Esper Chapter 1A Chapter by Angelo KingstonThe survivors have many questions about the incident and they plan to find them maybe even to their own detriment...
Esper Chapter 1: Echoed Part 1 Nicolaus Thompson lackadaisically
laid stretched out across his couch. He was barely even paying attention to the
television that sat in front of him running the daily news. “…The amber alert is
still in effect…the missing child is 11-year-old Kylee Drummond…she was last
seen…” The fragrance of bacon
and eggs filled his small three-room apartment, accompanied by a cheer filled
and slightly offbeat humming. Nicolaus’s eyes glazed over as he slowly entered
a state of total apathy toward his surroundings. “Nick…Nick!” “Huh?” A shrill voice
calling his name pulled him back to reality. “Breakfast, dude! Come
on.” “…mmm…” The spiky haired,
lethargic couch-potato remained motionless. As the television droned on, a slender
pair of legs walked into frame obscuring his view. “You’re going to ignore
me?” Frustrated, the voice of a young woman prattled on digging at Nicolaus,
just barely catching his attention. “I’m not going to move.” Nicolaus looked up at the
young woman with her black shoulder length hair billowing about as the fan blew
down onto her head. He replied curtly. “I really do wish I could ignore you.” “Rude! Guess what dude, I
spent all morning cooking, so someone is going to eat it. Get off your a*s, food’s
ready.” “Fine…fine.” Nicolaus got
off the sofa and shuffled into the small kitchen. He sat at the kitchen table as
the young woman placed a plate of bacon, eggs and sausages in front of him. “Dig in!” She sat down opposite
to Nicolaus as he scowled at her intensely. “Dani, stop that.” “Stop what?” “You’re about to start
smoking. You already have a cigarette in your mouth.” “Oh!? I didn’t even
notice.” “Right…” “Seriously! I really
didn’t notice.” “That’s called
‘addiction’.” “Okay, I get it. But I’m
an adult; I can smoke if I want.” “Right, you’re an adult.
You know, Mom and Laurence have been worried about you ever since you moved away.” “Oh my god! Are we really
starting this now?” “We all just want to know
why this is the first time we’ve heard from you in nearly 3 years.” “Can’t a little sister worry
about her big brother?” “Sure; but you should call
home occasionally. Mom calls me all the time asking if you’re mad at her or
something.” “Why are you getting so
hostile out of nowhere? Look, I came here to check up on you. I was the first
person on your emergency contacts list to pick up, remember? That means that I
still have the same f*****g phone number, which also means if anyone wanted to
call me, they could’ve. The people at the hospital tell me that you’re involved
in some crazy incident and a bunch of people died! So, I offer to watch you and
make sure that you’re comfortable and safe; and this is the thanks I get?!” “…I’m sorry…you’re right.” “Wha…?” “I’m sorry! It’s just…I’m
sorry…I’m a little on edge lately.” “Oh…ok.” “…” “Nick, you can talk to me
about anything. I am your sister, so…” “…Don’t worry about it.” “No, seriously! If you
want, vent!” “Dani, I’m for real.
Let’s just leave it at that for now. Plus, don’t you have to meet someone
anyway?” “How do you know about
that?” “I heard you on the phone
last night.” “Don’t eavesdrop; that’s
rude. Also, he can wait. He’s always late anyway.” Dani muttered the last part,
but Nicolaus still heard it. “Just go. It may do me
some good to have some alone time.” “No, I can cancel.” “Are you kidding me? Now
you’re making me feel like a child who needs to be watched. Go!” “Fine. I should make it
back here by three, so…” “So, I’ll try and mellow out
a bit by then.” “Geez…look at the time. I
should get going right now as a matter of fact. Call me if you need anything.
I’m not too far, okay? It’s in walking distance so I could get back here super
quick!” Dani grabbed a backpack seated near the door and reached for the knob as
she called back to her older brother. “Like I said, call me if you need
anything at all, okay?” “Okay, okay! Just go.”
Dani closed the door behind her leaving Nicolaus to his food. He took a bite
and his expression soured immediately. “…Bleeh…her cooking sucks.” Part 2 (And…now I’m here,
somehow…) It was a slightly overcast, yet peaceful day at the local park in Trenton.
Children ran about the playground, jumping from equipment and having fun as
their parents watched them…and Nicolaus, who sat on a bench alone looking out
of place. (I had a sudden need to get out and get some fresh air but having nothing
to do in the middle of the day is weird. I feel like everyone is staring at me.)
Nicolaus let out a pretty heavy sigh attracting the attention of even more
adults. Their hard looks weighed on him as if he was a dangerous animal waiting
to pounce, so he got up with the intention up leaving the park. However, as the
young man aimed to make his exit, he noticed a familiar face. The petite young Indian
woman, Amala Singh staggered around near the park’s entrance. She stumbled back
and forth looking almost zombie like. (Is she okay?) Nicolaus attempted
to wave to her. His attempt at getting the young woman’s attention went
unnoticed as she just continued to stroll about in a daze. Once Amala had
reached the edge of the park she turned around and wandered back in the opposite
direction as if being led like a dog on a collar. After a minute or so of
pacing, a police officer walked up to her and they began to converse. When the
officer reached out and grabbed her by the arm Amala violently shrugged him off.
