by R J Johnson
The short bursts of hellfire falling down on the zombie followers of Kline was music to Scott’s ears. He reached for the stone of Gibraltar and began to concentrate on widening the opening he’d already made in the wall. Soon, it was large enough for the lines of soldiers waiting on the other side to enter the city, and hopefully reclaim it from Kline and his madness.
The fighting between the soldier and zombies was fierce. If not for Christina’s dragon constantly keeping the zombies occupied, the soldiers would have taken much higher casualties.
But as it was, the battle was over quickly, with many of the zombies ripped in half, whether by the bullets of the soldiers surrounding them, or by Christina’s dragon. It was the only way to prevent Kline’s zombies from reanimating.
Ash and Tate rushed through the fighting to find Scott on the ground, bleeding profusely. Christina shifted back into her human form and rushed over to him, cradling his head in her arms.
“Don’t you die on me…” she whispered, her tears falling down on his face. “You don’t get to die. Not after all we’ve been through…”
Scott muttered, “Well that’s not fair…”
Christina nearly screamed in relief. He was alive. Beaten, bloody, and probably scarred for life, but he was alive.
She cradled him close, knowing that she would never let go of him again.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Kline and Alex tumbled through the air, each doing their very best to rip each other apart. However, whenever one man thought they had the advantage, the other would use one of the stones in a clever way to help them out of the jam.
Kline was in his element. He had spent his entire life fighting, and the stones had granted him an insurmountable will. Alex knew the billionaire would go on fighting for eons if necessary.
And why not? After Kline had wriggled out of yet another devastating blow Alex was prepared to unleash, he found himself contemplating the limits of unlimited power. Perhaps that’s why there were no Gods among men, helping guide them through the universe.
Perhaps they were all so powerful, so omniscient, that any batter between them would extend into infinity – a literal logjam of power.
Alex didn’t like the idea of spending the next million years battling it out with Kline. There would be no point to that. Even if he were able to fight Kline to a draw, the Patron’s star would still explode and kill every human being on the planet. He couldn’t allow that to happen either.
He had to end this.
Alex tumbled over Kline’s shoulder, and was thrown across another canyon, his body traveling well above the speed of sound. He nearly came close to finding out how well his healing stone worked, but was able to stop short at the last second thanks to the stone of control.
He turned and watched Kline hurl himself toward him, holding out his granite fist, his stone of strength, now prominently featured.
It was then that Alex was inspired by a thought, if he couldn’t stop Kline, he couldn’t stop Alex either. The flash of inspiration was so quick, and the solution so obvious, Alex found himself laughing through the pain. Could it really be so simple?
Kline’s massive granite fist came at him, and Alex stood there, deciding to hold his ground against the man who had cost his family so much. He flashed back on his father’s face as he fell from the top of the Mesa on Joshua Tree. Alex felt the rage come back and he closed his eyes, waiting for the final blow from Kline.
But it wasn’t the final blow. At the very last second, Alex stepped aside, and grabbed the stone hand of Kline. Alex threw the billionaire over his shoulder and using his own stone, began to ossify himself into Kline.
Kline’s eyes went wide and he screamed. “What are you doing?”
Alex didn’t answer, he just concentrated on his Gibraltar stone, willing his body to be fused to Kline’s.
Kline yelped, and raised a hand up, striking Alex in the face as hard as he could.
But he was too late, the stone covering Kline’s body had more than doubled, his feet, legs and thighs already transformed into the cold grey granite. Alex ducked underneath Kline’s hand, and twisted with every bit of strength granted to him by his own stone of strength.
Kline’s granite hand tore clean off of Kline’s body. The billionaire howled in pain, the screeching of his screams louder than anything Alex had ever heard in his life.
He smiled and stepped back, releasing Kline, still holding the billionaire’s lifeless granite hand. His own hand turning back to flesh and blood. Kline screamed, looking at his own body, now half made of stone.
“You couldn’t save anyone but yourself Kline,” Alex said, concentrating slightly. His body returned to normal, the granite becoming flesh once again. “We were being tested and you failed.”
Alex looked up and down his own body and sighed, the sound of it expressing his frustration and pain. “And I’m pretty sure I failed too.”
He turned back to Kline and looked at the granite hand. He concentrated briefly and the granite melted into dust, Kline’s collection of the Patron’s stones the only thing remaining. Alex placed them into a small bag that he then tied around his waist.
“You killed my father,” Alex said quietly looking over at Kline. “You don’t deserve mercy, but I’ve grown soft in my old age.” He waved a hand, and the granite melted off of Kline, changing it back into flesh and blood.
Kline collapsed in front of Alex, breathing heavily, and patting himself down, checking to see if he had returned to normal.
“Everything’s back in its place,” he said, somewhat amused at Kline’s appearance. The billionaire whirled around, his piercing blue eyes staring into Alex’s soul with what looked like pure hatred.
“YOU!” Kline spat out at Alex. “What have you done?”
“I have done nothing but help restore the balance Kline,” Alex answered in a whisper. “I am merely returning the stones to their rightful owner.”
Just as he was about to reach down and take them both back to the present, there was a screeching sound that echoed through the plains. They froze, and he turned to see what had made the sound.
