He couldn't stay here, though. Something felt off about it. He would love to let it all drift away into the darkness. Let himself finally rest, but he had things to do. Friends who counted on him. He couldn't just lie around.
“Other self?” He began to push himself up. He felt no pain. No anger. Just the feeling of needing to fight. To get out of the room.
“Rest now young one.”
“I have to go.” He was back on his feet.
“Rest. No need to fight anymore.” The voice was very soothing.
“Yeah, can't do that. I have to get back to my friends.”
“They betrayed you. They led you to more pain. You were hunted. Now, let me handle it while you rest.”
“Sorry other self but that's just not how it works.” He laughed. “I need to get back and help.”
“Last time you helped, it led to, what? Do not fight. Do not push. Just rest.”
“No more resting. I need to get up and do something. There's no walls to break, I need to wake up now.” He could hear voices now. A voice he was somewhat familiar with.
“If you don't rest you'll bring more pain. You cannot live how you want to live. Peacefully. Is that not what you want?” The voice was losing its power. Fred could hear the other voice louder now. It sounded like Jin.
“I'm glad you're looking out for me other self but I got obligations. My friends need me on the team. I can't just lay around and wait for them to do all the work. Now let me out!” He was yelling now. The voice tried to respond but lost itself. He could hear Jin and now Carl speaking. They were arguing about something but he couldn't make it out.
“Let me out other self. Right the hell now!” he roared. Moments later the blackness disappeared as he was thrown back into the real world.
Pain shot through his entire face. So much pain suddenly on his entire body. He cried out in anguish like never before. “What the hell!” he roared as he grabbed his bloody face. He could feel a terrible pain in his chest and stomach as if a two pound cement block slammed into him. All the attacks he was hit with when he was Riven came rushing back. He never experienced so much misery before. It was almost unbearable for him.
“Fred?” Jin asked cautiously.
“Why do I feel like a truck just slammed into me?” Fred asked still moaning. The pain was terrible.
“See! He's still him. That Unknown hasn't taken over!” Jin yelled. Carl watched Fred carefully.
“Unknown? What are you talking about?” Fred sat up. He let go of his face. He could still feel hurt but he was able to put it aside and let it subside.
“He doesn't remember...” Carl sounded upset.
“That's good!” Jin told him loudly. “Means it wasn't his fault.”
“Doesn't change what he did.” Carl looked back at Maria. She was leaning against the wall, holding her face, while looking away from the entire situation. She lost an eye and was badly mutilated. She didn't want anyone to see. A once simple, yet pretty face was now completely destroyed.
“What did I do?” Fred asked, trembling.
“You...” Jin began but wasn't sure how to finish. How do you tell someone they turned into a monster and almost killed someone?
“We have to get him to the Station,” Carl stated.
“A trial!?” Jin said shocked and scared.
“Do we have a choice?” Carl asked.
“No, you do not.” It was a tall framed, muscular, ill-tempered looking man. He walked forward, two other people followed behind him.
“Aric?” Carl asked, surprised.
“Maria called. Told me what happened.” He stopped a few feet away from them.
“When did she call?” Jin asked surprised. He'd been so busy arguing with Carl he hadn't been listening to Maria.
“Doesn't matter, she filled me in. This boy must come with us.”
“I will be taking him in,” Carl replied firmly.
“I think not. This boy is heading straight to trial. He is already considered a dangerous killer.” Aric's voice was monotone. Not even a slight sense of emotion as he spoke. This scared Fred more than anything. He got up and began backing towards Jin and Carl.
“Listen I don't know what I did. I'm sorry for whatever it was. I just don't want to go with this guy.” Fred began sweating more than usual. He could feel the pain coming back.
“I will take him in. He will be put on trial. There's no need to scare him more.” Carl said with a stern voice. He wasn't about to back down and let someone take his student away. It was his responsibility.
“We will follow then.”
