A Werewolf's Saga Books 4, 5, & 6 (A Werewolf's Saga Boxed Sets Book 2)

by Michael Lampman

  “So what do I have to do now?” Jimmy shrugged. Smoke filled the air and flew through his lungs, and with the process, it filled his soul.

  “All you have to do is look into the flames.” Robert held out his right arm towards the fire. “Look and see yourself.”

  Jimmy shrugged. “That’s it?”

  Robert nodded and dropped his arm back to his side. “They are the flames of the past. They are the flames of all of our lives. The flames are you. They are me. They are us.”

  Jimmy turned from him and looked to the flames.

  At first, he saw nothing there, but within a second of a second, the orange glow turned into a dimming white color that seemed to flush his face. Within the white color, a person was now standing there and staring back at him. At first, he had trouble seeing him clearly, but slowly, he saw himself. He was watching him, looking back from the flames. Seeing himself, he gasped and closed his eyes.

  I’ve seen this place before. He saw himself as the black wolf fighting against the people with the swords. He watched the wolf Kalima stabbed through the chest and then watched him disappear through the window behind him. Seeing it all again, so clearly, brought tears to both of his eyes. With them filling them they forced him to blink, and that caused the flames to come back again. Seeing the waves of fire, he turned back to Robert.

  “Intense isn’t it?” Robert watched everything. He saw the very same thing that Jimmy did within the fire, but for him, it felt more like watching a movie play out on a screen. He could see it all happening with Jimmy standing there watching it too beside him.

  “It’s like it just happened to me.” He wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of both hands.

  “In all truth it has. Time has no meaning within the flames Jimmy. For you, it’s like being there again. For you, you’re seeing it all over again, standing there and watching it happen around you. This is what memories are. Reliving the past, tasting the tastes, smelling the smells, living it again. Feeling everything that you felt again. Being everything you once were.”

  Jimmy nodded. Ready, understanding everything, he looked back to the flames.

  Now he could see himself standing inside a barn. It had to be the same barn that he was in back up in the Adirondacks. It all looked the same. He could smell a heavy mustiness on the air. The air felt cool around him. He could see a car, parked in the center of the barn, and to his left, he could see the door that led back outside just behind him. He looked back to the car and there he could see the blonde hair on his head. He could see that he was naked. He could see the wounds on his shoulder from the bullets that hit him. Suddenly, from his left, he could feel someone else standing there with him, so he looked and he saw himself. What in the hell is this? He looked back to Gary and even though it all happened the very same way, he felt surprised as he watched Gary change into the large black wolf. He then watched himself shout out, but before he could see anything else, he watched the memory speed up, almost like someone had just magically put the entire world into fast forward. The fight he had with Gary flew in front of him like a blur. Suddenly the fast forward stopped, and the car was now on its side. Glass was everywhere, and towards his left, he saw himself lying on the ground with Rachel and Brandon kneeling down on each side of him. With it, he blinked, but kept his eyes on the flames.

  Now he saw himself lying on a bed. He was holding Kenny’s hand. He was there watching him die. He stood at the foot of the bed and watched everything happening right in front of him. He heard nothing, but saw it all. The memory of everything flowed through him with such strength that it caused him to feel it all over again. He felt the pain. He felt the hurt for losing his friend. He felt the agony of his friend’s death swarm over his soul.

  He blinked. He turned to Robert with tears warming his eyes. “Kenny?” He couldn’t believe how real it all felt.

  “You knew him?” Robert had to ask. He didn’t know and now he needed to find out more about what he just saw. “How?”

  Jimmy nodded. “He helped me. He died because of what I did.”

  Robert nodded. He needed to know more, but first he had to watch. He had to learn. He had to see. “Go on.” Time would come to know all of it soon enough.

  Jimmy nodded. He wiped his eyes with the back of his left hand and turned back to the fire.

