Sinister Shadows

by Simon Smith-Wilson

  ***

  ‘I know everything about you, Peace Office Matthews,’ explained the naked woman, as she slowly circled behind him. ‘I can see into the darkest depths of your mind. I know what your dreams are. I know what your fears are. I know your greatest achievements, and I also know the things you never want anyone to find out about. I know your heart. I know your soul. And deep down I know that you are a good person.’ Matthews tensed up, as she pressed her naked breasts against his back, hugging him softly from behind. She spoke at the level of a whisper into his ear. ‘I know how proud you were of your father. He was a good, strong man. He was a man of justice that was wrongfully gunned down in a shootout. I know that you felt angry for a long time, but then you decided that you would join the peace core and you would stop anything like this from happening again.’ She released the hug and walked by him. Unconsciously, he eyes dropped to her beautiful curved naked ass. ‘I know that you are looking at my ass right now and that you want to fuck me. I know you never meant to cheat on your fiancée with that woman from work.’

  ‘How do you know about that?’ he asked.

  He had told nobody about that.

  ‘I know you. I know that you and your fiancée had drifted apart and that you were both thinking of calling the wedding off. That is no justification for putting your cock in another woman, naughty boy.’ She wagged a finger in the air at him, whilst wearing a cheeky smile. ‘But I know all these things. I know how bad you felt. I know how hard you worked to make it right. I know you changed jobs, moved away and always strive to be a good and kind person. It is also why you won’t forgive yourself for the affair, even thought you didn’t love your fiancée and you both were going to split up.’

  ‘What do you want from me?’

  ‘I have told you this. I need you. I need your justice.’ The woman waved a hand at the room of mirrors, and all the lights went out. For a brief moment the two of them stood in complete darkness and then three of the invisible light sources came on, illuminating only three mirrors. ‘The mirrors are doorways into the mind of others. You will know everything about that person. You will be able to control that person. These people are not infected with the virus on this planet, but they will be. Once they get infected we can no longer help them and believe me, Peace Office Matthews, they are all in incredible danger.’

  ‘Let’s say I do believe you.’ He didn’t. ‘What do you expect me to do?’

  ‘That is up to you. I have brought you to my Temple of Mirrors because you are a pure hearted person. Only the good can come here. I hope you understand this. We can save the majority of your people on this planet, but you have to act quickly. Step forward and place your hand on the surface of the mirror. I have given you three to choose from, these people are the ones in the most danger.’

  Matthews thought about it for a moment.

  His mind was distracted by her beauty and the information she spouted off. How she knew that stuff was beyond him. Nobody on the crashed ship knew him ten years ago. It was enough to intrigue him. What harm could come from placing his hand on a mirror? Slowly, he stepped forward. The gorgeous woman smiled a lovely smile and watched. Matthews stepped up to the middle mirror and raised his hand. A blinding white light filled his vision. Matthews felt someone grab him by the collar and pull him forward. He held up his hands in an attempt to shield his face from the impact. It felt like he was flying forwards at a million miles an hour. Gravity was gone. He attempted to yell, but no sound came out. What the fuck was happening to him?

  ***

  Kimberly fell to her knees, as she rushed into the bar. The room had a sullen atmosphere to it, but then again the whole base had that feeling because of the recent deaths. ‘Please. Help me!’ She called out. The rough looking barman with the wiry black beard seemed to wake from some far away thoughts at the sound of her pleas. Jimmy was watching a movie on his tablet, whilst having a solitary drink, but was up on his feet in half a heartbeat. ‘My son! My son has got beyond the fence.’ Only now did Kimberly realise that she was crying. The tears were pouring down her face. ‘My baby is out there. You have to help me! My baby is out there!’

