"I still can't believe that Martin is gonna show us his secret lab!" Marcus giggled nervously.

Sweet, innocent Marcus.

"Hang on, that's what he's been making? A secret lab?" Hush asked Marcus.

"Mm hmm! It's super exciting!" Sierra clapped her hands.

"I gotta see this. Wait, Sierra? I thought we didn't like Martin anymore."

"We don't."

"So why are you excited?"

"Just because it's horrible, doesn't mean it's not exciting. We're about to make a breakthrough and save everyone!"

Hush nodded. She figured that even if they did find out what was going on, they simply wouldn't be able to understand it enough scientifically to explain anything. So, instead, Hush was going to kill him before he had the chance to do anything unreversable.

If it were up to her, Hush would have gone in alone. Because, given their kind-hearted nature, Marcus and Sierra were going to die. This was not a job for nice people.

"The four of us, secret agents! I just can't believe it," Marcus laughed.

"Four?" Hush asked him.

"And Jack. You remember Jack, don't you? My spirit animal. He's disappointed that you don't remember him."

"Sorry, Marcus."

"Say sorry to him, not me!"

"Sorry, umm, Jack."

Hush looked down at the wolf necklace that Marcus had bought recently. He had said it "embodied" Jack or whatever.

"When did Martin say we could see his lab?" Sierra asked Marcus, changing the subject.

"Oh yes!" Marcus said, his anger temporarily forgotten, "Uhh... tonight. 10pm. That's in eight hours!"

"Should we make a secret plan or something?"

This was exactly what Hush meant. They thought they were in some kind of spy TV show. They were going to die! Well, Hush would just ensure that they didn't.

"Yeah! We could go to my place!" Marcus suggested.

Hush rolled her eyes. She had seen enough of Marcus' butt for a lifetime and a half.

"Sure! Come on, Hush," Sierra smiled.

The three of them when into Marcus' room, where Sierra brought out her scrapbooks and Marcus took off his clothes.

"Seriously, can't you go wearing clothes for more than five minutes?" Hush huffed.

Marcus looked upset.

"But my dad told me that if I'm not nude at least once a day, then Mother Nature will strike me with lightning," Marcus whimpered.

Hush and Sierra exchanged looks.

"Well, I think you're dad lied to you so that you would continue his... traditions."

Sierra furiously gestured her to stop behind Marcus, but what? It was the truth. If he couldn't face the truth, then that was his problem.

"No! That makes no sense."

"But Marcus, that makes all the sense in the world," Sierra comforted him. She seemed reluctant, but she knew really it was the right thing to do.

"You think so...?"

"Don't you?"

Marcus looked down and nodded.

"Can't I be naked because I enjoy it, then...?" he suggested.

Hush facepalmed. He obviously didn't believe them one bit.

"Just- ugh, yes," Hush gave up. It wasn't worth the argument.

"Yay!"

Hush giggled a sorry laugh, then sighed deeply to herself.

"Hey, wanna hear a story? Jack told it to me last night!" Marcus smiled. Not that they could see his smile, but hey, it was the thought that counted.

"Sure."

"OK, let me begin..."

It's about a man and her daughter. They're in this place in a distant and full of magic, but their home is being destroyed.

The girl's mother is trapped in their house, and she is killed by falling rubble. Soldiers with strange attire run around with guns, killing any survivors on the spot. The girl's father runs but is shot down.

After the man is dead, one of the men says: "And they said to not use artifacts to see into the future."

I look into their mind. And I find Martin. He's in charge of the organisation. I look further, and I find, I find...

"You find what?" Sierra asked him.

I find that he got the information... from me.

Hush studied Marcus with curiosity. The story seemed so farfetched, but something in the back of Hush's mind told her it was real. Then, it clicked.

"Oh my God, you're a psychic!" Hush exclaimed.

Sierra and Marcus exchanged looks.

