Awake (7 page)

“Kain?” Kevin asked, “Who’s Kain?”

“A legend passed down from generation to
generation,” Helios replied. “I’m not really sure who or what Kain
is. But they say it’s a bad sign.”

“You don’t even know what it is and you’re
afraid of it?”

“Well, according to the Nexus, every time in
history when something terrible happens it’s because of Kain.
Although I don’t know much, isn’t that what makes it scary?”

“I suppose….” Kevin’s eyes wandered over the
group. “So should we check out this laboratory now?”

“No,” answered Genesis. “It’ll soon be dark.
We will have difficulty monitoring the city at night. We may not be
able to keep the city safe. Also, I don’t want any of you to fall
asleep by wearing yourselves out. Try to find a way to rest your
body but keep your mind awake.”

Kevin drove them around the city, searching
for shelter. With three boys, a large dog, a cat, a bird and a rat,
it was starting to get a little tight inside the four-passenger
car. No one was bumping shoulders, but judging from the atmosphere,
it was tense. All the animals seemed to distrust one another and
they remained silent throughout the ride. Genesis kept a careful
eye on Luna; Luna watched Terminus with an urge to pounce; and
Terminus glared at Helios. The pets were kept in the backseat and
the only thing keeping them from running rampant was Tom. Tom sat
in the middle, glancing apprehensively at the animals around
him.

Kevin parked the car near a multiplex. “How
about the movie theatre? It’s got food, good seats, loud
music…”

Andrew examined the place. “Movies can put
you to sleep.”

Tom leaned forward, poking his head between
the front seats. “Only if it’s a boring movie. We should watch
something crazy…. Oh, and we should keep the lights on.”

Andrew said, “But does anyone even know how
to operate the movie projector?”

There was a moment of silence.

“I’ll handle it,” said Tom. “My father
manages a cinema. I’ve seen someone do it hundreds of times. It
can’t be that hard.”

Kevin smiled. “It’s decided then!”

They left the car and tried to open the
front doors. It was locked. Everyone came to the same conclusion
and stared at Helios.

Helios stared back at them.
“
What?
”

Genesis said what everyone was thinking,
“Rats are good at sneaking in buildings. Go inside and open the
doors.”

It was easier said than done, but because
everyone was looking at him, Helios couldn’t refuse. He proceeded
to find a way inside the building. Once inside, he took on the
arduous task of pulling a broom across the entrance hall. It took
him nearly an hour to bring the broom five feet over and prop it
against the door. It took him another half-hour to push the door
handle with enough force to open the door. After he finished the
ordeal, Helios passed out on the spot.

Tom took the liberty of choosing a movie to
watch. He headed for the projection booth while Andrew and Kevin
handled the popcorn, drinks and hotdogs. Genesis, Luna and Terminus
decided to take turns patrolling the building. There was no telling
whether or not some wild animals might try to attack during the
night.

After the two boys prepared the food, they
played a few arcade games with the quarters they found scattered
behind the ticket window. Tom did not return for a while, so Kevin
became worried.

Kevin told Andrew, “I’m going to see what’s
up.”

Kevin found Tom inside the projector booth.
The projector was on, but film was shooting all over the place. Tom
was running around, screaming his head off as he tried to turn off
the machine.

“What are you doing?” Kevin shouted. “I
thought you said you knew how to work this thing!”

“I don’t know,” Tom replied, sweating in a
panic. “I-I must’ve forgot a step, or maybe it’s a different
model.”

“I hope you didn’t break anything. There
should be an office with a computer somewhere. We can look up the
directions.”

Meanwhile, Andrew sat on the middle row of
the fully lit theatre, munching on some popcorn. He occasionally
shot a glance toward the projection booth behind, wondering what
was taking them so long. He bobbed back and forth in the chair,
causing it to bounce.

Andrew yawned. The room was feeling rather
stuffy. He fanned himself with his hand. He wasn’t sure where the
controls for the air conditioning were, and it would be too
troublesome to look for them. Andrew got up from the chair, walked
down the side stairs and headed for the emergency exit beside the
white screen, thinking some cool, fresh air would help.

