Unbeknownst To Us

"Guys!" Gus hollers from up ahead. "You’re not going to like this!"
Bates looks over at Greg and shrugs his shoulders. "You know, every time he says something like that, we always end up liking it." They both chuckled.

Bates can see Greg's reminiscing wheel turning. Greg goes on. “How about the time just before we entered the hotel room? He said the same thing. And then what happened?” They both chimed in, “Strippers!” Greg laughed. "And the time we couldn’t find any water while we were searching for relics in the sands of time and thought we lost Gus.” Bates and Greg said at the same time, "Guys, you’re not going to like this! And what was Gus doing?" They both pause before shouting out, “The backstroke in a beautiful lagoon of pristine waters!” They both laughed as they walked closer to Gus.

Bates, Gus, and Greg have been friends and colleagues for over 15 years. When Bates first met the boys, they were just entering Hamilton College. Gus said he wanted to learn how to speak Russian because someday he was going to fall in love with a sexy Russian woman and woo her until she became his bride. Bates met Greg in Arch-229, The Archaeology of Death. He told Bates he didn’t believe death was the end. And he was going to prove it. If not to the world, at least to himself. Bates decided long ago that he believes in what he sees, and he chooses to go with the ebb and flow of each situation he gets himself into. They have been practically inseparable since then.

Bates shifted his backpack and grabbed his pistol. He knew not to underestimate what might pop up from underneath the ground and/or around a corner when you’re in the middle of nowhere. They were staring at an object larger than a Volkswagen Bug and strange enough to say it just might not belong here on earth.

“What the f*ck is that, guys?!” Gus said nervously. His right hand reached for his pistol. Greg looked calm as always, but Bates knew better. Even during a possible violent confrontation that they've been in together, Greg always looked calm, cool, and collected. Afterwards, Greg would openly admit to Bates that he was scared sh*tless. Greg refuses to carry a gun. But he does have his own weapon. It’s a kind of slingshot that does just as much damage as a 22. Enough to stop you for a second. Unfortunately, it was not enough to stop an encounter that was beyond their imagination.

As they were getting closer, they could see a bed of what looked like black obsidian that the object was lying on. It was shaped like an elongated egg, golden in color, with hues of rainbow colors dancing from it. Getting close was not their priority. Gus was also a photographer. Taking pictures is usually first on the list before they hear Bates say, "Move in." Yes, that sounds like something a SWAT team captain would shout out. It’s just that they have been faced with many different kinds of hostile situations. From where they were standing, Bates couldn’t see an opening. Was it a spacecraft, a giant alien tomb, a relic that dropped from out of space, or was it a magnificent insect that crawled out from deep within the earth just to lay an egg?

Greg was about to walk around the object when they began to see and feel the crystals vibrating, making a sound they had never heard before. Bates wasn’t taking any risks. He had Greg standing about 10 feet to the left of him and Gus 6 feet to the right of him. And they were approximately 30 feet from the object. As the crystals continued to vibrate, the golden egg-shaped object did not move. Bates could feel the vibration from underneath the ground. And the sound—how to describe it? Like the sound of a thousand hummingbirds zipping by your head. He felt like yelling. Heads up! But nothing could be seen flying above their heads.

Nothing could prepare them for what was to come. The golden egg started to crack. The sound of flying hummingbirds grew louder. And the vibrations grew stronger. The stronger it got, the more the egg was cracking. No sound of cracking came from the egg. But you could clearly see cracks forming. And then it stopped. No sound. No vibrations.

We started to back up a few feet more when it happened. Suddenly, another black obsidian bed started to form underneath Gus. “What the...” He was quickly engulfed in the crystal formation. Greg and Bates ran. As they looked behind themselves, they could see the crystal formations moving towards them. They ran as fast as they could. They ran a good 70 feet away from the object before it looked like the crystals had stopped chasing them.

Greg, heaving heavy breaths from running, looked over at Bates and said, “Oh my god! What the f*ck was that?! Bates, what the f*ck do we do?!” Greg started to cry. Gus was gone.

“Greg, we need to keep moving. We don’t know how far those crystals can move.” Bates looked at Greg as calmly as he could. Greg and Bates kept moving. As soon as they felt safe enough to stop, Bates pulled out his binoculars to take a better look at where Gus was standing. You would never have known he was standing there. There wasn’t any sign of him. Bates didn't see a body. No blood. Nothing.

They sat and waited for a few hours to see if there were going to be any changes. Nothing changed. They decided to set up camp so they could start observation in the morning. Greg called for assistance and explained all that he could.

Just as they started to set up camp, vibrations and the sound of flapping hummingbird wings began again. The vibrations and sounds grew stronger. And then the egg began to peel. The golden color started to turn a dark, crimson red. The cracks started to glow. You could see a light amount of what looked like steam coming from the cracks. The cracks looked like they were leaking out lava. And just like that, the egg dissolved. Somehow, Gus was right there where the egg was. It looked like he was sleeping or dead.

Greg couldn’t control himself and started running towards Gus. Bates cried out for him to stop. The crystals moved unbelievably fast towards Greg. Greg pulled out his little slingshot pistol and shot at the crystals. The crystals shattered, but then they would quickly form back. It was too late. The crystals moved at lightning speed this time, and Greg was also engulfed.

Bates stayed awake for the rest of the night. He didn’t make a move. Bates sat and watched. There is still no movement or sound coming from Gus and his bed of black obsidian. Or where Greg once stood. He didn’t dare take a piss, but he had to. He thought maybe if he climbed up on a boulder, he’d avoid any contact with the crystals. He had to try. As the hot stream of his urine trickled down to the ground, the sounds of flying hummingbirds began. Bates felt paralyzing fear take over him. He didn’t even have time to think about zipping up his pants.

The crystals were instantly right underneath his feet. Everything went black. He felt cold for a moment, and then slowly he started to warm up. He couldn’t move, but he wasn’t uncomfortable. It was like he was in a cozy little bed. The crystal cocoon he was in began to light up. He could see the crystals. They looked sharp but did not pierce his skin. As he began to look around, Bates could hear a voice. Someone was calling his name. “Bates, it’s ok. Relax.” It was Gus’s voice. “Gus!” Bates tried to shout out. No words. He couldn’t speak. “Bates. Relax. Let go.” Bates couldn’t wrap his mind around what was happening. He tried to cry out again. He couldn’t make a sound. “Bates. Let go.” This time, it was Greg’s voice. Bates thought to himself... What is going on? Just as he finished his question, two crystals formed themselves into the shape of small needlepoint-sized syringes. Just as the crystalized syringes punctured their way into Bates’s temples, he could hear it in his mind. “Let go.” Even though his eyes were closed, he could see an opening—a type of portal. He entered the portal and knew right away that this was their next chapter; this was not their destination; it was a continuum of their journey.


Word Count: 1460