CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Alec sighed as he finished his latest report. It has already been half a month since Alice vanished and Jet was still unconscious. The doctors and healers had no idea what was wrong with him. He was physically fit—no illness, no anything.
Aside from the fact that he wouldn't wake up.
Just like what happened with Alice when they first found her.
He leaned back on his chair and closed his eyes; pinching the bridge of his nose in exhaustion. Someone patted him in the shoulder and Alec opened an eye to see Ronnie standing beside him holding two cups of steaming coffee.
He sat up straight and Ronnie gave him a cup before he sat down on Jet's chair. "Mate, you got to go home. How many days have you slept in the office?"
Alec sighed before he took a sip of his coffee. As soon as the caffeine entered his system, he felt rejuvenated; his fatigue melting away from the heat of the drink. "I don't know. But I can't stop now,"
"No one said you need to stop, mate," Ronnie answered. "But you won't be helping anyone if you drop as well,"
"I'm fine," Alec stubbornly insisted.
With a sighed, Ronnie stood up and touched him in the shoulder. "You need to rest. I'm giving you that whether I drag you home. So, I suggest you get up on your feet,"
Alec finished his cup of coffee before he crushed the paper cup and threw it at the trash can under his table. With a smile, Ronnie patted him repeatedly in the back as he led Alec to the parking lot. Just as they were about to get in into the car, their work phone rang.
Ronnie sighed. "Just when I successfully managed to pry you off your desk," he groaned.
"Duty calls," Alec replied with a laugh as he picked his phone up.
"Get to Crescent River now," Clinton ordered.
Alec took a pill and removed his earphones as soon as he dropped the call. "There's no time for the car. I'll be teleporting us,"
Ronnie's eyes widened in obvious delight. "Seriously!? I've always wanted to try that,"
Alec sucked in his breath as he gave him a tense grin. "You won't like it,"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Alec grabbed him and teleported them. And within a blink, the two of them were at the Crescent River. As soon as they landed, Ronnie dropped to his knees and threw up. Alec tapped him in the shoulder.
"Don't move for a few minutes. It gets worse if you do,"
Ronnie answered with a groan before he ducked his head to throw up once more. Alec with one last worried look at the man dashed towards the infuriated beast. A group of teenagers screamed for help when it reached for them.
Alec quickly took his marbles out of his pockets and warped it into his favorite dagger and hurled it towards the creature's hand. It roared as blood dripped off its wounded hand and turned to Alec.
"Quick!" Alec shouted at the teenagers. "Run!"
The teenagers ran off to where Ronnie was still sitting. Alec on the other hand rushed towards the monster, calling his dagger back into his hands. He spun it between his fingers as the creature swung its arms towards him.
Alec dropped to the ground to evade the clutches of the monster. He slid on the mud and stabbed the creature in its foot. It bellowed, stomping its foot in an attempt to stop Alec. But he reacted quickly and teleported away. He appeared behind the creature and raised his hand towards the sky.
"Get off the ground!" he ordered to the teenagers. "Get up that rock, now!"
The teenagers quickly followed his orders. Two of them helped Ronnie up to his feet and half dragged him up the boulder Alec had pointed them too. As soon as they were on top of the rock, Alec wriggled his fingers and sparks started at their tips.
They all watched as the flicker in his fingers grew as the monsters rushed towards him. And without a word, Alec pointed his finger towards it. And he fired a bolt of lightning. The monster growled as it stopped on its track; writhing from the pure energy Alec had hit it with. Within moments, it started smoking and convulsing.
"Shit!" Alec cursed as he dived away from the monster.
As soon as Alec sunk to the river, the monster exploded. Alec swam up and saw blood and innards everywhere. He walked towards the teenagers and a Ronnie who was starting to look better.
"You're not green anymore," Alec joked.
Ronnie rolled his eyes as he shook the blood of his arms. "But I'm red now,"
The teenagers laughed as they thanked Alec for saving them. They even took photos of themselves covered in the monster's gore, saying how it was so cool. Alec sat down beside Ronnie and asked him how he was feeling.
Ronnie rested his arms on top of his knees as he was facing the sky. "I don't want to teleport again. I felt like getting turned inside out. How the hell do you and Jet manage that without dying?"
Alec gave a laugh. "That's why as much as possible we don't use it,"
Ronnie turned to him. "You mean—it affects you too?"
He nodded. "Of course. We did go through the same portal. It's just a matter of getting used to,"
Ronnie rolled his eyes as he dropped down on the ground to rest. "My ability, the Dimensional Manipulation, is almost the same as your teleportation. But I've never suffered like this with it,"
Alec looked up at the sky. "That's because you are manipulating your surroundings so that you can go through and to another place. My teleportation manipulates our bodies. So, basically, you did get turned inside out at one instance,"
Ronnie groaned. "Gee, mate. Great to know. Anything else you wanna share?"
Alec only answered with a laugh. And as silence befalls them a cawing of a crow took both their attentions. Alec and Ronnie both jumped to their feet and looked around. And out of the trees come flying out a murder of crows, almost blocking the sun.
"Well, shit," Ronnie murmured. "What now?"