Black-Eyed Kids: The Complete Series

by Miranda Hardy

  The creature stands at least one whole foot taller than Maverick; its eyes are as black as onyx. Jagged scars crisscross his face, but the worst is the massive bloodied zigzagging laceration that edges from the top of his hairline down to his chin. He emits a low, ferocious growl. A gruesome grin reveals long, brown rotted teeth. He was once a human. A soldier. But Level 6 has made him into a bloodthirsty behemoth. His loose black shirt is torn and bloodstained, and it fails to hide his inhuman muscles. His forearms, which are larger than any man’s calves, flex in anticipation. The creature still has hair on his head, but its slicked black with oily grime.

  Balor.

  He is projecting his thoughts into all our heads.

  The horrific cabin scene replays inside our joined minds. The innocent family’s screams and shrieks are filled with so much terror, the hairs on my arms raise. Balor had enjoyed each moment he ripped their limbs apart and exerted such excruciating and unimaginable pain upon the innocents. The humans were a bonus, but the one he was after was Wanek.

  Killing Wanek gave him more precious life force—energy that gave him strength.

  Now he sets his sights on Maverick.

  Maverick dodges Balor’s first attempt to grab him. He had reached for Maverick’s neck, intending to rip it off. Balor makes no effort to attack him again. The creature is reveling in feeling Maverick’s fear. In his moment of hesitation, Maverick reaches down to where his father’s gun was kept, but Marcus still has it.

  From his wild panic, Marcus tumbles to the ground. He recovers quickly and continues charging towards Maverick. Although he’s scared to death, he’s not going to allow Maverick to fight the beast alone. “I’m coming, Mav-Man!”

  The beast takes another swipe at Maverick, but he misses a second time. Balor growls again, and his cheeks flush. He exudes both fury and frustration. He swings at Maverick a third time, but his blow catches Maverick’s right shoulder. With a pitiful yelp, Maverick whirls through the air before slamming into a tall tree with a hideous thud.

  Miraculously, Maverick is still conscious. Pure torment engulfs his arm. Something has been dislodged inside his shoulder. I’m going to die.

  Yes you will, boy. Balor can’t hide his smirk. He lumbers forward, savoring the urge to rip Maverick’s head off his neck. His thirst for blood is unquenchable.

  Every muscle in my body stiffens in intense terror. My legs feel heavy, and I can’t get there fast enough.

  Shiitake! Marcus lunges and crashes into Balor, sending them both to the ground. His strength surprises all of us, including the monster.

  Maverick struggles to get to his feet, but his agony overpowers him.

  Balor springs back up and thrusts both hands into Marcus’s chest, launching him backwards. Marcus recovers and stands between Maverick and the beast. Summoning all my strength, I hurtle through the trees and join Marcus’s side.

  Marcus mentally tells Maverick to leave, but the beast intercepts the message.

  Balor ticks his blood red tongue and shakes his head. I’ll kill you all. His words invade all our heads at the same time. He rushes towards the two us. Marcus braces himself for the impact.

  “I’m ready for you, you freak!” Marcus ducks out of reach from one of Balor’s long arms, but his other one punches Marcus in the gut. Marcus swings back, hitting him in the head, but the blow does no damage. The monster remains standing like a statue.

  I spring forward, striking him square in the jaw, but Balor is unfazed. With lightning speed, he backhands my face, sending my vision into a spiral. My feet tumble over my head, and I crash into the damp earth hard enough to thrust the air from my lungs.

  Marcus is back on the offensive, but Balor grabs one of Marcus’s arms and twists. I take a deep breath and charge straight for the monster. I shut my eyes and harden my shoulders just before I slam into him with all my power. His grip on Marcus breaks, and he stumbles away. He didn’t expect me to have that kind of strength, and now he’s even hungrier than before.

  You are different from the others.

  I mentally throw him out of my head.

  Maverick takes off toward the cliff side of the mountain. Balor steadies himself and is about to chase after him. Riding a burst of energy, I surge towards him and kick his knee. Balor lets out a guttural bark. I unload a flurry of punches to his head, and one of my blows to his temple brings him down to his knees.

