by Jamie Ott
Chapter 8
Several uneventful hours went by. The sky in the hunter heaven stayed an unchanged color of red. The temperature was 20 to 30 degrees less than the other side, and the boys continued to shiver on their trek. The general blackness of the plant life, and redness of the sky, emanated the negative energy of the heaven-hell. At first, the boys tried to defy the impact of the red lands, upon their spirit, by singing happy songs and telling jokes, but it wasn’t long before they tired of that. Slowly and increasingly, they became mean spirited.
Several times they asked Dog if he was sure of where they were going. Dog told them the closer he got to the goodness, the warmer and happier he felt; that if they could feel as he did, then the effect of heaven-hell wouldn’t make them feel bad. Eventually, they all fell silent and decided to trust Dog’s instincts. They didn’t mean to sound distrustful of him, but they just wanted to get out of the world that worked against their own distinctive nature.
After several more hours passed, the boys started to get really hungry. They tried to press on but when Jacko could hear the sounds of rumbling stomachs coming from all around him, he decided they should stop and try to conjure the sandwiches he had made back in New Hampshire.
“Why not just make food, this is heaven after all,” whined Bouncy.
“Because,” said Jacko, “we need to keep our heads. Besides, who knows what heaven made food will do to us here. Over there, it made me really happy and really high, but, over here, it could make us really sad or something.” They looked rather unconvinced, but Jacko said, “Just be patient and give me a chance, okay?”
Jacko concentrated on the sandwiches for quite some time. When nothing happened, Jacko gave up and the boys decided they would conjure food themselves. He knew this was a bad idea, but they wouldn’t listen, so he sat back and watched.
The boys tried to command the particles to form, but they were resistant to good, on that side of heaven, as Grill reminded them. They tried harder and were somewhat successful in conjuring, what Jacko hoped, would be chicken. Unfortunately, what they got was a plate of shriveled blackened claws.
They begged him to try and conjure food again. This gave Jacko confidence against the downer mood he was in, due to heaven-hell’s effect on a human soul. Jacko focused on the sandwiches again, but when nothing happened, he asked himself why. Logically, he figured it was because the food wasn’t his strongest desire, at the moment. What he wanted was his bike so he didn’t have to walk anymore, and so that he could sleep in his bag. So he tried focusing on the bike and all its contents and, within minutes, it appeared.
“Oh my god!” shouted Machine, “you did it! Well, sort of. We wanted the sandwiches.”
“The sandwiches are in the bike dumb ass,” said Grill.
“It was my strongest desire,” explained Jacko. “I have to make what I want into my strongest desire, but how do I do that? How do I change what I feel?”
“Practice,” Bouncy said. “Dad always told us that, in the beginning, it is whims and fits that drive our abilities. But, be assured that you can control them, if you can learn to focus.”
“Wow, Bouncy. Thanks.” Jacko was amazed that there was even an ounce of logic inside excitable, high strung Bouncy – even if it was his fathers.
“These sandwiches are huge!” exclaimed Machine.
“Yeah, food changes when it’s brought over here.” Jacko made sure that Dog had plenty of dog food and water before he joined his brothers.
“I am just glad it doesn’t look like the claw of a devil chicken, yuck!” said Grill with his mouth full of peanut butter and jelly.
Jacko unwrapped a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for himself; he took a bite and a feeling of happiness washed over him. He noticed the food must have affected the others too, for they were smiling and making jokes again.
He exhaled and relaxed his shoulders. “We need a fire,” he said.
“Let me try,” Grill put down his sandwich and looked at a spot in the middle of their camp. Easily, the flames appeared and warmed them.
They rested for several hours, and then packed up.
Looking longingly at Jacko’s bike, Machine said, “Wouldn’t it be cool if we could squeeze into this?”
“I think we could do it,” replied Jacko thinking back to how the house expanded for Dog. “Two of you can squeeze in the sidecar with Dog, and one of you could sit behind me.”
“Let’s try,” Machine smiled.
