by Ammar Habib
“It wasn’t enough.”
“It was your best.”
William slightly nodded. “…and how are they?”
“They’ve taken dad’s death hard.”
“Shouldn’t you be with them?”
Ethan slightly smiled. “No. I know where he is; I know he’s happy now. It would be selfish for me to cry over him leaving us.”
William did not understand what exactly his counterpart was referring to, but was not in the mood to start asking questions. He knew that he would not receive any good answers anyways. William silently looked towards the golden picture frame. “And Katrina? Is she safe now?”
“She will be once she leaves the country.”
“And leaves you too?”
“I won’t have her be a part of this.”
William waited a second before replying. “You know, I met her once a couple months ago.”
He had Ethan’s full attention.
“I ran into her at the mall. She was shopping for you. She didn’t know who I was, but I recognized her immediately. I’d seen her with you before. We didn’t talk long; only a few minutes really. But it was enough for me to see who she was underneath the pretty face. There’s only one gal I had ever met who was as genuine as her. In the short conversation we had, all she talked about was how lucky she was to be in love with a person like you. How all of her wildest dreams were coming true.” He patted Ethan’s shoulder. “Don’t let that slip away.”
Turning around, William lifted the folder from his side and lightly shook it in affirmation before heading towards the exit, leaving Ethan to think about his words. He looked away from his counterpart and at the beautiful girl in the golden-framed picture. He kept his gaze directed at the photograph as he heard his William’s footsteps fade away.
***
Swan Park was usually full this time of year. The main attraction during the wintertime went from the swans to the frozen lake. People could always be seen every which way playing in the white wonder, skating on the ice, and creating lifelong memories with their loved ones.
But today it was completely barren.
Ever since the so-called guardian had gone on his rampage, nothing was the same. People were afraid to leave their homes and their families. The streets weren’t safe as thugs took advantage of the police’s preoccupation. The government, police, and populace were on edge, ready to break at any moment.
A lone figure stood at the bridge over the frozen lake. Leaning over the icy railing, Ethan let himself wade deep into his thoughts. Tonight, he would begin his journey down a road that there was no turning back from. He would see it through, no matter how long it took. Because it was the right thing to do. He needed to give the world hope.
Wearing his leather jacket, he rested his elbows on the railing as he looked at the barren landscape before him. The barren land he would have to travel through to fulfill his self-promise.
Feeling the presence of another on the bridge, Ethan stood back up and turned his head. Even before he laid eyes on the person, he recognized her footsteps. They always gave her away. And sure enough, when he turned his head, his eyes fell on Katrina.
With her gloved hands in the pockets of her long coat, she slowly approached him. She was neither smiling nor frowning as she kept her eyes on him. The wooden planks creaked beneath her black boots as Ethan silently watched her until she stopped a few feet away.
She was the first to speak. “I knew I’d find you here.”
“It’s not safe to be out alone.”
“Ivan’s in the car.”
Ethan slightly nodded. There a brief silence.
“How are you feeling?”
“Better…at least physically.”
She looked down at the planks beneath her feet before looking back at him. “I saw you a couple of days ago…at Brett’s funeral.”
“I know. I saw you there too.”
“I wanted to come and be with you, Jonathan, and Cathy…but I couldn’t do it.”
“It’s best that you didn’t.”
There was another short silence. “I’m leaving tonight. I’m going back to Zimba. Grandpa doesn’t want me in the country right now…”
“I’ve heard. He’s right.”
“He wants to keep me safe.”
“He wants what’s best for you.”
“But what about what I want?”
He shook his head. “You don’t understand, Katrina. The truth is that ever since my eyes caught sight of you, you are all I think about. There’s nothing I want more than to spend the rest of my life with you. But there are people who are depending on me to do the right thing, to make the choice that nobody else can make.” Ethan looked down at her boots. “I cannot give you what you seek, Katrina. I cannot give you happiness.”
She moved a little closer to him. “I don’t want happiness, Ethan. What I want is a life with you. What I want is to fight your battles with you. To be there for you.”
“I won’t put you in danger. Not again.”
“It’s my choice to make, Ethan.”
He shook his head. “I’ve caused the death of both my parents. I won’t be the cause of your death.”
“It’s my life, Ethan. And I choose to spend the rest of my days with you. We can go through your journey together. We can weather the storm together. All you have to do is take my hand.”
There was a long moment between them as he saw the a look in her eyes—a look he had last seen that fateful night on the stormy rooftop. He peeled his gaze away from her and turned back at the frozen lake. He held back his tears, but his voice showed his sorrow. “It’s all wrong. By all rights, we shouldn’t even be here at this bridge; at this crossroads. After all we’ve been through, we don’t deserve to be put through any more trials. We don’t deserve to go through any more darkness…but we are.”
