Greg's Discovery: Part 9

[nightwolf285]

Greg's Discovery: Part 9

?No mistakes!? Sean roaring voice chanted.

Chris has a little chant of his own: ?Run!?

His legs began to move and not a moment to soon. As soon as Chris had sprinted away from the monster, careful to avoid hitting anyone, the basketball goal came crashing down. Glass now littered the floor where he stood. Chris had avoided Sean's first attack, but it certainly wasn't the last.

Putting his hands around the remaining ten foot metal pole, Sean pried it up from the ground with another bellowing grunt: foundation and all. The bottom edge of the pole was still attacked to a piece of the gymnasium floor Sean just ripped up. ?GIVE ME BACK THE CRYSTAL!? he yelled, his voice filling the gymnasium like thunder.

Chris had effectively pissed of the armed, fifteen foot titan, and oh, was he pissed. Running as fast as he could around this colossus, Chris made a bolt for the side exit door.

Watching the little runt try to escape, he took a swing at him with his ten foot pole. Feeling the gust of wind rush past him, Chris didn't want to know how narrowly Sean had missed. Chris kept running, and was soon joined by other students. All of them fled in terror. What if they were next to be drained or worse?

However, all of them were running for the main entrance, not the little side exit. Greg and the six dazed boys were the only ones that held their ground. Well, Greg was the only one to 'hold' his ground, the others were still just stuck to it.

Sean's feet echoed with booming steps as he turned about. All Chris could do was keep running as fast as he could for the exit. Another gust of wind blew past him. He was almost there. ?Come back here!? Sean bellowed, clumsily swinging the pole a third time.

Lunging himself through the door, Chris was outside on the northern side of the campus. He could hear a roar from behind the thick brick wall and tiny metal door. Believing that he had escaped Sean's rampage, he rested for a moment, taking many heavy breaths.

No sooner had he leaned his back against the wall of the gym did he feel it shake. It shook again. Leaping off the wall, he ran out into the grass watching it shake a third time. ?He couldn't,? Chris feared, clutching the crystal more tightly.

He could. With one final pound, a large section of the north wall became ruble at the giant's feet. Sean stood in the newly formed hole, heaving his might chest. Chris was like a mouse in a trap. Every time he would try to run, Sean would take a few heaving steps and heave his weapon in Chris's path. Chris would run the other way, and it happened again. He couldn't out run him.

Greg had come up behind Sean, and could see that Chris couldn't escape. The time for standing around was over. He had to help his friend. With one mighty leap, Greg grappled Sean's enormous traps, and scaled his mountainous back. Sean tried to swipe Greg off with his other hand, but all of his muscles had grown too large for him to reach his back. Greg had free reign to do whatever it was he was planning to do.

Out in the field, Chris could see Greg's head appear from behind Sean's extremely thick neck. Greg had climbed up onto Sean's shoulders, mounting him like a horse. Barely able to wrap his legs around Sean's thick neck, he held on for dear life as he covered Sean's face with his arms and hands.

Sean was getting agitated by his little problem. Unable to reach him by hand, he had started throwing his torso about, trying to fling Greg off of him. Chris stood there, watching this incredibly heroic thing that Greg was trying to do. He was buying him the time he needed. How thoughtful.

?Chris!? Greg screamed, ?Don't you have something to be doing right about now!?

?Oh, right!? Chris yelled back apologetically, starting to run once again. Greg could barely hold on. It was the bull ride he couldn't lose. What would happen to Chris when Sean got loose.

?You know,? Greg jerked, lunging around with Sean's body, ?I don't really get why he's doing it, but if it has something to do with stopping people like you, then let him destroy that damn thing!?

Sean responded in heaving roars. Greg was loosing his grip, but at least the part that mattered finally understood something more. Then, with one mighty lunge of his body, Greg was thrown off of Sean's shoulders and sent sailing into the field beyond. Hitting the ground rather hard, Greg got knocked out.

Heaving with rage, his face turning a deep red and even a shade of purple, Sean saw Chris disappear around the west side of the building. He wasn't going to let him get away that easily. Propelling his body into action, Sean began to run after the little runt, with a rather large hard on still leading the way.

Chris had hoped that he was running fast enough, but where was he running to. He needed something that would be hard enough to smash the crystal on. But what? Then he saw it.

?The courtyard!? Chris realized while entering the shady grove.

Sean was gaining on Chris. It was like seeing the train from hell chasing him down. Trying not to succumb to fear, he just began to feverishly chant to himself, ?Destroy the rock! Destroy the rock! Destroy the rock!?

His voice bounced as each leg ran that much harder. He had never ran faster in his life. But never before had he been chased by an enraged muscle giant.

?GIVE IT TO ME!? Sean screamed, taking another swing with his eight foot pole.

