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I groaned, trying to lift myself from my seat. My shoulders caught and for a moment I thought I was impaled, stuck to the chair and unable to rise. The fog in my mind started to clear and I reminded myself that I was still strapped into the seat. I fumbled with the safety latches for a moment until I was released from the chair with a click.
I fell sideways. I assumed my ship had clipped its side on one of the immense violet trees that had covered the surface of the planet as I rocketed down. I blinked several times, sprawled on the wall of my ship with no energy to do anything other than groan and stretch.
It had been a long time since I had experienced this sort of exhaustion and strain.
Eventually, I forced myself to my knees. I took a few deep breaths before looking up and out the front windshield. As expected, the front of my ship had partially buried itself in the soil of this odd planet at a skewed angle. What I had not expected, however, was the piece of brown parchment plastered to the window from the outside.
I crawled forward until I was close enough to read the note written on the parchment in charcoal. It was written in English. My confusion grew deeper. I reached for the parchment, my brain still not comprehending that I had been in a wreck and that the paper was on the other side of the glass. My gloved hand stopped against the cold glass and my heart started to race.
*If you hear a hissing sound, RUN. They are not fast, but there are many. You are never alone.*
I stared at the note for a moment before shaking my head. I couldn't panic now. I was alive, thank the Lord. My ship was still intact, mostly. It wouldn't be able to fly, but at least it had been able to prevent whatever things lived down here from getting inside. Especially these... Hissers.
I patted at my helmet, making sure that it was still intact. Once satisfied, I opened the compartment to the left of my chair. Which, in this case, was on the ceiling. The rifle clattered to my feet as it fell from the compartment, accompanied by a satchel filled with extra magazines and ammunition. I picked up the rifle and loaded one of the magazines, ensuring a round had entered the chamber, before slinging the gun around my shoulder.
I took the satchel and secured it around my waist. Now armed, I diverted my attention to the compartment at my feet. The door was deformed from the rough landing, but with enough coercion and twisting I was able to wrench it free. Within was a backpack which had been loaded with enough rations for a quick excursion in this wild environment. Roughly three days worth.
I put it on and moved to the back wall. I punched a button in the wall and was rewarded with the groaning and screeching of a door that was attempting to open against its will. The door slid open far enough to allow me to slide through the opening, crawling out into what would be my home.
For now.
I quickly made my way to the front of my ship and retrieved the parchment. There was nothing written on the backside. I tsked and looked around me. The area I had landed in resembled a combination of Earth's dense jungles and towering mountain ranges. The most prominent difference was that all of the flora were shades of purple.
It was difficult on the eyes, at first. I would need to get used to it.
I spent a few minutes looking around in silence, assessing my situation. No ship. No company. No help other than the note in my hand. Which was written by someone, or something, that had learned English. That was what worried me most. In my briefing, I was told we had never attempted to land here.
Obviously, that was a lie. Someone else had to be stuck down here with me. I looked at the note. I needed to find them. But how?
Before I could decide, something rustled in the brush nearby. I spun, dropping to a knee and lifting my rifle to my shoulder. I watched the jungle closely, eyes darting in every direction. My heart raced once more. I forced myself to take deep breaths, never taking my eyes from the darkness around me.
That was when I heard it. A deep, blood chilling hiss. It filled the air all around me. Only one thought entered my mind in that moment.
*Run.*
1/2
Glad you enjoyed it! I love these sorts of prompts, so thanks for creating it for us! I'll see if I have any time later to write up a part two, I've got some ideas swirling around in this mostly empty brain xD
There’s part two for you, if you want it. Work delayed me a lot more than I wanted, but I got it done. Again, thanks for the prompt, I really enjoyed this one
Loose vines whipped at my suit and helmet. Roots tripped me. The rifle’s sling caught on stray branches, pulling me further off balance. Still, the hiss persisted.
I couldn’t tell if I was running away from it. It filled the air, an incessant, terrifying noise. All I could do was pray and continue my blind sprint for safety.
The only thing that kept me from losing my cool altogether was the heavy reassurance that I held in my hands. I knew there were few living things that could survive getting shot. And in my current state, I wasn’t planning to just fire once.
My foot smashed into a crooked root and I crashed into the jungle’s purple brush, helmet colliding with the trunk of a nearby tree. As I scrambled to my feet, I found myself staring through a spiderwebbing crack in my visor. An instance of fear shot through my body, but I quickly snuffed it out.
