Sweetheart, West Virginia - 11. Chapter Eleven

“Hey! Be careful with that!” I exclaimed, looking at the glowing tip of Kelley’s wand like it was burning a thousand degrees.

“Answer my question. How do you have an instrument of the Will in your possession?” Kelly asked, his wand now only an inch from my face.

“Okay! I got it from one of the abandoned mines under the town!” Kelly narrowed his eyes. “That’s the truth!”

A moment passed and when the tip of Kelly’s wand suddenly changed from a bright yellow to the color blue, he sighed and finally lowered his weapon. “It seems the Will has detected that you’re telling the truth.”

“What? What do you—You know what? Get away from me!” I pushed Kelly away from me, causing to take a few steps back and putting a safe distance between us.

“Don’t worry. I was only pointing the Will at you to detect whether you were lying or not,” Kelly said nonchalantly.

“And what if I was? What were you going to do then?” I asked angrily.

Kelly frowned. “Just know that it was good that you weren’t.”

“Who the hell are you?” I demanded, still dumbfounded that someone else possessed a seemingly rare object like the one that was now being inspected by Kelly. “Give that back!”

“Not until you ask me a few more questions, like why exactly were you doing in the town’s abandoned mines?”

“Why do you care?”

“Just answer my question.” Raising my wand to the back-porch light from above for a closer look, Kelly then said, “It just seems too convenient for you to be just walking in the mines and stumbling upon an instrument of the Will by accident. I assume you know how to work this and where it came from, right?”

“No. I actually don’t.” I sighed heavily. “And the way I obtained that wand, the Will, or whatever you want to call it, is a very, very long story. Okay? How the hell do you have one?”

Lowering the wand, Kelly then chuckled and said, “I can say the same thing…but what I will tell you is that someone like Benjamin Bratt shouldn’t be in possession of something as powerful and dangerous as this.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“You really don’t know, do you?” Kelly took a step forward, causing me to lean back against the railing. “You don’t nothing of where and when these tools originated from?”

I shook my head. “No. I don’t. But it’s clear that you do. So, do you mind explaining to me what the hell is going on with you and these wands?”

“Yeah. Not going to happen,” Kelly then pocketed my wand and said, “I think I’ve stayed too long. I should be leaving. Thank you again for the dinner.”

“Hey!” I moved towards Kelly, but he quickly aimed his wand at me again, and I was smart enough to know that this was the kind of fight that I wasn’t going to win…at least physically. So, taking a step back, I then said, “Okay, fine! Keep my wand… I’ll just replace it with the other one I have.”

Kelly froze, his hand right above the doorknob when he turned his head to look at me with a sneer. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not. Go on. Point your wand at me again and see that I’m telling the truth. I have another wand in my possession, and it must be one of those limited-edition ones since it used to be black in color instead of white like ours and—”

An unknown force unexpectedly lifted me off the porch, and my heart began pounding as I looked at Kelly from above whose wand was pointing back at me, somehow causing me to levitate. Before I could say anything, I was propelled from the back porch by a tremendous force that felt like a crashing wave of water that sent me to the dewy ground of the backyard.

It took me a moment to regain my bearings and when I saw Kelly stomping towards me, I bolted. Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t able to run far since something grabbed my ankles and caused me to fall to the ground once again. Looking at my feet, I saw plant-like growths that quickly ensnared the rest of my legs, and they only tightened when I tried to pull them off me.

Kelly then crouched beside me and jabbed his wand on my forehead. “Tell me where the other instrument of the Will is, or else?”

“Or else what?” I said, stupidly still be defiant despite the power that was being wielded by Kelly.

Grunting, Kelly jabbed his wand against my temple and then a horrific pain started emanating from my head, like a powerful drill piercing through my skull and into my brain. I screamed, but Kelly covered my mouth with his hand, silencing me from being heard by anyone, like my uncle and tita. I had headaches before, but none of them compared to the pain I was experiencing, and I wondered whether this was the end for me. But then the pain subsided when he removed his wand from my temple. Dropping my head on the ground, I took deep, haggard breaths as I felt the area where I swore the wand must’ve bored into me. However, there was no wound or any signs of blood, and I looked at Kelly for some kind of explanation.

