by Carver Pike
“I know,” she said and he knew she meant it.
Long ago it had taken some convincing, but Gabe knew that by now she really did know that he loved her.
Lisa followed Tact. The moon peeked through the clouds and Gabe caught himself watching her butt switch back and forth with each step. Things had been crazy since leaving the camp. Actually, things had been crazy since Lisa had become pregnant, not that crossing through the mirror into a world full of maniacs and monsters wasn’t insane enough. In fact, thinking back, although Gabe found Lisa to be overwhelmingly sexy, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d looked at her and thought about sex.
Focusing on her ass, and her natural sexy walk, reminded Gabe of the first night he’d made love to her. What had started in the hotel shower had led to their naked bodies being intertwined on the bed.
God, how he loved her. How could he have been so blind to not notice her at work, back on the other side of the mirror? Her dark hair, her honey brown eyes, her perky breasts and her body, the beautiful body of a natural woman, slightly soft in the stomach, but tight legs and backside. Lisa was stunning, and she cared so much for him. She always had.
Gabe hurried to catch up with her and grabbed her hand.
“What? What is it?” she asked.
Gabe reached out and touched her cheek. He held her face in his hand for a moment, discovering her again after such a long time entranced in tired responsibility.
“I love you,” he repeated.
She giggled.
“Seriously?” she asked. “Right now? What’s up with you?”
“Nothing,” Gabe answered.
He stared at her once more. Her hair hung down over her ears and Gabe remembered how she used to always keep her hair up in a pony tail on the other side, when they’d only been coworkers. He reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear so he could admire her pretty face.
Bronc and Emma moved around them. Emma leaned over to whisper in Lisa’s ear, but seemed to have a hard time controlling her volume, as Gabe heard her clearly.
“The journey across the lake will be long enough for the two of you to get some alone time if you want me to watch the babies,” she sang quietly.
“You know I can hear you, right?” Gabe said.
“It wasn’t a secret,” Emma said as she smiled at Lisa, who turned bright red, embarrassed.
“You know I just had a baby, right?” Lisa said. “I don’t think I’m in any shape to be cooking up another.”
Emma leaned in one more time and was about to whisper something into Lisa’s ear when Vincent leaned slightly away from Gabe’s body and brushed his fingers against Emma’s ribcage. Emma winced and held her gut. Gabe yanked back, pulling Vincent away from her.
“Ow,” Emma complained.
“What is it?” Hawks asked as he moved around the flirting couple. Ayana stopped to see what was going on, too.
“I don’t know,” Emma said, clutching her stomach. “Maybe only a cramp.”
Hawks looked at Vincent and then at Gabe and Lisa. Gabe looked down at his son.
“Vincent’s hand barely brushed her,” he swore.
Bronc put his arm around Emma, who seemed to be okay, and Gabe saw anger flash across his older friend’s face.
“Please,” Bronc begged. “Stay away from baby.”
“He’s just an innocent…” Emma argued.
“No, that child not innocent,” Bronc argued.
He looked as if he were about to reach out and grab Vincent by his neck.
“Brother,” Hawks said, grabbing Bronc’s shoulder. “Don’t. He is special.”
“I should throw his special ass into lake,” Bronc threatened.
Hawks touched Bronc’s chest with his open palm.
“Brother,” Hawks said again. “You seemed clear on your stance back at the gypsy camp. You know these babies are important. Don’t let your frustration lead you to do insane things. You’ve fought long and hard to suppress your evil ways. You are an image. Don’t behave like one.”
Bronc nodded his head.
“You are right.”
He grabbed Emma and pulled her in close so that her forehead was only a kiss away.
“Sorry, my love, I want protect you. Please, stay away from Vincent. Vision too, just in case.”
He took Emma by the hand and led her away, toward Tact, who was making his way down the beach.
“Bronc!” Gabe called out.
Bronc kept walking.
“Emma!”
She turned to look at Gabe.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“Everything’s fine,” Emma assured him. “Come on. We have a long journey ahead.”
Hawks put his hand on Gabe’s shoulder.
“Don’t sweat it, man,” he said.
“He said he wants to throw my son into the lake,” Gabe argued.
“He’s an image,” Hawks reminded him. “You’re lucky he only said it. Many images would’ve done it.”
Hawks and Ayana followed the others. Gabe stood for a moment with Lisa by his side. She seemed to be reading his thoughts as she tucked her arm in his and led him down the beach.
“At least we’ve had an exciting relationship so far,” she joked. “Beats Pampered Chef parties.”
Gabe laughed.
“I could sure go for Thursday night football though.”
“I’d be scared to death to see tackle football on this side of the mirror,” Lisa laughed.
Gabe laughed too and it felt great, but strangely out of place on the dark beach.
