by Albert Long
Albert J. Long III, M.P.A.
THE SHADOW GUARDIANS
A BOOK By
Albert Long
© Copyright 2009, Albert J. Long III
CHAPTER ONE: A DAY IN DEATH
A little girl with black hair and brown eyes—not more than six years old—sits in the dark in her bedroom. She waits. She waits for him. He arrives. He always does. She remembered what her friend Mandy told her to say the next time he came, and she whispers into the shadows,
“Out of the dark,
they come to fight.
Suffer no more,
this child tonight.
Hear my cries.
Come this way.
Harm a child, and
You will pay.”
A flash of blue electricity sparked and lit the room. The linens smoldered from the charge. The man quickly leaped from the bed, leaving the young girl sobbing and scrambling to put her gown back on. He put his pants on hurriedly, his long black hair covering his face as he bent over. “Who’s there,” the man asked with a bit of fear in his voice. There was no answer. A blue bolt of electricity shot into him, and as he writhed on the floor, he made out the forms of three children—two boys and a girl. None of them appeared older than thirteen years. They all were clothed in white with white shoes and had a white glow outlining their forms. One boy was Hispanic, about six feet tall, with short cropped black hair. The other boy had pale, milky skin, stood about six feet two inches, and had long blonde hair. The girl was short, about five feet two inches, with shoulder-length blonde hair. “Go to your Mother’s room,” Matt, the milky-skinned boy, instructed the sobbing child. The child ran from the room. “Who are you,” the man asked. “I’m sorry. I was drinking, and things got out of hand” he said. “You are the worst of creation”, Miguel, the Hispanic boy, yelled, clinching his fist until blue sparks formed. “No,” screamed the man. “Not that again. No”! “This time, you’ve been warned. Next time you die,” Matt said softly. “A child is to be loved and protected, not made to suffer,” the girl said. “Don’t make us come back,” Miguel, the boy who had stunned him with the blue stream of electricity, said sternly, his fist still glowing blue. The man lay on the floor wiggling in pain. “I’ll change,” he said. “I won’t ever touch her again.” “Liar,” Miguel yelled. He clenched his fist and blue sparks formed. “Miguel, no” screamed Mimi. “You’ll kill him,” she added. “Next time,” Miguel said. The three children stared down at him for a moment and then disappeared into the darkness.
“He will do it again,” Matt said. “I hope he does,” Miguel replied, clenching his fist until a blue flame of electricity sparked. “We made our point,” Mimi whispered. “There’s a little boy just a few miles from here, locked in a cage. He’s in a lot of pain, and he’s alone and scared. That’s where we are headed,” she said. Miguel’s eyes glowed blue. “Let’s move,” Matt said. In unison, they lifted from the ground and glided through the air towards their destination, a two-story, brick house on the other side of the city, in one of the poorest neighborhoods.
“After we take care of the boy, I want to go back to look in on my Mother,” Matt said. “I was thinking the same thing about my sister,” Mimi replied. “Might as well go see how my family is doing these days,” Miguel said. “Do you think the Soulcatchers might be waiting for us if we go back there,” Mimi asked. “We haven’t heard a peep out of them for weeks,” Miguel said. “They’re up to something,” Matt chimed in. “We better make our visit brief and uneventful,” Matt finished. They all nodded in agreement.
