CHAPTER FIVE- Somewhat Good Enough
A sharp, curved claw dug itself into the door.
Jay jumped back, frying the computer under his fingers. He cursed loudly, striking at the keyboard in a violent manner. As if that would help bring it back. "Turn back on and tell me I imagined what I just read! Please!"
The creature roared on the opposite side of the door. A victorious sound, no doubt at having found what its prey. Jay gave up on assaulting the computer, and rushed to the window. Best way out, right?
Ignoring the fact that he didn't know what floor he was on.
There was one other option. He could try to blast straight past the creature. Run for help. Maybe find Chief Wu. Maybe the old man would know what to do.
But if Jay did that, he'd be turning away from Garmadon, turning away from a different set of answers. Still. Everything that surrounded Cole's secret world had been nothing more than punches in the gut. How much more could Jay handle?
Unfortunately, the question Jay should have been asking himself was, how much more could the door handle?
The answer being, not much. It flew inward with the creature's next lunge, the thick material shredded by its sharp claws. Jay yelped, ducking down just in time.
Behind him, the window shattered. Jay now had precious few seconds to make a decision.
He wanted to be safe. He was tired and he was hurt and he was terrified. Chief Wu would no doubt provide comfort and shelter.
But-
But-
But Jay found that he needed Cole more than anything. There was a small trail his dead boyfriend had left behind, willingly or not, and Jay was compelled to follow it. To the ends of the earth. If he had to.
The creature pushed its head forward, biting down inches away from Jay's body. For now, The door frame kept the Grundle back, but it wouldn't last very long.
"Here buddy. You want a snack? I'm in a generous mood." Jay hopped up to his feet, then flung the computer's monitor toward the creature. The Grundle drew back, startled, gnashing its teeth against the object.
Jay to the window. He did his best to knock away the sharp pieces of glass that still clung to the sill. With a determined breath, He then began to climb out. The hospital gown left most of his legs uncomfortably uncovered. Jay teetered above the ground, tugging down on the fabric. It felt important to remain decent.
Really think there's bigger problems than what you flash where, buddy. Jay mocked himself.
The creature, finally done destroying the monitor, rushed forward again. The wall began to crack. When the Grundle rammed itself forward again, the wall fell apart completely, in a wave of dust and debris.
Jay leaped back reflexively, away from one danger, and into the next. Gravity. Air rushed around him and past him, but the fall didn't last enough for him to give a proper scream. His half-hearted squeal ended roughly as he landed amidst a line of bushes.
Mistake. Mistake. Mistake. Jay realized quickly that he would have rather been Grundle food. He'd never felt so much pain in his life. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think, and worst of all, the world around him was dimming. Both the wound on his head and his chest throbbed.
"That's the worst way to make an exit." Jay whined, forcing himself to stand. With an awkward stumble, he shuffled forward, into the parking lot. His eyes swept through his surroundings in a panic. Wasn't Garmadon supposed to be here? He really wanted the Grundle to become someone else's problem.
As Jay continued his search, the sound of the Grundle tearing at the building reached his ears. It wouldn't be too long before the creature joined Jay again. And this time, there were no more windows to leap out of.
"Think, Jay. Think." Electricity sparked around him, slowly lifting the pain from his shoulders and replacing it with panicked adrenaline. He could try to outrun the creature. But Jay had a sinking feeling that it would never really stop hunting for him.
But could he get rid of it?
Did he have a choice?
The ground shook as the Grundle leapt from the hospital onto the ground. Car alarms blared all around, creating a cacophony of sound that did nothing to aid Jay's fleeting focus.
Each of the creature's steps tore away at the pavement. If its claws could do that to concrete, Jay didn't want to imagine what they could do to him. He shied further into his shield of electricity, forcing the world to slow.
Defensively, Jay then shot a bolt of lightning forward. It hit the creature's chest full force, but the Grundle hardly reacted. Its thick skin kept it from feeling much of anything. The only thing Jay had managed to do, was enrage it further.
One of the lights beside Jay burst. His powers were somehow overwhelming everything around him, filling things with more power than they could handle. The car's alarms grew louder. Squeakier. Jay gritted his teeth.
There was an idea there, sitting in the back of his mind. He couldn't quite grasp it. The Grundle was closer now, close enough for Jay to see how terrifyingly large the creature's teeth were.
Lights, Jay. Lights! Cole's voice hissed in his head. Its eyes are weak!
Jay faltered. For a moment, he lost hold of his powers. The world rushed at him all at once. The ache in his ribs, the ache in his head, and The Grundle itself. It swiped a claw forward. Jay was flung aside, crashing against one of the beeping cars.
