Legacy of the Defender (The Defender Series Book 1) (40 page)

I heard her rummaging, then silence.  I was about to turn to face her when her hand touched my back and something felt strange.

“Wait,” she said. 

My shirt was far too small to cover me to my waistline and the shorts were so baggy two smaller belts strung together held them up.  They hung rather low but still covered me.  I could feel her other hand was now touching the beltline right above my right cheek like it was tracing something.  It rather tickled and I laughed.

“When did you get this?”

“Get what?  A bruise or something?

“No, this tattoo.”

“What tattoo?  I do not have any.”

There was silence for a moment.  “The one I am touching.  It feels really weird.”

All I could feel was the warmth of her fingers tracing and following the same pattern repeatedly to the point it started to form an image in my head.  I could see a vertical line that went up then turned back on itself snaking back and forth across the original straight line.  Each sequence or pass got bigger.  It looked a little like a pyramid, but the passes were not straight lines but curved like the infinity symbol I remembered from school.  I felt something inside me stir at the recognition of it.

Eryn stopped tracing it.  Her hand went to the other side to check.  Her fingers touching something on the other side and the image that had just started to fade reappeared in my mind stronger.  I started to shake a little.

“Let me look.  Hold still.”  She pulled harder on the belt strap and I felt my shorts ride a little lower.  It was not as if she had not seen me before being my nurse in the hospital.  I felt self-conscious.  No one had ever really seen me naked besides the staff.  My head tingled at the touch of her hand.  I could smell her scent as if it were on a cloth in front of my nose. 

“Okay, this is really weird.  You have matching, mirrored tattoos on you.  Now you jumped a car to save a woman.  What are you going to do next?  Fly?” she said.

Her big beautiful brown eyes greeted me with a smile as I turned.  My hand went out and caressed her cheek.  Her soul reached up to me through her smile.  Something tingled under my skin and ran to my finger tops.  It felt charged like feeling a battery touched to your tongue as a child.  Was this her chi?  Jason spoke of in the past.  Was it what the Kung Fu movies referred to when they spoke of tapping into their own energy?  It had to be along those lines.  I would focus on this feeling when meditating next.

“If I can, one day, you will be my first passenger,” I said as I let my hand fall to my side.  She leaned up and kissed me.  That is all I needed to see to make this day better already. 

My size was already a problem.  Now weird looking marks like tattoos adorned my waistline.  Could this make my feeling of being a freak any less?  A monster that looked like a Greek statue had come alive to eat the children of the world now roamed the street.  I might as well be a zombie.  I could see the headlines now.  Me, some god awful picture showing me baring my teeth or something...in hand cuffs or chains getting hauled away into some full service freak show so the world scientist could study me some more.  The best and the brightest had their chance to study me and failed. 

Now my actions force me to hide like a child. 

Something told me the world was not ready for what I was to offer or become from one bad experience.  Even with my upbringing, negativity was not my outlook.  I was not negative.  It was fear of the future.  Fate had extended its hand to me and slapped me religiously upside the head.  Why?  I was not sure I cared either. 

I looked back at Eryn as she moved to the kitchen and began to pull out food in preparation for dinner.  My stomach panged for a moment.  Food was a good idea. 

Walking over to the small wall that separated the kitchen from the dining area, I did not have to try hard to peer at what she was pulling out of the fridge.  A couple of steaks sounded good.  She tossed them into the sink after unwrapping them and turned on the water.  As the blood began to flow in spirals down the drain, I found myself drawn to its pattern.  Slowly the room began to spin.  My nose caught the scent of blood.

It was not originating from the beef.  It smelled acidic and foul.  My heart began to race, and I felt my breath quicken as if running.  The desire to cut into something overwhelmed me.  Something appeared in my hands.  The coldness of steel sent comforting chills up my arms.  I needed to find an enemy and destroy it.  My eyes went blurry.

Last thing I heard was Eryn calling to me.  Then silence.

XXX

Confusion

It felt good.  Saving a life made me feel like I had something to offer; I no longer feared being a drain on society.  After lying in bed for so many years, with others tending and caring for me, it was time to give back.  I thought about looking for a job in security, perhaps bouncing at a local club or working as a bodyguard would be my meal ticket.

I decided to visit a few local establishments at night.  I had no decent clothing that fit.  Canvas shorts would have to do.  I did manage to find one 5XL shirt, but even that was a bit tight.  I was bald, so hair was no issue. 

The sun was setting and cast a brilliant yellow glow on the neighborhood where Eryn lived.  Her house was on a hill overlooking the Puget Sound, right outside of Everett.  Seeing the light dancing on the water always made me wish I could travel and visit mystical lands overseas.  I imagined what it would be like to be a sailor in ancient times, braving the unknown.  I would lose myself for hours in such times, deep in thought.

I knelt and let the sunlight hit my face; taking in its glorious rays and feeling my skin come alive.  Tranquility washed over me for a moment, elevating the stress from the events passed over the last few months.  It felt as if a slight weight lifted from me, chasing some of the shadows away that had been hiding my soul from the light in the universe.  A smile crept across my face and a deep breath followed.  It was unimaginable to imagine the horrors that had befallen me in those months.  Peace calmed the stormy seas inside. 

