by Project Kyle
Trembling with fear, he quickly grabbed it and read its contents.
Unknown: I won’t kill Sophia right off. You can go to sleep now. She will be alive when you wake up.
Nerd: What? Why the change of heart?
Unknown: This is not a change of heart. You’re so tense right now that you’re never going to get to sleep, and I need your mind to be fully active tomorrow if I’m going to torture you. I will give you my word that she will still be alive when you wake up…but after you two are reunited, it’s game on!
Nerd: Thank you.
Unknown: Don’t ever thank me again! Your approval makes me feel squeamish! Now go to sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.
Although Nerd did not trust Experiment-1, somehow his promise rang true. Whether it was exhaustion or just a rare feeling of certainty that caused the weight to fall off Nerd’s chest, even he did not know. But at least he was released from the torture he was formerly in.
He closed his eyes and passed out, and vivid dreams flooded the hallways of his deep and active mind.
Chapter 17 The lord of sorrow
“David, where is Ronald? I haven’t seen him in days. Isn’t he your assistant?”
“Ronald can’t be with us anymore.”
“What do you mean he can’t be with us anymore?”
“He is dead.”
“What? No…no! Ronald can’t be dead.”
“But he is, I’m sorry.”
“But how? How did he die?”
“I don’t know, Amelia. He was summoned to the level 2 labs, and I just received a report a few hours ago that he passed away. They never told me how, and it doesn’t matter. We will find a suitable replacement soon.”
“How can you say that! Ronald was your best friend. He always told me he looked up to you.”
“That doesn’t matter. Grieving won’t bring him back. The logical thing is to find a replacement and move on.”
“And what about me, David? What if something happens to me? Am I replaceable, just like Ronald?”
“I wouldn’t have to replace you. You serve no purpose on my staff.”
“What! Are you saying that I mean nothing to you?”
“No, I am not saying that.”
“Why do you even keep me around if I serve no purpose?”
“Because…because you don’t serve a purpose to my work. You just…serve a purpose to me. That’s all…”
“What is that supposed to… Wait, are you saying that you keep me around because you like having me around, and not because I clean the floors, dust the tables, and put your mess away?”
“Yeah.”
“There is hope for you yet, David… David, David, David! Wake up, I need you to wake up!”
#
The moment was interrupted by a voice calling out his name. He woke up to the feeling of a hand on his shoulder. He was disoriented, groggy, and he still hadn’t gotten much sleep.
At first, he didn’t even know where he was or who was trying to wake him up. But after a few moments went by, he noticed that it was Henry Smith that had been trying to reach him.
“David!” He urged his commander. “I mean…Nerd! You need to wake up now! The killer has struck the village, and most of the citizens are infected with the plague.”
“What?” Nerd said as his sleepy eyes flew open, preparing himself for the worst. “Sophia! Is she…”
“Sophia is fine, bro; the killer infected all the huts around hers but thankfully spared her. She’s alive, just a bit shaken over what’s going on.”
Nerd breathed a sigh of relief, then felt discouraged again as the reality of the situation sank in.
“What about Commander Rice and our other temporary crew members?”
“Commander Rice was infected; he is gone. The only survivors are Grunt, Alcanore, Tim, Joe, Stephen, and Tom, the kid you were talking to at dinner. He’s the one who found Commander Rice, and Nerd…he saw the killer with his own eyes.”
“No! He only spared three of the villagers?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Where is Tom?”
“He’s over by the general’s hut. The poor kid is going to suffer some extreme PTSD from this. I think you better talk to him; he needs it right now.”
“Take me to him and gather the others. We’re going to need to get out of here soon.”
Henry nodded his head and directed Nerd to the general’s hut. The sun was just starting to rise outside, and just enough light was visible for Nerd to see the tragic sight of the galactic plague victims scattered across the village. Moaning, groaning, and monstrous growls filled the air. It was awful, and although Nerd was grateful that Experiment-1 had kept his word regarding Sophia, he was reminded that although he had shown a brief moment of honor, it would always be followed by a wicked and merciless deed.
The two men made their way to Tom, who was sitting on a log near the general’s hut. His head was in his hands, and he was shaking and panting heavily. Nerd asked Henry to get the others so they could meet. Henry agreed and left to get the surviving crew.
Nerd put his hand on Tom’s shoulder, hoping to at least get him to talk a little about what he saw.
“Tom,” he said. “What happened? What exactly did you see?”
Tom gathered his thoughts and responded to Nerd’s question.
“I saw death itself…and it looked me in the eyes and spoke to me.”
“I’m so sorry to hear about General Rice. He was a good man, that much I could see, but I need to know what happened. Any info I can get on our killer is greatly needed right now. He’s already a step ahead of us, and if things continue, none of us are going to get out of here alive.”
Tom took a moment to gather his thoughts. He knew he had to be very specific. Even if he didn’t feel that the information he gave was important, there was always a chance that Nerd could find something in his story that he just couldn’t. So, he knew he had to be as detailed as possible. He took a deep breath and told Nerd everything he could remember.
