An unwelcomed Alien

Tom couldn't believe his luck. The second letter arrived, and this time he wouldn't let anyone know about it, even though something inside him still itched to tell his parents. But not until he understands the puzzles and riddles and what the M.S is talking about.

With a mix of excitement and panic hovering all around him, Tom closed the door of his room as he went to his bed. He sat down, holding the golden letter in his hands, staring at it for a moment, remembering the creepy night from the back of his closet one last time.

Whatever...

Tom tore open the letter. He pulled out the same white plain paper just like before, but this time it was folded in fours. As Tom proceeded to unfold it, his heart thumped continuously as curiosity and fear gripped him. Finally, he unfolded it, looking at the typed words as he read.

Mark your calendar for one week from now.

The day before the day after yesterday

That comes three weeks before six months 

Six weeks from now, minus forty-nine days.

Plus five tomorrows and next week, it will happen.

A day that could very well change the course of

Your life, as you know it.

I must say, I hope to see you there.

Then below the letter was a scribbled signature with the word "M.S." written very boldly. And then another word, "This is clue 1 of 12."

With an overwhelming feeling, Tom succumbed to accepting that this was a serious deal, and he didn't bother if it was coming from someone he didn't know. "This is really serious," he thought. Tom went through the letter once again and dashed across his room, going for the calendar. He must get to the bottom of this clue. He began solving the mystery with stinges of agility and detective shellock Holmes' mental state.

Let's see what happens...One week from today... Six weeks ago...6 months...Minus forty-nine days... Shitt!

Shaking his head, Tom rammed the letter and threw it on his bed. The clue was spinning in his head. He couldn't get hold of the particular day the clue was pointing to. Trying to play the words in his head again, Tom finally got frustrated. He shut off his brain and went numb. Trying to heal from the hazy feeling, he looked at the walls. He didn't like it at all, and that made him feel like going back to his old house in Deer Park. He missed the Star Wars wallpaper and the action figures he pasted on the walls of his room. They might have helped him figure out the clue, because having his room filled with sci-fi stuff, his mind may have grabbed a few spots on how to figure out what the clue meant. If it was Spider Man or Doctor Ricky or Star Wars Darth Sidious, they would have figured out what the clue meant in a matter of seconds.

I need your spirits now, dear heroes. Without any further decision on what to do, Tom grabbed the letter from his bed and tucked it in his pocket. He slid into his sneakers and took a couple of dollars; he was finally going to get the wallpaper, maybe in the store that was a few metres away down the street.

He ran downstairs and grabbed the door handle.

"Mom, I'm running to the stores to get a few things!" He yelled as he quickly opened the door. He was out the door before she could respond.

                                     ~

By the time Tom left his neighborhood, the sun had let up, it was the middle of April, and the air was warm.

Sweville is a small town just like Deer Park. Since Tom and his family moved in, they've always taken their time to survey the town and mark different important locations.

So, since the city centre is not far from Tom's house, he could walk there without any stress. As he jogged towards the stores that lie in the city centre, Tom began to make suggestions of which wallpaper would encompass his room this time around; Star Wars; Avengers; Space Hunters. Tom paused a bit, trying to remember one of his favourite movies, which was about space and the moon. Errrr....

Approaching the drug store, which was a bit separated from all the other stores in the city centre, Tom decided to take a short cut through the alleyway that lies between the drug store and the fire station.

He steps into a murky puddle, making a left into the alley. He tentatively walks forward, shards of glass crunching loudly under his sneakers. His heart clenches, remembering how quiet the alleyway can be. It haunts most parts of him as he walks quicker. The hair on the back of his neck stands as the unwelcoming wind whips through his body, bringing along the tangy, paracetamol smell.

Tom was almost at the end of the alleyway when he heard a tiny spark of electricity behind him. It sounded like an open wire that was touched by water or any liquid substance. More chills grew under his skin as he calmed himself down, suggesting that it may absolutely be an open wire and that the alleyway drips a lot of water from the building towering over it. The sparks grew heavily and continuously. That made Tom spin around because that was more strange. He stumbled back as he saw what was there.

A swirling, rippling cloud of grey smoke floated in the alleyway. The sparks were coming out of the underside of the cloud. The smoky cloud started swerving around, creating a space in the middle. Something was emerging from it. It continued swerving round, pulling up junks from the ground. Suddenly, the cloud dispersed. It was fading slowly, revealing the new object in the middle. Tom willed himself to move, but he could only stare in amazement at the impossible thing floating in the alleyway.

A large eyeball was immersed in the cloud which gave way as it vapourated to the sides of the eyeball. The veins sticking out of the eyeball were glistening and sparking with electricity. It appeared to be futuristic. Suddenly, the eyeball focused on Tom as the pupil grew larger, covering the white part of the eyeball. Tom felt goosebumps creeping under his clothes.

"What are you?" Tom was surprised he'd find the courage to ask questions in that horrible moment of his life.

Instead of answering, the eyeball with the clouds floating beside it started surging towards Tom, the pupil turning into a circle as if it was going to suck something into it.

It lunged towards Tom, who turned and ran for his life.