Salazar

by Chariss K. Walker

  This time his cry was a challenge. He was ready for a fight.

  One of the creatures was larger and taller than Phillip. He also had the thickest body hair and there was a protruding ridge of some sort on his back that was visible beneath his shirt. He appeared to be in charge and he was definitely the most distinctive of all the other half-human creatures. When he observed Phillip's challenge, he touched Phillip's shoulder, communicated something to him, and then pointed to a lone woman and child who had also come out into the street after hearing the loud noises. Sadly, after the woman realized that she was spotted, she grabbed the child and turned to run back to her hiding spot, but it was too late.

  Phillip grinned at Salazar and the others as if taunting them. Then, the entire lot of creatures swarmed the two survivors. There was a loud scream from the woman before the pack disappeared into the ruins, taking the mother and child with them.

  By then, Sam and Dinah had joined up with Salazar and Jesse.

  "What do you make of that, Sam?" Salazar quietly asked.

  "Nothing good."

  "Do we know anything about their weaknesses," Salazar asked.

  "Dinah has a theory," Sam reluctantly admitted.

  All three men looked at Dinah.

  "To kill them, to insure they don't regenerate, we have to cut off their heads," Dinah professed.

  "Regenerate?" Jesse asked in confusion.

  Sam explained about the missing bodies and the only ones that had remained. He let Salazar and Jesse know that they had tracked the other creatures that had walked away.

  "Even the one with the hole in its chest? He didn't even have a heart or lungs!" Jesse was shocked.

  "Even that one," Sam acknowledged.

  "Jesus!" Jesse exclaimed expressing his dismay.

  "We will need to take turns watching them in the evenings," Salazar advised. "We have to make sure Dinah's theory is accurate. Then, Jesse will have to make sure everyone in Eden is equipped to handle a sword."

  "I can do that," Jesse agreed, "but sword play is a tedious and lengthy process to learn."

  "Be that as it may," Salazar advised, "from what Sam and Dinah have just discovered it is the most important fighting skill for all of us to learn."

  "Even you?" Jesse teased.

  "Even me," Salazar confirmed.

  39| Lucky Thirteen

  Miki had her hands full with the everyday management of so many people. She blamed herself for the situation with Phillip. She had been too busy to keep an eye on his situation and now he had escaped. She worried that he would return and exact vengeance on her son. The situation with Phillip was only one example of why the community had to become better organized.

  "Do what your son suggested," Jon encouraged after he had listened to Miki's worries, "delegate some authority to each of those who first entered the tunnels along with you and Salazar the first night."

  Miki immediately called a meeting with the others.

  "There were once fourteen of us," she began, "and then, after Phillip went crazy and fled, there are now only thirteen. As you are aware, Eden's population continues to grow. We must each commit to overseeing approximately a hundred of the new residents; it gives everyone a more manageable slice of activity to oversee. However, be advised that as more residents come to Eden, that number will also increase. You will have additional administrative duties to carry out. I need you to become familiar with and manage certain aspects of our community such as protection, education, and providing goods and services."

  "Wait," Joanna called out, "isn't thirteen an unlucky number?"

  "If anyone is superstitious," Joshua thoughtfully interjected, "we could recruit another person from the new arrivals to make it once again fourteen."

  "No, no, no," Sondra had other ideas and went on to explain. "Numerologically, thirteen is really four." As eyebrows rose in confusion she cited, "One plus three equals four. Four is the divine number used for building and constructing. Four- squared, four-sides, four seasons. Anyone?" she stressed as she looked around at the confused faces staring back at her.

  "What are you trying to say?" Freddy voiced everyone's bafflement.

  "Four is a great number because it is a foundation on which we can build. Four sides being equal," she stressed again determined to get her reasoning across to the others. "Isn't anyone getting this?" There was no response so she stated, "Trust me, thirteen is really four. Four is the perfect number for us as we focus on rebuilding our community and our lives in Eden."

  Finally, accepting her clarification even though they didn't fully understand her explanation, it was settled. The original group would remain intact and would lead the others. With that question out of the way, Miki advised the others on their responsibilities.

  "Jon Smith will become my official aide. He will help me carry out my administrative responsibilities. His flair for the dramatic will be beneficial in many ways, especially when dealing with obstinate members of our new society," Miki announced.

  Everyone chucked at the truth of her statement.

  "Sondra Clearwater will teach meditation to anyone interested in learning the technique, especially the children. Sondra has previously explained the concept to me and how it is possible to heal the earth with the proper focused energy. I agree with her that Eden has the opportunity to be a spiritual sanctuary. So many of the people came into Eden bringing their past hatreds and biases with them. We have a community filled with various religious and political beliefs, with various ideas. However, it is time that we all learn something new that will hopefully mend our differences and bring us all closer together. Any objections?"

  No one had any.

  "Tom Baker," Miki continued, "is a logical and careful man. Already, he has begun to organize the housing and food supplies. He will continue to assign homes on a first come, first served basis and assess job assignments utilizing current experience. I'd like for Joshua to assist Tom with these tasks when he is not helping Sue Ellen. Does everyone agree?"

