Apex Read Free Page B

nature.”
    In a sick way, Jack was relieved his friends were here with him. Sure, it was selfish, but it was nice knowing he wasn’t going through this alone. “Can I leave if I want?”
    “I’m not going to lie to you, son. You’re stuck here until we know what’s going on with you.”
    Jack almost asked about the middle aged coup le, Dan and Molly, but if the doctor didn’t already know about them, then he didn’t want to put him on to their trail. “How are Scott and Melanie doing?”
    “They’re doing better than you. Scott woke up a couple days ago and Melanie woke yesterday. You’re all exhibiting the same symptoms, but that’s a good sign for you because they seem healthy now that they’re up and about.”
    “Can I see them?”
    “Not yet. Take it easy. I don’t want you overexerting yourself so soon after regaining consciousness. I’ll send someone in with some lunch right away.” With that, the doctor left the room.
    The audible click of a latch being shoved into place on the other side of the door sent chills down Jack’s spine.

    Test
     
    Jack wondered what that alien mist had done to him. Was it a contagion that would kill everyone he came into contact with? Was he a sort of Typhoid Mary? Was the contagion a precursor to an impending alien invasion, meant to weaken humanity before the assault?
    Or was he a delusional teenager? There was a very real possibility that that sphere wasn’t alien in origin. Maybe it was something top-secret that had fallen from a military jet. Or maybe someone had laced their weed with acid? That would explain the bizarre sequence of events that immediately transpired afterwards. But it didn’t explain a mass hallucination encountered by not only him and his friends, but also the couple that had not smoked their weed with them. And it didn’t explain what was happening with his body now.
    When Dr. Henshaw came bursting through the door excitedly, Jack nearly screamed. But the look on the doctor’s face confused him. The doctor was both excited and worried. He came at Jack with a heavy steel bar and Jack flinched, ready to be clubbed to death.
    But the doctor touched him on the shoulder gently and said, “No son, this is for you. I want you to bend it.”
    Jack felt like a fool for curling up defensively. It made him look like a coward. But the ramifications of what the doctor had just said helped him get over his embarrassment. Could he bend a steel bar that thick? Why would the doctor suddenly think he could?
    He reached out for it, ready to tense against its weight, but it felt as light as a feather in his hand. “This isn’t metal, is it? It’s too light.”
    “That bar is pure steel and I’d bet it weighs fifty or sixty pounds. Bend it.”
    Jack furrowed his brow and grabbed hold of the other end of the bar with his other hand. It bent too easily. “What’s the point of this?”
    “You just bent something that can’t be bent by man.”
    “No I didn’t. It’s not steel and it wasn’t hard to bend it.”
    “That’s what your friend Melanie said right after she bent it into a pretzel. I had to have her bend it back for me so I could test Scott and you.”
    Jack didn’t exactly understand what the doc was getting at. “Scott did it too?”
    “Yep. Like it was made of silicone. Now that I know you are all changing in the same ways, I want to test you some more. Get some sleep. I’ll come up with some more challenging tests. We’ll begin tomorrow morning.”
    Jack bent the steel rod back like it was made of melting wax and held it out for the doctor to take. The doctor wrapped a towel around his hand and took it. By way of an explanation, he said, “This bar has been manipulated so much by you three that it’s scalding hot to the touch.”
    “It didn’t feel hot to me.”
    “I know that. Your pain threshold will be tested tomorrow too.” As he exited the room, he said, “I can’t wait to see if your reflexes are