by Andrew Ly
“Stop…” she mumbled. Her expression was suddenly distraught. Her body tensed up as she grabbed the sheets with both her hands. “Help…somebody help! Help me!”
Nick didn’t know how to react, except for reflexively rushing to her bedside.
“Stay away from me!” she screamed, thrashing around. It looked like she was trying to lift this invisible weight in front of her as she struggled. “Help! Help!” She tossed and turned until her fear appeared to have finally peaked, and she shook herself awake. She leapt into his arms.
Nick held her tightly, cradling her head into his chest. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Everything’s going to be fine, I’m right here,” he said softly. “You just had a bad dream.”
“I-I couldn’t.” She sobbed incoherently. Nick brushed his hand through her tangled hair. Warm tears soaked through his shirt as she continued to cry while burying her face deeper into his chest. “I was so scared, Nick.”
“Tell me what happened.” He rubbed her back gently and rocked her back and forth. “What did you see?”
“I was so helpless,” Alyssa sniffed. “I couldn’t run. I couldn’t do anything. Only watch.”
“Did you see demons?” Nick asked.
“I don’t know. It was standing over me but I couldn’t see what it was.” She pulled her head back slightly, to look at him now. “That was the scariest part. I can’t even describe what it was. All I know was that something was trying to take me away from you, and no matter how much I struggled I couldn’t fight it.”
“Whatever it was, it won’t get to you now. I’m here, and nothing’s going to take you. I’m going to get you a glass of water, okay?”
Alyssa grabbed his hand. “No don’t. Don’t leave me alone right now. Please Nick.” She was absolutely terrified, trembling as she spoke. “I don’t want to be alone right now.”
“It’ll just be a sec—”
“No! Please Nick, I need you to stay right here with me.” Her eyes were puffy and red. She could start all over again if he left. Nick knew couldn’t bring himself to leave now.
“Of course,” Nick said.
Alyssa pulled up the sheets and Nick climbed in with her. “Promise you won’t leave.” She made herself comfortable on his arm as a pillow.
“I promise.” Nick wrapped his arms around her waist. He could feel her heart pounding quickly against him.
“I hate sleeping, Nick. I hate it so much,” Alyssa said softly. “The night terrors never seem to stop no matter how hard I try.”
Nick lay perfectly still by her side waiting for her to drift back into sleep. It happened rather quickly, and soon her heartbeat returned to a normal pace. He didn’t want to move away now, in the chance that he would wake her, so he waited until morning. Before long, he drifted away.
He woke the next day with her still in his arms. It was the most pleasant sleep he had in a while, and he felt refreshed. He stretched feeling back into his arms, which had gone numb through the night, trying his best not to move so much as to wake her, but it was too late.
Alyssa turned into him. “You’re awake?” She rubbed her eyes. “What time is it?”
Nick glanced at the clock in the room. “It’s three in the afternoon. We slept almost half a day.”
Alyssa shrugged, wrapped snuggly in the blanket. “Are you saying spending the night with me wasn’t productive?”
“Actually, it was the best sleep I’ve had in a while.” Nick stood up. He yawned loudly as he reached for the ceiling.
“Where are you going, mister?” Alyssa asked, still half asleep. “You’re not planning on leaving me are you?”
“I’m going to make us some breakfast, err—lunch.” Nick couldn’t tell if she was really paying attention because she responded in a half sleep language which Nick took for consent, and he went to the kitchen. On the way he checked all the rooms and found that the loft was empty. Where could the others have gone?
Nick was too lazy to make anything extravagant, and since breakfast was the least appetizing meal of the day, he decided to cook something simple. He settled in making waffles, eggs, and toast, the staples to a nutritious meal. After making enough for two equal portions, he distributed them onto separate plates and set them at the table. The sweet aroma from the cooking must have woken her up, as she was at the foot of the stairs just he finished pouring the last drops of orange juice into a cup.
