Miles's heart pounded in anxiety as a conflicted turmoil of feelings started to grow inside his chest: one was the relief of being still alive, the other the terrible feeling the danger wasn't over yet.
He stared worriedly at the raging ocean below. Despite in those days he hadn't been bothered about swimming at all, he couldn't help but hate the thought of himself bathing in that swirling, not so inviting and dangerous-looking pool of debris .
He glanced at the others, who were now staring at the landscape with all kind of different emotions colouring their expressions: Laura thoughtfully observed the horizon as if trying to figure out what was hiding in there, Rich stared at the water with a deep hateful frown while Caitlyn instead kept an eye at the surface immediately near the steeple as if it was a monster ready to eat her alive.
«The water's really high» she whispered at some point. Miles could tell by her expression that her mind was replaying the scenes of Puerto Rico they'd seen on TV before leaving his house. «Why isn't it receding?»
At the sound of her question, the woman turned toward her as if it was meant just for her. However, she still seemed a bit unsure about what to say.
«Usually it takes a while for things to get back to normal» she answered at last, glancing esitantly at the swirling ocean as if to make sure it was still in there.
«...but?» encouraged Miles feeling the word looming in the air. At that the woman briefly glanced at the horizon, then looked back at them with a serious expression mounted on her face. Miles couldn't tell what was happening in that head of hers, but he could surely guess it wasn't good news.
«C'mon Laura» encouraged Rich crossing his arms. «tell them»
And it was obvious that with THEM he'd meant US.
The woman let out a deep breath, clearly not ecstatic about what she was going to say.
«What I mean is... well... usually a tsunami is caused by a powerful earthquake» she esxplained «but the one happened today... it stroke the entire south-eastern coast! a wave of this proportions must've been the consequence of a HUGE earthquake, one so powerful that the plates in the area must've suffered a remarcable change in the process ... maybe one of the greatests ever happened in geology history!»
«The radio» mumbled Miles. «Yesterday evening a guy on the radio talked about a nine-point-something earthquake near San Juan... could this be the one you're talking about?»
Laura nodded widening her eyes.
«Absolutely» she comfirmed. «Near San Juan you said?»
«I think so»
A frown shadowed her light blue irises.
«What is it? » encouraged Rich recognizing the expression. «Is it that bad?»
She looked at him with a sigh.
«I fear yes» was her answer. «Have you ever heard about the Valdivia earthquake?».
«Nope» pipes in Caitlyn
«It was the greatest earthquake ever registered on dryland. 9.5 of Richter magnitude scale» explained Laura《but what concerns us is that the affected area suffered a series of irreversible changes that persisted 'till our days: the sea level rose drastically, an ancient dead volcano woke up from his sleep, rivers became swamps... in synthesis nothing ever returned like it was before» she was looking at them with an intense expression, waving her hands around as if to reach something she couldn't grasp with her words only. «Now, if the quake causing our tsunami was even slightly that powerfull, the sea bottom in that spot has probabily changed like landscape did in Valdivia »
«What are you trying to say?» asked Caitlyn with a small voice. «that Wilmington too won't return as it was before?»
Laura gave her a compassionate look, then nodded.
«If the Earth's crust near San Juan has endured the kind of changes I have in mind» she paused looking at the landscape, then sighed glancing back at them. «the water is more likely going to rise than to recede»
Miles stared at the horizon in shock.
His city? Submerged in water forever? He didn't want to believe that.
«How come you know all of that stuff?» asked Caitlyn preceding him and maybe hoping to find a lack of reliability in her theories «Are you only guessing? Or you know for sure?»
«Well... I'm an oceanographer» the other answered with a brief smile that quickly disappeared «even if mine are only speculations, I know what I'm talking about : this » she hinted at their surroundings «is not reversible» and her serious expression, joined to the fact the water wasn't hinting to low down, were only ulterior confirmations.
«Oh» murmured the girl looking away at the ocean.
«Why nobody was expecting it?» chimed in Miles. «I mean, how's possible that an eartquake that big wasn't predictable? Shouldn't somebody check this things out?»
