Chapter Five

Vince turned the car around and had instead decided on going to visit Samantha. The drive was somewhat pleasant – he didn’t have to listen to Mykella interrupting his thoughts. As much as she was trying to help him, he was beginning to find that she was becoming very irritating.

When he arrived at her house, he found Samantha to be in a depressed state. When he asked her what was wrong, she merely grunted and moved aside to let him in.

“He’s gone.”

They made their way into the back yard to sit at the patio table.

“Who? Donnie?”

She moved her eyes away from his, as if in embarrassment. “The one and only,” she said.

Even though she was trying to hide her face by looking away, Vince could see her tears being reflected by the sunlight. He stood up and went around to her and looked down at her. “I’m sorry. I really thought he would come around,” he said and this caused her to look up at him.

“He told me that he couldn’t be emotionally attached to both of us. He says it’s either one of us, or none,” she said and then lowered her head again. “When I told him I was still having our child, he told me it’s over and he walked out.”

“Come here,” he suggested and held his arms open and she stood and let her friend embrace her. He held her tightly, thoughts not so lovely toward their ex-friend at the moment running through his head. “We’ll get through this,” he whispered in her ear.

She looked up at him with a different look in her eyes. “We?”

Looking down into those confused eyes, he smiled and laid his hand upon her neck. “It’s always been us,” he replied and she smiled.

He inched his lips closer to hers and within several centimeters of hitting his target, a sharp pain screamed through his head. He winced and fell backward onto the ground with his hands covering his forehead.

Samantha reached down to help him back into a chair. “Are you okay?”

He sat down, rubbing his head, and looked over at her. “I think I better get going,” was all he said and stood up and saw himself out through the side gate that led to the front yard.

Leave my mother alone!

Vince grinned as he drove back to the library; he needed to decode a couple more pages. “I thought it was a coincidence that you show up at the same time she’s pregnant. And now I find it’s no coincidence at all,” he replied.

He waited for a response but received none. “I’ll help you in any way I can, but you can’t tell me or your mother who to date. Got it?”

I don’t need your help! I don’t even know why I was sent to you. I’m no one special.

At that she felt a tug of pain in his mind. This concerned her.

What do you know? Please, tell me.

Vince pulled the car into the parking lot and closed his eyes. “You are destined to become the final destroyer of the Dreamkiller army. You, alone, will have the power to save mankind from extinction. That is why you are so special.”

I...I think we should talk in person – so to speak – tonight. I can’t. And then she fell silent to his mind.

He didn’t need to know how she felt; he could hear it in her voice, in those several words she spoke. Sure, there was confusion. But there was also terror in the way she spoke. For these reasons he did not reply to her and let her go wherever unborn children go when they aren’t pestering living beings.

Thirty minutes later he had been in the same darkened corner of the library with no thoughts on decoding. He kept losing himself in his sudden attraction for Samantha. He knew he always wanted her, but he was also a respectful soul and would not go into territory belonging to Donnie and Samantha.

But now things have changed, and quite drastically so. Now she knows how he feels about her, and by her reaction, he was safe to assume she shared the same feelings, but what she doesn’t know is that he is protecting her unborn child from evils yet to surface.

Mykella walked over to him from across the room. “You should stop falling asleep in the library – people are going to get upset,” she brought up as she walked past him.

Now that he thought about it, Mykella and her mother shared an identical scent. Is it possible that Samantha can transfer some of her Vanilla body wash to her daughter still in the womb?

He couldn’t reply to her greeting. He didn’t know what to say; he felt awkward being here only an hour after telling her that she was to become mankind’s savior.

She sat down at one of the other tables and looked up at Vince with the weight of the world in her eyes. “Tell me more about my destiny,” she almost whispered.

He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I had a dream the other day about this gigantic battle. Blood was everywhere and the demons were winning. Then my mother appears and tells me that this battle has yet to take place.” He walked over and sat down opposite her. “She tells me that it is you who will finish the war and that I need to help you live.”

Mykella shook her head. “Come on. Do I look like a warrior? I’m only…I don’t even know how old I’m supposed to look,” she said and glanced down at her body. “Twenty? Do I know anything about fighting? I’m not even alive yet.” She was on the verge of hysterics.

“Yes – you are alive.” They locked eyes for a moment and she nodded. “I made a promise to my mother that I would help you live. So for the next seven or eight months, we’ve got to be friends.”

