Chapter 12: Danger.

Why am I seeing this? Why? Something must've triggered something. Someone. A nightmare.

As I was facing my nightmares in my sleep, little did I know that Marque, especially Amari, have been alarmed and woken up by my wails and whimpers. I could hear them but I couldn't move. I was stuck. I was trapped in a seemingly never-ending fall into the abyss. Being chased, targeted, and triggered.

"Hey! Wake up!!! Dude come on!!!" Marque distantly called out.

I wanted to get out of that spot. I've never had this bad of a nightmare since...that day. Is it that bad? Sweating and in unrest, I twisted and turned trying to shake the shadows and lights off of me. Blinding and yet so dark at the same time...I couldn't escape it. I need. To. Get out. The last time this happened, people got hurt...I don't want to hurt anyone.

"What's happening to her?!" Amari panics.

"It's just a nightmare now help me get her up!" Marque exclaimed.

"This doesn't seem like a normal nightmare, man!" Amari followed and helped in trying to wake me up.

With every try they took, they came unsuccessful. Marque and Amari both did what they could but then Marqur perked up realizing something.

"Her body heat's rising, sweating heavily, veins are starting to glow by her hands..." She silently whispers to herself.

"She's overloading. Something triggered her to overload." She hastily said.

"What??? What do you mean?" Amari asked.

"No time for questions, idiot! We have to get as far as we can from her before the blast happens!" Marque then pulls Amari up and ran to the bikes and started them to ride off. No matter which direction. They just NEEDED to get as far as they can.

"That's it, X...Show them what a magnificent project you are." The shadow figure of my father called out.

I couldn't move. I couldn't see where the voice was coming from. It felt like it was coming from everywhere...This is bad. I'm still being pulled into the tar-like depts by the freaky hands dragging me in. I can't break free! I need to get out of here!!!

As they rode off to safety, my body got overwhelmed by the nightmare I was having which caused it to use its heightened defense mechanism thinking it was a threat. Once my body is overloaded, my heart can randomly produce a beat that can detonate an Electromagnetic Pulse blast from my body that can reach 200 miles max. It makes me a walking bomb.

I can control the blast if I'm conscious but if a nightmare triggers it...the chances of reaching the max range for the blast are at random...highest bet would be 5 miles but who knows...The last time I did a blast, I shut down whole cities. Yup...plural. It's a roulette.

"I...can't...take it anymore!!!" Screaming, the blast woke me. My eyes shooting open to my green jewels brightly glowing and pulsing to the beat of my heart. Detonation.

My body reached its breaking point. The pulse was detonated. The blast shook the tent and snuffed the campfire we had completely out. Streetlights and even cars stopped in their tracks. No one was hurt. The tall blades of grass aggressively spun and danced to the air pressure the blast caused since they were close to the point of origin. You technically can't feel it I guess...but it can fry a brain. Luckily, Marque and Amari got far enough that the blast's weaker half-mile radius couldn't reach them. This was the weakest so far...I guess it's good? Still, me having these types of overloads is a red flag.

Frightened and shocked, I tried to crawl backward in a panic. Frantically looking for my friends as I try to get to safety. I'm not afraid of my nightmare. I'm afraid of what may come after that blast...

"Sue!" Marque called out.

Amari then hopped the road fencing and into the tall grass close to our camp. In the middle, I was curled up against my hoverbike and gripping my head from the nightmare that caused all of this mess. My arms still had the marks of what I am as if they were veins carrying the burden of my past, my eyes glowing brightly in the shade of green, and my mind stuck in a haze.

"Dude! Hey! We're right here!" Marque called out as she wrapped her arms around me.

Amari was frozen in silence and just watched in fear and anxiously waiting for what would happen next.

12 hours since the incident. Kitsunae, Amari, and Marque are on their way to the outer city.

We didn't get much sleep. After everything went stable, we went on our way to the city. That Donald guy must've been a tracker and after my little freakout, a search party would've detected that sudden emp spike. We had to move ASAP. Amari was on my back while Marque rode closely with us. No one spoke but my mind was hearing noises. My body functions are still at a standstill but it'll surely pass.

"Hey, we should stop by somewhere!" Marque said by comms.

"Why? So you could take a piss?" I said without looking over.

"Well...YES, and we need some gas for both our bodies and our hoverbikes! Charging is important you know! Especially with the body and these electric bikes-" Marque was then cut off.

"Yeah yeah, we get it dude! But where and how would we stop somewhere if we're being hunted?" Amari asked.

Sighing, I reluctantly answered.

