by Nathan Jay
"Shhhhh."
He walked around the bed and leaned over to whisper in Vanessa's ear.
"Someone's outside. Put on your shoes."
Ben quickly walked to the living room and looked out the window; two shadows were walking on the graveled road in front of their trailer. Once again, Ben went into the bedroom to look out the window. He saw two more dark figures moving amongst the trees in the back of the trailer.
"Ben," Vanessa whispered. Once again, Ben placed one finger over his lips. He pulled her from the bed and sat her in a chair in the corner of the room. Soon he was able to hear the men talking.
"I think he's in this one or the other one at the entrance," Norman said.
"Well, we'll get that motherfucker. Believe me. There are only two ways out of here, and we have both ways blocked," said a man with a heavy accent.
"Remember. We can't kill Ben right away because we have to get all the money. That's the deal. If one of you pops him and we can't get to the whole $2 million, then you don't get the $200k. Got it?"
"He's with the girl, ain't he?"
"Yeah."
"Then why the hell do we need him? Let's just kill him and get the bitch to tell us where the money is. Chances are, it's a joint bank they have it in any way."
Norman snapped at the man.
"Look! That's not how we're doing it. Get Ben and hold the girl until he brings back the money. When he does, we kill both of them. But for now, no one shoots anyone. Got it?"
Vanessa almost screamed when she heard what the men were saying. Ben motioned for her to be calm and moved to the opposite corner of the room. He watched the window as the men peered into the bedroom window and then into the living room window. After a while, the men moved away.
"Don't move. I'm going to make sure the men are gone," Ben whispered to Vanessa. He inched along the walls until he was in the living room. Carefully, he raised his head to view out of the window. The men were walking away from them down the graveled driveway. Ben ran back into the room and grabbed Vanessa's hand.
"Come on! We've got to go!"
"Where?"
"Back into the forest."
Vanessa pulled her hand away from Ben.
"The forest?"
"Come on, Vanessa! We don't have time!"
Ben ran to the bedroom window and looked out again.
"Oh, my God! No!" he exclaimed. Vanessa ran to the window. Standing in the middle of the brush was the man from Ben's dream.
"Is that one of the guys?" asked Vanessa. But Ben was unable to speak. He was terrified. Although there was no breeze, the man's trench coat fluttered in the night as if it were a graceful bird; every move calculated and intentional; meant to inspire fear in his enemies. A green light lit up the vegetation around him like alien shrubs from a distant planet. The brimmed hat he wore shielded his most potent weapon from view – his emerald green eyes. Both his hands hung by his side, empty but possessing the power of fate. Ben wasn't afraid of him in the mortal sense of danger. He feared him because of the power he had not yet witnessed. The man's ability was beyond this world, and Ben knew it.
Forcefully, Ben yanked his pregnant girlfriend towards the door. Just as he reached for the doorknob, the center of the door began to glow a bright green. Vanessa screamed and ran into the bedroom while Ben remained frozen in fear. The door seemed to change into a thick liquid that stayed suspended in the air. Soon the man walked through the liquid into the room. Ben fell on the sofa and started shaking as Mateo walked up to him.
"It is time," he whispered. "Close your eyes."
Ben started to cry.
"What about Vanessa? My baby?"
"They will survive."
Ben closed his eyes. Mateo removed his Fedora hat and extended one finger to the center of Ben's head. Mateo's eyes lit up like emerald-colored flames. There was a slight burst of energy from his hand that covered Ben's face in a blanket of heat. Soon Ben began to smile.
"So warm. So nice," Ben whispered. Slowly, his body went limp and slumped over. A small green ball of energy rose from the top of his head. Mateo grabbed the ball of energy, opened his bottle, and put the orb inside. As he strapped the bottle back on his shoulder, he looked into the bedroom. Vanessa had passed out on the bed. Mateo walked over to the sleeping woman and placed a palm on her head.
"You will not suffer these memories," he whispered. "Please forgive what I am about to do."
Suddenly Vanessa began sobbing as she slept.
"Please, Ben. Don't leave me," she pleaded. "You promised me. You promised my family. How could you leave us alone? I will never forgive you for this."
