Valley of Lost Souls (an excerpt)

It was Wednesday and I was home by myself. Michael had gone fishing and the kids were at school. I awoke with a strange feeling and I got out of bed slowly. Everything seemed different. As I pulled on my nightgown I could feel every particle of the fabric of it against my skin in a whole new way.

It was like my skin was electrified, like it was wrapped in satin that had a lot of static discharge. I went into the living room, and was headed for the bathroom when I saw them.

Chills ran through me as I realized it was the men my children had described to me when they had disappeared. They were sitting on my sofa smiling benevolently at me.

I ran to the window to look out, but it was like I was running in slow motion. I saw the old car sitting in the driveway, and I noticed it really did have seaweed hanging from it. I stared at it momentarily before turning my attention back to the men. I felt as if I were in a dream.

I noticed that everything they did was synchronized. If one turned his head to the right, the other did the same. If one raised his hand, the other did the same.

I went and sat down, waiting for what was to come.

“We have been waiting for you Sarah.” They said in unison.

Their voices sounded robotized, but somehow cheery at the same time.

I stared at them. I studied their faces, and they were very ugly. The holes my children had described to me were void of light. It was like a piece of their face had exploded away, and left a piece of outer space in its place. The red sores were like a disease of mottled flesh.

Their eyes were liquid black and there was no pupil to be seen. I felt that I should not look into their eyes for very long, and I tried to avoid doing just that. Yet their eyes drew me, and it was a constant battle not to.

“What could you possibly want with me?” I asked, my voice trembling. I noticed my hands were shaking, and I had no control over it.

They turned their heads in that weird synchronized way to look directly into my eyes. I felt overwhelmed with a feeling of warmth toward them.

Then I forced my eyes away from theirs, and I immediately felt sick. I wanted to close my eyes until they disappeared from my sight, and yet, I could not.

“We want your soul.” They said in unison, once again in the same cheery robot voices.

I shuddered and drew a deep breath.

“You can’t have what belongs to God.” I replied quietly.

They smiled.

“We know how to get what is his. Just look into our eyes and it will be… OH…SO…EASY.” They repeated the last three words with emphasis on each word.

I found myself drawn deeper into their eyes. I felt like I was being sucked in, like I was drowning in the pools of darkness that was within them.

Then, out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of light. The spell they had been weaving over me was broken. That light shot through one of the red sores on one of their cheeks.

They both screamed and I watched in fascination as one of the mysterious holes appeared in the exact same place on both faces.