Border of the sun

by Aditya Mewati

  The firing had now stopped. All the guards were now dead. United Knight’s agents were gathering around them.

  Jack saw Karthik falling on the ground but didn't leave the keyboard. He now had just one minute and thirty-two seconds to stop the launch. Lives of thousand people rested on his shoulders. And he could feel the weight of responsibility—bending him down to the knees—almost pushing him into the ground. Beads of sweat stood out on his brow. He kept typing.

  Luke Tesla quickly climbed the stairs, his eyes searching Gun Katz. He reached on the second-floor. He quietly glanced both the sides and only saw death around him. He shivered and resumed his climb.

  He reached on the third floor and saw a sight that made his legs lose their bones, a sight that made the hairs on his nape stand straight in fright.

  He slowly staggered toward the dead body of Gun Katz. Tears rushed down to his cheeks as he lowered himself and the briefcase beside Katz.

  Then he saw his own frightened reflection in Gun Katz’s eyes. He hysterically laughed and a surge of anger rushed over him, clouding his mind. He fumbled with the briefcase, opened it and lifted a syringe from it. He moved toward the railing, peered below him and boomed. "You killed my brother! you'll pay for this!"

  Everyone looked up and saw Luke Tesla standing at the edge of the railing with a syringe in his hand. "You'll Pay for this!" He pressed the needle into his skin.

  Dr. Alex Bill looked up in terror and gasped. "Someone stop him! If that thing reached his blood he would become immortal!"

  Hearing this Piper raised her gun but it was too late. Luke had already drained the purple liquid into his body. He stared at them for few seconds and then shrieked. He started growing; his nails jutted out from his fingers. Boils started forming on his skin. Hair started falling and soon he was a seven feet giant. But not the one like they had fought before. Luke was uglier than all of them, his hands were uneven (the right-hand was double the size of the left-hand), his eyes bulged outward—He looked like a monster. In fact, he had become a one. His ugly, purple skin was gleaming like a skin of a lizard.

  He jumped down.

  Jack was now very sure that he could stop the launch. He only needed ten seconds for that. And the clock was showing seventeen seconds. He knew he could do it—But the luck was not with him. His index finger was just an inch away from the enter key when a seven-foot monster dropped next to him from nowhere and swatted Jack away from the computer.

  Jack rolled on the ground and came to a halt in front of the wall. Spitting blood, he looked up and gazed at Luke, who was stomping toward him. He glanced over Luke’s shoulder at the third-floor where the missiles stood.

  There were a flash and the metallic cylinder dashed out of the warehouse through the circular opening. The cylinder climbed in the air and when it reached enough height, the twelve missiles in the cylinder parted away and soared indifferent directions.

  The agents fired at Luke. He roared at them. The bullets were having no effects on him.

  "So that's how an immortal looks," Piper commented while firing at Luke.

  "No," Dr. Alex Bill said backing away, "Something went wrong. The serum was not ready."

  Luke swung his giant arms in an attempt to kill the people, who were firing at him.

  ***

  The people protecting their eyes from the harsh lights of the solar eclipse gazed at the sky as the moon moved to cover the sun. Many of them were taking photographs of the eclipse. But not a single person had any idea about a deadly weapon approaching toward them. The sun was now completely hidden behind the moon. A dark circle with a bright ring around it was now looming in the dark sky. And they saw it... a small, dark object swooping down toward them. They didn't know that it was bringing death and misery with it. They never did because the object blasted into pieces in the mid-air (so did the remaining eleven missiles).

  ***

  Jack pressed the enter key. He had somehow dragged himself on the ground and had reached to the computer. When he pressed the enter key, he felt the weight on his shoulders fading.

  Lilly, holding a syringe in her hand slowly crept toward Luke Tesla. The syringe contained the serum in it, the older one. The one which effect wore out in a matter of hours. What was she planning to do with it? Well, she was planning to inject it into Luke's body. Honestly speaking, it was not even her plan. It was Dr. Alex Bill suggestion. He had suggested them that maybe... maybe inserting the old serum, which was well prepared and tested could reverse the effect of the newer serum. But he was not sure. It was just his theory.

  And it was time to test his theory. Luke's back was facing her. She slowly walked toward him, and when she was close enough—She thrust the syringe, but Luke turned and grabbed her hand.

  "Nod toh fasd," He growled, and he felt a little pain in his back. He turned around and saw Piper backing away. The syringe in her hand was empty.

  He let go Lilly’s arm and staggered back. Everyone silently stared at him. He looked around and abruptly started shrinking. But it did not stop even when he was back to his normal size—his skin shrank until only his bones were left. His skeleton dropped on the ground and turned into dust.

  Piper and Lily ran toward Karthik, who was lying still on the ground. Lilly checked his pulses. She gasped but said nothing.

  "What is it ?" Piper asked impatiently.

  Lilly shook her head. Her skin had turned completely white.

  "What do you mean?" Piper cried.

  "He is not breathing."

  "NO!" Piper cried and pressed her ear against his chest. She didn't feel his heartbeat. "No! Karthik, you can't leave me like this! You can't!" She wept.

  And that's how Karthik Peri had died.

  Epilogue

  One week later.

  The sun stood high in the sky. The wind blew from the east, making the sea churn into the shore. The seagulls elegantly skimmed over the water.