  ***

  ‘Dr Emerson?’ asked Dr Jones, as he walked through the silent train station. His boots clicked off the glass platform, echoing away into the pitch black underground tunnels. Dr Emerson was sat within a train. Her carriage was the only one with lights on. The young woman was wearing her space suit. She sat upright, hands on knees, looking forward. Dr Jones studied his friend for a long moment. Her eyes were not her eyes. She was awake, but she saw nothing. Her eyes looked forward, but they didn’t see him. ‘Dr Emerson?’ Unconsciously, he glanced across the alien train station. It looked very similar to something you might find on any human colony, but it was cleaner and constructed of glass like substance. The ground let out pulses of light with each step he took forward. ‘Why don’t we go back to the camp?’ he asked, stepped forward towards the open double doors of the carriage. Only now did he realise this clean silver bullet like train had no wheels. It hovered above the ground. There was no hum of an engine or lights from some mechanical device, and there was no gust of wind pushing the train into the standing airborne position. The train just floated there as if that was it naturally did. ‘Will you come back with me?’ Dr Jones held out a hand, as he stepped into the train. He knew it was going to happen, deep down he knew, but it still surprised him when the double doors closed behind him. Almost instantly the train began to move. There was no jolt as the engine kicked into life. The train just effortlessly and silently pulled forward. At first, the movement was so subtle that it was hardly noticeable, but within seconds they were screaming through pitch black tunnels at hundreds of miles an hour. Dr Jones let out a sigh, as he sat down opposite the statue that was Dr Emerson. Someone was leading him to someplace, where and why were questions he knew he would find out soon enough.

  ***

  Melanie stepped through the hatch into the loading bay. Four men were preparing a truck and a pair of motorbikes. A few handguns taken from the currently unmanned peace station was strapped to the exterior of their space suits. Melanie had attempted to contact Ryan, Sheridan and Peace Office Matthews, but all three of them were AWOL, as were several vehicles from the loading bay. Melanie didn’t like the fact that the three people that were supposed to be protecting them had all disappeared. The bearded barman glanced in her direction, as her heels clicked off the floor. The man had a seedy look in his eyes, which had always put off any form of interaction between the two of them. He returned his attention to locating oxygen tanks into the truck. One of the other men was in his mid-sixties and was travelling with his wife. One of the others had to be no older than fifteen. His older brother had been one of the victims of the dig site killings. He was just eager to be doing something other than mourning. The leader of this group was a private engineer. He was a towering wall of muscle, with long black hair. He was rugged but handsome. His face was a map of lines that painted a picture of a hard life. He had dark penetrating eyes, but there was much kindness behind the windows of his soul.

  ‘Did you get hold of any of them?’ asked Aiden, the muscular giant.

  ‘All three of them are not replying to any communications.’

  ‘We will go on without them.’

  ‘Is that a good idea? I feel like something weird is happening.’

  Aiden nodded his head in agreement. ‘I don’t know what is going on, but it doesn’t feel good. End of the day a kid is wondering around on the surface of a hostile planet. We have no option to head out after him. The good thing is that he is on foot and we have the vehicles. We can track him with the identification chip. If we go now, we will catch up with him.’ The tone of his voice was not leaving this up for debate. Melanie felt as if Aiden would head off alone if he had too. She didn’t think this was the best course of action. Too many strange things were happening, but she knew there was no changing his mind. Aiden and the others were going if she
liked it or not.

  ***

  ‘Where am I?’ Matthews looked at the confined space in the sleeping quarters. One moment he was stood in the temple of mirrors and now he was here. This wasn’t his room. He looked down at his dark brown trousers and badly worn boots. His eyes turned towards his hands. An unfamiliar scar ran across the back of a hairy hand that clearly wasn’t his. Matthews leapt off the bed and stood in front of the small rectangular mirror on the wall. The face looking back at him was not Peace Officer Matthews. The woman hadn’t been lying. The mirrors really did allow him to step into the body of someone else. Fingers probed the foreign face, squishing the chin and pinching the cheeks. The face belonged to a man in his early forties. He had one or two grey hairs starting to appear above his ears. The body felt strong and healthy.

