A few days later, the school bell clangs, a harsh, grating sound that signals the end of the week. Trouble, as always, finds
Colton before he can escape.
Lockers slam in the crowded hallway, sneakers squeaking on the scuffed linoleum. The air smells of sweat, cheap cologne, and
the faint tang of cafeteria grease.
Colton shoves his tattered notebook into
his backpack, the zipper catching as he yanks it closed. Kevin, lanky and
hunched, leans against the locker next to him, his voice low but excited. "Yo,
Colton, big day tomorrow, huh? Seventeen. You doing anything for your birthday,
man?"
Colton snorts, the sound bitter, his breath puffing out as he slings his backpack over one shoulder. "Yeah, right. Maybe I'll
splurge on an extra packet of ramen. Real party vibes." His voice is flat, but there's a flicker of something softer in his eyes, like he wants to believe in something better.
Kevin grins, his braces glinting under the
flickering fluorescent lights. "Come on, dude, gotta do something. You're
practically a man now. Maybe Bella's got some secret art project planned for
you."
A heavy hand slams into Colton's shoulder, cutting Kevin off. The impact shoves Colton into the lockers, metal rattling against
his bruised ribs. Derek's voice, thick with malice, cuts through the hallway. "What's this about a party, loser? You inviting us?" Laughter erupts behind him, sharp and cruel, as his two goons—big, meaty kids with buzzcuts—flank him, cracking their knuckles. The sound is deliberate, a promise
of pain.
Colton straightens, his jaw tight, eyes narrowing. "Get fucked, Derek." His voice is low, steady, but his hands clench into fists,
trembling slightly. Kevin steps back, his sneakers scuffing, his voice shaky.
"C'mon, man, let's just go." Derek smirks, his boots thudding as he closes the
distance. "Nah, Kev, you don't get to slink away either." He grabs Kevin's collar, yanking him forward. Kevin stumbles, his backpack hitting the floor with a dull thud. The hallway crowd thins, kids scattering, their whispers hissing like static. Derek's fist slams into Colton's stomach, the impact
forcing a grunt from his throat. He doubles over, gasping, but doesn't fall.
"Always gotta be a hero, huh?" Derek snarls, his fist cracking into Colton's jaw. Blood sprays, hot and coppery, spattering the floor. Kevin yelps as one of the goons shoves him into a locker, the metal denting under his weight. "Stay down, freak!" the goon barks, kicking Kevin's ribs with a sickening crunch.
Colton wipes blood from his lip, his breath ragged, and lunges at Derek. His fist connects with Derek's cheek, a solid thump, but the goons grab him, pinning his arms. Derek laughs, the sound cold, and drives
his knee into Colton's gut. "You never learn, do you?" Another punch lands,
splitting Colton's eyebrow, blood trickling into his eye. Kevin scrambles to
his feet, shouting, "Leave him alone!" but a backhand from the second goon
sends him sprawling, his glasses skittering across the floor with a clatter.
The hallway's empty now, just the echo of laughter and the thud of fists. Colton's vision blurs, but he spits blood, his voice
hoarse but defiant. "That all you got?" Derek's fist raises again, but a teacher's shout cuts through the air, sharp and distant. "Hey! Break it up!" Derek steps back, smirking, his boots scuffing as he and his goons saunter off, their laughter fading down the hall.
Colton slumps against the lockers, his breath heaving, blood dripping onto his shirt. Kevin crawls over, grabbing his
glasses, his hands shaking. "You okay, man?" His voice cracks, worried. Colton
nods, wincing, his ribs screaming. "Yeah. Fuckers'll pay one day." He helps
Kevin up, their footsteps slow and heavy as they limp out of the school, the
city's pulse—car horns, distant sirens—swallowing their pain. But as Colton
trudges home, the bruises throb with every step, and a strange heat flickers in
his chest, like a warning of something bigger waiting just beyond the horizon.
Hours later, the clock in Colton's bedroom ticks toward midnight, each second a heavy thud in the cramped apartment. Outside,
the city hums, distant car horns, a siren wailing, then fading into the night.
The mattress creaks as Colton shifts, his breath uneven, caught in the haze of
half-sleep. His face throbs from the beating, bruises pulsing under his skin. Across the tiny room, Bella's soft snores rise from her cot, a faint rhythm against the silence. Their shared space smells of old paint and damp laundry, the air thick with the weight of another shitty day. A crumpled drawing, Bella's latest, a lopsided birthday card with "Happy 17!" scrawled in crayon, sits on
the milk crate between their beds. Seventeen in a few minutes. Big frickin
deal. His eyes flutter, heavy, as sleep pulls him under.
A low rumble shakes the air, like thunder trapped in a bottle. Colton's breath catches, sharp and sudden. His mind snaps into focus, but his body stays locked, heavy as stone. He's not in his bed anymore. Chains
clank, cold and biting, wrapping his wrists and ankles. Jagged rock digs into
his back, the mountain beneath him sharp and unyielding. The sky above churns,
black clouds swirling with streaks of fire. A bird screeches, its cry slicing through the storm. Wings beat, heavy and deliberate, as a massive vulture—eyes glowing like embers—swoops down. Its beak tears into Colton's side, ripping flesh, blood hot and slick. He screams, the sound raw, tearing from his throat. The wound burns, then knits itself shut, skin crawling back together. The bird strikes again, and again, each rip a fresh hell. Colton thrashes, chains rattling, his screams echoing off the stone.
