Falling Awake

by T. A Richards Neville

  “You want me?” I said. “Well you can have me. Just let my dad go.” He stepped toward me, extending his stick, so that it pricked me lightly in the chest. “Such a slight thing,” he said, with a tilt of his head.

  “Get away from her,” Caleb growled.

  “Yet you hold so much inside of you,” The witch doctor continued, taking another step closer to me. I swallowed and took a step back, stumbling slightly.

  “Gabriel’s an empty vessel now, useless to you but priceless to us.” There was merciless amusement in his voice. My dad was nothing to him, merely a tool to be used and then discarded. I hated him.

  “And I’ve got a gift here for your friend.” He turned his attention towards Caleb. Before another word could be spoken, Caleb lunged for him and wrestled him to the ground. “Get out of here,” Caleb shouted back to me, throwing a punch into the witch doctors stomach. The witch doctors hand reflexively opened, and his stick rolled away.

  I dropped down next to my dad and secured my hands around his face. “Dad,” I pleaded. “Wake up, please.” I shook him but his body didn’t respond. I could feel the grief and anger overwhelming me and I swiped a stray tear from my face. How dare anyone take my dad from me, use him and throw him away like this.

  I could still hear the struggle going on behind me, and I stood up catching the witch doctor overthrow Caleb and pin him to the ground, gripping his jaw and slamming his head into the packed sand. Caleb brought his arm up and elbowed him in the face, knocking him off balance. They both jumped up, and taking a wide sideways step, the witch doctor stooped and grabbed his stick, walking in a circle around Caleb in a defensive stance. “Your gift,” he said with a slight bow, and then slamming his stick into the earth, he sprang forward and grabbed Caleb’s head in his hands, pressing his thumbs over his eyes. He rattled off an eerie chant and then removed his hands, placing one over Caleb’s chest and tapping on it rhythmically. It took me a moment to realise Caleb was allowing all of this to happen, the fight in him gone completely, before I sprang forward throwing myself onto the witch’s back, pulling him away from Caleb.

  “Get off him!” I shouted, clawing at his bare torso. He shrugged me free of him in one effortless movement and I fell to the floor, rolling back into the water. When he finally released Caleb, he had a vacant and dazed expression on his face, as if he had no idea where he was. I pulled myself up onto my knees. “Caleb?” I said, searching his eyes for any sign of life, but he stared back at me like he had never seen me before. The witch doctor sniggered and stepped back from Caleb, to admire whatever it was he had done.

  “Seize her,” he shouted. Footsteps filled the small space, and thin shadows stretched across the glowing damp walls morphing into figures as a barrage of men stormed from the depths of a tunnel just to the left of the cove. One bumped into Caleb as he thundered past like he wasn’t there, and knocked him sideways making him lose his footing. An unnecessary amount of men surrounded me, and two grabbed me by my arms from either side, hauling me off my feet.

  “Let go of me,” I screamed, kicking my legs underneath me. I wriggled and fought, but it made no impact what so ever. They had me, and this was surely the end.

  “Leave the boy and Gabriel. I have what I need from them,” the witch doctor said, turning his back to us and making his way toward the dark tunnel, bathed in shadows. I had long lost my shoes and the tips of my toes scraped across the sand as the men carried me along with them.

  “Caleb!” I shouted. What the hell was wrong with him? Just as I was about to lose all hope, he seemed to regain his focus and his fighting instinct kicked in. He jumped to his feet and barrelled toward the cluster of men surrounding me, but he was no match for all of them. It was impossible. He charged one of them to the ground, and they both disappeared from view as I was carried into the tunnel, engulfed in the cold darkness. I twisted my neck trying to see my dad and Caleb. My dad still lay on the sand lifeless, and Caleb was nowhere in sight. I didn’t want to cry, but I couldn’t stop it from happening. The tears flowed freely and I screamed letting my voice swallow up the darkness. The rage inside me boiled and I jerked my body, forcing myself from the iron grip that secured me. I squeezed me eyes closed and fought harder. Torches rose out from where they were mounted to the sides of the rock, aglow with hot flickering orange flames, giving light to the tunnel, and I could see that the sand from the cove had receded, giving way to slick black rock. The walls were dripping with what- I didn’t like to think, and the smell of the salty, damp, musky earth was overpowering as I was dragged deeper into the heart of the rock.