  All heads nodded their approval.

  "Salazar, as Commander, will be in charge of protection," Miki resumed. "I need your input, Salazar, since you are the leader and protector of our city. Please fill us in on how you plan to see to the safety of Eden."

  "I will educate and train the most able bodied men in the same combat and survival techniques I learned as a boy," Salazar easily explained. "Likewise, Sam with teach the men tracking techniques and Jesse will teach weapons, primarily swordsmanship."

  "Swordsmanship!" almost every voice gasped in surprise.

  "Wait just one darn moment," Dinah interrupted, "I will not be left out of the combat and survival training merely because I am a woman. In fact, I am not the only woman who feels this way."

  "What do you mean," Freddy asked Dinah, ignoring the wonderment about swords.

  "I've talked to some of the other women. There are several of us who desire more than cooking and cleaning," Dinah answered. "I will gather those into my group and we will train with Salazar and his men each day."

  "You will need at least a hundred women," Jesse advised.

  "More if you can get them," Sam added.

  "You really have other women who want to learn to fight and protect Eden?" Miki asked.

  Dinah enthusiastically nodded.

  "Then, you will train them even if you don't have a hundred yet. Start with what you have," Miki advised.

  Having received her training from her own mother, Miki knew it was the exception rather than the rule for females to show an interest in combat. Miki had never known any other women who were interested in learning such techniques. She had often felt like an outsider and it pleased her now to know that Dinah would gather these women together and oversee their training.

  "I have to admit," Jesse added, "that women make excellent combatants when properly trained. However, you might like to know that the arsenal we found doesn't have any guns or automatic weapons in the storehouse. There are however, plenty of ancient
weapons such as bows and arrows of all kinds, swords and spears, and axes and knives. For a civilization as advanced at this one, you'd think they would've had better weapons."

  "But, aren't those the exact weapons we need in order to battle and kill these subhuman creatures? We certainly need to know how to use a sword," Dinah reminded the men.

  "I agree, Dinah," Sam responded, "and it is also my belief that weapons like the ones Jesse describes are more civilized. What seems more superior to you, Jesse, shooting someone from behind a blind while they don't suspect you are there or seeing the eyes of your enemy during battle?"

  "I also agree with Dinah and Sam," Salazar added without waiting for Jesse to respond. "In my opinion, there is nothing refined or enlightened about blowing someone up when they can't see the attack coming."

  "Sounds good to me," Dinah agreed, "my skills lie in archery anyway. I have always hated weapons that make loud noises. Give me a silent arrow flying through the air any day over the loud popping and banging of automatic gun fire."

  "Then, as far as I am concerned that issue is settled," Miki announced. "Does anyone else have anything to add?"

  "Hold on now," Jesse objected. "Fencing is a difficult sport to learn. It involves many steps such as protecting the eight basic angles of attack. There is more to it than slashing and jabbing."

  "You will make an excellent teacher," Miki smiled. "We are about to conclude the meeting. Does anyone else have anything to be addressed?"

  "I think each of the homes that have not already been assigned should be investigated and their contents catalogued so that we can use the goods as pay for services," Tom proposed.

  "You mean close but not too close?" Jesse asked.

  "Yes," Tom explained, "most of the residents want to be near the main street where the businesses are located. They want to be near our warriors as well. They are frightened of the monsters and want to feel safe. That leaves a lot of homes within six blocks of the main street that probably will never be inhabited. If someone could be assigned to investigate those areas, it would be a big help to me in doing my job."

  "Once I have my team trained, I will volunteer for that," Dinah offered. "I can start with as few as ten women. Is that agreeable, Miki?"

  "Sounds fine to me," Miki agreed. "Now, moving right along, Sue Ellen will be our doctor. Her title might have been nurse before the air raids; however, she has proven that her skills are just as advanced as any doctor's." Miki glanced at the dozen faces for any indication of objection and didn't find any. "Good," she stated. "That's it for now. We will meet again next week at this same time to make assignments for the rest of you and to see how Dinah is coming along with her proposed assignment."

  "Wait," Sue Ellen called out, "I have something to tell you and after you hear it, you might not want me to be a doctor or a nurse or anything else for Eden. Please, listen to me."

  40| Confessions

  It was then that Salazar and the others learned of the peculiarity regarding Phillip's condition while Sue Ellen had treated his self-inflicted wounds.

  "Sue Ellen can't take all the blame," Joshua spoke up. "I saw the same thing she saw and I failed to report it also."

  "It is exactly as I feared," Dinah exclaimed after Sue Ellen and Joshua had shared what they knew about Phillip. "Regeneration!"

  "What do you mean?" Miki asked, now more confused than ever. "You knew about this? Salazar, Sam, Jesse, you knew and you didn't tell me?"

  It was then that everyone in the meeting also learned of the things the away team had discovered and Dinah's suppositions. After everyone was truly and completely informed, Miki was flabbergasted that there had been so much secrecy. She had not known about her son's increased strength and, as the story came out, she gave him a withering look that only a mother can give to a son.

