And It Arose from the Deepest Black (John Black Book 2) (21 page)

15

Jake felt them leaving. We all could
hear
them leaving, but he
felt
it. “What have you done?” he spat, running from the barn.

Bobby and I exchanged glances, neither of us knowing what was going on. And just as Jake left the building, someone else arrived, coming in from the other end and pulling off her red mask.

“Pip!” Bobby shouted, rushing to greet her.

“So, the hounds return,” she said, giving us a stern look. At first, I couldn’t tell if she was mad. After all, not only had I abandoned her pretty abruptly, I had somehow convinced Bobby to join me.

“Uh, Pip, listen…” I started.

“Shut up, John,” she said, tucking her mask into a small pouch at her side. A long metal sword was slung over her back. “Don’t take everything so seriously.” Then she smiled, and I knew it was okay. I laughed, and they both followed my lead. After a moment, Pip broke up the party. “Listen, I don’t mean to fart in the henhouse, but the Gorgols are inexplicably leaving and Jake is out there doing who knows what. His next move might be to try to control them again and bring them back here, toward us.”

“
Fart in the henhouse
?” Bobby repeated, laughing.

“No, he’s not,” I said.

“No? And how do you know what Jake’s going to do?”

“Not Jake, the Gorgols. I know where they’re going. And we need to do something about it.” I started for the door, pulling the black mask back over my head.

“And just where are they going, John?” Pip called from behind me.

I paused between the large barn doors, turning back. “They’re going to my house. They’re finally done messing around, and now they’re headed for Holly.”

“Oh, shit,” Pip said.

* * *

We never had the full conversation, but it was clear. Pip actually cared about Holly. She hadn’t just
taken care
of her, back when Sol had abducted my sister. She liked Holly. I could also tell she felt guilty about the whole thing.

It came down to one story, something Pip had told me at her secret underground lair. (Don’t tell her I called it that.) Despite our intense focus on training, it simply wasn’t possible to practice fighting all day, every day. After a long afternoon, we sat in the front room, the same place Jake broke into when he tried to kill me. And Pip said something to me out of the blue.

“How is she?”

“Huh?” I replied, stifling a yawn. Long days of physical exertion were rather new for me.

Pip wouldn’t meet my eye. Somehow, that told me this meant something to her. “Your sister. How is she?”

“Fine,” I said. I was tired. I didn’t want to deal with the conversation if it was just going to be lip service. My tone made that clear.

“No, I mean really.”

I turned my head in Pip’s direction, expecting to find sass and maybe a teasing expression. Instead, she seemed earnest. “Uh. Fine. Really.” It took me a second to compose myself. “Well, I assume when you knew her she was pretty unresponsive. She was that way for us, too, for years. But after the business with Sol, things changed.”

“Really? How?” she asked. Again, she seemed sincere. But it was hard to trust her. This was my sister we were talking about, and Pip had been with Sol then.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, you know what we all can do, mentally.” Pip nodded. “And you know Holly has power, too?”

“I didn’t, originally. Sol was so blind to the fact that this little girl in a wheelchair might have strength, even more than he did himself. And that must have rubbed off on me, because I didn’t see it either. It wasn’t until the very end, when I thought I was going to die in that sandstorm, that I realized it was her. So much
power
. But nothing there to regulate it.”

“Right. That was her. But, like I said, things changed.”

“Can she control it now?”

“That’s a good question,” I said. “I think so. Well, I think she can keep herself from lashing out like she did before. But she can’t really make her powers work the way she wants, except…” I laughed.

“Except what?”

“One time she made a quarter jump up and spin around. Pretty amazing. Something she could never do with her hand, but she can do it with her mind.”

“Does she talk?”

“Not the way you mean. Out loud, she only says a few words. But I can reach her mind. We can talk. Bobby, too, though he usually doesn’t.”

Bobby perked up at the mention of his name. “Doesn’t seem respectful, me popping into her mind whenever I feel like saying something.”

I could understand that. It certainly was strange. “Yeah. But I do it all the time. It’s just how my family works now.”