“I woke up early this morning. It was still dark outside. I usually don’t wake up this early, but I knew something was wrong. I kept hearing sounds outside, like something was swiftly moving around the camp, and I just couldn’t get it out of my head.
“I grabbed a flashlight and made my way to the general’s hut. He always wakes up early in the morning, and I knew if there was anyone I could talk to, it would be him. I was so focused on the general that I didn’t pay any attention to the bodies that were around me. I did hear the moaning and groaning, but I figured it was just the fear and paranoia in my head—the same fear and paranoia that has plagued me for the last year.
“I then made my way inside the commander’s hut. The room was pitch black. I grabbed my flashlight and shined it towards the general’s desk. My heart began to race as I noticed the horrifying sight that was staring back at me.
There was General Rice, sitting in his chair, barely half alive! Wordless moaning and groaning came from his throat—he was obviously close to being brain dead. But there was something else that stood out. Something that drove more fear into me than anything ever had before.
“A hand was poised above Rice’s shoulder. A black, grim-looking hand, holding the syringe that had been driven ruthlessly into the general’s neck. I slowly moved the light up, illuminating part of the person behind the general.
“The intruder was wearing a black trench coat. My heart thudded loudly in my ears, and my body froze to the spot like reeds frozen in a pond in the dead of winter. The chill of fear crawled up my spine. I knew I should move, run, but sheer terror held me in its icy grasp. I desperately tried to wrench myself away, my mind silently screaming to get out, but the intruder didn’t let me collect myself.
“I was nearly blinded by two blazing, glowing green eyes. Those eyes. The eyes of death itself!
“I gasped, whipping the flashlight up into the face of the intruder with renewed energy. Adrenaline rushed throu
gh my veins as the stalker’s face was revealed to me.
“It was white, a pale white that seemed to glow with unholy and terrible coldness as the flashlight beamed off it. Black paint was smeared across his mouth, eyes, and forehead; terrible gashes of darkness daubed across that pale skin. The paint seemed to drip from the corners of his mouth, as if the blackness was oozing from him and not painted on. The blackness around his eyes was like a wet mask, leaving trails of black tears streaming down his cheeks—but it wasn’t sad. It was horrifying. Ridges of black paint raked across his forehead, three on the right and three on the left, with spikes jaggedly pointing upward. It gave him an angry look. It was a mess. He was a mess; the paint gouged into his skin like claws of buried fury.
“The thought of what happened next, however, sends shivers down my spine. The stalker opened his mouth and spoke. His voice sent chills through my entire body—the sound of him speaking my language, my mother tongue, speaking directly to me, calling my name… I have never heard anything so frightening, and I hope never to hear anything like it again.
“‘Tom…’ His voice was soft, calm, and bitter. I wanted to cover my ears, but I couldn’t move. ‘Your intelligence is admirable; you don’t have to die. You can still leave this planet in peace.’ He paused, letting the reality of his words sink into my skin like poison. ‘Tom. Head in the opposite direction of the temple. That will guarantee your safety. I will have a dropship pick you up and bring you to the next space station. I give you my word, if you run from this.’ His eyes dropped to the terrible sight of General Rice before him, then he looked back up at me, pinning me with cold truth. ‘I won’t go after you.’
“Then he was gone, his entire form disappeared from the beam of the flashlight, escaping with such speed I almost thought he had actually disappeared into thin air. I whirled around, suddenly able to move, and whipped the flashlight’s beam about the room, desperately searching for the form of the intruder, the stalker, the killer of my crew, but he had run from me. He had deserted me, left me alone with the gruesome body of General Rice, clearly not interested in ending my life as he had done to our leader.
“That’s all I know! For whatever reason, he seems to view me as a person rather than his prey. Maybe he views me as a threat, or maybe he has a twisted viewpoint on lives that matter and lives that don’t. I don’t know. What I do know is that I won’t accept his offer. He killed everyone I love, and for that, I want him to pay.”
Nerd was very drawn into Tom’s description. He knew what it was like to stand up to the nightmare of their galaxy, and what it was like to be emotionally scarred from it.
Nerd placed his hand on his forehead and took a few deep breaths. He didn’t really know how to respond. All he knew was…this was very real.
“I’m so sorry,” Nerd said.
“Why is he doing this? Why is he toying with us?”
“He’s toying with us so that I will give him the key to unlimited power. I know the location of the most dangerous bioweapon in the galaxy. He knows I won’t give it to him, because it would mean the end of all organic life, and if he kills everyone anyway, I won’t have anything to lose. No…I know what he’s going to do. For once I have a lead on his next move.”
“And that is?”
“He’s going to pluck us out one by one, and each life he takes will drive me one step closer to giving in. I’m faced with a horrible decision. I either let him kill everyone I love or I save everyone I love and let him kill everyone else in existence. That is the amount of pressure I have on me right now, and it’s driving me out of my mind!”
Nerd’s hands began to shake. He was trying to keep it together, but it was difficult to do so. With each passing moment he came another step closer to a grim and fear-inspired future—one that he did not want to be a part of!
Henry Smith had returned with the surviving members of the village. Sophia, Lieutenant Collins, Mr. Howard, Captain Baker, Grunt, Alcanore, and himself, along with Nerd and Tom, made a crew of nine. The rest were gone, their humanity stripped away for the final hours of their life.
