Crow - The Awakening (55 page)

Steven had been holding his breath as the men started scanning the underbrush below him with their flashlights. With the pruning these trees seemed to get regularly, all they had to do was look up and he'd be easily seen. He was terrified, but the run was very nearly gone from him and he was almost ready to surrender and be done with it. But they stopped and ran the way they came and Steven watched as their vehicles started leaving the parking lot.

As soon as most of them had gone, Steven decided that these trees were way too open to provide decent hiding. He couldn't understand how parks could be so pruned and people would could still consider them as natural. He had never felt so vulnerable in a tree before. He remembered the culvert and climbed down, dropping silently to the ground below. He hid behind a tree, waiting to see if anyone noticed him. But there were no yells, and no bullets being fired at him. He ran onto the trail and crouched low to present as low a profile as he could until he made it to the culvert. Peeking in, he saw that it was clear and dry. Though it had recently rained there, the weather had been unusually dry for this time of the year so the pond hadn't overflowed in a while. Looking around to make sure no one saw him, Steven crawled in then waited just inside the pipe to see if there was any sign of pursuit. There were people starting to congregate in the apartment parking lot but they seemed to be disgruntled residents. Satisfied, Steven scooted further back into the culvert.

Being underground was hard for him. He wasn't overtly claustrophobic, but he was most comfortable up high in the trees. Not down in a pipe barely big enough for him to crawl into. He pulled himself until he was about half way between openings and stopped, listening for any activity above. The pipe muted most hubbub coming from topside, though he could feel when large trucks passed by on the highway. The rumble was a little disconcerting at first, but after a bit it became lulling and he found himself drifting off to sleep finally. Several times he woke with a start, banging his head against the pipe as he tried to sit up. But after a few minutes his body unwound and relaxed and deep sleep finally caught up to him.

The meadow was very quiet tonight. There was a warm breeze and a faint rustling of leaves could be heard in the tree, but other than that things seemed subdued. Steven walked over to the tree and looked down to see Asherah curled up, snoring lightly. He sat down next to her and kissed her cheek, smiling at her. She was so beautiful, even in her sleep and he loved to watch her snore away. Normally she wiggles a little when he kisses her like that, but she just kept snoring. Steven sat back against the tree, watching her sleep as he ran his fingers through her hair. It seemed like she was in a very deep slumber.

Steven looked around, starting to get bored. She was obviously very tired, but he had not seen her in a long while and really wanted her to wake up. He leaned over, looking at Asherah again, hoping she'd sense him and wake up. Usually his presence was all it took. It was like they could sense each other's proximity. But she didn't stir. Unable to restrain himself, he poked her in the ribs. That always got a response, however she just lay there, snoring away.

Steven furrowed his eyebrows, starting to get a little concerned. She was always a very light sleeper. "Asherah?" Steven leaned over, kissing her cheek again. "Hey, girl, wake up." He shook her shoulder but she just lay there. "Asherah?" He said louder, shaking her harder. But still he got no response. What was wrong with her? He felt her wrist and her heart still seemed strong. She was breathing normally, albeit while snoring. Steven lifted her up and took her in his arms, cradling her in his lap. "Sweetie, you need to wake up now." He felt her face and forehead and it felt normal. She was just out cold. "Come on. Don't do this." Steven held her close.

Steven looked around, starting to get really afraid now. She wasn't waking up and he didn't know why. Worse, he didn't know what to do and felt completely helpless. He hugged her while she snored away, rocking back and forth as he tried to think of what he could do and pulled up a complete blank other than to sit there with her. "Oh, honey, please wake up," he whispered to her, caressing her face and kissing her forehead. How could she be in such a peaceful sleep and yet not wake up? Steven nuzzled her neck, hoping against hope that she would wake up at any moment. He reached deep within himself and found her presence, but it was strongly muted. Even asleep he should be able to detect more than that from her.

As he embraced her, Steven noticed a shadow out in the meadow. The vampire. Could he have done something to her? Steven looked down but she wasn't injured. Still, it seemed too coincidental to him for her to be in a slumber that she wouldn't wake up from and that vampire being there. Steven put her down, gently cradling her head as he laid her back on the grass, starting to get furious.

