Life Before Earth chap 1

Do you think it's true the prophet hasn't returned because his father captured him?

THE PROCURATOR REVEALED

         
         
          “Good afternoon Blues listeners, this is Steve Jenks bringing you the noontime news for Aroostook County Maine on this gorgeous Flag Day in the year twenty-thirty-eight. First, a big shout out to Garic on his sixteenth birthday from his bro’s “D and C”.
          “Radio off!” Garic said just as the D J began his monologue. Garic smiled, I know you two are up to something. His attention then shifted to a phenomenon he had recently dreamt about and watched in disbelief as the dream began to materialize before his very eyes.
          A short distance from the front of the garage the air over the driveway began to change its appearance, reminding him of the shimmering air rising up from hot asphalt heated by the scorching noonday sun. Not all the air shimmered though. Only a defined section approximately seven feet in diameter seemed to be affected. It reminded him and on portal that opened before him. It was confirmed when he took a step toward it as he had in his dream and a tall man with very dark eyes suddenly appeared within the portal. Garic watched as the man looked about and then locked his gaze upon him. That had never happened in any of the dreams. I know I’m awake so none of this makes sense. Am I losing my mind? Am I asleep and don’t know it? Unsure of what was happening, he felt his heart rate begin to accelerate when the words from one of his mother’s lessons entered his mind.
          “No matter how dangerous the confrontation you’re up against, Never Panic! Panic scrambles the mind and spawns mistakes… mistakes that could be fatal.”
          Garic took a deep breath, let it out slowly, then another and he felt his body begin to relax somewhat as he watched the stranger step out of the portal.
          In his dreams, Garic had never clearly seen the face of the man standing on the other side.
          Now that he could clearly see him, he recognized him at once because of his eyes. They were a very dark blue, almost black, and they were locked on Garic as though he were prey being sized up by a predator. Garic also noticed four clearly defined white scars running down the man’s left cheek. They started from just below his eye and ended at his jaw line. A reflection of sunlight off a reflective surface caught Garic’s eye, and he shifted his gaze from the man’s face to his waist. On his left hip hung a sword in a glimmering scabbard and his right hand rested upon the hilt of a shorter blade in its scabbard secured to his right hip. Garic nonchalantly retreated a few steps until he was abreast of the open doorway to his left.
          The man advanced a couple steps, stopped and said, “No boy, you’re not imagining me. I’m real. The stranger scrutinized Garic more closely and a thin smile parted his lips. “By the look on your face, you’ve guessed who I am. Haven’t you my bastard son?”
          Garic recognized him immediately. In his dreams he had thought the man was an older version of himself standing in the opening of the portal. Not knowing for sure tormented his dreams. He was a tall man with dark blue, almost black eyes. Like mine.
          Father or not, Garic’s inner senses screamed danger and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Moving only his eyes, Garic glanced at the open doorway to his left, then back to his father.
          His father’s dark eyes suddenly brightened, then darkened, and a prickling sensation like the feeling of blood rushing back into a sleeping limb erupted within his body.
          Garic attempted to bolt for the door then, but his muscles would not respond. He tried calling out, but only a soft squeak exited from between his slightly parted lips. All he could do was suck in air, blink and move his eyes about, nothing more.
          “Quite an amazing power, don’t you think? The ability to disable the functions of certain muscles within another’s body yet leave other muscles completely unaffected.”
          “I might be wrong, but I think you were about to flee through the door; probably to warn the bitch I’m here, and that I cannot allow. She escaped me once, but not again. I have a score to settle with that bitch.”
          His father reached up with his left hand and ran his fingertips over his scars. His expression changed, as if he were deep in thought, remembering something.
          Garic concentrated on moving his hands and was rewarded with a slight twitch of his right index finger. His father advanced a couple steps then stopped. He pointed to various markings etched into the threshold of the garage and the beams framing the structure.
