Exterminators Infected (The Exterminators Book 1) (38 page)

Peter turned on the shower. He let it run hot so the steam would build. He wanted to wipe away everything. Usually the shower helped with that. To clear his mind of everything. He was able to do it a lot easier than others anyway.

He stepped into the very hot shower and let the water splash on him. He could feel the steam building up. He laid his head on his arms while leaning on the shower wall. He let go of everything, trying to free up his mind. It was a simple way of having a completely empty slate.

No matter how hard he tried though he kept picturing Fred. He saw Fred when they trained together and when they fought together. He even saw flashes of Fred in his final moments when he was getting crushed be the Cyclops.
“Why didn't we stop him?”
Peter questioned himself. At the time of fighting he thought having backup would be great. Now, all he could think about is if Fred never came then he might have been saved. He might still be with them. Instead, he was gone and replaced by a demon called Riven. Everything went wrong.

Peter didn't want to blame himself but he still felt the guilt. He felt the sadness building. Most of all, he felt the emptiness, the missing feeling, tugged at his heart. He never felt it before. That just made it far worse to experience.

Marshall opened the door to his room. Lucy sat on his bed, looking up at him. He pulled his shirt off and threw it to the floor. He unbuckled his wet pants and kicked them into the corner. He grabbed an old shirt to dry his wet hair and flung it to the side afterward. He lay down on the bed, putting his face on her lap.

“Baby...” he said softly, his voice cracking slightly.

“Yes, babe?”

“I..”

She put her hands through his hair while looking at him, feeling sad.

“I lost...I lost...” he began to cry. It was just a small sob.

“You lost what, babe? Tell me.” She stopped going through his hair and laid her hand on his back. He rolled over and looked up at her.

“Fred's gone.”

“Gone?”

“He's dead.” Marshall hadn't said it till that point. He hadn't even told himself that. He kept the words out of his mind and mouth. Now that he said it everything hit him at once. He felt such a heavy pain it made him cry instantly. He rolled back over and buried his face in her legs. He grabbed her shirt and pulled strongly on it. So much pain. He couldn't breathe. He gasped for air between the sobs.

“Babe...I'm so sorry,” she said softly, holding his head while putting her head on his back as he cried. “I'm sorry,” she repeated.

He remembered meeting Fred for the first time, just as little kids playing around on the playground. He saw Fred had a Godzilla comic. He went over to him and asked if he could read it. Fred said no. Then he let him read it, but only together. Marshall let him borrow one of his Godzilla tapes. Ever since then they've been best friends.
He cried harder.

He remembered third grade with Fred. Marshall was getting yelled at by a teacher. Marshall said a curse word at the teacher. Back when you were that young you weren't allowed to say that. He was about to be sent to the principal’s office when Fred cursed too. They both got detention for a week, but together.

He cried even harder feeling the tears coming out like a river. He couldn't stop thinking about the past.

She let him cry for several minutes. After a while he slowed down. The amount of sobs decreased, his tears didn't come out as quick, and his face returned to his regular color instead of bright red. He let out all the pain that was going through him.

“Baby...” he muttered, his voice still sounding high-pitched.

“Yes, babe?”

“I love you,” he said without any regret. He wasn't going to wait anymore.

She was shocked by the words as she looked at him. He rolled over again and looked back up. She didn't know how she would handle her future with him but she did know one thing.
“I love you too.”
Jin pushed open the door. It a two story apartment building. He folded up the umbrella and placed it on the floor before he ran up the stairs. He could feel his cold hands heating up. He was angry. Upset. He needed to figure out what happened.

He opened the door to the apartment. The main door opened to the living room. The lights were off, pitch black. He looked to where the light came from; the dining room. He walked into it. At the large table was a man with blond hair, spiky on the tips, but pushed down. He had his glasses on like usual. A huge scar ran from the bottom of his eye down to his neck. He smiled at Jin.

“Come in!” he announced happily.
“You promised!” Jin roared.

“I promised what? I promise a lot of things. You have to be a little more specific,” he said, laughing.

“You swore none of them would get hurt!”

“None of them did.”

“Fred is dead!”

“Where did you hear that?”

“Riven took over his body.”

“It was his choice,” The blond hair man said leaning back in his chair. “He wanted to save his friends.”

“What the hell are you talking about?!” Jin asked, yelling.

“They would all be dead. He let me take his body in order to save his friends-” Riven stepped out from behind the wall. He was in full form now. His teeth were razor sharp when he spoke. The skin was completely intact. Nothing decaying, as of yet, like when the boys first fought him. He was in good health with his new body. “-I did not force him. I gave him a choice, he made one.”

