The Bright Eyes (The Soulless Ones Book 1)

by Leo E. Ndelle

  “Unbelievable!” Günter said. “It sounds like some kind of control by nature to keep the population of Bright Eyes in check. Imagine if there were no threshold whatsoever and they, uh you, could just turn people at random! Then the human race could easily be wiped out!”

  Fr. Andrew smiled and did not reply. The chimed and came to a stop. Both men stepped out, and Fr. Andrew made a sharp left turn before taking a right turn along another long corridor with Günter in tow.

  “I knew I didn’t recruit you for just your prickly personality,” Fr. Andrew said, and both men laughed.

  “I feel special, Father,” Günter managed to say amidst fits of laughter.

  “You’re welcome,” Fr. Andrew joked. “So yes, it does seem like some control mechanism from Mother Nature to keep our numbers in check. We are stronger and faster than humans, and we stand a small chance against a small army. But if a large-scale attack is launched against us, our chances of survival are next to none. Therefore, it is imperative for us to address our numbers problem and then later, we will address our weakness to daylight. Or we could do both at the same time.”

  He stopped outside a door and pressed a red button. The doors parted, and both men walked into what looked like a balcony with a large glass partition. About twenty feet below, there was a room about twenty feet wide and forty feet long, with men and women dressed in white slacks idling around. Some were sitting, others either standing or pacing up and down and talking among themselves. Günter stared at them.

  “Who are these?” he asked.

  “Test subjects,” Fr. Andrew replied. “There is a lead scientist who works with The Twins, and he says he can find a solution to our major problems.”

  “So, The Twins of Terror really do exist, huh,” Günter spoke, more to himself.

  “We must have our origins, don’t we?” Fr. Andrew replied almost sarcastically.

  Günter could not help but realize the ease with which Fr. Andrew used the term ‘we’ when he spoke of the Bright Eyes. So, he does have a new family, Günter thought.

  “And what is this solution this scientist speaks of?” Günter asked.

  “I’m not exactly sure on the details,” Fr. Andrew replied, “but I do know this is where you come in.”

  “What am I supposed to do?” Günter asked.

  “To obtain a sample of Father Supreme’s blood and bring it here,” was the reply.

  Günter whipped his head towards Fr. Andrew, and his face was drained of all color.

  “Are you serious?!” he half-yelled. “How am I supposed to even get close to the man? Let alone stick a needle in him without him realizing it!”

  “There are many ways to obtain a sample of the man’s blood,” Andrew replied calmly.

  Günter understood that Father Supreme necessarily did not have to be alive for his mission to be successful. There was a moment of guilt, but it evaporated faster than a drop of water in the sands of the Sahara. Günter stared into Fr. Andrew’s eyes, his recruiter, his savior, his friend. He was saddened to realize that these were now the eyes of a chuper and Father Supreme was to blame. In that moment, he declared himself judge, jury and when he turned to face the test subjects in the room below, he also declared himself an executioner. Father Supreme would pay for what he had done to his friend.

  “So, what’s the plan, brother?” Günter asked.

  His smile was not from pleasure, but from fury.

  ***

  “Get ready!” Father Supreme’s voice sliced through his reverie like an alarm clock on an early Monday morning.

  Günter immediately crouched low. He noticed his boss was already crouching and staring straight ahead. Could his boss see in the dark? Bodiless pairs of eyes twinkled at random in the blackness. Günter unclasped both holsters, withdrew both guns and cocked each hammer. There was something eerie about the way Father Supreme had spoken to him. His boss’ voice did not sound like his ‘normal’ voice. It was more like a sound that did not register in his ears. He might be wrong, but it felt like his boss spoke directly into his mind! Günter shuddered at the idea. Was this why they wanted his blood; because he was a telepath? It did not add up, and he would ask questions later. But right now, he had to focus on the mission.

  “They’ve picked up our scents! They know where we are,” said Günter’s boss a-matter-of-factly. “That’s why they’re in attack formation.”

  He swept his right index finger in a tight arc in front of them. Günter’s eyes had adjusted to the darkness and the clouds were starting to part for moonlight to light up the field.

  “I count twenty-eight of them,” Günter said.

