3 days later.
Adrian started off his morning by getting up early and brewing a cup of instant coffee. He went outside, gathered some sticks and lit a fire with his hand. It was relieving to have his powers back again. He felt whole, and he was back on top. He downed his caffeine for the day and was about to go back inside, but was stopped by a small bird flying in front of him. Sunflower hovered in front of him and tilted her head, trying to gauge his intent. Adrian backed up hesitantly.
"H-Hey… uh… bird? Can I go inside? I don't really- wanna- touch you." Adrian said as he dodged Sunflowers attempts to land on him.
Eventually Sunflower cornered him and landed on his shoulder. Adrian winced away from her as she stared into his blue eyes. After a few seconds, she pecked him twice and flew back to her nest. Adrian stood there for a second before beginning to slowly walk back inside, still a bit rattled from that interaction.
As he walked back inside of the common area, he found Ying and Francis sitting across from each other at a fold up table. Francis motioned for Adrian to sit with them. Adrian groaned as he reluctantly obliged. He sat down and put his feet up on the table as he yawned.
"What?" He demanded.
"First of all…" Ying said as he slapped Adrian's feet off the table, "get your fuckin feet off of the table. Second of all, it's time we had a formal debriefing of all that's happened. So much has happened in the past couple weeks and it's time we discuss it. It's not enough to just survive, we- or rather I- need to find a way to stop this once and for all. We can't leave that portal open forever. More of them pour through every day, and-"
"What are we calling them?" Adrian interrupted.
"The big ones are Behemoths, and the small ones are Gremlins." Ying said with a sour expression. "Now as I was saying… We can't leave that portal open forever because more will just come through. It took me around a year and a half to discover how to create portals and it cost quite a lot of money to scale it up to that size. Luckily for me, before the accident I had the government's money and resources to play with. We'd need lots of materials for a new-"
"Ughhhhhhh." Adrian groaned. "Who cares!? Can you get to the point?"
Ying slammed the table and stood up. "THIS IS LITERALLY THE POINT OF!- ugh… goddamnit you're just the worst person to have to work with." He said as he sat back down and sighed.
Francis mumbled towards Ying. "I liked where that was going if it makes you feel any better."
Ying rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Look- its clear I'm gonna be doing most of the heavy lifting when it comes to science. Do any of you have any useful info I should know about? Weaknesses? Strengths? Behaviors?"
"Well I'm usually scared of confrontation, so there's a weakness, I like to think I'm a positive-" Francis started before Ying interrupted.
"The monsters goddamnit! The monsters' weaknesses and strengths!"
Adrian started picking his nails. "We don't know anymore than you do. But we should target the nearby nests first. If we don't, they're gonna be a bi-"
"I'm sorry- nests?" Ying said, a pit of fear beginning to form in his stomach.
Adrian looked confused. "Uhhhh yeah? The big hive lookin places with the tree-"
"HOW IS THIS NOT USEFUL INFO!?" Ying screamed at the top of his lungs.
Adrian stood up angrily. "How am I supposed to know what you know!? It was pretty obvious for us! Haven't you felt any earthquakes!?"
Ying also stood up. "Those are from the Behemoths you braindead amoeba! What do they have to do with anything!?"
Adrian chuckled. "Those aren't the behemoths, dickweed! It's the nests!"
Ying barely managed to restrain his anger. "Please. Just tell me. What. are. the nests?"
Adrian paused… and then grinned. "We can't explain it to you. We gotta show you."
Francis raised his hand. "Actually I think I could explain it pretty-"
"Shut it, Francis." Adrian and Ying said together.
Francis lowered his hand, embarrassed.
Adrian gave a malicious smile. "You're gonna have to teleport us to the old well."
Ying gulped. When they were kids, Adrian had led Ying a ways out of town into an old open field. Adrian claimed that he saw a creature somewhere in the field. Ying being the curious and naive child he was, followed his friend through the forest to the field. In the middle of the field there was an old, broken down well. After some convincing, Adrian had Ying go inspect it.
