There was absolutely no way for me to single-handedly defeat the raw, negative energy of pure unbridled evil.
My soul was about to be obliterated.
Chapter 73
SUDDENLY I HEARD the loudest voice anyone has ever heard anywhere on the earth.
It was louder than thunder echoing across the Grand Canyon.
Louder than the explosion of the volcano that buried Pompeii.
“You must have a backup, Daniel! ALWAYS!”
Chapter 74
STARTLED, ZEBOUL DROPPED me and turned to face the voice. I couldn’t believe what I saw.
My father.
Only he was 170 feet tall.
I heard the crunch of bones. Zeboul was making itself taller. Matching my father, inch for inch.
“YOU!” it screamed as it grew. “You are not allowed to return to this realm!”
“I know,” said my father. “But I did it anyway.”
“You will lose your immortal soul!”
“Only after you lose yours! You should never have come after my son!”
My father started running straight for Number 1, the same way the Legions of the Light went charging at the forces of darkness. He had to be moving 500 miles per hour. Number 1 was matching him, stride for stride. They were two blurs: atomic-powered freight trains racing toward a head-on collision.
“No, Dad!” I screamed. I couldn’t take losing him again. “Don’t!”
But he kept charging.
So did Number 1.
The two of them made impact.
The whole world shuddered and quaked and went blindingly white in a burst of blistering light.
I heard my father’s final triumphant words: “I love you, Daniel. Always.”
And then there was nothing but a cloud of sparkling dust drifting down in a collapsing silhouette of the enormous space the two giant warriors once occupied.
They had both imploded into oblivion.
The sparkling remnants of their earthly existence weren’t gold or violet. They were flawlessly clear, icy crystals of nothingness. A gusty wind swirled across the plains and they were both gone.
Forever.
The ultimate good and the ultimate evil had canceled each other out.
Because my father, the best man I have ever known, had come back. He had sacrificed his own afterlife of happiness to avenge what happened here all those years ago.
He came back to Kansas and took down his own killer.
He protected Terra Firma.
He saved me.
My father was, and always had been, my very best backup.
Chapter 75
MY FATHER WAS gone.
He had given up his very existence in this life and beyond. He would never return to my mother in the afterlife again. Or to me.
I glanced over at my friends just to make sure they were still there. They were no longer one-hundred-percent purely products of my imagination. They were alive. They were living and breathing and staring in awe at the already fading memory of my father’s final heroic battle.
Joe was laughing. Willy was whooping wildly and pumping his fist in the air. Mel and Emma were both shedding tears for my loss.
Emotions were definitely running high because, like I was saying, they were all very much alive again.
I couldn’t explain how all this happened, what power in the universe was ultimately responsible.
I just had to accept it.
And so I did. With a ton of humility and gratitude.
“Thanks, Dad,” I whispered to the wind. “Thanks for everything.”
And then I looked up to the heavens and echoed his famous last words: “I love you. Always.”
Chapter 76
I’M STILL NOT one-hundred-percent certain if I returned to life with new powers like my four friends did.
I do know that all the powers I currently possess received some kind of tremendous booster shot. My imagination had been so intensely magnified it was almost strong enough for me to single-handedly eliminate the gaping black hole Number 1 had punched through the fabric of the galaxy. But, like my dad always said, I needed backup.
He was also right about a backup being a strength, not a weakness. If you have backup, you’ll never be alone. Hey, I’ve been there. Done the all-alone thing. Letting someone cover your back and lend you a hand is way better.
So, with a little help from my four incredibly awesome friends, including Mel’s recently discovered ability to manipulate the space-time continuum, we got ’er done. That’s why, when you look up in the night sky, you don’t notice anything out of whack. All the stars are back in their proper positions.
After eliminating Zeboul’s final threat to Terra Firma, Mel, Emma, Willy, Joe, and I returned to Kansas.
This time we didn’t rebuild my childhood home. Instead, we threw together the most awesome crib any teenager could imagine. There were more game rooms than bedrooms and all the walls had at least two flat-screen TVs. The freezer in the basement was stocked with Ben & Jerry’s (every flavor), White Castle sliders, and jumbo cases of Hot Pockets. The kitchen had five microwaves: no waiting.
There was also a self-regenerating nacho bar. That was Joe’s idea.
That night we threw the biggest victory party the world has probably ever seen.
Not that there would ever be a final victory for any of us against the forces of evil. I knew that I hadn’t defeated IT forever. Somehow, darkness would always find a way to seep back into life to challenge the light. But, for the moment, evil was in full retreat. For now, good had emerged triumphant.
And that was reason enough to party.
Joe took care of all the eats. He brought in this famous chef named Wolfgang Puck to make everybody gourmet California-style pizzas. Stuff like spicy Thai chicken pizza and pizza with smoked salmon and caviar. He also did a couple of pepperoni pies for Willy.
Emma took care of the vegetarian stuff. Including a whole truckload of vegan cakes, cookies, and pies.
“Hey,” she said, “it’s a party!”
Mel did the decorations—including balloons. As in hot-air balloons you could take for a ride across the open prairie (which, by the way, the five of us imagined back to its full amber-waves-of-grain beauty).
Willy was in charge of games. To help out, I summoned up several Olympic sprinters for the potato sack races.
I also materialized Rihanna and Pharrell to assume DJ responsibilities. And, I invited (and transported) a bunch of friends from our past adventures. Chordata the elephant was there and let everybody ride on her back. Merlin the magician showed up and did a couple of really awesome tricks with Criss Angel. A bunch of the kids from this one high school I had gone to (for like two minutes) came and had an amazing time.
