Cosmic Girl: Lost & Found: Superhero series for young adults - Book Three.

by R S J Gregory

  “Hey!” I complain.

  “She’s not a freak. Yeah, she’s different. But in a good way.” Abigail says as she looks at them all.

  “She’s dangerous.” Theresa exclaims as she points at me.

  “No, she’s not.” Abigail pleads.

  “She did save my life.” Jeremy says and smiles at me.

  “You’re welcome.” I grumble, and smile half-heartedly at him.

  “And look. She even brought back food.” Abigail says and gestures to the dead buffalo, that now lies on its side near one of the walls.

  “I won’t hurt you. Any of you. I promise.” I say.

  “Maybe not on purpose.” Theresa says and takes a step towards me. “Do you know how strong you are? Can you control it?”

  “I don’t know. Given some time, I’m sure I could get used to it.” I say. “This is all new to me as well, don’t forget. I’m just as freaked out about this as you are.”

  “I seriously doubt that.” Max says as he comes back into view.

  “You asked me to pull my weight.” I tell Max, “I think I’ve done that.” and nod down at the dead animal.

  “Theresa!” Max says sharply and looks coldly at her.

  Theresa grabs Abigail and cradles her against her chest, as Max pulls a revolver from his side holster.

  “No. Wait!” I shout.

  The blond kid moves quickly away as Max brings his gun up to my face.

  I see the muzzle flash as the gun is fired, and the explosion roars in my ears like a pack of lions.

  I close my eyes and bring my hands up instinctively, and feel something hard hit my hand and bounce off.

  “What are you?” Max growls.

  I open my eyes and stare at him in disbelief. My heart is thundering in my temples as my ears ring.

  “What are you?” I shout back. “You would shoot an unarmed girl?” I scream at him.

  “Don’t do this, don’t, don’t...” Abigail cries and struggles against Theresa.

  “Get out!” Max shouts and points his gun at my face again.

  I take a step towards him, and he takes a step back.

  “Enjoy the meal.” I mutter as I walk past him.

  I head down the escalators as Abigail starts to scream. I close my eyes and stop.

  “I’m sorry, Abigail.” I call out, then head downstairs.

  Once outside, the tears come. I sit down on the paved sidewalk and cry into my arms, as I shake. My ears are still ringing from the gunshot.

  I still can’t explain how I survived. He was only a few feet away when he pulled the trigger.

  Did I smack the bullet away?

  “Maybe I am a freak.” I grumble aloud.

  “I’m sorry about that.” I hear Jason’s voice from behind me.

  I can’t stop crying. I feel my heart is breaking into hundreds of tiny sharp fragments, each one causing more pain than the last.

  “Max can be a little...”

  “Psychotic?” I grumble.

  “....well, sometimes. But mostly, he’s just scared. You frighten him.” Jason says, and I see his shadow stop next to me.

  “Yeah, well he scares me. So I guess we’re even.”

  “You’re powerful, Angela. In this world, the powerful are to be feared.” Jason says, and I sense him sit down next to me, as I rub my eyes with my palms.

  “I don’t know how I got to be this way. You gotta believe me.”

  “I do. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here.” Jason says calmly.

  I look up at him as I rub my nose. “Is Abigail okay?”

  He sighs, then I hear the glass doors open behind us. I hear some quick footsteps, then some arms around my shoulders.

  “I’m so sorry.” Abigail says quietly as she hugs me from behind.

  I pat her hand gently, then stop.

  What if I hurt her?

  “Theresa’s right, Abi. I could hurt you, if I’m not careful.” I say and rest my hands in my lap.

  “So be careful, then. You’ve done okay so far, right?”

  I close my eyes and take a deep breath. My nose twitches.

  “That might have been just dumb luck.” I reply, and smell something, very faint.

  “Maybe you just need time to practice. Get a feel for what you can do.” Jason says, then I hear a faint thud, barely noticeable.

  “Yeah, practice.” Abigail says excitedly.

  I hear the glass doors open behind me again.

  “Get away from her.” I hear Max call out gruffly.