A buzzing sound seemed to fill the air as Steven focused on the vampire who had become a threat to Asherah. The vampire was nothing to Steven anymore. Not remotely a threat. But Asherah was strictly off limits. Now she was in trouble and someone had to pay. Ignoring the buzzing, Steven started walking toward the vampire. His fury growing, his walk became a run and then suddenly he was in front of the monster grabbing his neck. It felt like grabbing stone, but the neck still sizzled under his grip and in a single move he threw the creature to the ground while he yelled in anger.

The ground shuddered where the vampire hit, and fissures opened up as Steven stood over the vampire. "What have you done with Asherah!" He screamed. The creature put his arms up as Steven bent over him and he grabbed the arm. It smoked and sizzled under his fingers and Steven yanked it to the side. "Let her go!" He yelled at the creature. He squeezed the stony arm until it crumbled to dust and put his other hand on its chest and, bellowing in unfettered rage, he focused his fury on the creature. He watched as it exploded into an inferno and was completely consumed, leaving nothing but floating embers. Steven stood up, looking around. The ground continued to shudder and the plants in the area he was in had started to wilt. Some of the plants even caught fire as the intensity of the storm around him increased. But Asherah still lay there on the grass, not waking. What was he going to do? "Asherah!" Steven cried out, his heart bursting with fear for her and anger over his helplessness. He felt himself coming unhinged and she wasn't there to help him.

Steven felt something and turned just in time to see the wolfman jump at him, fangs bared. Steven's indignation flared and suddenly fire engulfed the monster as Steven sidestepped its attack and watched it slam to the ground and writhe in agony. The buzzing was overwhelmingly loud now and the ground and air were full of catastrophic energy as the plants started to burn up and even the tree caught on fire. The jungles around the meadow were also catching fire and Steven looked around crying. He walked to the wolfman and roared at him, focusing his animosity and fear onto the creature until it exploded, throwing burning flesh in every direction.

The whole world seemed to be sharing his fury and fear, and he watched the fires consume the forests around him as a vortex of fire formed above him. Soil and ash started to get pulled up into the air, then burning trees were uprooted, followed by boulders that defied gravity. Steven's anger turned inward as it was replaced with fear and agony over Asherah and helplessness to fix her. Tormented, he walked over to her, leaving puddles of molten soil in his footsteps. His tears were hot on his cheeks, flaming as they fell to the ground and Steven cried out to Asherah, not knowing what else to do. She was in trouble but there wasn't anything he could do about it.

As he approached her sleeping form, he noticed someone else kneeling beside her, touching her head. Alarm filled Steven and energized his anger again as he ran toward the figure, intent on destroying anything that was a threat to Asherah. The man stood up and looked at him as he approached. His visage looked like living mercury and his eyes were completely black. Steven ran even faster as the ground around him rocked and cracked. Steven roared in unbridled rage as he approached the strange man. The air around him was even catching fire and the ground was heaving in massive swells as Steven ran to save his life-mate from whatever threat was trying to snare her.

Just as he reached the stranger, the man put a hand up and touched his chest and suddenly Steven was standing in a calm tropical meadow on a cool, humid night. Asherah moved a little but still remained snoring. The man cocked his head as he looked at Steven, appraising him. Steven was in complete shock over the sudden change, stunned that his fury and fear were simply suddenly not there anymore. He shook his head. If nothing else, he felt at perfect peace as his rage evaporated. He looked at Asherah as she moved and he sobbed, overwhelmed by the vast range of emotions that had flowed through him. He fell to his knees next to her and grabbed her up, crying into her neck as he held her. She was there. He could feel her now. Still asleep, but there with him. He shuddered as the stress was lifted from him.

Catching his breath, "What...?" Steven looked up at the man who knelt down beside them.

"She was given a sedative, but they overdosed her." The man’s voice seemed to reverberate inside his head and at the same time come from everywhere around him.

