As the scenery finally slipped into my brain, I was overcome with wonder. The silky beaded ground was like a colorful beach, bright and beautiful. The sand twinkled with dozens of colors like an old Lite-Brite children"s toy and stretched for miles in all directions. Patches of shining white gra.s.s-like sticks stuck from the vibrant beaches, blinking in the breeze. The skies were purple with orange clouds of fire. At least they resembled clouds, but seemed to move as if they were organic and alive.
"Where did we end up?" I asked the wind. My voice carried everywhere in a tiny metallic echo. When I spoke, blue and gray ribbons of sand spun from my mouth like billowy smoke. The two colors knotted together in the air before me, then softly disappeared. It faded away quickly, in the same way hot breath turns to icy blasts of white steam on a freezing cold day. Watching it drift away made me realize I was alone. I filled with a frightened chill.
"Sophia! Are you okay?" I hollered out. There was no response except my spinning bruised colored breath. I called out again, even louder, "Sophia!" This time the blue color in the smoke was darker, almost black, as I yelled. Hope started to fade.
"She"s over here!" Felicity answered from a few yards away. I whipped around to find her hunched over Sophia"s still body, lying in the beaded sand. Felicity gasped and a huge stream of red and gray smoke twisted from her lips. I ran up to them as fast as I possibly could. The ground felt as hard as rock under my feet, but slick like water on a hard floor. My sore and weary legs fought to keep themselves underneath me as I slid up to them.
"Felicity, are you hurt?" I asked more worried about Sophia"s condition. I fell down next to Sophia"s motionless frame. Felicity stood up with her hands heavy on each hip, annoyed that I didn"t even wait for her answer.
"No! Are you crazy? Of course I am not okay! Were lost in some alien world or dimension, you idiot!" she scolded, with red and orange puffs of smoke circling her head. I tried my best to ease her att.i.tude.
"Are you done?" I asked, kinda calm.
"What are we going to do?" she asked, with no hesitation. I had decided to completely avoid more conflict.
Gently, I slid my hands under Sophia"s head and neck. "Soph, can you hear me?" She didn"t respond. I could feel her pulse pushing against my fingers, slightly. "Sophia?"
"I hope your happy, Lucas! This is all your fault, ya know!" Felicity accused, staring down at me in tears. She clutched the small ring around her index finger in a knuckled ball.
"My fault? You"re the spaz that wished us here."
She glared down at me as if she had forgotten that. "Wish?" She spent another few seconds staring at her shiny prize when a smile pulled across her face, in relief.
She threw her fist into the air, "I wish I was home!" Her voice cracked with excitement. More colors twisted from her mouth, this time, yellow and red. The frosty breath seemed to change with our moods. After a long moment of her standing above me like a cheerleader frozen in place, locked in her routine, she began to pout as nothing happened. She stomped both of her feet, sending beads all over the place, and called out her wish again. Nothing happened, again.
"What"s wrong with this thing?" she said, in a tantrum. I glanced down at Sophia and her wish-granting jewelry. They must not work while their host is unconscious.
"Calm down, Felicity. We can"t afford to panic," I tried to sound calm, but secretly, I was freaking out inside too.
"This stupid thing is broken!" she wailed, slapping her hands together.
"It"s not broken. It just needs to have the other bands working too," I nodded toward Sophia"s limp arms and body. Felicity looked at me in an all-knowing disgust.
"Lucas, how do you know that?"
"I don"t," I said in a shrug. "But for some reason, it just feels right."
She squatted down next me in a soft thud, "Yeah, maybe you"re right."
I looked into her worried eyes and saw the first flicker of common sense, "Maybe."
An idea hit me and I slowly reached down to Sophia"s right wrist. My fingers slid along the band that hung snugly there. With little force, I slipped it over her thumb and fingers. It fell into my hand with warmth inside its curved shape. Before I could even move, the bracelet snapped onto my wrist, locking itself to the edges of the scarring along my inner forearm.