“Fair enough. Help Maria up. We will walk ahead and meet you at the house.” Carl grabbed Fred's arm and nudged him forward. Fred excused himself and moved forward. The three Protectors went to help Maria. Fred walked forward, with Jin and Carl trailing behind.
“What happened?”
“Terrible things,” Carl answered grimly, glancing behind him. He saw Maria back on her feet, crying.
“I don't remember it. I don't remember what I did.” Fred wanted to cry. He did something and he didn't remember a thing about it. How could that be? The question rang in his head.
“We'll figure this out. Don't worry,” Jin tried to reassure him. Yet Fred felt a terrible outcome was coming.
“If I fail this...trial...will they put me to death?” Fred didn't hear a word. That was the only answer he needed.
Nick returned his spear to its Rod form. “I say we get out of here. Had enough training today.” His shirt was soaked. The amount of training was double of what he expected. Whenever he worried, he had to get the anxiety out some way. Training was the best outlet he could think of.
“I thought we were waiting for Carl? Ask him if he heard anything about Fred.” Marshall stopped running laps and caught his breath. “I mean, we can't leave. We have no clue where Fred is.”
Peter felt a knot in his stomach. Was this guilt? It must have been. He didn't want to tell the boys what he told the others. He was afraid they wouldn't trust him. “I'm sure he's fine. Probably just home sick again.”
“I think Pete might be right. Why don't we stop by his house and check?” Nick asked while grabbing his backpack.
“All right, sounds good to me.” Marshall snatched his book bag up too.
Peter walked behind them. He wasn't sure how to approach them. To tell them what he saw in Fred. That he was too worried about his own problems at home so he diverted the attention of the Exterminators on his teammate. On his friend. He didn't know how to say a word. He was scared of losing the one thing he had gained. Trust.
They pushed through the gym doors. Marshall shoved Nick in playful manner. They laughed as they compared muscles. That's when they caught sight of Fred walking towards them. He was beaten badly in the face. They could see Jin and Carl walking behind him. Then four others were following behind them.
Marshall ran up to his friend. “Fred!” Jin went in front of Fred and stopped Marshall. “Hey, move out of the way. I want to see my friend.”
“You can't right now.” Jin held Marshall back. Nick moved closer, confused at the situation.
“What's going on?” he asked calmly.
“Don't worry about it guys. It'll be fine,” Fred said smiling. They could hear the fakeness in his voice.
“What did they do to you!?” Marshall was shouting now.
“Marshall calm down,” Carl said quietly.
“No! Why is his face so messed up? Who are those guys!?”
Aric moved up to the front of the group. He nodded to Jin, who let go of Marshall. “This business is none of your concern. You can step aside right now.” Again the monotone voice. It was as if he was reading words off a piece of paper.
“That's my best friend! You’re damn right it's my business.” Marshall stepped closer. Aric began to get tense.
“Marshall! Stand down. I will explain it all to you soon.” Carl was now the one getting upset. He didn't need another student to go on trial. “I pr
omise, Fred will be fine.”
Marshall stood face to face with Fred for a moment. He could see the pain in his eyes. The pain of giving up. He wasn't afraid anymore. He accepted whatever judgment they gave him. Marshall didn't like that.
“I want to know what's happening. Not later. Now!” Marshall demanded.
“You are to remove yourself right now,” Aric said, his voice loud like thunder.
“Move out of my way,” Marshall said trying to push Aric out of the way. Aric grabbed his hand and spun him around. He slammed him against the wall.
Nick already had his spear formed in a second and placed it right at Aric's head. The other Protectors moved with the same swiftness. “Peter!” Peter already had his glove formed and had a flame in his hand ready to throw. “You two move any closer and he's dead!” Nick roared. Aric watched the tip of the spear at his throat. Marshall grunting as he was pushed against the wall.
“Nick, stand down,” Carl said very calmly. The situation escalated far past what he had expected. It was spinning out of control.