Pip smiled. A true, warm smile. “I’m glad to hear that you can talk to her now, even if it’s just with your mind. I…” She paused. “I really liked Holly.”

Despite the fact I was in Pip’s house and she was training me, I got mad. “Gimme a break. You kept her from me. From my mom. You
abducted
her.”

“I know. And I just want to say how sorry I am for that. I was under Sol’s influence, following him. Even then, though, I knew I had to do something, especially when everyone else left.” I don’t know if she meant to, but she glanced at Bobby. The implication was clear. Bobby left, the others left. What else could she do, being the last person between Holly and Sol?

“Don’t forget whose idea it was,” Bobby said in a quiet, sad voice.

I just nodded. Bobby’s idea. To take my own sister.

If I could forgive that, maybe I could forgive Pip, too.

“I remember one time,” Pip began, “Holly was restless. Just Sol’s presence would get her thrashing around sometimes. I was scared for her, and wanted to calm her down. She likes cereal, a
lot
.” Pip laughed, and I nodded. “But this time, her cereal just sat there, untouched. She kept staring at me. At first, I couldn’t figure it out, but then I moved my arm and saw her eyes flicker with the movement. It wasn’t
me
she was interested in, it was the banana I was peeling, getting ready to eat. I tried moving the banana to one side again, and her eyes followed it. So I finished peeling it, cut it up, and dropped the pieces into her cereal. She devoured it like she hadn’t eaten in days, smiling at me the whole time.”

Then it was my turn to laugh.

“But Sol…” she continued. My laugh shriveled up and died. “He didn’t really like Holly to be happy. I mean, he never abused her, like, he never hit her or anything — which is good, because I
definitely
wouldn’t have stood for that. Not with what I’ve been through. I mean, if Sol had hit her, I probably would have hit him, and I have no idea what would have happened after that. But if she seemed the least bit happy, his mood darkened. Two different times that I remember, Holly and I were eating after a long day on the road. She wasn’t happy about any of it, I could tell, but in the moment, you have ups and downs. Both times, she was feeling up. And Sol didn’t like that. He yelled at us to get back into the van and off we went, driving well into the night for no good reason.”

“Yeah, he was a prick,” Bobby added. Three heads nodded.

Pip continued. “After that first time with the banana, and even though I knew Sol wouldn’t like it, I made a point of grabbing a couple bananas each time we stopped for food.” She looked up, and I met her eyes with mine. “I just told him they were for me.”

* * *

So I believed her. Pip cared for Holly, as did I, as did Bobby.

Outside, the sounds of the monsters diminished. We needed to go.

But first… “I need to ask you guys a question,” I said. “Okay, maybe two.”

“Ready, fire, aim, Johnny. Ask away,” Bobby said.

It took me a second to figure out how to put it. “Do you all
feel
the things inside you changing you? Making you different?”

Pip spoke. “I’d say we’re all pretty different.”

I shook my head. “No, I mean specifically. Like, the thorns, the things that make us have these abilities, they also made Walter Ivory crazy, made Sol power-hungry…”

“And…?” Bobby said.

“And they make me angry,” I said. “So angry, I can’t always control myself.”

They waited silently, until Bobby finally broke the spell. “Do I feel something like that happening to me? No. Pip?” She shook her head.

“So then why me?” I asked, but of course, no one had an answer to that.

Or maybe they did. “Maybe you’re just a jerk.” Bobby. Breaking the sour mood.

“Maybe,” I said.

“But for now,” Pip said, stepping toward us, “we need to go. And besides, if we need to get into it right now, with Jake, with those Gorgols… a little anger might be helpful.”

I smirked.
It is what it is, I gues
s
.

Together, we bolted out the door, after Jake, after the Gorgols. With no idea how to keep them from my sister.

I didn’t know what we would do, but at least we were back together, a team. And that was exactly what I needed. Me, Bobby, and Pip. Three people with one goal: Get those monsters to leave my sister the hell alone.

