Black-Eyed Kids: The Complete Series

by Miranda Hardy

  “Oh yeah,” Dad replies. “Consider yourself lucky. I will have nightmares for the rest of my life.”

  “There’s even more up one level,” I say. “I’m going to bet a million dollars all that stuff is gone, too.”

  The whirling of helicopters grows louder overhead, and we all stare at each other in terror. There’s really no place to hide, so we press ourselves up against the one-way glass while Jennings draws his gun and guards the door. He pulls it almost closed, but keeps one eye trained on the hallway. A minute or two later, yet another helicopter arrives. A good fifteen minutes pass, and both copters power up and take off. We wait silently for several more minutes before Jennings leads us back out into the corridor.

  He points his gun upwards into the stairway, ready to shoot. But it’s completely silent. Once he’s convinced no one is coming down, he goes up the stairs first. We’re careful to not make a sound as our feet step on each concrete riser. Jennings motions for us to wait before stepping out onto the first floor’s hallway. Still nothing.

  Jennings is sure no one is even remotely nearby, so he hurries through the hallway until he comes to the open metal door. The other rooms were pretty empty to begin with, but the lab had been full of computer equipment and the wall of specimens in jars. We already knew that we’re not going to find anything before we enter the lab, and sure enough, nothing but the desk and empty shelves are left.

  I point to the desk. “That’s where we found papers on Project Immobility or something.”

  Dad nods. “Project Immutability. I think it was shut down in the early 90s. Probably a forefather of Project Hero.”

  The door to the closet is also open. I go inside, and the magic chair is gone, too. “The machine that fixed my shoulder was in here.”

  “Now that, I have no idea what it’s from,” Dad says.

  Lisa goes to the empty shelves. “What was up here?”

  “You don’t want to know,” I answer. “Jars and jars of body parts. It was messed up.” I immediately sense a presence coming down the stairs out in the hallway. “Someone’s coming down!”

  Jennings goes to the door and signals that a person is for sure making his way towards us. Dad peeks out and whispers something to Jennings. I pull Lisa into the closet with me and pull the door almost completely closed. Jennings puts his gun away and leaves Dad’s side and joins us in the closet.

  I whisper, “What are you doing?”

  “Just following your dad’s orders,” he replies.

  Dad steps out into the corridor, and my heart pummels my ribs.

  A voice from an unseen man echoes from the hall. “Charlie, what the hell happened to you?”

  “I don’t have time to explain. It’s been crazy since the transformer blew up,” Dad replies. “What’s been happening here?”

  “Complete evacuation. All of our equipment has been moved to Kentucky. The agents are dealing with some kind of hostile that has them all rattled. I saw them carrying heavy weaponry, the kind I haven’t seen before. Where’s the kid you were with?”

  “What about my things?” Dad asks him.

  “Everything’s been cleared out, including your belongings. Computer, files, even your chair…all gone,” he answers. “I came down here out of curiosity. I was maybe hoping to sneak a peek of whatever was being stored here, but it looks like they took everything already.”

  Dad curses under his breath. “Look, don’t tell anyone you saw me here.”

  “The agents are looking for you, Charlie. You’re in deep shit. Carl told them everything. You’d be in custody if it wasn’t for whatever the agents are hunting out there. I’m taking the last transport out to Kentucky.”

  “I’m going to disappear,” Dad tells him. “Please, don’t tell anyone I was here.”

  The man hesitates. “Um, sure. Hell, I’m not supposed to be in here either.”

  “Just go back to Bunker Three so you don’t rouse any suspicion. Take care, Robert.”

  Without another word, the man walks away and takes the steps to the above ground level before exiting the building.

  “Can you trust him?” Jennings asks as he emerges from the closet.

  “I’m not sure,” Dad replies. “There’s no point in checking Bunker Three. Damnit! All my evidence is gone. We’ve got very little to show anybody. A full-blown inquiry would be a waste of time. My apartment in town is most certainly cleared out as well.”

  Jennings scans the hallway. “We’d better get out of here just in case your buddy rats you out.”

