Garn tries to pull at me from behind, but he’s too late. There’s no prying me from the energy flow.
ASTID, STOP! Kren screams. His thoughts pour into my head. This is madness. Stop this right now. Let him go. He’s one of us. You can’t do this. You are betraying your own!
Kren touches my shoulder, but the burst of energy pushes him away. He reaches out to Avion, but his fingers spark, and Kren cries out. The link is complete. No one can separate us now.
More of my brother’s words ring into my head, but the energy bursts muffle them. After another few seconds, I can only hear a vibrating hum that grows louder and louder. My body feels like it’s floating in the air, so light and free, ready to escape the earthly confinement in which we’ve been trapped for far too long.
As if I’ve reached the apex of ecstasy, I feel the rushing of the breeze grow, and it thrashes against my skin as I fall back toward the ground. I’m falling very, very fast. It’s as if my wings have been clipped and I can no longer ride the waves of the wind.
37
MAVERICK
MY LUNGS ARE on fire, and I still struggle to take in air. As I go in the direction of where black-eyed kids ran, my courage diminishes with every step. Maybe following them into the forest is a bad idea. The moment I see Astid on top of the other BEK, I stop in my tracks.
I back away from the scene, slamming into the trunk of a tall tree. Its bark scratches against my skin. I cover my eyes, but only for a second. I can’t look away either. The buzzing in my head intensifies until I’m sure my brain is about to explode.
The furious look on Astid’s face transforms to one of bliss. Kren tries to break them up a couple times, but he yelps as if a bolt of electricity shoots up his arm every time he touches either one of them. Astid’s face reddens, and that tall black-eyed kid withers away while in her grasp.
He disintegrates to a pile of ashes, and Astid falls away from them and onto her back. Her brother and the other one stand motionless for a moment. Oh crap, are they going to kill her now? And then kill me?
Kren’s already pale face somehow turns a lighter shade of white. He’s frightened of his sister! The pair of black-eyed kids exchange panicked looks and dart away.
In my head, the bees begin to quiet slowly, giving way to a moment of complete silence. Astid stares at the pile of ashes next to her.
I turn to look for Lisa, but she’s nowhere in sight. “Lisa?” I cup my hands over my face, and yell louder, “LISA!”
My head spins in every direction, searching her out. I wonder if she ran home during all of the fighting. I wouldn’t blame her; I remember her thoughts. Her thoughts were so clear to me a moment ago, the terror seizing her whole being after seeing what happened to Ronald. I can only hope that Lisa is safe at my house.
Astid looks exhausted, yet determined.
“Astid?” I scoot a little closer but keep my distance. “Are you all right?” It’s a stupid question, but I don’t know what else to say.
I’m kind of afraid of her. The gentle and compassionate Astid I knew evaporates in front of my eyes. I had no idea she was capable of such rage. And I could actually feel her anger toward her brother. For a brief moment, I swore we were mentally connected.
I want Astid to destroy Kren. Revenge for killing Tarick and Ronald was the only thing on my mind, and somehow, she and I shared our hatred for her brother. But I didn’t expect her to be so…savage.
Maverick. She looks toward me, and her black eyes have changed. Instead of the pure black abyss of nothingness, it’s as if a swirling mass of puffy white and gray clouds have entered into them, mixing with the black. It looks like tiny tornadoes have invaded her eye sockets. I can’t look away.
“Do you know what happened to Lisa?” I ask. “Can you sense her neaby? Did she run back toward the house?”
Astid sits up and wipes away some of the dirt from her face but ends up smearing it across her checks. She looks around and holds her head in her hands, squeezing her eyes shut. She moves her palms to her eyes and rubs them.
No, she’s not at your house. She opens her eyes and looks at me. The swirls in her eyes slow their spinning, and the black begins to cover the white and gray areas.
“Your eyes are so…” The word escapes me. They look so mesmerizing and scary all at the same time. She looks away from me, blinking them shut.
Where is my brother? she asks. She stands and begins to assess her surroundings.
