“Calling all units: We have a robbery in progress at Beachside Jewelers on Fifty–third and Sea View Street. Four suspects have been identified and they are believed to be armed and dangerous.” Squad cars immediately responded to the call.
Meanwhile, the perpetrators made their way through the jewelry store, tying up the owner and staff. They stuffed their bags with whatever they could. The store alarm was blaring; the sounds of police sirens growing louder.
“Come on!” Barked one of the robbers, the anxiety evident in his voice. “We got to go! The cops are coming!”
The four grabbed their haul of jewels and made a break towards the exit when the silhouette of a stranger came out of nowhere and blocked their way out.
“Huh?” Said one of the burglars. “Who the hell are you?”
The criminals started to back up, readying their guns. The mysterious figure walked into the store. With the sounds of police sirens getting louder, the criminals were growing more tense.
“Move!” said the first thug, waving his gun frantically.
The stranger moved into the store, revealing a suit of golden armor, complete with helmet bearing a strange symbol that kept the person’s identity a secret.
“I said move!” Yelled the leader, now pointing his gun at the armored figure.
The stranger stood.
“Move! Now!” he shouted again as the sirens drew closer.
The screeching tires of the police cars caused all four of the burglars to open fire. The owner and staff shrieked at the loud gunshots as they remained bound, cowering in the fetal position to try and protect themselves.
To their amazement, the bullets did not penetrate the smooth, golden surface of the stranger. Instead they bounced off and shattered the glass of the display cases, lights, and mirrors. Some even embedded themselves within the walls of the store. The culprits ceased their firing, knowing their attempts were pointless.
In the blink of an eye, the armored figure made his move. He appeared before each thug and attacked them before they could react. The burglars fell to the ground, were thrown through the walls, slammed against the floor, and tossed over counters. The store owner watched in disbelief, while still being tied up in the corner. The unknown hero grabbed each of the criminals and sat them in a circle in the middle of the shop.
Next, his hands burst into flames and he slammed them onto the tiled floor. A snake of fire slithered its way over to the dazed and disoriented thugs, surrounding them in a ring of flames.
The armored hero walked over to the owner and freed him.
“Th….Thanks,” said the bewildered man.
The hero nodded in response and was gone in an instant, leaving the owner confused, but grateful.
The police arrived at the scene to find the crooks trapped behind flames; all of them barely conscious.
“What the hell is this?” Said one of the officers. The sprinklers in the shop were triggered, extinguishing the flames. As the fire was put out, the thugs slumped over, clearly unconscious.
The hero of the day was speeding down the street, leaving a trail of fire in his tracks. He climbed to the rooftops, jumping from ledge to ledge of buildings on the avenue. Along the rooftops he ran, jumping from one to the other. Using his impressive agility, the hero performed acrobatic stunts as he traversed the rooftops across his city.
He whooped with joy, his voice echoing from afar. Picking up speed, he ignited his arms and legs and jumped, launching himself into the sky like a rocket.
The adrenaline rush made him laugh as he rocketed up through the airspace. When he felt he was high enough, he ceased his torrent of flames and fell into a free fall. He dove through the clouds, making his body straight as possible, picking up speed as he fell.
He saw the ground coming closer and ignited his hands to release a burst of fire that slowed his momentum, allowing him to land on the ground safely. He looked around and found he was standing in an alleyway. He took a second to ensure the coast was clear and when he sensed no one was there, a cyclone of fire surrounded his golden body. The massive flames consumed him entirely as they raged. When they were extinguished, a young boy was standing there holding his backpack.
With his curly, messy hair, the boy swung his backpack over his shoulder and left the alley.
“Everyday,” said the boy, looking at the time on his phone. “You save another business and end up late for school. Typical”
The boy darted off to school – this time, not leaving a trail of fire behind him.
“Confused? I know you are. You’re asking yourself how a fifteen–year–old boy can do what I do. Two weeks ago I was your average teenager, excited about starting high school. Looking forward to joining clubs, making friends, and even dating girls, but before I could do any of that, something happened that’s hard to explain but I’m going to do my best
Two Weeks Ago
It was our end-of-the-summer camping trip. We took one every year just before school was about to start. By we, I mean my brothers and I. We were always a tight knit family, but we had our own interests that kept us busy during the summer. This trip was a way for all of us to get together and reconnect.
“This looks like a good spot,” said Mack. He was the oldest one and, no doubt, the strongest, and the one who usually drove. Maybe because our vehicle was an old Chevy pick up.
Who knows.
