Radium Halos

by W. J. May

  I put my arm around her shoulders and gave a squeeze. Her skin felt amazingly soft, but cool as if it needed my arm there. “Something weird happened after the lightning.”

  Heidi looked ready to cry. “It doesn’t make sense. If there was radioactivity in that room last night, our skin should be falling off our bones.”

  “But it isn’t.” What had happened in the mine?

  “Do you remember the weird smell last night?” Heidi asked.

  “Yeah, can’t get it out of my nostrils at the moment.” Seth wiped his nose with the sleeve of his shirt.

  “It was from the lightning. It’s actually ozone.”

  Heidi’s school book reading kicking in.

  “Lightning splits water molecules in the air and three molecules of oxygen bond to form ozone during a lightning storm.”

  “Where’d the heck you learn tha’?” Kieran, the only one eating, held his burger halfway to his mouth.

  Heidi shrugged. “Earth Science. Chemistry.”

  “Okay.” Kieran didn’t sound too sure.

  “Heidi’s got a photographic memory,” Zoe explained.

  “No shite?”

  We all nodded. It’d been like this since second grade.

  “Something happened to us while we were in that room,” Heidi insisted.

  This is wrong, in so many ways. “Maybe from the lightning, or the Uranium mine,” I said.

  “I bet it was from when we were blue.” Rylee added.

  “Then why didn’t he,” Seth said, pointing at Kieran. “Not get affected? Why just us?”

  Kieran leaned forward, and set his burger down. “Maybe you guys have some defunked gene from living in Elliot crap-hole.” He held up a hand. “Sorry, mates. ‘Didn’t mean that like it sounded.” He bit into a French fry and chewed. “Maybe something’s in the water or the soil and you guys absorbed. Remember, I just got here.”

  “You might be right,” I said. “The five of us had been friends since first grade. Maybe there’s something in the soil and then when the storm hit – or we got hit in the mine – it messed everything up.” I shook my head, totally confused. “Can this really be happening?”

  Seth straightened. “Five senses and there’s five of us. And dude,” he said looking at me, “It’s totally happening.”

  Everyone sat silent and barely moving. Except Kieran, who kept on eating his burger and fries.

  Zoe let out a long sigh. “So, what do we do? Should we tell someone? Maybe my dad?”

  “Heck no!” Seth pounded the table with his fist. “Think of all the crap we’re gonna get away with this year at school. Getting straight A’s, some serious pranks, there’s so much shit. We’re not screwed or dying, we just got hit with some awesome super-ability.” He stared at each one of us. “So we gotta keep this our little secret.”

  “Little?” Heidi asked.

  Seth shrugged. “Fine. Our big-ass secret. I say we don’t tell anyone.” He turned to Kieran. “Can you to that?”

  Kieran raised his hands in mock surrender. “Don’t worry ‘bout me. I’m not tellin’ a soul. I want ta see what you kin do with yer new bits.”

  “I think we should tell my Dad.” Zoe took a sip of her coke. “I mean, what if something’s wrong? He’s already doing my bloodwork. I could tell him about my hearing.” She chewed her lip.

  Heidi spoke, “What if we get cancer or some growth or worse…”

  “Like what?” Rylee said. “We wake up dead one morning?”

  Everyone laughed. Gotta deal with the nervousness somehow.

  “We tell your dad if we have to,” Seth said. “If he says something about the blood results, we go from there,”

  “Or we get sick,” Heidi said not sounding convinced.

  “Sounds good to me,” Seth said. “I don’t want to be smellin’ crap all the time.” He sniffed. “Actually, I think it’s getting better. When we were all scared, I could smell somethin’ weird. Now it’s changed – a bit sweeter.” He scratched his head.

  “Maybe you can smell fear and joy and all that shite.” Kieran reached over and grabbed the pitcher. He shook the empty jug and glanced behind him. “Where’s our waitress?”

  I looked around. The college guys were gone, and Abigail probably went out to have a smoke break.

  A sharp intake of breath beside me made the hair on the back of my neck spring up. Zoe grabbed my arm with a vice-like grip.

  Don’t be hurt. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  Color drained from her face and her lips trembled. One shaky finger tugged at her earlobe. “Abi’s in trouble.”

