Black-Eyed Kids: The Complete Series

by Miranda Hardy

  I counted each level as we ascended. We had gone up five levels to the last door in the stairwell—it led to the main floor…the surface. My legs strengthened with the thought of finally escaping to the outside world.

  The Dogs climbed to at least three floors below us, disfiguring every human they found. I felt each life extinguish as the monsters tore through their flesh with their razor-sharp teeth. Despite the humans having been our captors for all of our lives, I felt pity for them.

  But Kren didn’t. He relished their massacre.

  When I forced my mind to reach through the door, out into the main corridor, I sensed three more armed soldiers at the other end of the hall.

  They will shoot to kill us, Kren warned everyone. Run fast and do not hesitate. They cannot defeat us all.

  Kren pressed his body against the metal door, gathering his strength. He closed his eyes and commanded his body to swell with renewed fury and power.

  We’re almost free.

  Everyone in our group likewise gathered their strength, ready to fight and kill for our freedom. Garn and Avaion steadied themselves right behind us.

  Kren and I shoved the door open and bolted towards the stunned soldiers. The guards scrambled and raised their guns. The corridor filled with the alarm’s incessant screaming and our stampeding footsteps.

  The soldiers fired their rifles, but we dove to the ground. Their bullets streaked harmlessly through the air over our heads.

  We leaped back to our feet, continuing our charge straight for the soldiers. They discharged their weapons repeatedly, and some of the others near me went down. I felt their essence leave their bodies, but I didn’t have time to mourn. The rest of us kept running.

  Kren soared into the air and threw himself into the soldiers, taking out all three of them. I stomped on the head of one of the men, knocking him out without killing him.

  Thick, metal bars began to slide out from the ceiling in an effort to lock down the facility. The guards had regained control of the building’s security systems.

  Panic coursed through my entire body. Was the exit door locked? I threw my weight against it, and it opened without any resistance.

  I was the first to walk through, stumbling out into the sand. I felt each grain slip inside my shoe and rub against my toes. Strange sights and smells assaulted my senses. It took a moment for me to take it all in. The small one, Wanek, careened out the door and landed face-first on the alien ground. He spat the sand out of his mouth before being helped up by Kren.

  Far out into the horizon, a bright light hovered near the edge. Behind us, darkness swallowed up the sky.

  The others followed me, ambling out onto the rough terrain with their eyes and mouths drawn open. They were stunned we had made it out, and they were overwhelmed with the alien world surrounding them.

  Felix projected his thoughts into all of us with joy. We are free!

  We’re not free yet. Kren grabbed my hand. We must keep running.

  Kren was right. There was no time to stop and revel in our first glimpse of the outside world. Ahead of us, I spotted more footprints in the red sand.

  Others have escaped before us, I conveyed to the group. I reached out with my mind, but our predecessors were too far away.

  Including Kren and I, eight of us had survived. We all wondered how many of us had made it out as we tracked the footprints leading away from our prison…away from Level 6.

  I wanted to search the building one last time with my mind to find out if Dr. B had also gotten out, but we were out of range. With Kren leading us away, we ran as fast as our legs could take us, out into the desert…out into the unknown.

  1

  MAVERICK

  TWO MORE MILES until we reach our destination, but I’m wondering if I’m leading us to our deaths. We fall silent as we fly down the highway in the black Lexus. I can actually taste our anxiety, and I hope I don’t develop an ulcer from all of this worrying.

  I don’t have to be a psychic to know what’s going on with Marcus. His fear of Level 6 runs deep. He never wants to see that place again, and I admire his willingness to help me despite his desire to run the other way. The poor guy has been through so much, and he’s afraid to let me down. On the other hand, he’s pissed—really pissed.

  Marcus is here for the same reason I’m here. We want to tear Level 6 down.

