Nick got up and grabbed the twenty lifting it to the light. After checking to make sure it was real he shoved the money into his pocket, resuming his breakfast. The door rang and he looked towards it with no emotion. “I bet anything he forgot his underwear,” Nick muttered while walking to the door. He opened it and saw no one. Just a gust of wind hitting him while some kids were on the street playing. He closed it, thinking it was a prank. As he began to turn away he caught a glimpse of a letter on the floor.
He snatched it up, went inside, and sat down. He stared at it in confusion. The mail already came earlier today. He knew it wasn’t from his friends for two reasons; they didn't know where he lived yet and they would never take the time to sit down to write a letter. It was addressed to him though. He quickly tore it open. Getting intrigued by what it could be or whom it was from. His excitement was short-lived as he studied this typed note.
Good Morning, young Nick Rambo,
This message is both an invitation as well as directions on how to get to your new destination if you choose to accept. You should arrive at the place around five PM. Please do not be later than five fifteen. This message was sent by me, Carl, and I choose to give you this because it can be a new future for you. It’s quite simple. You should come, but if you choose not to. that is fine. You will soon forget about this, in that case.
You will report to the corner of 73rd Street and 3rd Avenue. On this corner you shall see a little white house. Stand at the entrance of the house ‘till you are introduced to three other boys. Have a good day, sir. This message is no longer needed.
Nick shook his head trying to understand the meaning of the letter. “Damn stalkers,” he told himself as he threw the letter onto the desk. Before it made contact with anything it blew into a little fire and fell to the ground in ashes. Nick slowly moved towards it, tilting his head, not sure of what to think. He backed away again and went for his shoes. At first he dismissed the letter for some crazy stalker guy. However, the letter just blew up into ash right after he finished reading it. He wasn't about to miss out on whoever or whatever sent him the letter.
“Whoa,” yelped Peter as the letter was destroyed. He looked at the ashes and touched them. It wasn't hot at all. It was just ashes of the letter lying there, cold.
He jumped as the phone ringer went off. He hurried towards his living room where the phone was. “Hello,” he answered quickly. He felt on edge after receiving the odd letter.
“Honey, are you okay?” a soft voice came through the phone. It was his mother who now sounded worried.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” He thought about telling her the events that just occurred, but he decided against it. She would just ask again later anyway.
“Have you been running around the house again thinking you’re a super hero?” Peter almost hung up the phone at the insult from his mother. She gave a couple of chuckles. “I’m only kidding around. I’ll be home in time for dinner, so don’t spoil your appetite!”
“No problem, Mom. I don’t like to eat much anyway.” He looked at the ashes wanting to find out about this place he read on the letter.
“Yeah, well, you should. Your body fat is below requirements for your age and height.” Peter glanced at his arms. He never had a problem with his body till his mom brought it up. He really didn't care much though. Just like everything else in his life it was just another thing.
“Okay Mom, I have to go now,” he replied trying to speed up the conversation. “Love you, bye,” he said quickly and received the same answer from his mother before hanging up.
The clock showed 3:45. “If I leave in a few minutes, I can probably be there with plenty of time left. Scope out the place. See who else was going to show up,” Peter thought to himself. He hurried to his room to grab his sneakers, ready for the mystery to unfold.
Marshall was lacing his shoes when his brother came in and jumped onto the end of his bed. “Matt, I’m busy, so go play with your Barbie doll or something.” Matt punched his brother in the arm as a response but didn’t budge from the bed. “Seriously - leave. If you don't I'll pound your face in.”
“I’m not a girl and I don’t play with Barbie Dolls! So why did you say I play with them, butt wiper!” Matt liked to call his brother names even if they weren’t always the right way. Marshall liked it when he did. It gave him more reasons to punch his little brother. Marshall grabbed Matt and threw him to the floor. He then proceeded to push his foot into Matt’s back so he couldn’t move. “I give! I give,” Matt shouted, trying his best to get out from under the mighty older brother's Foot of Doom.
“If you give in then be quiet! I have to get going now. So you stay here and I’ll be back in about an hour, okay?” Matt just moaned at the question. Marshall let go of his brother and stood up straight. He proceeded to open his bedroom door slowly before exiting the room. “Just do me this one favor and stay here. Don't go outside. Don't run over to the next house and scare the dog. Just sit in this house till I get back,” he said before shutting the door closed.
A cold gust of wind hit him. Marshall let the coldness flow through his body. It felt different. It wasn’t too cold, just enough to provoke Marshall to walk at a faster pace. He passed by a bunch of stores, but it was Sunday so most of them were closed. Kids were at home getting ready for a new school year while parents were returning home early to help them. It was another dreaded school year for the kid with a C minus grade average. “If the school caught on fire it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world,” he said smiling as he walked even faster to get to the destination on the letter.
He stopped as he looked down the street. He saw no one but the big empty road ahead of him. “Whoa…spooky,” he said to himself as he put on his normal grin. He walked down the block to see the others mentioned in the letter but no one was there. The letter said there would be three others. Marshall gave a quick glance back and forth but saw no one. “No freaking way am I first. I'm never first. I don't even want to be first. I look like an idiot, don't I?” he shouted as he looked to the ground.