«Sadly, earthquakes can't be predincted » she answered with a sigh . Then her expression suddenly changed. « Even if... this time» she esitated glancing at Rich as if he was the only one up there who could understand her problem. Miles stared at them knowing he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear.
«This time» said Rich crossing his arms. «there was someone who knew»
«and who was that?» asked Caitlyn weidenind her eyes.
«Iderdex» answered Laura. «we're more than sure that they knew about the tsunami»
«And about the creatures too» echoed Rich crossing his arms. At that Miles gave them all his attention.
«And how can you be so sure about that?» asked the girl. «they were there, but we haven't heard anything about a tsunami... if they knew they would've warned every one!»
«Believe me. Not having heard anything from them, doesn't mean they didn't know » answered Laura with a frown.
«And how do you know? Were you working for them?» asked Caitlyn
«Oh no» the other answered «It's a long story really... let's just say we were sort of... visited -well without permission- their facility here in Wilmington and judging by the kind of evacuation they were carrying on we are extra sure they were well prepared for what happened YEARS before the autorities alerted the rest of the population»
«And why didn't they warn anyone then?» squeaked Caitlyn nervously «They were right there in Wilmington! Why didn't they tell anybody? They could've saved a lot of lives!»
«I don't know Caitlyn» said the woman with sadness «all we came to know is that they were part of a project that made the crearures into existence. Why they programmed them to dig into the sea bottom or why they 'd built them in the firstplace, is still a mistery»
«Wait wait wait, what's that you've just said?» asked Miles alarmed by her words. «Built? Programmed? What does this exactly mean?» he demanded with a deep frown darkening his eyes.
«Well» said Laura esitantly, throwing a quick glance at Nim. «the creatures are man-made»
« Man-made?! » he repeated incredulously. Milions of questions started twirling in his confused brain. When? Why? How?
«And how's that even possible?» he snapped «And How come you two know all of that stuff and the rest of the world doesn't have a clue about it? Why didn't you say anything to anyone?» his tone was a tad accusing now and his words a lot harsher than he had intended them to be.
« Because » said Rich with a hint of anger in his voice too «we've spent those last months risking our lives in order to find a way to understand what was happening: after days spent in a rusted dump trying to figure out where the creatures were hiding, we almost drowned five thousands feet underwater to film their existence, then almost got killed multiple times because a secret agency thought we knew too much... and what else? Oh yeah: when we tried to alert the world like you said, they made our story sound as a fraud and all of our freaking hard work ended up in the wastebin!» he was glaring at him now. « That's why we know all of that stuff»
A mix of embarassment flared Miles' cheeks and for a moment he looked away in shame. He had been so confused and scared of what their revelations implied that he hadn't thought that maybe those two had actually tried to alert everybody... and in front of a news as incredible as the announcement of the existence of dinosaur-like creatures, nobody had believed them of course.
Then their words finally sunk in: a secret agency? A company programming living things and hiding the fact from the public? It was just too absurd to believe... maybe even more absurd than the existence of mithological creatures.
He stared at them in disbilief.
«leave him alone, Rich» scolded Laura with a meaningful glare, then glanced back at Miles who had just managed to get a grip over his surprise. «We tried all we could to warn people about what was happening, but no one believed us, at least no who could've done something to prevent the disaster. In any case, we don't know why Iderdex -or at least the Company they worked for- created those things. What we do know instead, is that they programmed them to dig huge holes in the Earth's crust and didn't want anyone to know what was happening ... that's all. Saved that, we're as clueless as the rest of the world is, I'm sorry»
Miles grabbed the handrail in shock, his heart bumping in his ears while he inspected the swirling water below. He couldn't believe it, he didn't want to. All of what was happening to them -to him- was a misterious Company's doing?
«Now what?» he asked almost in a whisper.
At first his question hung unanswered in the air, the news Laura had just told them still ringing in their ears. Then Rich woke up from his shock and collected some will to answer.
«We find a way to get out of here» he mumbled.
«And how? We're trapped» said catlyn as matter of fact.
The guy smirked.
