by Bryan Young
“Yeah?” he responded eagerly.
“We should go fishing tomorrow. I know we have food, but I thought we’d spice it up a bit so that we’re not just eating the same thing, you know? Plus, there’s a spot by the river that I want to show you because there’s something really interesting there.”
“Oh fosho! I’m down for that.”
“Good... I like talking to you, so I think it’ll be nice to kinda... hang out”
“Yeah? I’m looking forward to it too, Ash.”
“I’m glad, Tye. Night.”
“Night.”
With that, Tye drifted to sleep, eager for what the next day would bring.
Chapter 9: King of the Monsters
Tye woke to Ashley shaking him awake. She was standing over him with a strange set of nets on her back, tapping her foot as she stared down at him like an impatient parent attempting to get their child ready the school bus. He stretched and yawned, “Did I miss my alarm or something? Why are you standing there?”
“I’m tired of waiting for you!”
“Tired of waiting for me?” Tye replied, still fighting off sleep. “You couldn’t have done literally anything else while waiting for me to wake up?”
“Like what, Tye? Check social media?” she snapped, arms still crossed.
Tye stood up and began looking through his bag and pulled out his toothpaste and toothbrush. “Oh, yeah. Phones don’t work here. Ash, can you imagine? A world without cell phones, universal internet access, and large televisions with hundreds of channels? We’re basically in the dark ages, ya know? I hope someone doesn’t come up to me with classic old-timey racism. Cause that would be quite the pickle.”
“You’re such a goof,” she said, rolling her eyes yet fighting back a smile. “C’mon, I’m bored! If we’re gonna be here, we should at least take the opportunity to explore. There’s a spot I want to take you to that has something really interesting. Plus, we need to get some fish for breakfast.”
Tye turned to brush his teeth, holding up his pointer finger signifying that he needed a moment. He spat onto the ground and responded, “Wait, you couldn’t have gone fishing without me? I see you got your traps there.”
She shook her head, “No. I couldn’t have. Not because I need your help but because you probably would’ve wondered where I was. And honestly? You would’ve decided to go looking. I don’t want to risk us getting separated. You don’t exactly know the location of this cave. Plus, I gotta admit, you’re kinda cool and it’s fun to do things with someone else. So can we go?”
Tye laughed, spitting out the last of his toothpaste. “Aw. You think I’m cool? That warms my heart, Ash. It really does. You’re a coo’ person too. And sure! I’m down for some good ol’ adventuring.” He took a second to look around the barren cave. “Not like there’s much going on here.”
She gave him a big grin before dashing out and flying up into the air, motioning for him to follow her. He wore his backpack and followed her outside, yelling at her to come down because he couldn’t fly.
Ashley apologized and landed next to him. They walked to the spot she had mentioned the day before. They hiked upwards through the dense forest, stopping occasionally to take in the incredible sights and sounds that bombarded their senses. Despite the wonder that surrounded them, Tye felt relaxed with Ashley, and casually asked, “So, you’re from New York, right?”
“Yup. The Big Apple as they say. Why do you ask?”
“I dunno... You don’t sound like it. Where’s your funky accent? You know? Saying stuff like ‘AY I’M WALKING HERE!’” he teased, shaking his hands in front of him. “Or screaming about how New York pizza is the best pizza? Or how the New York Knicks annoy you? My boy Brodie is from New York and he’s always doing at least one of those things. It’s kinda dumb. I mean I love the guy, don’t get me wrong but... sheesh!”
Ashley laughed at Tye’s poor imitation of New Yorkers. “You know not everyone has an accent, right? I don’t know too many of us that actually talk like that. Where are you from again?”
“I’m from here. I live in the Bay Area,” he responded nonchalantly.
“California? Why don’t you sound like a stoned-out surfer dude or a tech nerd who won’t shut up about his startup that’ll fail in two years?”
“Ouch! That what you think of us Californians?”
“Well... Yeah. And that you’re going to fall into the ocean.”
