Alien Versus Nerd Read online

  She broke her account and turned to me.

  “My stalker seemed tireless. That thing would never give up. It shot like lightning through the forest, he seemed furious. Suddenly I stopped running when I realized that the chase had come to an end. He stood right in front of me.”

  She turned to look out the window. When a sudden flash of lightening lit up the room, it brought back frightening memories.

  “I then stared at him and said, “You won’t take me, you’ll have to hit me hard ‘cause I’m not going to make it easier for you.”

  She slightly bent her knees ready to absorb the impact. So the thing gasped, came straight up to her and hit her with overwhelming force.

  “I think I must’ve been dragged for almost four-five feet away into the woods.”

  The sound of a thunder echoed in the distance.

  “His cold metal hand covered my mouth as the other hand pulled my head up managing to flop me over, and lift my body. He laughed at me. I was lost in his game. For a moment, I thought I wouldn’t survive.”

  Camila waged a fierce battle against her enemy.

  “The tree limbs struck my skin, snagging at my back. In one quick movement, I clasped both hands behind my head as I struggled hard, making it to pull my knees toward his chest and flounce out. Then I fell off. After that, I blanked out.” Camila cocked her head. “As you may know, I woke up back in the car. Veronica and Kelly seemed not to remember anything.”

  “In my opinion, you and your friends have gone through a time lapse. It is very normal in this type of situation where the victim ends up mixing memories with fragments of dreams.”

  “When I told them my version of events, Veronica clammed up. They denied everything, claiming that they have never been there, although they couldn’t explain what happened during the last three hours or even the fact that we’re nearly sixteen miles away from the original site.”

  Camila was keyed up.

  “The next day, we met on campus and they kept acting as if nothing had happened. Somehow, they changed completely. It was as if the two had swapped bodies or something.”

  She continued.

  “They acted up and pushed me aside.”

  She told us that she went to Amy seeking help and advice. But she fell into a trap.

  “I know it sounds silly, but Kelly and Amy never got along with each other and now for a change, the two had become almost inseparable friends.”

  “Strange. You mentioned the name of Amy into all this.”

  Camila stirred.

  “I think it was Kelly’s idea, but Amy has a hand in it too. They started to harass me through the hallways until one day they met in the library. Veronica threatened me.”

  Camila looked at us with an expression of deep sadness on her face.

  “And it has been this way ever since. They kept their promise and spread a lot of rumors about me,” Camila vented. “Now the story leaked on the Internet and now everyone thinks I’m crazy.”

  “Trust me. Many strange things have happened since that sighting. Your case closely resembles Betty and Barney Hill alien abduction, in 1961,” I said.

  “I don’t think it has to do with aliens, but it was pretty scary.” She replied slightly, unconvinced.

  Kevin meddled. “Me neither. I’m sure that wasn’t what happened. I promise you this; we’ll investigate this further.”

  “The only thing I know so far is that the key to all this seems to be in those woods.”

  Kevin’s face lit up.

  “In this question, I fully agree with you. Maybe that place is some kind of interdimensional portal.”

  “It’s getting late. Gotta get going,” Camila said.

  She shrugged her shoulders and headed for the door. As Kevin walked her out, I began thinking about her story and what happened when she was alone in the forest.

  What we’re seeing here, whether supernatural events or not? There was no way to be sure.

  “Do you really think she’s telling the truth?”

  “I’ve known her long enough to know that she’s not lying,” Kevin said, with an apparent expression of astonishment on his face.

  “Her story gave me the creeps.”

  “What caught my attention here is the fact that a former cheerleader of being involved in this case.” Kevin added.

  “Veronica Sanders.” I nodded.

  “But I think there’s more to it than meets the eye.”

  “I read about a similar case to that in the world of UFO casuistry.”

  “You’re still convinced this case is linked to aliens.”

  “In a rural area, they could indiscriminately act without anyone noticing any hint of their presence.”

  “If it’s as you say, what’s the point?”

  “Maybe this is all part of some experiment. What intrigues me here is the purpose behind it.”

  Kevin frowned. “And what will you do about it, call the FBI and tell them the aliens have landed?”

  “Too soon for that. As you may know, we need to gather more hard evidence.”

  “Now you’re looking like Fox Mulder.”

  Camila had crossed the thin line separating our world from something we’re still far from understanding.

  She’d crossed path with terrors that had yet only been designed in dreams. But for her, it had become real enough to pursue her through a strange, gloomy forest.

  A secret place we all know but we’re afraid to visit one day, perhaps because we fear what lies inside waiting for us now and again insists on tormenting us, materializing in our own reality.

  Breaking all the Rules

  In some ways, things have accelerated again. I’m starting to feel like a spear carrier in a low-budget type production.

  I think I live in a parallel universe branched off from ours where each event-driven line goes over so fast that I can’t focus on anything.

  Maybe what one will find in the end is just an odd feeling.

  No matter how you try to anticipate any event, each outcome you get will be pretty much the same, leading you to drastic changes in your own timeline.