  ‘What are you doing?’ asked a female voice from behind him. Matthews looked at the beautiful young blonde with the towel wrapped around her midsection. There was something incredibly hot about a woman dripping with water. ‘You finally had a nervous breakdown?’ she laughed, as she stepped the short distance from the doorway and kissed him. Matthews was about to pull back from the kiss. He didn’t know this woman. And to be honest, he was old enough to be her father. The man whose body this was also old enough to be her father. ‘You okay?’ she asked, pulling back and looking up at his quizzically.

  ‘Y-Yeah,’ he somehow stuttered a response.

  ‘You kissed me differently.’

  ‘I did?’

  ‘You did.’

  ‘Oh...’

  ‘I like it.’

  She kissed him again, this time allowing her tongue to infiltrate his mouth. For one long moment in time, Matthews stood in this unknown body, kissing the sexy young woman that was half his life span. The kissing quickly turned into something dark and passionate. He knew this was wrong. He didn’t know this woman. He felt like he was massively taking advantage of the situation. The young woman dropped her towel and guided him to the bed. Matthews knew he should have stopped at that very moment, but that animalistic side of him won the day, and the two of them climbed onto the unknown man’s bed.

  ***

  Kimberly sat in the office that formerly belonged to Captain Abbott. She was slumped forward, head in hands and feeling more hopeless than any point in her life. The nice young girl had taken control of the situation and gathered a group of men that were heading out to find Christopher, but it didn’t take away the vortex of pain from her heart. She felt so empty and weak.

  ‘I can help you,’ said Gabriel.

  Kimberly looked up at the white haired man, sat on the edge of Captain Abbott’s desk.

  ‘Where is my son?’

  Gabriel thought about it for a moment. ‘He isn’t far away.’

  ‘Is he alive?’

  ‘Yes. I don’t believe your boy is in any danger.’

  ‘You don’t believe?’ She growled. ‘Was this you’re doing?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘You took my son away once before...’

  ‘And you did exactly what I asked,’ he countered. ‘Your son’s disappearance had nothing to do with me, but I might be able to help you find him.’ The anger she felt towards him turned into hope. ‘I will need you to help me with something first.’

  ‘Haven’t I done enough for you already?’

  ‘You have been very useful,’ replied Gabriel, as he dropped to his feet. He walked to the porthole and looked out at the camp covered in dust. The blue glow of the electric field shimmered in the distance. ‘I do need your help, Kimberly. My partner is planning something terrible. It will mean the end for your husband, your son and every single person in this camp. Only you can stop him. You must accompany me to my laboratory. There is still time to stop what is about to happen.’

  The hatch to the office opened, and Melanie stepped in. She greeted Kimberly with a sympathetic smile. Kimberly glanced towards Gabriel only to find that he was gone. He was nowhere to be seen. There had only been one way into and out of the room, but the mysterious man hadn’t exited through that hatch. Where had he gone? ‘The search party has left the base.’

  ‘Thank God,’ sighed Kimberly, tears of relief fell from her eyes.

  ‘They are tracking your son through the global positioning drone. It is only a matter of time before they find him.’

  ‘Thank you so much for your help.’ Melanie handed her a tissue from a box on the desk. Kimberly dried her eyes, as she sank back into the chair. Christopher couldn’t have got far. He was just a child. The search party would find him in no time. Frustratingly, her thoughts drifted to Gabriel’s words. The strange man had said that he would be able to help find her son and that his partner was planning something terrible. It wasn’t like she could tell anyone about the invisible man telling her about a coming danger, but something in the back of her mind knew that Gabriel could help her. If there was even a small possibility that he could help get her son home, she would take it. ‘I think I will head home now.’

  ‘Do you think that is a good idea? Maybe you should stay with me for now.’

  Kimberly could see that Melanie was a pure-hearted good girl.

  ‘Thank you, but I want to be at home for when they return.’

  ***

  They stood over the deceased Marine, as he lay crumpled up beside the canyon. Ryan rolled him over, and they both looked down at the gunshot that had destroyed the man’s visor. All that remained of the man’s face was a mangled mix of hair and teeth within a soup of flesh and gore. ‘This is the third dead marine we have found.’

