The Warrior's Beckoning (15 page)

Our moment of victory was short-lived. We moved back into the room and heard a rumble. The ceiling began to shake. “Ah, come on!” I yelled, firing into the ceiling. The others did the same, until the ceiling was pocked with bullet holes. A roar followed, and the ceiling continued to shake.

“Move!” the chief yelled. We dispersed just as a large creature came crashing through. It was another massive fog head, like the ones from the shooting range. It smashed at the door, and as we opened fire from the hallway, we could hear the Uzi firing from inside the room. I moved in to try to shoot the creature point-blank in the head, and it backhanded me into the wall. Chuck fired his USP9 into
the fog, and finally the creature fell lifeless, the strange gas escaping from its body.

“You OK?” the chief said, helping me to my feet.

“Yup. You?” I said.

“In a fashion,” he replied. “Thanks.” He moved to check on his two men. George and the others walked to me, forming a circle.

“So what now?” Chuck asked, loading his pistol.

“Can we trust them?” George asked, motioning toward the men who had most likely been sent to kill us.

“I think so. The chief helped me out earlier.” I glanced at Christina and Mary, and they seemed to agree. “Besides, I don’t think we have much of a choice here.”

The chief and his group walked toward us. “I still don’t intend to go through with my orders, which—as I told you earlier—were to neutralize all witnesses and aid the Specialist, who is on his way to terminate the dark mass and the girl. I suggest we run parallel to him.”

“First, let’s resupply at the gun shop. If he’s not close enough to sense us, maybe we can catch some rest before we head out,” I said, picking up my M4.

“Lead the way,” George said. The hospital was quiet, and no creatures appeared to be active. Soon we entered the parking garage, which had been charred by the black flame.

“What happened here?” Mary asked, seeing the scorched cars.

“I had a fit,” I said with a smile. She returned the smile. We left the garage and entered into an open area, where we heard whispers, faint and echoing, descending from the sky. A dark mass swirled above.

“Whoa! That is one evil-looking cloud,” said the first mercenary, looking up in awe.

“You got that right,” I said. We pressed on to the gun shop and found it quiet. There was no movement. Aside from the dark mass above us, we were alone…for now.

“So, why are you two helping us?” Chuck asked the two mercs. They turned to him and shrugged.

“Partly because you saved us,” the first one said, laughing. “And partly because we know it’s the right thing to do.”

“And partly because the chief will probably shoot us if we don’t,” said the second one.

“Works for me,” George said.

I shrugged, opening an MRE and devouring it. The others did the same. The store was well stocked and seemed to meet our every need—save for lights. At least it had flashlights, head lamps, and batteries. The darkness, though, was perfect for sleeping. Without a word, I curled up in a back corner and fell asleep.

I soon found myself in a vision. I saw a figure of pure light standing before me. “Warrior,” it said to me. “Know that you are never alone.” Then it vanished.

In the dream, I sat up and saw the others looking at me curiously. They seemed conscious of the dream.

“Who was that?” Mary asked.

“My guardian angel, I think,” I said.

I heard a voice then, gentle and loving, speaking to us all. “Do not leave him,” it said, “for he will not last by himself.”

“Uh…who?” Chuck asked, puzzled.

“The Warrior,” the voice said. Everyone looked at me. I shrugged. “Stay together through this darkness, and light will prevail.” The voice faded.

No one seemed to know what to say. Oddly, I didn’t need to hear them speak, as suddenly their thoughts were open to me; most were thinking that they would never leave me, just as I had not left them. I smiled, knowing that I would ultimately face this alone.

“A lot of pressure has been put on you, son,” the chief said. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“He found me, saving me when no one else came.” Mary sat beside me and took my hand.

“And he came to me, offering peace and tranquility when all was lost,” Christina said, smiling.

“Well, I just met the guy, but he’s a good guy to have at your side during a firefight, ya know?” Chuck said, laughing. We laughed with him, and George shrugged.

“Yeah, the chief says he’s a heck of a guy,” the first merc said.

The second nodded, smiling. “You’ve made a difference to me already,” he said. “I ain’t dead.”

As I realized my deeds, I sighed. I had never thought of myself as good or special. However, my actions had spoken for me.

