Hidden Darkness

Chapter 13

             After running from the house, I noticed that some of the surrounding neighbors were out and staring in fear of what was happening. I can already hear sirens in the distance. One man walked up to me. "Are you two alright?"
"Yeah, I'm a little beat up, she doesn't have any injuries, I don't think. Don't go in there. Wait for the police, alright? We might also need an ambulance." I placed Ashley down on the sidewalk and checked her face and arms for any scratches of the sort. Thankfully there were none that I could see. "You okay, Ashley?" She just nodded.
"No bruises or scrapes?" Now she shook her head. "Is Ri-ri gonna be okay?" Even after seeing her brother with his abilities she isn't scared or even unnerved by him and still cares for him. "Yes he is."
Right when I say that, the house catches ablaze; its interior filled with hungry flames. "Ri-ri?" Ashley whispered in a sad voice. I stared at the flames, wondering if he really is alright. Then a form carrying something leaped out of the doorway just as the building came down and the large fire grew. Luckily, it was the same time the police and fire department arrived.
The fire department washed away the flames without any of it touching the other houses and the police asked around for information. Eric walked across the front lawn carrying what seemed like his father's dead corpse. But there was no fatal wounds on him. Just scars that seemed like they were there all along. The paramedics took him from Eric's arms and placed him on a gurney.
Eric walked across the street, aiming to go see his little sister, but was stopped by two officers handcuffing him. "Eric Sullivan, you are under arrest-" A man in a business suit stopped them. "Release him, officer. I'll take it from here."
"And you are?" The man opened the side of his coat, showing an FBI badge. The officers nodded and walked away.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. "Trevor? What?"
"My real name isn't Trevor. Special Agent Forrest of the FBI Powers Division." I was really confused and tried to stay focused, but I was a bit too exhausted. "Powers? I'm sorry I'm not understanding."
"The Powers Division is a secret sect of the FBI which houses and trains those with...gifted abilities."
"And you lead it?"
"No I'm simply a part of it. A grunt, you can say. I mostly work on higher jobs in the regular bureau with my pupils."
"You have students?"
"More or less. But that's not why I am here. I'm here for you, Eric. I went to your prison to get a good look at you. To see if you are a murderer or a hero. I was happily surprised to find that you were wise and kind despite your actions."
"You're offering me a job, I guess?" Forrest laughed, which left me confused and a little grumpy. "Yes and no. You still have to work off those charges. So you have a choice. Either stay in jail for the rest of your sentence and await death row, or come work for the Powers Division under support payment for needed things for a year and then get payed for personal uses." I look at my sister, who is anxious to come see me. "Support as in food, house payments, electricity, water, all that?"
"Yes."
"Can I get custody of my sister? So she can benefit from it?"
"I can arrange that, yes." Then I felt myself smile for the first time in months. The most real smile in years, perhaps. I turn towards my sister and gesture for her to come to me. She sprinted at me, jumped and I caught her in a hug.
Then I looked at Matt, who was watching from the sidewalk while fiddling with his strange arm. "Do you think you could hire Matt? I think my dad did something to his arm and now it's like one of my weird limbs. He put up a good fight against my father too. Maybe place him into the training program?"
"That's a possibility," Forrest turned to Matt and called him over. "Hello Matt, I'm Special Agent Forrest-"
"Of the Powers Division. I was listening in."
"How much did you hear?"
"Just the title, sir. Couldn't hear anything else over the noises of cops and firefighters." Then I heard the ambulance start up with its screechy siren and watched it drive off. "And now an ambulance too." Forrest gave a chuckle. "Now I especially wanted to talk to you for your arm. What happened to it?"
"I came to Eric's house earlier tonight to find out what was wrong. His dad gave me an odd feeling and Ashley didn't look all too happy."
"So you broke in?" I saw Matt wince from the, rather correct, accusation. "Yeah, I did. I won't justify it, I broke the law. I was raised by my father, who is a cop, and was raised to face my consequences head-on." Forrest patted Matt on the back. "Good man."
"My father?"
"No, my boy, you."
"Thank you, sir."
"Now, as for that arm. What happened to it?" Matt lifted his darkened left arm and studied it. "It's not my arm. Eric's dad tore it off and I bit into one of his black-limb tentacles from the pain. He threw my left arm into the fireplace."
"So there's no way to recover it, then."
"Yeah. The arm is like Eric's tendrils. I believe it was made by the same material, whatever that material is." I looked at Ashley who couldn't understand or follow what they were talking about. She was getting tired. "Hey can we get a blanket and something for my sister to sleep on?" I call to one of the firemen.
One of them brought over a fire blanket. "Sorry we don't have anything for her to rest on."
"It's fine, I'll just hold her."
"Matt?" I heard a voice from one of the newly arriving police cruisers. "Oh, shit," I heard Matt mumble. An officer jogged up to him. "What the hell are you doing here, son? And what happened to your arm?"
Forrest walked up to the officer. "Officer Emsly, I presume?"
"Yeah, what's going on?"
"You're Matt's father, so you should know too." He turned to the rest of us. "I have brought an expert over to inform us of your abilities and Matt's newfound ability."
"What do you mean?" Matt's Dad asked. Forrest gestured at a black car outside of the area the police and firemen, who were now packing up, and then a short, old man exited the car. He walked over rather enthusiastically, his glasses and his stout belly bouncing with every quick step. "My God, is this them,Forrest?"
"Yes it is."
"How long have you had the limbs?" he asked, looking at Matt. "That would be me," I corrected. The man turned and asked me the same question. "Had it since I turned fourteen."
