Lucas Ryan Versus: The Hive (The Lucas Ryan Versus Series) (7 page)

LEVEL 08:
Every Day Is Exactly The Same

I felt frozen. Paralyzed by the sight in front of me. I managed to force my feet forward. They stumbled over themselves, staggering through the front doors of the high school. There were police officers everywhere; in the streets, in the parking lot, inside the school. Two rather large officers stood quiet and observant at each side of the doors. They watched me with anxious stares. I tried my best to not make eye contact with either of them. Sirens rang out from behind me as an ambulance and firetruck pulled up. The two officers closed the doors quickly, shielding my view. What was going on here? If there was such a big emergency, why were they still letting students into the building?

There was another officer down the hall questioning students. As I made my way down the hall for a better look things started to feel different. Everyone I passed by would shoot me an accusing glare. I had a bad feeling about all of this. Something was very wrong. The overwhelming truth that this was somehow my fault, numbed me.

“Just breathe,” I said. Get to your locker and the stone. Just grab the thing and go home. You’ve done nothing wrong. I tightened my grip around the strap of my backpack and pushed through the congested hallway.

~ Leave now. ~

Oh great, not now. A slow tingle slid along my fingers. My right hand had felt weird since early this morning. I just thought I had hurt it in last nights adventures, but as I looked at my fingertips, I remembered it was the same hand I had touched the mysterious stone with. Only ten yards from my locker, a fever scurried up my arm. Did that thing infect me?

~ Turn and run. ~

I ignored the warning in my head and pushed on. I had no time for insanity this morning.

~ Run. Now. ~

My hand started to throb as I stepped up to the section of lockers that housed my secret. If only I had listened to the voice in my head.

“Is that him?” an angry officer asked. Three other police in full uniform positioned themselves on both sides of me. In the middle of the quartet stood Felicity. She nodded her head yes.

“Are you sure?” another officer asked, with his hand shaking at his side.

“Yes.” She looked terrified, but happy enough to turn me in. But for what? I had done nothing illegal. She was lucky the four officers were there as I felt my face fill with red hot hate. My archenemy had crossed the line this time. Before I could unleash my wrath, my eyes focused on the lockers behind Felicity. My heart stopped. Against my locker door was a collection of weapons, huddled together in a mess of steel. A couple pocket knives of different shapes and sizes, a large hunting knife and four handguns. Even the heavy emergency ax from the big red box on the wall stuck there as if magnetized. Positioned all over the metal door like the magnets on my refrigerator at home.

“Are you Lucas Ryan?” the first officer asked, annoyed. He stepped towards me cautiously. That’s when I noticed all four cops were missing their weapons. Four empty holsters dangled from their sides.

~ Run. ~

“Is this your locker, boy?” he asked, angry. A large lump slid down my dry throat. I stupidly nodded yes. They pushed Felicity out of the way and surrounded me completely. One lifted his police radio and called out to whoever was in charge.

“He’s here, we have him secure.”

From the speaker came a voice I would never forget. It was ridiculously cheerful with a slight raspy overtone. “Bring him to me.”

“Come with me, boy,” he ordered. His big hands grabbed my arms and turned me toward the office. Another officer yanked at my backpack. The tingle in my hand had now become an itch. It was time to fight back.

“Wait! What’s going on? What did I do?” I yelled. He tried to shove me forward, but I locked my feet in place. Felicity watched from a distance with disbelief.

~ Fight. ~

My body tensed up all over. Aggression bubbled to life within me. With a protective stance I fought the new desire to smash my bag into the officer’s face. Did my new bravery come from my fear, or the talking gem in my locker? I pushed myself backwards with more force. Forcefully, a second officer latched onto my other arm.

“Please, do not resist!”

~ Fight! Now! ~

My hands balled into fists around the straps of my backpack as my body swelled with a strange and powerful inner strength. This must be how Dr. Banner feels before hulking out and destroying everything. This was happening! I was going to fight back! Lucas SMASH! My eyesight tightened to a razor-sharp focus and my blood pressure raced. But before I had a chance to release the smack-down, a student walking by started screaming at the top of his lungs. TWACK! His whole body zoomed past us and smashed against my locker.

“Help! What the hell?” he called out, reaching for the police officers. They watched in wide-eyed horror as the boy was pinned by his school bag that tightly held him inside of its straps. The bag and zippers pushed against the metal as if they were one. He tried to look over his shoulder at the locker door, but couldn’t turn his head enough. He tried to reach behind his back and free the clasps on the straps, but it was useless. He was locked in, nice and tight. He would need to be cut free. He dangled from the locker door like a flinching rag doll, inches off the ground, kicking and screaming.