Miguel entered the basement through an open window. He scanned the room. He held his fists out in front of him, blue light emanating. A filthy couch and a black-and-white television were in the middle of the room, with empty bowls and soda cans strewn about. There was no sign of the boy they had come to rescue. “Come on in,” Miguel whispered to the others, waving to them. Mimi and Matt swooped into the room. “I know he’s here,” Mimi said. My intuition has never been wrong before. “We trust your gift, Mimi,” Miguel said. Just walk around and see if you can sense him here”. Matt found a light switch and turned it on. They could hear footsteps from above. “I can see light coming from that crack in the wood on the floor,” Matt said. “Stand back,” Miguel warned. He aimed his right hand at the floor and exploded the wood into splinters and dust. They could hear someone coughing down below. “It’s better that he sees a human,” Mimi said, looking at Matt. “I agree,” Miguel said. Matt closed his eyes and morphed into a tall, blonde teen in a tee-shirt and jeans. Mimi and Miguel stood in the shadows, attempting not to be seen. “Here, take my hand,” Matt said to the quivering child, pulling him up from the hole. Matt looked at the boy for a moment, his hair matted, his ribs showing through his dingy shirt filled with holes, and the sack he was using for pants covered in feces and insects. “I’m Matt,” he said to the boy. The boy didn’t say anything. “It’s okay. You’re safe,” Matt said. “The boy nodded and clenched Matt, sobbing quietly. “Where are they,” he asked the boy. “It’s just my paw,” the boy said. “Maw hasn’t come down here in a long time—don’t know where she is.” Matt glanced toward Mimi and Miguel. He could see Miguel’s eyes turning the darkest blue he had seen in the years they had known each other. Mimi pointed upward. Matt made a motion, and Mimi and Miguel quickly moved through to the stairs and made their way up. Matt hoisted the boy out the window of the basement and followed him outside. “Let’s wait here for a minute,” Matt said. “Don’t make me go back,” the boy cried. “You won’t ever be going back in there. I promise,” Matt said.
Miguel couldn’t remember a recent time when his powers flowed so easily and so destructively from his body. “You’re going to kill him. He can’t take much more,” Mimi pleaded. “He deserves death,” Miguel said, spinning the bald, fat, bearded man in the air and slamming him onto a glass table. “Please. Let me live. I know it looks bad, but I love that boy,” the man pleaded. “He’s lying,” Mimi said. “I feel hatred, resentment, and fear,” she added. “Mimi, you go outside with Matt. The boy can’t see you; he’s good. Only the ones who are evil us can see. You don’t want to be here for the rest of this.” Mimi gave Matt a stern look and the fat man one of disgust mixed with pity. She left the house through the front door and went around to find Matt and the boy. Screams and bolts of electricity filled the air. From outside, Matt, the boy, and Mimi could see blue lights streaking through the room. Then, there was silence. “What’s happening to my paw,” the boy asked. “Justice,” Matt said. “Justice”.
Matt walked with the boy to a fire station. Mimi and Miguel followed, unbeknownst to the boy, who could not see them. “It’s freaky that only other spirits, the Soulcatchers, humans with impure hearts, and some humans with the gift to mingle in the spirit world can see us,” Miguel said. “A blessing and a curse,” Mimi replied. They made the long walk, and Matt—still using his gift to change to human form—spoke to the Captain on duty. The Captain made a couple of phone calls and led the boy to the firehouse kitchen. Matt watched and waived to the boy. He was safe now and would have a new home soon. “I’ll stop by and check on you soon,” Matt yelled to the boy. The boy said nothing, but a smile grew across his face. Matt walked outside, changed back to his ghostly form and joined his team mates. Together they whisked through the air, headed to their hometown, where it all began.
CHAPTER TWO: GHOSTS OF THE PAST
“Hey, you up there, help me please,” a voice came from below. “Look there,” Miguel said, pointing to an African American teen below, lying in a field of tall grass. “Jordin is around. I’ve been running from him, and I’m so tired, I had to stop here and rest,” the boy said. “He’s one of us,” Mimi said.
“I can sense it,” she added. Mimi, Miguel, and Matt swooped down and hovered over the boy. “Name’s Jericho”, the boy said. “I’m Mimi. This is Miguel, and that’s Matt,” Mimi said. “Pleased to meet you, especially under the circumstances,” Jericho said. “Not to be rude or anything,” Miguel said, “but if Jordin is around here, I don’t wanna be. Let’s start moving. You can come with us, Jericho. Mimi will give you a boost of energy to help you along”. Miguel nodded to Mimi, and she reached out and touched Jericho. A rush of cold energy filled his body. “That’s some gift,” Jericho said. “Thank you.” “Let’s get outta here,” Matt said. Jericho lifted himself into the air, and the four of them flew. “Where are we headed,” Jericho asked. “We came here to check in on our families,” Mimi said. “We’re about a mile away from Matt’s family’s house”. “So, what’s your story,” Jericho asked Mimi. “You’re awfully talkative and inquisitive,” Miguel said with a frown. “It’s okay,” Mimi said. ““It’s been two years since I died,” Mimi lamented. “Two and a half for Miguel, and three for Matt,” she added. “I think about it every day.