“Hmm. I dunno if that’s how plate tectonics work. We’re actually pretty anchored to the ground. The way climate change is making the sea level rise, I’d be more worried about you guys on the East Coast being under water.”
“Your state sure does shake a lot for a place that's anchored into the ground.”
“Better than blizzards! Oh hey and those traps you made earlier. What does a city girl need to know how to make animal traps for?”
“My dad is actually from Michigan. He goes hunting a lot and when I’m with him in the summer he takes me along. My parents split up when I was really young, so I’ve had a lot of time with him out in the woods. He’s always been a guy that liked doing things the old-fashioned way so I’ve picked up a few old-school trap making methods.”
“Interesting. I’m not really the hunting type but I respect that that’s how you guys bonded. I think it’s cool you guys have had those experiences to connect over. Plus, it paid off with a pretty great meal, so I’m not gonna complain.” As they continued to walk, Tye heard the sound of gushing water again. They emerged to a second large waterfall with two large green quadrupeds with crystalline skin and long necks covered in fur holding up smooth horse like heads drinking from the water. “Is this where you wanted to bring me?”
“Yeah!” she said enthusiastically. “Isn’t it cool?!”
“Yeah, it’s a really beautiful sight but what’s special about it?”
“Turn to your left!”
Tye did as he was instructed and saw a group of uprooted trees strewn across from each other and a large crater in the middle of what looked like the remnants of a violent scene. “Shit.” he said under his breath. “What did that?”
“Dunno,” she shrugged. “But whatever it is, it’s powerful. Sure, those aren’t the biggest ones we’ve seen, but to completely lift trees about as big as sitka spruces out of the ground and throw them around like they’re nothing? That’s something to keep an eye on.”
Just as Tye was about to walk over and inspect the damage, a large fist blindsided him from his right, sending him flying backwards over the waterfall. Ashley screamed his name as he sailed over the edge.
Recovering quickly, he opened his eyes to see that he was falling fast. He braced himself for the impact, knowing he could survive the fall, but his eyes grew wide when he noticed the large jagged crystals waiting for him at the bottom of the waterfall. “OH FUCK!” he screamed, shooting bolts of energy towards the ground in failed attempts to slow his fall.
As the jagged tips of the large crystals drew closer and closer and what was certain death became more of a reality, instinct took over. In a final attempt to save his life, Tye pulled his torso forward, shifting his position by 90 degrees, and shot forward like a rocket. He flew over the river at the bottom of the cliff before shooting back up into the sky to look down at what he had narrowly avoided.
“That was too close,” he noted, gasping, his heart still pounding in his chest. Looking down to see nothing but air between him and the river below him, he continued, “It looks like I took my own advice on the not dying thing. Wait... Dude... Am I flying?!” His mouth turned into a large smile and he did flips in the air, cheering, “ I can fly?! Holy shit, this is dope!”
With his jubilation at being able to fly, he had forgotten the punch that sent him off the cliff. Looking down, he saw Ashley battling a large beast that towered over her. The creature stood twelve feet tall and was extremely well built, with smooth grey skin, rows of thick protruding teeth, bone protrusions on its fists and back, and a croc
odilian tail with a large spike sticking out of the end. Oddly enough, the beast also seemed to be wearing a stretched-out tank top with joggers that rode up to its knees.
Alarmed at this new creature and in a desperate bid to protect his friend, Tye sped forward at the thing like a bullet, grabbing it by the waist and taking it down. He smashed it through trees and boulders across the forest. He felt it crush its large fists into his back, knocking him off and causing them both to lose their balance and tumble forward.
Recovering quickly, he sprung forward again at the thing, aiming a clean left hook to the jaw, knocking it over. He quickly climbed over it and began punching its head into the ground, attempting to beat it senseless. Ashley scrambled to his side, unintentionally distracting Tye just long enough for it to use its massive paw to swat him into a nearby rockface. With a mighty roar and waving its tail like a hypodermic needle, it approached him slowly and cracked its knuckles and its neck as if unfazed by Tye’s assault.
