The Black Envelope

Epilogue: Promise

Epilogue: Promise

The sharp crunch of gravel under Gage’s boots mixed with the whoosh of the wind in the dusk air. Shades of oranges and pinks smeared along the horizon as stars started to peek out from the black above. It was that special time of day when you could see the moon and the sun at the same time. Two opposites sharing the space. The roof of the Slayer building was surrounded by a high wall, apparently to keep people from falling off of it. It wasn’t tall enough to inhibit Gage’s vision, though, as he approached the wall and leaned against it, propping his chin on his hands and staring down at the street below.

 It was hard to believe a week had already passed since he had escaped from the Unnoticed’s clutches. The wounds on his neck were scabbing but they would always bare a crimson reminder of that experience. Gage didn’t mind, though. To him, it was almost like a badge of honor. He had fought back and survived. That wasn’t something you could say about most people.

But he wasn’t most people. His head was still throbbing from the day’s earlier training session with Dr. Levens.

“It’s all a matter of focus. You’re already quite good at keeping the force at bay, you just need to train yourself to do it unconsciously.”

That was easier said than done. His body constantly ached and he had never felt so tired in his life. Every day, though, he forced himself to push onwards. He wasn’t going to give up so easily. Nothing could stop him from regaining control of his own body.

A couple of days into his stay he had finally been forced to cut his hair back. He ran his hand through it unconsciously, still trying to get used to the feeling of not having to push his bangs back constantly. His hand trailed down from his head to his neck where he automatically rubbed at the identical puncture wounds.

The week had passed quickly and slowly at the same time. He was still trying to remember what each floor of the building was designated to and which room was which. Each hallway was identical, which didn’t make it any easier. It wasn’t like he had much time to study it, anyway. Between his training with Dr. Levens and the numerous naps he took during the day, he was left with about three hours of free time.

It didn’t bother him, though. Less time to himself meant less time of worry. There hadn’t been much word on Fay, Mera and Maria. For about two days they had been able to track the truck carrying them but after that it was lost. Jack had told him that they weren’t giving up but that they didn’t know where to go from here. Gage didn’t tell anyone, but he was just waiting for Augustus to contact him somehow. Everyone assured him that no one would be able to touch Gage while he was in the Slayer’s care, but Gage knew that if Augustus wanted to reach him, he could.

His muscles throbbed again and he was reminded of the sparring match with Jack earlier that day. Along with his mental training with Dr. Levens, he was also being trained in Slayer combat. The doctor was against it at first, saying that he need to learn to control himself first before focusing on anything else, but Gage finally convinced her that he would need to be able to fight back if he was ever caught in a battle. The first couple of days Peter had trained him and then Jack took over once he had healed. It left him even more exhausted than before but he didn’t let it show.

He knew that Thaddeus and Jack were worried about him. Glances exchanged between the two and times where Gage had caught them conversing quietly together told him enough about what was being said. They were concerned about his exhaustion and constant battles within him. Now that they knew what he was going through they could see it in his face. An intense expression of focus and sometimes even pain crossed his features at all hours of the day.

Gage tried not to do anything that would break his concentration. He had barely spoken to anyone during his stay. He was completely silent during his training to give himself more power to concentrate and anytime else the only people he talked to were Thaddeus and Jack. Even then there wasn’t much to say. His mind was constantly bombarded with images of Fay and his unconscious mind was tortured with nightmares. Thaddeus had woken him more than once that week, shaking and covered in sweat. He blamed himself for everything. He knew he shouldn’t but he did.