Beyond The Sea Blue Light

With Sudden Death We Fight Back

There's a figure standing in the center of the dark room. I can't see his face though, from where it's shielded in the shadows. He presses his hands against the wall, energy making them glow. The walls begin to shake, cracks running along the concrete.

I turn around, seeing the faint image of people laughing and talking, a bright banner flying overhead. I can't make out what the words say, through the blue and red. When chunks of the floor give way, falling around the boy in the basement, the entire building shakes. The crowd seems to realize something is wrong because they all surge toward the doors. But the doors are firmly latched shut, not budging an inch, even as hands pound against the glass. No matter how hard the people struggle to escape, I know that they are doomed. The boy's hands glow brighter and brighter until he disappears in a flash of light. It shines brighter and brighter until it hurts to look at. I squeeze my eyes shut, hearing a scream cut through the air, but when I open my eyes and see who it came from, there is nothing but darkness around me.

I hear the wailing first. The high pitched cry cuts through the air, the sound of keening in the distance. As I look around, I realize I'm standing knee-deep in rubble. It looks like a building of some sort, or it used to be. Sirens sound in the distance but they're cut off abruptly. Even from here, I can see the smoke rising through the trees and hear the explosion and the crunch of metal as the police cars are totaled.

"They're all gone!" A woman cries as she runs past me. Her arm brushes against mine—no, goes through it. As if I'm not even there. "All of them are dead!" She falls to her knees on the broken glass, not caring as the shards slice through her skin. "My family," she wails. "They're all gone."

I move forward, wanting to comfort her, but my hand passes through her shoulder.

"He's going to kill us all!" The panicked cries slice through the air. I turn to see a small crowd of people clustered together in front of the building, clutching onto each other for comfort.

"We won't let him," a man says. "We will fight against these terrorist threats."

"Did someone call the authorities?"

"They're coming for us. They will dispose of these freaks," the man assures. "They won't get away with them, being the weaklings they are."

"You call us weak?" The voice yells as the man flinches. "You called us the weak ones? Well I'm here to show you that we aren't. We are more powerful than you will ever be. We have power, not you. No matter how much you try to push us down, we will only fight more."

I turn, gasping in surprise as I see the figure standing perched on the rubble. It's Andy, his hands glowing with power, his clothes completely covered in blood, but smiling all the same.

---

When I open my eyes, I'm standing in the middle of a road. Rolling hills stretch as far as I can see, a patchwork of blue and green. Yet colors are too saturated, the sky too blue, the grass too green. There's no breeze, yet the leaves tumble head over heels down the pavement past me. As I turn around, I freeze in surprise, seeing the figure standing a few paces away from me.

Craig's standing in the middle of the road, his back to me. My footsteps echo as I walk toward him, my heart sinking in my chest. Deep down, I know why he is here, but I don't want to imagine that it's the truth. Ever since my powers stopped working, I suspected it, but I tried to deny it. Because I don't know what I will do if I've lost another one of my friends.

Craig turns as I near him, grief flashing through his gaze. "I'm sorry," he states as a greeting.

"I'm sorry too," I say.

"Are you okay now?" he asks. "I was worried that I might have killed you."

"I'm okay," I say. "But what about you? You're—" I can't finish the sentence. Craig only nods slowly, a small smile spreading across his lips.

"Yes," he confirms. "I know. And it's okay."

"I'm sorry—" I start, but he cuts me off.

"I don't have much time," Craig warns. "Be careful of Andy, okay?"

I frown, looking at him, the memory of my dream flashing through my mind. "What do you mean?" I ask.

"There's a lot he hasn't told you," Craig says. "He told me some of it, but it was extreme, even for me. I hate the humans, that's true. But not all of them are bad, I have to admit. There are some that are willing to fight for us. Matty was. So wee Zack and Rian. So as much as I hate this, you guys are right. We can't kill them. If we do, we will never have peace. We won't be better than they are."

"Craig, is Andy planning something?"

Craig shrugs. "I don't know," he admits. "All I know is that it won't end well. But I can't do anything about it, so you gotta, 'kay? Be careful though. I don't know how dangerous he is."

I hold his gaze for a while, the sinking feeling of dread weighing me down. "Okay," I agree at last. "Craig, I'm really—"

"It's not your fault. It's no one's fault," Craig interrupts. "Tell them that for me, will you? I don't blame any of them. I don't want them to blame themselves."

"Will you be okay?" I ask.

"I'm better now," Craig says. He turns his head away from me, looking toward the bright light shining in the distance. He takes a step forward, before looking back at me. "Tell them I'm sorry, okay?"

"I will," I whisper.

"Goodbye Kellin."

"Goodbye Craig."