“Can you imagine?” he asked. “Field goals with grenades? Or two point conversions with barbed wire lining the end zone?”
“Come on, you big lug. Let’s get to that boat.”
Chapter 12 - Shiva’s Domain
Hugo, the tattooed, bald man who’d approached Savage Bear in prison, crept through the dark corridor. Statues of warriors, both champions and losers, lined the dimly lit walls. Torches were fastened to both sides, giving the tunnel an ominous glow. The shadows of the spears, swords, and shields of the warriors seemed to dance on the dirt walls.
Everything was quiet. Only the dripping of water from past rain that now leaked from unknown spots on the ceiling sounded off. The drips echoed, reminding Hugo that he was deep down within the dark side earth.
He slid his feet forward, creating a scraping sound, as his left then his right foot dragged across the ground. He wanted to move forward no more than he wanted to retrace his steps and try to find his way above ground.
Many brave soldiers had been lost underground. Most got confused when trying to hastily escape the dark tunnels. He’d heard the stories. Hugo knew that his best bet was to continue forward, and try to leave a scraped out trail with his feet to assist with a safe return. So he continued, cautiously making his way down the dimly lit cave.
Hugo looked left and right, hating the fact that he was alone. He would’ve pissed his pants if he’d had anything to drink in the last few hours.
The area above ground consisted of nothing but sparse dry land, cactus-filled desert. To travel to Lord Shiva’s lair meant a journey along scorched earth, where no one was interested in saving your dehydrated hide. As he remembered his trip above ground, he glared at the walls to his left and right, trying his best to pick out landmarks to help with his departure.
He was no idiot. He’d met Colossus, Ven Feero, and Kairo San in other regions of the dark side, but he worked for Lord Shiva personally. He knew that to reach the lair of the lord of any of the four quadrants he’d need to traverse strange, foreign ground, but at least with Lord Shiva, he knew what he was getting into.
A loud gong rang through the air, shaking the dirt walls of the tunnel, bringing dirt and dry dust down around him. Hugo wiped his forehead, smearing sweaty soil across his flesh.
Screams filled the air, so loud that he needed to cup his hands over his ears. His knees trembled as he fought the ringing in his ears.
> Skinless hands, looking like bones covered in meat and blood, shot out of the walls between the warrior statues and tried to grab Hugo, but he swatted them away. The hands retreated, backing into the walls, becoming part of the dry soil that lined both sides of him, until he had to question if he’d imagined them. No, he hadn’t. He was sure.
A second gong rang through the damp air, and the hands once again reached out to him. The dirty fingernails clawed at his flesh. One broke skin, sending a trail of blood running down his arm. Hugo clutched at the new cut as he sped up, racing to get to the end of the tunnel as quickly as possible.
The end of the corridor was up ahead and he lost his balance as his excitement grew, tripping over his own feet as he broke free, sending him sliding across the floor on his knees.
Hugo’s bones ached and his knees burned from scraping against the hard tile floor. He sat up and looked across the wide open room, barely lit by small candles lining the walls. The room was more shadow than light.
“Hello?” he called out from his spot on the floor.
He rubbed a hand at his fat, loose side, desperately trying to massage away the growing cramp.
He shivered as he heard the CLICKETY CLACK, CLICKETY CLACK from behind him and froze when he saw the pale white faces of the minions enter the room. Their noses had been ripped from their faces and the dried up cartilage beneath the skin was on display for the world to see. The minions had no teeth, only gums, and their eyes burned bright red.
“What is it you seek?” one of them asked.
Hugo’s heart raced. He’d seen the minions before, but he’d never been alone in their presence. Last time he’d had Vestor by his side, but Vestor displeased Lord Shiva and was now somewhere within the walls. At least that’s where he imagined his buddy had been taken.
Hugo knew the minions were expecting an answer, but for some reason he couldn’t find his voice. He was barely able to keep himself upright. He couldn’t stop the trembling of his legs. This time he felt his bladder let go, and he wasn’t sure where the liquid came from, but somehow, he pissed himself slightly.
“Speak or you’ll be of no importance to us, and you know what happens to unimportants,” a second minion spoke.
“No…no,” Hugo shouted. “I’m important!”
“They live within the walls,” the first minion informed him, a fact that Hugo already knew.
Everyone serving Lord Shiva knew what happened to those deemed unimportant.
“You saw them,” the second minion announced. “Your arm bleeds from their grasp. And they will continue to grasp for a million years, never satisfied, only the desire to pull others into the walls with them.”
Hugo gulped, feeling his Adam’s apple move.
“Lord Shiva will want to see me,” Hugo assured them through a quivering voice.
He contemplated making a run for it, but somehow he doubted he’d make it back to the corridor, let alone all the way through it.
