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Shepherd To The Stars

A story written by Aaron J. R.

Shep had always kept to himself as a teenager, he didn’t like being around crowds. He was warned by psychiatrists all his life that he would face significant challenges due to his difficulties discerning fiction from reality. He’d experience loneliness even though he had a family, he had friends at schools, churches, and special programs made for people like him, people had come and gone in his life. He used to like to pretend life was a wonderful adventure and got to thinking he lived in two separate realities, one in which he was a heroic warrior. Eventually he had to find a job and life had become a routine. Some nights he’d look up at the stars and wish he could exist in another world. Looking at one particular bright star he’d feel a warm presence watching over him but he’d often dismiss it as his imagination. He had at least one or two friends he confided in, however he could not help but want an escape from this monotonous reality he found himself in. Determined to embark on a journey of self discovery, he set out from his home in search of a way to escape his mundane life. However, his plans were thwarted by an unprecedented disease that swept across the world, seemingly taking everyone with it. 

Monsters came out at night and spread toxins in the air. He heard it on the news, on his phone, but couldn’t believe it. He called his friends and family but to no avail. Seeking shelter, Shep stumbled upon a red storage container and hid inside, pretending that the chaos outside didn’t exist. He searched for supplies the next day and found mountains of canned tuna in some of the other storage units lying around. As time passed, he discovered that he could survive on his own, finding ample resources left behind. He checked to see if his phone worked but it seemed broken, he’d have to live without it. The world had become deserted, with empty parked cars and stores with empty shelfs. He yearned for the warmth of better days but was alright being alone if it meant he wouldn’t have to deal with too many people anymore. It was unknown what caused the appearance of the monsters, but the toxins they left behind would go away come the morning. Shep realized that he could endure a long time confined to his “box” as long as he could keep up with supplies. But one day, he caught a whiff of the possibility that there might still be people alive out there. A strange silhouette was watching him from afar, he put on his binoculars and saw that it was a girl, but then she would disappear. 

This revelation stirred a conflict within him, prompting him to question whether he should leave the comfort of his sanctuary. At night, he would lock himself in the storage unit and keep a small light nearby, listening for any footsteps outside. He would sometimes hear sounds like whispers, but they were incoherent. Despite the allure of the unknown, he chose to remain in his familiar “box”, thinking he could do this survival routine for years to come. One day he looked outward towards the ocean and saw the girl standing and waving to him, he decided to wave back but then she turn and ran away. He was curious if maybe she was living in her own storage container but was too afraid to venture beyond his new home. As years went by and Shep got older, he began to tire of the monotony and yearned for a change. He wondered if any one he knew had survived, he missed them. He desperately sought an opportunity to break free from his “small box”. However, when a chance arose, he was overcome with fear of the horrors that might await him and then the realization came to him, that this world might not be real but a distorted reality he had trapped himself in from within his own mind. But the girl was unfamiliar to him. Could she have been a figment of his mind? He had not seen the girl for some time but he thought of her as maybe a sign that something was not right.

He decided to test his theory that maybe this was a dream and ran ahead to a nearby bridge. He hesitated for a moment about what he was about to do. He felt immense fear and despair, like he’d thought about doing this before. Before it was all about survival he’d thought of ending it all this way a couple of times when he felt lonely the most and just wanted a way to escape his reality. Just then he heard a warm voice in his head:

“Remember the Shepherd.”

He shook off his fear and then jumped into the water. He felt the water surround him but then he felt a pull at his feet and it sucked him deeper and deeper into the abyss. After that perilous leap of faith, he found himself awakened in an empty hospital room. Outside he hears people and a flicker of relief washes over him, realizing it was just a dream. However, his concern deepens as he grapples with the mystery of his presence in this hospital. When the nurses notice his awakening, they summon the doctor to assess him. The doctor reveals that Shep had been in a coma for several days following “the incident.” The doctor doesn’t elaborate on what the supposed “incident” was but claims that Shep had brain damage. Due to the damage to his brain, there’s a chance he may not recall everything accurately. With all of this heavy on his heart, Shep barely nods off to sleep still haunted by the world he once inhabited—a peaceful yet dangerous realm where he was afraid to venture out at night.

In his dreams, he encounters a young woman in the middle of the day. Intrigued, he calls out to her, but she remains unresponsive. As he draws closer, he asks if she’s real. To his surprise, she communicates with him using a specific sign language but he can hear it. He understands it because he believes he’s still dreaming, but she firmly assures him that this is no illusion by shaking her head and signing to him:

“This is real, you’ve got to wake up!” The sign language intensifies.