  “You don’t own me.” Abigail says angrily.

  “Max, please. She’s just a girl.” Jason says and stands up.

  “A girl who can kill us all.” Max fires back.

  “But she...” Abigail begins, then she tenses.

  Her head snaps up and she sniffs the air. “Oh, no.”

  I stand up when I hear the cruel laughter.

  Four

  “Oh, shit.” Jason mutters as he turns towards the new sound.

  “To me.” Max calls out and I hear him cock his gun.

  Abigail and Jason sprint back to Max, as I gaze at the two blue giants sauntering towards us. They look at least nine feet tall next to the rusted cars, which they shove aside with their legs as they head towards us.

  My heart rate is already climbing, and my breathing is speeding up as they stop a hundred feet away.

  “Sto to imamo ovdje?” One of the blue giants rumbles to the other.

  Its red eyes narrow and it chuckles. They are both naked, except for black fur pelts which they wear around their waists that look like crude shorts.

  “Djevojka je moja.” The other blue freak says in a language I don’t understand.

  They both chuckle as they begin to step towards us again.

  I hear Abigail crying behind me.

  No!

  I take a step towards the blue giants, and they stop and look at me with a confused expression.

  “Get inside.” I call out over my shoulder.

  “No. What are you doing?” Abigail calls out.

  “Whatever I can.” I say in reply and walk faster.

  The blue giants exchange a grin before breaking into a run. I start to run at them, then things go crazy.

  The cars and buildings blur as I hurtle towards the blue titans. One of them roars something, and his red eyes grow wide as I barrel into him. My head catches him in the stomach as I launch myself up at him, and I hear the breath being knocked out of him, and a satisfying crack.

  I hope those are its ribs.

  We tumble along the street, knocking cars and trucks out of the way, like they’re toys. When the world eventually stops spinning, I climb unsteadily to my feet.

  The blue freak is lying upside down in the wreckage of an ambulance. I quickly climb on to its heavily muscled chest, and bring down both fists on to its bruised and bleeding face. I hear a crack, and keep on pounding until it becomes a squelch. I climb off and stare at my fists, which are now covered in green blood.

  I take some deep breaths.

  Abigail?

  I turn and scan the street. The other blue freak is walking towards me, as Max and Jason fire their guns at its back.

  “Come on!” I scream at the creature, as I begin to walk towards him.

  “Odmah ces umrijeti!” The blue giant bellows before rushing at me. He becomes a blue blur as he surges toward me at great speed.

  I take a deep breath and focus all of my attention on the blue blur. I hear the thump of my heart slow down as the blur begins to take shape. I crouch down on one knee, and try to judge the distance and speed as best I can.

  He arrives with a rush of wind and a roar.

  I rise up from the asphalt and leap into the air, bringing my right knee up in an arc. I hit something hard, and pain explodes through my leg. I also hear a rip, and the giants blue head soars through the air, before hitting the ground and rolling.

  I land and scream. My leg is on fire.

  I try to move, but the pain ta
kes my breath away. I hear footsteps heading my way before I lose consciousness.

  I feel like I’m floating. I’m lighter than air, but I feel heavy at the same time. I feel something touch my leg, and that makes me scream, but I don’t hear anything. Something cold touches my forehead.

  That feels nice.

  I hear hushed voices, but I can’t make out what they’re saying. I feel so heavy now, and hot. The heat begins in my chest, like a dying ember being stoked. The warmth feels nice at first, but then the intensity grows, and burns. Soon, my whole torso feels like it’s on fire, and I’m screaming.

  The burning continues to spread throughout my body, when it hits my right leg, I black out.

  “Don’t touch her. She’s still too hot.” I hear a woman’s voice.

  “Angela?” I think that’s Abigail’s voice. She sounds scared.

  “Why is she radiating that much heat?”

  “I say we leave her and get the hell out of here. It’s not safe.”

  I try to open my eyes, but they feel glued shut.

  “Mmm....kay...” I manage, then their voices grow dim as I slip into darkness again.

