Reckoning

by R. S. Broadhead

  “Don’t worry, we will be right behind you. We’ve been dying to get over there to get our chance at Dermetheus,” one with long, wavy blond hair said.

  “No! Under no circumstances should you go after Dermetheus. It is the chosen human’s destiny to face and destroy him because it holds a part of Nabea, and as you know, it must be her or a part of her that ends his reign. We have discovered that the hard way. If we would have known earlier, then so many new-souls wouldn’t have been lost, but up until this point, there were no other options. You are to keep to the shadows and clean up any wreckage he may cause until that time comes. I may call on you for assistance at times, but we will never see each other face to face until the chosen one is ready to fight this battle head on. Numerous creatures have crossed over already, and the humans must not know of their existence. That is your job.”

  “Got it. We will do as we are told,” he replied.

  I stepped forward to the edge and looked down at the crystal clear water below me crashing against the jagged rocks. In order to get through the portal one had to leap off the edge into ripples that disrupted the normal atmosphere. The ripples were located about ten feet directly in front of the edge, so if one missed it they would certainly fall to their death. I backed away once I got an idea of what I needed to do in order to get over to the other side. As fast as I could, I ran and made the leap. The ripples swallowed me up, and I hit the ground in an old, abandoned building. Earth. I was here once before, as a young boy, to study it. Of course, that was before everything happened with Dermetheus. It was my home now. Plamethia was behind me and there was a strong chance I’d never see it again. I stood, waiting for the others to follow. The building appeared to be an old warehouse, graffiti written across the walls, and paper thrown everywhere. There was overturned furniture and symbols drawn over the floors. Someone or something had apparently been using this space for some type of rituals. During my observations the other members of my group joined me.

  “Damn, this place reeks of demons! I don’t know why those abominations can’t stay in their own realm,” one with brown hair said. He had an amazing gift for catching the scent of creatures. That would come in handy for this group once they started hunting.

  “Nice. I love killing demons, they always put up a good fight,” replied another with black hair.

  “Glad to see you boys are excited to be here. Now, this is the last night I will see you until our time comes to meet again. If I run into you we must not let on that we know each other. Above everything else, you will need to adapt to life here as a human to fit in. We can’t have Dermetheus finding out that any of us are here. ”

  “Do we get to know who this chosen human is?” the blond asked.

  “No. When the day comes and it accepts who it truly is, you will know beyond a shadow of a doubt who it is, but until that day, it shall remain hidden to you. Once that day of reckoning is near, I shall send up the symbol of Plamethia in the stars and shortly after, coordinates of the location you will need to go to meet with this human. If you choose to do so, you will follow this human to the death and love it as you did Nabea.”

  “Until the day we meet again, Fuzzaran,” the black-head said.

  They walked out the door with a pentagram spray painted over it, leaving me alone in the old broken down building. This world already felt so much colder because she wasn’t in it. I licked my lips and could still taste our last kiss. I had come here for a reason, and I would not let her down. I walked briskly out the door and down two flights of stairs in great need of repair. The night was pitch black as I greeted the outside. Carefully I made my way across broken glass and litter until I found a tiny paved drive full of potholes and large limbs that wrapped through the woods like a snake. It led me up to a busy road with tiny stores along the sides. I cautiously waited until a car came toward me.

  “Need a ride, son?” an elderly man asked as he rolled his window down. His face was kind and creased with deep wrinkles. He reminded me a lot of my father who I had lost years ago as a small child.

  “Sir, would you kindly give me a ride to the local hospital?”

  “Are you hurt?” he asked, eyeing me up and down.

  “No. I merely seek to get there to see a baby born.”

  “You got family being born, huh? Well why didn’t you say so! Of course I’ll give you a ride, hop in son,” he replied, giving me a warm smile. I walked around to the other side and let myself in. It smelled of mold and a sweet smoke.

  “Thank you for helping me.”

  “Not a problem, always glad to help someone out. That’s what the south is all about! You been on some type of huntin’ trip or somethin’?” he asked, looking at the metal suit of amour that covered parts of my chest and legs.

