Black-Eyed Kids: The Complete Series

by Miranda Hardy

“Do you?” I find the key to the safe, hidden right under her jewelry boxes in the armoire. “You should know exactly how I feel, Ronald. They took your wife and son, just like they did with my friends and my mom.” I point at him. “You should be just as angry as I am, and believe me, when you hear the truth, you’ll be even angrier.”

  “What are you talking about?” he asks.

  I unlock the gun safe and find my father’s pistol, the one he left to protect the family. The one he taught me and Mom how to use.

  The one I plan to use to kill those black-eyed kids.

  33

  MAVERICK

  “WHOA KID, I’M not sure this is the best way to handle things. Why don’t you put that away?” Ronald follows me around Mom’s room while I pace back and forth. “And explain to me just what is going on here. Those BEKs obviously returned to your house, but why?”

  Ronald scratches his head and runs his hand over the few remaining hairs to pat them down. He looks at me as if he suspects that I know something he doesn’t know, and it’s pissing him off.

  “We know things, Ronald, and now we’re a liability.” I grab the two additional magazines and close the gun safe back up.

  “Maybe we should go back to my house first,” Lisa says. “I’m not so sure it’s entirely safe to stay here much longer.”

  Last night, Lisa wanted us to go to her house too, but I just couldn’t leave. It was as if I kept expecting Mom to still be in her room, laying in bed watching TV.

  I turn to her. “Ronald needs to know, too. He’s just as involved as we are, and he’s probably lucky he’s still alive. Especially since my therapist knows exactly who he is.”

  “What are you talking about? What therapist?” Ronald asks. “Tell me everything.”

  With the gun and ammo in my pocket, I rush past him and head for the living room. Ronald is right on my heels, and I can hear him breathing heavily. I step around the spot on the floor where Mom’s body had been, and I sit on the couch.

  “Let’s start with the black-eyed kids,” I say in a low voice. “They aren’t from another planet or another dimension. They aren’t some unknown species that have lived here for eternity like vampires. Those freaks were created by us. Our own government created them.”

  “How do you know this?” Ronald asks.

  “Because one of them told me,” I reply. “Astid. She’s the BEK that actually released me from the barn the night Tarick was killed. She told me all about Level 6. It’s some government facility that houses strange and bizarre experiments, and they used human subjects. They messed with their genetics, and the black-eyed kids are a direct result.”

  Ronald plops down next to me. “You’re kidding me, right?” He looks up at me, his eyes searching for the truth. “And you mean to tell me that one of the black-eyed kids, a female named Astid, told you all this?”

  Lisa remains standing near the front door, as if she’s going to run away any second. “We’re telling you the truth.”

  “I’m not lying,” I assure him. “One of the agents pretended to be my new therapist, and she’s basically using us as bait to get to the BEKs who escaped from their secret facility. Only she ended up kidnapping our friends, Cadence and Marcus, in the process.”

  I pause to let that sink into Ronald’s head for a little while. He stares up at the ceiling, connecting the dots from his own investigation. Either that, or he’s about to have a nervous breakdown.

  “Level 6 agents could be watching us right now,” I say. “Who knows what they did with Cadence and Marcus. And now, the BEKs killed my mom.”

  Ronald wipes the sweat from his big forehead. “Look, I believe you, but some stuff just doesn’t add up here. BEKs never stay in the area for long. They hightail it shortly after several disappearances hit the radar. And what you’re telling me about the government involvement…that makes sense. But what about the Astid BEK. She just willingly spilled the beans about everything?”

  My eyes drop back down to the spot where I found Mom. I don’t care if it all adds up or not. We all know who killed her, and that’s all that matters to me.

  “Astid is one of them, but she’s the one who let me go that night in the barn.”

  Ronald nods his head. “Okay, so that explains how you escaped. But why would she do that? Why would she be telling you everything and helping you?”

  “Because she’s different,” Lisa replies. “She refuses to go along with the other black-eyed kids.”

  “We need to get this information to a safe source.” Ronald pulls out his phone. “What else do you know about Level 6?”