A pride of incredibly large saber tooth tigers had surrounded Alex and Kline. His eyes went wide as he surveyed the pride surrounding them. There were at least a dozen animals around them, watching their every move.
Kline stumbled back, as he got up from the forest floor.
“Shut up you fool,” Alex hissed. “Else we’ll end up dinner…”
But he was too late. The alpha tiger was already making his move. The beast sprung forward, covering a lot of distance in one go considering his size.
He cursed, ducking while throwing a fireball toward the prehistoric animal trying to make him dinner. The flames exploded in front of the tiger, and it defly moved out of the way, avoiding the flames. He hadn’t wanted to throw one right at the beast’s face. He couldn’t risk it. That could interfere with the natural development of human history.
“Nice kitty, good kitty…” Alex murmured toward the large alpha cat in front of him.
But the saber tooth tiger didn’t seem to care or notice that Alex was trying to make friends. He lowered his head and rushed forward, slashing at Alex with its massive teeth.
Thanks to the stone of control though, Alex was able to dodge the big cat, neatly pushing the six-hundred-pound animal out of the way.
“No need to get all mad…” Alex cautioned. He turned back to Kline who was currently being stalked by the female of the tribe. Alex found himself debating quickly. Should he let the tiger take care of Kline for him? Or should he…
The answer was easy enough. Alex still needed Kline. He concentrated briefly and in a flash, Kline’s body was restored back to normal. Kline slumped to the ground, looking confused at first.
The growl of the nearby female brought Kline’s attention back, and he stood, looking at the tiger warily.
“Kline!” Alex shouted. “Don’t…”
But before he could get the ne
xt word out, Kline turned and dashed through the forest, holding his arm, trying to get away from the big cats stalking him.
“Run…” Alex sighed, and rose, flying after the running billionaire.
Kline dashed through the forest, trying to stay ahead of the big saber tooth. He was fast, but not as fast as he would’ve been with the stone of strength on his finger once again.
He gasped through the pain, ignoring the stich in his side as he crashed through the forest. There were no real paths available, not this far back in time.
But the saber tooth was hot on his heels. Kline glanced behind him, catching a glimpse of the tiger as it crashed through a solid oak branch as if it weren’t even there. For a moment, Kline caught himself admiring the speed and agility of the big cat. If it weren’t for the fact he was about to be eaten by it, Kline would’ve spent more time admiring the grace of the animal.
Kline tripped over a loose branch and he fell to the ground, hard. The saber tooth was on him in an instant. He screamed out in pain as his gut was ripped open by one tooth, as the other pulled the viscera out. The blood went everywhere, spilling out in a huge pool of crimson, pouring over the layer of dead pine needles that lined the forest floor.
Alex was almost too late. But as he swooped over the scene, he flicked his hand, using the stone of control to throw the big cat across the meadow. The tiger yelped out in pain, and turned back to face Alex.
Alex stared the saber tooth down, his eyes narrowing, ready to kill the beast if needed, consequences to the timeline be damned.
But, it seemed that the big cat was unwilling to continue fighting for this particular meal. It could always go down to the coast and eat one of the large elephant seals that hung out on the rocks. That was a much easier meal, and probably more filling than the two hairless monkeys standing opposite.
Alex turned and looked down at Kline who was sputtering blood out of his mouth, his guts and organs spread out all across the forest floor.
“Help…” Kline gulped, swallowing what looked like a huge mouthful of blood, “Please… the stone…” he hiccupped as more blood poured out of his mouth.
Alex looked down at the stone in his hand and made his decision. Kline deserved to die, and perhaps this was one of the more painful ways for him to go.
But, the world he wanted to live in, the world he had been fighting for, meant that even monsters like Kline deserved a day in court. Kline deserved to see the rest of his days, looking at the walls of his cell.
Alex could think of no better punishment than that.
He withdrew the black stone, and looked down at the very first stone he had recovered as a child. That had felt so long ago – more than just a lifetime ago – for Alex, it had all happened a million years ago.
All this, Kline, the Patrons, everyone attracted to the power of the stones. They had all wanted to use them to destroy, and all he had wanted to do was heal his friend.
Maybe now, he could heal his enemy.
Alex kneeled down next to Kline and touched the man who had killed his father. The blue healing light spread all across Kline’s body.
Kline coughed out in surprise as the blue light covered his body, healing the dramatic wounds made by the rampaging saber tooth tiger.
“Shh,” Alex said, patting Kline on the head. “Give it a minute.”
Kline’s wounds began to retreat, sealing back up of their own accord as the blue light spread across his body. Finally, the bleeding stopped, and Kline looked up at Alex, breathing slower.
“Thank…” Kline swallowed, and tried again. “Thank you.”
Alex nodded, feeling a momentary respect for the man. After all, perhaps it had always been the…
Suddenly, Kline sat up and pushed the massive saber tooth tiger’s broken incisor into Alex’s side. Alex cried out as the shooting red hot pain ran through him. At the same time, Kline grabbed for the healing stone in Alex’s hand, pulling it free from his grasp.
“That’s what you get…” Kline whispered into Alex’s ear.
