What if an alien race could invade our world through means of a video game?
The crisis originates when an unknown object crashes into the Wendell’s Game Factory. An invasion unknown to humans begins. After Mae Riley purchases the game Alien’s Revenge for her sons Mike and Ian, corruption takes place on the farm.
Mae first begins to notice a change in the boys when warning signs are posted on their bedroom door. As the weeks progress, hideous crimes are committed on the farm and the entire town of Maple Springs is under siege. Mae and her husband Frank Riley, the last sane people left in town, must avoid danger and death in order to save humanity.
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The Boys Upstairs
Copyright © 2011 Shannon Rouchelle
ISBN: 978-1-55487-870-3
Cover art by Martine Jardin
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.
Published by Devine Destinies Books
An imprint of eXtasy Books
Look for us online at:
www.devinedestinies.com
Smashwords Edition
The Boys Upstairs
By
Shannon Rouchelle
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my children Matthew and Michael. Their love of video games inspired me to write this story.
Chapter One
Something from Outer Space
Ian Riley stared out his bedroom window at the starry night. Every evening since his family had moved into the country, he would wait for darkness to fall and watch the stars twinkle in the sky.
His older brother, Mike, found this ritual quite annoying. “What’s so interesting about some stupid stars?” he asked. “Sometimes I wish Dad would’ve never inherited the farm from Grandpa. Somehow this place seemed more exciting when he was around.”
Ian laughed and continued to stare out at the night sky. “The reason why you’re bored is because you don’t have your city friends to cause trouble with.”
Mike rolled over in his bed and threw a pillow at his brother.
“Stop that.” Ian threw it right back at him. He pulled away from the window and studied his brother carefully. Mike was a year older and had the rugged good looks in the family. He was tall with a muscular build, dark wavy hair and big blue eyes. Ian couldn’t help but feel jealous of his older brother. When he looked at his own thin appearance, pale skin and straight blond hair, he felt cheated.
In school, Mike was known as the jock. He attracted the girls with a wave of his hand and broke all the rules, but never was caught. No one realized Ian was Mike’s kid brother. No one noticed Ian at all. He was the one that hung around with the geeks and had been picked on in school.
Ian turned back to the window and pressed his face against the pane. When his family had moved from the bustling city to the town of Maple Springs, he was overjoyed. He loved the outdoors. The Riley family had inherited their grandfather’s farm, which was situated five miles out of town. They had a quarter section of land and plenty of room for the boys to run around.
“Will you come to bed already?” Mike complained. “It’s getting late.”
Ian didn’t reply. He stared out the window in awe as hundreds of birds flew across the sky. He heard their caws through the windowpane. Ian felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, and he watched as the trees in the yard swayed in a gust of wind. Then his eyes widened in shock. Hundreds of green lights suddenly consumed the black sky. “Mike, you’ve got to look at this!”
He turned over in bed and rolled his eyes. “It’s eleven o’clock. Come to bed.”
“No, I mean it! You’ve got to see this! There are meteors in the sky!”
Mike grumbled and climbed out of bed. He unlatched the window and pushed it open. “Wow!” he exclaimed.
The boys stuck their heads out the window. They felt the cold gust of wind against their faces. They watched the green meteors streak across the sky and turned as more appeared out of nowhere. The black night was a green ball of flame with little explosions occurring every few seconds.
Ian screamed. “Look!”
The boys watched as one green meteor moved in their direction.
“Is it going to hit us?” Ian asked.
Mike kept silent and shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
The meteor continued to move closer toward their property.
“I think it’s going to hit,” Ian whispered. He lowered his head.
“You can open your eyes,” Mike said in excitement. “It landed by the creek.”
Ian opened his eyes and stuck his head out the window again. He saw the green radiance of an occasional spark through the thick brush.
“Let’s go check it out!” Mike grabbed his brother’s arm.
“I don’t know. Do you really think we should? What would Mom and Dad say?”
“Mom and Dad won’t know. We’ll sneak out real quiet. They’ll never hear us.”
Ian shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe Mom and Dad are awake from all the noise.” Ian followed behind his brother and listened by the bedroom door. He heard nothing.
Mike crept down the hallway. Ian followed behind. They reached the bottom stair and ran to the closet to slip on their shoes. Mike held a finger over his lips. Once they were dressed, he unlocked the front door and ushered his brother along. Charlie, their golden retriever, greeted them at the entrance.
“Stop licking me,” Ian scolded. He rubbed him briskly on the ears.
