The Flyers

by BRANDON WOO

5

  The Discovery

  Jacob:

  I am not one of those kids you’ll like to hang out with.

  I am nasty. I am an artist!

  I’m the kid who would look like he is a school dropout but sadly, I was NEVER in school. Normally, kids my age will go to college or something. But for Me? I do “community service” by providing free graffiti artwork around town. Nearby the famous Big Fish Restaurant, on the right side of the building, I sprayed painted a big fish bone with other smaller fish bones inside of it. The lines were bold black and some of the fish bones are in Red and Blue.

  Another is outside the local post office; I did this Mocking motion from its first to its last form. Thanks to the local library!

  Those were one of the new books that just came in. The Hunger Games.

  It’s a story about this distant future where people had kids killing each other for entertainment or something. I’ve just started reading.

  They also had these books like Twilight and something by Jeremy Scott. That one was a good book. It talks about these kids with powers or something. But such worlds don’t exist but only in fantasies.

  There is no way a kid has superpowers in real life.

  And this world is no different, I’m just an average street kid from town dragged into this big story.

  I’ve read stories of Superman being Superman because he was born with it, I’ve read stories of Spider-man because he was bitten by a radioactive spider. I’ve read of Batman being Batman because he is rich.

  But I’m no rich kid. I am like a misfit in this little town. But they liked it. A little mischief never hurt anyone.

  My mischief is art! Graffiti to be exact.

  Phew, another artwork done!

  I’m around the docks. Best place to do it.

  The docks are connected to a bigger part of the sea.

  I was doing this graffiti about a bird fading into water into a river.

  My graffiti are usually in black,blue,white and red because my God-father is not really rich. He did take me go fishing out at sea with some of his friends once.

  Henry used to be a cop. It’s said he once partner with this spunky rookie and in the process decided to retire and become a full time fisherman. Uncle Henry is a single man currently best friends with Aunt May. Both are old but loved each other like best friends and don’t plan to date or marry each other anytime soon. It is said he saw some pretty terrifying and beautiful things and he’s told me all about it.

  “the city is full of its own people...” he’ll always say.

  “JACOB! Get off the new town hero’s memorial wall, now!” Henry shouted from below the hero’s memorial wall.

  The Hero’s Memorial Wall is a wall that has pieces of graffiti of the heroes in this town. It could be anyone. From a local headmaster to a fireman. All are little paintings from local graffiti artists. Except me. Uncle Henry is one of those. Uncle Henry helped kill a wild bear for killing some campers back in his hay day. But I was only messing with the newest one from our town painters.

  Sheriff or officer Vince. He had his face plastered so big on the wall that it could have added a few more faces to the wall.

  He used to be my best friend. Until he took the job for the badge. Now he’s just a showboat for charity and a pain to the hillbillies and street kids like me.

  “alright! I promise not to do vandalism on the Hero’s Memorial Wall.” I simply replied.

  Uncle Henry is always worried about me. I guess that’s what all parents do. But with Uncle Henry, he worries that I become a bad kid or something. The memorial wall is a huge wall that is a hundred and fifty feet high and two hundred feet long and its really thick. They all randomly painted on either each other or by itself. All because of some old town tradition...

  You probably never heard of this town. Brinnon is a census-designated place in Jefferson County, Washington. The population here is 803 at the 2000 census. The community is named for Elwell P. Brinnon, who in 1860, took a donation land claim at the river's mouth. Brinnon is the home of Camp Parsons, the oldest Boy Scout camp west of the Mississippi River. It was visited by Lord Baden-Powell in 1926. Its approximately 61 miles north of Olympia, Brinnon is located on the Olympic Peninsula's east side, along Hood Canal on the eastern edge of the Olympic National Forest. My home.

  In another word, sturdy.

  This place offers an abundance of outdoor recreation from kayaking and scuba diving on the Hood Canal to hiking in the Olympic National Park and the Olympic National Forest. Go boating in Pleasant Harbor Marina or play in nearby Dosewallips and Triton Cove State Parks.

  This town is full of people who lived a normal life.

  Me? I’m a street artist. I chop my art at wherever I want.

  I see things with my own ways but I know that I was meant for more.

  But now, the present does not look so great.

  From what I heard, Seattle has recently been taken over by The Lab.

  A group of Convict hunters.

  To me I honestly believe these people are just scared.

  I mean think about it, having someone forcefully flush you out from safe house to safe house must feel really bad.

  But here in Forks, we have chosen not to bother so much.

 

  I climbed down the ladder and fall to the ground with a hard drop.

  “why must you mess with the wall, son?” Henry asked.

  “why must you be such a pain in my behind, old man?” I shot back.

