| DEMIGODS AND APOCALYPSES... IN D MINOR
Chapter 7: The Horrids
The roadies were busy setting everything up on stage. The sound crew was checking the amplifiers. The girls were throwing in some last minute rehearsals with their choreographer.
"After tonight, we have to pack up and head to Pittsburgh.", the tour manager said.,br>
"If we ever make it to Pittsburgh.", Lindsay muttered.
"What?"
The lights went out, the power died. Everything went black. The darkness always frightened Keavy. She grabbed onto her boyfriend, Jim, one of the soundmen, who was standing nearby.
"Who turned out the lights?", Sinead said.
There was a loud crash, and someone screamed. Then someone else. Keavy lost her grip on Jim.
"Jim!"
"It's happening.", Edele said.
"What's happening? No! It can't be happening! It's too soon! We're all going to
die!!", Keavy panicked.
Edele grabbed her twin by the shoulders and shook her.
"Keaves, get a hold of yourself, like!"
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry.", she tried to calm down.
"What are we going to do?", Lindsay said.
The lights came back on.
"Okay, that is the craziest, freakin' thing!", Sinead said, pointing.
It stood ten feet tall, hunched over; it had a greenish skin tone. It's arms were huge and long, like a chimpanzee's. It's chin was elongated and it's jaws were filled with long, sharp incisors. It's eyes made contact with Keavy and came towards her. Jim jumped in the way, and lunged at it. It grabbed him by the foot, poking at him curiously with large, crooked fingers.
"Ah! Hey! Put me down!"
The beast threw him inside. He crashed into one of the props.
"Hey!", Keavy exclaimed.
She ran to where Jim was on the floor. He moaned in pain, but was luckily unharmed.
"I think I'm too bloody old."
The beast suddenly flew back, itself. Drax appeared. He threw the beast using telekinesis.
"Get out of here! Everyone!" They sat in the tour bus. Drax kept looking out the windows.
"What's going on? Who is this bloke?", Jim said, "And why is Lindsay's bum blinking?"
"The world is being invaded by an alien-god race. This is Drax, he's a time-traveler, like.", Edele said, "And, Lindsay, why is your bum blinking?"
"Huh? Oh. It's this thing."
Lindsay reached into her back pocket and pulled out a tiny, black remote with a tiny, blue, blinking light. Drax looked at her strangely.
"What are you doing with that?"
"What is it?", Keavy said.
"It's a Navigational Systems Contact Device. That's AIAN's remote. Where did you get that, Lindsay?"
"She gave it to me."
"She who?", Jim said.
"She's here? She must have sneaked in when I crossed time dimensions. She does that."
"So, what was that thing in the arena?", Keavy said.
"That...was a Horrid."
"Yes, it was mighty horrid.But what was it?", Jim said.
"No, sweetie. It's called a ' Horrid'.", Keavy said.
"Oh."
Edele thought of something.
"You never told us why Lindsay was with us in the Mother Realm, and not in the other dimension.", she said.
"Teklar-zxen is faster than I thought.", Drax said, ignoring her, "You haven't much time to prepare."
"Prepare for what?", Jim said.
"We all have super-powers, like.", Edele said.
"Oh."
"Except for Lindsay. We think."
"Oh."
They were back in the arena, Drax and the girls. Lindsay stood in the corner, observing.
He started with Edele.
"Now, I want you to concentrate. Focus. And be careful. Too much at one time could be damaging."
"Is this going to hurt?"
"There's a risk. But if you control it, it won't hurt you."
The others watched as Edele focused intensely on the chair sitting in front of her. She furrowed her brow.
The first attempt was unsuccessful. She huffed, shook her head, and tried again.
Two long streams of fire projected out of her irises and engulfed the chair. It burned up almost instantly. Edele turned her head and shut her eyes tight.
"It kind of burns!"
"It will at first. But I promise you'll get used to it.", Drax said.
"How long until the stinging goes away, like?"
"Open your eyes."
Edele slowly opened her eyes. They started to feel a little better.
"Can I fly now?", Edele said, exactly.
