Dynamite

Chapter 13: Why?

Six days passed since Nathan and Emma made the agreement to go on a date, which would be when he'd break the news to her. Each one of those days brought him closer to the day that his mind would be taken over and everything would be gone. Each day brought him fear, paranoia, and wonder. Some days, he felt like everything would be ok once he told someone. Other days, he felt like everything would go in chaos, whether he told someone or not.

When those six days passed, he had 24 days left until the leader Dubleka would take over his mind. Nathan knew he had to warn someone about it, and he had to do it as soon as possible. He decided to start with Emma, since he felt the most comfortable talking with her. He took her on a date at the park, but it was so late at night that all they could do was sit in the grass and watch the stars.

"I don't know why, but I love night," Emma sighed. "It just seems so laid-back. Day is more... stressful." Nathan nodded. He wished that fact could go into play now; he was the most stressed he ever had been in his whole life. He didn't want anymore pressure added, so he decided to just go for it.

"Emma... I have to tell you something," Nathan whispered, looking over at her.

"What is it?" Emma asked.

"Um... you remember the Dubleka secret from about a week ago?" Nathan asked. "The one your parents told me about, with their adventure and all that?" Emma nodded. "I am... I am one."

"You are one?" Emma questioned, not understanding. After a second, she gasped. "You're the last one. You're the last Dubleka. You're the one Dad and Mom were having the paranoia and nightmares about."

"Yes..." Nathan sighed. "I didn't find out until about a week ago, right before I learned the secret."

"Oh... but it's ok, right?" Emma asked. "You're not evil, and you don't intend to, so there's no danger, right?" Nathan sighed sadly.

I... had a dream," Nathan sighed. "Well, it was more like the spirit of a dead Dubleka communicating with me. The leader Dubleka from the past, the one your mom and dad killed, told me that in one month he'd take over my mind and use me to destroy the world. It's some kind of ability dead Dublekas have, and there seems to be no way to stop it." Emma was quiet, as if she was trying to absorb the information in, then analyze it.

"How many days left do you have?" Emma asked slowly.

"24," Nathan replied.

"...Ok, here's what we're going to do," Emma decided. "We're going to talk to my mom and dad about this, and we are going to make a plan to somehow fight the Dubleka spirit in your mind."

"But how is that even possible?" Nathan questioned. "The only way to win this is if I die!" Emma stayed silent again for a minute.

"You are not going to die..." she quietly responded, holding her tears back. "We need to alert our family and friends about this. And we are going to make a plan that doesn't involve you dying. We'll stop this Nathan, ok?"

"Ok..." Nathan slowly answered. He laid back on the grass and stared up at the sky. He looked at each star. Each one shone individually. None of them were taken over by another star and were commanded to take over the entire sky and shine by itself. He wished he could be a star and not have a care. Just shine in the atmosphere at night in tranquility.

"What am I going to do?" Nathan asked himself. "What are ways to mentally fight off the leader Dubleka? Is it even possible to mentally fight someone? Is the 'alien communication' I had completely fake and made-up from my imagination? Is all of this just a dream?" There was one question that stuck out the most in his thoughts.

"Why me?"