Battle for the Afterlife Saga, Blue Courage (Action & Adventure Fantasy): Part 1, 2, and 3 Bundled

by CJ Davis

  There was a scuffle and the two Red spies approached and sat down on a nearby bench.

  “Do they really think we don’t see them?” Reese asked.

  Arshan glanced over in their direction.

  “They probably know, but do it anyway,” Arshan replied. “The Reds never want to miss an opportunity to learn more about their Centennial competition.”

  "I guess I have to get used to this,” Reese replied.

  “No, this is nothing,” said Arshan, the frown finally leaving his face. “Just wait until the Centennial when an enormous Kelenken is trying to bite your limbs off.”

  Reese’s eyes widen and he grimaced. He remembered reading about these ferocious prehistoric creatures in his journal. Close to ten feet tall with large tiger sized claws, they were part of a class of birds known as terror birds.

  Arshan burst out laughing.

  “I would not worry about the Kelenkens Reese,” Arshan said honestly. “I’m just teasing you. You won't have a problem with them. By the time you set out for the Centennial your abilities will be more than ready to handle a terror bird. Now let’s head back up and continue your training. I have a great anti-Kelenken defensive maneuver we can work on.”

  When they stood up to head back to the Blue Tower, the two Reds did the same.

  "Let's see if we can get them to follow us," Arshan said.

  Chapter 20

  High in the shadows Anna and Reese stood precariously on a medium sized platform dangling from four wires on each corner. They were around a hundred feet up in the center of the giant Blue training room. The dark brown platform was about the size of a truck and was slippery. Only glimmers of ambient light were in the large room, and they were waiting for a training exercise to start. This particular exercise was known as “The Surprise,” and had been the most highly anticipated event thus far in training.

  “Okay, I’m sure I know exactly what is going to happen next,” said Reese as the platform swayed slightly.

  “Well, good, because that makes two of us,” Anna snapped back. “Yeah, I don’t even know why they call this “The Surprise.”

  The lights dimmed even more, and they glanced at one another soberly.

  The ropes started vibrating and the platform shook. Reese shifted his feet and tried to keep his arms from flailing. He glanced at Anna, who had a look of grim determination on her face. They were both doomed to fail this one, unless he could think of something fast.

  “Hang on to me Reese!” Anna demanded suddenly. For an instant he looked at her stupidly, wondering how she had read his mind. He’d wanted to do more than hang on to her since they first met. She shook her head impatiently. “We’ll be more stable with four feet on the floor. Hang on you fool!”

  Without warning one of the wires released from the platform, dipping the platform at a twenty-degree angle. The slanted surface caused both of them to fall down and slide toward the platform’s dipped edge. Before falling one hundred feet, Reese was able to grab the released rope, stretch out his body and leverage his feet against the platform to stop their descent. Anna held up on Reese’s heels. She remained laying flat on the platform. Adrenaline coursed through Reese's veins.

  A moment passed and the ropes stopped vibrating. It was completely quiet. Just when Reese let out a sigh of relief, the rest of the ropes came unhooked, and the platform completely dropped from below them, falling the rest of the way to the floor. Anna grabbed Reese’s feet at the last second, and dangled below him. Reese's stomach turned when they swung back and forth, gravity pulled hard on his ankles.

  The platform smashed into the ground with a heavy metallic thud.

  “Can you climb up above me on the rope?” Reese asked.

  “I think so,” Anna replied. “I will try.”

  She pulled herself up from Reese’s legs and easily climbed to him. She hung directly next to him, the sandpaper like rope had great grip.

  As their bodies dangled they exchanged an awkward look. Their faces were only inches apart. He tried hard to think about the exercise and nothing else. It took great restraint not to kiss her.

  “See, I knew all of that was going to happen,” said Reese. His charismatic smile broke the tension a little.

  “Oh yeah, me too,” Anna added.

  The rope finally stopped swinging. Sweat beaded on Reese's forehead.

  A humming noise came from just outside the darkness of the room, increasing gradually in volume.