  Chapter 7

  Zoe

  Get away. Leave me alone! Abi’s cries rang inside my ears.

  Grab her. Shut her up, dammit. A male voice hissed. One of the college kids playing pool! Earlier Seth had referred to him as Dipshit.

  My heart hammered against my chest. As my skin froze, I didn’t think I could move if I tried. My brain had to process the thought of speaking. I wished I could turn my ears off to stop the sounds from another room in PHP.

  “Ow! That’s some grip.” Brent shifted slightly away, and I realized I had his arm crushed between my fingers. I managed to release my grip -- only to bring my hands to cover my mouth in horror.

  “What’s wrong, Zoe?” Brent’s voice bellowed against my eardrum.

  “You don’t have to shout.” I frowned, trying to focus on what was going on around me. The far-off voices kept pulling me back.

  Brent leaned back, surprised. “I didn’t. I whispered.”

  Pressing my palms hard against the table, I shot up. I could barely choke out the words. “A-Abi’s h-hurt…but they’re p-planning something worse.”

  “Who are?” Kieran touched my shoulder. His hand warm on my frozen skin. “Where?”

  “I can hear them.”

  “Who?” Kieran repeated, more urgently this time.

  I chewed my lip, paranoid they might be able to hear me. “Those college guys,’ I whispered.

  Seth slid out of the booth, faster than I thought possible. I watched, dazed. He sniffed the air around him. “Those bastards.” He punched a fist into his other hand. “I can smell their stinkin’ lust. It reaks.”

  Rylee stood. “You can hear them, and they’re not even in the room? And Seth can smell them?” She squinted and stared across the room. “They’re not here. Only empty beer bottles where they were playing pool.

  Brent started pushing Heidi and me out of the booth. “We’ve got to help her.”

  “Why?” Rylee said. “How about the girls stay here and call the cops. You boys go be heroes.”

  “Uh-uh. All of us, together.” Kieran said firmly, then looked at me. “D’you got your cell? Call the cops while we’re looking for them.” He grabbed a pool queue and broke it in half across his knee.

  I stared at him in surprise.

  Me first.

  No way! I’ll break her in.

  No way, dude. You made her ugly, so you go last.

  Fuck off!

  I hunched over and covered my ears, wishing I could block the college jerks talking and laughing over Ali’s whimpering. Being forced to listen to something so purely evil shook me to the core

  Shut up, asshole! You’re too wasted to get it up. This bitch is mine.

  I cringed at the sound of a zipper, followed the sickening noise of clothes ripping.

  Ow! Bitch just bit me!

  Flip her over. That way she can’t bite or kick.

  Enough! We had to stop this. If it were me…I couldn’t finish the thought. I grabbed the closest hand and started pulling. “We’ve got to find Ali. They’re gonna rape her. She’s somewhere inside here.”

  “Let’s go.” Kieran pulled me behind him. It was his hand I’d grabbed. He stepped back to let Brent lead the way. Heidi pulled her phone out and began dialling nine-one-one.

  Terrified about what we were going to find, but horrified about what would happen if we did nothing, I followed beside Kieran
still holding his hand. They’re just college guys…who will probably kick our asses. But at least then Ali would be safe.

  Brent began touching walls, pausing a mere moment at each room.

  When he stumbled, Rylee hissed, “Geez, Brent. Tie your shoelace. You’re not four.”

  Just like Rylee to think about anything but what’s really going one.

  Brent ignored her and with his hand, motioned me to stand beside him. I left the warmth of Kieran’s hand and slipped ahead. Seth moved in behind me.

  “Are their voices getting louder?” He talked barely above a whisper, but I could hear him clearly.

  I cocked my head and closed my eyes. Their voices were crystal clear, but I couldn’t tell if we were any closer. “I don’t know.” My eyes welled so I blinked rapidly. Useless! I can hear them, but can’t find them? I wished we were anywhere but here. “Can you see anything, Rylee? Or Seth, is their smell any stronger?”

  Seth grunted. “I smell them alright, but it ain’t helping none.”

  Rylee shook her head. “I can’t see though walls.”