“Please, help me!”

I ripped an arm free from my captive and quickly reached out to the kid. My hand found the release button on the bags straps and when I pushed it, they opened without any trouble. The student fell to the ground in tears with a thud.

~ His name is Grant. ~

“What’s happening?” he stuttered, trying to find his legs again. I pulled him to his feet just before the officer secured my arm again.

“It’ll be okay, Grant,” I said, softly.

“How did you know my name?” he gasped.

“Umm...lucky guess...” I coughed. “What’s in your bag?”

“Nothing,” he whimpered.

“Are you sure?” I asked, again. The officers tightened their grasp a little.

“Just my books and some supplies for Biology class.” Grant started to cry. I felt horrible. What was in my locker? What had I set in motion here? My hand began to ache, softly. The police officers looked at me in confusion and possible hate. With an extreme shove, they directed me towards the office at the end of the hallway. I didn’t resist them this time.

~ We will fight. We will win. ~

The sea of curious students and teachers parted as we made our way for the office. Felicity stared at me with guilty eyes before fading into the distance. Was I dreaming again? None of this made any sense.

I had spent the last fifteen minutes locked in Principal Garner’s office, handcuffed to his desk. I sat with my head lowered toward to the floor. I was so lost in my rushing thoughts, that I didn’t even notice when someone joined me in the makeshift prison cell.

“What’s in your locker, Mr. Ryan?” It was the same eerie voice I heard earlier, over the police radios. In person, the man’s voice was even more strange. I lifted my head to get a better look at my interrogator.

“Who are you?” I asked, bluntly. The tall, bald man looked down at me with a calculated smile that was as disturbing as it was welcoming. His teeth were perfect, exceptional. Like a spokesmodel on your favorite daytime gameshow. His eyes were dark brown, almost black and slightly sunken in his serious brow. He was missing part of his right ear. It looked unhealthy and gross. I focused my attention back to his alligator smile, trying to forget the image of his ear. He was dressed in a black military uniform like I had never seen before. The smell of coffee and bad aftershave filled my nose.

“That depends on you, Mr. Ryan. I could be your best ally, or your worst enemy,” he said, and his brow fell forward with authority. I glanced down at the unnecessary handcuffs, giving them a tiny jingle and said nothing. He was crazy if he thought I would cooperate while being treated like a criminal. He nodded in understanding.

“They call me, Love,” he smiled. “General Love.” I watched him confused and scared. I saw no markings along his uniform. No stars, no stripes...nothing.

“General?” I asked. A small but obvious grin escaped my lips at the thought of his ridiculous name.

“You find something...funny?” he asked, as if he were in on the joke.

“Umm...” I stalled.

“My name, General Love...it’s funny, isn’t it?” he joked.

“A little,” I agreed, cautiously. I felt like I was walking into a trap. The General placed his hands on the face of the large desk and tensed up.

“Mr. Ryan, I have been through many great and gruesome adventures. I have seen it all. Wars. Plagues. Riots. Death. I have experienced the worst in people.” He leaned into me a little, “I have witnessed evil incarnate. The Devil himself.”

“I didn’t mean any...” I tried to say, but it was too late. I had flipped his switch.

“And out of all the horrors I have seen, nothing makes me more livid than someone finding
my
good name...funny.” His bottom lip quivered with anger even though he spoke as calm as could be. I could feel his disgust on my skin. It hung in the air like a fog. I shifted nervously in my chair.

~ Do not fear him. ~

Easy for you to say.
I stared into General Love’s cold, hurt eyes. There was no love there and there was no pain. Just reserved anger.

“What am I doing here, General?” I asked, holding my breath.

“What’s in your locker?”

I was getting tired of that question already. “Books,” I snapped.

He smiled, revealing his wall of perfect teeth, “What else?”

“I don’t know,” I lied. He knew I was lying and leaned closer towards me. I could barely keep my eyes off his mangled, half missing ear. I tried to focus and my right hand came alive with pain.

“I think you’re lying,” he said, intensely. “What’s in your locker, Mr. Ryan?”

“The rest of your ear,” I snapped, with a bubbling anger. I couldn’t believe I said it, I wasn’t even thinking those words. What was wrong with me? The pain in my hand began to swirl up my wrist and forearm. I prepared myself for the worst. I was sure his response would end with me in a massive amount of pain. My big mouth would be the death of me.

“Eww...this is shaping up to be one of the better assignments,” he smiled wider. I leaned forward to apologize for my last statement when he turned and walked out of the room. I let out a sigh, filling with a welcomed relief. Seconds later two military goons, dressed in the same strange black uniforms, stormed into the office. They unlocked my handcuffs and pulled me to my feet.

