Aaand here's the new chapter. Unironically, if someone wants a Gwevin playlist, then let me you enjoy.
My head hurts, my muscles hurt, goddamn everything hurts. My hands and feet are numb as if they are not even part of me, and I flutter my eyelids, trying to adjust to whatever Hell I'm in. Did I sleep on the floor of my garage again? Is that why I feel so sore? I groan as I move my head to the side and my eyelids finally flicker open.
There is a dim light around me, and when I finally adjust to it, my eyes widen, and the events before I passed out come back to me. The fight. Being attacked. Gwen going unconscious on the ground. I instinctively push my body back, but I yelp at the feeling of something pulling against my hands and legs. I'm tied up, and my hands forward against a metal structure in an uncomfortable position—no wonder my whole body is so sore. I try to absorb the material to escape, but nothing happens. I try again. And again. Once more. But it's pointless. Fuck.
I look around me, expecting to see something or someone, but apart from the light that surrounds me, everything else is dark. Great. Not only am I strapped to something, but I also have no idea where the hell I am. I feel my heart beat faster as helplessness washes over me. I hate that feeling.
"Hello?" I yell out. "I know someone is there, so fucking come out."
My head instantly travels to Gwen, wondering if she's also here. Maybe she is kept in another room, or maybe she's in the darkness where I can't see. I really need to figure out a way to get both of us out of here before it's too late.
I wait, but I'm met with pure silence. I try to absorb once again, but it doesn't work. It's as if my body isn't even listening to me. Right, I should focus and figure out where I am first. Judging from the metal floor and the rusty pipes above me, I'm in some sort of facility? A factory of some sort? It's empty, that's obvious enough, but it's still very difficult to tell.
A door closes somewhere in the distance, and then footsteps thud against the ground.
"Who is there?" I yell. A deep chuckle is the only response I get.
The person walks into the light and I stare in shock. That thing is tall, with giant black eyes with no pupils—similar to a fish—and it just looks creepy. Its limbs are massive, skinny, and long, and they contrast greatly with its torso, which is round and chubby. That thing is straight out of nightmares—it can even compete with Amperon's ugliness if it wanted.
It waves its hands at me and I can tell it's holding something. It's a fat, gorgeous taydenite. Useless on Earth among humans, but priceless outside of it. It has to weigh at least 200 pounds. It's weird to think that not even that long ago, I would do anything to get my hands on this thing. In fact, I still want it now.
The creature places the taydenite in front of me, and it smiles at me—why am I not even surprised that it has no teeth? I look between the taydenite and the creature and I audibly gulp. This is not good.
"What do you want?" I ask.
"Not much." The creature shrugs, walking behind me. "You're just the perfect tool."
"Face me, you coward!"
The creature presses a button and a machine comes whirling to life. I cringe at the threatening and deafening sound. What the hell is happening? The ugly freak grabs my tied hands and pulls them forward, and on top of the taydenite. My heart thuds in my chest and I clench my muscles so hard, I feel like my body is going to break. As the freak presses yet another button, fear completely takes over.
Part of me believes I deserve this. I see it almost as a punishment. I'm supposed to be reforming and assimilating, yet because of me, Gwen's friend is dead. I don't know how she still believes I've changed despite numerous proofs otherwise. Her friend died in her arms—literally—because of what I did.
My body slowly starts absorbing the substance in front of me, starting from my fingers and then moving upwards, towards my arms, face, chest, until it has covered every ounce of my body. I groan and I shake—it's my worst fear come to life. Absorbing without control, losing control of myself once again. Just when I thought it has come to a stop, it continues, as a second layer fills my body.
"Stop!" I scream.
I can't help the self-pitying thoughts that cross my head. Gwen says I have changed, but I can sense the doubt in her eyes when she looks at me. She thinks I'm going to turn on her, she thinks I'm going to turn into an evil monster again. And maybe I am. Maybe I never stopped being one.
I deserve this. The creature presses a few buttons again and my body starts absorbing the material in front of me faster now, and I feel as if I am suffocating and left unable to breathe.
"Don't…" I try to yell.
But it's too late. I deserve this.