  “what did you just say?” Henry stopped walking and stared. I was just stood and said nothing. “I am not your old man, punk!” Henry said that angrily while trying to hit my head as a punishment. “yeah, well you are not my dad either.” I pulled my arm off. “yeah, your right but I’m your guardian and you live by my rules okay?” he said giving an aggressive push on my head. “now go!” Henry’s earlier angry tone became a more nagging one. “head over to Aunt May’s” he said that while pushing me forward. “and stay till the end of service!” he yelled as I walked far away from him.

  I walked forward and said good-bye to uncle Henry,

  I find myself in a familiar road.

  Road to the church...

  Yes, I go to church. Our town is small but our faith is on God. I was trying to be late because it would be the same old thing. I want some adventure than reading some old dusty bible. The wind was rustling madly. And the birds flew pass and the sun began do dull.

  The path to the Church is easy to remember. The path is being made because it is being marked by huge stones about the path to the Cross of Jesus Christ.

  With the introduction sign that wrote “THIS PATHWAY IS A REMINDER OF HOW JESUS WENT FROM THE EARTH AFTER THE LAST SUPPER TO HIS DEATH ON THE CROSS TO THE GRAVE TO HIS RISING. WE PRAY YOU HAVE A VERY REFRESHING AND MEANINGFUL TIME AS YOU HIKE TO CHURCH WITH GOD. BLESSINGS, MOUNTAIN TOP CHURCH.”

  A few more miles away, I began to notice the first stone that was being en carved in gold saying: “Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane. The path is a clear sand pathway. The road was being partly wood buried as a staircase uphill. The grass was well divided although some were passing through to the pathway. After a few minutes of climbing, I noticed the other big rock that wrote “Judas betrays Jesus.” “okay.” I sighed “two down, way more to go”

  Basically reliving the story of how Jesus went to die on the cross and rose again on the third day.

  The hike is almost a fifty-minute hike.

  I’m no sports guy but I do parkour which makes me quite fit.

  After an insufferable hike, I reached the top of the hill with a metal image of Jesus with the word “He is Risen” on the bottom of the sculpture.

  “Oh thank you, Lord!” I exclaimed in relive.

  I took a while to catch my breath while looking at the well sculpted metal sculpture. Its surroundings are all natural, a wood house made for being the indoor church and further ahead is an outdoor service spot with
some stand fans placed around the spot.

  The road is well covered in wood and the trees were standing tall along with it, blocking the sunlight. It gives the place a fantasy look.

  I could see the baptism fountain and man made pool ahead.

  Just a bit more!

  But before I took a few more steps, something crashed into the pool thundering the earth with a furious crash!

  The waters in the pool burst out and soaked the ground nearby...

  Our Pool!

  I got moving and ran to the pool. The figure was horrifying.

  Scary as hell. It was covered in sand. Solid but there was still sand dripping down from it. I was scared.

  The figure turned and stared at me for a couple of seconds then I saw something surprising. It was a man. “what have you done to Aunt May?” I asked as I confront the monster. “now listen kid, I don’t want no trouble. “the man spoke. “I was being sent by The Lab.”

  I looked at him puzzled. “what Lab?” I asked.

  “look they said they’ll gave me a chance.” he said.

  This man had a slim figure, lean and muscular. He was wearing a full orange collar shirt and long orange pants.

  “where is aunt May?” I asked again.

  “look, I-I don’t know where your aunt is, kid...” he stammered as he tries to escape.

  I reached out and grabbed his hands, stopping him from escaping.

  The man was struggling to release himself.

  My grip grew tighter.

  “I’ll ask you again, where is aunt Ma-” my head started turning stiff.

  My body felt like it’s got a big shock. I started hallucinating. So this is what being High feels like huh?

  I tried to resist but the images got clearer and I saw even more images. It was all about the man.

  There was a voice over. His voice.

  “I had powers when I was just seventeen...” he started.

  “...guess I am one those Convicts that I heard on the news so much about.... At first I was excited to go this special school but I discovered the truth...” his tone changed to an angry one. I saw an image of this man when he was younger, discovering his powers. “it was a lab for nutters like us...” the tone grew more intense. The image changed to an image of a special cell, keeping this guy in.

  “...they used us...abused us...experiment us... Tore us from the inside out. That’s no way for a man to live. But they taught us how to use our powers. That’s the fun part. With all that training, I manage to do the impossible! I escaped!” this guy is a prisoner!

  “it wasn’t easy I’ll tell ya...caused my best friend to escape and I promised to come back for him...” then an image appeared that bugged me. It was the man. And he has other powered people marching to the tall wall and started attacking it. “all I had to lay low for a few days and I’ll be back...and I’m bringing my new toys with me.” and then nothing.

  No images. No talking.

  No movement. I felt all dizzy...

  Confused...what was that?

  This guy, wanted to wipe out an entire building just to set them free?

  He is crazy! He is nuts!

  “must...stop...him...” I screamed in my head.

  The man woke up, trembling...

