Day of Reckoning

by Isaiah Lee

  The assistant watched in horror. He tried to let out a scream for help, but it was futile. He watched as his coworker, his friend, was spun around by the tentacle. Another tentacle then crashed through his skull in a single body-jarring motion that seemed so effortless. It began to wriggle first upward, then down, as it seemed to slide into his body.

  Then, it happened. The assistant turned forward just in time to see a greyish-pink figure in front of him. He guessed it to be around four feet tall with piercing red eyes that would haunt even the most badass man’s dreams. There were three tentacles, or was it four, that seemed to pulse as they listed from side to side.

  The creature opened its mouth in anticipation as two tentacles launched into the assistant’s body.

  Chapter 6

  “Dude,” Hank said too loudly as he stared at the cell phone in his hand, “you have to check this out!”

  On the other side of the phone call, Jason rolled his eyes. “What is it this time, Hank?” He had grown tired of Hank’s incessant harassing since Stacy and Johnny’s deaths. Jason wanted nothing more than to be left alone. He wanted to grieve. Really, he wanted nothing more than to wallow in his sorrow. Hank, on the other hand, wanted someone else’s company because he couldn’t stand to be left alone with his thoughts.

  “It’s a Facebook video…”

  “Yeah, let me guess. A dog standing on its front legs while juggling shit with its back legs?” Jason sniggered at his own joke. He thought it was hilarious.

  Hank was not amused. “No. Seriously, listen. The night that… you know… when was that?”

  Jason cringed. “January 4th.”

  “That’s what I thought. So apparently on the same night, somebody caught video of some strange flashes in the sky over near Shepherd Park.”

  Jason sat up straighter. He didn’t have to feign interest. “Really?”

  “Yeah. I’ve watched it a bunch of times and it just doesn’t look right to me. People have been linking the post back to a news article where they’re claiming transformers had blown. They’re saying that is was lit up the sky that much. I don’t see it.”

  Jason thought back to that night in the truck. “They were saying something about transformers that night on the radio when we were in your truck.”

  Hank nodded as if someone else could see him. “Sounds fishy, don’t it. I couldn’t help but wonder if that is somehow connected to Johnny and Stacy.” He scrolled down the post and read some replies aloud. “And there are people saying that some really weird shit was happening to them, too. Here, it says this girl lost power for a couple hours right around the time of the flashes.”

  Jason blew into the phone. “Hey genius, they said transformers blew.” It seemed like a no-brainer to him.

  Hank let his irritation get the best of him. “Dude, shut the fuck up long enough to listen. The next one says her car shut off and wouldn’t do anything during the same time. She was driving through a street near where the explosions were. It fired back up a minute later and ran with no problem.”

  This peaked Jason’s interest. “Ok. So I’ll admit that does sound a little strange.” What was the likelihood of all these events not being linked in some way to the same source? They were all in the same area, after all.

  “Yeah. They are all right around the same area as Shepherd Park. Within a few blocks, anyway.”

  “Let me guess. You’re saying we should go back to Shepherd Park. We should investigate this shit ourselves because of a hunch you have and a bunch of posts on Facebook.” He had avoided the area with everything in him since the death of his two friends. It was just too painful to have to relive the night.

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

  “You expect me to go to?” He braced himself for what he knew Hank was suggesting. Was he really up to it? Could he really go back to Shepherd Park?

  Hank again nodded to himself. His shaggy brown curls bounced across his forehead. “Do you really think it’s smart for me to go by myself? It’s not like I’m scared,” his voice betrayed his fear, “but I want to find out what really happened to them. I don’t think you believe it was double suicide any more than I do.”

  Jason had to agree. “No, I don’t believe that shit. Neither of them would have done something like that.”

  “So it’s agreed then. When do you think we go?” Hank asked.

  “Tonight. Let me get cleaned up.” In reality, Jason had barely gotten out of bed. He had some good days and some not-so-great days since the funeral. Today had been an awful day. “I’ll come pick you up.”

  Chapter 7

  One Week Prior

  The blanket of snow had melted from Shepherd Park. It had been unseasonably warm over the past three weeks. Snow that usually lingered weeks at a time had melted off two days after the blue-green flashes occurred. The so-called “transformer meltdown” as the media had dubbed it.

  In reality, only six transformers had blown. Yes, they had burst into blueish flames. Yes, they had lightened the night sky. But, in fact, the viral videos on social media had caught much more than the explosions of six transformers and the subsequent damage.

  The blue-green flashes, which had been compared to an aurora, were in fact energy bursts. Energy bursts from an interplanetary craft which had, at that exact moment, entered Earth’s atmosphere and crash-landed dead in the center of Shepherd Park. Coincidentally, it was the dead center of Shepherd Park that remained so densely covered in trees while the rest of the land was sparse with vegetation other than grass.

  Walking and biking trails zigged and zagged through and around the park. The center of the park had been dedicated as a wildlife preserve. Covering little more than a square mile, the preservation had been cordoned off and remained untouched. Inasmuch as anyone knew, anyway.

