|
The fluorescent bulbs
flickered over the subway platform as Hugh Brennan glanced
around the area, hoping that it remained deserted. His mind
still couldn’t fathom how he had gotten to this point. It
wasn’t long ago when his main priority was surviving his
freshman year of college. Now he would be lucky if he
survived until sunrise, which was due in six hours. His skin
paler than usual; his trembling hands barely managed to
place the change in the payphone. He sighed heavily upon
hearing the voicemail message.
“I have something
of yours,” he said. “If you want it, meet me at the subway
station at 12th and Oak now!”
With another deep
breath, Hugh sat on the ground and removed a small journal
from his brown leather jacket. It would probably be the last
time he would write in it for he would most likely be long
dead by the time someone happened upon the leather-bound
notebook. Just the same, he wanted to chronicle the events
that led to his fate; no matter how preposterous they
seemed.
#
It was a typical
Wednesday in English Lit and par for the course Professor
Peyton’s dark hair and statuesque figure distracted most of
the males from her lecture. Hugh was one of the few said
males who studiously took notes and avoided gazing at the
professor’s milky white legs that were inadequately covered
by her skirt. For a brief moment, his eyes wandered to her
legs but he quickly adjusted his glasses when she returned
the glance with a smirk.
“That’s all for
today,” Peyton said. “I’ll see all of you on Friday. Mr.
Brennan, a moment?”
“Your last paper
was quite impressive,” Peyton began. “Suffice to say you
received an A on it.”
“The-the-thank you
professor,” Hugh replied.
“I take it you’ll
be participating in the extra credit group project?”
Hugh stared at his
sneakers, “Actually, because I really don’t need…that is to
say because I’m really busy, I didn’t plan on doing the
extra credit assignment. If that’s okay with you?”
Peyton smiled and
sat on the edge of her desk, “While it’s true that you have
the highest grade in the class, I think working with your
peers will be an enlightening experience. A little
interaction with people will be good for you which I suspect
is something you try to avoid. And you can do a research
paper on your favorite novel, whatever that is. Or better
yet, on a novel you despise.”
“I’ll definitely
consider your suggestion.”
“Very good.” Peyton
grabbed her briefcase, “Oh and Mr. Brennan?”
“Yes professor?”
“Don’t mistake it
for a suggestion.”
Curled up in his chair
and scribbling in his journal, Hugh found himself in the
university center’s student lounge a few days later while
his classmates bickered over the project. A curvaceous
dark-skinned black girl finally stood up and called for
order.
“Guys, all of this
arguing isn’t getting us anywhere,” Marissa said. “We need
to get organized.”
“And hurry up,”
Brock said. “Some of us have a game on Saturday to worry
about.”
“Thank you for
reminding us where your priorities really are,” Marissa
said. “Julie, take notes. Okay, what novels are we
considering?”
Marissa grimaced
for no sooner did she say that, another argument erupted.
Hugh finally raised his hand, which went ignored for nearly
a minute.
“Guys, guys!”
Marissa said. “Hugh has something to say. Go ahead Hugh.”
Though Marissa
gazed at him as a refreshing alternative, the others glared
at him disdainfully.
“Um…ne-nev-never
mind,” he said.
He slunk down in
his chair and stared at his shoes.
Rock music blared from
the upcoming Sigma Theta Kappa fraternity house. Hugh barely
noticed two upperclassmen on the balcony. If he had, he may
have seen the water balloon that was chucked at him. The
frat brothers roared with laughter as a soaking Hugh crawled
on the lawn, searching for his glasses.
“Our bad, man,”
snickered one of the brothers, “Didn’t see you. Honest
mistake.”
“You guys mind
being more careful with the water balloons?” Hugh asked.
“Yeah sure,” the
second brother said, “no problem.”
Before Hugh could
walk three steps, a second water balloon burst on his back.
The frat brothers cackled like rabid hyenas. Hoping to
salvage a few traces of dignity, Hugh swiftly trod away.
