The Skinwalker Conspiracies - 02

by Jim Bernheimer

  All this happened in the span of seconds. I wheeled and shot Isabella in the stomach. She winced, looked down at the dart, and laughed. The dogs, awakened by the commotion, barked and howled. Outside, I heard and ominous rumbling followed by a thunderclap and knew Oswald had also run smack into an ambush. Hopefully, he was faring better than I was.

  “Bitch!” I screamed as I could already feel my body start to wobble. The tranquilizer pistol clattered to the floor. I couldn’t believe she rolled over on me!

  It turns out she didn’t. The slight aura around Isabella strengthened and the Skinwalker inside of the young Latina stepped out. It definitely wasn’t Cassandra Von Eckels. The man looked like the sketches and drawings I’d seen on the internet - a thick, pale beard and mustache along with wavy hair. Like most people of that time, he was about my height.

  Hernando De Soto threw his head back and laughed. “Cassandra is already being disciplined for her treachery. As for you, Mr. Ross, a word of advice - if you make deals with a Skinwalker, make certain the spirit in the body is the one you think it is.”

  Maybe it was my already blurring vision, but the energy field around him grew even brighter. Thinking was becoming difficult. I lunged at him hoping to grab him with the filing coated gloves. He sidestepped my attack and laughed at my efforts.

  The room flashed with his anger and I tried to figure out what I’d been able to do. It wasn’t me. It was Amos. The shaft of a phantom crossbow bolt protruded from De Soto’s shoulder. The conquistador reached up and disintegrated the offending object.

  “Run Amos! It’s a trap!” The words came out slurred and I fell to one knee. My field of vision shrank and the last thing I saw was the angry scowl of Hernando De Soto.

  His angry voice followed me down into the pitch black I descended into.

  “You will pay for this affront, Michael Ross. This I promise.”

  Waking up proved to be difficult, like times when I’d dreamed so hard that I’d wake up and not know where I was. That’s was today. I struggled to focus and remember, but everything … memories, vision, hearing, taste … it was all fuzzy.

  Feeling sick and wanting nothing more than to sleep, I concentrated on the feeling of imminent danger that gnawed at the back of my mind and the loud noises that assaulted my hearing. Dry mouthed, I salivated and needed something to drink.

  Drugged! That’s what had happened. Memories started to return. There was an ambush and Cassandra betrayed … no! That wasn’t her. It was De Soto. The drugs made it difficult to see and messed with my hearing. What kind of crazy crap did they shoot me up with?

  Suddenly and without warning, I moved. I smelled water close by and I needed to get to it. The thirst overwhelmed my scattered thoughts.

  I found a bowl and shoved my face into it, not even bothering to pick it up. The noises were louder here, but I pushed them aside to quench my all-consuming thirst.

  My mind cleared as I drank and I could think better. There were bars. I’d been put in a cell. All the noise was coming from the dogs in the kennels. They were jumping around and growling, probably in response to all the paranormal activity here tonight.

  Deciding to call out and attract someone’s attention, I figured I’d get this show on the road. De Soto would come and threaten me, likely trying to steal my body. Whatever it was, I wasn’t going to let it happen? It didn’t work for that bastard in New Jersey and it wasn’t going to work for him.

  The words that were supposed to come out of my mouth were laced with numerous profanities and, among other things tell someone to get their ass over here.

  What came out utterly terrified me and I had to stifle the wave of panic and disbelief that washed over me.

  I barked three times and let out a low growl. Trying it again netted the same result.

  Mike Ross was still alive and kicking, but somehow I was in a dog’s body! What the hell?

  Episode 25: Barking up the Wrong Tree

  Ever woke up and not really felt like yourself? Whatever drunken “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” story anyone could come up with, I’ve got that tale beat hands down. Or perhaps I should say, “Paws down.”

  Somehow, Hernando De Soto had evicted me from my body and stuck me inside one belonging to a dog … some kind of beagle. Making matters worse, I didn’t have any control over the mutt either. This wasn’t like being a Skinwalker. I was trapped inside of the tail wagging little prison. Yeah, talk about an out of body experience!

  There’ve been numerous instances of sheer panic in my life and this bounded right to the top. Some of it must’ve bled over to the canine because I started baying like a true hound dog. This got the other dogs in the nearby cages going as well. After a few minutes of noise, a pair of human legs wearing sneakers appeared in front of my cage and smacked the bars with his hand.

  “Shut up!”

  I could feel the dogs fear as it let backwards and huddle in the back of the cage, shivering. It didn’t help, or maybe it did. I focused on the dog’s emotions, hoping that was the key to gaining control. According to what I discovered about the legends surrounding American Indian spirit guides, they were ghosts using animal bodies. After learning their secrets, the ghost of Hernando De Soto destroyed these older spirits and this is what he must use as punishment for ghosts that betray him. I wasn’t dead, at least not yet. Maybe the rules were different for me.

  Fido, since I had to call my body something, looked around as I wondered if other dogs in the cages surrounding me held even more people trapped inside of them.

  “Is that the little mutt in cage ten?” a second voice asked.

