Oddity Specialist: Manifestor

by James Courneya

  “About what? Yes, well, I can’t say you didn’t give me a bit of scare they’re for a minute. I didn’t know their where any humans alive, who could enter into...”

  She pauses, pursing her lips.

  “What did he call it?”

  She gives an expression as if she had a realization.

  “The zone.”

  “It got us to this point.”

  “Yes, very close, but not close enough. I’m sure you could tell, that even while weakened, I can still put up a fight with those last two.”

  Neri squints her eyes.

  “Or perhaps you can’t? Could it be, other then the zone, you are still completely human?”

  She leans in towards the girl.

  “Huh, you are! Amazing. I just assumed, with your athleticism and ability thus far, you where manifesting some oddity abilities. Graced by the gods. It seems not though.”

  Neri clenches her teeth and stands up. Facing off against the goddess in front of her, Neri exclaims.

  “I don’t need any special abilities, to overcome you and help people!”

  “...What a lovely resolve. You know, I felt like this would be a good challenge, that you were special, for a human. I feel like, it’s clear I was right.”

  Molly is frozen in place, seeing Fortuna.

  “Hello again Molly. I hope you are prepared to start telling peoples fortunes once again?”

  “...I won’t be telling a fortune for your gains ever again.”

  “Really? We will see.”

  Fortuna begins walking off. Once she is out of sight, Neri feels her legs wabble and falls back into the bench.

  “...”

  She has a focused, intense look.

  “Food?”

  Turning to Molly, she gives her usual smile.

  “y-Yeah.”

  Neri starts wolfing down everything edible in her path.

  “Slightly better. It’s been a while since I’ve been that hungry.”

  “...How do you think Quinn is doing?”

  “Hm? Oh, he’s fine.”

  “Really? How can you be sure?”

  “He said he had it.”

  Molly’s eyes widen slightly.

  “I see.”

  She gives Neri a content smile.

  “I have a question.”

  Neri says.

  “Yes?”

  “Would you let me sleep for exactly two hours?”

  “Um, sure.”

  “Thanks.”

  Neri instantly falls asleep, before the words leave her lips.

  “...She’s alive –– right...?”

  Once the girls timer goes off, Neri’s eyes shoot open. She lets out a yawn while stretching.

  “A nice power nap.”

  She stands up, continuing to stretch her whole body.

  “Okay.”

  She lifts her hand up, pointing right in front of her.

  “You’re right there.”

  “...Hm.”

  Fortuna takes her veil off, revealing herself to be standing right at the end of the girls finger.

  “You’re starting to catch on.”

  “Only one left.”

  Fortuna gives a cheeky smile.

  “You had figured that out?”

  “It was obvious.”

  “Wait, so Quinn only had one left?”

  Molly asks. Neri shakes her head.

  “Then...”

  The girl realizes what they mean.

  “Mine.”

  “My very last specter, obviously I wasn’t going to let that one sit around and not add to my arsenal. At least, not under the worst-case scenario.”

  Neri hearing this, simply has a small smile spread across her face. Fortuna cracks her knuckles.

  “Then Neri, let’s see if you can handle, my last assault.”

  The goddess of luck’s hand moves up towards her blindfold. Her palm slides past it, allowing her fingers to make contact. She begins to slip it off. A radiance illuminates out.

  “Blind luck shall see once more, as judgment is passed upon the souls who interfere with destiny.”

  Her eyes are filled with pure blackness, six white bars come into the central red pupil, that shines with a golden glow. The glowing ring sits on the pupils edge, coming out not even as far as her blue eyelashes. Fortuna holds a soft expression, that dramatically shifts into a murders one. The mirrors and windows around the area all crack. Light bulbs burn out. People trip and fall, as others narrowly miss being run into by others. Money falls from one hand and lands into another. Food drops, as a homeless man finds a meal. Neri stands unflinching.

  “You can only manipulate the specters abilities as far as enhancing what it was made to do.”

  “That’s right, but that will be enough.”

  She snaps her fingers. Molly falls to the ground clenching her head.

  “AHHH!”

  “Molly!”

  The medium looks around, seeing terrible things happening to people, seeing numbers attached to them, dates and times. The only one without a date, is Fortuna.

  “What’s happening?”

  Tears begin to stream down her face, as she falls to her knees. When she looks up for help, she sees something beyond her comprehension. A hell scape, nuclear fallout, the world she calls home laying in ruin. All these events and more, encircle the woman trying to help her.

  “Molly, tell me what’s going on?”

  “I- I don’t.”

  She starts to shake. Looking into Neri’s eyes, she sees her own reflection. When she does, her eyes lose their life. She begins seeing horrible things happen to herself.

  “No, please stop!”

  Neri starts to think, but her head begins to hurt.

  “Ah!”

  She headbutts Molly.

  “Wake up!”

  Molly looks back up at the girl for a moment.

  “Don’t look anywhere else. Focus right here.”

  Neri taps her own forehead.

  “If she doesn’t keep telling fortunes, she’ll die.”

  For a moment, Molly thinks. “That would be better than this.”

