War, p.32
War, page 32
part #2 of A Journey Through Hell Series
“Drew!” Cass shouted as she watched the man turn back into its shadow form and disappeared just as Drew’s fist was about to impact its jaw. Drew put all his weight into the swing, expecting to connect with the man’s jaw. When his arm did not connect, Drew shouted, “Oh shit!” as his forward momentum sent him sailing across the chamber and landing hard on the floor.
“Drew!” Cass shouted again as the blonde-haired man appeared behind Drew and grabbed him from behind. Clamping down over Drew’s nose and mouth, pulling him in tight to his own body, just as his father had done to him as a child, suffocating him. The distinct pungent smell of his father’s fingers filled his nostrils.
The man brought his index finger of its other hand up to Drew’s head, the tip glowing white hot. The skin on Drew’s ear reddened, causing a burning pain, and the skin started to bubble and blister from the intense heat.
Drew tried to scream, but the man’s grasp tightened over Drew’s nose and mouth. Unable to breathe, Drew’s consciousness began to fade. He felt the darkness creeping in, as he did as a child.
Flailing his arms and legs, Drew tried to free himself from the Dark Man’s grip.
Leaning over, he brought his face close to Drew’s and said, “I am your fucking God now!” Then he let out a low gruffly laugh and his breath reeked of decay, which burned Drew’s eyes.
Fear started to overtake and staring up into the dark, endless eyes of the Dark Man, Drew actually feared he was going to die.
His lungs burned, starving for oxygen, and his face turned a bright purple. Drew was petrified he was going to die.
Just as Drew felt death taking him, a surge of energy hit him and his will to live kicked in.
Clenching his fist, Drew jammed it over his head and drove it hard into the Dark Figured Man’s face. The cartilage in the man’s nose exploded.
Drew pulled his fist back and fired a second jab. Again, he struck the Dark Figured Man’s face, catching him under his right eye, and felt the man’s eyeball socket shatter.
The Dark Man never felt pain before; it overwhelmed him causing him to release his grasp, allowing air to rush into Drew’s lungs providing life back to his body. The Dark Man stood and staggered around. Pain was something he needed to adapt to. He was having trouble breathing through his nose and could no longer see out of his left eye. He took a few steps and fell to his knees with his back toward Drew.
Drew laid there and just breathed. His body was so starved for oxygen he could do nothing but breathe. After a moment he rolled over, coughing, breathing in fresh air. Drew started to stand up, his body exhausted from lack of oxygen.
Blood poured through the Dark Man’s fingers, running down his forearm. Pinching his nose, he stopped the bleeding and said, “The drawing of your number is now!”
Drew stood up with a fire in his eyes, having stared down death and lived to talk about it.
“Not if I pull your number first!” Drew said, approaching the man on his knees.
The Man let out another low gruffly laugh as the chamber began to spin.
The light inside the chamber started to dim and fade. A black hole began to form in the chamber causing the room to start spinning and Drew’s body became heavy and felt like he was back on the Gravitron ride.
The room began spinning faster and faster, and Drew was pulled off his feet. He hit the floor hard, headfirst, and momentarily blacked out.
Drew’s eyelids slightly opened, and he saw Steve standing atop the stone slab.
Something began glowing inside the chamber with an increasing intensity. Drew brought his hand to his face to protect his eyes and his skin felt like it was on fire, which instantly reddened and began to blister.
Suddenly, a blinding light exploded with the intensity of a star going supernova and the chamber walls turned white hot.
“No!” the Dark Man screamed as cracks began to appear in the walls, and instantly everything was gone.
Chapter 71
New York City, New York
Steve awoke early that morning and his body hurt all over. He unzipped the tent and stepped out. The air held that distinct smell of snow, and it felt cold and refreshing on his naked body. Taking a deep breath, he filled his lungs, replacing the stale air from the tent.
His bare feet crunched on the fresh blanket of snow. The sun, just a sliver on the horizon, broke through the barren trees. The days were becoming shorter and colder, and it reminded him of winters back home in Maine. A smile washed over his face, knowing he had been able to save his friends last night.
You should not have done that, said a voice from within the light. It reflected off the snow, surrounding him. Steve looked down and found his body translucent, and the light inside him was dim. His body absorbed the light encompassing him and his soul began to glow again. Steve basked in the light for a few moments longer and returned to his tent.
They had collected firewood the night before at Drew’s behest because he thought it might snow. Steve had looked to the cloudless sky above and asked Drew if he was studying to become a junior meteorologist. Cass had snorted at Steve’s sarcasm. For some reason it was funny coming from him.
Now Steve was happy that he heeded his friend’s warning, as it would have been difficult to find branches with the ground covered in snow.
Steve started a fire and thought about what he wanted to say to Drew. First, he’d have to get Cass out of the way so they could talk. He knew Drew wouldn’t talk about his drinking in front of her. She had put her life in Drew’s hands, and she might get upset if she thought Steve was attacking her guardian.
Drew awoke with one hell of a headache. He remembered everything that happened, including the blonde-haired man who tortured Steve by trying to drill into his head with its rotating and glowing finger.
