Chapter 11

John hit the ground hard as he opened his eyes. He looked around to see that he was surrounded by ice. Ava sat in front of him breathing heavily. Through the ice he could see all of the debris. The building had fell on top of them, but she managed to keep them safe. John sighed with relief as he laid his head on the cold ground. Ava fell backward as she let out a deep sigh. They were surrounded by flames that were melting the ice slowly.  

“We have to get out of here soon. I’m low on energy” Ava said as she sat looking up at the ice shell she created. 

John still had blood pouring out of his wounds. Ava turned and placed her hand on the wound on John’s stomach. He felt this freezing sensation as ice covered his wound. The bleeding stopped as she froze his other wounds.        

“Thank you.” He said gratefully as he looked around searching for a way out. 

They were completely trapped under the six-story building. John didn’t see a way out at the moment.  A faint form of energy surrounded the debris. John sat silently as the debris began to float upward. He sighed as he moved closer to see what was happening. Celina stood at a distance struggling to concentrate. Diane stood with her arms folded across her chest. Ava destroyed the ice as she grabbed John by his arm. She dragged him through the opening Celina created for them. Once they were out Celina stopped holding up the remains of the building.   

“You really want to get yourself killed. At least try not to bring someone else down with you.” Diane said, appearing angry as she grabbed John.

He sighed as he heard the others laugh. John knew she had grown to care about him. Unfortunately, he didn't understand why she cared so much.

“I chose to stay with him.” Ava said as she appeared beside John. Diane sighed as she let John go and turned away. John felt defeated because Bezad toyed with him the whole time. He was powerless against him and John didn’t understand why.

“Let’s get going before the task force comes back.” Jazz said as he started walking away.

John sighed as he reluctantly followed. The night sky was gloomier than ever as the clouds flew high above John. The wind was blowing fairly hard as they all followed Jazz.

“I have to go check on Jazlyn.” Ava said from behind John. He stopped and turned to her. Ava appeared to be worried as he walked over to her with his hands in his pockets. He stared at her silently for a moment before he opened his mouth.      

"Thanks for your help, I'll see you around." He said gently as she nodded. John turned around once again and walked away. Diane stood at the edge of the sidewalk, waiting for him. He sighed as he stepped up beside her and looked out at the destruction.   

"I didn't expect things to be this bad so I'm glad I decided to check on you." She said as they started walking to catch up to Jazz and Celina. John walked silently as he continued thinking about the creatures. They were once people but were turned into monsters.     

"Those creatures...used to be people. My blood caused them to become those... things." John said as he stared at the ground. He wanted to know what was in him that could make people monsters. Was he a monster as well, he wondered? Diane sighed as John saw her look up at the sky.        

“Doesn’t mean what happened here is your fault. Dante is the one trying to copy father’s experiments.” Diane said slowly as she jabbed John in his arm. 

He sighed as he tried to stop feeling guilty. Unfortunately, he started thinking about his powers. He didn’t feel in control of them. Sometimes it even felt as if he didn’t have control over his body. He also wondered where the strange voice was coming from. 

“You ever get the feeling you’re not in control of your own body?" John asked as he looked over at Diane. 

He could tell she was thinking about his question. She finally shook her head as he sighed and looked away as they continued walking. John’s became complicated the moment he returned. His life was simple for the past few years. Now he was here unsure of what was becoming of him.   

“What you are shouldn’t matter, John. What you choose to become is what truly does.” Diane said as they emerged from an alleyway. 

John nodded as he looked around to see that the city was silent. Lights from streets lights seemed to flicker constantly. For some reason, John's eyes were sensitive to the glare. He constantly squinted his eyes as they walked under the lights. Noises became louder as he continued walking. His head was throbbing from all his senses being heightened. John didn't understand the sudden intensity from them. He held his head in his hand as he walked beside Diane. 

The sirens of the task force could be heard in the distance as flashing lights blurred by the street he was on. Things would only get worse with all the creatures roaming the city. Supernatural creatures didn't appear to be as active lately.   

“Hurry you two!” Jazz yelled from across the street. He stood leaning against a building as

Celina floated in the air. Diane grabbed John's arm as she pulled him across the street. His nerves continued to become worse as his surroundings grew louder. As he got to the other side of the street, Celina grabbed him.     

