“He’s still outside but we don’t have much time. Spread out.”
They each took a section of the warehouse and started looking for Abigail. They yelled for her but got no response. Nick banged on the metal doors outside.
Carson threw open the door to the first office that was in his section. There was nothing inside except for a large desk filled with old papers.
The front doors flew open. The parts that Nick had just finished blasting let off plumes of smoke.
“You can’t get away, Carson. There’s nowhere for you to go,” Nick shouted.
Carson ignored him and kept looking for Abigail. Every office that he went into was empty. He went to open the last one and found that it was locked from the inside. He pressed his ear against the cold metal.
“Abigail? Are you in there?”
“Carson?” Her voice was muffled but otherwise she sounded fine.
Carson let out a sigh of relief. “Listen. Nick’s coming. Can you get yourself out?”
“Yeah but it's going to take some time.”
“Just hurry,” Carson said. “We can keep him distracted.”
“We?”
He left without giving her an answer.
Carson ran up the stairs so that he could get a better look at everything below him. He saw Nick moving towards Tyler.
“Tyler! Behind you!” Carson’s warning was too late.
Nick lunged forward and grabbed Tyler by the back of the throat. With amazing strength Nick lifted him on the ground. The blue light attacked, tendrils slamming into Tyler’s back. Screams filled the room. Nick dropped Tyler’s body to the ground. The light disappeared. Carson could see Matt staring up at him. Carson shook his head. He didn’t need Matt running into Nick’s hands.
“Have you always been this cowardly,” Nick taunted. He made his way down the center aisle. He stopped and reached behind one of the metal vats, pulling out the God Complex. With one hand he held it up for everyone to see. The energy he just stole from Tyler poured into it. The Complex came to life. It radiated with a power that Carson could feel on his skin.
“You couldn’t save your dad. Couldn’t save your best friend. You had everything but you weren’t strong enough to protect it.”
Carson directed tremors into the ground. Nick shook with it but stayed upright. He still held onto the God Complex.
Nick brushed his shoulder with his hand.
“I do owe your friends some credit. At least they were able to give me a challenge. You? You’re just a kid among gods.”
A blast of wind soared down the aisle, slamming into Nick. The gust caught him off guard. Nick flew backwards into one of the machines. The God Complex fell onto the ground. Abigail ran out of the shadows, heading straight for it.
A blue bolt hit her in the stomach and sent her spiraling backwards. Nick quickly ran up and grabbed the Complex.
“Now, Matt,” Abigail yelled.
Matt roared down the aisle, wielding a metal pipe. He swung as hard as he could but Nick managed to catch it in midair.
He looked up at Carson. “Their deaths will be on your hands as well.”
Nick let out a shockwave and sent Matt flying back as well.
Still clutching the Complex Nick made his way up to the second floor. As he stepped onto the landing Carson’s fist came from around the corner and connected with Nick’s jaw. Nick stumbled back.
The voices screamed in his head, trying to overpower one another. He was more than happy to do as he was told. Nick called on his powers and let off a beam of energy. Carson ducked out of the way. The beam shredded the metal wall behind him. A second beam made contact with Carson, causing his body to go limp. The smell of seared flesh filled his nostrils.
Nick grasped his wrist. Carson’s face was lit up by the blue light. Every muscle in his body seized up. The excruciating pain nearly caused him to black out. Nick had never felt energy that was so potent. The voices started rapidly disappearing. Carson tried to pull away but his body wouldn’t respond.
“Hey Nick!”
Nick looked just in time to see Abigail swinging a steel chair at him. The back of the chair slammed into Nick’s side and pushed him off of Carson.
“Get up,” Abigail said, pulling Carson to his feet. He reached into the backpack and pulled out another handful of small stones.
Nick stood up. His eyes were filled with a fiery rage. Dark purple blood poured from a gash on the side of his head.
Carson stepped in front of Abigail.
“Last chance Nick. Stop this or we-”.
“Screw that,” Abigail said, pushing past him. She blasted Nick over the railing with a gust of wind.
“What’s the plan,” Carson asked while running down the stairs.
“First we need to regroup. Guys! Meet us in the middle!”
Carson let go of the rocks in his hand. They levitated around his body.
“That’s new,” Abigail said.
“Yeah. I’m starting to realize that I can do a lot with my powers. I just need to be creative.”
Matt and Cade caught up with them just as they reached the center of the fishery.
“What do we do,” Matt asked in a panic.
Abigail looked around the room. Her eyes focused on a propane tank that sat in the back. She pulled everyone closer to tell them her newly formed plan.
“Alright, here’s what we’re going to do. Carson and I will keep Nick occupied for as long as we can. Matt, I need you and your friend to get back over there. . .”. She pointed at the white tank. “I think that’s a propane tank. I need you guys to turn it on and then get the hell out of here.”
“What are you guys going to do,” Matt asked.
“Just do it,” Abigail demanded. “Everyone understand?”