Despite her small stature the usually stoic, young woman barked something
incomprehensible at the officer in such a piercing and vicious tone that everyone
in earshot flinched. Nicolaus felt what could only be described as malice exuding
from Amala. (Oh hell!) He ran over to Amala and the officer. “Um…excuse me,
what’s going on?” “Sir, please step back!” “Hang on, please. This
is…my friend, sir…” When Amala heard that, she glared at Nicolaus as if she
were an animal backed into a corner. (For some reason…she’s a bit scary right
now…) Nicolaus stood nearly a foot taller than Amala, but with the ferocious
gaze coming from her piercing purple eyes, he felt like she was towering over
him, like she was twenty feet tall. “Your friend, sir?” “She’s been feeling under
the weather lately, so we came to the park. You know, get some fresh air. The
problem is, she got up and walked off while I was in the restroom.” (Please buy
this.) “Sir…she
screamed…something at me. I’m not sure what weird 3rd world language
it was, but I have every right to pull her in for questioning.” “Oh no, don’t do that!
Amala, apologize!” She responded without a word, by shooting daggers with her
eyes at Nicolaus. “S-She’s tired. Hehehe…” “Whatever, just get her
out of here.” The officer walked away
leaving the two alone in an awkward silence. “Umm…are you hungry?” Part 3 The odd pair of Amala and
Nicolaus ended up at a local café. From wall to wall the establishment was
filled with hip, young people sipping coffee and surfing the web on their laptops.
Nicolaus was visibly uncomfortable as he sat at one of the tables, looking for a
waiter to come around. “What the hell is going
on? Is no one going to come and take our orders?” Nicolaus sat at the table
drumming his long fingers. “…You have to go up and
order yourself…” Amala muttered. “Seriously? Alright, I
guess…” Slightly embarrassed, Nicolaus scurried over to the counter to place an
order. He returned to the table after a few minutes. “So…I’m guessing you’re
not okay.” “What gave it away? Was
it the bags under my eyes, or the lazy gray sweats I’m wearing, or maybe it’s
my sunny disposition?” “I was going to say your
crazy looking hair.” “A real charmer, aren’t
you, Mr. Thompson?” “Wow…” “Wow, what?” “Didn’t think you
actually knew my last name.” “That’s awfully impolite.
We’ve worked on the same floor for over a year now.” “And yet, we’ve never had
a casual conversation.” “…I’m not good…with new
people.” “Fair enough. So, what’s
with the outfit, anyway? I’ve only ever seen you looking your best since I’ve
known you.” “…I haven’t been sleeping
well…if at all in a while…” “How long is a while?” “Since the incident.” “Since then!?” “Calm down, will you? It’s
just…I keep having nightmares.” “Nightmares, huh? Are these
nightmares mostly full of blackness with lots of crying?” “What!? How did you
know!?” Amala shot up out of her chair drawing everyone’s attention. Nicolaus
signaled for her to sit back down, which she did, blushing slightly. “And you told me to calm
down.” “Whatever. Explain!” “Well, I’ve been having
them too; ever since that night.” “Then how…” The waitress
called Nicolaus over to the counter before Amala could finish her question. He
got up leaving the young woman distressed. Returning to the table after a few
minutes, Nicolaus brought a cup of coffee, a sandwich and a glass of soda. “I got something for you.
You haven’t eaten today, right?” “No, I haven’t. Thank
you.” Amala took a sip of the coffee and continued. “How is it that you’re able
to sleep? I really need to know.” “I would’ve thought your
first question would be how we’re having the same dream.” “Later. Now, answer my
question!” “Okay, okay. I’ve been
taking sleeping pills and playing brown noise while I sleep. It helps when
everything else is drowned out.” “What kind of pills, can
you give me a few, can you recommend a headset, is there some kind of special brown
noise machine or something?” “Slow down, alright?” “I really need to sleep
at night! You don’t understand.” “Like I said, slow down.
I’ll help you set it up later…relax.” “Ok…” Amala took another
sip of her coffee and a bite of her sandwich then looked at Nicolaus
suspiciously. “…How did you know I like caramel macchiato coffee and that I
don’t eat white bread…?” “Huh…oh, you
know…I’ve…seen you having that kind of coffee a few times and you always get a
sandwich with it, which I also noticed never had white bread.” “…Creep…” “Hey now…! It was Carl
who really pointed it out to me…” “Carl…Lincoln?” “Yeah. Him…” Again, the
two sat in an awkward silence. “Geez…” Nicolaus ran his fingers through the
spiny black hair on his head and groaned. “Let’s move past that for
now, okay?” “Hmm?” Nicolaus’s
attention was drawn to the front of the café, as he noticed another familiar
face entering the establishment. “Is that Vernon over there?” “What!?” Amala covered
her head with the hood of her sweatshirt. “Where is he?” “He’s standing at the
door. Aw man, he’s coming over here.” “D****t!” Amala scurried
off to the bathroom covering her head the whole way. When Vernon came over to
the table, he removed his gloves gesturing for a handshake from Nicolaus.
Begrudgingly Nicolaus obliged. His co-worker’s hands were coarse unlike his own,
which surprised the young tech, he believed Vernon to be the non-active type. “How you holding up?” He
asked nonchalantly. Nicolaus remembered his decision to try and better their
relationship before the incident. “I’m fine. Are you okay?”
