Evolution

Chapter 5 - Never Looking Back

Jeremy’s POV

I rolled over on my back clutching my bloody arm, and wincing in pain. The bullet was still lodged inside of my shoulder, and it was going to be hell trying to get it out. “Quick, take your jacket.” I said extending my good arm out to Tyler. I knew the first thing to do was try and stop the bleeding so I won’t bleed out to death. Hesitantly, he took off his black jacket and handed it to me. I grabbed it, balled it up, and placed it over my gunshot wound pressing down on it hoping to slow down the bleeding. I thought about just laying here on the ground until the bleeding stopped, but I knew I couldn’t. Scorpio wouldn’t be embarrassed by two teenagers and let them get away with it. They had probably already dispatched another team of agents to find us.

Using my teeth, I managed to tear off a long piece of fabric from the jacket. I placed it over my arm, above my wound, and tied it into a make shift tourniquet. I had seen it done on TV a few times and knew it would stop the circulation of blood to my arm allowing me to walk and move freely without it bleeding too much.

“Can you still walk?” Tyler asked nervously. “We need to get you to a hospital.”

“We can’t go to a hospital.” I replied with a small chuckle. “As soon as they test my blood, they’ll know what and who I am and Scorpio will just finish me off. Now help me up.” I finished. He reached down, grabbing my good arm—the left one—and began to pull me up. The sudden movement sent a ripple of pain up and down my right arm causing me to scrunch up my face like I had eaten something bitter.

I looked around at our surroundings listening for the faint rustling noise footstep makes. When I was convinced there were none, I motioned for Tyler to follow me.

“Where are we going?” He asked.

“My mother stays about ten minutes away from here. She’s not home right now so we’ll have to break in.”

“Break in? You don’t have a key or anything?”

I looked down at the dark brown patches of grass beneath the soles of my feet before answering him.

“I umm...haven’t seen my mom in a few years.” I say bluntly. “Now come on, I’ll explain while we walk.” He nodded approvingly and we started walking down a small path in the woods. Growing up, I use to love this forest. I spent most of my time out here playing with my powers, learning how to use them effectively. We made our way around a small bend, passing a little pond, before I began talking again. “I left home when I was 14.” I said.

“Why?” Tyler asked. He sure asked a lot of questions. I didn’t really like to talk about my childhood, but I guess there’s no time like the present, right?

“My parents found out about my powers. The second they did, they could never look at me the same. My mom acted like I was some kind of monster. She barely looked at me, she was afraid to touch me, and she tried her best to avoid me around the house. I guess she thought somehow my powers would wear off on her.”

“Wouldn’t that be a good thing though? Life can be a lot easier when you don’t even have to get up to get the remote.” Tyler joked.

“Yeah, that’s fine and all but she blamed me for what happened to my little sister, Autumn...” I trailed off, wiping the sweat from my glistening forehead. I took a deep breath before continuing, bracing myself to relive the events that have haunted me for years. “We were walking, going down the street one day licking on a couple of ice cream cones I had bought with my allowance. When we came to the point where we needed to cross the street, there was this guy... He was in a hurry and didn’t wait for the little traffic light to signal us to cross. Instead, he just ran out into traffic weaving through the moving cars when he was about to get hit. He should have... but I saved him.” I could feel my heart rate pick up some, just from even thinking about what happened next. “I pushed him out of the way with my powers.” I finished, looking over at Tyler who was trying to picture it all in his head. “I thought I had done something good you know? Saving this guy’s life and all, but I didn’t. The car that nearly hit him was owned and used by Scorpio. Within seconds, two guys dressed in black hopped out from the backseat and came chasing towards us, so we ran.”

“But you were faster than her weren’t you? There was no way she could keep up.” Tyler interjects. He has a somber expression on his face; I guess he could tell what happened next.

“Yeah.” I say. “I outran her and them without even noticing it. She was struggling to keep up, screaming for me not to leave her, when one of the agents snatched her by the hair from behind. I was young and scared and I knew that if I tried to save her, they’d just kill me too, so I kept running and running until I heard a gunshot. Just like that, she was gone. My parents blamed me, saying it was all my fault and they hated me for it, so I left home and never looked back.” I sighed, blinking back the slight moisture in my eyes. Tyler opens his mouth to say something but I cut him off before he gets the chance. “We’re here.” I said, changing the subject. I looked up at the old white house that stood in front of us, it seemed as though nothing had changed. My old red bike still lay up against the side of the house, my football was still out in the backyard, and my basketball goal was still intact.

“Where’s your dad?” Tyler asked, catching me off guard.

“What do you mean?”

“You said your mother isn’t home right now, what about your dad?” He finished.

“Dead.” I mumbled. “After the whole thing with my sister, he started drinking. Not to long after, he got into a head on collision on the highway, killed him almost instantly.”

“Oh.” Is all Tyler manages to say.

I walk up to the door and press my hand on the doorknob, forcing the lock to undo itself with my mind. I hear a small clink before I turn and open the door. Apparently, my mom redecorated after I left. The interior of the house looked so foreign to me. Everything had been changed around.

I made my way to the bathroom, searching the cabinets for a first aid kit. When I found one, I went into the kitchen where I saw Tyler eating a sandwich. “Wow” I laughed before tossing the kit on the table and rummaging through it. I found some stuff to clean and wrap my wound and close the kit. “When you finish stuffing your face, I need your help getting the bullet out.” I joked. He finished scarfing down the sandwich, and maked his way over to me.

“How can I help?” He asked nonchalantly.

“I need you to pull the bullet out. I’ll probably wimp out if I do it, so I need you to. Just use your mind.” I replied.

He shrugged his shoulders before staring intently at my arm and slowly willed the bullet out. I could feel it tearing through the newly formed muscle on top of it. Being an evolutionary, our wounds heal at a faster rate, just one of the many perks of being awesome. Once the bullet is out, I cleaned and bandaged up my shoulder and then headed over to my dad’s old lock box in the corner of the living room. It was unlocked. I pulled the small pistol from it and turned back around to face Tyler. Is eyes widened at the sight of it.

“Uh... what are you gonna do with that?” He asked, tensing up.

“Relax” I laughed. “I’m not gonna shoot you.”

“But you are going to shoot someone aren’t you?” he questioned.

“Yes. I’m tired of running. I’m sick of living my life in fear of Scorpio, and it’s gonna stop today.” I huffed.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to kill them all. I know they work at that creepy science facility downtown, experimenting on Evolutionaries and stuff. I’m going to break in, and kill as many of them as I can.” I know I must sound crazy, and I probably am, but I’m fed up with it all.

“So, you’re going on a suicide mission, and you want me to help? No thanks.” Tyler said shaking his head. I figured he would say that and I don’t blame him.

“Suit yourself.” I shrugged, before brushing past him and heading towards the door. I exit without looking back.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed it, don't forget to VOTE and COMMENT!!