The Lights in the Sky

CW: Contains themes of and/or references to abduction, forced nudity

Pale lavender hues crept through the twilight sky, and the sea blazed with a red glow as the sun began its descent over the horizon. Eric clutched the side of the small sampan, salt spray flicking across his face and leaving a tingling taste of brine on his lips. He turned toward the boatman perched in the rear of the boat, raising his voice to make himself heard over the clanking roar of the outboard motor.

‘‘So, the stories are true then, Hanif? About no one sticking around on Pulau Hantu after dark?’’

‘‘Yep. Something to do with strange lights in the sky at night. People think there’s something spooky about the island.’’ His tobacco-stained lips crept back in a wry smile and the old man’s cloudy grey eyes twinkled. ‘‘But you’re paying me 50 American dollars to drop you off there and that makes it worth my while.’’

 ‘‘And how do we know it’s not a waste of time and money?’’ Susan shot a sharp stare at Eric, her blue eyes glinting like cut-ice.’’ A stray gust of wind whipped an auburn tress over her face. ‘‘I liked Penang. Great shopping. Nice food. Now we’re headed to some godforsaken little island a fifty-minute boat ride away from the nearest town.’’

Eric grinned. ‘‘Honey, we’re paranormal streamers. The reason why we came to Malaysia in the first place was to make content for our fans. Who knows, maybe we’ll get some excellent material tonight.’’

Susan pouted, her lower lip set in a defiant stance. ‘‘Right. And we’re coming here because some online rando dared you to spend a night on a supposedly haunted island. You realize how stupid that sounds, right?’’

Eric’s brow creased. When she put it that way, Susan seemed to have a point. About a week into their trip to Southeast Asia, a troll had challenged them on Instagram to brave the purported perils of Pulau Hantu, accusing Susan and him of being fakes who’d staged all their previous encounters with the paranormal.

His cheeks burned at the memory and his jaw stiffened. After visiting over twenty supposedly haunted places across the world, he wasn’t going to let his reputation be challenged. If there was indeed something supernatural on the island, they’d find it tonight.

The boat jarred to a stop, jerking Eric out of his thoughts. 

Hanif’s hoarse voice rang out. ‘‘We’ve arrived.’’

Nodding, Eric rose to his feet and begun gathering up their portable tents and other camping supplies.  Susan bent over to give him a hand, her face locked in a stony expression. 

They stepped onto the shore, coarse grains of sand crunching under their shoes.

Hanif winked at them. ‘‘I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 10 in the morning like we agreed. Hope you enjoy your stay here.’’ His face convulsed with a snigger and the boat sped off into the night.

Susan tilted her head to cast a final glance at the disappearing sampan and then turned around to frown at Eric. ‘‘Such an asshole.’’

Eric made a dismissive wave. ‘‘He’s old and cranky. Forget him.’’ A stinging itch erupted across his cheek and Eric slapped at his face, dislodging a swarm of mosquitos. ‘‘Now let’s set up camp before these skeeters eat us alive.’’   He reached into his backpack and dug out a flashlight. ‘‘Come on, let’s go.’’

With Susan trotting alongside him, they made their way past the lush stands of coconut palms, heading into the island’s interior. The twin beams of yellow light spilling from their flashlights cut a narrow path through the humid darkness that pressed in on them like a shroud. Tangled undergrowth snagged at Eric’s heels and his lungs strained, sucking in the damp air. His face was drenched with sweat and his clothes stuck to him like a slimy second skin. 

His eyes flitted to Susan. She looked as miserable as he felt but her eyes shone with grim determination as she swept a lank strand of hair from her forehead. Once she knew that he’d made up his mind about something, she’d back him all the way. One of the many things that he loved her for.

After what seemed to be an endless, exhausting trek forcing their way through dense layers of thorny vines and creepers that snagged at their clothing, Eric spotted a clearing. It was a level patch of ground surrounded by towering rainforest trees. Relief welled up in his chest and he gestured to Susan. ‘‘Looks like an old camping spot. We’ll spend the night here.’’

He pulled a canteen out of his backpack and took a long swig, reveling in the cool wetness of the water against his parched tongue. Once he’d drunk his fill, he caught Susan’s eye and gestured toward a large oval shaped rock. ‘‘Take a seat and relax, babe. I’ll set things up.’’

