by Bryan Cohen
His voice cut at her. She tried to replace it in her mind with Nigel's admonitions.
"I can't be a waitress forever. It's nothing personal."
Ted furrowed his brow. "Tying someone up seems pretty personal."
She watched his eyes dart around the room. Sandra saw some gym equipment float out of the back closet. A hockey stick, a few dodge balls, and a jump rope hovered in the air.
"It's time for a workout."
The hockey stick came whizzing across the room. Before it could pass midcourt, Sandra put up her hand. The stick fell to the ground, as did Ted's other attempted weapons.
"Sorry, your powers aren't going to do you much good."
Ted looked confused until the realization hit. "No. Nigel finished the job, didn’t he?"
She smiled. "He changed me for the better, Ted. I was nobody before. Now I’m practically invincible."
Any confidence the hero had changed into fear. "Sandra, please. Let me go. This isn't you. Where's the girl who said she'd always protect me?"
Right then, a dodgeball flew by Sandra's head. It barely missed, slamming into the metal handrail of the rafters. The force from the toss nearly broke the rail off its hinges.
"She's gone, Ted," a voice said from across the room. "But she's not going to win."
Sandra knew her opponent was finally here.
"I thought you might never come. That you'd finally resigned yourself to your fate."
Erica LaPlante held another red kickball in her hand. "Yeah, yeah. Come and get me."
Sandra came running at Erica, but another dodgeball slammed her in the chest, knocking her off balance. By the time she'd recovered, Erica was right in her space. Sandra reached for the pipe she'd used to lay out Ted, but before she could lift it, Erica struck down on it with a wrench. The clang of metal on metal shook through Sandra's body.
"You know, your cheapskate dad never tipped me much." Sandra used all her strength to free the pipe.
The two of them pointed their weapons like swords.
Erica smirked. "I guess you weren’t very good at your job."
The powerful women circled each other.
Ted stared at them in awe.
"Um." Dhiraj bit his lip. "Not that I’m complaining, but what exactly is going on here?"
Sandra ignored Ted’s friend as Erica sprinted toward her. She was so fast, it was nearly impossible to counter all her blows with the much heavier pipe. She took a wrench blow to the shoulder, then to the abdomen. Despite her enhanced strength, the attacks were still metal on bone and muscle. Sandra’s body ached where the wrench had struck.
When Erica wound up for a strike to the head, Sandra was ready, swinging the pipe so hard that both weapons went flying across the room. Sandra leapt through the air with her right foot forward. Erica sidestepped the kick, caught the leg and slammed Sandra to the ground. The impact only stung for a second as she picked herself back up.
"Why do you fight for them?" Sandra raised her voice as she spoke. "They're all going to die some day, but we don't have to. We can go on forever!"
"Not gonna happen."
With that, Erica spun her leg around so fast, Sandra couldn't possibly react. She felt her jaw disconnect from the force of the kick. As her arms fell limp, Erica delivered a rapid uppercut, and the room began spinning. Sandra thought of Ted and the way he’d saved her life as Erica landed the final blow: a heel to the forehead that sent her motionless to the wooden gymnasium floor.
30
Ted looked at Erica. She was as beautiful as ever, but it wasn't her. She'd come back different than she was before, and the fight with Sandra had proved it. The girl he grew up with was feisty, but she wasn't feisty enough to knock a possessed, superpowered waitress out cold.
Ted pursed his lips. "Who are you?"
Erica smiled as she untied him. Her scent brought years of longing to the surface.
"The girl next door."
As Ted got free, he used his powers to untie Dhiraj in a hurry. Erica picked up her pipe wrench and hoisted it over her shoulder.
"She died, didn't she?" Dhiraj flexed his recently freed wrist back and forth. "You're like Sandra, only not evil."
Erica nodded. "You two are smarter than you look."
Ted held his breath. If this was some Erica imposter walking around, he wasn't sure if he could trust her. She looked and sounded like Erica, but a person he'd known for over a decade just tried to kill him; he felt he had some right to be suspicious.
