"Hidden Nemesis" and "The Observer Effect"

"Hidden Nemesis" has been a work-in-progress for quite some time now, and is due to be finished in the coming months. The core concept is taken from an animated television series known as "Ben 10", though the plot its self leans primarily towards the scifi/suspense genre (the original television series was more action/scifi). I have chosen this particular setting, as I believe it to possess vast potential which has as yet remained unexplored.

The second, and slightly older short story, known as "The Observer Effect", will be added to the topic just as soon as I find the file.

And now, on to the main focus of this topic:


Chapter One - Night Terrors


Ben woke with a start, searching through the blackness of his bedroom for anything which could have been responsible. It must have been around 3am and the smell of the fire from the house across the road had long since faded. Outside the open window was complete darkness, not even a tree or the distant light of somebody’s car visible, all was silent. After a few moments thought, he sat up and pulled himself out of bed to check the time on the luminous clock across the room. The Tennysons had moved to a secluded region of North America in the past years. This had been as much for their own protection as others.

Ben shivered as he stepped out onto the frosted carpet. He presumed this to be a result of the window, which had been left open all night, though it really hadn’t been that cold earlier. He felt a shiver run down his spine which was totally disconnected to the temperature of the room. It was as though there was someone else there with him, unseen, but watching. A sudden sense of terror. The room was so utterly devoid of sound, he could hear his own heartbeat increase. Whatever this was all about, he thought, it was certainly not a dream. He approached the window, slowly letting up the blind and peering out into the darkness, trying to see past his own reflection in the cold glass. As his eyes began to adjust, a low rustling sound caught his attention. It lasted for barely a second. Glancing around the room, outlines of the various objects lying around became partially visible, as if they were being pulled from the shadows before his eyes, though everything was once again still. Returning his attention to the window, trying to clear the glass by rubbing it with his hands, he realised what was wrong. The lawn, the fields, the countryside all was submerged in thick, impenetrable fog. With no idea of what was going on, he felt around for the light switch, eventually jamming the button down and expecting the room to be illuminated at any moment. Nothing happened. Another rustle emanated from somewhere. Whatever it was, it was closer.

Leaving the freezer-like conditions of his bedroom, Ben stepped into the long hallway which connected all of the upstairs rooms, deciding to wake the others. This idea, however, came to nothing. All of them were already awake, and looking quite nervous as they drifted silently along the hallway to meet him. Another rustle accompanied the motion. This time from just inside his bedroom door.

“Have you seen anything?” Ben asked the three of them, quietly.

“No.” Replied his father. “Just sounds. I don’t like to think about it, but it’s like they’re following us around. Have you seen outside?”

“Yea.” He said. “Made a pretty good guess at what‘s causing it too.”

“What is it?” He asked, slightly shakily.

“They’re called the Kryl. And strictly speaking, they’re not really alive.” Ben said, darkly. “At least not in the normal sense. I thought I heard them earlier too, before all this fog rolled in. If you do happen to catch a glimpse of one, try not to look at it.

“Why? What happens if we look at them?” Asked his younger brother, Will.

“Just trust me, don’t. It won’t attack or anything on first sigt, but look at it for long enough, and you’d better be the most fearless person in the world. We‘ve probably all been feeling a powerful sense of fear all night, but its just sunk in now they‘ve arrived. Its how they capture their victims. Scare them to death so they‘re afraid to move and then reel ’em in. They like to create illusions. Really horrifying stuff. You‘ll need to be on the look-out, ok?”

“OK.” Will agreed, as his father once again began to speak.

“What could they possibly want from us?.” He asked, approaching the stairs.

“Wait!” Ben desperately half shouted, half whispered to him. “These things aren’t harmless! They’re trying to catch up to us. They use periods of time when you’re not concentrating on their presence to move, that’s why you only hear them when you start to go about your business. If you lose concentration even for one second and they’re near by…”

“I get it.“ Said his father, carefully making his way down the red carpeted steps to the hallway below. “But you still haven’t answered my question.”

“I don’t know.” Replied Ben. “The omnitrix, the modifiers, you name it. We’ll have plenty of time to work it out.”

Every step was a constant struggle to remain focused on the creatures which were most likely crowded into every area of darkness or shadow. It felt very strange to be running from a nemesis they could barely hear, let alone see.

At last, everyone had arrived in the tiled hall, Ben’s father rushing to the icy front door, shuffling through his jacket pocket for house keys.

“So what do we do after we get out?” He asked. “I mean, we have the AG’s, but that’s about it. We never really had time to pack supplies, did we?.”

“It’ll have to do.” Replied Ben, “And anyway, I’ve made quite a few improvements since we last used them…”

“Looks like we don’t have much choice.” Said his father, exasperatedly, as finally he withdrew a single, bent, yellow key from inside his trouser pocket. Forcing it into the door and turning it triumphantly. There was an unnerving crack as the key jammed in the lock…


Next chapter to be added tomorrow.