The group nodded. Just as they split up the floor above them opened up. Molten metal rained down. Nick dropped down through the hole. His body radiated a blue aura, static clung to his skin. He threw his fist forward and punched a hole through Cade’s chest. The life instantly left his eyes. Abigail let out a guttural scream before engulfing her fists with flames. Carson pulled Matt out of the way. Nick ignored them and swung at Abigail. She was barely able to dodge it and grabbed his arm as it passed over her. Nick’s skin felt hard underneath her fingers. She dialed up the intensity of her flames. Abigail swallowed hard. The flames died to nothing more than a flicker. The black patches on Nick’s arm spread across what remained of his pale skin. She was enveloped in the blue light and her body twisted unnaturally. Carson slammed into Nick, using his backpack as a shield. Another burst of energy made short work of Carson.
“There’s more fight in you than I thought,” Nick said to him. He kicked Carson in the face. His nose broke from the impact and blood filled his mouth. Carson reached out with his abilities, feeling for the stones he had dropped. Nick pulled his foot back so that he could kick him again. Carson rolled onto his back and pulled the rocks around him with him. Much to Carson’s surprise the concrete floor beneath them cracked. Two pillars of stone erupted from the ground. The pillars met in the middle with Nick’s wrist caught in between them. Carson got back on his feet and grabbed Abigail.
“Matt’s gone,” she said. “We just need to give him a couple more minutes to get somewhere safe and we should be ok.”
“Do you have a plan for when we set it off?”
“I think I can protect us,” Abigail said confidently. “You’ll just have to stay close to me.”
Nick ripped his hand from the stone, shattering his bones in the process. The world was spinning around him. He regretted not dealing with Abigail before Carson got there. He was overconfident. Now he was angry and irritated. The black spots on his arm had more than tripled in size. There was no longer any time to play games with the others. He needed to finish what he started. Nick grabbed the God Complex and tucked it carefully under his arm.
“There’s no use in hiding,” Nick
yelled out. “I know exactly where you are.”
Nick stopped in front of a vat. He charged energy into his palms.
“Wait,” Carson said, stepping out from behind the vat with his hands up. Nick’s eyes followed him.
“You were right. It’s all my fault. Everything that happened at the museum that day happened because of me.”
Nick scoffed. He wondered what Carson was trying to do.
Carson hesitantly stepped closer to him. “I’m sorry. I had to choose and I didn’t choose you. I chose wrong.”
Nick’s face softened. He allowed the blue light to fade.
“Why didn’t you choose me?”
Carson lowered his hands. “Honestly, Jacob meant more to me. I just knew him longer. I couldn’t save you before but maybe I can now. Whatever your powers are, they're not like mine. They’re forcing you to hurt people.”
“Well,” Nick said, “there is one way you can help.”
“Just tell me how.”
In a blur of motion Nick hand struck and wrapped his hand around Carson’s throat.
“You can give me back what you took from me.”
A flash of lightning filled the room with a blinding white light. Nick let go of Carson and shielded his eyes.
“Again,” Carson shouted.
Abigail created another flash of light from her hands. Carson focused all the energy he could into a single spot on the ground. The concrete beneath Nick cracked open and his foot slipped into the crevice. Abigail hit him with a continuous stream of wind. He bent backwards but the crevice prevented him from falling. Nick struggled to get free.
“Hold him,” Carson screamed over the howling wind.
“What do you think I’m doing?”
Energy coursed through Nick’s veins and pulsated with his heartbeat. He tried to shoot off another blast but the wind kept it from leaving his hands. The energy started to build up in his palms.
“I can’t keep this going for much longer,” Abigail shouted.
Carson looked around for cover. “That energy’s going to be let go as soon as you stop.”
“I know,” she said.
“Ready?”
Abigail nodded. “Ready.”
Carson dropped to the ground and pulled Abigail with him. Nick’s energy erupted around them. The wave passed over their heads and violently warped everything it touched.
“Are you ok,” Carson asked Abigail as he helped her to her feet.
“For the most part. Do I still have my eyebrows?”
Carson laughed. “Yeah. You still have them.”
Nick pulled himself from the crevice. His foot had twisted from the blast. He held his chest, gasping for air. He only made it a few feet before dropping to his knees.
Abigail and Carson stared at him in awe. Nick had become barely recognizable. His body looked as if it had turned to obsidian. Blue veins traveled up his arms. The only remaining part that looked even remotely human was his face. Nick sprang up and tackled Abigail to the ground. He latched onto her arm and twisted it behind her back. Abigail’s cry was quickly drowned out by the sound of her bone snapping.
“Don’t come any closer,” Nick said as he drained her energy. His wounds started to slowly heal.
“One step and she’s done.”
Carson didn’t move. Abigail’s face softened.
“I have to give it to you two,” he sneered. “You had me there for a second. I didn’t think I was going to make it.”
“Too bad you did,” Carson said.
Nick’s smirk disappeared. “It doesn’t matter. It’s over for you now.”
He held the God Complex up for everyone to see. As he drained Abigail’s energy he directed it into the Complex. The light contained within it grew brighter.
“You seem to be forgetting one thing,” Carson said.
“And what would that be,” Nick asked.
