13 to 12

-Chicago

-Unknown Apartment

Mark laid on his chair in a dark room, the closed laptop kept on the desk in front of him. He sighed and thought about the old cases in this darkness

'The parents have it the hardest. First, they have to figure it out, the powers, the visions, whatever it might be. If they're lucky they're put in contact with us before it gets serious. If they're unlucky they can lose everything. One girl, a real nasty job, I didn't even get to meet.' Mark thought about the old case as laid on his bed.

By the time he turned up the whole family had been crammed into the oven and the house had burned down. They had to peel them out of it, one by one, like giant fruit roll-ups. The organisation think she was a pyro but who knows?

The truth is that when the supernatural turns up on their doorstep, they all likely choose not to believe it. And if some do, then no one else will believe. That's what he means about the parents. They're isolated from friends, family, even each other. These kids aren't X-Men, levitating remotes or mowing the lawn with their minds. It's stressful, sometimes even terrifying to live with.

It's not easy when your six-year-old tells you the date and time of your death. Or you give them a bad row and the following morning you wake up with an abscess the size of a tennis ball filling your mouth like a ball-gag. And that stuff can happen even when the kid doesn't mean it to. Their thoughts and emotions just leak out. And kids… they can have some pretty messed up thoughts. We have a pamphlet—more of a book, really—where we run through some of the common mistakes that parents make. It's funny to read if you don't know what's at stake.

Introducing your gifted child to the concept of death, as early as possible, is essential to long-term safety. Examples of traditional folklore you should avoid discussing with your child include:

That their deceased goldfish has gone to live "in the sea".

That dogs, cats, rabbits, etc. are now living happily on "a farm".

That deceased grandparents have "gone to a better place".

They sometimes trigger the phenomenon what they want to, including sending people to the so-called 'Better place.'

Mark sighed and opened his laptop and clicked on the new folder. The organisation had been keeping an eye on potential psyches and thaumaturgists. But, suddenly many of them have been kidnapped, most at the time.

Dylan Schindler: Unknown

Asher Black: Unkown.

Adrian Cohen: Unknown

Zane Adler: Unkown

Lint Hansen: Unkown

Titus Whitehall: Unknown

George Tanner: Unknown

Ian Wicker: Unkown

Even more...

'Leaving those kids in their parent's care was stupid.' Mark thought. He then took out his phone proceeded to dial a number.

"Hello?" a voice called from the other side.

"Anthony, I need maps and clear interrogation videos of everyone who knew about the kids, " said Mark.

"You are not coming here?"

"I'll get more physical if the case gets more interesting."

Mark laid on his chair relaxing putting down the phone on his desk. 'Bunch of twelve and fourteen years old, I don't care.' he thought. He just laid there. Seconds turned into minutes. He closed his eyes, he was done with all this. No more trying to be a hero. No more fake redemption. No more self-pity. He sighed and grabbed his phone, dialling the same number. Just one more helpful act.

"Anthony, I have changed my mind. I am getting more involved."

***************************

-Unknown location

Adrian opened his eyes, light-headed. He looked around to other unconscious bodies around him on the cold floor, twelve in total, boys his age wearing chokers just like him. This was environment Adrian found himself to be.

'Where am I now?' Adrian thought. This was new for him. Normally he was beaten and then put into a cage. This was something new and odd.

A boy moved, slowly waking up, soon followed by another one and then everyone.

"What is this place?" Ben muttered. His body slowly gaining back the energy.

"My head hurts."

"Where am I?"

"What the hell?"

They got up and looked at each other, their mind confused. It was clear that didn't recognise or even know each other. They all just stared at each other and got defensive in their posture. No one had any idea about their location and situation.

Adrian observed his environment. Concrete floor fifty meters long and wide, ending with the oppressive tall wall, illuminated by a flickering light. A clear large enclosed area with metal stairs at the end, taking to the second floor joining to the enclosed steel floor upstairs. Behind him was a giant metal gate which covered one side of the cubical area. There may be more space in corners but they were not in Adrian's vision. The whole place was covered by sealed doors, some with large claw marks on them.

'Which claws could pierce metal like this?' Adrian thought.

The dark place with little light made him felt threaten. Scraping noises started coming from behind of every sealed door.

*Scrap*

*Scrap*

*Scrap*

*Scrap*

*Scrap*

*Scrap*

*Scrap*

"What's behind those doors?" asked George. He looked at others, all of them looked like cornered scared wild animals. Terrified and confused.

No answer was given.

Metal against metal like screech filled the room causing the boys to cover their ears, unable to bear the pain. Adrian glanced the source of the noise; a loudspeaker at the corner of the place.