The metallic taste of blood rushed into Jay's mouth, but he hardly noticed it. His mind was buzzing with a different concern.
Cole. He'd heard Cole's voice.
Had it been a memory? Somehow blurring with his consciousness? What other explanation was there?
It had triggered something in Jay's mind. A date he couldn't fully remember, a date in which Cole had talked about the Grundle. And, more importantly, about the Grundle's weakness.
"Lights." Jay nodded, trying to stand. Trying to stop thinking about Cole.
The Grundle rushed forward again, reminding him that now was not the best time to wonder about his dead boyfriend. Unless of course, Jay was eager to join Cole in the afterlife.
With an unnecessary motion of his hands, Jay brought his electricity back. This time, however, instead of keeping it as a shield, he pushed it outward. He gifted the lights around him with a bit of extra juice. Holding back just enough to keep them from bursting.
The creature stumbled back, clawing at the air in desperate motions. It was working! Everything around Jay was blindly bright, and the Grundle was in a state of panic. Its roars now sounded more like whimpers.
"Ha! Yeah! Take that, you filthy, ugly thing!" Jay cackled. "Not so tough now, are you?"
The creature whimpered again in response. Jay smiled. Confidence made him just a little bit stronger. Which then, the lights around him began to burst.
Bulb by bulb, the parking lot was plunged into darkness.
BEFORE
"So."
Cole's father leaned forward. Him and Jay sat in Cole's living room, which was just about ten times larger than Jay's apartment. Despite this, the space somehow felt too cramped. The glare from Cole's dad was beyond suffocating. "Walker, is it?"
"J-Jay. I usually just go with Jay." Jay replied. He looked past Cole's father, and down the hall, silently begging Cole to show up. This was the last time Jay showed up early for anything. "But, well, yes. Technically Walker. Jay Walker. It's funny, right? Not that I jaywalk or anything. No. I guess that's not funny. That's dangerous."
Cole's father was silent. No half smile, no chuckle, no softening of any of his strict features. His impatient fingers tapped away at the cup in his hands. Jay sunk further back into the couch. He was making the best impression.
At the very least, the couch was really comfortable. Everything about Cole's house was really something. Really pretty. Really big. Really expensive. Jay felt like a fish out of water. Having grown up in a trailer in the middle of a junkyard, Cole's place felt like a palace. And Jay was an unwanted peasant.
Cole's father wasn't making him feel any better, either.
"Nice house," Jay said, trying very desperately to turn thing around. "It's . . . big."
Not the most eloquent he'd ever been, that's for sure.
"And what exactly is it that you do, Jay Walker?" Cole's dad asked. Jay grimaced. Now it wasn't just Jay or Walker. It was both. Double anxiety points! "Cole tells me you're in college."
"Yes, sir." Jay said. "I'm studying engineering. For now."
"Hmm,"
"I'm just a little scared of choosing the wrong thing. So keeping some options open, you know? Not that my scholarship will last forever. But, you know?" Jay's palms were very sweaty. Why was Cole taking so long? How much time could it possibly take for someone to get ready? "I mostly like building things."
"Fascinating." Cole's father replied, in a tone that said he thought the exact opposite. His fingers continued to tap. "I do hope you won't be too much trouble."
"O-of course not! I hate trouble, trust me. I've never really been in trouble. Well. Not willingly, anyway. I do my best to avoid it."
"Well, at least there's that." Cole's father sighed as he stood. Jay wondered if he'd said the wrong thing. "At the very least there's that."
AFTER
"Yeah. Okay. Now what? Any more clever plans, voice in my head?"
Jay felt exhausted. His arms dropped by his sides. He was completely out of ideas.
The Grundle very quickly realized that the blinding lights had gone. It shook its head, covering its surroundings with slobber. Then, it refocused, lowering its head as it moved toward Jay's body.
"Ugh," Jay whimpered, once again falling to the ground. The Grundle roared, bringing its large foot down, and trapping Jay beneath it. One of its claws sliced against Jay's cheek. "Cole?"
No response.
At least, not one from inside Jay's head.
"Overall, I'd give that performance a six out of ten." A voice from somewhere behind the creature spoke. There was a flash of blue light. It embedded itself into the Grundle's thick ski, twisting and curling as it spread around the creature's veins. All at once, it engulfed the creature completely.
When the light faded, the creature faded it with it.
Without the Grundle's body blocking Jay's view, he spotted the owner of the voice. It was a man, with swooping grey hair and a suave smile. In his hand was a small black gun, no doubt the source of the destructive light. The man holstered it before stepping forward.