The light on Mateo's hand burned brighter.
"This is the only way to ease your pain," he whispered. "Ben has to go."
Vanessa sobbed harder.
"I will never forgive you, Ben! You abandoned us! You broke my heart!"
Soon Vanessa's sobbing subsided, and she drifted off to sleep, releasing an occasional moan. The light from Mateo's hand dimmed.
"Please forgive this memory I have implanted. It is easier to accept than the fact that Ben was a thief involved in a murder."
Mateo moved away from Vanessa as she slept on the bed.
"You will enter a deep sleep now. You shouldn't witness what is about to happen."
Mateo walked out of the front door of the trailer and extended his arm into the sky. A long bolt of lightning shot from his fingertips into the cloud. After a few seconds, the electricity stopped, and Mateo smiled. He could see the shadows of the four men running towards the trailer. Quickly, he turned and began walking back towards the forest.
When the men arrived, they ran unimpeded into the trailer.
"Shit," said Norman. He touched Ben's face with his finger. "He's fucking dead."
"Where's the girl?" asked one of the other men. Norman turned to walk into the bedroom.
"She's in here," he said to the other men. Soon all four men were standing over Vanessa, watching her sleep.
"Is she dead?" asked one of the men.
"Nah, she’s sleeping," replied Norman. One of the men slid his handgun into the top of Vanessa's shirt and ripped her shirt open.
"Nice tits," the blonde-haired man said. "Hey Norman, you ever had pregnant pussy?" he asked. The other men started laughing at the question.
"If you haven't, you just don't know what you're missing. I mean, the tits are so full of…"
Suddenly Norman slapped the man's face.
"Hey, Fuck-Stick! We don't have time for this shit. Get your pussy some other time. Tonight, everything's about that money!" snapped Norman. He turned to another gunman.
"Wake her up so we can get that money."
After taking one step, the man paused.
"You guys feel that?" he asked. There was a rumbling from the floor of the trailer. The other men looked around.
"What is that?" one of them asked. Soon the rumbling was louder. Norman placed his hand on the wall to steady himself. The trailer began shaking violently. As the men struggled to remain standing upright, Norman yelled to them.
"Outside! Everyone outside!"
"But what about the girl?"
"We'll get her in a few. Outside!"
As soon as the men exited the trailer, Norman looked down the graveled road.
"What the fuck is that?" he asked as he squinted. Two huge shadows moved quickly up the road towards them. Suddenly, one of the men fired a shot. Unfazed, the figures seemed to speed up, running towards them. As the shadows got closer, the men could see what they were – two enormous snarling white wolves.
"Oh shit!" screamed Norman as he knocked one of the men over, trying to go back into the trailer. But the men were clumsy, and they all fell in front of the door. Suddenly one of the men screamed.
"Aaaaaah!"
Norman turned around to see a pack of smaller white wolves attacking one of the men. Two of the other men started firing their weapons at the animals, but their bullets didn't touch them. They
turned and attempted to run away but stopped; a massive wolf blocked their escape. The blue-eyed creature grabbed one man's leg and tore it from his body, slinging blood everywhere.
"Please! Somebody! Help me!" the blonde-haired man screamed as blood poured out of his leg. But the other men were too busy fighting for their own lives. One of the other men screamed in agony as the smaller wolves ripped apart his body like paper. Another gunman decided to make a run for it. As the man took off running down the graveled drive, he shot back towards the animals.
"Stay back! Get the fuck away from me!" he screamed while firing blindly towards the trailer. There was a great blast of wind. Suddenly the man disappeared in a cloud of white fur. One of the two giant wolves stood in the place where the gunman had been. Slowly, the creature stepped forward to reveal the devastation that lay beneath. The gunman lay lifeless on the gravel. The enormous wolf landed on him with such force that he had spun the gunman's head around – twice. The man’s damaged and pale skin turned brown; his neck so grotesquely twisted it looked artificial, like a rubber band.
