Tuesday Tales - People

 

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “people”. We are back with Dani in my new Sci-Fi story. 

Be sure to check out the other Tuesday Tales by clicking here!

Dani leaned against her apartment door for several moments after she slammed it shut. She gulped down breath after breath as she tried to calm her stampeding heart. 

She was on high alert the entire trip from the bar to her apartment. She watched for clouds of displaced alien souls to zoom over the heads of the people on the bus. She searched the streets for any sign of Ezra. 

Fortunately for her, the journey back to her place was far less eventful that the time she spent downtown. 

There was the increasingly familiar pressure in her skull. Something told her that her constant companion was going to be less than thrilled with the events that took place. 

Her suspicions were confirmed by hiss that followed the thud of Bobo hitting the floor of the living room. He spun at her with glowing green eyes, choosing to take the shape of a feline instead of changing to his true form or the balloon figure he usually transformed into. He must have looked up a Sphinx cat like she told him to because he didn’t have a scrap of fur on him.

“That…boy…is bad news,” he chided Dani. “We must stay away from him.”

“I don’t know how I can do that,” Dani countered. She reached behind her back to fumble with the lock. Once it was secure, she lunged across the living room for her laptop. “I still have to go to work and he is always there. I’m going to bet he will stay far away from me, though. Tonight will make things awkward between us to say the least.”

“He did try to kill you.”

“Hence the awkwardness.” Dani flipped open the top and powered it on. She logged on past the home screen and clicked on a browser. 

“What are you searching for?” Bobo queried. 

Tuesday Tales - Violent

 

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “violent”. We are back with my Sci-Fi story. 

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There were a few cheers from those in the vicinity of the sort of violent death of the cloud mercenary. They must have assumed it was part of the show. Dani ducked and wove as she tried to get a look at Ezra. There was an expression of horror, the relief, then something that resembled determination. As the emotions played on his face, she noticed his eyes change color. 

Grarkiel must have lost control on her friend for a moment. He had it back for now but for how much longer. 

“He’s not your friend,” Bobo nearly shouted in her head to be heard over the music. 

“I thought you couldn’t read my thoughts,” Dani countered. A couple of patrons beside her gave her a weird look. Yup, the crazy lady was talking to herself. 

“I can’t. But I saw the change in your countenance. I saw his eye color alter as well. He is trying to kill you. He’s led many others to their non-existence as well.”

Dani fought back the heartbreak welling up inside of her. Now was not the time to mourn a relationship that didn’t exist. Still, Bobo’s truth hurt. She watched two more apparitions launch from Ezra to join the one remaining. They must have noticed the one that was chopped in two. All three were skimming above the throng to her. 

This time an orange, yellow and red laser, intertwining with each other, offed them. The slices were almost surgical as they split the mercenaries into multiple chunks of fluffiness. The crowd cheered as they proofed away. 

Dani glanced back at Ezra. His eyes were back to their warm chocolate brown. Grarkiel must have fled in retreat. A few moments later, his human host did the same. 

Dani wasn’t taking any chances. She nudged her way to the back door then pushed it open enough to slip through. It emptied out into a dark, hot alleyway. In the sudden silence, she could hear movement in the shadows. She hoped it was just a cat even though it sounded much larger.

Did being a woman alone in such a place scare her? Of course. Did it frighten her as much as what just happened in the bar?

Not a chance.

“Let’s go home,” she muttered to Bobo. She didn’t wait for him to reply. Instead she scampered past the dumpsters and overturned trash cans towards the light of the busy city street. 

Tuesday Tales - Quaint

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “quaint”. We are back with my Sci-Fi story. 

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Dani did her best to keep up with her newfound friends but lost them in the melee with a few steps of the door. Not that it mattered. It was wall-to-wall people. A DJ was up on the stage, surrounded by so much equipment that it was hard to see him. The dark room was lit up brilliantly with a light show that would put most rock concerts to shame. Dani was nearly knocked off her feet more than once by either the vibration on the music or the throng of revelers around her. 

Over all the chaos she could hear a distinct, low moan against her eardrum. It was confirmed. Neither her nor Bobo thought this was fun.

Why couldn’t all her temporary besties find a quaint little coffee shop or bookstore to spend their evening? What did this place have to offer? 

A body jostled into her and answered her question for her. Men. The place was crawling with them. 

Speaking of men, Dani glanced through the crowd to the front door. Her heart dropped to her belly.

Ezra stood just past the bouncer, scanning the busy dance floor. She could still see the stellar blue glow of his eyes as he looked around.

Yes, they lit up like the stars in the sky. Grarkiel was still in charge. 

She heard a gasp or two. Did it mean anything? Dani wasn’t sure. For all she knew, someone accidentally lost a crucial piece of clothing. Just over her head, a couple of tiny clouds skimmed over the heads of the partiers.

