previous ____
I don’t have much time to write this. I would like very much to say goodbye to the people I care about but I’m not sure that is even possible. My wife Renee has lost what little is left of her humanity and my parents may not be long behind her, all because of these bouts of sleepwalking that I was dumb enough to try and solve. I should have tried to get her help sooner.
But it’s too late to feel sorry for myself. Right now, I have to act and save possibly many more lives.
Sorry. Let me catch you up. I know I sound rushed and that’s because I decided to go through with it and contact the alien expert in the area. His name was Douglas Chaddery, and he reminded me of a cross between a modern day paranormal investigator and a cowboy.
We met at a diner about three blocks from my parents house and he asked me to show him a video of their sleepwalking behavior.
I sat there in silence as he sipped his coffee and reviewed the footage.
“And this was after you took her to the abduction site?” he asked.
“Yea. I can show you where that’s at if it will help.”
“No need. It’s gotta be the Old Mauvis Church,” he said as he showed me pictures of what the building looked like back in its glory days.
“Yeah… that’s definitely it! How did you know?” I asked in fascination.
“Strange things have happened near there since I was yay high. I was baptized at that church. But after the fire… well people said it was haunted before but I guess that just confirmed it,” he mumbled. I thought about how dilapidated and worn down the building looked now. A shell of its former self.
“And these… aliens did this?” I guessed. I wasn’t exactly sure what he was rambling about if I’m honest. Douglas had a wild look in his eyes. The kind that told me he would either help me or hurt me. I kept a distance as he talked.
“The church has nothing to do with that. Or maybe it does. I don’t know. Some people say it’s not there sometimes. These things… whatever they are. They aren’t from some other world, mate. It’s another dimension! That’s why they are trying to reach into your dreams and control your loved ones!”
“Subliminal messaging sounds like what happened to Renee… I guess that explains why they didn’t abduct her completely. But what do they want?” I asked.
His wild look was toward me now, trying his best to keep from shaking in fear. “If what you say about them is true, they are too far gone. Beyond help. These creatures have complete control over their body and soon their soul. The only kindness you can offer now is from cold hard bullets through their skull,” he said. Then to my surprise he offered me a gun and said, “You’re the only one that can. Make it merciful. They deserve that.”
I looked down at the sidearm, shaking away the sudden realization that Douglas might be right. What if they couldn’t be saved?
“Is there no way to stop the aliens? To stop them from sending out this signal?” I asked.
Doug seemed like he liked the idea and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Scramble it? Shit maybe even shut it off… could be… I mean I do monitor them. I can tell ya when there’s a burst. But… mate that would be suicide. They’ll rip you to shreds.”
I shook my head, recalling last time that they left me alone.
“I might be able to bypass and get inside. Take them out. Surely there can’t be that many if it’s isolated to just this church right?” I asked.
He nodded frantically and started to gather supplies, rambling about frequencies and how to tap into one. He shoved a walkie-talkie into my hands and said, “Keep this on. If I register something I will give ya a call. Maybe you can shoot them up, do some real damage?”
I didn’t know if this was a good idea or not, but I couldn’t imagine letting Renee and my parents suffer or perish because of these damn things. So I went toward the church next, my hand playing with the radio a few times as I parked opposite of the desolate building.
Why were they drawing people here? Were they trapped? What did the signal do? I wasn’t sure I would ever get answers but I had to try and shut this thing down before others were hurt.
Somehow I fell asleep, and the day drifted by. When I was awakened it was the sound of the radio chirping to life.
“You there? Hey! Are you alive?? I’m getting a signal!!” Douglas was nearly shouting in my eardrum.
I frantically looked toward the building and saw a glowing light come from the windows. He was right. I needed to move and act now.
I grabbed up the gun he had given me and carefully crouched into the long grass beside my car.
As I got closer I turned the radio down and peered into the church. There was nothing there. It was just a desolate building.
But then I heard wailing. And I saw… moving shadows. They were slithering across the floor the way that a pastor might describe demons. But now I knew what they were.
Dangerous creatures from beyond. I adjusted the signal to the right frequency, trying to match the one that Douglas had given me.
In response the shadows started to writhe. Then I felt my head begin to pound. Like a voice intruding into my thoughts.
intruder
no. Not intruder
transmitter. Bring us more. More vessels.
Aekvythl watches. He awaits
bring vessels
The command was ripping through my mind over and over and wouldn’t stop as I tried to make sense of it.
I was… the transmitter? was that why the sleepwalking didn’t affect me? They were using me?
Then I realized why Renee had been brought here. I was a puppet.
I started to pour the gasoline from my trunk all around the church. Thinking maybe I could burn it down. But the shrieking got louder.
How could I hope to destroy shadows? Then I realized I couldn’t. I can’t win as long as I’m alive they will use my body to send this weird signal and use that for whatever nefarious plan they have.
I’m terrified to watch as I bleed out. But I can’t let these things win. The church will burn and maybe take these things with me.
But also me. And what little good I did.
So yeah. I know it’s not the happy ending you might expect. But now my family can be free of this curse. And so can I.