Chapter 13

5/30/119 Monday 7:15 AM

Sheffer Residence

Still early in the morning, having finished cooking breakfast, Gertrude now sits on the couch, drinking the last bit of her coffee while listening to the radio.

In the midst of her morning routine, there is a knock on the door, causing her to groan in annoyance as she stands up to open it. When she swings open the door, standing there is a short, young man in a black long coat.

“My apologies for intruding so early, Mrs. Sheffer,” Ethan says. “I just had something I would like to speak to your son about.”

Before answering him, her eyes drift to the long object strapped around his shoulder and she cannot help but widen her eyes in astonishment.

Is that … a sword?!

Yesterday, Ethan had left his sword behind in his hotel so as to not intimidate Chris upon first meeting him.

To answer him, she restrains the twitching of her face and responds,

“Sorry, Chris is getting ready for school. Come back another time.”

“Actually he's asleep right now. His energy feels lower than usual.”

From the feel of someone's Geinta, he can tell the difference between if they are injured or just asleep, and he’s one hundred percent positive that Chris is the latter.

His comment prompts her to turn around and look at the staircase, as if she’s thinking of going to check. She easily believes his words as they’re a real possibility.

That brat’s asleep?

She inwardly sighs before turning back around.

“All the same, please come back another time.”

“Sure, will do,” he says after a moment of hesitation. Her slightly displeased tone towards him did not go unnoticed. He figures she suspects something happened yesterday, given that Chris was noticeably shaken up.

It’s understandable. Even I regretted getting him involved, if only for a minute.

Once seeing him depart from the doorway, she closes the door to wake Chris up while he continues back down the driveway towards the road.

He's still asleep, huh? Was yesterday too hard on him? Hmm. Well, it doesn't matter. As long as he is ok.

But, he interrupts his own thought process, reflecting on what he just told himself.

Did I just think that? Me? Why do I even care? I don’t think I’ve shown this much compassion towards another person in years.

He continues walking until he reaches the end of the driveway and intersects with the main road. Planting his feet, he prepares to sprint back to town, only to find himself unable to move.

Should I stay? No. He’s fine and he would survive an attack while awake. There’s no reason to be here any longer.

Though having almost convinced himself, he still decides to sit down at the end of the driveway to wait, leaning against a stake at the edge of a fence.

On second thought, as long as I'm here, I'll explain the situation to him.

***

7:25 AM,

The bus which usually picks Chris up arrives at his driveway. However it does not stop as the driver sees no sign of him. As it continues by, the students on the bus stare at Ethan with puzzled looks. This includes Chris’s friends, Randy and Kika (Last seen in Chapter 1).

Randy taps her shoulder to draw her attention towards the strange guy sitting in their friend’s driveway.

“Who the hell is the edge lord sitting outside Chris's house?”

“Edge lord?” she asks. “What are you ..?”

Turning her head to look out the window, she spots the guy he’s talking about. Upon laying eyes on him, she involuntarily lets out a giggle.

“That guy is in a long coat and is carrying a sword. Can he try any harder?”

“I know, right?!”

She thinks of leaving the issue at that, but suddenly Randy decides to roll down the window to shout at him.

“Yoooo! Edgy dude. Quit tryna be a ninja and put away the sword! And try not to die of heatstroke in that coat!”

Having said his piece, he rolls back up the window to be immersed in the laughter of his classmates. Everyone had thought the same thing: ‘this guy has a sword, and not to mention a black coat on in the middle of may? How cringe.’

They continue to joke about the ‘edge lord’ for the rest of the ride, thoroughly confusing the students who later boarded the vehicle.

***

30 minutes later,

Ethan continues to wait patiently for Chris to exit his house. While doing so, for the last thirty minutes, he’s continued thinking about the teen who had yelled at him.

There were two on that bus with high Geinta levels. I think the kid who yelled at me was one of them. If the Ghosts attack the school, he will at least be able to defend himself.

He then sighs and stares at the clothes he’s wearing, thinking back to the taunts which had been shouted.

‘Edgy,’ huh? I never even thought about it. I just picked out something which looked practical. A coat, which keeps me warm if it's cold and will provide some camouflage during the night. I would have killed for a coat like this while training.

I guess now that I’m back, I should at least dress to blend in with everyone else instead of standing out.

Finishing his train of thought, he looks towards the Sheffer house after sensing a massive Geinta presence. It doesn’t take long before Chris arrives at his location, nearly tripping over his feat upon seeing him waiting.

“You're still here?” Chris asks, sliding to a stop on a gravel driveway. “I would’ve left a long time ago if I were you. Gertrude said you were here like over half an hour ago.”

“I just have learned a bit of patience in my lifetime.”

“Anyone ever told you that you talk like an old man. Aren’t you like … only a few years older than me?”

