They Called Me FIVE

LANCE

"Aha! Now I see. You're Jesper's friend!" They both laugh.

"Sorry for the late introduction. I'm Jesper's older brother, Jessie and our father Gregory." Jesper's doppelganger introduced.

I know I should have expected this but I'm still smacked with the reality and the idiocy of 'Are these guys really his family?' 'Jesper actually came from a cannibal family?'

I accepted the he's from the family of killers fact... But not this. Certainly not this. Magnus had his mouth hang opened at them..

"We told him to bring food. And he obediently did. Did you know every night, ever since we moved here he's been extra obedient in bringing homeless kids and depressed teenagers in the street to us? I mean, the screams, the blood, the burying evidence is extremely hard. Plus the saucy neighborhood we moved in, it's too difficult to hide our nightly activities. And then his powers came. We've never had murdering people handled so easily like this." Jesper's brother, Jessie, proudly announced. Spreading his arms with the axe.

I'm tempted to move, to take one step down, eager to put even farther distance between us. But then something in me said I should not move. No reason to be afraid of.

Jesper will be fine. He will be. He's in safe hands. I don't know how he'll feel if we murder his family but freeing him from these twisted creatures with bipedal feet is much better than letting himself be destroyed from the consequences of their actions.

"Where's Jesper?" I asked again. They deliberately ignored me.

"Since you came all the way here to offer your bodies to us, why don't you come up here and end the ceremony of your existence called life?"

"No thanks." I said. "I came here to take Jesper. Not to entertain two cannibals in monkey suit."

Jessie's face gone white with anger. He's not the most temperament I see. He twisted his hands and swing his axe. In a split second I thought he'll hurl it to us. I duck in reflex. But he didn't.

He laugh at my reaction. They both did. They're playing with us. I'll gladly obliged if it wasn't for the short time we can spare.

Seven is outside, facing that blue monster. I can't tell what's his relationship with these cannibals but I'm not convinced their close.

More like he's here as hired bodyguard or worse...one of the Faeries who successfully pinpoint Jesper's family location. Acting as their friends but when he get his hands on Jesper, he'll kill them all with one clean swipe.

I must find Jesper first.

My body is shaking from the uncertainty of the situation, from the fact that one of the Faeries could have hurt Seven again while I'm here wasting my time. Unnerved at this unfair situation where they both have strong builds and weapons, while I have nothing except one unconscious guy and an adult turned kid to protect. I'm seriously in a disadvantage here.

"Who should take this tough kid first? You Dad? Or me?"

"Let me do it." Crooked glasses dude said. He swing his sledge hammer. Twirling it in his hands high up in the air. Like how circus performers twirl the wire with fire inside.

I'm greatly reminded of that hollywood superhero who swing hammer as his weapon. Red cape, blonde hair and beard, tough armor. Except the man in front of me is not the superhero type but a crazy scientist with a dangerous play toy.

Glasses will always give the smart look. He takes two steps down. There are only five stairs between us now.

The man, whose name I think is Gregorio, pull out a thin white rope and tie his sledge hammer on it. My brain circuits work together. I can see he'll try to swing and bat me with it. 

He flash a nasty grin and came running down the stairs. Magnus duck his small head as I swing them in my arms while twisting my body. Evading Gregorio's whirling sledge hammer attack. It hits the wall with a crash. Leaving a big hole like crack in the cement walls.

My movement is sluggish. Probably from the weight of both Sam and Magnus in my shoulder. He strike another whirl and my legs slip from the steps. Magnus clutch at my shirt real tight before I toppled down the stairs. I let go of Sam and manage to grab the rail before I crash the floor.

I wince. Somehow I twist my foot. 

"Lance, put us down."

"But -"

"Just do it. There's no one in this floor other than those two anyway. So leave us here and impale them." He urge.

"Okay."

I gently let Sam down in the ground. Disregarding the two cannibals, I shook Sam's shoulder. 

First, he stirred. Second, he groan. Third, I smack his cheek so hard his teeth rattled beneath his gums.

"Ouch..." he croak.

"Sam, you with me?" His eyes flutter open. One second he's staring blankly at me, next second, when everything dawned on him he sat up, hit the floor and panic.

"Whe - where are we? Are we dead? Did Blue Man killed us? Is this the afterlife -" I shut off his mouth by shoving my palm.

"No, we're still alive. We're okay. Right now, Seven is on the door facing that Blue Man. These crazy guys with drooling mouth in my back?"

The part in my left ear wheeze, something is cutting the swooshing air, heading towards the left side of my head. My body immediately reacts. Right hand to catch the thing, left hand to snap the rope, both hands to steal the sledge hammer from Gregorio.

Sam froze. Magnus darted his eyes back and forth. As if he can't believe what just happened. 

"I want you to take Magnus and look for Jesper. I'm guessing he's on the second floor. Right where these guys appeared from. No matter what happened, bring Magnus back to normal and take Jesper with you okay?"  I patted his shoulder. "Can I entrust you with that?"

His eyes that seems to glint weaker than moments ago crinkled to a smile.

"You can count on me."