Into the Night

Into the Night

(Earth strike Book 1 of 7)

W. Hadland

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© Copyright 2010 W. Hadland.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN: 978-1-4251-4187-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4251-4188-2 (e)

Trafford rev. 05/08/2012

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Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 1

Unlike the rest, this night seemed like any other ordinary night over southern England, but this night is to be the start of an epic battle. A battle that would change the life of an eighteen year old as he fought for the answer to the question that had stayed in him all his life since living on Earth.

But this fight will become more than personal. It will be a battle with mortal enemies good over evil, light over dark as the answer he is gong to seek will lead him to a simple but impossible decision over wrong and right. Never before now has the universe needed a hero like it does now. The darkness evil and pain will come and so will the only chance to end it all. When ones courage must fight ones most deepest and hearty desires in a fight that will sprawl out across the rest of this land and then beyond this lands boundaries on to the rest of the world. Seizing Earth continent-by-continent from planet Earth the battle will spread to other planets and send warfare across the realms of the stars, and this all starts here on this night with a glow of light.

First it came appearing like a star twinkling in the night sky. Shining down upon a night. The night lay still, deep, dark and silent, as this night was to bring the unfolding of this event. There was no shine of moonlight to shrug away the complete blackness that hung over the ancient woodland like a cloak. Oak trees like ogres and beech trees like beasts towered upwards lurching their thick crowing canopies in a reach for the stars that were vacant form their twinkling tonight. Centuries old these trees sprawled for miles from a congregation of trees that surrounded the large formal building in the centre of the woodland. For being the only building miles from any town in the heart of the woods you would be forgiven for thinking that someone had made a mistake building it here, however that was its purpose. Built out of the way, out of sight for where better could top-secret work be carried out away from the unwanted threats that came with such activity.

Sat where it was amongst the trees the large formal building looked like it had been left for nature to reprocess. The woodland encroached so tightly around it that the closest of the trees stood tall right against a surrounding wall. The bricks buckling from the pressure of the thick tree trunks. Their branches stretched over the wall and across the concrete that surrounded the building the longest of the limbs from the closets trees protruded far enough for their thin fingertip like ends to be poking the large square sash windows.

Ivy clung tight to the wall as it sprawled itself up the building creeping so tightly round the windows that its leaves touched the very glass of the panes and pushing its twisted tendrils right up to nestle it self in a snug way under the edge slate tiles of the roof where nightly owls would perch and hoot as they watched the brambles tumbling in over the surrounding wall for the dormice that would scurry between their thorns and feed on the berries. Underneath all this wild cover in the building itself there was a hive if human activity as persons scurried about between the rooms. All unaware of what was to come tonight and the shine of light that was heralding its arrival.

Above the building the light that appeared originally so feint and dark was now coming. Glinting brighter as it came closer it slit through the blackness like a tear in the cloak of this night. Until now the night had had been so absent from sound that the silence had sat with a stiffness to the still air so rigid, the trees could rest their branches on the breathless air and even the dormouse in the brambles crept so quietly along the thorny stems fearful of tonight’s rooftop resident owl.

This one a tawny whose hoot lingered on amongst the trees as its call echoed through the woods. The brighter nearer light sparkled as it grew forming a solid golden glow in the midst of this night’s darkness. The glow of light carried on growing spreading across the sky, cutting through the blackness of the night sky in long streaky tears as it did. The demur of night was changing, the night evolving into another. The one that would be a trigger for all what was to come, and all the while the building sat totally silent with its windows dark and vacant looking. The occupants still going about their nightly work in blissful ignorance of what was to come. Suddenly the air was being ruffled. The stiffness tweaked away by the slightest of breeze. The stretched out branches of the trees with only the slightest of movements swayed as the breeze whispered through their crowns.

The disturbance grew stronger. The light from the sky shone out further and brighter. Now gone was the blackness of the cloak this night had brought to this building. The light shone on the windows and now inside the building the unaware people suddenly found themselves puzzled. Never before had they seen light shine from outside in through the window. So they gathered by the many windows of the rooms in which they were in to watch the start of the dreadful events to come.

