HI THERE HO THERE.
Rei is a cheery moron again. Not to be confused with his horribly developed character from that last story. Sorry about that, again.
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Chapter 6 – Big Ugly Spiders
The wind rushed over the top of the cliff and out to sea, swaying the tall green grass around him as it went. With the sun rising over the water, and light fast approaching, he focused all his energy on listening to the sound of the waves far below him. From where he sat, legs crossed beneath him in the grass, all he had to do was lean forward to get a good glimpse of the drop.
It was mornings like this that gave him a reason to rise from his bed; clear, calm, quiet, and simple. It was his father's reason for living, and he was fast adopting it. Behind him, his old bike lay on its side next to the dirt path. If one was to follow it down the slope of the cliff toward the small, unnamed beach below, they would find a cottage with a roof made of both thatching and modern tiles. The shutters had yet to be pushed away from the windows, and the clothes line was spotted with clothespins desperately trying to do their job despite the pushing of the morning breeze off the water. The lapping of the waves brought new seashells and fresh sand, almost in rhythm with his steady breathing. He could hear, further up the road, the sound of cows calling to the ocean, possibly to quiet it. Such a constant noise must keep them up all night.
This was his peace of mind. The smell of the salty air, the chill of the damp breeze… All complemented by the warm sun that slowly began to illuminate his face. With eyes still locked on the horizon, he remained in a distant state until he spotted it; up from the other edge of the world, the gray metal frame of a huge ship came into view as nothing more than a speck. It grew larger as the sun climbed into the sky, and the grapefruit hue bled from the clouds. In about twenty minutes he was able to recognize it as an American ship, a majestic iron beast armed with enough supplies to feed his entire village. It would dock at port for a few days and leave, never once offering its stock to the people of his homeland. Though he understood why, it still seemed unfair; they were humans too, weren't they? So the Germans were rampaging across Europe, so what? He needed to eat too.
"Keeeeeviiiiin!" The distant cry of his mother called. He looked away from the distant ship and swept his gaze down the hill toward his home, spotting his mother at the door.
"Kevin!" She called again. He waved to her, and she saw him – he knew – she saw him. But she called again.
"Kevin!"
Kevin jerked upright on the bed, the book clattering off his chest and onto the floor. His eyes were wide and his heart thumped heavily for a few rounds before calming down again. That World War II dream again…
Mariah looked at him, her eyes narrowed.
"Kevin, why are you reading that?"
He sat up slowly and followed her direction down to the book. Its tattered spin lay dog-eared on the wooden floorboards, looking as though it were just happy to be opened after so long. He picked it up carefully and closed it, turning it over in his hands.
"Your dad gave it to me to read while he talked to your mom and my parents."
"Yeah, I thought." Mariah sighed, sitting down beside him. He looked over at her with distant eyes.
"What's going to happen?" He heard himself ask, startled by how ignorant and youthful he sounded. Mariah shrugged half-heartedly and took the book from him, flipping through its yellowed pages. There was a silence between them before the door opened and Rei stepped in, a smile on his face. It was a smile hiding worry and concern, as both Mariah and Kevin had become good at reading anything on Rei's face. Regardless, he swept toward them and plunked down on the side of Kevin opposite Mariah.
"Hi there ho there!" He said in his most sickeningly sweet voice. Kevin groaned and moved to get up, but Rei caught him by the arm.
"Hey, hey, now wait." Rei stumbled, laughing awkwardly. Mariah moved away a bit and adjusted how she was sitting while Kevin dropped back onto the bed heavily.
"Rei, I'm kinda freaking out right now." Kevin lied. Mariah rolled her eyes.
"You just woke up."
"Yeah, well…" Kevin muttered, "It was fear-induced sleep."
Rei shushed them both. "Listen," he began, gesticulating rapidly as he spoke, "I just read got a call from Kai and he told me that these jerkoffs sent him a letter too,"
"Rei, watch your mouth." Mariah muttered, nodding at Kevin who was looking at Rei and didn't notice.
"Right, sorry. Anyway, Kai said that they blew up his car and a stadium that Max and Tyson were at. No, its okay Mariah, everyone is okay. Anyway, Kai is convinced that they're already here, because he thinks that the 'special interest' person it mentioned is you."
