The Shadow Above The Flames

by Daniel Swenson

  The little boy’s eyes widened as the old man spoke. "I picked some of those flowers the other day. Are they going to turn me into a frog?"

  The older man laughed wholeheartedly. "No, they won't turn you into a wart-ridden frog because those nymphs tend to like little boys and ignore the occasional flower picking."

  "Rick, wake up!"

  Rick turned his head to see who had called his name, but no one was there. When he turned back to the pond, the older man and the little boy were gone. Confused, Rick raced over to the other side of the pond to search for them. There were no signs of anyone. He looked around to see if he could find the person that had called out his name.

  "Come on, Rick, wake up!" he heard.

  Rick searched again for the source of the voice.

  That voice sounds an awful lot like Henry's. He thought. But how can that be? He's . . .

  Rick leaned over to gaze at his reflection in the pond.

  How did I get here? he wondered. I don't remember getting permission to take leave and head back to Upstate New York.

  Rick bent down and picked up a rock. He flipped it over in his hands before launching it into the pond. The water rippled, as it always did, Rick remembered a small Irish farmhouse shaking uncontrollably.

  When did I make it back from Ireland? Did Union Forest come rescue us, and if so, why can't I remember that?

  "Grandpa, get up!" he heard a boy shout. "Somebody help us!"

  The clouds above started to darken as Rick raced across the field towards the source of the young boys desperate pleas.

  Rick burst in through the cabin door to find two boys leaning over an older man trying to get him to respond. Tears streamed down the younger boy’s face as he pleaded for his grandfather to get up. And then without warning, the older boy shoved him out of the way.

  "Ricky, call nine-one-one!" he shouted.

  The younger boy crashed into a wooden side table, sending the contents crashing to the floor. An old oil lamp, which Rick only noticed now, tumbled from the table and shattered across the floor. The oil in the lamp splashed across the room soaking the drapes. The fire quickly spread and ate up the newly freed oil.

  "Henry!" the little boy yelled as he pointed at the fire.

  The older boy looked up and raced about, trying to find something to put out the fire. No matter what he tried, the flames kept growing.

  "Get out of here!" the older boy shouted.

  The younger boy froze as the flames grew closer. He struggled to move, but fear paralyzed him. He tried to call out to his brother, but he couldn't find the strength to even squeak. The older boy tried to drag the old man to safety when he noticed his younger brother frozen in fear. He looked down at the unconscious man, but then raced for his brother.

  "Rick, wake up!"

  The ground at Rick's feet trembled, and the floorboards broke away. The pond appeared in the middle of the cabin. Rick turned around to find that the cabin was gone. Before him, were two boys sitting next to the pond weeping.

  The little boy looked up at the older one and whispered,

  "I'm sorry, Henry. It's all my fault that Grandpa's gone."

  The older boy wrapped his arms around his younger brother.

  "No, it's not. It's mine. If I hadn't pushed you, none of this would’ve happened."

  The older boy turned his head and looked directly at his younger brother.

  "Wake up!" he shouted.

  The water in the pond began to rock back and forth, splashing all around its edge.

  "Rick, please wake up!" the voice yelled from everywhere and nowhere.

  Rick peered up at the darkening sky above the pond. Dark clouds swirled above while forks of lightning danced within the growing malevolence of the storm. A massive beast flew out of the dark clouds and raced towards Rick. He shielded his face from the dark and hideous beast that flew straight for him.

  Something struck Rick hard across the face, but he couldn't see what it was. He shook his head trying to make sense of what was going on. He heard a screech and saw the Beast coming for him again. Try as he might he couldn't take his eyes off of the charging beast.

  "Wake up, or I swear I'm going to—" Something struck Rick hard across the face again. His vision blurred, but he could still see the giant Beast reaching out to grab him.

  “Rick, please I can’t lose you.” The voice whispered.

  Rick opened his weary eyes, and above him sat his brother, Henry, who looked down at him extremely concerned. Next to Henry sat Jacobson, who was rummaging through his medical kit, and an old friend from the neighborhood back home, Lenny Kowalski, who furiously typed on a laptop.