In the centre of the light that beamed down a pool upon the building a spec appeared high in the sky. Like the lights the small spec grew, dazing the observing eyes with its changing appearance and its accompanying blinding lights. Growing steadily the approaching spec now formed into a shape with other accompanying specs like first also appearing. They to grew to form shapes like the first. The coming objects stirred the night further. The air started to whisper through the tops of the trees ruffling the very tips of the canopies. Now the windows lost their dark and vacant look as the people inside nudged closer to them. Making gaps in the blinds wider allowed light from inside the building shone out but was lost in the light shining down form up above. The people pressed their faces against the glass and watched on in confusion. The owl perched on the roof lifted its head, turning its wide disc to the approaching light and objects although it’s hearing of humming engines was enough to ruffle its feathers. Upon the wind that was steadily growing stronger with the encroachment of the coming things the owl shrieked a hoot. It’s haunting tone heard by the humans who flinched to the cry. Flapping it wings the owl took of from and made for a dark patch of woodland out of human sight.

At the windows the humans stayed. Their curiosity had kept their eyes fixed upon the objects in the sky. They lowered to a point to where the objects took an outline and from the outline they grew with their descent. Their presence stirring the night further as lowered steadily towards the building. One by one the objects became clearer along with the realisation that they were not alone any longer. Their nerves tingled to uneasy feeling inside of them as the details became clear to see.

As the objects levelled with the roof of the building the humans realised they looking at spacecraft. Human eyes looked upon others in disbelief, their contact reassuring them of being correct. Now the humans glared out the windows, watching for every detail they could see. Sinister looking was the first thing the eyes saw and still some rolled back to look at others, but there was more coming. Secondly the size the bodies of the spacecrafts were long and stretched backwards from a pointed nose. Just above the noses of the crafts was the cockpit and behind the cockpit was the top of the craft curved down to the main body of the spacecrafts. On the side of the crafts there were long cylinder boosters with bright yellow flames roaring out of them. All together the spacecrafts looked just bigger than a transit van. Then there was the coldness the spacecraft showed the eyes and it was a coldness that once seen by the eyes it caused shivers to plunge down the humans spines. All the cold came from the metal that made its body. The metal was a dark cold grey like a dull steel, and amongst them all was a spacecraft with an oddness to it. Unlike the rest it had wings with attachments to it. Landing amongst the other craft made it hard for the humans to see the exact details of the attachments, but they were weaponry attachments.

Now behind the windows a new darkness came, as someone thought that turning the lights out would make a difference. How very wrong they were to be. As the humans looked on with their eyes they fumbled with their fingers. Reaching in their pockets they searched for their mobiles phones feeling for their phones, too intrigued and anxious to turn their eyes way from looking out of the window. Feeling their mobile phones the humans pulled them out their pockets cradling them tightly in their hands. Outside the spacecraft angled themselves titling their nose downwards towards the ground. The air around them swirled and a wind howled fiercely through the tree. Their branches being buffeted hard creaked in a groan at the wind shaking their limbs. Small twigs and branches cracked as they snapped off and rained down. Then a large branch fell from a tree crashing against the concrete below as he leading space craft first to push through between the tree branches hanging over the concrete courtyard nudging its nose through the gap and taking off the branch as the rest of the craft descended through. Levelling its nose the first spacecraft came to land and was followed by half a dozen more. The flames from the boosters died instantly and as the engines died silence and darkness returned to the woods once more.

Inside the buildings the humans kept their dark hoping it was enough cover. But the thing was coming cover, darkness or nothing. There was to be no stopping it. So in darkness the humans watched on still holding their mobile phones to capture the event. Down in the courtyard there was movement, sketchy and blinded out by the dark but there was some sort of shape moving. Then a small shine of light flickered as a burning torch was lit. In this shine of light a non human being appeared, with frightening details. He looked like a human standing on two legs and his facial features were like that of a human although only his ears were different, flat against the side of his head with the robes thick lines on the side of his head. Then there was his hands similar to a humans but with only three fingers.

The being walked across the concrete from one spacecraft to another. The light from the burning torch shined over the cockpit of the spacecraft as it opened with the transparent lid sliding back over the roof. Inside this more beings but one very frightening one.