  “Okay, Mr. Know it all, what is that humming sound?” Anna asked.

  Reese smirked and blew away a piece of her hair that tickled his right cheek.

  “That’s easy Anna,” he remarked slyly. “I could tell you, but I don’t want to ruin the surprise for you.”

  Within moments, from the darkness above, giant metallic insect like creatures with sharp claws slowly crawled down the ropes towards them. In a matter of seconds the menacing mechanical creatures would be attacking them.

  “All right, we are going to need to separate if we are going to have a chance here,” Reese said. “Can you help me swing back and forth, so that we can get to the other rope?”

  "No problem," she said. Her voice shook.

  The other rope was a few feet away. After rocking back and forth they had a good swing going.

  Their bodies pressed up against each other. Inappropriate thoughts crept into Reese's mind. Think of the exercise and not Anna, Reese told himself.

  Within a moment Anna grabbed onto the other rope and let go of Reese’s rope.

  As soon as they were separated Reese flipped his body around, and wrapped the bottom of the rope underneath him. He grabbed the rope with his left hand, securing himself, and he held the slack of the rope in his other hand as a weapon.

  At this point the humming sound nearly pierced his ear drums. Reese could see the glow of the metallic crawlers' beady red eyes.

  “Try to get in this position Anna,” Reese said. “You can use the rope as a weapon.”

  "That looks easier said than done," Anna muttered.

  Without hesitating she was able to flip herself around and complete an impressive acrobatic maneuver. Armed with the rope she looked over at Reese and grinned with pride.

  "That's how you do it!" Reese said.

  The closest creature lunged at Reese, but before it sunk it's jagged claws into his neck, Reese smashed it right out of the air with the rope. Anna followed suit with her own vigorous swings at the attacking swarm.

  They were able to easily crush the first wave of vicious looking bugs.

  "This might just work," Anna said. "I'm feeling much stronger."

  "Great!" Reese said. He swung so hard at one of the bugs that it almost disintegrated when he hit it. "I think I might be getting stronger too!"

  At first the bugs divided their attentions between Reese and Anna equally, but their path soon shifted to crawl almost exclusively to Reese. The creatures didn’t look intelligent, but they were intelligent enough. He could hear Arshan’s voice in his head. Never underestimate your enemy.

  "They must be concentrating their efforts on their strongest adversary," Reese said. He was breathing heavily.

  "Or the opposite," Anna bantered back.

  Anna swung heroically to a flanking position on the bugs and easily crushed many of the insects from the enormous stream piling towards Reese.

  “I bet you didn’t expect me to do that,” Anna yelled.

  “You’re definitely right about that!” Reese replied. “Let’s stay focused. There are tons more coming."

  After hundreds of methodical slashes, the final remnants of the bugs crashed to the floor. The overwhelming humming in the room was replaced by their heavy breathing.

  Reese and Anna caught each other’s eyes and smiled. Their faces said a thousand words. They were proud of each other and excited. Just as Reese was about to say something, Arshan flew up to them and grabbed onto the ropes.

  “Great job you two!” Arshan declared.

  "Th
anks," Reese said. "You have anything harder you can throw at us?"

  "That wasn't easy," Anna added. She glared at Reese.

  “The point of this exercise is to learn to be resourceful," Arshan said. “Remember in your conquest there are dangers that will ‘surprise you’, and you’ll certainly not always be fully equipped to handle them.”

  “I really felt like we could’ve been destroyed if the bugs got to us,” Anna said. “Would they really have harmed us? Would we really have fallen one hundred feet down to the training room floor?”

  “The point of training is to unlock your potential,” Arshan replied. “You must be put in extreme situations, so yes, you would have been harmed.”

  “Well, that was definitely extreme,” Anna replied.

  “You’re very powerful Anna,” Arshan said. “You’ve just forgotten from your time on Earth. We have to help you remember, and these type of training exercises are the only way to do it.”

  "Wait, how long have we been hanging here?" Reese asked.

