Johnny could hear the cheers of Angel and Puck as he regained control of his vehicle. The Splinter however, appeared from behind the dissolving remnants of Angel’s wall and continued to trail right behind them.
Karrel could not take his eyes off of the fight. Puck and Angel were doing an amazing job as distractions, and they had been able to take one of their opponents down. But, it was also very tiring. Maintaining balance while being towed by the armored truck was proving to be quite the feat of athleticism. Even worse, though Angel and Puck were doing their best, the final VTOL was presenting itself to be quite the challenge. It was more actively maneuvering in and out of their attack ranges, and it was more versatile with how it dodged. None of their attacks were hitting it.
It was going to be painful, but Karrel needed to help. As far as he could see, the girls had no means to assist Angel and Puck. With Johnny at the driver’s seat, Karrel was the only person left. Karrel crawled the best he could, and pulled out his green book. Jessica and Prisca had now joined Krystalyn in commanding Karrel to lie down, but he refused the orders. He had never fired a shot this far before, but as far as he knew the variable “Discharge” was an instantaneous attack. There was no projectile that needed to travel, and he didn’t need to account for wind speed or the VTOL’s ability to move out of the way before it hit. He just needed to aim and fire, and the attack would hit if it could reach.
With one arm still clutching his heart, Karrel wrapped the symbols around his hand and took aim at the deadly Splinter. Even with Puck’s painkillers flowing through his veins, the pain was unbearable, and by the way his hand was shaking, it was obvious that the girls were correct in wanting him to rest. Focus, he thought to himself. His hand became stable for a second. All pain became meaningless, and the only thing in his mind was his target. Karrel fixated on the Splinter, took aim, and fired.
The symbols around his hand dispersed, and a lightning-like streak of purple and blue energy shot forth from his palm. The recoil from his own attack, combined with his instability from his injuries, tossed Karrel sideways.
Angel and Puck watched as a surge of energy shot forth from the armored truck and connected with the VTOL in the air above them. The mechanical aircraft screeched as a chunk of reinforced armor was blown from its hull. The air was filled with the smell of smoldering metal. Angel and Puck saw their opportunity. The Splinter was unstable now and fighting hard to maintain its ability to stay airborne. Angel unleashed a barrage of black bolts upon the aircraft. Each condensed bolt of black smoke riddled the flying vehicle, chipping off piece after piece of crucial equipment. Watching his target drop a hundred feet, Puck began telekinetically shaping the ground he passed by. With a quick circular movement of his hands, Puck raised the top three feet of dirt and rock, in a wide area, off of the ground. Puck struggled as the Splinter came within the territory of the wide-spread rectangular prism of earth he had at his disposal. Grunting, and once again making a circular motion with his hands, Puck set his attack in motion. The package of rock and dirt rotated as the Splinter came within range, smacking the VTOL on its side and batting it straight down toward the earth. The immense amount of rock and condensed dirt was too much for the aircraft to handle. It tipped on its side and plummeted down to the ground before tearing apart on impact.
Few things could bring tears to Karrel’s eyes, but this sight had almost done it. After the echoing screams of the Splinter bursting apart behind them had stopped, a sense of quiet came over the group. There were still the horrifying screeches of the doors that Angel and Puck were riding on, but other than that, nothing remained. They were home free.
Karrel let out a sigh of relief, crawled to the edge of the armored truck, and began to pull on the titanium rope, in an effort to drag Angel back into the truck. He found that he was unable to grasp the cable. In fact, he found that he could no longer feel his hands. He looked down at the arm that was covering his chest. The makeshift bandages around it had become drenched in what he could only assume was his own blood. His body felt weak.
Krystalyn slid to Karrel as he collapsed, his head smacking against the metal floor as he coughed up blood. “You idiot!” she screamed.
The world turned black, and the final vestiges of Karrel’s senses were the fading criticisms of Krystalyn. It was the second time in a single day that Karrel believed he was witnessing his final moments.
Chapter 21
Humanity Lost
Opening his eyes, Karrel found himself gazing upon a mesh of rock and metal that composed a ceiling. He was currently laying on a soft bed that was only barely bigger than he was, and all around him there was a variety of lab equipment, with some medical supplies mixed in for good measure. It was safe to say he was not in his room. Most likely, he was in one of the areas around Johnny’s laboratory, where he stockpiled equipment he was not currently using. It was a cozy space, and the aesthetics were not very uplifting. However, on the brighter side, this meant that he was currently in the underground hideout, and he had made it back alive.
As Karrel slowly sat up, he heard a familiar female voice. It was close by. “Welcome back to the world of the living,” she said.
Shifting his head to the right, Karrel found himself face to face with Krystalyn, who was currently sitting down on a nearby chair. Her long, black hair was ruffled messily, as though she had not been paying attention to it for some time. She was no longer wearing the tattered, cloth robe that Johnny had assigned to her for the mission. Her outfit had returned to normal: short-shorts underneath a decorated belt, which resembled a small, pleated fishtail skirt along the back and sides, yet was open in the front, along with a teal sleeveless t-shirt.