Its face looked like one of a lizard. The flames of the torch flickered it light on the beings cold red beady eyes. Now the humans felt they were seeing everything played out in slow motion as their eyes scoured every little detail of movement closer than ever. The lizard face being rose up standing in the cockpit before stepping out upon a thicker flap of metal on the booster. Then as the being stepped down off the booster on to the concrete courtyard the humans eyes studied every detail of him, from the thick jet black robes that clung down his body and trailed on the floor around to the thick boot like footwear and the black gloves over his hand and three fingers. The lizard faced being starred with his cold red beady eyes at the building. Throughout the building there had been silence as everything unfolded. Now there was the sound of several clunks as all the locks in the building came into action. Out on the courtyard the lizard faced being turned his head on the clunking of the locks and inside. The sound of the locks operating added an extra thump to the humans beating of their hearts, most of which were already thumping away. In the silence everyone could hear their heart sounding like it was being played as a drum by with his or her very own fear.

The humans watched on, as they stood frozen to their viewing points. Down on the courtyard the movement continued. As more beings like the first emerged from the other spacecraft, the lizard face being turned to the first one. The lizard face being communicated to the first one. From inside the humans only saw the lips of the lizard face being move and his arms raising up. The lizard face being stopped the communication and turned to face the front of the building. Raising his arm the lizard face being nudged the other being away who very quickly took footsteps back before he was pushed out the way. The lizard face being started walking, taking big strong stern and defined steps. It made straight for the door in a direct path taken. Inside the humans shuffled as to keep the lizard face being in sight of their mobile phone screens. The lizard face being approached the door of the building. Made form steel the door was tall and wide in an arch shape and covered with thick wood on the outside. Just like all the rest of the building it was deceiving but this door was the only real feature of this building that gave it any sort of importance. The lizard face reached out his gloved hands and knocked on the door.

Tap, tap, the sound echoed eerily through the passageways and upon the humans ears. The lizard faced being turned his heads and the humans cowered out of sight once more. Then the lizard face being turned to one of the other beings and clicked his hand. The other being rushed desperately over to the lizard faced one and again there was communication between the two of them. The other being nodded clearly before he turned away. He rushed over to more beings and communicated. All the beings pointed in the direction of the door and shook their heads. The groups of beings swarmed to one of the spacecrafts and reached in the cockpit. From out the craft long cylinder tubes were pulled out. Passed down the line of beings the tube came to the being at the end of the line, which started walking towards the door. As more cylinder tubes came the being who found themselves at the end of the line carried the piece of tube they were left holding. All of the beings now started to congregate by the door. The tubes they carried were attached to the previous that was just laid by the last being to carry his load to the door.

Eventually with all the tubes connected to each other there was a long tube trailing across the bottom of the door and then across the courtyard. At the space craft from where all this tubing came a being was still waiting. Stood on the thick flap of metal upon booster the being perched himself to watch. He turned to the lizard faced being. There was a nod from the lizard face being and a nod back from the being standing on the spacecraft. This being reached inside and pulled out a metallic canister. The canister was lowered down on the concrete and carried by two more beings to end of the tubes in the courtyard. The other being from the spacecraft followed with a final piece of tubing. The last bit of tube was attached to both canister and the long stretch of tubing leading up to the door. Another look from one being to lizard face and again another nod. The being stood next to the canister placed his hands over it and fiddled his fingers. Then another being walked along the tube. The burning torch that was held by another being was passed to him as he still walked the length of the tube to the door. Reaching the door he stopped for a minute. The twitch of his nose let the spying humans know he was sniffing at the air. The smell drifted past his nose and seeped in the buildings to the humans.

