As I stormed deeper in the night, the edges of my own darkness began to fade.
15. FROZEN SKY II
IT STARTED WITH A THUNDEROUS EXPLOSION. MY EYES grew wide with fear as the searing tide of conflagration rose and spread rapidly in all directions, threatening to consume us. Blistering tendrils of flame anxiously clutched for my feet as I ascended into the night sky just outside the reach of the infernal blaze.
She was safe now. Monica’s once tense grasp was now relaxed as we cut through the icy air and ascended into the ebony heavens above. The dream had returned. As I carried her through the frozen, midnight sky, I once more hoped that love would find its place upon her face. I was once again disappointed as the apex of my ascension revealed the face of a person that knew not the meaning of love. Her eyes burned with a passionate revulsion as she beckoned for me to let her go. But what had I done to deserve such discontent? What would drive the love of my life to cast away her only hope of salvation in order to rid herself of me?
There were mountains of questions without as much as a crumb of an answer. Perhaps it was time for me to give in to fate. There was no use fighting that which I could not control. I took a deep breath as I prepared to let go of her for the last time. Time seemed to stand still as I finally released her. We both floated in the air for what seemed to be an eternity before she finally began her descent.
16. WHAT ARE WE
“NO!” I SHOUTED AS I AWAKENED FROM MY NIGHTMARE in a frenzy. Jason was instantly upon me, pleading with me to remain calm.
“It’s just a dream, Adam! Adam, snap out of it!” Jason shouted as he slapped me hard across the face. I barely felt the blow, but it was enough to free me from my delirium. Jason stared strangely at me as I tried to catch my breath.
I stood and gazed around the room, trying to remember where I was. The room was dark, but when I noticed the large screen that Monica and I had watched the Travis concert on, I realized that I must have been back at 3D. I slowly started to remember running to the Third Dimension after the skirmish with my father.
“What are you doing here, Jason?” I asked.
“I was working on an expansion room and came in here to get some supplies. What are you doing here? It’s two o’clock in the morning.”
“I just needed some air,” I lied as I diverted my eyes from his gaze. Something about the way that he was looking at me let me know that he didn’t believe me. I pretended not to notice, but as I looked away, I saw what appeared to be military grade body armor and combat gear lying on the couch behind us. Looks like I’m not the only one who’s hiding something, I thought.
“Anything you want to talk about?” Jason asked, his voice dripping with concern.
“No. I’m fine.”
“Well, you don’t seem fine. What’s going on with you, buddy? You haven’t been yourself lately.”
“I said I’m fine. Why do you care anyway?” I demanded as I turned my back to him. He was right. I was acting differently. I was changing too suddenly and I didn’t know why or how to control it.
“Adam, I’m your Ace, bro. You know you can tell me anything, right?”
“You don’t have to worry about me, Ace. I’ll be fine. I’ll see you later,” I said flatly as I left the Third Dimension. Jason didn’t deserve the cold shoulder that I was giving him, but I wasn’t feeling very sociable at that moment. I wanted to speed off into the night once more, but I didn’t know if he was watching or following me.
IT TOOK ME ABOUT THIRTY MINUTES TO WALK TO MONICA’S house. It was a quiet night and there were no lights on in any of the suburban houses in Monica’s neighborhood. I looked at my watch and scratched my head as I stood across the street, deciding whether or not to stop by.
Finally, I took a deep breath and crossed the street. I stopped just as I reached the front lawn because I realized that I didn’t know which room was her room, and I wasn’t exactly prepared to walk up and ring the doorbell at 2:42 in the morning.
Better luck next time, I thought as I prepared to leave. Just as I was about to make my exit, a light was switched on in the front room of Monica’s home. I was frozen in place as I considered peeking through the window.
What if it’s one of her parents? I thought. What if a neighbor sees me? Sure, I had topped 85 miles per hour on foot earlier that night, but I was starving at the moment. I doubted if I could have even hit 40 miles per hour with what I had left in the tank. The thought of only being able to run 40 miles per hour made me chuckle a bit.
I convinced myself that even at forty miles per hour I would be able to escape if I needed to. I took a deep breath and made my way over to the window of the lit room.
My palms were sweating profusely as I raised my hands to the window. I placed my face against the glass and peered inside just in time to see a female switch off the lights and head toward the stairs. I couldn’t tell if this was Dr. Kate or Monica due to the absence of light as well as their striking similarities. My heart pounded as I contemplated knocking on the window. What if it’s Dr. Kate? I thought. But what if it’s not?! My conscious fired back.
Screw it, I thought as I raised my hand and lightly tapped on the window just as she started to climb the stairs. As the shadowy figure paused, my heart skipped a beat and I considered dashing away.
My heart thumped harder as the individual whipped around and faced the window. Her face was still shrouded in shadow, but something told me that this was Dr. Kate. Run! My mind screamed at my legs, but my legs wouldn’t listen.
I’m not sure why I closed my eyes. A natural reaction to fear, I suppose. I stood there for a moment with my eyes clinched shut until I heard her muffled laughter. My face grew warm as I opened my eyes and saw Monica snickering at me through the glass. Relief and embarrassment washed over me all at once. She smiled warmly and motioned for me to move to the south side of the house.
