Breaking Free: Book 1 of The Wind's Cry Series

By Caleb Monroe

FEAR! Crippling. Consuming. It can take hold of your life...if you allow it. A single horrific event during Jacob’s childhood created a never-ending cycle of torment. After years of living a life of solitude, Jacob developed a crippling form of agoraphobia. The idea of even taking one small step outside of his house awakens the tormenting sounds of ...well, you'll have to read and see! He retreats further inside himself as he searches for some sense of security inside the tomb of safety his house has become. A chance encounter with a mythical creature leaves Jacob with no other option than to stand up and face his fears, taking that first, small step, which will lead him into the unknown. Breaking free of his fears will not be easy, and Jacob will eventually find himself face-to-face with the one thing that terrorizes his nightmares. What does Jacob discover and is it really a dream? Find out in this exciting debut fantasy adventure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Progressive Rising Phoenix Press, LLC
• Release date: Apr 30, 2017
• ISBN: 9781946329370

Caleb Monroe

Caleb is the author of Breaking Free, The Battle for Liferné, and The Seeder's Gift-the first three books in The Wind's Cry series. He is also a chemistry teacher at St. Louis Catholic High School in Lake Charles, LA. He studied chemistry at McNeese State University and is married to Jamie Monroe. He loves comic books, putting some of his deepest fears into his own characters, stories that have a way of speaking to a person, and books that are just plain fun. That was the basis for his first three books.

Book preview

Chapter 1:

Lost in Darkness

I squeeze my eyelids tightly together while slowly bringing my hands up to cover my ears in a desperate attempt to make it stop, but even though my hands form a wall to protect my ears from the screams, they still find a way to sneak past my barriers.

The screams beg for me to do something, anything, but like always, I am too afraid to move. Its takes a minute, but I finally build up enough courage to open my eyes, which is when I am greeted by a freezing fog appearing before me as a long thin hand reaching out to strangle me. I do everything in my small power to push it away, but it latches on to me and I already know my fate. The instant the fog makes contact with my skin, it sends a freezing pain throughout my entire body that leaves me immobile. It is trying to smother me.

Just when I think the fog will end my misery, I begin to hear it. The sound that will never leave me as long as I live. It is as familiar to me as my own heartbeat now. I can hear the clicking sound off in the distance as if it were moving slowly towards me. With every second that goes by, I can hear the clicking speeding up, and even though I want to run away, the fog has a relentless death grip on me that has me fully paralyzed.

I start to shout and scream for the fog to release me but stop when I hear the clicking getting closer. I know that it is almost here, because now the clicking is so loud and fast the echoes it produces are starting to create a blurred sound that makes it impossible to tell one click from another. It is coming and there is nothing I can do. I can feel the sweat run down my back as the fear inside me attempts to take control of my body. The last thing I hear before the thing comes into view is him yelling, Run!

Suddenly, I am awakened by a violently windy night.

The wind is so terrifying that the howls it creates sound as if the world is screaming in agony. I start to believe that the world is being attacked like I was in my dreams, and I wonder if this is an awe-inspiring response to that attack. I do my best to try and fall back asleep, but as I toss and turn, it almost seems like our planet is screaming for someone to wake up and do something, do anything to help.

I stare at the ceiling for what seems like forever before I hear something strange that demands my attention. At the door to my balcony, I hear what sounds like wings frantically trying to keep something up in the air. I write it off as just another echo of the weather, but then it happens again, and this time it is much louder. I look toward the door hoping to see a shadow that might give me a clue as to what is creating the noise, but when I look, I only find darkness.

I deduce that my tired mind is playing tricks on me, so I turn over once again and try to find that beautiful and elusive vixen called sleep, but I am also hoping that she will come bearing no dreams for me this time. It seems like every night I have to try and woo her, only to be rejected time and time again, and there is a part of me that is grateful. I find comfort in knowing that if I do not sleep, I will not dream.

I finally start to feel myself succumb to sleep’s call as my body gets heavy and my breathing becomes rhythmic. I take one last breath thinking I have finally gotten the attention of the one I sought after, but that is when the flapping returns, and this time it comes with a resounding crash.