"Prometheus, protector of mankind, is awakened." The voice booms, deep and ancient, vibrating in his bones. It's not human—more like a storm given words. "The spark is yours. Burn bright, or be consumed."
Colton's scream splits the air again, but it's not just in the dream. His voice cracks through the apartment, high and desperate.
The mattress creaks wildly as he thrashes, sheets tangling around his legs.
Light pours from his eyes and mouth, a searing white glow that paints the walls
in stark relief. Bella's cot squeaks as she bolts upright, her small voice trembling. "Colton? What's wrong?" Their mother's footsteps pound down the hall, frantic, her voice sharp as she bursts through the door, hinges squeaking.
"Colton! Bella, stay back!" Her slippers scuff the floor as she rushes to his bedside, her hands shaking as she grabs his shoulders. "Baby, wake up! Please!"
The light pulses, brighter, like a star about to
burst. Colton's body jerks, his scrawny frame seemingly inflating as his muscles grow in front of his mothers eyes, his shirt stretching, then goes still, lifeless, the glow fading to nothing. His mother's sobs choke the air, raw and broken. "No, no, no—Colton, come back!" She shakes him, her hands
slapping against his chest, the sound dull and desperate. Bella whimpers, her bare feet shuffling as she inches closer, clutching her blanket. "Mom, what's happening to him?" The room trembles, a low hum rising, like electricity sparking in the walls. A crack splits the air, sharp as a gunshot, and a portal tears open—jagged edges glowing sickly green. A shadow moves within, tall and twisted, its claws scraping stone as it steps through. The air turns cold,
reeking of sulfur and rot. The monster's growl rumbles, low and hungry, its
eyes like oil slicks glinting in the dark.
Colton's mother spins, her breath hitching, a sharp gasp. She stumbles to her feet, placing herself between the monster and her
kids, her voice trembling but fierce. "Stay away from them!" Her slippers scrape the floor as she braces herself, hands clenched into fists. Bella screams, a high-pitched wail, as a second portal cracks open, its red glow
pulsing like a wound. Another monster emerges, its claws glinting, its hiss
like steam escaping a pipe.
Colton's eyes snap open, his breath ragged, chest burning like it's been branded with a hot iron. He tries to move, but his limbs
are heavy, like they're sinking into tar. He sees the first monster—its jagged
teeth, its claws glinting like knives—lunging toward his mother, who ducks, her
scream sharp as she shoves a chair in its path, the wood splintering with a
crack. The second monster lurches toward Bella, who scrambles back, her cot
tipping with a crash. "Bella!" Colton's voice is a croak, barely audible.
The second monster's claws snag Bella's arm, dragging her toward the red portal. She kicks, her bare feet scraping the floor, her blanket falling in a heap. "Colton! Mom! Help!" Her voice breaks as the monster pulls her through, the portal snapping shut with a crack, leaving only the first monster behind. Colton's mother lunges toward the fading portal, her scream raw. "Bella! No!"
Colton's heart hammers, his scream trapped in his throat. "Bella!" His voice breaks, raw and useless, as he struggles to move.
A blast of energy cracks through the room, a
blinding pulse of gold that hums with power. The remaining monster shrieks, a sound like metal tearing, and evaporates into black mist, the stench of sulfur fading. Colton's head whips toward the source, his vision blurry. Mr. S stands in the doorway, but he's not the tired social worker in a cheap suit. His clothes shimmer, a golden tunic catching the light, a bow slung across his back, his eyes burning with something ancient. The air around him crackles, like a storm about to break.
"Mr. S?" Colton's voice is hoarse, disbelieving. "What the fuck is happening?"
Mr. S—Apollo—rushes forward, his boots thudding on the floor. "No time, Colton." His voice is sharp, commanding, but there's a
tremor of urgency. Another crack splits the air, a third portal yawning open, its edges pulsing red. Three shadows loom within, their growls overlapping, low and guttural. Claws scrape stone, and the air grows heavier, like it's suffocating under their presence.
Apollo grabs Colton's arm, his grip iron-tight, and hauls him to his feet. Colton stumbles, his legs shaky, the burning in his chest pulsing with every heartbeat. A new hum rises, different from the portals—a warm, electric buzz under his skin, like a fire waking up. Apollo's other hand grabs Colton's mother, who's trembling, her face streaked with tears, her voice broken. "Bella… my baby…" Apollo's voice cuts through, firm
but urgent. "She's alive. We can find her, but we have to go now." His hand moves, tracing a symbol in the air, and a new portal snaps open, its light clean and blue, like a clear sky. "All of you, through—now!" His voice is
unyielding, a command that brooks no argument.
Colton's eyes dart to the spot where Bella vanished, her blanket lying abandoned, then to his mother, who stumbles toward the blue
portal, her sobs choking the air. His voice breaks, a sob tearing out. "Bella…
I'll get you back…" Apollo pulls them both toward the blue light, the hum of it
swallowing the room's chaos. They step through—Colton, his mother, and
Apollo—the portal snapping shut behind them with a sound like a thunderclap,
leaving only silence and a crumpled blanket. Somewhere, in the dark beyond, a
spark burns brighter, calling Colton to a fight he doesn't yet understand.