Story fragments for Darkfall

Darkfall - Episode 01 - Blight (part 3) 

From a distance, the tree seemed completely normal.  As they drew closer, Irma stopped to take the sight in.  Something about the bushes and even the ground surrounding it seemed strange.  The ground was softer as though muddy and red streaks shot through the leaves and bark.

She lowered her bag to the ground and crouched to zip it open.  It contained several empty collection vials and bags, along with tools for collection.  Irma removed a bag and short scraping tool and turned her attention to the tree.  She slipped the scraper beneath a piece red bark and slowly pried at it with the bag waiting below.  As the bark came loose, a thin greenish slime stretch between it and the wood.  Irma eyed it narrowly as she tried to get as much of it into the bag along with the bark.

“Is that sap?” Jill asked excitedly from behind, bent at the waist.  Irma started slightly, not realizing Jill had been standing behind her the whole time.

“I don’t think so,” Irma said, irritated.  “Aren’t you supposed to be assisting me?”

“Where do I start?” Jill asked, straightening to look around.

“Just bag anything unusual,” Irma ordered terseley.  Jill shrugged and walked off semi-aimlessly.  Irma sighed and rolled her eyes.

Jill’s wandering brought her to a cluster of shrubs.  The ground was unusually soft here as well and the leaves shot through with red like veins.  She put her own bag of collection gear down and withdrew a bag and small trowel.  As she dug into the soil, a pungent odor stung her nostrils.  She grimaced and turned her head slightly as she filled the bag.  She dropped the collection bag into the larger one and sprang to her feet.

“Hey, I got some!” she called across to Irma, who had moved away from the tree to another.

“And?”  Irma called back.  “Find more.  Vary your samples.”

Jill scowled slightly and ripped a fistful of leaves from the bush.  She winced as she did so, the leaves stung her hand.  She quickly stuffed them in another bag and involuntarily shook her hand.  She held the bag up to her face and inspected the leaves.  They didn’t seem to have thorns of any kind.  Holding the bag in her hand, it seemed strangely cold as well.  Shrugging and sighing a bit, she dropped it into the collection bag with the soil and closed it up.

With the bag over her shoulder again, Jill looked around for something else.  A giant tree, fallen on its side, drew her attention.  She glanced over to Irma, mouth open to speak but closed it again.  She moved over to the tree, running her eyes over it as she approached.  It looked normal - healthy even, no red streaks in leaf or bark.  The only sign of wrongness that she had quickly learned to recognize was the softening of the ground.

As she approached she could more clearly see just how massive the tree was.  At least ten feet across and hundreds tall.  A gaping hole was left in the canopy to match the one it left in the  ground.  Jill came up to the rim of the hole and peered down.  The gaping hole in the ground was filled with the remnants of the trees root-structure.  Although from here she could see they were discolored - the red didn’t surprise her but the almost black purple did.  Also the horrible smell of death was new.

Jill hopped down inside and immediately covered her mouth as the awful smell assailed her nostrils.  She opened her collection bag again and removed her tools.  Stretching latex gloves over her hands and removing her tools, she scanned the area for something to collect.  Dread flowed over her but she put the mission first.

“Is this normal?” she muttered to herself as she gingerly poked at a section of an intestine-like root.  It was soft to the touch and a dark sludge dripped out from where it had ripped away from the tree.  She dabbed a finger into a puddle of the sludge and pressed her fingers together.  The goo stretched between them as she moved them apart.

Knowing she wouldn’t be able to figure anything out, she quickly pulled a vial out from the bag and scooped some of the sludge inside.  She capped it, stuck it back into the bag and withdrew the trowel again.  Another collection bag followed and she scooped up another sample of the softened soil.

“What are you doing?” Irma’s sudden call startled Jill.  She turned to see Irma standing at the edge of the crater. 

“Look at this!” Jill called back, holding the end of the mutated root and shaking it slightly.  Some black goo sprayed around.

“Quit playing and bag it,” Irma ordered, not seeming to show any interest.  She moved her gaze off to one side, deeper into the forest.  “There’s not too much else here to collect.  I want to move further in and see what we can see.”

“I thought you didn’t even want to be here?” Jill asked as she used a small cutting tool to remove a piece of the root.

“I don’t, but I’m still not going to half-ass it.  Maybe there are clues out here.”  Irma turned on her heel and stalked off.  Jill quickly stuffed the weird flap of tissue into a bag and jumped out of the hole.

Darkfall - Episode 01 - Blight (part 2)

“You really don’t want to be here, huh?” Jill asked, trying to be friendly.

“No,” Irma said.  “I don’t even understand why they’re making me do this.  A biologist would make more sense.”

“Well, the agency is spread pretty thing right now,” Jill told her, trying to make sense of things herself.  “They were already moving a lot of people around, but after New York they have really gone into overdrive.  Having me stay to assist - now that’s unusual.”  Irma stood silently for a moment.

“And what is it you do for the agency exactly,” Irma said, turning almost hostilely quizzical.

“I’m a people mover,” came the quick response.  “I drive teams around where the agency wants them to be.  Usually I drop them off and pick them up later.  I even get to fly sometimes.”

“You fly?” Irma asked, softening her attitude a little.

“Just small craft,” Jill shrugged.  “Little puddle-jumpers.”

“Have you ever seen anything like this before?”

“I don’t know.  They don’t usually give me any details.  It’s all very ‘need-to-know’.”  Jill checked her watch and added, “I gotta pick up that other team on Monday.”

“All the more reason to get this done in a hurry,” Irma stated flatly.  “Just watch where you’re pointing that thing.”  She trudged off toward the treeline, leaving Jill to stand alone for a moment.

Jill lifted her head to see a flock of birds wheeling overhead and seem to fly away from the forest.  A wave of uneasiness flooded over her.  She absent-mindedly touched her weapons before moving to catch up with her partner entering the woods.

It was an old-growth forest, barely touched by man. Most of the trees were massive in size, with large fungus colonies gripping the sides. Many were fallen over dead, creating wide gaps in the otherwise thick canopy and large pits in the earth from the torn out roots. Dark green moss covered the ground. More birds could be seen through the canopy openings, all flying in the opposite direction the human intruders.

Still needs work, but I’m happier with this than draft 1.  I’ll keep posting as I go.  Hope to get some feedback.

