Exterminators Infected (The Exterminators Book 1) (28 page)

Jin came into Carl's office. It was late, way past midnight. As far as Carl knew Jin didn't have any missions on-going. He wondered why the young man needed to speak to him so late. He told him to sit and began drinking another cup of coffee. Coffee was the first thing he replaced his drinking with. It wasn't the best substitute but it was a substitute none the less.

“Is everything okay, Jin?”

“Yeah, just doing a follow-up.” Jin sat down. He looked tired. Worn out from all the things going on in his life as of late. He couldn't cover it up very well.

“You look exhausted. Are you sure you're doing okay? I told you not to overexert yourself.” Carl placed his mug down and walked around the desk. He placed his hand on Jin. “Speak to me. What's wrong?”

Jin didn't want to go over his personal issues. He knew Carl cared, though. So he let a little of it slip in the conversation. “Emily, it's been rough.”

“Is everyone having girl problems as of late?” Carl laughed. “First Nick, then Marshall, and now you? I'm so glad I'm not dating at the moment.”

“It's just that we don't see each other much. I've been so busy with training, missions, helping the kids...” he began but Carl stopped him.

“I told you to leave the kids to me. I started the one-on-one training. I'll help them out from now on. Please, do not overburden yourself with even more than you already have on your plate.”

“I know, but I feel some sort of obligation,” Jin said sitting back in his seat. “These kids...they feel like my friends now. I can't just walk away. I want to see them get better.”

“You can, but worry about your personal problems first. Emily is a great person. Don't let her slip away from you.” He waited as Jin thought about the issue at hand. He agreed with Carl, even if he wouldn't admit it straight out.

“I know. It's just...I don't know, just problems.” Jin waved his hand. “Let's get back to the subject at hand. I've been trying to keep tabs on Peter.”

This intrigued Carl. He was worried about his student. “Anything? Is it family problems? Bullies at school?”

“I haven't seen him in any fights at school. Nor did I see him come in with any new scars and bruises on his face. Either it was a one-time thing or he's the best cover up kid I've ever seen.”

“So nothing then?”

“Something is odd, though.”

“Well, let me hear it. So far, all I'm hearing is we’re back at square one. Nothing has changed.” He sat back in his chair looking at the ceiling. He never wanted to see his unit suffer. Yet, if he didn't know the problems, how could he fix them?

“Peter has problems relating to regular humans.”

“I read the reports. Sociopath tendencies. I know all about them.”

“And yet, he's been showing emotions as of late.”

“I've noticed that, too. I figured it's the difference of human interaction. He'd never been with a group of people as much as now. He's experiencing emotions based off the fact of being outside his norm. It's only natural emotions would spark up,” Carl finished. He grabbed his baseball and threw it into the air.

“I understand that, sir. Saying that, he keeps his anger in check. We don't know when he's angry or upset. When he's happy or faking it. It's odd we can't pick that up yet, and we've known him for like half a year.” Jin was trying desperately to plead his case. Everything he said, though, was already on Carl's mind and answered too.

“I can sense when he shows true emotions. When he is Peter and not just following other peoples' ways of interaction. Maybe not all the time but I can sense a good portion of it.” Carl flung the ball as high as the ceiling went. As it fell he looked towards Jin. “He'll come around to us, don't worry.” He caught the ball without looking.

That's when a huge thud hit the door. Jin jumped out of his chair and turned towards the door. Carl dropped the ball and went towards the door placing his hand on it. “You have your Rods on you?”

“Got my gloves already on.” Jin put his hands in front of him.

Carl nodded and held his hand on his hip near his Rod. It had been weeks now since he’d had to use his weapon for fighting. He felt his heart thumping hard in his chest. He hadn't been in danger in so long he almost forgot the feeling. The feeling of being alive again.
He slid his hand in a downward motion, the door swung open. Carl was ready to strike but froze in his steps.
Blood dripped down from Peter's forehead. His face was badly banged up and looked to beaten to a pulp. He held on for dear life on the hallway wall. He looked up at both Jin and Carl, who were in complete and utter shock.
“I have a secret...” he gasped through his bloody teeth. He stepped forward, tripping, and falling straight to the ground.