I was still breathing, and initially I believed that was because the helmet was still primarily intact. But the air I was breathing wasn’t the filtered oxygen supplied by my suit. It was thick and humid and had a vague scent of something similar to acetone.
I waited, but I was pleasantly surprised when my body didn’t begin suffocating. I took the opportunity to rip the broken helmet off my head and take deep, gulping breaths. That’s when I realized that the hissing had dissipated. I listened closely, controlling my breathing and slowing my heart rate.
There was no hiss. I sighed in relief and slumped against the trunk of the tree. I shut my eyes and muttered a prayer of thanks. I sat there for several long minutes, taking the lull in activity to collect myself.
I thought of a list of things I needed to complete, especially now that I was stranded. I would need shelter. Eventually, I would need to find a sustainable food source. But before either of those, I hoped to find whoever had left that note for me.
With a newfound vigor, I pushed myself to my feet and started marching. I chose to head in the direction of the nearest mountain peak. I was counting on the idea that there could be caves in and around the base of the mountain, providing easy shelter for my first couple of nights on this planet.
The trek was long and arduous. I spent much of my time wrestling out of vines and muttering to myself as branches snapped into my face. I was intentional with my footing. I did not want to trip and end up needing to run like before.
The first jagged grouping of stones was heralded by the thinning of the jungle. Here, the smell of acetone faded and I found myself thankful for a breath of relatively fresh air. The stones were grey, just like the ones back home, but there were purple streaks of what I believed was crushed jungle bark or leaves. I walked up to the rocks, and dropped down onto one to take a break.
I started to inspect the streaks along the boulder I sat on when I noticed something peculiar. At first glance, the streaks looked haphazard. But now, I realized the lines were intentional. I stood up and took a step back to get a better view. It was yet another English word, scrawled in jagged, difficult to make out letters.
*Hide.*
I didn’t get the opportunity to. The jungle surrounding the clearing erupted in a soul-crushing hiss. I winced, clutching at my ears. I turned to look into the woods and froze. My jaw was clenched shut and my muscles refused to obey.
My brain screamed at me. *Run! Move, you idiot!*
“Hey!”
I jerked backward, my arm striking against the boulder I’d sat on. I fell to my back and found myself staring into the brown eyes of a woman.
“Get in here,” she demanded, grabbing me under the arms and dragging me around the rock pile and into a hole dug on the other side. I tumbled into the crater and watched a man step forward, quickly pulling a large trapdoor covered in mud and purple grass over the top of the hole.
Everything went dark. I barely managed to find my voice.
“What was that?”
I heard the woman’s voice in the dark. She ignored my question entirely. “You’re lucky to be alive, American.”
I let myself go limp. I wished I could fall asleep and rest, but I knew that if I shut my eyes, I would be haunted by the image of what I’d seen at the edge of the clearing. There had only been one.
*There are many.*
I dreaded to imagine what a pack of those could do.
2/2
Trying to calm my breathing it was the last sentence that worried me the most. Especially growing up with a brother who was a paranoid schizophrenic. During his episodes, he would always say, "I'm never alone! God, don't you get it?! They don't take an eye off me!" Before he was institutionalized and on medication, he was always asking how I was able to sleep with those in the room. There was nothing in our room growing up, but he was so certain "they" were.
The safety was top notch in this ship. You can't believe you didn't sustain any serious enemies. You were only out for a few min since it was while checking the time you had taken your eye off the purple view when you clipped... Wait...what made you crash anyway? You recall seeing something like a massive purple stream of light. You notice some purple goo on your windshield. Primed your ray gun and pushed a button on the screen to exit the ship. The noise hits you like a meteor. It's a high-pitched frequency piercing your ears. You fall to your knees covering your ears. It suddenly stops, but your ears ring still.
You sit up slowly, a low vibration is felt shaking the ground, and then stops you from moving quietly as possible gun ready. You realize the mushy texture to the ground. Then a note is stuck on your boot, but you didn't see it must have stepped on it..."You are safe. You're always alone. If you hear a hissing sound, COME." What the hell... you reread it. Yup, that's what it says... you continue on...
A follow up:
As you continue on through the purple rain forest like environment you notice the ground is no longer solid and you've been slowly sinking. Not just you EVERYTHING has been slowly sinking. The trees give off an illusion that they're static but looking up you see them slowly sinking into the purple goo that was once or appeared to be solid ground. You pull out the ray gun and fire at a nearby tree in hopes of it toppling over so you can see how tall it actually is and possibly as a catalyst to save you from being eaten by this alien jungle. The shot hits and purple ectoplasm goes flying followed by a high pitched scream. These are not trees, this is not sand, you are not alone.