Cass stirred in the sleeping bag next him and woke up. They both got dressed, putting layers on to fight the cold, and emerged from the tent at the same time.
Drew went to do his morning business and Steve capitalized on his absence. Once Drew was out of sight, he walked over to Cass.
“Hey kiddo,” he said.
“Good morning, Steve.”
“I was wondering if you could hang back a little today when we set out.”
Cass tilted her head, wondering what was up.
“I’d like to talk to Drew about something privately, if that’s okay?”
“Sure,” Cass said, as she put her head on his shoulder. “Manly stuff, huh?”
“Yeah,” Steve replied, as he gave her a kiss on the top of her head.
“I have to pee,” Cass said, as she grabbed her bag and headed off.
After breakfast they packed up and headed out down the tracks. Cass took the lead and gave Steve the space he asked for.
“Wow! Someone has a little pep in their step this morning,” Drew said as he pointed to Cass, who was already a good fifty yards ahead of them.
“I asked her to give us a little time alone,” Steve said.
“Oh man, we’re not gonna have one of your talks again, are we?”
“You’ve been doing great lately, but I’m afraid you’ll relapse. I just wanted to teach you a few things that helped me and hopefully they’ll help you too.”
“Okay.”
“Have you ever heard of HALT?”
“As in stop?” Drew said with that sarcastic tone of his.
“No. H.A.L.T. it’s an acronym. Hungry. Angry. Lonely. Tired.”
“Nope. Never heard of it.”
“For us addicts, we have to watch out for triggers. If at any time we feel more than one of those four, it can trigger us and can cause us to pick up and use again.”
Drew thought about it for a minute and definitely could see that happening to him. He was already a moody prick to begin with without any of the four. Add booze and it created an instant firestorm.
“How long has it been since your last drink?” Steve asked.
“A couple months.”
“That’s amazing. I’m so proud of you, Drew.”
“Thanks,” Drew said, as he rolled his eyes. He wasn’t one for praise. He didn’t need other people’s acceptance or positive reinforcement. He provided that to them. Not the other way around.
“Do you want to talk about what drove you to drink?”
“Um, no.”
“Drew, you need to face this problem head on because what are you going to do later when whatever it is rears its ugly head?”
“Touché,” Drew said, who was still uncomfortable in his own skin. He didn’t like himself. He didn’t like that he was weak. He was tough now, but as a child he was weak. He thought about his father and he felt an anger swell within him.
“You’re getting mad,” Steve said.
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are. Your face turns red when you get mad.”
“Poke a bull and you’ll get the horns.”
“Drew, I’m trying to help. You saved my life and I want to help save yours.”
“Speaking of saving lives. What the hell was that last night?”
“What?”
“What, what? You were there last night. I saw you in the chamber.”
“Did you bump your head?” Steve asked, finally giving Drew a taste of his own medicine.
“Steve,” Drew said, stopping. “Cut the bullshit.”
“Seriously, what are you talking about?”
“Never mind,” Drew said. It must have been a dream, he thought.
“I just want to help,” Steve said.
“I know. This is tough for me. You’re asking me to look back at a point in my life that hurts when I think about it. A lot of mean and violent things happened to me as a child. I was helpless. I cried and screamed but that didn’t help nor did it make it stop. The only thing that helped was letting those feelings turn into anger. It kept me warm. It gave me the ability to push on and accept everything that was done to me.”
“I understand.”
“Do you? Because most of the people I know who look back on their childhood feel happy. Most people are happy. I’m not.”
Steve put his arm around Drew, slowing their pace. “It’s okay. Let it out.”
“If someone you loved died and when you think about them, you feel sad. The sadness is brought on by memories and the fact that they are no longer with us. Some people get trapped in that sadness. When I was a child, I flipped a switch on my emotions and now I don’t know how to handle them. I turned everything to anger. It was my defense mechanism. Whenever I’m faced with an emotional situation, my brain senses those emotions, and it turns them to anger. I’m always on a heightened alert. Even during times of great happiness, I am on edge. I don’t know what to do with my emotions. I can’t get the switch to flip back. It’s my demon.”
Steve felt happy. He was finally getting the breakthrough he needed. Now he could truly help his friend.
Drew thought back to his childhood. That constant fear of his father. Those big hands clamping down over his mouth and nose, suffocating him. The constant abuse.
Steve wasn’t ready for it when Drew collapsed to his knees. He kneeled down next to him as Drew sobbed and tears streamed down his face.
“It’s going to be okay. We’re safe now.”
“No, we’re not.”
“Yes, we are,” Steve said with a reinforcing tone.
Just then, Cass screamed.
Cass walked the tracks thinking about Greg and felt a great sadness inside. She loved him and he was the only boy she had ever slept with despite what her mother and father thought. For some reason they thought she was out ‘sleeping around’ when she was not. Possibly because she was beautiful and used her looks to her advantage. She was planning on saving herself for marriage, but she couldn’t resist Greg’s charm. Her friends in high school would sleep with just about anyone and each other. She didn’t care for that. She was attracted to men.
