Homeward Bound (Journeyman Book 1) (32 page)

WHEN HE OPENED HIS
eyes, he was lost, unable to comprehend what had just happened or how much time had gone by. The ringing in his ears was still deafening and his vision muddy. Instinctively, he felt his neck expecting to have massive injuries everywhere yet there were no signs of any. Amidst the cacophony a figure lay still, focused, and broken on a kitchen floor which had seen much better days.

Adrienne! I’m so sorry,
he thought to himself as he rushed to her side. He checked her for signs of life.

Oh thank God.

They were there, but were mere embers. Her eyes slowly opened upon feeling his touch.

“You look like shit,” he managed to say, barely even a whisper across his lips. Pulling a hand through her ever-soft hair, he closed his eyes and tried forcing himself to believe the wetness he felt was from the shower they shared earlier.

He couldn’t do it.

“Yup,” she whispered through a labored breath and a weak, blood stained smile.

“Oh my dear Adrienne,” Gage began. “We’ll be sure to get you fixed up. Yeah. Fixed up right away. Joey probably has something - ”

She winced, taking all her strength to lift a shaky finger up to his lips. “Shhh. Liar.”

Gage knew what was coming, fast, and was ill prepared for it. “I love you, darlin’.”

“I… know… always,” she replied, her voice feeble and still failing. She stared up and out through the hole in the roof. “The stars… look prettier than… last night.”

Gage looked up too and saw the vast expanse of starlight twinkling in the heavens. His eyes welled with regret as he looked back down to find those same stars reflected in her eyes, now full of tears.

“When I… saw you this morning. I knew… that today… would be… a perfect day.”

An anemic smile formed. “Was it?” he asked.

“Yes. You're here… with me… at the end . I lo- ”

A hard cough came and her hand fell back, eyes widening in an aimless search. “Gage!” she whimpered before the deafening sound of silence took over.

She lay still.

“Ady?”

There was no reply.

“Ady?” he repeated.

There was no way to describe what Gage felt as she still didn’t respond; desolate and barren was a vast understatement. His heart might as well have been torn out by one of those monstrous things as it would have been far less excruciating.

His lips turned down and became a thin line as the realization finally settled in. Gently, he pressed his fingers on his lips, then brought them to hers before using them to slide her eyelids closed.

“Sleep well, gorgeous. You’ll forever be the brightest star in my sky.”

A FEW QUIET MOMENTS
passed as Gage sat with eyes closed in the midst of the ruined kitchen, holding firmly onto Adrienne’s body.

Then, a familiar voice came from behind.

“Sweetie,” said his mother as she crouched beside him. Her hand rested on his lower back as she gave it a loving rub.

“Mom, you’re ok?”

“Bastards can’t keep me banished for long, especially from here,” she replied.

“I've lost everything, again.” He kneeled, sinking back onto his heels as his hands fell down to his sides. “You, Dad, now… her.”

“It's ok, baby,” she said reassuringly. “You're strong.”

“Not strong enough apparently. I've failed all of you! This damn thing should have stayed buried in the cellar and I never should have let my emotions bring her into this.”

“Hush, none of that,” she insisted.  “She was a Journeyman. You’re a Journeyman. Despite the walls you put up, you’re both in the business. Whether or not you both got together, or stayed friends or just fell into being acquaintances, the life follows you. Momma knows best about that. And enough about that other nonsense; you
are
strong. Do you remember what I used to tell you?”

He picked up a small board that was lying nearby and snapped it between his hands. “Strength isn't just physical. It's also in the heart and the mind. Dad reminded me of that in order to get this thing.” His fingers grazed the disc before dropping back to his sides.

“Yes!” she said, pointing to his head then chest. “In there it's much more potent and thankfully there is an abundance of both beneath that thick skull and gruff exterior your mother can so easily see through. Your love is powerful my son. It's why I'm here now and it will certainly get you through the toughest times ahead. Love is hope and hope.. well it’s all we have in the darkest of times.

“But, I'm not going to lie to you. More of this will be coming for you and times are about to get much darker. Especially with that thing around your neck.”

He looked down at Adrienne and nodded. She looked as if she could be sleeping.

“She was a good soul, baby,” she said. “Now she’s in a better place. We can look at clearing some room in the rose garden to…”

Her voice trailed off as yet another deep rumble came from far off the property. If it was loud enough to be heard in the house and shake what little remained intact in the room, something big was coming.

“Wait here,” she said, phasing out.

Gage grabbed at the talisman.
Why me?

She returned a few seconds later, a terrified look upon her face. “Baby. You have to go!”

Gage shot to his feet and stared out the rear doors. In the distance, he saw a shit storm of what-the-fuck rushing their way. A massive horde of demons and dark creatures was coming fast.

Madeline quickly solidified to embrace him. “Goodbye, my dear son.” She spun him around and pushed him toward the front door. “I’ll buy you some time; your father had a couple backup plans just in case one of us managed to make it back. You must keep it safe!” she exclaimed. “Now go!”

With a raise of her hand another massive hole tore across the wall, sending debris, the porch rails, and even the troublesome front door flying into the demons that surrounded his truck, impaling their bodies to the ground.

