Rise of the Death Walkers (The Circle of Heritage Saga)

by Lawrence Nason Jr.

  When I first saw the room I had objected to how big it was. My room alone was bigger than the very house they lived in. My grandfather had told me that the spirits had willed this to be the case. He had said that once the spirits had been informed who it was for, the woods had given way to the encroachment gladly.

  After the first few times I had taken to connect with the spirits of the woods I somehow knew this was, in fact, the truth. It was hard to describe the feeling I received when I was in connection with nature. It felt like I was meant to be there with all the inhabitants of the forest. My grandfather explained this was the way with anyone who was gifted.

  After this, I was less reluctant to accept the gift that had been given to me. I let the forest into my room as much as I possibly could. I denied, during the spring, no creature access to my domicile. It was not unusual when Katie visited me that some of the creatures of the forest would visit me. One day when Katie was there a fawn strolled into the room to visit. Katie had gasped in surprise and I showed her how to feed the fawn the seeds I kept handy for such visits. She almost ran in terror when a skunk showed up another time but I managed to restrain her and showed her that he meant no harm. It was almost natural for me to be so close to the wildlife. I never questioned it.

  All of my life I had been good with animals and knowing what I know now I can understand why. I drifted back off to sleep thinking about these things.

  Later that day was when it happened. It was something that marked to me a clear change in direction for my life. We were on the way to the reservation for Katie's birthday party. Close to the rest area the tire on Katie's car blew and we were forced to the side of the road. I wanted to change the tire for her but Katie's stubbornness won out as it usually did. She was at the back tire on the driver's side trying to loosen the lugs when a screeching sound caused us both to whirl around in terror.

  It seemed to me that time had somehow slowed. I saw Katie raise her hands in terror and look at the oncoming truck. The vehicle was headed straight to where Katie was standing! It was an unreal feeling I felt but something snapped inside of me. My lumbering legs were no longer half-dead on my body. I felt alive and quick. I was out in front of Katie before the truck had moved a few inches. I felt my hands go up instinctively and it felt like I was trying to stop the vehicle with my bare hands. I felt the wind whipping up around me and surge directly from me to the oncoming vehicle. The next moment the truck was on the other side of the road rolling onto the median there.

  Katie's arms were under mine dragging me back. I was shaking so hard it was hard for me to stand and she eased me down behind her car.

  "How did you do that Jason?" She asked.

  I looked at her and the blackness was clouding the edges of my vision as I said, "I don't know."

  The next thing I knew I was looking up into the worried eyes of my grandfather. I looked around and saw the familiar furnishing that were in my own room on the reservation. "What happened?" I asked him and then "Where is Katie? Is she all right?"

  "Katie is fine Pasche." said my grandfather with a twinkle in his eyes. "What seems to have happened is you called on the wind to protect you as that tractor tailor was headed straight toward Katie. The driver is all right. Just some scrapes and bruises and a bit of memory tampering by your grandmother."

  He helped me sit up. "All this time I have tried to teach you this using pine cones and you have to wait until a forty ton vehicle is headed toward you." He grinned at me.

  "Sorry Grandfather. I still don't know what or even how I did it." He was across the room and picked up a book and threw it at me. Without thinking I put up my hand and the book stopped in mid air and floated there.

  "Well you didn't use the wind this time but simple telekinetic works just as well." He smiled at me and sat near the bed.

  "It's hot in here and the door and windows are open. Reach out and feel the wind. When you feel it then let it flow in gently and cool the room."

  I reached out with my mind and noticed several things at once. I could literally feel the wind. On top of this I seemed to feel hundreds of life forms outside in the woods surrounding my room. I could feel the Earth and water that lay in the surrounding area too. I grasped the wind with my mind and caused it to flow in through the windows gently. The room cooled down quickly. "How can I do this Grandfather?"

  "The ability is within you Pasche. It has always been there waiting for you to unlock it. Apparently you needed a shock, and seeing that tractor trailer headed toward Katie was the shock you needed." My grandfather held my hands in his.

  "It will be up to you to control how you handle the gifts given to you. Be responsible like I have taught you. You have the ability to tap into any of the four elements for your use. Be respectful of them and they will never let you down. You will be able to call on certain traits of the animals of the forest. Today you tapped into the speed of the mountain lion. Katie told me how fast you moved in front of her. You will be able to call on any of these traits as you need them and will instinctively call on the proper one."

  "You mean it will be like you and Mimi?" I asked.

  "You are much stronger than either of us will ever be." he smiled at me as he spoke. "Neither I or your grandmother would have had the strength you had to divert that truck like that. You are the culmination of generations of breeding Jason and your children will be stronger yet. This comes at a very good time because the Soul Extractors have changed their ways."

  "Changed? How?" I asked confused.

  "They no longer drain the souls from humans but have begun slipping into the humans souls and keeping the bodies so they may walk among men as one of them."

  He looked around as he spoke.

  "You will have to learn how to spot these creatures and somehow we need to find a way that others not of the tribe will be able to spot them also. They cannot be spotted by behavior because they act like other humans with one exception."

  I looked at him and questioned.

