Desert Lightning, Tower's
By addoseth82
Desert Lightning, Tower's Ascent
Author: addoseth82@gmail.com
The wind howled like a banshee, tearing at Kara's jumpsuit as she ascended the skeletal remains of the radio tower. Each rusted rung groaned under her weight, a metallic scream swallowed by the immensity of the storm. Lightning split the sky, painting the swirling sand dunes in stark, fleeting relief. She tasted ozone, sharp and metallic, on her tongue. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the corroded metal, the height a dizzying vortex of sand and shadow. She had to reach the top. The signal… it was her only hope of contacting the *Daedalus*.
Suddenly, a rung snapped. Kara gasped, her stomach lurching as she dangled precariously. Below, the desert floor seemed to rush up to meet her. With a desperate surge of adrenaline, she swung her legs, hooking them around a lower support beam. Scrambling, she regained her footing, her heart hammering against her ribs. "Damn it!" she yelled into the wind, her voice swallowed by the storm. She glanced up, her eyes fixed on the antenna at the tower's peak. She continued climbing, each movement now measured and deliberate, the image of rescue propelling her upward.
Kara gripped the railing, the wind tearing at her suit as she faced the shimmering figure. Its form resolved slightly in the dim light, revealing long, skeletal limbs beneath what appeared to be tattered remnants of a uniform. The voice, like nails on metal, grated on her ears. "Who are you?" she managed, her voice thin against the desert wind.
The figure chuckled, a dry, rattling sound. Suddenly, a second figure emerged from behind the transmitter, blocking her escape. This one was shorter, bulkier, and completely cloaked in shadow, its presence radiating an unsettling stillness. Kara realized she was trapped. The shadowy figure raised its jury-rigged rifle, the barrel now centered on her chest. She could feel the cold seep into her bones despite the suit.
"We are the keepers," the skeletal figure rasped, its voice laced with an unsettling glee. "Keepers of the silence." The second figure remained silent, a dark monolith against the flickering lights of the transmitter. Kara took a step back, her hand instinctively reaching for the useless sidearm at her hip. It was just an electric taser, not nearly enough to take on two opponents, especially not these… things.
The skeletal figure tilted its head, as if listening to something Kara couldn't hear. "The signal that calls them. The signal we must silence." The growling from the shadowy figure intensified, and it took a step closer, the energy rifle unwavering. Kara knew she was out of time.
The image of her crew flashed through her mind – Liam, Maya, even the perpetually grumpy Jaxx. All lost, scattered across this forsaken planet after the crash. A wave of despair washed over her, quickly followed by a surge of fierce determination. She wouldn't let their sacrifice be in vain. She wouldn't become another victim of this desolate world and its grotesque inhabitants. She would survive. She would find them. No matter the cost. Desperate and exhausted, Kara made a silent promise to survive and find them, no matter the cost.
Kara tore her gaze from the unsettling symbols on the transmitter, the skeletal figure’s words barely registering. The energy radiating from the device felt like a physical weight, pressing down on her. A low hum vibrated through the antenna platform, resonating in her bones. She noticed a flickering light emanating from deep within the tower's structure, a rhythmic pulse that seemed to synchronize with the transmitter's energy. Suddenly, the skeletal figure lunged, its bony fingers grasping for her arm. Kara recoiled, knocking against a section of the railing.
"Silence!" she yelled, finally finding her voice. She kicked out, connecting with the figure's leg. It stumbled back, momentarily stunned.
Kara’s cry was cut short as the skeletal figure cackled at Kara's pain, the sound like dry leaves skittering across stone, each rasping note a tiny shard of ice piercing her eardrums. The transmitter continued its monotonous hum, a mechanical drone that offered no comfort, only amplifying the crushing sense of isolation. The skeletal figure took a step closer to Kara, its empty sockets seeming to bore into her soul. The Skeletal Figure raised a bony finger and pointed it towards the pulsating behemoth below, its jagged nail glinting in the harsh, alien light.
As Kara struggled to maintain her grip, she heard Liam's voice crackling through her earpiece, filled with desperation: "Kara, you need to get out of there now! They're coming for you!"