“This honorless tyrant shall pay for what he has done!” Alcanore said in a harsh and angered voice. “If he thinks he can get away with—”
“He knows he can get away with it,” Nerd said. “That’s why he does it.”
“Nerd! You are known for solving problems that most normal humans can’t. Surely you must know of a weakness that can be found within this fiend?”
“Other than the fact that he can be distracted…I’m afraid not. The only way to kill him is to destroy every cell, molecule, and trace of DNA in his body. If so much as a single blood cell, skin fragment, or drop of sweat escapes from him, his body will reform and repair itself immediately. He may not be invincible, but he’s not far off.”
Silence followed Nerd’s speech, and Nerd realized he had unintentionally beaten the will out of his team. He rethought the situation and attempted to find something that would give them hope to survive the mess they were in.
“If we’re going to survive this, we can’t let revenge blind us to the problem that’s ahead. We need to get to the top of that tower. If we can destroy whatever device he has built inside to keep us prisoners here, then we have a chance!”
“No!” Alcanore responded. “He must die!”
“And he will. But not today, not by our hand. If that is the main point of our focus, then he has already won. Experiment-1 uses fear and intimidation to toy with his victims before he kills them. But he can also manipulate his victims’ anger to blind them before engaging in battle. So, tell me, brave one, what good is your desire to kill him going to do if you’re responding in the exact way that he wants you to?”
Alcanore was unable to answer. He wasn’t too fond of the human, especially considering his true identity was that of a wanted man, but regardless, he could not argue with him, because he was right. Experiment-1 was attempting to control him. He let out a sigh and nodded his head.
Sophia felt a mild sense of relief overcome her. She was still shaken over the note Nerd had written, but it was obvious that he was doing everything in his power to keep himself controlled. Still, it was hard for her, because up until that point, she truly felt that David was the only person in the galaxy she could trust. Now…she wasn’t so sure. It was nice to hear Nerd speak against revenge nonetheless.
Nerd received another message from his communicator and felt his heart race when he noticed it was from Experiment-1 yet again. Only this time, his communicator was downloading something. It was a pic message. Nerd viewed it as soon as it had downloaded and let out a gasp.
“Woah!” Henry said. “What’s wrong, bro?”
“It’s…from him,” Nerd choked out. He then turned his phone over to the surviving crew, and a strong vibe of fear and panic emerged upon seeing the horrid sight.
Their eyes were overwhelmed at the sight of a picture of all of them. It was recently taken, as they were huddled around the general’s hut, and a green marker was used to cross out each of their faces. All but one: Nerd. He was going to kill everyone but Nerd.
Suddenly, the grim melody of Amelia’s music box could be heard throughout the village, revealing that Experiment-1 was nearby. The sharp notes drifted slowly through the air, coming from all directions, not giving any hint as to where they were coming from. The crew prepared themselves, knowing that their enemy was preparing to strike. An object flew through the air and landed at their feet. It was a green sphere with a sad face painted on it. Nerd instantly recognized it and urged his crew to move away. The crew responded and were glad they did as the object exploded. A loud, piercing scream followed the booming explosion.
Everyone was terrified and in considerable pain as they felt their ears ringing from the loud, excruciating sound.
“It’s a fear bomb!” Nerd yelled. “We need to get out of here now!”
As soon as the words fell out of Nerd’s mouth, the sky was flooded with ten, twenty, forty, one hund
red fear bombs moving in on their position. Nerd pointed to the north and led the surviving crew members out of the village.
A wave of loud, ear-piercing explosions flooded the village like a tidal wave, moving swiftly to their position, devouring anything that stood in their path.
The nine survivors darted forward as fast as their legs would take them. They did everything they could to keep themselves from being devoured by the green wave of fire that was engulfing everything behind them.
They ran until the sound of screams stopped. Nerd looked back and was horrified to see that the entire village was gone.
There was no going back now. They had to move forward to the temple; it was their only chance of escape.
Nerd counted the crew and was relieved to see that they were all still alive. Their hands were clamped over their ears, the sound of the explosions had given them quite the headache. Nerd could hear the ringing in his sensitive ears; it was piercing and nearly drove him to have another panic attack. Still, his crew needed him to keep it together, so he used all his focus to keep himself from falling apart again. He attempted to speak, to direct them, but nearly lost it when he was unable to hear the sound of his own voice. They were temporarily deaf, and dangerously vulnerable, especially if they chose to stay in their current location. So, he signaled with his hands to swiftly move to the north, before Experiment-1 could devour them.
They ran a mile before their hearing started to return. It was very faint, but at least the unbearable ringing had died down. That was the good news. The bad news was Nerd was already winded, which was evident when the first sound his crew heard was his heavy breathing. He was slowing down, but he knew he couldn’t stop running, given who was behind them. So, he forced himself through the long three-mile run that remained.
Two miles lay behind them, and Nerd was dying. He was breathing from the deepest part of his lungs, which was painfully audible as the crew members’ hearing got better. It was evident that he was going to collapse if he continued.