Winter's Fury - Volume Two of The Saga of the Twelves

by Richard M. Heredia

  Joaquin dipped his head at his friend, proud of him. To him, it was inspiring to know Jason was the Blytz.

  Mikalah watched after him as he trotted the few steps to where Louis sprawled in the drifted snow.

  “Jason’s right,” declared Mikalah.

  All the others turned to look at her.

  She went on, “I saw him… he was glowing with the strength of his Gift. I could see his power, his… he was so strong. And like he said, I could hear what he was thinking. It was weird. It was like we were sharing the same brain.”

  “Well, good team or not it was still freakin’ nasty,” said Andrew, glancing over at the corpse of the squirrel-pig. Its’ mashed up snout still oozed onto the ground.

  Mikalah followed his gaze. Is that brains?!? She twisted away before she got a good look, feeling the bile in her stomach begin to rise once more. She overcame it by speaking. “You think it was nasty for you, Drew? I saw the whole thing in slow motion,” blurted Mikalah her tiny voice reverberating. She felt the nausea come back.

  Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.

  “Ah man, that’s sick,” was all Andrew uttered. He was pacing back and forth. He would not look at the squirrel-pig remains, dogged determination creasing his brow.

  “Aaaaaw! What the hell happened?” complained Louis out loud, holding his head as if he were dizzy.

  Joaquin scooped him out of the snow and onto his feet.

  “My sister saved your bacon, Lou. That’s what happened,” commented Elena with an appreciative look at Mikalah. The throbbing in her shoulder she ignored for the moment, still rubbing it with her opposing hand. “That’s three times now; she has come to the rescue!”

  Mikalah felt herself blush at her sister’s praise. It was not like Elena did not love her or did not care about her. She was just stingy with praise out of habit. It made Mikalah feel good inside. She felt warm love flush through her body. It made her grin with delight. All thoughts of regurgitation evaporated.

  “Really? Cool!” started Louis, rubbing at his head, looking up at Joaquin in thanks. He twisted from side to side at the waist, before he stretched his back as if he needed to limber up. “But who tossed me into the snow all MMA style?” His face was bunched with confusion.

  “That would also be my sister,” replied Elena in her typical “so there” tone that usually got on Mikalah’s nerves. Although this time, she let it slide off her without a wrinkle on her face.

  Louis looked over at Mikalah, his mouth agape since he outweighed her by at least forty pounds. He was trying to figure out how the little girl could toss him like a rag doll.

  Mikalah shrugged under his stare. “Sorry, Lou, I was trying to be gentle, but it’s hard not to hurt someone when you’re moving as fast as I was. I’m sorry. I really am.”

  He stared at her, blinking at her with wide eyes, still pondering what had happened to him and how. Then, in typical Louis fashion, he shrugged the whole incident off. “Ah, don’t sweat it, I bounce real good,” joked the boy as he grabbed his potbelly and gave it a jiggle, which made all the girls giggle.

  Louis is such a dork!

  Then Kodiak walked amongst them, her deep voice rumbling, “Well, it looks as though everyone is no worse for the wear. Should we continue on to Jason’s house then?”

  “Yeah, Kodie, let’s reform our little parade and get moving. There's no telling what might come around now that there’s all this fresh blood lying all over the place,” decried Anthony.

  Mikalah went out of her way to avoid looking at the mess they had made of the trail. She wanted to keep her breakfast.

  “And everyone…,” decried the bear-dog, “please take care. As you have seen, this is not the peaceful countryside we were all accustomed to living. This is an inhospitable place in the extreme. It is brutal and merciless. Be wary at all times, be on you guard, and above all else – be quiet!”

  You think? was Mikalah’s only thought.

  Kodiak called out in low tones, “Fist reform!”

  They were off once more for Jason’s house. The prospect of finding the camping equipment they needed to survive driving them deeper into uncharted wilderness.

