(My Christmas present to all 'Seventh Ranger' fans. There will be a book two and a book three after this chapter. Appendices to follow)
Chapter Sixteen
I woke up early the next morning, despite my sleep deprived nightmare extravaganza. Kevin was already up, so he and I decided to spend time together. We went jogging and stopped at the local coffee shop. Kevin handed me my frappucino as we made our way to the docks.
"I hope you slept okay," said Kevin as we leaned on the railing, listening to the sound of seagulls and waves. I sipped the flavored drink and answered, "I did. Better than what I thought I would. I guess having Antonio there helped me calm the hell down." Kevin chuckled, but became serious. "What was it about?" I looked at him mid-drink. After swallowing I began to tell him the frightening details. His eyes grew wide when I mentioned the execution of Mia. "Wow," he exclaimed as I finished talking. He stared out to the water and sighed. "The monks of the Tengen Gate always taught us that dreams are a Samurai's way of seeing the future. Maybe this dream is trying to tell you something." I shook my head. "I don't know Kevin, but what the dream made clear was this: Crysus is out there, and he's going to hurt anyone that gets in his path towards me." Kevin was about to speak when my morpher rang. "What is it Mike?" I answered. "You got to get back here June," said Mike. "There's a badly wounded kid here, and he says he saw Crysus." My mouth dropped as I grabbed Kevin to run to my car. We drove home as fast as I could and found that Mike was right.
As I walked in the house, I found Jayden standing by the back door and Antonio sitting on the couch, leaning forward and clutching his hands together as he watched a news broadcast of a town twenty miles away that was burned to the ground. The reporter's voice echoed in the silent house as she stated that fifty people were dead and twenty missing. Mike was pacing, and the girls were sitting next to a young boy on a bench. Jayden approached me as Kevin asked, "What's going on Jayden?" Jayden sighed and never took his eyes off the child. "This kid was part of the town that's on the news right now. He came to the door bleeding and crying. When we got him to calm down, he began to say that monsters did this. At first we were skeptical, but he began to describe Moogers and Aradors to us." Mike came over and put his hand on my shoulder. "He's been crying for the Silver ranger." Hesitantly, I stepped out back and came near the child.
He was a young boy, not even thirteen years old. He had curly blonde hair and bright amber green eyes. His face was covered in dirt and dried blood. His clothes were ripped and stretching from his chest all the way to his back and down his arms was a four-line scar. The markings represent some time of Nighlok blade, but it wasn't a Mooger blade. Mia and Emily stood near me as the child stirred. His eyes grew as he saw me. I knelt down and took his hand. "No need to feel frightened child. We aren't going to hurt you." He whimpered and squeaked out, "You have to help us Silver Ranger!" I calmed him and asked "Tell me what happened." He began to sob. "There was too many of them. They came from nothing. It was a clear day, and then the sky grew dark. Thousands appeared. The adults were rounded up, and the rest of the children were killed"-he threw his hands up, enraged but sad-"slaughtered like animals! And then, he appeared. He grabbed my father and asked for June. When my father didn't answer, he, he." I nearly shook the answer out of him. "What happened then child? Speak!" The boy continued. "He took his head! He killed him! He killed everyone! All my friends! My family! Everyone!" I held him close, pushing a question for an answer I have become obsessed with. "What was his face? What did he look like?" The boy's eyes began to drip blood, and he began choking out "He looked, he looked like," But with a second series of chokes, the boy's body became limp and lifeless in my arms.
Emily was crying, as everyone else remained shocked. I set the boys body down, fighting the rage and sorrow that was boiling in me. Crysus was sending me a message, something I was right about all along. The longer the wait, the more innocent people will die in my place. Jayden stepped forward. "He's gone too far." Mike angrily mumbled an agreement. I stood up and turned to the team. "What are we going to do June?" asked Emily. Ji stepped forward. "The better question is, what are you going to do?" I knelt down beside the innocent boy, feeling the mixture of emotions boil in me like a furnace. "We need to warn the Monks, as well as the town. We're going to be in the middle of a full scale invasion"-I turned to them-"and Crysus is the one leading it"
-End