Hybrid X by kurosse (book recommendations for teens TXT) 📖

"Sure." I say. Kade smiles and I feel a little bit better.

I lean back on the wooden stump and close my eyes. This is really my life. I can hear Natalie cheerfully talking to Daimon about what kind of soup she should make. I open my eyes and see that Kade is standing next to me. He looks at Natalie and Daimon. "I really hope that Daimon isn't mad at me anymore." I say. I hear Kade's wooden pen, scribbling something. He shows it to me. Don't worry about it.

I look back at Daimon. He's nodding and walks away with Natalie.
I turn and look at the ground. A couple of ants are circling a dead beetle. I watch as more ants come, and start to eat it. Kade taps on my arm. Want to train with me?

I break my gaze from the ants and look at him. I'll show you how to use my knife.

"Where do you usually train?" I ask. I have to toughen up and protect people. Here, follow me.

Kade walks out of the hideout and I follow him.


We walk past a bunch of trees and bushes. I look at Kade's back. He looks so strong. I look at my hands. They're long and bony.
"Um, Kade?" I ask. What is it?

He looks at me. "Do you think that I can hunt?" He sighs. Yea. After I train you.

I laugh. "OK."
We walk some more and stop in front of a giant tree. Kade sets his bag down and I watch as he puts something in his mouth. He gets out two knives.
"Here." He says giving me one. I look at him. "You can talk?" I ask. "Yea, but I choose not to. After what the Hybrid did to my mother and father, I just stopped talking." An eery silence builds up around us. "I'm sorry." I whisper. "It's ok. I'm fine now." Kade says. The wind starts to blow and the trees start to sway.
"Did the others back at the hideout hear your voice?" I murmur. Kade shakes his head, "You're the first one." I look down at my hands. The silence creeps up again. "Ok. Let's start the training." Kade says breaking the silence. I nod. "Let's say that I'm the prey, and your the hunter." He starts. "I'm going to run, and you have to catch up with me and if you're tired, then just go back to this oak tree." He explains.
"Ready?" He asks. I take in a deep breath. "Ready." He nods, and without warning me, he runs off.
I start running. The leaves crunch under my feet and I see Kade's head disappearing behind a big boulder. I slowly creep up to the giant rock. "Gotcha!" I say. I look behind the boulder. Nothing. I run toward another boulder. Why are there so many boulders here? I look around but Kade's nowhere to be seen. I can't give up. I have to try harder.
Suddenly I hear a scream, then silence. Is it Kade? I suddenly get worried.
"You alright?" The voice sounds like Kade's. I turn around. To my relief, he's safe. "I thought that was you." he says panting. "I'm ok." I whisper.
"The scream might be..." Kade's voice trials off and he grabs my hand. "C'mon. We're done with training. Let's go back." I nod.
We head back to the big oak tree. Kade grabs his bags and hands me a knife. I look at him. "It's just in case something's there when we get back." He winks. "Ok, let's go."

Running with two bags filled with weapons and snacks, Kade is still fast. I'm getting tired, but I push myself. Please be safe everyone. We hear another scream, this time, it's closer. "We're almost there." whispers Kade. Good. We pass more trees and shrubs.
A dead deer is laying about twenty feet away from the hideout. It's intestines are spilled out. Oh no. "Stay here." whispers Kade. He puts down the bags and gets out his knife. It's really long, with a perfect pointed tip.
Slowly Kade walks into the hideout. I brace myself for his scream, but I don't hear anything. Worried, I duck into the hideout.
The first thing that I see is blood. It's everywhere. Smeared on the walls and on the stone stove. I see a lifeless Natalie lying on the ground. "Let's go. It's not safe here." says Kade. He looks at me. I look around the room one last time. I spot another person slumped up against the wall. "Look. Cage." I whisper. Cage's body is covered with blood and he has a missing arm. "K-kade." whispers a voice. Cage! He's still alive! "Don't talk." says Kade. He walks over to Cage. "L-leave this place with Lynn." Cage is gasping for air. "Who did this to you?" I ask. Is it the Hybrid X again? "It was D-dai-," Cage's voice is cut off abruptly. Kade and I look at him. There, stuck in his chest is a knife. "Run." says Kade. He grabs my hand and we both start running again. I'm running with a knife in my hand. I feel powerful suddenly. Maybe because I'm with Kade. A sharp pain stings my shoulder. Then I feel something warm sliding down my shoulder. "Kade."
"What is it?" His eyes go wide when he sees my shoulder. We stop running. The footsteps behind us stop. "Daimon. Why?" asks Kade. I turn slowly and see Daimon, all bloody, and holding a rampuri(type of knife) covered with blood.

