Exterminators Infected (The Exterminators Book 1) (35 page)

“A secret, huh?” Her mom said, loading another batch of pancakes on the plate. “Well, everyone needs secrets. Exposing yourself to the world about everything is never the smart thing to do. Secrets make us unique. They make us special. If the secret were to hurt you it's best kept a secret. If you don't believe he's cheating, I wouldn't push it,” her mom said happily.

She didn't feel the same though. She wanted to know why he couldn't tell her. It wasn't as simple as her mom explained. She felt there was something bigger behind it all. She got up from the table and went to the door. “I'll be back!”

“I just cooked!”

“I'll be right back. Going outside to make a call.” She left before her mom could respond. She pulled her phone out and called Lucy.

“Hello?” Lucy said on the other end. She sounded tired. Kelly thought she sounded worried as well.

“Hey, this is Kelly!” She tried to sound cheerful as possible.

“Hey! How are you?” Lucy cheered up a bit when she heard it was Kelly.

“I'm good just hanging out. I have a weird question.”

“Uh oh.”

“Well it's not weird it's just...is Marshall there?”

“No, he left early today. Actually, I must have been still sleeping.” She sounded okay with that. Why was she okay with it and Kelly wasn't? Did she know Marshall's secrets? She needed to know the secrets, too.

“Nick left, too. He was going for coffee and never came back. He seems to do that a lot.”

“I'm sure he's fine. Probably got a call from Marshall to hit the gym.” She sounded so sure. So carefree.
“Yeah… about that. What gym do they go to?” A pause. She knew more than she was letting on. Kelly was getting curious.

“I think it's the World Gym.”

“I guess I'll ask Nick about it when I see him again. Whenever that is.” She tried to sound playful. She was getting annoyed. Lucy knew something but wouldn't tell her. Now she knew she was alone, surrounded by these secrets.

“Yeah, good idea.”

“Well I'm going to go eat some breakfast. Just checking up to see if you heard anything.”

“Nope. It'll be okay though. They're tough boys,” Lucy said happily.

“Tough boys? Why would that matter?” Again a pause.

“I just mean they can take care of themselves! Anyway, I got to head out too. I'll talk to you later. Goodbye!” Lucy hung up. Kelly slowly put the phone back into her pocket. She felt something was funny. Nothing seemed to fit right. She leaned against her front door, wondering why secrets kept piling up. What was so important that no one would let her know?

Fred sat in the room. Alone and cold once again. He hated it. Yet he kept calm. His friends were working on a way to help him. As long as he waited, he would be free. The voice reminded him to run and get out at times but he ignored it. This time he kept a focused mindset of getting out of here and being free.

He knew the voice was now a demon. It was Riven. The demon that possessed him after being bitten, trying to take over his mind. Riven almost accomplished it the other day. Fred was so afraid he might transform back to that terrible creature that he almost wanted to stay in the cell forever. It was easier this way.

He heard the door open and stood up. “Hello?” he asked but no one answered. He walked over to the glass window but saw nothing. “What the heck?” He walked to the edge of the glass window to see if anyone walked in. Nothing.

He backed off the glass window and looked around. He began to worry again. Was something trying to harm him? He went to grab his Rod. Nothing was there.
“They took it away idiot! Just be calm. No one is there.”
He slowly backed to the wall and watched. Nobody came in.

He let out a sigh. Just a malfunction. Why was he so worried? No one wanted to even come in the room. They were too scared of him. He was scared of himself.

The door to his cell flew open. He jumped again. He stood waiting for someone to walk through. Yet again, no one came in. “Hello?” he called again. No one answered. He saw a piece of paper outside the doorway. He tip toed towards it. He kept his guard up every step he took, glancing back and forth to see if someone set a trap.

He leaned down to grab the paper, lifted it up and looked around again. Still no one was there. He looked back at the letter and read it.

Upstate New York Station. Head there right now. Your friends are in danger. They will die without you. Good luck.

He looked back up after reading. He tried to find who dropped it off but no one was there. He stepped out of his cell and ran to the doorway. Even the hallways in the station were completely isolated. Not a single person was here at the moment.