"Keavy, your power is 'pretty self-explanatory', as you say. When you 'wear' the suit, simply think of the form of animal you wish to take."
"Okay. But what if I turn into a bug and someone steps on me?"
Drax looked at her for a moment.
"Keep your mind focused on the task."
"I guess I'll try it out.", Keavy said.
"Ooh...Turn into a kitty-cat!", Lindsay said in a baby voice.
"Okay!". Baby voice.
"Why are they talking like that?", Drax asked Sinead.
"Oh,...they do that."
Keavy shrugged.
"Bind."
The 'suit' came out of her pores just like before, and formed around her body. It covered her completely. The suit hardened. It was dark purple, and rather form-fitting.
"Woo, woo! Keavy, baby!", one of them teased.
They whistled.
"Oh, shut it. This feels real strange...My God! I look like I'm naked! Anybody got a long coat?"
"Turn into a kitty-cat!", Lindsay repeated.
Keavy took a few, quick, deep breaths. The other thees' eyes widened as she took on the form of a dark, purple house cat.
Lindsay picked her up off the floor and began stroking her. Keavy meowed.
Everyboody stared at her. Drax raised an eyebrow. She looked at them dumb-foundedly.
"What?"
"Lindsay, you do realize that you're petting Keavy,...right?", Edele said.
"Oh. Right. Sorry.", she let Keavy down, "Cats. I like cats. I get that way."
Keavy returned to her original shape.
"That's okay, Linds. I needed a little affection right now, anyway. I had to change back. I started getting this sudden urge to lick myself."
"Too much information, Keaves.", Edele said.
"Hey. Will we get suits, also, like Keavy?", Sinead said, "I'm just saying..."
"You want to wear spandex and a cape, Socky?", Keavy said.
"No. I'm just saying...And we could have names. Like you could be The Big...Purple...Shape-Changing...thing."
"Who're you calling 'big'?"
"Never mind. I don't know what I'm saying."
Outside the arena, the sounds of devastion grew louder. Cars honked and crashed. Sirens went off. There was gunfire. And people screaming.
"We should do something now!", Edele said.
"You can't. You aren't prepared.", Drax said.
"Prepared for what? I shoot fire out of my eyes, like. I can handle that!"
"No, you can't. Do you know why only a peice of Laerris inhabited you? His entire being would have killed you. If you don't learn how to control your power, you will combust from the inside!"
"I never asked him to 'inhabit' me in the first place. And Keavy didn't ask for that 'alien suit' whatever! I,...we...were happy the way we were. Now we're supposed to save the world, but you want to wait?
I'm going."
Edele turned, ran, and literally flew out the door.
"She's going to get herself killed."
"She can handle herself.", Keavy said.
"I suppose you want to rush into things, as well."
"You're crazy if you think I'm going to let my sister go at it alone."
Keavy sped out the door, leaving nothing, but a purplish blur.
The streets were filled with utter chaos and devastation. People were running from an unseen force. Bloodcurdling cries filled the air. One man was injured trying to save his dog.
"What the hell are those things?", someone panicked.
There were ten of them, ten feet tall. And more coming.
The Horrids.
Edele positioned herself on a building roof top, safe from the city destruction below. She watched the monsters wreak havoc.
She was ready.
A purple hawk flew up to the roof top. It changed into Keavy.
Edele looked a little surprised to see her.
"Are you here to help me? Where are the others?"
"I'm here to help you not get killed. Edele, I hate to say it, but Drax may be right."
"Look at that. Look below. We can't wait on that. What happens when they attack our country; when they attack our families?"
"How do we know they haven't already?"
"Don't say that, Keavy."
"I know I shouldn't, but it's true.", Keavy said, "Unbind."
The suit returned under her skin, and Keavy returned to normal.
"I have to get down there, Keaves."
"Take the world off your shoulders for one minute and think. I don't know about you, but I'd like for my sister to not
die."
Edele looked at Keavy, then at the city, then back at Keavy.
She hesitated.
"Fine.", she said, "But we better be ready by tomorrow. I miss the time when I thought we were only here for a gig, like." Previous Chapter | Next Chapter |
