Exterminators Infected (The Exterminators Book 1) (34 page)

“And it just happened to fall on your friend?” Aric spat.

“The wolf hybrid in the first hunt we ever went on. It attacked Fred, actually in a way it was almost playing games with him. It wanted to see how he reacted.”

“So? Unknowns like to hunt. We've known that for years.”

“What if it was checking to see if Fred was a suitable body for it? He or it, whatever you wanna call Riven, needed a new body. It's face was degenerating. The body was getting old.” Aric just shook his head and looked away. “This demon Riven from old stories is a terrible demon. It feeds off the body till the body gives out.”

“So you're saying this demon is inside your friend right now?” Aric asked. “Well, then let's bring it out and see it.”

“No,” Carl stepped in front of Fred. “Trust me that's a very bad idea. It's pure evil whatever it is. I hadn't had a chance to look up the name so I sent Nick to do it. I figured he might figure out a clue. This is the clue we needed. He is innocent.”

“Gada, please tell me you don't believe this.” She looked at Aric. He was angry. Angry because he was proven wrong or angry because Fred might be set free, she couldn't tell.

“I'm interested to hear more of this Riven demon. What else was said about it?”

“I couldn't find a lot of information. It seems to cover its tracks quite well but it's quite possible this demon has lived hundreds of years. The thing that made me think, for sure it was a demon was the fact the Callers that night picked up a small signal. They even told Carl that. Yet, that wolf hybrid would not have given off a small signal. It's a heavy signal, that would require better trained Exterminators than us. So how come the Callers didn't pick it up?”

“Are you saying...”she began.

“It was already here,” he finished.

“A trap?” she questioned.

“I believe so. Peter has a theory that it might have to do with the Summoners.” The room erupted in chatter. The Summoners were a big subject around the Exterminators lately. Their actions were quiet, as of late, even though something was always brewing.

Even Aric was listening to Nick now. Things have shifted and the threat was bigger than a simple betrayal. The Gada placed her back to her seat and rubbed her temple. The judges looked at her then back at the crowd. How to address the current situation was impossible with all the new information coming in.

“We need Fred. He's the link to finding out exactly what the Summoners are up to. This demon that invaded him seems to be sleeping for now. I believe as long as Fred is out of danger we can keep it that way.” Nick wasn't really sure if any of that was true. He was just giving his best efforts to keep his friend alive.

“Fair enough,” the Gada said looking side to side. “I think we can agree for now to keep Fred in containment until we figure out what's going on. There's no need to execute anyone if they are innocent. We will figure this out and we will pass judgment after all the new information has been processed fully. Lead Protector Aric, I'd like to see you in chambers.” Ross got up and the judges followed her lead as she left the way she came.

Aric got up and looked at the Exterminators. “Figure this out. Get that demon out of the boy. ‘Cause if this is a plot on the Summoners part we're in for something nasty,” Aric said fiercely. Carl nodded and Aric took his leave.

“That was quick thinking, boy,” Carl noted.

“I watch a lot of “Law and Order”,” he smiled.

“Thanks man,” Fred said softly. He felt a sense of relief he had missed for so long.

“Any time. Let's get out of here. I got some things to tell you, Carl.”

“I'll meet you in my office. I have to take Fred and lock him up for now. He'll be safe, just away from everyone else for a while.” Fred nodded and Carl helped him up. Jin, Marshall, and Peter ran down from the steps towards them.

“Dude, you were like one of those badass lawyers on a TV show. Nice job!” Marshall was beyond excited. He punched Fred softly on the arm. “Had me scared for a moment. Thought they were going to chop your head off.”

“Not funny man.”

“I'm glad it turned out this way,” Peter smiled. “I'm also sorry Fred.”

Fred looked at him puzzled. “For what?”

“For-” None of them knew he sold out Fred for his own gain. “-not being there when I should have been.”

“You were here now. That's what matters.” Fred waved and went along with Carl.

“Seriously dude, that was awesome.” Marshall was still super excited. Nick nodded and thanked him. “Also...thank you. What you did was something I can never thank you enough for. You saved my best friends life. I...” Marshall tried to find the words. Something stronger than a thank you.

“You’re welcome.” Nick smiled. Marshall laughed and placed his arm around his friend.

“Let's get back on the pods!” Nick grunted. They all laughed.

Marshall dropped on to his bed. He could feel all the stress he was holding onto slip away. Lucy crawled onto the bed next to him and began rubbing his back. For a few minutes they laid there in silence. She could sense he was tired, exhausted, and wanted to be left alone. The peacefulness that filled the room was nice. It had been a while since he had that. He absorbed it as much as possible, letting the stress disappear.