Seeing his opportunity to escape, Gage went for it, looking one last time at Adrienne and remembering her face as if it were the first glorious time he saw it. He took off with the treasures and her enchanted dagger firmly in hand.

Madeline watched as her son safely exited, then turned back toward the oncoming horde. Her demeanor shifted. No longer warm and motherly, she became deep and cold like the ocean during a hurricane. Her wraithlike form held firm while what was left of the back of the house shattered before her. Swarms of foul creatures spilled into her home.

“You are not welcome here!” she commanded. Eyes like lances pierced her enemies and they were frozen in place by the dread that swam in the deep pools of her soul.

Some were not afraid and rocketed forward with all the deadliness they could muster. With a mere flick of her wrist, they were mangled into appalling shapes and sent flying from the property.

The rest dared not touch her, nor could.

Except for one.

Ancient he was, with a name long lost to prehistory. Without fear or remorse for those in his way, the massive serpent barreled into the house and set himself before Madeline, coiled to strike. The moon cascaded upon the leviathan’s thick black hide but did not reflect away, the matted darkness crushing the light. His putrid and stinking body rolled and made quick work of all it touched, while his massive jaw unhinged, salivating at the mere notion of feasting.

He lunged with quickness and a pure light enveloped her like a shield, shattering his monstrous fangs. He hissed and flared immense armored flaps from his neck like a cobra, blocking out the stars behind.

He struck again mercilessly and with each strike thereafter her light grew dimmer, but not without penalty to himself.

Madeline had enough and extended a hand through the rippling glow that stood between her and the darkness. A beam of powerful light lashed out, striking the serpent in the face and burning out its eyes.

The ferocious assault between them continued until the shield was but a thin line of silver against the storm. She had grown weak and with one more blow, her only protection would be gone. She would be finished.  Falling to her knees, she was ready to accept her fate.

His colossal maw came at her a final time, but was stopped when the living room sofa careened into it. He was knocked back.

Furniture of all sizes followed, shredding in mid air into thousands of sharp splinters that pummeled and punctured the beast outside and in.

Madeline breathed a sigh of welcome relief, but drew back ready for an attack when something touched her on the shoulder. She spun around, ready to throw this latest abomination back, but her fury quickly subsided. She smiled with relief.

Outside, Gage had made it to the truck and slammed the door closed. He looked over his shoulder and was taken aback. The loves of his life stood there, hand in hand in the massive breach, gleaming like gems amidst the waves of darkness crashing around them.

Ady!?

Behind their shining forms the serpent writhed, positioning its crippled body for another indomitable strike.

Frozen by despair, Gage couldn't focus on anything but their aura; he should be leaving but couldn’t. They were both so close, oh so close to him, yet infinitely out of reach.

There sat the unstoppable Gage Crosse, powerless in his old truck just watching as the two of them shone brightly amidst the churning destruction. All he could manage to do while they coalesced into orbs was extend a hand in their direction – a sole, empty hand.

Adrienne saw him and returned the gesture, hers full of love and light. She raised her hand up to her fading lips, turning it out to blow him a kiss.

“
Non omnis moriar,”
she mouthed afterward and was consumed by utter black.

His eyes welled yet did not spill a drop and with anguish, his fingers creaked closed around the last memory of her. He pulled in that fist tightly, letting out the deepest breath of his life while thumping it hard against his chest.

The terrible viper roared once more, its victory cries echoing across the fields just before the unmistakable throws of gagging took over.

Gage opened his eyes and watched as a burst of dazzling light slid along the serpent, the shockwave knocking down the demonic legion as two orbs tore their way out and rocketed skyward into the night.

Quickly they faded and were gone.

She was gone.

From the belly of the beast a shadow ripped out like a tempest, whipping through the remnants of the house and horde alike.

His home and life were decimated and his precious memories, those he still had left, were sent straight into the abyss.

There was no going back this time.

The tears, long overdue, finally crested as he stomped hard on the gas, the exhaust belching oil and fire. As he looked over to where Adrienne would be sitting, the very pit of his stomach dropped seeing what was in the empty shotgun seat. Her hat was still sitting there neatly in the middle, unaware of the loss of its owner.

As the GMC raced down the drive and peeled onto the country road, he found himself alone again. Houston never felt so far away.

IT WAS NEARLY PITCH
black in the room, the sound of heavy rain beating against the window panes filled the darkness with a threatening roar.

A slender figure awoke and stumbled lazily out of bed. The pale comforter fell to the floor as it walked toward the windows that groaned ominously under the intense wind. The room itself seemed to breathe, swaying as if set on a stormy sea.

Grabbing the curtains forcefully, the figure flung them open just as a thunderous
boom
shook the glass and rebounded against the walls.

Outside, the horizon shone bright like the setting sun, sandwiched between two quaking layers of intense, boiling clouds.

“Oh my God,” said Adrienne, her face catching the lightning as it began screaming between the clouds both above and below. Far off in the distance, a pinprick of light shone out brighter than anything around it. “What have you gotten yourself into?”

In grim reply, an army of gray hands, lifeless and countless, slammed against the windows, shattering the glass as they tore their way toward her.