"I'm sorry," Jay says. I simply ignore him. I hold a torn piece of fabric in front of me, and my eyes turn pink as I concentrate on Kevin's aura.
It has been a few hours since Kevin was taken. My head is killing me, I feel guilty and I really, really hope that nothing bad has happened to him. I still have no idea what their plans are for him. Just, please, let him be alive.
"Did you find him?" Jay asks, hovering over my shoulder.
I turn around and glare at him. "I need concentration. Besides, you're the one who sold us off, why would you care?"
Jay looks at the grassy ground. "I told you I'm sorry! We didn't think they'd attack you, they said they just wanted him after they found out about his powers…"
My hands glow with energy. "We promised we'd help you. Would you have done the same with Grandpa Max? You better hope Kevin is unharmed..."
Jay pouts and kicks a rock. "They promised they would leave us alone after this and they said they wouldn't kill him."
I sigh. It's very difficult to remain angry at a naive teenager. He doesn't know better, he's just a child who has to deal with a frightening situation, and his family probably thought this would be an easy way out for them. I bring my hands down and I focus on Kevin's torn piece from his shirt again. I'm so close to locating him now.
I levitate off the ground. Jay walks off and away from me, but I continue to focus on Kevin's energy, trying with all I have to locate him. I shut my eyes and a second later, they open and glow a bright pink.
"Found you." I smile in satisfaction.
I land on the ground and turn my head towards the forest. He's located somewhere in that direction, though from what I can see, there is absolutely nothing there or any place that would indicate where they took him. But I'll find him. I feel as if I can breathe again upon finding out that he is alive—I don't think I would be able to forgive myself if he ended up dead. It was stupid coming here and running straight into danger; I should have suspected something.
I hurry my pace and follow the path towards the woods. It feels like a maze of trees, there's nothing different—trees, bushes, more trees, and more bushes. And then I see it. There is one building in the middle of nowhere, maybe 20 minutes' walk away from any civilization. I think it's a factory. There are some barrels and boxes stacked outside, but they seem evidently empty, and the building's structures are rusty and dirty, though the walls are still intact. It has clearly been abandoned for a while now.
There is a single light I can see from the window, but it's so faint and dim, you have to squint to see it. Kevin is here. I can feel his aura here. I crouch behind some bushes and carefully move towards the building, making sure no one is around. The last thing I want is to be captured as well. Once I get closer to the building, I'm surprised by the sound of a machine buzzing loudly, despite the rest of the place being surrounded by silence. I can't hear or see any sign of humans or creatures, but I know Kevin must be here.
When I reach the front of the building, I tiptoe towards the dimly lit window. I raise my head slightly and peek through the dusty and stained glass, hoping to see Kevin. There's a creature with its back turned to me—the same one I briefly saw before, the same one that took Kevin—and it's standing in front of something I can't see. The light in front of it is stronger and more obvious, but no matter how many times I move my head to the left and to the right, I still can't see. It's just so tall.
"Come on, move," I whisper.
Almost as if it can hear me, it takes a step to the side. But the sight before me horrifies me and I hold my hands against my mouth as I gasp. It's Kevin. His face is drowsy and contorted in pain.
"Please, stop." Although I can't hear him, I read his lips as he says that.
His body is thrice his usual size, his normal skin has been replaced by what looks like a crystal, and there is exhaustion painted all over him. He blinks as if he is about to pass out and I feel my heart break in half. The creature walks closer to him and rips a piece of the mineral that is growing out of Kevin's arms. It does it once more. And then again. Every time the creature does it, Kevin flinches, whimpers, and begs.
He is being tortured and I'm partly to blame. There is a pit in my stomach and I take a deep breath to control breathing.
Without hesitation, I rush to the front door. In one single motion, I kick it open using my energy and the top hinges break off while the door dangles off the wall. The noise is enough to attract the creature's attention, which turns and stares at me with deep anger, as there are lines and wrinkles around its eyes and eyebrow area (though it has no eyebrows). I shoot an energy bolt at it, and it dodges it right away.
"Who are you?" the creature asks, its voice deep and hollow. It looks at Kevin. "Are you his owner? He's mine now!"