“Stand this, son of a bitch!” Marshall cried from the wall. He was pushed up against it so hard his words came out jumbled.
“I will kill you. Back off of Marshall right now.” It was as if Nick only focused on his friend. He saw one friend being taking away from him. Another being hurt. “I am their leader. They will not be harmed.” All three boys could feel it. They felt they were the strongest team out there. Peter kept his guard, flame ball in hand. Both Protectors were ready to strike but staying perfectly still.
Aric loosen his grip and threw Marshall to the side. Marshall held his arm, hurt from being held so tightly from behind. Nick dropped his spear and backed up a few feet. Carl felt the situation getting a little better. Even so he knew the kids would not back down.
“I did terrible things,” Fred said. Everyone looked at him. “I need to be held accountable for them.”
“What are you talking about?” Marshall asked. He was getting annoyed.
“I've done terrible things. Maria is badly hurt. I almost killed Jin. I attacked Carl. I need to be answer for those crimes.” He held his head down. He didn't want to see the confused and hurt eyes of his teammates. “I need you guys to stand down. I will handle this.”
“You didn't do any of that. It's all bull!” Marshall shouted. This time Nick held him back. “I know you! I know you'd never hurt anyone!”
Aric grabbed Fred and pushed him forward. They began to walk past the boys. Nick held Marshall back despite Marshall not fighting much. He watched as his best friend passed him by. Besides the slight glance he gave before walking by, Fred kept his head down. He felt ashamed.
As they walked into the gym Marshall fell to his knees. “He didn't do it.”
The boys looked at him. Not sure how to respond. None of them understood what was happening. In a matter of minutes, one of their teammates was dragged away, set up to possibly die. They stood there wanting answers, yet too confused to even ask them.
“He didn't do it...” Marshall's voice dragged on. None of them knew what to do. A part of them was gone. Their team was broken.
Chapter 26 – Trial
Marshall pushed himself out of bed. He felt terrible. His best friend was convicted of multiple offenses. Maria, one of the Protectors that chased after him, lost an eye. She was badly injured and was making sure she held his actions against her accountable. Jin recanted his attack, saying it wasn't the real Fred. Even so Fred had to go on trial.
Jin explained to them that a trial is when they bring an Exterminator panel made up of about six judges and they decide if the accused will be sentenced and then convicted. In serious crimes, such as hurting innocents or attacking fellow Exterminators, the penalty is usually death. If it came to that they would execute him a day after the sentence was announced.
Marshall got dressed. It was a Saturday and he had the whole day free. He told Lucy he had problems at the Station and would be there all day. She didn't ask any questions, just told him to be safe. He wanted nothing more but to spend his day with her. Now he had to go to a trial in which his best friend could be sentenced to death. He was scared out of his mind for Fred.
He slipped on his shoes while thinking about all the times he had spent with Fred. He remembered when they would cut eighth grade classes and head to the movies. They were still best friends then. The year after that it all changed. They would skip every Friday and check out whatever latest movie came out. It went on for over four months before the school finally called up their parents. Fred's parents didn't even bother to come home from their trip. Marshall's parents yelled at him but that was about it. So they continued to do it till school was let out.
He walked outside, bundling his jacket up some. There was a cold chill in the air today. Gloomy and dark. He looked up at the sky. Grey. It was as if to show how empty and shallow this world could be at times. He focused on the road ahead and made his way towards the Station.
He remembered times when Fred would sleep over at his house when they were kids. They would build forts in his room by placing pillows on top of each other to play king. They would make believe his little brother, Matt, would be the main big bad guy. He would roar and come towards the fort. Then Fred and Marshall would jump out and attack. The fort always got destroyed, even if Matt never reached it, which then it would be their fault. They didn't care, it was to much fun to care.
