Children of a Lesser God

Chapter 15: Upgrade, Level 2

Besides pain, Laz didn't feel much else. He looked at the sky and just blanked out. He knew he had almost made it, but he was still going to die in the end. Looked like the only bright side was getting shot didn't hurt as much as he thought.

The searing pain in his back felt more like getting hit with baseball bat than stabbed. Guess that was something to take to his grave.

The only sound entering into his eyes now was his own painful breathing, the harsh blowing of the wind and a constant, roaring laughter.

'Asshole,' he thought, closing his eyes. He was so weak he couldn't move his body. He just wanted today to be over.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA, you flew like a ping pong ball. Damn, I wish I could have recorded it," Bill mocked him.

'Oh, so the bastard likes to re-watch his kills. Animal.' Laz didn't even care anymore. He was done.

"Alright, that's it for today's exercise. When you drag your useless carcass up off the ground, you'd better get walking to make it back in time for dinner." Bill fumbled a bit in the storage bag on the front rack, looking for something.

"I'm not dead?" Laz asked, somewhat unsure of himself.

"Nope, but once you start moving again, you'll wish you were. Rubber bullets not only hurt like hell, they also leave one hell of a bruise that won't go away quickly," Bill replied, digging deeper.

"Rubber bullets? RUBBER BULLETS?" Laz couldn't accept what he was hearing.

"THAT WAS NO RUBBER BULLET THAT HIT THE FUCKING GROUND!" Laz was sure of it. It drove itself into the dirt as only a real bullet could.

"Oh, that," Bill commented, pulling out a small, handheld device. "Yeah, the glock's bullets arn't rubber, but the rifle shots were. Added to the realism of the whole thing. You didn't think I would actually kill you, did you?" Bill asked with a wronged look.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU OLD MAN," Laz roared, trying to get up.

"Might want to work on walking first, it's a long trek back," Bill replied. Without getting off the 4-wheeler, he tossed the device towards Laz, hitting a spot a foot away.

"That's a standard GPS. The location of the farm is already marked. Don't get lost on your way back." Bill was totally unaffected by Laz's outburst. He just revved the engine, turned the handle bars and proceeded back along towards the farm, not even glancing back.

Laz's mind was blank. He couldn't process what had happened. Rubber bullets? That would explain why they sounded different than the first time. It's also explained how he was able to dodge them. Rubber bullets flew much slower than regular ones.

Without knowing anything, Laz rolled his body over and pushed himself up, grabbing the GPS on his way. He could see he was almost 10 miles out and the general direction he needed to travel.

Making his way along, Laz's brain was full of questions and his body was full of pain. But he also felt something else. Although he wasn't in any actual danger, he wasn't aware of it and it left this amazing feeling in him.

He had always felt that being like air was the easiest way. People ignored him and he didn't have to deal with them. He knew that it wasn't the right way to do things and he didn't like to be alone really, but some memories were hard to forget.

He wouldn't forgive his parents, if he ever saw them again.

Why trust people when they just betray you in the end? Why have friends when you just get used by them? They would just want, want, want. It wasn't worth it..

His life had been like air for the last few years, but today he actually felt what it was like to struggle, to thrive and even to fail. It felt good.

Walking back took a lot longer, but that was ok. He just occasionally glanced at the GPS to get his bearings while enjoying the colorful woods. The leaves on the trees were already mostly changed into brilliant hues of yellow, orange and red.

He couldn't remember the last time he had just simply enjoyed living. With his enhanced eyes, he was able to see many small creatures running around. Squirrels were gather food while rabbits were were darting back and forth. There were even a few deer grazing in the distance. The peaceful nature was a stark contrast to the mad rush he had just done to get here.

His mind felt exceptionally calm for once in his life. Laz could almost feel the essence of nature itself. Within his mind, he felt like a muscle that had always been tense had finally relaxed. His brain began the feel flooded as though a damn had burst. His already exceptional vision got even better.

Looking around, he was able to see the faint traces of heat that the creatures were emitting. It was a dazzling sight. The squirrel that was working hard had a small but intense heat, showing his hard work. The rabbits heat signature was slightly larger, but not as intense. The deer who were lazily grazing ere giving off the largest heat sense, but it was also the coolest.

Laz couldn't believe what he was seeing. This was actual heat vision. He knew some animals had this ability, but not humans. It occurred to him that nothing would be able to hide from his sight, even in broad daylight. The heat signature of a living creature could even be seen behind trees or bushes. At night, he could see something even in the pitch dark. Nothing alive could escape his sight.

He blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't crazy and at the same time, tried tensing up the muscle he relaxed earlier.

His vision returned to normal even once he relaxed. Doing this a few times allowed him to turn this special vision off and on like a switch. It was incredible. If his enhanced sight was like a level 1, then this was the level 2.