“This infection is not biological, it is spiritual. That is what you must understand. Doctors do not yet know the difference.” I listened carefully and watched him as he worked slowly, I felt like I was in school again and he was teaching me something I wanted so desperately to know. I felt in my gut that if anyone could help us, help me it was him.
“They look the same to most people,” He continued. “But a human cannot come in contact with something evil without suffering the consequence. It is like a poison to them. The blackness that was in that man was what infected her.” He looked at me and a grave concern washed over his face. “She would have died in a hospital. You did the right thing.” He smiled up at me.
I wanted to speak, I had so many questions but as soon as I got up the courage to ask the first one I heard Cordillia groan on the couch.
“Ethan?” She whispered without opening her eyes. I took her hand in mine and brushed her hair away from her forehead as I answered her.
“I’m right here.” She squeezed my hand gently before resting her head on the pillow and falling back into sleep. I turned back to the old man and leaned my back against the couch as he continued to work uninterrupted. “How do you know all of this?”
“I told you, we can tell the difference. We know when a sickness is spiritual or physical and a spiritual sickness can only mean one thing.”
“By meeting something evil.” I finished.
“No,” he spoke. “The evil has to get into the body somehow. It got into you but the one that got into this young woman was deadly to her.” The color left my face and I choked on my words trying so hard to get them out. “Do not worry young man; you’re under no danger here.”
“You know what I am?” I asked him not sure if I wanted the answer.
“Yes,” he replied. “But I wonder…” He thought for a moment as he put the rag back into the bowl and gave me a gentle look. “Do you know what you are?
Chapter Seven
A long silence passed between us as I searched for the right words to say. There was no doubt in my mind that he could know what I was but could he really help me? I came here searching for answers but I was left with more questions instead.
I looked over at Cordillia, her eyes fluttered open slowly as the old man stood and walked quietly back to the kitchen. She was smiling weakly but at least it was something, the pink had returned to her cheeks and I breathed a sigh of relief as I noticed the wound on her shoulder had begun to show small signs of healing.
“Does it hurt?” I asked in barely more than a whisper. Her eyes met mine and I was happy to see the shine had started to return to them. She shook her head and gripped my hand tightly, using me as leverage as she pulled herself up slowly and rested her back against the arm of the couch. “I think it worked.” I smiled over at the old man as he came back from the kitchen with a fresh bowl.
“Not quite.”
“What do you mean? Look at her.” I beamed as he knelt down in front of her and placed the newly soaked rag on her shoulder and pressed it tight.
“She’s doing better you’re right but she still has a long way to go.” Cordillia’s eyes fluttered and her head fell back as she slipped into unconsciousness once again. I caught her head in my hand and laid her back down on the couch gently. “You see?” He turned to me as he readjusted the rag. I nodded gently and followed his lead as he stood from the floor, leaving the medicine soaked rag to do its work. “Come with me.” He smiled as he placed his hand on my back and led me back outside.
The fresh air was nice I had to admit but a part of me had little interest in truly enjoying it as I sat in a weather worn wooden chair across from his. “So tell me; how did you find your way here?” He asked.
“Cordillia suggested it.” He nodded as he looked down at his feet.
“Who is Cordillia?” He asked and in that moment I was more than a little embarrassed. In all this time I hadn’t realized that I somehow lacked the good manners for a proper introduction.
“Sorry, the girl in there...” I motioned behind me. “She’s my sister Cordillia.” He nodded softly.
“And you are?”
“Ethan,” I held my hand out to him, smiling as he shook it gingerly. “Ethan Harlow.” He nodded.
“I’m Robert.” He added as he let go of me and leaned back in his chair.
“So how long has it been?”
“Has what been?” I smirked. He eyed me and somehow in that moment I knew just what he was asking. I sighed heavily and leaned back in my chair.
“Three months, maybe four.” I answered with a shrug.
“You don’t know?”
“I was in a coma.” I explained. “After I was attacked I just went under and didn’t come out of it for nearly a month.” He nodded as he listened.
“Have you hurt anyone?”
“You mean besides that freak at the diner?” I smirked. “No. I mean I almost did but I got out of there before anything really bad happened.” I jumped slightly as Cordillia began to scream from the house but before I could get to my feet the old man placed a hand on mine and shook his head. “I have to get in there.”
“It’s only a nightmare. She has to go through this.” I threw myself back down in my chair and sighed as I ran my hands over my face.
“So I just have to listen to her scream like that?”
“Unfortunately yes.”
“Why?” I barked.
