“Ahh, you’re finally awake, Mr. Ryan. Good, I didn’t want you to miss this,” he said, morbidly. One of his clawed hands swiped at the nearest cocooned student, ripping open a long gash in its side. Green ooze spilled down its wounded surface. He leaned his head down in front of mine letting his ancient breath choke me. “This is the best part.”
Violently, his jaw stretched open, doubling in size and he violently bit down on the bleeding cocoon like a vise. A repulsive sucking noise filled my ears and I had to turn away.
“You’re a monster,” I declared. General Love ripped his mouth from his human juice box and licked his lips.
“Thank you,” he smiled, wickedly. Queen Strickland emerged from a dark corner with all her ravenous serpents in tow. They growled and hissed with hunger. She slithered past us stopping only long enough to lick some of the excess life force off the General’s chin. With a bionic laugh she launched forward, embedding her fangs into another egg. General Love followed close behind, chomping down on every energy sack he could. They both seemed to lose track of me as their hunger overwhelmed them.
In a panic I searched the darkness for Olivia and my friends. That’s when I remembered that Roland and Felicity were dangling from the ceiling, at the back of the dome. Fortunately, that’s where the rest of my team had been strung up. Taylor, Morgan, Roland, Felicity, and Olivia, all of them wrapped in a giant wad of nightmarish gunk and fast asleep. Olivia’s hair hung in her face hiding the fact that she looked skinnier than normal. They all did. Probably from their essences being absorbed by this disgusting pit.
“Olivia,” I whispered. Just a few yards away the General and his Queen ravaged through their buffet of humans. There was still time to get out of this mess. I held my breath and tried with all my strength to loosen at least one of the mystical ties that bound me, but it was useless.
~ Lucas. ~
“Ripley?” I choked. “Where are you?”
~ Look down. ~
My eyes fell to the floor and there lay the stick that used to be Ripley. Ripley’s shriveled head barely peeked from the black sludge, but Ripley’s eyes were alive with golden light. “How are you talking to me? I thought you were gone.”
~ I was. ~
“What changed?” I asked, urgently.
~ This room. It is filled with enormous amounts of energy. Apparently there’s enough here to wake me from my slumber. The power seems to nullify the effects of Queen Strickland’s toxins. ~
“You’re using these innocent kids life force? They’re my friends.”
~ No, not their life force…I’m just using your energy. ~
I smiled with relief. “Oh, okay. Is that why I feel weak and strong at the same time?”
~ Yes. ~
“Awesome. Can you change back to your dragon form yet?”
~ No, I’m still too weak, but I am trying. ~
“Good, cuz you look like a piece of beef jerky.”
~ What is a beef jerky? ~
“Never mind, what’s the plan?”
~ Sophia. She’s the answer. We need to wake her up. She doesn’t have much time left. ~
“What do you mean?”
~ She’s dying. We have to free her first. ~
I began to shake. “What can we do? I’m all tied up and you’re a used up popsicle stick.”
~ Listen, we only have one shot at this, so do exactly as I say. ~
I glanced over at the General and the Queen to make sure they hadn’t heard me. They hadn’t. They were both too preoccupied with their new harvest. They continued to suck out the energy of every egg. They both looked as if they were growing in size, too. My heart began to pound in my throat. “Tell me what to do, Rip.”
~ Get me into her hands. ~
“How do I do that? I’m stuck, and she’s unconscious.”
~ Find a way, Lucas. ~
Down underneath the mucus and tentacles that had me locked in place, I could feel something along my left forearm. My hands were locked at my sides and that meant I was feeling something in my left pocket. I concentrated on it harder.
