Dead Time Series

by Jason Wilcox

  “I can’t believe he would be that stupid,” Bridget said. “Why would he walk away from a crash without being checked out or even stopping to help the others?”

  “I don’t know, dear-”.

  “In fact, why hasn’t he called me?” Bridget asked. Elizabeth wrapped her arm around Bridget and pulled her close. Both of them sat in silence for a minute with the TV muted. A sick feeling went through Bridget’s body as she imagined Caden being the one that died in the wreck.

  Only a couple of minutes went by before the phone rang. Elizabeth reached for it, but Bridget took it out of her hands and answered.

  “Hello,” Bridget said with panic in her voice. “Caden, are you okay? Are you hurt? Where are you?” She still shook in fear.

  “I’m fine,” Caden responded.

  Bridget let out a sigh. “I’m so glad you’re okay. We saw the wreck on the news. We were so worried about you.”

  “No need to be worried, James and I left the wreck immediately after it happened.”

  “It was you and James who walked away?” Bridget said, her voice rising a little louder. She couldn’t believe it. Anger began taking over her emotions. “How foolish can you-”

  “I just wanted to call to tell you we’re okay,” Caden said bluntly. “We’re on our way to the office right now, so-”

  “You just survived a wreck,” Bridget began, “and now you’re on your way to work. Why would you even think about going to work after you were on a plane that crashed, and how will you even get there?” She looked over at Elizabeth with wide eyes.

  “I just wanted to let you know we’re okay,” Caden said again, “but I need to get going.”

  “No,” Bridget yelled. Her heart rate was going crazy. “You need to come home, now! You’re not thinking clearly. Obviously that crash jarred something loose in your head.”

  “I’m not coming home. Not right now. Bigger things are-”

  “If you’re not willing to come home, I want to come to you.”

  “No,” Caden said, almost pleading with her.

  “You’ve put work ahead of us in the past; you’re now putting it before our honeymoon.” She took a breath to cool down, but it didn’t help. “You then put work over your health after surviving a plane crash. You aren’t going to push me out after all of this, using your work as some kind of excuse. I’m coming!” She realized by the end she was almost yelling.

  “Bridget,” Caden said in his tone that showed his frustration. “The answer is no. You cannot come out and meet me. I’ll explain the best I can later, but right now there are lives at stake, and I have to go.”

  “Caden-”

  “I love you. I promise I’ll call you later.” With that, Caden hung up.

  Bridget hung up and looked over at her mother. Tapping on the phone with her fingernails, she looked at the cordless black phone and back to her mom. “I need to run to the airport and get a seat on a plane. He can’t stop me if I’m already there.”

  CHAPTER 22

  Tagen could hear crunching as he approached Snyp’s large room. As he entered, he saw Snyp eating a youngling that had been created for food.

  Prison cells lined the walls of the caverns, and contained the people they caught. Normally the cells contained bums, drug dealers, and people that wouldn’t be missed when they disappeared. Once they caught humans, they were thrown into the cells where their souls would be unable to leave their bodies, as their bodies died. Slowly darkness seeped into their souls, and the soul—out of survival—absorbed the body. Most of the dark souls were created for food, which rejuvenated the feasting dark souls. If the dark soul they ate was older or contained more power, they would absorb that power. There were also souls that Snyp decided to keep alive, which he did if his ranks were growing small.

  As Tagen approached, Snyp looked up. A black oily substance squirted out of Snyp’s mouth as he crunched down on something between his teeth. “What news do you bring?” Snyp asked after swallowing. A large wound split the middle of his back. Oozing black blood pooled on the ground.

  “What happened to you?” Tagen asked quietly.

  Snyp reached back and touched the wound. “It will be fine shortly. Things didn’t go as well as I had hoped.”

  Knowing that if he pushed for much more information Snyp might get irritated, Tagen decided to move on with his information. “I know a way we might be able to capture Mauldrin,” Tagen responded while staring at the half-eaten corpse. The thought of sinking his teeth into the juicy, black flesh made him hungry.

