by Vlane Carter
The military officers fire nanorockets and grenade launchers at the knight. They explode before the area where the bullets are floating at. There is a huge explosion and fire goes completely around the kneeling knight. The D.E.K. appears not intimidated as the fire stops burning and freezes in time in an orange circular shape. The alien looks as if the pause button has been pressed on a holographic disc player. Three military officers get closer to shoot at the dark demon. The circular disc around the D.E.K. begins to spin and squeeze the bullets down to long yellow spaghetti.
“Shit, shit shit!” Jaden yells. “This is bad, very bad. We have to get out of here.”
“What is happening now?” She asks.
“There is an illegal dark energy alien immigrant praying to pass its citizenship test or praying its visa is approved.”
“What does that mean?” She asks.
“See for yourself, keep your eyes closed,” Jaden says while putting his hand over her eyes.
“Oh no. I remember that thing. It isn’t praying for entry to the United States, it is the devil here for our sins, for embracing technology as a social value. Let’s get the hell out of here,” Sabrina says while standing up and pulling Jaden to go.
“Hold on, it might spot us…”
The D.E.K. stands up and looks straight down the street at Jaden through the fire around it. The military and officers continue to fire towards the dark alien. The bullets, fire and concrete are sucked into its body. Small, dark flames can be seen moving back and forth across its head and shoulders. The men that were closer to it fall horizontal and their bodies squeeze into small, red strings. They scream as their bodies disappear into the monster’s dark abyss.
‘Join us.’ Jaden hears echoing from different parts of his brain.
Jaden feels the military officers dying inside the D.E.K.. He feels a sense of pleasure as if he is about to have an orgasm. He can’t run as fast and he moans to himself.
“What the hell was that?” Jaden asks while breathing heavily.
“What was what? Why did you stop running?” She asks.
“I’m coming. It was nothing,” he says while running again.
The other officers try to run away. The energy knight raises its hands in the air and the helmets on a dozen officers come off. Their Nanomoles instantly go into neutral mode and they lay on the ground unconscious. Their minds then go straight into positive HBH mode. Sabina and Jaden continue to run north. The D.E.K. begins to walk north and it looks as if it is floating an inch above the ground. Two tank drones comes out from a side street and onto Church Street. They go over parked cars and fire several 105mm cannon shells at the D.E.K.. The shells disappear into its body and it appears unfazed. There is a military helicopter and police SWAT helicopter flying above. There are also small UAV surveillance airplanes flying high above and a UAV donut.
“Why do you still have that sword in your hand?” She asks.
“I have a feeling I might need it.”
A mob of a dozen DHWs approach from side streets, cutting Jaden and his daughter off. They stop in the middle of the street and look both ways. Sabrina runs towards a building and store, but they are all locked.
“Forget the buildings, they won’t be safe and we could get trapped inside.”
Sabrina runs next to Jaden and they begin to walk backwards.
“What are we going to do?” She asks as they get closer.
“Join us Jaden,” they all say at the same time as they get closer.
“You know these weirdoes?” She asks.
“No, I don’t know these Michael Jackson thriller zombie freaks,” he snaps.
“How do they know your name?”
“I don’t know. I’m known throughout the universe. I was on the Galaxynet maybe they saw me there.”
Jaden knows he has to save his weapon energy, he sees it is at seventeen percent.
“You are just full of humor aren’t you, even near death?” She asks.
“You should talk Miss Update my Myfacebook Page after I was about to die. You were probably thinking about your e-mail when you were in the HBH mindset on top of the World Trade Center.”
“Whatever, jerk.”
“I’m not having any more kids. I’m glad I didn’t have to raise you, I’d have white hair on my head by now. Do you know how to fight?”
“I can cat fight, but I just got my nails done earlier today.”
“What can you do? Look cute for boys?”
“I’m not worried about boys or men. I’m going to have my own top of the line R.M.E.C. in a few years. Lose my virginity to my lifetime entertainment partner. What do I need a man for? To catch a STD or have him cheat on me and I’m stuck with the children? Every man cheats, it’s just a matter of time. My social group of friends and I learned from the previous generations. I’m not trying to catch B.M.S. Seventy-five percent of men get tired of the same women after a few years. There are new models of the R.M.E.C. coming out in a few years and that’s what I’ll save to buy,” she says while they continue to walk backwards.