“My lucky pick!” I whispered, in surprise. Maybe I could use it to pry through one of these snake arms. I began to shift my body as much as possible, tucking my legs upward in hopes of freeing the guitar pick from the lip of my pocket. All I needed was a fraction of its edge and I was sure I could maneuver my hand close enough to snag it up in my fingers. The more I tried to move, the more resistance the tentacles seemed to create. I held my breath and tried again. And then, again. Finally, with a slight pop of my hip bone, the pick emerged from my pocket. I closed my eyes and began to slide my hand along my pocket to position my fingers just right. Ripley looked up at me from the filthy floor.
“I think I can do this,” I said, surprised.
~ Lucas, focus. Hurry up. ~
The tip of the pick slid into my fingertips and I immediately situated it in between two knuckles beneath the slimy tentacles. My teeth gritted together as I forced the edge of the pick into the cocoon wrap at my waist. It squirmed with pain as I sliced it deeper into its flesh. After a few seconds of scraping, the tentacles snapped in half and fell loose inside my cocoon. It lessened the pressure around me but I was far from being free.
“What happens if I can’t get you to Sophia?” I grunted.
~ You have to succeed. ~
“Why? What happens if I pull this off?” I spoke slowly, filling with new doubt.
~ If we join the power of her rings, all of the rings, with myself, I may be able to unlock the original power of the Jynshee. ~
“You mean the unlimited power that I had unleashed when you were a stone?”
~ Yes. ~
Excitement filled me, overtaking the fear. I doubled my effort to free myself. The pick seemed to be bending with the force of the thicker arms around me. That’s when a horrible thought hit me.
“It won’t work,” I sighed.
~ It will work. ~
“No, it won’t. Sophia only has four rings with her.”
~ It will work. ~
“It won’t,” I argued. Ripley ignored me and repeated over and over again.
~ It will. It will. It will. ~
Suddenly, it dawned on me, she had all the rings with her. I had given her the thirteenth ring earlier. I asked Ripley, the know-it-all, for assurance. “She has all the rings on her, doesn’t she?”
Using a real voice, Ripley said, “ Of course she does. ”
I smiled with understanding. Heck, I would have been carrying them all, too. Unlimited power in thirteen pieces of mystical jewelry, what kid could resist that? Ripley’s form began to slightly change as the absorbing energy finally started to give life back to my dragon.
“All right, Rip, no more messing around. Let’s get us out of here,” I declared, under my breath. “Let’s get all of us out of here.”
“ Concentrate, Lucas. Focus your strength and free yourself. ”
I nodded in agreement and pushed harder. Sophia began to moan softly as she seemed to be coming out of her sleep. It made me work even faster.
“Umm…Lucas? Where…ugh…where are we?” she whimpered. “What…is happening?”
In the calmest whisper I could muster, I said, “Don’t freak out, Soph. I’m coming for you. Just hold on.”
She strained her eyes in the dark lair and realized what she was seeing. The horror of all the innocent people cocooned all around us was almost too much for her young heart to take. She began to hyperventilate. When her eyes fell upon the General and the Queen feeding, I feared she might pass out again.
“Soph, look at me. Don’t focus on them, watch me,” I quietly demanded. I was almost free. We couldn’t afford to have her draw the attention of the General or his Queen. “Trust me…shhhh…”
Ripley came to life inside my brain again, this time with more ferocity.
~ Pick me up. ~
Hang on. I answered back, with my mind.
~ Pick me up. ~
I
’m trying!
~ Pick me up. ~
I couldn’t cut through the final arm of my cocoon. It was too thick and my pick was about to snap in two pieces. I could feel its thin body at its breaking point as I scraped away. The edges now dull from the continuous cutting. Just as I thought it, it happened. With a muffled snap, it broke in half, right down the middle of the little painted skull, and fell from my fingertips.
“Lucas?” Sophia whispered, in concern.
“Damn it!” I yelled out. Big mistake.
From across the room General Love and Queen Strickland turned toward us once again. Their mouths were agape with drooling strands of green and silver energies. With their glistening tongues they licked their mouths and screamed with intensity. In a burst they both shot forward, bellowing wildly with green flames flowing from their eye sockets.
