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The Special People Chapter 33
“I know a lot has changed over the past week, but it’s still only been a week. Things like this take years to get over, if ever.”“How do you do it? You seem to be doing just fine. I only knew two people there. You knew all of them. You lost your colleagues, your friends, and your students. You should be way worse off than me. How do you keep it together?”“Honestly, I don’t know,” said Kristen, shrugging. “I definitely blame myself for a lot of that, whether or not anyone else does. The whole field trip was my idea, and all the students were my responsibility. The pain is always there, and sometimes it feels unbearable especially when I’m alone. I guess I just channel it. As much guilt as I feel, it is nothing compared to the anger and hatred I feel toward Isaac . I’m sure, once this is all over, if we all manage to live through it, I will feel the full force of the guilt, but until then, I need to stop Isaac from hurting anyone else.”“I guess it just feels like it would be an insu
The Special People Chapter 34
He repeated the process. Everybody gathered around to see the results for themselves, and the overhead camera was adjusted to capture everything. When the centrifuge was finished, the sample was immediately removed, and once again, the layers were only visible for about a second before the green liquid began reacting with the layer of blood cells. Dr. Bryant pulled up the film footage on the main monitor, and they reviewed it over and over, zooming in and slowing it down, trying to understand what had just happened.“Micoaz atl,” said Kristen under her breath.“What was that?” asked Dr. Bryant.“It’s micoaz atl. It’s got to be,” replied Kristen.Some of the people in the room were still looking at her curiously while others stared back in shock at the liquid layer paused on the screen.“The legendary elixir of death,” Kristen explained for the benefit of those who didn’t know the history. “The weapon used against Zaca’s army that Zaca then used to transform himself and, as an extensio
The Special People Chapter 35
Kora turned her attention back to her dinner. Kristen gave Wilson a very meaningful look, but he shook his head slightly, so she kicked him under the table. He rolled his eyes and mouthed, “Fine, pushy!” Kristen grinned, mischievously.“So how are you doing?” he asked Kora, clearing his throat.“Good,” said Kora with a slight smile as she looked up at Wilson.“Good,” he said lamely.He could almost feel Kristen rolling her eyes at him, so he nervously began eating his meatloaf. Awkward silence filled the table.“So we just came from the lab,” Kristen said to break the silence. “The marines brought back an arm. Wilson was able to examine it. We believe it belonged to a creature known as Yolcatl.”“So that’s where you were for so long,” said Kora.“What do you mean by an arm?” asked Kyle.“It was reptilian in nature,” replied Wilson. “It had specialized cells in its skin designed for extreme camouflage, way beyond any other reptile I have ever seen.”“That’s why we think it was Yolcatl,
The Special People Chapter 36
“Yeah, still working on that one,” Kora said, a little sadly.“Give yourself time to grieve,” Wilson said kindly. “But when you want to and you feel it is time to be happy, be happy. It is the simplest concept in the world but a very difficult thing to accomplish. In your case, it’s still really early, but don’t give up on the concept of happiness.”“You know,” she said, eyes shining, “Kristen’s right about you.”“How so?”“You’re an easy person to be around.”After they finished their dinner, Dutch approached them and said, “I’d like you both to meet me in the armory if you don’t mind.”They got up, cleared their dishes, and followed Dutch. Kristen and Kyle were already waiting in the armory with David.“I have something to show you all,” Dutch said with an eager smile.He signaled to David, who typed something into the control panel, and the back wall opened up. Four new suits of body armor were hung there; they were matte black with thick plates covering vital body parts.David wal
The Special People Chapter 37
“Where?” she asked, sounding excited.“It’s a surprise, but it may or may not include a movie.” He winked.“Okay,” she said with a smile.They quickly got ready for the day and made their way up to the parking lot. As they exited the security gate, they picked up their guns and phones. They all had several missed calls and messages from friends and family, and they decided to take some time to call them back and let them know they were okay.Wilson had several very worried messages from his mother, and upon reaching her, he discovered that she was in town staying at a hotel. He promised to visit that morning to explain what was going on.As soon as he hung up, Kora came up to him and asked, “Are you ready to go?”“Yes, but I have to take care of something before we go out. Is that okay?”“Yeah, the others are meeting up at this cute little local diner for breakfast. I can just go with them, and you can join us when you’re done.”“That sounds good. I shouldn’t be too long, so I’ll meet
The Special People Chapter 38
Wilson quickly turned to Kora. “Don’t listen to a single word she says, she’s a liar.”Kora ignored him. “Why should I get him to sing for me?” she asked Kristen.“You’re going to ignore me?” he asked. “Come on, look at this face.”He gave her puppy eyes, but she just smiled and poked his nose.“Wilson is a professional-level singer,” answered Kristen.“Oh really,” said Kora, sounding surprised and excited.“It was just something I did while I went to school,” he admitted. “I performed in the summer shows at the professional theater just outside of Saint George.”“And you never thought to mention this?” asked Kora.“I told you my first major was theater,” replied Wilson.“Yeah, but you said you didn’t have any talent,” responded Kora.“Hey, I never said that,” said Wilson. “I just said formal education is not necessary in that field. I proved that by getting in without it.”“Is there anything you can’t do?” asked Kora.Wilson thought for a moment then said confidently, “Have babies. I
The Special People Chapter 39
As they reentered headquarters, neither one of them said a word, and they carefully maintained a safe distance between them, but they couldn’t stop smiling either. Once inside, they headed straight for the sleeping quarters. As soon as the door closed behind them, they immediately embraced again as if it had been far too long since they had had physical contact. Their lips were so passionately locked onto each other’s that they stumbled as they moved through the room. They had just made it to Kora’s bed when Kristen suddenly burst into the room.“You guys need to come see this!”Wilson and Kora stopped and grimaced at her in perfect synchronicity.Kristen stood there gawking as she processed the scene before her. A smile began to creep onto her face.“Oh my glory!” she squeaked.“Buzz kill,” Wilson accused.“I’m so sorry,” she said, trying to mask a giggle, “but you really should come see this.”Wilson and Kora reluctantly rose and followed after her. As they moved through the halls a
The Special People Chapter 40
“Get back to the armory. Grab what you can. It’s time to suit up,” ordered Dutch. “Wilson, get your sword. Everyone move now!”Wilson took off toward the maximum security weapons room; the rest moved toward the armory. As they reached the armory, Kora was starting to panic. Flashbacks from the fieldtrip were overwhelming her.“I can’t do this,” she said as she stumbled against the wall and slid down onto the floor, clutching her knees to her chest.“Kora, we don’t have a choice,” Kyle said as he crouched down next to her. “We’ve been trained. We’ll be fine.”“For two weeks!” she shouted back at him.“Regardless, that thing is going to get through that door eventually, and there is nowhere to run. If we want any chance of making it out of here alive, we need to be ready. So you need to get it together right now!”He stood and moved to suit up and gather weapons.She dragged herself up after him and tremulously reached for her gear. The sound of the steel door breaking away from the wal