  That’s the exact moment the eerie feeling creeps back in, and the buzzing in my head begins. Lisa and Ronald both put their hands to their ears.

  Ronald turns around to face the doorway and pulls his gun.

  Kren and his buddies are back.

  34

  ASTID

  NO! THEY’RE NEAR. I can feel their energy invading Maverick’s mind. Kren stands at the edge of the forest behind Maverick’s house. Avion and Garn linger nearby, and they’re watching Maverick.

  Kren!

  It’s no use. He knows I’m close, and he blocks my thoughts from entering his mind. Instead, I turn my attention back to Maverick. I concentrate for only a moment before I sense his fury. Somehow, he’s not affected by the mind invasion like Lisa and the other man named Ronald are.

  Maverick’s anger builds until it takes over his senses. He’s filled with only one thought…revenge.

  He races from the house, aiming a weapon at Kren and the others, but they fan out too quickly. Maverick knows they are too fast for him, but his hatred pushes him forward. Amazingly, my mind connection with him breaks. It’s as if Maverick also blocks me from his thoughts.

  How can that be?

  No human can do that.

  I jump from the tree house and dart in their direction, but by the time I reach his house, Kren already has Maverick in his grasp. A gun lays several feet away in the grass. Ronald steps out into the yard holding his own weapon, and Lisa trails behind him.

  I confront Kren directly. “No!”

  Garn and Avion appear on either side of me. They grab my arms, and I lack the strength to escape. Kren tightens his grip on Maverick’s throat. I struggle for a moment, but it’s no use. Maverick and his friends will die, and it will be my fault.

  “Let the boy go.” Ronald’s stern voice cracks. He thrusts his gun forward, but he looks to be in pain. His eyes narrow, and his breathing becomes shallow. “I will shoot you.”

  Lisa and Ronald are in agony as our natural energy already penetrates their brains. Maverick’s mouth is drawn open, gasping for breath. Kren’s fingers nearly cut off his air.

  I hear Kren’s thoughts shoot through me. You chose these weaklings over us?

  There is only one way to save Maverick. Kren, you have me, now let them go. I’ll go back with you and die with honor.

  Kren shakes his head. This wasn’t about you dying. All I wanted was for you to live. You have betrayed our family. You have betrayed me.

  The last of what little strength I have fades away, and I can’t even hold my head up. I know. But I’m here now. Please let them go. Please, I’m begging you.

  Maverick lets out a gasp when Kren’s pale fingers tighten. Why do you care about them so much? You see their cruelty and emotions and how they are ruled by them. This man with the gun would kill me in a split second. He’s no different from the ones who kept us imprisoned for so long.

  My vision blurs, and I feel like I might pass out. They are different. Our mother was human, remember? I want you to spare them because they showed me kindness. Despite the death of his best friend, Maverick allowed me to stay with them, learn from them. They are not all evil. Let him go.

  Maverick tries to tear himself away and struggles under Kren’s strength. “You killed my mom, you bastard!”

  Kren’s eyes widen. We didn’t kill his mother.

  My mind reaches out to my bro
ther, and he allows my energy to pass through his defenses. Instantly, I know that he is being truthful. His mother was taken last night. Her life force was drained, but her physical body remained. I thought you were to blame.

  It was not us. Kren’s grip loosens just enough for Maverick to take a deeper breath in and out. You know this is true.

  35

  MAVERICK

  MY THROAT BURNS as the air struggles to move in and out of my lungs. The pain is a welcome feeling, a distraction to the swarm buzzing in my head. My legs drag against the dirt as this black-eyed demon pulls me deeper into the woods.

  Ronald, with his gun drawn and pointed straight in our direction, follows us. Lisa remains at his side, and I want to yell at her to go back into the house, but no words can escape my lips.

  The pure strength of this kid is terrifying. Kren looks ten years younger than me, yet he’s yanking my body around like a rag doll.

  Kren, please stop this! Astid chimes into our heads once again, pleading with her brother. The sound of her thoughts lessens the noise echoing between my ears.