«Not if we can call for help» he announced picking from his poket something that made the girl widen her eyes in surprise.
«You have a phone!» she exclaimed.
THAT was a good news, Miles realized with a smile.
«Yep» the guy answered. «We won't be stuck in the middle of nowhere again» He placed it over his ear.
«Again?» asked the boy giving Laura a confused look, who simply pursed her lips without answering.
They all waited anxiously for Rich's reaction, staring at him expectantly, but their hope was quickly replaced by resignation as the peacefull expression on Rich's face changed drastically into a very enraged one.
«What's wrong?» asked Laura pursing her lips in worry, even if her eyes told clearly she already knew the answer.
«Lines are dead» was Rich's reply as he shut down his flip phone with a loud plop.
«We can't be sure, maybe it's only temporary» the other told optimistically. « Try again. I'll try with mine» added then picking hers out of her pocket.
Rich didn't seem convinced but still obeyed.
A few tries later it was official: cellphones weren't going to help them with their problem.
«The relays» lamented Rich sitting on the pavement in resignation. «the tsunami must've knocked 'em out»
«What are we going to do now?» asked Caitlyn worried «we can't leave the city by swim, can we?»
«We can try with a payphone» suggested Miles. The others looked at him like he had just grown a second head. He cleared his throat. «I mean, I saw in a movie that those things aren't like cellphones, they still work even after a natural disaster»
«Miles» she scoloded with a doubtful expression. «movies tell lots of stupid things»
«No no, the boy's right» interrupted Rich while a glimmer of hope started shining again in his eyes. «payphone wires run underground and are powered by their operator's station, so it is possible that they're still working»
«And where on earth do we find a payphone not submerged in water yet?» asked Laura skeptically.
«It's something at least.» muttered Rich thoughtfully «We should try, I don't want to be stuck up here»
«Neither do I» retorted Laura «but how are you planning to leave the steeple while we're still surrounded by tons of water? The current's still too high: who enters risks to be dragged away, not mentioning that creature we'd seen inside the church ... I bet it's still around, not alone, trying to find something to crunch into pieces while we're sitting up there» she protested «No, I refuse , we'll wait for help. We've risked our lives just enough for one day» and with that Miles was sure she wasn't only referring to the tsunami.
«Haven't you heard the range of destruction the wave has coused?! it can take ages for rescue parties to come our way!» snapped Rich «Should I remind you how much we've stayed in the middle of nowhere last time?»
Miles had the impression this was the same subject the guy had hinted a few moments before, but didn't ask for confirmations.
«You know Rich, that's exactly the point » Laura said gesturing with her hands «last time we were literally in the middle of nowhere and no one beside Jackson or my former husband knew anything about it» she seemed calm... but almost hissed the last words. «while this time we're way far from the water, on a roof , in a city that surely will be inspected as the world knows what had happened there... not mentioning the fact that there's surely someone who's already looking for them» she pointed at the kids. «If not for us, they're coming for them! Let's stay 'till we can, if nobody comes our way... we'll think of something. For now it's safer up here, where we can see clearly if someone is coming and were we are safe from the creatures»
«She's right» echoed Miles pointing down at the water «Look»
The others all glanced at the spot: a huge green light shone from the dephts while a tremendous sound started reverberating through the walls.
A growl. A very loud and dangerous one.
Laura was right: the creatures were still around.
«It's one of them» mumbled Rich looking at Laura. No trace of his previous stubborness could be found in his tone anymore.
«We have to stay here, where it's safe » she repeated more convinced than ever. «Rescue parties are surely on our way, we have only to be patient»
«What if that creatures sees us?» asked Caitlyn concerned.
《They won't bother us» she answered. «we're too far from their reach»
Rich sighed.
«Fine, we'll stay then» he said, even if a hard glare colured his expression «but if nothing meaningful happens before tomorrow, I'll go looking for another solution»
«We have a deal» approoved the woman almost satified. Well... almost.
Rich glared at the horizon in silent agreement.
The sun was alfway his descent toward the horizon now and a small breeze slithered gently between the half submerged buildings. Other waves had hit the coast while they waited up there, but they were nothing compared with the ones happened before: the water had only risen a little bit more, but was still enough away from them to be safe from the creatures.
