Rod Wars

by D. J. Hoskins

  “Alex, I—”

  “Am I wrong?!”

  “No…” Melissa said finally. “You’re not wrong, but Alex I—”

  “Yeah…I know. I get it. You love me; love me enough to kill hundreds of your own classmates. What sort of twisted love is that?”

  “They mean nothing to me.”

  “Obviously.”

  “Alex you better love me, or so help me god, I’ll kill them too,” she said pointing at Katelyn and Daniel.

  “Huh? Really bitch?” Katelyn taunted. “You wanna go?”

  “Okay that’s fine with me, go ahead and kill them,” Alex said, waving a hand. “After them will be the rest of the world right? Until I’m the last one standing. But you forgot one thing Melissa, I don’t belong to this world.”

  “Alex, Alex, please…please don’t hate me.”

  “I don’t know what to think about you now. But just—just give me some time to think about this.”

  “To think about us…?”

  “Yeah…”

  “No! I want your answer now! You had months! I agonized over you for months! After all I went through to get this far, you’ll at least give the courtesy of telling me how you feel.”

  Descending like an asteroid, its bottom in flames, the black mass smashed into the earth with a cataclysmic impact. The ground groaned, and like a drop upon still water a rippling wave ran across its surface, extending from the explosion at its center. The heat and destruction all compacted into a devastating shockwave. Drying the creek in one fell swoop, it turned concrete and grass into ash.

  Only Daniel, Katelyn, Alex and Melissa were spared. The aftermath of Melissa's power was a statement to the world and to existence of who she was and what she fought for. The destruction was a testament to her strength and the new landscape, her love.

  As a parting gift, rather than rain, ash fell upon the earth.

  “Do you really want to know?” Alex asked her.

  She nodded.

  “I think you’re crazy, but it’s a sort of a crazy that I can kinda respect.”

  Melissa, falling back caught herself with her arms, as she gave Alex a blank stare.

  “And that means what? You don’t like me?”

  “You’re hot and beautiful but…I don’t know if my attraction goes further than that.”

  “But you’re attracted right?”

  “Well, yeah.”

  “That’s all I need. We can build off that.”

  "I'm sorry Melissa," he said reproachfully. "But give it up, I don't think that I—"

  Getting up, Melissa put a finger to his lips. “Shh…you’ve told me all I need to know. We’ll get there Alex.”

  Are you satisfied now? The shadow asked.

  No. Not yet, Melissa thought. Not until he loves me.

  You don’t even know what love is.

  Chapter 38

  Sliced and Diced

  Katelyn spoke, not about to let them fall into silence. "So what now?" No one answered and Alex stepped away from Melissa uncomfortably.

  "What's our next course of action, bug?" Katelyn prompted.

  There was still silence and Daniel, looking at her, shrugged.

  "Where do you think the Goethes went?” Katelyn continued. “Did you see them get sucked in? What was that thing you made anyway, Melissa? Those guys may have downed a building but you destroyed the entire campus." She let out a halfhearted laugh.

  “It was for a purpose,” Melissa protested.

  “A creepy one,” Katelyn said and her gaze drifted to Alex. "You love Melissa, don't you?"

  "I don’t really know anymore."

  “I wouldn’t either.”

  “Stop trying to get the rebound, Katelyn.”

  “Ex-fucking-cuse me?”

  “Katelyn,” Daniel said, “That’s not a word.”

  “Well this bitch keeps trying to stick something on me. First she threatens me, then she accuses me of stealing some guy who’s not even hers.”

  “Well, he’s not yours!”

  “And they say guys think girls are a piece of meat…” Alex muttered.

  The creek refilling with water, swept up into a fog.

  "How could you?!" Aaron shouted as he crossed the creek after Sierra who had disappeared into the summoned vapor. "How could you?! You lost the rod that Gramps worked so hard for! No, you’re no longer any family of mine, Sierra! Come out, come out! You adopted scum!"

  The fog rolled in, engulfing Alex and the rest, into its mist.

  Alex looked at Melissa. “That sounded like Aaron.”

  "Aaron's a hothead like you,” Katelyn said with a shrug. "He's always been prone to violence."

  Daniel snorted. "And like you're not?"

