Dead Time Series

by Jason Wilcox

  A gunshot rang out from the television. Justin had shot the president. It looked like the president had tried to get up. A shocked news anchor came back on the screen.

  “We’ve wasted enough time. We have to go, now!” Domblin’s tone grew stronger.

  Caden was just about to argue when a creaking noise came from the entryway. A dark shape crouched on the ground, the same creature that had attacked Caden. He recognized it. Not only from sight, but also from the feeling that came into the room.

  “Mauldrin,” the creature hissed. The lights in the front room flickered.

  Domblin stepped in front of Caden. “You’re not going to touch him.”

  “One way or another he’ll be mine.” The creature moved closer to Domblin, showing no fear. “Triaad will be here momentarily.”

  “I’m not going to allow Triaad to get near him, either,” Domblin said.

  Caden raised an eyebrow. Great, now my hallucinations are going to fight again.

  “You’re correct,” Tagen hissed, sounding amused. “He’s coming for you, and I’m taking Mauldrin before Triaad gets here.” Black roots began to grow throughout the living room.

  Domblin’s hands started glowing white as he positioned himself to fight. Caden tried to stand up, curious about what was happening. Domblin turned to him. “Sleep now,” he demanded, making a motion with his hand. Caden tried to protest, but before he could get a word out, darkness overtook him and he fell asleep.

  CHAPTER 27

  The park was empty. Azgiel was grateful for that. Running through streets for two hours was tiresome, but he could tell he was finally getting close to finding Kaz. Along with Mauldrin, his scent was getting stronger. Through the park, he could make out a city that was run down.

  “Turn around slowly or I will shoot you,” a man’s voice said, breaking Azgiel from his concentration. At least twelve men clad in black body armor held semi-automatic guns pointed at him.

  “It’s definitely him,” the closest man said into a mic on his shoulder.

  Azgiel let a smile stretch across his face. Ignorant, stupid mortals. He eyeballed each of them individually to see if they posed any threat. From his assessment, the odds were easily against them. “And who do you think I am?” Azgiel asked to strike up a conversation, more to humor himself.

  “Steven Torn.”

  “And who might you be?” Azgiel asked, chuckling.

  “You don’t need to know that information,” the man responded.

  Azgiel scanned the men and their equipment. Their faces were painted black to match their body armor. “So what’s the plan,” Azgiel began, “Are you just going to stand there all night with your weapons pointed at me?”

  “How about you just shut up,” the man answered snidely.

  “Oh, come now, you can’t answer a simple question?” Azgiel decided it was time to end his fun and get back to his search for Kaz. It was nice having actual interaction with someone, after being locked away for so many lifetimes.

  “We’re done talking,” the man said. His face transformed suddenly. “What? The President has been assassinated? I can’t believe… Okay…we’ll take care of it.” His trigger finger twitched.

  “Well, gentlemen, this has been fun, but I must go.”

  “Stop or I will shoot,” one of the guards ordered. Azgiel didn’t say a word, he just kept walking away.

  “Last warning. Stop or I will shoot you.”

  Azgiel kept walking, and the man shot a warning that flew past him. Stopping, Azgiel smiled menacingly and turned around, but kept walking backwards. Another shot rang out, this time meant for Azgiel.

  With a quick motion, Azgiel caught the bullet in midair. He turned his hand over and reopened it. The bullet turned into a small white flower. Letting go of it, it floated to the ground.

  Without hesitation, the man motioned with a finger to let bullets fly.

  Azgiel threw up his hands, and the bullets turned back on the gun holders, killing a couple and knocking the rest of them down from the impact on their body armor. One of the men pulled a knife and ran at Azgiel. The blade sliced at him, but never made contact. Azgiel moved in strange ways, dodging the blade. Finally, the knife made contact, hitting Azgiel’s hand. It shattered into pieces as if it were made of flimsy glass.

  Three of the men ran off, fleeing the scene. They had seen one of the injured men pull a grenade and let it roll towards Azgiel.

