Finding Darkness

Chapter 3 Always follow orders

"Deploy, pattern delta." The order was barked and the remaining seven men spun in perfect unison, the barrels of their weapons pointed outward in a protective circle around her.

"Guys, that's really not going to end well for any of you. Why don't you just let me have her and you'll get out of this just embarrassed, not injured."

"Do any of you have eyes on it?" The man who was giving the orders called out, his eyes never stopping their endless movement.

Then one was gone. He was there on second and gone the next, snatched as if he never existed, without a sound except for a short muffled squeak, and a sound like rushing wind.

"Where is it? I don't see it."

"Sir, no one sees it!"

Tamar's line of sight took her vision out into, and down the roadway. She could see hundreds of dead and rusting vehicles. Constricted to only where her eyes could pivot, she couldn't see very much more, and with her body completely without movement, she was beginning to feel claustrophobic inside it.

Then, out of the corner of her vision, she watched a black blur come to a stop. For only a split second, it came to full motionlessness and her heart stopped. On two legs, it stood like a man, if a man could survive being covered in thick black oil. With excruciating slowness, its head turned to look right at her and she wanted to scream. Her dream made flesh. Two glowing red eyes stared out from under a furrowed brow, both shining like red dwarf stars. It was gone again in an instant, its speed causing a miniature vortex behind it that carried away loose debris like sticks, paper, even small pebbles.

One by one, the men were picked off, each gone without a chance to even fight back.  Tamar had to admire their fire discipline. None of them would fire until they had a target, and they weren't given one. Within forty seconds only one remained. The officer in charge stood facing nothing. His enemy had shone itself to have an advantage he and his man could not overcome. So he stood there, awaiting the inevitable.

"Come on you fucking bastard, come and finish it!" He screamed.

"Language, language. An officer should use a more refined vocabulary." The voice whispered from over his shoulder and he whirled, knowing he was already too late.

His rifle was stopped in mid-spin and locked in the grip of a vise. He tried to pull it free, only to have it yanked from his grasp and tossed away.

"Kill me, Rougarian, but we'll never stop fighting you, never." He brought his right hand up in what he knew was a futile show of defiance. It, too, was stopped and held in place by an invisible force.

Then, slowly, as if it had walked from behind a curtain, a figure shimmered into existence. It stood a little over six feet tall, its skin was cool black, and it looked at him from out of glowing red eyes. It held both of his fists still in what looked like a tentacle that danced out from its shoulder.

"You think I'm an alien, don't you? One of the creatures that did this," it waved a hand in an expansive circle. "No, I can assure you I'm not one of them." The voice was low and modulated, as if someone's voice had every ounce of emotion rung out of it.

"Then what are you? You might as well kill me now, because I won't help you. Just make it quick, like you did for my men."

"Your men, I didn't kill them. I just made sure there in no condition to give this young lady anymore difficulties. The same way I'm going to deal with you." A sharp snap later and the young officer had an extra bone below the knee in his right leg.

The man was dropped screaming to the ground, and the creature turned to Tamar.

"What the hell are you?" The officer screamed, clutching his leg with both hands.