An Old Friend

                                                                         

  An Old Friend

January 21st 2011 was a special day. It was the day an eclipse was supposed to happen. On that day a giant black bird was seen flying over

various places in the world and when there was an eerie silence from ever animal in the world for five minutes. A lot of strange and normal

things were to take place that day, especially notable among them was that Helen was turning 21; one of the five survivors of flight 873

which went missing exactly 3 years ago on January 21st 2008.

    Few of the survivors had vague recollections of what happened, with two not remembering anything at all. The 3 who remembered all gave similar accounts, with slight variations. The flight started off smooth and normal. Helen was traveling with 3 of her best friends for a study abroad program. Darcy was off to her honeymoon with her husband Dave and James was on their way to an award ceremony with his girlfriend

Rena. It was nearing lunchtime, when the plane begun to experience some turbulence. Of course the pilot said everything was going to be fine,

until suddenly, his voicecom cut off midsentence and the plane went suddenly dark.

    People started to scream as the plane begun to shake. According to Rena, this lasted a few seconds and then there was light. Some people

were still screaming and a woman two rows down from Rena was shouting; “My children, where are they, where are they?” Since things were

getting a bit hysteric Rena and her boyfriend, who were cops, decided they should try to help in any way they could. James went to quiet some

people and Rena went to help the woman who was shouting.

    As for Helen and her friends; right before the turbulence started, they were fooling around and even made a pact that they would remain friends

for all time. Helen even remembered her friend Markus joking around; “Hey I have a great idea. We should have codenames, like a nickname but

it will stick with us forever. I’ll be the Lion; Sarah you can be technoboob. Alright, alright don’t hit me, it’s just that you’re the smart one and you have great; okay, okay already.” Sarah had of course stopped him with her piercing stare and the threat of multiple slaps.

Talk had then turned to something else, until Markus brought up the idea of codenames again, saying this time he was serious. The group

couldn’t believe him at first, but then they decided to go with it. Markus went with his, ‘Lion’; Sarah went with, ‘An eternal Friend’,

saying she’d always be their friend. Taking his cue from Sarah, Lance went with, ‘An old friend’, since he knew each of them before he helped

bring the group together and Helen decided to go with Starlight since she was fascinated by the stars.

    Right after this, the plane went dark and begun to shake. Helen clearly remembered that when the light came on, amid all the commotion, Sarah

had on a strange look and she clearly said; “It’s so beautiful.” She then excused herself saying she had to go to the bathroom. The tried to

stop her and told her to wait since things were a bit hectic, but she still got up and left anyway.

    During all the commotion, Darcy and Dave were sitting quietly, just waiting for an explanation. Darcy decided to put on her headphones just so she could drown out the noise, because it was close to initiating a migraine attack. Dave remembered Darcy getting an odd look and telling

him to listen to the headphones. He simply laughed at her, telling her, “Don’t be daft honey, the electronics are down, there’s nothing

playing.” Yet his wife was persistent and he finally relented. What he heard was the oddest thing. Coming from the headphones was a slow and

steady beat, with a voice whispering in tandem,” Finally the time has come, the time has come. The time has come, the time has come.” It was

continuously repeating. Dave shared a look with Darcy and wondered what the hell was going on.That was when everything went completely chaotic. A strong wind begun to blow throughout the plane. The front door of the plane suddenly flew out. Strange lights came in through the opening and anyone the touched fell down as if they were dead or unconscious. The music with the whispering could be heard throughout the plane, all causing people to start screaming and try to run to the very back.

