“Just hearing some stuff about you, nothing too embarrassing,” Abigail said.
“Oh, I’m sure it wasn’t anything bad, then again if she told you something from when we were kids I have just the story for you, I mean spit your drink fart dying of laughter kind of story,” Jenni said folding her arms.
“OH if you do that I’ll tell her about you and Alex Johnson,” Veronica said pinching Jenni’s shoulder.
“Who’s Alex?” Abigail asked tapping her fingers. She lifted one of her eyebrows
“Nothing, no one. Don’t worry about it we were in fifth grade nothing big at all, she is just kidding,” Jenni said rubbing her head.
Veronica enjoyed being around Jenni again, feeling like they never separated. She knew that the hurt that she felt when it came to their friendship would repair over time, she just enjoyed them being together with new people they could call friends. Jake flashed in her mind. Still, it hurt to think about him, to think how he was used for her father's gain, she knew he had to be stopped and she knew she would be the one to put him down once and for all.
57
Nick sat at the bar in Cameron's shop looking at lightborne. He wondered why Cameron would give him such a weapon, what did the old man expect from him. I just want to stop Grendil from hurting anyone else. Every time I think about him, I think about all those kids. Why the hell would someone do that to young kids who barely had a chance to live, to use them for some sick fucking game. He thought.
“You look to be lost in thought, wanna talk about it boy?” Cameron said pouring a Tankard with beer and setting it down in front of Nick.
“If, well when we find Grendil, do you think they will make him pay for what he did?” he said taking the Tankard and examining it.
“I’m not sure, it can go either way. You have to know Grendil is the leader of the undercity, and even though he is eternal he still has connections to the leaders of topside. They might find him still useful and let him off the hook. He may just get probation, a big fine, and be asked to donate his time to a good cause,” Cameron said pouring beer for himself and taking a large drink out of the Tankard. “Hell, they might even pay him or try to make him out to be the victim. You never can know with these greedy bastards.”
The lights in the shop went out and the ground rumbled. Everyone came to where Cameron and Nick were at and all looked at each other.
“YOU ATTACKED ME IN MY HOME. I WILL BURY YOU IN THE GROUND,”
Nick walked out of Cameron's shop with everyone else trailing behind him. The sky was dark red, and bodies were floating in the sky with blood dripping from them. “Show yourself, stop hiding behind this magic,” he said holding lightborne waiting for something, anything to happen.
“See these bodies, these are the ones that humans killed, these are people who you all thought were not worth saving. I kept them, for the day I could resurrect them from their slumber,” Grendil said. He appeared out of the red mist and wore a dark red robe that covered everything, including his face. The only thing that could be seen was his mouth.
“What happened to you father, did you finally fall so far down you are not vorpal?” Veronica said aiming Silverbite at him, standing next to Nick.
“This, this is not the full form the master wanted me in, but it will do to take care of you,” Grendil said as red tentacles shot from all over his back and each one attached to the bodies that were floating in the air.
The floating bodies came to life and blood entered them and their eyes turned white, and their mouths open waiting for the pain to end. Grendil floated down to the ground lowering the hood off his head. His eyes were bloodshot and yellow. His mouth looked like he took a razor and chewed on it.
“You need to turn yourself in Grendil, do it for your people, don’t become the face for humans to fear,” Nick said.
“Look around you, the streets are empty, the people around tremble at the sight of me. Humans were a mistake that needed to be rewritten, to start over. Adam deserved more, the master will see a new world, a better world,” Grendil said closing his fist, his legion of bloody bodies stood in front of him.
“Don’t do this father, you still have a chance. You just have to give yourself up,” Veronica said.
“Don’t bother young lady. He already made up his mind, he has gone mad,” Cameron said taking his hammer and resting it on his shoulder.
“We don’t know that for sure, he could still have a chance if we tried,” Veronica yelled.