"There's a lot of potential in you, but no polish." The man said, as if Jay's terrifying ordeal had been nothing more than a performance. "The bit with the lights was clever. But you lost control."
Jay stared in silence for a moment. He didn't know what to say. Sorry, but why is my near-death experienced getting a rating?
"Please tell me you're Garmadon." Jay said at last. "And that you're not here to kill me, too."
"I'm Garmadon." The man said, holding it out his hand to help Jay onto his feet. "And I'm not here to kill you."
"That's the best thing I've heard all day."
"Must have been quite a day then. But you don't have to worry about it anymore. You're safe."
Somehow, Jay didn't quite believe that. But he wanted to believe it. So he didn't protest when Garmadon beckoned him to follow. They stopped at the edge of the parking lot, where a shiny black limousine sat. Jay gave a low whistle.
"You all really travel in style, don't you?"
Garmadon smiled. "Something like that. There's a clean set of clothes in there if you'd like to change. After that, I do have a couple of questions I hope you can help me with."
Jay nodded. "I have some of my own too."
"I'm sure."
Jay entered the car, and he was instantly floored at the size of it. The back of the vehicle was separated from the front, so he would have enough privacy to accept the change of clothes. The seats were wide and snug. The thing even had a mini fridge.
After getting over his awe, Jay picked up the set of clothes. Black jeans and a loose, blue tee. Jay was startled at how perfectly everything fit. Eerie, but he supposed it was nothing compared with all the other things that had gone on. To top things off, Jay slipped back into Cole's hoodie.
With a sigh, Jay momentarily melted into the fabric. It had been a long, long day. Jay could hardly believe that, as of 24 hours ago, his life had still bordered around a sense of normalcy. And now . . .
"You all good back there?" Garmadon's voice took Jay out of his thoughts.
"Yeah. I'm good." As soon as Jay said the words, the partition that kept the back from the front separated lowered. Jay moved closer to the front of the limousine. "So . . . questions. Who, exactly, keeps trying to kill me? Why did Cole need to protect me? Oh, and let's not forget, why do Cole's hospital records say he's been dead for two years?"
"Questions indeed." Garmadon said. "I promise you, things will make sense. But that flash drive you showed Dareth. I really need to know what's in it. If it's the last thing Cole left behind . . ."
"I have it, yes." Jay said retrieving it from the sewed in pocked. "It had a note too. Something about someone finding someone else? I must have dropped it though."
"My laptop should be under the seat. Would you mind looking into the drive?"
"Now? Can't you at least tell me something?"
"Cole found that information more than a month ago. We need to see what it is before it's too late. If it was one of the reasons he was killed, I need to know what it is."
"Right," The word killed made Jay's heart twist, extinguishing the protests in his mouth.
Garmadon's driving was far superior to Dareth's, so it was easy to move around in the vehicle without losing balance. Jay retrieved the laptop. Its screen lit up as soon as he flipped it open, revealing a cute family photo as the background.
It showed Garmadon hugging a small child with bright green eyes and wispy blonde hair, both of them smiling warmly for whoever was taking the shot. Garmadon glanced at the rearview mirror. "That's my son. Lloyd. He's turning eleven soon."
"Good age." Jay said, awkwardly. "I mean, when I was eleven no one was sending mutated dinosaurs after me. Or snakes."
Garmadon chuckled softly. Jay inserted the flash drive.
His hands began. He was sure that whatever information Cole had found, it would only serve to make Jay's world a little bit worse. Would it explain the reason for his powers? Would it bring to light the person that was trying to wipe him off the map? Or would it be something even worse?
"It's-"Jay's voice failed him for a moment. He looked back at Garmadon. "It needs a password?"
"What?" Garmadon mumbled something under his breath. "Of course. Why didn't I think of that? Of course it has a stupid password. It's secret information, Garmadon. What did you expect?"
Jay fiddled with the keyboard. Garmadon blew out a slow breath. "Well. You knew him well, didn't you? Do you have any ideas?"
"Maybe?" Jay stared at the blank space, and the polite Please Insert Password prompt. No, he definitely had no ideas. The last few hours had only served to show how little he really knew about Cole. "No. I- I can't think of anything."
"Damn it. We could crack it with a randomized algorithm, sure, but- that would take too long. I need to call Dareth. Maybe Cole left some stuff behind that could provide a few hints?" Garmadon's fingers tapped against the steering wheel as he spoke. The action reminded Jay of someone.
Someone he was none too eager to see. But someone who could be of help.
"Well . . . We could go to Cole's house." Jay said. "His dad wanted me to look at some of Cole's stuff. To see if there was anything I wanted to keep. Maybe he left something behind there."
"That," Garmadon said. "Is a great idea."