“Why are you telling me all of this at a time like this?” Jaden asks while looking at the DHWs walking closer from all directions.
The D.E.K. turns and faces the two tanks still firing at it. The D.E.K. points its two hands at the tanks. The tanks slowly lift into the air and they both propel towards the knight. They smash together and there is a small explosion. The sound of mangling steel echoes down the street. The metal turns into a long string of metal and spins around the D.E.K.. They disintegrate into the dark abyss as the dark flames on the knight’s back go a foot higher.
Jaden comes up with an idea.
“You have it all figured out, don’t you? Man, your generation of teenagers are either backwards and messed up, or getting smarter. I guess someone has to break the cycle and evolve. I’m going to fight these possessed freaks. You just stand behind me and don’t move. But first, I want you to smack me in the face a few times and insult me,” Jaden says while the DHWs start to get closer.
“What?”
“Join us or die!” They all say together while aiming their arms at Jaden.
“I need to get angry and feel some pain. Just do it!” Jaden yells while looking at her.
Sabrina takes her hand and smacks Jaden in the face. His face absorbs the blow and doesn’t move. The blood rushes to that area on Jaden’s face and it turns red.
“Harder! Insult me!”
“I hate you daddy. I wish you would go back to the planet you came from. I hate men because of you!” She yells while smacking him a few more times in the face and stepping on his feet. She then kicks him in the balls and quickly steps back looking at his response. He drops the sword and tightens his thighs together. He is leaning towards the ground and he notices his plan is working.
“Can’t grab my balls, can’t grab my balls, damn that hurt,” he moans in a low voice. Jaden continues talking in a moaning and whispering voice, “Okay, okay, job well done. I guess you were holding some of that in you for a while. I’m glad I was able to help you let some of that anger out.”
“I’m sorry, are you okay?” She asks
“I’m fine, just what I needed. Just step back and watch out for my shiny dark hands.”
“What are we going to do?” She asks.
She sees his hands look just like the D.E.K. monster’s body.
A stronger energy returns to Jaden’s hands. The Nanodrones inside his skin verify it is dark energy on Jaden’s hands. He feels a cold sensation on his hands as the outside skin slowly dies. The Nanodrones wait to repair the skin and allow the pain to continue to Jaden’s brain. The sword on the ground trembles as Jaden looks at it. It floats into his hand and the dark energy circles around the shiny sword. The energy quickly dances around the edges of the sharp sword like a chainsaw. Jaden runs forward screaming like a crazy warrior. He swings his weapon cutting bodies in half. Blood squirts in different directions. The DHWs slow
ly move out of the way.
“Join you huh? Or die? The last time I joined something…” he says while enjoying cutting up the bodies. “…I was stuck in a high interest credit card in college with no…way…to…pay… for it! The balance was $1500…in…2000 and now it’s $45,000… and delinquent. I’m not joining anything! You zombie high jacked brain dickheads!” He yells while the DHWs move out of the way.
DHWs run towards Sabrina.
“Don’t move, trust me!”
“Dad!” She yells while her voice echoes back to her. It goes completely quiet around her. They run into the outside of the forward shield Jaden is creating around Sabrina. The DHWs’ skin rips away down to their bones and half of the bodies fall towards the ground. Everything turns red around Sabrina. She screams as her voice echoes back to her. Blood is covering Jaden as more DHWs come from around the corner.
Kim is standing half a mile north on Canal Street listening to the army officer talking on the radio.
“The area is fully compromised. Mayor Brooksberg is giving the okay to implement Operation Frying Pan,” a man over the radio says to the army officer.
“What is Operation Frying Pan?” Kim asks.
“That is top-secret miss.”
“Look! You tell me what that means, I told you my husband and his daughter is back there.”
“Miss, anyone back there is either dead or a zombie. They will all be incinerated. There is a completely black monster destroying anything in sight. It has killed several officers and converted them into human zombie things.”
Kim steps back and holds her hands to her face. She wonders if Jaden has turned into that or if that is a D.E.K..
“I’m sorry for your loss,” he says.
“I just hope that isn’t what I think it is or we are all doomed.”
The man looks at Kim with a confused look.