He looked back at the piece of paper in his hand then towards the gym. If he left they'd put him back on trial. If his friends were in danger, he could be their only hopes for survival. He didn't even know if they were in danger. What if they were, though? He pushed the piece of paper into his pocket and looked back towards the gym.
“Damn it!”
he thought.

Chapter 28 – Choice
Nick pushed himself out of the pod. He felt groggy. The trip was worse than he anticipated. It took almost forty minutes and his head was throbbing. He went over to the wall and leaned against it for a moment. He kept breathing nice and slow, trying to sooth the headache.

“You okay man?” Marshall asked once getting out of the pod.

“Yeah. That trip was long. I hate that thing.”

Peter now rose from the pod wiping himself off. “Hurry and regain your posture. We have a mission to do.”

“Okay Mr. Serious, calm down. He needs a few minutes.” Marshall began stretching. Getting ready for the fight that awaited them.

“I don't mean to sound rash. It's just that this is our first major mission. I don't want to mess it up,” he said without emotion. It made it sound more like a command rather than a statement. The boys looked at him.

“I got it, man. Let's do this,” Nick said pushing himself off the wall. He stretched a little bit then began heading towards the doors with the other two boys following his lead. They all felt the tense moment in their stomach. This was what they were training for. Fighting the creatures that held the biggest threat to humanity.

They marched through the doors. This Station was colored blue instead of white like their own Station back home. “Now see, this is color!” Marshall proclaimed.

They quickly made their way to the elevators and took the trip up. It was set up the exact same way as their own Station. The ride felt longer then it usually did, however. It just added to their anxiety of not being sure what awaited them above ground. All they knew is they couldn't let whatever it was stop them. This was the first big threat they had.

They all got off the elevator. Peter walked over to the map pasted on the empty cabin wall. Marshall went over to the table and sat on it. He looked around the ugly small brown cabin. Nothing special about it. It lacked any design. It only had a map, two chairs, and a table. “Well, isn't this the prettiest cabin ever?”

“It's pretty plain.” Nick looked around himself.

“That's my point. Sarcasm man!”

“I got it. I just wanted to piss you off.” Nick walked over to Peter. Peter kept his finger on the map. Guiding it across the forest area. “You see anything?”

Peter nodded. “Should be less than a mile out. It's in the middle of the forest based on the points Carl gave me.”

“Sounds fun!” Marshall exclaimed, trying to lighten the mood.

“This is serious! This is the most important mission we've ever had,” Peter said quickly. It was sharp like a school teacher. Marshall looked at him then laughed. Peter shook his head and looked to Nick.

Nick placed his hand on Peter's shoulder. “Stop worrying. We are in this together.”

Marshall slapped both of his friends on the back. “Guys, this is it. We've been training so hard to fight the big baddies. We're about to go head-to-head with it right? So stop worrying and let's go kick this damn thing's ass! If we sit here we won't get anything done!” Marshall headed towards the door. He hit the beeper and entered the other realm. The boys followed.
“Shouldn't we discuss a plan of attack,” Peter asked.

“Nah, we'll discuss it on the way to the place,” Marshall responded nonchalantly, opening the door.

They walked outside. The woods were right in front of them. It was still cold out so most of the leaves were blown off. The forest looked almost dead in a way, grim and dark. Similar to the situation they were put in. “Oh, how fitting. This looks like a perfectly fine forest to walk through!” Marshall said gleefully, walking forward.
Then the ground shook. It was a heavy shake, one that made all three boys jump. Then another boom. They moved back a step. Another ground shuddering boom. “Okay, now that sounds bad,” Marshall said in a low voice. They heard something crashing, closer this time.

“It's coming towards us?” Peter asked.

“It seems that way. Get ready. Form the Rod based on attack. Plan A or B depending on what we are up against,” Nick commanded. The boys nodded and snatched their Rods. Nick grabbed his own and stepped forward. He would be leading the attack either way. He felt the sweat trickle down his neck as another boom hit the ground. The footsteps were only moments away.