  Neri squeezes her shoulders tighter.

  “Listen to me very clearly.”

  “...”

  “No one can truly know what will happen next! Destiny isn’t set in stone, any little action you decide to take, can change it! You aren’t just an unlucky girl, targeted by something beyond yourself. You are the person who took the steps to fight against that bad luck, who can overcome it! Please, believe that you can overcome this!!!”

  Molly’s face twitches as tears flow freely.

  “And if you can’t, then just believe that I can help you overcome it!”

  “...Okay...”

  “Words are cheap!”

  Neri doesn’t look away from Molly. “She’s scared, it must be working.”

  Letting a calm breath out, Neri continues.

  “Not a single fortune you’ve seen, is set in stone. They can all be changed.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. Fortune tellers can help other prepare for the future, but they can also give people the power to change it!”

  “No, no, no!”

  Fortuna yells out. Neri helps Molly up. She then turns to Fortuna, seeing the controlled rage on her face.

  “It seems we’ve won.”

  “...”

  Fortuna closes her eyes and lets air out of her crinkled nose.

  “It appears to be that way.”

  When she opens her eyes once more, the radiant golden light has stopped. With the varying luck stopping with it.

  “Beaten by a human child. Fhe, these things happen. It was fool hearty for me to try and get one over on the god of evil, if this was enough to stop me. So, honestly I guess this was a piece of good fortune.”

  “A strange perspective.”

  “Once you’ve been around as long as me, you’ll learn to take solace in the small things.”

  “I proba
bly won’t be around that long.”

  She gives a serious look.

  “Don’t be so sure of that.”

  “Neri!”

  Quinn yells out, short of breath. Neri looks over to the two of them. Leaning back slightly, she gives a thumbs up and a toothy grin. Quinn looks relieved. Lucifer motions with his hand, getting across the idea of whatever. Neri turns back to Molly, making sure she is doing okay.

  “You managed to change fate itself.”

  Fortuna says.

  “I don’t know about that.”

  “Hm?”

  “Honestly, I think we just got lucky.”

  “Yes, maybe that is the case.”

  Fortuna looks deep into the girls eyes.

  “I can tell, you have some bad luck attached to you.”

  She glances at Molly.

  “She probably could see that bad luck in action. However, you somehow, despite that, managed to overcome it. How?”

  “You’re asking that in earnest?”

  “Of course, you die if you don’t grow.”

  “How I overcame it... Hmmm.”

  She crosses her arms, proceeding to move back her torso back and forth.

  “I didn’t.”

  “Huh?”

  “Not alone, at least. A bunch of points in there, I got help. I can only control what I believe, it’s up to others to control what they believe. And it took everyone believing that we could do it, to come this far. So, if you’re asking how one person can change destiny, I don’t think they can, but anyone can rely on a couple friends, in order to change it.”

  “Interesting.”

  Fortuna begins to walk off, before stopping.

  “It seems we both got what we wanted.”

  She keeps going. Neri thinks on her words. “Does she mean, she got stronger? Did she just steal a victory, from the jaws of defeat? Wow.”

  “Quinn.”

  Neri turns to Quinn as he walks up.

  “Yes?”

  “Turn around.”

  “o-Okay.”

  He does so.

  “Kneel down.”

  “Why?”

  Neri places her hands onto his shoulders and pushes him down.

  “Fine.”

  “Mhh, sleep.”

  “Huh?!”

  Neri falls asleep on his back. Quinn struggles to pick her up. A couple days later, Neri wakes up in her bed and proceeds to eat everything in her house.

  “I should probably tell Quinn I’m awake.”

  She sends him a message. A second later her phone rings.

  “Hmm, hello?”

  “You’re awake? Are you feeling fine? Do you need anything?”

  “I’m okay.”

  “...I see, thank goodness.”

  “Don’t be so melodramatic, people pass out for days on end all the time.”

  “No, they do not. That is not a common occurrence.”

  “It seems I slept three hours for every hour in the zone.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’ll do some more tests on it later.”

  “No, you will not.”

  “Huh?”

  “You need to rest, that is all you need to do for now.”

  “I’m feeling better though.”

  “That doesn’t matter! We have to make sure you’re fine first. Then and only then, you can practice with someone like Lucifer making sure you aren’t doing anything that will cause more damage.”

  “Uhh-”

  “Do you understand?”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Good, now get some rest.”

  Quinn hangs up.

  “...I can’t say he doesn’t care.”

  A couple days go by, with Neri unable to operate at full capacity mentally. “The amount of time I spent in the zone, was way past my limits. I might have even died, if it went on for much longer. Though, I don’t think Lucifer would have let that happen. With that said, I wish I had known it would have taken such a tole.”

  She sluggishly makes her way down the street. “I’m not even able to activate it for more than ten seconds without feeling strain. If I hit thirty, then I pass out. It’s possible I drained some sort of reserves tank of sorts. Like an extra amount of energy I had stored away. Maybe, I simply just wasn’t used to it, so my body allowed me to over use it and now it’s just shutting it down before damage can be done?”