  If they were going to travel up into the mountains, they would need to get their hands on every provision they could find. To do anything less could spell certain death.

  ~~~~~~~<<< ᴥ >>>~~~~~~~

  ~ 11 ~

  Questions

  Day Four, Sunday, A Few Minutes Later…

  When they reached the T-intersection where Floristan Avenue should have been, there was nothing. Both Dahlia Heights Elementary School and the local coffee shop were gone. Only a dense, tangled forest of shadow and cold stood before them. A landscape none of them had much interest in traversing, especially after what had happened up the trail a few minutes prior. The idea was somehow more foreboding than it had been when they had emerged from the cave. It smacked of things of dark and evil. Gone was the sense of exhilaration at being outdoors, under the wan warmth of the sun. The joy of being free of the rocky confines of their sanctuary was now replaced by something sinister. Every shadow was a place where something lurked or crept and crawled, ready to pounce at any moment.

  She swore she could feel the imaginary sets of slitted eyes, gazing upon her. She could almost smell their fetid breath. They were all around now, all about her and her friends, she was sure of it. They were out there hiding behind the pines and the oaks and the elms, and the horrid trees from Storm. They were silent, vigilant of the angled Spindle Downs and their dagger-like leaves of death. They waited, counting on the odd chance that she or one of her other companions might grow careless and wander off. They were biding their time, searching for the right moment to attack. They were there in the forest. She was sure of it. The enemy was anxious to taste human flesh, to drink the blood of children.

  Mikalah shivered at the thought. She glanced up at her brother when he said: “Let’s keep going and see if there is anything left of Townsend Avenue. It was a larger street, so maybe it is still there. If it’s not, then we’ll have Jason guide us overland to his house.” Turning back to the boy, “You think you can do that, Jay?”

  The Chinese teen inclined his head that he would, too nervous to risk answering aloud.

  No one else said anything. The group reformed and trudged onward, passing where back home had stood a series of small shops, a Trader Joe’s and a mini-mall.

  Now, there was only forest. Nothing but a wild, hodge-podge of trees, clutching underbrush and meager clearings remained. The way was more often than not choked by thick conglomerates of twisted foliage. Covering all was the snow.

  Above them, a more normal sounding bird called. Mikalah glanced skyward to see it was either a hawk or a raven, using the currents of the air to stay in a fixed position with almost no effort.

  She peered beyond the avian. Coming over the top of the ridge separating Eagle Rock from Highland Park, she could see a bank of dark clouds. More probable than not, it was the beginnings of another storm. I hope we don’t get snowed on, she said to herself, wishing they would not be outside when it hit. Ever since she was a toddler she had hated the cold. A warm parent in a snuggle-spot had always been heaven for Mikalah Herrera.

  “It’s here!” shouted Anthony.

  The ground had flattened somewhat, although it canted downward for a long uninterrupted expanse. “It” was another T-intersection. From it, Mikalah could see Townsend Avenue branching off Colorado to their left. It too was no larger than a trail just like the onetime boulevard was a narrow, snow-covered road.

  Mikalah ran forward to get a better view. She was happy to see the trail seemed to follow the exact route the avenue had followed in their world. It went straight from Colorado, up to the bottom and finally over the top of the Townsend ridge.

  That is also the way home, she thought of a sudden. Sadness almost consumed her in that moment. The lay of the land was too familiar. She could discern she was only a mile and a half from where
her home would have been. And yet, being in the Melded World, it was a million, billion miles away. She ached at the thought of her mother and father being so far away.

  Just over that hill and down the other side a ways. Make a left on Meridian, and head down it for a mile or so. Make another left on Milbur and we’d be home. We’d be with Mommy and Daddy. We’d all be safe…

  “Jason, why don’t you go up with Mr. Patas, so you can try to find the way to your house,” suggested Anthony. There was a little excitement in his voice, breaking Mikalah from her gloomy thoughts.

