A Hidden Element

by Donna Galanti

  She must accept the Destroyer side of herself. It hibernated in their genes since the beginning of time. And as humans were once primitive cave people, so were Elyon Destroyers. They had once ruled their planet with fire and fist. Survival of the fittest reigned for them, too, long ago when their civilization began. And it would be so again.

  Laura's voice grew closer, wafting over him. He waited for her to come to him.

  He had waited seven years for this. He could wait a little longer.

  Charlie led the way through the dank tunnel. Sickly verdant shadows rose and fell on the packed mud walls as the glow stick lit the way to freedom. The stagnant air smelled old and unused. Charlie's head brushed the ceiling and dirt fell. Bits caught in Laura's mouth and musty grit rolled around her tongue. She spit it out, leaving a metallic tang behind, and adjusted Benny who slept soundly.

  Her eldest son charged through this black hole seeking out what he sought to save. She sensed his guilt and sorrow and his need to right his wrongs. She struggled to keep up with him as Benny weighed heavier across her chest with each step. She held out her hand to steady herself, running her fingers along the knobby edges of their safe passage. In some spots her hands came away wet from slimy water that ran down.

  Memories took her to another tunnel where she and Ben had run for their lives years ago. The men she loved, and her tormented twin she wanted to love, were crushed to death that night. She left them behind then. She would not leave behind her men today.

  "Charlie, slow down," she whispered. His shoulders jerked as if she had startled him. His steps slowed and he fell in beside her. The tunnel was barely wide enough for both of them.

  "Got to get to Dad…if what Caleb said is true."

  "I believe him." Laura put a hand on his arm. He squeezed her fingers for a brief moment as if making a pact for it to be true.

  "It's all my fault he's here underground. All alone and hurt, if he's not dead. Like Leah."

  "He's not dead. I feel his spirit."

  Charlie stopped and turned to her. "Do you?"

  She nodded.

  "Why don't I?"

  "I don't know. Perhaps you aren't as in tune to him as I am." She smiled at him to quell his worry. "You shut him out quite a bit after all. When we get out of here—and we will get out of here—you can make it up to him."

  "I want to." And he took off walking fast again.

  They half jogged in silence for a bit. She had no idea how far down they were but they would be found missing soon.

  "Charlie, maybe Leah isn't dead. Caleb said he could revive her."

  "But how will I ever know?"

  "She meant something to you."

  "I never had a girl like me. Crazy in this place, right?" He slowed and looked at her, biting his bottom lip.

  "Did you…do anything with her?"

  "Mom."

  "Please."

  He looked away and shook his head. "We kissed. We were supposed to be…like shooting stars. Dumb."

  She took his hand. "Not dumb. Special."

  "Yeah." She stopped pressing him.

  They jogged in silence then Charlie spoke again. "I wanted to be a Seeker, like Adrian."

  "To see into the future?"

  "Yeah, but now I'm not so sure I want to know the future—the world's or mine. I think it may be better to just to let the future happen, you know?"

  Laura's heart swelled with love. "I do know."

  She was going to say more, when a dark haze filled the tunnel before her, darker than the earth clutches that held them. Shadows and light blended in a twisting kaleidoscope. She pulled Charlie back. Evil hung in the damp air like a poisonous spider waiting to ensnare them with its vile venom.

  "What is it?" Charlie bent down to her.

  "How much further?" she whispered back, dread filling her throat like water rushing in a drowning boat.

  "It doesn't look far on the map."

  She took the glow stick from Charlie and inched forward, motioning him to be quiet and still. The dim light lit the few feet in front of them then faded to the black beyond. Water dripped from the ceiling. It fell on her forehead, cold and lifeless. The kaleidoscope cleared. A draft blew across her as if someone had moved. Someone waiting in stillness. A predator poised to catch its prey.

  A rusty smell snaked up her nose.

  Blood. Death waited for them ahead. She fought the urge to turn back and flee.

  Scrape. Scrape.

  It was so faint yet struck her ears like a cannon shooting off. Charlie flinched. He'd heard it, too.

  She stepped back as Charlie lunged forward.

