05-08-2017, 04:51 PM
It was two in the morning; no one in their right minds would wonder the woodlands at this hour. It was a good thing a young Zack Wilkinson was not always in the right mind. The headstrong young man was out on an adventure to see what had fallen from the sky. The glowing streak looked way too close to be just another shooting star, and the sound of thunder with no lightning had to be impact.
Zack was eager to find out what it was. The last time something fell from the sky, it had been Thor's Hammer... Well, the Hulk fell, but he had yet to hear any sound of the giant's howl. Of course he acknowledged the possibility of it being something far more nefarious. Even as he drove through the North Carolina woodlands, the roar of his four-wheeler echoing through the night, he was thumbing a text as a precaution. Coordinates, distant observation and what to do if he did not respond in the next twenty four hours.
Text complete, he tucked his phone away and accelerated towards his goal. He had seen it fall into his yard, but when said yard is over a hundred acres of wooded mountainside, finding things became a bit more difficult.
"Aww, hell..." The four-wheeler slowed and Zack grumbled a few more curses under his breath. Aside from his gasoline-driven steed, everything was quiet. The world held its breath after the rolling thunder and the approaching climax of its source's discovery. Or at least, that's how Zack's mind fantasized it. He had a flair for the dramatic, which only reinforced his need for adventure.
The smell hit him almost all at once. Smoke. It was rising up the mountainside. He turned and took off, heading down the incline. At first the smoke was thin, little more than a hint, but it quickly thickened. His lungs burned and his eyes watered as the air turned brackish black. The impact had set trees on fire; live wood burned black smoke. "Common, don't do this to me..."
Crackling and popping of burning oak matched the roar of his old four stroke engine. Survival instinct was kicking in, telling him to run away. This fire could spread, he needed to call the fire department. Just as the urge to run matched his drive for adventure, he heard something else. It could not breach the myriad of rumbling engine and crackling fire, but instead rang inside his head.
Whatever it was did not come as words. It was pure fear. He was on the outside looking in, but from that piercing presence it felt like he was burning in the flames. "Oh God," Someone's in there. He reacted before he could really think it through. Throttling the old four-wheeler, he drove through the smoke towards the fire. "Hold on! I'm coming!"
The screams in his head reacted to his voice. He could almost imagine something pleading for help. The fear of death that all living creatures possess was twofold in his head. His heart was a drumroll of excitement and terror.
The flames licked at Zack's work boots before he realized he was driving through the flames. There were small clearings that he aimed for. Keep moving. Science class taught him that the less contact he had with fire, the less trouble he would be in. At least for a little while.
"Where are you?" It was as if he was hearing an echo. When he asked, he felt pulled to the right, as if he had heard someone call out - again without any true words. "I'm here! I'm coming!" There was another echo-like pull. Adrenaline blotted out his ability to question anything. It fueled his dramatic flair, his need for adventure. The urge to be a hero was now.
Following this odd internal compass, he spotted something dark amidst the flames. It was a small crater beveled into the ground. It was just shallow enough to see to the bottom; home to the shattered remains of some voltswagon sized object. Quivering in the middle was an odd sight, what Zack could only describe as living motor oil. In his mind he knew this was what had been calling out. It was even more afraid than he was, and naive to the devestation its arrival had caused.
"Reach out!" He kept one hand on the throttle while leaning over and reaching out with his other hand. He slowed only enough so that dipping into the crater did not throw him into the broken remains.
Had he been clear headed, Zack might have questioned how the oil-monster knew what he said if it could not speak. Nevertheless, the creature quickly slithered into Zack's path and stretched upwards. It was not a hand, exactly, more like a tentacle. Tendril, maybe? Whatever it was, it was oddly cold againt the surrounding heat. It splattered as Zack tried to grab it. Instead of maintaining whatever form it had, it latched onto his arm and slithered its way up.
By the time he clefted the opposite bank, half his body had been swallowed by the frightened creature. With the adrenaline pumping, he paid no heed. The presence was reassuringly cool. It felt like a protective layer, soothing the beginnings of blistered skin as they reentered the fire. The smoke was so thick here, sight was impossible. Thrice he barely missed a tree. Breathing was impossible, Zack had started holding his breath to keep from inhaling the sufficating smoke.
And then the cold reached his jaw. Its spread accelerated. At first, Zack resisted, but when the oil covering his mouth did not stifle the shout, nor the breath it forced him to take, he was hit by an instant wave of realization. Realization and fresh air. This thing covering his mouth filtered out the smoke. When it covered his eyes, it was like a long blink. At first he was blind, but then he saw everything - it was more than a little disorienting. The smoke was not clear, but it was easier to discern the shapes of trees through it, and the heat and ash no longer hurt his eyes.
He felt good. He felt REALLY good. The fire under him was no problem to him, but the creature it was hell. Only when the screams in his head ended did Zack realize they were out of the fire. They were safe and sound. He knew he would have to change the tires and probably every plastic hose and fender. There was a heavy gratitude though. At least it did not blow up.