  "He's opening his eyes!" Henry shouted. "Lenny, put down that damn laptop and go find me some water."

  Lenny sat the laptop down and dashed off beyond Rick's view.

  "Henry? . . . How can you be here?" Rick asked.

  "He arrived not too long ago," Jacobson answered.

  Rick turned to regard the specialist. Is this real? Rick wondered. Moments before, the pond back in upstate New York seemed real. Could this be another dream?

  It had to be a dream, Rick thought. This was a covert operation, and there is no possible way that either Henry or Lenny could be here. His head felt like it was full of cotton, and it was difficult to think. This dream seemed more vivid than the one he had just moments ago.

  He sat there smiling sheepishly as Henry demanded that Jacobson explain everything that had happened to the team since they made landfall and, most importantly, what had happened to Rick. Wasn't it just like my big brother to come save the day even in my dreams, Rick mused. Henry was always there for him no matter what. Too bad this is a dream like the other one because then we'd really have a fighting chance to get off this island.

  Rick stared hard at the laptop unsure why that would be here in his dream.

  "Why is Lenny here?" he asked out loud, not realizing he had done so.

  Henry laughed.

  Rick relaxed a bit when he heard the sound of Henry’s laugh. His laugh was something he hadn't heard in a long time, and it helped to put him at ease.

  "Am I dreaming or something?"

  "No,” Henry said, “it's really me. How I got here is a long story. But first let's make sure you're okay."

  Lenny returned with a water bottle and handed it to Henry.

  Henry offered it to Rick before turning to Jacobson. "Help me sit him up; he needs to get this water down."

  Both men put their arms under Rick's shoulders and lifted him up to a sitting position. Pain exploded in Rick's left shoulder as he sat up, which made him fully lucid and awake. He cursed and then swallowed some water from the bottle that Henry brought to his mouth. Rick drank it to slake his extreme thirst. When he finished, Henry handed another water bottle to him, and he chugged that one down as well.

  When he was done, he turned to regard Henry. "Seriously, is that really you, or is this some sort of mad delusion I'm having because Jacobson slammed my shoulder and head into that stone fence?"

  Henry wrapped his arms around Rick in a tight embrace.

  "For a moment there, I thought I lost you," he said in a half-choked voice.

  "I didn't crush Roger Smythe's nose, blackmail a Union Forest vice president, travel across the Atlantic, trade explosives with an old sea dog, and come to an island with a gigantic fire-breathing beast to watch you die in front of me after I finally find you."

  Henry pushed Rick back to arm’s length. "You did good, kid; I'm proud of you. Jacobson told me a little about what's been going on and what's happened to your team. I have to say, I don't know if I could have faced a mutant sewer monster as well as you guys did."

  Henry wrapped his arms around Rick again. Rick winced a bit from the sudden pain but decided to ignore it for now. Besides, the pain had receded somewhat because the healing agent was starting to kick in. Rick stared at Henry in disbelief as reality truly sank in.

  He asked again, "What is Lenny doing here?" />
  Henry laughed. "Now, that's a longer story than we have time for. Let's just say that if it wasn't for Lenny I wouldn't be here right now."

  Lenny looked up from his laptop at the mention of his name. He met Rick’s eyes and smiled. Rick realized that he and Henry were the closest thing to a family Lenny had left. Lenny half waved at Rick and then went back to working on his laptop. Rick chuckled as he watched Lenny busy with whatever it was he was doing. He then turned his attention back to Henry who waited patiently.

  "What do you mean if it wasn't for Lenny you wouldn't be here?" he asked.

  "Well, Lenny intercepted your emergency beacon, and through his techno-wizardry, he prevented Union Forest from immediately killing your signal. Once he did that, he came and told me of your plight. What happened after that will have to wait. Just know that without his help, you and Jacobson would most likely be living out the rest of your days on this godforsaken island."