That or they just witnessed two extraterrestrial souls escape one of the only friends she had in Boston. That might elicit a response, too.

She nodded to herself as she saw a side door. Above hung a crooked “exit” sign secured with a single nail.

“There. We’re going there,” she muttered to Bobo. She shoved her way through the crowd, using all her strength to move the bodies. A few pushed back, but most stepped aside. Before she could get there, one of the clouds skidded to a halt in front of her.

“Oh, crap,” Dani muttered under her breath. 

The cloud shimmied like it was excited. It shot forward an inch or two directly at her. 

A moment later, a green laser light from the stage severed it in two. With a poof, it evaporated and disappeared. 

Tuesday Tales - Happy

 

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “happy”. We are back with Dani in my new Sci-Fi story. 

Be sure to check out the other Tuesday Tales by clicking here!

Dani gaped at him for a second. Then she didn’t need a written invitation. She scrambled off her stool, knocking it over in the process. She knew every eye in the place was on her as she scuttled backwards through the place. She watched as Ezra slowly, methodically rose from his seat. His steps were almost robotic as he followed her. 

That was her sign to turn and run. She sprinted out the door into the Boston nightlife. 

She sucked in a breath, hoping it would soothe her lungs. They felt like they were on fire. “I should have listened to you earlier. I’m sorry, Bobo.”

She was certain she heard him huff. Was he pouting in her head?

Dani dodged a slow-walking gent on the street. If she knew she would be running for her life that night, she would have worn better shoes. “Listen, I know you told me not to go,” she muttered to him. “Clearly, I am not happy with my decision…”

She stopped suddenly as something cloudy and opaque rushed past her. She struggled to find her voice as her chest heaved. “What was that?”

“Our end.”

The phantom spun back. It must have realized it overshot its target. “Be more specific,” Dani urged. “How is it our end?”

“It is one of Grarkiel’s minions,” Bobo explained, his voice barely a whisper. “When the Vigvuth drains the blood of their victims, they take their essence as well. Those spirits are kept captive inside the Vigvuth and become minions to fight. And kill.”

The minion charged at Dani, parting the people on the sidewalk as it sped towards them. She glanced over her shoulder. Ezra was stalking towards her as well, determination in every step. She searched frantically for anything, any place that might give them a safe haven. 

“We are doomed,” Bobo wailed. 

“Not today,” Dani replied. “Cover your ears. It’s going to get loud.”

She hopped out of the minion’s line of sight. She wedged herself into a group of barely dressed women. It was pretty clear they were looking for a good time. The sound of pounding music encased them as they all slid inside the nightclub. 

Tuesday Tales - Can

 

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “can”. We are back with my Sci-Fi story. 

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Dani pulled free from his grasp and laid the hand he touched in her lap. What was going on? Ezra was never this forward before. “Let’s just see where the night goes. Okay?”

“Suit yourself.”

Dani squeezed her eyes shut as she felt Bobo bouncing around his skull. He was practically hissing in her eardrum. Maybe he was really a cat after all. “Leave. We must leave.”

She grit her teeth, hoping the subtle action would keep her voice low. “Why?”

“Look at his eyes. Can you trust him? You cannot. Flee.”

“Is everything alright?” Ezra interrupted her conversation with the extraterrestrial in her head.

Dani’s eyes flew open. She gazed into Ezra’s. Instead of the warm, chocolate brown she was used to, they were almost glowing lunar blue.

Oh crap.

She gave him a weak smile. “I think I’m getting a headache. There’s a lot of pressure in my head.”

The smirk that had been on Ezra’s lips since she arrived disappeared. The scowl he now possessed sent a jolt of terror through her. “I bet you do.”

“I apologize. I may need to cut our night short.”

“Go, now. Please,” Bobo whispered.

“Why? It’s just begun. I promise you that it will be a night you will never forget.”

Dani opened her mouth to respond. A thousand excuses flooded her brain. For once in her life, she was grateful for all the romcoms her mother used to force her to watch. She clamped her lips shut as she watched Ezra wince. He clenched his eyes shut as all the muscles in his face contracted. It looked like he was struggling against something that clearly had him in its grip.

She didn’t have to answer for herself what it was. Bobo did it for her. “Grarkiel.”

She barely heard the words that Ezra spoke over the noise of the bar and grill. He muttered them so low they were almost lost. “Run. Now.”

Tuesday Tales - Water

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “water”. We are back with my Sci-Fi story.  Be sure to check out the other Tuesday Tales by clicking here!

Dani tapped on the screen. “Where do you want to meet?”

She didn’t realize she was holding her breath until it escaped when the answer appeared on her device. “Michael’s. That’s the bar and grill we ate at that first time. See you in an hour.”

