Chapter Forty

He didn’t know what he should do. He had been asleep for so long now – he couldn’t even recall how long anymore – and he began to wonder what the outside world would think to find “Ol’” Professor Krieger who has been laying asleep for God only knows how long.

In fact, he didn’t even know how he was managing to stay asleep so long. Was Mykella helping him out on this?

She hasn’t opened her eyes since Vince and his friends left them to go in search of the Forbidden Realms. He knew that she wasn’t dead; if she had died, she would have simply dissolved out of this reality.

He must have paced the floor a hundred times. And on every turn, he would take a glance down to see if Mykella was still laying there. And it appeared that, upon every twentieth or so, she had become paler, as if her complexion were disappearing from herself.

“You’d better hurry, Vince. I don’t know how much longer she’s going to stay inside her mother,” he whispered to no one in particular.

* * *

“I’m going as fast as I can,” Karl almost yelled as he studied the road in front of them.

“You do know He’s right above us?” replied Vince behind sarcasm.

“You don’t have to be a dick, Vince. I know where he is.” He turned to look at Vince. “Don’t you think he can just squash the living shit out of us in a second if he wanted it? So it really doesn’t matter how fast you want to go. He’ll always be there.”

“You know,” interrupted Chris as she poked her head between them. “I don’t think it’s such a great idea to stop in Ogunquit. I mean, I’d love to, but with Orion following so close,”

There was an ache in Vince’s chest, but he knew she was right. There would be no going back to that one safe place he had loved. He wasn’t sure, but he thought that it was Ogunquit that he truly fell in love with Samantha. Maybe, deep down, that was why he wanted to go back so badly.

“No,” he whispered. He looked over at Karl. “She’s right. Skip Ogunquit and head straight to Portland. We’ll get a flight to Ireland there.” And then he glanced down at the speedometer. “Hey, slow down. You’re doing eighty. Let’s not get pulled over,” he said with a grin.

Karl grinned back and shook his head. “If I wasn’t driving, I’d hit you right now.”

“Let’s just be friends,” laughed Vince.

“Can I be in the middle?” asked Chris with a smile.

They turned to face her. “Well, I think you already are between us,” Karl replied and Vince laughed.

Karl slowed the car just as they entered Maine.

“Got time for lobster?” asked Chris.

Vince smiled and shook his head. “Great. One wants to hit me, and one is a lobster-lover who wants to be between us. Is this all I can find to save the human race?” He chuckled and saw the signs leading to the airport.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

* * *

Krieger was beginning to tire of being asleep and he wondered how long the record was for sleeping. He even began thinking about his marriage to Heather. There was no way he could mend what was unmendable, but he still loved her madly. He had decided that, if she and he made it out of this alive, he would give her whatever she wanted. He couldn’t tie her down with this burden. He was Mykella’s Watcher, not she.

A knock was heard at the front door, causing him to turn his head in surprise so fast that he thought he may have sprained his neck.

The door opened.

“I didn’t want to startle you by just appearing,” announced Beth as she walked over the threshold.

“A Dreamkiller knocking?” he smiled. “I think that may be a first.” At least I’m not alone anymore, he thought.

“You’ve been asleep longer than most people should,” she began as she crossed the room.

“You’re telling me,” he muttered.

“I’ll watch her from here now. You need to tend to her mother. She is going to give birth soon.”

“When?”

“Soon,” she said and shook her head. “I can’t tell you any more than I know. Someone should be by her side when it happens, don’t you agree?”

“All right.” He took one last look at the pale body lying on the floor. “I can trust you?” he asked and looked back at the Dreamkiller.

“With my life and yours.”

Krieger nodded and vanished from the room.

* * *

They reached the airport and were surprised to discover that a flight out of Portland and arriving in Ireland would be departing in half an hour. That gave them enough time to get drinks and use the restrooms.

There was no sign of Orion in the semi-crowded airport. Somehow, Vince didn’t think there would be any.

Soon they boarded their plane without incident and as Chris sat down in her seat, she wondered if Orion could fly as fast as the plane.

There would be plenty of time during the flight to discuss battle plans, but for now, Vince sat back and closed his eyes, praying that this plane would not crash over Ireland.

Orion had contemplated joining Vincent and his gang on the plane, but there were two factors, however, that made him stay away from them. He had no money to purchase a ticket and he had no legal documentation of who he was, therefore shunning his chance to obtain a passport.

Still, he mused, it would have been an interesting flight.

He knew where their destination airport was and he decided on meeting his friends ahead of time. He would never allow Vincent a moment of victory thinking they had out-run the Master Dreamkiller.

He might even grab a bite to eat before they landed; he was human after all.

Vince didn’t sleep during the flight. He was afraid he would see Mykella, lying on the floor, bleeding as she struggled to stay alive long enough to be born.

He rested his body, as did Chris and Karl. None of them knew what battle was to be fought and how it was to be fought once they reached Vince’s mother at the gate.

Since she was the Guardian, they had agreed that she would be their General and take orders as she saw fit to give.

As he thought of his mother, Vince tried his damnedest to love her like any good son should. He had never known her other than what she is now – not as a mother.

He loved his sister with that unconditional love, but he pitied her more and prayed that her soul could be saved. If only Christ could touch her as He had Vince, maybe she would have a chance of redemption.

But she was worshiping not Orion, but Ilias. Who knows what the fallen Oracle would do to her.

His eyes began to water as he thought of his sister fighting an archangel alone. He turned his head and looked out the window and saw that they were almost over Ireland.

The end is upon us, he thought.