by Bryan Cohen
We're not gonna make it.
The nurse must have noticed his facial assessment of the situation, because she pinched his wrist behind the patient's back. "Hey, we're gonna be fine. After all, you're here. You're not hiding like the politicians in some kind of bubble."
Ted nodded. That's when it hit him.
"Nurse, you're a lifesaver!" He paused. "Literally. In at least two ways." Ted tapped his earpiece. "Vott, Harding. You guys still there?"
"Yeah. Ted, you better–"
"I need somewhere in a three-mile radius where I can send about 20 injured people."
Vott didn't hesitate. Ted heard him tapping away on a nearby keyboard.
"There's a building we have secured and boarded up. You couldn't get in through the front."
Ted looked back to see the patients splashing their way to his position.
"Roof access?"
Vott made an affirmative noise. "What are you planning?"
"I'm gonna make a bubble."
Ted gathered all the patients and nurses in the lobby of the hospital emergency room. On the night of the prom, Ted floated the disguised Dhiraj and Jennifer through the air to lure the brainwashed mob away from their limo. Now, he was going to do the same with way more people, all while trying to protect them from the harsh effects of the storm. Ted explained his plan, but most of the looks he received back were dubious.
Nancy, the nurse he'd met, was the leader of the pack. She folded her arms in distrust. "Have you ever tried this before?"
He half-grinned. "Not really. But think of it as experimental surgery."
The nurse and the others didn't seem pleased at that line.
Ted shrugged. "One that works?"
The building uttered another large creaking noise and the ground seemed to move beneath them. A male patient in his 40s began crying, and an intern did her best to comfort him.
Ted straightened his spine. "Look, guys. I need to get you off the streets and somewhere safe. I don't know if this is going to work, but I'm here to help. Anybody who wants to take a chance with me, step forward."
Everyone in the lobby, from the patients to the doctors, stepped forward or did their best injured-version of the act.
Ted nodded. "Good. Everybody outside."
As they complied, Ted concentrated on blocking all wind and rain from coming into contact with the patients. It wasn't perfect and a few raindrops fell through, but to the naked eye, it looked like there was a clear glass box around the entire group.
The corner of the Nancy's lips turned upward as she nodded. "Okay. Okay, Super Ted."
Ted looked upward. "That's just part one. Vott, are your people in place?"
"Yes. On your cue."
Ted took a deep breath. Flying and moving objects were second nature to him now, but this was going to take all his facilities.
"Paint me a picture, Vott."
Off in the distance, through the raging storm, Ted could see a red flare fly high into the sky.
Ted locked onto all the patients, doctors and nurses and shifted them up two feet to ensure he had control. All of them moved as he intended, though even that small movement felt like he was lifting 100-pound dumbbells.
Ted tightened his face and muscles. "See you guys soon." With a hearty grunt, Ted lifted the entire group high into the air.
He heard several screams coming from the giant, invisible elevator he'd created. Ted had almost become numb to such pleas for help – the more shrieks of pain and fear he heard, the less his nervous system seemed to react. The group reached the same height as the top of the building, and Ted floated himself high into the air beside them to get a better view of the destination.
"Ready another flare."
"Alright, but it's the last one we've got."
Ted grumbled. "Next time, send your people to Costco to get 'em in bulk."
As he pushed the patients away from the hospital, the hardest part was keeping himself steady in the storm. The wind and rain beat against his face so hard, he could hardly feel it anymore. He was about to ask for the other flare when a giant gust of wind picked up his body and sent it flying. In his effort to regain control, he lost the protection around the bubble, though the group remained steady in the air.
Ted watched as the patients' paper gowns became drenched and the wind pushed the medical equipment every which way. He shuddered.
"Flare. Now!"
Ted thought the wind might rip the clothes from his body before Vott could comply. Thankfully, the red flare shot into the sky and Ted used all his energy to push the group to the rooftop as fast as possible. In the distance, Ted could barely see as they moved into position above the roof.
"Are they directly above?"
"Yes. Lower them. I'll let you know when to let go."
As Ted agreed, he heard something in his mind. Thoughts of fear and pain wafted through that he hadn't noticed before. He was reading the mind of a little girl – a girl who was still inside the hospital.
"Alright, you can let them go. Get out of there, Ted. The worst of the storm is coming your way."
Ted looked up at the clouds and saw a tint of orange begin to paint the sky. He shook his head. "Can't do it. There's someone still inside."
Ted zipped back down to ground level and went back in through the front. The rising water level on the ground had doubled through the almost deserted building.
"Ted, this is an order. Get out of there now!"
With his first step, Ted felt the liquid sloshing over the top of his waterproof boots. His socks were soaked.
"Are you gonna help me, or do I have to take out my earpiece like they do in the movies?"
Vott mumbled something to himself. "I'll help, but act quick."
The shuddering of the hospital had grown louder and Ted watched as several ceiling tiles and beams dropped to the ground. He searched his mind to find the girl. By pinpointing her thoughts, he detected her on the opposite side of the building. Ted's powers were somewhat weakened by his bubble rescue, but he used every last reserve to push himself to go faster. The girl's thoughts grew louder and louder until he walked into a room with several beds. There she was, standing on top of a pile of sheets in an effort to get away from the water.