“You okay, hun?” she asked softly. He shifted to his side and looked at her.

“Was a rough day.”

“What happened?” She laid her hand on his knee and rubbed, trying to relax him as best she could. Sensing he was beyond tired; mostly mentally.

“It was Fred. He was put on trial.”

“For what!?” Her voice was loud. It shocked him a bit. He sometimes forgot how much she knew about the Exterminator life. How serious and violent it could get.

“Basically, he hurt someone. It wasn't really him, though. It was some type of demon. At least that's what we've gathered so far.” Marshall laid his hand on her cheek, rubbing it softly. “Nick was able to convince them of that. Meaning he was spared.”

“Spared? As in if Nick didn't have anything to say he'd be-” she began but couldn't finish.

“They probably would of killed him.” She gasped. She knew of the dangers but not how serious they could be.

“But...he's one of them.”

“Not when he almost killed one.”

“Then they really will execute you if you go against their laws?” She sounded scared. He knew what she was thinking.

“They'll never find out about us.”

“But if they do.”

“They won't.”

“But what if they do?!” She slammed her hands down. “Then what? What are we going to do!?” She sounded almost hysterical. He had never seen her flip out so bad over anything. They discussed it before and he went over it a lot.

“Baby, we're fine. They won't find out. Even if they do I won't let them hurt you. Stop worrying and calm down.” He placed his hand on her stomach and rubbed. “Let's get some sleep. No need to worry. We are fine. Trust me.” She trusted him. She wanted to trust him. The Shadow that hovered over her was still glaring, wanting more.

Peter walked home with Jin. They kept quiet most of the way home. It was hard to discuss the events. Peter loved the fact he didn't feel the emotions others did. It was easier to cope with situations like the one he just did. He simply kept a blank slate and nodded and agreed with people. The whole time he sat there he felt like he was going to burst out of his seat. He didn't want to see one of the only people he ever called a friend be sentenced to death. If they did convict him he was pretty sure he'd jump from the seat and try to stop it. Luckily, it didn't come to that. He even got some of his guilt off his chest with an apology. Fred understood. That's what true friends do. They forgive. At least that's what he was told. Now, he believed it.

“That was a close one huh?” Peter snapped back to the current setting. He looked over to Jin who was watching him.

“Yeah, it was scary,” Peter tried to sound spooked. His emotions were completely empty at the moment. After his last one, happiness, subsided he felt nothing. He was eager to gain another, back yet nothing crawled back into him.

“Nick has a sharp mind, that was perfect timing. I can't believe he kept that one hidden. If we didn't have that...Fred would have been found guilty.” Jin sounded sad when he spoke. “You guys are going through more then I'd imagine. I never thought it would get this messed up.”

“Life gives us obstacles. It's our choice whether to beat them or fall to them. Today, we beat them.” Peter smiled. It seemed like the appropriate attitude to give. He wasn't really sure how to feel about it though. Did they really win? It didn't feel like it.

“That we did. Now we just have to worry about Summoners.”

“Do you think it's a new plan?”

“It's something bad. That much we can gather. We just have to figure out what it is. As always the good guys are a step behind.” He laughed. “Together, though, we always come out on top. We are the good guys.”

“I think you've watched too many movies,” Peter said dryly.

“Always the downer, aren't you?” Jin shoved him playfully. “Sometimes being the happy one can get you further.”

“I get pretty far just fine now. Thank you very much.” Peter winked.

“Pete,” Peter now looked at him. “I think it's time we step the training up. Soon they'll reward you with two Rods. When you get them it's time to train with double gloves.” Peter got excited. He'd been waiting for more training, especially from someone experienced.

“I like the sound of that!” he said happily. He could feel being happy, it was always strange yet rewarding.

“Good. Because what's coming is going to be tough. I don't want any of you to be unprepared,” Jin said placing his cold hands into his pockets. “All right let's get home. It's freezing out.” They began picking up the pace. As they walked Peter imagined having the second Rod. Imagined what kind of elemental creations he could make. It made his blood run hot despite it being freezing cold out.

Nick entered the office. Carl looked up, waved him in, and went back to writing his report. Nick closed the door and sat down. He gave a quick look around the room then back at Carl. “Today was...it was really, really close,” Nick said. He felt far less tense then before. He gave it his best shot and it came through pretty well.

“Yeah, you did amazingly. I can't commend you enough.”