As Ying was looking over the side, Adrian suddenly pushed Ying into the well. Ying didn't remember much about the trip, but he remembered the well vividly. It was dark, and deep, and damp, and he was scared. Scared out of his little genius mind. He spent a good 3-4 hours in that well before help came in the form of a ladder. Adrian had been kind enough to get help after abandoning his friend in a well. In fact, that incident was the closest Adrian ever came to an apology.
…"I didn't mean to push you that hard." Was all he managed to get out.
Ying hated the idea of going back to that well, but he needed answers to Adrian's cryptic warnings, and he knew Adrian wouldn't give them any other way now. He was stubborn that way.
"If that's the only way… fine." Ying said nervously.
Adrian cheered and ran outside. Ying grabbed some supplies including a gun and some rations, and some medical supplies. You can never be too careful. Adrian also told him to bring some rope and "plenty of C4.". Ying was skeptical to say the least, but wasn't about to argue. After everyone was all set and ready to go, Ying blinked the three of them away. This was gonna be a long day.
About 10 minutes of teleporting later, they arrived at the old crime scene. There it was, that dingy old well. The grass was a light shade of yellow, and there were a few trees about 200 feet to the left. The wind was light but firm, and the sky was almost entirely cloudy. Other than that, it was an open field of almost nothing. Just an old, beat up well.
"Alright… What now? We're here aren't we? Are you gonna tell me what's going on?" Ying said as he stared at the well uneasily.
His eyes were focused on the place where Adrian betrayed him. His memories flashed back to his time inside the well, and a knot formed in his stomach.
"You still got that rope?" Adrian said, still wearing his evil smile.
Ying brought out about 50 feet worth of rope. Adrian laughed, disturbing Ying even further.
"Why don't you go set it up? Tie it to this." Adrian threw Ying and an old railroad spike.
Ying hesitated. "I'm good. Why don't you do it? You were always so great at tying knots."
"Nope. You're doing it." Adrian said, a bit more sternly.
Francis began to interject. "Actually, I can-"
"Hes. Doing it." Adrian persisted. "Don't you dare help him."
"Goddamnit…" Ying mumbled.
Ying tried to reassure himself. He could teleport now, he could always get out if he ended up inside again. It wouldn't be that bad. It's just an old well. It's just an old well. Ying went over and drove the stake into the ground with a few stomps of his foot. He carefully tied the rope down and made sure it wouldn't come loose.
"Go ahead, throw the rest of it down." Adrian giggled.
Ying drew a sharp breath in. He was gonna have to look down the well to throw the rope in. He prepared himself and cast the rope down into the blackness. He stared intently into the inky depths, waiting for a thud of some kind. The well was only 20 feet deep as he remembered, but the thud never came. His heart immediately sank, and his anxiety began to rise. What was in that hole? What was Adrian hiding?
He was just about to turn around and ask when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"AH!" He turned around lightning quick and rear-hooked his assailant as hard as he could.
There was a pause… Ying looked up. Adrian was standing there holding Ying's clenched fist in one hand.
"You good? You were staring at that hole for a good 30 seconds. Francis got worried so I came to knock you out of it."
"Oh… I-I see." Ying composed himself and briskly wrenched his hand back. "What is down there, Adrian? No more bullshit, no more avoidance. What is in that hole?"
Adrian leaned in close and stared Ying directly in the eye. "Wanna go find out?"
All of a sudden, Adrian hopped over the ledge of the well. Ying's mouth opened in shock and horror. What was he thinking? He shouldn't be flying right now, he just went through surgery! Ying immediately went to try and catch him, but it was too late. Adrian disappeared out of view for a split second before Ying rushed over to the edge of the well. Adrian was hanging there by the rope, smiling up at Ying. He spat over the edge of the well, narrowly missing Adrian.
Adrian yelled up at Ying. "Watch it, asshole! You almost hit my jacket."
