Page 23 of Guarded By the Bigfoot
“I can’t leave you,” I said, my voice breaking. “Don’t ask me to walk away.”
“I don’t have a choice.” He reached out, his hand cupping my cheek. “Parker, you don’t understand what we’re facing. The amount of power it will take to seal that fracture...”
“Then let me help!” I grabbed his wrist, holding his hand against my face. “ARC has resources, technology specifically designed for Veil anomalies. The Elite Team?—”
“No.” His voice was firm. “Your team isn’t equipped for this level of threat. Their technology might work on minor breaches, but this? This is ancient, Parker. The Dreadnull is raw darkness incarnate, a being that existed before time itself. It would tear through your equipment like tissue paper.”
“I’ve seen what those shadow hounds can do,” I said, remembering their attack in the village. “But the Dreadnull itself...”
“Is far worse.” His jaw tightened. “It feeds on magic, on life itself. The last time it tried to break through was centuries ago. I barely pushed it back, and it cost me nearly everything.”
“So what?” I stepped closer, pressing my hands against his chest. “I’m supposed to just accept that you’re going to battle this thing alone and might not come back? That what we have means nothing?”
“It means everything!” His voice cracked, and suddenly he was pulling me against him, his arms wrapping around me with protective urgency. “That’s why I have to do this. To protect you, to protect everyone. There is no other Guardian, Parker. Just me. I’m the last of my line, the only one who can maintain the Veil.”
I buried my face in his chest, breathing in his scent, feeling his heart pound against my cheek. “You’re not alone anymore,” I whispered. “Let me be your partner, not just another person you have to protect.”
He was quiet for a long moment, one hand stroking my hair. I felt his conflict, his fear, his love.
“Parker,” he said finally, his voice gentle. “I have to go. The fracture is growing stronger by the minute. If I don’t stop it now...”
“Brock—”
“Leave the mountain, Parker.” He turned away, his shoulders set in a rigid line. “Please. Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
The dismissal cut deep. I watched him walk away, feeling hollow yet strangely resolute.
The door clicked shut behind him, leaving me alone with the hum of the machines and the echo of his words.
Leave the mountain, Parker.
My hands trembled as I pulled my phone from my pocket. A blinking light on the screen told me I had more missed calls. Several of them. ARC protocols were clear: if I failed to respond during a potential threat, the Elite Team would be deployed automatically.
I unlocked the phone with a swipe, my chest tightening as I scanned the messages:
Director Nolan
Agent Woods, report immediately. The Elite Team is standing by for deployment.
Captain Garris
The breach is escalating. If you’re compromised, give the word. We’re coming in.
System Alert
Veil Breach Level 4 detected in your vicinity. Please confirm status and request backup if required.
I stared at the screen, the words blurring together. The logical part of me screamed to respond, to follow protocol, to call them in and let ARC handle this. But then I thought of Brock. The look in his eyes, his unwavering determination, his belief that this fight was his to face alone.
He didn’t trust ARC. Not with this. Not with me. He’d seen decades of their mistakes. Their arrogance. Always thinking they could control powers beyond their understanding.
The phone vibrated again, a fresh call flashing across the screen.
Director Nolan. My stomach clenched as I hit Ignore.
“Damn it,” I muttered, moving restlessly across the room. The storm outside rumbled, a dull counterpoint to my thoughts. Every instinct I had told me I was doing the wrong thing—that withholding information was reckless, dangerous. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that calling them in now would only make things worse.
Brock was right. Their technology wasn’t enough. This breach wasn’t something you could contain with a drone or a stabilizer beam. The Dreadnull was ancient and raw. Whatever Brock was planning to do, I had to believe he could pull it off.
