Displacements, Pt. 1 of 5. by Nightwalker50, literature
Literature
Displacements, Pt. 1 of 5.
The evening sun's feeble rays pierced the gnarled intermingling branches and variegated autumn foliage of weather-beaten trees and wild shrubs in various blade-like shafts. Intercepting them were two people as eager to catch their little remaining warmth as the inevitably doomed flying insects of the waning season did. Both were close friends, like the night and day joined by a similar twilight, but the complexity of nature's structure and elements around now increasingly countered their desire to be amongst them, challenging any familiar perceptions of the area.
Both moved up a gradual slope of the monotonous rolling t
Displacements, Pt. 2 of 5. by Nightwalker50, literature
Literature
Displacements, Pt. 2 of 5.
Jeremy was just reaching the place where Darian was supposed to meet him and saw no hint of his presence. He casually walked amidst more bare ash trees and between thicker ones with more colorful persisting foliage -- a beautiful autumnal garden. Its variety seemed almost pleasurably typical, until he heard a sonic boom sound in the distance. The noise did not resemble a shotgun discharging from his position, and he looked up to try and find a probable source.
The ascending tree trunks and their many dividing dark branches effectively shut out the brighter sky though, like sinister harbingers heralding the impending lo
Displacements, Pt. 3 of 5. by Nightwalker50, literature
Literature
Displacements, Pt. 3 of 5.
Darian and Jeremy walked together in the direction they believed the pickup truck was parked next. Splitting up again to cover more ground was the last thing on their minds; an increasing sense of anxiety and urgency developed amongst them over the next few minutes, as the sun's yellow disc merged with the horizon. They scarcely said anything much to each other, and when they did, it was usually just a trivial question or comment about something unimportant to break the silence: all vain efforts to either hide or suppress their true feelings about the very uncanny encounters.
Their walk was no longer casual either. It
Displacements, Pt. 4 of 5. by Nightwalker50, literature
Literature
Displacements, Pt. 4 of 5.
Jeremy reached the top of the open slope, panting some, and said, "Damn! It's dark, but YOU . . . are . . . not."
The sun, with about half its disc above the local horizon yet, cast its filtered orange light on him. Only when he bent forward and put his hands on his knees however, did he see the extent of its protective rays. His feet and lower legs were already in the gradually rising shadow. "Oh, shit! Darian," he said.
He turned and saw him almost twice as far away as before the thing's last appearance. "Darian, stop," he yelled. "Come here, this way."
Too late. The entity crackled into vi
Displacements, Pt. 5 of 5. by Nightwalker50, literature
Literature
Displacements, Pt. 5 of 5.
Jeremy saw no trace of Darian in the position he had been and was startled more immediately afterward by another disturbing revelation: he was now also in the shade with the prowling attacker, but just barely. Reaching his hand up and still touching sunlight, he sternly said, "No you don't! Not that fast."
He ran along the top of the slope toward the higher ground of a flat-topped ridge to his southwest. With no gun to carry anymore, he could move with greater speed but with also a greater sense of desperation. The landmark looked vaguely familiar to him from past visits to the area, but the sun stubbornly played "har
Emissary, Pt. 1 of 5. by Nightwalker50, literature
Literature
Emissary, Pt. 1 of 5.
Nine months later and many miles from the site of the harrowing event involving Jeremy, Darian, and the dark entity, two other people met at a popularly preferred location. One was native to the area, and the other was not. However, the vast open landscape with its agricultural characteristics, large and small, was familiar to both of them. At least, that much was in common to the pair, but now, the planned union commenced in order for each to better understand their differences and explore further.
They sat on the ground beside some exposed boulders in the shade of a couple of hardy weather-beaten trees. Big clumps o
Emissary, Pt. 2 of 5. by Nightwalker50, literature
Literature
Emissary, Pt. 2 of 5.
For most of the past six months, Dave Bronstad had been too busy to know much about the small city of Fleeceburg and its people, except from other people's opinions. He even deduced that it probably was this curiosity that caused him in a large part to get involved with Jill. Now, with the summer season having started, he finally had the time to learn more for himself, and where better than a selected social gathering place?
Almost an hour after sunset that same day, Dave drove in from the north edge of town where he lived and took an arterial street to one of the oldest establishments where the locals and many others c
Dave followed the central rug of the place again, turned to pass more people to distance himself from the noisy jukebox, and sat on a rotating stool in front of the bar. After another minute there, he ordered a watermelon -- a refreshing drink of orange juice and strawberry schnapps combined, and poised himself to get into a nearby conversation with two others. One of them was standing and waving his beer about as he spoke, ranting about a strange experience he had in a place called the Meadows. An older person with a big dirty cowboy hat on just another stool "downwind" seemed totally oblivious of the boisterous man, his head le
Emissary, Pt. 4 of 5. by Nightwalker50, literature
Literature
Emissary, Pt. 4 of 5.
There was a short pause. Jeremy scratched an itch out of his dark beard, and Dave finished his drink. The background music changed. Then, Jim nudged him with his elbow and said, "C'mon, believer. Where's my introduction already?"
"Christ," Jeremy replied, almost laughing. "I didn't think you needed one. You heard him introduce himself well enough before, didn't you?"
"Oh, yeah. Sure," Dave said while nodding. "The part about him being chased about on his land some night by a hairy sheep grabber thing did a good job of that. Then, the big insect-like creature. Hey, I had to get to know the guy next."
Emissary, Pt. 5 of 5. by Nightwalker50, literature
Literature
Emissary, Pt. 5 of 5.
Dave and the shapely woman heard a pop sound from the direction of the bar that resembled a gunshot while getting into his vehicle, and he drove out of the area without further delay. On the way to his apartment, he made a couple of superficial comments about the events there and tried to get some kind of conversation started by asking routine questions. She only responded with continued silence though, watching the small, older boxlike houses of the central part of the town pass by as they moved on.
New replaced the old as they drove outward, even with the trees; after a few minutes, her face showed an interest, curios