Chapter Eighty Four

*Ivan*


*I heard a crash in the other room and woke up with a start. When I got out of bed I heard another crash and growling. The growl was coming from my Dad and he sounded angry. I ran toward the sound, scared of what I would find.
“Mom? Dad?” I called out.
I stepped into the main room and my Dad was fighting off an attacker. I gasped in shock. Dad was in his wolf form and Mom was fighting back as best she could. I stared, wide-eyed, trying to take in the chaos that was breaking out in front of me. A group of Shadows surrounded my Mom while a Shifter and Ghost fought my Dad. A Shifter was someone who was able to change into anything and this particular Shifter had shifted into a Bear. It made sense, having to match the size of an Original Navi Wolf who could end up being 7 to 9 feet. The big problem was the Ghost. Ghosts weren’t commonly found and they were really hard to kill because they were almost impossible to touch. A Ghost was a person who could make their whole body phase through something or someone in an instant.
“What do you want from us?!” My Mom growled at the Shadows.
They didn’t answer. Instead one of them came up behind her from the shadows, dagger in hand.
“MOM!” I shouted, running at the attacker.
I grabbed the glass vase off the table and swung it as hard as I could at the Shadow’s head. The vase shattered and the Shadow fell to the ground. I gasped in pain as some of the shards of glass embedded themselves into my hands. Another Shadow ran at my Mom, shoving her against the wall. She held the Shadow back. Keeping her attention on the fight, she spoke to me.
“Ivan! Get out of here! Hurry! You need to run!”
“No! I’m not leaving you and Dad!”
“Ivan! Please! You have to survive!” She cried.
I heard a whine from my Dad and I looked over. He had heard what my Mom said and was trying to tell me the same thing. He didn’t want me to get hurt. Like my Mom, he wasn’t looking at me. He was focused on the fight trying to fight off the Shifter and Ghost.
“We’re not going to let him leave. None of you are leaving unless it’s in a body bag.” The Ghost snarled.
My Dad growled ferociously at the Ghost and snapped his jaws at him. The Ghost just laughed and continued phasing through my Dad’s attacks on him. The Shifter decided this was their chance and swiped a massive paw at my Dad. It connected with my Dad’s head knocking him to the floor.
“Dad!” I shouted, running over to him.
Blood stained his fur and I began to panic.
“Dad! Please! Wake up!” I cried out.
I shook my Dad roughly but he didn’t respond.
“Your father is dead, boy.” The Ghost snarled.
“Shut up!” I growled at the Ghost.
“No!” My Mom shouted.
She kicked at the Shadow’s leg hard, making it bend at an awful angle. The Shadow gasped in pain as their hands went to their injured leg. My Mom followed up by punching the Shadow in the face and the Shadow fell to the ground unconscious.
“Grab her!” The Ghost ordered the Shadows.
The Shadows quickly took hold of my Mom, restricting her from getting closer. I pulled my Dad closer to me and hugged him tightly. He was unconscious but he was losing too much blood. His blood got all over my clothes and on my hands and face.
“I’m sorry, Dad. I’m so sorry. I love you.” I whispered in his ear.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw the throwing knives my Dad used to teach me the other day. It was on the floor under the table that was near me. I laid his head gently on the ground. I knew I would need to move quickly. I looked directly at the Ghost, glaring hatefully.
“Please tell me you’re going to fight. Or scream! Yes! Please, scream in fear and try to get away! I love a good chase!” The Ghost mocked me.
I moved as fast as I could and grabbed the band of throwing knives. The Ghost laughed in glee as he ran at me. He thought I was about to run. I pulled one of the throwing knives from the band and spun quickly. Using all my strength I launched the blade at the center of the Ghost. The Ghost grinned and phased through the blade. I grinned back in response. Just in time for the Shifter to roar in pain as the blade buried itself into the Shifter’s eye. The Ghost spun around in shock and I launched another blade as hard as I could, just like my Dad had taught me. This time the blade buried itself into the Ghost’s spine. The Ghost dropped to the ground screaming in pain.
“You shouldn’t underestimate my son.” My Mom growled.
Her body shivered and she shifted into her wolf. The Shadow’s had loosened their grip when both of my attacks landed. None of them expected a child to severely injure two of their fighters. Mom lunged at the Ghost ending his life. The Shifter had regained control of themselves and lunged back at my Mom. The world suddenly seemed to move in slow motion. My Dad had managed to get up and jump in front of the attack meant for my Mom. He shifted back holding his arms out, taking the full swipe from the Shifter. I stood frozen in place as my Mom shifted back, catching my Dad as he fell to the ground. She screamed in agony as the love of her life was taking his last breaths.
My Dad’s eyes locked on mine, “I…love…you…son. I’m…proud…of…you.”
“I love you, Dad.” I choked out.
My Dad looked up at my Mom and brought his hand to her cheek, caressing it softly, “I…love…you. Always…”
“And forever. I love you!” My Mom cried, kissing him on the lips.
My Dad’s hand fell from her cheek and his eyes glazed over. I felt my heart shatter into pieces, knowing that I would never get to learn anything else from my Dad. Knowing that I would never hear his voice again. My Dad had been my role model. My family has always been happy. We were always having fun and laughing. Dad was always teaching me new things when it came to fighting. He said I was a natural and loved teaching me. I was never going to hear his praise again. I was never going to see him again. The sadness I felt from losing my Dad quickly turned into rage. I felt the anger bubble inside of me. My eyes felt hot and I growled angrily.
My Mom’s head snapped up as she looked at me.
“Ivan.” She breathed.*