  Azgiel felt the energy from the fire as it rapidly approached him. He quickly threw up his arms and felt a surge go through his body. The blast didn’t harm him. The smell of smoke wafted up his nostrils. It was still hot after the blast.

  Taking a step back, Azgiel observed the destruction from the blast. Bodies were strewn on the ground. A couple of bushes and trees were on fire. Feeling something warm move down his leg, Azgiel looked down to see a wet spot began to show on his black pant leg near his knee. Touching the spot, he found the hole and tore it open. Digging into the wound with his fingers, he pulled out a piece of sharp metal from his leg about the size of a small pencil. Once the metal was out, the small wound quickly mended. A frown grew on his face. I guess my power is still weak.

  Azgiel looked up to find that all the living soldiers were now completely out of sight. A dark shape to Azgiel’s right caught his attention. Kaz. The demon’s large human-like frame slammed to the ground with his long wings outstretched.

  “Sir,” Kaz growled. “I didn’t expect you to be out here.”

  “I’m here to help with Mauldrin, but this whole time I’ve been trying to locate you.”

  “I’ve got good and bad news.”

  “Go on.”

  “The bad news is, the dark souls know about Mauldrin and have been going after him. The good news is, they’ve given me the opportunity to protect him twice now, which I think will help him believe we’re the good guys.” Kaz pulled his wings in as he spoke.

  “Good.” His plan was working then. He looked behind Kaz. “So, where is he?”

  “I’ve lost him for now. It’s actually the second time I’ve lost him. Both times when I fought with the dark souls, I chased them off, and he’s always gone by the time I get back. I was just in the process of hunting him down again when I ran upon your scent.”

  “Let’s…” A gunshot cut Azgiel off as a bullet pierced through his shoulder, knocking him forwards. Kaz dove into the air. Before he had a chance to turn around, Azgiel heard a thud hit the ground behind him. Spinning around, Azgiel saw that one of the soldiers had come back. The man managed to hit Kaz twice.

  Kaz dashed towards the man as he ducked down while drawing his sword and swung at the gun. With ease, the sword split the gun in two and sliced off the man’s left index finger and the tip of his left thumb. The soldier screamed in pain. Using the butt of the gun, he tried to hit Kaz in the face, but missed. Kaz grunted at him and picked the man up.

  Baring his fanged teeth, Kaz drove his sword through the soldier and tossed him into some large, red-leafed bushes. While putting his sword away, he growled in the direction he had thrown the body.

  “Let’s go,” Azgiel ordered as he took a couple steps closer to him. “How long has it been since you lost Mauldrin?”

  Picking at a couple of his gun wounds, Kaz said, “We’re about an hour behind him, and as long as he doesn’t get on a plane like he did last time, we should catch up quickly.” He looked back down at his wounds and spoke in his ancient tongue, “Degnar mekna.” The wounds slowly closed up.

  “Which way do we head?” Azgiel looked toward the old rundown town and took a step in that direction, stepping over a dead soldier.

  “I believe we could move faster if I flew us. It’s getting dark enough with the sun going down that people, shouldn’t see you too well, and I’ll just alter my state so they won’t be able to see me.” Kaz held out his hands, ready to pick Azgiel up if he agreed.

  “Let’s get going,” Azgiel answered, holding his arms out to be taken. The pure force that
Kaz used to bolt them into the air startled him. His head and stomach felt strange from the fast change in pressure. Azgiel let his mind wander as his legs dangled above rooftops and city streets.

  His wife’s words ran through his mind concerning his followers losing their edge for war. Azgiel knew the only reason they won the battle with the dark souls the other day was the intense power and strength the demons possessed. The others were somewhat awkward on the field, not used to the fighting. If it had been a large war, they would’ve been destroyed. Concern ran through his heart, not knowing what to do. They needed time to gain training in preparation to fight Triaad; unfortunately, that time might not happen with Triaad already initiating battle. It was just a matter of time before a large army would be brought against them.