  “Forty, actually,” corrected his boss.

  “How can you tell, sir?” Günter asked, perplexed.

  “From their auras,” his boss replied, standing up and walking towards the creatures.

  Günter courageously followed not knowing how to respond to what his boss had just said. So, his boss was both a telepath and a clairvoyant. This was getting even more interesting, he thought. Too bad Father Supreme was going to meet his end real soon. Father Supreme stopped at about fifty meters away from the creatures. Günter stood by his boss’ side.

  “So,” Father Supreme spoke aloud, “which one of you abominations wants to be the first to catch a fast fist to hell?”

  There were a few growls lupers and high-pitched clattering teeth from the chupers. One of them stepped forward. It was Fr. Andrew, and he was the leader of the assault team.

  “Hello, brother!” said Fr. Andrew.

  “Andrew?” Father Supreme’s shock was palpable. “I… I thought you perished!” Father Supreme stammered.

  “Wasn’t that what you wanted?” Fr. Andrew spat out. “You thought you’d get rid of me, but,” he gestured around, “I found a new family and a new purpose. Don’t you just love how I look?” and his eyes glowed.

  “You’re… one of them. You’re an ABOMINATION!” Father Supreme screamed.

  “And you’re the same egomaniac and power monger I remember, you bastard!” Fr. Andrew shot out. “You were so insecure about everything, you feared I wanted your throne!”

  Fr. Andrew’s voice was filled with anger as he took a step towards Father Supreme.

  “I gave you everything!” Andrew added. “My loyalty, my dedication, my love! I would have laid my life for you! And this is how you repay me? Sending me over a cliff?” his voice was a mixture of pain, anger and a desire for retribution.

  “I’m sorry, brother,” Father Supreme said almost to himself. “I’m truly sorry…”

  Günter could not believe his stoic boss was on the brink of shedding tears.

  “Well, I’m not sorry for what I’m about to do to you,” Fr. Andrew said and turned around to walk into the group of creatures before shouting “ATTACK!”.

  A chuper and a luper each zipped from both ends of the group. Two pairs of attackers converged onto Father Supreme at a forty-five-degree angle from either side. Günter rolled twice backwards to create some space for himself. He crouched and aimed his pistols, ready to fire. But then, he froze in place as he witnessed the spectacle unfold before his eyes. There were many blurred movements, and Günter could not differentiate between Father Supreme and the Bright Eyes that attacked him.

  Father Supreme made a quick dash to the left at a slight angle, just stepping past an extended paw of one of luper. The claw of its index finger trimmed off some hair close to his left temple. He caught the luper’s left hind leg as he planted his right foot on the ground, coiling his hips as he executed a backward cross step with his left leg. He transferred this potential energy in his coiled hips to full kinetic energy as he swung the luper in a full circle and crashed its body into the spine of the chuper that was attacking from the left. Both creatures were dazed for a millisecond as they crashed into the ground. Father Supreme then speared both creatures into the ground.

  The other pair of attackers from the right flank flew right over him, not expecting that he wa
s going to duck while they were in mid-flight towards him. He plunged both his fists into the backs of the spines of the two abominations on the ground. The two creatures turned to ash as he crushed their hearts in his hand. The other pair of attackers was now making a return trip for another assault. The creatures were fast, but they were slow compared to Father Supreme. He lunged at them and drove a hand into the chests of each Bright Eye, grabbed their hearts in his hands and crushed them as if they were ping pong balls. Their bodies ash turned to ash before they hit the ground.

  He landed on the ground in a genuflecting posture and slowly rose to his feet. Eight more attackers zipped in the same formation. There were four on each side this time. Three more zipped forwards, charging directly towards him. He opened his right hand and a sword with a three-foot long, double-edged, silver blade formed in it. He zipped to his right, and four bodies turned to ash. In three more moves, the other seven attackers met a similar end. Günter lowered his weapons. He realized that if Father Supreme could move like this, and if his boss had a few tricks up his sleeves like telepathy, clairvoyance, and heaven-knows-what-else, then he, Günter, stood absolutely no chance in taking out the Father Supreme; at least, not tonight.

