by H. T. Night
“What do you want from me?” I yelled while being tossed from one Mani to the next.
“Let him be!” Krull called out. The last Mani punched me in the ribs and I dropped right in front of him. “All I want is to destroy you. Your mere existence is going to mess up my plans—plans that have taken me 800 years to carry out.”
“I don’t know what your plans are, and I don’t care to know”
“Shut up!” Krull stopped himself and then looked to the sky. “This is who you brought before me? A sniffling, teen-age boy?” Krull was horrified at the prospect that I was sent to stop him. Krull quit yelling at the sky and then turned his attention back to me. “They chose you!? You are the prophesied savior of the Mani people!? Look at you! You’re a hundred and seventy pounds dripping wet. This is insulting!” Krull began a frantic pace like a maniac on speed.
I got up and stood my ground. Truly, what else did I have to lose? I couldn’t get away. There were too many of them. I might as well go down swinging.
Krull then put his attention back on the sky. He was apparently showing his disdain for Triat. “Is this your way of MOCKING ME?!” Krull was screaming at the sky like a petulant child.
I looked to the sky to see the direction that Krull was yelling. Then I saw two red hawks, and two ravens coming toward us in a fury. Thank God. Krull’s Mani clan saw the birds too, and two of them grabbed my arms. The birds circled above us, squawking and soaring. With utter quickness the four birds dived down and clawed the Mani men holding me. They let go of me and I quickly transitioned into the great white eagle and flew up as fast as I could. I needed to get the hell out of here. Two ravens and two hawks followed me. Suddenly, one of the hawks began squawking uncontrollably.
I looked back to see if anyone was coming at us and I noticed on the ground the Mani had surrounded another body.
I circled and turned back around to see who it was. It was a man. Holy crap! It was Tommy! They had Tommy! What the hell was he doing here?
I circled back and made an impulsive decision that took zero thought from my end. I flew down hard towards Tommy. Krull had Tommy by his throat. SCREW THAT SAMURAI PIECE OF SHIT! I aimed my beak at his back like a dagger and torpedoed down to the mob. Krull was right in the middle of the heap. I gave another burst of speed. My elongated beak cracked into Krull’s back, piercing through his skin and muscles. Krull was a specimen. I tore into him real good, but I had ricocheted off of him on contact. He flew forward and I flew backwards. It looked like a scene out of Rocky.
He let go of Tommy. I transitioned quickly into my Mani form and charged Krull. Krull turned around to face me. My beak had fucked him up pretty good. He was still in a daze. I gave him the hardest uppercut punch I had ever given in my life. He popped up about four feet in the air, I didn’t slow down—I round-house kicked him right in his fat skull before he hit the ground knocking him another ten feet in the air. I didn’t see what kind of damage I had done because I needed to get Tommy the hell out of here. I quickly transitioned back to the eagle, grabbed Tommy by the shirt with my claws, and got him out of there. I flew faster than I had ever had before. My claws were deep into Tommy’s shirt. He wasn’t going anywhere. The two red hawks and ravens followed us.
Lena was right. Everyone had my back, even when the odds were stacked horribly against us. All four were there to help me, including Tommy. I turned around, expecting ravens to be close behind me, but we were alone. They apparently decided they had enough. I didn’t take any chances by slowing down. I kicked my speed into another gear with Tommy in hand—or should I say clawed hand. I had hit Krull real good and I would have loved to have been there when he realized that this boy just laid him out. I knew deep down that I couldn’t fight him straight up. I had to sucker punch him. But he had the numbers, and when you come to a fight with 50 times the numbers—all bets are off.
“Fly up the San Bernardino Mountains and head over to Running Springs.” Tommy said as he dangled from my claws. “We’ll all stay where I’ve been hiding out.”
With that, the six of us made our way up the mountain.
Chapter Eight
Tommy guided me to a cabin just north of Running Springs. I dropped him down on the front porch and then proceeded to land on the roof. I nearly fell off, but I had to admit my landings were getting better. I settled on top of the roof and watched my four-bird friends land next to Tommy and transitioned. I nodded my head to let them all know the coast was clear from where I was perched.
I lifted my wings, leaped off the roof, and landed next to my friends. We all just looked at each other and no one said a word. Somehow, through a will that was not our own this group of six had found one another. If I was ‘The Chosen’, then it was time for me to accept that these five were chosen with me.
“So this is it,” I said out loud. “This is who we are going to war with?”
“Yes it is,” Lena agreed.
“We’re all in this together.” I said, looking at each of them directly in the face while nodding with approval. Again, no one spoke.