Rich had repeated a couple of times he didn't like to sit still doing nothing before deciding to climb down the stairs and take a closer look at the water. He'd lasted short, though: after a broken window and a walk on the roof ended up with a pretty big heart-attack, he'd climbed back were he'd started muttering about how he 'hated those things' and how 'he could've fixed them if he had his harpoon with him'. His entrance had made a few laughs rise from the others, but the mood had returned soon underground .
Miles had surveyed the water from the parapet after his returm. Under the surface two huge silhouettes had circled the steeple looking for food. Then, realizing their closeness was only making his system kick into maximum-danger-ready-to-zap mode, he'd decided it was way better if he avoided any contact with them... so he'd sat with the others.
However, excluding their temporary restlessness while the water had moved another time and that brief encounter, things had become quieter... maybe too much.
Boredom in fact was the best word to describe what they were feeling right now.
They were all sitting on the pavement.
Miles was staring at the sky almost mechanically: no elicopters, no boats or hints of rescue parties had been seen the whole day. This particular lack of events though, had allowed the boy's mind to run free without giving him the chance to get a grip over his thoughts.
He couldn't help but think about how ridiculous was their situation: they had managed to escape not just one, but a series of tsunamis... only to end up stuck on top of a steeple with no other choice but wait.
He started thinking about their crazy day, about his parents, his sister and the fact he didn't have a clue about what had happened to them. This on its own was a paricularly big concern, but then his thoughts ran straight into replaying all the events leading to that, every single one of them, starting from the beginning -a wakeboard evening with his friends ended up with the terror of being eaten by something hiding under the water- and then all the spiralig ones happened right after: an egg found at the bay in the middle of thousand others, a very unpleased mom lamenting about a wrecked aquarium, a strange lizard hiding in his sister's bathroom, a long ride on a stolen car, the bite on his leg, the hospital... his mutation.
Let's get this straight: he wasn't regretting anything of what he'd done for Nim, he would've done it hundreds and hundreds of other times if it meant he could preserve their friendship... but what he'd done to Greg, what he'd been about to do to that guy on the ferry, and the constant electric buzz he'd felt ever since his recovery, the thoughts that had started intruding his mind... he couldn't help but be scared about that.
Nim's purring shook him out of his thoughts for a brief moment .
His little friend... their bond was unique. Special. Anything in his life had ever been so intense as the feeling his friend's presence scatured in him. With hIm around he really felt at home... and he would've done anything to protect him.
then...
Man-made.
The thought popped in his mind out of nowhere hitting him as powerfully as a hurricane. Those had been the adults' words to describe the creatures... and they'd creeped him out a lot .
Nim? The result of an experiment?
He had always considered him a revealed mistery coming from the ocean: A sea monster, a legendary creature... not part of a crazy experiment gone wrong. That news had made him and his kind seem more like dangerous inventions than powerful and wondrous animals...but at least had explained -even if in a minimal way- why all of those things had happened and were still happening to and around him: his mutation, the electricity... the fact those creatures could actually speak. The fact they were the result of human's toying with nature shouldn't have surprised him after all: Nature would't have ever created some freaking monster capable of destroying its equilibrium... or of changing another being's nature in the first place. Only humans could do something that stupid.
The mental picture of the slitted pupils in his reflection's eyes popped instantly in his mind like the memory of a nightmare. How much was the mutation affecting his body? Was it already done? Or there was some thing else on the way, maybe a tail or a pair of claws just to mention a few ?
A cold shiver ran up his spine: a freak. That he was becoming... and he couldn't do anything to prevent it.
Nim's purring cached his attention again. A rush of fondness flowed gently in his system as they locked eyes, making him aware once more about the special bond the two of them shared: Nim was kind of telling him he understood his pain and wanted to help him be happy again. This made a smile of joy and pride part from his lips, while a gust of self-hatred about what he'd just thought filled his mind in return.
Whatever is happening to me doesn't change anything, he thought while scratching nim's ear. You're still my best friend.
