Haven

by Vincent E. Sweeney

  A sudden, searing pain swept through Stephen’s upper body, and he was mortified to see an alien spearhead protruding from his chest near his arm. He was then lifted nearly off his feet, and he howled in agony. Blindly, he swung his free arm behind him, hoping to catch the creature that was now toying with him like a puppet. He suddenly sensed that his blade struck something soft, and his next sensation was that of falling to the ground.

  The spear was quickly ripped out of Stephen’s upper chest, and he screamed again as he felt bone and sinew being shredded while the blade passed through. He heard the alien attacker screaming horrifically, and he turned around to see its eye socket, now empty, bleeding profusely.

  The beast fell to the ground and clawed at its own face, striking at the pain. It was then that Stephen noticed a small, familiar ornament dangling from the creature’s neck on a cord. He recognized the dragon symbol quickly and realized it was Mandel’s knife.

  Stephen’s rage tripled and he wanted to destroy this beast. But before he could get to his feet, the alien turned and ran screaming into the forest, grasping its gouged eye socket tightly.

  Stephen rose to his feet with a groan and surveyed his wound. To his relief, Stephen could tell that the puncture was not in his heart or lungs. He had been stabbed through his right shoulder blade and now could not help but draw his right arm into his chest and cradle it there, trying his best not to move it.

  Dylan walked up to him, completely out of breath and covered with new blood. “Oh, no!” he shouted. “Stephen, how bad is it?”

  “I’m not sure,” he muttered.

  “Will you be alright?” Dylan asked.

  Stephen nodded weakly, stifling his pain. “I think so, but probably not today.”

  Suddenly, the trees in the forest began blowing in wild directions and the ground began vibrating steadily. At first, Stephen thought another bomb had gone off, but the blast never ceased or died down. The vibration produced a low, deafening rumble, which slowly grew into a mechanical roar.

  “What’s happening?” Dylan shouted.

  Stephen shook his head. “I don’t know!”

  Just then, a set of ominous red lights appeared in the sky and Stephen shuddered in shock as he looked up.

  The alien ship roared as it hovered, evil yet graceful, over the treetops which swayed recklessly to and fro from the force of the mighty engines’ fire. Lightning ripped across the horizon, illuminating the dark, steel hull of the warship for an instant, and then all was dim again, save for the unearthly, red glow of the ship’s running lights. The steel raptor began cruising slowly away from the clearing. As it passed, the wings came into view and revealed a series of long-barreled energy cannons ready for firing.

  “They are aliens!” Dylan stammered as he began instinctively stepping back, away from the dominating, winged predator.

  The cannons at the sides of the warship began sounding a hum that rose higher and louder with each passing moment.

  The shuttlecraft ahead banked sharply, turning completely around to face the new enemy. But before the shuttle could dodge, the warship fired a barrage of red energy bolts across its belly. A large explosion ruptured the hull around the back of the vessel, and both bombardiers were thrown out of the cabin, screaming as they fell to their deaths.

  Joel screamed too, when he lost complete control over his ship. With horrendous speed, it went sailing down onto the battlefield, where it crashed into a crumpled mess.

  Stephen turned to the Commander. “We’ve got to get back to the men, and keep up the fight!” he yelled.

  Dylan shook his head and turned to face Stephen. “You can’t fight anymore with that arm! Run back and warn the people as fast as you can. Try to get them out of the city and into the forest, they’ll be safer under cover!”

  Stephen looked back at the battle raging on in the forest behind him. His heart yearned to jump back into the mix and continue fighting. But he knew Dylan was right. He was no good anymore, and that thought seemed to make the pain in his arm intensify.

  “Hurry!” Dylan urged.

  Stephen grudgingly nodded. “Alright!” he shouted as he turned and began running toward the open field again. He felt a dragging sensation behind him and remembered that he had fired the grappler. With a grunt, he reached his arm down and touched the recoil button, and the rope began retracting as he ran.