Tye stood back up to face the thing, cursing when he realized he hadn’t effected much tangible damage to it. He readied himself, bracing his foot against the wall behind him, and just as it began to run at him with speed nearly matching his own, he focused a beam of energy from his eyes that hit the creature dead in the chest, sending it flying backward through the woods. Ashley looked on in shock. “What the hell is that thing?!” she cried.
“I don’t know!” Tye yelled back. “But the motherfucker is strong. He managed to tank a lot of my punches but hopefully that stung him!” They both rushed over to inspect the damage and to their surprise, a teenage boy lay before them.
They exchanged confused looks. As Tye reached down to wake the unconscious boy, he sat up and slapped Tye’s hand away. “Hey! Back the hell off me, creep! You just tried to kill me!” Tye retracted his hand just as the boy jumped up. Standing in front of him was a tall, well-built, boy with dirty blond hair, and a scowl. Ashley ran between the two, stuck her finger in his face, and began screaming at him.
“Hey! You’re the one that attacked us! You nearly killed Tye and now you’re acting like we assaulted you?!”
He waved her off and took a step back, his furious gaze still locked on Tye. “The hell is your problem, man?!”
Confused, Tye raised an eyebrow and calmly said, “My problem? Well. You did punch me in the face and then try to kill me, like she said. So, I feel like the whole self-defense thing makes this not so much my problem? Unless in your view I was supposed to just stand there and be hit, which to me kinda sounds like a dumb idea.”
“Plus, why did you attack us anyway? If you couldn’t tell, we’re also humans like you appear to be!” Ashley added.
The boy shook his head and replied, “I don’t know! I’ve seen some human-like creatures out here before and they weren’t too friendly. Last time I approached them, they tried to kill me, so I figured I’d get the drop on them this time.” Then, turning his head to Ashley, he said, “And when you tried to attack me, it just confirmed my suspicions.”
“You tried to kill my friend! Was I not supposed to defend myself from what was logically a threat?”
Tye walked up to confront the mysterious boy and reached a hand out. “Well, now you know we’re just people. My name is Tye.”
He looked down at Tye’s outstretched hand but didn’t take it. “I’m Dallas.” Looking back at Ashley, he smirked and said, “As long as we’re all cool. What’s your name, beautiful?”
She shot him an angry look and replied in a disgusted tone, “Ew! Don’t call me beautiful. My name is Ashley. Only Ashley.”
“Okay, Ashley. Sorry for attacking you back there. Sometimes I don’t know my own strength,” he shrugged.
She motioned towards Tye. “Strength? Funny because back there, I saw Tye kick your ass.” Tye shrugged at this and Dallas rolled his eyes, prompting a smile from her.
“Well,” Tye began. “Good to know that now we’re all friends and—”
“Friends?” Ashley interrupted.
Tye rolled his eyes and continued, “Uh. Allies? Acquaintances? People that happen to be in a shitty situation together? Look, point is, we’re all here now. Everything is fine and we should continue together.”
“And what makes you think I’d want to be with you guys?” Dallas asked with his arms crossed.
Tye sighed. “Because Ash and I are gonna find a way out of here and I think that goal would benefit you too, right?” This elicited a slight nod of acknowledgement from Dallas. Tye continued, “Not only that, but our chances of survival go up by a lot if we stick together.” Dallas relented at the notion and agreed to join the two.
“Wait so you mentioned two human like things attacked you?” Tye inquired. “What was that all about?”
“I don’t really know...” Dallas responded. “Those things kinda just came out of nowhere but as long as you’re not them then it’s not really important.”
“So what now?” Ashley asked.
“Well, we came here to see those trees and do some fishing, so we should start there. We should head back and explore those uprooted trees to see what we can find,” Tye responded. This received shrugs from both Dallas and Ashley, and the three began walking back towards the waterfall.