  As Azgiel brainstormed and got lost in his thoughts, time quickly slipped away. They made it to an airport where Kaz grumbled about Mauldrin getting on a plane. He took a quick break and they were off again. The trip was long, and they both were quiet as they flew.

  Finally, they were landing. In the distance, the ocean churned and waves crashed against a stony beach. Where Kaz brought him down, a small house sat in the middle of a thick variety of deciduous and conifer trees.

  “Is he in there?” Azgiel asked. “Wait! Is that who I think it is?”

  “Domblin,” Kaz answered. “I’m not sure if they’re still here; the trail becomes strange.”

  “I sense that, too.” Azgiel didn’t wait to talk further. He quickly ran towards the house. A car was out front with two bullet holes in the windshield. Once in the home, he saw two dead bodies, but no Mauldrin or Domblin.

  “That’s his wife.” Kaz spoke from behind as he bent down to enter the home. The floor creaked with his weight.

  “There’s been a fight here. It was Domblin, but I’m struggling to place with whom he fought.” The floor and walls were black with streaks through them. One of the back walls was completely blown out, and a broken TV had smashed through a sidewall.

  “Had to be a dark soul. They must still be after Mauldrin, but I’m assuming Domblin was successful at stopping its attempt.” His deep voice filled the small entryway.

  Moving towards the young woman on the floor, Azgiel gently picked up her head. Blood stained her clothing, and a pool of the red liquid covered the dark wooden floor. “And you say this is his wife?” As he spoke, he lifted the eyelids and looked at her dark brown eyes.

  “Yes,” Kaz answered leaning over Azgiel. “I saw them together before the dark souls attacked him the first time. They were in bed together.”

  “If we aren’t too late, we might be able to use her to get Mauldrin.” Azgiel spoke as he moved his hand over her chest. As he whispered, a bluish glow began illuminating his hand. In moments, her skin and muscles became translucent and her heart was clearly visible. A small and very dim white light lit within her heart, and Azgiel quickly closed his hand, ending the glow.

  “We still have time, but we have to move fast. Get us back to the Witch. NOW.”

  CHAPTER 28

  The cabin room was dark when Caden woke. In a panic, he sat up quickly. Bridget. She died in his arms. He had tried to save her. Looking around and searching the room, Caden realized he was in his cabin. Everything must have been a terrible nightmare. It had to’ve been. None of it had been true— the Dead Time, Matt overthrowing the government, Robert doing evil things, the hallucinations, Bridget dying.

  Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he tried to let go of the emotions that swirled through his body. The nightmare was over. As he began to calm down, he noticed a sharp pain in his neck. He leaned forward, turned on his lamp, and looked at the clothing he was wearing.

  “NO!” Caden screamed. The rest of the scream was primal, letting out as much pain as possible.

  Finally he stopped. He collapsed back on the bed. He didn’t want to believe it. “No…Bridget, what have I done,” he said quietly through tears.

  Caden punched his headboard, punching a hole through it. He just wanted to wake up. Nothing seemed to make sense, evil dark creatures chasing him, demons protecting him, Bridget and Elizabeth dead, Mags missing. He couldn’t understand how he woke up in his cabin. How in the world did I get here?

  As Caden tried to pull himself together and think straight, he noticed a strange light coming from outside the cabin window. The light glowed a little ways into the woods. Caden made his way to his small dresser, the floorboards creaking as he stepped across them. He opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a handgun. Whatever was causing the light might also have answers for him. He quietly left the cabin.

  Voices began to echo through the trees. One of the voices was Domblin’s, and the other was very deep. He kept moving slowly, silently. The light was coming from behind a couple of large trees.

  “The whole thing has turned into a big mess. If only I had been able to spend the time mentoring Mauldrin instead of being locked away. Now the dark souls know about him, he’s unknowingly released Azgiel, and there’s no evidence he’s tapping into who he really is, he’s weak.” Caden could barely make out Domblin’s voice as he spoke, but he sounded angry. “Our plans are falling apart, and I still don’t have the Azgiel thing under control. I just don’t know. Maybe bringing Mauldrin back was a mistake. It’s only made things worse so far.”

