After about fifteen minutes, Cliff returned, seemingly a little better. Jack walked next to him.
“Everything okay with Cliff?” Ted called out.
Jack nodded. “He will be okay. It isn’t contagious and I helped his pain receptors. He will get through it in no time.”
There was something odd in the way that Jack phrased that. Ted pondered for a moment, but really didn’t have the time to think about it. “Okay, let’s mount up, team!” he called out.
Rich, Emma, Antwon, Anthony and Cliff all boarded their bikes. Natalee was already on hers and waiting down by the gate. That girl had been given point once, right after the Event, and never looked back. One could always find her at the front of the team. Ted was very proud and fond of his niece. He would bring up the rear for now, though that would sometimes change throughout the trip. He boarded his bike and looked back in the direction of his home. Kayla was standing in the alley, her hand raised to say goodbye. He blew her a kiss and made his way down the road to the gates, following his team.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Fishing had always been his church. Eric Fine stood in the stream, the water flowing around his waders. It was his most Zen moment. He cast his fly far across the stream, letting it float, seeking to lure its prey. With a flick of his wrist, he lofted the fly high and out again, alighting softly on the moving water. He felt the presence of the intruder, long before he heard him. It raised the hair on the back of Eric’s neck to be interrupted during his peaceful early hours.
“What is it?” He said, testily.
“Forgive me, Lord Marshall.” Came the quivering voice of one of his men. “One of the bandits has returned and General Summers sent me for you. He said you would want to hear this.”
“One?” Eric queried.
There was a pause, a stunted moment that told Eric there was more here than he had initially assumed. “Yes, Lord Marshall. Just one.”
Eric heard the man tramp through the brush away from him, as he turned and made his way to the Creekside, stopping to take his string of trout out of the water and carry them with him. Fish in one hand, pole in the other, he made his way back to downtown Manitou Springs. He wondered to himself why there would be only one. It had to be conflict, maybe even the one the Bluffs called The Hermit. For only one man out of five to return, something drastic had to happen. For Summers to interrupt his fishing meant something dire.
Eric handed the line of fish to his aide as he entered the headquarters building, placing his pole gently into its place beside the door. As he removed the waders, he saw an anxious Andy Summers quickly striding toward him.
“General.” Eric said as a form of greeting and also to set the tone. Andy was a naturally anxious man. Often, Eric had to change the mood through the tone he set.
“Lord Marshall,” Andy began. “One of the men returned…”
“Why, yes, Andy. The fishing was fine today.”
Andy ignored the unspoken reprimand. “You need to hear what he had to say.”
“Interrupted my fishing? Don’t be silly! It is never an interruption.” Eric gave Summers a cold glare.
“Forgive me, sir. I would not have interrupted…”
Eric waved off the explanation. “The point has been made. What is going on with the men?”
“Man.” Summers answered. “We have a new threat.”
Eric walked into the back room to see a shaken man, sweating heavily from the journey. Eric couldn’t remember his name. Was is Shawn? No, Steve maybe? He had clearly come with all haste.
“Tell me.” Eric ordered. The man told a tale of a group of robed men, who looked like monks. The bandit thought they might be called the Lord’s Sickle, or Hammer. The bandit’s chi did not work at all on the men. These four monks had taken four of the five men and burned them in the middle of the street on the east side of town. The bandit had run back all the way to tell the Lord Marshall of the fate of his team, knowing full well that often meant a death penalty for leaving your comrades in the field. This was different. The fear the bandit felt from the monks was greater than his fear of his Leader’s response.
“You have done well in bringing me this news.” Eric began, seeing the shock on the man’s face and even startling Summers. “Go. Get some rest, and some grub. General Summers and I will prepare a proper response to this outrage.”
Eric shook his head slightly when Andy started to say something. He did not want to discuss this in front of any of the men. As the man left, Eric closed the door behind him and turned to look at Summers.
“So, it is true. All that we have heard?” Summers asked.
“Apparently, it is.” Eric answered. “The Faith, and their Lord’s Hammer, is not just a myth told at survivors’ camps to scare the children. If that is true, it means they have thousands of followers. If the first, more unbelievable story is true, then the second one can’t be far wrong.”
“Do we stick to the same plan?” Andy looked almost relieved, like he at least knew what direction they were headed in.
“Yes.” Eric said. “Open the road up to the mountains. Pull our defenses back to just the edge of the Highway, not blocking it. It seems, General, that we will have to win the favor of old enemies.”
“Yes, sir.” Andy answered.
“Make it happen, Andy. I will leave with a small group, once our defenses have been reset. When do you think that can be accomplished?”
“It should not take more than a few days total.” Summers replied.
“Very well,” Eric said. “Let’s begin.”