  Astid, in the back seat, contemplates how the Black-Eyed Kids could maybe live alongside the rest of us without violence. She’s so tired of the killing, and having to take lives recently has taken its toll on her. Astid had made a personal vow not to ever kill again, and she broke her promise. What chills her to the bone is the fact that a part of her enjoyed taking a life, like satisfying a deep-rooted hunger. She senses me touching her mind, and her mental barrier slams into place and pushes me out. I stop myself from dwelling on it anymore.

  I’m lost. I feel naked not knowing our next step. It’s like driving into a blinding blizzard, hoping to survive long enough to find shelter. Despite my best intentions, I feel unprepared for what lies ahead.

  Mom always had a plan. She’d organize our vacations so far in advance, she even knew where we would eat each meal. She scheduled and budgeted every event. Now that I think about it, the planning stage was one of the best parts of the vacation to her. It made her feel useful and complete. But Mom is gone, and so is my old life.

  Having no plan makes me uneasy, but how could I have devised some kind of strategy for a mission like ours? We could be making mistake after mistake, guessing what’s around the next corner, and the consequences of those mistakes could get us all killed.

  Maybe in my anger and desperation, I’m pushing us all closer to our demise. My doubts linger until I force myself to shove them aside.

  One mile until we reach the exit, and the air becomes dense. I crack the window open and let a sliver of cool air seep into our space. Yellow, brown, and dark green trees line the highway, and traffic seems light here. I’m glad we won’t hit the insane Atlanta traffic as we did going north. The state park is forty miles north of the city.

  Marcus puts his shades on to cover his black eyes, and Astid follows suit. Being in close contact with the two of them has given me an immunity of sorts to the negative vibe they give off to others. I wonder if I’d be oblivious to other BEKs who might be nearby without the feeling of dread to warn me.

  Great, now I can’t even rely on instinct to keep us safe.

  Our car is the only one that pulls off exit 285, and we make a left toward Red Top Mountain State Park. Following the brown signs makes the map unnecessary at this point. Lake Allatoona surrounds the park, and the place is gorgeous. Mom would have wanted to take a vacation here.

  Marcus taps my shoulder. “They won’t let us through.”

  A rolling white SUV directly in front of us comes to a halt at the guard gate, and we slow to a stop behind it and roll our windows down. Their voices don’t reach our ears, but we hear the conversation clearly through their minds.

  “What’s up, Earl?” the driver asks. “Why’s it barricaded?”

  “Dave, if you’d actually answer the damn phone, you’d have known not to waste your time coming in,” the ranger says. “Park’s closed today. No one allowed through.”

  “Phone died.” Dave holds up his dead cell. “Whatcha mean closed? The park never closes. I’ve been here doggone twenty-two years, and only once did the park close for that ice storm. And even then, they needed maintenance to come on in here anyways.”

  Earl shakes his head. He’s having a hard time lying to his friend about why the park is shut down. He’s not sure how much to tell Dave.

  Dave looks across the bridge and sees a bunch of people in hazmat suits scouring the woods on the other side. “What’s happened here?”

  “I’m not entirely sure myself,” Earl says as he slips his cap off to scratch his head. “I was supposed to be off today, but Rick called me in, and these goons made me park here and direct all the cars away. S
ure pissed off a lot of regulars not able to get to their boats for early morning fishin’. I thought old Buddy was gonna blow a gasket.”

  “Isn’t Rick out of town?” Dave asks.

  “Yeah, but he said the EPA found the lake was contaminated. We’ve evacuated the entire park for the day to let them test the water. Rick seemed miffed about it ‘cause he couldn’t get a hold of Walter and had to call in Junior to cover the other gate. And we all know Junior is an idiot.” Earl wonders if he gave a convincing enough story. “Well, get on home and I’ll call ya later to tell you what’s happening. You’re holding up traffic. And charge your damn phone.”

  Earl pats Dave’s metal door and directs him to turn around. Dave nods and does a 180 degree turn to head back down the same street he came from.

  We slowly pull forward and stop next to Ranger Earl. The closer we get, the more tense and uneasy he becomes. It irritates him because he doesn’t know why he feels a heavy sense of dread.