“Don’t worry. My wand only gave the simulation of your head getting drilled by a power tool. Now unless you want another demonstration of that feeling, I strongly suggest you tell me where that other wand is. Now.”

Looking at Kelly like he was a psychopath, I then looked at my legs that were still wrapped with the vines and knew I had to fess up. “Fine! It’s…It’s…shit!”

“What? You can’t remember all of sudden?” Kelly said, pointing his wand towards my head again.

“No! It’s not that! It’s not with me. It’s with…”

“Come on! Tell me! Or I’ll literally drill a hole through your thick skull!”

“Okay, the wand’s with Cash, you fucking asshole!” I yelled.

Kelly’s wand glowed the color blue again, and he retracted it from my temple. “Where is Cash right now?”

I sighed and gave Kelly his home address, and he just gave a simple nod before standing back up. As he walked away like he didn’t just cause me excruciating pain and threatened my life, I felt the vines loosen around my legs before retracting back into the ground. I sighed in relief since I thought I was going to have to remove those vines myself. But then fear rushed back into me like a crashing wave. This Kelly fucker was going after Cash, and who knew what he was going to do to him. It was my damn fault this confrontation even happened, and I needed to stop it now. However, I didn’t have my wand anymore as Kelly continued to walk away and I was weak from the remnants of pain in my head.

All I could think of was to reach my hand out towards Kelly, towards my wand that was in his possession, hoping that by some miracle that it would materialize back into my hand… Then it happened. Well, kind of. I saw my wand slowly emerge from Kelly’s jean pocket, and I continued to raise my hand, slowly, to prevent that bastard from noticing. Then as soon as it was completely out of his pocket, I then began clenching by hand out of a hunch, and the wand zipped back to me. As this happened, my hand glowed the same light hue, and I believed I was the true owner of this mysterious object. I grinned like an idiot with my wand back in my possession. I then zeroed my eyes onto Kelly and with my wand pointed right at him like firearm, I released a force similar to the one Kelly used on me that propelled him to the railings of the back porch. I wasn’t going to be the helpless victim this time.

I quickly got back onto my feet, the pain in my head suddenly gone and my energy rejuvenated as well. Running towards this asshole, I had my wand still pointed at Kelly who was lying on the ground and groaning from his loud impact against the newly installed back-porch railing. I then stood right above him, and I carefully turned him onto his back, I saw his eyes were closed…and his wand was still clutched in his right hand. Thinking he was knocked out, I reached for his wand, but then that object was pointed directly at me before I sent spinning into the air. Landing on the ground once again, I was completely dizzy and disoriented from my surroundings. And just as I was able to refocus my vision, I saw Kelly stomping back towards me. All I could do was aim my wand at him just as he did the same. When the tip of our wands unexpectedly touched, I felt like was falling, no, more like floating as everything in my vision became bright. What happened next was literally out of this world.

Seeing Kelly in front of me, I quickly tried to aim my wand at him, but my wand was gone, along with my hand, and the rest of my body. I didn’t know what was happening, and I just looked at Kelly who was with someone else. They were facing each other, and I noticed the other person was Kevin, Kevin Conway. He looked at Kelly like he was in a dream-like state before they neared their faces and kissed. It looked like I was viewing the memories of Kelly and his time spent with Kevin. Then other visions of Kelly and Kevin were seen, like them standing together, side by side, under a wedding arch. I was confused as I watched Kelly and Kevin, both in tuxedos, smile and kiss each other. Then another vision of them with two children in their arms made me wonder what the hell I was experiencing. It was like I was seeing the future, a time when the two of them got married and have a family. Everything was so bright, like I was at the gates of Heaven. But then that same bright light soon dimmed when I saw a vision of the town of Sweetheart in flames. And when I saw Kelly holding a bloodied Kevin in his arms with him crying into the growing darkness, I truly wondered if I was traveling into the future.

