The Awakening

by Ryan Sova

  Nephal said nothing and quietly followed Atonick’s instructions. Once Nephal had finally returned to his seat, Atonick spoke to Eliak, “Ok Eliak, it’s your turn again.”

  Nephal paid no attention to what Eliak or Atonick were doing. In the background, he could hear Eliak’s voice chanting in the language of magic, but he didn’t care at all about Eliak’s training at the moment. Nephal was still fuming over his repeated failures of the day. He was now tired, cranky, and impatient. He hadn’t had a day go this bad in a long time. Sure, he was still prone to having some rough patches every now and then, but not like this, facing failure after failure for more than eight hours straight. Although he couldn’t prove it, he felt like the elementals were somehow mocking him.

  Nephal continued to stare off at the wall in front of him when something strange happened. Nephal felt something grab his arms and pull him violently. Nephal responded by thrashing around in his chair and falling to the floor. Once on the floor, Nephal continued to thrash about and ended up kicking his desk. Nephal heard a couple of voices yell, “NEPHAL!!!” and footsteps started running towards him.

  In the mere seconds of time that had occurred since Nephal had fallen on the floor, he noticed that although he could feel something pulling on his arms, he could still move them about freely. Then something else occurred, Nephal felt the distinct feeling of being pulled out of something and slammed violently onto the floor. Nephal was especially baffled by this sensation due to the fact that he was already on the floor when this sensation occurred.

  ****

  “Grab his arms!”

  Garry opened his eyes. The only thing that he could see were several sets of shoes and the asphalt his face was now pressed against. He could feel someone’s knees on his back with an incredible weight that made it hard for him to breath. Several sets of hands were also on his arms forcing his hands behind his back. Then, what felt like a steel bracelet was placed on both of his wrists and then tightened which made a clicking sound.

  Garry then heard a man speaking to him from behind, “Garry Henderson, you are under arrest for the murder of Tracy Aper, Dallen Trever, Faith Trever, Eric Raymond, Monica Slever, Dick Wrather, Bryan Scott, and Jake Garns. You are also under arrest for the attempted murder of forty-five other victims.”

  After the officer had finished placing Garry under arrest, Garry could feel someone patting him down, searching his body for hidden weapons. Once this was done, the officers helped Garry to his feet and two of them walked Garry to a nearby patrol car. The officers then opened the backseat door for Garry and instructed him to get in. Once Garry was seated inside the patrol car, one of the officers fastened Garry’s seat belt and closed the door.

  Once Garry was in the back of the patrol car, the enormity of what had just occurred hit him. At first, Garry was confused and disoriented when police had taken him into custody. He had been sleeping in the back seat of his car when officers suddenly dragged him out and cuffed him on the ground just outside of his vehicle. It had all happened so fast that Garry couldn’t fully comprehend what was happening. Also to add to his confusion, Garry’s mind was still not fully awake yet when all this was happening.

  But now, Garry had fully come to his senses and understood the situation that he was in. Garry looked out the window of the patrol car. Police were still gathered outside. From the look of things, they had sent a small army to apprehend him. Police vehicles surrounded Garry’s car. Several officers were now searching his vehicle, probably trying to find evidence that would tie him back to the shootings. They weren’t going to find any though.

  “The long arm of Detective Klaben has finally reached me,” Garry said quietly to himself. Garry was now exactly where Detective Klaben wanted him to be and there was nothing, absolutely nothing that he could do about it. Garry sat back and tried to make himself feel comfortable in the patrol car. Whatever hope that he might have had before was now gone. He felt like a lamb, being delivered to the slaughterhouse.

  CHAPTER 16

  What is she waiting for?

  Garry had often envisioned the guards coming to his cell, informing him that some police detectives were here to see him, then shackling him and delivering him to an empty room. Detective Klaben would be there waiting for him with a second officer (another undead most likely). Then, once they were alone, she would have him killed. Garry had pictured all the ways in which she might do this; she and her assistant could strangle him, place a plastic bag over his head, or even slit his throat. The longer Garry waited in his cell, the more paranoid he became. She has already tried to kill me twice. Now she has me right where she wants me. Why hasn’t she come for me yet?