  "No!" She reached out for him but he was gone.

  He sprinted away into the darkness. A thwack echoed through the tunnel. Then a thud. The ground shook. She screamed and ran into a darker hell.

  CHAPTER 42

  Caleb walked fast through the halls. He wanted to run but didn't want to cause suspicion. Elyons flowed around him heading to their day jobs. Many called out to him in greeting. They chatted around him about the blizzard. The lights flickered. They buzzed again about the generator, but Caleb just nodded and hurried on his way.

  His mind jumped with all that had transpired and what was yet to come. Irrational thoughts clouded his reasoning. Of Leah rising from the dead on her own. Of Adrian going on a rampage and killing Elyons randomly. And of Adrian stalking Laura right now, but it was impossible. His father had been drugged and locked in a cell. Stop it.

  He stretched and cracked his knuckles. He felt like his body was split in two, needing to be in many places at once. He wanted to save everyone but how could he? With Tollen in charge things would be different. Could he get his sons back? Could Laura and her family escape, and if they did, what did that mean for their community? Would the world discover them? Could he start life anew with his sons in the human world? All the possibilities rushed through him, fueling his adrenalin spike. One thing at a time now.

  He stopped by the infirmary and while the dispenser was distracted, stole a drug syringe. Just in case. He reached the door to the courtyard. The quickest way to the sanctuary. White blew across the once bare stones. The cleaners had been hard at work clearing the snow, but a fresh inch covered it already and more blew down. He peered through the frozen frenzy. Laura and her family were in it now trudging through this madness back to their life.

  He flung open the door and shoved it behind him as the storm grabbed him. He ran to the sanctuary door, head down, and nearly fell through the door as a gust shoved him in. The sanctuary remained empty. Candles flickered lower. Only the scratching of the snow on the skylight broke through the quiet. He pulled aside the curtains under the altar.

  There she lay in death. He pushed the strewn candlesticks aside and pulled Leah out onto the floor. Her hair flowed around her peaceful face, pale in the candlelight. The snow on his robe melted and fell on her cheek, like tears she would never cry again unless he revived her.

  He wiped the snow away, pushed up her robe sleeves, and massaged her arms. They were cold and stiff, but she was still beautiful. And evil. He breathed life into her. Willed energy to once again flow into her limbs, for blood to pump through her veins. He felt his energy draining as he passed her his life force. He had to for Charlie and for himself. This is what he did. He saved lost souls.

  Pink infused her skin. Her neck pulsed once again with life. She arched her back and gasped, taking in a deep breath. She opened her eyes, shocked to see Caleb. She reached up a trembling hand and placed her fingers on his face. He peeled them away.

  "You're alive, Leah. It's what Charlie wanted."

  "You too."

  He looked down at her with disgust. "No."

  She lifted her face to his. Her soft lips, warmed by blood, moved across his lips. "You saved me even though…"

  He pulled away. "Even though you tried to kill Charlie and me. You're a murderer. And you'll have to answer to Brother Tollen now."

  She smiled. "I can answer to y
ou right now."

  She unzipped her robe and slipped out of it. The sight of her breasts and dark mound seized him and filled him with need. Lust raged in him like a dam let loose. Why? Murderous female! And then she knelt on the floor, her bottom presented to him. And between those luscious legs her dewy slit beckoned and beguiled him. He wanted to plunge into her. He gathered his robe up and mounted her. What was he doing? Wild urges overcame him. He bent over her, grabbed her swaying breasts and squeezed them until he thought he would explode.

  No! This is wrong. And a big mistake to open his mind to her.

  You want me, C-a-l-e-b. She sang in his head.

  Bad. But he couldn't stop. Didn't want to stop.

  He gripped her hips, poised to ravage her. His engorged tip throbbed to enter her.

  Then pain crashed in his head. Now you'll die.

  He moaned and fell on his side. She stood up, pulled on her robe, and smiled.

  "I'm too strong for you. Weak is what you are, like Adrian said. And now he's weak, too. Like father like son."

  He pushed through the pain. She bent down and stroked his hair.

