The Reyburn Contracts: Orion

Part 7 - The Life of a Wanderer

The shack was situated in a patch of land that was surrounded by shallow water all-around. By the time Roswell reached it, the sun was just touching the horizon. Not that he could see much of the red sky passed all the cottonwood and willow trees, which cast an eerie twilight on the clearing. The large trees in the distance cast creeping shadows across the glade, reaching clear into the algae covered water on his side of the raised patch of land supporting the shack. He could just make out the orange and red between the trees, but above, where there were no trees to form a canopy overhead, he could almost see the stars shining through the violet vale of the night sky. 

There were patches of ground dotted through the marsh that he used to easily get to the patch of land on which the shack was situated, but mostly it was surrounded by water. Once he was close enough to have stepped up onto the risen part of land on which the shack was built, he called out. "Orion!" He waited a moment for a response. "Just come out, this doesn't have to go as badly as you're making it." He paused again. He had heard sound coming from the shack just before he announced his presence, so he knew Orion had to be there. "Don't make me force you out, boy!"

Just when Roswell thought he was going to need to do something, there was a loud crash. The entire shack had collapsed as a large shadowy colossus leaped out from the shack and was barreling down toward Roswell. Those eyes, he thought to himself. He could see the four glowing red eyes. He made a gesture and ducked just as the ground around him was flung up and around him, creating a dome-like shape. It wasn't enough though, as the shade's fist slammed through the miry Earth, but just barely missed Roswell. The dome had held enough to absorb most of the force. With another gesture, a column of Earth, like before, sprang from under Roswell, throwing him out from the shattered dome. He landed in the water about fifteen feet back.

The shade was now charging at him, throwing water everywhere as soon as he had entered the marsh's water. This was when Roswell took a good look at the creature. It was about eight feet tall, with arms as thick as a tree trunk. It had tendrils waving effortlessly from its head like hair. Its skin wasn't as dark and fathomless as he had expected. There was a texture to it. It's skin almost seemed like dark metallic fibers. Like black, steel muscles. The most noticeable feature though, was instead of legs it had what looked like tentacles. It didn't so much run, as it much as it lumbered. It was charging at him by pulling itself forward with its monstrously large arms, aided by its tentacles each limply lunging forward and pulling his lower half forward. It was a rather grotesque sight indeed.

With a new gesture, Roswell raised a wall out from the water to try and stop the charging goliath. However, the shade broke right through it, flinging clumps of mud everywhere. Roswell raised his arms to protect his face from the flying sediment, which left him vulnerable. The shade rammed into him and swatted him forward, throwing him onto his back. He had been completely submerged beneath the water, and this sent Roswell into a full panic. As fast as he possibly could he pulled himself out of the water, but by the time he pulled himself back up, there was a large arm swinging down towards him. The shade grabbed him by the torso with its massive hand and tossed him backward. Roswell didn't even process what had just happened. He just stood up as fast as possible and lumbered himself back to the mossy ground where the shack had stood, crawling on his hands and knees.

You have to get up. He was laying on his back, just staring up at the tree canopy above, with spaces between the growth letting small rays of light shine through. He hand landed on his right arm, which must have knocked it out of his shoulder socket. He couldn't help but sit there holding his arm trying to fight the pain off. He wanted to stand, but his body wouldn't obey. His whole body had shut down on him. Get up! he thought again. He managed to turn over onto his left hand and knees. That thing is going to kill you if you don't do something. The shade, probably recovering itself, was slowly making its way to Roswell. Finally, it was as though someone else had taken over his body as he hopped up.