by Leigh Vernon
He shrugged her question off. "They got what was coming for them."
"And you're happy you gave it to them, aren't you?"
He turned away from her this time. When they got into the car, he stuck his head out and watched silently as she started the engine and drove them out of the motel's parking lot.
"Where are we going?" She asked him spitefully.
Justin gave her a mean look. "What do you mean where are we going? You know where we're supposed to go."
Sarah jerked her head back to the road ahead. "Just wanted to make sure we weren't taking any more detours before we reach the city."
All through the drive, the three of them remained silent. The first thing Sarah noticed about this new Justin was the air of confidence he carried around. He sounded like he had it all figured out, and there was nothing that could stop him from doing whatever it as he felt like doing. It wasn’t like she didn't like this about him - she was just worried it was going to make him start to behave like the monster they were trying to conquer. She had seen this type of behavior in a few men she had met before their lives were cut short. She had watched great men, who thought they had it figured out, sink to the very lowest depths to ensure that their position was never threatened. Now, she was seeing it in him too - the very same thing.
Or maybe she was overreacting, Sarah thought again. After all, she had wanted to tear apart the monster that killed her sister, even when she knew she was no match for the enormous beast. Her thoughts ran over Rachael quickly. Why had she been so stupid as to find the ship in the first place? And this compass they were all on about, what was it supposed to do? There were many other unanswered questions she thought of, but none of them could beat her imagination about Justin's new behavior. If it came to it, she was willing to put a bullet in his head. Well, a bullet that would not go through him.
Justin's thoughts were every bit different from Sarah's. He had seen what the future would look like should the Seventh be allowed to return. He had seen the role he was going to play in the new world and it scared him - it scared him that the very same monster he had always hated was the monster he was going to become. Rachael had told him the only way through this was for him to embrace who he was, but the question was: who really was he?
He would give anything to have answers to his questions at that point in time. Anything at all, as long as he could clear his head of all the doubts and self-pity that filled him from inside. He turned to look at Sarah; the poor woman didn't know what was coming for her. Even if she knew, she wasn't prepared for it. He had started this journey in a bid to get rid of the soul that was sharing the abyss of his mind with him, and along the line, his life had been transformed dramatically. If he had been told about all this a year before, he would have placed his life on a bet about its impossibility.
"Are you two going to sit down there like mute people or talk about how we're going to save the world from an evil tyrant?" Gem asked from where she was sitting at the back.
Justin turned around. He gave her a big smile before he spoke. "Now that you mentioned it, it wouldn't be a bad idea to grab some ice cream when we get to West Michigan, yeah?"
Gem nodded. "Is there anyone alive who doesn't like ice cream?"
Justin frowned. "I think there is, or was… I don't know if she's still alive." He paused for a little while. "I used to have this crazy friend who told me that ice cream was trashy."
"Please tell me you threw her through the window of a very tall building?" Gem asked jokingly.
"Nah," Justin replied. "We just didn't get along fine. It was the only thing we couldn't bring ourselves to agree on. I mean, who would ever stoop so low as to disrespect ice cream?"
Sarah snickered and continued to drive. She knew they were trying to bring her into their conversation, but she wasn't willing to get involved in anything.
"Hey! Look at that," Gem said to them both.
They passed a police officer who looked lost. His clothes were ragged and torn in some places; he looked like he had been through a lot and could do with some water. Sarah checked the time - it was ten in the morning. She debated whether to stop or continue driving, but the thought was dismissed as soon as it came. She stepped on the gas, causing the others to jerk slightly.
"Hey! Easy on us, will you?" Justin said to her. She ignored him and concentrated on the road ahead instead.
Gem turned back to watch the police officer. He gave her a look and immediately began running after their car as he did.
"Err, guys. I think there's something wrong with that man," Gem announced.
"He'll be fine," Sarah responded, looking through the front mirror. What she saw nearly made her freeze.
The man was running so fast they all couldn't believe it at first. Then Sarah got over the shock and put her feet on the pedal. The car surged forward, creating some distance between them and the man. After a while, they lost sight of him and Gem let out the breath she had been holding.
"That was a close one," she remarked.
"Pretty close," Justin said agreeably. "And that doesn't seem strange to you?" he asked Sarah.
"There's nothing strange about a cop with powers who was obviously drunk from the previous night," she replied absent-mindedly.
Justin shook his head. "As much as I want to believe you're right, I see no reason why anyone would drink in the morning."
Sarah ignored him and made a strong turn. When they were back to the road, he realized they were being followed.
"Green car, few feet away from us," Justin echoed out her thoughts.
"It's them!" Gem cried out suddenly. "It's the Druns."
Sarah and Justin exchanged looks. "Is that good news or bad news?" Justin asked.
"Good, I suppose," Gem answered.
Sarah just kept easing the car on. Since the vehicle behind them didn't seem to pose any immediate threat, she let them follow all the way to the bridge before they suddenly disappeared.
"Why'd they go?" She asked. Neither of the other two gave her an answer.