“Smells wonderful,” Alyssa said. She planted a quick kiss on Nick’s cheek. “My very own bed and breakfast. Remind me to give you a good tip later.” She took a seat at the circular dining table. She was quite happy, seemingly oblivious to the awkward conversation they had a couple days before. Or perhaps she wanted to continue on with their lives as if none of it ever happened. It was a welcome change, one Nick didn’t want to ruin by opening his mouth about the past.
“I’m holding you to that.” Nick sat opposite her. They swallowed up the food hungrily, with every piece seemingly disappearing in a matter of minutes.
“That was delicious.” Alyssa glanced around the empty room. “It’s pretty quiet around here. I wonder where everyone is.”
“If I had to guess I think they’re doing recon. We should join them.”
“Right. Give me a minute to get ready!” She went to her room, and came back changed into a white, sundress with a green ribbon in her hair to match her eyes.
Nick smiled. “Let me grab my jacket.”
They went up and down the streets looking for any clues to the “wet warrior” and found only dead ends. Every person they asked led to different areas of the city. Eventually they were led to the park that was adjacent to the Garreth’s building complex. From the numerous testimonies, there had been several sightings of a man who wore Pailean clothing standing suspiciously by the pond at various hours of the day. They could not pass up the smallest chance to finding a lead.
According to the big stone sign, the park was called Paradise Pond. It was a spacious area with a large, clear pond in the center. The place was crowded with people running with dogs on leashes, old folks on benches by the pond feeding the ducks, and kids playing on the swings and the sandbox. Alyssa and Nick walked hand in hand to a more secluded side of the park and sat on the grass in the shade of a giant willow. Its branches loomed over and touched the surface of the pond.
“This seems like the most inconspicuous place to wait for this guy,” Alyssa said.
“I’ve missed you.” Nick held her in his arms. “I’ve missed this. Listen, there’s a lot I want to say—”
Alyssa put a finger to his lips. “Let’s enjoy what we have for what it is. The past is behind us now.” Her eyes lit up suddenly. “How about a reintroduction? Tell me a little about yourself—I mean the demon part of your life.”
“Well, there’s an evil demon that occupies my body and occasionally we like to work together and kill other demons in order to keep the world from being enslaved. But on the plus side, I have a wonderful girlfriend to keep me sane.”
“Yikes. So it’s kind of like being a coin that’s always flipped isn’t it? You never know when you’re good or bad,” Alyssa teased.
“No one likes predictability. I guess you could say it’s kind of a quirk I have. Some might find it charming.”
Alyssa smiled. “Your girlfriend must be real special to put up with that kind of charm.”
“She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. It doesn’t scare you though? Knowing what you know about him?” Nick asked.
“Quite the opposite. I was worried that I would have scared him.”
“Why would he have any reason to be?”
“I think playing with fate can have adverse effects on people. One day you think you’ve met the perfect person, but then it turns out that in the grand scheme of things, it was always meant to be,” Alyssa said.
“Fate brings people together, but it doesn’t guarantee a happy ever after.”
Nick leaned in and kissed her deeply. When their lips parted, she took in a d
eep breath, exhaling euphorically as the wind gently pushed through her hair. The natural atmosphere was exquisite, but no beauty could come close to matching hers. Like an intricate work of art, Nick could just sit there and watch her for hours.
“I love this…it’s perfect,” Alyssa said. “Just living in the moment, you know? Something as simple as a day in the park is really all there is to it.”
Nick smiled at her. “Serenity is all around us.”
Alyssa eyes closed her eyes, soaking everything in. “It reminds me of my parents. Every weekend we’d have a little picnic in our backyard, and play games. We had a giant willow tree just like this one, and my dad had built a swing on it for me. At the end of every picnic, I’d swing on it until the sun went down. It was my favorite part of the week, just being with family.”
“Your parents sound amazing,” Nick said.
“They were the best. And I’m grateful to still have their memories. What about you? What do you remember from your childhood?”
