The Nucleus Jewel

Heart Shaped Locket

Waking up on the Fourth of July it’s dark outside. I look at my clock and it's noon. This eerie feeling comes over me. I jump out of my bed in anxiousness to peek out my window. As I slowly open up my sheer white curtains. I look out to my lawn.. nothing out of the ordinary. I slip on my slippers and I walk downstairs in confusion. The house is dark and warm. Walking past the mirror in the hallway, I take a quick look to run my fingers through my hair feeling drowsy and hungry. I check the time on the stove.. 12:05 PM. A new daylight savings? I open the refrigerator to start cooking breakfast. I grab eggs and pancakes. As I start to shut the fridge door I hear a knock on the front door. I quickly turned my head, thinking who could that be? heading towards the front door I grab my cardigan off the dining room chair. I answer. It’s a Man in a linen grey suit tightly holding folders to his chest. Man- “Hello” (he says awkwardly) “Are you Rebecca?” Who’s asking? The Man hesitates. Choking on his words, I stand there patiently waiting for him to spit them out.

I roll my eyes and bring my attention back to the strange man.. Look whatever it is you’re sel-. His veins turn blue, his blood vessels look as if they’re going to explode. I ran to my telephone to dial 911. I panic. The operator picks up. Operator: 911 what’s your emergency? A Man! He’s sick! I stutter. I-I need help. Operator: what symptoms is he experiencing? I think he’s having a stroke! Operator: Ok I need an address. 346901 Perrylane ST. HELLO? Operator: Ma’am? YES!? I CAN'T HEAR YOU! I shout. 346901 PERRYLANE ST. DID YOU GET THE ADDRESS? (Panicking) Looking back, the man has disappeared. The phone line died. I put the phone back on the hook. I slowly walk towards the door. I don’t see him. He’s gone. Breathing heavily, I scan outside exhaling in relief. I shut the door and lock it. I hear walking upstairs. I freeze in fear. What should I do? I thought to myself. I searched the living room for a weapon. I grabbed my baseball bat from yesterday's practice. Gripping it tightly. I slowly head towards my stairs horrified. It's quiet now.. you can only hear the inhaling and exhaling of me breathing. I hear a “clank”. What was that?! I pause in the middle of the staircase. The Man: you’ve had the cure all along.. You are the chosen one in a sinister voice. I let out a scream. Sweating, I ran for the door. I grabbed my car keys hanging near the front door from the hook. I press the unlock button, my car beeps. The Man hears the car and he hurries down the steps. I jump in the driver seat to start the engine. I stomp on the break to put the car in reverse. Looking behind me, he runs straight for the car. I skidded out the driveway. Put the car in drive. I scurried off. The man jumps on the front of my car.. leeching his body to the glass. He crawls up the window shield. I spot suckers on his hands similar to what Octopus have on their tentacles. Gooey and pink out of his human skin, he goes to punch the glass. I accelerate the car to speed up and then step on the break.. screaming as I attempt to get my door open. He grabs my neck pulling me through the broken windshield, breaking through the rest of the glass. He sniffs me. I'm horrified, crying and screaming for help but there’s no one around. Just a gloomy empty suburban neighborhood. Where is everyone?! I thought to myself. The man angrily rubs his fingers through my hair. I screamed NO! WHAT DO YOU WANT? PLEASE STOP! I struggle to loosen his strong grip. LET ME GO!! I CAN'T BREATH I am muffled. The man says nothing. Slowly losing consciousness, I beg for help. Looking into his sinister eyes and smile. I faint.

Ugh, what’s that horrible smell? As I slowly begin to gain consciousness.. I feel water dripping from the ceiling onto my forehead. Surrounded in darkness I see small creeks of light shining through the damaged wood. I can taste the blood in my mouth from the glass cutting into my skin. Where am I? I attempt to move. My hands are tightly wrapped in duct tape and my ankles taped together. I scream HELP! WHAT'S HAPPENING?!! I hear movement! The creature man slowly crawls across the ceiling using his suction cups to stick each step of the way. What the f***?! I hide my face in my shoulder, petrified. The man makes his way to his dusty table full of books and newspapers. I’m too far away to make out what they say. He reaches out for a bright red book with gold trimming. The man starts to read out loud. The Nucleus Jewel! He shouts, AFTER ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN YEARS OF AGONY, misfortune.. he comes close to my face TORMENT! I FOUND THE TREASURE TO FIX ALL INHUMANITY! And you my dear.. he softens his crooked voice.. are no longer of any use to me. He slowly turns away, I can feel and hear my heart throbbing in my chest. I look and see his tentacles stretching and growing through his dress pants. I stare in disgust. He quickly turns around and jumps on to my lap wrapping his eight tentacles around my body. The man's body starts to disform into a pink slimy octopus. I gag while trying to catch my breath but he has a strong grip. One by one he starts to climb up my trapped body. OMG! HE'S GOING TO EAT ME! I thought to myself. I scream, NO! NO! I cry out.

I tried to hop and move the chair any way I could to free myself. I swung my upper body left to right attempting to get the mutant off of me. The chair tips over and we fall onto the floor. He inks all over my face. With my eyes shut tight. I wiggle around to feel for a sharp edge to free my hands. I struggle to cut through the duck tape but I work fast! The mutated creature just a few feet away from me starts to slither back my way. I finally get my hands free, I instantly roll over and grab the first thing I see in sight. A broken leg piece from the chair. His tentacle grabs my waist. With all my willpower I use both hands to grasp the wooden piece to stab him. He loses his grip. I went a second time. I stabbed him and twisted the leg, penetrating through his tough skin he let go screaming slowly forming back into his human body. I hurriedly tried to free my legs. The man curls up in the fetal position screaming you SCOUNDREL! I get to my feet running towards the wall. I search for any door to get away. I see a small crack of light outside near where he’s laying on the floor. He laughs as he tries to get back to his feet with a bloody wound on his arm. I look around for an object I could use as a weapon to protect myself. Even better, I spotted the necklace. Without hesitation I ran to the necklace and grabbed it.

Swinging the necklace in his face, IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT breathing heavily. He stares back at me with an evil glare. His voice turns devilish, rolling his head around as he speaks “BE CAREFUL WITH THAT! Do you know of the power you hold? You don’t! You’re a naive little human!” I smirk. Speaking again, he says “The Nucleus Jewel holds healing properties for us MUTANS, he emphasizes. THIS IS JUST A NECKLACE! I shout. He nods his head no. My Grandmother gifted me this Locket when my Mother passed away. I was only 14, see.. as I opened the golden heart shaped locket I started to tear up. Scanning over the tiny picture inside of my young Mother holding me in her arms as an infant. I look up to show the man, he slithers closer with his limp legs. He shouts NO! Allow me to show you”. He wraps his cold clammy hands around mine, covering the locket, I groan in disgust. I snatch my hands away from the scolding hot gold melting in my hands. I scream OW! Attempting to get my hands clean, the man says “Do you see now?” I look up to see the man holding an oddly shaped stone that gives off a radiant blue glow. “This is what I spent a lifetime searching for.” He folds his hand over the stone, covering the glow. Closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. The wound upon his arm quickly heals. I stand there in shock, gasping. I spotted a door knob! I shoot for the door to escape. The mutated man jumps on top of my head, suffocating me.