  A terrible bellow sounded in Dylan’s ears as he watched Stephen run. He turned to see an alien standing before him with its arms outstretched in a display of challenge. Dylan reached to his side and withdrew his dagger, then tossed it swiftly at the creature’s face. It lunged to the side, barely evading the projectile in time.

  As it dodged, Dylan seized the opportunity to swing at the beast. It dodged to the side again and this time countered with a swing of its spear, hitting Dylan in the face with the blunt shaft. He staggered for a moment, seeing stars.

  Dylan then saw the beast falter a bit in its step. He wasted no time bringing his sword down on the creature’s head. With a screech, the alien turned away as its face fell to the ground and bounced slightly as it rolled.

  Something was not right. Dylan stood still as he watched the detached face continue to roll and bounce on the ground until it finally stopped. It lay staring up at him with blank eyes, surrounded by straps.

  Dylan looked back at the creature on the ground. It held its head in its ghastly hands and breathed heavily, its body swelling and falling steadily. In a moment where time seemed to stand still, the beast looked up hideously at Dylan with its elongated, quasi-human face contorted in a terrible glower. It let out a bone-chilling groan and Dylan felt his hair stand on end. With a scream, he brought his weapon down again, smashing the horrible face into a bloody oblivion.

  5

  Stephen grunted with every step he took. His battered body was screaming for him to stop and rest, but he could not. The agony left him nearly blind, and he stumbled often as he went.

  Without certainty, Stephen ran in what felt like the right direction. He only caught glimpses of the path ahead when the pain subsided enough for him to open his eyes briefly. A glimpse of a rock face not far away told Stephen he was nearing the cliff-base.

  The sound of crashing thunder mixed with the blare of the warship’s engines, and Stephen felt he did not have much of a lead on the ship anymore. He reached down with his good arm and pulled the grappler up to his chest. With some labored shifting, he grasped the handle and raised the weapon up into the air. Not caring where exactly on the top the hook landed, Stephen fired blindly. He caught a quick glimpse of the hook soaring over the cliff top with the rope slithering behind it, and found himself standing at the base of the cliff.

  After a moment, Stephen recoiled the rope and felt the slack vanish instantly. He was swept off the ground and dragged up the cliff face. He held on with all his might, ignoring the burning and scraping his skin was enduring against the jagged rocks. He tried his best to keep his feet against the face and somewhat walk up the cliff, but it was no use. By the time Stephen got his feet in front of him, he was at the top and quickly being pulled over the edge onto soft grass.

  Stephen released the recoil button and lay for a moment, his breath coming in staggered gasps. To the side, he saw Kirin’s sword still swaying gently in the breeze, and then all was dark.

  Dylan and the other humans screamed furiously as the last of the alien beasts retreated hastily into the recesses of the forest. They had been outwitted by the weakling creatures who now occupied the city rightfully.

  The beings disappeared into the darkness from which they came, leaving only destruction and hatred in their wake. But the evil beasts felt a twisted comfort in their hearts as they retreated. They knew the humans would all be dead soon. The warship could not be stopped.

  Stephen covered his ears and closed his eyes. Wind and rain whipped over his body as the ship passed overhead, its running lights glowing red with anger in the black sky. The eclipse had been complete, and
only the sporadic lightning that streaked across the sky brought light back to the landscape. As the sound faded, Stephen quickly returned to his senses. He realized he had let the ship pass by.

  Through the searing pain, Stephen ambled to his feet and resumed his gait - praying he could only reach the city in time to save a few lives, or at least die with them all. He felt a familiar dragging sensation behind him and remembered the grappler. He reached down and began the recoiling process, not sure if he would ever even need to fire the gun again.

  The ship’s enormous cannons began emitting a high squeal as they charged with energy. The dark barrels seemed to glow with firepower as the ship drew ever closer to the distant city.

  The ship moved steadily, but not quickly. Stephen guessed that if he pushed himself hard enough, he would be able to outrun it and perhaps still warn the people in time. He felt a soft click at his side and realized the grappler had finished recoiling.

