by J. M. Pierce
A glimmer of hope rushed through him as he realized this room would be ideal for the most ultimate game of cat and mouse, but to use his gift to its full advantage, he needed to kill the lights. He positioned his hands towards the ground and burst into the air towards the centermost viewing platform in hopes that the controls for the room would be there. As he landed, he saw that there was nothing. There weren’t even any seats. He looked back towards the door from which he entered and let out a growl. “Damn it, Prim. You idiot,” he muttered to himself.
He could see the panel to the wall just to the left of the door. Angered, he jumped from the ledge and propelled himself to the panel. His approach was too fast and, as he landed about ten feet in front of the wall, he lost his footing and tumbled into it. He forced himself to stand and, as he placed his hand on the monitor, he saw a shadow appear in his peripheral vision.
The glow from Casper’s torso told him all that he needed to know. In one quick motion, he released a pulse that sent the room plummeting into darkness and himself flying straight backwards into the abyss. As he flew through the air, he could see Casper’s glowing form still standing at the doorway. Landing on his back, he slid across the smooth floor and quickly scrambled to his feet to hide behind one of the columns.
“You think that’s going to help you?” Casper shouted.
Prim suddenly found himself thankful for his depleted energy. He looked to his core and, while it lacked the intensity of Casper’s, the light still gave away his position. His gaze leveled in time to watch Casper throw his arms forward. The force of the pulse shook the steel column in front of him and the vibrations resonated throughout the room.
He’d made a critical mistake in not realizing the darkness would make it easier to be seen. His only hope was to let go of the one thing that was always able to save him in the past.
Closing his eyes, he tried to calm himself. He thought of Lauren. He pictured her on that first day that she had come to his home. He remembered the feeling he had when he watched her. He knew that his life had been forever changed by her presence.
When he opened his eyes, the space around him had grown completely dark. As he looked away from Casper, the cavernous black ahead left few clues as to how far away from the end of the room he actually was.
“Marco!” called Casper.
Prim could see the red flashes on the floor to his left were intensifying. His first instinct was to ignite his power, but he knew that would be a mistake. Instead, he ran straight ahead. Holding his arms out in front of him, he prayed that he wouldn’t find the next column with his face. As his outstretched fingers collided with the cold steel, he winced slightly as his middle finger jammed, but without hesitation, he quickly turned to his right and continued to run. With each step, he tried to sense Casper’s location. It wasn’t difficult as the Reapers surging energy pushed him as if he were a sail. He could feel the waves crashing on his right side and continued to run until they began to push on his back.
With a loud smack, he slammed into something solid and dropped to the ground with a thud. He lay on the ground holding his face in his hands. He was paying so much attention to Casper’s location that he hadn’t considered how close he was to a perimeter wall.
“You are drained, aren’t you?” shouted Casper in a snide voice. “The kid sucked you dry, didn’t he?”
Prim remained silent and stood. He hugged the wall and walked slowly in the direction from which Casper was coming. His heart pounded as he came even with him. He held his breath as the Reaper casually glanced in his direction, but then, as Casper looked away, he continued swiftly past and towards the entrance.
“We’ve never been properly introduced,” called Casper. “I don’t know who you are. I don’t know how Isaac missed you.”
Prim turned and watched as Casper continued to walk away from him down what he thought was the center of the room.
“You know, it’s too bad for you, really. Isaac would have given you a choice,” called Casper as he reached out and wrapped a hand around a steel column. “I’m not going to give you that choice. I’m going to be honest with you. You’re going to die today.”
Prim waded through the darkness as Casper’s voice disappeared into a dramatic pause. Suddenly the metal overhead began to hum and ring. Though he couldn’t see it, he could feel the structure begin to vibrate. He looked over his shoulder and saw Casper’s energy swell as he gripped the steel column.