"If you aren't Erica, who did I almost kiss yesterday?"
Dhiraj scoffed. "You didn’t almost kiss her." When he was met by several beats of silence, his eyes grew wide. "You almost kissed her! A gossipy text would’ve been appreciated."
Erica tapped the wrench against the gymnasium wall, seeming disinterested in the banter. Ted had seen that look on her face before. It reminded him of when she'd gotten too cool for video games and wanted to do something else, anything else, with her life.
"We don't have much time. Let's just say the same people who gave you powers sent me to help."
Erica turned and continued toward the building’s exit, which had been crushed shut. She examined it while Ted examined her. He now understood what he wasn't willing to see before. She walked differently. Her usual stride called attention to every step she took. Now she looked like she had some place to go. The Erica in front of him also looked alert, not like the glazed-over, substance-filled cheerleader he'd seen walking around for most of junior year.
Ted crossed his arms. "You've got to tell me more than that. The people who gave me these powers – who are they and what do they want?"
"I think you're going to need to break a window." She gestured to the side of the bleachers. "That trashcan may be heavy enough."
Ted took a deep breath. "How do we know we can trust you?"
Dhiraj cleared his throat. "She beat up Sandra, who was trying to kill you. The enemy of my enemy–"
"She's also been lying to me." Ted gnawed his cheek. "She made me feel like I was connecting with a long-lost friend. Come on, Dhiraj."
Ted motioned for Dhiraj to walk in the opposite direction with him. Before he got far, Erica ran up and put her hand on his shoulder. He turned. She looked as captivating as she had the other day, and apologized with her eyes.
"It's complicated, Ted. I'm a different person, but I'm not. I still have all of Erica's feelings. Her regrets."
He looked away. "Regrets that she couldn't ditch me one more time?"
Erica put her hand on Ted's face. He wanted to push it away. He didn't.
"Regrets about what I – about what she did to you. She thought of you before she died. Everything I said to you yesterday was true."
A part of Ted wanted to give kissing her a second try. He just wished he could believe her. The crackle of the loudspeaker broke up the moment.
"Ted and Erica to the auditorium." Nigel’s voice was laced with frustration. "Ted and Erica, auditorium. Now!"
Ted turned toward the trashcan, lifted it with his mind and sent it slamming through the window. The sound of smashing glass echoed through the musty gym. They now had a way out.
"You two should go." Ted looked back into the belly of the building. "It's my fight, not yours."
Erica put her hands on her hips. "You don't understand. I'm more than Erica. I came here to protect you."
"Where were you at the diner?" He shook his head. "Where were you when they started this whole thing on… Sandra."
"I was still dead."
Dhiraj walked away from the open window. "That's one for two. Pretty good odds. I'm staying here, too. I don't think they're alone in that auditorium. Fourth period acting class. Jennifer had fourth period acting class."
Ted frowned. "While everyone was getting out, nobody would notice the auditorium. It's all the way in C hall. I’ve got to do something and fast."
Erica stood her ground.
"Fine." Ted sighed. "We’ll all go."
; After Erica secured the former waitress to the bleachers, they stepped into the silent halls. Ted couldn’t help himself from looking up at the girl he thought he knew several times along the way. Her determination kept her gaze forward.
"So, if you're not really Erica, who are you and where are you from?" Dhiraj strained to keep up as they sprinted around a corner.
"I've been sent here as a protector from a world in a civil war. There's a law that has divided the people."
"Slavery? That one got us, too."
Ted slapped his friend in the shoulder, mid-stride.
"It is slavery, in a sense." Erica’s mouth almost formed a grin. "My side, the light souls, decreed that we may not take over the spirits of other worlds below us. The other side, the dark souls, they want dominion over all realms."
The three of them reached the outside of the auditorium.
Ted put his hands on his knees and breathed hard. "Can you tell me what that means in layman's terms?"
Erica had no hint of fatigue as she stared at the doors inside. "Nigel and his friends want to conquer your world and possess every man, woman and child on Earth."