  At least, where I am at. The question is; can I change this ghastly setup without destroying my future? If so, how?

  Here you’re driven more by whims and feels. You usually foresee something and try to change it.

  It’s like the chaos theory.

  A small, isolated action may end up triggering a series of events on a much larger scale until it changes everything you know, taking it to an unpredictable result. Perhaps it’s my only way out now.

  When I woke up this morning, I had two options; go after her or quit. I was out of time and it was me against all odds. Hey, screw that.

  I’m breaking all the rules.

  After all, it’s not quite often a special girl like Amanda Henderson comes into your life. Our brief encounter was pretty similar to the ending scene of the butterfly effect, where Ashton Kutcher stumbles upon his ex-girlfriend along a crowded street, with the Oasis soundtrack in the background.

  Both stop, turn, and then move on with their lives as if they had never known each other.

  Luckily it didn’t happen that way.

  As you may know, I was out to change this bleak future at any costs, and tell her how much her eyes fascinated me beyond all the nonsense crap we eventually say to a girl we’re in love with.

  After all, our meeting wasn’t a coincidence, and our paths haven’t crossed by chance. It was supposed to happen. Also, I was already resolute in my decision.

  As usual, she walked out of the Kmart, heading to the main street.

  I headed in the same direction she was going. I was startled, anxious even. As I walked toward her, time seemed to stand still.

  Unlike most of the other girls, she had something of her own.

  “Amanda?”

  She’s wearing shorts, a white top and a jean jacket with pin back buttons and a born in the 80s patch.

  “Hi,” I said, rather mud
dled. “Remember me?”

  She shook her head in amazement. “Alec? I saw you the other day with that nerd guy...”

  “You must be talking about Kevin.”

  “Yeah. The funny guy with gamer glasses.”

  Amanda had a square shaped face with sparse freckles, long eyelashes and a large lower lip ending in a narrow chin. Her skin was smooth and long strands of blonde hair fell neatly on her slim shoulder.

  “I know more about you than you think,” I said.

  “So, tell me what you know.”

  She cast a side glance up at me, making me shudder inside. I looked up and back at her, wondering how I’d got over my anxiety.

  “The music you like most is Bryan Adams, Somebody, and your favorite movie is Breakfast Club.”

  Her face lit up.

  “You know all of my secrets.”

  “Only the essential. Actually, I traveled in time just because of you.”

  “And was it worth it?”

  “Every time I’ve been there except the second.”

  “What happened?”

  “If I remember correctly, I tripped over and fell right on top of you. Total failure.”

  She glanced at me and chortled again. “Sorry about that.”

  At first, Amanda’s got entranced with my words.

  “What do we do now?”

  I gazed at her, excited.

  “Have you ever seen Can’t Buy Me Love?”

  “Yes, I have seen this movie dozens of times. That means you’re a Cindy Mancini fan.”

  “She was my first crunch, I guess.”

  Then a thought crossed my mind.

  “Why don’t we do just like the movie? I want to rent you,” I said, playing Ronald Miller.

  I waited eagerly for the reply.

  “You want to rent me? This is crazy. No, hold on a sec.”

  I stared at her and pushed her hand, taking her up in the idea. As we walked leisurely along the wooded area of the park and chattered blithely away, all eyes turned to us.

  For a moment, it was like I was going backward in time where people were happier.

  “This town looks like a horror movie.”

  “Which one of them?”

  “Terror in Silent Hill, Darkness Falls, It Follows...”

  Amanda nodded her head and grinned. “Pretty entertaining way of looking at things. Do you always compare your life to a movie?”

  “Mosto of the time, I guess.”

  She gave me a wink.

  “In this case, hopefully, my life won’t end up becoming a sequel of I Know What You Did Last Summer.”

  Suddenly we had the same chemical and our styles were in sync. For a moment, we changed the reality and the dream came true. It was like we had some kind of special connection or something from another world.

  “You know, I think we make a good match like Mr. and Mrs. Smith.”

  Amanda turned to me with a slight twinkle in her eye.

  “Susan Storm and Reed Richards.”

  “You are now my hero,” I said to her, surprised.

  She tilted her head and giggled a bit shy.

  “I just hope I can live up to your expectations.”

  “You’re game for it.”

  She gazed at my Resident Evil T-shirt.

  “You mean that if the undead army of wandering zombies shows up, I’ll have to play Milla Jovovich and come out shooting everything that moves, right?”

  “Exactly. Just like Milla Jovovich.”

  I then told her about my opinion when you’re faced with this kind of unavoidable situation.

  “First, you get your act together and move on. Secondly, you face the invisible threat wherever it is.”

  “I had a feeling about this place,” she said.

  “Have you ever heard of Jack Finney? He wrote The Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The story is set in a small town in Southern California where a doctor discovers people are being replaced by identical impostors.”

  “You mean look-alikes?”

  “In fact, some researchers think the phenomenon is real.”

  According to some conspiracy theorists, some people in high-ranking positions have been replaced by cybernetic doubles. Although they could have the same memory, personality patterns and traits as the original entity, they were artificial beings.

