Night Fliers (working title/horror)

[Fireweed_honey]

This is my attempt at horror. I have no idea what I'll do with this story once it's done, but I would like it to be at its best. Two things I'm primarily looking for are 1)keeping my "saids" down and 2)is it scary/creepy? Of course, any grammar mistakes anyone can catch will be appreciated as I suck at grammar.

Basic plot: The journey of Katelynn, a girl born into the world after the great invasion. No matter where she goes, the Invaders (aliens that have now taken over the world) always seem to be one step ahead. Her prime concern is protecting her sister, Bethany, and keeping the worst of her past a secret. The story is broken up into parts, maybe four of them. Part One is going to take at least five posts, I didn't realize it was so long.

Night Fliers (version 2)

Once upon a time, life on Earth was perfect. Not that anyone really thought so; there was still war, famine and disasters. Man worked his evil over those he deemed beneath him, crushing his opponents under his boot heel. But, we all knew the enemy back then. If asked, Man thought the world would end in a wave of disease or from fire out of the heavens. No one knew the end came from below.

Nearly a hundred years before I was born, they came – the Invaders. Crawling up from the mud like mutant cicadas, they built their nests at the dawn of civilization and waited. We became a feast for them, hunted down in the dead of the night. Half the world's population fell before we figured out what was going on and how to protect ourselves. Military marched forth to combat this new evil, and fell in a wave of blood. They knew all about us, and we knew nothing about them.

An uneasy truce was called. We, the Hunted, learned the rules to survive. Scattered in nomadic tribes, forced to wander what was left of our world, we lived. The luxuries of the past – electricity, hot water, schools – all meant nothing. A few cars managed to remain usable, but with no way to drill for more oil, they slowly died and became rusting hulks on the sides of quiet roads.

If we or the Invaders cared to remember Earth's history, we would remember that under the heel of every tyranny comes the revolution. In the wind, one was brewing. I can only hope that I live long enough to see it.

Part One


I couldn't remember a time when I didn't fear the coming dark. Not just the dark, but everything associated with the night. I hated how the sun slowly sank defeated beyond the horizon, inky shadows slithering across the land. While the world is engulfed under the shroud of night, my anxiety grew.

“The next house,” I whispered, letting my hand drop from the doorknob. “Please, the next house.”

Night was falling, and I had not found a safe place to sleep. Next to me, my ten-year-old sister, Bethany, shivered. I wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders, offering support.

“What if they're all locked, Katelynn?” Bethany twisted in my grip to stare down the street at the row of abandoned houses, all of which were mysteriously locked. The dark buildings had offered a ray of salvation, a place to rest for the night, only to mock us with unmovable doors.

“I don't know. Maybe sleep under some bushes, curl up in a drain pipe, or break down the door. I'll figure something out.” None of those options were ideal. I knew this area was heavily patrolled, having heard the dry flapping wings of the Invaders night after night. I glanced up at the ever-darkening sky and saw the first stars twinkling into existence. I tightened my grip on both Bethany and my walking stick as the shadows stretched to cover more ground.

Taking a deep breath, I ran to the next house and frantically tugged on the front door. Cursing, I found it locked like the rest. With Bethany at my heels, I rushed around the back and tried the door there. Relief flooded me as it swung open. Salvation was at hand!

“Quickly! Find a closet!” I pushed Bethany toward the stairs as I closed the door. One last glance at the sky nearly stopped my heart. I could see something black against the dark violet of evening. When it swooped down beyond a line of trees in the distance, I breathed again.

Please, I prayed, don't come here just yet. Please just be a bird or bat. I knew the Invaders were leaving their safe nests in search of food. If my luck holds, we could hide in a closet and away from prying eyes before they came to the house. That was the rule of surviving: keep moving and stay hidden.

I found the kitchen of the house and a quick check revealed what I already knew: the house had been picked over. No food existed here. Finding canned food was a treasure as they were among the first luxuries to vanish when we became the Hunted. In all the years of my life, I had only seen one can of food.

“Katelynn! Katelynn!” Bethany's frantic squeal sounded from the top of the stairs. Fear coursed like ice through my body as I bounded up the stairs two at a time. I had no weapons, but would fight any Invader to protect her.

[Fireweed_honey]

Part One (continued)


The sight that greeted me was not the one I feared. No Invaders, just another group of the Hunted. Had it been any other time or place, I might have given in to the relieved laughter that bubbled up in my throat. Instead, I sank to the floor, grabbing Bethany as the adrenaline ebbed.

