Misfits, Inc. (22 page)

“He’s forgiven,” Lucinda announced with little
concern.  “He’s proven his loyalty.  Too often, young males fall victim to a
younger female lobbying for her chance to be queen.  They feel a younger queen
will produce more workers and less snappers.  I don’t hold it against him.” 
She casually crossed the room toward Marcus and seductively caressed his
chest.  She gave him an approving once over then looked back at Delaney.  “Once
you’ve finished your meal,” she boldly announced while waving her hand with
disgust, “kindly discard the carcass from the window into the garden below.  My
pets need their nourishment.”

†

H
ailey, slightly out of breath, appeared on the roof from the
stairs and stopped to stare at the raging storm nearly upon them.  There wasn’t
any rain, but the sky was almost black, and the wind blew violently.  She
hurried to the half wall and looked out to the ocean.  The surf was rough,
crashing violently to shore, and appeared even less friendly than the sky. 
Hailey drew a deep breath and tried to focus on her task.  She briefly
considered what she was doing and again questioned if it was the right thing to
do.  It seemed odd that she could almost hear the screams coming from the
banquet hall, although she knew that was impossible.  Strange premonitions kept
sweeping her mind.  It was almost as if she could feel what Skyler felt.  Their
connection to each other seemed to be growing stronger, and it was frightening.

“Skyler, I’m on the roof,” she announced aloud. 
“How’s it looking down there?”

†

A
t the same time, within the ballroom, the creatures vibrated
the garden side door despite the barriers.  Guests were screaming at Skyler and
Vance, who prevented them from allowing thirty or more employees from entering
the banquet hall through the main entrance.  They could hear them screaming and
see their panic-filled faces through a small window on the main door.  They
were pleading to be allowed inside.  Skyler kept his body against the door
while Vance yelled and swung his baseball bat at the furious guests.  It was
only when the guests saw the creatures attempting to break open the door
without attacking the staff outside, that they understood what was really
happening.  Creatures and traitorous employees together attempted to break
through the main door.

The windows on the garden side appeared secure with
their thorny shield over them.  Despite the mass chaos outside the banquet
hall, the guests and remaining staff gathered toward the back corner and
attempted to remain quiet.  Several sobs and sounds of mass hysteria
occasionally broke the silence.  Hailey’s warriors moved closer to the center
of the room with their weapons securely in hand and kept watch on both sets of
doors.  Skyler suddenly clutched his temples and zoned out.  Rafe and Logan
eyed him and awaited whatever news he had to report.

“Hailey, thank God,” Skyler gasped aloud and looked
around the banquet hall.  “The doors are holding but not for long.  Whatever
you’re going to do, do it fast.”

Rafe took two quick steps toward Skyler and
appeared demanding.  “Are you talking to Hailey?”

Skyler held his temple, frowned, and waved off Rafe
like a mother to her child while on the telephone.

“I’ll let you know if they start breaking the
doors, but what does that matter?” Skyler asked.

Vance and Logan exchanged concerned looks.  Logan
looked at Skyler, who now concentrated on his telepathic conversation.

“What’s she saying?” Logan asked.

Skyler waved him off as well and concentrated on
what Hailey was telling him.  Logan was clearly offended.

“The necklace?” Skyler asked with a puzzled look
then glanced at Rafe.  “Hailey needs Lucinda’s necklace.”

Rafe appeared impatient and motioned demandingly. 
“Let me talk to her.”

Skyler stared at him with surprise then appeared
annoyed.  “Sorry, I must’ve misplaced the handset.”

H
urricane type conditions
were pushing their way along the beach and ocean.  Palm trees were bending to
the point of breaking and palms lie scattered along the once immaculate beach. 
Hailey stood on the roof before the half wall while staring at the ocean.  She
breathed deeply several times then held out her hand.  The water crashed to
shore in large, violent waves then rolled back out.  A tremendous thundering
sound was heard as the water continued to roll further and further into the
ocean.  The ocean floor was exposed, revealing the sunken remains of a large
ship from decades past embedded in the sand.  The water receded further and
further back, causing the thundering rumbling sound to escalate to near
deafening levels.  Beyond the desolate ocean floor, there was a massive wall of
water rumbling and rolling backwards.  Hailey kept her trembling hand extended
and stared out to the ocean with shock and dismay at the horror she was
creating.  It wasn’t a nightmare!  She had foreseen her own psychic prophecy.

“Oh, my God--” she gasped softly while watching the
massive wall of water off in the distant horizon.  It rumbled and rolled on
itself as if awaiting her command.  Her hand trembled while holding the wave in
place.  “Skyler, batten down the hatches!”

†

B
ack within the banquet hall, Skyler suddenly came to an abrupt
stop, touched his temple, and appeared horrified at what he was hearing.  He
looked at the three men, who stared back at him with shared concern to his
frightened expression.

