Cerellena [HWC2013]

When it happened we were atop the mountain that overlooks the little town of Cerellena. A gaunt sun cast its cold October aura over the village below. Barely discernible, the roofs of the houses reflected what they could of the muted daylight into the heavy, fog laden air.
The last hiking trip before the winds of November came, and above the fog the fading day had been one of intense sunlight and more warmth than one would expect at that time of the year. We were glad.
It is not difficult to relate the first tremor to you that sent hearts beating and small pebbles bouncing down the steep rocky banks of the mountain. Surprise at first, as earthquakes in general are very rare in this region. Elation, of sorts. Something new. Something to talk about over the bacon that sizzled and popped over a fire that I had built earlier.
When the second tremor happened, a few hours later, it was getting dark. There were smiles and giggles amongst us. We, five of us, being somewhat inebriated at this point on my fathers moonshine.
- And I remember that it was difficult to tell what was causing the vertigo, whether that be the home made liquor, or the maybe the earth heaving intermittently, so it would seem, beneath us.
It was not long after when we had all settled around the fire that we heard the noise, and it was not long after the noise when we saw the lights.
How does one explain the noise? A kind of mechanical popping sound that reminded one of a broken clock... Of gears and springs, clacking, purring, and unsettling, it came from the direction of the thick forest behind us.
Or was it above us? Matthew, the only other survivor, has said to me several times since that he felt the noise "in his boots". That the loud, grating decibels emanated from the rocky ground itself...
Of this I cannot be certain.
-Then the lights appeared. As I remember, cold, blue, small, dancing in the thick fir trees behind us. Shifting, blinking, casting other worldly shadows. Pretty at first as they darted about, we were spellbound by this anomaly. I cannot go further into this event though, without mentioning the foul smell that accompanied their arrival. Reminiscent of a maggot infested animal corpse, the skin and guts deteriorating under a hot summer sun. A sour smell of rotten flesh, a smell of utter and total death.
Fear. As The lights danced and wove themselves about the trees, the ground shook a third and final time. And it was more than a tremor that sent us to our knees, some quivering in fear, some vomiting from the stench, All of us terrified, holding hands as the earth shook and the blue lights left the forest and began hovering above our shaking camp site like a swarm of angry insects. The fire went out suddenly.
I looked around me.. the lights circling and bathing the ground in a fiendish blue..the sound of clocks, the ground still shaking, rumbling.
To my horror, and I find it difficult to write this, the faces of two long time friends were cracked wide open and I could see that the skin had been turned into what looked like a hard, thick tree bark. The skulls split widely to reveal white bone and pulsing orange blobs of cranial matter, they were running about and gibbering through what was left of their wrecked mouths..The sound a guttural burbling, and a thin moaning that I shall remember for ever...
And Matthew grabbed my arm and yelled, and we fled that horror.
Now running, falling, stumbling down the hill and the sounds of death slowly rising and then diminishing and rising again behind us, The sickly stench remained.
Then we were in the trees for some time and something was following, crashing through the underbrush. It was moving quickly and we were very afraid. It came upon us. Moving awkwardly and purposely, the figure had us cornered and frightened. A friend who's face was mostly concealed in a brown, thick scab. It was Jessy. Trying to speak, she emitted a shrill whistling out of the side of her once beautiful mouth, a disgusting yellow puss oozing out of her ears, knobs as hands. I grabbed her in disbelief, Then she fell and was silent forever.
And then after much toil and grief we made it down the cold mountain and walked lost for several hours amongst the pines and scrub brush until finally the town appeared out of the bleak morning gloom. And the town was silent, and the people had perished in the night. All dead, their bodies covered in a thick bark like skin, their limbs protruding and stiff like broken branches, their faces cracked and contorted. And not a one, as far as I could tell, had survived.
And we know what happened after. How the world had changed overnight.
You see, we have to hold onto the memories of what once was and prepare ourselves for what is next. I will never forget Cerellena and what happened on that October day, in those terrible hours.
There is no silver lining here. It is upon us, they are upon us, and we will always be afraid of what the night will bring.

This is my story.

Very nice story. I hope you have more!

reply to post by trontech


I'm only allowed one for the halloween contest and thanks

That would make a nice opening scene for a movie. I can actually picture it in my head. Hmmm.....

reply to post by trontech


It's my first go on short stories forum, I made a point of keeping it short hah \

Can't wait to read some of the other Halloween stories that will be coming

reply to post by canucks555


Very good
I like the descriptions, I could see it.
Star and flag and good luck!

Peace and love
-nat the blue eyed cat-

reply to post by canucks555

Good job! Your description of the event created a sense of the panic and horror someone would feel in that situation.

For a first go at writing you did extremely well. I love your descriptive style of writing.