Users

by Stacy Buck

  "No! No! No!" he screamed repeatedly as the white hot fire burned clear through the blanket. Desperately, Carter threw himself over Dan's body, but the fire would not be extinguished. The skin on Dan's arms turned to charcoal, blackened, and then flaked off. The exposed flesh beneath the skin was burnt to a crisp. Carter was surrounded by a fiery hell he could not put out.

  He stood up as Doc came running down the stairs.

  "What happened!" Doc shouted when he saw the smoldering husk that used to be Dan.

  "He died screaming," Carter said. "He died the same way I killed Fox."

  "Who's Fox?" Doc asked.

  There was ash all over Carter's face, shirt, and hands. He was covered in the chalky substance that had been Dan.

  "I'm going to die screaming," Carter said realizing this wasn't an isolated incident, but that when a Scorcher died he was burned alive. "I'm going to die screaming."

  #

  Chapter 16

  The Narcotics Anonymous meeting the following day after Dan's death was a solemn one for Carter. He sat quietly and when Vince made his way around the group, Carter refused to speak, and no one dared to push the issue. Carter couldn't quite put a finger on why he was so devastated by the death of a man he barely knew. Maybe it was that he had so little time with the old man, or maybe it was because the old man's death was so horrific, but most likely it was a selfish endeavor. He knew without a shadow of a doubt what awaited him at death, and it wasn't pretty. He would burn. Burn the same way Dan had, and the same way he had burnt Fox alive.

  He would die screaming in pain.

  Carter was in such a daze, he hardly noticed that Vince was about to end the meeting, but before Vince could, the door leading to the hall slammed open. A towering figure stepped into the room dressed in a long black coat and military style boots. The attention shifted from Vince to the mysterious man, drawing even Carter's interest. The heavy boots clopped against the wood floor as the man in black stomped to the head of the table.

  "Can I help you with something?" Vince asked as the man approached.

  An aura of unease wafted through the crowded room like bad body odor.

  "I'm looking for someone," the man said.

  From his pocket, the man produced a wallet sized photo. He handed it to Vince. Carter knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, without seeing the photo, who was on that picture. Carter flipped his hood up and pulled it low while the man in black had his back turned too him.

  "Sorry, never seen him before," Vince answered politely.

  The man in black snatched the photo from Vince's grasp.

  "I'm looking for this man." He held the photo out for everyone to see.

  Carter kept his eyes on the floor, wondering who would be the first to give him up.

  "My name is Devin. I have a friend who is very interested in the whereabouts of this individual."

  The man's heavy boots let Carter know that he was circling the table.

  "The man's name is Carter."

  Carter winced when the man said his name.

  "Alaric is looking for him. You all know Alaric. You all know that crossing Alaric is very dangerous, so save yourselves a lot of headache and tell me where he is."

  Carter had a real pickle on his hands. On one hand, he wanted nothing more than to save his sorry skin, but on the other, he had really grown to like some of the members of the group. The last thing he wanted was to create a nasty situation for Walt, Vince, Cody, or even Barber. He had to get the mysterious man outside. Maybe there Carter could make a break for it, try and run away. The heavy foot falls were getting closer now. Carter was about to give himself up, when a pusher named Gary panicked.

  "He's right there!" And from the corner of his eye, Carter caught a glimpse of Gary, a fat man with a bald head, rising to his feet with his finger extended in Carter's direction.

  Devin's dark eyes shot down to Carter, sitting slumped over in his seat, and they made eye contact for a brief moment, both of them wondering if Carter was going to put up a fight. Carter had no idea of what the man was capable of, and that only scared him all the more.

  "Let's go outside," Carter said slapping a stunned look on Devin's face. Devin was a bounty hunter no doubt, and was probably used to all his, so called clients, putting up a fight or fleeing.

  "Okay, come on." Devin grabbed Carter roughly by the upper arm.

  "Oh, fuck this," Walt said.

  "Walt, no!" Carter shouted as Walt clocked Devin with a serious right hook.