A loud beam crashing down in the hallway caused her to squeal. Ted fought an urge to do the same and spoke like a parent.
"Hey, honey. I'm Ted."
The girl shivered and stared. "I'm Sophie."
"Good to meet you. Can I get you out of here, Sophie?"
The girl breathed so hard and fast, Ted feared she might hyperventilate. But through all that, the girl nodded her assent.
Ted wrapped his arm around her waist and flew the two of them out of the room. As he did, he heard a pipe burst in the distance and a flood of new water came pouring in. The water level was now up to Ted's knees. Sophie cried out and buried her head in Ted's chest.
"It's ok. We'll get out of–"
A beam came crashing down from the ceiling and hit Ted right in the back of the skull. He lost his hold of the girl and they both tumbled into the water. Ted's face made impact with the flood first. His eyes stung with whatever was floating around in the water. When he came back up for air, Sophie was nowhere to be seen. Ted felt his pulse race.
"Sophie?!"
He dove under the water. Ted looked in every direction but he couldn't see the girl. He felt his breath grow heavy. As Ted left the water, he saw something he never would've expected. In the middle of the crumbling building and the water, there was a blue portal hovering a few inches off the ground. Amidst the chaos, the shimmering light from whatever it was remained calm and steady. Sophie was right beside it, and though the water was up to her midsection, she waded toward the gateway.
"Sophie, no!"
Before Ted could stop her, the girl had disappeared through the blue portal. Ted ran toward the phenomenon, but it closed with a sound that reminded him of arcade Pac-Man. As he reached for where the portal had been, anoth
er series of beams fell to the ground and surrounded him.
"Ted, are you out of the building?"
Before Ted could respond, the rest of the hospital came down on top of him.
Chapter 6
With Erica on the phone, Natalie turned on the flashlight app on her cell phone. She saw a green slithering tail in the distance. Natalie growled.
Come to the cave, she said. It'll be fun, she said.
Erica tucked the phone away and bent her elbow in a stretch. "The line went dead, but I got through to Daly."
Natalie gave Erica a puzzled look. "And you asked for help, right?"
Erica bent over and touched her toes.
Natalie grabbed Erica by the shoulder. "Hey, Captain Flexibility. Did you ask for help?"
Erica took Natalie's wrist and removed her hand. "What, you think we can't handle this ourselves?"
Natalie threw her hands up in the air. "I guess we don't have much of a choice."
Natalie and Erica both shined their lights ahead, only to catch the lizard creature running toward them at full speed.
The beast swiped at them with its claws, but Natalie tucked and rolled out of the way. She looked back to see Erica finishing a backflip to avoid the attack.
"Show off." Natalie tossed her flashlight phone to the ground, which skidded against the stone. She formed her hands into fists.
The phone provided enough light to see the creature in its full form. Natalie figured it was about eight feet tall and wider than her and Erica put together. Not that being twice as wide as Erica would even qualify as a size 6.
The creature's gurgling noise bounced against the walls as it came for Erica. When it reached for her again, the protector did a split underneath the lizard. With a powerful punch, she nailed the beast directly in the crotch.
The creature howled in pain and fell backward onto the hard stone with a thump. Erica pushed herself up on the ground and joined Natalie by her side.
Natalie smirked. "What's with you and groins?"
Erica raised an eyebrow. "I was brainwashed and drunk. Are you ever gonna let that go?"
Natalie eyed the lizard squirming on the ground. "Nope."
Quicker than either of them expected, the creature sprung back to standing. He ran toward them so fast that Erica didn't have time to block the blow that sent her back-first into the wall. The lizard grabbed Natalie by the waist and lifted her into the air, ripping her shirt as its claws had grasped her. When she squirmed to get herself free, the scent of half-digested insects blew out at her from his mouth.
"From all that gurgling, I thought you'd be a mouthwash fan."
When the creature gave Natalie a confused look, she reared back her fist and connected with one of its eyes. Her knuckles stung against the lizard's orbital bone as the creature released his grip to cover its bleeding eye. Natalie looked to Erica, but she was missing from her previous spot.
As the stunned lizard tended to his sight, Erica ran and leapt from the other side of the room. She wrapped her legs around the creature's back and shot a blue wave of electricity between her hands. Erica moved her fingers to either side of the creature's head and let the lightning rip.
Natalie watched as the lizard fell chest-first and lifeless to the ground. Erica flashed her perfect prom queen smile. Natalie was grateful enough not to hate it for the time being.
"You couldn't have led with the brain zapping?" Natalie felt at the holes in her shirt.
Erica crouched down beside the lizard. "And take away all that fun we just had?"
"Your definition of fun is–"
The lizard gurgled himself awake. Natalie ran in to deliver the final blow, but Erica held her back.
"Just wait."
As the lizard got back to a standing position, his disposition had changed completely. His snarling face had relaxed itself to a vacant stare. He almost looked human, aside from being green and scaly.
"Great." Natalie folded her arms. "Now we have a lizard zombie. Just what I always wanted."
Erica rolled her eyes. "Hey buddy, can you help us get outta here?"
