Hawaii is a wonderful string of islands that has always been viewed as a perfect vacation spot. Except, what happens when the islands' beauty and source of wealth are exploited by criminals? Criminals capable of stealing your free will and getting a...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"I would love to meet your dad one day. He sounds like an impressive guy," Julie remarked.
"He's the best! So sweet and kind. From what I've heard, he's one of the most prominent international solo detectives in the world. When he walks into the room, you can just feel the air sizzle with tension." Arden's voice was heightened with awe as she tried to describe the detective from her encounters. "Just being in the room with him makes you want to stand straighter and speak more properly. It could only be a blessing to be raised under that kind of influence, right?"
Ryan, Carman, and Kion all took a long sip from their cups. Kiara was left to answer, "Yeah. He's the greatest. I just wish that he came around a little more. I mean, if he wasn't so busy that would be nice."
A hum began resonating throughout the mall. It was the sound of each hidden loud speaker in the building being activated. "Attention customers! Thank you for shopping at the Pearl City mall! We will be running a brief test of our lighting systems, so if you would please direct your attention down to the floor below you or shield your eyes, we may begin." The automated voice sent an involuntary shiver down Kyle's spine, so he tuned it out immediately.
There was one quick surge in the lighting, but then that was it. instead of flashing again, the sprinkler system went off. It was so sudden that a few cries of alarm erupted from startled shoppers. Ryan and Carman were two of the stubborn few that refused to lower their heads at the announcer's request. From Ryan's view, he could see Arden's eyes shoot open is shock. In that second, he braced for the inevitable cry for help, but it never came. In fact, Arden didn't even raise her head all the way up.
She sat frozen in place with surprise etched all over her tilted face. Her mouth dropped open slowly, but nothing but a thoughtless groan fell out. Arden wasn't the only one.
As the sprinklers poured down on the group, Julie, Kiara, and Kion remained still with their heads down and eyes open. Just as Ryan tried reaching out to tap his girlfriend gently, he found that his own hands weren't cooperating. His movements felt sluggish and restricted as if invisible strings were wrapping around his muscles and holding them in place. Gravity seemed to be increasing as the sprinklers poured down and soaked through his clothes.
His eyelids started growing heavier as well, but not before he got a good look at the liquid sprinkling down on him. Tiny black pools of transparent fluid were being released from above and soaking quickly into his every pore. With each drop that soaked into his skin, Ryan's mind grew slower and it became difficult to form thoughts. It didn't take much effort, however, for him to make a deduction on what was responsible. The Helix.
They must have developed a hypnotic tool that worked through contact instead of injecting it. Then someone must have filled the sprinkler system with the new drug. But why? What could they be after?
As the toxins worked into his mind, Ryan heard an animalistic growl from beside him. Carman was fighting the drug somehow through sheer willpower and rage.
The electronic hum started up again from the mall speakers. "Thank you again for shopping at Pearl City's mall. Shop here as often as you would like. Come again to spend money after every paycheck. Lay down to sleep and forget all of this."
There was no way that Ryan could let himself be taken down by a loudspeaker. Shutting his eyes fully to concentrate, he isolated the feeling of the drug in his system. It was like a heavy fog that covered the walls and objects within his mind. It brought a sense of numbing coldness that repressed his thoughts. The speakers' words echoed through that fog like a harmonious ghost. "Lay down to sleep and forget..." it lulled his consciousness deeper into darkness.
"I won't lose control. I will not bow. I am a Krag." Ryan's deepest thoughts burned into the open. He'd memorized the words a thousand times over. They repeated and echoed in his mind all on their own, burning away at the hypnotic fog. A growl rumbled from his mouth as his eyes shot open and he stood up from the table. It didn't surprise him to see Carman already back on his feet, but it definitely made Ryan proud to see his little brother and sister struggling against sleep as well. Arden and Julie were collapsed over their half-empty plates just like every other shopper in the mall who got caught by the sprinklers.
What was even more startling, was the fact that Kyle was wide awake and staring wide-eyed at everyone. He didn't seem to be struggling against the hypnotism in the slightest even though his skin was barely covered by his thin clothing. Ryan tried opening his mouth to speak, but it was still too much to ask for with the constant toxin being poured onto him. What would happen if someone was exposed to too much of this?
Yet, Kyle could speak. "What's going on?" he asked easily. "How did everyone else manage to be compelled like this?"
Wheels began turning slowly inside of Ryan's mind. The reason Emeriti chose to spell Kyle's name with her dying breath. The reason why she had so much hope just knowing that he was alive. Whatever cure the Canes made for the hypnotic drugs must have been hidden within their son. As a result, Kyle Cane was already immune to compulsion. He had everything that the Helix were looking for in his blood. This entire set-up with the sprinklers may have just been a plot to lure him out of protection.
"Come on, Ryan. Answer me!" Kyle yelled under his breath.
The fog in Ryan's mind parted way just enough to let him obey Kyle's command. "It must be the sprinklers. This is a trap and you need to hide." As soon as the answer was out in the open, the fog closed back in to restrict his awareness.
Just mere seconds after Kyle dropped to the floor and crawled under the table, a male voice shouted in their direction. "Over there! I have eyes on the group!" turning to the sound, Ryan laid eyes on a small group of about four men in wetsuits with gun holsters strapped to their waists. One man- presumably the leader- was gesturing to the table Kyle was hiding under. "The monster's children seem to have resistance as well, proceed with caution!" he commanded.
Despite managing to stay awake and stand against the hypnosis, Ryan was in no condition to fight. All he could do was put himself between the Helix and the girls.
Carman was not nearly as handicapped. Steadiness and control were hardwired into Ryan's mind and body. But Recklessness and violence were constantly boiling beneath the surface of his older brother's calm exterior. With every witness in the area sleeping soundly and a clear enemy in sight, Carman was free. So he unleashed his nature onto the Helix that challenged him.
