Chapter 42: Chapter 42

Tessa

Tessa’s Apartment, New York City

The sky was quiet, but the environment was not. A flock of evil looking birds had taken down a lone figure trying to fight them off, she heard his grunts of exertion as he swung a bladed weapon at them, all around him were carcasses of the same birds that were attacking him.

“Get away!” the familiar sounding man shouted, slicing away at the still attacking birds, he pointed an open palm at them and conjured a stream of fire, but they easily dodged his attacks due to him being apparently tired.

Everything was on fire, buildings that were not modern to her eyes were ablaze, a tall palace was slowly being torn down by blasts of magic. The stones from its tower fell into the plaza below it, splattering the panicking people running below it.

It was a gristly sight and Tessa put her hand towards her mouth in shock. Blood and fire were everywhere, people that looked like knights were trying to fend off hideous looking creatures with crude weapons.

Her attention returned to the figure fighting off birds and he was finally knocked down by his enemies, Tessa gasped violently as the man stared her in the face as he fell, blood running down his head and muttering the word “Run.”

It was Colter. He had been taken down and captured by these things.

She remembered the incident that involved Vida being violated by a stranger.

“Holy shit!” Tessa screamed out loud, her eyes snapping awake, beads of sweat were visible on his forehead and mouth.

“Motherfucker, if you’re going to give me visions at least show me the winning numbers of the lottery!” she ranted at whoever it was that was giving her these sights, “Am I some sort of oracle-bitch lady? What the fuck is going on, girl!”

She had made up so much noise that her walls suddenly shook with a loud thumping from her neighbors, “Quiet in there, Rodriguez! It’s 12 fucking o’clock! Let people sleep!”

Knocks also started on her door, and Tessa looked sheepish as it seems she had disturbed the peaceful, dreamless sleep of her neighbors. In a way, she envied that.

Vida

Vida’s Apartment, New York City

Still jittery from Colter’s hug, she was not able to get any second of sleep. Annoyed, she suddenly felt the craving for something spicy, like a bowl of ramen. Like really, really spicy! Her hungry brain said and Vida’s mouth watered at the prospect of eating hot ramen at this cold hour.

“I’d love to slurp some noodles” Vida thought, gathering the will power to get changed and grab an instant one at the nearest convenience store.

Sighing to herself, but still happy that Colter had hugged her previously, she grabbed her coat and put it on. She had not changed into anything else, she simply put a coat over her pajamas and left her apartment.

As she walked in the hallways, she heard a slight disturbance in Colter’s room.

“What…?” she said, trying to discern what was happening inside. Scenarios played in her head, like maybe Colter was fighting off attackers or worse, he was having sex with another woman!

The apartment walls were bare and thin, so any noise would surely be heard by anyone in the hallway, she pressed her head against it and heard sounds of struggling.

Colter was screaming, she could even hear his bed creaking, as if trying to fight something or someone.

“No! Get away!” Colter shouted in a monstrous roar that made Vida jump as she tried to listen in, “Get away from that!”

Worry filled her head as Vida immediately headed towards the door and knocked while repeatedly calling for Colter’s name.

“Colter! Open up, it’s me Vida. Open up. Come on now” she said rapidly, her knocks quickening and intensifying.

Groaning, she twisted the door knobs and realized it was not locked, she yanked the door open and went inside, straight into Colter’s bed room.

She saw him, asleep but screaming and thrashing wildly, as if he was being tied up and attacked at the same time.

“Colter?” Vida whispered poking him in the stomach, but there was no response to it.

He was still thrashing about like a cornered animal, pleading and muttering obscenities at whoever was attacking him in his dream.

“Colter.” Vida repeated shaking him violently this time, but yet again, the man did not budge or respond to her touch.

“Colter!” Vida screamed directly at his sleeping face and still he would not answer her.

Worried and embarrassed at what she was about to do, she immediately mounted him and tried to calm him down by pushing him into the bed he was trying to get away from.

“This is going to hurt me more than it’s going to hurt you, apparently” Vida said with a determined look, she cocked her right fist and punched downward.

Her fist landed squarely on Colter’s nose, there was a slight crunch as their flesh hit each other and Colter’s eyes popped awake at the sudden attack. Colter immediately got up and Vida was flung from above him with a dull thud.

