Forging Day (Crucible of Change Book 1)

by Noelle Alladania Meade

  I slowly opened my eyes, fairly certain I was still asleep. A tiny tree with pink and purple blossoming flowers was staring at me, stroking my forehead with one of its little branches. I felt a vague tugging at my arm, but it didn’t hurt. A tear-streaked face came into view, and I recognized Aspen. “This is Hyacinth. I know Oaken said we couldn’t do the sheep-stealing thing, but I still wanted to make my own little sheep. Hyacinth hopped out of the car when you screamed, and ran over here. As soon as she touched you, your whole body went limp.”

  I’d never loved a tree more than I did this minute. “Thank you, Hyacinth, and Aspen. Whatever you’re doing, please don’t stop.”

  “Your arm still needs some serious medical attention, Olivia, but I think this will hold you until we get into town. We’re loading up the cars. We need to get out of here. No doubt these fools had friends and family that are bound to coming looking for them, sooner or later.” Berto sounded worried, and I didn’t blame him. We really didn’t want to explain a bunch of dead bodies to more angry men with guns.

  Kat helped me up, and Hyacinth hopped effortlessly up onto Aspen’s shoulder. She visibly relaxed at the touch of the little tree creature. I braced for the pain to come back, but it wasn’t as bad as I’d feared. Distant, but still there. I hoped I would have some serious pain meds before whatever magic this was wore off.

  Chapter Nine

  Medic!!!

  We stayed on the highway heading east through Lyons. There wasn’t a lot of other traffic out and no one else pointed any guns at us. I still breathed a sigh of relief when the town disappeared in the rear view mirror.

  I jumped a little when my phone started playing “O Fortuna”. Cordie was finally breaking radio silence.

  I tried to sound normal. “Hey sis, how’s that zombie outbreak treating you?”

  “Olivia,” she sighed, “please, no more selfies right now. Things are pretty tense around here. Do you have your kit?”

  “No, Cordie. We were out camping, remember? We’re trying to get home but we need to make a little stop in Longmont.”

  “Don’t stop. Just get home.”

  “Kind of not an option. We got into an altercation and we have wounded. Oh, that, and this little plush wolf thing came to life and attacked me, and now my arm is kind of messed up.”

  “Oh no! The best thing you can do now is get it cleaned out and apply a lot of antiseptic. You aren’t the first person who’s had a close encounter with something that shouldn’t exist. The wounds are going septic and fast. Ask Berto what he knows about Komodo dragons. He’ll understand. Call me as soon as you get to the house.” She was quiet for a minute, and I started to think she’d hung up without saying goodbye. “I do love you, Olivia. Please take care of yourself. You’re a pain in the ass, but I need you in my world, sis.”

  “I love you too, Cordie. Please come home soon.”

  I was sniffling when I ended the call. Every time I thought she delighted in ruining my life, she said something like this.

  I had another call to make before I forgot. “Berto? Cordie called. I told her a little bit about my arm. She said to ask you what you know about Komodo dragons.”

  He didn’t say anything, which was not Berto at all. He cleared his throat and sounded a little choked up. “Well, then, it’s a good thing we were already headed to the hospital. You hang in there.”

  That response wasn’t exactly reassuring. I checked my phone and it showed an internet signal, so I went ahead and did a search on Komodo dragons. In retrospect, that was probably not my best plan of the day. Apparently, they are giant lizards with a virulent, fast acting, septic saliva. I’m very fond of my left arm. I’d like to keep it. We’re quite attached.

  We were driving through open range, and there was much more movement than usual in the distance. It looked like something large and fast chasing after some other unlucky creature. Happily, they were headed away from the road. We didn’t need more trouble.

  We passed a sign for the Greenwood Wildlife Rehab area. There were a handful of bluebirds perched on the sign, and a bunch more sitting along a power line. I would have sworn they were staring at us, and they didn’t look friendly. It was probably just me. Nothing looked friendly at this point.

  We went by a couple of large lakes to our south. It seemed weird to see bright blue sky reflected in the water. It would have been a lovely day, if not for all the screaming and running and dying.

