The Lost Level, page 11
The alien regarded us with no visible emotion. A device appeared in its hand—a small, metallic rod with a blue–lighted tip, about the size of a stage magician’s wand. The Grey pointed the device at us, and I felt a tingle go through my body, as if my limbs were numb and asleep. I tried to scream but to no avail. My body ignored my commands. I could barely breathe, let alone cry out. I tried tensing my muscles, desperate to break free, but nothing happened. Never had I felt so aware—or so utterly helpless.
A glowing sliver of light appeared behind the alien, some distance off into the forest and bright enough to stand out from the perpetual sunlight. I tried gritting my teeth, intent on breaking free, but nothing happened. The light quickly expanded into the shape of a doorway. Shadowy forms of other alien beings hovered in the doorway, watching the confrontation.
Our captor turned to face the door and began walking toward it. Inexplicably, Kasheena and I began to follow him. I fought with my body, desperate for control, but my legs continued to betray me. I caught a glimpse of Kasheena’s face as she crossed into view. The terror and dread in her eyes mirrored my own. I struggled desperately to regain the use of my limbs, but I couldn’t even grit my teeth, much less fight back. Hopeless and helpless, we were drawn toward the strange, looming doorway. The light grew brighter, so dazzlingly luminescent that it hurt my eyes. Its glare was strong enough to make me forget all about the ever–present sun for a moment.
I became aware of a low, monotonous hum. The noise was coming from the glow and seemed to vibrate through the entire forest, thrumming beneath our feet. Strangely, my ears popped, as if from a sudden pressure change, and my eyes began to water.
A second alien stepped out of the light and joined the other one. The two watched us, their expressions impassive, as we were drawn closer toward the strange glow. I tried one more time to break the inertia that held me captive, but it was useless. I was filled with despair. Had I been able to scream, I would have. Instead, I could only watch, feeling my terror grow with each step. The light became so bright that I could almost feel it on my skin. My vision grew blotchy, but still I was unable to turn away, or even blink.
Then, I heard a snarl behind us, and my heart jumped in elation. I recognized that growl. Had I been able to cheer, I would have done so loudly.
Seconds later, Bloop bounded forward, reacting savagely to the two aliens. Apparently, the strange force they’d used to spellbind Kasheena and myself had been ineffective on our bestial friend. Our captors seemed visibly startled, enough that the one holding the strange rod dropped the device. The blue light on the tip of the rod winked out. The creature bent, fumbling for it, and then Bloop was upon him—a furious, whirling, blue–furred cyclone of teeth and claws. He landed on the alien’s back and wound his tail around his opponent’s long, skinny neck. Then, with one quick, savage motion, his head darted forward, and he buried his snout in the Grey’s throat, while slashing at its uniform and back with his talons. The alien uttered a pitiful, warbling cry—a shriek that was cut off seconds later as Bloop’s jaws clenched shut in its neck. The alien gurgled. When Bloop opened his mouth again, there was a gaping, ragged hole where the victim’s throat had been. Even as the creature toppled to the ground, Bloop leapt from its back and launched himself after the second alien, who turned and fled toward the light. I realized that Bloop wasn’t carrying his swords. In his haste to save us, he’d apparently forgotten them.
With the death of our attacker and the apparent damaging of the mysterious rod from which it had controlled us, I found my paralysis was broken. I glanced at Kasheena and verified that she could move again, as well. She seemed disoriented, as if awaking from a troubling dream. I sympathized with her. I felt sluggish and tingly, as if I’d just awoken from a nap to find my hands and arms still asleep. I flexed my fingers and toes, trying to get the blood flow back to them, and called out to Bloop. My voice was barely a whisper. I paused, summoning my energy and trying to clear my head, and then shouted again, louder this time. Our companion ignored me, caught up in his single–minded pursuit.
