Blood Obsidian

Issue 3

Where fall the gods ... - Part 3

The fist didn't land as Caitlyn huddled on the ground, the rough tarmac digging into her elbows and knees. After a few seconds, she looked through her curtain of hair to see something curving over the top of her, stopping the engorged fist of Professor Halstrom. Somehow, she could feel that fist pounding on the barrier that now protected her, as though it were a part of herself.

She scooted backward a few feet, only for the umbrella-like object to move along with her. Beyond the umbrella, she heard the sounds of rage, of more gunfire. Whatever this 'umbrella' was, she had to get rid of it and run, back to her Aunt Mary and far away. For some reason, Professor Halstrom had seen her and targeted her and she couldn't let herself die. Her aunt had suffered enough in her life without losing Caitlyn too.

As soon as she thought of ridding herself of the umbrella, it sloughed away, disappearing behind her and Caitlyn spun around to see where it had gone, but it was nowhere in sight. And then she saw Alaina, wide-eyed, open-mouthed, staring at Caitlyn from a little further along the street. To the side, though, Caitlyn could still see the Professor, occupied by the burgeoning numbers of police officers arriving, but she could still feel his eyes on her. Those now inhuman eyes. Taking advantage of that, she raced across to Alaina, grabbing her hand.

"Aunt Mary's car is this way. Come on." She tried to drag Alaina, but the girl could only stumble along, her mouth moving without any words emerging. "What's wrong with you? We have to get out of here."

"You ... you ... It was just there. Like, flumph! Opened up and it ..." With only one hand available to her, Alaina's attempt at describing whatever it was that had caught attention failed. "It was like this one time, downtown, when I saw Black Staff fighting Waterspout and the bad guy thought he had Black Staff, but Black Staff made this, like ... protective dome. Like you just did."

"What are you talking about? This isn't the time for stories!" With a yank of Alaina's hand, she almost pulled her best friend's arm from the socket, sending her staggering toward Aunt Mary's car. "Run, before that thing ..."

Something struck her back and Caitlyn felt pain like she had never felt before. In a strange way, it almost felt as though time slowed down as she flew through the air, sailing over Alaina's head as the girl clasped both hands to her mouth. Then time seemed to snap back to normal and Caitlyn tumbled and wheeled in the air, over the top of Aunt Mary's car, to smash into the sports hall that stood separate from the rest of the school.

She didn't only smash into the wall of the sports hall, she smashed right through it and she fully expected to die. Only, she didn't. She felt pain, that was for certain, but, as she rolled and tumbled along the polished wood surface of floor, pieces of that wood shattering and splintering, she started to feel less and less of everything.

A strange sensation passed over her, as though she had fallen into a vat of gelatine. Not sticky, not gooey, not slimy. But something like and not like all of that. It felt as though something enveloped her, from her toes right to the top of her head, even covering her mouth and eyes. Except, she couldn't explain it, but she could still see. Still breathe. Her hands reached up, trying to tear at the stuff that covered her, but she stopped as she saw what covered her hands and, most likely, everywhere else.

"There it is! You show it! Taunting me with it. Teasing me with it." She heard the voice, the monstrous, growling voice of the transformed Professor, even before more of the wall exploded inward. "Look at me! It makes me a monster, but you? It makes you a god? Tell me how that's fair. I want it, girl, I want all of it, then maybe I can be god instead."

The Professor smashed through the wall of the sports hall, making the hole caused by Caitlyn crashing through it even larger. Every footfall set the ground rumbling and bouncing, breaking more of those shining, polished floorboards, making them snap and crack as he crossed the space between them faster than Caitlyn could see. His huge arm swept out and then in again, swatting the back of his knuckles against her face, once again sending her spinning through the air, smashing her into the bleachers.