Esper Chapter 2A Chapter by Angelo KingstonEsper Chapter 2: Directionless Part 1 Buzz…buzz…buzz…click! “Hello, 911. What’s your
emergency?” The voice of an older woman inquired from beyond the speaker of a payphone. “Y…*Cough*…” A cough to clear
one’s throat came surprised the operator. The young man on the other end of the
line spoke again attempting to deepen his voice. “Yes…t-there’s an officer at
Newtonville rock - err…the ridge on the outside of Newtonville. I’m not sure,
but I think he may be seriously hurt. I don’t know what happened! There were
some gun shots and…something just threw him from on top of the ridge!” “Please calm down, sir.
We’ll send some cars out immediately. Sir, what is your name…?” “…” “Sir…?” “…” “Are you there? Hello?” Click…buzz…buzz…buzz… Part 2 Harper Wolf rushed back
to the ridge as fast as his chubby, short legs could carry him. What he
returned to could only be described as a bloodbath. Katie Vang, the young
red-haired waitress, sat on the ground desperately trying to wipe pieces of the
formerly living cop, Niles, off her person. She’d thrown her jacket to the side,
despite the cold while attempting to clean every part of her body that she
could; as the gore had seeped into every nook and cranny. Vernon Marino walked up
to Harper and grabbed him tightly by the shoulders, locking eyes with the boy.
“Did you do what I told you, kid?” “Yeah…I mean, I didn’t
know what I was supposed to tell them though.” Sweating bullets, Harper replied
while trying to avoid eye contact with Vernon’s threating gaze. “Hey, hey! Up here, look
me in the eye and tell me you followed my instructions!” “Yes! I did, okay?! I
called the police, I used a fake voice, I didn’t leave a name, I used my jacket
to avoid getting finger prints on the phone, and then walked on the rocky path
to avoid leaving tracks!! Are you f*****g happy; man!” “Ecs-f*****g-tatic, kid!” “Enough!!” Nicolaus
Thompson yelled at his two hysterical peers as they argued. “Look…I just…we
just need to do something.” While trying to regain some level of composure, despite
his own actions no less than a few minutes ago, Nicolaus sat down on the ground
taking deep breaths. “I think I’ve got it
covered. All of you need to work with me. Understand?” Vernon pulled a knife
out of his jacket pocket. As the cool headed young Italian-American man made
his way into the woods he stopped and called back to the others. “Nick, you come
with me! I need your help. Harper and Vergil get the ladies back to my car and
wait for us there. Get a move on, Nick!” Swift smack to the back of the head
broke Vergil Trask out of his daze as Harper pulled his friend along. The young
men then moved to carry Amala Singh back to Vernon’s car. After witnessing the
horror of a person’s body being utterly destroyed with her possibly being the
root cause, Amala had passed out from stress. Nicolaus and Vernon skulked
about the woods attempting to leave as few foot prints in the mud and dirt as
possible. “Vernon, what are we doing?” “There isn’t much time,
so we’re going to mess with this area as much as possible. Break branches, turn
up dirt, throws rocks around…whatever! We need to get the police off our trail.” “We’re really not going
to turn ourselves in?” “Turn ourselves in? Are
you kidding me? We’re done for if we get caught with all the laws we’ve broken.
Probably won’t even go to trial. Bet they’d just throw the book at us.” “We killed people, man!