The bathroom was Hugh’s
first destination after arriving at his dorm room. He tugged
off his drenched shirt and toweled off his neck and his
chest. He tossed his satchel by his desk where his answering
machine was located next to a model of a red BMW convertible
and a special edition copy of G.K. Chesterton’s The Man Who
Was Thursday. There was one new message.
“Huey, it’s your
father. You haven’t called in the past few days and your
mother has been worried sick. What are you too good for your
family now? Think cause you’re a big man on campus, you
can’t be bothered with the people that raised you for
eighteen years? If it’s not too much trouble could you
please grace us with a call?”
Hugh’s attention shifted
from the message to the strange item that lay on his bed; a
small archaic amulet. Glyphs were etched throughout the
amulet as a jade gem lied in its center.
“What the--?” he
muttered.
Hugh picked up the
artifact. Without warning, his entire body convulsed as it
was engulfed in an emerald glow. A montage of images flooded
his mind: images of ages past, wars and previous wielders.
The images ceased as quickly as they began and Hugh crashed
to the ground, gasping heavily.
He felt stronger and
galvanized. He removed his glasses. His vision was no longer
blurry. Hugh placed the amulet around his neck and
instinctively pointed at the voicemail machine. His index
finger discharged an emerald beam that decimated the device.
His eyes widened in amazement. For his next experiment, Hugh
focused his gaze on his satchel. The backpack levitated in
the air and landed on the bed. Hugh waved his hand and the
bag emitted a green glow. Opening the bag, he found large
wads of cash had replaced its previous contents. The
knowledge of wielding the amulet had become second nature to
him. Hugh ran his hand through his tousled brown hair and
grinned.
The dawn of the
following school week brought on familiar hassles as
students and faculty alike hurried from one building to
another. As hurried as most of them were, many of them took
notice of the enigmatic figure in their midst.
Clad in designer
shades, a sleek leather jacket, ebony garbs and spiky hair,
Hugh strode across campus like a man with a purpose. He
couldn’t contain his smirk when several grinning co-eds gave
him the once over. Hugh patted his amulet and continued his
trek.
Entering the
university center, he spotted his group arguing once more.
With a piercing whistle, Hugh snared everyone’s attention.
“Just stopped by to
let you guys know that I’m dropping out of the group,” Hugh
said. “I’ve got other things I could be doing.”
Brock scoffed and
rolled his eyes. “Figures,” he whispered to Tony. “The
little cockroach was a waste of space to begin with.”
“Yeah I’m sure
that’s exactly what Coach Mitchell said about you after the
game last Saturday,” Hugh replied.
Brock gaped as the
others gasped and snickered.
Hugh handed Marissa
his notes, “Here’s a few ideas I threw together,” he
whispered to her. “Good luck with the flying monkeys.”
“Uh…thanks Hugh.”
Marissa smiled as
she watched Hugh exit the university center.
The blaring music and
the mob of students outside the Sigma Theta Kappa House
indicated that another party was taking place on Friday
night. Rolling his eyes, Hugh ignored the festivities. Just
then, a stray water balloon exploded near his feet. Glaring
at the balcony, he spotted the same two frat brothers
bombing hapless victims while others laughed and cheered
them on. With a wry grin, Hugh headed towards the balcony.
“I’m certain I
asked you two to watch where you threw those things!” Hugh
yelled.
“Screw you,” one of
the frat brothers barked.
Hugh ducked another
water balloon. “All right. Let me to try the remix.”
He gazed at a
nearby fire hydrant. A geyser erupted from the spot and
hosed the two college juniors off the balcony. Two spare
water balloons exploded on top of their heads. His amulet
glowing, Hugh grabbed both men by the scruff of their
collars and hoisted them off the ground.
“See it’s not fun
to be humiliated is it?” Hugh asked.
He flung both men
through a window. Turning around, Hugh was met with widened
eyes and gasps of most of the partygoers. The frightened
crowd quickly cleared a path as he rushed away.
Prof. Peyton finished
grading her last paper when her office door opened and Hugh
marched in. Her right eyebrow arched when he tossed his
report onto her desk.
“You know the last
I checked, there’s no ‘I’ in team,” Peyton said.
