009

— motel from hell —

THE WIND BLEW SOFTLY AND THE CLOUDS HAD CLEARED LETTING THE MOON SHINE OVER THE MOTEL. Hazel pulled the jacket tighter around her, walking to the vending machine tucked away under the stairs. She tapped her pockets and sighed. She crouched down and weaved her vines up through the machine, pulling a can of Sprite from the lower shelf.

Hazel grabbed it, popping it open as she wandered over to Gar who sat on a nearby bench. He sat with a cup of coffee, the steam floating up to warm his face. "Did you steal that?" Gar teased.

Hazel hummed and sat on the seat, resting her elbows on the table, which Gar sat on. "You saw me so why ask?" Hazel said, raising her eyebrow as she sipped the fizzy drink.

Gar shrugged softly, "Wanted to see what lie you came up with." Hazel laughed softly and Gar smiled at her. "Hey, how'd you do that? You broke through to Rachel?"

Hazel shrugged softly, "It's not so much breaking through. When her eyes go dark, her vision does as well, so if I brighten my eyes enough, she can see it. It's more of a hey, I'm here."

Gar hummed with a smile, "Smart,"

Hazel sipped her drink and Gar did the same. "Can I ask you something?" Gar nodded, "Does it hurt? When you transform?"

Gar set his cup down and slid into the seat next to her. "Close your eyes," Gar said softly. Hazel raised her eyebrow slightly. "I'm not gonna do anything that weird," Gar laughed. "Well, not that weird."

"Last I looked away from you, you untransformed and stood in front of me naked," Hazel reminded laughing softly, ignoring the heat rising to her cheeks. 

Gar groaned softly, hanging his head back, "Just close your eyes," Gar pleaded. He sat straight and looked at Hazel. Hazel sighed softly, set her drink aside and closed her eyes. "Take a deep breath." Hazel breathed in deeply. "Now imagine electricity running through your whole body. It doesn't hurt. It just feels like you get plugged into something. Then you start to feel strong, like- like, really strong. And when you breathe, it's like you're breathing in the whole world."

Gar paused and he let his eyes trail over Hazel's face. Her skin light brown, her hair light and soft, the flowers bright against her coffee brown hair. He looked away for a moment before focussing on Hazel again.

 "Feel it?" Gar asked softly and Hazel nodded softly. "You feel totally free. All that strength. You wanna run, you wanna jump, you wanna break shit. You feel like you can do anything. And you wanna roar. Not because you're angry, but because you just wanna let it all out. So, roar."

Hazel let out a breath and imitated a roar, laughing slightly at herself afterwards making Gar chuckle. "That's what it's like," Gar mumbled. Hazel opened her eyes, and Gar stared at them as they glowed green.

Hazel noticed the colour shift in her vision and shook her head softly, the colour leaving. She shifted her body to face Gar and smiled. "Roll up your sleeve and gimme your hand," Hazel said softly. Gar shifted to pull his left arm from his jacket and rested his arm on the bench.

Hazel gently set her fingers just below the bend of his elbow and dragged her fingertips slowly over his skin. As her fingers traced over Gar's arm, she left a trail of goosebumps and more prominently a glowing teal line where her fingertips traced. The teal glow followed her fingers as they traced over his palm and up his middle fingers.

Hazel took her hand back, resting it in her lap. "It doesn't really do anything, Hazel mumbled. "But it's electric-like." Gar laughed softly, clenching his fist, the feeling of her fingertips on his hand still there. "It'll fade in a couple of minutes if that's what you're worried about."

"No, no, it's..." Gar smiled and looked up at Hazel. "Super cool."

"I would've done red to match your jacket, but I'm kinda limited," Hazel laughed softly.

"You're lucky green's my favourite colour," Gar said with a laugh. "Yours is... orange?"

Hazel's jaw dropped slightly. "How'd you know that?"

"Your phone case is orange, and your necklace." Hazel's hands ghosted over her silver-chained necklace and laughed as she toyed with the gem.

"My mom got it for me," Hazel explained. "Said it was originally from my dad."

"Was?" Hazel shrugged softly and sipped her drink again. "So... Your favourite colour is orange but not bright orange?"

Hazel smiled, "Pretty much."

❁

THE ROOM WAS SMALL, BUT NOT ENOUGH TO BE UNCOMFORTABLE. It had a small table with a phone and complimentary water, a mini fridge, a double bed and a nightstand. Hazel tossed her phone and notebook on the table and hung her jacket on the chair by the table.

Hazel fell back against the bed, staring up at the cream-coloured ceiling, following the line of paint that had started to crack. Hazel pushed herself up and took the notebook off the nightstand, flipping through the pages again. Hazel's stomach flipped again as she looked through the poorly printed pictures of her.

She flipped to the back pages, but still no sign of words she could read, or any in any kind of language she recognised. She opened the back page, and suddenly the symbols seemed familiar. The largest, most detailed one matched nearly identically to the one on the woman's shoulder Hazel had seen in her dream.

Before Hazel could think any harder a loud thud sounded from the room next to hers. There was a pained grunt and then a body slammed against the wall connecting Hazel's and Dick's rooms. "Shit!"