We need to…do something…” “WE shouldn’t even be here in the first f*****g place! What do you
think the jury will think when they hear our side of the story, huh? That we
came up to this deserted mountain ridge for answers about the voices we’re
hearing in our heads? If I were them, I’d think we were some weird cult or
something. And if you happen to forget, it was whatever the hell you and Amala
did! I’m just trying to help you here.” “I…I don’t even know what
I did.” Nicolaus looked down at his trembling hands. (I killed a man…right? I
didn't mean to…) “Quit standing around Nick’o,
we don’t have time!” Snapping branches and slashing at tree bark with his knife,
Vernon rampaged through the forest doing everything he could to destroy the
trail. Nicolaus joined in and the two wrecked the path that ran around the
ridge. They finished and hurried down towards their cars. While Amala sat,
still unconscious Katie sat shivering in the backseat from both the cold air
and the shock she’d experienced. Harper and Vergil sat in Nicolaus’s sister’s
car, calling out for the others. Nicolaus and Vernon got into their cars and
sped off leaving just dirt clouds as they zoomed away. Part 3 Everyone, apart from
Katie, sat in the front room of Vernon’s house. The fiery redhead was busy scrubbing
herself so vigorously in the shower that normally pale and freckled skin was
reddening like a tomato. Vernon turned on the TV to break up the dead silence that’d
engulfed the room. Some time passed, and Katie meekly entered joined the group
without a word. As soon as everyone had sat down Vernon stood up and called for
attention. “Alright, let’s get this
started; we all need to talk about what just happened. We’re all freaked out, I
get that, but we can’t just sit here.” No one responded, causing Vernon to pace
back and forth across the soft white rug underfoot. He placed his hands over
his face and unleashed a muffled scream into his palms. “Okay, you know what?!
I’m not asking anymore. I’m telling you; Amala, Nick, what the f**k did you two
do up there!?” “What makes you think we
know!?” Nicolaus, metaphorically, exploded in his retort. He looked over to
Amala who’d awoken from her fainting spell. She sat lifelessly staring at the
floor. “What about you, Amala?”
No physical or verbal response was given. “Amala!!” Amala cut her eyes to
Vernon, then back to the floor without a word. “None of you understand how
serious this is! This isn’t a joke! We need to get our stories straight before
the police get here!” “Get our stories
straight? That’s what’s on your mind?” Massaging his temples, Nicolaus pressed
his back against the arm of the sofa. Katie sat grasping her knees tightly
whilst rocking back and forth. Vergil was pulling at his long white hair making
strands fall to the floor. Amala catatonically looked off into space. And Harper,
with his back turned to the group seemed to be typing things into his phone
nonchalantly. “Harper, what are you
doing? Give me whatever you’re playing with over there.” Vernon called out to
Harper nearly making him drop the device. “Will you just chill
out!?” Harper snapped back, then showed Vernon his phone. The screen displayed
a website with accounts of paranormal activities ranging from possession to
spirits attacking people. “Let me see that.” Vernon
snatched the phone. “…This also lists aliens and stuff. This is nonsense.” “Coming from you? That’s
funny.” Taking umbrage with the snarky and ill-advised rib coming from the
spiky haired pessimist, Vernon turned his gaze back to Nicolaus. “Okay then, how about it,
Nick’o?” “What?” “How about you tell us
what you think?” “Well…I...” “Wow, funny! It’s almost
like you’ve been opening your mouth all this time and nothing but blind cynicism
has been coming out. Some things never change.” “Okay, fine then…um…” “What? ‘Um’, what?” “Give me a second! It’s…”
Nicolaus took a minute to gather his thoughts. “I don’t know if I can convey
this the right way, but it was definitely me. My hand… there was some weight
when that blue misty stuff came out of me. …I don’t know. Never mind, it’s
dumb.” “…Do you think you could
do it again?” Quizzically, Nicolaus tilted his head at the proposal made by his
typically detested peer. “…Maybe…” Both men made their way
towards the front door. “Wait up, guys!” Harper got up and quickly followed
suit. After a minute, Vergil stood up and joined them outside of the house. The
four men walked into the wooded area close to Vernon’s home. Said homeowner looked
around and set his sights on a tree roughly twenty feet away. “Alright Nick, try and…I
don’t know, knock that tree over.” Indeed, it was a rather sizeable tree,
however it leaned significantly. If a car were to collide with the tilted
sapling it would have been easily uprooted. Nicolaus sat focusing for
a few seconds, trying to imagine the tree moving. Nothing happened. “Agh!” He
began fussing with his hair in frustration. “H-how about trying to think
back to how you felt before?” That was the first time that Vergil had chimed in,
surprising the others who’d forgotten he was even with them outside. “You know,
when A-Amala was about to get shot…” “I’ll give it a try.”
