by Wendy Owens
“Shut up,” Rachel snapped in return before giggling.
Gabe hesitated a moment, then continued, “I don’t know, I suppose it hasn’t been exactly easy, but at the time I thought it was necessary.”
“That’s what I don’t get. What in the world would make you feel like you needed to go to that extreme, to isolate yourself to this extent?” Rachel prodded, her brow narrowing.
“It’s complicated,” he replied.
“Things with you often are, Gabe Harwood,” she returned.
As the two crossed over the hilltop, Rachel suddenly realized where they were. He had brought her to the carving of Sophie. She released herself from his arm, reeling her limbs in close to her body as if for protection. This had been what their initial confrontation unfolded over. Rachel forced a smile, unsure why he had brought her here. Gabe came to a halt; he looked into her eyes and waited for her to speak.
For once, she was unsure of her words and chose to remain silent. The awkwardness of the quiet left her fidgeting. She decided to take a seat on the ground nearby to stare at the artwork. As the two sat there, enveloped by the empty air around them, Rachel realized what was happening. This was Gabe’s way of reaching out to her, his version of an olive branch. A sense of honor overcame her. She sat in disbelief that he would bring her to this place. He wanted to share something he had been so guarded about in the beginning.
Gabe took a seat next to his guest, it was clear his gesture was greatly appreciated. “Can I ask a question that might seem rude, but I really don’t intend it that way?” Gabe asked.
With a beaming smile Rachel nodded. Choosing not to reply with her usual sarcasm she said, “Sure, ask me anything.”
“Why did you ever come with Uri?” Gabe questioned, hoping her answer would help him answer the same for himself. He still couldn’t figure out what compelled him to follow his friend all those years ago.
“I don’t know,” Rachel replied, hesitating. She was sure Gabe would not understand her reasoning.
“You don’t know? So you’re telling me you hitched yourself to a complete stranger and you have no idea why?” Gabe badgered.
Rachel stared at the carving; she dared not look Gabe in the eyes. All it would take is one glimpse and he would know she was hiding something. “I suppose.”
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard, and let me tell you, I’ve heard a lot of crazy things.” Once the words escaped Gabe’s mouth, he wished he was more tactful in such situations. From her body language, he could tell Rachel felt under attack.
“Not this crazy,” Rachel muttered under her breath.
“What was that?” Gabe perked up when he heard the whispering. At the hint of her secret, Gabe was again relentless in his pursuit of the truth. “Come on. Let’s hear it, what’s so crazy?”
“Nothing — never-mind,” Rachel protested, wishing she had kept her mouth shut.
“Trust me, no matter what it is, I’ve heard or seen stranger,” Gabe insisted.
“I doubt that.”
“Really, what is it? I promise, no judgment here,” Gabe pleaded, attempting to coax the story from the girl.
Rachel looked into Gabe’s eyes. Though his communication skills were not the best, she could see he was trying. She decided to take a leap of faith that he would not laugh her out of the valley. “Well … all right, but I warned you.”
“I mean it, no judgment,” Gabe reassured her once again.
“All right, you promised,” she reminded him before continuing. “It started with these really strange dreams. They would wake me up, and then I had trouble getting back to sleep. It got so bad I started seeing a therapist. He tried putting me on sleeping pills, anti-anxiety medication, you name it. I was a walking drug store. None of it helped. Finally it got to the point that I was so exhausted it didn’t matter where I was. If I closed my eyes it was like I would slip into a dream state,” Rachel explained.
“What kind of stuff did you dream about?" Gabe asked, the familiarity of her tale unsettling.
“Usually I would be in this burned out city, everything around me was in ruins, blackness everywhere. Even though I was just dreaming, I always felt the urge I needed to hide. I don’t know what I was hiding from, but it felt like someone was watching me or, I don’t know, even hunting me. Sometimes I would hear this pulsing white noise all around me. I have no idea what it was, it was overwhelming. I would just curl into a ball and wait. And then all the frogs, oh God, my doctor had all kinds of ideas about those. It was just crazy stuff ...” Rachel trailed off, uncomfortable retelling the haunting dreams.