  “Yes, and I was called suddenly to get to the hospital so I didn’t have time to change. This has been passed down for generations and I thought I would give it a try,” I said, trying to come up with the most believable story possible. He nodded, still eyeing the suit but said nothing else. I mentally noted to find clothes more suitable than my warrior attire. I didn’t need to draw attention to myself. We pulled up at a hospital that’s parking lot was almost empty. It was very small, made of brick with green trim.

  “Well, congratulations in advance on the new addition to the family. Maybe the hospital will be able to keep power tonight with this crazy weather. The generator has been on the fritz for a couple of weeks, so I wouldn’t want them relyin’ on that thing,” he said, looking up through his window at the dark clouds that were swirling around with evident speed. They covered the night’s stars, and bolts of lightning flashed every few seconds. “Funny thing is a little while ago it was so clear you could see every star as if they were right in front of you.”

  “The weather has the tendency of doing some outlandish things sometimes. Thank you again for the ride, sir.” I shut the door and ran around the car before he could start forward. The lightening was getting worse. No doubt it was Nabea’s fragment trying to break into the realm. I had to move quickly. I entered the hospital to find its halls just as deserted as the parking area outside. As I ran by each room, I found them empty. First thing was first; I needed to find more clothes. I managed to locate a supply closet that held plain white shirts and green pants. I slipped them on and began roaming the halls until I came close enough to hear the screams of a woman in labor. I followed the sound and found the room they were coming from. I stood at the corner of the door so I couldn’t be seen by anyone inside. There lay the woman that would soon be giving birth to Nabea’s child. Her dark hair was matted to her forehead from the labor pains she was undergoing. A guy stood to the right of her bed with light brown hair whose face was etched with deep concern. He held her hand and stroked the top of her head with the other. The lights started to flicker on and off.

  “Let’s pray the power stays on until this baby is delivered,” a man who looked like he would be the doctor said. Suddenly everything went dark, and a bolt of blue lightening came through the ceiling, hitting the woman’s stomach. The machines placed around the mother shot blue sparks causing everyone to jump back in surprise. The bolt illuminated the stomach until it glowed blue.

  “What’s happenin’? Please someone … don’t let anything happen to my baby!” The mother frantically reached for the doctor while her face grimaced in pain. There was nothing anyone could do but wait until it stopped.

  “Don’t just stand there. Do somethin’ to stop this,” the father exclaimed. He grabbed the collar of the doctor and shoved him toward the mother. The lights came back on, and the doctor stepped forward, running a hand through his thinning hair.

  “That was weird,” the doctor said while he checked all the machines. “Everything looks fine, now let’s get this baby delivered.” His face was ghost white. With shaking hands, he checked over the mother who was crying uncontrollably.

  “Is my ba-by o-kay?” she asked in between sobs. The doctor didn’t answer which made her
cry even harder. I knew there was a possibility this might not work, but I hoped for the best. I prepared to watch the one thing I’ve always wanted, Nabea’s child enter the world. It was chosen and would play a great role in the future to save this realm. Thirty minutes later, I heard the sweet sound of a baby’s cry, and sighed with relief. The doctor handed the child over to the mother. She wrapped it in her arms while the father looked down in awe, much like I thought I would in this experience. It was here. It was now my job to watch it, protect it, and train it beyond anything this realm had experienced.

  “Welcome to the world, Reese Salt,” the mother said while she kissed the little baby girl’s forehead. I slipped into the shadows, ready to get to work.

  “AAAAAHHHH,” I SCREAMED. I hit the stonewall behind me as I lost my balance. The memories, so many memories, came rushing back. My mother’s crying face, the monsters I played with, the constant fear I experienced night after night, the patronizing looks I received from family members, and the blessed moment I forgot it all. I was too weak then. Hell, I was barely strong enough to handle it now. And then there was him … my body shook uncontrollably as I remembered that night in the woods.