“Ow!” Vida complained, getting up and holding her right hand gingerly, “That really, really hurt!”

Colter’s hand was on his nose this time, it was bleeding slightly as Vida had really put so much strength into it.

“Sorry!” Vida apologized immediately, “I could not get you up from whatever dream it was you were having, I was worried you were going to have a heart attack and die.”

Seeing that she was worried for his wellbeing, Colter shook his head and smiled, “Thank you, Vida. I had a nightmare…” Colter uttered, trailing off not wanting to tell Vida about seeing his home, an actual kingdom, on fire and being besieged by creatures of the night.

“Quite a punch there, tiger” Colter commended her, and Vida grinned showing him her right fist which was sore.

She got up and went into the kitchen, while Colter tried to get his bearing back. Returning moments later, she was carrying a glass of water and handed it for Colter to drink.

Grateful for the care, he gulped it down and felt Vida tap his shoulder.

“Whatever dreams you were having, it was just a dream. Those dreams are usually never real…” Vida started, remembering the wet dream she had and blushed, “Usually. It will be okay, you just have to shake it off, okay?”

Colter had nodded at these words of comfort, but it just would not leave his mind. He had seen things that would horrify anyone and anything, even the greatest of fighters.

“Now then, since you don’t have ice for my swollen right fist, you’ll need to accompany me!” Vida announced playfully, “Let’s go grab some hot ramen and ice! Consider this as making up for hurting me with your face!”

Colter grinned at his, happy for the distraction that Vida was providing and said:

“Yes, sure. Let us get this hot ramen and ice. It sounds tasty”

“You know that you usually don’t put ice in ramen, right?” Vida asked him, confused.

“Uhm yeah… sure” Colter answered unable to think of what to say next.

---

Colter

Convenience Store, New York City

The cashier grinned at them, a couple in their sleeping clothes had just ordered two bowls of large ramen and a bag of ice.

The sky was visible over the windows of the store as Colter and Vida sat facing each other, eating ramen in silence. He saw that Vida had put a bag of ice on her right hand, and was gamely trying to get used to eating with her left.

“This ramen thing is good” Colter commented, taking a long slurp of the wormy substance called ‘noodles’, “The broth is amazing and the ingredients used complements it!”

“Shuff uff anff eaff” Vida told him, a mouthful of ramen making her speech unrecognizable.

He was now haunted by these thoughts and visions, realizing his hypocrisy earlier at wanting to stay with Vida in here forever, he knew he needed to help repel whatever the hell these things were. His heart was torn between staying with this human or going home to help defend the kingdom from whatever it is that was attacking them.

“Vida… I would like to ask you to always take care of yourself, do not let yourself be caught outside in the dark night.” Colter started and Vida just stared at him, eating her ramen peacefully.

“The kindness you have shown me during these past few days will be unforgettable. I will embroil them in my thoughts for all of eternity. Promise me that you will take care of yourself, and that you will always watch over yourself and even Tessa too.”

Annoyed, realizing that Colter was apparently saying goodbye to her over a bowl of ramen, Vida glared at him.

“Nope. You don’t get to say goodbye to me. Not yet, mister.” In her mind, she was worried, Colter suddenly changed because of these dreams and the hug that he gave her earlier still echoed in her body.

Colter tried to explain something but Vida immediately cut him off, not allowing him to get a word out.

“No!” Vida said in a steely voice, “Of all the foods, you say goodbye to me over a bowl of cheap ramen?!” Her outrage was now showing and Colter tried to placate her with hand gestures.

“My birthday is closing in.” She said suddenly, shifting the topic in another direction, “I want us to celebrate. We could go for some steaks and wine. Or barbecue. I know you’d love that. Tessa can come too!”

“Then let me greet you a Happy Birthday now, Vida.” Colter said quietly, “In case I would not be there when the day comes.”

He saw the emotions on her face, it was confusion, sadness and a little bit of anger. He felt her pain and he did not want to endanger her any further. He was troubled by dark visions, and Vida, being the person that she is, did not dare to prod any further.

As he took another scoop of his ramen, something in the mirror caught his eye. A visage of birds was visible in the night sky, with the moon providing enough light for anyone to see them.

“Fuck, it’s them!” Colter’s mind shouted at him, recognizing what they were and where they came from.