With a chunky laugh General Love announced, “Now!” From behind Sophia came the poisonous hiss of Queen Strickland who had been hiding in the shadows waiting for the perfect moment to strike. She wrapped her arms and serpents around Sophia and smashed her into the wall just as the General moved out of the way. Sophia grunted with frustration and grabbed at the Queen with all of her arms. She couldn’t get a clean grasp on any of the dancing serpents and fell to her knees. Queen Strickland exploded with wicked cackling and dug her knife-like fingertips into Sophia’s neck. Ripley furiously emitted more smoke all around Sophia’s body and it seemed to daze the Queen. That was all she needed as she turned just enough to get her giant gorilla paws on the Serpent Queen.
“You almost killed my sister!” Sophia roared. She smashed the Queen in the face repeatedly until her monstrous jaw snapped out of place. Queen Strickland bellowed in pain as her jaw hung loose. All her spider-snakes tangled along her back tried to avoid any of the damage Sophia’s fists were dealing out. Some of them hissed in horror, others snapped at her knuckles in defiance, while others just knotted themselves up, uselessly. With one final punch to the abdomen of the Queen, Sophia threw her broken body across the room. It cut through the dark room like a shattered spear before crashing to the ground in a wet thud.
Sophia whipped around just in time to have General Love slash her cheek open with one of his bladed tails. Sophia clutched her face and fell backwards a few steps. General Love stole a quick glance toward his fallen Queen and the sight infuriated him.
“This isn’t possible!” he stomped. “The power of the Jynshee is no more! I smothered that light before! I can do it again!”
Sophia wiped the trail of blood from her cheek and smiled, “Try me.”
By now the other students had made their way to Olivia and I. They were all in a confused state full of panic. Sensing they were still in danger, I turned to Olivia.
“Olivia, are you feeling good enough to help get these people out of here?”
She had a hard time pulling her eyes from her little sister that now resembled a giant red behemoth, but when she did I could tell that she was back. “What’s the plan, Lucas?”
“I’ll free the rest, you get them out that big hole in the wall.” I directed her eyes to the massive hole that Taylor and I created when we arrived earlier. She shook the last remaining cobwebs from her head and stood up. I quickly jammed my fist into a few of the closest pods, freeing another four bodies. As I readied myself to leap for the rest of my friends hanging above, Olivia called to me.
“Lucas.”
Losing my focus, my eyes fell to her beautiful face. “Yes?”
“Thank you for saving me…again,” she smiled. The battle raged behind us as Sophia kept up her attack but I ignored it and ran up to Olivia. With both my arms I pulled her to me, my flickering flames teased the lines of her red and black flannel top. I pressed my lips to hers and held onto her like I would never see her again. Time stopped and for one peaceful moment there was no apocalyptic monsters from other dimensions, no life sucking snakes, no pus filled pods…just Olivia and her kiss. After a heavenly moment I pulled from her face and ran my hand along her cheek and neck.
“Wow…” she sighed.
“I’m tired of taking it slow. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the last few months it’s that the only thing that makes sense in my crazy world is you.” She blushed completely, and I continued. “Bullies, monsters, demons, nightmares, the end of the world…no of it matters if I have you by my side.”
“Lucas,” she trembled. Suddenly, my confidence fell back to normal levels and I shrank a little bit.
“Is that okay?” I asked, blushing now. She pulled me closer and kissed me again and slowly lifted her mouth to my ears.
“Let’s finish this.”
She ran off with the small crowd of kids that happened to witness our private moment and I swiftly launched myself at Taylor’s dangling feet above me.
Across the room Sophia continued her annihilation of the General. They crashed into another wall, shaking loose most of the pods that were attached to the ceiling. I immediately ran to all of them as quickly as I could, slapping them into ash with my magic hand. A few exhilarating minutes later Taylor, Morgan, Roland, and Felicity were waking from their sleep. Taylor seemed to pull from the fog the quickest and instinctively started to help gather the rest of our classmates. I offered him a well deserved nod and smile. As Olivia directed some to safety, he carried the ones who weren’t fully conscience yet. Morgan followed his lead and Roland pulled out his cell phone and started recording the epic battle between the General and Sophia. Felicity stayed by his side but never took her eyes from me. When I found a brief moment I ran up to them, offering every one of them a huge hug.
