Jump
A Horror Sci-Fi Flash Fiction by R.E. Holding - FREE SHORT STORY
Oh boy, this is an odd one. Put on your critical thinking caps and let me know what you think is going on here. As per several of my short stories, they are based on some weird dreams. This is also an earlier short story, so I’d like to think my writing has improved since ;)
WARNING: Contains discussion of self harm.
Jump
The wind whistled through the mess of cables and wires strung around the roof of a twenty-story hotel. A live wire sputtered in the distance, and the call of megaphones shouted various pleas of; “Live has meaning, you have meaning!” He stepped a little closer to the edge, peering down at the whirling red and blue lights as tiny ants wove in and around the cars. Little shocked moon faces peered back up at him, opening and closing their mouths like miniature fish-men gasping for watery breath.
"You know what will happen if you do this, don't you?" the snappy agent leaned against the roof door, picking at his nails. The man wondered why he was even there. Of course he was aware of what would happen. He was here for that very reason, and he wanted to learn more.
"Yes I know," the man shouted back. His white button-up flapped with a gust, and he rocked on his heels.
"So what are you hoping to achieve by doing this?"
The man turned away from the agent, staring back at the fish-men and swirls of light. Would he be able to view a different kind of light when he fell from the sky?
"I want knowledge."
The agent tittered. "Knowledge. Do you think you'll learn something by falling headlong into the crowd? They're probably already on their way."
"I'm banking on that."
"Well then," the agent paused his rough manicuring to swagger toward the ledge. He stood next to the man and leaned on the edge. Craning his neck over the side to observe the ants and fish-men too, he paused for a moment to study the jumper. "I'm not actually here to stop you, to be honest."
The man froze, turning toward the agent and raising an eyebrow. "You're not?"
"Nah. Like I said, they're probably already on their way. It would be futile... I'm here for the show."
The man stood agape, standing stupidly without a good comeback. When the agent didn't react, he closed his mouth and stared out into the night, blowing out a long breath. "Do you really think they're on their way?"
"You reek of intention, so... yes."
The man and the agent stood side by side in silence as more wind currents battered their clothes and hair. After a while, the man sighed.
"You don't think anyone will be hurt, do you?"
The agent shrugged. "I don't think so. I mean, this has happened before."
The man nodded and set his eyes on the moon. "I only see moonlight and stars."
"Yeah, it'll be like that at first."
The man bit his lower lip. "I'm kind of afraid, but I'm not at the same time. Will you push me?"
The agent laughed.
"What?" He stopped biting his lip, and it trembled.
"I can't do that! If I do, then they definitely won't come, and you'll be mush for the crime scene clean-up crew."
"Right." He sighed and rubbed his temples.
"Hey, chin up! Just do it... my job is to watch over you here. They didn't say in what way." The agent backed away from the wall, deciding to pace along the rooftop.
"Aren't you afraid?" the man fully turned toward the agent, folding his arms across his chest.
"Afraid of what? You jumping?"
"No not that—afraid of... you know..."
The agent let out a long tight breath and cracked a smile. "That doesn't bother me. Like I said, It's happened before."
"I suppose. But it's never happened to me before. And it's never happened… so close. To someone else."
The agent shrugged and resumed picking at his nails.
The man unfolded his arms to gaze back over the edge. "I hate this world." He muttered.
"Well, do it already. They'll come."
"Screw it," the man backed up from the wall, taking slow, backward steps toward the rooftop door. The agent watched him with a twinge of excitement, then lowered his hands as if they were in low gravity.
The man nodded at the agent, who nodded back at him. He sprinted back toward the ledge and leaped over the side with arms windmilling in the air. The agent ran back to the wall, and rather than watch the man fall, he stared at the sky.
A burst of radiant color opened a wormhole in the night. The agent's heart fluttered, and his eyes widened to take in the scene. Cherry lights glimmered in his eyes as they swelled with tears. His lips parted in a small smile when he saw the weightless form of the rooftop man floating toward the wormhole. In stasis, relaxed, and drifting home, the agent couldn’t help but experience a shudder of envy as he watched the capture.
The craft’s edge emerged like a rounded kitchen blade, reflecting the colors of the breach with a beaming iridescent sheen. Screams bellowed from below, loud and hoary… but they just didn't understand. The agent smiled again, a trickle of blood dribbling from the corner of his right eye.
Weightless, the man disappeared into its gullet. The agent couldn’t take his gaze from the alien event—so close, almost touchable. The people down below didn’t know what they were missing as they scattered like frantic roaches exposed in the light. The moment the jumper disappeared, a singular cacophony tore through the night, closing the hole and dissipating the wondrous color.
The agent stood for a moment, rocking on his heels, and his heart saddened from the departure. A high-pitched wail ripped out as the seal kissed shut, hiding the alternate dimension once again.
In parted lips he began to whisper, "That was amaz—" when he stopped to feel his cheek. It felt swollen and full. The screaming buzz jolted his teeth, stirring them to spread and walk along his gumline. Lowering his hand, he peered to the stars as his head erupted in a fountain of red and memories.
END
One of the weirder ones I think! I take an asthma medication that has a vivid dream side effect…
So tell me, what do you think happened here? Comment below!
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Fun read...in retrospect from perhaps a not-so-fun dream
Truth seems stranger than fiction at times! I think it’s speaking more to spiritual elements than that of alien invasions, but the idea of a sudden alien capture might be more comfortable to the human mind. What do you make of it?