  In the distance, Stephen saw lights from the city burning brightly. An immense spread of lighting scraped across the land like a magnificent claw and suddenly, all the city lights disappeared. Only the deep, red glow of the warship’s running lights shone in the sky.

  Stephen felt a great warm wind again, and he knew he was underneath the ship. He ran as hard as he could, pushing his body to the limit. The pain was immense, but Stephen found comfort when he sensed the noise and wind dying down, and he knew he had passed underneath the ship. A smile crossed Stephen’s lips and he kept running with renewed hope.

  Suddenly, the terrible sounds and wind returned in full force, and Stephen looked up to the sky. In a flash of lightning, he saw the metallic hull of the warship flying quickly past. It had accelerated to nearly triple its original speed.

  Stephen’s mind raced for a way to stop the ship’s advance, but he had no weapons or resources of any kind, save for the battered grappler at his side. Desperate for a solution, Stephen grabbed the gun once more. He pointed it straight up into the sky as the ship began rapidly passing him. With a quiet, simple prayer, Stephen squeezed the trigger and stopped to watch the hook soar beautifully into the sky.

  It bounced harmlessly off the thick metal of the ship’s belly and fell to the ground a hundred meters away. Stephen looked at the weapon in disgust and threw it down with a broken heart. He resumed his running, but now Stephen could not force as much out of his body. Soon, the ship was much too far ahead for him to ever catch up. He winced and screamed, falling to his knees in agony. All was lost, and there was no more hope.

  In the control room, technicians and operators shouted in the darkness. The room was chaos, and only the lightning coming in from the windows gave any light to the room.

  Kirin alone was quiet and still, staring across her desk into the darkness outside. She was attracted by something - a bright red glow that became ever brighter and more intense with each passing moment. Soon, the light was so large and fiery that all the people in the control room were quiet and watchful.

  Kirin rose from her seat and stepped slowly to the window, placing one hand on the glass. With the other hand, she touched her fingers to the ring tied around her neck. The lightning flashed outside, and through the rain-washed window, the alien warship appeared in all its horrific glory. Kirin shuddered and stepped back in fear. The red lights seemed to be staring in on the helpless people without mercy.

  The ship backed off slowly, putting enough space between itself and the control tower to allow its weapons to target the structure. It rose slightly higher into the air and turned to the side. Its weapons now pointed into the streets below, where many of the townspeople were gathered and watching the ship in astonishment.

  The squeal of the ship’s guns reached an ear-piercing peak and suddenly boomed with release, as blast after blast of immense, powerful energy shot from the barrels and crashed into buildings and people, leaving fiery trails in the air.

  The ship then raised its weapons to the control tower and centered them. The squeal returned and Kirin jumped back into the recesses of the room as fast as she could. The barrels released their fury again.

  Glass exploded in all directions and began falling down from the tower into the streets. Several billowy explosions followed from inside the structure, as the ship continued its barrage of merciless blasts on the control tower.

  Stephen screamed in protest with his arms outstretched to the sky, begging…pleading…

  The lightning flashed once more and then all was still; the planet seemed completely quiet.

  Stephen had been forced to shield his eyes from the last blast of lightning. It was so close that the vibrations from the parted air had shattered many windows in the city and nearly knocked Stephen onto his back. He looked up into the sky again and saw the mighty warship, bathed in sparks and fire.

  The lightning had seared through the ships engines, and it now sank slowly, almost elegantly, down through the sky. Stephen watched in astonishment as the ship came ever closer to the ground.

  Before it crashed though, a brief, mighty blast reappeared in the ship’s engines and it hovered once more above the city. It loomed unsteadily in the air, unsure if it would rise or descend. With a burst from the thrusters, the mighty bird darted forward, helping keep it steady. It picked up speed and began circling the city in sputtering bursts.

  A steering thruster failed suddenly, and the ship began accelerating in a straight line toward to ocean cliffs. As it came closer to the edge, the engines engaged in full force and the mechanical terror began rising up to the sky again.