He always kept his head shaved which I thought was an attempt to make his football helmet fit better. I wouldn’t say he was a star athlete but he was good at football and was working hard to impress the scouts this season. All summer long it was nothing but football practice and college applications. Come to think of it, I think this was the first time I had seen him all summer.
We had been on the road for a couple of hours so the anticipation of finally arriving at the campgrounds was obvious. When we arrived we got out almost immediately. I stretched while Mack climbed out the driver side and took in the sight. Another one of my brothers climbed to the bed of the truck, eager to untie the load.
“Hey, Mack! Can you give me a hand over here?” Jason shouted. When Mack didn’t reply right away he immediately went into his famous joking tone. “Hey, big boy, I’m talking to you!”
“Yeah, I heard you!” Mack replied, as he walked over and climbed onto the bed of the truck.
Jason was a year younger than Mack. A bit of a dope if you ask me. Never was really one to make an effort to do anything unless it was eating or surfing. Despite his ginormous appetite, his physique was well toned. Probably due to all the surfing he does everyday.
And I’m not exaggerating. He surfs literally everyday. Probably cuts school just to do it.
His hair was long, brown, and bushy, but he normally wore it tied back. He always dressed as though he was going to the beach. Even now, being miles away from home he wore nothing but a shirt, board shorts and sandals, because that’s Jason.
“First off, you’re doing it wrong,” said Mack. “This knot is easy to untie.”
“Bro, no it's not!” said Jason. “We have to cut it!”
“No we don’t!”
“Yes we do!”
“No we don’t. Besides Einstein, if we cut it, how are we going to pack everything up?”
“Fine, you do it! Jason got down from the bed of the truck and watched Mack attempt to untie the difficult knot.
While the battle of the brains was going on, my other brother, Sam, decided to finally get out of the truck.
“Looks like Mack has his hands full,” he said.
“Yeah!” said Jason, standing with his arms folded, watching Mack with a defiant smile, wishing him to fail. “Always thinks he can do anything because he has the muscles,” he flexed what little muscle he had, trying his best to imitate Mack. Sam and I both laughed..
“I heard that,” barked Mack.
Sam was the brains of our little entourage. The perfectionist, but I usually just called him the nerd. He was the smartest kid in school and rumors said he had a 4.6 GPA. Like, how is that even possible? He was neat and proper. Always had his glasses cleaned. His shirts and pants were always ironed, like he was going to a Debate Team conference or something, and he never left home without a book. Mack and Jason, I could see being my brothers but how was I even related to him? One of the many questions of my existence. Don’t get me wrong, he’s my brother, but sometimes he’s so stuck up that it drives me nuts.
“Hey, Sam. Want to give me a hand?” And then there was me. If you hadn’t guessed I was the youngest. As such, I was the butt end of every joke, the recipient of every prank, and to make my life worse, I had to share a room with Sam.
Not joking.
“Dye?” Said Sam, raising his eyebrow. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to get my bag. What does it look like?”
“Hang on,” he said.
Sam grabbed the other strap of my bag and with our combined strength the sack finally broke free. We were knocked off our feet and onto the grass; my red pack sitting on top of us.
“Get off of me!” yelled Sam. I went limp, just so I’d be harder to move. He was finally able to roll me off and I plopped face first into the grass, laughing as Sam got up from the ground.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“Oh, cheer up Sammy. Just helping you get some muscles.”
“Shut up, Dye.”
So I bet you’re wondering why they call me Dye. My real name is Theodore, by the way, but when I was five I wanted the carpet in my room to be green. So I attempted it with green food coloring. My parents freaked when they saw it. After a while my brothers started calling me Dye in an attempt to tease me. Soon my parents joined in, and any other friend I had or would have, couldn’t help themselves so the name just stuck.
I will admit, it is weird introducing myself as Dye. People always look at me, probably asking themselves, what kind of name is that? But then saying my name is Theodore is a bit foriegn, not to mention awkward. It doesn’t really do me justice.
“Got it!” said Mack.
The knot on the truck came apart, and the ropes that stretched across its bed started to loosen. Mack took the top bag and tossed it aside.
“Heads up!” He shouted.
The bag fell right on top of me. I could hear my brothers laughing at me. I pushed the sack off and exasperated.
“Get up, Dye,” said Jason, laughing.
“That’s what you get,” I heard Sam say through his barrage of laughter.
“Oh shut up,” I said back. “Thanks Mack, for that wonderful display of brotherly love.”
“Oh, anytime,” he replied, a huge grin on his face.
It wasn’t long until the entire bed of our truck was empty. The sun was getting lower which meant we needed to get some lights set up quickly.
“Well, that's the last of it,” said Mack. “We should start setting up. It’ll be dark soon.” A contented sigh followed as he inspected our luggage.
