by T. E. Joshua
“Apparently Father believes we can. Yet I don’t think any of us would be foolish enough to try.”
In that moment, they both began to slowly stop snickering. James now knew I was serious and completely dropped his smile. He handed me back the sheet of paper and looked at Aaron, dumbfounded.
“Wait, you’re serious?” Aaron asked.
“Yes, Aaron, I am.”
Then the moment became clear for us. We couldn’t come down from this hunt alive. Surely James understood; he wouldn’t deliberately abandon me to fight this monster alone. Aaron, on the other hand, might try to find a way to weasel out of the hunt. He was only fifteen and inexperienced compared to James and me. He had killed a few Reborns in his life but had the potential to be even deadlier. This would be more of a challenge to him than us; however, I didn’t think that would matter in the end.
“Oh god, Lucian can’t be serious,” Aaron said. “Chief Torah must be mistaken. We aren’t ready for this.”
“Yeah, the problem is we have to kill this one on our own. The Wolf clan or anyone else won’t be assisting us.”
“I’m sure if you asked Lyonell, then he wouldn’t mind. We need all the help we can get. Besides, Lyonell is more experienced than all of us combined,” James said.
“Father only wants our clan to handle this hunt, not the Wolf clan. He made it very clear to me, so I wouldn’t bother asking Lyonell.”
“Then we’re dead. They’re not normal Reborns. The Reborn Spirit is unbeatable. They have access to powers that we will never have from the Covenant,” Aaron said, his tone negative and whiny. Who could blame him?
“We have no choice. We leave first thing at daylight—travel east to the state of Oklahoma, to a town called Blackfalls, where we will find the Awakened Reborn.”
“What about the girls?” Aaron asked, referring to Liyah and Alope Manwolf.
I thought about the dangers of bringing them with us. Who knew how big of an enemy this Reborn would be? It would be wise to bring as much help as possible, but I didn’t want to put more of my friends in danger. I needed Lyonell, but father wouldn’t allow it. I couldn’t risk getting them killed, especially Alope. She was the girl whom I cared about the most, my childhood best friend.
“Don’t tell the girls. We can do this without them,” I answered.
“Bodaway, Liyah and Alope are part of our clan. We can’t exclude them because it’s too dangerous. Once they know, we will have no choice but to bring them,” James said.
“Yeah, but I don’t want Alope to get hurt. Liyah might be able to help, but Alope is a year younger than us, and she hasn’t killed a Reborn yet. She is still new to our way of life.”
They didn’t respond.
“Don’t mention it to them. Be ready to leave around the first light. I’ll see you two in the morning.”
Then I walked away. As I turned around, I saw Aaron walking toward the Temple of Naiche. James continued to stand there and watch me leave. I turned the corner of a small metal house and walked into the backyard. There were children playing a game of tag. I couldn’t help but think of the small boy again. The thought of him dying sickened me. It made me want to forget the hunt and leave everything behind.
Soon I found myself in one of the barn shacks where we kept the horses some warriors rode out on to avoid the use of automobiles. There was one horse in a stable. He was black and had lengthy hair. I brushed the side of his face and mumbled, “Oh, the life of a horse. There is no killing for you—just a simple existence, and then you die a natural death. How I envy you, creature of the earth.”
The horse grunted and motioned with its head behind me. Then I sensed him—the dark energy of James, the element of water.
“Tell me the real reason why you loathe our people,” he said very sternly.
I hushed my mumbling as he revealed himself from the shadows of the night.
“Oh, speak to the horse about your envy for a simpler life, perhaps a life of peace. I always figured the attitude of the Promised Child would be to fulfill his destiny as promised by our ancestors. But maybe I was wrong to believe. Regardless of how you feel, we have …”
“… a month,” I interjected softly.
“Whoever she may be, I don’t care.”
“So we behead her and come back here as promised. It’s never that simple.”
“You’re right, it’s complicated. It never is with the Awakened kind. To try to kill something beyond our reach is insanity!” He raised his voice. He marched over to me and stared me down. “Did he mention the kind of powers they possess? Even with the combined dark energies of numbers one through five, their kind of faith is unmatchable.” I remained quiet. Father hadn’t said. “Did he mention it?” he demanded again.
