Legacy of the Defender (The Defender Series Book 1)

by Jacob Spadt

  “And here you are now,” she said after a moment of silence.

  “Yeah, here I am…a freak of nature.” I looked at the floor for a moment when I felt her hand on my chin. She held my gaze for a few more moments and cocked her head to the side ever so slightly.

  “There is more Eryn…more that does not make any sense. I have these waking dreams now that are so real it feels like I am standing there. There are daemons fighting me. This happens more and more. It literally feels like there are two swords in my hands when facing these creatures, and I am using movements never seen before, not even in the movies. A normal person that is trained probably could not do them.” I paused and looked at her. She remained trained on my eyes with hers.

  “In the actual dreams, my skills are impressive. There are monsters that I assume are daemons, that are so horrific that I cannot believe I feel no fear. I get excited even as I am saying this at the thought of fighting them. I literally think about them when I am awake, trying to sleep, or sleeping. I just want to slay them. My viewpoint in the dream is never looking at myself but based on where I am standing and sometimes looking at the ground. My size is the same as now.”

  I glanced at her. She intently listened to me but had a questioning look on her face. She had to be thinking, "He is insane.” Those thoughts ran through my own mind when this first started to happen. I brushed it off as some sort of posttraumatic stress but the more they happened, the more it made me question my sanity. In the end, I still felt nuts for even experiencing what my life had become. She seemed to be taking the information well, but I knew that she had to be thinking I was crazy.

  “To top all this off, Eryn, there is the small matter of all those wounds I was receiving. How do we explain that? How can anything explain that? I know the church believes in stigmata, and that is why they came to examine me. I am fine with all that. Whatever…I just…I just.” My words fell silent.

  “You just what?” she asked.

  I stared at the floor. A flood of emotion built inside me, like a volcano preparing to erupt. My shoulders shook. It was the first time I had actually listened to myself explaining things aloud. It was the first acknowledgment that something might really be happening to me.

  Eryn stayed put. She said again, “You just what?”

  “I just want to know why.” I looked at her. My eyes began to moisten.

  “We will figure this out,” she said. “For now, just keep talking. Keep sharing. The more you talk, the more you will understand.”

  I stared at her, amazed. Did she understand me? Was she real?

  “Talk,” she repeated.

  “Okay, um… Well, the church obviously felt it was daemon attacks on my defenseless body while I was in a coma. I was never much of a religious person. Daemon attacks don’t make much sense, do they?” My recant must have stirred deeply, her memories of caring for me. She was crying now. I was not accustomed to drying her tears. Thankfully, I did not poke her eye out or something. For having large digits, my hands were very dexterous. The flow stopped after a moment and she put her hand on my cheek again.

  “Whatever this is, Tathlyn, we will figure it out. I am really going to have to get used to this new name you have given yourself.”

  “Dieter is no longer. Whatever I am is yet to be determined, but he is gone.” Hearing these words come out of my mouth was very strange. After sixteen years of answering to my name...that felt like a distant memory. I tried to imagine my future, but there was an insurmountable wall needing climbing. It was ironic that there seemed to be daemons on the top of the wall and flying above it. I found it ironic that they looked like the ones from my dreams. I knew this was just an image in my head. It just seemed like it was actually there, especially now.

  Silence blanketed over the room like when a hero on television gets his bell rung and he cannot hear anything. The sound comes rushing back as he got his senses back. It was very similar to me as I sat there in this intimate moment with Eryn, except there was no explosion...just a moment of clarity that everything truly was connected. The answers existed somewhere inside my mind. It would not be easy since with no idea how to do it. As I sat there holding Eryn, it was hard to not feel that together we would be unstoppable. I could not explain this feeling. I only knew it to be true.

  The door rattled like someone tried to open it without the key and Eryn sat got to her feet. She pointed up to the camera and made a motion that would turn them on soon. It was easy to forget they were watching all the time. She had to maintain that she was not forming any attachments, which made sense. Since my awakening, I knew now that she felt the same in return. Moments later the door opened and in came another nurse with something on a tray that looked like meds.

