Wavelength

Episode 4: Pierce the Stars

As the police shined their spotlights on the abandoned houses, they watched the area that had collapsed... or more likely, opened and pulled the man they saw in, not noticing the slight pulsing of the asphalt below their blinding lights, still bewildered as they watched and waited for nearly anything to break the monotony of the oncoming night.

Without any of them seeing it, the ground swelled in the street outside their protective barriers, and quickly dipped down to form a crater, with one sharp protrusion in the surface, nearly breaking the smooth barrier that could be seen.

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        James screamed with all his might, a single shape in his mind as he sunk his sword into the spongey ground below, bringing forth a gush of shining green liquid as his weapon morphed and grew into a pillar shape, extending to meet the rapidly falling spikes, a rounded point forming on it's end that pushed them aside, one grazing Jame's jaw as it was narrowly diverted. The blade retracted from the ground rapidly blunting and resting on the ground as the acidic liquid around his feet began to drain, a foamy substance from the wound he made driving it away as the creature groaned and growled at James. His shield shrank back into his other arm, forming a small triangle with spikes on it's side instead as he panted for breath in the musty, pungent air flooding toward him as the ceiling lifted, the bristle like teeth rattling as if to signify their anger at not tasting his flesh.

        "I haven't lived this long... and survived an encounter of the third kind... just to become a snack for a GIANT CLAM!!!!" James pushed up the teeth around him, pulling up the ribbed column of purple-ish metal that clung to his arm, its weight unimaginably light to him compared to its size as he swung it up to meet a slit of brilliant green light in the center of his vision, the eye opening to meet his gaze once more. "Eat this, shelly." His eyes shined in triumph for a moment as he braced himself and thought a single word loudly in his head: "Lance". The pillar he held erupted with blinding violet light, a beam forming and piercing the eye that stared toward him in disdain, splitting it down the center as the beam struck, and pierced through, puffy, green sludge bursting from it as the floor and ceiling both convulsed, the night sky visible once again as the canopy opened haltingly, a pitiful scream echoing from the eye as the light that it once broadcast faded.

        Small orbs of green light formed from the monstrosity that had been slain, and drifted into the wind as James watched, slightly amazed, and very exhausted, merely glad to see the stars again, calls of alarm and gunshots above completely unnoticed as he fell onto the now bare stone below, the purple metal constructs he clung to fading into him once more.

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        "I think.... I finally lost my mind."

        James stared up towards the stars as his eyes opened, seemingly revived even though little time had passed, the moon still perched high in the night sky. The tranquil night was punctuated by a few gunshots that faded in number and volume as he waited. "Trigger happy cops. Great. I thought they would at least stay calm, it's their job." He stood with a slight stagger, noting the complete disappearance of the thing that had nearly turned him into a midnight snack. he climbed over the  already dried exposed stone, pipes and utilities from civilization jutting from the walls of the crater silently, providing somewhat unstable handholds as he rose steadily, wary of possible chunks of lead moving at high speed above him, even though the local law enforcement had seemingly calmed for the moment. He reached the top and stood for himself, ready for seemingly anything, making his way slowly toward the blinding light that represented the police barrier ahead, several voices sounding from behind it as he approached.