“I did it ‘cause I had too. No need to thank me. This is my team. I don't plan on losing any of them. That's a promise.” Nick put his thumbs up.

“Most kids would be too afraid to even talk to the judges. You stepped right up to the plate. You stopped a judgment that could have ended a life. For that you should be very proud. As your Bora, I couldn't be prouder” Carl smiled as he looked at his student. Growing so quick. A little goatee forming on his chin. His eyes were weary, yet determined. His face worn, yet ready to fight at any given moment. This was the true look of a leader.

“Thank you.” It was nice to get noticed for his work for once.
“Of course. Now you said you wanted to talk about this Riven.”

Nick sat down. He rubbed his hands together as he held on to a terrible secret. “We have a problem.”

“Seems we always do.” Carl sat back in his seat.

“This demon, Riven, isn't just any Unknown. I don't even know if it's an Unknown.”

“Not the most religious person right now. Are you saying it's from our world and not a different realm?”

“I honestly don't know. Like Aric was saying, He'd never fought one of them in all his years of hunting. Did you ever hunt one?”

“No.” Carl placed his hands on the desk and fumbled with the baseball. He could feel this was about to get worse. “So let me hear it. What are we dealing with here?”

“Through research I found that this demon has been around awhile. Hunting humans, possessing them. Usually it's quicker than it was for Fred. Usually friends of the host would document the changes. Soon after they would disappear or worse, ended up dead.” Nick let out a sigh. “Making researching this thing really annoying. Even online.”

“So, we know it's a hunter. It kills without mercy, either. It's also pretty smart if it covers its tracks. It knows there are hunters out there like us. My bet would be it's an Unknown. A unique one though. I have never hunted a demon. Do we throw holy water at it or something?” Nick got a small laugh out of Carl's joke.

“Well, that's the thing. From research I see only one way of stopping it.”

“Well, let's hear it.”

“Death.”

“Death? Do you mean-”

“We have to kill Fred...before he fully becomes Riven.” The room was complete silence. Nick had been holding the secret to himself the whole day. He finally let it out and his leader knew. He still didn't feel better about it. The end result would still be the same. He had to kill his friend in order to save him.

Chapter 27 – Signals

Marshall walked off the elevator towards the containment room. He was up early, way before he usually wakes up. He could barely sleep the night before. He needed to see his best friend. Make sure he was doing well. So he woke up around six, got ready, and was in the Station by seven. He wanted to make sure he could talk to Fred in case anything else went wrong.

The Station was dark. Carl hadn't even gotten to his office yet. No one was in the gym either. He heard weird sounds from one room. He knew right away it was the Callers. They were searching to see if anything crossed over as of late. Luckily it had been quiet.
He reached the room, placed his hand on the door and it slid open. He entered in. Inside were three separate rooms with huge glass shields in front of them. On the side was another sliding door which only opened from Marshall's side. It was to keep the prisoners in. The rest of the room had the same white painting as the entire Station.

Marshall walked to the glass and placed his hands on it. He saw Fred sleeping on the bed inside the room. He knocked lightly to try to get his friends attention. Fred just groaned and turned to his side. Marshall knocked again, louder. Fred cocked his head towards the glass, only one eye open. “Hey dummy, wake up!” Marshall yelled.

Fred yawned and got himself up. He felt terrible. All his worrying the night before took a heavy toll on him. He felt as if he had a hangover. “What are you doing here?” Fred wobbled his way towards the glass. He leaned against it, yawning.
“How ya doing?”

“Wonderful. I feel like I'm in prison.”

“You kind of are.”

“Thanks for the update.”

“I'm sorry,” Marshall said looking down. Fred looked at him confused.

“What's wrong?”

“I should have stood up yesterday. I should have said something. Not just sit and wait. I'm...” Marshall felt his eyes getting watery. He couldn't even look at Fred since he felt so ashamed.

“You did what you should have done,” Fred said lightly. “I didn't expect you to go all pro lawyer on me.”

“Nick did what I should have done.”

“Nick did it ‘cause he's our leader. You don't have to put that responsibility on your back too. You already did enough.”

“I should have done something...” he let his voice trail off. Fred shook his head.

“You didn't have to do anything more then you did.”

“Yes I did! I'm supposed to be your best friend! I should of protected you!” The tears were now flowing freely but he didn’t care. “I couldn't even stand up against them. They had you pinned. What if Nick didn't have that information? You would have been sentenced to death. Then what? I watch my best friend die!?” He slammed his fist on the glass window. “I should have done something.”

