Chapter 25

Chapter 25

 

Gwen’s vision was failing, there was sweat in her eyes and coloured dots warning that her oxygen levels were far too low, but she would not stop. She would be in serious trouble if he grabbed her, she didn’t have much faith in his sense of mercy. Her forehead was badly cut on the right side and bleeding freely, the edge of her face was completely soaked. She wasn’t sure how many blocks she had covered or whether she was heading toward home, it wasn’t as though she could stop and ask for directions. Hope had left her behind long ago and soon fate caught up with it. She stepped on a patch of uneven asphalt and lost her balance, crashing to the ground like a plane without its landing gear. On the plus side it gave her a chance to breathe, unfortunately now she couldn’t get up. No matter how hard she tried it was obvious her body was out of steam and refused to comply. She was still attempting to return to her feet as he came up beside her, but never managed to get higher than her knees.

“This has been a long time coming,” he said pleasure dripping from his voice.

She could hear the power charge his vision as if he were directly in front of her. She gave it one more go and ended up in a position similar to an animal stretching. The raging orange beams struck her like a freight train and pushed her into the wall opposite him. One cough and Gwen lost every precious ounce of air she had taken in, she fell to the walkway with a pathetic thump. She had bruises on top of bruises, her lungs rejected her efforts to breathe deeply only allowing her weak gasps. When she forced her body to sit up more blood dripped from her face to the sidewalk.

“You’re one tough chick, I’ll give you that, but imagine the reputation I’ll get for taking you out,” he said, so gleeful it was sickening.

“The only . . . reason . . . you even . . . had a chance . . . was because . . . I was drained . . .” Gwen replied with difficulty. “You would’ve been . . . on your . . . way home . . . with your tail . . . between your legs . . . otherwise.”

Her back was against the house’s brick wall, she had one hand over her aching chest, the other clinging to her flank.

“Sure, we know that, but the average Hexes on the street won’t have a clue,” he explained now grinning from ear to ear.

Gwen swallowed hard, he had a point. Most Hexes wouldn’t have encountered both of them and could easily fall for any story he concocted. Her whole body receded in fear.

“Any last words?” he asked folding his arms.

“Yes as a matter of fact, and just so you’re aware of the situation I’ve never said this before,” she replied glaring up at him. “Bite me.”

He threw his head back and laughed in such a way it echoed off the houses, when he looked at her again his eyes were already glowing. Gwen tried to close her eyes, she didn’t want to see what was about to happen, but they were frozen in place no doubt punishing her for taking to the streets in her condition. As she waited in silent horror a strange sight appeared, a cloud of black smoke curling along the road until it reached his side, then slowly rose into the air. It grew to just under six feet before taking a very specific shape, that of a person. He didn’t seem to notice the vague figure standing right next to him even as a fist shot out and punched him in the jaw. Gwen’s mouth hung open, the beam aimed at her shot into the sky as he fell. She blinked several times, a different emotion reflected in her eyes with each one. Shock. Relief. Confusion. Anxiety. The smoky silhouette faced her, then moved forward. Gwen clutched her shirt, even though he had helped her it didn’t make him trustworthy especially since the fact it was a male was the only detail she recognized. Whoever he was he seemed to sense her uneasiness, when he came to the walkway he knelt down to her level.

“So that’s Laser, I see now why you didn’t want me to meet him,” said the shadow figure.

Her eyes widened, other than Katie she had only told one person to beware of Laser. His voice sounded just like . . . and was that . . . mint?

Gwen slapped her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut. No, no, no! It was all too much! A smeared black hand reached out and touched her cheek. Her eyes immediately snapped open as a spark ran over her skin, shadow or not she would never forget that feeling. She stared at him intently, seconds later a ripple passed through his form. Starting from his feet, the shadows began to dissipate. Within moments they were gone and there was . . .

“Zach,” she croaked taking the hand on her face and reaching for his. “Where did . . . how did . . .”

She hardly grazed his cheek before she had to grab her forehead, she was in no condition for this information overload.

“What the hell?”

Laser was back on his feet and royally pissed about being blindsided. Zach stood and boldly turned to face him with his fists clenched, the instant his fingers left her cheek a chill ran down Gwen’s spine. She was so tired and confused at this point she wasn’t sure what to think, but if Zach had discovered Hex powers of his own that could change everything.