“It’s already too late, he thinks he has Adam inside of him, I’m sorry,” Cameron said going towards where Jenni and Abigail were standing. They stood close to the sidewalk next to a few parked cars.
“What about you Nick, do you think he still can’t be saved? I mean he has to have some good left in him, he wouldn’t just give himself up like that,” Veronica said gripping his arm.
Nick looked at his blade, he saw his face in it and starred at Grendil watching him stand waiting for one of them to attack him, smiling from behind his legion. “A part of me wants to say that everyone no matter what, is redeemable, but I would be lying Veronica, and I can’t bullshit you like that. I know the Grendil you loved, who cared for your people was like a true father to you, but he died and he isn’t coming back,” Nick said grabbing lightborne with one hand and pointing it forward. “Grendil died and the being in front of us is just a cheap imitation of The Grinning King.”
“The Grinning King. I like it,” Grendil said walking forward stepping into the sea of bodies that were in front of him. “You don’t deserve to be topside, you don’t deserve to go into the land of the light, not by the sins that you all have buried deep within you.”
“Our sins do not define us. You think that by starting everything over there will not be any issues, that it will be perfect?” Veronica said aiming Silverbite and shooting bolts into the legion of bodies. One by one they fell, standing there without any reaction to her attack, just starring blankly in front of them. Dead bodies that were nothing but a husk.
“Little girl, little girl, you play these silly games. You think small, instead of big. Of course, there will be issues, but I would be the ruler. I would be the king, the Almighty, the judge, and people will see me instead of me hiding in the sky waiting for souls to enter my gates,” The Grinning King said pointing his bony finger forward, laughing at her.
The legion started rushing towards them like hungry animals. Nick and Veronica braced themselves. Nick saw Cameron, Jenni, and Abigail rushed forward, each one with eyes focused ready for the fight ahead. He knew his friends could hold their own but he wasn’t sure for how long they could, the numbers were against them, and he didn’t know what kind of power The Grinning King held, but he knew he was going to find out. There was no way he was going to let the town he grew up in and loved all his life become ash for sick and twisted dreams.
Nick swung lightborne down slicing the mindless body in half. He saw The Grinning King and dashed towards him not thinking and just reacting. He jumped in the air and swung his blade down. “You are nothing but pure evil.”
“Not as evil as everyone else. You only cared about finding out who killed that aerion, you put your friends at risk,” The Grinning King said holding the blade with two fingers. He looked up and smiled at Nick. “You have failed more than any would allow, you are no warrior, but a boy with a stick playing make-believe.”
“I didn’t make anyone follow me, they did it because they wanted the truth,” Nick said stepping back from him. He was so sure that he would be able to land a blow, but with the strength, he held with two fingers, it felt like he was trying to cut through stone. He wasn’t sure what to do, since lightborne was a holy item, he was sure it would do something, but The Grinning King just took it head-on like it was nothing.
Nick saw Abigail and Jenni in the distance fighting off the mindless ones. Seeing them work side by side, not giving in and giving it their all, he couldn’t help but try harder. “I will never stop, never give in
to the likes of you.”
“You see the world how it is, you don’t see how it should be. Look at the human race, so weak, so pathetic. Instead of advancing and becoming stronger, they get into their separate groups and pit one against each other. Do you think stopping me will save your kind? You all fear us,” The Grinning King said stretching his arm like it was rubber. He wrapped them around Cameron’s armored body. “Beings like them who walked in the same realm of the almighty, who hear the cries but do nothing but stand by as people kill each other.”
“Father what are you doing, don’t do this, please,” Veronica said shooting bolts into his arm trying to break his grip on Cameron.
“LETS HIM GO NOW, STOP IT, HE DID NOTHING,” Nick said rushing towards The Grinning King plunging lightborne inside his chest.
The Grinning King laughed and then turned his attention to Cameron. He was struggling to break free. “You are nothing but a curse, what you represent, you would never pay attention to anyone but humans,” he said tightening his grip.