A series of purrs and whines were his response. And you are mine, was the word-less thought that had accompained them.
It reminded him of the voice. Of course, what Nim had just done wasn't the same thing he'd felt inside the church a while before. He wasn't one hundred percent sure, but in that occasion words -english words- had something like popped inside his mind out of nowhere, soundig like his own but not belonging to him at all... as if someone else had used his own within-voice to talk to him.
Nope, it had been different from what he had grown used to feel with Nim. Still, he had the impression that something was slipping from his grasp : what had been the cause of it if not one of the creatures?
Was it you? he mentally asked observing his friend. But Nim simply blinked as if not understanding his question, then gazed away starting licking his paw.
Maybe he'd only imagined it, Miles thought, or maybe he was seriously becoming a disturbed sociopath with double personality issues like he'd suspected since all of that had begun...
These were the kind of thoughts that, despite his desperates tries to shut them up, his brain insisted on replaying in a loop.
His mutation, the creatures, his city, his family...
It was all so unnerving he found himself hating with all his might that apparently inexistent Company the adults had talked about. In the end, if they were the actual creators, what was happening to him was all their fault.
Not Nim's. Not the creatures'. But exclusively theirs.
«You're hands are shaking» mumbled Caitlyn at some point noticing his bad mood. «Are you okay?»
«Yeah yeah, I'm all right» he answered far too quickly with a shrug... but her we-haven't-finished-yet stare declared clearly she hadn't bought it. She waited for the rest, but Miles found himself not ready for it at all: he knew of course she was the only one he could talk to -she was the only one knowing about the mutation after all- but he didn't feel ready for an open-hearted kind of conversation. And besides, those two strangers looking at him without knowing yet -and hopefully never- about his little problem, made his decision to stay put and quiet seeming far way better than the alternative 'hey dudes, don't judge me, but I'm a mutant kid'.
Cait understood his silent plead and quickly dropped the subject.
«You know Miles » she mumbled instead. «I haven't thanked you yet»
He blinked twice and gave her a confused look. «About what?» he asked.
She let out a brief laugh.
«About what you've done today you silly, about what else otherwise ?» she said with a smile «If it wasn't for you we would've been all swimming in that murky pool down there right now»
«Oh» he mumbled blushing. «It was nothing, really... and beside it was Rich the one who took us upthere»
«Nothing? Are you kidding? » asked Caitlin skeptically. «You risked your own life coming back to find me with a tsunami on the way... and you saved me driving that car away from your house. If you hadn't taken this responsability in the first place none of us would be still alive»
«Yeah» agreed Rich with a smirk. «if you're not counting the fact you've almost killed us in the process»
Miles slightly blushed at that. «I-I-I'm sorry» he mumbled looking away. «I was scared, I didn't know what to/»
«Hey bud» the other said patting his shoulder with a laugh «I was kiddin'. It would've been difficult even for an adult! Figures for a kid» then he was serious again -well, almost. «This of course, doesn't allow you to drive without a license, mind you»
A laugh escaped caitlyn's lips and soon they were all laughing lightly. After that the conversation took a friendlier way and Miles managed to relax a little bit.
Rich and Daughtery started telling them about their adventure, from their first meeting with the creatures to the first time they'd met each other, from their immersion in the pacific ocean bottom to their outstanding conversation with one of the Company 's scientists, the one who had told them about the creatures...
And the more they spoke, the more Miles understood those people deserved more than simple thanks: their predicament had really cost them everything they loved. Rich had lost his brother, his wife's trust and his daughters, while Laura had lost her career and had been forced to abandon her son to protect him. Miles felt guilty for having doubted about their sincerity and, even if their adventures hadn't resulted as they had hoped, Miles found himself sincerely respecting those two strangers whom had tried to do so much for everyone.
Then it was his and Caitlyn's turn to speak.
She told them about the misterious attacks happening in the water and about his friends' death during one of those, while Miles briefly spoke about how he'd found Nim and his misadventures in order to protect him, saving of course the creepy part about his newfund abilities.
