Dead Clouds

Chapter 4: What's Inside of Us?

Radius approached the front door of his grandparent's house in his own body. As his open palm anticipated the cold brass doorknob, his mind filled with memories of the day. Not only had he encountered a scientific breakthrough, but he battled a god—and won.

The ghost floating beside him shared his dream of becoming a cumulonimbus cloud. Even more, they shared a body. The successful takedown of the cirrus cloud occurred because they managed to fuse into a skeletal body with superhuman physical abilities.

Preparing to push open the front door, Radius took note of how late it was into the night. The streetlights behind him showered concrete driveways in yellow. Returning home as early as possible was his primary objective, but his skeletal form thwarted that plan. The hours after defeating the cloud were spent testing the physical limits of their new body. He and Gold leaped across rooftops and scaled skyscrapers. While Gold took pleasure in the activities, Radius was conducting experiments and compiling data.

Both physical and mental fatigue wore them down. The physical feats began to take a toll and the possibility of permanently being in skeleton form worried them. Radius reasoned that no legitimate scientific conference would allow a skeleton to present. Gold reasoned that as cool as this new body was, he still needed to become himself again.

Gold was the first to vocalize their shared concern. Radius replied with a curt, "I agree." A blinding light enveloped them immediately after those words. Seconds later, they found themselves back in their own bodies. Radius adjusted his glasses and smoothed the wrinkles on his button-down. Smirking at his own ignorance, he realized that an alignment between himself and Gold catalyzed their fusion into the skeletal being. Obviously then, agreement would also separate them.

His smirk faded after seeing Gold's dejected expression, however. Nothing had changed for him. He was still a ghost.

A strange impulse prompted Radius to offer some assurance to the ghost. He reminded Gold of his intellectual superiority and motioned for him to follow him home. Even with his back turned, he knew Gold was smiling. The brightness of his smile lighted the world behind him.

Incandescent light bulbs nearly blinded Radius as he entered the house. He shielded his gaze with a single hand wondering why his grandparents were still awake? For as long as he could remember, they proceeded to bed once the clock struck nine. He surveyed the illuminated hallway before hearing the voice of a news anchor blaring from the living room. The teen reasoned that his grandparents were too preoccupied with the day's anomaly to stick to their normal routine.

"This is a pretty sweet pad," said Gold floating down the hall, "I'm sure your folks must be worried sick."

Radius pointed to a staircase, "I'm positive other events weigh more heavily on their minds. Follow me."

As soon as Radius placed a foot on the wooden staircase, his grandmother emerged from the living room. Her withered body trembled like a lone flower trapped in a hurricane. Slowly, the ends of her lips curved into a smile.

"Radius. You're home. You're—"

"—Who is it?" asked his grandfather appearing behind her, "I know I heard the door open."

The older man scanned his grandson a single time before lowering his head. The resemblance to his only son overwhelmed him. His fists tightened at his sides as he fought to contain the wave of relief spilling out of him. Radius was the last living relic of his son. The possibility of losing him in the mayhem occurring in the city would have shattered his already fragile bones.

"Glad you made it home," said his grandfather, opening his fists and exhaling.

"We were so worried about you," blurted out his grandmother, "When the explosions happened, we tried to call the police, but no calls were getting through. Everyone must have been calling at once. Your grandfather tried to drive into the city to find you, but all roads to the western end were closed off. We couldn't sleep. Not without knowing if you were okay."