  We finally reached the outskirts of Longmont. I was almost surprised that nothing else bad had happened to us on the way. There was more traffic here, and a lot of sirens, but things otherwise looked normal. We got a few stares, but most people were too caught up in their own drama to spare anyone else much attention.

  My heart fell as we pulled into the hospital parking lot. It didn’t look good. The place was jam-packed. Our little caravan was trying to at least get close enough to the ER entrance to drop off the injured when we saw the very large sign posted on the door. Humans Only−By Order of the Management. Crap.

  Mikah kept right on driving, and we all followed him around the curve to the far edge of the parking lot. He and Berto got out of the van and came over to the group. I rolled down the window so I could hear from inside the car. If I had to get out, I’d fall down.

  “I’m sorry,” said Mikah. “I really believed hospitals would stay neutral. I didn’t think this would happen. Here’s what we’re going to do. Berto has his ID with him. He and I are going to go in and see if we can talk to someone and get some help. We need everyone else to stay out here. Those that are able will keep an eye out for trouble. If you see us come out running, get the cars started and get moving. Head east to the highway and then take I-25 south. We’ll meet up at the Hunting World parking lot if we get separated.”

  The car was hot, even with the windows down, and I felt worse by the minute while we waited. I was beginning to wonder if they would even get to come back. “What if something happens to them, Kat? What are we going to do?”

  She stroked my forehead and made me drink some water. “Just try to rest. They’ll be back.”

  It felt like forever, and I kept expecting someone else to try and kill us. It had been that kind of day. I finally saw them walking across the parking lot—hurrying, but not running. Each of them carried a large bag, like the kind hospitals give patients to carry their personal belongings when they check in.

  Berto looked as mad as I’ve ever seen him. “They won’t help. Hospital management has ordered hospital security to turn away all people showing any non-Human features. No exceptions. Some of the staff weren’t happy about it, but they were swamped with other cases and weren’t willing to fight the system, in any case.”

  He gestured at the bags. “Luckily, I knew one of the nurses. I would have recognized Mary Rose’s tie-dyed scrubs anywhere—we were in nursing school together. She’s pretty upset about the hospital turning anyone away. She put together what she could, forged a doctor’s signature to get us some prescription meds, and snuck it out to us. That’s what took so long—we had to wait for her to get a chance to get away long enough to bring us these supplies.”

  Kat got out a few of the camp chairs and helped me into one of them. It was just too hot to keep sitting in the car. Henry and May broke out one of the screen tents, blocking the view from the hospital with a couple of tarps. “At least this will give me a little privacy to work,” said Berto. I sent a little mental blessing toward Berto’s nurse friend, because the bags were packed with dressings, antiseptic, an air cast, an assortment of medications, and a surgical kit. She had to have risked her job by doing this.

  Berto scrubbed up as best he could, and had Mikah scrub his own hands too so he could assist. I wondered why Aspen’s little friend, Hyacinth, wasn’t helping. Berto must have wondered too, because I heard Aspen telling him, “I’m sorry, but Hyacinth is wiped out from earlier. She says she can’t do any more today. I’m sorry.”

  Berto looked grim. “You saw the wound, Ol
ivia. Whatever that creature was, it’s given you a particularly nasty fast-acting infection. I want you to be prepared.” He carefully removed the soiled dressings and exposed the festering wound. At this point, I wasn’t surprised that it looked worse.

  “I read about Komodo dragons online. If you don’t fix this, I’m going to lose my arm, or worse. Tell me I’m wrong.”

  He looked sad and stricken, but he didn’t contradict me either.

  “You have to do that magic touch thing like you did with Mikah last night. You’re my only hope, oh wise one.”

  He tried to smile, but failed. “You know I tried last night. It didn’t work. I don’t know why!”

  I hadn’t heard Tessa come over, but I heard her sultry tones from behind me. “You said something when you healed your husband last night. What was it?”

  “I said, ‘please God, let him be okay’.”

  “And was that God with the small g or the big G? And did you mean it with all your heart?”

  “The big G, and yes, yes I did.”

