Chapter 14.

The Accident. Damien Reyes.

Time/Area: NYC 2013. Bronx. July 9th.

“Try not to get beat up as much, okay?” My oh so wise Taekwondo master advised, ushering me out of the Manhattan Martial Arts Studio.

“I’ll try?” I replied, confused as to what this meant. He only nodded and shut the door, leaving me out in the quickly darkening sidewalks of New York City.

I had been distracted all throughout class focusing on Jason’s phone, and while that seems like a bad thing, it allowed me to formulate a plan.

I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t the least bit scared of running into said ‘Jerry’, so I thought it would be better if I had company.

As I walked down the sidewalk, I pulled out my phone and selected contacts.

I scrolled down to the “S” section and tapped Selina’s name.

…

…

…

“D-damien?”

I smiled at the sound of her voice, “Hi!”

“Hi! Did you need something?”

I paused, thinking about how to word this, “So you know how Jason’s phone was knocked into the street?”

Another pause, “..Yeaa? That’s a part of why he was limping around like a zombie today...something about lightning.”

I winced, “Well, I’m tracking Jason’s phone right now, and I was wondering if you wanted to come?”

“I take it Jason doesn’t know about this?”

“How did you know?” I asked.

“Well, I was talking to him earlier and we got to talking about you...Everything with your sister alright?”

I sighed, “Of course they were.” I thought. I mean seriously, the guy was like a month older than me and he acted like I was two sometimes.

“I-it’s okay if you don’t want to come,” I said, finding a bench and sitting down, “I can j-”

“No no, it’s just-” She paused, “Are you sure Jason will be happier once you give him his phone back? I mean it's literally just a phone and he’s rich.”

I stopped, “I would think so.” I assured myself, “Besides, I owe him.”

She sighed over the phone, “Sure. you’re doing this for him.”

I was confused as to her tone, “What was that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, where should I meet you?”

I smiled, happy that she would tag along, “Manhattan Subway Station?”

"Sounds good to me! See you there Dami."

She hung up.

"Dami?" I thought, smirking a little at my new nickname.

I knew my parents would disapprove of this. I tried not to think of what would happen if they found out that I used my subway card to go to the Bronx, during the aftershocks of a radiation leak, to find my friend's phone that was missing.

Instead, I just texted that I would be home late and hoped they didn't ask why.

-

It didn't take me too long to reach the subway, as it was only a couple of blocks away from the studio.

The subway entrance was a simple stairway descending into the ground surrounded by green rails.

People constantly went in and out, so it was a hard place to find anyone.

A mother walked with her child inside, followed by a group of teenagers, then a large crowd of various people came out shortly after.

Even after ten years of living in New York, I never really got outside of Manhattan much, but at the subway station, you see all kinds of people from all across the city.

"Hey!"

I turned around to find that Selina had snuck up on me. She was dressed in a blue leather trench coat, black leggings, and a pair of black boots.

"Hey!" I said back, "You look nice."

She blushed a little, "Thanks, you too."

We began to walk to the entrance of the subway.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked as we walked down the stairs.

I frowned, "I know I want to," I said, "But to be honest, this is probably the craziest thing I've ever done."

Selina laughed as we hit the floor, "Sorry, but that's pretty pathetic."

The underground station was extremely dirty like any other subway station in the city, and people seemed to fill every inch of the place. Stand up billboards displayed various advertisements from soda to the latest arrests made by Ember and there were only a handful of benches open. In front of all that however, stood a gate and a large line of people waiting to get in. I took out my subway card from my wallet and got in line, holding for the masses to shrink.

Once it was our turn, I decided to pay for both me and Selina to get in, swiping my card twice across the blinking light next to the gate in order to appease the gruff guy in the watch box a couple feet away from the entrance.

"Taking the subway without my parents knowing?" I spoke, placing my card back into my wallet, "Seems pretty serious to me.”

Selina shrugged, “You clearly don’t know the meaning of the word. I’ve done much worse. What letter train are we?”

At least that explained why she was so comfortable being here.

“We’re A2.” I answered, pointing to the set of rails that would accommodate our train.

Selina found us an empty bench near the rails and we both sat down.

VROOM!

A rough breeze whipped against our faces as the A1 train soared by us on the tracks, a shiny silver blur among the darkened backdrop of the station,

“How long will it be until it gets here?” She asked, pulling out her phone as the blue strands of her hair flailed about from the speed of the train.