Nicolaus replied. As Vernon removed his jacket the man slightly reddened skin
showed around the collar of his sweater. “Actually, I just got
back from the gym, myself. What are you doing here?” “Just getting some food
with a…friend; they’re in the bathroom.” (I guess Amala didn’t want to be seen
by Vernon.) “Good for you! I was sitting
around all day, until I just got too bored. The job is forcing us to take time
off all of a sudden has left me with nothing to do. If I knew I was going to
have an impromptu vacation, I’d have wanted to go somewhere fun. After all, who
wants to sit in the house all day, am I right?” “That’s true. I ended up
coming here with my friend on a whim. Do you come here often?” “Nope. Never been here
before as a matter of fact. Seen this place a few times, but never stopped in.” “…Huh…” “…” (Dang…ran out of things
to say already.) “I’m actually glad I
bumped into you, I need your help.” (Talk about cutting to
the chase.) “With what?” “The incident. I need
help researching it.” “Researching the incident?
You know the police are already doing that.” “Oh, please! Those
two-bit beat cops and third-rate investigators? They’re less likely to catch a
criminal than a group of meddling kids and their dog. We need to figure this
out ourselves.” “I think you’re
exaggerating a bit.” “No, I’m sure. All the
crap that happens in this city; it surprises me that we aren’t living in a
bunker. My point is, I want you to help me.” “I don’t know, man. Isn’t
that illegal?” “It won’t be anything big.
Newspapers, videos, reports and whatnot. That should be fine, right?” “I guess so.” “It’s not like you’re
doing anything anyway, why not give me a hand?” “I mean…” “Come on don’t make me
pull rank on you.” “Huh…” “Just kidding. Well?” “Even if I say ‘no’
you’ll keep asking, won’t you?” “Absolutely!” “Fine, whatever. We’re
not going to find anything; I want to go on record and say that now. But guess
I’ll help.” Nicolaus gave in to Vernon’s coercion. “Excellent, grab Amala
and we’ll start doing some research.” Vernon said getting up from his seat. “Okay…wait! You saw
Amala?” “Yeah. She was the one dashing
off to the bathroom, right? It took me a minute to realize it was Amala, since
I’ve never seen her looking so disheveled.” “…I’ll let her know once
she gets back here.” “Alright. I’m heading
out.” “Hang on! Don’t you need
my phone number or e-mail?” “Don’t worry, I got it from
the job’s address book already. I’ll text you where we’re going to meet. See
ya!” Nicolaus sat back in his
chair and watched Vernon leave the café. (He already had my number? Guess I
just played into his hands then.) Amala crouch walked her way back to the
table. Upon reaching her seat, Nicolaus explained Vernon’s plan while Amala
kept an eye out to make sure that he wasn’t coming back. “Are you for real? He’s
treating this just like work, always calling those damn meetings. I’ve got to
go and change, get cleaned up and…ugh! I can’t have anyone important from work
see me like this.” Using her petite hands, Amala covered her face and groaned
loudly. (Important, huh?)
Ignoring what he felt was an insult, Nicolaus suggested a solution. “He said
he’d let me know where to meet him. You’d better leave now if you want to
change and stuff…” “That’ll take forever!
Drive me home!” “What?” “Drive…Me…Home!” “Can’t.” “Why?” “No car.” “How do you not have a
car?” “I just don’t, okay?
Plus, I don’t see why I should drive you.” “Does it matter?” “Yes! You’re not telling
me why I should drive you home yet.” “Because…” “Yeah…” “You should!” “That’s not a reason!” “Still…come on.” “Ugh…Look…where do you
live?” “On the other side of the
city.” “*Sigh*…I’ll ask my
sister if I can borrow her car.” “Thanks! You’re so nice!”
Amala said as she gave a winning, model-like smile. “Anyone ever tell you that
you are kind of a brat?” “…” Amala visibly
flinched, then started to giggle to herself. “Hehehe…nope! Never!” Part 4 A luxurious, fifteen
story apartment tall complex was exactly where Nicolaus expected Amala to live,
so the young misanthrope was far from surprised as he waited for his co-worker
return to the car. Despite Dani’s car being visibly clean inside, the smell of
cigarettes permeated the interior as if infused to the seats themselves. Nicolaus
leaned back and pulled out his phone. There were various stories on the
internet about the incident. The article titles ranged from ‘Mysterious
incident claims many lives’ and ‘Possible terrorist attack in Arizona’. People
on different internet boards were coming up with conspiracy theories left and
right. (This whole research
nonsense is going to devolve into the same exact crap as these boards. Maybe if
we were to actually…) Nicolaus started fussing with his own hair until a sudden
knock at the window made him flinch. It was Amala. She’d changed into a blue
dress, white strap heels and black leggings. She clearly put on makeup too, as
well as perfume, which mixed with the stench of tobacco in the car made Nicolaus
gag audibly. “Alright, let’s go!” “…” Amala was silently
sneered at by Nicolaus. “What?” “We’re going to do
research, not to a mixer, so…” “Haha…very funny. So,
where are we going?” “Don’t know yet. He hasn’t
gotten back to me with the details.” “*Sigh*…great. Now what?” “We wait…isn’t that
obvious?” “*Sigh*…” “…*Cough*” “…it smells in here.” “Yeah…I know.” “You know, I was
wondering…” Nicolaus’s phone began to
buzz. He picked it up as fast as possible to get away from the awkwardness in
the car. “He says to meet at his place, which is on the other side of town…*sigh*…I’m
going to need some gas soon.” “Hang on! You said his
house? Ugh! I need to change again, wait here!” “Oh no you don’t! If you get
out of this car, I’m leaving you here!” “Come on!” “No! We’re going, now!