“Frogs?” Gabe asked softly. As soon as the word slipped from his lips, Gabe’s heart began to race. He knew all too well that Baal would often take form as frogs. Rachel was, in fact, not crazy, she was being hunted by the scariest demon around, the same demon determined to find Gabe.
“Yeah, crazy huh? There would be hundreds, if not thousands of them. They would just sit there, staring at me. It was so bizarre. After a while I didn’t just have the dreams. Things started happening in my day to day life,” Rachel continued.
“You saw the frogs outside your dreams?” Gabe asked, shocked that if she had she was still alive.
“Oh, no, not like that. I just started feeling like someone was watching me everywhere I went. I would be at the grocery store and see a figure duck behind a display, or a man watching me at the gas station. There was even this one time, I got in my elevator and I was fumbling for my keys; when I looked up, just as the doors were closing, all I saw were two red glowing eyes. They were surrounded by darkness and then they were gone behind the doors. Honestly, lack of sleep was probably messing with my mind. I ended up becoming very paranoid,” Rachel explained.
“Without sleep, that seems reasonable,” Gabe added, though he knew better. He was certain what she was experiencing had been all too real.
“It gets worse. One day I had the feeling that I was being watched, but I couldn’t shake it,” Rachel said remembering. “It’s hard to explain, but I had this distinct feeling that I was in danger. It was dark out; I was on the way to my car when I got a chill that shook me to my core. I started running faster, looking over my shoulder every few feet. At one point when I turned back around to continue running, a hand reached out from the shadows, and in my panic, grabbed me. I was pulled into a nearby building, unable to scream from the hand that was firmly planted over my mouth.”
Gabe held his breath for a moment, now completely captivated by the excitement of her story.
“It was Uri. I thought I was a goner for sure. I mean, can you imagine? Here I am, this terrified, sleep deprived woman, pushed to the edges of her sanity, and a burly man like Uri grabs me. He could tell I was terrified; he assured me he was there to help me. I don’t know why, but I believed him. I think it was easier for me to believe he wanted to rescue me rather than murder me, ” Rachel recalled, furrowing her brow.
“No, it’s not a surprise you believed him. Guardians possess the ability to bring you comfort with their touch. If he had his hand over your mouth, I would guess he charmed you,” Gabe explained.
“Really? Uri never told me that, makes sense though. I’m not exactly a distrusting person, but it never made sense to me that I went along so easily. He did know things that were in my dreams, though. All kinds of details that I never told anyone except my therapist,” Rachel continued. “He even knew about the frogs.”
“Yeah, Baal,” Gabe whispered, remembering his similar dreams.
“That’s what Uri said. He told me about the battle between angels and demons, and that some crazy demon was after me because I was going to give birth to a very important child someday.”
“He told you all that?” Gabe asked, a little hurt he had been told so little when Uri found him.
“Yeah, I wasn’t scared of Uri, but I was convinced he might be a little crazy after he told me that. I made up some excuse and got out of there as fast as I could. I knew he
didn’t want me to go, but I insisted. Things stayed the same for the next couple days, freaky shadows and sleeplessness. Then it happened,” Rachel said turning away, looking back at the carved trunk again.
“That sounds ominous ...” Gabe laughed nervously.
“It was really scary,” Rachel said, deflecting his laughter. “I had gone to this gallery opening for a friend, which, considering I barely left my home those days, was pretty amazing in itself. When it was over I said goodbye and made my way to the parking lot. I got that feeling again, that I was being watched. I started franticly searching for my keys as I approached the car.” Rachel’s retelling of the night caused her to visibly tremble.
Gabe reached out, touching her back. He had only intended to console her on a basic level, but forgetting his abilities as a Guardian, the calming went much deeper.
Rachel continued, “I was only— I don’t know – maybe a dozen feet from my car when I looked up. It was like all the air had been knocked out of me. I gasped for breath; it felt like a vice was tightening around my chest, this dark figure loomed in front of me. He — it … whatever it was didn’t speak,” Rachel shivered at the memory.