  I dreaded to think where they were taking me, or what would happen to me. I could feel the fury in me growing into a power, and I screamed as I felt it spilling out of me like a real life force. A strong wind blew in from behind us, and I could feel the grains of sand dashing off my legs as they flew by. A flurry of voices broke out around me. “What’s happening?” One of them asked. It was the man holding onto my right arm. I looked at him as he glanced behind him with confusion creasing his brow. “Something’s going on back there,” he said, quickening his pace. “Hurry up, we need to get out of here.” The turmoil in me bubbled, and I struggled against the unfamiliar sensation.

  “RUN,” someone shouted, and all at once, the pace picked up and I bumped hard against the bodies holding me as they bolted down the tunnel, slipping occasionally on the rocks below us. At first, I couldn’t make out the noise. It was faint to start with then became more intense, vibrating off the rocky passageway, growing louder and more aggressive, until it thundered in my ears.

  Water.

  I looked back just in time to witness a gigantic wave cursing it’s way through the tunnel, thrashing up the sides of the wall, biting out the flame of the torches. Darkness was descending on us, and there was no way of me breaking free. I fought to loosen my arms but there was no give in the hold on me. Rocks up ahead tumbled loose and crashed to the floor. I screamed and ducked my head for cover as the cave rained down on us. At last, the hold on my arms was non-existent as both men fell to the floor, showered in a bath of rocks. I dropped to the floor and scrambled clumsily to my feet. There was shouting up ahead, and the witch doctors mask came into view as he manoeuvred his way back through the tunnel towards me, using his stick to steady him.

  “Get up you Neanderthals!” he screamed to his men, kicking them as he passed. I spun around and without hesitation; I took a deep breath and let the giant wave wash over me and suck me in. I could still see the rocks barrelling down even under water, and I swam furiously, edging away from each near miss. Just as I felt the last of my breath running out, the walls opened up and I found my footing, thrusting my head out and gasping for breath. Panting heavily, I searched the flooded cove for my dad and Caleb. I could see the back of Caleb’s head bobbing above the water up ahead.

  “Caleb!” I shouted, pounding through the water until the ground disappeared underneath me. The whole cove seemed to shake violently and more rocks flew from the walls. I ducked under the water and swam forward, dodging as many rocks as I could. I yelped, swallowing a mouthful of saltiness as one hit me in the leg and another grazed my shoulder. Even underwater, I heard the terrible groan of the cove as it shook again heavily. Then, as more rocks speared through the water, I was hauled up by my top to the surface and pulled into a boat.

  Large black rocks smashed down into the boat, and a heavy material was thrown over my head as I was pushed down off the seat, and onto the floor.

  “Stay down,” A voice I knew all too well commanded.

  Ressler.

  The roar of the boat mixed with the shuddering of the cove, and with one swift turn, we were moving away from it. When I could no longer hear the rocks pounding off the boat, I pushed the cover off me, which I now saw was a blanket, and crawled up from underneath the steering panel. Ressler pulled hard on the steering wheel, turning the boat, and I watched in horror as the inside of the cove crumbled, closing up the entrance completely. The sea
crashed wildly around us and now the rock shower was over, I felt the onslaught of rain hammering against my skin. Big fat drops poured from the sky and thunder rumbled overhead, booming so powerfully, it was deafening. The sea churned as Ressler fed life to the boat and we crashed through the waves. Cape Flattery dissolved into the grey thunderous distance, no longer looking quite so idyllic.

  “Caleb what’s wrong with him?” Ressler shouted over the noise of the storm, and for the first time, I noticed Caleb sitting on the floor at the foot of my dad’s body. I climbed up onto my seat and hung over the back. My heart pounded wildly seeing them here in front of me. I thought for sure that the cove had buried them alive, and the relief was painful, it was so overpowering.

