound then her body shook like she was overexcited about the mess. To my surprise, shock and utter disgust, she didn’t just smell the stain, her tongue lapped it up.

  Are you fucking kidding me? That is nasty!

  I shook my head telling myself, this can’t be possible, but I could smell my own urine and knew I was going to be next. My first instinct was to run to the door, but my legs weren’t in a-get up and get me the hell out of
here-mood. In a moment of weakness, or just to have a chance to be forgiven for all I had done, I closed my eyes to pray.

  I turned my head so when she would zip towards me, I wouldn’t have a heart attack and die right then. Not that my heartbeat wasn’t breaking the speed barrier already, but I didn’t want my last image to be of her coming at me. Seeing her in the hall was enough.

  It didn’t take long for me to feel the cool wisp of air then her hot, musty breath. A bit of drool dripping on me made me flinch. The quick short pants through my nose was just as fast as the thumps in my chest. I might just hyperventilate and pass out before she gets to kill me, maybe I won’t feel her teeth ripping into me, maybe.

  “Such a sweet treat you are.” She said to me.

  I had never heard her speak before, and after today, if she kills me, I will be grateful to never hear it again. Her voice was a ghostly raspy sound of multiple female tones.

  I closed my eyes tighter, the tears steadily falling, and my body shaking as if a tremor was happening right under me. Too much more of this and more than fluid would be leaving my body unnaturally.

  I heard it inhale rapidly several times and my chest began to cave in thinking this was it.

  “Yessssss, such a sweet treat indeed. We must have you.”

  My eyes popped open. I still hadn’t glanced her way, but I wanted to make sure I heard her correctly. Did she say we must have me? Who is we?

  “Y-you’re not real, y-you can’t hurt me.” My sharp wispy voice trembled to say with authority.

  Her breath grew hotter on my neck, the sound of whispering air escaping her large blood drenched mouth, filled my ears with such dread. The way she extended her jaw to swallow Sparkles could only tell me she was making it wide enough to hopefully take my head off causing my death to be quick and not too painful. I hoped. But alas, I sniveled on the floor closing my eyes even tighter than before whining for God to help me. I wanted to live, another chance to do things differently. If this was a punishment for the time I spent with Warren, I have learned my lesson with honors. Hell, I had rightfully earned a fucking Master’s degree with the time I spent with him.