Taken

Prologue

The blazing white light clouds my vision, nearly blinding me. I squeeze my eyes shut and cover my eyes with my hands, but I can still see some of the light peeking through.

What the hell is that?!

The light grows brighter, and now it's accompanied by the sound of a loud engine, such as a helicopter or airplane.

I try to move, but my feet are rooted into the sand. Slowly, I open my eyes, until I'm gazing right at an enormous, circle-shaped object.

The object looms closer and closer. From this distance, it appears to be moving in slow motion.

 But in only a matter of seconds, it's right above me, slowly descending down onto the sand.

The engine roars louder and louder, drowning out the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. I clap my hands against my ears and squeeze my eyes shut again, but it's no use. I can barely drown out the noise.

Wind blows all around me, kicking up sand that clings to my skin and clothing.

I try to run again, but once again, I cannot. 

No. I literally cannot move an inch. I am momentarily paralyzed by whatever force this is.

My feet feel as if they are rooted into the sand. 

I open my mouth to scream, but no sound comes out. Or maybe I do scream, but it's just being drowned out by this deafening sound.

It seems like an eternity between the time when the object is right above me and when it lands on the sand in front of me, even though by now, I know it's moving rapidly. 

I stumble back a few steps, tripping into the sand. I prop myself up onto my forearms, my legs too shaky to stand on. I stare up at this massive object now looming in front of me. 

It's at least twenty feet tall, so tall that I have to crane my neck to glance up and get a full view. Even in the darkness, I can tell that it's a silver color with dozens of tiny, round windows placed evenly along the exterior.

A window slides open, and a thick cloud of smoke fogs the air. 

I squint my eyes against the blinding lights that are all around the perimeter of this strange object.

I watch as a giant ladder drops down, and a small, dark figure steps out of the shadows and begins walking down the ladder, one step at a time.