  Somehow, Balor forces his way through my mental block. You are going to be delicious.

  I force air back into my chest, but I am too exhausted to continue. Marcus springs into action with a swift kick to the side of Balor’s skull. Amazingly, the monster flops to the ground. But our victory is short lived. Balor pushes both palms against the ground in an effort to get back to his feet.

  We can’t beat him. Marcus says. And you and I don’t have anything left in the tank.

  Marcus is right, but we don’t have the strength to outrun him either. We need to give Maverick a good head start. We must keep Balor busy. Use your speed and stay away from his grasp.

  Though wobbly, Balor solidifies his legs underneath him. His fists clench, and his energy is gathering for another onslaught. With a snarl, he invades our minds.

  After I take your essence, I am going to easily capture Maverick and slaughter him, too. Slowly.

  He has been toying with us the whole time, as if this was all just for sport.

  Marcus stands his ground for a moment, but slumps his shoulders in defeat. “Damn. I lost the gun.”

  I’m not sure we’re going to make it out of this alive.

  7

  MAVERICK

  MY HEART IS about to explode as I near the rocky mountainside. I swing southeast and follow it around. I can’t shake the feeling all of this is a big waste of time. Balor the Beast is faster, stronger, and a bigger badass than all of us combined.

  Marcus and Astid attempt to hold off Balor as best they can to give me a head start, but they are being worn down. I sense their fear getting the best of them.

  Get out of there! I yell in my mind to them, hoping they receive the message clearly.

  I catch a glimpse of the massive monster through Marcus’s mind. My stomach churns as I recall how Balor wanted to snap my head off just moments ago. That thing is ten times scarier than the Black-Eyed Kids, and that’s not an exaggeration. It does look like a Frankenstein on steroids, just as Marcus had described.

  Marcus stands behind it while Astid taunts it in front. Mav-Man, we can’t hold him off much longer. We need our energy to bail, and I’m not sure we can outrun this thing.

  White-hot misery radiates from my right shoulder with each foot plant onto the ground as I run further away. I hear rushing water, but not like a river. After pushing my way through the trees, a waterfall comes into view—actually, three waterfalls cascade down from the mountainside. The rapids crash onto the large rough rock formations with fallen logs, and lands in a larger body of water. Giant boulders jut out at the base of the falls, causing the water to spray in different directions. If someone were to fall from the top, they’d die instantly on the jagged rocks below.

  Harsh foliage and trees line the sides. There are steep edges to climb several points up. I have no choice but to try to get up around the waterfall. It’s either that or turn around to face the wrath of a super soldier monster.

  If my arm wasn’t screwed up, I’d feel more confident about going up around this waterfall, but I have to push through the pain to try. This is the only way up, and possibly the only way to get away from Balor.

  I start scaling the first fall. My right arm’s useless.

  Marcus’s terror erupts as he is slammed against a tree. Leaves fall down over his face. He stares into the black eyes of Balor, who grins because he’s close to fulfilling his need for energy.

  I slip on a rock and plow into a bush. The agony from my shoulder takes my breath away. I know I should focus on climbing, but I can’t help but stay mentally connected with the others.


  Astid rams Balor, knocking him away from Marcus. Then, like something out of The Matrix, she unloads a kick to the monster’s knee. Damn, that’s gotta hurt. Astid follows up with a barrage of punches to his head Neo-style. Balor is down, but he’s inside her head, taunting her.

  Astid mentally tells me, We’re coming.

  Thank God! I regain my balance and reach for the next branch with my good arm. Luckily, I had learned to be a switch hitter in baseball and became somewhat ambidextrous. I come to the base of the next waterfall when Astid and Marcus arrive at the bottom. It took them a lot less time to make it this far than me. I hope I don’t slow them down too much.

  Balor isn’t far behind. Astid goes ahead of Marcus up the side of the first fall.

  “I know. I feel him.” I try to pick up my pace, but the throbbing in my arm prevents me from moving too much faster. “If it wasn’t for this gimpy arm—”

  “Balor’s been slowed down.” Marcus pushes Astid onto the ledge of the first base. “Pretty sure Astid broke his kneecap.”

