The Serpent League

by Brendan Walsh

  He screamed, rearing back in the air like he was on an invisible saddle, and he raised his feet into an attacking-hawk position to soften the blow against the skyscraper windows.

  Gary’s shoes tapped lightly against the glass, steady in the 90-degree incline.

  In the window reflection he saw himself.

  His shirt had become a clump of ribbons. His front still looked normal, and his pants were still intact. Gary tilted his arms back, flapping them again to maintain his position and to get a better look at them.

  “Oh my… Oh, I’m going to get you for this, Time Keeper.”

  He laughed, raising his arms in the air, showing off to himself. From his armpit, all the way past his fingers and down to his waist was a thick, leathery blanket of skin. New bones had formed like fingers all through the membrane. And, just as he preferred it, his new wings were black.

  “I adapt.” he whispered to himself. “I’m whatever I need to be to survive. And now, I’m not going to fall to death.”

  Rearing back, he shoved himself off the glass and propelled himself higher into the air, flapping about like a baby bird with his bat wings. To his pleasure, he didn’t tumble against the wind. Despite his near-death experience, Gary now felt invincible.

  But he’d have to fight. And someone was going to have to get hurt.

  “Okay, Edgar, let’s fly.”

  The gang began leaping for joy at the sight of Gary’s wings. He and the Time Keeper had flown high and away, so all they could see was a falling dot after the gryphon had thrown him. And then the dot was no longer falling, and then began to rise.

  “He could have killed him though!” Slate said.

  “I’m sure the Time Keeper would have caught him if necessary.” Jane mused, still watching the dot that was Gary fly higher. “Regardless, he’s off now. We got one more superhero on our side.”

  Johnny turned around, looking at everyone, including the wolves and gryphons. “And what do we do now? I’m still sticking to my guns. I’m not simply just going to stand here without knowing that my family is safe.”

  “Well…” said one of the gryphons, as she pawed the ground sheepishly. “considering that we’re friends now, I think we’re going to have to work together.”

  “Mmhmm.” Johnny nodded.

  “And it would be really hard to work together if some of us are down on the ground not doing anything, while we’re out trying to stop everything.”

  “In that case,” continued a wolf. “we’re going to need to talk to each other, and it won’t be easy if you guys have to always go through your mind-speaking friend Patrick whenever you want to talk to us.”

  “So…” Lindsey crossed her arms.

  The speaking gryphon got down on the ground, planting its whole body down like a dog. “It’ll be much easier if you just hopped on.”

  The gang turned to face each other, with wide-eyes and looks of uncertainty being shared among all of them. Slate looked the most worried of any of them. Lindsey and Jane began to nod to each other, thinking that it was as good a plan as any. Johnny, though, came to the decision the quickest.

  “Hell yeah!” Johnny shot a fist in the air. “I’ll say yes to that! But first, I need whoever I’m driving to check up on my family first. Then I’ll catch up.”

  The sitting gryphon raised her head, motioning for Johnny to hop on. “That will be done. Please, boy, there is not much time to waste.”

  Johnny approached her, unable to conceal his excitement at being able to ride a formerly mythological creature. When the human was within arm’s reach of her, he caught something on her beak. There was a bruise at the base of her nose, and some small pieces of the beak itself were missing.

  “Oh,” Johnny rubbed his neck. “I remember you. You’re the one that I whacked with the guitar.”

  “Correct.” The gryphon said, matter-of-factly.

  “In my defense, I thought you were going to eat my friends.” he laughed. “But now, I think this is the most Rock ‘n Roll thing that I’ve ever done.”

  The gryphon let out a sound that was probably a chuckle as Johnny tried putting one leg over the beast’s back. It was too big, so she helped him out with her paw and made sure that he was settled in comfortably.

  “There’s nothing to grab on to.”

  “Just grab onto my neck.” she replied. “I won’t let anything happen to you. You’ll be as safe as an egg.”

  Johnny tried her neck. It was thick enough to grab on to, but at top speeds, it would be tough. His hands could easily slip. He and the others would have to rely on the reflexes of their rides to save them if needed.

  The gang dispersed, with some of the remaining gryphons getting down on their bellies. Lindsey, Slate, Jane, Rita, and even Laura got on, leaving Samuel and his daughter just on the ground.

  With the sound of dozens of take-off flaps above, the gryphons took to the skies with the human riders trying not to look down, but each with an expression on their face as if they were living a grand adventure.

  “I need to get up there too.” BJ said. “Dad, I don’t want to leave you here.”

  “There’s nothing else we can do,” he said to her, watching the gang get farther away on the backs of his creatures. “Besides, there’s no way in hell one of those things would be willing to give me a ride. Rather, it would be a death sentence for me.”

  His daughter smirked. “Fine. But I don’t want to leave you here. We’re going to need to figure something else out.”

  She spun around, looking deep into the park where the beasts had come from. There was nothing there. As the gryphons were taking off, some of the wolves had gone back into the park, heading for an objective elsewhere, while the rest had taken to the streets to fight the Leaguers that were plaguing the remaining people stuck in their homes or businesses.