  Steele knelt at my side as he frantically called my name. It was a haze. Their faces morphed between the friends I had known for years to the creatures that gave me night terrors. “She’s goin’ into shock. Lean back, Reese. Give me that backpack to elevate her legs,” he commanded. Shayla hurled the backpack at him, and dropped to her knees on my other side. He propped my legs up and started loosening the vest across my chest. “Calm down, I’m right here with you.” I was pouring sweat and so dizzy. His hand stroked my forehead. It felt extremely hot. I focused on his dog-tags. He never took them off.

  I didn’t want to scare him this way. I fought it. I fought it as hard as I could so he wouldn’t see what I was experiencing on the inside. And then it stopped. A pressure lifted off me. My mind was worn out, but coherent. The visions were a lot to take in. Not all were bad, but one in particular made my skin crawl. His yellow eyes still seemed to burn into mine. His voice was raspy as he tortured me. I blinked a few times until the ceiling of the cave came into focus. Steele’s face was buried into my neck. He was mumbling something, a prayer.

  “Take me … not her,” were the only words I could clearly make out. I rubbed the back of his head, making him jerk slightly. “Thank God,” he said, voice breathless. He kissed my lips and followed it by several small pecks.

  “I think I’m okay. Can you help me up?” I was still shaken by what I had seen, but he had worried enough over me.

  “Are you sure you need to get up?” Savannah asked. They were all standing against the wall, wearing the same concerned face.

  “I’m fine,” I replied. Steele grabbed my upper arm and helped pull me to my feet. I couldn’t put much pressure on the leg Cree Crow stabbed, but I hobbled back out to the front of the cave and took a seat at its mouth. Once Steele made sure I was okay, he disappeared down the side of the cave.

  “Jace, I was so scared. I don’t know how you do this all the time. You amaze me,” Casey said from behind me. Her arms were curled around Jace’s waist. He gave her a half smile and gently pushed her away. Shayla’s nostrils flared, staring at the two of them.

  “Ugh!” She rolled her eyes and walked over to me, popping her knuckles in an obnoxious way. Casey ignored her and continued to smile up at Jace.

  “Problems?” I smirked. Everyone knew Casey had no chance with Jace, and it was embarrassing for us to watch her pathetic attempt. Honestly, I was glad Shayla had came over to talk about her problems. I needed a distraction from my spinning head.

  “I don’t care if I agreed not to beat her ass just because we’re on the same side. I wanna rip all the hair off her damn head right now.” She bounced a few times on the balls of her feet and rolled her neck. “Just give me like five minutes with her and I’ll be fine.”

  “Maybe you should just have Jace tell her he wants nothin’ to do with her,” I suggested, trying to reason with her.

  “That doesn’t work on fuckin’ dick hungry sluts,” she said loud enough to cause an echo. Casey’s mouth dropped as her face turned a dark shade of crimson. She stormed to the back of the cave and sat next to Masey. The two of them started bickering immediately.

  “It’s pretty bad when your twin is havin’ problems with you too,” I whispered. Shayla nodded but didn’t say another word.

  I stared out across the trees. It seemed everyone was at a loss for words due to the way this night turned out, me especially. No wonder I had put up a block. It was a horrible thing to happen to a child. I could’ve died, if it weren’t for Fuzz. I didn’t realize how grateful I was to have him in my life until that moment.

  It wouldn’t be much longer before the sun came up, sealing the cave. Steele made his way across the grass below me. His sad eyes found me, and he forced a small smile. He climbed the rope back up the wall to join the rest of us. “I was able to contact Fuzz with this monitor Dax created in case the normal feed lost contact out here. In which case, it did. He’s sendin’ Dax with a chopper to come pick us up since I gave them the location.”

  “It’s about time,” Casey said.

  “Casey … that’s enough,” Masey said, shaking her head. She got up and went over to stand with Abby.

  “Did you tell them about Liam?” Payne asked, ignoring the twins. He hadn’t left Liam’s lifeless body. Steele nodded, his mouth turned into a deep frown.