My balcony door gives its best attempt to hold back whatever is trying to enter my house, only to show that the strength of this thing is too great. I jolt straight up the moment I hear the door give way and then leap out of bed when I hear something hit the floor inside my house.

I scamper to the back of the room attempting to gain as much distance between me and whatever just burst into my house, but in the process, I created a new problem. Now my bed is impeding my view. I am blind to what is in my house, and the only light switch is on the other side of the room by the door. I imitate a statue for a moment hoping that whatever came in will find its way out without needing my assistance.

I watch the door and listen for anything that might clue me into what is waiting for me on the other side of my room, but the only sound filling my house is the haunting cries of the night sky. All of a sudden my attention is brought back to the intruder in the room when I began to hear nails scraping against my bedroom floor. With all of the courage I can muster up, I timidly say, Here little doggy? Here kitty kitty? Please be something friendly.

I can hear the animal trying to stand, but my faux-wood floors are apparently an insurmountable obstacle. I finally come to the conclusion that there is only one option left for me at this junction - go meet my new house guest.

It’s okay, little whatever you are; I’m not going to hurt you. I lift up my arms to show this thing that I am unarmed. See, no one is trying to hurt you. I come in peace. Feeling a little ridiculous, I decide to put my hands down because I realize I am talking to an animal that cannot possibly understand me. I’m going to come make sure you are okay. Just don’t eat me, alright?

I take a few steps and a very small part of me is excited to see who this mysterious houseguest of mine is. I could fill up a novel with things that I am scared of but animals are not one of them. I take two timid steps before I am immediately stopped in my tracks by the sound of flapping wings coming from the other side of my bed. I take a few steps back but run into a wall, reminding me that I am trapped in my room and also that my summoned bravery has not taken me very far. I hear the wings begin to beat harder, which causes my whole body to tense up.

Its wings are beating furiously now and they are causing mild gusts of wind to flow under my bed. I panic when something touches my feet, but after checking it out, I see that it is only my bedsheet billowing from the wind. I lift my eyes back up, which is when I realize my unexpected guest is starting to rise up into the air. The first thing to peak over the side of the bed are a pair of wings. They remind me of bird wings by their feathers, but they are much bigger than a typical bird and they are a dark black color. The kind of black you find when there is no light at all.

What are you? I take a step away from the wall and I feel my heart rate quicken as my fingers feel the wall disappear. The creature continues to rise and now I can see its back coming over the bed. The back of this thing seems to be covered in a fine black hair that is just as dark as the wings. I get a mental image of a panther at first, and the fact that I can now see a tail starting to twitch in the air only adds to the illusion. I feel my shins hit the side of my bed as I lose track of where I am, but my eyes shoot back up and my visitor finally comes into full view.

Flying in front of me is a creature the size of a small Labrador with the face of an eagle but most certainly not the body of one. I cannot mistake the white feathers surrounding its head and glowing with a silver light as if reflecting the moonlight nor the sharp beak on its face. The feathers spread and puff out creating what looks like a mane as it spreads down part of the back and the chest of the creature.

The next thing to catch my attention are two long, sleek ears protruding from the feathers and something sparkling near its front feet. When my eyes follow its mane, I see that its front legs are bird-like with four large talons at the end of them. I lean to the side and find that its hind legs are very different and actually take on more of a feline appearance.

Where did you come from? I say as I place my hands on the bed. The thing looks at me and turns it head to the side as if to ask the same question of me. I see that its wings are beginning to slow down and I realize that it is starting to fall. The creature must know this, too, because it is now maneuvering itself over my bed.

It fights for as long as it can, but its wings are just not able to keep it in the air any longer. The thing prepares for a crash landing by tucking its head to the side, but to its surprise, my bed is a much softer landing than expected. I watch as the thing paws at my bed trying to figure out what it has landed on.

Never seen a bed before, have you? It’s a lot softer than my floor you crashed on earlier. I make a quick move with my hand to pat the bed, which sets the creature on edge. It jumps to its feet and starts to scramble away from me. No, don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you. I put my hands up to show I am not going to touch it. We enter into a staring contest that lasts a few minutes but nothing more happens. I’m just going to flip the lights on, so don’t be scared.