Once the 'creatures' topic was largely explored, they kept talking about little things: the aquarium, school, jobs, weather ... nothing they were really intersted in. The thing was that they were all trying not to think about what had happened to their respective families and friends... and soon they ran out of topics.
Time passed and they kept waiting in a newfund silence.
No one was coming their way.
After a while, Rich had started to get edgy and restless, but his promise -and maybe the fact there where greenish shapes swimming around them too- kept him right there on the roof with the others.
Resignation started to fill their mood with tiredness and hunger advancement : if things weren't going to change during the night, they would 've needed another solution ... and all the possible ones included going through the water. No one had mentioned anything yet, but the thought of swimming in an ocean filled with people-eating creatures wasn't appealing at all.
Night had just fallen down and tiredness had started taking over.
Someone, like Rich for example – even though his willingness to take first watch in case help showed up while they slept – was snoring loudly on the pavement... while someone else had only managed to sleep only a few hours before founding himself not able to do it anymore: Miles was staring at the cloudy sky now.
The air was cold and electric, but wasn't bothering him either focused like he was on the exploding greenish lights filling the distant horizon: a thunderstorm was approaching... and it's presence was wrecking his nerves into pieces.
The creatures were close by: that day tsunami seemed to have attracted them rather than shooed them away. Miles could't tell exactly how many they were, but he could surely imagine it by the amount of thoughts whispering in his owns: they were so many he was finding difficult even to focus on the sounds around him. Like his owns, their thoughts were all connected to the thunderstorm and were preventing him from sleeping.
The others, though, were all but awake: their regular snoring assured him they were deep down in morpheus' embrace. Caitlyn for example breathed regularly beside him, all squished against his back in order to escape the cold. Despite her closeness, all he could think of right now was that living electricity rumbling in the atmosphere, buzzing in his brain and piercing at his skin with unwelcomed insistence.
He felt edgy and nervous, ready to snap at any moment.
He remembered feeling something like that a few evenings before: a senseless fury taking over his will, a fury he had barely managed to contain closing himself in his bathroom. The creatures' madness had caused it back then... and it was still them the reason why he was going crazy now. They were hungry... like he was. Only, this kind of hunger they had in common was very different from the one he was used to: what he was feeling in fact was more like a general uneasiness than a languor in his stomach... and he knew almost surely that it needed only a thing in order to quiet down.
The creatures were closer and were approaching them as if attracted by something he couldn't place. Other lightnings slashed the night and hit the sea in definite spots.
«Rich» Laura's voice catched Miles' attention away from the lights, even if only for a brief moment.
He turned to gave her a quick glance: she was sitting and was staring at the horizon now. Her frightened expression, despite the darkness they were in, was clear as the light of day.
«What is it?» asked the man squeezing his eyes from the sleep.
«Look at the sea» the doctor whispered pointing to the distance.
Rich sleeply obeyed, but when his eyes made contact with the green lights in the distance he widened them and stood up.
«The creatures» he mumbled grabbing the handrail.
Laura was at his side now and was watching worriedly his same spot. «They're bringing the thunderstorm here » she whispered at him.
The clouds bumped against eachother upon his head and their presence seemed to be the only thing Miles could focus on.
The creatures, he laboriously repeated in his mind. ...the creatures are binging the thunderstorm.
Then something clicked.
THE CREATURES OF COURSE! They are the source of the lightenings!
Pieces of memories started to crowd his mind: the closeby electrical cables when the little ones had bitten him, that same green lightnings he was seing now being there the night Matthew and johnathan were killed, Nim sticking his tongue in a socket... and his same newfound issue with light bulbs at home.
His head started spinning like a twister once he realized what was happening: the clouds above his head had never been this dangerous.
His worried gaze trailed toward Caitlyn, then to the others. He had to leave. He had to leave and fast.
He stood up quietly and went for the other side of the steeple hoping the others wouldn't notice.
The ocean's call was umbereable. His instict was clawing at his will, pleading to be freed once more like that night at Campton Marsh... and he was trying to suppress the urge to listen to it again like he did back then.