  "Sweet Caleb. Too sweet for your own good." Her lips brushed his cheek.

  And he jammed the syringe into her neck, pushing down on its plunger. She shrieked and fell back clawing at it. Pain still raged in his head but lessened as she huddled on the floor. He grabbed her leg and shook her with all the strength he had.

  "Bitch," he said. "That's what humans call a malicious, promiscuous female."

  "You're so dead," she whispered.

  "Or a female dog," Caleb continued. The pain disappeared as her hold left him. He got to his knees. The room tilted. "You're both I think. Willing to get on all fours and do your seduction act to get what you want no matter the cost to others."

  He stared down at her as she moaned. The drug would knock her out soon for a few hours, rendering her powers useless. He did what Charlie wanted, what he had to do. He didn't take life. He saved life.

  She was a strong Destroyer. She had come back from the dead with frightening strength and determination. He thought of what she could and would do by Tollen's side and it terrified him. Together they could lead a new Destroyer Uprising on Earth.

  Then he thought of her being lobotomized and it brought him even greater pleasure than the night they had together. She had used him. He could have loved her as he had once loved Rachel. He had let his cautious guard down and let his emotions take him to another place. If he ever found Rachel again he would find that place again.

  "Seductive witch," he said to her. "Now you'll be powerless."

  He tried to stand, but his legs buckled and he fell on top of her.

  "And you'll be dead." Her face skewed in hatred as she struggled to push him off.

  He braced himself on her to get up and out of the corner of his eye the blur of her arm swung down.

  Something hard crashed down on his skull. Fire cut a searing path through his head.

  The alarm bell gonged. Over and over. It's metal peal clanged an urgent cry.

  The last words he heard whispered were, "Forever dead."

  CHAPTER 43

  A truck seemed to pin Charlie to the floor. Fire burned his lungs. Air. He had to get air, but a knee on his chest held him down. A bug skirted across his hand. He yanked it away and struggled against the massive body covering his own. The smell of sweat and copper swept over him, alongside a cruel laugh. Adrian. Light grew in the dark. Green pulsed on the walls. His mom's screams echoed around him. Adrian pulled him up and clamped his arm across him, trapping him to his chest.

  "Get off me!" Charlie yanked his arm off and stumbled back. Too easy. His mom grabbed him. Benny screamed. Adrian's face loomed in the dim light like a hollowed out skull. His mom slid along the tunnel's walls tugging at Charlie to follow. Adrian moved with them in a circle, side stepping in the battle arena.

  "We're getting my dad—my real dad—and getting out of here. You can't stop us," Charlie said. The jagged tunnel walls cut into his back as he slid along it. His mom held his fingers tight, pulling him.

  "Is that what Caleb told you? He lies. The human lowlife, Ben, is dead and buried. Rotting in a grave. Crawling with worms."

  Charlie punched him in the stomach. Adrian staggered back, bent over. Charlie smashed a fist to his head and Adrian fell on his knees. "And that's for making me like Leah."

  He kicked Adrian in the chest. The bastard fell on his side. "You were never like my dad. Maybe he's only human, but he never taught me to hurt and kill people. Even if he could, he wouldn't."

  "You're my son…Charlie…Madroc."

  "Fieldstone! It's Charlie Fieldstone, you bastard!"

  His mom tried to drag him back, but rage fueled his powers.

  Laura dug a hand into Charlie's arm as he continued to beat Adrian. Benny's wails urged her on to flee. Adrian grabbed Charlie's leg. They tumbled on the floor, a mass of muscle and fury. Their shadows flew on the walls like demons trying to escape hell.

  And hate exploded inside her. She shot a spiral of fire into Adrian's brain. Die, you monster! Adrian's screams echoed through the tunnel. She blasted him over and over with her rage. You can't have my sons.

  Mine. You're mine.

  Never.

  You're a true Destroyer. Hidden inside.

  No.

  Hate is life, my Laura.

  Love is life. Not your Laura. Ben's Laura.

  He's dead.

  No. You are.