Getting to his knees, Eric busied himself with the business of erecting the large tent and then reached for the electric mosquito coil nestled at the bottom of his backpack.Setting it up in front of the tent’s opening, he switched the device on. Emitting a flickering orange glow, it filled the forest with a gentle hum. Squatting down, Eric leaned against the side of the tent. Fatigue rolled over him and his eyelids grew heavy.

‘‘Babe, over here! I found something!’’

Snapping into wakefulness, Eric rushed over to Susan. She was peering intently at a large oblong rock a meter away from their tent. It rose up like a miniature monolith, its grey surface illuminated by the glow from Susan’s flashlight. She jabbed a finger at it. ‘‘Do you see it, that engraving?’’

Eric’s heart leapt when his gaze locked onto the carving etched onto the surface of the stone. It depicted a large disc-shaped object hovering above a multitude of cowering humanlike figures. From the disc, a massive tentacle-like appendage snaked out, poised to snatch up one of the fleeing humans.       

‘‘Nice catch, honey!’’ Reaching for Susan, he pulled her into a quick hug and then released her, scrabbling inside his pocket for his phone. Logging into his Instagram account, he then spun back toward the small monolith and raised his phone to film it. At the top of the screen, glowing white letters and numbers shone in the gloom, spelling out the time: 8:00.

 His voice resounded through the jungle in an excited jumble. ‘‘Guys, you’re not going to believe this! We’ve just found what might be evidence of an actual alien abduction!’’  

The chat stream cascaded across his phone screen, multiple messages being fired off simultaneously.

‘‘OMG! You’re right!’’

‘‘This is so freaking cool!’’

And a lone dissenting reply. ‘‘Nah, it’s got to be fake!’’

 Eric’s brow wrenched into a scowl. ‘‘No, it’s not fake! I just-’’

A piercing shriek rattled through the trees like the discordant cry of some mechanical monster and Eric winced, slivers of pain stabbing into his ears. A ghostly green radiance swept over the clearing and everything seemed to shimmer. Freezing shock jolted through Eric’s legs and his breath hitched in his throat. The phone screen turned dark, all energy drained from it. What the hell was going on?

His eyes shot up toward the source of the eerie light. A massive disc blotted out the night sky, the entire craft brimming with green fire like some enormous malignant glow-worm.

The craft’s underside glimmered and a massive gaping hole materialized, splitting open like the maw of a hungry monster. Two gigantic tendrils emerged from it, striking at Eric and Susan. The shining coils snagged their bodies and yanked them into the hatch of the alien craft. Susan’s terrified scream exploded in Eric’s head and then was snuffed out as the green glow enveloped them.

Every pore of Eric’s skin tingled, his eyes burning from the emerald flames swallowing him in their massive inferno.

And then darkness descended on him, total and complete, the light vanishing within the space of a heartbeat as if a switch had been flicked off.  The cold hardness of the coils pressing against his skin was gone. Eric took a shuddering breath and stretched out his hand, groping in the gloom until his fingers closed around Susan’s wrist. The warmth of her skin against his sent a wave of blistering energy coursing through him. Whatever it took, he’d get them out of here.      

She leaned against him, a strangled sob breaking out of her.

‘‘We’ll get out-’’A sibilant hiss echoed through the shadows, and a shiver crept down his spine.

The green luminance filled the interior of the craft again, but it was more subdued this time, allowing Eric to see the figure making its way toward them.

Eric tried to scream but the sound withered and died in his constricted throat.

Slimy red streaks glistened against the floor, indicating the secretions left in the wake of the hideous creature slithering toward them. Its monstrous slug-like form shone with a bluish sheen, multiple tentacles protruding from its bulk to sweep through the air. Gelatinous red eyes peered down from twin stalks to snap onto Susan.

One of the tentacles cracked like a whip and grabbed her around the waist, ripping Susan out of Eric’s grip and drawing her toward it. Multiple tendrils closed around her struggling, screaming form. With practiced precision, they peeled off Susan’s clothes with practiced precision, leaving her naked and trembling. Its work done, the creature hoisted Susan up and carried her down a long hallway, the tremendous folds of its body heaving.

Eric’s head throbbed as a booming and resonant voice rumbled inside his skull. ‘‘Do not fear, human. You and your mate will come to no harm, but we have need of your genetic material. Our species needs a fresh infusion of human DNA to birth the next generation. Live your days among us in the knowledge that you are contributing to this great undertaking. Rest now so that you will be ready for the duties awaiting you on our planet.’’

His nose twitched, a heavy fragrance reminiscent of rotting flowers filling the air. Oblivion overcame him, and consciousness slipped away, leaving him plunged in darkness.