  “We should stay on the ground,” she said, keeping her stare deep through the trees. “with the wolves street-bound, they’re going to need help, and that’s where we can come in.”

  A light prick at her shoulder made her neck spasm. She winced, feeling like her spine was tied in a knot. A hot, stinging feeling washed down her shoulder and through the rest of her body.

  She gave out a light cry as her knees gave out and she flopped onto the grass. Her joints and muscles all felt detached, incapable of being commanded by her brain.

  All she could do was move her neck. Groaning, she turned it as much as she could, allowing her to see the somber look on her father’s face, along with the empty syringe in his right hand.

  Samuel pocketed his instrument. “I’m sorry about this.”

  Her eyes were still open, but darkness had taken over.

  20

  Delta and Gary

  There were so many minds. So many people and animals in the city, both infected and some that had yet to be infected by the League’s blood.

  Beyond those were the ones he was having a more difficult time reaching. And it was those that Patrick was going to have to work harder to connect with.

  And the fact that he was almost shaken loose on John Hunter’s back every few seconds didn’t help either.

  “You haven’t said anything yet.” Eagle Eye said. “Can I take that as a good thing?”

  “I wish. Can you flex your wings back just another inch or two when you flap? I think it’ll help me not get too wobbly back here.”

  “Sorry, son. I’m still getting used to these things myself.”

  Above them the black birds continued their expansion. They had been able to fix themselves, as Patrick had to diminish his hold on them in order to focus on the unconscious minds of those affected by the blood.

  I hope some of them are on our side.

  But then, John Hunter turned out good. Surely, he wouldn’t be the only one.

  He had to push back more because of Edgar too. His friend was way stronger than him, and his only advantage over the bat was that Edgar wasn’t expecting Patrick to take the blood. Now that dust had sett
led, Edgar didn’t have any problem keeping Patrick’s reach in the dark.

  Come on. Wake up. Wake up.

  As he was finding out, it wasn’t just enough to reach out to their unconscious minds. He had to fuel them somehow. He had to get them to want to become something else. It worked with Lindsey’s father, and even with Gary, whose mind he found in the cluster, who he also saw flying with his new bat-like wings.

  He was reminded of that line from Peter Pan that made the children fly. Think lovely thoughts.

  “It’s like I have to get to know their life story.” Patrick said. “There’s no time for that. If only there were a simple ‘on’ switch.”

  “I don’t think you need to go that far.”

  “How so?”

  Eagle Eye flapped his wings several times, as Patrick had requested, and they flew over several buildings in a second. “Sometimes, all it takes is a touch. Just a reminder that someone is there waiting for someone. Maybe some of them don’t have it. But it worked for me. It all started coming together when I felt my daughter take my arm.”

  If he was right, then that would make his job a whole lot easier. “Okay, Mister Hunter, I’ll do just that.”

  “If you can,” he smiled. “tell them about me. Just give them an image. I think letting them know that their change is nothing to be feared will help as well.”

  Patrick returned a smile, closing his eyes. He could see the whole city like a mental blueprint, getting flashes of light wherever there was life, and from there, he could tell which ones had been infected. In his mind he grew thick tentacle-like arms to hold on to them with, making sure not to lose his connection with someone when he started looking for another soul to help.

  It’s a friend, he said to the dozens he had connected with. My name is Patrick Buchanan. You might have heard of me. I’m a part of the demonized group of college kids called The Raven Gang. My adventures with my friends didn’t go as you’ve heard, and in defeating Samuel Elder, a new threat has risen.

  Some of my friends have been given extraordinary gifts, as a result of being infected with the League’s blood, and that’s where you come in. If you’re listening, it means that you’re one of the unlucky ones. You’ve been hit by this force.

  Several of the mental links instantly grew stronger. Patrick could feel them bring him back, even as he tested them, pulling back to see if they would follow. He couldn’t help but smile. He knew now that they were listening to him. He had their attention.

  When you wake up, you will look different. Feel different. You’ll be wise to what the Serpent League’s goal is. Some of you might think their aims are noble, hell, I do. But there’s something that the League didn’t count on. They didn’t count on The Raven Gang.

  The rest of the unconscious souls grabbed on to his mental arm, and Patrick felt like he was carrying all their weight. He felt as if his eyes were starting to bulge out of his head from all their weight in his mind. He closed his eyes tighter, trying to fight it, as warm tears burst from his eyes.

  They didn’t count on us. They didn’t count on someone reaching out to you to tell you that you have another option. The future doesn’t have to be violent, not if we can use our powers the way detective John Hunter and my friends Gary Frost and BJ Elder are right now. Because I’m fighting my friend, Edgar, who by now you all know about. He…was taken by the League, and if I were him, I would probably do the same. We loved him, but in the end, we weren’t enough. People think that a few kids can’t change the world, but for the love of God, look what’s happening! I don’t know what I can do to better myself and my friends if I don’t love. So, I may not know you, but I know how to help you, and I need you all to know that you are loved. You are all loved, no matter who you are. And if you’re listening, Edgar, buddy, I love you too.

  His mental links exploded. Patrick didn’t want to open his eyes, too scared to feel that the moment was over and that he had lost. Now that his communication with them was over, he couldn’t tell what the next thing to happen was going to be.