Charlie wagged his tail and ran alongside the boys.
Ian trailed behind Mike. His gaze followed the continuous green glow in the sky. The meteors were few and far between with only an occasional explosion erupting in the distance. “Where did you say it landed?” Ian panted.
“I saw it land by the creek. We should see it shortly.”
They jogged through the thick brush and followed a narrow path through the trees. In the distance, they saw a green spark of light. It glowed on and off. The trees thinned up ahead and the creek came into view. A disgusting smell filled the air. Mike and Ian stopped running and stared in amazement.
Charlie ran in frantic circles, barking.
“What is this thing?” Ian whispered. A green glow bubbled in the water. It reminded him of a hot cauldron. “Should we check it out?”
Mike took a step forward. “I’ll go check, you stay here.”
Ian didn’t argue. The green glow radiated only a few feet from where he stood.
Mike rolled up his pajama bottoms and took timid steps toward the water.
Charlie raced after him.
The instant they made contact with the creek, they both let out a howl of pain.
Charlie was the first to make it back to shore.
Mike was right behind him and collapsed onto the ground.
“What happened?” Ian knelt over his brother. “Are you okay?”
Mike grabbed his blistering feet and rocked back and forth in agony. “The water is hot.”
Ian stared up at the steamy green glow radiating on the surface. “I wonder what’s underneath the water.”
“I don’t know.” Mike watched Charlie lick his toes. “Tomorrow we’ll come back and find out.”
“Yes, tomorrow,” Ian agreed. “Maybe the water will have cooled down.”
“Help me up.” Mike held out a hand.
Ian assisted him to his feet, and together, they made their way back along the trail. Before the trees blocked out the creek, Ian took one more backward glance at the boiling cauldron. A chill ran up and down his spine. He could have sworn he saw something poke its slimy head out of the water before submerging into the gloomy depths. It’s only your imagination, he told himself. Monsters don’t really exist. Or do they?
Chapter Two
Wendell’s Game Factory
That night, a hundred miles away from the town of Maple Springs, a series of meteorites crashed to earth. One of them tore a hole in the roof at the Wendell’s Game Factory.
Albert Tooch never noticed it. He sat at his computer with a colleague and watched the latest teen game, Alien’s Revenge. They had planned on releasing the game in the next month and were testing the many advanced game levels. Albert first realized something wasn’t right when the screen started to blur.
“Hey, what’s happening?” Fred leaned in closer. “You didn’t touch the screen, did you?”
Albert lifted his arms into the air. “It wasn’t me.”
The picture on the screen blanked out. It came back for a split second before becoming blurred again.
“I can check in the back and make sure everything is working,” Fred suggested.
Albert agreed. “While you’re at it, could you grab me a drink from the coffee room?”
“Sure thing, Boss.”
Albert continued to type frantically on the computer to try and bring the picture up. “I can’t get this blasted thing to work.” He leaned back in his chair to close his tired eyes. While he waited for Fred to return, he felt a slight vibration under his feet. It lasted for only a few seconds and then disappeared. Suddenly, the vibration got stronger and tipped over a water glass. His eyes shot open. “What was that?”
The tremor increased in force, knocking over books and some of their computer equipment. The windows rattled and broke into shards all over the floor. A hot gust of wind blew through the broken window.
Albert ducked under his computer desk and watched in shock as their office was turned upside down. From out of nowhere, a green flash of light drew near. Albert glanced out the window, and his eyes widened with fright as the green ball of flame headed straight for Wendell’s Game Factory. Then everything went black.
Albert opened his eyes. A thick dust hung in the air. He coughed to try and clear his lungs. He squinted around the destroyed room. Crawling carefully on all fours, he emerged from his hiding spot. He noticed the light on the computer flashing on and off. “At least something wasn’t destroyed,” he whispered. Albert started rummaging through the piles of broken junk. He continued to move things out of his path. In the distance, he heard another voice.
“Albert! Are you okay?”
“Over here!”
Fred entered the destroyed room and shook his head. “What caused this?”
“I think it was an earthquake,” Albert replied.
“I’m not so sure about that. I heard some weird noises outside.”
“Did you get a chance to see what other damage this thing caused?”
Fred nodded. “The other rooms weren’t touched at all, except for one. There’s something I think you should see.”
Albert followed him from the room and entered the shipping quarters. Fred moved aside so he could pass. A large section of stocked video games ready for shipment was untouched. Then his eyes widened. A big pile of green slime dripped from one shelf onto the floor. He walked closer to the area.