  She forced herself to focus on things that were more immediate. She scolded herself for wallowing in circumstances she could not control. In the Melded World there was little she could change. They would see their parents again. She was certain of it. The best way to do just that was to stick with the plan. They had to find better supplies, find more clothes and find the remaining four of the Chosen Twelve. After, they would retrieve the Legacy of Truth. There was no other way. So she needed to stop wasting time wishing for what could not be. The whole of the country-side wanted to devour them. She should keep focused on more immediate things.

  It occurred to her right then that the Nöhreg were right after all. The Lord of the Storm had indeed inserted more of his world into this place than theirs. The plants and creatures populating the Melded World were already dangerous and would be moreso over time. This meant their collective determination was not only going to have to prove potent, it would need to be resilient at the same time. They were stranded here for the foreseeable future. They were going to have to keep pace with this new world or they were going to fail. The Melded plane would destroy them if they did not for sure.

  “What are you thinking about?” queried Elena.

  Mikalah looked over at her older sister expressionless. She knew Elena could always tell when her thoughts were troubling. It was typical when she faced a problem she could not solve on her own. Though they were not twins, they were close in age, only eleven months apart. Because of this, they had grown up close to one another, learning the world together. They had fashioned bonds that most sisters did not fabricate with time. Elena and Mikalah had. They could feel things. They could know things about the other without having to speak. Because of this unique trait between them, Mikalah was banking on neutrality. Mikalah did not want to lower her sister’s spirits any further than what was necessary. Elena’s tussle with the Klürrg had been disheartening enough as it was.

  Why add salt to the wound? At least that was what her father would have said.

  “I was just thinking about mom and dad that’s all,” admitted Mikalah. After a bit, she noticed the other girl was stretching out her bruised arm, loosening the aching muscles within.

  Jason passed between her and Elena on his way to join Mr. Patas at the front of the group where he would lead the search for his house. He glanced at both of them with a crooked smile for each, continuing in silence.

  Mikalah wondered if she and Elena somehow made him uneasy.

  After Jason had passed, Elena stared at her without replying. She waited for a few moments after he had gone a ways beyond. Then, “We’re close to home,” she noted, pointing toward Townsend ridge. “I can feel it too, but…” She trailed off. Her silence and gaze as one. It was enough for Mikalah to understand exactly what her sister was feeling. “…I know we are nowhere close to home, though.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. They aren’t there,” agreed Mikalah, enunciating aloud what Elena had implied. Their parents were gone. They were on their own, and that was that.

  “I wish they were, Mikalah. I wish they were.” She was rubbing at her shoulder and kicking at lumps of snows as they walked.

  “Me too.” Mikalah’s voice was tiny and only loud enough to carry to the ears of her sister and no one else. “I hope they aren’t too scared or too sad, because we aren’t there with them anymore.”

  “I know,” mumbled Elena. “It must be hard for them not knowing where we are, especially after so many days and nights have passed.”

  “They have to be going crazy by now.” Mikalah was ruminating. Her voice was full with worry she could not set aside.

  “Oh my god, Miki, that’s so terrible to think about. Mom and Dad sad and hurt, not having their children with them during the holidays.” Elena’s eyes were brimming with tears. “Do you think they will be ok?”

  Mikalah felt her own tears come unbidden, thinking of her poor mother crying and distraught over the loss of all her children. She thought of her father, grief-stricken, near ballistic when he realized the police could do little. Whatever resources law enforcement committed to the search for them, they would never find them. Despite whatever efforts they undertook, there was no trace of them anywhere in the World of Man.

  And, it would be this way until they found a way to change it. Until then, nothing was going to change that reality. They were prisoners on another planet, twirling about another sun. They spun about another galaxy, hurtling through another universe, fathomless light years away. Until they found the four remaining Guardians, had the Legacy of Truth secure in her brother’s grasp, there would be no change those circumstances. No one would ever find them.