"Surprised huh?" No one is saying anything. I have to say something. "Why?" That's the only word that popped into my mind. "Why?" Daimon starts laughing like a maniac. I step back. "Because those bastards planned on killing me. So I killed them first." Daimon licks his bloody hands. "And since when did you talk?"
I look at Kade. He doesn't say anything. "What? Now your gonna stay quiet?" Daimon points the rampuri at us. I have to say something fast. "Cage and Natalie would never do that." I say. "Huh?" Daimon scratches his head and looks at me calmly which scares me. "Cage and Natalie cared about us." I say. Daimon snorts. "Yea, they cared for my sister when she died. They left her to rot." He laughs. Kade and I are quiet.
"But why would they want to kill you?" I ask. Daimon lowers his rampuri. "Because, I work for the SHO." My insides drop. Daimon works for those scientists who created the Hybrid X. "I'll have to kill you now, since you know everything." I clutch my left shoulder and as if on que, Kade grabs my hand and we start running again. "Aw man. Not that chasing game again." I can hear Daimon's footsteps. The crunching of the leaves, the beating of my heart, the smell of sweat; this is really happening to us. I'm being chased by a maniac.

Suddenly Kade grabs my wrist and we quickly hide behind an oak tree. I can't hear Daimon's footsteps.
"Gotcha." Whispers Daimon. He swings the rampuri at us. I jump to the left. I see Kade getting out his long knife. It has sharp metal spikes all around. Daimon smiles. "Let's hear your scream." He says. Kade grips harder on the knife. Daimon swings the rampuri at Kade. Please don't get hurt. Please. Kade dodges Daimon's attack. "I have no choice." sighs Daimon. In a second he's gone. I look around and see him swinging the rampuri aimed for Kade's neck. No. "Kade behind you!" I shout. The knife makes a sharp whoosh. Daimon smirks and then he's gone again. I feel a sudden sting. The pain grows and grows. I can see Kade rushing over to me, and something splatters on my face. I can see Kade's bloody sword and I look over to see Daimon clutching his right arm. His rampuri is on the ground, and it's bloody. It takes a few seconds for me to realize that I've been stabbed a second time. In the chest. I can't breathe. Kade puts something on my chest, and I can see the white cloth darkening. "You'll live. I promise." He whispers. I see Daimon covered with blood inching towards us. Daimon. No. He has the rampuri in his hands again. I'm too weak to talk, to tell Kade that Daimon is right behind him.
The next second went by slowly.
I see Daimon, and then I don't see him. Something lands with a thud and the dark pool of blood spreads. It stains Kade's brown shoes. I look at Daimon. The bloody, dead Daimon. And right behind him is monster boy. He smiles, revealing those pointed teeth. "I hated him anyway." says monster boy. He shrugs and looks at us with his inhuman green eyes. Kade is frozen and so am I. Is the Hybrid X really a heartless killer? I look at him. He looks back at me with those eyes. "Why did you come?" I ask. "I smelled blood. So I came here for snack." Monster boy explains. I look at monster boy carefully. Besides his eyes, he looks perfectly normal. "You- are you going to eat us too?" I close my eyes and wait for something to jab into me but I don't feel anything. "I already have him for snack." says monster boy. He starts tearing Daimon's head apart. I almost gag. "You want some?" Monster boy is holding something red and slimy. "No, thanks." I say. I look over at Kade who's still frozen. "It's ok, I don't think that he's that bad." I whisper. "No. Your crazy." whispers Kade. He gets up and starts running away. The dark cloth falls off my chest. I look at it. My chest looks like beef or pork. It's all teared up. I guess Kade's special cloth takes away the pain.
I close my eyes. Kade ditched me. "AHHHHH!" His scream pierces me. Monster boy has his hand inside Kade. He pulls put his hand and brings out something that looks like the heart. It's still beating. I look away when monster boy puts the whole thing in his mouth. The sickening sound of a soft squish echoes all around me. I was wrong about monster boy. He really is a monster.

Monster boy walks over to me. I can feel his eyes on me. I see his bloody hands touching my wound. "Going to eat me too?"
Silence. I look at creature. He sighs. "You know what?"
"No." I really don't want to know.
"Forget it."
I look at my wound again. It's gone. No ripped up flesh; nothing.
"How did you-"
"I have my ways."
I'm not as boy scared at monster boy anymore.
"Hey." My voice sounds quiet.
"What?"
"Why am I still alive?"
Everything is quiet now. Nothing is moving.
Monster boy smiles, showing his red pointed teeth.
"Would it help if I told you that I was Cloud Relling?"
What? My brain can't think properly.
Cloud Relling was my childhood friend, six years ago. He disappeared without a trace.
"Stop joking. Cloud is dead." I don't believe this. Monster boy is playing