The second alien ran toward the light, with Bloop hot on his trail. But as the duo approached the glow, the light quickly diminished and then blinked out altogether, reminding me of a television being switched off. The humming sound ceased as suddenly as it had begun. With a frightened yell, the Grey changed course, heading deeper into the forest. Bloop did the same, seemingly determined to mete out a punishment similar to the one he’d given its companion. Although the alien’s language was gibberish to my ears, I could tell that it was frightened.
“Come on,” I said to Kasheena, my voice hoarse and breathless. “We’d better go after Bloop. He’s not armed.”
“I would say that he is.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Judging by the way he just killed that Grey, I suppose he doesn’t even need those swords he’s been carrying. But still…we don’t know the full capabilities of his foe. It sounds panicked, and that makes it even more dangerous than before.”
I quickly retrieved our weapons. Then, we jogged after our companion and his prey. Both of us stumbled a bit as we set off. My limbs were still numb from the effects of the temporary paralysis but loosened up again as I ran. Bloop, suffering from no such malady, bounded ahead of us, crashing through the undergrowth like a bullet. I couldn’t see the alien, but I did hear it, squealing with terror at being abandoned and pursued.
“Bloop,” I called, cupping my hands around my mouth. “Come back!”
Ignoring my cries, our furry companion leaped onto a low–hanging tree limb and swung through the treetops, propelling himself along with both his arms and tail. Kasheena and I doubled our efforts to keep up with him, and our campsite faded from view. There was no way to get off a shot at our attacker and still keep pace.
We saw brief flashes of grey and black as the alien fled, darting among the thick vegetation. Overhead, branches shook and leaves cascaded down as Bloop raced along, moving even faster now that he was airborne. I soon found myself winded and gasping for breath. I noticed that Kasheena was panting, as well. I was just about to call a halt and suggest we give up when a horrifying shriek echoed through the forest, followed by a shout of surprise from Bloop.
Kasheena and I paused, glanced at each other, and then pressed on. The alien’s screams increased, growing more frenzied and louder. Ahead, I saw Bloop drop down out of a tree. He recoiled fearfully from something I couldn’t see. We raced toward him, weapons at the ready, but Bloop turned toward us and held out his hands, palms up, urging caution. Slowly, we approached, and what we saw made us both gasp aloud.
The Grey stood ankle–deep in a small puddle of water that was spread out along the forest floor. At least, it looked like a puddle of water. But it was doing things that water wasn’t supposed to do, like flowing upward. As we watched, tendrils of fluid climbed up the alien’s legs, entwining around the creature’s body. More liquid followed, and then the entire puddle began to slide up, until the Grey was covered from the waist down. The alien thrashed and screamed but was unable to break away.
We backed up, watching in revulsion as our former attacker’s body began to dissolve. The pain and terror reflected in those obsidian, full moon eyes was terrible to behold, and I felt my loathing for the Grey turn to pity as it slowly liquefied. The alien gave one last, anguished cry and then fell silent. Trembling, it continued to stare at us. Kasheena turned away from it, and I noticed that she was crying. Bloop grunted and then stared at the ground. I watched, unable to tear myself away from its gaze until the swirling water flowed over its head, extinguishing those orbs forever. Then, the elongated form splashed back to the ground, forming a puddle once more—albeit bigger than it had been before. The pool rippled and quivered and then went still.
I hadn’t realized until that moment that I’d been holding my breath. A shudder ran through me as I exhaled, and that feeling of dread returned. I wondered how long could I realistically survive in a dimension where even the water could eat you. But then I glanced at my companions. I didn’t know Bloop’s origin, but Kasheena had been here all her life and was still alive despite that fact. At that thought, my fears eased somewhat.
Bloop motioned us backward, and we did as directed, creeping away in silence until the puddle was out of sight. Then, we turned around and retraced our steps back to the camp. As we walked, I touched Bloop’s shoulder. His muscles were still taut and tense, but when he looked at me, he smiled.
“Thanks, buddy. You saved our lives tonight…today. Whatever it is here.”
