The Shadow Gatherer

The Shadow Gatherer

Dirt swirled like angry fingers around Collin and Vin’s terrain ships.  The lethal combination of the disappearing light and the ashy dust around them caused the landscape to blur in front of Collin’s eyes.  His heart rushed blood to the tips of his fingers and toes making them tingle like hundreds of ants on his skin.   Dirty brown beads of sweat ran into his already stinging eyes making the view of the ruined land in front of him even more indistinguishable.  God, oh, God!  What did I do, where did they come from? Keep going, keep going.   Like a drowning man his body felt desperate for air, yet, his lungs ached from hyper ventilation. 

“Collin, stop! COLLIN! You son of a - STOP!” 

Collin was barely aware of Vin’s voice but the severity of the warning became clear as a towering mass of black spidery limbs and dark misty matter rose from the earth directly in front of him.  He jerked the agile vehicle to avoid collision with the mountain of flesh, if it even was flesh, no one had ever lived to find out.  The ship lurched forward to dodge the nearest spear-like leg of the dark demon.   The oozing black vapor that poured from the creature’s body ran over the ship’s exterior like a morning fog.  The ship’s instrument panels screamed and flashed uncontrollably in front of him. 

“Collin!” Vin wailed into his ear piece.

“Wha – Where – I’m – I, I can’t see!” A thousand words ran through his mind but combining them felt impossible.

“Collin! You’re alive! Go, boy, go!”

Vin’s voice was steady.  How can he be so calm? What does he think I’m doing? I’m already going but where? WHERE?

“I can’t see!”

“Follow your nav and don’t stop.  You’re one lucky little pain in the neck.”

A transparent green arrow displayed on Collin’s the windshield flickered and pulsed as it neared a large green circular destination.  Masses of black begin filling the navigation screen directly behind and around the arrow. 

“Vin…get me out of here.”

“Shit, they are trying to cut off the pass to the compound.   Dump the storage vials!”

Three weeks of gathering who knows how many billion dollars worth of bloody black energy, there’s no way in hell I can dump this and stay alive.  If the Shadows don’t kill me, Wess will!

“Are you crazy?  I can’t!”

“Dump them or die.”  Vin’s voice was low and threatening.

The tingling sensation in Collin’s fingers escalated into numbness as he reached for a dark red leaver above his head.  The ship groaned and with a heavy snap the leaver gave in to his pull.  Two large cylinders tumbled to the fleeing ground beneath him and the nose of the vehicle dipped and accelerated violently.  The seconds that it took for Collin to reach the compound walls felt like a series of eternities all leading to an almost certain and painful death.  His mind cruelly played dozens of scenarios of his imminent death.  He was skewered like a shish kabob and ripped into bloody bite sized morsels in the first.  In the second his body was engulfed in the inky vapor, burning his skin with the acidic concentrate before causing his muscles to wilt off his bones like last night’s slow roast pork dinner.  His mind gave him hundreds of these images before accepting the knowledge that he had crossed the safety parameter of the compound.  

The ship spun to a stop but Collin’s eyes stared fixed at the ground in front of his windshield.  His hands shook beyond his control but held fast to the control sticks. 

“Are you alright?” Vin said softly and slowly as he opened the driver’s side door. “Take your time, son.”

Collin couldn’t speak; he could barely think. His teeth clenched together, jaw tight and immoveable, images of his mutilated body holding strong in his mind.  He did not want to take his eyes from the ground with fear that he was actually a dead pulp of meat scattered on the trail, not sitting in the gathering vehicle safe in the compound.    
            “Collin…” His voice was stronger now.  “Boy, I’m going to go…see about something.  Stay here as long as you need.”

By the time he felt ready to get out of his seat, the sky was dark and the dry air assaulted his skin as it ran across the flat dessert terrain.  Despite the planet’s near desolate state, Collin couldn’t see any stars from the small compound.  Dozens of massive light towers blared near blinding lights onto the compound grounds making the sky seem even more lonely and dark.  Collin stumbled and made a half-hearted attempt to walk straight as he made his way to his room that reminded him more of a storage hatch than a living space.  His hand lifted the dense metal handle that guarded the entrance to the small single building that was the Gatherer’s Compound.  Other than ship docks and storage bays, the building consisted of only ten small rooms to be used as living spaces, a commons area, and a control center that only Wess was authorized to access.

