《Deviant》


 Chapter 0: Prologue

    Prologue


    Throughout its history, mankind has always been fascinated by the natural elements such as fire, water, earth, air, light, and shadow. Using their ambition, humans were able to eventually harness the power of the elements, but ambition can be deadly. Soon after harnessing this power, humans would learn just how devastating their fascination and ambition could be.


    Quinton City. Population: 25,000


    ¡°Look at this loser!¡± one boy shouted. A loud, metal bang rang through the air. A boy with black hair was sitting at the bottom of a locker behind him. There were three boys standing over him, each grinning deviously.


    ¡°He¡¯s such a wimp!¡± the one on the right spoke.


    ¡°He won¡¯t even fight back!¡± the boy on the left added. Then, the one in the middle stomped on his victim¡¯s chest and laughed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get outta here. We¡¯ll see¡¯im after school.¡± he declared. After that, he started walking away and the other two followed behind him. The boy remained seated at the bottom of the locker. He wore a black jacket with a light gray hood over a plain, white shirt. He also wore a pair of gray pants with black shoes. He had a messy head of black hair and gray eyes. At the time, he was seventeen years of age. His name was Cole Merrick. Cole looked around the hallway and saw a few people looking at him, but none of them came to help. With a sigh, Cole got up before putting his red backpack on and walking off.


    That evening, Cole was walking home and a cracked, gray sidewalk. He looked up at the gray, cloudy sky above before his eyes looked toward his house. It was a dull, faded blue and, upon seeing it, Cole sighed again.


    Once he was inside, Cole¡¯s attention immediately focused to his left where the TV was the only light in the room on that side. He looked and saw a hairy arm hung over the side of a chair. Beneath was a bottle of liquor that¡¯s liquid had leaked onto the laminate flooring. Cole growled in frustration and quickly went up the staircase on his right. He passed a room and was immediately stopped by a voice.


    ¡°Cole? Is that you?¡± it called. Cole¡¯s eyes shut and he reluctantly turned. The door opened and a woman, nineteen years old, stepped into the hallway. Like Cole, she had gray eyes and black hair, except hers was combed and went halfway down her back. She wore a blue, shoulderless sweater with a white tank top underneath. In addition, she wore black jeans with tears in them as a design. Cole didn¡¯t notice it, but she was wearing black boots despite being inside.


    ¡°What, Rose?¡± Cole asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving¡­ aren¡¯t you?¡± she asked. Cole didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he turned away and continued down the hall. ¡°Cole,¡± Rose tried. Again, he stopped and waited to hear what she had to say. ¡°Look¡­ I know things haven¡¯t been easy for you lately. You aren¡¯t sleeping at night¡­ You have nightmares when you do sleep¡­ You aren¡¯t eating much anymore¡­ You come home with bruises¡­ You and Dad are fighting more¡­ When he hits you, you hit him back¡­ and I¡¯ve even noticed his supply has been going down¡­ You won¡¯t even talk to me about this stuff anymore, but-¡± Rose started.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°But what?! Mind your own business!¡± Cole snapped as he faced her. Faster than he could move, Rose closed the distance between them and punched Cole in his stomach. Winded, he used the wall on his right to keep himself up.


    ¡°But I¡¯m not letting you go alone. I care about you more than anybody else in this family, probably more than anybody else you know. I¡¯m worried about you, and I don¡¯t want you doing anything stupid like you always do.¡± Rose finished. Cole looked up at his sister in surprise. He was expecting her to try to stop him, not agree with him. ¡°I¡¯m already packed, so whenever you¡¯re ready.¡± she stated.


    Within the hour, Cole and Rose were at a bus stop. They were walking side by side with each other as cars moved by them on the road. After a while, Cole stopped and caused Rose to pause a few steps later.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Rose asked.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s just¡­ I¡­¡± he tried. Then, he hugged Rose, which brought a surprised look to her face. ¡°Thank you for coming with, big sis. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here.¡± Cole thanked. Rose laughed a little and hugged him back.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Cole. I was never gonna let you go on-¡± Rose started. Cole thought it was strange how she randomly stopped speaking. He looked at her and saw her eyes were focused on the sky above. Cole turned and quickly found what she was looking at. There was a large figure dropping through the sky. It was small from the distance, but they could still tell it was something out of the ordinary. Then, a bright flash flickered in the sky. Cole could hear something, almost like a roar of some sort. In seconds, his ears filled with a loud boom as a shock wave passed over him. Cole tried to shield himself from its power, but he was lifted back in a matter of moments as he screamed.


    Cole¡¯s eyes started to open. His vision was blurry at first, but after a couple of blinks, he was horrified by the image around him. Everything was in ruins. Buildings had broken apart or were lying as piles of rubble now. There was clumps of cars scattered all around him, some on fire, others mangled beyond repair. The sky was filled with smoke from the various fires littered around Cole and throughout the city. Despite all of the chaos around him, Cole spotted one thing that made all else irrelevant. Just a few feet in front of him was Rose¡¯s body. She wasn¡¯t moving, so Cole did. He rushed to her and immediately fell to his knees next to her. Cole lifted her upper body up and looked at her in shock.


    ¡°B-Big sis? Rose? Rose¡­?¡± he tried as he shook her a little. Rose gave no response whatsoever. Then, the reality of it came down on Cole. Rose was dead. Cole held her close as he shut his eyes. ¡°No¡­ No please¡­ Not Rose¡­¡± Cole pleaded as he looked up at the dark sky above with tears in his eyes. That was when Cole felt a strange sensation in his hands. He noticed black flicks rising from his fingers and looked down at them. His eyes started trembling once he saw his hands. They were black and had become claw-like, monstrous even. The feeling in his hands transformed into pain, a sharp, unbearable pain. Unwillingly, Cole dropped his sister and threw his head back as he screamed from the agony as he became a shadow. Now, he was unable to hold his tears back. The emotional pain, the physical pain, it was all too much for him.


