Corporal James was overwhelmed. More than anything he wanted to save these guys from the awful fate that was about to beset them, but he felt defenseless.
" Give me that bomb," he finally said to a nearby soldier. He snatched the item from his hand and ran forward. Side by side, the majority of the men were still marching towards their enemy, but James was going to stop these creatures from harming his courageous boys.
As quickly as his legs could carry him, he sprinted in front of his whole army, with the bomb and several matches in his hand. A few hundred feet in front of them, he knelt down and lit one of the matches.
" Pssshhhh ..."
The fire from the match got satiated by the wetness of the weather.
" Stupid irritating matches ... Come on!" he said as he anxiously stroke the matches and lit them up one by one.
" There!" he said excitedly when he managed to light up a match and the fuse of the bomb. He stuck it in the ground and ran back.
" Return! Get out of here!" he yelled to the men he was running at, waving his arms in the air.
They finally understood it. They had seen him place the bomb in the soil. Now the guys were sprinting back and panicking, moving into all different directions other than for the one between them and the Black shades.
" You too! Get back!" Corporal James screamed in another soldier's ear. "|Don't you see? It is going to explo ..."
Boooooom!
The explosions burnt a hole in the ground, in a border of a hundred feet, triggering the grass to ignite, along with a few poor trees beside the field. The sky illuminated, the smoke covered the environment. The Black shades shied away. They disliked the light and the fire. The previous justification wasn't enough for them to strike back. The hundreds of dark creatures responded by running away in the opposite direction, never to be seen again.
The corporal had saved his guys; he had prevented their damage. His bold deed would be long remembered in the years to come.
Satisfied with his accomplishments, James watched the men march, do push-ups, and struggle to get in shape and run through an obstacle course. The fight has become a cherished memory and the future looks bright.
James is not scared of anything, or so it appears. He hates laziness and enjoys discipline. As a commanding officer, he ranks above the most affordable soldiers in the army, which he does not ignore. More than anything he has determined to take these slackers on and teach them what it means to be a man.
When someone disobeys his orders-- which has happened before-- he understands how to control these weak souls into harder tests, so they can grow up and develop their strengths. Some dislike him for it; others think it's a regrettable requirement to kick the softness out of their spoiled characters. It's for their own good, and they will see it later.
Nobody develops character without difficulty, and he knows it more than anything. Some of that hardship came when his spouse left him. They had been trying to work out their relationship for many years, but the issues in their home were too confrontational, so they chose to separate. However, seeing his children only once weekly brought him unhappiness. Since it happened ten years ago anyhow, he has somewhat accepted the circumstances and made attempts to get tougher by telling himself it wasn't all his fault. The future for his family remains unsure, but just to compensate, he has forced himself to work hard at securing the future of the city by safeguarding it. That is his mission. It's the only thing he knows how to do right.
After training the cadets, he returns to his office and finds his commander there, standing and taking a look at several photographs.
" Have a seat, corporal," he says.
" What are you doing here, sir?"
" Sit down and we'll talk," he says in a friendly tone.
Corporal James sits down and leans on his desk with one elbow. He is captivated. The last time the general came to his office was a year ago. He has been so busy ever since that he hardly saw him at the military terrain at all.
The general starts, "You may know some of the projects the army has supported in the past."
" Certainly, sir," James says.
" Good. Just recently, we began a project in cooperation with a laboratory, and we haven't even heard anything for weeks. In the meantime, the Professor there is draining our bank account by charging us the routine hour wage and not reporting any important actual results. To put it simply, he is wasting our time and our cash. I want you to go to the lab and see how far the job has progressed. If nothing good has come out of it, I want you to shut it down. We don't have room for leeches who benefit from the system."
" Yes, sir. I will leave first thing in the morning, sir."
" Thank you, corporal. I expected nothing less. That will be all."
Chapter 3: Arguing a Lot
It's early in the morning. Professor Trevor opens the front door of the laboratory. His key gets stuck for a few seconds, but after a while, he easily pulls it out. He switches on the lights, puts his bag on the floor, and takes a look at the failed experiment he interrupted the other day as he got tired of it.
He sighs.
It already looks discouraging and he hasn't even done anything yet. Trevor thinks for a 2nd and recognizes again how big this discovery could be. The repercussions could be spectacular. He has to pursue his dreams and go on with this formula.
He chooses not to stick around on these thoughts any longer and goes to work. He has hardly begun blending substances together and writing intricate computations on a notepad. He hears a knock on the door.
Knock knock!
" I'm coming!" Trevor shouts. He completes several notes he was making.
Knock knock!
" Yes! I said I was coming! Some patience, please!”
He walks to the door and opens. Without any further ado, the corporal walks in and takes a peek. Then he turns around and announces the reason of his visit.
" I am here to check if you are making any progress," he says in a stern voice.
" Oh yes," Trevor answers. "I have made significant development, but we're just not there yet. I just need more time."