"George Tanner, Jack Peterson, Nick Hansen, Ben Beckler, Dylan Schindler, Asher Black, Adrian Cohen, Zane Adler, Lint Hansen, Titus Whitehall, Richard Jordan, Ian Wicker, Alec Frost, Sam Myers. Boys your task is to entertain an instance of Anomaly-102 known as the Adult. Survive this and you all will get cheese sandwiches for breakfast."

An elderly man's amplified voice filled the area through the speakers as one of the sealed doors at the end of the area shook and slammed open. The scraping noises only grew louder.

Adrian tried to get his mind straight. His mind was a mess of mixed emotions. He thought about what is coming from the opened the door, some awful thing... a giant, a serpentine, or a something else that he couldn't imagine. The boys gasped and drowsy fear ran through their veins. At the far end of the concrete floor, Adrian heard the loud stomping noises. The monstrosity came for them, standing on two legs.

*STOMP*

*STOMP*

*STOMP*

It looked like a naked, seven feet tall, adult obese bald man, fat covered his body, his large gut sticking out, with two giant blobs of flesh sticking out of its underarms, one from each side below the arms, wearing nothing. Something children would make up scare each other but the nightmare was standing before them. Human-like but inhumane.

The scraping noises came again. Before the boy could decide anything, the monstrosity ran towards them, his sweat covered body glistening under the one hanging light from the ceiling. His feet made loud stomping noises with every step and his mouth didn't do any better as it made the strange gasping noises. It started a run slower at first, picking up speed after every step it took.

"HO! HO! HO! HO! HO! HO!"

The boys came out of their paralysed shock as the creature came running at them with heavy gasps came out of his opened mouth.

"RUN!" shouted Ian. "JUST RUN!"

The others listened, survival instincts and adrenalin took over, they dug their feet on the ground with all their strength and started running the other direction behind Ian. Adrian body stopped for a moment to look behind. Sam was just standing there, his eyes and face pale, devoid any emotions and hope. It was like he gave up. Just looking at the horror coming at him.

"WHAT THE HELL?! RUN!" George shouted bringing Adrian back to his senses. He ran... didn't even look at back Sam. Just ran. He followed others to a dark enclosed space in the corner. He will not look back. He remembered his promise he made to himself.

'Don't look back for others, anymore.'

They all went inside to hide. Some sweating, sticking to the wall in fear as their mind became a mess. Not knowing what to do or how to get out of their position. Their knees wobbling.

"NOOOOOO!" they heard the voice of the boy they left followed by 'It's' voice.

"HO!HO! HO! HO! HO! HO! HO!"

Then they heard a loud crunching sound, louder than the scraping noises. It echoed in the enclosed area. The boys covered their ear and tightly clenched their eyes shut in fear. They were all terrified and confused.

Zane tightly closed his eyes, covered his ears and muttered, "Stop this. Please, stop this." His ears along with others started hurting because of the noises. "STOP THIS!"

"Why are they doing this to us? How did I get here?" someone cried.

Everyone was scared, confused even Adrian himself. Their mind was a mess of mixed emotions. All terrified.

"SHUT UP!" Ian shouted. "Being quiet or crying won't make the situation any better."

"What do you think will then?" George looked at him furiously but Ian was calm. Oddly calm in this situation. He pulled out his shoe and shook it on the ground. Something dropped out from it. A black folding knife.

Adrian looked at Ian, his eyes widened. "What are you planning to do?" he asked.

Ian took off his shoes and folded out the blade. "Fight it, of course," he answered with strong conviction.

George grabbed his arm. "You can't be serious? You want to fight that thing." He gripped Ian's hand, indicating him to not to be stupid.

"I am going," said Ian as he pulled off the grip and continued. "Anyone coming with me?"

George Tanner even though being brave; hesitated. Zane Peterson and Nick Hansen were scared and others were just crying. Every one of scared and confused, Adrian was just less. His eyes had lost all hope, he trusted others before and it was heartbreaking. But...

"I am coming with you," said Adrian. Hiding will only prolong the outcome. It was his one more try, it may even be his death. Who knows, he may take out the monstrosity even if he the cost maybe his life. Fear crept in his heart that couldn't deny, he'll live or die. If it was old Adrian he would say no, but months of beatings have changed him.

"Let's go then." Ian took a deep breath and exhaled as came out of hiding followed by Adrian. George watching this gritted his teeth and said, "Go ahead, die then."