  “I hope so,” was all Mikalah could say. Everything else coming to mind seemed beyond inadequate.

  “I hope so too…”

  The group began to move off again, Joaquin and Andrew now walking side by side, bringing up the rear.

  The sisters walked on in their allotted spot, silent and wrapped deep in their own thoughts.

  Mikalah kept her vision fixed ahead.

  She watched Garfield scurry from one side of the small road to the other. He would sniff at the ground and then at the air, repeating himself, ever thorough, ever vigilant in his task. Somehow, he had already managed to clean himself of the bloody mess that had covered the frontal portions of his body.

  Meanwhile, Mr. Patas and Jason would trot forward every ten feet or so and then stop. Listening, they would bow their heads. The rabbit-man’s ears twisted and twined atop his head, sensitive to even the slightest of sounds.

  To her, it was somewhat comical to watch Jason do the same thing as Mr. Patas. His ears had, at best, five percent the capabilities of his companion, but it did not dissuade him. Every time the rabbit-man paused to listen, Jason did the same.

  Elena appeared to notice as well. She turned to smile at Mikalah, weary. However brief the moment might have been, the nine-year-old she knew returned. Her face and eyes were dim, but lit all the same.

  Mikalah was glad they had each other at least. That was some solace. Maybe it was enough to ward off feeling desolate and lost as she had seconds before. They had each other. Together they would get done what needed to get done. They would do what they could to get back to their parents, to return home. They would have to make it enough.

  They walked on for another three hundred yards. The clouds Mikalah had noticed just a short while ago were beginning to pile-up above the top of the ridge before them. Larger, thicker and darker clouds were billowing higher up in the sky. Steady as the progression of the day, they were blowing in from the west.

  Mikalah could already imagine Highland Park engulfed in snow and wind.

  Then she heard Jason’s voice and her attention shifted.

  “It should be right around here, but it’s not, the street is gone,” he was explaining to her brother, vexed.

  Already, it was proving a long day. And, it was only morning.

  “We figured this might be a possibility, Jason. Don’t give up on the idea just yet,” consoled Anthony. “If it's supposed to be here, then we’ll just search the forest to the left of this trail and see what we find. I mean, there’s not much else we can do, right?”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. But dammit! I was counting on getting all my Dad’s gear, dude. We could’ve used it. Shit!” he fumed, unwilling to let his frustration rest.

  Anthony shook his head in the slightest. “We
still don’t know if your house is there or not, ok? Let’s just go check it out, while we still have decent weather.” He glanced heavenward, a shallow frown etched upon his face.

  “You sure got that right. Those clouds over there don't look inviting at all,” declared Andrew. He pointed at the same storm Mikalah had been contemplating.

  “Yeah, we better get moving, Anthony. I think we’re running out of time,” urged Sophie.

  Anthony pursed his lips, nodding, then motioning for Garfield to lead the way without replying. His acknowledgment was enough to let the others know he understood their deteriorating situation.

  He motioned to Sophie to come to him and they held hands as the great cat hastened into the forested area.

  He was gone in half a heartbeat.

  Mr. Patas wasted no time either and vaulted up one of the slight inclines bordered both sides of the trail.

  Jason was hot on his tail.

  Right on it, thought Mikalah as she watched, following a few moments later.

  Kodiak and Kenai struggled a bit getting the shopping carts up the short incline.

  But Joaquin and Andrew each grabbed a hold of one. They helped manhandle the carts through the rocky, root-strewn embankment-like incline. They continued to assist until the bear-dogs trod over ground that was easier to travel.

  Mikalah peered through the trees, catching glimpses of Garfield as he scouted the entire area in front of them. She kept seeing his back here, his knobby tail there.

  Jason made straight for his home. He did not move right or left, except when he had to round a lurking Spindle Down or a another menacing bush from Storm. He would pause then and re-route around the offensive obstruction. But immediately thereafter, he would make a beeline for where he knew the house he shared with his father should be.