  Devin was completely blindsided by Walt's sucker punch, but was far from out of the fight. Devin growled, bared his teeth, and his eyes went black.

  "Cover your eyes, he's a pusher," Carter shouted and the room went into absolute mayhem.

  Chairs were tossed aside as Movers telepathically threw them out of their way as they rushed to the door. A Screamer unleashed a wave of sound, dropping everyone in its path, as she ran from the room. Blinders, Viewers, and Enforcers, it didn't matter at that moment, everyone just wanted the hell out.

  Meanwhile, Devin was still trying to get inside Walt's head, and Carter made the split second decision to hit Devin in the face with a fireball. At point blank range the ball of fire blasted Devin to devastating effect. The man's head was knocked back as if he had been hit with a Mike Tyson upper cut.

  "Move!" Walt shouted.

  Carter did as he was told, but apparently wasn't going fast enough, because Walt grabbed him by the forearm and dragged him out the door, into the hall, and to the building's front door.

  "Come back here!" Devin shouted from back in the meeting room, and Carter turned to make sure Devin wasn't on their tails.

  "Don't stop! Go!" Walt kept right on tugging Carter's arm.

  They burst through the building's back door together.

  "Hold it right there!" A pair of men holding guns stopped Carter and Walt in their tracks.

  "Come on now, take it easy with those things," Walt said eying the pistols both men had pointed in their direction.

  Both the men with the guns and their buddy Devin were indeed bounty hunters. Carter knew their kind, gun toting, dressed in black, and strapped to the teeth.

  "We got no need for you old man. Step away from your friend and no harm will come to you," the meaner looking of the two said.

  "Now you listen here you son of a bit-," Walt stopped mid breath as the guns fell from both men's hands, they slumped to their knees, and fell face first onto the concrete steps.

  Barber appeared from behind them, standing with both his barbs covered in blood. Carter nodded in appreciation to the young man.

  "Nice work," Carter said.

  "I think I killed them both," Barber said. "I've never killed anyone before."

  "You only did what you had to do boy," Walt said. "Now let's get moving."

  With Walt leading the way, the trio ran for the truck.

  *****

  "Where the hell did that guy come from," Carter asked once they were safe in the truck, and well on their way back to the compound. Carter had gotten complacent, had almost dared to hope that Alaric had just forgot about him completely, but that was apparently not the case.

  "Devin? He's a sniffer," Walt said.

  "You know that guy?" Carter asked.

  "I recognize him from the military. They had a stable of sniffers on call. I never worked directly with him, but I recognize Devin from my time in Afghanistan. If Alaric is sending that man after you, well, then he's really got it out for you."

  "Oh, that's just great," Carter said.

  "Slow down!" Barber said.

  The truck swerved into the oncoming lane as they rounded a corner. Walt slammed on the brakes and corrected the truck back into their own lane.

  "Sorry, I guess the whole thing has me a little on edge," Walt said.

  "Our fearless leader? Shaken by a mere tussle? I don't believe a word of it," Carter said.

  "Barber killed two men back there!" Walt's shouting resounded off the metal panels of t
he pickup truck's cab.

  "I've seen a lot of death as of late," Carter said.

  "I-It's fine. I'm...I'm fine," Barber said. "Just slow down."

  Barber was rattled. His right leg shook uncontrollably, causing his foot to beat repeatedly against the truck's floor board. Carter didn't know what to do for the boy. Hell, he didn't even know what to do for himself. Carter was fucked, but he had to say something to Barber.

  "Thank you...for what you did back there," Carter said. "I know it wasn't easy."

  "It was nothing. Don't worry about it," Barber said, but it was very obvious that it was something.

  Judging from his own experience with killing, Carter knew that Barber would never be the same. He would never be the same sixteen year old kid that had smiled at Carter so innocently across the room at meetings.

  "I don't think it's safe for you to go to the meetings anymore," Walt said as if reading his mind.

  "No shit? I hadn't noticed." Carter ran a hand across what little stubble he had on his head.

  "Don't get smart with me," Walt said.

