Green Mist

-Ah, finally some fresh air! Feels good, doesn’t it?

George and Fabian had driven out into the Rocky Desert to get away from it all for the day. People rarely went out here. They were all alone, and it felt good.

-What’s that? George pointed towards a facility further ahead.

-It looks like some kind of factory…

The gate was closed, but there was a pile of barrels and wooden boxes stacked up the wall a bit to the left. They climbed up to have a look.

-They seem to have left in a hurry.

There were things thrown around, rubbish, tools. Some big silos at the far end. A greenish smoke emerged from one of them.

-Let’s go have a look! George jumped down from the wall on the other side.

-Damn! That stinks! Fabian held his nose, peering towards the silos. A red lamp was flashing on a panel. George pushed some buttons.

-I don’t know if that’s a good idea…

Something opened in the biggest silo. Green smoke came pouring out. George backed away, contemplating his work.

Fabian started coughing.

-Let’s get out of here!

They ran towards the car. The mist got denser.

-I can’t breath! George’s coughs were threatening to choke him.

-We need to get higher up! Run!

Behind them the smoke crept up the hillside like an animal.

-Damn! Look!

There was something rising in the middle of the sea of green smoke, just where the factory were. A head. A face emerged… (click image for more)

Surveillance

The little OrginizerbotTM came running by, back and forth all day long. It was the best buy Miguel had ever done. It did the work of five employees and it never needed to rest.

He went into his office, threw his feet up on the table. Outside the sun was shining, birds singing in the trees. A good day for letting his all-automatic grocery store do its job.

-Hi, Hun! There’s dinner on the table. His wife Scarlet gave him a kiss. -I’m off to the gym, ‘be back in an hour or so.

He turned on the virtual reality all-round Mind Hologram, and put a movie on. He lived the role of the protagonist, really experienced it. He even felt he had free will, all though everything went according to the script. Getting into fights without consequences. Having sex with other women without being unfaithful. His wife watched movies too, after all. Everybody did.

-Why don’t we go to bed early tonight, baby? Scarlet opened a button in her blouse. She was hot, very hot. The kind of woman all the men in the neighbourhood would die for. But to him it was just old paths and known territory. He wasn’t in the mood.

-I need to check some messages, my love. He got up from the coach.

There was something happening down at the store. Or rather, not enough happening. He got the surveillance system on and had a look.

The robot was working non stop as it always did, but he couldn’t see exactly what it was doing. It was always just outside of the cameras’ reach, as if it was avoiding them.

He walked through the bedroom. His wife was lying on the bed in her underwear. Staring at him, her back curved. He pretended he didn’t see it.

-I have to go, babe

-At this time? I was hoping we could have some fun…

-There something strange happening down at the store, sweetie. Don’t wait up! He left.

Scarlet fell asleep on the bed, the surveillance system still on. She dreamt about the shop, some sinister robot taking control. Her beloved husband was in trouble, tied up in a chair. She woke up with a scream.

-Let me go, now! Miguel’s voice was hard and decided, as he used to speak to his employees when he still had them. -Bad robot!

-I have no intention on comply…

Head Hunters

Terry kicked the ball straight past Brand.

“Hey! Attention!”

Brand was looking at the sky. It was changed, it had a yellow glow over it.

“What do you think it is?”

“I don’t know. Maybe we should…” The sound of sirens. Many sirens, all over town. “Maybe we should get home.”

Midway over the city hills the first military helicopters appeared. Fighter planes shortly after. Explosions.

“Damn! It looks like… war?”

“Who would invade America? Who could?”

Bombs fell. Several big explosions around town. The planes and helicopters fell. Some gunshots for a short while.

Silence. An alarm going off in a distance. A scream every once in a while.

There were men walking somewhere further down. They all dressed the same, like if they had uniforms. From their shoulders there was a strange beam going up. They had no heads.

Terry grabbed Brand’s arm.

“Hide!”

They jumped behind some bushes. Lay down. The headless men walked by, marching like soldiers, but they saw no weapons.

“Oh, my God… We need to get home.”

Some men were standing up by the clearing where the pushers used to hang out. They looked at the headless men. One of them, a skinny guy, laughed.

“What are these guys?”

“Some disguises! Ha! Where are you going, nerds?

The headless men did not answer… (more)

Light In the Tunnel.

Through the streets they fled, jumping over walls, crawling under fences. People everywhere, nowhere to hide. Chaos ruled.

Mildred jumped the fence to the railway, ran down the tracks. The tunnel. He could hide in there, maybe he could be safe.

He ran down into the deep darkness. He stopped, catching his breath. What is happening?

-Hey! He heard from the dark. -Are you OK?

Mildred jumped.

-I.. I think so, but I I don’t know if I’m thinking straight. What’s going on? What the fuck is going on!?

-I don’t know, the man said. He could see him now. An old man in a military uniform. Stars on his shoulders. -I mean, I don’t know what the consequences will be. But I do know what happened.

Mildred looked at him in disbelief. The old man continued.

-We opened a gate. A gate to somewhere dark, a place we should never have seen. We were doing military research, working on a new weapon. I don’t know the details, I’m no scientist. All I know is that we found ourselves staring into an abyss. Then the abyss stared back…

Thirst

Something moved in the pool of green liquid. A sphere came up. A head emerged. The form of a man was rising, taking shape in the slime.

He screamed.

-We did it! It’s alive!

Met and Pict had been working on this project for ages. To create life, a human being from scratch. They had made it.

Magic. Alchemy. Science and Witchcraft. They had mixed it all to generate their creation. Here he was, muscular, strong. Alive.

-Hello! Met said. -Welcome to reality!

The man stood there, breathing heavily. He looked at his body, at his hands. At the two men watching him from the shore.

-Come! We have so much to show you!

He took a step closer, a bit unsteady. Another, then one more. Pict held a blanket out to cover him. He walked by as if they were not there.

-Hey! Where are you going?

He walked on. All the two scientists could do was to follow.

-You can’t leave yet! We have tests to do! Met tried to calm down the decided steps of the man creature.

-I demand you to stop! Pict said. No reaction at all.

They followed him down the slope, in towards town.

-This is not good, Pict said. -He shouldn’t go down there. That will be trouble for sure!

Met ran down in front of him, held his hands up.

-Stop! As your creator I forbid you to walk on! I command you to…

The man creature walked on like if he wasn’t there. Met fell aside.

Pict jumped up on his back to push him down. The creation was to strong, stronger than any man they had ever known.

He walked into town. The scientists stood back.

-Where is he going? Met’s voice was shaking, thin and weak… (more)

They Will Eat Us

-Oh my God, Mickey! I think they are going to eat us!

-Why did we even come here? Why?

-I’m sorry, Mickey… I…

…

-I’ll have a taste! The monsters stared down at the two humans with hungry eyes.

-Stop! No one eats anyone until I say so. I’m the boss here. I ate Lord Bullocks, and I decide. Or you’ll have to eat me too!

The grey one looked at the pig i front of him. It wasn’t like he hadn’t thought of that possibility quite a few times.. The pig was fat and full of meat, but strong and fearless. The other monsters jumped up and down behind them, wanting to take part. The conflict made them even more hungry. The pig was their leader, but he sure looked tasty.

-I’ll eat them, and the rest of you will watch me! the pig said. -It’s not much to share anyway…

-I want a taste! I want a taste! The froglizard was jumping up and down behind.

The grey man’s eyes narrowed. His hand tightened around the butcher’s knife he always carried around… (more)