Fred placed his hand on the window where Marshall was standing. “You were there for support. That's the only thing a friend can ask for,” Fred said softly. Marshall was sobbing openly now. Putting all the blame on himself. “If you did something crazy yesterday you could have been put on trial, too. Then what? We'd both be sitting on death's door right now. What's that solve? Not a damn thing. You did just fine yesterday. I’m actually proud you didn't do anything stupid.” Fred smiled.

Marshall wiped his tears. His cry turned into occasional sobs. Fred let him compose himself some. He felt like he failed his best friend. All he wanted to do was protect his friends. “I just can't lose you man. You've been there since I was a little kid. Been there when I was dumb or in trouble. If I lost you I...I don't know...” He gave up trying to create a sentence. He just placed his head against the glass window.

“Thank you,” Fred said quietly.

“For what?” Marshall asked without looking up.

“For being my best friend.”

Nick woke up next to a sleeping Kelly. She was in a deep sleep. He placed his hand on her hair and stroked it. He loved her so much. It made him wanna keep fighting. If these Unknowns ever crossed over they'd hurt someone like Kelly with ease. He wasn't going to let that happen. He was her protector.

He didn't sleep well. His eyes wanted to stay shut as he sat up in the bed. He thought about the talk with Carl. They agreed not to tell anyone the secret. The secret that Fred had to be killed. There was no way to extract the demon from him. Had that really been the only answer they could come up with? From past experiences of people posting in logs and journals it seemed to be. It was only internet searching, though. Nick planned on going into a deeper search. He had to find more answers. He couldn't just kill one of his own. Not after he spent so much effort trying to save him.

He looked back down at her. She slept so peacefully. He smiled and slowly inched off the bed placing her head on the pillow as he did. He made his way to the bathroom and shut the door. He washed his face off, trying to catch some type of relief. Everything was coming apart so fast and he had nothing to hold it together.

His dad texted him to call but he didn't feel like it. He knew his father would have tons of questions about school. It was getting closer to being over and Nick was barely making it. Chances are he'd fail and have to redo his senior year. If that happened his father might go crazy and kill him. The irony.

He stepped out of the bathroom and put on his jeans. He figured he go get some coffee for Kelly and himself. It seemed like a good way to start the day. He wasn't about to catch anymore sleep anyway.

Yet the trial kept flashing in his mind. He couldn't get it out of his head. He never felt so nervous in his entire life. He had the information from the night before but didn't know if it was going to work. He put all his bets on the information he gained in a single night. He put someone’s life in his hands. What if it all went wrong? What if it didn't work? Would he have felt even more guilt? Felt it was his fault then? He wasn't sure. It played in his mind like it was on a treadmill, taunting him to get to the end results. It was better not to think about what ifs.
He grabbed his cell phone, threw on his shirt, and snapped on his Rod and beeper. He began to walk out the door when Kelly woke up. “Where ya going?” she asked, yawning.

“I'm going to go grab some coffee. I'll be back in a little while.” He didn't look back. He didn't want to miss her. He always did but when he looked at her it hurt more. He’d rather just lay by her at all times but this was life. It's not so simple.
“Okay. Hurry back.” She fell back onto her pillow, rubbed her face into it and drifted back into a light sleep. He left the room.

Once outside he began walking to a local coffee shop. He was nervous. Everything in life was happening so fast. School was almost done, talks about moving in with Kelly, still no job, his dad down his throat. Not to mention he had a secret; killing creatures called Unknowns. Life couldn't get much more complicated.
His phone rang and he pulled it out from his pocket. He picked it up. “Hello?”

“Nick?” It was Carl's voice.

“Yeah, what's up?”

“Get to the Station, now!”

“I just woke up. I was going to get coff-”

“Now!” Carl’s voice commanded sharply. Nick pulled away from the phone for a moment.

“All right man, no need to shout. Are you okay?”

“The Callers. They've picked up on a lot of huge signals. Something isn't right. Hurry!” Carl hung up the phone. Nick turned around and ran towards the Station.

Peter got off the elevator. Someone ran right past him. He moved out of the way at the last second. The guy said sorry and jumped into the elevator he just came from. It shot up. Peter had never seen the Station so busy. It was almost always quiet. He made his way towards the gym.

He got a text message from Carl telling him to meet him here. That something big was happening and that every Exterminator needed to get here as soon as possible. Peter wasn't sure what it could have been but he didn't want to miss it. Most people would panic, yet it made him excited. It was time to get back into action.

