Oh my God! He’s alive!

His son Adam stood ten feet away with his pistol drawn. He looked almost as haggard as Drew felt with bags under his eyes and the short scruff of a beard on his face.

“Stop right there!” His son ordered.

“Adam!” Drew shouted, “You’re alive!” Drew forgot about his broken leg and rushed forward to embrace his son. His leg gave out and he crumpled to the ground.

From the floor, he saw his son back away and shift the pistol back and forth between Matt in the doorway and Drew on the ground.

“How do you know my name?” came Adam’s confused reply. “Who are you!” Adam demanded.

“What?” Drew trailed off in confusion. “I’m your father!” Drew insisted.

“What the hell are you on? My dad’s like twice your age!”

Drew became dizzy, and his thoughts began to muddle.

I think I broke something else when I fell.

He mustered up the strength needed to convince his son. “I can… prove it… Ask… me… anything…”

It took everything in him to finish the statement.

Adam turned to Matt who still leaned against the wall by the broken front door. “Hey man, get your friend and go. Tell him to sleep off whatever he took.”

Drew tried to insist that he could prove himself, but the others only heard mumbles.

I think I overdid it. Of course I did, I’ve got a freaking hole in my chest.

“Yo fam he ain’t trippin, he’s hurt. Dude’s got a broken leg and a hole in his gut.”

“Someone’s hurt?” A woman’s voice asked from down the hallway. “Let me get my emergency bag, I’ll be right there!”

“No Jess, stay in the bedroom with Emma!” Adam shouted.

Jess ignored her husband as he heard her footfalls pad down the hallway.

I guess she finished her training after all.

Just before Drew left, Jess started classes to become a paramedic. Drew remembered how she excitedly regaled him with her future plans at their last get together. First, she would become an EMT for the hospital. Once she landed the job, she could take classes part time to become a registered nurse, and the hospital would pay for them. All she had to do in return was stay on at the hospital system for the next four years and her education would be free.

I guess it doesn’t matter now, I doubt any hospitals still exist.

Through blurry vision, he saw his daughter-in-law kneel down beside him.

“Jess watch out, he’s crazy!” Adam warned.

When his wife ignored him, he gave up his attempt to persuade her and threatened Matt.

“If you guys try anything, I’ll pull the trigger. I don’t care if the monsters hear.”

Jess examined him. Drew tried to protest that she could not fix a hole in his gut, but he was only able to produce a moan. She rolled him onto his back, lifted his bloody shirt, and let out a gasp.

She stared at him with a shocked face for a few seconds before she turned to Matt. “What did this to him?”

“It was the big freakin monster, it gored him good.”

“But why does it look like the wound was burned?” she clarified.

“Oh.” Matt smiled, proud of himself. “That was me. He was gonna bleed out, so I cauterized the wound.”

“You did WHAT?” Jee exclaimed.

“Look lady, he was gonna die. It was the only way to save him.” Matt defended.

Jess shook her head. “You didn’t save him, you’ve doomed him. Look at this hole, look where it is.” she pointed at Drew’s midsection, just below his ribcage. “I don’t know how it missed his spine, but it took out his stomach and half his liver. He must be in agony. How long ago did this happen?”

“Uh, about thirty minutes or so?”

“I guess it didn’t matter either way in the end.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if he was rushed to an operating room immediately, he might have been saved, but this.” she gestured at the wound. “This is an abomination.”

“Like I said, he was bleeding out. It was that or let him die on the spot.”

Jess shook her head. “That may have been kinder. All you’ve done is given him a few more hours of agony.”

“Naw, he’s a tough old geezer. He’ll pull through.”

Jess snorted. “Old geezer? He’s like five years older than you.”

“Naw, Drew’s like super old. I think he said he’s 55.”

“See! I told you they’re crazy!” Adam added with satisfaction.

“Dude, I can prove it.” Matt pushed off the wall with his foot and began to walk toward Drew.

“Stop right there! Get back against the wall!” Adam insisted.

Matt stopped and raised his hands again. “Fine, she can check it out.” he nodded toward Drew. “Reach into his back pants pocket and pull out his wallet. He loves to show everyone his driver’s license.”

Jess looked doubtful, but played along. She retrieved his wallet and extracted his license. After she looked it over, she suddenly became worried. “Adam, you need to see this.”

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

Adam walked forward and took this license from her outstretched hand. He glanced at it and looked back toward Matt. Once he was sure they would not try anything, he gave it a longer look.

“How did you get my dad’s wallet? Did you mug him? How did you even find my place to run this scam?” Adam spewed questions at Matt and became angrier as he went along.

Drew found it harder to follow along with their conversation. His thoughts became cloudier and his headache tormented him.

“No, I didn’t mug him, your dad’s right there!” Matt pointed. “He used the beast cores to make himself younger.”

“You need to start making sense right now!” Adam insisted.

Matt sighed. “Ok, you know the monsters out there, right?” Matt gestured toward the living room window.

“Yes, I’ve seen some.”

“Baller. If you cut them open, they all have a core of energy inside them. If you swallow it, you gain magic powers and stuff.”

Adam snorted.

“Fine, I’ll show you. Just don’t shoot me, your dad can shrug off bullets, but I can’t.” Matt held his left hand outward with his palm up. He squinted his eyes, and a second later, a flame appeared above his palm.

“Wow!”

Everyone turned toward the hallway where a little girl around four years old stood with her mouth wide open.

“Emma back to your room, right now young lady!” Adam ordered.

“But Daddy, I wanna see the magic too!”

Daddy? I have a granddaughter?

Jess rushed to her feet and escorted her daughter to the back room.

Why didn’t they tell me? Were they really that mad at me?

“Woah Drew, you really are an old grandpa!” Matt quipped.

