Darkness Awakens_Chronicles of Hunter

by Frank Perez

  He turned his body and swept an outstretched arm over the rest of The Council, "we all see what's important here. All he has done is given us enough reason to do what must be done, all above reproach. The Master will need to be informed."

  *~*

  For the first time he could recall, The Watcher had defied The Council.

  As the Elder Micah had weaved his power to transport him to a holding cell to await The Council's further summons, an unexpected thought had filtered into his consciousness and he had weaved a small touch of the power into the mix. Instead of being transported by Micah, he had side-stepped the power flux and rendered himself invisible to The Council, staying within the chambers.

  ‘What am I doing?’ He thought to himself once the power had completed, but he held his peace and waited, gazing over the combined auras of The Council. A gray darkness had crept into them, signaling some terrible things were taking place. Only Julian's aura had any positive color in it but it was tiny compared to the combined onslaught of the rest. He watched it change and mute down to a dark gray.

  Whatever they considered, the rest had clearly won out. Not a single shred of color could be seen within any of them.

  The Watcher Waited.

  Considering themselves alone, The Five did not even bother with any attempt and shielding their physical forms from each other. They look mad as Hell; the Watcher thought to himself. When I bring them news of what may be the most miraculous thing ever, they're mad. Why? Was this some sort of test? D'HarmaSan be damned? Just what the Hell is going on? Who the Hell is this Master that they speak of?

  And still, The Watcher Waited.

  The Five turned as one to the Pentagram and settled their collective power on opening a passageway. They were clearly getting ready to command him to return for their orders even though they hadn't even discussed the matter he had brought before them. There was something more going on.

  A moment passed, and The Watcher did not feel the vibrations he would have felt if they were commanding his presence.

  They're not asking for me! Who were they calling? This mysterious Master?

  And yet, The Watcher Waited.

  The Pentagram pulsed with swirling colors, getting more potent with each passing moment as The Five strengthened their collective power on it.

  It took a few moments more for a form to materialize within the center of the Pentagram. The light grew stronger and stronger and within it, the form of a solitary standing individual could be seen. Standing? Every Watcher knew the proper respect for The Five was to appear kneeling, head held low in deference, in a submission pose.

  Who would have the gall to appear before The Five standing erect not fearing repercussion?

  The Five stood as one and knelt, placing their hands alongside their heads on the marble pillar floor, as the figure became solid. The Five taking a submission pose? What the Hell is going on here he thought again, tweaking his power a little, ensuring he was masked and unseen. Something was going on, something he wasn't completely sure he wanted to know about.

  "Lift your heads, my sons," the figure boomed "and tell me why you're all so worried."

  All the councilor’s heads stayed bent, their foreheads brushing the floor, except for Micah. He raised his head two inches off the floor but kept his eyes on the ground "The Failed Watcher has just reported Master. He carried news about a young girl that he believes has energy like nothing ever before seen."

  "A young girl? With power, on that ugly dirt speck of a world? Are you positive that this is correct?"

  "Yes Master. I saw the images in his aura, Master. He seems to believe that the girl has almost unlimited innate power. Wild, untamed and natural... master."

  "Bah. Power of that type has only ever existed once," the figure stated waving his hand in the air, dismissing the kneeling councilor "and was removed from consciousness a very long time ago."

  "It is as you say Master. We are all in agreement. What would you have us do?"

  A smile flitted across the Masters face, "It's a simple matter councilor. I will send The Jackal to take care of it. He will find this ... girl and bring her back. I doubt she is the powerful entity that The Failed One believes her to be."

  "Of course, if he finds that she is as powerful as he claims, we will take no chances. Kill her being entirely. No rebirth to be granted. Extreme annihilation, followed by the entire planet."

  "And what of the Failed One, Master?" asked Micah.

  "Ah, his fate is now sealed. I do believe that even Julian is now totally for it. Am I correct Julian?"

