From Kevin chapter 2
And, chapter two, since the previous post was "too big" or whatever. D:
Chapter 2
According to the map they were six miles from the next town and twelve from the last one. It was still another twenty minute drive and Ben sighed, folding up the map as best he could before shoving it unceremoniously into the glove compartment, turning off the flashlight almost as an afterthought. The storm had yet to let up on it’s relentless assault and the trio appeared to be the only people on the road. It was eery and driving at nine o’clock at night was bad enough without the cloud cover.
Gwen sat quietly in the back, flipping the pages of one of the books she brought with her, no doubt unable to read so much as a single sentence. They’d attempted to alleviate their boredom by switching on the interior light in the car, but Kevin flipped it back off, mumbling that he couldn’t see with it on and the cousins left it at that. Ben rummaged through the glove compartment afterwards and discovered the road map Kevin ‘purchased’ a few towns back and a flashlight. He’d been entertaining himself with the map while keeping the light from the driver’s eyes for the past half-hour or so. Not once had Gwen asked for the flashlight and he figured if his cousin really wanted to read she would have just made her own light. As it was, she was just bored and pretending to read was probably just as good to her as actually reading. She probably had whatever book she brought along memorized, anyway.
He shifted in his seat, the heater still on his feet and glanced back at her. She offered no sign that she was even paying attention to anything besides the book in her hands and he looked back out his own window. She’d warmed her feet up after they entered the car, having switched spots with him for a few minutes, but gracefully crawled back to her original spot, ushering Ben back to the front seat so she could stretch out. She’d refused any and all invitations to get warm in Ben’s seat again, so he left her alone for the most part.
Kevin simply drove quietly, not attempting to strike up any conversation or even commenting on the silence of the other two occupants. It was weird and uncomfortable and Ben felt himself fidgeting in place more often than not. He didn’t feel at ease doing anything in Kevin’s car, familiar worry at being yelled at for touching something he wasn’t supposed to seeping through his every pore. Goosebumps covered his arms and he desperately tried to banish those thoughts from his mind. He’d known Kevin as a ‘good guy’ for three years and he knew what he could and couldn’t touch. He also knew that he wasn’t doing anything wrong ...
"Bubonic plague."
"Catatonia."
"Disease."
"... I don’t think that counts, Kevin. Embolism."
"Yeah? Well, whatever. F ... I don’t think I know one for f."
"Of course you don’t. Gall."
"Gall? What’s that? Halitosis."
"Chafing. Ichthyosis."
"Ah, wait! Flu! And Jacob’s disease."
"Um ...," Ben looked at Kevin, then at Gwen, confused. "What are you two doing?"
"Playing disease dictionary," Gwen shrugged, sitting up in her seat. "Kevin doesn’t know a lot of diseases, so I’m giving him a break, though. Kawasaki disease."
She smirked and their driver frowned, displeased, but he didn’t say anything. It was obvious who was winning the game.
Ben chuckled a little, feeling the mood lighten even though the sky continued it’s wet attacks on Kevin’s poor car: "At least he’s trying. I don’t know half of the things you named."
Gwen patted his head consolingly and sat forward: "Do you think we’re almost there. I want to get this over with before we go back to school."
Kevin nodded: "It look like we’re getting closer. Maybe two miles further. Lachrymation."
Gwen was silent in the rear of the car and Ben turned to her out of curiosity. She blinked, not acknowledging his gaze, deep in her own thought: ""Lachrymation"," she inquired quietly. "I don’t think that counts, Kevin. Mad cow disease."
Ben turned back to the older teen, who shrugged, uncaring whether or not his contribution to the game counted: "Narcosis."
It was somewhat amusing. Something was seriously wrong with the entire area, miles and miles of towns and roads completely uninhabited, and the three of them -only the three of them- were on their way to fight a possible hoard of aliens who most likely had such a grip on the surrounding environment that destroying the weather machine would create some sort of natural backlash as the area attempted to reassert itself, and two of them were playing a word game, the most prominent worry to them was whether or not Kevin’s ‘disease’ counted. A smile didn’t appear on Ben’s face, however. His main concern was still the whereabouts of all the people that supposedly lived in the towns and whether or not they were safe ... or even alive. His stomach flopped and he went back to looking out his window at the less-than-friendly storm that raged outside.