Nicolaus closed his eyes and tried to picture the scene from before. He
extended his hand again and tried to move the tree. Once again, nothing
happened. “Hang on…wait…” He tried to concentrate, furrowing his brow, almost
to the point of connecting the tips of his eyebrows. Unfortunately, the tree
remained motionless. “*Sigh*…maybe I should
get a gun and point it at Amala to see if that gets a reaction.” A joke, all be
it in bad taste came from Vernon. “What, not funny?” Nicolaus gave Vernon a disapproving
glare and tried again. “Look…it’s not working.” “Stop it, will you? I
need to focus.” They gave it a few more
tries, but after a couple of minutes Vernon gave up completely on the
experiment. “Alright boys, let’s pack it in for the night. You kids called your
folks and told them you were staying over a friends’ house, right?” The others
seemed done with their test, nevertheless Nicolaus remained steadfast in his
belief that whatever the phenomenon from before may be, was controlled by him. “Wait!” He shut his eyes
as hard as he could, focused his mind trying to make even a single leaf around
him move. “Well?” “No way…” “D-Did anything move…?” “…” Vernon let out a
gasp. Nicolaus turned to face the group. “…nothing moved. Alright, let’s go!”
They left Nicolaus outside feeling dejected and annoyed. (That…a*****e…) Even
though Nicolaus thought of punching Vernon in his smug face, knowing it
wouldn’t change anything stopped the surly young man. “*Sigh*…” Part 4 The powerful silence
blanketing the group of anxious young people was only pierced by sounds
inappropriately timed laughter resounding throughout the dead air of the home
from Vernon’s television. Be it from fear of nightmares or that something may transpire
while they slept defenselessly, not one of the participants of the impromptu
sleepover could manage to sleep. As the clock’s hands ticked past midnight
Vernon got up and grabbed some blankets for the others and then sat back on the
couch. (Even he can show some
compassion, I guess.) Nicolaus thought; then took notice of Katie laying within
ear shot with her bright red hair spilled out across the carpet like a drop of
paint. Her eyes were locked on the ceiling so firmly that it looked like eye
contact wouldn’t break even if the house came crashing down. “Hey, Katie, you feeling
any better?” Nicolaus whispered trying not to disturb the others. Katie rolled
over to make eye contact. “…I…” She started to say
something, but stopped before getting the thought out. She was still shuttering
slightly. Nicolaus reached out and grabbed her hand softly. His hand easily eclipsed
hers, wrapping it in a secure net of warmth. The young red haired waitress
stopped shivering, letting out a sigh of relief. “Sorry, I just…you know…” “…Thanks, spike.” Katie
pulled her hand away. “You’re pretty cheesy, you know?” “Yeah?” Nicolaus
chuckled. “…I just can’t forget that
sensation. His body…it was all over me?” “…” “Spike…Nicolaus, what’s going
to happen to us…?” “I don’t know…” “Could you lie to me…and
tell me everything’s going to be okay?” “…No, sorry.” “Hehehe…you really know
how to spoil a girl.” “Glass half empty is kind
of my thing.” “I can see that. Thanks,
all the same. I may actually be able to sleep now.” “Cool. You should get
some sleep. I think the others have all nodded off too.” “Seems like it. Night,
Nicolaus.” “Good night, Katie.”
Katie shut her eyes and almost immediately drifted off to sleep. (…I wish I had
a clue what was going on. How am I even supposed to look myself in the mirror? I
killed someone…and just left the bodies there. I haven’t felt this hopeless
since…high school.) Despite being able to provide Katie with some solace after
the night’s events, Nicolaus was still anxious. He didn’t sleep much that
night. Instead his mind was filled with thoughts of the officers, death, and
days from long ago. Part 5 Vernon was the first of
the group to be awaken. The sun’s powerful rays broke through his curtains almost
pin pointing his eye lids, forcing him up. Taking special care to avoid
stepping on the others that lay sprawled out across his floor, Vernon made his
way to the kitchen. Coffee was his objective and he was determined to get some.
As he started up the coffee pot an alarm sounded waking the sleeping
freeloaders. The alarm originated from Katie’s cell phone; who turned it off
immediately. The others looked at her,
all angered by the rude awakening. “Uh…” She started. “It’s so that I don’t
over sleep and miss my shift.” “Geez…is that all?”