“I have a problem with guys who beat girls that can’t defend themselves,” Zach said firmly. “Especially when she happens to be my girlfriend and it’s my fault you managed to catch her.”

Gwen’s heart fluttered, he called her his girlfriend again, it was good to hear.

“What!? Are you freaking crazy, get out of here!” Laser yelled, his eyes flaring orange.

Zach crossed his arms stubbornly, he wasn’t going anywhere. Laser growled and his eyes grew brighter. Gwen could hear, almost feel, him charge before the panic took root. She jumped on Zach, wrapped her arms around his chest as the sound reached its peak and they were gone. After a kaleidoscopic explosion they hit the ground facing each other. The world spun around her, she knew she would pay for a transport, but what choice did she have?

“Where are we?” Zach asked softly easily able to sense her queasiness.

“Not far . . . just down the road,” she replied holding his arms as if it would steady her equilibrium. “I’m not strong enough to get us somewhere safe.”

“That’s okay, we’ll be fine,” he soothed, moving his hand up to her face, completely ignoring the blood.

She wanted to believe him she really did, however she wasn’t keen on their chances, not when Laser was involved.

“Zach you should leave, there’s no reason for you . . .”

“No.”

Gwen’s mouth clamped shut, there was a strength in his voice she had never heard before and made the tears that were threatening creep away.

“I’m not leaving you again,” he said cupping her face in both hands. “Forget the past two weeks it doesn’t matter anymore, any of it, do you understand?”

She couldn’t answer him, her brain froze like an out of date computer and she could only stare into his eyes. He inched forward slowly, giving her ample time to stop him, until their lips met and a wave of comfort spread through her soul. The best way she could describe it was like sliding into a warm bath after a long day, no doubt what she should have done tonight. It reactivated her mind’s generator, powering her senses and allowing her to think clearly once again. He pulled back assuming she would need to get over the shock, but she was wide awake for the first time in a fortnight. She pressed her body against his and kissed him again, she had missed his warmth and needed it now more than ever. Zach could feel the shadows increase around them as particles of light zoomed through the air and sunk into her skin. When they opened their eyes there was a dark halo surrounding her, compared to last time the outline was huge, with a radius of nearly a foot. He sat up first, then helped Gwen, charging took time, he noticed not only was she smiling again, but the sparkle in her eyes was back.

“That’s what I wanted to see,” he said grinning.

She gave a small giggle, then suddenly frowned in confusion.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I smell ketchup,” she replied seriously.

“Is that Laser’s aura?” Zach asked understanding right away.

“No,” she said slowly. “It’s your sister’s.”

“You’re kidding,” he said.

He let her think he had trouble believing Julie would be anywhere within range when in actuality his comment was in reference to learning her scent. He looked around for signs of his sister, but instead spotted a pair of shining orange almonds hovering in midair.

“Heads up!” he cried jumping on Gwen, flattening her against the road as Laser’s beams shot over them.

The beam struck the pavement next to a parked car and Zach leapt to his feet ready to fight. He threw his hands forward, releasing a shower of black sparks which damaged nothing, but his confidence.

“Oops,” Gwen said wobbling upright. “I was afraid of that, your powers are too new to handle the light surge from transport, they’re all scrambled.

Laser emerged from the night time gloom, his choppy hair even more wild than usual.

“Is it permanent?” Zach asked staring nervously at his hands.

Laser fired and Gwen formed a shield large enough to protect them both as a counter.

“No, think of it as a concussion,” she said trying to keep her focus on the barrier. “Your abilities’ signals are confused, they need time to straighten themselves out.”

Laser yelled some choice expletives as he realized her guard was holding.

“In other words, I just have to wait,” Zach said taking two steps back.

Forced to change his assault plan Laser shut off his beams.

“In a nutshell,” she said letting her shield drop with some relief.

Even though she was recharging it was difficult to regain her strength and hold a decent barrier. Before she could take a full breath he fired a second shot so she created a new screen to block it, but as soon as the attack hit it disappeared. She was about to lower the guard when another strike pounded against it, then another. Gwen felt her feet slide on the pavement as a barrage of beams bombarded her shield.