Time slowed down for Nick, he saw the armor drip with blood, a hand go limp and Abigail screaming and wailing. He could see her rush away and head towards the person she saw as her father. The mindless tried to attack her but Jenni was behind her slicing them down, focused on keeping her safe. She wrapped her arms around his corpse, and let out a gut-wrenching cry.
Nick pushed his blade free and stepped back from The Grinning King standing close to Veronica. He had to focus, he had to mourn later, right now he knew he had to make it all count for Cameron. “SHIT. Veronica our weapons don’t work on him, not like this,” he said holding lightborne close.
“Then what do we do Nick, one is already down, how are we going to stop him?” Veronica said shooting bolts cutting down mindless ones that were stumbling closer to them.
He could feel the sweat on his hands, his body was starting to become weak and tremble. The pressure was on him. He thought about Cameron and it made him even more pissed that he couldn’t stop someone get hurt again, it felt like he was just messing up, but he knew the old man wouldn’t want him to feel bad or blame himself. “Veronica, my father meant a lot to me, more than anyone in my life,” Nick said holding his blade tightly in his hands.
“What does your father have to do with any of this?” Veronica said lowering Silverbite and catching her breath.
“I never wanted to lose him, but just tell me that he was always a hero to me,” Nick said pointing lightborne forward. His sword glowed and his hands started to tremble and then gauntlets with wings appeared on them. “Old man put some of himself in this weapon, one last helpful gift from him.”
“You tried that pitiful attack before with that sword. Adding holy power would do nothing but cause a little light show. Tell me meat, did that old man give you that sword?do you want to avenge him? Look at him just laying dead, and who would bury him but you and your friends. All you had to do was step aside and you could have avoided this, but you did this, you killed him,” The Grinning King said smirking.
Nick tried to drown out his words, he focused on his memories with his father. He pointed lightborne towards the sky, held tight, and darted upwards. He never saw something as beautiful as the view from up high. He could see the lights, vehicles, and buildings that made up his small world. It was so small but when he looked down he saw The Grinning King's mark, he couldn’t let the evil of him spread. “Don’t be afraid, no regrets,” he said letting go of lightborne and falling back to the ground. Each moment memories of good and bad with his father came to mind. It made him smile and tear up at the same time, he kept pushing forward. He continued to fall and could see The Grinning King looking up smiling, Nick held both hands together like he was trying to catch something until white energy formed in them. The memories were starting to slip away, less and less he could imagine the sound or look of his father, he kept pushing. He was getting closer to the ground and held his hands forward offering a gift to The Grinning King. For the first time since their encounter Nick saw something he never saw from him, he saw fear and let the attack connect with everything he had, as the memory of who he called father slipped from his hands and torn his enemy into parts, into pieces, into dust.
“Nick, Nick are you okay?” Veronica said putting her arm around him.
He knelt on the floor and looked at the floor. “I had to do it. I had to Veronica,” he said looking at his hands as they were trembling.
“Your father was a hero to you Nick, a hero, don’t forget that,” Veronica said grabbing him and holding him close.
His father, he knew what he lost, he tried to remember but when he did it was like a door that closed that would move further and further away from him the more he tried to get to it. I never wanted to forget you, father. I don’t even know how you look or sound like, please forgive me. He thought. His self collapsed on him and he let out a wail, like a baby calling for their mother.
“You’re going to be okay Nick, we’re going to be okay, just hang in there for me, please. I know it hurts, I know you are hurting so bad, but we did it, we stopped my father. Just stay with me, if you need to yell, to cry, just bury yourself on my shoulder,” Veronica said rubbing the back of his head.
58
Nick stood in front of Cameron's headstone, he put down a full glass of beer and put his hands into his coat pockets. “You were always looking out for me, for all of us. No one will know what you did, who you truly were but you will never be forgotten.”