Roland quickly asked, “Is that red beast…Sophia?” At that precise moment she was thrown backwards by one of the General’s hammer fists. Her enormous mega-hulk body landed just feet in front of us in a thud. She jumped back to her feet and snarled our way.
“Soph?” Roland asked, with his camera phone outstretched. She winked his way and offered him a pair of thumbs up with her left hands. Aggressively, she leapt back into action. Roland stood with his mouth agape and I just nodded.
“And you guys thought my wishes were strange,” I joked.
“But how is she? What is she? Why is…” Morgan stuttered.
“I’ll explain everything later, but right now, we need to get the rest of our class out of here.”
Taylor placed a strong hand on my shoulder, and grinned, “You help Sophia, we’ve got the rest of this covered.”
I punched him in the arm and said, “I know you do.” Quickly, I turned and ran for Sophia. She had the General pinned down now, with all four of her arms crushing him into the floor.
I called out to her, “Soph, where’s Ms. Strickland?” Sophia just shrugged her big shoulders and pressed her weight down onto the General. He started to laugh with black stained fangs.
“You think you’ve won? Idiots! You cannot kill me! I am eternal!” he stated, desperately.
“Yeah, you look awfully invincible,” I teased. He struggled beneath Sophia’s crushing grip but it was no use. She had him locked in place. General Love’s eyes ignited in purple fire that poured out everywhere. Sophia turned her head but kept him pinned to the floor.
“My Queen! Save me! Kill them! Kill them all!” he demanded. Queen Strickland fell from the shadows above us, landing on a broken body that seemed to bend in the wrong places. Her jaw was still dislocated and she appeared to be crying thick black blood from her eyes. She watched in horror as her precious companion writhed in pain.
“Stop them! We’re so close! Stop them, my love!” General Love begged her. She slid closer to him but retreated as Sophia let out a defiant growl.
“Enough!” Sophia finally hollered. She ripped one of the General’s arms from his body and showed it to Queen Strickland. He screamed in pain loud enough to hurt my ears.
“This is what’s waiting for you if you come any closer.” Sophia tossed the twitching limb toward me. “Lucas, burn it.”
I caught the piece of demon in my fiery fist and turned it to ash, instantly. Sophia removed another limb and tossed it at my feet. With a single glare, she dared the Queen to stop her.
“Leave this world. Leave this dimension. Never return!” Sophia demanded. Her rage was growing out of control. I wasn’t sure she could contain her unlimited strength much longer. The smoky outline that surrounded her body began to flicker with red energy. Ripley’s eyes appeared inside the curls of smoke.
~ The power of the rings is overwhelming her, Lucas. ~
She shredded a giant chunk of General Love’s lower half and pulverized it with her palm. I nervously took a step closer and swallowed.
“I can tell.”
Queen Strickland pulled backwards, terrified. She and her broken serpents hissed and moaned at the sight of the General being pulled apart. Sophi
a continued to destroy every part of General Love. Slabs of him flew everywhere.
“Any last words, General?” Sophia asked, with her eyes wide with hate.
“This…is not the…end…” he gurgled. Sophia pressed her face to his and spoke slowly.
“Of course it is.” She swiftly grabbed the last of his body, which was basically half a tail, a shoulder, one battered wing, and his head, and crushed them all into a screaming ball of bone and scales. All four of her hands disintegrated his remains into a cloud of ash and light. General Love was unmade in a matter of painful seconds. His call to his Queen reverberated everywhere as he died once again.
“No!” Queen Strickland cried out.
