Dark Guardian

by Ammar Habib

  However, Ethan could not skate to save his life. As he stumbled once more, he almost fell on his face but saved himself by grabbing hold of Katrina’s gloved hand. He almost pulled her down, but she expertly kept her balance. As she pulled him back up to his feet for what seemed like the hundredth time, she let out a light-hearted laugh. He quickly stood upright once again and adjusted his scarf.

  Gripping tightly to both shoulders of her coat, he slowly moved alongside her.

  “I thought you were good at this!” Katrina laughed.

  “It’s been a few years since I’ve gone skating. It doesn’t snow in Africa, you know.”

  “It’ll come back to you.”

  “I hope so. These kids are showing me up.”

  He loosened his grip of her jacket as he began to gain the confidence to go out on his own. Looking down at his feet, he let one hand go of her far shoulder as she let her own arm fall back to her side.

  He let his second hand let go of her jacket as she came to a stop. He continued to move forward slowly, keeping his eyes down at the ground in front of him. She watched in amazement as he travelled several meters ahead of her without falling or even showing signs of losing his balance. He kept his eyes turned down towards his feet as he inched forward. Thinking he had it down, he looked at her with his boyish grin.

  Right before he tried a showy move, his expression suddenly changed for the worse as he lost his footing and went straight for the ice face first. He saved himself from total embarrassment by putting out his hand to roughly break the fall. Katrina covered her mouth as she laughed before quickly skating out to him.

  As she came towards him, he rolled over to his back and sat upright on the ice. Right when she stopped over him, he looked up at her as she continued to laugh. “What are you laughing at?”

  Ethan unexpectedly grabbed her hand and yanked her down. With a quick yelp, she landed back-first right on top of his shins. Still letting out her girlish giggle, she looked over at his sly, smiling face and playfully punched him in the chest. “You jerk!”

  A little distance away, a solemn man stood under a barren tree. Motionlessly, the man watched a young family play in the snow. William solemnly looked on as the father and mother playfully chased their three-year-old daughter through the snow before she tripped over herself and landed face first. Their joyous mirth would have brought happiness into the hearts of any onlooker, but it was sickening to him. It was the reminder of what he would never have. He knew he should not have come out today. It had been so long since he had been out that he had believed the pain would not be so bad anymore.

  But nothing had changed. Revenge had not brought him peace.

  He began to turn away, unable to take anymore. But he stopped short when he saw one of the skaters—one that he knew all too well. He watched as this young man slowly came back to his feet along his female companion. He watched as the pretty girl hugged his side as they both laughed on.

  So this was why Ethan had quit? For a girl? William could see the happiness in Ethan’s eyes. It was genuine joy. Not the kind that could be faked. William tore his gaze away from them and began to walk away as he held his head low.

  As he walked through the park, past the people, and towards his vehicle, he passed by an old man sitting on a bench. This man was obviously wealthy. However, William hardly paid the old man any heed, but recognized him as one of Ethan’s esteemed associates, Bradley.

  Bradley didn’t notice the reporter go by. He was preoccupied by his son, daughter-in-law, and their two young children in the distance as they built a snowman. Just watching them brought an even bigger grin to his face.

  Several seconds slowly passed by as he kept his eyes fixed on his family. Lost in his thoughts, he was abruptly surprised when an elderly man came up from behind and laid his hand on Bradley’s shoulder. Quickly looking up, he saw Charles.

  “Mind if I join you?”

  “Not at all.” Bradley politely smiled and scooted over to make room for his long-time friend. “What brings you out of the house this chilly day?”

  “Oh, you know. The kids and grandkids pulled me out of my hole. I see you’re in the same situation.”

  Bradley slightly chuckled. “Can’t say ‘no’ to the grandkids, now can we?”

  Charles leaned back a little as he watched Bradley’s family in the distance. “So how have you been? I haven’t seen you since the last fundraiser.”

  “Ethan’s been keeping me busy. He never sleeps and doesn’t expect me to either.”

  Charles chuckled lightly. “Just like his grandfather.”

  Bradley slightly nodded. “How’s everything at the firm going? I heard you are having some success with police cases.”

  “More than we’ve ever had before.”

  “All Ethan ever talks about is the foundation and those cases.”

  “Can’t argue with that.” Charles looked over at Bradley. “And the foundation? Ethan keeps me updated. Says it’s all going well.”

  “I’ve had my fair share of experiences with charities and this one is the best that I’ve ever seen. Ethan’s really doing a good thing with this. Jonathan’s caught on to everything rather quickly. And Brett has been an absolute jewel in taking care of the day-to-day business. Hopefully we’ll keep up the good work.”

  “I’m sure you all will. How are things at the company? Ethan mentioned that the police rampaged through your place a few months back when the whole cop killer fiasco was happening.”

  “They were looking to see if we’d sold anybody any property down at the docks.”

  “…and had you?”

  “The only thing I’d done was take some of the property from the company’s account and give it to Ethan off the books. He’d asked me to do it that way so I didn’t argue.”

  If Bradley had been looking his counterpart’s way, he would have seen his eyebrows rise for half a second. Charles did not say anything back for a few seconds, but quickly regained his composure. “Really? Ethan never mentioned that to me.”