“Nothing I say can top that.” Nick felt the tension in his chest as he plucked some grass off the ground.
“You’ve got to be more specific. Come on, I know you’re adopted, but I hardly know anything about young Nick Emberson’s time in the Garrison.”
“You really don’t want to know,” Nick said.
“Try me.”
When it was evident that only a proper answer would satisfy her curiosity, Nick gave in.
“If you insist.” Nick cleared his throat. “Growing up in the Garrison I was treated differently. I never knew my parents and I didn’t come from wealth, so naturally everyone who saw me had a weird reaction—like I was a poison to avoid. Peter tried his best, but he couldn’t always protect me. They wouldn’t tell me outright, but I instinctively knew they saw me as something less than what they were, and it hurt me to the point that…that I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror because I started to see what they saw. Peter reassured me, kept telling me that I was ‘special,’ but the truth was, I didn’t want to be ‘special,’ I just wanted to belong.
“Eventually I gave up. I grew distant from people because I thought that trusting them would only end up hurting me. Then I met Matt, the first person other than Peter who looked at me as a person and not just some ‘thing’ to put up with. We’ve been best friends ever since.”
“I’m sorry that happened to you. People can be so cruel,” Alyssa said. He could have just let that be the end of the story, but something urged him to continue, to release the valve that had been wound so tightly for so long.
“I deserved all of it.” Suddenly Nick was short on breath and his heart was racing.
“What do you mean? Is everything okay, Nick?”
“There’s another reason I was treated the way I was and why Peter never allowed me to get my hands dirty.” Nick had a hard time mustering the strength to say it, but he had to tell her. “I-I killed someone. Susan Stillwell.”
“Susan Stillwell—the legendary cleric?” Alyssa said with surprise. “But that’s not possible. She died in a fire.”
He felt queasy just hearing the name said aloud. The memories poured into his head and he once again relived the pain.
Nick nodded. “It was because of me that she died.”
“This must be eating you up inside.”
“Peter tried to cover the whole story in order to protect me, but people talk. It wasn’t as if it’d make a difference. Nothing could get rid of the images in my head. Like you and the night terrors, there are things I’m afraid of—things I can’t explain, but they torture me. Unlike them I know exactly what keeps me up at night. For years, every time I closed my eyes I saw her there, suffering because of me. I can’t even count the nights that scene played over and over…the agonizing pain she felt as I watched her die.”
“Tell me.” Alyssa rested her hand on his arm.
“It’s funny, I think on some level I knew I was a monster even before Peter told me the truth. No matter how much I tried to believe differently, the looks on the people’s faces never let me forget. No matter how much Peter tried to conceal, the looks of disgust from those who remember is too much to bear.”
Alyssa gazed into his eyes. “Let me help you, the way you helped me.”
Nick had all this pent-up inside for such a long time. Would it be so bad to let her—the girl who he’d fallen so madly in love with—into his world? Before he wished to take this secret to the grave, let the burden die with him. But she cared for him and he could see that she wanted to help him, and he so desperately wanted to tell her everything.
“I’m here for you no matter what Nick.” She squeezed his hand. “If you’re not ready to tell me, then don’t, and I’ll understand. But I just can’t stand by and watch you suffer like this.”
“No, if I had to tell anyone it would be you,” Nick said. “Let me find a place to begin.” Where to start? Where did it all begin? Nick thought hard, and a rush of memories resurfaced. Like always, he didn’t like backtracking through his mind, but it was time he did for himself.
“Six years ago, when I was twelve, I was sent with Matt and a group of others to stop a disturbance in Fyria. The city was under siege in what was one of the biggest assaults in recent history. Our commanding officer at the time was Susan Stillwell.” Nick paused to clear his throat. It was getting harder to speak.
“During the attack, Susan broke away from the other soldiers to find and kill a group of five or six renegade demons that were fleeing. We followed them into the abandoned offshore oil-rig.
