Psych Investigation Episodes: Episode 1 (A Young Adult Scifi / Fantasy) (50 page)

Jack knew what he was doing—he’d tried the same
on Jack back at home. “Andy, no!” he cried.

Andy ignored him, focusing intently on killing
Melissa. Jack didn’t know how long she could hold out for, or how
long her Reinforcement would prevent Andy from turning her into the
same bloodied mess as he’d done to Richard’s family.

Jack didn’t have time to draw any power. Each
millisecond was another leap towards the death of the girl he
loved. Jack charged at Andy, empty of the power that Psychs used,
but filled to the brim with the one in his heart. He balled his
right hand into a fist and with all of his might, Jack crashed it
into Andy’s unaware face, causing the boy to stumble backwards then
fall to the ground.

Melissa took a deep breath and rubbed the spot
above her right eye where Andy had tried to burn her. “Thanks,” she
breathed. “We need to stop him before he can try that
again.”

Andy was already regaining his footing. His
lower lip trickled with a small amount of blood. Melissa ran at him
with her fist drawn back, ready to let loose. Andy backed away from
her in terror. Melissa swung at him, her fist homing in on his
face.

Andy didn’t have a chance. Melissa’s fist
smashed into him and the result was brutal. Andy’s lower-lip pulled
back and he was thrown off his feet. Blood spewed from his mouth as
he landed with a rough crash on the floor. Jack knew that Melissa
had only hit him with a small portion of her power, or Andy’s head
would no longer be attached to his body.

Melissa grinned. “I think he’s down for the
count.”

 
Andy lay on his back with his
eyes closed and his mouth leaking blood. His injuries looked
severe, but the blood made it appear far worse than it actually
was, or at least Jack hoped that was the case.

He walked over to Andy and scowled down in
disgust at his unconscious form. It was hard to believe that the
small blond-haired boy had caused so much death and pain. Jack
shook his head at the complex emotions boiling within
him.

“
You did this to yourself. This is
your own fault.”

The boy’s eyes popped open, and a maddened grin
formed on his bloodied lips, leading up to his bloodshot eyes.
Melissa gasped, and Jack was stunned for a moment.

“
Melissa should have hit me to
kill,” Andy said with a laugh. “This is what happens when you lack
conviction.”

Jack felt the burning sensation on his face. He
knew what was to come, and it paralyzed him with fear. Before Jack
could so much as blink, Melissa clutched his shoulders in a death
grip, so painful that he wondered if having his face melted off
would actually hurt less. Melissa picked him up and threw him
backwards, sending Jack flying nearly ten feet behind her, landing
on the gravel floor then skidding a few paces. Jack tried to get
back to his feet, but Melissa jumped on top of him and covered his
body.

“
What are you doing?” Jack yelled.
He couldn’t see or hear a thing while she covered him. All he could
feel was her weight.

“
Shut up,” she groaned. There was a
sound of incredible pain in her voice. “He can’t manipulate what
he—” She stopped speaking and cried out in pain. “He can’t
manipulate what he can’t s-see. Just s-shut up.”

“
I don’t want you!” Andy’s voice
screeched. “I want Jack! Hurry up and die already.” Jack struggled,
but Melissa was using her full strength to keep him pinned down.
The scent of burning flesh filled Jack’s nose, and he grew
alarmed.

“
No!” Jack cried, struggling against
Melissa. “What’s he doing to you? Get off of me!” Jack tried to
break free but he couldn’t push her off. “Don’t let him kill you.
Please, let me help. Please.”

Melissa cried out in pain and the scent of
burned flesh grew stronger. Jack’s heart beat faster, and he was
overwhelmed by a torrent of rage and terror, a sickening
combination that made him flail his arms and kick his legs, panic
and desperation mixing together to create a frenzy of
emotion.

“
Melissaaaaa!”
Jack’s shout
was a bloodcurdling scream. “What is he doing to you?
Melissa!”

“
If you want to know so badly then
I’ll tell you, Jack.” It was Andy’s voice. Jack couldn’t see him
with Melissa blocking his vision.

“
I’m burning a hole through your
girlfriend’s back, and it’s already broken the skin. I wish you
could see it. It’s red and bubbling. Oh, it looks like it hurts,
too. Pretty soon she’ll be dead, and then you’ll feel the same pain
you’ve caused me.”

Melissa screamed in agony. Tears fell from her
eyes and landed into Jack’s. “It hurts, Jack,” she
cried.

“
Then get off
of me!”

“
No,” she whimpered. “He’ll kill you
in a …” She howled in pain. “He’ll kill you in a
second.”

Jack did the only thing left to him, the only
thing he still could. He opened himself up to the draw of that
disgusting power, the source of his greatest discomfort. He needed
more than just a little—he needed enough to save the girl of his
dreams, the person he both looked up to and loved, even if she
would never feel the same about him.

It entered him in a flood, and within a few
seconds, Jack knew that he was approaching the point of no return.
He could still seal it off, but if he didn’t draw enough, Melissa
would die. Jack resisted the urge to flee, the urge to close
himself off from the power and stick to what he’d drawn. Instead,
he allowed it to continue. All at once Jack felt a burning
sensation. It was an inferno of heat and power so vast that with
each second Jack felt he’d be swept away by it.

Jack screamed louder than Melissa as the ocean
of power tried to occupy him. It was only a few drops, yet it felt
as if the world were spinning faster. His head fogged up as his
heart beat faster and faster, to the point where he couldn’t
breathe.

