Exterminators Infected (The Exterminators Book 1) (12 page)

“These creatures, the Rockus that you just killed, would have rammed one of you. Chances are it would have killed you if it did.” Carl pointed to Marshall's hand. “You said you were injured. Luckily it was just your hand and not your head.”
“That doesn't explain why we killed it. Why didn't we bring it back here and cage it? Why not just send it back to their realm,” Marshall questioned. Nick was also wondering why we didn't return them to the place they came from. If they can jump into our world, can we jump into theirs?
“These Unknowns aren't friendly. They come out of their realm looking for blood. As you all know, by now.”
“Then why do you have some who are just floating around here on our side?” Marshall pointed behind him. “One just healed my hand. What if she came through the realm and we just bashed her face in. Then what?”
“The ones who come to help give advance notice that they are. I'm not saying all these creatures are bad. The monsters, Unknowns, the others, and whatever else you want to call them. They exist just like we do. Some want to harm while others want to help. The ones like our Healers aren't here to harm us. They see the threat of the other creatures and they choose to help instead. Chances are in their realm these creatures hunted them as well.”
“So, we're basically using them.”
“I never said that.”
Marshall shifted in his seat. “It sure sounds like it.”
“For someone who didn't care a few days ago,” Carl said, standing up now. “You sure want to know a lot now.”
“I'm just trying to piece this all together. Why we have to kill them is all I'm wondering. If you say they want us dead, then I guess I have no choice but to defend myself. Still, I'ma figure out why they all want to attack us one day. If I find out they are just scared...” Marshall let his voice trail off. Carl watched for a moment before coming around the desk.
“Training begins at the end of this week. You'll meet at the gym here after school on Friday. Take this weekend and most of the week to rest up. Spend time with your families, your friends, whomever. Once training starts things will change. I will be your Commander, Jin here will help out as well,” They all took a look back at Jin. He waved. “I need you to understand that these missions are very serious. These hunts aren't a game. You guys get injured, you could easily die. I won't allow that to happen,” Carl's face was stone cold. The boys all looked intensively at him. “I'll let Fred know before he leaves here today. I need you boys to understand something. What we do here is a dangerous task. We face creatures, Unknowns, that could easily kill us. We face them, beat them, almost die, and get no recognition. I know none of you are in this for rewards, but it's important to note no one will know about this. No one can know about this. If someone outside the organization knows they will either be terminated or forced to join and keep secrecy. It's living a double life from now on. If you want out now, let me know.”
“You can't let them out now. It's too late,” Jin spoke up.
“I can if I want. These are my recruits, no one else’s. It is my choice. No one else’s.” Carl looked to his recruits. He saw Nick’s face, struggling to decide what he should do. Marshall’s face gave away his anger but he was already determined to fight. He was too hungry for information to back out now. Peter just watched, eyes empty. Carl knew Peter would stay; he had too much interest in the organization.
“I'm in,” Marshall said.
“I am, too,” Peter added.
“Dude, what happened to your face?” Marshall finally took a look at Peter's face. Peter looked to the side.
“I fell,” he muttered.
“You fell?”
“Yeah, fell down some stairs.”
“Well news for you, the stairs won.”
“Back to the point at hand. Are you all in?” Carl asked loudly. Marshall stopped talking, and Peter looked up at Carl.
Nick took a second before looking up. He watched as his two teammates looked at him. He saw Carl looking at him, waiting for his answer. “Well I don't wanna be the lame one out. I’m in.” Carl nodded and stood up.
“All right kids, get out of here. Be careful out there.” All three boys stood up and began exiting the room. Nick lingered for a moment longer.
“Is everything okay, Nick?” Jin asked from Nick's side. Nick turned his head.
“Should I be nervous?”
“I'd be surprised if you weren't,” Jin said.
“My life is never going to be the same, is it?” Nick watched for a response. Jin looked towards Carl, who looked back towards Nick. “Guess that's the only answer I needed,” he said before walking out the door.