The sounds of concrete and steel buckling set his senses on fire. Prim turned to run for the door and behind him, the room flashed with light so brightly that his shadow appeared on the wall before him. His next step was met with a crushing force on his right arm. Having had little time to recharge, Prim ignited what little energy he had, but before he knew what was happening, he found himself being thrust forward into the wall.
His left shoulder hit first and his collar bone snapped. Blind with pain, he screamed.
“Ah, that’s it!” shouted Casper joyfully as he approached.
Prim clutched his left arm as it hung limply to his side. He looked up to see Casper’s smiling face as he approached. Reaching down deep inside, Prim summoned a pulse and threw his right arm at Casper, but the Reaper was too fast and phased to the Shadow realm before it hit him.
The flash of Casper’s reappearance blinded Prim as he materialized directly in front of him. Without words, Casper punched Prim in the stomach, forcing the air from his lungs and dropping him to his knees. Instantly, Prim felt his body began to tremble. He felt each molecule within him dancing as the light from above intensified. He knew what was coming. He tried to stand, but his body would not respond. Just as he closed his eyes, ready to accept the end, everything stopped.
The room was filled with a loud white hiss, at least that’s how his ears heard it. He looked up and Casper was gone. Flashes of red and blue light flickered on the walls and, as he looked for the source, he could not believe his eyes when he found it.
Lauren raged through the center of the columns as Casper’s body continued to tumble across the floor. Just as he came to a stop, she threw her arms forward again, releasing a pulse so large that it shook the entire room.
Casper’s body careened into a section of the concrete wall between two of the overhead doors with a sickening thud. As she approached, Lauren could see that his power was faint. Lying on his side, blood trickled down his forehead and onto the ground while his mouth hung open with his lower jaw hanging limply. Just as Lauren began lean over him, a blue light erupted from the top of Casper’s head.
With the speed of a lightning bolt, Casper jumped from the ground and pulsed into the air, weakly propelling himself back towards Prim and the door. Surprised by the speed with which he could heal, Lauren pivoted while reaching out with her right arm and ripped Casper from the air. Throwing her arm to the ground, she watched as Casper’s body slammed into the smooth concrete floor.
Her adrenaline surged as she stepped up to his body. Casper’s light was gone. She held out her own hand and forced her power to intensify so that she could see him more clearly.
“Lauren?”
The sound of Prim’s voice calling in the distance made her forget about anything else.
“I’m coming!” she shouted back. In less than a breath, she had disappeared and then re-materialized at Prim’s side. Her worries didn’t stop when she’d found him. Resting on the floor with his back to the wall, his face was a mess. His nose jutted grotesquely to the left side and a gash on his right cheek looked as though you could nearly see the teeth on the other side.
She was afraid to touch him. She didn’t want to cause him anymore pain. “Oh my God, Prim.”
He looked to her and managed a smile. “Hey, beautiful.” The act of speaking felt like running a marathon. “I thought I told you to stay home.” He laughed but the pain took over causing him to wince.
Lauren leaned forward and kissed his forehead. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I never was good at
taking orders.” A cold chill ran down her spine as Casper’s voice appeared behind her.
“Ain’t that the truth?”
Lauren turned and watched as Casper’s energy swelled. As he threw his hands forward, she took Prim’s arm and phased. In a swirl of movement and lights, she brought the two of them back twenty feet away. She looked to Casper with teeth clenched, hatred and anger surging through every cell. Every breath was used to fuel what was to come.
From a kneeling position, she launched herself towards him and felt his ribs cave as her shoulder collided with them. She pulled up, allowing Casper to fall backward without interference, and watched as the back of his head bounced off of the ground. She stepped over him, her legs straddling his chest, and held both palms towards his face. She looked deep into his eyes as his flesh started to dance beneath the glow of her power. Her jaws ached with tense fury as she pushed harder and harder. She watched his eyes grow larger and his mouth open wide with pain.
“Tell Isaac hello for me,” she growled and, with a final push, she watched as Casper’s body exploded into a cloud of dust.
