The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Luke 
by Kathleen McCluskey 

Luke stepped out of the star cruiser onto the foreign planet. He kicked at the dried dirt. His helmet seemed to be too heavy for him; he adjusted it, “This planet is nothing but dust. I don’t know who told us that there was water on this world but they were sadly mistaken.” As the twin suns began to set Luke could see the reflection of water on the blackened horizon. “Wait! Wait! I think I see water.” He began to sprint towards the shimmering impression of liquid.

The rover that had the rest of the crew followed quickly behind him. Luke stopped on a ledge that was at the top of a large chasm. He was in awe at what he saw. His shipmates got out of the vehicle and were also stunned at the sight that was below them.

“Have…have you ever seen colors like that?” Luke gasped. “Look how vibrant they are. They are so bright that it feels like it should hurt my eyes but mine are fine. Jordan?” Jordan only shook his head. They looked at each other and began to descend into the crater.

When they got to the bottom they could hear a soft humming and muffled chimes. They stopped and listened. Jordan pointed towards the origin of the sound. There were abundant trees and tall grass reminiscent of Earth. All of it seemed to have an internal luminescence as it swayed. It purposely touched the legs of the men as they walked. Suddenly the grass came to an abrupt end; they stood on the shore of a large pond. The neon purple bioluminescence of the mushrooms shone the brightest as they hummed in unison. The two men began to become entranced as bright pink spores began to cling to their spacesuits. The dust began to grow; veins of purple and pink shot across their torsos. The bulbous throbbing vessels began to pulse in deeper hues, then lighter, then darker; in unison. There were no recognizable human features left as the pulsing blob sank into the ground. Puddles of blood boiled to the surface along with clean human bones. The plants surrounding the puddles began to sway and hum in concert. The rest of the crew had already heard the siren song and their fate was sealed.

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Fiction © Copyright Kathleen McCluskey
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com 

More from Kathleen McCluskey:

The Long Fall: Book 1: The Inception of Horror

Lucifer always cunning and intelligent challenges father to a battle of wits. Being the angel of light he casts a judgemental eye upon mankind. He begins a war with his fellow archangels and God. Michael, along with his siblings defend their home and mankind from their deranged brother. Broad swords and hand to hand combat drench heaven in blood. The four apocalyptic steeds are released, each having their own destructive power. Betrayal and lust are at biblical levels. Understand the very creation of evil and the consequenses that transpire in the first of THE LONG FALL series.

Available on Amazon!