Salazar

by Chariss K. Walker

  "Ah, now that would be getting to the gist of it," He chuckled. She noticed, however, that he hadn't really answered her questions.

  "Why are you here? Who are you to me?" she repeated.

  "You are a seer, a great one at that. I wonder if you can intuit or 'see' the answer for yourself."

  "Please, don't talk to me in riddles… Are you important to me? Do I know you from somewhere?"

  Sondra tried to understand. She racked her brain wondering if he was an ancestor or a friend of a friend. That explanation didn't seem to fit anyone in her past so she considered that he might be something like an angel or spirit sent to help her. Those thoughts only left her confused. She wasn't sure she believed in such things.

  "Let's try something, shall we?" He asked, sensing that she had gone in the wrong direction. Sondra didn't object so he continued, "Come. Come sit with me."

  The man plopped down on a soft patch of earth and held out his hand for her to join him. A moment earlier, they had been standing on an icy cliff with nothing except darkness before them. Now, in an instant, they were in a cozy valley with warm tuffs of grass and a babbling stream nearby.

  Sondra wondered if it was her dream or his.

  Still, she was glad that the scenery had changed and knowing it would be awkward if she didn't accept his invitation, Sondra took his hand and settled beside him. The earth was warm against her buttocks and its heat calmed her. "At least tell me your name," she implored.

  "I'm Henry and I would like for you to 'see' the rest of that story for yourself. Can you do that?"

  "Well, Henry, you must realize that this is all very new to me. My intuition wasn't a gift that I practiced since it could have gotten me killed or, at the very least, put into prison."

  "Yes, although you no longer need to worry about that since anyone with that desire is now dead or gone. This is the perfect time to let your gift expand, to stretch it as far as it can reach. I'd have to say that this is also the perfect spot for that exercise. In such a place or atmosphere as this, you can let your consciousness loose. Let it fly and see if you can discern who I am and why I am here."

  Sondra closed her eyes.

  Then, she opened them, "It's not working."

  "Cross your ankles and let your knees fall to the side," Henry advised. He watched as she followed those instructions. "Now, rest your hands on your knees. Yep, just like that. Next, allow your thumb and middle finger to touch, to form a circle. That's right. Now, close your eyes and wait for the information to flow to you."

  Sondra followed Henry's directions to the letter and this time, she felt something. Well, if truth be told, she felt something and saw something. It was exciting and she pulled away from the image that had begun to take shape in her mind so that she could tell him.

  "Oh-oh," she excitedly began, but just as she had been blown by a strong wind earlier, the image also blew away as soon as she stopped looking at it. It was gone. "Oh shucks, I lost it," she sourly complained.

  "Do it again and this time don't worry about telling me. Know that I will see it along with you. Can you do that? Then, we will discuss what we have seen together. Resume the position."

  Sondra nodded, took the position once more, and then tried again. She stopped to ask, "Is the position important?"

  "Yes, each time you desire to connect to your higher-self, you should begin with this small ritual, this pose. It is good for the body and the spirit. After you have grown accustomed to it, you will stretch your body more by placing your feet on your thighs. For now, crossing your ankles will do."

  Sondra closed her eyes.

  In the vision, Henry stood beside her; however, this time, she witnessed his past. There were glimpses of his life with Marta and the love they shared. There were brief moments of him with his daughter, Serena McKay. She could feel Henry's pride and love for her. Sondra saw clips of time with his granddaughter, Miki… and finally, she saw Henry's interaction with Salazar, including his latest visit with his great-grandson. She saw the past as easily as she had recently seen the future.

  "You are Salazar's great-grandfather. If not for you, we would not have found shelter during the air raids. Thank you." Sondra was overcome with gratitude and knowing who he was, it also changed her attitude. She was suddenly willing to hear all that he had to say to her. With that in mind, she asked, "What else would you like to teach me, Henry?"

  "You are gifted, Sondra. You will become one of the greatest seers to ever live. The fumes you breathed outside have enhanced your natural insights and intuition just as they have enhanced the gifts in all the others who shelter with you. Do not be afraid of your gifts. You will use them to help Salazar lead the survivors."

  "I feel as if you are leaving something out," Sondra grew a bit anxious and looked at Henry closely.

  "That-a-girl," he praised. "Never leave a stone unturned. Get to the bottom of things."

  "Then, tell me what you have omitted," Sondra countered.

  "I will tell you as I have already told Salazar: Examine each situation and make every decision from the heart."

  "Can you show me how to do that?" she asked.

  "Place your hand over your heart," he instructed. "Can you feel its rhythm? Can you feel that particular 'tha-thump' of your own heart?" She nodded and Henry continued, "You must focus your attention on your heart before making each important decision, in fact, all decisions should come from the heart. Focus on that spot and that rhythm before coming to any decisions for the good of all those who have survived."

  She nodded again and then asked, "Can it really be that important?"

  "The more important aspect of this question is why is it beneficial to live in the heart, especially now," Henry replied.

  "Yes, I can see that is the more complicated answer. Teach me, Henry. Tell me as much as you can so that I will be of real service to the survivors."

