Chapter 29
Nick
“What the fuck are you?” I screamed at the thing Henry called a D’val. “Wolverine on steroids?”
I’d clearly gone insane if I was screaming at a homicidal monster and comparing it to a Marvel Universe character. This was the third time it had risen from the dead after I’d blasted it with powers I shouldn’t have. Which was itself more proof I’d lost my grip on reality.
This had been building for a while. First, I shattered a glass in my hand and then I watched the wound heal. Then I started working crazy fast, and finally I heard things like I was Superman. I almost laughed at the superhero references, but I was hallucinating I’d become one.
The D'val's shattered exoskeleton knitted back together with a wet, sickening sound. What had been a smoking pile of broken pieces moments ago was now a massive raging beast.
My hands still tingled from the last time I blasted the D’val. Blue-white sparks danced between my fingers. It felt like I’d channeled the output of a live power-line. Unfortunately, whatever this ability was, it wasn't enough.
Every time I tried to put it down so I could check on Henry, it resurrected itself and moved a little closer. I needed to try something different, but I didn’t know what I was doing or if I even had other powers.
Henry's body was still pinned to the wall by the dumpster. I wasn’t sure I could help him, but the fucking monster wouldn’t even give me a chance to check if he was alive. Afraid I’d break down if I saw Henry again, I avoided looking back and focused on taking out the creature.
The clicking sound from the D'val grew louder as it pulled itself back together. Fully regenerated, it looked bigger than before. I steadied myself and let the weird energy rush into me again.
Just as I was ready to attack, I was hit by a wave of dizziness.
The world tilted slightly, and everything seemed to swirl together.
I blinked hard, but the red brick walls were now the color of sand.
The cracked asphalt covered with blood and gore had shifted into smooth, clean concrete.
Even time itself appeared to change. It should’ve been middle of the afternoon, but the sky was as dark as midnight.
What the hell was going on?
A dull pain pulsed behind my eyes, making my head feel like it was about to explode.
I pressed the heel of my hand against my temple to stop the pain.
The D'val let out an awful sound again, which grated on my frayed nerves. It didn't matter what was going on or why I was in pain; if I didn’t stop this thing, I’d be dead and Henry too.
I refused to believe he was dead until I had a chance to check on him.
I reached deep inside for the power that had been coming so easily.
It bubbled up immediately, rushing through my veins like liquid fire.
Each time I used the power, the burning sensation got more intense.
Ignoring the pain, I concentrated all the power in my hands.
They glowed bright enough to cast long shadows in the now-darkened alley.
Thrusting my hands forward, I channeled every ounce of hate and grief into the attack. The blast that erupted from my palms was brighter than any before it, a solid beam of energy that hit the D'val squarely in its chest.
The creature shrieked, a sound that tore through my skull like a nail.
It tried to move forward against the energy beam, but the force drove it back until it slammed into the wall.
For a terrible moment, the D'val struggled against the stream.
I heard its body breaking and crackling under the assault before it finally collapsed into a heap.
My knees buckled, and I barely stopped myself from face-planting the concrete. Black spots danced in my vision. Each breath came in short, painful gasps as if I'd been running for hours. My skin burned so hot, I expected to see flames dancing down my flesh. But I wasn’t on fire or even smoking.
Despite a need to get to Henry, my legs refused to move. I slumped against the wall, sliding until I sat on the ground. Inside, I felt hollowed out, like the fight had consumed bones, internal organs, and blood.
Still panting, I looked for the D’val, but this time it seemed dead. Again. For now.
“Nick.”
I froze for a second. That was Henry's voice.
Hope surged through me, giving me the strength to stand, but when I checked on Henry, he was still pinned motionless against the wall.
“Nick,” there was such pain in his voice, it chilled my icy flesh. “Please, Nick. Look at me.”
I followed the voice to the opposite side, and saw Henry standing in the mouth of the alley.
He was unharmed, but visibly upset. I blinked hard, sure my mind was finally breaking under the strain. Two Henrys? No, the real Henry was dead. This other must be a ghost.
“Oh, God.” My knees gave out and I hit the pavement hard. The tears came fast, I couldn’t see the spirit moving toward me. “It killed you and it’s my fault.”