More Darclonian human walkers approach from the north. Jaden realized the more DHWs he kills, the more the dark energy spreads down his arm. The D.E.K. is getting closer towards Jaden and Sabrina. The D.E.K. infected police, firemen and army officers with bioparasites. They walk in a deep trance behind the D.E.K. in a pyramid formation from the south. Some are injured, bleeding and limping, as they pass the antique shop. A green, slimy fluid covers their wounds.
Jaden is covered in blood and walks back to Sabrina. The blood on his sword goes into the dark energy and it is clean again. The Nanodrones cleanse the blood from his skin.
“Whatever you do, don’t touch my hands!” He yells.
“What are we going to do?” She asks.
“Is that all you going to keep asking? You sound like a parrot.”
“I’m scared daddy.”
“That sounds better than what are we going to do?”
“Join us, Jaden there is no escape.”
‘Join us, Jaden,’ A deep voice echoes in his mind.
Thunder echoes in the sky above and lightning flies across the sky. Sabrina stands behind Jaden nervously looking in both directions. Huge, black steel walls come up from the sides of the buildings. They cover up to forty feet on all the buildings in the area.
‘This doesn’t look good,’ Jaden says to himself while looking at the plates moving up at the same time.
“What do you want with me?” Jaden yells to them.
“Join us,” they say.
“Join what? What is your membership fee? Is there a contract involved? Is it a yearly rate? Can I join for a month for free? Come on ghost and goblin freaks and darth energy vader, give me some incentive to join your dark zombie clan.”
“What are you doing? You’re making jokes with the devil?” Sabrina whispers to Jaden.
“I’m trying to buy some time until I think of something or something saves us, like Spiderman or Superman,” he says, “it works in movies.”
The D.E.K. communicates directly with Jaden’s mind.
‘I will spare millions of souls on this planet if you join us. You love the feeling of conquering and killing. I know what is in your mind and what you are thinking. I’m inside of you.’
‘That sounds so gay,’ Jaden says to himself while chuckling out loud.
“What is so funny?” Sabrina asks.
“For some reason, certain keywords are bringing up random memories in my mind. I’m thinking of the Family Guy episode you watched about thirty times, with the super devil. I’m also laughing at the episode where Peter is hypnotized into thinking he was gay. Man, I have to watch some of those episodes.”
“That’s one of my favorites sitcoms,” she says.
Jaden points his head down as he feels a slight pain in his brain. Jaden’s Nanodrones can’t pick up where the signal is coming from in his brain. The D.E.K. stands twenty feet in front of Jaden. Jaden puts the sword in his left hand. Jaden looks at his hands and concentrates on the energy going to his left hand. It moves slowly around his body to his left hand and arm. Jaden slowly walks towards the D.E.K. with Sabrina walking two steps behind him looking around at the DHWs surrounding them.
“I’m not joining your cult to have some killing spree and to get off at the same time. I can do that in Virtual Grand Theft Auto. You have the wrong person, dark dick!” Jaden yells while a 300-foot circle of white smoke appears around them and through buildings.
‘Your species needs a new direction and control. This planet is heading towards extinction, regardless,’ it says.
‘If it does, we will go to the next planet. If we want to destroy ourselves, then we will!’ Jaden yells while firing a gravity shock wave directly at the D.E.K.. The translucent gravity shock wave turns into the shape of a snake and wraps around the D.E.K. and then disappears.“Shit! It’s like a black bowling pin that won’t go down,” he whispers to Sabrina.
‘Your alien weapons are useless against me. I see you need some incentive.’
The D.E.K. reaches behind itself and the other sword on the ground near the antique store propels itself into the air towards the D.E.K.. The sword spins clockwise and it cuts off a DHW’s head while it goes into the D.E.K.’s hand. The dark energy goes around the steel sword and turns into small dark flames. The head rolls forward on the concrete and the body falls to the ground.
“Gross!” Sabrina yells.
“So that is how you treat people who join your gang huh?” Jaden snaps at him.
Jaden can feel the dark energy inside of him. Rage builds up inside of him and he has had enough of being afraid of something he is turning into. The dark energy moves from Jaden’s left hand across his chest area and back to his right arm. His half-destroyed shirt falls to the ground. More dark energy particles begin to form around his feet and legs destroying his sneakers. The D.E.K. stands in a karate stance.
“You’re going to fight it?” Sabrina asks in a nervous whisper.
