DARKNESS DESCENDS
By
Nicole Mayer
Timeline: On way to New Pacifica
Author's E-Mail: destiny@bluesky.net.au or destiny@wwdg.com.
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Here's a dark piece I wrote mid last year. It's never been posted anywhere although a few people have seen it, and I finally decided to release it publicly. In keeping with my reputation, yes, this is another twisted story and I'd love any comments anyone has. :)DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained within are the property of Universal/Amblin Entertainment. No copyright infringement is intended.
DARKNESS DESCENDS
by Nicole Mayer (destiny@wwdg.com)She raced through the forest, blindly, crazily, not caring where she was going and not caring where she ever went. She had to get away, away from the darkness and the horror that it had brought. Away from the evil, consuming hunger. Away from the pain, until her world was empty.
Gasping heavily, she grabbed onto a tree for support. She could only pause for a moment, not feeling safe here at all. She doubted she would ever feel safe again, not when she knew that *they* were out there and *they* could come for her at any time.
The sound of her laboured breathing filled her ears and she glanced around frantically. What if *they* could hear her? Silver moonlight eerily filtered through the branches above, casting monstrous shadows in every direction. The leaves rustled, and she froze, clasping one hand over her mouth.
Desperately trying not to breathe, her eyes were wide with fright. She did not dare make a sound. After hours of running, she barely had the energy to go on and knew that if she was found now, there would be no escape. ~Please, not now,~ not when she had overcome all odds and survived....
It was a miracle she had even managed to get away. She knew just what they were capable of. They had come quietly, silently, in the night, with barely a whisper the first time. The time when the colonists didn't yet know the danger they faced.
~No!~ she said to herself. She would not torment herself with the memories. There would be time enough to grieve later. For now, she had to get as far from this cursed place as she could.
Her frightened eyes darted around her surroundings once again, and she realised that the deceptive rustling had been nothing more than the wind. Gritting her teeth with determination, she bravely took a step forward, away from the tree that, even after such a short association, seemed the only familiar thing left.
She ran on, into the night, dodging trees and shrubs as her whole being was focussed on her flight. There was no time to even contemplate anything else, because then she would be caught. And that would be even more terrible, because she *knew*. She knew they were out there, and they would come for her if she ever dared go back.
Finally, she could run no more. Exhausted, she collapsed at the base of a tree. She had no idea how far this nightmarish forest extended, but the hours of running had taken their toll. Staring desolately up at the sky, she noticed the silver moonbeams gliding down. The moons didn't care what had happened. They would just continue shining their light until the end of eternity.
Curling herself into a little ball, she trembled as she fought to banish the memories. She stared hard at the sky, willing her mind to be as empty as the two orbs high above. If only she was out there now, in space, in the time long before they had ever crashed on this planet.
Back to the time when the idea of hiking across an entire continent was nothing more than an absurd suggestion. When they had a simple mission ahead. When there was hope. For no one had ever suspected the dangers that had lain along the way.
Imagining the colonist ship still out there now, she could only pray that they had the sense to stay away. The Council had been right. Elizabeth had been right. No humans could ever live on this planet, because the darkness would get them all.
A shadow passed above her, and she involuntarily cried out. But it was only a cloud, and the forest was as silent as ever. Even night animals did not walk these paths.
Soon, the full glory of the sky was again revealed, and she shuddered. It had been dark the night They had first come, a deep blackness that seemed never to end.
When the members of Eden Advance first entered the forest, Ulysses Adair had violently protested.
"Mom, we can't go in there!" he'd said loudly.
But when pressed for an explanation, he had none to give. "If only we'd listened..." she now whispered into the night. No one had really believed in the presence of evil in the air. They'd told themselves it was just claustrophobia, caused by the trees. They were already way behind schedule on their journey to New Pacifica and the had forest provided a shortcut too great to resist.
It wasn't even thick, at first. A clear path had been detected straight through it, but later, they had wondered if their instruments hadn't somehow been made to malfunction.
"Maybe they lured us her," she suddenly realised, and shuddered. For if They had known the colonists were coming, it made the tragedy all the more horrible.
She struggled to fight the dark thoughts, but could not force them away any longer. The first night, they'd come quietly, while everyone was asleep. No one was aware of the evil presence that had invaded their dreams and stolen their memories.
But then they had woken from the drugged slumber, to discover that Alonzo and Uly were missing. Their only link with the Terrians. The only ones who may have known the danger that lurked. Their only hope.
She shivered violently under the tree, as the memories came crashing back. How the search parties had scoured the forest, but found no traces. How they had tried over and over to reassure themselves that Alonzo and Uly were just out for a walk. And the tense silence, deep into the night as they sat by the fire and waited.
The unearthly cries in the distance haunted them for hours.
And again, the evil ones came silently and strongly in the night, taking another two colonists. Yale, and Julia. They seemed to know just how to undermine the group, who to take and where that would leave the dwindling numbers.
But the worst, most horrifying discovery came late the next morning. *They* had left a trophy.
True's anguished scream had seemed to last forever. No one could protect the child from the horror, as she stood, transfixed with dread, by Alonzo's lifeless body. Strung to a tree, he stared with dead eyes and the gaping cavity in his chest was all too obvious.
They had taken his heart. And in the process, destroyed his soul. True cried for hours as the remaining few tried to comfort her. But no one could truly shield her from the approaching doom.
The colonists began to pack up, to leave the terrible place, all the while searching for some signs of their missing friends. Their doctor was gone; as was their contact with the planet and any hope of communication with the computer orbiting above. Everyone suspected, and feared, that they would be next to vanish.
But on the third night, the Shadows came with a vengeance. Loudly, this time, with a rustling that struck fear deep into everyone's heart. It was a slithering, whispering sound of intense menace before they exploded from the trees.
Somehow, Eden Advance was surrounded. Fires broke out, and the tents burned high. But even the crackling, and horrendous blasts as vehicle fuel tanks blew could not hide the screaming.
The horrible screaming of her friends that went on and on into the night, the most horrible torture, as she weaved in and out of the darkness and caught glimpses of the end would forever haunt her. And when the last of Eden Advance died save herself, she knew there was nothing more she could do.
As the Shadows began their terrible victory dance, she ran. Flew through the night, as if the devil himself were after her. And for all she knew, he was.
Sobs began to wrack her body, and she clung to the tree for support. They were all gone, every single person she had ever cared about. Destroyed by an intense horror that no one had ever believed could exist on such a beautiful planet. She was all alone.
Perhaps, just perhaps, she should let the Shadows take her. She had nothing left now, nothing but the painful memories and their screams which she was sure would haunt her every night from here until eternity. Lifting her face from the tree, she looked into the darkness with a new kind of resolution.
A swishing sound caught her ears. She stared into the undergrowth, feeling the fear rise again. But she would not run. It was time to face the enemy.
A crack of wood, a dry twig snapping. She rubbed her face, feeling the grime on her hands infect her eyes. She didn't care. She was beyond caring now about physical things. Yet silently, she resolved that her spirit would never break, as a tribute to her friends.
*He* stepped into the clearing. She stared at him without comprehension. He extended one hand, a look of understanding in his eyes. Slowly, she reached out her hand to take his.
"Hello, my sweet Poppet," he said coldly. And Bess went with Gaal willingly. For there was nothing else for her to do.
-The End-
This text file was ran through PERL script made by Andy. Original text file is available in Andy's Earth 2 Fan Fiction Archive.