  Garry had now been in the Harris County Jail in Houston Texas for three weeks. He had been placed in isolation shortly after arriving at the jail. This, he was told, was to ensure his own safety and prevent the other inmates from harming him. Every day, he would spend a total of twenty-three hours in his cell and be released for only one hour of recreation per day. Garry’s days were long, monotonous, and gave him a lot of time to think and reflect.

  In Garry’s dreams at night, Nephal was already starting to get much better with his spells. He still couldn’t be counted on to cast two spells in a row properly, but still, the number of failed attempts that he had on a daily basis was far less now than what it was three weeks ago. Two days ago, Eliak had also cast his first spell. This was a very exciting moment for Eliak. For not only did it show great progress for him, but it also allowed him to advance to the same rank as Nephal. Since then, he had tried repeatedly to repeat this accomplishment, but so far all of his attempts had been unsuccessful.

  As Garry was sitting in his cell throughout the day, he often considered trying to use his magic to break out of jail. After a great deal of thought, though, he ultimately decided that he needed to wait a bit longer. He reasoned that if he tried to break out of jail now, he would need to use a lot of magic in the attempt. While he had noticed a lot of improvement with Nephal lately, there were also a lot of failures that were still occurring regularly. I don’t suppose that the guards will just stand by after I have already broken out of my cell using some crazy supernatural powers, and then just wait for me while I make three or four attempts at my next spell.

  Within days of his arrest, Garry had attended an extradition hearing. He was taken to a room inside the jail with a television screen and a camera where he was then able to interact with the court. During the hearing, he was asked some very basic questions about himself. After a short while, the judge determined that Garry was indeed the man who was identified on the Virginia arrest warrant. The judge then ordered that Garry would be extradited to the Hampton Roads Regional Jail in Portsmouth Virginia to stand trial for his crimes. Since the extradition hearing, nothing new had happened with regards to Garry’s criminal case.

  Garry paced back and forth in his cell. Time was moving so slowly. Garry could not wait for his body to get tired again so that he could return to his magical training. Nowadays, this was the only thing that excited Garry. He knew that one day he would become a great and powerful sorcerer. But why does it have to take so bloody long, Garry’s impatient mind would often wonder.

  The hours dragged on. A dinner tray had finally been delivered to Garry’s cell. This meant that it was getting closer to when this day would be over. Garry finished the food and then waited. Get tired already damn you, Garry thought to himself in frustration. He had been lying in his bed ever since eating his dinner, but still didn’t feel tired in the slightest.

  Frustrated with his body’s inability to sleep, Garry got up and started pacing in his cell again. While pacing Garry thought, Detective Klaben is probably waiting for me to come to her. She is going to wait until I am transferred to Virginia before she kills me.

  Garry was still convinced, more than ever, that Detective Klaben was intent on murdering him. He had been envisioning being called out of his cell for an interview with the detectives and then swiftly mu
rdered ever since he was first locked up.

  I need to be ready by then. I need to learn enough magic to escape from prison before they transfer me to Virginia. Because once I arrive in Virginia, I am as good as dead.

  ****

  Donovan Hatter was getting ready for another shift at work. He worked as a treatment officer at the Red Onion State Prison in Wise County Virginia. His job entailed facilitating various treatment programs that were offered to the inmates as a part of the Step-Down program. Donovan would work closely with the inmates that he was assigned to. His duties included escorting the inmates to and from their classes, transitioning inmates to lower levels of security within the prison, and monitoring the inmate’s progress. He would also work closely with various counselors and instructors to ensure that the inmates received their lessons well and were progressing. In many instances, he would even offer some of the lessons himself.