Agent Judge was there, too. So was my friend, the Navy SEAL.
We even invited Pork Chop. She had a blast dancing with One Direction. What can I say? She’s young. She’s Pork Chop.
All and all it was, without a doubt, The Party of the Century.
I wished, of course, that my mother and father could’ve been there to savor our victory, no matter how temporary it might prove to be.
Speaking of my dad, I just pray that if I ever have a son, I never forget the lesson he taught me: Being a father means being willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of your children.
Everything.
“Are you going to pick a new last name?” asked Mel as we sat together at the edges of the party, watching Pharrell rocking out with Beethoven on piano (I told you it was the party of the century, maybe the millennium).
I frowned. “What’s wrong with ‘X’? I think it’s awesome.”
She giggled. “It’s easy to spell, so that’s a plus.” All of a sudden, she looked serious. “So what’s next, Daniel?”
I just sort of shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
“So is this it? No more outlaws to hunt, no more worlds to save? The Alien Hunter is officially going into retirement?”
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“For now.” I knew I was being vague, but my future was vague. Even though I’d achieved what I had dedicated my whole life to do, I hadn’t quite accepted that my purpose was fulfilled. “What do I know about fate and the universe and how it all works? I’m just a teenager. Learning stuff is what we do.”
Mel smirked. “You’re not just a teenager. But if learning is what you need, I’m willing to teach you a few things.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”
“Well…” She looked out at the exuberant scene before us, with our friends looking as if they were having the most fun ever. Then she turned back to me, the lights reflected in her eyes. “Like how to be happy.”
I felt a lump form in my throat as her words sank in. As an outsider whose parents were ripped away when I needed them most, and whose childhood has been spent hunting and hiding from the worst killers in the universe, I thought of happiness as a wisp of smoke that never failed to vanish after a few moments.
Things were going to be different from here on out, I knew. But now that there were no aliens left to hunt, would I be happy as a “normal” kid? With real, non-imaginary friends and school and a job and… a girlfriend?
I had no idea where my life was going to lead, but I did know one thing—whatever happened, I wouldn’t ever be alone again. My backup would be there for me. Always.
Mel was looking at me expectantly. I stood up and pulled her next to me. Hands locked, we started for our friends, who were laughing so hard they could hardly stand.
Would I be happy as a normal kid?
I couldn’t wait to find out.
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About the Author
James Patterson has had more #1 bestsellers for children than any other living writer. He is the author of the Middle School, I Funny, Treasure Hunters, and Daniel X novels, as well as House of Robots. His blockbuster fiction for adults, featuring enduring characters like Alex Cross—in addition to his many books for teens, such as the Maximum Ride series—have sold more than 300 million copies worldwide. He lives in Florida.
Chris Grabenstein is a New York Times bestselling author who has also collaborated with James Patterson on the I Funny and Treasure Hunters series and House of Robots. He lives in New York City.
Books by James Patterson for Young Readers
The Daniel X Novels
The Dangerous Days of Daniel X (with Michael Ledwidge)
Watch the Skies (with Ned Rust)
Demons and Druids (with Adam Sadler)
Game Over (with Ned Rust)
Armageddon (with Chris Grabenstein)
Lights Out (with Chris Grabenstein)
The Middle School Novels
Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life
(with Chris Tebbetts, illustrated by Laura Park)
Middle School: Get Me out of Here!
(with Chris Tebbetts, illustrated by Laura Park)
Middle School: Big Fat Liar
(with Lisa Papademetriou, illustrated by Neil Swaab)
Middle School: How I Survived Bullies, Broccoli, and Snake Hill
(with Chris Tebbetts, illustrated by Laura Park)
Middle School: Ultimate Showdown
(with Julia Bergen, illustrated by Alec Longstreth)
Middle School: Save Rafe!
(with Chris Tebbetts, illustrated by Laura Park)
Middle School: Just My Rotten Luck
(with Chris Tebbetts, illustrated by Laura Park)
The I Funny Novels
I Funny (with Chris Grabenstein, illustrated by Laura Park)
I Even Funnier (with Chris Grabenstein, illustrated by Laura Park)
I Totally Funniest (with Chris Grabenstein, illustrated by Laura Park)
The Treasure Hunters Novels
Treasure Hunters (with Chris Grabenstein and Mark Shulman, illustrated by Juliana Neufeld)
Treasure Hunters: Danger Down the Nile (with Chris Grabenstein, illustrated by Juliana Neufeld)
Other Illustrated Novels
House of Robots (with Chris Grabenstein, illustrated by Juliana Neufeld)
Public School Superhero (with Chris Tebbetts, illustrated by Cory Thomas)
Daniel X: Alien Hunter (graphic novel; with Leopoldo Gout)
Daniel X: The Manga, Vols. 1–3 (with SeungHui Kye)
For previews of upcoming books in these series and other information, visit middleschoolbooks.com, ifunnybooks.com, and treasurehuntersbooks.com.
For more information about the author, visit JamesPatterson.com.
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Welcome
PROLOGUE Chapter One
Chapter Two
PART ONE: GETTING TO NUMBER 1 Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
PART TWO: HEADING HOME Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
PART THREE: FIGHTING FOR ETERNITY Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
EPILOGUE Chapter 76
About the Author
Books by James Patterson for Young Readers
Copyright
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2015 by James Patterson
Daniel X® is a trademark of JBP Business, LLC.
Cover art © 2015 by Owen Richardson
Cover © 2015 Hachette Book Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at
[email protected] Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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ericas, New York, NY 10104
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The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
First ebook edition: July 2015
ISBN 978-0-316-20746-1
E3
James Patterson, Lights Out
(Series: Daniel X # 6)
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