Torment

by R. S. Broadhead

  I followed his gaze, studying the man I had become so infatuated with. For a split second I feared him, but then those feelings diminished. If I turned into the monster I knew I could become someone would need to do it. That fact stirred a feeling that confused me even more. There was no other I would rather be with me in my final moments on this Earth than him.

  ***

  The cane whizzed through the air, exploding molecules as it barreled toward my shoulder. Lavarus was putting his all in this swing. I could tell the moment his feet shifted against the ground, bracing himself to lean into the strike. If it connected, no doubt I would be in for a world of pain. At the last second, before it demolished my joint, I leaned backwards. It continued past, grazing my shirt as it went. I repositioned, crouching low, only to be smacked in the back with it. I wasn’t expecting him to come back with it. I fell to the ground, coughing, trying to regain the wind that had been knocked from my lungs.

  “Again,” Lavarus said so sharp the words were practically palpable. I continued to stare at the ground beneath me, desperate for a few moments to regroup. We had been training non-stop for the past week and a half now. Everyday I was improving, but not fast enough for him. “I said again.”

  I twisted my hands before jumping to my feet. “Can’t we take a break? That one felt like you about knocked my lung through my chest. I’m probably internally bleeding right now.” I gently rubbed the ache across my back, already not looking forward to the massive bruise it was going to leave. It would only add to the annoying pains my battered body was already consumed by. Maybe the darkness’s idea of impaling him with the cane wasn’t a bad idea. I loathed that stick.

  “So when you get hit on the battle field are you going to ask Dermetheus if you can take a break?” He had a point. Although I highly doubted I would be fighting all day for over a week or at least I hoped not. If that was the case, someone might as well take me out of my misery now. Stop it. I can’t think like that. People depended on me.

  I hung my head, a few strands of loose hair tickling against my nose. “No.”

  “Good. At least you know that. Since you didn’t come back with some smart remark, I’ll let you take a break. I need to go reapply paste to Harley’s wounds anyway.” I fought the urge to tag along with him. I spent all my free time there, staring at his face, wondering what he was seeing behind those closed eyes.

  I sat beside a tree, propping my head back on the bark. “I’ll just wait here.” His shock was evident although he didn’t say anything. After he left, I closed my eyes, trying to clear my head. It had been a nice few days. She was quiet after she found out I could control her. However, I was more vulnerable at night when I was sleeping. That’s when she typically manipulated my dreams so I knew she wasn’t gone completely. Which sucked. All I wanted was for her to be gone completely. I stifled a yawn as a cool breeze rolled by carrying the rich scent of flowers. My nose crinkled, taking in a slower, more scrutinized drag of air. Something was off.

  My eyes snapped open, looking around expecting to find something out of the ordinary. Nothing. I shifted, restlessly, sure that I wasn’t losing my mind. My lids drifted back down as I focused more. The smell was musky, bitter, and far different from sweet smell of flowers or sap from the trees. It was something that was familiar, but I couldn’t place it. A light thud beat against my ears, joining the bugs scurrying around me. I tried hard to push anything but the thud out, but it was hard considering I was becoming so sensitive to everything around me. It was lyrical, a constant rhythm becoming faster and faster. Before I could penetrate which direction it was coming here, there were two. This one slower, but nonetheless something that kept perfect timing.

  I twig snapped so loud it caused me to winced. I was focused so hard on this faint sound louder ones were harsher. Someone sniffled. It sounded as if they were a good distance away. I looked in that direction, searching for the person. From the other side of me a few limbs broke. A second later gray mist surrounded me. I rolled to the side as a leg hit the ground where I just sat. I grabbed it, twisting at the ankle while shifting my weight. Zeke hit the ground with a grunt. I flipped up to my feet, wrapping my arms around Freemen’s neck, while kicking Hollywood in the face. Blood rolled out of his nostril.

  He wiped it away, while his lips pulled tight. “It was just starting to feel better from the last time you busted it.”

