The awakening, p.28
The Awakening, page 28
part #1 of Eve Series
large black eyes that twinkled with delight as he spoke. What he lacked in
size he more than made up for in energy—everything about him oozed animation, from his spiky black hair to his flaming orange sweatshirt. His
mind seemed to be racing just as swiftly as his small golden-brown hands,
which continued to manipulate the red lighter that had him so entranced.
Jason chuckled, “He’s kind of a pyro.”
“I love fire,” Sancho proudly proclaimed.
“He loves explosions.”
“I LOVE EXPLOSIONS.”
“He’s majoring in mechanical engineering.”
“I want to make things that make other things explode.” His eyes grew larger and larger as he spoke.
Percy rolled his eyes. “Sanch, tell her how you got expelled from high
school.”
“You mean accepted into Billington?”
“Whatever. It’s the same story.”
Jason stepped in as if to mediate their bickering. “Sancho built a pipe bomb
and entered it into his high school’s science fair.”
“It wasn’t a pipe bomb,” Sancho insisted, frantically waving his hands. “It was a highly sophisticated, mildly destructive explosive device.”
“Still a bomb.”
“Percy doesn’t understand my genius,” Sancho added with his nose in the air.
“They say there’s a fine line between genius and insanity.”
Sancho scowled. “My high school didn’t appreciate my pioneering ways, but
Billington did. That highly sophisticated—”
“Bomb,” Percy interrupted. “He’s talking about a bomb.”
“That bomb got me into Billington—full scholarship, living in Rutherford Hall with a celebrity.”
Jason laughed. “Celebrity? ”
“Yeah man, you’re on HV all the time!”
“For being kidnapped by aliens. That doesn’t make me a celebrity, Sanch.”
“Well, I’m using it. Girls love friends of celebrities.”
Jason rolled his eyes and refocused his attention on their third, strangely quiet
comrade. “This is…” He paused and looked at his other friends. “Um,
who is this?”
“Oh! This is Gary. He’s in my drafting class,” Sancho chirped, leaning in
toward Jason. “When I told him we were all playing poker tonight, he was
dying to come. I think he’s a big fan of yours.”
Gary sat still, his chubby hands clasped together as he stared at Jason. His curly brown hair was like frizzy springs, and his skin was pale and oily. He began sniffing loudly, his nose wiggling with each inhalation, and he suddenly
turned his attention to Eve.
“You smell.”
“Wow,” Eve muttered. “That was… tactful.”
“You smell good,” he added.
“…Thanks?”
“Really good.”
Eve forced an awkward smile and turned her attention to the other three
boys. “So, are we going to play poker, or what?”
“My kind of woman,” Percy quipped, grabbing the deck of cards and
slapping it against his palm.
“Wait, not yet!”
Percy sighed. “Sanch, I’m half drunk and we haven’t even dealt the cards
yet.”
“Jason has to show us something.”
Jason furrowed his brow. “Something?”
“The gift!” Sancho chirped, his eyes wide and fiery. “You’re a chimera now
—”
“I was always a chimera, Sanch. I just didn’t know it,” Jason corrected.
“You know what I mean. Do a trick.”
“Come on, man, no one cares.”
“I care! Percy cares! Right, Percy?”
Percy shrugged. “I’m seeing shit float anyway, might as well be real.”
“Gary cares, too, right?”
Gary remained silent, his blank stare still locked on Eve.
“See? He totally cares.”
Jason shook his head and took another swig of his beer, ignoring Sancho’s request.
Sancho turned to Eve. “Have you seen it? Have you seen him use his gift?”
A small smile spread across her lips. “Actually, I have. Quite a few times.”
“Jason, stop holding out on us!”
“That’s different,” Jason maintained. “She taught me how to melt.”
Sancho stared at Eve in awe. “You taught him?”
Eve hesitated. “It’s really not that big of a deal—”
“Not a big deal?” Jason interrupted. “This girl is incredible.”
“Oh God, here comes the mush.”
“Shut up, Percy.”
“What about you?” Sancho asked Eve, his eyes still hungry for
entertainment. “Got any tricks?”
“What a stupid question,” Percy moaned. “She taught Jason how to melt, of
course she has tricks.”
“Do something!” Sancho begged. “Please?”
“Guys, leave her alone.” Jason turned to Eve and rested his hand on hers.
“Look, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”
“Eve, do your thing,” Percy said, waving his bottle around like a magic
wand. “There aren’t any chimera-haters in this room. Right, Gare?”
Gary was expressionless, his eyes unblinking, his hands resting in his lap.
“Do it,” he commanded.
“See, even Gary wants to see,” Percy smirked.
Eve took in a deep breath and relaxed her shoulders. She glanced around the
room for a toy to play with and immediately found the perfect thing. With a quick melt, she sent the perfectly stacked deck of cards sliding across the table, stopping directly in front of her. Sancho gasped, and she laughed. She focused
her gaze on the deck, and the cards began shuffling in midair, jumbling and arranging themselves over and over again. The entire table was spellbound.