"Oedema."
"Parkinson’s disease."
"Q fever."
"Rabies."
"Strep."
"Tay-Sachs disease."
"Ulcerate."
"Vaginitis."
An amused snicker sounded from the back and Ben watched from the corner of his eye as Gwen relaxed back against the left door, a smirk on her face: "Warts. And, that’s gross."
Kevin snorted, pulling the car over. The cousins looked forward, Gwen getting back up to do so, and saw the familiar spiral of clouds in the distance. Both of the wondered why Kevin parked so far away. It just meant they would be cold and tired by the time they reached the weather machine ...
"I’m not letting my car get wrecked because of some alien scum," Kevin murmured, reaching a hand out the slightly open door and absorbing the green metal of his car. "We walk from here. Stay close to Gwen, Ben. The last thing we need is for you to collapse because of hypothermia or something."
Ben scoffed, looking at the Omnitrix. As much as he wanted to use it and figure out which alien did what it wasn’t a very good idea. Sure, he would have to use it for the upcoming battle, but since the style of the watch had changed dramatically, and, once again, he recognized none of the aliens at his disposal he’d be better of waiting.
Gwen left the car and went around the other side, creating a shield with her power, she held it above her head and made sure it was big enough for both her and Ben. As her cousin got under the ‘umbrella’ she cast a solemn look at the Omnitrix, positive that the time when they would no longer need the thing was not coming. It appeared the brunet was doomed to save the world on a never-ending basis, and the only thing she could do was watch as the Omnitrix became more and more a part of him.
-
Another curse passed his lips as his foot went through the surface of the water, a pothole hidden beneath the glimmering cover practically sucking his leg down to the knee. He stumbled, falling forward and catching himself on his hands, as the weapon-like appendage of the DNAlien whizzed were his neck had been. He pushed himself forward, using the alien’s temporary imbalance to push it over. He blindly grabbed at his makeshift weapon, lost somewhere in one of the random patches of mud, but to no avail. His only option was to use the Omnitrix -he glared at the familiar red face of the glove- but it didn’t want to help him. It had turned red the moment he went to use it, giving an ‘access denied’ beep, leaving him human and at the mercy of the DNAliens. Kevin and Gwen ran off to take care of the weather machine sometime before, effectively splitting their forces three ways. Gwen was doing fine, he knew. The purple glow of her alien power lashed overhead every now and again, giving him enough light in the near-darkness to see what he was up against.
He moved forward, dragging his numbing leg from the grip of the pothole, and barely felt something slice into his shin. He ignored the ping of pain and barreled into the nearest alien, sending it to the ground, before limping towards one of the surrounding buildings as quickly as he was able.
The doors were open, but the power was out. Not even a safety light was left on and Ben took a moment to catch his breath as the door swung shut behind him with an ominous creak. Some light got through the filthy windows, but not enough to see and he groped around the wall, moving away from the door.
It appeared to be a warehouse of some sort, abandoned and unused for probably years. There was nothing useful lying around that he could tell. No pipes, no boards, not even a screwdriver. He barely felt the stinging in his right leg where he’d cut it and he glared at the Omnitrix again.
"You really are useless, sometimes," he mumbled, fiddling with the unfamiliar dial.
The door slammed open behind him, the odd sounds of DNAlien speech sounding through the empty building. Ben froze, unsure of what to do. He knew the aliens could see in the dark better than he could, but he wasn’t sure how much better. He dropped to his knees as their footsteps neared him, hearing the solid thunk of claws embedding in the wooden wall just above him. He turned, swiping his leg behind him, and knocked over the alien, feeling the splinters of wood bounce off his bare arms as the alien’s claws ripped free. Standing, he jumped over the fallen alien and shouldered his way back to the still-open door and ran outside. It was still raining which meant that neither Kevin nor Gwen had been able to destroy the machine yet. His legs carried him towards Kevin, instincts telling him that the older teen would be the safest bet. He turned the dial on the Omnitrix a few more times, feet slowing a little when the red suddenly became black. Probably not a good sign.
