He, along with Destroyer renegades, stole our people's ship. They could have only gone to one place, Earth, on their own mission. We crushed their Destroyer Uprising years ago, but we couldn't put their cause out completely. They rose again—and we believe are now on Earth. We can't know for sure. The thieves took our only communication belt.
Fear prickled through Laura. When was this?
Seven years ago. Right after my wife died in a lab accident. We were readying for our mission when it happened.
I'm so sorry.
The man nodded. We had to start over with limited resources. Our new ship is almost ready.
And you think your brother is here?
He always wanted to go to Earth, like our brother, Feo, his twin, who died in a crash there years ago. I assume he made it to Earth. And he knows all about your ways. We've watched Earth for many years through our communication belt. We've studied your culture. Your language. Your needs. Your desires. My brother has all this information now. He'll know how to infiltrate your society.
That sounds sinister.
Yes. His choice to stand with these renegades and do what he did can mean only one thing.
The fear that had prickled now grew to a stabbing frenzy inside her. What?
He is a Destroyer, too.
Terror shot through Laura at that one word. It's what her brother had been. A remorseless killer with a burning thirst for revenge. A monster with immense powers to destroy.
Brahm, what's your brother's name?
Adrian.
His face disappeared and moonlight through her bedroom window glowed down.
"Laura, what are you doing?" Ben knelt down, one hand on her belt pressing the button to send her spirit back here, the other on her shoulder. He shook her gently.
"They're coming." She gasped, stunned to be back in her room.
He rubbed her arms to stop her shaking. "When?"
"I don't know. I must go back and find out." She put her hand on her belt, but Ben pulled it away.
"No, Laura. Enough for now. We'll know when they come."
Fear over who would arrive made her quake inside. Were her headaches from this Adrian seeking her out? And for what purpose? When she spoke to him all those years ago through the belt he had been kind and encouraging. He had been nothing like her evil twin. He couldn't be a Destroyer. Brahm had to be wrong. And Adrian and her Elyon father, Feo, were twins, too.
Ben helped her take the belt off and put it away then led her back to bed and lay beside her. "What else did they say?"
She didn't tell him. If she did then she would have to think about it.
"Nothing else," Laura mumbled into his arm. He kissed the back of her neck and held her close, his hand stroking her hair. Pain wormed its way inside her head. Another migraine. Like the ones she had when her twin had once sought her out. Who sought her out now?
She gave into her exhaustion as her body's need for sleep trumped her fears.
CHAPTER 10
The man in her dream chased her through the dark mountain woods.
He looked familiar. Like her twin who once chased her. The man's white hair shone like a spotlight under the full moon. He raced around trees seeking her out. Once when she looked back his yellow eyes glowed with evil. He grinned at her, and in his grin she saw her death.
His pale, naked body rippled with muscles as he moved in fluid motion toward her. He seemed to fly over the mossy forest floor, his feet never landing on earth. She ran faster but her clumsy pregnant body defied her. She stumbled and grabbed onto a tree. She was naked, too, and in her nakedness she felt a deep vulnerability and shame.
Faster she ran.
The mountain trail zigzagged. The heavy growth grabbed at her, slowing her down. She plunged through a creek, slipping on rocks, and peered behind her when she reached the bank. He was gone. If—when—he caught her he would torture her slowly and rip her baby from her body. He would leave her here to die, with her child, in this wilderness. She would be forced to watch her newborn torn apart and eaten by wild beasts. And in this knowing, she would crush her baby's head with a rock before he suffered such a hideous death.
Pain sliced through her. Water gushed between her legs
The baby was coming. Here. Now.
In this ancient, godless wood with the devil chasing her.
She staggered up the bank seeking refuge. She doubled over and fell to her knees. There. A curved bush with a den inside. She crawled on pine needles to her sanctuary, scratching her knees and stomach.
She fell on her side and curled up in pain. Daggers ripped through her.
Breathe. Breathe.
Charlie had come so fast. This one would, too. The pain subsided and she rolled onto her back, praying the killer stayed afar. Moonlight stabbed through the branches, exposing her. She pulled herself further into her wooded cave. A lone owl hooted above, announcing her hideaway. Laura darted her eyes back and forth from tree to tree, but the woods remained empty.
Pain grabbed her harder, tightened across her belly like a giant fist pounding into her. She scrambled in the dirt for a twig, in between gasps and grunts. She bit down hard on a stick, swallowing sour grit. Pressure pushed all around. And such pain. She held her legs up, from underneath, widening the way for her child. She felt his head between her legs, pulsing to get out. Not here. Not now. Oh God, help me.
Then a laugh cut across her hell. The man strode up the creek bank toward her. His white skin glowed in the black around her. He stopped to watch the intimate scene. She was spread wide open to him, presenting him with her sex that had once spread wide open to Ben in love, presenting him with pleasure. Now her pleasure pushed out against her will. She had nowhere to run. Laura screamed from deep within as her child ripped her with each push.
"Finish your work, Laura. He will be mine."
"N—never," she sobbed.
Rip. Push.