“Sidecar,” called Bouncy. “Sidecar,” called Grill.
“What? I want to sit in the sidecar,”
“Come on guys!” Jacko yelled.
Bouncy and Grill concentrated on the sidecar. After a few moments, they watched as the seat expanded to fit all three of them.
They rode on and on for hours. Finally, Jacko had to pull over because he could no longer stay awake.
“Dog, how much further?”
“Well, it still feels pretty far away. My guess is right over that hill over there.”
“Well,” exclaimed Bouncy blandly, “that’s gotta be at least ten miles away.”
“Yeah, I’m exhausted,” Machine said breathlessly.
“Well, I think we should setup a camp right behind those trees,” pointed Jacko.
“No, we have to keep going,” insisted Grill.
“No, I can’t go any further. We rest,” Jacko said authoritatively. “If even Machine’s tired, how’re we gonna take on, or outwit, those vicious demons? We have to remember that time does not exist here, that is why the sky never changes. We are still human, and we must have our rest!” Jacko waited for a response.
When none came, he continued with, “We sleep for a few hours, sleep, and then we continue.”
With that, they rode on behind the trees and set up camp. Focusing on Jacko’s bag and tarp, the boys were able to create sleeping materials on their own.
“So your dad said you all have your own abilities?” asked Jacko.
“Yes, but our abilities aren’t as ambiguous as being conjurer is,” Machine replied, “but rather our talents are more specific. For example, I’m what’s called a molecular mason: it means I can change objects into other objects. I could change your shoe into a football, if I wanted to, but I could never make something out of nothing, like you can.”
“What do you do, Grill?”
“In technical terms, Dad says I’m a velocity psycho-telekinetic; that I can speed up and slow down molecules, freezing them or exploding them. It’s easier to practice on objects, but I can do it with just plain air, too. That’s why I wanted to start the fire because that’s what fire is - speeding molecules. I wanted to see if they would react in the same way, here in heaven, if I used my kinesis.”
“Well, I’m cold. How about you try it again?” asked Bouncy.
Grill looked at a spot in the middle of where they all sat. Instantly, flames leapt five feet into the air.
“Okay, calm it down, now,” said Machine.
Grill concentrated the flames down, slowly, into a small but warm fire.
“Sorry; was a little over enthusiastic, that time,” he grinned.
“But in addition to those strengths we have physical abilities, too. Well, not all of us. Like Machine is not just called machine because he is a better athlete, but he has super human strength. Grill, not so much physical but his power is coveted just the same. You should see him on the Fourth of July. Me, I don’t have control over molecules, in any way, except my own,” and to demonstrate, he reached his arm up and over the fire and tapped Jacko on the head.
“Whoa! That’s freaky. You just stretched your arm over three feet. Is that as far as you can go?”
“Haha,” Bouncy laughed at Jacko’s surprise. “No, I can stretch pretty far; although how far, I am not sure. I haven’t had a chance to test it. But they don’t just call me Bouncy because I’m hyperactive, I literally can b
ounce – jump, if I want to – ten feet, or higher, into the sky. I, also, seem to be impervious to injury. One time, I leapt off the roof of our house, and landed backside on the ground. My butt was a little sore, but no injuries. I went off and played basketball like nothing happened.”
In a circle, they stared into the fire; Dog lay curled up next to Jacko. One by one, they drifted off to sleep, until there was a noise in a bush. Jacko and Dog heard it first, but Jacko signaled Dog to stay quiet. He, then, turned around, crawled over to Machine, and quietly nudged him. Machine nudged, Grill, who nudged Bouncy.
He and Dog walked slowly around the fire to the side from where Jacko heard the noise. They stood there and listened really quietly, and then Bouncy started screaming high pitched, like a girl.
Jacko and Dog jumped; Grill and Machine screamed, too. They all looked at Bouncy and saw a little black winged demon with the chubby blackened body of a baby, and a head like a vampire bat, only bigger and hairless. The ugly creature sunk its fangs into Bouncy’s shoulder and was trying to fly off with him, but couldn’t because he was too heavy.
