Exterminators Infected (The Exterminators Book 1) (23 page)

“Fred?”

No response. Fred was breathing heavily, his whole body rising and falling with each breath he took. “Fred?” Marshall called out again. Fred glanced back. His face was normal. His breathing was heavy; Marshall could see it rise out of his mouth from the cold. His face a little bloody, but mostly filled with the beasts blood. Nothing stood out, except the eyes. Dark red, glowing eyes. Due to the night, they shined. Almost as if they were diamonds.

“Fred...” Marshall began but Fred already had his back to him. He launched himself at the creature.

The Unknown tried another swipe with his last remaining tentacle. Fred jumped over it with such ease it looked impossible. Once back on the ground he dove forward, struck the beast in the soft core and went as deep as possible. Blood came oozing out from where his hands struck.

“Fred... what the hell?” Marshall said in disbelief. He watched his friend move with such swiftness he couldn't believe it. It was as if he was a whole different person. A different creature even. He fought as if he was an animal. Driving his hands into the belly of the beast, as if to show the creature who the alpha male was.

Then blood sprayed all over Fred. All over the docks. It even sprayed all over Marshall who was yards away. It was raining the blood of the Unknown as it howled in agony. The last cry of pain it would ever scream.

Fred had ripped the creature into two. It was a vicious way of exterminating, one the boys had never done before. Usually putting a creature out of its misery was something the boys were accustomed to. Fred had completely and utterly tore the creature up. Marshall watched his friend stand in front of the monster as if he just won a boxing match. He stood over the dead, like he finally won the right as king of the jungle. As if it was beast versus beast instead of extermination.

“Fred...” Marshall let his voice trail off. Not sure how to contact his friend. Not sure if he wanted to at this point.

Fred turned around. His hands filled with purple blood. Yet what caught Marshall off guard were his nails. They were longer than usual, around five inches long. His eyes still shining red. The rest of the body looked like his friend, yet it didn't feel like his friend.

“I killed it.” It was Fred's voice. Yet it wasn't. It sounded like him, yet it didn't feel like him. Marshall was scared of him. Scared of his best friend that he had known for years.
“I saw,” Marshall said in a low voice. He wasn't sure how to speak to his best friend. He felt like he was talking to someone else. The eyes scared him most of all.

“I didn't know I had that in me,” Fred said. He walked towards Marshall. Marshall backed up. “Hey, you okay?”

Fred looked worried. He must have seen how scared Marshall was. “Listen, you just tore that thing in half.” Marshall rose to his feet fast. “I don't know what the hell you are but stay away!”

“What I am? I'm Fred you idiot,” Fred said half laughing. Marshall backed up some more. “Dude, what is your problem?”

“You look like a monster!” Marshall shouted.

“What? How do I look like a monster?” Fred was confused. As if he didn't see himself as one. He hadn’t notice the change in himself yet.

“Look at your freaking hands dude! You have cat-like long nails or something!”

Fred looked down. He could see his long nails. He himself jumped back. “What the heck!?”

“That's what I've been trying to tell you!” Marshall started walking forward. A moment ago he was scared of his friend, now he was scared for his friend. He could tell it was Fred now, yet Fred didn't know what he was.

“What the hell is this?” Fred studied his hands. He was scared. He’d never seen nails so long on himself. They were sharp. Deadly. He could do a ton of damage with them. Most of all though, they reminded him of the wolf. The creature that almost killed him. He fell to his knees. “What is happening to me?”

Marshall fell to one knee. “Dude, its cool. Hit the button. Get backup to clean this mess up. We'll talk to Carl about this.”

“No!”

“No? Dude you're changing into a werewolf or something.”

“No, we tell them and they'll take me away.” Fred was so scared his voice began to crack. He could feel the pressure building in him.

“This isn't a sci-fi movie man. They won't take you away.”

“Why wouldn't they!?”

“Cause you're a human. Not a monster.”

“You just said it yourself, I'm becoming one!” Marshall watched as Fred screamed in fear. He just realized how scared Fred really was.

“Calm down. We won't tell them then.” Marshall placed his hands on Fred's shoulders. “Just relax, dude.” He said soothingly. Fred looked up at him. Marshall noticed the red eyes were gone, now replaced with his normal brown ones. “There ya go. Looking better already.”

“Huh?”

Marshall noticed the fingers returning to normal as well. “Look down.”

Fred watched his hands returned to the shape he was used to. “Oh thank God!”

“See, nothing to worry about. Call for backup. Let's get this cleaned up.”

Fred rose with Marshall. “What do we tell them?” They looked at the jelly-like creature. Its body was ripped wide open. All four tentacles were slashed off. Its blood was sprayed all over the entire dock. It was a massacre-looking scene.

