What if you knew that horrific events were coming and you figured out a way to protect your home and the ones you love, would you do it?
Yes? Then come along and read When Worlds Collide.
Where am I? Aimee wondered through the brain fog pressing in on her consciousness. Blinking often, she tried to clear her blurred vision, but could only make out mottled shades of black, grey, and blue.
A door click broke the silence of the room.
Alone in the darkness, Aimee turned her head sharply towards the noise as terror raced down her spine. "My closet," she whispered and wondered if she was finally going to find out who or what was in there.
Feeling vulnerable in her state of semi-blindness, she called out, "hello?"
As though in answer, her sight came into focus. She could see that she was indeed in her bedroom and standing at the foot of her unmade bed. Next, she realized that she could see in the dark, like a strange filter had been applied either over her eyes or over her reality.
A dull flash of lightning lit the room and seemed to change the hue of the filter, and then back again. Weird, she thought, as thunder rumbled in the distance. "Storm's coming," she murmured, looking towards the window. Or where the window was supposed to be.
"Where's the window?" she asked out loud, confused. "How did the lightning...? Where's... Huh?!" That's when she noticed something else about the room - something very odd - and that same-but-different feeling came over her again.
As she looked around, she realized that some of the walls were gone, that the room was on the edge of nothing... that reality blurred off into nothing...
"This is a dream, right?" she asked herself. "But how, I'm awake." She patted her body up to her face and added, "I think." Making a slow turn to take it all in, she stepped carefully, afraid to go too close to the edge and end up lost to oblivion. "Doesn't quite feel like a dream though. It feels like something... more."
Suddenly, the closet light came on behind its closed door and radiated out of the cracks all the way around it. Aimee cried out at the same time, startled to find herself standing in front of the door. But she hadn't walked there.
"Holy crap! What the heck?" she exclaimed, holding her temple, and trying to overcome the dizziness spinning in her head. Instead of scaring her even more though, it just solidified her resolve. "Okay, something is in there." She'd had enough of this game. "Something is doing this and it's time to find out what."
But before she could grab the doorknob, she was instantly transported into the closet, through the door, and left standing at the back wall. Although her mind swam again, her stomach fluttered with pleasurable tingles, leaving her feeling euphoric. "Oh wow! That was cool," she chuckled. "Okay, you win."
As she reveled in the exhilarating sensation of what had just happened, a sparkling mist began to form, filling the small space. It swirled around her legs and up her body with a light crackle, making the fine hairs on her arms stand up, before concentrating on the back wall. As the mist dissipated, a large, ornate wooden door appeared before her. "Whoa," she stared in amazement.
Raising a hand, she hesitated to touch it at first, but then slowly ran her fingers over the carved relief. She traced the intricate lines around the border of the door, and marveled over the masterful craftsmanship it must have taken to create such a beautiful frame of artful knotwork. Her eyes then moved to the central image, depicting what looked like a wolf or a dog holding a shield. Touching it again, she caressed the regal-looking figure with her fingertips. "What is this? Like a crest or something?"
Taking a step back to get a full view of the door, she then noticed that something was missing. "There's no doorknob," she said faltly, puzzled. "So, how do you open..?" The door then clicked in response, opening just a crack outward.
"Oh!" Surprised, she slapped a hand over her mouth. Putting her hands gingerly on the door, she paused a moment to gather her courage. "Okay, here we go..." she was ready to finally find out what this was all about.
Then she heard it. A faint voice sang out in the distance, coming from the other side. "Wait, was that... the call?" she wondered aloud.
As she pushed on the door, it slowly swung open to reveal the same forest from her other dream. "Wowww," she exhaled, stepping over the threshold and into what she had come to call her enchanted woods. The trees had shed most of their leaves now and it appeared gloomier than before, but it was the same place.
