YTZ#19:

The Fear Grips Again

My ongoing writings cited for future use as a graphic novel. Enjoy.

Start from the beginning.

What follows is a fictional account.

The Fear Grid, Part 8

“

Purity woke into darkness.

She got up and felt for something familiar. Her body was there. She was standing on the ground. She could breathe.

But she was not in her bedroom. Her eyes adjusted, and she peered around her.

She first saw that the floor was not a floor. It was some dark, deep bluish rock. And it went on like that in every direction, without a break in material or color. Not a grass or plant in sight. No dirt. Just rock.

There were hills and formations. She could begin to perceive them as her eyes grew more used to that dark place. The rocky landscape looked like some alien planet. She began to panic.

The sky above, too, was alien. It was dark and cloudy, with layers of deep purples and violets. It might have been pretty except for the fearfulness of being there, not knowing where or why. The whole thing was so dauntingly unfamiliar. It was terrifying.

At first there was no sign of life of any kind, or any movement. Purity was glad for that. And she was happy that she could breathe. Some of the sci-fi movies she’d seen always show inhospitable atmospheres and environments where the air itself could kill. But there she stood, in her earth clothes, no space suit or helmet, no oxygen tank, yet alive and breathing.

So the question remained… where was she? And why? Was it an alien abduction to some other planet? Was it a dream?

More like a nightmare… And it was about to get worse. Much worse.

The feeling of fear that Purity had felt in her day at school, and at the Heavenly Ball, and when that shadow monster loomed over her… that feeling was rampantly overwhelming here. But somehow it didn’t immobilize her like it had before. She could still move, look about, breathe freely. Still the sensation of terror seized every cell in her body, so much so it hurt.

Purity cowered to the ground, holding her arms tightly around her, then over her head as if she could protect herself.

And then it appeared. On the horizon, in the distance, one enormous clawed leg reached out and found footing on the rocky hills. It moved slowly, behemothly slow. And when it placed its sharp, pointed toe down, the sound reverberated out like thunder. Another leg appeared, then another. It was unclear how many, but Purity got the sense of something like an insect or spider with many legs. Only bigger than any creature she had ever imagined possible.

What is going on!? Purity thought frantically. Where the hell am I?

The giant creature kept creeping across the land, but with no clear intention or direction. It did seem to be ignorant of the fact that Purity lay frozen in fear on the ground. But Purity was not going to wait to find out what it might do. She found some strength, or at least enough fearful instinct, to get up and flee for her very life.

She ran aimlessly, flailing about like a scare thing, tears streaming down her cheeks. She ran across flat lands, and over a small hill. She ran between stark rock formations that were so unusual they couldn’t be described, but made something of a small canyon for a short while. And she ran down into a valley that opened between two cliff walls.

This isn’t right, Purity thought. This does not feel like a good place to be. I need to find somewhere out of sight, not get stuck where I can’t espace…

She ran on, looking around for any other way. There was nothing, just sheer rock walls.

The thunderous sounds of that enormous thing resonated behind her. It sent shivers down her spine. She wanted nothing more than to get somewhere to hide. Under a rock would suffice at this point.

Finally she spotted something. There was a small hole or niche cut into the cliff wall. It was barely perceptible. She hurried towards it.

When she got nearer, she saw that it was more than a small hole. It was an opening to some sort of cave.

On second thought, Purity decided, maybe I shouldn’t go that way. Who knows what could be in there.

A moment later, the large spider-insect thing was lumbering over the canyon-like entrance to the valley. She could see more of it now. It’s seven legs splayed out at great lengths like crab legs. In fact, it was very crab-like in general, as its whole body was covered in a hard, dark blue shell of armor. It’s torso was oblong but somewhat round, and it did not have a head. Instead, two large vacant eyes lazily peered out from the sides of its body.

Purity trembled as the creature moved closer and closer to her. The noise of its many feet striking the ground became a constant rumble and shook the ground beneath her. She sought a way out, but could not fathom one beyond running the remaining length of that walled-in valley, which seemed so far…. No other way, except for the hole, the cave, in the cliff.

Certainly she did not prefer that choice. It was dark, and who knows what could be in there. But so clear was the threat approaching her that the unknown became more and more desirous. She may meet frightening things in that dark unknown, but it could also be her salvation.

So Purity, wracked with fear and desperation, dashed towards the opening. She could barely find the strength to pray for the help that she may survive. The sense of terror was all about her. It coated her so thoroughly. But her need to live, her adrenal response, pushed her to move.

The crab-spider monster grew so near, and it loomed overhead, blocking out the sky. Two of its feet took hold of the cliff side and one landed in the valley just in front of Purity, who had to dodge around it. The body-head began to lower towards the ground slowly. Its massive form shadowed all around Purity, so she could barely see her way at all.

And she ran on.

The monster revealed a gaping maw opening toward her. It was teethless, but the strength of its jaws alone could snap Purity in half. It edged so near as she ran with one last push of desperation.

And she leaped into the hole in the cliff, straight into the darkness. Straight into the unknown.

It was either the end for her, or her saving grace…

“

To be continued…

Please comment and share.

Thanks for reading.

Blessings to you,

Matthew