《Little Green Men》Chapter 4
Advertisement
As they approached the cache, Alex shut down the bike to reduce noise. He needed to listen for any indication of other people or animals that might be in the vicinity. He walked beside the vehicle, hands on the handlebars, while the children stayed in the sidecar. They had been outside for far longer than Alex had wanted; he had miscalculated their journey. The onset of dusk had painted the land with a golden-orange hue and with the sun at their backs, the Dash children's shadows became elongated phantoms before them. The road was a two-lane route that crossed the marshlands leading into the shore town of Sunset Bay. Here they would find one of the caches their father had buried for them.
After receiving a few "How much longer?" inquiries, Alex suggested the twins play a game of I Spy.
Henry said, "I'll go first. I seeeeee...something...orange."
Annabelle tapped her finger to her chin, then replied, "The sun!"
"Yep! Your turn!"
"Ok. I see something goldenrod."
"Huh? What's goldenrod?"
"It's a color," said Annabelle, grinning.
"Nut-uh! You're cheating!" Henry frowned and balled his fists.
"No, I'm not," she said gleefully.
"Alex! She's cheating!"
"Guys! Shh! Way too loud," Alex scolded. "Annabelle, stick with normal colors."
"But it is a normal color."
"No, it isn't Annabelle," countered Henry. "I've never even heard of it before – Alex, you ever hear of it before?"
Alex rubbed the tension away in the back of his neck while Annabelle replied, "It's a crayon color, so it has to be a real color."
"Annabelle," uttered Alex, blankly.
"Fine. It's yellow. I see something yellow."
Grinning and appearing to bask in his victory, Henry surveyed his surroundings, then pointed. "That street sign!"
Advertisement
"Nope." Annabelle smirked.
"Darn!" Henry swatted the air with his fist.
"Over there," she quipped, signaling a large, heavily concealed school bus. Only a portion of its dulled yellow exterior was visible, the rest of it concealed by vegetation.
The bus had not been immediately noticeable, and Alex's pulse quickened as he recognized the vehicle as a potential shelter. There might be someone inside.
Alex stepped toward the bus with the rifle in firing position. The vehicle appeared to have run off the road quite some time ago. Wild growth had climbed up and over the entire vehicle and at first glance it looked like only a massive tangle of brush. Upon further scrutiny, Alex was able to identify a single, massive vine with smaller offshoots running in every direction. After ensnaring the bus, the vine wound down a dilapidated dock and into the marsh.
At the left rear taillight, Alex stooped to the ground and peered beneath the bus. The vine interweaved throughout the underside and even into the engine. Alex could see nothing hiding within the coils and determined that it was next to impossible for anything larger than a rodent to even enter the space.
With Henry and Annabelle behind him, Alex yanked open the bus door and it yielded with a creak. The vine pulsed, then constricted, and a portion of the bus's front grill was torn free.
Alex moved the twins away and decided searching the bus wasn't worth the risk of being crushed to death. Some plants moved differently these days, but Alex had never seen one do what this one just had.
He focused on the cache and located the metal rod his father had long ago driven into the ground. Removing a shovel from the cycle, he found the "D" etched into the pole and then measured twenty paces in the direction the letter faced.
Advertisement
Alex's heart sank as he saw the ground had been disturbed. Obviously, the cache had been dug up and pillaged. In the underbrush behind the bus's rear tire he found the open metal box. Alex went to it and lifted the lid. It was empty.
He felt sick and lowered his head in disgust. Then, lightheadedness overtook him. The children began speaking, but suddenly sounded distant, like he and they were not outdoors, but in separate rooms in the opposite wings of a large building, He looked toward the twins and their forms became fuzzy, out of focus.
The girl materialized - as she always did – off to the right, in Alex's peripheral vision. She had appeared on two other occasions, but Alex hadn't told Annabelle and Henry about the phenomenon. Alex tried to ignore the otherworldly presence. She was likely just a hallucination, maybe brought on by hunger or dehydration.
When the children walked away from him and toward the bus, Alex discovered he was unable to follow. He pressed his hands against an immovable, albeit invisible object before him. He pressed harder, this time his entire arm slipping between partitions in the object, while the rest of him remained constrained, as if by unseen vertical bars occupying the empty air.
"This is just like the bus we took to school," said Henry, his voice far off.
"No, it isn't," rebuffed Annabelle. "That one had a flat front. This one has the kind that sticks out." There was an echo to their voices, as they continued to fall farther away.
Henry shook his head. "No. This is the same kind, isn't it, Alex?"