I must accept the course the Lord has prepared for me and be who I am. I live by faith and by honor. I am a knight by honor and by faith, cleansed through the blood of Jesus and cleared of punishment by his broken body. This is who I am, and I now realize this
.

We grew silent, enjoying the peace of each other…our fellowship. Though I sensed a dark presence near, it did not enter the dream. It merely observed, perhaps looking for a weakness. Finding none, as we were united, it did not approach. It could not approach. What tomorrow would hold remained a mystery to us.

The role we were playing seemed too grand, for each did not believe in the individual, but each other.
I look to you, my Lord, for guidance. May your will be done
.

I awoke before the others, standing as I looked at them. They slept peacefully, even in the midst of chaos. I strapped on my ALICE pack and slung my M4 over my shoulder. I looked toward the others once more, and my thoughts raced. I couldn’t allow them to die, not for me. I wouldn’t allow it.

I slipped out of the shop and stood alone in the street. There, I met a warrior clad in white armor. He was tall, and his skin was pale. His hair, long and white, fell upon his shoulders.

“Will you go alone?” he asked in a voice both stern and tranquil.

“I have no choice,” I said, looking into his white eyes.

“Choice is what life is about. You know this well, Warrior. There is always choice,” he said, smiling as he placed his hand upon my shoulder.

“I will allow them to die…not for me,” I said, my voice filled with burden.

“No, you will not. You will do all that you can to protect them, no matter the cost to you. This is the choice of the knight, and this is your path. However, your path is not that of a lone warrior, but of a leader. Lead them, Warrior. You need them, and they need you. I will always be near—our Lord promises you,” he said, offering me his full compassion.

At this, I trembled and bowed my head. “But how?” I said in a shaky voice as I began to weep softly.

“You have experienced much—more than most. You have seen things few can even imagine. This sets you apart, and this allows you to lead. Through your actions, you have guided others,” he said, pressing his forehead against mine gently. “I will watch over you.” He vanished, and my weeping subsided. I returned to the shop, and the others began to stir.

“Good morning…or evening. Whatever it is. I can’t tell in this endless darkness,” I said.

“Yeah, good whatever it is to you, too,” Chuck said, sitting up.

“Hey, while we’re throwing things out there, I’m Bill,” said the first merc. He pointed at the other Company man. “And that’s Josh.”

“Nice to formally meet you,” Josh said, smiling.

“Yeah, same here,” George said. “So, what now?”

“Well, we’re going to need to hit the facility rather quickly,” said the chief. “It’s about twenty miles south of the city. And we’ll be hiking there.”

“Oh, great,” Mary said sarcastically. I couldn’t blame her. She had looked near death when I found her.

“Hey, a little exercise is always a good thing,” I said, smiling.

“But a lot can hurt,” Christina said, laughing lightly.

“Stock up on food and water. We have at least a five-hour walk ahead of us,” I said, tossing some MREs to Chuck.

“Yum, yum,” he said as he stuffed them in his duffel bag. The others stocked up on food, water, and ammo, too.

We set out soon after, proceeding south. The dark mass in the sky grew, and laughter was added to the whispering. The city was quiet, and there was no movement. Maintaining a steady pace, we soon hit the outskirts of the city.

The radio erupted with a message. “Alpha Team to Bravo Team, sitrep immediately,” the voice said. The chief paused, looking at me before responding.

“Targets neutralized, though we lost three men. What’s your status, Specialist?”

“Proceeding to rendezvous point. ETA, ten minutes,” said the voice.

The chief turned off his radio briefly and spoke to me. “Son, he’s alone. And you’re the only one that comes close to matching his power. We can follow, but it will be up to you to confront him,” he said, looking toward the horizon. “We’re about ten minutes away from the rendezvous point ourselves.”

The others looked at me and then at each other and shrugged. We began walking, veering off the main road. The grass was gray and held no life. It felt as if death itself surrounded us. Soon the chief stopped us.

“He’s just ahead, in the field,” he said, pointing.

I walked into the clearing. A man stood in the center, his back to me. He was tall and muscular, with a powerful aura.

