Midnight Intruders Let Attention Blur

Kate sits at her desk reviewing some new client paperwork.  Everyone else has gone home for the day but Kate doesn’t like to leave things unfinished.  She knows how much better she will feel when all her work is cleared away.

 The sun glimmers through the windows as it begins to set. Bright streaks stretch across the carpet and angle across the walls in a way only Kate is familiar with.  Time escapes her as she sits focusing, forgetting about the lovely summer evening.

 Before she knows it, there is nothing but darkness outside.  Kate looks around the office, suddenly aware of how alone she is, sitting in the dark.  She carefully organizes her desk in preparation for the next day, grabs her purse, and heads for the elevator.

 As Kate stands in the lobby waiting, she begins to feel the same awkwardness that washes over her every time she’s the last one to leave the office.

       “Why am I doing this?”  she thinks to herself.  “I don’t even like this job! I’m so stupid for wasting any amount of extra energy…..just sitting there like that.  This is my life!  I need to go out and enjoy it.”

Kate takes the elevator down to ground level, gets in her shiny new BMW, turns the music up loud, and speeds home with the sun roof open.  As the warm summer air refreshes her senses she begins to relax and enjoy the ride home.

 As Kate pulls into the garage of her highrise apartment, her frustration suddenly returns.

      “I’ve just got to keep busy”  she say’s to herself as she walks down the long wide hallway towards her apartment.  “I’ll cook a nice dinner tonight and take a hot bath.  This is just anxious energy, Kate!  Okay, pep talk over before someone thinks I’m crazy…..”

 The door is unlocked, cats are greeted and pampered, plants are watered.  Garlic and onions chopped and salad rinsed.  Boiling, simmering, baking……..eating.  Television blaring, every light on, every door open while bath water heats and heals………………………………………

 Bed.  Cool sheets, ceiling fan on low, cats purring, book………..lights out.

 Silence screams out through the night, waiting and listening for sound.  Minutes drift by into hours as the clock tick tick ticks in anticipation of time.

 The hissing and growling alert Kate just in time to see her enter the room.  The female doctor moves swiftly towards the bed……..

       “Ssshhhh”  is her only sound towards the cats as she paralyzes them into silence.

Kate starts to sit up as the woman walks toward the side of the bed.  She looks over to see three men standing just outside the bedroom door.  She’s seen them before.  They are military…….she knows.  Three big bad men guarding one woman from another.  Pathetic.

 Next comes the color black and then she’s sitting in the chair being asked questions again.

      “How are your eyes doing, Kate?”  asks the female doctor as she shines a light into them.

      “Good”  replies Kate as she looks around the dark room.  It looks exactly like a regular exam room, nothing special at all.

      “No blurred vision or any changes in your left?

      “No” lies Kate as she feels the woman’s energy change.  She has realized Kate is lying but Kate doesn’t care.  She just wants this “eye examination” to be finished.

 Then Kate’s wish comes true and she’s back in bed but with more figures surrounding her.  These figures aren’t big and bad but they have a job to do.  Kate feels a love for them………a love that isn’t returned in the same way.  But love is love…….right?

 Kate knows what they have to do but suddenly, she knows what she has to do too.  Machines begin to work, paralysis becomes stronger, needles start rotating above her and one is directed straight towards her left eye……..

      “Hey hey! What are you doing? Where are you going? What color are you? What’s your name? how are you feeling? Are you here to help me? Where did you come from? Do you like pasta? When are you leaving? When did you get here? Why are you here? Do you have any pets? Do you have sex? What are you doing? When will you leave? Where will you go after this? Are you married? Do you like it here? Do you like me?…………………………………………………………………………………..paralysis stops.

 Kate lifts her head off of the bed.  It still feels really heavy.  She slowly moves her legs as the yelling starts from somewhere outside her room.

        “Take care of this goddammit!” a deep sounding male voice barks out.  “Send in the teacher NOW before she kills them all!

        “I’m not going to kill anyone” kate thinks “I just didn’t want the needle stuck in my eye!”

 Kate tries to speak to let them know she means no harm but her voice hasn’t come back yet so she tries telepathing to the being surrounding her bed.  She tunes into them and suddenly feels how terrified they are just as another figure comes through the wall beside her head.

