The Scorpion Nest
By Guy Harrison
The Scorpion Nest
By Guy Harrison
Copyright 2012 Guy Harrison
Table of Contents
Dedication
The Scorpion Nest
About the Author
Also Available: Agents of Change
Dedication
This story is dedicated to our exterminator, who has kept our house scorpion-free, and my wife worry-free, for the past 10 months.
The Scorpion Nest
Chandler, Arizona
1962
A sour stench permeated from the east. Michael rolled up the driver-side window of his Ford Falcon. Even if he couldn’t smell the nearby dairy farm, the December desert evening was too cold for his passenger, Donna. With the late Buddy Holly playing across the airwaves, Michael turned down the car’s stereo and looked to his sweetheart with an affectionate gaze.
“Where are we?” she asked.
Michael averted his eyes. “Chandler.” Privacy was hard to come by in Phoenix. Michael had picked what he hoped would be the perfect setting to cap what he imagined would be a perfect evening.
“You took us to the middle of nowhere?”
He shrugged. “Sorry, I guess I just thought—”
“Take me home. It’s late.”
Michael sighed. He wanted time to cozy up to his date but her grouchiness paired with his earlier encounter with Donna’s father, made this decision easy.
He turned the ignition. “What’s eating you?”
She shrugged and looked at her feet. “Nothing. Just take me home.”
Michael waited for her to elaborate before his attention turned to the sky. “What the …” He fixed his gaze on a single star shining brightly in the night sky.
Donna followed his stare and shrugged. “It’s a star.”
“That ain’t no star.”
The bright, white light grew larger in the sky, turning orange as its trajectory took it towards the earth’s surface.
Donna’s eyes widened with excitement. “Is it a meteor?”
“I don’t know, but we—”
The star, the meteor—whatever it was—accelerated, exploding into the earth’s surface not fifty yards from its two witnesses. As the explosion’s fiery glow faded from Michael’s face, he turned off the car and grabbed the door’s handle.
“Where are you going?” Donna asked.
“I’m gonna check it out.”
“Check it out? You’re supposed to be taking me home.”
“I know, I know. I just want to take a look.”
Michael climbed out of the car and walked toward the crash site. Smoke billowed into the air, and the sandy ground rumbled under his feet.
“Michael!” he heard Donna yell behind him.
He couldn’t squelch his curiosity; he was drawn to the site. Stories of UFOs and other odd objects crash-landing in this corner of the country were pervasive. Could it be?
As he approached the site, he made out a crater filled with what appeared to be a meteor. From the rock came a chirping noise, followed by a hiss. The sssssss emanating from the meteor gave Michael pause. Rattlesnakes?
Soon, Michael detected several moving objects emerging from the crater. From a distance, they appeared to him to be ants. He squinted to make out the creatures’ true identity.
Scorpions.
Michael turned his torso toward the car but his legs would not follow. He was stuck, his feet firmly planted on the ground by an imperceptible force.
“Get in the car!” Donna pleaded.
“I can’t!”