  Henry silently chuckled. He knew Sondra was already drawn to his grandson. He also knew that she wanted to be of real service to Salazar as much as to the people. Young people were in love with the idea of being in love and, seer or not, Sondra was no exception to that rule. She wanted to live and love, to be loved. It was the manner in which all humans were designed and he certainly couldn't fault her for that. He considered her youthfulness and knew that her motives would mature with time. He had once felt the same and he had found that love with Marta and later with Serena.

  Henry shared many ideas and lessons with Sondra as he taught her to expand her spiritual connection. After she had mastered those exercises, he was ready to answer her earlier question.

  "The elitist and rulers, in fact, all those who either fled the earth or died during the attack, lived in the third dimension, or the ego. Being ruled by their egos, they based their decisions in fear, lack, control, separation, greed and other derivatives of fear. For you and Salazar, for all this new tribe that has survived with you, you must teach them to live in the fourth dimension which is the heart," Henry explained.

  "If fear, lack, and all those negative emotions are from the ego or third dimension, then which emotions come from the heart?"

  "Oh, that is easy," Henry replied. "The heart only knows love, compassion, freedom, oneness, selflessness, empathy and all the many derivatives of love."

  "If we are to make decisions for the good of all, then that sounds like the best place to look," Sondra agreed.

  "It is not always apparent when you are on the living side, Sondra; however, the true reality of life is that we each create our life and all that exists by our thoughts. As I told Salazar when speaking to him earlier, the universe is pure energy and it wants what you want. It wants to give you what you desire and the energy is constantly drawing those desires to you. Trust it."

  "Wait… repeat that please," Sondra interrupted.

  "Each thought that we have has the potential to manifest into material reality, physical objects, and emotional joy or suffering. That is why it is so important to let the creation begin
in the heart from love."

  "You are saying that we are the creators of our own lives!" she exclaimed. "Is it true? Can it really be that simple?" The idea was so astounding that she awakened with a start.

  "What is it?" Miki quietly asked. "What did you see?"

  "I saw Henry," Sondra replied.

  23| Unprepared

  While Salazar and the band of survivors safely sheltered in the tunnels, the air raids occurring in August City lasted for three days and continued into the nights. Whoever had orchestrated the attack wanted to make sure that no one survived.

  Ironically, those who had given the orders were far, far away and now presumably safe in their starships. However, their soldiers had followed the orders without question. They had never stopped to consider that they were destroying their own land and also left behind to deal with the aftermath.

  During the assault, anyone in August City who tried to reach a loved one and those who dared to peek out of their hiding places were ripped apart by sharp, flying pieces of metal. Those who had found a place to hide had to wait it out or risk dying.

  The waiting was horrendous and so nerve-racking that, just as throughout history others had jumped out of a window to escape a burning building, a few ran screaming into the fiery fray to end their own suffering. Death could sometimes seem preferable and a better alternative than the terrors that surrounded them.

  At last, after what seemed an eternity, the cries of those who perished ceased and the attack finally ended as abruptly as it had begun. It was a massacre whereas a city with a former population of over a half-million people was whittled down to a few thousand, if that.

  August City had been completely unprepared. There was no one to shoot down the planes because military bases had either been seized by force or annihilated by the assault teams. The attackers had used the home field's confiscated planes and landing strips to refuel, reload, and continue their unprecedented assault.

  Anyone with any military experience could only assume the worst – this planned crusade to destroy the United Sectors was an inside job. Pulled off with such precision and so little resistance, how could it be anything else? That realization gave credence to the rumors of the spacecraft launches as well.

  Those left behind were devastated. There was no doubt in the minds of the handful of survivors that the same savage assault had happened in the remaining three sectors and possibly all around the globe.

  After the bombers finally left, all semblances of government and industry had been destroyed. What remained of the area smoldered in ruins and was filled with noxious fumes and smoke that blotted out the moon and stars.

  For some of the survivors, the darkness became almost as insufferable as the assault had been. The living felt even more frightened and vulnerable. Those who had seen the spacecraft launch finally 'got it' and they fearfully whispered their concerns to others.

  It was depressing and their sadness grew heavy, unbearable.

  The dark meant they were truly naked and alone. The terror of realizing they were one of so few left alive on 196.9 million square miles of surface that presently appeared to be a spinning ball of fire was heart-stopping.

  Yet, that wasn't the worst of it.

  Something else was going on and no one was sure what it meant. With the fiery-red skies and loud thundering booms, it had been difficult to tell how many different ways they'd been attacked.

  Many of those left alive recalled that as soon as they had come in contact with the pink-colored gases, they had coughed and choked before flu-like symptoms had overcome them. Many had vomited in response. Others had instantly died while some had gone quite mad. After four days of exposure to the fumes, however, the true symptoms made themselves known as the final wave of the horrendous strike.

  Some of those in the small parties of survivors began to rant and rave at anything and everything. They tore at their own clothes and uttered guttural sounds. Their eyes turned blood-red and they no longer appeared human. They became violent and, rather than stay with the others who had managed to live through the assault, they ran through the streets like madmen, disappearing into the rubble and ruins as if searching for something or someone.