Marshall raised his hand. “I had the claw hands remember. We'll blame it on that. Don't worry.” Fred nodded and hit the button. Marshall would never rat out his friend. If he felt that it should be kept a secret it would be kept a secret. Yet he was scared. Not for himself but for his friend. He didn't know what to do. Now with the promise, he had no one to go to.

Nick dropped Peter off at home and made his way back to Kelly's house. It was over an hour and a half. One of the Exterminator's at the cleanup patched him up as best he could. Healing his hand and placing it on himself with a transfer seal of magic. It was dangerous but useful in situations like his own. His hand was sealed and perfectly fine. Yet the pain from the attack was still there. The drain from the Rod left him tired. He had grass and dirt all over his clothes.

He wasn't sure what to say. He wanted to speak to Kelly first before his dad. He knew his dad would be pissed. Probably even ground him forever. Yet, he was more worried about her. What would she think of him now? The second time he left her alone with no reason to back it up. The excuse of Peter in trouble was all fine but not when he was dirty himself. She wouldn't believe him no matter what lie he spun.

He thought about telling her. The secrets of the organization would be between just them two. She was trust worthy. She'd understand why he had to leave so often. Why he'd come home all banged up. Why he would need the training. It would solve all the issues they had while fighting. It would make everything so much easier.

He just couldn't. If she knew it would put her in danger. He wasn't going to allow himself to put someone he loved in danger. He fought too hard to get her; he wouldn't let her go now. He could lift so much weight off his shoulder, if he told her, but he couldn't allow himself too. This was one of the inner struggles of being a leader. Having the responsibility to protect the ones you care about. He knew he couldn't speak about the organization.
He walked up her steps. He still hadn't had a plan on what to tell her. He watched as his cold breath flew up in front of him. It was so cold out, yet he couldn't feel it. He could only feel the knot in his stomach. He didn't want to knock on the door. He wanted to run away. Think of some big excuse and come back the next day. He decided to knock on the door, regardless of what the consequences were going to be.

He heard feet coming towards the door. They were soft and quiet, he knew it was her. He braced himself. He had a feeling he was about to get screamed at. She opened the door. She saw right away the dirty and ripped cloths. She saw the blood on him despite his best efforts to clean it off. She saw his face, a face full of sadness and guilt.

“Baby, I'm so so-” he began but she held her hand up.

“Come in. Let's get you cleaned up.”

She moved out of the doorway and waited. He came inside the house and looked at her. He could feel her sadness but more so the worried look on her face concerned him. “I'm sorry,” was all he could mutter. She shook her head and kissed him.

“I said its okay. Let's get you cleaned up,” she said softly.

Chapter 22 – Those Days

Carl walked down the steps to his home. He thought about the situation at hand. He was dealing with an over abundance of problems on his plate. So much, in fact, that he couldn't even find time to sit with his unit. He hadn't even done any one-on-one training with them. He felt terrible about it, especially since he was their Bora, the one to guide them with their extermination job. Instead, he focused on everyone else's problems instead of his own. He was doing the opposite of what he promised to do.
Today he felt he was going to change that. He called up Fred and told him to meet in his office. It was already February and the boys did enough training by themselves. They rose to fine warriors, handling every mission with swiftness and determination. Questions arose, but no matter what, they did as they were told.
He thought about his own problems. He stopped drinking two weeks ago. He finally let go of the addiction. Every night he felt the tug of the demons ripping at his insides. The alcohol wanted in; he wanted it inside him driving his problems into oblivion. Yet, every night he fought against it holding the addicted self at bay by reading. He let it swim around in his mind but never surface.
He was scared it would happen again. A total shut down in him. He had already lost so much in the past. Made so many mistakes. He blamed himself entirely for a lot of it, despite only being partially to blame. He wasn't sure why he blamed himself for so much. Probably because it was easier that way. He always felt like a leader, ever since he first joined the organization. In his mind leading was everything. So, if someone under his lead made a mistake it was his fault.
He didn't want to push himself back into depression. When he lost his first team completely, he broke. He went into a deep depression and went off the map. No one could find him. He made sure of that. Still, in all his time of hiding, he wanted nothing more than to be found. He was off the charts for years. No one followed him. He felt free from the organization, even if he knew no matter how far he ran the organization would never let the grasp they had on him go.

He made his way past a busy street. He looked at the small kids playing alongside the street. One boy had a penny in his hand which he threw on the ground. It flipped over causing half the kids to howl in excitement. The others yelled in defeat. It always was a competition in life, he felt. No matter how young or old you are you're always betting yourself against or for something. Even watching the kids he could see that.