  I released Freeman, who had been patting against my arm in surrender. “Well, what did you expect? Y’all did kind of sneak up on me.”

  “Thought you couldn’t fight? Looks like those abilities can come out when they want,” Freeman said, stepping away, seeming to enjoy Hollywood’s injury. “Lavarus sent us out here to tell you he won’t be back for a while.”

  “Why? I thought he was mental with me learning this stuff.”

  Hollywood plopped down beside Zeke still lying on the ground. “Well, he didn’t want to leave Harley alone.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing is wrong. Not unless you consider him being awake now being something wrong.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Harley

  My lids felt as if they were glued shut, but somehow I managed to peel them open. I blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the light pooling in from the opening of Lavarus’s room. A sound from my right caused me to jerk in that direction, only to met with a slight discomfort in my chest.

  “Easy,” Lavarus said, pushing against me as I tried to sit up. “It won’t be much longer, and you’ll be back to normal. The healing paste is almost finished.” As if the mention of it triggered something, he pulled the cover back, exposing my chest. A dried gray paste was starting to chip away. He nodded, clearly satisfied, and pulled the cover back over me.

  “How long have I been out?” I struggled to get out. He poured a glass of water and handed it to me. I greedily drank while he sat on the bottom corner of the bed.

  “Almost two weeks.”

  I sprayed water out of my mouth like a busted hose. “Two weeks!” I brought a shaky hand to my forehead and squeezed. So much could have happened in two weeks. What if Hollywood finished the job?

  “She’s been here everyday when we aren’t training,” he said as if depicting my stressed manner. “I left her in the woods. We were training and took a break. I came to check on you and you were mumbling. I knew you were about to wake up so I sent the guys to tell her I wouldn’t be back. It’s the only reason she isn’t here now.”

  My hand dropped as my chest hitched. “You sent them to tell her?” He nodded. I couldn’t believe that. They almost killed her. Lavarus better know what he was doing. “Why would she come see me?” The tension left my body, leaving a euphoric sense of calmness.

  “Because I didn’t want you to be alone.” Reese came through the opening, stopping a few feet from the bed. She locked her arms together, shifting uncomfortably. “It was my fault. You wouldn’t have been here if I …” She looked down, biting her lip.

  “It wasn’t anyone’s fault. It was a situation that went array.” Lavarus stood, patting her gingerly on the back. “At least some good came out of it.” Good? What good? Puzzled by his response, I opened my mouth to ask what he meant, but before I could, he smiled and left.

  “So, ummm, how are you feeling with all that?” She waved a hand in the direction of my chest. Her cheeks spotted pink.

  “It’s just a little sore.” I patted the bed next to me as I shifted over. “You wanna sit?”

  She bounced a few times in an agitated manner before trudging over and plopping down. “Lavarus has started training me on my senses. Like being able to use things other than my sight in a fight,” she rattled off.

  “Did the other night unlock things for you?” I swallowed hard. I could still hear her words. I can’t lose you. Not this time. If they were meant for me, it would have meant the world. But I knew they weren’t.

  “No. Not my memories at least.” She stared off into space for a few moments. “The thi
ng is, when I saw you like that … in front of me hurt, I felt like I had lived it before. I wanted to die it hurt so bad.” She looked at me with glassy eyes, confusion creasing the planes of her face.

  “I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say. I reached for her hand, but she swiftly pulled it into her body and stood. She swiped a tear from her cheek, taking a few steps toward the exit.

  “Do you need anything before I go? I’ve got to meet with Lavarus to see if he wants to continue our training today.”

  I rolled my head back into the pillow, looking up. “Nah. I’m good.” I didn’t watch her leave, but I listened as her footsteps became so faint I couldn’t hear them anymore. I closed my eyes, begging for sleep. Anything so I wouldn’t have to think about her anymore.

  ***

  Two days later I was finally on my feet, feeling better than new. I found the guys having a few of the locally brewed beers amongst the crowd. Before I could get a word out, Hollywood stood and wrapped his arms around me. “Sorry, bro. I’ve been worried sick.”