Then out of nowhere, I felt I was falling a great height until I was transported back to reality where I was lying on the ground once again. The same chill of the night air that caused my skin to form goosebumps returned, and I looked to see that I was really back home. I looked at Kelly who was on the ground as well. He was rubbing his head and for some reason I was viewing him in a different light. Yes, I saw that he had a deep affection for the town pastor’s son, possibly a love for Kevin in whatever I just experienced a moment ago. But I also felt like I couldn’t raise my wand at Kelly despite what he just put me through with threatening my life and possibly Cash’s as well. He then looked at me, and it seemed that he had a similar feeling when he huffed with what sounded like defeat before turning onto his back. He just lied there; however, I wanted answers, so I stood back up even though I still felt dizzy and approached Kelly. I couldn’t aim my wand at him, so instead I just nudged him on the shoulder with my foot.

“Hey... Hey!”

“What?” Kelly said, his arm covering his eyes.

“What was that? What did I just experience?” I asked, kicking him lightly which caused him to quickly smack away my foot.

“Look. I’m sorry for what I just did to you. If I had known…”

“Known what?” I demanded, losing patiently with this man.

Kelly sighed as he tried to stand back up. “It doesn’t matter. All I’ll say is that I completely misunderstood you and your intentions. Now. Can you help me up?”

I hesitated for a moment but then extend my hand out and helped him back onto his feet. “I guess I’ve had you wrong as well…though, making me feel like my head was being drilled into was a little much.”

“I apologize. It’s just that the Will isn’t something that you just own like a phone or car. It can prove to be very dangerous if in the hands of the wrong person, especially when it’s corrupted. I used to work at the mental institution at the outskirts of the town, and that place is where I first got knowledge about the Will and its dangerous potential.”

My eyes widened. “Are you talking about the Towers Mental Rehabilitation Center?”

“Yes…and I’m guessing that you already know exactly what I’m talking about. Ben…that mental institution is just a façade; it’s part of a bigger, corporate entity that has killed people for doing the smallest infractions. And if that is where you acquired that other wand, a corrupted one at that, I need to get it before the Covenant finds out.”

“The Covenant? What are you—?”

“Ben! Listen to me! The Covenant is a very dangerous organization. So, you need to tell me now if you did anything that the Covenant can trace back to you,” Kelly demanded with his hands clenching my shoulders.

I didn’t know what to tell Kelly. It wasn’t like I just happen to have objects that this shadowy organization wanted and probably would kill people over. Just today I entered one of their supposed facilities with Cash where we encountered and fought against demon-like beings most likely created by this Covenant entity. Then I remembered the security cameras that Claudia used to keep track of our location and knew that those cameras had more than enough proof of our presence there. The only question now was when this organization was going to start hunting for Claudia, for me…for Cash.

I looked at Kelly whose stare was just as deep as a drill and said, “You won’t believe what I know and taken from that mental institution.”

“What is it?” Kelly asked.

“It’s a who, and if what you’re saying is true, then we need to go to Cash’s place now before the Covenant does!”

“Are you telling me that you helped a test subject escape the facility?” Kelley asked, shocked.

“Patient, test subject, whatever! Yes, I helped her escape after the entire place was infested with demons. Is that enough information for you? Now let’s go! It’s urgent, right?”

Grunting, Kelly then motioned his hand to follow him, and we quickly walked back into my house and through the front door. Tita Jane asked something about where we were going as she descended the stairs, but I didn’t respond. All I could think about was Cash and Claudia’s safety, and the possibility of them getting hurt by this unknown entity known as the Covenant was scary to say the least.

“You tell me everything you know as we drive to Cash’s place. All right?” Kelly said as he unlocked his car.

I agreed and after getting in Kelly’s car, he made a sharp turn and quickly got onto the road. As he drove higher than the speed limit, all I could do was call Cash’s phone to tell him that I was on the way to his place. But he didn’t respond to my phone calls or text messages, and I was already fearing the worst. Please be okay, Cash!

