Chapter Three

Posted by Jaime Buckley in Featured Articles, WANTED HERO | 0 comments

Don’t you hate it when you wake up from a dream that was so real, or it felt so real, that even though you woke up and are living the life you did yesterday, somewhere in your consciousness you’re still stuck within the life you were living in your subconscious?

It gets really bad when you’re not sure which life you want to exist in.

I call it a ‘sleep hangover’.

As the screen door screeched, then clunked closed behind Evan, Wendell mentally started making a list of all the girls who might be willing to come to their pool party. Man, I wonder if there is any way to get the girls from the Wiki-Tiki Ski Shop to show up, we would be the talk of the town! Lovely visions of the owners daughters, lingered in his mind – Ashley and Britney. And the head cashier always smiles ear to ear when Evan walks through the door,…oh, and…

BAMPH!

Wendell never saw it coming, but he sure felt the shock wave that pummeled him in the chest pushing him through the lounge chair. Instinctively, he wrapped both arms around his head and ducked, not sure if he was trying to protect his ears from the shrieking that he thought would leave him deaf or the intense green flash that left him seeing spots. Either way he was definitely shielding his face from the dirt and grass that flew up from the ground and across the yard.

With eyes clenched tight, he waited for the pelting of debris to stop, the small objects stinging his exposed arms and plinking off the metal frame of the chair. The shrieking and flash of light passed. He felt a few small pebbles ricochet off his back and neck and then all was still.

His stomach muscles relaxed as he loosened the grip around his head. WHAT WAS THAT!?? His eyes popping wide open just to find his knees in his face and his feet in the air. His mind was reeling with possibilities as he twisted, turned and reached to see around his legs. I can’t see anything! Then he realized how he was entangled in the broken back of the chair, which had also fallen over.

It was a little uncomfortable to have his face pressed against the hot concrete and not have the ability to move it without scraping off a few layers of skin. Feeling like a pretzel he twisted and struggled and tried to untangle his body from the chair. Just as he was getting some leverage Wendell paused to take a breath, lost his balance, and fell back over again.

In that moment of silence on the far side of the pool, against the back fence and cottonwood tree, he thought he heard rustling in the bushes. Curiosity with a tinge of fear being his new incentive he managed to untangle himself quickly and jump to his feet, stumbling back a few steps getting ready to run if he needed to.

Wendell blinked hard and stared, squinting in the bright light. The bush shook violently, losing a fist full of leaves. Wendell flinched. He reached up and felt around his head. Hmm. No bumps. Must have been out here in the sunlight too long. Hehe. He smiled to himself and nodded, glancing over casually at the shrub.

He squinted his eyes hoping to get a better view. It was definitely moving. Wendell stood still, trying to decide whether to check it out, stay still, or to run screaming. To make his decision easier, there was another sound from the epileptic foliage. Grunting.

A strange cramp hit his stomach. Run. Fear washed over Wendell. Run. Though his mind wanted to check it out, his stomach pulled away. Run. It wanted him to run.

Trying to keep his cool, he casually brushed at his jeans and t-shirt. It’s probably just a bear. No, that’s stupid! Maybe a large raccoon. He took a step back. Whatever it is, I should probably go help it out. Yeah. He took another step backwards. Then again, it could have rabies or something. Better to be safe than sorry.

“What a load of crap!” and the bush jerked a few times.

Wendell froze in mid step, jaw dropping open. His eyes darted to either side, there wasn’t anyone around. He knew there wasn’t anyone here. Yet…. He took his right index finger and wriggled it inside his ear. I must have hit my head really hard. He was sure he heard a deep and grating voice yelling from that bush. He cocked his head to the side. Wait a minute. This has to be a joke. Without taking a step he tried to look around the yard to see if someone was playing a prank on him. No sign of anyone else. No hidden cords or speakers, no cameras peeking around corners of the house.

There was a snap, a shudder and then a plop, as the limbs broke and gave way to a green, white and purple mass. It hit the dirt and quickly rolled to its feet. Glaring back at the plant, it shuffled up to the roots and gave it a swift, disgruntled kick with an enormous, hairy, green, bare foot.

It was short. Really short—like, not even up to Wendell’s waist short. It looked like a goblin. An ugly brownish greenish creature with a misshapen head, arms that drooped all the way to the ground, huge hands and feet with only four digits on each.

It was almost naked too! It was wearing purple polka dotted boxer shorts that were obviously too big and nothing else. Its arms, hands, chest and feet were all carpeted with unusually thick black hair and in its mouth was a smashed cigar butt, which the creature spit onto the ground…never diverting its eyes from Wendell.