  With his machine gun poised for action, he leads us back down to the second underground floor and pushes the fake wall open. We hurry into the dim tunnel and make our way until our passage narrows and darkens. Jennings goes up the ladder first, followed by Lisa. Just to make sure, I scan the immediate area mentally, but I only sense what is probably just a deer. Definitely not human.

  When Dad and I get to the surface, another helicopter comes in from the south and lands at the compound. All the exterior lights are off, so we can’t see what’s going on. No time to look for Beck’s night vision binoculars. Hopefully, that Robert guy kept his mouth shut. We take cover behind the trees, half expecting a team of agents to jump out of the chopper in search for us. All we can make out is the outline of large objects being loaded into the helicopter before it rises up into the sky and goes back to the south.

  “That’s it. Robert said there was one final transport,” Dad says.

  I stare at the dark compound, pushing my mind out as far as I can. “I sense a presence still in there. There’s at least one person left behind.”

  “Are you sure?” Jennings asks me. “You said your power has been fading.”

  “I’m sure,” I say. “Why would they leave one person behind?”

  Lisa says, “We should just go. Just like Dr. Ashe said, there’s no point. His stuff is long gone.”

  “I can’t explain it, but I get the feeling we should check it out,” I tell them. “It sounds crazy, I know.”

  “If you have that gut feeling, then I trust you,” Lisa says.

  Dad wants to get the hell out of there, but he knows I’m dead serious. Jennings already has his gun in his hand, and he’s ready to follow my gut.

  “Keep using your Spidey sense, Maverick,” Jennings says.

  He starts towards the compound’s gate, which is locked with new electronic security device. Dad reaches into his front shirt pocket to produce his badge. He swipes it through the lock, and amazingly, it opens.

  “Look, I’m good for something,” Dad jokes.

  We hurry across the gravel pathway, but we stop the moment we spot the security cameras all over. The only sound is the wind, and when it’s obvious no one is coming, we continue towards Bunker Two. I stop and sweep the area with my mind. “I think the person is in the third one. Something’s wrong, though.”

  Lisa asks, “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know.” Without waiting for Jennings, I run towards Bunker Three. Dad calls after me, as does Lisa, but I’m being pulled to this building, and I have to go. “The person’s aura is weak, but most definitely just on the other side of the front door.”

  Jennings catches up, and throws the door open. “Oh man!”

  An agent dressed in all camo is sprawled out on the tile floor, and a pool of blood continues to grow underneath his body. Lisa gasps, and she takes hold of my arm. Jennings bends down to check on him, and that’s when we see his legs move.

  I recognize this man. He was the second agent who was being accosted by Agent Lopez back at the state park. I can’t remember his name. Apparently, he was in charge of capturing Astid and Kren, and then using me to track them down by planting a fake counselor who hypnotized me. Did they just put a bullet through his chest because of his failure?

  “L…Lo…Lopez,” the agent manages to say through blood-filled lungs.

  “Lopez?” Dad bends down, aghast at the agent’s massive wound. “Agent Lopez. He’s a Level 6 se
ction commander.”

  The dying agent raises his head to look at me, and there’s recognition in his eyes. I probe his mind, but his thoughts are flying too quickly at first. His name is Byron Howell. Agent Lopez is the one who shot him. Lopez also blamed him for Dad leaving the compound. And then there was a confrontation with Balor, and many agents were killed. This poor guy is the scapegoat.

  “Sorry.” Howell coughs up more blood, and his last breaths are labored. He releases one final exhale before he’s gone.

  Dad says a quick prayer over the Howell’s body before turning to us. “Let’s get out of here.”

  24

  ASTID

  AGENTS SCURRY AROUND the beast to take their shots from different angles as Balor catches one of them and squeezes his head until it practically explodes. A fountain of blood splatters over Balor’s face. The sight and taste of human blood excites him. He swiftly eludes an attack from behind by sidestepping out of the way.