“He would have been proud of you all, I know I am,”
He turned and saw Janet walking towards him. She wore a black coat and black sunglasses. “Been a while Janet didn’t plan for anyone to be here, the funeral was last week,” Nick said walking towards her.
“Abigail and Jenni told you would be here. I’m sorry for what you lost,” Janet said hugging him.
“I don’t remember him at all. I just know he was a hero, but I had to use my magic. I couldn’t let that monster hurt anyone else,” He said grabbing the locket around his neck. “Next thing I want to do is find my sister.”
“I know you will, you don’t know how to stop. I want you to know Briggs gave up god breaker Beta. He told them everything, they are both going to be behind bars for a good while. Maybe April can find some closure with it, still won't bring back her friend, but any justice is better than none,” Janet said grabbing a picture from her coat pocket and handing it to Nick.
Nick looked at the image and saw a young Janet with two people with her standing at a beach. “I don’t understand, what is this?”
“That is me, and your mom and dad. You may have lost your memories of them but I haven’t. Come see me sometime, I have plenty of stories about them,” Janet said smiling. She kissed Nick on his forehead then got into her vehicle and drove off.
He looked at the image of them all enjoying their time together and thought to himself just how their life together was. I think I’ll take you up on that offer Janet. It would be nice to hear how they were, how they loved. He thought. Nick turned to Cameron's headstone and made a cross pointing at different points on his chest, praying as he did it and ending it kissing his thumb and pointer finger. “I promise to be safe old man. I’ll make sure Abigail keeps on being happy, but she is strong and I’m sure she will be okay, but I will hold your light within me, within lightborne, and make you proud.”
The sky turned bright and all Nick could see was a figure with wings above him. He couldn’t see their face but only their palm as they aimed it towards the ground. He started to feel heavy, the figure grew further away until there was nothing but darkness.
Abigail sat on the rocking chair starring out the window. She kept replaying Cameron's face in her head repeatedly, how he died, and her heart dropping and shattering seeing him dead. “He wouldn’t want me doing this, god I miss him,” she said burying her face into her palms.
There was a knock at the front door. “Open up Abigail it’s Jenni.”
She wiped away
the tears from her eyes and tried to calm herself. Breathing in and out. “Sorry Jenni, just been busy,” Abigail said opening the door and letting her in.
“Have you eaten? I brought you some food. I didn’t know if you liked Pizza, Tacos, or Salad so I just brought them all,” Jenni said walking inside and putting the bags on the counter in the kitchen. “You just sit there and I’ll prepare your plate for you.”
“Thank you, you did not have to do that. I appreciate it so much,” Abigail said sitting down at the kitchen table. “I hope you have been doing okay, and also Veronica, she must be crushed.”
“Don’t worry about her right now, she has been through a lot but that girl is tough as fuck.She just went home to see her mother, make sure she was okay. What about you? are you feeling okay?” Jenni said grabbing the plates of food and setting one in front of Abigail.
“I don’t know really, some days it feels like it is just a bad dream but I can’t stop replaying that moment in my head. I know he wasn’t my father, but he was damn near close and I just miss him. We would get up, head to the shop, and prepare for the day and he would always be listening to Rush or Iron Maiden. He would be cooking food, singing the lyrics, and imagining himself playing guitar and it was so stupid, so damn silly, but the smile on his face was priceless,” she said taking a bite out of the slice of pizza.
“He was a damn good person, I’m glad to know him for the short amount of time that I did. I like to think when we pass on no matter what we believe we all end up in the same place. I like to think we just spend time enjoying each other, talking to loved ones we lost or we never met, and just spend eternity enjoying ourselves. I always felt that when it was my time to pay the reaper I would meet my grandpa. I remember being a kid and riding in the back of his truck heading to his farm and just seeing a ton of sugar canes. We would chew on them to get the sugar and he would come towards me wearing his cowboy hat and boots and just toss me into the air smiling each time I came down into his arms,” Jenni said eating one of the Tacos.
The God Breaker's Ruin Page 24