Chapter Thirteen – Bonds

Nick just got out of the shower. He was going through his clothes, trying to find something nice to wear. It had been four days since the fight with the Rockus. Nick felt fully recovered, and full of energy. He had asked Kelly out on a date the very same night he returned from the Station. She gladly accepted and they planned on meeting tonight, at six o'clock. It was already five and Nick couldn't find something he liked. “Come on! Why don't I have anything fancy!?” He looked through his closet searching for dressy clothes. He tried on a button down.
“You're not going to prom. Come on!”
He threw it off and tried on another shirt that was all white. It hung off baggy. He threw it off quickly. He shuffled through his clothes but found nothing.
“This is insane! I need to go shopping starting tomorrow.”
Nick's dad knocked at the door. “Pops, I'm really busy right now. I can't find a decent shirt in this pile of what I call clothes. I really need to go shopping.”
“First off,” Nick's dad came in holding a nice brown button down shirt, “Your clothes are fine. You're just worried about the date. Here,” he said. He handed his son the shirt. Nick took it, studied it, and then put it on. He looked into the mirror. “Looking good kid. She'll love it.”
“You think?”
“You're my son, of course.”
“Thanks dad,” he said smiling. He looked at his dad and smiled. “I really like this girl.”
“Sounds like it,” his father winked. He brushed off his son's shoulders before letting his hands rest there for a moment. As he looked at him he could feel a tug in his heart. A feeling of being proud, excited, scared, but most of all the feeling of his son being almost a grown man. “I'm very proud of you.”
“Oh, don't get all mushy on me!” Nick laughed.
“I won't, I won't. Just have fun and live life. Go get this girl.” He patted his son on the shoulder.
“Thanks again, pops. Later!” Nick called as he started walking quickly to the door.

“Oh and Nick,” his dad said. Nick stopped and turned. “Don't you dare do anything that will make me ground you for the rest of your life! I don't care how old you are you'll be trapped here forever if you do something you'll regret. Trust me.” Nick laughed and nodded. He walked out the door and was on his way to meet Kelly. Nicks' father smiled and sat on his bed. “My son...” his voice faded into the air. He couldn't help but picture Nick as a child. Holding him with his wife. They would tickle his belly and he'd laugh. He'd get angry over not having any food. He'd cry if they went too far from him. Now he was on a date with a girl. His father couldn't have felt prouder at this moment.

Peter was looking at the guide. It was basically a scrap book of Exterminators experiences with these hunts. He felt that most of the advice was obvious. Always keep alert, don't use too much energy consuming weapons, you can't hurt yourself with your own Rod. Peter had been alternating weapons on and off throughout the last few days. His weapons ranged from swords, guns, and his favorite - gloves. Not just regular gloves, but the glove he was able to create was a magical one. While using the glove he was able to summon elemental powers. Such as creating fire, water, or electricity. However, with the amount of energy it took to use it he had to rest a long while before trying it again. Not to mention the elements fell apart all too often. Fire breaking apart, water spilling everywhere, electricity frying his lamp. It was gonna take a lot of work to learn to control the different magical elements.
He liked the idea of being in control of a weapon. He never had violent tendencies but the fact that he can use weapons to defend himself now was amazing. Still, none of it could be used on problems at school. The bullies pushing him around were just the tip of the iceberg. It was his own father who he wanted to put a stop to. The way his father became more abusive over the past few years made Peter shut off any emotions he had. He concealed himself behind a blank statue of his former self. He hated that. That emotion he could feel trying to break though: hatred.
He jumped on to the computer to see if he could find anything about monsters. Every time he searched he just saw video games, TV, and movie monsters. Nothing to really point him in the direction of a community of Exterminators. The organization must have eyes everywhere, meaning finding anyone would be impossible unless in person. He wondered if anyone else at his school could be an Exterminator as well. He wouldn't put it past some people.
His cell phone went off and he jumped. Only time it ever went off is when his mom called. His mom was in the other room, asleep though. He grabbed it and looked at the caller ID. He picked it up. “Heya Kelleh!” He tried to sound louder than usual.
“Hey Pete! How's everything?” she asked. Pete couldn't see her but sensed something different in her voice.