Marshall saw a shadow. It was too dark in the forest to see the shape but it was big; at least thirty feet tall. Marshall looked at his teammates. “This thing is huge guys! It's coming from the right!” They all looked to where Marshall indicated the beast was. They heard another footstep, thundering nearby, and then they saw a hand grip a tree from the darkness.

“Everyone step to the left. Be ready to form the weapons.” Nick could feel his gut twisting as the creature grunted from the darkness. Then it poked its head out. The Unknown had a huge eye in the middle of its forehead, looking down towards the boys. Two large tusks were coming from the bottom of its chin. It walked out some more. It had huge green cloth pants covering its lower half. Its torso was completely naked and covered with thick hair. It held a club in one hand, colorful ribbons dangling at the end of it.

“Holy freaking sh-” Marshall began, but the beast roared so loudly the boys all jumped back even further. It towered above them with its massive body.

“It's a Cyclops!” Peter yelled.

“Plan B!” No one moved except for Nick. “I said Plan B! Nothing changes!” Nick roared. The boys snapped back to reality and formed their weapons. Nick created his spear, Marshall created an elemental blaster, and Peter finished it up with his elemental gloves. “Strike formation. Marshall, keep it off the EB, distract it then hit it. Go!” Nick moved into action. The plans were set. So much training, it all lead up to this moment. The moment to see if it worked in a real fight.

The Cyclops roared again and swung down the club. It wanted the fight as much as they did. It stepped forward and lifted the club to swing again at the incoming Nick. He stopped and ran to the left. The beast growled as it followed him.

Marshall ran all the way to the right, trying to position himself. He needed time to charge the elemental blaster. He also needed to get out of sight of the Cyclops.

Peter formed a ball of fire in his hand. He dug his fingers into it and began massaging it. He darted forward towards the side of the Cyclops. It was busy trying to chase Nick. Peter threw the ball above the Cyclops. Once it reached just over the head, he closed his palm. The ball reacted and blew up. A bunch of small flames landed on top of the Cyclops. It roared in pain as two of the small flames hit its eye. It swung backwards violently, trying to attack whatever just hit him. Peter was yards away, at safe distance.
Nick took the opportunity and ran forward. He stabbed the Cyclops in the lower backside then quickly withdrew as the brute cried out. It turned back around and slammed the club down blindly. Nick was safely out of reach by the time the club struck. The wind and force of the club striking the ground, however, hit Nick strong enough to make Nick fall backwards. He almost lost his balance but managed to grab onto a nearby tree with his free arm.

The Cyclops lifted its gaze to the sky and roared. Nick watched as this mighty beast showed its dominance, trying to show it was the strongest of all. As Nick watched he thought how proud this Unknown was for being so powerful. He quickly shuffled out of the way and into the safety of the trees.

Peter already had a new elemental ball in his hand. This time it was ice cold. He held tightly to it waiting for the right moment. The Cyclops looked at the retreating Nick and grunted as if it had already won the fight. Peter slowly moved his arm back, setting up for a good aim at the Unknowns club arm. He had to make sure he hit it dead on. He swerved the ball in his hand and then launched it forward with everything he had. The ball went flying. The Cyclops turned just in time to swat the ball with its club before it hit. The entire club began to freeze over. The creature watched, confused as it did. The ice stopped covering the club at its tip. The Cyclops tapped it with its free hand. It showed disgust for the ice cold and quickly pulled away its hand grunting. It threw the club to the ground angrily and slammed its fist to its chest. It looked at Peter with revenge in its eye.

“Not so fast!” Nick yelled from behind it. Nick stabbed the bottom of its leg, right above the foot. It bellowed in pain as Nick drove the spear in as deep as he could. Then Nick quickly pulled it out and retreated back into the forest. The Cyclops glanced behind itself. Its eye trying to find the new prey.

That's when the electric blue wave of energy struck its left shoulder. The Cyclops didn't even have time to fully turn its head back around before it blew up. There was an awful scream, a blue flash, and then electricity spitting out from the impact. The Cyclops collapsed to its knees placing its right hand hard on the ground and looking at its left shoulder. A huge chunk of flesh was now missing. Blood was flowing down its shoulder. Even a direct blast only took off part of its shoulder. It still could operate its left hand.