He looked Kevin directly in the eye and watched him shrink back. "But the good news is that when I mentioned this to our fathers downstairs, they all-"
"You're father is here too?" Mariah asked, cutting him off. Rei nodded impatiently.
"They, they're all showing up. Anyway, when I mentioned it to them they sent out this official warning and now the entire security unit is up all around the village, and the militia is ready to roll. I mean, guerilla style. So if anyone even tries to get in we'll get 'em. So it's all going to be okay!"
A long, uneasy pause followed before Mariah spoke. "Rei…" She started delicately, "the letter said that it would use any means of force to get us there. What's stopping them from blowing the whole village up?"
She spoke in hardly a whisper, as if saying it too loud would draw forth truth in her statement. Rei held her gaze for about five seconds before sighing and sitting back.
"Kai said that he was going to do everything he could to keep this from happening. So he's called everyone and their mothers to make sure things are safe. He's insisted on sending further help to us, as well."
"Why does Kai care so much?" Kevin asked, his voice drawing Mariah and Rei out of their tea-party conversation. He looked at Rei with genuine concern and curiosity, which Mariah quickly began to participate in.
"I think it's because of his car, right now. But… It might be because of how… How things turned out with Dickenson."
Silence jumped back into the room with enthusiasm that rivaled Rei's entrance several minutes ago. Finally, Mariah cleared her throat and stood. "Yes, well, be that as it may I think we should still go give him a call."
"And/or greet the hired help." Kevin added, looking out the window beside the bed. The other two turned and stepped toward it to get a view, and there was a pause before they recognized the people walking toward the house, led by an angry looking Lee.
"Bryan?!" Mariah and Rei blurted at once.
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It was, in fact, Bryan and Spencer, who arrived that afternoon after a long and unexpected flight, a long bus ride, and a long hike. They stood in silence as Lee explained the situation, soon aided by Rei, and did nothing to intervene. The stage was set before them; Act I consisted of all the parents, in surprise and panic over their arrival. Act II was practically a solo for Lee, who stood and delivered a very abridged version of the events that had brought said strangers to their home. Act II was a verbal duel between Rei and Lee and their respective fathers. And halfway into Act IV, Kevin tugged on Bryan's sleeve and looked up at him curiously.
"Hi Bryan." Kevin whispered, still unnoticed by the others in the room. Bryan hesitated before responding in a hushed voice.
"Hey kid."
"Are you going to leave when they tell you too?" Kevin asked, fingers still wrapped around a part of Bryan's sleeve. The Russian raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"They're saying that you're going to leave."
"I don't speak Chinese."
"I know. That's why I'm asking you in English."
There was an awkward pause. Bryan stared at him for a good minute, hoping intimidate him into leaving, but the child-like violet eyes never faltered. Sighing, he shrugged.
"No. It'll work out."
"How do you know?" Kevin asked immediately. Bryan rolled his eyes and tugged his sleeve from the younger's grip.
"Because on our way to this friggin' hidden village of yours, we found… tracks. Of something big and metal. And it was coming this way."
Kevin wrinkled his nose in confusion. "How d-"
A scream ripped through the air from outside, effectively cutting him off. Everyone twirled to face the sound, the play coming to a sudden end as the actors dispersed and scrambled for the front door. As they darted into the chilled evening air, all they saw was the last of a vanishing crowd. Confused, they moved slowly into the opening before the house, their breathing bated. Kevin, directly on the heals of Bryan, looked in the opposite direction of the others and stared at the small wooded area, having noticed something.
"Bryan." He whispered, tugging on his sleeve again. The Russian looked down at him, and then towards the trees.
"What?"
"T-That." Kevin exhaled, just in time for a long metal arm, about a foot and a half thick, to shoot out between the branches toward them, it's grappling fingers extending. Bryan swore loudly and pulled Kevin around in front of him, only able to turn his back on the huge claw before it wrapped around both him and the neko-jin, lifting them clear into the air. Lee and Rei were the first to break out of their shock, and chased after them as the arm retracted into the trees toward a much larger metal shape. It shifted, rising up on its other three legs, (all identical to the one holding Bryan and Kevin,) and turned away from its pursuers in an almost uninterested manner.
"Kevin!" Lee yelled, his cry echoing through the forest as they ran deeper into it. The machine grew farther and farther ahead, vanishing into the dusk that engulfed them. In the distance, his voice strained and horrified, came the reply.
"Help meee!"
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LAME.