Ying rolled his eyes and began to follow him down, followed quickly by a confused Francis. Ying stared at the cold, clammy walls. It sent shivers down his spine to be back here. The cramped space felt wrong, and he almost felt short of breath. He was just beginning to wonder if he was claustrophobic when the small walls of the well fell away and it expanded into a large, damp cave. The smell of freshly churned dirt filled the air, along with another pungent odor that Ying couldnt put his finger on. It was dark, much too dark to see. Adrian grabbed a flashlight out of his back pocket.
"Brace yourself and don't fall this time." Adrian whispered with a bit of snark to his voice.
"Very funny." Ying mumbled. "You realize how upsetting this is for me, right? Why are we whispering anyway?"
Adrian groaned. "Don't be such a pussy. Just watch."
Adrian aimed his flashlight at the ground and turned it on. Ying couldn't make out much, the flashlight barely lit enough of the cave up to see anything. Ying did see something moving though. It appeared to be a stream of some kind. It looked white, almost like milk. But this looked like a large river, how could a river be made out of- and then it hit him. It wasn't a river, but rather thousands of Gremlins all in a pack, moving as a writhing mass of monsters. Ying's eyes darted around as his eyes adjusted to the light. This cave was exactly what Adrian claimed it to be… a nest.
The nest was jaw-droppingly large. Ying estimated it to be about as big as a baseball stadium, winding and weaving tunnels under the entire area above. Ying's heart was pounding and his fear grew with each passing second. As he was about to grab everyone and teleport out, his eyes were drawn to something glowing… almost as reflex. He focused in on a glowing orb of green, and then he saw it.
In the center of the cave stood a massive, withered-looking, thorny tree. Its roots contorted and twisted into a menacing looking structure. The trunk of the tree split off around halfway up into two large branches that resembled horns. In the middle of the two branches sat a familiar sight… a small black portal, resembling broken glass… a green hue around the edge, and haunting sounds coming from within… Ying gasped as he realized the horrific truth of what he was looking at.
"They… can grow their own portals…" Ying whispered shakily. "This is really bad."
Adrian stared at him questioningly. "Is that gonna be a problem?"
Ying climbed down a bit further and grabbed Adrian by the front of his jacket. "You fucking idiot! Of course that's a problem! They've been here for 3 weeks and they've already made more portals! Do you know what that means for us!? Their growth is exponential! First 1 portal, then 2, then 4, then 8 and so on! We are inexorably fucked! There is no stopping this now! Holy shit this is so so so bad!"
Ying began to hyperventilate. He heaved in and out as he looked at the portal. Something in him was drawn to it… he felt like he should get closer… just a bit closer… as soon as he realized what he was thinking, he was standing right in front of it. It towered over him even though it was smaller than the original. It was… beautiful. The green glass-like walls of the portal sparkled with brilliance, and the black center was enticing for some reason… his hand slowly reached towards the portal of its own free will. Ying saw this after a few seconds and tried to force his arm down, but it wouldn't budge.
The creatures around him were starting to notice his breathing. Their heads perked up, and they began crawling slowly towards him. Ying quickly whipped his head around and stared at the rope intensely. He prayed he would make it before he touched that portal. He knew something terrible might happen if he did. He concentrated, held his breath, prayed to be back on that rope, and…
Poof. Ying found himself clinging desperately to the rope again, exactly where he had been before. He let out a massive sigh of relief before Adrian grabbed his leg.
"What the fuck was that!?" Adrian hissed.
Ying kicked his hand away. "I don't know! I apologize for the sudden disappearance but its not like I wanted to! Something just… made me!"
Adrian growled. "You're having a damn meltdown right now. Just- whatever you do, dont. Look. Left. You will freak the fuck out."
Immediately without hesitation, Ying's head whipped around to the left and stared into the opposite section of the cave. Out there in the darkness, he spotted something huge… smaller than a behemoth, but huge nonetheless.
The creature had a long, centipede-like body with a hundred disgusting crab legs. Its body was covered in plates like armor, and it had a little spike at the end of its abdomen. Its upper body consisted of 6 skinny arms that resembled a gecko's, and 2 more that resembled a praying mantis' claws. Its chest was quite baren except for 2 large plates of armor that covered the entire torso. Its head was that of a stag beetle, but its face had human qualities to it. The eyes, face structure, they were all humanoid… how disturbing.