“Gwen?” Zach asked tensely as cracks began to materialize within the screen.

“He’s overpowering me,” she replied struggling to keep it in one piece. “Get out of the way now!”

He probably should have listened to her, but he never wanted to leave her again and that need compelled him to move toward her. The instant he did, the barrier shattered like a window pane and they were both pushed back by the force. Gwen was closer to the center line so she landed on the street, Zach was near the side walk and hit the hood of the parked car. It didn’t hurt as much as he expected, he felt like road kill as he slid off the car more stunned than anything else. Julie leapt from the driver’s seat and hurried to the front bumper to check on him. He could hear her asking if he was okay, but only as a distant echo. Some of his new abilities were still in working order and keenly focused on a shift in energy. Shadows multiplied as light was pulled to a single point, he turned around and there was Gwen floating a few inches off the ground, shining like the sun. One would assume this was a good sign, he was tempted to believe it, however Zach saw something in her face that convinced him otherwise. Her eyes were glowing exactly like Laser’s, only instead of orange they were pure white and empty. In a flash the words from Gwen’s almanac appeared in his mind’s eye, ‘when enraged a single Lightbearer can easily destroy a neighbourhood without realizing what they’ve done’.

Oh God.

Laser shot a panicked beam straight at her, with a flippant movement of her hand it redirected and slammed into the ground creating a jagged pothole, Laser gaped. Horrified Zach leapt to his feet as Gwen started to float forward, without thinking of the consequences he dashed into the street halting in front of her.

“Gwen, stop!” he yelled, bracing himself.

Gwen froze in mid-air and turned her luminous eyes toward him. It was extremely unnerving, but he held her gaze hoping he would be able to break through the rage which had overtaken her. Behind him Laser just stared, Zach was better off taking his chances with an angry Lightbearer as far as he was concerned.

“Please,” he started, forcing his voice to stay even as he stepped forward and took her hands. “Please, you have to calm down before you do something you’ll regret. You’re better than this Gwen, fight back.”

 She was still for a moment, gradually her warm iris’ emerged from the bright fog. Her expression changed before she faced Laser again. She took her hands away and swept one arm in a wide arc, then did the same with the other. Instantaneously a pair of two story high barriers appeared to protect the homes on both sides of the street. Zach’s posture relaxed, only the true Gwen would do that. As his nerves began to settle she pushed him back toward his sister, then raised a single hand, snapped her fingers and a dome materialized around him, Julie and the car.

“No!” Zach yelled stumbling.

“I’m sorry love, but you’re too new to deal with Laser,” she replied calmly, briefly glancing at him.

“Meanwhile, you’re too insane,” Laser injected sounding frustrated. “You took in all that power only to waste it shielding an entire neighbourhood?”

“Not all of it,” she said. “I made sure to keep some just for you, Laser.”

He sized her up as Zach walked up to the dome to touch it and received an unexpected shock.

“You don’t have enough juice,” Laser said frowning. “A snowball has a better chance in hell than you have here.”

Gwen smiled softly.

“I know,” she said causing Zach’s heart to stop. “That’s fine, enjoy your time in the spotlight because I’ll be back and your name will be dirt again.”

Laser snarled bitterly.

“You’re assuming I let you survive,” he replied darkly.

Gwen shrugged unconcerned.

“I like my odds,” she said confidently, illuminating her hands. “After all you get scared off by car alarms.”

Laser’s eyes glowed feverishly in response, Zach’s heart gave a feeble beat, then sank. After some swift finger movements, which Zach’s new enhanced vision couldn’t register, Gwen fired. Laser shot less than a second later. The two beams passed each other, the white higher than the orange, being close seemed to cause them to repel each other. Zach heard an ‘Oof!’ as the white beam hit its mark, then watched the other strike Gwen in the chest. It sent her flying down the street landing on her back, motionless. Zach’s entire body went numb, he couldn’t tell if she was breathing and the two or three seconds it took the dome to drop seemed endless. He was kneeling beside her by the time he realized he wasn’t paralyzed anymore, she was down and out, but she was alive. He sighed with relief, feeling older than before, then glanced toward Laser. He closed his eyes, counted to three, opened them and laughed exuberantly. He couldn’t believe she had managed such a trick. Julie had followed him and, confused by his sudden laughter, looked toward Laser, her jaw dropped.