There were about six people in the group, and I could not tell who was male and who was female. In the shadows, everyone looked to be a mere inky blob. I did a quick count of the doors upstairs out of habit. Four doors, possibly three of them were bedrooms. That meant that this group had already claimed all the closets.

“This is our safe house,” one hissed.

“We need a place for the night,” I said. From where I sat, I could see out one window. Someone, years ago, had taken down the curtains to leave an unobstructed view of the night sky. It was pitch black out now, too late. Stars twinkled innocently, the only witnesses to the Invaders that were surely close by. “We'll leave in the morning. We won't take up much room. It's just my sister and I.”

“They'll find us,” rasped another. This voice was older and definitely female. “If we stay out in the open, they'll find us.”

Four of the group, smaller blobs that I guess were children, quickly scattered to the other rooms to hide. “There is no room for you here,” said the first voice. If this was a family unit, then the first voice was the father.

“If you let us stay in a closet, we'll all be safe. Right Katelynn?”

I nodded, my eyes still on the naked window. Had some of those stars vanished? Was it an Invader or a cloud? I strained to listen for the rush of wings, but could hear nothing over the pounding of my heart. “That's how it's always been. Stay away from windows at night and you'll be safe.”

There came a snort from the two remaining people. The father said, “Don't you two know anything. The rules are changing. They don't just peek in. They've been checking the insides. Don't give them a reason to come in here.”

“You mean like arguing with your own kind about safety? Night's fallen, and they've already left their nests.” I looked at the fourth door. “That's a bathroom, right? We can sleep in there. Please!”

“Honey, she's right. We can't toss them out. It's too late,” the female voice said. “Let them stay and we'll talk to Captain in the morning.”

The man grunted. “Fine, sleep in the bathroom.”

I took Bethany into the bathroom. Luckily, it had no window and we settled into the tub. For extra protection, I pulled the curtain shut and held the walking stick across the both of us.

“What if they find us,” whispered Bethany. “What if they come in here?”

“Don't listen to those people,” I said, wrapping my arms around her. “The Invaders won't find us. We'll leave in the morning and we won't have to deal with them. I'm the only one you can trust, Bethany. I'll keep you safe.”

Bethany sighed and snuggled closer. “You're so smart, Katelynn.”

All through the night, I lay there. Bethany had fallen asleep quickly, comforted by the knowledge that I would protect her. Sleep alluded me. Each time I felt myself drifting off, something woke me up. Either tapping on the walls, a thud as one of the closet occupants shifted, the wind outside or vermin scurrying across the floor; all sounds that kept me from sleeping. Every noise made me think of the Invaders.

For a while, I managed to sleep, only to be awakened by a creaking noise. I lay still in the tub, listening and trying to identify the noise. My heart pounded as I realized it was the bathroom door, slowly opening. I tightened my grip on Bethany, praying it was just one of the others coming to tell it was morning and to get out.

The shower curtain rippled and I could see a shadow darker than the night standing just beyond it. It was huge, and there was no mistaking the shape. How many times had such shadows haunted my nightmares? The shadow grunted, sniffing the air. I knew it could smell us, we had not bathed in days. The stench of dirt and sweat grew as my fear mounted. Could it hear my heart beating?

There was a low gurgle that made me think the Invader was laughing. Slowly, shadowy fingers curled along the far edge of the curtain. It was pushed open and the inky form of the Invader loomed over us. I was paralyzed with fear, my eyes locked on the monster.

This was not the first time I had seen an Invader up close. It was only luck that saved me the last two times, and I wasn't counting on luck saving me now. The Invaders were humanoid with leathery dark gray skin and stringy black hair. Glowing red eyes stayed focused on me and the bat-like nose quivered as it smelled me. It gave that low gurgle again, pleased with itself. The large wings on its back flexed, pulling back to give the creature more room as it bent over us.

I whimpered, tucking myself protectively around Bethany. I wanted her to sleep through it, I couldn't bear the thought of her waking up to this nightmare. No one should see their doom reaching for them. The Invader's face was against my hair, and I felt its hot breath. Something hard and metal banged against my arm, and I knew it was a medallion that some Invaders wore. It grabbed my arm and pulled it back to reveal Bethany. For a moment, the Invader stared at her and then let go of my arm.

It leaned in close to me, one hand on my shoulder. The glowing eyes stared into mine and I felt myself grow lightheaded. Suddenly, there was a burning sensation on my shoulder. I opened my mouth to scream, but the Invader's hand clamped around my mouth. Between the pain and the fear, I saw the world growing dark once more until only the eyes remained.