“Are you kidding me?” Marshall said in disbelief as he looked from afar. He looked in amazement as the mighty beast began to stand again. “This thing just took my best shot. I've been charging that for like two minutes!” In most cases a fully charged blast could kill just about any Unknown they've fought so far. The Cyclops was in another league.

“Do it again!” Peter already formed a new ball. This one was glowing with silver lighting. “We can't let up!” Peter moved in closer to the beast, still keeping a safe distance.

Nick traveled around the forest looking for an opening. The Cyclops was already on its feet trying to pick the next target. Nick knew not to get close unless it was distracted. It would be certain death to go head to head with such a mighty creature.

Peter threw the silver ball. The Cyclops charged forward, its left hand covering its face. The silver ball erupted into a terrible guest of wind, slicing up its arm. It wasn't forceful enough to stop the Unknown. It charged straight for Peter. Peter turned and ran towards the house. It wasn't a safe haven but at least it was something he could hide behind. Every six steps Peter took was one step for the Cyclops. It was running at full speed and would catch up to him in no time.

Marshall fired another shot from his blaster. It didn't charge for nearly as long as the last, so it wasn't as powerful as the last one. The Cyclops saw this one coming and moved out of the way. Such ease for such a big creature. The blue electricity blast flew past it and hit a tree, ripping it to pieces upon impact. As the tree came crashing down, the Cyclops decided it wanted a new target. It began to walk towards Marshall slowly.

Marshall was panting, exhausted after two shots in a row. He chuckled. “Damn, not smart planning on my part.”

Nick came running out of the forest towards the Cyclops. He had to play it perfectly. “Pete, wind up!” he yelled. Peter watched him going towards the Cyclops then nodded. He formed another silver ball, a lot smaller. He launched it towards the Unknown's foot. The ball bounced a few times then rolled up against the Cyclops' feet. It looked back as it turned around. Nick was only a few feet away.

“Now!” he roared.

Peter crushed one hand against another.

The silver ball blew up.

Nick was tossed upwards into the sky. The Cyclops watched in anger as he saw the boy fly up. “Whoa,” Marshall gasped from the side.

Nick came flying back down with spear in hand. He drove it right into the right side of the beast's chest. Its eye blinked and opened even wider as it cried out. Nick let go of the spear and hoisted himself off the beast. He fell on his back and rolled away. He scrambled away to get a safe distance from the beast.

The Cyclops grabbed the spear and tore it out of its chest. It looked at it briefly before throwing it to the side. It screamed in aggravation. It was getting stabbed, shot at, and electrocuted. Now it was beyond angry. It wanted its prey to die.

“Okay, so I'ma take a guess that this thing is now really pissed off.” Marshall had regained his strength and began running. He wanted to get as much distance as he could.

“Keep your distance. We keep hitting him with whatever we got! Don't back down. We got this!” Nick yelled as he made his way in a circle around the beast. He was going for his spear on the ground a few yards away. The Cyclops caught sight of him though, and ran towards the spear. Nick wasn't keeping an eye on the creature but towards his weapon.

“Nick! Watch out!” Peter flung another ball. This one was green. It flew past the Cyclops and onto the grass. Peter tensed his fingers and dug them into the dirt. The ball went into the ground and out shot vines. They slithered around the monster and attached to its legs. The beast almost ripped them apart but too many attached themselves at once, making it fall to his knees. It screamed in anger as it tried ripping off the vines.

Nick rolled forward, grabbed his spear, and came back up running. He had his weapon of offense again. It was now time to strike. The beast had its head turned towards the veins, still trying to rip off them off, they were keeping him in a vulnerable place. He went forward, stabbing the creature in the left shoulder. This time the Cyclops flung its fist away from ripping the vines out to hit Nick dead in the center. He went flying and came down hard on the ground a few yards away, lying motionless.

“Nick!” both the boys yelled. Marshall was working on another attack while Peter was trying to think of what else to throw at the beast.