“What do you mean, ‘whatever it was’?” Gabe asked, hanging on every word.
“I don’t know what it was, I just knew I was going to die, I knew it with such certainty.” Rachel stopped and looked over at Gabe.
“Well? What happened?” Gabe prodded, the anticipation driving him to the verge of insanity.
“Nothing, Uri showed up and it vanished. I mean really, it vanished right in front of my eyes. I still can’t explain it; it had to be something super natural.”
“Did you ever ask Uri about it?” Gabe inquired, intrigued by how Uri would have explained this to a regular mortal.
“Yeah, I did. I was so freaked out by it that when Uri told me I needed to go with him if I wanted to be safe, I didn’t even think about it. I just did what he told me to. We ended up hours away from my home that first night, in some backwoods seedy motel. I can still remember it so clearly.”
“Uri has a way of making an impression on people. I’m sure he used all of his finest moves on you,” Gabe laughed nervously as he made the suggestion, wondering if his jealousy was obvious.
“What?” Rachel huffed before defending herself. “It wasn’t like that. Uri? Gross, it’s not like that at all. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Uri is an attractive guy, but within the first few nights we had a connection and it wasn’t what you’re implying. It was like a brother and sister thing, you know?”
“I suppose. Does Uri know how you feel or I guess don’t feel?” Gabe asked.
“I never flat out told him, if that’s what you’re asking, but I’m sure he knows I’m not interested in anything romantic with him. Uri isn’t either,” Rachel argued.
“Oh, I see. So you already have a boyfriend then? Is that why you’re not interested in him?” Gabe probed.
“Huh? No, I already said, he’s more like my brother. What is your deal?” Rachel replied, puzzled by the line of questioning.
“No boyfriend then?” Gabe continued, ignoring Rachel’s question.
“Oh, I see what this is,” Rachel chimed, her face shifting, a devilish grin settling on her lips.
“Excuse me?”
“You like me,” Rachel grimaced.
“What?” Gabe exclaimed before laughing, “Wow, you think a lot of yourself, don’t you? You see this girl; I carved her into this tree because she was the love of my life. I doubt after her I would be interested in you.”
“Wow, I didn’t know I was so hideous,” Rachel barked back, hopping to her feet.
Gabe’s stomach twisted, what was this girl doing to him? “I’m sorry, that came out wrong.”
“I’ll say,” Rachel replied, not budging.
“Please sit,” Gabe pleaded. Desperate to bury his poor manners, Gabe attempted to turn the course of conversation. “How much has Uri told you about the Guardians?”
“Really? You’re basically going to call me ugly and then just move on?” Rachel confronted Gabe, arms crossed.
“I know, I was an idiot. You just said that stuff about me liking you and I don’t know, I got defensive,” Gabe explained.
“I was kidding,” Rachel replied flatly.
“You were?” Gabe asked, now even more ashamed of his behavior.
Rachel flopped to the ground, “You can’t tell by now when I’m teasing? I’m always cracking jokes.”
“I’m sorry, really, I didn’t mean it. You’re beautiful and I would —” Gabe suddenly stopped, realizing the words that were falling out of his mouth.
“So you do like me,” Rachel stated, staring blankly into Gabe’s eyes. Gabe looked terrified, unsure what to say. Rachel jabbed him with an elbow before exploding into laughter. “Wow, you’re too easy.”
Gabe nervously laughed in response.
“So what did Uri tell me? I don’t know, I assume everything,” Rachel answered.
“Yeah, well I thought I knew about everything; boy, was I wrong,” Gabe said solemnly looking to the empty hillside.
“Are you talking about the prophecy? What did he call it exactly... oh yeah, the Shield Prophecy.” Rachel attempted to clarify. “And by the way, I don’t have a boyfriend.”
Gabe didn’t know what to address first. Initially he was annoyed that a prophecy about him was so freely being shared with a complete stranger, but then his cheeks flushed red at the boyfriend remark.
