Dead Time Series

by Jason Wilcox

  “What do you mean?” Mauldrin sounded distracted.

  “Caden? That isn’t your name. Your name is Mauldrin,” Tagen could feel his breathing intensify as he began speaking. “It’s disrespectful to call you by any other name.”

  “Caden is all I’ve ever known. I’d never been called Mauldrin until I met you.” The guard that was leading them to the prison chuckled as Mauldrin spoke.

  Tagen looked at the man and growled. Oh how he would love to destroy the man. “You should be proud of that name,” he spoke a little quieter but not by much. “I don’t think you understand the significance of that name. That name sends shivers down your enemy’s spines. That name means something to those that actually matter. Everyone fears that name. Everyone knows that name belongs to the most powerful of the seven kings of old. You not only ruled this world, you governed over this universe.”

  Rolling his eyes, Caden chuckled then whispered to Tagen, “It sounds hokey and ridiculous. I’m no different than anyone else. I’m no king. Even though you keep telling me I’m this Mauldrin person, I can’t swallow it.”

  “Mauldrin, surprisingly enough, he is telling the truth,” Smitty spoke from behind.

  Mauldrin spun around, squeaking his shoes on the hard floor. “How did you hear…” He was cut off as multiple guns pointed at him. “Whoa, I was just talking.” He turned around, but still looked back to Smitty. “If I was as powerful as both of you keep saying, what happened to me? How did I die?”

  “You never did,” Smitty spoke up before Tagen could.

  The guard’s footsteps around them came to Tagen’s attention. He debated trying to attack them and free Mauldrin. Just as the thought came, an unseen force moved through his body, and he began to collapse to the ground. He could hear yelling and shuffling as blackness took over his vision.

  “I knew you were trouble the moment I met you.”

  Tagen looked around, wild-eyed. Triaad stood just outside of prison bars. Tagen was in a prison cell, but not at the General’s base, in Triaad’s castle, Azgiel’s old castle. Not only was he in a prison cell, he noticed he was in the human’s body again and had no control.

  “You don’t have anything to say?” Triaad said again with a devilish grin. “You’re not shocked about being in prison when you’ve done nothing wrong?”

  Tagen spat in Triaad’s face. Triaad lifted a hand and Tagen could feel pain drive through his jaw as it became locked from Triaad’s power.

  “Azgiel may not know how powerful I’ve become, but you will soon learn,” Triaad said as he wiped his face. “You will have a special place in my ranks. You shall be the first of many.” A big smile stretched across his face. “You shall be the trial.”

  A moan came from Tagen. He reached up, grabbed the bars and kicked them.

  “You don’t seem to understand the severity of your situation.” Triaad reached up and grabbed the bars. With a loud crack, both of Tagen’s wrists broke. He tried to scream, but couldn’t open his mouth. “Azgiel has given you to me. The power that he gave me, I pretend it to be weak, but it is far from it. And as you have been able to discern, I am the one betraying him. You so wonderfully fell for my bait and now will be seen as the traitor. And the others that are close to him will succumb to the same deception, and one by one, will fall into my hands.”

  Loud groaning came from Tagen as he tried to yell at Triaad. He kicked the bars again while keeping his hands buried in the pits of his arms to contain the pain.

  Triaad brushed dust off the sleeves to his dark red robe, appearing to be unconcerned with his behavior. “If you’re trying to get attention, no one’s around to hear you. I made sure of it. But, I grow bored and am excited to introduce you to what will be your home for some time.” His smile grew bigger. “So, without further discussion, shall we get going?”

  For the third time Tagen kicked the bars and could feel pain drive up his leg. The kick had been much harder than the previous two.

  “You have some spit to you,” Triaad laughed. “But enough games. Time for you to discover why I had them put you in this specific cell.” A gleam was in his eye as he backed up and then placed both hands flat on the ground. He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath.

  A loud crack shook the ground, followed by grinding. Tagen turned, or was forced to turn, and saw the wall behind him open. Inside was something Tagen was all too familiar with, dark matter. Triaad was going to turn him into a dark soul.

