POST HOLLOW SYNDROME
Chapter 11- Corruption
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Ever since she had picked him up early from school that day, Kai's mother had not stopped expressing her displeasure with her son's actions. Funny thing was, even though Kai had never gotten into such a victorious fight, he had heard it all before. He'd heard it as a little child when he'd gotten into a fist-fight with the neighborhood bully. That time, he had lost.
"Kai-Kai, honey, you shouldn't get into fights like that. Mama don't like seeing you get hurt." He could remember her wiping away the tears from his freckled cheeks, taking him inside, then fixing the scrapes and bruises. He was glad for her care then. He was just a little boy--- the smallest of his peers, in fact. Always picked on, always pushed around.
As a result he had developed a bit of an inferiority complex. He had spent his life sucking up to his peers, particularly the bullies. Always playing along, acting the class clown, always taking the blame. Behind their backs he would curse them and wish he had the ability to face them head-on. Yet he knew he couldn't hope to fight any of them outside of name-calling. He was too small, too weak.
And after his former encounter with Spud--- the one he still wouldn't tell his mother the truth about--- he had learned all too well how small and weak he really was. He had been powerless. But not today. Today, he had been strong. Today, he had won. Yet he got the same speech he had heard as a child--- only repackaged.
"Kairos, you shouldn't fight fire with fire. I don't want to see you get burned."
Why couldn't Ma be proud of him? He had finally manned up. He had faced his worst nightmare and had not only come out alive, but won. And it was because of that fire that he'd done so. Why couldn't she stop worrying so much and just accept that he liked to fight with fire? That it was what he'd been born to do?
"You've told me he's been after you this week," Ma said at dinner that evening. "You should've run from him. Then you wouldn't have those awful bruises on your shoulders. You wouldn't be suspended right now." The distress in her tone was unbearable.
Kai clutched his fork. "He would've caught me eventually. Trust me," he said. "And when he did catch me, what was I supposed to do? Ignore him?"
"Kai, you should have told someone he was bothering you in the first place. Then someone could have..."
"Then he'd just come back angrier at me," emphasized Kai. "And that doesn't even answer my question." He slumped and twirled a piece of chicken from his pot pie in thought. "I'm just saying, Ma. I'd be in worse shape if I'd just let him do what he wanted to."
Kai could tell Ma realized he was right. "I'll put a word in for you at the office," she said. "I won't have him after you like this for the rest of the year."
Kai chuckled softly, though a twinge of apprehension pinched his insides. "Don't worry. I've faced bigger monsters than Spud Spader." With friends. "And... Adam and Mira are good friends. They've helped me deal with monsters before. They can help me deal with Spud too." If they could all get along again. Kai's heart sank. What was he supposed to do now that he'd effectively isolated himself from his only friends?
"I'm glad you have such good friends," said Ma. She was silent for a moment. "Kai. You know I only worry because I love you, right?"
Kai smiled. "Yeah." That was another thing she'd been telling him since he was a little kid. "I know."
He stabbed his fork into his supper again. Halfway up to his mouth, the fork fritzed out. Kai froze and stared at it as it flickered within his grip. For a single moment, it glitched out of existance. The food fell through the fork and landed with a splat back onto his plate. His grip on the fork tightened as it reappeared and reassumed its stainless steel form. "Uh... Ma?" He gulped. "Please tell me you just saw that."
"Saw what, honey?"
Don't tell her. Kai let out a shaky breath. "N-nothing. Never mind."
Seconds later, just as Kai was reaching down to pick up the food he'd lost, he saw his hand flicker. Then he saw his other hand flicker. They were both on the fritz--- and when the fork fell through his hand, he felt the blood drain from his face. Kai restrained a shriek. His hands flickered back to normal. He continued to stare at them, questioning whether or not he had just seen what he thought he'd just seen.
"Kai? Is there something wrong?" asked Ma. She sounded concerned.
"Uh... I just realized I forgot to wash my hands. Be right back!"
Kai made a mad dash for the restroom and slammed the door shut behind him. He leaned up against the door to catch his breath, then looked down at his palms again. A single stream of a glitch wormed over his left palm. He swallowed and stumbled toward the sink, at once nauseated. What was going to happen to him? Was he going to glitch out of existance? Was this going to be the end? He closed his eyes and braced himself.
Kai took deep breaths and tried to convince himself that he would be OK. A minute later he felt good enough to open his eyes. He looked up into the mirror to make sure he was all still there. At that moment, one of his eyes glitched out. Just like Vanessa's.
As if he had been... infected by her.
Something finally clicked in Kai's mind. Everything made sense now. Kai's glitches, Adam's dreams, Mira's lack of interest. He knew now he wasn't just seeing things--- something had gone terribly wrong in the wake of the Hollow corruption. Something had gone terribly wrong with him. With Adam. With Mira. With Skeet, Reeve, and yes--- Vanessa. It wasn't imaginary. It was very, very real.
But now he knew there was something he could do about it.
Faced with this sudden revelation, Kai dug his phone from his pocket and sat down to write a group message to Adam and Mira. He could only hope they'd listen.