    The music kept getting louder and louder. Helen wanted to go and find Sarah, but the guys kept her from going before she ended up getting

trampled. Dave remembered turning to Darcy to tell her that maybe they shouldn’t stay seated, yet what he saw shocked him. Darcy wasn’t in her

window seat; she had simply vanished. Then all of a sudden she reappeared. He tried to grab her but she vanished once again.Rena remembered calming the mother down, around the time the people started to rush to the back of the plane. She tried to tell people to

stop, but no one listened, till she pulled out her gun and held it out. That froze a good bit of people, which was when she heard a girl’s

voice speak over the shouts and screams, “Mommy we’re gonna have so much fun. “Turning around, Rena saw a young girl suspended mid-air in

the plane with a grin on her pale face. People begun to back away , while the hysteric woman broke free from Rena and shouted at her

daughter to come down.

    All of a sudden the plane begun to shake violently and the weird string like lights that had entered the plane flared in a brilliant intensity.

No one could see anything and for a few second there was complete silence. The next Helen knew she was waking up in a hospital somewhere.

Eventually she was interrogated by the FBI. When she told them what she remembered, they told her that terrorists had actually managed to take

over the plane, but things had gone wrong. The FBI believed that some hallucinogens that the terrorist had must have gotten out, leading to

the confusing things Helen saw. They told her not to worry; they’d be taking care of any bills and the media. As they turned to leave, she

asked them, “Where are my friends?” Staring at her they slowly replied that there were only five survivors and two had no memories of getting

on a plane.

         Helen couldn’t believe she was only 1 of 5 survivors and what frustrated her was the lack of information she was receiving while in

the hospital. She eventually had to see a psychiatrist which was where she met Dave and Rena, the other two survivors who remembered some

events. They slowly got to know each other and eventually opened up about their experience and the information they got when they awakened.

What the three of them could not understand was how they survived what was supposedly an explosion (as told by the FBI) and where they were

before being brought to a hospital; which was also omitted by the FBI.

      As time went by, the 3 of them got very close and even begun to look into the events of that day. The only interesting thing they found out

was on the same day as their plane trip a sea captain and his crew reported seeing strange looking giant flying creatures at sea and some

people at the airport the plane took off from reported seeing people in weird looking, hook like armor vanish and reappear for a few seconds.

This was dismissed as lies and the effects of the hallucinogens respectively. Gradually the 3 of them slowly moved on, yet every year

on the same date, January 21st, they would always meet together at a memorial in a private location owned by Dave.

      This was where Helen was on her way to when, at a red light, a woman dressed in what looked like feathers, with green eyes and a green gem

on her forehead appeared by her car’s window. Smiling, she quickly grasped Helen’s hands and said, “You’ll need this Helen of the stars

and may your light shine bright today.” Jumping in surprise, Helen felt a searing pain in both her hands and by the time she tried to really

look at the woman, she had already vanished. Helen got out of her car, wondering what the hell had just happened and how had the woman

suddenly vanished.

    When she opened her hands, she stared in shock at the center of both her palms upon which was the image of a green star, surrounded by a

black nimbus. Helen tried to rub it off but the marks would not budge and just then the drivers behind her begun to blow their horns, due to

the lights turning green. She quickly got in her car and drove to Dave’s house.

      When she arrived, she used her key and rushed inside the house and went to the sink to try to remove the marks. It was there Rena saw her as she came inside from the back of the house. Helen still frantically trying to remove the marks, managed to tell Rena what had occurred.

In the silence that followed, Rena asked to see Helen’s hand. “It can’t be.” she thought, yet she took Helen by the hand and told her to follow

her. Passing through a small garden, they came to a small meadow, in the center of which was an ornate granite slab with an oval base upon

which were the names of the people Dave, Rena and Helen had lost.

