SIGHTED Read online

  It was below thirty; Zoe grabbed my arm and snuggled up to my chest. “It’s so cold.”

  My cheeks flushed.

  There we were, huddled up together, watching over Roanoke Air Force Base from the top of a large hill. It was the closest thing that I’d had to a date in a very long time, and yet, it was also the most nerve-racking experience I’d ever had. We watched the skies for almost an hour, but all we saw was a clear view of the Milky Way arm, cutting a path diagonally through the night sky.

  Then, while Zoe was about to fall asleep in the crook of my arm, I saw it, and was greeted by the strangest feeling, a feeling that was neither joy nor dread. I nudged her, and her eyes lit up bright, beautiful, under the light of two blue and orange orbs. Just like Caden had described them. They traveled at speeds that I found hard to track, and believed to be impossible by terrestrial means. Plasma seemed to emanate from their hulls. Their hulls twisting, spiraling about, and darting at hard right angles. After each daring maneuver, there seemed to be a bright burst of light around each object.

  I grabbed for my phone and began recording the event. Zoe did the same.

  Now, if we were visited, they’d have to come for both of us. I looked at Zoe; I didn’t want to lose her. Did she feel the same way?

  “What’s wrong?” She asked.

  “Should you be doing that?” I asked.

  “You are.”

  “Yeah…” My words felt like they were catching in my throat. “But, what if they come for you too?”

  “I’m a big girl.” She gave me a bright, almost devious, smile.

  I nodded, swallowing my words.

  “What?” She asked.

  “Nothing,” I said.

  What was there to say? I couldn’t stop her, and we’d find out soon enough, either way.

  The orange orb was far more graceful than the blue one, again, just like Caden had described. There were no weapons fired between the two craft, at least not yet, but there was a tension, like they were baiting each other back and forth, testing their capabilities.

  Caden had mentioned that when he saw the orbs, the orange one vanished, but the display that the two made went on for almost an hour.

  Suddenly, the sky brightened, like a crack of lightning splitting the heavens, then immediately darkened again. The orange orb was the only thing left in the sky.

  “Holy hell,” I said.

  Zoe was speechless, her smile had twisted into a disbelieving frown. I had a strange sense of déjà vu.

  Have I done this before? I thought.

  Had that been the first shots of an interstellar war, or just another casualty of an ongoing secret war for our home? Was that what Caden wasn’t supposed to know? Either way, this changed everything, and if it got out, that our government was withholding information on a hostile species that had attacked our forces, the world would fall into chaos.

  Perhaps the orange orb Caden saw was just a scout, sent to check on our progress, our level of technology, and the blue had been the result of years of reverse engineering and secret government testing? It could have been any number of things.

  Roanoke Air Force Base lit up below us, sirens wailed through the darkness, and the orange orb spiraled off into the distance and vanished before reaching the hills, as if it was never there at all.

  “What the hell just happened?” Zoe asked.

  I shook my head. “We better get out of here, before someone notices us.”

  She nodded, and started the car, making sure to keep the headlights off until we were off the dirt path and on the main road.

  The ride back was filled with a tense silence, and I could tell that we were both thinking the same thing.

  We made it back to my place still several hours before sunrise. It was hell trying to find a parking space, one of the many cons to living in a basement apartment in a neighborhood with limited visitor parking.

  Zoe yawned. “Oy.”

  “Tired?” I said.

  “Yeah.” She pawed at her eyes, rubbing them. “Mind if I stay with you tonight? I don’t think I should drive anymore.”

  “Uh, sure.”

  “I mean, you don’t have to let me, if you don’t want...”

  “No, no.” I tried to think of something clever, and failed. Her intentions were obvious, but, I guess subconsciously, I was still finding reasons to push her away. “I don’t want you to get in a wreck or anything.”

  I fumbled for my keys, and let us both back into my apartment. I dropped my phone down on the table and turned the lights on. I wondered if she could see how much I was shaking.

  “I can take the couch,” she said. “Unless you have a better idea?”

  “A better idea?” She looked at me like I was an idiot, and I just stood there like one, unsure what to say, or how to accept the offer. I could have kicked myself.

  “Shit, I’m sorry... I thought-”

  I had to act then and there; without thinking, I took her in my arms and kissed her.

  “You’re a bit dense,” she said.

  “Not exactly” I said. “But we’ll run with that for now.”

  “They might come for us now,” she said.

  “I know.” I frowned, running a hand across her brow, brushing her straightened bangs off to the side.

  “I just want you to know.” Her eyes were wide and beautiful “I don’t do things like this often.”

  “Like what?”

  She took my hand, and led me to the bedroom. I closed the door behind me, bathing us in darkness. Now there was only the dim light from the moon, cascading from my window through my bedroom; it felt almost surreal. We took turns sliding our clothes off and throwing them to the floor. We embraced, our lips met, dancing in the dark; her lips were passionate and soft, while mine were methodical and rough. We tumbled onto the mattress. She bit at my lower lip, and I returned the gesture by sinking my teeth into her neck. Her moans filled my bedroom like a siren’s call.