Ethan starts contrasting two characterizations which have been used to describe him today, and he finds himself perplexed.

So I’m edgy but I also talk like an old man? I’m learning a lot about myself today.

Moving on, Chris then asks, “Anyways, whatchu need?”

“Oh, just think of this as a welfare check.”

“I don't remember being put in a foster family.”

To this, Ethan internally groans while questioning how he can possess such wit so early in the morning. From his limited knowledge, he was under the impression that people of Chris’s age were basically zombies in the morning.

However, ignoring his witty comeback, he moves on to the main issue at hand.

“I think someone might be targeting you, so I wanted to just check and see if they had attacked yet.”

Chris' expression crumbles.

“Someone ... wants to kill me? Do you think that they'll go after Gert and Joe?”

“No, I don't think so,” Ethna responds. “Looking at it rationally, you’re there target. It wouldn't do them much good if they make you angry.”

“Ok that's good ... WAIT, HELL NO! WHY ARE THEY TRYNA KILL ME?!

“Calm yourself. It's only a theory. I'll explain on the way. You look like you're in a hurry.” Ethan then looks at the sun's position to tell the time. “You're late aren't you?”

“Yeah, but now that you’re here, there’s really no rush,” Chris states while yawning. “What's the difference between ten minutes late and thirty. I didn't get much sleep and I'm tired, so you’ve given me the perfect opportunity to take it easy. Let's do a casual jog.”

“Sure.”

The two break out into a light jog down the road, still far faster than any normal human. During their trip, Ethan suddenly looks ahead in the direction of the school with a curious gaze.

The Geinta levels just spiked in that direction. I can’t sense how far away it is because Chris is standing next to me. However, the school is in that direction, so maybe one of those students did it.

***

Arbhar High School,

Outside the campus gates stands four figures, each intently staring at the school building. This group of people are the Ghosts, excluding Jarvis, as he always stays behind during jobs.

While silently waiting, Alex continually looks at his watch while fiddling with the pouch strapped around his waist. He and the rest are becoming inpatient waiting for their target to enter the premises.

Eventually, Ulrike breaks the silence.

“Alex, the bell rang 15 minutes ago. The little shit's already inside.”

“But I never saw him go in,” he responds.

“Maybe he rode in on the bus. I never got a good look at the faces getting off.”

“Maybe.”

“Alex,” Charlotte interjects, having run out of patience. “Let's do this already.”

“Sorry, I just want to do this right. Four-eyes is no pushover, ya know?”

“Then let's ambush him while he's still tired,” says Ulrike. “Teenagers hate mornings.”

“Alright already,” Alex grumbles. He is not happy about the present situation. Originally, the plan was to strike at his house, but by the time they discovered his identity, dawn had already arrived.

Slightly peeved, Alex opens up the pouch and stuffs his hand inside. He then pulls out 4 needles, each containing a liquid with an orange glow, and hands one to each of them.

Holding the needle in his hand, Steffan furrows his brows, a question having popped into his mind.

“Before we start, I just realized something. How can we guarantee that the Bounty Hunter won't show up at the school as backup?”

To his question, Alex grins and chuckles.

“Jarvis took care of that,” he answers. “Currently, Mr. Bounty Hunter is helping the Sheriff solve the police murders. Jarvis managed to briefly tap into the SDC network used to contact the bounty hunter after he found out about it from the officers we interrogated. The hunter should still be helping the Sheriff right now.”

Steffan’s eyes widen at this new information, but only he reacts. It seems everyone else had been informed before him.

“I am often impressed by how cunning Jarvis is.”

Alex chuckles again at Steffan’s praise.

“Alright everyone, let's do this.”

All four of them simultaneously press the needle into their arms and shoot in the liquid. An orange aura envelopes them for a moment before subsiding. Alex squeezes his hands to feel out his new strength.

I never get tired of this feeling.

This liquid is a special chemical serum which enhances the ability of the user by not only increasing their Geinta but also granting them the ability of a Power Gem temporarily. The serum is created by dissolving the sharps of a Gem into a base Geinta-enhancement formula.

Jarvis discovered how to use this formula after two years of research using his limited knowledge of Geintistry and Biochemistry. The ingredients to make such a serum are very expensive and the Power Gem used to make it almost bankrupted the Ghosts.

The Power Gem which they bought was apparently classified as the ‘Ghost Gem’ and it grants them the ability to pass or ‘phase’ through solid matter.

Now, after taking the shots, their Geinta enhanced by twice its original amount, all four begin to walk onto the campus. The front gate has already been closed, but this poses little issue for them as they phase straight through it.

***

Abhar High School

Front Entrance,

Standing guard at the front door, two officers, Officer Rob Rapor and Joe Phesup, posted there by the Sheriff at Ethan’s request, spot the intruders and quickly retreat inside for a moment. Officer Rapor reaches for his SDC and contacts the Sheriff.