Carl moved quickly and snatched him midair before he could fall on his face. He held him in his arms and turned him over quickly. He could see his student was badly beaten, nearly to the point of death. He could see his nose was badly bashed in, where most of the blood on his face was coming from. There was also a bad gash on his forehead from a boot of some sort. The teeth were filled with blood. A solid punch to the mouth would do that.
Peter looked up at his mentor, seeing only a bright light shining on him. He wasn't sure how he made it here. He heard his father slam the door in his house as he awoke. He felt far worse than he could have ever imagined. He'd never been beaten this bad in a fight, let alone by his own abusive, drunken father. He heard the police sirens and moved quickly. He knew if they found him they would ask him a hundred questions on what happen. He couldn't let that happen. He wanted no one to know about his personal life. Especially his Exterminator co-fighters.

So he stumbled his way out of his apartment. He saw his sister watching, scared, as he made his way out. He had to get to the Station. He had to make sure they kept their attention on something important. A diversion.

Jin took off his shirt and bent down. He tried wiping away some of the blood on his face. Peter tried to focus. He needed to tell them before it was too late.

“Get some healers. We have to get him patched up quickly before there is any permanent damage. Go!” Carl ordered. Jin got up, about to leave the room.
“Wait-” Peter used whatever little strength he had left to yell. Jin turned around looking at the injured boy. Carl waited as well, scared and nervous for his recruit. “-there's danger...”

“Who did this to you?” Carl demanded.

“Fred...” Peter said before gulping. Carl looked at Jin. Jin stared back in shock. They didn't expect to hear that.
“Fred did this?” Jin asked, confused.

“No,” Peter closed his eyes and bit his lip. He had to tell them. “Fred is becoming something. He's becoming an Unknown. I saw it...stop him.” Peter let the shining light take over. He closed his eyes. He could feel them watching him as he drifted off. He just hoped the warning was enough to have their attention turn towards it. Not towards his personal problems at home. His last emotion before drifting off was guilt. He betrayed his friend's trust. He had never betrayed someone before. He never had a friend before to betray. He wasn't too sure he'd have a friend after that. He slipped away into total darkness.

Chapter 25 – Run

Nick walked with Kelly to school. It was Friday, the day before the weekend. He was so excited to have the next two days off. He wanted to train tomorrow and then take Sunday off to go into the city with Kelly. He had the perfect plan on Sunday to take her out to dinner. She didn't have a clue. Which made it that much more exciting.

“It's such a beautiful day out,” she commented, looking at the trees. She put her hand in the air and let the cold breeze surround her. It was getting warmer but sweaters were still needed. The weather felt amazing today. The sun was shining brightly on them. Not a cloud in sight. The wind was a bit chilly but not consistent. It was the perfect day to take a long walk.

He watched her. He loved just looking at her, happy. He kept thinking about when they moved in together next year. He tried calculating how much money he'd need for an apartment. The prices were outrageous here. Even for a good job. He was thinking of moving. Then he wondered how that would interfere with his Exterminator job. He had a lot to discuss with Carl. For now though, he watched her smile and felt everything was just right.

They reached the school. Kids crowded around the front screaming at each other to be heard. It was getting close to the end and everyone was on edge. They wanted to move on with their life. The seniors were now deciding what college to go to or what job to get. It was a rush of excitement and being scared that filled the entire front of the school.

Nick grabbed Kelly's hand and they pushed their way through. He held her hand tight while shoving his way through the huge crowd. He politely tried to ask people to move. Most people didn't even hear him, to into their own conversations. So, he took it upon himself to move them by shoving them just slightly. He kept a low profile at school just because he wanted to get by in it. With his grades he didn't know if he'd be able to. He figured maybe taking a short break on training to catch up. He didn't want to repeat his senior year.

They finally got through the front and into the school. “People are crazy,” Nick said walking forward. She trailed right behind him.

“They're just excited about graduating. Aren't you?”

“Yeah, if I graduate.”

“I told you to come over and we'll finish up the homework you missed. Together.” She strained the word together. He seemed to want to fight her whenever it came to the school situation. She was a serious student, after all.

“I know. I've just been busy.”

“Yeah, I know, the gym.”

“And fighting crazy monsters on the verge of invading our world and killing us all.”
He laughed. “Yeah the gym but also other stuff. I also got my dad breathing down my neck about school. So, don't worry, I'll get on it.”

“You better. Otherwise I'm going to find the first college guy who says my pens are nice and take him on a date,” she winked at him giggling.

“No matter what-” he said turning around and looking at her very seriously. “-he could never judge a pen the way I can. I am the pen master.”