He opened the gym doors and saw his group there. Also Ram and two ladies standing next to him, one being Emily the other being a short, orange haired fighter. She had huge bug-like eyes and a scar on her left cheek. He quickly walked over to them to see what they were chatting about. He reached for his Rod for reinsurance.
“Pete,” Nick said as he came into the group.

“I'm glad you can join us, Peter. We've got huge problems.” Carl looked to Ram. They nodded at each other.

Ram looked at the boys. “The Callers have picked up on huge signals. These are deadly Unknowns, capable of killing you pretty easily. I need you to understand that.” The boys and girls nodded. “Good, ‘cause we have to send you guys out to hunt them. There are over thirty signals throughout the northern border. We've dispatched as many groups as we can. However, Carl and I are going to deal with two of them. They aren't far from each other and in Jersey. Emily and Gina here are going to handle another signal. That leaves you three to take down one, too.”

“Us, alone?” Marshall asked surprised.

“Yes. I know it's scary but together you should be able to do it.”

“I called Jin and told him to meet you at the location. No call back yet but he'll make his way there for sure when he can. Till then, you have to get there as soon as possible. Unlike smaller signal Unknowns, this size signal can break through the realm. They can even break into our realm, completely. Meaning regular civilians can see them. We can't let that happen.” Carl looked at his students. “I believe each and every one of you has the ability to stop these things. Don't look at it like you only had one year of experience, think of it as you almost have a whole year of experience. You will be fine if you fight together.”

“All right then. Marshall. Peter. This is it.” Nick stood up. “It’d be great to have a fourth teammate but let's just say he's taking a break.” They nodded. “We do this one for him.” Marshall nodded again, with a thumbs up.

“Plus, we can tell him he missed out on killing a big ass Unknown.” They all laughed at Marshall's joke.

“Then let's get going. Where is this signal?” Peter asked. Carl gave them the directions. It was upstate New York. Right in the middle of nowhere.

“What the hell is this address? It's not even a real address.” Marshall looked at it.

“Head there and look at the map at the local Station. It'll pin point the position. Please, all of you be careful. If it gets to rough you retreat. Do not put your life in danger. Be safe.” Carl had enough pressure almost losing Fred. He wasn't about to lose anyone else.

Ram and the girls left first. They took the pods all the way to the right. Carl wished them good luck once more before jumping into his own pod. The boys watched as he went then looked to each other.

“Little bit scary, huh?” Nick said to them.

“It sucks Fred isn't here,” Marshall said sadly.

“A fourth person would definitely help,” Peter pointed out.

“We can't free him. He's already in enough trouble.” Nick turned to the two boys. “I know it’d be easier but is it worth getting him in more trouble?”

They both thought about it for a minute. They all agreed it was best they left him here. They didn't need another trial to occur. There was already enough pressure from the current situation.

“All right, you guys ready?” Nick asked. They nodded. All three jumped in their pods. Nick held his breath for a moment and hit the blue button. Everything shut. He put in the numbers of the Station he was told to punch in. A moment of a silence and then he heard the pod start up. Then it shot out, taking them towards the huge signal.

Kelly sat up in her bed. She looked at her phone. No text or call. It had been over an hour and Nick never came back.
“Again...disappearing.”
She hated it. She loved him though. She didn't understand why he just left at times. Why he didn't come back for hours. Why he came back with bruises and sometimes even bleeding. Was this the life she would live with him?

She threw her bed cover to the side and got up. She grabbed a shirt from her draw and threw it on, then slipped on pants and made her way out of her room. Her mom was making breakfast. “Good morning honey!”

“Morning mom,” she replied miserably as she sat down at the table. She leaned her head against her arm.
“I get to sit here and worry for the next few hours. How is this fair at all?”

“Are you okay, honey?” her mom asked.

“Yeah, just thinking.”

“About?”

“How dumb guys are.”

“Oh, that's my favorite subject.” Kelly laughed.

“Mom, is it weird when guys disappear?”

“Yes.”

“Well, awesome then...”

“Do you trust him?” her mom asked. She looked at her mom and nodded. “Do you think he's cheating?”

“How would I know?”

“You'd have a pretty good idea. He'd act distant. His attention wouldn't be towards you. Calling another person a lot. Texting these days I guess. If he was cheating you'd have a pretty good idea he was.” Her mom lifted the pancakes and placed them on a big empty plate.

“I don't think he is. I think he's keeping secrets though.” She played with the fake flower on the table. Twirling it and picking it apart. She tried not to think about it, yet it was all she her thoughts were focused on.