Unstoppable: Revitalized

-48-

I let the door close gently behind me, leaving the memory of what I did buried in that classroom. It wasn't pretty, and whoever found it would have a hell of a time explaining it, but I got what I needed: After the begging, pleading and bleeding stopped, she'd told me: Callum was in the Headmaster's office, Poppy was with him. The Boss wasn't here with us, and she swore she didn't know where he was. I didn't have a choice but to believe her at that point, as half of her body was open to the elements, a lung poking out of a clawed hole, her intestines pooled onto the floor.

'Consuming the human would have been beneficial to both of us.'

We're in a situation of life and death, and your still thinking about food?

'Consumption is a necessity of my functional ability, Adam.'

You can eat Callum. Happy now?

'I suppose it will suffice.'

I need him to talk, I need him down, but not dead at first. We need to know where The Boss is, and we need to get him to talk. Let me have control first. Once I find out what I need to know, he's yours.

'Understood.'

The school was lit, every light was on and glowing, but the emptiness of the place still felt strange as I crept towards the stairs, my ears honed and my eyes flickering everywhere, waiting for the slightest change or movement. Nothing interrupted me as I slowly inched up the stairs, listening for anything to give me a clue, but heard nothing of value besides the silence that settled around us. A few steps stood between us and the objective, but taking two let me get close enough to hear something curious:

Breathing. Shallow, harsh breathing. It wasn't picked up by normal ears, but rather my stowaway's. I could feel the pain this person felt, as if it coated them, burned away at their skin. They found no reprieve as they hissed before calming down, another short break before the anguish started.

Did you do any damage to any of them before I went down?

'Adam, I wasn't able to form, hear, or contribute. I was, for all purposes in this situation, innate.' 

Huh. What happened here then?

Reaching the top step, I bumped into someone walking down them, and before I even had time to identify who it was, his head was removed from his body, a tentacle emerging from my neck now burrowing it's way into theirs. The body seemed to combust from the inside out, short jerks and twitches accompanying it, before it flopped to the floor. I didn't give myself time to think as I rushed forward, the door wide open, still removed from my antics before. The room was in the exact same I left it before: Dust still roamed, looking for a new surface to stick to, the moonlight streaking the walls and sheening through the windows as I looked at my new problem: Callum, stood behind the ruins of the Headmaster's desk, with two men, one on each side, and in the middle of the room was Poppy. Her body was barely moving, a jagged, rough breath forcing it's way in and out of her body as she stared at the ceiling, arms twisted and bruised, cuts scouring her body. My blood ran cold, and I must've let it slip, as Callum spoke, jumping over the desk

"She's alive. And that's thanks to you." I snapped my attention to him, claws visible as they slashed against the floor, Callum and his men raising their guns in return. "She's been given a strain of your DNA. We're seeing what it does to... Well, anyone. Right now? My guess is it's doing what it did with you, merging, fixing, adjusting... Hijacking." He paused by her, keeping his eyes on me, put pointing his gun diagonally at her, the sights aimed at her frontal lobe. "If it works? The Boss get's what he's always wanted. If it doesn't? One less bullet."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I kept my voice as calm as possible, only wavering slightly as I ran through possibilities. The chances were slim: Even if there's a 'flaw,' a few bullets would cut me down in seconds.

"Me? What's wrong with me? Take a look at yourself: You've become so deluded, Adam. You really have. Anyone who stands in your way is cut down simply for the sake of it. If anything, I'm the most sane person in this room."

I kept my gaze firm, but spoke in my mind, trying to summon my new best friend.

Any ideas?

'Moving at a speed quick enough to attack all of them would be almost impossible. The furthest two mammals away however would be our highest probable chance for success. If I can anticipate the reaction of all of them, I may also be able to remove the weapon from Callum's hand.'

Do it. It's the only chance we have.

'I have to warn you. I would need to consume these men to regain the strength it takes to do this. This would mean you would fight on equal terms.'

Okay. Okay, do what you-

I barely got to finish before my human self was suddenly in front of the two men, Callum's revolver flying out in front of us as they both lost their arms, upper torso, and heads, sliced so quickly they simply slid off the body, the blood pausing for a moment before rushing out of the body, collecting at the ruins of the desk. In another flash, I was a few steps away from Callum, his face not shocked, but impressed.

"You seem more in tune with your freak than I remember you being." He stopped, reaching into his pocket, causing me to twitch as I looked for cover in my peripheral.

I could run out of the door, back downstairs, get a gun-

He pulled out a packet of smokes, and put one between his teeth, lighting it. He threw it to me, and instinctively I caught it, my body struggling to move that quick after everything I'd just done. The lighter came next. I blankly stared at him as he rolled his eyes as me, gesturing.

"One of us is going to die. I'd like to smoke one more, before I go."

Hoping it wasn't a trick, and against my better judgement, I pulled a cigarette out, put it to my lips, and lit it, the tobacco filling my lungs as I took a deep breath, taking the chance to catch myself before the hardest fight I'd have.