Eric's Purpose

by Beth Hoyer

put Brianna.”

  He stared at the glass coffins when something shiny caught his eyes. He looked to see the shininess was from a staff with a letter Z symbol carved on the top sitting on a raised platform feet away and in front of it was an empty coffin with a see through cover open. Eric felt his feet moving towards the platform and reached the two step stairs which he walked up towards the coffin. He kissed Brianna’s forehead and lowered her body into the coffin placing her hands together. Something shiny around her neck caught his eye and he reached with trembling hands to the gold chain necklace around her neck which he took off unclasping the metal.

  He held up the necklace and spoke “In memory of you, I’ll wear this so I won’t forget.”

  He placed the necklace around his neck held in place with a clasp and stepped back as the cover moved closing over Brianna’s body with a click sound. He stared at her form through the cover as he reached with a hand and fingered the necklace.

  With a sigh he spoke again with determination in his voice “Life won’t be the same without you but I’ll see that I won’t forget you ever. I’ll oath my life on it that I’ll remember you no matter what happens to me.”

  Eric heard the Highlander speak from behind him “Eric, the shield has a price on those who put their loved ones here. The price is that the shield will make people wait seven suns before they’ll be allowed to enter again which is followed by entering as many times they like.”

  He stared at Brianna’s form lying in the glass coffin and then he turned around walking down the stairs giving her backward glances as he reached the Highlander who led him towards the doorway. Once out of the room Eric looked behind him to see the door slid shut followed by the shield field appearing between the devices guarding the door.

  With a groan he went to the wall to lean on it with his hand and heard the Highlander speak “Eric, you have a life to live. Those seven suns will go by if you’re busy with something to do.”

  He straightened up and turned to stare at the Highlander who gestured with a hand to follow him. He numbly followed the Highlander to the elevator which went up with a jerk. Eric jerked shutting his eyes as he felt the rages arrive and placed his fisted hands on his forehead growling loudly. He lowered his hands opening his eyes seeing nothing but whiteness and charged with fists hitting the metal wall of the elevator. He leaned his head on the wall panting as the rages left him and he unclenched his hands while feeling the elevator stop. Eric left the elevator following the Highlander down the hallway to a doorway where another Highlander standing there opened the door.

  He heard the familiar Highlander speak “These quarters are for you to stay in. Do what you want with the contents. I have business that requires me elsewhere.”

  Eric was pushed inside and heard the door close behind him. He looked around the room and saw two doors on opposite walls, one with glass squares in it. He went to the door without glass in it and opened it looking inside to see a large sized bed jutting from one wall facing him flanked by two dressers with lamps on top of them. He saw there was a window in the wall on his right and a door on the opposite wall. He went to the window and pulled up the cloth covering it to see the sun which was touching the horizon from peering through tall towering buildings of the city scattered in his eyes sight. Frowning he yanked the cloth down and went to the door opening it to stare at the contents of the room which appeared to be a bathroom. He closed the door and went out the bedroom to stand looking around in the quarters’ living room. Growling he yanked his gloves off and threw them onto the smooth yellow floor of the kitchen unit while grabbing the see through square small table that was in front of the couch and threw it at the bare wall. The table shattered as he went around the room picking up things and throwing them at the walls as anger arrived. Eric roared charging at the room’s padded chairs and couch clawing them with his clawed hands’ nails ripping off the material and shredding the padding. He charged attacking at the room’s contents with his hands as he let the anger take control followed by the rages arriving as his eyes sight clouded up in whiteness. He blindly looked around the room and charged with his fists in front of him. His fists hit the wall which he punched repeatedly pounding as the rages left him and his eyes sight cleared up. Growling he kept punching the wall till his strength began to leave him and stopped his punching to lean his head on the wall with his hands. He shook as he allowed the tears to flow from his eyes and twisted his form till his back was on the wall. Eric slid down till he was sitting on the floor and pulled up his legs with his face buried in his arms as he wept wet tears. He lay onto the floor curling in a ball still crying away as the light of the sun went away followed by night time. Eric gasped shaking of crying bouts through him. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to sleep dreamlessly passing out unconscious.