  I glanced at Eryn and shook my head slightly. I did not want any medications. I looked at my arm still shaking my head. She saw my look and stepped forward towards the other nurse. “I’ll take that,” she said, intercepting her rather quickly. This startled the other nurse. She handed the tray to Eryn, glanced at me, and scurried out of the room. Eryn looked at the tray and frowned. Her reaction was obvious that she did not like the contents of the tray. She knew that I had only agreed to test if there were no medications involved. There was nothing wrong with me mentally and she knew it.

  This was another ploy for someone in some office somewhere to try to gain control over me or make me do something. They had a reason to keep me. Eryn walked over to the door and unlocked it. She winked at me and nodded. Opening the door, I saw her slide the contents from the tray into her pocket very discreetly. She gave me one last smile and said, “I’ll be back to check on you after I look in to whose order is attached to these meds.” Then she was gone.

  Alone in my thoughts again.

  My senses were on overload after kissing and holding her close. My reaction to the way she treated me must mean I was falling for her. Nothing like this happened to me as a teenager. Feelings spinning out of control must have been hard for an adolescent. I at least had the benefit of the mature body, but my brain felt under-developed in some ways. There was confusion over my feelings. My anger over the treatment I had received was rather unchecked and not resolved. This was only part of the solution. Dealing with it would be the hardest part. I did not understand what was going on. Fear of the unknown was becoming my greatest challenge. Something told me that there was more at stake than my sanity.

  My forearm itched. Scratching it subconsciously, I did not even look down at first. The raised portion of the skin where the mouth outline was still bothered me. It felt like a latent burn. My skin felt calloused with a leathery texture to it. The sensitivity of the area was incredible but did not register the sensation. The feeling was none other than a bug that had crawled across the area; my scratches smashed it.

  By the time, my eyes looked down the image from earlier had returned. I could see the maw, full of rotting, razor sharp teeth...mouthing the word “remember.” It did this repeatedly and if it was stuck on repeat. Blinking, I looked again. Was the wound talking to me? Did they find a way to drug me after all? Still, the damaged area spoke. I watched it for several minutes, trying to learn something...anything...that could give me more clues to my current situation. It began to fade after a while and was gone, leaving a slight discoloration of the skin and a faint scar. I heard a whisper in my mind say, “Remember.” This time the voice sounded like the chorus of two voices blended. They did not sound like a monster...but something dulcet. This created some complexities that pitted the dreams against something serene and calming.

  While trying to focus on this event, visions of monsters flashed in my mind. I could only guess they were representations of the daemons in my dreams. The overpowering desire to do something physical hit me. At first I tried walking around the room, but due to my large stride it took me only a few paces to make it around the room and doing so several hundred times seemed ridiculous. After about fifteen revolutions, I dropped into a push up stance and cranked out several h
undred of them realizing I was not even getting tired. My mind raced faster than I could move. I decided to try another route.

  I sat down and slowed my breathing. Images still flashed through my mind like a slide show on speed. It was very difficult. The images were flowing by so fast and I found myself actually watching them and capturing them as they went. Only a fraction of it made sense, but it seemed to be images of some pre- Stone Age society, or tribe. They sat around a campfire talking to a large creature that remained out of focus. The fire was huge and lit the area in a rather large clearing quite well. People wore leather armor of some type and carried strange looking weapons. Just as I began to focus on the weapons, the scene changed to a battle that involved familiar creatures.

  Daemons.

  Now this was interesting...very interesting. Believing came easily for me since my perception of reality changed each and every day. These new events added to that belief.

  The daemons attacked these town folk by the hundreds. People fell left and right to the jaws and claws of the small denizens. In the end, the people were triumphant over their foe. Bodies of the creatures littered the ground. The scene changed and there was a large shadow overhanging the people fighting. A huge claw swung out and fell multiple people at a time. It was horrific at first because it came so suddenly. I did not expect to see people falling by the dozens to this unseen threat.