He rested on the steps of the house and waited for the other guests to arrive. He wasted time by looking at his cell phone and text messaging his friends, which weren't really his friends outside of school. In school they seemed to be friendly enough; talking about video games, girls, and sports. Outside of school was a different story. No one ever called to hang out with him or play a game or two of football. Nothing. It was like he only existed to them inside of school.
After a few short minutes, Marshall became bored and stood up again. He kept looking up and down the blocks. He began to get irritated. “What the hell!? I knew this was a stupid idea.” He focused on the house but the windows were too dark to see anything. He shrugged. “Waste of my life,” he muttered as he turned away from the house. Before he could take another step someone was in front of him.
“What are you doing here?”
After getting the weird letter, Fred decided to go on this crazy hoax. He started walking towards his destination. From what he read, it could only be a joke, but he still didn’t get the whole burning paper thing out of his mind. He thought about telling the cops but then what proof would he have? The ashes could have been from anything. Not to mention that they were now ashes, what good would they be in an investigation? Finger prints would be impossible to gather from them. The whole idea made Fred feel uneasy but as long as there would be three others joining him it wouldn’t be so bad... At least that’s the thought he tried to console himself with until he realized that there might not be three other people there. He was just going off what the letter said. “This is how kids get abducted, isn't it?” he mumbled to himself.
He took a break to get a soda. After finishing it, he continued on his walk. It had been one long day, and since school started tomorrow he wasn’t really up to this whole joke. School was one of the most annoying things to Fred. Ever since he started high school kids have treated him like he was a freak. Even before changing his st
yle of clothing to a more Gothic look. He just wanted to fit in, but no one wanted to be friends with the chubby guy who plays video games and has never even been kissed.
He rubbed his eyes and looked forward, walking until he reached the block the address the letter stated. He slowly made his way down the block. He still wanted to be cautious just in case someone wanted to jump out and kidnap him. He also felt out of breath. Which was largely due to being out of shape. He was almost at the house now and saw someone standing near it.
Fred stopped and immediately noticed who it was. Marshall took a step towards Fred and spoke. “Why the hell are you here?” Marshall and Fred use to be the best of friends. Hanging out after school; having sleep overs when they were kids. They played video games all the time together and told each other their secrets. Then in 8th grade things changed. Marshall wanted to hang out less and less with Fred. Fred confronted him about it and it led to a huge fight. Things were never the same after that.
“I’m here on business. Why are you here?” asked Marshall. He almost seemed kind of annoyed Fred was even there. Marshall and Fred couldn’t stand each other. They trusted each other even less.
“I’m here because of business as well,” replied Fred as he walked right past Marshall towards the house. Marshall took a look at his old friend and spat at the ground. Marshall was getting ready to leave before, but now he had to stay. Seeing his old friend sparked some heated emotion he had never let go of. Once both of them reached the steps, Nick came up from behind, wiping his sweaty forehead.
“So, you’re the other people the letter mentioned, I’m guessing?” Nick spoke and the boys nodded. “Well, this is weird, isn’t it? Especially seeing as I just moved here. I didn't even know someone knew me from here.” Marshall looked at him and laughed. “Is something funny?” asked Nick who was clueless as to why Marshall was laughing at what he said.
“Oh nothing, just watch out here,” replied Marshall, who was trying to act tough. Fred rolled his eyes and walked towards Nick. He put his hand out for a handshake and Nick smiled as he obliged.
“Hey guys wait for me,” shouted Peter, who was only across the street now. “You’re the other people that are supposed to be here?” he asked once he made it across the street.
Marshall wiped his face and shook his head in disgust. “Do you see anyone else here? That means we’re the ones that are supposed to be here. Get with the program kid.” Marshall tried his best to show who was in charge here.
“Sorry, I was just…,” Peter began but Marshall just shoved him to shut up. Nick stepped in the way and pushed Marshall back, almost causing a trip.
“What’s your problem,” yelled Marshall, now back in his stance to fight. “Why you getting all up in my business over some geeky little kid,” Marshall shouted in Nick's face. Marshall wasn't the strongest kid on the block but he got into enough fights in his life to know how to handle a situation. If you stand tall, and the person you are fighting is scared, they will back down. Marshall was riding on that scenario. If not, he was willing to get into a scrap.
Nick stood there for a moment. He wasn't sure what to make of Marshall just yet. He then backed up a little. He made sure eye contact was always there though. “Don’t tempt me to kick your ass, kid,” Nick emphasized on the kid part. “I know you think you’re some big tough guy. That's fine. Picking on a guy who can't defend himself against some bully? That’s pretty low on your part.” This made Marshall’s face turn red.
“How dare you. I outta kick your…” His voice was lost as the door flung open. Carl was standing in the doorway. The boys all turned their attention to the one who wrote their letters.
“Ah, a wild bunch of kids, eh? Just what I was hoping for,” he said as a big smile swept across his face. This was the start of something new. The boys all glanced at each other as they were trying to decide what this mysterious man was doing here.
