There have been several news features and stories written about this interesting, yet dismal place. One tale that caught my attention was found in a few scattered stories about a killer who stalks the tunnels, called the Troll. I was never able to figure out if this was a real person or just a legend, but it certainly added to the dark image of life beneath Vegas and fueled my imagination as I was writing this novel.
I did my best to describe some semblance of what it might be like to really have this story happen in the tunnels below Las Vegas, but I could never find a map of the tunnel system under the city, nor do I think one actually exists. As such, I completely fabricated all the twists and turns of the tunnels and the chambers below, but all of the fictional places I used were modeled after actual photographs, video images, and articles about the underground world that really does exist under the strip and beyond. I also kept everything as accurate as I could in relation to the above-ground topography, but I took creative license with my exact placement of side streets and small businesses, and I even created a hotel of my own from scratch. I have no doubt that the world I describe does not exist in exact detail in the real world, but I hope I have conveyed the mood of the town at least. I also hope the reader will forgive any inaccuracies on my part.
Lastly, some might say that the premise of this story is not all that believable. Well, this is a work of fiction after all. But I also maintain that if something like the events depicted in Hunted Under Vegas were to actually occur in the United States, Las Vegas is exactly where it could all go down. If you’ve been to Vegas and gambled through the night until the sun came up, or if you’re a student of psychology, I think you might agree that civilized humans are not too far from behaving like animals given the right set of circumstances, including the removal of the risk of being caught and being held accountable for their actions.
Spirits in Alaska
It was difficult to dig up consistent specifics about animal possession and shamanism in the native, Dena’ina tribe. And since writing research papers has never been my specialty, I’m not going to try to list my sources for the research I did for this book. However, I thought you might find some of what I discovered to be interesting.
Many native Alaskan tribes believe that the spirits of animals are very important and that they go through a kind of reincarnation when they die. The animal spirits enter newly born animals as a way of recycling their life forces. However, this can only happen if an animal’s past body is first incinerated or submerged. Details about this were difficult to come by, but as far as I could tell, at least some of the native Alaskan tribes believed this.
It was also believed that humans and animals were very similar and that their spirits could communicate directly. If an animal was mistreated when it was alive (like in the fictional Whittier slaughter), then its spirit would wreak havoc on the lives of the offending human.
Shamans, of course, do/did exist in native Alaskan cultures and were healers and communicators with the dead. They could fly though the air and cough up bullets after being shot. There are tales of them being showmen and using trickery to convince their people that they had special powers, but they were sincerely seen as religious and spiritual leaders. Additionally, shamans guarded their tribes against the effects of bad spirits, diagnosed various illnesses and restored the health of those harmed by bad spirits. The shaman could also predict the location of game.
Finally, in the Dena’ina belief system, the "white man" was beyond help because he was believed to have the soul of a deceased native Alaskan inside him. I found this fact to be especially interesting and tried to imagine how the shaman in the story must have originally viewed Trent and Zana—not as people—but as shells in which the spirits of the dead dwelled.
Acknowledgments
There are a lot of people to thank for all that has gone into this trilogy. Each of the three books in this bundle had its own set of beta readers and supporters. I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to the individual books, but at this time of night, I’m frankly afraid that I would leave someone out.
Instead, I want to once again thank my cousin Jay and his awesome family for showing me a great time in Alaska and for the day trip to Whittier that changed my writing journey. Jay, you told me that if I visited that strange little town, I’d be inspired to write a book. Well, you were certainly right about that. Thanks again for the inspiration.
Other Works by Mike
Trent Walker Series (Supernatural Thrillers)
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Running Club (FREE)
The Science of Magic Series (Contemporary Epic Fantasy)
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The Applicant (Science of Magic #0) (FREE)
The Conservation of Magic (Science of Magic #1)
The Equilibrium of Magic (Science of Magic #2)
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Copyright © 2015 by Michael W. Layne
This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination, or, if real, used fictitiously. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the author, except where permitted by law.
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Cover Design by Michael W. Layne
The Whittier Trilogy Page 53