  “He might be slower than you two, but he’s probably faster than me.” I climb onto the precipice of the next ledge. The wetness from the falls seep into my shoes as I cross to the other side of the water to get a better bearing on the next climb.

  Astid and Marcus catch up and hoist me up.

  I risk peeking below to see Balor limping towards the base of the waterfall and glare up at us. I’ll be having you for dinner.

  I try not to panic, and instead concentrate on climbing as quickly as I can. Our lives depend on it. I push through the gut-wrenching pain.

  “Sorry, Frankenweiner, we’ll have to decline your invitation.” Marcus lifts Astid up behind me. Although he’s putting on a brave exterior, we feel his inner turmoil struggle to keep from totally freaking out.

  He’s straining. Astid places her hand under my foot just before I slip.

  “I’d be frustrated, too, with a busted knee.” I don’t dare turn to look at the scene below, but I do feel what Astid says. Balor is having a hard time.

  I crawl over the final jagged edge on the top of the mountain and roll away to allow Astid and Marcus to climb up.

  “Dude can’t make it.” Marcus peers over the cliff. “Frankentoots falls back onto the ground before reaching past the first waterfall.”

  Astid stands next to Marcus. Better to have a busted shoulder than a busted knee when trying to climb a waterfall.

  I cradle my shoulder and crawl to my feet. I look down at the struggling monster below. He starts pounding his fists into a nearby tree trunk, demolishing it until it tumbles to the ground. His face turns red as he scowls at us.

  “Catch you later, FrankenLoser.” Marcus sticks his tongue out at Balor. “You might want to put a little Ben Gay on that knee of yours.”

  It’s probably not a good idea to taunt him. Astid moves away from the ledge and surveys our surroundings.

  Balor points a jagged finger at us. I have underestimated all of you. Very soon, we will meet again. I won’t make the same mistake. He struggles to lumber away from the waterfall, back into the thick forest. Ice cold determination fills his thoughts until we can no longer sense him.

  All three of us allow ourselves to relax for a bit. I hadn’t realized how much the anxiety masked my pain until the adrenaline stopped pumping through me.

  “I think my arm’s broken.” I tug the sleeve up and look at the purple bruise surrounding the shoulder. “It’s hanging lower than my other arm. Man, I’m all screwed up.”

  “It’s popped out of place.” Marcus walks in front of me. “I can fix it.”

  “Whoa!” I hold my good hand up and take a step back. “I don’t want you to pull my damned arm off.”

  “I’m not going to lie. It’ll hurt like an M-effer,” Marcus says. “But, I promise, I won’t tear your arm off. I’ve had my shoulder dislocated at least four times from skateboarding. It seems to pop out pretty easily after the first time I jacked it up.”

  Are you sure about this? Astid asks. Let’s not do any more damage.

  “He won’t be able to do much if we don’t do this.” Marcus’s eyes narrow. “Maverick, you’ll need to lay down flat on the ground.”

  Marcus is rarely ever this serious. I’m not used to him being in charge. “If you rip my arm off, I’m going to beat you with it,” I say with a weak chuckle.

  My whole body trembles as I lay down. Astid is more than concerned, and I can feel the doubt fill up her mind. Marcus, on the other hand, is steady and focused.

  “Just remember to breathe.” Marcus gets on both knees and gently takes hold of my wrist. Carefully, he bends my arm at the elbow, sending only a mild wave of pain through me. “Breathe…” Marcus’s other hand grabs onto my elbow.

  I’m doing my best to breathe, but my lungs are quivering. “Make it quick, huh?”

  “No, I’m not supposed to do this quickly,” Marcus replies in a near-whisper.

  As I exhale deeply, Marcus pulls my entire arm away from my body. I can feel my bone slipping beneath my flesh, and my entire being is filled with burning lava. My screaming doesn’t faze Marcus, but Astid is in tears. Bones are rubbing, muscles are ripping, blood is boiling, and I’m fighting to stay conscious.

  With an odd clunk sound, my shoulder slides back into place. The sharp anguish begins to subside, giving way to a slow-churning agony.

  “It’s back in place.” Marcus stands up and grins. “You still won’t be able to use that arm very much.”

