by Jerry Hart
Jason looked like he was trying to remember which way to go, but it had been nearly seven years since he last ventured this deep into the woods. He stopped dead in his tracks, hoping to get his bearings, when Michael walked right into him. Jason sighed, but said nothing.
“Sorry,” Michael murmured.
Jason smiled and patted his brother on top of his head. “It’s okay.”
“Are we lost?” Michael asked.
“I believe we are. Do you remember which way to go?”
Michael looked around for a moment, and then began walking in one direction. Jason followed.
After a few minutes, they found the hidden cave at the bottom of another hill, though this one wasn’t as steep as the last. The brothers climbed into the darkness of the cave and buckled down behind a large boulder inside. Michael remembered this boulder from his childhood; he and Jason used to try climbing it back when they were much shorter.
Time ticked by very slowly in the dark cave. Jason and Michael didn’t say anything to each other for quite some time. In the silence, Michael took the time to reflect on his life and how it had gone so terribly wrong.
There was no doubt in his mind his real father had something to do with the Event: the giant and its monstrous entourage. But what was Dad trying to accomplish? Michael asked himself. Was he trying to scare people into insanity?
These thoughts occupied his mind for a while, which made the time go by faster.
“Do you think Mom’s okay?” Michael suddenly asked, snapping himself out of his thoughts.
“I think so,” Jason replied kindly. “She’s tough, just like you.”
“Are we going to be okay?”
This question caught Jason off guard for some reason. He clearly knew things would never be the same for him and Michael ever again. How could people so easily believe he and Michael were the sons of the monster? What proof did they have besides the confession of Michael’s classmate? Were the townspeople of Halbertville really that superstitious?
And what good would it do to kill the sons of the monster? None. Michael knew he wouldn’t be able to talk any sense into the townspeople, so where did that leave him and Jason? Would they have to go on the run for the rest of their natural lives?
Just then, a noise startled the brothers. It sounded like someone walking on wet leaves. Michael joined Jason as they crouched behind the boulder. The cave was small and they could go no farther. They could only hide.
A figure appeared at the cave entrance, silhouetted by the moonlight. Michael immediately noticed how small it was.
“I know you’re in here,” a male voice said, and Michael noticed how young it sounded. He decided to wait, however. It could be a trap.
The kid continued to stand at the mouth of the cave, waiting. He was not going anywhere until he’d confirmed his find, Michael realized. As he stayed crouched behind the boulder with Jason, he suddenly remembered something he once stashed in this very cave years ago. He reached for it now, under the boulder, in the wet, loose soil. Would it still be there after all this time?
Jason saw him digging and joined in.
Do what you have to in order to get away, Mom had said. Michael didn’t think it would come to that, though.
He continued to search for the object anyway.
“I’m coming in,” the boy said. Michael could see the intruder’s shadow stretch before the young man as he took a step into the cave.
Jason could hide no longer. He stood and faced the stranger. The boy standing before him was at least Michael’s age of fifteen. He had long brown hair and tanned skin. Michael, who was standing up next to Jason, recognized the boy immediately.
“What are you doing here, Christian?” he asked.
“I knew you were here!” Christian said in astonishment, his eyes widening, as if he had just found a treasure.
“What are you going to do about it?” Jason asked, gripping something tightly in his right hand. Michael had seen him pull it out from under the boulder before standing up.
And he knew Jason was prepared to use it.
“What do you think I’m going to do?” Christian asked, losing the astonished look; he was angry now. “You’re the sons of the monster. Michael said so himself. You’ll turn into monsters just like your dad. Your real dad.”
“Are you insane?” Jason asked, completely furious now. “Are you really stupid enough to take Michael seriously? He’s just a stupid kid like you. Of course he thought it would be cool to say he was the son of the monster.”
Christian’s lips curled up into a sneer. “He said that before the monster ever showed up. That is why I believe him. And now you two have to die before you turn into monsters too. Plus, Michael can teleport—I saw him do it.”
“You really are stupid. Do you know that?” Jason gripped the object so tightly his knuckles turned white. The time to use it was fast approaching.
“Where is everybody else?” Michael asked.
“I wanted to make sure you were here before I told them,” Christian said. “Me and Michael played out here once when we were younger. The adults are back at your house, killing your fake parents.”
Michael felt a sharp pain in his gut at the words. Before he could reply, however, Jason screamed, “You’re lying!”
“No I’m not. They’re beating your mom to death right now, asking her where you two are. I think your dad’s already d—”
Before Christian could even finish his sentence, he was on his back on the wet dirt. Jason was grabbing Christian’s throat with his left hand and stabbing him in the stomach with the knife in his right.
Michael watched from behind the boulder, too afraid to move. After a minute of continuous stabbing, Jason finally stood up. He was breathing heavily now from the anger and exertion.
He was also crying.
Michael looked down at the bloody weapon in his brother’s hand. “Hey, that’s my knife,” he said numbly. “It’s the one I found at school, the one you said Mom wouldn’t let me keep.”