  Astid struggles against the other two boys, but she looks too weak to fight back.

  “Stop!” Ronald roars, and Kren backs up against a tree to face him.

  Astid’s arms are gripped tightly by two other black-eyed kids who are just as terrifying as Kren. The taller, pale-faced freak appears to be closer to our age. His face turns toward me, and he sneers with his lips rising at the corners.

  The boy on the other side of Astid is shorter and looks younger, but his black eyes remain focused on Ronald’s gun.

  Choose! Kren shouts into our heads. He swivels towards Astid.

  I have chosen, Astid replies. Why can’t you accept that?

  Kren’s grip on the back of my neck tightens and he thrusts me up into the air. My feet leave the ground, and I feel so helpless against Astid’s brother.

  I’m not sure if Kren projects his thoughts into all of our heads, or if I’m somehow intercepting them.

  You cower from your destiny. You want to save your friend? Then choose who will die in his place. Kren looks at Ronald and Lisa. The girl or the old man?

  Astid shakes her head. No!

  I try again to free myself from Kren, but the more I resist, the tighter his grip becomes. I feel like I’m going to black out.

  Kren bangs his fist against the tree trunk, sending cones and needles falling to the ground.

  Ronald flinches and retreats. “Let him go!” He steps forward again, his gun rattling in both hands.

  Kren signals to the tall, skinny black-eyed monster next to Astid. In an instant, the teenager streaks across the damp grass and appears at Ronald’s side. He tears the pistol from Ronald’s grasp and throws the gun to the ground several feet away.

  Ronald falls to his knees in front of the BEK, and his eyes become hollow. It’s like I’m watching Tarick on the floor of his house all over again. Astid tries to pull away from the shorter kid, but she can’t break free.

  My voice erupts. “NO!”

  Lisa screams, and the tall one turns his attention toward her. She shuts her mouth as if a ghostly hand grasps her lips and seals them together. She struggles against an invisible force clutching her throat.

  Kren’s thoughts penetrate my brain. Avion, cease!

  Avion circles behind Ronald and Lisa. They both collapse onto the ground. Lisa crawls toward Ronald, grabbing onto his arm.

  Astid, my patience is thinning. The choice is yours. You will choose one of them, or they will all die. Kren pulls me toward him and looks me straight in the face. Our eyes meet, and his black orifices bore into me. A darkness encompasses my entire view, as if I’ve suddenly gone blind. The swarm in my head grows so loud, my eardrums are about to explode.

  Somehow, I can still hear Astid’s thoughts. Not Maverick, please, I beg you.

  I can feel Kren’s breath on my forehead.

  Choose now, or he dies.

  My head pounds, and my eyes feel like they might pop out of their sockets. The night begins to fade around me, revealing blurry greens and browns.

  While remaining on his knees, Ronald’s blurry image creeps towards Kren with both hands still cupping his ears. “Take me.”

  I’m not sure, but I think I black out for a few seconds. A sharp pain shoots through my body and settles back up into my brain. The agony takes my breath away, but I’m relieved that I’m still conscious.

  Kren opens his mouth. “Do it, Sister!”

  His voice sounds rough, as if broken glass lines his throat and scratches his words.

  Tears flow from Astid’s black eyes. She drags her feet toward Ronald and bends down to him, her chest heaving in tiny intervals. Kren’s hold on my throat loosens just enough for me to take several deep breaths.

  Lisa scoots away from Ronald as Astid approaches. Her sobs start small, but she’s sobbing when she figures out what’s happening.

  Ronald turns toward me, his drooping eyes plead with me. “Kid, get the information to the right people in my group.”

  I can only blink my eyes rapidly to let him know I understand.

  “On my computer…email…” His voice fades. His hands ball up into tight fists as he looks into Astid’s deep, black eyes. “It’s okay...”

  Astid’s thoughts come through. I’m sorry, Ronald.

  The humming in my mind ceases. The sounds of the forest let me know that I’m not permanently deaf. I can hear everything. A soft breeze makes the tree branches rattle. The chirping of crickets almost becomes deafening. Something is different. My vision sharpens, as if I can see in the dark.

