Eary and his new allies charged down their selected path, led by Sakile and Luke. Calvin and Mei ran beside him, and Alice covered the rear. Mote rode valiantly upon Eary's shoulder as the team marched on. Eary couldn't help but feel uncertain about his future and guilty of his privileged position in the center.

"I must stay alert and focused! I can't let anything happen to any of them!" Eary reinforced in his mind.

The team rounded the corner to the first small battalion of guards. Eary immediately erected his wall of light. Huddling behind the wall, the team avoided the battalion's rounds of fire. On reload, Calvin hit the squad with a large gust, knocking them to the ground. Mei let loose a large eruption of flame, feeding off Calvin's wind. Their would-be oppressors were immediately incinerated. Through the blinding glare, the group pressed forward.

The group of six and their small moteling mascot continued trudging through the facility. Along the catwalk, the group was ambushed by several more soldiers. In an electric blur of orange bolts, Luke wasted no time and sent the men flying. Alice caught one and crushed him in a silky lavender mist. Mei unleashed a searing flame, connecting with one and incinerating him midair. Calvin created a sound-shattering gust, blowing one hard into the catwalk's railing.

Eary's eyes spotted another dreary sight. About twenty more guards were heading their way from the catwalks above. Reaching deep and sparkling red, he let loose a powerful bolt at the metal construction. After a brief flash, all men collapsed instantly. Eary paused briefly in remorse, only to be accosted again by ten more armed guards.

Alice grabbed each and tossed them to Sakile. As she did, he charged up his nightstick. It shone the same blue as the miracle but was used much differently. As their attackers came in for their unwanted landing, Sakile smacked them with his enchanted baton. After a second, each man began to explode partially on the inside like a tin of popcorn.

Even Mote got in on the action. His tongue shot straight out and stuck to one of the guards like a frog. He retracted it back and bizarrely stretched his little body around the man. Mote had just swallowed the man when Calvin screamed,

"Jesus Christ, Mote!"

As the fighting ended with the last guards defeated, the group quickly surrounded the engorged Moteling.

"Oh my god!" Calvin stated in disgust. "He ate someone!"

Mote stared awkwardly, full of the guard's writhing body beneath his blue coat. As Calvin stared on in horror, Mote began to deflate. Slowly at first, then within twenty seconds, he was average size again.

Alice shouted in shock, "How the fuck did you do that?"

Mote flashed a mischievous grin and stated, "I did mention the cat, didn't I? You never batted an eye at that, Alice!" Mote then smugly crossed his paws and continued, "I'm real stretchy and can eat just about anythin'." He smiled an unsettling grin.

"It's true," Eary said, stepping next to Mote. "He once ate the Thanksgiving for mine and the Bennett family." Eary smirked as he looked down at Mote. "It remains a mystery to this day."

Mote looked back up at his companion, his grin still tilted in mischief. "Sorry about that. Ya know how I get around the holidays," Mote said.

Eary nodded and replied bluntly. "You get slammed on rum and cry while you masturbate to Animal Planet?"

Mote's expression shifted to a bewildered shock. He erupted in anger, "What the fuck, kid?"

"What did I say," Eary asked giggling.

"You don't go around tellin' everybody that! Fuck!" Mote said angrily.

Mote stared angrily and blankly at Eary as Calvin continued, "How did you eat him so fast?" he asked in confusion.

Eary chimed in, "Acid! Mote has an extremely acidic mouth. I used to toss him all the crap I didn't like when I was younger. With his ability to turn invisible, his eating power has sure been handy."

Eary boasted of his companion proudly while Mote was still glaring at the boy. He scrunched his nose and slowly adverted his gaze back to Calvin. He replied, "Well...I am known for my appetite and have gotten the family banned at most buffets."

Mei said, "My parents own a New York restaurant called Baba Wong's. It's a buffet. Maybe I'll take you there sometime?"

Mote erupted in blue light as he flew over to Mei's shoulder. "You got yourself a date, girly. Woo-hoo! I got me a hook-up!" he enthusiastically replied.

