The Unnamed by R. Michael
“Night comes so quickly these days,” Sierra sighed. She closed her book and yawned. Then she lethargically reached for the storm door and pulled it open. Before stepping over the threshold, Sierra pivoted on her heel. Her eyebrows furrowed, and her nose wrinkled. “What is that stench?” she uttered, plugging her nostrils.
She glanced at the gently rippling surface of the pond that edged her property. Sierra took a few steps forward, and the woodsy aroma blended with rotten milk and wet dog assaulted her once more.
Gradually, a shape lifted out of the water, propelling itself to shore on a pair of lanky legs. The light around it warped and wobbled, producing a static-like aura. Sierra’s heart leapt into her throat as the being rotated its head and studied her with dimly glowing white eyes.
Sierra couldn’t advert her gaze from the monstrosity sauntering toward her. An angular face with pronounced cheekbones, sunken eyes, and gaunt, pale skin sat upon an unnaturally thin, stalky neck. Its left eye was larger and sat lower than the right, like a surreal painting.
Warily Sierra placed one foot in front of the other, transfixed on the entity. When she was within two yards of it, a needling throbbing beset her temples, and she crumpled to her knees. The grass between her house and the pond withered to a dusky brown, tipped with flecks of frost. The being took a step back without warning, and Sierra felt a sliver of energy return. A throaty rumble emanated from it, sending chills down her spine. Arching her head upward, she saw the glow enveloping it grow fuzzier until the creature vanished.
Sierra unsteadily rose to her feet, stumbled up the porch steps, then locked the door behind her. She threw herself onto the couch, gnawing her thumbnail. Eventually exhaustion won, and she fell into a restless sleep.
#
The morning light’s warmth tenderly woke her. Stretching, Sierra rose to her feet and rubbed the weariness from her eyes. Birds chirped merrily, and a gentle breeze combed through the trees, bringing a sense of serenity until memories of the previous night inundated her.
“That couldn’t have been real, could it? It sure felt like it …” She breathed, running her thin fingers through her wavy, brown hair. The woman poured herself a glass of water then ate a quick breakfast. Something near the pond glinted in the light, catching her eye as she finished her meal.
She walked out the back door and cautiously approached the anomaly. It was thin, black, and undulating in the air. As she studied the frayed edges of the tear, it steadily elongated. Mindlessly, Sierra reached out for it, but as her hand drew near, the sky precipitously darkened to a blood red with onyx veins. Verdant woodlands that encircled her home became gray-brown, and the appalling pong returned. A withered, three-fingered hand reached out, and the grotesque monster she had seen the previous night emerged.
The entity seized her by the shoulders, immediately inducing images of a world blanketed in darkness. Pyramids, forests, everything was laminated in black glass. There was no sun, but a brilliant array of stars encrusted the heavens with two galaxies outshining the rest. Everything went blank momentarily, then a rapid succession of darkened worlds void of life flickered through her head as an unidentified, sonorous voice repeated, “Let me in.”
She didn’t know if the being intended to show her its plans or not, but Sierra couldn’t let them come to fruition. Determination swelled within, and she writhed within the being’s grip, envisioning a steel wall in hopes of disrupting its psychological assault. Somehow, Sierra freed herself and fell to the ground, twisting her ankle.
Malice radiated from the otherworldly creature. Not for her particularly, but for existence itself. The power and evil that exuded from it was so immense, Sierra knew she could only comprehend a fraction of its true nature.
“I think I understand now. You need a host as an anchor,” she said softly.
A rumbling gurgle boomed from its throat. “I’m the unnamed. Devourer, eternal, and incomprehensible to mortal life,” the telekinetic voice bellowed inside her skull.
Sierra’s blood turn to ice. The entity bristled and straightened to its full height. Like before, the light around it bent, forging a strange aura. For several moments it glowered at her, unmoving.
A surfeit of responses raced through her head, yet she stayed her tongue. Through the fear and confusion, a sprout of determination grew. My home will not become like those other worlds. She closed her eyes and directed all her failing energy into unlinking the creature from her mind. Time slowed and her headache returned. Every inch of her body begged to give in and submit to the entity’s mercy, but her spirit persisted, fanning a flame within which swiftly grew into a blazing inferno.
“Get out of my head!” Sierra bellowed. Visions assaulted her: her world darkening, thousands screaming out in terror, friends and family withering to skeletal husks before crumbling to ashen dust. The migraine intensified then abruptly dissipated without warning.
When her lids flicked open, the monster was gone. A heavy chill hung in the air, weaving its way into her heart. Despite the landscape returning to normal, Sierra trembled, gawking at the pond for a moment before willing herself upright. “Is it over or just beginning?” she uttered.
—
R. Michael lives in rural Minnesota and is happily married with one son and a border collie foot warmer. He has four books published on Amazon with works featured in “365 Tomorrows,” “Trembling with Fear,” and “Night’s End Podcast.”