  "No,” Katelyn retorted jabbing him in the side. "I'm not."

  A streak of lightning snaked to the right of the group and they jumped in unison.

  Melissa looked over her shoulder. "What was that?"

  "How should I know?" Daniel said.

  "Be on your guard,” Alex warned them.

  "Like you really need to say it,” Katelyn said, her agitation plain. "We're not stupid, you know, unlike you."

  Pulling out her phone, she sighed as she extended the cracked device into a short sword.

  "Thanks?" Alex said expecting an apology.

  "You're welcome."

  "You wanna fight?"

  "We're already fighting."

  "Hey, cut it out guys, this is serious." Daniel interjected.

  He was right, the fog, kicking it up a notch, had become so thick that Alex was having trouble making out Melissa's face, let alone that of the siblings. Light flashed as a stream of lightning flew through their middle, and scattering, they fled from it.

  "Daniel!" Katelyn called, genuine worry melting her normally icy tone.

  "Who the hell's attacking us?" Alex heard Melissa exclaim nearby.

  "Melissa! Melissa?! Where are you?" Alex called out.

  A yellow flash of lightning hummed by overhead. Though its power was less than the first two, it made Alex’s hair stand on end no less. I need to get out of this fog, he thought resolutely. To stay is suicide.

  Not much time had passed since his face-off with the monks, he knew, but he had titus enough to attempt a technique without pushing it. Closing his eyes, he breathed and put this hands together. Then he took a knee and touched a hand to the ground. Sending a pulsing thin layer of titus across the surface of the earth, the echo-location shot out in all directions. Identifying twelve pairs of feet, he opened his eyes.

  “Five people,” he said. "There are four near and one far. All right, I'll draw in the closest." He sent out strands of dirt which formed hands and grabbed four ankles.

  "You can't hide forever, Sierra!" Aaron yelled, sending yet another experimental shot from his palm. "Come out and fight me like a woman, you coward!"

  "Family's so worthless,” Sierra muttered under her breath as she felt something grab her ankle. "What the—Ahh!"

  Through his titus infused with the dirt, Alex ordered his titus to yank the nearest person off their feet. Notified that his will had been executed by the faint thuds hitting the earth, he smiled as he ordered his titus to drag the person to him.

  "Sierra?" Alex said, surprised to see her in the mix. He had written her off as an unfortunate causality, consumed by the black sphere. "If you're here then Aar—"

  "Long time no see,” she said dryly. "You going to let me go or what?"

  "Oh, right." The sand dropped and Sierra and the others got to their feet. Alex ducked as Katelyn, bringing up her sword, swung it at his head.

  "So you made it out alive,” Melissa said to Sierra.

  The darker haired girl nodded. "Barely, Aaron's—"

  "What the fuck, Katelyn? What was that for?" Alex demanded, cowering a little.

  “That's for making me eat sand. Do it again and—"

  "Nice thinking Alex,” Daniel cut in, sarcastically. "I was soo lost."

 
"We all were,” Melissa said matter-of-factly. "This is thick fog."

  "Thanks, it's one of my specialties,” Sierra said.

  "Go figure,” Katelyn said, putting a hand on her hip.

  Alex turned to Sierra. "What's going on? What’s that about Aaron?"

  "Oh, nothing serious. It's just Aaron flying around trying to kill me,” Sierra said with dry sarcasm. "So? What's the plan?"

  "Wait, it's your problem,” Katelyn pointed out. "Come up with your own damn plan."

  "Katelyn,” Daniel said seriously. "It's our problem too."

  "But she's the target."

  A streak of lightning struck near Alex, scarcely a foot or two away. Melissa raised a hand and her black sphere expanded and ate them.

  Alex, startled, looked at her sharply, his voice nearly catching in his throat. "Melissa?"

  "Relax, it's just a barrier. Sierra, where's Aaron at?"

  "The sky. I told you he was flying, didn't I?"

  "With a titus cloak?" Daniel asked.

  Sierra nodded.

  "We could barely manage ours for ten seconds,” he said bitterly. "Goethes get to learn all the good stuff."

  "He can't manage it for long though,” Sierra said tilting her head up. A flash zipped above the fog. "See? He's traveling through his lightening. He has to take breaks, even just for a few seconds."