That was more ominous than Ted had expected. He looked over at Dhiraj. He seemed just as surprised.
Ted’s eyes met Erica’s. "How do we stop them?"
"Don't let them kill anyone. In most cases, people from our world can only possess the dead."
His heart sunk as he considered the implications. "Except for me."
"You're the living soul. You get super powers and the job of keeping all the worlds safe."
"Lucky me."
Erica looked left and right. "We need weapons. And a plan."
"I think I have an idea." Dhiraj pointed at a splotch of paint on the wall. It was fluorescent yellow and out of place on the surrounding beige. "You think those guns are still locked up in the office?"
A sense of hope warmed Ted’s chest. "Go."
Dhiraj hightailed it to the principal's office.
Erica raised her eyebrows. "Guns? What exactly is this ‘plan’?"
"Let's just say, you missed a few things when you were gone."
Less than a minute later, Dhiraj had all the equipment they needed. It took a few versions of the plan for Erica to approve, but once she did, the trio suited up. Each of them brandished their very-real looking paintball guns. As they poured clear containers of multi-colored ammo into their weapons, Ted leaned close to Erica.
"So, if you can only inhabit the dead." He scratched the back of his neck. "How did she die? We looked for her every night."
"I’m not sure." Erica topped her weapon off. "I often don’t see the moments right before my… former inhabitant dies." She looked into his eyes. "Judging by where her body was, I’m guessing there’s nothing you could’ve done."
The girl he’d loved since forever ago was dead. The Sandra he knew was dead as well. The adrenaline and the remorse seemed to cancel each other out within Ted. Seeing Erica walk, talk, and fight in front of him seemed to numb the pain as well.
He looked down to the floor. "You’ll tell me everything you know later?"
His protector touched his chin and lifted it until their eyes met. "If we fight and win now, we’ll have plenty of time for that. Understood?"
Ted nodded as Dhiraj shifted his weight back and forth.
"Come on, guys. We need to see if she’s in there!"
Erica handed something small and round to Ted. "I’m ready if you guys are."
Ted took the item and gritted his teeth. "Let’s do it."
She smiled as she cracked the door open. Ted floated a small, blue sphere into the room. It went between the legs of the Torello brothers and rolled all the way to the stage. He used his powers to let the paint grenade fall onto the ground, where he made it explode in a colorful arc. Students and kidnappers alike covered their eyes and shouted from the artful explosion.
Ted, Erica, and Dhiraj burst inside and started shooting paintballs in every possible direction. The weapons made a "thunk" noise with each shot, not unlike an automatic tennis ball machine. As everybody ducked for cover, Ted focused his mind on opening the locked doors backstage. He unlocked them from the other side and continued to fire. Dhiraj sprinted down the outside aisle of the auditorium and started to lead students out while Erica covered him. Ted used his mind to rip the stage curtain from its hooks, letting it fall on top of Nigel, Stucky, and everybody else on stage. As the kidnappers struggled to get out from underneath, Dhiraj helped the hostages get out the backstage door.
"What’re you doing with my gun?" Jason Torello stepped forward, a half-dozen blue marks covering his dark t-shirt.
Ted squinted at the massive brothers.
What the heck are they doing here?
Both Phil and Jason approached Erica. She tossed her gun back to Ted, who awkwardly caught it with his free had. As he continued to fire paintballs, Erica delivered a roundhouse kick to Jason’s face. He groaned as some spit shot from his mouth while he fell to the ground.
"Brother!"
When Phil rushed to his brother’s side, Erica punched him in the stomach. The second he bent over, she kneed him in the face. He joined his brother in a heap of muscle and blue paint. Ted could barely believe his eyes.
Dhiraj ran back up the center aisle and Ted temporarily holstered his weapon. The sound of blue gunfire continued to ring in his ears.
"Is that everybody?"
A grunt and a shout clued Ted into the charging Russian. "You turned my new shirt blue!"