  He was now standing in a living room. A sofa was crashed on the floor to his right. Ahead of him, he could see Marie lying on the floor, just by the archway into the dining room. He could see her blood splattered black hair hanging over her once and beautiful face. From there he could also see the table tipped over and smashed on the dining room floor just to his right. He could see Samuel lying on top of the table and not moving. Seeing it all, he blinked again.

  Robert watched it all and seeing everything, he felt the need to stop it. “Jimmy?”

  He heard him and turned. The flames came back again. The orange glow flowed over him with a gentle streak of light.

  Robert bowed his head. He needed more but he needed a different direction. “You must go back farther Jimmy. You have to go back much, much farther than this.”

  “This is what happened.” He again had to wipe tears from both of his eyes. Now seeing it, every emotion he ever had did come back again. He couldn’t believe it but it was there and it felt as powerful as ever. Finished, with his eyes somewhat dry, he lowered his hand again.

  “I know Jimmy. This is your life, but we need to go back farther. We need to see who you were before you became who you are now.”

  “And how do I do that?” He shrugged softly after dropping his arms back to his sides.

  “There is no secret to it Jimmy. Just concentrate on going back farther into the past. Think about the past. Feel it. See it.”

  Jimmy nodded. He didn’t quite understand but he really didn’t need to, so he just nodded again. All he knew was that so far Robert was right about everything. All he had to do was just do it. He had to trust in that.

  Again he turned back to the fire and again he watched it as it turned into a bright white color that flushed his eyes.

  Soon he found himself sitting on something that looked like the backseat of a moving car. He looked to the front seats and saw two people sitting there. A man was driving the car and a woman was talking to him from the passenger’s seat. Although he couldn’t hear them, somehow, in some way, he felt that they were happy. He could see the look on the woman’s face as she turned to her left. Seeing just the side of her face, seeing her light brown hair dangling over her cheek, seeing just her left eye, he knew who she was instantly. Mom? The sudden feeling of knowing her clenched his heart with a burst of sorrow. He didn’t know what to think, but only felt the pain for seeing her again. Quite frankly, he never knew her, they died so long ago when he was little, but right then, right at that moment, he remembered her completely. He also found himself longing for her touch again. He longed to hear her voice. He longed to see her smile. Looking back towards his left, he looked at the man, who had to be his father. Seeing his glasses, the jet-black color of his hair, he knew him instantly. They looked so young. They looked so happy. He looked back to his mother, and just as she turned back towards him, just when he saw the completeness of her face, a shattering of glass erupted from the left side of the car. It flew everywhere. It flew all around the sides of his head.

  Looking down, he could feel the car beneath him suddenly lift up. The light around him, which was bright and sunny, suddenly vanished into a darkness that was so black that everything vanished within it. All he could tell was that the car was now upside down. Whatever hit it must have flipped it onto its roof.

  What was that? He tried to find his bearings but still couldn’t see. Right then, he wished that he could hear what was happening around him. He wished that he could hear anything. He turned right, and then left, feeling the need to look in that direction, and when he did, he saw something moving. When some light returned inside the car, he saw a face come towards his. H
e recognized the face. She was one of the vampires that attacked us as Brandon’s cabin. What in the hell is she doing here?

  She reached inside and he could even feel her take both sides of his head with her cold lifeless hands. The sounds of a branch breaking came next and echoed around inside his head. The world then went suddenly black.

  Jimmy closed his eyes and turned back to Robert. “They killed my parents.” He swallowed hard. “They killed me.” He almost couldn’t believe what he just said. It didn’t even seem real, but yet it was, he just saw it. He just felt it. He remembered it clearly.

  Robert gasped seeing it, as he looked back to Jimmy’s eyes. “They came after you when you were young. They must have known about who you were.”

  Tears filled Jimmy’s face. “Why would they do that? Why would they try to kill me? Why would they want to kill them?”

  Robert shook his head. “I’m not sure Jimmy.” He needed more. He could only hope that there was more there. “I need you to go on. I need you to go back even more.”

  “Why? Why would they kill them?”

  Robert understood his pain with see what he just did. He understood the hurt that it caused him, but he needed more information. He needed to see more. “I’m sorry Jimmy. Go on. Please keep going back.” Too much seemed to be happening that he didn’t understand.