The twins turned and looked behind them, then continued speaking, as if Alex had been right next to them, answering the question and not twenty feet away.
"Quiet now," said Alex, in a dream-like mumble. Even his own voice was failing him. He became dizzy and began to swoon. The twins' voices tumbled away as the peripheral-girl looked on, sitting just to Alex's right. Was she doing this to him? Was he going crazy? Had he become sick like his mother had long ago?
Even in his condition, Alex understood that Henry and Annabelle's bickering was much too loud, and he feared them drawing the attention of possible predators. "Shhh," he said. He thought he next said, "Quiet down, guys," but had the feeling it came out more like gibberish. He attempted to squeeze through the invisible bars, but they were too close together, allowing only his arm to pass through. Alex backed away and prepared to shoulder through the invisible barrier, but instead, in his stupor, he crashed to the ground.
Thanks for reading. If you liked this part, don't forget to vote!
Advertisement
- In Serial15 Chapters
I. Galactic War
Follow General Rostov as he fights for the Galactic Federation against the Galactic Empire while carving a place out in this vast galaxy for him and continuously expands his power base to become a force to be reckoned with. Inspired by Star Wars.
8 199 - In Serial6 Chapters
The Yellow Wave
Morgan drives to the west, to the waves, to salvation. He drives to escape the grasp of a strange virus, he drives to survive.
8 149 - In Serial29 Chapters
Hell Hath no Hoagie
Steve, a half-demon on his mother's side, must find the sandwich that will bring upon the end of times! Or at least, that's what he tells his demonic bosses. In truth, he'd much rather just hang out with his friends, a Judge who summons bunnies to maintain the balance of good and evil, a hell-knight who enjoys slaughtering said bunnies, and a tortured soul who is perpetually on fire (who would very much like to snuggle said bunnies but has been told multiple times not to). Steve was supposed to care for the antichrist, and not let the guy get addicted to MMORPGs. But Steve claims that a terrific sandwich will awaken the bloodlust in the antichrist, and so he joins his companions on a road trip to find the most delicious, most evil, most apocalyptic-inducing sandwich of all time... and maybe a taco.
8 117 - In Serial43 Chapters
The Rebel (Thorin x OC)
Bellethiel is a she-elf who has lived a long life. Along with this life has come many trials and suffering. She has a dark and mysterious past that is some how linked to the greatest Kingdom of Middle-earth: Erebor. But what would happen when a certain grey wizard stops her in her travels and invites her on a journey she will never forget. How will the she-elf and dwarf king react to one another once they meet? Will they hate each other because of racial differences or will there be hope in a dark place for the she-elf and dwarf king?HIGHEST RANKING:#3 in Hobbit (February 10, 2021)#1 in Hobbit 😱 (February 17, 2021)#1 in oakenshield (April 5, 2021)#1 in thorinoakenshield (June 21, 2021)
8 207 - In Serial44 Chapters
Zyon: The Alpha Of The North
Just as I think i'm going to make it out, i feel an arm wrap around my waist, lifting me into the air. My struggling does essentially nothing. I am incessantly weak, thanks to my non-compliant wolf. I feel myself being thrown onto the bed.I flip myself around to see him, standing at the foot of the bed, with his eyes darker than usual and a scowl set in. "I told you not to run, not once, not twice but thrice," he says. "You aren't going to like what I do now." As he leans down, I scramble towards the headboard, still on my back, my eyes never leaving his. "I told you I wasn't going to stay, why are you not able to understand..'' I'm cut short as I feel a hand wrapping around my ankles pulling me downwards harshly. I let out a scream as I kick my legs, trying to get out of his grasp. He wraps my legs around his stomach, grabs my wrists and pins them down, so he's essentially towering over me. I know what he plans to do. "Please Zyon, Please I don't want this." He looks at me and smirks, clearly enjoying watching me beg, "I don't care what you want. What matters is, what I want."------------------------------------------------Katherine is living a life of solace and acceptance with Daniel. With her wolf having become dormant, she has accepted the fact that she will live her life as a human. After all it was her own choices that got her here. Daniel, with whom she has fallen deeply in love is not her mate. She knows who her mate is, but has pushed him and all thoughts of him to the back of her head. She fell in love with Daniel before her mate realised who he was to her and she is adamant to keep it that way. Her mate, however, may not feel the same way.
8 147 - In Serial17 Chapters
SUNRISE ༘ bakugo katsuki
𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗲𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝗺. fluff. male reader. ₁₀₋₃₀₋₂₀₂₁ ₜₒ ₁₁₋₁₉₋₂₀₂₁
8 99