by Leito, Chad
And then there were his eyes. His pupils were dilated to the size of half dollars so that when he looked at Asa straight on, glossy black between his eyelids was all that could be seen. Tears were running down his bloody cheeks to his chin. The tears weren’t clear. They were black.
Salvaserum.
Again, Asa tried to scream, but no words came out. He squirmed, but could not get free. Asa turned to see a dead bear head look on without sympathy from the edge of a fur rug.
Teddy’s face had been maimed by a Multiplier bite, and the wound was infected. The left corner of his mouth had been torn off, leaving strips of red, angry flesh where his cheeks had been. This wounded tissue was dotted with black spots. Teddy’s mouth was closed, but because of the hole in his face, Asa could still see his molars. His gums hadn’t turned completely black yet.
Teddy moaned and pinned Asa even harder. He was breathing through his nose and crying. Though Teddy retained his gruesome figure, his voice returned to its natural tone and he sounded like the old Teddy for a time: “I didn’t want you to see me like this, Asa. I didn’t want to see you. I was afraid that I would bite you. I’ve been bitten by a Multiplier, if you can’t tell.” Teddy still pinned Asa with force that made him unable to breath. Tears streamed across Teddy’s face and down his neck.
In an instant, the pressure was off of Asa and he could breath again. He coughed and rolled over to see that Teddy had leapt up and was pacing back and forth before the fire; he was a silhouette in front of the dancing flames. Teddy was pulling his hair and hyperventilating, making noises between sobbing and grunting. He picked up a rocking chair and threw it into the stone above Asa’s head, where it shattered and rained down debris. His voice returned to the unearthly growl: “Why did you come?”
Before Asa could answer, Teddy was atop him again. He had a fistful of Asa’s hair in his hand, pulling his head back, exposing Asa’s neck. Teddy leaned forward and smelled Asa’s neck. He pulled back and his tone became oddly normal again. “Did you see the statues at the entrance? They used to all be angels. But then I became a demon and wanted to make some like me. I wanted to Multiply.” His voice became deep, harsh, moaning: “Asa, I want to rip out your throat! I want to turn you so bad!”
Teddy leaned forward and Asa felt the monster who used to be his friend glide sharp incisors along his neck. Hot Salvaserum tears fell on Asa’s skin.
Asa thought he might go insane with fright. He recalled how in the Tropics he had been so scared to die. But maybe death would be a good trade for what’s about to happen to me! Maybe I would rather die than be turned into a Multiplier! What will happen after he bites me? Will we join Edna and Joney and go to the Hive? Will we be instructed to go bite Charlotte?
Teddy was still pulling Asa’s hair back, threatening to snap his neck. When Asa spoke, his voice was harsh and quiet. “You cried, Teddy. The day we met. We were on the boat, going from Town to Fishie Mountain, and you were crying…”
“SHUT UP!” Teddy warned, lightly nibbling on Asa’s neck and moaning.
“I never said anything about you crying. You were scared, but you tried to hide it. You wanted to look tough, so I gave you that, and pretended I didn’t notice.”
“SHUT UP!”
“And then when you told me about your dad, and how he used to beat you... It broke my heart, Teddy.”
Teddy’s sobs sounded like a broken trumpet. Mucus, Salvaserum tears and blood were smeared across Asa’s neck.
“You were the first one I told about the crows. I trusted you. You are my best friend. I love you, Teddy.”
“I’m going to rip your throat out. Why did you come?” Teddy growled.
Asa was crying now too. “Because I was worried.”
Teddy bit down on Asa’s neck with more pressure than before, and Asa closed his eyes. But before Teddy broke the skin, he stood up, and crouched before Asa. Asa could see Teddy’s molars clenched through the hole in his mouth. They stared at each other, and Teddy went back to nervously ripping at his cheeks with his fingernails. He looked miserable, as though a great battle was happening inside of him. Still trembling, Teddy jerked his head to the shoulder of his camouflage suit.
“NO!” Asa screamed.