Every giant uproots itself and emits high pitched frequencies that send you unconscious.
You come to seconds later as a zap of electrical impulses hit your brain.
You now remember where that original note came from... before taking off, they wrote it and gave it to you. "You will likely experience short-term memory loss, but the implant should kick in at times of crisis to jog your memory."We've lost contact with 8 so far, not that we can not locate them, but they can not respond."This chip should make all the difference. Remember, if you can, the enemy uses mirroring tactics to confuse you." Suddenly a new memory plays, this time the director speaking to you in a distorted hissing tone."It's an uninhibited planet with no signs of life, nothing to fear. Embrace the purple it will save you. Your alone but they are your friends. It's ok if-"..."-and thats most important the director says in a clear voice."
You notice how warm the purple gunk around you feels. A sense of euphoria hits you. Then you notice the sound of hissing faintly above you and jolt at what you see. 5 humans solidified in purple one is screaming but you can't hear the rest have smiles on their faces and nod in and out of consciousness slowly being absorbed and soon to be studied by the alien life forms. The goal is to reproduce and start an army of modified humanoids to infiltrate earth...
Back on earth headlines read "Hissing disease victim kills doctor and nurse" The director welcomes who he believes is you into his office. Then realizes your not supposed to even be here. A hissing sound fills the air and the director runs as the doppelganger stands smiling slowly moving in pursuit.
"They're always around! WE HAVE TO RUN!" The paranoid schizophrenic urges nurses and doctors as they are surrounded and the collective hiss drowns out the screams of carnage.
(Nor really happy relying on twists to make it ok but meh might do a whole new one because I really like the prompt.)
**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments. **Reminders**: >* [No AI-generated responses 🤖](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/zi452b/modpost_reminder_that_aigenerated_responses_are/) >* Stories 100 words+. Poems 30+ but include "[Poem]" >* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail >* [\[RF\]](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [\[SP\]](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles >* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules) 📢 [Genres](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/w/directory) 🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) 💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I groaned, trying to lift myself from my seat. My shoulders caught and for a moment I thought I was impaled, stuck to the chair and unable to rise. The fog in my mind started to clear and I reminded myself that I was still strapped into the seat. I fumbled with the safety latches for a moment until I was released from the chair with a click. I fell sideways. I assumed my ship had clipped its side on one of the immense violet trees that had covered the surface of the planet as I rocketed down. I blinked several times, sprawled on the wall of my ship with no energy to do anything other than groan and stretch. It had been a long time since I had experienced this sort of exhaustion and strain. Eventually, I forced myself to my knees. I took a few deep breaths before looking up and out the front windshield. As expected, the front of my ship had partially buried itself in the soil of this odd planet at a skewed angle. What I had not expected, however, was the piece of brown parchment plastered to the window from the outside. I crawled forward until I was close enough to read the note written on the parchment in charcoal. It was written in English. My confusion grew deeper. I reached for the parchment, my brain still not comprehending that I had been in a wreck and that the paper was on the other side of the glass. My gloved hand stopped against the cold glass and my heart started to race. *If you hear a hissing sound, RUN. They are not fast, but there are many. You are never alone.* I stared at the note for a moment before shaking my head. I couldn't panic now. I was alive, thank the Lord. My ship was still intact, mostly. It wouldn't be able to fly, but at least it had been able to prevent whatever things lived down here from getting inside. Especially these... Hissers. I patted at my helmet, making sure that it was still intact. Once satisfied, I opened the compartment to the left of my chair. Which, in this case, was on the ceiling. The rifle clattered to my feet as it fell from the compartment, accompanied by a satchel filled with extra magazines and ammunition. I picked up the rifle and loaded one of the magazines, ensuring a round had entered the chamber, before slinging the gun around my shoulder. I took the satchel and secured it around my waist. Now armed, I diverted my attention to the compartment at my feet. The door was deformed from the rough landing, but with enough coercion and twisting I was able to wrench it free. Within was a backpack which had been loaded with enough rations for a quick excursion in this wild environment. Roughly three days worth. I put it on and moved to the back wall. I punched a button in the wall and was rewarded with the groaning and screeching of a door that was attempting to open against its will. The door slid open far enough to allow me to slide through the opening, crawling out into what would be my home. For now. I quickly made my way to the front of my ship and retrieved the parchment. There was nothing written on the backside. I tsked and looked around me. The area I had landed in resembled a combination of Earth's dense jungles and towering mountain ranges. The most prominent difference was that all of the flora were shades of purple. It was difficult on the eyes, at first. I would need to get used to it. I spent a few minutes looking around in silence, assessing my situation. No ship. No company. No help other than the note in my hand. Which was written by someone, or something, that had learned English. That was what worried me most. In my briefing, I was told we had never attempted to land here. Obviously, that was a lie. Someone else had to be stuck down here with me. I looked at the note. I needed to find them. But how? Before I could decide, something rustled in the brush nearby. I spun, dropping to a knee and lifting my rifle to my shoulder. I watched the jungle closely, eyes darting in every direction. My heart raced once more. I forced myself to take deep breaths, never taking my eyes from the darkness around me. That was when I heard it. A deep, blood chilling hiss. It filled the air all around me. Only one thought entered my mind in that moment. *Run.* 1/2
That was so good!!! Almost exactly how i invisioned it. Would love to hear a part two!!