  “I know,” Ronald says out loud. But his mouth doesn’t move. Did he think those words? I don’t blame you, Astid.

  Lisa’s horrified thoughts come to me. Oh God, Oh God, Oh God…

  She’s not moving her lips either. Lisa remains on the ground, backed up against the tree with her back pushed into the bark. What is going on? Kren must have done something to my brain.

  Now I can hear...everyone’s thoughts?

  Astid reaches out and takes Ronald’s face in between her hands. Her eyes meet his. When her mouth opens, Ronald does likewise. The fear melts away from his face. His expression matches Astid’s exactly, and they both wear the look of determination on their identical faces.

  I feel Astid’s black energy enter his mind, trapping him in the abyss of her power. He’s helpless to escape. It’s as if his whole being has been captured by the surging power coming from her. Two beams of light shoot out of both of his eyes and go directly into Astid’s dark pools. Ronald’s life force is being sucked away.

  Blood flows from his ears and then his nose. The vessels in his eyes pop, and the whites of his eyes turn red. The color in his flesh fades away as the two rays of light intensify, illuminating the entire forest.

  I can’t bear to watch anymore. Somehow, I can feel Ronald’s storm of emotions. Regret replaces his fear. And his final thoughts turn to his wife and son. A big part of him is relieved that he will finally be reunited with them.

  A fierce white light surrounds Astid’s body. Despite my eyes being shut as tight as I can make them, the light penetrates them and I’m forced to turn my head away. Lisa lets out a muffled scream as the light grows in intensity.

  A moment later, Ronald is gone.

  The darkness returns.

  When I open my eyes, I’m expecting to see Ronald’s body on the ground. Instead, a small pile of ashes remain where he had been kneeling. Astid stands over it, and her shoulders are heaving.

  Kren’s hand remains around my neck, but his fingers have loosened enough for me to maybe try to wiggle free. I’m too scared to try, though.

  Astid turns around, and it’s clear that she’s not crying. Her fists clench, and her black eyes narrow. A tide of hot-red energy surrounds her petite body.

  I don’t need a psychic link to know what Astid wants.

  Kren and his goons are so screwed.

  36

&nb
sp; ASTID

  IT HAS BEEN so long since energy such as this has flowed through my body. The intensity touches every inch of me. The power forms inside, growing more each second, and then the euphoria sets in.

  This feeling is different, though. It’s stronger than I’ve ever felt before. Maybe it’s because I have not consumed life in such a long time. I feel invincible.

  I stare at Ronald’s ashes on the ground. Surging power and anger hardens my resolve‒anger at being forced to take another innocent life, even though that life has now provided for me. I feel a tear trickle from my eye. Ronald has sacrificed everything for us, and his bravery inspires me.

  Welcome back. Kren’s voice penetrates my thoughts, and my fury deepens.

  I turn to face him, and the grin on his face washes away. There is no hiding my thoughts, and I feel his fear. He has crossed the line by forcing me to feed, and the boiling rage inside me erupts.

  Maverick breaks free and crawls away from Kren, and my brother launches himself deeper into the woods. He’s fast, but I’m faster. I reach out and grab his shoulder.

  Kren’s feet kick out beneath him as I lift him into the air. He swats at my arm, but his strength is no match for mine. Rapid footsteps approach from behind, and as I turn, Avion crashes into me. My grip on Kren loosens. I tumble forward and slam into the ground. Kren rolls away and springs back onto his feet quickly.

  Avion jumps on top of me and tries to pin me to the ground, but he can’t hold me for long. I push him off after a short struggle. I move to grab his wrists and straddle his squirming body.

  The craving overcomes me. I almost let Avion go, but he will fight until one of us dies. He tries to get free, but it’s no use. Somehow, my strength increases, and I can feel his bones in my hands on the verge of shattering.

  Avion’s eyes meet mine, and he stops struggling. My power has taken total control over him. His mind goes blank, and numbness begins to take over his body.