  The story gave her goose pimples.

  “That’s creepy. Have you ever seen a UFO?”

  “I’ve seen some pretty strange things.”

  Sometimes Amanda thought about what she’s going to say as if trying to guess my thoughts, as I stared at the street, I told her I had some sort of butterfly effect kind of experience. In my case, things got weirder when I attempted to anticipate my actual line of events and foresee the outcome.

  “I saw the movie. Many times, we’d like to have things in our grasp but we may not have the choices as to how we want to, that’s exactly what this film is all about,” she said in a hushed voice.

  “Choices?”

  “Sometimes lose the control may be the best option. It’s getting late,” she said upset. “I have an audition tomorrow, gotta hit the hay.”

  I was wondering how would be the next five minutes without her. Back to square one, probably.

  Amanda bit her lip. “Any ideas on what we should do?”

  The uncertainty took only a few seconds. As a storm darkens the sky, a hail of short fond memories has broken up in a very uncomfortable mood of misgiving and unrestrained perplexity.

  I had a knot in my stomach at seeing her there as the breeze blew away, shuddering her hair in smooth waves up to her shoulder height. Deep down, I knew that my heart belonged to her.

  Until then, I had never felt anything like this before. I couldn’t let her go easily.

  “In the beginning, things may get a little bit weird, it’ll be easier if you handle it like a TV series. During the second season, the story might change focus and become a little deeper. New villains will rise and add something more to the plotline and the main characters will have more challenges ahead.”

  “Plotline? You mean, we’ll have to battle it out like on Aftermath.”

  I nodded my head, smirking. “A bit like that, I guess. Maybe it’s going to be dark like...”

  She turned to me with a child-like glance.

  “Resident Evil 5.” She grinned.

  “Basically. We have to be very careful. Anything can happen.”

  “I’m glad I met the right guy who will keep me safe from the body snatchers,” she said as her arms glided up around my neck.

  Then her mouth met mine.

  “Will I see you again?”

  She thought for a moment.

  “It depends on you.”

  “What?”

  “I’m just kidding. How about tomorrow? Six o’clock, the same place.” Amanda turned back. “You were amazing, by the way.”

  As I watched her down the street, another thought occurred to me. I think now I know the answer to the question I had been seeking all this time. I believe I can change my awkward situation without ever destroying my future.

  What I’m feeling right now is as real as the world flashing from her eyes.

  When we get together, I realize that nothing is as virtual as we are.

  At night, I didn’t get to sleep at all, looking forward to meeting her soon. When the day broke, my ten-hour ordeal finally came to an end.

  I flew off the bed and headed for the door. After a quick meal, I blitz cleaned the room.

  And the closer the date got to me, I tried to snap out of it, listening to Sigue Sigue Sputnik as I jumped on top of my bed.

  A few hours later, I walked along Brockman Drive overlooking the Vernon Park.

  I stood still.

  A large number of people started coming toward me, some headed to the main street, others sheered into several directions, and then finally the crowd broke up as a distant dream.

  Then a figure turned toward me as if she knew I w
as there. She was wearing a white T-shirt and a black vest.

  “You thought I wouldn’t come?” She grinned kindly.

  “I never doubted it even for a second.”

  I beheld a spark of admiration flourish in her eyes. From that moment on, I was sure I had found the right girl. We did amazing things that day.

  Finally, we passed from a virtual romance stage for something more concrete like a typical loving couple.

  Later, we met at Hub’s listening to The Outfield’s, Your Love, where things got pretty intense. Amanda helped me see things clearly, in return, I made each one of her moments worthwhile.

  When Kevin met her for the first time, he got impressed.

  “Kevin, this is Amanda.”

  “Hi.” He said in a bashful manner.

  He glanced at her and pulled me aside.

  “Man, she’s awesome. Why don’t you take her to the Hell Flyer?”

  “No.”

  “He’s right, I think we should go. Besides, it’ll be fun.”

  “A roller coaster? Come on, you guys ever see Final Destination 3?”

  Amanda grabbed my arm. “I thought you’re scared of nothing.”

  “I’m not a fearful person, it’s just that...”

  “I see it.” She smirked. “Hey, I’m here, nothing bad will happen.”

  Suddenly the amusement park became a grim vision of a nightmare with twists cranking, bumpers, skydivers, laughs, screams, and strange signs. On the other hand, Amanda and Kevin seemed to hit it off big time.

  Kevin raised his arm and pointed to the station. We should hightail it. Instead, we went straight into the carnage.

  As we walked toward the loading platform, my mind turned black and I had an eerie glimpse of one of the wheeled cars spinning out of some blurred odd vision.

  Then a creepy girl passed us by wearing a black T-shirt with 180 on it.

  I flipped out. “Did you see that?”

  Kevin tilted his head.

  “What?”

  “The girl wearing a flight 180 T-shirt. When this number usually appears, a disaster always happens, haven’t you ever seen the franchise? Hello, the first movie, Final Destination, flight 180, it’s a pattern.”

  Amanda frowned at me.

  “As if.”