        “Kate, it’s okay” her teacher communicates to her.  “This has to be done.  It’s not going to hurt you.”

       “Are you telling me a needle in my eye won’t hurt one bit?  It won’t blind me?”  Kate asks this familiar being who has been with her since childhood.

       “That is correct” her teacher replies patiently and kindly “but this is something that has to be done and you have to lie still so we can finish the procedure.”

       “I’m so scared though.  I don’t even like the thought of something entering my eye.  I’m not sure I can lie still for this one.”

      “Don’t worry, Kate.  Just try your best and remember no matter how scary it might seem, there will be no harm done to you.  I’m with you now.  I’ll stay right here.”

 Kate feels so much better now that her teacher is back.  She hasn’t been able to communicate with her for the longest time and has missed her.  She wants to please her teacher and so she begins to calm herself and lie still.

 The machines start again and all she can focus on is the needle heading straight for her eye.  She keeps her eye open and watches as it gets closer and closer and closer and…………blackness.

 

Kate opens her eyes and rolls over to see the sun shining through the curtains.  She feels drained but glad a new day has begun.  She gets out of bed, stretches, and walks towards the kitchen to make coffee.  Her cats are stretched out on the couch in the living room looking happy and cozy.

       “Hi guys!” Kate calls out to them.  They squint their eyes at her in return and begin to stretch their bodies out for the morning breakfast routine.

 Kate feels the sunshine warm her feet against the kitchen tile and realizes how happy she is this morning.

       “This is the beginning of a new day” she says to herself as she looks out her kitchen window at the beautiful blue sky.  “I am alive, living this life right now and I choose to be happy.”

Kate smiles to herself for a moment, looks out the window again and then opens the refrigerator in pursuit of eggs.  It is indeed a new day with endless possibilities.   

 

Cyberspace Chat Room – Part 3

The wind whipped across the desert floor as Zandi, Skolar and Koza ran toward a shiny black SUV.  It hadn’t taken long for Zandi to convince the other two that she should be the driver.  This stemmed from the simple fact that she was the most human looking and therefore would blend in more, especially at night.

This opportunity was quite thrilling for them all.  They  knew if this little outing was successful, it would mean more freedom in the future.  They had all taken lessons in the past with a simulator but nothing  compared to the real thing.  Zandi was just relieved there was a primitive navigator system within the government vehicle they were now speeding down a dirt road in.

In the distance, they could see the freeway that would take them into the city.  As they stared ahead, they were silent, each deep in thought and curious about walking through a world they weren’t allowed to be a part of.

“So you really were completely honest with him about what we are, Zandi?” Skolar asked from the backseat.

“Completely, Skolar.” Zandi answered as she began realizing what they were actually about to do.  Sitting at her workstation on the airship, fantasizing, was different from being so out in the open among beings that could rip them apart out of their own ignorance and fear.  She was going to have to calm down and establish some sort of comfort level with this human……let him get to know her somehow.

“So, where are we meeting him? asked Koza

“At the beach” replied Zandi. “That’s why I told you to bring the warming jackets.  The temperature out there is going to be completely different than what we’re used to but I thought it would be really interesting to take a walk on an earth beach at night and it might make the human feel more at ease. Oh yes, and his name is Christopher but he prefers to be called Chris.”

“Great, thank you for letting us know Zandi. That’s just so exciting to know what he’s called you fucking pervert” replied Skolar in a tone Zandi had never heard him use before. “I would really appreciate your telling us exactly why you’re so fascinated with the humans.  These are primitive beings we are dealing with, do you understand!?!”

“Don’t YOU understand Skolar what I’m trying to figure out about them and…..ME!  You should be trying to figure out the same thing!  Just because we haven’t been told certain things about ourselves doesn’t mean we should sit back like morons and not question them!”

There was silence again as they drove through the city taking in all the sights and sounds they had only been shown from the comfort of the airship.  They would roll down the windows now and then to breathe in new scents they were unfamiliar with yet found comforting. 