“Sheriff, this is Rob,” he says into the SDC. “I have a man outside the school matching the description of Alex Spencer. He has 3 more following behind him.”

“Shit,” the Sheriff says involuntarily. “Good work Rob. Backup will be there in a few minutes. Try holding them off until we get there. I give you permission to shoot if provoked.”

“Understood.”

The two middle aged officers draw their guns and walk outside to meet the intruders, their hearts racing at an incredible rate.

“DON’T MOVE!” Rapor yells as the two aim the sights of their pistols at the encroaching Ghosts. “LET ME SEE SOME HANDS!”

“What the hell?!”

Alex, surprised by the sudden appearance of a gun aimed at him, dashes towards them to attack. Reacting quickly, Officer Phesup fires a bullet into Alex's head. However, to his surprise, the bullet passes straight through his target. The bullet, having passed through Alex, continues on towards the Ghosts behind him, but the bullet also phases through them as well.

As Phesup’s eyes widen from confusion, questioning how a man survived while being shot point blank, Alex closes the distance between them. He grabs Phesup’s face and plants the back of the Officer’s head into the concrete, easily splitting open his skull.

Just as Phesup had fired at Alex, so did Rapor. However, the bullet had missed and would’ve hit Ulrike had he not started phasing. Ulrike, in retaliation, pulls a knife from his pocket and expertly throws it into the neck of Rapor.

Both Officers now lay on the ground. While Phesup died instantly from a crushed head, a bit of brain matter leaking out onto the pavement, Rapor quickly bleeds out. After a few moments, he also dies, joining his partner in the afterlife.

The Ghosts stare down at the two deceased Officers.

“Fuck,” Alex says aloud. “Why were there cops here?”

“That means they're onto us, man,” replies Ulrike.

“Damn.” Alex then turns to Steffan. “Stay out here and keep watch. They might’ve already called reinforcements.”

***

Abhar High School

The Main Office,

Due to the gunfire outside, the people within the school are in a panic. In the main office, the secretaries and administrators have lowered their heads, none brave enough to step outside. The panicked screams from the kids can be heard from down the hall, only serving to add to their fear.

The two secretaries are currently hiding under their desk, one trying to whisper to the other.

“I knew there were cops here but I didn't think there would be shots fired.”

Lisa, the older of the two, looks at the other one with cold eyes, before replying with a harsh tone.

“Would you shut up. Stop making me more scared than I already am.”

Then suddenly the door to the main officer bursts open with a loud bang, as if someone had kicked the door down. Following this, Lisa hears a woman’s voice.

“They're all scared of a little gunfire,” Charlotte says. “Pathetic.”

To this comment, Lisa hears a creepy sounding man chuckle (Ulrike), followed by a different voice which asks,

“Is the secretary hiding behind there?”

He had spoken loudly, addressing the question to room in general. Lisa and the other secretary froze, a cold sweat forming on their foreheads as their faces droop into mortified expressions.

“If there is, lift your head. Now!”

Reacting to his words, the younger secretary lifts her head into view rather quickly, while Lisa decides to stand up slowly with her hand raised. She observes their attackers and notices they are not in possession of any guns, which confuses her but, as she couldn’t care less right now, she doesn’t spare any brain power to ponder the issue.

“There are two?”

Alex’s question immediately throws the younger secretary into a panic, assuming he will kill one of them because there is ‘one more than necessary.’

“PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! I'LL DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, JUST PLEASE! I BEG YOU!”

Lisa watches this scene from the side and notices that the man is quite irritated at the other secretary's pleading. Lisa realizes she had made the right choice by keeping quiet.

“Ehh? What's with you? I don't need you if you're going to be loud and obnoxious.”

Alex then, without hesitation, jabs his fist into her face. From just a single punch, her body is flung across the room and crashes hard onto the floor, blood splattering everywhere and staining the carpet red.

Lisa, unable to believe what just happened, tilts her head to look at her colleague. She now understands why the cops lost despite facing unarmed assailants.

He is a dreadful Awakened.

She continues to stare at her colleague on the floor, unable to guess whether she is still alive or not. Though, being the cold hearted woman she is, it wasn’t like she’d miss her. For this reason, she remains calm in the face of another's death, which proves advantageous for her.

“You,” Alex says while looking at her. “You seem rational. That’s good. I can actually deal with you.”

Lisa stiffens up but does not panic as she waits for his next words.

“Where is a student named Chris Sheffer right now?”

Lisa knows who he’s talking about. Chris’s words to her from the previous semester echo through her mind.

[Before]

“Did you know you have a big, witch-like nose? You should dress up as one some time.”

[Present]

Being the vain and resentful person she is, those words have stuck in her brain like how a small, annoying splinter sticks to one’s foot. Lisa grinds her teeth when thinking about him.