  “He wanted to keep it on the down low. I’m sure he won’t mind you knowing.”

  Charles looked back at Bradley’s family. “Yeah, I’m sure he won’t.”

  The two old timers continued to speak for the next half hour until Bradley’s family was ready to go home. Charles expertly fooled Bradley into thinking that he was paying attention to the conversation. But, in reality, his mind was far away.

  ***

  Ethan handed the small blue box to his sister-in-law. In the middle of the mall, the two of them were seated at one of the food court’s round tables. Surrounding them were numerous other people with their friends and family. Some were eating, some were waiting, and some were leaving. Others were trying to find a place to sit down and enjoy their meal.

  Cathy examined the markings on the box’s outside for a few moments. Just seeing the name of the company impressed her. Finally, she lifted the lid and looked at the contents. Her expression suddenly changed as she wondrously stared at what the Tiffany’s box contained. It was a beautiful diamond ring. An engagement ring. With a three carat princess cut in the center and two carats of diamonds surrounding it, it was a ring that few men could afford.

  Seeing her happy expression brought some peace to Ethan.

  She closed the box and handed it back to him. “It’s beautiful, Ethan.”

  “Your husband actually helped me pick it out.”

  The news clearly surprised her. “Really? How’d you convince him to go with you?”

  “I bribed him with lunch.”

  Cathy laughed. “That usually works.”

  Ethan set the box back down in front of him. “You really like it?”

  “I think any girl would love it.”

  “You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that.” Ethan paused for a quick second. “I’ll probably get in trouble for this, but Jonathan made a quick purchase from the jewelry store. It was something very similar to what you just saw.”

/>   Her voice concealed her excitement, but eyes failed to do so. “Really? Who was it for?”

  “Well, as he put it when he told the salesman, it was for the ‘prettiest girl in the world’.”

  Cathy looked down and shook her head as she hid her blushing. “That sweet talker!”

  As Cathy lightly laughed, Ethan leaned forward and put his elbows on the table. “I have a slight problem though.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I have no idea how this is going to work—the proposal I mean.”

  “Well, I’m sure Katrina will say ‘yes’.”

  “Yeah, but that’s not what I mean. The thing is I have no idea where I pull out the ring and pop the question.”

  “Take her out to dinner.”

  “I want to do something different. The whole dinner thing is pretty generic.”

  His sister-in-law thought for a quick second. “Well, I have a pretty good idea for you. It’s similar to how Jonathan proposed to me. Do you want to hear it?”

  “If you don’t mind me stealing it.”

  “Not at all.”

  ***

  Charles looked at the terrifying man sitting across from him in the back of the limousine. The vehicle smoothly cruised through the empty roads as the two men’s eyes remained locked. His counterpart held a nearly empty glass of wine in his left hand and thoughtfully swirled it side-to-side. Charles was always good at reading people, but he couldn’t tell what this man was thinking.

  Finally, Anthony Griffin spoke. “You’re sure of this?”

  “Bradley has no reason to lie to me.”

  Anthony glanced down at the cup. “But do you have a reason to lie to me?”

  Charles did not reply.

  “I suppose you really don’t….I also suppose that you expect the information you’re giving me will square away our little debt.”

  “It should do more than satisfy it.”

  There was a long silence before Anthony looked out the window. “It’s ironic, isn’t it? First I killed your old partner for you so you could take full control of the company. And you would have if his grandson had not decided to come back from the grave. And now to square the debt you bring forth information that motivates me to kill him too.”

  Charles held up his finger to correct Anthony. “I don’t know what you’re going to do with him. All I’ve done is pass along something I heard. What you want to do with it is your business.”

  Anthony smirked. “Of course. That’s how it always works. Now, you wouldn’t happen to know who this reporter I’ve been looking for might be, would you?”

  Charles slightly smiled. “One thing lawyers do best is connect the dots. When he came back, Ethan had an interview with a reporter named William Jones. No doubt you’ve heard of him.”

  Anthony nodded.

  “Now, Mr. Jones here also happened to be working for Crown City Times when the photo of you was published. He has a knack for publishing very…controversial articles. Many people who work there say he was very close to his editor.”

  “…you never cease to impress me, Charles.”

  ***

  The two of them silently watched the clear, star-filled sky. Sitting side-by-side on the long bench in her backyard, Ethan and Katrina looked up at the peaceful universe. Surrounded by beautiful snow, Katrina sat with her head resting on Ethan’s shoulder.

  The night’s peace was surreal. It was all too perfect. As they observed the heavens, Katrina could not help but feel like this scene was straight out of her dreams. “Ethan, do you ever wonder what’s up there?”

  “Sometimes.”

  “You think it’s beautiful?”

  “Maybe.” He looked down at her. “But not as beautiful as you.”

  She looked at him and rolled her eyes. “You’re such a flirt.”

  “Have to admit though, that was a pretty good line, wasn’t it?”

  “It was a very good line.”

  “By the way, I need to ask you something. You have any plans Friday afternoon-ish?”

  She shook her head.

