Salazar

by Chariss K. Walker

  "So you're saying that the fumes have an additional side-effect and that if a person dies from inhaling the toxic gas, their physical body dissolves?" Jesse slowly clarified. "Hell, we inhaled those fumes too. What does that mean for us?"

  "We didn't die, Jesse, so I suppose it doesn't affect us at all until we die," Salazar attempted to halt Jesse's panic.

  "Jesus! Is there no end to those bastards' torture?" Jesse shouted. "What will they think of next?"

  Neither Salazar nor Sam had an answer that would assuage Jesse's concerns and they slowly moved on to continue their search. It was important to know if the bodies of the monsters they had killed had dissolved also.

  So far, Salazar's team had only been able to cover a small area of Winterhaven and a few blocks of Fallhaven. It was arduous to climb over the debris of shattered buildings, burned out vehicles, fallen traffic lights, and the rest of the items that littered the streets. Salazar knew it could take weeks or months before they were able to work their way to Springhaven and Summerhaven.

  As he considered that, he also recalled his promise to Sam. He looked at Sam now and apologized, "Sam, I know I promised that we would check on your family too, however, for the time being, that seems an impossible task. Without streets to travel, we still have no way to get there. Maybe there will be a mechanic in the next group of survivors who can repair some equipment that we could use to clear away the rubble and make a path. Are you all right with that for the time being?"

  "My people are strong," Sam acknowledged Salazar's concern, "and our village was on the south end of August City. If the condition of Winterhaven is any indication, they are probably fine and received even less of the shelling. I am not worried at this time. If I become concerned, I will go alone to see about my tribe."

  Salazar understood that. He had also considered going alone to look for Rob. Now, it had been a week without any sign of his father. Nevertheless, Salazar refused to give up on the notion that Rob had survived. He silently reasoned and justified his father's survival the entire time he worked to save others.

  My father was a mechanical engineer… who better to make it through these circumstances than a man who had such abilities? Rob worked in Summerhaven… he would've been closer to the initial attack and known what to do. He was good at his job but he was also good at anything he tried… he would have figured out an escape plan. Dad would have guessed what was going on and taken shelter. He will try to find his way back to us when he can.

  As those thoughts consumed Salazar while they searched for survivors he also realized that it was a long, arduous walk from Summerhaven to Fallhaven in the best of times. Salazar calculated that it would take even longer to traverse the destruction that lay between them now. He day-dreamed that he would look up one day to see Rob walking towards him in the distance. That dream kept his hopes alive.

  42| Settling-In

  Tom had already noted that he found it odd that most of the people chose to settle on the south end nearest the tunnel entrance. Now, as he thought about their decision to live in the midst of everyone else, he realized that it was a good thing even if it was peculiar. It meant that they didn't have any devious natures to try to hide from their neighbors.

  With power restored, Eden's residents could now more easily investigate their new home. Eden held untold treasures and Tom was grateful for the many goods that had been left behind. It was his job to sort out employment and wages. Without money, he could use those goods as payment for services provided.

  He made a mental note to check with Sam about the concept of bartering. It was a custom that Sam had used exclusively and now that there was no currency to exchange, it was something that Eden would have to adopt.

  There were libraries filled with books, schools filled with desks, and clinics filled with equipment, some medical supplies, and even a lab. Even though almost everything left behind was dated it was still better than what they had been accustomed to while living in August City.

  Shortly after Miki was born, public education had become a thing of the past for those in Fallhaven and Winterhaven. Children no longer learned in public venues alongside their peers. Such an education was forbidden.

  When a child turned seven years of age, a government official brought a preloaded laptop to their home. The child then followed his or her preapproved educational program and turned in their basic and generic assignments online. This curriculum didn't do a lot for the child's social development and, with the one-child policy still in effect, many children became shy and withdrawn.

  Higher education was reserved for the rich, the very elite who sent their children to fine academies or boarding schools abroad. Unless one had documentation that they had completed their formal education through those methods, they could not attend any college or university based in the United Sectors.

  It was a weighted system designed to keep the poor in their place, to never allow them to compete with the rich. It kept them from rubbing elbows with each other too. If they remained separate, there was no chance in hell that one of the rich might fall in love with a poor student from Fallhaven. It kept their bloodline pure, or what the rich considered as untainted.

  Now, in the crowd of survivors, not a single person there had more than the equivalent of a ninth grade education. No one felt qualified to take on the role of teacher, agriculturist, or historian. However, there were books that taught these things and they could read or be taught to read.

  All was not lost.

  Having the highest education in the group, Sondra prepared an equivalency test to ascertain who had the most knowledge in many combined areas. As it turned out, Freddy rose to the top of her list. He was a natural teacher and, having also read a great many books, Sondra felt he was perfect for the job of Educator.

  43| Above & Below

  When Freddy investigated the library his eyes widened and his heart beat faster. He had never before seen such a collection of books. He tenderly ran his hand over the dusty spines while tears of joy lined his cheeks.

  "Oh my," he choked-up, "I have never had the privilege to see and touch so many volumes of knowledge. What a treasure trove!"