I dare to step closer to her. “I’m not sure. They ran off in that direction super-fast once they saw what you did to their friend.” I point to the ashes that continue to be swept away in the breeze. “Are you okay?”
I’m fine.
Astid’s facial expression tells me differently, and her emotions seep from her mind into mine.
She can’t sense her brother and the other BEK, and it bothers her. She can’t sense anyone. She’s searching for Lisa, for Kren, and…for the other BEK named Garn. Her frustration flows into me as if I’m reading her thoughts right out of a book.
“Holy crap!” I blurt out, realizing that I’m reading her mind just the way she reads mine and it freaks me out.
Maverick, I don’t know where they are…any of them.
I do! A strange voice echoes in our heads at the same time.
“Who was that?” I press my head with both hands. I’m not liking this telepathy crap. “That wasn’t your brother, was it?”
Astid replies with her mouth, “No.”
The unknown voice invades our minds again. If you want to see Lisa alive again, come to the very place where this whole thing started. I can’t guarantee she’ll be alive for much longer.
I can’t explain how I know, but it dawns on me who is reaching out to us telepathically. It’s Cadence.
Cadence just spoke to us.
38
MAVERICK
CADENCE’S VOICE LINGERS in my head when a wave of loud static fills my ears. And then nothing.
“Did you hear that?” I don’t have to ask, because I know Astid did too.
They have Lisa. Astid says. At the barn. She turns to go in that direction, but I grab onto her arm to stop her.
A sharp electric current shocks me, and I snap my hand back quickly.
“Wow, did you feel that?” I ask.
Astid rubs the area I grabbed. Yes, I did.
“That was Cadence talking to us,” I say. “But, how?”
I’m not entirely sure. Yet.
She’s keeping something from me, but I’m in no position to interrogate her. I start towards my house, and Astid follows right behind me. I look around and spot the very thing I need. Ronald’s gun. I reach down and grab it before rushing to catch up with Astid.
You should stay here, and I’ll go to the barn. It’s too dangerous. You need to get inside your house and wait for me.
“If those Level 6 spooks have my friends, I need to help you save them.” I turn the gun over and wipe it on my shirt. I remember the safety, and click it to the off position.
Didn’t you hear Cadence? She wasn’t warning you, she was threatening us. Astid turns around and starts walking away. She is no longer the Cadence you know. They have turned her.
I don’t want to believe her, but I know that the voice was threatening, and it sounded so…weird. But it was distinctively Cadence. I’m still confused about how she was able to talk to us telepathically, but at this point, I’m confused about everything. I try my best to keep up with Astid.
Just go home and wait. I will take care of everything, she says telepathically.
“Astid, I have nothing to go home to. All that I care about is in that direction.” I point towards the woods. “We’re wasting time here, so let’s go.”
She doesn’t protest, and we jog toward the place I was hoping to never see again.
THE MIDDAY SUN beats down on us, and the light breeze that flowed moments ago stops. The closer we get to the barn, the more my nerves kick in, and I begin to shake.
The gun feels heavy in my hand, and I make sure that the barrel points toward the ground. I don’t know how many bullets are in the magazine, but I do feel more powerful with it.
Once we pass over the road, adrenaline starts pumping through my veins. A mass of voices begin to pound into my head, and they all mix together that I can’t make out one coherent thought among them. I don’t understand what is happening to me, but I don’t have time to freak out about it.
“Astid,” I whisper. “There’s a bunch of people up ahead.”
I slow down and try to be quiet as I step on top of the pine needles under foot.
It’s a trap, and they know we are near, Astid says. Two agents are positioned around the barn, both with dart guns. They want me.
My concentration centers on one of the voices among the many. “My therapist is there. I mean, the female agent, Dr. Wilson…she’s waiting for us in the center.”
Maverick, you are reading them too. Astid turns her black eyes towards me. How?
“I have no idea,” I reply. “I can read you, too, but it’s harder with them since they are further away.” At that moment, I get a clear thought from Lisa.