  Brent continued walking and tripped on his untied lace again. His hands flew out to catch himself. He shot up faster than a jackrabbit. His voice shook as he spoke, “They’re below us. We’ve got to hurry!”

  Kieran ran in front of us. He did a three-sixty then pointed the broken pool cue to a barely-noticeable handle on the wall. “There.”

  “You sure?” Heidi shuttered to a stop.

  Kieran shrugged, pressing forward and grabbing the handle. “No. Just a gut f-fe…a guess.” He pulled the handle, but nothing happened.

  “I don’t know how I missed seeing it.” Rylee spoke quietly behind me. “Push, not pull.”

  Kieran pushed. The door opened a crack and slammed back shut. He nodded at Seth and together they rammed their shoulders against it.

  “Ow! Hey!” A guy wedged behind the open door shouted. “What the f--”

  Kieran cut the guy’s words off with his fist. He slumped behind the door, his legs sprawled out.

  The temperature began to drop as I lead the girls behind Kieran, Brent, and Seth down the dark steps toward the light in the basement. Kegs of beer, cases of wine, massive bags of potatoes lay stacked against the walls as we stepped further in.

  Skinny, Dipstick and Bleach-head’s voices screamed in my head. Soon they were loud enough the others could also hear them.

  Don’t let go of her leg, idiot. I plan on having a taste of this sweet thing.

  Shit! Did you hear something?

  Runny scaredy-pants. Try the concrete step over there by the stacked kegs. Take one of them to the care while you’re at it. I’m going to show this girl what a real man feels like.

  Brent and Seth leapt off the rest of the stairs.

  Rounding a stack of beer kegs, we saw Abigail on the floor, her head away from us, and her skirt thrown over her back with her pale butt cheeks smudge with dirty hand prints. She flailed and twisted, kicking one leg like an enraged donkey. Her other leg was trapped by Dipstick.

  I couldn’t see Abigail’s face some spotty ass had his pants around his ankles. The boy who thinks he’s a damn man. Gasps from Heidi and Rylee whirled like tornadoes in my ears.

  Kieran raised the pool cue and hammered the half-naked guy across the back of his head. He fell on the ground, not moving.

  Brent went after Dipstick, who still held Abi’s leg. Seth knocked out the skinny guy running for the loading dock door. Brent didn’t have it so lucky. His opponent grabbed a bottle of wine and slammed it against a pillar. The red wine dripped onto the concrete like blood from a severed artery. He slashed the jagged edges in the air close by Brent’s face. Brent ducked and stepped back. The guy swaggered towards him, an ugly sneer on his face. He swung again and Brent bent forward, diving for the guys legs. The bottle went flying and crashed against a keg. As they tumbled to the ground, Seth grabbed Dipstick’s arms and pinned them behind his back. He thrashed around like an upside down bug.

  “You smell like ass.” Seth pulled the guy’s arm tighter and turned his head away. He leaned toward the spilled bottle of wine, taking deep breaths.

  Abigail scrambled away from the fighting bodies and broken glass. She pushed her skirt down and hid behind me and Rylee, sobbing with her head in her hands. “Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you,” she mumbled repeatedly between sobs and hiccups.

  Heidi had her phone out, shouting at the police. We’re getting to be regulars with the emergency departments First the mine, now this. Jeez.

  I turned around and put my arms around Abi. The tiny waitress stared up with eyes large and shocked. Her terrified, dirty tear-streaked face burned an image into my mind. Never again. We can’t let this happen ever again. She fell against my shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably.

  Kieran stepped over the unconscious guy and gave him a kick in the gut. He walked over to the group struggling on the floor. He jabbed the broken end of the pole cue against Dipstick’s neck. Bright red blood began running and staining his white shirt. The guy’s heart rate exploded into a rapid rhythm.

  I held my breath. We all did.

  Kieran hissed, his head close enough so only Dipstick could hear…and me. “Give up, or I’ll shove this up yer ass ’n pull it out the other end.” The tone and venom in Kieran’s voice scared the crap out of me. College dude went limp. Kieran straightened. “Funny ’ow things change when yer on the other end, eh?”