“No but there’s an
‘I’ in unit as in unit of one,” Hugh replied. “You were
right in that working on the group assignment would be
enlightening. I learned that I don’t play well with others;
hence the separate report. Look I’ve already got an A in the
class. My doing the extra work was solely for your benefit
and if that isn’t good enough, then you can find some other
student to bully.”
“Hmmm, A Critical
Analysis On the Man Who Was Thursday,” Peyton read. “I
expect an interesting read from a report on your favorite
novel.”
“Enjoy.”
In the hallway,
Hugh felt a sluggish wave overtake him. He glanced down at
his chest. Minute sparks flickered from the amulet before it
went dormant. Hugh grimaced as reality struck him. The
amulet’s powers had dissipated.
Later that night, Hugh
found himself wandering aimlessly around campus. Clenching
the amulet, he tried with every fiber of his being to will
it to do something, anything. Nothing.
“Cold night huh?”
said a familiar voice.
Hugh spotted an
approaching Marissa, “Yeah, you could say that.”
“I don’t mind them
though,” Marissa said. “They’re good for walking and
thinking.”
“I get that.”
“So how have things
been with you? You’ve definitely been peculiar as of late.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Definitely. Aside
from the new look, you’ve been more…I don’t know…confident,
forceful. Telling off jocks and hurling people through
windows. Of course if you ask half the people at the party,
it was some seven-foot-tall chromag who did the damage. I
wouldn’t be surprised if some people think you had something
to do with the defective fire hydrant.”
Hugh grinned as his
face turned beet-red, “Well not to sound like a
five-year-old but they started it. I don’t know. I guess
fate has been kind to me. At least it had been until now.”
“My dad always says
that fate can be a fickle mistress. Of course, I always
believed that we make our own fates.”
“Yeah but I think
there are just some things we have no control over.”
“True but we
control how we handle them. And that’s something in itself.”
Hugh nodded.
“Pretty sage advice.”
“For what it’s
worth,” Marissa continued, “I think you’re going to be able
to handle whatever it is you’re dealing with.”
Hugh chuckled,
“That obvious?”
“Yeah. But I’m a
good judge of character and you’ve got more going for you
than you probably realize.”
Hugh smiled, “It’s
good someone thinks so. Thank you.”
The smile Marissa
placed on Hugh’s face remained with him long after she
departed. It didn’t fade until some time later when he
glanced over his shoulder. In the distance were three
ominous figures; a woman flanked by two large men, each clad
in dark attire. Hugh increased his pace. Glancing from the
corner of his eye, he saw the three strangers matched his
speed. Hugh inhaled a few deep breaths and broke into a full
sprint. The pursuers closed in with inhuman speed. It wasn’t
long before he ran out of campus lawn and raced across a
busy intersection, barely missing two honking cars and a
pickup.
A medieval dagger
whizzed past Hugh’s head and plunged into a wall inches
away. The sight of the knife caused Hugh to freeze in his
tracks. One of the men leapt over the intersection and
landed a couple of yards in front of Hugh. The freshman
yanked the dagger out of the wall and aimed it at his
attacker. The pursuer’s face morphed into a demonic visage;
ridges extruded from his face; fangs extended; eyes
converted into a sickly yellow. Hugh yelled and darted in
the opposite direction. Ahead he glimpsed a descending
stairway to a subway station. The three demons arrived at
the platform just in time to see the tail of a subway
disappear into the tunnel.
“He may have
double-backed,” the woman said. “Let’s go.”
Inside the subway
cart Hugh peeked out of a window. His stalkers nowhere in
sight, he exhaled heavily. His pounding heart felt as if it
would burst at any second. He couldn’t return to his dorm.
The demons found him once and chances are they knew where he
lived. He was now alone and scared. His powers were gone. He
had nothing left.
The subway came to
a halt and its doors hissed open. A figure ambled into the
cart and slumped into a chair. His green and yellow varsity
jacket indistinguishable, Brock’s square chin rested against
his massive chest, tears streamed down his face. Gone was
the jock with the cocky swagger and his place was a defeated
and broken man.
Hugh apprehensively
approached his classmate.
“Great,” Brock
laughed. “The perfect end to the perfect day. What are you
doing here?”