Adrian followed Ying's eyes and sighed. "That's the queen." He said slowly.
Ying went pale. His breathing got faster and he began losing his grip on the rope.
"I-I gotta get outta here, I have to get out!" He hissed.
Adrian climbed up the rope a bit and grabbed Ying by the shirt. "Pull yourself together! I have a plan. Chill out and trust me a little alright?"
Ying yanked Adrian's hand off of him. "Trust!? You!? You must think I'm stupider than Francis."
Francis frowned. "I don't appreciate always being the example."
Adrian sighed. "Remember that C4?"
Ying immediately put 2 and 2 together. They were gonna blow up the nest from the inside. It was genius.
Adrian continued with his plan. "Ok. You teleport around and plant the C4, I'll watch your back and protect Francis. Francis, you…"
Adrian stared at Francis blankly while Francis stared back with an expecting smile. "Uhhhh… you just- keep being positive."
Francis's smile turned into disappointment. "Okay…" he sighed.
Ying got out the C4 and began teleporting around, slapping it on to any supporting structure he could find. Francis and Adrian watched in awe as they watched Ying's progress around the cave. Ying was just about to finish with the final piece when he felt a rush of fatigue hit him like a brick. His eyes began to unfocus and he fell to the floor with a thud.
"Fuck." Adrian mumbled.
All at once, the gremlins turned their heads to look at Ying. He was trying with all his might to make his body move, but it wouldn't budge.
"I overdid it…" he said to himself, his concern building as he looked around.
He noticed that the gremlins had begun to slowly circle him, leaving no room for ground escape. To his horror, he saw that the queen had risen from her light slumber and was now pitter pattering her way over to him on her disgusting legs. Fear shot through him and he began looking for a way out. He reached into his bag to pull out one of his distraction devices, but he found nothing. He must've left them at the base. He had to do something.
As he was thinking, he was interrupted by a yell from the top of the cave. As he turned to look he saw that Adrian was carrying Francis out of the cave, and Francis was reaching towards Ying with his hand outstretched, as if he could save him with the power of perspective. Ying looked away angrily. Of course Adrian would leave him. He must've been looking for an out, and this was it. Curse him, Ying never should've trusted him to begin with.
Ying's eyes turned to the portal. He could… but no. Of course that was a bad idea, he would never… but then again… he was out of options. He steeled himself and gathered all his remaining strength. He pushed himself to his feet as the creatures surrounded him. He focused his eyes with all his might and locked on to the base of the tree. He strained himself, clenching every muscle in his entire body trying to force himself to teleport. Something in him knew he had to get to that tree. The more he focused the more his body screamed out in pain. He focused harder, harder and harder still until his body felt like it would rip apart. And then…
Ying appeared in front of the tree. He heaved a sigh of relief and fell to the ground in exhaustion. He lifted his head and stared up at the gigantic growth. The gremlins around him began closing in almost immediately. He reached a hand forward desperately, trying to grab hold of the base of the tree. Maybe he could climb his way to the portal instead. True, he was exhausted, but it was his only shot. He stretched his arm as far as it would go, reaching ever closer to the tree. He felt the creatures getting closer, it was now or never. As he gave one final push towards the tree, he managed to grab hold of one of its gnarled roots.
As soon as Ying grabbed the tree, he suddenly felt a surge of power and energy coarse through him. As the gremlins finally reached him, a shockwave of epic proportions rocked the cave, sending the gremlins hurdling backwards at tremendous speeds. Ying's eyes began to glow faintly and a bolt of green energy shot through his fingertips, spreading throughout his body. His whole body felt like static and his energy returned, plus a little extra. He felt good, really good. He looked down at himself in surprise as he examined the green energy coming off him.
"Whaaaaaaat?…" He said in surprise.