That was the really disturbing part. Those big bulging baseball sized eyes mapped by red bulbous veins and overshadowed by large bushy eyebrows growing in two thick patches over the eye sockets were staring very intensely at him. And even though the other sharp and angular features of its face were intimidating it was the eyes that Wendell couldn’t look away from.

They stood there staring at each other for one eternal moment as Wendell’s heart started to race.

“WHAT!?!” it snapped, looking rather irritated.

Was it talking to me? Without being able to help it Wendell could feel his own eyes growing wider. He wanted to move. He should run. He told his body to run, but he couldn’t make it work. All he could do was stare as the scary creature started to move closer.

“EEEEAAAAARRRRGGGGHHH!”

Wendell’s whole body flinched, arms and hands shooting out from the sides of his body, head whipping from side to side, startled. Someone was screaming! Where was it coming from? It was high pitched, like a girls, infused with intense fear and dread.

“E-E-E-E-EEEEAAR………..”

It’s me! The scream trailed off this time as the humiliation set in. His heart was trying to pound its way out of his chest.

The goblin stopped. Turning to look over each shoulder and then back at Wendell, he scowled and yelled to the skies with his hands raised, “SERIOUSLY??!”

Eyes squinting he gave Wendell a casual once-over, with an expression of pity on its face. “Whoa! Now, that’s what I call a twisted piece of work,” it muttered. “Big, bugged out eyes, mouth hanging open—most likely faulty jaw muscles, and so…ugly and scrawny!”

“Ughhh!” Wendell flinched. As the creature approached he noticed it smelled, torturing Wendell’s senses with the rancid aroma of ashtrays and rotten fish. Repulsed, he staggered back and slapped a hand over his nose.

Wendell steadied himself and gulped hard, even though his mind was still shouting at him to run—to get away from this grotesque midget of a monster, his feet just wouldn’t do it! This could be it! My moment. The one that changes my life…and the world! Drawing from his extensive alien knowledge, he cleared his throat and raised his right hand, spreading his middle fingers in the Vulcan gesture of peace.

“Welcome to Earth. Live long and prosper.” Wendell squeaked with a forced grin.

The goblins mouth slowly stretched to either side of its face, revealing a huge, intimidating maw of thick, sharp, yellow teeth. Slowly it raised its right hand, imitating Wendell’s Vulcan gesture with its four digits.

“We have chosen you as the one and only perfect human specimen. Long have we awaited this opportunity, oh great one. I have come to take you back.” The wide, yellow grin remained unnervingly frozen on the aliens face.

I knew it! Wendell trembled, I knew there was intelligent life out there!!

Suddenly, reason set in, and Wendell’s feet were unglued. His arms flew, flapping wildly like a bird. He didn’t know how the green thing got here, and frankly—Wendell didn’t care. His body lunged forward and sprinted for the back door, heart now pounding in his throat.

The green creature just shook its head, placing a hand on its massive forehead and sighed. “Get BACK here!” it growled after him. “Why do they always hafta run?”

Before Wendell could blink, the thing had closed the distance between them, grabbed both Wendell’s legs and tackled him to the ground. Its massive hands twisted his shirt and flipped him over. It climbed onto his chest, knocking Wendell’s flailing arms to the side and pinning them with its massive feet. It leaned closer until their noses touched.

“Look here, bub, I’ve come an awfully long way to find ya. I’m tired, very hungry and I wanna get home. So…”

Wendell could hardly breathe from its shocking weight…and smell. Its hot, rancid breath was probably curling his nose hairs. His body convulsed as he tried to breathe. “P-p-please, sir,…I’m sure most people taste like chicken…but I’m sickly. I probably taste like rubber or an old shoe sandwich and too boney to be worth the trouble. Not good eating, I assure you!” Wendell’s world started to spin and he wanted off the ride. The thought of being a human happy meal made him sick to his stomach.

The creature reached forward, grabbed Wendell by the back of the neck and grinned extra wide.

“Hmmm, we’ll see,” it shrugged. “Clench yer teeth and hold on tight kid, the next few moments may sting a bit.”

BAMPH!

Related posts:

1. Chapter Two Now watching distant worlds and exploding magic is pretty cool....
2. Sneak Peek: Chapter One Who are you? I know that I am the storyteller....
3. Don’t Get Confused… Don’t panic if you go to Wanted Hero and feel...
4. Do you have an idea for your eComic? This may sound like a simple matter, but trust me...
5. Please Don’t Let My Baby Die. I was talking with a good friend I have never...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.