I’m going to die tonight…I’m going to die, and my parents will never know what happened to me. Lisa’s terror turns into sadness. She’s accepted that she will not make it through the night, and agony grips me.
The barn is just on the other side of the ridge. Astid and I remain hidden in the thick of the forest.
My knees feel wobbly. “Can you stop the agents while I get Dr. Wilson’s attention?” I ask.
Astid nods. We need to be fast.
Before she takes off, I grab her arm again, and my hand feels as if I’ve shoved it into an electrical socket. I shake the feeling back into my fingers.
“Astid?”
She looks at me.
“I’m sorry about what you had to do back there. I know you never wanted to do that ever again. I’m so sorry. I just wanted you to know that.”
I know. It’s not your fault, and I’m sorry you and your friends got involved with all of this. You are one of the good ones, Maverick. We will get through this, I promise you.
I want to give her one last hug, but I’m pretty sure my arms would get fried.
I point towards the barn. “Wait for me on the hill. As soon as I distract the agents, you go in and…do your Wonder Woman thing.”
Astid’s a blur when she rushes towards the ridge before diving onto the ground.
I take several deep breaths before I leave the safety of the woods. I run straight to the front of the barn and come face-to-face with something more terrifying than Kren himself.
39
ASTID
MY BODY FEELS like it’s on fire. The scorching power courses through my veins. Kren and Garn are nowhere in the vicinity, and I know it’s only a matter of time before I need to go after them, but right now, I need to help Maverick save Lisa. She’s so frightened, and her fear has sunk to sorrow.
I stay laying on my stomach as I peer over the ridge. One agent with dark skin guards Lisa. I can’t see the other one, but I can sense him standing around the other corner of the barn with a pistol in his hands. Lisa’s crying, but the agent remains unmoved.
Far to my left, Maverick runs from the forest towards the front of the barn. The two men guarding Lisa swivel towards Maverick with their guns. I leap to my feet and rush towards Lisa. I pounce on the guard, snatching his gun and throwing it away.
He tries to punch me, but I capture his fist in my hand. He yelps in pain. I subdue him with my mind’s power. I don’t have time to consume him. Instead, I strike a quick blow to his head. His neck cracks before he crumples to the ground.
Lisa gasps and presses up against the barn. I turn to see what she’s looking at and catch movement coming towards us.
Cadence turns the corner.
Her black eyes narrow at me. I allow myself to feel pity for her. Cadence is no longer human.
Another agent leaps out from behind her and fires his gun before I’m able to move. Just as the dart jabs my arm, a crack of thunder from behind fills the sky. I fall to my knees, and the agent who had shot me clutches his chest before he staggers backwards.
40
MAVERICK
PANIC SEIZES ME as Astid goes down, and my hands won’t stop shaking. I aim my gun at Dr. Wilson.
“Don’t even think about it, Maverick,” Dr. Wilson says. My part-time psychiatrist grabs Lisa and places the pistol against her temple.
I lower my gun.
“Good boy.” Dr. Wilson turns toward Cadence, and that’s when Marcus appears next to her.
They look like my friends, but there’s something…off. “Marcus? Cadence?” I squint my eyes to get a better look at them. “What’s going on?”
Cadence and Marcus come toward me, and that’s when I see their faces more clearly. My knees buckle. Their black eyes stare back at me, and they look angry.
“Mav, dude, you shouldn’t have come here.” Marcus cocks his head to the side. “You should have just stayed out of the way.”
Marcus’ voice sounds weird. I recognize it, but it’s all wrong. His words are deliberate and full of tension.
“You killed my mom, didn’t you?” As soon as the words escape my lips, I already know the answer. I see the whole thing in his mind. It’s like a horrible movie I can’t stop myself from watching. I see my mom staring up at Cadence while Marcus looks on.
“She was delicious,” Cadence says with a smile.
My eyes sting from tears pouring from them. “What happened to you? I can’t believe…Cadence, you killed her?”