" I see," James says. "But the officer ranking higher than me has instructed me to shut this place down if you do not report any substantial changes. You have a deadline, which is tonight. If your experiment does not have any actual results, we will close this place."
" Oh, no, do not do that," the professor begs. "I just need a little bit longer. |Don't you see the effect this can have on society? I am developing a compound that can make plants and fruits grow much faster. If I have success, hunger will be over all over the world. All we would need to do, is put it in the crops, and they'll grow 10 times quicker and larger. The economy would get a boost and everyone would flourish."
" I comprehend. I will stick with you today and help you anywhere I can, unless you do not want me to of course. But no matter what we do, it has to end tonight."
" I will try to hurry," Trevor says.
They work at it the whole day, blending this or that, writing formulas and reasoning and summaries. Undoubtedly, Corporal James has no clue what he is doing scientifically, but at least he gives Trevor some support and encouragement.
Ultimately, late in the evening, Trevor says, "It is not completely done yet, but I just need one more day. That's all I need. Could you please give me one more day?"
" Sorry," James says. "I have my orders. Finish it now or shut it down."
" Can't you be a little bit more flexible?" Trevor asks.
" No, I cannot. Now hurry up and do what you need to do."
" But it's not done yet!" Trevor snaps.
" I do not care, professor! You have until midnight!" James sneers back.
" Fine, I'll just try it out. But I might be wrong about this. And I do not want to be held responsible for the consequences. You gave me this due date."
" Do whatever you want. Just make certain you close this evening," James says.
" Okay, here we go."
>
Trevor takes a tube and carefully puts it on a plant. They watch patiently and wait on the actual results.
Nothing.
" What? Why? Why isn't it working? I almost had it right!" the professor complains. "I'm going to try more."
" You better know what you're doing," James says.
Trevor takes another tube and puts the entire content on the tomato plant. He goes back and waits.
Hey, what's that? Something is boiling. That's not the chemical reaction he expected. He gets a little closer and observes the boiling soil.
" This is impossible," he says.
" What's impossible?" James asks.
" This chemical reaction only happens when there is a Dark pearl involved."
" You put a Dark pearl underneath the plant?"
" Well, I didn't do that. It must have been there when the boy dug up the plant I asked him to bring me."
" And what does that mean?" James asks.
" I don't know. It's reacting and I do not comprehend how. This is amazing."
It is incredible, but not in the way the 2 men hoped it would be. The Dark pearl keeps boiling and boiling. It's growing much faster than they thought it would. Within seconds, the pearl has increased in size so much that it now looks as huge as a brick. And it doesn't stop there. It keeps growing and growing.
" I do not like the appearances of this," Corporal James admits.
" It's unbelievable, but I really wonder if it will stop," Professor Trevor concurs.
It's not stopping. By now, it has grown as big as the both of them and is leaning against the ceiling. Black Shade shapes are being formed by the pearl, creating a head, arms, and legs. Still in its infant state, the pearl continues to flexibly fill the laboratory's space and exponentially push the two individuals out the door.
" We have to leave. Now!" James shouts.
" No, we cannot desert it. I want to see how it develops. This has never happened before."
" You persistent fool. Follow me out of here or I'll knock you out. This is getting out of control!"
Chapter 4: The Monster Is Alive
Professor Trevor feels miserable leaving his growing speculative pearl. His curiosity has taken control of. But after a while, he sees the requirement of securing their lives by fleeing too. They open the door and run from the lab.
Crrrrrraaaassssh!!!
Just in time they jump from the building onto the street. When they look up, they see the monstrous pearl break through the roofing. The pearl has now taken form and looks like a large, black man.
" You vague, absentminded idiot! You truly had no clue what you were doing, did you?" Corporal James shouts as they run for their lives. "Take off your coat! It's slowing you down."
Professor Trevor drops his coat and looks back as he runs behind the corporal. He feels like he accomplished something, but now, it has become a disaster.
" Keep running!" the corporal commands. "Do not look back!"
But this only kindles Trevor's desire to look back a lot more. Now he truly wants to know what has become of his creature. He stops running, catching his breath, and turns around. He cannot really believe his eyes. The beast has grown to over a hundred feet tall. Its limbs are long, its face is dark and creepy, with radiant eyes and diabolic horns on its head. It looks at the 2 with a penetrating stare as if it is trying to say that it's going to chase them.
" It's gigantic!" the Professor exclaims.
" My goodness," James says as he glances back. "What have you done?"
They can't help but stand there and gaze at the roaring monstrosity. It's hard to believe what they are seeing. There is no time at all, though. They need to keep moving.
" Follow me to the base," Corporal James suggests. "We can talk about how to defeat this thing there."
No sooner said than done, the 2 get to the military base. They run in anxiously, worrying several soldiers that danger is on the way there. After several turns, they enter the general's office.
" Excuse me, sir," James says. "I'm sorry to barge in like this, but we have a serious problem."
Chapter 5: City Scape
" What is so crucial that you have to disturb my meeting, corporal? I demand an instant explanation," the general says.
