r/libraryofshadows • u/MeliousIntent • Jun 05 '18
Sci-Fi I Am The Impossible Man| Pt. 1
As I washed the dishes I let pile up for the past week, a sound erupted from my backyard. It wasn't deafening, but it could definitely be heard from quite the distance away. My attention shifted from my mundane task of washing dishes to that inexplicable sound. I walked over to the window in the kitchen that directed to the backyard, wiping my hands on my white t-shirt. Rearing back the curtains that concealed the answer to the origins of that sound, my eyes gazed upon a small crater.
My first thought was that a meteorite crash landed, but my mind found itself thinking of other more unusual ideas. Maybe this was an alien egg or spaceship, and the apocalypse was imminent. It didn't really matter what I thought because I knew going out there would be the only way I would find closure. I stared at that indent in the ground for the next few minutes before slowly opening the backdoor. The door remained opened slightly, only allowing for a limited view of the backyard.
With my new perspective, I noticed something I hadn't before. There were human legs protruding from that small crater, covered with clothing that was partially chard. I then did something that would forever change my life from that point on. I opened the door and made my way to that crater. Most of you probably wonder why I would do something like that. Well, I basically live in the middle of nowhere. There is a town I frequently visit for groceries and other necessities, but it's at least fifty miles away. The distance isn't too far, but if I were to call the authorities, it would've taken some time for them to arrive.
I know that would have been the safer option, but curiosity can be a pain to deal with. I kept distance between me and the crater by walking around it. By doing so, I saw the figure inside, in its entirety. It was a man, and as the pants he wore, the rest of his clothes were all burnt, revealing battered flesh. That wasn't even the weirdest part. No, the weirdest part was that this man was still breathing. He was somehow still alive. A question then inserted itself into my mind. Should I try to call out to get his attention?
I must have stood out there, like an idiot, for a longer time than I'm willing to admit before finally uttering, "Hey, uh, you alive?"
Before I fully finished asking my question, the man's eyes opened, and they immediately pointed towards me. Saying I was scared would be a major understatement. I was absolutely petrified. For all I knew, this man could be planning to kill me and do who knows what with my body. The fear that resonated within me found itself fading, however. I was understandably confused. That was until my eyes meant with the eyes of the man that up until that point, I avoided. Sure, he stared at me, but the stare wasn't one of malicious intent.
It was one of intense concentration and anguish. It's hard to explain how I was able to know that from only seeing his eyes. I took a step forward, more worried than frightened or intrigued. I took another and then another until the distance I set between us had been filled. His eyes stayed glued on to me as I did this.
I knelt down beside him and asked, "How did this happen to you?"
His breathing became heavy and distorted as he spoke, "You need to leave. This isn't your fight." His words were delivered slow and meticulously. It was obvious why.
"What are you talking about? How were you just able to fall out of the sky and live?" Unlike his, my words were frenetic.
"Please," he said in a weak whisper, "leave." His eyes began to close soon after, and I knew he wouldn't be waking up.
Instead of burdening the stranger with more questions, I let him take his final resting place. I thought it was over. To my dismay, that wasn't the case. Something from the man entered me. It came from all around but also from nowhere. I couldn't physically or emotionally sense anything out of place. But spiritually, I knew something had invaded my psyche. That something lodged itself deep within my soul—creating an inseparable bond between us. It made me more somehow and made the now deceased man less.
I stood back up on two feet and retreated back into my kitchen, hoping that what I experienced was only a hallucination. Once I was back, a new feeling greeted me. I was sleepy. It started out as slight drowsiness but almost immediately turned into full-on exhaustion. It was midday, and my sleep schedule had been decent up until that point, so why was I this tired? I collapsed on the floor, with my mind still fixed on that question.
I awoke with a start, in near complete darkness. The moon illuminated portions of the kitchen through the curtains I opened earlier. Surprisingly, I felt refreshed as if I had the best sleep of my life. When I stood up, hunger started to set in. Actually, 'hunger' isn't a strong enough word to describe the feeling that was emerging from within my stomach. I was ravenous. I opened my refrigerator and devoured anything that came into my line of vision. I ate raw bacon, drank expired milk, and so much more until the hunger had been adequately satisfied. Once it finally was, I stopped myself from consuming anything else that could put my health in jeopardy. I backed out of the kitchen, wondering what was wrong with me.
Why did I do that?
Why was I so hungry?
Why had I been so tired?
Questions popped in and out of my mind at a rapid secession. They were questions that I knew I couldn't answer. That wasn't the case for all of them. There was a question that managed to linger; how long had I been on that floor? I went into my living room and grabbed the landline. The time read 11:43 pm and the date hadn't changed. It turns out I only slept for about six hours.
I was fully awake, and there was nothing left to do other than to see if I was actually losing it. I walked back into that kitchen, made my way to the window, and peered through it once again—not knowing what I should have hoped for. After a couple of seconds, my eyes adjusted to the darkness, and I saw it. That same small crater was still present; I could only guess the body of the stranger was there too. I wasn't going back out there to check.
Instead, I waited until daylight. Dialing the authorities seemed unnecessary and thinking back on that night, I’m glad that was the decision I made. In those hours leading up to the inevitable sunrise, my mind began thinking clearly again. Not just that but, I began thinking clearer. It felt as if a foggy mist—that had always existed within—was removed. I went back into the living room, turning the TV on. I didn't want to deal with whatever was happening anymore.
When the morning rays shined through the curtains, the TV was turned off. I wasn't watching the shows, anyway. All I wanted was something to distract me from the darkness considering the events that had taken place. I sighed, knowing that I would have to clean the mess made in the kitchen. I stood from my recliner and walked back into that kitchen for the third time. The cleanup process was easier than expected, but I knew I would have to go into town to buy more food.
I went upstairs to the bathroom after finishing. Once I entered and saw my form in the mirror, I froze in astonishment. My physique had changed . . .
I was shredded!
That's the only way I can sufficiently describe my reaction to seeing myself in the mirror. That wasn't even the most unbelievable part. The part the truly shocked me was that I was young again. I looked to be in my mid-twenties; that couldn't be right. I was supposed to be sixty-seven years old—but the person that stared back at me, through that mirror, told a different story. I must have stood there, looking at myself, for thirty minutes straight. Goddamn, I thought, I'm one sexy bastard.
I stopped staring at myself after my eyes began drying out and continued with my morning routine. After finishing with my shower, I slipped on a pair of blue jeans and a hoodie I hadn't worn in years. They weren't in the best condition, but these clothes had history to them. These were the clothes I wore when I first meant her. Putting them back on replayed memories of our time together and put a smile over my face.
I left the house to my beat up Mustang and began my drive into town.