Buckle up!” Nicolaus flipped the car into gear and drove off. Part 5 Nicolaus and Amala
followed the long and forested road past a running creek just outside of the
city. Secluded in the woods atop a pristine mountain ridge sat their
destination, a beautifully designed home, looking almost too picturesque. “Wow!” Amala’s eyes
widened in surprise at the splendor of the small offset dwelling. The residence,
for a project manager at Vernon’s level was unbelievable. It looked closer to
that of a young heir’s abode. “This guy…” Nicolaus said
under his breath. “Guess I didn’t over
dress.” Gleefully walking up to the door Amala called back to Nicolaus. “Hey,
you are coming, right?” “I’m coming.” Nicolaus walked over to
Amala as she rang the doorbell. Vernon answered with a smile. “Amala, Nick! Hey, you
two, come on in.” Vernon walked Nicolaus and Amala inside. Slick hardwood floors,
new age architecture, huge flat screen television and fine leather couches; the
inside looked as glamorous as the outside. Nicolaus tried to not look impressed
until he noticed the koi pond in the backyard with a bright red sports car
parked alongside it. “Go ahead and sit wherever. Oh, right! Yo, they’re here!” “Huh? What’d you say?” The
red-haired waitress from the night of the incident, Katie Vang appeared atop
the spiral staircase. Clearly surprised by the sight of her two other
acquaintances, Katie shot a nasty look directed toward Vernon. She came down
the stairs forcing a half-cracked smile across her pale, slightly freckled face.
“H-hey…been a bit.” “Guys, you know Katie
from the bar; and Katie you already know Nick’o, and this is Amala! I’ll be
right back got to go get the stuff I dug up. You guys go on, sit…sit!” Vernon
ran upstairs as the others sat in the front room on the expensive looking furniture. The room fell into a dead
silence. Everyone seemed to be deliberately avoiding eye contact. After a few
minutes Katie broke the stillness with a sigh. “How are you guys pulling
through?” “…” Amala remained quiet
while staring at Katie. “Umm…something on my
face?” “Huh? No!” Amala quickly
turned to look out the window. “Uhh…” Nicolaus
interjected. “I-I uh…have been doing fine, personally.” Amala continued to
stare off into space while looking out the window. “What’s her problem?”
Katie said in a hushed tone to Nicolaus. “I think her, and Vernon
may have something going on.” Nicolaus whispered. “Oooohhhh…” The perky
waitress smiled at her acquaintance. “I’m glad you’re alright, Spike.” “Same to you, Red.” “Alright, people! Here’s
what I’ve dug up with minimal research, I’d like to add.” Vernon said carrying
a laptop and two huge binders filled with files. (Minimal…he says…) The
others thought. “Check out this thread.”
Vernon brought up a forum on the Internet. “Come on, man...” Nicolaus
said throwing his head back in an exaggerated fashion. “Hang on, Nick. Just give
it a look.” A few people on the forum talked back and forth repeating
profanities and racial slurs, except for the few that attempted to have a serious
conversation. A few theories that were thrown around questioned the likelihood
of a gas pocket from underneath the mountain or a chemical spill. “Chemical spill…gas
pocket? You guys do remember the lights and crap, right? There’s no way all the
stuff we saw was anything like that.” “I thought so too! But
the more I dig, the more common answers like this seem to be circulated.” “What do you mean?” “It’s suspicious. This
has been happening for a bit now, at least a month. These lights and stuff, but
we’re the first people that it affected in this manner. Also, I don’t know if
you guys have been keeping up with the news, but the lights haven’t appeared
since we were up there. Also, I can’t find any actual witness accounts. There’s
something being covered up. You agree with me, right Amala?” The silent girl shifted
her gaze to the others, then returned to watching nothingness out the backdoor.
“Maybe…” She responded somewhat dismissively. “Do you have anything
else you dug up?” Katie said pushing her back further into the couch cushion. “Sure, sure. Here’s some
stuff people have written on the subject, and some videos.” Vernon brought up
more and more articles for the few hours. The group debated the ideas as most of
them were ludicrously inane. Many internet threads were filled with people
yelling vapid obscenities at each other and claiming it was either aliens or
terrorists. Everything came up as a possible catalyst, even an ancient evil
reawakening, but that was said in jest by Nicolaus; Katie was the only one to
chuckle. After a while the sun set as the night sky became painted in stars.