Darkfall - Episode 01 - Blight (part 1)

“Any theories yet?” Jill asked as she drove the large SUV down a rough path.  The path was barely there and winded through a dense stretch of forest.  After a moment of silence she glanced over at her companion, who seemed absorbed in a stack of papers in the passenger seat.

“No,” Irma said bluntly and distantly.  “This isn’t my area of expertise.  Maybe if they’d given me these a few days earlier…”  She trailed off as she flipped back and forth between several pages, some with text and others with pictures.  “Preliminary report suggests a foreign bacteria.  The local flora has no resistance and thus,” she finished her sentence by turning one of the pages to Jill.  It was an aerial shot of a large forest turning black and rotting from the center out.

“And what is your area of expertise?” Jill probed.  She had only met this other woman hours before in a small nearby town.  They were working within a tight timetable that hadn’t allowed for much in the way of introductions before setting out.

“I’m a meteorologist,” Irma replied.  “They think this has something to do with the unusual weather patterns.”

“That’s one way to put it,” Jill chuckled.  “The weather has been ‘unusual’ for years.  It kind of is usual at this point.”

“I don’t care about semantics,” Irma told her, irritation edged her voice.  “That’s not very long in planetary terms.  We’re still learning what damage man-made climate change is doing to the earth.”

“Is that really a thing?” Jill raised a skeptical eyebrow as the SUV continued to bounce down the barely-there trail.

“Yes.  It is,” came the response, authoritative and with no room to argue.  Jill kept quiet and focused on her driving.

After a few more minutes the forest thinned out and soon gave way to a wide, open clearing.

“Where do you want me to park this thing?” Jill asked, slowing down and scanning the field.

Irma took a moment to consult her papers, looking at the line of trees all around them.  “Over there,” she finally said, pointing off to their right.  “Should be the closest spot to where we need to go.”

Jill gently turned the wheel to bring the vehicle in a wide arc to that side of the clearing.  She stopped it alongside the treeline a few meters away.  Once parked, Jill unclasped her seatbelt and took a look at Irma.  She was roughly stuffing the papers back into her portfolio, a stern look on her face.

“You okay?” Jill asked, almost rhetorically.

“This isn’t my field,” Irma said exasperated.  I can do my job better back in the lab.”

“So you think this is a waste of time?”

“It’s a waste of my time.  Anybody else can be doing this.”  Irma took a deep breath and more carefully got the papers put away.

“So...” Jill stretched the word in a quizzical manner.

“Let’s just get this over with,” Irma said with another sigh and reaching for the belt buckle.  “I want to be done before dark.”

The two women exited the vehicle.  Jill opened the rear gate, exposing its contents of several plastic container boxes and some smaller bags.  Irma reached in and grabbed a squarish bag with a shoulder strap.  She pulled it over her head and stepped away to look at the forest in front of her.  It looked normal from here.  According to the images and reports the decay should become apparent roughly a mile on.  She adjusted the bag and gently shook her head.

“You ready?” she called back without turning her head.

“Almost,” Jill responded immediately.

“What’s taking so long?” Irma turned and stopped at the sight of Jill wrapping a gun holster around her thigh.  With the straps tightened, Jill pulled a large handgun out of a bag and stuffed it in the holster, securing it down.  She bounced slightly to test it.

“You really think you’ll need that?” Irma scoffed.

“I hope not,” Jill said casually.  “If I do it means I’m out of ammo for this.”  She spoke as she pulled another weapon out of the truck - a short barreled rifle with a curved magazine.  She smiled coyly and struck a playful pose.  Irma rolled her eyes and turned back to the forest.

Darkfall: Tales From the End of the World

Chapter 00

The Farmer and the Stranger

A gentle breeze swept across a small farm.  It came down from a nearby craggy mountain, carrying the cold and faint traces of a foul odor with it.  The crops it blew over were weak, but grew defiantly in spite of the contaminated soil in which they were planted.  Nearby, a small ramshackle cabin stood with myriad farming tools occupying an open shed along with a rusting tractor.

An old man worked the field alone.  Though his back hunched slightly, he was strong of body.  Thick, powerful hands gripped his hoe as he dug at the ground, slowly expanding this section of his crop field.  A bushy beard covered his face and a wide brimmed hat sat low over his head.

The soft crunch of boots on the freshly tilled soil quietly sounded behind him.  He paid it no mind and continued to work the land.  The sound grew louder for a time before suddenly stopping only a few paces behind him.  For a moment the only sound now was the blowing breeze and the hoe biting into the terrible soil.

“You’re a hard man to find,” a voice finally spoke.  It was gruff and determined yet carried a youthfulness.  But the farmer thought he could tell mixed emotions in there somewhere.

“Been here thirty years,” the farmer responded lazily.  He continued to work the soil, not seemingly concerned with his uninvited guest.  “Shouldn’t have been that hard.”

“You know our satellites don’t work here,” the voice spoke again, irritation now mixing into his voice.  “It didn’t help that we thought you were dead for such a long time.  Standing here now, I’m not sure I wouldn’t have preferred you were.”

Eventually the farmer straightened and turned to face the owner of the voice.  He leaned casually on his hoe as he took in the owner of the voice.  It belonged to an abnormally tall and lean man.  Though he was covered in a dark cloak that swept the ground and shadowed his face, the farmer could tell he was a young, strong man.  Military styled boots poked out from beneath the cloak.  They were obviously new and freshly polished despite the caking of dirt they picked up from their short trek across the open field.

As the old man took in his guest his eyes narrowed at the golden clasp that held the wrapping closed.  The embossed image of a diving owl, wings stretched wide and talons out, filled the surface.  The words ‘Post Tenebra Lux’ were engraved along the bottom in a delicate script.  He peered past the stranger to see a squat, wedge-shaped vehicle parked some ways behind him near the small farmhouse.  It was sleek and appeared all made of a black glass that glittered in the sunlight.

“How’d you do it then?” the old man finally asked, starting to get interested.

“I looked everywhere else,” the stranger said, restrained hate and anger bubbled in his voice.

“Seems like a lot of trouble to go through.  I hope it was worth it.”

“The Lord’s trials always bear fruit.”

They stood facing each other for a long moment.  The wind kicked up slightly, dropping the temperature and bringing a stinging smell to their noses.  The farmer was unfazed, but the stranger was obviously annoyed and disturbed beneath his hood.