“What exactly did Uri tell you about me?”
Rachel considered the question before replying, “He said he came and got you one day, like he did me. He took you to a training facility where they teach people how to fight these things. These soldiers are from the lineage of angels, and their training helps aid them in their battle against demons. Your specific job in all of this was quite special, however. You were to be the chosen one who would protect some great prophet ... enter me. Although, I’m not sure how much stock I put in a prophecy that would have me one day giving birth to a leader. I think they may have wanted to do a little more research.”
“You weren’t angry about Uri taking you away from your life, your friends?” Gabe asked, stunned by her casual attitude.
“I suppose, at first. Honestly, though, it only took running into a couple more of what Uri called tracker demons, and I was glad he had found me. I would have been a goner for sure if I was alone out there. I’m grateful.” Rachel insisted.
“You seem to be taking the news very well,” Gabe muttered.
“What am I supposed to do?” Rachel asked, annoyed by Gabe’s repeated judgmental comments.
“I don’t know, but I think I would be pretty upset if someone told me that one day my kid was going to die,” Gabe growled. As soon as he said it, he wished he had not.
“I don’t believe he will,” Rachel answered quickly.
“So you don’t believe in the prophecy?” Gabe pushed.
Rachel hesitated a moment before replying, “No, after all the craziness I’ve seen, I suppose you could say I believe. But I don’t think my child will die; I don’t think you would let that happen.”
“Do you even get why I’m out here? I decided not to be the ‘shield;’ I’ve made my choice, Rachel.”
“Yet, here I am.”
Gabe was shocked by her candidness. She was right, no matter how hard he had tried to avoid it, his destiny had found him. Furious at the situation he allowed himself to be put in, Gabe snapped. “You do know that if I save your kid it means certain death for me?”
“Uri told me.”
“And you’re just okay with that?”
Rachel looked into Gabe’s eyes, reaching up with a tender hand and running the back of her fingertips across his cheek. “I’m not all right with you dying, Gabe, if that’s what you’re asking. I don’t know what the future holds. Perhaps there’s something that’s unknown about your path, something that doesn’t have to result in such a devastating e
nd. All I know is, the Gabe I’ve gotten to know this past week is not the type of man that would allow someone to die if he can save them.”
Gabe wondered if she were right about him. He rose to his feet and extended a hand, “Let’s walk more.” Taking hold, Rachel stood and the two began strolling towards the creek bed, side by side.
“I shouldn’t have raised my voice,” Gabe added.
“I understand,” Rachel smiled as she tried to diffuse the tenseness.
Gabe had been given many opportunities in his life to trust someone; it was very rare that he would seize them. As he walked next to Rachel he thought about the way she had nursed him back from the brink of death, and the kind words she had just said about him. She believed in him, even when he couldn’t believe in himself. She saw a light in him, a greatness he longed to find within.
In that moment, Gabe decided it was finally time for him to trust someone, he was ready for that to be her. Swallowing his fear he continued, “when I went to Rampart five years ago, I thought it was a miracle. My parents had been brutally murdered when I was very young.”
“Oh God, Gabe, I’m so sorry.”
He shook his head. “I was there, I saw it all. My parents and I were at a convenient store, wrong place, wrong time. I was in the candy aisle when it happened. I didn’t know the store was being robbed, I ran to my parents, my arms full of sweet treats, begging to get them all. They were just trying to protect me … when they went for me, the guy shot them— there was so much blood — so much,” Gabe was surprised the memory still brought such feelings up in him.
“That’s terrible. I can’t imagine what that must have done to you as a kid,” Rachel offered.
“Yeah, well, not a lot of people were eager to adopt a boy with a history like mine, that’s for sure. I bounced from one foster home to the next. Anytime I would get close to a family, something terrible would happen. Evil always had a way of tracking me down, just another thing I can thank my heritage for apparently. Eventually, I decided I wouldn’t get close to anyone. That’s how I ended up in a boy’s home,” Gabe continued, surprising even himself that he was sharing all the messed up details of his past.