  "Whoo, big advantage,” Katelyn said.

  "Why is he attacking you?" Alex asked confused.

  "'Cause he's stupid. I don't know...the reason doesn't matter. He just started zapping me and I had to make all this fog."

  "That was suspicious, tell us more,” Katelyn pressed apathetically.

  "Aren't you his cousin?" Melissa asked.

  Sierra's green eyes became distant. "You know...I ask myself the same question. Once...I was a Goethe and his cousin. Now? I'm not so sure."

  "So it's a fight he wants?"

  "You’re quick,” Katelyn said sarcastically. "Can we get a move on now? Alex and Daniel are drained."

  Katelyn put a dramatic hand on her chest and threw her chin up. "So...it's all up to me."

  "I'm here too, you know?" Sierra said.

  "All up to me."

  Daniel rolled his eyes. "Or...you could, you know, teleport us out of here."

  "No, I want pay-back,” Alex said.

  "Ooh, male pride,” Melissa laughed. "You're still griping about that?"

  "Yeah."

  Daniel looked from her to Alex. "What?"

  "She's talking about when Alex got owned before the orientation." Katelyn said.

  "I was there!" Sierra exclaimed.

  Daniel laughed.

  "It was months ago!"

  Alex crossed his arms.

  "Your point?"

  "We can't fight someone we can't hit. Let's just leave Aaron to his ravings and go,” Daniel said.

  Blinding light and the crackle of electricity burst through the tinted barrier.

  Melissa cursed and raised a hand. "It's still weak!"

  Driven open by a concentrated blast of white electricity wielded by Aaron, he used his other hand’s static nails to tear the barrier open. As Aaron poked his head in, Alex noticed that Aaron's right shoulder, neck, and face were badly scarred.

  Katelyn glanced at Sierra. "Your healing sucks."

  "Sorry for interrupting,” Aaron seethed. "Was it important?"

  "What's up Aaron?" Daniel said waving a nervous hand.

  "Ah, so you're all here. Good. Now I don't have to hunt you down. I'm tying up loose ends and all of you…watched me burn half to death."

  "You're the overly prideful moron who—"

  "Shut it, Katelyn, you're not getting out of this. Your logic is flawed,” Aaron snapped, fairly shaking with fury. "You sociopaths could've stepped in and helped, but you just chose to sit on your asses and watch." He cracked a knuckle. "It's payback time."

  Alex balling up a fist, swung at Aaron. He, unlike the rest of the group, did not fully grasp the position he was in, nor the direness of their situation. Working off a poked ego, and blind rage, the possible consequence hadn't even begun to register.

  "You're up, loser,” Aaron sneered, and flicking his wrist, he snapped a black chain out that caught Alex by the waist. Flicking it again, he made the chain retract. Alex pulled up with it, was flung out of the barrier like a rag doll.

  Flying, sailing through the foggy air, Alex broke through into the clear sky and could only help but scream.

  Lightening flashed by as Aaron shot down at him from above.

  Alex was reduced to the meager defense of shielding his face with his arms and could only hope he'd touch the earth again, alive.

  Aaron reappeared above Alex and offered a salute of farewell, as he tugged at the chain and released the blond. "Have a nice fall!" he called out cheerfully.

  "Wha—?!" Alex said, but words and breath were snatched from him as he dropped. Fear shot through him as he plummeted toward certain death.

  "Just kidding,” Aaron shouted, his eyes wild. The black chain snaking back for Alex caught and jerked him up. Lurching up, suspended, helpless, Alex coming to terms with his situation was enraged by the unfairness of it all. Why me? Why me? he thought frustrated.

  Aaron, teleporting through his lightening, appeared before Alex and smiled as he raised a hand and slashed his foe in an electric downwards slice. His hand was bloody as he waved off Alex and recalled his chain.

  Alex tilted his head as he fell, confused; there were his legs...no, half his torso suspended in the air. Separated, they were above him farther than possible. A drop of blood hit his face followed by several more in a rain as the pain registering, kicked in.

  Cut in half from the waist up, right through the bone of spine and flesh of internal organs, he screamed and screamed in pure agony. His eyes rolled back in his head, and the light faded as his eyes fluttered shut.

