Chapter 7: Gremlin
Ryan cursed himself. The Gremlin came out of nowhere, jumping onto Dustin's back. Ryan took a few swings with the hockey stick, nearly hitting Dustin, and decided that it was not the best idea. He started throwing things, anything at the Gremlin, including the walkie-talkie. Dustin took a risk and swung his bat over his shoulder, hitting the Gremlin off of him. He ran over to Ryan. Ryan saw the rip and slash marks from the Gremlin's claws on his shoulders, blood starting to stain his shirt.
"It's a Gremlin." The Gremlin said as he picked up the walkie-talkie, and laughed. He threw the walkie-talkie onto the wall, breaking it.
"You're dead!" Dustin rushed the Gremlin with his bat, swinging low, hitting him as hard as possible. The Gremlin laughed as it flew through the air, towards the power tool section. Ryan ran up to Dustin.
"You think you got him?" Ryan asked as a buzz saw flew through the air towards them. They ducked out of the way at the last second. The Gremlin stood there, laughing. It picked up another buzz saw.
"I think we need the others." Dustin said as they ran towards the door to the mall. Ryan looked back to see the Gremlin on a scooter bike.
"Watch out!" Ryan said as Dustin turned around. Ryan pushed Dustin out of the way and was hit by the scooter. The Gremlin laughed harder than ever. Ryan clung to the scooter as the Gremlin drove wildly. Zach and Tyler ran up the escalator to see Dustin running out of the store.
"What happened? Where's Ryan?" Dustin pointed with his bat to the Scooter driving crazy.
"So what do you think about it all?" Lan said walking in from behind.
"You did this!" Dustin gripped the bat tight.
"How could you cause chaos like this?" Tyler asked.
"I didn't cause the chaos, the Gremlin did. I just introduced him to a new environment. Now you all have choices."
"HERE'S MY CHOICE!" Dustin yelled, swinging the bat in fury towards Lan, with as much power as he could muster. Lan quickly put his hand up and caught the bat, inches from his face. Dustin stood, shocked at his power and speed. Zach and Tyler backed up a little.
"Wrong choice, Dustin, wrong choice." Lan said, frowning.
Ryan was holding onto the front of the scooter with dear life as the Gremlin tried to shake him off, swiping at him with his claws. Somehow, Ryan dodged them. He kept looking over his shoulder. They were going at a very high speed. The Gremlin laughed in Ryan's face. Ryan knew he couldn't let go, if they lost it now, they might not find it again, and at night, the Gremlin would be free to go outside. Then it would be impossible to find it. Ryan looked over his shoulder again, and to his surprise he was in front of the store they walked into and driving into it. The Gremlin hit the brakes on the scooter, and Ryan went flying, breaking the once locked door. The next moments were a bit hazy. Ryan thought he landed in clay but was not sure, and before it all went black, he saw the Gremlin laughing and hopping away.
-
Dustin and Lan stared at each other for what felt like forever to Zach. Dustin finally broke the silence.
"Go find the Gremlin and Ryan." Zach and Tyler ran off.
"I am going to go for it!" Tyler turned around, and Zach looked on surprised, confused at what his friend was about to do. "I TURN YOU TO CHOCOLATE!" Tyler pointed his finger towards Lan.
Lan's expression went straight to anger as he reacted. He pulled the bat up, lifting Dustin off the ground, and threw him over the railing of the second floor. Lan then jumped out of the way himself. The beam hit a dress in the store, turning it into pure chocolate. Tyler stood shocked at Lan's speed and power and Zach looked over the railing, seeing Dustin fall.
Even thought it was one story, Dustin felt like he was falling forever. He had time to notice Tyler's blank expression as he was flung over the railing; he even saw the horror on Zach's face as he looked over the railing, watching him fall. Dustin didn't care, he just kept falling, until he landed hard on his back into a grove of fake plants and everything instantly went black
"Dustin!" Zach yelled. Dustin's body lay lifeless in the fake plants. Zach started to panic. Tyler was frozen in shock, and Ryan was God-knows-where with the Gremlin. He felt alone. Then the Gremlin jumped in front of him, with a gun, pointed right at Zach.
"Dies!" the Gremlin said, cocking the gun. Zach was frozen with fear.
"Detonating Clay, Spider!" Ryan yelled as Zach, Tyler, and the Gremlin looked towards him. Ryan was a little scratched up, but looked fine. They all looked a bit confused when the small spider like thing crawled next to the Gremlin.
"Yous first." The Gremlin shot the spider and it exploded. The explosion was not big enough to hit Zach but it pushed him onto his back. The Gremlin went flying through the air to the, far past the railing, and landed on the first floor. Tyler shook out of his shook and ran over to Zach. Ryan looked down to see the Gremlin, now starting to get up again.
"We need to stop it!" Ryan said, helping Zach up. They started to run down the escalator.
"What about Dustin, he fell over the railing?" Zach asked as they came to the bottom.
"Tyler, stay here and check on Dustin, Zach you're with me." Ryan commanded. Tyler ran over to the fake plants
The Gremlin was dizzy from the blast, and noticed a few scratches on itself. It looked up to see two of the boys running towards it. It growled low to the ground and looked around. To its left, the open food court, too much light at the moment, and to the right, a dark store. The Gremlin hopped off into the store.
