Issue #165 : Out Of Proportion
The rain started quickly that night. Chester stood on the back dock, looking out over the water and listening to the water dance on the tin roof of the shelter. He took a can of beer from the battered cooler and eased himself down into the boat. There was no sense in trying to take it out in weather like this, but he loved to lay back and let the feel of the lake soothe him along with the rain. It usually ended up being some of the best sleep he ever got.
Thunder started to roll up in the mountains and he could see the strobe effect of lightning off in the distance. The unusually cold air made his skin stand up and he shivered, wondering at how much the temperature could drop, even during this time of year. Might be worth it to get a cheap bottle of scotch to keep down here in situations like this, for quick warm-ups.
He reached over to flip on the radio. Despite the weather, the thing always managed to pick up a clear signal and he took another long drink as the sound of guitar mixed with that of the rising thunder.
When he started to feel the tingling sensation on his skin, his first guess was that the ancient radio had shifted partially into the pool of water at his feet. Opening his eyes however, he saw that this was not the case. Looking past the shelter of the roof, he saw that in addition to the rain, there was now a cascade of leaves and other debris, as if there had been an eruption of ground material. The wind was stronger as well, howling around his makeshift structure, making the walls around him tremble.
Chester pulled himself up and out of the boat. He stepped out and put his hand up against the wind that now swirled around him. Within a few minutes, he felt at least a dozen quick slashes across his cheek as dirt and rocks flew past. There was a howling coming from somewhere high above in the dark, something not quite animal and almost mechanical in nature.
He had never seen or experienced anything like it. His stomach lurched as the wind gusted, strong enough to nearly take him off his feet. He had never been in a wind tunnel before but he suspected that it would be something like this. The wind began to rise up even more and he felt the absurd urge to sit down and close his eyes.
Before he even had a chance to try, the first insect had nearly taken his head off.
It looked like a cricket, save for the fact that it was at least three times Chester’s size. The legs came down on him, pushing off his shoulders and knocking him to the ground. He looked up from an unbelieving mental fog as the creature glanced back at him and let loose a string of jabbering, clicking sounds that he couldn’t help but hear as a retort of some kind.
As he stood up, a second and third bug touched down on opposite sides of him and immediately bounded off into the trees. The impact from their massive frames touching down brought him back to his knees.
He felt his palms scraping across rock and exposed tree roots as he scrambled back, trying get away from the things. Already, he was hearing the dull buzzing from behind him, slowly realizing that the things were surrounding him, pinning him to the shoreline. From where he stood, he could make out the darkened shape of at least ten of the bloated insects, hovering around and over him.
Still, the water wasn’t as much of a barrier as it seemed. Chester spun and sprinted towards the shore. He could hear the things take flight to pursue, just as he reached the edge and leapt into the cold water. He dove down, as deep as he could manage, leveling out and aiming for the island across the way. It could have been the wind but he imagined that he could hear the frenzied activities of the things up above him.
Just as his lungs felt like they were going to burst, he angled up. Breaking through the surface he had just enough time to take a deep breath and dive again. Rolling over as he stroked through the water, he could see things flashing above him, their bodies skimming the water as they flew.
On the third time of breaking for air, one of the bugs made contact, dragging razor-sharp legs across his shoulder. He immediately felt the burning sensation as he looked down and saw the cloud bursts of dark color as his blood began to pump out.
He had to be smarter about this. It wasn’t about speed. He had to stay out of reach, out of sight. As long as he was careful about when he came up for air, he should be able to get to the island and hopefully lose them within the thick trees. And if he was lucky enough, the cold water would slow the bleeding in the wound to his shoulder.
All around him, he felt the water start to churn, as if some kind of pressure valve had been released. The water felt warm, creeping up towards hot. He wanted to get out, to swim for dry land but he wouldn’t last more than a minute up there.
It was at that moment that Chester felt the presence, that of the other. He looked down and by the light of the moon, he could make out the shape of what looked like a massive stone statue as it rose from the depths of the lake. He saw glaring yellow eyes as the swinging shadows of arms reached up from below to take him into its forever embrace.