    ¡°Why are you crying?¡± a familiar voice asked. Cole looked and saw that Rose standing over him with a kind smile. Everything was normal again. The buildings reached toward the sky. There were no more fires. The blue sky was stretching endlessly into the horizon again. It was just the two of them, just Cole and Rose.


    ¡°R-Rose¡­? But¡­ But you died¡­¡± Cole spoke.


    ¡°Cole, what are you talking about?¡± Rose questioned. Crow stared for a moment, but then his eyes started tearing up again. He started shaking his head as he backed away.


    ¡°No, no, no¡­ Not again¡­¡± Cole said. He knew what was happening. This had actually happened to him before. It had been happening to him for years now, over and over again almost every night.


    Cole started coughing. His eyes slowly opened and he could see his shelter through the light brown dust that was floating around. There was a ceiling above him with bullet holes in it. He was lying on a bed covered by blue sheets. The mattress was thin and small, only meant for one person. The inside was dirty, littered with clothes and garbage like wrappers and empty food containers. He also had a nightstand on the right of his bed. It was cluttered with a revolver, some bullets, and a picture of his family. Cole coughed more and stood up. He grabbed a black. unbuttoned longsleeve on the floor and slid it on, leaving it open to his white shirt. Cole rolled the sleeves up and then put on a black pair of fingerless gloves. Since he already had on a pair of gray jeans and his regular black shoes, he had nothing else to put on. Then, he climbed up the ladder that led up to the surface. The whole area was like a desert. There was sand everywhere with the remains of buildings poking through. Cole looked around at the wave-like dunes around him. Once again, Cole Merrick sighed before his eyes focused on the Quinton City sign off on his right.


    Quinton City. Population: 1

 Chapter 1: In the Dark

    In the Dark


    1st Person Exposition:


    My name is Cole Merrick. I am nineteen years old. This is my life now¡­ Scavenging for food, clothes, whatever really. I thought I¡¯d be used to this by now. After all, it¡¯s been, like, two years since they dropped those bombs on us. Yes, bombs, as in more than one. Fifteen more besides the one that¡­ God, why do I still remember everything¡­?


    ¡®E-Bombs¡¯ is what people called them, short for ¡®Element Bombs.¡¯ The bombs got that name cuz a few people were able to control the elements after being affected by the shock wave. I was one of those people. I control shadows, darkness, whatever the hell you wanna call it. There¡¯s also fire, water, air, earth, metal, sound, poison, lava, light, wood, plants, ice, lightning, and even the power of the mind, telekinesis I guess. Just to clear things up, the world didn¡¯t turn to shit right away. Some cities weren¡¯t all too destroyed by the bombs¡­ Not like mine was¡­ While civilization was still a thing, the government informed people that they were calling people like me ¡®Deviants¡¯ because we deviated from what was natural for humans. Since they couldn¡¯t control us, they decided to kill us¡­ But¡­ We weren¡¯t the biggest threat to the government. Not even close.


    Wraiths and Cryptids. If Deviants are the positive effect of an E-bomb, Wraiths and Cryptids are the negative effect. Nobody knows for sure what they are, but theories exist. A common one was that they¡¯re supposedly Deviants that strayed a little too far from the norm. They got some of the benefits, the strength, the speed, enhanced senses, but they lost everything that made them human. Now, they¡¯re like zombies. They only exist to kill, and they roam around mindlessly. I¡¯ve seen what they can do. They literally drain your life out until you yourself become one of them, or you just drop dead. Funny thing about Wraiths, they¡¯re like old, dried out humans, mummies essentially, but I¡¯ve seen them take bullets to the chest, walk off tank blasts, and even level a well-sized building with a swipe of their claws. Cryptids are animals that were mutated by the bombs. In short, they¡¯re the animal version of Wraiths¡­ Although¡­ humans are animals, so you can take that however the hell you want. I don¡¯t care, really.


    ¡®Course, humans are around, too. See, I think of this whole thing like some demented experiment. Deviants were the goal, Wraiths were the failures, and humans are the control group, I guess. If you didn¡¯t Deviate, if you didn¡¯t become a Wraith, and if your didn¡¯t die, well, you were still an Average Joe, or Jane¡­ Joan? Probably Joan. Whatever. Humans didn¡¯t take too kindly to us Deviants, people hate different, and nobody likes a Wraith, so they formed their own groups. I see some groups every now and then when I leave. I suppose they found another way to kill Wraiths and Cryptids outside of decimating their heads since a bullet never did the trick. One way or the other, I couldn¡¯t give a damn as long as they leave me out of it, and that goes for everybody.


    Oh? I forgot to mention the elegant scenery? Well, allow me to explain. See, while Deviants, Wraiths, and humans were all going to war, something none of us could stop was happening. Ever heard of global warming and all that doomsday shit? Yeah, that happened, except the E-bombs sped it up. Climates shifted, oceans flooded into places or died out. Forests became deserts, a few cities even became deserts like Quinton City. Some deserts actually became forests. Oh, the ice caps melted. Instead, the equator got cold and the poles got warm. Yeah, basically everything got all flip flopped.


    Ya wanna know what I think is the worst part though? It''s the fact that everybody lost somebody that day. It didn''t matter what your social status was, what color your skin was, what gender you were, or who you loved. We were always equal, it just took a couple of bombs and a lot of death for us to see it. I forgot to mention it, but nobody knows who dropped the bombs. The conspiracy theorists went wild though.