  Julian raised his head and sat back on his ankles. The others gasped and stared. None had ever been so forward with the Master "Signed, sealed and about to be delivered, My Lord," he exclaimed smiling. "I've only been waiting for your word to do so and the waiting has been absolute torture I must say."

  The Master raised his face to the colors swirling above his head in the Pentagram and laughed. A loud, raucous laughter that boomed across the entire platform. Swinging a hand across his chest he pulled the ether at his feet to envelop his body, from his feet all the way around his torso. Turning his eyes upon the kneeling Council as it began to cover his face, “You would do well to heed Julian, I believe. I'm sure you all agree that he should be the head of this little gathering from now on. And never, ever think to yourselves that you can command my presence again. If needed, I'll command Your Presence.", he uttered as he vanished.

  The other all turned to Julian, confusion etched on their faces. They believed themselves beyond the reach of anyone; The Master included but somehow; he had just removed himself from their presence. They worried - if he could move one way then there would be no stopping him from being able to come before them any time he wished.

  The smile on Julian's face said it all. He had been under The Master's sway longer than they believed and no doubt had been instrumental in the sudden shift in power. No longer was his aura open to them - he had used the power to close himself off from them, completely forbidden by the Nexus on the creation of the first Council.

  A satisfied smile crossed Julian's features as he willed himself to the pillar previously used by Micah, "Now the fun begins."

  The Watcher waited no longer.

  Taking care to not be noticed he opened himself fully to his powers. The Five were no longer above him as much as that rankled and tore against every fiber of his being. They had become corrupted somehow, more corrupt than even he had guessed. He was now a wanted man, and no longer considered himself a Watcher. Internally renouncing his allegiance, he backed away, watching as the remaining four councilors all turned and fell to their knees in front of Julian.

  With a similar wave of his hand, he wove his own powers in a fashion to the one that the Five had called Master, willing his own transportation back to the lonely planet that housed one small, tiny little girl. The Jackal, he thought to himself, will need to be stopped. Whoever he is.

  The little girl would live. He would give his own life to make sure that happened.

  *~*

  Cradling the phone to her ear and still smiling at Hunter, Ren answered “Ren speaking.”

  That was typical Ren. Straight forward and to the point. No messing around with useless chatter. It was one of the things that made her a brilliant publisher. Everyone she dealt with knew about her integrity and her blunt honesty. Hunter watched as the smile faded from Ren’s face. Whatever was discussed was not good. “Just try to keep her calm. I’ll be there as soon as I can to get her.” Ren said into the phone before replacing the handset. “Damn. My car’s in the shop. Gonna have to cab it.”

  Hunter looked over at Ren “Everything OK Ren?”

  “Not really. That was Bonnie’s school. Apparently she’s been like a walking zombie today and she almost fell asleep during her math’s class. Poor kid has been having a lot of nightmares for some reason lately and it looks like she had one at school.” Ren paused, “They’re having a hard time calming her down. Today
of all days. My damn car is in the shop!”

  "Don’t stress. My car is downstairs. Happy to give you a lift."

  “You sure Hunter? I’m not putting you out of your way?”

  Hunter looked at Ren, “Nope. Nothing else in the calendar for today,” except for getting plastered, he added silently. And there’s no real time line for that, that’s on ongoing task.

  Ren slammed the lid of her notebook down and grabbed the coat off the back of her chair, “Appreciate this Hunter. I won’t even charge you extra for the next novel!”

  The drive to pick up Bonnie was uneventful. Ren being wrapped up in her own thoughts regarding her daughter so Hunter had been more than happy to just drive and let her be. He was now just waiting at the car while Ren had gone inside the school to collect her daughter. He watched closely as she emerged with a very-tired Bonnie and laid her down in the back seat for the drive back to her apartment.

  Ren hugged Bonnie closer to her body as they stepped into the elevator that would take her up to her apartment. Hunter had slung her bag over his shoulder and was getting the keys ready to let them in. “The Prada bag suits you Hunter. It brings out your eyes.”