Chris knew he was gaining on him, but there was only a few more feet to go. Sean was nearly in range. Chris lunged forward, jumping into the air. For a split second, he felt weightless. Not a care in the world except for one: destroy the crystal.

Rearing back his hand, he smashed the crystal, as well as his whole broad side, into the concrete. Another brush with intense pain only amplified his failure. The crystal didn't shatter. It was badly cracked, but not broken yet. However, Chris refused to accept defeat. Only one more good blow would do it.

Chris looked around for anything he could use to finish the job. Pain may have been sweeping across his body, but he had a job to do. He found nothing other than a looming shadow that quickly engulfed him on the ground. Chris knew what it meant. He knew who it was. And though it was game over for him, he hoped the same for the crystal.

Sean reared his weapon high in the air; Chris slid the crystal below his head. ?No mistakes!? Sean roared.

The end had come. With a sixth sense Chris thought he never had before, he knew what to do. Sean swung the heavy metal pole, gym floor and all. It was about to strike.

SMASH!!!

When the dust had cleared, so to speak, the result was only as one had intended. Chris laid face up and alright. Next to him was the pole and no crystal. Sean had smashed the crystal, rather than Chris. Chris wore the happiest, but most panicked look you had ever seen on his face. To have so narrowly escaped death and still have victory was an extremely thrilling feeling.

But Sean wasn't moving. He was motionless, still wearing a rather angry face. In fact, just after the crystal had shattered, everyone in the whole school just--- stopped. All, except for Chris that is.

From the shattered remains of the crystal came the same white glow that he had seen all along. It hovered in the air, formless, and only inches away from Chris's rubble covered face.

The next sound Chris heard sounded like chimes when they are warped in the wind. But in his mind, he heard something even stranger. ?Ah,? hummed a chime like voice, ?Greetings.?

Chris stared at the white glow in shock. ?I-- you, oh wow! I'm not dead! Am I??

?Does it appear like you are dead, Christopher?? a feminine voice sounded in his head.

?You-- you know my name. And you can talk!? Chris announced in excitement, ?Well, I mean, of course you can talk. I can hear you.?

If the mist had had eyes, Chris felt that they would have been penetratingly staring at him right about now. ?Is speech the only form of communication you can hear, Christopher??

Chris pondered the rhetorical sounding question for a moment. ?Well, I-- guess not. No. Since I can hear you right now.? he answered, proud that he has answered correctly, ?But how is this possible??

?How is any of this possible?? she responded with her usual, unwavering tone.

?Point taken.? Why had he asked such a silly question? Chris thought over for a moment what he should say next, but out popped another question. ?But why have you never spoken like this before??

The chimes in the wind paused for a moment, as if to consider an answer. ?When one is asleep, how can they be expected to hold such conversation??

Chris hadn't expected such an answer. ?You-- you were asleep??

?More or less,? the voice in his head replied.

Shaking his head a bit and refocusing his eyes, Chris continued to try and absorb everything that was happening. He was laying in the middle of the courtyard, talking to a glowing mist from a crystal that a fifteen foot monster had just smashed. ?I'm sorry, I am just a little overwhelmed.?

Glowing just as brightly, she said with the same unwavering tone, ?Why shouldn't you be? The past few hours have been intense.?

Chris had no doubt that the past few hours had been intense for her. The reasons for why these many hours had been so intense for him were far different. ?All I've been worrying about for the past few hours is Greg.?

?Gregory?? she asked, ?The first of five to hold the crystal I was imprisoned in.?

?Yeah,? he responded, that last part taking a moment to sink in. ?Wait? Imprisoned? Why were you imprisoned??

Another pause that Chris didn't quite understand. ?Look to the people who have used my gift for the answer,? she began, ?Does it strike you as odd that such abilities would want to be harnessed by others, whether I was willing to participate or not?

?Is that why you gave him all that muscle?? Chris asked, staring up at Sean's looming body, ?You had no control over it??

?It wasn't I that stole the power. It was them,? she corrected, her voice remaining unchanged. ?My willingness to participate was minimal at best.?

Though her voice didn't sound irritated, Chris had the strangest inclination to think that she really was. He remembered picking up Greg's pants from the grass and noticing that extra hole that he found in them. ?That was you wasn't it? You tried to escape Greg this morning.?

?No more than a person jerks in their sleep,? she replied.

?But why?? Chris asked, ?Greg was one of the good guys.?

?Was he??

Chris was taken back for a moment. ?I don't understand,? he said slowly.

?What is your definition of good??

Chris thought about his journey to destroy the crystal. ?Well, trying to protect people and help people even if that means something bad happening to you, I guess.?

?And does this describe your friend?? she asked.

