The Last Generation of Isom

The Last Generation of Isom

Kevin sat at the edge of his bed with his elbows propped on his knees. He stared at his hands as he wondered when his gift would peek to its highest power. When he was a little boy his father told him that one-day he would have a gift so powerful that it could destroy him or make him stronger. It all depended on how he could handle it. His father died from the powers because he was too weak to handle them. His body wore down from the use of the powers. When he was thirty-five years old he looked like he was about fifty. His father told him the history of generations before him. Back in the eight-teen hundreds there were three families with warlock powers, Teague, Wothke, and his generation, the Isom’s. There were many more, but they were hunted down by the hunters and killed. His generation was the last to survive the great hunt of eight-teen thirty-two. The Isom’s were the only ones to escape.

His father’s voice echoed in his head “ Son, don’t let it kill you. Never use the power. The more you use it the more it becomes addictive. You have to be as mentally strong as the powers are to be able to use them.” Those are the last words his father said to him before he died six years ago.

*****
On Kevin’s thirteenth birthday he got his powers. He woke up in a cold sweat about three am on the thirty-first of October. The hour he was born. He woke up and sat up in bed as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He crawled out of bed and stumbled through the dark room as he made his way to the bathroom. He turned on the bright light as he walked over to the sink and turned the cold water on. He splashed the cold liquid on his face a few times. He stood there as he braced himself up with his hands on the cold porcelain sink and watched the water drip off his nose into the sink while he thought about the dream that woke him up.

Kevin was looking through someone else’s eyes as he ran through a dark forest. He could see other’s running up ahead of him. “Run! They are coming!“ One of them said as he turned to look back. He could hear voices yelling behind him.

“Hurry! Catch them! Don’t let them get away!”

“Damn it! Don’t make us chase you! If you stop now it won’t be as painful!”

“Just shoot ‘em”

Kevin felt a sharp pain pierce his back. He fell forward and hit the ground. He looked up and saw the other’s getting further away. He held out his arm to reach for them “Don’t leave me!”

He tried to get up, but a foot pinned him to the ground with a force that nearly knocked the breath out of him. A pain shot through his side as someone kicked him in the rib cage. “Aaah!” He rolled over to see two men standing over him with old pistols pointed at him. They were dressed in old cotton shirts with brown baggy trousers that were tied with strings.

One of them held a torch in one hand and an old pistol in the other. “Damn it you evil son of a bitch! I told you not to make me chase you!” He spat in Kevin’s face.

Kevin saw other men running around them to catch the other’s as he wiped the spit from his face. The other man stomped his stomach and an excruciating pain made him yelp. “Ahhh!” He looked down and saw blood oozing from a gapping wound in his stomach.

“Hey! Look at that! It came out the front when you shot ‘em in the back!” The second man said.

“Good! Now you shoot him in the knees so he don’t get away again.” Kevin tried to scramble away, but he shot him in the knees.

The first man rolled him back over with his foot and stomped the open wounds on his knees. “You make me sick you evil warlock!” He pulled a dagger out of the back of his trousers and pointed it at him.

The dagger had a white pearl handle with an emerald imbedded on the end. Weird symbols he has never seen before were engraved all over the handle. The long steel blade glinted in the moonlight peeking through the trees.

“Now you’re gonna die!” He raised his hand and plunged it into Kevin’s chest.

That is when he woke up. He grabbed a towel off the rack next to the bathtub and he dried his face while he looked up into the mirror. His short black hair was saturated from sweating in his sleep. He leaned closer to the mirror and watched the pupils spread across the hazel color of his eyes. His eyes turned as black as his hair. He jumped back and fell into the bathtub. He laid there in shock for a few minutes before he began to realize this must be part of the gift his father was talking about. He slowly climbed out of the bathtub and looked in the mirror again. He looked down at the sink handle and watched as it slowly moved. He turned the water off with his mind.

*****
That was the first time he used his powers. He is seventeen now and he will turn eighteen tomorrow. The powers have gotten stronger over the years. He has tried so hard not to use his powers, but the older he gets the easier it is to use them. Sometimes he does it without thinking about it. The phone rang and broke his thoughts.

He picked up the phone “Hello?”

“Hey! Are you coming? I’m waiting on you.”

Kevin smiled and said “Hey Ricky!”

Ricky asked “You are still coming? You didn’t change your mind did you or did you forget?”