          “I have seen some of these runes before and I know they’ve been drawn by someone with the knowledge of their power and not by some human who got lucky with their drawings and placement. I know it’s not the Prophet or the Lifers. They’ve been neutralized. So, who is it I wonder, and why? Could it possibly be the Gatherers are involved and interested in you boy?”
          “They do supposedly have knowledge of the whereabouts of many of the Prophet’s Prophecies. Before today I had no idea you existed. I located the bitch, but you are a welcome bonus. Now as they say, I get to kill two birds with one stone.
          Or in this case, two birds with one blade.” He tapped the shorter blades hilt with his finger and smiled slightly. So, if they’re the ones who drew these runes, how could they possibly know you existed and are my son? Unless that is, you or the bitch is mentioned in one of the prophets prophecies.”
          “The Gatherers probably think they can use you against me in some way. As bait, perhaps. I enter this dwelling to confront you, only to find out I cannot leave.”
          “Use a pawn to capture a King. That’s what I would do. The worst thing that can happen is you lose your pawn. I know all too well how such traps work. I’ll let you in on a little secret, since you won’t be around to repeat it.” Smugness invaded his father’s voice.
          “I’ve used such traps in the past and one in particular has served me quite well.”
          His father’s eyes narrowed, and his voice grew angry as he glared at Garic and said.
          “I’ve been waiting for over two thousand years for control of Life and now that I’m so close to fulfilling that goal, I’m not about to let any self-serving Gatherers interfere with my plans. The Gatherers refuse to accept the inevitable and continue to help a race that has already doomed itself. They probably think since you carry my genes you might have inherited some of my powers. They have always underestimated me boy and that will be their undoing.”
          “What they don’t know is, I took precautions for mistakes like you and had myself genetically altered some time ago. I passed a unique gene onto you and since your first breath it has been maturing within you and eventually, it will kill you. That is unless you were to receive a single little drop of my blood.” His father let out a chuckle, then said.
          “Just imagine boy, if I so desired, I could awaken powers within you that are beyond your wildest imagination. You could be the most powerful being on this planet, second only to me of course, but that’ll never happen. I’ll never accept a human bastard, mine or not to possess the knowledge of my race. Come to think of it, I’m surprised you’re not dead already, seeing how you’re half human. Maybe you’re stronger than most humans. It’s rather simple. I will decide who is worthy enough to receive my blood and the knowledge of my race. I will not allow a weak-minded half-human such as you to receive any of my powers. You’re not worthy of such knowledge. You should never have taken a breath upon this planet, but those that serve me, failed, and allowed the bitch to escape.”
          Garic didn’t think he could hate anyone, but hearing his mother repeatedly referred to as a bitch changed his mind.
          He began to focus on the hatred welling up inside him. He drew upon its power as he struggled to move his arms. His spirits rose when he felt a twitch in his right shoulder and his middle finger moved.
          “I might have underestimated you boy. I can release your paralysis, or over time it wears off if not reinforced, but I noticed your shoulder and finger movement just now. Quite impressive for a half breed.”
          “Maybe there’s more of me in you than I realized. Doesn’t matter though, you’ll both be dead soon enough. Believe it or not; by killing you I’ll actually be doing you a favor. You’ll die quickly and painlessly instead of slowly and in great pain. I figure it’s the least I can do. After all, I am your father.” His father chuckled again.
          Garic closed his eyes and focused on the muscles he wanted to use but was disappointed when all he could manage were a few minor twitches. Opening his eyes, he watched his father scrutinize the runes more closely. Garic realized then that he had not felt fear since witnessing the unbelievable entrance of his father. Now fear breached his defenses and was beginning to attack his mind. Not fear of what might happen to him, but fear of what might happen to his mother. Soon she would return and he was incapable of defending her or even calling out to warn her.
          Garic then focused on trying to speak in order to tell his father that his mother wasn’t home. Just maybe his father would believe him and leave before she returned.
          “Well, boy, I need to try and find the Gatherers responsible for these runes and discover what they might know about any prophecies. Now you’re about to experience another one of my extraordinary powers. The power to communicate with a race of beings such as you without having to vocalize the words of your inferior race. I’ll start simple so as not to over work your puny little mind.”