Vernon went back to his seat on the couch next to Amala. “Okay, so what are we
going to do now? Come on, people! We can’t just sit around all day!” “Will you shut up?!” The
jarring roar that erupted from Amala surprised everyone. She’d remained quiet
throughout the whole escapade until that point so no one was expecting it. “I…I
mean, please, my head hurts. So, can you stop yelling?” “O-Okay.” Vernon was
visibly shaken which made Nicolaus chuckle to himself. “I guess we should go
back to our own houses for the time being. I’ve still got to drop off my sis…”
Nicolaus stopped half way through his sentence. He’d forgotten Katie was in the
room. (I’d rather not look like any more of a dork in front of her. She doesn’t
need to know that I’m driving my sister’s car around.) He restarted his
explanation. “I’ve still got to drop off my sister at her job.” “I’m still concerned
about what happened yesterday. Honestly, I didn’t expect the police to just
show up in the middle of the night and arrest us, but even with that said, we
still need to stay on our toes.” Vernon’s coldhearted calculating nature wasn’t
a surprise to Nicolaus as he’d already associated it with his character; though
he never would’ve thought that his co-worker would be able to remain calm in
their situation. Harper held up his phone
and showed it to Vernon. “I’ve been looking at all the news sites and they
haven’t said anything yet. You think, maybe they haven’t found the bodies?” “That’s impossible. That
ridge was covered in gore.” The room returned to it’s
all too familiar uncomfortable silence. Suddenly, Katie’s phone began to ring.
When she looked at the caller I.D. it caused her to jump up and exit the room
in a hurried fashion. A light tapping on the shoulder caught Nicolaus’s
attention. Amala leaned in close to whisper something. “You’re dropping me off
at home, right?” “Huh?” Even though
Nicolaus acted surprised, he knew that was coming. He’d given her a ride to Vernon’s
house in the first place, so taking her home was an obvious part of the
informal agreement they’d reached. “Don’t, ‘huh’! I need to
get home and you brought me here, so take me back home.” “You’re really freakin’
bossy, you know that?” He said whilst running fingers through his quill like spiky
hair. Katie returned to the
room looking a bit distressed. “I’ve got to go. Someone’s looking for me. Can
we maybe talk some other time?” “Alright. I see everyone
has got to get back to their normal lives now. But just remember, we need to
stay in contact with each other. If something else happens, like the police
call or come to you, or even more so if that mist stuff comes out of anyone
else, contact the others. Let’s exchange numbers, people.” They started
exchanging phone numbers, then gathered their things and headed for the cars. “We can actually walk
from here.” Harper spoke up for himself and Vergil, who’d remained totally
silent the entire morning. “Nah. Hop in; I’ll drive
you kids home. Yo, Katie, what about you? Need a lift?” “N-No… I’ve got to run.
