"It is real and true. You are aware that you and your mother breathed in the fumes before you came into the tunnel just like all the others did who followed you here. Those gases were intended to cause harm. Instead, they have enhanced your natural intuitive ability. What was purposed as evil has only created good for you and almost all those here with you. You will see."
"How do you know this, how can you be sure?" Salazar asked.
"From where I am, I can see further," Henry replied. "I can see your entire life stretched out in a glorious pattern and it is amazing. Don't be afraid. Embrace your enhanced ability. I will be with you, in fact, I have never really left you. It is only now that you are more sensitive and open to my presence. You were always gifted as an intuitive, now you are sensitive to everything. Trust it. There is so much more to life than only what we can see or touch, there is more than what we can taste and smell. There is spiritual energy all around us, pulling for us, rooting for us, and rallying around us to bring us our good, our best options. The Universe is truly cognitive and it wants what is best for you and for all these people with you."
"It sounds like magic," Salazar admitted. "Is it?"
"In a way, I guess that is as good a description as anyone can conjure," Henry chuckled again and then added, "No pun intended. Just keep in mind that this magic is not an illusion meant for fun or entertainment. In fact, this magic is the supernatural ability that makes things happen by intention. Magic can heal, it can control nature. It can dispel and protect from evil. It can open the mind to truth and the true possibilities for each person who wields its power. As in all good things, however, the strength of the magic must come from the heart. It must remain pure and white in nature so that it is for the good of all living beings. The code of magic is 'above all else, do no harm.'"
"That's an excellent code," Salazar thought. "It goes along with everything that my parents taught me."
"Your parents taught you well, Salazar. You, as well as these people with you, have been chosen. Each one came here by divine intervention. Each has their purpose to fulfill. However, you might question that purpose for one or two… when that happens, try to remember there is a lesson to be learned in everything. Balance is the key in all things. Balance of light and dark is essential to every living thing.
"You will see this in time. In truth, there can be no light without darkness, no daylight without nightfall. There can be no love without hate. When that time comes, I want you to keep an open mind. Always center your thoughts in your heart before making decisions about anything. I have to go now, but I will return. I will instruct you only when it is necessary because you must trust and rely on your instincts and intuition. You must also learn to trust these people who have been sent here to survive with you and your mother."
"I don't even know them," Salazar objected. "How can I trust someone that I don't know?"
"Then, you must get to know them. You must form a tribe, a family of many different people from many backgrounds. For the time being, I came to let you know that you are not alone. Now, I must go."
"Wait," Salazar cried out, fearful that Henry would leave before he could ask the most important questions of all, "what about my father… is he alive? And, what about all those still on the streets. We saw so many out there. They didn't follow us to safety. Why… why were they left to die?"
"There are things you can control, Salazar, and there are things that you cannot control. You must focus on what is before you, what is right here, right now. If you focus your energy on those things where you have no power over the outcome, you will miss all that is right here and now," Henry replied.
"Can you tell me if my father is still alive?" Salazar pleaded.
"I cannot be your crystal ball," Henry replied. "If Rob is alive, you will discover it in your own time and way. As I have said, the old world order had to die for this new world to be born. Everyone who was meant to live is alive. All those who were meant to die are now dead or dying. Some things are transformed however in that transformation there is challenge for those who remain. Challenge is change. Change is good." Henry realized that his response to his grandson had sounded brusque, almost brutal. It was not what he had intended.
To Salazar, the entire conversation with Henry had felt like a surreal dream. He wasn't even sure it had happened. Then, before Henry left, he once again placed his hand on Salazar's shoulder and softly added, "Don't overthink it, Salazar. Trust your instincts."
The sensation felt as real as if his grandfather was there in person and then it was gone. Henry was gone.
13| Visions
After Henry left, Salazar continued to think about the things his grandfather had said. He was also on high-alert. Any motion from the others caught his attention.
Beside him, Miki tried to get something from her bag, but as she moved her arm, he could tell by her sharp intake of breath that it was painful. He instinctively reached out to help her and as his hand grazed hers, he had a flash image of his mother as the true Matriarch of all the people that were left alive. He clearly saw that Miki would calmly lead and organize hundreds of people.
His heart beat faster. If the vision was accurate that meant there were more survivors out there than the few who waited here with them. Maybe his father was among them.
One of the men in the crowd heard Salazar's heart speed-up. He lifted his head and quietly studied the mother and son as he wondered what had caused the change in rhythm. However, the tha-thump pattern was steady and it assured him that it was excitement, not fear that had caused the beat to change.
Salazar had always been intuitive, but this was different. The image he had seen from touching his mother's hand was of some future time.
This was a vision.
Remembering what Henry had said and not yet knowing what to make of his enhanced gift, Salazar broke the long silence, "Are you sure you're all right, Mother?"
"I'm fine and it could have been a lot worse," Miki reassured, "you worry too much. I need a pen and notebook from my bag. Could you get those for me?"