Vernon ordered food, and departed, while leaving the others alone in his house. Amala turned on the
television and with a small yawn her eyes began to flutter. She was clearly
very tired. Katie got up from the couch and walked over to the kitchen. “Hey, Spike! Can you help
me with something?” Katie shouted to the front room. “Yeah! Hang on I’ll be
right there.” Nicolaus walked over to meet Katie. “Hey, sorry. I just
wanted to talk to you alone for a second.” “Oh? What about?” “It probably looked bad
when you guys came in and just saw me here. I just wanted to clear that up
before things got anymore awkward between all of us. However, at this point the
little Indian girl and I are probably not going to become close friends.” “Well, as far as I go,
none of it’s my business.” “I know that, but still…” “Still…?” Nicolaus averted
his eyes as Katie attempted to make eye contact. “I was up here jogging when
I came across this place, and then Vernon came out of nowhere. He said that
everyone was coming over, so I just waited with him for a bit. That’s it, oh
wait, he also showed me all his vinyl records. That’s everything.” “Like I said…it’s none of
my business.” (I’ve got no reason not to trust her.) “Since it seems like
we’re going to be hanging out together for a while, I thought it would be best
to be honest with you and avoid any weird situations. I didn’t want you thinking
I rejected you for him or anything…” “…” As if the
conversation wasn’t already awkward, Katie’s last statement brought about a
sudden roadblock to the exchange. “Wait…No, I didn’t mean
to…” “It’s cool. I know what
you meant.” Nicolaus noted what seemed to be Katie’s genuine slip of the
tongue. He hadn’t paid any attention to it before, but in collaboration with
her story, the young waitress wore clothes for working out. Black shorts with a
green streak running up the side and matching jacket. He also took notice of her
long, toned legs to which the spiny haired young man turned his head to avoid
gawking. (Better keep my eyes upward or I’ll end up staring at those all
night.) “That’s what you wanted to talk about, right? You know, if we spend too
much time in here Amala will probably think we’re conspiring against her. She’s
pretty paranoid after all.” “Also, a little scary.” “Yeah, but she seems…okay;
if not a little spoiled.” The two returned to the
front room greeted by the light snoring of Amala who was fast asleep on the
couch. The television continued to drone on for a while as Nicolaus and Katie
continued their conversation. “So, what exactly do you
do again? I mean your job.” Taking a sip of her water Katie inquired. “Computer security. I’m
just a tech really, and lately it’s just been sitting and waiting. The
presidential conventions that came through a while ago were the biggest projects
I’d ever worked on.” Nicolaus took pride in his work and being able to gloat
about said work made him happy, despite his typical pessimism. “Get to see the
president?” “Well…no, we all just
kind of sat in the office all day.” “Heh!” A smug smirk came
across Katie’s face. “I got to see the president. Even shook his hand.” “Seriously?” “He came by the tavern. Apparently,
he loves that place, since it’s around where he grew up.” “I didn’t know he lived
down town.” “Yeah! Cool, right?”
Katie said puffing out her chest in a prideful manner, both metaphorically and
literally. Having noticed this Nicolaus averted his eyes as once again he’d
taken notice of Katie’s pronounce chest. “Sure is taking Vernon a
while to make it back. I wonder what’s taking him…” An odd feeling suddenly
overwhelmed Nicolaus. His thoughts became muddied as if they were being
forcedly overwritten. “He-hey Spike…” Katie
called out. “I don’t…feel too good.” She slid down onto the floor with her hand
covering her face. “S-Same…” Voices began echoing in their minds. They were
the voices of a little girl and a bunch of indistinguishable adults. Laughing,
singing, crying, screaming, pleading, they echoed louder and louder until they
became unbearable. “Ugh…s**t…!” Nicolaus held his head in-between his hands.
His grip tightening until his finger nails dug into his scalp. “Spike, are you hearing
this too?” On the floor lay Katie, clutching her head as the sound grew so
intense it became painful. “I can’t even…what the
hell is this!?” Then suddenly, it stopped. “What?” Amala shot up from her
slumber startling the two as they tried to recover from their previous episode.
She scanned the room for a minute and then turned to face Nicolaus and Katie. “…I…uh…” Amala was
attempting to look composed, but the tears in her eyes, and heavy breathing
proved to thoroughly undermine that. “…” She just looked away and covered her
face. Nicolaus winced slightly,
pulling himself to his feet. “Are you two okay?” Katie nodded. “W-What happened to you
two?” Amala asked, clearly distraught. “I’ve got no idea. It was
like …a headache, maybe. I think we both felt it, right?” Another nod from
Katie gave Nicolaus the confirmation he needed. “Whatever it was, was just like
the dream we talked about before, but…this time there was screaming, crying and
other stuff.” “And some little girl
too!” Katie added. “…What was the
girl…screaming and crying about?” “I couldn’t make anything
out. What about you, Katie?” “I heard something about
dancing, I think.” Katie sat back on the couch. “…” Amala went completely
silent. “Amala, what’s the matter?” The door to the house opened.
Vernon staggered in flanked by two young men. It was the other two young men
who’d survived the incident. Vergil Trask, a thin, young white man; rather tall
and lanky with snow white hair, adding to his semi-ghost like look. And Harper
Wolf, a shorter Asian boy with thick glasses, thin hair gelled up into a point
and a rather portly exterior. “Yo…” Vernon stumbled
over and plopped down on the couch next to Amala, nearly bouncing her up off her
seat. “…oh, right…sorry. The food’s over there in the bags the kids are
carrying.” Vernon covered his face with his hands and groaned loudly. “I just
had the weirdest stuff happen to me. It was after I bumped into these two at
the store. Harper, you tell ‘em. You guys felt it too, yah? Oh, by the way this
is Vergil and Harper, pretty sure you guys remember them from the incident…” “Yeah, I don’t even,
like…it just…” Harper attempted to put his words together until Amala
interrupted him. “You heard a little girl
screaming and crying about having to dance Swan Lake, while her father yelled
at her that ‘it would make her a proper young lady to learn ballet’…” A sour
explanation came from Amala as the room fell into a deathly silence. “…………” The stillness of
the room was ludicrous. “…Well, somebody say
something…!” Nicolaus was the first to break the silence. “What’s there to say!?”