“There were these
guys…never mind, long story.” Hugh said. “What happened to
you?”
“Why don’t you mind
your own business,” Brock snapped. Hugh turned to walk away.
“Well fine, if you really want to know. You might as well
get a good laugh out of this too. Everyone else has. Today I
got the best news ever. Seems like you called it the other
day. Coach has been riding me for the past couple of weeks.
That is until this afternoon. He told me that I’ve been a
liability to the team since day one. So I’m out. My
scholarship has been pulled.”
“I’m sorry.”
Brock scoffed,
“What do you care?”
Hugh took a seat
next to Brock. “I’ve had a bad day too.”
“Oh yeah? What’s
your story?”
“I thought I got
lucky,” Hugh said. “Something that seemed too good to be
true turned out to be…well, just that. And now I’m in
trouble.”
“Join the club.”
“So what happens
now?”
“Nothing happens
now. My football days are over. You want to know something
that’s real funny? I never even liked football.”
Hugh gazed at Brock
quizzically.
“Ever since I was a
kid I always wanted to be a chef,” Brock said. “I used to
love helping my aunt make dinner at her restaurant. My dad
wasn’t having it. He told me he ‘wasn’t raising no nerds or
no sissies.’ He threw me into little league and told me the
game would make a man out of me. You can imagine how
thrilled he was when I told him the news today. I think he
enjoyed telling me what a screw-up I’ve been.”
“It sounds like
we’ve got the same dad.”
“Your old man a
spiteful bastard too?”
“That’d be putting
it mildly,” Hugh said. “Funny thing is I always thought my
dad would be happy if I were more like you.”
“Like me?” Brock
said. “I spent all of my life playing a role just to make
other people happy. All of my friends, none of them there
when I needed them. My folks are cutting me off. The
scholarship only covered my classes and dorms. Do you know
how impossible it is to find a part-time job just to have
money to feed yourself when practice takes up all of your
time? I was barely able to feed myself when they were
helping. At least you’re smart. They throw money at brains
like you.”
“What are you going
to do?”
“I don’t know.”
“At least you’re
free.”
“What?”
“You can be your
own man now,” Hugh said. “You don’t have to worry about
pleasing anyone else. You want to be a chef, be a chef. You
might be able to find loans or something.”
“Are you crazy?”
Brock said. “Do you know what my dad would do if—”
Hugh grinned.
“Oh right,” Brock
said, smiling as well. “Do what I want by my own means and
irk the old man in the process; that whole living well is
the best revenge. I like the way you think.”
“One of the perks
of being a brain. Here’s another one.”
He reached into his
jacket and handed Brock one of the wads of cash he created
the night he obtained the amulet. Brock’s mouth was ajar as
his eyes gazed at the bundle of $100 bills.
“Consider that my
investment into your five-star restaurant,” Hugh said.
“Where did you get
this cash?” Brock raised an eyebrow as he stared at Hugh.
“Never mind. I don’t want to know.”
“I figure you need
it more than I do,” Hugh said.
“Always the quiet
ones. Man you think you have someone pegged when the truth
is staring you right in the face all along.”
At that moment a
realization struck Hugh as the subway came to a halt.
“This is my stop,”
Hugh said. “Are you going to be okay?”
Brock flipped
through the wad of cash, “I’ll manage. Hey Brennan…what I
said before about you being a brain. I meant it. Whatever
the problem is, you’ll figure it out. That’s what brains
do.”
Hugh nodded and
exited the cart. Chatting with Brock helped him realize that
he had one more resource. He needed a plan.
#
Hugh scribbled down the
last sentence in his journal. He closed it and placed it
back into his jacket. Hearing footsteps, he quickly
scrambled to his feet and grabbed a metal pipe. He only had
one shot at executing this stunt and fear wasn’t an option;
despite his trembling. The three demons approached in human
forms. Hugh clenched his pipe as the woman sneered.
“You probably
didn’t expect us to find you so quickly?” she stated.
“Actually I was
counting on it,” Hugh said.
“You would do well
to hand over the amulet,” she ordered.