I stuck out my hand to shake. He glanced down at it, and then back up at me. His brow furrowed in confusion.
“I guess your people don’t shake hands,” I said. “And I don’t know if you can understand me, but thanks. That’s all I wanted to say. Just thanks.”
He stared at me for a moment, and then his smile grew broader.
“Bloop,” he said and pounded his chest with one fist.
I laughed, nodding. “Bloop, indeed, my friend. Bloop, indeed.”
“What was that thing?” Kasheena asked. “It looked like water, but it…was not.”
“I don’t know,” I answered, surprised. “I was just about to ask you the same thing. You’ve never seen something like that before?”
She shook her head. “Never. And I’ve never heard anyone in my village speak of such a thing, either.”
“I noticed something during our journey. Every time we’ve stopped for water, Bloop has sniffed the source first. It didn’t matter if it was a stream or a pool or even a puddle. He always smelled it first. I thought maybe he was checking to see if they were stagnant, even though that didn’t make much sense at the time. But now I have to wonder if he was checking to see if the water sources were one of those creatures back there. Maybe he’s had experience with them before?”
“Perhaps,” Kasheena agreed.
“Maybe it was some sort of amoeba,” I suggested. “Or some type of land–based jellyfish. Or a protoplasmic alien from elsewhere. It disguises itself as a puddle of water and then waits for its prey.”
Kasheena said nothing, clearly still disturbed by what we had just witnessed. Bloop stood calmly against a tree. Using a twig, he cleaned alien flesh from beneath his claws. Then, he experimentally stuck the end of the twig in his mouth and tasted it. I assumed the alien’s skin wasn’t to his liking, judging by the face he made and the vigorous round of spitting that followed.
“Have you seen the aliens before?” I asked Kasheena.
“Aliens?”
“The things that tried to kidnap us. On my world, they’re called Greys—although even there, most people don’t believe in them.”
“I have never seen one until tonight,” Kasheena said. “But I have heard others speak of them before. It is said that they come from elsewhere, like yourself. They appear and disappear very quickly, and no one knows where they return to.”
“But they live here, right?”
Kasheena frowned. “What do you mean, Aaron?”
“They live here in the Lost Level? They don’t go back to where they came from before?”
“I do not know. I always assumed they must live here, as does everything else. Shameal suspected that they served the Creator, but in what capacity, he never said.”
I thought about this while we hiked back to our campsite. The glow we’d seen had looked like some sort of portal, and when it vanished, so had the other aliens. The one who had been left behind—the one Bloop had pursued—had acted like it had been abandoned. Was it possible that the Greys had the ability to enter and leave this lost dimension at will? If so, then perhaps they were my ticket back home—if home was indeed where I wanted to return to. Before, I had thought so. But now…I wasn’t so sure. This world was fraught with perils and hardships, but despite that, the thought of leaving made me a little sad.
As if reading my thoughts, Kasheena reached out, took my hand, and gave it a squeeze. She smiled. I returned the gesture.
No, I wasn’t at all sure I wanted to return home anymore. And if I did, I wondered if she would be willing to return with me.
You might think, reading my accounting of the Greys, that I should have been more incredulous at the encounter, but you must remember that I’d long studied the occult and other esoteric mysteries. The Greys were a part of those studies—a small portion, to be sure, but something I’d read up on nevertheless. I had more trouble wrapping my brain around the giant robot and the mysterious sounds of underground machinery than I did alien abductors.
Something I was curious about though was Bloop. My thoughts returned to him once again, as they had right before we’d made camp. It felt like the more I learned about him, the less I knew. There was the matter of his apparent prior knowledge of that strange water creature, but I was also intrigued by his reaction to the Grey aliens. Although I couldn’t be sure, I suspected that Bloop had encountered them previously, or at least had some sort of knowledge of their intent. I wondered if his people had legends of abduction phenomena just as my people had. It was also important to note that he had seemed immune to the paralysis they had induced on Kasheena and myself. How, and why? It frustrated me that I couldn’t ask him. There was so much I wanted to learn, so many questions for which I felt he had the answers, but the communication barrier between us prevented me from getting those answers.