  The horrified agent fires his large electric gun at him, he but misses and the sparking darts aimlessly land onto the purple flowers. Balor grabs the wires, and the voltage doesn’t seem to faze him. He yanks hard, causing the agent to hurl through the air towards him. The man’s body slams into the ground with a loud thump. He cries out in agony when Balor stomps on his leg, snapping it in half.

  The monster will kill them all, Kren says. Ironic their own creation will bring forth their own demise.

  I grab his shoulder. If we attack Balor now, he won’t be expecting us. We may have a better chance to drain the life from him while the humans distract him.

  Balor blasts his fist through the chest of another agent. I cringe at the gore.

  Kren brushes my hand away. This is their doing. Let them face the consequences for their own sinful deeds. This is justice.

  Watching the Level 6 men die one by one gives Kren pleasure. His lips curl into a sideways smile. I strike him in the shoulder and twirl him around to face me.

  I thrust my face mere inches from his. You talk of sin, yet you experience sadistic joy in watching these humans suffer. Who is the real monster?

  Marcus flinches at the sight of bloodied entrails littering the ground beneath Balor’s feet. “She’s right, man. We will have the element of surprise and take him out easier than facing him on our own. I’m with Astid.”

  Me, too, Garn says. Balor’s attention is focused on the soldiers, and he cannot detect our presence. We can encircle him and begin siphoning his essence as he continues to fight them. This is our chance.

  Before Kren can argue, we all sense the presence of our friends. Maverick and the others emerge from the forest to join us. Lisa covers her eyes just before Balor winds the electric wire around an agent’s neck and pulls hard enough to decapitate him.

  Detective Jennings dark skin glistens from cold sweat at the sight of the massacre. “They don’t stand a chance out there.”

  Maverick can sense the disagreement and tension between us. He turns to Kren. “I want nothing more than to watch these agents die. But this is wrong. Since you don’t need to take human lives to stay alive, this is your chance to show your humanity, man.”

  Kren’s wicked resolve softens. And what about the agents and their weapons?

  Try not to get in the crossfire, I reply. Their electric guns were designed to stop Specials.

  And after? my brother asks.

  I glance at the one-sided battle to see Balor throw an agent against a tree. Let us worry about Balor first. If we fail, Level 6 will be the least of our worries.

  Kren nods. He studies the battlefield and calculates the proper distances and angles for us to place ourselves. His mind is racing, but it is focused. He gives us our directions telepathically, and we all understand our assignments.

  Marcus throws his arms around Maverick and Lisa. “I love you guys.”

  They are too stunned to respond, and they simply watch Marcus and the others run out onto the field, staying along the perimeter at the tree line. I’m the last one to go, and I wave goodbye to them before stepping out into the fray.

  Balor doesn’t notice us at all. An agent pulls the trigger of his heavy rifle, and the explosion creates a sonic boom and plume of smoke. Balor reels backwards, but the small round bullets fail to penetrate his leathery skin. The man cocks his rifle again as Balor closes the distance. The next shot brings the monster to one knee, giving the agent time to get away.

  Kren mentally screams: NOW!

  We surge forward, close enough to Balor to capture his aura with our combined powers. The agents don’t notice us at all, but Balor does. Marcus breaks the monster’s will first, creating an opening in his auric field. I focus on draining his energy through the weak spot, but his resistance is too strong. He’s mentally repelling all of us at once, which we didn’t think was possible. I swallow my doubts and focus harder.

  Forward! Kren commands us.

  We close in, tightening our circle. The agents stop shooting and pull back. I can sense Alyssa weakening, but she fights the Balor’s invading energy. Felix nearly collapses, but Garn picks him back up and helps steady him.

  Balor lifts his head up and roars. His defensive wall is ebbing away, and I can feel his fiery life force swirling around my fingertips.

  Again! Kren takes two more steps forward, and he’s close enough for Balor to reach out for him. We have him!

  Balor swings for Kren, but he ducks out of the way. Balor roars again, but his power is draining away. He gets down on all fours, panting like a rabid dog. Marcus imposes his power on Balor, paving the way for the rest of us to attack his life force. All ten of us take more steps forward, but we prepare for the beast to lash out again.