Panic started flowing through his system. He found himself pacing back and forth before the parapet in the unsuccessful try to shut the voices up. He had to control his actions if he wanted to protect the others: letting his instinct take over again would've only put at risk everyone.
Thunder rumbled again and a faint growling accompained it from the distance.
He needed to focus on something else: he tightened his grip over the handrail so much his knukles turned white, but doing so was only making things worse. Then his eyes halted on the manhole, darkness and lonelyness where expecting him there and it was just enough for him. Without thinking about it twice, he opened the little door and dragged himself inside.
He ran down the stairs and found himself beside the wall, trembling like a leaf while elctricity buzzed crazily inside his system, a liquid energy fueling his unmotivated rage.
Thunder rumbled outside in protest as if responding to his same electricity.
Whispers were invading his mind as powerfully as they never had.
Stop it! He pleaded . Stop it NOW!
But the creatures seemed even more determined to convince him now that they were aware about his presence. Their voice was driving him crazy!
Food. Come with us.
Their thoughts kinda meant.
«Miles?»
He widened his eyes. It was Caitlyn.
Not NOW! He pleaded clenching his teeth. Not now that he was about to kick into madness mode!
If before he was only scared... now he was on the verge of crying out loud in terror.
He froze on the spot, wishing she couldn't see him in the darkness, but she was there and was looking straight at him, lights shining through the window not helping at all.
What is she doing down here ?!
«I saw you running, you seemed sick» she said worried. It was his little stunt on the roof the reason why she'd woken up, he could've bet it. «Are you allright?»
He breathed fast -scared to death- without answering, while his skin crackled with energy. She was about to place a hand over his shoulder, but he avoided her touch.
«I'm fine» he lied clenching his teeth.
«You're not» insisted her with a frown. «I'm not stupid Miles, something is bothering you. We're alone now, I'm here to listen if you want to talk»
His heart raced in his chest, fear to hurt her and rage about her insistence grew at the same time inside him: a familiar percing sound started ringing in his ears.
Come here. Come with us.
Was the singsong repeating in a loop at the bottom of his thoughts
«I don't want to» he snapped squinting his eyes, answering both Caitlyn and that last intruder.
«You should» she said stiffening « You don't have to hide from me , you can trus.. »
Ska-boom!
Lightening struck close by enlightening the tiny space they were in. She glanced worriedly out of the window and then looked back at him ready to tell something else... but instead she widened her eyes in disbilief.
«Miles!» she said in awe. «Your eyes... they're... glimmering?» then something in her expression changed. «this is the creatures' doing, isn't it? It's them the reason you're acting this wierd » she realized. Miles looked away.
Food.
Another surge of electricity charged his whole body. If he kept going like that he would soon fry Caitlyn into embers.
«Go away» he mumbled between his teeth,.
the girl widened her eyes in surprise. «why/»
«Go away Caitlyn !» he almost cried out backing off. He realized only now that he'd reached the point were the stairs met the water. «Leave me alone»
«Why are you doing this? What's wrong with you?!» she asked a bit enraged now «I'm only trying to help!»
Food
Hunt
Come
He clenched his teeth, trying to breathe regularly... but his instinct was clawing at him, wrecking his brain into shreds.
«Cait» he said labouriously. «You HAVE to go»
Lightnings shone again outside the window, his body yearned for everything the atmosphere above their heads promised to provide him and his nerves were literally sparkling with desire. Whatever he was waiting for, he found himself needing it... needing it with all his might.
Come
The instinct was winning despite his tries, becoming stronger and overwhelming. Caitlyn was in danger.
Then she seemed to realize. All the anger in her eyes faded away: all that was left was a deep worried expression.
«Why?» she asked taking a closer step. He kept backing off, ending up stiking a foot on the water. «What are they doing to you?» she was almost whispering now.
He closed his eyes. Rumbling clouds, slashing lights, electrical hurricanes and thin lines of energy where the only things he could focus on now .
«Leave me ALONE» he hissed angrily glaring at her. The voices, the creatures... were as loud as his same heartbeat ringing in his ears... and they were winnng.
Join us.
And all he could see were geen lights and raging, swirling sparks.