          Garic’s eyelids popped open when an unnerving sound shattered the air and what he witnessed amazed him. He watched his father spin to his left and in a blink his sword was free of its scabbard and in his right hand prepared for any threat that might come his way.
          Two overly large coon cats erupted from the shrubs along the other side of the driveway. Hissing and snarling at one another with tails all bristled out and held high. Garic had seen other cats act in that manor just before a fight broke out. Garic watched and listened to the hisses and snarls of the cats as his father said over his shoulder.
          “Cats! I detest cats! Let them come a little closer and I’ll have their heads.”
          As his father watched the two cats confront one another, out of the shadows a large fly appeared flying straight towards Garic’s face. When the fly was no more than a couple of inches from Garic it veered to its right and disappeared from sight. A short time afterwards, Garic felt a warmth begin to grow at the base of his neck before spreading throughout his veins with every heartbeat. He became alarmed when the warmth turned hot and he closed his eyes and ground his teeth together as extreme pain exploded down his spine to the bottom of his feet then concentrated between his shoulder blades. The hot transformed into a searing heat as though it were a blow torch burning its way up through his flesh on its quest to reach the surface. Just when he thought he might pass out from the pain, it ceased completely. Garic inhaled deeply through his nostrils and his spirits rose when his right hand closed into a fist at will. He uncurled his fingers when the smaller cat turned and ran and the larger cat gave chase.
          His father then slid his sword back into its scabbard and it made an audible clank when its hilt came to rest. He turned his attention back to Garic and said.
          “Now, where was I before being so rudely interrupted? Ah, yes, a simple question for a simple mind. What’s your name, boy? Just think your name and I will understand and.”
          A tingling sensation erupted within Garic’s skull and then an itch followed that he could not reach up and scratch. He watched his father’s mouth and lips open and close as words entered his mind without sound, but he understood he was asked his name.
          “I’m waiting, boy, and I don’t like to be kept waiting!”
          “Well, if you don’t like to be kept waiting, then read my thoughts! You screwed up! My mother isn’t here. You might as well kill me now and leave because I have no fear of you. When whatever you did to me wears off, I won’t go down without a fight, sword or no sword!” The itch suddenly left Garic’s skull as his father said aloud.
          “I hate to admit it boy, but I like your attempt at bravado while facing death. Many of my minions wouldn’t display such courage when faced with certain death. As for that bitch you call a mother not being here, you’re lying. You see, my crystals would not have opened the portal if she were not alive and close by.” Then Garic heard himself say aloud.
          “Well, boy, go ahead and kill me! I’ll die knowing that with all your powers a human female bested you and bitch slapped you but good. If you ask me, that makes you, her BITCH, Bitch, now choke on that!
          There was no crazy outburst from his father but the daggers racing from his eyes spoke volumes. Garic knew his assumption was correct. It was his mother that scarred his father’s sorry ass.
          “I’m impressed you have a weak voice so soon, but you dare address me, your father, with such insolence? I’m done with you! I’ll retrieve any useful information from your puny mind and then deal with the bitch. I have changed my mind though.”
          “I was going to kill her quickly after I used her to remove my scars, but now, because of your insolence, I’ll turn her over to my men as a plaything to do with as they wish.”
          Pure hatred boiled up within Garic and he felt the paralysis holding his body hostage begin to weaken. His father then said.
         “There’s something strange about you boy. I know I’m in your head, but your mind seems to be blocked to me.”
          “Your human mind is not strong enough, so it must be something else. I don’t think you possess much useful information anyway. I really don’t need to know your name before I kill you. I think our father and son bonding time has come to an end. I’ll get all the information I need from the bitch.”
          Garic fought his paralysis. His right arm bent upward at the elbow and the middle finger of his closed fist jutted straight up as two loud words burst forth from his mouth. “LOCK DOWN!” On the nearby bench Garic’s phone picked up the command and there was no mistaken the sound coming from the direction of the house as steel shutters locked into place over all windows and steel bolts from reinforced doors slid into place.