  Jimmy nodded. He too now wanted to know more. He needed it. He now deserved to see the truth, so he looked back to the flames.

  A woman was now standing over him, or was she lying on top of him, he wasn’t sure, but again, he knew her face. Marie? She looked so young. She looked so amazing as her face glowed from the flames of the fire they were lying next to on the floor. Seeing her, Jimmy turned back to Robert.

  “That’s Collins’ memory.” He shook his head.

  “He’s a part of you too Jimmy. I must see more. Please continue going back.”

  Jimmy nodded again and turned back to the flames.

  Richard Ross was now there, sitting across from him at some sort of a table. His white hair looked neatly combed. The fine dark blue suit that he always wore looked new and keenly clean. He watched him as they sat there together at the table. He saw his lips moving but couldn’t hear what he said.

  Why can’t I hear them? He turned back to Robert. “Why can’t I hear what they’re saying? I need to know what he said.” He felt angry because of this. It felt like they were cheating him. It also felt wrong.

  Robert understood him. “This is just the lifting of the darkness Jimmy. Once the memories are there again, you will remember everything. You will remember the sounds.”

  Jimmy swallowed, nodded, and looked back to the fire.

  The sun looked brightly overhead. A slight mist soaked over the ground, hovering over it like a fog. The smell of smoke hung heavy over everything. Looking down, near his feet, a young man was there. The blue color of his tattered uniform covered him completely. The smattering of blood covered his waist.

  The young man held out his right hand towards him.

  Samuel? He understood where he was and what it meant. This was the battlefield where Collins changed him. This is where they met.

  He blinked.

  Collins was now there. His long blonde hair surrounded his face. He was obviously looking at himself in a mirror.

  This is the time that I remembered him. Remember, remember, remember Kalima.

  Collins even mouthed the words.

  Remember, remember, remember Kalima.

  He blinked.

  Somehow, he knew what was coming next, and sure enough, he was right.

  He could see them walking down the sidewalk on his right. The bright full moon hung over the buildings on the other side of the park. This time, he couldn’t hear them as they talked to each other, but the image was as clear as it was before. He watched until they were now directly in front of him. When they were close enough, he pounced, knocking the blonde haired man down first. The woman being so close to them went down too. With the man down, and no longer moving, he turned to the woman and again he pounced.

  He blinked, refusing to see anything else.

  Thankfully he could now see himself standing outside with the hint of clouds hanging low overhead. A cool chill caressed over his bare arms. He looked towards his left and saw what looked like a small cabin just on top of a small hill. Green grass was everywhere. The smell of dew was strongly on the air. He looked right and saw a dirt covered road running along and past him. On the road, he could see a hooded dark figure walking towards him.

  This is still Collins. It has to be.

  The hooded figure came closer. He was almost there.

  This was the day that he met Kalima.

  The hooded figure joined him on the grass.

  After some time, time that they had to be talking, the hooded figure followed him into the cabin. Only inside did the hood come off.

  Now standing there in front of him, in front of Collins, Kalima was now there, and he gasped with seeing him for the first time.

  He looks just like me.

  Kalima was somewhat taller than he was, but not by much. He had short black hair and had a hint of gray along the sides of his head. His face looked firm, and looked rather round. His skin looked pale. He looked worn. Wrinkles of age covered every part of his face, making his eyes looked hollow and recessed some on his brow. He looked old, almost ancient even. He still looked strong even though he walked with a slight hunch to his back.

  So that’s what you looked like my friend.

  Even though this was the first time he saw him, it still felt like seeing a long lost friend. In some ways, it felt like seeing family. It almost felt like seeing your twin—a twin that you didn’t even know you had. It felt odd, but it did feel right.

  Kalima and Collins talked for what he knew to be hours and when they finished, Kalima stood up from the chair that he was sitting on and moved towards Collins. He then saw Collins lift up his arm. What he saw next almost blew his mind away, both as Collins and himself.

