Dark Guardian

by Ammar Habib

  But the trigger was never pulled.

  Just as his finger touched the trigger, Ethan speared him onto the ground. The gun left his hand and went skidding across the floor. Now on top of his prey, Ethan sat up on his foe as he kept Jason pinned on his back. His fist raised before powerfully coming down upon Jason’s head. Jason groaned in pain as his vision blurred from the first strike.

  “Don’t! You! Touch! Her!”

  The sound of a cracking skull echoed with each blow, but Ethan continued to mercilessly strike the head of Katrina’s captor. And with each hit, his roar only grew louder and louder. By the third one, Jason’s skull caved in. But Ethan did not stop. He could not stop. He stuck his foe again and again and again. Jason’s skull became even more deformed in and his face was covered in his own blood, but Ethan did not care. The sight of this did not hinder him in the slightest.

  But by the seventh blow, Ethan finally came to his senses. Deeply breathing, he lowered his raised fist back to his side. He kept his gaze on the corpse beneath him as he tried to let his breathing calm down. With a few deep breaths, he finally turned his head to look upon Katrina. She was wide-eyed as she looked right at him. She saw the anger leave his eyes as their eyes locked. She finally noticed his mortal wound and the color that was leaving his face.

  He did not know what to do. He could not even think straight. His vision began to distort as everything around Katrina slowly became dark until she was the only thing left. Katrina suddenly ran towards him. But before she could get there, he collapsed on the ground.

  ***

  Ethan’s eyes were slow to open.

  The first thing he felt was a soft and light hand resting on his naked chest. As he came to his senses, everything was a blur. He thought he was in his own bed as he saw the design of the ceiling. If felt like it, but it could not be. How could he have gotten here? There was no way. But as his vision cleared up, he knew that he was indeed back in his penthouse.

  He was home.

  Feeling the presence of somebody lying next to him, he slowly turned his head. As he did so, he could feel pain and soreness consume his entire body. Cold waves of air were sent his way by the fan and crashed against his body, naked from the waist up. Under his head he could feel the soft, white pillow while he rested atop of the green sheets.

  Turning his head, he saw Katrina. She was lying on her side with her head resting against his shoulder with her eyes lightly shut. With one arm wrapped under his, her other hand was gently atop of his bare chest. He wordlessly looked at her peaceful, sleeping face. Her hair was still wet from her recent shower as Ethan could smell the fresh, clean aroma that gently came from her. Wearing her sleeveless pink top and white skirt, she was asleep. He kept his gaze on her as she peacefully breathed in her light slumber. There was complete silence as he stared upon her beautiful face, so glad he could see it one more time.

  If this was heaven, it was not such a bad start.

  But he knew it was not. He had seen its shores before and knew it was nothing like this. Katrina looked so comfortable that he did not want to disturb her. He just wanted this moment to last forever. Seeing her, he forgot all of his pain and all of his injuries. She could take all that away in an instant.

  A strand of her wet, black hair had fallen onto her cheek. With his far hand, he gently reached over and pushed it back behind her ear, trying not to wake her. But a slight smile formed on the corner of her lips as she felt his fingers against her face.

  Her eyes slowly opened as she looked upon him. Several silent seconds followed. Finally, a genuine smile appeared over her face as her hand went from his chest and towards his face. Gently, she caressed his rough, unshaven cheek as their eyes stayed locked. Her sweet voice filled the air. “Hey.”

  He weakly smiled back. “Hey little troublemaker.”

  She continued to look into his eyes. “How are you feeling?”

  “Better now that I see you.”

  Her smile grew.

  “How long has it been?”

  “Almost a day and a half.” Her hand left his face.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting.” He let his gaze go down to his torso. He saw that all his cuts had been neatly patched up, including the bullet wound from Jaing. He looked up at the ceiling as her gaze stayed on him. His tone became a bit more serious. “How’s Ivan?”

  “Better. He’s waiting in the living room.” There was a quick silence before she continued, hesitant as to whether or not she should say what needed to be said. “Ethan…they found your dad’s body…”

  He nodded without looking at her. “I know. I saw him die. He died to save us.”

  She was silent for several seconds. “Was it Anthony Griffin?”

  Again, he nodded.

  “Did you kill him?”

  “…yes.”

  There was a brief silence before Katrina spoke again. “I’m… sorry.”

  “Don’t be. He’s finally reunited with the love of his life…he’s finally at peace with her.”

  Ethan slowly looked to his other side and over at his bedside table. His green diary was still sitting there, but it was not in the same position he had last left it in. A part of him was surprised that Katrina was still here after reading that, after finding who he really was.

  Seeing that he was looking at the diary, she broke the silence once more. But her voice had changed. It had become much more somber. “Ethan…if you hadn’t…”

  He looked back at her, seeing tears forming in her eyes. Ethan reached over with his hand and placed it on the side of her head just as tears began to stream down her cheeks. As he did so, she slowly came closer and touched her forehead against his as her arm went across his chest and hugged him tightly.

  “I was so scared, Ethan. I thought I would never see you again.”

  “I was not going to let anything happen to you.”

