Harvest Earth Read Online Free PDF Page B

overcome him as his mind tries to categorize the object as it passes above him. Gabriel wants to run but his feet are like lead. Instead he manages to push his body against the side of the bus and crouches to his knees. He only dares to peak over the roof of the bus with the slimmest part of his head. His eyes remain  fixated on the object. They follow the flying shape as it continues down the street. His eyes follow it until it disappears out of view. His body feels paralyzed. Gabriel’s gaze never alters until the vibrations stop.
    In an instant, Gabriel’s body goes from solid steel to liquefied jelly. His stomach joins his heart as it falls to the pavement. He feels his body tremble as his nervous system fights to reactivate after momentarily being paralyzed by fear. Mustering up all the energy he can, Gabriel bolts down the sidewalk as fast as his legs can carry him.
    He runs in the opposite direction than the object had went. He runs until his lungs give out and his legs burn feverishly. Exhausted; panting deep, heavy and painful breathes. Gabriel ducks between two buildings and collapses onto his knees. His mouth and throat are raw from dehydration. His stomach makes him feel hollow inside. The thick stench of urine from his crotch fills his nares where he wet himself. He gags and is grateful when nothing but stomach acid rises up into his throat.
    Gabriel tries not to think of the object. He wants it to be the farthest thing from his mind, as if he had never seen it. But he had. Every time Gabriel closes his eyes he sees it.
    It had been a large black triangular structure. It moved through the air with one of its tips pointing forward.  The entire vessel covered all four lanes of Broad Street, perhaps two-hundred feet across. Its black hull was like an eclipse as it passed under the blue sky. Its hull was matted and gave off no shine or reflection. It appeared as if it was untouched by the sun. To Gabriel it had blotted out any semblance of normalcy or reality. As it moved across the sky and over him he could feel the vibration of it in his body. The tremors reached their apex of intensity as the object passed directly overhead. It made no sound, save those caused by the vibrating objects below it. It felt lifeless to Gabriel. As lifeless as the whole city now seemed to be.
    Pulling himself out of his own head Gabriel slaps his face several times with his hands. He closes his eyes and shakes his brain, letting it rattle against his skull. He tries to shake out the image and memory of the object. When Gabriel opens his eyes he stares at his hands. He counts his fingers. He thinks he remembers hearing once that you can’t count in a dream. For surely that is what Gabriel concluded this all must be, a dream. An illusion. Focusing on his fingers is difficult for Gabriel. They are still shaking and his brain is on fire. He is unable to maintain attention on his dancing phalanges.
    Gabriel looks around at his surroundings. He is in a space between two building. He hopes to reorient himself. He hopes to find something that will distract him from his racing thoughts. That is when he sees a shoe sticking out from behind a nearby dumpster.
    Gabriel becomes startled when he sees that the shoe is accompanied by a pant leg. A real leg presumably hold the two objects together. As Gabriel slowly eases himself out of the filth-covered gutter he is filled with a mixture of trepidation and excitement. A leg is usually attached to a person, and a person might have answers to what was happening.
    “Hello.” Gabriel says softly. His voice still sounds strange in what is now a strange place. Beyond just breaking what is now relative silence in the city, Gabriel’s dry tongue and throat also make his voice sound hoarse and foreign. He smacks his lips and tries to swallow the last drop of saliva he has. “Hello.” He says again. This time he speaks a little louder and tries to hide the raspy tone of his voice.
    There is no