  Marcus and Astid try to reign in their oppressive energy, but they can’t entirely stop it from affecting the park ranger.

  “Park’s closed today. Environmental testing and such.” Earl smacks his forehead because that’s not what he meant to say. He wants us gone, and fast. “Turn around. Sorry, folks.” He backs away from the open window and waves at us to maneuver around.

  Not wanting to bother him further, I don’t argue. There’s nothing more he can tell us anyway. I roll up my window and make the turn.

  I ask the others, “Did either of you reach the guys on the other side of the bridge by chance?”

  Too far, Astid responds in our heads.

  “Shiitake, I got nothing!” Marcus says.

  Astid taps my seat from behind. There’s another entrance to try. The ranger mentioned another gate.

  I pull over once we are out of sight from Ranger Earl, and Marcus studies the map.

  “Take the Interstate down to exit 283,” he tells me. “Looks like the State Park borders another street that’s not a bridge.”

  Astid disagrees. The other ranger named Junior is there. I doubt he will allow us through. He’s probably directing people away also.

  “Then maybe we need to wear our hiking boots,” I say as I get back on the street and head back toward the interstate.

  “What is it with you and the damn woods, Mav?” Marcus folds the map and smacks his seat with it. “Last time I went into the woods with you, I was kidnapped and turned into a circus freak.” He swivels over to Astid and clears his throat. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to insult your sexy self. The black eyes suit you just fine.”

  No offense taken, Astid says with a crooked smile.

  Once we hit the road leading to the second entrance, I slow to find a good stopping point that won’t get our vehicle noticed.

  “There!” Marcus points toward a dirt road that looks like an unguarded service entrance.

  I follow the unmarked path until it stops at some sort of large electrical box. It doesn’t go further. Using my very best driver’s ed. skills, I maneuver the car so we can just bolt the hell out of here in case we need to make a hasty exit.

  “Looks like this is a good place to park.” I kill the engine and glance in the rearview mirror at Astid. “Are you ready?”

  As ready as can be, Astid replies.

  “Well, I’m not.” Marcus crosses his arms.

  I nudge him with my elbow. “This time we stick together.” He still looks unconvinced. “And don’t forget, man. You now have superpowers.”

  “Oh yeah, damn straight!” Marcus grits his teeth and opens his door.

  These woods are nothing like home. Droplets left on the trees, after the morning rain, fall on us as we slosh through the wet fallen leaves covering the ground. The only true coverage these woods offer us is the sheer number of them surrounding the state park. Marcus and Astid don’t appear to feel the same coldness in the air. I’m shivering, however.

  I send a quick thought to their heads. Be careful and aware of our surroundings. We should be nearing the other ranger soon.

  This telepathy-thing is another benefit this psychic-affliction has brought me. At least we can communicate in silence.

  Astid and Marcus slow their pace so I can keep up. The physical exertion it takes to walk in the deep woods doesn’t faze their bodies as it does mine. For some reason, even my feet seem louder and clumsier than theirs do.

  Ranger Junior enters our minds’ periphery almost at the same time. He guards a long line of barricades, blocking the entrance to the park, and he’s bored. Unlike Ranger Earl, Junior just thinks about going home, being warm, and having a tall glass of Busch. His job is more of unavoidable evil than a career to him.

  This ESP stuff does come in handy.

  Marcus and Astid veer further away once they sense his growing uneasiness. Junior glares at the woods and hops back into his Chevy, locking the door.

  We continue walking deeper into the park, careful not to make any sounds. Junior is positively in a state of panic. He grabs his cell phone, but he thinks twice about calling Earl over having a “bad feeling.” Now he’s wondering if he’s having a nervous breakdown.

  Once we pass Junior’s position, his dread lessens to the point where he’s just irritated. He gets out of his car and starts to pace again.

  We continue north into the state park and a good distance away from the main road until we detect more people further ahead.

  Several people bustle around on the road near dark SUVs. All of us reach out with our minds to search them for answers.