This is what his body had been telling him. This was why he was drawn to the portal. He threw a few punches in the air. He was faster. He chuckled to himself. The gremlins had regained their composure and were heading towards him again, now at tremendous speeds. He looked around, and realized he was able to perfectly picture any place he could see, teleporting without effort. He was smarter. As one final test, Ying picked out a gremlin that was a bit ahead of the rest. Ying teleported in front of the beast, cocked his hand back, and delivered an extraordinarily powerful punch sending the beast tumbling back a few feet. He was stronger.
"Damn this feels good. One thing's for sure, I'm not dying today." He said confidently.
He blinked a few times and made his way out of the well. Looking around, he spotted Adrian and Francis not far away. Francis was pacing back and forth, looking concerned. Adrian was smoking a cigarette without a care in the world. Ying teleported in front of both of them with an angry look on his face.
"Forget something on your way out?" Ying spat, folding his arms.
"JESUS!" Adrian tripped over his own feet in surprise. "You gotta quit that shit! Its fuckin terrifying!"
Ying raised an eyebrow. He didn't know whether to laugh at Adrian's clumsiness, or stay upset at his lack of concern. Francis jumped in surprise, but after realizing who it was gave Ying a big hug.
Francis began apologizing incessantly as he clung to Ying. "Oh my god I'm so sorry! I tried to make him stay but he dragged me out! We shouldn't have left you. I'm so sorry!"
Ying stood there awkwardly and chuckled. "Thaaaats enough pal." He said as he peeled Francis off of him. "At least someone cares."
Yings anger turned back to Adrian. Using his newfound speed and strength, Ying gave Adrian a quick gut shot.
"AGH!" Adrian said as he doubled over in pain. "FUCK! God that hurts! The fuck is your problem!?"
"What is my problem!?" Ying said as he got in Adrian's face. "You left me to fucking die you insufferable pile of human trash! I save your damn life, and you repay me with abandonment! You know what, this is just like that day at the well! You abandoned me once again, congratulations! Except this time, I wasn't naive enough to expect you to come back!"
Adrian's expression remained largely unchanged, except for a bit of remorse hidden in his eyes when Ying mentioned that he knew Adrian wouldn't come back.
"You done?" Adrian said as he blew cigarette smoke in Ying's face.
Ying coughed a bit.
"You're!- you!-" Ying put his head in his hands, exasperated. "You know what, I don't know what else I expected. I should have predicted your selfishness. But I can't worry about that right now. We have bigger fish to fry."
Ying held up the C4 detonator.
"Everyone, brace yourself." Ying said as he clicked the button.
A huge explosion rocked the ground underneath their feet. The ground beneath them started shaking violently, knocking all of them off their feet.
"I'd say that did it! Hahahaha!" Adrian laughed maniacally, relishing the chaos of the moment.
Suddenly, the queen came bursting out of the collapsing ground with a vicious roar.
Francis began to scream as the queen lunged for them. Ying thought fast and teleported Francis to safety, hoping that Adrian would be able to handle himself.
"You stay here. We'll try and handle this. Odds are we're just gonna run away eventually anyway." Ying said to Francis, snapping him out of his screaming.
"R-Right, stay here… I can do that…" Francis breathed. "That was terrifying. Thanks for-"
"Yeah cool." Ying ignored Francis as he teleported back to the queen, looking around for Adrian.
As Ying looked around, he found Adrian in the air hovering with jets of intense fire coming from his feet.
"Are we even on abandonments now!?" Adrian shouted down at Ying.
"Not even close!" Ying screamed back as he focused his attention on the queen.
As the ground settled, a horde of gremlins came pouring from small cracks in the earth. Ying's expression soured. They would have to run after all.
"We gotta get out of here!" Ying yelled to Adrian.
Adrian flew down and landed with a loud thump. He nodded, and Ying teleported both of them to Francis. Before Ying could teleport them all away however, he was interrupted by a sharp pain in his chest. His hearing grew spotty as he clutched at his heart, and his vision began to fade. The last thing he saw was a stampede of monsters heading for them, with seemingly no way of escape. And then, he collapsed into unconsciousness.