  Those left scattered. This attacker, a looming shadow, remained unseen. The only part of it, a huge curved talon, rained death, and terror down on the people standing to defend their town. All hope seemed to be lost. None could stand against this new evil.

  Sadness washed over me. Tears began to well in my eyes. This was not fair. How could evil like this exist even in my dreams or daydreams? Evil of this nature created imbalance. Vengeance swelled inside me. It was very strange to go from one extreme to the other in a short period, but I almost did not know the difference these days. As the images swam by, the townsfolk continued to scatter into the smoke from the burning town. They ran from the monster; some only got a few steps before it cut them down.

  A large figure emerged from nowhere. Covered with brownish fur from head to toe, it carried no weapon of any kind. My view from behind it detailed its broad shouldered with long arms moving with powerful grace as it ran right into the darkness and engaged the daemon. This newcomer’s speed was amazing. It moved so fast as if watching a blur to a movie that had been sped up, only I knew this was not the case. The monster moved just as fast as he had been while attacking the town folk. Combat lasted for many moments. The fury of blows exchanged was unbelievable as this new furious humanoid, using its giant claws or fists, beat the daemon into submission and literally tore its heart out while it stood.

  The daemon crumbled to the ground with a roar, expending the last of its foul breath as it collapsed with a tremendous thud. Dirt and dust shot out in all directions as the rest of its lifeless shell found a place to settle. Silence was small for a moment and then the only sound was the crackling of the fires. The creature that defeated the daemon was still partially in shadow for a moment. I could see its chest rising heavily to the rhythm of its own breath. It turned from the massive corpse on the ground and stepped out of the smoke. The image shocked me.

  Bigfoot. I could not believe it.

  This creature of legend and myth was now entering my dreams. Even though my body still sat on the floor of the hospital, my mind took me somewhere else entirely. My mouth hung open in shock and disbelief. Thoughts raced. I should be surprised at this turn of events, but somehow a small amount comfort settled in. This slowly started to sink in. Bigfoot has been around for many thousands if not tens of thousands of years, helping mankind fight off these hordes of daemons spilling into our world...my world. I suddenly felt very protective of my planet and the pieces of the puzzle felt like they got a little clearer regarding at least why I had seen him that fateful night so many years before.

  He walked forward with several large strides of his huge legs. He appeared to be looking right at me, even though this was some sort of day dream. I had no control over it. He walked behind me and headed towards the fleeing people’s direction to aid them.

  I shifted my vantage point, not sure of how interacting with this dream was even possible. Villagers started to reform their ranks against the smaller daemons. Bigfoot walked over, grabbed one of them by the head, and crushed its skull in his hand casually as he passed by. Black ichor squeezed through his fingers until he let go of the dead creature and flung it away from him. He shook his hand off to free it of the disgusting fluid; the droplets showered the area to his right as he engaged another one by grabbing one of its wings, pinned it to the ground by its head and tore it free. I heard a sickening crunch and the creature's gray matter escaped its broken skull and splattered on the ground.

  This assault continued. The villagers finally turned the tide by forming defensive lines and the daemon host was weakening. A feeling of relief engulfed me for the first time since the sequence started. It was weird to know this was a day dream and that I was along for the ride but could control my view point while this scenario played out. Just as I got the hang of it, the battle ended, forcing my mind backwards through a tunnel. The light got smaller and smaller until it faded and my eyes opened.

  Did that just happen?

  I sat there staring at my arm. My eyes were slowly coming back into focus. The scar previously there was faded, but the faint outline of the vicious face remained. The memory of it ripping its way through my flesh was real. Its evil looking eyes tracked my movement even though the flesh was perfectly flat.