Finally, they were at the beach pulling into a parking lot where the headlights of the large SUV shone brightly upon a young man standing beside his car smiling.  Zandi put on her sunglasses and Koza and Skolar slid down out of view in the backseat.  Chris just stood there without any hesitation and suddenly waved to Zandi.

Zandi felt her heart flutter and found herself smiling back with ease.  Then, with the same ease, she took the sunglasses off.  Chris did not react in the slightest and continued to smile at Zandi while beckoning her outside.

“Go, Zandi” Skolar suddenly said from the backseat.  “You really got lucky this time.  Don’t pass the opportunity up.”

“Thank you, Skolar” replied Zandi while breathing a sigh of relief. “You do know I love you very much, right?”

“Yes” came the barely audible whisper from the darkness behind her.

Zandi opened the door and stepped out into the brisk California winter air.  She suddenly felt nervous and confused as to what to do next.  Chris began walking towards her, still beaming his friendly smile and before she knew it he was right in front of her.

“Well, hello new friend!” he said to her with the most comforting voice she had ever heard.  She felt her entire being relax as she let him envelope her in a warming hug.

“Hello new friend”  she repeated back to him.

 

 

Cyberspace Chat Room – Part Two

Saturday, January 3^rd, 2009

 

 

Jenn4U:  Hi there!  I was hoping you would show up here again.

 

Calidude:  Were you just waiting in here for me?

 

Jenn4U:  Yep, I’ve already talked to you once so I know you’re cool.

Calidude:  Yeah, to be honest, I came in here for a little while yesterday to see if you were around.  I take it Friday’s are busy for you?

 

Jenn4U:  Some Friday’s are, LOL.  It depends on what mood my parents are in. They are both Type A’s so it can get a bit intense at times!

 

Jenn4U:  That’s cool that you came in here looking for me yesterday.  I mean, I’m glad you found me interesting enough to want to chat with again.

 

Calidude:  Yeah, I was starting to enjoy talking to you before you had to leave and I didn’t want you to think I was some jerk looking to get laid, LOL

 

Calidude:  What I mean is, you seem like a nice girl and I’d rather get to know someone like you rather than what I come across in the clubs.

 

Jenn4U:  Really?  Well, this is the internet, Cali.  How do you know I’m not some 50 yr old prostitute living in a trailer somewhere in the valley?

 

Calidude:  LOL!  Because you just told me where you lived the other night and I don’t think some old prostitute living in a trailer would be creative enough to come up with what you told me about yourself?

 

Jenn4U:  LOL!….you got me there!

 

Calidude: I have to say, that WAS quite creative for such a sheltered home schooled girl out in Australia!  What else you got for me?

 

Jenn4U: Oh! You want more?

 

Calidude: Yeah, shoot!

 

Jenn4U:  Okay, sooooo. Hmmm, okay I got it!

 

Jenn4U:  So, what if I were like, some alien/human hybrid that’s currently sitting in a large ship docked just outside the atmosphere of Earth except you would never know it as it’s cloaked?

 

Calidude:  Wow! I wish I’d been home schooled!  Not being able to go out much has made you very creative, huh?

 

Jenn4U:  Haha!  I guess so.

 

Calidude:  So, what do you think one of these hybrid chicks would look like anyway?

 

Jenn4U:  LOL!  I dunno.  What do YOU think they would look like?

Calidude:  Well, being a guy, of course I’m getting a visual of some hot sexy female with cool looking eyes and some kick ass abilities in the sack!

 

Jenn4U:  Huh, that’s very interesting

 

Calidude:  What?

 

Jenn4U:  I meant, you wouldn’t be freaked out by something like that?  Honestly?

 

Calidude:  Hey, I’m a guy.  As long as we are attracted, it’s all good! LOL

 

Calidude:  Jenn?  You still there?

 

Calidude:  Sorry about that.  I really need to work on what I say. Guess I’ve been hanging around the wrong kind of girls for waaay too long, LOL

 

Calidude:  Jenn?  I hope I didn’t put you off???

 

Jenn4U:  Oh, sorry Cali.  I had to step away from the puter for a  minute.  Hold on just for a sec, okay?  My Mom needs my help with something.

