#nr.16

It took Kade a moment before he realized what was going on around him.  Slowly he opened his eyes.  Everything around him was a mesh of blurred colours.  His ears rang and he tasted dust and dirt and blood.  

Over the ringing in his ears he could hear voices yelling and screaming, it sounded like a battlefield.  

“Out of the way Killian!” a sharp voice snapped.  It sounded slightly familiar, but Kade just couldn’t put his finger on it.  So it was probably someone that he knew but did not care about.

“Not a chance” Killian’s voice snapped “You want to get to him, you have to go through me”

Stupid Killian, he should leave him and take care of himself.  There was no need for his friend to protect him.  That’s just stupid.  

“Killian don’t be and idiot” another voice snapped.  

Kade pressed a hand against his head.  The headache felt like it was going to kill him.  Every part of his body ached.  A hand caught his shoulder when he tried to sit up.  

“Don’t move, Kade” a voice whispered “You got hurt pretty badly”

“Crap...” he groaned, letting his head roll to the side so he could try and make out who was talking to him.  Although it sounded like Bell, he had to make sure about it.  

“I’m not going to let you take him” Killian voice snapped again.

“What’s... going on?” Kade asked when he eyes finally focused on Bell.  

The girl smiled slightly.  “Are you with us again?” she asked, glancing to where Killian stood.

“I think so” he groaned “I feel like I’ve been blown up”

Bell laughed softly.  “You have been blown up, by Gunter and his team” she said “We’ve been taking care of you”

“That...” he hesitated for a moment “Sounds about right”

Kade pressed a hand against his head.  “Did I hurt anyone?” he asked, leaning forward, feeling slightly sick to his stomach.  

Bell shook her head.  “You protected us, but did not hurt the other students” she said “So don’t worry about it, just leave this to me and Killian”

“Sorry...” he muttered “I’m causing trouble for you guys again”

“Killian!” a voice growled “Let us through”

“Like hell I’m doing that” Killian snapped again.  

“What the heck is wrong with you?” the voice growled “Just let us take him and this will be all over”

“We will not let you take him” Bell said, getting to feet and stepping in front of Kade, behind Killian “If you lay one hand on him, I will rip you apart.  Piece by tiny little piece”

Kade just stared up at the two.  His eyes still did not want to focus completely, his head felt like it was going to explode.  The rest of him did not feel any different.  He could feel the edge of his control slowly slipping away.  

It took him a moment before he was able to pull his legs up and slowly stand up, pressing a hand against the wall to keep him steady.  

He stood there watching his two best friends, shielding him from the rest of the class.  There were a few faces missing, like Riley and Beck.

For a moment he was almost worried about those two.  

“Why are you two so protective of him?” another, which seemed to be an injured Gunter asked. 

Killian pulled a face at the man.  “Why wouldn’t we?” he asked “He’s our friend”

“Come on, Killian” another one of the students said “And you as well Bell.  That’s just stupid, but we will take him”

“Not a chance” Killian said.  

“Killian!” Kade called out, but he was to late.  Trip and his crew sneaked up from behind.  For a moment he lost his control on his shadows.  Shadows surged around them, forming a wall between Killian and Bell and the others.  

Another bolt of pain shot through Kade’s head and the shadows disappeared and he crumbled again.

Before he hit the ground, hands caught him and carefully lowered him to the ground.  

“Bell told you to take it easy, you moron” a voice said.  

Kade groaned and looked over at Beck and Riley.  “You...”

“Yeah, us” Riley said “Now don’t go getting any ideas.  We’re doing this because Bell asked and we still owe you for back when Killian got taken”

For a moment, Kade snorted, but didn’t say anything.  

“You better not clock out on us” Beck said “I’m not going to be the one that tells Killian we left you worse than we found you”

Kade snorted.  “Careful there, Beck” he muttered “You almost sound like you care”

“Well your two friends over there, nearly threatened us if we don’t help you” Riley said, giving one of Trip’s team members a glare that could melt steel “They are really protective of you”

“Why?” Kade asked frowning slightly.

“Beats me, cause you’re an ass” Riley said and held out his hand “Let’s get going.  We’ve got a ‘mission’ to finish”

Kade swore and allowed Riley to help him to his feet.  He took a deep breath, but did not move.  “Just so you know” he said, through clenched teeth “I’m pretty protective of them as well”

He closed his eyes and drew on his shadows.  They ripped through him, bursting through everything around him, surging up around him.  Darkness engulfed him.  The darkness exploded from around him and threw everything in darkness.  

