The Myth and The Guardian Book II: Christopher
Chapter 2

Joel Wilson had just returned home from the nearby gas station about a mile and a half away from his house. He turned the car off and looked across the street at the home he had often stared at over the last five years. The light from the first bedroom of the house suddenly came on for a moment. He stared a little longer at the light before it was switched off again.

“On and off in the blink of an eye.” He thought about the irony of the light switch. The boy he worried about daily had been there in that same room of the house, and he was there to be seen one moment and gone the next just like the light.

Joel wondered about his lost friend, and he could not imagine what the boy must be going through, but he was sure that Austin was out there in the world with no light to guide him to the place he once called home. He felt guilty as he mourned the loss of the child more than the loss of his friends and colleagues, the Andersons. They were a nice family, but they could not deny their own greed which led to their disappearance. It had not been three months after the family disappeared when Joel found the book with nothing on the cover. A book that was the answer to the questions he had been struggling to answer since the family took their trip to South America and a book that was left to him by someone who did not want to reveal his or her identity.

Although the professor was familiar with the story inside of the book, he had never actually read the story before he received a copy out of nowhere. The ending nearly drove him insane as he tried to imagine the scenes that had taken place. He was not one to believe in such nonsense, but the proof was stronger than his skepticism. The educated man knew that there were things that he could not explain or understand, and he had accepted that a higher power existed to oversee the lives of humans. The events of the book suggested something more than just spiritual nature, religious belief, and faith. The contents of the book were so close to magic of the darkest kind that he did not want to believe in anything at all anymore especially the story. The man denied the truth for as long as he could, but he soon had to accept the possibility that the book, the boy, the fountain, and the events revealed inside of the book were all real.

His friends, neighbors, and colleagues had been murdered by the gifted young boy they had adopted. Austin was so loving and kind, but the other part of him was exactly the opposite. The professor knew that his young friend cared about the world and the people that lived in it more than any normal person was capable of caring. Love of that intensity can only come from the purest of souls, but there is always dark to balance the light that exists in the human species.

“Austin had to be the boy from the story, and he had to do what he did for the rest of the world. Damn it! I warned them not to continue their search for the fountain, but they would not listen to me! Joel thought to himself.

He thought of Austin some more and tried to imagine what the boy would do once he returned.

“Where will he go? What will he do? He will not remember any of it. Why did this happen to such a gifted and special child? He was just a boy. It wasn’t fair! He thought as his mind became frustrated with each thought.

“Nice night isn’t it?” said a strange man standing in the middle of the street. Joel turned around quickly and saw the source of the voice.

“What?” he asked as he lost focus on his own thoughts.

“I said it’s a nice night.” the strange man repeated.

“Oh yes. I suppose it’s as nice a night as any.” Joel said trying to be polite.

“Are you sure about that, Mr. Wilson?” the stranger asked moving a little closer.

“What do you mean by that?” Joel asked with no attempt at hiding his confusion.

“Take a look at the moon.” The stranger said looking up into the night sky.

Joel copied the man’s actions and looked up at the moon as well.

“It’s beautiful. It looks different tonight.” Joel said as he took in the beauty of the moon.

“Yes, I agree. It almost looks like a glowing jewel of some sorts. Resembles a giant pearl doesn’t it?” The man added in a mysterious voice.

“I suppose it does. I guess I never noticed it.” Joel said now looking at the stranger in the road.

“Maybe you of all people should be the one who notices.” The strange man replied.

“What makes you say that?” Joel asked quickly.

“Well, I just assumed that you had seen the moon look like this before or maybe you’ve read a description of it looking like this in a book.” The stranger added walking a little closer.

Joel took a moment to think and remembered a passage from a paragraph on the first page of the book he had been left:

“The moon was completely visible and illuminated the beautiful dark sky, however, the glow from the moon appeared a bit brighter than usual. The enhanced shine could not be detected by those who never paid much attention, but there was something different about the moon on this night. The routine mixture of white and faint yellow was replaced by a vivid mystical glow which made the moon resemble an enormous pearl.

“You left me the book, didn’t you? Who are you? Where is Austin? Joel said letting the questions pour from his mouth.

“Yes, I did leave you the book, and I know where he is and can take you to him immediately. As for my name, why don’t you just call me a friend?” The stranger said in a soothing voice.

“How do you know about him? Is he safe?” Joel asked one question after the other.

“We will have plenty of time to talk inside of the car on the way.” The stranger replied.

Joel looked at the man for a moment trying to figure out if he could trust the stranger who refused to share his name.

