Brandon like always didn’t understand. “What?”
“How do you mean Kalima?” Sharlia played it cooler than he ever could.
Jimmy couldn’t believe how stupid he was. “Don’t you get it? They left me the message about this. They take Kenny and leave one that only I would understand. It draws me out in the open. They leave me a scent that I couldn’t resist to keep me on the search.” He watched all of them, and finished with his eyes staring at Rachel. “They played the game really well. They wanted Casey from the very beginning. They played me to get to him.”
Rachel bowed her head. She couldn’t argue with him, so she didn’t.
“Why?” Sharlia couldn’t either.
“I don’t know, but we are going to have to find out. We have to find out what their plans are. We have to find them.”
David returned to the room. He felt rushed. He had to tell them what he just saw. “Excuse me my lords and ladies. Something has happened. You must see it.” He couldn’t believe it himself.
They all turned to him together.
Sharlia saw the fear in his eyes.
They all did. They said nothing. They just followed him to the back of the room, opposite from the door outside, and continued down a hallway at the back of the building. He led them to a small room that looked like an old office of some type. It felt cramped, especially with six of them now standing inside it. A small table was set up at the far wall. A small television was sitting on top of the table. The TV was on. It showed what looked like a city street with rows of buildings running out from the camera’s shot. They could see what looked like people running in all directions. It was difficult to see clearly, what was happening. On the bottom of the screen was a news banner. It simply read, This is not a hoax!
Sharlia saw the screen. “What is that?” She didn’t know what it meant.
David moved closer to the television and with his right hand, he turned the volume up.
A woman’s voice was loud and clear.
“What you are seeing now are several people running. We’re not too sure what is really happening…George, are you still with us?”
The sounds of people screaming blasted from the screen.
It looked like chaos.
They all turned to David.
“What is happening?” Robert asked for all of them.
David swallowed hard. Just before he answered him, the woman’s voice came back.
“I guess George is not able to respond to us. For those of you who are just tuning in…We have received several reports of large animals attacking people out on the streets of New York. We have not received any official statement from authorities for what they are, but it appears to be some kind of dogs, maybe wolves, and they are causing absolute horror and chaos around Times Square.”
David took a heavy breath. “I saw four wolves attack several people. I saw a Shade too.”
More screaming came from the television.
A large gray colored bat jumped down onto a man’s back. It then lifted him up from the view of the camera. They both disappeared.
Together all of them collectively gasped.
Sharlia felt shocked. She knew what she saw. “Who is doing this? Which one of the families would do such a thing?” She couldn’t place her feelings on this. It had never happened before now. No family would ever attack humans out in the public. None of them would do it in front of cameras. She just couldn’t fathom any of it.
Robert felt shocked.
Sasha gripped Brandon’s left hand into her right.
Jimmy held Rachel in his right arm around her shoulders.
No one answered Sharlia. How could they. As with her, they didn’t know what was going on.
Sharlia had seen enough. “Turn it off.”
David pushed the power button and the television went blank.
Her mind was now turning faster than it ever has. “We must go and speak with the elders.” She looked at Kalima. “You must go and speak with them.” It felt like the best time as ever to say what she wanted to next. As far as she was concerned, it was long overdue too. “Join us Kalima. Lead us—lead the council.”
Rachel hugged her husband close to her side. She looked up to him. Seeing what she just did, knowing what she now knew, she knew what they had to do. Walkers were showing themselves to the humans. Humans were attacking the Walkers. Blood was being spilled. Kenny was taken. They came after her and their son. They were pulled back in. It all meant that none of them would be safe. If they were going to protect Casey, they had to stay with their kind. They no longer had the choice.
“She’s right Jimmy. We can no longer stay out of this. If they are after Casey, we have to stay with those who can stand with us.”
He gulped a dry mouth. He knew all of this too. “What are we going to do?” He felt lost.
Hearing his pleas, feeling her own, Rachel did come up with something to tell him. She had an answer.
“We have several of them—of the humans that attacked us. We have some of this group locked up. We have answers with them.”
Jimmy looked right at her. He felt relieved—somewhat. “Then we are going to have to get it out of them.” He felt determined now. He had a purpose. He could help both of his children. He could make this right again. Replenished with confidence, he turned to Sharlia and gave her an affirmative nod. “I will join with you Sharlia. I will join with my Walker family.”
Sharlia smiled with this. “Then I pledge to you my family, Lord Kalima.” She felt right. The Walker world was strong again. A true strength had finally come home.
Sasha joined with her friends. “We all will.” She looked at Brandon. She couldn’t believe how bad all of this now felt. If what they saw were real, then all of the humans would come after them. The gathering storm would turn into a hurricane. It would potentially destroy all of them.
He gave her a nod. “The Gorhans will serve you too.” He was with all of them, especially her. He would never leave her again.
The other Walkers, eight of them of the Gorhan family, all stepped around the doorway to the room. Disbelief turned into shock. Shock turned into anger. Anger turned into an all-out rage. They were all in this now. They were all now willing to join the fight. They were now going to bring the fight to them.
Jimmy turned to them and watched as all of them, accept for Rachel and Robert, went down to one knee. They bowed their heads to him. He accepted their pledge. He accepted their loyalty. He felt ready to emerge from the darkness and the shadows. He would do everything he could to gain the victory of the fight that was yet to come.
My Journal
This is how it all started. I started with a family to protect. I started with making a simple home. I started with a simple life. In the end, they did it again. They came to me. They destroyed my happiness and caused all of my pain. Their lust for power, and their love of death came to me and picked this fight. I have learned much from this—from them. I have fought them time and time again to try to get back to the life they stole from me, and now, here I am doing it all over again. This time, I will do what I should have done all of those many years ago. This time, I will take the fight to them. I am done with running. I am done with playing their games. This time, I will fight to the end. This time, I will shed the blood that needs to flow.
Sharlia has set up a meeting with the council of Elders of the Walker world officially to turn over the leadership of it to me. I accept this freely. I’m not sure how they will all react to me. I have abandoned them so many times in the past, trying to free myself of what I am, but I no longer care about what they think. I intend to take my rightful place. The attack in New York is just the beginning. It will lead to a bigger fight. We all must join together to fight it. We no longer have the choice. We all will be affected by this. No one will be left out. The danger will unite us or we will die.
As for Rachel and Casey, I can only hope they will be able to adjust to all of this. I know Rachel will, but as for
Casey,…I just don’t know if he can. I can only hope he is strong enough to learn and to adapt. I know he is. He just needs to know it himself. I will do what I can to teach him. I will do what I can to get him ready. Again, I know he will. He will grow strong. He will learn. He will be ready. After all, he is his father’s son.
The Puppets and the Strings (A Werewolf's Saga Book 7) Page 26