 

Calidude: Okay

 

 

 

 

            “Koza, aren’t we going underground tonight?’

 

            “They are thinking about it…..why?”

 

“I think I know a way we can sneak out and explore for a little while.      Would you like to join me?”

 

“Are you chatting with a human again Zandi? Do you not think you’re being monitored?”

 

“ Of course I am but once we go under we’ll have different supervision.  Last time we had to go there, they made it quite clear how much they disliked babysitting us, remember?

 

“How could I forget!  So, you’re thinking they will turn a blind eye if we just left for a few hours?”

 

“Koza, I think if we left right in front of their eye’s, they might even wave goodbye and tell us to have fun!”

“Okay, I guess we’ll soon find out tonight.”

 

“Yes, but first I have to figure out a way to get this guy to meet me somewhere tonight.”

 

Zandi, just ask him to meet you in that chat room later and then offer him the truth!  They’re so oblivious on that planet, he’ll never actually believe you anyway.”

 

“You’ve got a point, Koza.  It’s worth a try…….”

Cyberspace Chat Room – Part One

Thursday, January 1st, 2009:

Jenn4U: Hey there!

Calidude: Hey

Jenn4U: You always seem to just be hanging out in here alone. Were you waiting for someone in particular?

Calidude: No, it’s not just this chat room. I just like to find the empty ones cuz I like one on one chat, ya know?

Jenn4U: Totally. When the rooms are too full, you can never really communicate with anyone like………..

Jenn4U: I just mean, you can’t have a proper conversation with anyone.

Calidude: Exactly

Jenn4U: So, Happy New Year! Did you do anything special to celebrate?

Calidude: Not really. Just hit a couple clubs with some friends but it was lame so I bailed.

Jenn4U: Oh, I see. So, why did you feel like it was lame?

Calidude: Honestly?

Jenn4U: Yep

Calidude: Not enough chicks to hit on! LOL. They were all with a bunch of friends or with a BF. Not exactly the best time to try and get laid!

Jenn4U: Okay, I understand now. It’s interesting getting to know how the male species thinks.

Calidude: The male species? LOL! Why don’t you just say a guy or man?

Jenn4U: LOL! That’s just me being the dork that I am. I’ve always been kind of……

Jenn4U: I’ve always been somewhat sheltered by my parents. I’ve been home schooled so I guess I haven’t socialized much, LOL
Calidude: Oh

Calidude: So, where do you live anyway? Were you even allowed to have a little fun for New Year’s?

Jenn4U: I live in Australia. New Year’s has already come and gone for me! Yes, it was fun.

Calidude: What did you do?

Jenn4U: Hey Cali, my Mother is walking down the hall. I’m not supposed to be online right now, LOL. Bye!

Calidude: Mother? Geez, I guess you have been sheltered! Will you be back in this room again tomorrow?

Calidude: Jenn? You still there?

Calidude:  Jenn?

________________________________________________________________

 

 

“Get out of my way freak boy!”

“Who are you calling a freak, Zandi? You know, there’s a word used down there for what you are. Hmmm, ah yes, the word is PERVERT!

“Oh, shut the fuck up Skolar! All I would have to do is put on some sunglasses and I could fuck that humans brains out……literally. Are you jealous because you can’t do the same?”

“Do you really not get it Zandi? That’s exactly why you’ll never be allowed down there. There’s something wrong with you. Anyway, they are making us sleep. You better get changed.

“Fine, I’ll be there in a minute.”

 

The Alien Vampire

The room was dark and small, more like a short wide hallway.  She stood there waiting………waiting for the next challenge, or was it a test?

 

The sound of air rushing within the walls around her seemed to calm the speed of her thoughts as she took in every little detail that surrounded her.  She knew the unknown.  It was familiar to her.  Even what she’d never really faced before.

 

Tonight the face came slowly through the darkness. One step at a time,  one deep murderous breath pushing closer into her line of sight. 

 

            “Oh, shit……hello?” she spoke through the shadows as it became clear how tricky this new situation would really be.

 

She felt his energy and suddenly became consumed with terror.  This harsh emotion was unfamiliar to her.  She was used to the feeling of fear, she had felt the adrenaline pumping many times before, but this was different.