((I'll put the last parts up tomorrow))

[Nick5200]

Interesting story and good one too smile
but uhh is the main character male or female? sweatdrop

[Fireweed_honey]

Nick5200

Interesting story and good one too smile
but uhh is the main character male or female? sweatdrop

Katelynn is a female.

[Fireweed_honey]

Part one (cont)

Slowly, I came to realize that my eyes were closed. Opening them, I quickly found that Bethany was gone and the curtain was wide open. My shoulder hurt and I found that I had fallen asleep pressed against a broken portion of the tub. Sunlight now streamed in through the naked windows and under the closed bathroom door. I left the bathroom, rubbing my shoulder and saw that the closets were opened and empty. A noise downstairs alerted me that I was not alone in the house.

Cautiously, I made my way downstairs. There was movement in the kitchen and I could see a shadow moving in the pantry. I had no weapons beyond my walking stick and prayed that whatever was in the kitchen had no weapons either. With a scream, I rushed into the pantry.

“Katelynn!” Bethany squealed, dropping the cans she had been holding. They landed on the floor with heavy thuds.

“God, Bethany! Why did you leave the bathroom? I thought... I thought...”

“It was morning. You were having a nightmare, so I thought it best to let you sleep in. Everyone else had left already.”

“Was... Was the shower curtain open or closed when you woke up?”

“Closed. Why?”

I smiled, leaning against the pantry wall in relief. It had all been a bad dream. Looking over at my sister, I frowned. “Wait. What's that you got there?”

“I found food. Somehow a few cans were missed. And look at this! This was left too! What is it?” She held up an object. Taking it, I turned it over and over in my hands. If I wasn't mistaken, it was a can opener. I remember seeing one as a kid, but never got to use one. “Oh! And I found some empty bottles for water. Isn't that great, Katelynn?”

“Those weren't there last night,” I said. The place had been picked clean. I was certain of it.

“Are you sure? They were sitting in the back of the pantry.”

I picked up the cans. I could barely read, but I recognized one of the pictures. At least one can held corn. “Maybe I missed them. I don't know. It was dark.”

Bethany smiled and went back to work filling her backpack with the goods. We would need all the provisions we could get. I wanted to be as far away from this place as we could get. Houses were the safest place to sleep, but I didn't trust this one. And I remembered that the family unit had others they were meeting up with, and I did not want to get tangled with them. Bethany and I were better off alone.

“We should see if this place still has running water,” I suggested. “A shower would do us a world of good.”

“I tried,” Bethany said. “Nothing.”

I sighed. “Fine. Let's get going. We're wasting daylight.”

[Fireweed_honey]

Part One (cont)

I went to the front door and unlocked it. I opened it and shrieked as I came face to face with a strange man. The man looked surprised to see me as well.

“Who are you? Where's the McCorlands?” His eyes narrowed as he noticed how full Bethany's backpack looked. “And what do you have there?”

“It's mine!” Bethany hid even more behind me. “You can't have it!”

“If you're talking about the others that were staying in this house last night, they left by the time we woke up,” I said. I backed up, urging Bethany to stay behind me. I did not like how he was looking at us. It would not be the first time one of the Hunted turned on their own to take supplies.

“You're lying. They didn't leave this house since they're not with our group,” the man said. “Where are they!”

“I don't know,” I said. “They were gone when we woke up, and that's the truth.”

The man grunted and pushed past us. I grabbed Bethany's hand and ran out the door, finding myself now confronted with a group of people. If all of these people had stayed in various houses, it would explain why the doors were all locked. All those people, staring at us made my hands start to sweat. I hated groups almost as much as I feared the night.

Finally, a handsome man a few years older than me broke free from the group and walked up to use. I shoved Bethany behind me again, keeping myself as a shield between her and the stranger. He wore a battered cowboy hat and had a bandana around his neck that matched his shirt. Completing his look were a pair of old cowboy boots and frayed denim clothing. Where he got the outfit I had no idea. Most of us were lucky to have clothes that fit. He must have stayed overnight in a store somewhere.

“Don't suppose you folks want to explain yourselves,” he said, tipping his hat as he stopped in front of us. Though his demeanor was friendly, there was a hard edge to his brown eyes that spoke of his life on the run.

“All we did was sleep here,” I said. “Night had fallen and this was the first house we came to that was unlocked.”

The man spat on the ground. “Figured. Bob probably told his boy to lock up and that kid did a half-assed job of it. I guess that was you jiggling the door knobs at sunset?”

“Yeah, it was. Why would you lock the doors?”

“To keep out the Invaders and unwanted visitors.” His eyes darkened, glancing down at the full backpack. “What do you have in there?”

