The Alien's Trap
The Alien's Trap
It was almost three a.m., and deep in thought the man known as the mortician was calmly pacing outside his mortuary. Hearing a strange humming noise, he looked around anxiously and noticed an unusual light in the sky. He stumbled backwards when he realized the odd light was moving very quickly toward him. Awestruck, he watched the light crash into his car, completely demolishing it. That was when he realized that what had crushed his car was not just a light.
The object, whatever it might be, was a very odd-looking vessel. Wanting to investigate, he proceeded toward the wreckage and saw something that made him freeze in his tracks. His eyes locked upon what appeared to be an alien creature. He pulled the creature from the wreckage and brought it into his mortuary. The mortician immediately contacted his closest colleagues and suggested they perform a séance, in hopes of gathering helpful information about the alien from the spirit world.
His colleagues were people whose professions dealt with death, and he told each that the unconscious alien was something they just had to witness.
They all arrived at the mortuary within an hour's time.
"This...this thing," he told Phillip Mathews, a hit man for the mafia. "This creature...is not of this world. If we play our cards right, we can make a fortune off this thing! A fortune I tell you!"
He said the same thing to Rudy Paul, who laundered money for the mob, and to Linda Gonzalez, a woman known throughout the underworld for the bizarre forms of torture she inflicted upon those who fell from her favor.
The séance began, and after several hours of deep thought and concentration they stopped. For some reason they could not contact the spirit world, and it soon became obvious why.
"Look out!" shouted Linda as the alien leaped off the table, barged out the door and headed for deep woods that surrounded the mortuary. The mortician and his colleagues hopped into Philip Mathews' truck and sped after it. Philip turned on the headlights just in time to see the alien disappear into the ominous woods.
"Should we follow it," asked Linda, her voice cracking with fear.
"We have no choice," the mortician replied. "That...whatever it is...can make all of us rich beyond our wildest dreams."
Rudy Paul then chimed in. "Yeah? Well, what good is a fortune if we're dead? That creature is headed for the Bogs, and no one who has ever gone in there has come out."
"Oh yeah? Well I guess we're going to change that pattern," the mortician proclaimed.
Rudy Paul put his truck into four-wheel drive and slowly followed the alien's tracks. The truck struggled through this rough terrain, but they finally reached the Bogs. Philip turned the truck's spotlight on and they saw something they would never be able to erase from their memories.
The alien was not alone. There was a myriad of creatures that looked exactly like the one they were chasing. The mortician and his colleagues were frozen in sheer terror. The alien that appeared to be the leader pointed at the truck, and all of the creatures started sprinting towards it.
"For Heaven's sake!" screamed Linda, "do something!"
"You do something!" the mortician shouted. "You're the killer among us!"
Linda turned toward the mortician, her face a twisted, gruesome mask, her eyes twin blisters of hate. "As bad as I am, Buster, you are much worse!"
Rudy's voice quivered with fear. "Why don't both of you shut up and help us figure out how we're going to get out of this mess?"
Phillip threw the truck in reverse and mashed the gas pedal to the floor. It lurched backward, its wheels spewing dirt, dead leaves, and branches into the air.
Phillip was speeding backwards when he lost control. The truck slammed into a tree and the airbags deployed, knocking him unconscious. No one could wake him, and to make matters worse the aliens had surrounded the truck. Things were looking very grim.
"Linda," Rudy said nearly whispering. "You're the one who's experienced in matters like this. Do something!"
Linda scoffed. "So, you're depending on me to pull you out of this mess, huh?" She pulled two .44 magnum revolvers from her waistband and made sure they were loaded.
"Yes...please get us out of this, Linda," Rudy pleaded. "If you do, I'll give you anything you want.
"You bet you will," said Linda, laughing. "You're going to pay through the nose."
Just as Linda was about to break open the window and start unloading on the creatures, the sun came up and spread its light over them. The aliens let out a blood-curdling screech. Linda, Rudy and the mortician covered their ears. The sunlight was having a strange effect upon the creatures; their skin was burning away. They were dropping like flies.
The mortician and his colleagues rejoiced because they believed their ordeal had ended. They dragged Philip from the truck and were able to awaken him.
"It's finally over," the mortician said to Philip.
All Philip did was grin.
"So, do I still have to pay you, Linda?" Rudy chuckled.
"Well, I guess not," Linda replied. She began to laugh but stopped suddenly and turned toward an eerie humming sound that seemed to be coming from the dead aliens. The others looked too, and in unison their faces turned as white as snow.
The aliens were melting; their bodies were turning into gooey, honey-colored heaps. But that wasn't the worst of it. From their liquefying corpses there arose a swirling mist that spread upward and outward into the air.
In an instant it hovered over the terrified group of humans like a noxious cloud. Then it descended, and the whole lot of them - Linda, Rudy, Phillip and the mortician - disappeared as though they were candles that had just been blown out.
The mortician and his colleagues awoke; they felt disoriented as they slowly stood up. "Where...where are we?" the mortician asked aloud.
"I don't know," Linda replied, "but we need to find out."
