Shadows of Reality (The Catharsis Awakening Book 1)

by Christian Martin Jr.

  “I’m sorry, Matt,” she said looking back up at him. “You’ve been from one extreme to the next today.”

  Matt shrugged without a reply and continued to doodle unseen designs on the desktop.

  “Oh,” Alie started, “I meant to ask earlier while we were on the phone. Did Randy see those creatures at all?”

  “No,” Matt snapped; his head jerked up, and his eyes met hers again. “No, he didn’t. I tell you, I’ve never seen them like this before while awake. I usually see them in my peripheral. But this time, Alie, I was face to face with it…them. Same nasty things I fought in dreams or that vision I had. Hell, I might have been really awake then. Who knows? But, I saw it, them…and the other one was huge and it said, ‘You,’ when it saw me.”

  “Oh Matt, I’m sorry if the question came off like I didn’t believe you…I do…I do believe you.” she felt the heat rise in her cheeks again, but not from desire this time. She saw his blue eyes narrow, jaw tighten, and his index finger rose off of the console. Gone was the peaceful look that his eyes conveyed moments ago, replaced with conviction and a calculating coldness that gave her a quick shiver.

  “I know you do,” Matt softened his tone. “Has Jake called into service yet? I haven’t heard any radio traffic for a bit now and Randy is slotted to go end of watch in a few minutes. I’d like to meet with Jake right away.”

  “Yes, he actually telephoned in from home, said he was running a bit late.” Alie glanced at the monitor. “But he said he’s ready if something comes up. He said something about making a quick adjustment to his gear.”

  “Hmm,” Matt replied with a slight nod. “You know, Alie…”

  “Yeah?” she said looking at him, feeling a bit timid.

  “I’ve given a lot of thought over the past few hours. All this talk about, ‘Accept,’” Matt told her with his hands together at the finger tips. “…I do actually accept.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Yes,” Matt stated and nodded, “I accept the fact that my marriage was dead a long time ago and it was coming to an end; it was just a matter of time. I accept the fact that Jake, somehow, brought back a real piece of gold from our dreams. I accept the fact that what I’ve been seeing out of the corner of my eyes is as real as you and me standing here, and the fact that I actually was with Yeor this morning, drinking with him before I woke up.”

  She made no reply. Then, without warning, he pivoted as he looked like he was marching and began to walk out of dispatch.

  “And, Alie…” Matt stopped with his hand on the door handle, looked over his shoulder and down to the floor behind him.

  “Yes,” she said almost at a whisper.

  “I accept…” his toned softened again, “that our conversations help my mind. Your hugs are intoxicating, and being around you is like a breath of fresh air.” He turned the handle and swung the door open.

  Alie stood frozen in place, a shallow gasp escaped her as she watched him leave through the security door.

  22

  IMPLICATIONS

  Matt wheeled his patrol truck across both lanes of the highway, making a U-turn in order to position his vehicle in the oversized pullout that the department of transportation made for their snowplows to turn around. Perfect for both patrol trucks to park, side by side, and yet far enough off the roadway.

  He slowly drove within a hand’s breadth between his vehicle and Jake’s, and eased his truck forward and parked so that both driver windows were adjacent to each other.

  “Hey, brother,” Matt greeted as he turned off his patrol truck, along with all its lights, and smiled at Jake.

  “Hey, Sarge,” Jake replied and turned off his truck to mimic his sergeant. “Look, I’m sorry for being late. I was on the road five-minutes past.”

  “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah,” Jake replied while licking his lips, wiping sweat droplets off his brow, and then slid his hand down his face and traced the outline of the corners of his mouth with his fingers. “Yeah…I think so.”

  “Oh?” Matt didn’t let onto the fact that it was clear to see that Jake was engaged in an internal struggle of sorts.

  “Okay,” Jake began by placing the blade of his hand on the top of the steering wheel, “I’m late because I didn’t get up in time from a nap I was taking.”

  “Really?” Matt said it in more of a rhetorical tone than asking a question.