Sophia’s body began to shake and change again. Giant horns pushed from her spine and knuckles like bone shaped cleavers. Red fire exploded around her in all directions, sending Ripley’s smoky shell into me.
“Ripley?” I gasped.
~ She’s lost control. The power of the Jynshee Rings will destroy her. ~
I held out my arm and Ripley aligned with my tattoo again. I filled with uncertainty. “How do we stop her?”
~ We don’t. ~
“Huh?” I doubted.
~ Her power is unlimited, unstoppable. The only one who can stop her…is herself. ~
“There has to be a way!” I snapped. “Sophia! You have to listen to me. You’re losing control of your power. You have to calm down! Please!”
Sophia shot forward and latched her mouth around Queen Strickland’s neck. With a quick bite she severed the Queen’s head from her body. The serpents along her back and spine fell still and lifeless. Queen Strickland’s torso dropped to the floor in a splat. Sophia spun around with the Queen’s dark blood dripping from her mouth. Her eyes were wild with hate and she smiled down at Ripley and I.
“Please, Soph, you have to stop,” I begged again.
“No, I don’t.” She growled so deep that it vibrated in my chest.
“You’ll kill us all,” I pleaded. She stepped forward and extended her massive frame above me, covering us in her powerful shadow. As the last of Sophia’s consciousness completely melted away, she promised.
“No, just you!” With all her strength she smashed a steel fist into me, sending me across the Nest.
LEVEL 29
CLOSURE
“Lucas! Wake up! Lucas!” Morgan’s voice called through the blackness. “Get up! We need you!”
“Hmph…what…urgh…” I dribbled out.
~ Lucas? Are you still with me? ~
Ripley’s voice ran through my head. It was distant but it was there. My brain buzzed with pain but I tried my best to answer. I think so. What happened?
~ Sophia has lost control of the Jynshee Power. If we don’t remove those rings, she’ll never stop. She will terminate us all. ~
Oh, God, it hurts to move. Can you help me up?
~ I’ll try. Open your eyes. ~
As the real world crept into the slits of my eyelids, I began to moan in agony. I could feel Taylor’s big hands locking around my shoulders and pulling me upward. We were tucked in the back half of the room with all the victims huddled together, waiting, and watching in horror. Most of them were completely aware now. Their eyes watched me in shocked silence.
“Get up, Luc, she’s coming!” he warned. I could feel the room shaking and it made it hard to stay upright on my feet. I did my best to ignore all the confused spectators.
“Taylor…is everyone…okay?” I asked, painfully.
“Not for long. Whatever you’re going to do, do it quick!” he said, urgently.
“She’s here!” Roland yelled out.
Sophia was now fully engulfed in her raging powers. The rings had granted her unlimited strength but at a price. Her emotional state was never solid enough to control the rings. Now, the infinite energy possessed her. Ripley coiled around my body, lifting its long dragon neck above mine and readying ourselves for battle. Sophia lunged forward but stopped just short of us. She puffed up her massive body and smashed her fists agains her chest in a furious drumming pattern. Her eyes were alive with red fire that peppered the floor below her in sparks. Her mouth stretched open in a long scream that revealed all her sharp teeth.
Feeling too dizzy to do much else, I placed my hand out in front of me. Ripley morphed into a large shield that blocked everyone behind it. All my friends and the terrified student body cowered in fear behind me. Sophia exploded in a fit and swung her arms above her head. With the force of a hurricane she smashed them down upon Ripley and I. The crushing blow sent me to my knees instantly.
“Sophia! Please!” I screamed out, with my voice cracking. She ignored my plea and brought down another barrage of her fists. Ripley’s shield erupted in dozens of cracks. Smoke poured from them with popping purple bursts of lightning.
~ I can’t handle another blow like that. ~
Holding my pounding head, I grimaced, “Neither can I.”
Just then, a voice called out from behind Sophia and she spun around accordingly.
“Soph,” Olivia smiled. Sophia roared above her but did not attack.
“Olivia, no! She’s too dangerous!” I warned, uselessly.