“No, babe, I’m not dead.” The voice was closer but was faint, and laden with grief. “I’m right here.”
It wasn’t possible. Henry’s lifeless body was pinned to the wall, and I created this illusion to pretend I hadn’t caused his death. “I killed you,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “You told me to run, but I stayed and distracted you. The thing threw the dumpster… I saw… Heard it hit you.”
“Nick, listen to me.” Ghost-Henry moved closer, but his footsteps made no sounds. “This isn’t real. You’re dreaming.”
It really was a nightmare if my brain told me I was dreaming. I tried to look at him, but the pain in my chest was worse than the burning skin. “I should have left… not been so stupid. You were trying to protect me, and I—” Tears choked off the rest of my words.
“You didn’t kill me,” Ghost-Henry knelt in front of me, close enough that I could see the concern in his eyes. “You're hallucinating. None of this is real except me.”
Finally I found the strength to meet his gaze. Through the tears he seemed so solid, except for the desperation in his eyes. Henry was always a rock, my rock. It was cruel how my mind made my final image of him look so sad.
I squeezed my eyelids shut. “I can't do this,” I said, my voice barely audible. “Please, don’t be dead. Please! I didn’t mean it, Henry. I swear I didn’t.”
I couldn’t see through my tears, and my nose was so full I could hardly breathe. He touched me and I tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let go.
“Oh, Nick.” His voice reflected my pain back at me. “Please, listen to me. I’m not dead and neither are you.”
I tried to push him away, but I couldn’t because I didn’t want him to leave.
“Look at me, Nick,” Ghost-Henry's voice was gentle but insistent. “Really look at me and listen to what I’m saying. I’m sitting next to you on a bed, trying to keep you alive, but I’m losing you. You're drawing in too much energy, and if you don't stop, you're going to burn out.”
I glanced at Henry pinned against the wall. The sight of him broken, made me want to scream until my voice gave out. “I can't—I don't—” I struggled to find words through the suffocating grief. “It's my fault. I should’ve run. If— you’d still—”
“Babe, stop. Please.” Ghost-Henry cupped my face and forced me to look at him. “This isn't your fault. None of it. The D'val was hunting you. I showed up to protect you.”
Henry might have done it on purpose, but by confusing me, a tiny bit of logic cut through my grief. “Why would it hunt me?”
“There's so much I need to explain.” Ghost-Henry wiped tears from my cheek. “Remember that night in Frederick I asked you to trust me and one day I’d tell you what I was holding back? I can tell you everything now.”
More curiosity further dulled my pain. “You can?”
“Yes, but you need to trust me again.” He finally smiled. “Can you do that? Just one more time. After this, I’ll never hold back anything.”
My voice didn’t work, so I nodded.
“Thank you.” He took my hands in his. “First, this is a dream, a nightmare your mind created after you saw me get hurt. I swear to you I am totally fine other than scared to death I’m going to lose you.
The only danger left is what's happening to your body. That energy you used to kill the D’val?
You're still pulling in more and it's killing you.”
I wanted to believe him desperately, but this felt like another trick my fractured mind played on me. “If this is a dream, why does everything hurt so much?”
“Because you’re burning yourself out, and it’s painful.” Ghost-Henry's expression softened. “Your mind is letting you feel your pain, hoping it will make you wake up. Right now, I'm holding your hand, trying to drain the excess energy before it burns you up from the inside.”
Something in his words resonated deep within me, cutting through the fog of grief. There was truth there, a truth I could feel but couldn't yet understand.
“I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m asking you to trust me, even if you don't fully understand.”
I looked away, and saw the D'val's broken form at the end of the alley start to twitch. Ghost-Henry followed my gaze. “It keeps coming back because you believe it will. This world only exists because you're creating it. The real D'val is dead, Nick. You and I killed it.”
I turned back to him, searching his face for any sign of deception. What if this was really my mind trying to cope with the guilt of causing Henry’s death? I didn’t want to wake up to a world where Henry had been killed.
“I need you to believe me, Nick,” Ghost-Henry’s voice had a new sense of urgency. “If you stay in this dream much longer, your body won't survive. And I—” his voice broke slightly, “I love you Nick. I can't lose you.”