Vernon got up from his seat. “If you needed any proof that something weird is
happening to us…there you go!” “W-what do you mean, man?”
Almost joyously Vergil finally was able to join the conversation by making that
statement, until everyone turned to look at him. “Sorry…” “I mean, this whole day
has been one constant string of weird coincidences.” “You mean like, us all
meeting up across the city even though most of us never hung out beforehand.”
Nicolaus remarked. “Okay…so there’s a ton of really crazy s**t happening, and
we’re all involved. Everyone…who survived the incident.” “Yeah! I’ve…got nothing
else to add. Aside from, ‘wow’ and I told you so!” “Is this really the time
for that? Anyway…I’ve got an idea. How about we go and take a look?” Everyone’s
attention was drawn to Nicolaus. “I mean, if we need answers, then it’s best to
go to the source, right?” Again, silence. “Uh…is that a ‘no’?” Part 6 Two cars drove along one
of the numerous dirt roads on the outskirts of Newtonville. The destination of
these vehicles was the ridge referred to as Newtonville rock. Trailed by Vernon’s
bright red sports car was Nicolaus’s sister’s old and reliable sedan. Amala and
Katie sat in awkward silence creating choking uncomfortable aura in Vernon’s
car, making him wish he’d opted to ride with the two young men, who rode with
Nicolaus. The two school boys texted back and forth despite being no more than
a few feet away. “Dude, did you see what
Lefty just said to Pete?” Harper called to Vergil who sat in the back seat. “Y-Yeah…crazy.” Was said
in response. Nicolaus groaned loudly. “What’s wrong, Nick?” “Yeah…you feeling sick?” “Oh, I get it! He’s upset
‘cause he’s riding in the car with us, and not the girls.” Harper let out a hefty
belly laugh. “That redhead is hot. You see the chest on her? Damn!” “S-She is really pretty.” “Now that I think about
it though, she’s not what you normally go for. The short one’s more your type. She’s
got that whole ‘better than you’ look down. Pretty face and probably big money,
she looks too young, for me. I guess some guys would probably be into that, but
I’m all about those curvaceous spitfire type women.” (Oh, God…I pray I never
sounded like these guys when I was a kid. Even though I’m pretty sure I did.)
Thoughts of jumping out of the car and running back to the city ran through
Nicolaus’s mind. “*Sigh*…Give me a break.” “Hey, it’s okay. Me and
Vergil aren’t really that popular with the ladies either.” “W-what do you mean?
Weren't you and L-Laura going out for like half a year?” “Pfft! I don't want to
hear this from you p***y-slayer! Maggie Prince has been eyeing you like a hawk
the past few weeks.” “She thinks I'm actually
g-good at schoolwork.” “Hah, no way, man! Then
she’d think I was good at school too; no one thinks that! Even my parents don’t
think that.” As the conversation
droned on Nicolaus seriously considered jumping from the car. “Isn’t that the
ridge?” Vergil pointed out. They’d finally reached Newtonville rock. Vernon
stopped his car suddenly, almost making Nicolaus crash into the back of him. “Hey!” Vernon shouted to
Nicolaus’s group from the open car window. “You see that?” He pointed out a
line of police tape blocking the main path up to the ridge. He waved over to
the side of the road signaling that he wanted to talk. Nicolaus pulled the car
over to speak with Vernon. “Now what?” “Depends…you want to
actually break the law?” Nicolaus scratched his
head for a second, and then recoiled in pain. (Oh right. I dug my nails into my
scalp.) He sat there looking at his hand for a second. There was a very slight
amount of blood underneath his nails. It wasn’t often that Nicolaus made decisions
that he didn’t have any idea of what the fallout may be, but this was important
to him. (This is probably a bad idea…but) “Nothing ventured, nothing
gained…Let’s go.” Vernon smiled. “Glad to
hear that! That’s an executive decision if I’ve ever heard one.” Vernon and
Nicolaus gathered their passengers and informed them that they’d be heading up
the ridge. As everyone walked up to the police tape, they began to feel
hesitant. The yellow police tape felt more like a stream of lava than a thin
strip of cautionary plastic. “I’m actually hoping we
don’t find anything…” Katie said under her breath, but it was loud enough for
everyone to hear. “I mean…” “We came all this way!
It’d be pretty boring if nothing happened though.” Harper laughed nervously
while brushing his hair with his hand. “Now’s the time to bail,
if anyone wants to. No matter what…I’m going.” Nicolaus said as he pulled up
the police tape and climbed underneath. He held it up so that if anyone wanted,
they could follow him. A myriad of quick glances
were exchanged amongst the group, with each person feeling hesitant to be first
to join Nicolaus. Amala simply walked underneath and join him on the other
side, much to everyone’s surprise. Vernon and Katie followed suit. Vergil and
Harper still waited, almost frozen with nervousness. “Listen…guys. If you want
to stay here, then go ahead and wait in the car. Like Nick said, now’s the time
to bail if you want. This is a crime, after all.” Vernon spoke to the boys sympathetically.
Harper earnestly pulled the tape up by himself and joined the group. Everyone
looked towards Vergil who was the last one on the opposite side of the
cautionary tape. “No pressure, Vergil.”