“What!?” Laser yelled angrily.

Zach couldn’t stop his hysterical laughing and Julie was in shock.

“See for yourself,” said a voice.

A shiny hubcap floated down the street, until it was directly facing him. He stared at his reflection for a good five seconds before cursing. His skin had turned bright red in the shape of letters on his forehead, even backwards the word was clear.

Loser.

He blew the hubcap away furiously.

“That HAG!” he raged.

“That’s no way to treat a good car part,” the voice said before Laser could act on his anger.

Zach finally suppressed his mirth as Dustin stepped off the sidewalk in a loose T-shirt and jeans and walked over to them.

“Steel,” Zach said grinning. “What are you doing here?”

“Parents are out of town, I’m staying with my aunt and uncle and frankly you’re loud enough to alert the whole neighbourhood,” he explained standing with his hands in his pockets.

“You’re active,” he added bluntly.

Before Zach could respond Laser lost control of his temper.

“What, are you one of them?” he asked snarling.

Dustin turned toward him nonchalantly.

“You think strangers just strike up conversations like this?” he replied mockingly.

Laser’s face was immediately hidden by orange light emanating from his eyes and a powerful beam burst toward Dustin. The front left hubcap of Julie’s car popped off and flew out to shield him. The blast ricocheted with an incredible sound and crashed into the asphalt inches from the sidewalk.

“Gotta love chrome,” Dustin said taking his hands out of his pockets.

The three other hubcaps soared to him in unison and orbited around him.

“Hey!” Julie yelled worried how much would be left of her car when he was done.

“Relax, I’ll put them back,” he said over his shoulder.

The caps spun independently, then split into pairs and joined together to form two misshapen wheels. They slowed, prior to darting toward Laser like missiles, much to his terror. The first struck him in the gut, the second hit his face, mimicking the sound of a cymbal beaten in anger. Laser tried to shoot them down, but he wasn’t fast enough and couldn’t stop the onslaught. Dustin kept his hands moving, masterfully controlling his metal puppets from Frisbees colliding with his sides to boxing gloves showing no leniency. One final well placed hit and Laser dropped to the pavement. When he raised his head it was clear his nose was damaged by the blood dripping over his mouth and down his chin.

“Nobody messes with the Lightbearer and gets away with it buddy,” Dustin informed him, holding his weapons at the ready.

Laser growled, but his eyes weren’t charging anymore, he was done.

“I’ll get you for this,” he breathed wiping his face, his expression resentful.

“Looking forward to it, now get lost,” Dustin said menacingly.

Laser got to his feet, started to leave and glanced back only to be bombarded anew. He ran off swearing as his chrome opponents whacked him repeatedly about the head until he was out of sight.

“Hmm, well that was fun,” Dustin said, recalling the hubcaps as he approached the others. “You guys all right?”

Zach lifted Gwen slightly keeping her close to him.

“What do you think?” he asked though it was mostly a rhetorical question.

The moment he reached them Dustin snapped his fingers so his toys returned to their tires.

“That’s not good,” he said unable to take his eyes off the horrible cut on her temple. “I hate to say it, but she needs a doctor.”

Zach gazed at her again and sighed.

“You’re right, she can’t heal in this state and I don’t like that hit she took to the chest, we’ve got to get her to a hospital,” he said threading his arm under her knees and lifting her as gently as he could.

“I’ll drive,” Julie said her voice betraying how on edge she was.

Zach nodded.

“You coming?” he asked Dustin.

“’Course,” he replied as if it were a ridiculous question.

“You’re shotgun,” Zach said with a grin.

“Sweet.”

His sister stared at him nervously from the driver’s seat as Dustin hurried around to the passenger side.

“He’s one of the good guys,” he told her firmly. “Someone mind opening the door for me?”

“Got it,” Dustin said one foot in the car.

It popped open effortlessly, Zach couldn’t help but laugh before slipping inside and closing the door with a snap.

Reviews

[NinjaPi]

He's a hex. Ha ha I knew he would be. yes! shadow man opposites in more than one way.

[Kira]

Ohhoho! I knew it!