Collin used the tip his shoe to remove the shoe from the opposite foot before flopping onto a hard mattress whose coils squealed under his weight.  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.  All fingers still here.  1, 2, 3, 4… Three loud taps cracked through the silence. 

“Col, you there?”  Alex called from behind the door “I’m comin’ in.”

            Alex was a lower level Gatherer but got promoted after Wess found out he was a med school dropout after his university went bankrupt along with most of the nation.  He now got a mid range Gatherer’s pay with half the on-site work, but now he had to take care of all the injuries and nut jobs that came through the compound.  Alex didn’t wait for a response or invitation to continue.

            “So…I heard you had a little run in.”  He pulled the three legged stool out from the corner and planted himself in front of Collin with a wide eyed stare.  “Sounds like a bad day to me… do you remember what day it is?”

            “I’m not an idiot, Alex.”

            “No, no, no! That’s not what I mean, come on.  I mean, I’m just wonderin’ how you’re doin’ that’s all.” 

            “You mean, you’re trying to find out if I’ve cracked.”

            Alex drummed the tips of his fingers against his thigh “Well, have you?”

            “For heaven’s sake, Al!”

            “What? It’s nothing to be ashamed of.  You remember Frank, rock solid guy, arms like trees.  He cracked before –“

            “Just stop, man.  Just stop.” Collin took off his shirt and threw it into a small pile of dusty clothes. 

            “I mean, you seem fine to me. I just have to do this for Wess before he can put you on-site again.  He seems really anxious to use ya.”

            “Well, you can go tell him I’m fine.  I need to work, I need money.”

            “I hear ya there.” Alex slid the stool back into its corner. “I guess I’ll be going then. Its good to see you alive.”

            “Yeah thanks.”

            His pants soon followed his shirt into the pile of dirty clothes before Collin curled himself under a thin rough blanket for the night.  Collin woke dozens of times throughout the night, each time damp in cold sweat.  When he closed his eyes all he could see were looming dark shadows following him and eventually suffocating him with their toxic vapor. 

            “Enough, enough.”  He said in surrender to the silent darkness.  Collin crawled out of bed far before sunrise and dressed himself in one of his less filthy uniforms.  He knew someone on the compound would be awake, if only for security.  I wonder if there’s some food out already.  Making his way to the kitchen he passed the main control room where he could hear the steady flow of voices speaking in hushed tones but quickly growing louder. 

            “It happens, you know that.”  The growl in Wess’s voice was a natural side effect from his chain smoking habit.  Collin could smell the smoke as he neared the room and saw the door cracked open.

            “They shouldn’t have been there. It was too early and too close to the compound.”  Vin’s voice was a muted response to his superior. 

            “I guess we’re getting lucky then.  There’s been less of them lately and if they go, so does the energy and your pay check.” Collin stopped before he passed the door and hoped he could hear more. 

            “But we need to be more careful about this. Something has to be drawing them out and the low level men can’t handle it.”

            “They have to learn somewhere, and I can’t afford to have you playing baby sitter to every kid who comes through here who can’t hold his water.”  Wess’s voice was aggressive and Collin began to wonder if he could sneak by unnoticed.

            “You’re the boss.  But know I’m not going to have any one of those boy’s blood on my hands.  That’s all you.”  Collin heard footsteps getting closer and Vin’s voice growing louder. 

            No, no, no. Collin debated darting back to his room.  Man up you baby and just keep going.    Collin began walking at a pace he felt would look most natural and acted surprised when the control room door swung open to reveal a red faced Vin stomping out of the doorway. 

            “Oh hey, Vin.  What are you doin’ up?” Collin’s fingers fidgeted inside his pocket.

            “I’m going to bed.”  Vin brushed by Collin without looking at him.

            Collin increased his pace with the goal of getting to the kitchen as fast as possible and without any more surprise encounters.  He was not quick enough.

            “You!”  Wess thundered through the open door.  “Suit up, you’re going out at first light.  I hope you grew some balls last night.”

            “Yes sir.”  With all dreams of breakfast lost, he retreated back to his room to prepare for what could be his last day alive. 

            The sun soon rose and painted the earth in blush tones.  Collin sat in his ship that still smelled of his sweat from the day before.  Wess stood cross armed at the docking bay watching him with critical eyes.  A short, balding man loaded two clear cylinders into the rear of his ship. 