  The bleach-blonde, his pants still around his ankles moaned and pushed himself onto his knees. “What the hell? You freakin’ high school pricks think,” he paused to cough blood and something white flew out of his mouth. A tooth? “I’m gonna kill all of you and then piss—” Without a second thought, I grabbed an almost empty bag of potatoes and swung. The distinct thunk against his head and back felt gratifying. He fell face first into the dirt floor, unconscious again.

  I looked at Skinny. He sat huddled in the corner, hugging his knees, his eyes bloodshot and terrified.

  “The guy by the door?” Seth called out.

  Rylee turned around, and stared up the darkened stairs. “He must’ve taken off. I was watching him—”

  “You can see in the dark?” Seth asked.

  “Yeah. He was there a second ago when I checked, barely moving. I turned when Zoe slammed the guy with the diddlydee potatoes.”

  About to ask her what the heck she meant, I saw the brand label on the bag. Diddlydee’s? Figures. A car door slamming and engine revving distracted my train of thought. I held my breath and focuses on my ears. The guy from behind the door. His car pulled out and my ears had no trouble catching the sound of squealing tires. “He’s gone.” Sirens. The police are coming.” I shivered, either from the dampness of the basement or the horrific scene around me. I didn’t know which.

  “What did you say happened, um…” The policeman flipped back a page in his little notebook. “Kieran?”

  Kieran shifted and shoved his hands into his jean pockets. “Those college guys were drunk when we got ‘ere. The waitress seemed uncomfortable and…and when Heidi didna see her and those losers disappeared. We got paranoid an’ decided ta check if everything was alright.”

  Brent stepped forward. “We saw the door to cellar open and heard Abi’s cries.” He shrugged. “We did what we had to do.”

  “The door was open?” The policeman’s eyebrows shot up. “It’s got an automatic shut-release.”

  Oh no. How’re we going to explain this? I heard everyone of my friend’s heart rates speed up.

  Seth laughed. “No shit?” He coughed. “Sorry. I just meant those dudes must’ve broke it.”

  The policeman crossed his arms over his massive chest. “It’s just surprising you heard them and noticed everything going on. It’s very keen for…for—”

  “For a bunch of high school kids?” Kieran finished. Nice one!

  The policeman closed his pad, having the decency to look embarrassed. “If we need any more information, we’ll contact y
ou.”

  After the police left, Max set us up with on-the-house hot chocolates. He thanked us profusely for protecting Abi and his bar. We sat in the same booth again, sipping from our mugs.

  “Could use a beer, instead,” Seth muttered. He sat between Heidi and Rylee, swirling the dark liquid with a spoon.

  “Me, too.” Kieran sat beside me, Brent on the other side.

  “I can’t believe that just happened.” Rylee rubbed her eyes. “My folks are never gonna let me out of the house again.”

  “Tonight was probably just a fluke. Nothing ever happens in this town. What are the chances?” Brent reached over and patted her hand.

  “I don’t agree …” Seth spoke slowly, twirling the liquid in his mug. “I…I think we’ve an obligation here.” His face serious. “We’ve got these super-natural senses now. I think we need to do something. You know, like train and focus.” He grinned, his typical Seth grin. “Own them.”

  “Until they wear off,” Heidi said.

  “Will they?” I asked. Part of me hoped it’d happen tonight. Another part for some strange, crazy reason didn’t want it to ever wear off.

  “Yer jokin’, right?” Kieran looked around the table at all of us, his eyes finally settling on Seth. His eyebrows mashed together. I followed his gaze. “You wan’ ta do this again?”

  “I’m serious.” Seth straightened, his knees bumping on the underside of the table. “No one knows we’ve got these skills. We could be…heroes.”

  “You read too many comic books,” Brent said.

  “We could train, and get outfits –”

  “Costumes, you mean.” Rylee laughed.

  “I’m not wearing spandex.” Heidi smiled for the first time this evening. “It’ll be bagging on me no matter what size.”

  “I’m serious, guys. We --” Seth set his mouth in a tight line when Max walked over to our table.

  “I’d like to thank you again.” Max’s eyes glistened. “Anytime you come in, the food’s on me. I can’t believe you got to her in time.” Max wiped his hands on his apron. “Of all nights I leave the bar for half an hour. I make it back just as the cops are pulling in.”