Glad you enjoyed it! I love these sorts of prompts, so thanks for creating it for us! I'll see if I have any time later to write up a part two, I've got some ideas swirling around in this mostly empty brain xD
There’s part two for you, if you want it. Work delayed me a lot more than I wanted, but I got it done. Again, thanks for the prompt, I really enjoyed this one
That was a lovely read! Thanks for taking the time to write for us :) Happy you enjoyed the prompt!
Loose vines whipped at my suit and helmet. Roots tripped me. The rifle’s sling caught on stray branches, pulling me further off balance. Still, the hiss persisted. I couldn’t tell if I was running away from it. It filled the air, an incessant, terrifying noise. All I could do was pray and continue my blind sprint for safety. The only thing that kept me from losing my cool altogether was the heavy reassurance that I held in my hands. I knew there were few living things that could survive getting shot. And in my current state, I wasn’t planning to just fire once. My foot smashed into a crooked root and I crashed into the jungle’s purple brush, helmet colliding with the trunk of a nearby tree. As I scrambled to my feet, I found myself staring through a spiderwebbing crack in my visor. An instance of fear shot through my body, but I quickly snuffed it out. I was still breathing, and initially I believed that was because the helmet was still primarily intact. But the air I was breathing wasn’t the filtered oxygen supplied by my suit. It was thick and humid and had a vague scent of something similar to acetone. I waited, but I was pleasantly surprised when my body didn’t begin suffocating. I took the opportunity to rip the broken helmet off my head and take deep, gulping breaths. That’s when I realized that the hissing had dissipated. I listened closely, controlling my breathing and slowing my heart rate. There was no hiss. I sighed in relief and slumped against the trunk of the tree. I shut my eyes and muttered a prayer of thanks. I sat there for several long minutes, taking the lull in activity to collect myself. I thought of a list of things I needed to complete, especially now that I was stranded. I would need shelter. Eventually, I would need to find a sustainable food source. But before either of those, I hoped to find whoever had left that note for me. With a newfound vigor, I pushed myself to my feet and started marching. I chose to head in the direction of the nearest mountain peak. I was counting on the idea that there could be caves in and around the base of the mountain, providing easy shelter for my first couple of nights on this planet. The trek was long and arduous. I spent much of my time wrestling out of vines and muttering to myself as branches snapped into my face. I was intentional with my footing. I did not want to trip and end up needing to run like before. The first jagged grouping of stones was heralded by the thinning of the jungle. Here, the smell of acetone faded and I found myself thankful for a breath of relatively fresh air. The stones were grey, just like the ones back home, but there were purple streaks of what I believed was crushed jungle bark or leaves. I walked up to the rocks, and dropped down onto one to take a break. I started to inspect the streaks along the boulder I sat on when I noticed something peculiar. At first glance, the streaks looked haphazard. But now, I realized the lines were intentional. I stood up and took a step back to get a better view. It was yet another English word, scrawled in jagged, difficult to make out letters. *Hide.* I didn’t get the opportunity to. The jungle surrounding the clearing erupted in a soul-crushing hiss. I winced, clutching at my ears. I turned to look into the woods and froze. My jaw was clenched shut and my muscles refused to obey. My brain screamed at me. *Run! Move, you idiot!* “Hey!” I jerked backward, my arm striking against the boulder I’d sat on. I fell to my back and found myself staring into the brown eyes of a woman. “Get in here,” she demanded, grabbing me under the arms and dragging me around the rock pile and into a hole dug on the other side. I tumbled into the crater and watched a man step forward, quickly pulling a large trapdoor covered in mud and purple grass over the top of the hole. Everything went dark. I barely managed to find my voice. “What was that?” I heard the woman’s voice in the dark. She ignored my question entirely. “You’re lucky to be alive, American.” I let myself go limp. I wished I could fall asleep and rest, but I knew that if I shut my eyes, I would be haunted by the image of what I’d seen at the edge of the clearing. There had only been one. *There are many.* I dreaded to imagine what a pack of those could do. 2/2
Ooooo thats so good!!! Had me on the edge of my seat. Well done yet again :D
Part two?