  A few moments later, every single Bright Eye was dead, except for Fr. Andrew. He stepped out, walked slowly towards Father Supreme and stopped about three meters away from his former boss. The two men were having what looked like a stare down and then, to Günter’s utter shock, the two men hugged each other in a very tight embrace.

  “So, how do you plan on killing me now, Günter?” his boss asked as he let go of Andrew

  Günter’s instinct for survival overrode his shock and he raised his weapons to fire. But something pushed his hands in the air, something else rammed into his solar plexus and throat before two hands grabbed both his hands and turned them so that both his palms faced outwards and lined up with his ulna. In the same smooth motion, Günter felt both his hands twist inwards along his ulna and he immediately involuntarily let go of his guns and crashed to both knees as pain shot across the entire length of both arms and down his spine.

  “Before you start getting any ideas,” Father Supreme said as Günter’s attacker walked towards the two priests, “know that your grenades are duds.”.

  “What-” Günter coughed still trying to catch his breath and still reeling with pain.

  His voice was hoarse, and his wrists felt like hot coals.

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  “I’ll make this simple,” Fr. Andrew replied. “I was not betrayed. I chose to become an abomination to infiltrate them. So, I’ve been on a mission ever since my ‘death.’”

  He paused. Günter managed to sit up. The realization that these may be his last moments seemed to grant him some strength and clarity of mind.

  “Always so clever,” Günter managed to say with a slight chuckle. “So, you just decided to use me then, brother?” he said with a sneer.

  “No, Günter, I never used you,” Fr. Andrew replied. “The moment you turned, you betrayed the Order. For all intents and purposes, YOU betrayed ME! YOU betrayed US,” Andrew shot back.

  “Infiltrating the Bright Eyes was my idea. He,” he said gesturing towards Father Supreme, “was strongly against it at first. But like you once told me, Günter, I do have a way with words.”

  Even in the dark, Günter knew Fr. Andrew was smiling.

  “Your betrayal was the perfect opportunity for me to seal my position even deeper with them. And when opportunity beckons, I seize it.”

  “How noble of you,” Günter said, standing and wiping the ground off his trousers as if it even mattered. “Before I die, may I, at least, know your names?” he asked gesturing at both Father Supreme and the third party that disarmed him.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Fr. Andrew apologized, mockingly. “Where are my manners? To your right is your assailant,” he announced gesturing at the third party. “He is known as the most wanted man in the underworld. His name is Yehuda, also known as Judas Iscariot.”

  Günter’s jaw dropped in shock.

  “Yes, he actually is Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed, Jesus-”

  “And rest assured he will pay for that,” Father Supreme hissed between clenched teeth.

  “Brother! That was very, very rude of you,” Andrew said as he wagged a finger and grinned. “Can’t you see I was introducing Günter to the family?”

  Father Supreme was still fuming.

  “Anyway, Günter, we are three of the Apostles you have read about in the Bible. My real name is Aaron, but Andrew will do. Still with me so far?”

  “So, if he’s Judas,” Günter said, “you’re Andrew, and you two,” he gestured at both Andrew and Father Supreme, “are brothers, then that means…” his jaw dropped.

  “I knew I recruited you for more than your prickly personality, Günter,” Andrew said and laughed out loud.

  But this time around, Günter did not join him.

  “Yes, this is Shi’mon, popularly known as Simon Peter, the one who was crucified upside-down on the spot where the St. Peter’s Basilica now stands? The first pope of the Roman Catholic Church, the rock upon which Jesus was going to build his church, and so on and so forth! Sounds familiar?”

  Andrew rolled his eyes with each sentence.

  This was too much for Günter to bear. He just sat on the ground, with his head slumped on his chest. Seconds later, he raised his head slowly and looked up at the three men.

  “Now I know why they wanted his blood,” Günter said, more to himself.

  “And now you die,” Yehuda said as he manifested a gun in his right hand, raised it to Günter’s head and pulled fired!

  CHAPTER ELEVEN: THE TWINS OF TERROR

  “What’s the status?” Dreyko asked as he walked with Danka in steady strides down a hallway.