  Chapter 39

  Agony

  Opening his eyes, Alex stared up blankly at a wooden ceiling. Dark and chipped, the walls surrounding him were rough, uneven and dotted with splinters. They curved into a large circle, spacious in the space it provided. A tree? He thought, am—I in a tree?

  A sharp sudden pain, his severed abdomen that was now disturbed by other hands, brought forth a wave of agony that stole his breath, his mind and thoughts. Glancing down at his belly, his eyes watered with tears as he assessed the severed flesh residing there. A blur of crimson mush floated above, encircled in a titus pouch of pink, Sierra's. Crying out as the wave crashed into disorientation and nausea, his eyes rolling back, fluttered shut. He knew at once, there was no contending with it; he was a slave to the pain.

  "Don't move,” Sierra warned as she lowered the pouch to his body with a gesture.

  Seconds turned into minutes and minutes into an hour. Mending what she could under pressure and limited time, leaving the initial separation of his lower and upper bodies, she scooted back and she gave Daniel a pointed look.

  "Daniel, weave in your vines—"

  "They're roots,” Katelyn corrected.

  "Who cares? Anyway, you've got to stitch him up."

  "I—I've never..." Daniel said, his face becoming lighter shade. "Blood...there's blood. Blood and me...I don't know if I can—"

  "I've done what I can. I repaired and moved his organs around and stopped the bleeding. It’s a temporary fix and won't last…not with the damage he's sustained, but honestly," Sierra glanced at Alex. "I don't even know how he's still alive..."

  An explosion, one of many, not the first nor the last, sent a shudder through the earth. Its aftershock caused the tree to shake slightly yet again.

  Melissa turned her head from the hollow's wide entrance. "Katelyn, are you sure your illusion will hold?"

  "Who do you think I am?" Katelyn spat back. "A Strata never falters. As long as that lunatic doesn't hit it...we won't have a problem and he'll continue to see an ancient plant...or something."

  "You don't even know what your illusi
on looks like?"

  "How can I? I'm inside it."

  "Daniel,” Sierra said, to her shaking friend. "Now."

  "M-my foot...my foot..." Alex opened his eyes. "My foot...it won't move...it won't, it won't, it won't move...why? Why won't—"

  He groaned, and flexed a hand. His nails and skin scraped against the patterned wood. His breathing shortened as it passed through his airway faster. The signals weren't reaching his lower body and they hit a brick wall. His brain panicked, confusion running rampant. He was dying; the shock was killing him.

  "Hurry it up Daniel! He's going into shock!" Sierra said sharply.

  "So the bug's gonna kick the bucket?" Katelyn asked.

  "Shut up Katelyn, or I'll end you,” Melissa said as she held Alex's hand. "Just hold on, Alex, you'll get through this. You're strong and the worst has already passed."

  Katelyn tucked a strand of hair behind an ear. "Ooh, am I getting in the way of your dying love? Oh, I forgot," She held up a finger in mock realization, a halfhearted smirk coming over her. "It never existed, unrequited love's not the real thing, you obsessive stalker."

  "I won't walk again!" Alex cried out, his wild eyes flicking from Daniel to Melissa and Sierra and back.

  "Hold him,” Daniel ordered and taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly as he touched his plant necklace and called forth tiny tendrils. "This is going to hurt."

  As the slim roots weaved in and out of his severed frame, Alex jerked. Eyes wide as the pain kicked in. a scream escaped him as the previous agony returned. It was excruciating, and he was delirious with it, fought to flee, to get up, to stand and run. To use a lower body whose severed nerves and broken bones might never reconnect again.

  A hair, a single strand, one of many making up the bangs hanging over his eyes, paled from root to tip into a color that was as white as snow.

  "Alex! Alex!" Melissa gasped, squeezing his hand as she cupped his face with her other. "Look at me. It’s going to be alright, you're going to be fine! Deep breaths—"

  "Melissa!" Sierra snapped, grabbing hold of one of Alex's flailing arms. "Stop gaping! Hold him!"

  "But—"

  "What you're doing isn't helping anyone. Stop being dramatic and start being useful. Hold him! Do it! Do it now!"

  Alex's eyes, desperate and searching, met Melissa's. "My...my legs—my legs... It hurts—ugh, it hurts!"