“Forget what?”

Ricky huffed “Hello! The Halloween party I‘m throwing for your birthday, man!”

Kevin ran his fingers through his raven black hair and said “Oh, yea! What time is it?”

“It’s six o’clock.”

Kevin looked down at his watch “Okay. I’m sorry. I’m on my way.”

Ricky said “Alright, but you better hurry up. The party has already started.”

“Alright! I’m coming! Bye!” Kevin hung up the phone and walked over to his closet and grabbed his coat. He grabbed his keys off the dresser and put on his coat as he walked out the door.

He made it to the bottom of the stairs “Mom! I’m going out!”

Kevin’s mother appeared at the kitchen doorway wiping her hands on a kitchen towel. She had flour smeared across her chin from cooking. “You’re not staying for supper? I invited someone over that I want you to meet.”

Kevin fixed the collar on his long trench coat “I’m sorry mom, but I already promised Ricky I would go to this party with him. After all, I am the guest of honor.”

Kevin’s mother walked over to him and put a hand on his cheek “Alright, but you be home at a decent hour and be careful.”

For a brief second Kevin thought he saw a worried look in his mother’s weary eyes and then it was gone. “Okay, mom. I’ll be home before you know it.” He kissed her on the cheek.

He turned and opened the door as he looked back at her. She smiled at him to assure him she was okay with him leaving. He stepped out into the cold air and shut the door behind him. He looked up at the bright full moon as he walked over and got in his blue eighty-six ford mustang. He was about a mile from the party when he saw someone walking along the empty street.

He stopped the car, leaned over the passenger seat, and rolled down the window. “Hey, you need a ride?”

The dark figure made its way over and leaned into the window. “Oh, my night in shinning armor. I would love a ride.”

“Where are you headed?”

“To the Halloween party about a mile from here.”

Kevin reached over and opened the door for her to get in. “Come on. I’m headed there myself. Hop in.”

She slid in the passenger seat and closed the door. She looked over at him with sparkling green eyes. “So stranger, what’s your name?”

Kevin looked at her for a moment before he answered. “Kevin. What’s your name? I’ve never seen you around here before.” She had beautiful long red hair that fell in locks around her shoulders. She was very petite and athletic. Her face was slender with full pink pouty lips. Freckles spread across her cute little button nose.

“My name is Janice and that is because I have just moved here. I thought I would go to the party and meet a few people seeing how as though I don’t know anyone yet. I heard a few people talking about it at school. It‘s supposed to be a Halloween party for someone's birthday.”

“Yea, my friend Ricky is doing it. It’s my birthday party. I can introduce you to a few people if you like?”

A smile spread across her face as she said “Sure. I would like that.”

Kevin and Janice made it to the party and he introduced her to a few friends. His friend Ricky was already drunk from the spiked punch. He was stumbling around and slurred when he talked. They danced to the music and drank some of the punch. As Kevin danced with Janice he could feel the heat of her small frame against him. She was around five foot two, about five inches shorter than him, but it didn't bother him, he liked shorter girls. He has not felt a girl this close to him except for hugging his mother. Since he got his powers he has always kept his distance for fear of hurting someone he cared about, but he could not help feeling something for the small petite girl with her tiny arms curled around him. Kevin gently pressed his lips against hers. He could feel her melt closer to him. He started to feel a little funny, but not from the punch. It was a different feeling. A feeling he could not describe. He felt weak and he stumbled.

Janice pulled back and looked up at him “Kevin? Are you okay?”

Kevin backed away from her and said “Yea. I’m fine I think I need to sit down for a minute. I just need to take a break.”

Kevin made his way through the crowd bumping into people before he finally made it to the front door. He stepped out into the cool night air and sat on the front porch. He sat there for a minute before he looked down at his watch. It was four minutes past two.

He heard the door open and shut behind him. “Do you want me to drive you home?” Janice walked over and sat next to him on the steps.

Kevin stood up and said “No! I mean, no thank you. I’ll be fine.”

Kevin’s legs felt like jell-o as he slowly walked down the steps. As he pulled his keys out of his pocket he looked up to see Janice and Ricky looking down at him from the porch. Ricky must have came out with Janice to see if he was okay. “I’ll catch you guys later. I gotta go.” Just as he turned to walk away he began to get dizzy and faint. He took a few steps and hit the ground as everything faded away.