“Touch them” he growled “And I’ll be the one to finish you of”

“Kade” Bell voice said through the darkness “Don’t go overboard”

“Imma knock them out” Killian yelled. 

After a few minutes shouts sounded from the darkness and then Bell’s ethereal light illuminated the area.   Kade flinched, but did not let go of his shadows.  He could feel them starting to burn his skin, knowing that there was going to be black marks left behind. 

“Alright...  I think that’s the last of them”

Bell closed her eyes, pressing her hands over her ears.  All she could hear was the screaming.  She was not sure what they did to Kade, but he was a mess.  His shadows surged everywhere, burning almost everything around them.  The creatures of darkness, snarled and hissed, bloodying everyone that got caught in them.

“What are you doing to him?” she yelled and shot to her feet, startling Killian that sat next to her.  

“Bell what are you doing?” he hissed “Do you want to get into even more trouble?”

Bell glared at him.  “You hear that don’t you?” she said “He’s freaking out”

“He freaked out before...” Killian started.

“Not like this....  This is different” Bell interrupted “Can’t you hear it?”

Killian sighed, pulling his legs up against his chest.  “I know” he muttered “But if we do anything, all of us will get into even more trouble”

Bell walked over to the door, arms crossed.  

“I know that” she said “Do you really think I don’t know, but just listen to that.  He’s going to lose it and then everyone will be in trouble”

Killian shut his eyes tightly, clenching his hands together.  

“I want to help him” he muttered “You know I do, but right now we’ll get into more trouble than we can handle”

“We’ll handle that too” Bell said and hit the door “We need to handle it”

Killian got to his feet.  “Then let’s get out of here and handle it before he handles things and make it all worse”

Bell closed her eyes, resting her forehead against door.  

Without warning the screaming stopped.  

“Oh hell...” she muttered “Let us out!”

***

Kade felt the darkness lifting from his mind.  Every part of his body hurt, his mind felt like it was being torn apart.  There was soft whispers coming from all around him.  

The voices of the dead.  

It took him a while before he was realised that he could smell something different.  It was sweet, tickling the back of his throat.  He rolled up on his side, eyes snapping open before he threw up.  

He shook as he pulled back, wiping a hand over his mouth.  Slowly he looked up.  He wasn’t in the cell anymore.  It was a different place this time.  

Hands grabbed his arms, pulling him to his feet.  The world turned and he almost fell down again.  

“Open your eyes Boy!” 

A hand grabbed his hair and pulled his head back.  His eyes snapped open and for a moment all he could do was stare.  

“Let them go...” he said coldly “Let them go...”

Killian and Bell were on their knees in front of him, dark figures held guns to their heads.  

“Leave them alone...” he said slowly, feeling cold, like he couldn’t breath. 

“They are my hostages” a voice said “Do you remember my name, Boy?”

Kade flinched.  “Let them go...” he whispered “Please....  Let them go”

“Remember Boy” the voice said “Remember who I am.  Pleading doesn’t work on me”

“You can’t...” he said.

“I can do anything, Boy” the man said “Remember...?”

Kade started hyperventilating, his breathing coming in short gasps.  “You can’t... “ he gasped “....I killed you....  You died...”

The man smiled, blood dripping down his chin.  “Oh you should have made sure that you finished the job, Boy” he said looking down at Bell “She’s so pretty.  Is she one of your friends?  Maybe a girlfriend?”

All he could do was stare at his friends.  They were scared and there was nothing that he could do about it.

“Tell me what I want to hear and I will let them go”

Kade flinched and shook his head.  “No....” he whispered “I’m not... I’m not one of you... No...”

“Kade....” a soft voice said “It’s alright.  You don’t need to do it”

Bell.  She was talking to him.  He could see her mouth moving, but all he could do was stare.  

“Don’t do it, Kade” Killian’s voice said “Don’t let him break you”

Kade shut his eyes tightly and shook his head as his body just gave in.  His head swam, chest felt tight, his heart felt like it was being squeezed. 

“Open you eyes, Boy” the man said.

“No....” 

“OPEN.  YOUR.  EYES!” the man screamed.

