Mutant

Eleven

"Nooo!!!" Arch cried.

The little girl had let go and fell like a sack of potatoes. The air swirled around her wispy hair as she headed closer and closer to the ground.

Arch rushed out to the direction of where the girl was falling and held out his hand. "Don't!"

She stopped.

Just like that, she stopped. The girl was literally pausing in midair, not even moving a muscle.

"Dude, how'd you do that?" Jacob said.

Not only Jacob, but everyone in the crowd had been wondering how he performed that act. That impossible act. Some of the kids whispered to each other secretly while other kids whimpered in fear.
The toddlers especially, had hid behind the older teens just to escape that impossible reality.

Arch ignored the commotion of the crowd. He was currently fixated on the girl. If she fell, then Sammy's sister would be his burden.

He calmly lowered his hands, and in accordance, the girl slowly began to lower on the ground. When she reached the paved road, Sammy came running up to her. He gave her a hug.

"Leah, are you alright?"

The toddler didn't even say anything, she just felt glad to hold on to her brother's arm.

Arch, feeling as if he's already done his job, calmly made his way out of the crowd. Everyone was cheering and hooting for him, but he just ignored it. He had only done what needed to be done. If he hadn't stopped Sammy's sister, she would've died, and then everyone would be angry at him. Nobody wanted to step up, and so he took the chance. That was all he did, and morality didn't deserve a reward. Or at least cheering.

Arch was too busy looking down at the ground that he had accidentally bumped into someone.

"Sorry," Arch murmured.

"No you're not."

Arch turned his head up to see who it was.
"Damich," he said menacingly.

Damich and his friends were currently glowering down on him with their arms crossed.

"So you remember me?" Damich smiled.

"Vaguely."

Arch and Damich had been friends back in the elementary school school days. Kindergarten through fifth grade were happy years for them. But when they reached the middle school age, things started to turn a little bit iffy. Damich had beat up a teacher with a wooden bat. The teacher had been all crumpled up and wounded. All it needed was one last hit to get the teacher completely knocked out. And that last hit was handed down to Arch. Damich had begged and begged for Arch to do it. But he just couldn't.
"This isn't right Damich," Arch had told him. After he said that, Damich had given him a look that indicated that their friendship was over.
"Well fuck you then," Damich said as he took that one last blow. But just as he did the principal had ran in. And I think you know what happened after that.

Damich, Gus, and Crow snickered, making their nose crinkle in the way it did.

"What's with the posse?" Arch challenged.

Damich spit out his cigarette.
"That's Gus and Crow. And don't ever call us a posse shitbag."

"Whatever," Arch tried to pass through but Gus pushed him back.

"So what? You're some kind of hero now?" Damich teased.

Crow laughed excitedly and then mimicked the whole scene.
"I'll save you! Let me just clap my hands first and that should do it!"

Gus laughed. "That's right Damich, haven't you heard? He's the ultimate hero."

Arch's patience was running out.
"Seriously, get out of my way,"

Damich jazzed up his hands.
"Or what? You'll get all freaky on me?"

Emmer and Ellie suddenly came from behind Arch.

"Are these guys bothering you Arch?" Emmer said.

Gus snorted. "Well if it isn't Jester and Twinketoes."

"Leave them alone," Arch said.

Damich gave him a puppy eyes look.
"How cute,"

But Crow had already had enough.
"Come on Damich, they're too easy. Let's go,"

Damich and his friends took one last Arch and then disappeared into the crowd.

"I would've kicked their ass if I had to," Ellie gritted.

"It wouldn't be worth it," Emmer remarked.

"Hey Arch, where are you going?"

Arch was already several steps ahead of them.

"Home." He said.
**********************

Arch's house was just how he left it. All dark and eerie. Nobody inside but the dead bodies of Lizzie and Mabel.

The three dark silhouettes of Arch, Emmer, and Ellie stood by the doorway.

"Why are we here again?" Ellie quizzed.

"Because we chose to come." Emmer replied.

Arch walked into the gloomy kitchen and took out a butter knife from the drawer.

"What are you doing?" Emmer asked.

Arch flickered on the lights and grabbed a chair. "I'm cutting down the rope"

Arch jumped up on the chair and first began to trim Lizzie's rope. When he heard a deep thud, he moved on to Mabel's rope. When they were both done, Arch cut the rope off their necks.

While he was still cutting on Lizzie's rope, he noticed a dotted trail of blood. It kept on going until it reached Autumn and Annie's room.

Arch stopped cutting and then remembered the note.

Save them.

Arch ran to their room, allowing Emmer and Ellie to follow behind.

It was there. The trail of blood. And not only that, but it kept going, all the way past the open window.

Arch knew exactly what to do now.

"What are you thinking?" Emmer asked.

Arch smiled a crooked smile.
"I'm thinking scavenger hunt."