It was a warm summer day. Molly and I were outside playing in the sandbox. She had built an igloo out of sand, and I went in the house to get my dolls, so they could sleep in it. My Mother and my father were fighting. He was drunk, and Mom was trying to stop him from driving to the store. He stumbled past me, Mom following him, as I walked to my room. I looked around for my dolls and couldn’t find them, so I opened the window to yell outside to Molly to see if she had moved them. When I looked outside, I saw my Mom on the ground, my father kicking her over and over. She was curled up, holding her stomach. I could sense Molly’s fright and anger, and I knew she was going to try to stop him. I bolted out of the room and out of the house. When I got outside, he had Molly by the throat with his left hand, lifting her from the ground. She was turning blue. He punched her in the face with his other hand a couple of times, and blood was coming from her nose, running onto her yellow dress. She saw me, and we looked into each other’s eyes. I could feel her pain, literally. We were twins, and we shared everything. I picked up a shovel that Molly and I had been using to dig in our sandbox, and I hit him in the knee with it as hard as I could. He screamed in agony and dropped Molly. I tried to run. He limped after me and tripped me with his foot. I fell, and he sat on me and punched me until I was dizzy. He got off, and I tried to crawl away. I was on my stomach. I heard Molly yell, “don’t hit her,” and I felt the worse pain in the back of my neck. Warm blood gushed down my neck and onto my chest. I passed out. I don’t remember anything after that. After my funeral, I heard people talking about the beating my body took. I often wonder what things would be like if I had lived that day. Molly had a really bad time dealing with what happened. We were the closest twin sisters ever,” she said. “You tried to stop him from beating her, and he took your life instead,” Miguel said. “You’re a hero. You saved your sister,” Matt added.
“At least your death was for a purpose,” Miguel said. “When I was running toward my brother, hanging from that tree that our step-father had tied him to for wetting the bed, the rain was blinding me. The storm was bad. What are the chances someone would get struck by lightning, trying to save his brother from strangling to death? We both died that day. He went with the Soulcatchers to Heaven. Me—I had business to finish here on earth and refused to leave”. Miguel’s hands glowed with blue electricity, as did his eyes.
“I seldom talk about it,” Matt said. “You know my story. My Mother’s boyfriend used to beat us every day, after having his bottles of gin. He blamed us for him having to work two construction jobs, and he hated his ex-wife for leaving the state with his daughter. His way of coping was to let me and Mama have it every night. Everyone at school knew, even the teachers. Nobody tried to help. I was ashamed—a fourteen year old boy who couldn’t defend himself or his Mother. One night while everyone was asleep, I snuck into the kitchen and drank the last of the gin he had left laying around. It made me woozy. I found Mama’s bottle of Xanax, and I took all of them. When I awoke, a soul catcher was holding my hand. I jerked away and ran from him. I went back to the house, and I appeared before Mama’s boyfriend. I haunted him every day until he lost his touch with reality and had to be locked away in a mental ward. I’ve been running ever since, but at least I freed Mama,” Matt said, tears in his eyes.
“I was kidnapped by some men who didn’t like my skin color,” Jericho said. They hung me from a tree about two miles south of here. When the soul catcher came for me, I bolted. I was filled with rage, dying the way I did. I made a promise to hunt them down and get revenge. That was a year ago. I found where they used to live, but the family moved out of state. I don’t know where. I won’t rest until I find them.
“We found each other and made a vow to use our deaths and our powers to save children in danger, who are abused, and who need someone to look out for them, like we did,” Miguel said. “That’s what we do—at least while dodging Soulcatchers”. “Mimi’s house is just beyond that hill,” Matt said. “You want to go alone, or do you want us with you,” Miguel asked.