I didn’t answer.
He lowered his head, looked back up, and asked, “Tell me, cousin, do you believe we can survive this? Legend has it that these Reborns can obliterate warriors like us in an instant, no matter our ranking, even those within the single digits like you.”
“I—don’t—know,” I answered doubtfully.
“That’s reassuring. However, Lucian and your father, a man whom I greatly respect, believe otherwise. We can’t disappoint them. This Awakened Reborn must be killed. It is our duty to the Covenant.”
“Forget the Covenant,” I uttered. He eyed me with a death stare. James was a warrior so devout that he wouldn’t hesitate to defend our religion to the death. He loved our heritage and believed in our culture as a way of life. My words were an insult to his core beliefs.
“How can you say that?”
“Listen … between you and me, I don’t care about the Covenant, this hunt, or the Awakened Reborn we are supposed to kill. This is a suicide mission. We both know this. Someone will get killed.”
“You mean like that small boy,” he said rudely. I knew he wasn’t trying to stir up the anger again, but he challenged my motives.
“The boy, he was just a boy. To be quite honest, I don’t know how much longer I can do this, James. I mean, we have been training since we were children, and once we turned thirteen, my father put us on the frontlines to kill.”
“How many times have we fought together and triumphed against all odds? With you as our leader, we can do so again. Bodaway, we are warriors of the Naiche, red demons who despise the Reborn religion. There isn’t anything we can’t do together. You are the number nine warrior, the Promised Child, and the element of fire. We can do this.”
“I’m not talking about fighting. I mean this life—the life of a monster, someone who is only good at killing. I don’t know what I want, but I do know that I don’t want to be my father’s puppet and the Promised Child. Yet I don’t want to disappoint my father.”
The life I knew was dark and gruesome. Maybe it was the boy who had altered my emotions, pushing what I had truly felt for the past few months to the surface.
“You’re delusional. You want to live in a world that will never exist. There will always be a battlefield and blood to be taken. We, the Covenant, will always be killers of the faith. Our children will become us, and their children’s children will continue to hunt down the bravest of the Reborns.”
“You might want that, but I don’t,” I uttered with aggression. “But for this Awakened Reborn, I will detach her head. If I don’t, then I will die trying. I am certain of it.” Then I drew closer to James and said, “Whatever happens within the next month, I am counting on you to do the right thing, even if I can’t.”
“What do you mean the right thing?”
“I mean if I can’t finish the job, then you must.”
He lowered his head, looking into the dirt below us, and said, “I will go to the end of the earth with you. But always remember who we are.”
James continued to glare at me as I walked back into the night to rest. I didn’t know how late he stayed in the stables. Regardless of his concerns, I knew he would stand by my side when we faced the Awakened Reborn. He was the one warrio
r I could always count on to have my back. I needed him.
I slept outside that night, gazing up into the starry night and thinking till I closed my tired eyes.
When I woke up the next morning, the name of Natalie was on my mind. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and packed the bare essentials. I cleansed my long black hair with a bucket of water and shampoo stolen from a local market.
James gathered his clothes and packed his twin swords. He stored it in the bed of his truck. I retrieved my sword, placing the blade in the trunk of my car. It was my weapon of choice, and I usually never went on a hunt without it. I believed when we faced the Awakened Reborn I’d need a physical weapon just in case my paranormal powers failed me. They said that the Spirit of the Reborn faith couldn’t be beaten. I guess we would find out soon enough.
“Bodaway, I’m here,” Alope called to me. She had two backpacks with clothes still hanging out of the zippers. She was dressed poorly and had the smile of an angel. I should have known she would find out about our early departure.
“Hey, what are you doing?” I asked as I lowered the trunk to my car.
“I’m coming with you. I can’t let you face that monster alone,” Alope cried. I could hear the worry in her voice.
“It’s too dangerous, Alope. James, Aaron, and I will be fine. I’m sure we can handle it. Besides, you haven’t actually killed a Reborn yet. The hunt will be too much for you.”