Kade flinched, eyes snapping open.  

“Watch me...” the man said and pulled the trigger.

Blood sprayed the ground as Killian just fell limply forward.  Bell let out a scream.  Kade just stared, unable to understand what just happened.  

The gun fire echoed through the room again.  

He started trembling, staring at the bloody bodies of his best friends.  There was rushing in his ears.  

“No... no... no...no...” 

Something in his mind snapped and he screamed, reaching for his power.  It burned through him and felt like it was eating him from the inside. 

***

Bell and Killian both shot to their feet when the shadows surged and completely disappeared.  A high pitched wailing, scream sounded through the air before going silent.  

“What the hell was that?” Killian asked, his eyes wide.

“I... don’t know” 

All the light disappeared from the door and both of them stepped back away from it, glancing at each other.

The door shattered and a shadowy figure stepped inside.  Slowly the shadows started bleeding away, revealing Kade.  The green eyes were cold and empty and strangely off.  

Kade lifted a hand, pressing his fist against his head as he stared at them.  His hand shook, eyes jumping around.  

“Kade...” Bell whispered, eyes wide.  

“....alive...” Kade whispered.  He let out a groan, pressing with hands against his head as he sank to his knees.  

“The hell just happened?” Killian asked softly.

The two quickly walked to Kade, but the moment he saw them, he scrambled back onto his feet and away from them.  The shadows surged again, rising around him.  

Killian blinked a few times, staring Kade before he frowned.  

There was something wrong with his face.  The shadows kept half of it hidden, almost looking like blood that ran down his face.  

“Kade, are you alright?” he asked carefully.

Kade’s breathing spiked, but didn’t say anything.  His eyes jumped to something that they couldn’t see, before returning to them.  One hand kept on clenching and relaxing, trembling. 

“No no no no no no no....” he muttered, struggling to breath.  

He shut his eyes tightly, pressing one trembling hand against the side of his head again.  When he opened his eyes, they were still looking for something else in the room.  

Kade didn’t know what was real anymore.  His mind had taken to playing more and more tricks on him.  No matter what he did, he couldn’t get away from the hallucinations.  

Again he had Killian and Bell in front of him and he didn’t know if they were real or maybe the corpses he left in the other room were the real ones. 

At least the rotting faces weren’t real.  

He hoped they weren’t real.  

“Kade?” Killian’s voice asked “Can you hear me?”

He looked up and quickly glanced away.  Killian’s face looked like it was half blown apart now.  

Not real.  It was not real.  But what was real then?

“I... “ he started, but just pressed his hand harder against his head.  

Shadows moved around him.  For a moment he could have sworn he saw his Father standing behind Bell, half off his jaw ripped of.  

“Come on buddy” Killian’s voice said, drawing his attention back “It’s alright.  We’re fine, we need to know if you are alright?”

Kade managed to shook his head.  The voice started whispering again.  

Bell took a deep breath and walked up to Kade.  “Kade” she said softly “We need to leave.  Alright?”

“Will that make them...  stop?” he asked, looking at her.  

“Stop what?” Bell asked softly.

“The hallucinations” another voice said from behind. 

Killian’s head snapped towards the voice.  “Chronos?” he asked, anger filtering into his voice “What the hell did you do to him”

The teacher shook his.  “This was not us” he said.

Kade spun around, the shadows surging around him.  He shrunk away from Chronos with a hissing growl.  “Bastards....” he snapped and started scratching with his trembling hand against his head “You did this....”

“No, we didn’t do this” Chronos said.  

Kade glared at him, flinching as Chronos were surrounded by broken and bloody bodies.  

With a scream he sank down to his knees, trembling hands covering his ears.  Eyes shut tightly.  He couldn’t take it anymore.  He had enough, so he just let go.  The darkness washed over him.

Killian just watched as Kade crumbled, his scream fading into nothing.  

“Kade!” Bell called out and rushed forward, falling to her knees next to him.  She carefully pulled him into her arms.  

She could feel him still trembling, his breathing came in short, shallow gasps.  When his eyes flickered opened again, they jumped from one place to another, as if he was looking at things that they couldn’t see.  

Carefully she started stroking his hair.  “Hush now...” she whispered “Everything will be alright”

A shiver went through his body as his eyes focused on something behind her.  

“...ghosts...” he muttered.