Invasive Species Part One Read Free

beasts. One is headed this way. She is all yours.”
    “All mine? What?”
    A tall seam, three stories high formed in the white room, parted with the speed of an autumn leaf.  A gruesome and asymmetrical shape soon distorted the clean lines of the seam.
    The beast was like a giant Hershey Kiss, with the color of a rotting peach. The bright light accentuated every callous-like growth that fell from its body like a hippie’s long hair. There was no sign of a mouth, no sign of legs or even fists until it twisted its form into a single protruding fist.
    That was about as much detail as Derek wanted to analyze. He dodged the first strike. Where was his friend the alien? Why couldn’t he help out?
    The beast hit the floor like a wave on a beach. It spread fast, spiking up tall pillars that fell at Derek as he ran into the sides of the white room. It was much smaller than he had assumed. Derek jumped at the last moment, the beast’s expanding flesh missed beneath him. Then he landed.
    The beast reared back, sucked in its flesh and staggered along the far wall. Derek had hurt it. Its strings of calloused hair shook at him like spit that wouldn’t leave the spitter’s lips. It sounded like the rattling of muffler on pavement.
    Derek struck again, sprinting fast and leaping feet first into the beast. It shook and rattled and flopped from side to side, unable to control its form. Derek continued to stomp as it began to move away from him. But Derek gained on the beasts form, reaching the calloused hair. He grabbed them and yanked hard.
    Thud.
    Derek slid down the opposite wall. His whole body hurt. It felt as if he had been electrocuted. The beast’s fear dissipated. Now it knew how to defeat Derek.
    The beast splashed down onto the ground, it rose as a giant wave. The white room became darkness as the beast encompassed the whole stretch of room. Derek had nowhere to run as the beast targeted its electrocuting hairs and attacked.
     
    Melinda flashed before his eyes. At least the aliens had granted him one final chance to see her. She looked right at him. He wished she knew it was him looking back and not the imposter. But she didn’t know the difference. Love hung on her eyes, in the shape of tears.
     
    Derek roared and jumped into the beast as it looked to flatten him. He squeezed its flesh as it blanketed him. Squeezed tight until the flesh bulged, like a pimple ready to be popped. The beast whipped its form around the room, Derek’s grip held firm. He would hang on until his last breath. He couldn’t let the imposter hurt Melinda. He had to survive.
    The pimple burst; violet sludge like Mount Vesuvius.
    The beast wasn’t through yet. Neither was Derek. He stretched the torn flesh, tearing it all the way up to what Derek had assumed was the beast’s head. It rattled like a dying car, screeching brakes and all. Then it dangled in silence, like a popped birthday balloon, wrinkled and pointless.
    A tingle of warmth radiated through Derek’s body. It didn’t feel as nice as the first time. But he knew it meant the beast was defeated.
    Derek was violet. His steps required extra effort as he worked his way out of the beast’s carcass like he was knee deep in the Everglades. At the open seam of the white room stood his alien friend , waiting with an impatient look on its face.
    “That took longer than I expected.”
    “You could’ve helped.”
    “That was an easy one, plus it has increased your immunity to their poison stings.”
    “I’ve been poisoned?” Derek asked.
    “Don’t you recall when you hit the wall? Ah, I see I must correct my word usage; poison may mean electrocution from what I am gathering from your shift in physical nature. The invaders view electricity as a poison. I must remember not to translate from my culture to theirs, to yours. The error has been corrected.”
    “You’re a strange little dude,” Derek said and looked down the darkened seam, which formed a vast empty space. No walls were in