“Do you want to know why the people in the walls scream?” the first minion asked, ignoring Hugo’s desire to see the master.
“I…I…” Hugo stuttered, his breath growing harder to control by the second. “I need to speak to Lord Shiva.”
“Lord Shiva of Bala Nishta speaks to no one,” the second Minion said.
“He will want to speak to me,” Hugo replied.
“As you wish,” the first minion said.
Hugo sensed that if the minions could laugh, they would. They were mocking him. They were used to people requesting the audience of Lord Shiva. This time though, they had no idea how important the delivery boy’s message was.
The ease at which they’d given in and agreed to let him speak to the boss worried him, and he began to doubt himself. He was sure Lord Shiva would want to hear his story, but the question of “what if he doesn’t” crossed his mind.
The minions moved out of the way, leaving Hugo plenty of room to tremble with each forward step as he crept through the dark, empty hall. He had no idea where to go. He’d only met with Lord Shiva by messenger, never in his lair.
“Take two more steps…then stop…and bow,” the first minion informed him.
Hugo shuffled forward a couple of steps and stopped. Should he bow? It seemed a bit ridiculous. He had an important message to relay, but did it really require bowing?
The first minion handed him a torch. Hugo accepted it, not liking the darkness that surrounded him. He waved the torch out in front of him, hoping to see something that would lead him forward.
“Bow,” the minion reminded him.
“Seriously?”
“Bow,” the minion said again.
Hugo crept forward a couple more steps and bowed.
“You stink of fear,” a deep, hoarse roar echoed through the air as Lord Shiva challenged his visitor.
Hugo didn’t know what to say. His legs trembled.
“Lord Shiva, I cannot see you,” he said.
“A pathetic fool such as you could not see me in person.”
In any normal situation, Hugo would play the tough guy role and tell this guy to shove it, but this was no normal situation and this was no normal guy he was speaking to. To tell this supernatural boss to shove it could mean having his head with spinal cord attached ripped clean from his body.
Lord Shiva breathed loudly; his voice seemed to float through the air all around Hugo, phlegm rattling in his unseen throat that caused a growling sound to bounce off all the walls.
“Lord Shiva, I have received word. Savage Bear has failed!” Hugo yelled.
He turned left and then right, not sure where the dark lord’s mucous-filled voice came from. A whisper in his ear caused him to turn quickly, and then a new whisper turned him the other way again.
“Why are you messing with me if I came to give you word?” he asked.
“If he has failed,” Lord Shiva announced, “then you have failed, and you’ve become unimportant to me. I’m sure my minions have told you what becomes of the unimportant.”
A wisp of cold air struck Hugo hard on his chin, nearly knocking him over.
“Wait!” he yelled. “I have more information. I’m not unimportant!”
Only silence. Lord Shiva was waiting for an explanation.
“Listen!” Hugo added. “Please, I have more news. There are two infants.”
Silence once again. Hugo turned in all directions, wishing he could see Lord Shiva. He threw his hands up in the air.
“Do you hear me?” Hugo asked. “There are two infants!”
“There are two?”
“Yes! And Colossus has already sent soldiers after them.”
“How do you know this thing?”
“I’m important, that’s how!” Hugo yelled. “I know things. I’m very resourceful. I have contacts! I’m very important.”
“I see.” Lord Shiva’s voice echoed through the air. “If Colossus wishes to send an army,” he added, “I will send my clan.”
“The Bounty Clan?” Hugo asked.
He had heard of the Bounty Clan. They were ruthless, nameless, senseless, and a bunch of other kinds of “less.” They were the ones called upon to take out those who’d become a problem for Lord Shiva. Hugo had never seen them, but he’d heard the horror stories, and he had no desire to meet them.
“Is that all you have for me?” Lord Shiva asked.
“Yes, Lord Shiva,” Hugo called out. “Well, my payment too, of course.”
He stood still. All he heard was silence, then the sound of his own swallow as the last remaining moisture trickled down his throat. Other sounds came to him, none pleasant. Silence and thunder. Crying from the hands reaching out from the walls in the tunnel behind him. He hated all of it. Especially the lack of response from Lord Shiva. That was worst of all. Then, when Lord Shiva replied, Hugo felt a moment of relief.
“Yes, of course,” Lord Shiva’s voice bounced off the walls around them, the phlegm sound lessening as it moved away from him.
Hugo stood
alone, in the silent darkness, wondering if that was the end to their meeting. He backed up toward the tunnel.
“And my payment?”
Only silence answered him.
“Hello?” Hugo called out.
No answer.
“This is bullshit!” Hugo said as he spun and made his way toward the minions and the tunnel of tortured souls. The whistling sound of the wind moving behind him caused Hugo to turn around and check the empty hall once more.