My friends are better off dead. I don’t know what sick experiment Level 6 did on them, but Cadence and Marcus no longer exist.
“You’re wrong, Maverick,” Cadence says. “This is ten times better, and we will live forever.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask.
“They gave us eternal life.” Cadence nods toward Dr. Wilson. “We’re powerful in every way. Even Marcus is smarter.”
I’m reluctant to approach them, but I do anyway. “You’re wrong, Cadence. It’s a curse. You will have to kill innocent people to stay alive.” I turn to Marcus. “How could you kill my mom?”
Marcus’ black eyes fall towards the ground, and for a split second, I see a glimpse of my old friend.
“Man, it wasn’t…I didn’t want to.” Marcus struggles, and Cadence hits him in the gut.
Stop moping you imbecile, she tells him mentally. This is the best possible high you can get.
Marcus grunts and looks back at me, his sad black eyes give me no answers. Neither of them know I can read their thoughts, so I’m hoping I can use that to my advantage and come out of this alive.
Dr. Wilson keeps the gun pressed to Lisa’s head. “We don’t need him. Kill him.”
“This is wrong,” I say, waving my hands up and backing away. I swivel towards Dr. Wilson. “Let Lisa go! She has nothing to do with this.”
Cadence inches toward me, her wicked smile creeps up the side of her face. “Orders are orders.”
I can hear Marcus’ reluctant thoughts. Cadence, maybe this is wrong. He’s our friend.
Good to see my buddy Marcus is still alive in there behind his black eyes, but Cadence looks like she’s ready to devour me whole.
Cadence telepathically tells him, He left us to this fate, as he left Tarick to die. She continues coming toward me, and her already black eyes darken.
Her evil whirlpools lock on mine, but there’s no buzzing in my head. Not like when Kren had his evil grip on me. It’s more like a harmless, faraway ring of a telephone, though I can feel Cadence trying to invade my brain.
She shakes her head and wonders why I’m not on my knees.
Playing along, I drop to the ground without taking my eyes away from her, and her mind eases a little. I pretend to be writhing in agony, but at the moment, I only feel a little fuzzy. Kren’s mental grip was a billion t
imes stronger. Blood isn’t rushing to my head, but the closer she gets, the weaker I feel.
I try to send Marcus and Cadence one last mental message. We’re best friends. You can’t do this to us. These government agents are controlling your minds.
Cadence stands over me and pulls me up by my collar. She’s strong, but not nearly as strong as Astid. I begin to panic as no immediate plan comes to mind when her mental grasp finally latches onto me.
Her eyes swirl with her dark energy. My limbs relax and I know that I’m about to die. Her power has entered my whole being, and I can feel my life begin to slip from my body. Just when I’m about to black out, the power surge comes to an abrupt halt. Cadence’s grip loosens, and she collapses on top of me.
The darkness in my mind begins to clear, and I push Cadence’s limp body off me. A knife protrudes from her back. Marcus stands over her, trembling. He looks down at me.
“She was going to kill you, man.”
Whatever control these government goons had on Cadence, they failed with my man Marcus.
“Guess that ruins my chances of scoring a date with her,” Marcus adds. He’s still shaken up, but he musters a weak smile.
Dr. Wilson points her gun at Marcus while keeping Lisa in a choke hold with other other arm.
Marcus backs up, and I don’t need telepathy to feel the fear growing inside of him. Dr. Wilson pulls a small device from her pocket and pushes a button. Marcus convulses in pain and crumples to the ground. His body squirms until he’s still.
“We’ll have to work on him a little more,” Dr. Wilson says.
I don’t care if she’s holding a gun. I take several big steps towards her. “You killed him!”
“Your friend made a poor test subject anyway. Too much tetrahydrocannabinol in his system when we did the conversion. Messed with his hippocampus, I assume. Yet another reason to say no to drugs.” Dr. Wilson points her gun at me. “Nothing personal, Mr. Ashe. But our national security is at risk.”
Black-Eyed Kids: The Complete Series Page 17