  Henry did his best to smile, but his worry for his little brother bled through as he watched Rick.

  "How are you feeling? Do you think you can stand?"

  Rick still wasn't sure if he was dreaming or not. He sat there digesting everything that Henry had told him. His head still felt fuzzy from the drugs Jacobson had injected into him after he had fallen unconscious. Still dazed, he looked from Jacobson to Lenny and back to Henry in disbelief.

  "Can you answer me something before I answer your questions?" Rick asked.

  "Sure, what is it?" Henry said.

  Rick stared Henry straight in the eyes and asked, "How did it feel to crush Roger Smythe's nose? That guy seemed like a pretentious jackass when I met him."

  Henry let out a huge gut-busting laugh.

  "I've traveled halfway across the world, and that’s all you want to know?"

  Rick nodded.

  "Very well." Henry laughed. "First off, it wasn't my intention to crush his nose; I was defending myself. But in all honesty, it felt great."

  Rick smiled and lifted his hand, reaching out for Henry's.

  "Good. I hope you left a mark he won't soon forget. Help me up; I'm feeling a lot better now."

  Jacobson and Henry grabbed Rick’s arms and helped him to stand. At first, Rick was a little uneasy on his feet because his mind believed that the ground was still shaking. But after a few moments, he was able to regain his footing and stood without any assistance.

  Rick was shocked to find that there wasn't much left of the old farmhouse. Most of the old house’s outer stone walls had collapsed from the intense vibrations. Rick and Jacobson had been lucky enough to get out of the house alive before it had collapsed.

  As Rick stood there, he realized that time had become somewhat of a blur and he wasn't sure how much time had passed. Everything that had happened with the team including the change of being underground to above ground had thrown off his internal clock.

  How many days has it been since we made landfall? He wondered.

  Rick excused that thought and decided to watch Henry, who talked with Jacobson and Lenny by the vehicle his brother and friend had driven here from the coast. Rick still couldn't believe that Henry was here in Ireland with him. Part of him was elated that Henry was here, which meant they stood a real chance at getting off this island, but another part of him felt a twinge of disappointment. Henry once again had swung in on a vine to come and save his poor distressed little brother. How many times had others hazed Rick because Henry kept coming in to save the day?—too many for Rick to even begin to count.

  Rick sighed as a cool breeze from the north gently caressed his cheek. He took in several calming breaths, letting the cool air tickle his nostrils, before he exhaled and let go of the tension and anger that had built up within him. Henry was a good brother. He had always been there for Rick no matter what, and never once asked for anything in return.

  Even now, Rick knew Henry was only here to save him and his team from perishing on this godforsaken island. Rick couldn't deny how helpful it would be to have Henry here. His training, his skills, and the equipment he brought would help them escape the island. Rick checked himself and felt stupid for getting frustrated over the fact that Henry was here to help.

  How many brothers would risk everything to rescue their kid brother from an island that is the home of a giant man-eating beast where few have escaped?

  Rick trudged across the patchy dirt field with his hands in his pockets, kicking aside the rocks as he walked. Henry quietly walked alongside him, waiting to know when it was okay to talk. The brothers had done this many times over the years, where Rick would hear Henry out and then need to time to digest it all. Henry had taken Rick aside and told him about everything that had happened including his deal with Mr. Perkins in retrieving the data core. Henry said he had a strategy to get them off the island. Rick knew that when Henry gave his word, he wouldn't go back on it.

  Rick needed time to cool down. After Henry had finished telling him everything, Rick still wanted to punch Henry in the face, or at the very least, yell at him due to their last conversation. Then he remembered all that Henry had done to come save him. So he thrust his hands deep into his pockets and stormed off. Henry followed, but at a distance, quietly keeping pace while Rick cursed and muttered to himself.

  Finally, after his temper simmered, Rick turned to confront Henry.

  "Why in the world did you have to promise that you would go to Ardmore and get that data core for them?" Rick asked though he already knew the answer.