  ‘Out of a team of four,’ said Sheridan.

  Ryan tapped on the tablet to mark the man as deceased, switching him from living to dead on the manifest status. Sheridan walked to the edge of the canyon and looked down into the pit several hundred meters below her. The bodies of the survivors were resting on top of a mountain of bones carefully constructed in the centre of the pit. There didn’t seem to be a single path down, but at the bottom of the pit, she could see half a dozen cave mouths.

  ‘I am going down,’ she said, heading for the truck.

  ‘W-what are you doing?’ stuttered Ryan, as he peered down into the pit whilst trying to maintain some kind of distance from the cliff face. Ryan and heights were not a good combination. He hadn’t liked climbing since he got stuck up a tree when he was five years old. It had taken about two hours for his dad to talk him down branch by branch.

  ‘We have to get close enough to the bodies to deactivate the identification chips,’ replied Sheridan, pulling a climbing pack out of the truck. The pack was a reinforced harness she could attach to the front of the truck, the metal cord in the harness would allow her to descend two hundred feet. ‘You can stay here. It will only take me a couple of hours.’

  ‘I’m not letting you go on your own, but...’ the thought of going over the edge made him physically sick. ‘...there has to be another way down there.’

  ‘Not that I can see. Plus, we have been away from the camp for too long. I want to head back there once we are done.’ Sheridan spread the harness onto the dusty floor and stepped into it. Ryan could feel his stomach twisting and his bowels moving. He had followed her across the surface of a dying world in the hope to find evidence of murder. He had camped out in an abandoned ship with limited protection, was he really going to let a cliff defeat him?

  ‘Wait!’

  He headed for the truck.

  ‘Ryan, you don’t have to do this.’

  ‘Just, shut up,’ he grumbled, laying the second harness on the floor.

  Sheridan smiled sweetly, ‘you are a good friend, Ryan.’

  ‘You better bloody believe it.’

  ***

  The sound of the rumbling motorbike engine died, bringing silence to the alien world. Aiden swung his leg off the bike and turned the helmet light of his spacesuit towards the floor. Two pairs of footprints could be clearly seen in the dirt. One pair of prints belonged to an adult, and another belonged t
o a small child. ‘They didn’t get very far,’ said Basil, a rifle slung over his shoulder. The two men glanced back the way they had just come. They could see the glow of the electric fence from the perimeter fence creating a strange blue sunset on the horizon.

  ‘Why did they come out here?’ asked the rotund man that owned the Bar-A.

  ‘Who cares, man,’ shivered Terry, the teenager. The gun is his hand looked ridiculously big for him. ‘Let’s just find them both and get back to the base. I really don’t like this place.’ Aiden said nothing, but he agreed with the kid. Wise eyes scanned the rocky outcrop that blocked the passage of their vehicles. There was something about this place this felt off. The energy was wrong. It felt like a graveyard.

  ‘This way,’ instructed Basil, following the two pairs of prints on the floor.

  Only the helmet and shoulder lights of their spacesuits lit the way. The world out here was consumed in total darkness. Whatever light they might have got from the two moons was blocked by the towering rock formations. Eerie shadows danced off the canyon walls, as the group worked their way into the network of paths crisscrossing through the road of rocks. Aiden hadn’t noticed it at first, due to how slight the descent actually was, but they were travelling down into a valley of rock. Minutes drifted by, the rocks stood taller, and the darkness felt darker.

  The footprints stopped.

  ‘Where did they go?’ asked Basil.

  Aiden looked down at the prints. Both pairs of footprints simply stopped. He scanned the surrounding area with the lights of his spacesuit. They were in a twelve-foot wide corridor of rocks. One path continued forward into the gloom, and the other path led back the way they came. The cliff’s either side of them had ledges and enough protruding rocks to make climbing feasible, but it was doubtful a child would be able to climb the thirty-foot cliff back to the surface. If they hadn’t gone up if they hadn’t gone forward and if they hadn’t gone backwards, where had they gone?