Mythical Link ▸ Link Neal {Book One}

Twenty Four

     A whirlwind of ice cold emotion wrapped Link up in a blanket of absolute fear. He shuddered on the spot, unable to break himself out of the reverie that held him to the ground. Rhett's constant efforts to get him up to his feet were futile, and the crowd dispersed more as the police began to herd them further past the barricades. They seemed to take this issue very seriously, considering it wasn't every day in Burbank California that you see dead miniature horses in the middle of the road.

     "Hey buddy, come back to me. Link," Rhett spoke softly as he rubbed Link's back. If he couldn't get him up by force, he'd have to try a different tactic. It was almost as if Link was trapped in a trance. An officer with a bushy black mustache approached them with his hands on his hips, and Rhett recognized him as the one he pushed past earlier.

     "I'm not going to ask you guys to leave again." His dark eyes bore into Rhett's with ferocity. 

     Rhett craned his head to look up at the officer, his pulse accelerating. "I understand that sir. I'm trying to gather my friend here and we'll get going."

     "Now would be preferable," the officer insisted with a cocky tone. 

     Rhett narrowed his eyes. "Just give me one minute." He turned his head to look at Link who was still zoned out. "Come on man, we have to go." Rhett's stomach churned when Link didn't move or respond, and the only other thing he could think of was to pick his friend up and physically carry him to the car. He wondered how many times he was going to be carrying Link like a child with a sigh.

     Rhett scooped Link up into his arms and Link's muscles tightened. He then clasped his arms around Rhett's neck. Rhett rose to his feet slowly as he stretched one vertebrae at a time and the officer stumbled backward as he looked up at Rhett with wide eyes. Link suddenly turned his head away from Rhett, a smirk on the corner of his mouth. "That's right. My best friend's a human giant." 

     The officer nodded his head quickly as he swallowed with a huge gulp. "You— you guys have a great day now." He nearly stumbled on his own two feet while he turned back to join his colleagues. 

     Rhett chuckled as he carried Link back to the car. "Everything alright now?" He looked down at Link, whose face was still pasty with the exception of his rosy cheeks.

     "I have a million and one thoughts racing through my head right now. And the big one is why I'm being targeted." Rhett had a confused look on his face as he opened the door and placed Link in the car. Rhett even buckled him in and gave him a pat on the shoulder, as he couldn't help but notice that Link looked like a horrible concoction of hopeless and perplexed. It punched Rhett in the gut to see his best friend like that. Rhett walked around the car and took his seat, and he hastily buckled himself in before he revved the engine to life.

     "What do you mean by being targeted?" He backed the car up so they could take the designated detour that a crossing guard was now standing at. 

     Link took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. "The dream. Terra. Snakes invading my subconscious in the bathroom, and now a dead miniature horse. Which need I remind you, had its throat ripped out with claws and was marked with snake skin-like texture. Somebody or something is messing with me, Rhett." 

     Rhett let Link's words sink in before he answered. Rhett had to agree with Link that it began to look like whatever it was specifically knew things about Link that would make it look like they're easily targeting him. 

     Yet again, those are all facts about Link that they could have learned on Good Mythical Morning, as they've talked plenty of times about themselves. So it was hard to tell. "I see it now. I know what you mean. Let's try to analyze this like scientists would, alright? So you had a dream that came true. That constitutes as a premonition, right? It came true after it happened. Then with the snakes... Maybe you were having some sort of vision, because you said the snakes weren't actually there, right?"

     Link nodded his head as he listened intently to Rhett's analysis of his insanity. 

     "The miniature horse had been branded with a snake-skin like texture, so I think somehow you had linked the two without even knowing it." Rhett gave a shrug of his shoulders as if it were an easy conclusion. 

    Link just noticed that they'd pulled up to Home Depot, but he was too caught up in his own thoughts to even care. He unbuckled himself and turned his body to face Rhett, and Rhett did the same. "Are you saying I could be psychic? For real?"

     Rhett narrowed his eyes and stroked his beard. "I'm saying something weird is definitely happening with you, but I don't think we should go slapping any labels on it just yet you know?" 

     Link nodded his head and adjusted his glasses. He definitely wasn't up for slapping any random label on himself, because who liked to be labeled?

     "My best advice for you is to write this stuff down after it happens. You know, any more weird things that happen that nobody else can see. Then we can look at it and try to connect the dots as more of the picture forms." 

     Link drew in a deep breath. He closed his eyes and tightened his jaw. After a minute, he opened his eyes again and Rhett could see some of the spark ignited once again. "You know, I'm so lucky to have you as my best friend. I'd hate to be going through this alone. Especially since my first instinct is to panic when I can't explain it immediately with science." 

     Rhett clasped Link on the shoulder with a grin. "That's why I'm the brains and you're the psychic." 

     Link chuckled. "I thought we weren't calling me anything yet." 

    "Just play along with me, brotha." Rhett opened his door and exited, and Link did the same. It was time that Link put his issue on the back burner and shop with Rhett for the solar lights, because they still needed to stop Terra before she created an even bigger problem.