Planted

By Niall Kiernan

After a terrible premonition of Chip being killed by mysterious aliens, Con travels to Mars with Lydia and Tel via a space tunnel. After being lured into space, the four children get caught on opposite sides of a war and are forced to make life-changing decisions. With each new species telling them what they should do, the children quickly need to decide who to trust and who to fight. Each decision will take them further apart before bringing them back together as foes. The question is whose side will they be on and who will survive.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Niall Kiernan
• Release date: Nov 25, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005591243

Book preview

Planted

by Niall Kiernan

Copyright 2021 Niall Kiernan

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

Chapter 1: A terrible nightmare

Chapter 2: That was close

Chapter 3: Time to be a hero

Chapter 4: Central command

Chapter 5: Better or worse?

Chapter 6: Strange things happen in space

Chapter 7: It has only begun

Chapter 8: Revelation

Chapter 9: Whose side are you on?

Chapter 10: Friends till the end

Chapter 11: History, reality and imagination

Chapter 12: Innocence and evasion

Chapter 13: Discovery

Chapter 14: A blinding retreat

Chapter 15: A hero emerges

Chapter 16: Perspective

Chapter 17: The escape plan

Chapter 18: The saviour appears

Chapter 19: The tides being to melt

Chapter 20: The end is near

Chapter 21: The epiphany

Chapter 22: Con's return

Chapter 23: Home time

Chapter 1: A terrible nightmare

Starting at their base, Con races up the giant red and white striped chimney into the sky and space until he reaches Mars. Here, he runs through the forest -- no twigs break, no rivers splash, and no bushes rustle. He feeds off the blazing sun overhead. A rock whispers as he passes, Is it him?

Con finds himself alone on a large clearing of lush green grass. A faceless child stands in a ring of boulders. The boulders chant but Con can’t understand them. Con steps back away from the boulders. The ground swallows him and spits him out beside the child. The rocks go quiet.

A single voice erupts from the ground, Save them, Con. Save them

Con looks to the faceless child. Save who?

The child is silent, but the voice echoes across the clearing. Save them, save them, save them...

Who? Save who? Tell me.

Con's skin tingles as he grabs the child’s shoulders. Darkness swarms towards him, withering the green grass to ash, crumbling the boulders to dust and smothering the Sun.

A chimney bursts from the ground, lifting Con into the air. He grabs at the child but the shade anchors the Child’s feet. Racing upward, Con can only watch as the darkness glides up the Child's legs, body, arms, neck and, finally, head.

The shape of the child, now all black, looks up at Con. An oozing black mouth screams from the side of the child’s face, Save me, Con, before the Darkness races up the side of the Chimney after Con.

Con urges the chimney to rise faster, go higher, but the Darkness gains. Con cowers as liquid black walls replace the red and white stripes of the Chimney. The black walls climb past the top of the Chimney until Con finds himself at the bottom of a well looking up at the Earth. It quickly changes, with beautiful green, white and blue devoured by red and brown to leave a dry dead rusty globe.

The walls collapse inward, submerging Con in darkness. There's no air. He can't breathe ...

Con sucked in air. His silver hair was matted with sweat, and his pyjamas were stuck to his skinny body. Shaking off the dream, he put his feet into his red Space wars slippers and looked out the window at the lifesaver chimneys. 100 years – No Air Pollution

Con’s mouth was dry. The glass beside his bed was empty. Still in a dreamy state, Con went to his wardrobe to take out his dressing gown. Con quietly opened the bedroom door. Moonlight from the landing window covered the timber floor, casting sinister shadows from the stair spindles. Compelled by his thirst, Con picked his way down the stairs and along the narrow hall, avoiding stepping on a single shadow.

Reaching his hand inside the kitchen door, Con flicked the light-switch. In spite of the kitchen’s unbearable brightness, Con found a glass and began to fill it from the tap at the sink. A shape moved past his reflection in the back-garden window.

Con slowly placed the glass on the draining board and turned. The kitchen was empty. He rushed to the back door. It was locked. Another movement. He hit the light-switch, making it brighter outside than in.

Getting down low, Con peered over the countertop and scanned the back garden: patio, lawn, skinny willow tree in the corner with its downward hanging branches, and rockery. The willow tree branches cast dancing shadows on the windows. Taking a large breath, Con stood up, filled his glass with water.

His bedroom felt darker upon his return. The shadows somehow felt thicker. The main light failed as Con tried to turn it on but he knew if he made it to his bed he’d be safe. He forced himself to run to the bed, and quickly turned on his rocket shaped lamp. The room was safe again.

Con lay back on his bed to find he was staring into an endless abyss. Two pitch black hands shot out from the abyss. They grabbed Con, lifting him from his bed. His blood beat in his ears and his arms burned as he writhed against the cold wet grip of the darkness. Con tried to scream but shade filled his mouth. A face pressed through the darkness, as if against a sheet. It’s voice rushed through his ears, Save them, Con, save them. The tears that rolled down Con’s cheeks were gobbled up by the shade. Save them, Con. Save them.

The shade oozed out of Con's mouth as he sobbed, Who are you?

Save them, Con. Save them.

I don't know who you are.

The voice repeated the same phrase, Save them, Con. Save them, over and over, ignoring Con's pleas.

Con struggled. Let me go ... I don't ... Please ...

With the voice still chanting, Con breathlessly whispered, I can't.

The chanting stopped, leaving only Con and the living blackness. Silence. The face reformed to hiss in Con's ear, Then save him.

The blackness fell away to leave Con on a dusty red desolate plain. He shivered as he recognised Chip in the distance, with rocks surrounding him.

Con looked away. A fountain of shade spurted from the ground, pushing Chip through the air until he was face to face with Con.