Once Emma and Jess left the room, Adam continued to interrogate Matt. “How did you do that?”

“Magic.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I. Here, if you still don’t believe me.” The ball of fire above Matt’s hand slowly floated away from him and toward Adam. As it came near, Adam tensed. When it was only two feet away, the ball of fire stopped, mid air.

After a short pause, Adam ran his hand underneath it and around it. “I don’t feel any heat, is it some kind of illusion?”

“Naw, it's real. I just have a force field around it so it doesn’t burn the place down. Move your hand above it.”

Adam waved his hand above the flame, and jerked it backward with a shriek of surprise. Matt chuckled while Adam sucked on his newly burned hand. The fireball dissipated into nothingness.

“How?” Adam mumbled around his burnt hand.

“Like I said, magic. The same way your dad looks thirty years younger.”

Adam looked shocked. He slowly approached Drew and knelt down to get a good look. Adam searched his face and then locked eyes with him. With a hesitant voice, he asked, “Dad?”

Yes son, I’m here.

Drew tried to answer his son aloud, but was only able to wheeze. He could no longer even move his head.

“I suppose you do look like a younger, thinner version of him.” Adam conceded.

“We gucci now?” Matt asked.

“Huh? Oh. I guess I do believe you.” Adam shook his head. “This is amazing.”

“Yeah, well once he can use another core, he’ll be gucci too.”

“What do you mean?”

Matt sighed. “I mean, once he swallows another beast core, it'll heal him and he’ll be perfectly fine.”

“How do we get one? Do we have to kill one of those monsters for it?”

“Naw fam, he’s got a ton in his pockets, grandpa there butchered a ton of them.”

“Well, why not give him one then if it will heal him?”

“Your old man took too many. Thought he was superman and tried to kill the big monster.”

Triceratops!

“He thinks he’ll die if he takes any more, but if he passes out, I’m force feeding it to him.”

“How long do you think he has to wait until he can swallow one?”

“Who knows, maybe a day?” Matt sounded unsure.

Jess reentered the room and dug through her bag. “So, you’re saying, if I keep him alive for a day, he can use the magic macguffin and be healed?”

“It’s a beast core, and yeah.”

She pulled a clear bag of liquid out of her emergency bag and sat it on the couch. Then, she retrieved some tubes, needles, pads, alcohol, and other things Drew did not recognize.

“I’m going to set up a saline drip to rehydrate him. I wish I could do something for his pain, but they don’t let us have any morphine.”

“Don’t worry about pain, he can turn it off.” Matt informed her.

Jess shook her head. “This is all so unbelievable. I suppose that’s how he’s still conscious though.”

Drew watched as Jess unwrapped a needle and tried to puncture his skin. After a few failures, she switched to the back of his hand. Eventually, she gave up in frustration.

“I don’t know why the needle won’t go in.”

“That’s because he’s bulletproof, like I said.”

“I thought you were joking. Well, how do I give him an IV if I can’t get the needle in. Can you do it?” she asked.

“No can do, I’d just break the needle. Maybe Drew can though. Hey old man, think you can weaken your skin so she can stick you with a needle?”

Can I? I’ve always used chi to alter my body before. Maybe I can do it without any?

Drew concentrated on the back of his hand. He visualized the skin weakening to allow the needle past its protective barrier.

“Try now.” Matt suggested.

Jess once more tried to insert the needle. Again it failed.

Damnit! I guess I need chi.

“Well, I feel useless now. I can’t give him an IV or any meds, I’m afraid to give him any water since his digestive tract is destroyed, and we don’t even know how long he has to survive for.”

The room grew quiet at her sobering rant.

Is this really how I die? I just got back to my family, I haven’t even told him I’m sorry!

Drew began to cry as he realized he might never get to know his granddaughter. He desperately wanted to know what happened in his absence. Did Adam ever get that promotion he went after? Was Jess in nursing school now? What kind of personality did Emma have?

I have to get better! I need to use a core! How though? I can’t talk and Matt said he wouldn’t give it to me unless I passed out.

Drew had an idea. He flexed his muscles and twitched on the ground. After a second, when he was sure their eyes were on him, he made his body go limp and closed his eyes.

Fingers pushed against his neck.

She must be checking my pulse.

“He’s still alive, I think he passed out. Maybe from blood loss?”

“Let me see.” Matt said.

Drew heard footsteps approach and then pause. Suddenly, his hip was hit with enough force that he slid along the carpet.

What the hell?

“What the hell is wrong with you? Why did you kick him? Are you trying to kill him?” Jess demanded.

“Naw, a little kick like that won’t hurt him, he’s bullet proof. Besides, he didn’t feel a thing, he turned off his pain, remember?”

“Why do it at all though?” Adam asked.

“Had to make sure he wasn’t faking.”

“That doesn’t even make sense. Why would he fake passing out?”

“So I give him a core.”

“Oh… my… God… That has to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Just feed the thing to him. By your own logic, he either passed out and you said you’d give him one, or he’s faking, and WANTS you to give him one.”

Yeah Matt, Jess is right. That was pretty dumb. I’m barely able to think straight and even I have better logic than that.

“Big yikes… Yeah, I guess we should.” Matt said in embarrassment.

Drew felt a hand enter his pocket and leave with a beast core. Next, fingers pulled open his mouth and inserted the hard crystal. Before they could shut his mouth around it, it melted and turned into chi.

His head suddenly felt like it would explode. Pain greater than his ability to block forced him to scream in agony as he flailed along the carpet. His eyes rolled in his sockets and he was unable to focus them. Suddenly, he went blind and he was no longer able to feel his body. The next thing he lost was his hearing as their concerned voices faded. Finally, Drew fell unconscious.