The change in the borders of the Manitou encampment would serve the purposes of enticing people to make their way up the highway, but would also serve another purpose. Since Eric had less than forty percent of original numbers, the reduction would make their area more secure while not looking like they were pulling back. Eric went to change clothes. It was time to show a different type of leadership, again.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Jack Collins watched the bicyclists wind their way down the road from his place atop the over-looking cliff. As requested by Cliff, he had kept the secret, never telling anyone about the ‘malady’ that was ailing the boy. But, Jack was absolutely fascinated. He had been in the hut with Cliff and Annie for most of the time there. He had heard Cliff’s questions about the changes she was able to accomplish for people. He had seen the boy’s excitement, but he had never imagined how quickly Annie had been able to act. In the few minutes within that hut, after Jack had walked out to talk with Rich, she had begun Cliff’s transformation.
Jack thought back on what he had learned from helping the centaur mare. He had seen the intricacy of the DNA blend, and the movement of power that flowed through. He had been able to help the mare by stabilizing the bond. He had just done the same for Cliff, which should quicken his transformation and make it much less uncomfortable. The rash now covered most of Cliff’s body, but Jack was able to “convince” Cliff’s body that it was a normal transformation which took the pain and most of the itch away.
But curiosity is a hungry beast, and Jack’s curiosity had now awoken and yearned for more information. Without even her notice, he had made excuses to check something on Natalee Ward and had delved into her genetic structure. He had strengthened her bond with her powers in just a moment and slipped out without anyone the wiser. But, he needed more knowledge and he needed it from the willing. He had tried to analyze another in the last few moments who had not given permission and it just didn’t work. This made sense with what he knew about Annie’s ability, since every person she transformed had asked for the gift. There was at least one person who he could willingly study. He turned and walked toward the other side of the Bluffs, deep in thought.
Arriving outside the small stone building, he cleared his throat.
Beth appeared shortly, startled to see him there. “Oh, hello, Jack! Is there something I can do for you?”
Jack smiled warmly, “Just making the rounds. Adam asked me to
check on all children, just a normal checkup. Can I do a checkup with Cooper?” The lie was simple, it was small. She wouldn’t even see it.
“Certainly,” Beth replied. “Come on in!”
“I am sorry, Beth.” He said and she stopped her turn toward the inside. “As you know, my power won’t work with you in the room. Can I spend a moment with him alone? It won’t take more than a minute or two unless there is some issue.”
She fell for the ruse. “Of course. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it. I need to go get some juice for him from the gardens, is about five minutes enough?”
CHAPTER TWENTY
It was a warm afternoon, but not too bad. The heavy labor of working in the field had always been something that made Steph Richards’ blood move and soul rise. None the less, she thought back on their visitors and considered the value they had gained from irrigating the well-water that had gushed up. Her husband Bill had always been more concerned about the powers that people showed than she had, but for safety, Steph kept quiet. The Faith were ruthless with those they determined to be users of the powers.
She wiped the dripping sweat out of her eyes, as she manually pulled the weeds. Looking around, she thought this year’s harvest would yield more than enough to get them through the winter. Perhaps, it would even provide some trade opportunities. As she glanced around, her eyes fell on the robed man standing at the end of one of the rows of corn. The delight she had felt at this solid day’s work melted into fear. The man just stared at her. The Lord’s Hammer never talked. Taking her gloves off and again wiping her brow, she walked toward him.
“Good afternoon, sir.” She smiled an uncomfortable smile.
The robed man looked toward her house and then back at her. She looked in that direction and saw the other three standing with her husband out in front of the porch. Slowly, she made her way to join them. The sound of the man behind her stomping through her yard, was a little disconcerting.
“Honey?” She called out to Bill. He just looked at her.
“Steph, we missed you at the chapel last week,” came a voice from the bench on the far side of the patio. Looking past those in front of her house, she now saw what she had not seen before. Minister Sal Martino sat comfortably on her front porch. This was even more concerning than she had originally assessed.
“Good afternoon, Minister. What brings you out to our farm?” She replied.
“Why don’t you and Bill come have a sit with me, and we will discuss that.” Sal’s voice dripped with contradiction. He sounded sweet, but she heard within it the hidden threat that generally kept people in line. She walked past Bill, grabbing his hand as she did and they made their way up to their own porch, like invited guests.
As they took their seats, the Minister began. “So, any problem that kept you from chapel?”
Steph answered, afraid her husband would say too much. “No. No problems. We were working the farm, trying to deal with an overactive well for the last few weeks.”
Sal’s cold gaze bored into her. “Some of the local people say they were visited by strangers. We didn’t hear this report from you. Were you visited by strangers?”
Steph understood finally what brought them here. “Yes, but we told them to leave.”
“Why would you tell them to leave? Bill, why don’t you tell me?” Sal turned his head toward her husband, but kept his eyes on her.
Bill stuttered out a response. “Th-They only showed powers once and we kicked them off the property. They wasn’t here but a few minutes.”
The Minister’s eyes shifted over to Bill, matching where his head was already pointed. “Powers?”
“They messed with the well, and Steph told ‘em to get out.” He was trying to save her, and she appreciated it. It had the added benefit of being true.
Steph interrupted. “It has taken us weeks to get our well under control, after their meddling.”
Sal sat in silence and looked back and forth from Bill to Steph. The silence was long and full of tension. Eventually, he just stood up.
