So, writing….. I love it and I hate it. Love the process and reward for getting my ideas out concisely – hate the process of sifting through ideas and second guessing my work. Right now I have about 1…2….3…4… a few ideas for different stories I want to share. And in that lies my continual battle…. I want to share them all, yet I get so overwhelmed thinking about them all. In any case, enough with the personal therapy session, here is the first chapter in a story I started in 2008. Reading it now, it sorta reminds me of the origin tale of a well known OP boy-scout…. Hey, no idea is original, there is nothing new under the sun…. (thanks Nas…)

The Entity
© 2008 Kevin Parris

Chapter 1: The Journey Begins
The sound of crashing glass breaks the silence that engulfs the night. Loud, bassful pulses pop in the air, shaking the ground as beds, tables and people all over rumble in place. Panicked screams, cries of pain and shock, and overall confusion fill the small settlement with sounds unheard of to the people of this once tranquil world. As the resonance of war grew louder and more poignant, the once peaceful existence of this land has now been gripped with fear.

Running through their shelter, a woman frantically searches about, as the sounds outside appear to be drawing closer. A familiar voice to her blares through a loud speaker, directing the scared civilians crowding the streets to run towards the protection of the armored forces. Continuing to search the home, the woman’s wrist is firmly gripped by her daughter whose stare beckoned her to leave.

“I must find it!” she screams, pulling back on her arm to release the hold.

“Mother we must leave now. Whatever is happening outside is moving closer and the longer we stay, the more danger we will be in.” the daughter replied. With wide eyes she notices the warily look that was returned to her from her mother, and it prevents her next statement from being said. A mix of fear and reluctance compelled her as she tries to ask her mother if everything was okay.

“I have never told you that I love you. But I do love you my dear. I just need you to know that now. And that everything, all of this, everything I’ve done and will do, is all for you to have a meaningful life.” As tears began to stream down her face, their home violently shakes again, knocking many of the wall fixtures to the ground. A loud roar from outside deafens them for a moment as the daughter shrieks loudly in terror. Soon, the sound of canons and gun fire drown the piercing, animalistic sound. As the daughter uncovers her ears, she looks curiously at her mother who notices a shadowy figure stalking close by.

“Mother what are you saying to…” the daughter inquires before being hushed by her mother’s hand. As the mother kisses her daughter on the forehead and rubs the side of her face gently as she’s always done to her since infancy, she quickly steps back. Appearing from the darkness, the stalking figure stands directly behind the young woman and strikes her across the head, knocking her unconscious.

Hastily, the shadowy figure picks the body up over his shoulder and stands before the sobbing mother. With one hand holding the daughter in place, he reaches out and grasps the mother’s shoulder gingerly.

“Lorin, we need to leave now!” Crumbling rock from the blasts of explosives outside slightly muffles his deep voice. “Show me the way out of your house and towards the temple. You said they are waiting for us there.” shouted Ethan as he charged Lorin to lead him from the house.

In the cooking area, a distraught Lorin hands Ethan a circular, metal artifact she had previously been looking for. Pointing to an opening in the wall, Ethan fits the circle into an engraved section along the wall and stands back. After a few moments of silence, mixed with the destruction from outside, a faint light emanates from the wall, blinding both Ethan and Lorin.

With the light dwindling in luminance, an opening appears in place of the wall. Through the entry-way, a pebbled path leads into a dank, rocky, mildew filled corridor. Lorin worriedly looks at Ethan, and her only child laying motionless over his shoulder. Resting his hand on her shoulder, Ethan looks her in the eyes and softens his face into a smile, one that reassures Lorin that all will be fine. As both Lorin and Ethan clear the entrance, the bright light returns, sealing the stairway behind the wall. The two briskly walk down the narrow walkway knowing time was working against them.

“How much further to the temple Lorin?” asks Ethan after a few moments of hurriedly walking down the walkway.

“Not too much further, not too much —,” A thunderous roar and boom from up above shakes the planet to its core. The limestone lined walls of the tunnel give way to the boom, filling the area with thick dust and collapsing onto the frail body of Lorin. The impact from the crumbling tunnel knocks Ethan to his knees, spilling the young woman over his shoulders onto her back. Looking behind him, he witnesses as more of the ceiling falls onto Lorin, burying her. As Ethan scrambles back to attempt to save Lorin, he hears her faintly scream out to him. Looking at the pile of rocks, he hastily tosses a few pieces away to reveal Lorin’s face.

“Not me Ethan!! Save her! Get her to the Order, they will do what is needed.” she yells before fainting. Crouched on his knees, Ethan looks overhead at the weakening structure of the tunnel. From the look of what was left above, he knows another impact will collapse the entire path. Looking back down at Lorin, now laying with her eyes closed, Ethan knew death was near. Bowing his head down to pay final respects, the cave shudders slightly again, jolting Lorin awake.

“GO! GO! GO!” she shouts, starling him back onto his bottom. In one swift motion, Ethan turns and scoops up the woman. Without turning back a final time he runs into the darkness. Lorin looks out at the view of her daughter disappearing into the shadows.

“I love you Xalia,” she says coughing up blood as she pauses. “find them and protect them all.”

Unable to see directly in front of him, Ethan’s pace slows to a cautious stride as he uses an out-stretched arm to direct himself. Feeling around, he stops as he approaches a wall, signaling the end of the tunnel’s path. Breathing deeply as water trickles down his face, he places Xalia on the floor and crouches onto the dirt path. Digging all around him, he searches unsuccessfully for a way to get through the wall.