The wet ground made it hard for him to turn the corner and he slipped, sliding away from his intended direction while simultaneously catching sight of his enemies following him. They were still a few yards away and, as he came to a stop, he sat back on his knees, his right leg completely numb, and pressed the buttons on the Omnitrix. The face remained blackened, but the dial popped up. He stared at it a moment before slamming it down, feeling his body begin to change.
It was painful. It shouldn’t have been. It hurt all over and he felt his skin harden and his eyes burn. It was horrible and he couldn’t stop the terrified scream that ripped from his throat.
-
Kevin had heard Ben scream and immediately abandoned his assault on the weather machine, running towards the sound. It wasn’t what he expected, and he slid to a stop. It was Ben ... or so he thought. His shirt had disappeared, torn to shreds at his feet, and the entirety of his torso was covered in some sort of ... darkness. A flash of lightning and Kevin took a cautionary step backwards. Those weren’t Ben’s eyes. They were yellow, slanted, and a too-wide grin cut across the bottom half of his face. The Omnitrix remained firmly on the smaller’s left arm, but it was dark. It was a cause for worry and Kevin’s feet carried him past the stunned DNAliens to his boyfriend.
"Ben," he inquired, stopping a few feet away. There was no reply and the squelching sound of mud beneath shifting feet caught his attention. Ben looked normal from the waist down, but the alien life-form showed no sign of transforming him anymore. It was highly doubtful that he’d been taken over by a DNAlien. He didn’t look anything like them, and he was obviously ready to fight them ... or slaughter them by the looks of it. "Ben," he tried again. Still no reply, only a tightening of the creepy grin and a flash that Kevin soon recognized as the younger teen attacking their foes. The claw-like right hand tore through the aliens easily, ripping them in half like they weren’t even there. It was alarming. Ben knew the DNAliens were humans that were just possessed by another life-form, and killing them was the last thing he would think of doing.
Ten aliens fell before Kevin could even finish his disbelieving thought: "B-Ben! Stop!" Five more fell and the rest backed away. Blood mixed with the mud and water, tainting the mixture with angry streaks of red and the xenomorph stood amongst the gore, happy as a lark. It was a frightening scene and only grew more-so as the freezing rain finally stopped, the clouds dissipating and the calm darkness of night taking over.
-
He didn’t move. Hadn’t moved for six minutes. Kevin was beginning to wonder if this alien was similar to Alien X and if Ben was having some sort of argument with himself. The bodies of DNAliens littered the area. Fifteen of them, all still as ugly as they had been when they were alive. Even in death the alien remained part of the infected human, either that or these guys happened to be the real thing. Too hopeful. He’d seen infant and adult variations of the strange species, and neither looked like the yellow monstrosities that lay in ruins before him.
Gwen showed up, out of breath and completely dry, and Kevin prevented her from nearing her cousin. Worried as she was he couldn’t risk her being attacked, especially since he wasn’t sure if it was really Ben that stood in the clearing.
Another two minutes passed and Kevin skirted around Ben’s left, looking at the dark face of the glove-like Omnitrix. He was sure that the device transformed with Ben, turning into something akin to a Plumber’s badge, but it remained stubbornly as it had been. So, not only had the young man been incompletely transformed into ... something, but he wasn’t responding to either of their voices and the Omnitrix was busted.
"Today is not our day," Kevin grumbled, hesitantly dropping the metal coating. Ben didn’t move, though he could feel the other’s eyes on him, the solid yellow spheres slightly moving to regard him in the other’s periphery. The grin remained plastered to the other’s face, teeth glinting deadly sharp in the moonlight, and his clawed hand twitched slightly. Blood seeped from a wound in his leg, though he was so covered in the aliens’ blood that Kevin almost didn’t notice. "He’s hurt."
