David Bishop and the Legend of the Orb

by T. C. Crawford

  David Bishop and the Legend of the Orb

  T.C. Crawford

  Copyright © 2020 T.C. Crawford

  All rights reserved

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  ISBN-13: 9781234567890

  ISBN-10: 1477123456

  Cover design by: Rae Merritt Design

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309

  Printed in the United States of America

  This book is dedicated to my wonderful wife and children, without whom I would be lost. I love you all more than you can imagine.

  Map of Hurea

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Map of Hurea

  Chapter I

  Chapter II

  Chapter III

  Chapter IV

  Chapter V

  Chapter VI

  Chapter VII

  Chapter VIII

  Chapter IX

  Chapter X

  Chapter XI

  Chapter XII

  Chapter XIII

  Chapter XIV

  Chapter XV

  Chapter XVI

  Chapter XVII

  Chapter XVIII

  Chapter XIX

  Chapter XX

  Chapter XXI

  Chapter XXII

  Chapter XXIII

  Chapter XXIV

  Chapter XXV

  Chapter XXVI

  Chapter XXVII

  Chapter XXVIII

  Chapter XXIX

  Chapter XXX

  Special Thanks

  Acknowledgement

  About The Author

  Chapter I

  David Bishop stared blankly at the corpse of Tony Flannigan. He could still see the wet streak on his cheek where a final tear had run down his face, escaping only moments before his last ragged breath had been released. The blood, still fresh on his scalp, had pooled underneath his head and started slowly seeping into the earth.

  It was almost poetic, David thought, almost.

  On the outside, David’s expression was calm and collected. On the inside, he was screaming. He replayed the moments before the accident: the race through the woods just outside the path that led back to the orphanage, the burning in his lungs as he ran for his life with Tony crashing through the thicket behind him, Tony’s hand grabbing his shoulder as he spun instinctively to throw him off before hurtling through the air and down the slope like a rag doll.

  He could still hear the sickening thud and the eerie silence that followed.

  He knew he could never go back now, not after what he had done. They would never believe him. Why would they? He was just a stupid orphan, and Tony - well, he was Tony Flannigan, the richest kid in school with his big house and lawyer parents. Once they found Tony’s body out here in the woods, they would throw him in jail, and he would go to trial for murder. Without any witnesses he would surely end up being sentenced to life, or worse, death.

  Knowing he had precious little time before Johnny found him, David did the only thing he knew to do - run. He quickly gathered his nerve and bolted through the thicket into the deepest part of the forest. He had no indication of where he was headed - he only knew it was in the direction away from the city, and therefore, it was the safest way to go.

  In the distance, David heard a chilling scream cut through the silent forest. It seemed to echo everywhere around him all at once, amplifying the sound tenfold. Birds in the canopy all took flight in a concerted effort to escape the threat of whatever dangerous beast was making that horrible sound below.

  David knew that beast personally; it was Johnny Prescott, and he had found Tony’s body. Soon he would be on the hunt for vengeance.

  David was lucky he had escaped Tony’s wrath – he knew his luck wouldn’t help him this time.

  Johnny was Tony’s second-hand man. They did everything together and were rarely ever seen apart: football, baseball, wrestling, and their favorite past-time - picking on the orphan boys and girls on their way home from school. Orphans like David…only this time, Johnny had been running behind and Tony thought he would get an early start on their daily rounds of torment and torture.

  He started with the younger ones first and that really hit a nerve with David, who, being emboldened after seeing Johnny was lagging behind, decided to take fate into his own hands.

  He swung a sucker punch right into the side of Tony’s head, catching him off-guard and knocking him to the ground. When David realized it didn’t faze Tony half as much as he had envisioned, coupled with the look of pure hatred now blazing in Tony’s bloodshot eyes, he took off into the woods knowing Tony would be hot in pursuit.

  Stupid, David, why didn’t you just keep your mouth shut like you always do? You just had to go and act the hero. Now look what that’s done for you!

  He shook his head knowing it wouldn’t do him any good dwelling on it now. He had to get away, and he had to do it fast!

  David doubled down and sprinted as if his life depended on it – knowing this time it probably did.

  He lost track of how long he had been running. His legs ached and his lungs burned with the effort, but still he ran on. He ran beyond exhaustion. Fear motivating him to keep going beyond his normal limits.

  Finally, all his reserves depleted, and he collapsed to the ground and wept.

  David wept for what felt like an eternity - not for Tony’s premature death, or for Johnny’s loss of a friend, but for himself and his loss of innocence.

  He had just killed someone, accident or not, and he could feel the impact of that on his soul. The thought of what he had done burned within him and suddenly he felt sick. The nausea overcame him and he wretched uncontrollably.

  When he was sure his stomach couldn’t possibly produce anything else, he wiped the remaining bile off his mouth with his dirt covered sleeve and sat defeated, wondering what came next.