  “Yeah,” the first answered.

  “Mister Michaels said to call him when it was up.”

  The first guy said, “What? Since when did he care about some stupid bait dog?”

  “Since he signs the checks, I don’t give a shit what he asks for. Just wait here, I’m gonna to call him.”

  I really didn’t like the idea of being a dog in general. A bait dog, well that was one of the hapless creatures used to train the fighting dogs for matches by giving them a taste of blood. My day had just gotten that much better. Now, both the beagle and I were afraid.

  Trying to push my own panic aside, I focused on figuring out how to control this body. Without it, I sincerely doubt it that I was ever going to walk on two legs again, unless it was for some stupid trick. First, I tried sheer willpower in concentration. That didn’t work. Next, I imagined lifting my legs up and trying to walk around. My host body stayed curled up in the back of the cage and I was getting frustrated.

  It’s not like the damn thing came with an owner’s manual! So, I thought of everything Tabitha Lawrence had taught me about pulling images out of objects. Maybe I could pull myself out of there, but where to start? That reminded me of the header I did into the dresser at the hotel back and Galveston. More than likely it would be a painful experience, but I had no plans to just stay here and take whatever was going to happen to me.

  One hour, or was it seven in dog hours, later I still was still at square one. Frustration was rapidly turning into depression. That’s when my floor level cage opened and a pair of gloved hands pulled me out and attached a leash to my collar.

  “Is the other one awake?” The man on the receiving end of the leash asked. It was none other than dear old Dad. If I knew how to raise my leg and take a whiz, he’d have been in trouble.

  “I’ll go check, sir.”

  “Do that. If it’s asleep put it in a carrier.”

  I wasn’t sure who the other dog would be. Did De Soto capture Oswald, or is it Amos? Cassandra, yeah it could be her too. For my own selfish sake, I hoped it was either my union soldier buddy or the female Skinwalker. At that moment, Lee Harvey Oswald was my best chance of salvation.

  Meanwhile, Dad looked down at me and said, “I don’t know if you can hear me in there yet, Mike. Tough break, kid, but you tried to go up against him and that was stupid! Bad things always happen to people w
ho cross him. Listen, I’ve been where you are right now and I know it ain’t very fun, but you’re going to have to accept it for now. He won’t let you out anytime soon. I’m guessing you’re going to be ticked off at me, but by now you know how much choice I have in the matter. Best I can do for you until then is keeping him from using you down in the pit. You shouldn’t have ever come out here looking for me.”

  I stood next to him, wagging my stupid tail, and on the lookout for any sign of affection. Rock bottom approached at breakneck speed. I hadn’t had a good chance to look at him last night. He was overweight and looked out of place in a sweat stained shirt and jeans. His hair was mostly gone and I swore if I ever got my body back that I wouldn’t end up like that.

  A black Labrador retriever appeared, walking dutifully at the other man’s side. Dad accepted the second leash and I got my first experience sniffing another dog’s ass. That went on my list of things not to ever tell anyone about. It wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be.

  Dad led us out to a van in the parking lot. I spotted Karla’s Honda had been moved into a space in front of the building nearby and I started worrying about whether De Soto would go after Karla and Silas. We were put into the back and Dad reached in and tossed us a couple of chew toys. Fido pounced on the squishy plastic bone and I felt simple unmitigated joy coming from the doggy. Apparently, the lab felt the squeaky baseball was inadequate. He came over and a tug of war ensued.

  It was a pretty one-sided affair. Fido lost and was pretty miffed. One thing that I found fascinating was how fast the animal’s mood changed. The feelings surrounded me. He was definitely slighted, upset, and wanted that toy back. When he moved toward the lab, it let out a low growl in warning and wasn’t keen on my host body getting anywhere near. Unfortunately, the other toy was between the lab and the side of the van. I wasn’t even in a menacing dog.

  As amusing as Fido’s problems were, I had bigger ones. Since focusing, concentration, and willpower hadn’t worked, I was willing to give relaxation and meditation a try. Given the circumstances, it wasn’t all that easy, but I didn’t have many options. Silas would approve, I’m sure. That led me to start worrying about him.

  Seeing my body again was interesting, considering I wasn’t in it. There I was relaxing on a leather couch and drinking a beer and watching a flatscreen television. It was a damn shame I wasn’t exactly enjoying the good life right now, but at least my body was. Fido wasn’t really that interested. He was eyeing up the female poodle curled up on the other end of the couch. I had a pretty good idea who that little bitch was.

  “Here they are, sir.” Dad sounded every bit like the errand boy he was.

  “Thank you, David,” my voice came out, but it had a regal tone to it that just didn’t sound like me. “So here we are. You three thought you could destroy me. You made your schemes and plans, but in the end you were sadly mistaken. Of course, I was aware of your machinations since your meeting with that oaf Travis in San Antonio. There was a bird watching your fight with him and I was quite impressed with your skills. My bird flew to Amarillo to see you mongrels conduct your little clandestine meeting with this little traitorous snake.”

