Available Darkness Season 1
though they’d been dumb enough to keep Caleb’s first name for reasons John never understood. But then again, the Guardians often did things that seemed to fly in the face of logic. Hell, they had Caleb out in the field chasing down the very bad guy who was looking for him. A pretty ballsy move.
As Hope mumbled incoherently and lost consciousness, John remembered the time he and Hope had to have their dog, Sinbad, put to sleep last year. Sinbad was old and his body was failing him. John could still remember the look in his dog’s eyes as the veterinarian injected the solution to put Sinbad “down.” It was an expression of love, confusion, and—perhaps John imagined it—but the briefest glimpse of betrayal, a how can you do this to me?
Hope’s eyes held that same look as they looked up at him and closed.
And it crushed him.
John laid Hope down on the bed and kissed her one last time. He wished she’d been awake for the kiss, but perhaps this was for the best. He needed to cut free from her now and find Jacob. He left the room above Larry’s warehouse and nodded to Adam and Larry, sitting together on a tattered couch watching an episode of Seinfled .
John said, “She’s ready.”
* * * *
CHAPTER 8 — Caleb Baldwin
In a dream of long ago…
In the dream, Caleb was back in his childhood home, a boy, waking to the sound of his father beating on his mother—again.
Caleb cowered under his blankets, praying for the sound to stop. Night after night, the monster tormented them. The boy cursed himself each night for not being older, stronger, or brave enough to stop it.
Why did God make monsters? And if He didn’t make them, why did He allow them to exist? To torment those around them? Why would He randomly kill people around the world every day—innocent, good people, living their lives, while allowing a monster like his father to hurt his family and grow stronger each day?
Downstairs, the fighting fell to silence.
The boy was both relieved, and feeling guilty as he turned from the door to face his wall and window. Now that the monster was done beating his mother, he’d soon be standing in the boy’s doorway, watching his son with eyes full of hate, waiting to see if Caleb would turn or wake so he could punish him for the high crime of drawing breath.
The boy’s door creaked open.
He instantly regretted turning away from the doorway. Now he couldn’t peek to see if his father was standing, coming closer, or what. He could only listen and wait, watching through half-closed eyes as his father’s shadow crisscrossed his wall, praying it wouldn’t fall on him.
“I know you’re awake, boy,” his father said, the word “boy” a nasty hiss.
Caleb breathed deeper into his silent mask.
Footsteps.
“I said, ’I know you’re awake. Boy.’”
Caleb’s heart slammed in his chest. The moment he’d been fearing. He considered waking, admitting to the ruse, but feared more wrath from his father. He’d committed to the lie—better to wait it out, and hope his father would give up.
Instead, he felt his father’s hands press down on the bed as he leaned in close to the boy’s head and whispered, “I said, I know you’re awake, boy.”
His father’s alcohol-soaked breath was hot on his neck. He felt tears streaming down his face. Then piss down his legs.
“Jesus Christ, did you piss yourself?!” his father screamed, smacking the boy in the back of the head sharply.
Caleb howled. Moments later the bedroom lights flicked on and his father stood, staring at him in disgust. “You fucking moron, you pissed the bed!”
“I’m sorry,” Caleb cried out, “I’m so sorry.”
“Goddamned right you are,” his dad yelled, “You’re gonna get up right this instant and wash these sheets.”
His father reached out to grab Caleb by the hair, and grabbed a big clump when he started convulsing, pulling the boy’s hair even harder.
Caleb screamed out, and reached up to push his father’s hands away, but instead, his hands locked onto his father and he felt hot energy leaving his father and coursing into his veins.
The boy shuddered as cold fire erupted in his body, spreading from his hands into his limbs and into his chest. He’d never felt more alive or more … powerful .
What’s happening?! I’m… feeding from him!
Suddenly, Caleb saw flashes—memories, not his own, flooding his mind, too fast to make sense of.
Memories of being a young girl, riding on the back of her
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