“Tell me,” the young man finally said, inhaling deeply.  “Why here?”  He looked away from the old farmer in front of him out into the distance beyond.  “I was surprised to find out this was the place you’ve been hiding.  This God Forsaken place.  The stench of Taint rankles.  I wouldn’t have thought it possible to live here much less grow anything.”

The old man followed the young mans gaze.  He took a moment to consider the others words.

“I’ve never really thought about it,” the old farmers expression and tone softened in contemplation and memory.  “ I guess you could call it a tribute.  Back during the war, we believed proper farming techniques could heal the land - cure the infection.”  He became wistful and smiled slightly.  “We never got the chance to test it out back then, so I decided to try it out on my own.  I’m sure the Empire has developed better methods by now, but I’m pleased with how things have turned out here.  I’m making progress.  You should have seen this place before.”  He returned to the young man.  “But you didn’t come here to discuss farming, did you?”

“No, I didn’t,” the young stranger said slowly, pulling back the hood of his cloak.  It revealed that he was indeed young, but strong facial features, faint scars and a steely look in his eye made him appear much older.  He clearly possessed the experiences of much older men.  “I came to here find out why you murdered Robert Phillips Brooks.”

“Then this was a waste of your time.”  The farmer said, shrugging his shoulders.  “I didn’t murder him.”

“I know you did,” the stranger insisted threateningly.  “Tell me why.”

“You don’t know anything,” the farmer responded slowly.

“Don’t play dumb,” the stranger seethed, fists called at his sides struggling to retain his composure.  “The Lord has guided me here for answers and I will not be denied!”

“And what do you think you know about Robert?” the old man growled, stabbing the hoe into the ground.

“I know that you murdered him and ran like a coward,” the cloaked man spat.  “On the eve of our of victory you took to the Darkness and slew him, denying humanity its salvation.”

The farmer let out a chuckling laugh.  “You’ve got it backwards.  I never turned to Darkness.  I always stood with the Light.  Robert was the one who turned.”

“Liar!”  The young man threw his arm out from under the cloak, a gleaming pistol gripped tightly in his hand.  “My grandfather wouldn’t have turned!  He was a hero - one of the very few we had!”

“Your grandfather?”  The farmers face went slack and the words came out nearly a whisper.  He staggered slightly and the hoe fell to the ground.

“Yes,” the other man hissed.  He took two long steps and reached out with his free hand, twisting the old man’s shirt in his fist.  “Tell me-” he began, but cut himself off.  As he twisted the shirt, it tore at the top button, revealing a small curve of black ink.  The strangers eyes bulged at the sight.  “What is that?” he asked rhetorically.

The old man broke the young man’s grip with a quick swat of his thick fist.  Jaw clenched, he took a step back.  Slowly, he undid the rest of the buttons on his shirt as the young man watched transfixed.

The farmer pulled open his shirt, revealing the rest of the large tattoo drawn across his chest in fading black ink.  It depicted a cross surrounded by a blazing light done in intricate detail.  He looked the other man in the eye and breathed slowly and deeply.

“A Deacon Mark…” the young man whispered,  mesmerized by the tattoo for a moment.  He shook his head before gesturing threateningly with his weapon.  “You’re no Deacon!  You’re a blasphemer - a servant of Darkness!”  He screamed as something like madness grew in his eye.

“And what do you think you know about Darkness, boy!” the farmer returned angrily.  His eyes blazed, freezing the young man in place.  “You weren’t there during the Dark Times.  You didn’t see the blight grip the land - the madness burn our cities.  The chaos that tore us apart.  Was your father even born yet when Sol lost her Light?  No.  I was.  Don’t speak to me of blasphemy and darkness!”

His eyes burned as he spoke.  They seemed to glow and he appeared to tower over the young man for just a moment.  The younger man felt like a boy being scolded.  His arm went slack and he nearly dropped his gun.

The farmers rage subsided and he calmly rebuttoned his shirt as the cloaked man stood dumbstruck.  His eyes turned to the ground, eyes darting back and forth.  His mouth moved, but no words came out.  His fingers worked on the grip of his gun.

“I saw it all.”  He became sorrowful and looked back into the distance.  “And so did Robert.  You don’t know anything.  Go home,” the farmer said fatherly.  He took slow steps around the troubled young man in the direction of his quaint home.  “I don’t know who sent you, but you should just go home.  This was a fool’s errand.”

As he passed, the young stranger suddenly reached out and grabbed the old man’s arm in an iron grip.  He still looked down, but determination returned to his eyes and his jaw clenched again.  Slowly he opened it to speak.

“God sent me,” he growled.  He turned his head to glare at the old man.  “Tell me what happened.”

“I already did,” the farmer said, shaking free from the stranger’s grip once again.  He took a step back.  “He turned,” the farmer added, speaking slowly.

“And then what!” the young man stuck out his gun as he turned, nearly touching it to the farmers chest.

“What do you do with those who turn?”

“Quit stalling!  Say it!”

“Boy…”

“Say it!”

They stood facing each other in silence for a short time.  The old man slowly worked his jaw as the young man quivered slightly in anticipation.

“I killed him,” he finally said flatly.

“I knew it,” the stranger satisfaction.  He squeezed guns trigger.  His hand rocked back from the explosive force as the heavy lead slug flew from the barrel.  Too close to miss, it struck the old farmer directly in the chest.

The old man stumbled back as he clutched his hand over the wound.  Surprise and pain on his face.  The stranger lowered his weapon and stood staring at his victim with a smug smile across his face.  “His Will be done.”

He stood and watched as the old farmer stumbled and swayed.  Blood rushing over his hands as he clutched at the wound.  His breathing shuddered as he looked at his assailant.  “I told you,” the farmer said weakly.  The pain lessened on his face and he stood straight again, but kept his hand over the wound.  “You don’t know anything.”

The smugness dropped from the strangers face along with his jaw.  He gaped at the old man’s hand.  It had turned a bright translucent red as it restrained a powerful light that leaked out between his fingers.

“What…?”

The farmer pulled his hand away, releasing the light.  A small pillar of exceptionally bright light sprang outward.  A searing sound could be heard as the pillar of light quickly shrank back and winked out.  Unblemished skin could be seen through the bloody hole in his shirt.