***

I was awakened from my crude slumber on the living room couch when I heard my phone buzz on the coffee table. I groaned as I sat up and looked at the television screen that was displaying the news. After the events that happened earlier today, I needed the nap; though, I still felt groggy that only a full night of sleep could alleviate. My phone started buzzing again, and I wondered if the person calling was Ben. Just as I reached for the device, I heard the all-to-familiar sound of a key being jabbed into the keyhole of the front door. My attention was redirected at the door that eventually opened and revealed a very gruff man close to his sixties with his gray hair, bent figure, and a resemblance that made me fear for my future.

I grunted upon my father stepping past the threshold, and I stood up from the couch despite my aching body protesting. “Dad. What the hell?”

“Oh. Hi, son. I didn’t know you were here,” my father said with his hands in his coat pockets.

“You didn’t know? Didn’t you see my car outside on the driveway? And what would you have done if I wasn’t here? Snagged the rest of my beer in the refrigerator and passed out soon afterwards?” I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. “Dad…you shouldn’t be here, especially not now. So, I strongly suggest you get out of here and save yourself from the trouble that is about to happen if you don’t leave.”

My father frowned and was about to open his mouth but then closed it, most likely knowing better. Then my phone began buzzing again, and my father had to say, “Who’s that? Is that one of your male tricks calling to see if you’re available? Is that why you can’t have your own father visit right now?”

I faced my father again but with narrowed eyes and my patience thinning out. “Get out, Dad... Now!”

“Kicking your father out for some strange man? Especially when that Benjamin Bratt boy is back in town and is probably planning to start a killing spree at any moment? God, what would your dear sister Claudia think?” My father bowed his head in sorrow and that had to tug at my heartstrings.

Placing a hand on my father’s shoulder, I said, “Dad—”

My father looked at my hand and immediately smacked it away from him. “Don’t touch me! Who knows where that hand has been?”

I should’ve expected this pull at my feelings was just another form of manipulation by my father, and I had more than enough when I pushed my old man back. “Just get out here, Dad. And if you ever come back to my home, I’ll make sure that you’re arrested for trespassing among other charges.”

My father’s eyes widened. “Would you really—?”

“Try me,” I said, taking a step forward and crossing my arms.

With undeniable satisfaction, my father stumbled backwards towards the door. “But…But…”

I shook my head and was about to seal the deal when someone behind me said, “Dad?”

Cursing, I turned my head to see Claudia poking her head from the corner of the hallway that connected the living room to the guestroom. She then stepped fully into view and before I could say anything, our father rushed past me and approached her. I watched as the man who was so distant for the majority of my life suddenly be filled with emotion as he hugged her, his only daughter. Claudia hugged our father back and as I viewed this scene of a father and daughter reuniting after years of separation, I had to pull back my own emotions to focus on the complications that would now arise due to our father being a intruding bastard.

“Claudia! I haven’t seen you since… Oh, God! It’s so good to see you again!”

Claudia didn’t say anything, just smooshed her face into our father’s chest.

Turning his head around, our father looked at me with wet eyes and said, “Son…why didn’t you tell me that my Claudia is back home?”

Taking a deep breath, I said, “She just came back, and she needed the rest. Is that a good enough answer for you, Dad?”

My father then pursed his lips and turned his full body around. “For some reason I don’t believe you. Is this why wanted to get me out of your house, so I wouldn’t see my own daughter?”

Holding back anger that was quickly rising inside me, I just said, “Look. This is a surprise even for me, all right? I wasn’t going to keep you in the dark about Claudia’s return…besides, I didn’t know you cared.”

I instantly regretted saying that; my father clenching his fists and spitting out, “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying that I don’t love my daughter?”

“Dad, please stop,” Claudia said, gripping the sleeve of our father’s jacket. “Cash didn’t mean that at all.”

I couldn’t stop myself from letting out a laugh. “Sorry if I had that assumption, Dad? Visiting Claudia was only a thirty-minute drive as I told you constantly for the past five goddamn years and not once have I heard her say that you came to see her. I was there for her, Dad! You weren’t! So, don’t hate me for my decision not to tell you anything!”