    ¡°It was the government!¡±


    ¡°No, it was aliens!¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Don''t be absurd! They came from another dimension, maybe even another timeline!¡±


    I don''t care who or what it was. Guy, girl, anything in between, or out of this world, I''m gonna rip their heart out, just like they did with everybody else.


    So, this is my life, the life of Cole Merrick, and that¡¯s how things came to be. Pretty peachy, right?


    <hr>


    3rd Person:


    A few hours after waking up, Cole was sitting on the edge of what was once a skyscraper. His right leg was dangling off the edge and his left leg was bent up close to his chest. His left arm was resting on its corresponding knee as he held a piece of chocolate in his hand. He was looking out into the horizon when he heard something on his left. Footsteps, lots of footsteps. He looked and saw a cloud of sand rushing toward him. Normally, he would¡¯ve gotten inside to be safe, but something was different about this one. He looked toward the front of it and saw a girl with long, blonde hair sprinting as a horde of seven Wraiths chased her. He could also see what clothes she was wearing. The girl had on a denim jacket over white blouse. She also wore a pair of black shorts with white shoes. He could also see she was around his age.


    ¡®Too fast to be a human. Guess she¡¯s a Deviant. Why isn¡¯t she just blasting them?¡¯ he thought as he looked down at her. They started approaching the city while Cole continued to watch. ¡®Welp. None of my business.¡¯ he told himself before standing up. He began to walk away, but stopped only a few steps later. He sighed reluctantly with his eyes closed. Then, Cole turned and ran toward the edge of the building. Cole leapt over the edge and started plummeting toward the sand below. As he grew closer, the horde was soon positioned directly underneath him. With a loud boom, Cole came crashing down into the ground, scattering sand as a brown cloud rushed out.


    The Wraiths all focused on the sudden outburst. From inside the cloud, a pipe zoomed through the air and drove right through closest Wraith¡¯s head. Cole soon followed and used his hands, which had become more like shadowy claws, to slash through the remainder of its head. The Wraith¡¯s body started to crumble into a pile of ash as Cole stood over it. Then, one Wraith screeched and the entire pack charged toward Cole. Rather than charging back at them, Cole reached his hands out toward them. Two, long, dark limbs stretched from his arms and grabbed the closest two by their heads. After that, he whipped them high into the air, their shrieks growing quieter as they went higher and higher. His shadow arms retracted back to their regular state, but Cole wasn¡¯t finished. With a simple thought, shadows rushed from the shade casted by the building behind him. They pierced the two that were closest and lifted into the air. Once they were up a few feet, Cole snapped with his right hand, creating several sharp branches that ripped the two Wraiths to pieces and scattered their ashes to the wind.. Due to their lack of understanding and their drive for souls, the remaining Wraiths continued on their war path. Annoyed, Cole extended both of his arms toward them. His left arm stretched into its elongated shadow form again and clutched onto one Wraith. However, Cole used his right hand for something else. A sphere appeared around the other one, trapping it inside despite its best efforts to escape. Slowly, Cole started closing his right hand while his eyes narrowed into a sharp scowl. Finally, his hand formed a fist and there was a small, black orb floating where the Wraith once was. After Cole opened his hand, the ball vanished and released the remains of the Wraith. With only one last Wraith remaining, Cole¡¯s arm pulled it back toward him until his actually hand was holding the monster by its face. Without any mercy, he slammed it into the sand as his hand let out a black energy.


    In the distance, a large, black hemisphere could be seen erupting into existence with two dark rings circling around its body. A moment later, a forceful shock wave burst through the air, carrying sand with it.


    Back at the site, Cole swiped his right arm through the air and disbursed the dust cloud. He heard the girl coughing a few feet to his right and looked over at her. Then, his attention was redirected toward the sky as he heard the screams of the falling Wraiths. Cole simply looked at the shadow of the building behind him and it turned pitch black. The final Wraiths fell into its darkness and were seemingly absorbed by the shade. Now that the fight was over, Cole turned his back to the girl and started walking away. He could hear the girl panting, but ignored it.


    ¡°Th-Thank you for saving me¡­¡± she called.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Cole replied.


    ¡°No¡­ really, I-¡± she started.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Cole repeated as he turned back to her.


    ¡°My name¡­ is Jessica O¡¯Neal.¡± she identified.


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna know your name, lady.¡± he spoke as he started walking away again.


    ¡°Please¡­ I need¡­ wa-¡± Jessica tried. Then, Cole heard a thud in the sand. Just like on the roof, Cole stopped and closed his eyes with an unenthusiastic sigh. He turned and saw the girl he¡¯d just met face-down in the sand, clearly unconscious.


    ¡°You gotta be fucking kidding me.¡± Cole stated. Then, he opened his arms and looked at the open, blue sky above. ¡°Why do you do this to me?¡± he asked. After that, he returned his gaze to Jessica. Cole really didn¡¯t want to get involved, but with the situation right in front of him, he had no choice.

 Chapter 2: One Step at a Time

    One Step at a Time


    Jessica came to lying down. She was on Cole¡¯s bed in his underground shelter. As she sat up, she put her left hand to her head in and attempt to ease the throbbing. She looked and saw Cole was sitting on a folding chair with his long sleeve tied around his waist. He had a knife in his right hand, its blade popping up only to be pushed back down by Cole¡¯s thumb.


    ¡°Thanks a-¡± Jessica began.


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Cole quickly interrupted. The two of them stared at each other for a while. Finally, Cole broke the silence. ¡°Leave.¡± he ordered.


    ¡°What? You¡¯re kicking me out just like that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I can sense the trouble on you. First, you lead a pack of Wraiths to my territory, and I can feel something else is gonna happen if you stick around.¡± Cole answered. Jessica turned toward him a little bit.