                This was where they found Dave kneeling and inspecting something.Helen was confused as to why they had come to the memorial so early. Dave got up to greet them and that’s when Helen saw the same mark on her palms inscribed on the memorial, at the top of their names. “How did that get there? Are you guys playing some sort of trick on me?” Helen was beginning to get frantic, so Rena quickly told Dave what Helen had experienced. After looking at Helen’s hand, Dave in turn told Helen how he came to the memorial this morning and found the marks on it. He assured Helen he had nothing to do with those marks and had even called Rena to ask her what she thought, which was why she was here early.Rena, ever the calm one, suggested they go inside and inspect the marks some more. Dave however was opposed to the idea, saying they should stay outside and compare the marks. They two began to argue till, suddenly the eclipse that was supposed to happen begun. The 3 survivors gathered close together, with Rena in a calm but strong tone telling Dave that after this was over they would go inside. Helen told them to keep quiet, since this was what they were waiting for, in memory of those they had lost, although it was weirdly early. So as they stood

back waiting with eyes intently and solemnly fixed on the memorial, the light got dimmer and dimmer till the eclipse reached its’ peak. That

was when things got strange.

      A loud piercing cry was heard and a red light suddenly illuminated their surroundings. Streaks of light of various colors appeared on the

monument and begun to expand outward, till they begun to come off the memorial and gravitate towards the 3 companions. Startled and shocked

as they were, Rena, Dave and Helen, could not move even though they tried. When the lights were halfway to them, they suddenly stopped and

flared in a brilliant intensity.For a few seconds no one could see anything, but when they recovered

their sight, the group was shocked to see 3 human figures standing where the lights had stopped. Standing a little taller than the average

human, with broad shoulders and thick arms that ended in huge hands with what looked to be thick red knives growing out the side of their

palms; these beings looked like they had come from a heavy duel. Sweat lathered their muscled bodies and blood was coming from one’s chest.

Their black clothes and broad hats were layered in grime and dirt. Looking up at the humans, their faces seemed human enough except for

the red glow their eyes emitted and when they smiled, the sharp pointed teeth that showed, along with oval ears which twitched at the slightest

of sounds. Their smiles turned to laughter and in a thick guttural voice one said, “Finally, 3 of the 5 who are outside. Funs on again

boys.”

    Screaming, Helen turned and begun to run away as the creatures rushed at them. Dave stood paralyzed in fear, while Rena pulled out her gun

and fired shot after shot. Two creatures went down, while the other leaped over Dave and landed in front of Helen. As the creature taunted Helen while she cowered in fear, Rena turned and shot at it. Amazingly it seemed to absorb the bullet, while a metal spike grew out of its’

shoulder. Shouting in rage, Dave run at the creature.

    Suddenly Rena heard a guttural voice whisper in her ear, “Not at full capacity yet, but still gunna have fun. A heart for a heart, eh?” As

the creature laughed she felt a searing pain coming from her back, heading towards her heart. Turning with breakneck speed, as the

creature’s palm was wrenched out, she hit it in the throat and then in it’s’ chest where blood had been flowing from. Wincing in pain, the creature held unto her, till she begun to shoot it in it’s’ chest.

Backing away she continued to fire, till her gun was suddenly cut in half with a flash of a palm and she was hit with a backhand blow that

sent her crashing into a tree. “Forgot about me, did you? Three of us dear, now it’s my turn,” said the only creature with a broad hat still

on.

    Meanwhile Dave had reached the other creature and was throwing punches and kicks at it. It was dodging them all with a smile, till a kick

landed on its’ groin. Wincing in pain it held on to Dave’s next punch, lifted him by the throat and with its’ free hand sliced him across his

chest, sending him crashing to the ground. Turning back to the still cowering Helen it smiled and said “Now where were we? Too bad there’s

not more time, we might have had so much fun.” As it approached her with it’s’ palm dripping blood, Helen’s eyes suddenly opened wider as

she felt her hands heat up. The marks on her hands had spread so much that they made her hands seem like a dark sky at night with green stars

scattered about.

    Screaming in defiance, green beams of light shot out from Helen’s extended hands and lit up both the creature and the surrounding area in

a brilliant shade of green. When the light faded, Helen was face down on the ground and of the creature nothing was left, except tattered

remains of it’s’ clothing.

    Snarling in hate, the only creature standing, commanded the other, “Take care of the other female with the weapon. I’ll teach our black beauty who loves to play with light a lesson she’ll never forget.” As they started towards their intended targets, the lights on the memorial

flared in a brilliant intensity once again.