"So it does react to puberty," the man said to himself. "Excuse me?"
"Ah, yes, sorry. I'm Professor Zyke, renowned cryptozoologist and zoologist. Well, renowned by the zoologist community. I study human and animal cryptids as a bit of a hobby. As it turns out, you are a cryptid."
"I don't know what a cryptid is."
"It's like an animal that doesn't have enough proof to prove its own existence," Matt said, butting in.
"Yes, he's quite right. And you, dear boy, are one of the rarest of human cryptids. I've come to call cryptids like you, 'Periculosum Humana'. It's latin for dangerous human, I believe." My interest was caught and I immediately asked, "Do you know anything about people like me?"
"I do. I've met an older gentleman who was also Pericul, small nickname for your people, and he proved to hold valued information." We were all listening in. Well, aside from Ashley, who was wrapped in a blanket and asleep in my arms. "You were bred with certain genes placed into you by blood transfusion, he said. It extended the lives of the people and, as he believed at the time, was the last of them." I've wanted to know this type of info, of what I was, ever since I first got those tendrils.
I still can't believe I'm finally getting answers. "Afterwords they became outcasts and, eventually, hired assassins of royal courts. Eventually they served as secret police, taking out secret crimes using their strange ability I like to call: Extreme Moral Compass Syndrome. Where if you think it's wrong, you can sense it before it happens. The more you dislike the act, the better you can sense it."
"That certainly explains the headaches, dude," Matt said. I nodded in response. Ashley stirred in her sleep a little. "Do...will Ashley...will she have the tendrils like me?"
"From what I got from the old Pericul, females do not have the tendrils, but are stronger than the average woman and heal quicker than most and also have a lot of immunities. So, no, she won't have them." I sighed in relief. "Okay, I'll assume that that's good, but what are you talking about, and what does this have to do with my son and his arm?" Matt's father added. "Ah, yes. Let me see your arm, son." Professor Zyke carefully lifted and examined Matt's new arm, occasionally humming and saying yes.
"I think...When did this arm appear?"
"After Eric's dad tore the original one off."
"What!" yelled Matt's dad. He took the arm from Zyke and started examining it himself. "You can retract it, right?" asked Zyke. "Um, I haven't tried." Then the arm seemed to drain back into the shoulder until you couldn't see anymore of it.
The wound itself had already healed rather well. "Oh, God. Matt we need...we need to get you to the hospital."
"Officer, there is no need to. It seems that your son here has absorbed some black blood into his bloodstream."
"Black blood?" I asked. "I keep forgetting the small details. Uh, it's what your tendrils are made of. Periculs have a special type of blood that we have called Black Blood cells. The white blood cells defend against diseases and what not while the black blood cell attacks. The production of Black blood cells is extremely rare among humans and is detrimental to your health because it attacks many blood cells. However if proper production is formed and there is multiple cells, you will be able to control the cells itself as the way you do now. I assume that the constant consumption and absorption from biting Mr. Sullivan's tendril made the black blood flow to the wound as the red blood cells worked to try and heal it or just pour out, causing a sac to form in your left arm."
"So there's no way to re-attach his arm?" Matt's father asked with a scare expression. "No, Dad. Eric's dad tore it off and threw it into the fireplace and it burned up." His dad simply nodded. "But do not become discouraged, Officer..."
"Emsly."
"Officer Emsly. Yes, your son has lost a limb but has gained a useful one that bends to his will pretty simply. Not to mention he is basically half Pericul, so he is much more immune to diseases and heals faster than normal. The controlled black blood helps this when it flows through his veins."
"And that's where I come in, Mr. Emsly," Forrest said "I'm part of a secret division of the FBI known as the Powers Division. We take in people born or given special abilities and we train them for covert missions. It pays well, your son will get good exercise during the training process, which can be held in Chicago as well." Matt's father crossed his arms and looked down at his shoes. "Will he risk his life?"
"We only give them assignments they can handle. I can't say no, but I can say that he will be trained before any assignments." Matt's father looked back down. "That's really up to Matt, now isn't it?"
"What, really?" Matt said, surprised. "Yes, son. You're not legally a man yet, but you sure are growing into a fine one and I couldn't be more proud. If you think this is right for you, then do it." Matt turned to Forrest, wearing a big smile. "Count me in."
"Alright. I'll make the report. You will soon be alerted with information of where you will begin your training, Matt. I suggest getting as much rest as possible and skipping school tomorrow as well. you've had a long day."
"Come on, kid. Let's get you home." And with that, Matt said goodbye and got into his dad's police cruiser and drove off with him; not knowing that his ride back was very emotional for them. "Now," began Forrest. "As for you, Eric. You don't have anywhere to stay. Would you like a hotel?"
"I would, but what then? We don't have a house." Zyke glanced at his phone for the time and his body jerked with a start. "I do apologise, Agent, but I have a meeting in twenty minutes and I must get there with haste."
"Go, then, professor. Don't have me keep you any longer than needed." Zyke nodded quickly while walking off. "Thank you Forrest, I hope to see you soon." Forrest turned back to me. Meanwhile, Ashley stirred in her sleep a little.
"We will rebuild your old house and make it more presentable. You'll be in a hotel until then." A female officer walked up to Eric. "Excuse me, but Matthew Emsly has informed us that something has or has been happening to your younger sister with your father. He only told us that we should talk to you about it and that it was urgent." I then felt my mood darken a little and looked down at Ashley. I thought for a moment.
"Yeah," I say while looking back up at the officer. "You'll need a rape kit."