“You are a Deacon,” the young man said with amazement on his face, unbelieving but unable to deny.  “How can this be?”

“Go home,” the farmer said one more time through gritted teeth.  Fully recovered from the attack, he turned to walk away once again.

“But then why did you do it?” the other said weakly, more to himself.  “Why would you betray him like that?”  The farmer stopped mid step.

“What did you say!” he bellowed, whipping back around with a pure rage in his eyes.  The old man’s rage was like a wave, slamming into the younger man and terrifying him into a submissive state.  To the young stranger, he seemed to grow in stature.  “Say it again!” he spat through clenched teeth.

The younger man stammered for a moment, his eyes wide with fear.  His hand worked at the grip of his gun.  Eventually he spoke slowly and unsteadily.  “Why would a Deacon betray an Archangel?”

A violent explosion of light suddenly burst from the farmer.  It bathed the area in an intense light, casting a deep shadow behind the younger man.  “You think I betrayed him?!” he shouted, light pouring from his eyes and mouth.  “He betrayed us!  He betrayed all of us!  Robbie betrayed all of mankind!”

The young man went limp.  His mind went blank.  The gun fell from his hand and his legs wobbled.  He stared unblinkingly at the great light.  Despite its power, it was not painful to his eyes.

“What do you think happened during the war!?” the old man roared as he took heavy step towards the dumbfounded young man.  “Haven’t you figured it out yet?”  He threw out his arm and pointed a thick finger back off into the distance.  “That is your grandfather!”

“No…” whispered the young man.  He turned as he followed the old man's finger into the distance.  He fell to his knees, palms flat on the ground.  “It can’t be…”

A titanic figure loomed far off beyond the farm.  It appeared a twisted caricature of a man with too many arms and too many legs that didn’t match and seemed to grow out of each other in a twisted, confusing mass.  Each of the alien appendages ended in some form of talon or claw or tentacle.  A split and malformed lump sat on top for a head, it’s several mouths open in a silent scream.  It seemed to rest on its knees with a cluster of limbs raised in front of its face.  Though it seemed carved from stone, the once living nature of the thing was unmistakable.

The young man flinched as a heavy hand dropped onto his shoulder, squeezing gently.  He looked up to see the farmer standing beside him, looking at the awful thing.  The light coming off him diminished to a radiant glow.

Hello!  My name is Chris.  I’m rapidly approaching middle-age and am rediscovering my creative side.  I’ve had some ideas knocking around for years and have only been picking at them from time to time.  I’ve decided now is the time to really start hammering it out.

My series is called Darkfall.  It is an episodic/anthology style series about a great Darkness afflicting the earth and the effects it has on the planet and humanity.  I’ve already posted some dog shit drafts and plan to do more in the near future.  Hopeful they’ll improve over time.  

I take influence from HP Lovecraft and Robert E Howard.  This series combines those elements of adventure and horror and mixes it with the idea of Max Brooks’ World War Z, taking disparate stories that come together to create a whole, complete narrative.

I hope you will take the time to look at it.  All feedback is welcome and appreciated.

from the new darkness.  Wicked teeth from a disgusting head sank into her leg. She screamed loud enough to rival that of the alien monsters as icy pain shot through her.

Jill reflexively kicked at the thing.  She felt almost no impact in her kicking leg and the beast didn’t seem to notice.  It’s jaws were like an icy vice as it thrashed it’s mutant head back and forth.

It pulled and dragged her across the forest floor.  Finally getting her head together, Jill got her gun pointed at the thing and fired.  Green ooze splattered across its black body and onto the ground beneath it. The bullets didn’t seem to faze the monster as it continued to chew and thrash against her leg.  As useless as everything she could do felt, she hoped that doing anything as all was keeping it from moving up to eviscerate her directly.

Fighting against the pain, she remembered what killed the first beast they encountered - a shot directly down the throat.  The biggest mouth was firmly clamped on her leg, but there were other targets. Two smaller mouths on the side and top of its grotesque head screamed and snapped at nothing.

With only a few rounds left, she aimed down the sights as best she could.  She was ready to pull the trigger when the flailing appendage that hung off its side swung around, slamming into her face and pushing her head to the ground.

She was now facing away, unable to see her monstrous assailant.  She struggled against it, grabbing and hitting the thick tentacle and trying to turn her head against it.  Even expending two of her remaining rounds against it had no effect. It held her firmly prone and helpless.  Any sense of hope fled her mind as her only plan disintegrated.

Not willing to die yet, she blindly groped the ground above her head.  After a few empty handfuls she finally landed on canvas. She felt all over it for the opening and plunged her hand into it.  She quickly found a spare magazine and threw it out of the bag with a quick motion while continuing to dig.

Finally she landed on the thick handle of a field knife.  She dropped her gun and brought the knife around to it. She gripped the sheath and pulled the knife out and back.  She blindly drove the blade into the tentacle. It convulsed wildly but kept the pressure on her face.

Jill scream in anger as she sawed the blade back and forth.  She pulled the blade out, switching to a hacking motion, bringing the blade down again and again as near the puncture wound as she could.  With a final swing her blade sliced through the tentacle. The bloody green stump snapped back while the severed half fell to the ground beside her in a spray of green ooze.

She felt the beast release her leg.  A renewed tearing metal and thunder scream arose from it.  Jill pushed herself up to a sitting position with one arm. The beast had taken a step back from her bloody leg and continued screaming at her as the tentacle stump swung in a wide arc behind it, throwing green oozy blood over everything.

Filled with hate more than fear and with the elation of hope and victory swelling in her, Jill snapped up her gun from where she dropped it.  She stuck it out with one arm and raised it up to her eye. The screaming beast made her intended target almost impossible to miss at this distance.

She squeezed the trigger.  The small explosion sound reverberated through the woods as the fingertip-sized bullet flew perfectly into its target.  Blood exploded in a familiar fountain out the back of its malformed head.

Its body collapsed to the forest floor, dead.  The alien darkness died with it, quickly dissipating and leaving her in stark daylight.  The warmth of it helped to calm her.

Jill just sat for a moment.  She breathed heavily from exhaustion and adrenaline.  She looked down at her ruined leg, mangled and flayed to the bone.  It didn’t hardly hurt - she couldn’t feel it at all.