‘Gas’ the voice was a random call and the only word that has been spoken since the humans had started their window side vigil. The burning torch was lowered down to the pipes. The flame on the burning torch, which had been burning steadily, now danced as it came closer to the tubes, of now which the humans realised they were pipes. The torch touched the pipes and the flame grew bigger and in a flicker sent a rippling blue wave across the length of the pipe. The torch was lifted from the pipes as the blue flames blasted the door. Quickly the flames took a liking to the wooden front their tips burning right against its face. Smoke started to rise up the door in wisps as the heat of the burning flames built. A blackening singe stained the bottom of the door and soon red cracks appeared glowing with their destructive meaning. From the tips of the blue flames, yellow ones spawned starting of small but growing steadily, basing themselves in the combusting bottom of the door. The smoke was getting thicker the wisps’ now became trails as more of the door started to smoulder from the heat of the cindering bottom. In the courtyard the smoke gathered like a cloud resting upon the still there to which there was to breeze to stir.

The alien beings stepped back out of the smoke but still the lizard faced one watched intently. His face cringed as he focused to keep his vision to see through the smoke and flames engulfing the door. The charring had grown and was growing quicker the yellow flames rose higher. Their tips licking hungrily at the fresh wood higher up the door. The bottom by the pipes was charring through rapidly. Deep cracks appeared and were lit by and devilish red glow. The sound of the wood cracking and popping echoed through the woods as the cindered door popped as pieces of charred wood fell from the burning door. With the burnt wood peeling away form the bottom of the door the steel centre was being exposed. The blue flames roared on attacking the metal. The steel heated up quickly from the heat travelling through the door. Flames were now halfway up the door burning on the wood still left on the top half of the door. But it was the bottom of the door with the steel exposed the searing flame that had become the centre of attention for both alien being and the watching humans alike. As the flames roared on the heat in the metal became too much for the steel to take. From the very edge of the bottom the metal started becoming softer with the intensity of the heat. The metal started glowing a cinder red. Still the more burnt wood of which now there wasn’t much left fell from the top of the door. A small pile of burnt embers was gathering down at the base of the door, which was now disinter-grating to ash on the floor. The metal strained under the heat roasted upon it. Through the red hot metal lines like wrinkles appeared. The locks clunked as the main body of the metal became so hot that the locks started to separate from the door. The lines in the door were now stretching up the like growing wrinkles. At the very bottom of the door, the metal had been seared by the flames to the point at which it was now curling up. A small gap formed underneath the bottom of the door and slowly it grew bigger. The metal at the bottom of the door curled up more as the searing heat continued to soften the door Suddenly the metal face being lifted his head and raised his arms, clicking his fingers.

Beings gathered around him as the flames burnt on. The lizard face being started the communication. From his expressions it was clear that it was ordering the others. When the pointing finished the beings around him walked to a spacecraft behind the rest, the one with the pair of wings. As the beings hurried over to that spacecraft they disappeared in amongst the shadows of the other craft. The sound of metal clunking was all that could be detected from that craft. Then the sounds stopped. Sketchy movements of the hidden beings was all that could be seen until they emerged back into full sight with their collection. A large round spiked ball as high as their waists was rolled across the concrete. The beings were quick paced in taking the object to the door, although there seemed to be some sort of caution in their handling of the object. Rolling steadily and carefully the spiked object was guided with position along the pipes until it was rested by the bottom of the door. The flames out the pipe roared against the metal object.

The round spiked metal object was heated quickly faster than the steel door. Soon it started glowing red from the bottom. With the flames burning out the tube around the metal objects the red glow down the bottom grew. Tentatively the humans watched as eventually the whole of the spiked metal object turned red. The door also now had a red glow to most of its bottom half and the wrinkled lines from the bottom had stretched across it. An imprint of the spiky metal object was slowly forming in the softening metal door. Enhanced by their fear the humans could sense the point when the detonation was set.

Chapter 2

The explosion was huge. The spiked metal object imploded into a cloud of dust and smoke. A shock wave ripped across the courtyard, making even the lizard face being duck his face amongst his robes and the humans inside crouch down tightly behind the windows. Glass shattered from the windows closest to the door, where the human behind them covered their heads from the showering shards. The rest shook violently, rattling in their frames. Branches from the trees that over hung the courtyard also fell upon the concrete courtyard splintering as they did. The sound carried on an echo through the woods for miles but no one heard, such was the remoteness of this building. The cloud of smoke cleared slowly from the courtyard, drifting leisurely over the wall and in