  As she cried against his body, he reassured her by gently rubbing the back of her head as he comfortingly stared into her weeping eyes. “Even if they had taken you from here, I would have gone into the flames of Hell to bring you back. I would have travelled to every corner of the world to find you if that’s what it took.”

  He continued to look at her face as her tears went on. He ran his hand through her hair, trying to calm her down as she closed her eyes. Several minutes passed like this and her tears finally subsided. She backed her head a few inches from his as she tried to regain her senses. As she wiped away her tears, Ethan spoke once more. “You’ve read the journal?”

  She nodded.

  “Then you know the truth. You know that I’m not the real Ethan Daniels.”

  “It can’t be true. You’re every ounce the same man that I knew.”

  He slightly shook his head. “After last night, there’s no denying it, Katrina. Ever since I came back, you’ve noticed something different about me, haven’t you?”

  Again, she nodded.

  “So has everyone else. The real Ethan died on that road with Naira.”

  She shook her head, trying to hold back her tears from coming back. “No…he did come back. You are the real Ethan.”

  “Katrina you—”

  “It’s the heart that makes the man. The heart and the soul. It doesn’t matter what happens to the body. You have both those things. You haven’t lost any of it, no matter what that monster did to you.”

  A slight smile came to his face. “Even after everything I’ve done …after everything you’ve learned about me…you still—”

  Her hand that had been tightly hugging him moved and placed itself on top of his hand. “Always, Ethan. I will always love you.”

  Hearing her say those words, all of his pain disappeared. He closed his eyes for a brief second, letting the words sink into his heart. And for that moment, there was a peaceful silence.

  “What did you see Ethan? When you were asleep?”

  Slowly opening his eyes, Ethan looked at her as her head rested right next to his shoulder. He thought for a l
ong second before speaking. “I saw the other side, Katrina. I saw what was beyond death. It was like a forgotten memory. I had forgotten how beautiful it was. Daken’s poison had made me forget it. But now that I saw it again, I knew that I wanted nothing more than to embrace it.”

  “What stopped you?”

  He took a deep breath. “…my mother.”

  “…your mother? You saw her?”

  “She was so beautiful, Katrina. More beautiful than the countless times she’s appeared in my dreams.”

  “…did—did she say anything?”

  “She told me that dad and her are finally together. She told me not to weep for the dead who have lived righteous lives. She told me that Naira and David are with her and that everything would be okay. They are all waiting for me, but it’s not my time yet. That there were things that still needed to be done before I would be with her again. Things that I needed to do. She said that millions of lives were depending on me. That I need to earn my place with her in the afterlife.” His eyes filled with pain as he said what needed to be said. “And there are things that I need to do…alone.”

  She knew what he spoke of after reading the journal, but wanted to hear him say it. “What things, Ethan?”

  “I’ve been selfish. I have the power to do real good in the world, and I’ve hidden it away. This country needs a movement. It has been ruled by the corrupt for too long and I need to be at the forefront of the revolution. And by doing so, I’ll start the movement of change. I’ll show the people of earth not to live in fear of the corrupt. That the right thing to do is the only thing to do.” He paused for a brief second. “And then I have to go after Daken. He is still out there somewhere, lurking in the shadows. As long as he lives, I will never be safe. I will never be free. He’ll haunt me forever. Nobody I care about will be safe. He has hundreds of souls still captured in his web and he captures more every day. Souls that I need to free so they can rest in peace.”

  Her face was covered in anxiousness. “But why you?”

  “You once said to me we are born when and where for a reason, Katrina. You said that sometimes we can’t see what that reason was until the day we die. That there’s a divine plan for all of us, and we must use what we’re given for the right purposes.”

  She did not respond, knowing that there was no changing his mind.

  “This is my purpose, Katrina. And I won’t let you wait for me again. I won’t have you spend years of your life hoping that we can be together with no guarantee of ever seeing me again. I won’t be the one to break your heart and put you through that pain.”

  She did not say anything for a long time. As he said those words, she could see the sorrow in his eyes. But she could also sense the finality in his decision. And so she did nothing but faintly nod. “What do you see …what do you see when you die, Ethan?”

  He thought for a lengthy moment. There was a distance in his eyes as a beautiful memory replayed in his mind. It consumed him for a long time. A slight smile formed on his lips. And when he answered, it was barely above a whisper. “…White shores…and the ones you love.”

  His statement was followed by another silence. Katrina did not reply as she helplessly looked upon his face. She knew that he needed to do this, and that the purpose he spoke of was his destiny. Her heart was consumed by a sorrow, but she knew that there was nothing she could do. Her eyes drifted away from Ethan. “Then maybe…maybe if the world won’t let us be together…then maybe we will get our chance on those white shores.”

  Slowly, she swung her legs over the bed and sat up with her back towards Ethan. As she sat there, her smile disappeared. A tear slowly rolled down her cheek. Even though she hid it, Ethan sensed it. She sat there with her back to him for several seconds, not wanting to get up. Not wanting to leave, knowing that she may never see him again in this life.

  But she knew that it was inevitable.