"Who?" Steven sat down, cradling Asherah in his arms while staring at the strange man. He looked at his hands, that had the same properties of his face - as if it was made out of chrome, or mercury.

"You will find out soon enough, Steven." The man turned his attention to Asherah. "I have fixed her and she will be okay but will sleep for a bit longer."

Steven's heart nearly exploded with joy and appreciation as he embraced Asherah tightly. The man stared at him, as if looking deep into him. Steven looked up then around. "What happened here?"

"I stopped you. You are restored now," the man said simply.

"Restored from what?" Steven asked, but the man only smiled and looked down at Asherah.

"She is your center," he stated, more an observation than anything else.

"Yes. She is. I can't imagine life without her." Steven brushed her unruly hair out of her eyes and kissed her eyelids.

"There will come a time when you will be without her." The man warned. "You will need to find a new center so this doesn't happen again."

Steven was speechless, not wanting to even contemplate such a time. But if she was okay now, that's all that mattered, the now. He smiled at her. "How can there be any other center but her?" he whispered, as much to her as anyone.

The man got up and started walking away. Steven looked at him for a second then put Asherah down and stood up, running after him. "Wait, please."

The man turned around and looked at him, expecting a question.

"Who are you?" Steven ran up to him, looking into his face. He could swear he could see stars in the blackness that made up the man's eyes.

"She has already told you, Steven." The man smiled kindly. Steven noticed that he was ageless, his skin was so smooth and reflective. "I am the Elder."

Sarah chewed on the tip of a paintbrush as she flipped the pages of the phone book. She had already called all the places she could think of and was now just flipping through the book to give her something to look at while thinking of what else she could do. She was worried for Steven but running out of options. He was missing and she felt she was the only one making any sort of effort to find him.

"You know, their directory is online, honey," Charley said as he worked on an article at his little workstation, trying to be helpful. "I can email you the link if you want."

"No, that's okay. I've already called all of the hospitals." She sat back, looking at Steven's wallet. Richard had stopped by that morning looking for him when he didn't show up for work. She found his wallet and phone in the little apartment on the roof, something he had never gone out without before. It was like he just disappeared into thin air. "I just don't know who else to call."

"Did you call the police?" Charley asked as he tapped away on the keyboard, trying hard to make his deadline. He was a little concerned for Steven, but felt that he would show up okay sooner or later and have an interesting story to tell about why he forgot is phone and wallet.

"Mm hmm. Yeah, I tried to file a missing person's report. You want to know what those idiots told me?" Sarah fumed, frustrated from the endless dead ends she was bumping into.

"I have a feeling you're going to tell me anyway." Charley grinned, looking over his shoulder at her as he tried to write. Sarah was not hesitant at expressing herself in the least. That's what made life so interesting around her.

She gave him a look, waggling her paintbrush at him, then continued, "They said he has to be missing for twenty four hours and I have to be a legal guardian or spouse." She kicked her easel in frustration, then had to reach out to stabilize her painting to keep it from falling. "What a bunch of bureaucratic morons." She turned to Charley, holding out her hands in exasperation. He decided it was prudent to stop his typing and give her his undivided attention, given her mood. She pointed her paintbrush at him and continued, "And furthermore, they said he probably just partied late or ran away!"

"Well, he stays up late and parties with us," Charley said, trying to inject some logic into the discussion. "And, he is a runaway." The look on her face made him regret saying anything.

"Oh, shut up! You know what I meant." Sarah crossed her arms and turned back to glare at her painting. She was thinking it was going to be a lot of red today, with big splashes and mean strokes. "If there's one thing he's been, it's consistent. He always shows up early to work, never leaves his phone or wallet laying around, and he always is there to tend the gardens. Now he's simply not here. Without a call."

Charley sighed. Getting up, he walked up behind her and embraced her, putting his chin on her shoulder, grinning as he ended up having to blow a strand of her hair out of his face. "Sarah, he'll turn up later on and you'll get to yell at him or something. Maybe he's out doing something stupid and will drag himself home soon. I'm sure he's okay."