  He quickly ran through each room and was amazed that there were medical books, history books, math and engineering books, and even a collection of metaphysical books that taught about chakras, meditation, auras, dreams, spiritual gifts, and all manner of spiritual topics with which he was not yet familiar.

  "Oh," he exclaimed, "Sondra will want to look at these." He grabbed several of the metaphysical books to take to her.

  With such a bounty, Freddy was no longer intimidated by his new title of Educator. He knew that with all this knowledge at his fingertips, he could do his job well.

  Likewise, Sue Ellen set up her station in the clinic which was centrally located next to the town hall. She had a bonafide office with a desk which Freddy piled high with medical books. When she wasn't treating patients, she was immersed in those tomes to further her education about common diseases and their best treatment options.

  Above Eden, Fallhaven and all the area north of it appeared to be utterly destroyed. Fires and smoke still billowed into the sky as the more desirable areas of Springhaven and Summerhaven burned in the distance, destroying any supplies they held along with them. Knowing that Winterhaven and Fallhaven were the poorest areas, that was a true loss for the survivors. At some point, they would need to replenish their provisions and seeing the destruction of the richest neighborhoods and all of their goods was discouraging.

  The same residents, who would have never been caught dead in Winterhaven a few days earlier, were now glad to be there and alive. Realizing that the place had been their salvation, they counted themselves fortunate that government officials had kept Winterhaven isolated from the rest of August City.

  To ensure that the residents of Winterhaven had stayed in Winterhaven there were drug clinics and grocery markets that accepted food coupons on nearly every street. That was a real ad
vantage to those who had survived in the area and those places were the first stops Salazar and Jesse made each day.

  They canvassed the other corner clinics further out than the one where Sue Ellen had been found. If the building was still standing, they dug through the debris to raid the medical supplies. They also found biohazard masks and even though the need might have been a moot point at that juncture, they also gathered as many of those as they could carry.

  Salazar predicted that they would search further out once the survivors in the immediate area had been found and sheltered underground. His instincts suggested that they might run into some other form of warfare and would need the protective gear in the future.

  While Salazar and Jesse raided the clinics, Sam and Dinah canvassed the markets for foods and canned goods, anything that could be eaten. The current population of Eden grew by the minute and there were now a lot of mouths to feed.

  Once they returned to the cavern with more survivors who helped carry the many supplies, Miki directed the newcomers through the processes that had already been established. As soon as she turned her back to offer her assistance to the newest arrivals, Salazar, Jesse, Dinah, and Sam went back topside to look for more survivors.

  Miki was so busy that she hardly noticed them leave. Her attention was drawn to a new couple who had somehow managed to stay safe together. She thought about Rob again and wondered if he was still alive. She hoped so and she knew that Salazar did too. Her heart ached as if the spot Rob had filled was now painfully empty.

  Casting her gaze back to the new couple she realized that some in a crowd stand out. That was the case with Eddie Sounds and his wife, Betsy, when they joined the population of Eden. While Miki listened to their initial interview, she realized they were a welcome addition to the new city.

  Eddie Sounds, a jovial man in his late forties, had previously owned a bar on the border of Winterhaven and Springhaven which had been supported by Springhaven's wealthier residents. He had taken great pride in his establishment.

  "It is my belief that all people need a little beer, wine, or hard liquor at times to relieve stress and unwind," Eddie stated. "If there is no objections, I would like to open a bar here to continue that tradition."

  There wasn't any opposition to that notion and soon, after the Sounds had completed the established routine at all four stations and received their home assignment, Eddie opened a pub on the main street. He named it Henry's Pub, in honor of the man who had made all of their lives in Eden possible through Miki and Salazar. In only a short while, the pub became the meeting place for most people at the end of each work day.

  While Eddie was busy with the pub, Betsy opened a fine bakery. She served up hot, crusty breads, savory meat pies, and the German dishes she had previously prepared for her husband.

  No one in Eden except Sondra had tasted such delicious morsels and, as the bartering system quickly took hold, the bakery thrived. Miki was amazed that Betsy had the ability to do so much with so little in the kitchen. Betsy quickly became known as the mother and master of invention.

  Another new resident that grabbed Miki's attention was a young man named Tommy Downs. Salazar had been on the lookout for a mechanic and Tommy was a mechanic. There was so much debris on the streets and all the city equipment was useless unless they found someone who had the expertise to get the engines running again.

  Miki placed high-hope that Tommy was the one they needed and she made a mental note to inform Salazar as soon as he returned.

  44| Kolowa

  After a few weeks, somehow word spread and soon anyone who could crawl or walk found their way to Eden, to the torches Jesse had set about the entrance, and to safety. Their numbers quickly rose to a thousand and continued to climb. However, Eden had plenty of homes and plenty of empty buildings to establish new businesses; Eden had room for everyone.

  While Miki and the others dealt with the constant influx of new residents, it had become routine for Salazar, Jesse, and Sam, along with a few of the new arrivals who had combat experience to hunt and search above for anything useful to their new community.