She spat out the wood and screamed and screamed. Life pulsed violently between her legs. Her skin stretched over her child as he forced his way into the world. Her screams turned to moans. She bit her lip to stop herself from fainting.
Then the pressure disappeared. She cradled her child and pulled him to her chest, bloodied and alive. She wiped the mucus away, her tears spilling onto him. Ben's face. His lungs burst forth with a glorious cry. She placed him to her breast and his little pink mouth grabbed on. His suckling shot deep heat to her core.
"Benny, my little Benny."
Laura tried to stagger up but fell back, her child still connected to her.
"Please, let me save my child." She ran her fingers through the dirt around her, desperate for a rock. She finally clutched one in her hand, the other holding her child tight. His suckling noises spoke of beauty and life in this place of despair. She looked at the rock in her hand and looked at her son's tiny head. Would her killing him be a blessing?
The man sneered, his flattened features stretched across his face, and he moved toward her. She shrank back into her cave.
"He is mine, Laura. Ours."
He knelt before her, his monstrous naked form filling her space. She held her son tighter to her breast.
"Let him live. Please, let him live," she whispered.
The monster pulled her son from her in one swift movement. He chomped down on the umbilical cord with his savage jaws and ripped it in two.
"No!" Laura struggled to stand, but the man shoved her down. Her bloody and wailing baby branded the man's chest with stark streaks. The man's mouth was painted with her blood. Her son's blood.
"He is my son now."
The monster turned and ran through the woods. She crawled on the forest floor after him, praying the evil man would indeed let her child live. She tried to stand but fell. Her sobbing stole her breath. She gasped for air. Death was welcome.
She opened her eyes. Ben's hand closed around her throat. He knelt over her, his eyes burned fierce in hers. Hate filled his face.
"Ben," she sputtered
out as he choked her. She flailed about trying to get free.
He pulled her up and slammed her down into the bed over and over. She clawed at his hands.
"Ben, please."
His eyes grew wide. Brute hands fell away. She rolled over and gasped for air, pushing herself up from the bed.
"Laura, Laura," Ben cried into his hands. He raised his face to hers, dazed. "What have I done?"
Laura stared at him in shock and confusion. "I—I don't know." She fell into the corner chair. Ben came to her but she sank deeper in the chair. His hands fell to his sides. His face twisted in torment.
"Ben, you tried to kill me. Our child."
"No. No." He sat heavy on the edge of the bed.
"You choked me." Laura rubbed her neck, her throat so sore. "Water."
Ben got her a drink and handed it to her. She took it with trembling hands, avoiding his touch. She watched him as she drank. He looked sad and terrified at the same time.
"Could a dream make me do something so awful?" He shook his head in disbelief.
"What was your dream?"
"I chased a monster that wanted you. He wanted our baby."
Fear poured over Laura in a cold sweat. "Then what?" It came out a whisper.
"I grabbed him from behind and choked him. But why did I choke you?" Ben reached for her hand. She stared at it then pulled away.
"Maybe it's me. My hormones from pregnancy conflicting with my powers and affecting you."
"But nothing like this happened the last time you were pregnant."
"I'm older now. Maybe my abilities are coming out in strange ways." She desperately wanted to believe that.
"Maybe." Ben didn't look so sure. "I read women can have pregnancy rage. For now, I should sleep in the guest room."
She wanted it to be hormonal rage affecting Ben and not something else. "One more month, Ben."
"Yes, one more month and everything will be normal again."
Laura knew he didn't believe it. He held her tight but she couldn't stop reliving the nightmare from long ago, where another evil man chased her through the woods. Only the man had become real. He had watched her from afar through his mind's eye in his cell. Her twin. And when he escaped and came for her she had two choices—redeem him or kill him. But he killed himself, a tormented man who believed he would never be anything other than a monster.
Now a frighteningly similar man chased her in her dreams again. Was he real, too? She grew faint from holding her breath wishing the idea away and moved into Ben. He kissed her once then left for the guest bedroom as promised. The door click behind him and took his warmth with him.
She stared out the window. The sunrise peeked over the trees, shedding warmth and light to their world in a comforting glow. Only their world now seemed dark. She closed her eyes and hugged her arms to her body. How would they find the light again?
CHAPTER 11
Charlie's stomach flopped with all the things Ghost Man had told him the night before. Now he was running late for school, but he had no intention of going there today. The woods called to him—and Ghost Man.
He got dressed and slunk down the hall to the kitchen. He hoped his dad had left for a photo shoot already and his mom had stayed in bed. No such luck. He turned the corner and there sat both his parents in the kitchen. His mom rocked by the bay window. His dad sat at the kitchen table and stared at her. No chatter. No breakfast being made. No radio on with his mom singing to some cheesy 80s song. His shoe squeaked on the floor and they turned to look at him.
"Charlie, where did you go last night?" His mom raised herself up from the chair.
He grabbed a muffin from a bowl on the counter and wolfed it down. "I had to think."
"You can think at home." She frowned.
"No I can't, okay?" He busied himself pouring orange juice. He didn't want to see his mom's angry face. He didn't know how he felt about her right now. Or himself.
"Well, for the next two weeks you will because you're grounded."