  "Do, do you think we were followed?" Barber asked.

  "I sure hope not," Walt said.

  Carter hoped for his sake and the sake of everyone at the compound, that they hadn't.

  #

  Chapter Two

  Chapter 17

  Part 8

  Chapter 17

  The Users at the compound were still on edge that following morning. Walt, Barber, and Carter had nearly rammed the gate with the truck to get back within the safety of the compound's walls. Walt immediately ordered a night watch of ten Users to patrol the grounds. He demanded a mix of Movers, Pushers, Blinders, and Viewers to be on guard at all times. Despite Walt's paranoia there was no sign of the bounty hunters, and the night went by uneventfully. Even the Viewers saw nothing, no images of Devin, or any other bounty hunter in their future. Despite it all, Carter couldn't help but feel guilty for putting all their lives in danger.

  "Good eggs," Walt said.

  The general was trying to make small talk, but Carter merely nodded. In the center of the big house's dining room was a long table that could seat the entirety of the compounds occupants. The table was a little over half full. The others were busy patrolling the compound for any sign of intruders, while Carter, Walt, and the others ate a simple breakfast of sizzling bacon and scrambled eggs.

  "Look, about last night," Carter said. "I think I should leave."

  "Nonsense, no one is going anywhere," Walt said.

  "You've got kids here who aren't even eighteen yet. Not to mention the women," Carter argued.

  "They knew what they were signing up for when they came here," Walt said. "We're a family and we don't run out on family when they're in need."

  "I'm not you're fucking family." Carter stood up from his chair. "You guys barely know me! You barely know the monster that I can be!"

  The front door burst open and in rushed Lucy, one of the Blinders who had been out concealing the compound with her powers from prying eyes, and more importantly Sniffer's noses.

  "It didn't work. He's...here," she said between exasperated breaths. "I saw...him...coming over...the wall."

  "Saw him? Him who?" Walt asked.

  "The one looking for Cart-" she shouted, but was cut off as the door to her back exploded into the room.

  The door was knocked clean off its hinges and flew across the length of the dining room, narrowly missing Lucy. It slammed into the far wall and stuck into the Sheetrock about halfway up to the ceiling. Everyone turned their gaze to follow the door as it embedded into the wall; everyone except for Carter. He stared at the door's opening and the sledge hammer like fist sticking through it.

  In stepped Alaric.

  "Oh, shit," Carter said jumping to his feet, and much to his surprise the rest of the Users at the table jumped to their feet as well.

  "All of you sit down," Alaric said in a booming voice that demanded attention.

  It was a tone Carter knew well. The tone that Alaric used to command the most powerful super powered team in all of history; the All Americans.

  "I came here for Carter. The rest of you may stay in peace despite the fact that you have been harboring a fugitive."

  "A fugitive? You planning on taking me to jail then?" Carter asked knowing full well that Alaric would do no such thing.

  "The idea of you locked away in a cell with three meals a day and a cot doesn't sit well with me," Alaric said.

  There it was, Alaric intended to kill him, just as Carter had feared.

  "Just wait a second and listen to reason," Carter said. "Fox was the head of Seattle's drug ring. She was also the Vampi-"

  "I thought you were going to speak reason?" Alaric interrupted Carter. "Instead you spit lies on the corpse of someone I loved. Save your bullshit for God or the Devil, whichever you meet at the end of this day."

  "Oh, fuck this!" Barber shouted.

  The young man popped his barb's from the back of his wrists as he darted from the table to the hole that used to be the front door.

  "What do we have here?" Alaric asked as Barber closed in on him.

  Unfortunately for Barber, he had no idea of the true power of Alaric. The young man had been secluded in the compound for far too long. Barber stabbed straight out, sticking Alaric with both barbs, but they barely scratched the titan's skin.

  "Huh?" Barber asked looking down at his bony barbs as if they had defied him.

  With a laugh, Alaric swatted the young man away like a fly. Barber flopped through the air like a rag doll, he folded in half from where he had been hit in the middle as he flew, before opening up to land flat on his back on the hardwood floor.