  My eyes skimmed over their bodies. Caleb was bloodied with cuts and scrapes covering his chest and his face, and my dad didn’t look in any better a state. Caleb pulled Ressler’s jacket over the gaping hole in my dad’s chest and held his hand over it.

  “Here.” Ressler shoved the blanket at me. It was soaking.

  “Is he dead?” I asked him, but most of my voice ended up swept away with the swirling wind.

  “No,” he said, fighting hard to control the boat.

  “Pria, you need to calm down.” It was Caleb that spoke, and my eyes flicked over to him, as he looked at me void of any emotion. He didn’t look pleased or seem to care that we’d made it out alive. He didn’t look much of anything. “You’re doing this.” He waved his arm in the air, cutting through the rain. “This storm- you’re creating it.”

  “How can I be creating it?” I shouted back, and then shook my head. “I don’t care about the storm; the sky can fall down for all I care. Back there-” I said, pointing over his head. “My dad had no pulse. He wasn’t breathing, yet you keep telling me he isn’t dead.”

  “He’s not dead,” he said calmly. I wiped my hands over my face, I was drenched and I was irritated. “Stop saying that!”

  “It’s the truth.” I gritted my teeth and felt my temper flare.

  “Caleb!” Ressler threatened. “You’re not handling this very well.” He tried handing me the blanket again and I grabbed it throwing it over board. I glowered at him. “Why would I need that? It’s soaked through and my skin’s waterproof.” I was wound so tightly, it was consuming me.

  “You really need to chill out,” Ressler said. “Caleb’s right. The angrier you get, the worse this storm gets.”

  “I can’t control the weather,” I said. “And please, someone explain what’s happened to my dad.”

  “Not here,” Ressler said, wiping the rain from his eyes. The boat rocked heavily in the turmoil of the sea and I gripped the seat hard, scared I might tipple overboard.

  “Caleb, feel free to get in on this anytime,” I shouted to him. He just sat there staring out into the storm looking less than interested.

  “Gabriel’s a fallen angel,” he said, meeting me with a cold stare. I didn’t recognise him, his stony expression matched the relentless gale that battered us unforgivingly. “No he’s not,” I said. “He’s my dad.”

  “He’s a fallen a-n-g-e-l.” He repeated, slower this time, enunciating each word as if I was too dumb to understand.

  “Caleb what’s up with you?” Ressler shouted. “You’re being an ass even for your standards.”

  I ignored Ressler and so did Caleb. “Why are you saying that to me?” I asked him, not wanting to believe him.

  “Because it’s the truth. Now sit down, shut up and calm down, because I don’t know about you- but I’m getting a bit sick of this rain, and considering we’ve got hours left of this journey, I’d like to be dry for some of it.” I stared him in the face. I didn’t know who this Caleb was, but I didn’t like him. In fact I wanted to hit him. Hit him so hard that it knocked him out. Lightning ripped through the sky slicing the full black clouds in half, and Ressler grabbed me by the arm, yanking me towards him.

  “Ignore him, just sit down and block it out. Please, for me.” Something in his eyes forced me listen to him and after shooting Caleb one last dirty look, I turned around and settled into my seat. “Is it true?” I said to Ressler. He didn’t answer me right away, instead he concentrated on getting us through the storm that was picking up tenfold.

  “Yes,” he said. “No one wanted you to find out like this, and I’m sorry that you did, but if you want to get your dad home, you need to do something for me.” I looked at him through the crashing sheets of rain. “I need you to block it out. Block the anger out, block Caleb out. Get rid of it all, because if this storm gets any worse, you are going to die in it.” His expression was firm and I knew he was being deadly serious. I had no other choice but to believe I was behind this chaos and figuring there was nothing to be lost, I closed my eyes and exhaled deeply trying to find the calm buried somewhere deep inside of me.

