My body took me to the edge of the highway, looking out over at a field between to small wooded areas. The voice in my head spoke one word, ‘Observe.’
I watched, feeling as though I could not do anything else. That is when I saw a person come running out of the wooded area. I observed the person running as fast as they could while glancing over their shoulder. I wanted to shout out to them but for some reason I could not, I could only just observe the scene unfolding before me.
The person was about mid-way in the field when I observed a dark, swarming cloud appear from the wooded area from where the person had come from. To me, the cloud looked as though it was a large swarm of bees albeit being swarm about seven feet in height and four feet in width. I watched the swarm move effortlessly towards the running human. The swarm caught up with the human just before they had made it into the other wooded area. The individual glanced over their shoulder one last time, frozen in place. I heard them let out a loud shriek as the swarm encompassed them. Then there was an eerie silence and the swarm moved off. Where the human had been standing there was nothing. No body, no clothes, nothing. It was as if the person had never existed.
I did not feel horrified, shocked or frightened which was odd within itself. I felt nothing. Then I noted that I had not even paid attention or even cared if the person had been a male or female. I felt no emotions for a moment. Then like a balloon popping my thoughts darted to Marina and I wondered if this is what had happened to her. My heart sunk at the thought of that happening to her. No matter what I had transpired between us my love for her was beyond expression. I would have done anything for her, to protect her and if she was still alive somewhere I would find her and protect her.
I was snapped from my dream world to the realization that the swarm was now moving towards me. I stood along the highway just watching the swarm move towards me. Again I felt no fear, no emotions at all. When the swarm moved within a few feet of myself I felt my body surge with an odd power as well as a sense of pure rage. I assumed that maybe I was still dreaming and I just thought or knew I could stop what was about to happen.
I stretched out my arm, raising my hand at the swarm. My chest burned like a steel mill furnace. The feeling moved through my body down my arm and out through my hand. I felt a pulsation emanated from my extended hand, the swarm before me stopped. As the pulses grew, the swarm before me began to compress. My thoughts were like a river flowing in one direction, one thought preservation.
For some odd reason my thoughts then drifted to one word, one memory, Marina. I became enraged, consumed in a firestorm of anger. I thought about her, I thought about how our relationship ended, the cause of it. Then I thought of her being consumed by this swarm. I pictured my rage as a monster, Godzilla in fact. As I was consumed in my rage I had not noticed what was happening to the swarm. I continued to compress it, crushing it into a smaller and smaller ball. My rage over flowed, drowning my thoughts in pure boiling anger. I was snapped from my rage, the explosion from the swarm so close me should have injured me or at least knocked me back.
With just a thought, ‘shield’, not only did I feel but I saw a barrier encompass my body as the fragments and energy from the blast rolled around my body. I observed it happening in slow motion, time nearly slowing down. Once the blast had dissipated the feeling of being observed washed over me again. This time it was not just that strange feeling of being watched, at this moment I knew I had the full attention of someone. A monotone voice spoke in my head, ‘Threat detected. Level one, engage and extinguish’.
I stood there, motionless just thinking about what I had just witnessed. I thought about my love how the last words spoken between us were ones of anger. How I wished I could take it all back. I wish for one more chance to see her, be with her and to tell her I was sorry. However, after what I had just seen and done; I lost all hope she was even still alive. I walked back to my car to continue my journey and as for this voice, I thought my response. ‘Please come and try. You took my beloved and I will have vengeance.’
——————
STEWART BERMAN says
very well thought out – liked the ending