  “you-you-you saw everything... You just messed with my head!” he said while trying to stand up.

  Something doesn’t feel right...something is wrong with me...but what?

  I tried to stand up from that sudden faint on the wooden pavement that I just landed on. My legs gave way but I stood, slowly.

  “What was that all about?” I asked out loud.

  Something doesn’t feel right...

  I stood still trying to regain my balance. My heads all swooned.

  I start sprinting after the man who just ran a few minutes after me.

  He’s escaping! I took a step forward...

  Good! When I took another step, my body felt like its turning into dust.

  I began to shatter into chunks of rocks and took a small leap forward...

  PAK-KAH-SHA~AHA! AAH-AHA!

  KAH-SHA!

  “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?” I exclaimed in fear...

  I was terrified to discover my ability to use some kind of power of the earth. It appeared to be sand...

  “it’s just a dream! It’s just a dream!” I told myself and tried to walk again.

  PAK-KAH-SHA~AHA! KAH-SHA!

  I faded one more time and reappeared again. KAH-SHA!

  “Oh God! Make it stop!!!” I screamed.

  I was accustomed to see magic tricks but not this!

  I’m doing my own magic trick!

  What is happening? My heart pounded hard, thought I was going to lose myself.

  This is where it gets interesting.

  I used to say I am okay with Convicts, now, I feel why people are afraid of them and why people want to hunt them down.

  Uh, okay let’s see what they first do when they get powers?

  They test it. And I have to learn it fast!

  I tried breathing slowly and tried walking again. fine. That’s a start...

  What else? I clutch my left hand into a fist and focused on getting it to change I took one last breath and clutched harder.

  Seconds after that, the whole arm morphed into sand...

  Whoa! That’s so cool.

  Let’s see if I can make it bigger. Think big!

  I tried to imagine letting air entering my sanded arm.

  I breathed again and focused on changing my arm again.

  Think big! The second after that thought, my arm started to grow.

  Like a balloon, inflated in seconds.

  The arm expanded, become extremely huge!

  “I’m going to try the fading thing again.” I said to myself.

  See where you’re going... I thought. I focused at the direction of where I was heading. I took a big deep breath and focused. I took a big leap ahead and...

  PAK-KAH-SHA~AHA!

  My body faded into bits of sandy rocks while letting out a line of sand as a tail.

  While in this state, I realized that my sight becomes all black and white and narrowed...

  I thought big again and my body instantly pops back.

  KAH-SHA!

  “This is cool!” I exclaimed staring at both of my hands.

  “I’m one of those Convicts!” I exclaimed.

  I ran after the man who somehow gave me my powers.

  I’ve always believed that I am only out for small work but this is a whole new story.

  “Time to Play with these new tricks!” I said to myself.

  I kept my sights on the path ahead and charged.

  PAK-KAH-SHA-AHA!

  Poof goes the body!

  I turned and turned and turned left to right...

  Balancing myself like as if I am on a see-saw path. If I go way too to the left, I’ll trip...way too to the right, I’ll also trip...

  Things move at a regular pace so that I can see easily while in this form.

  The feeling is like your being burnt alive into ashes then being turned into rocks then putting it back together again...

  The feeling is wired yet cool.

  KAH-SHA!

  Gone...

  He ran into the woods to find his way out of the mountain. No way he can escape...

  I know this place like the back of my head. To escape takes only a clear path to the bottom. The place was catching fire.

  Flames emerge like tides. Going upwards. Inflating the wooden ground.

  PAK-KAH-SHA~AHA! KAH-SHA!

  I could hear the sound of the man trying to run faster. PAK-KAH-SHA!

  “not this time!” I said and reached for him again. PAK-KAH-SHA-AHA!

  I kept in form and reappeared again. KAH-SHA! As my arms reform I reached for his collar and caught him.“OW!” the man yelled as I slammed him down the ground. “I want you to fix this!” I ordered. “look kid you ain’t normal. You just took
my powers!” the man explained. “at least teach me how to control it!” I added.

  But before I could react and asked for more...

  Something solid hard appeared from under the ground like the form of concrete or something really hard from where the man and I are standing. A figure that I could describe as scarier than what I just saw from this man.

  Way scarier...

  The ground changed quick while I tried to run from whatever it was trying to get to me. Was it the man?

  The man panicked and started firing sand blasts towards the concrete like object.

  It began to grow even more and more... morphing into something even more horrifying.

  The figure was tall, big and made of concrete.

  Its concrete shards are stuck out of his body like some Doomsday like character from the comics. He grows every second by size and height. Looking down at me like a giant. “shit!” the man cursed.

  I turned and ran without a thought. The giant hit the ground, causing an earthquake moment. Vibrating the earth.

  The ground rumbled, the rocks began to move up to its surface.

  I used my new found powers to get to safety.