  Her hatred grew. Adrian was right. She had the Destroyer gene in her. She wanted to tear him apart, limb from limb. Make him suffer. It had felt good when she killed the woman in the nursery. She wanted to feel the same way again with Adrian. It exhilarated and terrified her at the same time. She stood now on a high wire looking down. And she would be doomed if she jumped off and gave into her murderous rage. She had to inch her way back to the safe harbor of her heart where love resided.

  Love would save her. Hate would kill her.

  Adrian's sick thoughts snaked inside her head. They filled her with defeat and aching misery and swelled through her like a black wave of refuse. She didn't want to feel that way. She released her hate, along with his wretchedness. It exploded out of her like black poison. She heaved for breath, clasping Benny to her. Adrian's darkness spewed in her.

  She grew faint. Her hold on Adrian was sucking the power from her.

  "I told my brother a long time ago that I know about hate," she whispered. "And it's short lived—like you. Love lives forever."

  "Useless now, aren't you?" Charlie smashed his fists into Adrian over and over.

  Adrian's massive body twisted on the earth floor. "Charlie-boy."

  "Stop. Calling. Me. That!" Charlie kicked him with each word. Laura collapsed on her knees, clutching Benny as she drowned in Adrian's black soul. Her attack on him was sucking her away to his dark side.

  "Mom! What's he doing to you?"

  The stale air burned her lungs as she tried to breathe.

  "It's me," she whispered. "I can't keep him down."

  Charlie hauled Adrian up. "Stop hurting my mom." He shoved him against the tunnel wall.

  Adrian opened his eyes. "She's mine."

  Charlie pummeled him with his fists. Laura watched but couldn't move. She could barely hold Adrian hostage with her mind powers as his yellow eyes gazed at hers in the sallow light.

  Like Benny's eyes.

  Like her twin's eyes. His had held torment and self-loathing and desperation.

  Adrian's eyes held only hate. He stared at her in contorted agony and desire as her son smashed into him.

  Laura felt herself spinning into black nothing. She had to let go. And she did.

  Charlie, we need to trap him in the tunnel. Bring the ceiling down. Your dad needs us.

  Let me kill him first.

  No. You're not a killer. Not a Destroyer.

  Charlie turned to look at her. His face was a mask of hate and revenge.

&nbs
p; He nodded and flung Adrian down then dragged her away. Benny wailed louder. They backed up into the tunnel. Something flitted past her. She stumbled. A whirring filled her ears. A mass of winged black rushed past her. Wind blew across her.

  Adrian stood. His trembling finger reached for her, seeking to fill her womb again. It shook with his need but didn't turn green this time. Somehow, his powers had left him.

  No! I won't accept another child from you!

  Then the bat frenzy roared around him, beating at him as if angry he filled their space. He became a blur of muscle and wings.

  "Now, Charlie," Laura yelled.

  Packed mud blasted down. The ground quaked beneath her feet.

  Goodbye, Adrian Madroc.

  No!

  He lunged for her.

  Dirt slammed into Adrian's body. Bats exploded around him. Laura and Charlie's face faded. Their light moved away with them. Blackness engulfed him.

  "No, Laura!"

  But she disappeared, headed toward freedom. He was barricaded in. And he couldn't break through it. He ran forward and smashed into a wall of wet rock and earth. He slid his hands along it. Bashed into it again and again. Shrieked with madness.

  He slid down and leaned on the crashed down wall. Stone fists poked into his back. The bats left him. A rotten smell filled his nose. Something had crawled down here and died. Death accompanied him. Perhaps his own soon. Silence enveloped his every crevice, sucking the air out of him. The crushing weight of no escape struck him with terror and his body ached from Charlie's blows. A reminder that his prodigal son had left him. As Laura had. As Manta had.

  Manta, come back to me. Help me. Save me.

  He banged his hands on his prison wall of mud and rock. Sharp points pierced his flesh. He banged harder, forcing the pain to fuel his energy. Gasping, he leaned on his cell and wiped his face.

  No! Tears are for the weak.

  Like the tears he had cried as a child chained in a well under a night sky with only the moon for a friend. No moon befriended him here. The dark was so solid he floated in its giant space.