When the trio arrived, they fanned out to observe the carnage, searching for any clues to what could’ve caused the destruction. Tye walked over to the crater at the center of the chaos and a strange feeling hit him. He looked over his shoulder but saw nothing. Flying up, he surveyed the area but spotted nothing noteworthy. As he came down, he could hear Dallas yelling, “Is there anything we’re supposed to be looking for? Why do we even care what did this?”
“Because,” Tye yelled back, “whoever is powerful enough to rip out these trees and create this crater might be strong enough to help us get out of here.
“How do you know it’s a person?” Dallas asked, walking over.
Tye looked over his shoulder once more and squinted, scanning the area. “Call it a hunch,” he said as Ashley walked over to them.
“I didn’t find anything,” she said, her hands on her hips. “But you’d think that whatever… er... whoever did this probably didn’t leave this as their only calling card, right? I’m sure if we keep searching, we’ll find other signs.”
Tye responded with a nod and clapped his hands together. “Cool! That sounds like a plan then. We’ll fan out to see if we can find this mysterious being. Sound good to everyone?”
“Not quite,” Ashley said. “We should do some fishing first and eat out here so we have our energy up.
“Can I suggest a third option?” Dallas asked.
“We’re a democracy, so go for it, man,” Tye replied happily.
“I actually have a bag of stuff I brought and I’d like to go get that.”
“Do you know where it is?” Ashley asked.
“Yeah, it’s not too much of a walk from here.”
“Cool. Then you and Tye can go get it while I do some fishing. Can’t hurt to multitask, right?” Ashley said with a smile. This prompted an uncomfortable exchange between Tye and Dallas, who were both less than thrilled at the notion of being alone together.
“We can’t all just go together?” Tye asked as politely as possible so as to not insinuate that he didn’t want to be alone with Dallas.
“Nah! I think this will be easier. Plus, you guys get some bro time,” Ashley chuckled with a wink as she turned her back to the two. “I’ll just be at the river. I should have enough food by the time you guys get back!”
The two watched Ashley walk away. In an attempt to alleviate the awkward tension, Tye turned to Dallas. “So... I know I punched you in the face really hard and almost killed you with my eye beams, but we’re chill though right, man?” Dallas rolled his eyes and headed off.
The two had walked for nearly 15 minutes in silence when Tye attempted to break the tension again. “I have an idea. When we fought, which again, sorry about the uh... punching you in the face repeatedly th
ing, I noticed you’re incredibly fast. Like, almost as fast as I am. We could just run there and make great time, right?”
Dallas turned one eye to the trailing Tye before quickly looking back at the path ahead him and said quietly, “I can’t.”
“You can’t? But I saw you do it.”
“I can’t do it like this,” Dallas replied, the aggravation in his voice apparent.
Raising an eyebrow, Tye pushed. “You mean, when you’re not the giant monster thing?”
“Yeah, if that’s what you wanna call it. I can only do things when I choose to turn into that. When I’m normal Dallas, I’m just as human as I was when I came in.”
“So why not choose to turn into that?”
“Because I don’t want to, Tye!” Dallas snapped. “That’s my own damn business!”
It was silent again, and the two walked until they came across a rather conspicuous bush in the middle of a small clearing. To the left was a completely destroyed campsite and what looked like various survival gear strewn about. Tye leaned on a tree while Dallas quickly grabbed a green bag from under the thick bush. From it, he took out a pair of shoes and put on a blue football jersey that read “Bullworth” on the front with the number 12 just below it.
“Bullworth?” Tye asked. “Wait, is that your high-school jersey? Did you come here in that?”
“Yeah? Why?” Dallas asked, confused.
“Nothing. It’s just... Who wears their high-school jersey around? You don’t think that’s kinda... Lame?”
“Why would it be lame?”
“Because aren’t the only people that care about high-school sports parents and scouts with some football or basketball phenom? Like people don’t just generally wear their stuff around, do they?”
“Where I’m from, people care about high-school sports. We have this thing called spirit.”
“And where’s that?”
“Nebraska.”
“Oh! Because there’s literally nothing in Nebraska, right? So you gotta fill the void with football, beer, and... corn? You guys grow corn, right?”
