Unnamed for the moment

Um...Not really much to describe. Just an intro scene.

The sky was emblazoned with the pale moon, the orb hanging above a large block of steel & stone. A hole in the midst of steel revealed its menacing entrance; the edges sharp with roughly cut metal. But the place was empty; deserted as far as the eye could see. Nothing. No one. Inside, remains of a workplace showed. The neatly arranged desks, the computers that stood untouched resting on them. The computer mouse, all lying on the same identical mouse pads. But the pads, like mouse and the computers, had no logos of any known brand. Unmarked and mysterious.

Cupboards lined the walls. All their doors were opened. Again the familiar emptiness greeted the viewer. There was nothing inside. Not even dust. Just the mahogany wood and the glass. They were either never used…or someone had taken great pains to remove everything. But why not the computers? They all seemed abnormal: freaky, under the moon’s light, like aliens from another planet.

Just waiting. Sitting. Observing.

The drawers of the various desks were closed, but it would be likely that they were empty; as the cupboards. A single skylight was carved in the centre, light streaming down to the floor. A spider web hung on it, the shadow of the spider on the ground. But it wasn’t moving at all, and it was soon clear why. Dead. The corpse was rotting and it hung from its web, suspended in mid air.

It had died, while hanging from the web, in the midst of trying to complete something that would never be inhabited. Like the complex itself. Everything was there. But there was no one in it. No one using the computers. No one. Why build such a place? The reason behind it was simply unfathomable .

Everything was untouched, unharmed. The computers alone would cost a fortune. Money spent to build a place that would never be used. Why? The building lay on a piece of ground that stretched out for miles. Again like the building; it was deserted. There were no bushes, no trees; nothing surrounding the building. The ground was parched and cracks were etched in it, like many scars stretching across the surface of the earth. High above, a black crow cawed, sending an ominous sound that echoed throughout the place.

This was no desert, but the air certainly felt like it. The desert at night; cold, icy and chilling. Something bad had happened here. From the deserted building down to the barren land, the eerie sinister feeling was present. As if…something was watching you. But there were no lights. Only the pale silver sheen of the moon. And that was barely enough to see the place. But again the same question arose. Why build such a place? In the middle of nowhere, surrounded by large mountains that hid the world from it. In a place without water, without food, without electricity.

Why would someone go through all the trouble to build a place that would never exist?

And the black crow cawed again as the moon was swallowed up by the clouds.The two figures kept chasing after him. He could vaguely make out the contours of their bodies; sleek dark humanoids sprinting towards him at breathtaking speed. Things were certainly not proceeding according to plan. He had planned the entire operation, right from the leaving of the hideout to the reaching of the safe house. But he hadn’t counted on them being around. Hunters.

They were known as such due to their only defining trait: their ability to hunt. Nothing escaped them. Once they got hold of your scent, it would be etched in their memories till the day they died. Their eyes were like cameras, taking in every single detail, storing it into their brains. Right from the top of your head, your black hair - in this case it was auburn - down to your feet and the shoes you were wearing. If you were wearing shoes. The government used these abominations now. Like the 21st century police officers, just with the ability to kill without authorization & an uncanny sense of smell, sight and hearing.

Another problem with these beasts was the fact that they were invisible. Technically, there is no such thing as invisibility. But, if a magician in midst of the audience were to metamorphose himself into one of the audience, one might say, to a lesser extent, that the magician had attained invisibility. This was the exact problem with these creatures. Legend had it that their breath made you hallucinate them to be whatever you feared most. Few escaped these monstrosities, and those which did turned out to be a babbling, incoherent mess of nonsense.

And now he was facing two of those beasts. He rounded a corner - past an old debilitated building - before abruptly changing tack and darting into a small alley beside the cracking wall of the building.. He couldn’t hold on much longer. His breath was coming out in short bursts and he could feel his insides turning into lead. How much longer? His feet skidded across the wet floor. A patch of moonlight spilled onto the wall in front of him. S**t. S**t. S**t.

He spared a fleeting glance behind him. Oh god. No. The beasts! The abominations! They were gone. Vanished. Most people might have been pleased: the monsters chasing them had abandoned the chase! But he was not most people. That, and the fact that he knew these monsters never abandoned the chase, unless they were dead. The chances of these things being dead?

One in a million.

Then he saw it. Crimson pools…no…fiery rubies blazing into his own eyes. They were here. The hunters. He could feel their breath against his skin: hot wet and unpleasant, clinging onto his skin like slime. Why? Why? He could make out the beings as they got closer, their blurred images slowly morphing into winged beings. Large asphalt wings beating strongly like African war-drums, a menacing rhythm. He could feel every fiber of his being quaking with each beat, the loud resonating thump of their wings sending the air rushing to him.

Cold air.

Arctic air.
These beings radiated menace and gave out an aura of pride & arrogance. He could perceive them now: the shapes did not matter. He knew at this exact instant that no matter what form they were in, he could identify them. Their sheer alien nature stood out, the fierce wild unkempt character showing off their beauty: their sick twisted beauty.

He could hear them whisper to him. “You are our food. You are our prey. We shall devour you!” There was no need to shout or anything, no need to glare or clutch at him with those claws. The very voice of these things were enough. A rasping guttural sound emitted from their throats, chilling the very centre of his being, like daggers repeatedly stabbed in and pulled out. He could feel his knees shaking, his eyes watering. His hair was on end as he gazed - in awe & fear - of those god like creatures. These creatures were neither angel nor demon. These creatures were simply terror.

Pure unadulterated fear at its very worst. He could feel his vision turning hazy as the figures drew closer. He wanted to scream: to shout! Anything to break this uncomfortable silence. But he could do nothing. His body had deserted him, limp and unmoving, like blocks of stone. The creatures had possessed him. He had no power, no control. He was dead! Gone!

And then he saw the moon in the sky. His heart beat once. His head throbbed.

This was too far. It had to be approved, surely? He could feel it clawing at him, begging for release. He felt his vision blur even more. The ground started to approach him, or was it him toppling towards the ground. He could feel the teeth at his neck. GIVE ME APPROVAL!

Why? Why? Blood pooled around him, crimson fluid leaking out from his arteries. He could see nothing, only hear the sound of those wings beating & smell the salty scent of his blood being spilled.

One eyelid forced itself open. The patch of red blood grew. WHY? Did it prefer him to die? I NEED YOU!

And it happened instantly. The cage doors opened and the wild animal that lay within sprung out. He could see the cruel smile; directed at him, before the smile vanished to be replaced by a snarl as the silence transposed into a mighty roar.

Rain started to pour. The beings froze, aware that something was amiss. They had tracked their prey to the alley and caught him at a dead end. It could have been over hours ago: they had been following it since it had left the block of metal. But they liked to play with their food.

But now, something was wrong. They could hear a low hissing: a threatening hiss. From where? Their eyes flashed as they surveyed the landscape around them. There wasn’t much to observe. Walls lined the sides, with a tall brick wall in front of them. The behind was the black of the night and the sky was filled with clouds. Rain ran down the girth of their warped bodies as bewildered eyes - their own - followed the droplets down to their feet. It hit them.

Literally.

Clawed hands sprung out, grasping them by their hair, the long claws digging welts into their skin.

A pair of sapphires greeted their own crimson irises. “Surprised?”

A moment later, and it was over. Nothing remained of the scene except for a single white feather.

A young human limped out of the alley.


 

Author's Note

Hope you like it!