“Meddlers will make things more difficult, won’t they?” He said, walking toward the steps. At the last moment, he turned quickly and looked right at Steph. “But, you will report any strangers in the future, won’t you?”
Steph was taken aback, but responded quickly, “Of course.”
“Excellent,” Sal stated. “The crop looks nice.”
“Yes,” Steph answered, happy for the change of subject. “We hope to have enough to trade this fall.”
“And to tithe, right?” Sal said as an aside, but Steph knew it wasn’t a suggestion.
“Either way, we tithe, Minister.” Steph replied, a little offended at the suggestion.
“Yes you do, sister. The Richards are believers, good believers, aren’t you?”
“Yes, we are.” Steph’s eyes narrowed. For once, she wished she had one of those demon powers to throw at the man. Later that night, she would ask forgiveness for that thought in her prayers. But, at the moment, his arrogance and bullying were too much. Knowing better, she kept quiet about her concerns.
“Brothers,” Sal called to the Lord’s Hammer, now ignoring the Richards’, “Let us move on to the next home. I think we will find collaborators today.”
Sal led the Lord’s Hammer out the Richards’ front gate and headed down the road. Bill and Steph just stood on their porch watching them until the men were completely out of sight. As soon as they could no longer see them, Bill pulled Steph into an embrace. He comforted her as silent tears fell from her eyes. This release of tension was becoming more and more common. They never talked about it, but both of them knew that the faith would either collapse, or someday they would come for Bill and Steph. They seemed like common farmers, but Steph had been a history professor. There was a historical path that was common for these types of situations, and Sal Martino was playing this like a script.
END OF SUMMER
“Who am I to judge? Should I split the world up over who looks like me, who speaks like me, or who loves like me?” – Everett Pickering, PhD.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The scream broke through the quiet of the night and Beth leapt up to grab the baby. With Cooper in her arms, she hid in her house, her only comfort in the knowledge that other people’s powers would not work against her. However, she was still a woman of advanced years with only a boy just turning two in her care. She waited out the screams, heard the frantic running about, and the eventual silence as the disturbance ended.
As summer turned to fall, it had been just more than two years since the Event. More than six weeks had passed since Ted and the others had left on their journey, which was not a long time for one of these journeys. She could not wait for them to be home. About two weeks after they left, the lunacy began. People became irritable, angry and violent. Their libidos also went into overdrive. It was as though all forms of control had left people, they no longer had discretion and would just give into impulses right away. It was also certainly an aspect of someone’s power. This second turn at the lunacy happened precisely twenty-five days following the end of the last. This was the third night, and she hoped it followed the last month’s pattern and only lasted those three days.
Beth was, of course, not affected. Her own ability shielded her from other people’s powers. Kayla had taken to staying in her home because Beth also seemed to be able to shield others. Beth had found this out in an unfortunate way, walking in mid-day to find her grandson, Kyle, and his boyfriend Britt engaged in passion that was best left to married people in her opinion. Shocked as she was, her understanding was piqued when the control immediately returned to Britt and Kyle as soon as Beth was in their presence. After some awkward moments, Britt had appointed himself to patrol down the hill so he wouldn’t lose control like that again.
Someone appeared in the doorway. She had not lit a candle, so she could only hope it was someone friendly. The shadow filled her with some dread.
“Mom, are you oka
y?” It was Kate, checking up on them.
“Yes, sweetheart.” Beth replied, standing to hug her daughter. “Is everything okay out there?”
Kate lit one of her light stones and placed it on the window sill. “Yeah, that wasn’t a pain scream. If you know what I mean.”
“Yes, dear, I do know what you mean.” Beth comforted herself with the knowledge that she was old, but not a fool. “Let’s not light up the house, okay? I don’t want to draw attention.”
“I hope this is the last night of this.” Kate offered, turning the light off and slipping down to sit next to the wall. Beth could tell she was exhausted.
“Has Jenny said anything about this curse?” Jenny Martinez was one of their two resident researchers into abilities and powers. The other was Cliff Ko, but the boy was off with Ted.
“Well, she did scream something.” Kate laughed lightly. “That was her screaming.”
Beth was not amused. “Who was the man?”
“Not a man, it was the healer Jasmine.” Kate said rather matter of fact.
“Jenny is gay?” Beth asked. “I never knew.”
“I haven’t talked to her about it, but I kind of get the feeling she is interested in both men and women. I heard her tell Nat once about a relationship she had with a woman. It sounded like it was long-term, but since we have known her, she has only dated men.” Kate had a little smirk on her face, Beth could hear it in her voice. “Well, until tonight.”
Beth thought Kate was taking all of this a little lightly. Beth had long since left her judgment by the wayside for people who were gay or whatever. Even her own grandson was gay. But, she was actually concerned about population. In the last two years, as far as the council could tell, about eighty-five percent of the population had died throughout the old city. Conflict, illness, extreme weather and misadventure had killed so many people, their first summer had been taken up burying the dead. As far as she was concerned, who someone was attracted to was becoming less important than bearing children if one was of age to do so.
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