"You don't seem well." She stated as she appeared concerned. 

John shrugged it off as he kept walking. He was struggling to keep his focus as his mind became hazy. John began to stagger as he finally understood he'd lost too much blood.  John stopped walking and leaned against the wall. Everything was starting to spin as he collapsed to the ground. He breathed heavily as his vision became blurry and he felt exhausted. Diane finally knelt down beside him, appearing to be worried.    

"John...you can't die here." She said as she aggressively grabbed his torn hoodie. He could hear the worry in her voice as he continued to close his eyes. This wasn't the first time John had faced death before. Unlike most people, he wasn't sure if he was afraid to die.   

Flashback

John stood covered in blood as he raised his fist to fight. The thugs surrounding him laughed hysterically. The cold rain stung the wounds on John’s skin. He'd been stabbed and brutally beaten. Melina and her seven-year-old sister hid fearfully behind a dumpster.  He kept the thugs away from them but was barely able to stand. Despite only being twelve he had the heart of a warrior as he fought desperately. A thug kicked him to the ground as he quickly struggled to his feet. John picked up a glass bottle and charged at the thug. He roared with fuming inside his heart as he stabbed the thug in his leg.     

"You little shit!" The thug yelled out in pain as he stabbed John in his ribs. Another thug walked up to John and raised the bottle prepared to continue fighting.  The stared at John with a look of disappointment in his eyes.   

"You have heart, chump...but in this world that's what gets you killed." The thug said as he pulled his gun.

John didn't seem phased as he lunged at the thug. "Bang. Bang." The gun fired two shots causing John to stop moving. He stood frozen as he briefly felt cold and numb. Slowly, he looked down to see two gunshot wounds in his stomach. John stumbled back as he struggled to keep his balance. He felt the air leave his body as he fell over. He could hear his friend Melina screaming in horror.   

"Damn it, Derrick. Let's get the fuck out of here." One of the thugs said as he backed away.

The group of thugs took off running down the alley. John's vision continued to blur as time seemed to slow down. He struggled to breathe as a figure appeared in the rainy night. The figure slowly approached him. He knelt over John but his face was hard to see.    

"You never learn boy. Heroes always die, that's not what you are." He said as John could hear the disappointment in his voice. John's eyes slowly closed shut.

Present      

"Dying is for the weak."  A voice said as John's skin began to feel as if it was burning.

He winced in pain as a mist formed around his body. His wounds slowly disappeared as he breathed heavily. What was this voice he constantly heard? He wondered if he was the only one hearing the eerie voice. He continued to have heavy breathing as he sat silently. John stared at the ground as he struggled to understand what was happening to him. He sighed as he stood to his feet, feeling the pain subside.  The others stared at him with a surprised look on his face. John brushed the dirt off of him as he walked past them.        

"Sorry for the scare... we should get home though." John said as he walked down the street silently. Now he felt lighter than air itself, and he felt strangely rejuvenated. The atmosphere around John felt different to him.               

"John hold on, how are you completely healed?" Jazz asked as he appeared beside John. 

He shrugged as Jazz continued to examine him with a confused look on his face. John didn't have a real answer to Jazz question. His powers acted whenever they wanted to, so he didn't have control.             

"I've never seen regenerative healing on this level before. Usually, there are faint scars left. You don't have any wounds at all." Celina said as she appeared beside John floating in the air. He rolled his eyes as he started to become annoyed by them.      

"I don't know so could you stop with the questions?" John asked as the others became silent. 

After walking for a long time, they finally made it to the forest. John was exhausted as he stretched his arms as they entered the forest. The earthy air greeted John's lungs as he looked at the dormant trees. The sounds of animals were coming from many directions. He could see fallen trees laying over top of large rocks to his far right. Winter was almost over, but for Darko city, it seemed to have no end. John could see his breath in the dark as he walked silently with the others.      

"What are we going to do now? Some of these creatures are still out there, while Dante is probably making more." John heard Celina ask from behind him. He heard Diane sigh as she stepped past him.     