“I don’t know if you should do that,” Fred said. “We don’t know what this stuff is.”
The green slime let out a putrid smell. Albert covered his nose as he approached. Hot steam rose from the floor. Albert walked around the puddle and stared up at a large, gaping hole in the ceiling. “This room has some damage to it as well.” He pointed upward. “What in the world would have made that hole?”
“Maybe something fell from space?” Fred suggested.
“It can’t be,” Albert said. “If something crashed through the roof it would still be here, wouldn’t it?”
Fred shrugged his shoulders. “I suppose it would be.”
Albert moved over to the game shelf. The latest video game, Alien’s Revenge, was stored along with hundreds of others. Albert covered his nose in disgust as a pile of green slime dripped off the boxes. He reached up and took a game box off the shelf. The alien picture on the cover seemed to look right at him. The yellow eyes and wide, toothy grin made him cringe. The 3-D effects appeared so real. He turned the box over in his hand and immediately dropped it to the floor. Green slime oozed all over the back. It appeared to move. Albert nursed his burnt hand.
“What happened?” Fred took a step closer.
“I don’t know. There’s something weird going on here. I don’t like the looks of it.”
“Let me see.” Fred stepped to where the box lay on the floor. He leaned over to study it.
“Be careful with that,” Albert warned.
“Do you think we should call the police?”
Albert kicked the box with his shoe. The video game hissed back at him. “Did you hear that?” he asked. “It sounds like it’s alive.”
Fred picked it up carefully with the tips of his fingers. At that very moment, something moved along the box. “What the…”
The two men stood there in shock. All at once, a scream escaped them and then all went quiet.
* * * *
Early the next morning, Mike and Ian headed out the front door. As usual, their father’s truck wasn’t in the yard. He always headed to the fields at the break of dawn. Charlie waited by the door, wagging his tail. The three of them took off on a run through the dense brush toward the creek. Once they reached the water, they stopped. The bubbling cauldron from the night before was gone.
“Where is it?” Ian asked.
Mike rolled up his pants and took a step toward the water. The coldness chilled his feet. “The water isn’t hot anymore.” He waded to the spot where the water had boiled and twirled around in a circle. “This doesn’t make any sense!” he called out. “There’s no trace of anything here.”
“I know!” Ian said with excitement. “Let’s check the news. I’m sure there will be something on the meteors last night.”
“Good idea.” Mike moved back toward shore.
The boys made a run to the house and clambered up the porch steps.
Their mother was in the kitchen with her arms in a huge mixing bowl. She had dough up to her elbows. “Where have you two been?” she asked. “I called for you twice. You’re going to be late for school.”
The boys hadn’t realized they had been gone that long.
“Why are your clothes all wet?” she inquired.
Mike didn’t answer the question and disappeared into the living room. “I need to check something on the news.”
“On the news?” she asked. “What’s so interesting on the news?”
Mike turned on the TV and Ian came to join him. He sat on the sofa flicking channels until he came across the 8 o’clock news. Mike turned up the volume when he recognized a background picture with green meteors.
His mother walked into the room at that moment and perched on the edge of the couch.
“Last night a huge meteor shower lit up the night sky. There have been numerous reports of many sightings in the area, but as far as we know none of them hit close by.”
Ian was about to protest, but his mother told him to keep quiet.
“In other news, a freak windstorm has apparently caused structural damage to a local video game manufacturer. Employees showing up for work this morning at Wendell’s Game Factory found windows blown out and holes in the roof. In addition, two men at Wendell’s Game Factory appear to be missing and have yet to be found. Fred Myers and Albert Tooch were last seen working late last night and their cars were still at the company’s parking lot. If anyone knows of their whereabouts, you can call our hot line at the bottom of the screen.”
Mike turned down the volume on the TV.
Ian exclaimed as his mother was leaving the room. “Mike and I saw the meteor shower last night! One hit the creek!”
Mae Riley smiled back at her son. “Stop making up stories.”
“It’s true. Tell her, Mike.” Ian waited for his brother to confirm the story.
Mike brushed past his brother without saying a word and pulled out a chair at the kitchen table.
“Tell her!” Ian yelled. “We checked it out last night. There was this green light and bubbling hot water. If you don’t believe me, look at his feet. They got all blistered from the hot water.”
Mae came around the counter and peered down. “I don’t see anything,” she said. “Where are the blisters?”
Mike lifted his legs with a surprised look on his face. The blisters from last night had vanished.