“I told you, coming into contact with something evil has its consequences.”
“But....”
“This is just one of them. She’s purging it from her system and if you want to help her you’ll stay put,” he spoke sternly as he leaned back in his chair leaving me with a choice. I didn’t want to but somehow I decided it was best to listen to him and tried my hardest to stay concentrated on him and not the sounds of suffering coming from the other room.
“Have you seen this kind of thing before?” he nodded and leaned back as he spoke.
“Once, a long time ago. I was just a boy but it was enough to convince me that the tales of our tribe weren’t exactly fairy tales.”
“What like skin walkers and things like that?” his lips curled up in a slight smile at the mention of the word.
“Yes, among other things. How do you know about skin walkers?”
“Something Cordillia told me.” I smiled. “She said that this tribe, your tribe,” I corrected myself. “They had legends of things called skin walkers and she thought that maybe someone here might know something that could help us.” He chuckled lightly as he reached over to a small table and pulled a cigarette from a nearly empty pack. I followed his lead and leaned back in my chair as I filled the air around us with a cloud of thick blue smoke.
“Well your sister was right Ethan; we do have a lot of legends.” He smiled.
“Okay so tell me about skin walkers.” I asked enthusiastically. He shook his head as he took a deep pull from his cigarette. “Why not?”
“Because it won’t help you.” He chuckled. “Do you know what a skin walker is?” I shook my head. “A skin walker is a witch that can willingly change its shape into the animal it chooses, can you change into a bird?” I shook my head and smirked. “A fox? A bear?”
“No.”
“Did you choose this?”
“No.”
“Are you a witch?” I laughed loudly as a smile crossed his lips.
“No.”
“Then it won’t help you.”
“Okay, so what am I?” He sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair, taking a deep pull from his cigarette as he looked at me thoughtfully.
“You know what you are, Ethan,” he spoke quietly and I shook my head.
“No I don’t.”
“Yes you do,” he argued. “You’re Ethan Harlow, you told me yourself.” I shook my head again as a frustrated grin crossed my face. “Just because there is now more to you doesn’t mean that you are any different than you were before.” I thought carefully
about what he said. In a way he was right but I still couldn’t hold to the idea that I was the same man as I was before. We sat in silence for a long while, allowing the world around us to simply exist as we listened to the soft cries and shrieks that came from the other room. I wanted to comfort her, to wake her from her nightmare but Robert simply shook his head every time the thought crossed my mind.
“When can I see her?” I pleaded quietly.
“When the dreams have passed, she needs time, Ethan.” I nodded and sighed heavily. He looked up as the last rays of the sun crossed over the horizon leaving us in darkness and stood from his chair as the howling of wolves somewhere in the distance filled the air around us. “Come with me.” He offered as he pulled open the screen door and held it still for me. I took one last look out at the woods before sighing heavily and standing from my chair.
Following him into the tiny cabin, I watched absently as he changed Cordillia’s rag, wishing and praying that she would just snap out of it but I never was so lucky. It wasn’t long before the nightmares started again and I could see them twisting her face as Robert stood from her side and walked over to me.
“Your sister will be fine,” he spoke quietly as he led me out of the living room and down a narrow hallway. He pushed open a solid oak door to my left and ushered me inside. “Try and get some sleep.” I nodded absently and turned toward the small bed, eager to put the day behind me as he closed the door and left me alone with my thoughts. I threw myself down on the bed without a second thought and closed my eyes, burying my head underneath a small pillow as her scattered shrieks filled the air of the tiny cabin once again. Like some kind of morbid lullaby the last thing I remember was her voice crying out to me before the deep dark hold of sleep pulled me into nothingness.
Normally people look forward to sleep as a time of rest and a place for dreams to take shape but somewhere along the line my dreams became twisted and contorted, a place for my darkest fears to take hold. When we were kids, we knew that monsters existed. They were the creeks and groans from the unseen corners of the room and the shadows that seemed to move without the benefit of light. They scratched at the walls, crept across the floors and made you pray you didn’t have to get up in the night. Not alone, not for anything.
As you grow up, you forget about them. When you’re told enough times that something doesn’t exist, you start to believe it. But what do you tell your children when you yourself have become the very thing you once feared?
These are the thoughts that haunt my dreams, images of beasts and man fighting for the right to live, fighting for survival in a world that has been overrun by monsters. I shot awake from my bed, covered with sweat and aching for breath as I closed my eyes and did the best I could to shake the images from my mind. My attention turned toward Cordillia as I heard her voice echo down the hallway and with a sudden rush of excitement, I climbed out of bed and made my way out into the living room, eager to see her.