“Me,” Matt said, appearing over Nick. He swung down a piece of metal he had picked up and connected it with Nick’s head. Abigail was able to get free. The God Complex fell from his hand and slid across the floor.
“Go now,” Carson yelled.
Matt pulled Abigail up. She hesitated.
“Really, go,” Carson repeated. Abigail looked at him for a few more seconds. She wondered if she would see him alive again. Matt pulled her with him as they ran for the exit.
Carson pulled the backpack from his shoulder and dumped its contents onto the ground. In one fluid motion he sent the crystals flying towards Nick. He deflected them with a single pulse. Nick caught Carson’s arm and immediately started to drain his energy. Carson fought against it and created another tremor. Nick flew back. He roared. He wasn’t used to people being able to overcome his power. Debris flew around them.
Carson waited for Nick to get back on his feet.
“Ready to give up,” he asked him.
“I’ll die if I stop now,” Nick said. “And if I’m dying tonight then so are you.”
Blue spheres ignited in his palm. Carson created another pillar of stone. The beams slammed into the stone just as it finished forming. The connection sent out a shockwave that pushed both of them back. Nick held the beam steady and stepped closer. The pillars started to crumble away. When he reached the pillars Nick wrapped the energy around his hand and punched through the stone. He grabbed Carson’s throat and squeezed as tightly as he could.
“This is the end,” Nick sneered.
“For both of us,” Carson said. He wrapped his hand around a long, slender stone that he found on the ground. With his power backing it he launched the rock forward. Nick’s eyes followed it as it shot past him and sank into the propane tank. In an instant the world around them went white.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
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Carson Noble was dead.
It was an odd feeling, unexpected to say the least.
It wasn’t painful. Just uncomfortable.
He was reduced to nothing more than a consciousness floating in an ocean of never ending black. His thoughts were just a distant whisper. A sickening feeling pulled on his mind. It reminded him of the times when Jacob would make him fly through the air. Those memories felt so distant, as if they happened years ago.
In the distance he could see a small pinprick of light. The light hovered towards him through the darkness. He reached out and tried to grasp it with his mind. Suddenly a blur of colors exploded before his eyes. Fiery reds and soft blues filled his vision. Images flowed from one to the next with sickening speed. Carson tried to keep up with them as they flashed by. He thought that they were his memories at first. He thought that perhaps it was his life flashing before his eyes. Only he didn’t recognize anything that he was seeing.
A bright red sun setting behind a group of buildings.
A darkness that could move on its own.
A wall of ice that was impossibly tall.
The images continued to flash by. Carson’s head felt like it was going to explode. There was too much for him to take in. As the colors shifted from red to yellow he knew immediately what he was seeing. He had seen this particular scene before.
The girl under the streetlight.
She appeared now just as she had before; sitting with her back pressed against the light post and her knees pulled up tightly against her chest. She played with the necklace that hung around her neck. Her head moved ever so slightly as she kept looking back up and back down. She looked like she was waiting for someone.
As suddenly as the images began they were swallowed back up by the darkness. Carson felt a tickle in his stomach. It started small but quickly grew. He didn’t particularly like the feeling that was now gripping his stomach. It grew and grew until it slammed Carson into a world of pain and agony.
Carson’s eyes shot open. He found himself sprawled out across the hard ground. Moving was impossible. Every single cell in his body was alive with pain. Abigail crouched over him, el
ectricity pulsating between her fingers. The residual energy from the blast surged through his body. Carson’s breath shot out of his lungs in sharp bursts. He would have screamed if he could.
Perhaps dying wouldn’t be so bad right now, he thought.
“He’s alive,” Abigail shouted into his ringing ears.
Matt looked down at him.
“Are you sure,” Matt asked. “He still looks dead to me.”
“Move,” Carson groaned, pushing him away. He picked himself up with the microscopic sliver of strength he had left. His muscles alternated between tensing and relaxing in waves of agony.
At the front of the warehouse Nick pulled himself out of the machine he had been thrown into. He landed on the concrete with a thud. Smoke drifted off of his body. He ran for the others. A pulsing blue light stopped him in his tracks.
“Finally,” he grinned.
Nick picked up the God Complex and held it so the others could see.
“Now the entire world will know who I am.”
Nick focused, pouring his energy into the God Complex. The machine finally had enough energy. It’s rings spun faster and faster. Nick kept pushing, adding more and more of his energy.
The air was ripe with power. Nick dropped the God Complex onto the ground and continued to energize it without touching it. The machine split open and launched a beam of energy through the roof and into the sky above it. The beam looked the same as it did at the museum. Nick took a step towards it, attracted to it like a moth to a flame.
“Don’t do it Nick,” Carson shouted.
Nick ignored him and stepped into the beam. It swallowed him up and immediately grew in size and intensity. Carson felt the moisture being sucked out of the air. The clouds that were above them seconds ago were instantly evaporated. There wasn’t much time left.
Abigail held her arms up to try to contain the beam within a bubble of air. It had no effect on it.
The God Complex continued to grow stronger. Lights and other electrical devices across town started to turn on by themselves. The surge of energy quickly fried anything it touched.
Inversion Page 17