Mathis looked at his watch impatiently; the sun will set soon he thought to himself. Soon the only company would be the desolate darkness. Darkness so unrelenting it would swallow itself if it could. Sweat trickles down his face, Mathis cleans it with the back of his hand his wedding band scratching his forehead and drawing a faint amount of blood. The salt stings his skin and he winces, biting his tongue so hard he draws blood again. His face sours and he grimaces, muttering to himself words only a sailor would use. Stopping to look back he sees his friend Ricco, wheezing and coughing like a geriatric with pneumonia, a few yards behind him. Mathis inhaled deeply, the freshness bringing repreive from his minor wounds. The air fills him and he relaxes, a rare smile creeping to his face. It had been years since he felt this peace in him. A rare piece of mind granted only to those who can cherish a moment for what it is, fleeting and yet strangely fulfilling with the cavity it leaves. The kind of yearning that only makes the heart grow fonder. His fondness grows as the clouds billow above, gathering substance by the second and turning the sky a sickly grey. An ominous sign of the coming violence. Mathis opens his eyes, a flare of light invades his mind and without turning away he squints into the sunset, his eyes fixed on the beauty of the land. The canyon is beautiful, rich reds and brooding burnt oranges mix playfully with the clay. The land is peppered with hints of dull green, weathered and wind worn from the years. It was a magnificent view, but today it would be short. The earth trembles beneath his feet gently; the distant sound of thunder is heard. Mathis’ face becomes stern, twisting to understand the strange weather that is fast approaching.
"Hurry Ricco, I don’t wanna get stuck in the dark." His voice echoes across the rocks, mixing with the distant rumbles.
"Why? You afraid of the dark you big baby?" Ricco grins and stops moving completely, a clear defiance of Mathis’ plea.
Mathis ignores this and continues without Ricco, his soft boots leaving traces of their existence in the moistening clay. Another distant rumble rolls through the valley.
"Did you hear that?" Ricco said, his eyes scanning the horizon for the cause.
"Do not worry, it's only thunder"
Ricco skeptically eyes the sky, his hair stands on end and his pupils widen. A current begins welling up inside him, first a numbness then a sharp pain as it builds within him. His teeth chatter and his eyes began to spasm left to right. He shrieks and jumps forward, the sensation stops. He runs his hands across his body as if trying to throw the force off of him. He checks his surroundings, nothing. Mathis is just a small figure near the butte nearly a quarter of a mile ahead. Ricco takes a deep breath and hastens the pace. His grips his jacket tight as the wind picks up, his mind racing with thoughts of what it would be like to be bacon. His face shows the displeasure of his thoughts. His teeth begin to chatter again, soon he feels it. A deep low vibration is permeating through the canyon’s walls. Mathis stops and turns to Ricco who is frozen in terror, searching wildly for the source of this magnum sound. Mathis takes out his phone, suddenly the cacophony ceases leaving only the wind whispering its quiet consolations, he drops the phone to his side.
"What the hell was that?" Ricco said nervously.
"I do not know but I don’t want to be here when it returns."
The two travelers hurry toward a cabin on the horizon, hoping to escape their fate.
"Did you ever get scared here Mathis? You ever feel that we are being watched? Is so big here, you’d never know.” Ricco yelled as the men hustled towards the door just before them.
"And you call me a big baby? What are you afraid of?"
Ricco stopped, “My mother is pretty scary.” Ricco laughs to ease the mood; Mathis fakes a smile and ran ahead.
As his hand touches the doorknob Mathis begins to shiver, his fingers turn icy and numb and his lips fade to a tepid muddy blue. He let’s go and turns around, the warmth quickly returns, there is only Ricco who is looking stoic and confused.
"W-W-What's wrong?" Ricco stammers.
"Nothing, it was just the wind." But there was no wind.
They enter the house and slam the door behind them. Mathis hurriedly closes the blinds leaving Ricco’s mind to wander in terror. Mathis’ face has lost its color as he silently stands in the middle of the room, hands affixed to his hips. He scans the room for something, but he has no idea what he is looking for. He looks to Ricco, his face the very same pallid complexion. He contorts his face in confusion.