“Don’t do this to me. I’ve been with you well over a dozen hunts. You need me. I’m coming whether you like it or not. Liyah is coming as well. My father wants us fighting along side of you.”
“Your father said that? But it’s dangerous,” I said sternly. Liyah and Alope’s father, Inca Manwolf, the head Spirit Whisper of our people, wanted his only two daughters to assist us? That was unusual. Why would he send them to fight an Awakened Reborn? We were told that only the elite warriors could handle this kind of hunt. I was the only elite within the group.
“Yeah, it was Chief Torah’s idea. Father approved and now we are coming.” She then walked right past me and put her backpacks in the rear seats of my car. I was a bit baffled.
“Father’s insane. It’s absolutely—“I was interrupted by an elderly voice.
“Dangerous, you say?” it was Inca. I noticed he smelt like smoke. Perhaps he had just finished praying to our lord god, Lucian.
I turned to face him. He had a very serious expression on his wrinkled face.
“Yes. Why are you allowing this to happen?” I questioned him, but with respect.
“Chief Torah requested that Liyah and Alope join you on this hunt. I know you wanted to keep them out because of the magnitude of the situation, but he thought it best if they assisted you.”
I looked away in disagreement, thinking about the possibly of them getting killed. I scuffed and spat on the desert dirt surrounding me.
“Fine,” I uttered. I wasn’t happy about it.
Inca then kissed Alope on her forehead and mumbled something into her ear. I didn’t hear what he said. Then, from the corner of my right eye, I saw Liyah Manwolf running toward us and hugging her father good-bye. Her thin black hair waved as the valley winds rushed past us. She was the motherly warrior of the group, the witty one, also known as Liyah the wise. The three continued to hug each other good-bye. I could hear Alope, the youngest of us all, pouting a bit.
“There he is!” a voice shouted from behind me. I recognized the voice as Aaron’s. James and he loaded the bed of their truck with supplies, including canned foods, water, and weaponry.
“Are you ready?” I called out to them. I just wanted to leave. I couldn’t stand to be here a minute longer. Maybe I just needed to escape the environment.
“Yeah, the girls are coming.” he yelled back.
“Yeah, I know,” I uttered to myself, not openly answering him.
After the girls finished hugging their father, I called them over.
“Listen, are you sure you want to do this?” I asked them, hoping that one of them would have enough concern that I could debate them.
“Yeah, we are with you,” Liyah answered. “Besides, this Awakened Reborn can’t be that tough.”
“Yeah, well, I hope you’re right.”
Alope kept quiet and smiled. I never got tired of her wonderful smile.
Then James hollered from the driver seat of this truck, “Come on! Let’s go!” Liyah dashed over to the truck. I watched her sit down between James and Aaron.
I sat in my car and started the engine of my late sixties muscle car. Alope trailed alongside, opened the passenger side door, and sat down. She lightly kissed me on the cheek and whispered, “Thanks for understanding. This time we will kill the one who we are supposed to kill.”
“Yeah,” I muttered, not caring much about anything.
“What’s with you?” she questioned as she buckled her seat belt. “You’re acting like an ass.”
“Nothing, Alope, I just want to leave this place and be done with the hunt,” I answered rudely.
Then I heard a knock on my window. I looked up and saw Inca Manwolf outside my door. I rolled down the driver side window as he said, “Take care of my daughters, Bodaway. Chief Torah wants the head of this Awakened Reborn in one month. Don’t disappoint him. The dark spirits will be with you as you fulfill your duty to the Covenant.”
“My duty is also to my clan, sir.”
“Then bring them back alive.”
I rolled up my window and peeled the dirt underneath my tires. A cloud of dust rose from underneath my car as I accelerated out of Red Valley. James trailed behind.
The journey to Oklahoma took a day. We stopped every few hundred miles to gas up and buy snacks. We were headed into the Bible Belt—I shouldn’t have been surprised that an Awakened Reborn would live there. It was the time of the year that the humidity rose above normal weather conditions—the kind of humidity that required no movement in order to leave beads of sweat running down your back.