The raw vulnerability in his voice was something I'd never heard before. It pierced through the last of my doubts.
“I believe you,” I whispered. “But I don’t know how to leave this place.”
The world around us began to change. The Henry pinned against the wall along with the dumpster disappeared.
At the end of the alley, the D'val's remains dissolved like smoke in a strong wind. Fear squeezed my chest. What if I’d died and Henry was actually the manifestation of death come to collect me?
“You're starting to wake up,” Ghost-Henry said, relief washing over his features. Of all the things in the alley, only he hadn’t diminished. “This place only exists because you believe it’s real. Now it’s fading away.”
The alley and everything in it lost substance and faded away. Only Henry remained clear and defined amidst the fading dream.
“I love you, Nick,” he said, extending his hand toward me. “Open your eyes so we can start our life together.”
The grief from moments ago was blotted out by the dream I’d held onto for as long as I could remember. Henry said he loved me, and if there was even the slightest chance that was real, I wasn’t going to pass it up.
Our fingers touched and the dreamscape shattered around me. I couldn’t see anymore, but I still felt Henry, and that was enough.
I gasped, my entire body jerking as if I'd been shocked. My eyes flew open, bringing an unfamiliar ceiling into focus. The remnants of the dream—Henry's face, his voice saying he loved me—lingered as I tried to orient myself.
My skin still burned, though not as intensely as before. Every muscle ached like I'd done a cross fit workout, gone ten rounds with an MMA heavyweight, and then finished a triathlon. I tried not to move, but someone was holding my hand and I really wanted to kiss him.
“Henry,” I said, and turned to face him. “I love you, too.”
His hand tightened around mine, but he looked over my head.
“And that’s my cue to leave,” Trevor said.
Looking in the direction of his voice, I watched him slap his thighs and stand. “Hey, Trev. I think we have a few things to discuss.” His deer in the headlight expression faded when I smiled. “We’re cool. Nothing will ever change between us. You’re the brother I wanted. I’m not letting you go.”
He moved closer and grabbed my free hand. “You don’t know how scared I’ve been wondering what would happen when you found out. I want to always be your brother too.”
Henry cleared his throat, and I laughed at Trevor’s expression. “You really should go. I’d prefer to keep peace in the family.”
“You got it, little bro.” He released my hand and looked at Henry. “Thanks for not, you know, not dying.”
“So glad I could do that for you.” Henry said. “And thank you for being here when I needed you.”
Trevor nodded, and made for the door. A chorus of voices greeted him when he entered the hallway. I recognized a few, but the person I wanted to talk to most was next to me. “I’m pretty glad you’re not dead too.”
“I’d say that’s a common sentiment,” Henry said.
He looked exhausted, but the desperation and fear were gone. I tried to sit up, but my body screamed in protest. Even that small effort made the room spin. “Fuck me! Even my eyelids hurt.”
It was an exaggeration, but not by much.
“Not today, but soon.” Henry wiggled his eyebrows.
I laughed at his stupid joke and regretted it. “Oh god, don’t make me laugh.”
“All kidding aside, you ache because you were burning your life force,” he said. “Your body needs time to recover.”
Sinking back, I surveyed the room. Plain white walls, dark wood furniture, soft lighting from a lamp in the corner, and generic prints on the wall. Not a hospital, but I couldn’t guess about much else.
Closing my eyelids—and it actually did hurt—my dream flashed before me in vivid detail. The D'val, power surging through me, and Henry saying he loved me. I didn’t need him to say the words. He showed me his feelings all the time.
“It was real, wasn't it?” I asked. “The monster, my powers, you promising to tell me everything now.”
Henry snorted softly and traced small circles on the back of my hand with his thumb. “Yes, even the promise to tell you everything.”
A moment of insecurity hit me and I decided I did need to hear the words. Or at least confirm they were real. “And the part where you said you loved me?”
“That might have been the most real thing of all.”
Now that I’d confirmed the most important part, I was ready for a nap. Unfortunately, that would need to wait. “So what’s with the wings and the blasty powers?”
Henry took a breath, his fingers tightening around mine as if afraid I might pull away. Exhaling, he looked me in the eye. “I'm an angel, Nick.” He paused for a heartbeat, then added. “And so are you.”