Demons

Written by: Stephen Brown; Mansfield Grey

 

I had briefed Bronco, Sticks, and Q on what Sara had told me at the top of the pyramid. I told them of how Sara had vanished on the way down, and yet somehow she showed up with Clark in the courtyard, 20 minutes later. I couldn’t explain how she could move so fast.

I was on my way back from a re-con of our rescue plan and I noticed the gravity was beginning to ease as the sky started to brighten. I guess this was the start of a new day down here. Who knows? Beside all this new knowledge of truth, of Nazi’s, secret technologies, giant hybrid jawbreakers, and then on top of all that they want to continue using us like avatars.

Suddenly, I didn’t feel well. Oh no, it’s starting again. I have been here before: head pounding, sweating, stomach in a knot, heart racing. I didn’t know who I was. What’s happening!? Who am I? My family? The tape kept playing in my head. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks! It was all Clark’s doing, taking advantage of me when I was vulnerable. It wasn’t my fault at all. I wasn’t to blame for my family’s death. My mind was brainwashed and controlled by an implant chip.

I forgave myself right then and there. Something I had never done before. It felt like a weight had been lifted off my chest. I took a deep breath, then another, in, out, in, out. It is what it is. It was what it was. It will be what it will be. I silently meditated on these words.

I had just calmed down when I heard Q, “You okay Manny? You look a little worn.”

“Yeah, these gravity changes are the bomb, huh?” I smiled at him. “Looks all good up ahead. Have we tried the saser weapons yet? Do we know if they work?”

“Yeah, they work, Captain,” Q started to laugh.

“What? What happened?” I asked.

“Well, Sticks and Bronco got into it again, as usual, and Sticks shot Bronco with the saser; knocked Bronco clean out. So yeah, they work pretty good. Bronco has a killer headache, but he’s good. He got up and laughed after. Took 10 minutes, but he got up.”

Out of nowhere—and for the first time since we had been down here—the wind picked up. It started moving the trees around as if their roots would be pulled from the ground. Then a sheet of water slammed down from the ceiling above. We were soaked.

As Q and I composed ourselves we noticed an object descending from above. It was like nothing either of us had ever seen before. It looked like a giant Tic Tac: all white and shaped like a capsule, and it was spinning in a circular motion; moving like a mouse on a computer screen.

We were on high enough ground to see that it had landed at the base. I looked through the binoculars and could see all kinds of suits getting out of the craft.

I looked at Q and handed him the binoculars, “Something big is going down, and I don’t like it.”