  It wasn’t long before David felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He quickly looked around, alert and ready to act, expecting to hear Johnny crashing through the underbrush at any moment with hatred in his eyes.

  Instead, his fears were met with an eerie silence. Not an ordinary silence. This was the kind of silence you hear in movies when the killer is about to sneak up on his ill-equipped victim. The kind that you feel as a child when you are alone in your bed, expecting the boogey-man to creep out of the dark crack in your closet.

  The wind was no longer rustling through the treetops. The birds no longer sang their song. The trees no longer creaked as they swayed back and forth in their endless rhythmic dance. Not a single sound echoed in the deafening silence of the deep forest.

  David stood up and looked around for the cause of his sudden uneasiness. He was nestled deep within the woods in a wide, shallow depression surrounded by evergreens. To his right there was an ancient, moss-covered oak at the center of the depression that towered into the light-scattering canopy. The trunk had a large scorched crack that opened into a hollow center spacious enough for a large animal to hide in…Or, perhaps, a scared teenager?

  David cautiously walked towards the opening in the tree, listening around for any sign of danger and watching for any slight movement within the dark recesses of the hollow.

  The silence was disorienting and unnerving. It was almost l
ike he had suddenly gone deaf. Panic started to creep in at the thought that maybe he had, but logic quickly dismissed the notion as pure fantasy. He shrugged off the thought as he noticed something stirring within the hollow oak.

  What is that?

  A small dancing light slowly appeared inside the hollow of the tree. It was faint and flittering - like a firefly.

  David slowly moved toward the light, trying to get a better glimpse to see what it could be. The light began faintly pulsing and expanding as he inched closer and closer until it grew to what became a large sphere the size of a grapefruit. It was shiny and fluid, like water, only thicker and less translucent.

  Captivated, David inched closer. As if in response to his presence, the sphere grew increasingly bright, forcing him to shield his eyes.

  Without warning the liquid shot outward, engulfing his outstretched hand in a sticky, glowing goo. Startled, he tried to pull back, but his hand held fast like it was stuck in the mud.

  The substance slowly began moving up his arm - it was as cold as ice. Terrified, he screamed for help, forgetting his fear of Johnny and what he would do if he found him. For the moment, nothing else mattered but escaping this freezing, glowing goo that was engulfing his body.

  The substance shot down his body and up toward his head, spreading like wildfire. As it oozed up his face, David knew he was going to suffocate. He had always been afraid of drowning, but never thought it would end like this.

  His heartbeat raced out of control, panic setting in as the realization of his pending death overshadowed all other thoughts. When at last the substance engulfed his face, everything went dark.

  David’s world was once again silent.

  Chapter II

  David awoke with a cold sweat and a throbbing headache. Recalling what had happened in the forest he quickly sat up to inspect his body for the strange substance that had devoured him. His body was surprisingly unharmed and dry. He blinked several times to make sure he wasn’t still asleep. He couldn’t believe what had just happened.

  What was that stuff?

  As his thoughts cleared, David realized the sun was shining brightly on his face – he was no longer hidden in the shadows of the woods, but out in a vast open field.

  The sky was a bright blue and littered with white fluffy clouds. A cool breeze was gently blowing across the tops of the tall golden grass that covered the rolling field, causing it to sway like waves in the ocean. It was serene – a completely different view than what he had expected. In fact, he hadn’t expected to wake up at all.

  David scratched his head, completely baffled as to how he came to be here. Had he died? Was this Heaven? After some thought, he assumed that it must be, after all, how else could he explain being swallowed whole by a devouring glob of goo and waking up in such a beautiful place?

  After coming to grips with his apparent death, David stood up and took a good look around to decide where he should go next. Dead or not, he knew he had to find a safe place to rest when the day came to an end.

  The rolling fields stretched for miles to his east, west, and south before reaching the foothills of distant, snowcapped mountains. The mountains circled around the field in a wide arc that disappeared in the distance, leaving him in an immense, bowl-shaped valley.

  He turned north and caught his first glimpse of an enormous, isolated mountain. It was surrounded by a great forest whose tree line was only a short distance away.

  As he looked around in awe, taking in the beauty surrounding him, David quickly realized he was not alone.

  The field was swarming with creatures that resembled large black wolves, but with a man-like stature. They stood perched on their hind legs, using their long, muscular forearms for balance as they walked.

  They were huge, each reaching a height of what David guessed was seven or eight feet tall, towering over the grass. Each beast was armed with a large curved blade that was fastened in a holster on its back. They were systematically looking back and forth as they walked across the field in a large sweeping arc.

  David noticed that every now and then one stopped, stooping down to peer into the thick grass.

  They’re looking for something… David thought. Then he realized something that instantly sent chills running down his spine: they were heading in his direction.