  The person talking to Domblin let out a deep groan. “We have to keep hope. Is Triaad aware of Mauldrin?”

  Caden finally made it to one of the trees but stayed hidden.

  “No,” Domblin said. “One of the creatures mentioned that they’re keeping it from Triaad, but they told Triaad about me, and supposedly he’s on his way to get me as we speak. That’s why I called upon you.”

  “That doesn’t leave a lot of options for Mauldrin, does it?”

  “It doesn’t,” Domblin said. “And Mauldrin is nowhere to the level we hoped he would be by this point.”

  “What’s the plan?” the deep voice growled.

  Caden heard twigs snap as one of them moved.

  “I’m not sure, but I do know when Triaad comes for me, he’s bound to find out about Mauldrin, and we can’t have that. Everything will be over then.”

  Caden wondered how they knew the name Mauldrin–only the strange dark creatures had called him that. He wanted to look around the tree to see who Domblin was talking to, but he was worried he might be seen.

  “Not necessarily,” the voice replied, “not if you build a protective ring around this area and keep Mauldrin hidden from Triaad when he comes, then allow your own capture. That way you can keep him distracted while I get more help to get Mauldrin out of here.”

  “That will leave Mauldrin with no protection from the dark souls if he leaves the circle.”

  “Then teach him to stay inside of it.” The deep voice sounded calm, but stern.

  “If he’s anything like what he used to be, I doubt he’ll listen,” Domblin muttered.

  “It’s our best option right now, and I can’t take him with me.” Caden took a deep breath and leaned over to see who was with Domblin. Past Domblin, who had his back to Caden, was laying a huge beast. The beast had a reptilian head, which stretched taller than Domblin stood. The creature’s scaly skin was white with gray flecks that glowed in the dark night. His eyes were a deep blue that Caden felt he could get lost in. A couple of twigs snapped as he moved his long tail across the ground and pulled it against his large body.

  Caden moved back behind the tree. Stupid fear. He hit the back of his head against the tree trunk. Matt’s words ran through his mind about him not taking action. Letting out a sigh, he closed his eyes. It was time to face his hallucinations. In case it turned into a fight, he prepared himself. While his eyes were closed, a strange feeling came over Caden, as if something was standing in front of him. Opening his eyes, he pressed himself harder against the tree.

  A dark creature stood in front of Caden. The same type of shadowy creature that had attacked him in the past, but once
again this was a new one. Tired of hallucinations and being pushed around, Caden quickly brought up the gun and shot. The bullet smashed through the creature’s oily skin and a terrible smelling black liquid spattered on his face, but it appeared to have no effect. A strange growl came from the creature as Caden let his fist fly. His knuckles made contact with the creature’s face. The skin was oily as he knocked it backwards. Its red eyes blazed and Caden tried to pull the trigger again. With speed that caught Caden off guard, the figure pushed him into the tree, taking his breath away so he couldn’t scream for help. He tried to fight back, but his arms and legs were unresponsive and the gun fell to the ground.

  Darkness grew in Caden’s vision as something sharp pulled at his lungs and throat. A strong light flashed, and the creature released him from his clutches. The light was so bright that Caden brought his arm over his eyes. A loud screeching rang out, hurting his ears.

  Domblin stood to Caden’s right; his body glowed with a bright light. Seeing him like that, Caden finally realized the man he had seen in Dead Time was Domblin. The same white glowing figure back at Elizabeth’s house after Bridget’s death. He had been the one who saved him from the dark creatures.

  The beast in front of him screamed and dove at Domblin. Moving with ease, Domblin held his arm out, and a glowing white staff formed out of thin air into his hand.

  Before the creature reached Domblin, he swung his staff and cracked the oily monster in the head. Particles of light flew in the air as the blow slammed the dark creature to the ground. Looking frightened, the creature quickly scrambled to his feet and disappeared into the dark. An oily black substance clung to the staff, but it was quickly engulfed in a white flame.