Norman wanted to run inside the trailer, but he couldn't move. A gigantic white wolf sat in front of him, daring him to move. The creature seemed to tremble in anticipation of the meal crouching in front of it. Hungrily, the beast licked its chops and inhaled deeply, reveling in the scent of the man's fear. Norman took in small short breaths through his mouth. He couldn't believe the size of the animal sitting before him. The wolf was the size of an adult cow. The teeth protruding from the animal's mouth were long and curled back towards its tongue as if their primary function was to hold its prey in an inescapable position. The wolf's breathing was even scarier, inhalations that sounded like the winds of an intense rainstorm, while the beast had exhalations like a giant furnace in an abandoned building.
One by one, each of the men's cries stopped; only the sound of the wolves cracking open their bones permeated the night. After consuming their victims, the smaller wolves walked to the more massive wolf seated in front of Norman and stood behind it. One of the giant wolves walked past Norman into the trailer. Moments later, it walked out of the trailer with an unconscious Vanessa tucked comfortably inside its massive jaws. The wolf carried Vanessa down the road and laid her on a soft patch of grass before returning to Norman and the other wolf. The smaller wolves surrounded Vanessa and kept a watchful eye on the two giant wolves standing in front of the last man standing.
Norman took one step away from the two wolves in front of him. As soon as he did, one of the beasts pounced on his chest. Suddenly its blue eyes changed to green, and it spoke.
"We know what you are," the wolf's deep voice grumbled. "We know why you are here."
"Please…please…let me go. I promise…" begged Norman.
The wolf smiled at the man beneath its paws and pressed down. Norman screamed out in pain as the beast moved closer, dripping warm saliva onto his face.
"Your words are useless. We see you. You are not Norman. Your name is Zagan," the beast bellowed. Norman winced in pain. Soon his voice changed, and Zagan started laughing.
"You wolves sure are smart. Chi-Chi, is it? And the other one. She’s your wife, Alexis. You’re a husband and wife team. Not bad. I thought for sure, I'd be able to sneak past you," said Zagan. He was inside Norman’s body.
"You did not," Chi-Chi replied. The other wolf walked over to Zagan and growled.
“I don’t trust this one. Keep your eye upon him,” said Alexis. Chi-Chi pushed down on the man’s chest with his paws. Once again, Zagan winced in pain. Satisfied that her mate had the situation under control, Alexis turned and walked back down the road to the girl.
“You know, just because I’m in this weakling’s body, it doesn’t mean I don’t have power.”
Suddenly, Zagan pushed the animal aside with such force that the wolf cried out in pain. Zagan rose to his feet and looked down the road. The wolves had stopped walking away. The sound of Chi-Chi’s yelp made them turn. Alexis lowered the girl to the ground and turned around to watch Zagan and Chi-Chi.
"I want you to give that son of a bitch, Mateo, a message for me."
Chi-Chi rose from his side and stood in front of Norman.
"What is your message?"
Zagan smiled at the wolf and pulled a large hunting knife from his pocket.
“Just a second. Let me get rid of this Norman body.”
Zagan quickly ran the blade back and forth over Norman’s neck. To Chi-Chi, it looked like Norman was cutting his own throat. Blood sprayed everywhere. Still, Zagan continued hacking until Norman’s head fell to the ground. Suddenly, Norman’s headless corpse burst into flames. Zagan stepped from the fire of the burning body.
"You tell Mateo that we have an agreement to work together. Capture as many souls as we can for our shared mission. That is the deal."
Chi-Chi shook his head as if he were a wet dog trying to remove water.
"And?" he asked.
Zagan walked closer to the beast.
"And today, he broke our fucking agreement! He directly interfered in my capture of a soul. That’s not what we discussed!”
"The girl Vanessa and her unborn child were not sinners. You had no claim to their souls. Mateo sent us here to protect them."
"You shut your fucking mouth, you sack of dog shit! The agreement was for souls. Not good or bad ones. Souls!"
"Mateo only agrees to hunt those that are guilty. He will not kill an innocent."
"That is his fucking problem, not mine!"
Zagan walked over to the charred corpse of Norman and put his hand above the body. A small red globe of energy rose from the body. Zagan caught the energy ball in his hand and placed it in his container.
