Chapter 8

"I'm so sorry, Rocky," Jared said, his sandy brown hair drenched in sweat and his face red and flushed.

Rocky looked down at the vomit pooled around his feet and splattered on his jeans. It had to be the last good pair I had clean, he thought. At least he had taken his shoes off before they started.

"It's okay," Rocky said, still holding Jared's shoulders, "You should have let them know you were taking so much medication. How are you even doing all of this? Aren't you still in pain?"

Jared winced and leaned on the dark wood vanity stretching across the large, brightly lit bathroom.

"I just wanted to finish the process. They keep saying we're supposed to be initiated Sunday night. I've come so far—" Jared stopped, his face contorting in pain as he began to retch.

Rocky moved him over to the toilet, looking up to the vanity lights as he could barely listen to the continuing sounds of Jared's stomach contents being expelled into the toilet.

"But you can't mix medication like this with alcohol. It even says so on the bottle," Rocky said, quickly looking to the container of prescription pain killer on the counter. "Why didn't you tell me you hadn't learned all the names yet? I could've helped you or even taken your spot. This isn't that serious, dude."

Jared leaned back on the side of the vanity and flushed the toilet. He was breathing heavy, but from what Rocky could tell was in no immediate danger.

"The last dose of medicine I took was early this morning. I thought it would have cleared out of my system by now," Jared said.

"Fair enough, but you missed like five names in a row. That's a lot of shots to take at once. How do you feel now?" Rocky asked, watching Jared carefully.

"I think it's all out now," he said, looking down at Rocky's jeans, "But, we're gonna have to clean this place up."

Rocky stood and grabbed one of the towels from the shelf. "Alright, I'll go and find some cleaning supplies," he said, wiping his feet, "I think there may be some carpet and floor cleaner and a machine in the laundry room. Don't move until you feel steady. The last thing we need is a trip to the ER."

Jared looked up to Rocky through the long, loose stands of hair covering his face. He nodded in silent agreement and watched Rocky walk back down the hall.

The laundry room was just at the end of the long, wood paneled hallway. Rocky knew they needed a variety of cleaning supplies since Jared didn't quite make it to the bathroom on the first round.

I really hope we are done with this ritual crap soon, he thought as he opened the door to the laundry room. He flipped the light switch, looking around the large room for something to clean up the area rug in the meeting room and the bathroom floor. He spotted a vacuum cleaner, carpet shampooer, and some of the chemicals on the shelf above the washing machine. Yet, he did not see the simple mop and bucket he needed for the bathroom.

Great, these guys are rich enough for machines but don't have a mop?

He thought of who he could ask but quickly realized Tex and Kern were already in the garden preparing for the final set of activities.

"Basement!" he said out loud, turning the corner in the hall to the basement door.

Even if there wasn't a mop, he knew Josh and Terrance were down there to take inventory for tomorrow night's party. He jogged down the staircase, surprised to see an empty room as he neared the landing. The basement was about the size of the large meeting room upstairs, with finished walls and ceilings. On the far wall was a collage of images from prior pledge classes. Rocky couldn't help admiring a black and white picture of twelve young men in coordinated sweaters. He looked down at the gold plate that read "Pledge Class – Fall 1948" and shook his head.

"Way to go, class of forty-eight. You should be cleaning this up instead of me," he said to the framed picture, looking down at his jeans.

Across from the wall of pictures stood a pool table, a pinball machine, two arcade consoles, and a large television. Adjacent to the pool table was a sofa and at the far end of the basement was a small kitchenette with a refrigerator and a deep freezer. He walked over to the corner of the kitchenette, spotting a mop from the behind the partially open closet door. As he reached in, one of the bottles from the shelf above became unstable and tipped over. Reaching to catch the glass before it could hit the ground, he dropped the mop. It was of no help, as the contents of the bottle began to pour out, covering his shirt in gritty, sludgy, purple liquid.

"This is just great! Now I know I'm dead," he said out loud, rushing to re-cork the bottle. As he opened the closet door to place the bottle back on the shelf, he finally saw the bucket. He filled it with enough water to clean up the spill.

Once satisfied with his now cleaned blunder, he took the mop and bucket back upstairs. Rocky then stopped in the laundry room to grab some of the cleaning supplies and dump the dirty water into the wash sink.

Adam would love this stash. For a fraternity, these guys are very clean, he thought, admiring the variety of cleaning products and air fresheners. He finally settled on a large bottle of Lysol and dropped it into the bucket. However, as he turned to go back to the bathroom, he saw a flash of purple light streak through the hall near the side exit to the garden. Intrigued, he followed the source.

Walking out into the cool, damp air, Rocky was met with falling mist from what appeared to be a waning downpour.

Wow, it rained, he thought. He stood on the side of the large house, just between the brick wall and tapered hedges leading to the private garden. The soft rumble of thunder echoed in the stillness, relaxing Rocky's mind.

It was probably lightning, he reassured himself. After all, if there was thunder, the only logical answer could be that it was lightning. Right?

Just as he reached for the door to go back inside, he saw the flash again and heard the sound he knew was not thunder.

He ran to the corner of the house, staying just out of eyesight for any observer, and examined the courtyard ahead. As he watched from between the tall hedges, he could see Tex's tall, muscular frame standing at the end of the long table in the center of the courtyard. On the table were eleven candles, each lit with brightly colored flames dancing in the night air. At the opposite end stood Kern, his short, stocky build and long blond hair giving him away without seeing his face. They were silent, as if waiting for something to happen. Tex, looking to the side of the table, moved his mouth but Rocky could not make out the words from his current position.

I know I heard it, Rocky thought.

Then, as if Rocky had willed it's appearance with this thought, the familiar mechanistic whirl filled his ears as a purple flash opened in a beam of plasma just to the side of Tex. Walking through the plasma filled portal were Josh and Terrance.

This can't be happening! They're dead! Not here! Rocky's mind filled with terror as he tried to back away quietly. He knew if they saw him, they would either kill him or his friends. He continued to watch as all four went back through the opening, disappearing in the purple flash of light.

No, I have to act like everything is normal the rest of the night. Besides, we don't even have powers anymore. What could we do anyway?

Rocky went for the door that led back inside but missed the step as he lost himself in thought. Before he could steady his balance, he tumbled.

Maybe I should just go home now, he thought. After a few moments, he realized the rain had picked up intensity and he was soaked. He stood, determined to at least get Jared cleaned up before leaving. After that, I'm out of here.