Kline ripped at the bag on Alex’s robe, the stones falling on the forest floor. Kline leaned down and picked each one up, one by one.
“Yes…” Kline hissed, slowly standing up. “That’s much better.”
The power flowed through Kline. He let the twelve stones trickle through his fingers, and looked down at Alex.
“Mercy has always been humanity’s biggest weakness. Which is something you’ve gone and proven once again.”
Alex gasped out in pain. His healing stone was hanging around Kline’s hand. He reached for it, but Kline pulled back, waving a finger in return.
“Let this be a lesson to you Mr. McCray. Once you have your enemy on the ropes,” he leaned in closer to Alex’s ear. “You’d best have the stones to watch him die.”
Kline leaned back and summoned up a ball of lightening in the palm of his hand, holding it over the Old Man’s forehead, ready to kill him once and for all.
“Goodbye Mr. McCray!” Kline thundered triumphantly.
Alex shut his eyes, and for once felt peace with death. He had tried. He had done everything he could think of to defeat Kline. The universe, humanity, no one could have asked him for anything more. He worked as hard as he knew how and yet still failed to protect them.
He hoped whevever Emily was, she was happy.
Kline was ready to throw down the killing blow when the female sabertooth tiger darted through some trees and body checked Kline, slashing at his throat with her massive teeth. The billionaire screamed out in pain, and clutched at his throat while the blue light sealed his wounds.
But the tigress had a grip on Kline and dragged him through the forest, bouncing his body off various tree trunks and stones.
Alex fell back, the healing stone landing back on his chest, healing his wounds. He sighed out in relief, feeling his body come back to life. He stood, and began giving chase after the saber tooth, his feet becoming lighter and lighter until he was flying through the air, branches whipping at his face.
For his part, Kline had managed to regain control over the bag filled with stones. He reached in, grabbing the time-travel stone. A flash of light and a portal opened, as Kline and the saber tooth ran through it.
Alex squinted, and pressed himself to go faster, flying through the portal that Kline and the tiger had disappeared through.
There was a bright flash of light as he traveled through time, catching up with Kline. He exited, shooting out of the portal, immediately putting on the brakes to avoid colliding with a nearby stone wall.
But he wasn’t able to slow all of his momentum. He bounced off the wall, and fell down several hundred feet until he landed in a collection of bushes.
For his part, Kline was still wrestling with the saber tooth tiger, the animal refusing to let go of the billionaire. He wasn’t exactly losing the fight, but Kline definitely wasn’t winning. He was still having trouble retrieving the stones out of the small bag.
Alex stumbled toward Kline, trying to move fast enough to get there in time before he had a chance to get his stones back. But, the way was slow going, there was no path, and the wound Kline had inflicted on him was still bleeding, badly.
He found flying difficult at first, but picked up speed, reaching Kline and the saber tooth just in time to watch him grab his stone of strength back out of the bag. Kline grabbed one end of the animal and its head with his right hand and pulled, tearing the enormous beast in half.
Blood and viscera splattered down on him, painting Kline crimson red, his face a horrifying smile of white teeth and red blood, dripping down his face.
Kline looked over at Alex, smiling wide.
“You were saying?” Kline hissed.
Alex felt the panic erupt, and stumbled back. Kline was back to full strength and he wasn’t.
He turned and opened a portal through time, fleeing through it. He had to regroup and heal before taking on Kline again.
Kline leapt fowrrad, trying to chase A
lex through the portal, but he was too late. The portal snapped shut with a snap, the bzzt echoing through the forest. Kline roared out in anger, before turning and opening up a portal of his own.
He knew where Alex was going.
Kline stepped through the portal, intent on stopping Alex before he ever had a chance to interfere.
Chapter Fifty-Three
Emily was walking through the forest with Ted, their friendship having developed over the last few months. Her stomach was now protruding noticeably, and being eight months pregnant had made their afternoon ritual a bit more difficult, but Ted never seemed to complain. He only wanted to spend time with the woman who claimed to be the mother of his future grandson.
She was trudging along slower than normal, which Ted finally pointed out.
She swallowed and burst into tears, hating herself as she did so. The pregnancy had screwed up every hormone in her body, and now, whenever she looked at her friend, and father of the man she loved, all she could think of was how he would meet his fate in Joshua Tree.
“It’s…” she hiccupped, wiping her eyes. “I can’t tell you. It’s about the future…”
“What future?” he asked, handing her his hankerchief. She took it from him, wiping her nose gently.
“It’s....” She wanted to badly to tell him, to warn him.
“It’s about me isn’t it?” he smiled, looking back at her.
She nodded.
He breathed in, and sighed, “You can’t tell me, cause it might change whatever happens right?”
She nodded.
“And if it were something good, I doubt you’d be crying like this, right?”
She nodded again.
His face went blank for a moment, as he absorbed this new information. “I’m guessing this kinda reaction means it’s a deadly thing for me.”
She didn’t say anything this time, trying to even keep her face neutral. She couldn’t give him a hint of what might be coming for him.
“It’s all right,” he said, with a sigh. “Unless I miss my guess, I get a few more years ahead of me anyway.”