Chapter 35
Continuing to kneel by the boy’s side, Test had become lost in a brief period of confusion. It wasn’t until a sudden movement in his peripheral vision stifled his thoughts and, as he looked up, he saw Ashley enter the room. Without hesitation, he threw his right arm towards her and watched as her form shimmered with the pulse that ran through her. Confused, he repeated the motion and then stood, backing away from her continued advance.
“Don’t be mad.”
Test heard the words come from Ashley’s lips, but the voice was not hers. With his hands raised, his fire raged with both fury and fear as he backed himself against the curved wall.
“It’s okay, Test,” she said, raising her hands to match his. “It’s me, Alyssa.”
Test’s heart raced as his mind tried to make sense of what was happening. As the image of Ashley stepped directly in front of him, she reached out and caressed his cheek.
“Alyssa?” he asked.
She nodded her head. “I’m sorry, but we had to come.”
He stared into her eyes. Though he knew it was Alyssa, her form still disturbed him greatly. As he opened his mouth to speak, Alyssa began.
“Cliff came to us with a plan.” She turned and motioned to Iku’s empty shell of a body lying on the floor. “It looks like we were a little too late.”
Test’s head dropped and, with his chin to his chest, he let out a deep sigh. “It wouldn’t have mattered,” he replied, flipping a hand towards the boy. “That kid is more powerful than all of the rest of us combined.”
Alyssa turned and walked to the boy. Kneeling down beside him, she brushed his hair to the side and examined the cut on his brow. She looked down at the younger version of Test with fascination and pity. “My God, how old is he?” she asked.
“I can’t remember for sure, but I don’t think he’s a year old yet.”
“Poor kid,” replied Alyssa.
Test walked up and stood behind her, looking down over the two of them. “I hit him hard,” he said with an air of regret. The pain in his knee was a testament to the fact. “But he was killing Prim.”
Alyssa reached behind and gripped Test’s leg. “It’s not your fault, Test, but it’s not Destin’s fault either.”
“Destin?”
As she ran her fingers through Destin’s hair, she replied. “That’s his name—Destin.”
A brief silence took over the room before Test spoke. “That’s a strange name.”
Alyssa huffed and looked up over her shoulder quizzically. “Coming from someone named Test, that’s kind of a strange comment, don’t you think?”
Test shoved his hands into his pockets as he shrugged his shoulders.
“Ashley?”
The sound of the small voice came from the ground like a phoenix. Alyssa’s head snapped back to Destin and her eyes met his. She watched him glance to Test, blinking repetitively while trying to clear the blood from his eye. “You’re okay,” she replied as she placed her hand on his chest. “Don’t try to get up. Just take it easy for a minute.”
Destin closed his eyes as he replied. “You’re voice sounds funny.”
Alyssa’s heart skipped a beat as she realized she wasn’t using Ashley’s voice. It suddenly occurred to her that even if she had, she hadn’t heard enough of Ashley’s voice to be very accurate. Then again, the original plan that Cliff had thought up was to only get the boy away from the twins assuming that it would be in the heat of battle. Nothing was ever mentioned about what was to be done next.
Having waited too long to respond, Destin opened his eyes and looked to Test. “Who’s he?” he asked.
Not waiting for Alyssa to respond, he replied. “My name is Test.” He watched as the boy’s eyes grew wide with fear as he sat up from the floor.
“You said he was bad!” exclaimed Destin, glaring with desperation at who he thought was Ashley.
Alyssa closed her eyes. There was no map, no playbook, no time for thought to get her out of the situation. Continuing to hold Ashley’s form, she spoke with her own voice. “Destin, you have been lied to.” She watched his head recoil as he lifted a hand to rub his bloodied eye. “Test is not the enemy. He is not the bad guy.”
Slowly, Destin began to push himself away from Alyssa. “Who are you?” he asked. “You’re not Ashley.”