"I don't think so," I say. "People don't have owners. Hand him over, and nothing bad will happen to you."
"No!" the creature yells out.
I shoot another bolt once more, but it dodges it again. The sound of a laser gun echoes from behind me and I quickly turn around. A second creature is aiming a gun directly at me, and it threatens to shoot me with its knowing look. Its creepily long and slender fingers press the trigger and I jump out of the way just seconds before the blast hits me. The recoil bullet hits me against the shoulders and I feel a faint burn, but it's nothing serious.
"Gwen, no," Kevin says a bit louder.
I place a shield around me just as another laser beam hits my way. Two versus one. I can do this. I think. I haven't practiced enough with my powers, I can admit this much, but they seem inexperienced and impulsive. I know my strengths at least—I calculate before I act. And I have a motivation, which is saving Kevin from this torture.
I bring my hand to the side and summon a shield and an energy whip on the other. They continue to shoot at me and my shield starts to slowly shatter. I look up at the ceiling, and I bring down a metal pole which falls directly in front of the smaller creature—it doesn't damage the creature itself, but it manages to knock the gun to the ground and away from them. Victory.
I grab the gun with my whip and smash it against the wall until it shatters into a million tiny pieces. One stray laser beam hits the creature in the process. It screams so loud that it sounds like ten people screaming at once and I wince from the deafening sound.
Without waiting any longer, I use both my hands to create a net and throw it directly on top of the injured creature, capturing it. It tries to resist and tear it open, but I push my hands forward, making the net even thicker than before. It should be impossible for it to escape now, without any outside help at least.
The second creature doesn't miss a chance. It jumps behind me, wraps its disgusting spider-like hands around my body, and then throws me directly onto the ground. I'm about to fall face-first into a rough platform with rusty metal, but I push my hands in front of me just before. It burns, and I yell out of instinct as blood pours from my palms. But I don't have time to focus on my injuries now.
I shoot a beam at the creature, hitting it right in the chest. It stumbles back and tries to take deep breaths. I don't hesitate. I summon another net, much thicker than the first one, and throw it around the monster. It screams, swings its arms around, and tries to grab the net, but I focus my powers on it, reinforcing it as much as possible.
I'm certain it can't escape now, so I quickly turn my attention to Kevin, who is still on the ground. I rush to his side and slowly crouch down.
"Oh, Kevin." I try to grab and lift the mineral despite my pain, but it doesn't move. I turn my attention to the shackles on his arms and legs and break them in half using my powers. I hold his face, and watch in relief as he slowly turns back to normal.
He frowns, and his eyes close from tiredness. He looks exhausted. The whites of his eyes are red, and there are black bags under them—his face is also sickly pale and all the color is lost. I allow his head to rest against my lap and he lies down as his chest moves up and down almost peacefully.
"Are you okay?" I ask.
He nods, but I can see how weak he is. He continues to stay laid down on my lap and I allow him, knowing he needs every second of rest he can get at this moment. It feels tender to be like this with Kevin. Comforting. His eyes are closed and I look at him, noticing some faint scratches on his skin from where the creature had ripped off the pieces of crystal. They are faint but probably sore. I frown at the sight. My hand moves closer to his face and I'm about to stroke his hair to the side.
"I can stand up now," he says in a faint voice. I pull my hand away and he raises his body up. I help him by supporting his body, and he accepts my help without any resistance. "Are you okay?" he asks me this time. He looks down at my scraped and bloody hands, and then at my injured shoulder.
"It isn't anything severe," I say dismissively. It hurts, but I can put up with it.
"Untie us!" the larger creature yells out.
Kevin glares at them and clenches his fist beside him. "How about hell no?"
"You can't keep us like that, it's criminal!" the skinnier creature says.
"Criminal?" I ask, feeling the anger build up inside me. I continue to support Kevin's body as we move closer to the monsters. "You talk about criminal? You almost killed him!"
"I wasn't going to kill him, we just wanted to use him to be rich."
"Uh-huh, and is that supposed to make it better?"
"Yeah!" both the creatures say at the same time.