“Who are you supposed to be helping me from?”

Vince shrugged. “Don’t know. Hopefully nobody.”

“So what are you going to do? Teach me how to fight?” She smiled at him which could have melted ice.

“That’s not a bad idea,” he said and began feeling his conscious mind interfering with their conversation. “We’ll see each other later, I suppose.”

When he was awake he had decided to go to his house for more clues and possibly some miracle man to show him the way. It was during this drive that he felt everything lying on his chest. Dad, Samantha, and Mykella. And on top of that, he still had to write that final paper due in fourteen weeks and pass all the other classes he was taking.

And when he got to the house he was greeted by no miracle man. Instead he found even more mysteries. These mysteries were found in his father’s bedroom beneath several sweaters lying in the closet. He saw several papers sticking out from beneath the sweaters.

He tossed the sweaters onto the bed; the mattress was still laying up against the dresser where it had landed when he kicked it, and brought down the papers.

Dear Mr. Hopman,

You had contacted me awhile back concerning my father. Doing a little snooping myself, I found that it is the same Jack Andrews you have been looking for. When I was six or seven, Dad moved us out of state, he has never told me why.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

I was surprised to find out that I had a brother. When I approached him about this, Dad denied the whole thing. I’m not sure why he has these severe hatred feelings about Mom (I wish I had memories of her – I have but one photo of her and a couple of her friends when she was a young girl).

When I persisted, Dad became irate and so I dropped the subject altogether. However, I am very interested and would love to meet my brother at the earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Alexandria Kimberly Andrews

Vince stared down at the two pages in his hand and stumbled back, leaning against the mattress. He looked at the date that Alexandria had written the letter – it was a year and a half ago. The nostalgic feeling he was suffering had changed to that of anger. Why didn’t Dad tell me he found at least one person I’m really related to?

Burnt or not, Vince stormed out of the house to interrogate his father about this whole damned mess.

When he returned to the room, he found Karl standing outside his father’s room with the most pathetic look on his face he had ever seen. When he saw him, Karl wanted to turn his head, not daring to look his friend in the eye.

“Karl?”

Vince looked over his friend’s shoulder into the room. There he saw that all of the IV tubes, the blue stand holding the bags of sugar water had been removed from the room. At first Vince was relieved; perhaps Dad has gotten better faster than they had expected. And then he saw his father sleeping on his bed.

No, he wasn’t sleeping. Sleeping patients do not slumber with their white sheet up over their heads. But this time, Rick lay on his bed with his sheet over his head.

This can’t be happening, Vince thought and pushed Karl aside to enter the room.

“I’m sorry, Vince,” replied Karl as he watched his friend enter the room for the last time.

He approached the bed and lowered his head. “Did he say anything before he died?” He did not look back.

A bit surprised that Vince was not angered at not being called; Karl walked into the room and produced a piece of paper. “All he said before…going…was St. Vincent, Ireland.” He showed the scribbled name he had written. “I had to write it down so I wouldn’t forget,” he said and handed it over to Vince.

Vince realized at that moment his destiny had been altered. He no longer needed to be a guardian for his father. He is now Mykella’s guardian and Allen’s wrath.

There was one thing he needed to do first and that was decided as he was looking down at his hand; he was still holding the letter his sister had written. He saw that she had written her address on the second page on the bottom right – she lived just a couple of states away. He could still be back to bury his father in time.

“Tell Samantha that I’ve got something to do – that I won’t be back for a couple of days.” Vince would not look up, but Karl nodded anyway. “And tell her I love her.”

There was a heart-felt pang stinging inside Karl’s being. He was happy that he had finally been given the chance to love Samantha the way he knew his friend wished. But still, they were discussing this standing over a corpse.

With a final sigh, Karl watched Vince turn and walk out of the room. He remained there for about a minute and then left the room; he didn’t want to be in a room with a dead guy any longer than he had to.

Heading back to his car, Vince found that he couldn’t keep his thoughts clear and straight. One minute he was making strategy plans for killing a ghost and the next minute he was trying to imagine what things he may have to protect Mykella from.

He made his way through the faceless doctors and visitors and out to his car. After sitting down he noticed that his hands were shaking. And then the sick feeling began to creep its way up through his convulsing stomach. He tried to tell himself to keep it under control, but it was of no use; he had to open his door again and throw out his head and he vomited into the parking lot.