            “Try not to waste these too this time,” Wess called.

            “Yes sir.” His fingers trembled as he flipped the switches in launching order.  Keep it together.  It was a fluke.  Even Vin thought it was weird.  It won’t happen again.  A pinched voice sounded in his ear piece.

            “We have some new areas that should give us some good matter.  They haven’t been hit for a while so watch your back.  By the way, did you hear about Rav’s new girl.  Hot!”  Terrence was primarily in charge of handling the navigating systems and black matter intake control so he didn’t get out much and used the com system as his main source of a social life.

            “No I didn’t hear that.  What happened to the original areas?” He tried to sound uninterested, but he could not control his voice from cracking. 

            “Heck, I don’t know.  Wess just gave me these.  But seriously, dude, you should check out the videos she sends.  Finger lickin’ good! Is this your first time out alone?”  Collin could hear the clicking of computer keys through the ear piece and knew the Terrance was probably trying to hack into Rav’s videos.

            “Y-yeah, that’s right.”  His shirt had begun to stick to his back and cling to the seat.

            “Good luck, brother.”

            “Thanks.” 

The ship lurched forward and the ground rushed beneath him at dizzying speed.  Collin focused on following the nav screen and keeping the green arrow on course.  After a few minutes be began to relax and even started to enjoy the sunlight that filtered through the scattered clouds.  You’re such a pansy sometimes.  He told himself.  Seriously, stop being so paranoid.  Maybe you really are cracking.  The arrow continued to lead him in a steady pulsing course towards what looked like the entrance of a ravine.  Some irony though.  The greatest form of energy being exuded by living death traps.  Where is Terrance leading me? 

He had reached the mouth of a canyon formed out of red rock blistering with heat from the ever intensifying sun.  Well, here goes nothing.  He pushed the ship forward into the embrace of the towering rock.  He followed the crevice for several minutes passing through the shade that the cliff face cast on the ground below.  Collin quickly stopped when arrow gave a sudden instruction to make a left turn into the rocks.  What the?  He turned the ship slowly to the left and saw a domed entrance into the face of the ravine.  He watched the light fade into the darkness in front of him and the dreams of the night before began to come alive in his mind.  His mouth went dry and he chewed on his tongue in an effort to force his mouth to dampen again. 

“What’s the matter with you?”  He said and pounded the palms of his hands against the front dash.  “Do your job!  Mom can barely afford to eat, and here you are psyching yourself out of a paying job.  A real man you are.”  He covered his eyes with his palms and began rubbing the skin on his forehead in forceful circles, moving to his head he grabbed fistfuls of hair and shut his eyes as tightly as he could.  Just do it!  “Fine, fine!  I’m going!”  He pushed the controls forward and crawled into the entrance of the cave. 

The air felt cold and damp, a welcome sensation on his flushed skin.  The engines sounded hollow in his ears and the smell of mold wafted through his nostrils.  The darkness seemed to welcome him, but he scrambled to locate the exterior lighting switch.  He rolled his finger across the round rocker switch that controlled a master head light and several small glow lights on the front edge of the ship.  The master light flickered for a moment before giving a loud crack and leaving Collin in darkness with only the faint yellow glow of the runner lights to guide him.  Just fill and go, fill and go.  The gauge that located an increase of black matter had been at a constant flat line throughout the trip. 

“’We got a new area’ they said.  ‘Its going to be great’ they said.  What a bunch of lying sack of horse sh-“  A loud buzz announced the black matter gauge’s spike in activity and static grew in his ear piece.

“-lin!  Collin..ca…you…me?  Where…you?”  Vin’s voice rang into his ear.

“What? I’m here. I’m in the cave.”  Static broke through again.

“G…now…ou…Wess…go!”

“I can’t understand you. I need to get out of the cave.  Hold on.”  The cabin lights flickered and the gauge screamed again this time with twice the intensity and the activity line climbing off the chart.  Collin began navigating his way to the cave entrance.  The darkness around him seemed to move and the dim light sliding in through the cave’s opening began to fade behind a fine mist. 