  “Blayth, I’m going to make you an offer,” Triaad said from behind.

  Tagen let out what sounded like a growl and kicked dirt at Triaad. It was futile, but Tagen could at least appreciate the man’s nerve.

  “I don’t know what will happen if you go in with those broken wrists.” Triaad ignored the dust that was kicked in his direction and began walking towards him. The prison bars spread apart like they were rubber, and he walked through.

  Without hesitation, he dove at Triaad. Tagen wished he could’ve had control. That was the dumbest move he’d ever seen. Don’t dive at someone with so much power.

  A hand caught him by the neck and smashed him into the ground. Muscle locked up, Tagen could feel the pain. Both of his wrists clicked into place and were healed.

  “You didn’t know I had combat training did you? I’m full of surprises.” Triaad looked at the dark matter and then down at Tagen. “Now, I would like to introduce you to your new home.” He stood and pulled the man by his neck across the floor.

  “You’re probably asking yourself, what’s going to happen here?” Triaad looked down at Tagen. “And even if you’re not, I’m going to tell you.”

  Coming to the opening of the wall, Triaad reached down and tossed him in. The bricks moved back together, and the opening began to disappear.

  “I’ve run many tests with rodent,” Triaad spoke while the wall slowly closed. “But none on humans yet and if what happens to rodents happens to you, I believe you will become a very strong subordinate.” Triaad talked through the shrinking hole in the wall. “Farewell, I’ll check in on you over the next couple of weeks to see how you’re doing,” he smiled as he finished, which was the last thing Tagen saw before the hole closed.

  Blackness filled the room and Tagen could feel himself begin to panic. His muscles and jaw began to operate again, and he screamed for help. Tagen could feel the all too familiar and comforting liquid move across his skin, which wasn’t so familiar to the person he was embodied in.

  Struggling to get up, he crawled to where the wall had once parted, but was now sealed. The dark matter had already moved across the wall. It was soft and cold as he hit the wall and yelled for help. A bright flash that jolted Tagen, crossed his vision.

  “He’s still alive,” someone said in an unfriendly voice. “Toss him in a cell.” Pain was building in Tagen’s head. Someone must have hit him. He opened his eyes in time to see a guard pick him up and toss him into a prison cell. His face smacked against the ground.

  Glowing green netting came down, closing Tagen in. He pushed himself up, and the guards walked away. Looking around, he found himself alone. Mauldrin is supposed to be with me. Where am I? Anger worked though Tagen and he shifted to shadow form.

  Running at full speed, Tagen dove at the netting. An electric blast ran through his body, jolting his inner rubbery bones, knocking him back, and bringing him out of shadow form. His vision was fuzzy for a moment.

  Shaking off the pain, Tagen stood again. He screamed at the top of his lungs and went back into shadow form. Staying away from the netting, he ran at the wall. His flesh made it through the concrete, but something in the wall, knocked him back, causing him to come out of shadow form.

  Anger flowed through him as he staggered back to his feet. He hated going through floors, because if he went into the ground, it was hard to get out. Rubbing his clawed hands together, Tagen shifted into shadow form and dropped to the ground, only to be blown backwards. Again he lost shadow form and his eyes blurred.

  Looking
at the ceiling, Tagen tightened his hands into fists, trying to stop the shaking. He found it hard to get his eyes to focus. Blinking a couple of times, he looked up the walls to see how far it was to the ceiling. It was high, but he felt that was to his advantage.

  Extending his claws, Tagen dug them into the wall and quickly made his way towards the ceiling. Just before he reached the top, he pushed upwards and turned to shadow form, only to be smashed back to the ground.

  Black blood seeped onto the floor from his head and shoulder where Tagen hit the floor hard. He was trapped.

  Screaming again, Tagen got to his feet and hunched down. Blood dripped down his face and arm. He dug his claws into the floor and blackness oozed across the floor in a vein-like pattern, quickly filling the floor and moving up the wall.