  Salazar immediately began to apologize, "I'm sorry Mother. I promised to keep you informed about any changes and I failed to do so." Only his mother could make him feel this way and it was because he knew she was right.

  "We cannot have this kind of secrecy from each other in the future," Miki chastised as she held each one's gaze for a few brief moments. "In my opinion, secrecy is only another form of lies. Lies will destroy our hopes of creating a strong community. Now, what is this about regeneration?"

  "Regeneration in medical terms is to replace body parts by new growth," Sue Ellen quickly clarified. "To be perfectly honest, it fits well with my observation of Phillip's recovery. While I attended him, I observed that anything below his neck healed on its own while nothing above his neck healed. Of course, I have no way of knowing if his head injuries have healed naturally at this time."

  "We were trying to verify it," Salazar admitted. "It was too far-fetched to be an actual theory so we wanted proof before we told anyone."

  "Do you have enough proof now?" Miki pointedly asked.

  "Yes ma'am," the three men meekly replied.

  "This is an example of why we need better organization as well as better communication," Miki declared. "Somehow, in the future, each of you must inform either Salazar or me about anything that gives you concern. No matter how busy we appear or how unlikely you think it sounds, you must get our attention and let us know the details. There is simply too much about this new world that we do not know and I suspect that it is all related. Can I trust that each of you understands the importance of this?"

  Once again, the group nodded their agreement.

  "I will not chastise you for this incident, Sue Ellen," Miki said. "You are not the only one at fault. As we have just heard, our away team suspected the same thing and we are just now hearing about it as well. This cannot happen again." Miki looked pointedly at her son and his team before returning her gaze to Sue Ellen. "You are Eden's doctor and it would take more than this to change my mind about that. Please, everyone; if I am not available, then tell Jon. If Salazar is not available then tell Sam or Jesse. If none of them are available, then tell Jon or Freddy. Tell someone else and make certain that those under your command understand the importance of the chain of command also. We must not have any secrets. We'll meet again next week."

  At his mother's nod, Salazar called out, "Dismissed."

  The first meeting concluded.

  During the first several days of arriving in Eden, Tom, Joseph, and William had successfully reestablished water and electricity. It had not been as difficult as they imagined it would be. The former and unknown residents of Eden had used wind powered turbines and generators to send electrical currents to transformers that in turn supplied electricity and water to different sections of the city. It had been a simple matter of finding the main breakers that fed to the central section and flipping the switches. Once accomplished, Eden buzzed with activity.

  Homes had finally been inspected and assigned to the residents. It was a huge relief to Miki that everyone now had their own place to live. She hoped it would eliminate some of the squabbles and bickering between the residents and it also freed up her time to organize more services even though it felt overwhelming to start more projects.

  Eden wasn't completely problem-free. After electricity and water was restored, able-bodied residents needed job assignments. Overall, those were easy tasks to accomplish. The waning gratitude for their shelter and the growing complaints about trivial aspects that any community might encounter was a different matter altogether.

  41| Easy Solutions

  In spite of the dangers Salazar and his away team tirelessly worked to gather anyone they could find who had survived the air raid and the fumes. In the beginning, there were dead bodies lying everywhere in the streets. The men had discussed ways to dispose of the bodies because it was a health risk and it drew scavengers into the area making it more dangerous to do their jobs. However, there was no place nearby to bury or burn the bodies.

  Now, as they Salazar and his away team came to the surface on the seventh day after the air raid, the only thing that remained of the deceased was their clothing and w
hat appeared to be piles of sand or dust residue.

  "That's one less thing we have to worry about," Jesse quipped as they examined the area to determine what could have happened to all the dead bodies. Then, he looked at Salazar and softly said, "This means that Mother's body has turned to dust too. There was no point in burying her after all."

  "We bury the dead and honor them for ourselves," Salazar replied. "The point of burial rituals is always for the living."

  While Sam relied on his tracking skills, Salazar allowed his intuition to roam freely, but neither of them had an answer for the baffling circumstances even though they agreed with Jesse. It did feel fortuitous that the problem of so many dead bodies had taken care of itself.

  After a while, Jesse asked the question that no one wanted to examine, "Is it possible that the half-human creatures ate them?"

  "I suppose anything is possible," Sam replied, "however, meat spoils and becomes rotten. It would most likely make them sick. Scavengers such as vultures and coyotes have a digestive system that can process the bacteria in decomposing carcasses. That's part of the ecosystem; nevertheless, I can't imagine that these creatures could eat dead bodies without becoming sick. Besides, the clothing is intact. If they had eaten the bodies, we would see some sign of torn and ripped fabric as they removed body parts."

  "My best guess is the fumes," Salazar commented.

  "What do you mean?" Jesse asked.

  "I think there is something in the fumes that causes the dead bodies to disintegrate," Salazar clarified. "If I had to guess, I think that whoever created this toxin did it for those who launched into space. As we have previously discussed, they might return one day."

  "And, they certainly wouldn't want to come back to a place that was infested with foul-smelling, rotten meat," Sam finished the thought.

  Salazar and Sam looked at each other in consternation as both wondered the same thing – Did that mean that they would return sooner rather than later?