  Neri enters into the reception room.

  “Hm? Oh, what’s up Molly?”

  “Ah, are you feeling okay?”

  Molly says worried. Neri looks over to Quinn.

  “I see you mentioned it already.”

  “You passed out in front of her.”

  “Oh, yeah.”

  Neri struggles to remember the scene clearly.

  “That’s right. I, uh...”

  She clocks out, unable to keep up with the speed of her train of thought.

  “So, what’s up?”

  She tunes back into reality.

  “I just came by to see how you’re doing.”

  “Ah, good as new... Mallory?”

  “Molly.”

  “Mhh, if you say so.”

  Molly turns to Quinn.

  “Are you sure she’s fine?”

  “...Probably?”

  “Hmm.”

  “I’m fine, I’m fine, just a little loopy.”

  “Anyways, I wanted to say, if you ever need help with anything, just call me.”

  “Help? What type of help?”

  “The medium variety!”

  Neri strains to keep her smile.

  “Oh...”

  “I’ll work on my skills, to make sure that my understanding of the spirit realm is top notch.”

  “...Welp, good luck with that.”

  “Oh and I had also wanted to say something else.”

  “Yes?”

  “Thank you.”

  The genuine thank you wakes Neri up.

  “Don’t mention it!”

  Chapter 4: Extraterrestrial

  On an unparticular street late at night, the perspective shifts over, narrowly catching a glimpse of something abnormal. Slipping by, scarcely allowing for a shaky unclear viewing, of some type of life form. A glimpse of a light grey, humanoid figure, but its form is distinctively not normal. It’s far too small, the limbs seem too large for its body, the legs bend at an odd angle, it’s longer thin head has three tendrils coming out of it. Whatever this thing is, it would be hard to describe it as human.

  “Mhh.”

  Quinn squints at the looping video, being played on a phone, pushed right into his face.

  “What exactly am I looking at?”

  Neri raises both her hands up and motions them towards Quin, while giving a confident used-car-sales-man expression.

  “Aliens!”

  “...Um.”

  “Of course, not really. It’s most certainly an alien-based oddity.”

  “Oh, that does make more sense.”

  Quinn looks over the image again.

  “But are you sure it’s an oddity? Don’t people fake these type of things all the time?”

  “I already examined the video in order to tell if it was edited or not. I didn’t find any of the usual indications of tampering. The poster also, doesn’t have any sort of affiliation with any business or art group that might profit from this form of marketing.”

  “So, it’s real then?”

  “Unless of course, this is an incredibly elaborate marking stunt with a massive team behind it.”

  “I see. Though, I can see why you think we should look into it.”

  Neri gives an excited fist pump.

  “We’re going alien hunting!”

  The two make their way to the road that the alien was spotted at. They begin examining the area.

  “The angle that the oddity took, leads me to believe it came from there.”

  She points at an alleyway.

  “Since they made their way into another alley, it s
eems like a safe starting point.”

  The head in and look around. Neri opens a dumpster and looks inside.

  “Someone, or something, rummaged through this. Though...”

  She bites her knuckle while holding the lid up.

  “It doesn’t look like anything was taken. However, that’s somewhat hard to tell for certain.”

  Quinn looks down the scarcely used alley.

  “This seems rather out of the way. That probably has something to do with this.”

  “I would assume, an alien oddity probably would try to avoid direct encounters.”

  “Yeah, I was also thinking that. If that’s the case, why come out at all?”

  “Depending on the intelligence of the oddity, a number of different possibilities open up. Collecting information, checking over its surroundings, even etching out the basis of some plan.”

  “If we could pin down the level of intelligence it has, then it would narrow down the options for us to take.”

  “Indeed.”

  They finish looking over this alley and move onto the next. The first thing that catches Neri’s attention, is a fire escape ladder all the way down. She climbs up it and examines the latches, focusing in on some scuff marks.

  “This was recently jolted out of place.”

  She hopes off the ladder, landing onto the ground. Neri then proceed to jump her maximum height.

  “It’s close, but possible someone could have jumped up there. It would be a limited number of people, though.”

  “So like, it noticed something spot it, then leaped up and ran away.”

  Quinn looks up the escape.

  “They wouldn’t be able to get on the roof here.”

  “Wrong. They could jump on the railing, then onto the roof across from us.”

  She points at the other roof. Her finger then moves to an open window.

  “However, they also could have entered through there.”

  “Okay.”

  “If we figure out the trail, that should give us a better estimate of intellect.”

  “Mh, I guess, it could.”

  Before Quinn can finish his sentence, Neri is already quickly scaling the steps. She peaks into the open windows room, then into the neighboring window. “Interesting, something feels off about the scene, but I won’t be able to tell without entering.”

  “...Probably not the best idea. If something was actually stolen, I wouldn’t want my DNA to be at the scene. That means.”

  Neri bounces up onto the railing and gets ready to jump the gap. Quinn looks up, his heart ready to jump out his throat. “She’ll be fine, most likely – I’m sure it’ll be fine... Uhhh.”