  “The subjects are ready your highnesses and at least one of the samples should be here in three hours or less,” Dr. Klaus replied, keeping a steady pace behind The Twins.

  Dreyko and Danka stopped outside their suite on at the top floor of the Nazi facility in Berlin, where Günter had been held captive. Dr. Klaus walked past The Twins, making sure to have no physical contact with them. He entered a code on four-digit code a keypad, and the door slid open. He reached inside and flipped on the switch to reveal a large, plush suite. The floor covered in a single burgundy-and-black Persian rug, with a pair of glowing eyes at the center of it. A king-sized bed with blood-red, silk sheets, and no blanket, lay on the far left-hand corner. The Bright Eyes were impervious to cold weather and hence, no need for a blanket. The bed frame was built with reinforced steel because The Twins had a habit of breaking wooden bed frames, no matter how strong the wood was.

  Blood-red silk curtains draped the windows and various paintings of Danka and Dreyko decorated the dark, grey walls of the suite. An oak wood dining section for two was on the right-hand side of the suite and a blood-red sofa was placed against the wall on the right, about four feet from the door. There was no need for more furniture. The Twins did not like being apart from each other, especially during their moments of privacy. A door to the left separated the suite from the bathroom. It was closed. Dr. Klaus stepped back for The Twins to walk into the suite. Dreyko stopped a meter from the door. Danka continued further in and studied the suite with her eyes.

  “And The Scientist?” Dreyko asked.

  “He is the main lab, your highness,” Klaus replied, and swiped beads of stress sweat from his temples with the lapels of his lab coat.

  “Is - Is everything according to your expectations so far, your highnesses?” Dr. Klaus stammered.

  “It is missing the blond woman,” Danka said.

  Klaus’ heart sank, but he dared not show it. The blond woman, Katya, the one who partook in Günter’s torture, was his girlfriend. He did not know whether The Twins wanted to feast on her or get freaky with her.

  “Of course, your highnesses,” he managed to reply and swallowed
. “Will that be all?”

  “For now,” Dreyko replied as he walked to the window.

  “Thank you, your highnesses,” Klaus said and turned around to leave.

  Klaus made sure not to ignore Danka. Dreyko was the devil himself. But compared to his sister, he was an angel.

  “The door code is 8646,” he added as he entered it0.

  The doors slid shut and The Twins were by themselves. It was close to midnight. Dreyko stared blankly into the night. His sister walked over to him and hugged him from behind, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

  “We’re almost there, sister,” he said, without breaking his blank stare, as he caressed her right arm with his left hand. “If The Scientist succeeds, then not only will we be able to spawn beyond the threshold, but we will also be able to walk in the sun again…” his voice trailed off, “like the humans.”

  “Yes, my love,” Danka whispered his ear. “No more acting from the shadows! No more hiding from sunlight. We will expand our species and create a new world in our image,” she turned him around to face her and took his face in her hands. “We will be their gods, and they will be our subjects!”

  “Indeed, sister!” he said. “And this imbecile, Hitler, thinks he will rule the world and create a pure, superior race,” they both chuckled and shook their heads.

  To them, Hitler’s ambition was cute; pure and superior race indeed. If The Scientist succeeded, no race or species will be purer and more superior than the Bright Eyes. Danka kissed him softly on the lips. But when she tried to withdraw herself, he pressed her body against his and kissed her passionately. She surrendered to his passion and returned the favor. There were a few beeps, and the doors slid open to reveal Katya wearing nothing but lingerie.

  “You asked to see me, your highnesses?” she asked, faking ignorance at their intentions.

  “Come!” Danka ordered as she peeled herself away from her brother.

  Katya stepped into the suite, entered the code, and the doors slid shut. She continued her way towards The Twins and stopped about a meter away from Danka. Danka reached out and grabbed Katya by the throat with just enough force to simulate choking. As Katya gasped for air and clawed at Danka’s arm, Danka planted a rough kiss on her mouth and forced an unnaturally long tongue down Katya’s throat. As Katya started turning blue, Danka released her. Katya staggered away, took in huge gulps of air and coughed. Dreyko then zipped towards Katya. In a flash, her lingerie was ripped away from her body, and she was pinned and spread-eagled against the wall.