Chip whimpered, Save me, Con. The darkness swallowed him whole.

***

Con woke the next morning to his Dad tapping away on the laptop in his little office. Con and his dad used to have great fun imagining travelling to Mars through the lifesaver chimneys. Now all Con’s dad did was question him about the dream, and remind him of how it was linked to the time he got trapped down one of the ground vents from the chimneys.

Con waited for the next flurry of typing to pass the office door. On his way down the bright wooden stairs he texted Chip to meet at the big tree. He threw on his messing-about-runners and slipped out his front door. Chip's red front door was opposite Con's on Big Oak Estate. So named as there was a tall wide Oak tree at one end of a green large enough for a five-a-side, separating the boys houses.

Con saw Chip sprint down the lane towards their den to take the commander’s chair – a chair they had dug out of soil, which was higher than the other chairs. Con, faster than a slightly shorter Chip, bolted from his door. He hummed the theme tune of Milky McWay to turn on his super speed.

I am the King, announced Chip, standing on the commander's chair.

No, you’re not, Con gasped, before taking a deep breath. He looked up at Chip. Specks of sun slipped through the branches covering the den and reflected off the quiff of Chip’s dirty-blonde tightly-cut hair. Con took a gulp of air. Anyway, it’s the commander’s chair.

Well I’m calling it the King's chair. All hail the King!

Con clenched his jaw. Even though they were both eleven, Con was four months older.

Come, bow to your King. Chip had a large smirk on his face.

No. I came here to save you and you just ... Con made to leave. You can sit here and rule by yourself.

Don’t be such a baby, Chip scolded. Wait, save me from what? Did you have another dream? I had a dream.

Con had crawled halfway out of the tunnel, a couple of corrugated sheets of metal covered with some bin bags, when he stopped. What was your dream about?

Come back and I'll tell ya. I'll even let you sit in the King's chair.

Commander's chair, Con called back over his shoulder.

Commander's Chair, Chip said.

Composing himself as he climbed into the chair, Con forced a large smile. Gather round, crew.

So, what was your dream about? Chip asked, now in one of the lower chairs.

It was about Mars again. The same as before. Well not the same as before because this time I was awake for part of it and you were in it. Con moved his hand into the sunlight.

Last night? Chip moved closer.

Con leaned his head towards Chip to whisper. Yeah. Last night. It took you – the Shadow.

That's exactly what happened in my dream. Chip jumped out of his seat. The Shadow came and took me to save them. And I saw the Chimney. Chip ran up the bank onto Con’s seat and jumped with a twist, before looking back over his shoulder at Con. I think the chimney will take us there to save them.

That's not the same dream, Chip. My dream was terrible. You died.

You said I was taken by the Shadow. The Shadow showed me where to go. Did you see me die?

Con slowly slid down the two meters of muddy bank to Chip.. No, but you said, ‘save me.’ You wouldn't say that unless you needed to be saved.

So, you're gonna save me. Come on, Con! You couldn't even get yourself out of that vent hole?

Yes, I could. You just all kept poking me and I couldn't think.

What? We were trying to help you. Chip picked up a stick off the mud floor, and waved it at Con. We sent down a really long stick to pull you up.

Con was now level with Chip. I heard Tel and the others whispering to let it go once I’d grabbed it.

Tel’s not like the other two. He went and got your dad. You were really scared

Yeah, well, I don't like dark spaces, and I don't like Tel.

Chip put his arm around Con. But Tel saved you!

No he didn’t. My dad did.

Alright. Anyway, where will we get supplies? Chip sat back in one of the chairs.

Con, with already mucky tracksuit bottoms, climbed back into the Commander’s Chair. Supplies for what?

For Mars. Tonight. Everything was really dark in my dream so I'm guessing we're meant to be at the chimney tonight.

Con shot Chip a look of amazement. I'm not going, Chip. I said ‘no’ to the shadow and you can't go either.

I'm going, Con, and I want you to come with me. It will be an adventure. Chip's eyes were wide and his smile beamed.

No, Chip. You’ll die.

No, Chip. You’ll die, came from outside of the den. The boys recognised the voice.

***

C’mon out lads. It was Twiggy speaking. He was so named as he was as skinny as a twig, although a good head and a half taller than Con. His real name was Paul.

Knowing that Twiggy would come in if they didn’t go out, Con and Chip crawled through the tunnel. The Den sat half-shaded from the Sun by the red and white chimney. It was built up against a wire fence that surrounded a yard that surrounded the Chimney. As they emerged, Con and Chip found themselves in the shade of Twiggy, Jockser, whose real name Con didn’t know, and Tel.

What was all that about Chip dying? Jockser wiped his nose with the back of a shovel sized hand, even though he was only thirteen.

Con was reluctant to tell them about his dream as he knew they would tease him but couldn’t think of something to say.

Secret girl’s talk, Twiggy sneered.

No, Chip said forcefully. We were talking about going to Mars tonight. He explained the rest of the dream.

Jockser burst into laughter. Tel, who was nursing a black eye behind Twiggy and Jockser laughed along.

Twiggy just smiled and ran his boney fingers over his stubbled head. You know, you’re not the first person to have a dream like that. There was a story about a boy in school years ago who had a dream, and he saved a load of kids from another planet. What was the name of the boy, Jockser?

Jockser looked at him blankly.

Twiggy nudged him in the ribs. Remember the boy. It was in the news.

Oh, that boy. Yeah. His name was, was, Paul. Jockser smiled at Twiggy.

Twiggy shot Jockser an angry look before smiling at Con and Chip. Oh, yes. Paul. The same as my name. How could I forget? Anyway, Paul had a dream and then he went into the Chimney to save all of those kids. I actually think he got in around here somewhere. Where was it Tel?

Tel looked like he