“I’m fine. Are you okay?” He got off his bed. He felt something was wrong as he heard shuffling around on the phone.
“Oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm getting my shoes on and heading out. Listen, can I ask you a weird question?” Peter calmed down. She wasn't in danger.
“Shoot,” he said going back to reading his guide.
“I'm going on a date with that Nick kid. I'm a little worried ‘cause I don't know much about him. Can you be honest with me and just tell me he's a good guy or if he's a slime ball.”
“This is strange. You've been on dates before but never asked me about them,” he said, making his voice sound curious despite not really caring. He knew Nick wouldn't hurt Kelly, she wasn't in any danger.
“Well yeah, but I never dated someone you've known! I know you just met him but does he seem nice?”
“Yeah, he's nice.” Peter turned the page to study a picture of a gigantic bear-type creature.
“Did he talk about me before?”
“He said you were really cute.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“No way!”
“Yes way.”
“Are you listening to me?” She sounded annoyed. Peter looked up from his guide.

“Yes. I'm sorry I didn't mean to ignore you. I'm just reading. Yes, he thinks you are cute. I’m sure you'll have a great time,” he told her with a calm and soothing voice. He wanted to make Kelly feel comfortable.
“Thanks Pete, makes me feel better that he's not some total creep. Well, I'ma go meet him. Talk to you later, goodnight!” He responded the same and hung up. He felt a sense of happiness for his friend. He really enjoyed Kelly's happy attitude. He was also fond of his new friendship with Nick. Their being together would make them both happy. Peter wondered if that would make him happy as well. Having someone to be together with. He pondered the thought for a moment before looking back to the guide.

Nick stood at the movies entrance, pacing. He was nervous but excited. He couldn't wait to see Kelly, but he was scared to see her at the same time. He tried to calm himself down and just breathe in deeply. The nice cool night breeze blew through his clothes. It cooled him down before he got his clothes soaked from sweat.
He looked up at the movie theater sign. “What to see,” he muttered as he looked at the names. Action movies galore with two romantic comedies on the menu. He chose one of the romantic comedies, the one that had the least horrible actors. He figured even if it's bad he could take the opportunity to glance at Kelly when she wasn't looking. Study what she thinks of certain parts of the movies, so he knew how to counteract later, when he went in for a kiss.
“Figured what movie we're gonna see?”
Nick jumped back, scared out of his mind. He stumbled backwards then laughed. “Okay, thanks for scaring me. We aren't seeing a horror movie now.” She giggled. “I say we go to see one of the romantic comedies.”
“Really?”
“I just figured you'd like that.”
“What? I wanna see things blow up, people screaming, cool car chase scenes. I don't wanna see some boring romance movie.” Nick laughed. He liked how open Kelly was about expressing her views.
“All right then let's go watch one.” He grabbed her hand. Her face lit up, and she smiled. He held tighter, loving the way her hand felt.
“Plus, we can fill in that romance movie time later,” she said winking. Her grip became tighter as well.