As light found its way back into my now open eyes, a silhouette stood in front of me.  A funny, macho pose greeted my eyes as they focused on the same bad suit as last seen on the Sergeant.  He had his hand on his hip, pulling his jacket back to reveal his badge and nine millimeter holstered on his cheap leather belt.  It had the same scent to it which told me he had not cleaned it in the time frame which I had last seen him.  He did not smoke but the company he kept obviously did.  I could smell the stale stench with a hint of scotch.

“Sergeant Rick.” 

“Tathlyn, good evening,” he said as he turned stepping to the side, seeing he was standing in my light.  “Going out for a stroll?”

“Of sorts.  Was there something that you needed or is this actually a visit?”  I asked.

He paused, muttering something about my size under his breath, so I stood up. 

I might as well have the upper hand, especially if it unnerves him
.  Taking a deep breath letting and it out as though it was a growl, my eyes locked on his.  It kind of pleased me that I could sense discomfort on him when he was near me.  It was probably not a very Zen thing to feel, but a number of issues he caused me became problematic even though it was all under the guise of helping.  Perhaps the irritation that he punched me in the nose, even if he did break his wrist in doing so, was still lingering.  There was a slight bulge on his right arm underneath his sleeve where his cast was still prominent.  I decided to be cordial.

“How is the wrist?”  I asked, trying to sound genuinely concerned.  There was no reason for me to care, because of the way he treated me.  But being the better man…

“It is healing thank you.  You know I learned a lesson that day,” he said.

“Oh do tell!”  I tried to not sound too curious.

“I should have just shot you.  There would have been less paperwork, less follow up, and way fewer unanswered questions.”

“I can only imagine your frustration,” I said, unsympathetically.

“Not to mention the Ire of a certain nurse.”  I smiled at that knowing she gave him grief.

There was a long pause as he stood there looking out over the water.  I am sure the same tranquility that calmed me stirred him on some level, even if he dressed badly.  Rather than wait for him to speak, I decided to fill that gap.  “I can only imagine the questions you must have that I am both unable and incapable of providing you answers to.”

“You have no idea how hard it is to know there is something wrong going on right under my nose and I have nothing to tie it to.  Not you, not anyone,” he said.

“Why do you think I am responsible?  My file is open to you.  I was in a coma, remember?”  My response came before his last word trailed off in his throat.

“You did not have to go through any physical therapy.  You grew over two feet in nearly two months, and you were found in an area where you did not belong and is where the corpse of the priest that tried to kill you was found this morning in a refrigerator.”  He was very heated now, and after hearing what he just said, I could not blame him.

He had dropped a bomb on me, and I sat down on the steps and pulled my knees up near my chest.  I did not think they would ever find him alive, with all the resources and shadow games that the church uses.  To hear he was dead was a relief, but he was right.  It raised more questions.  His prosecuting gaze kept trying to reach inside my head.

“His neck was crushed, much like what would happen if you got your hands around his throat.  That’s my theory.”

“Well Sergeant, your theory is wrong.  I never touched that priest.”  His gaze did not waiver.  In his hand was on a file of some sort.  He handed it to me.  There was a photo of a dead man lying on ta slid out slab.  It was indeed the priest.  I took a long look.  Even in a post mortem condition, the features of his face stuck in my mind.  The memory of his assault on me was not hard to recall and left me with slight anger rising up inside.  Signs of asphyxiation were obvious, not just a broken or crushed neck, and his eyes were bloodshot to the point where there was no white left.  Someone must have hated that priest.

He wore priest robes but they seemed really old and dark brown…almost black.  The material was more like a canvas, not cloth, and the crucifix seemed larger than remembered.  Barely visible there seemed to be small symbols carved into it that were so small, it amazed me that they could be seen in a photo.  I felt something in my mind seized slightly that must have stirred an expression because the Sergeant commented rather quickly.

“You recognize something don’t you?  You have seen something before, possibly because you were involved.  Don’t lie to me, Tathlyn.”

“Of course I recognize some things.  He was in my face trying to kill me.”  I turned, looked at him, and laughed.  “And you are a Sergeant?”

“Watch it boy, or I’ll…”

“You’ll what?  Hit me?  You are not an authority figure Sergeant.  You serve the public.  I do not answer to you in any…”

“I can have you arrested for murder.”

“Fine, do you really want to know what I was looking at?”  His stare told me yes so I divulged.  “The material and color of the robes is not what he wore that day.  It looks old.  Secondly, his cross has symbols on it that do not look church related.  In fact, I would wager they are from the occult.” 
How did I know that?
  "Granted his actions support the church’s concern about my existence, but why would he be dead now unless they are trying to leave no loose ends?”

Being on a roll, I continued, “What was the time of death?  How long ago did they find the body?  Your department knows exactly when released me from the hospital so you know full well with the time of death that it could not have been me.  Unless someone timed the event to occur after the hospital cleared me, which would mean someone is keeping tabs on me.”