    ¡°But¡­ But I have no idea where I am. And¡­ And I don¡¯t have any water.¡± she tried.


    ¡°You can take that canteen. I even filled it up for you.¡± he replied, pointing at the circular jug on the nightstand. ¡°And you can have one of my maps.¡± he added. Jessica looked around Cole¡¯s lair of sorts. It was dusty and dirty, littered with clothes, plates, empty alcohol bottles, and garbage. Then, she spotted the revolver sitting on the stand next to his bed. After that, she looked around more and noted that there were several bullet holes in the ceiling directly above his bed.


    ¡°Before I go, what¡¯s with the bullet holes?¡± she asked. Cole didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Were you trying to scare off some Wraiths?¡± she questioned. Again, Cole ignored her. She gazed at the gun and where the bullet holes were. She noticed that they were above his bed and got a random theory. ¡°Were you¡­ shooting at yourself?¡± Jessica tried. Cole glared over at her.


    ¡°Stop asking questions.¡± he spoke in a sharp tone.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± she apologized. Then, Jessica stood up and grabbed the canteen. She walked to the other end of the shelter and picked up a map. Just as she was about to start climbing up the ladder, she stopped and looked down at Cole, who was sitting on her left. ¡°You could come with me, ya know? My friends, I¡¯m sure they¡¯d be glad to have you around. They would care about you, and it seems like you need that.¡± Jessica spoke. After getting no response, she made her way up and out of Cole¡¯s bunker. For a few moments, he just stared at the wall in front of him. Finally, he looked over at the picture on his nightstand. The last person that cared about him was Rose. That was two years ago, a very long two years at that. Deep down inside, Cole missed that. He grabbed the photo before folding it into four squares and sliding it into his left pocket.


    <hr>


    At the surface, Jessica was staring at the map, twisting and turning it as she tried to figure it out.


    ¡°You¡¯re holding it upside-down.¡± Cole called. Jessica turned and looked at him in surprise before a smile spread across her face. He held out his hand, signaling that he wanted the map. After Jessica gave it to him, Cole flipped it the right way and held it out so that they could both see it. ¡°Now, we are here.¡± Cole informed as he pointed at a large, black dot in the middle, but slightly off to the right, labelled by small text as Quinton City. ¡°So, where did you and your friends get separated?¡± he asked. Jessica looked around the map for a little while.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°It was just some spot in the desert. I do know I was heading north after I got separated, but the Wraiths pushed me west.¡± Jessica answered. ¡°But I was heading here. It was a rendezvous point.¡± she added, pointing at another large, dark dot that was northwest of Quinton City. Cole squinted and looked at the small, printed name of the town. Ellington City. Then, he looked off into the horizon, toward the west. He started folding the map up again.


    ¡°Alright.¡± he simply spoke as he put it in his back pocket. Then, he started walking in the direction they needed to go and Jessica quickly caught up to him.


    ¡°How long do you think this¡¯ll take?¡± she questioned.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re about two hundred miles from Ellington City, so that¡¯s two, maybe three days depending on some stuff. We could use our speed, but that and the heat would exhaust us. I¡¯ve been there before so I know a good way. ¡± Cole answered. Jessica considered what Cole said. She figured he was right since she passed out after becoming dehydrated from using her super speed even for a short period of time. With that, she glanced at Cole and smiled again before looking forward.


    <hr>


    By now, Cole and Jessica had been walking for a few hours. The Sun was starting to set, giving an orange glow to the sand, but a purple shade to its shadows. Even though they¡¯d been walking for a while, they hadn¡¯t said much of anything to each other. Jessica had been meaning to ask Cole something, but she could tell he wasn¡¯t somebody who liked to talk. Still, the curiosity was starting to overwhelm her.


    ¡°So, you control darkness, right?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± he simply answered.


    ¡°Do you¡­ like your powers?¡± Jessica questioned.


    ¡°No.¡± Cole stated. Jessica frowned a little. She was trying to befriend Cole, but she could tell from his tone and his short replies that he wasn¡¯t interested. Still, she had one last thing she wanted to know. She leaned forward and peered at Cole¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Your hands were claws earlier. When you do that¡­ does it hurt?¡± Jessica inquired. Cole held out his right hand and stared into his palm. He had a quick flashback to the first time his hands were overtaken and transformed by the darkness. He even remembered how Rose¡¯s dead body looked in all of the chaos.


    ¡°Always.¡± he finally spoke. With nothing else to ask, Jessica allowed them to walk in silence. There was a sound behind them, the sound of shifting sands. Then, Cole suddenly stopped and blasted at random area in the sand. Jessica paused and looked at him in surprise. It was so unexpected that staring was all she could do. Cole¡¯s eyes darted around the desert. Jessica could see he was scanning for something, but when she looked, all she saw was sand.


    ¡°H-Hey, what¡¯s-¡± she started until Cole wrapped his right arm around her waist. Then, he jumped high into the air. However, he had just barely escaped something. A huge pile of sand started rushing upward with them as soon as they left the ground. Something enormous was driving toward them. Two, large pincers reached toward them, but came just short of snapping shut on them. After that, a long, tail-like lmib hooked toward them. ¡®A stinger.¡¯ Cole noted as he pushed it away from them. Once they landed, Cole let go of Jessica as sand rained down from the sky. Through that, they could make out a huge shadow. Cole¡¯s eyes narrowed into a scowl because he knew exactly what they were facing. It was a dark shade of purple. It¡¯s exoskeleton was bulky like rocks. Not only that, but a few rocks seemed to be attached to its armor. Its stinger was glowing orange and its pincers were pitch black.