“None of your business.”

“None of the other houses held food, and yet you have a full pack. So, either you found food, or you took it. I know the McCorlands had at least five cans on them. Which is it?”

Bethany piped up from behind my legs. “I found the food in the pantry. It's ours!”

((Next few parts of One tomorrow))

[Fireweed_honey]

Part one, cont.

The man smiled. “Cute kid.”

Just then, the first man came out of the house. “They're gone, Captain. Not a single trace of the McCorlands anywhere.”

The other man – Captain – nodded. “Any idea where they vanished to?”

“Ask the girls.”

Captain shifted his gaze back to us. I frowned, itching to get away from this group. “They were gone when we woke up. Look, I don't know what you're thinking, but all we did was sleep there. Bethany and I had a small bathroom upstairs, they had the closets. Other than them telling us we weren't welcome, we had no contact with them at all.”

Captain continued to stare at me and I knew he was sizing me up. I had seen this many times growing up, but it was unnerving when I was the one at the receiving end. He spat on the ground again. “I believe you. We've got stories like that from most of our houses. Quite a few of our number has gone missing since last night. A few people per house, leaving the rest unaware.”

“Katelynn? What does he mean?” Bethany tugged on my sleeve, but I refused to answer. If I was understanding this man, he was telling me they had been discovered last night. However, instead of the Invaders taking everyone they found and feasting right there, they only took a few and flew away. That was new.

“Tough break. Sorry for your loss, but we need to be on our way.” I tried to move around Captain, but he moved with us. Turning, I saw that the other man was blocking our way back through the house.

“What's the rush?”

Turning back to Captain, I said, “I hate groups. Too easy to get caught.”

Captain smiled. “Safety in numbers. The more of us, the better the life will be.”

“I never found it to be so.”

“You must have traveled with a group at one point in time, Katelynn. No one survives alone.”

I felt myself shaking. “How did you know my name?”

“Your little girl said it. And you called her Bethany. Pretty names.”

“She's not my little girl! She's my sister!” I felt tears stinging my eyes, a shadow of the past flashing before my memory. “Bethany's my sister.”

“Have you been traveling together for long?”

“All her life,” I said.

“How long has that been?”

I shrugged. I counted years and moons on my walking stick, and looked at it to do a quick count. It was about ten years, and I told him that.

“How old are you,” he asked.

“Why?”

“Humor me.”

I sighed. “The last time someone mentioned my age, I was sixteen. So, I'm about twenty-six or twenty-seven now.”

Captain smiled. “How high can you count to?”

“None of your business! Can we leave?”

“I think you should stick with us. Safety in numbers, remember.”

I hated the idea, but I knew I stood no chance in escaping now. All these people were part of Captain's group, which meant they were loyal to him. If we ran, they'd stop us. The only reason Captain wanted us to travel was to get his hands on our cans of food.

Defeated – for now – I said, “Fine. Safety in numbers.” We could escape later. I hadn't been part of a nomadic group for years. I could only count up to thirty, and saw there was just about that many people in this group. If this didn't get the attention of the Invaders, nothing would.

[Kerys]

crying I don't have to read it. The term Night Fliers is used in one of Mercedes Lackey's fine fantasy series. They are the main bad guys in the first of the series and are brought back in at least one time! heart heart heart Sorry.....

[Fireweed_honey]

Kerys

crying I don't have to read it. The term Night Fliers is used in one of Mercedes Lackey's fine fantasy series. They are the main bad guys in the first of the series and are brought back in at least one time! heart heart heart Sorry.....

I didn't know that. I never read a lot of Mercedes Lackey growing up. I only named it that because the bad guys come out at night, and fly. The other working title is Invaders.

[Spikka XD]

WOW, really good. I would love to read more of it!

[Fireweed_honey]

Spikka XD

WOW, really good. I would love to read more of it!

Unfortunetly, this story was erased when my hard drive had to be replaced. I won't have more for a long time.

[oknan]

Keep on going as you have talent and i want to read MORE 4laugh

[Kairi Nightingale]

Very well done! I can tell you put a lot of work into it. I didn't catch anything wrong with it. Anyway, good job!

[NlRVANA]

I saw no spelling mistakes, (unlike half the Gaia community's stories), it was quite gripping, and I would love to read more. smile

[Fireweed_honey]

NlRVANA

I saw no spelling mistakes, (unlike half the Gaia community's stories), it was quite gripping, and I would love to read more. smile

It's on my back burner at the moment. The original draft was lost when my computer had hardware problems.