//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 'A Long Night'  Sec.2 'The Land of Tones' 
// Story: V-472 
// by SimpleWriter 
//------------------------------//

"There we go." The horse teased. "Comfortable?"

Two soldiers stepped away from me, finishing their job of bounding me in duct tape. My feet were taped together at the ankles, and my arms were tightly bounded together behind my back. I struggled with my restraints, grunting like an animal every time I jerked an arm or kicked a foot.

"Stop." The horse snapped. "Just stop."

I looked up at the creature, and it looked down on me. Every time the thing moved its mouth to speak, I couldn't look away. It was like seeing something out of a dream, a vision. I couldn't look away. I just couldn't.

"What...what the fuck is going on here?! What are you? !" I shouted.

"Shut up!" The creature barked. "Just shut the FUCK up!"

It lowered its head forward so she was looking directly into my eyes.

"Sorry....I'm just not in the best mood right now. Look." She huffed. "I get it. You were just minding your own business. You were probably sleeping, drinking, or consuming a substance that will make you higher than a kite. You've got questions, I get that. I've got a squad to lead, so I'll make it short and to the point. So pay attention."

She leaned in closer.

"We are here, this isn't a dream. We are not here to kill you. We are here to...'collect' you. Just do as I say, and I won't kick your teeth in."

I moved my head back, my eyes were as wide as saucers at this point. "Wha...what are you?"

"I'm your master. And your master says to stay still." She looked at the soldiers. "Bring him inside. I would hate to lose him. And hurry, don't get it by a stray bullet."

Wrapping their hands around my shoulders and ankles, the two soldiers lifted me into the air. I watched their feet walk towards the door inside the complex. The door creaked open, and I was being lowered into the darkness, the only light that I could see was the glow of their sockets. One by one, I decended the stair case.

"What are you gonna do to me!" I gasped.

"I am gonna put you off to the side for now." The horse muttered. We continued to go down, and I kept track of how many steps were took. The horse's hooves tapped loudly against the concrete stairs. She had a rythym to her steps. She never slowed down. She kept a constant speed.

1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4

I could feel my body turn with their motions. Not to exit, but to go down further. My feet dipped at an angle, and we continued.

1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4

Another floor. I could hear the horse's raspy voice as she grunted, pushing the exit door open. Light from the hall poured in. Already I could see the awful mistreatment that was given to innocent people. People let out muffled screams, lying on the ground like slugs, completely helpless.

We began to pass by open doors on either side of us. Tilting my head, I watched with shock as innocent people were bounded. Most of everyone was mostly gagged in someway, from socks to tape...even underwear. People of all ages and sizes were incapacitated like this, we were no different to them. As my head bopped with their footsteps, I saw a little girl in the shadows of one of the rooms. She was no older than six. She was in her pajamas, and she had a sock stuffed in her mouth, tears glistened her cheeks, snot 
ran from her nose.

"In here." I heard the horse command. I was turned to the left, and everything grew dark.

I watched both pair of boots walk over a wooden door that was busted down from the outside. Tilting my head to look forward, I could seen my fire escape window, shattered to bits, only leaving little shade to stick out in the winter air.

"Home sweet home." The horse mocked. "Drop him."

Both pairs of hands let me go simutaniously. I watched the carpet floor rapidly approaching my face before everything went black for a brief moment. My chest was once again, airless. The force of the drop sent my teeth to clamp hard on the tip of my tongue. A sharp stinging pain made me help and my eyes water. I winced in disgust as my tongue could taste a small metallic tang.  Coping with the pain, I rolled over so I can see above me. The horse stood over me, he raindow hair hung in front of her face to mask the glowing sockets of red light.

"You know, you got some fight in you...I like that. When you slammed me against the window, heh..." She smiled as she heaved her chest, laughing to herself. "That hurt like a bitch. I don't have my mind completely made up on what your job will be buuuut...the gears are turnin'." She looked at one of her men. "Watch him,  and make sure he doesn't pull anything."

The soldier nodded silently, quickly approaching me. He pulled out a roll of tape, and stripped off a big strand.

"No. Wait N-"

Before I could plead, my lips were taped shut. The blood was already starting to build up in my mouth. The horse and the other grunt left the room, while my overseer grabbed me by the ankles, and dragged me into the living room. I let out several muffled cries as my belly rubbed against the carpet. I banged my head against the floor, enduring the burning pain on my stomach and chest. The soldier pivoted me around so I could see the T.V. The man, plumped right down on my reclining chair.