She gripped her phone tightly as she returned to the living room. She slipped it back into her purse and turned for the door. 

She paused. Without turning, she spoke. “Are you coming? I think I’m going to need you.”

“Of course.” 

Dani could hear the squeaking patter of latex on her coffee table. Then there was the tickle in her ear and pressure in her head. 

“Ready to go?” she questioned.

“Yes. Let us depart.”

She gave a quick smile as she reached for the doorknob and twisted it. She tugged it closed behind her then hurried down the hall to catch the bus. 

The journey back to the library felt like an eternity. Dani squirmed in the plastic seat as she gazed out the window at the setting sun. The closer she got to Ezra, the higher her anxiety rose. She could feel her nerves reverberate inside her. 

This was going to be the night of her life or it was going to go very, very bad.

She barely made it into the restaurant before the hour was up. Ezra was sitting at the table they had been at before, a pint of beer already in his hand. His grin was a little crooked as he waved her over. 

“Hey beautiful,” he greeted. “I’m glad you could make it. Margarita?”

“No.” Dani turned to the waitress now standing beside her. “Water, please.”

The girl scribbled her request down on the pad in her hand then scurried off to get the glass.

She climbed onto the stool as Ezra took a sip of the brew. “Ah, no fun tonight?” He reached out to caress her hand with his free one. “I was looking forward to having a little fun.”

Tuesday Tales - Maroon

 

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “maroon”. We are back with my Sci-Fi story. 

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It had been a long day. Dani slipped off her maroon colored cardigan and draped it over the chair in her living room. Yes, Boston was toasty in the summer. She had sweat buckets the whole way home. The air conditioning in the bus did little to cool her down.

She was too self conscious to dress for comfort. In her bulky sweater and long skirt, she blended into the crowd. No one noticed her. She would suffer from overheating to be essentially invisible.

Her head felt like it was imploding. She held her breath for a moment. Couldn’t he hurry up?

A moment later, her new little roommate popped out of her ear onto the couch, bouncing from cushion to cushion like a real life cartoon.

“More reading tonight?” Boboneth inquired once he finally came to a stop.

“I’m going to warm up a frozen pizza but then yes,” Dani replied.

Bobo cocked his balloon head. “Pizza? I’ve heard of this wonder. May I have a…”

“Slice?” Dani finished his sentence. Or at least she hoped she did.

His translucent body reared back a bit as if alarmed or offended. She sighed. With his limited knowledge of the English language, slice could mean other things. “Slice. When you get a piece of pizza, we call it a slice. It is a triangular shape most of the time since normally a pizza is round.”

“It’s not violent, like the slash of a blade?”

“Nope. Just pizza.”

Bobo’s head nodded slowly. “Slice, yes. I would like a slice or two.

“Coming right up. Since you are new to this, let’s try cheese. Once I know you can handle something spicier, we will move up to pepperoni.”

She shuffled to the kitchen and yanked open the freezer door. She pried up the first pizza then the second. Before she could tug free the icy cheese disk, she heard the tone of a text message come from her purse. She let the door of the freezer swing shut then hurried to her bag in the living room. Unzipping it, she reached in to fish out the device. She read the three words on the screen

“Meet me tonight?”

She wasn’t sure how to feel about the message she read. Her heartbeat sped up a bit. Why wouldn’t it? She’d be lying to herself if she denied being attracted to Ezra. At the same time, something was off.

Tuesday Tales - Soon

 

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “soon”. We are back with my Sci-Fi story. 

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Ezra swallowed hard. “No. Forget it,” he muttered to himself as he glanced around. Great. No one heard him talking to himself.

“Did you tell me no? You will do what I command.”

Ezra ripped a random book from the shelf and shook it open. Great. Italian architecture. “Let it go, Grarkiel.”

“You know you have no choice. Soon, the fever will set in.”

“Don’t.”

It was too late. A drop of perspiration beaded on his forehead and drizzled down the bridge of his nose. Granted, it was the middle of summer outside. However, the air conditioning in the library left the temperature a degree or two above arctic freezing. He would have to do some hardcore exercising to break a sweat in here.

“Please, leave her alone,” Ezra pleaded.

“And have her discover our secret? I can’t have that. My kin won’t allow that. There is only one solution. Eliminate her.”

His heart picked up its pace, pounding like a drum against his ribs. He sucked in a deep breath then let it go slowly. He had to stop this. He couldn’t let Grarkiel take over. For a brief moment, the image of Dani, her body just an empty husk, filled his mind. He couldn’t be the cause of her demise. He refused.

The alien’s voice was a purr in his mind. “Don’t fight it. I vow to you that I will make it brief.” She will never know what happened.”