  PK-AAH-ASH-AHA! AAH-AHA!

  PK-AAH-ASH-AHA! AAH-AHA!

  PK-AAH-ASH-AHA! AAH-AHA!

  Disappearing and appearing again and again.

  I’m starting to like it...

  This power made me feel like I’m David Rice in Jumper.

  The man ran faster as the concrete monster was slowly praying on the both of us.

  “hey kid, you wanna help?” the man asked.

  “what?” I asked. No way I’m going to help him.

  “this might be our only chance to win this thing!” he said.

  I hesitated and asked “what do you need?”

  “hit it with me!” he said. “Two heads are better than one kid!”

  I took the call and turned, getting my hands aimed at the monster, being fearless.

  The man turned and fired at the torso of the monster.

  I firing towards his position.

  PEZZZZZ~POOF!

  PEZZZZZ~POOF!

  My hands began to create this stream of sand towards the monster.

  The monster grunted as he marches closer towards us, blocking our streams with its arm.

  I quickly noticed the armor started cracking...

  “just a bit more!” the man said.

  I threw in my all and kicked my serious face in.

  The monster began to lose its stand and began to tumble down to the ground. “bit more!” he cried.

  Seconds later, the monster froze and broke open. Empty.

  Derbies of concrete rolled all over the place.

  Phew! “that was easy...” the man muttered.

  I sighed in relive and began to turn towards the man.

  “start explaining!” my voice changed.

  “what is that?”, “what did you do to me?”, “who are you?” so many questions.

  “look kid.” the man began. “my name is James. I’m a Sand fly and we just been through hell okay. So please slow down. Let me explain.”

  “what was that?” I asked.

  “that is her!” he said in a very vengeful tone.

  “see ya!You’re part of this world now!” he waved and turned.

  “uh-wait!” I began to sprint.

  The man is actually really fast. Plus, he could disappear.

  The forest was not all that bad. It’s almost Autumn and the leaves have pretty much fallen.

  PAK-KAH-SHA~AHA! KAH-SHA!

  PAK-KAH-SHA~AHA! KAH-SHA!

  When I found him, the James was being cocooned by concrete...

  “come on now guys, I just want to-” his voice got muffled by the concrete.

  I took a step back and act casual.

  Armed trucks surrounding the place made me realize James was more than just a Convict. He was a Lab property.

  “so uh...he is caught huh...good job guys!” I said.

  Beside this little concrete mountain was a man and a woman. Both were dressed in black leather jackets. The lady was fairly young. Probably around her 30-s. She was wearing a long black skirt and the man, around the same age as the lady is wearing a long leather jean while the other two people that looked like they are going for some comic convention. Imagine a storm trooper. Now add its white and black with dashes of yellow and orange stripes. These men were armed. They turned their focus to me, looking as if they want to shoot.

  “Whoa! Whoa! I’m just a nobody” I lied.

  The man in black spoke “who are you?” he asked. “why are you with a Convict?”

  “What? Me?” I tried to sound puzzled.

  “I was trying to find my Aunt.” I said.

  “James. His name was James.” the lady asked.

  “yeah. How did you know?” I asked.

  “I have detailed files about him. He’s a Convict.” she revealed.

  “this thing had it all. He is categorized as a Sand Fly.” she pointed at her truck. “do you watch the news kid?” she asked.

  “A what?” I was surprised. “who are you?” I asked.

  “Wednesday Johann.” she paused. “clearly this is none of your business.” the man said. Wednesday singled her men to stop.

  “that’s all you need to know now.” she said staring in my eye thinking I actually know the truth about her. “after all this is police work.”

  She gave me a cold glare. I glared back.

  Not for one second I believed she and her guys are police.

  They looked more like The Men in Black except this is Leather Edition. Her eyes were cold and emotionless.

  She stared with a meddlesome grin.

  Wednesday looked straight through me. Knowing I was hiding something. We stared at each other for a while.

  Then she finally took a move. “well I believe we should go.”she said.

  “no way!” I said. “I need to talk to James.” the said nothing. “you were with the Convict for a long time.” the man spoke again. “why?” I stuttered and kept quiet. “d-did I say James?” I asked.

  “I meant my friend James. Not this James.”

  “you have something to say?” he asked.

  I was quiet. What do you think I’ve done?

  Did it tell them the truth or lied just to live? The man looked behind and single it to come forward. One of the storm trooper like soldiers dragged my aunt out. “Jacob, who are these people?” Aunt may asked in terror.

  Aunt May! “I’ll break this old woman’s legs to make you talk!” He said.

  They threaten to use my Aunt to make me talk.

  I’ve always been a good liar but this is pressure!

  My aunt in the hands of Wednesday, the truth in hand.

  What should I do? What should I do?

  “liar!” I challenged. “I’ll ask you again.” she grinned.

  “do you have something to say?” she asked.