  “What exception?”

  "They are not able to love or display feelings of affection. We have been running across more of these creatures in human form lately and it seems that more of them are adopting it to feed multiple times. We still have much to learn. You will notice them by the color of their eyes. But this is a color that only those with a gifted mind can see."

  "You mean that strange color I have noticed from time to time?" I asked.

  "Yes it's a color further up in the color spectrum and normal human eyes cannot see it. We think that animals who are canine in nature can also see this color but none of us can be sure."

  Grandfather scowled as he said this. "My father had the ability to actually see through other animals eyes but he is no longer among us. You may be able to do the same thing but your abilities are currently not all known."

  I was concerned about something and asked, "Grandfather, what use will my abilities be if I black out when I used them?"

  "You didn't black out using them as you cooled the room did you?" He chuckled. "No I think it was because you used them for the first time and that on a forty ton truck that exhausted you. We will work to strengthen you Pasche."

  "Ok Grandfather." I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and hopped to a standing position lightly. "Umm something feels different to me."

  "I would think so Jason. It seems that you have full control of your legs now since you gained control of that part of your mind where your gifts are located. I dare say you could probably out dance even your grandmother now."

  "I doubt that." I said dryly I saw the puzzled look on my grandfathers face. "I can't dance Grandfather."

  "Well!" Katie's voice cut in. "We will see about that Jason." She stood at the door with a frown on her face.

  "You are going to have to take dance lessons with me because there is NO way I will let you make a fool out of me at our junior prom." She stepped forward and grabbed my hand. "Now get out here before I boot you in your butt. You're missing my birth
day party with all that sleeping you have been doing."

  I let her pull me out the door and heard my grandfather's dry chuckle behind me. "That squaw is going to keep him on his toes for a long time to come."

  I heard the thump of something hitting flesh and then Mimi's voice. "I'll give you squaw you old fool. You will not talk about my granddaughter in law that way." Then I heard another thump and the sound of running feet. "Get back here old man I am not done beating you over the head yet!"

  "Hit me again old woman and I'll...." my grandfathers voice came from the woods.

  "You'll what? You old fool" then I heard repeated thumps from within the woods.

  "Dag-nabbit I should have never given her shoes!"

  Katie and I looked at each other and burst out laughing.

  After the party was finished, my grandfather took me into the woods for some more training.

  “Pasche, now we need to work with the elements and teach you the ability to recognize where you will need the support of each individual element.”

  “Water is the live giving element. Earth is one of the life giving elements also. Without Water and Earth our crops would not grow and we would hunger. Wind and Fire are elements of destruction. The incorrect use of each can cause damage to the environment. Man became the dominate species once he learned how to use fire. Fire can be used for good and for evil. Think of a fire that sweeps unchecked through the forests.”

  “This is an example of the destructive force of Fire. Learn to use fire for good deed. You can heat your house with fire. You also cook your food with fire.” We stopped at one of the camp sites that were spread throughout the forest.

  “I want you to picture fire in your mind. Feel the heat but maintain control.” Grandfather Sam bent over and move some wood that was stacked by the fire pit into it. He dropped his backpack near a log and sat on it.

  “You have the picture of fire in your mind?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Now keep control and let it flow into the fire pit.”

  I felt the heat of the fire in my mind and directed it toward the fire pit. I could feel the fire fighting me trying to gain control and run amok through the forest. I tightened my mental grasp on the fire and somehow it evaded my mental grip.

  Two things happened. One; my grandfathers backpack burst into flame. Two; Grandfather Sam feeling the heat of the fire so close to him, jumped up and reached out with his right hand. He closed the hand and the flame on his backpack died out.

  “I am sorry Grandfather I meant to light the fire!” I was contrite that I failed to do what he asked of me.

  “It’s fine Pasche. Fire is one of the elements that is most difficult to control. I remember my brother setting the kitchen on fire when we were young and being trained by my father.”

  “Is that why you brought me out here to train?”

  “Yes, the last thing I need is for Mimi to get mad at me or you if we burn her kitchen down.” He replied with a grin.

  “Try it again. This time imagine your arm as the channel you use to direct the fire where you want it.”

  I pictured the image of fire in my mind’s eye and pictured the fire following the line created by my arm. The fire followed the line I provided for it and flowed into the fire pit. Flames leaped up from the dry wood and I heard the crackling of the fire.

  “Very good, Grandson.” Grandfather leaned back on the log he was sitting on. “Now you remembered the useful effect of the wind on cooling your room. I want you to stand and feel the wind. Imagine the wind is a protective shield around your body. Keep it under tight control. You can use the wind to deflect incoming attacks. Slower projectiles can be deflected with the wind.”

  He tossed a branch at me and I saw how the wind picked it out of the air and whipped it on a tangent from my own body.

  “Very good. Now maintain control. I am going to advance on you in an attack. Think of the way your control of the wind can help you.”

  I mentally braced myself and waited for his attack. When he advanced on me I created a blunt spear of air emanating from my shield to his chest. My grandfather was lifted and driven back some thirty feet. Seeing the danger he was in I created a pillow of air to ease him to the ground.