  “Is it over?” Eagle Eye asked. “You’re breathing again. Are you alright?”

  He closed his eyes again, reaching out to see if anyone else was still around. Everyone he had been speaking with was gone, as if they didn’t wish to speak to him again.

  And Patrick realized what that must have meant.

  He reached out one more time, this time looking for awaken minds. And he found many, many more of them.

  “I’m alright. I just hope that I made a difference.”

  Delta had taken back his birds. He estimated that he had lost no more than a few dozen in the mental scuffle.

  The bat remained in awe. Not simply for Patrick’s intense ability to spar mentally with him, but the fact that the human had the audacity to take the blood himself. What were you thinking, Patrick? Delta shook his head. The blood’s effects cannot be undone. You have condemned yourself. And for what?

  Right after he started fighting back, he sent his gryphon and wolf allies out into the field to fight his new enemies off. Truthfully, he did it because he wanted to be alone. He didn’t want them to see him getting weakened, especially by a human.

  Turning his back on the action, Delta turned around, planting his feet against the ledge of the building. He stared out into the endless jungle of the city. From where he stood, the carnage couldn’t be perceived. His circle of black birds was expanding from the opposite side, but would soon encompass the entire island, and then even more. It gave him one final look at the world that was. A world that he was simply a spectator for, rather than a ruler.

  His ears wiggled. He could hear a figure coming in quickly from behind him. A heaviness fell down on him as he realized what the approaching creature was. He didn’t think it had gotten that bad.

  The creature landed on the roof behind him. Delta kept his back to him, not wanting to be the first to say something.

  “Nice choice in rooftop.” Gary crossed his wings. “I’ve always wanted to see New York. I like the giant Christmas Tree they got down there.”

  Delta grunted. “I could hear you coming from a mile away. You need to work on your stealth.”

  Gary’s jaw dropped, as he blinked in surprise. “At last. Edgar talks.”

  “The League’s doing.” The bat turned around, facing his friend. He narrowed his eyes upon seeing the skin and bones under Gary’s arms. “You look ridiculous.”

  “Your doing.” he replied. “I wouldn’t have these if not for you.”

  Gary yelped in surprise, causing Delta to flinch. Under his arms, the wings began to detract, and his skin opened up again to absorb them. Moments later, there were no signs that he had ever had wings, and his skin had finished swallowing up his new bones.

  “I guess I don’t need those anymore, now that I’m not flying.” Gary said. “I think my body adapts to wherever I am. I got those wings because a gryphon hurled me like a football.”

  The bat lowered his head, staring at him as if he were a lion and Gary were a piece of meat. “That’s right. I sense that power in you. I’m sorry it came to this.”

  “Why did it have to? Is the power that the League gave you really worth it?”

  “It’s not simply the power,” Delta took several steps closer to his friend, turning his head to the side to survey the progress of his black birds. “the way I see it, this event was going to happen sometime in the course of history. The only question was a matter of when.”

  “I hear you saying what the League wants you to think.” Gary replied. “But I want to know why Edgar chose to do this.”

  “I did this, Edgar did this,” the bat blinked. “because everything I do, everything I’m going to do, is in service of life. I did this because I love life, Gary. But it is an ugly, ugly thing too. But maybe just one more ugly thing has to happen in order for it to be much better.”

  “It’s never that simple. Do you think that the League cares about what happens to all the creatures of the earth o
nce this event is over? Anything could happen! Some new mutant being could come out and be the worst tyrant in all of history!”

  “But you forget, Gary, that I’ll be there to stop them.” Edgar lowered his wings, inching closer to the human. “I’m a new animal now. The Master has made me new through his blood. I’m not Edgar anymore. I am King Delta. The first in a long line of super-beings smart and compassionate enough to be born leaders. Do you know what this means, Gary? I am the most powerful creature on earth, and who ever lived on it.”

  Gary frowned, pulling up his torn sleeves. As his bare skin felt the breeze of the cold air, thick patches of white fur sprouted up. “I think you’ll see that what your friends have planned-”

  The bat raised a wing, dismissing him. “I know exactly what you have planned. Patrick compromised my mental space earlier. I was quite thrown off. From there, I looked into his, detective Hunter’s, Johnny’s, Slate’s, Lindsey’s, Jane’s and your minds. It isn’t going to work, but something tells me that you’re going to try anyway.”

  “Exactly right,” Gary said, tightening his fists as more white fur grew around his arms and chest. “millions of people are going to die from this. More often than not, the blood will kill them.”

  “Yes, and I feel terribly about it.”

  “Do you really?” Gary shouted.

  The bat winced at his tone. “I think you know I do. Is this more about you trying to do the right thing, or are you angry that you feel like you’ve lost a friend in me?”

  “It can be both.” he shook his head. “I trusted you, Edgar.”

  “It hurt me too. But it is for good people like you and the others that I do this. The humans here…they fear me. They would never welcome me like you did. They…have a lot to overcome, and perhaps I came into existence way earlier than I should have. They weren’t ready for me, but I can help them evolve. Years from now, this will be a day that we celebrate.