Jason didn’t answer for a while. He merely continued to stare at Michael with wild eyes. Then, he said, “Yes, little brother, it is. Remember when we came to this cave to hide it? And then we forgot about it.” He sighed. “Were you prepared to use it on Christian?”
They both laughed at this, almost forgetting a murder had just been committed. Once the laughter stopped, however, they reverted back to the lost little boys they truly were.
“What do we do now?” Michael asked shakily.
“We’re not staying here. I’m going back to the house to save Mom. You can come with me if you want.”
It only took Michael a second to decide. The brothers made their way back to their house. All of the lights were still on, but there appeared to be no one home. Everything was quiet and still.
Jason ran up to the back porch and peered in through a window. Michael watched from the trees. He had a really bad feeling about the house, and the look Jason gave him a few seconds later confirmed it.
Michael started toward his older brother, though Jason tried to get him to stop. But Michael didn’t stop; he wanted to see what Jason saw.
A moment later, he was on the back porch and looking through the same window as Jason. He saw her immediately, lying facedown in the foyer. Michael’s heart raced painfully at the sight. He wanted to run in and check on her, but Jason held him back.
“We have to make sure this isn’t a trap,” the eldest brother said as he carefully surveyed the area. He quickly wiped away tears at the same time, but Michael pretended not to notice.
After he was confident the house was safe, Jason opened the door and crawled into the kitchen. Michael followed, also staying low to the ground.
The front door was wide open, and the brothers saw their dad lying crumpled up on the front porch. It looked like he had just dropped where he’d stood. Jonathan’s legs were under him, and his eyes were wide open. Blood was spilling from a wound on his head, as if someone had hit
him very hard with something very solid.
Jason knelt down next to his mother and held her. Diane’s eyes were also wide open, unseeing. Her face was bruised and bloody. Michael started to cry and hugged his brother and mother as the three of them began to rock back and forth.
Michael didn’t understand at first why Jason asked where Christian’s house was moments later, but after returning to the cave, the reason became very clear. Jason had just done something Michael would never forget, something he himself would do to Marco Garcia years later.
Once they reached Christian’s house—a blue one-story with white shutters—Jason rang the doorbell, then darted behind some bushes where Michael waited.
“If they want monsters,” Jason said quietly, “we’ll give them monsters.”
A moment later, the cold night air was rent with the screams of Christian’s parents as they gazed upon the “gift” from Jason, sitting on their front porch.
* * *
Les sat, horrified by the story Michael had just told him. “Oh man, that’s awful. I’m sorry.”
Michael nodded, his eyes glazed and his thoughts elsewhere. “Thanks.”
“I can’t believe they killed your foster parents like that.”
“Jason said it was inevitable. People fear what they don’t understand.”
“Wait a minute,” Les said, suddenly remembering something. “You said your dad turned into a giant monster. I don’t remember ever hearing about that on the news.”
“It happened somewhere else,” Michael simply said.
“Yeah, but no matter where it happened, I think the news would have reported a bunch of monsters attacking the planet.”
Michael said nothing.
“What about your mom—your real mom? Do you know anything about her?”
Michael shook his head. He clearly didn’t want to talk about her, so Les changed the subject.
“What about the orb?” Les asked. “Does your dad have anything to do with that?”
“No,” Michael said, hesitating. “That’s something else entirely.”
They sat in silence for a moment, the board game practically forgotten.
“Hey,” Michael said, breaking the silence, “you want to see a trick I’ve been working on?”
Les didn’t answer right away, but then finally nodded. Michael slowly reached up and placed his hands on either side of Les’s head, being careful not to touch him.
At first, nothing happened and Les, who wasn’t sure what to expect, started to get uncomfortable. Then he started to feel something, a low vibration in his head. It started to get stronger, making his face tingle.
He felt his whole head shake, his plump cheeks flapping. It was a horrible feeling and Les wanted it to stop, but he couldn’t pull away. Despite the pain, he could see his thoughts as if he were looking at pictures held in front of him.
Then it stopped. Les fell to the floor, shaking uncontrollably for a moment, as if he were having a seizure. Finally he sat up again and stared, wide-eyed, at Michael.
“What the hell was that?” he asked Michael.
“I’m not really sure. I recently discovered I could do it. I think it’s something I could always do, but I just forgot how to do it. The first time I did it was to some guy when Jason and I were on the run. It was an accident. Jason doesn’t even know I can do it.”
“I could see some of my thoughts, clear as day,” said Les.
“I saw them, too.”
Les gasped. “Were you reading my mind?”
Michael nodded.
“What did you see?”
“I know the joke you told Curtis at that party,” Michael said with a grin. “No wonder he hates you.”
Les was spellbound. If Michael had seen that thought, then surely he saw—
“I know you’re holding out on me, too,” Michael added. “There’s a party tonight, isn’t there?”
Les nodded. “I wasn’t invited, though.”
“Well then,” said Michael, “let’s crash it.”
“Uh,” Les hesitated. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“No,” said Michael. “I think it’s a great idea. You said you’d help me, remember?”
Les nodded. “I remember.”