  “But here’s the thing, Matt, I had a hell of a time waking up. I was there. Right there in the woods. I could see Alie, Yeor, and that other goofy fella that smiles all the time but doesn’t say much—hell of a fighter tho, Barth. They were all standing together on top of the castle wall, kinda over toward the main gate.”

  Matt sat silent and motionless as he listened to Jake. His tone rose slightly as he spoke, and his hand on top of the steering wheel began to tremble. “The sun had just gone down and I was walking up a ravine toward the castle. I crested the ravine—”

  “Where do you remember entering?” Matt interrupted.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Where do you remember coming to; I mean, waking up there at the beginning of all this?”

  “This time, I came to just outside the main gate. It was closed for some reason—it’s usually wide open, especially during the day. So I decided to walk in the woods and explore a little bit. I came to this cliff at the end of a ravine I found myself in, not a sheer drop off but pretty damn close. That’s when I turned around to walk back up the ravine. Plus, the sun was going down and I always have this feeling when I’m there that I should be in the castle at night.”

  “What happened when you crested the hill? Or ravine, whatever it was?” Matt questioned.

  “Oh God, Matt!” Jake grabbed the top of the steering wheel with both hands and pulled himself further up into the seat. “After I see them on the castle, Yeor and Alie start craning their necks toward me. I thought they were looking right at me, but that’s when I heard thrashing to my left!” Jake paused and looked intently at Matt.

  “Go on,” Matt encouraged.

  “Matt, the biggest freaking monster came out of nowhere, headed straight for me. Grayish, blackish…it was huge! A green…speck…right in the middle of the blackest eyes I’ve ever seen! And…it was growling while it ran straight at me. It was bigger than me! Its arms must’ve been the size of my legs.” Jake grabbed his thighs with both hands. “I spun around and hauled ass back down the ravine. I heard a squealing behind me but I couldn’t look back—needed to see where I was going. There’s a shit load of downed trees at the bottom, along with boulders everywhere.

  “I ran like I never ran before, and the thing was gaining on me! By the time I reached the end of the ravine, for some reason I couldn’t stop. I knew the cliff was there but I just couldn’t stop. By this time it was already dark, so I didn’t know where the hell I was at. Then I heard horses coming up behind and yelling. Total chaos. But that wasn’t the worst of it…” Jake stopped and took a deep breath.

  Matt listened expressionlessly.

  “Matt, I fell over the cliff on a dead run…right over. There’s water at the bottom and it seemed like I fell forever. I…could not…wake up!”

  “Did you hit the water?”

  “No, Anna woke me—“

  “Your wife had to wake you up?”

  “Yes! Anna said she heard me screaming and ran into the bedroom. Found me thrashing around on the bed. Anna told me…” Jake stopped gesturing in mid-air with his hands, leaning out of the driver’s window, and said, “…she had been shaking me and screaming at me to wake up for almost a full minute!”

  Matt remained quiet. He sat with his elbow propped up on the window frame and his hand cupped his chin.

  “I was about to hit the water and that’s when I came to, screaming. I woke up, just soaked from sweat. It took Anna a little bit to calm me down,” Jake finished with a short sigh. “It feels a little better to get this off my chest.”

  Jake sat back in his
seat, looking up toward the headliner of his truck. Small beads of sweat on his forehead reflected the different colored lights from all the electronics embedded in the center console—red, orange, and green—all LED indicators whispering certain positions of on and off.

  Matt sat silently and continued to study Jake, calculating as to what, and how much information he should share with him about the events of the past few hours. He contemplated what he should say to him as his friend and how much information related to him as a deputy. Perhaps only the bare facts of his call earlier and nothing more of his encounter with the creatures, and then maybe ask Alie not to mention her dream to Jake until later.

  “You okay?” Matt broke the long silence.

  “Yeah, thanks for listening,” Jake said, turning his head toward Matt.

  Matt fell quiet again with his eyes closed.

  Later, perhaps I could go to Oneiron tonight after I get off duty and ask Yeor what is going on. Find out why we’re all having the same things happen.