  They were standing in the middle of the Waverly cemetery, solemnly staring at the white tombstone on the ground.

  They mean Lilly, Piper and Jack. Piper was holding flowers in her hand. The wind ruffled her hair, but she ignored it and kept staring at the tomb in front of her.

  "He was a great man," Piper bowed and said, "We'll miss you... I'll miss you, Mr. Ford. And I’m sorry that I was not able to attend your funeral."

  "Is it done?" A voice called. They all spun around and saw Karthik climbing down the hill.

  Piper stared as Karthik approached them. She was still finding it hard to digest the fact that he had died one-week ago. That day felt like a dream to her. A dream she would never forget for the rest of her life. The day came back to her.

  "What is it ?" Piper asked impatiently.

  Lilly shook her head. Her skin had turned completely white.

  "What do you mean?" Piper cried.

  "He is not breathing."

  "NO!" Piper cried and pressed her ear against his chest. She didn't feel his heartbeat. "No! Karthik, you can't leave me like this! You can't!"

  Karthik lay lifelessly in her arms. She ran her hand through his hair.

  "Piper, get hold of yourself," Jack said squeezing her shoulder.

  "He can't die," She whispered and glanced at Dr. Alex Bill, and abruptly something clicked inside her as if someone has flipped a switch. She got up and glared at Dr. Alex Bill. Her cheeks were moist with tears. "Those serums... Give me that briefcase!" She ordered.

  "I only have one serum left," Alex Bill said timidly. He had realized what she was planning to do. "It will not work," he added.

  "Have you tried it on a dead?" She demanded.

  "No, we haven't. I just th—"

  "Wait a second. What are you people talking about?" Jack said.

  "She wants to bring Karthik back to life using the serum," Dr. Alex Bill said.

  "Will it work?" Lilly said.

  "I guess it won't," Dr. Alex Bill said.

  "Let me try it," Piper said. She made a grab for the briefcase, Dr. Alex Bil
l tried to swipe it away from her reach. But he was too slow for her.

  "Don't do it. It will not work." He insisted.

  "I know it will," Piper said and injected the serum into Karthik's body. For the first two minutes, nothing happened. And suddenly, Karthik's body started shaking like he was having some kind of a fit. His eyes snap opened. And his scream filled the warehouse. In a matter of seconds, he had turned into a seven foot giant.

  “Whad haapened?” He said and got to his feet.

  “Didd youu guyss shrinkk or something?” He asked. Then he started at his own muscular hands. “Whaatt thhe.”

  “Karthik!” Piper smiled, staring at him.

  “Whatt—” They heard a zap. Everyone turned and stared at the supercomputer.

  “Oh! That thing is going to blow up!” Jack cried, “Everyone leave this place immediately!”

  They frantically looked around for an exit. Karthik smashed through the wall, making a way for them to get out of the building. Ten seconds later the supercomputer blasted into pieces.

  The morning air was now filled with the thumping noise. They looked up and saw more than dozen of helicopters approaching them.

  A black helicopter landed very close to them, and Gari Simon jumped out of it. Her short hair waving in the wind generated by the helicopter’s blades. She strolled toward them. She said something but her voice was muffled by the noise of thumping blades.

  Piper placed the flowers on the tomb next to the flowers, which Karthik had kept just a minute ago and got to her feet. "Yes," she said.

  Karthik panted, regaining his breath and said, "Let's go then."

  "Whose tomb did you visit?" Jack asked him.

  "I know," Piper said, "He went to pay a visit to Sara."

  They silently trudged their way up to the hill and were soon back in front of the facade of the cemetery. A black sedan and a BMW car were waiting for them.

  Lilly and Jack got into the black car. Jack started the car's engine.

  "So what are you guys are going to do?" Lilly asked Karthik and Piper.

  Karthik shrugged. "We'll get back to our normal lives, I guess."

  Jack smiled and nodded.

  "What about you?" Piper asked.

  "We Just got an information about a lab where they are testing a gas that will kill people by making them laugh. We are going to check it out."

  "I wished we could join you," Karthik said and smiled.

  "You can. We never stopped you," Lilly said.

  "You can call us whenever you want," Jack said, "Okay guys, goodbye." The sedan zoomed to the main road. Karthik and Lilly climbed into the BMW.

  "I wanted to go with them," Karthik said and turned on the engine.

  "Me, too," Piper said.

  Karthik and Piper stared at each other, smile forming on their faces. They both were thinking the same thing. Karthik changed the gear and kicked the accelerator. The car zoomed forward, ready to chase the black sedan.

  Acknowledgment

  First and foremost to my sister and critique, Meghana Mewati, for her reviews and tips. To Vanshree Bapat, and Neha Deshmukh for inspiring, editing and helping me to sharpen my craft. Thank you, Sumedh Jadhav, Akash Mewati, Sumit Chakraborty, Akshata Kalchavkar, Sayalee Shilotri, Sayali Patil and Tejaswini Gupta for supporting me and being there for me whenever I needed them.

  To Shivam Tyagi, Ravi Bhanushali, Vicky Das, Urmi Dhamnaskar and Ajay Tyagi for believing in the book. To my friends from V.I.T and also from my hometown for their moral support and inspiration. Thank you, especially to my wattpad readers for enduring my shitty first draft. To Thenovelpage.com for allowing me to showcase my first draft.