  A crack rang through the cell and shook the floor as the wall split. Blackness moved into the crack, causing green sparks to fly.

  The blackness dissolved back into Tagen. He held still, staring at the green net in the crack. There was no escaping.

  He was trapped.

  CHAPTER 31

  Silence filled the small holding cell Caden sat in. He tapped his fingers on the metal bench which echoed in the barren room. Gray paint peeled off the metal cell door. He hadn’t been there long, but anger grew from not knowing what happened with Tagen. At least the Knuckle Draggers had stayed calm and hadn’t started a fight. What terrible timing it was to have Tagen pass out.

  All Caden knew was that James had better get him out of the cell and soon. They weren’t supposed to be separated. He hit the bench and something shook the walls and ground, catching him off guard. A thunderous boom followed.

  Jumping up, Caden ran over to the door and looked out the small glass window. Guards were running past. Another blast shook the walls and rattled the door. Red lights switched on and an alarm began to ring. More guards ran by, Caden quickly banged on the door as they passed, hoping to get them to let him out. When they didn’t even pause, he began to yell.

  Nothing was working which frustrated him more. Making a fist, Caden hit the door and stopped. He could barely make out his reflection in the thick glass that made up the window. His skin had changed, becoming paler, and having more black lines and veins. He looked terrible. No longer did his eyes have any color than black. It was frightening. He now understood why the Guardian and the General acted the way they did with him.

  “Are you even Caden?” Caden said softly to the reflection in the glass. He brought a hand up and ran it down his face. His skin felt unnatural, like soft rubber. Disgusted with the texture, he pulled his hand away, but he couldn’t take his eyes away from the image. It wasn’t him; he could no longer recognize himself.

  Once again, Caden brought his hand up and brushed it across his cheek. Nothing is the same. My body no longer resembles Caden. I have no home. I never had any real parents. My dog is no longer mine. I have no identity. Nothing about me is me. And most of all, my wife is dead.

  “Who are you?” He leaned against the door with his hand. “Are you Mauldrin? Is there some hidden knowledge and memories you’re keeping from me? If there is, I sure wish you would show me.” He let out a heavy sigh, closed his eyes, and lowered his head.

  A quiet ding, that could barely be heard, echoed into the room over the alarm. Caden opened his eyes and saw James outside the door. He was clothed in armor and had a large gun hanging off his shoulder. The door latch opened, and Caden backed up letting James in.

  “Caden, we need to move quickly,” James spouted while turning back into the hallway.

  “It’s Mauldrin,” Mauldrin spoke with a flat tone. James stopped in his tracks and looked back at him. “Call me Mauldrin.”

  “Um, okay.” James looked startled for a second, but then moved on, running down the hallway.

  Mauldrin quickly caught up to him, following beside him. “What’s going on?”

  “We’re being attacked,” James yelled while they went around a corner. Mauldrin recognized the area. It was where James had brought him before with the different holding cells. “Dark souls are laying siege on us. They’ve broken through the barrier at one spot, and everything is in chaos. We need your help, even though the General wouldn’t approve of me letting you out, I know we need you.”

  They stopped in front of a cell that had a slightly glowing, green netting. Tagen stood in a back corner, staring at them. Another beep sounded and the netting moved up and out of the way.

  “Let’s go!” James barked at Mauldrin while waving a hand for him to follow. Not willing to wait, James kept moving, turning right down a different hallway. Knowing, he was going to lose James, Mauldrin took off. Tagen had no trouble catching up. He was right next to Mauldrin before he knew it.

  “What’s going on, what are we doing?” Tagen asked.

  “Dark souls have broken through the barrier.”

  “Where are the Knuckle Draggers?” Tagen looked back to see if any of them were around.

  “I’m guessing we’re going to go get them now.”

  “I don’t trust them Mauldrin. They worry me,” Tagen spoke quietly and moved closer to Mauldrin.

  Chuckling, Mauldrin looked over to him. “And nobody trusts you around here, and few trust me.” Nothing was said after that, they moved quickly and quietly, following James. The alarms were still blaring, and once in a while a guard would run by.