  “What did you say when you tried to heal your friend’s husband and then Olivia later that night?”

  He looked embarrassed. “I said, Be healed.”

  “Then your problem is faith. You said a prayer when you healed Mikah. You invoked a divine blessing. When you tried again later, you had will, but no faith. Just as God has made me into this for how I’ve lived my life, He’s blessed you with the gift of healing. But you have to have faith. I’m a demon. I should know.”

  He looked at me with new determination. To my surprise, he crossed himself first and then kissed my forehead. He held one hand over my heart and the other over my wounded arm. “Dear God in Heaven, grant me healing for this woman. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”

  His face was radiant as golden light flowed from his hands, washing over me. The pain fled before his healing touch, and the wound knit itself together, leaving only a healed scar.

  Tears rolled down his cheeks. “I thought God turned His back on me for loving Mikah. I was the one that turned my back on Him. I will never turn away again.”

  Mikah hugged him tight, and then they were both smiling and crying at the same time.

  Berto finally turned back to the other wounded with new confidence. As he got to each person, he crossed himself and kissed them on the forehead. His prayers were quiet but strong, and the golden healing light chased away the damage. Even Stella benefitted from his newfound skill—though I notice she didn’t get a kiss.

  He was pale and dripping with sweat by the time he finished with John’s broken wrist, but his face was calm and smiling and an aura of goodness surrounded him. Berto paused as he came to Lilith. “I’m afraid to heal you with the bullet still in your leg.”

  Too bad I didn’t have mutant powers over metal. I watched Berto gather some tools, and an odd tingling in my fingertips made me wonder. Hand held over Lilith’s leg, I willed the metal to come to me.

  Lilith screamed as the bits of metal tore their way back out through the flesh of her leg. Tears streamed down her face as she resolutely turned away from the mangled skin I’d left behind. Berto stared at me. “How did you do that?” He quickly turned back to Lilith. “Never mind. Tell me later.” His last prayer was for Lilith, the golden light healing her damage and pain.

  When he’d finished with the others, I hugged him tight. “Thank you, Berto. You saved my life.”

  “God saved your life. I was the conduit.” He still gave me a big hug in return.

  Of all the reactions, Aspen probably surprised me the most. She almost acted like she was afraid of Berto. He noticed. We all did. It would have been hard to miss.

  “Aspen, what’s wrong?”

  “Your God is real. I saw it. But the Bible says you’re supposed to burn witches.”

  “I’m not burning anyone, Aspen. God granted me healing. He didn’t tell me to go out and kill people that follow another faith. God is love, not hate. Men have done horrible things in God’s name. That’s not me.” He reached out to hug her, and finally she hugged him back.

  Mikah cleared his throat, and it was obvious he’d been crying too. “Sorry to break the moment, everyone, but we need to pack up and get out of here before we draw any more attention.” He pointed toward the ER doors, where a crowd of people were gathered, staring in our direction. I don’t know how they saw anything from clear over there, especially with the screens up, but they obviously saw something—or they’d heard Lilith scream.

  We got the cars packed up in record time. It was much faster when you weren’t doing it with the walking wounded.

  “Can I ride with you guys?” Tessa quietly asked me and Kat.

  “Of course,” Kat told her.

  “Your turn to ride shotgun,” she told me, and got in the back seat.

  Korembi had to talk to Stella a bit, but she finally hopped back into the van, along with the remaining compys. I think she wanted to ride with him. I could just picture her going down the highway with her head out the window like a giant dog, except scaly and deadly and scary beyond all reason. We were back on the road before any of the hospital staff got more than halfway across the parking lot.

  Chapter Ten

  Making the Push for Home

  After seeing that Humans Only sign at the hospital, I’d worried about getting out of town without any trouble, but it turned out my anxiety was over nothing. Even though traffic was a bit heavy, we made it through Longmont without running into any more hostiles. There was a visible police presence, and they clearly noted our passing, but whatever their individual feelings about the newly non-Human, they stayed professional. I still breathed a sigh of relief when we got back on the highway.