It was too late; Teddy had dislodged the suicide pill from the pack beside his neck. He stood, chewed it up, and then swallowed. He pulled at his hair, crying. “I don’t want to die, Asa.” In that instance, he was the old Teddy again. His expression was sweet and innocent. His voice was scared. Asa watched in horror, thinking about all the time Teddy had spent making statues of demons and angels lately. It was an irrational thing to think as he held eye contact with Teddy, but Asa thought, what does he think of the afterlife?
Like most Academy technologies, their suicide pills were superb. Teddy wobbled on his feet and then sat down roughly on his rear. He retained consciousness and remained looking at Asa for one last second. Then the massive pupils rolled into the back of his head, showing the whites of his eyes and he collapsed onto the stone.
23
The Stone Jungle
Asa cried for his friend, colored orange by the firelight, seizing on the stone. He felt an emotional pull to go to Teddy’s side and try to comfort him in some way, but there was an equal force asking him to run away, so he stayed where he was. He moved his fingertips over his own neck, feeling for warm blood or indentions, making sure that Teddy’s nibbling hadn’t punctured any skin.
I had been so sure that I was going to be turned into a Multiplier.
Teddy’s convulsing became less and less violent until he was merely trembling. When he stilled, his body let out a groan and then the room was eerily quiet.
Asa looked over his friend’s body and couldn’t believe what had happened. He looked dead. He was mostly still; his fingertips still twitched over the chipped stone floor. Teddy’s eyes were closed. Clear saliva dripped down his face from the hole in the left side of his cheek.
Asa chewed on his fingers, thinking, This is bad, this is so bad.
There was a sound. He listened.
Teddy’s breath stuttered into his nose and his chest rose and then gently fell. This process repeated three more times and Asa thought with horror, Oh God, he’s alive! He’s alive! But how could that be? I saw him swallow the suicide pill.
Asa pushed the question aside—that issue wasn’t urgent. What mattered now was deciding what to do next. Yes, Teddy was alive, if barely, but was he dangerous? Asa glanced over at the shattered rocking chair on the floor and was reminded of Teddy’s strength. Asa rubbed his wrists, where Teddy had squeezed hard enough to break blood vessels, making purple-red bruises.
Slowly, Asa approached his somnolent friend on unsure legs and then knelt down beside him. Up close, the Multiplier bite looked painful. The torn skin was chapped with black uneven boils growing along it. His gums were dotted with tiny, almost unnoticeable dots of black.
Through the hardened, lean face Asa could see the old Teddy—the Teddy that had arrived at the Academy—scared, sweet, smart. And that Teddy still exists somewhere down below. It was the good version of himself that bit down on the suicide pill, saving me from becoming a Multiplier like him. He sacrificed himself for me.
Asa looked again at the broken rocking chair and thought about driving one of the wooden pieces into Teddy’s throat and finishing him. It was a cruel thought, but the Academy would kill Teddy anyways, if they found him.
And if I don’t get his armband off of him, the Academy Multipliers are going to come back and discover this place! I can’t just leave him here.
Asa became suddenly and painfully aware of the vastness in which he knelt. Dark doorways going to unknown places punctured through the stone like black wounds. It was impossible for Asa to know if he was alone. Sitting in front of the firelight, he was entirely visible, and the dark hallways were little niches for things to be hiding. A disturbing thought came to Asa and made him shiver: What if the Multiplier that bit Teddy is still here? It must be
somewhere, wouldn’t this be a great place for it to hide? Teddy hid here.
“Being scared isn’t helpful right now,” Asa told himself. He forced his shaking hands to pinch the ends of Teddy’s armband and then he rolled it off Teddy’s forearm before tossing it into the fire. The fire rose up and consumed the armband—the material cracked and curled and turned to ash.
Asa stayed where he was, looking down at Teddy, frozen with indecision. Teddy continued to breathe. Blood and Salvaserum ran down his cheeks. His thin, blond hair was damp with sweat and plastered to his forehead. Asa looked at a vein on the side of Teddy’s face, and knew that blood was still whooshing through the biological channel. Asa knew this was unacceptable. There was no other option, Teddy would have to die. Asa couldn’t leave him here—what if he woke up? He’d come down and kill me—that’s what he implied, at least.