    ¡°Fucking Cryptid¡­¡± he groaned in irritation. More specifically, it was known as a Skorpion. Cole knew about Skorpions. He¡¯d lived in the desert for two years, and had multiple encounters with them. ¡®That¡¯s the biggest Skorpion I¡¯ve ever seen. This is bad. Really bad. Each time I fight one of these things¡­ They almost kill me¡­¡¯ Cole thought. He glanced back at Jessica, whose eyes were wide and focused on the Cryptid in front of them. ¡®Doesn¡¯t look like I¡¯ll have much help¡­¡¯ he added. With that, he returned his glare back to the Skorpion and let out a quiet, aggravated groan because he knew whatever was going to happen in this fight, wasn¡¯t likely to be good.

 Chapter 3: Light and Shadow

    Light and Shadow


    Three, large outbursts of sand fanned out into the sky. On the final one, the sand came raining back down and Cole was glaring through it, directly at the Skorpion several meters away. In a black line, Cole drove himself into and crashed it through a large sand dune. His hand mutated into a claw and he was aiming at where the Cryptid¡¯s brain would¡¯ve been. However, from the top of his peripheral vision, he noticed something stabbing toward him. Off of pure instinct, Cole jumped back, getting a light cut down his cheek by the stinger before sliding to a stop next to Jessica.


    ¡°The fuck are you doing?! Help me kill this thing!¡± Cole shouted.


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t! I-¡± Jessica started.


    ¡°Oh, to Hell with it! I¡¯ll do it myself!¡± he interrupted. Then, he extended his arms out in front of him. His hands fingers were curled in with his hands pointing outwards as they connected at their wrists. Screaming, Cole fired a beam of darkness that went straight at its monstrous target. The Skorpion¡¯s stinger started to glow just seconds before an orange blast fired from the same point. The two lasers clashed and both struggled against each other for a few moments. Cole¡¯s eyes focused on Jessica, who was still standing in place. Aggravated with both her and the Cryptid, Cole decided it was the perfect time to let out his frustration. Cole focused everything he had to his blast and, in a matter of moments, it boomed open with its power echoing through the air. With the extra boost, the blast was so powerful that it carried the Skorpion back and crashed it through several sand dunes until it was gone over the horizon. For a moment, the dunes were scarred with the shape of the beam before the sand dropped back into the desert. A tree pulled with the sand on the closest dune. Now, Cole was panting in exhaustion with his hands on his knees. Jessica looked at him with her eyes wide in some sort of fear. Then, Cole started staggering toward her, nearly falling once, but managing to make it to her. ¡°And why the hell¡­ didn¡¯t you¡­ do anything?!¡± he asked in an angry tone. Jessica only whimpered, feeling hurt by his voice. ¡°If that¡¯s how you¡¯re gonna be¡­ then you can do this¡­ on your own!!¡± Cole spoke.


    ¡°C-Cole, you don¡¯t understand¡­ I wanted to help but¡­ But¡­¡± Jessica tried.


    ¡°But you were too scared! I know!¡± Cole finished. Cole took a few more deep breaths. He was already tired, and yelling only drained him more. ¡°Ya know what¡­? Screw it¡­ I¡¯m outta-¡± he began. Then, a strange noise interrupted him. Cole¡¯s eyes went wide, and he could see that Jessica¡¯s were as well. He felt a strange sensation near his stomach on the lower left side. He looked and saw an orange dagger-like structure that had pierced through him. His hands were holding onto what stabbed him and slid off with his blood. He looked at his hands in a lost sort of way as the crimson liquid dripped off of them. Peering over Cole¡¯s shoulder, Jessica saw that the Skorpion had returned. It was bleeding and had clearly taken severe damage, yet there it was. Right in front of her with its stinger plunged through Cole. To add to the horror that she was witnessing, the Cryptid started to shake Cole¡¯s body up and down, forcing blood to come spewing from his mouth every time he would change direction. Jessica¡¯s eyes started to tear up as she watched the life fade from her new found friend. ¡®No¡­ No¡­! No! This is my fault! I let this happen! I-I can feel it¡­ slipping away from me again¡­! No¡­ NO!¡¯ Jessica thought as she stared at the two beings in front of her. Then, her eyes started to glow white as they narrowed into a sharp scowl.


    ¡°NO!!!!!¡± Jessica roared into the night sky. The sky. It was night now, and the darkness above was glittering with stars. Slowly, the stars started to illuminated brightly to the point where Cole had to squint even without looking up. He heard more noises behind him, similar to the one he heard when he was stabbed. Slowly, he turned and looked over his shoulder. So awestruck that his jaw dropped, Cole saw that the Skorpion had been impaled by several rays of light raining down from the stars. Jessica growled and then the Moon¡¯s rays started to stretch. In one final, grand laser, even larger than the one Cole fired, a beam struck down upon the Cryptid and vaporized it nigh instantaneously. Cole was speechless as he looked at the gaping crater in the ground, so deep he couldn¡¯t see the bottom of it. Then, the stinger inside him started to break away. With that, Cole fell forward and landed face down in the landscape around them. Jessica¡¯s eyes stopped glowing and she held her head for a moment. Seconds later, she looked at saw Cole, whose blood was starting to stain the sand scarlet. She immediately dropped to her knees and turned him onto his back. ¡°Cole! Cole! Stay with me! Please! Cole!¡± she called out. Cole¡¯s eyes were hazy and clearly losing life as he looked at her. ¡®Well¡­ Guess it¡¯s as good a way as any¡­¡¯ he thought. Then, he gazed up at the stars above, but that was when something else caught his attention. A pitch black, curvy, figure stand at his feet.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°My, oh, my. You always get yourself into these situations. How many times am I going to have to save you? I might just let you die one day.¡± a seductive, feminine voice spoke. Then, the figure got larger as if it were closer to him, right on top of him to be exact. ¡°Or better yet, I¡¯ll switch places with you. You could be trapped here, and I¡¯ll exist out there.¡± the voice continued. ¡°After all, you are my Alter, boy.¡± the voice spoke as Cole felt something similar to a finger tracing his lips. Then, Cole heard a sound, like a quick bit of laughter, devious laughter. ¡°Unfortunately, I can¡¯t. It¡¯s not quite time yet, so the others would get mad.¡± the figure added.  ¡°Now then, let¡¯s get you back on your feet. A dead Alter is a useless one.¡± the voice finished. That was when Cole got the sensation of lips being pressed against his. Cole¡¯s eyes were wide open in panic as he gazed into another, black pair of human eyes, similar to that of a female.