Chris Sheffer. That disrespectful little shit. What does he want with him?

Lisa, who doesn’t know which class he’s supposed to be in currently, starts typing into the computer to search the school database. It's an old computer and therefore the results of the search were slow. She could visibly see Alex growing impatient.

Although the search only lasted mere minutes, to all involved it felt like hours. Relieved, she turns to Alex and reads off the search results.

“H-he's i-in room B2.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna need a map of the place.”

“Ah,” escapes her mouth, and she hurriedly pulls out a map from her desk drawer.

After handing it to him, Alex and the two others depart from the main office, and Lisa finally lets out a sigh of relief. She feels zero guilt for what she just did. The other staff look at her in disgust that she could sell out a student that easily, but she ignores the glares, finding them to be hypocritical.

The three ghosts make their way down the halls while reading the building layout. Ulrike looks around at the locked classroom doors and laughs, thinking their efforts to be so futile. After walking for a minute or so, they turn down a hallway to find a room labeled B2.

***

Classroom B2,

Inside, a group of twenty or so students are huddled on the ground on the far side of the classroom. Suddenly, there is a loud knock on the door, causing many of the students to scream out in surprise.

Amoung the students, a particularly calm one named Eric stares at his classmates in annoyance for there idiotic screams.

All they did was knock on the door. Why are people already screaming?

Continuing to stare at the door, he figured that since no one answered their knock, they would bust it down or shoot through it. However, he had not anticipated them to walk straight through the door as if it wasn’t even there.

Pushing his surprise to the side, he notices the assailants that entered number only three, which confuses him.

I thought I saw 4 in the parking lot. Is the other one outside? And none of them are carrying a weapon?

The reason for his abnormally rational thought process under the circumstances is because he is one of the three students that possess Power Gems. Though he doesn’t want to expose that fact unless absolutely necessary, he is not frightened of their attackers as he is confident in defending himself. He continues to keep a cool head and observe the situation.

“Can we get some light in here?” Alex says. The blinds are currently shut as it is a basic lockdown procedure.

Upon saying this, Ulrike steps forward and opens the blinds, allowing Eric to once again see out the window. Taking a quick glance, he spots the muscular man that accompanied the three earlier standing out in the parking lot.

Knowing he is in no position to take his eye off a much closer enemy, he turns his eyes back to who appears to be the leader of the group. Alex begins walking around the room, checking every student's scared-shitless face. Normally, he might tease them for his own enjoyment, but instead his expression grows more frustrated with every student he looks at.

“Why isn't he here?” he asks Charlotte. “Did that bitch at the front office lie to me?!”

“She wasn't lying. I'm certain.”

The teacher chimes in with a meek voice and asks, “W-what do you want?”

Having been asked this, Alex aggressively leans towards the teacher as if the question was the straw that broke the camel's back.

“I want to know what the hell happened to Chris Sheffer! Scrawny kid! Glasses!”

Eric's eyes widen at hearing Alex’s words, but he quickly hardens his expression

once more after he noticed the lady (Charlotte) by the door staring at him.

Chris? What do they want with him? It's not like he got powers that day like me, Kika, and Randy. How would he even be involved with guys like this?

The sound of screeching tires from the parking lot interrupts his thought process. He, along with the three Ghosts, look outside the window to observe the situation.

***

Outside,

Standing guard in the parking lot, Steffan has his arms crossed and his knees locked, observing the numerous police cars screeching to a halt in front of him.

“Guess I'll have to fight the police.”

The policemen within the cars step out rather quickly and draw their guns. They stay standing behind the protection of their car doors.

A policeman with a megaphone steps out of a vehicle in the rear to yell at Steffan. He looks older and more important than the rest, so Steffan assumes he’s the Sheriff, to which he is correct.

“PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR AND LAY ON THE GROUND OR WE WILL OPEN FIRE!”

Without hesitation, Steffan bolts towards the policemen and, before they have a chance to shoot, he jumps up into the air and lands behind the first row of cars. The policeman nearest turns around to see a massive man staring down at him with an intense bloodlust.

He quickly points his pistol and fires into Steffan’s abdomen, only for the bullet to pass straight through and hit his partner. Steffan, in response, grips the policeman’s head with his bear-like hands and drives a knee into his face.

The policeman’s face explodes on Steffan’s knee and he falls limps to the ground. His face is caved in, like he took a sledgehammer to the head multiple times.

The rest of the cops stare at the scene in horror. In less than a moment, they lost two police officers. They all raise the pistols once more and begin to rapid fire into Steffan, hoping to kill this monster before them.

Steffan wipes the blood off his knee as bullets are hailing through him, hitting the officers on the opposite side. Since their own were accidentally killing each other with friendly fire, effectively ‘thinning the herd,’ it makes his job even easier.

And with that, he proceeds to slaughter the remaining officers.