“Only like five minutes.” I replied, checking mine as well. I had a text from Mom:

-

Checked the Bagel Shop Mijo. ¿Dónde estás?

-

Either she had gotten my text earlier and just didn't care, or she hadn't gotten my text at all. I was guessing it was the former.

I tapped Selina’s shoulder, still staring at my phone, “Um, can I say that I’m hanging out with you to my mom?”

Selina shrugged, “It wouldn’t necessarily be a lie right?”

I smiled, typing out a response and clicking send.

Just then, a loud screeching noise rang throughout the station, the letter ‘A’ and the number ‘1’ appearing on electronic billboards left and right.

I got up, “This is us.” I said, the speeding train zooming out of a tunnel before coming to a stop in front of us.

“Doors Opening. Step back to allow customers to exit.” An artificial female voice ordered.

The doors to the train slid open with a metallic Hiss, opening not just the path inside but our ears to some music that was playing in the cart. It was one of the many tunes about New York, describing it as a melody of car horns and footsteps.

Me and Selina boarded the cart and, finding two parallel seats in the back, sat down across from each other.

I looked out the window to my left, shocked to see that barely anyone had gotten on.

Selina read my thoughts,

“Believe it or not Damien,” She smirked, “Not everyone is as eager as you to head into a radiation zone...some people are pretty spooked.”

I brushed her comment off, “The CDC is just being dramatic,” I pointed out, “It’s not like anyone’s gotten sick or anything. The plant just opened anyway.”

The train lurched forward, slowly climbing in speed as it began to fly through the track.

Selina nodded, “Yea,” She said, “But that Synth plant was working on some pretty weird stuff. I think some pipes running through the Bronx that belonged to them even bursted.”

“Weird stuff like what?” I asked, intending for the question to be more of a quiz and less of...well, a question.

She shrugged once more, “Like Chemical slash Electrical regulating systems meant to be tested on bio-organic organisms.”

I blinked. I mean, I knew that from my dad, but how did she know that?

She once again read my mind, “My..uh..dad works there so.. He tells me things.”

I smiled, “Yet another thing we have in common.”

Her eyes widened, “Your dad works for m- I mean for Synth?”

I laughed, “Yea.”

She sunk into her seat, her crystal blue eyes drifting towards the window as we entered a dark tunnel. The tunnel was illuminated only by light panels placed spaciously on the curved concrete walls, “Bet Ms.Reyes and him fight all the time.” Selina guessed.

I shook my head, almost forgetting that Ms.Reyes was my sister, “Remember what I told you?” I recalled, “Energis is the one Sarah told me to stay away from.”

Her expression suddenly darkened as she sat up, “Yea..I remember.”

I frowned, “Hey, when I mentioned that before, you did the exact same thing.”

She tilted her head, “What thing?”.

“You get all..anxious.”

She coughed, “N-no, it’s just that I wish somebody would bring that Jordan guy down already.”

I nodded, understanding and happy that we could talk about this kind of stuff, “Yea.. I hate that my sister had to help him. The stories I’ve heard...”

“Well,” Selina reasoned, “Energis does work on some pretty cool stuff, but the guy’s just too greedy. All he wants to do is win that stupid race.”

I cocked my head, wondering how she knew so much about Jordan J.

I was about to ask about it when the subway suddenly came to a stop, the words “White Plains Road, Bronx” illuminated on a billboard suspended under our cart’s roof.

We had exited the tunnel and were, once again, inside an underground station.

“Doors Opening. Step back to allow customers to exit.”

Selina got up, “Let’s hurry up and get this phone- since it’ll make you feel better about whatever is going on with you and Ms.Reyes.”

I was about to deny anything being wrong, but she had already gotten out, so I just settled for a grunt as I followed her.

Once we were out of the train, up the stairs, and on the pavement, I shivered.

“Why is it so cold?” I wondered, zipping up my coat.

Selina squeezed the rims of her trench coat, “Jeez, the cold is a killer tonight.” She echoed my thoughts.

I checked my phone. Not only were we making good time, but we were also close to Jason’s phone. Mom had also texted some not too nice words on the topic of me hanging out with a girl, but apparently Dad (I loved him) vouched for me and convinced her to let me stay for a bit as long as we weren't far.