Seeing the familiar attire, Karrel was assured that everything had returned to normal. However, having woken up in a bed that did not belong to him, there was a question he was burning to ask. “Hey Kristie… How long this time?” he questioned her.
“Two days,” Krystalyn reluctantly answered. “Your little stunt cost you two days.”
Karrel groaned loudly. “It wasn’t worth it. Should’ve just let the Splinters kill us all.”
The two of them let a weak giggle escape before Krystalyn got up from her chair. “I know it feels like you’ve wasted a ton of time, but you should still rest. I’ll go tell the others you’re still kickin’.” She walked to a nearby intercom, pressing one of the buttons and speaking into it. “Angel, your boyfriend’s awake,” she joked, giving Karrel a wink as she exited the room and sighing a final remark. “Now to get anyone that wasn’t near a comm. This place is too damn big…”
Lying back down, Karrel took another gander at the room he was in. He now understood that the others had formed the area into a makeshift medical room and had brought whatever supplies they could scrounge together. It served as a reminder that there were people watching his back now. After getting wrecked in the previous mission, it was heartwarming to wake up to a friendly face. Recognizing that a few empty chairs were aligned around his bed, he grinned, realizing who it was that had apparently watched over him.
A quick glance, and Karrel found that his green book was lying on one of the nearby chairs. Thankful that his friends had remembered to drag it along with his body, Karrel snatched it from its resting spot and began flipping through the pages. The symbols and runes, a majority of them black, but the familiar ones red and roaring to go, provided an affectionate feel for Karrel. These tiny coded lines had always been there for him. He thought back to all of the times he had survived purely because of the little green book. Never did he imagine that it would grant him the type of power it currently did. Assaulting a UWP facility was a death sentence, but he had gotten out alive. Well, mostly alive.
Unexpectedly, Karrel came across something surprising in his green book. As he lazily flipped through its pages, he came across an unfamiliar text. The symbols had been defined to him, and from what he understood they represented the word “Lich.” However, this new variable was something that he had ne
ver used before, and yet, for some reason, the texts shone blue as though he had recently used it. Karrel stared puzzledly at his book, unable to recap a recent time where he had used the new variable.
“You know,” Angel’s voice came from the entrance to the room, “that’s twice you’ve made me lug your body around.”
Karrel looked up from his book to see Angel, Johnny, and Puck entering his improvised hospital room.
“At least he wasn’t a corpse this time,” Puck teased.
“What d’you want,” Karrel cocked his head at Angel, “a tip?” The two friends smacked their hands together with wide grins across their faces.
“Dinner would be nice,” Angel jested.
“Great…” Karrel sighed. “Puck, can you teach me how to cook?”
“Not enough time in the world, bro” Puck responded.
“How about a drink instead?” Karrel suggested. He paused for a moment before looking back at his green-eyed friend. “Puck, can you teach me how to brew?”
Puck rolled his eyes with a happy smile.
At this time, Karrel could not help but notice that Johnny had not greeted him. He had taken up a position across the room and was staring directly at Karrel’s chest.
“Johnny?” Karrel could not help but ask. “You alright?”
Staring at Karrel for a few more moments, Johnny remained completely silent, as though he was lost in thought. Finally, he broke his silence. “Take off your bandages,” he commanded.
A little shocked at the demanding nature of his request, Karrel reluctantly complied. He began to unwind his bandages. It was only now that Karrel realized that the linen wrapped around his chest was not nearly as bloody as it should have been, considering the massive hole in his chest. Now that he thought about it, the excruciating pain that he had been enduring had all but dissipated. Either Puck had fully dosed him one of his masterful painkiller concoctions, or Karrel had gone back into shock. To his surprise, it was neither.
Removing the final vestiges of the first-aid that was done upon him, Karrel found that the void in his chest had vanished. There was a massive circular scar around where the puncture had been, but other than that, where the hole was supposed to be, there was perfectly recovered skin in its place.
Angel, Puck, and Karrel himself stood in awe as they gazed upon his healed body. Johnny however, maintained his thoughtful fixation. “I figured as much,” he stated.
“It’s…” Puck stammered, “It’s only been about a day and a half since we wrapped you up.”
Karrel touched his chest, checking to see if the new skin was an illusion. “I swear there used to be a hole here,” he professed.
“Haha!” Angel broke his silence in excitement. “Sick!”
“So, what?” Puck seemed half concerned and half confused. “You heal now?”
Karrel looked up at his friends, just as perplexed as they were. “You mean you guys didn’t do this?”
Simultaneously, Angel, Johnny, and Puck all shook their heads no.
“I don’t get it…” Karrel was bewildered by his own body. “I’ve been sliced and shot before. It always took me at least a week to recover, if not more. Now I get a hole blown through my chest and I’m back on my feet in a few days?”
“Are you actually back on your feet, though?” a cautious expression found itself upon Angel.
It was a fair question, Karrel had yet to get off of the improvised bed he was currently on. He positioned his hands and pushed himself off of the cushions. Having to admit that he was still slightly unstable, as what should have been an easy landing resulted in a few wobbles, he confirmed for everyone that he could, in fact, stand.