Or, maybe he wouldn’t, Asa thought. Maybe, if he survives whatever is happening to his body right now (although the odds are unlikely), he’ll just leave. He said that he was planning on leaving during my next Winggame match, right? What makes me think that he won’t stick to his word?
HE CAN’T CONTROL HIMSELF! HE’S A MULTIPLIER NOW! I CANNOT TRUST HIM.
Asa was breathing hard. It was hard to come to grips with the fact that his friend was now a Multiplier. He’ll have to die.
Asa felt a combination of fatigue and anxiety run through him. It was like he had not slept for three days and then drank a pot of coffee. What are my options? Standing, Asa thought, I wish there was some way that I could cure him; I wish that he could be the old Teddy. I wish there was somewhere that I could hide him, at least. I don’t want him to go.
Asa looked at the wrecked chair through teary, blurry vision. One of the legs had broken off, leaving a sharp jagged end that led up to a thick stake. It’ll be easy. It’ll be fast. He didn’t feel so sure, though.
Asa leaned down to pick up the stake. In his half delusional state, he was thinking about vampires in movies. Something caught the corner of his eye and he paused as quickly as though a bolt of electricity had run through him. The back of the broken rocking chair was leaned up against the wall. The portion of chair consisted of a top wooden bar with one dozen perpendicular wooden rods that ran down to make a backrest. To Asa, it looked like a jail cell.
“That’s it,” he whispered. He thought of the last jail cell he had seen, in the basement of Mama and Conway’s house. In his mind, he saw the thick, metal bars, the keyholes, and the strong concrete walls and floor.
Behind him Teddy groaned again and Asa shot back against the wall. Teddy flinched and then grew still once more. He won’t wake up, Asa told himself. He wasn’t sure if he believed it.
Taking Teddy to Conway’s cabin seemed like the best option. There, Teddy could be locked away in the large jail cell in the basement. He could stay alive and not hurt anyone. It would be possible for him to remain unseen by Academy officials, and avoid being shot down by an Academy graduate.
But how can I transport him?
Asa considered dragging Teddy through the water tunnel he had entered through, but he wasn’t sure he could swim the required length while towing Teddy. And what if he wakes up while we’re under water? Asa’s stomach churned with cold fear. Taking Teddy back down through his dwelling wasn’t an option.
I’ll have to find another way out.
Asa grabbed the fractured wooden stake and moved past Teddy, towards the hallways that lined the back wall. He felt disoriented, manic. He didn’t know what he expected to find, but walked on anyway. The floor near the massive fire was hot under his feet. He walked over a bearskin rug and took another glance at the insanely painted wall before ducking into the first hallway.
He trotted along as quietly and quickly as he could. Teddy could wake up at any second. The shadows in the hallway seemed to grow and distort as Asa ran, making his ears prick up for any noise and his eyes dance wildly over the walls in anticipation of being attacked. I wonder who bit him, Asa thought. I’d bet it was Joney. Edna said that he had been ‘peekin in at the kiddos on the mount.’ Has Joney been responsible for all six students who have been bitten this semester? Is the Hive ordering him to bite them? What is there plan? If they are going to attack, why don’t they just attack now? Is Mama right? Are they waiting for the human population to be lower before trying to take over the Academy?
As Asa continued along the hallway, he wondered what Conway would think if he showed up with Teddy in tow. Or what if Conway’s not home, and it’s just Mama? What if I’m able to bring Teddy down to the cabin and he wakes up and bites her?
Asa let out a sound that was between a sob and a laugh. And where am I walking? He thought. What makes me think that I’ll run into another exit? I need to get out of here! Teddy is going to wake up at any second.
SILENCE! Teddy is dead.
Asa felt crazy. He had to stifle a bout of laughter, thinking, I want to put a corpse in jail! He’ll be bones in a box! In his odd, frantic state, Asa found this very funny. Still, he continued along. The hallway led into the smallest room yet. It smelled of fresh paint, and there was an open paint can on the ground, with a drying brush lying next to it. Asa had suspected that Teddy made the paint by crushing up berries, or in a similar manner and was surprised to see that Teddy had obtained this industrial can. I wonder if he has gone out into the real world and come back. Is he using this to fill the stone buckets that I saw in the main room?