Charlie looked at his dad for help, but he sat there staring at his hands. "Dad?"
His dad looked up. "You heard your mom. Grounded." Then he looked past him through the window.
What was going on? This whole scene felt wrong. He'd rather his dad yell at him. Do something. But he just sat there and said no more.
His mom crossed her arms and looked over at his dad. "Your dad is with me on this one, Charlie. You're only fourteen. Nine is your curfew on a school night. You can't be out until midnight. I was worried. God knows what wild animals roam the woods at night."
"Wild animals are better than some people."
"They're unpredictable, which is why they're called wild."
"So are people, Mom." He shook his head and adjusted his back pack. "I gotta go to school."
His mom sighed. "Take the bus home today." She moved closer and stood on tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." He hugged her quick. She looked so sad. He opened the door and looked back. His dad still sat there, looking out the window. "Bye, Dad."
His dad looked up at him and nodded but didn't say another word. Charlie escaped the dreary scene and ran down the path, pretending to head to school by the road. When he looked back, his mom had resumed her vigil at the front window. She rocked and rocked. He waved once, but she must not have seen him. She didn't wave back.
He rounded the first bend and dashed into the woods. He hooked up with the trail and headed for the meadow. He needed answers.
A lone hawk soared overhead, piercing the sky with its cry. Chipmunks and squirrels bounced off tree branches as he passed. They nattered madly as if his presence disturbed their sanctuary. Then they ran off, leaving him with the mere sound of his feet crunching on leaves. His breath hung in the air, great frosty clouds leading the way. He reached the meadow. Ghost Man waited for him.
Charlie looked at Ghost Man across the field. I could be a father to you, he heard in his head.
Ghost Man walked toward him. "You know it to be true, in your heart, Son. Your darkest of hearts, Charlie-boy. A dark heart. Like mine. I can show you what you truly can be. Your real father never can. He is only a human. I can show you all the things you can have. Power. Acceptance. Belonging. Respect. And love."
"Love?" Charlie met him halfway across the meadow.
"Girls." Ghost Man smiled at him. "You are into girls, aren't you?"
"Yes." Charlie looked up at the cold, blue sky and shoved his hands back in his pockets.
"You can have all the girls you want."
Charlie stood before Ghost Man and looked down at his feet.
"And you won't be a freak anymore."
Charlie slammed a fist into his hand. "Good."
"And you can use your powers all the time. You won't have to hide them anymore."
"You can show me…in person? You're real then? You exist…somewhere?"
"Yes. I'm not far. And I'm coming for you, my Charlie-boy. I've been waiting all these years for you to be ready. Are you ready?"
Charlie moved closer. He reached out his hand to touch Ghost Man's apparition. His fingers moved through the ghost before him. "We are the same?"
"Yes. You belong with me."
"And my mom."
"Yes, she will be with us, too."
Charlie frowned and stared at him. "She never talked about you."
"She never knew I existed."
Charlie chewed on his lip. "What about my dad?"
"He will be welcome, of course." Ghost Man smiled at him.
"I don't want to be a freak anymore. My mom will want to know about you."
"Let's keep it our secret for now. We'll surprise her together."
"And my dad."
"Of course. I can help you see into your future."
"You mean I can see myself as a grown up?"
"Yes. See the man you will become. See a life of comfort and riches and all you desire."
All I desire. It made Charlie dizzy to think about havi
ng all he wanted. Money. Girls. Popularity.
"But my mom said everyone died though. Who's everyone?"
"Our planet is dying and our people there will too someday. I came here with others so our people could survive. You can be part of it. I lead the community, and you can help me lead. People will look up to you."
"To me?"
"Yes. Isn't it what you want? To belong?"
"I never belonged here. But I can't be an…alien."
"Yes."
"A freak."
"Not to me. Not to our people."
"Why didn't you tell me this years ago? Tell my mom…and my dad?"
"I had to be sure you were ready. I wanted your mom to be ready, too. In her own way. Are you ready then?"
Charlie looked around the silent woods and up into the sky, a place he had never thought beyond before. He looked at his fingers and back at Ghost Man. Was this all really happening?
"I need you, Charlie-boy."
He had come back for a reason. This had to be it. "I'm ready."
"Now, let me tell you everything."
"First, tell me your name."
"Adrian Madroc."
"Adrian." Charlie said his name slow, new on his lips. "Okay, now tell me everything."
And Adrian spoke to him as a father would to a son, with understanding and love.
As Charlie had always hoped his dad would.
Adrian watched Charlie head home under the bright, fall sky. The time had been right to reveal all to the boy. He could soon accept his destiny and become the true Destroyer he was meant to be. How amazing to guide his grandnephew through his breeding initiation. Together they would raise the standards of their people and build their empire. The day was coming when their community would be integrated within the human world.
He had described the rich history of his people to Charlie—of Elyons and of his secret society of Destroyers—and how his flock had flourished here on Earth without fear of persecution. He instilled a yearning and want in the boy to follow him. He answered the boy's questions with patience, dropping tantalizing seeds to grow inside. He had spent years building up trust in the boy. It would all pay off now.
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