chapter 3

Blobs of thick, dark blood from the Virex coated across the ground as the ambulance whizzed on ahead. Standing a little distance away, Tim surveyed with weight in his heart grieved yet unbelievable at the destruction before his eyes.

The scene was chaotic: emergency responders rushed to care for the wounded and clear away the rubble of what once had been. Ambulance crews were on their toes, loading citizens' smacked-up bodies onto stretchers, whisking them away to safety.

The whole process done, a team of experts donned in protective gear moved in to deal with the massive body of the Virex. They were careful, methodical, and precise, carrying heavy machinery and specialized equipment to wrestle with their arduous task of disposing of the monstrous remains.

His eyes fell once more into the area his mother had been buried under. With all the shouting, he threw himself forward, pushing his way to frantic scraping, trembling hands in a frenzied search. The boulders were weighty, but he did not care. All that mattered to him at the moment was finding his mother.

The dog began to yelp incessantly a few feet away, adding to the cacophony. Tim paid no attention but remained focused on getting his mom out from under the concrete.

Finally, after an eternity, he found her. Badly injured, she was alive. Tim cried as he picked up his mom from the ground, holding her in his arms. "Mom," he whispered, choking his words.

As he embraced her, he felt a sharp sting to his neck. He started to reach up to swat at whatever had bitten him, but it was too late. A very small worm-like creature had already dug its way into his skin, disappearing beneath the surface.

Overwhelmed by confusion and fear, Tim recoiled. What was that? Yet there was no time to tarry. A rescue unit had pulled up to the scene; medics leaped out to minister to his stricken form.

With shaking hands, Tim helped load his mother into the ambulance. His heart racing with concern, he boarded it beside her, grasping her hand tight, and sped off to the hospital.

****************

The doctor hit Tim like he had fallen under a ton of bricks at the hospital. He knew that his mother's cancer was serious, but to hear that the injuries from her collapse made things worse was devastating.

"Ten grand?" Tim repeated, his voice barely above a whisper. "I don't have that kind of money."

The doctor nodded sympathetically and then was off to his other patients, leaving Tim lost and overwhelmed. Collapsing into a chair, he found himself thinking of this desperation: How was he going to raise that much money?

His eyes fell on his mother, lying on the bed, unconscious. She was white, her breathing very shallow. A fit of panic fluttered through Tim's body. He just couldn't lose her, not now.

He reached out and gently took her hand, holding it tight. "Hang in there, Mom," he whispered, his voice quivering. "I will figure something out. I promise."

He sat there, mind racing and a feeling of worthlessness had been threatening to digest him. He needed the money—and in a hurry.

His body suddenly began to sting with sharp stinging sensations, and he winced in anguish. His gaze fell to his hands with discomfiture as he saw the wounds of his mother's slowly curing.

"What. what's going on?" Tim muttered, his heart thudding in his chest.

His eyes widened as the cuts and bruises began to heal away from his mother's body. It was impossible. At that, Tim held onto in his hand while he noticed something strange on his hand: thin, black veins snaked from her hand to his, throbbing with some kind of alien energy. And that burning from his palm climbed up the length of his arm and coursed through his body.

" what's happening?" gasped Tim, whose voice was pressed with pain.

His mother's eyes flickered open, though they were glassy. "Tim?" she whispered weakly.

The pain was now so overwhelming that everything started to blur before Tim's eyes; it washed over him in waves of agony. He tried to pull away, but whatever the link was between him and his mother, it seemed unbreakable.

Blackness covered his eyes, and he fell to the floor, unconscious.

The next morning, Tim lay in his bed at the hospital, feeling a headache. Faraway sounds of chirping birds and sounds of footsteps by people in the hallway outside pounded his ears as he covered them with his hands.

"What's happening?" he whispered, trembling. He shut his eyes tightly to blot out the sounds. Slowly, the noises died away and were replaced by a steady thudding. A heartbeat. Very loud, clear at each beat.

Then the doctor came into the room, and the noise just ended. Tim could still hear the doctor's heartbeat but everything else seemed to be back to normal.

"How are you, Tim?" the doctor asked with concern.

"I. I don't know," answered Tim, sitting up slowly. "I couldn't stand the noise. Everything seemed so loud."

The doctor nodded. "It might be the trauma from yesterday. You passed out after the building collapsed."

"Where is my mother?" Tim asked in anxiety.

"Calm up, Tim," said the doctor. "Your mother is okay. Her wounds and pains mysteriously disappeared.

Tim's eyes widened in shock. "How? How is that possible?"

The doctor looked puzzled. "We don't know. It's as if she healed overnight."

Tim remembered holding his mother's hand, feeling the pain transfer from her to him. "It was like I was taking her pain," he murmured to himself.

"But her cancer is still there," the doctor added. "We still need the money to get her treated."

He nodded. "I understand. Thank you, doctor."

The doctor smiled at him reassuringly and left the room. Tim got up and felt his legs shaking a little as he went out of the hospital.

His mind was suddenly befuddled. The miraculous recovery of his mother had solved one mystery, but the cancer still loomed out there, only the need for ten thousand dollars remained the same. And thus he trudged along through the streets, feeling depressed until he noticed a man riding a bicycle, tossing fliers left and right.

One of the fliers fluttered down and fell at his feet. Tim picked it up and read the bold print: "Fight for Glory! $10,000 Prize and Vanguard Academy Sponsorship!"

Tim's heart was racing. Is this his chance? He looked out into the city's noise, yet his mind had a singular focus: the words on the flier. This would not only give his mother her needed treatment but also be his ticket into Vanguard Academy.

He read the details slowly. The tournament was open to anyone, there was no entry fee involved, and it was happening the next evening at the old sports arena. Tim's mind was racing with all kinds of possibilities and self-doubts—was he able to win? Did he have what it took?

He walked, thinking about his life, all the hardships, bullying, and rejection. His father had been a Vanguard, and Tim wanted to be like him. Now, with this tournament, he had the shot to change everything.