The Outliers

Legacy | Chapter Two

Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved

Legacy By Claire Chilton

Chapter Two | Wrong Turn

A small orb of light flickered in the distance, growing larger and blinking faster and faster as it drew closer to Parklon Eldemf. He silently shrank back against the cold, concrete wall of the underground parking lot, vanishing into the shadows.

He glanced around the corner of the security hut, peering out from beneath the dark rim of his hat. He couldn't make out what the light was, but he could hear a low humming sound as the flickering light drew closer.

Despite the cold air, beads of sweat formed on his skin.

Why did I park here, of all places?

He was standing in dimly-lit parking lot, too far from his car for it to be of any use to him.

He had no idea what he was seeing. A shiver ran down his spine. This place was too quiet, too desolate, and the light-why was it heading straight toward him?

Derobmi was a freaky place, full of shiny, happy people. But for the most part, he felt safe here. Although, today had been an eye-opener when he'd seen the school nurse force that girl to have an injection against her will. And they call Zoolafs barbaric.

When he'd delivered the vaccination shots to the school, he hadn't expected to see a purple girl. There weren't many immigrants in Derobmi. Most the people here were green.

He glanced around the dark lot. He also, hadn't really thought about where he parked his car. Sure, this parking lot was derelict and run down, but it was also the only free parking in the area. He didn't expect Derobmi to have so many dark things in it. It seemed so perfect and clean on the surface.

Although he tried to ignore it, the cold chill shivering up his spine and the goosebumps crawling over his skin were indication enough that something dark and dangerous was in here with him.

He rubbed his bare arms, trying to shake off the feeling of doom along with the goosebumps, but he jumped when the nearby elevator doors opened with a loud clunk, shattering the silence.

With his heart racing, he watched a stout Derobmi-who was dressed in a black suit-walk out of the elevator toward the whining hum and flickering light.

Parklon tried to sink into the shadows by pressing himself against the wall. The freezing temperature of the wall seeped through his clothing, causing him to shiver even more. He wanted to run, but fear and curiosity pinned him to the wall. He was thankful to be cloaked in shadows while the scene before him unfolded.

The light gradually increased in magnitude until it became a glowing orb that flickered like a light bulb about to blow. The eerie humming sound grew louder, and a bubble of panic expanded in his stomach.

His panic deflated like a leaking balloon that was slowly farting out air when the overwhelming stupidity of it all became apparent. He watched a small, garish-orange electric car with one broken headlight pull up next to the portly Derobmi.

Great, I was scared of a headlight .

But the feeling of doom remained. He gritted his teeth as the hairs on his arms stood up. His senses went on high alert.

"Bloody hell! Why didn't you just drive up with a neon sign saying dodgy dealings on it?" The raspy voice of the Derobmi echoed hauntingly through the parking lot.

Parklon frowned. The accent was foreign to him, and the voice was deep and sharp. But then, most Derobmis sounded a bit odd to him. His home colony of Zoola had a much more rhythmic accent.

"This vehicle has its uses. Have you done as I asked?" a hollow voice asked through the partially-opened window of the humming car.

The portly man shuddered at the voice and lowered his tone in submission. "Yes, it's done," he said, nervously glancing around. "It's for the best. Now, I'm done with you. We part ways from here on."

"Yessss." The voice hissed through the open window of the car. "We have no need to meet again."

In the blink of an eye, a purple light streaked from the car window, and the portly Derobmi visibly shook when it hit him. He crumpled to the ground and lay motionless.

Parklon gasped as the car sped out of the parking lot. In the flash of purple light, he'd seen the red glowing eyes of the attacker.

He ran over to the injured man and knelt beside him.

The green-skinned man wasn't breathing. His eyes were open with a glazed and shocked expression permanently set on them. He was most certainly dead.

Parklon checked him for a pulse, but there was nothing. He panicked. He didn't know the emergency services phone number in this colony. He'd only recently arrived here. He needed to find a telephone.

He looked around for a payphone and saw a glass doorway in front of him, which led out of the parking lot. Beyond the doors was a long corridor with a payphone at the end of it. He stood up and ran over to the door, bursting through it and running as fast as he could down the hall until he reached the other end.

On the front of the phone was a list of emergency numbers.

Thank Budda!

He paused for a second.

The emergency number here is 101. What like room 101?

He blinked, and then shook himself back to the task at hand before dialing the number.

"Welcome to Derobmi Emergency Services. How may I help you?" a female voice asked.

"There's a man. He's been shot. I think he's d-dead." Parklon stammered down the phone.

"Can you tell me where you are, sir?"

He looked around the corridor for the name of the parking lot or a hint of where he was. He noticed a health and safety sign on the wall beside him.

"City View Parking. It's on the outskirts of the city," he said.

"And have you tried to revive the person who's been injured?"

"Er, no. He's not breathing, and he has no pulse. Should I?"

"Emergency services are on their way, sir. If you can wait there, they will be with you soon. Can I take your name?"

He didn't know why, but he didn't want to give his real name.

"Sure, it's Jeff Jones," he said before quickly hanging up the phone. Blame it on fear, caution or just plain panic, but giving his real name seemed like a very bad idea.

He ran back down the corridor toward the parking lot. He needed to make sure the victim was dead. If there was even a small chance that he could save the man's life, he had to try.

He dashed through the glass doors and into the empty parking lot before wildly looking around. For a moment, he was certain his own heart had stopped beating. The body was gone.

He stared at the spot where it had been, and part of his brain ceased to function.

What the hell is going on here?

He could hear sirens in the distance and decided he'd had enough intrigue for one day.

Screw this.

In a panic, he ran to his car. He quickly climbed in it and stared at the empty tarmac where the body had once been.

This colony is crazy!

He shook his head before he turned the car and drove in the opposite direction of the sirens, down a winding dark road and into a maze of city streets.