?Well, yeah it...? he trailed off. Chris tried to think of any instance today that might have fit his description, but none came to mind. ?No. I guess it doesn't,? he corrected, ?But some of the people that held you today didn't mean to take like that kid---?

?Robbert?? she interrupted. ?Yes, he as well as all the others will be dealt with in their own way.?

Chris didn't like the sound of that. ?Dealt with?? he asked, ?What do---?

?And that includes you,? she overlapped and interrupted once again.

Chris's focus immediately changed to that last statement she made. ?Me??

?Yes. Two of you were unlike the others. You found a different strength that none of the others had yet to find,? she answered.

?W-what was that?? he asked nervously.

?The strength of sight.?

?The strength of what?? he asked, not understanding what she meant.

?Look at what you have done today, Christopher. Twice you had held the crystal, and twice you did not use it. Why??

?I-- I really didn't think about it. I just didn't,? he replied.

?Exactly.? If she had had a face, it would be smiling right now.

?Now I am really confused.?

?When you faced Sean,? she said, ?as he chased you down to this very spot, what did you see??

?Someone who was power hungry. He was willing to destroy everything in the pursuit of you.?

?And you chose differently for yourself.?

Chris had never thought about it like that before. Had he really made a choice or just acted on instinct? Was their a difference? He was sure that this being knew what she was talking about, although he didn't.

With the words slipping out of his mouth before he even realized it, he said, ?This isn't what its all about is it??

?Precisely.?

Suddenly, and inexplicably, Chris could see the misty glow get brighter and brighter. It got so bright that he buried his head into his hands. A wailing tone emanated from the floating mist, then, there was nothing. She was gone.

Looking up from his dirty, cupped hands, Chris no longer saw the being he had been talking to. Sean, at first, had also seemed to have disappeared. But rolling back over, he finally spotted him across the courtyard. Sean had changed back into his normal self. Chris had almost forgotten what that looked like.

The clothes he had worn this morning were also restored. Surrounding him, however, was also the surprising arrival of the restored trio members. Chris tried to listen to them as they spoke. Although he couldn't make out what Sean was saying, he did see that he was really upset and rather red faced.

At first, he assumed that he was complaining about being back to normal, but that was not supported by the Trio's response. One of them put his hand on Sean's shoulder and gave a weird nod. Sean froze for a moment before looking over the the third guy. Although his blockish face was not as warm as the other guy's, he did give him a nod. Sean pulled his friends in close and gave them a hug. Chris was sure that this was not normal behavior, based on the other two guys expressions, but they accepted it, hugging him back.

Releasing them from his odd embrace, Sean looked over at Chris, who was still laying on the ground. Although his glance was brief, Sean gave a grateful nod to Chris before walking back into school with his friends. Though Chris didn't exactly know what it meant, he accepted it, nodding back.

Slowly turning back over on the ground, he stared up into the sky. It was beautiful. A few clouds were scattered across it, with the occasional bird flying across the sky-scape. However, a new shadow appeared over his body, blocking out the rays of the sun.

?Need a hand,? Greg said, offering one of his thin arms out to him.

As Chris was pulled from the ground, he was surprised at Greg's appearance. He had returned to his same ole self, clothes and all. ?Greg-- I'm sorry that I---?

?You had to destroy it,? he said exactly. ?You know, at first I thought I was doing it for the betterment of everyone else. Things would be different if I was different.?

Silence followed for a moment, then Greg continued. ?The thing was, that I was different. And as Sean flung me across the field, I realized that I didn't like what I saw.?

Chris smiled, forcing Greg to crack a little one as well. ?And I still don't know what happened back there, a little voice in my head told me I was right,? Greg finished.

Greg slid one of his smooth hands across Chris's face, resting it on his chin. This lit Chris up from the inside out. ?So, you don't care that all that muscle is gone?? Chris asked.

?Well, part of me liked it,? Greg answered, lowering his voice.

?What part?? Chris asked back, taking Greg's hands in his own.

?The part that brought you to me.?

Chris didn't answer immediately. Instead, he took a step closer to Greg, bring him nose to nose with those thick frames of his. ?I may not have known it at first,? Chris began tenderly, looking deeply into his eyes, ?But you already had me.?

Chris leaned in and kissed Greg on the lips. Greg answered with another kiss on Chris'. Soon, they were in a passionate embrace in the middle of the courtyard, kissing and appreciating each other like they always had with a new spin.

Greg was right when he said that things were going to change around here. He just had no idea how much was going to stay the same.



For anyone that was a little jared at the beginning of this chapter, I am sorry. I went back and fixed the ending of the previous chapter on the advice of the editor I picked up for part 8 and 9. But I hope that all of you enjoyed it. And may I encourage you to press on and read the epilogue that has been also posted.

[nightwolf285]

- Epilogue moved to new post on the board. -