  The sun rose shining through the uncovered windows of the living room waking Eric up. He sat up with back to the wall and rubbed his hand on his face. He got up and looked around the apartment looking at the damage. His gloves lay on the kitchen unit’s floor alone. Frowning Eric went to the kitchen unit and picked up his gloves putting them on. He stood looking around and heard a knock on the door to the quarters. He went to the door and opened it which a Highlander in a female form wearing a blue uniform stood outside in the hallway.

  The Highlander spoke using her voice “His majesty the Sun Lord is home in the headquarters and wants to meet you. I’m here to take you to the Sun Lord.”

  Eric sighed and followed the Highlander out of the hallway to the elevator which they both went inside. He groaned feeling the confines of the elevator which went down then stopped opening revealing a hallway with doors in the walls with a corner at one end. He walked out following the Highlander to around the corner where there were more doors. Standing he saw in front of one of the doors was two Highlanders in blue uniforms.

  Reaching the door one of the Highlanders knocked on it and Eric heard a voice speak “Enter.”

  The Highlander opened the door and Eric walked inside the apartment to see other Highlanders standing around a male figure in black he assumed was the Sun Lord sitting in a chair at a table. He stiffened seeing the barrel shaped black head cover mask on the figure’s head and face that showed no details and no outline of the face, the eyes or ears.

  Frowning Eric walked forward towards the Sun Lord who held up a black gloved hand and he heard a male Highlander with head facing the figure speak while standing besides him “Says that’s close enough.”

  He stopped and stood staring at the Sun Lord who lowered his hand to place on his lap as the Highlander spoke again “Says I heard about your loss of your home and your mate, Brianna. Your descendants are being told of your situation.”

  Eric frowned at the Sun Lord’s words and kept his mouth shut.

  The Highlander spoke as the Sun Lord pointed to a female Highlander standing in front of the kitchen unit “Says put the breathing device on, Eric.”

  Eric looked to see the Highlander walking forward holding a device with tubes in one hand along with a thin hand sized boxy device in her other hand. He frowned as the Highlander reached him holding up two small tubes that were attached to two long large tubes that went to a thin hand sized boxy device. He sighed as he took the two small tubes and put them in his nostrils inside his nose while sensing air coming from them as he slipped part of the tubes around the back of his ears. The Highlander leaned down and clipped the box to his pant waist as he breathed through the device with his nose. Eric groaned as his eyes sight clouded up with whiteness then abruptly went clear leaving him blinking his eyes.

  He stared at the Sun Lord as the Highlander besides the figure spoke “Says your descendants have figured out a way to help you control your rages along with clothes for you to wear protecting you from the rains.”

  The Sun Lord he saw pointed at him as a Highlander besides him leaned behind picking up clothing from the table and walked forward carrying them. Eric stiffened seeing the c
lothes were exactly like the Sun Lord’s in the color black which were black socks attached to a thick suit with a collar and a jacket.

  He spoke “What’s going on? The clothes are exactly like yours, Your Majesty.”

  The Highlander spoke “Says I want you to take my place as Sun Lord.”

  He widened his eyes staring at the Sun Lord as he opened and closed his mouth of shock.

  Eric stared at the Sun Lord who reached up with gloved hands on the back of his head and pulled off the head cover mask lowering it to his lap. He gulped when he saw the Sun Lord’s face was Human, identical to his face looks but he had brown eyes and his short hair was completely white.

  He saw the Sun Lord move his mouth and heard a male voice speak “Eric, I’m your descendant named Eric whose line is from your son Ricky. Your nephew Drew and niece Erica have Highlander descendants who are currently serving me. Your other sister Ionela’s descendants went towards the medical field which it was they who worked on figuring out a way for you to control your rages and make it safer for you to walk in the rain.”

  The Sun Lord paused to get up from the chair which Eric saw had help from the Highlanders besides him while coughing spasms.