All at once, his thoughts turned to the creature that had almost literally swallowed him whole. "So... I could go for a bite..."
Zack was eager to find out what it was. The last time something fell from the sky, it had been Thor's Hammer... Well, the Hulk fell, but he had yet to hear any sound of the giant's howl. Of course he acknowledged the possibility of it being something far more nefarious. Even as he drove through the North Carolina woodlands, the roar of his four-wheeler echoing through the night, he was thumbing a text as a precaution. Coordinates, distant observation and what to do if he did not respond in the next twenty four hours.
Text complete, he tucked his phone away and accelerated towards his goal. He had seen it fall into his yard, but when said yard is over a hundred acres of wooded mountainside, finding things became a bit more difficult.
"Aww, hell..." The four-wheeler slowed and Zack grumbled a few more curses under his breath. Aside from his gasoline-driven steed, everything was quiet. The world held its breath after the rolling thunder and the approaching climax of its source's discovery. Or at least, that's how Zack's mind fantasized it. He had a flair for the dramatic, which only reinforced his need for adventure.
The smell hit him almost all at once. Smoke. It was rising up the mountainside. He turned and took off, heading down the incline. At first the smoke was thin, little more than a hint, but it quickly thickened. His lungs burned and his eyes watered as the air turned brackish black. The impact had set trees on fire; live wood burned black smoke. "Common, don't do this to me..."
Crackling and popping of burning oak matched the roar of his old four stroke engine. Survival instinct was kicking in, telling him to run away. This fire could spread, he needed to call the fire department. Just as the urge to run matched his drive for adventure, he heard something else. It could not breach the myriad of rumbling engine and crackling fire, but instead rang inside his head.
Whatever it was did not come as words. It was pure fear. He was on the outside looking in, but from that piercing presence it felt like he was burning in the flames. "Oh God," Someone's in there. He reacted before he could really think it through. Throttling the old four-wheeler, he drove through the smoke towards the fire. "Hold on! I'm coming!"
The screams in his head reacted to his voice. He could almost imagine something pleading for help. The fear of death that all living creatures possess was twofold in his head. His heart was a drumroll of excitement and terror.
The flames licked at Zack's work boots before he realized he was driving through the flames. There were small clearings that he aimed for. Keep moving. Science class taught him that the less contact he had with fire, the less trouble he would be in. At least for a little while.
"Where are you?" It was as if he was hearing an echo. When he asked, he felt pulled to the right, as if he had heard someone call out - again without any true words. "I'm here! I'm coming!" There was another echo-like pull. Adrenaline blotted out his ability to question anything. It fueled his dramatic flair, his need for adventure. The urge to be a hero was now.
Following this odd internal compass, he spotted something dark amidst the flames. It was a small crater beveled into the ground. It was just shallow enough to see to the bottom; home to the shattered remains of some voltswagon sized object. Quivering in the middle was an odd sight, what Zack could only describe as living motor oil. In his mind he knew this was what had been calling out. It was even more afraid than he was, and naive to the devestation its arrival had caused.
"Reach out!" He kept one hand on the throttle while leaning over and reaching out with his other hand. He slowed only enough so that dipping into the crater did not throw him into the broken remains.
Had he been clear headed, Zack might have questioned how the oil-monster knew what he said if it could not speak. Nevertheless, the creature quickly slithered into Zack's path and stretched upwards. It was not a hand, exactly, more like a tentacle. Tendril, maybe? Whatever it was, it was oddly cold againt the surrounding heat. It splattered as Zack tried to grab it. Instead of maintaining whatever form it had, it latched onto his arm and slithered its way up.
By the time he clefted the opposite bank, half his body had been swallowed by the frightened creature. With the adrenaline pumping, he paid no heed. The presence was reassuringly cool. It felt like a protective layer, soothing the beginnings of blistered skin as they reentered the fire. The smoke was so thick here, sight was impossible. Thrice he barely missed a tree. Breathing was impossible, Zack had started holding his breath to keep from inhaling the sufficating smoke.
And then the cold reached his jaw. Its spread accelerated. At first, Zack resisted, but when the oil covering his mouth did not stifle the shout, nor the breath it forced him to take, he was hit by an instant wave of realization. Realization and fresh air. This thing covering his mouth filtered out the smoke. When it covered his eyes, it was like a long blink. At first he was blind, but then he saw everything - it was more than a little disorienting. The smoke was not clear, but it was easier to discern the shapes of trees through it, and the heat and ash no longer hurt his eyes.
He felt good. He felt REALLY good. The fire under him was no problem to him, but the creature it was hell. Only when the screams in his head ended did Zack realize they were out of the fire. They were safe and sound. He knew he would have to change the tires and probably every plastic hose and fender. There was a heavy gratitude though. At least it did not blow up.
All at once, his thoughts turned to the creature that had almost literally swallowed him whole. "So... I could go for a bite..."