  Walt, seeing his young ward fallen and not moving, pulled a shotgun from above the mantel.

  "You come into my home! My home! And attack my family!" In one swift movement, Walt cocked the pump on the shotgun down and up, letting Alaric know he meant business.

  Ordinary weapons didn't seem to scare Alaric. The giant man strutted over to Walt and placed his chest right against the gun's barrel.

  "Go ahead and shoot me," Alaric said.

  Walt obliged him, but before the general's finger could move so much as a twitch, Alaric, moving with super speed and strength, bent the barrel of the shotgun in half. Walt was already in the motion of pulling back the trigger and the gun went off, exploding in Walt's face. Shrapnel and smoke went flying across the room, and the general was blown back against the wall.

  "Run," Evan shouted as the last line of defense between Carter and Alaric.

  Lucy ran from the room screaming. Carter was right behind her, running for the door. Alaric moved to follow, but Evan waved his hands in the air, using his mover powers to send the table, dishes, and breakfast crashing into Alaric.

  "Back off Evan," Alaric said.

  And with a high flying front kick, Alaric split the thick wood table in two, sending the table and its contents spilling off to the sides around him.

  "Yes, I know who you are," Alaric said much to the shocked expression of Evan. "I know who you all are. Stand down or you and your family, your real family, will pay."

  "Leave my parents out of this. They're not like us. Not addicts, not Users. They're just normal good people," Evan said.

  "You're forcing my hand here," Alaric said.

  "You so much as go near them an-"

  "It's okay, Evan. Do as he says," Carter said stopping before he even reached the open doorway. "You wanted me, well you've got me."

  "No, don't Carter. You don't have to do this alone," Walt said gripping what looked like a broken shoulder from his impact with the wall.

  "For once you're wrong," Carter said. "This is the one thing I do have to do alone."

  "I see you're making the right decision for once in your miserable life," Alaric said.

  In a flash, Alaric was across the room and in Carter's face. Carter punched straight out, aiming for Alaric's chin, but a giant sized fist appe
ared wrapped around his own as Alaric caught his hand mid punch.

  "AAAHHH!" Carter growled in pain as Alaric squeezed his fist. Carter punched for Alaric's face with his free hand, and again Alaric caught his fist mid punch.

  "This is truly laughable. Why even put up a fight? You stand no chance," Alaric said.

  "Weak words coming from a coward who was practically balling like a baby back in my apartment. You were too afraid to stand up to the Vampire. Too afraid to confront the truth. Your girlfriend was a drug dealer and a murderer." Carter spat right in Alaric's face.

  Alaric roared with anger. "You lie!" And down came Alaric's forehead onto the bridge of Carter's nose.

  The head butt was so powerful it turned Carter's nose to mush, knocked him right through the missing front door, and sent him rolling out into the yard.

  #

  Chapter Three

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 18

  Carter shook his head, trying to clear the fuzz from inside his head and the blur from his eyes. Hot blood was splattered across his cheeks and upper lip. Carter turned on the heat, igniting both his hands. He closed his eyes and placed a fiery hand to the bridge of his nose. The flames cauterized the wound instantly.

  Users, minus Barber, Walt, and Evan, ran for the shelter of their cabins or hid behind the relative safety of a nearby tree. Their eye's peered out from behind glass windows, or occasionally peaked from behind the trees. They were scared to look, but too terrified to look away.

  "It's not a lie," Carter said getting to his feet. "It's the truth. You're just too damn dumb to see it. She was doing it all right under your nose. Did you ever stop for a moment and wonder why she chose you? It was just because you're the leader of the All Americans. She chose you because it put her closer to all the other Users, so she could suck you and them dry."

  But Alaric wasn't listening, the giant man had a wild look in his eyes and was stalking Carter like a lion ready to pounce on its prey. When Alaric finally did pounce, Carter was ready and waiting for him. With a swift kick, Carter caught Alaric off guard, kicking the big man right between the legs.