My father didn’t try to refute my point about him being a horrible parent; he just lunged forward and tackled me to the floor instead. I would’ve been lying if I said that I didn’t expect him to attack me, but I knew it was going to be inevitably from the years of built-up restraint I erected like a wall that cracked every time we talked in which his slanders involved everything from my sexuality to my capability as a police officer. Now the wall had crumbled, and I wasn’t holding back anymore. I guessed I wanted to happen.

I remembered my father always pushing me down whenever he was drunk after my mother died but now the roles were reversed. After we were on the ground, I used my police training to pin him below me. I then grabbed the front of his shirt and wailed at this excuse for a man and father with my other hand formed tightly into a fist. I knew what I was doing was inexcusable, that I should’ve withheld the fiery anger I had against him since he was family…but he was only connected to me by blood which now spilled on his face. I was the Devil for the endorphins I felt from seeing the man who used to be bigger than me and was hardened by the drunken brawls he got into at the town bar now crying for me to stop. I didn’t want to stop. Instead, I wanted to—

“Cash! Please, stop!”

The voice I heard was a whisper at first but when that voice kept repeating the same phrase that got louder every time, I then felt someone hitting my shoulder, and I turned to see Claudia. Her face was so scrunched that I almost didn’t recognize her with tears running down from her eyes. She was pleading for me to stop hurting our father, that I was going to kill him. My sanity then returned, and I dared myself to look back at our father whose face was stained with blood, blood that was mixed with tears as he too begged me for misery. Looking at my hands, they were bloodied as well with cuts on my swollen knuckles that caused me to stumble away from the person I was never supposed to hurt. Claudia took my place, kneeling next to our father and crying him to stay conscious.

My entire body trembled, I didn’t want this to happen. Yes, I started punching him, but I then lost all control and now my father looked like he was knocking on Death’s door. I didn’t know what to do, and Claudia was starting to panic as well. I was about to run to the kitchen to get some paper towels when my damn phone started buzzing again. Then I saw it. The wand that Ben left behind that was on the coffee table next to my phone. I thought it was longshot, but I pushed back my fears and went for the wand. In my hand, a ring-shaped interface rotated around the device, and one of the applications had a medical-looking symbol. So, I tapped it with my finger and somehow, I knew that I needed to press the tip of the wand on my father’s neck. So, I scrambled to my father’s side and did so.

“What are you doing?” Claudia cried.

I didn’t answer Claudia, just pressed the wand harder against our father’s neck until a quick beep sound was heard, and the wand glowed a soft hue. Then the color drained away like a liquid in a syringe before disappearing at the tip of the wand. Looking at his face, I was shocked to see his face completely free of blood and when the small wounds sealed themselves, he took a deep breath. His eyes remained closed, and I was completely mystified by what just happened. I knew the wand that Ben possessed could fire beams and balls of light that were able to take down those demon-like beings back at the mental institution. However, I didn’t know the one that I possessed was able to heal wounds and bring a man back from Death’s embrace. What exactly was this technology? Claudia looked just stunned as I was, and I was then brought back to the current situation at hand. I beaten my father to the point that he could’ve died and most likely he would’ve if it wasn’t for the wand that acted like a syringe that regenerated his wounds with something that was like miracle drug. I was a monster.

Looking at my sister, I said, “Claudia…I—”

“Cash!”

That familiar voice caused me to look towards the front door where Ben was. He looked panicked, and I didn’t stop myself from jumping up from the floor and embracing him. My own panic that surged through me just a moment ago quickly dissipated upon holding Ben, his very presence by itself soothing my soul and making me forget for a moment all the trouble in the world.

“Thank God you’re okay,” Ben said, his voice muffled against my chest. “I was trying to call you, but you didn’t answer. I assumed the worst.”

“I’m sorry, Ben. I heard my phone buzzing, but a lot just happened before I could answer.” Reluctantly taking a step back, I looked back at my father who was still lying on the floor…and Claudia who was looking at both of us with furrowed eyebrows.

Shit. No doubt Claudia was wondering why her brother and ex-fiancé were hugging each other like lovers who missed each other’s touch. Mixed with almost killing our father with my bare fists, I didn’t know where to start first. Then to complicate things even further, someone stood by the front door as well, and I turned to see a man with blond hair and vine-like tattoos that covered both of his arms. I looked at Ben for an explanation; however, Claudia was the one to speak first, well scream as she stumbled away from us.