She sent the cards flying through the room, dancing and diving in the air like
cars on a roller coaster zipping across an invisible track. They spun through the empty space, racing across the walls and onto the ceiling, and then they fell
like snowflakes from the sky, twirling with impeccable precision. Finally, the
cards darted back to the table, forming a neat stack in front of Eve, and she dealt them properly to each player.
“HOLY BALLS!” Sancho squealed, hardly able to contain his excitement.
“That was the most dynamic thing I’ve EVER SEEN!”
“Now, the real question is, can you do that, Jason?” Percy chuckled.
“Not as good as she can, that’s for sure.”
“Well, our new friend Gary doesn’t seem impressed.” Percy grabbed a
fistful of chips and kicked Gary’s shin under the table. “You’ve been awfully quiet.”
Gary didn’t move. He stared at Eve, his gaze almost haunting and grim.
“You’re very powerful,” he said.
“We already covered that, Gare—”
“Your power,” Gary continued, ignoring Percy. “I can smell it from here.”
“Sanch, this guy is weird,” Percy jeered. “Why’d you invite him again?”
“I’ve been watching you, you know,” he added, his gaze morphing into a
frightening glare. “We’ve all been watching you.”
“Okay man, you’re freaking us all out,” Jason said.
Gary stood from his seat, hovering ominously over the group. “Your power
is undeserved,” he intoned, his voice suddenly loud and forceful. “You have done nothing to earn such a gift.”
“Jesus, what is your problem?” Eve spat, now glaring back at him.
Jason rose from his seat and folded his arms. “I think it’s time for you to leave.”
Gary didn’t waver; his body began to quiver as sweat poured down his
colorless face. Clearly, Sancho had invited a fanatic—a maniac who wanted
nothing more than to torment Eve. She was familiar with the kind, though
something about Gary—about his unblinking eyes and booming voice—made
her uneasy.
“You are unworthy. Both of you.” Sweat gushed down his forehead; his hair
was now plastered across his face. “We deserve it,” he howled, now walking steadily toward the pair. “We deserve what you have been so frivolously handed, and you use it like a toy.”
The entire group stood to their feet and backed away from the table. Only
Jason remained firm; Eve saw that his hands were balled into tight, trembling
fists.
“Get. The hell. Out,” Jason growled.
Gary flung his head back and forth, spraying the entire room with his
profuse perspiration. Eve gasped as the beads of sweat splattered against her face and chest, the putrid smell perforating her nostrils. She wiped her hands across her cheeks and flicked the thick, disgusting liquid from her fingers and
onto the floor. It was strange how slimy and viscous his sweat felt against her
fingertips. Then she looked down at her hands, and her heart stopped.
She was covered in creamy, liquefied skin.
“Holy shit!” Percy bellowed. “What the hell is wrong with your face, man?”
Eve looked at Gary and felt her stomach drop to her knees. His entire face
was dripping like gooey syrup, pouring down his body and exposing a grey,
rubbery substance underneath: a second skin. He breathed heavily, his chest
throbbing with each inhalation, so much so that his knitted sweater began to tear at the seams.
“Oh, God.” Sancho pressed his shaking body against the wall behind him.
“He’s exploding. He’s literally exploding.”
Gary let out an earsplitting roar, his mouth opening so widely that his lips tore
at the edges. He swatted at the table in front of him, sending it crashing against the wall, and then he stretched his arms and back until his sweater ripped into
shreds. With a sinister grin, he shook his now naked body, sending
his loose skin splattering across the room in every direction.
Gary—this creature—lifted his hands, which were now adorned with talons,
and wiped the excess liquid from his legs and chest—and from the wings that
had suddenly sprouted from his angular back. His once plump figure was now frail, grey, and much taller than before, easily reaching seven feet, and his teeth were long, silver, and dripping with strings of flesh. Eve couldn’t believe her
eyes—there before her, instead of a paunchy college student, stood an enraged
Interloper.
“SONOFABITCH!” Jason shouted. “This is NOT happening!”
The Interloper crouched low to the ground and raised one long, sharpened
talon, pointing it at Eve.
“YOU,” he growled. “My mission was for the male, but you are a far greater prize.” His claws curled, and he let out a deep growl. “Fairon will be pleased
with my offering—with your power. He will be pleased with your inevitable death.”
Without another word, he lunged toward her, his teeth and talons bared.
There was hardly any time to react, to think, to breathe—and just as her mind began to digest what was happening, Jason sprinted forward, charging at the Interloper.
“JASON, DON’T!”
It was too late—Jason flung his weight into the monster and tackled him to
the floor, their bodies flopping in a pile of limbs and wings. Jason swatted at
the alien, pounding him across the chin and sending his teeth flying from his
mouth like metal raindrops. Without relenting, the Interloper grabbed at
Jason’s shirt and slammed him into the ground, pinning him with his
incomparable strength. As Jason struggled against his opponent, the creature smiled and laughed.