  "Quite a while," Arshan replied. "Why do you ask?"

  "Because my arms aren't tired at all."

  "Mine aren't either," Anna added.

  “Actually I feel amazing,” Reese declared. “I’m not sure why, but I think I can jump down from the ropes, and be all right.”

  “Don’t be stupid Reese, we are a hundred feet above the ground and...”

  But before Anna could finish her sentence Reese dropped and landed perfectly on the training center floor below.

  “Whoa, that was great!” Reese yelled up to her. “Now it’s your turn!”

  Anna rolled her eyes at Reese. "Could I really be seriously considering dropping from this height?" she yelled.

  “Just let go!” Reese yelled back. “Don’t think about it.”

  She let go of the ropes and plummeted through the air. After a few seconds of falling she had the same perfect landing as Reese. Menelik stood on one of the platforms above and cheered and clapped. Reese and Anna look at each other in amazement.

  “I think things are starting to get interesting,” Reese said excitedly with a huge smile on his face.

  “Interesting or terrifying?" she replied.

  Chapter 21

  Reese relaxed in the Gardens of Babylon after a tough training session. The sun set as he admired the galorim streams off in the distance. The dusk light shimmered off galorim like no other liquid. It was very beautiful. He sat at a table, and enjoyed some alone time. Anna and Arshan talked with a few Greens a couple of tables away.

  He was still surprised at the sensation he got every time he drank galorim. His whole body tingled and he felt physically happy.

  The crowd had thinned in the garden with most people heading in for the evening.

  Reese noticed a pretty little girl around six years old playing by herself near one of the hedge maze walls. It was odd he hadn't seen anyone that young in the Afterlife, but he learned not to be startled by anything new in this strange world.

  The child caught his eye and gave him a gleeful grin. She bounded over to his table and tagged him playfully on the arm.

  “Tag, you’re it!” she cried. She turned and ran as fast as she could towards the hedge maze, stopping only long enough to taunt him while smiling and giggling. She had her two index fingers pointed at her cheeks as she swayed back and forth.

  "Nana, nana, boo, boo," she sang.

  “Hey, don’t go in there!” Reese said.

  The girl ignored him. Reese had no time to get Anna and Arshan’s attention. Hoping that his new powers would suffice, he entered the maze, only to see the child already well down the path.

  "Wait," Reese yelled.

  "You can’t catch me," she added, diving around the corner.

  He ran after her. The girl giggled in the distance, and it was infectious. Reese laughed, and realized that, despite the danger, this was the most fun he has had since arriving in the Afterlife. For a moment he completely forgot about the Centennial and his training.

  After a few lefts and rights through the maze the light dimmed and the air grew stale. The little leaves on the hedges were perfectly still around him.

  He heard the little girl giggling. She was close, maybe in the row of hedges next to him.

  A loud rustle came from deeper in the maze. He felt extremely vulnerable, and fear settled in. It was time to head back.

  At a fork in the maze, Reese looked both ways. When he tried to remember which way to go, two brutish men with red arm bands and a young girl around twelve, wearing a red robe, turned the corner a few feet ahead of him. They stopped and glared at Reese. His heart pumped faster than a piston, and a wave of panic gripped him.

  The large men clenched their fists. The robed child examined Reese. The way she looked at Reese sent shivers up his spine.

  Without a word, the stoic-faced girl barely lifted her hand and gave a subtle finger point in the direction of Reese. The large men barreled toward Reese like bulls on a Spanish street.

  Reese’s adrenaline flowed wildly and he spun around only to be tackled by the smaller of the two men who pinned his arms.

  He shook loose from the tight grip holding his arms over his exposed face, as the bigger man's solid knuckles smashed into his bare forearm and nearly broke his lower arm in two. Pain surged up his battered limb.

  He rolled away quickly, and swiveled his head around looking for his assailants. They pounced toward him with deadly intent. They were moving faster than anybody he’d ever fought.

  He received a devastating kick to the back and a follow-up punch to his stomach. He kicked aimlessly toward his attackers with no success. This was a one-sided fight, and Reese knew it.

