Compared to Alice, they could be exact opposites. May liked to be with people, she was a magnet when it came to friendship. She had lots of friends, and even the people she didn’t know loved her.
On the other hand, Alice is unusual. She is very smart, and loves her brother more than anyone else in the world. I don’t think she would like it if everyone loved her. Alice is beautiful in a different way from May. Alice doesn’t know it. She denies it, and with that kind of attitude it just makes me want to show her that she is beautiful.
Then you look at May. She showed that she was beautiful. May wore makeup, not a lot but just enough to show her beauty to a full extent. She wore the newest clothes and made herself look fashionable.
There was just something about her that made everyone gravitate to her. I fell head over heels for her right when I first witnessed her immense beauty. May had long black hair that she usually braided, with hazel eyes.
She was my world. Was.
As I spoke of before, May used the room beside me. After many years of separation, she came to New York and found our base. She made refuge here with everyone else that needed the peace. Sadly, her peace didn’t exactly last long.
May and I started a relationship. It was great, we both loved each other and living together already made it even better. But, one day May took a trip outside for the first time in a long time with me. We were armed of course, and we stayed in the alleys.
I wish I could have done something better. I wish I just hadn’t even gone in that alley in the first place.Why did I even have to come up with the idea for going outside? I knew it was dangerous, and I knew that May wasn’t that strong when it came to killing and using her fire.
Yet, I went along with it any ways. Even though she was stronger than most of the Chemi’s, it all went wrong that day.
We were ambushed.
That day, why that day, the C.T.O. just had to have set up new cameras to watch out for our kind. We were behind a tall building, laughing and talking.
I miss her laugh.
Those monsters destroyed her laugh. There were so many of them, and only two of us. I couldn’t get us away. They took us.
They tortured us.
We had been locked in cages as if we were animals. They took our blood, and they interrogated us for hours. I had to sit in a dark cage alone, listening to May scream.
Her screams still make my ears ring.
When it was my turn, she would get tossed in her cage. I remember exactly what she looked like. Black blood was all over her beautiful face. Her hair was sticking out in all places and clumps of the hair were gone.
Her clothes were ripped, exposing her tender skin to the evil demons that were eager for blood. She would smile at me and I would look away in guilt.
Then they took me for questions. I exploded.
I am like a bomb, and when you pull off the cap of a bomb it explodes. Seeing May like that made me explode.
I remember it as if it happened to me yesterday. That day, they took me out of my cage and tossed in May in hers. She was all beaten and hurt. I couldn’t let myself see this.
They started interrogating me but they did not see that coming.
The medicine I was given gave me terrible aches. My head ached. My life was a mess there. Their suppressing medicine did their job really well, I could not break free.
Yet my blinding rage suppressed that medicine. My arms burst into roaring flames. I ripped apart my interrogations chair.
As I got out, everyone started shooting at me, but the bullets just hit me. I did not get hurt. Each bullet hitting me made me angrier and angrier as I slashed through them with my hand which was melded into a giant flaming sword until… until the smoking flesh turned normal, no more fire no more swords. The pain in my head was so great.
In agony I grabbed my head and fell to my knees and suddenly, my arms melded into two giant shields of fire around me. Then I exploded. Huge, immensely long tentacles of flames ripped out of my body in all directions, tearing apart everything in their way.
Just like an explosion.
I killed them all. Staring at the dead bodies covering the floor, with blood on the walls and covering the ground, I started to feel exhausted. I passed out. Then it happened. They gave me my punishment.
I woke up tied to my chair watching May sit in front of me. I was completely paralyzed and could only move my eyes and breathe. It was like sleep paralysis, just far more painful and the hallucination being my worst nightmare.
But I was wrong; it was not the worst nightmare.
The worst nightmare was to realize that it was no hallucination.
They shot her. Again and again. Avoiding lethal points, just to make her feel more and more pain. Their bullets shredded her to pieces. She died in agony.
Normal lead bullets are not enough to kill some of us, Chemi-Terrorists. Those with bullet resistance just absorb the bullets as if the bullets were flying into water. The bullets hurt those Chemi-Terrorists, of course they do, but it takes a full machinegun loaded with lead bullets to kill a resistant Chemi-Terrorist.
I and May were the first Chemi-Terrorists found by the C.T.O. who were resistant to lead bullets.
So they invented bullets from lead and silver alloy. That was good enough to stop any Chemi-Terrorist but the lead-silver alloy is extremely expensive, as it has to be made in space because the gravity and pressure on earth just does not allow for the alloy to be made.
Hence the price of the crafting of such bullets, the C.T.O. still uses lead bullets to stop us. And if the bullets don’t cut it, they send in a sniper or an assassin, loaded with those precious bullets, to kill the threat for sure.
So they killed my precious May. In return, I managed to escape. Escape damaged to an unbearable extent.
I tried to escape from my demise, get away from this terrible reality. I started to drown my sorrow and anger in alcohol. I used to stay drunk for months and sometimes I used to drink so much I still can’t recall whole weeks. I was a mess.
But then a new hope started shining upon me as more and more people like me emerged, seeking refuge. They helped me get my life back together from pieces. They are all I have now.
