Rise of the Death Walkers (The Circle of Heritage Saga) (11 page)

Dr. Grant came over to my bedside and said. "Legs." I knew what he wanted so I flipped the cover back. He had taken a personal interest in my recovery and had done all of the examinations after I had been released from the hospital. His warm fingers felt the various muscle groups in each leg and nodded in satisfaction.

"Very good muscle development son. Are you still having problem with coordination?"

I nodded to him and said, "Some days are better than others but I can still trip over a rug if I am not careful."

"That's to be expected Jason. Keep using the canes I lent you until you have better control." he flipped back the covers and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Your grandfather wants us to hold Katie's birthday celebration on the reservation and Eleanor and I have agreed."

"I hadn't realized that my grandfather was aware that Katie had a birthday today." I said

"Well, I guess you can't put some things over on Sam. He seems to catch things quicker than others and has the uncanny knack of knowing things about people." Dr. Grant chuckled, "He even called me on my own birthday and sent me best wishes. I have known Sam for thirty years now so nothing he does surprises me anymore."

"That sounds very much like my grandfather." I smiled and continued. "He is like the wily old fox when it comes to other people."

Dr. Grant stood back up. "Get some sleep Jason and if the evil temptress wanders back in remind her about the shotgun."

I laughed. "I remind her every time she tries something new, sir. This time it was one of her bolder moves."

"I know Jason. Shelly from the mall called me and warned me what Katie had purchased and I figured she would try something the first night you stayed here so I was prepared. I am just happy that her future husband has more control and honor than she appears to have." He paused at the door.

"Maybe I have better control over my hormones than she does." I said seriously.

"I doubt that Jason, But then again she has never been threatened about being pulled into the woods by her grandfather and knocked around with loose landscaping items like you have." He chuckled.

"With my grandfather those landscaping items you refer to would not necessarily have to be loose. I can picture him ripping up a tree to bash me over the head with it." I laughed

Dr. Grant joined me in laughter. "That defiantly sounds like Sam White. Get some sleep son and see you at breakfast."

"Thanks, Dad" I said as he closed the door.

I often wondered why life had fated me to have a father that was so different from Dr. Grant. Why had the spirits seen fit to place me in a situation where my days were so full of terror at the possible beatings I would get for no reason at all. I liked Katie's father a lot and envied her at times.

My mind returned to thoughts about my siblings. My brothers were at my Aunt Susan's and they were having a much better time than they used to. They still went to the same school as they did before. The friends they made were the same. My Uncle Ned treated the boys as if they were his own and the other children there treated them as family.

My sister was still in the sanatorium. She had not spoken a word since the day she killed Roger. She had already been cleared by the authorities of any blame. It had been a clear case of self defense and she was only thirteen at the time. I had gone there several times and spent hours trying to get her to draw out of the protective shell she was in. It tore the heart out of my chest every time I saw her and I would get such a feeling of guilt that several times my grandfather had to knock me over the head to get me to come out of the mood.

When I had finally been released from the hospital, Dr. Grant and his wife had insisted I spend the first couple of weeks at their place and my grandfather had agreed. I think he had wanted more time to complete my room.

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 birthday 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.