There was a click of a remote, and the T.V came to life. The first thing that came on was the channel that I left it on, but it was anything but a celebration. I gasped in shock and disbelief. There were people scattered across time square. It...it was a fucking slaughter house. Buildings had humongous holes blown into them. People lied sprawled on the ground, either dead or in massive amounts of pain. Blood...there was so much blood and gore, I fought the strong urge to vomit. Men, women....children. I couldn't hold back the tears. It was a massacre.

"We have some...breaking news."

A voice broke away the screams and gunfire, and T.V showed the news anchor Brian Williams himself sitting at his news desk. He wore a grey suit and black tie, both ruffled and torn. His face took a beating, with a swollen cheek, and a nose with a tissue sticking out of his nostril. Blood trickled down his lip.

"This uh...this is-is a message f-f-from The Angels."

Off camera, a clipboard is slipped over to him by a hand. The clipboard has a piece of paper with a message written on it in pen. His trembling hands picked up the board, and he skimmed what is read.

"You want me to read this? Word for word?" He asked, looking at somebody...or something off camera. He cleared his throat, and took several deep breaths, trying to make his voice as smooth as possible.

"To all who can see or hear me, this is...the first day of change. We are a multidimensional race who has come to spread awareness of our ways. We are not here to hurt you. We are not here to kill you and...and exterminate your kind. We are simply a community who wants to expand and create the authority that your world desperately needs. Authority for your world and many worlds to come. We can be reasonable people, we don't want to kill, but we will kill..."

He paused and sighed. "If we have to."

The T.V went back to time square to show the massive amounts of bodies on the streets and sidewalks.
"This is what happens when you do not comply. You try to stall us, then you will join them."

The T.V cut back to Brian, who sat there with a horrified look on his face as he read on.

"What you are about to see, is how we assess your traits and what job would fit best for you. This include, intelligence, strength, perception, but also various biological traits, such as bone density, illnesses. First, you and an 'Apostle' will meet."

Something hopped onto the desk, just out of the cameras view. It was fairly big, as I could see it's shadow. A few thumps could be heard and what appeared to be a large dog sat right next to Brian. It was big, brown, and it had a long tail. When I watched it crouch to the table surface, I gasped. I couldn't believe my eyes!

It was some kind of ape! A creature with large bug eyes that I levee out of its skull! It had a hairless face with a snout that jutted outward. Its mouth revealed two rows of razor sharp teeth! The ears were elongated, stretching out along the sides of its head. The Apostle had apposable fingers that gripped the edge of the desk like a monkey. Brian just looked at the creature with an open mouth. He wanted to run and hide, but he knew he couldn't.

"An ap-p-postle...or also known as a Satori, is a creature that grew in the mountains back in our world. They've exsisted for thousands of years, and they have the very special ability, to read..." Brian paused. "To...read minds. *ahem* Just let them do their thing, and you'll be 'sent on your way.' "

Brian put the paper down, the clipboard clinked against the table. Brian slowly turns towards the Apostle, and they make eye contact with each other, Then the monkey wrapped its fingers around his head. Brian gasped and began reach for his head but he let out an agonizing, bloodcurdling scream. Brian screamed and screamed and he began to twitch violently. There is a flash of light, and Brian was flung back into is seat.

Brian sat in his chair, with his eyes rolling into the back of his skull. His body twitched, and there was a brief moment of silence. The Apostle sat there and stared at the unconscious news anchor. Suddenly, a wet slap could be heard as a piece of bloody, raw meat fell onto the desk. The creature looked at the meat, and it began to gnaw on the hunk of flesh. In the background, as the creature ate the meat, two solders with glowing green eyes, picked up Brian by his back and ankles.

Shwoom!

A blue swirl appeared onto the wall beside them. The Apostle looked at the swirling hole in the wall, clutched its meat tightly, and it leaped into the portal. The hole rippled and twisted on itself before returning to normal. The two men swung Brian forward and back before hurling him into the portal. Just as the hole began to ripple once more, the T.V cut to bars and tones.

I lied on the ground...in absolute silence. My eyes burned from my lack of blinking. I looked up at the soldier in the chair. He wasn't looking at me, just looking strait at the T.V.

"Just do what he said." He growled. "And you'll do just fine."

I stated stair at the T.V, the tones burned into my mind. That night, the country became, 'The Land of Tones.'