We made it back to the campsite without incident, but when I examined the ground, looking for the strange device the alien had dropped, I couldn’t find it. Nor were there any markings on the ground where the weird light had appeared—certainly nothing indicating that a craft of some type had landed there. It was as if the aliens had never been there at all. Our own gear was unmolested, sitting right where we’d left it before the attempted abduction.
All three of us were still tired. Bloop let out several exaggerated yawns, and Kasheena and I both had circles under our eyes, but despite our exhaustion, none of us could sleep. After a half–hearted attempt at breakfast, we decided to move on and make camp elsewhere. Soon, we started off again, taking care to go far around the pool of killer water, but even after the campsite was far behind us, I kept glancing over my shoulder, looking for signs of pursuit. I don’t know if it was nerves or paranoia or lack of sleep—or perhaps a combination of all three—but I couldn’t shake the persistent feeling that we were being watched. But there were no more aliens or liquid blobs. Instead, the only thing I saw was that ever–present sun, hanging high over our heads like an unblinking eye.
9
SPECIAL DELIVERY
“DO YOU RECOGNIZE ANYTHING?” I asked Kasheena after an extended, grueling hike up an especially steep and rocky hillside. I don’t know how long our trek had worn on, but I was tired and thirsty, and my feet burned. I’d built up blisters during our journey to Kasheena’s village, and our extensive climbing and walking had finally caused them to pop. The police riot armor had never seemed bulkier or heavier than it did at that moment. My throat and tongue felt like sandpaper. I applied some of John LeMay’s cherry lip balm in the hope that it would make me salivate. I think Bloop was worn down, as well. His tail hung limp behind him, dragging the point of one of his swords through the dirt.
When Kasheena didn’t answer me, I tried again. “Are there any landmarks that might indicate how close we are to your village?”
Nodding, she pointed ahead. “Beyond those trees lies the soft valley. As I told you before, I know that area well. Past the soft valley is a strange, small, yellow statue. After that, there is more forest. We should reach the shores of a lake before our next sleep. We will not linger there, for the waters are dark, and it is said that the lake is inhabited by a monstrous creature. My people have never seen this creature, but our elders have spoken of it. We do not fish there. Also, we have seen parties of Anunnaki along the lake’s shore many times before.”
“And your village is near the lake?”
“Not quite. After the lake, there are grasslands. It is perhaps another sleep before we encounter the Temple of the Slug, which we will also avoid. My village is only a short journey beyond that.”
“What is it about this temple that makes you avoid it?”
“I do not know,” Kasheena admitted. “My people are forbidden to go inside. It has always been this way. Those few who have dared to defy that rule, and have ventured into the temple, have never returned to tell what they found there.”
I mulled it over. A soft valley. A yellow statue. A monster–haunted lake, perhaps with a bonus group of snake men patrolling its shores. And something called the Temple of the Slug. Before I could ask for more details, Kasheena turned away and pressed on. Bloop glanced at me, shrugged his furry shoulders, and followed after her. Sighing, I did the same.
“You seem distracted,” I told Kasheena. “Is everything okay? Is there something you want to talk about?”
“I am fine,” she said, even though she clearly wasn’t, and it occurred to me that women were just as frustratingly similar and mysterious regardless of what planet, dimension, or alternate reality they came from. It had always been my experience that they wanted you to be sensitive to their feelings, but through clairvoyance, rather than communication.
I sighed again in frustration and followed along. When I glanced at Bloop, I swear it looked like he was grinning.
“Laugh it up, fuzzball.” As soon as I said it, I remembered that Bloop had probably never seen Star Wars and therefore wouldn’t understand the reference.