Chapter Three – Tools
Nick sat down first, with the others following his lead. After everyone was seated, Carl looked to each boy, nodding. He was reading their faces and body language. To Carl this was the interview for his new unit. “We all got a letter,” said Nick. Carl nodded, acknowledging the words. Nick looked to the other boys thinking of this as some type of joke. Maybe this was a prank to pull on the new guy in town. None of them had a smirk though. They looked even more confused than him.
“Yes, you did. All of you did and then soon after you finished reading it, they were terminated. That is correct, yes?” Carl asked and each boy nodded. “Good, well this is a big day for you. This can be the very beginning of changing your life forever. You'll be working under me. A work force that most people won't believe is possible. I promise you that what I show you here will be amazing. If you choose to accept it, that is.” The boys didn’t seem to understand any of what was spoken. Marshall let out a few chuckles, which made a very unpleasant Carl show himself. “Is there something you need, Mr. Roman?” The voice was sharp like a sword.
Marshall stopped the laughing. It was replaced with a grin. “Listen dude, your silly expectations about doing work for you is crazy. We don't even know what it is. Not to mention I don't even know who you are. However, I'd like to know the real reason you called us in here,” replied Marshall, but all Carl did was made sure eye contact was there. “Also, I would like to know why these guys are here. Why am I here? Who are you? Last thing is what was that letter thing, and how was it destroyed?” Marshall’s questions finally came to a halt. The boys looked to Marshall and then to Carl who had a wide smile on his face.
“That’s enough from you, young one.” Carl's voice was harsh. He didn't want to come across as a mean guy. However, he had to make sure they understood he was in charge. “When you speak to me you will treat me with respect. Do you understand? Some of your questions should be answered though. I will start with what you will be called. Exterminators are now your code names. They are the title you will be given.” All four boys looked at each other and then back at Carl. “You will learn of what that is in good time. Next thing Marshall asked was why you three are here.” Carl looked at the remaining three boys. “Well, to put it quite simply, you will all be partners.” The boys looked to each other, disbelief on all there faces. None of them could see themselves working with the others. “A Unit” He finished.
No one liked the idea of being partners with each other. Especially since some held on to old feuds. Marshall especially didn’t like it since he seemed to have a problem will all three but Carl spoke before he had a chance to retaliate. “My name is Carl and I will be your commander or general, whichever you would like to call me. In our terms, I would be your supervisor. The label that is given to us is titled “Bora” which means leader, teacher, or commander.” Peter's eyes widen. It almost sounded like he was thrown into some fantasy world. He usually lacked emotion but he felt somewhat excited about what he was hearing. The other boys were still more confused and cautious. “Once you read the guide the information I'm giving you will make far more sense.” Each boy looked towards the wall of the house to see four silver cases. The cases made the scene look like some top secret military secret. The boys wanted to all get up and look at them but waited until they were commanded. “You may go retrieve one of the cases. Please do not open until instructed.”
Each boy stood up and slowly made their way to the wall. They all took a look at the cases. After realizing that all of them were the same, each boy grabbed one; right away noticing how light the cases were. Whatever was inside wasn't very big. After sitting down again with their cases in front of them Carl began to speak, “Please open your cases to find three items inside.” Each opened their cases to reveal the three very items Carl just mentioned. The most noticeable one was an item that looked very similar to a handle or hilt of a sword. Its black covering over the dark gnarled wood made it seem very comfortable and easy to grasp. The bottom had rings attached with a small crystal on the end, which was protected by a see-through shi
eld of some sort. “That is the first and most important equipment you will receive today. It’s called a Rod and this will be your main weapon in fighting.”
“A Rod? I can see the resemblance, but sir...,” Peter said while tilting his head. He was trying to finish the question but was too absorbed in studying the new item he had just received to focus his thoughts. After a moment Peter looked back up to finish the question but saw all the boys were now looking at him. He hesitated before finishing. “You said these are weapons. This look like a piece of wood with a crystal attached to it. I mean even you said it's just a rod.” The boys gave a slight chuckle, and even Carl let one slip.
“A name given long ago, young one. The power is unimaginable, uncontrollable even, if you don't know how to use them correctly.” The boys all took a look at their new weapon again. “To make sense to you boys, they are tools that can transform into anything you want.” At first the boys looked at the object, speechless. Then Marshall once again came out laughing; the other boys started asking questions.
“A sword?” asked Peter.
“A gun?” asked Nick.
“Money?” asked Fred.
“Are you guys serious!? You believe this crap?” Marshall didn’t believe a word coming out of Carl’s mouth. Carl was not offended by the words, he just smiled and nodded.
“Why do you always have to get so worked up?” Nick asked.
“'Cause I can. You got a problem with that?”
“I'm starting to have one.” Marshall didn't like the tone Nick was responding in.
“I just want to know if this really can become money. 'Cause I sure as hell can use some right about now,” Fred interrupted.
Exterminators Infected (The Exterminators Book 1) Page 2
