Chapter 33 - Kryon Blood

Jude’s body had collapsed, but his mind still writhed in pain. And though Leader’s tendrils of thought had stopped penetrating his mind, he still felt the scars they had burned into his psyche. He had horrible nightmares of mutants destroying him with stones and axes, and of fires and torture.

When he came to, he was chained to what had once been a bus stop. The world was off-color and blurry, and swam before his eyes sickeningly. Jude had felt this way once before, when he tried a canned drink that was labeled as “beer”. He didn’t know what it was, but it made him feel the way he now felt.

He threw up. The smell of vomit only made his agony worse, as now both his nose and mind were bombarded with pain. The foul taste also lingered in his mouth.

And then he heard a voice, one that he did not want to hear. The voice belonged to Leader.

“Good morning,” he said, content after defeating Jude at the mind battle the previous day. “And just how are you feeling today?”

Jude moaned and turned to the side. He vomited again.

“So I see. Then if you don’t mind, I have a few questions to ask of you. And if you don’t answer them, I shall do to you again what I did last night. And surely you don’t want that, right?”

Jude wanted to shout and attack again with his mind, but he hadn’t the strength or the willpower to do such a thing.

“Right then,” said Leader. He projected an intolerable air of smugness around Jude. “Just what, exactly are you?”

Jude looked up into Leader’s silver eyes. He tried to respond, but could only come forth with an unintelligible grunt.

Tendrils began reaching into his mind, and Jude heard Leader’s voice within his head, though his mouth was not moving.

< Jude, you will answer me, > it said.

Jude realized that he could communicate telepathically with Leader, an idea that had not struck him before. Perhaps he would have a better chance at survival by trying this.

< I am a human of this land, born and bred after the kryons destroyed it, > he said, his thought-voice filled with agony.

< You are clearly not, > said Leader. < No man could have fought against my mind attacks. That is a kryon gift. And you are not a kryon, nor a mix-breed such as myself. >

Jude thought about this. No, he was not a kryon, and he had never seen another human with such a gift. He did not have any idea as to why he could perform such a feat.

< I wonder... > thought Leader. < What does this make you think of? >

The tendrils in Jude’s mind wrapped around his brain and projected an image into his mind. It was an aurora. Jude said nothing, but it did cause him to think about the script.

< I see. You are not a pure human, no. You have kryon blood flowing in your veins, but how so, I do not know. I know not how else you could have unlocked your mind.

< Tell me, Jude, will you join me on my quest to rule the world? I will – >

< Never! > cried Jude. < I will never join you, Leader! >

< I see. Then I believe it is time for you to die, Jude. I look forward to burning your body. >

Tendrils descended into Jude’s mind, and the tearing began.