  Our bodies came together, moving to create a single creature, one that was both graceful and methodical. I couldn’t help but be reminded of the dance that I’d seen earlier between the two orbs. If that were the case, would she lead me to my destruction?

  When neither of us could keep the dance up, we collapsed into a heap of glistening sweat.

  There, on my bare mattress, in the clarity of my post-orgasmic guilt, I couldn’t stop my mind from racing. She’d seen all my flaws, the poor housekeeping, the less than acceptable job outlook, and every other negative thing that could possibly be floating in my head. I hoped that this wouldn’t simply be a fleeting encounter, like the few that I’d had years ago.

  I wondered when they’d come for us. Would it be days, weeks, hours? How long did we have to get the word out, and who would believe us?

  I sat up and looked over Zoe’s naked form. She had passed out already. I smiled. Would I remember her if they came for us tonight? How much time would they erase?

  The better question, if it’s all so inevitable, was, could there be a way to reclaim that lost memory? I looked at Zoe one last time. The moonlight trickling in through the window gave her ebony skin an otherworldly blue glow.

  I’ll find a way, I thought.

  I pulled on my boxers and found my pajama bottoms, then shuffled out to my computer.

  I downloaded the video file to my computer, and uploaded it to my personal cloud. I was about to do something that Caden never would have done. If they were going to come for me, I was going to remain one step ahead of them. The cost, however, might be my career.

  I opened up my browser, and found one of the most popular conspiracy forums on the net. I’d lurked there for years, but never once posted, fearing that my image as a serious paranormal investigator would be damaged. It was easy to be ridiculed; the line between tin-foil wacko and serious journalist was thin in the eyes of the traditional media.

  It was a bit of advice that had always served Caden well. He knew it better than I did, being in Ufology, b
ut my field drew similar kinds of crazy. That’s why he was waiting to reveal the video and report from Roanoke till his book was ready. I imagined that he’d use the video file as a means of marketing his book.

  My thoughts turned to Caden. I wondered if he’d ever be the same. I hadn’t had a chance to check on him tonight, but told myself I’d go and see him in the morning.

  I started outlining my post. It was going to be a long one, but I hoped it might go viral. It needed to reach the right people, get the attention it deserved, but something told me there wasn’t much time to do it.

  I started writing.

  My name is Lucas Taylor. I’m a good friend of Caden Wilson, a well-known investigator and author in the field of Ufology, and I have been witness to something that may change the world…

  It took me nearly an hour to write the post, to relay my version of the story that had unfolded, and once it was ready, I attached the video file to the post and sent it. There was a certain amount of relief in that.

  I returned to Zoe’s side, kissed her shoulder, and fell asleep.

  I woke an hour later to knocking sounds. I looked over at Zoe, still lying naked next to me, and then at the clock, which said that it was 4:39 in the morning. I slipped my pajama bottoms on, and cautiously walked out into the living room. In the darkness, I found the light switch for the kitchen and flipped it. The florescent bulbs buzzed. I looked around for the source of the knocking, but it was gone. Then, as I was about to head back to Zoe’s side, I heard it again.

  Six knocks came from the sliding glass door behind me. I turned around, and I felt like the air around me had become charged with some kind of static that caused the hair on my neck and arms to stand on end. Part of me wanted to hide, and wait for the daylight to return, but another part of me seemed compelled to open the door and see what was there. I couldn’t resist, no matter how terrified I was.

  I opened the sliding glass door and then the blinds. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, but, then I saw him. Those black eyes took me, like wells of darkness that reflected no light at all. I couldn’t move, my throat closing to become tight and rough.

  He was the same, just like Caden’s photo. Black suit and tie, fedora, and pale, splotchy skin where a face should have been. My heart rumbled and slammed against my ribs repeatedly. He just seemed to stare at me and tilt his head.

  “Have you seen anything strange tonight?” His voice seemed to echo through my mind, a sensation that caused tears to pool beneath my eyelids.

  I tried to turn, to run, but I couldn’t look away.

  “May I come in?”

  I nodded. Why the hell did I nod?

  “Thank. You.”

  He —it —walked past me, and into my kitchen. The sudden odor of sulfur permeated the air. Its steps were uneven, like it was walking with two left feet. It stopped at my kitchen sink and picked up a fork that had been sitting there for over a month, stared at it like it’d never seen one before in its life, then stuffed it in its pocket.

  I fought to speak but it felt like every mental faculty, aside from my own thoughts, was failing.

  “You want to ask why,” it said. “But. You know.”

  It approached me, and I managed to back up.

  “You saw it tonight. You should have never seen. You will not reveal it to anyone, not if there is nothing to reveal.”

  I shook my head, and, with a surge of willpower, I cleared my throat and said: “And who’s to say that I haven’t already?”

  “We would know.”

  They didn’t know about the post. They didn’t know everything.

  “Just, who... “ I shook my head. “No, what the hell do you think you are?”

