Draft Day

"Another Hot Topic?" Angela complained to Robert, rolling her eyes dramatically. "I thought that the Mall of America of all places would have something new and exciting to do...not this same old, tired thing."

Robert raised an eyebrow at her quizzically. "Do you doubt the awesome power of Minnesota's most prolific monument?" He raised his drink over his head and made a small circle. "I mean, there are literally hundreds of irresistible and trendy shops here, and...roller-coaster. In the mall. Roller-coaster. Just sayin'." He lowered his cup and took a noisy sip, watching her over his thick eyebrows. Angela smiled at him. He's kinda cute, she thought. Definite second base material. She was usually into the athlete types. Wrestlers especially. So flexible. She shook her head. Robert was the brainy type. More than a little nerdy. Definitely not her usual.

At least he's tall, she thought, pursing her lips and fluttering her eyes exaggeratedly.

"Mon Ami, that is strictly kid's stuff," she retorted. "'Nickelodeon Land', seriously?"

Robert raised his eyebrow again at her. "You know something? I think you're scared."

"Scared?! Moi?", she exhaled, her eyes wide. She winced internally. She had promised herself to stop using French so much. Yes, she was proud that she had taken it this year as an elective, sure, but it sounded corny as hell when she used it like that. "I'm not scared of anything, my hirsute date for the weekend." He looked at her quizzically. Crap, she winced again. I also promised to stop showing off my vocabulary all the damned time...

They walked a few minutes more in silence. Robert was leading them towards the colorful and gaudy roller-coaster anyway, despite her protests. He stopped just outside of it and turned to her.

"Do...do you really think that I'm hairy?"

Angela did a double-take. He had understood that? That was very not usual...bonus points, nerd-boy. She recovered and ran a finger along his large, but, in her opinion, sexy eyebrows.

"Only in the right places, handsome," she cooed. He blushed furiously. So cute. OK, third-base material, she reflected, stepping back. "So, you appear to be insistent on putting me on this monstrosity..." she bowed at the waist and extended her palm. "Shall we?"

Robert grinned widely and they stood in line for the tickets. They got in a short time later, Robert grinning like an idiot. Angela smiled as well. It was infectious.Is he actually boyfriend material?, she mused as the car started moving, bringing them bumpily into the first loop before slowing and climbing higher.

There was a jolt when they reached the top and the roller-coaster stopped. There were a few gasps from the passengers and a groan of frustration from a couple of others.

Robert turned around in his seat, looking around. "Huh."

"What is it?" Angela asked.

"I dunno, some kind of mechanical failure I guess," he answered. He turned back to her and waggled his brows at her. "Looks like we're stuck here, sweetheart," he said in a falsetto film-noir detective voice.

She huffed and smiled back. "And there's no way for you to rescue me from this unexpected, but strangely advantageous position that we find ourselves in?" she replied, blinking her eyes rapidly.

Robert snorted. "Sweetheart, getting you out of here is the last thing...hey what the hell is that?" he cut off, his eyes narrowing at something going on behind her. Angela twisted in her seat frowning. There was shouting coming from down below, more than a few people running.

"No idea..." she murmured, leaning away to get a better view.

More people began running, some started screaming in panic. Angela felt her blood go cold.

"Holy shit, is it a terrorist attack?" Robert gasped, also leaning over the rail.

Angela shook her head, "I don't hear any shots or anything...what is going on down there...?"

A squad of Mall Security was backing up around a corner in a line, they had their pistols out and were shouting as well.

"Stay back!", Angela heard one of them shouting around the corner. "We will open fire! Stay back and get down on the ground!", one of the guards was shouting, his voice full of panic.

There was a flash of light from behind one of the jewelry stands in the middle of the floor, and the stand itself flew into the line of guards, scattering them like bowling pins. Angela exhaled loudly.

"Holy shit...that was an explosion!", Robert groaned, taking out his smartphone and pointing in in the direction of the guards. "It is terrorists!"

The guards that hadn't been knocked out rolled to their knees and started firing in the direction from where the flash had come from. Angela squinted and saw two figures walking there, apparently unaffected by the gunfire.

Numbly, she flipped out her own smartphone and started calling her mom. She dimly saw a tear from her face hit the screen.

"Yes? Angie, is that you?" came her mother's voice from the other end. Angela didn't answer immediately. She was staring at the two figures strolling nonchalantly in the middle of the mall floor, turning slowly, watching everyone.

They looked like two teenage boys. Angela squinted her eyes in confusion. She could see bullets hitting them, but...

"Angie? Angie What is that noise?" he mom shouted from the other end. "Are you watching a movie or something?"

"Holy shit...holy shit..." Robert was repeating, his shaky hands holding the camera. He was completely pale.

"M...mommy..." Angela managed to whisper. "Something's happening here at the mall...something bad..."