  “Do you want to go and visit downtown Friday evening…with me I mean?”

  “Sure, I’ll go. Is there something special happening?”

  “Just an urge.”

  Katrina nodded. “There are supposed to be fireworks that night.”

  Ethan acted as if it was news to him, but the truth was he already knew that. “What for?”

  “Independence Day.”

  “That’s Friday?”

  She nodded again.

  “Well, that should make it even better then.” Ethan looked back out at the beautiful stars. “I’m sure it’ll be a night to remember.”

  Chapter 26

  Nightmares

  This was no dream.

  It was a nightmare. This place looked like Hell itself.

  Fire surrounded Ethan on every side. Its deafening roar grew with every passing second. The flames fed off dry grass, spreading out every way the eye could see. Trees fell over as they were consumed by the hungry, merciless flames that had an unquenchable hunger. Suffocating smoke kept the sky imperceptible as Ethan tried to escape the fire and dodge the falling trees.

  Leaping over and ducking under the fallen debris, he tried to flee the burning forest. His eyes looked every way for an exit. Sweat drenched his body. He could feel the surrounding heat burning his skin. His very soul trembled as the heat of the flames felt like they would burn him alive.

  This had to be a vision.

  There was no other explanation. But after so long, why was he having another nightmare? He saw a clearing in the distance. As he dashed towards it, Ethan ducked under a branch and coughed out some of the smoke he inhaled. Hurdling over a fallen, burning tree trunk, he darted towards his destination. Finally, Ethan ran into the open field. Fire surrounded the field on every edge and corner, but none entered the space. The long, dry grass was untouched by the ravaging flames. It was as if an invisible wall held it at bay.

  But, Ethan did not even notice the absence of the fire. Something else had gotten his attention. He saw a figure standing before him, the figure of a scrawny, old African man who wore a long, ragged cloak.

  It was Daken.

  He stood only thirty feet away. Their eyes locked. The old man wore a slight smirk as his piercing eyes saw into Ethan’s soul. Inside, the young man’s soul trembled, but outside he remained completely still. He was not really here, he couldn’t be. The deal had been finished. This was just a dream. He would wake up and this would all be over.

  Slowly, Daken began to move towards him, his piercing gaze stayed locked on Ethan. No matter how much he wanted to move, to run away, he could not. Daken stopped a handful of feet away. For a long time, he merely smiled at the young man. All that could be heard were the roaring flames that now seemed to be irrelevant. Finally, Daken spoke in the same dark voice that had haunted Ethan for so long. “It’s been a long time.”

  There was no reply except for the thunderous flames.

  “It seems that your life is in order.”

  “Our deal is done. Why are you here?”

  “Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong, Ethan. Our deal is still on the books.” The old man moved a little closer. “You see, once you make a deal with me, you’re with me for life. You’re part of the family.”

  Hearing those words, Ethan began to tremble even more. “What the hell are you? Some sort of demon?”

  The old man’s cold snicker was heard above the flames. “I am not from here…but I’m no devil. What I am is far worse. Far more… deadly.”

  “I’m not afraid of you.”

  “You’re a terrible liar, Ethan. Your very soul is afraid of me. But don’t be ashamed. Anybody would be if they knew the truth.”

  “The truth?”

  “About you. About what you really are.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Daken began to circle his prey. “Do you really think I resurrected you after you d
ied on the dirty road? Do you really think I brought you back to life after you burned to death?”

  Ethan did not reply.

  “Even somebody as powerful as me can’t do that, Ethan. Nobody can raise the dead back to life…at least nothing from this universe.”

  His eyes stayed on Daken as the old man continued to move.

  “But what I can do is merely a step below that. I can take the broken parts of a dying body and put them in a new one. I can take the parts of a broken body that make up who a person is: the brain, the heart…his soul. And I can put them in a new one; a better one. One of my creation. One that has its…perks. And one that is my slave.”

  Daken stopped in front of Ethan. There was utter silence. His words seemed to hang in the air around Ethan like suffocating smoke before they sank into his soul. It couldn’t be true. This was just a nightmare. Nothing more. Everything being said was just the product of his imagination. A product of his deepest fears.

  But what if it was not just a dream?

  “What are you saying?”

  “That the real Ethan never survived the onslaught at the hands of Baatu. That the real Ethan died alongside his so-called sister. That you being here and not in the afterlife is not the result of sorcery or magic. Rather, it is the result of technology.” Daken moved closer until his face was only a foot away from Ethan’s. His smile disappeared as he cruelly spoke once more. “You’re mine Ethan. There is no happiness for you. You’re nothing more than my slave. And I can burn everything you love in an instant. Brett, Jonathan, Cathy…Katrina. They have no place in your life.”

  Suddenly, Daken’s appearance changed. He finally showed his true form. His true bestiality. He was hooded and cloaked and his robes were the blackest tint possible. He stood nearly eight feet tall. One of Daken’s hands hung out of the robe’s sleeve. It was colossal, black, and had long talons growing at the end of it. His head was dirty black color; his eyes were blood red, and he had a long, large jaw with fangs. His face resembled no animal on this earth. A long, thick tail came out of the bottom of his robes.