"He only gets one mistake. The next time he chooses to interfere in my hunt, I come for his soul," threatened Zagan.
Chi-Chi turned to walk away.
"Mateo is our friend. If you come for him, you will need to go through us," he growled. "But…I will give Mateo the message.”
Zagan sprinted to the wolf.
"No. You give Mateo this message."
Zagan jumped high in the air and drove the blade of the knife deep into the wolf's back. The windows of the trailer exploded as the animal screamed out in agony. Alexis and the smaller wolves heard the wolf’s cry and sprinted up the road towards Zagan. As the wolves neared, they saw Chi-Chi with the knife in his back and began howling in fury. But none more intense than Chi-Chi’s mate – Alexis. The intensity of her growl made the ground rumble.
"Your spirit is evil. Let us dispatch with your soul," threatened Alexis.
The wolf leaped at Zagan with razor-sharp claws drawn. Zagan disappeared and reappeared on the other side of the road.
"You are lucky I have a busy schedule to maintain. Otherwise, I would slaughter you and burn your carcass over a roasting fire. Deliver my message. This warning is the only one I’ll give Mateo," threatened Zagan from a safe distance.
Chi-Chi let out another long cry. Soon the screams of all the wolves deep in the forest filled the night air. They knew one of their elders was hurt. The trees started shaking violently as all the wolves in the forest rushed to the area.
"Oh, shut up, you big baby. You're not dead, but at least now you know I'm for real. Give my fucking message to that moron."
And with that, Zagan rose in the air and disappeared in a blaze of red light. Just as he did, an army of wolves emerged from the forest. As the animal cried out in pain, the much smaller animals ran to the beast and began licking its wounds. Alexis retrieved the still sleeping Vanessa from the grass by placing the pregnant mom delicately in her jaws. Soon, she walked off into Jupiter Point forest with the smaller wolves in tow. The other wolves walked to Chi-Chi and surrounded him. Slowly, they pulled the injured great beast into Jupiter Point forest.
Eventually, the trailer park was silent again. The only thing that remained was the corpse of a headless Norman in front of the trailer.
Chapter 23: The Celestials - Chi
-Chi & Alexis
As Mateo moved through the forest, the fireflies lit all around him. He remembered the warm feeling he felt like a kid playing amongst the "light bugs" with his little brother Leonardo. They'd sometimes catch the insects in jars during the warm summer nights. But after seeing the fireflies die slowly in their glass prisons, Mateo couldn't capture them again.
"All of God's creatures have the freedom to live," his mother had told him as a boy. Within his current circumstances, those words made Mateo feel dirty. Capturing souls felt like he was imprisoning more gigantic fireflies. Although Mateo tried telling himself that the people deserved removal, there was a part of him that questioned his role in it. After all, he wasn't God, and he seriously doubted if God would look favorably on his behavior.
Mateo stopped and took a deep breath. The scent of morning dew made him long for simpler times – the times of his childhood. He missed the sound of his father walking up the stairs after a long day of work, the aroma of freshly baked bread in the kitchen, leaning on his mother's arm as she read stories to the family at night. He missed it all.
Suddenly Mateo looked up. A stiff breeze made the treetops sway in the early morning sky. He could tell something had happened.
"Mateo," a deep voice whispered through the treetops. Mateo recognized the voice. It belonged to Chi-Chi, the leader of the group of mystic Arctic wolves living in the forests.
"Come," the voice whispered. Without speaking, Mateo responded.
"I'm on my way."
There was a green flash of light. Soon, Mateo was standing before Chi-Chi as he lay on the wet grass. Alexis, the other large wolf, lay at Chi-Chi's side. Dozens of smaller wolves stood in a circle around Chi-Chi and Alexis, all of them crying. As Mateo knelt to touch his friend, the other wolves moved away.
"Zagan did this?" Mateo whispered.
"Yes. Zagan was not pleased."
Mateo looked at the gaping wound on Chi-Chi's back.
"The wound has become infected."
"Yes. I know. It is unpleasant."
Suddenly, Alexis, the other large wolf spoke.
"It's your fault! It is you that Zagan wanted to hurt, not Chi-Chi!"