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Part Thirteen - Death of a Sentry

Snow showered down from the eves of the roof, spotting the ground below with tiny holes where the heavy snow had fallen. Kale held his breath, his numb fingers fumbling against the slick metal roof in search of something to hold onto. The metal popped loudly under his weight, constricted by the cold of the winter air. Above, the wide moon watched Kale’s clumsy decent like an unblinking eye.

Catching his breath, Kale propped his feet against the gutter and scanned the yard a good eight feet below…the dog was still missing. Kale had waited for Damien for as long as he could, but now he was certain that something was wrong. He’d never climbed out his window before, but he’d seen Ari do it once on a dare and guessed that it couldn’t be as hard as it looked. Of course…there hadn’t been any snow when Ari scaled the roof.

Kale landed with a muted thump, his knees immediately immersed in snow from the drift that had accumulated under the edges of the house. A hot flare of pain shot up his ankle, drawing a sharp gasp from his lips as he knelt in the snow. His ankle throbbed glaringly, but it didn’t look broken…he must have just landed on it wrong. Biting hard at his lip, Kale staggered to his feet and quickly glanced over the yard.

Still no dog.

Purposefully limping to avoid putting pressure on his ankle, Kale stumbled through the knee-deep snow and around the house, breathing a sigh of relief when his feet hit the cement of the sidewalk. The snow was non-existent here, probably shoveled out by concerned parents whose kids walked to school instead of riding the bus. Pulling the frayed edges of his worn jacket tightly around him, Kale shuffled along the sidewalk until his house was out of sight.

He wasn’t sure exactly what he was going to do; but even mindless wandering was better than sitting up in his room just waiting for Damien to solve everything for him. It was nearly one in the morning, several hours since Kale had last tried the summoning, but there was still no sign of the older boy. Something…was definitely wrong.

Steadily putting more weight on his throbbing ankle, Kale quickened his pace, the steady line-up of suburban houses slowly winking out until only trees surrounded him. Releasing a deep breath, Kale watched the fog rising from his mouth, his numb mind racing to figure out where he was. He hadn’t walked very far…of that he was certain. There was no way he could’ve walked outside the city-limits so quickly. Blowing a puff of warm breath into his hands, Kale stomped his feet and shut his eyes.

The park.

The town Kale lived in had been built over the top of the thick forest, but after much debate the city officials had decided to leave a small portion of the forest standing. It was positioned roughly in the middle of the sprawling ocean of suburban houses, and, despite it being called park, it was really nothing more than a clump of dense silverwood trees and a few old hiking trails.

“Damien?” The forest echoed back emptily, cold wind stirring the naked branches of the high trees tauntingly. Kale froze, listening hard for the sounds of the voice he so desperately needed to hear. But the forest remained silent, all except for the stir of the trees…and the faint padding of footsteps. Kale spun around; hope budding under his chest as his eyes searched for the owner of those footsteps.

“Damien?”

A low growl. Kale stopped breathing, the fog that disoriented his sight immediately dispersing and clearing the view of the trail right in front of him. What was it that Rachel had called it? German Shepard…nasty, vicious things. The dog was standing a good hundred yards away, its lips pulled back and its eyes bright. Its head was set low; chin almost brushing the ground, the hackles along its neck standing rigidly on end.

“No,” Kale breathed, his chest clamping tightly around his lungs, forcing the air out and refusing to let any in. The dog went from a standstill to a brisk trot, head rising slightly as it closed the distance between them. Kale could see it now…the stumble in the dog’s shuddering steps. Its legs moved stiffly, jerking forward and back like an under-oiled machine. It was almost as though…it was frozen.

Kale closed his eyes, bracing himself and willing his body to move…dodged…run…anything. The footfalls stopped abruptly, interrupted by a shrill yelp and a heavy thump. Kale’s eyes snapped open, immediately finding the dark form of the dog’s crumpled body only an arms-length away on the path. One of its paws twitched hopefully, eyes fixed firmly on Kale as its jaws opened and closed with a faint click. Its head was twisted nearly all the way around.