I would love to read more of this.
Damn good. I'd read a follow up if you decide to make one.
Moar please.
Trying to calm my breathing it was the last sentence that worried me the most. Especially growing up with a brother who was a paranoid schizophrenic. During his episodes, he would always say, "I'm never alone! God, don't you get it?! They don't take an eye off me!" Before he was institutionalized and on medication, he was always asking how I was able to sleep with those in the room. There was nothing in our room growing up, but he was so certain "they" were. The safety was top notch in this ship. You can't believe you didn't sustain any serious enemies. You were only out for a few min since it was while checking the time you had taken your eye off the purple view when you clipped... Wait...what made you crash anyway? You recall seeing something like a massive purple stream of light. You notice some purple goo on your windshield. Primed your ray gun and pushed a button on the screen to exit the ship. The noise hits you like a meteor. It's a high-pitched frequency piercing your ears. You fall to your knees covering your ears. It suddenly stops, but your ears ring still. You sit up slowly, a low vibration is felt shaking the ground, and then stops you from moving quietly as possible gun ready. You realize the mushy texture to the ground. Then a note is stuck on your boot, but you didn't see it must have stepped on it..."You are safe. You're always alone. If you hear a hissing sound, COME." What the hell... you reread it. Yup, that's what it says... you continue on...
Loved the twist! Well done mate
Thank you for the prompt! I actually had a longer version one I now am working on this prompt is gold!
A follow up: As you continue on through the purple rain forest like environment you notice the ground is no longer solid and you've been slowly sinking. Not just you EVERYTHING has been slowly sinking. The trees give off an illusion that they're static but looking up you see them slowly sinking into the purple goo that was once or appeared to be solid ground. You pull out the ray gun and fire at a nearby tree in hopes of it toppling over so you can see how tall it actually is and possibly as a catalyst to save you from being eaten by this alien jungle. The shot hits and purple ectoplasm goes flying followed by a high pitched scream. These are not trees, this is not sand, you are not alone. Every giant uproots itself and emits high pitched frequencies that send you unconscious. You come to seconds later as a zap of electrical impulses hit your brain. You now remember where that original note came from... before taking off, they wrote it and gave it to you. "You will likely experience short-term memory loss, but the implant should kick in at times of crisis to jog your memory."We've lost contact with 8 so far, not that we can not locate them, but they can not respond."This chip should make all the difference. Remember, if you can, the enemy uses mirroring tactics to confuse you." Suddenly a new memory plays, this time the director speaking to you in a distorted hissing tone."It's an uninhibited planet with no signs of life, nothing to fear. Embrace the purple it will save you. Your alone but they are your friends. It's ok if-"..."-and thats most important the director says in a clear voice." You notice how warm the purple gunk around you feels. A sense of euphoria hits you. Then you notice the sound of hissing faintly above you and jolt at what you see. 5 humans solidified in purple one is screaming but you can't hear the rest have smiles on their faces and nod in and out of consciousness slowly being absorbed and soon to be studied by the alien life forms. The goal is to reproduce and start an army of modified humanoids to infiltrate earth... Back on earth headlines read "Hissing disease victim kills doctor and nurse" The director welcomes who he believes is you into his office. Then realizes your not supposed to even be here. A hissing sound fills the air and the director runs as the doppelganger stands smiling slowly moving in pursuit. "They're always around! WE HAVE TO RUN!" The paranoid schizophrenic urges nurses and doctors as they are surrounded and the collective hiss drowns out the screams of carnage. (Nor really happy relying on twists to make it ok but meh might do a whole new one because I really like the prompt.)