  “Sprits! I did not mean to hit you so hard Grandfather.”

  “It’s fine Jason, really. You reacted quick and provided me a safe landing place.” Hs eyes darkened. “Never show such mercy to your enemies though.”

  “Yes Sir. I feel a dual function of the wind when I grasp it grandfather.”

  “Can you explain this better?” He asked.

  “Well the Wind is just the movement of the air. I think I can use the air itself as a shield.”

  “What do you mean?”

  I stopped the wind and created a shield of compressed air in front of me. The air was so dense it cut off the small breeze that was flowing in my direction. “Take a stone and throw it as hard as you can at me grandfather.”

  “Are you sure?” He bents and gathered a stone from the fire pit.

  “Yes, I am”

  He whipped the stone in my direction and before the stone could reach me the air shield I had formed stopped it and deflected it off on a tangent.

  Grandfather’s eyes bugged out. “What did you do?”

  “I... I made the air molecules in front of me so dense that nothing can get through. Walk toward me please.

  Grandfather walked toward me and when he reached the shield he was stopped.

  “Interesting.” he murmured as he felt the air shield with his hands. “It’s almost like an invisible brick wall. Very good Jason. I have never seen that element used like this before.”

  “Thank you sir.” I felt the warmth in my face.

  “Wind and fire can be very destructive. Water and Earth are as I said the life giving elements. Feel the Earth with your mind. Look in front of you. Feel the interaction between Earth and the plant in front of you. Once you feel this use water and Earth to coax the life in the plant to grow. You have to feel the connection to life to do this.”

  I did as he asked and this time when I shifted my focus between the elements and the plant I could actually feel the small spark of life in the tiny plant. I coaxed it with my mind and fed it nutrients taken from the Earth and water. The plant started to grow and went into bloom. I saw white flowers come to life and I could smell their scent floating on the air.

  “Very good. Can you feel the spark of life?”

  “I can and its is a glorious thing to feel.”

  “You used the nutrient of the Earth to bring the flower to life. Complete the cycle and watch.”

  I continued doing what I was and suddenly the plant started growing old and dying. I could feel as the spark of life stumbled as age set in and then finally fade.

  “I killed it!”

  “No grandson. You just sped up the cycle of life. The nutrients you used from the Earth will be returned to the Earth as the plant decomposes.”

  “I still feel sorrow at a life extinguished.” My emotional state was in a jumble.

  “This is a hard lesson Jason I know. Always keep in mind that life, all life, has a fixed cycle that cannot be avoided. What comes from the Earth must be returned to the Earth for it always belongs there. You cannot have life without death. It is how nature is intended to be.”

  He waved to encompass everything that stood around us. “Nature has a very delicate balance that can be upset easily. Men have been doing this for centuries and still are. We, as men, are the only part of the cycle that nature can do without. Everything else has a purpose in nature. The wolves keep the population of the deer in check so the vegetation is not completely consumed. The bee pollinates the plants in it’s never ending search for nourishment.”

  “Everything ties together and it is our duty to use nature as was intended. Never take more than you can actually use to survive from nature. Always be willing to give back to nature. If you always have these thoughts in mind your co
ntrol over the elements will remain balanced.”

  “Grandfather you called water and Earth the life giving elements.”

  “Yes?”

  “They can be destructive too. Earthquakes can destroy everything we have in nature and Water is erosive. It can strip everything away from unguarded soil.”

  “Very good Jason. I was wondering if you would catch that. You are correct. This is where the balance I mentioned before comes in. If you remain balanced within then any of the elements you control can be used for creation or destruction.”

  He stood up and motioned with the hand. “Let’s head home. You know enough now to practice being one with the elements.” He stopped for a moment and turned back toward me. “Let me see you hand. The one with the birthmark.”

  I showed him the hand requested and he continued. “The four diamond represent the elements you have control over. The star in the middle is you, the controlling part between men and nature. Notice how everything is equidistance from the other?”

  “Yes”

  “That’s the balance I am talking about.” He held up his hand and showed me his birth mark.

  “Notice by me the star is missing and I show only two diamonds.”

  “Why only two?”

  “I can control only Air and Fire. Yet is it not a balanced control like you have. This is why I could never do the same things with Air that you can. You are the balance we need to defeat our enemies and I have no doubt that when the day comes you will stand proud and remember what I have taught you.”

  “I will never forget you or any of the lessons Grandfather.”

  He nodded at me, threw his arm over my shoulders and said. “Let’s go home to your grandmother. I bet she has some cookies already made for us.”

  Chapter 12 - Missing

  Things were bothering me lately. Dreams I could not get rid of. I keep seeing Katie's body laying broken on a snow covered road and I have no idea where it is. I feel months of darkness for my own soul. I walk through the dreams endlessly searching for the one I love but never finding her. I see her in the distance but can never quite able to reach her. I would wake in a cold sweat and stare into the blackness of my room analyzing the dream until I would drift back into sleep again and the cycle would continue. It was getting so I would wake up in the morning even more tired than when I had gotten in bed. The sleepless nights were beginning to show on me.