Once the quiet was broken, the others became more alert and more curious about the two they had followed. They had many questions and it was only natural that they wanted answers.
"What happened to your mother?" One of the men that had followed them asked.
"We were attacked by some looters before we could make it here," Salazar admitted.
"We saw the struggle outside although we didn't know she was injured," another voice acknowledged.
"This must be the safest place in August City. How did you know about it? And, by the way, my name is Sam Lightfoot," another voice called out in the dim light of the single torch.
Sam used the same calm, respectful voice he had always used with the white people of August City. As the spokesman for his tribe, he had found that most white men were unpredictable and deceptive. It had made him very cautious when dealing with those in authority.
Salazar's surprise was obvious as he looked at the brown-skinned man with black, shoulder-length hair. "No offense, Sam, but I thought the government had either killed or incarcerated your race into extinction," Salazar compassionately marveled.
"No offense taken and not for a lack of trying," Sam softly admitted. His brown eyes were clear and friendly as they held Salazar's gaze. His stare was free of blame and anger that so often overflowed the eyes of the abused. Sam intuitively knew that this white man was different from the others with whom he had been in contact and he leaned forward with his hand outstretched.
Salazar warmly accepted Sam's hand in greeting. As with his mother, the contact brought an image of Sam's near future. Sam was a gifted tracker and hunter and he would also be a worthy fellow soldier. He was a hard worker and didn't have a problem following a man that was nearly a decade his junior. "I'm Salazar and this is my mother, Michelle Lang," he responded.
"Most people call me Miki," his mother interjected.
"Ma'am," Sam acknowledged Miki first a
nd then asked, "Just Salazar? You have no last name?"
Miki giggled which was a pleasant and unexpected sound in such dire circumstances. "Just Salazar," she confirmed. "My late mother named him and she thought that the single name said it all. Salazar would serve the people and no additional title or surname was necessary."
In truth, Miki and Rob had never legally married by the laws of the government. Their marriage was one where they had solemnly exchanged rings and made commitments to each other, not a piece of paper that was regulated by the census bureau. Their vows to each other were more real than a contract could ever be and they soon made plans to start a family together.
When Salazar was born his parents had struggled over which last name to put on his birth certificate. Would their son become Salazar Lang or Salazar Hunter? Serena had deftly solved the conundrum for them with her suggestion of the single name.
"Then there are more of your people?" Salazar asked, directing the question to Sam.
"There are… were still a few of us left on the southern outskirts of August City. We were never allowed residency status unless we would agree to be herded into Winterhaven. We could barter for goods as long as we left by sundown."
"I didn't know that," Salazar admitted. "I didn't know that any Native Americans were left in this sector." He held a deep respect for the brown and black people who had been treated shamefully by not only the government but the population in general.
According to Henry's accounts, some of his ancestors had also been brown. They too had been imprisoned. Salazar wondered if there would ever come a time when race was not a factor. Would there ever be a city or community where red, yellow, black, brown, and white people could live in harmony? If what Henry said was true, perhaps there would be.
"How could you know?" Sam asked. "It was a closely-kept secret instigated by your government."
Phillip Beardsley scorned, "They should have herded you like animals off a cliff and into the ocean."
His hateful comment caused a chill to run through the small crowd. Several shivered in response; however, both Salazar and Sam kept a level gaze and ignored him.
"It was your race that originally inhabited this land and that you were treated unfairly is an understatement. What brought you into the city today?" Salazar curiously asked.
"I came to the inner city this afternoon on an errand… but once the attack began, somehow I was inched in this direction and now I find myself in the company of you good people. I'm probably the last of my kind." His words were softly spoken, again without any anger or accusation.
Miki noticed Phillip's jaw open as if he had some other caustic remark to make and she quickly interceded using a strong, clear voice, "That's a good idea. We should introduce ourselves to each other since we are possibly sharing the worst night of our lives together. As I said earlier, I'm Miki and this is my son, Salazar. Son, please put out another lantern so we can place names with faces."
When Miki changed the subject, Phillip leaned back with his arms crossed. He was incensed that he had been interrupted while in the process of giving that savage a piece of his mind. Now that the mother had interrupted, he had missed the perfect opportunity. Miki's offense was added to a list of perceived grievances in his mental notebook.
Salazar pulled a large solar powered torch lantern from his pack and sat it in the center of the group allowing everyone to see each other more clearly.
Somehow, that small glow of civilization helped the group to relax a little. Shoulders lost their tension and hands unclenched. Furrowed brows eased and a few tentative smiles could be seen on the still frightened faces.
Then, the introductions began.
14| First Impressions
"I'm Jesse Slater. I lived in Fallhaven with my mother and I was on my way home from work when all this started. I'm sorry to say that I don't know what happened to her. I kept getting blocked by the mobs and couldn't make my way back to our apartment. Then, I somehow got turned around. Each time I tried to make my way north, I ended up heading south. When I saw the attack on you and your mother and how well you handled yourselves, I followed you in here," Jesse blurted out his introduction in such a rush that it seemed he had not stopped to take a breath.
