Tribrid

Chapter 2|Life at present

“She’s coming for you…she’s coming for you… Jason… Jason!”

“Who?” Jason asked through gritted teeth. He couldn’t see her, but her presence was strong. So strong and so was this other woman. Though she wasn’t there, her presence hung heavily…looming…keeping a watchful eye.

“You have to protect me, Jason. You and I are bound to be one. Don’t let her take me away from you. Together, we are destined for great things. They will never understand… Jason…I belong with you…and until the time is right, you have to protect me…you were born for this…”

For Jason, it was too real.

His breathing was heavy and short, and he could feel his cotton shirt drenched in sweat. A loud smack landed on his left cheek, pulling him back to reality. And another one lands.

Smack! As a result, he sprung out of bed, waking everybody else in the shared military quarter with a startle. To him, it felt like he had run a marathon. Every part of his physique ached. Eyes burning, he brushed his fingers in frustration in his unruly hair. His heart was threatening to rip his rib cage open.

And then the pain of the smack he received registered.

“What the f*ck is wrong with you?!”

“Sorry, bro. You were having nightmares again for the nth time this week.” Philip Knox, his buddy, known as Knox in the military, tapped his back with so much force that his shoulder blades felt dislocating from his body. “Good Lord. I’m telling you, man. You need to visit the chaplain. He might know what’s causing all of this. You’re howling. Animal-like howling, I’m telling you. We all heard. That’s not normal.”

“Yeah, man.” Another confirmed.

“Thanks for the back-up, Lewis.” Knox gestured with a nod to the half-naked man on the top-bunk.

“No worries, Knox.” Lewis returned to his bed. “You were literally, ‘awoooing’.”

“Shut up. No one’s animal howling.” Catching his breath, Jason Everstone, fondly known as E.S to his brother at arms, grabbed his water bottle from the bedside table, almost toppling it, and downed it in one go. Thirsty was an understatement. He knew he needed more. “The chaplain, what for? Do you think I’m possessed and need an exorcism? Come on, Knox. You're a geek. You believe in science. You’re the last person supposed to believe that cr*p.”

His remark earned chuckles from their other two companions, Lewis and Goyle, but Knox glared at them, and they all continued with their interrupted sleep. They all temporarily stay inside Luke Air Force Base. A US Military base located in Arizona. All are in their third year of service in the United States Army, waiting for their next dispatch. While waiting for their re-assignment orders, they all must stay in one of the many barracks inside the premises. It’s been three days, and there have been no orders for many of them. Most of them re-enlisted after two tours because they have nowhere to go and no life other than their military brethren.

Knox returned to his bunk bed adjacent to Jason’s and kept a watchful eye on him. “I don't know; I’m just trying to help. Three nights ago, you disappeared, and you came back and told us you don’t remember sh*t. That’s alarming for someone who graduated at the top of his class and was the best in navigation. Just sayin’.”

Jason knew Knox was sincere. They've been inseparable since they got drafted, and they've watched each other's backs since then. Knox is not just a brother in arms but a brother he never had. He's an only child, and from what his grandmother told him, his mother passed away after giving birth to him. His Meemaw, Agatha Everstone, took him under her wing, and Jason loved her more than anything. Agatha was heartbroken when he came home with news of joining the military. Though dismayed, Agatha supported her grandson and his dream. As part of his promise, he called her every night and even brought her a home computer so they could quickly video call. It was too early to call his grandmother, and the last thing he wanted to do was startle Agatha with a phone call at an unholy hour.

“I'm going out for a run.” Jason grabbed his sweater and put on his running shoes. “Does anyone want to come with me?”

“Nah, it’s three in the morning. Even the drill sergeant is snoring this time,” Knox replied, positioning himself on the bed. “Maybe around five. Get some sleep.”

“I can’t. I need to shake this off. I’ll be back after an hour.”

This was not the first time Jason heard the woman’s voice in his head. In his bones, he knew something was off. He just couldn't figure out what and why, and he couldn’t put a finger on it. The first time he heard her voice, he brushed it off and treated it like he would any other dream.

The night he turned 21, Jason started having a recurring dream. He was born on July 10, 1999. However, at that time, the voice seemed garbled and blurry—until tonight. Everything was clear, like 4K—as if he was there, with her. He could smell her and the stench of dogs…or wolves. All of a sudden, he was no longer sure. The thin veil of reality and clarity was in question.

Jason stepped outside the barracks and inhaled the crisp dawn air. The moon was nothing but a tiny sliver. He always had a strange affinity for the moon, especially when it was near the new moon phase. The base was still and silent aside from the roving uniformed men eager to end their shift. He filled his lungs with fresh air, and without stretching, he ran as fast as he could.

Inside the quarter, Knox changed his mind and decided to join his buddy in his jog. As he came out of the door, he saw Jason run lightning fast. In a split second, all he could see was a small dot of a figure at the far end of the base.

“Was that Jason?” Squinting, he couldn't believe his eyes. “Nah, probably not.”

**

Jason recalled what Knox told him a while ago–about the time he went missing. It was not a subject up for discussion because he didn’t have the slightest idea where he was. The whole time, his entire platoon was looking for him. The only thing he could recall was him standing in front of the camp gates after several days–waiting to be discovered by other soldiers.

“Where was I at that time?” He muttered under his breath. “Why can’t I remember anything?”

Before returning to camp, it was all pitch black in his head.

The woman mentioned another woman in his dreams. For Jason, there was only one woman apart from Agatha that mattered most in his life–Charlotte Jean Vaughn.

The love of his life and his greatest heartbreak.