“You can trust me, Mr. Wilson. I have his best interest in mind, and I know that he needs your help right now.” The man added.

“Let’s go.” Joel said getting back into the car.

The car was racing along the road and the mysterious passenger took notice of the speeding.

“Slow down, Mr. Wilson. He is not in any immediate danger.” The stranger said in a reassuring tone.

“Well, where is he?” Joel asked again.

“He is at the hospital about fifteen miles from here. I believe the name of it is...” The man said before being interrupted.

“I know the hospital. It’s where my children were born.” Joel said in a calm tone. “Are you sure he is okay? Hospitals usually mean something is wrong.” Joel added quickly.

“Oh yes. He is okay right now. Although, I must warn you that he will not be okay for long.” The man said in an ominous tone of voice.

“What does that mean?” Joel asked trying to keep his eyes on the road. “Something happened to him. Something that needs to be figured out and explained in order for us to know what to do next.” The stranger said softly.

“Like what? And why do I get the feeling that I am not included in the “us” that you mentioned?” Joel asked while unintentionally speeding again.

“No, you’re not included. Let’s just say when everything did not happen as it was supposed to happen, it made the rest of us concerned for Austin as well as the rest of the world.” The man said with enormous secrecy in his tone.

“What went wrong and how do you know all of this?” Joel asked becoming even more confuses.

“You read the book I left for you, did you not?” The man asked.

“Yes, I read it several times.” Joel replied.

“Well you will understand what went wrong when we get to our destination and see him. As for how I know as much as I do, I can answer the question, but you will only get more confused because the information I am allowed to share is limited.” The man said with the same mysterious tone he seemed to love.

“Fine by me. Answer the question please.” Joel said hoping he would learn something worthwhile.

“Austin is a very “special” young boy. He exhibits certain characteristics that can only be perceived as supernatural. He was chosen to fulfill an extremely arduous task for the betterment of mankind as I’m sure you are aware of that by now.” The man said slowly and carefully.

“Yes, I am aware of his burden that you refer to as a task. I am also aware of how unfair it is to put that type of responsibility on a child.” Joel said in a matter of fact tone.

“Exactly, Mr. Wilson. It is most certainly unfair to ask that of anyone especially a child. We all agreed that this destiny should belong to one of us. Many of us would have taken on the burden, but I’m afraid the choice is not ours.” The man said staring out of the passenger window.

“Wait, who are you people and how do all of you know about Austin and his “destiny” as you call it?” Joel asked becoming even more confused as the man had predicted.

“Mr. Wilson, given the extended period of existence and the importance of the item needing to be guarded, not to mention the burden that comes with being chosen to complete this duty, you could not have really believed that Austin was the only one.” The man said slowly staring down as if trying not to think of bad memories. “Wait, are you telling me that there are more people out there like Austin?” Joel asked feeling his excitement building from the news.

“Yes and No. There are others, but I would not exactly call us “people” or “like Austin”.” The man said slowly.

“If you are not people then what exactly are you?” Joel asked trying to understand what the man was trying to tell him.

“We are here.” The strange man said in a way that seemed like an answer and a statement combined.

Joel took the right turn into the hospital parking lot and parked the car. A police car pulled into the lot immediately after him and was followed by two more police vehicles and a couple of ambulances. Joel exited the car and looked around the see what the police were doing.

“Does this have anything to do with Austin?” He asked as he looked into his car at the empty passenger seat.

Joel looked around the parking lot quickly for any sign of the mystery man. After a couple of minutes of looking without any sign of the man’s whereabouts, He began walking towards the hospital entrance.

“Excuse me sir. I am afraid nobody will be getting in or out of this hospital for a while.” An officer said in spooked tone of voice.

“What do you mean? What exactly happened here, officer?” Joel asked slowly looking around the parking lot.

“Double Homicide. Two male orderlies have been murdered.” The officer said slowly.

“What? Murdered? By whom?” Joel asked quickly.

“That’s what we would like to know. Who are you, and what business do you have here?” The police officer asked in an overly captious tone of voice.

“I’m Dr. Joel Wilson, a professor at the University.” Joel said slowly. “Well, do you have any I.D on you professor?” The officer asked.

“Yes, I do.” Joel said pulling his wallet out and showing the officer his information.

The officer looked over his information for a minute and gave the wallet back.

“Okay, you are who you say you are.” The officer said.

“Why wouldn’t I be? Officer, I am not trying to make trouble, but I was told a friend of mine was at this hospital. Unless you think I had something to do with these murders which I couldn’t have done seeing as how my car arrived here seconds before yours, I am really going to need to get inside this hospital.” Joel said in a serious tone.