“Claudia? What’s wrong?” I said, approaching my sister who then pulled me close to her.

“I know him! I know him from the mental institution! Get away from him, Ben!” Claudia exclaimed.

I looked at this guy who looked more like a freaking model than someone who worked at the mental institution but looks could be deceiving as I moved Claudia behind me.

“It’s okay, Claudia! He’s not here to hurt you,” Ben said, looking back at the man who simply nodded.

“No. No more lies,” Claudia said, her fingers clinging onto the fabric of the back of my shirt.

“It’s okay, Claudia. I’m only here to help,” the man said.

“Who exactly are you?” I demanded, keeping my sister behind me to prevent any trickery from this man.

“I’m Kelly. Kelly Montgomery. I used to work at the Towers Mental Rehabilitation Center as one of the interns there. And right now, I need you both to listen to me. Ben told me all three of you were at the center earlier today, and it’s a real possibility that the Covenant are in the process locating you all since every inch of that building is recorded by the security cameras.”

“Oh, God. I haven’t thought about that,” Claudia said.

“So, I have to take you all to a more discreet location before they arrive. Understood?”

I nodded since I could tell that this Kelly guy was being completely serious and said, “We can go to my old trailer in the old camping ground of the town. It’s only ten minutes away from here.”

“Perfect. Now let’s go now before… Who’s this?” Kelly asked, looking at my father lying on the floor.

I crouched to the floor and began lightly tapping my hand on his cheek; however, he didn’t budge. He was still breathing normally though, so at least I knew he was alive and not in any serious condition.

“It’s a long story,” I said to Kelly.

“Well, that’s something that will have to wait. Bring him along if you want to, but we need to go now!” Kelly said desperately. “Someone, take him into my car.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll carry him,” I said.

Kelly looked at me, specifically at the wand in my hand before and said, “Keep that safe.”

I just nodded and placed the wand securely into my jean pocket.

Kelly grimaced but quickly walked out through the front door and was followed by Ben. I was about to lift my father into my arms, when I felt Claudia grab my shoulder. I stood up and looked at my sister who was looking at the front door where Kelly just exited through.

“I don’t trust him,” Claudia said. “He was there sometimes when the other doctors ran experiments on me. He still could be one of them and is trying to lead us to them.”

I couldn’t imagine how anyone could do anything horrible to Claudia, and I was skeptical of Kelly’s intentions, but Ben seemed to trust him and that somehow was enough for me. For my sister, however, I knew that I needed to say something to assure her that she was protected.

“Don’t worry, Claudia. If anything bad happens and Kelly tries something, he’ll have to deal with me first before he even dares to touch you.”

“Oh, God, Cash. I don’t want you to get hurt just to protect me,” Claudia said and grabbed my hand.

“Does it look like I get hurt easily?” I said, trying to lighten the mood.

Fortunately, Claudia chuckled. “No, and it’s because you’re so thick-headed.” She then looked up at me and said, “You promise?”

I nodded confidently and said, “Yes…and I’m sorry for what I just did to Dad. I just—”

“Come on, you two!” Kelly called out from outside.

I sighed, wanting to talk to Claudia, but she walked away from me to our unconscious father and tried to lift him up. I knew I couldn’t just leave him here in the state that he was in, so I helped her, and we managed to carry our old man with his arms slung over our shoulders. He was lighter than I expected, so carrying him to Kelly’s car was an easy task. Lying him at the back of the car, Claudia and I then sat at the backseats, while Ben sat at the front passenger’s seat.

With Kelly in the car as well, he then started the engine and swerved out of the driveway without looking back, which I as a police officer was willing to overlook. As Kelly drove out of the neighborhood, Claudia sat close to me with her head pressed on my shoulder. How she wasn’t cowering away instead perplexed me; though, I’m glad that wasn’t the case. Ben looked at me through the rearview mirror and nodded, assuring me that everything was going to be all right. And with the wand with untold powers resting inside my pocket, I somehow knew that we were going to be safe.