After a few moments, she realized what being out in the sunlight meant.  The beast must have thrown her out from the trees during their struggle. Her eyes went wide in terror and she snapped her gaze once again to the wreckage of the SUV.  She felt gaze of vicious eyes on her.

She watched as the black bubble she fled shrank and receded.  It revealed the nightmare that perched itself on the roof. The nightmare beast that killed Irma.  Jill was too spent to even be shocked or horrified. Her mind only passively registered this thing as beyond horror.

It sat there, nearly totally still.  Its mouthed appendages stirred only slightly.  Malformed and misplaced wings undulated lightly.  A flat, gaping hole of a face sat imbedded into its fat, oblong body.  Fangs hung out of that face, wicked and twisted like everything else about it.  Bulbous, unblinking eyes were scattered above and around it.

Jill wasn’t sure how long they stared at each other.  But after some time a figure in the grass near the truck caught her attention.  It was Irma’s corpse, mangled and mutilated, savagely torn apart. Jill couldn’t help but notice there were no signs of consumption.  This thing killed her for sport, not nourishment. And it would do the same to her.

The gun felt heavy in Jills hand.  She knew the signs of weakness from blood loss.  With an effort she raised the weapon and fired lazily in the general direction of the creature.  One more shot and the slide locked back, magazine empty. Her arm dropped.

As if that was a signal, the beast became animate.  It roared with that metal and thunder scream Jill was all too familiar with by this point.  Its tentacles sprang to life, waving and snapping. The bent wings raised high into the air and came down violently, launching the thing into the air.  Many smaller tentacles that may have been legs flapped underneath it as it soared.

The thing arced through the air and descended.

She immediately slammed it shut again.  A familiar screaming sound, like thunder and tearing metal, rose up from somewhere.  She covered her ears and closed her eyes, doubling over in the car seat. It was the same sound from the forest.  The same sound that came out from the dog beasts horrible faces. But much louder and more intense. Before she could force herself past it, to force herself to think through it.  This time, thought fled her mind.

Shortly after the screaming started, the strange darkness surrounded the SUV.  It filled the cabin, consuming the light. The temperature dropped noticeably and Jills skin erupted in little bumps.

The screaming intensified as something heavy crashed onto the roof of the vehicle.  Jill forced herself to open her eyes. The light wasn’t completely gone, Jill could see just enough to know to duck her head under the collapsing roof.

A slamming sound startled her, drawing her attention to the hood.  Through the near-total darkness she could just make out a long object hitting it.  It almost looked like a snake, but raised itself into the air and slammed down again and again.  After the last slam it slithered and writhed on the hood, creeping its way toward the occupants.

Jill watched it with wide eyes, wishing she had a knife or gun.  Another slamming sound came from somewhere behind her. Then another and another on the sides of the truck all around her.  She whipped her head back and forth, hoping for a better look to understand what this thing was. Some wiggled around while other rose back up and came down again and again.

Jill could only conclude these things were somehow connected to whatever it was that was crushing the roof in.  After the horrific shape of the earlier beasts, she blocked herself from imagining what this new nightmare might look like.

As the alien screaming continued continued, Jill flattened herself as much as she could into the car seat and footwell.  She still covered her ears, turning her head back and forth trying to ascertain threats. She tried to come up with a plan of action, but the screaming made it hard to think.

She took a long look at Irma.  In the back of her mind she knew that even if she could save herself, she doubted she could save Irma as well.  She’d have to drag her out of here through midnight darkness and countless flailing tentacles.

Unless she could get the thing to leave the area.  A plan finally started to form in her head of escaping and drawing this monster away when one of the snake-like limbs appeared behind Irmas head.  Jill could see a small mouth, crooked and split and filled with mangled teeth at the end of the appendage as it swung into the window and ran straight into the back of Irmas head.

Her already limp body convulsed briefly as the nightmare tentacle tore through the woman’s head, boring into the back and exploding out her mouth.  Blood and teeth flew into Jills face and her thoughts fled her again.

Another mouthed tentacle burst out of her chest.  Jill finally brought her hands down from her ears to her mouth, instinctively trying to stifle a scream.  Silence hadn’t saved Irma, but Jill could hope it would help. But she finally let forth a scream of her own against that of the hideous monsters as a third tentacle-limb burst out of the dead woman’s stomach, covering the inside of the truck cabin with intestinal matter.

The three appendages spun and flailed and folded backwards on themselves, partially wrapping Irma’s body.  They convulsed and quickly pulled backwards, pulling their prey out through the window they came in from. Irma and the tentacles disappeared into the unnatural darkness.

Again acting on pure instinct as impulse, Jill turned and pushed the door open with all her strength.  It flung open and she fell from her seat, out of the vehicle. Though only a few feet from the ground, Jill felt as though she fell much further.

When Jill finally hit the ground, she immediately rolled underneath the truck.  She briefly looked up as another group of the mouthed tentacles dove into the open drivers door.  She could hear them thrash around, ripping the seats and tearing into the dashboard looking for a victim.

The unseen beast on the roof, the owner of the evil tentacles, screamed louder and rocked the car it perched upon in apparent frustration.  The tentacles crashed into the ground just feet from where Jill was hiding and writhed around, snapping and searching.

Jill slowed her panicked breathing, trying to clear her mind.  An image of Irma’s death popped into her head and she shook it away.  She couldn’t think about that now. She strained to remember what she was thinking before the darkness returned.  The sight of the gun bag came back to her.

It was her only chance.  She swung her head back and forth, watching the tentacles whip and writhe in the near total darkness.  The things seemed to be searching only on the sides, leaving both the front and rear of the vehicle relatively safe.  Every instinct told her to make for the front of the crashed truck and escape into the woods, the beast might be too large to follow.

But in there was a spreading death.  She knew she and her late partner only experienced the simplest of the horrors produced there.  Her only means of defense lay in that bag, somewhere to the rear of the vehicle.

She carefully spun herself around, trying not to make any noise.  The beasts earlier wild thrashing on the roof stopped and it seemed to only stir slightly as the tentacles crept on either side of the vehicle.  Even its screaming seemed lower in intensity. Whatever it was it had switched from an attack posture to hunting.

Making her way under the muffler, she stopped to squint ahead.  She could just make out the first plastic box that had spilled out a few feet ahead of her.  With her heart pounding, Jill made her way out from her place if relative safety.

She couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of her in the cold darkness.  Using the box as a marker, she moved past it and saw another box and a bag just at the edge of her vision.  A quick check behind her showed no signs of being discovered. Slightly emboldened, she raised herself up into a crouch and scurried to the next pieces of debris.

A quick patting of the bag told her it was the wrong one.  It felt like Irmas sample bag. She promised herself she’d come back for it.  Another bag was just up ahead. She was starting to be able to see better the further she got from the unknown beast.

In the lessening darkness, she could tell it was her gun bag.  Jill broke into a full run and scooped it up without stopping. With every step she could feel the darkness losing its grip on her vision.  Holding the bag tightly to her chest she made for the nearest treeline that came into view. Darkness covered her again, but it was the natural darkness of a shaded forest.

She dove into the brush and crawled behind a tree.  She breathed more easily for a moment, taking in her surroundings.  This section of wood was still healthy green. Jill thought it must be near where they entered the clearing from.  She could steal away, get back to town and radio the agency.

Instead, she peered around the tree back the way she had come.  Through the near-broad daylight, she followed the trail of debris back to what should have been the crashed SUV.  A hazy bubble of darkness shrouded the crash site. Jill could just make out a large shape with distorted wings and tentacle appendages tearing the truck apart, still screaming and searching for prey.

Jill involuntarily shook her head in disbelief.  Immeasurable fear overtook her but she couldn’t get her legs to move her.  Nothing like this should exist. It simply could not be. Watching the beast inside the black bubble, she didn’t notice as the shade turned into the evil blackness that brought horrors.

Daylight fled as they approached the monster.  The inexplicable darkness seemed to swallow it.  Jill gritted her teeth, holding the steering wheel with one hand and groping for her rifle with the other as the SUV bounced on the rough terrain.  Irma tightly gripped the handle above the door and shrunk into her seat, trying to brace herself against whatever was coming.

Without even seeming to move, the beast was suddenly on the hood and slamming into the windshield.  The head of the thing pressed against the glass, a wide crack spreading out from it. Claws dug into the hood as the side appendage punched and clawed at whatever it could reach.

It’s horrible scream barely surpassed the one now coming out of Irma as she curled herself in her seat and turned her head away.  Gunfire from Jills rifle added to the cacophony as she got the muzzle rested against the dashboard and repeatedly fired blindly, the glass finally shattering.

The beast screamed and snapped with it’s multitudinous jaws at the truck occupants.  Huge, jagged teeth disgustingly complimenting its forked tongues and misshapen head. It recoiled as bullets struck it, throwing bits of green, oozy blood.

Jill fired again and again, glad she opted for the larger magazine.  She would have liked to slow down, to even out, making it easier to aim, but couldn’t risk giving the beast a steady foothold.  Forcing it to grip tightly to the hood was the only thing keeping it from jumping inside. She kept her foot on the pedal, maintaining a dangerous speed as she cut the wheel back and forth wildly.  

The tires cut deep trails as the vehicle ran chaotically around the small clearing.  Jill soon realized the unnatural darkness kept her from seeing where the clearing ended.  The headlights should have activated automatically in the dark, but for some reason hadn’t.  She couldn’t get a hand to the control, forcing her to drive blindly.

The familiar thunking sound signalled the rifle running empty again.  Jill cursed and began thrusting it out, impotently poking at the screaming monster.  It quickly bit down on the barrel with one sickening jaw that opened from the side of its head.  With a twist of its body it wrenched the rifle from her hand, sending it spinning away, lost to the surrounding darkness.

There was only one option left to her.  Jill gritted her teeth anxiously as she turned the wheel and brought the tires straight again.  Slowly she eased off the accelerator. Irma looked at her with wild eyes. Now with secure footing, the beast flared its jaws open and swung its body forward in the beginnings of a lunge.

Before the horrific beast could complete its motion, Jill slammed her foot down on the brake pedal.  She sent it all the way to the floor and pulled the wheel as far to the left as she could. The women lurched forward, straining against their seatbelts.  Jill could swear she saw surprise in the beasts multitudinous eyes as it was flung backwards off the hood of the truck. The screaming died out as it disappeared off the right side of the truck.

With a smile, Jill straightened out the wheels again and moved her foot back to the accelerator.  Irma held a hand to her chest and breathed deeply. They knew it would be coming back for them, but having it off the hood was a great relief.

The darkness quickly faded, stripped away as light flooded back into the cabin.  Jill squinted and tilted her head against the exploding light.

“Look out!” Irma suddenly shouted.  Jill brought her eyes back forward in time to see a large tree appeared in front of them.

Too late Jill stomped on the brake again.  The truck crashed into the tree, crushing the hood and rocking the back end up.  Jill briefly saw the white of the airbag exploding into her face before a different kind of darkness overtook her.

---

Sometime later Jill came to, groggily looking around trying to remember what happened.  As she turned her head to the right she saw Irma, slumped forward awkwardly in her seat above the deflated airbag.  It all came bag to her in a flash and she looked around in a panic.

Unclasping her seatbelt, she stuck her head out the window, checking the position of the sun.  It was only a little lower than she had remembered. Thinking of the monster she threw off the hood before the crash, she began frantically scanning what she could see of the open clearing.  Only a small amount of time could have passed, but it would have been plenty enough for it to come back for them.

She reached out a hand to shake Irma by the shoulder.  Her eyes were closed and her limbs hung loosely, arms down to the side and her legs nearly in a tangle.  She didn’t react to Jills touch, but her breathing seemed strong. Jill sighed in relief and turned her attention to the front of her SUV.

She could just see where the front end was wrapped around the large tree over the bend in the hood.  The windshield was already shattered, but now the door glass was gone, too. The framework around the doors was bent and Jill wasn’t sure they would open - and wasn’t sure if she wanted to.

The side mirror was still attached, though cracked, and she could see the contents of the truck had been scattered out behind them.  She saw her gun bag among the plastic crates and the collection bag Irma managed to bring back. The crash wouldn’t have caused that - the beast must have torn the back end open at some point.

Noting the lack of darkness, she told herself they were safe for the moment.  Still, her heart sped up again. She reached for the door handle. She had no choice but to retrieve her handgun from the bag, it was their only defense after losing her rifle.