  “Well, go on,” Snyp said, reaching for a severed hand and bit off a finger, crunching through the softened bone.

  “I followed Mauldrin into stopped time.”

  Snyp stopped eating and lifted both eyebrows at Tagen. “Mighty brave of you to venture into a cell of time like that.”

  “I was nervous,” Tagen said quickly, “but I made sure I was careful.” Tagen looked at the hand Snyp was still holding, craving it. “I think the cell was empty. I never saw a thing.”

  “So how do we capture him?” Snyp asked. With a small toss, Snyp threw the hand to Tagen.

  Tagen ripped into the hand making short work of it. He finished the last bite and wiped the black liquid that dripped down his chin. “He’s much weaker in stopped time. I was able to control him for a little bit with just his name. I believe if you give me a group of younglings, we can capture him the next time he goes into a cell of time.”

  “And what if the next time there is something in that cell?”

  “I feel confident that we’d be okay,” Tagen responded in a hissing voice. “Besides, if there was anything there, wouldn’t it go after Mauldrin to try to make its escape?”

  “Very true.” Snyp tore a piece of shadowy flesh from the corpse and chewed. “Go and pick some younglings that you trust. Make sure they don’t know who Mauldrin is and then bring him back to me.”

  “There’s more.” Tagen hesitated. The last time he had reported information about someone trying to stop him, he got into trouble. Snyp stopped chewing for a moment and looked up at Tagen. “One of the times that I attacked Mauldrin, Kaz was there, protecting him.”

  Snyp’s black muscles glistened as he flexed them and stood. “Demons can’t go into time cells.”

  “It was before I attacked Mauldrin in a cell of time.”

  Turning away from Tagen, Snyp walked farther into the darkness of his cavern, mumbling to himself. “This is getting complicated,” Snyp spoke while he paced, his mumbles growing louder. “A powerful human that I don’t recognize tells me Mauldrin is joining the Witch…what is going on?” He grumbled. Finally, he stopped and looked up at Tagen. “What about Domblin? Where was he?”

  “I’m not sure. I followed Mauldrin this time. He left the previous location, and Domblin was nowhere to be seen. I thought I might be able to catch Mauldrin if he didn’t have Domblin there to protect him.” Tagen paused and realized he had gotten sidetracked. “So, I don’t know where Domblin is.”

  “No matter, I’m sure my scouts will find him and trail him.” Snyp finally raised a hand and his throne of bones formed out of the ground. The bones ground together as he sat. “Let’s stick with the plan. Get some younglings and catch Mauldrin as quickly as possible. I’ll try to hold Triaad off as long as I can to give you a chance to get Mauldrin out of there, so he doesn’t find out. I’ll also inform him that the demon thing is resolved, so I won’t have to keep losing battles and wasting my time with them.”

  “Is it resolved?” Tagen asked, not meaning to ask aloud. Snyp just glared at Tagen for a moment. His red eyes blazed.

  “Is the plan clear?”

  “Yes,” Tagen said. I can’t wait to bring you down, you backstabbing… Stepping away from the carcass that he wanted to take, Tagen left the room.

  The usual emptiness in the hallway, with the normal occasional scream, seemed hollow to Tagen. He hadn’t always lived like this. There was a time when he lived with Triaad in his kingd
om and was treated with respect. Everything had fallen apart almost two thousand years ago, and he was going to get it back. As soon as he could prove Snyp’s terrible plan, then Triaad would accept him again.

  Soft dirt sifted through his toes as he slowly walked. His plan was going to have to change now that younglings would be involved. I’ll have to catch him alive and bring him back here as Snyp requested. But then…then I’ll inform Triaad before he leaves. We’ll catch Snyp red handed. I’ll be recognized for my heroic efforts. Smiling, Tagen began to walk faster.

  Liquid dark matter dripped over the opening where the older younglings slept. Tagen looked around at the large numbers of creatures lining the holes in the walls and the floor. He only wanted the fanatical younglings, ones that were almost too much to handle. They would be strong enough to fight Mauldrin.

