ALARM CLOCK DAWN (An Original Novel - Episode 17)

Yesterday, in Episode 16, we witnessed a horrific abuse of power at the hand of XenTek Director, Johann Pfizer. Today our story shifts back to our protagonist, Adam Harkin. Something is about to happen to Adam, something that he won't truly understand for a long while. One thing is for sure, from this day forward Adam will never be the same again. Sit back, relax, and enjoy today's episode of Alarm Clock Dawn.

Before we get started I want to share an exciting announcement! The very talented artist, @fairytalelife, and I have collaborated on a project we’ll be sharing with you tonight. She’s had a very successful career as an artist so I’m honored that she considered working with me. She has created an amazing original illustration to pair with one of my poems, Nothing Else Matters. We’re both excited to share it with you so please check back tonight around 9pm CST to see it.

Did you miss Episode 16 of Alarm Clock Dawn? If so click here to read it.

Are you new to the story? If so click here to start at the beginning.

CHAPTER 6

Adam was awakened by an intensely bright beam of light shining behind him through his bedroom window. “Hmmph, a helicopter?” he muttered in his sluggish dreamlike trance.

He turned his head slightly and squinted at the clock. It read 1:11 a.m.. It wasn’t uncommon for the police to make their rounds at night through the neighborhood with searchlights shining. The crime rates were exploding everywhere due to the faltering economy. Now even people who wouldn't normally break the law sometimes were forced to resort to unscrupulous means to make extra money just to feed their families.

A few more seconds passed and Adam realized something just didn’t feel right. If this was a helicopter then it was a completely silent one. There was no noise, just blinding light, even through his closed eyes. It all just seemed a little too surreal.

I must just be dreaming, he reassured himself as he smiled and nestled back into the softness of his goose down pillow.

Suddenly he felt a mild vibration coursing through his body. It felt similar to a low voltage electric shock.

What the hell!? Adam tried to roll out of his bed onto the floor but found, to his surprise, he couldn’t move. He had heard of a phenomenon called sleep paralysis where a person is just waking from a dream and can’t move. For a few seconds they’re stuck in between sleep and awake and the two become muddled together as one. This must be what’s happening.

He was surrounded by intense light, and then felt as though the energy that coursed through him amped up in intensity. He again tried to move his arms and legs but to his confusion realized that he couldn’t. This wasn’t reality, it couldn’t be.

What is going on? I have to wake up!

Adam’s eyes jolted open wide as a feeling of intense fear and confusion cast its shadow on him. Whatever was going on here he now realized was beyond the realm of his understanding. He tried to again move his body but to his horror it was still paralyzed. Adam’s heart thumped so hard he was afraid it would explode right in his chest. Faster and faster. Thump, thump . . . thump, thump . . . thump, thump.

Even though Adam had suffered from anxiety most of his life, the worst panic attack he could remember paled in comparison to the intensity of what was happening now. He knew he needed to calm himself down and fast or he could risk having a heart attack.

Adam wanted to scream but tried and couldn’t make a sound. He now felt a chillingly undeniable presence around him, but he was still unable to define it. It felt as though this experience was all taking place with a kind of deliberate precision. Whoever these strangers were, they were now forcibly probing his thoughts without his permission as though his mind was their open book. All he could do was lie there, unable to move, too terrified to open his eyes, feeling like some helpless lab rat.

Oh my God. What is this? A tear spilled from the corner of his eye. His mind was working even faster than his heart to try to decipher exactly what was happening to him, but there were no points of reference from which to work. Adam knew one thing for sure—this was too strange to be reality yet far too tangible to be a dream.

Oh my god! OH MY GOD! He finally found the courage to open his eyes as tears flowed freely, rolling down his neck, and soaking his nightshirt. What he saw next forever burned its vividness on his soul. He was completely paralyzed, lying on his side, and someone or something leaned over him, its face so close to his that the two almost touched.

The first thing he noticed were the black eyes, large and almond shaped. These eyes were beyond piercing, unblinking, entirely devoid of emotion.

They conveyed only one thing: cold purpose. In an instant these eyes read deep into every memory he had collected from birth until this moment. These large, black eyes peeled back all his layers in an instant, reading him like a book, and Adam somehow knew it.

It was then that he overheard a conversation—not with his ears but, surprisingly, inside his own head. These were the words he would yearn to know the meaning of for a long time afterwards. This simple exchange of words, like every other memory of this horrific experience, was communicated with a sense of extreme urgency.

“You can’t do this!” he heard one of the beings say.

“But he helped our people!” another one answered.

It was then that Adam’s vision became wavy, like heat rising from blistering blacktop on a hot summer day, and everything softly faded away.

Beep, beep, beep. Adam jumped out of bed with wide eyes from the harshness of the alarm clock’s tone. He felt so sluggish and confused, but he calmed a bit when he saw a beam of sunlight peek through the swirling clouds outside his window. Just a horrible nightmare. Though his soaked clothing and physical and psychological exhaustion told him otherwise.

His nerves were raw, his muscles were tense, and his jaw was sore from clenching his teeth. Once he realized he was in the familiar surroundings of his bedroom, he swung his legs down to the floor and sat on the edge of his bed, took a deep breath, and gathered himself as best he could. He had to get to work. He knew his manager, Stephanie, would accept no excuses for him being late this morning

Like he had done thousands of times before, Adam mindlessly rushed through his morning routine, and before he knew it he was out the door. His body felt numb but his mind continued to race, trying to figure out just what the hell had happened to him last night.

Trying his best to sort through the muddled thoughts swirling in his brain, Adam thought to himself...

Was it truly a dream?
Is it because of the stress I’ve been under?
Was it something else altogether?

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