  I’d thought we’d speed up once we got on the highway. I was wrong. There were a fair number of accidents dotting the shoulders. No doubt getting hit with a purple cloud that turned you into something other than Human could be somewhat distracting to a driver.

  As we passed Hunting World, I was really glad we hadn’t needed to meet up there after all. I saw broken windows and chaos in the parking lot. A grizzly bear was peeling the roof off a car like a pop can, and a moose was charging anything that moved. I idly wondered how Animal Control was going to deal with that one.

  “Olivia, see if we can get any news on the radio.”

  “Sure, Kat.”

  I unplugged my MP3 player and surfed the stations to see if there were any official statements on whatever happened. First, I needed to find an actual live DJ. They were a rare breed these days. Music. Music. Commercial. Pre-recorded DJ doing a stale Saturday routine. Commercial. Commercial.

  “I know you hate them,” Kat offered, “but you might check out the talk-show channels. It’s possible they might have information. At least you know they’ll be live.”

  I sighed. “I was trying to avoid that.”

  Of course, she was right. The talk-radio channels were all active today. I stopped on one that generally had the least objectionable content.

  “…LSD in the water, man.”

  “Thank you, George from Erie,” said the bemused host. “I’m pretty sure someone didn’t drug the water on the entire planet, but it’s an interesting theory.

  “This is Phil Gunderson and we’re talking about our strange new world. Call, tweet, or visit our web page with your thoughts on the Event of the day, use hashtag event. Next caller, Doug from Lakewood.”

  “I’m Doug. Reverend Allucius was right. I think God is punishing people for their sins. They are abominations and must be des—”

  “Thanks, Doug. Folks, again, I urge you to remain calm. Whatever this is, we are a society of laws. Mindless violence is not the answer. Next up, we have Nora from Denver.”

  “If people Changed like this, it must be God’s will. God tells us to love one another. I think He’s testing us to show that we follow His word.”

  “Thank you, Nora. Words to live by. Next up, Mister Smith from Greeley.”

  “This is all a
big lie made up by the liberal media. You sheeple will believe anything. This is some plot, and then next week you’ll hear about some new movie all about this so called Event.”

  Phil cut him off. “Sorry to say, but this is not a hoax. My producer, Bob, seems to be an Elf, for lack of a better description. We’re taking a quick break, and then I believe we have Victor from Thornton.”

  I looked at Kat and Tessa. “Who knew? We’re just a figment of the liberal media’s imagination.” I didn’t know if I wanted to laugh or cry, but I’m pretty sure I wanted to drink heavily when we got home.

  “...and we’re back. Victor, you’re up.”

  There was a loud squeal of feedback. “Victor. You have to turn off your radio.”

  “I’m going to turn off my radio.”

  What a yutz.

  “Um, hi, this is Victor. I know what happened.”

  “Really? What is your theory, Victor?”

  “It was aliens. You know they’re been studying us for centuries. We’re all rats in their giant space lab. They’re always taking people to probe. Well, what if they added some mutant alien…”

  “Remember folks, language. Victor. That’s an interesting theory. I hope our new alien overlords are kind.”

  No answers really, but now we knew it wasn’t just us. Happily, we didn’t hear any calls from Lyons about a missing militia group.

  “Time for a public service announcement. The authorities are recommending you stay home. If you do go out, we are on state-wide accident alert. If no one is hurt, just exchange insurance info and call the police later on the non-emergency number to report the accident. Folks, this is not a hoax. There’s no official statement of what happened yet, but we have sightings from all over the world of strange-colored clouds in the last twenty-four hours, and then some people experiencing unprecedented physical Changes. I can vouch for that part myself. I’m looking at Bob right now. The governor has scheduled a press conference for later today, and we’ve heard rumors that the president will be holding a press conference from Air Force One this evening. When we know exact times, we’ll let you know. In the meantime, everybody stay cool. Remember, your neighbor is still your neighbor, even if he’s now covered with fur and howls at the moon. We don’t normally have musical interludes, but I think the occasion calls for it.” With that, the car filled with the iconic howling of British werewolves.