Marshall knocked on Fred's door. Fred had been home a few days, Marshall figured he'd check up on him. Marshall and Fred still haven't been on good terms. Still, he was one of his oldest friends. Even if they weren't friends like they used to be, he still cared about his health.
Fred opened the door. “Oh, hey,” Fred said in surprise. He wasn't expecting to see Marshall, of all people. Marshall waved while he entered the house. It was clean to perfection. “Cleaners left about an hour ago. Daily routines.”
“Parents in town?”
“Are they ever?”
“Good point,” Marshall said sitting down. “I'm sorry for the other day.”
“What happened the other day?” Fred joined him on the couch. His shoulder burned a bit every once in a while but besides that he was back in top shape. He sometimes couldn't believe the speedy recovery.
“I should have been there when you were fighting that wolf thing.” Marshall kept his head down. “I've been thinking a lot lately. Why we don't talk like we used to. I think I just wanted to be noticed. I mean I wanted to be popular. I just never actually wanted to be popular, just the idea of being popular.” Marshall began fumbling his own words. “Point is, I know I've been acting strange these past few years. I'm sorry about that.” He looked up and pointed to Fred's shoulder. “Maybe if I wasn't acting like an idiot you wouldn't have that.”
This was the first time in years Fred heard his old friend Marshall speak truthfully. He felt the connection of friendship he had years ago come right back into place. As if they never fought all those years ago. “No one is to blame. Nobody thought these creatures were real. I didn't, Nick didn't, Peter...well Peter might have. Still, no one thought they were really real. So I don't want you sitting there thinking it's entirely your fault.”
“I'm just glad you’re all right.” Marshall lifted his head. “I mean who else am I going to make fun of for being chubby on the team.”
“I will punch you. In the face. Really hard.” Fred drew his hand back, Marshall moved to the side of the couch laughing. It felt like they were back to their old friendship. Like when they were kids playing together.
Marshall sat back up. Fred looked behind him at the empty kitchen. It was dark, lonely, isolated. “Hey Marshall,” he said as Marshall looked at him. “Wanna play some video games for a while?”
Marshall glanced around the house. He saw the empty halls, kitchen, and bedrooms. He already felt alone and he didn't even live there. “Yeah, got anything new?” Fred smiled while he went looking for a game to play. He was glad he didn't have to spend another night alone with his own thoughts in a quiet house.

“That was about the most amazing thing I've ever seen!” Kelly threw her right hand up. “I mean whoa! Did you see that building fall over? The sound effects!? It was like I was right there.” She was speaking so loud and fast that Nick just nodded to everything she was saying. His real attention was placed on her face. He wanted to kiss her lips. “Then when that guy came running off the bridge and slammed on to the boat. Whoa! What a movie!”
“Yeah, it was pretty awesome.” Nick tried to pay attention to the movie as best he could. Normally an action movie for him is pretty easy to get through. Just sit, watch, laugh, and enjoy. However, next to Kelly, he just couldn't concentrate. He kept sneaking peeks over to her every few seconds. He couldn't control his need to want to talk to her. Be closer to her.
“Where to now?” She grabbed his hand.
“Wanna grab something to eat?” He pointed to the restaurants along the side of the road two blocks down.
“I could eat,” she began. “You better not judge me though based on what I get. A girls gotta eat ya know!”
“I won't judge you,” he said smiling back. “I think you’re gorgeous. So whatever you eat is already what you've been eating. So keep eating it, ‘cause you'll always be beautiful to me.” The words just slipped out. He didn't prepare them at all but they came out so perfect.
She lit up and tightened the grip she had on his hand. “That was very sweet of you.”

“Well, I'm a pretty sweet guy.”
“Don't push it, you ain't that sweet to be conceited,” she said laughing.

Carl threw some of his clothes in the dryer and hit the large blue button. He let the rumbling sound take over, letting his mind drift off as his clothes were drying. He was trying to imagine the kids he now had under his wing. Nick and his bravery. Marshall and his hard headed mentality. Peter and his smarts. Fred and his determination. All the boys lacked something, but together they could be unstoppable. He smiled as he pictured the group. Having new recruits back under his command felt good. First time in a long time he felt like a real Bora.
A Bora's job was always to raise Exterminators to be Protectors or Boras one day. They were there to train the Exterminators to be smarter, faster, and more powerful. They are to lead by example; showing these kids how to fight as a team and by themselves. He grew up the same way with three other fighters. Two of them were still on the hunts today. One was now a protector and the last one a Gada. He was very proud of his friends.
He closed his eyes, imaging Ross. Remembering the very first time he met them all at fourteen. She stood there smiling, waiting for the instructions by their Bora. She was a year older than him but so short, that by looking you'd think she was younger. He wanted to run over to her and sit next to her but kept his seat in the back of the group. He didn't want to make it obvious to anyone that he liked her. She eventually walked over after the instructions were over and asked if he wanted to walk together. To keep each other protected.
Carl opened his eyes. He felt his cheeks were wet.
“Crying again you old man? Come on now,”
He thought, laughing. He wiped his face and walked away from the dryer. He needed to get away from his memories. The memories that still haunted him today. The experiences that changed his life forever. For the good and for the bad.