My hands still clench as I remember her earsplitting scream fill the air while I sit at the dining table.
I have to forget.
I have to move on. May didn’t die in vain, at least not yet. When a revolution is led on the people who killed her, then she shall be filled with peace. Or at least I shall be filled with peace.
I stand from my seat and make my way outside. Going outside in the daytime isn’t a good idea, clearly if we consider the traumatic events of May.
One might think that I would never, ever venture out in daylight ever again. Yet, it isn’t like traveling during the night is even safe anymore. Only the older Conduits who have been training longer are ‘allowed’ to travel during the light periods. Besides, I always (mostly) stay in the alleys. Everyone is so busy training that they never notice anyone walk right out.
Maybe I can get some things from Alice’s house to give to her. But, I stop.
I shouldn’t. If she wants her things she should get them herself. I sigh and stop walking in the shadows.
She is pretty beautiful. Her eyes seem to glow and sink into my soul. She has an oval shaped, slightly sloped up wards face and is just a natural beauty. The kind you get without makeup. Long lashes that even curl upward a bit and her eyes are a light green.
Her eyebrows are a perfect arch shape, she has petite features, and her ears are even small. Her natural beauty makes me want to stare at her features and wonder which one made her so outstandingly beautiful.
Her smile makes her look innocent, including whenever she smiles and shines her pearly white teeth. But that isn’t what I need to think. Alice is off limits. Two reasons. One: training her is my top priority. If she really is to be our new leader then feelings cannot get in the way. Two: after what happened to May, I decide to ne
ver get close to someone like that ever again.
Because I believe that when my story ends, we will meet again. And up There, we will be laughing everything off that happened to us in our life.
I walk out of the alley and pull my dark hood over my head. I slide into the crowd and walk along with the rushing people of the human world. Now if one thinks walking around in daylight is bad, walking alongside the humans is a clear death wish.
I turn my head slightly and gaze at the people around me.The humans have fake smiles on their faces. They are trying to show the C.T.O. that they are happy with their lives, even though they aren’t.
All the people live in a cage and it doesn’t matter where you live. Metal gates surround every state. At the end of the gates, and the beginning of the next state, there is a large stonewall with two large doors in the center. If you want to get through, you have to go through a few tests before they open the doors. These poor people don’t know what they got themselves into.
A C.T.O. truck rushes by the crowd where I stand. My body turns rigid as I keep walking. I have to stay calm. I have to forget about what I am. Stay alert, Will.
At this moment, be a human. The people walk normally and ignore the huge truck. I stay looking forward and hope that the truck keeps going and doesn’t turn around.
Just for me, I am wrong.
“Citizens of Boston, this is a Terrorist Check! Back up to the wall and wait for further instructions!” A male voice comes from a large megaphone stuck to the upper right corner of the truck.
I cringe as I feel The Mist flow into my brain and try to lick my subconscious forcing me to do as it says.
The Mist fails and flows away,as I back to the wall pinning my back to the hard stonewalls. The rest of the humans back up and stand shoulder to shoulder next to me.
I wonder what these people would think if they knew they are standing next to a ‘Terrorist.’
“Funny, huh? These Terrorists won’t really walk our streets,” A young man on my right side scoffs.
I snarl at him and say, “Of course.” I stare straight forward at the truck that is now right in front of me. The busy sounds of the streets recede to a low hum and now all that can be heard is the rushing of the wind.
My body is tense as I clench and unclench my fists out of anxiety.
The cars seem to be moving too fast, faster than I have ever seen them. They looklike a blur, like a cloud that is sitting on the horizon during a sunset. The buildings seem to sway with the pressure of the wind, and the birds above seem to stop and watch as if they know that I am what the C.T.O. is looking for.
Maybe this is just my nerve. Hopefully.
I take a look at my surroundings. The buildings are too sleek to climb up and I’m not that great at using my fire to fly, maybe hover just a little bit.
If I turned my arms into fiery wings, a C.T.O. sniper would shatter my skull to pieces.
Some C.T.O. officers, leaving me trapped, are blocking off the alleys. To make this even better, clueless people surround me.
A man with lighter armor jumps out of the truck and goes three people down from me. He takes a woman’s arms and checks for marks.
He pulls out a type of gun that the police would use to see your speed on the road, but instead he moves the gun from her head all the way to her feet. He nods at her and steps to the next person.
I let out a deep breath when I realize that there really is nowhere to go. I’m running out of time and even if I am to even have more time, I still cannot go anywhere without getting taken in. This is exactly why we don’t leave the warehouse during the day. Damn it, I made the wrong choice today.
“Sir, show me your hands.” I lookup to see the man in the black suit with white on it. I cannot see his face because of his helmet.
I have to think quickly. “I don’t like showing people my body. And if my skin becomes exposed to the sun I have a high chance of getting cancer. My skin does not produce melanin.” To make my lie true, I pull my beanie down more over my face.
The man snorts and grabs my arm. He shoves my sleeves upwards and keeps a strong grip on my wrist. He uses the other hand to swipe the gun over my body. He puts that gun away and pulls out a real handgun. He presses the bud of it to my forehead and shouts to the crew behind him, “We’ve got one!”