  It chuckled; and there was a buzzing in my brain that left me feeling numb and weakened.

  “If you’re going to take my memories again,” I said. “Then at least give me that.”

  “We exist to ensure war goes on. You are not important. Lower life forms.”

  “We’ll show you… we’ll fight…”

  “Homo sapiens all say the same thing. You have failed to understand. Victory already is decided.”

  It reached its hand out, and my thoughts reached out to Zoe…

  VI

  The music and voices merged into an incoherent mess. I sulked back to my chair, beer in hand, and told myself to stick it out at least till the ball dropped. It was a New Year’s party at a local bar. I was tired of spending time alone at my soon-to-be-vacant basement apartment, and seemed to be drawn to this place.

  I didn’t know why.

  I peered down at my phone, trying to ignore the sight of sex crazed twenty-somethings rubbing against each other to the awful sounds of today’s most popular, and least talented, “artists.” I pretended to scroll through messages, and even pretended to reply to a few of them.

  “Seriously?” A soft hand found my arm. “You’re pretending to text? That’s so sad!”

  A beautiful brunette with a chocolate complexion and straightened hair in a sparkling outfit that read 2017, took the liberty of sitting across from me. I struggled to keep my beer from spraying out of my mouth.

  “You okay?” She crossed her legs.

  I nodded, wiping my mouth with my sleeve.

  “Don’t talk much, huh?” She asked.

  “I’m sorry,” I felt like I was having déjà vu. “But, have we met?”

  “No?” She looked around, and then looked back at me. “Do I look familiar?”

  “No.” I shook my head. “I guess not.”

  She laughed. “My name’s Zoe, what’s yours?”

  “I’m Lucas.”

  Zoe? I thought. No, has to be a coincidence.

  One of her friends found her, and grabbed her arm. “Come on, Zoe, you’re missing everything!”

  I watched her wave goodbye and stumble back to her friends on the dance floor. I felt a great pang of regret settle and twist in the pit of my stomach, and I wondered why. The waiter found me, and I ordered another beer just to dull my senses a bit more. After all, I had just two weeks to find a new place to live, and an unfinished book past due for nearly a month. My Agent had already stopped returning my calls, and, while I could self-publish it, the delay had already caused significant damage to my already small reader base.

  There was also the matter of a video circling around the Internet; someone claiming to be me was passing off some UFO video and a bizarre story involving men in black sightings, and, ironically, a girl named Zoe. That too was hurting my reputation, even though I’d denied the whole thing.

  Then there were the dreams… I rubbed my temples and took a drink.

  It was shaping up to be a crappy New Year, to say the least. Maybe if I got myself completely obliterated I’d stop seeing the shadow people in my nightmares. I finished my drink and ordered another; the buzz was almost enough to keep my mind off the circumstances.

  My phone started to ring. It was an unlisted number. Normally, I’d just ignore it, but I had a gut feeling that I should answer. I walked to the back of the building, found an employee at the back door who was smoking, and he let me through.

  “Hello?”

  Sobbing sounds echoed over the phone. “You’re Lucas, right?”

  “Yeah, who is this?”

  “It’s Connie, Caden’s ex. You two worked on a book together a few years ago, right?”

  “Yeah, what’s up?”

  “I just…” More sobbing, my heart was beginning to throb. “I just thought I’d let you know that Caden had a heart attack last night while being kept for observation… they’re not sure what caused it, but, as you know, Cade had a drinking problem. He passed last night.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  I sat down and wiped the tears away with my sleeve. I hadn’t talked to Caden in months, and to find out that he’d just passed away like that… my head started to hurt when I thought about him.

  “Can I call you at this number when I’ve got the funeral arran
gements made?” She asked.

  “Yeah, sure,” I said.

  “Thank you,” she said. “Good night, Lucas.”

  “Goodnight.”

  I couldn’t bring myself to tell her Happy New Year, considering everything. Caden and Connie were divorced, and I hadn’t known her very well when they were married, but I got the sense that she still cared for him, which made his passing much worse. There was no hope for redemption, or recovery.

  Sitting there in that back alley in the frigid air, a numbness began to fill me, and my tears turned to icicles. I stared up at the constellations; the clouds were gathering, inviting the darkness to take hold of the moonless night.

  The End

  About the Author

  Allen White was born in San Bernardino California. His father worked at Cal Tech, and was an avid consumer of science fiction film and television. Allen was influenced early on by this, and exhibited a very active imagination. He went on to study illustration and graphic design, but dropped the arts to pursue a career in writing.

  White is most influenced by Roger Zelazny, H.P. Lovecraft, and Ray Bradbury. He is an avid reader of the genre, and dreams of a time when human kind might finally reach the stars.

  Other Works by Allen White

  Call of the Harbinger

  Call to Action

  A message from Allen:

  Discover www.allenwhitesf.com and consider joining my mailing list to remain up to date on all my upcoming books!

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  I hope you’ve enjoyed reading Sighted, and I look forward to your continued readership!

  -Allen White