  “Jay-Bird will take the body after we wrap it up with the stuff Dax is bringing. The chopper won’t hold it and us. There’s a waterproof room in his boat that he’ll put him in so the body won’t be saturated when he goes under water.”

  “Does anyone else think this is total bullshit?” Casey said from the back of the cave. She sat, picking at the floor. We all turned to face her with questionable expressions.

  “What the freak are you talkin’ about, Casey?” Shayla asked, giving her the skank eye. Things weren’t the same between them since the night we hunted the Wendigo. Casey claimed Jace wanted her more than Shayla. I had managed to calm Shayla down and not start anything that night. I knew it wouldn’t last long, and she only needed one tiny thing to send her over the edge.

  “We’re barely in our twenties, and these guys aren’t much older than us,” she said, pointing around the room. “I don’t know about any of you, but when I pictured bein’ this age it was me goin’ to college parties with my friends and cheering at football games, not watchin’ people die. I could think of a few things I’d rather be doin’ right now with a certain person.” I grabbed Shayla’s forearm when she started to walk over to her. “This was all fun at first, you know, learnin’ how to do cool crap, but this shit just got real tonight. This isn’t a game anymore, and we aren’t just playing G.I. Jane badass. I really don’t wanna end up dead for nothin’ like Liam did,” Casey finished as she threw a rock into the wall.

  Before anyone could react, Payne jerked Casey up by the front of her vest, her feet at least a foot off the ground. She looked to Masey for help who looked down at the ground, ignoring her. “For nothin’?” Payne screamed in her face. He dropped her and paced back and forth like he was trying his hardest not to knock her across the cave. “Liam didn’t die for nothin’! He knew what to expect goin’ into this, and he took the challenge head on because he wasn’t a pussy like you. If you wanna sit back and watch these things take over the places you wish you were bein’ a “normal” college kid at, then by all means, do it. Believe me, I’m sure none of us would care if you left with an attitude like that. I sure as hell don’t wanna fight by someone’s side and think they got my back when their heart isn’t in it.” Casey’s lips scrunched together as she narrowed her eyes at everyone, but didn’t say anything. Shayla let out a small laugh, and I could tell she enjoyed the plate of ‘bitch you just got told’ Payne served to Casey in front of everyone.

  “For the most part I think all of us can agre
e with Payne. I know you girls haven’t been around this type of thing much before and especially not seein’ someone lose their life in front of you. It’s a hard job, and it takes a special kind of person to do it. It’s understandable if you don’t wanna continue doin’ it. It’s your choice to stay or leave,” Steele said, trying to ease the tension Payne had just made razor thin. The thought of going back to a normal life seemed like such an amazing idea. Part of me tugged toward that side. The look on my friends’ faces made it clear they were struggling with the same battle. I didn’t want this in my life. It was wearing me down. What I found out at Boo’s and now my memories … it was too much for me. Steele might eventually find out I wasn’t human and I would be the hunted. It was his job. Would his feelings be enough for him to look past that? I wasn’t sure and it scared me. A low hum filled the night and continued to get louder until a chopper came into sight. Dax landed at the base of the cave, and all the guys descended to get the stuff he brought in order to transport Liam’s body.

  “I don’t know what Payne’s problem is. He’s such a dick!” Casey said as soon as they were out of sight.

  “He just lost one of his friends, what do you expect? And frankly, I think he was right about everything he said, so if you don’t get that mind set in check I think you need to get to steppin,’” Raven replied.

  “I’m in agreement with that, hell maybe you just need to get steppin’ anyway,” Shayla cut in before Casey could reply.

  “Fine. All y’all want me gone? Well, when we get back to the training camp, I’m packin’ my shit and goin’ home. Y’all can keep fightin’ all this weird junk and end up dead, and I won’t give a shit. In fact, I’ll be like, ‘they deserved it.’ Hell, no one appreciates what I do for this group anyway.”

  “What do you do aside from stir junk up? You make explosives, wow. I didn’t see that helpin’ your ass when you about became dinner for that Wendigo,” Savannah screamed at her.