16

Jake was running, as fast as he could. He had to. Even though the monsters’ pace seemed casual, they were huge, with an enormous stride. The Gorgols would soon be out of sight. It was comical, actually, watching Jake. This little speck of a person running to catch up with these giant things.

Alpha was closer, a little behind Sigma, who seemed exuberant in her release, similar to how she had seemed on the beach, calling Alpha to her. Sigma not only raced ahead, she weaved and snaked her way back and forth, eager to be on the move. But Alpha walked in a straight line, deliberate in her progress.

I’ll admit that Jake impressed me, knowing he was trying to reach their minds while sprinting across the newly flattened terrain. So many times I’d tried to use my powers under duress, only to find them eluding me. As if the best way to work the thorns within me was simply to sit back and go along for the ride. Actively forcing them to do something was notably harder, especially if your mind and body lacked clarity. If you tried to walk and chew bubblegum at the same time, as they say.

Or maybe that was just me.

To keep up, Pip, Bobby, and I ran as well. That was comical, too. From the vantage of the helicopters, especially, I imagine. I didn’t know whether to laugh or be embarrassed that the world was watching the most absurd little parade, monsters and superhumans. The Gorgols took the vanguard, Jake ran after the Gorgols, and we pursued them all, some distance behind. At least we’d had the smarts to put our masks back on as we left the barn.

We reached a wide grassy area, possibly the front lawn of the same unlucky farmer whose corn had been uniformly trampled by the Gorgols. A two-story white house stood beside a solitary old oak, with a separate two-car garage nearby. At the center point of the triangle created by the house, tree, and garage was a small pond. But the thing that caught my eye was the decoration right in front of the pond. It was a short, white pedestal, like a birdbath, and on it was perched a metallic, reflective sphere. I think people call them
gazing balls
. The name alone was worth a chuckle. No one in my town had one, as far as I knew, but out in the country, you’d see them from time to time, where some homeowner decided to get all fancy. Even from a distance, the sight of Gorgol Alpha and Gorgol Sigma, two towering beasts of destruction, mirrored funhouse-style in the curved reflection of the gazing ball, was laughable.

Suddenly, Jake pulled up, panting as he stood on the lush green lawn. Well behind him, at the fringe of the open space, we did the same. Was he letting the Gorgols get away? Was he giving up? And if he was, could I?

I knew the answer. No. The Gorgols were now on track to pay a visit to Holly, probably trampling my house in the process, so there was no way I could sit back and do nothing. I shook off my static entropy and began to run again, just as Alpha stopped in her tracks. I skidded once more to a halt.

Two hundred feet up, her head turned, her large diamond eyes glittering and glowing in the daylight. As she shifted, it seemed like every muscle individually decided to turn, like cascades in a tiered waterfall. One by one, her huge stony scales pivoted, and her head came around. To face Jake.

With malice.

For just a moment, I thought of class pictures. Where the photographer invariably has some ridiculous way he wants each kid to stand, ostensibly to get a good picture. But I knew better. I think those photographers are just looking for one thing — one thing — in each photo to entertain themselves, get them through another boring day of a dull and repetitive job. They say things like, “You, on the left. Turn your body away. Okay, good. Now turn your head to face me. No! Just your head.” And the kid would try to comply, coming off like a contorted pretzel twist. Which of course made the photographer shout, “Yes! Perfect!” Alpha was the pretzel.

Seeing her turn, my fire was stoked. If Alpha wanted to tilt down and devour Jake, I would sit and watch. Hell, he deserved it. A part of me was looking forward to it. The angry part. The part that didn’t shy from killing.

But if she came for me… that same part of me suddenly itched to fight.

Alpha pivoted sideways until she was fully aimed at Jake. They stood face to face, the world’s most lopsided set of gunslingers, a nuclear bomb facing off against a cap gun.

This must have made for some riveting TV.

Invariably, commentators around the world, in every language, were pontificating on the impending doom of
Ranger
. The helicopters shuffled for the best angles.

And Alpha reared up for an attack.