“I would but
there’s the small matter of you eviscerating me the moment I
do.”
“You have no idea
what you’re involved in, you insignificant worm. Your death
will be a slow one unless you hand over the amulet.”
“Insignificant worm
huh,” Hugh began. “My entire life I’ve been looked down upon
by virtually everyone I’ve met. Parents, teachers,
classmates, strangers, all eager to tell me how worthless I
am, but the fact is that if that were true, they wouldn’t
spend so much energy trying to convince me. By gaining super
powers, I learned that I’ve had the real thing all along.
Some friends helped me realize that. I had the power to get
a full ride to college and to make the most of the amulet;
even dealing with you three. The only reason you haven’t
killed me and ended this monologue yet is because I have
something you need.”
The three demons
scowled at Hugh.
“Here’s how it is,”
he continued, “I’ve cast a spell on the amulet. Anything
happens to me, it vanishes forever. I’ll consider turning it
over once I’m a few time zones away and I’m certain I’ll be
left alone.”
The two men turned
to their leader who continued to scowl at Hugh.
“Not bad for an
insignificant worm huh?” Hugh said with a smirk. “See,
power.”
“You arrogant son of
a—" the woman paused. “I suppose you thought this through.
You clearly outwitted us and at this point your death would
serve as little consolation.” She grinned, “But a little is
better than none.”
The woman and her
men morphed into their demonic forms and lunged at Hugh.
Sidestepping one of the men, Hugh pummeled him with his
pipe. The freshman landed a blow across the demon’s jaw;
knocking him onto the subway tracks which electrocuted him.
The demon’s body convulsed and disintegrated into ashes.
Wasting no time, Hugh lunged at the second male demon and
pounded him with the pipe. The vagrant caught the weapon in
mid-strike. He growled and brandished his fangs. Out of the
corner of his eye, Hugh saw the demoness’s glowing fist. He
leapt clear just as she discharged a crimson bolt and
incinerated her comrade. Hugh scrambled for his weapon. But
was yanked by the back of his collar and hurled into a wall.
Before he could recover, a series of sharp kicks landed
across his ribs. The leader clenched Hugh’s throat and
lifted him in the air.
“You have something
that belongs to me,” she reminded him.
“Agreed.”
Hugh plunged the
dagger he absconded with earlier deep into her chest. Both
crashed to the ground. Hugh crawled away while gasping for
air. Slowly he returned to his feet and dashed for the
stairway. He came to a halt when a beam shot past him.
Turning around, Hugh found the leader standing before him;
both her fists glowing sans the dagger. She fired again.
Hugh raised his arms and braced for the worst. It never
came.
Opening his eyes,
Hugh found himself engulfed in an emerald sphere. For the
first time, Hugh saw something on the demon’s face, which
until that point he thought she was incapable of, fear. The
leader repeatedly fired but the beams merely deflected off
of the sphere. Hugh levitated and unleashed a torrent of
energy bolts. The demoness screamed as she was leveled by
the blast. Hugh approached his adversary whose steaming body
lay sprawled on the ground.
“You won’t bother
me again,” Hugh warned.
As he walked away, the
demoness slowly reached for the dagger. Her finger touched
the hilt when a blue beam vaporized her. Hugh turned and saw
the mysterious figure who just saved his life.
“I was wondering if
you were going to show,” Hugh said.
Prof. Peyton tossed
back her hair and grinned. “Lucky for you, I forward my
office calls to my cell,” she said. “How did you know I left
you the amulet?”
“While I was on the
subway I was reminded of the whole extra credit project
ordeal. You couldn’t have possibly known what my favorite
novel was just by reading the title of my paper. That is
unless you had been in my room; especially since you didn’t
know days prior. A stretch I admit but you seemed to take a
special interest in a student who went out of his way not to
bring attention to himself. It began to make sense.”
“Impressive,”
Peyton said. “You just have all the answers don’t you?”
“Hardly. I still
can’t figure out how those three continued to track me down
and why did the amulet malfunction in the first place?”
“The Klepital
didn’t malfunction at all. It did exactly what it was
supposed to do.”
“What?”