" Remember that scientific project you sent me to? The one you were going to shut down? Well, it has backfired on us."
" What do you mean with 'backfired?'".
" Well, the professor and I were inside. And when we tested this liquid on a tomato plant, something began to grow. It became substantial!”
" Would you clarify it to me in more information, please? Exactly what grew so big?"
" That!" Trevor yells as he points at the beast through the window.
" Holy cow!" the general exclaims. "It is like a Black Shade but bigger."
" Looks like a proper name for my development," Trevor mumbled with almost a little pride in his voice.
" I do not have time for this, corporal. I was going to go out when you stepped in. But upon my departure, I am giving you full command of the troops in this region. Congratulations, major. You just got promoted ... temporarily ... depending on the condition that you eliminate this thing. If you do not, you will be degraded to the rank of soldier. The outcome of your profession is in your hands now. All the best."
With that, the general sticks the symbols of the said rank on James's shoulder and disappears out the back entrance, leaving James with his brand-new rank behind, who has huge eyes and an open mouth, looking at the circumstances in wonder. He can't really believe he just got promoted, but he understands too that he will lose his whole status if he doesn't blow this beast up. Suddenly, he snaps out of it and takes control. He marches outside and takes a look at the panicking soldiers in the camp.
" Men, gather your weapons! I am in command now! Get your muskets from the ammunition room. You two, go around the corner! Move, move, move!" Major James screams as he claps in his hands to motivate the soldiers to take initiative.
" Professor Trevor, if there is anything you can do to help, do it. If not, get out of our way right now. This is a military operation now."
" Yes, sir," Trevor says.
He can't think of anything to stop the giant monster. And he does not want to be an annoyance. Additionally, he doesn't want to die here, so he chooses to go back to the destroyed laboratory they left behind.
Meanwhile, Major James is commanding his troops and doing everything he can to stop the hazard. The monster stomps on camping tents and barracks with its feet, swipes away trees and structures with its arms, and breaks rocks with its fists. The soldiers have gotten their muskets and are lined up to fire at the monster.
" Ready ... aim... fire!" Major James commands.
A dozen bullets fly through the air, only to drop dead on the floor after bouncing off the beast's hard skin.
" Again!" Major James says. "Aim at its head this time. Reload ... all set ... aim ... fire!”
The bullets hit the beast's head and repeat the exact same pattern. They drop on the floor like flies, all to no avail.
" Major," one of the soldiers says. "We cannot kill this thing. It's too strong. We need better devices and more powerful weapons."
" You're right," James says. "Pull back! Let's get the bombs out."
The army retreats to the ammunition storage and gets out all the bombs they can find. A few soldiers transport them out while others stand all set with fire to light them. After some minutes, 6 bombs are being thrown at the enormous beast.
" Take cover!" James shouts.
The soldiers drop to the floor on their stomachs and cover their heads.
Boooom!
A half dozen bombs explode at the exact same time, tearing the sky with their light, their fire, and their intolerable noises. Thick smoke emerges from the hit place, in addition to many pieces of debris, grit, and dust. When the soldiers look up, they are hopeful and expect the beast to be gone. But their expectations aren't being m
et. Without a scratch, the black being steps out of the tremendous destruction attempt. Impatiently, it walks past the army with several huge steps, heading into the direction of the city.
" This is awful, major! It will reach the city in no time," one of the soldiers says.
" Let's go after it," the major suggests. "We have to keep trying. It's gotta have a weak spot."
Chapter 6: Planning
In the meantime, Trevor regretfully reaches what is left of his lab, the place where everything began. He picks up several beakers and tubes that have been shattered by the growing monster and looks at them with a glum expression on his face.
What in the world has he done?
He has unleashed a monster, caused a catastrophe waiting to happen. His self-confidence is shot. His self-confidence is broken. All he wants now is to crawl under a rock and hide himself from the world.
He glances to the corner of his experiment and sees his notes on the table. After walking to the table, he puts his hand on the notebook he left and browses the pages. One by one, he finds the formulas he scribbled there, the symbols, the equations, and the overview of lined up data that helped him created the fluid.
If only he could reverse this catastrophe.
" Wait a minute," he says. "What if I turned 'X' around in this computation? That would make sense. The most sensible result of this formula is the opposite of the root divided by ..."
And so he goes on for several minutes. He begins taking some notes on another page and gets excited about his brand-new discovery. Entirely focused on his possible solution, he isn't noticing the shaking ground triggered by the beast that has reached the city by now.
The beast stomps on the ground, crashing houses and knocking over buildings along the way. People all over Miner City run to all different directions in an effort to avert the large disaster that has entered their town. Screams by girls and ladies are heard, in addition to afraid cries of so-called brave boys and dads who are frightened. Residences are burning, churches are developed into ruins, and tiny business are turned upside down by the frequent stomping and slamming of the mad beast. Chaos is in the air, desperate souls are trying to save their own skin; useless attempts from the military include still shooting at the discovered danger.
Anthology of Horror Stories Page 5