If you can could call it that. Alpha was angry, but she also seemed to be held back by something, some sort of fear. But fear of what? Jake? His control? Probably… But, regardless of Alpha’s mindset, in this David and Goliath confrontation, it looked like David was about to get squashed.

Alpha bellowed a deafening roar, head tilted skyward, with a voice so strong it seemed the clouds above her dissipated just hearing it. Of course, given Gorgol breath, it was entirely possible those clouds simply withered and died from the smell.

Her call shivered the branches of the old oak before us. Jake visibly staggered back a half step, but he didn’t turn away. If anything, his body leaned toward her, like he was focusing his will in Alpha’s direction.

Even Sigma paused.

The big serpent twisted and slithered around in a wide arc, coming back to face her mother… assuming Alpha really was her mother.

Alpha finished her long call, letting it fade away, echoing into the distance. Then she shuffled her feet like a sumo wrestler getting into a ready stance. The ground shook with each powerful step, clouds of dust bursting up from her giant feet.

For that moment, I was seeing me. The me that had faced down Omicron, trying desperately to reach his mind in the millisecond before he swallowed me whole. Yet I couldn’t. The effort took time, which I didn’t have. The same time Jake now didn’t have with Alpha.

She lurched forward, her giant mouth agape, spiked with jagged teeth poised to tear him apart. Yet Jake stood his ground.

“Good,” I muttered under my breath, my bloodlust nearly turning my vision red, wanting to see red. I could feel Bobby’s eyes on me, Pip’s as well. I could feel their judgment.
Don’t you dare judge me
, the angry part of me thought.

Alpha’s body bent and her arms spread wide, a giant and deadly hug for Jake as she leaned in to devour him.

Then the world froze.

Alpha froze. The snarl on her face slowly shifted from active to passive. Her mouth hung open, a giant flycatcher. Her eyes dulled.

“Oh my God,” Pip said from behind me.

Then Alpha’s eyes flickered, in what I suppose was her version of a blink. She tried to shake her head.

“She’s fighting it!” Bobby yelled.

Alpha started to straighten her back, stand up tall.

But Jake fought as well. Alpha’s eyes dulled again, and her body became motionless. On the ground before her, Jake relaxed his posture.

“Damn.” I shook my head. “He’s won. He’s got her back under control.”

Alpha slowly returned to a neutral position as Jake strolled toward her.

And that’s when Sigma shrieked. Writhing behind Alpha, Sigma barked and bellowed, furious. And why not? A human — me — had killed her brother. Another human had taken over her mind, and Alpha’s as well. And just when it appeared they had broken free and Alpha was about to destroy at least one of those two pesky humans, the human won again.

Sigma slithered around her mother. She was going to finish what Alpha had started, but not in the slow, deliberate way of the larger monster. Sigma raced toward Jake, a full sprinting attack.

Even from behind, we could sense Jake’s fear, his alarm. He’d just barely gained control of Alpha before she swallowed him whole. How could he possibly hold her and subdue Sigma in time? But clearly he had to try something.

Jake held out his left hand, palm toward Alpha, still. I knew the gesture had no effect, but it served as a mental placeholder for Jake:
This one stays here
. His right hand raised to point a karate-like edge toward the onrushing Sigma.

There’s no way
, I thought.
No way he can take over her mind in time. She’s too big, too fast.

Sigma lunged at Jake, and I knew in my heart that, even if he could somehow control her mind, nothing could stop her body, already in motion.

Jake was a dead man, standing before us.

Which, I suppose, he must have realized as well. Because he never even tried to control her, not completely at least.

With the blade of his right hand, Jake chopped the air toward Sigma, all the while keeping his left hand still. As his right hand swooped through the air, Sigma diverted, just enough. The hand continued its arc, and I watched it, mesmerized.
He’s actually doing it
, I thought.
Doing just enough to redirect her!
That right hand swung around, over his left, and came to rest with fingertips pointed toward me.

Toward me.

I blinked out of my daze, shifting my gaze away from Jake, tilting my head up to focus on Sigma instead. The monster who was suddenly, viciously, and rapidly moving in my direction, coming for me instead.