I shake my head in disappointment and Kevin physically facepalms. Yeah, there's no getting through to them. The best solution would be to call someone to come and get them, imprison them for their crimes, and be done with it. But I still have some questions.
"Why were you terrorizing the family?" I ask.
The larger creature looks at me, squints its eyes, and then sniffs me. "Max Tennyson?"
My eyes widen. My body takes over and I summon a large energy claw, pinning the creature against the wall.
"Remind me not to make you angry," Kevin says rather quietly, but I barely pay attention.
"How do you know him?"
"He…he…"
I squeeze the claw tighter around the creature's body. "Talk." My voice is deeper than usual and my body shivers with anger.
"We've met him before, right?" the creature that was tied on the ground said nervously.
The monster pinned against the wall bobbed its head up and down. "Yeah, yeah we did! We met him once befo…re and h-he stopped us, like you did."
"Where is he now?" My eyes glow hot pink and so does my energy.
"T-they—they took him! I don't know where, but we saw it happening." The creature's voice broke. "Please, don't kill us."
I place the creature back on the ground, trying to control my anger. I'm not planning on killing them or even harming them—this isn't who I am. "Who took him?"
"A-Amperon! We saw it, right? He came, attacked him, and then took him."
My eyes widen and I share a knowing look with Kevin.
"What else do you know?" Kevin's voice is harsher than mine.
"Nothing else! We s-swear, okay?"
I look at Kevin and I nod. "I believe them," I say. "Amperon has Grandpa—that's bad news."
"If they are to be believed, that is," Kevin says.
"They don't have a reason to lie about this," I continue. "But why would he take Grandpa? What could he possibly want from him?" I look at the ground, clenching and unclenching my hands in pain.
"He is a magister and the highest-ranked Plumber, isn't he?" Kevin says more than asks.
"Apparently, yes."
"Then there you go. Amperon could do so much with that; the power of negotiation is in his hands. All this alien tech he could get, and I bet it would cost—"
I fold my arms in front of me and tap my foot on the ground.
"I mean, it's very bad. He'll probably try to get illegal alien tech or whatever."
"We need to find him before they hurt him." I lift my head up. "I just don't know where to start…"
"Why don't we start from the obvious places? You know, someone like him probably prefers these creepy places like the radio tower from last time."
"You're right. We should start by checking every radio station in Bellwood, then maybe any satellite places. He must be there if he's tried it once," I say.
"Good idea. We can do that tomorrow morning, I'll drive you home."
I nod, but then quickly realize the problem and stand still for a moment.
"What?" he asks.
"I can't go home looking like this…and we can't go tomorrow as well, we have school in the morning." I stop and cringe at the thought. "I'll need a change of uniform, but it's home, and if my mom sees the state of my clothes, she'll lose it."
"How about we go to my garage and we'll figure it out then?"
We both start walking back, leaving the monsters tied on the metal ground. They haven't uttered a word since we confronted them and a part of me believes they are scared they might be harmed or killed, so they'd rather watch us leave. I take a look back only to see relief on their faces. Kevin pulls out a Plumber's badge, pressing a button to mark the building's location and notify someone about the creatures. They'll come to get them soon enough.
When we reach Kevin's car, he looks toward the direction of the forest and Jay's family house with anger in his eyes.
"I don't think they're worth it," I say, understanding him. "They sold us out because they were scared. I think they didn't know any better."
Kevin seems to fight an internal battle, but eventually, he settles on my words. We both get into his car and drive away from this place. I hold the metal disc with Grandpa's holograph in one hand and the image of me and Grandpa from when I was little in the other, wincing every once in a while because of the sensation on the scrapes of my palms.
"You should get that checked out." Kevin looks at my hands, then turns to the road. "It looks like it hurts."
"I will once we reach your garage. It's just a normal injury—nothing severe."
"I know. It doesn't mean you shouldn't treat it."
I smile. Although it isn't the first time Kevin has shown genuine concern, I'm still surprised. It's hard to believe he is the same person from years ago, and it's even more difficult to believe that his company is enjoyable and something I actually cherish. In my eyes, he has proven himself changed. Yes, he has made bad decisions and he continues to do so, but I can't see him as evil.