“Yes, I am. I’m not afraid of anyone. Enough of this coward bullshit,” Jaden yells while charging at it with his sword in the air. The Matrix Reloaded Soundtrack, Burly Brawl track 9 begins to play.
His sword is over his head and he swings it down at the D.E.K.. It blocks, swings back and Jaden blocks. The dark energies repel from each other. Steel touches steel and there is a clanking sound. The D.E.K. becomes agile and quickly moves around dodging the swings. It flips into the air and comes down charging at Jaden. Jaden stares straight into the D.E.K.’s dark glowing red eyes. Sabrina is ten feet behind Jaden looking around as the zombie DHWs stand there watching.
“Get him dad!” She yells.
Their swords swing back and forth while their dark energies continue to dance around the swords’ edges avoiding each other. The D.E.K. begins to move faster and Jaden’s upper arm is cut by the energy part of the sword. The Nanodrones in his body make a see through clear seal covering the wound. Blood and muscle can be seen inside the seal. Their swords interlock and Jaden swings to punch it in the face. The dark energy around the D.E.K.’s face moves out of the
way and Jaden sees a deformed human face. Jaden’s fist strikes the D.E.K., causing it to take a few steps backwards.
There is slime and blood on Jaden’s fist. The Nanodrones quickly analyze the blood and slime on Jaden’s fist before the dark energy returns to his fist. Jaden realizes the dark energies don’t like each other.
“What are you Slimer from Ghostbusters under there?” Jaden asks while chuckling.
‘Fun time is over human.’
Jaden backs up to Sabrina.
“Are you okay?” He asks her while his sword is still facing the D.E.K..
“I’m fine, I can’t believe you are fighting that thing.”
“I think I’ve been lucky so far. Stay close to me.”
“Are you okay from your wound?”
“I’m fine, there is an alien Band-Aid on it for now. My Nanodrones are telling me that this D.E.K.’s DNA is from Chinese descent. He used to be or is half-human under there. There is also a lot of unknown material in this slime.”
Suddenly two low flying stealth bombers fly between buildings and up Church Street. They drop several incinerating bombs all around the area. Huge explosions and fire makes its way through streets. One of the bombers flies over them. The D.E.K. uses its line of matter tractor energy to catch the stealth bomber midair. It drops all of its bombs around them and begins to descend. Huge fires quickly come up the street towards Jaden and Sabrina. The DHWs try to run for cover. Sabrina begins to scream looking at the fire coming up and the bombs falling directly over them.
“Stay close to me!” Jaden yells.
A twenty foot in diameter energy shield goes around them and the loud blasts turns to deep thumping sounds on the ground. The vibrations feel like earthquakes. The fire quickly goes over the shield. Fire is all around the area incinerating the DHWs. They jump onto the outside shield trying to get inside. The stealth bomber quickly propels into the D.E.K. and disappears. Some of the bombs fall directly over the D.E.K. and goes into its body. Fire is all around as Sabrina falls to the ground overwhelmed by what is happening around her. A high speed, aqua blue projectile comes down from space towards Earth.
“Don’t worry, it will be over soon,” Jaden says.
“Dad, that thing can’t be dead yet, remember?” She asks.
“No I don’t remember. What do you mean? Why can’t it be dead?” Jaden asks in a confused voice.
Sabrina and Jaden both look through the fire in front of them. There is complete silence around them. Jaden’s Nanoscanners are in his body and have to use his human eyes. The D.E.K.’s body appears from the orange fire and walks into the shield area penetrating it. It swings its red-orange sword at Jaden. He quickly blocks the sword strike. He grunts loudly and sparks fly off the swords. Sabrina moves back on her hands and feet. Her black mini-skirt rubs against the bloody ground. Jaden and the D.E.K. continue to swing back and forth at each other. Jaden penetrates the D.E.K.’s lower leg. The dark energy spreads up to Jaden’s knees and upper arms. The energy shield moves back with Jaden’s walking. Hot smoke is coming from the ground as they go over a manhole. Fire continues to burn around them. Sabrina hears sounds of animals squealing from the manhole to her left. Suddenly dozens of smoking rats run out of the manhole. Sabrina screams at the top of her lungs. Jaden tries to turn around to see what is happening to Sabrina.
“What’s wrong? What’s that sound?” Jaden asks.
“Ahhhhh!” She yells.