Marshall didn't want to think about the past. It was hard to imagine it was so long ago. Everything changed during high school. Once it came along, Marshall began hanging out with the football team because of class. Fred moved to the quiet side, never making any other friends. Marshall left him there. He wanted to become popular and Fred didn't. So he simply focused on himself trying to fit in with people who never wanted to be real friends with him. He only realized it at the end of high school. Was it too late? He thought so. He thought how lonely it must have been for Fred. With the weight issues, Fred never went on dates. With his boring style, none of the kids really wanted to hang out with him. His main friends were online. He played video games with people more than ever hanging out with anyone in person. Was that his best friend's life? Being alone, all the time? Not even having his parents around to comfort their own child?
Marshall hated himself at that moment. He clinched his fists. He could feel himself wanting to cry but he kept his composure. He couldn't let himself fall, not yet. He had to be strong. Had to be strong for his best friend. It was him on trial, it was Fred. If he faltered now, he'd be no better than when he left his best friend to hang out with the popular kids. No, this time he was going to be there for support.
As Peter was walking towards the Station he still felt that awful knot. “Why didn't I tell them about me? Why did I tell them about Fred? Why? Why did you do that?” He spoke to himself but came up with no answer. He felt terrible for what he had done.
When he came home later that night his mom hugged him like never before. His father was in jail at the moment. No one had the money to bail him out, nor did anyone want to. Peter was okay with that. If he saw his dad he wasn't sure what he'd do. His mom told the police what happened to him but without any proof they couldn't press those charges. Peter liked it that way. He’d rather not be in the local newspaper stating how he was beaten by his drunken father.
He made sure his sister was okay from the whole altercation. She assured him that she was fine. She looked more worried about his face than anything else. He laughed and told her it was just a scrap. He'd be fine. Little did she know that their father almost killed his own son. Peter thought it was best she didn't know that.
Peter rested longer than usual. His normal six hours of sleeping became over ten. He felt tired. Not physically tired either. It was the first time he felt guilt. He betrayed one of his only friends and couldn't own up to it. He didn't know how to fix this problem. He tried to formulate a solution but nothing sprang to mind. All the power in the world was in his Rod, y
et nothing could change his friend’s fate. Fred might die tomorrow and he felt he was to blame.
Peter watched as two friends played catch across the street. The one friend had great aim while the other barely could throw. The perfect shot waved it off and told him he'd get better. The other seemed so angry even though it was just a game. Peter felt the kid’s pain. Others saw things as no big deal, when he felt it meant the world to him. This kid who couldn't aim was trying to prove he was good. Why didn't anyone else see that?
Peter still didn't know who he was trying to prove anything to. As he walked against the cold, he tried to figure it out. Every time he went to training, he felt he was reaching a new goal. A goal that felt untouchable. It couldn't be reached because there was no answer to it all. He trained and trained for something, but he couldn't figure out what that something was.
He tried to wipe his mind clean. He knew he could do it. He didn't think about anything. Lack all emotions. He was good at that. He kept walking, letting the wind touch his face. He let everything in his mind fly away. No matter what the strong knot in his feeling remained. A reminder of what he did wrong.
Nick sat on the steps of the Station waiting. His two teammates should arrive any minute now. He could only focus on one teammate though. The one he failed. It crushed him. Fred could very well die today and he couldn't do a thing about it. He couldn't save his friend, despite being their leader. This was his job and he failed at it. He had one more ace up his sleeve but if it didn't work out. Then all of this would have been a waste.
Nick always tried to help people out. It was just who he was. Yet, when it came to helping out a friend, one who desperately needed it, he was failing. He tried to stop them by force yesterday, but it would have made the situation worse. They probably would have condemned all of them if he pressed the assault.
He told Kelly he might be busy the next few days. She would usually argue but she must have heard the strain in his voice. She simply told him that she loved him and to take care of himself. Call her if he needed to talk. He kept that in the back of his mind. If the trials went wrong today, he wasn't sure who he could turn to.
Exterminators Infected (The Exterminators Book 1) Page 30