  Jordan Wilson was among those who were now a part of the away team. Anxious to show his gratitude and eager to help in any way that he could, Jordan volunteered where needed.

  It had also become customary for the men to observe the half-human mutated creatures during the evening.

  Like Phillip, most of the remaining human population that lived in the destroyed structures above had mutated into something that could hardly be considered Homo sapiens.

  "They are Kolowa," Sam finally put a name to the creatures for Salazar and Jesse.

  "What is a Ko-lo-wa?" Salazar asked as the new word tripped across his tongue.

  "Yeah, what is that?" Jesse asked as he scratched his head. "I've never heard of such a thing."

  "Ko-low-a," Sam emphasized the pronunciation and then explained, "They are the hairy, man-eating monsters of my ancestors and they were sometimes called Man-eaters or Double-face because they are usually two creatures in one. As in this case, part human and part something else."

  "I don't see how they could have come from your ancestors," Jesse disputed.

  "They didn't," Sam replied with a chuckle. He knew that Jesse often took everything said literally. "They were not of the same blood as my ancestors, if that is what you mean. They were the monsters my ancestors feared. I guess every nation has stories about fiends or beasts in their past that terrify them."

  "You mean something like demons," Jesse gulped. Although he had never put much stock in the stories his grandmother had told, her tales of things that go bump-in-the-night had still scared him silly when he was a small child.

  "Similar but more than that," Sam explained. "Ogres, Dracula, Kraken, Goblins, Werewolves, Golem, Zombies… as Dinah suggested in the beginning… the lists of monsters in mankind's past are endless. From history, every race had a boogeyman that scared the daylights out of them and their children."

  "Kolowa," Jesse repeated the name and then agreed, "Sure, except what really gets to me the most… how are they continually able to find and kill human survivors when we can't find them? We search every day and don't find anyone new, however, they do. I just don't get it.

  "None of us understand it, Jesse," Salazar acknowledged. "The only reasonable explanation I have been able to understand is that the fumes have affected the human's cognitive ability. If they were paranoid before the attack, they might fear us as the enemy and continue to hide."

  "But, they're still human," Jesse argued.

  "Yes, they are human and the gases didn't affect their physical genes, just their mental ones," Salazar explained the best he could.

  "There might be another reason they hide," Sam added. "These survivors might be staying where they are in hopes that their lost loved ones will return to them. They may very well be waiting for a reunion."

  Both Salazar and Jesse could understand that. At his mother's pleading, Salazar had almost waited for his father's return that first evening. If he hadn't felt such a strong urgency to flee, he might've done the same.

  Jesse also recalled that he had tried every way he could to return home to his mother. His path was blocked repeatedly and he had been forced to abandon the idea.

  "I think we both understand that logic," Salazar responded and Jesse nodded agreement.

  "I believe the Kolowa can sense the likeness and similarities in the other humans," Sam added.

  "Ah hell!" Jesse exclaimed as he threw up both his hands in mock defeat, "You guys and your damn theories!"

  "It actually makes sense," Salazar admitted. "The pink fumes affected everyone in some way either mentally, physically, or both as it did with Phillip. It sounds reasonable that they would be able to smell or intuit those differences the same as we have."

  "Wait, you can sense that all the people in Eden are like us?" Jesse asked. His disbelief clearly showed on his face.

  "Yes," Salazar acknowledged. "Since that very
first night, I have been able to scan a person to judge their intentions."

  "You scanned Phillip and still let him stay in our company," Jesse grunted. "I even offered to throw him out for you."

  "That is true, Jesse," Salazar explained, "but he had not fully turned at that point. He didn't show any signs the first few days that he would become Kolowa."

  "Any that you could detect," Jesse corrected. "Even when we were inside with him earlier, even when he had gone nuts, you couldn't tell. Could you? Either of you," he looked accusingly at Sam and Salazar. "Go on, admit it. Admit that you cannot tell when a human will turn into a Kolowa."

  Salazar remained quiet for a few moments as he considered what Jesse had said. He recalled the night he had entered the tunnel with his mother and the twelve survivors had secretly followed them. His intuition had quickly searched each one to ascertain if any were a threat. The only emotions he had picked-up from each were fear and hope – fear of the disaster outside and hope for survival inside. Then, Salazar realized even more.

  He had not scanned their bodies because he couldn't as far as he knew. That was not his gift. It was Sam's. Sam was blessed with a keen sense of smell and hearing, however, was it possible to detect whatever caused the mutation when it happened on a cellular level. Salazar also recalled the red that he had seen in Phillip's mind. Was it really blood? Or had he seen the actual DNA transformation taking place in Phillip's blood?

  At the same time, Sam also silently recalled that first night. He had served with Salazar long enough to know that his commander's keen intuition had already kept them from harm on more than one occasion. He had also come to know that Salazar's gift was of a spiritual and emotional nature. There was no way that Salazar's current ability could know if a biological change was imminent… and neither could he. He couldn't detect whatever would cause the change by smell. At least, not yet. Sam understood that it had to be something in their blood that caused the change.