“Kale.”

Arms wrapped around his chest from behind, warm breath washing across his neck as smooth lips touched at his ear. “Breath,” Damien commanded, his voice hard. The breath entered Kale’s lungs in a rush of cold air; his head spinning from the sudden spill of oxygen in his otherwise starved body. His knees shuddered and he probably would have collapsed if Damien hadn’t been holding him so tightly.

“Come on,” Damien muttered, gripping Kale’s upper arm and steering him in a wide circle around the dog. The dog murmured quietly, clearly frustrated that its body wouldn’t respond without being connected to its spinal cord. It watched them leave without moving, one paw still twitching faintly at the night air.

* * *

Kale followed Damien without speaking, stumbling after every few feet from being forced to walk at such speeds on his twisted ankle. It wasn’t until the towering silverwood trees had fallen far behind them did Damien slow down, his grip still painfully tight on the younger boy’s arm. “Damien,” Kale shivered, desperately wishing that the older boy would look at him.

“You’re a fool,” Damien muttered, finally slowing to a halt and turning to face Kale, “why did you come after me? Why didn’t you just stay home?” Kale shivered again, his throat dry and his chest sore, “I thought…” he trailed off, tears stinging his eyes. Suppressing a sigh, Damien wrapped his arms around Kale protectively, drawing him closer in the cold.

Kale pressed his face into Damien’s shirt, running his hands under the thin fabric to warm his freezing fingertips against the older boy’s much warmer chest. Damien flinched at how cold Kale’s hands were, but just as quickly relaxed and held him tighter. “Why…” Kale’s voice dwindled off, only to come back stronger after a moments pause, “why didn’t you come to my room tonight?”

Damien shrugged a flake of snow off his shoulder, pulling back just far enough so they could walk together. “I didn’t dare stop by. I think the others have finally caught on. They confronted me today and asked some questions about you…I lied the best I could, but I think they could sense it. That’s why they posted a sentry outside your house.” Kale pulled back and looked up at him, realization bursting inside, “That dog?”

Damien nodded silently, glancing over his shoulder and slowly quickening his pace. Kale struggled to keep up, falling back until his hand was the only thing touching the older boy, “I don’t understand.” Damien paused just long enough for Kale to catch up, winding his arm around the younger boy’s waist and starting off again at a faster pace. “Humans aren’t the only ones who can be Frozen, Kale. Anything that’s ever lived, anything that has a soul, they can all be Frozen.”

Kale glanced around him, suddenly aware of the dark shadows that loomed around the sharp edges of the buildings and houses. “That dog,” Kale panted, gripping at Damien’s hand with white knuckles, “it’s not dead, is it? The others will find it and then they’ll know for sure, won’t they?” Damien hesitated, bright eyes fixed on the distant points in the sky, “…Yes. They know I’m with you now.”

Kale halted, pulling at Damien’s hand until he stopped as well, “You can stay at my house! You don’t have to go back.” Damien’s lips twitched in an amused smile, his stomach twisting at the look of concern in the younger boy’s eyes, “I can’t stay there either, Kale. They know where you live, that’s the first place they’ll look.” Kale balked, his thoughts instantly bolting to his parents who slept soundly in the house. What would happen to them?

Damien laced his fingers through Kale’s, “Don’t worry about them. They’ll be fine. It’s you and me the others want. They wouldn’t even consider harming anyone else.” Kale relaxed, only to tense again as the older boy’s words sunk in. “So, I…” he stared hard at the ground, “…I can’t go home either?” Damien hesitated, gently placing his cold hand on Kale’s cheek and brushing his lips against his forehead.

“No.”

A cold wind rushed by, cutting through Kale’s thin jacket and raising a line of chills along his arms. Damien brushed the hair from his eyes, raising the younger boy’s white hand to his lips and kissing the knuckles softly, “Kale? I need you to listen to me. We can’t stay out here…we need a place to hide.”

Kale shifted, only having to think about it for a moment.