Nicolaus stated, seeing that the young man was more uncertain than his friend. “Come on, man! Don’t be a
p***y!” Harper shouted at Vergil. “I-I’m not a p***y!” “Oh yeah?” “Yeah…” Vergil
reluctantly crawled underneath the police tape. With that done everyone started
toward the top of the ridge. Amala began lagging behind which caught Nicolaus’s
attention. He slowed down to check on her. “What’s up?” The barely
audible grumbling coming from Amala set Nicolaus off as to her increasingly bad
disposition. “Nothing.” “You’re lying.” “How would you know?” “Pretty obvious. Almost
one hundred percent sure of it.” “…I’m nervous, okay?” “Then why’d you come
along?” “I don’t know, dude - er,
Nicolaus.” “Dude is fine; and thanks
for before. I think you being the first to nut up gave the others the push they
needed.” “Right…” “Speaking of which, why’d
you do it?” “…Don’t worry about the
‘why’. Actually, you want to pay me back? Those pills you mentioned; I want
some.” “Alright, alright.
Doesn’t really give me an answer though, but you got it.” Amala smiled at her
small victory. The bone chilling breeze
began to howl as Nicolaus and company finally reached the top of the ridge. Stars
filled the night sky over Trenton that sat off in the distance showcasing a
strong glow. “Alright, ladies and
gentlemen…enough gawking. Let’s fan out and see if we can find anything -
anything at all!” The commanding tone of Vernon’s voice shook everyone, but they
all did as instructed and began searching the area. “Damn, I guess he’s the
alpha in this group. Right, Verg?” Harper and Vergil walked off into the more
wooded area together. “I-I guess…” “*Sigh*…” Nicolaus
audibly sighed while palming his face. “Hey, Vernon! Nicolaus
and I are going to search over here, okay?” Katie called out to Vernon who gave
an ‘OK’ signal. “Come on, Spike.” “Alright.” Branches snapped beneath
Katie and Nicolaus’s feet as they wandered through the nearby wooded area,
aimlessly searching for anything that seemed out of the norm. “I’ve got no idea what to
even look for.” “Me neither. Spike, I’ve
got a question. What’s up with you and Vernon? I get that you’re not really
friendly, but don’t you think you’re being a bit over the top.” “You’re probably right;
it’s his draining personality that gets to me.” “True. Thing is…you are
kind of a downer too though…oh no, I mean -” “I know. My mother used
to tell me that too. I guess I’m letting past experiences with that kind of person
sway my opinion of Vernon. But seriously, you really don’t pull your punches.” “It’s completely by
mistake, I promise.” “Don’t worry; having a
friend who’ll kick you in the pants when you act like an idiot is important for
someone like me. Carl, despite his rampant sarcasm, used to do that for me.
He’d come up with dumb ideas all the time, so in those cases I’d be the one
playing the voice of reason.” “You guys were close?” “A little - we were kind
of, I guess. I’d known him since we’d first started working for the department.
He was sort of my boss at first, but things changed pretty quick as I got
promoted and he got demoted.” “How’d that happen?” “Every once in a while…he’d
take some jokes too far.” “Like?” “Jokes…about women we
worked with.” “Ah.” “Things about their
bodies…within ear shot of some people who didn’t really-” “I get it, I get it.” “See, thing is, I don’t
like keeping a large circle of friends. Probably a remnant leftover from the
high school days.” “Then, you were a loner
back in high school! I was right.” “Not really by choice…” “Huh?” “Nothing.” “Well, Antonio and I
usually just chill at home. So, we don’t spend too much time with our friends,
either.” “Antonio? That - uh, his
name?” “Yeah. That’s my
boyfriend. He’s way larger than Vernon, which is why if you meet him you can’t
tell him about me hanging out over Vernon’s place alone. He’d probably eat him
alive.” “Doesn’t sound like a bad
thing to me.” “Haha…” “May as well head back. I
don’t see anything.” “To be fair, we have been
talking almost this entire time and not really looking.” “Good point.” The two searched the area
leaving no rock unturned. After a few minutes, they finally gave up and went
back to the meeting spot. Along the way they heard talking coming from ahead.
The voices consisted of Amala and Vernon, but also some voices they were
unfamiliar with. “Hang on, Katie.”
Nicolaus peered out from behind a tree. He saw a tall, skeevy looking police
officer. He was talking to Amala and Vernon. “Crap…I should’ve guessed.” “What’s going on?” “The police are…” Then it
hit Nicolaus. (That’s the same officer from this morning…the one from the park.
This can’t be a coincidence.) “Spike…what’s up? ‘The
police are’ what?” Amala took notice of
Nicolaus as she looked off to the side. She didn’t want to make a scene, so she
began mouthing words to him. [From…this…morning] Nicolaus, not being a master
of lip reading was just barely able to understand what was being conveyed. Her
face was very clearly distressed, but she didn’t want to draw attention to her
hiding accomplices. “Found ‘em!” A sudden call from deeper in the
woods startled Nicolaus and Katie, but they remained where they were. Another
officer, this one much shorter and stockier came along dragging Vergil and
Harper by the collars of their shirts. “Alright, now where are
the other two? Kevin, you go ahead and take these kids down the ridge. I’m
going to find the others.” The skeevy officer said as he pointed down the hill.