“You’re the one…” he said, turning to me. Our eyes locked. “You are more powerful than you realize. I have only felt one other like you.”

“And you will not harm her. I won’t allow it,” I said, staring into his gray eyes. He continued to stare into mine.

“Eyes reveal much about a person’s spirit. Color and radiance lie in the eyes of those with creativity…and power,” he said calmly. “Yours
speak of love and compassion. You hold within you a great power and much wisdom. That is, no doubt, why she chose you.”

“And yours speak of cold and darkness. I feel your power, and I feel your intelligence,” I said.

To this he smirked and walked toward me. “Truly, we are opposites,” he said, standing before me.

Holding my M4 to the side, I allowed him to approach unharmed.

“Each standing for something that defies the other.”

“And what
do
you stand for?” I asked as we stared each other in the eyes. Neither he nor I flinched.

“The weak bow to the strong, and those with power serve no others,” he said, grinning. “And you?”

“The weak lead the strong, and those with power serve everyone,” I said simply and without apology.

He smirked again. “See, we defy each other…just as light and darkness do.” He tilted his head slightly, studying me. “You don’t act like any of the others that I encountered,” he said in a curious voice.

“Others?” I asked, matching his curious voice.

“Yes,” he said. “Others have tried to aid her. You are the only one who has proven yourself. They came to her for selfish reasons, to use her, and then they left her. However, you have simply come to help her. Not for love and not for romance, though both have spawned from it. Merely to save her…to serve her.”

I nodded, then placed the M4 on the ground, followed by the Uzi and the .45.

He smiled. “You have both courage and honor. I respect this. You will prove to be a worthy adversary.” He thrust his hand forward, focusing a wave of energy toward me. I was knocked back; I fell to the ground. He possessed powers I had never encountered.

Jumping to my feet, I focused my own energy outward, channeling it throughout my body. This increased my speed and my strength, which I drew on as I charged him. As he readied to block, I slid to the
side, thrusting my shin into the back of his knees. It knocked him forward, but he did not go down.

He laughed. “Not bad,” he said, turning to me. “Allow me to show you…” With that, he focused his own energy, strengthening his aura to an overwhelming level. At a blinding speed, he kicked me, connecting with my side. Before I could react, he thrust his palm into my chest. As I stumbled, he began to circle me. “Come on,” he said, taunting me. “You’re much more powerful than this!”

I allowed my mind to focus only on him and my eyes to focus on nothing. Nothing else mattered, save for stopping him. All else was blank to me. He lunged once more, performing a spin kick as he came. Blocking with one arm, I grabbed his ankle with the other and pulled him toward me. Before he could regain his balance, I thrust my elbow into his jaw and followed that with a quick jab to the nose. Blood flowed from both areas.

“Much better,” he said, laughing, not fazed at all. “Can you levitate yet? Have you even seen it done?” he asked as he held his arms out and focused. Soon he began to float into the air, up and away from me. He was ten feet from me now, about three feet off the ground. “Come,” he said.

I knelt to the ground and grabbed a baseball-sized rock. The Specialist watched to see what I would do. Holding it behind me, I focused all of my energy into that single point before hurling it toward him. In an instant, it struck his shoulder, which he now held.

Smirking, he focused once more and vanished. He reappeared a few feet behind me, laughing, then vanished again.

Closing my eyes, I began to feel his movement…and his energy.

As he played his game, I learned to sense him. Soon, I was able to tell where he would appear next. My ears twitched as he vanished one last time. Pausing, I waited for him to appear just behind me to attack. Before he rematerialized, I positioned myself to counter his attack. He appeared, thrusting his fist toward me, but I was already
beside him. I grabbed his arm and pulled it behind him before pushing him to the ground.

“Very impressive,” he said, his smirk gone, his voice no longer filled with laughter. I held his arm tightly, almost to the breaking point. I lay across his back, pulling his arm toward me. Though it was only minutes, it seemed far longer.

Without warning, an evil voice entered my mind, followed by the tortured screams of countless victims and the shrieks of an endless horde. Immediately, I became incapacitated and had to release my hold on him, rolling off him and curling up with my hands over my temples. I grunted and groaned and soon screamed.