Leather Costumes

I was bored.

I used to love sitting under the stars at night. Near my home in Montana there is an open field that I would bring a blanket, and some music, to gaze up at the stars at night. I loved looking at the constellations, and sometimes I could see satellites fly by, and occasionally a comet. I’d enjoy speculating about what was out in that void. This enjoyment has quickly morphed into dread, since the night they came. It was a year ago, I decided to bring the girl I had been dating to the field with me. I never went out there with anyone before, but I felt like she was special. The night was cold, and the breeze would have forced me to return home, but she was lying close to me and our bodies warmed each other. It was peaceful, the breeze shook the trees in the distance, producing a calming noise. I was pointing out constellations to her and somehow I didn’t notice those things creeping up on us. By the time I heard footsteps it was too late. I turned around and saw what looked like three men, but something was off about them, their skin was rubbery, and in some places seemed to wrinkle like they were wearing tight leather. It would have been convincing had the moon not been casting such a brilliant glow that night allowing me to clearly see through their clever disguises. My girlfriend screamed, and I stood up preparing to scare them away, or attempt to fight them. They covered the distance between us with unhuman like speed, and before I could try to defend myself, a gas oozed out of the mouth and eye sockets of the rubbery costume. I accidentally inhaled some, and within seconds my body became rigid. My mind was still clear, but my body felt like it was in a state of rigamortus. My helpless girlfriend cried as they held her down, and forced her to inhale the strange gas. The rest was foggy, the toxin had seemed to incapacitate its victim, and then it would slowly affect the brain, making it hard to think about what I was seeing after they took us. Unfortunately I can only recall a few details of the rest of the time I spent with those horrid creatures. I remember being dragged from the field and into the nearby tree cover. In the woods awaited a small black dome, that was hovering in the air, as we approached it, stairs seemed to appear from thin air, leading to it. It was when we were within, what I could assume was a ship, that they took off their disguises. Their bodies resembled those charts of human muscles, but they were a light shade of purple, and their mouths and eyes appeared to be gaping holes. I felt that I could begin to move a little, but they noticed and knocked me unconscious with an even stronger gas. The rest felt like I was having a nightmare. I remember seeing earth from a window, the sound of a drill, my girlfriend screaming, and a sharp pain in my side. I awoke in my bed, relieved for a second because I thought I was only dreaming. I felt a chill run down my spine, when I felt a scar on my side. I checked the calendar on my phone and I was horrified to realize a month had gone by. I texted my girlfriend and when she replied she had no recollection of ever going to the field in the first place. I drove over to her place, hoping she could calm me down, but when she answered the door I almost fainted. It looked like her, but her skin was rubbery, and wrinkled. She gave me a distorted smile and I ran back to my car and drove away as fast as I could, I had to stop to vomit on the side of the road. I’ve had trouble calming down ever since, one night I tried to go to the field because that used to clear my head. Looking up at the stars gave me anxiety, and I couldn’t help but wonder if she was still alive out there. I don’t go out at night anymore, and I rarely go out during the day because recently more people have been looking as if they are wearing leather costumes.

Author's Note

This is kind of a cliche, but I still enjoyed writing it. Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading.

Reviews

[kicksotic]

You've got a clear sense of pacing and rhythm and a wonderful, albeit raw, voice. What I really enjoyed was the building sense of dread followed by the pay-off of an actual satisfying event -- perfectly paced, by the way -- and then the end with that creepy kick-butt conclusion. What I LOVED was the creative, wickedly deranged, creative imagination supported by some frankly fantastic descriptions.

There was a lot to like here and, even if you are "new," I suspect you're working with a solid base of talent that needs only to be honed, polished and shined. And the only way to do that is to keep writing. You're good. Very good.

[Anjay Dhirmalani]

Thank you, hearing this from you is really encouraging. I was nervous when I posted this because being kidnapped by aliens has been done a lot, and I felt like I rushed it. Thanks for reading, I'm glad you enjoyed.

[kicksotic]

i think you have a very good beginning to what could be an even better story. But remember this: everything's been done. The trick is to do it in a way that makes it yours and has your voice and your unique viewpoint.