HER ROOM WAS EXACTLY HOW I IMAGINED IT WOULD BE. The warm color scheme of her wallpaper and the covers on her large, comfortable bed blended perfectly with her warm personality. The room was so neat and clutter-free that I’m sure I could have searched for hours without finding a single speck of dust.
“Has anyone ever spent any time in this room?” I asked, smiling.
“Of course. This is my room.” Monica grinned.
“This can’t be your room. It’s too clean. It’s like a museum in here!”
Monica laughed and placed her index finger over her mouth, indicating that I was talking too loudly.
“Sorry. I can get a little carried away at times,” I admitted.
“Tell me about it,” she grinned.
“You’re one to talk, Mrs. O.C.D.”
“What makes you think I’m O.C.D.?” she asked, smiling even wider.
I scanned her room for a few seconds and then looked directly into her golden eyes.
“I will bet you $3.67 that the books on that shelf are in complete alphabetical order,” I said pointing at the bookshelf to the left of her bed.
She bit her bottom lip in a failed effort to keep from smiling. We both burst into laughter, then pressed our hands against our mouths to drown the sound. As we continued to struggle to suppress our laughter, I realized that I was as happy as I had ever been in my life. There was something about her that lifted my spirits beyond measure. I knew that she would never believe it, but most of the way I felt about her had nothing to do with the fact that she is drop dead gorgeous. Of course, I didn't mind that part either.
“So, I’m thinking about trying out for basketball on Monday,” I said with a silly grin. I had been thinking about putting my new physical abilities to use on the court but I was really only half serious. I just wanted to see what she thought about the idea.
“Really? I had no idea that you played basketball. I love to watch but I couldn’t play if my life depended on it.”
“Maybe you could come and watch me play if I make the team?” I asked, bracing myself for rejection.
“Sure. I’d love to
. Let me know how tryouts go.”
“Will do. Do you want to meet up afterward?”
Monica smiled and nodded her head. “Sure. I’ll meet you in front of the gym.”
If her offer to meet in me front of the gym was a gesture to show me that she wasn’t ashamed to be seen with me in public, it had definitely worked.
A rustle in the hallway outside of her room startled us both. I stood and quickly scurried over to the window as silently as I could. I can’t describe the degree of disappointment that I felt as I realized our rendezvous was about to come to an end. We could both hear footsteps approaching outside her room as I lifted the window and prepared to venture back out into the night.
I climbed out of the window and looked back at Monica who, by the look on her face, was apparently just as disappointed as I was that I had to leave. My palms grew sweaty as she slightly leaned toward me.
Go for it! I screamed inside my head as we silently gazed into each other’s eyes. It didn’t take long for my body to respond to my brain’s request. As our faces neared, I closed my eyes and smiled as I felt Monica plant a kiss on my right cheek. It was cute. Not what I was hoping for, but cute nonetheless.
I turned to dash away but stopped and looked back at her once more. “Monica, what are we? I mean, are we a couple now? I just-”
A knock on Monica’s door silenced me. She quickly whipped around and faced the door. By the time she looked back to reply to my question, I was already 900 meters away dashing back to my house at 35 miles per hour. There was no way I could have known that as she peered into the darkness before her, she uttered the word, “Yes.”
17. STRANGERS
THE SUSPECT:
MY “REAL” NAME IS NOT IMPORTANT. YOU MAY CALL ME The Suspect, as I undoubtedly will be branded as such in the coming days.
From this day forth, my deeds shall be my namesake. Grim though it may be, we must destroy this world so that the next shall prosper.
It is without remorse or hesitation that we undertake this journey to salvation.
We do this without fear or doubt, for we are a great legion of Strangers united in our pursuit of the greater good.
Let it be known that this day marks the birth of our Final Solution.
Onward and upward,
—THE SUSPECT
I STARED AT THE LETTER THAT I HAD WRITTEN FOR A MOMENT before folding it and placing it back into my hip pocket. It was perfect. Soon those words would spread across the globe, bringing more willing subjects to my command by the second. All that was left to do was execute the plan.
It had been almost three years since I assumed control of the Legion of Strangers. Before me, The Strangers had been nothing more than a loose knit collective of internet ‘hactivists’ who lacked vision or purpose. Before me, they were nothing. Through my vision, they came to understand that it takes much more than simply hacking a few popular websites in order to incite real change.
The next few moments would be the culmination of four months of careful planning and calculation. Dressed in full military grade body armor, my six comrades and I kneeled within the darkness and peered at each other through night vision goggles. The chalk-white expressionless masks they wore upon their faces seemed to almost glow as they contrasted with the all black combat gear they all wore. I couldn’t help but wonder how badass the Greek Tragedy mask that I wore on my face looked with my own gear.
It was almost time for us to emerge from the dark storage closet in which we hid. Every hair on my body stood on edge as the thundering applause from the gym floor filled the room. The gathering of 600 plus prospective students and Fox Valley State University employees had no idea what I had in store for them.
In less than one minute we would make our entrance. In less than one hour they would lose count of the death toll. In less than one day we would have vanished without a trace. And in less than one week we would be unstoppable.