“Did the sun tell you that, genius?” snickered Jason.
Mack grabbed an empty can and threw it at him. He spun around and Mack stood there with a big smile, daring Jason to do something about it.
And that’s how we got along. There was no need to always say I love you or anything like that. We just played pranks on each other and cracked jokes. Even Sam was sometimes known for getting in on the fun.
We began to unpack. The first thing we grabbed were the battery powered lights which definitely helped as it was getting really dark. Jason assembled the propane stove, which was fitting because he liked to eat, and Sam established a perimeter, hanging additional lights from the trees around our campsite. Mack and I were busy setting up the tents. We only had two so that meant we would have to share.
With no city lights, the stars sparkled and glittered in a way that we couldn’t see back home. Not far from our campsite, we sat in an open field and ate our dinner, which was basically sandwiches and chips. The night sky was beautiful. So many stars, and the moon, it couldn’t have been more full.
“Wow!” Said Jason, mesmerized by the night sky. “This is the real reason why I like these camp outs…”
“Sure it is,” replied Sam. “Or maybe you just wanted to spend time with your brothers.”
“Pssh,” said Jason, his hands tucked behind his head as he gazed at the night sky. “Yeah right. I see your ugly mugs everyday.”
Mack sat up and placed his arm on his knee, still looking at the stars in the sky.
“So,” he said, “how was everybody’s summer?
“Eh, okay I guess…” I replied, not taking my eyes from the stars. “Nothing too exciting. Just some gaming and comics for me.”
“You know me, bro” chimed in Jason, “surfed all day, everyday.”
“Let’s not forget stuffing your face all day everyday.” Added Sam. Jason gave him the famous wink and gun gesture.
“Nothing like it.” he replied. “And that’s all I’m going to say about that.”
“Anybody ready for school?” asked Sam.
“Dude, you literally went from summer, straight into school. Can we enjoy our final week?” I said. All Sam does is think about school.
“We all know what you did all summer, Dye. Watch movies, play video games, and sleep. Not really much excitement going on there.”
“Hey…” I look over at Sam. I aim my finger at him and I try to stay serious. “There’s nothing wrong with a good movie.”
“No there’s not,” Jason agreed.
“See? This guy gets it.”
“Hey, cut it out you two,” said Mack.
“Say’s the guy who just threw a bag on me.”
He shrugged. “I’m older…so there’s that.” There was that big grin again.
But seriously, it’s not everyday you can chill like this…”
“Mack’s right,” Jason added calmly. “Chillax, Little brother. Let the spirits of the night ease your soul.”
“I don’t know what that means…” I replied.
“It means relax,” said Mack.
We could’ve sat out there all night. It certainly would not have been the worst idea, and that’s saying a lot considering it came from Jason. It was getting late though, and we were pretty tired. As always, I had to share a tent with Sam, while Jason and Mack shared the other. I was too tired to even care. I unrolled my sleeping bag and stuffed myself inside. I rolled over and looked at Sam.
“What did you do this summer anyway?” I asked.
Sam unrolled his sleeping bag. “Just got a head start on my next science fair project.”
“Of course you did,” I replied.
“You know, Dye, high school is a different ball game.” he started getting inside his sleeping bag. “You might want to let the video games and movies go. This is your future here.”
I rolled my eyes and exhaled. “Do you ever have any fun?” I ask, sitting my head up on my hand.
“Fun is subjective.” he replied, taking his glasses off. “Maybe you’re too young to get this now. One day you will.” he rolled over. “Good night.”
“Yeah, good night,” I said back, rolling onto my back and staring up at the ceiling of the tent. Though I didn’t want to hear it sometimes, Sam usually said some profound stuff. Out of all of my brothers, I don’t know, Sam was always the one who looked out for me the most. I guess I should’ve been grateful. Not everyone got lucky with a sibling like Sam. With that last thought I finally rolled over and fell asleep.
I awoke sometime later. As half asleep as I was, I noticed the wind beating against my tent. Where the hell did this come from? Sam was fast asleep, his snoring so loud it could dwarf the loud rattling of our tent. Then I heard it, an unusual growl. My nerves kept me stiff. It sounded so close, like whatever it was, was right outside the tent. Then I heard the roar of a bear echoing throughout the forest. Wriggling out of my sleeping bag I pounced on Sam. How was anybody able to sleep through this?
“Sam!” I whispered desperately. “Sam, wake up!” I did my best to rock him awake.
He was slowly coming to when the continued grunts of the bear woke him up, making him jump up.
“That sounded like a bear,” he said, putting on his glasses.