I make my way to the door and the little guy never takes his eyes off me. Even in the dark I can see that his eyes are completely black. I stare into them, and for a moment, I lose myself as if I were staring into a starless night. Everything around me begins to fade into the darkness that are its eyes, and without meaning to, I begin to lose sense of everything else in the world. I literally have to shake this feeling away so I can take another step.

Just turning the lights on; no need to be afraid. I never take my eyes off of the creature; I use my hand to feel around behind me for the light switch but I cannot seem to find it at first.

I finally get a hold of it and, even though I try to fight it, I have to turn it on and off three times. The unwarranted light show I am creating causes the creature to let out a cry. The cry is small, but the frequency of it forces me to cover my ears, because what is being produced from the creature is not just sound. I can actually feel the scream hitting my body; it is as if this creature is creating a sonic wave. A few seconds go by and it realizes there is nothing to be afraid of so it is finally stops screaming.

My hands fall from my ears and I am left with a sensation of weariness left by the creature’s sound. Moving my head back and forth a few times helps me regain my composure by settling the fluid in my ears and helps me steady myself. With restored and refocused vision, I am able to see that the creature has converted the sheets into a nest. I watch as he collapses into his newly made bed and stand in silence as he falls asleep. It only takes about a minute before the creature is out cold.

All I can do right now is stare at this thing and rub my temples with my hands as I attempt to figure out what I am going to do next. I am not good with change, and this is surely going to change everything.

I notice that while making the blankets into its nest, the thing managed to rip up my sheets. This means I will have to get new ones, but I only had these for four months and the fact that they did not make the six-month mark I had planned for them begins to eat at me. I force myself to take a few deep breaths, because the idea of the sheets not reaching their designated time goal is starting to make me sweat.

I take a moment to walk off the mounting stress running through my veins and remember that my balcony door is open. I close the door, check the lock, and when I turn to walk away, I am unwillingly brought back to make sure it is still locked. I do this four more times and then my brain releases me from my nightmare.

I make my way back to my bedroom where I turn the light off and then back on and off again because I have to keep to the routine. I stand at the end of the bed and ponder my new situation with what appears to be my new pet.

I rub my eyes as I say, Now what do I do?

Chapter 2:

Getting to Know You

I am abruptly awoken by the sound of claws hitting the floor, and in a state of panic, I start to wield the broom I grabbed last night as if it were a sword. It takes a second for my eyes to get into focus, but when they do, I am greeted by a sight that tells me I am not crazy and that last night was not a figment of my imagination.

I am currently sitting on the floor because I was too afraid to try and sleep in the bed last night. I mean, what if this thing decided that I would make a good pin cushion for its talons or thought I might taste good? I searched for a weapon at one point, but all I could find was this old brown broom in my cleaning supply closet. I figured it would be some help in a life or death situation.

The creature just sits on the floor a foot away staring at me with its beautiful black eyes. I wonder where you came from, little guy, or what you are for that matter? I sit silently for a moment to see what it might do next, but as I begin to look left and right, I see that this creature is mimicking my movements. I laugh a little as I try to confuse it by making my head do a figure eight shape. The little guy tries to copy what I am doing, but in the process it falls over. Easy now, don’t hurt yourself. Without thinking, I reach to help the creature up causing it to jump back into the air and use its wings to glide to the bed.

I panic and pick my broom back up to protect me. The creature lands on the bed and instinctively drops its head down on top of his front claws, while keeping his back legs fully extended. I watch as its tail begins to vigorously shake in the air.

I think I know what you want? I have seen dogs do this when they want to play. Do you want to play? I take the broom and wave it in front of its face and again he follows every move I make. Come on, you can get it. Go for it. I hear the thing make a low, growling sound and I smile.

I have not had this much fun in a long time.

I watch as it slowly pulls its body back a little and prepares to pounce on the broom. You can do it. I egg it on by brushing the broom against his front claws, and then it attacks. The speed at which it moves catches me off guard, and the creature is able to get ahold of the broom. He bites the head of it with its beak while driving its talons into the handle. I can hear the talons plunging into the wood, so I let go hoping to avoid its complete destruction. The creature tries to take flight with its prey, but the weight of its body and the broom are too much for the wings to carry and both the broom and the creature fall to the ground.