She laughed and pushed him away. “You're so weird!” She laughed more.

“Ah, but you're dating the weirdo. So, what's that make you?”

“Oh, whatever!”

“I'm just saying, baby. It takes a weirdo to love a weirdo.”

“Yeah, I'm starting to see that.” She walked ahead of him smiling. He trailed behind her, smiling back.

“Got a cute butt by the way.”

“Stop looking at my butt.” She covered her bottom with both hands.

“Butt's so big, I can see it even now.” She shrieked and slapped him on the shoulder.

“Don't talk to me. Ever!” She walked away quickly.

He ran behind her. “Hey, let me finish! I was gonna say I like big butts and I cannot lie!” he laughed. They ran all the way to class.

Back in the darkness, Fred felt alone once again. He hadn't shown up for training in over a week. Claiming he had a stomach virus. It was better that way. He felt terrible, his body aching every single day. He hated how weak he had become. Especially after all the training he went through. He was feeling great. Yet now, ever since he broke down the wall, he felt terrible.
The wall.

He still wasn't sure what the wall was. He broke it down to save Marshall. Weeks later he still had no idea what it did. He remembers flashes of when he changed. Breaking down the wall let out another side of him. He felt like himself, yet, it felt as if something else was inside him. How can there be another person inside one body? He was Fred. There is only one Fred.

Then what the hell saved Marshall?

He felt alone. Scared. Weak. He tried to call Marshall but he was usually busy with Lucy. He wanted to go to Nick, his leader, but he was always busy with Kelly. He tried talking to Peter but was blown off the last time. He couldn't go back to him, especially since he ran away from him last time.

So the black room was where he ended up.

That's where he was now. This is where he spends his alone time. Every time he shuts his eyes he awakens in it. The room filled with nothing but black walls, black skies, black everything. It was a morbid feeling. Something he was disgusted by, even though at times, it felt like a home. The other home he resided in whenever he fell into a deep sleep.

“Other self I know you're here. I know you've warned me. I messed up. I broke the walls. Now I'm changing and I need help. Is there anything you can tell me?” he asked the nothingness. The voice usually returned after a short while so he sat. He sat wondering how little hope he had left. He was only seventeen. Almost eighteen. Yet, he was on the verge of losing himself. The scariest thought was he wouldn't see his twenties. He pushed those thoughts away as much as possible.

He thought about his past. What mistakes he had made that got him to this point. Why did he go out that night? Why didn't he just ignore the rock? What made him so determined to find out if these monsters were real? He couldn't find a justifiable answer. Which made him feel even worse about himself.

He hated the fact he felt alone. The dark room made it worse. Almost as if it was saying “this is now your future” and he had to deal with that. He had to deal with the pain that grew in his chest every time he opened his eyes again. He wondered when that pain would subside...forever.
“Just rest...” The voice was soft. Fred could barely hear it as he stood back up.

“I can't rest though. If I rest, I end up here.”

“Things are only going to get worse.”

“I know! Tell me how to fix that!” he screamed in frustration. He could feel fear biting on the back of his neck.

“You cannot. Only accept fate. Run. Do not let them catch you!”

“Catch me!?”

“Do not let them have their way. You are you. Run! Run till you can't run anymore!” The voice gave a huge booming effect. Almost as if it was its final hurrah. The room soon went perfectly silent again. Fred was once again lost in the darkness only this time not waking up right away.
Marshall was sitting at the table trying to open the milk. He flipped the tip but the top still wouldn't open in a perfect triangle. He tried to rip it open but that only made part of the cardboard fall into the milk. “Goddamn! You'd think after years of advancement in technology they'd make it easier to open milk cartons!”
Lucy was sitting across the table. She got a good laugh out of her struggling boyfriend. “Really? The mighty Exterminator Marshall defeated by milk!” she said in a funny cartoony voice. She laughed even harder. He just looked at her, annoyed.

“Ya know what? Why don't you hush up and help me.” He slammed the carton of milk down. “I can't deal with this stuff. You're a woman after-all. You guys do well with this type of kitchen stuff.”

She stopped laughing and snatched the milk. “First off, this isn't kitchen stuff. It's opening a carton of milk. A monkey can do that. Next, if you ever gender identify me I'll leave your ass at school.” He grinned. Despite her joking he could sense some seriousness in her voice. She slammed the open milk carton down, some of it spilling on him.
“Geez lady, just a joke,” he waved his hand in a funny fashion. “No need to get all bent out of shape.”