“Get up, boy!” they threatened at the same time. With a shove, they directed me outside to the main hallway again. General Love greeted me with a smug smirk and a wink.

“Your journey starts now, Mr. Ryan.”

“Where are you taking me?” I asked.

“Detention of course,” he laughed. “Unless you feel like talking.”

“About what? I have absolutely no idea what is going on here,” I pleaded. He forcefully snapped his fingers and I was pushed forward again, this time with more force.

“Looks like we do this the hard way,” General Love gloated. “Be sure to avoid the boy’s locker, the crew will be here soon to handle it.”

I stumbled down the hallway in a daze, escorted by two fully armed soldiers. I watched the craziness unfolding all around me in slow motion. The entire school was being led into the auditorium by another dozen men wrapped in black. All of them fully armed with the latest weaponry. Was this legal? Where did all the police officers go? Was this World War III?

I spotted Taylor at the opposite end of the building. He caught a quick glimpse of me just before I disappeared around the corner. We only made eye contact for a moment, but it was long enough to realize he was worried, maybe even scared. I’ve never seen Taylor scared before. I finally did it. It finally happened. I screwed up bad enough that even my own personal hero, couldn’t save me this time.

A few tense minutes later, I was standing inside the door of the Detention room. It was dark, cold, and looked empty. The soldiers pushed me in and tossed my bag at me. It hit me in the chest before falling to the floor. They slammed the door closed and locked it from the outside. I watched their shadows through the frosty glass of the door. They loomed silently as they stood guard.

“Big bullies,” I whispered. My head fell from the weight of my worry, and I slowly picked up my backpack from the chilly floor. I was confused. I was lost. I was scared.

But, I wasn’t alone.

LEVEL 09:
Demons

“Lucas!” Olivia said, from the dark corner of the room. I stood with my mouth wide open.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, in a hard whisper. She ran up to me, wrapped her fingers along my shoulders and pulled me to the back of the detention room. She made sure the guards outside couldn’t hear us.

Cautiously, she glanced toward the teachers desk and then, back to me. “What’s going on out there? What do the cops want with you?”

“I’m not sure, yet. I think it has something to do with my loc...” I stopped myself. I wasn’t sure how much to tell her.

~ We can trust her. Tell her. ~

She ran a nervous hand through her hair. “Something to do with what?”

“Wait a second, why are you here?” I said, changing the subject. She didn’t like that and her steel blue eyes cut through me. Blue, her eyes were blue today.

“Morning detention. I’ve been coming in early all week,” she said.

“Oh,” I gulped.

“Now, tell me about your locker,” she scolded, under her breath.

“How did you know about my locker?” I asked.

“Soph told me,” she said, looking over her shoulder.

“Sophia? But how could your little sister know about...?” I started to ask, before falling silent. Her sister was a few years younger than Olivia. Why would Sophia be here? A thump came from under the teachers giant, wooden desk. Suddenly, a head of dark hair popped out, followed by a slightly smaller, mildly tamer version of Olivia. She dusted off her knees and sneakers before running up to me with a quirky little smile.

“Hi, you must be Lucas. O’s talked nonstop about you, lately,” Sophia said, politely. She had the same confident tone in her voice as her big sister, only a little more relaxed. I scratched at the back of my head as it filled with a dozen new questions. Quickly, her words sunk in. She said Olivia had been talking about me, lately. That had to be good news...right?

“Sophia, nice to meet you.”

“You too!” she chirped.

“Soph! Get back down there, it’s not safe!” Olivia scolded. Worry filled her face.

“Chill out, big sis. It’s dirty under there.” Sophia quickly looked over her clothes for any missed dirt or dust. “Besides, you said we could trust him.” She smiled at me with approval. I almost fell over with shock. Olivia trusted me.

“Wait a sec...what is Sophia doing here? And what does she know about my locker?” I asked, stumbling over my words. Olivia placed her arm around Sophia and shot me an angry glare.

“I was in a hurry this morning and had forgotten to...” Olivia started to say.

“Your phone!” Sophia chimed in. It irritated Olivia, immensely.

“My phone?”

“Yes, your phone!” Olivia snapped a little too loud. The guards outside the door rustled in curiosity. Sophia rolled her eyes and stuck out her hand. My phone was in her fingers, flipping around like a magic trick. I gently placed it into my pocket.

“Thanks,” I smiled, unsure.

“Anyway, I had forgotten to bring your phone this morning and Soph was kind enough to run it over to me. Unfortunately, she arrived just as the police did. It’s obvious something isn’t right. Something big is happening.” The two sisters looked at each other with the same crazy cool calmness.