  Hunter turned back to give her a tentative smile. She’d always been able to put him at ease with her easy manner. Even now, when she was worried about her daughter, she was taking time out to ensure that he was at ease. “Always preferred Gucci. More my speed.”

  Ren returned his smile, “Well hurry up and open the door Mr. Gucci. She may not look like much but this girl weighs a ton when she’s asleep!”

  Hunter unlocked the door and pushed it open, allowing Ren to go inside. He stood at the entrance, unsure whether to come in any further. Ren looked over as she stepped into the other room where a couch dominated one side of the wall, “Don’t be shy Hunter. Come in and close the door behind you. Let me get my girl settled down. Make yourself useful and put on some coffee. Kitchen’s through there.” She pointed with her chin.

  Hunter moved through entry and into the room that Ren was pointing to. It was the first time that he’d been in anyone else’s place for as long as he could remember.

  He’d sometimes dreamed about what Ren’s place would look like and he wasn’t too far off the mark. Like the lady herself, the room oozed class. Not over the top, touch nothing class, but a lived in and used look that still looked classy.

  Pieces of expensive furniture placed in perfect spots around the apartment. Original artworks hung from discrete spots on the walls. A caftan lay over the back of the chaise lounge she was lowering Bonnie on in complete view from where he was in the kitchen. Obvious placement by a mother of an eight-year-old where she could watch her daughter while preparing meals. He looked around and spotted the coffee machine. No drip brew for Ren, this was a fully operational barista machine with all the extras thrown in, which left Hunter at a complete loss. He did not understand where to even begin making a coffee using this monstrosity.

  “If you know how to use that thing, I’ve underestimated you.” Ren’s voice whispered from the doorway, "Second cupboard to your left - there’s a kettle. That ", she added, pointing to the gleaming coffee maker, “came with the apartment.”

  Hunter gave a small chuckle “Thank God. I was thinking about impressing…”

  A scream from Bonnie stopped Hunter from finishing his sentence. He was only a small step behind Ren as they went running into the room where she had laid Bonnie down to rest. The young girl had sat upright, as stiff as a board, screaming “Here’s here, the devil. Go away. No!!!! Leave me alone”

  Ren was there in a flash, grabbing her daughter in a huge embrace, trying to soothe her “Shhh, baby. Muma’s here. It’s all a dream, baby. Shhh….”

  Hunter watched as Ren tried to calm Bonnie down. They were hugging each other on the couch, with Ren rocking Bonnie back and forth. Something felt off. Something beyond Bonnie’s nightmare and her scream. There was a subtle hint of color at the corner of his eye, disappearing every time he turned to look. A deep, blood-like red, centered on the edge of the couch.

  Danger. He thought to himself. This is the feeling that I get in my dreams when something bad is about to happen. He could see the hint of an outline within the color but nothing he could put his finger on. Every sense in his body was screaming danger yet the only strange thing that was happening was Bonnie herself, sobbing and screaming into her mother’s shoulder.

  “Shhh, baby. Muma’s here. It’s all a dream, baby. Shhh….” Ren soothed and then broke off. Hunter turned back to look at Ren wondering what had caused her to stop her whispering and he noticed, Bonnie was almost translucent. He could make out the couch behind her.

  Ren’s voice switched from a calming whisper to almost a shriek “Oh my God. What’s happening? Hunter! Help me!”

  He leaped over the coffee table in front of the couch to kneel in front of Ren and reached out his hand towards Bonnie. Not knowing what he could do when he looked into Ren’s eyes; the shocked look mirroring his own. The red-colored mist disappeared from his view and he would have sworn that he’d dimly heard a dull, throaty bark. Reaching further towards Bonnie his hand came up empty, passing through Bonnie’s body like she wasn’t even there.

  What the Hell is going on? He thought to himself. What the fuck is this? Have I fallen asleep? Is this my nightmare? His senses continued to scream at him, warning him of danger. Like seeing a young girl vanish in her mother’s arms wasn't enough of a warning that something weird was going on.