“You are smarter than I thought.  He was clearly on ice for several weeks.  All this, points back to you, especially since you have a motive.” 

That statement made me laugh. 

“Yes, he assaulted me.  I technically would have a reason for revenge.  If that was my desire, do you really think I would be that stupid now?”

He yanked the file out of my hands and looked at the cross through some sort of monocle that he retrieved from his pocket.  He grunted when he saw the markings.  Several minutes passed as he stared and made some notes in his little book.  I sat and absorbed in the sun as it was now starting to dip even further.  Waiting for his conclusion, my own thoughts began to wonder why the priest would have such strange scrawling symbols on his crucifix unless there was truly some sort of tie to an occult of sorts.  Perhaps it was a secret order within the church…a big surprise that would be if it ended up being true.  I felt eyes on me so I opened mine and looked at him.

“Let’s say for a second I believe you.  The guy belonged to a cult.  If you were tied to them and meant for something sinister, then why try to kill you?”  Silence gathered for a moment while I could see the thoughts churning around in his head.  Something must have fallen into place in his logic for his eyes went wide.  “What if he wasn’t a priest?”

I had to admit, the logic did make sense because I am the one who put it out there.  If he was a priest, then he was more than a priest.  If he was masquerading as a priest, then that would explain a lot more.  “But why try to kill me?”

He held up the last photo and I saw a familiar room – the morgue where I had woken up after being missing for weeks.  The only thing missing was the room of my second awakening.  Something inside me told me to tell him.  For several moments, there was a wrestling match in my head over what to say, and logic kept telling me he would be a better ally then allowing this witch hunt to continue.  I did not know where to begin so testing the waters a bit before telling him too much was my approach.

“Do you believe in the unexplainable, Sergeant?”  A slow nod of the head told me he did not think it too crazy of an idea.  Maybe my sanity was not in question still.

“Yes, I would have to say I believe there are dark forces in the world that are working against the good people.”

“And you feel you are one of the good guys?”  He gave me a sour look.

“I’m a cop.”

“You have a point.  You punched an unarmed, cuffed man who had surrendered, in the face.”

“Look at you!  You are lucky that’s all I did.”

“
There’s the cop I know
.”

“Just stop….for one second.  Yes, I am one of the good guys.  I just lost my temper with all my troopers down.  Can you blame me?” he said.

“Actually Sergeant, yes.  I had been awake for about 10 minutes.” 
Here goes.
I focused on that day.  “What I left out of your report was this:  There was some sort of magic at work…Now before you interject, just give me a moment to explain.  I was in a room, strapped to a bed.  A mortician was there and he ran when he saw me.  After tearing free of my restraints and walking out of the room, I hit my head on the exposed light bulb.”  I paused long enough to look at him more closely.  To my surprise, he was listening. 

“Another man was there, other than the mortician.  He simply vanished in that hallway you came through to the morgue.”  He nodded.  “There would be no place to hide and we passed no one.  That hallway runs under the road so they do not have to bring corpses through the lobby or across the main road.  Then I turned around and the wall the door was in, the one you face when you enter was closing up as if it did not exist and Eryn’s arm later got stuck inside that same wall.  It was like the very fabric of the material itself melted together and sticky.  It had hold of her arm.  She was so scared.  I had to be careful when pulling her free so it did not dislocate her shoulder.  The opening closed right after she was clear as if it had never existed.”

I turned to look at him.  “Do you get it now, Sergeant?  Somehow someone took me when I was asleep, had signed off with the hospital that I was released on my own accord, before the start of the morning shift.  Who knows, they may have even manipulated time somehow.  None of this evidence exists because the room closed up to somehow to hide the truth.  It had to be some sort of magic!”

He processed my story.  Any sane person capable of logic would see there was a pattern to the events, and I was hoping his rank was not honorary.  The look on his face told me that he was getting it. 

“So when you awoke, did they have you drugged?  Like an intravenous bag in your arm?  And this had you all disorientated?” he asked.

“Yes.  Right after I cut my head, it healed.  Next thing I know cops are lighting me up with taser guns.”

“Healed?  You mean it healed over time?”

“No, healed, on the spot.  It closed on its own.”

“Now you are messing with me.  That’s not possible.”

“Do you have a knife?”

“You are crazy if you think I am going to hand you a blade so you can cut yourself with my prints on it.”

“I don’t hate you that much, Sergeant.  Step inside.”

I got up, unlocked the door, and stepped in.  He stood on the porch for a moment shaking his head and mumbled something about him not believing what he was about to let me do, then stepped inside.  I hunched down a bit and moved into the kitchen where I could stand at height.  Grabbing a knife, I went to the sink and held it to my hand while looking at him.

He still had disbelief in his eyes as if he felt I was bluffing.  Sure, I did not like the idea of hurting myself but it could not hurt as much as anything else already endured.  He approached and stood on the other side of the island part of the kitchen where the sink was.  With my right hand open, palm upwards, the knife in my left hand, I began to drag the blade slowly across my hand.  The blood gushed out.  After about two inches I stopped.  His eyes were on the appearing wound the entire time, rather wide.