 

The door she’d been thrown from was locked.  All part of the game with waiting, watching eyes in mysterious box seats she could never quite make out.

 

            “Hello, hello? Can you speak? Do you understand me?” she began almost shouting through what looked like an even smaller space.  The walls were closing in on her through each gasp of air but she knew she had to keep talking.

 

Then his eyes suddenly became visible as she tilted her head up and immediately knew there was no longer a need for words.  He wasn’t listening.

 

There he stood with glowing white eyes and a body of steel.  There he stood, seven feet tall and ready for a quick kill.  She wondered how many he’d been given before and what they had done to escape before death ripped them to shreds.  She would fight until the very last second.  She would give them a show they had never seen before.

 

He took another step closer to make himself completely visible, eyes never leaving her with amused expression.  Now he waited.  What would her move be that would lead her to the dead?

 

The kick came with both feet through the door.  She didn’t care what it was made of……it was her only way out.  Her back slammed against the concrete floor hard but the door was wood!!!  Why was the door made of wood?  She pulled her body up and punched through the hole she had made.

 

             “How could this be happening?” she thought to herself.  She’d escaped the impossible.  How could it be so easy?

 

Then she was surrounded by dark figures in the next room with machine guns pointed and commands screamed at her from all directions not to make another move.

 

            “WHY!?!” she screamed back at them.  “Why won’t you fucking help me?”

 

Then she heard the deepest, loudest most otherworldly growl and the rest of the door was ripped off it’s hinges.  He ducked his head as he stepped through and grabbed her with one hand around the torso as he lifted her in the air.

 

She didn’t waste a second.  This little bug would sting and bite until the end but as she struggled and bit and kicked, she could only feel him waiting again.  The fight stopped.  For the first time in her life, she knew she had finally met her limit as she passed the next move onto him.

 

As she was stretched out and held like a sandwich in each hand, his head lowered down and licked her stomach once.  Then he bit with a torturous throbbing intensity. 

 

The screams didn’t last long before the numb set in and the feeling of being drained was the only thing lingering within her soul.  Bullets flew by met with more darkness and then she was on the table looking into bright lights.  She hoped it didn’t take long.  She needed to get back home.

 

The pumps and tubes surging with red life began to warm her again as she lay patiently…………..waiting.

Update

 

 I thought it might be appropriate to give a little explanation regarding my abrupt halt to “The Panic.”  It was highly suggested by a fellow sci-fi writer that I merge this storyline into my current book.  After my confusion faded and I thought about it for awhile, it started to make sense, so the story of Petra has not completely come to an end. 

 

I do intend to end the story in some way later on.  It actually bothers me that I put something up that is quite obviously unfinished but this little cyber home of mine was originally intended for short stories only so I want to stay on track with that.

 

Also, in the near future I will be posting a short story that has a bit of truth to it.  It concerns the discovery of water on Mars and a mysterious book I came across in a University library a few years back.  It just happened to catch my eye and I ended up reading the whole thing…..instead of writing my assigned paper for class.

 

I couldn’t stop thinking about what the author wrote in this “non fiction” book (even though a lot of people are doing this lately…hmm…oh, well), so I went back a couple weeks later to check it out for a re-read and to note the title and author.  Yep, you guessed it. It was nowhere to be found and when I put my mind to find something……I’ll just say that the entire library was searched very thoroughly. 

 

So, that’s it for now.  I’ll post little updates like this now and then when I feel it’s necessary.  I also have a regular life journal type of blog up at:

 

www.thoughtsandobservationsofacuriousmind.wordpress.com

 

If any of you are interested in getting to know the person behind these weird little sci-fi stories, you can get a little peek there.  It’s very normal and um……..human.

The Orb Station

 

He was there before he knew it.  Out of nowhere he was standing on a platform squinting against the light.  As he focused his eyes from the night he’d come from, he saw them.  Bubbles of different colors floating through the air next to the platform.

 

As he took a step closer to the edge to get a better look, he could see the occupants.  They were just like him.  Just normal looking people but…….they seemed to be sitting behind something in the bubbles, something invisible to the human eye.