“Ya think? What are we going to do?” I asked in a horse whisper, trying to stay calm.
“Calm down and let me think,” he whispered.
“If you’re thinking about getting out of this tent then you’re on your own,” I whispered. “You can go, but I’m staying here.”
“We have to try and get Mack and Jason to wake up,” suggested Sam.
“That’s it?” I said in an aggressive murmur. “That’s your plan? Come on! Mack and Jason sleep like logs. A marching band couldn’t wake those two up.”
Seconds later, flashes of light, like lightning, started to strobe just outside. We both looked up, seeing it through the ceiling of our tent.
“Lightning?” Asked Sam. “That’s impossible. The forecast didn’t say anything about rain!”
I continued to look up with amazement at the light show taking place just above me. Then the scream of an eagle erupted from above. Something unusual was going down just outside our tent.
“Just what is going on out there?” Asked Sam.
Curiosity tugged the both of us. Flashes of light, weird animal noises, a fierce wind. All of it taking place just outside our tent. All we needed to do was unzip our door and see what it was, but were we that brave?
“Forget this! I’m going to check it out,” Sam said. With that said he quickly unzipped the tent and left.
“Hey, wait up,” I said. If Sam was brave enough to go out there, then there was no reason why I wasn’t.
Just as I made it outside, I saw Sam just looking up into the sky. When I joined him, we were amazed at what we found.
“What is that?” We both said.
High in the sky were swirling lights each with a distinct color of red, blue, white, and yellow, dancing along the clouds that sat in the night. Mack and Jason unzipped their tent, and Jason stuck his head out, yawning with his wild hair blowing in the wind. He looked at us half awake.
“What’s all the racket out here?” He said, followed by a yawn. “What are you two doing up?”
We didn’t say a word. We simply pointed to the sky without any hesitation.
“Huh?” Jason looked up, and his body became limp. He fell into the grass but quickly scrambled to his feet, as though it didn’t happen.
“Um, Mack?” Said Jason, utterly bewildered, “I think you ought to see this.”
Mack stuck his head outside the tent, yawning and rubbing his eyes, squinting against the wind.
“What is it?” He yawned again.
We all pointed to the sky. Mack looked up and finally he saw the swirling, dancing lights that filled the air. He stepped out of the tent.
“What is that?” He asked with pure astonishment. “Are these the Northern Lights?” He asked.
The overwhelming urge to make a correction hit Sam. I saw him remove his eyes from the lights and look over to Mack. “No, you idiot. The Northern Lights are only visible somewhere up north. You know, the Northern Lights?”
“Right…” replied Mack, not caring that Sam just insulted him.
“Then what are they?” I asked.
As though they had succeeded in getting our attention, the lights started to change. They began to expand and get brighter. The four of us couldn’t look away as each of the lights started to take the form of an animal. We were able to make out what animal was formed, and each of them let out a wild roar that startled each of us. They looked so cool. Majestic even, and the longer I stared, the more curious I became.
Looking up at the spectral animals, I noticed the fox, surrounded by a red aura, staring straight at me. With its orange eyes, It looked at me like somehow it had chosen me. The beast didn’t look away nor did it blink. It just let out an untamed snarl, making me feel immediately uneasy and nervous.
I looked around and saw Sam resting his eyes upon a spectral white eagle and like the fox, it didn’t look away. The noble creature glared at him, and it was then that I realized this thing had made its decision with Sam. The eagle let out a loud scream that hypnotized my brother. I could see Sam’s jaw dropping.
Jason’s eyes were glued to the shark that was engulfed in a blinding blue light. It held its gaze at Jason and it chomped its powerful jaws and surged through the sky as though it was swimming. Jason was not afraid. I knew this magnificent beast had chosen him.
Then I saw Mack staring aimlessly at what seemed to be a black bear covered in a beautiful, yellow veil. He didn’t take his eyes away nor did the bear. The spectral beast gave a mighty roar and just like that I knew it had chosen my brother for something. Just like the others chose us.
“What are they?” Asked Mack, thoroughly amazed.
“I don’t know,” replied Sam. “But they are magnificent, aren’t they?”
“Anybody bring the camera?” I asked quickly.
At that very moment, the spectral beasts reverted back into lights. They went back to dancing in the airspace above and without warning they dove straight for us.
“Uh, what are they doing?” Asked Jason, panic in his voice.
“I don’t know, but it looks like they’re headed straight for us,” answered
Sam.
We wanted to move. Running was at the forefront of our minds, but the lights were so beautiful and hypnotizing that we just stood there as they came for us. They descended faster and as our eyes widened, everything went dark.