I’ll see you guys later.” She quickly sped off on foot despite Vernon’s offer. “Okay…Amala?” “No. Nicolaus will drive
me home. He doesn’t live too far from me, so it shouldn’t be too much hassle on
his end. Also, I’d hate to cause you any extra stress, considering how
accommodating you’ve been to this point.” The amount of politeness Amala exuded
made Nicolaus gag. Amala jabbed the overly expressive man in his side with her
elbow. “Okay. I see. Well, if
you’ll excuse us. Come on, kids, let’s go.” Vernon was blushing a bit. It was
clear Amala struck a chord with him, though he still tried to play it off
coolly. Nicolaus started up his
sister’s car, and with Amala in tow, drove off. They made their way to the highway
without a single word between them. Amala slouched down in her seat and closed
her eyes. “…Uh…” Nicolaus took
notice of his passenger and began to worry. “Hey, are you okay?” He reached over
and touched her on the shoulder, but it elicited a reaction he wasn’t prepared
for. “AGHH!!!” Amala began
flailing her arms causing one of her finger nails to cut across Nicolaus’s
face, just below the eye. This caused the young driver to temporarily lose
control of the car, just barely being able to pull over to the side of the
highway. Other drivers drove by
honking their car horns and cursing, as Amala and Nicolaus sat on the side of
the highway catching their breath. “Ugh…” The cut on
Nicolaus’s cheek was deep, bleeding down onto the young man’s shirt. “What the
f**k was that for!?” “I’m…” Nicolaus demanded
an explanation from Amala as she backed into the car door, looking like a
frightened animal. “I-I just…” She scrambled for the door handle. Once Amala
got her hand on it, the young woman bolted from the car. “Wait!! Amala!!” After
putting his flashers on and setting the car in park, Nicolaus got up and ran
after Amala. “I said wait!” Once he caught up to her, he grabbed the small woman
by the wrist. “Ahhh!!” Again, Amala
backed away in terror, falling to the ground with a feral look in her eyes as
she shielded herself. “Sorry…I didn’t mean to…” “No…just…” A car slowed
down behind them. An older, large woman got out. “What are you doing to
that poor girl?!” The woman came up pointing her finger, looking positively
livid. “You get away from her, right now!” “I didn’t do anything, I
swear!” Nicolaus and the woman bickered for a few minutes until Amala got back
to her feet. “I’m fine, ma’am. Hey,
come on.” Amala shuffled back towards the car and Nicolaus followed suit. “You better watch
yourself, boy!” The woman yelled as she got back into her own car. Nicolaus sat in the car
with Amala as the one woman from before drove by, looking angry and gesturing
that she was watching him. The two remained totally silent for a few minutes
without so much as making eye contact. Nicolaus pulled a napkin out of the
glovebox and pressed it over the wound on his face. “Sorry.” Amala sincerely
said as she lowered her head. “It’s okay. Do you want
to explain why you freaked out like that?” “Should be pretty
obvious…” “…Yeah, I guess. You
didn’t freak out this morning though…” “Probably because, I
didn’t sleep yesterday. Every time I got ready to close my eyes…I kept seeing
it happen over and over again.” “Wait, are you saying you
didn’t sleep at all last night?” “Nothing more than for a
few minutes. I was starting to fall asleep in the car before…then when you
touched me…” Amala covered her eyes and started wheezing. “I-I’m sorry…I
don’t…I don’t think I can take it…” “…” Nicolaus sank down
into his chair. “I don’t know what to tell you. I did the same thing…kind of.” He
said while reaching for a new napkin to help his cut. “Seems like the both of
us spent last night trying to figure out what we’d done. Ouch!” The pain of the
gash on his face abruptly cut short the attempted expression of empathy. “I
need to get something for this cut…” “I think there’s a gas
station just up the road.” Nicolaus noted that statement and drove up the road. The two arrived but
before Nicolaus could exit the car Amala stopped him. She got out herself and
walked into the store as the young man waited, nursing his wound. Amala returned
to the car window and handed Nicolaus some medical supplies. “Thanks.” “Pop the gas cap. I owe
you gas money…” He obliged and waited for Amala to finish filling the tank
while tending to the cut on his face. She finished and rejoined Nicolaus, who
then parked the car in a nearby lot. “What’s the matter? Just drop me off at
home.” “Hang on…” Nicolaus
started playing with his hair. “I’m sorry. I know it
hurts, ok?” “It’s not that…what I’m
trying to say is…” “…Out with it, dude!” “Ok, ok, ok! I was going
to say…” Nicolaus took a deep breath, making Amala get nervous and back away
slightly. “…We…meaning you and I…went through a lot last night. I was thinking
about it while you were in the gas station and realized that even though we did
two different things, they were kind of similar. And we’d probably not be able
to talk to anyone of the others about it - or anyone for that matter. I’m
trying to say…that if you need to talk to somebody about the way you’re
feeling, about…you know, stuff, you can talk to me…” “…” “Or you don’t have
to…whatever.” Amala snickered. “You’re
really a rare type of person, Nicolaus Thompson.” “…Is that a good thing…?” Amala smiled, not like
her previous smiles Nicolaus had seen before. Even with her make up all faded,
bags under her eyes and hair out of place, the goofy and wide smile looked
genuine. “Thanks. Maybe another time though. I’m barely keeping my eyes open right
now.” With both lacking sleep and barely being able to put together a truly
coherent thought, Nicolaus conceded that maybe it would be best just to end
things. “Right! Well, let’s get
you home then.” Part 6 Nicolaus drove up to
Amala’s apartment. She got out of the car and prepared to wave goodbye but
stopped and leaned into the window signaling that she had a question. “I forgot to ask, do you
remember that chubby kid from earlier?” “Uh…yeah. What was his
name again?” “Harper Wolf…right?” “Yeah, that’s it. You
know him?” “Oh, no. I…had a friend
with that last name a couple of years ago. Just thought maybe he was a
cousin…or son…maybe.” “Ask him next time we
meet up. I’m sure that Vernon will make us all have another meeting.” “Yeah. Probably will.