  This job was very demanding on Donovan, both physically and emotionally. He had encountered all kinds of personalities while in the prison. Some who were anxious to engage in the program (a program that would allow the inmates to transition from total segregation to being eventually reintroduced back into the general population of the prison, or security level 5), while other inmates were less cooperative, and some who were even hostile to the treatment officers that were trying to work with them. Donovan had received his share of threats and even assaults, but at the end of the day he felt like what he did was making a difference.

  At least, that is how he used to feel. Nowadays, Donovan didn’t really care about much of anything. He had once had a girlfriend, but that ended abruptly just two weeks ago after an altercation that he had with her in the parking lot of a dance club. Donovan had not realized that his former girlfriend had several friends at the club who had followed the couple out to the parking lot. Once things started to get violent, four of the girl’s friends jumped him from behind.

  The subsequent beating that followed lasted for a total of about eight minutes. After the beating had finally ended, the girl left with one of her friends, leaving Donovan on the ground lying next to his car. As bad as things were, though, Donovan was grateful that no one had called the police on him as that would have most likely ended his job as a treatment officer for the prison.

  In the days following the beating, Donovan continued work as usual. The injuries that he had suffered during the beating (which included several fractured ribs) didn’t affect his work one bit. In fact, he felt nothing at all from the beating. It was another form of pain that troubled Donovan.

  Donovan had never felt anything like this before. It was a pain unlike anything he could have ever imagined. All that he wanted to do was curl up in a ball on the floor and scream in agony, but he couldn’t do that. He was not in control of his own actions anymore. Someone else was controlling him, like a puppet on a string.

  Donovan’s body carried on with his normal routine amidst the intense pain and agony. Not one trace of the overwhelming suffering he was facing could be seen in his day to day demeanor.

  This torture continued for one week following his beating. Then something strange happened. A police detective was waiting for him at his house when he returned home one day after his shift. Upon meeting the detective, the torture subsided and Donovan also regained control over his body again. The female detective introduced herself as Detective Klaben and then proceeded to invite herself into Donovan’s home. At first, Donovan was concerned that his girlfriend might have pressed charges against him. After all, he considered to himself, I did try to strangle her in that parking lot. But to Donovan’s surprise, Detective Klaben was not here for that reason. She had another matter that she wanted to talk to him about.

  It had now been a week since that encounter. Donovan had not yet found the courage to do what needed to be done. His failure at killing his girlfriend, coupled with the punishment that he had then received from the Master, left him in complete and total terror. Donovan knew that he had only one more chance to get this right. The Master has given me a second chance now. If I fail him a second time, he will discard me as he has done before to so many others, and then the torment I face will be endless. There will be no end to it throughout all of eternity. This was the fate that all undead suffered who, through their own incompetence, earned the Master’s wrath.

  Donovan had put this off all week now, waiting for the perfect opportunity. But his time was now up. Detective Klaben would be wanting a report on his success after work tonight. If I don’t have anything to give her, the Master will punish me again.

  How Detective Klaben had found so much favor with the Master was a mystery to Donovan. Apparently, the Master would have private discussions with her over his plans. Donovan, on the other hand, had also had private discussions with the Master, but those discussions usually consisted of the Master screaming at him over how incompetent he was rather than any actual discussions over world matters.

  Donovan could still remember the Master’s screamed words just after he had failed at killing his girlfriend, “YOU WORTHLESS INCOMPETENT FOOL! ARE MY DEMANDS SO EXTRAORDINARY TO YOU?! DO I NEED TO GUIDE YOUR WORTHLESS MIND IN EVERY TASK I LAY BEFORE YOU?! IF ONLY I HAD MORE SERVANTS WHO COULD ACTUALLY THINK FOR THEMSELVES! THEN I WOULD NOT HAVE TO WASTE SO MUCH OF MY TIME AND ENERGY STRINGING YOU MINDLESS SHELLS ALONG! I SHOULD JUST TAKE YOUR SHELL NOW AND ADD IT TO ALL THE OTHER WORTHLESS ONES THAT I MUST CONTROL FOR MYSELF. BUT I WON’T, AT LEAST NOT YET! YOU COULD STILL BE USEFUL TO ME IF YOU JUST LEARN TO THINK FOR YOURSELF AND USE THAT POOR EXCUSE FOR A BRAIN THAT I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT YOU HUMANS HAVE, SO I WILL GIVE YOU THIS SECOND CHANCE AND SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE WHO FAIL ME!”