"My parents easily give up if our tracks get cold enough. That emp blast we left behind would buy us some time since they have to verify that incident if it's really me and in addition to that, that means we get to take a piss AND take a 'charging break' as Marque would call it." I explained.

"Noted!" Amari called out.

"Yeah but that didn't explain the how part! That or I'm just not following your science English!" Marque replied.

"You're generally just stupid. If we keep a low enough profile, no witnesses would be able to point us out. Minimal contact, no questions, and if we have to talk, hide your face from any person we'll come in contact with. I have tube masks for biking so that would help on hiding our faces but just don't pull it down as much!" I explained.

"Okay...but how will we eat then???" Marque followed.

"Good god, man." I complained.

"If you're going to lower your mask, just make the effort to hide your damn face anyway! Use your hand to cover it or something! Use your brain, dude!" Amari butts in.

I snickered and rode off to a roadside diner with one hoverbike station. It looked as sad as it could come but hey we didn't have much of a choice. Since the place only had ONE hoverbike station, it would take a while longer. I predict things but I didn't predict that this diner would be THIS bad...We'll have to keep an even lower profile because we'll be there longer...

"Alright, this place is sad but we need what we don't have much of a choice. Only one person will have to speak to people maybe in like taking orders and stuff BUT. We still do what we talked about on the way here. Have your masks up when talking for your food order, lower but cover with your hand when eating. Got it?" I instructed the two annoyingly stuck puppies with me.

They both nodded.

"One last thing. As much as possible, do not make eye contact with anyone, don't leave receipts, and don't even leave fingerprints so keep your gloves on. Those hoverbikes will finish filling up to full charge around an hour or so from the former 20 to 30 minutes I estimated." I followed.

The two nodded anyway and we all made out way into the diner. Don't worry, I made sure to have the looks, road tires, and even AntiGrav engines and tires changed to hide tracks. Even if they managed to catch up to us, they wouldn't have many resources to use for the hunt.

Marque went ahead and took our orders for us while Amari and I sat down at our booth keeping a low profile.

"So...what happened back there. Does that...happen often?" Amari asked while we settled out stuff and fix our equipment.

"What? Wow. That's a stupid question." I replied.

"Damn...well. I'm sorry but I've never really seen anything like that..." She followed.

"Is that a compliment or is that something to get on my nerves a lot more?" I glared in annoyance.

"I honestly meant no offense, dude. I've seen a lot of freakouts especially back when I used to fight in Mixed Martial Arts...but that was something else..." She shared.

I stopped once I heard 'Mixed Martial Arts' it triggered a disgusting memory I never really thought would come back to haunt me...

"Look. You don't know me as well and I don't know you as well but I know you won't shut up about it. it. To put it very simply for your brain, that 'nightmare' I had overloaded my brain and heart and it caused my body to go on overdrive. When that happens, my heart releases a random beat that unleashes an 'energy-stopping force'. Basically, I become a walking E.M.P bomb. At the end of the day, it was just a nightmare." I explained as I rustled in my bag.

"It was just a nightmare but it was heavy enough to stress you out that bad? That isn't a normal nightmare..." She followed and sipped on her free water.

"Well excuse my language but it's none of your business anymore. So if you'll excuse me, I would like to go back to fixing my things." I followed.

"Fine. I know you don't like me or you don't trust me yet but...back in that house. I saw your marks. Then that nightmare incident happened, I just connected some dots...does it have something to do with that...?" She pushed.

Her words. They're all triggering memories I tried to kill and bury behind me...All I saw were faint flashbacks, heard old noises, smelled old smells I ever so hated.

"Shut...your...mouth..." I said as I struggled to control my flashbacks.

"Hey, you okay...?" Sitting up, she then tried to reach out.

"I said SHUT YOUR MOUTH." I snapped.

"Woah! Woah...calm down..." She jumped and sat back down.

I panted and gripped the table before placing a hand over my head. A throbbing headache then struck me from all the struggle against the flashbacks and dead memories.

"Your eyes..." Amari points out.

"What's going on??? You two okay?" Marque said and placed our food down.

"Su...your eyes..." Marque followed.

I shook my head from the flashes and memories. As I turned my head to look elsewhere, I quickly snapped my head back to the mirror sitting by the counter. I noticed...My eyes were glowing bright green and in a sort of faint pulse.

"Crap..." I whispered under my breath and lowered my hood and hat. Hopefully, no one noticed from that small meltdown...although, no matter how much I hope. I know I've already blown our cover. We have to leave as quickly as we can.

"We have to just take the food for take out. We can't stay here long..." I hastily instructed.

If my prediction is correct. 10 minutes...the bounty hunter is here...