“The amulet is
known as the Klepital, a powerful and ancient relic that
tests the potential of its wielder. The scenarios are
different for each wielder but it is a test nevertheless.
The magic powers, the demons, all part of the assessment to
see if you are a worthy champion.”
“A worthy
champion?” Hugh repeated. “And what if I had failed?”
“If you had failed
then we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now,”
Peyton said.
“All right, it’s
obvious you’re not a college professor or even human for
that matter. What are you some kind of immortal being or
something?”
“Ever hear of the
expression old soul? Let’s just say I was around when the
phrase was first coined. My true name is Peyton and I’m a
major player in the ongoing, Homeric epic of a war between
light and darkness.”
“You put me through
all of this and you’re one of the good guys?”
Peyton chuckled,
“While I fight on the side of the angels, I’ve never been
good. And look at me. I’m clearly not a guy. I wanted to see
what you were made of, as well as pay you back for your
cheek in my office the other day.”
“How do I fit into
all of this?”
“Among my many
gifts, I can see the potential in others. I’ve been tracking
you for a long time; watching from a distance, biding my
time until you were ready.”
“Ready for what?”
“With the right
guidance, you can be destined for true greatness. Tonight
you single-handedly outwitted and defeated three formidable
demons. Few mortals could've survived an encounter with
them. You have surpassed all of my expectations, without the
amulet. Look at how far you’ve come in such a short amount
of time on your own. No longer a shy stuttering bookworm,
you're a man who is coming into his own.”
“Yeah well fighting
for your life will do that for you,” Hugh said.
“I’m not just
referring to the attack,” Peyton said. “Enroute here you ran
into a classmate of yours, Stephen Denton?”
“Brock? What about
him?”
“He was on his way
to take his life,” Peyton said. “But you changed all of that
with that Good Samaritan number. Even at your lowest point,
you helped another soul, an enemy no less, find hope and
direction. If that isn’t the sign of a true champion, I
don’t know what is.”
Hugh stared at
Peyton in disbelief.
“Like I said, I’ve
been watching you for a long time,” Peyton said. “I could
teach you more than you could ever learn in a classroom and
show you worlds few could ever imagine. All you have to do
is let me be your guide.”
Hugh pondered on
Peyton’s words. After a long moment, he removed the Klepital
and tossed it to Peyton.
“I think this
belongs to you,” he said. “I don’t think I’ll care to have
any more tests or demons chasing me.”
Hugh turned to walk
away when he sensed something bizarre. Rotating his wrist,
he was surprised to see tendrils of energy cackling from his
finger tips. He turned back to Peyton for an explanation.
“The Klepital is no
longer the source of your powers,” Peyton said. “You did all
of this damage yourself. Consider that your reward for
passing the test. The question now isn’t whether or not you
have true power. The question is what are you going to do
with it?”
#
“Just a minute!”
Marissa called from her room.
She grabbed two of her
books as she raced to answer the door. She beamed and her
new boyfriend greeted her with a smile and a kiss.
“And how is my
favorite lady?” Brock asked.
“Doing much better
now,” she replied. “What are you doing here? I thought we
were going to meet up after class?”
“Yeah we were,” Brock
said. “I thought I’d walk you to class.”
“Chivalrous,” Marissa
said. “I would’ve never guessed.”
“Yeah I’m full of
surprises,” Brock said. “Speaking of surprises, I found a
new recipe online I’m going to try when I cook dinner
tonight.”
“Well if it’s anything
like last night’s dish I can’t wait,” Marissa said. She
suddenly noticed two books in Brock’s hand. “What are
those?”
“Oh yeah,” Brock said.
“These were propped up against your door.”
Brock handed Marissa a
leather journal and a special edition copy of “The Man Who
Was Thursday.” Attached to the journal was a small note
which simply stated Thank You.
Hugh strode into an
alley where Peyton and a red BMW convertible awaited him.
“You ready?” she
asked.
“Yeah,” he answered.
He revved the engine, “Where to next?”
“You tell me,” Peyton
said. “You’re the one in the driver’s seat.”
Hugh grinned and
nodded, “That I am.” |