  The engines suddenly stopped. The thrusters all died, and only the deep red glow of the mammoth eyes could be seen drawing ever closer to the ground.

  Acres of trees were decapitated. The ship jolted over the foliage like a skipping stone. The right wing dipped down low and a tremendous crash sounded over the land as the wing was smashed into a contorted oblivion. The red eyes vanished and were replaced by bright flashes of spark and fire.

  The warship twirled magnificently in the air - an enormous boomerang spewing steel shards and fiery materials in all directions as it sailed across the coastline.

  At the cliff edge, the belly of the ship finally touched down and was smashed against the rocks, sending huge boulders into the sea. The neck of the beast was broken and left dangling by only slivers of metal.

  The mangled form tottered briefly, seeming to cling to life with one last bit of effort, before careening over the side with a loud wrenching screech. It fell awkwardly, twisting down into a haphazard corkscrew for over two hundred meters. It splashed into the water on its side, sending enormous waves onto the shore and out to sea.

  Within moments, the entire monstrous form was swallowed by the churning water. It disappeared into the darkness forever, and all the land was still again.

  In the control tower, Byron coughed loudly as smoke and dust billowed out of the decimated room. He noticed a few other people beginning to stir. “Is everyone alright?” he asked.

  Several people replied in weary affirmation as they helped one another up.

  Byron was astonished at how quickly everything had been destroyed. Only a few of the glass windows were still intact, and none of the desks remained upright.

  As Byron continued to survey the room, his eyes fell on a bit of white fabric and a girl’s slender hand protruding from underneath some rubble. His heart sank.

  Stephen breathed softly. His eyes were closed and his arms lay lifelessly at his sides. He was still sitting upright on his knees, facing the city. The rain had stopped, and only a cool wind rolled over his body. He heard the rumble of thunder far away. The storm had passed, and all was safe again. Stephen opened his eyes and saw that everything was still dark around him. A deep purple glow on the horizon told him the eclipse would soon be over.

  Stephen rose to his feet, wincing with sharp pains all over his body, but most especially in his arm, which he now held cocked close to his chest. Stephen felt a surge of warmth on his skin as the ble
eding wound was reopened slightly. He smiled a little. Although he knew the wound was serious, the warmth felt good against his flesh and he paid it no mind.

  Stephen turned with a light grunt and began walking toward the outcropping behind him. He was surprised to see that he had not gone far from it when he fell. He reached the edge and collapsed to his knees again.

  Stephen began thinking suddenly of Kirin, and he wondered if she was alive. Ideas of her death were quickly replaced by thoughts of her smile. He felt everything was fine. He felt as though someone were telling him she was all right, if only to ease his heart.

  Without warning, the darkness was replaced by wonderful orange light, and the sun shone over the landscape like a symbol of victory. Stephen smiled with a light heart, but then saw the field below and was mortified. Hundreds upon hundreds of dead, mutilated bodies were strung all over the field - unmoving monuments to the warfare that had taken place.

  Stephen felt suddenly weak and leaned over to lie on his side. His heart ached for all the lives that had been spent. Even a part of him uncertainly pitied the enemy dead. He knew not what fate awaited them now, but a feeling in his heart told him to pity them.

  Stephen felt consciousness slipping from his grasp. He felt as though he might be dying, but was not afraid. The sensation, he thought, was more like something of being reborn. He could not help but smile again, as the warm sun blazed gloriously in the sky, chasing away the cold darkness. Stephen closed his eyes, and his body relaxed.

  EPILOGUE

  The moon shone down brightly upon the celebrating city. What had not long before been only deserted alleyways and dark hollow buildings were now homes teeming with life and light from torches and bonfires, signaling a celebration party over the humans’ recent success. Everywhere throughout the lit-up city there was laughter and shaking of hands, feasting and singing. This was a rejoicing among not only friends, but everyone both familiar and strange to each other in the new world - united by their humanity and brotherhood.