They were in a cold, metallic-colored room. A flickering light made their shadows dance before them. They bunched together as they slowly made their way to a door. The mortician cautiously reached for the door knob but there was nothing there. He tapped the door ever so gently and it lowly slid open.
"Don't waste your time. There is no way out." The voice was a thick, syrupy growl that seemed to come from all parts of the room. The group huddled even closer together, their heads twisting and turning in an effort to find the speaker.
"You are now our prisoners," the voice continued. "And whether you will live or die depends on how you react over the next few minutes."
"What do you want from us?" the mortician sheepishly asked.
Suddenly, the lights in the room began erratically flashing and huge tendrils of smoke swirled chaotically around. "Silence, you miserable earthling! It is only I who will talk!"
"Let us go!" the mortician demanded.
"Of course I will," the voice announced, "whichever one of you survives will be set free."
"What do you mean?" Linda asked.
"You four must determine who will live and who will die," the voice said cruelly.
A door then opened. A foul stench emerged, and the mortician and his colleagues reluctantly entered another room. The door slammed shut behind them.
"The first challenge you must overcome is an obstacle course. At least one of you will die. Even if all of you complete the course, the slowest one will be executed. Good luck!"
The obstacle course consisted of a floor riddled with holes. Beneath the floor were bloodied spikes. Double-sided axes swung from the ceiling. To make matters worse, a disorienting strobe light lit the room.
The group bolted across the room. The mortician made it with no trouble. Rudy cautiously stepped over a hole, unaware of a swinging axe, which split his head in two.
Just as she finished the course, Linda chuckled upon seeing Rudy's head separate and fall to his shoulders.
Phillip noticed an axe just a little too late; it swung down and took two of his fingers. Grasping his injured hand in an effort to stop the bleeding, he, too, finished the course. Now he, Linda and the mortician would face the next test.
"Very good!" bellowed the alien voice. "But have you no tears for your lost comrade?"
"Are you kidding?" barked Linda. "That scumbag would have toasted the rest of us in a bluebird minute. Good riddance is what I say."
"Just like you, Linda," said Phillip in a pained whisper. He stared at his battered hand, which was bleeding profusely. "You'd kill all of us to save your own skin."
Linda scoffed. "Of course I would, Phillip. I'm just hoping to get a chance at you."
"You will have that opportunity shortly." The alien's voice was dripping with scorn. "The three of you who remain are about to face the next test."
"And what is that?" the mortician asked in a voice coated with fear.
"The next test has nothing to do with skill. Fate will determine who will perish next. Three doors will be presented; each of you will pick a door to enter. I am giving you the privilege of discovering what is on the other side," said the cruel alien.
When the doors appeared, the mortician rushed to the middle door immediately. Linda scurried to the door on the left, leaving Philip no choice but the door on the right. They opened their doors simultaneously and shot each other a glance before entering. A large, reptilian-looking arm launched swiftly from the doorway and pulled in the mortician. Philip's face filled with terror as the mortician's screams rapidly became distant.
A sense of relief engulfed Linda as she realized that taking Philip down would be a piece of cake. His injury had definitely taken a toll on him. He was a ghostly pale and had become lethargic due to blood loss.
They entered their doors and found themselves in a dimly lit room. They stood across from each other, waiting for what the alien had in store for them.
Linda couldn't help but smile as she glanced at Phillip, whose face was contorted with pain. He gingerly held his damaged hand at his waist, and blood still steadily dripped from it. He'll soon be toast, she thought to herself.
"There is a table in front of you." The alien's voice seemed to come from everywhere in the room. "Upon the table are two knives. When I give the command, each of you will rush to the table, grab a knife, and attempt to dispatch your opponent. Do you..."
Linda needed no command. She dashed to the table while Phillip stood stone-still, his eyes bulging with terror. His mouth fell open - whether to object to Linda's foul maneuver or to scream in fear will never be known. Linda, armed with both knives, whirled and plunged them into Phillip's throat. He slumped to the floor like a dropped rag.
"HA! I am the winner. Set me free," Linda demanded.
"I admire your brutality, Linda. I guess you humans aren't so pathetic after all. Now, I will set you free," the alien said as it began to snicker.
Linda became nervous, she knew something wasn't right when the alien began to chuckle. But before she could give it any more thought, a huge door opened in front of her. She saw daylight and rejoiced.
Her joy, however, melted away when her eyes adjusted and she realized she was not on earth.
Linda snapped at the alien, "You liar! You were supposed to set me free!"
The alien replied mockingly, "Ha ha, you foolish human. I am setting you free, but not on earth. Welcome to our home planet. Good luck."
Two aliens approached from behind and forced Linda out the large door. The door immediately slammed once she was outside. The ship took off, leaving Linda alone in the wilderness of the alien planet. There was no infrastructure or artificial light. Strange growling noises grew nearer. Linda knew her hour was at hand.
Large, reptilian-looking beasts circled her. They growled viciously. Linda closed her eyes and waited for her impending doom. She shouted as if to taunt the creatures. The beasts pounced immediately, and a loud blood-curdling shriek echoed across the entire planet.
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