Under the Rug
By  Robbie


Two weeks passed and it happened again. I don’t know how they found me, but they did, and that was all that mattered now. I started sensing subtle traces of insanity after I got back from Madagascar a month ago, and I don’t even know why I was there. I found myself waking up in the middle of the street, miles away from home, with a crowbar in my hand and next to a wrecked car. Later on, things got more serious.
    This morning I woke up confused and disheveled. Slowly hobbling down the stairs, I discovered a wheelbarrow full of satellite dishes and electrical components. I had vague memories of jumping up onto houses and destroying everything, but I thought it was just a dream. The rest of the day was normal. That night it was dark and stormy. Raindrops fell on my head through the roof and I arose from my slumber. Suddenly, I felt jolts in my brain and I started moving, almost mechanically and robot-like. When I reached the window I kicked it out and glass shards flew. Subliminally, I crawled out of it and climbed up onto the roof.
    I was clumsily tumbling on the shingles when a sharp crack spliced through the misty air. A white bolt of lightning struck my head. But I just stood there, feeling cool, refreshed, and energetic. My hair stood up straight when suddenly another bolt struck me. Everything was dark. I regained consciousness on a cold metal floor, head spinning and steam radiating off me. I looked up and saw a glass dome, with space and stars beyond it. My eyes rolled to the side and I saw a door open.
    A vague gray humanoid appeared through the doorway and hissed in a cruel voice, “Your planet’s technology is not good enough for us to make you steal and destroy. Fortunately, no one on Earth will know about this scheme or aliens like me.”
    “H-how is th-that?” I stammered.
    “You won’t tell them.” The slug like creature replied. Its fingerless hand reached for a lever on the wall. With a quick yank of the lever, the floor of the spacecraft disappeared and I was sent plunging through space towards earth. An hour later I slammed against the hard gravel pavement. Somehow, I had survived. The only scratch on my body after the fall was on my knee. I looked down and saw an open gash, with wires, gears, and batteries falling out of it. Huh? Even after being nearly thrown to my death by sluggish aliens and surviving, this was strange. After taking a moment to stop and think things over again, I started walking toward my house. I figured that if the aliens were anywhere, they were at 24 Nutcase Drive, trying to destroy any evidence of me. As soon as I got there, I reached for the doorknob. Click. I felt that strange jolt in my head again, like before I got struck by lightning, as if someone else was in my brain. Suddenly, I walked down to the sidewalk, against my will.
    “What am I doing?” I thought to myself. I turned around and walked toward the house until I stopped mentally stunned.
    “Must stop. Must not enter quarantined area.” The other voice commanded, in crude English. A strange buzzing swelled in my mind, getting louder and louder until I had a major headache. I had to get back to my house, to find the aliens and prove that they were controlling my cranium. The headache got worse. My hair was steaming. A faint explosion sounded inside and the other persuasive voice was gone. I spun around a few times until falling on the brick walkway.
A bright light awoke me. The moon shone overhead and everything was quiet. No cars, not even crickets were to be heard, and I knew I wasn’t deaf after my head somewhat exploded. I felt a clearer mind after the other voice was gone. Feet and legs feeling like Jell-O, I quickly sprinted back to the front door of my house. I peered in to see nothing but darkness. I grasped the cold brass doorknob and pulled. To no surprise, the door did not budge. While I was thinking of another entrance, my hand opened up. I looked down to see a small buzz saw appear from my wrist. The saw abruptly started with a squealing whine. In no time at all the door was cut down and I stepped through the smoldering ruins. I turned into the living room; heart pounding and I saw nothing unusual except for a large lump in the middle of the carpet. I quickly leapt for the first possible weapon, a wooden chair. Grabbing it with two hands, I then swung overhead and the chair thundered against the suspicious lump. Splinters flew everywhere and I had to shield my eyes as shards shot and hit me. The lump slowly rose up, growing a head and arms as I watched, horrified. I then thought up an idea. Focusing on how to defeat the carpet creature, another gadget morphed out of my hand. This time it took the form of a pistol. Knowing it was a life or death decision, I shot several times. The bullets wildly ricocheted off of the monster and it raised its arm up. I desperately tried to think up a new defense, but it was too late. The creature’s arm was strangling me, as I hung a foot off the ground. Strangely, I felt the energy coming right out of me. I felt as if something was taken away from me. I tried again to change my hand into something else, but this time it wouldn’t work. I looked down at the gash I got from falling out of space, but this time there was a scab, instead of metal and wires. I then realized that my robotic powers were sucked right out of me. The creature still choking me, I struggled to get away. I slipped free and ran out the door, panting for air. I looked back, and saw the creature for the first time, now that a carpet didn’t hide it. It was the same alien slug I had seen on the spaceship. I started running lightly, thinking that this space mollusk couldn’t outrun me. It turned out it couldn’t. But it didn’t need to. The evil voice reappeared in my mind.
“No, don’t go” it said. I stopped and turned around. The cruel fiend then swallowed me with its huge eyestalks.
I woke up in a silver room sitting on a bunk. I slowly got up and wobbled over to the window. I stared out into space as the stars whirled past. In the reflection I saw myself. I guess I would now have to except myself for who I was. I giant, yellow slug.