“When we finally cornered them, it turned out that had been led straight into a horde. Susan fought bravely, but she wasn’t equipped to defend herself against a small army. She told me to run, but I panicked and dropped the lantern I was carrying. A fire started, and the building came down between us, which trapped the demons and Susan. She was crushed by the ceiling, barely alive. I was too scared to run. I watched as demons tear her apart and the entire building engulfed in flames. I was only saved when Matt and the others got there.” Nick turned away; he couldn’t face her now. He had to let her know the truth, but couldn’t bear to see the look of disgust.
But to his surprise, he was taken into a warm embrace. “Nick…I never knew. I never knew how much you had to bear alone. It must have killed you.”
“Wh-what are you doing? I’m a terrible person. I deserved to die that day, and instead I was given a full pardon by Peter.”
She shook her head, and her fragrant hair tickled his nose. “My grandpa saw the good in you, just like I do. You’re not a terrible person, and it’s not your fault. You can’t blame yourself for something like that, something out of your control. Susan Stillwell’s death wasn’t vain. In saving you, she gave the world a chance at survival.”
Nick wrapped his arms around her. Instead of being scorned, or treated with contempt, she’d accepted him. Without judgment and without hatred. He held this in for so long; he never knew how great it felt to share a piece of himself to someone.
“I promise I’m never going to let anything happen to you,” Nick said on the brink of tears. “I swear I’ll protect you always.”
“I trust you. And when you said you didn’t deserve anybody…well that’s just not true. You’re good enough for me.”
When the sun set they realized that the “wet warrior” wouldn’t to make an appearance. They went back to the loft and found a full house. Garreth isolated himself away in his office; while Paul was eating a small meal alone at the dining table; Daniel and Matt were watching television on the couch. They all looked exhausted.
“Where have you two been all day?” Daniel asked.
“Searching for leads,” Alyssa said. Nick exchanged a knowing glance and he tightened his hand over hers.
“Right.” Matt turned off the television. “We also went clue searching today. Me and Daniel decided to go back to the Den of Pain. We found bags of Dolere Flos stuffed in boxes. It looked like Astaroth was planning to shi
p them somewhere. We combed the place over but found no sign of the sword, which means it’s probably long gone.”
“What would anyone want with the Dolere Flos?” Daniel asked.
Paul put his plate in the sink. “I couldn’t find the warrior Cunningham was talking about, but I went downtown. Nobody has seen that knight, but there’s talk about a strange man with an eye patch. They say he’s farmer and he had been coming back and forth the last few months buying fertilizer and bags to store crops for shipment.” He pulled out the picture Lucius left them and waved it in the air. “I showed them this picture and they agreed that it was match. Turns out the traitor found a new hobby.”
“What would Doctor Numerous be doing in Hyperion?” Nick said.
“I don’t know, but this proves he has had a hand in the attacks. Astaroth’s presence and the break to the shield spell it out plainly enough,” Paul said.
“Guys, you have to check this out!” Garreth called from the other room. Everyone hurried in. His computer monitor was a collection of pictures with times and dates labeled in the corners. “I hacked the security cameras of every farm supply store within a two hundred mile radius and used facial recognition to match Numerous’ face. He hasn’t just been in Hyperion. He’s been in just about every store at every civilian city in any country you can name: Glenhaven, Thorne, Fyria, Pailo—you name it. All were visited by a one-eyed farmer.”
“But look at the time stamps. These areas are miles apart, yet he’s been at all these locations within minutes of each other,” Paul said. “How can this be? How can anyone travel this fast?”
“Teleportation isn’t a demon ability…is it?” Daniel asked.
Matt shook his head. “None that I ever heard of. He’s a wanted man. There’s no way this guy can be moving across the country and still get under the radar of every Garrison. There has to be something wrong with the facial recognition, or it must not be working correctly.”
“I developed the system myself. It’s state of the art,” Garreth said.
“We have to warn my grandpa somehow,” Alyssa said.
“Where was his most recent appearance?” Nick asked.