She loved Greg, and he had tried standing up for her, but those evil men shot him like a dog. Forced him to his knees and shot him execution style. His body twitched and lurched before landing face down. She couldn’t shake the vision of his lifeless eyes as they looked up at her or the blood that ran from his nose and mouth. She felt sick.
She glanced over her shoulder and saw Steve had his arm around Drew. She wished one of them was holding her right now, like her father did as a child. Her thoughts drifted, and she wondered if her parents were still alive. It didn’t matter. They didn’t seem to care for her anyway. All they did was yell. Her mother was constantly on her about the dishes not being done, laundry on the floor, trash overflowing. It never seemed to stop.
My parents are kinda like Drew, she thought. Maybe they did love me?
Tall grass covered both sides of the tracks, which curved up ahead and beyond the curve was a road.
Cass was looking down in deep thought as she stepped on each railroad tie.
If Drew barely knows me and wants to keep me alive yet acts the way he does, did my parents really love me? she thought. She never looked at it that way. She never thought they were being too overbearing because they loved her. She always thought they hated her.
My God. What did I do? Did I turn my back on those that loved me? she thought, as her mind swarmed with questions.
She reached up and wiped away her tears. My family did love me.
Cass was about to head back when something caught her eye out on the road. It was a man walking toward her. Cass noticed he was covered in something, and it took her brain a minute to realize he was covered in blood. The man had salt and pepper hair and appeared to be about forty years old. Suddenly he went from walking to a full-on sprint toward her.
She froze.
The man ran at her hard and he had a crazed look about him. And he was carrying a metal pipe.
Cass didn’t know what to do. She just stood there and screamed.
Drew was wiping away the tears when he heard Cass scream.
“What the fuck!” Drew shouted as he rose up and sprinted down the tracks. He felt an anger swelling inside himself that provided him fuel to propel him down the tracks.
Steve was stunned. One minute Drew was sobbing like a baby and the next he was barreling down the tracks.
The tall grass on the right side of the tracks started rustling. A man emerged and his left leg dangled as he hobbled toward Cass.
“Arrgghh,” Drew shouted as he ran, trying to get the man’s attention. But it didn’t work.
The man running with the pipe was closing in on Cass fast.
Drew skidded to a stop, dropped down onto one knee, and brought the rifle stock up to his shoulder and aimed.
He squeezed the trigger.
The man stumbled. He clutched at his left side where the bullet entered but he still continued on.
Drew aimed and squeezed the trigger again.
Click.
It was empty.
Drew took off in a sprint toward the man approaching Cass. Muscle memory kicked in and his body rocketed down the tracks. He felt like he was back on the cross-country team in high school.
The man swung the pipe at Cass. The hole Drew put in the man’s side didn’t seem to slow him down or diminish his determination. At the last-minute, Cass jumped out of his way. The man’s momentum sent him sailing across the tracks and he landed hard and lost his grip on the pipe which bounced off the track with a loud clang. He rolled down the slight embankment and ended up in the long grass.
Drew adjusted the rifle in his hands as he ran. He had a good strong grip on the barrel of the rifle. Cass was breathing heavily, and her heart raced in her chest. Adrenaline coursed through her body as her outstretched arms held the man with the injured leg at bay.
He was wearing a white sweater that was smeared in dirt and blood. The man was trying to get his hands around her throat, but she was a wiry little thing. They were in a constant struggle and she was growing tired. She was no match for the man’s two-hundred-and-fifty-pound frame, and soon her arms gave out. She felt herself falling back and in a desperate move she shot her right leg out and up.
Her foot caught the man square between the legs, causing him to double over. Cass lost her balance and fell onto the tracks.
Running up behind the guy, Drew butt stroked him as hard as he could. The impact from the stock slammed so hard into the base of the man’s head it severed his spine and drove him into the ground.
The first man crawled over toward the pipe and picked it up. Clutching his side, he attempted to get up. Using the pipe, he pushed himself off the ground.
Drew spun the rifle around and hit the release for the magazine. He reached into the side pouch of his pack, pulled out a full magazine, slapped it in and pulled the bolt back chambering a round.
The man charged at Cass again, holding the pipe, and all she could do was scream.
It was life or death, Drew thought, as he aimed and squeezed the trigger.
A fine red mist appeared from the man’s head.
A slight breeze blew, which peppered Cass in blood and brain matter as the man’s body crumpled and landed half on and half off the tracks.
Cass stood there screaming. In light of recent events who could blame her?
Steve ran down the tracks towards Cass and passed Drew, who was scanning the area for other potential threats.
After several seconds, Steve reached Cass.
“Are you okay?” he asked, with his arms stretched out, pulling her into his full embrace.
Cass just stood there crying and clutched at her arms where the man had grabbed her. They were sore, and her triceps and biceps burned from the vigorous workout.
Drew was searching the body when Steve said, “Drew, here comes another one.”
“Did the whole world see that fucking message?” Drew asked, standing up.
“Maybe,” Steve replied.
“Oh look,” Drew said. “It’s a woman this time.”
“Haha, very funny,” Steve said.
