Swords. Treading of the earth. Darkness making its advance.
He was surrounded by what seemed like legions of warriors, both dead and alive. Screams rose through the dark. Fear closed in, preparing for the kill.
Dark creatures, with beaks of eagles and bodies of phantom dragons.
Shrieks shocked his cranium. Logan threw his hands over his ears and collapsed to the ground. His body was paralyzed under the phantoms’ deafening cries. His reasoning went into a throe as his vision began to succumb to the darkness.
Their black glimmering fogs moved along. Their claws of iron reapers pierced the ground.
Their cries subsided for a second as they pressed on.
Logan gasped and rolled onto his back. He strained to make out the scene again. A rubicund eye acquired his form. Logan gulped. What voice was left cowered.
The creature growled. Its black, glimmering mist brewed more of itself. The creature rose upward on the air, as a spider on a wall. Suddenly, it charged.
He dashed.
The creature's claws pounded behind him.
His heart tried to break free of its bonds of bone. He peered behind him. His toe intertwined with a root and his face kissed the dirt. Logan spat and looked behind once more. The phantom grew closer. “Come on, Logan, think.”
His eyes befell a shroud of bushes. He grinned and went for it. “I’m gonna make it! I’m gonna- OHHH WHOOOOAAAA!!!”
The claws grasped his shins and shrieked. It clinched his legs so tight he thought they’d crumble like bread. The creature cried again, sending Logan into a near seizure.
A yelp escaped his vocals. He gasped for air.
The creature’s beak opened wide. “AAAAHHHH!”
But no sooner did Logan cry out, a voice shattered the sound of certain death. A man appeared dressed in armor. His blade severed the claw of the creature.
It howled and retreated.
The man stood heaving. Sweat dampened his dark hair. Blood and dirt covered his armor and flesh. The rugged warrior turned his attention on him as he rushed to his side.
At his presence, peace began to wash over his shattered mind and body. Logan’s eyes befell the man’s face.
Upon this, the warrior’s lips gave way to a smile of relief and joy. His eyes pierced his soul to its core. “It’s alright, Logan.”
Chaos raged in the distance. The man lifted his head and looked onward. Shrieks of the dark creatures continued, as did those of other warriors. He sighed and turned back to him. “There’s still hope,” he declared as he helped him to his feet and steadied him. The man handed him a new sword and grinned, “and I’ll not let it die. Follow me, Logan”.
“Logan! Logan, wake up, kid!” Abigail called.
Logan woke with a start. His heart hammered against his ribcage, “Oh, geesh! Sorry, sis. Just a, uh,”
“A ruff one,” she finished.
“Uh, yeah. You can say that.” Logan’s breathing slowed. “What are you doing in my room?”
“Well, you didn’t come down for breakfast, and it’s almost eleven. You don’t normally sleep in that late.”
He couldn’t be too mad at that. Logan peeled back the covers and stood.
“Hey, how did that call go last night?”, she asked.
“What call?”
Abigail gave him a dirty look, “You said you were supposed to talk to Kevin last night.”
His brain shocked its memory back into place. The peculiar and heartbreaking call last night knocked on his mind’s door. “Oh, yeah! Uh, it was, um, interesting”.
His sister looked at him confused and suspicious, “What do you mean ‘interesting’?”
"Uhhhh..."
“Logan, what’s up?”, she persisted.
He drew in a breath, “Kevin’s-”
“You kiddos fall down the drain?!”, their father called up the stairs, “Come down here”.
Relieved for the interruption, Logan readily grabbed his phone from his desk, “I’ll tell you later, okay”.
Abigail scowled and stepped out.
Logan quickly glanced at his phone, no messages. His heart dipped into disappointment then recoiled at the hushed shrill of his sister’s voice, “Logan Paul Johnson!”
“Coming,” he exasperated as they exited the room and bounded down the stairs. He pushed the dream and Kevin aside.
Their parents sat on the living room couch chatting and smiling at one another in quiet voices. Their father had draped his right arm over their mother’s shoulder.
Moments like this brought a tender tap to the strings of Logan’s heart. Logan guessed that it couldn’t be too terrible if they were in this good of a mood.
Their mother shifted her eyes toward her two children. A smile flashed across her face. Their father’s head turned to them, “Well, it’s about time.”
They took a seat on the couch.
Their father began, “You two know that your mom and I’s twentieth anniversary is coming up this month, right?”
The twins nodded, although Logan chided himself for not remembering that.
“Well,” their mother started, “your dad and I decided to do something special together this year. We are-”
“We’re going on a cruise,” their father interrupted. Their mother raised her eyebrows and slightly cocked her eyes toward her husband.
Logan choked out, “That’s great”.
“So, what are we doing while you guys are gone,” Abigail directed.
“We talked it over and we think that it would be wonderful if you two were to spend a couple weeks in Tennessee with Grandpa Johnson,” their mother replied.
They froze. “Grandpa, Johnson?! But he’s -odd,” Logan thought to himself.
“What do we do with Grandpa Johnson?”, she asked.
Their father raised his eyebrows, “You hangout with him.”
“I know that this is kinda last minute and you guys aren’t so close with Grandpa, but this is a great time to be with him. You haven’t seen him in a few years and he’s lonely. It would be great for all three of you”, their mother added.
Before Abigail could make another remark, Logan quickly chimed, “That’s great. It’s a great idea. It’s, uhhhh,”
Abigail disdained him.
He cleared his throat and put a smile on his face, “new and uh, different.”
Their parents smiled. “So, what say you, Abby-girl?”, their father asked.
Abigail nodded her head, “Sure, that’s not such a bad idea”.
“It’s settled then,” their father concluded, “we’ll fly to Nashville together and Grandpa will pick you two up at the airport while your mom and I fly down to Miami next Friday. That gives you time to hangout with the girls before you leave. Case dismissed.”
Abigail went to her room and closed the door. Logan returned to his and sat on the bed. More rain. He leaned his head back against the wood cabinet and sighed, “What’s next? How can this get any worse?”
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