“You lied! You promised me the boys would be safe.”

“I said I'd try to keep them out of harms ways. This is war.” The blond haired man stood up.

“You said this war needed to end. You said we were to unite, yet now you go after kids! You lied!”

“Riven is the one who saved you all those years ago, or did you forget?” The blond haired man gave Jin a grin. “He saved you from certain death. We need him in our ranks. He was going to die in that old body.”

“You didn't have to take Fred!” Jin said. He could feel tears wanting to come out. He remembered all the times he was with Fred. All the times he hung out with him, trained with him. He felt terrible now that his friend was gone.
“You got too close. Do we need to pull you out already?” The blond man asked, his voice not changing at all. It was a playful tone.

“You promised me you wouldn't hurt those kids. You said you needed to stop Carl. That he would be the main problem. Now you attack others? What aren't you telling me?”

“Carl is the problem.” The blond man's voice changed. He sounded annoyed now. “We must extract revenge on him in subliminal ways. We want to change this world for the better, right? We need to get rid of the ones who will oppose us. I have no problem letting the innocents free. However, Carl is not innocent. Far from it! He is also training these kids to be something far worse. Exterminators just like him. I can't allow that.”

“Are you saying you'll try to kill them all?!” Jin could feel an awful, sinking feeling in his gut.

“No. The boys, as of now, hold no interest to me. Riven will try to change them, make them join our cause. This is why I needed him back. Once they are all on our side you'll see my reasoning for taking Fred first.” The blond man walked around the table and stood in front of Jin. “Don't worry, all of it will come together. Fred didn't want to fight anymore. He let Riven take him so he could save his friends. Riven did just that. He saved them. So you can see it was the right thing to do. Right?”

Jin looked at the blond man. This was his true first friend. The one who molded him into the person he was. He felt like he could believe in him. “Yes, you are correct. I just...didn't understand.”

“That's okay. Sometimes being mixed up with Exterminators can do that.” The blond man laughed loudly.
“No need to worry. Soon we Summoners will get our chance to strike.”

Chapter 30 – Surprise

Three weeks had passed. The outside investigation for the missing boy, Fred, had made a huge buzz in the community. Police interrogated Nick, Peter, and Marshall various times, trying to get as much information as they could possibly get. The full search went out four days after Fred was missing. His own parents didn't even get home until two days after it had happened. Only then did they call the police. The search was insanely thorough, but no results came from it.

The boys kept to themselves. Marshall took a few days off from school. His parents didn't like it but they’d never seen him so down. The result of losing his friend crushed him. He wasn't sure how he was going to operate. It especially hurt when on the news they would say there was still a very good chance he'd be alive upon finding him. Marshall knew that would never happen. He knew instead that a demon had taken over and his friend was gone forever. This was the hardest thing to accept. That his friend would never speak to him again.

Peter kept his training up. It was the only way to keep his mind off of what happened. Staying home, watching TV, even reading did not distract him enough. He went back to training. He needed to be stronger, faster, better. He needed to be. He never wanted to lose another friend again. He swore his life on it, that it wouldn't happen again.

Nick stayed with Kelly every day. They went to school together and returned home together. Instead of going to training Nick focused on filling out work applications. He wasn't sure if he'd be going to college but he knew he needed a job. So while Kelly eagerly chose colleges, he focused on getting a job to support them both. He soon planned on moving out and for that he needed money. He also pushed hard on his school work. If he could graduate and be done with school he'd be happy. His father would be happy. Kelly would be happy. The world would keep turning. Everyone would be happy.

Carl began making a sheet of training schedules. It was time to train with the boys and he wasn't going to let them slip up. He needed them to focus, in order to do so he had to push himself. The boys could easily die in battle, but with training, that can change the outcome completely. He took it upon himself to finally step up as a Bora. He almost went back to drinking, especially after Fred died, but who would he be saving then? Save him a few minutes of grief? Wasn't worth it.

Jin kept his routine up. He worked out by himself, sometimes sparing with Peter, but mostly hunting down Unknowns as he was told to. He could feel the war, the one only the Summoners seemed to be aware of, building up. They were becoming restless, especially his master. He wasn't sure how it would end but he knew which side he was fighting for. The Exterminators based their whole lives on killing off the Unknowns. Summoners just wanted to unite everyone. The choice was clear to him. He chose the Summoner's side but remained undercover with the Exterminators.