          “There, Boy! The house is locked down so you can’t get in and security has been notified. They’ll be here soon, and they use guns, not swords. So, if I were you, I’d take your ugly face and crawl back through your portal while you still can.”
          Garic took some solace knowing he had pushed the right buttons but was not prepared for what transpired next. For only a split second a hideously distorted face appeared over his father, then vanished. Garic closed his eyes, took a deep breath, shook his head and then reopened them. He watched as his father withdrew the blade from his waistband with his right hand and cock it back, in the process of forward motion to release the blade, then stopped and looked in the direction of the house. His father once again drew his arm back then forward and released the blade at Garic.
          If he could have, Garic would have flinched from the explosive sound of glass shattering and wood splintering that came from the direction of the house.
          He did not close his eyes when his father released the blade but watched it flip end over end as though it was rotating in slow motion.
          In the house, Denyra placed her phone on the counter after finalizing the details for the delivery of the cake to celebrate Garic’s 16^th birthday. She then picked up the two smoothies from the counter and turned towards the door just as the multi screen alarm monitor near the door came alive with the alert: House Lockdown Activated!
          What Denyra saw on the security screens chilled her to the bone. Still, she did not panic or hesitate. She instantly reacted by releasing both smoothies as she headed for the house security door which exploded outwards as though it were made out of cardboard.
          Moving faster than humanly possible, Denyra was only a blur as she raced through the garage door in front of her son and smiled when she felt the dagger meant for him penetrate her chest.
          Denyra grabbed hold of the dagger’s hilt and unable to slow her forward momentum slammed into her SUV with such force that the passenger door buckled, its glass shattered, and the airbag deployed. Denyra rebounded backwards, slammed into the floor on her right side while still clutching the dagger with her left hand.
          Garic had no idea what the blur was that blew past in front of him and collided with his mother’s car, but whatever it was had hit his upper arm on the way by and upended him. Restricted by the grip of the paralysis Garic was unable to break his fall and the right side of his skull struck the edge of a cinder block on the garage floor. Sparks of multicolored lights exploded behind his eyelids and pain erupted within his body from his head to his toes.
          A groan escaped Denyra’s lips as she slowly regained consciousness and opened her eyes in search of her son. Her spirits sank when she saw him lying on the floor a short distance from her right hand and blood visible around his head. She held the dagger with her left hand as she dug her right fingernails into a crack in the floor and inched herself forward toward her fallen son. As she did, she said in a labored voice.
          “I’m so sorry Garic. Please forgive me for not telling you about your father sooner. I had hoped he had stopped hunting me and would not find us.”
          Garic’s eyes popped open at the sound of his mother’s labored voice. She was on her side, and he could see her clutching the hilt of the dagger meant for him with her left hand as she reached towards him with her right. Garic stretched his arm out towards his mother and their fingertips touched. Denyra’s eyes fluttered open and she smiled at her son.
          “I love you Garic!” Denyra coughed weakly then, her eyes closed, and she went silent.
          “I love you mom! You’ve preached to keep fighting with every ounce of strength you have and then fight some more. So, fight some more mom!”
          The enraged voice of his father got Garic’s attention, and he fought to move his head to see his father. The pain in his head was intense and he felt the warm stickiness of blood on the side of his face.
          “You prunar bitch!” His father screamed as spittle flew from his mouth. He launched into a tirade of what sounded like words but were all foreign to Garic. Then he switched back to English and continued in a loud angry voice.
          “You prunar bitch. No more will you defy me. I will have your head here and now and be done with you. Then I will retrieve my dagger from your lifeless body and cut out your bastard son’s heart and show it to him while it still beats. Then I’ll put your heads in jars.”
          His father took a step towards Denyra and began withdrawing his sword, but what happened next came as a complete surprise to Garic. By the expression that came over his father’s face, it was a surprise to him as well.
          In one fluid motion, Garic went from lying on his side on the garage floor to a vertical position and staring at his father with hatred in his eyes and his father saw it.