Suddenly, the Interloper lurched backward, pulled from Jason’s body by an
invisible power—by Eve’s gift. She stood at the front of the room, her eyes focused on her target as he barreled through the air and collided into the back
wall. She picked him up once more and thrust him across the room, smashing
him into either wall over and over again, until the sheetrock was littered with
massive craters.
Percy and Sancho ducked as Eve melted the Interloper at the wall one last time,
and then, with all the strength she could summon, she launched the
creature straight into the ceiling and then blasted him back down onto the floor
with a resounding thud. The Interloper ’s body crumpled and settled in a heap.
“Jesus Christ, woman,” Percy said, his eyes wide with shock.
Stillness. The room was quiet, and for a fleeting moment, Eve thought that the
fight was over. But before she could breathe a sigh of relief, the Interloper
leapt up from the floor and let out a guttural roar, startling her and sending her stumbling to her knees. He then shot into the air, soaring like a torpedo, and landed on top of her, pinning her against the floor.
Eve stared up into the creature’s black, glossy eyes; she could see her own
frantic expression reflected back at her as if she were being forced to watch her own death. With a dip of his chin, the Interloper buried his face in her neck, taking in her aroma as he dragged his nostrils across her skin.
“It is true, what they say—your power is superior. Far more divine than the
others.” He smiled sadistically, bearing his teeth like trophies. “I will kill your male, and then I will bring you to Fairon.” He let out a cackle. “And he will kill you himself.”
The creature suddenly jerked to the side, twisting and turning as if
possessed. His entire body was ripped away from Eve and pulled into the air,
only to be flung into the wall once again, crashing against the surface and then
collapsing onto the splintered remains of the poker table. Eve scurried to her
feet and looked over at Jason, who quickly ended his melt and rushed to her
side.
“You okay?”
There was no time to answer. The Interloper marched toward them,
undeterred and uninjured, each step heavy enough to shake the entire room.
Without warning, Percy jumped onto the creature’s back and wrapped his arms
around the thing’s neck, sending the Interloper stumbling across the room like
a massive wrecking ball. The alien roared loudly, beating his wings and
flinging his body from side to side, but still Percy hung on, dangling from his
shoulders, his face reddening as he tightened his grip. With a growl, the
Interloper staggered backward and rammed his back into the wall, crushing
Percy into the sheetrock. He stepped forward, then again he thrust Percy
against the wall, finally breaking the boy’s hold and sending him dropping to
the floor.
The alien looked frantically from side to side, searching for Eve and Jason, only to find the very small Sancho standing before him, his hands gripping a
large plywood shard. With a grunt, Sancho smacked the board against the
creature’s face and watched helplessly as it shattered into a million small pieces. The Interloper was unaffected; he looked down at Sancho, his lips
curling into an amused grin, and then he swatted at the boy with his wing, sending him flying across the room.
Again, his eyes darted across the space and then locked on to his target—Eve
was huddled beside Percy, hoisting him to his feet. But before the Interloper could make a move, Jason dove on top of him, slamming him into the floor.
Jason pummeled his fists into the creature’s face, the sheer impact of his blows
knocking more long, silver teeth from his mouth. Blinded by fury, Jason
slammed his fist directly into the creature’s mouth, slicing his knuckles open as
they skidded across the needle-like fangs. As blood gushed from his shredded
hand, the Interloper threw him to the ground, effortlessly shaking him off and
sending him rolling into the corner of the room. Jason staggered to his feet, but it was too late; the alien approached him, cornering him by the wall, his chest swelling with rage.
“I will especially enjoy killing you,” he sneered.
The creature suddenly lunged toward him, bellowing the loudest, most shrill
cry Jason had ever heard. Jason cringed and pressed himself against the wall,
holding his breath while anticipating the worst: either indescribable torture or
sudden death. He could feel the Interloper hovering by his cheek, could taste the foulness of his dripping skin—but to his surprise, no attack was made.
Apprehensively, Jason opened his eyes. The alien was leaning against his shoulder, his talons gripping at a crowbar protruding from his stomach.
Looking over the creature’s shoulder, Jason saw Eve, clinging to the other end
of the tool she had thrust through the creature’s gut.
Eve gritted her teeth and yanked at the crowbar, ripping it from the
creature’s flesh. The Interloper howled and stumbled away from Jason,
clutching at the gaping hole in his stomach, which now oozed a cloudy,
mustard-colored pus.
The alien turned to face Eve. She had expected to see him fall to the ground,
his eyes glazed over until they closed shut with death, but instead he growled
and stomped toward her, reenergized and seething with rage.
“HOW IS HE NOT DEAD?” Eve cried, staggering backward.
The Interloper raised his claw and backhanded her across the jaw, sending
her toppling to the ground. Jason dove forward, ready to melt the beast right off of his feet, when suddenly he stopped; the creature grabbed Eve from the floor, yanking her by the hair and pulling her close to his body.