  With this new development, those who weren't affected in the same way began to wonder if they had also been hit with some kind of biological weapon. They wondered if they would turn into monsters too. Had they survived the bombings only to die a more horrible death?

  For those who had managed to make it to dawn on the fourth day, it was a day they would never forget. As they lifted their heads that morning, the air was thick with hot smoke and dusty particles of destruction, hiding the sun from view. It was difficult to breathe, and even though most of their families and friends had been killed instantly, those who had survived were amazed to be alive. They were also filled with dread about what their future might hold.

  The bombings had been so consistent and rapid, there had been no time in-between to recover, to think, to grieve or mourn their losses. There had been no opportunity to rescue those who had cried or begged for their help.

  Now this…

  Some were so disheartened by this new development they simply gave up and lay down to die. Others covered their mouths and noses with a sleeve or collar, hoping against hope that they could save themselves; however, it was too late. They had already inhaled the toxic air.

  The reality was too much.

  Most sat still for hours on the fourth day, waiting until late afternoon as they tried to get their bearings. They were frozen as the disbelief of their situation washed over them.

  With dread, they realized that Planet Earth was on her own.

  24| Rescue & Rebellion

  After the campaign ended, Salazar and Miki, along with the other survivors continued to examine their hiding place. They went deeper down the rocky passageway. It was an uncertain, dark, and scary path that was slick from trickling water. It would be foolish and treacherous to continue without more light.

  "We must get more light. It is too dark and we can't risk anyone getting injured," Salazar quietly announced. "Everyone, stay here until we return. Freddy, please take care of the others while Sam, Jesse, and Joshua will come with me. We'll search for Sue Ellen and more lanterns and torches, returning as quickly as we can."

  He helped his mother and the others get situated in another small depression and then, Salazar and the men he had chosen to accompany him returned to the surface to gather as many, torches, flashlights, and solar powered lamps as they could find. They also hoped to find Sue Ellen and other survivors.

  Once topside, Salazar noticed the pinkish-colored fumes that still floated in the air, and quickly instructed, "Be sure to look for iodine tablets, and any medicine and other medical supplies you can find. We're going to need all that you can carry. When you find iodine, take two tablets right away, and if you can, try to get some to me and Sam."

  "You think this is fallout?" Joshua's eyes widened with fear.

  "I honestly don't know," Salazar readily admitted. "I've never before seen fallout. I don't think anyone alive today has seen it in person either, regardless, whatever it is, it can't be good. Maybe the iodine will work the same as it does with radiation poisoning. Stable iodine salt blocks the absorption of radioactive iodine in the thyroid. Perhaps it will block some of this toxin too. At the very least we should take precautions. Take two tablets immediately," he stressed again, then instructed, "Jesse, go with Joshua and help him search for Sue Ellen. Sam, you're with me."

  "Should we really split up?" Joshua questioned as his eyes darted around the area. The fumes were thick and the air was also heavy with smoke from the fires. It was difficult to see what lay even a few feet ahead, making the day seem dark. "Is it safe to do that? We don't know what is out there."

  "It'll be all right," Salazar calmed. "Go find you wife."

  Salazar watched for a few moments as Joshua and Jesse turned south towards Winterhaven to search for Sue Ellen. Then, he led S
am in the opposite direction toward Fallhaven.

  In the meantime, Phillip was incensed that Salazar had neither called on him to assist topside nor left him in charge of the others. Feeling the slight, he bitterly complained, "He treats all of us like children when he is the child! Why do you follow his orders? Why do you let him push you around?"

  "We follow him because he led us here to safety," Tereese declared. She was fed up with Phillip's dissention. "Why don't you sit down and shut up?"

  Phillip didn't sit down; he continued his attempt to undermine Salazar even though he knew that everyone was against him. He felt their contempt like stinging bees in his head; however, he wouldn't accept responsibility for it. His mother had often told him that it was his 'bad attitude' that caused most of his problems in society. She had repeatedly told him that he was his own worst enemy. However, just as he had once ignored her well-meaning counsel, he rejected his own culpability now.

  "It's not my fault," Phillip insisted. "If anyone is to blame, it is that child dictator. I can't believe you put so much faith in him."

  "Where should we put our faith, Phillip? In you?" Tereese scoffed.

  Self-centered and maddeningly egotistical, Phillip only concerned himself with his desires. In truth, he wanted nothing more than to prove he was a worthy leader. He would show them that he wasn't afraid to head down the path in the dark. He would prove to them that he didn't need more flashlights to lead the way. He didn't consider that the others might need more illumination to safely descend the slippery passageway.

  "This is ridiculous!" Phillip stormed. "We should just keep going. We have one large torch and several small ones. Come on. It's stupid to wait on him."

  His proclamation didn't get the response he had hoped to get. He looked around at the now familiar faces hoping that someone would stand up and follow him; however, no one made a move to do so. Further insulted, he brusquely jerked the larger torch from Miki's hand and then started down the path alone before anyone could move to stop him.