    Screaming and sweating, Cole burst up from the sand. For a moment, his eyes darted around in distress. That was when he noticed a warm glow off to his left. He looked and saw Jessica sitting on the other side of a fire with her legs hugged to her chest. For a moment, they stared at each other, lost in what was happening with the other.


    ¡°H-How did you-¡± Cole started.


    ¡°A-Are you o-¡± Jessica began at the same time.


    ¡°No, you go- Okay- No, wait, I¡¯ll-¡± they both tried, say the same things simultaneously. Finally, Jessica held her hands up, showing that she was going to let him speak first.


    ¡°How did you start a fire?¡± Cole questioned.


    ¡°I just focused a ray of light into some wood from that tree that fell when you blasted that Skorpion. It¡¯s kinda like burning things with a magnifying glass and the Sun.¡± Jessica answered. Cole blinked a few times in surprise. He was expecting more of a practical answer, but decided not to think much of it. ¡°But what¡¯s up with you?¡± she inquired.


    ¡°A little more specific, please?¡± Cole replied.


    ¡°Well, for starters, your wound. It¡¯s gone.¡± Jessica specified. Cole lifted up the left side of his shirt a little and saw that his wound had in fact vanished without a trace. However, he didn¡¯t look surprised by it whatsoever.


    ¡°It happens. Any fatal wound I take gets healed. I have no idea why though.¡± Cole explained.


    ¡°And what about your screaming? What was that?¡± she continued.


    ¡°Just a nightmare¡­¡± Cole lied as he looked away from her. Jessica paused for a moment. She had more questions, but wasn¡¯t sure if she would get an answer from him. ¡®He seems to be acting more open, so now¡¯s probably my only chance.¡¯ she told herself.


    ¡°Hey, you sunk those Wraiths into a shadow earlier, so how come you couldn¡¯t do it just now?¡± she asked. Cole let out a sigh.


    ¡°Follow me on this one. It might be a little strange, so just go with it.¡± he stated. ¡°Okay, so, I¡¯ve classified every shadow into two different categories. There are Still Shadows, and Active Shadows. Still Shadows, are shadows that aren¡¯t moving, like the shadow of a building, or a tree. Active Shadows are the opposite. They¡¯re shadows that move, like a person, or something flying through the air. I can only manipulate Still Shadows because my powers can form a sort of link between myself and that shadow. If I try to control an Active Shadow, the link breaks and I can¡¯t do anything with it. That¡¯s why I was able to sink those Wraiths into the building¡¯s shadow, but I couldn¡¯t sink the Skorpion into its own shadow, because one was moving and the other was not.¡± Cole explained. Jessica scratched the top of her head with a confused, beady-eyed look on her face and her left eyebrow raised.


    ¡°Uh¡­ I think I get it¡­¡± she claimed.


    ¡°Now, I have a question for you.¡± he stated. Jessica focused on him again. ¡°Your power is amazing, but you didn¡¯t fight those Wraiths or that Cryptid. Why?¡± Cole said. Unlike Cole expected, Jessica didn¡¯t respond right away. Instead, she hugged her knees closer and put her head down a little.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m afraid.¡± Jessica finally answered. Cole¡¯s confusion was clear across his face. ¡°I can¡¯t control my powers. I can manipulate light, but there are times when it doesn¡¯t do what I want. I¡¯ll fire a blast meant to take a Wraith out and it¡¯ll level a skyscraper instead. It happens more often than not, so I only use my powers when I have absolutely no other choice. I should¡¯ve helped you right away, but I didn¡¯t wanna kill you. I¡¯m just glad that I didn¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t live with killing you, too¡­¡± she explained. The last part of her words caught Cole¡¯s attention. It was so vague that he couldn¡¯t help but wonder what she meant.


    ¡°Me, too? What do you mean?¡± he tried. Without saying a word, Jessica turned away from him and lied down, leaving her back to Cole and the fire. Cole¡¯s eyes showed his regret immediately. ¡°Sorry.¡± Cole apologized without getting a response. After that, he lied back down and stared at the sky above. He couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the figure. ¡®What the hell was she? Who the hell was she? There¡¯s just too much shit that isn¡¯t adding up¡­¡¯ Cole wondered. Then, he sighed and shut his eyes, knowing they had a long trip ahead of them and that he needed to rest. On the other side of the fire, however, Jessica was still awake and a single tear ran from her right eye to the sand beneath her.

 Chapter 4: Hawthorne

    Hawthorne


    It had been a day since Jessica and Cole fought the Skorpion Cryptid. Since then, the talk between the two of them had decreased even more. As a matter of fact, it was Cole who was doing most of the talking now. However, he¡¯d only ask Jessica if she needed any water, and most of the time she¡¯d either nod or shake her head rather than speak. Still, with their water amount being limited, it was only a matter of time before they ran out.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re outta water.¡± Cole announced as he shook the canteen while holding it upside down. ¡°We¡¯re gonna have to walk through the night to get to the next town.¡± he added. Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled the map out. He¡¯d been marking where he believed they were and his eyes showed his distaste. ¡°Ah, damn it. The next town is Hawthorne. That place sucks.¡± he groaned.


