The Stars Beyond the Mesa by Pete A O'Donnell

Author:Pete A O'Donnell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: young adult, monster, alien contact, thriller, Action and Adventure
Publisher: Pete A O'Donnell
Published: 2021-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Five

Stranded by the storm, the creature was hiding, finding it impossible to fly in the gusting wind. On another world, in another place, his species were called Lightning Bugs, a name they were given by a different people. Their true name could only be expressed in color and light.

‘This weather is unexpected,’ he thought, but how can anything be unexpected when the whole universe is repetition, full of moments that feedback, again and again, falling on each and tumbling forward. By instinct he knew the way, time and space folded on themselves, reaching out in an infinite number of directions. With such clear vision, he should’ve been able to predict his current circumstance, but there was always chaos, simple chaos. From when the winds decide to change, to when a little girl decided to empty her bladder, moment to moment the universe proved it was unknowable.

That girl, he hadn’t meant to hurt her, but trying to dream-walk two people at the same time wasn’t an easy task. The second event was coming, he could feel it. Time was getting short, and somehow these people kept getting in the way.

Those two back at the house would’ve been useful, but they were the girl’s earlier generation. Her parents they’re called. The little girl cared about them, enough to risk her own safety. The concept of family was strange to the Lightning Bug. At one time, when there’d been more of them, his entire species had been his family. Each one a brother and sister, touching each other’s thoughts. But they were gone now. Almost all of them murdered. Some he hoped had escaped the purge and were in hiding, but he couldn’t be sure.

Hiding wasn’t an option for him. The hunter was here. It was a ghost given form, and it was close. The Lightning Bug wouldn’t stop trying though. If he kept the second event from happening, if he could close the void from this side, then perhaps his people would survive, perhaps he wouldn’t be so lonely.

∞

The rain hadn’t started yet, but Ben and Katy could feel it coming in the air as the wind whipped around them. In the distance beyond the lights on the fence, they could see the darkening sky swallowing the valley. The security lights still had power, but only every third one was glowing. It was a different kind of light too, a softer, orange glow.

The dome of the observatory was dark, looming over them like a giant with its massive foot ready to fall. Squinting because of the dust, Katy stared, noticing the way the wind moved around it, the way the gusts seemed to break on it.

‘It’s probably really dumb to be here,’ she thought as they crossed the abandoned grounds. Not a single soul was around. The facility felt evacuated, but she knew it was only because it was the middle of the night. Everyone was huddled in their trailers, most not even aware of the power outage.

She glanced past the observatory toward the generator building.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.