Jackson Humes is Not a Superhero

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE (DIEGO'S STORY)

"It was the hottest Christmas Day on record in fifty-three years. I remember it well because our dad had turned down the AC to just short of artic temperatures; forcing us to don the goofy Christmas sweaters he got us every year. We must have been the only house in all of Kane to be running the AC and the fireplace simultaneously.

"Our parents spoiled us every year, but I remember that was a particularly good one. Gracie got an iPod, and I got the racing bike I'd been pestering them for every waking minute of the day. After breakfast, I was finally permitted to take it out on a test drive.

"Normally, I would have stuck to the streets around my neighborhood, but seeing as it was Christmas I took my chances and headed over to Old Mill Road. My efforts were rewarded. There were no cars on the road, a feeling of invincibility and adventure washed over me. I guess every thirteen-year-old boy feels the same way when he discovers the taste of freedom for the first time.

"I had just gone over the ridge and was happily zooming down the two-lane stretch of road when a man wearing a hospital gown ran out from behind some trees. His sudden appearance was shocking. I slammed the brakes to avoid hitting him, but I lost control and flew off of my bike.

"The man didn't try to help me; instead, he grabbed my bike and tried to get away. I was a small scrawny kid for my age but I knew how to fight and wasn't about to let him steal it from me. I punched him in the back and pulled on his hair. When he turned around, I screamed. He had folds of skin drooping off of his face. It appeared as if his skin was melting off.

"'Help me,'" the monster said.

"There was a loud roaring coming from the woods. The man pulled the skin on his forehead back so he could see. It was difficult to read his expression, but he seemed terrified. He started pedaling downhill, but about a dozen men on motorcycles came crashing out of the woods and surrounded us.

"The helmeted drivers were dressed in military gear, but there were a couple of men in white lab coats riding along with them. One of the men slammed his motorcycle into the monster and knocked him off, bending the front wheel of my bike on impact. I remember thinking I was going to have a long walk home and would be in deep trouble for damaging my new present.

"That's when someone forcefully grabbed me in a bear hug from behind. I kicked my legs wildly, but the man holding me tightened his grip on me. I was so scared I was going to be squeezed to death that I stopped resisting. One of the men dressed like a doctor walked over to me and stuck a large needle into my neck. Within seconds, the world became blurry and everything went dark.

"I woke up in a brightly lit white room. There was a collar around my neck that was connected to the wall via a metal chain. It was long enough that it allowed me to lie down, but not much else. The only thing in the room was a bucket with a lid lying next to me. I opened it up but it was empty. It didn't take long to figure out what it was for.

"On the opposite side of the room was a floor-length mirror. Below it was a tray of food with a couple pieces of fruit, a bottle of water, what appeared to be a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and some cookies. I tried to yank the chain out of the wall, but it wouldn't budge. I don't now how many hours I must have spent crying, knocking on the walls, and calling out for help, but no one came to my aid.

"At some point I noticed a piece of paper had been slipped into one of my pockets. It read: When you are truly hungry, you will find that you can move objects with your mind. I read the words over and over again, but their meaning didn't become any clearer.

"Seconds turned into minutes, minutes turned into hours, and hours finally stretched into days. When I wasn't sleeping, I was fruitlessly trying to remove the collar from around my neck. My thoughts began to darken. I'm ashamed to admit that I attempted to strangle myself with the collar. I thought whoever was watching me on the other side of the mirror would surely intervene, but I was mistaken. I came to the brink, but I was ultimately too much of a coward to embrace death.