 “Don’t believe everything the doctor tells you-“ Her voice sounds like it’s covered by water. 

“What?” He asks.

“Don’t believe him!” She signs.

This unexpected revelation surprises Shep, and he realizes that it’s now turned to night and they’re standing in the middle of the street putting them both in grave danger. 

“We’ve gotta go! The monsters come out at night and start walking towards us!” Shep tells her.

“They move slowly, but whatever you do, do not harm them!”She explains. 

Confused by this Shep attempts to lead them to safety but they are interrupted by the sight of a herd of “ooze monsters”. In a desperate attempt to escape, Shep takes the girl’s hand and rushes back to the storage box. Once inside, he locks the doors and lights a lamp, trying to find some respite from the chaos. However, the noise proves overwhelming, making it difficult to fall asleep. 

“We should be safe here”.  Said Shep.

“Now how is it you can speak with your hands?” Asks Shep.

Saying nothing the girl places her hands on him, and just then he is pulled backwards and hits his head, she tries to hold on to him, but something is pulling him away from her. 

He awakens once more in the hospital, only this time, he’s handcuffed to the side of the bed. A stern-looking man enters the room and warns him that if he doesn’t cease his actions, “they” will eventually find him. Even if he flees, he will still find himself in some trouble. The man emphasizes that the only way to overcome his problems is to confront them head-on. 

“Think about what I said will ya?” Says the man as he leaves the room.

As the doctor arrives he begins to administer a shot. 

“Wait! Doctor I seem to be awake now, can’t I see my family?” Shep begs, as the doctor jabs him with the syringe. 

“Family? What nonsense. You belong to me now” Said the doctor as he smirked. 

Shep slips back into sleep, only to find himself in a dark, void-like space. In this eerie realm, the doctor explains that Shep’s presence in this world is a consequence of his choices. Shep contests the doctor’s words.

“What do you mean? My choices? What choice do I have when you seem to be making them all for me? Let me go!” Shep screams. 

The doctor revealed that this void was his creation and that this world devoid of people is actually what Shep truly desires.

“You wanted this, remember? I am simply here to administer it to you.”Says the Doctor. 

He offers Shep a chance to live in a world without people forever. Instead of residing in a box, Shepherd could live like a king and eventually replace the ooze monsters with machine slaves that serve him. While this prospect seems enticing to Shep, he refuses, knowing that there might still be people who care about him even in this nightmare like the girl who warned him not to trust his words. This infuriates the doctor, whos voice distorts into a strange tone. 

“Fool! you would trust that wench? She’s nothing but a construct. She’s leading you to your downfall!” Echoed the Doctor. 

The doctor’s true identity is revealed to be that of an alien creature who has tried time and again to torment and take over Shep’s mind. The alien then reveals his true face to him. 

“You see what I truly am now don’t you? Look upon me and weep! I am Nihil. I will be a part of your mind always.” He said as he sneered at Shep.

Shep experienced seizures in the hospital bed, but the girl shows up in his arms and hits his chest returning him to the containment unit somehow. A light flashes before him and he awakes. He hears the girls voice in his head:

“The Shepherd will protect you.”

“Remember the Shepherd.”

He doesn’t see the girl, but when he emerges from the empty unit he discovers that everything is gone, and people are all around him. It turns out that the “zombie-like” ooze monsters were actually people, going about their daily lives. Surprisingly, this isn’t the world of his creation but rather the real world. That night when the ooze monsters chased him and the girl, it was because they were trapped in a nightmare created by the doctor. The shots given to Shep were not of this world, it seemed to distort his own perception of what was real with what was his greatest fear. Shep feared the thought of being alone even though he felt most connected to himself when he was. He needed that connection with others, that presence of other people around him strengthened his resolve. Determined to step outside his perimeter for the first time, Shep sensed that although the people here appear normal, a creature calling himself Nihil was controlling him, trying to prevent him from interacting with others. Nihil watches Shep from a distance speaking to him through some alien language. Shep desperately tries to shake him off and find the girl who was helping him. He eventually runs into a nearby diner where he sees her inside. She beckons to him to meet her. Shepherd is surprised when he reaches for his wallet and finds everything intact. The girl shows up behind him in the diner, and she signs to Shep that he can speak to her like normal here. Shep wonders if he’s still dreaming but decides it doesn’t matter since he’s only focused on the present now. Reminiscing about his past, he recalls the joy he felt as a child walking with his mother around the mall. He recalls his childhood as magical, even though it was fleeting and destined to end with the inevitable pains of adulthood. The world seemed to perpetually deteriorate, and things only worsened. The girl conveyed a message of hope to Shep: “Although things appear to be getting worse for us, it’s because we’re confined to a single part of the world. There’s much more to experience beyond our immediate surroundings.” She revealed that she had been an experiment of “Lord Nihil”and that he still sought to control her mind. She thanked Shep as he saved her by bringing her into his “box”. Only by confronting her fear could she defeat her enemy and free herself she told him. Shep pondered his deepest fears. Initially, he thought it was the fear of rejection or aloneness. But that wasn’t the only case. Above all his fears he feared that he would fail. From the outset, he doubted his abilities to change things which is why he remained confined to his “box”. Once he identified his fear, he decided he would confront Nihil himself. 