Nick walked into the gym a week later. He finally felt it was time to get back into training. He put all his paperwork in for several jobs. He also brought up his grades in school. He felt he could finally get back into his Exterminating job. He saw Jin standing in the gym talking to Emily.

Nick made his way over, waving as he approached.

“Hey man, haven't seen you in here in like forever,” Jin smiled at him.

“I'm sorry about your loss,” Emily said.

“Thank you,” he responded. He could still feel the pain within.

“I was just telling Emily about the investigation. The outsiders aren't gonna be a problem. Fortunately, the Exterminators have got some pull within the government, so they will try to push the case quickly through. Still, police will probably keep harassing us for a while.” Jin glanced at Nick who was still looking at the floor.

“I'll keep telling them the same thing. I don't know what happened but I want to know. That's all I'm supposed to say right?” Nick began moving past the two. He grabbed his Rod and began concentrating.

“Yeah...” Jin watched Nick. He was just a shell of his former self. He still hadn't fully recuperated.

“Nick, maybe it's best you still take some time off,” Emily suggested.

“I've rested enough,” Nick said forcefully. He formed a sword with blunt edges. He faced both Jin and Emily. “You two, come at me.”

“Nick, come on,” Jin protested.

“I said come at me!” Nick cried angrily.

“Nick, this won't solve anything,” Emily said, her voice sounding strained.

“Fine, if you won't attack, I will!” Nick blasted forward. Both Exterminators went for their Rods. Just in time they formed their own blunt swords. Nick went to slash Jin but it was a fake move. He came swinging at Emily, instead. Emily already had her sword midair ready to strike instead of just defending herself. She was hit right in her side. She gasped as her eyes bulged and she grasped her side. It was a strong, heavy hit.

“Nick!” Jin yelled, going into attacking position. He went to strike but Nick already had his sword back up in defense. They clashed, a loud echo filling the entire gym. Nick twirled around and came with another swing. Jin easily dismissed that with an upper slash. Jin then moved in closer and shoulder rushed Nick. Nick went tumbling back and fell on his bottom, his free hand breaking his fall.

“Damn it!” Nick yelled hurriedly getting back to his feet.

“You hit her hard, Nick. What the hell?!” Jin was bending down to aid Emily. She held her side, her face filled with discomfort.

“I didn't mean to hurt her-” he started with a loud voice. Then he looked at her. She winced in pain as Jin touched her side. “-Emily I'm sorry,” he finished, his tone a lot softer.

“Hey, it's okay!” she said giggling. “I've been hit with way worse.”

“You sure you’re okay?” Jin asked.

“I'm sure, hun, thank you.” She smiled up at him. He helped her back up on her feet.

Nick looked down at his sword. He felt he had so much power when he held his weapon. It was like he could do anything.
“Yeah anything, except save your friend.”
He hated his mind process. Everything related back to Fred eventually. He tried to forget but he couldn't.

“Nick, do not push yourself,” Jin said, staring at him with serious eyes. “You push yourself and you'll just overdo it. You just lost a friend. You have to accept that. You also take the burden of being the leader. So you blame yourself. Stop, it's silly. Everyone fights for their own lives; everyone knows that coming in here.”

“Yeah but...”

“No buts. He came in here knowing the risk. He fought his best every time he stepped out there. You keep blaming yourself and it'll solve nothing. You have to be a leader to everyone else still around. That is a real leader!” Jin raised his voice. He needed Nick to see that a leader must continue to lead even after his soldiers have fallen.

“I know...it's just that it's hard. I can't stop thinking if I had more power. If I was a little stronger...” Nick let his voice disappear into the vast gym.

“Anything could of happened out there. Hell, all of you might be dead right now if it wasn't for Fred. Fred died sacrificing himself for you.”

Nick felt a sharp pain in his chest. He had the same statement in his mind the last few days.

“What gave him the right?”

“What?”

“What gave him the right to do that? To let himself die for us!?” Nick could feel his eyes wanting to cry, yet he had no more tears to release. He cried himself dry over the past few weeks of blaming himself.

“Every man gets to choose.”

“He didn't let me choose!”

“Every man gets to choose when he feels it's appropriate. He died knowing you three would be safe.”

“I didn't get a say in that!”

“You are a leader, not a slave owner, Nick. You can't just tell others what to do. You lead people and they follow. You do not command people to the point where they have no self-conscious choice to do what they do.” Jin watched Nick. He could see how angry he was. How upset he was. He wanted to stop but he knew Nick needed this.