The lizard nodded and began walking toward the cave entrance. As the two of them followed, Erica tried her cell phone again.
"Damn."
Natalie gave Erica a sideways glance. "Calling animal control?"
Erica sighed. "I doubt our friend here is the only one in town."
As they reached the pile of rocks that blocked the entrance, the lizard started moving the rubble to the side.
Natalie scratched her head. "Why don't you ask him?"
Erica smiled. "Good idea. Hey lizard-breath, what's the grand plan?"
The creature began gurgling with a series of indiscernible grunts.
Erica cleared her throat. "In English, if it's not too much trouble."
The creature mimicked Erica's throat-clearing and began speaking with some difficulty. "The books. The sword. Gatekeeper."
As astounded as Natalie had been to see a giant lizard in the first place, she was even more impressed it could speak English.
"It can talk?"
"Draconfolk usually know multiple languages." Erica seemed preoccupied. "What did you mean by gatekeeper?"
The lizard continued to push the rocks out of the way as a sliver of light cut in from the outside world.
"Gatekeeper. Dark soul."
Erica joined in beside the lizard and started moving the stone away as well. "No, no, no, no, no."
Natalie did her best to help beside Erica. "What is it?"
"It's impossible."
"What's impossible?"
Erica ran her hands through her hair, causing small pebbles lodged in her curls to drop to the ground. "Gatekeepers control the flow of people between worlds. Their locations are secret and hidden. If one was turned into a dark soul, all the worlds could be in deep trouble."
All the otherworldly things Natalie had seen so far – the lizard, Mr. Redican's mind control, Nigel's gang of thugs – had been frightening, even to her. She had no desire to see what else the other worlds had to offer.
"What're we going to do?"
Erica and the lizard cleared a large enough hole for the three of them to escape the cave. She took Natalie by the shoulder.
"We kill her before she can do any damage. We need to get to the sheriff's right away."
Natalie felt the brightness of the sun burn her eyes after they'd spent so much time in the cave. They crawled out and walked to Natalie's car. The lizard followed closely behind Erica like a lost duckling.
Natalie gestured in the creature's direction. "What are we gonna do with him? No way he's gonna fit in my car."
Erica paused her momentary panic for a wide grin. "I think I've got an idea." She looked at Natalie. "You ever learn to ride a horse?"
Chapter 7
Dhiraj watched the top hinge of the door to the Sheriff's Department snap clean off and clank on the ground. He felt his heart skip a beat. Dhiraj looked over at the sheriff, who seemed to have forgotten about hating him for the time being.
He gestured to the hinge. "That does not inspire confidence."
The sheriff nodded. "Backup should be here any second."
As if on cue, a set of sirens blared through the parking lot. The sheriff got on the radio to the cars outside while Dhiraj scampered over to a window to watch.
"The creature at the door is extremely dangerous." The sheriff attempted to sound as assuring as he could. "You have a green light to fire. I repeat, a green light."
Dhiraj could see a few vehicles block off the entrance to the lot. Several deputies and officers came out with their guns drawn. While Dhiraj couldn't watch the creature from his vantage point, the terrified looks on the officers' faces clued him in that the lizard had turned his attention toward them.
"Fire!"
The sheriff's command roused the officers who began taking shots at the lizard. Dhiraj covered his ears from the noise and backed away from the window. He could feel his pulse racin
g as fast as the officers fired. While the first couple of shots elicited groans from the creature, the next set seemed to ricochet off him, like he'd toughened up his scales into armor. With bullets no longer working, they tossed two canisters of tear gas in the lizard's direction. A thick cloud of smoke blocked Dhiraj's vision. The sounds of gunfire and screaming had given way to silence. Several long beats of nothingness went by.
"I need a visual on the creature." Sheriff Norris had a growl to his voice. "Can someone give me eyes on that thing?"
An officer with a shaky voice replied. "That's a negative. Wait a second, I see something."
Dhiraj looked back at the window and saw the green creature emerging from the smoke. The roar it gave was so intense, one of the officers collapsed to the ground in fear. Dhiraj's nervous system considered forcing him to do the same. He gripped the windowsill and watched the creature approach the officers. The lizard put his claws underneath the front of one car and promptly flipped it over. It landed with a crash as glass scattered on the pavement.
The sheriff looked over at Dhiraj. "Alright, kidnapper, got any bright ideas?"
Dhiraj turned away from the mayhem in the parking lot. He wasn't a tactician; he was a businessman. But Dhiraj knew he'd have little chance to make his fortune if the two of them couldn't keep the creature at bay. He glanced at the box of apple fritters. An idea began to form in his head.
"You guys ever have to do any trapping in the woods?"
The sheriff caught Dhiraj's drift immediately and barked out orders to Doris, one of the only people in the office not cowering behind a desk.
"What else do you need?"
Dhiraj tried to visualize his plan as he looked around, ignoring the sounds of roaring and breaking glass from outside. "I need the books. And the sword."
The sheriff nodded and went into his office. When Dhiraj followed, he watched the man remove a family portrait from the wall and open a safe behind it. Inside, Dhiraj could see the five books encased in clear plastic, as well as the sword.