Once we arrive, we both exit the car. Kevin rushes to my side and closes the door for me while I stand to the side and look at him with confusion.
"Don't want you to start bleeding on my car—new paint job."
The tone of his voice sounds slightly nervous, but I ignore it.
We finally enter the garage and I pause near the entrance. I sense Denise's aura right away—the place is filled with it. I turn my head towards the very couch she died on and try to control my breathing. I don't think I'm ready for this. It's still so soon.
"I'm hungry," Kevin says. "There's a burger shack like 10 minutes from here, do you wanna walk there?"
His words fill me with relief. After a moment, I look at him and nod, yet don't say anything. We exit the garage and Kevin locks it behind him while I wait patiently by the sidewalk. It's late and dark, and there are no people around. I check my phone and I'm surprised to see that it's 3 am. There are no cars in sight either.
Kevin stands next to me and we start walking to the left, toward some residential buildings. We don't say anything, but the silence feels almost comforting as it allows me to relax.
"Are you okay?" I finally ask him. "What happened back there… it looked scary."
Kevin sharply inhales through his nose and then exhales. "I just don't like losing control," he explains in a low voice. "It is scary."
I want to say something, anything, to comfort him but I don't know what at this moment. I can't relate to what he's feeling, and although I am still weak with using my powers, I can't remember any times when I have lost myself—maybe when I'm overcome with anger, but even that is extremely rare.
I do feel guilty for knowing he had to suffer like that, however, and even worse that I know it's partly my fault.
"I'm sorry," I say. "I didn't expect them to do something like that… I was the one who insisted we help them."
"Not your fault, you didn't know they'd try anything, they seemed like a normal family."
Kevin's eyes travel to my hands and I hide them behind my back. I have clenched and unclenched them more times than I can count, but I can't help it. It stings and the gentle breeze only helps to agitate the scratches and scrapes on my palms.
"I'll be back," he says.
Before I have the chance to say anything, I watch as he rushes inside a convenience store. It doesn't take him long to return, however, as only two minutes have passed and he walks out of the store while holding a small plastic bag in one hand and a water bottle in the other.
"What was that about?" I ask as we continue to walk ahead.
He shrugs. "Just needed to get something."
We finally reach Burger Shack. The parking lot is void of any people, and we decide to sit at the outside tables due to how quiet it is. It should be expected, of course, due to the time. It feels peaceful, as if Kevin and I are the only people present in the world.
Kevin goes inside the store to order and comes back not even five minutes later with two burgers and a soda, setting them on the table. I stretch my hands forward and I'm about to grab my burger, but Kevin gently takes hold of my hands. I look at him with raised eyebrows and his gaze softens.
He pulls out a bandage from his plastic bag and pops open the water bottle.
"I know it hurts," he says. He spills a bit of water on the scrapes, effectively cleaning off the dried blood.
"It isn't that bad."
"Sure," he says in a mocking tone. "It only works if one of us is stubborn, ya know?"
Using a piece of cloth, he gently dabs my palms until they're completely clean. I bite my tongue to stop myself from yelping—it might not be severe, but it still hurts quite a bit. He unwraps the bandage from the packet and then pulls my hands even closer to his frame.
I lift my head up and he does the same, and everything is replaced by silence and an overwhelming tension. We stay like this for a moment, until he finally looks down and continues to bandage my hands. I feel a blush creeping up on my face.
"Thanks," I whisper once he's finally done. Although the pain didn't go away completely, it's definitely minimized and just simply moving my hands is a lot easier compared to before.
"We're a team now, right?" he asks out of nowhere. He is still holding my hands, but he lets go once he realizes.
I turn towards my food and Kevin does the same.
"Duh," I say with a smile. "Though I think 'friends' has a better ring to it."
Kevin takes a bite of his burger, then shakes his head. "Friends," he repeats, as if it's a word he hasn't heard before. "Right."
We start eating in silence. I try to control myself and take small bites, and I can tell Kevin is trying to do the same, but after everything that happened today, we aren't just physically and mentally exhausted but also ravenous.
"We'll find your Grandpa, ya know. And your idiot cousin. I promise I'll help you."
I smile at him. "I trust you."