“Ricco! Buddy! Ricco.”
Ricco is catatonic. He only slowly raises his index finger, devoid of life it points behind them to a solitary beam of light seemingly walking the path to the house. Obscured by the shades it seems to bounce, with a human gait as it picks up speed. Mathis rushes over to the window to open the blind. The light disappears as he unravels the shade. Mathis searches frantically for the beam but has no luck; he turns to Ricco again who stands pointing to the other side of the room now, the light continuing its path to the house. The light widens as it pulls in closer, the bounce becomes more pronounced, and the speed becomes inhuman. The howl of the wind is heard and dust flies into view, shrouding the light with brown. The beam grows in intensity; the shades do no good. Mathis runs into the kitchen shielding his eyes from the atomic light source as he darts to open the top left drawer, a .38 special and ammo rattle about as the cupboard opens violently.
"It’s too late!" Ricco notes, his voice cracking with fear. A tear rolls down his cheek as the windows crack beyond repair, sending the desert into the cabin.
Mathis fumbles with bullets, his fingers shaking violently, rocks and shrubs battering his body. The house is now engulfed in a chaotic whirlwind of dust, debris and light. His heart beats out of his chest, each pump shaking his whole body. He pulls the hammer back and levels it at the door, fine pieces of dirt whip around stinging the wounds. Rocks, shrubs, small trees, even boulders now surround them. The malevolence magnifies and all hope seems lost. Then, ceasation. The dust settles and the last rocks clatter to the floor, the boulders tumbling away. But Mathis notices it first. The nothing. No more light. No noise, not even a whisper or a tumbling boulder. Ricco sits in the corner cowering in fear. Mathis calls to Ricco cupping his hands around his lips like a mega phone, but he find he has no voice. He clings to his throat beginning to panic he swallows air, attempting screams but nothing is heard. His eyes bulge, his veins press the surface of his skin and his organs begin to feel weighted. He struggles to bring his head upward to the heavens. His throat wide he gapes at the celestial brilliance. In the middle of it all it strikes him again, and a rare smile creeps to his face. Space and sky melt as a bright light, brighter than any earthly light envelopes the men. The cabin is pure white light and energy flowing from all available angles. A vague outline appears in front of Mathis; his eyes squinted so tight he cannot make it out. The figure reaches out with a thin appendage; Mathis throws his arms as if to offer to what fate has been sealed by him. The earth opens up and as fast as the light appeared, it is swallowed by darkness taking the men and the cabin with it. Leaving only the desert and the wind whispering its quiet consolations.
Mathis fumbles with bullets, his fingers shaking violently, rocks and shrubs battering his body. The house is now engulfed in a chaotic whirlwind of dust, debris and light. His heart beats out of his chest, each pump shaking his whole body. He pulls the hammer back and levels it at the door, fine pieces of dirt whip around stinging the wounds. Rocks, shrubs, small trees, even boulders now surround them. The malevolence magnifies and all hope seems lost. Then, ceasation. The dust settles and the last rocks clatter to the floor, the boulders tumbling away. But Mathis notices it first. The nothing. No more light. No noise, not even a whisper or a tumbling boulder. Ricco sits in the corner cowering in fear. Mathis calls to Ricco cupping his hands around his lips like a mega phone, but he find he has no voice. He clings to his throat beginning to panic he swallows air, attempting screams but nothing is heard. His eyes bulge, his veins press the surface of his skin and his organs begin to feel weighted. He struggles to bring his head upward to the heavens. His throat wide he gapes at the celestial brilliance. In the middle of it all it strikes him again, and a rare smile creeps to his face. Space and sky melt as a bright light, brighter than any earthly light envelopes the men. The cabin is pure white light and energy flowing from all available angles. A vague outline appears in front of Mathis; his eyes squinted so tight he cannot make it out. The figure reaches out with a thin appendage; Mathis throws his arms as if to offer to what fate has been sealed by him. The earth opens up and as fast as the light appeared, it is swallowed by darkness taking the men and the cabin with it. Leaving only the desert and the wind whispering its quiet consolations.
Date May 2 2011
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