  Reese closed his eyes and furrowed his brow. Where were those super abilities when he needed them?

  Suddenly, a strange flash flooded Reese’s mind, and an overwhelming energy flowed through his body. It felt like drinking a hundred tall glasses of galorim at once. Everything moved in slow motion. He could feel the cool air slowly filling his lungs.

  His attackers were moving as slow as honey dripping off a wooden spoon. After he saw his own arm move at a normal speed, he quickly realized the world hadn't slowed down, but instead he was moving at an entirely different speed. A rather large smile spread across his face.

  Reese tensed like a coiled spring. He jumped to his feet, and within moments, the smaller man lay lifeless on the ground and the other man was uncontrollably flying slowly backwards through the air.

  Reese was impressed by his actions. With a sudden jarring sensation everything resumed to normal speed. The man in mid-air hit the ground and slid to a stop several feet away.

  His energy surge was gone. Reese toppled to the floor, bleeding profusely from his mouth. His legs and arms shook; he was once again exposed, as the bigger man picked himself back up, grimacing and holding his chest where Reese had struck him.

  Reese struggled to keep his eyes open. His head and entire body were throbbing.

  The man stumbled forward and lifted a heavily booted foot right over Reese’s head.

  "Stop!" said a familiar voice. Reese opened his eyes and saw that Arshan landed nearby.

  The henchman lowered his foot and ran, grabbing the hand of the girl as he passed her. They soon disappeared into the maze.

  "Should we pursue them?" Reese asked. He rolled to his side and coughed up blood.

  "No, we can't risk breaking the truce," Arshan replied. “Besides you’re in no condition.”

  “How could you be so stupid?” Arshan demanded.

  “I just…”

  “I told you to never go off alone!” Arshan interrupted, clearly upset.

  Reese didn’t know what to say. He sat up. Pain shot up his leg.

  After a moment, Arshan said, “You remember in the gardens a few days ago when you told me you felt like you’ve known me forever.”

  “Yes.” He wiped blood from his nose.

  “That’s because you have known me forever,�
�� Arshan said.

  Reese looked at the man quizzically. What was he getting at?

  “Reese, it’s me... Dad,” Arshan whispered.

  Reese’s head pounded. Was his clouded head playing tricks on him?

  “You haven’t recognized me because my physical appearance was changed in the Astral Plane. I’m in the state of my ancient eternal body.”

  Reese paused and looked into Arshan’s eyes. After a moment Reese saw it. Arshan was his Dad. Reese blinked back the tears that threatened to fall.

  “It is you Dad,” he said. They embraced. “I missed you so much.”

  “I know son,” Arshan said, dabbing his eyes.

  “So why did you keep this from me?” Reese asked. “I would have loved to know it was you from the very first time I saw you on the roof.”

  “It was critical that you saw me as Arshan, the great Blue Centennial warrior,” Arshan replied. “Your successful transition and training depended on it. I believe you’ve come far enough along now to know the truth about me. Believe me, I’ve wanted to tell you.”

  “Wow, my Dad, is Arshan,” Reese said out loud. “This is amazing. I knew you were in the Afterlife somewhere. I could feel it in my bones.”

  “Yeah, those senses have to do with your Blue powers and they’re growing by the day,” Arshan said. “I knew you would eventually figure it out.”

  Reese smiled at Arshan. He was in total disbelief, and overwhelmed with happiness.

  “All right, I need to get you out of here. Can you walk?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “You have to stop getting yourself in these situations. I’m not always going to be around to swoop in and save you.”

  “I know.”

  ***

  Arshan and Anna stood alone in the Blue common room.

  "How long will it take him to heal?" Anna asked.

  "He healed quickly after the Red Temple," Arshan replied. "He should be out of there in less than an hour."

  “So I think we are cutting it close,” Anna said. “The Reds will likely be suspicious of Reese, after Ling tells Morkel and the rest of his Red cronies what she saw today.