“The pain’s gone,” Karrel admitted, hopping from one foot to the other to verify his stability, “and it seems like my body’s still working.” Still slightly off balance, Karrel slipped during one of his hops, and in the process of catching himself, he stubbed his toe hard against the side of his bedding. Pain shot through his foot, and Karrel let out a yelp. “Looks like my nerves are working just fine, too.”
Angel shrugged, watching his friend continue to hop up and down. “An act of God, maybe?” he joked.
“The exact opposite,” Johnny cut into the conversation. He had on a grievous, almost disgusted expression.
“Yeah?” Puck cocked an eyebrow. “How so?”
Johnny approached the door to the room but did not exit. He peaked his head out, making sure that there was no one nearby, before closing the door and returning to the group.
“Karrel,” Johnny’s words were heavy, “there’s something you should know. In fact, there’s something that all of you should know.”
Karrel stopped hopping; the new weight of the room had grounded him.
Johnny brought his gaze back upon Karrel. “When Angel dragged you into that garage in the superdome, you were a corpse.” Puzzled, Karrel inadvertently cocked his head to the side. “You did not go into shock because the wound was severe. You did not pass out…” Johnny paused, and Karrel felt himself holding his breath. “You were dead.”
The memories of a few days past played back in Karrel’s head. He remembered the hole, the pain, and the appreciation for how lucky he had been that the attack had missed his heart, somehow. What Johnny was saying was inconceivable. How could he have died?
“I– I don’t get it…” Karrel stuttered. “I got lucky, right? That’s all it was. That pit in my chest was big, but it had to have missed my heart, otherwise I would have–”
“Your heart was obliterated,” Johnny cut him off.
Karrel fell silent.
“When I went to check your body,” Johnny continued, “your heart was missing.”
“That’s a load of crap!” Puck protested. “You must have missed it, or something. During all the chaos? How could he have survived without a friggin’ heart?”
Angel brought his eyes down and put a hand to his upper left chest. He was beginning to understand the bigger picture that Johnny was leading to.
Johnny pointed to his dark-eyed compatriot. “Angel hasn’t had a heartbeat in years.”
Puck scoffed. “That’s because of his gift! Hell, he’s more smoke and shadows than flesh and blood nowadays. I don’t know how that works, but I do know that Karrel has good ol’ fashioned meat on his bones.”
“Oh really?” Johnny folded his arms, still angrily staring at Puck. “Karrel. Do me a favor? Put a hand on your new scars.”
Distracted by his own disbelief of everything being said, Karrel absentmindedly obeyed. Placing his hand across what used to be the hole in his chest, he felt the new addition to his body that was the scar tissues. He was confused, but he could confirm that it was not painful to touch, and his new skin felt as real as any other.
Karrel’s eyes went wide when he realized what Johnny was asking him to check. His body seized up, and all of the air in his lungs escaped him. He struggled to speak. It felt as though if he were to say the words, it would make it true. That was not how this worked, though. The fact was, it was already true; he just could not believe it himself. After a long pause, Karrel’s eyes connected with Johnny’s, who was waiting patiently for the answer he already knew.
“I can’t feel my heartbeat…” Karrel finally let the words escape him.
Puck was silenced immediately, giving a dumbfounded gaze at Karrel. Angel glanced up from his own body, mimicking the understanding demeanor of Johnny, having realized the connection his yellow-eyed friend had made.
“It’s because you no longer have a heart,” Johnny consoled. He looked at Angel. “Neither of you do.”
Angel dropped the hand that he had over his chest. He smiled uneasily, bringing his eyes to the ceiling in reflection. “I’ve been blasted apart so many times… I guess it makes sense that I would leave a few pieces of myself behind.”
“No!” Puck shook his head in objection. “That’s stupid! The last time I checked, the heart was one of the vital organs. What, are they undead?”
Silence enveloped the room. Everyone had been rendered speechless, and the atmosphere weighed heavy on each of the four friends’ shoulders. Johnny stood ready to hear everyone’s response. Puck’s mouth was moving, as though he wanted to form words, but could not exert the air to speak. It seemed as though Angel was not unaffected by the new information, but nonetheless he held his tongue. Karrel did not know how to feel, still dazed from the nonexistent thumping in his chest that he was still searching for. There was only one thing that was for sure. With the stillness in the room, he’d be able to hear his own heartbeat, if he still had one.
“Not… human…?” Karrel dropped to a seated position, unable to remain on his feet. He could not make any sense of what Johnny was saying but knew that his conjectures were usually correct.
“At least… not anymore,” Johnny answered. “In fact,” he brought his attention to Puck, “I don’t think any of us are human, anymore.”
Puck broke his silence, with a loud gesture toward himself. “Me!? Us!?” he laughed. “You’ve got to be kidding me! Johnny, I have come to trust your opinion when it comes to matters I aint got time to learn, but this is nonsense. I still have a heart! I have every memory of being human! My mom and pop made me the good ol’ fashioned way.”
“I’m not saying you were never human,” Johnny disputed. “I’m saying that we are no longer human.”
Kin of Exile Page 27