The humans shout and back away from me. I kick the man in the crotch and send my hand flying towards the truck. The truck falls backwards and catches on fire. I laugh menacingly and run away from the screaming people and shouting officers.
I feel a few bullets hit my back, but it’s just lead, so I can easily haul ass.
Suddenly, I get caught off guard when an officer jumps in front of me and punches me right in the jaw. As I fall to the ground I swipe my leg under him making him fall to the ground right beside me. I turn away and shoot fire towards the man lying on the ground. He starts to shake on the ground as he burns to death. I turn away and run in the other direction.
“Will!” I turn my head to see Chuck, a good friend of mine, and a few other Conduits come zipping out of the shadows and attack the C.T.O. The humans run away, terrified of the scene before them. I grin at the group that runs over as they send fireballs at the C.T.O.
The group that Chuck is leading is full of our best trained. They consist of the older and some of the few first Conduits to have ever told the world about us. Most of the first of us went missing after they came out to the world. Others made families and continued with normal human lives as if they weren’t any different. My parents were some of the first few who did that.
The group runs around firing at the running C.T.O. while I just stand on the sidewalk, waiting for them to follow me into the alleyway.
“Will, why didn’t you tell anyone that you were heading out?” Chuck comes pounding over and gives me a pat on the back.
I try my best not to double over from the impact of his huge hand banging against my puny back. Well my back is puny when being compared to his, just to be clear.
Chuck is huge. Not wide huge, but bulk huge. He is our hulk. With the best grammar, and mustaches of course he is one of the best of the best Conduits in the Bronx and most likely in all of New York.
I shrug at him and reply, “When I go out, I go out alone, you know the deal. It’s justwhat I do.”
“Well that doesn’t exactly seem like a good idea at the moment,” He retorts, “Oh, and please tell me if I am wrong, but weren’t you the one to propose a new rule about not going out in daylight? And if we make that a rule, you would be breakingit. Very, very intelligent and fair of you, Will.”
He rolls his eyes at me and waves the three other people over. Two girls and one boy slip into the alley.
“Hey, the walls are steep enough to climb if you guys want to go back that way,” One of the girls says. I walk over to her and realize it’s just Jo.
“What’re you doin’ out?” I ask.
She kneels down on the ground to retie her shoes while answering, “I decided to get some fresh air after talking to the new girl. Didn’t think I’d find you out here.”
I shrug and lean against the brick wall. “You and Chuck seem to agree on that,” I retort.
Jo glares at me as she stands up from her spot, “let’s just get going before any other C.T.O. come rolling along.”
I nod at her and the two girls and boy zip up the walls. Chuck turns to me and says, “She is risqué.”
“Excuse me?” I ask loudly. Both of the climbing girls glance down at me with confused looks. I ignore them and stare at Chuck. “What on earth does that even mean?”
He laughs and says, “It is a synonym for the word sexy.”
My jaw seems to hit the ground as I say, “What? Riske… However you say it means sexy? I’ve got two things to say. One: what the hell is wrong with saying sexy? Two: how many times do I have to tell you not to use big words around me?”
“The word risqué technically isn’t a big word. And I didn’t say sexy because I
just love seeing your face when you don’t know what I am talking about,” He laughs.
I shake my head at him and ask, “So you just said, ‘she’s sexy?’” I raise an eyebrow at him. “Whom exactly are you talking about?”
“That girl you brought here earlier. Who is she?” He asks.
I nod and gaze up at the sky. I don’t even have to think about it; That girl hasn’t left my mind since I first saw her. “Alice Lee. Jo assigned me to her. Turned out she was touched by one of us and next thing you know she is one of us,” I explain.
Chuck nods and makes his way to the building. I walk up next to him and we climb up side by side. When we get to the top, we jump to the buildings next to each other. “Since when do you get assignments? I thought Jo was pretty clear on ending that,” Chuck said to break the silence.
I stop jumping buildings and sigh, “I convinced her to give me another chance, and it actually seems to be going pretty well.”
“So,” Chuck begins, “by ‘pretty well’ do you mean, ‘getting laid’ well or ‘no dying’ well?”
I swiftly punch him in the abdomen, but he doesn’t even flinch. He lets out a burly laugh before jumping to the next building, I quickly follow him. “Is that what everyone thinks of me?” I ask.
He shrugs and nods with a chuckle, “you can’t really blame any of us, either. You created your own reputation.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” I wave him off annoyingly.
We both jump down from the building to the gate. Jo stands there, staring at the hole in the gate. She turns and throws a deadly glare in my direction. “Care to explain, William?” she hisses.
Chuck sucks in a deep breath before jumping over the gate, and waving me goodbye and mouthing, ‘good luck.’
“It wasn’t my fault,” I automatically say, “Alice-”
Jo shoves a hand out towards me, and I take a step back. “There’s your problem, Will, you can’t take the blame, your fault or not,” she snaps. “Besides,” she continues, “When you get assigned to someone, they’re your responsibility. When things like,” she points to the gate, “this happens, you fix the problem.”
Alice: The Leader Page 6