Kevin heard voices as he slowly opened his eyes. He was looking at the ceiling of his bedroom. His mom, Janice, Ricky, and a strange man he has never seen before was standing at the foot of his bed talking as he raised up in bed.

He rubbed his forehead as a piercing pain shot through his skull. He pulled back his hand and there was blood on his fingers. “Mmm...what happened?”

Everyone turned to look at him as his mother walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. “You passed out and hit your head.” She brushed aside a strand of hair on his forehead to look at the gash as blood trickled down the side of his face.

Janice walked over and sat on the other side of the bed “You smacked your head on a rock when you hit the ground.”

Ricky stood behind his mom as he swayed back and forth. “Yea, if wasn’t for Janice driving we would not have made here. I think I am drunk!”

Kevin’s mother stood up and looked at Ricky. “Come on. I’ll take you home. It is already ten till three in the morning and your mom is probably worried sick about you.” She pushed Ricky to the bedroom door and he stopped to look back before he stumbled out.

“Oh, by the way, happy birthday Kevin.”

Ricky and his mom walked out and left him with the strange man and Janice. Kevin could feel the hair stand on the back of his neck as his body began to tingle. “What is happening to me?” Kevin thought to himself.

Janice looked back at the strange man standing at the foot of the bed “Will you go get some ice and a towel to put on his head? It will stop the bleeding. I’ll stay here and keep an eye on him.”

Kevin looked over at Janice “I’m fine. I don’t need a babysitter, but if you insist.” Kevin was beginning to like her, but there was something about her that made him nervous.

Janice stood up and walked over to the window. She tied back the curtains and opened the window as she talked “I like you Kevin, but there is something you must know about me.”

Kevin’s body started to tremble and sweat beaded up on his forehead. The sweat dripped down into the gash. He winced as he asked “What?”

“My father has taught me many things in his life before he passed away. He has told me stories of my family history. Most of them I did not believe because they seemed so far fetched. I went through most of my life thinking he was a little loony. He told me that one day I will know what to do with my life. I assumed he meant grow up and have children, get married, and build a career. Something like that, but I had no idea what he was talking about until I had a dream one night. My dad called them visions. At first I didn’t know what it meant, but when I moved here I figured it out when I saw you.”

Kevin felt dizzy as he slowly crawled out of bed “What do you mean when you saw me?” Kevin looked up at the clock on the wall and it seemed like it was spinning in circles. He could barely read it. It was five minutes till three.

Janice turned around as she held something in her hand “My father passed this down to me like many generations before him. He said I would know what to do with it when the time came. Your face has haunted my dreams for a while now.”

Kevin slowly stumbled toward her as a light shined in his eyes. It was the light of the moon reflecting off the cold steel blade she held in her hands. His eyes were blurry as he tried to focus on the object and he began to realize what it was. It was the dagger from his dream. He quickly moved back and fell backwards onto the bed.

Janice slowly moved toward him “I like you Kevin, but I must do it. It is my destiny.”

Kevin slowly scooted back and crawled off the other side of the bed. He stood up as his ears started ringing. “You don’t have to do this. I’m not evil.” He said as he backed up against the wall.

Janice held up the dagger as she slowly crept toward him “That’s what they all say. All warlocks are evil.”

Kevin reached over, yanked the bedroom door open and bolted out into the hallway. He could hear her scream at him as he ran toward the stairs. “Don’t run from me. It only pisses me off!”

He got to the stairs and looked down. The stairs seemed like they gained a few more steps as they swayed back and fourth. He looked back to see Janice walk out his bedroom door. As he turned back and stepped down. The step seemed to move and he tumbled down the stairs. He laid on the floor as he groaned in agony.

Janice stood at the top of the stairs “See what happens when you run from me. If you just stay still it will only hurt for a minute.” She clenched the dagger in her hand as she began to descend the stairs.

Kevin scrambled to his feet and opened the front door. The cold night air gushed around him as he crawled out onto the front lawn. He looked around to see the streets were empty. Kevin sat up on his knees and looked down at his watch. He watched the seconds count down to three o’clock. When his watch read three o’clock a light beamed down from the moon. He spread out his arms and threw back his head as it suspended him up in the air. His muscles contracted all over his body. It was so painful that he could not make a sound. His whole body started jerking and then a red light came down and knocked him to the grass with a force so strong that he was impacted into the ground.