He sat there for several minutes and when the sensation of vomiting again had receded, he turned the ignition and drove out of the parking lot in the direction of Ohio.

Vince was on the highway for only two hours when he heard his phone ring. He rolled his eyes in annoyance and picked up the phone which he laid in the passenger seat.

“Yeah?” He was in no mood to be polite or cherry.

“Just what the hell do you think you're doing going away for a couple of days and not taking me with you?”

If the circumstances had been different, hearing Samantha’s voice would have put a smile on his lips. But his circumstance told the tale of a chaotic spiral spinning out of control.

“I’m sorry about your Dad,” she said when she realized he wasn’t going to comment on her greeting.

“Listen, in the next couple of months you’re going to be hearing real strange things. You’ll probably even have some fucked-up dreams to go with it.” He didn’t know why he was telling her this; it wasn’t like she could know what her unborn child knows.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Vince shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Nobody will understand until, oh, I’d say in fifteen years from now.”

“Have you been drinking?”

“No.”

“Drugs?”

“I wish.”

“Then what the hell’s going on with you – why can’t you talk to me?”

There was something in his head that snapped. “Dad died taking a secret with him. I have a sister and she wanted to meet me.”

“Wow. That’s great. How did you find out?”

Vince paused for a moment to change lanes and follow the changing interstate signs. “I found a letter stashed in his closet under some clothes. It was written a year and a half ago.”

“You’re going to meet with her?”

He nodded. “If she’s still at the same address.”

There was a pause from Samantha and she finally sighed. “Good luck. And I love you, too.”

At that moment a strange sensation overcame Vince. He wanted to turn the car around and go back to her. He wanted to wrap his arms around her. He wanted to kiss her passionately. He wanted to –

Don’t even think about it!

Vince laughed out loud. “Damn, she’s determined,” he whispered.

“What?”

“Nothing. Look, I’ll be back soon. I’ll call you when I find her.” And they said their good-byes and he tossed the phone back onto the seat.

He looked up into the rear view mirror and almost ran the car off the road. In that brief glance he saw Mykella sitting in the back seat shaking her head with a disappointed look on her young face.

He slapped his face and understood that he must have fallen asleep for a second. He looked around and saw an exit coming up. He left the highway and easily found a diner to his left and a motel to his right.

Vince decided he wasn’t too hungry so he turned into the motel parking lot. He got a room and when he opened the door, he found the bed made and very inviting. After he entered he kicked the door closed with the heel of his foot and made his way to the bed and laid down.

There was a large part of him that wished to be left alone during this sleep. But there was also this strange need to be with Mykella. He didn’t understand his emotions. All he did know is that Mykella is Samantha’s daughter and if he loves her he should love Mykella as well.

But there was something else; a bond, perhaps. He didn’t look much older than her, although he is twenty years older than her. Deep down he felt that she trusted her life to him.

Prophecies can be misinterpreted, he thought just as his eyes closed.

“She won’t believe you when you tell her,” explained Mykella as she came into the room from the bathroom.

He sat up and looked at her with a quizzical expression. Do spirits piss?

“Do you think you could help her see? Can you pop into her dreams, too?” Vince asked.

She shrugged her tiny shoulders. “I could try. But I’d be afraid of Mom thinking she’s losing her mind if I tell her who I am and who’s working with me.”

This put a smile on his face. “Don’t worry about your mother – I can handle her. But I do think we should begin your training soon.”

Her eyes seemed to have sparkled and she smiled at him. “When?”

“When I get back. I don’t think my sister needs to see me sleeping on her couch attempting to train someone in my dreams.” He paused and lay back down on his pillow. “Besides, I need to get a plan and then we can get to work.” And then he thought of something. “Do you mind if I can use the rest of the time to dream for myself?”

She tossed him a smile and nodded. “I guess so. But my Mom can’t be there; I’ll be watching you.”

After she had vaporized, he thought she was beginning to be odd. No matter where he goes or what he dreams, she’ll always be looking over him. She’ll never leave him alone.

No matter how odd it felt, he knew that it must be so. She is only a spirit waiting to be born into this evil world; a world where Dreamkillers will have control someday; a world where she must defend humanity throughout the Dream Crusades.