“Ari. Ari will help us…”

Description
Part Thirteen - Death of a Sentry

Snow showered down from the eves of the roof, spotting the ground below with tiny holes where the heavy snow had fallen. Kale held his breath, his numb fingers fumbling against the slick metal roof in search of something to hold onto. The metal popped loudly under his weight, constricted by the cold of the winter air. Above, the wide moon watched Kale’s clumsy decent like an unblinking eye.

Catching his breath, Kale propped his feet against the gutter and scanned the yard a good eight feet below…the dog was still missing. Kale had waited for Damien for as long as he could, but now he was certain that something was wrong. He’d never climbed out his window before, but he’d seen Ari do it once on a dare and guessed that it couldn’t be as hard as it looked. Of course…there hadn’t been any snow when Ari scaled the roof.

Kale landed with a muted thump, his knees immediately immersed in snow from the drift that had accumulated under the edges of the house. A hot flare of pain shot up his ankle, drawing a sharp gasp from his lips as he knelt in the snow. His ankle throbbed glaringly, but it didn’t look broken…he must have just landed on it wrong. Biting hard at his lip, Kale staggered to his feet and quickly glanced over the yard.

Still no dog.

Purposefully limping to avoid putting pressure on his ankle, Kale stumbled through the knee-deep snow and around the house, breathing a sigh of relief when his feet hit the cement of the sidewalk. The snow was non-existent here, probably shoveled out by concerned parents whose kids walked to school instead of riding the bus. Pulling the frayed edges of his worn jacket tightly around him, Kale shuffled along the sidewalk until his house was out of sight.

He wasn’t sure exactly what he was going to do; but even mindless wandering was better than sitting up in his room just waiting for Damien to solve everything for him. It was nearly one in the morning, several hours since Kale had last tried the summoning, but there was still no sign of the older boy. Something…was definitely wrong.

Steadily putting more weight on his throbbing ankle, Kale quickened his pace, the steady line-up of suburban houses slowly winking out until only trees surrounded him. Releasing a deep breath, Kale watched the fog rising from his mouth, his numb mind racing to figure out where he was. He hadn’t walked very far…of that he was certain. There was no way he could’ve walked outside the city-limits so quickly. Blowing a puff of warm breath into his hands, Kale stomped his feet and shut his eyes.

The park.

The town Kale lived in had been built over the top of the thick forest, but after much debate the city officials had decided to leave a small portion of the forest standing. It was positioned roughly in the middle of the sprawling ocean of suburban houses, and, despite it being called park, it was really nothing more than a clump of dense silverwood trees and a few old hiking trails.

“Damien?” The forest echoed back emptily, cold wind stirring the naked branches of the high trees tauntingly. Kale froze, listening hard for the sounds of the voice he so desperately needed to hear. But the forest remained silent, all except for the stir of the trees…and the faint padding of footsteps. Kale spun around; hope budding under his chest as his eyes searched for the owner of those footsteps.

“Damien?”

A low growl. Kale stopped breathing, the fog that disoriented his sight immediately dispersing and clearing the view of the trail right in front of him. What was it that Rachel had called it? German Shepard…nasty, vicious things. The dog was standing a good hundred yards away, its lips pulled back and its eyes bright. Its head was set low; chin almost brushing the ground, the hackles along its neck standing rigidly on end.

“No,” Kale breathed, his chest clamping tightly around his lungs, forcing the air out and refusing to let any in. The dog went from a standstill to a brisk trot, head rising slightly as it closed the distance between them. Kale could see it now…the stumble in the dog’s shuddering steps. Its legs moved stiffly, jerking forward and back like an under-oiled machine. It was almost as though…it was frozen.

Kale closed his eyes, bracing himself and willing his body to move…dodged…run…anything. The footfalls stopped abruptly, interrupted by a shrill yelp and a heavy thump. Kale’s eyes snapped open, immediately finding the dark form of the dog’s crumpled body only an arms-length away on the path. One of its paws twitched hopefully, eyes fixed firmly on Kale as its jaws opened and closed with a faint click. Its head was twisted nearly all the way around.