He asked the girl her name but she told him now is not the time, and that he needed to continue his quest to find Lord Nihil. Before leaving the safety of the diner the girl told Shep a legend passed down by her people of The Sheperd To The Stars, who leads entire worlds to safety. This legend is known to all whom have felt the warmth of the light, and will be known to even the darkest creatures. 

“Take care, and remember that He who watches and protects all  of his people, will be with you always. You need only reach out to him.” She bids him farewell as they walk outside of the diner and she disappears into a blinding light. 

Remembering the time he leaped off of the bridge he understood that Nihil makes his presence known whenever Shep has feelings of despair. He decided to head to the train station, where much of his fear originated. He purchased a ticket to the bustling city, where his fears held sway. As he rode the train into the city, it suddenly lost speed, and the subway appeared darker than usual. Suddenly, he heard the ominous words “halt!” echoing across the platform. Stepping out of the train, he was met with a chilling sight—it was none other than Nihil himself. Terrified, Shepherd approached him, his heart pounding in his chest. 

“What’s the matter? You think you can take care of yourself all of the sudden?” 

The voice grew increasingly demented as he drew closer. 

“You had no right to steal my experiment from me. You’ve proven to be nothing but an obstacle in my way and now you will experience true nothingness. I will bring you to your knees.” Declared Nihil

“I am not afraid of you,” Shep said with confidence.

One final time, Nihil pulled Shep into the void of nothingness and threw him into a boat filled with storage containers. Inside one of them, he found guns, swords, and knives. He chose the sword he thought looked best and took control of his dream, soaring towards Nihil. Nihil transformed into a colossal floating head and declared that all he needed to do was blink and Shep would be no more. However, Shep remained steadfast and evaded his gazing eyes. 

“Hold still worm”

Nihil shook the boat using telekinetic powers catching Shep off balance.

Nihil then ordered a salvo of shadows to surround the space around Shep. Shep was losing his grip and feeling the constraint of the hospital bed. “The hospital isn’t real, the doctor isn’t real, YOU are not real!”Shep yelled with all his heart. He swung at the shadowy blobs one by one. 

“You have no power over me! No power!”

With each declaration Nihil grew weaker. 

“This is my mind and I wont let you destroy it!”

With one final strike, Shep regained control of his mind and shattered the shadows that had plagued him. Nihil shrunk to the size of a walnut. 

“Why do you resist? You know there is no going back to how things were. You will lose them, your family, your friends. All that you know will be stripped from you.” Nihil gasped for air.

“I pity you, because I think you are under the illusion that you can still see into my mind, but I’ve shut you out forever. This disease you bring upon people like me? The despair? I have the cure right here.” 

Shep forced his sword into Nihil dispersing him into beams of light. 

Before Shep could celebrate his victory he stood there still in the void floating. He held unto his sword and curled up wishing he was home. He heard maniacal laughter in the distance. 

“Hahahaha! You thought you could get rid of me? No man can escape me. Least of all you.” The voices said as the drew closer and closer.

Shep wished to be free from this nightmare he felt he’d had to live with all his life. He felt a light open up and heard a sound. He wished upon the light with all his heart. A brilliant radiant light surrounded him and he heard a voice telling him:

“Come back my child, come back to the world of the living. Your time has not yet come.”

Shep followed the light, its warm embrace lifted him up and he felt like he was falling asleep. He awoke in a bed in his apartment. He remembered it all like it was a dream, only he knew better. Four days later, Shep embarked on a journey across the world. Though he never saw the girl again, he encountered a peculiar white bird that reminded him of her. He wondered if she had been a guardian angel all along. he called his friends and family and rekindled his relationships with them. He knew now who it was watching over him. After all he had seen and experienced, he yearned for his simple life once more. However, he also understood that nothing would ever be entirely simple again, and new challenges and trials were always ahead. But he would embrace them with grace and honor, for the one who saved him he knew only as his savior, his Shepherd to the Stars.

Worlds:

Earth A(fiction)

Nightmare world

Dream World

Void 

Earth B