A tug in his belly shot down to his groin. His vision grew fuzzy. Control was slipping away from him no matter how hard he tried to hang on. He slowed his inhales and exhales to an even pace. Fight. Don’t surrender. For the first time since this cursed existence began in that forest outside his grandparents’ home, don’t give in.

“Too late.” Grarkiel growled the two words, his ancient voice reverberating against Ezra’s brain. An icy shiver ran up Ezra’s spine. A tear slipped from the corner of his eye and mingled with the sheen of sweat on his cheek.

“I am so sorry, Dani,” he murmured. It was the last thing he remembered before the fever consumed him. 

Tuesday Tales - Write

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “write”. We are back with Dani in my new Sci-Fi story. 

Be sure to check out the other Tuesday Tales by clicking here!

The binding of the books he read over and over was as familiar to him as his own skin. That wasn’t a good thing. He had been studying Egyptian archeology since he was ten, not long after his disappearance. At this point, he could write his own novel without stepping foot in a dig site. 

To be honest, Grarkiel researched it through him. To this day, his personal parasite never told him why. He and the other voices in his head told him to shut it and mind himself. Then Grarkiel usually caused him some sort of excruciating pain. 

Ezra quickly learned to stop asking questions after that, 

He scowled as he ran his fingers across the smooth, glossy, somewhat wrinkled dust covers a third time. A few of them were only enough to have wear spots on them, 

There were some missing. All of them were the ones he was working with last night. He let out a huff then chuckled to himself. 

Of course. Someone probably found them lying on the floor and put them on a cart to be reshelved later. If anyone could find them, it would be Elise. She could find anything in the old building. 

Ezra trudged his way back to the circulation and forced another grin on his face. The one Elise returned was more than likely genuine, “Can I help you with something?” she asked.

“I apologize,” he began. “I left a pile of books on the floor yesterday. I forgot I had an appointment. Could you see where they might be?”

“Do you have the author or the titles?”

“Yeah, hang on.” Ezra reached his hand around him and slipped it into the back pocket of his jeans, he tugged out a folded piece of paper. He carefully unwrapped it and handed it to Elise. He hoped and prayed she didn’t read the notes in the margins. It would be crazy talk to her. 

He reached over the counter and pointed to a row of type. “That one.”

“Okay. Let me look it up.” She typed on the keyboard for a few seconds. Her brows knitted as she stopped. “It’s been checked out.”

“By who?”

“I’m not supposed to give out that information.” She paused. “However, you could probably ask when she will be done with them. Dani has them.”

Ezra swallowed hard as his heart plummeted into his stomach. He could already hear Grarkiel growling in his brain. “Thanks. If I see her, I will ask.” 

He gave Elise a brief wave as we walked back towards his familiar corridor. He barely made it past a shelf when Grarkiel snarled against his eardrum. “Kill her. Bring her to me and I will feast on her.”

Tuesday Tales - Beat

 

Welcome to Tuesday Tales! This week's word prompt is “beat”. We are back with Dani in my new Sci-Fi story. 

Be sure to check out the other Tuesday Tales by clicking here!

All the people who hung around the library made Ezra uneasy. It felt like everyone was staring at him. They knew his secret. His heart beat out of control as he pulled back the hood of his hoodie and glanced around the spacious room. It was surprising he hadn’t dropped dead of a heart attack yet. Of course no one was staring at him. They were busy with their own things. It didn’t make it better though.

He forced a smile on his face as he approached the information desk. The way Elise beamed at him when she saw him made the guilt twice as hard to take. “Hi, Ezra. Nice sweatshirt. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear one. Especially since it is so hot outside.”

He shrugged. “My air won’t turn off. I’m still trying to warm up.”

“Well, that sucks. I’m sorry.”

“Eh, no reason to be. Hopefully the apartment manager will have it fixed before I get home.”

“I hope so too. If you need anything, let me know.”

“Will do.”

He gave her a brief wave as he shuffled off to his usual spot. Hopefully his books would be nearby where he abandoned them yesterday. He hated to lie but how could he possibly tell Elise the truth? It was bad enough that Dani knew everything. There was that knife turn of remorse. He cut her off and walked away from her when she wanted to tell him something important to her. He wanted to stay. He wanted to hear every syllable that left her perfect pink lips. It was one more thing they shared. He just knew it.

Except for the fact that Grarkiel and his minions had been literally and figuratively losing their collective shit ever since the Prince disappeared. If Dani would have gotten out what she had to say, more than likely Grarkiel would have learned of his royal highness’s new whereabouts. 

The alien who possessed would have forced him into a fever, sent him off to find the poor librarian, and lured her into a trap just like all the others. He wouldn’t stop until his royal highness was back and Dani was dead. 

Ezra sighed as he shuffled through the stacks for his reading material. He sighed. Good for Boboneth. He was finally free. At least one of them escaped this hellhole