  The reality was that there was a crash-landed spacecraft with four creatures – for what else could they be called than that – hidden by the thick canopy overhead. One creature had been mortally wounded and died upon impact. The others fared better, although not by much, and had survived by feeding on two of what appeared to be the dominant species on this planet.

  The quick and impulsive meal did little to satiate their voracious appetite. Almost immediately, the incident had garnered the attention of many more of the hominids in the area. The creatures retreated to the ship, which luckily still had a working cloaking device, and lay low until the heat had died down. Their downed comrade’s body had been stashed within the craft, lest it provide a way for them to be caught.

  Wildlife, such as squirrels and rabbits, which scurried by the craft were immediately taken and consumed. After a couple of days this way, with no communication from outside this awful planet and hope slowly dwindling, the remaining three creatures decided to make their next move.

  The primitive life forms on this planet would take little effort to overcome in their healthy state. The creatures decided to go out under cover of night – their natural thermal senses and night vision were a plus – and of course the added cover of the fog. The fog had thus far provided cover for their ship and its dwindling resources.

  The power supply had been severely damaged in the crash – which took time to rebuild or repair, as the case may be, in the best of circumstances – and had lost its ability to regenerate. Two more days, at best. After that time, the ship would lose its fog manufacturing capabilities. Also, the cloaking ability would cease and the craft would become vulnerable to weaponry.

  However primitive these hominids seemed, the creatures suspected they could still damage the craft if given enough time. Surely they had some sort of weaponry. Every dominant species they had ever encountered had some sort of weaponry; from the simplest fire-stick to the most high-tech, ion-burst rays that could decimate an entire planet in less than three seconds.

  For now, the creatures wanted only to avoid any such weaponry. All they required was one last blast of fog – which, fortunately, seemed to affect much more than just the respir
atory system of the hominids, as had been anticipated – to cover their movements. They would move away from the craft, which by now had been buried under five feet of dirt and rock – the creatures worked extremely quickly and were tremendously strong, given their diminutive stature– and find a vessel to take over.

  The malleable form of the creatures allowed them to inhabit the body of another creature, at least one that wasn’t much smaller than the creature was, and essentially become invisible on a new world by blending in with the indigenous species. This had proven brutally effective on dozens of planets before when invasion was necessary, whether on a large scale or otherwise.

  Two days local time. It seemed like such a short amount of time to find a new host body. Not impossible, just improbable. Since their first meal, Stacy Ledbetter and Johnny Ponder, the creatures had monitored all activity around their site. Few of the hominids had ventured close enough to nab without being seen; it was time to move away from the safety of the ship.

  One at a time, they moved swiftly and silently toward the location of their first meal. They crawled or slithered a few hundred feet at a time, ducking behind cover. Inspecting their surroundings, their sleek bodies burst from cover and went again at a quickened pace.

  They inspected the bridge but found nothing. The fog had grown thin this far away from the ship, but they knew it would at least slow down the three hominids in view a few hundred feet away. One of them opened and closed its mouth rapidly while moving its limbs about in front of it. Odd sounds emitted, obviously some form of communication. Another held a device – was it something useful for repairing the ship – and seemed to point it at the first. The third hominid just moved back and forth a little way from the other two as its disposition changed. The emotional state of these hominids was proving a mystery already.

  The group of hominids turned and began traveling toward a large, black object. The shortest one had broken formation and moved much faster than the other two. The first creature acted.

  As Amy Yun neared her van, she opened the door and tried the switch. Nothing. She immediately grew irritated and began yelling back at the two dumb shits who she was stuck working with.

  There was a sound. What was the sound? A whisper? A movement in the fog? Amy was unsure. She had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. It didn’t feel right. “Who the hell killed the battery?” she called out.

  She couldn’t see anything around her; the fog had grown thick and overwhelming. She opened her mouth again but was cut off mid-sentence. The first creature had her. Within seconds it had ripped through her skull and begun its takeover of her body. It first slid its tentacles into her skull.

  The pinkish-grey membrane immediately began to absorb the brain and surrounding tissues. It then slithered into Amy’s body, entirely fusing and absorbing to become one being. It looked like Amy Yun on the outside. The inside was a combination of flesh, goo, and the creature.

  The other two creatures had already moved into position and, after communicating telepathically, pounced in unison. The cameraman and assistant both fell immediately to the superior beings.

  Within minutes, the entire Channel 18 News crew had fallen victim to a trio of otherworldly, pinkish-grey creatures.

  Chapter 8

  Present Day

  Hank and Jason pulled into Shepherd Park at exactly 5:02pm. They had less than an hour before the winter night would be upon them. It was forecasted at three below zero tonight, with a wind-chill even lower; neither Jason nor Hank had dressed the part.

  Jason elected to wear his favorite blue Carhartt hoodie. It was well-worn with pit stains and a tear that nearly completely divided the stomach pocket. It did little to keep his body heat in. At least his woolen beanie, complete with a decorative orange puff dangling on top, was newish and intact.

  Hank wasn’t dressed much better; his jeans had holes – he was fond of the acid-washed, pre-torn style rather than the genuinely worked in kind with their naturally-occurring rips – and his jacket wouldn’t zip. Still, he had to look good to be seen in public, hypothermia and frostbite be damned.

