by Philip-Todd Franklin
After I finished eating, I was shown to my own hut. Inside, I fumbled around until I found a small cot and crashed into a deep, dreamless sleep.
In the early morning hours, a young boy shook me awake like he was trying to rattle my bones. Normally, I’m a pretty light sleeper, but I must’ve been wiped out, because I had no clue where I was or who was shaking me. I just mumbled, “Not now, Cliff — let me sleep.” Cliff, of course, is my son who was back in California, along with my wife Ellen and my daughter Maxine. After that, the boy stopped shaking me and left the hut. Once I got my bearings and remembered where I was, I climbed out of the cot and got dressed, though I couldn’t stop yawning for a while.
I headed back to the elder’s hut and walked right in without waiting. The elder was back in his big chair, but he wasn’t alone. Two strong-looking young men, each in a loincloth and holding a wooden shield and spear, stood on either side of him.
The elder looked at me and said, “Since I last saw you, I’ve learned something that’s sped up our timeline a bit.” I could see urgency on his face. “I wish I could give you more time to finish the text, but we don’t have that luxury anymore. These young men…” He pointed to the guy on his right and then the one on his left. “…are Ohzo and Zoha. They’ll try to answer any questions you have. The trip should only take a few days. May whatever deity you follow be with you.” With that, we were ushered outside without a chance to ask anything. After grabbing some supplies, we hit the old trail.
***
The first day of our journey was pretty quiet and uneventful, which gave me a chance to ask Ohzo and Zoha a ton of questions as we walked, since they seemed to know a lot about the evil we were heading to face. That evening, as we sat around the campfire, I turned to Ohzo and asked him to tell me more.
“The evil has existed as long as man has walked the savannah,” Ohzo said, his voice heavy with sorrow. “It has been freed and captured many times, according to tribal legends, but always at a high cost. Whole tribes have been lost in the process.”
I could tell there was more to his story, so I asked, “Ohzo, did you lose your tribe in the last confrontation?”
Trying to hold back tears that were unbecoming of a warrior, Ohzo just nodded and remained quiet for awhile.
At that moment, Zoha stepped away from the fire, probably to give his friend some space. Ohzo continued, his voice shaky. “I was just a boy when the evil was last set loose, and that was many years ago. I’m the last of my tribe, and when I die, so does my tribe.” He dropped his head into his hands and finally let the tears flow.
I gave him a moment of silence to collect himself before asking, “Ohzo, what can you tell me about the last time this evil was freed?”
Zoha came back to the campfire and, having heard my question, jumped in to answer so Ohzo wouldn’t have to. “The last time the great evil got loose,” he said, his voice strong and clear, “it was just an accident. The tribal shamans were always the ones to capture it when it broke free, following the Stranger’s old instructions.”
I nodded, trying not to interrupt his story.
“The tribes weren’t ready or prepared, since it had been a while since it was last free,” Zoha said, staring into the fire as it flickered. “It killed many brave warriors over three days of fighting before the shamans could finally converge on it and trap it again. And the price this time was more than anyone expected. When it was over, all but one of the shamans present were dead.”
I sat there, taking in everything he said while listening to the sounds of wildlife around us. After a moment, I asked, “How did they keep the evil trapped all these years?”
Ohzo and Zoha exchanged glances, and after a moment, Ohzo turned to me and said, “The legends say it’s been kept in a large gem that’s supposed to be hidden deep within the Cave of the Stranger. They also say the Stranger was the first to confront and capture the evil before teaching the shamans how to keep it there.” With that, they both stood up and headed for their bedrolls, which I took as a sign that the conversation was done.
Just before heading off to sleep, Ohzo added, “Get some rest. We should reach the Cave of the Stranger by midday tomorrow.”
I sat by the fire for a few more moments before getting up and lying down in my own bedroll. That night, I once again fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
***
In the morning, we woke up to the sounds of wildlife — they sounded terrified. “It’s the evil!” Ohzo shouted, his voice shaking a bit with fear.
His alarmed tone snapped me awake, and for a moment, I listened to the animals. I couldn’t chat with them like Aquaman does with fish, but I had a strong sense of empathy for animals, and I could tell they were spooked by something.
Looking at my companions, I could see they were both visibly rattled. Even though they were strong, I realized they might not be much help once we got to our destination, but I kept that thought to myself.
We quickly packed up our stuff and took a moment to get our bearings before heading toward the Cave of the Stranger.
After walking for over four hours, Zoha finally raised his hand to stop us and pointed ahead to the trees. “This is one of the many results of the great evil — the Two Arms Death,” he said, gesturing toward a dead forest. All the trees were blackened, like they’d just been through a massive fire, but they were still standing. There was no foliage left; in fact, all life in the forest was gone. What hit me the hardest was the eerie silence that surrounded us. After the earlier noise of the panicked animals, there was now just deathly silence all around.
Then I spotted it — the bleached white bones of what used to be an elephant. The way it lay on the ground made it clear it had died recently, probably while trying to escape something.
The shock of seeing that was almost too much to handle. “Unreal,” I muttered, though I hadn’t meant to say it out loud.