 

Standing in the brilliant white atmosphere on a beautiful pearly white platform suspended in mid-air, he caught sight of the other people standing nearby.  They were in groups, huddled together as he stood alone.  Curiosity began to rise to the surface and he wondered if he should walk over and join them.

 

The instant the thought occurred to him, he received the answer.  One of the bubbles pulled up beside where he stood and sucked him in.  The feeling was indescribable, his body just entered the round object effortlessly……like he belonged with it….inside of it.

 

The communications also came effortlessly into his head but he was hesitant.  He was being asked to move this object with his mind. 

 

            “Why am I being asked to do this now?” he thought to himself, “Why is so much confidence being placed in me and when will the tests end? I’m so frustrated with all of this!” he now communicated to the invisible being in front of him. “I don’t care what you think I’m capable of.  I keep asking and you never ever tell!  Why should I keep cooperating with you?”

 

The wordless response enveloped his entire being instantaneously and he almost felt stupid for the childish little tantrum he just threw.  He was born to do this as a spirit.  The human emotions began to calm down as he absorbed the task at hand and received his instructions.

 

As he visualized the movements he wanted to make in his minds eye and felt the speed he wanted to move at, he became more confident with his new ability, although, he knew it really wasn’t new at all.  It was just a matter of getting back on the bike after a long while.

 

After he was instructed to head back to the platform and was sucked back out to stand alone, he was given one last communication.  This wasn’t all for nothing.  Next time……sometime in the future, he would be expected to fly alone as well……and then the night greeted him again.

 

The Healer

He came in the night, silently and forcefully. Wordless yet wise and strong…..very, very strong.  He led her into the darkness and she followed with a knowing, an inner instinct that she had to go.

Through blurred motion and confused direction, she remained with him to the destination.  Downward they went, into the tunnels, breathing in the cold damp air as they now walked deeper and deeper into the mystery.

             “C’mon” he said as she began to slow down and take in her surroundings.  The deep growl of a voice was commanding with a clear objective showing through.  He did not hide this from her.  She did not hesitate as she realized he knew her.  He knew all about her from flesh and bone and from beginning to end.  She knew him too but that was where it ended. 

 As they approached their destination, the damp chill faded into warm humidity and light.  Halls made out of tunnels turned into a home…..his home.  He took her hand and led her into a room.  There was a bed and a television and she knew they were there just for her, for familiar comfort.

             “Sit down on the bed and find something you like on the television” he told her, and again, she did as she was told.  The odd situation was not unfamiliar to her…..it just was.

 As she flipped through the channels, she was aware of his movements behind her.  He was working….preparing, for what he had to do.  She wasn’t afraid as she waited for him.  No questions asked, just a knowing.  An inner knowing that she belonged there.

      “Keep focused on what you’re watching,” he explained “and let your body relax into the force.” 

 Suddenly she could feel the power of the energy.  It was solid yet not.  Her body moved forward uncontrollably as she realized what was happening.  She was being fixed by this familiar yet unknown healer.  The images moved across the television screen, soothing her as bones were moved and repositioned…..and then it was over.

 She turned to look at the figure who had his back to her.  Dressed in sporty casual clothing, if not a bit worn and dirty, he was pure muscle and looked ready for combat, not for what he had just done.

 The questions came without words even though she knew he could not answer them.  He turned his face slightly toward her as she watched him and there was no need for anything more.  This was his world….his only means of existing.

 His face told her his story. She knew why he was there and felt his loneliness, his need to reach out to another who would understand.  He would remain there as she continued her life above.  She would need him again in the future and would wonder why he never showed up again, what the point was in the first place.

As the wordless calls for help flew into each night, she remained broken.   Walking on the surface, a product of curiosity, she remained alone herself, in her own isolated existence but when she turned her face towards others, her story could not be told…..invisible in plain sight.

The Panic – Part Three

Then she opened her eyes and it began.  The grand view she had grown so accustomed to over the years had just become even grander.  Petra thought it was the most magnificent thing she had ever seen.  Silver shimmers reflecting the sun……beautiful discs spread out across the sky.  She felt safe and truly at home but then she looked down.