"Is that a good sign?" Felicity whispered.
I forced a smile to my lips, awkwardly, "I hope so."
Suddenly, the alien ground started rolling in waves beneath us. It started slow, but intensified with the force of a tidal wave. Giant, lumbering shapes moved under the gla.s.s-beaded ground as if thousands of serpents had awoken, trying to push themselves to the surface. Sections of the colorful beach bounced like popcorn all around us. Felicity locked her arms around my left arm, squeezing me tight enough to cut off the circulation. The ground pushed upward and I placed my free arm around Sophia, ready to scoop her up and run.
"What"s happening?" Felicity screamed in my ear.
Wincing from the pain, "Just hang on!"
Mammoth sized dunes bulged into the sky, the gla.s.sy beads sliding away like sand over a waterfall. Everything seemed to be shaking now and a teeth-chattering hum filled our heads. It shook the molars in the back of my mouth with its force. I was about to run with Sophia in my arms, when the growing mound of sand filled in a familiar silver and golden glow. The silvery light gleamed intensely as golden sparks peppered through the bright glow. The markings along my arm lit up in the same wild colors.
"Ripley?" I swallowed hard.
* Believe, Lucas. *
My genie, my dragon, my new hope, was back.
"Is that you...you"re back?" I yelled out. Felicity watched the glowing mound in front of us as it seemed to stop growing larger. I stepped forward, closer to it and my arm and wrist burned with a new stinging sensation. My scars throbbed in yellow fire. The burning flames pushed outward, hovering just above my skin in the exact positions as my markings. The flickering symbol floated before my face, littering its movement with dripping metal embers.
* Yes, but I"m not sure why. When Felicity wished us here, something changed. She"s altered my existence somehow. *
"Awesome!" I cheered.
* Lucas, you must listen. I cannot hold THEM back for very long. *
I glanced at the impregnated mound of sand and let out a nervous laugh, "I"m listening."
* Most of my power, the power inside the rings, is gone. There is only one way to refill them. *
"Okay, what do I need to do to bring you back?"
* There are three beacons, one made of Light, one made of Virtue, and the final one, Darkness. You are the Light Beacon. Sophia is the Virtue Beacon... * Ripley"s voice faded.
"And the third?" I asked, and the mound cracked open with a sliver of red light, unleashing thick black tar that oozed everywhere. The skies overhead darkened, immediately.
* The third beacon is lost. *
"Lost?"
* Yes. It"s hidden here, in this dimension. *
"Where is here? Where did we end up?"
* This place has no name. It"s where HE grows his horde, the birth place of General Love"s Hive. *
"Is the General still alive?"
* I don"t know. There is no time. THEY are close. THEY are hungry. *
"Who"s hungry?" I asked, already knowing the frightening answer.
* The new Hive. *
"Great."
* You have to find the third and final beacon. It"s the only way you can get back home. *
The rumbling mini mountain before us started to swell again, causing more cracks to cut along its surface. Cold black ooze rained down from the sky, covering us in filth. Felicity screamed out, disgusted and scared.
* Lucas, find the Dark Beacon! *
"How?" I cried out, covered in black oil.
* Use the markings on your arm. They will show you when your are close to the third beacon. You have little time to find it. When the thirteen scars heal, you will be stuck here...forever. *
Disbelief filled my head with fuzz as I looked down at my wrist and watched as one of my markings faded away, leaving only twelve.
I asked, winded, "How much time?"
* You have seven shades until your beacon extinguishes. *
"How long is seven shades?" I grumbled, and leaned down, lifting Sophia into my arms.
* In Earth time...two hours. *
With a sarcastic roll of my eyes, I said, "Perfect." More cracks ripped along the curve of the menacing mound of dirt, and with the new openings came a horrific roar. The force of the sound sent ripples along our skin, and dried Felicity"s tearstained cheeks.