~ Lucas! Now! Free yourself. ~
I tried to gather what little strength I had left and pushed at the final tentacle around me. My magical tattoo lit with a dull golden light, but I was still too weak. Ripley’s eyes flared to life with matching light, begging me to free myself.
“They’re coming!” Sophia called out, with an ear-piercing shrill. I fought my prison harder, feeling dizzy with exhaustion. This room had taken too much of my life force and I started to feel numb. Two massive shadows engulfed me in seconds. I couldn’t hold on any longer.
As the room fell away into darkness, I mumbled, “I’m…sorry…”
LEVEL 28
THE RED
The sound of silence tickled my eardrums. In the blackness I waited for the hammer to fall. I was too tired to go on, too exhausted. I embraced the weight of my failure. I welcomed my end. But my end never came. Instead, as I sat trapped and beaten, something saved me. Or should I say, someone saved me.
“Wake up!” Sophia ordered. Her warm hands fell upon my shoulders and she began to shake me vigorously.
“Soph…” I mumbled, in complete surprise. My eyes peeled open to find her big brown eyes only inches from mine. She was free…but how? “How did you get out?”
She pulled both her fists in front of her, revealing all her fingers wrapped in every Jynshee Ring she possessed. “Sorry, Lucas, I lied. I brought all the rings.”
“Ha!” I chirped. The Time Ring was alive with glittering fire and I thought to myself, thirty-seven seconds. Sophia nodded to me in agreement. General Love and Queen Strickland hovered above us like evil piñatas full of teeth and sharp appendages. I swallowed down a large gulp of disbelief.
“Soph, look down,” I said. She did immediately, and without any hesitation reached down and snatched Ripley into her hands.
“What do I do?” she wondered aloud. Her pupils began to spin with silver electricity.
With a wink, I said, “Let Ripley show you.”
She pulled the wilted stick-like body of Ripley to her lips and softly whispered, “Show me, Ripley.”
~ As you wish. ~
Ripley’s organic body fell away, turning to black smoke lined with bright streaks of orange fire. All that remained was Ripley’s burning yellow eyes. The smoke tangled around Sophia’s fingers and then, arms. Methodically Ripley traced every pore of her before pulling into her body. She giggled as if being tickled all over. From above us time began to find us again, and the leaping monsters started to thaw. Cracks of life emerged along their torsos like spiderwebs. Sophia ignored the impending attack and turned to me.
“Is this what it feels like?”
“Soph, we’re out of time. Help me out of this stuff,” I begged, watching the General’s jaw begin to slowly stretch open more.
“It feels wonderful! Ripley’s power is unbelievable!” she cheered, with a clap of her hands that rang throughout the Nest with an angelic echo.
“It’s not Ripley’s power, it’s yours,” I corrected, with obvious panic on my lips.
“Mine?” she whispered. Just over her shoulder the General’s claw reached out in slow-motion, gathering speed by the second.
“Let Ripley unlock your true power, Soph. You had it the whole time. Ripley is only the key, you are the treasure!” I shouted, pulling at my last tie that held me.
“Wow!” she exhaled. All her rings lit up with different colors. All of them intense and dreamlike. Time had almost returned to normal and the terror of the General’s attack was only moments away.
“Believe, Soph! Believe in Ripley!” I screamed out as the two demons fell over the top of us. Their twisting shadows brought the icy truth with them…we were out of time.
~ Believe. ~
Sophia smiled at me and closed her eyes. Gently, she said, “I do believe.”
Her young arms reached out over her head and locked around the necks of the General and the Queen, trapping them in midair.
“No more!” she roared, but her voice was no longer just her own. It was painted with the unstoppable power of Ripley and the foreboding truth of the wild imagination of a preteen. She squeezed her small fists harder and time returned to normal. General Love howled in surprise. Queen Strickland gurgled with pain and her serpent children quivered in fear. The last strand that held me in place fell away and I found my footing once again.