Without acknowledging his statement, she continued. “Honey, there’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to say it.” She glanced back over her shoulder to Test who gave her a reassuring nod. Looking back to the boy, she tried to be as soft and comforting as possible. “You are here because of something terrible someone did. A while ago, Test was captured by some people who did a bunch of bad things to him.” She tried to edge forward as Destin continued to push himself away, but stopped when he began to move faster. “Do you know what DNA is?” she asked. Destin’s only response was a horrified stare. “DNA is what makes each of us who we are. Those men, the ones who took Test, they stole some of his DNA.” She paused, scared to death of what the knowledge she was about to share would mean to the boy. “Destin, sweet heart, you were created from Test’s DNA. You are what is called a clone.”
Test watched with great anticipation for the boy’s reaction. Should he decide to fight, Test knew that everything would be for naught.
“Look at him,” said Alyssa as she motioned to Test. “Can’t you see? He’s an older version of you.” Suddenly realizing how strange it must be for Test to be seeing himself as a child, she stood and took Test’s hand into hers. With a brief hesitation, she allowed the image of Ashley to disappear and presented the image of herself. “My name is Alyssa,” she said softly. “We are here to rescue you from Ashley and Casper. They only want you because of your power.”
Destin began to shake his head. “No!” he shouted, the light from within him beginning to ignite. “I don’t believe you.”
Alyssa felt Test’s body tense. “Don’t,” she said firmly as she squeezed his hand. Turning her attention back to Destin, she pleaded with the boy. “Destin, please—you have to believe me. Why would you still be alive if we were the bad guys? Honey, you were unconscious and we stayed with you. If Ashley and Casper care so much about you, where are they?”
As if there weren’t enough occupying his mind, Test felt the sudden pull of a spirit racing by him as it flew down the corridor. Trying not to be distracted, he focused on Destin.
“Alyssa is telling the truth,” said Test.
“So you didn’t kill Isaac?” replied Destin.
Test glared at the ground between them and hung his head shamefully. “Yes, I did,” he replied. “He was an evil man, Destin. He killed so many that there’s no way to even count.” He lifted his eyes and bared his soul to the boy. “He took my first love’s life. He killed her for no other reason than to hurt me, to bring me to him. You see, Destin, if you were born a Shadow like we are,” he
motioned between the two of them with his index finger, “and one of Isaac’s people came for you; you either went with them and served Isaac, or you died.” Test could see the boy becoming more and more upset, not only by the racing pulses down his arms, but by the wetness of his eyes.
“What’s going on?”
The sound of Aiden’s whimpering voice from just behind Test was a shock to all in the room.
“Aiden? What are you doing here?” asked Alyssa as she turned and quickly snatched him into her arms. “You’re supposed to be with Auntie.”
Too upset to respond, Aiden burst with tears and buried his face into Alyssa’s shoulder. With all of their focus on Aiden, neither Alyssa nor Test saw Destin stand. It wasn’t until he was standing a couple of feet away that Test flinched. He saw the boy staring at Aiden and then examining Alyssa as she comforted him. With each passing breath, the light from within him faded.
“Who…” he stopped, choking on his words.
Alyssa turned to Destin and saw the softened expression on his face; his eyes squinted slightly as he watched her. “This is Aiden,” she said. Before she could continue, Test spoke.
“This is our son.”
Alyssa’s heart swelled as she looked tearfully to Test. She could hardly believe what she just heard.
“But, he’s dead, right?” asked Destin, a naïve child taking the place of the powerful force that was present only minutes before.
Grimacing discretely, Test replied. “Well, yes. Both he and Alyssa have passed. But that doesn’t matter. We’re still a family.”
Tears began to roll down Alyssa’s cheeks as Aiden lifted his head to look at Destin.
“Who’s this?” asked Aiden through huffing breaths. Each time he huffed his bottom lip slipped inside his mouth.
Placing a hand on Aiden’s back, Test answered. “Aiden, this is our friend Destin.”