  When he finally released me I repositioned my shirt. “I know you didn’t mean to.” I sat next to him and grabbed a drink for myself. “But what made you change your mind? Reese is still alive, and I was outta the way to stop you.”

  His eyebrows pulled in as he pressed his lips together. “Well, if you have enough faith in her to step in and take a blade for her, then we should too.” I threw his cup back, chugging the rest of it before slamming it onto the table with a grunt. “She’s come along way. It’s like her seeing that happen to you changed something.”

  “Speaking of the blond headed devil … here she comes,” Zeke said, perking up from behind us. She laughed at some children as they darted by and averted her eyes to mine. For a moment I thought she was going to turn the other way, but then she smiled.

  “Looks like someone is in love,” Freeman said followed by a low whistle.

  “Hey guys,” she said as she approached, giving them a head nod. She rubbed across her jaw. “I’m glad to see you up.” We locked eyes before she cast a sweeping glance over the other guys as if waiting for them to make fun of her.

  “Let’s get out of here. I need y’all to help me do some shit in my room,” Freeman said.

  “What kinda shit?” Zeke asked.

  Freeman narrowed his eyes and slapped Zeke’s shoulder. “Just get up.”

  “But I wanted to see what they were going to say to each other,” he whined. Hollywood grabbed his collar, pulling him to his feet. The three of them left, leaving us alone.

  “Do you want a drink?” I asked, pushing a beer in her direction.

  “Nah. I was actually wondering if you felt like swimming,” she said. She backed away a few steps. “You don’t have to. It was a stupid idea.” She turned and started to walk away.

  I jumped up and grabbed her arm, spinning her around to face me. “Best idea I’ve ever heard. I need something fun to do.”

  She took a deep sigh and cleared her throat. “Shall we?” I followed her through the woods. I couldn’t help but smile as her body moved side to side in front of me. I shouldn’t have been looking at her that way, but it was impossible not to. “Bet I can beat you in,” she challenged. She started shedding clothes. I attempted to do the same, however the sight of her nearly naked slowed my progress. She ran in front of me, and dove into the water. A few seconds later she came up, smoothing her hair back. “You’re so slow!”

  “Hey, I’m crippled here. Moving as fast as I can.” That was a cold, hard lie, but she didn’t know any different. As I dropped my shirt, I shot to the ledge, jumping in.

  “Don’t look too crippled to me,” she said, splashing me when I came up.

  “Oh, but I am. Matter of fact I think I might need some support right now.” I swam over to her and wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her under water with me. She frantically kicked, bringing us back to the surface. I expected her to retreat away from my arms, but shockingly she left them there. I was blown away. Something had definitely changed between the two of us since my accident.

  Her palm went to the small mark on my chest from where the blade came through. “Were you scared?”

  “Yes.” Her eyes turned soft as she twirled a strand of my hair around her finger. “But not like you’re thinking.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I was scared I wouldn’t get to see you again.”

  Her eyes widened and her hand dropped. She pushed away, and swam under the waterfall to a rock. “Come on. Let’s talk.” She patted the small place next to her.

  I swam over and sat next to her. “What do you want to talk about?” I asked, trying to keep this friendly. The last thing I wanted was to freak her out.

  She licked her lips, watching her feet kick through the water below. “How long have you been here?”

  I leaned back, propping on my hands. “You mean here, here?”

  “Umm, yes, but I want to know what you mean by the other too.”

  “I think we’ve been here for a little over a year, waiting on you. Now as far as this realm, I’ve been here for over twenty-four years.”

  She sat up straight, her mouth gapping wide. “How old are you?”

  “One hundred and three years have past since I was created. We don’t age like normal humans. Of course, you’re not a normal human.” I leaned in and nudged her with my shoulder.

  “What do you mean by created?”