  Kalima’s skin turned instantly black and almost looked like charcoal. His face curled up as a long snout formed from his mouth. Black fur came out from all parts of his body as his legs grew long. It took only seconds for him to form into the wolf. When he was, Jimmy forced himself to blink.

  The wolf came down to his left arm and with one solid motion he bit down.

  The pain of the bite flew through his hand and raced up his arm with fire. It went up into his shoulder and flushed into his chest. He could even feel it blast his lungs with a heat of a burning fire as it clenched his heart. When everything subsided, the night was gone and he looked down at the floor.

  Kalima was there. He wasn’t moving. He even knew that he was gone.

  He blinked.

  He saw the flames, but now could notice that they looked somewhat different than they were before. Realizing this, it had to be a different fire, and seeing others around him, he knew that it was.

  A man he recognized as Michael, the vampire that tried to kill him up north, walked towards his left. Seeing how short he looked next to him he knew that he had to be the wolf. On the other side of the fire another wolf was there, but this one had a brown colored coat and was on all fours. Another woman was there, and she was standing on the other side of the fire. He recognized her as the woman he saved in the city a few days ago.

  Sharlia? She looked the same as she did that night. She hadn’t aged a day.

  They were all listening to Michael, even him.

  He next saw a large tall figure walk out from the trees. This thing, or whatever it was, looked as big as he was, but it also looked different than a wolf. It looked stronger, and he knew who it was.

  That’s Devish. It has to be.

  He moved to the fire and stopped.

  He blinked again and looked at the fire, but this time, he saw nothing there. The fire turned black. In his mind, the sounds of a howl echoed around the trees and it made him look up. It sounde
d deep. It sounded almost like pain and it bellowed until it suddenly stopped.

  He opened his eyes and turned back to Robert. “That’s it. I see nothing else.” He looked back to the fire and saw its orange glow billow out in front of him.

  Robert shook his head. “There has to be more there Jimmy. That can’t be everything.” He too looked at the fire but saw nothing. Jimmy’s right. Everything ended there, and he couldn’t for the life of him understand why. In thinking about it, in seeing the blackness that was there, there had to be a reason for it. Suddenly an idea came up all by itself. “You must be blocked.” He looked back to Jimmy. “Your previous life must be locked inside the darkness.”

  Jimmy watched his reaction and with everything he saw it suddenly made sense. Inside his head, the sounds of the wolf’s howl echoed again. It was followed once again by seeing Collins standing and looking in the mirror, remember, remember, remember Kalima. He swallowed and sighed. “What does it mean? Who blocked me?”

  Robert shook his head. “I’m not sure Jimmy. We must return to our bodies. We have to return to the world.” And Robert let go of his shoulders and blinked.

  11

  Brandon and Sasha watched Robert sit next to Jimmy on the sofa and they both watched him take his shoulders into his hands. They then watched them both blink. They gasped together when they watched Robert let go.

  “Nothing there huh?” Brandon looked at Sasha and then back to the sofa again. He must not have been able to do it. Why else would he let him go so quickly?

  Jimmy heard him and looked up. “What? That felt like hours.” He looked back to Robert.

  Sasha shrugged. “Hours?” She looked at him feeling confused. She was more than just that. “He just touched you.” She couldn’t believe what she just heard. “You both just sat down.”

  Robert’s blue eyes faded back to normal. He took everything in. He turned to Sasha and to Brandon when he felt like himself again. “Time has no meaning where we were.” He stood up. Everything that he just saw was now flying around inside his mind. He’s been blocked by someone. Someone knew who he was and blocked him from knowing who he was. With a thousand ideas flying around in him it made it hard for him to think. It also made everything hard for him to see anything clearly. The walkers tried to kill him as child. Why? What did they know? Why did they feel the need to kill him when he was just a baby? Nothing made any sense, except something did come up. He didn’t expect it but it did make some amount of sense. “You are Kalima.” He left the sofa and made his way back to the kitchen. He stopped there in between the two rooms. “You are Kalima reborn.”