Jesse was about twenty-years-old with brown hair, hazel eyes, and a strong build; however, there wasn't an inch of fat on him. Like the others, he was accustomed to going without food when necessary. Salazar considered that Jesse might have been with the military or police; he had that clean-cut look about him.
From the way the women in the group glanced at Jesse, Salazar could tell they found him appealing. They also gazed at Sam in a similar more covert way.
"A wise choice," Miki muttered.
"Divine intervention," a feminine voice, which would later be attributed to Sondra Clearwater, added.
"That was really something to watch," Jesse gushed. "I mean, you are pretty young to have such mad fighting skills, Salazar. Your youthfulness caught those two men off-guard. And you, Missus, wow! You really showed them, didn't you? That was awesome the way you kicked that big bad guy's ass."
"My mother was once a Cop," Miki explained, "she insisted that I learn to protect myself by using whatever was at hand."
"Maybe, after all this is over, you two could show me some of that." Jesse chuckled and then quickly added, "I'm serious."
"You can count me in that group," Dinah Terrell added. "I prefer to be the victor rather than the victim."
"Do you have any fighting skills?" Miki curiously asked.
"Archery and kickboxing," Dinah stated without elaborating.
Dinah's eyes traveled over Miki as if sizing her up. Miki had always taken impeccable care of herself. She was strong and lean and her delicate appearance was deceptive. Dinah was similar in size and shape to Miki even though she was in her early twenties. Her hair was light brown and long, soft and wavy. Her eyes were hazel with green as the predominant color in that mix. She was very pretty, with clear ivory skin, however, from her mannerism; she didn't seem to notice or care about her looks. She flipped her hair back over her shoulder as if even its length was a bother. Salazar studied her for a few moments and from what he could intuitively gather, it was as if her looks had always gotten in her way, so she ignored them and their effect on the males with whom she came in contact.
Salazar knew that his father would have suggested that Dinah suffered from 'pretty woman syndrome.' He wasn't sure if Rob had coined the term even though his father had explained its meaning to him on more than one occasion. The gist was that beautiful women who were also very intelligent wanted to be taken seriously because of their intellect, not their looks.
"I suspect that after this is over we will all need to learn a new way to live," Salazar replied as he offered Jesse his outstretched hand.
The slight contact with Jesse brought an image with it too the same as it had done with his mother and Sam. Salazar clearly saw Jesse in the near future helping to round up survivors and gathering necessary supplies. They worked well together and Jesse followed his lead.
Salazar wasn't sure what to make of this new and startling ability. It seemed that it was brought on by touch; nevertheless, each time it worked, he accepted the images as truth.
He thought back to the incident with Jeff and Steve. Jeff had admitted that no one was 'acting like themselves.' If Steve was always a man who wanted to take a woman by force, had the fumes from the bombs emphasized his propensity? Jeff had also admitted that he was 'trying to be good.' Did that indicate that the effect of the fumes could be fought? Could each individual resist the temptation to go over to the dark side?
While he considered that, he recalled that Henry had said his natural instincts had also been affected. Henry had said that what was intended as evil had been changed to good. It was the magic his grandfather had mentioned.
Salazar had always considered his keen insight to be a positive trait; nevertheless, if the government had known about his ability, his li
fe would have been very different. Many gifted people were arrested and never heard from again. Therefore, following his grandmother's example, Salazar and his family had also kept his gift as secret and as confidential as possible also.
Now that the government was wiped out, Salazar finally felt a tremendous relief. He felt safe. He wasn't afraid to discuss his abilities with those present and he wasn't afraid to discuss theirs either. Even before Sam admitted it, Salazar was certain that he had been affected too.
He wondered now if the fumes could enhance and emphasize a person's good traits as well as the bad traits. He desired to talk it over with Miki, but for the time being, he was relieved to know that both Sam and Jesse would be comrades in arms.
The rest of the introductions were made among the twelve new faces. Each of the newcomers initially used their best manners as if they were guests in the mother and son's new home. In spite of the violence going on outside, most of the eight men and four women were friendly and respectful to Miki and Salazar.
"So, how did you know about this place?" Sam repeated.
"It's a long story and best reserved for another time," Salazar reluctantly answered.
15| Truth or Dare
"Looks like we have nothing except time," Tom Baker coaxed.
Tom was a bald, agreeable-looking fellow in his early forties with a medium build. Everything about him was average except his gray eyes which were keenly intelligent. His eyes indicated he was acutely aware and constantly making assessments about his surroundings and the people who sat nearby. Salazar also noticed that Tom's gaze returned to Miki many times. He glanced at his mother to see if she returned the interest, but Miki busily scribbled in a notebook as she recorded the names and her impressions of those who sheltered with them.
As Salazar shook Tom's hand, he saw that he was instrumental in their community. He was an organized, fair-minded hard worker who would put the needs of the residents first.
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