Amala sucked her teeth, which caught the officer’s attention. “Excuse me!?” He
shouted in response. “…” Amala went silent
while holding a sickened glare at the officer. “You got a problem with
me, sand rat!?” “Yeah, I do! You’ve been following
me all day, haven’t you?” Amala snapped back with no fear in her posture.
Despite diminutive stature, she still had no reservations when it came to
someone insulting her. “Heh! I’ve been following
you all day for a damn good reason - don’t go thinking that you’re special or
something!” “Niles, stop! Remember…?” “…Fine…you’re right, but…”
The officer named Niles said as he grabbed Amala up by the arm. “Let go! Do not f*****g
touch me!” The color instantly drained from Amala’s face as Officer Niles
pulled his gun and pointed the barrel right in the face of the rambunctious
young woman. “Niles!!” The other
officer shouted. “Don’t worry, just
reminding this little brat who’s in charge?” “…” Tears formed in the
corners of Amala’s eyes as her knees buckled. “Whoa, whoa…let’s just
stay calm.” Vernon raised his hands and approached the officer. Niles quickly
turned his gun on Vernon. “Get the f**k back, you
freak!” He then turned his attention back to Amala. “Now, tell me where your
friends are?” “This is completely
against protocol, Niles!” The other officer known as Kevin stated. “Wait here…” Nicolaus
said quietly to Katie. “Excuse me…” He stepped out from behind the trees with
his hands held up. “Oh! There’s the other
one right there.” Officer Niles said as he pointed to Nicolaus. “We’re only
missing one now.” “We won’t put up a fight.
Just what…you said before, what did you mean?” Probing for information in
clever ways wasn’t Nicolaus’s forte, so he just flat out asked. “What…? Just get over
here!” “No…I mean…I’ll come, but
I want to know what you meant…when…” Nicolaus’s eyes widened in awe, as behind
the officers, part of the sky began changing colors. A slightly purple tint
crept across the dark night sky as if something was on fire and the smoke wafted
upward. “Uh…” The already frightened spiky haired young man couldn’t muster any
words as he simply backed away. All he could do to make the others aware of
what he was seeing was to point. Everyone turned to see the sky changing
colors, but then they noticed it was only a small part of the sky. It was the
air overtop of Amala that this ominous purple haze was stemming from. Now, eyes
red and puffy from just barely holding back tears she stared holes through the
officer named Niles. Niles backed up with his
gun trained on Amala. “T-They said something was weird about them! Should I sho-”
Before he could finish his sentence, the purple mist like substance formed something
of a large ghastly hand. It swung down on both of his arms with a gruesomely
thick and loud cracking sound, breaking them at the elbows. “U…AGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!”
The man shrieked in agony. The other officer in response drew his weapon, prepared
to open fire on Amala, but… “Wait!!!” Nicolaus said
as he reached out his hand to stop the officer. As he did this a large blue
mist not dissimilar to the one that emanated from Amala, aside from the colors,
flew towards the Officer named Kevin. The mist wrapped itself around Kevin and
catapulted him clear off the ridge at a breakneck speed. The last sounds that came
from Kevin as he was thrown out of sight were his screams and then a loud meaty
thud. Everyone went silent at this inhuman spectacle. “AGGhh…y-you
f*****g…monsters…” The smaller of the officers screamed out in pain. He pulled
himself to his feet and started towards Amala. She fell back onto her rear
attempting to distance herself from him. “You…f*****g sand rat, c**t…do you
know…what the…AGgghh…what you did!?” “St…” Tears now streaming
down her cheeks, Amala continued to back away. “Please…I don’t…stay away…” “Get away from her!!”
Katie yelled out as she ran towards the officer attempting to intervene in the
situation. “You little…b***h…I’ll
f*****g wring your neck! I’ll…f*****g kill you!!!” Amala screamed and covered
her head. When she did, the purple mist once again appeared and blew towards
the enraged officer and pushed into his chest, making his entire torso explode
outward. Blood and guts blew backwards completely covering Katie. Nothing was
left of the man, but legs, both broken arms, clothes, and his head which rolled
over toward Amala. The twisted and pain filled expression stared pitifully into
Amala’s eyes, until she could no longer take it, and passed out onto the
ground. Katie on the other hand looked down at herself…she was covered from
head to toe in another person’s blood and guts. She took a few seconds to register
what had transpired, but when she did, Katie vomited. “Ugh…ugh…wh�"what the
f**k!! Oh god!! What the f**k!!” Katie cried at the top of her lungs. Nicolaus
was still stunned at the fact that whatever blue mist came from him had just
killed a man, while Vernon and the other boys were horrified at what they’d
just witnessed. “Um…” Vernon tried to
compose himself at least to just get out some words. “Y…you…um…hang on…I…no…”
It wasn’t going very well. The wind began to pick up. That cold winter’s night
wouldn’t be forgotten anytime soon, by anyone who’d came to the small mountain’s
ridge. From then onwards it would become a driving point of both ambition and
guilt; constantly pushing all those involved past their breaking points,
destroying them and remaking them into something new, some great and others…vile.
End of Chapter 1 © 2020 Angelo Kingston |
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Added on September 9, 2016 Last Updated on February 2, 2020 Tags: Esper, super powers, psychic powers, action, drama, comedy, romance AuthorAngelo KingstonPhiladelphia, PAAboutI'd like to hear what people think as much as possible, so please feel free to comment. I will finish every single novel I start! more..Writing
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