* One last thing, Lucas... *
I glared over my shoulder at the once bulging section of ground and it was gone.
* Run! *
"Oh, no..." I shrank as my eyes glossed over in terror. Hundreds of putrid green tentacles waved from the gaping hole in the ground. Each one twisting and turning like wild snakes begging to be free. Spinning razors lined the alien snakes backs and heads. These wicked barbs spewed black tar down their sides and onto the ground. Their eyes locked onto us as their long bodies danced in place. Instinctively, I shoved Felicity the opposite direction and tightened my hold on Sophia.
"Move it!" I screamed, but Felicity couldn"t hear my voice over the trumpeting new born Hive. Felicity panicked and pushed herself forward, losing traction instantly and tumbled to the blackened soil. With the miles of soft beaded sand all around us, she managed to find one of the few solid rocks embedded in the ground. Her curly haired head smashed into it with a dull crack, leaving her unconscious and bleeding. I didn"t have time to adjust for her accident, and tripped over Felicity"s tangled legs, dropping Sophia to the ground. Her small body slid next to Felicity"s, and my palms slammed into the smooth sand.
"c.r.a.p!" I shouted, in pain. The markings along my arm and wrist ignited in white fire, before pulling into a small ball of flames. It spun in front of my face and then shot off into the distance. I watched as it flew with blinding speed and then exploded along the ridge of a distant mountain. At the edge of this new vista was a tall lanky shadow, staring at me with glowing blue eyes. The shadow person waved at me, revealing bands of light reflecting back my way. Immediately, I knew who it was.
"The Dark Beacon."
With a vicious eruption, the ground exploded in front of us and more serpent demons stretched upward, hundreds more. Their gritty bodies towered over us with falling spit and sickening screams. Surrounded by the overly hungry Hive, I trembled in their swaying shadows as they ate up the last of the skies failing light.
"Lucas?" Sophia"s broken voice spoke from beside me, her face half covered in dirt and blood. Hearing that she was alive renewed my hope, even if it was only for a moment. I completely forgot about the prying stare of the shadowed stranger and arched my body over Sophia with the slim possibility of blocking the terrible sight above us. If we were about to die, maybe I could at least save her the horror of witnessing it.
"Close your eyes, Soph," my throat filled with dust. Her sad eyes wilted as the morbid shadows above us, engulfed everything. Felicity snapped upward, sitting on her heals, grabbing at her bleeding head. She grabbed onto me in shock, shaking more than the tremors below us. She sobbed next to me and gently placed her hand over Sophia"s eyes. Her last act of kindness, startled me and I shared a real moment with her, staring into her broken face.
"This is my fault, Lucas," Felicity cried.
Her words stunned me. I took a deep breath, trying to process what she had just said, but all I could do was feel anger rising up inside of me. Building fury turned into strength and I closed my eyes, embracing it. My hand pulled tightly into a ball and silvery white light popped from my hand. The power grew more intense as the markings along my wrist and forearm came to life. Tiny threads of mirror colored energy popped along our bodies like a million metallic fireflies, tracing every line around us.
"I"m sorry," Felicity sobbed. More magical threads covered our outlines, growing brighter and thicker.
"Don"t be. We"re not dead, yet!" I declared. The nightmarish horde of demons pulled upward, readying their bleeding teeth for the first bite. I slammed my burning fist into the beads below me, covering all three of us in warm light. A thousand hungry mouths fell down on us at the same moment, blocking any glimpse of the alien world around us.
Gravity fell away and time stopped, leaving only darkness. In the blackness only one sound could be heard. It was faint, but it was everywhere.
A heartbeat.
GAME OVER.
BEHIND THE SCENES:.