“I never said he could run in there and save me. He should of freaking stayed near the house! Why did he run towards me? After I told him not to!?”

“He made a choice.”

“I didn't accept that choice!”

“Well, that's just too damn bad!” Now Jin was shouting back. Nick curled his fist. He wanted to punch something. Anything.

“Why did he die!? I was the leader. I watch over them. So why didn't I die?”

Jin stopped for a moment. He finally saw it...the pain on Nick's face. It wasn't a simple case of grief. It wasn't guilt. It wasn't even the fact he was really angry. He saw what Nick's true pain finally was. “You're scared aren't you?”

“What!?” Nick said, sounding offended.

“You're scared of the choice. You thought, this whole time that he's been gone, that if you could make that choice yourself, you wonder if you would have been brave enough to sacrifice yourself in that position.” Jin lowered his voice to a calm tone. Emily looked at him then Nick, sadness written all over her face.

Nick wanted to yell back. Tell him he didn't know what he was talking about. Yet, he just stood there. Someone finally knew what he was thinking. “I just don't know...” he said.

“See Nick that's the thing.” Jin walked up to Nick and placed his hand on his shoulder. “I believe the only reason he did what he did was because he had a leader, someone to follow. He died knowing he'd protect his friends. He did it ‘cause he knew you'd do the same. That might be one of the only reasons he did it.” Jin tightened his grip on his shoulder. “You're a damn fine leader. Don't ever doubt your motives or what you stand for again.”

Nick looked into Jin's eyes. He could see everything he was thinking spilling out from him. All the hatred he built up for himself leaving. He questioned his abilities as a leader and always doubted it. Now he had reassurance. That he would of have done the same thing in that position. “Thank you,” Nick said quietly. Tears finally came.

Peter stepped in to Carl's apartment. He had never been in it but he was surprised by how small it was. With such a high position in the organization he expected a bigger home. Instead it was a tiny single bedroom studio. The room was a mess with clothes and beer bottles on the table stands. Peter walked around the tables and sat down on the empty chair across from the bed. Carl sat there just staring outside the window.

“Sir?” Peter looked to the window but he saw nothing. He turned back to Carl. “You needed to talk to me?”

“Did you free Fred?” Carl’s voice was so low Peter barely caught it.

“What?”

“Did you free Fred? The day of the hunt against the Cyclops.”

“No. I told you I didn't. I was fighting the Unknown at the time.”

“I find it odd.” Carl took a heavy breath.

“What do you find odd?”

“That a few days prior you told me Fred was changing, yet on that day you were the one who came in with a bunch of bruises with blood coming out of your mouth.” Now Carl turned to him.

“I...” Peter forgot about his father. He didn't want to mention anything about him to anyone.

“You never explained why you were nearly dead. You just put out the fact Fred was changing. All the attention turns to him. We hunt him. Put him on trial. He somehow gets free. He becomes Riven. And we've lost an Exterminator.”

“What are you getting at?” Peter asked plainly. He felt no emotion. He looked at Carl with an unreadable face.

“Sounds like good motives for a Summoner.” Carl stood up quickly and formed a sword. He put it to Peter's neck before the boy could react. Peter sat there, not moving a muscle. “Are you one, Peter?” he asked quietly.

“No.”

“Then what the hell happened to you that day?”

“I don't want to speak about it.”

“Guess what? You're going to otherwise I bring you in for trial. Then everyone will hear about it. Is that what you want instead?” Carl held the sword only inches away from Peter's neck. Peter still did not move, did not show emotion, he just looked up at his Bora.

“Do you not trust me?”

“You have to gain my trust. Right now it doesn't look very good for you,” he gritted through his teeth. “I won't be betrayed again.”

“I did not free Fred.” Peter closed his eyes. He looked to the floor, ignoring the sword next to his throat.

“Then what happened to you?”

“My father beat me till I couldn't stand. He probably would of killed me if he wasn't so thirsty for more alcohol. He tackled me to the ground, punched me, kicked me, nearly killed me. I didn't want anyone to know. I wanted to keep my personal life out of my job. So, I focused the attention on Fred to get away from that. I didn't know it would lead to his death. I didn't know anything like this would happen. For that, I am sorry.” Peter looked back up. He pushed the sword out of his way. “I am not a Summoner, though. My loyalty will be proven in time if you don't believe me now. Just know, though, I fight for the Exterminators and that is all. If you don't want to believe me that is your choice. I can't change that for you, you'll have to do that all by yourself.” He stood up. “I'll take my leave now.” He began walking towards the door.