If we couldn’t convince my mother of something, then that something would become nothing at all.

Suddenly, Selina put her head on my shoulder, and, despite the weather, my face began to burn strangely.

“W-what are you doing?” I asked.

She laughed, “Checking the map on your phone” She replied, getting off, “What did you think I was doing?”

I coughed, “Um, I- uh.”

Something told me she knew exactly what I thought she was doing, but her question was just so sincere it confused me-

She had already continued walking,

“Keep up!” She yelled, breaking into a jog.

I sighed, matching her pace while giving up on the question of girls as we weaved through the little amount of people on the sidewalk. My phone buzzed, signaling that we had arrived.

“Hold it!” I stopped, pointing into an alley, “This is it.”

She walked to my side, “I knew that.”

Selina started into the backstreet with me trailing slowly behind,

“I will admit,” Selina’s voice went down to a whisper on instinct, “On the long list I have to annoy my dad, rummaging through an alley was not exactly top five…”

Someone had definitely lived here. Cans of soda littered the floor, along with newspaper clippings that acted as a bed.

A broken pipe stuck out from the left alley wall, and It was leaking a strange, blue liquid that had created a huge puddle on-

"Wait a second.." I thought.

Something caught my eye against a nearby dumpster.

As I went to check it out, Selina whistled.

“Wow,” She breathed, shining her light around, “Should we leave money for this guy? I feel bad for him..”

I sighed, the years of parental voices engraved into my brain finally starting to awaken, “Let’s just get J’s phone and get out of here.”

Selina nodded, beginning to sort through the trash. I found it almost instantly, lifting a piece of paper to reveal the silver gleam of the phone case. Even though the app had said it would be here, I was a little shocked that I had found it so easily.

"Got it!" I exclaimed, tucking the device into my pocket and getting up. I checked the wallet like case of the phone, but sadly, there was no money inside. Whoever had been here had probably just taken the money and dipped.

Selina dropped some papers she was going through,

"Nice eye Dami." She complimented me.

I smiled, Let's get out of-"

Suddenly, just as victory seemed close, I felt two rough hands grip my shoulders from behind,

"GIVE IT BACK! GIVE IT BACK NOW!" The man yelled, shoving me into the strange puddle I mentioned earlier. I yelped as I sloshed through the weird liquid, trying to push him off but realizing it was just too daunting of a task.

Why?

Well, in the scary moment I was in, this guy was what I pictured Goliath to have looked like.

200 pounds of big black overcoat, disturbingly pale skin, and overgrown facial hair was gripping me furiously.

I could've sworn the liquid I had just chalked up as weirdly blue water seemed to glow...

The guy pushed to the floor, my head banging against the wet concrete as I felt the man’s grip intensify.

It was just then I realized the coincidence that would’ve almost been comical if I wasn’t planted in the middle of it.

It was the ‘Jerry’.

He looked to his left, making sure to hold me down as he grabbed a piece of the broken pipe that had probably been connected to the one that caused the puddle by the dumpster.

" This can’t be happening!" I thought, struggling to break free.

"Get off!" I shouted, but it appeared to be in vain.

The man brought back the pipe, intending to slam It into my face before Selina swiped the object from his palm,

"Back off you soda addict!" She yelled, hurling the piece of metal at my attacker.

The man let out a cry, falling off of me from the force of the blow. I quickly got up, feeling a weird but fulfilling sensation as I stood next to Selina. I chalked the feeling up to adrenaline.

We watched as he slowly got up on his knees, his face twisted with anger.

Without thinking too much, I shot my foot forward with as much force as my legs could possibly generate, nailing the man right in the jaw with the flat side of my sneaker as he flew into the brick of the alley.

He slumped to the floor, unconscious.

Selina stared at me, bewildered, "You got some moves black belt!" She smiled, punching my ribs. She seemed to be feeling a less severe version of what was darting through my brain at the moment.

Did we just do that?

Did I Just do that?!

I felt too much adrenaline to feel much of anything else, so I just laughed, "Y-yea sure."

She turned to me, "Too bad your pants got wet-?"

Selina stopped mid sentence, "Okay wait, I know you just fell in a huge puddle."

I felt the back of my coat.

It was completely dry.