  Ren was holding her arms tucked around each other, rocking back and forth. “Bonnie. Bonnie… Where are you?”

  A change in the air warned him that the encounter continued. Once again he caught a snippet of a red-colored outline from the corner of his eye. This time it seemed more solid; he attacked without thought.

  No resistance slowed him down as his body went through the color like it didn’t exist. Ren just looked at him as if he had become deranged. “What the hell are you doing?” she began but didn’t have time to finish, as the red mist that Hunter had tackled became solid.

  A completely solid form, man-like. Covered in a robe of some sort, looking like some kind of druid or ancient priest, the face hidden deep within the darkness of the cowl, menacing.

  Hunter felt himself shunted aside by a second man as he was on the verge of launching another attack at the figure in the red mist. This one having materialized just behind him, dressed identically to the first, the only difference being that he had his hood thrown back over his shoulders.

  The new stranger raised a hand and pointed it straight at the first one. Deep blue, concentrated smoke lashed out from the outstretched arm, cackling with electricity. The impact of the blast sent the first figure flying, away from a now screaming Ren. “Quickly. Take Ren and get out.” The stranger said to Hunter. “She’s dead otherwise.”

  Good Advice. Thought Hunter, regardless of who the hell you are. Running across the room he grabbed Ren by the arm shoving her towards the open door back into the kitchen, away from the craziness going on in the living room. “What the hell is all this?” she asked breathlessly “and what happened to Bonnie?”

  Hunter looked around the kitchen and then back into the living room where the fight was continuing, "I have no idea Ren. This is just… ", he trailed off, not knowing how to finish the sentence.

  “Crazy? A nightmare?” she prompted “Am I in my own nightmare Hunter?”

  “I’m asking myself the same questions. Is it possible that we’re both having the same?” Hunter took a deep breath and faced back to the living room where one of strangers had just blasted the other into oblivion “Whatever it is, it looks like it’s coming to an end. There’s only one of those guys left standing in there, and we’re still trapped in the kitchen. Please tell me you’ve got some knives in here, if not a shotgun.”

  Ren looked over to the living room as Hunter spoke. She whispered, “Butchers knife. Second draw down,” watching the strange figure stride across the l
iving room towards the kitchen. “First chance you get, don’t hesitate.”

  Despite her warning, Hunter had not made a move towards the knife as the figure strode towards them, completely captivated by the colors swirling off it. Bright gold and orange swirls coming off his head and shoulders as if he was producing his own heat-wave. With a start he realized that the figure was almost upon them and he hadn’t even grabbed the knife that Ren mentioned. “Get behind me Ren, and as soon as you get an opening, run for it. Fast as you can. Get out of here and call the cops. I’ll try to stall him somehow.”

  Ren reached across and to give him a hug, “Don’t get yourself killed, damn you. Run with me out of here as fast as you can.”

  *~*

  Michael lurked within the council chambers for a moment trying to glimpse the mysterious Jackal they kept mentioning hoping to get any information that would help him. Using his training, he centered himself and tried to gather his thoughts.

  Extreme annihilation of Bonnie? Destruction of an entire planet over it? It makes little sense! The Five council members broke away from each other and one by one disappeared. They hadn’t needed to summon The Jackal in person which only meant that he had made a huge mistake in waiting. Time he could ill afford.

  With a quick wave of his hand, he sent his physical form to Ren’s apartment, already fearing that he would be too late.

  A scene of total chaos befell Michael as he materialized in Ren’s apartment. He caught the final moments of Bonnie dissipating, being caught in a trap of some sort.

  A hazy figure lurked in the background, one he couldn’t quite see. A dark grey aura surrounded it, bordering on black with red streaks running through it like mini bolts of lightning.

  Not Good.

  The Jackal was about to launch another attack and without thought; he shoved Hunter aside and sent a wave of pure, raw energy straight at him. Deep blue, concentrated smoke exploded from his outstretched hand, crackling with a powerful electric charge, taking the Jackal in the stomach, wounding him. The impact sent the Jackal flying, away from Ren.