“Kale.”

Arms wrapped around his chest from behind, warm breath washing across his neck as smooth lips touched at his ear. “Breath,” Damien commanded, his voice hard. The breath entered Kale’s lungs in a rush of cold air; his head spinning from the sudden spill of oxygen in his otherwise starved body. His knees shuddered and he probably would have collapsed if Damien hadn’t been holding him so tightly.

“Come on,” Damien muttered, gripping Kale’s upper arm and steering him in a wide circle around the dog. The dog murmured quietly, clearly frustrated that its body wouldn’t respond without being connected to its spinal cord. It watched them leave without moving, one paw still twitching faintly at the night air.

* * *

Kale followed Damien without speaking, stumbling after every few feet from being forced to walk at such speeds on his twisted ankle. It wasn’t until the towering silverwood trees had fallen far behind them did Damien slow down, his grip still painfully tight on the younger boy’s arm. “Damien,” Kale shivered, desperately wishing that the older boy would look at him.

“You’re a fool,” Damien muttered, finally slowing to a halt and turning to face Kale, “why did you come after me? Why didn’t you just stay home?” Kale shivered again, his throat dry and his chest sore, “I thought…” he trailed off, tears stinging his eyes. Suppressing a sigh, Damien wrapped his arms around Kale protectively, drawing him closer in the cold.

Kale pressed his face into Damien’s shirt, running his hands under the thin fabric to warm his freezing fingertips against the older boy’s much warmer chest. Damien flinched at how cold Kale’s hands were, but just as quickly relaxed and held him tighter. “Why…” Kale’s voice dwindled off, only to come back stronger after a moments pause, “why didn’t you come to my room tonight?”

Damien shrugged a flake of snow off his shoulder, pulling back just far enough so they could walk together. “I didn’t dare stop by. I think the others have finally caught on. They confronted me today and asked some questions about you…I lied the best I could, but I think they could sense it. That’s why they posted a sentry outside your house.” Kale pulled back and looked up at him, realization bursting inside, “That dog?”

Damien nodded silently, glancing over his shoulder and slowly quickening his pace. Kale struggled to keep up, falling back until his hand was the only thing touching the older boy, “I don’t understand.” Damien paused just long enough for Kale to catch up, winding his arm around the younger boy’s waist and starting off again at a faster pace. “Humans aren’t the only ones who can be Frozen, Kale. Anything that’s ever lived, anything that has a soul, they can all be Frozen.”

Kale glanced around him, suddenly aware of the dark shadows that loomed around the sharp edges of the buildings and houses. “That dog,” Kale panted, gripping at Damien’s hand with white knuckles, “it’s not dead, is it? The others will find it and then they’ll know for sure, won’t they?” Damien hesitated, bright eyes fixed on the distant points in the sky, “…Yes. They know I’m with you now.”

Kale halted, pulling at Damien’s hand until he stopped as well, “You can stay at my house! You don’t have to go back.” Damien’s lips twitched in an amused smile, his stomach twisting at the look of concern in the younger boy’s eyes, “I can’t stay there either, Kale. They know where you live, that’s the first place they’ll look.” Kale balked, his thoughts instantly bolting to his parents who slept soundly in the house. What would happen to them?

Damien laced his fingers through Kale’s, “Don’t worry about them. They’ll be fine. It’s you and me the others want. They wouldn’t even consider harming anyone else.” Kale relaxed, only to tense again as the older boy’s words sunk in. “So, I…” he stared hard at the ground, “…I can’t go home either?” Damien hesitated, gently placing his cold hand on Kale’s cheek and brushing his lips against his forehead.

“No.”

A cold wind rushed by, cutting through Kale’s thin jacket and raising a line of chills along his arms. Damien brushed the hair from his eyes, raising the younger boy’s white hand to his lips and kissing the knuckles softly, “Kale? I need you to listen to me. We can’t stay out here…we need a place to hide.”

Kale shifted, only having to think about it for a moment.

“Ari. Ari will help us…”