“I don’t understand.” I breathed, slowly feeling my hyperactive body stabilize while looking over my shoulder to check my jeans. They were also dry.

Selina shined her flashlight on the puddle-

“It’s gone..” I announced, looking at the dry concrete overlooked by the fractured pipeline.

“Where the heck did the puddle go?” Selina quizzed, bringing the light to the pipe.

Bold letters were painted onto the shine of the metal. It read, Synth.

I gulped, “The puddle came from the pipe..” I said, now wondering if that blue-ish colored liquid was really just water.

Selina turned to me, “And The pipe led to the plant.”

I couldn’t help but freak out, “A-am I infected with something now?” I asked, patting myself down as about a million science fiction movies came to mind, “Cause I’m too young to die!”

Selina just gave me a frightened shrug,

“Radioactive puddle of doom?”

I quickly shrugged off my coat, feeling the back of my shirt-

“Ah!” I yelped and I retracted my hand, feeling it burn like fire for only a millisecond before the searing sensation seemed to dissipate, “Is something on my back?”

Selina walked behind me,

“N-no!” She yelled, the calm and collected version of Selina Morgan now out the window as she seemed to be experiencing something new.

I turned to face her, my eyes widened as I shook my head rapidly, “This is bad, right?”

“Oh my gosh.” She kept repeating that to herself.

“We need to get you to a hospital!” She shouted.

I shook my head even faster, “No! Then my parents would find out that I'm here and I’ll be grounded for life!”

Selina glared at me, “A strange, possibly irradiated blue puddle might have just entered your back, and you’re worried about Daddy issues?!”

I nodded, “Yes! My dad will kill me!”

She motioned towards the pipe, “You might die anyway!”

My heartbeat quickened, “Really?!”

She suddenly shook her head, a cloud of self provided reason settling into her eyes, “N-no probably not.” She said, holding her palms up in an effort to calm both herself and me, “There’s only one blue Synth liquid I know of and it shouldn’t be harmful..”

A couple of people glanced awkwardly at us as they walked by the alley, probably headed for the subway. Whether they were confused at the two teenagers yelling in a dark alley or at the unconscious man in front of them was beyond my predictions though.

I tilted my head, lazily and hesitantly slipping back on my coat, “What is it? And would it be if it was irradiated?!”

Selina gave an embarrassed wave at a prissy looking woman that had significantly sped up when she caught eye of us delinquents, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the alley before leading us back to the Subway station,“The only one I can think of is that E.R.L thing we were talking about earlier on the train,” Selina continued, “and no, it shouldn’t kill you even if it was irradiated...Well, I think so anyways.”

I sighed a breath of relief as we entered the subway station.

There were more people here than in the station in Manhattan now, the huge underground space taken up by every kind of New Yorker imaginable while my eyes strained to find an empty bench.

“But why does it burn?” I asked, paying for us to get into the train waiting area once again.

Selina shrugged, “You expect me to know everything?”

“Selina!” I yelled, now able to do so because of the tens of voices in the air, “A puddle just crawled into my back!”

"I know! It's freaking me out too, okay!?"

I tried to calm down, both of us finally finding a bench and sitting down.

I massaged my temples, lowering my head to my knees, "Well, I feel fine, so I'll be fine."

Selina gave me a confused look, "Um, I don't think that's how it works Dami."

I freaked out again, wondering if we really should get help, "W-who should we tell?" I asked.

Selina began naming people, “Isn’t your mom a doctor?”

"That’s exactly why I shouldn’t tell her."

“Fair point,” She admitted, “Dad?”

“Works for the Synth Plant, remember? Gonna be a weird story if I told him...”

“Oh right, right.” Selina scratched her head, watching as a train carrying about half of the people here was whisked away. Ours would be coming next.

“I guess you can’t tell your sister,” Selina sighed, “Seeing as she’s why you acted out like this in the first place.”

I glared at her, sitting back up, “She’s not why.”

She nodded slowly, “Right, right.”

Before I could defend this point further, Selina smacked my arm, "Don’t worry, you’re probably right!" she comforted, beginning to yell as the familiar gust of wind brushed against our faces, bringing along with it the speeding silver bullet that would take us back to Manhattan,

"It will probably be fine!"

I kept telling myself that the whole way home.

It'll be fine.

It'll be fine.

It'll be fine.

-