  What if they’re looking for me? he thought, panic quickly setting in.

  He crouched down hoping he hadn’t been sighted and took a quick glance over the top of the grass trying to plot a path to safety. He realized his best chance was to try to lose them in the woods. The only problem was the distance to the woods was a few hundred feet and he was pretty sure he couldn’t outrun those beasts if it came down to it.

  A quick breeze stirred gently past his face, whipping his hair as it passed. The wolf stuck its snout high into the air, took a few quick breaths, and then whipped its head quickly around, focusing its keen yellow eyes directly on David’s location.

  His heart stopped mid-beat.

  David ducked back down but knew it was too late. Panic began to take control as he rushed through his options. He could try to hide in the grass and crawl to safety, but he quickly dismissed the thought as he knew those beasts would be on his location faster than he could make it on all fours all the way to the tree line.

  "That settles it then, I’ll have to make a break for it." he said to himself - and he did not like that option!

  As he took a final glance through the top of the grass to check on the beast’s location and chart his trajectory, the beast quickly latched its scythe-like weapon in a case on its back before stretching to its full height. It cried out a devilish howl and began dashing at tremendous speeds towards David’s location.

  With no time to spare, David darted from his hiding place and ran with all his heart towards the tree line.

  With every step he took the creature gained on him. He was only a few yards from the tree line but already he could hear the footsteps pounding right behind him. The sound of the snarling beast seemed to engulf his senses; its hot breath seemed to beat on his neck, the stench of its body like wet dirty dog mixed with something rotten – putrid and vile.

  As he reached the tree line, David leapt in a final effort to be free just as the powerful jaws crashed at his ankle. He could feel a trace of the beast’s sticky saliva fling on the back of his legs.

  He tore through a clearing in the tangled brush and landed hard on his side, quickly turning around in a futile effort to defend himself.

  The monster was stuck behind him, tearing its way through the brush and low hanging branches, snarling, and growling like a rabid dog caught in a trap.

  With his heart pounding in his chest, David quickly stood up and ran as fast as he could through the maze-like floor of the densely packed forest.

  Never stopping, he plunged straight through thickets of tearing thorns and branches, squeezed between tightly spaced boulders, dashed across running streams, and jumped over fallen, moss covered trees. He knew that to slow down would mean almost certain death, and that thought alone fueled his aching limbs beyond exhaustion.

  After what seemed an eternity, David knew he couldn't go on much longer. No longer hearing the beast’s pursuit, he stopped at a quiet stream to catch his breath and steady his nerves.

  "No…definitely…not…Heaven…" David said to himself as he took deep, gasping breaths.

  When he finally regained his composure, David knelt beside the small stream and scooped some of the running water into his hands. The water was cool and crisp and refreshed his parched mouth. He drank until his stomach hurt.

  He sat down on the bank of the stream and took in his surroundings for the first time.

  He was deep within the forest - so deep that the canopy nearly obscured the light from the sun, though he could still see some small patches of clear blue sky above. He closed his eyes and listened. He could hear the songs of countless birds and animals echoing through the air, the rushing of the stream over roc
ks and fallen debris, and an endless cacophony of insects humming, chirping, and clicking throughout the depth of the forest.

  Had he found this place in a less frightening time, he would have found it quite peaceful, he thought. Maybe the afterlife is more like normal life - filled with beauty and danger?

  Having rested as long as he dared, David decided to search the area for a large tree to climb and use as a lookout. It took him little time to find a tree suitable for climbing that was also high enough to reach the canopy and he immediately set off climbing to the highest branch he could reach.

  When he finally reached the top of the canopy, David discovered he had run several miles into the heart of the forest.

  The treetops stretched miles in every direction. To the north the mountain sloped upward at a slow but steady rate. In the distance to the south were the dry grassy fields he scarcely escaped from only hours before and the snowy mountains that lay beyond. He made a mental note of his surroundings so he knew which direction not to go when he climbed back down to the ground.

  He turned again and noticed a small clearing in the canopy not far from where he was perched, just a few hundred yards deeper into the woods towards the base of the mountain.

  “David…” a gentle whisper sounded in his ear.

  “Who’s there?” called David, quickly looking around for the source of the voice.

  Again, it came – “David …”

  “Show yourself! I’m not scared of you!” David screamed, unconvinced of his own proclamation. His words echoed through the air around him, leaving him with a feeling of loneliness that he was all too accustomed to. No one was there, no one ever was… he was just as alone as he had always been.

  Dismissing the mysterious voice for now, David decided he would climb back down and head towards the clearing in the distance. His gut told him that was where he needed to go, he didn’t know why, and he knew from experience that when his gut told him to do something, he better listen. After all, it had kept him alive this far and he wasn’t going to chance it now.