  These guys are not with the EPA, that’s for sure. As soon as one of them thinks his valuable skills are being wasted on stupid guard duty, and he should be investigating the scene and bringing those laboratory rats down himself, we all know exactly who they are.

  Shiitake! Marcus yells into our heads.

  Level 6 got here first and has taken over the entire state park.

  2

  MAVERICK

  THEY HAVE NEW weapons, Astid mentally tells us as we hurry through the woods.

  Our instincts lead us further away from the agents and deeper into the forest until we come across a worn-out trail. The last thing we want to do is tip them off that we are in the area. If one of those Level 6 agents feels just a hint of the dreary vibe Astid and Marcus give off, it’s all over.

  “Let’s get outta here, Mav-Man.” Marcus’s panic takes over, and all he wants to do is head far away from these guys. The entire point of this mission is to take Level 6 down, but he is having second thoughts. “I seriously doubt this Beck dude is here, and if he was, he’s probably dead…or worse.”

  “Beck told us to come here to investigate,” I say a little too loudly. “We’re not turning back now.”

  Astid grabs my wrist. Beck thought he was telling Ronald to come here to investigate.

  “Whatever.” I take a step away from Astid, and she releases her grip. “It was obviously some good information since Level 6 is here. So, Beck’s info is legit. If these agents are here, the BEKs are here too.”

  Marcus shakes his head. “I had no problem with maybe squaring off against some BEKs, especially with Wonder Woman on our side, but Level 6? That changes everything.”

  Astid scrunches her nose. Wonder Woman?

  I’m too aggravated to explain superheroes to her. Or maybe my own fear is getting the better of me. “It’s the only lead we have,” I remind them. “Maybe this is our chance to find out where their hideout is.”

  “They could catch us too,” Marcus says.

  “I know Level 6 spooks you out,” I say. “I understand. But this might be our one shot to get the information we need.”

  Marcus and I can’t get too close, Astid says. Otherwise, the agents will sense us, and their weapons will render us powerless.

  Marcus touches the scar on his stomach. All he can think about is how Level 6 had shocked him using their remote control gadget. Whatever device they had implanted to control him was still insi
de of him, although he had been able to override it somehow.

  “I can’t go back there, man. Not as their prisoner.” Marcus is almost to the point of tears. “I smashed the remote control your psychiatrist-agent lady used on me, but I’m sure they’ve got plenty more. All they gotta do is push a button, and I’ll be barbecued like…barbecue.”

  I face Astid. “You said they have new weapons.”

  Yes, but I didn’t have time to probe the agents’ minds. I didn’t want to give away our presence. Their new weapons were developed specifically to hurt us, and they were eager to use them.

  It’s two versus one, and I’m losing this debate. “Since your presence will tip them off, I’ll have to scout them out and see what’s going on. You guys hang back.”

  Maverick, no! Astid shakes her head. We can’t let you go alone. It’s too dangerous.

  “It’s dangerous, but we need answers,” I say. “I need answers.”

  “You’re insane sometimes,” Marcus says. “We aren’t leaving you. You told me we were going to stick together this time, remember?”

  I let out an exasperated breath. “I did, but I wasn’t expecting Level 6 to be here. We just have to adjust our plan. I’ll go ahead and see what’s up, without being detected, and you two stay together a good distance behind me. Watch my back.”

  Marcus and Astid exchange doubtful looks, but I feel their will bending. They know I’m right, even though neither wants to admit it.

  Astid finally nods. Please be careful.

  Marcus is irked, but he reluctantly agrees. “If you get yourself killed, I’m going to kill you, Mav-Man.”

  We continue on the trail heading north, hoping the path will lead us to the road. Even if we keep our distance from the main roads, we can still listen for the agents without them seeing us.

  The woods are eerily quiet. A breeze flows through, causing more colorful leaves to fall onto the path. The longer I’m out here, the colder I become. We hike for about a mile, or longer, before coming across a paved road. We hit the campground area and no one’s in sight.