  My sanity came into question. Confusion kept hitting me like waves crashing on the northern shore of one of the Hawaiian Islands. I saw the footage of a long time ago. This image drove itself deeper into my mind with the power and intensity of those waves.

  My pulse pounded in my head. I started to think it was going be a horrible headache when something released in my mind and the pain subsided. It felt like my last grip of sanity had just let go. I took a deep breath and relaxed. My mind started to calm down.

  “Do not forget!” the chorus came like before, jolting me out of my one serene moment for the day. I laughed...gently at first. The waves of laugher started out slow at first then turned into all out hysterics.

  “This must be what it feels like to lose your mind,” I proclaimed with a yell.

  Seconds later the door burst open. Several men poured in dressed as orderlies. They all had very serious looks on their faces and seemed to have a strong resolve about them. In fact, my gaze panned from one face to then next, and I realized I had never seen these men before. They closed around me in a slow circle. One of them had a syringe, the others...restraints.

  I locked my gaze on him. He had a very weird look on his face, like he knew what he was going to enjoy doing to me. With a sudden explosion, the other men came in from the sides. I leapt to my feet...ready.

  Grabbing the first one by the arms, I spun him into the second one. They both flew against the wall hard. The third man rushed in, grabbed my arms, and pinned them at my side while I regained my footing. My hands went out wide. I turned to face him. Something stabbed the skin on my back. My elbow found his face and his nose disintegrated into a shower of red as he collapsed, pulling the item out of my skin. The man in front of me took advantage of my distraction. My jaw took one as my head turned back to face him. Again the sting came, only this time his fist landed in my palm, which promptly wrapped around the tiny hand. My kick caught him in the chest with the ball of my foot.

  He fell down choking for air and clutching his torso. Another sound came from behind me. Spinning fast, my fist flew. The face of Doctor Price appeared right before my fist connected with him.

  “What going on here?” he proclaimed as my punch stuck with me managing to pull much of the power back. It still connected hard. He flew backwards and hit the wall. I glanced around the room; none of the other assailants moved
anymore. Turning back to the doctor, I noticed he was shaking his head. This was certainly going to extend my stay. He moaned with his hands cupping his now gushing nose.

  I cursed...walked over to his body and knelt down. He looked up at me with a bloodied nose. “You pulled that didn’t you?” His voice gurgled as the crimson flowed.

  Nodding, I carried him out the door. Several terrified looks flew my direction from nurses shying away until they realized I was trying to help him.

  “We came to tell you that you are to be released,” he coughed.

  “Oh,” was all I could muster.

  XXVIII

  Freedom

  "So I'm finally free to go then?”

  The words felt strange to hear after the reality of what had just happened. Four men had attempted to kidnap me in broad daylight. Such a bold move meant someone had their eye on me and must have decided that it was time to take me out. Doctor Price finished talking to the hospital security and had his nose full of gauss thanks to me. It could have been worse had the punch not been pulled. At least he was not pressing charges.

  I stood in the room where the attack occurred. Glass and gnarled chain link mesh littered the floor. Blood stains decorated the walls. The in-room security camera went offline at the time of the attack. The police were on their way. The fleeing men left no trace. They simply vanished. It was another item to add to the “weird” file.

  Doctor Price finished his conversation and instructed me to follow him to a room to talk. Conveniently, several of the bigger orderlies were working nearby. They were “busy” outside the room in case he needed them. After what he just saw, he knew they would do him no good. I walked in ducking the door and sat on the floor, ignoring the flimsy plastic chair set in place for me. “No back injuries today,” I thought, remembering the first time I tried to use one.

  “I will not miss this place." A few episodes of anger turned borderline rage a few times when I was startled awake by an orderly coming in to attend to me for whatever reason in the middle of the night. The doctor told them not to disturb me at night, but they rarely listened. Several of them know better now. Instead of being smart about it and alerting me beforehand, it was as if they had decided the dangerous approach would be better. Maybe even fun. I found there behavior suspicious, especially since they were warned.