Carl never failed a mission. Even as an Exterminator he finished every mission to a “T”. His whole unit survived growing up together. They all became Protectors or Boras in the long run. Even the most challenging Unknown he went up against was eventually taken down. Yet, something went wrong. When he became a Bora something changed. Missions were mostly eliminating creatures. Raising four young people to eventually become pro executioners of Unknowns was another thing. He somehow slipped there.
He reached the wooden house. Opened the door and made his way towards the elevator. He stood in the elevator for a moment. He wouldn't fail this time. He felt this time he could prove he was worthy of being the leader. He wouldn't let himself slip again.

Kelly laid her head on Nick's chest. They lay down in the field outside the park. In February it was still cold. The wind was at a all time low today, though. They watched as the clouds passed overhead with the sun shining through when it could. “It's beautiful.”

He smiled at her. “Yeah, it is,” he responded.

“You ever think about how we first met?” She placed her hand on his chest.

“Yeah, I told you that you had a nice pen.”

She giggled. “You were so corny. So weird.”

“Hey!”

“Still, I wanted to get to know you so bad. You were different.” She looked at him. “Something special.”

“I'm just me. You're the one who's special.” He gave her a small kiss. She lit up. He loved doing things for her and watching her face light up in response.

A small chill went over both of them. They cuddled up tight for a moment till it past. Once it did, they let go and watched the sky. They tried to make out different shapes from the clouds. “A heart, you see it?”

“No. That looks like a guy with one arm,” Nick said, pointing.

“What!? How do you see a guy! It's a heart.”

“It's a guy.”

“Okay, pen expert,” she responded, giggling. He tried pushing her off playfully but she grabbed his shirt. He held her tighter afterward. The joy he brought her just being close was enough to make him feel happy. The missions and training began to be tougher than he expected on his time and body but he kept at it. When he saw her though, it all went away. All the pain. The frustration. The missions. Just happiness remained. He sometimes wondered if he was allowed even that in the lifestyle he was chosen for.
“During the summer I think I'm going to try getting a job,” Nick said softly. She smiled.

“Sounds good to me. I think I'll try getting one myself. We're just about done with school anyway. No need to wait around.”

“Once I get enough money I...” he began, not sure how to finish. He'd been thinking about the future as of late. What moves were the
right
moves
? He kept wondering and questioning himself. He decided though he'd never find out unless he asked. “-I'd like to get my own place. I'd like you to move in with me.” He held his breath.

She kept viewing the sky, not saying a word. Complete and utter silence took over the air. Then she spoke. “I'd very much like that. To be together with you, more.” He let out a heavy breath, one that held the weight of the world. He grabbed her tighter. He felt no other words needed to be said.

“You think I can come with you one time?” Lucy said to Marshall as they walked out of a local restaurant. The cold chill wrapped around their bodies as they began walking against the wind.

He glanced over to her. “I told you before, you can't. These missions are top secret. You wouldn't even be able to see anything.”

“I just want to see what you go through.”

“That's the thing, you can't see anything. I told you I jump realms.”

“Why don't you let me jump with you?”

“You don't have a beeper, first off,” he pointed to his beeper. “This thing is what helps me cross over. You don't have it, meaning you can't jump. Listen baby, we went over this before, you can't come along. Not only is it bad for me but it's dangerous for you. What if the monster attacks you? What if you get hurt?”

“You get hurt all the time!” she answered stubbornly.

“Yeah, but that's on me. My mistakes. If you get injured in anyway, I can't handle that. So no, you cannot come along.” He looked away, walking just slightly ahead of her. She was agitated and he could feel it. He was a big push over, but not on this perticular subject. The danger was too much for him to ever risk her life.

“You're being unfair,” she spoke low and soft. He ignored it for a moment. He knew she was being a baby, not getting her way, but he couldn't help but feel for her. If he looked at her he knew he'd wanna give in, so he kept his eyes glued to the streets. Watching car drivers yell out their windows at the people slowly crossing the street. He watched the food carts on the streets offering anyone who passed them a free desert. He watched as people gambled at the end of the block, common thing on the street corners of New York City. Little did they know what hid behind all this. What was in the realm right beside them.

“I'm not being unfair. I'm being safe. I told you when we started this secret that we couldn't push it. We're doing something that's against all the rules. If the organization ever found out-” Now he turned to her. She watched his eyes. “-they'd put an end to this. I'm pretty sure they'd shut you up in the worse way possible. Probably send me to execution or something. We can't let that happen baby. We have to stay under cover.” He stopped and grabbed her shoulders. “You have to understand that.”

