Jason didn’t remember how he got into this car, nor who’s car it was.
It didn’t matter.
He focused on the road ahead of him, a new cell phone giving GPS directions to the address he was given.
He didn’t know who was there, he didn’t know why he had to kill them, but he had to find out.
Something was going on, he had been abandoned in both worlds, and something here would help.
Jason thought to himself pessimistically, or maybe it would make his situation worse.
He shook it as he switched off his headlights, creeping forward slowly until he could barely see the silhouette of the house.
Putting the car into park, Jason shut it off, stepping out.
He pulled a black beanie over his head and started toward the house slowly.
He was dressed in all black, trying to stay unseen as he approached.
Jason watched as the house became more visible.
There was nothing special about this house.
It looked normal, occupied, and likely by a family, given the SUV and children’s toys out front.
Jason was a dangerous man, he knew this himself, but he knew that killing children was not something he would ever do.
Everyone else knew too, so why give him this job?
Headlights approached from the road Jason abandoned.
Jason tucked himself into a bush about 100 feet from the house as the headlights approached and went into the driveway.
Wait…is that Alex?
Jason wondered as he saw the RAV4.
Jason slowly and quietly crept closer, staying low to the ground as he approached.
Alex stepped out of the RAV4, immediately starting for the front door.
He knocked loudly, urgently.
A few seconds passed, and as Jason got closer, he could hear Alex knocking.
The front door opened, and a very familiar looking old man answered the door.
He looked a lot like Fenris.
“Good evening, Alex.” The old man said.
Jason could hear clearly, he was focused, why was Alex at a house he was sent to kill people at?
“We don’t have time for a get together right now, Doctor.
I have news.” Alex was all business.
“What news?” Alex smirked, “Jason killed your guys.
I didn’t expect him to, but he killed them.
Good thing for us, honestly.
They seemed like they were trying to help him.” “Help him?
How?” “They gave him a job, this address.
I dropped him off at his cottage, so all we have to do is drug him up again, move him around, burn the message, and we can throw him off the scent again.” Alex explained.
“How do we know he isn’t on his way here now?” The old man asked.
“He is convinced he’s going crazy.
Right now, he’ll likely be trying to sleep and go back to the forest.
He trusts you there, he wants your help, and especially with the way things ended between us, I don’t imagine he’ll be wanting to do anything here until he gets some answers there.
So, you go meet him there, give him something to do, and I’ll handle him here.” Jason listened closely.
Was this old man Fenris?
Was Fenris even a friend?
What about Alex?
He knows about this place and he’s the one who’s been dragging me.
Jason didn’t feel confident getting up to confront them here, something didn’t feel right.
“What if this doesn’t work, Alex?” Alex scoffed, “I know Jason, by the time we are done today, the forest is ours.
He won’t even be in his right mind to travel anymore.” With that, Alex turned to leave.
Jason waited until Alex disappeared with his vehicle and waited for the old man to disappear back inside.
He waited until he couldn’t hear anything before approaching the back door.
It was unlocked, so he decided to move inside.
He crept around silently, he heard a male voice upstairs, the same voice that was speaking with Alex.
Another voice, female.
Jason moved closer to the stairway so he could hear better.
“…so we have no choice but to follow Alex’s lead.” “Dad, you know how I feel about this.” The female voice replied.
“I know, but think about it, the forest will be ours, and Jason will be gone.” Jason looked to his right, the voices upstairs fading as he found other things to focus on.
He found a stack of pages, Dr.
Alan Fenris, PhD.
Jason grabbed the sheet of paper, pocketing it as he started toward the back door again.
“I’ll be giving Jason a call in the morning, Alex has some work to do first.” Jason disappeared out the back door after hearing this.
He moved quickly back to the car, starting it and speeding off back to the cottage.
Dr.
Alan Fenris, did Fenris know about this?
Was he being tricked, lied to?
Why?
Jason felt the more he learned the less he knew.
But Alex.
That was what stuck the most.
Jason parked at the cottage, finally taking the time to inspect the vehicle he didn’t remember obtaining.
Red, Chevrolet Cobalt.
Not his cup of tea.
Who’s was it?
He checked the glove box, no registration, no insurance, nothing.
Jason went back inside the cottage, laying down.
He thought about sleep, but he thought about just laying there.
He checked his phone.
He had successfully transferred all data from the old phone to this one, but had no memory of doing so.
Jason didn’t think he would get more answers by thinking, so instead decided to wait.
Maybe Alex would come.
If he came with syringes, Jason knew he had a problem.
But what if he’d imagined the whole thing?
Fenris did say his senses were failing him.
Focus, Jason, he thought to himself.
Jason couldn’t fight it.
Despite trying to keep his eyes open to see what the next hour or so brought him, he started to drift off.
“Jason.” The same soothing voice called out.
Jason opened his eyes, immediately face to face with the cliff again, this time, the note was not there.
“Jason.” The voice said again, just as soothing.
Jason pushed himself to his feet and turned.
Daphis was there, standing behind him.
Fenris close behind.
“My senses fail me.” Jason said softly.
“Don’t they, or am I being set up?” Fenris smiled.