CHAPTER 11
Daniel had convinced the others to join his softball team a year ago, and they were getting ready for a game now. Their team, The Unstoppable Titans, hadn’t won a game this season, however.
Alyssa met everyone in the garage. They were all wearing matching red shirts with the team name etched in black. They arrived at the field fifteen minutes later, meeting up with the rest of the team in the dugout. They were playing against The Turtles Who Are Terrible today.
Daniel practiced catching with Owen before the game, though he couldn’t play on account of his broken arm.
“You ever think about getting your diploma?” he asked Owen.
“Sometimes. I should go back to school before it’s too late. I’m not getting any younger.”
“It must suck never having experienced high school like the rest of us.”
“Yeah. Well, at least I got my freshmen year out of the way. I mean, I just left Cullen’s house and went straight to downtown. High school just doesn’t seem like a priority now.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Daniel said with fake annoyance. “We all know the story.”
Owen thought, not for the first time, about what his life would’ve been like had his father not been killed. Would he still have met Chris and the others at some point? Would he have ever encountered any monsters? The attacks didn’t start in the city until after Owen arrived. He liked to think that was a coincidence, however…
“What brought this up?” Owen asked, knocking himself from his reverie.
“I don’t know,” Daniel said, looking at the sky. “I just think you should finish high school or get your G.E.D. That’s all. I mean, we’re not going to be fighting monsters forever.”
“What do you mean?”
Daniel looked thoughtfully at Owen now. “We’re not always going to live together, the four of us. Eventually we’ll go our separate ways, start families, et cetera. I don’t want that to happen, but it will. I just think you should be prepared for when it does.”
As Owen threw the ball back to Daniel, he ignored the other’s words and instead remembered the day he found out he had super strength. It had been out on this very field. The team had been warming up when Owen accidentally threw the ball too hard. Daniel had reached up to catch it and had been pulled into the air by the force. Luckily no one else had seen this except Alyssa and Chris. It had been a pretty exciting day.
Today’s game started a few minutes later. Chris was up to bat first. The pitcher, a dark-haired boy in his teens, threw the ball underhand. Chris knocked it into right field and made it to first base.
Alyssa ran up to bat. She knocked the ball far into center field. Chris was able to make it to third base. Alyssa was right behind him on second.
A blond-haired boy in his late twenties stepped up and hit a home run. When it was the Titans’ turn in the outfield, Owen was pitcher.
Up to bat for the Turtles was a tall blond guy in his early twenties. Owen couldn’t remember his name, but he knew the guy had a short temper. Owen had heard a rumor the guy had punched a hole in a microwave once, because it wouldn’t work properly.
The guy was now pointing his bat right at Owen, indicating that was where the ball was going. Owen grinned—there was no way this sucker was laying anything on his pitch. Owen wound up, and then pitched as hard as he could.
There was a loud clap as the bat connected, sending the ball straight at Owen’s head. There was a sickening smack, and he fell on his back. Everything went dark.
* * *
Owen was surrounded by green light and the familiar humming sound as he placed a furry slug onto his silver worktable. It only squirmed a little, but stayed at the center.
He then reached for the orb, which was o
n another table. He ran his long, pale fingers delicately along its surface. Something bubbled within the orb and a light slowly built from its center.
Owen held the orb up to the furry slug, which crawled closer and rubbed against it. Moments later, Owen grabbed the slug and set it down in a cage at the far end of the lab. Inside the cage was another creature, this one a lot bigger than the furry slug.
Leaning over the cage, Owen said to the slug, “Kill.” For a moment, nothing happened. The other creature, something resembling a dog, growled and approached the slug slowly.
Suddenly the slug’s mouth opened wide and engulfed the dog-thing’s head whole. When the slug pulled away, the other creature’s head was gone, its neck spouting blood. There was another dog-thing in the cage, but it whimpered in a corner after what happened to its mate.
“Good,” Owen said.
* * *
The sun was beating down on Owen when he woke up. People in red T-shirts that said “Unstoppable Titans” surrounded him.
“Are you all right?” a girl asked. It took him a moment to recognize Alyssa.
“Yes,” he muttered. Chris and Daniel helped him to his feet. His head was aching from where the softball hit him. He had a vague memory of the dream; the furry slug had looked familiar to him.
His team helped him back to the dugout and told him to sit the rest of the game out, which he gladly agreed to. It gave him more time to think about what he’d just seen while he was unconscious.
He’d seen the orb again. This time, it had been activated.
And the slug…
Its dark furry body reminded Owen of another furry, unidentifiable creature, the one swimming around in a fish tank back at the condo.
* * *
Owen’s close call scared Chris for a moment. Seeing his friend drop like that had not been fun, and he had run over to Owen as fast as he could. For some reason, Chris had automatically blamed himself for the incident—a curse of being a leader, perhaps.
And then Owen had started mumbling while unconscious. It was like he was possessed. Or having a vivid dream. Chris couldn’t even guess what was going on in his friend’s head, but he knew he didn’t like it. He shook Owen, trying to wake him. After a minute, Owen opened his eyes, and Chris breathed a sigh of relief.