Just before they got into the area they were heading to, they all saw an accident that had happened the previous day. There were three police cars in all, and another big lorry. Sarah knew what the lorry had been carrying; she had once watched it carry a certain man to his eventual death.
"What happened here?" Justin asked loudly. His face was glued to the wound-up glass.
"An accident?" Sarah offered.
Justin took a closer look as a police officer stopped their car. Another one walked up to Sarah and gave her a warm greeting.
"You wouldn't happen to have seen a police officer on your way down here, would you?" The officer asked. He was peeping into the car at the same time.
Sarah looked back at Gem. Justin answered the police officer.
"No, we haven't. Is there a problem?"
The man walked round the car and gave the other officers the signal for them to go through. Sarah wondered why Justin had told them they hadn't seen anyone, but she didn't ask him anything. Maybe he didn't want the police to slow them down or something, but if that was the case, it made no sense to her. Had he not slowed them down by hours just because he wanted to avenge someone who had died years ago? What exactly was going on?
Justin looked out the window. The events of the previous night were still fresh in his memory; he could have sworn he still smelt blood as the car sped towards the city. He wondered what had possessed him to have wrought that much damage. It wasn't just because he had killed those men, it was because he had one other choice, the very choice he should have made rather than become that violent. Maybe he was going to become a part of the darkness they were trying to get rid of. It hit him that he was the very thing he was fighting against, and that realization scared him a lot. He needed to find a way around his anger and he had to do it very fast. He noticed how Sarah was trying to avoid him at any means necessary, and he couldn't blame her - if there was anyone who should be concerned about revenge, it cert
ainly was Sarah. He understood why she would be angry with him. Maybe he was playing Deity all of a sudden with his newly found powers, and that might prove disastrous for all of them, but what was done was done. There was no need to go back to the past now. They had far more dangerous things ahead and the best thing was to keep his head clear of any regrets or whatever was going to stop him from achieving his purpose.
Chapter 13
Sam walked into the crypt and lay there. He closed his eyes and hoped he would feel something, anything at all. He spent five minutes reciting some words which the others didn't understand. Then, he opened his eyes, smiled and walked out of it.
"Gentlemen, we are right on course," he announced proudly.
The others cheered and clapped as soon as he had said this. One of them raised a hand in the air.
"Yes, Doctor Grey," Sam encouraged.
"If and when we do get these powers like you promised, what's the guarantee that we'll be able to keep them forever? I mean, everyone here would agree with me that there has never been a point in history where Powered people were created using… you know?" The man pointed out.
Sam smiled dryly at the man. He would have told him to open his mouth and taken his soul out for a minute to show the others what they could do with their powers; he could have just split the man into two with a wave of his hands too. But instead, he walked up to him and clapped him by the shoulder.
"You see, friend, you aren't guaranteed anything in life. Everything comes to you one piece at a time, and as you gather them together, the bigger picture appears before your very eyes and you're awed by how far you have come. I don't know if you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"
The man nodded for a little while. "I think I'm getting it," he replied.
Sam went on. "For example, you studied for years and years to be awarded this degree that allows you function as a recognized doctor in your profession. Without that certificate which proves you really went to medical school and all that, no one would allow you work in a hospital. Except as a cleaner or gardener, of course."
The others laughed at the joke. Doctor Grey also managed to smile despite himself.
Sam let him go and turned to the others. "Like I promised, the future is here already. And you, my friends, are going to be among the first set of humans to change the course of history forever. The question is: are you prepared?"
"Yes!" They all chorused.
Sam smiled and walked towards Gianna. They all broke into little groups, chatting about how everything was going to look once they had their powers.
"Could you arrange for our friend, Doctor Grey, to die in a mysterious accident?" Sam said to Gianna. "We wouldn't want any of our prospective investors doubting what we do here, would we?"
Gianna nodded and began to walk towards the car park. Sam stopped her midway.
"And make sure there is no body available for the autopsy - not even his bones."
Sam turned and walked back to the group. He joined in the conversations from one end to the other until some of his men came to haul the crypt away. He marveled at what he had found like it was the biggest discovery in the entire history of humanity.
---
"We need to find a place to hole up. If they know we're in the city, every single one of them will be after us," Sarah said to the two others.
She was still avoiding talking to Justin as her anger was very much visible, despite her efforts to sound calm.
"I know an old friend downtown. I'm sure he would be more than happy to let us stay at his place," Justin offered.
Sarah shot him a look. "How are we sure that this friend of yours can be trusted?" She asked.
"You have no idea," Justin replied with a smile on his lips.
"It's coming!" Gem screamed from where she sat at the back. "The monster is coming back!"
Sarah didn't wait to hear the rest of what the girl had to say before she turned sharply into a narrow street. She kept this position as they raced downtown. Justin understood why she was driving through narrow streets; it meant that the monster would have trouble trying to keep up with them, as there were many buildings it would have to crash through.
"Shouldn't we call your friend to tell him we're coming?" Gem asked.
