Lair by Carl Stubblefield (recommended reading TXT) 📕

exactly how old he had been, probably around twelve years old, when he got really sick. His father never really talked about that time, but Gus was in a coma at one point and everything was really hazy memory-wise for that time frame. Something also happened to his mom during that time too, but Tempest wouldn’t talk about it. She had powers too, but Gus couldn’t remember what exactly they were. He often wondered if she had some kind of healing powers or emotional manipulation or it was just her presence that made him feel good. He got the impression she went out on a mission and never came back. One of the risks of the job for a super.

The times after Mom was gone were more difficult for Gus. Teenage angst mingled with the change in family dynamic had caused more arguments and isolation from his father. It was around that time Gus began to prefer to call his father Tempest when he shifted more into his stern, unyielding super persona. Mom had earned her title, but it was hard for Gus to refer to him as Dad.

Tempest wanted Gus to move past it. Suck it up. Man up. A familiar anger bubbled to the surface when he remembered that time. I was a kid! I shouldn’t have to ‘suck it up’ when I’ve lost my mom! By the time Gus became cognizant of the world again, she had been gone for about a year.

Gus’ brother Cyclone was out of the house being a good little super, just like Tempest wanted. Gus’ eyes burned and his throat tightened as emotions swelled thinking about his mom. Gus blinked and cleared his throat, trying to overcome the negative feelings by removing how they affected him physically. He shook his tightened jaw muscles to loosen them, unaware he had been clenching, turning again to the beach to stop focusing on the distressing memory.

To the left of the beach-ball robots, there was a cluster of large rocks that could be climbed from the beach. Small pink flowers and yellow lichen covered the rocks, and somehow, these were surprisingly free of bird droppings. The shape of the island created a small inlet here and the water was much more still around the rocks. He rinsed the stickiness of the fruit off his hands and decided to attempt a little fishing for dinner.

He figured he was pretty rusty at fishing and it might take a couple hours to catch anything. He cleaned the remaining oily residue that had stuck to the blade after killing the zombie, making sure nothing was there that he would accidentally ingest. To not be impeded when swimming, Gus kept only his shorts made from the space suit.

He climbed the rocks that were by the water’s edge and found a flat smooth area about six feet up on the shaded side of the rocks. Gus peered down into the clear blue water. Fish of different types swam lazily in this deeper area. Gus readied his spear, aimed at one of the fish, and let loose. The spear deflected when it hit the water and lost some momentum, allowing the fish time to move. Gus dove in and retrieved his spear. After about five more attempts, he decided to change tactics. He found a shallower area near the rocks where the fish continued to dart around.

He had to move to the other side of the rock to find an area in the water with fish that also allowed him to stand up to his mid thigh in the water. He held the spear out of the water and stabbed it down, but had a similar lack of success. There was just too much time between his movement of the spear to when it would hit the fish—always allowing the fish to dart away. Gus had to stand still and wait for the fish to relax and come back.

This time he kept the spear head underwater and with a quick jab he was able to spear his first fish. A quiet tone sounded.

You have upgraded your skill Fishing to Level 2!

Increased chance to catch fish with all methods: 2%

50 XP awarded

No XP awarded for new foods after host level 3 is reached.

140 XP to level 4

Gus flung the fish to the beach; he would clean it later. Lowering the blade of Razorback Prime back into the water, he waited. It took longer for the fish to return, and the reflection of the sun on the lapping waves was hard on his eyes. He would occasionally have to blink them closed after he received an especially bright flash. Then he remembered his grandpa’s advice about shadows. Moving to a different location, he managed to spear two more fish.

Deciding three was enough, he got to cleaning them and preparing them to cook. His grandfather had taken him out fishing when he went to visit him. Gus remembered those times in his pre-teens. When Tempest was off doing Purple Faction business after Mom was gone, Grandpa agreed to take him in for a couple weeks. He could tell it took a lot for his father to finally run out of options and allow Gus to go to his grandpa’s, though Gus couldn’t tell why.

Gus reminisced as he prepared the fish, and carried them up to the lawn area of the manor. There were a few grills set up there along the edge of the patio, and using the same method he had at his old camp, started a fire and cooked his catch. Pulling out his metal plate, he loaded up the fish. It was starting to get dark as dinner was ready.

Remembering the Adirondak chairs his grandpa had by the dock near his cabin where they would fish, he took a similar chair from the patio and dragged it down the beach, keeping it above the high-tide waterline. There he exhaled deeply, began eating the fish, and watched the sunset, digging his feet into the