“I do,” she said smiling. “It's nice to see you care so much.”

“Of course I care. I...” he almost let it slip. The amazing feeling he'd been experiencing the last few weeks. He wanted so badly to tell her. He just wanted to scream how much he loved her. He was too scared though. The bravest of all the boys. One of the most outspoken people in the entire school. Yet, he couldn't say three simple words. “...just want to keep us safe. Let's go.”

He caught a small sadness in her eyes but once he grabbed her hand she smiled again. He led her towards his house. She smiled even bigger as she tightened her hand around his.

Jin grabbed Peter's hand and twisted it around him. He spun Peter around and held his arm behind him. “Do you quit?”

Peter gritted his teeth. “No.”

Jin pushed harder, putting more pressure. “At this rate it'll snap.”

“I give,” Peter answered quickly. The pain built up too much. He almost tripped once he was let go of. He turned to Jin. “One day, I'll beat you.”

“I fully believe you will,” Jin told him, smiling. “You're one of the best Exterminators I've fought at such a young age. You haven't even had full training with Carl and you fight like a pro. Well, with your elemental gloves at least. Close combat can use a lot of work.” He laughed. Peter waved his hand in a dismissive manner and walked to his bag on the floor.

Peter took a sip of his drink and looked at Jin. “If you master one weapon, you'll never need another.”

“If you master all weapons, you'll never have to worry about somebody else mastering just one weapon.” Jin laughed again and Peter couldn't help but join in. “Thing is, you're strong-” Jin sat down near his bag. “-you just need to focus on every aspect of fighting. You're quick. You think on your feet and that will help. You can summon more elemental powers then most people in their first year. You have the determination, as well. If you don't want to use other weapons - fine.” Jin pointed to the whole gym in front of him. “You just have to be a valuable asset to your unit.”

“I am valuable.”

“You are, but if you don't want to master another weapon you must master support. You're not a close-range fighter but a far range fighter. If you can master being the best support on the team you'll never need to get into close combat.” Jin tapped his own head. “It takes a lot of guts to go in head-to-head with an Unknown. It takes a lot of brain though to stay away and strike from afar. Being safe should always be the first goal.”

Jin had come to like Peter as a student of sorts. Carl promised to step up and take care of his own team. Jin felt a odd, maybe special, connection with Peter. In a lot of ways, Peter reminded him of a younger brother. Someone so eager to learn everything he knew. Also eager to prove he was better than him. It was a love and hate relationship that made Jin so intrigued by Peter. His motives weren't unnatural but his mind was. He thought differently. He focused only on training. When other kids thought about girls and school problems, even Exterminators, Peter focused only on training, learning more about Exterminators, and hunting Unknowns. He knew from the very start that Peter would be something different, something unique.

Peter flexed his fingers. He already reversed his Rod back. He felt his energy slowly creep back into him. Far quicker than a few months ago. His stamina and dexterity grew every day. He could feel it, even if he couldn't explain it. His body only grew a little bit but it was everything else that grew exceptionally. He felt he had to prove he was better. He never figured out why he had to, though. It bothered him every day to know he had motives but not sure why or what they even were for at times. He felt he had to prove to someone, but who was that someone. His father? His friends? Carl? Jin? The question kept circulating in his mind for days and still no answer. It became the only problem Peter couldn't master.
“I think we should head out. We trained for almost two hours. Sure you're parents are wondering where you are on a school night.” Jin checked the time, it was getting close to nine o'clock.

“Eh, they don't care.”

“Of course they do. Every parent cares about their kid, even if they don't always show it.”

“No, trust me. Drunken people care about when the next drink is up and that's all.”

This got Jin's attention. He remembered he was still keeping tabs on Peter but no evidence had showed up yet. Peter hadn't shown any new scars so he couldn't relate it to a family situation or school. Jin kept a close eye when he could, but if nothing was there he couldn't prove a thing. “Is your father abusive to you in any way?” It was a straight out, blunt question. He figured he had to ask somehow, and this was the best way.

Peter took a second to think about it. The organization didn't need more problems. He wanted to keep his teammates away from his personal life. No need for them to be sucked into a terrible father-son relationship issue.

“No, he's just a bum.” Peter laughed. The laugh was fake yet Peter hoped Jin would buy it.

“All right, well then let's get you home.”

Peter felt the bluff laugh had worked. Why wouldn't it? No one cared enough to pry into his business. He didn't want anyone to interfere in his personal life anyway. He liked to be alone in this. At least that's what he told himself. “Okay,” he said, almost sadly. Real emotion began to spill in but he soon buried it again. He was good at that.