 

            “Oh, shit.” she said to herself.  The visual of what Petra was now facing hit her like a ton of bricks.  The cars were bumper to bumper along the highway below, the ocean full of ships and sailboats.  Even more people were walking, huddled together in groups, many carrying large bags and even suitcases with them.  Petra scanned the scene, watching the confusion…….feeling the terror emanating from the masses below.

 

            “The only thing I can do now, she thought, is go back to the house and wait.”  It would be the safest place to hide out until whatever happened…………..happened.  She was just relieved to have somewhere to go, knowing as long as she stayed away from the crowds, she would be safe.

 

As Petra pulled into the driveway, her relief quickly faded.  Three men were standing outside the house.  Two of them were vaguely familiar to Petra.  She knew they lived further up the mountain in a small cabin, close to Mr. Redding.  Her Dad had told her they had done a couple of odd jobs for him around the house a few years back and that they mainly lived from a garden and whatever they hunted.  Petra knew her Dad meant well but sometimes his judgment about people overshadowed his giving nature.   She made eye contact with them as she swiftly geared into reverse.

 

           “Young lady, you’re gonna need to get outta the car now,” shouted the man she had never seen before, who was carrying a rifle.  Petra knew instinctively that she had no choice but to defy anything he said to her so she kept one eye on him and one eye on her rearview mirror as she backed a u-turn out into the road to make her way back down again.  She was hidden by trees at this point and knew she had to floor it in order to escape from his view.  At the same moment she slammed her foot down, she heard the gunshot……and then another.  Her tires had been shot out.

 

            “I said get outta the fucking car you stupid bitch!”  All three men were now walking quickly toward the jeep.  Petra kept the gears in drive, ducked down and hurled herself out of the passenger seat.  She hit the ground hard and rolled into the still thick bushes that lined the side of road, gating the entrance to the dark forest of redwoods. Then she started running faster than she ever thought she could.

The Panic – Part Two

  As Petra hopped into her jeep, she thought about taking a walk on the beach with her morning coffee.  It was one of those days where she just wanted to be present in the moment and enjoy the ocean air.  She began backing out of the driveway slowly while she slid in her favorite CD. Suddenly, she was startled by someone blasting their horn non-stop. She looked up quickly to see a familiar old red pickup truck speeding down the road past the driveway.  It was Mr. Redding with his old dog.

 

            “Huh, Petra thought. I wonder what has him in such a hurry.”  Mr. Redding lived further up the mountain and was usually very friendly.  He would at the very least give Petra and her parents a big smile and a wave as he drove by the house or saw them around town.  Today, he didn’t even look at Petra as he drove by.  He was staring straight ahead with a most serious face.  Petra hoped everything was okay with Stanley, his old dog. He had been taking him to the vet quite often for the past couple of months.

 

With music blasting and the sun warming her on the cool early winter day, Petra started to make her way down the mountain.  She began to notice her neighbor’s homes as she wound her way down.  It looked like everyone was either lounging inside or out and about. She wished her parents were with her today.  It would have been lovely to go shopping with her Mom or take a walk on the beach with her Dad.

 

As she neared the point that introduced a breath taking view of the ocean, Petra felt a sudden jolt of electricity rush through her entire body.  She slammed on the brakes and switched gears into park.  Something was happening and she finally realized what it was.

 

            “Unbelievable,” she thought.  “No communications, no warnings of any kind, not even a feeling of anything approaching at all.”  Petra sat breathless, heart pounding, adrenaline pumping as to what she might see when she rounded the corner.

 

            “What am I supposed to do in a situation like this?” she said out loud. “I haven’t been trained for this specific situation. How am I going to survive the panic!”  Petra knew she had to move quickly now and get on with the mission at hand.  She also knew there must be a reason for the public arrival.  “Something very important must have called for this,” she thought.  “It’s not supposed to be this way……..this soon.”

 

She slowly stepped on the accelerator and turned the corner.  She understood that her life would never be the same from that moment on and she didn’t want to face any of it.  She closed her eyes for a last few seconds of innocent peace, saying goodbye to her simple yet blissful life…….saying goodbye to her parents.