  "I don't expect you to understand, but it was the only way for me to get over here. I couldn’t get here without Mr. Perkins’ assistance, and you would’ve been written off like the previous team."

  "What do you mean like by the previous team? There was more than one team that was sent here to the island?"

  "It's a long story, but apparently, this wasn't the first time Union Forest has sent a team here to retrieve the data core. The last one met with a brutal death at the hands of the local wildlife. To be honest, you probably made it farther than they did in the first hour."

  "Are you serious? There was another team before us, and they still sent us in?"

  "Unfortunately, yes."

  Rick sighed as he paced. "That thing is back there, and you can't imagine how horrifying it is. I've seen it with my own eyes. Even my nightmares pale in comparison. What chance do we have against something like that? I've already lost two unit members to this mission. I don't want to lose my only brother and an old friend from back home."

  Henry put his hand on Rick's shoulder. Rick's anxiety was building and he shifted from one foot to the other.

  "I can't imagine what you guys had to deal with over here, but I know what you've faced here because I’ve seen some of what happened here recently with my own eyes. When I was in Mr. Perkins’ office, I discovered that the Beast is still here."

  "How?" Rick asked. "How did you figure it out when everyone at Union Forest said it didn’t live here anymore?"

  "I had come across a report from one of Union Forest’s scientist that believed the Beast was masking its heat signature. Then I noticed something suspicious when I watched satellite feed of the strange storm that happened a week ago and I saw it. Union Forest knew there was a chance that thing was here, and Perkins confirmed that fact to me, in his own way. Because of Perkins’ knowledge, I was able to leverage him to get me here to pull you out, and, well, . . . I came prepared."

  Henry smiled that mischievous smile of his which Rick knew all too well. Every time Henry smiled like that, Rick knew he was bound to end up in a giant mess. Rick tried to hide his worry, but Henry must have noticed because he slapped Rick on the back and burst into another fit of laughter.

  "You know,” Henry said, “I am extremely proud of you, and I'm sorry that I don't tell you that enough. You have faced impossible odds over here and on the many other missions you were assigned to over the past few years. How about we go fishing when we get back home?"

  "That would be nice."
>
  "How about we go to that old pond grandpa used to take us to?"

  Rick turned to Henry and tried to determine if he was still dreaming. Hadn't he just dreamt about that same pond while he was unconscious? What were the possibilities that Henry would mention it to him after all these years?

  "Well, what do you think?" asked Henry.

  "Yeah, I'd like that. It has been too long since we've been there."

  Henry smiled and patted Rick on the shoulder.

  "Let's go gather Jacobson and Lenny. We've got some planning to do."

  The black alpha male wolf carefully made its way across the field following the trail of the human that had killed its mate. Their scent had been faint, but eventually, it became stronger. It saw an old wooden structure in the distance; it knew its prey was there. Cautiously, it crept up as close to the structure as it dared on its own. There, it huddled down behind some old wood that had been stacked next to the barn. With its keen eyes, it watched two of the humans from afar.

  It watched as one of the humans paced back and forth, making noises that made no sense to its keen ears, but sounded vaguely familiar. That didn't matter to the alpha; all that mattered now was that one of these humans had killed two members of its pack, one of them being its mate. It would get its vengeance one way or another, and the whole pack would feast on their torn and mangled bodies.

  Earlier when the ground shook violently, it had frightened off many members of its pack. But the alpha knew that they would return now that the ground had stopped shaking. The alpha had returned to where the humans had killed its mate, but when it got there, they were gone.

  Their scent had been rather difficult to follow at first, but thankfully, the alpha had found something that one of the humans had dropped. It was some sort of buzzing thing that gave off a soft light. The alpha took in the strong scent of the humans from the thing it had discarded. It howled in delight and took off running to find its quarry.

  It had tracked the humans to this field, but it found that the humans outnumbered it, so it waited to make its move. It noticed that one of the humans appeared to be wounded because it leaned heavily on a large tree branch to help it walk. Maybe if the opportunity arose, it would strike at the wounded one first, which would help to thin out their pack.