Justin shook his head. "Old Templeton doesn't have a phone, he prefers letters. Plus, the way I see it, we might as well be very dead before our letters get to him."
Sarah crossed lanes and began to drive against traffic. Horns and honks greeted her as she wove her way around cars. She saw an alley and found her way there, parked the car and told the others to get out.
"Get to your friend and wait for me there," she shouted at Justin the moment he stepped out of the car.
"And you? Where are you going?" He asked.
"It's better we split up. That way, we'll know who he's really after and why," she replied as she turned the car around.
Gem kept quiet; she knew what was going on. Sarah was trying to ditch them so she could face the monster alone. She tugged hard at Justin.
"Which way?"
Justin got out of his reverie and pointed towards a street to their right. They ran into it quickly, making sure to stay away from view as best as they could.
Sam was having breakfast when the surge passed through him again. This time around, he saw the monster clear as day. He dropped his fork and called Gianna.
"Where are you?" He asked briskly when she picked up. "Bring the car around. He's in the city," he told her and hung up.
As soon as Gianna and the others arrived, he told them to drive towards downtown.
"And you?" Gianna asked as he got into another car.
"I know where he's going," Sam answered with a smile.
Sarah looked out the car window again. Just as she suspected, the monster was drawn to the car. Lots of people were shouting and screaming as the monster ran through cars and cut through buildings in a bid to get to her.
So much for a quiet entry, she thought to herself, swerving to avoid an oncoming vehicle. A truck was speeding towards her and she got scared for a moment. Then, she thought about it and drove faster towards the oncoming truck, whose horns were blaring loud enough for anyone to hear. As soon as she was a few paces away from the truck, she pulled the brakes and drifted off the road. The truck ran into the monster instead, exploding as soon as it crashed. Sarah stopped driving and looked back at the ball of fire shooting towards the sky. There was silence for a minute as people also watched the fire rage.
Justin told Gem to try and keep up as they wove through the mazes of streets and alleys on their way downtown. Suddenly, the girl stopped running and stood still.
"Come on, Gem! We have to go," Justin said to her.
The girl still stood rooted to the spot. She raised her finger and pointed forward, and that was when Justin saw it. A car was speeding towards them at great speed, not minding if it crashed or not.
Justin turned back to Gem. He looked around and saw that they would be boxed in and crushed if the car should catch up with them there. He scanned the area for an exit, but couldn't find one. Gem stood where she was, caught in some sort of spell he couldn't recognize. Just when the car was a few meters away, he pulled the girl closer to himself and braced for impact. The car hit him and tumbled over. It landed upside down and ran along for a few more meters before it finally stopped. Justin opened his eye and realized what had just happened. His mouth formed an O in excitement before he dragged Gem out of the alley. He looked back to see someone climb out of the car - it was the same woman who had been chasing after them for quite some time now. He saw how angry she looked before taking a turn away from where she was.
Sarah opened the car door and stepped into the street. The fire had yet to stop burning, but she could tell the monster was still in it. People had gathered round, recording and taking pictures of what had happened with their phones. Some were even bold enough to stand near the accident and take photos. Sarah was walking towards the scene when
something dropped on the car, smashing it totally. She turned back to see the monster standing behind her, sword held up high. Sarah began to run towards the other side, avoiding as many people as she possibly could. The pandemonium provided her with much-needed cover as she mixed with the crowd and disappeared. The monster roared loudly, then began to swing its sword through the crowd. The others ran for safety as bodies flew everywhere. Sam's car arrived just in time to witness what was going on.
---
"What is that?" One of the men muttered as they got out of the car.
Sam turned back at the men. "Now, listen. Our aim is to capture the monster and not kill it, you hear me?"
"Yes sir!" The men chorused.
Three of them climbed back into the large truck they had driven down in and they moved towards the monster. As soon as they were close enough, they fired sedatives at the monster, who turned towards them instantly. With a swing, he cut the truck into two, taking the men with it. Sam looked away as more bodies were flung towards him. He grabbed a gun and ran towards the monster. As soon as he was only a few paces away, he raised the gun and fired at it. It turned towards home, sword raised high. Sam closed his eyes and began to chant some incantations silently. The others looked at him with horror on their faces, but Sam stayed right where he was. The sword came down and stopped just inches above Sam's head. He opened one eye and watched keenly as the monster stood looking at him. It was confused for a while, until it finally went down on its knees. Sam smiled to himself and began to walk away. The monster got up and followed him, sword resting on its neck.
---
From where she stood, Sarah was surprised to see the monster bow to the Mayor of the city. There had been rumors about that the man was capable of doing, but it had never crossed her mind that he was powered. She walked into a station to get a ticket downtown. She hoped the others had made it there as she stepped on the bus.
"Come on," Justin called back at Gem, who was still in some form of a trance as he dragged her towards an old house. Seeing that it was going to be a problem dragging her along, he decided it was best that he carried her on his shoulders instead. He hauled her up and began running, taking great care to avoid being out in the open as he did so.