“No sir, I am not accusing you. I saw your car in front of mine, but I still cannot allow you to enter this hospital tonight. It’s a crime scene now. Nobody gets in or out.” The policeman said in a matter of fact tone.

“I understand that officer, but this friend of mine is just a kid. I demand that you let me in this door to check on him.” Joel said becoming angry.

“Look professor, unless you want me to drag your ass down to the station and label you as suspect number one, I suggest you get the hell out of my face and let me do my job. Your friend will be fine. No patients were harmed, but I have some psycho going into hospitals, stabbing the staff with syringes, cutting their throats, and throwing the bodies out of windows! So, go home and come back tomorrow.” The officer said placing a hand on his handcuffs to show his seriousness.

“Fine. I apologize officer. I am worried about a kid.” Joel said realizing the severity of the situation.

“I understand. Have a good night professor.” The officer said coldly.

Joel walked back to his car quickly and slammed the door before starting the engine. He placed the car in reverse, backed out of parking place, put the car in drive and left. His thoughts were racing about everything that had just happened. He was partially distracted the entire ride home, but he managed to make it to his house safely. His safe arrival was a bit of shock because he did not even remember making the turns to get to his home. His thoughts were proving to get the better of him, and he had another reason to fear for Austin’s safety with a murderer on the loose.

He pulled the car into the driveway and placed it in park before shutting off the engine. He placed his hands over his eyes and allowed his hands and head to rest on the steering wheel for a moment. This night had been the first time he had heard anything about Austin in years, but he was not even sure if the stranger knew Austin was still at the hospital.

“Supernatural things that I couldn’t even imagine, a lost boy, dead families, fountain of youth, hospitals, cranky policemen, strange people who kind of frighten me showing up on my street, and now a damn murderer on the loose. Can things possibly get any stranger than this?” Joel said out loud trying to make sense of all of it.

“Actually, they can.” said a voice from the backseat of the car. “Holy shhhh… What the…” Joel screamed out loud without finishing either phrase. “Who are you?” He added as he noticed the young boy sitting in the backseat.

“Joel, it’s me.” Austin said looking at his friend with a mixture of happiness and sadness in his eyes. “Austin?” It can’t be. You look so much older.” Joel said staring at the boy’s face.

Joel opened the driver’s door and exited the car, and Austin exited the car through the backseat of the driver’s side. The two of them stood there for a moment and stared at one another. After what seemed like minutes of staring at one another in complete silence, they both smiled at one another. Joel walked over and hugged the boy, and Austin embraced the man like he had to squeeze him to death to make sure he was real. The two of them stood in each other’s arms for the longest time and enjoyed every soothing second of the embrace. They finally disengaged the embrace and looked at each other again with smiles.

“I cannot believe you are standing in front of me, Austin.” Joel said placing a hand on the shoulder of his young friend.

“I can say the same Joel.” Austin said staring at the man as if he was taking a mental picture. “Joel, we have to talk about all that has happened. I woke up in the hospital and…” Austin began to talk quickly.

“Slow down, Austin. We will have plenty of time to talk about all of it in the morning. Right now, let’s go inside and get some sleep. I’m sure the family will be glad to see you.” said Joel in a relaxed voice.

“What are we going to tell them about Susan, Frank, and Chris?” Austin said with pain in his voice.

“Actually, everyone around here knows about their deaths. They do not know the truth obviously, but they know that your family died, and you went missing. I believe the main story involved a car crash in South America while you were at the hotel asleep. You can fill in the rest of the story yourself.” Joel said as he and Austin walked towards the front door of the house.

“Hey, Austin. Obviously that man told you that he showed me the book. I know what happened, and I’m sorry you had to go through that, man. I just want you to know that those of us who know do not blame you at all. We know it was not you.” He added as he looked Austin in the eyes. “Thanks Joel. That means a lot to know that you know the truth and still trust me to sleep under your roof.” Austin said in a grateful voice.

“You are my friend little guy, or should I say not so little guy. I’ll always be here for you, kid. I promise.” Joel said turning the knob on the door and entering the house. “I believe you remember the way.” He added with a smile on his face.

“Yeah, up the stairs third door on the left.” Austin said softly.

“If you hear yelling, don’t worry. I told my wife I would be home four hours ago.” Joel said in a playful tone of voice.

The two of them walked up the stairs together, and Austin felt like nothing would matter the rest of the night.