"I'm going to kill him..." Diane trailed off as she headed further into the forest. John felt strange as he heard the coldness in her voice. He didn't understand how she could easily decide to kill someone.      

"Is that the only way to handle this?" John asked as Diane stopped walking.

She turned with revealing this wicked glare in her eyes. John could tell that there was no talking her out of her goal. No matter she planned to kill Dante. Diane continued walking ahead of John and the others. He sighed as he reluctantly followed close behind her. After walking for a while, they finally got to the hatch. 

Jazz pulled it open as he looked around the area. After making sure no one was around, he climbed down the ladder. John was the last to climb down as he closed the hatch above him.  Once everyone was in the communing area, Rena and Styles emerged from their rooms. Styles was holding a bowl of cereal as he sat down on the couch. John watched him turn on the television, which was on the news.  It was a report of what happened at the Drex-corps facility. The news reporter named Skylar Presley called the creatures Berserkers. It didn't surprise John that the creatures received a name.     

“I saw those things at Reaper Island.” Celeste said nervously.   

“You know what they are?” John asked as Celeste nodded.   

"The scientist tried to use a serum that Dr. Lee left behind. Supposedly, this serum didn't have the same properties as the other one. Sarah was the only successful subject." Celeste explained.

 John froze as he felt his hands shaking. Where had Sarah gone and was she okay? Had a Bezad gotten to her.  His hands were trembling uncontrollably as he stared at the ground. Bezad told him one person survived, but John couldn't believe it to be Sarah. Now the young girl was nowhere to be found..      

"How did she manage to survive the process?" John asked as he looked over at Celeste.  

"They used... organs and stuff from something otherworldly.  She’s not even human anymore." Celeste had a frightened tone in her voice. 

John's eyes widened as he realized how insane everything was becoming. His head began to

hurt as he looked away again. The others finally walked to where John and Celeste were sitting.  

"John...stop thinking about this so much please." Diane said as she placed her hand on his shoulder. 

He looked up at her as chills went down his spine. All the things happening was starting to make his skin crawl. John continued to watch the news to see what the reporter would say next. Jasmine Kang had returned home after being reported missing. Michael didn't want her to be bothered until she recovered. John was surprised to learn Michael Kang had a daughter. The reporter on television stated his son even returned to visit her. Styles sighed as he continued to stare at the television.     

"She had been at Reaper Island a while back... glad she's okay." Celeste muttered with a relieved tone in her voice. 

John sighed as he stood to his feet and looked at everyone in the room. They all stared at him appearing to be waiting for him. "We don't know when Dante will appear again, but we know he's planning to by the city."     

"We already tried looking for explosives, and we didn't find a superhuman bomb. It’s a waste of energy to run around the city while the task force is on high alert." Jazz said as John folded his arms across his chest. He sighed as he became annoyed by Jazz's constant doubt in him.   

"What if he's waiting for a big event to happen?" Rena asked as everyone looked over at her. 

John wondered what could be coming that Dante wanted to interfere with. He noticed Diane appear to be thinking hard on something. He was waiting patiently to see what she might have in mind.      

"There is going to be a carnival. That jerk of a rich guy is sponsoring it. It's supposed to raise money for those who still haven't recovered from the attack three years ago. This event will have an army of task force soldiers in one area." Diane said sounding frightened.

 She stared at the ground appearing to think. John began to pace as he tried to figure out what to do next. He had to try to get Gizmo to cancel the event. It was the only way to avoid a horrific event.   

"Find out what day the carnival is because that's the next mission." John said as he could hear the exhaustion in his voice. 

He sighed as he walked away from everyone. In the morning, he'd have to go to see if Gizmo could cancel the event. If he refused, then many lives were going to die and it would be on Gizmo's hands. John got to a door and opened it, causing the lights to turn on. He sighed as he decided the flight of stairs that led to a lower level. John stepped off the last step as he looked around his barren room. He still had to figure out what he'd do once everything was over. Where would he go next? He yawned as he took off his shirt and threw it to the ground. He took off his necklace and held it in the palm of his hand for a moment. John sat down on the bed as he stared off into space. Why was he so lost? He felt he'd never find his place in the world.