“What’s happening?” Vance asked slowly, appearing
uncertain that he wanted to know the answer.

A mutilated, blood-soaked body suddenly dropped
outside the vine covered windows behind the creatures.  Mel, who was standing
near the window at the time, screamed at the sight.  Several creatures
immediately turned toward the body and tore into its dried out flesh in a
frantic feeding frenzy.  Mel moved away from the glass and held her stomach.  A
strange sound was heard in the distance.  Mel suddenly looked around with alarm
on her face.

“Do you hear that?” she gasped.

Everyone within the banquet hall could hear the
loud rumbling of rushing water.  The sound grew louder.  All five hurried to
the vine covered windows within the alcove with a limited view of the ocean.  A
massive wave over sixty feet high was almost certainly awaiting to strike the
beach and the resort, preparing to hit them head on.  The sound of the distant
wave was almost deafening.  Rafe turned to Skyler and grabbed his shoulders,
panicking for the first time.

“Is she insane?” he exploded.  “The hotel will
collapse under that pressure.”

“Actually, given the distance and velocity--” Vance
casually announced.

Rafe released Skyler and pointed a warning finger
at Vance.  “Skip the lecture, professor,” he growled then looked around.  “We
need to somehow reinforce the doors and windows.  They’ll never hold!”

The sound of the wave grew louder now.  The
frightened people within the banquet hall bravely moved closer to the windows
in the alcove and attempted to look outside.  Despite their situation, they
wanted to know what was happening.  The creatures were now forcing their way
through both sets of doors, alarming everyone further.  Mel was the first to
notice the creatures breaching the door on the garden side.

“They’re getting in!” Mel cried out.

Skyler appeared alarmed and touched his temples
while shouting aloud, “Hailey, abort!  The creatures are breaking through.  The
seals won’t hold!”

“We need to do something or we’re going to drown,”
Vance cried out.

“Like what?” Logan demanded.

Vance shook his head then looked at the other three
with enthusiasm.  “Maybe we can do that thing where we combine our powers and
stop it.”

Rafe casually waved them off, returning to his
relaxed, emotionless state.  “We’re dead.  Accept it and move on.”

The garden door was suddenly thrown open, and a creature
bolted inside.  Everyone screamed and ran from the charging creature.  Rafe and
Logan raised their swords and were about to fight it when the creature was
suddenly catapulted backwards and propelled out the open door.  The broken door
slammed shut on its own with a thunderous crack.  The entire room suddenly
vibrated harshly, reminding them that the wave was about to hit the hotel. 
Everyone looked around, clinging to anyone close to him or her.  Mel stood
before the glass, stared out the window, and looked at the others with horror
in her eyes.

“The wave is coming!” she screamed.

Rafe, Vance, and Logan looked around the vibrating
room, as if simultaneously realizing it wasn’t the wave that was causing the
room to vibrate.  According to Mel, it hadn’t even reached the hotel yet. 
Their eyes fell upon Skyler.  Skyler held his hands out while staring at the
broken, shut door.  He appeared motionless and fixated.  Everyone fell silent
to the deafening sound of the enormous wave and the vibrating room.  All eyes
were soon upon Skyler.  Everyone stepped away from him.

†

T
he massive tidal wave hit the shore and crashed into the resort
with tremendous force and a thunderous slap.  Doors and windows shattered
simultaneously under the pressure.  Water crashed into the lobby in a massive
flood and rushed through the main hallway and secondary corridors.  The entire
lobby was under water within seconds, allowing furniture to float haphazard. 
The lights flickered and went out throughout the entire hotel.  The massive
flood of water struck the creatures and non-human staff before slamming against
the banquet hall doors with tremendous force.  Water engulfed the entire
corridor.

†

T
he banquet hall continued to vibrate causing bottles of alcohol
to fall from the bar and shatter.  Heavy chairs danced along the floor in
rhythm with the rumbling.  The sound of rushing water echoed throughout the
room.  As the lights flickered and went out, everyone gasped and looked
around.  The walls, doors, and windows creaked loudly as massive cracks
appeared.  Water poured in through the cracks but remained beyond an invisible
force field.  The doors and walls bulged and groaned loudly.  There were more
terrified gasps and screams from the frightened men and women.  Skyler remained
still and fixated with his hands out in front and behind him.  His hands began
to tremble, the veins on his temples bulged, and blood ran from his nose.  The
room continued to vibrate and creak loudly as the echo of water pressure could
be heard just outside the walls.  Mel looked at the water beyond the window and
watched dead creatures float past.  The water was too high even to calculate. 
They were completely submerged under water in their protective, waterproof
bubble.

The water rushed back into the ocean as furniture
and creatures were carried out with the tide.  Every window up to the sixth
floor was shattered and the rooms were undoubtedly flooded beyond repair. 
Debris from the lobby and the garden littered the beach and resort grounds.