Anyway, thanks dude.” “Yeah. See ya’.” Nicolaus drove off,
leaving Amala shrinking in the rearview mirror until she was out of sight. A sudden
ring on the young man’s cellphone surprised him. It was Dani, Nicolaus’s
younger sister. The pessimistic young man audibly sighed as he expected to be
chastised for not returning home the night before. “Sup, Dani?” Rustling came
from the phone speaker. Nicolaus could make out what sounded like his younger
sister talking to an unknown man with a heavy Spanish accent. “Dani, come on. I don’t
see why…” The voice of the man sounded distressed. “Just not yet, okay? My mother
would flip. But since you’re here, I’ll introduce you to Nick…whenever the hell
he gets back here with my car. You know what? Let me give him another call…”
The rustling came again, then prolonged silence. “What’s up, Dani?” “…Hi, Nick.” Dani’s voice
trembled. “Something you want to
tell me?” Nicolaus replied in a snarky tone. “W-When’ll
you be home?” “Soon.” “I’ll…tell you when you
get here?” “Sounds good. See you
then.” Nicolaus hung up the phone. (Whatever this is, it can’t be good.)
Another call came in. Nicolaus pulled over to the side of the road and prepared
to answer, scoffing when he noticed it was Vernon. “Yeah…?” Vernon started off
sounding troubled. “Listen up Nick’O, I just got a call from the cops, so you’ll
probably be getting one soon too. They’re most likely going to want you to come
down to the station.” Nicolaus’s heart jumped in his chest. The thoughts of
blowing that officer off the side of the ridge resurfaced. He felt almost like
throwing up due to the sudden overwhelming anxiety but held it back. “Hey, you
still there? I need you to listen. Remain calm and don’t…” “I know, okay! I’m headed
home for now. If they call me…and only if
they call me, I’ll go.” “Fine…keep in contact.
I’ll let you know if anything changes.” The phone call ended. Nicolaus sat in the car
off to the side of the road. With the radio turned off the cars whizzing by filled
the dead air. He placed his head on the wheel, and then undid his seat belt. He
cranked the car seat back and stared at the ceiling. (And I’d almost gotten
that crap out of my head. I’m saying that was ‘crap’ now…what’s wrong with me?
How can people live with themselves after killing someone? I should just turn
myself in. No, I can’t. If I did, then…everyone else would get in trouble too.
And, it’s not like we meant for that to happen. I…I just…I’m making this worse.
The longer we wait, the worse it’s going to get. Damnit all! I don’t know what
I’m supposed to do! If only I had an answer or…knew what the hell I was supposed
to do. That Vernon could remain calm this entire time is so…unnerving. The more
I’m around that guy…the more he confuses me. At work, he’s the type to come up
with the plan; the others would rely on him for answers. Years later, and I
still don’t trust people like that…people who can always remain calm and try to
maintain control. It’s so unnatural…) Nicolaus looked at his
phone and noticed he’d spent nearly an hour just staring off into space. (Dani’s
probably still waiting for me.) He still had a twenty-minute drive ahead of
him. After taking a few deep breaths he resumed his trip home. End of Chapter 2 © 2020 Angelo KingstonAuthor's Note
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Added on November 1, 2016 Last Updated on April 26, 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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