“Drinks and snacks in the mini fridge if you are hungry.” Joel said quickly.

“I’m fine Joel. Thanks.” Austin said letting his exhaustion show through his voice. “Joel?” Austin added quickly.

“Yes, Austin?” Joel replied politely.

“Where’s Alex?” Austin said with longing in his tone.

Joel walked closer to his bedroom door and smiled for a moment.

“We will talk about everything in the morning, I promise. Goodnight kid.” Joel answered playfully.

Austin looked at the man he had not seen in five years and smiled back.

“Goodnight.” He said before continuing his way to the room.

Austin woke from the nightmare with sweat covering his face, and his heart was racing as if he had been running. He looked at the clock on the table next to the bed and noticed the time. 8:00 a.m. He got up out of the bed and noticed some clothes folded on the dresser with a note on top of the pile. The note read: “These belonged to Joseph. Hope they fit.” Austin read the note aloud. He grabbed the clothes and went to the bathroom hoping a shower would clear his mind enough to think. The water was warm and refreshing as it hit his skin and removed the dirt from his body. His head was down, and he could see the dirty water fall down the drain. He closed his eyes for a moment, and the images from the dream returned to him at once. The two men from the hospital lying dead on the floor, the syringes that were used to kill them, and the window shattering as their bodies burst through the glass were cycling in his head. He noticed he had forgotten to breath and quickly gasped for air.

His eyes noticed the faint red color mixing with the water, and Austin looked at his hands. They were clean, but the blood had to be coming from somewhere. He searched every part of his body but could not locate the source of the blood. He looked back down, and the water was no longer red. He looked up and let the warm water hit his face for a moment. He closed his eyes again, and the images returned for a second time. He moved towards the back of the shower as he saw the impossible with his own eyes.

The water coming out of the shower was dark red and quickly filling up the tub. Austin took a breath and rushed under the blood to turn the water off, but the knob did not work. He turned around and began to panic as the he felt the bloody water pound on his back.

“I didn’t mean to kill them. I didn’t mean to kill them” He said with sorrow in his voice.

He heard the same evil laugh growing louder inside of his head and turned around quickly out of fear. He looked and saw the water was completely clear again, and the tub was not filled at all. Austin turned the water off and quickly jumped out of shower and grabbed a towel to dry off.

The steam from the shower had covered the mirror in mist. Austin’s hand trembled as he wiped the mirror clean with the towel, but he did not see what he expected. Instead, he saw his own reflection staring back at him with a terrified expression.

“What’s happening to me?” He whispered as he covered his head and stared down at the sink.

His hand started to move up toward the mirror on its own, and the other hand slowly touched his face.

“I think you already know the answer to that.” said the reflection that was now pale. “I told you I would do what needed to be done, and I got us out of that damn hospital.” the reflection added quickly.

“No, you murdered those men. They were not trying to hurt me and did not deserve what you did.” Austin said feeling the fear crawl up his spine.

“They wanted to lock us away. They wanted to dope us up and restrain us. Besides, you wanted them dead just as badly as I did.” the reflection said in cold voice.

“No. No, that’s not true. I would never hurt anyone on purpose.” Austin said hoping and believing the words were true.

“How would you know? You have not been whole in a long time Austin. You could have remained calm and allowed them to take you, but you chose to let me out instead. You wanted them dead and now they are dead.” the reflection said with a smile. “You did that!” Austin yelled.

“No. We did that!” the reflection yelled back in anger. “Just face it, Austin. You are not as weak as you were before we reconnected. You are finally succumbing to your true nature. I did what you allowed me to do because it is who we both are.” said the reflection in a soft and scary tone of voice.

“NO! I do not believe you. I refuse to believe I’m capable of...” Austin let the sentence trail off.

“What? Capable of what? Finish the sentence Austin. Use the word that is longing to be released from those frightened lips of yours. Say it!” the reflection passionately. “Murder.” Austin whispered.

“Yes. Murder. It feels good to say it doesn’t Austin? We are finally whole, and we will dispose of anyone of these heartless creatures that stupidly attempt to stop us.” the reflection said in the most serious tone that Austin had ever heard.

“Heartless creatures? Then what are you, guardian? What does that make you if normal people are heartless?” Austin said in a disgusted voice.

“Evolved. You were the best of the bright. You were given all the good that these people possess, and it was multiplied immensely. I am the opposite and was given all their anger, all their rage, all their hate, but I can only be as evil as they are capable of being. You were chosen to be the better part of us, Austin. Still, from the moment we reconnected, I felt something broken inside of you. Something that I had to fix. If I had allowed you to proceed with nothing but good inside of you then this world would have destroyed the both of us, and I refuse to let that happen.” the reflection said. “And enough of this guardian nonsense. Call me Christopher. After all that is our true name.’” Christopher said with what Austin could only perceive as excitement in his voice.