I reach for the handle and start to pull the broom away before the creature hurts itself, but this gets the creature even more excited. Now we are engaged in a game of tug-o-war, and even though I think this thing is a baby, it is still very strong. You can see the muscles in its shoulders flex as it struggles against me.

I fight with him for a few seconds before I let him win. He takes the broom and slings it across the floor as if to say he was victorious. It watches as the broom slams into the wall and then it looks at me again and I say, Don’t stop on my account. Get it.

The creature playfully pounces on the broom again, and I laugh out loud as I watch it try to defeat this nefarious broom. You really are full of energy aren’t you? But the real question is what are you? I stand up and start to scratch my head. I guess I will have to figure it out after breakfast. You hungry? The creature clearly does not know what I am saying, but for the first time since we met, it makes its way toward me. Very timidly it approaches me and, just as slowly as it approaches, I extend my right hand outward. I hold it very steady and wait to see what happens next.

The little guy gets close, but at the last second, his eyes meet mine causing him to jump back. It’s okay. I am not going to hurt you. I promise. I sit back on the floor to get to his level. I hold my hand out again and this time the creature actually makes it to me. It starts to smell my hand, and before I know it, the creature is walking right up to my legs. It gets about a foot away from me before it finally relaxes and sits down. I stare down at it and all I can do is smile. I take a chance now that I am close enough, and I begin to pet the creature very gently down its soft mane of white feathers.

The creature is not quite sure what do at first, but after a few strokes it begins to relax. I take this as a good sign; I then get crazy and start to pet the creature’s back. See that feels pretty good doesn’t it? The thing gives into its body’s wishes and goes limp falling to the ground as it rolls on to its back just like a dog or cat would do. Do you want me to pet your belly? Alright, just don’t eat my hand, okay.

I cautiously begin to pet the belly of the beast. While I am petting it, I see that this thing is definitely a boy, there is no doubt about that anymore. I also notice that the underside of the creature has a light layer of hair covering what appear to be scales like you would find on a crocodile. This little guy just keeps getting more interesting by the moment. I bet you would let me pet you like this for hours, wouldn’t you? Just as I say that, I hear my stomach growl. We both turn our eyes to my stomach. Sorry, it’s breakfast time. Why don’t we go see what you like to eat.

As I head for the door to go downstairs, I hear the little guy follow me, and when I get to the balcony door, I have to stop and make sure it is locked. I go through my routine and check the lock five times. Once I am done, I make my way for the stairs, but as I reach the first step, I do not hear the clicking of talons behind me anymore. I turn to find that the creature is still in my room. Come with me. I motion to the stairs, and when the creature makes his way to the first one, he stops to look at what lies below. No need to be afraid; you just need to take them one at a time.

I show the creature what I mean as I walk slowly down the stairs backward so it can see that I am safe. Now, you try it. The little guy gets to the first step and nervously puts its right foot down onto the step below. It looks back and forth from me to the step. You can fly but you are scared of going down steps? Well, I am going down, so you can come with me or stay up here. I turn to walk down the rest of the stairs and that is when I hear the thing let out a small whimper. Do you want me to pick you up? I start to climb the stairs telling him, I guess, but just this once. I only make it up two steps before the little guy turns and runs back towards the bed room. Where are you going? I said I was coming to get you.

I hear the little guy running again and I am forced to duck out of his way as he goes flying, or I guess I should say falling with style, down the stairs. I turn to watch him soar down the stairs, but while in the air, he overcorrects and ends up bouncing off of the wall. He would have made a mess if I had any reason to put any pictures on that wall. I watch as the little guy makes a smooth landing on the floor below after adjusting his wings midflight. Once he gains his footing, he runs back to the bottom of the stairs and kind of chirps at me. I’m coming. It’s not like I just glide down the stairs you know.

I get to the bottom and then start to make my way into the kitchen. Upon arriving, I reach for the light switch