The boys were all so shocked that they forgot to react until Bouncy screamed, “Are you gonna just stand there and watch this imp eat through my shoulder? Or, are you gonna help me?”
Dog didn’t waste time, and he leapt over the fire and abounded the little evil bat-baby between its teeth. The demon squealed painfully. Dog released it and it flew off, wailing, into the bushes, from whence more came like a swarm of bees. “Let’s go!” shouted Jacko as he ran at Bouncy and helped him up.
Quickly, they all made to pack up their things, but it was too late. Several hundred of the bat-babies blotted out the already dark red sky, and swarmed down upon them.
They shoved their items in the luggage compartment of the bike; all the while punching and kicking at babies that tried to overtake them in numbers. Two babies had Dog by each ear, and were biting and tugging while one sat on his back looking as if it were trying to chew through his tail.
He ran to his bike, reached in for his carbon rifle, but, when he pulled it out, it was a little bow. “AAAH,” a baby had sunk into the back of Jacko’s neck. Fortunately, an arrow was already loaded into the chamber. He reached behind him and pulled the trigger – it released Jacko, squealing, and flew off.
Frantically, he looked for his ammunition while another baby sunk its teeth into the back of his leg. When he couldn’t find ammo it, he yelled, “arrows!” and a row of arrows appeared floating at the side of the bow, hanging down the way machine gun bullets hang out of a chamber.
At which point, Jacko turned around and took aim. Poor Dog! He was covered in bats. “No! Get off my dog!” he ran at them while shooting but his aim was poor. Most of the arrows bounced off, or the babies caught them in hand and snapped them in two. He bent down and used his hands to pry off the babies. Then, he turned around and helped Bouncy, Machine, and Grill.
Dog, Bouncy and Grill leapt into the sidecar and Jacko onto the bike. Machine was right behind Jacko, but he started to scream just as he started the engine. He turned around and saw that Machine was on the ground, struggling with two bats clinging to his legs as they repeatedly sank their teeth into his heels.
Jacko jumped off the bike, turned, ran at Machine and punted one of the winged babies square in the side of its chest with his foot. It flew several yards into the air before catching its wherewithal and flying away on its own.
The other bat released Machine and flew toward Jacko, who then, turned a jab and right hook into its fat, black belly.
“Thanks, Bro,” Jacko helped Machine up onto the bike.
Jacko made to get back on the bike, but one more baby was flying at them. He took aim with his arrow and shot.
This time, the arrow sunk deep into the baby’s chubby belly, and it fell to the ground. The rest of the babies stopped midair and looked down at their comrade. After a moment, they all turned and flew away.
“What are these disgusting things,” screamed Jacko.
“Imps! Dad taught us about them. They are mostly powerless, and not very smart,” replied Machine.
“Are their bites infectious?”
“No, I don’t think.”
“Yeah, but did you see the look on their faces? So evil!” said Grill.
Jacko felt a little guilty about shooting the one imp in the chest.
“They eat live flesh, so don’t feel bad!” said Machine.
“You don’t know that, it’s only legend!” said Grill.
“I agree with Grill,” said Bouncy, “they are also reputed for being relatively defenseless creatures. We shouldn’t kill them unless we have to. Let’s try to make enemies only when we have to.”
Jacko crouched and observed the little black imp; if it wasn’t for its face, it might have been cute. He picked it up and turned it over, examining its body; gently, he pulled the arrow out. Its little body made sickening squishy noises, as he tightened his grip on its belly to counterweight the pull. The arrow came free from its eely skin, from which a clear fluid secreted copiously onto Jacko’s hand.
“Ew,” he said as he wiped his hand on the moss-grass.
Jacko tossed the imp on the ground and stood up. He turned around to see his brothers were all waiting for him, so he climbed onto his bike and, just when he was about to turn the handle, Bouncy said, “Jacko, look!”
They all turned to see the little odd, black creature stand up, clutching its belly, and limping its way in the direction of its buddies.