Night Walk

Prompt: I was out walking my dog one night. There were no lights, and the stars were visible in the sky. Suddenly, I saw a strange object in the sky. It went closer, and then I got sucked into the strange object. I could see a strange creature with three eyes, pinchers for hands, and tentacles for legs. The alien then went towards me and…

Story: Rex’s guttural howling echoed throughout the wood’s tangle of evergreens. Urging him to hush was impossible. I placed a hand down to calm him but he was adamant, his grimy paws tossing up dirt as he dragged at the ground, and the amber of his focused eyes glinting by only dim starlight as they glared menacingly upwards. Nothing could be seen except the distant and faint glowing of the stars above. The hollow of my chest was filled with a rush of chilly night air. Something seemed off... The woods’ surroundings - even at this time of night - was often permeated with the dismal chirping of cicadas and hooting owls, or fireflies blinking by the wood’s trodden path. But tonight seemed frozen in time. Not even the nightly rustling of foxes hunting in the bushes.

Suddenly, a great vociferation of birds came from the horizon, their loud cries moving closer, louder. I could see their stretched wings beating rapidly above my head and hear their alarmed chirping. My heart raced as Rex whimpered between my legs. A blinding light seared my vision and warmth flooded my body. I tried moving, running blindly, but to no avail. I was stuck in place. A sudden feeling of weightlessness left bile surging up my throat, and soon the pain became unbearable; everything faded to black.

When I awoke next it was in the control room of some strange ship. Through my blurry vision I could make out the faint blinking of what seemed to be control room lights and buttons. I tried to lift myself up and off the cold chair I was currently slumped over, but my head throbbed and something restricted the movement of my limbs. Of course, intense claustrophobia decided to kick in at the perfect time. My thoughts became muddled and my heart began hammering in my ears as I tried desperately to scratch off the straps bounding my arms and legs to the chair. Eventually my strength gave out. I collapsed back and allowed the cloudy feeling of nausea and hopelessness to permeate my senses.

The sound of footsteps caught my attention. Shit. The room’s door slid open with a metallic whoosh.

A creature stood in the doorway. Its pallid complexion looked towards me slowly, almost curiously, and I came face to face with three glassy, black orbs, glaring straight at me. It walked closer, and all I could focus on was the sound of its slimy, webbed feet on the metal flooring, moving closer and closer. Its pinchers reached out towards my face and…

A rapid blur of brown and black came rushing into the room. Rex! He growled menacingly at my apparent kidnapper, poised and ready for attack. The creature’s muscles tensed as it backed up towards the control board. Even through its blank, marble-like eyes, I could sense its fear. Rex leapt, and at the last moment, I could see the creature’s grey pinchers slam a red button on the board. An alarm blared deafeningly. Once again, I felt the same feeling of weightlessness and nausea, but this time I was cradling Rex to my chest as we hurtled downwards, and into darkness again.

When we awoke it was in a wheat field near the woodlands of my home, with the warm night wind brushing its tall shafts, and the comforting, familiar glow of fireflies above. Rex nuzzled me awake, and I stood up despite the protest of my aching muscles, just glad to be alive and too tired to question the night’s events. Luckily, there would be time for that tomorrow morning. We began making our way home.

Author's Note: You can tell I really rushed on this (just wrote the last 60% in 40 minutes lol)... And I will have to do so again tomorrow! Today was the worst day to go on a forced, spontaneous vacation.