She reached over and put her hand on his shoulder, causing him to look back at her. “Do you remember the stories David used to tell us? The stories that would have us on the edge of our seats?”
He nodded.
“They would be so full of darkness…so full of despair that we couldn’t think of how they could have a happy ending. We couldn’t imagine how things could be good again after so much evil had been done. We couldn’t imagine how people could see so much destruction and still have hope. Still have love. And yet…yet we always knew that the people in those stories would find a way. That there was always a light at the end of the tunnel. That there would always be a happy ending. That things would work out as long as they stayed together.”
Ethan remembered the stories perfectly. He remembered everything she said. He remembered the suspense, the dread. He remembered the joy when the struggle was over; when the darkness passed and there was nothing but clear, blue skies.
She put her palm against his cheek. “We’ve come too far to turn away from each other, Ethan. We’ve come too far not to see this through. We’ve experienced the darkness…now it’s time that we see the light together.”
Ethan looked down once again. “There is no light in this world for us.”
She put her hand under his chin and raised his head back to where their eyes met. “There is always light. Dawn always follows the night.”
“And what dawn will we have, Katrina?”
“Only time will tell. But whatever it is…whatever end our story has, it will take our breath away.”
Every word she said sunk into his heart. There was a long silence that captivated the bridge for some time. He reached into the pocket of his jacket, “Is this really what you want?”
“More than anything else.”
He pulled a small object out of his pocket. Katrina’s eyes widened at the sight of it. It was a diamond ring, the one he had failed to give to her earlier. Slowly, he raised it up and held it between his index finger and thumb. “Sorry I never got this to you.”
Her gaze was full of awe. She couldn’t even smile right now. All she could do was look a
t his face. He took her left hand, pulling it towards him. He gently placed the ring in her hand and then slowly curled back her fingers and closed her fist, keeping his hand wrapped around hers. Her gaze went from her closed fist to his face. “Ethan…”
“Will you keep this safe for me?”
She nodded. He dropped to one knee, now holding her closed fist with both his hands.
“Will you wear it for me?”
As she stared at him, a smile slowly appeared on her face as a single tear slowly leaked from her eye and down her cheek. But it wasn’t a tear of sadness. It was a tear she had only shed in her best dreams. “I’ll never take it off.”
His mouth formed into a smile at the sound of her words. Slowly, he rose back to his feet. His eyes locked with hers. Ethan had never seen so much love in her eyes before.
Katrina lunged forward and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. She pressed her forehead against his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her as well.
He could feel the warmth of her body even through the thick of their clothing. Joy was radiating off of her. He could feel her very heartbeat. He closed his eyes as he tried to take in this moment.
Ethan didn’t regret his decision in giving her the ring. How could he? No words needed to be spoken. Their hearts did all the talking. Neither of them wanted the moment to end.
Standing on that lonely bridge, in that abandoned park, the two of them held each other tightly. They held onto each other as their heartbeats began to beat as one.
In that moment, they knew their story would have a happy ending.
***
Seven men stood around the round table. There was complete silence as they all looked at one another and towards the man who had brought them here. The room was dark, except for an illuminated ceiling lamp that hung right above the table. It was warm in this room, even though it was freezing outside. They all knew that the heat was coming from their anxiousness to see the man who had brought hope to the people; the one man who could lead the people to victory.
One of the men, Marcos, broke the silence as he spoke towards their host, who was leaning against a tall crate only a few meters away. “You sure he’s coming?”
William confidently nodded.
Another man, Tony, spoke up. “How do you know?”
From the shadows a voice answered. “Because I always keep my promises.”
Every head immediately whipped around towards the source of the voice as a man emerged from the shadows. The figure wore his red and black mask over his face and a hood over his mask. His grey cloak concealed his entire body as he slowly emerged out of the darkness.
The men’s eyes widened as they saw the person they had only heard of. The man who was called a terrorist by some and a guardian by others. They saw the man whose one-man-crusade had gripped the entire nation and the world; the one who everyone either hated or loved. He had brought hope and courage to millions without ever uttering a syllable to them.
The masked man silently looked over them all. As he stepped forward, the two closest men slightly moved backwards. He could see the hesitation in their eyes. They had all wanted nothing more than to meet him, but now that he was here, they did not know what to think. He began to make a circle around the group of men as he spoke in his cold voice. “What are you willing to give? What are you willing to sacrifice?”
There was no reply.
He looked right into the eyes of every person he passed and could see the look that engulfed them. “You are all the leaders of this nation. You are the voices of the people. You have all spoken out against the corrupt. You all inspire your following to not back down…but words only go so far.” Making a full circle, the masked man stopped. “The time for words is over. It’s time that you decide if you really want what you have dreamed of. If you really want what you have aspired others to dream of. If you’re willing to give all you have to achieve that dream.”