  “What do you think?” Jake asked.

  “Well,” Matt flicked his eyes open and hoped that it was dark enough on the moonless night that Jake didn’t catch him with his eyes closed. “For one, I believe you. Two, I think—”

  Hi-Lo alert tones blared over the police band and Jake sat straight up and muttered something. Matt only turned his head slightly to look at the radio.

  “104, 109, respond to the intersection of highway one-nineteen and Road Sixty. I’m taking numerous 9-1-1 calls regarding a man kicking at cars as they drive by and yelling obscenities. One caller stated that the individual was carrying something in his hand and thought it could be a gun. The description we have at the moment is a male party wearing only jeans. No further at this time,” Alie advised with a steady tone in her voice.

  “Oh hell, that’s just right around the corner,” Jake chuckled.

  “Yep, I’m right behind you.”

  Both started their trucks as though they synchronized the action in some earlier practiced event. Headlights came on, and the red and blue overhead emergency lights were already flashing before they drove onto the pavement.

  Matt hit the accelerator and spun his truck around on the dirt shoulder such that by the time he hit the pavement his truck was already facing the right direction on the black top and was only a few seconds behind Jake.

  “104, we copy. We’re not far out,” Matt replied.

  “Copy sir, at twenty-one-forty-seven.”

  Moments later, Jake broke the short lived radio silence, “109, show me arrival. Got one male party and he’s going ballistic,” he announced over the radio. Before Alie could reply with the time, Matt pulled in behind Jake’s vehicle.

  “104, arrival. We have a white male, no shirt, no shoes or socks, only blue jeans; about five-nine, medium build, brown hair. We also have an aggressive German Shepherd that’s not on a leash; I’m assuming it belongs to this guy,” Matt calmly stated as he parked his vehicle offset next to Jake’s and angled to block the lane. He slammed the emergency brake pedal to the floor and in the same motion jumped out of his truck with nightstick in hand.

  Jake had stopped approaching the man due to the German Shepherd standing in front of his vehicle—its hackles raised and barking furiously, teeth barred, and foam spraying everywhere. Jake stood next to his patrol truck, just behind the glow of the headlights.

  “Sir, drop the stick now!” Jake ordered, after he recognized the object in the man’s hands.

  “Fuck you. I don’t have to fucking listen to you. Fuck you!” spluttered the man, arching forward toward Jake, grasping the small log in his hand and tightening every muscle in his body—veins and tendons popping out of his neck and shoulders, all illuminated by the red and blue lights bouncing in all directions. The man then began pacing back and forth on the gravel shoulder of the roadway, angrily muttering to himself while tossing obscenities to the trees, sky, and then back at Jake.

  When the man started pacing, the dog began barking at the trees. Suddenly, the dog barked straight up at the sky, and then directed its attention back to Jake; taking short hopping movements on its front paws, followed by its hindquarters stamping around; all four paws kicking up dirt and strewing small pieces of gravel.

  Matt glanced toward Jake, and Jake unholstered his Taser and held it forward but down. The dog suddenly stopped barking and became eerily silent—listening and searching the air with its snout. The man skidded to a stop in the middle of his tirade and stared at his shepherd.

  “No, Gina!” screamed the man at the dog.

  “Drop the stick, sir, now! And call off your dog, or I’m gonna shoot it!” ordered Matt as he stepped near Jake and slightly forward into the glare of the headlights. Out of the corner of his mouth he told Jake, “You watch the guy, I got the dog.”

  “Copy,” Jake breathed a reply.

  “Fuck you. You better not shoot Gina. She’s all I got.”

  “Drop the stick!” Matt ordered in an authoritative gravelly tone, with his finger pointed at the man.

  “Why are you doing this to me!?” No longer pacing, the infuriated man screamed and slammed the stick down. “You fucking don’t understand? Do you?”

  “104, 109, status.” Alie’s voice broke through the tension.