Gripping the door handle, she pulled on it and pushed against the door.  It was stuck as she suspected it would be, but began to give. Turning sideways as best she could, Jill kicked against the door as hard as she could.  After a few kicks it flew open with a metallic groan.

Jill rolled over onto her back, trying to crush the unknown attacker. She tilted her head up to see across to Irma, still struggling with her own attacker as more seemed to fly in from somewhere, screaming and descending onto her. They pounced onto her stomach and legs as she kicked and screamed herself. The previously silent forest now filled with a cacophony of human and inhuman screaming.

Jill pulled herself halfway up, before slamming herself down again on top of the thing on her back. It's shrill screaming stopped abruptly. Wasting no time, not even taking a glance at the dead thing, she rolled onto her stomach. Irma had managed to kick one beast off, it squirmed a few feet away from her.

Jill swung her rifle out and fired a snap shot at the bizarre creature. The bullet struck center mass, causing an explosion of dark fur and a greenish ooze. Its small body was thrown back several feet, where it twitched and seized for a moment before laying still. Even still Jill couldn't tell what it was supposed to be.

Shaking her head, she pushed herself up and ran to Irma's side, her rifle dangling from it's strap over her shoulder. She dove on her knees and grabbed a thrashing beast. It's ear-piercing scream grew louder as it blindly thrashed in her hands, tearing her skin and trying to escape up her arm.

Steeling herself, Jill shifted her hands to either and of the oblong thing and brought them together quickly. A loud snap could be heard as it's screaming died. It went limp and she tossed it aside. Losing fear of these creatures, she began grabbing them off Irma's flailing body, breaking or just throwing them as far as she could.

One thrown monster came running back at her with an ungraceful wobble. Jill brought one booted foot back and forward again, kicking it with all the force she could muster. With the familiar crack of broken bones, it sailed backwards to the muddy lake and sank beneath the surface.

She panted heavily, looking at her bloodied hands. The cuts were numerous but superficial, the bleeding already ending on it's own. She wiped them on her pants, taking a look around for any additional threats. Seeing none, she turned her attention back to Irma. She still lay on the ground, holding her wounds and still kicking slightly at invisible threats.

“They're gone,” Jill said reassuringly, dropping to one knee at her side. “You're okay,” she added, placing her hand on her arm. Irma flinched once at her touch, but then calmed down slightly. He eyes were still wild with fright, but at least she stopped kicking at nothing.

“You're okay,” Jill repeated softly. “But we have to go. Can you stand?”

“I – I think so,” She said, while breathing heavily. She held her neck with one hand and propped herself up with the other. She looked down at herself, her clothes were bloody and torn all the way down. One leg was especially damaged.

Jill helped her to her feet. Irma tried to move on her own but stumbled and almost fell. Jill caught her and wrapped an arm around her waist.

“Are they gone?” Irma asked, regaining her composure.

“I don't know,” Jill answered. She kept her breath even as she looked around. The rustle and shaking had gone. The horrible screaming had gone too, but was replaced by a kind of low-level hum. “Let's just get back to the truck.”

The two women made a slow trek through the forest the way they had come. Jill lost her collection kit in the attack and didn't bother to pick it back up. Irma still had hers, clutching it with one hand, the other was over Jill's shoulder.

They didn't speak as they walked. Irma winced with every step and Jill focused on navigating the underbrush and watching out for new attacks. The sun almost set enough to justify how dark it was becoming. Jill knew how dark the woods could get but she couldn't help but wonder how deep this darkness would get.

“It's not much further,” Jill encouraged Irma after a time. She still winced, but actually looked better.

They had gotten back to the fallen tree when a loud rustle ahead of them froze them in their tracks again. The hum grew louder again. A small movement in the brush ahead could be seen and moved closer. Jill cursed and mentally prepared herself as a shadow moved against shadows between bushes.

Irma's eyes went wide and she began to mutter almost nonsensically. Keeping her eyes locked on the movement in the brush she wordlessly eased Irma to the ground. She didn't protest. Jill slowly brought her rifle out again, assumed a defensive stance over her wounded partner and waited.

She didn't have to wait long. The bushes shook in a chain, getting closer. After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, a dark being burst out from a bush. It landed and paused for a moment, as if purposely showing off it's terrifying body – almost like a large dog but with too many limbs that didn't make sense and a misshapen head with too many parts. It may have been covered in fur, but everything about it was so black it was nearly a silhouette. Though it had obviously been running, it should no signs of breathing.

It stood still for a moment, except for several short tendrils flicking on its uneven back and sides.

Jill shook at the horror of it. All thought fled her mind. Her rifle gripped firmly in her hands but she couldn't think of what it was or how to use it.

Slowly it swung its head over to look at her with a half dozen randomly places eyes. A multitude of flopping jaws gaped open as it loosed an otherworldly, ear-piercing shriek like the sound of thunder and tearing metal. It turned the rest of it's body with an odd, morphing motion and lowered it's stance.

A loud bang brought some sense back to Jill's mind. Looking down, she realized it was her rifle firing though she had no memory of pulling the trigger. The beast shrieked again and launched itself forward, moving with a speed it's bizarre legs should not have been able to produce.

Bringing her rifle back up, Jill did her best to line up a shot. It was difficult in the still-growing darkness. She fired another shot, striking the monster in what might have been a shoulder. It stumbled slightly, but stayed on course. It's screaming shriek was constant as it closed the gap. It quickly got close enough aiming was necessary. Jill fired wildly while Irma covered her ears and curled up on the ground.

A yard out the beast threw itself into the air, leaping toward her with its monstrous, misshapen jaws wide open and poised to clamp down on whatever they could get. Jill threw herself to the ground, firing several more times as the monster sailed over her. Green ooze burst out of the thing, burning her skin where it landed on her. She rolled and watched as it landed awkwardly on its side a short distance on the other side of Irma's prone form.

It furiously kicked the air, trying to get its weird legs back under itself. Irma lay between Jill and it, obscuring her line of sight. Jumping to her feet, she lined up a shot and moved off to one side just as the beast got back on its feet.

The eyes were the only thing clearly visible about it. None of them matched – not in shape, style or color. Half stared directly at Jill while the other half rolled over to watch Irma. Its body shifted slightly, not just in direction but its structure seemed to change. More eyes rolled over toward the prone woman.