          He stopped dead in his tracks with sword partially drawn. It was only the slightest of hesitations, but what was more revealing was the look his father revealed if only for a nano second. Garic didn’t miss the look. His father freed his sword and continued his advance, determined to kill radiated from his eyes. Tasting blood, Garic spit it out as hard as he could towards his father and was rewarded when it hit the toe of his father’s right shoe. A smile parted Garic’s lips as his father’s face turned red with rage. Then again Garic felt the prickling sensation in his head, but it was a different inner voice communicating with him.
          “Focus your mind on the hatred you feel towards this individual and let its power grow within you. Let the power build within you until you feel you can no longer contain it. That’s when it’s time to expel that pent up energy outwards towards your enemy. Like a giant fist exploding from your chest and smashing into your enemy.”
          As soon as Garic heeded the words and focused on the hatred towards his father, he got a power rush of adrenalin unlike any rush he had ever felt before. It warmed him at first and then the heat began to intensify with every heartbeat that followed.
          Enraged, yet considering what had just happened, Garic’s father slowed his advance and looked around as though he were looking for an unseen enemy. Garic focused on the power building within him as he watched his father advance more slowly now, his eyes darting about alert for danger.
          When his father was a few feet away from his mother he began to raise his sword upward and Garic focused his eyesight like they were laser beams on his father’s head, but on his upper torso because it was a bigger target.
          Please, words from my head be real and let me smash him but good. Not knowing what to expect, if anything, Garic was completely and utterly surprised by what happened after he visualized punching his father as hard as he could on the side of his head.
          No sooner had he visualized the punch then he felt all the energy of hatred he had called upon to give him strength center itself in his chest. A second later the energy exploded from his body in the form of a dark blue and bright white burst of energy that reminded him of a discharge from a high voltage transformer. The force of the energy slammed into his father with such force that it sent him soaring backwards through the air before landing heavily upon his back with the distinct grunt and whoof as the air was painfully expelled from his lungs. His father regained his footing quickly though, took a couple deep breaths and veered away from Denyra and towards his son. Once again Garic focused on his hatred, but this time instead of feeling the power grow stronger within him, it was as though his head were placed in a giant vise and that vise was now closing. Garic’s hands shot up and grabbed his head as excruciating pain exploded from within his skull. A short time later his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed to the floor as though he were a marionette having had its strings severed.
          When Garic’s father reached his son’s crumbled body, he was not prepared for what he saw upon his son’s shirtless back.
          His mark was clearly visible, but of greater concern to him and a little unnerving was the shock of seeing his son’s birthmark enclosed within the mark of the prophet. Seeing the mark upon his son’s back caused his father to look to the sky and bellow out loud.
          “Not possible,” I would know if the prophet were free of his prison. Well, so be it. Prince or not I’ll cut our marks from your flesh and there’ll be no proof you ever existed. You’ll never regain consciousness so there’ll be no chance of you telling anyone about our little secret.” His father lowered his sword and placed its razor tip next to the marks on his son’s back. He handled the long sword with such precision it was as though he were a surgeon handling a simple scalpel. The razor tip of the sword sliced into Garic’s flesh as though it were slicing into warm butter. When the blood appeared and started flowing down his son’s back his father stopped cutting, his eyes widened and a look Garic never expected to witness came over his father’s face. A look of fear, if only for a nano-second, but it revealed itself. Garic’s father then raised his sword above his head and in a loud and overwhelming angry voice he screamed.
          “I don’t know how my altered blood has come to be present within you. I’ll take your head and find out how and why later. Then any more of my remaining blood in your system will die off and be useless to anyone trying to examine it.” He then swung his sword downward towards the middle of Garic’s neck, but it never made contact.
          The downward swing of his father’s sword came to an abrupt stop, as though it had struck a hard unseen object. Then, suddenly his father along with his sword were pulled backwards and disappeared into the portal from whence he had arrived.
          The portal remained open for a few seconds longer and then its distinct outline dissolved into a silvery mist that drifted away into nothingness.