New Life

You get used to a lot of odd noises out here alone in the country. The rustling of the trees creating a language all their own and the animals that try to communicate with them. It is soothing, most nights anyway. Last night was different.

I went to bed to the sound of the coyotes howling and the wind dancing through the cedars. It helps me sleep most nights. At some point during the night, I heard an unfamiliar noise. First, there was the sound of limbs snapping, bringing their conversation to a screaming halt. Then a loud crash just outside the house. I should have just stayed in bed.

Ignoring my better judgement, I went to investigate. Everything looked normal, until I looked up. The branches had been snapped and the edges seemed to be burning. In the distance I could see something glowing on the ground. I stepped over a few of the fallen limbs into the woods. I thought whatever it was it must be on fire.

When I got closer to it, I saw what looked like a meteor that had carved its way through the trees and buried itself in the dirt. I had never seen anything like this. I got closer to it and saw that it was emitting a sickly green glow. It looked like something out of an old sci-fi movie. I never should have gone near it but I heard something eerie. It sounded like faint screaming.

The closer I got to the rock, the louder the screaming got. It was very high pitched. It was as if someone had gotten a microphone too close to a speaker. I crept up as close as I could. I saw a few holes where the light was coming from. I had to peek inside.

I leaned over to look into one of the holes. It was then that I saw it. Inside was a glowing, green worm, wriggling in what looked like jello. The goo was floating around it. Was I staring at an alien life form? I didn't know what to make of it. It slowly stopped moving and the sound began to fade. That’s when I got too close.

The worm shot up from the hole and hit me in the forehead. I was thrown back onto the ground from the blow. I could feel it boring into my skull. I tried to claw at it and pull it from my head. I could feel it digging into my brain. The noise was now inside my head. I clamped down on my ears, hoping that it would stop. I can’t even begin to describe the pain I felt.

I woke up suddenly. My body drenched in sweat. Immediately, I ran to the bathroom to look into the mirror. There wasn't any mark on my forehead. The noise was gone. It was just a dream. I went back to lay down in bed, trying to get that nightmare out of my mind. When my head hit the pillow, I noticed I forgot to turn the light off. I looked at the light switch and felt a small amount of pressure in my head. I saw the light switch flip down and the lights went out.