Apex (6 page)

Dan pulled a loaf of bread out and placed a jar of peanut butter and jelly next to it. “Have at it,” He said, as though he’d just presented them with a feast.

Scott got to it first, grabbing four slices of bread like it was the last food left on Earth.

The doctor asked, “Have you all been eating more lately?”

Melanie said, “Ever since I discovered I could move things with my mind, I’ve been starving.”

Jack nodded. He’d been starving ever since he’d transported them all here. He wondered if there was a connection.

As if he’d read his mind, the doctor said, “I wonder if there’s a connection.”

Dan took a seat at the table and said, “Why do you think we only have peanut butter and jelly left to eat? We already ate everything else.”

The doctor said, “I have a theory then. If using your powers causes you to need calories, then maybe if you fill up on calories, your powers will be magnified. Where can I buy some food around here?”

Dan said, “You can hit up the convenience store in town but you’ll stand out like a sore thumb since you’re not from around here. I’ll go and get the food. We needed to stock up anyway.”

“Can I at least contribute some money?”

“I’ll do you one better, you
can contribute all of the cash,” Dan said with an impish twinkle in his eye.

“I’d be glad to. Make sure to get hi
gh calorie food and lots of it.”

Molly said over her shoulder, “Get some regular food too just in case the doctor’s theory is bullshit. We’ll still need to eat.”

Stocking up

Dan was trying his best to keep his cool. He had to make sure not to draw too much attention to himself, but that was easier said than done. There was a humvie next to a big black SUV parked at Ault’s only gas station.

He’d already passed two soldiers on foot patrol on his way to the convenience store. But he couldn’t turn back now or else they’d suspect he was up to something.

He parked his pick-up and went inside the store. An older, severe and cold looking man with a hatchet face was at the register asking the owner questions about Jack, Melanie, and Scott.

Dan smiled at both of them and grabbed a shopping basket. He knew he couldn’t get all of the junk food he’d been sent to get now. The owner would know something was odd if he came to the register with a basket full of candy bars and sodas. He stocked up on canned foods, bread, cheese, and lunch meats. It was his usual fare and nothing to bat an eye at.

He placed the basket on the counter. The older man took a look in his basket and then stepped aside so the owner could do her job.

She looked nervous as she tallied up his total. “How’s Molly holding up?”

“She’s good.”

“How’s business?”

“Can’t complain.”

He couldn’t risk elaborating because that would be out of character for him.

The older man sidled closer and said, “My name is General Parsons. I’m with the U.S. government and I’m looking for three teenagers from this town. They’re not in any trouble; I just need a word with them. Their names are Jack Peterson, Scott Smith, and Melanie Roth. Have you seen any of them lately?”

Dan opened his mouth to answer but the owner did it for him. “Dan doesn’t exactly get involved in our unique little town. He lives out of the way with his wife. They don’t come out here for the annual Fall Fest or the Food Fest.
” To Dan, she said, “We’ve missed you two, Dan.”

Dan shrugged. He hated Ault and he let anyone interested know it. It was full of losers and drunks pretending to be normal. He was a private man who didn’t like bein
g judged which meant Ault was anathema to his way of life.

He said, “You know that if it wasn’t for the farm, I’d have left this dump a long time ago.”

“It’s a shame you feel that way.”

The general interrupted. “If you see them around, send word back into town. I need to speak with them about an issue of National Security.”

“I sure will, sir.”

Fuel

Jack was walking down the gravel sidewalk, on his way home to see his mom when Dan pulled up. “Don’t go into town. It’s swarming with troops and they’re looking for you.”

“Damn it! I need to get word to my mom that I’m alright. We all want to stop home at some point.”

“
You should stay put for now. I wouldn’t use a phone either, kid. Those guys looked serious. I would bet they’re keeping a close eye on your families. Come back inside and let’s eat.”

Jack reluctantly gave up his mission to see his mom, but that didn’t mean he gave it up for good. He’d find a way into town after dark, or maybe he’d wait a few days until the troops lost interest and left.

The doctor looked perplexed when Dan emptied the shopping bags. “Where’re all the sweets?”

“There was a general Parsons in the store. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself.”

The doctor got a fearful look on his face as he whispered, “Dammit.”

Then
Dan turned out his pockets and placed eight candy bars on the kitchen table. “That’s why I had to
steal
these.”

The doctor nodded his approval and flipped the chocolate bars over to read their caloric contents. He handed one to each of them and watched them eat, as though they were test subjects in an experiment that he
hadn’t
just pulled straight out of his ass.

They were all hungry, so no one ridiculed the doctor for his non-scientific ways.

Jack felt a rush of stale adrenaline and dread when he heard that the general was in town. Was he harassing his mom? Was he questioning his fellow students from Highland High? Would he ever quit looking for them?

But then the dread turned to elation as the sugary concoction hit his bloodstream.

The doc said, “Let me know if you can feel your powers surging.”

Dan’s hands started to glow. “Oh shit, I think it worked.” He rushed outside before he lost control and burned everyone to death.

By the time they followed him out through the back door, a willow tree was engulfed in flames and Dan was naked, his clothes having burned to ash from the heat in an instant. His hair and eyebrows were burnt away and either he shaved his privates or that hair burned off too.

Thick black smoke oozed from his hands, causing the doctor to gag.

Dan whispered, “I think I must be impervious to my own heat.” As he said it, he lifted his hands above his head to direct the heat as far away from everyone as possible. It worked, which meant that, in a small way, he was able to direct his abilities.