"The Gremlin went into Hollister?" Ryan questioned.
"Wait, what happened back there? You used Deidara's attack, didn't you?" Zach asked.
"Yeah. When I awoke, I was surrounded by clay. The room that was locked from the way we came in, it had a bunch of clay." Ryan pulled out some clay from his pockets. "I don't know what came over me, but I grabbed some and saw the Gremlin had a gun on you. It just clicked to try it. I still don't believe it worked. But it looks like I do have powers." Zach sulked. "What's wrong?"
"Everyone is getting their powers but me."
"Zach, come on. Powers or not, you're in this."
"Yeah, I know, but still."
"Look, we have a lot more to worry about then powers. Dustin doesn't have his powers, but that isn't stopping him. Well, wasn't..." Ryan looked back towards Tyler, who was looking through the fake plants. "Let's go."
"Your right!" Zach said as they started into the darkened store, and Zach pulled off the arm of a manikin.
Tyler rummaged through the plants, desperately looking for Dustin. Stupid fake plants, he thought. Then he felt a shoe. Tyler pulled with all his might, pulling Dustin out of the brush. Tyler fell on the floor as Dustin was fully out of the brush. Tyler looked at him. Dustin's body was lifeless.
-
In the darkened Hollister store, Ryan and Zach moved slowly, trying to hear for the Gremlin. Ryan was forming another Spider with the clay from his pocket, and Zach held the manikin arm, ready to attack. The place had a bunch of summer wear. Sand was placed in random places amongst the aisles to make it look more like summer. They stopped, looked at each other, and sighed.
Then the music was pumping through the store and they both jumped in surprise. The Gremlin attacked without warning. He threw a rack at Ryan, pushing him against the wall, and the Gremlin lunged at Zach, tooth and claw ready to swipe. The Gremlin growled loudly and Zach screamed in terror. Zach covered his face and closed his eyes. Zach stood there, waiting for it, but it never happened. He opened his eyes in surprise.
A wall of sand stood in front of him, holding the Gremlin in place. The Gremlin's body and right arm was trapped, and the left arm swung wildly towards Zach, but he was right out of the reach. Zach laughed.
"Zach, you have Gaara's power!" Ryan said, pushing the rack off of him. Zach ran over to Ryan. The Gremlin struggled to get free. They did a high five, and without warning the wall of sand collapsed. The Gremlin picked himself up immediately. Ryan acted without thinking.
"Detonating Clay, Spider!" Ryan yelled and the clay spider came to life, and caused an explosion. The explosion was loud and destructive in the little room. The Gremlin was thrown out of the store and landed in front of a large water fountain. Ryan and Zach went flying onto the back wall of the store.
The Gremlin looked up at the fountain. "Gulb Gulb." The Gremlin smiled, and started to climb.
Ryan brushed himself off, waving his hand in the air to clear the smoke.
"That was smart." Zach said sarcastically, coughing through the smoke.
"Yeah, well at least I did something, your sand wall fell."
"Like I know what I am doing, it just happened."
"The Gremlin would be ours if it wasn't for your sand wall falling," They both stopped arguing and looked out the broken window and saw the Gremlin start to climb the fountain. "Wasn't there something about not letting the Gremlin touch water?"
"Yeah, they multiply." Zach looked at his watch, "And it's almost 6:30, it will be night soon, they will destroy the city if they get out." They ran out of the door.
The Gremlin was nearing the fountain, inches from the water. Zach and Ryan ran out and towards the Gremlin, he swiped at them and they jumped back. The Gremlin put his hand into the water.
"No! We're too late!" Ryan said as the back of the Gremlin started to boil up. Zach knew it was going to cause dozens of Gremlins to come to life, and if one gave them the trouble it did, what will more do?
"Do you have any clay?" Zach asked
"No I'm out. Can you control sand yet?"
"I have been trying!" They looked on hopelessly. The Gremlin laughed.
"I will not let this happen!" Dustin stood, 100 feet from the Gremlin. The Gremlin smirked as he became closer to bring hell onto Ohio. Tyler ran up to Ryan and Zach.
"We need to step back." Tyler said as he pulled them out of the way.
"Gremlin, you're going to pay for the lives you have taken. I don't believe in killing a human for them killing another human," Dustin looked straight into the eyes of the Gremlin. "But you're not human!"
Dustin brought his hands together in front of him and put them to his side. He then parted them at his side.
"KAAAAAAAAAAAAA….." Dustin yelled, as an energy ball started to form in his hands.
"Are you kidding me?" Ryan asked, shocked.
"MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE….." the ball of energy grew to form his whole hand
"Does he have enough time?" Zach asked.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAA….." The energy in Dustin's hands started to become bigger and more powerful.
"Come on, Dustin!"
"MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE….."
"Too latesssss." The Gremlin says as the first Gremlin started to pop out of his back.
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Dustin forced his hands in front of him, palm to palm, and the ball of energy became a beam of energy moving at lighting fast speed. Dustin didn't stop screaming, the beam shot straight into the Gremlin, immediately destroying it and the one that was popping out. The beam hit the wall, leaving a large hole, charred and smoky. Dustin's arm fell down and swung in the air. Dustin dropped to his knees in exhaustion
"Dustin!" The three of them ran over to him.
