Double Take

Double Take-Prologue

Prologue:

          The fifteen year old boy walked down the deserted street. The only light came from the tiny flashlight in his hand. He continued walking until he saw the house. Creeping up to the threshold, every memory came flooding back, seizing his mind and controlling his every thought. He threw open the door and staggered into the house. 

          Light bulbs flickered off and on, chairs were toppled and the whole room smelled of rotten food. He rushed out of the kitchen and down to the basement. More memories intruded into his mind.

          “…You’re a failure, hopeless. I’m ashamed to call you my son! You never should have been born!”

          He could feel the pain of those words, coupled with the physical abuse he suffered. Rage overtook his body. He screamed and his hands turned to clenched fists. Flipping the lights on, he grabbed a metal pole. He swung it around with authority, smashing valuable and worthless items alike. Forgetting his own safety, he jammed his pole into the open circuit box. The end got stuck inside, ripping out wires, making connection with the pole.

          Electricity swept through the pole and through his body. Fire seemed to explode throughout his frame. The electricity raced into the nucleus of his cells. The sudden surge altered his very being, causing his entire body to become invisible.

          Screaming from the searing pain, he released the pole and collapsed to the floor, crumbling on impact. His vision flickered, and he could feel his body fading away. Then, with one last horrific scream, he blacked out.

*        *        *

          After I finished eating a very late dinner with Mom, Dad and my sister Kenni, I went back to my room. I threw Sidekick Stick and the gum bombs into my drawstring bag. I returned to the kitchen and lingered by the door before saying,      

          “I’m going for a jog, be back later.”

          Mom replied from the sink, “Don’t get in trouble Clyde!”

          That’s me, Clyde Scooter.

          It was already dark outside, but that didn’t bother me. I knew this town by heart. Stretching, I began a steady run. I was zoned out by the quiet when a blood curling scream pierced the stillness.

          I looked around, searching.

          Houses towered on either side of me, and not one window was intact. Trash and litter made lawns nearly invisible, and the outdated paint was worn and peeling off. I tried to place the scream, but couldn’t. I definitely knew it was a guy. I circled around and saw smoke spilling out of the basement window. I walked over to it, poking my head through and looking inside.

          All I saw was a circuit box sparking, and a glowing metal pole lying on the floor. I stood up, and before I could move, a force slammed me towards the wall. I stuck out my hands lightening quick and stopped my momentum. The force was still pushing me into the wall, but I held firm. Thrusting my right leg backwards, I kicked in the direction of the push. I connected with what felt like a knee, and heard a slight crack. Whoever it was backed off.

          Spinning around, I searched for a weapon of some sort. Racing over to a street sign, I ripped it out with my left hand, breaking the concrete. Holding it in my left hand, I slid off my bag and shook the contents out with my right hand. I set down the sign and pulled out a gum bomb. I dropped it in my pocket, and hefted the sign again. I was armed and dangerous, but I had no idea who or what I was fighting against.

          A faint voice interrupted my thoughts, and breathed, “Who are you?” Tensing up, I tried yet again to find where he was, but it seemed to come from all angles.

          “Good question. Who, or what, are you?”

          Scuffing noises drew my attention to my left. I twirled, and saw nothing. Then, he appeared for a split second. A teenage boy about my age was running into a nearby alley way. He was average height, and a tad skinny. I saw the glimmer of a gold ring on his left pointer finger. Then he was gone again. I followed him to the alley, and still didn’t see anyone, or anything. The alley was a dead end, as was every other alley in town.       Once again, he became visible. I unfolded a gum bomb and folded it over twice. Sticking it to the sign, I heaved it at him. I figured even if it didn’t hit him directly, the debris would have some effect on him. As soon as it left my grip, I made a beeline out of there, not stopping to see what would happen. I was safely away when the bomb detonated. Still pressing on, I didn’t stop until I got back to my house.

*        *        *

          The sign spun in the air as it hurtled towards the figure. Without realizing what he was doing, his arms straightened and he released a surge of power. It coursed through his chest, to his arms, and hands, ending at his palms. Still unaware, he felt a ball of air form between his hands. He drew back his arms, and then thrust them forward, releasing the sphere. All in a second. The air collided with the sign, and blasted it backwards, away from him. He saw the explosion, but even while scraps of metal flew towards him, he created an invincible wall in front of him. Metal that should’ve killed him struck the barrier and dropped down, harmless.

          Four seconds passed by, then he withdrew the wall which he had created and ran out of the alley, again becoming invisible. He was in a quest for a boy with spiked red hair and blue sparkling eyes.

*        *        *

          I sat back on my bed, pondering what had occurred. I crept downstairs to the freezer, planning on getting an ice pack for my back. I never got that far. Mom seemed to have the perfect timing for catching me.

          “What are you getting, Clyde?” She raised her eyebrows in a suspicious frown.

          “Um…nothing.” This was obviously a lie because I was holding an ice pack in my palm.

          “Hm…nothing that involves an ice pack?” The eyebrows crept downward, growing more suspicious.

          “I was going to use it to put on my...ELBOW, because it got, uh, banged today,” I stammered.

          “What happened to your elbow, dear?” She asked innocently.

          “Um…you know, it’s weird, I don’t really know what happened, it just starting hurting.” I started inching towards the steps.

          “That is weird. Maybe I should take you to the doctor.”

          “NO! No need to do that. In fact, it is feeling better already! See, I can move it around, and flex my arm, and do all sorts of things. I’ll just put this back.” I wasted no time in getting the pack back into the freezer. After giving a quick glance to Mom, I hurried upstairs again. I heard her mutter, “Boys…”

          I ran into the bathroom, then grabbed Sidekick Stick and whispered, “Ave.” I suddenly realized I had made a terrible mistake. “Ave” in Latin means hail. So hail began falling from the air. I made SS stop immediately. The noise and damage were minimal. No one seemed to notice. I scooped up the hail stones and placed them in a bag. I then retreated back into my room to lie down.

          If this suspicious being somehow managed to survive the bomb, then I HAD to find out who and what this was. His invisible nature made my task impossible. I tried to remember everything I could about him. Thinking back to when I saw him, I figured that he was taller than me by about 2 inches. That’s all I could come up. I slowly drifted off to sleep, searching my memory for more clues.