By the time his hands started to become flesh colored again, he was covering himself with his hands and rushing for home to redress.

Molly laughed a weird belly-laugh which broke the tension and made Jack chuckle. It was odd to be so afraid and yet so light-hearted at the same time.

Melanie’s hands
started shaking. They were bright red from blood engorgement. She said, “I have to let it out. Stand back.” She held her hands straight out towards the tree stump. Her breathing was labored as she tried to gain some measure of control over her powers. The ground reverberated and the stump twitched. Then, all at once, the stump sucked loose of the ground, pulling twelve-foot long roots out with it, and rose into the air. It looked like a grotesque flying wooden octopus.

Dan was dressed and rejoined
them. He said, “Whoa, who’s doing that?”

Scott pointed at Melanie.

Before they had a chance to revel in their newfound control, the huge stump started to wobble and tilt on its side. Then it moved around in the air quickly, barely missing them with its raw, damp roots.

Melanie’s body was quivering. “I can’t control it any more.”

Dan yelled, “I could try and burn it before it hits anyone.”

Scott stepped up and took a spot beside Melanie. He stared straight at the spinning stump and closed his eyes.

They all felt a repellent force, weak but still apparent. A barely visible bubble formed around the stump. It became more solid and then all at once, several roots were clipped off and fell to the ground. Now the stump was encased inside Scott’s force field. He said, “It’s ok. Let it go.”

Melanie took a deep breath and dropped her hands. Her face was pale and her eyes were ringed in dark circles.

The doctor clapped his hands like an excitable child and said, “Now you try something, Jack.”

Before he had a chance, Dan pointed at the floating stump and sent heat its way. The stump didn’t erupt into flames even though Dan’s aim was much improved. The outside of the
force field bubble started to glow orange but the heat couldn’t penetrate it.

Dan stopped
trying and nodded to Jack.

Jack didn’t hesitate. He had the overwhelming urge to release the built up power within.

He pointed his hands to try and direct his teleportation ability away from himself. And then something strange happened. His vision became crystal clear as he focused on the floating stump. All he could see was the stump. Everything else around it became a blur. Jack released control of the power inside of him and the view of the stump flickered. It shimmered with flashes of light and then it simply vanished, force field and all.

Doctor Henshaw asked excitedly, “Where did you send it?”

“I don’t really know.”

A shadow started to grow on the ground where they stood. They all looked up in time to see the huge stump with all of its c
lipped off roots falling towards them. Several hundred pounds of tree was coming right at them. They all pointed their hands at it but it was approaching too fast. It probably wasn’t going to kill them all, but it might. They all unleashed their powers at once but this was the first moving target they’d ever tried to interact with so they all missed it miserably.

Molly rushed into the center of the group and looked straight up. Just as the stump wa
s close enough to hit them, her hand whipped upwards in a flash of motion and hit it with an incredible force. The boom was deafening and the impact reduced the stump to projectile splinters and fist sized chunks of wood.

Dan was peppered with shrapnel and the doc was hiding behind him like a coward.

But the three teenagers were just fine. That was because they were thirty feet away, hanging in midair. Jack had Scott by the collar and Melanie thrown over his shoulder as he floated in the air under his own power.

He didn’t know how he’d done it, but he was flying like a superhero. He didn’t remember making the decision to get his friends to safety. But not knowing how he’d done it was not a good thing because now he had to figure out how to get them back to the ground in one piece. The second he tried to concentrate, he knew he’d done something wrong. They fell out of the air.

Jack tried to get his powers under control but they were too elusive. Ten feet from hitting the ground, their descent slowed. It was then that he noticed Melanie’s hands were throbbing and red. She was using her telekinesis to move them more slowly towards the ground.

The doctor whooped and ran at them like they’d just won the Super bowl. “You flew, Jack. I told you that you could.”

Jack let go of Scott and flipped Melanie to her feet.

She was concentrating hard now, her hands red and sore looking.
She barely noticed everyone staring at her, expectantly. Then her feet came a few inches from the ground as her body rose into the air.

She looked around at them all incredulously. “I can do it too!”

Scott said, “That’s bullshit. Am I the only one that can’t fly?”

Jack put his hand on Scott’s shoulder. “You can create force fields around things. Just put one around yourself and then try and move it, with you still inside.”

Scott nodded and then a smile spread across his face. He concentrated but a blood vessel started to swell in his eye so he was forced to stop. He kicked a clump of sod in frustration.

Jack asked the doctor, “How was I able to do that?” It was odd to Jack that he was questioning his flying abilities but he’d become comfortable with the notion that he could teleport. It was funny how easily a person could get used to something; even something ridiculous and impossible.

The doctor pursed his lips. “I don’t know. Maybe you’re just teleporting rapidly. Maybe you’re teleporting many times every second, so it just looks and feels like you’re flying.”

Dan said in a flat tone, “Yeah, or maybe he’s just flying. We have abilities that aren’t normal. Why question flight but not question the ability to move things with your mind? It’s all equally amazing and unexplainable.”

“I’ve been questioning all of this, sir.”

Jack had an epiphany. Maybe when that soldier had attacked him back at quarantine, the blade had gone straight through him because he had phased in and out of existence with his teleportation ability? It was the only way he could explain it.

Dan turned on Jack and said in mock anger, “Hey kid, thanks for leaving me and Molly behind to get crushed by the stump.”