    ¡°Why?¡± Jessica asked.


    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ve been there a few times. It¡¯s a town full of Deviants. You¡¯d think that¡¯d be a good thing, but they¡¯re all pieces of shit. They steal, kill, whatever. Nobody cares really. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t go there. We just better be careful.¡± Cole explained.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Jessica replied before walking past Cole. He stared at her for a moment. He noticed that she hadn¡¯t been like she normally was. Her happy attitude seemed to vanish the same night they killed the Skorpion. He knew it was because of the talk they had. Jessica stopped and turned to him. ¡°Are you coming?¡± she called in a somewhat impatient tone. Cole didn¡¯t want to upset her anymore, so he decided to leave it. He folded the map before putting it back in his pocket and catching up with Jessica.


    <hr>


    In the late hours of the night, Cole and Jessica finally reached Hawthorne. It wasn¡¯t what Jessica expected in the least. The sands of the desert had actually faded away a few miles back and the place looked like an actual city except most of the buildings were covered in vines and ivy. The streets were torn up and the buildings were all broken, yet some still reached far up into the sky. Despite being well past midnight, people were still walking through the streets.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Jessica spoke in awe as she looked around at the scenery, her gloom now gone.


    ¡°What?¡± Cole questioned.


    ¡°I just get surprised whenever I see cities that still look kinda like cities.¡± she answered as she stopped and stood in place.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get used to it. We¡¯re getting water and then we leave.¡± Cole responded as he walked past her.


    ¡°W-Wait! Don¡¯t you think we should stay here for the night? I mean, we need to rest.¡± she tried. Cole stopped and turned to her in front of an alleyway.


    ¡°Look. This ain¡¯t the type of place you wanna-¡± Cole started until they heard a loud grunt coming from the alley. Cole turned just in time to catch a pipe that was flying toward him. He saw a little girl sitting in the alley with a piece of bread tucked close to her, wearing dark and dirty clothes with a mess of blonde hair on her head, yet deep, brown eyes that were glaring at him. ¡°You motherfucker-¡± he began as he prepared to throw the pipe back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Jessica intervened, holding his right wrist back. Cole looked at her with some anger still in his eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s just go. I don¡¯t think we need any problems.¡± she reasoned. Cole looked from Jessica back to the girl who was still scowling at him. Cole broke free from her grip and started walking away as he dropped the rod. Jessica smiled at the girl only to be met with a snarl in response. With that, Jessica rushed toward Cole, hugging onto his right arm and causing him to look at her with a mixture of annoyance and confusion. Still, Cole continued down the road with her at his side.


    As they went down the street, Cole¡¯s eyes were sharp and narrow as he looked for any potential threats, but Jessica had her usual smile on her face as she gazed straight ahead. Then, she noticed a group of people all gathered around a man with a long, white-beard and a dirty, black, trench coat. He left his jacket open to his bare chest and blue jeans. In addition to that, the man had no footwear of any kind.  However, he was holding a sign above his head that had¡°The Light Shall Come!!¡± written in black marker.


    ¡°It¡¯s coming!! We are the superior gifts of God!! The Light is upon us!!¡± he cried out, causing the crowd around him to scream as a form of agreement with his words.


    ¡°Wh-What are they doing?¡± Jessica asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s just a bunch of dumbfucks trying to argue that we¡¯re better than humans since we have powers. Whether it¡¯s humans who think they¡¯re better or Deviants, it¡¯s all the same stupid shit at this point.¡± Cole commented. Jessica¡¯s eyes shifted from Cole back to the rally as she looked at them in a sort of horror. They just kept screaming like maniacs as the old man continued to claim their title as the master race.


    <hr>


    A few minutes later, they reached a tavern that had a jagged structure, its wall only going up a few feet on the left and raising to a story¡¯s height on the right. In addition, most of its roof was missing, with the exception of a rigid piece spiking from the right to the middle of the building. Cole opened the door for Jessica and she stepped in. Cole followed and was immediately ran into by a drunken man with long brown hair and dark green beanie on. Without a second thought, Cole grabbed him by the back of his jacket and threw him through the wooden door. People stopped and looked at Cole before they went back to their business. Without looking at Jessica, who was staring at him in a lost sort of surprise, Cole walked past her and sat down at the counter on the other side of the room.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°Sorry about the door.¡± he apologized to the man behind the counter.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m surprised the damn thing was around that long anyways. I¡¯m waitin¡¯ for the roof to go next.¡± the bartender replied as he finished drying a shot glass. After he said that, a piece of the roof chipped off and smashed through a table underneath it. Cole looked from the table to the bartender, his eyebrows raising for a quick second since he could see what the bartender meant.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a shot.¡± Cole ordered. Then, Jessica sat down next to him. ¡°My friend here¡¯ll just have some water.¡± he added. The man nodded and set the same glass he just cleaned in front of Cole. He filled it up with liquor and Cole drank it before the man could even reach for Jessica¡¯s glass.


    ¡°You drink?¡± Jessica inquired as the bartender held his finger over Jessica¡¯s glass and sent a small stream of water into it.


    ¡°Learned it from my father. He was the best at it, I¡¯ll give¡¯im that.¡± Cole answered as the man filled his glass again. By now, Jessica was drinking her water and was almost finished with it. ¡°That¡¯s his sweat so ya know.¡± Cole informed before pounding his shot back. Jessica gagged and covered her mouth as she set the glass down on the counter. ¡°I¡¯m kidding.¡± he added with a slight smile.


