Night Storm (Part 2)

NIGHT STORM PT II: The Awakening

The darkness had never known the light. Never known the warmth of a sun or the sensations of life. Only the angel of death has ever caressed the darkness with his cold touch.

The darkness cradled his tired soul in fold upon folds of wet, thick liquid ice that sent tendrils of chills deep into his spine. His head ached and throbbed in time to the primal rhythm of his slowly warming heart.

The darkness forced cold breath into his tired lungs and they burned and heaved as if filled with molten lead. His back arced upwards from the cold metallic cradle as his body splashed with wave after breaking wave of violent spasms. His jaws locked against the silent screams as small drifts of black blood slowly clouded at his clenched fists where his nails bit deep.

The softly illuminated amber liquid flowed like quicksilver as the amniotic fluid was purged from the cocoon. His breath frosted the transparent titanium shell inches from his face as the carapace split and flowed apart disappearing into the cryogenics cradle. His eyes opened for the first time in over three thousand years.

"I am awake," he whispered. He wondered how long he'd been asleep this time.

He couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he realized "a very long time" could mean anything. "It doesn't really matter how long does it?" he thought.

"Why have I been awakened?" he asked as he ran his scarred fingers through his hair and rubbed the stiffness in the back of his neck. He stopped when he realized the unusual silence that followed his last question.

"Repeat query. Why have I been awakened?" he asked again.

"Ah? I thought so," he sighed as he rolled his broad shoulders and took a deep steady breath. He admired the determination of this tracker. He was the best so far. "It is time to end this long slow dance of death." He said to himself as he stood up from the cradle and stretched. Muscles groaned. Tendons and sinew popped and creaked from head to toes as he exhaled slowly.

It felt so damned good to be awake again. Alive again.

Half a grin creased his chiseled features as he thought to himself, "Yes, it is time to walk between the drops again brother. I am coming for you Kensho. I am coming... for... you"