"That... makes sense actually," Sierra nodded. Hush pulled her aside and began to whisper.

"I think that Jack isn't a spirit animal. I think he's Marcus' subconscious, telling him things about the future and he calls him a spirit animal because he can't explain it!"

Sierra nodded. It had clicked for her, too.

"We can't tell him."

"Of course not... Marcus, I think Jack is your psychic ability!" Hush shouted before Sierra could stop her.

"Woah. You mean, Jack's sharing his powers with me?" Marcus gasped.

Hush groaned.

"Of course he is! You're awesome," Sierra nodded.

"Wow! Thanks buddy!"

Hush rolled her eyes and looked at the floor. She brushed some grey strands of hair out of her face before looking up again.

"Plan, then?" Hush sighed.

"Right!" Sierra giggled.

They decided in the end that Hush would be the one to kill Martin. Marcus and Sienna would distract him while Hush said she was going to the toilet, and would then get him from behind. It worked in theory, but whether it would work in practice was another question.

They would have to try their best. Hush had heard that if you believed you could do it, you had a higher chance of doing it right. Some kind of psychological thing or whatever.

But now, as Martin led them down some hallways they had never been down before, Hush wasn't so sure.

"It's just down here. I promise," Martin promised. Hush felt like she was walking into a trap, but she still kept going.

Once they were inside the lab, Hush couldn't help but marvel.

Several vats of some luminous blue liquid were lined up against one wall. On the opposite side was some kind of experiment set up with some black gooey liquid. The walkway was raised from the floor on metal grates that they could see through the gaps. It was so high.

Then, Hush heard the door lock behind her. She, Marcus and Sierra all whirled around, but no one was there. When they turned back around, Martin was holding a gun.

"Right, let's cut to the chase. Hush, I know you've been turning them against me. So that means that Marcus and Sierra are invalid. Such a shame," Martin smiled.

Then, he shot Marcus and Sierra. At first, nothing happened. Then, black foam began pouring out of their mouths. Then, they had dissolved into the stuff. All that was left was Marcus' robot suit.

Hush ran over to them, but she knew she was too late.

"They're... dead. You killed them. You murdered them!" Hush cried.

"Wow, I knew you'd get there eventually," Martin grinned.

Hush advanced on Martin.

"I can't believe you! You've taken everything I love? All my friends, my love... you're a maniac!" Hush screamed.

"No. I'm a scientist. Sci-en-tist. Scientist. What do you not understand?" Martin folded his arms.

"Why don't you just kill me? The only thing of mine you haven't taken is my life."

Martin laughed.

"What now?" Hush groaned.

"Well, you see, that's already been taken."

Hush regarded Martin with curiosity. What did he mean her life had been taken? Martin lifted up the dart gun, which had one more dart inside.

"This Chaos Serum, of my own creation, only works on living organic matter. That is how I know nothing will happen if I do this."

Martin shot Hush with the last dart in her arm. She began to panic as she saw the black liquid, the Chaos Serum or whatever, squeeze out of the dart and into her bloodstream. She pulled out the dart and threw it, but it was already too late.

Hush closed her eyes and waited to start coughing up Chaos Serum... but nothing happened. She looked at Martin. What if he was right?

"See?" Martin shrugged.

"So what if I'm dead? You're more dead than anyone will ever be," Hush hissed.

"Stop. Shh. Shut up. Right, here's what we're going to do. I'm going to tell you a name, and you're going to tell me if you know who I'm talking about. OK?"

Hush nodded. If she did it, it would all be over, and she could go back to her life and try to forget that this man had murdered her friends.

Hush nodded, and Martin smiled.

"Good! Very good, actually! Now then... does the name The Thing In The Woods ring a bell to you?"

Hush shook her head.

"No? Well, it's like a huge mass of vines and leaves and branches. Ring any bells?"

Then, Hush stared at Martin with horror. She knew exactly what he was talking about.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Word Count: 1485 Words