  Hank walked to the trunk – which he’d loaded full at his house – of the Grand Am and opened it. He liked to consider himself prepared. In reality, the trunk contained a collection of “zombie apocalypse” hardware and weapons – his favorite was the foldable “Decapitator” axe/shovel combo – and an assortment of flashlights. The Decapitator had been on sale for a steal. Seventy-five percent, free shipping, and the company even through in a well-known zombie apocalypse survival guide. Hank couldn’t pass it up. He opted for the express shipping option for $3.99 though, because, why not?

  Jason rolled his eyes. “Are we killing zombies?”

  Hank nodded. “It’s a possibility.” Before Jason could object, Hank continued. “We don’t know what happened to Stacy and Johnny. But I don’t buy the whole “suicide” story. It could be zombies. A serial killer. Anything.”

  Jason tried not to think about the possibilities as he reached into the trunk and pulled out a matte-black machete, complete with case and a trio of matching throwing knives. Jason unsheathed the machete and ran his thumb along the blade. “Damn, I’m impressed.” It brought forth a dot of blood, but he wasn’t convinced the blade could withstand beating the fuck out of something – or someone – more than a few times before dulling and proving useless.

  Hank had sharpened every blade in his arsenal to have a razor-thin edge. “Thanks,” he said, smiling from ear to ear. “I try.”

  “Apparently.” Jason continued to admire the machete. He felt the weight in his hand as he swung it once, twice in front of him. He sheathed the machete and placed the straps across both shoulders. He then found a large, steel flashlight and clicked the button. Nothing happened.

  “Oh, shit. I knew I forgot something.” Hank shuffled the contents of the trunk around, trying to find a stray battery.

  “Yeah…” Jason found a flashlight that worked and shone it in front of him. Less than an hour of daylight. It would need to be a strong battery to last the night. “Let’s get started.”

  Hank, of course, first strapped The Decapitator across his shoulder and around his neck so that it hung across his chest. Next, he laced a throwing knife set through his belt and completed the ensemble with a foldable LED light bar that he strapped across the other side of his chest. Movie-star style. It made him feel big, anyway. “Let’s do it!”

  Hank slammed the trunk down, immediately jerking his head toward Jason to see if he would fuss from the deafening noise in the otherwise silent night, then led the way into the park. The sun had already begun its descent and painted the sky in brilliant streaks of orange and pink. Had it been under other circumstances, it would have been picturesque.

  Hank began following the first walking trails. He intentionally didn’t take the one that led to the now-infamous bridge. They walked the first three trails before finding themselves back at the entrance to the park. There were only two trails left. “Should we split up?”

  Jason stopped in his tracks. “No. Not at this point.” It was completely dark by now. The streetlights had been repaired and bulbs replaced since Stacy and Johnny’s deaths, but still the walking paths remained mostly in the dark. “Let’s get going.” He had grown agitated at their results thus far,

  Hank hesitated at which path should be tried next. Jason took point and began walking. Before long, they had reached the bridge. Their trek had mostly been silent. Here and there an animal bounded away from them. Luckily, no humans had been seen, lest they be taken as murderers themselves.

  Jason headed to the top of the bridge and stopped mid-arch. He slowly looked in each direction, spotting his flashlight all around. Off in the distance, he spotted broken limbs that looked fresh. He pointed a finger for Hank to see, then began walking.

  Hank saw the trampled spot and shone his light on the track. “What do you think it is?”

  “The best lead we’ve seen all night,” Jason an
swered.

  They reached the broken limb and lit up the ground. All around was some form of footprint or track. They had never seen anything like them. It was a single, cylindrical impression, uniform thickness with no other markings. Whatever had made them didn’t seem to have any toes, nails, or pads.

  Jason shone the flashlight around and realized they were staring at three distinct sets of the markings. One was slightly smaller than the others and one seemed a little deeper. Whatever creature had made them had obviously been heavy, but its exact size was impossible to tell.

  All three sets of tracks led from one direction. Jason and Hank followed them until they hit a chain-link fence. On it were signs reading “NO TRESPASSING” and “KEEP OUT”, neither of which made the two want to stay away. “I guess we’re climbing it?” Hank suggested.

  Jason nodded, backing up to gain speed. He ran forward, jumped, and threw himself to the top in one motion. He kicked with both feet to gain the extra height needed to vault over, then rolled when he hit the ground.

  The whole maneuver had been effortless and fluid. Hank had to admit he was envious. He backed away from the fence and ran forward, attempting to launch himself over. He made it two feet off the ground and latched onto the six-feet-tall chain link barrier.

  Jason laughed. “What was that?” he mocked.

  “Shut the fuck up,” Hank said, grunting. He pulled himself higher by alternating pushing with his feet and pulling with his arms. Finally, after struggling much longer than he had intended, he tumbled to the other side with a thud.

  “So much for the stealthy approach,” Jason whispered.

  Hank gathered his composure, fighting his aching muscles to stand straight. His flashlight hadn’t survived the fall. It lay in pieces at his feet. “Damn,” he swore. He flipped a switch on the LED bar across his chest and smiled. “Always be prepared.”