  Finally, they came to the end of the holding cells. The Knuckle Draggers were sitting quietly without their helmets on. James went to work unlocking each cell. One by one, the men came out putting their helmets back on. Surprisingly, they still had guns attached to the backs of their armor. The guards must not have seen them or known what they were.

  “Thank you for letting us out Mr. James,” Smitty said once his helmet was on. “What are the alarms for?”

  “We’re being attacked by the same creatures you saved us from before,” James spoke fast. “Even though the General doesn’t know I released you, we need your help.”

  “If that is Mauldrin’s wish,” Smitty remarked, turning his attention to Mauldrin.

  “Yes, of course. James, show us how we can help.” That was all that needed to be said. James quickly headed out and they were headed down hallways with men and women running every which way. Finally, James came to his armory room where the remainder of his men were waiting, armed to the teeth.

  “Get armor on, and get weapons,” James ordered Mauldrin while he made his way to the weapons.

  Mauldrin hadn’t worn a full suit of armor yet. He was curious to see what it was like to use the technology the armor offered, to bring him in and out of Dead Time. The suit was heavy and stiff.

  “Let’s go,” James barked at everyone while pushing his men out the door. Mauldrin put the glasses on and grabbed a large gun. As he ran out the door, the Knuckle Draggers circled around, and Tagen stayed beside him.

  The coolness of the morning could still be felt, not yet burnt off by the sun. Troops were everywhere. The picture was similar to the last time the dark souls had broken through. This time, it was closer to the front gate. A small crack split the barrier, which only allowed in one dark soul at a time.

  A large truck was by the crack, it looked like a fire truck with large hoses. Soldiers crowded around the truck, doing their best to defend it as it moved closer to the break.

  Gunfire lit up the area, and the horrible sound of the dark soul’s screams rang out. Mauldrin brought his gun up in a ready position.

  A dark soul with wire around his body came running up from the right. James shot the first bullet. The green blast hit the dark soul, knocking him backwards, but didn’t do anything to him. Further enraged, the creature screamed and ran at them with more speed.

  The Knuckle Dragger to Mauldrin’s right, Curt, pulled the trigger to his gun. A bright light shot out, hitting the dark soul in the chest. Instantly, the creature evaporated, leaving behind the wire that had been wrapped around him. James almost tripped over himself
as he looked back to Mauldrin’s new bodyguards.

  “We need to help that truck get to the crack in the wall,” James yelled over the noise. “It will fix it so they can’t get in.”

  “Let’s get through then,” Espo spoke from behind Mauldrin.

  “I will lead.” Smitty prodded through to the front. Most of the soldiers were gathered around the truck which was on the other side of the ensuing battle. They were going to need to go around or through the dark souls to get there.

  Not waiting for orders, Smitty moved quickly, heading straight for the dark souls. Mauldrin and Tagen stayed right on his heels.

  Dark souls became aware of them, and many of the creatures charged. Smitty didn’t head to the truck; instead he was heading to the break in the wall of the dome.

  Three dark souls came at them straight on, screaming and moving fast. Smitty didn’t waste time. He let off three shots, and the dark souls were obliterated. The other dark souls slowed down and began screaming. The Knuckle Draggers didn’t slow. They were obviously trying to cut off any dark souls coming in.

  More dark souls saw them coming. They grouped together and regained courage to attack them. Mauldrin figured there must be about twenty coming fast. Curt and Espo moved to the front with Smitty.

  The soldiers and James began shooting. Green blasts flew through the air, but only knocked them over, since they were protected by the strange wire armor. The Knuckle Draggers joined in, blasting dark souls left and right. Mauldrin kept his gun at bay, since it was only good for knocking them backwards.

  One of the dark souls made it past the blasts and dove on top of Espo. It was like watching a dog run into a glass door. He smashed into Espo and fell back to the ground. Curt kicked him in the head and blasted him. With a puff, the creature was gone.