Mei ecstatically giggled as Sakile broke up the gathering.

Moving along on their dangerous endeavor, the group was ambushed by a new kind of enemy. Three featureless flesh golems attacked the group's rear. Alice, in a quick fashion, gestured her hand, shattering each of their bodies. Eary and the group gathered around the mangled monstrosities.

"Nice work," Sakile whispered to Alice as he approached the creatures, crouching down to get a closer look. He examined the monstrosities. "They look like they were human once," he said disgusted.

Alice remarked, "That's probably the plan for all of us."

Sakile shook his head. "Just more of a reason to get out of here, now." He said as he climbed to his feet. "Let's go!" he said, and the group continued their bid for freedom.

After several more corridors, the team finally reached the hangar outside. However, heavy resistance halted the group's progress. About thirty men stood in formation: fifteen in front of the exit, fifteen on the catwalks above, each holding an automatic rifle. In an instant, Eary erected a wall of light.

'I've been getting pretty good with my walls tonight.' He thought as the team readied themselves behind Eary's force field.

As barrage after barrage of bullets was halted by the amber transparent sparkling wall, the team huddled together amid the ruckus.

Eary had a plan! In desperation, he gestured everyone closer. "All we have to do is knock them onto the metal catwalk. Once we get them up there, I'll zap them, and this will all be over." Eary stated.

"Let's do it," Alice replied.

She stood up, and with a grabbing gesture, lavender mist swirled around three of the attacking men. In an instant, they were hurled up upon the metal construction above. Calvin stepped forward, his hands forming the shape of a ball, as green light swelled inside. The chartreuse ribbons swirled around him as they condensed into the shape of an orb. Clasping his hands together, Eary was amazed as the twelve other guards joined their comrades on the catwalk. Eary stared in astonishment as Alice screamed,

"Eary, Now!"

As the words reached his ears, a significant swelling inside him erupted. Aiming at an exposed section of the metal catwalk, Eary's bolt met its target. Each man shook violently as the shocks surged through their bodies. Eary was surprised at this bolt's power; the power surging through him felt good. But a loud popping sound disrupted Eary's self-parade. As the electricity was still letting loose, Eary looked on, powerless, as the men's heads began to pop.

"Holy shit, Eary! That's enough!" Luke hollered.

As Luke's voice reached Eary's ears, he regained control.

"Sorry! That was an accident! I didn't mean to do that." Eary stated nervously.

"Totally cool. They were gonna die anyway. Now we can get out of this place." Alice replied.

Eary shook his head in approval. He asked God for forgiveness and understanding of his situation.

"You're religious?" Luke inquired curiously.

"Well... yeah," Eary replied. "Dad's best friend is a pastor, and he was kind of like an uncle to us. His son is my best friend," Eary recounted with a smile.

"Yeah!" Alice joked as she and Mei looked at Eary, giggling.

"Don't you dare!" Eary protested as the two girls erupted into laughter.

Sakile interrupted the teenage teasing, "Alright, everyone!" He said in a commanding tone. "Can we get the fuck outta here now? Please?"

Eary looked at the exit. He can almost smell his bedroom. "Mom and Dad are going to freak out about Luke." he thought to himself as he and his new friends marched towards the end of their nightmare.

"Rrrrrgggghhhh!"

The terrible and all-too-familiar sound emanated from behind them. With another "woosh" the abomination once again landed in front of them. This time, it vomited a stream of inky black tar at the group. They dodged, but just barely. A series of arms sprang forth from the black slime, grabbing at anyone nearby. Sakile and Eary were grabbed and pulled off their feet towards the inky pool.