  I never fully got rid of the anger, and Caleb and I never spoke another word to each other. But when we arrived back at Friday Harbor, the thunder had ceased and the rain had slowed to a drizzle. I tried and failed to remember what day it was, but the Harbor was bustling. I had no idea of the time, and the dark grey skies gave nothing away. Ignoring everyone, we piled into Ressler’s waiting Mercedes and when I glanced at Caleb worrying what the locals would think of his wounds, and the small fact that he was carrying a lifeless body, I was stunned to find that there wasn’t a scratch on him and there was no sign at all of the hole in my dad’s chest. I blinked hard expecting the hole to reappear, but when I opened my eyes, his chest and shirt remained intact. I strapped myself in the front seat next to Ressler so Caleb had enough room to lie my dad down in the back, with his head resting on his knees.

  “Where to?” Ressler asked, finding Caleb in his rear-view mirror.

  “Uh, the hospital,” I said, as if that should be the obvious choice.

  “Are you crazy?” Caleb’s voice rang out from the back of the car. “You can’t take someone with no heartbeat, and who’s not dead to hospital. My place,” he said to Ressler.

  “How can he have no heartbeat and not be dead?” I asked Caleb. I didn’t understand any of this.

  It was Ressler who answered me. “Gabriel might not be an angel anymore, but he’s not exactly human either. A wound like that to the heart will damage it for a while, but it will repair its self quickly.” He started the engine and tipped his head in my direction. “He’ll get help at Caleb’s. It’s the best place.”

  “Right, because that’s where Leah is,” I mumbled.

  “She’s got answers,” he said, pulling out of the harbor, the tyres screeching along the asphalt. Well that was one thing at least. I had already made up my mind that I wasn’t leaving Caleb’s place until he had told me everything.

  The calm after the storm

  Caleb lay my dad down on the kitchen counter, and barged into one of the bedrooms. He came out with a t-shirt in hand, followed closely by Leah, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was Caleb’s bedroom they had just emerged from. He pulled the snug black shirt over his broad shoulders, and ruffled his damp hair with his hand. I bit my lip watching him. I was angry with him, but without a doubt, he was still just as gorgeous as before. I was irked by how he turned me into this desperate, needy person, and I reorganised my priorities. Right now, Caleb wasn’t important.

  I sat on one of the stools and stroked the side of my dad’s face. He was surprisingly warm against my freezing fingers. We had long left the icy grasp of the ocean, but I still couldn’t seem to get any warmer. My body refused to heat up. Caleb stood on the other side of the counter with his arms crossed over his chest, and Leah strolled up next to him, her eyes fixed on my dad. Ressler leaned against the wall facing the back of my dad’s head, watching him, but his expression was blank.

  “What happened to him?” Leah asked.

  “A witch doctor took his memories,” Caleb said. “He’s never responded since.”

  Leah tutted. “Witch doctors…I hate those things.”

  “Can you help
him?” Ressler asked her.

  “If you mean can I give him back his memories…No.” She laid her hands over my dad’s head and closed her eyes. A few seconds later, she opened them. “His memories are not gone, they’re just, how can I say... Blank. He needs to remember what has been wiped clear, and eventually he will. But until then he’s going to be in a sort of coma.”

  I stared at her in shock. So he really wasn’t dead. “He’s in a coma, for how long?” I asked.

  “Until every single memory has come back to him.”

  “And what if they don’t?”

  “Well, are you worth remembering? She asked me. Her eyes took on a wicked edge from the smirk that was now clear on her face.

  “What do you think?” Ressler asked her, answering for me. She raked her eyes slowly up and down me. “Then it’s just a waiting game. Gabriel stay’s here until he wakes up.”

  “He can’t stay here,” I said in disbelief. “He needs a doctor, medical equipment. He needs professionals.”

  “Did you hear anything I said in the car?” It was Caleb that spoke, and I’d almost forgotten he was even in the room he had been so quiet.

  “I’m not talking to you,” I snapped.

  “Ah, so you’ve told her then.” Leah cracked a smile of understanding. “And let me guess. You don’t believe him?”

  “I don’t know what to believe.”

  “Has he lied so far?” She asked me. Her eyes focused solely on me, blocking out everyone else in the room.

  “No,” I said shaking my head. “But he’s keeping something from me.” I shot him a look, but his eyes were guarded. He wasn’t giving me anything.