  It’s dark when I finally open my eyes. I’m lying on the floor of a van, staring up at two concerned faces.

  “Where am I?”

  “Hey there.” Jeremy says as I sit up.

  “What happened?” I ask as I look at Jason. “Where’s Abigail?” When I notice we are the only ones in the back of this van.

  “She’s fine. As to what happened, well, I’m still trying to wrap my head around that.” Jason says and smiles.

  I look down at my right leg as I bend my knee.

  “Whoa. Who healed me?” I ask, then I frown. “How long was I out for?” My leg doesn’t hurt at all.

  “You healed yourself, and you were out for twelve hours.” Jeremy says and extends his hand to me.

  I grab his hand and sit up on one of the padded seats, while the van bounces along.

  “Twelve hours?” I turn my head and look through the windshield. Tall trees and brush line the road either side. The road is cracked and grass is springing up through the gaps.

  “Where are we?” I ask.

  Max looks in the rear view mirror at me, and I see his eyes crease as he smiles.

  “Good afternoon, Slayer.” Max says in his gravelly voice.

  “We’re heading west. Kansas was no longer safe.” Jason says.

  “That was my fault.” Max says. “I shouldn’t have shot that gun.”

  “You think?” Jeremy says sternly.

  I see Max’s gray eyes flick up at the rear view mirror again.

  “My apologies. I....umm.....regret my decision, deeply.” Max says.

  “I hope this means that you trust me?” I ask.

  “There’s still a lot I’m not sure about.” Max says.

  “That makes two of us.” I reply.

  “Bygones?” Max asks.

  “Where’s Abigail?” I ask.

  “She’s in the other car, with Theresa and Andrew. They’re following.”

  I move to the back of the van and look out of one of the small rear windows. A green station wagon is following. Andrew must be the short blond haired kid who had the shotgun at my side. I see his blond head above the steering wheel in the car behind us.

  “So, what’s the plan?” I ask as I wave at the other car.

  “Denver.” Max says.

  I turn and shrug my shoulders. “Why Denver?”

  “Why not?” Jason asks.

  “Maybe the mountains will offer some protection.” Jeremy says.

  I sit back down and rub my temples as another headache strikes.

  “What is it?” Jason asks.

  “Head hurts.” I complain as I massage my throbbing temples and close my eyes.

  “Max. Can we pull over for a bit?” I hear Jason ask.

  “What’s up?”

  “I think she might hurl.”

  Five

  Max pulls over and I climb out the back when Jeremy opens the door. My head feels like it’s on fire. I stagger from the van and kneel down on the broken asphalt.

  Stop squeezing my head like an orange.

  My eyes feel so dry, and sore. I rub them with my palms, as the pain in my head intensifies.

  “Are you okay?” I hear Jason’s voice.

  “What’s wrong?” I hear Abigail’s voice.

  “I...don’t.....know....aaaggghhh!” I scream as the pain explodes in my head, then shoots down my spine. The pain is unbelievable. I arch my back and collapse on to the ground. I claw at the asphalt, and hardly blink when my fingers pass through it like a knife through warm butter.

  “Holy shit.” I hear Max mutter and sense him close by.

  I keep my eyes closed as my body is racked by convulsions of pain. Then the heat starts. Within seconds, my heart feels like a blazing hot coal. I grit my teeth, and tears drip from my closed eyes, as the fire spreads through my body like lava, burning me from the inside out.

  “EVERYONE, GET BACK!” I hear Max shout.

  “Why is she glowing?” I hear Abigail’s worried voice.

  Stop it. Please, make it stop!

  The pain begins to subside, then I open my eyes, and retch uncontrollably.

  “I told you she was going to yak.” I hear Jason say.

  I cough and wipe my mouth on my sleeve, before rolling over on to my back. My tears turn to steam when I eventually open my eyes.

  “Well......that was....different.” Max says as he steps closer and looks down at me.

  “I’m sorry.” I say, as a belch escapes me.

  “I can’t imagine what you’re going through.” Max says as he leans down and extends his hand. He touches me experimentally on my face and hands, pulling away quickly each time. “Damn, you’re on fire.”