Before he got within five feet of them, Ted put up his hand and sent Yarrick flying for the second time. He slammed hard into a patch of auditorium wall about halfway up. The Russian went silent as his body thumped against the carpet.
Ted sighed. "These powers would’ve come in handy so many times during middle school. Now is that everybody?"
Dhiraj’s eyes were in full-on panic mode. "I didn't see Jennifer."
Before Ted could say a word, both guns exploded in Ted's hands sending paint and plastic in every direction. He looked up to the stage and heard the sound of fabric tearing as the curtain ripped in a hundred different places at once. Everyone who'd been trapped underneath emerged, including Nigel, Stucky, and Faraday, who had his arm around Jennifer's neck.
"It’s too bad we have to kill you, Mr. Finley." Nigel swiped at the paint on his clothes. "The dry cleaning bill I’d send you otherwise would be enormous. Now, come with me or I’m going to kill the girl."
Jennifer’s sobs shook Ted to his very core.
Dhiraj began stomping toward the stage, but both Ted and Erica held him back. "Let her go, you monster!"
Ted tried to speak low enough for only Erica to hear. "I have to give myself up."
She shook her head. "No way. You’re too important. If they kill you with a certain weapon, it’ll destroy the world."
Ted’s mind flashed to his recurring nightmares. "You guys really should send out a handbook when you give out these powers."
"I’m aware it’s not a perfect system. But you can’t-"
He stepped forward and projected his voice to the stage. "I’ll come with you when she’s free."
"Ted!" Erica grabbed the back of his shirt. "You can’t."
He looked over his shoulder as the bruised and battered Tank showed up at the auditorium door. Much like textbook learning, the blow to his head had only been temporary.
"Half of them will come with me. Once they're split up, you'll be able to take them and save me."
Erica reached for Ted once more, but this time Dhiraj pulled on her arm. "It’s the only way to save Jennifer."
Ted ignored Erica’s laser stares on the back of his neck as he stepped up to Erica’s side. "I'm here. You can take me. Let the girl go."
Faraday released his grip on Jennifer as Tank deftly pulled Ted’s hands behind his back.
"Find me." Once again, he made sure only Erica heard. "I'll leave breadcrumbs."
Tank put a hood over Ted's
head and kicked him in the back. When he got up, Tank pushed him forward. He could sense leaving the air of the auditorium and the sun and wind of the outside world hitting his hood. Before long, he'd been tossed into the back of some kind of vehicle. He waited in silence for a few moments until the engine roared to life in front of him.
Once Ted got used to the hood, he could hear several people breathing in the back around him.
"Where are we going?" Ted hoped for some kind of slip-up.
"A party with all of our friends invited." Nigel had pure malice in his voice. "A pity you need to die for all of them to come over."
31
Ted gleaned as much as was possible through the hood covering his face. He could tell there were at least three people in the back with him, judging by their distinct breathing patterns. Given the multiple gut-busting punches he'd received, he believed that Tank was in the back with him, providing retribution for the textbooks to the face. After hearing a familiar sneer or two, he realized the Torellos had been changed into something else by Nigel and his gang. The same way they turned Sandra against him.
"Did you like how we played possum earlier?" Jason practically shouted the question in his ear.
Ted hid his anxiety. "Very convincing."
"Sandra told us to hold back, but the whole time you had us spinning, we were thinking about killing you."
"Good to know."
"Finley, this reminds me of sixth grade." Jason laughed to himself. "Except there aren't consequences anymore. I get to hit you as much as I want."
Ted anticipated the first hit to his sternum, but it didn’t do him much good. He doubled over in pain and stars flashed in the darkness beneath the hood.
Ted smiled through painful breaths. "Seems like I survived longer."
"We'll see about that."
Ted wondered how Sandra died. He now knew there were many other people he loved who could be at risk because of him. Dhiraj, his parents, and even Natalie. He supposed his life as the living soul would be in jeopardy from now on, constantly worrying about who to trust and from what direction the next attack would come. That is, if he survived this trip.
"I hear you're fighting a losing battle."