Silence from the other end. The gunfire stopped. Angela watched as the two boys walked up to the remaining guards and...

She turned away, trying not to throw up.

"Oh my God, Angie?! Angela, are you OK?"

"I want to go home, " she found herself muttering into the phone numbly. Her voice sounded like it was coming from very far away. "Mommy? I want to come home..."

"Attention youth of Minnesota!" one of the boys shouted, his voice booming. "We're here for your best, and your brightest!"

"And what better place to find them then here?! In their natural habitat!" the other one yelled out, more than a slight hint of amusement in his voice. Everything else in the mall had gone still, people frozen in place, afraid to move.

"Normally, we'd spend a little more time vetting everyone for this opportunity, but, you see, we are running very short on time, not to mention patience," the first one said.

"So, we're running a blitz event. Today only, " said the second. Angela thought she saw, even from up high in the roller-coaster car, his eyes were glowing red...

"Unlimited power and a place at the ruling table," the first boy continued. He seemed to also have a glow, but it was all around him, a hazy, blueish light. Am I going crazy? No...shock...it must be shock...Angela thought, tears streaming down her face.

"Any volunteers, please feel free to step forward."

"Angie!? Angie!" her mother screamed from the cell-phone. One of the boys down below frowned and looked up at them.

"And no sharing," he growled. He snapped his fingers, and there was a flash of red light. With a curse, Robert dropped his phone. People all over the mall did so too at the same time. With a frown, Angela realized that she couldn't hear her mother anymore. She looked at her phone. A small curl of smoke rose from it, the screen black.

"You see, brother?" the first one said with a sigh. "I told you that it wouldn't work. Free-will, my ass."

The second boy shrugged. "Better volunteers than slaves. You know my motto," he replied, grinning.

"All right then," the first boy growled. "We do this the hard way."

He held his hands out to his sides and closed his eyes. Tendrils of white light and smoke roped their way rapidly out from them. He opened his eyes, which were now glowing brilliantly white.

"We only need four of you, to replace our numbers...it must be seven" he said, no longer shouting, but his voice seemed to echo in the open space. "So, if you will, please excuse the mess."

He closed his eyes and whispered, "This one's for you, Dad..."

The tendrils began to reach people, swirling around their heads, shooting into their eyes. They shook violently, and collapsed to the ground, smoking. People screamed and tried to run, but the second boy waved his arms and walls of flame exploded out of the ground, penning them all in. Angela felt herself scrambling back in the roller-coaster car. The tendrils were reaching towards them as well...moving upward...reaching for her...

"OhGodOhGodOhGodOhGodOhGodOhGodOhGod!" Robert was shouting. The ropy smoke reached people in the car next to them. They collapsed a few seconds later, their eyes...their eyes were burned out of their heads...Angela felt herself drifting away, like she was watching herself in a movie. She felt like she needed to just wake up.

"Wake up, Angela," she whispered.

The tendril of smoke slammed into her like a physical blow.

She watched her life spin around her, like a movie in Virtual Reality, but at incredible speeds...her friends in kindergarten, the time she got lost in the woods for two days, her first kiss, the time she won the writing award, all the way up to her sweet sixteenth birthday the week before. All swirling, spinning...

It stopped and Angela took in a deep breath. She slowly looked around her.

She was still in the roller coaster car with Robert. He blinked his eyes at her and turned his head around slowly.

Everyone around them in the other cars were dead, their eyes burned out. Angela looked over the side of the car at the mall floor below them. There were people lying everywhere, not moving. Two of them, however, were still standing, and the began to walk slowly towards the two boys, one of them from a hot dog stand in the Food Court, the other a kid who maybe was all of twelve years old. Angela felt a pull...like she had to go to them as well...

She began to climb out of the railcar, completely disregarding the forty foot drop.

"Now, you just hold on there, little missy!", the red-eyed boy called out. "Don't want to waste all the time and effort, you know?" He raised his arm and there was a clanking noise as the car detached itself from the rails. He gestured again and it began to slowly descend to the floor.

It landed gently on the stone. She opened the side door and Robert and her stepped out. She walked slowly towards the two teenagers, her feet moving with a will of their own.

The boy with the white eyes studied them and nodded. The red-eyed boy smiled.

"Because gems like you are so hard to find." he said to her, cupping her jaw.

"They'll do," the white-eyed boy said gruffly. "Smart. Full of potential."

The second boy smiled. "Oh, we're going to be having so much fun together!" he said, clapping his hands together. "C'mon, let's blow this joint."

Angela felt herself nodding. Out of the corners of her eyes she saw the bodies lying all around her, but all she felt for them was...pity.

No, that wasn't right.

They were...unworthy.

She only felt disgust for them.

She turned her head and smiled at the boy.

"I'm ready when you are," she heard herself say.

Something deep inside of her screamed.