“Just shut up and drink.”

Nick sat down near Lucy. He was confused and worried and it must have showed because Marshall looked at him. “Yo dawg, you okay?”

“Yeah, fine. Hi Lucy.” She smiled back in acknowledgment. “Hey Marshall, can I talk to you in private?”

“Uhh I'm drinking here,” he took a sip of his milk. “Just tell me what's up.”

“It's about stuff...” Nick looked at Lucy. “Sorry, no offense Lucy, just man stuff. I'm sure you don't want to hear it.”

Marshall gave her a quick look. As if to say “it's Exterminator business”. She nodded to him and worked her way out of the table. “I'll go take a trip to the ladies room. You boys try not to get too...rowdy.”

“We will try baby. No promises though!” Marshall yelled loudly as she walked away. He turned back to Nick who still looked worried. “All right man, what's wrong? You look like you're about to throw up.”

“It's Peter. He wasn't in class today.”

“This is what's getting you sick? Come on man.” Marshall rolled his eyes and began drinking more of his milk.

“Have you ever seen Peter miss a class?” Marshall looked at him now, thinking about it. “Like ever?” Now Marshall felt a bit weary.

“Now that you mention it...Fred isn't here either.”

“Are you serious?”

“No, I'm joking.”

“Dude!”

“Yes, I'm serious!” Marshall looked around the lunch room, as if to look for anyone listening in on them. “Do you think a mission went bad?”

“I didn't get a text message or anything. I'd figure Carl would have called us if something bad went down.” Nick could feel his head spinning. He was thinking of every possibility. He worried both were hurt, or even worse. This was the exact situation that he didn't want to be put into. As a self-entitled leader he felt the pressure none the less.

“Alright let's just chill. I'm sure both are fine. Just a weird coincidence they are absent.” Marshall said trying to sound confident. Nick knew he was trying to keep calm cause the situation wasn't normal. It wasn't normal for both boys to be absent on the same day. Especially Peter, who almost never missed a class. It was just too important.

“I say we go to the Station after school.”

“I say we go right now,” Marshall said determinedly while getting up. “Screw school. We need to check up on our unit.”

Nick knew he couldn't leave. He was already struggling with grades. If he left now it would end badly. He needed so desperately to catch up on grades, otherwise he might have to repeat his senior year. That was the last thing he wanted to do. “I don't know if I can leave.”

“Hey man, our friends are in trouble. We can't just sit here and wait till this crap gets out.” Marshall was waiting for his friend to get up. To just march out of the school and rescue their friends, if they needed it.

Nick was about to argue. He could feel the need to finish school. Yet he had a small flashback of Fred in danger. The way his face was in horror as he was being bitten. He could remember the feeling of failure as he almost watched his new friend dying. Now he had a choice to check up or hope for the best. He wasn't about to sit this one out.

“Let's go.”

Both the boys headed towards the doors and began making their way towards the Station to check up on their unit.

A knock came from the front door. Fred jumped to life. He was in the deep, dark room he had been living in the last few hours. He could feel his mind slipping more and more into it, losing touch with reality. His heart was pounding so hard it felt as if it was about to break through his chest. He was sweating like a mad man. He wiped his head and shifted his feet off the couch. He leaned forward, taking long, deep breaths.

He heard another knock. Then there was a call at the door. It sounded like Carl. His heart began to speed up.
“It's fine. He's coming to check up on you. Just get up and answer the door. Stop acting like a freak,”
he thought as he lifted himself off the couch. He could feel every ache in his body spring to life once he was fully up. He groaned and walked forward. Each step he took, he felt less of the pain. He told himself it would be fine as he could feel his heart rate returning to normal.

“Who's there?”

“It's Carl. Please open the door.”

“Be right there,” he called weakly, walking closer to the door. He didn't like the sound of Carl's voice. It sounded even more formal than usual, which was pretty hard to imagine.

“I'm here too, Fred. We're just checking up on you.” It was Jin's voice. He trusted Jin. He felt that Jin looked out for them when Carl didn't. He knew he didn't need to worry now. He gladly opened the door, smiling.

Carl stood there with Jin. Both looked very serious. Behind them was another girl dressed in a business-like suit. Fred wasn't sure what to make of the visit. It seemed innocent enough, yet he still had something in the back of his head telling him to run.

“Hi,” he said cautiously, making sure not to show that he was nervous.