Like the room with the fireplace, this one was covered in complex mathematical equations that Asa couldn’t begin to understand. In the middle of the room there was a stone model that Asa recognized instantly as the spear gun portion of Flying Class. There was a small, stone spear gun locked into a wall that faced a large open space with a target. There were marks on the ground in front of the target; Asa guessed that these represented failed attempts. Asa recalled Teddy saying that he would figure out how Asa could hit the target and be rewarded with the new mutation. I had no idea he was working this hard.
Though the room was interesting, it was a dead end, so Asa backtracked into the main room. It may have been his imagination, but Teddy appeared to have moved while Asa was in the spear gun room. Asa moved further from the enormous fireplace and then walked into the next hallway.
He ran between multiple stone doorways before arriving in a large, open area that displayed more of Teddy’s carvings. The entire room was made to look like a jungle; it was one more example of Teddy’s manic work obsessions. Where there had once been solid rock, Teddy had sculpted out a cave, leaving stone trees with bark indentions and stone vines with stone flowers climbing up the trunks. There was sharp stone grass, stone birds perched atop stone branches, and a stone tiger showing stone teeth. Two monkey statues were sitting in the grass, and one of them was picking flees out of the other’s hair. Teddy had made a statue of himself sitting in the grass, watching the two statue monkeys. The statue of Teddy was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, not an Academy suit. There was also a man standing next to Teddy, looking down approvingly. He wore a t-shirt with an Atlanta Braves logo on it. His smooth stone arms were crossed and he was smiling.
Asa guessed that this was Teddy’s father.
There was an actual stream beside the far wall. It came in through a low, dark tunnel on the right and ran out a tunnel on the left. Asa moved deeper into the room, gazing around the carved bushes and had decided to leave after seeing that there was no door.
He turned when something caught his eye. He flicked his attention back to the stream and saw a live bass move through the cold water—shimmering green scales, a whipping tail, and an open pink mouth. The fish disappeared through the left tunnel without a problem, which made Asa raise his eyebrows.
If the bass can leave through that tunnel, then so can we.
Leaving by way of underground stream wasn’t his preferred option, but there wasn’t time to investigate the other rooms. Asa wasn’t sure how the suicide pill was interacting with the other drug
s in Teddy’s system—maybe they are counterbalancing each other?—but he did know that Teddy’s half-awake state wouldn’t last forever. He was either going to die or wake up, and Asa wanted to get him to Conway’s cabin before either of those things happened.
Asa hurried back down the hallway and into the main room. Teddy was still in the spot that Asa had seen him in last time, but now he was on his stomach. His breathing was louder now, raspy. His lips were shut, and it appeared as though Teddy was breathing through the gaping hole in the left side of his mouth where a Multiplier had taken out some of his cheek.
Asa approached slowly and looked down on his breathing friend. Teddy’s fingers twitched and startled Asa, his heart drumming in his chest. “Teddy?” he said. Teddy shifted, and Asa screamed and fell backwards. Sweat gathered on his forehead. He watched Teddy, who remained still except for breaths. He was no longer twitching, and was not shifting anymore. Did I imagine him twitching? “Teddy?” Asa asked again.
Teddy gave no indication that he had heard.
What if he’s trying to lull me into false safety?
You’re being crazy! He’s not trying to do anything, he’s knocked out.
Asa was reluctant to touch Teddy, but if he was going to move him, there was no sense in waiting. He bent down and picked Teddy up. He was lighter than Asa anticipated and he carried him like a baby past the fireplace and into the hallway that led to the rock jungle. They moved past the statues of the monkeys. Teddy’s head bobbled uncontrolled and Asa was uncomfortably aware that if Teddy awoke he would only have to sit up to sink his teeth into Asa’s neck.
The stream continued to trickle along from the right side of the room to the left side of the room. Asa stared at it, thinking what if Teddy put a fence in there to catch things? What if we get stuck and can’t swim back against the current?
Teddy sat up and gasped, pupil-dilated eyes wide and rimmed with Salvaserum. The marks from where he had cut his cheeks opened further and blood began to run out.