“No!”, Jill shouted. Tightening her rifle grip and pulling it into her shoulder, she let more rounds fly. Small splashes of greenish blood burst from the bullet impacts. The beast stumbled from the impacts but didn't act injured. It seemed more annoyed as the weird eyes rolled back in Jill's direction. Its shadowy form rippled and the tendrils flicked back and forth wildly.

A loud, flat bang signaled her rifled running dry. Perhaps sensing weakness, the beast charged again, the horrific screaming even louder than before. Cursing, Jill threw her rifle aside and unclasped the pistol on her thigh. Gritting her teeth and standing her ground, she drew it up. Pushing it out with a tight grip, she sighted down the barrel.

The beast was almost on her as she smoothly squeezed the trigger. The bullet flew directly down the throat of one of the monstrous jaws, exploding out the back of its misshapen head with a geyser of green blood. Its wild scream instantly cut off as it crashed to the ground at Jill's feet.

She took a step back and looked down at the thing over her gun. It slowly moved its jaws and limbs, still trying to reach her. Its eyes glared at her with nothing but hate as it attempted to scream. The sound came out weak, more like a whimper.

Jill fired again from her place just a few feet away. The bullet ripped the twisted head in half, but the monster still squirmed. She fired again and again until the slide locked back on an empty magazine. The beast finally fell silent. The screaming died with it.

She stood still with her empty gun pointed at the beast for a time, breathing heavily. The darkness infusing the forest seemed to have lessened, though still too dark to justify with the suns position. Questions swirled in her mind but she forced them out. Nothing mattered but getting out.

Determination replacing fear, she replaced her pistol magazine and threw her rifle over her shoulder again. Irma winced as Jill gruffly pulled her to her feet. She supported her again with an arm around her waist but pulled her on in the direction of their truck.

Again they moved without speaking. Before it was borne of unfamiliarity and annoyance, now injury and fear drove them to silence. They were prey here.

Though vigilant of more attacks, Jill couldn't help but wonder what the Agency knew. She'd spent months transporting groups to research sites. She stopped asking questions after the fiftieth time being told it was “classified” or “need to know”. She rarely was tasked with picking groups up again and now wondered what they'd seen.

She forced the questions out of her mind again as they came up on the edge of the forest. They could see the truck parked in the clearing in full daylight. The discordance of the light outside and the darkness within the forest was somehow unsettling. They picked up their pace as best they could and pushed out of the wood.

Crossing the last trees out of the woods was like walking through a wall of darkness. The brightness of day struck them like turning light. They stopped and squinted as their eyes adjusted. Jill turned her head back to the forest. It was as though a wall of darkness surrounded it.

Feeling better about their situation, Jill moved Irma more gently to the truck. Setting Irma gently on the ground with her back against a tire, Jill pulled a large first aid kit out from inside the door.

“You're going to be fine now,” Jill told her.

“Just get on the radio. I can do this,” Irma said through gritted teeth, taking the kit. Weak but clearly determined, she opened it and began removing the contents.

Jill stood above her and looked her over a moment. Her jacket was torn up and half covered in blood from wounds around her neck and chest. One arm appeared to have several small bites taken out of it. But it was the leg wound that looked the most troublesome. While the other wounds seemed to have stopped bleeding by this point, her left thigh still oozed blood from several deep cuts.

“Go,” Irma ordered, tipping a small bottle of pain-killers into her mouth. Jill smiled faintly and turned around.

The radio was in the cabin, but Jill strode to the back instead. Opening the gate, she laid her rifle down and slid her duffel bag out next to it. She tossed the empty magazine inside and retrieved a new one, inserting it into the well and racking a round. She was hesitant to put the safety on as her mind drifted back to the events of the forest.

Her hands began to shake as her adrenaline came down and the enormity of the events settled into her mind. She breathed slowly to calm her nerves, and tilted her head upwards. The sun still sat comfortably in the sky, giving a few hours of light. She didn't want to be around when it set.

Exhaling sharply, Jill flipped the rifle safety on and slammed the gate shut. She marched up to the front of the truck to find Irma inside. She had shed her bloodied jacket, her neck, shoulder and chest wrapped in bandages. One pant leg was cut off at the thigh and she was busy wrapping a long gauze strip around the awful wound there.

“You look better,” Jill commented, climbing inside and jamming her rifle down between the seats.

“Yeah, those pills really took the edge off,” Irma replied. She looked haggard and tired, obviously still in pain. “Have you got on the radio yet?” It was more command than question. Jill took the microphone from the dash-mounted radio and flipped it on. Static emitted from the speaker.

“Central, this is Davison, come in,” Jill spoke into the mic. Only static responded. Glowering, she fiddled with the dial and spoke into it again. Again, nothing but static. “Damn it!” she shouted, slamming a fist against radio. She threw the microphone down in frustration.

“Are we too far out?” Irma asked. She was finished wrapping her wounds and opened a bottle of water.

“Doesn't matter,” Jill grunted. She roughly turned the key in the ignition. The engine sprang to life and she shifted into gear. “We'll call it in from town.” Stomping on the accelerator and sharply turning the steering wheel, she turned the vehicle back around the way they had come.

“After we get you to a hospital - “ Jill was cut off mid sentence as the SUV lurched to the side with the sound of a loud slam.  She cursed as she fought to maintain control over the vehicle. Another slam sent it up on two wheels for a moment before slamming back down, violently shaking its occupants.

Irma winced, holding her wounds.  Jill cursed again and cut the wheel, stomping on the gas pedal trying to distance them from whatever was attacking them.  As she aimed for the path in the trees they had come from, her mind went back to the beasts from the forests. Were they being attacked by the one she thought she killed or was it another?  Again she wondered how many there were and what the implications of what that could mean.

Another hit spun the back end of the truck around.  Fearing a rollover, Jill slammed on the break and brought the vehicle to a screeching stop.  Jill looked over the steering wheel and saw their attacker standing out in the open a short distance in front of them.  Fear and anger swirled in her mind as waves of cold and heat passed through her body, locking her down in a moment on indecision.

The beast stood with it’s mismatched limbs in a wide stance, twisted hindquarters up and grotesque head brushing the ground.  Brutal tongues hung from myriad mouths. A weird appendage grew off one side of it, thrashing and snapping wildly. A cloud of darkness obscuring fine details.  A terrible scream emanated from the horror.