Let’s stay together. There might be Soulcatchers around,” Mimi said. “Agreed,” Matt, Miguel, and Jericho said in unison. First, they went to Mimi’s house. They entered through the back door, which was ajar. “My Mother always liked to keep a door open in the house—said it helped circulate fresh oxygen inside,” Mimi said. “Mama, can I watch tv,” a girl’s voice echoed from upstairs. “After you do your homework,” a woman replied. Mimi, Miguel, Jericho, and Matt glided into the room where the woman sat on the couch brushing a little girl’s hair. “That’s Tina, my older sister,” Mimi said with a grin. “Mama looks so good. I just need to see Molly, and I’m done here,” Mimi said. The three of them glided up the stairs. Molly was in her room watching television, her stack of homework lying on the side of the bed next to her. She laughed aloud as one of the cartoon characters hit the other with a pie. Mimi smiled a huge grin. “I wish she knew I was here,” Mimi said. “She thinks about you every day,” Miguel said. “You saved her from him”. “He’s in hell now, and I’m glad the three of us saw to it,” Miguel added. “You ready to leave,” Matt asked. “I’m feeling uneasy about Soulcatchers being around. They know we come back here,” he added. “Yeah, let’s go to your house,” Miguel said.
“You never did tell us what your gift is,” Miguel said. “I have the power to wield electricity. Matt can morph into any human form he chooses, and Mimi has the power to see inside people and feel their emotions and, of course, to charge the dead with energy like she did for you.” “My ability is to control humans by whispering what I want them to do, as long as it is for good and not for evil,” Jericho said. “I always wanted to be a preacher when I was growing up—help people take the right paths in life. I used to spend hours lecturing anyone who would listen about Heaven and about God and about making the right choices in life. I was called a prodigy. Every now and then, I can use it on animals too. “That’s an interesting gift,” Miguel snorted with a laugh. “If God decides to flood the earth again, you’d be the man to help load the ark,” he laughed. “Lay off, Mr. Static Cling,” Matt said. Miguel and Matt locked eyes. “Boys,” Mimi shouted. Let’s focus. The four of them continued on their journey.
Moments later, they arrived at Matt’s house. Matt looked around to see if anyone was nearby, then morphed into human form. He pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the front door, then changed back to his ghostly form. The four of them entered the house. It was quiet, save for a television on in the front room. “I don’t think they’re here,” Miguel said. They drifted room-by-room through the ranch-style house. Not a soul in sight. “Don’t be disappointed, Matt,” Mimi said. “I can feel them”. “Them,” Matt asked. “Yes, your Mother and her boyfriend,” Mimi said. “They are in love, and it’s true love. She’s happy, Matt.” “I wish I could see her,” Matt said. “We’ll come back another time,” Miguel replied. “Let’
s get to my house and then get out of this town before we run into Jordin,” Miguel said. “You think maybe we could stop by the farm, so I can look in on my old man,” Jericho asked. “That’s risky, since you’ve been chased by Jordin,” Miguel said. “Miguel,” Mimi said with a bit of disgust. “Okay. Okay. A quick stop,” Miguel said.
“So, Mimi had the most to say about how her death happened and the aftermath,” Jericho said. “Well, duh,” Miguel replied. “She is the one with the gift of empathy and a sixth sense. She’s all emotional,” he added. “I was just wondering,” Jericho began. “Let me stop you there, partner,” Miguel said. “I don’t discuss it”. “I prefer to let it be, too,” Matt said. “You know as much as necessary for someone we’ve only known for about an hour,” Miguel said. Mimi was silent. “Speaking of spilling secrets, you never did tell us the details of your run-in with Jordin,” Matt said. Jericho laughed, and then a very stern look came over his cinnamon skin. A vein in his bald head bulged, and his well-defined lips and broad nose flared. His eyes grew a darker shade of brown.
“I was out at the lake over by farmer Miller’s house. You know where it is,” Jericho said. I was remembering the first time my father took me there as a boy. The water went from the calmest body without a ripple to a raging tempest of spray. The sky got dark, and there was an icy breeze. I didn’t bother to look; I knew what was happening. I leaped into the air and flew as fast as I could. I barely dodged the flames from his sword, feeling the hairs on my arms singe. I turned to see how close he was, and I looked into his fiery eyes. He was wearing his usual black robe with the hood. All I could see of his face were his eyes, like there was nothing else there but them. He said to me in a deep voice, “it’s time for your soul to rest, son”. He drew back to wield flames at me again, and I dropped to the ground and began running through the tall grass, hoping he wouldn’t see me. I ran and ran until I couldn’t take another step. I fell in the grass and lay there. I saw him fly over me, and I stayed as still as possible, holding my breath. He yelled, “I will never stop until your soul comes home, Jericho”. I didn’t make a peep. I lay there. About two hours later, you guys came by, and you know the rest.