The six Strangers that accompanied me cradled their assault rifles as they patiently awaited my signal.
Inside the gym, the clueless occupants had no idea why the shutters to all the windows slowly started to retract. They must have thought the flickering lights were nothing more than a technical glitch. When the lights went out completely and the entire gym was engulfed in blackness, they literally could not have seen what came next.
The first pipe bomb that I hurled into the crowd hit a guy in the face and fell to the floor. I quietly laughed, as I watched the idiot kneel and pick up the crude device.
As he pulled the bomb closer to his face, I flipped up my night vision goggles so as not to miss the imminent beauty of the explosion in the darkness. I was not disappointed as a brilliant fireball erupted from within the blackness, lighting up the entire gym. Before the blast dissipated and plunged the gym back into darkness, I locked eyes with a confused female student standing less than five feet away from us. The fear in her eyes was ineffable. I thought she would scream, but she simply stood there frozen in terror.
I stood aside and motioned towards the exit behind us. She darted past me, no doubt thankful for what she thought was my compassion. The spray of automatic gunfire that I unleashed upon her back just as she reached the exit brought her to her knees. She quivered with fear as I approached her and withdrew the .50 caliber handgun holstered on my right hip. Pipe bombs deployed by my Strangers drowned out the sound of the final gunshot that put her down.
The hysterical crowd stormed away from the ensuing explosions and rushed toward the main exits. The realization that the main exits were chained and therefore, inaccessible, forced them to turn and rush toward the back exits where we stood waiting with our assault rifles thrust before us.
There were only seven of us, and six hundred of them, but we packed more than enough bullets to go around. We were gods among men as our bullets sank into their flesh and extinguished the lives that none of them rightfully deserved. Despite their overwhelming numbers and influence, they were powerless to stop us.
Their bodies fell to the floor at the same rate as our bullet casings.
It was beautiful.
I stopped shooting for a moment to revel in the magnificence of my greatest masterpiece.
18. AFTERMATH
ADAM:
I STAYED AT HOME AND TOOK IT EASY FOR THE REST OF the weekend. The house was a lot calmer with PJ away on his visit to the Fox Valley State University. He would be graduating from high school soon and college was naturally the next step for him. His grades were not the best, but he had recently posted near perfect scores on the SAT and ACT. He never really seemed that interested in college, but I suppose he knew that college was the only way that he could make it out of the crappy life that we had.
I figured he must have been having a blast because, by the time I left for school on Monday, he still had not yet returned.
The idea of him going off to college and leaving me alone with our family brought on a sense of dread as I got off the school bus and headed toward the cafeteria. He and I had grown apart as we got older, but I still loved him. It was still nice having him around. It was hard not to feel depressed as I thought about living at home with just my mother and my pitiful excuse of a father.
Howie and Jason were already seated and conversing as I approached our table at breakfast. They both stopped talking as soon as they noticed me. This seemed odd to me but I didn’t mention it.
“Morning guys,” I said. I didn’t look Jason in the eyes. I was hoping that he wasn’t upset about how I treated him at 3D on Friday.
“Good morning, Adam. Are you feeling any better?” Jason asked. I was glad that he seemed sincerely concerned instead of upset. I could always count on him when I needed him. That’s why Howie and I called him “Ace.”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Look, I’m sorry about the other night, bro. I was having a rough couple of days and I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”
“It’s cool, brother. We all have our bad days,” Jason responded.
“Yeah, but we don’t all take them out on our friends,” I replied, still feeling guilty.
“It’s not a big deal, Reaper. Trust me, I would let you know if it was,” he said reassuringly.
“Thank you,” I said. “So what were you guys talking about just now?”
Jason and Howie exchanged peculiar glances.
“What’s going on, Howie?” I asked as I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Have you heard the news about Fox Valley State?” he asked.
“No I haven’t. My brother visited Fox Valley State this weekend, but I haven’t heard anything about it being on the news. He must be having a blast, too, because he still hasn’t come home.”
“Are you serious?!” Howie asked, almost shouting. His eyes were suddenly wide with fear as he waited for me to reply.
“Yeah, I’m serious. Why? What happened at Fox Valley State?” I demanded as I tried to slow my heart rate. I could tell by the looks on their faces that something was horribly wrong. They sat in silence and looked at each other as if debating over whether or not they should tell me.
“Dammit, tell me what happened!” I shouted, slamming my fists onto the table. I was too distracted to notice the stares of the students at the surrounding tables or the cracks that my fists had left in our table.
“Adam, Fox Valley State was attacked Saturday afternoon-” Howie started.
“What do you mean, attacked?” I interrupted.
“There was an event for prospective students held in the Fox Valley State gym on Saturday. A group of domestic terrorists called The Strangers placed chains on the main exits and threw explosives into the crowd. As the surviving students stormed toward the only exits left unchained, The Strangers were waiting for them with assault rifles.”
I could barely breathe. My heart pounded in my chest so violently that I could hear it echoing inside of my head. PJ was at that college on Saturday and now he was missing. I couldn’t help but expect the worst.
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