Janice stood there in the doorway in shock as she watched the whole thing. She watched him slowly climb out of the hole and brace him self on one knee with his hands on the ground. She watched the steam coming off of him as he raised his head. His eyes opened to look up at her. They glowed a bright orange. She clenched her fingers tighter around the pearl handle of the dagger so tight that her knuckles turned white and carefully walked toward him. The emerald started to glow brightly.

“I have always gotten to them before they ascend, but that’s okay. I had a few complications with your drunken friend and your pathetic mother with her boyfriend hanging around.”

Kevin stood up and held out his hands as a bolt electricity came from them only to be blocked when she held out the dagger and a force field surrounded her. “You don’t have to do this, Janice. I am not a threat to anyone. All I want to do is live a normal life. I’m not evil.”

Janice laughed “Ha! That’s what you think! The powers will eventually take over your life. When I stab you with this dagger your powers will be trapped inside the emerald so you can’t use them to hurt anyone. Unfortunately you will also die and I don’t want that, but it has to be done. It is my destiny to hunt down and destroy the last of the Isom generation.” Then a light released from the emerald and struck him. He flew back and landed on top of his car as glass shattered everywhere.

He raised up and shook the glass from his hair. His coat flowed in the breeze as he jumped up and hovered above his car. “I liked that car, damn it! Now I have to get it fixed.”

He bolted at her so fast that she could not see him. He knocked her down and pined her arms on the ground above her head. The emerald began to glow brighter and she overpowered him as she flipped him over and landed on top of him. He struggled to get free, but she was very strong from the power of the dagger.

“Aaah!” He screamed and broke free. He hit her stomach with the palm of his hand and sent her flying through the air. She landed through the roof of the shed.

Kevin sat up and climbed to his feet. He walked toward the shed to find her and then the rest of the shed that was still standing exploded. The force knocked him on his back as splinters of wood scattered across the yard around him. He stood back up and brushed off the small splinters from his shoulders. He glanced up and froze.

“Now, damn it! Your really pissing me off!” Janice was standing in the middle of the pile of rubble that use to be the shed.

She held out the dagger and Kevin was lifted into the air and slammed down to the ground. Then he was lifted again and slung across the yard into the street. The concrete tore through his pants and scraped his knees as he hit the hard surface. He was laying there in agony when a force struck him in the back of the head and his forehead smacked the concrete. He rolled over to see her standing over him. She was holding a telephone pole above her head that she pulled out of the ground. Wires were flailing around her as sparks popped from the broken tips.

She smiled down at him and said “I’m done playing with you. Now you must die!”

As she began to swing the pole at him he saw the dagger shoved in the front of her pants. He stood up, snatched it and jabbed it into her chest. She dropped the pole as she stumbled backwards.

Blood drained from the hole as she clenched the knife and groaned “Uuugh...that hurts.” She looked into his eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

Light poured from the hole in her chest and knocked Kevin back. She screamed “Aaaaaah!” As light peeked through cracks in her body like she was a porcelain doll. She shattered and dissolved into the air like she was never there. The dagger fell and bounced on the concrete.

Kevin stood there looking at it knowing how close he came to dieing. He slowly walked over and picked it up. He held it in his hand and he studied the symbols on the handle as he walked across the yard toward the house.

“It means ’All who are evil shall die from this blade and all who are good shall become stronger’.”

Kevin looked up to see the strange man standing in the open doorway. “Who are you?”

The man crossed his arms in front of his chest and said “Gerald Vont, I’m a close friend of your fathers who has a promise to keep.”

“What promise?”

The man walked over to Kevin and placed his hands on his shoulders “I promised your father that I would teach you how to use your powers, but it seems like you do a pretty good job already.”

“Well I am not going to use my powers anymore. I don’t want to die like my father.” Kevin said as he shoved the dagger into the back of his pants.

“Your father was not strong enough to use those powers. You are.” He said as he put his arm around Kevin’s shoulders and began to walk into the house. “Your father told me that if you show enough strength, I am to teach you how to use the powers. From the scene I just witnessed you most certainly have the mental capability and from the looks of you I need to show you how to heal yourself, sport.”

“Alright, but on one condition.” Kevin said as he stopped to look at his old weary face.

A smile spread across Gerald’s wrinkly face “Sure, what’s that?”

Kevin said “Don’t call me sport.”

The old man laughed and said “Alright, Kid-o!”

*****

Word count: 4033