It was in Blackfalls that I would exile myself from my clan and be compelled to kill the Awakened Reborn on my own. I believed I needed this more than the others. Even though I had grown displeased with and guilty about the recent hunt, it was time for a change. I figured I’d kill this one and call it quits—maybe even leave the tribe. We’d see.
We entered the town of Blackfalls early in the morning the day after our departure. We gathered our thoughts and talked about a detailed plan after nightfall. Liyah mapped out the neighborhood of the Schultz family. She even found the address. Yeah, she was that good. I didn’t ask how she found the residence, but that wasn’t important.
The address was 7412 Wisteria Drive in neighborhood called Cobblestone. We lurked in the surrounding neighborhood and hopped over the ten-foot spiked-iron fence. Casually walking through a field of freshly cut grass and underground sprinklers, we quickly understood the financial standing of the people living here. The homes were immaculate to say the least.
“Look, there it is,” James whispered to all of us. As we came across the field, Schultz Manor stood in front of us. The home was a massive white marbled mansion with two chiseled angel statues on each side of the front double doors. There were no outside lights on, but a lamp was lit in a bedroom window on the third floor. I memorized the general room area and marked my kill.
“Wow, these Reborns know how to live in style,” Aaron uttered as a joke.
“This doesn’t look so bad. I don’t know what the big fuss was about. Maybe she is asleep and alone,” Alope muttered. She placed her hand on my shoulder.
We stayed crouched within the darkness of the field. Several local cars drove by us. Then I watched the lamp from a third-level bedroom turn off. This was it! It was time.
“Okay, remember the plan. I’ll take care of the kill.” Then I turned to my clan and ordered, “James, take the rear end of the house. Aaron, take the front. Just in case I fail and she escapes for help, take her out by any means necessary.”
“What about us?” Liyah questioned, referring to Alope and herself.
“I want you two to stake out the other ends of the mansion, Alope on the west side and Liyah on the east side. We need to create a perimeter. No one escapes or goes within closing area. Let’s make this quick and easy.”
“Good, just don’t choke this time,” Aaron warned. I so wanted to punch him in the face.
“Trust me, I won’t. Give me five minutes alone in the house, and if I’m not out with a bloody head, then come in after me.”
Then we departed into our positions. I vanished from one end of the mansion to the other. I had five minutes and intended to use every second.
I approached the front door, crouching, masking my body within the shadows. The two tall angel statues stood next to the white double doors. I jiggled the doorknob and found that it was locked. I twisted the knob and jerked the lock free from the wooden outer doorframe. The door squeaked as I opened it to a fresh breeze of cold air from the air conditioner. There I examined the lobby area and saw two flights of stairs, a den to my left, and a kitchen to my right. I dashed upstairs, leaving the front door slightly open. Not making much of a sound, I crawled left and saw the light emanating from the room at the very end of the hallway. The light was vague, but I figured the Awakened Reborn had to be sound asleep.
“Almost there,” I whispered to myself. Should I behead her with my sword or kill her with my bare hands and then detach her head? I debated but decided to wait until I came into close contact, which would be in seconds, to decide.
As I crawled closer, I could smell something potent, almost like candles that were sweet in fragrance with a hint of a spice. It became more toxic the closer I crawled. I looked up and saw the name Natalie pinned above me. This was it. A swift beheading should be sufficient, I thought.
I figured she would have locked the door but tried to quietly turn the knob. It squeaked open and I peeked inside. There she was a blondish pale-faced teenager who was sound asleep and possibly dreaming happily. Too bad it all had to come to an end tonight.
I slowly pushed the door open and casually walked inside. The smell was now ravishingly strong. I began to hold my noise and breathe through my mouth. It aggravated my skin and burned my eyes as if I had peeled some wild onions. I recall my elders speaking about the scent of the Awakened ones. The aroma was a defense mechanism that irritated the warriors’ bodies. They believed it came from the tangible presence of the Spirit of the Reborns. To say the least, the scent was uninviting.