Within the banquet hall, everyone stared at the
cracked walls and ceiling in silence as the water rushed away as quickly as it
had arrived.  Skyler slowly lowered his hands, gasped, and collapsed to his
knees.  He touched his bleeding nose then looked at the small pool of blood
that had collected on the floor near where he had stood.  Rafe, Vance, and
Logan hurried toward Skyler to check on him.  Vance and Logan helped him to his
feet, although he remained weak and unsteady.  Rafe stared at Skyler with some
disbelief and shook his head.

“Not half bad,” Rafe casually announced.  His look
immediately turned serious.  “Where’s Hailey?  Is she okay?”

Skyler slowly nodded.  “Yeah, she’s fine.  She’s
pretty drained after her little water show.  She’s on her way back to her room
to retrieve Lucinda’s necklace where you hid it.”

Rafe hurried across the room toward the broken
door, which now lie on the floor, and ran from the banquet hall.  Vance and
Logan stared at Skyler while shaking their heads as they marveled with
disbelief. 

“It’s always the quiet ones,” Vance remarked then
chuckled while slapping him on the back.

Skyler grimaced from the back slap.  Mel handed
Skyler a cloth napkin and offered a warm smile.  He gratefully accepted the
napkin and dabbed the blood from his nose. 

“Thanks,” he said gently.

“No, thank you,” Mel announced then kissed him
quickly but firmly on the lips.

As she pulled away, Skyler stared at Mel with
surprise and his cheeks immediately reddened with embarrassment.  Vance and
Logan snickered softly to each other.

T
here was still a foot of standing water remaining within the
once elegant lobby, which contained the carcasses of several dead creatures
sporadically lying about.  The water continued to recede, leaving the need for extensive
repairs from the damage.  The elevator doors opened to reveal Lucinda and
Marcus.  Both stared at the remaining water as it flooded into the elevator to
greet them.  Lucinda saw one of the dead creatures lying within the water
across the hall.  They heard laughter and cheering coming from the banquet
hall.  Her precious pets and her entire colony had been destroyed, yet the
humans survived their extermination.  Lucinda glared at Marcus with a venomous
look that almost matched his.

“I want her and her council dead!”

She violently hit the penthouse button until the
door closed, taking her and Marcus back upstairs to the twentieth floor.  As
the water receded from the lobby, a flood of guests passed through and marveled
at the damage before heading outside.  Vance, Logan, and Skyler followed the
guests into the water-damaged lobby.  They stopped and looked around, nearly
awestruck by the amount of damage it had sustained.

“What a mess,” Vance casually remarked.

Talbert entered the lobby behind them and looked
around with horror.  “Look at my hotel!  This will take forever to restore!”

After his initial outburst, Talbert seemed at a
loss for words.  He looked at Skyler as if sizing him up for the massive
undertaking of cleaning the lobby.

Skyler caught his look, snorted a laugh, and threw
his hands in the air.  “Don’t look at me,” he announced callously.  “You fired
me, remember?”

Skyler casually cast himself onto a nearby sofa. 
It sloshed beneath him, soaking his pants.  He shut his eyes and groaned softly
to what had to be a very uncomfortable feeling.  Talbert displayed his
annoyance and continued across the lobby to survey the damage.  Every window
was broken, furniture was displaced, and anything lightweight that fit through
the door had been taken out to sea.  The desk seemed to be the only piece of
furniture still in its original location.  Vance and Logan looked at each other
and grinned in silent celebration.

“How about a drink?” Logan suggested cheerfully.

“How about several?” Vance teased while holding his
arms out with enthusiasm.

“You’re on,” Logan replied then looked at Skyler
where he remained on the soaked sofa.  “You coming?”

Skyler didn’t seem in the mood for celebrating just
yet, and it probably had little to do with his wet pants.  “No, you go on
ahead.  I’ll wait for Hailey.”

They nodded in response and headed down the hallway
toward the lounge.  If they were lucky, they’d be able to find some booze
stored behind the bar, providing it hadn’t all been sucked out into the ocean.

†

H
ailey slowly entered her suite while half clinging to the wall
for support.  She was completely drained.  Her legs were so weak; she didn’t
know how she made it down the stairs from the roof.  She slowly crossed the
room to the fireplace, took a moment to catch her breath, and then moved to her
knees before the opening.  She felt around inside the chimney, but every small
movement was an effort.  She didn’t know how long she’d feel drained and wiped
out, but she had to find the necklace.  Her fingers touched a smooth stone. 
Hailey breathed a sigh of relief and removed Lucinda’s soot covered stone
necklace from the chimney.  She brushed some of the soot from the stone and
grimaced at the sight of it.  It truly was a hideous looking thing.  She then
heard the sound of a gun being cocked behind her.  Hailey tensed to the sound
and slowly turned on her knees to face Marcus, who stood over her with his gun
aimed at her head.  He snatched the necklace from her. 