“The cops are everywhere, Lucas,” Sophia added.

“I thought it would be better if Soph stayed with me until the detention teacher got here, but Mr. Parker never showed up.” Olivia let out a soft sigh. She pulled her little sister even closer to her. Sophia leaned in as if she had done it a thousand times before. They had obviously shared more than one disaster. I could see it in their eyes, deep down where their demons hid.

I walked toward the room’s windows. “The whole school is on some kind of lockdown. They’re loading most of the faculty and students into the gymnasium and the auditorium, like cattle,” I halfheartedly joked. It made my blood boil thinking about my friends being treated like that. All because of my wild secret.

I could see half of the school parking lot from the window and it was filled with black and silver vehicles. All of them unmarked, with jet-black windows. The bright and colorful emergency lights from the nearby police cars reflected off of their metallic surfaces, like a dance rave. The mystery deepened.

“What do you two know about my locker?” I asked, calmly.

“Just that they think something’s in there,” Sophia spoke up first.

“Like what?”

“Like a bomb or something. I’m not really sure. It’s been kind of a madhouse from the beginning. They seem very confused and scared. Every time one of the cops would get within ten feet of your locker, something weird would happen.” Sophia’s greenish-brown eyes searched mine.

“A bomb?” I asked myself.

~ No bomb. ~

I had at least figured that out already. Bombs didn’t usually speak to you through your thoughts. Olivia stepped up next to me.

“What’s in your locker, Lucas?” she asked, softly. Her eyes watched me closely.

~ Tell her. Trust her. ~

“I don’t know.” Even though it felt like I wasn’t telling the truth, it wasn’t a true lie. I didn’t really know what
it
was. She looked at me disappointed, and I instantly felt bad about it. I shifted on my heels, leaning slightly closer to her.

“But I think I should go find out what’s going on.” I cleared my throat, lightly. “
We
should find out...together,” I said, uncertain. Olivia looked at me for a quiet second. Sophia smiled at her big sister with absolute trust in me.

“Okay,” Olivia nodded. Sophia giggled silently, and nudged her sister in the side with a pointy elbow.

I tried to open some of the classroom windows, but it was no use. They didn’t budge at all. I’m betting they hadn’t been opened in ten years. I think they might have been painted shut. As I yanked at them like a caged animal, the girls watched each other with a new uneasiness. They looked worried. I needed to get them out of here. I needed answers. Whatever was happening with my locker was my responsibility, no matter how much that scared me.

~ Just wait. It’s not time yet. Wait. ~

“Wait for what?” I said, aloud. Olivia and Sophia looked at me as if I was crazy.

“What?” Olivia asked.

~ Trust me. Wait. ~

I closed my eyes tight, trying to shut out the haunting voice. “Sorry. Just thinking out loud. I do that when I’m under pressure, I guess.”

Sophia smiled. “Funny. O does that too.”

“So, what do we do now?” Olivia asked, annoyed from Sophia’s statement. I waited a moment for my inner voice to speak up. It didn’t.

“I guess, we wait.”

“What? Why?” Olivia was upset.

“There’s no way out at the moment, unless we break a window. We should sit tight and try to stay calm. We wait for someone to come get me and when they do, we get her out of here,” I said, pointing at Sophia. “Somewhere safe.”

“I’ll take her home,” Olivia added. Sophia’s face filled with a frown. She hated being talked down to. I tried to calm her feisty spirit.

“Sophia, there’s something...umm...crazy going on here. You have nothing to do with any of it. I don’t want you to get hurt.” I’m not sure why I put it that way, it just came out. Deep down, I knew we were in danger. Sophia was having a harder time grasping the severity of the situation.

“No way!” she snapped, much too loud. A loud pounding came from outside the classroom door.

One of the guards barked, “Who else is in there? Who are you talking to?”

I ran to the door. “I was just...uhh...talking on my phone...”

“That’s a lie! The phone lines are down.” The guard began to unlock the door. My fingers wrapped around the doorknob and I tried to stop him. The door swung open quickly, nearly knocking me to the floor. Both guards had large black, extendable batons. Like the kind of weapon a police officer would use. For a split-second I wondered why they didn’t have their guns. The guard stepped forward and I steadied myself. Even though I was extremely scared, I stood my ground, shielding the girls.

“They have nothing to do with this,” I warned. He looked past me at the girls and his face fell heavy with worry. He turned and nodded to the other guard, just beyond the doorway.

“General, we have an issue,” he said, into his shoulder holstered walkie talkie.

“Is the boy cooperating yet?” General Love sounded unfazed. The guard turned to me with a sigh.

“I’ll do whatever you want. Just let the youngest girl go home. She’s here by mistake,” I promised, and waited for a response.