Sophia began to change in front of me, and I froze. “Soph?”
As her body began to grow, she smashed the General into his Queen with a thunderous crack, and then proceeded to toss them in opposite directions. With her form still growing in size and strength, she turned to me.
“Free the rest.”
“Soph?” I mumbled. Her pretty features gave way to crimson shaded skin and thick muscles. Lots and lots of muscles. Her body filled in thick like a giant hulking beast. Outlining her new body was the shape of burning black smoke that twisted around her like a tornado. Within its turbulence was the telltale sign of Ripley. Two glowing gold slits watched in all directions, readying Sophia’s new superhero form for any and all enemies.
Sophia was now ten-feet tall, at least. She smashed her giant fists into the floor and another pair of muscular arms ripped from her lower ribcage. They were exact copies of her other arms, strong and opposing. As three of her battle ready arms flexed, her fourth one pointed directly at me.
With a new growl she ordered, “Help our friends! Now!”
In my head Ripley backed up her fierceness.
~ Hurry, Lucas! ~
Sophia’s raging body fell forward like a gigantic four-armed gorilla made of smoky flames and red light. The floor shook as she sprinted off for the General. I ran forward, directly for the hanging pods of my friends. My eyes locked onto Olivia immediately.
“Hold on, O!” I declared. My right forearm was fully alive now, and pulsating with golden light. Flares of dripping embers fell from the vibrant lines of my tattoo as I ran faster. As I pushed past the other cocoons along the floor I would smash my ignited fist into them, exploding each one into puffs of green and purple ash. When the debris faded into the air, there was only the sleeping victim left in my wake. They were unharmed, but weak. I would check each one of them after I had freed my friends.
Using the leverage of the closest cocoon under my friends, my sneakers launched me upward like a flailing ninja. I even let out a convincing “HI-YAH!”, as I flew. My hands dug into the lowest hanging pod sending the grossest of innards down onto my shoulders and back.
“Ugh…yuk,” I spit, and quickly ripped Olivia from the cocoon. She fell into my arms as I landed back to the floor in a splat. She was pale but okay. Gently, I slid her muck-stained hair out of her face. She looked like she was sleeping. I leaned over her and whispered in her ear.
“You’re safe.”
The other students I had freed began to slowly regain consciousness. They all sat up in the filth along the floor, dazed and confused. Olivia quickly followed in my arms.
“Lucas?” she groaned.
“I’m here.”
“Where am I? What…” she fumbled.
“Don’t worry, I have everything under control,??
? I grinned. She clutched at me as the memories of the dance hit her hard and fast.
She lunged forward, and hollered, “Sophia? My sister! Is she all right?”
I tilted my head and smiled. “You could say that.” I pointed across the Nest with my burning hand. The flames reflected in the pupils of her perfect eyes as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing.
“Is that…Sophia?” she muttered, in disbelief.
“Affirmative,” I whispered, in awe.
General Love was cornered at the back of the Nest. He coiled himself up with his claws ready to shred Sophia if she pushed any closer. Wings thwacked against the slimy wall as he grew more desperate.
“No where to run, General,” Sophia dared. She smacked an eager fist into the palm of her hand with one pair of her arms, while the other pair hung at her sides like an old-time gunslinger.
“You really think you’re strong enough to stop me? I’ve killed much stronger vermin than you!” General Love promised.
Sophia stepped closer, and said, “Try me.”
General Love slid to his side with his head lowered. His giant nails scraped along the wall filling the room with an eerie screech. His tail whipped around in a circular motion ready to strike. He kept pretending as if he was about to attack but would pull himself back at the last moment. Like a boxer using a feint in the ring. It wasn’t working on Sophia and her warrior form. She just slowly adjusted her stance so she could be ready for his direct attack. At first I was proud of her calm demeanor, that was until I realized what the General was really doing. Stalling.