We kept searching the area for a bit, and after spotting a few more animal remains in similar states, we decided to move on, knowing we had to be close to the cave.
As we walked through this desolate area, I could feel that we were all in the same boat. Our morale, already low, was crushed by the sight of death all around us.
After another hour of walking since entering the dead zone, we finally found the entrance to a large cave. Standing there with Ohzo and Zoha, I wished I my old friends from the Forgotten Heroes or the Conglomerate were there to have my back. Cave Carson would have been extremely useful right now. Heck, I would’ve even been glad to see Guy Gardner if he’d showed up then with his power ring.
Moving as quietly as we could, we crept up to the cave’s entrance, listening for any weird sounds. Above the cave mouth was a round carving that looked like a medallion with an eight-pointed star, or an octagram. I remembered seeing a drawing of it in the book about the cave, but I had no idea what it meant. I just figured it was some kind of hex sign or something, like the Seal of Solomon. Next to the cave entrance were two small pits, one on each side, along with the remains of some old torches.
I looked at my companions and motioned for them to come over to one side of the cave. Once they joined me, I pointed to one of the holes in the ground and whispered, “What do you think these are for?”
Ohzo checked it out and replied quietly, “This pit is supposed to hold a lit torch, and the one across the mouth would do the same. Together, they would create a barrier to block access to the Cave of the Stranger.”
I nodded and leaned in closer to the pit, noticing what looked like a piece of a pole. With the sharp eyesight I’d absorbed from an African hawk-eagle that had just flown by, I could tell it had been broken in two. From the prints around it, I also realized what had caused the damage.
“I guess the barrier’s been breached, which means our problem is inside. You two can either wait here or come with me,” I said, pointing into the dark cave.
Ohzo and Zoha exchanged glances at the cave entrance, then shook their heads firmly and stood their ground.
Just as I’d figured, I’d be going in to face the unknown dangers alone. I gave them an understanding nod and took one last look around before stepping into the darkness of the cave. As I reached the point where the light from outside faded, I reached out and absorbed the radar of a bat, using it to navigate through the cave. It seemed like there were still some living things here, even in this dead zone.
Even though only about twenty minutes had passed, it felt like I was trudging through the dark cave for an hour before I spotted some light up ahead. That’s when I heard the sounds of two angry apes coming my way.
Without thinking twice, I soaked up the strength of the apes and turned to face them. They were the biggest apes I’d ever seen! They roared and pounded their hairy chests as they charged at me.
Seeing them rush toward me, I backed up against the cave wall. In a panic, I wished I could just blend in with my surroundings. To my surprise, something actually happened. Both apes stopped just a foot away, looking totally confused as they scanned the wall but couldn’t see me. I must’ve unconsciously tapped into a nearby lizard’s camouflage ability and blended right in with the rock.
I didn’t waste any time in escaping from the apes. Silently sliding along the wall, I moved past them and took a quick glance back. They were sniffing the air and looking around in circles, as if they had completely lost track of me. Using that same camouflage ability, I quietly slipped away and ventured deeper into the cave.
Keeping the strength I’d absorbed from the apes, I picked up my pace until I heard someone chanting. When I rounded the bend in the corridor, I caught a glimpse of a guy in a long red cloak with coal-black hair — except for the gray at his temples.
Without thinking, I yelled, “You’ve got to stop what you’re doing! It’s destroying everything!”
The man in red spun around and snapped back, “I will stop nothing, you meddling nuisance! I know exactly what I’m doing.” With that, he lifted his arms and kept chanting, swaying as he did.
I charged forward, totally forgetting about the two apes I’d left behind. I got about halfway to the guy when a big, hairy hand shot out and grabbed me. I yelped, “What the–?!” before realizing it was one of the apes.
The massive ape swung me around and tried to grab me with its other hand, but I pushed against it, matching its strength.
Meanwhile, the man in red kept chanting, slowly rising into the air. I couldn’t understand what he was saying, but I could tell some serious mojo was going on.
Just then, the second ape lunged at me. I ducked just in time, keeping pressure on the first ape until the last second. The second ape crashed into the first, sending both of them tumbling to the ground. As they angrily wrestled, I seized the chance to leap at the man.
I knocked him down, breaking his concentration. As I tried to grab him with the strength of an ape, he pointed at me and said, “Buddy Baker, you’ve always been a pain in my neck, ever since we were kids! I should’ve gotten rid of you back then — and I would have, if I’d known what a nuisance you’d become!” With that, he sent me flying back into the wall.
Hearing my name spoken by some crazy guy in such a weird place — and while I was in costume, no less — completely floored me. If I hadn’t crashed against the cave wall a moment later, my jaw would’ve dropped. I knew that voice.
The impact with the wall caused me to start blacking out, but before I did, I caught a glimpse of a huge gem embedded in the rock where he had been standing. It was glowing brightly.
“You’ve only postponed the inevitable, Buddy. I will have the power,” he said, waving his hands at me.
Just before the darkness finally claimed me, I managed to croak out, “But… but… didn’t I see you die?”