“It’s okay, she won’t hurt me.” Olivia glanced up into her sister’s raging eyes. “Isn’t that right, Baby Sis, you’d never hurt me.” Sophia staggered forward, intent on ripping her sister in pieces but stopped herself.
“Olivia…” Sophia rumbled, in her deep monstrous voice.
“Yes, that’s right, Soph. It’s me.” Olivia reached up and took one of her sister’s giant fingers in her hand. “See, I’m here to help.”
Sophia frowned, “Olivia?”
“I’m here,” Olivia whispered, and swiftly removed the ring from the finger she had a hold of. Sophia winced and stumbled backward. A long belch of sadness shot from her mouth as her body began to shrink. Her sharp claws and fangs receded, her skin faded back to almond pink and her features returned to the sweet little girl we knew and loved. Tears welled in her eyes as she reached for her big sister.
“I’m so sorry,” Sophia puffed out, just before she loss consciousness and dropped to the floor. Olivia caught her just in time and settled to the ground with Sophia in her lap. Olivia quickly removed all the rings from her fingers and called to me.
“Lucas, take these.”
I stumbled up to her and scooped them all into my hands. All of them except the one that was tied in her hair, the Invulnerability Ring. I settled the other twelve rings into my pocket and knelt down next to Olivia. Without saying anything I untied the last ring from Sophia’s hair and slowly placed it along my finger. Olivia seemed hesitant at first but trusted me.
“She’ll be just fine,” I promised. The power of the ring made me feel better immediately. I caressed Sophia’s brow with the ring and she filled with healing energy. I looked over at the rest of our friends and they all high-fived each other. “Ripley, can you handle all the scared onlookers?”
“ Affirmative, ” Ripley answered, and flew around the huge crowd of stunned students and teachers. Ripley dusted enchanted white smoke over them in a twisting funnel. Slowly, every one of them passed out, softly slipping to the floor in a deep sleep.
“Nice!” Roland cheered.
“Now what?” Morgan asked, nervously.
Ripley answered for me. “ They are all sound asleep. When they awake they will not remember anything that happened here tonight. Hurry up, Lucas, we have a long night ahead us. Teleporting each one of these people back home is going to take some time. ”
I huffed at Ripley and smiled. “Just another night for the world’s newest superhero!” I flexed my arms appropriately and Taylor burst out with a hearty laugh. Morgan and Roland giggled too. Felicity just watched me with a somber smirk plastered across her face. She looked away as soon as she noticed I was watching her, watch me. Her hand fell to the finger that she had kept her Jynshee Ring on, and it was obvious she missed its cool touch. She quickly di
sappeared behind the sleeping piles of students.
From the floor Olivia whispered, “What about Queen Strickland?”
I exchanged a worried glance with Taylor. He swiped the loose hair from his face and nodded, “I’ll check on her.” Before I could say anything, he was already halfway to the spot where her severed head rested. Morgan nervously waved to me to follow him.
“Wait up, T,” I called out. With a small wave back toward Morgan I ran up to Taylor. We both slowly walked up to the pieces of the Queen. Her serpent children were shriveled up and lifeless. Her body had shrunk back to its original human form. It was scattered in different places and her skin was white like a ghost. There was no blood but there was black sand everywhere, on the ground, on her body parts, and spilling from her opened wounds.
“Gross,” Taylor chuckled.
“Where’s her head?” I asked, the dark and musty room. When I received the answer it came from the last person I expected.
“I’m…over…here…” Queen Strickland coughed out. Her voice sounded broken and weak, but it was definitely her. Taylor and I turned to our right and found her scaly black face along the floor, buried almost halfway in the debris.
“No way,” I whispered.
“You will…regret…this…Lucasssss Ryan…” she threatened, in a heavy hiss. Her eyes fought to stay open and her serpent tongue dared to touch us. The sight turned my stomach. I leaned down, placing one knee in the muck next to her head.
“I will?”