A big smile then spread across her face when she spotted her golden clearing glowing up ahead. So she took a few steps forward to approach it. Same lilacs still flowering, same fluff gently falling, still green and lush, she observed silently. But something seemed off. It's not as bright as last time, she thought, but then shrugged and murmured, "it still looks like a scene out of an 80s fantasy movie though."
The light was indeed getting dimmer, she noted and she didn't know why. But she was still delighted to be there again.
Aimee's head suddenly snapped to her right towards the sounds of crunching leaves and breaking twigs. Someone was walking her way. So she quickly scanned the woods outside of her clearing. With the trees so bare now it would be easy to spot whomever was there.
Just then, she caught a glimpse of something white dart through the leaves. Aimee squinted trying to find it. It dashed by again in a different location and disappeared behind a big maple.
As she stared in a mixture of fright and curiosity, the large, boney hand of the creature gripped the tree in front of it. Its gaunt, pale face then peeked around the trunk with what seemed like deep black holes where eyes should be.
That thing must be freakishly tall, she thought, judging by how high up the tree it was. A long, knotty leg and foot then sprung into view as well.
Aimee gasped as she watched it suddenly drop to the ground on all fours. Looking like a strange angular mass of knees and elbows, it then ran off in a spider-like crawl, shrieking into the woods. "Ugh gross! You sound like a hoarse pterodactyl, whatever you are," she cringed and thought for a moment. "You're definitely not the singer," pausing, she glanced around worried. "At least, I hope you're not."
Movement through the leaves caught her attention again. Then she saw more white crawlers creeping around. They scurried rapidly between the trees, leaving ghastly squawking screams trailing after them.
"What the heck is going on?" Terror began to claw its way up her spine again as she realized, "if these things are here, could they get through the door in my closet?"
Horrifying shrieks filled the air, interrupting her, as the storm from her room broke through into this world. Lightning then seared the sky, illuminating giant shadows. Darker than the blackest black with glowing red eyes, they began to close in around her like an invading force.
Aimee screamed in fright. Shaking and crying, she squeezed her eyes shut and covered her ears, cowering down into the grass.
"Don't be afraid," a deep, male voice spoke to her over the din, its tone gentle and calming. Aimee recognized it immediately. It's the same voice from when I was reading!
And then came the Call. This time, it was loud, clear, and powerful. It really did sound like a cross between a rock star and a Tarzan call, she mused. It sounded different than before though. This one had urgency to it and seemed more like a rallying cry. "It is the same voice," Aimee confirmed with a hopeful smile, as her fear melted into awe and amazement. "Who is that?"
A chorus of howls erupted from every direction in reply, and Aimee knew what was coming next. "The wolves," she whispered.
She could hear them racing through the woods now, their feet pounding the forest floor. But this sounded much bigger than last time. There's a lot more than a pack, she thought, peering through the trees in anticipation. Sounds like a whole army of them!
With the ground vibrating beneath her, thunder roared shaking the entire forest like an earthquake. The wind then blew up and ripped through the trees, whipping Aimee with dead leaves and tearing at her clothes. She fought the gale to just breathe.
As the storm crashed with the horrid cries, Aimee again heard the Call rise up above the clamour. Suddenly, doors appeared all over the forest, hundreds of them, and something shifted. The creatures all changed their focus and began to rush towards them.
"Shield!" the voice commanded, switching from song to words.
At that moment, the wolves arrived. Zipping past her, they charged ahead and in through each of the open doors.
Through one of the doors closest to her, Aimee could make out a bedroom that she recognized. One of those white crawlers was creeping up alongside the bed. Lightning then flashed, revealing the sleeping figure and Aimee's blood went cold.
Stacey!
She tried to cry out to warn her friend, but her voice would not come. Frantic, she tried again and again, but could only scream out in her head. Stacey!
Just then, Stacey's wolf bolted past Aimee, snarling and growling before lunging into her room through the open door.
© 2021 by Linda Casselman
Last: What's a Dogman?
Next: Invasion
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Did You Hear The Call?
Become a Shield Warrior-in-Training