    Turning in confusion, the wounded creature was surprised to see a figure leap out of the light and begin to attack him. It managed to

dodge a blow that surely would have pierced its’ second and last heart and begun to strike at this new foe. With lightning speed, the

mysterious figure matched and dodged the creature’s attacks, then pulled from seemingly nowhere, two green conical shaped knives, which

seemed to pulse as he rammed them into the creature’s chest.Two bright beams of light shot out from the entry wounds and as the

creature screamed in agony, he thrust his hand through its’ right heart, whereupon streaks of light appeared all over its’ body, which

seemed to age rapidly. With one final death cry, the creature turned to red dust, which seemed to beat at the man in dark green before his

knives pulsed once more and the dust vanished into them.

    Turning towards the last creature, which had viewed all that had occurred, he growled in a voice which seemed to hum; “Your Turn.”

Snarling the creature advanced, till a bullet pierced its’ eye. Screaming in pain and rage, it turned to where Rena stood with her gun

aimed and rushed at her just as a pulsating knife struck its’ back. Falling to one knee it quickly pulled out the knife, flung it back at

the pursuing figure who caught it and jumped to reach the last distance to finish it off.

         As he was about to land in front of it, red beams of light shot out from the creature into the sky and with a flash of light it was gone.

Its’ laughter was heard as it spoke with its thick voice; “Chase me all you want fool but you cannot be here forever. When the eclipse goes and

I’m at full capacity, I’ll be back eventually and I now have their scent.” With one last laugh there was complete silence.As the young man through back his hood, revealing a broad black face with shot curly hair, as he run to Helen's side, Rena swore she saw his

eyes dim to a bright brown. She shakingly lowered her hand and waringly moved to his side. “Who are you? What were those things? Where did you come from?”

    Cutting her off, he fixed his piercing eyes on her; “I’m surprised you’re still standing, let alone walking. Forget about your questions

because I don’t have much time. Helen is alright and soon your friend will be.” So saying he moved to Dave’s side and pulled out one of his

pulsating knives. Rena quickly lifted her gun, but in the blink of an eye it was taken from her and thrown to the ground. Raising his hands,

he assured her he meant no harm and told her to watch. Turning back to Dave he placed the knife on him and Rena watched in amazement as all

the excess blood was soaked up and the wound slowly healed. Not even a scar could be seen. She was amazed and wanted to know if he could heal the small cut she had received, just in case it got affected.“That was no small cut you received; it just feels like that because its’ almost healed,” he assured her in his smooth humming voice. She did not believe him, but then he just shrugged and reached inside his

cloak to pull out to objects. One, a small granite box, he told her was for her male friend from someone important and it would probably

explain some things. The other was a flat shaped pulsating knife, with an ovular center and what looked like a seed in the middle.

    When he handed her the items, the lights on the monuments begun to pulsate and the eclipse begun to move to its’ end. “You’ll need this

knife to face what’s coming. Not only will it pulsate a certain way when the creature is near, but it will also help you in various ways.

Rena looked at him, ready to ask more questions, but he just smiled enigmatically.

    Streaks of green light begun to appear on him as he bent and kissed Helen on the head. Turning to Rena he spoke one last time, “A few last

things. The time ahead is going to be challenging, but interesting, especially since one of the creatures escaped. All of you should be

safe for a few days as it has to recover and improve. Your time here

may be up soon so use it wisely. I was told to tell whoever was here that Darcy still has the stone. As for Helen, I regret not getting to

talk to her, but when she wakes tell her…. An Old Friend passed by and we may yet get the opportunity to talk.

    With that, the lights on the monument intensified and vanished in a brilliant flash. The streaks of green light completely covered him and he disappeared in a brilliant green flare. As the eclipse ended, Rena went to help her friends and in the meadow there was only a peaceful

silence.