  I roll over and climb to my knees, before throwing up again. Even my vomit is steaming. It hisses and bubbles when it hits the tarmac.

  Damn, I feel so weak.

  But then, as the heat leaves me and my skin loses the strange glow, a new feeling replaces it. It’s hard to put it into words, but I begin to feel....euphoric.

  “Why are you smiling?” Max asks as I stand up and flex my fingers.

  “I feel strange.” I reply and look down at my legs. I notice the gouges I made in the asphalt, and a nervous laugh escapes me.

  “If you’re feeling better, shall we press on?” Max asks, then heads back to the van when I nod.

  “What did that feel like?” Jason asks as I climb into the van and sit down.

  “Amazing.” I reply and grin.

  Thirty minutes later, as we’re bouncing along the abandoned road, a thought pops into my head.

  “Where’s Abigail’s parents?” I ask Jason.

  Jason’s jaw clenches and he sits back.

  “We don’t know.” Jason replies flatly.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to pry.”

  “It’s not that. We really don’t know where they are. You see......we found her in a dumpster.”

  Oh, my god.

  “A dumpster?” I ask.

  “Yeah. Theresa and I found her behind a Wendy’s.”

  “She’s lucky to have you.” I say, then lean back and close my eyes.

  “I’m sure someone is out there, looking for you.” Jason says, and I open my eyes and look over at him.

  “What if I didn’t come from here?” I ask.

  “Well, then that’s their loss.” Jeremy says and pats my knee.

  I close my eyes and smile.

  Where did I come from?

  I try to think back again, but the earliest thing I remember is waking up to dust, debris and water dripping on my head.

  “Hey, look. Pumpkins.” Max says out of nowhere.

  He begins to slow down.

  Pumpkin?

  ‘Yes, Pumpkin?’ I hear a man’s voice say inside my head.

  ‘I need you to take Jessica, and get out of here.’ Is that my voic
e?

  A man’s face forms in my mind. Blond hair, blue eyes. His face is sad.

  “Whoa.” I blurt out, as I open my eyes and sit forward.

  “What?” Jeremy asks and backs away from me quickly.

  “I think I just had a memory.” I say.

  “You remembered something?” Max asks and looks over his shoulder at me.

  “Something. A man. He called me Pumpkin.”

  “Maybe he’s your father.” Max suggests, and pulls over. He soon opens his door and climbs out.

  “Maybe.” I say and frown as I try to picture his face again.

  “Hey, that means your human, right?” Jeremy says cheerily as he moves closer again.

  “I guess.” I say.

  Max comes back a few minutes later and passes two large pumpkins to Jeremy.

  “Nice.” Jeremy says and places them on the floor in front of him.

  Max starts the engine, and soon I’m bouncing in my seat again. I listen to the rumbling of the tires and the engine, and close my eyes.

  A hand on my shoulder wakes me. My eyes flutter open. It’s dark. Theresa is leaning over me. I’m still in the back of the van.

  “Where are we?” I ask and yawn.

  “Colorado.” Theresa says and holds out her hand to me. “We’re going to camp here tonight. Come on.”

  I take her hand sleepily and get up. I rub my numb butt and climb down from the van. Theresa backs away from me when I stretch, then turns and walks towards the side of the highway. She climbs over the metal railing and walks through the tall grass. I hop lightly over and follow her. Once we get through the tall grass, I see the campfire up ahead.

  Around the area, there are lots of boulders of various sizes, and some thorny looking bushes. The camp is at the base of a boulder the size of a small house. The ground is dry brown dirt, and small lizards dart from our path as we stride toward the camp.

  “Hey, sleepy-head.” Jeremy says as I arrive and sit down next to Max.

  I sniff the air.

  “Mmm, what’s cooking?” I ask as Jeremy stirs a large pot.

  “Pumpkin soup.” Jeremy says and ladles some into a metal tin, then hands it to me with a spoon.

  ‘Hi, Pumpkin. Will you be home soon?’ Another memory floats to the surface.

  That voice.