Kara’s scream died in her throat, choked by the vise-like grip of the shadowy hand. The air crackled with an unseen energy, raising the hairs on her neck despite the crushing weight on her arm. Below, the desert stretched, an endless canvas painted in shades of ochre and rust, dominated by the obscene, pulsating behemoth.
The skeletal figure cackled at Kara's pain, the sound a brittle counterpoint to the wind's mournful howl. It was a sound that scraped against her sanity, each dry, rattling note a hammer blow against her will. The transmitter continued its relentless drone, a mechanical heartbeat in this desolate place, offering no solace, only amplifying the terror. The skeletal figure took a step closer to Kara, its empty eye sockets burning into her with an intensity that defied their emptiness. The Skeletal Figure raised a bony finger and pointed it towards the pulsating behemoth below, the gesture slow and deliberate. The jagged nail, stained with an unknown substance, glinted under the sickly yellow light of the forsaken planet.
The taller figure raised the energy rifle, the focusing crystal at its tip glowing with a sickly green light. Fear, cold and sharp, pierced through Kara. She took a deep breath, her mind racing, calculating the impossible odds. Two figures, one armed with a weapon that could probably vaporize her, and the other a silent, ominous presence. There was no time for strategy. In a swift motion, Kara lunged toward the skeletal figure, her momentum carrying her across the short distance. She aimed for the weapon, trying to knock the energy rifle out of its grasp before it could fire. Her fingers brushed against the cold metal of the barrel, a desperate gamble against the inevitable.
With strong, Kara pulled herself upward, the wind a constant tormentor. Finally, her gloved hands grasped the cold, slick metal of the antenna platform. She hauled herself onto it, collapsing for a moment, gasping for breath. As she pushed herself up, intending to reach the transmitter, a shadowy figure detached itself from behind the antenna array. It was tall and gaunt, its form obscured by a tattered, sand-colored cloak. The figure raised a weapon – a crude, jury-rigged energy rifle – its barrel glinting ominously in the intermittent lightning. The figure blocked her path.
Story Content
The wind howled like a banshee, tearing at Kara's jumpsuit as she ascended the skeletal remains of the radio tower. Each rusted rung groaned under her weight, a metallic scream swallowed by the immensity of the storm. Lightning split the sky, painting the swirling sand dunes in stark, fleeting relief. She tasted ozone, sharp and metallic, on her tongue. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the corroded metal, the height a dizzying vortex of sand and shadow. She had to reach the top. The signal… it was her only hope of contacting the *Daedalus*.
Suddenly, a rung snapped. Kara gasped, her stomach lurching as she dangled precariously. Below, the desert floor seemed to rush up to meet her. With a desperate surge of adrenaline, she swung her legs, hooking them around a lower support beam. Scrambling, she regained her footing, her heart hammering against her ribs. "Damn it!" she yelled into the wind, her voice swallowed by the storm. She glanced up, her eyes fixed on the antenna at the tower's peak. She continued climbing, each movement now measured and deliberate, the image of rescue propelling her upward.
With strong, Kara pulled herself upward, the wind a constant tormentor. Finally, her gloved hands grasped the cold, slick metal of the antenna platform. She hauled herself onto it, collapsing for a moment, gasping for breath. As she pushed herself up, intending to reach the transmitter, a shadowy figure detached itself from behind the antenna array. It was tall and gaunt, its form obscured by a tattered, sand-colored cloak. The figure raised a weapon – a crude, jury-rigged energy rifle – its barrel glinting ominously in the intermittent lightning. The figure blocked her path.
Synopsis
In a tempestuous desert on a distant planet, Kara climbs a decaying radio tower, battling elements to contact her ship, the Daedalus. Supernatural forces lurk in storm shadows, threatening her survival. Kara's resolve is tested as alien threats draw closer with each lightning flash.
As she nears the tower's summit, Kara confronts a shadowy figure wielding a crude energy rifle. Trapped by a skeletal apparition and a bulky alien, her escape routes dwindle. Survival hinges on Kara's ingenuity and determination as she faces the horrors of the storm. Will she overcome the alien menace or become another lost soul?