  De Soto paused and petted the poodle and fed her from a little bag of treats. “Ah Cassandra, what am I going to do with you? I’d like to say I expected better from you, but we both know that would be a lie. Treachery is something you breathe. It is like air to you, isn’t it? If we investigated your lineage, I do believe we’d find a connection to the Borgias. Perhaps if you spend enough time in this new body I’ve provided for you, you’ll learn some loyalty and respect!”

  My hand, well technically it wasn’t mine at the moment, pounded the cushion next to little Fifi. She yelped and dived under the coffee table. De Soto threw his head back and laughed before scooping up the treat bag and pouring a few in that same hand. I could feel Fido’s tail wagging. He wanted a treat as well. The poodle inched forward and ate them.

  Yeah, he was playing a little mind game with us. After the poodle finished and was licking his hand clean, he yanked it back up to the couch by the scruff of her neck and held her down on the cushion.

  “Let’s see what she has to say for herself,” he said.

  Even with my messed up vision, I could see the glow surrounding him and seconds later, he pulled Cassandra’s head out by her hair.

  “Please!” I heard the whining in her voice. “I’ve learned my lesson, Hernando. This will never happen again.”

  He pushed her back in, causing the poodle to whimper in discomfort. “If only I could believe that, young lady. Perhaps, given enough time to understand your foolishness, you will mature. For the moment, you are where you deserve to be. Think of it as a learning opportunity. Lesser animals can be controlled, but it’s much different than humans. The secret resides solely with me. When you’ve proven to me that you can do this, we will talk again. Do try to remain sane in there. I would hate to invest this time with you and have you come out as a gibbering idiot.”

  I had to hand it to De Soto. His monologues were better than Roger Taney’s or William Poe’s. My poor jaws were probably getting a workout under the new management. I sure as hell didn’t run my mouth like that.

  Satisfied with his demonstration, he turned his attention to the two of us. His hand tossed a few treats onto the Berber carpet. Fido and Blackie raced to scoop them up.

  “Now, I must decide what to do with you two children, who dare to challenge me! Lee, you insignificant gnat, even if you prepared for another thousand years, you’ll never be able win. Far better than you have tried … and failed. I know you better than you know yourself and you’re weak. What will become of you? I think I’ll put you in the ring and make you fight for me. Humiliation works for someone like Cassandra, but for you I think it shall be pain. When the animal holding you is killed, you carry some of that pain with you.”

  More treats landed around Fido and I knew he’d turn his attention to me. “Mister Ross, first I must thank you for bringing this well-maintained body to me. I am wary of mortals that possess the ability to affect the spirits, so I will take my time breaking you. As insurance, I’ll be sending someone to watch over your mother. That should ensure your cooperation for the time being. The only reason you are still alive is out of consideration for your father’s long years of service.”

  If I hadn’t planned on destroying him before that point, I’d have changed my mind.

  “But to show you that I’m considerate, I placed you inside a dog that hasn’t been neutered. Coincidentally, neither has the animal imprisoning Cassandra. The two of you will make wonderful parents.”

  Again, he did the maniacal laughter thing while I vowed eternal vengeance. He stopped when a buzzer rang. Grabbing a remote, he changed the channel to what must be surveillance cameras. A Mustang was at the front gate with a pair of bimbos in it. “Ah, it’s time for my massage. David, why don’t you take our new pets out back and let them run and play and then take the rest of the day off. I plan to test out this new body.”

  Yeah, I was furious and a little jealous. It doesn’t take two girls to give a massage. I wasn’t certain how, but Hernando De Soto was going to suffer before he died. Dad looked a bit put out as well, no doubt realizing his days of getting “massages” were coming to an end.

  Dad grabbed the treat bag and we obediently followed with our tails wagging. The only thing that I knew at the moment was if relaxation and meditation were my way out of this mutt, I wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon. I was that pissed.

  The backyard was as hot as an Arizona summer could be. Anyone shoveling that “dry heat” bullshit should try it wearing a coat of fur. Little Fido ran around like a maniac and started lapping up water. This didn’t get my mind off of what was likely happening in the house, but it did give renewed focus. Outright control didn’t seem a possibility.

  It was time to try something else. Skinwalkers can either kick a person out leaving an empty shell for them to inhabit or the
y can do like Cassandra does and leave the person in charge, and “steer” them in the direction they wanted the body to go. I’d settle for that right now.

  At community college I was trying to get into computers. Given all the electrical mishaps that follow me around, it now seemed like a dubious choice. Still, all the background information gave me a place to start. After all, a brain is a really complex computer. I needed some kind of interface to Fido. Direct mental commands didn’t work. I couldn’t think “bark” and make him do it.

  Next, I went with emotions. I thought “happy” thoughts. Ten minutes of trying to be upbeat and cheerful produced nothing but a turd. That, I’m pretty sure, was a coincidence. Anger, I didn’t bother with, because Fido had been getting a steady dose of that since I figured out what was going on.

  What did the dog want? The only thing I came up with was the damn chew toy. The back door opened and Dad let us inside. More water and actual dog food followed. Fido didn’t mind, but I did. After eating, he wandered around the house for a little while before curling up on a blanket.