“Please….. please allow me through.” he whispers to himself with despair in his tone. Suddenly, the wall begins to shake. Taken aback, Ethan rises to his feet and clutches onto the sleeping woman, preparing himself for the worst. As the wall slides open, the brightness of the light momentarily blinds him. Looming within the light, a hunched over man stands before him, holding a weathered staff. Ethan takes a few steps back, nervous at the gaze he receives from the man with the fully white eyes.

“Is she the one? Is she the Pathfinder?” asks the old man as he raises his arm to point at Xalia perched on Ethan’s shoulder.

“Who are you old man? Are you the one Lorin seeked?” Defensively, the old man lowers his arm and grasps tightly to the staff, causing his knuckles to turn pale.

“You speak to me without a trace of respect slave? Kneel before me!” shouts the old man as his once bright white eyes turn pitch black. With an out-stretched arm, the old man grasps into the air. Ethan looks puzzled until his breath begins to grow short. Unable to breath, he loses his grip on Xalia and she falls towards the floor. As Ethan plummets onto his knees, gagging and grabbing at his neck in search for a way to breath, his eyes grow wide at the event taking place next to him. Lying suspended in the middle of the air was the woman he had been carrying. His eyes shift back to the old man who appears to be controlling her descent to the floor.

“Please……” Ethan strains to say as his vision gets cloudy from the tears in his eyes. “Please release your hold over me demon!” Angered, the old man proceeds to close his fist tight when he is interrupted by another person from inside the hidden room.

“Gaden, release him at once you old fool!” beckons the woman. Instantly, the pressure exerted against Ethan’s windpipe is lessened, and he takes in a huge gasp of air into his lungs. Falling onto his back, sucking in deeper breathes, Ethan looks up at the woman as she confers with Gaden. As he walks away from the woman, Ethan jumps away from the sight of the young woman floating by him, trailing the old man into the room.

“You will have a lot of questions for us my son, but you must know that time works against us.” says the woman as she stands beside Ethan.

“Follow me, we must hurry before it reaches us.” she says. Dragging himself to his feet, Ethan walks into the open area and hears as the wall behind him reseals itself solid. As he followed the woman towards the apparent center of the cave, Ethan peered around with astonished eyes. The smooth, stone walls of the cave were adorned with various pictures depicting scenes that piqued his curiosity.

“What do these pictures represent?” asked Ethan. The woman stopped in place and turned to him. Ethan could not help but stare at her, at the way her sienna hued skin glowed against the backdrop of the cave. Her long, ivory colored hair ran down to her exposed waistline. As she walked closer to Ethan, he marveled at the way her flowing long skirt wavered with each step.

“Ethan, do you know where you are? Who I am? Who we are?” she asks while raising her arm. In a flash, Ethan and the woman are surrounded by many other individuals, all similar in appearance to her. Frighteningly, Ethan clenches his fist and poses in a defensive stance unaware of what will happen next.

“Ethan, we do not have time to explain this to you. It will not matter soon.” Puzzled, Ethan lowers his stance and stands before the woman, towering over her.

“No, you will tell me what is happening now! What is going on out there!” he barks back at her, causing the other individuals in the room to stare intently with both amazement and contempt. Unperturbed by his outburst, she places her palm softly on his face.

“You dare speak to a god with such a tone.” she whispers into his ear. Ethan jumps slightly at her touch. As she walks away from him, Ethan opens his mouth to scream in agony at the hardening of his skin. With no voice, his eyes grow wider as his skin turns to stone. The transformation of his body ends at the base of his neck, leaving his head free to look down at his feet, which have now fused with the ground.

“We can not afford any more outbursts from you Ethan. Your delay in getting the girl here sooner has already cost us dearly. You should take solace in the fact however, that you are about to witness something great.” As she stares into the fiery eyes of Ethan, the woman gestures to the members of the Order to follow her.

From the center of the cave, a metallic capsule crumbles out from under the ground. At the will of Gaden, the body of Lorin’s daughter floats into place within the capsule which seals tightly once she gets inside. The group of people crowd around the hovering capsule, raising their hands towards it as if reaching to touch it. The woman walks over to Ethan while the others stand silently near the capsule. With a kiss, Ethan becomes audible once more, however his body remains stone.

“The girl you have brought us is the last of our kind. She is the only one of us that will be able to survive the journey that she is about to take.”

“But why is all of this necessary? How will this help us to stop what transpires right now in the outside world?” inquires Ethan, not noticing the intense glow coming from the congregation of people at the cave’s center.

“Ethan, your people are lost. My brethren and I, are lost. This world dies today. But through her, we have a chance to make sure that the creature that has doomed us all to death will meet its end as well.” Ethan’s brow wrinkles as he tries to take in what he has just been told. As the glow grows blindingly bright, the woman touches Ethan and in an instant, the stone returns to flesh. Another planet shaking boom causes parts of the cave to crumble and fall. Successive bursts of crushing stone resonate throughout the cave mixed with a deep, gurgling roar.

“Hide!” screams the woman, flinging her arm in the direction of a set of huge boulders as she walks back to the group and reaches into the air with the others. From the pack, within the center of the glowing light, a wobbling sound gets louder until a burst erupts straight through the capsule and pierces the roof of the cave. In an instant, the flash disappears, revealing every member of the Order laying motionless on the ground. Ethan, now hiding behind a series of huge rocks, searches fruitlessly in the air for the capsule.

The bursting sound of rock grows closer, deafening Ethan with each explosion. The final boom destroys the entire section of the cave that Ethan entered from, raining more of the ceiling on the ground. Unable to see in the thickening dust, the terrifying sound from the being now in the cave made Ethan clench his knees tighter to his chest, hoping to stay out of the sight of the creature. As Ethan crouches with the hope that he can go unseen, in a matter of seconds, the skies from above the cave are momentarily filled with his screams of agony.