Gwen shifted a little, not sure whether she should go to her cousin and help him or if she should wait until the Omnitrix timed out. She watched helplessly as her cousin shivered violently, his form soaking wet from the earlier storm. Kevin neared the smaller, slowly, hand reaching out to touch Ben’s shoulder. It was like a trigger. The alien form disappeared immediately and the young man collapsed, Kevin catching him around the stomach before he hit the ground.
-
It was bright. Sunlight poured mercilessly through the window above his head and he groaned. His body ached and he rolled to his side, burying his face in the soft leather of Kevin’s backseat in an attempt to alleviate the discomfort. The sound of cloth rubbing against cloth permeated the eery silence of the car, overriding the rumble of the engine and he felt Gwen’s hand on his shoulder. He whimpered pathetically, not sure why it hurt so much when she touched him.
"Is he awake," Kevin’s voice was soft, gentle, and he opened his eyes, wanting nothing more than to curl up against the strong chest and fall into blissful slumber. He shifted, debating on whether or not to sit up as Gwen answered.
"I think so," the warmth of her hand disappeared from his shoulder and he decided against moving too much, knowing he would only injure himself if he tried. "Ben?"
He didn’t want to answer. He was sure it would knock him out if he did, but his mouth moved stiffly, vocal chords forming a weak gurgle that could have been a ‘yes’ before it left his sore throat.
"How do you feel?"
He couldn’t answer that. His throat protested with everything it had and his head pulsed until he thought he would cry. His entire body screamed at him to go back to sleep, if only to escape the pain, to ignore the question and the worry that rolled off the other two occupants in waves. He hated not telling them, but the discomfort was unbearable and it was all he could do to murmur a tiny ‘no.’
Thankfully, Gwen knew enough to leave it at that and he heard her turn back to face the front.
"Well," Kevin’s voice, a little louder this time. There was nothing from him beyond that and Ben figured his cousin had either told him to drop it or had given him a very mean glare. At that point he didn’t care which. His eyes slipped shut, but the burning pain he felt kept him from anything more than a light slumber.
-
Hours. That’s how long they’d been driving. Hours and hours. Hours upon hours. It felt like forever, and each passing moment brought nothing but more worry and fear. Besides the nasty gash down his shin, Ben didn’t have any external injuries, but he was in too much pain to even communicate or, by the looks of it, sleep.
Kevin eyed the rearview mirror warily, watching the xenomorph twitch a little every now and again. He’d managed to turn over at some point, his green eyes gazing blankly at the back of Kevin’s seat, but he hadn’t moved since then and the anxiety continued to mount.
"We have to get him to a hospital," he whispered, hoping to spare the smaller any sort of pain them speaking brought.
Gwen simply nodded, eyes flicking to the left for only a moment. She didn’t even attempt anymore contact with her cousin after he awoke, and Kevin could see that it was driving her mad. She wanted to help the other, but she wasn’t a doctor and the only way she knew how to comfort Ben was with a gentle touch or words. She could use neither of those forms in his current state, fear of harming him overriding the urge to ease his pain.
"How are we going to get him out of the car," he asked, voice still quiet. The thought of other people touching and, coincidentally, harming his boyfriend wasn’t a pretty one and not a scenario he was willing to watch.
There was no reply. Gwen sat rigid, her eyes remained steadily on the road before them, lips pursed and features impassive. It wasn’t what he was hoping for and he looked into the rearview mirror again.
Ben still hadn’t moved, but his green eyes, clouded over, met Kevin’s dark ones in the mirror. Kevin offered a smile to the other: "Don’t worry, Benjy. We’re gonna find you some help."
The other blinked, eyebrows knitting together, but kept his gaze on Kevin’s for another few moments before the dark-haired youth was forced to turn his attention back to the road.
He really hated that watch.