  “Nabea created me and the other guys. When the war broke out she needed fighters she could trust. We were lethal, hence we earned the name Badelah Se Depour, which means the right hand of death in our native tongue. My tattoos,” I started, pointing to the werewolves. “Were forged into my DNA. She used a bone of man, and fang of a werewolf.”

  “Having them attach to you, is it weird?” She eyed my arms, curiously.

  “Nah. It’s quite entertaining actually hearing what they have to say.”

  She jerked back. “They talk to you?”

  I nodded before continuing, “Each of us has different abilities. Like Hollywood and his dragons, Zeke and his skulls, Freeman and his mind tricks”

  “The only things I’ve seen are the wolves and one dragon. I’d rather not run into her again if I could help it.”

  I chuckled. “You’ll see what the other guys have to offer in due time.” She shivered. I wasn’t sure if it was from what I just told her or from the temperature slightly dropping from the sun going down. “You wanna go?” She nodded. We climbed beside the waterfall, taking the trail around to our clothes versus getting back into the water.

  The sound of music hit us before we made it back to the village. We stopped on the side of the wood line as Reese watched the people dancing. Her head once again started bobbing, but this time I didn’t ask her if she wanted to dance. I had learned my lesson last time. Her small, delicate fingers hooked through mine as she tugged me into the center of the crowd. Her arms snaked around my neck, tangling in my hair. She studied a woman next to us, imitating her moves. My hands found there way to her wiggling hips. She pushed back from me, running her hand along her body, biting her lip. She tousled her hair that was now wavy from air-drying. Twirling toward me, her back was at my stomach, before she dropped lower, rubbing against me. My hands trailed down her stomach, hooking under the hem so I could feel her skin. I nuzzled my nose in her hair as we moved together to the fast beat of the music. Her breathing became as ragged as mine. She drove me crazy the more she pushed back, grinding her hips against me.

  The song ended, making me curse under my breath. She looked back at me, laughing. It was the best thing in the world to see. The way it brightened her eyes. She was happy. “I have absolutely no idea where that came from,” she said, still panting.

  “Me either, but I’m not complaining.” Now the bulge in my pants was a different story. Loud, obnoxious clapping from the right caught my attention. Hollywood, Freemen, and Zeke all applauded while giving me head nods. I flipped them
off behind Reese’s back before pulling her away to avoid her being embarrassed. She covered her mouth as a yawn escaped. “Tired?”

  “A little. Lavarus had me meet him really early this morning. I swear that man doesn’t sleep.”

  “I’ll walk you to your room.”

  “More like your room?” She winked at me and turned her head, giggling. Once there she threw herself across the bed, stretching from one end to the other, closing her eyes.

  “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow sometime.”

  Her head rolled in my direction. “No. Stay for a little while. I like it when you’re with me. You make me not worry about anything.”

  I slouched against the wall and slid down into a sitting position. “Don’t you wanna remember everything, Reese?” I asked. I dreaded her response. I knew she had to remember, that was essential to ending all of this, but a small part of me didn’t want her to. I knew what she had back in Jackson. I saw her with Steele. It was obvious from the way both of them looked at each other, they were in love. If he were dead, I didn’t want her to feel that hurt. At the same time, I didn’t want her to want him here more than me. I shouldn’t feel this way about her, but I couldn’t help it. She was perfect in every way imaginable.

  She rolled over toward me and let out a deep sigh. “No. I’ve thought about it, but whatever brought me here doesn’t feel right. I’m scared of it. I don’t wanna know what it was.” Her huge brilliant blue eyes slightly filled with tears. I wanted to comfort her. I wanted to hold her in my arms and let her know everything would be okay. But I didn’t. The cold stone wall felt like it had a hold on me as my back pressed hard against it. I cracked my knuckles and let out a small cough. I needed to suppress these feelings.

  “You have friends and family there. They’re probably worried about you. And there’s the simple things …” I trailed off. She cocked her head and a corner of mouth turned up. I loved it when she gave me that look.