Lucas Ryan and his adventures was born from a dream. A crazy and vivid dream. One of the few dreams that I completely remembered after I awoke. Putting Lucas down on paper and eventually my laptop, led to only one possible outcome...Lucas Ryan is one of my favorite characters I"ve ever created. He"s inspired a whole new world in my imagination. A world that will continue for the rest of my days. Lucas Ryan Versus will be an ongoing series that never ends. I hope to have a new installment every other year until I can no longer write. Book two in the series is already in the works! The epic storyline will continue in 2014 with...
LUCAS RYAN VERSUS:.
The Return.
Until then, my Sci-Fi loving friends!" * M.
MADISON DANIEL is an author from the Southwest who lives for music, art, 80"s movies, and eye candy. He lives by one simple motto, MUSIC IS LIFE AND THE WRITTEN WORD IS OUR SOUL. He"s always written in some form; designing his own comic books when he was a kid, writing his own songs for his local rock band when he was a teenager, and now, his sixth published novel, Lucas Ryan Versus: The Hive.
STALK ME:.
YOU:.
When I imagined this fun and fantastic book, one thing eluded me. The image of my young hero, Lucas. That was remedied the day I stumbled upon Grzegorz Rutkowski and his beautiful art. Inventive, pa.s.sionate, and kind, Grzegorz accepted my challenge to give my video-game-loving protagonist a face. With the perfect cover art my newest story was officially complete.
Thank you, Grzegorz.
Create on! * M.
STALK HIM:.
SONG PLAYLIST AND CREDITS:.
All music is suggested in complete respect and love of the artist(s). Please take a moment and support all the names and bands on the list. DO NOT ILLEGALLY DOWNLOAD and strive for a unique and detailed experience.
Music is life...
Welcome Home by Coheed & Cambria written by Claudio Sanchez 2005 Sony BMG Music Entertainment You Learn by Alanis Morissette written by Glen Ballard and Alanis Morissette 1995 Maverick / Reprise Burden In My Hand by Soundgarden written by Chris Cornell 1996 A & M Records Inc.
Connection by Elastica written by FRISCHMANN, JUSTINE ELINOR 1995 Deceptive Records / EMI Music Publishing Higher Ground by Red Hot Chili Peppers written by Stevie Wonder 1989 EMI America Crushcrushcrush by Paramore written by Josh Farro and Hayley Williams 2007 Fueled By Ramen / Warner Music Group Hysteria by Muse written by Matthew Bellamy, Dominic Howard, Chris Wolstenholme 2003 A & E, East West Every Day Is Exactly The Same by Nine Inch Nails written by Trent Reznor 2005 Interscope Records Demons by Imagine Dragons written by Imagine Dragons, Alex da Kid, Josh Mosser 2011-2012-2013 Interscope, Universal No One Knows by Sofia written by Roxanne Seeman 2008 Sound Pollution Uprising by Muse written by Matthew Bellamy, Dominic Howard, Chris Wolstenholme 2009 Warner Bros, Helium-3 Short Change Hero by The Heavy written by The Heavy 2009 Counter Records / +1 Records No Fear by The Rasmus written by The Rasmus 2006 DRT Entertainment, Inc.
Believe by The Bravery written by Samuel Bingham Endicott 2007 The Island Def Jam Music Group Sparks by Coldplay written by Guy Rupert Berryman, Jonathan Mark Buckland, William Champion, Christopher Anthony John Martin 2000 EMI Records Ltd My Hero by Foo Fighters written by GROHL, DAVID / SMEAR, PAT / MENDEL, NATE 1997 Roswell Records, Inc.
Going Under by Evanescence written by David Hodges/Ben Moody/Amy Lee 2003 Epic, Wind-Up, EMI Enchanted by Taylor Swift written by Taylor Swift 2010 Big Machine Records, LLC Warning by Incubus written by Brandon Boyd, Mike Einziger, Alex Katunich, Chris Kilmore and Jose Pasillas 2001 Immortal Records Breaking The Habit by Linkin Park written by Linkin Park 2003, 2006 Warner Bros. Records, Inc.