“Are you saying that we are whole because of something you learned from me?” Austin asked slowly. “Yes and no. I gathered the data from you about what these people have become, and I knew you needed me to keep you protected. I am certain that is a reason we are connected, but it is not sure the only reason we are connected. Something went wrong when you drank from that fountain, Austin. I say forget about it and enjoy the experience of being superior to these creatures at their own way of living.” Christopher replied.

“So, this is all...my fault?” Austin asked thinking about the two dead men.

“Oh, shut up and forget about the blame. Those animals deserved to be slaughtered, and you know it just as well as I do.” said Christopher with a smile on his face.

“Those people did not deserve to die like that. Nobody deserved to die such a horrific death. What about their families? Their children?” Austin asked on the verge of tears.

“What about them? We can replace them if you believe they will be a problem. If not, the little bastards will grow to be just as corrupt and evil as everyone else and will ultimately suffer the same end. That is not our problem.” Christopher said with no remorse in his tone.

“Enough! That’s enough!” Austin said as his sorrow was slowly turning to anger. “I can feel that, Austin. Look at you. You cannot even control your own emotions. How in the hell are you going to protect anyone or anything when you are so pathetic?” Christopher said in a mocking tone of voice.

“Quiet!” Austin shouted.

Christopher began to become less pale as Austin shouted and felt the rage growing inside of him.

“Yes. Keep it up. Trust that anger and cherish it. We will show the world the power that lives within true darkness.” Christopher said clenching his fist together.

“No. I will not let that happen.” Austin declared as he closed his eyes and focused on being calm.

“Try to ignore me all you want, but it will not work. I am a part of you now. The stronger part if you ask me.” Christopher said slowly.

Austin kept his eyes closed and continued to focus. Christopher began to look pale again.

“Look at me, Austin. Look at me.” Christopher said in a cold voice. Austin could feel himself feeling more peaceful with each breath. His hand suddenly made a fist and his eyes opened.

“I said look at me!” Christopher yelled as he made Austin’s hand strike the mirror.

The mirror cracked into two pieces, and Austin could see his own reflection in one half and Christopher in the other.

“See, what I mean? You are weak and pathetic. I am in control now.” Christopher said softly.

Austin noticed his hand bleeding from striking the mirror, but there was no pain at all. Instead, he felt better and stronger than he had before he hit the mirror.

“Do you feel that? Imagine how strong we will become with this gift. Pain becomes our power, and this world will offer an unlimited supply.” Christopher said with excitement in his voice.

Austin looked at his other self in disbelief, but he knew that Christopher was not mistaking. Austin held his bleeding hand up in front of the cracked mirror.

“Watch this.” Christopher added slowly. Austin looked into the mirror and saw Christopher’s eyes glow blood red for a moment and then return to normal. He glanced back at his hand and noticed the wound was completely healed.

“How did you do that?” Austin asked slowly.

“I told you, Austin. There is power in darkness, and I am going to make sure you take advantage of it. That’s a little trick I discovered after we jumped out that hospital window using those dead guys as cushions. The glass cut us rather deeply, but the pain made me stronger. Remember how you would hurt and it would suddenly go away? That’s because I feed from all pain. It makes me stronger. Emotional pain is nice, but I do not seem to be able to feel that while I’m in control. Physical pain is the rush I prefer.” Christopher said with an evil grin.

“You. You’re a monster.” Austin said realizing the unlimited potential of his darker self.

“Indeed, I am, and, thanks to this immensely flawed species, every day will be my Halloween.” Christopher said becoming so excited that Austin could feel the emotion himself.

“Christopher, I will replace a way to stop this. I will stop you. If there is power in darkness, then there is power in light. These people are capable of more love than you will ever know, and I will make that my power. I’ll replace my strength in them.” Austin said with all the seriousness that he had inside of him. Christopher blinked him eyes and they began to glow red again for a moment. Austin suddenly felt like a car had hit him and was thrown across the bathroom into a wall. He felt as if his entire body was broken and could not move at all. He began to feel weak and tired from the pain and knew he would not be conscious much longer.

“Clearly I have nothing to fear from your power source.” Christopher said and began to laugh.

Austin could hear the laughter fading inside of his head, and he was soon lying unconscious on the bathroom floor.