He cracked open the door and a draft rushed
in, brushing past his face. It felt nice. The door led to the rear
parking lot. He took several deep breaths of the evening air. The
sky darkened. Feeling melancholic, he watched the streetlights
around the lot as they automatically turned on. When he thought he
heard a strange sound, he walked to the curb, listening for any odd
noises. The night was filled with sudden barks, howling and
caterwauls. Then, during a brief moment of quiet, he thought he
heard a whimper.

He looked to his left. There was a green
dumpster by the wall. The exterior of the dumpster had been
vandalized with spray paint. Disregarding the legality of the act,
Andrew was impressed. He was always surprised to see graffiti,
especially in the city, because most of the graffiti was made
exceptionally well.

The sound of a whimper hit his eardrum yet
again. It was close, and if he was right by his estimation, it was
coming from the dumpster. Andrew took a few steps toward the
dumpster, before having second thoughts. Then Andrew turned around,
returning back to the exit. The whimper was there again. He sighed.
Andrew did another about-face, unable to quell the curiosity.

Peering over the dumpster, Andrew found a
girl huddled beside it, her face buried between her knees. She was
crying alone. The girl looked up and saw Andrew. It was Katie, yet
again, her face red, tears dripping down her cheeks.

Wiping her tears, she said irritably, “What
do you want?”

“Um,” Andrew stuttered, “y-you want to come
inside?”

Her eyes narrowing, she snapped, “Leave me
alone.”

“I…” Andrew fell silent, unsure of what to
say.

Katie scowled, annoyed by the sudden
silence. “If you’ve got something to say, say it!”

Andrew gulped out of fear. “I don’t
understand. Why…are you doing this?”

Katie raised a brow but didn’t say
anything.

“I mean…” Andrew paused. “You should join
us.”

“And be a part of your stupid game?”

His eyes closed, Andrew clenched his fist
and shouted, “IT’S NOT A STUPID GA—” He opened his eyes and stopped
when he realized he was shouting much louder than he anticipated.
Katie stared at him, startled by his outburst. Andrew continued,
voice softening, “I mean, it’s not what you think. Kevin thinks we
can do this. It’s not a game.”

Katie lowered her head, her eyes focused on
the ground. “I don’t care. I don’t care about that…or this crappy
world. What’s the point?”

“Don’t you want to save your parents? I want
to save my mom.”

“My parents?” Katie made eye contact with
Andrew. Andrew felt a chill run down his spine as he gazed into her
eyes, her visage cold as ice. It wasn’t quite emotionless. No, it
was full of pain and sadness. Andrew lost his breath, caught in her
fascinating stare.

Then she broke into laughter. “I don’t have
parents.”

“You don’t? I thought I saw them
before…”

“Whoever you saw, they aren’t my real
parents.” She heaved a sigh, gazing glassy-eyed at the sky. “My old
man, he used to…hurt me and my mom. One day, my mom just got up and
left. She was fed up. Then the old scumbag started drinking and…”
Her voice trailed off, as though she didn’t want to recount such a
tale. “No, you don’t want to know about that. Anyway, all I have
are foster parents, and they could care less about me. I know. I’ve
gone through five foster families already. Everyone just hates
me.”

Andrew searched for the words to say. “I’m
sorry.”

“You better be sorry.” Katie stood up and
slapped him across the face, her eyes full of tears. “I can’t…stop
thinking about it now. It’s been so quiet…so lonely…that every time
I think, it keeps going back.” Gritting her teeth, she punched
Andrew in the stomach. Andrew fell to his knees, grunting. She
forced a smile. “I hate guys like you…asking me to come inside,
acting like you care.” She grabbed Andrew by the collar and pulled
back her fist. “You don’t give a crap about me. And I don’t give a
crap about you.” Her fist about to come slamming down, Andrew
turned away, squeezing his eyes closed.

“Stop! Get off him!” Kevin and Tom rushed
into the scene.

Katie shoved Andrew onto the concrete and
glared at Kevin. “Back for more?”

When Kevin saw Andrew in pain, he turned to
Katie, cracking his knuckles. “You bet! I’m not letting you get
away with this!”

“Don’t,” said Andrew weakly. He got back up,
rubbing the pain in his cheek. “It’s my fault. Don’t fight
her.”