  For a fleeting moment, my senses pick up on an agent’s thoughts. It’s the one named Lopez. His dark skin is soiled with blood, but he was the one who had struck the most devastating blow to Balor with his rifle. I’m too focused on pulling Balor’s energy, that I tear my mental probe of his mind.

  Agent Lopez raises his rifle, and his agents do the same. They too make a circle around us, but remain just behind each Special. They are preparing to protect us should we falter.

  Balor gathers his remaining strength, and his psychic wall solidifies. He leaps high into the air and knocks Marcus on his back with a swipe of his massive hand. Marcus tumbles onto the ground, but an agent pulls him back up to his feet.

  “I’ll kill you all!” Balor yells. He spins around to face me, and my link to his life source is temporarily broken.

  I lose my balance, and Balor hurls towards me with his right arm outstretched. His fingers wrap around my left leg. With another surge, he lifts me into the air and throws me over his shoulder. I’m completely disoriented while flying through the air, and the last thing I see before slamming into Kren is his bulging black eyes.

  “Hold your fire!” Lopez screams at his men. He is afraid of hitting one of the Specials. “We don’t have a clear shot.”

  Balor makes a move towards Garn, but Marcus jumps onto the creature’s back and digs his fingers into his exposed shoulders. Balor screams in agony. Marcus is unfazed by Balor’s wild thrashing, and he holds on while continuing to suck his life force.

  Lopez continues to aim his gun at them, but he hesitates to pull the trigger.

  Balor purposely falls backwards, smashing Marcus under his full weight. Marcus cries out, and his energy link is completely shattered. Balor attempts to sit up, but Kren jumps onto his chest and grabs his face between his hands. Marcus yelps from being smashed again.

  No, Kren ! I spring forward to pull Kren away, but Balor kicks me square in the chest.

  Balor takes advantage of our broken circle and gets to his feet while keeping Marcus and Kren in his grasp. The agents still cannot get a clear shot, and Lopez is getting desperate. He pulls out his pistol and drops his aim, but he doesn’t fire a shot.

  The rest of us focus our powers again, hoping to weaken Balor just long enough for Marcus and Kren to escape, but the be
ast is actually gaining strength from his contact with the pair.

  Tears flow from Marcus’s darkened eyes, and his thoughts turn to his mother and brother. He wishes he could see them one more time, but he knows they are better off not knowing what had happened to him. The realization that death is near puts him into a panic, and he tries to ward off Balor’s energy drain.

  I move in and punch Balor square in the face, but he laughs at my weakness. Garn throws a flying kick to his chest, but it’s useless. Balor tightens his embrace, drawing their energies into his own.

  Sister, I want you to know…Kren’s essence slips away.

  With every ounce of strength I have left, I focus my power on Balor’s chest. His defensive wall is like steel, and even with the others’ combined forces, we are no match for him.

  Kren’s mouth draws open. Lead our family, Sister. I am sorry.

  I cannot allow myself to panic. My arms vibrate violently, pushing forward through Balor’s defenses. The agents prepare to fire their guns, but their heads are filled with such heavy ringing, their aim becomes erratic. The other Specials link arms, fighting Balor with every ounce of their power.

  Marcus dangles against Balor’s massive body. Kill him, Astid. Kill him now.

  My entire body shakes from the current of energy flowing through me. I reach out with my hands, focusing once again on Balor’s chest. I close my eyes, concentrating on unleashing one final strike at the creature.

  My eyelids flutter open, and every inch of my body is on fire. Balor pulls Marcus and Kren even tighter. All of my hate, ferocity, love, sadness, and terror rolls into a ball of flame from within me, and it takes all my effort to let it intensify. It threatens to escape, but I rein in it and command it to surge. Pure electricity swirls like a vortex all around me, tightening its gyre and lifting me off the ground.

  The buildup of intensity from my belly erupts into my chest, and when I slam my palms together, a bolt of white lightning shoots from my fingertips, straight through Balor’s heart.

  The world turns black. I’ve lost all sensation. I can’t see or hear anything. With one final weak breath, my very soul leaves my body.