“You’ve ruined everything we’ve spent nearly two
decades to achieve,” Marcus snarled with a look on his hardened face that
frightened her.  “I can’t wait to be rid of you.”

Hailey slowly stood and stared at the gun aimed at
her face.  She didn’t exactly like her predicament.  She was powerless and
weakened while alone in her suite with Marcus.  Although, she was never truly
alone.  As if on cue, the cougar mysteriously appeared from alongside the sofa
and leaped for Marcus.  Marcus saw the cougar, showed little emotion, and
casually shot it in the head.  He watched the cougar fall bloody and limp to
the floor.  He then turned his attention and his gun back on Hailey, but it was
too late.  Hailey had already set her counterattack in motion.  With every
ounce of strength, she swiftly kicked Marcus in the groin.  She was getting a
little tired of everyone killing her cat!  Although she nailed Marcus firmly
between his legs, he barely flinched and immediately backhanded her across the
face in response.  Hailey was thrown against the fireplace.  It was a
surprisingly hard slap, which felt more like a punch.  She attempted to
straighten while plotting her next move.  She summoned her powers, but felt
nothing building inside her. 

“Stupid girl--”

Marcus aimed the gun at her and tightened his
finger on the trigger.  Rafe was suddenly alongside Marcus and knocked the gun
from his hand.  As the gun flew across the floor, Rafe punched Marcus in the
face.  The necklace fell from his hand and slid beneath the coffee table. 
Surprisingly, Marcus didn’t go down from the powerful hit.  Any normal man
would have been unconscious on the floor.

Marcus glared at him and smiled evilly.  “I’ve been
waiting a long time for this day, Rafe,” he snarled.  “It’s going to be a
pleasure tearing you apart.”

“Give it your best shot,” Rafe growled in response.

Razor sharp claws appeared from Marcus’
fingertips.  He then smiled to reveal sharp, cat-like fangs.  Rafe was almost
as surprised as Hailey was.

“That’s not good,” Hailey gasped as her body
twitched, but she was still unable to summon her powers.

Marcus didn’t take his eyes off Rafe.  “You really
have no idea what you’re dealing with,” he snarled.

He slashed at Rafe, who leaped out of the path of
the claws.  Hailey scrambled to the floor for the discarded gun.  It was just
within her reach.  The gun was suddenly kicked away from her fingers.  Hailey
looked up and saw Lucinda standing over her with an evil, fanged smirk beyond
her plump red lips.

“I don’t think so, my dear,” she hissed.

Lucinda grabbed Hailey by the throat and pulled her
to her feet.  Claws appeared from her fingertips as well and nearly pierced
Hailey’s neck.  Hailey stared into Lucinda’s yellow cat eyes and attempted to
struggle against the clawed hand that held her throat.  Hailey needed her
powers to return, but she could do little more than grasp and clutch at the
woman’s wrist in an attempt to loosen her grip.

“Numinous!” she gasped with all her breath even
though she didn’t need to speak aloud at all.

Lucinda seemed humored by the cry for help and
added a throaty chuckle.  “Your little friends can’t help you,” she remarked. 
“Not anymore.”

†

S
everal hotel guests returned from gawking at the exterior
damage to the resort and now milled around the lobby, surveying the water
damage to the ceiling.  Most were fascinated by the events that had unfolded. 
Some even took selfies with the few dead creatures lying scattered about the
room.  Skyler now paced the lobby while waiting for Hailey to return from her suite. 
Mel leaned against the desk and watched him marathon pace as he alternated
shaking his head and running fingers through his hair.  He suddenly gasped and
placed his hands to his temples almost as if in pain.  His eyes were wide with
horror as he turned to Mel.

“Hailey’s in trouble,” he cried out.  “Go to the
lounge and tell Vance and Logan to meet me in Hailey’s suite!”

Mel nodded and both ran in the direction of the
corridor.  Skyler turned toward the elevators and suddenly stopped.  He
clutched his temples and doubled over with surprise.  Mel suddenly stopped,
turned, and looked back at him. 

“Are you okay?” she asked.

Skyler stared blankly a moment longer as if unable
to speak.  His body twitched as if going into a seizure.  There was a flash of
Rafe lying motionless and bloody followed by another image of Hailey being
shot.
 Skyler jerked out of his twitching trance, gasped for air, and
then looked back at Mel while straightening.

“I saw Hailey and Rafe dead,” he cried out in
panic.  “I have to get to them!”

Skyler ran for the elevator and punched the button
roughly.  The door immediately opened as if on command.  It was possibly the
first time in his life anything ever went his way when he needed it to.  He
darted inside as Mel ran down the hallway the reach the men in the lounge.