“We’re all here by mistake!” he grumbled, and slammed the door shut again, leaving us three alone, in the dark. The soldier’s words crawled down my spine like a spider.

“Olivia, I promise I’ll get her out of this,” I said, hoping to get Olivia’s approval. “We get her out of this craziness and then we find out what’s going on.”

Olivia watched me hard. She seemed to be struggling with the idea that I would put her sister before myself. It hurt that she thought so little of me.

“I agree. We get her away from here and worry about the rest later,” Olivia said, calmly. Sophia stomped off toward the corner of the room in a pout. She was tired of our overprotective ideas. A horrible thought caught Olivia in its grasp as she watched her little sister cross the dark room. She slowly stepped up to me and leaned in close enough to whisper in my ear.

“What if they won’t let her go?” Her breath was sweet and warm on my cheek. I melted accordingly and slid in, even closer.

“They will, if they want me to open my locker,” I whispered, in a shy authority. She let my cheek graze hers for a moment, before pulling away from me. Her eyes locked onto me.

~ Pick me up. Tell her. Save Sophia. ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

TEN MINUTES LATER...

“Just ask...” Olivia said, out of the blue.

“What?” I fumbled. I had been caught.

“I can tell when someone has something they want to ask me about, but are afraid too. Call it a sixth sense kind of thing,” Olivia smiled.

“Well, that’s kind of spooky...” I mumbled. How did she known I was dying to ask her something?

Sophia laughed from the other side of the room, “Yup, she’s not the most social of butterflies!”

Olivia ignored her little sister’s joke and asked again. “So, what is it?”

I took a quick moment to gather as much courage as I could. She softly tapped her fingers on the worn desktop she was sitting behind.

“Who was that guy last night? The one with the anger issues...” I asked, cautiously. She immediately shriveled up in her seat.

“My ex,” she sighed. Great, the ex-boyfriend. That would explain why he had such lovely words for me.

“Dax was at the show?” Sophia gagged from across the room. “He’s such a jerk.”

“And that’s why he is my
ex
-boyfriend!” she made quite clear.

“Oh,” I felt stupid for asking.

A painful silence circled the room. We could hear the General’s men shuffling around outside the door, but not much else. More awkward seconds passed by. More silence surrounded us. It felt as if it would last forever.

Olivia finally broke the ice. “Can I have my phone back?” She leaned forward in her chair, slightly reaching out with her hand, in front of me. I smiled, embarrassed. I had forgotten all about her cell phone. I reached into my backpack and handed it to her with a fresh coat of pink across my cheeks.

“Here. Sorry again, for the mix up with our phones.” I was just glad to be off the subject of her ex, Dax.

“No harm, no foul.” She flicked it on and started flipping through her different applications. She stopped abruptly and looked at me sharply, pointing to a new icon on the shiny screen.

“What’s this?”

Oh, that...” I gulped. “It’s an application that syncs all your songs and lyrics by category.”

“Is that so?”

“Umm...yeah. I thought it might come in handy for your song writing. For your band,” I said, nervous. She shifted in her seat, enjoying my uneasiness. She searched my face for a moment.

“You can learn a lot about someone from their phone,” she smiled. I cringed a the thought. I tried to remember if I had anything embarrassing or incriminating on my phone.

“Like what?” I asked, sheepishly. She gently tapped her blue fingernail on the face of her phone.

“Pretty much everything. Your friends, your family...things you like. Things you don’t like. Pictures...secrets...” she trailed off. I sat still, with a large lump wedged in my throat. Had she seen the pictures I had taken of the stone in my locker?

“Oh, yeah.” I set my phone down on the fake wood of the desk. My hands grew warm with sweat. What had she found on my phone?

“Did she run? Through the still of the night. Her cantered whisper. A hopeless no win fight...” she spoke, softly. The words paralyzed me. My words. She had found my writing, my poetry. I thought I might die inside.

“You read that, huh?” I mumbled. She had found my dirty little secret. My precious, unknown hobby. Only one other person on the planet knew that I wrote poetry.

“You wrote that?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yes.”

“I read them all. That one is my favorite,” she said, looking back toward Sophia, who was watching the outside world through fogged windows. Olivia turned back to me with wanting eyes. She was too beautiful. I had to look away. When I finally gathered enough nerve to turn back toward her, she had placed her face directly in front of mine. Close enough to kiss her. I froze. She smiled.

“Thanks for taking care of my phone,” she said.

I held my breath, petrified. “You’re welcome.” Instantly, I found myself lost in her synthetic blue eyes. I wondered what her natural color was. Time slowed in my personal heaven.