Ian knelt to the floor and studied his feet. “They can’t be gone! This really happened, I swear.”
Mae finished kneading the dough. She flattened it out on the counter with a rolling pin. “Is the meteor still in the creek?”
Ian stood beside the counter and watched his mother work the lumps out of the dough. “No, that’s the strange thing. It’s not there anymore.”
Mae gave a high laugh and shook her head. “I don’t want to hear another word about it. You sure have one wild imagination. You must have dreamed the whole thing last night. Run along upstairs and get ready for school, both of you.”
Ian knew it was pointless to argue with his mother. Before departing the kitchen, he stuck his tongue out at his brother and headed up the stairs. Some help he is, Ian thought bitterly. The meteor is real. The hot water and blisters were real. If only he could prove it.
Chapter Three
The Perfect Gift
Two months later, Mae Riley stood in the center aisle at Mason’s Department Store. She clutched her purse tightly in her hand and stared down at the newest models of video game players. She peered over the shelves to see the friendly sales clerk talking to a customer at the front of the store. She checked her watch again. It was almost 3:00 PM. The boys would be home from school in less than an hour. Mae wanted to arrive home before they did. She fidgeted with her hat and gloves. Today was an important day. It was their last day of school before summer vacation. Mae had hoped her husband Frank could be here to help choose the perfect gift for their sons. As she craned her neck to peer over the aisles, she noticed the store was empty except for one customer who kept the sales clerk busy. She clutched her purse even tighter and brushed blonde strands nervously from her eyes.
She licked her lips in anticipation. Buying the perfect gift for her boys was an important decision. Ever since Frank inherited his father’s farm, everything had changed. The move from the city into the country was difficult enough for the family. She resented his work that took him away most days and into the long hours of the night. It made her the one responsible for raising the boys alone and forced her to make awkward decisions like this one.
The bell to the store sounded. Mae looked up to see the customer leave. The sales clerk didn’t notice her to start with. He had his back turned behind the counter to stock candy on a cluttered shelf. Mae coughed loudly into her hand to bring attention to herself.
“Can I help you, ma’am?” the friendly voice asked.
Mae stared up at the young man. “I have an important gift to buy for my two sons. They both passed their grades and I want to get them something special. I was looking at one of these.” She pointed down at the game boxes.
The store clerk, who was tall and thin, broke into a wide smile. “This will make your kids really happy! My parents bought me one recently. It’s the greatest!”
Mae looked the store clerk over carefully. He wasn’t much older than her two sons were. She thought he must be seventeen at the most.
“I’m George Mason.” He held out his hand. “My father runs this store. I work here part-time to help him out.”
Mae smiled back and shook his hand quickly. With her question answered, she went back to the uncomfortable task of finding the perfect gift.
“I think your boys will really enjoy this one. I have the exact same kind at home.” He pulled out a large square box from the shelf. “This is a good brand, too, and reasonably priced,” he added. “Come to the counter and I’ll show you.” George carried the box to the front of the store. He set it carefully onto the counter and sliced the tape on the lid with his box cutter. Reaching in with care, he pulled out the black machine with its many cords. He held out an instruction booklet and waved it in her face. “These are easy to hook up to the TV. I’m sure you won’t have a problem.” He handed the booklet to her.
“I wouldn’t know the first thing about hooking this up,” she admitted. “I hardly even watch TV.”
George placed the machine carefully back into the box and turned to her. “Is there someone at home who could help you?”
“Why, of course,” Mae said.
“That’s settled,” he said with a smile. “Well, it looks like all the equipment is in the box. Nothing seems to be missing.”
Mae scanned the booklet quickly.
“We also have a shelf stocked with games over there.” He pointed to the corner.
Mae followed his finger. Her gaze settled on the numerous games locked in a glass cabinet. George seemed excited about showing her the wide selection they had in stock.
He eagerly motioned for her to follow him to the display cabinet.
She laid the booklet on the counter and made her way to the wall.
George took out his key to unlock the glass door and slid it open. “Please, feel free to look. I can explain any game you want to know about.”
There were so many titles, she didn’t know where to begin. The cartridges had titles of war and action games, strategy games and sports.
“This one is particularly good.” George pointed to a war game. “It’s like you’re really in battle,” he continued. “It’s quite violent, though.”
Mae cringed at his words.
“Too violent for them?” he asked. “How old are your sons?”
“They are thirteen and fourteen. I want something not too extreme,” she replied quietly.