Ian peeked from the corner. The strange creature and Sam were not their vision. But they could still hear the crunching sound coming from a corner. Ian went ahead with his knife and Adrian calmed himself and followed.

With every step, he took, his instinct told him to second think and go back, his heartbeats getting faster and faster as much went closer to the abomination, the adrenaline rush kicked in, making him more aware and terrified.

The darkness and loud scraping noises didn't make it better. But Adrian persisted.

George regretted his words and joining his hand, he started praying in his mind. 'Please, don't die. Please, don't die. God, I take my words back.'

The crunching sound became louder and louder as the reached the corner. Ian stuck to the wall then peeked at the creature, the horrifying scene entered his vision.

Sam's body was mutilated, rips in half. Adrian caught a glimpse on the rest of it, Sam had raised his arms to protect himself in the last instinct of survival before this happening to him. Now it was too late. The creature sitting on a pool of blood smelling the decapitated leg, drool dripping from the side of his mouth with his gut and flabby breast stuck out. It turned his head and looked at Adrian. "I have found you."

Adrian felt like vomiting. The monstrosity got up, it's trousers now fully torn up, his genitals exposed. "Perfect timing, " it said in a raspy voice. "This boy just broke."

Back in the other corner, George peeked at them and gritted his teeth. The other boys were even more scared.

"Are they ok?"

"We have to help them."

"There is nothing we can do." George snapped at them. "If we go there the monster would kill us all." He tried to accept that there was no getting out, but couldn't.

Blood squirted from the torn leg that the monstrosity held. Adrian screamed, there was a loud thump as the monstrosity stood up. Its gaze fell on Ian who's standing a few meters beside Adrian for a moment. Ian knew what the gaze meant, first Adrian and then him.

The monster tried to grab Adrian by his shoulders, Adrian dodged and moved. The monstrosity caught nothing but empty air. The monster growled and two extra arms struck out from each of the blob of flesh beneath its arms.

Adrian's feet dug into the ground, he thought he would be fast enough again to dodge again. He wasn't. The Adult picked him up several feet above before he could move away, with a speed Adrian eyes couldn't follow. Arian struggled against the crushing grip. The monstrosity made the same gasping sound as before.

"HO! HO! HO! HO! HO!"

Adrian freed his arm before the monster could use his lower arms to neutralise his movements. The monster still didn't let go, suspending him above the ground by his one arm. Adrian's pupil dilated.

"You smell good, " said the monster as the grin on his face started tearing its cheeks apart reaching his dead white eyes. It widened so much that a human head could be fit inside it and crushed. The sound it made now couldn't be produced by any human throat.

Adrian screamed and landed a kick on the chin of the monstrosity. It was hitting reinforced steel, Adrian shook his feet in pain. The monster's mouth opened wider. It's stinking breath like mix urine and copper and jagged yellow teeth made Adrian want to vomit. It brought Adrian's face close to its open mouth.

Ian's arms shook in fear, but he resisted the instinct that told him to flee. He knew his blade wouldn't get through if it clashed with those bones or a tight blob of flesh which the monster was entirely composed of. He closed his eyes and thought something for a moment, then shouted.

"NOW!"

The monster felt something coming climbing on his back, and before it could glace back it was hit by a sharp pain in the neck and then felt something heavy hanging by neck and shoulder.

It was Ian, he twisted the blade in the monster's neck and then pulled it out, bursting its arteries. A fountain of blood sprayed from the fresh wound. The grip around Adrian's grew weak and he dropped on the ground on his feet, with a little bit of crimson on his face.

As the monster's body fell, his mouth closing and opening even after this, revealing jagged yellow teeth. Adrian and Ian moved a few steps backwards and dropped on their knees, gasping for air. They took a deep breath and then gurgled as a stinking smell filled the area. The monstrosity wiggled and gurgled in a pool of its blood, opening and closing its mouth and then fell into its demise. It's naked corpse glistening with sweat and blood.

"You killed it..." Adrian muttered under heavy breathing. His hands were shaking. He was part of this for murder. He did it with a boy he didn't even know the name off. He survived.

"It tried to kill us," said Ian. He noticed Adrian's guilty expression but didn't know what it meant.

George who looking at them had eyes widened. They did it. They did it. He came out of the hiding and slowly approached Ian and Adrian. They survived. The feeling was then cut short.

"Congratulations, you survived the first round by defeating the Adult. You all may go to your room. The next round will be arranged soon."The elderly amplified voice filled the area again.

Adrian then felt a sting on his neck. His body losing all its strength, his mind light, collapsing onto the floor as did the other boys. The next horror awaited them behind one of the sealed doors.