Rounding the corner, I stopped short as Robert stepped in front of me and bent down to hand her a tall blue glass. She sniffed it gingerly and looked over at him.
“It smell’s sweet.”
“It’s just sugar water.” He smiled back. I caught myself in a chuckle as her eyebrow rose in a questioning glance.
“Sugar water?”
“It’ll take the edge off.”
“Trust him, Cordy.” I smiled as I stepped around him and sat in front of the couch. Her hair was a knotted mess, her eyes sunken in as if she hadn’t slept in days and her lips were dry and cracked. She had been through hell, even if it was only in her mind and it showed. I watched as she lifted the glass to her lips and cleared it gratefully, handing it back to Robert with a belch.
“Oh my God I’m sorry.” She laughed as he took it from her hands with a chuckle. He reached over and brushed the back of his hand against her forehead as she looked up at him.
“You’re feeling better now?” It was more of a statement than a question. Waving her hand dismissively, she shrugged.
“I’m still tired.” She yawned.
“That will pass.” Robert turned and made his way toward the kitchen without a word. I was drawn back to the moment as Cordillia reached out and took my hand gently, smiling down at me as I watched her from the floor.
“How did you sleep?” She rolled her eyes and shook her head, pulling her hand back onto her lap as she sighed.
“I had a terrible dream.” I nodded softly, knowing the feeling all too well as her face twisted with fear.
“What was it about?” Robert asked as he held the glass out to her once again and she took it gratefully. I wondered why he wanted to know, why this stranger was interested and as if he read my thoughts he turned to me and spoke, “Dreams are a sacred thing among my people,” he explained as Cordillia downed the glass of water and placed the empty cup on the table next to her. She pulled her blanket up to her chest and held it tight as she closed her eyes.
“I was in the woods...” Robert sat down in an overstuffed armchair as we watched her carefully, waiting for her to continue, “It was dark, cold and it smelled awful.” Her nose wrinkled in disgust as the memory flooded back to her. “I could see this smoke coming from the other side of the woods and I started to run toward it, I didn’t want to but I couldn’t help it.” She took a deep breath and gripped the blanket tighter.
“The smell got worse as I got close and I ran into this clearing toward a large fire with people all around it.”
“Did you recognize them?” Robert interrupted.
She shook her head without looking up and continued her story, “There were six of them, maybe seven and I thought it was safe there so I walked toward them. They were joking and laughing,” She smiled slightly. “And they were eating something. They had plenty left so I thought I’d ask if I could join them. I was so hungry...” She trailed off as a soft stream of tears began to fall down her cheeks. “One of them looked up at me and he invited me over.”
“What did he look like?” Robert asked softly.
She looked up at him, her face stained with fear and her lip quivered as she spoke, “He was tall, bigger than the rest with dark hair and yellow eyes. I thought it was strange and something in me told me not to go but he knew my name and he was so nice....” She looked down and shook her head as she reached up to wipe the tears from her eyes. “I sat next to him and they went back to their conversation like I wasn’t even there. Then he handed me something and told me to eat.”
“What was it?” I looked over at Robert, I was a little more than curious why he had so many questions but more than that I wanted to know what she saw. She looked up at him and her face went white.
“At first I didn’t know but then I saw the little boy that was roasting over the fire,” She burst into tears as she spoke, making her hard to understand as her body shook with violent sobs. “He was just a kid and his face-” She shook her head. I pulled myself up on the couch and threw my arm over her shoulder, pulling her tight as she took a deep breath and continued her story, “He was looking right at me, screaming but there was no sound. He was torn open and when I looked around I saw that he wasn’t the only one. There were tents behind me torn open and stained with blood, the people that were in them were ripped apart and scattered over the ground.”
She stopped and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before she continued, “I threw the plate into the fire and turned to run but I tripped and fell into that man, the one with the yellow eyes except he wasn’t a man anymore.” She looked toward me, her face eerily calm and her voice sure as she spoke, “He was like you.” My stomach dropped as she looked down. “He was black, like the man at the diner and I fought to get away from him but I think he just let me go. The others, they started to walk toward me and the closer they got the less human they were. One of them grabbed me and started dragging me toward the fire and I called for you.” She turned to me as she began to cry once again. “I screamed and screamed but you didn’t come.” S
he wiped the tears from her face and took a deep breath as she leaned back against the couch and pulled her knees into her chest. “That’s when I woke up.”
Wolves among men Page 7
