The Black Orb

Encountering the Unknown The skies grew dark, the streets were cold and everyone retreated to their homes and only a few shops were opened and if one looked carefully, he could see bones being tied to ropes and hung in front of the shops. In that part of the town, there is a legend that all who remained outside their homes past 6:30pm, will be turned to ghosts. No one knew why it was so, yet no one broke the rule also. About half a year ago, a group of youth, six of them neglected this and wanted to go to the neighboring town for a party. Instead of leaving early, they set out by 7:00pm. It was just 30minutes after the time, so nothing was going to happen even if anything happened it wouldn’t be that early or so they thought. As they set out, they were met with cold and lonely streets. The skies were not entirely dark but the streets were quiet and eerie, they could even hear the sounds of their breathing and it was so creepy. They were in a small car. There were 4 people at the back seat, one at the front seat and then Bryan who was at the driver’s seat. Ten minutes int their journey light winds started blowing. They could see the trees swaying from left to right. From afar, they could hear some sounds and howls akin to a cyclone or tornado. It was so distant and it felt horrifying so they paid no attention to it. As they got closer, sounds got louder. They could hear the howls clearer, there were even groans occasionally akin to the voices of people being tortured. Their hearts began to tense up yet they didn’t give up. As they drove further, it became intense. The trees were dancing, shedding their leaves and growing them back. A terrible suction force drew in the leaves and all the surrounding dirt and formed a cyclone that reached up the sky the force was so great that it threatened to wreck their car though there was still a considerable distance between them. “Hey Bryan what’s that?” pointing towards the cyclone which was gaining in on them, one of them asked with a puzzled face. As he looked carefully, he could see strange hands dancing in the cyclone. “Turn the car around. It’s a ghost!” the other shouted “That’s no ghost. But that wind will certainly kill us if we continue”. Bryan said in a low and reassuring voice. He hit the brakes abruptly, turned the car around and accelerated immediately heading back to town, hoping to outrun the cyclone. **zoooooommm** At top speed the car zoomed off only the rumblings of their engine could be heard in the quiet empty road. As they surge ahead, the cyclone kept closing in on them. It continued to draw in the leaves and surrounding dirt. There was cackling sound as it moved. It was a like a predator chasing its prey. Lewis one of the four boys seated at the back seat turned around, hoping to get a hold of their situation. As he did, he saw the leaves transforming into a human shape. Dark clouds and lightnings could be seen through it with human hands, faces and flesh flashing through them. The faces were all in pain twisting ang grimacing as if being tortured but prohibited from crying or even letting out a scream. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He was terrified, drenched in sweat and his hands were shaking uncontrollably. “Bryan we are finished. It’s a demon” he said in a low voice. Hey! What are you blabbing about? Aren’t we just enjoying the ride? John asked “Yeah, it was just a natural phenomenon, we were almost caught in it and narrowly escaped. Can’t you see how cam it is now? What’s all this about demons? Have you been watching too much horror movies of late?” Greg berated him with a sneer. Theres even a hint of disdain in his voice, hinting that Lewis was just a scaredy cat making a mountain out of a mole hill. Lewis who first saw the leaves taking a humanoid shape, hoped he was hallucinating and turned again. This time, a lump formed in his throat, his intestines churned, fear gripped his entire being and he was trembling and sweating profusely. He could see mangled flesh, bones and horrified heads which looked complete yet have hollow eyes, all swimming through the body like fishes in the sea. The three which sat with him at the back felt his trembling body and rebuked him. “Just turn back” he replied They turned their heads and creamed. Bryan who was at the drivers’ seat was startled by their scream and lost control. He swerved and swerved but couldn’t regain control and went straight into a huge tree. Th car came to a stop when it hit the huge trunk. The impact was great but luckily, they only sustained minor injuries.