Calvin grabbed Sakile while Luke and Mote went for Eary. The pulled desperately at the young men as the ink hands dragged them into the pool. Mei had erupted both hands into flames as she confronted the beast. Charging the monster, she flipped up into the air. She leapt above the abomination by swirling into a flip and using her flames as propulsion. As she spun, her flames created the shape of a buzz saw. As she soared, she scorched the creation's flesh. Alice once again slammed several of the steel pipes into the beast. Luke struggled against the grasping arms, pulling Eary into its inky depths. Mote smashed against the arms with his force field, shattering them. With their grasp released, Luke pulled Eary free. They and the moteling spotted Calvin, desperately holding Sakile's arms as he was pulled into the inky puddle. The three charged in. Luke pulled with Calvin as Mote crashed into the sentient arms. As Sakile was pulled free. Eary hit the sludge with his white fire, evaporating the substance.

Alice called back, "Eary! Zap this thing!"

Glancing back, the two girls could be seen dodging the abomination's swift tackles. Eary felt the surge of his new power once more. Extending both hands, he generated an enormous bolt at the creature. Chunks of the many torsos erupted as the electricity shot through the abomination. As the lightning continued to surge, the beast started to fall apart.

"Fuck yeah!" The recently freed Sakile erupted in praise.

Eary smiled with contentment. "Well, thank you! I've been practicing a lot tonight!" He said as he smiled at his victory.

Much to his surprise, however, the groups expressions had turned blank and their mouths gaped.

"Eary, knock it off! This ain't over," Mote ordered.

As Eary turned around, he saw an unbelievable sight. The monster's shattered body began to reassemble. Dark ink swirled about the creature's dismembered carcasses. As a faint jewel could be seen sparkling at its core. 'There,' Eary thought as the monster got back on its feet.

"It's gotta be like the creature from the night before. The jewel is resurrecting it," he thought to himself.

"Rrrrggggghhhh!" It howled as it began to rampage.

Everyone dodged as Alice tried to hold the abomination back. "I can't hold it forever!" she said in strain.

As the beast shook the lavender mist free, it leaped into the air again. The shadow loomed above as it came hurdling down at Luke. The thief dashed away in orange sparks. Now facing Eary, the abomination shot another jet of slimy, black sludge. Raising his right hand, Eary instinctively let loose a jet of white. The two streams were connected in midair. The dark stream evaporated to the light as the flames associated with the beast. As if nothing was there, the light burst through the fleshy side of the beast.

"It worked," Eary erupted as the beast roared in anguish.

The monstrosity became volatile. Slamming recklessly around, it thrashed at each member of the group. Mei and Calvin dodged quickly with their elements while Luke, Alice, and Sakile did their best to fight. Eary knew now it was up to him. Positioning himself once more, he shot forth a powerful, luminous beam. The abomination was engulfed in the radiance. As the light faded, the monster went all to pieces. Chunks fell off until the whole thing collapsed. The group didn't move. Each stood ready for its resurrection. But after a bit, a voice called out,

"Okay, I think it's dead." Calvin stated hesitantly.

Mote flew off into the debris of scattered remains. There among the gore, Mote pulled out a small green gemstone.

"Another rock! What does it all mean?" he stated.

Eary and Mote told the others about his troubles in the park and the jewel the two had found the other night.

"Sounds like they're connected. Maybe they were watchin' you. But we can't worry about that right now. We still need to escape." Sakile concluded.

The six survivors and the moteling made their way outside. The bright sun blinded Eary, and a crisp breeze blew across his face. Looking around, the group was in a forested area. They quickly made their way to the safety of the trees.

"Does anyone have any idea where we are?" Alice inquired as she marched along with the others.

Calvin replied, "Due to the local flora, we're still in North America. The forest is unfamiliar. I was in Boy Scouts and was really good at identifying plants. I've been thinking, this looks like Montana."

"Wow, you're pretty smart!" Mei said as she caught up beside Calvin.

Calvin smiled shyly as they continued through the woods. As the day drew closer to night, the team walked on endlessly. Until a road could be seen up ahead.

"Hey! That's a road! Holy shit! I never thought I'd be so happy to see a road again." Luke stated.

The seven of them hurried up to their paved salvation. Upon reaching it, however, armed men quickly surrounded the group. As they instructed their captives to the ground, Luke whispered to Eary,

"Don't tell them anything."