  “109, we’re code four—for now. Get us an ambulance on standby, this guy might be experiencing some sort of excited delirium,” Jake responded.

  “Copy sir, at twenty-one-fifty-five.” The radio hissed and went silent again.

  “Thanks, I was thinking the same thing,” Matt said through compressed lips. Matt took another step toward the man and in a firm yet friendly tone said, “Sir, we’re only here to help, but I need you to keep your hands so I can see them and—”

  Gina yelped, whipped her head from side to side, and then bolted across the highway bounding into the pines. Her barking and snarling became muffled as she plunged deeper into the woods.

  The man stopped screaming obscenities and froze in the middle of his flexion as he watched his dog dart off—he flicked his eyes back and forth from the tree line to Matt.

  “No, don’t do it…don’t you run. You won’t get very far,” Matt commanded, then he turned his head slightly to Jake, telling him loud enough so the man could hear him, “Get your Taser ready to go, let him have it if he decides to run.”

  “You don’t understand. They’ll kill her!” he screamed while tightening his upper torso.

  Matt bristled at the implication. He quickly glanced toward the tree line, then back to the suspect. The chase was on—by the time he returned his glance the man had already started running across the highway after his dog.

  To his right where Jake was standing, a loud pop, then the quick electronic arc staccato from Jake’s Taser after he fired it; followed by, “Shit, I missed.”

  Matt quickly reacted and was on top of the shirtless belligerent by the time they reached the edge of the forest. He grabbed the man around the neck, quickly tucked his head into the man’s back and drove him forward into the ground.

  They tumbled down a slight slope just beyond where a few lodgepole pines clustered after the highway’s shoulder and DOT’s safety berm. The man continued to yell obscenities and thrash about in the pine needles and quaker leaves that carpeted the forest floor.

  Matt held onto the man’s shoulders and tried to gain control of his arm. “Stop fighting!” Matt bellowed at the man who continued to flail his arms and legs, and to twist his torso while Matt pinned him to the ground, belly down.

  A few pressure points that Matt tried only infuriated the man more, and Matt found himself compromising balance and a sure grasp to apply the techniques. The belligerent wiggled free, and furiously began to crawl away from Matt. He quickly grabbed the man’s ankle, which slowed his escape. Movement to Matt’s right side caused him to look. Jake, silhouetted by the flashing red and blue lights, rounded a tree on a dead run toward them.

  All flickered in the dance of red and blue l
ights. The night became a cacophony of strobed lights, shadows, momentary glimpses of men running, faces, a dog barking, and patches of snow.

  “Stop right there, sheriff’s office!” Jake screamed as he pounced on the man, who had rolled over onto his back at the sound of Jake’s command. They both plowed into the trunk of a large ponderosa pine. Gina’s barking neared, as did the sound of twigs and branches breaking just beyond the tree.

  “Let me go!” cried the man as his eyes widened even further and his breathing quickened as he continued to struggle.

  “I got this one,” Matt shouted after grabbing the man’s left wrist and applying pressure, effectively locking the man’s hand and wrist in place.

  Gina’s barking grew louder as did the sound of rapidly breaking branches and the rustling of the forest’s duff as she approached—seemingly on a flat out run. Matt swung the suspect’s arm around behind his back and in two quick movements Jake had the guy in handcuffs.

  “I got the dog,” Matt told Jake when he saw movement through the lower boughs of the ponderosa, opposite from where they were. Matt yelled at the man, “Call your dog off!”

  “Noooo…she’s gonna die! You have to help her!” the man’s face filled with terror as the red and blue lights flickered off his eyes.

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Jake shouted at him.

  Matt felt tingling up his back at the man’s statement.

  Gina let out a loud yelp at the base of the tree.

  Jake flinched back and shouted, “Sarge!”

  Matt immediately sat up on his haunches and peered through the boughs. Two dark images: one large, one smaller, and then…

  clicking

  The red and blue lights sparkled off the shiny edge of a crescent blade that came swinging out of the darkness. A growl. Jake gasped. The belligerent stiffened and screamed.