The air began to feel think in Collin’s lungs and the control panels grew more and more frantic with intensity around him.  He knew he needed to get out but the strength of the darkness blinded his senses.  Which way!  The yellow glow of his ships runner lights were drowning under an inky curtain.  Collin could hear his heart beat drum in his ears and his throat tightened until it ached.  The sound of loose rocks tumbling to the ground from the cave’s ceiling made him jump, jerking the ship to one side.  The little remaining light disappeared as the silhouette of massive dank legs climbed out of the ground in front of the ship, brushing the nose at it rose.  The defining sound of twisting metal rang in his ears as he felt his ship thrown violently into the merciless rocks around him.  He felt blood running into his eyes and the bones in his legs snap under the pressure of the ship’s mutilated frame.  Just as he began to surrender his mind and body to the nothingness a concentrated beam of searing light pierced into the black.  Collin felt the ship fall to the earth and the powers around him retreat. 

“Collin!” The voice echoed through his mind.  “Collin, look at me.”  Vin stood over him, cradling his face in his palms.  “You have to get up.  Come on.”  Vin manipulated Collin’s broken body out of the wreckage and hoisted him onto his shoulders.  “Stay awake!  Don’t close your eyes.” 

Collin tried to obey and blink away the blood from his eyes, but all he saw was red.  He felt Vin place him in the small cabin of his ship and screamed as his body rolled with the force of gravity when Vin banked the ship in the opposite direction and ran with maximum power towards the compound. 

“Alex!  Alex!”  Vin carried Collin into the closest room and laid him on the unmade bed.  Alex stumbled into the carrying a large metallic case.

“Oh, no, oh no.  I don’t think I can do this, Vin! Look at him!”  He fell to his knees in front of the bed and tried to open the large latch on the front of the case.

“ I don’t care what you do! Just do something.  Anything will be better nothing.”

“O-Okay, whatever you say.”  Alex poured a thick liquid into Collin’s mouth and coaxed him to swallow.  Minutes later a calm numbness overwhelmed Collin and he slid into tranquility.  It could have been seconds or months in Collin’s mind before he began to slowly gain consciousness.  All he knew was the pain was coming back.  Help…someone…am I alive?

“You know nothing!”  Wess’s charcoal voice hissed.

“I know enough to know you will kill anyone to get what you want.”  Vin’s response resounded in Collin’s ears. 

“Its not what I want, its what the world needs!”   

“So now you’re the savior of the world, you piece of shit.  You thought it would be fine to use us as bait for your profit.”  Collin heard Vin move closer to Wess. 

“So what if he dies.  He’s just here sending his pay back to his family anyway.  His Worker’s Insurance will pay out enough to set his family for life.”  Wess punched the concrete wall nearest to him, causing his knuckles to bleed.  “After fifteen years I can’t believe you can’t see this!  The Shadows are disappearing, Vin!  Gone!  The only way to find them anymore is to use what they want…these poor suckers.  It’s the only way to get the black matter off them!” 

 Collin wanted to wrap his hands around Wess’s neck and make him feel his bones crushed under his fingers.  Maybe then Wess would be able to feel a part of the pain he was drowning in.  Collin groaned and rolled his head back.

            Vin grabbed the front of Wess’ brown uniform, lifting Wess to his toes and slammed his back against the door.  “Enough,” He growled.  “I told you I wasn’t going to let this happen.  It’s over.”  Vin’s fist connected to Wess’ ribs causing a loud snap.  He stood over Wess’ curled body, wiped a bead of sweat off his brow and reached for the intercom.   “Hey, I need a couple guys down here, now.” 

            “Screw you,”  Wess wheezed before spitting on the toe of Vin’s shoe.

            Vin bent down into a crouch.  “You know, Wess.  You were right about one thing.”  His said in a slow low voice.  “The Worker’s Insurance will take care of someone’s family…yours.”  Alex and Rav threw open the door. 

            “Whats up, Vin.”  Rav said.

            “Take Wess to my ship, and make sure he’s strapped in good.”  

            “Yes sir.”  Rav said taking Wess by one arm and motioning for Alex to take the other. 

            Vin stood at the doorway and watched as Rav and Alex drug Wess screaming out of the compound.  Slowly, he knelt by Collin’s side and placed a vial filled with the thick liquid into his mouth.  “Don’t worry, boy.  We’re taking care of Wess.  I know of a great shady spot where he’s going to feel right at home.”