“Huh?” Kevin’s jaw dropped. “Don’t stick up
for her! She’s kicking your butt!”

“It’s my fault,” said Andrew. “I never
noticed.” He looked into Katie’s eyes. “You don’t have to do this.
Just stop this. Join us.”

“I already told you I don’t want to,” she
said.

“So you’re just going to stay behind this
dumpster and cry until you die?”

Enraged, Katie punched Andrew in the face
again. He didn’t flinch or back away.

“Don’t do this to yourself,” said Andrew,
his face covered with blood from his nose. “Don’t think that the
world hates you. Don’t give up on everyone because of one man.
Don’t hide and push everyone away…because you’re just like us.”

“What?” Katie sputtered, “I’m not like
you!”

“Yes, you are!” Andrew spat back. “If you
think no one cares…that’s not true—because we care. Or at least…I
care.”

“SHUT UP!” Katie raised her fist to strike
him again. She screamed, “SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! I HATE
YOU!”

Andrew quickly stepped forward and hugged
her. Katie gasped and stiffened. Caught in his embrace, she lost
all will to fight back. Their jaws hanging loosely, Kevin and Tom
gawked at the weird sight that was unfolding before them.

Kevin mumbled, “This is really freaking me
out.”

“Really? I find this pretty…cool,” remarked
Tom, smirking.

“Get off me.” Blushing profusely, Katie
forced Andrew away. Then came a really long awkward silence. No one
knew what to do next. Andrew wanted to say more, but he couldn’t
muster up the courage to continue. Katie exhaled, looked briefly at
Andrew and turned away.

“I’m going in,” said Katie finally, walking
toward the door of the building. “It’s cold.”

After she disappeared, the three boys
exchanged glances. Andrew couldn’t hide his embarrassment and his
cheeks turned very pink.

“Does that mean she’s joining us?” said
Kevin, confused.

“I hope so,” said Andrew. “I sure hope
so.”

- Legendary Heroes -

The group spent the rest of the night
watching movies until dawn. They watched a few horror flicks.
Action and comedy were best because they got the excitement and
laughter running. The loud explosions, upbeat music and bright,
flashing colors also helped to a degree.

However, it was getting quite painful to stay awake.
Even with the booming sound and exciting scenes, they still needed
to drink lots of coffee and energy drinks to stay energized—though
not without repercussions. Their bodies, feeling really weird now,
swelled with sudden aches, itches, jitters and pains. On top of
that, their energy levels went extremely high to extremely low and
back again, like a never-ending roller coaster.

Regardless, they survived. The sun revealed
its huge face in the clear sky. Hotdogs and popcorn filled their
breakfast menu. They decided to eat outside on the curb, disgusted
at the thought of staying any longer in the cinema. When they
finished their meal, everyone hopped back into the car.

The backseat got even more crowded, the
seating arrangement lopsided. This time around, Genesis sat in the
middle with Katie and Tom on either side. Katie slumped in her
seat, looking out the window. She had plenty of room because
Genesis kept his distance. Tom was swamped on his side. Luna rested
on his lap, Terminus and Helios on his shoulders. In spite of the
crowded conditions on his side, Tom couldn’t blame the animals.
Katie had a really nasty attitude the entire time they were stuck
in the multiplex.

“Okay.” Kevin glanced back, slightly amused
by the tense situation. “You guys all ready to go?”

“Actually,” said Helios, “I’ve been thinking
about it last night and there’s a place I want to show you before
we head for the laboratory.”

“What kind of place?”

Helios smiled. “My own secret hideout.”

Helios showed Kevin the way to an abandoned
warehouse. The windows were boarded up with rotten wood, the walls
were full of graffiti, and the front door was rusted shut.

Tom commented, “Nice place you got here…it
must be like a palace for you.”

Helios scurried to the side of the building.
“Come. The back door should be open.”

The inside of the building looked worse than
the outside. The ceiling was poked full of holes and the floor was
covered with garbage.

“What’s with all the junk?” asked Katie,
disgusted.

“Does the neighborhood dump trash in here?”
asked Kevin.

Helios had a look of dismay. “What are you
talking about? This is treasure!”

“Treasure?” Kevin reached down, picked up a
dirty sock and waved it about. “This?”