    ¡°That was not funny!¡± Jessica declared. Still, Cole was smiling until three guys came up to them. One of them, a man in a long, brown coat, placed himself in between their seats, blocking Cole from the woman he was escorting while the other two closed her in against the counter. That one had shoulder-length, brown hair and brown eyes. The one behind Jessica was bald with beady, black eyes. He wore a simple tank top with blue jeans and brown boots. Finally, the one on Jessica¡¯s right had blonde hair that spiked into a mohawk. He wore a pair of black sunglasses with piercing in his lips, a black t-shirt and purple pants. ¡°Can I help you?¡± Jessica asked.


    ¡°Actually, you can.¡± the man with brown hair stated. ¡°Why don¡¯t you, uh, come with us?¡± he tried as he put his hand on Jessica¡¯s head. Cole looked from the men to the bartender, who took a bottle off of the shelf and gestured at Cole to take it. With that, Cole held the bottle and took a drink from it as a black ring quickly ran from its neck down. ¡°We¡¯re gonna have a good-¡± he started until the same bottle Cole had smashed against the side of his head. All three of them took a step back as Cole got in front of Jessica, scowling and snarling at all of them as he prepared to fight.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to go with them.¡± Jessica¡¯s flat voice claimed from behind him. Cole¡¯s confusion clearly came over his face before he looked over his right shoulder at her. ¡°I want to go with them.¡± she added in a monotone voice with a dull expression on her face. Then, she made her way past Cole and to the arm of the man with brown, shaggy hair. That same one grinned at Cole before the whole group turned and left with Jessica. They made it out the door and around the corner as Cole watched him. That was when he noticed it. ''She changed the second he touched her¡­ That''s gotta be Telepathy!¡¯ Cole realized. After he pieced it together, Cole immediately chased after them.


    <hr>


    In a nearby alley, the men had Jessica against a wall as she stared blankly in front of her.


    ¡°You¡¯re very pretty.¡± the leader, the dark-haired man complimented. With no reaction, Jessica watched as the shadow of a building morphed behind her. Slowly, quietly, Cole prowled his way from the shade to them. Once he was behind the leader, his dark, right claw ran through the man¡¯s stomach. Cole threw him across the alley before his two accomplices tried to help. First, Cole kicked the blond man back. With the small amount of time he¡¯d created, he slashed the bald man across his chest, causing him to spin while staggering back. In an attempt to retaliate, the hairless man used his right arm to shoot a blast of fire at Cole, who easily side-stepped and dodged it. Continuing his attack, Cole lunged forward and grabbed the man by his wrist before using his free, left hand to slice his arm off. Then, he turned and whipped the arm down the alleyway and right into the blond man¡¯s face. Turning his assault back to the Flame Deviant, Cole¡¯s right claws ripped the man from his left shoulder to the right side of his ribcage. Following that, Cole dragged his left claws up his victim¡¯s stomach and out his chest before shoving him toward the wall on Cole¡¯s right. The Deviant unwillingly stumbled back toward Cole only to be stabbed through his chest by Cole¡¯s right hand. Cole lifted the man up while turning and tossed him into his leader, who was trying to get to Cole at that time.


    Next up, Cole set his ferocious sights on the person with the mohawk. Immediately, the thug formed a spear of ice in his right hand and went to knock the left side of Cole¡¯s head. With ease, Cole leaned back and dodged it. To keep his prey from swinging the ice back around, Cole held the man¡¯s arm in place with his left hand. Then, he dug his claws into the man¡¯s left shoulder, keeping that arm from being of use either. Next, Cole ran his right claws down the man¡¯s face and then sent his left set across that same area. The man dropped his rod of ice, but Cole caught it with his left hand and drove it through his stomach. Without mercy. Cole kicked him off the rod before blasting him out the other end of the alleyway.


    Now, there was only one person left to deal with. That was the man with long, brown hair, and he was sitting against the same wall Cole emerged from. Without saying a word, Cole stood him up and pinned him against the wall. Then, he plunged his claws into the man¡¯s chest.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you¡­ I swear to God¡­ I¡¯ll kill you¡­¡± he threatened as he gazed at Cole.


    ¡°I tried dying once. Didn¡¯t take to it.¡± Cole growled. After that, the leader started to merge with the shadow he was against. His eyes widened and his mouth opened as he tried to scream, but nothing came out. Cole was sure to make the process slow as an extra punishment for the things he¡¯d done, the things he was planning to do. A few moments later, it was just Cole, Jessica, and a few mangled bodies. Jessica held her head as she blinked back into reality.


    ¡°Cole¡­? What happened¡­? What am I doing here¡­?¡± she asked. Cole turned to her. ¡®Jessica¡¯s always so innocent. She¡¯s almost always bright and cheerful. She isn¡¯t like me. She actually has some happiness to her. I admire that. I wanna protect that. I wanna protect her.¡¯ he thought to himself.


    ¡°Nothing. You had a couple of drinks and these guys tried to start some trouble. I¡¯m surprised you sobered up so quick.¡± Cole lied.


    ¡°I drank?¡± Jessica questioned.


    ¡°I was as surprised as you are. Now, let¡¯s go find a place to sleep. We gotta get moving again.¡± Cole answered, trying to change the subject again. Jessica nodded and walked with him out of the alley.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you let me drink?¡± she inquired.


    ¡°I kinda peer pressured you into it. I¡¯m sorry.¡± he added as they walked together.


    ¡°You jerk!¡± Jessica spoke as she gave a weak jab to his right shoulder.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re fine. You burned your buzz off pretty quick, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Cole claimed, trying to play it off with a shrug. Jessica grumbled and folded her arms as she started pouting. In response to her reaction, Cole started laughing, slightly in amusement, but more-so in relief that he¡¯d managed to keep the truth from her. That was all that he cared about.