Hazel sprung to her feet and rushed into the hall, stopping in front of Dick's room. The Nuclear mother and what seemed to be a new father took their turns trying to hit Dick with an electric drill or hammer. Hazel grew a handful of seeds and tossed them into the room, scattering them across the carpet. The man turned as the woman knocked Dick to the floor. "Hazel get out of here!" Dick ordered.

Hazel ignored him and her eyes flashed green, vines sprouting from the seeds and latching onto the man's legs and pulling him down to the carpet. The woman slammed the drill against Dick's temple, giving her time to rush at Hazel. Hazel dodged the swipe and kneed the woman's sternum, and as she keeled over Hazel clenched her fist and sharp thrones sprouted, stabbing into the woman's heel.

Dick pushed himself to his feet and the man broke free of the vines, pushing Dick back and slamming him through the window.

"Dick!" Hazel called. The man spun, throwing the hammer towards Hazel. Hazel managed to duck, and the woman grabbed her. Hazel fell to the floor and the woman grabbed her drill, trying to slam it into Hazel's face. Hazel caught the woman's arms, stopping the drill just inches from her face. "What? Pissed off I wrecked your car?" Vines leapt off Hazel's skin, covering the drill and cutting the power as it stalled.

Hazel kicked the woman's knee and scurried up, rushing through the Motel halls to Rachel's room. Hazel skidded to a stop as she came upon Kory and the two nuclear kids. Kory grabbed a fire hose and slammed it across the daughter's head. "Kory!" Hazel called.

Kory turned to her but stopped as both the son and daughter sat straight. They stood and before Hazel could react the son slammed a baseball bat across Hazel's face. Hazel fell to the floor and the boy jumped on top of her, holding the bat against her throat.

Hazel grabbed the boy's hair, yanking it back before pulling it down and slamming his face into the bat. He reeled back and Hazel slammed her forehead into his nose. She pushed herself up and struck his face. His head snapped back, and Hazel grabbed his shoulders holding him in place as she rammed her knee into the bottom of his jaw.

"Hazel," Kory called. "Come on." Kory grabbed Hazel's arm and pulled her to her feet, rushing outside. Gar held onto Rachel's arm keeping close as they looked around nervously.

"Rachel! Gar!" Hazel ran to them, holding onto their arms. "You guys alright?"

Rachel nodded quickly, "Where's Dick?"

"I don't know," Kory answered.

"That fucked up father threw him out the window," Hazel answered. The front doors slammed open, and the man walked out, an inhuman smile on his face.

"Kory," Gar muttered.

"Get behind me," Kory ordered, holding her arms out. The other family member walked out, surrounding them the son swinging his bat. "It's time to burn assholes." Kory's skin flickered with her fire, but it faded out. "Fucking night!" Kory cursed.

She cracked her knuckles and stanched towards the father, but he ripped the car door off its hinges and slammed it against Kory, sending her flying into the other car. Hazel pushed Rachel and Gar behind her behind her eyes lighting up a bright green. "Think carefully," Hazel hissed.

A light tink went off and a smoke grenade rolled in. The family turned towards it, watching it closely. A hook flew out, digging into the man's shoulder before he was violently tugged back, a pained scream leaving him. Another smoke grenade rolled out and the others covered their mouths as the smoke entered their lungs.

A loud thud sounded, and Robin jumped over the car. He looked at the three in front of him, his eyes focusing on Rachel. He straightened and Rachel's eyes widened. "Dick?" Rachel questioned.

"That's Robin," Gar whispered, a smile forming.

The son tried to slam his bat against Dick, but Dick swiped it away with his bo staff. The mother and daughter stepped up and Dick slammed staff against them, sending them backwards. The daughter's whip swung out at Dick, and he hit it against the boy, digging it into his chest.

Hazel quickly rushed forward and hit the rope sending them off balance. She hit the girl in the face with her elbow and kicked the boy's knee, his leg snapping back awkwardly.

Gar ducked away, pulling his jacket off. Dick wiped the girl off her feet and grabbed his R, tossing it into the mother's forehead.

The mother tugged it out, a grimace on her face as a trail of blood dripped down her forehead. "You should put your toys away when you're finished with them," She chastised. Dick slammed the spear down, but the father ran back, snapping it in half. Dick used one end to knock the woman away and used the momentum to send the man to the ground.

The green tiger growled, jumping on the car and biting into the boy's bat. He tugged it and flung the boy away, knocking him against a light pole. Hazel turned towards him, vines rushing from the ground and winding around the boy, pinning his arms in place. Rachel took a deep breath and focused, the liquid spilling from her mouth to rush at the daughter and fling her away. Hazel carried her vines on, trapping the girl the same way.

The woman stepped up to Dick and he pushed her torso and spun to kick her in the face. "Hazel!" Dick called. Hazel turned towards the father who rushed at her. Hazel raised her hand, a vine rushing out and cutting the man's cheek. He stumbled, the veins around the cut turning red as venom pushed through the man. He stumbled and then his knees buckled, falling to the floor.

Hazel stepped back, standing between Rachel and Kory who pushed herself up. The mother composed herself and turned to look at the group. She looked over them, focusing on Gar, still as a tiger, that at on top of the car. He snarled, baring his canine fangs to the woman. "Well look at the mess we've made," the woman hummed, dropping her electric carver.

— gods —