Kai
hey, if both of u guys could come see me saturday morning, i think iknow whats going on! just need time 2 get ready, cuz i may know how 2 fix it. plz come.
ps adam--- sory 4 yelling at u. :(
Mira
Will do, Kai. Adam and I made up, just so you know. I didn't want it to bother you until then. =)
Adam
Apology accepted.
"Kai-Kai, honey, you shouldn't get into fights like that. Mama don't like seeing you get hurt." He could remember her wiping away the tears from his freckled cheeks, taking him inside, then fixing the scrapes and bruises. He was glad for her care then. He was just a little boy--- the smallest of his peers, in fact. Always picked on, always pushed around.
As a result he had developed a bit of an inferiority complex. He had spent his life sucking up to his peers, particularly the bullies. Always playing along, acting the class clown, always taking the blame. Behind their backs he would curse them and wish he had the ability to face them head-on. Yet he knew he couldn't hope to fight any of them outside of name-calling. He was too small, too weak.
And after his former encounter with Spud--- the one he still wouldn't tell his mother the truth about--- he had learned all too well how small and weak he really was. He had been powerless. But not today. Today, he had been strong. Today, he had won. Yet he got the same speech he had heard as a child--- only repackaged.
"Kairos, you shouldn't fight fire with fire. I don't want to see you get burned."
Why couldn't Ma be proud of him? He had finally manned up. He had faced his worst nightmare and had not only come out alive, but won. And it was because of that fire that he'd done so. Why couldn't she stop worrying so much and just accept that he liked to fight with fire? That it was what he'd been born to do?
"You've told me he's been after you this week," Ma said at dinner that evening. "You should've run from him. Then you wouldn't have those awful bruises on your shoulders. You wouldn't be suspended right now." The distress in her tone was unbearable.
Kai clutched his fork. "He would've caught me eventually. Trust me," he said. "And when he did catch me, what was I supposed to do? Ignore him?"
"Kai, you should have told someone he was bothering you in the first place. Then someone could have..."
"Then he'd just come back angrier at me," emphasized Kai. "And that doesn't even answer my question." He slumped and twirled a piece of chicken from his pot pie in thought. "I'm just saying, Ma. I'd be in worse shape if I'd just let him do what he wanted to."
Kai could tell Ma realized he was right. "I'll put a word in for you at the office," she said. "I won't have him after you like this for the rest of the year."
Kai chuckled softly, though a twinge of apprehension pinched his insides. "Don't worry. I've faced bigger monsters than Spud Spader." With friends. "And... Adam and Mira are good friends. They've helped me deal with monsters before. They can help me deal with Spud too." If they could all get along again. Kai's heart sank. What was he supposed to do now that he'd effectively isolated himself from his only friends?
"I'm glad you have such good friends," said Ma. She was silent for a moment. "Kai. You know I only worry because I love you, right?"
Kai smiled. "Yeah." That was another thing she'd been telling him since he was a little kid. "I know."
He stabbed his fork into his supper again. Halfway up to his mouth, the fork fritzed out. Kai froze and stared at it as it flickered within his grip. For a single moment, it glitched out of existance. The food fell through the fork and landed with a splat back onto his plate. His grip on the fork tightened as it reappeared and reassumed its stainless steel form. "Uh... Ma?" He gulped. "Please tell me you just saw that."
"Saw what, honey?"
Don't tell her. Kai let out a shaky breath. "N-nothing. Never mind."
Seconds later, just as Kai was reaching down to pick up the food he'd lost, he saw his hand flicker. Then he saw his other hand flicker. They were both on the fritz--- and when the fork fell through his hand, he felt the blood drain from his face. Kai restrained a shriek. His hands flickered back to normal. He continued to stare at them, questioning whether or not he had just seen what he thought he'd just seen.
"Kai? Is there something wrong?" asked Ma. She sounded concerned.
"Uh... I just realized I forgot to wash my hands. Be right back!"
Kai made a mad dash for the restroom and slammed the door shut behind him. He leaned up against the door to catch his breath, then looked down at his palms again. A single stream of a glitch wormed over his left palm. He swallowed and stumbled toward the sink, at once nauseated. What was going to happen to him? Was he going to glitch out of existance? Was this going to be the end? He closed his eyes and braced himself.
Kai took deep breaths and tried to convince himself that he would be OK. A minute later he felt good enough to open his eyes. He looked up into the mirror to make sure he was all still there. At that moment, one of his eyes glitched out. Just like Vanessa's.
As if he had been... infected by her.
Something finally clicked in Kai's mind. Everything made sense now. Kai's glitches, Adam's dreams, Mira's lack of interest. He knew now he wasn't just seeing things--- something had gone terribly wrong in the wake of the Hollow corruption. Something had gone terribly wrong with him. With Adam. With Mira. With Skeet, Reeve, and yes--- Vanessa. It wasn't imaginary. It was very, very real.
But now he knew there was something he could do about it.
Faced with this sudden revelation, Kai dug his phone from his pocket and sat down to write a group message to Adam and Mira. He could only hope they'd listen.
Kai
hey, if both of u guys could come see me saturday morning, i think iknow whats going on! just need time 2 get ready, cuz i may know how 2 fix it. plz come.
ps adam--- sory 4 yelling at u. :(
Mira
Will do, Kai. Adam and I made up, just so you know. I didn't want it to bother you until then. =)
Adam
Apology accepted.