Cynetic Wolf
A BRIGHT LIGHT

“Vynce?” I turned. Nothing. No lights, nobody. It was graveyard silent.

Crap! What happened? Did the cynetics get them? My mind raced. How had I gotten lost?

Once I’d calmed, it hit me. I was so focused, I’d gotten distracted. We must have wandered apart. And the forest grew darker and more sinister with each passing step.

There was a huge fallen tree maybe five minutes back—three meters in diameter, hundreds of meters long. It was old. Maybe they’d went left while I’d gone right. That made sense, right? I retraced my steps, searching the ground.

A dark, ominous fear set in, growing more terrible with each passing minute. Cold sweat broke out on the back of my neck and I had to clench the knife in my hand to keep from shaking.

A yell. It sounded like Elly, or maybe Vovi. Where? I ran, heart pounding.

“Ahhh!” she yelled again, sounding more animal than human.

Elly? I tripped over a moss-covered log, stumbling before regaining my balance, and pushing my legs harder.

“Help!” someone cried. A muffled thud. Silence.

Elly was in trouble, I knew it. Shit. Something was wrong. Fear and anger boiled inside of me. Where was she?

A gap in the trees revealed two mysterious figures illuminated by creepy moonlight. They were bent over something and as the wind changed, I smelled her.

There was a body on the ground, a bloodstained face. It was Elly. The figure touched her. They’d killed my sister and were going to... I was going to be sick.

Something inside me broke. I exploded. Everything was red, a nexus of pain and hate. I stabbed the first. He shrieked in surprise and rage, eyes ballooning as his cries split the still night.

Grabbing his throat, I lifted him into the air, crushing, squeezing, ripping—doing everything in my power to kill him. My fingers tore through his reinforced skin. My hand tingled, glowing. What the—?

A burst of light shot out, like a flash or a laser. His head disappeared, obliterated by the blast, blood congealing in a burnt crisp.

The other cynetic who’d been attacking my sister turned, pale face filled with horror, his mouth aghast. Something in my eye registered a message firing away. What was that? Like an AR headset, but inside me. Throwing myself at the second cynetic, my fist connected with his gooey left eye. Again and again and again. I punched and stabbed and clawed until I collapsed, crying and exhausted, on the pine-strewn floor.

Darkness.

When I regained consciousness, I remembered Elly. She was lying there where I’d last seen her. No... I put my shaking fingers under her clammy jaw. There had to be a pulse.

I tried and tried but couldn’t feel anything. The overlay thing happened again—blue numbers showing her body temperature and heart rate. The heartbeat said zero. She wasn’t breathing. Come on, Elly. Mouth to mouth… I tried CPR.

No… The tears came.

Clenching my fist, I tried the electricity thing again. I had to save her, anything. It didn’t work. Nothing happened. I failed. Was she really gone?

I collapsed, and retched raw pain, stomach burning.

When I rose, I noticed the bodies littered around me. There was blood everywhere, my clothes, my hands, everything.

What did I do? I shivered. How did I kill a cynetic? That’s, that’s not possible... It didn’t make sense. That blast, I’d seen holos... Cynetics could do that. But not me, I was an animote. I was wolfish... Like Mom and Vynce and Elly.

No, Elly! Words died on my lips. My sister... I should check her pulse again. It was pointless, she was dead. But I had to be sure. I had to.

She’d done everything for me...

My body shook. Nothing. I was going to be sick again.

I should go home, find Vynce and Vovi, make sure they are okay. And Mom. How was I going to tell Mom?

I ran. Faster and faster, faster than ever. The trees and scenery whipped past. I didn’t notice or care, rage and grief driving me.

When I got home, Mom and Vynce were sitting outside with bags under their bloodshot eyes.

“Raek, baby!” Mom launched from her chair, eyes frantic. “Where were you? I was so worried.” Her arms crushed me. “Vynce told me everything. You idiots. I told you not to.” She looked around, eyes filled with rabid fear softening to relief. “Elly? Where is Elly?” She grabbed my shoulders, shaking me. “Where is my Elly? Wasn’t she with you? Tell me she was with you?” Mom was quivering, barely holding herself together.

“Mom, I’m sorry.” I couldn’t get the words out. What could I say? “It’s all my fault. Elly, Elly’s dead. I couldn’t save her.” I swallowed hard, fighting back tears.

“Dead? What do you mean dead?” She noticed the blood on my hands, recoiling.

Miserable, I nodded, not saying a word.

A shrieking, blood-curling wail escaped her lips. She collapsed, sobbing. I stood there, shocked. Tears came.

Ms. Ivey peeked her tiny head out the window, saw Mom on the ground and sprinted over. My old English teacher never moved so fast. “What happened?” She bent to check on Mom. “Is everything okay?”

I blacked out.

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