Marcos was the one to reply. There was not an ounce of fear in his voice. “Yes we are.”
Standing only a few feet away from him, the masked man slowly turned his head around and stared into Marcos’s eyes. There was utter silence as every man waited to see what he would do. The masked man took a step towards Marcos. “Are you willing to give your life to advance our cause?”
“Yes.”
“Are you willing to get gunned down in the middle of the street and let your body rot?”
“Yes.”
“Are you willing to sacrifice your family for the cause?”
There was a slight pause. “…yes.”
Every time Marcos replied, the masked man could see the conviction in his eyes. He could see it in all of their eyes as he looked at each and every one of them. He looked over at William and slightly nodded. Seeing the signal, William picked up the crowbar that sat at his feet and turned to face the tall crate. He could feel everyone’s stare as they waited to see what he would do.
Using his tool, he quickly flung open the side of the crate that faced the group. As the side opened up, William took a step backwards and hundreds of red and black masks just like the one worn by the vigilante fell out and spilled across the concrete floor. The group stared at the pile for several seconds before looking back at the intruder.
“In two days, an army will march on City Hall. An army consisting of your most dedicated followers, wearing these masks. They will march behind my banner. They will begin the revolution that will change the world.”
There was no reply as they all tried to absorb his words.
“Can you find 1,000 people who are willing to lay down their lives for the cause? Who will place our mission above their lives?”
Marcos nodded. “By tomorrow night, we’ll have the soldiers for your army.”
Tony suddenly interjected into the conversation. “The police have threatened to fire live rounds into any groups who protest. And the president has promised to activate martial law if riots start breaking out. What you’re calling for is a massacre.”
The masked man looked Tony’s way. “It won’t be a massacre.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll make sure it isn’t. And as for the president, his death will come soon enough.”
“How can we trust you?” Tony asked. “For all we know, behind that mask you could be President Richardson himself. Why don’t you show us your face?”
Marcos was the one to answer his companion’s question. “We can trust him. He wants this more than any of us.” The group looked Marcos’s way as he spoke directly to the masked man. “You will lead us to victory. I know it.”
Tony spoke again. “But if we’re talking about revolution we may be doing more harm than good. If we’re battling against the police and government, criminals will take over the streets. Now that the country’s cartel is shattered, there’s a power void that many will try to fill. People are already scrambling to get their piece of it. And the police have turned a blind eye to criminals. Ever since the bombing, all they care about is putting out riots and demonstrations. Seems like street thugs are climbing out of the sewers like rats.”
The masked man replied, “I’ll keep the streets safe.”
“Alone? You can’t be everywhere in the country at once.”
William spoke up. “He won’t need to be.”
All eyes fell on William.
“The revolution will center its efforts on Crown City. Most of the nation’s economy runs through here one way or another. If we can create enough disruption, the changes we want will make themselves. We don’t need an armed revolution where millions will die. All we need are enough brave men and women who won’t fear marching into gunfire. All that our friend has to do is keep this city’s streets safe from crime.”
“How can one man keep an entire city safe?”
William slightly smiled. “It’s a task that is his specialty. You hear about how just two days ago, five different groups of criminals were found dead before they could go through
with their violent acts? About how just in those five instances, seventeen lives were saved?”
Tony nodded.
“Well, the same man saved all seventeen of those people and he is standing right behind you. Every day since the bombings he’s been saving lives. Hundreds of people are still alive because of him right now. And it will be thousands by the time we’re done. He’s already forcing the criminals to run back into the sewers.”
Tony’s eyes widened as William’s words sank in. There was a long silence as he blankly stared at the city’s savior, not sure what to say next. Everyone waited for what Tony would say, but the masked man already knew what it would be. Finally, he slightly smiled. “The media was right about you. You truly are a…a Guardian.”
“Some people think so.”
Tony nodded. “We’re with you. You have our allegiance.”
Marcos spoke up. “We will follow you to the end.”
From the group similar pledges came out as they all in one way or another promised to follow his banner until victory was achieved and justice was brought back to the country. But the Guardian had known that they would give him their allegiance. He had known this before ever calling them to this meeting. However, hearing it come from their mouths made him know that they would succeed. His conviction grew stronger with every oath that he received. There was nothing that could stop them, nothing that could prevent the fall of corruption and evil.
William nodded in approval, hearing the conviction from the group. Standing tall with his arms crossed, he looked over at the Guardian with a smirk.
And from under his mask, Ethan smiled. “And so it begins.”
The story will continue in:
Dark Guardian:
The War for Peace
Coming February 2017
About the Author
Ammar Habib is a bestselling author who presently resides in his hometown of Lake Jackson, Texas. Writing has always been a passion of Ammar’s. He enjoys crafting stories that are not only entertaining, but also have something useful to say to the reader.