Jack realized he’d made a mistake. He tried to
close it off, but it was no longer possible, as he knew would end
up the case. All he could do was allow himself to be bombarded by
the massive rush of energy, until it eventually overwhelmed and
killed him. There was only one small hope for him, one last thing
he could try. If it failed, he’d be dead along with Melissa. There
was no longer any time for caution.

The power slammed into him, filling him to the
point of bursting. He’d never before tried to use any of the power
while it was still being drawn, but if he didn’t at least try then
his death would be assured. He closed his eyes and scrambled around
for a particular trigger, for a feeling or sense. Everything was
shifting so fast, changing before he could do anything with it.
There was a small spark of recognition, and Jack thought for a
moment he saw what he wanted. He no longer had the luxury of making
sure. Putting Melissa and his life on the line, he grabbed at
it.

Sarah kept her head to the ground, glancing up
every few moments to keep track of the battle. The rogue Psychs
were just too powerful, and the Telepath, Requiem, was far stronger
than she.

I’m no good,
Sarah whimpered in her
mind.
I’m just not good enough. I’m going to get Michael and
Kazou killed.

Kazou pushed Michael out of the way as yet
another piece of sharpened glass came within an inch of piercing
his body and possibly his heart. Kazou ran forward at Ruin and
missed yet another attack. The Kinetic slowed him down just enough
to leap out of the way. Kazou’s fist smashed through the terminal
wall.

Sarah tried to weaken the Telekinetic, but his
sister had complete control of the situation. Every time Sarah
tried to do anything, she was counteracted. Not only was Requiem
able to keep her at bay, but she had no problem weakening Michael
or Kazou.

Sarah wept, knowing that her team was going to
die because she was too weak to be useful. As her confidence faded,
so did her ability. She found her control over her power slipping,
only moments from the point where the other Path could enter her
mind and switch off her brain, killing her then killing her
team.

Kazou removed his fist from the wall, but Ruin
was already gesturing. Like a pitch being hit by a baseball bat,
Kazou was sent flying across the room at a speed that would have
killed him, had Michael not been able to slow him and set him down
gently on the floor.

Michael and Kazou were sweating, exhausted, and
losing what was clearly a battle of attrition.

“
Damn,” Michael said. His cowboy hat
was lost on the floor somewhere, and now his curly blond hair was
hanging freely off his face. Kazou too, seemed to be on the verge
of collapse.

“
Just keep fighting,” Kazou ordered.
“Sarah!” he called to her. “Don’t give up.”

Sarah nodded, but she knew it was only a matter
of time before she’d be overpowered by Requiem, and once that
happened her team had no chance. They’d die as surely as night
turns to day.

Ruin lifted a bench off the ground and sent it
hurling at Kazou, who smashed his fist through it. Michael sent his
own bench in return, but Ruin simply gestured in the air, causing
it to fall back towards the ground.

“
How in the hell can they be this
powerful?” Michael asked. “Ya’d think that by now we’d have gotten
the edge on them. It’s three of us and two of them. Fellas, I think
we’re in some serious trouble here.”

Kazou laughed in defiance. “They’re not so
tough. Paro could’ve taken these two down with the blink of an
eye.” A brief look of sadness crossed his expression.

Sarah tried to ignore the name. If her resolve
broke any more than it already had, she’d lose the mental battle
and get herself killed. Requiem was fighting like an enraged beast,
pounding on her skull to the point where a splitting headache was
now ringing through Sarah’s ears.

Michael and Kazou stood beside each other and
seemed to be deep in thought, as if searching for some way of
turning the tables.

“
Gentlemen,” Ruin taunted, “what’s
the matter? Had enough? Why don’t you save me some time and cut
your own hearts out.”

Michael spat on the ground. “I reckon this
fella needs a beating.”

Michael squeezed his fist, and all around the
room, the three remaining benches that hadn’t been destroyed lifted
off the ground and soared at the carefree Kinetic. The young man
only grinned, and without even moving, he gestured three quick
times in succession. A bench fell back to the floor with each
gesture.

During this, Kazou was already running directly
towards him with a fist pulled back to strike. Once again the
Telekinetic proved too powerful. He was able to slow Kazou
down—almost to a complete halt—while taking his time to move out of
the way. Kazou’s fist broke through yet another wall, and Requiem
cheered at her brother’s victory.

Sarah felt yet another stab at her mind, and
she knew that this time the girl would break through. Requiem was
immensely powerful, and Sarah was done for.

I am nothing
.
I am not even worth
the grave they’re going to bury me in.

Sarah closed her eyes and waited for her
death—then snapped them open when she heard the booming voice
resounding throughout the entire terminal. It seemed to come from
every direction at once. It was so loud that it drowned out all
other sound.

“CAN ANYONE HEAR
ME?”

Michael and Kazou stopped in their tracks. Even
Ruin and Requiem halted their assault and looked around them,
searching for the source of the voice.

“
What in the hell was that?” Michael
asked.

“
No clue,” Kazou said.

“
Darling, did you just hear a
voice?”

“
I did, sister.”

Sarah looked around the room, positive that no
one else had entered. It was still just the five of them. “Did you
all just hear that voice? Who was that?”

“
I don’t know,” answered Michael and
Kazou at the same time.

“
Hmm, we don’t know either,
Darling,” answered Requiem.

“I DON’T KNOW EITHER,”
answered the voice. “
WHO COULD IT HAVE BEEN? I
ONCE HEARD A VOICE WHEN I WAS EIGHT, AND I THOUGHT IT WAS A GHOST.
IT TURNED OUT THAT IT WAS JUST A RADIO THAT HAD FALLEN UNDER
THE
—
”