  I still can’t speak. With my good arm, I prop myself up, but I’m not able to stand.

  “I’m sorry, Mav-Man. Truly,” Marcus says. “It’ll feel better in a couple hours. I swear it.”

  Astid’s black eyes are still wide with surprise. Good job, Marcus.

  I wipe the streams of tears clouding my vision. Stupidly, I try to move my right arm, and a fireball of pain shoots out from my shoulder into every cell in my body. After catching my breath, I take a look around.

  A rushing stream flows to the south, which is the one that fed the waterfalls we climbed up. Tall trees surrounded us from all other sides. Looking out over the mountain, I see endless greenery with mountains in the distance. The clouds covered their tops and appeared like distant mist floating by.

  I manage to say, “We need to start walking. That Balor-thing will get up here eventually and start tracking us.”

  Marcus unzips one of the two packs we have left, since I had lost mine in the fight. “I lost your gun, Mav-Man. I’m sorry.”

  I’m too grateful to be angry. “No worries. Thanks for fixing my arm. At least we have the food and our phone.”

  I’m afraid anything dry in my backpack was squashed during my struggle, Astid says. The granola bars are pulverized, but at least I still have my mother’s jacket.

  “How you kept your backpack on while fighting Balor amazes me.” I give Marcus a pat on the back with my good hand. “You, too.” I head off in the direction where the stream flows, careful not to swing my right arm as I walk. “At least we have plenty of water.”

  They follow behind me.

  “Shouldn’t we boil the water first?” Marcus asks.

  “We don’t have that option,” I reply with a shrug. “Besides, this water is moving. I think you need to boil standing water before drinking.”

  Astid’s thoughts penetrate our minds. Marcus, you recognized Balor. You saw him at the Level 6 facility where you were taken, right?

  Marcus doesn’t answer right away. “Right after they changed me. I was sick and delirious. I thought I’d had a nightmare. Balor tore clean through a glass prison and ripped some guy’s head off.” Marcus cringes. “He would have killed me, too, had the agents not regained control of him. Balor has some kind of implant used by Level 6 to make him to their bidding, different from the ones they put in the BEKs.”

  We’re all silent for a long time until I say, “So, if Balor is under Level 6 control with that gizmo-implant, then we can assume they’ve let h
im loose on purpose.”

  Perhaps. Astid thoughts turn to the Level 6 scientist who allowed her to escape.

  “You think Dr. B freed Balor, too?” I step up onto a large rock and jump back onto the dirt. I keep my balance with my left arm going out to steady myself, but I’m careful to not move my injured one. “Why in the hell would he do such a stupid thing?”

  I cannot know for certain, and I highly doubt he would knowingly let this beast free. I cannot imagine it. Balor has no remorse. He is a killing machine that craves power. Astid recalls Agent Lopez from the bloody cabin scene yesterday. Remember when Agent Lopez said ‘he did what he needed to do?’ What if Level 6 let Balor out on purpose to track and kill the remaining BEKs? They thought they could control Marcus and Cadence. Perhaps they feel they can control Balor on the outside, too.

  “Shiitake!” Marcus flinches at thought of being under Level 6’s control. “I’ll never look at electricity the same way ever again.”

  “Agent Lopez,” I begin. “The tall guy with the dark skin. You knew him?”

  I didn’t really know him. Nor did I see him much at the facility. But when I did see him on our block, a test subject always ended up leaving with him and never returning. Lopez was excellent at masking his thoughts, so we never figured out where he took them. Astid’s mind touches on memories of living in a tiny cell with her mother and Kren. He only took the weakest of the altered children.

  “He could have been working on this Super Soldier Frankenstein Monster.” Marcus kicks a rock into the water. “Maybe…”

  Marcus is about to suggest something else so gruesome, he decides to keep it to himself.

  It’s possible. Astid hates thinking about her time there. However, Lopez was not a scientist. He seemed to be in charge of enforcement and security.

  “Balor had to be a soldier before it was transformed,” I say. “But it’s not your average BEK for sure. Not by a longshot.”

  He wanted to consume me and Marcus, but I felt myself weakening by merely being next to him. We are both already drained. I felt as if he was able to pull energy from us.