  After those screamed words had echoed through Donovan’s head, his suffering then began. Intense and overwhelming pain that was beyond description to any who had not experienced it for themselves. During this time of pain and agony, the Master was in complete control of his body. Donovan had assumed that this is what the Master meant by “STRINGING YOU MINDLESS SHELLS ALONG.” He didn’t want to even think of what it might mean to have the Master take permanent control over his body, as just one week of this torment was enough to make any sane man lose their mind. Donovan would do anything not to face that ultimate consequence.

  Donovan carried on with his daily duties, waiting for an opportunity to accomplish his task. He worked closely with the inmates, so he considered his chances at killing one of them. But he then realized that there were just too many people around. And even if he could kill an inmate without anyone seeing him, there were also cameras in the prison at just about every turn. There was just no way that Donovan was going to be able to kill anyone without getting caught. Donovan still remembered all too well what had happened to him the last time he got caught during a murder attempt. I can’t jump the gun on this. It needs to be done right or I’ll be right back to where I was a week ago, Donovan reasoned to himself.

  The end of Donovan’s shift was coming soon. Donovan was terrified. He still had nothing to report back to Detective Klaben and he knew what that meant for him. After his shift had ended, Donovan went to one of the bathrooms that were only accessible to the prison staff. He removed a long piece of cord from his shoe and continued to sit in the bathroom stall. There are no cameras in here, Donovan thought to himself in desperation. This is my last chance to escape punishment.

  While sitting on the toilet in his stall, Donovan heard someone enter the bathroom and walk to one of the urinals. This is my chance! Donovan sprang to his feet, holding the cord tightly in his hands. He walked up casually behind the prison guard who was also just ending his shift. Then without warning, he wrapped the cord around the prison guard’s neck and pulled as tightly as he could. The prison guard struggled, elbowing Donovan in the face several times and then lunging back away from the urinal. Donovan struggled in desperation to maintain control over his victim. The two thrashed about in the empty bathroom, banging into several stalls before the prison guard finally col
lapsed. The prison guard’s final attempt to save his life was a desperate attempt to loosen the cord around his neck by prying at it with his fingers. By the time that the prison guard had reached this point, though, he was already on the verge of passing out. The prison guard lost consciousness a short while later.

  Donovan continued holding the prison guard’s throat in a tight grip, waiting for his magic to take hold on him. Then, he finally felt the life pass from the prison guard’s body. Donovan then let his magic enter the guard’s corpse, loosened his grip, and waited for the guard to come back to life.

  After the prison guard had come back to life, they briefly introduced themselves to each other and exchanged phone numbers. In the short conversation that followed, Donovan informed the newly dead prison guard that the Master has an important task for the both of them. They then set up a time and place for the two of them to meet and discuss this task in more detail. Before parting, Donovan also had to remind the prison guard that he needed to heal the marks around his neck before anyone sees them. The prison guard thanked Donovan for the reminder and then the two parted ways.

  Donovan then made his way to the parking lot and then drove home. Once Donovan had pulled into his driveway, he saw another car that was already parked there, Detective Klaben’s car. As Donovan was getting out of his car, Detective Klaben greeted him, “You’re cutting it close, aren’t you?”

  Donovan responded, “What do you mean?”

  Detective Klaben answered, “Let’s go indoors first. We can have a more formal discussion there.”

  Donovan unlocked his front door and invited Detective Klaben in. Once the two were alone, Detective Klaben smiled and in a whispered voice said, “You know, if you want to impress the Master, you should try doing a little more than just the bare minimum of what he asks. Just a little friendly advice from one dead person to another.”