“Don’t you think you are being set up?” Jason groaned, “I don’t know anymore, Fenris.” “How do you find out?” Jason thought.
“I don’t know.” Fenris stepped forward, closing the distance between him and Jason.
Practically face to face with mere inches separating them, Jason got to look into Fenris’ eyes.
“Then I will give you one last lesson, Jason.” Fenris said.
“After, you are on your own.” Jason stood ready, no response.
Fenris produced a dagger, handing it to Jason.
“Take this, and bury it into your left eye.
Use the same chants I used when I stabbed you.
Focus, breathe, and do not hesitate or this will not work, and Daphis will no longer be healing you.” Jason studied the dagger.
Stab myself, he thought, sounds cool.
Jason chuckled to himself, stuck in disbelief that he was willing to try this.
Just as Jason was about to reach the dagger, Fenris snatched it back, “Jason, why on earth would you stab yourself in the eye?” Fenris chuckled as he asked.
Jason was stunned, “You told me to…” Fenris suddenly became angry, “I told you to stab yourself, so you try to stab yourself?” Fenris barked.
“I told you that you don’t trust yourself, so your senses fail you.
Apparently common sense as well!
What do you think happens if you stab yourself through the eye with a dagger, Jason?” Jason felt stupid, he didn’t want to answer.
“Exactly.” Fenris scoffed.
“Xela is on his way, he is coming to destroy this place, and you are incapable of sorting yourself out enough to have the common sense not to stab yourself through the eyes because some old man told you to.” Jason blinked, “I thought you were going to teach me one last lesson.” “This is the lesson Jason!” Fenris shouted, thunder clapping in the distance as he did.
Jason stared blankly.
“Trust yourself more than you trust me.
Instinct should have prevented you from taking a dagger and plunging it into your eye.
Until you can trust yourself enough to make your own decisions and discoveries without relying on me, or Alex, you will not be able to defeat Xela.” Fenris explained.
Jason thought about his words, even as he disappeared into thin air.
Daphis stayed, she looked sad, and the sadder she looked, the more dead the leaves decorating her looked.
Jason looked at Daphis, “So, what do I do now, Daphis?” Daphis looked away from Jason, turning her back to him as the roots making up her feet buried themselves into the ground and pulled her under.
She disappeared out of sight as well, leaving Jason to wonder by himself.
Jason turned and looked at the wall of the cliff.
Taking initiative and deciding to act on his own, he grabbed onto the wall of the cliff, concentrating hard as he thought of a way up.
He struggled, his mind was anything but clear.
“Come on, figure it out man.” Jason thought back to his days of composure, a time when he had a mission and the ability to clear his mind through purpose.
Wait, Jason thought, a mission.
What would I call this?
He wondered.
Jason had spent so much time trying to escape that side of him, because the pain and the memories were not a part he wanted, that he forgot how to operate.
No pain, no racing thoughts, no emotion, just stoic concentration as he remembered that he wanted to save this place, and be a hero again.
As he focused, vines extended from his finger tips, burying themselves into the cliff wall.
He scaled the wall at breakneck speed, reaching the top in no time at all.
It was still dark.
No problem, he thought as he focused his vision clearly enough to see everything.
Not in black and white as before, full color.
“Jason.” A deep, husky voice called out.
It was not Fenris, and it was not Daphis.
Jason turned his attention in the direction of the voice.
A large, imposing figure dressed in a black cloak stood a few hundred feet from him.
Two thinner men behind the figure.
Jason stared, were they friend or foe?
“Come with us.” The voice called.
The voice was low and rumbly, like gusts from a storm.
Jason did not feel uneasy, but he did feel like being cautious.
He maintained his distance as he walked in the direction they led.
As soon as they reached a clearing, the three sprang into action, jumping towards Jason as weapons spawned out of thin air into their hands.
Jason acted quickly, manifesting his own weapon and shielding himself from the rapid attacks.
The large figure waited in the shadows as Jason fought the other two.
Jason maintained his mission composure, finding it easier and easier to match speed and deflect the attacks.
Behind him, the large figure lifted and threw a massive boulder, Jason had his back turned, but felt the danger.
He turned and caught the boulder, surprised by the lack of weight he felt as he hurled it back at surprising speed, knocking the figure back.
Jason acted on instinct, slamming his weapon into the ground, sending flashes of electricity in every direction, incapacitating all three figures.
As Jason stood back at the ready, all three figures disappeared.
Fenris replacing the largest one.
“Now, why can’t you channel this same focus in your life, Jason?
Doesn’t your family deserve that?” Fenris asked, no longer angry and scolding.
“Yes, they do.
And so do I.” Jason accepted this fact.
“How did you catch that boulder?
How did you summon lightning or climb that wall?
You learned through pain and suffering before, why not now?” Fenris wasn’t asking, he knew the answer.
He was probing.
Jason thought, self awareness felt like a power he could not grasp at, but he figured he would try, “I felt the need to suffer.” Fenris smiled.
“The forest is what you make it, Jason.
You crave suffering and punishment.
Now face it.” Jason knew what he had to do.
Not go find answers, confront them.
“I understand, Fenris.” For once, he was certain that he did.