  “Who wants some flesh?” Tagen yelled, looking for the overly anxious ones that drooled for blood.

  He knew he was flirting with disaster if one of them grew too desirous and hurt Mauldrin, but he felt strong enough to keep them in line. There was going to be a fight for Mauldrin, and he needed to be ready with dark souls who would fight, even if it meant their lives.

  A large crowd of growling younglings crowded around Tagen.

  “You may eat anything or anyone that stands in the way of the one person that I must capture and bring back to Snyp,” Tagen said to the large group of younglings. He was pleasantly surprised, almost the entire cavern of younglings had gathered around him.

  Even though Tagen wanted to take them all, he knew if he was going to keep order with the younglings, he needed a smaller group. If he had too many, he may not be able to control them from attacking or eating Mauldrin without permission. If the stupid demon got in the way again, he could always come back for more.

  “I can’t take all of you right now,” Tagen said as he looked at the seven closest younglings. “You seven, let’s go. If I need more, I’ll come back for the rest of you.”

  “Meat,” one of them hissed as they made their way out of the cavern and through the tunnels.

  CHAPTER 23

  Night setting in caused the streets to be relatively empty as Caden sped down back roads to get to the main office. James sat in the passenger’s seat, and was on his cell phone talking with his wife. They had taken the car; it was old but still had a kick to it. A skull on a necklace hung from the rear view mirror and the seats were covered with black fabric.

  “Okay, hun, I’ll talk to you later,” James said as he closed his cell phone and put it back in his pocket.

  “Everything good with the wife?”

  “Yup,” James said with a smile. “She thinks I’m nuts, but she’s grown used to it and wished me well.”

  “That’s really cool of her,” Caden said, still feeling a little frustrated at Bridget’s response.

  “What about Bridget?” James began. “How does she feel about the whole situation?”

  “Oh,” Caden hesitated. He really didn’t want to talk about it. But he knew if he didn’t, James would keep bugging him, and he really didn’t have the patience for that. “She’s not too impressed with my decisions.” He pulled down a street a couple of blocks away from the office building. They could see it at the end of the street.

  “How much does she know about what you do? If I know you, not much. Don’t you think it would be hard for her to understand what you have to do? Take my wife, for instance. She used to go berserk, always worried about my safety. Now she worries, but she tries not to let me know. She doesn’t want me to be distracted so I won’t be safe. Give Bridget time. She’s tough.”

  Suddenly, in the distance, a huge explosion blasted the SDS office building. The explosion gave the illusion that time had slowed down. Cars were thrown around in front of them as the blast quickly approached. Caden slammed on the gas and steered for a side street, but it was too late. The enormous blast clipped the back of their car, knocking all of the glass out of the windows and slamming the car against a concrete building. Caden’s ears rang and his heart pounded. Dust filled the air. Explosions from small buildings and other structures echoed down the roadways.

  James had cuts on his face and a piece of glass sticking out from his left cheek. Blood trickled down his lips from his nose. “You okay?” Caden asked while putting his hand on James’s back.

  James sat up a little as Caden pulled the glass out. “I’ll be alright. How about you?” The small glove box creaked as James found napkins to put on his face and nose.

  “I’m fine.” Caden restarted the car. “But I have a feeling we don’t have an office anymore.” Anger brewed inside of him, but this was what all of his years of training were for–to keep the anger subdued. He could remember Robert, among others, teaching him techniques over and over about how to keep anger contained so it wouldn’t blur thoughts and make his work sloppy.

  Both rear tires were flat, which made it feel like the car was driving on a seriously bumpy road. Most of the buildings they passed on their way to the office were destroyed. Wreckage lay scattered across the street, making it difficult to drive. The windows were blown out and some of the buildings were on fire. Only a couple of minutes passed before they got to the building, or what was left of the building. It was just a pile of rubble with some fires.

