Tick’s dad thrashed about on the garage floor, the thick layer of transparent goo that covered every part of his body bouncing and wiggling like jelly. The gel-like substance was never more than an inch thick in any one spot, but it enveloped Edgar from head to toe. Most alarming was the clear mask covering his face.
The man obviously couldn’t breathe. More than a year ago, Tick had almost seen his dad die; he felt the same horrible panic now.
“Dad!” Tick yelled again. He knew screaming wasn’t going to help no matter how many times he did it. He had to do something.
He knelt down beside his squirming dad, who kept grabbing and tearing at the gel on his face, ripping sections away from his mouth to catch a quick breath only to have the goo be replaced almost instantly. When Tick saw his dad’s hands rip at the stuff and saw the way it splashed and wavered, he realized it wasn’t goo at all.
It was water.
Somehow, some force had captured his dad in a man-sized pool of water.
And it was killing him.
Something trembled inside Tick, fluttered, as if a raven had magically appeared inside his stomach and was trying to escape. Heat surged through his veins. Pressure built up behind his skull, pushing outward, hurting. He closed his eyes, rubbed them.
His . . . problem. He knew it was his problem. The stress of the situation had ignited his inexplicable reservoir of Chi’karda, causing it to erupt inside him. It was just like what had happened in Chu’s palace. It was starting all over again. But he couldn’t afford to lose control now.
No, he told himself. Not this time. I have to save Dad.
He took several long breaths and concentrated, probing his body with his thoughts, reaching out to something he didn’t comprehend. Repressing it, pushing it away. Calming himself. He imagined the Chi’karda surge as a cloud of orange mist—as Mistress Jane had shown him months ago—trapped within his ribcage. Mentally, he made the cloud dissipate, weaken, flow out of him. Go somewhere else. Somewhere safe.
He had no idea what he was doing. He’d spent months trying to understand the power within him, make it a tangible thing. He’d spent months failing. But urgency won out. He felt his heart slow, felt the heat cool away, felt the pressure release.
It was gone. Tick opened his eyes, looked down, focused.
His dad’s face was turning purple.
~
Lorena’s screams were drowned out in a sickening
gurgle as the cold wave of water crashed into her. The creature had leaped into the air and dove for her face, forming into a thick stream and slamming into her like a sudden burst from a fire hose. She shook her head, spitting and coughing, and grabbed at her face. Instead of washing off her and falling to the floor, the liquid seemed to stick, enveloping her head and neck in a mask of water. It crept into her mouth, into her throat. She gagged, spit again. She wiped frantically at her face, but it did no good.
The terrifying situation had created a crisp sense of clarity in her mind, and an idea formed somewhere in the dark factory of her thoughts. A very bizarre idea.
She turned and bolted for the garage. With every step, she felt rivulets of water running down her torso, the creature capturing her inch by inch. She knew she wouldn’t be able to move once the thing had control of her legs.
The garage. She had to reach the garage. She made it out of the kitchen and into the short hallway with coat hooks and shoe racks. The door was only a few feet away.
The water reached her knees. She felt herself slow a bit.
She lurched forward, reaching for the door that led to the garage. One arm had been taken completely over, and the other had only a second left before its fingers would be swallowed by the possessed water. The liquid encasing her arms made it harder to control her movements, but the creature seemed mostly focused on her head. She found the handle. She twisted the knob and pulled. An instant later, the wet monster had consumed her fully.
Lorena fell forward and toppled down the three stairs that descended into the garage. Ironically, the thick layer of water cushioned her fall.
~
Tick slapped at his dad’s face with cupped hands, like a dog digging for a bone. Each swing caught a little pool of water and sent it flying, but more instantly sloshed back in, and the displaced splashes somehow flew back onto his dad’s body like metal shavings returning to a powerful magnet. Every once in a while their combined efforts would clear just enough water for his dad to take a quick breath, but Tick knew they couldn’t keep it up much longer.
The garage door that led to the inside of the house banged open.
Tick looked up and saw his mom. Fully encased in water just like his dad, she fell down the short staircase and crashed onto the floor with a wet flump.