  Gradually, she rose to her feet. As she did, a heavy burden came over Ethan’s heart as he watched. He saw a part of his life slowly dying. But he knew he could not bear to make her endure his burden with him.

  She could not bear to look back at him. “Maybe one day…our paths will cross again.”

  Without hesitating, she suddenly left the room.

  He heard her and Ivan walking away. With every step they took, Ethan’s stomach knotted and his heart was crushed by grief. With each step, he knew that she was walking out of his life…but it had to be done.

  Slowly, their footsteps began to fade until he could not even hear them anymore. He held back his tears, wanting nothing more than to run out and stop them. He wanted nothing more than to embrace her, hold her forever, and die in her arms.

  But he knew she had no place in his life. The long road in front of him was one he had to travel alone. This was his destiny.

  This was his curse.

  Chapter 30

  The Guardian

  “I…I can’t believe he’s gone.”

  Ethan sat at the table across of his brother and sister-in-law as he listened to Jonathan. Only minutes ago, they had arrived back at his brother’s house after visiting the funeral home. The arrangements were made, but that did not lessen their sorrow.

  Holding his head in his hands, Jonathan’s body trembled as tears streamed down his face. Cathy gently rubbed his back, trying to reassure him as he continued to speak through his sobbing. “One…one day he’s here and everything’s perfect. I talk to him…I talk to him and we’re making plans for the weekend. And the next…the next time I see him …he’s…dead.”

  A few tears streaked down Cathy’s cheeks, but not nearly as many as her husband’s. She put her arm around him and gently hugged him. Ethan watched the two of them in silence. He knew that now was not the time to tell them the truth. Now was not the time to tell them that Brett was at peace with his wife. That was not what they needed to hear.

  They needed to let their tears out. It was the best thing for them. Ethan tearlessly watched the sorrow that his failure caused—his failure to save Brett when he was at the hands of a heartless, vile captor.

  He slowly looked down at his hands as Jonathan continued through his tears. “And Charles…what did he do to deserve such a… a butchering?”

  Hearing the reminder of his friend’s death, Ethan clenched his fists under the table. Out of all the people Anthony could have gone after, why did he kill Charles first? It did not make any sense. Maybe Charles was going to warn Ethan. Maybe he was trying to save his friend.

  Seeing his family’s grief, he could only imagine the sorrow of the countless families in the world who had been wronged at the hands of the corrupt and never received justice. And the thought of that made his resolution grow stronger. The thought of that made him more prepared to do all that was necessary to right the wrongs in this world. The thought of that made him more loyal than ever to the cause.

  He would give them justice.

  ***

  The warehouse looked just like it had before Ethan had stripped it bare. The tables were set up, the lights were in place once more, and the equipment was put back as if it had never been removed. Even some of the decaying columns had been repaired by their newly returned owner. The empty crates were piled up in a lonely corner as they waited to be discarded for the last time.

  The only difference was a new piece of decoration on the table: a golden framed picture of Katrina. It was a photo Ethan had taken on their road trip. She was standing at the shores of the lake, with grand mountains visible in the distance behind the clear waters. Her arms were outstretched to either side as she looked towards the camera with a blissful, joyous smile. Standing barefooted, she wore her short sleeved blue top with a pair of white Capri pants.

  Ethan looked down at the picture for a few long moments as he wondered how she was doing. The echo of the heavy doors opening consumed the room momentarily as a second man entered the warehouse. The man’s heavy footsteps were heard before he closed the doors behind him with a loud scree
ch. Ethan did not turn around to acknowledge the newcomer. He was late, after all.

  William’s familiar voice echoed through the room. “Nice place.”

  Ethan turned around to face his friend. “It can get pretty lonely.”

  With his hands in his pockets, William made his way towards Ethan. “New reports of the ‘guardian’s’ heroics are coming out every day since the police station bombing. More people are claiming to have been saved by you…you’ve been busy.”

  “It’s a start.”

  “It seems like people are really becoming attached to their guardian…except for the bad guys. The ones you haven’t killed so far have run scared into the sewers.” William finally came to the table. As he came to a stop he once again scanned the room. “I hope you don’t expect me to be a janitor. Lord knows this place could use one.”

  Ethan slightly smiled at the remark. “I was thinking of something a bit more useful.”

  “I’m all ears.”

  From the table, Ethan picked up a file folder which had a few sheets of paper in it and handed it over.

  William looked down at it for a few seconds. “What’s this?”

  “A list of names. I need you to get these people in one room for me.”

  Opening it, William looked through the first few names before closing it. “What’s the idea? These are some pretty radical people.”

  “No, they’re people who want a change in this country, just like we do. They’re not afraid to speak out against the wrongdoers. All they need is a banner to fight behind and a push in the right direction.”

  William smiled as he figured out what Ethan was up to. “I’ll have it all set up a week from now.”

  Ethan slightly nodded in gratitude.

  William glanced away before returning his gaze to Ethan. His smile was completely gone. “I’m sorry…about your father, Ethan.”

  “There’s nothing to be sorry about. Thanks to you, Jonathan and Cathy are still alive. If you hadn’t saved them, I wouldn’t have any family left. You did more than I could have asked.”