  James and Caden got out of the car. An explosion rang out behind them, and they both quickly ducked. Trying to fight feelings of disbelief, Caden examined the situation, looking across the rubble. He took deep breaths; he had to stay clear minded so he could effectively help any survivors.

  Vibrations came from Caden’s pocket. Reaching in, he pulled out his cell phone. He didn’t recognize the number and started to put it back. There was no time to waste on the phone, but something inside prodded him to answer. “Hello?”

  “Caden, it’s me…”

  “Matt, you’re alive,” Caden said louder than he expected. James quickly looked at him. “Are you buried in the rubble? We’ll get down there as fast as possible.”

  “No, I’m not in the building.” Matt sounded out of breath. “I have something important to tell you. Can you meet me?”

  “Meet you? The office just blew up. Not sure if you knew. But I’m here now, and I’m going to help get survivors out.”

  “I know the office blew up. I don’t have much time. Meet me at the building on the corner of 4th and Denk Ave. Come in through the blown out wall.”

  “You come to me. I have to get out in the rubble to see if there are any survivors.”

  “There won’t be, trust me.” Matt sounded almost remorseful. “Caden, I need you to meet me. It’s about Robert. You can’t trust him. He’s betrayed all of us.”

  “What do you mean?” Caden asked. “How did he betray us?” Something moved in the rubble just a little ways out from where Caden was standing.

  “I can’t tell you over the phone.”

  “I’ll call you back in a minute. There’s someone alive out there. I have to get them help.”

  “That’s impossible-”

  Before Matt could finish, Caden hung the phone up. Without a second thought, he instinctively jumped up to help whoever was there. He had to move slower than he wanted from the small fires and unsafe spots in the rubble. As he got closer, the figure moved in rather bizarre ways, arms bending in ways they shouldn’t. It even appeared to Caden that the figure was growing a leg back, but he figured it must have been from the rubble falling down and heat waves from the fire that was burning closely to the survivor.

  “Caden, stop,” James called out. “You could fall into the basement areas.”

  Creaking noises came from under Caden’s feet as he kept going forward, ignoring James. He knew that whoever was out there needed help immediately. Fire shot up out of a large hole in the ground, and Caden had to backtrack to maneuver around it. Sweat soaked through his clothing. The intense heat caused his eyes to burn. But he was getting closer and he could hear the person moving around.

&nb
sp; “Hello!” Caden yelled, hoping to get their attention.

  “Don’t come any closer,” a voice muttered. Caden could barely hear over the sounds of the fires and things crashing to the lower levels of the building. Ignoring the warning, Caden kept moving forward.

  “That’s far enough,” Steven said. He was huddled in between two walls that had been smashed to pieces. “You shouldn’t be out here.” His left hand was shredded—only his thumb was left—and large chunks of skin were torn off his face. Caden was surprised to see him. Robert had said Steven escaped, but there he was, and somehow had survived the explosion.

  “I’m here to help,” Caden responded, taking another step forward. He could tell Steven needed medical attention immediately, and more than likely, he wasn’t going to be in the right frame of mind to let Caden help him.

  “No, you might get hurt.”

  “Everything’s going to be okay.” Caden tried to sound calm and reassuring, even though he wasn’t sure Steven was going to be all right. He took another step closer.

  “Fine, have it your way,” Steven said in a voice that didn’t sound like his. “I didn’t want you to see this, but I can’t stay here much longer and neither should you.”

  Caden stepped closer. As if by magic, the cuts on Steven’s face began to heal along with the bones, muscle fibers, and skin on his left hand. Caden thought he could see particles in the air coming together to heal Steven’s wounds. A crack sounded from Steven’s broken leg as it mended itself. Caden took a couple steps back, feeling the rubble move under his feet. Steven slowly stood up, and Caden noticed a steel bar sticking out of his side. With a quick motion, Steven pulled the bar out and tossed it to the ground. The hole filled in and healed. Caden didn’t know what to think.

  “It’s time for you to get out of here,” Steven said taking a step closer to Caden.