L.C.'s Heroic Looter: Prequel Ch. 1: Invasion

chapter one of two prequel stories telling the origin of Lin Callahan's powers. Lin finds herself in the middle of an alien invasion and begins noticing things that don't add up.

"Hey! Get up! Are you alright?!" And older man, maybe in his mid thirties shouted at me.

"Wha? Where am I?" I was tired and groggy... Last I remember, I was laying in bed falling asleep. Now I'm outside. It's dark and raining and I can smell some gross stuff, blood stands out the most. Old blood, like it was spilled a while ago and hadn't been cleaned up. there was also a stale breeze that seemed to only hit my face, so gentle, it could have been someone's breath...

"Your in trouble if you don't get up now and come with me, they'll be here anytime!"

"They who?"

"The Urymics, the aliens that invaded two months ago? Tall, lanky, same colour as a kidney bean, they have no face and have mouths filled with teeth like mini razor-blades in their hands.... They went all Independence Day on the USA first only they lost... You don't remember?!"

"Is this a joke?" I asked as he forcefully got me up.

"No you idiot!" He yelled with annoyance.

"Hey! I'm not an idiot, jerk! My name is Lin Callahan, and I swear I was in my bed at home, I was looking at a job in the US before that; now I'm here... wishing I went to bed with more on." I pulled down on my over sized shirt. It strangely wasn't wet or dirty.

Mr. Grumpy handed me his plaid jacket and said "fine, I'll take it you have amnesia th-" He was cut off by a weird chattering noise. It was like a cross between birds and a chainsaw, if you can imagine.

I was suddenly running down a different ally a couple steps behind my grumpy friend, Bert Grinzlow. "Wait, how do I know his name? And when did I put on pants?" I wondered.

The sound came back, making me forget my questions. Bert told me to hurry up but I glanced back to see a couple of the aliens, just as described to me, instead. They also had four legs as well as two arms and their limbs all reminded me of tentacles. They didn't really have heads either, just a strange bulge between their shoulders. Seeing it terrified me, I thought my heart was going to explode. I found myself moving twice as fast, blowing by Bert, well tears streaked down my face.

Next, I was in a library, my heart was still pounding and I was starting to notice a weight over me. but I felt calm, like I'd been here I while and I was safe. Bert sat cooking beans by burning books for fire. A though crossed my mind out of the blue and I picked up a book. I couldn't read any of the words. Odd considering my love of books and comics.

No time to think about it, one of the Urymics appeared and grabbed Bert. Before I could react, it pressed one of its hands down on his side over the kidney. I could hear the little mouth go to town on Bert's flesh. One of its tentacle legs wrapped around my throat to keep me busy, forcing me to watch my friend die as his kidneys are eviscerated and eaten by the alien.

As the light started to fade from Bert's eyes, I could here a voice mingled with the sound of the alien. It was hard to understand but I think I heard "...need to go..." and "...wakes up..."

I was falling out of my bed suddenly from thrashing around so much, my heart pumping so hard it hurt, my face stained with tears, and the panic and horror from the nightmare still plaguing me. I never felt myself hit the floor though. In fact, I couldn't feel anything other then fear all of a sudden, like anything I physically felt was gone. When I started looking around, I couldn't feel myself move either. I tried to pick myself up but instead I kind of slipped upright. No bending, twisting, supporting my weight with my arms, I just found myself upright. I kept moving and found myself against the ceiling, actually. I moved to try and see myself in my vanity mirror but the way I moved, I found myself pressed against the far wall instead. It took a few attempts, but I got the hang of myself eventually. All I saw in the mirror was a shadow and my bedroom behind it, I looked behind me but the shadow in the mirror wasn't there. I tried to look down at my body next, but all I could see was this shadow, and the floor it covered. I was left confused... and, honestly, with a strong desire to destroy my copy of War of the Worlds hanging in the back of my mind.

The next couple weeks were spent getting control of, and figuring out my abilities. I was 'missing' for a day or two well I figured out that I appear to people as a disconnected shadow, that I couldn't make any sound, and finally, to make myself reappear.

With practice, I learned that I didn't have to be flat against anything, as long as I touched against a surface, by even a hair, the rest of me could stand separate. I could also move extremely fast when I melded into other shadows, when I stand separate, things pass threw me, and I can't be harmed or touched. I could have any part of me turn to shadow or become solid without changing my whole self as well. It was simultaneously creepy and awesome.

Well I do enjoy my new powers, I'm constantly still wondering how I got them, why I got them, and what was up with that dream.