Tommy broke the silence, “Let’s go inside.”
“So, this is where you’ve been?” I asked Tommy as he opened the door. Wyatt, Yari, Hector, and Lena all walked in after him. Apparently, werewolves weren’t given the same courtesy as humans. Everyone walked in without an invitation.
“There’s an upstairs and a bath,” Tommy said. “My bedroom is upstairs and anyone is welcomed to have it. One of the rooms is not in use though.”
“Why is that?” I asked.
“Check it out.” Tommy walked over to a room next to the living room. He went to the doorway and turned on the lights. I peaked in and saw a giant steel cage with bars as thick as 4x4’s.
“What the hell is that?” I asked Tommy.
“Sometimes I put myself in there.” Tommy walked inside the room and made his way to the cage. He opened the door of the cage and walked in. There were five lengths of thick metal chains complete with wrist and ankle holsters at the back of the cage. This is the type of cage I would have imagined they put ‘Hannibal Lechter’ in. The cage was big enough to house ten gorillas. “These metal bars are what keep me from being a killer.” Tommy was obviously referring to when he becomes a werewolf.
“Did you build this?” I asked
“I got it from a zoo.”
“That must have been an interesting conversation.”
“The guys thought I was some sicko serial killer.”
“He sold it to you anyway.” I said pointing out the obvious.
“Two thousand dollars cold cash has a way of allowing people to see things your way. For all I know when I become a werewolf I just might be a serial killer.”
“You don’t know?” I asked.
“Most Carni have no recollection when they become a werewolf. Some of the stronger ones can lead packs of werewolves and still have little recollection to the details of their night. Sometimes I look at police reports to see if there is ever a file that fits my description.”
“What description is that?”
“Apparently when I turn, I become a six foot two gray werewolf.”
“A gray werewolf?” I laughed. “I knew you were older than what you admitted.”
“It has nothing to do with age. Look at Hector, he’s one of the palest guys I have ever seen, yet he becomes a black raven when he transitions”.
I looked over at Tommy and shrugged. “Can you believe all this? How the hell did we get thrown into the middle of this?”
“Sometimes I wonder what any of this means. Sometimes I feel each of us is just a pawn in the Triat’s twisted game.”
I paused and leaned against the wall staring at the odd visual of my best friend standing inside of a steel cage. “Thank you, Tommy.” I said.
“For what?”
“Coming to help me, and trying to take on 200 Mani vampires by yourself.”
“Yeah, I was a big help,” Tommy said sarcastically.
“It
doesn’t matter. You risked your life for me.”
Tommy paused and smiled. “All right, Josiah. Don’t get all misty-eyed on me. You were the one who came back and got me.”
“You would have done the same if you could fly.”
Tommy nodded. “Let’s go out to the others.”
Tommy and I left the strange room and headed towards the kitchen. The kitchen was in the back of the cabin. Wyatt and Hector were sitting at the kitchen table while Lena and Yari were looking through the cabinets.
“What are you guys doing?” I asked
Lena looked over her shoulder and said, “I’m seeing what supplies we have if all Armageddon breaks out.”
“I don’t think we’re going to fight off a Mani army with pots and pans,” I said.
Tommy walked over to Yari and whispered something in her ear. Yari nodded.
What was that about?
“So is this what we’ve been reduced to?” I announced. “We’re hiding out like fugitives. I refuse to live this way.”
“Look Josiah,” Wyatt spoke up. “You are not ready to fight Krull.”
“Huh?” I said to Wyatt. “Where did that come from Wyatt?”
“None of us are ready to wage war against him and you sure as hell are not. Krull is the most powerful Mani ever. He possesses more Mani gifts than any Mani before him or since him.
“Well, I’ve been doing some crazy shit over the past two days. I just might have him beat.”
“Like what?” Yari asked adding to the conversation.
“A lot of things,” I said. “What kind of gifts did Atticai have that you all knew about?
“He had every gift Krull does. They were pretty much equal except we all thought Atticai was The Chosen.
I asked again. “What gifts did Atticai have that Krull still has?”
Hector who never says anything said, “They both can fly.”
“All of you can fly!” Tommy interjected.
“Not as a bird, but as a vampire,” Wyatt clarified.
“You’re telling me that seven foot bean pole that kicked my ass could fly?” Tommy asked.
Wyatt grinned, “He had all the other Mani gifts as well. The only thing Atticai couldn’t do was see in the future. If he could have, he would have known he wasn’t the Chosen.”
“What if he did know?” I asked. “Maybe that’s why he left me for dead to be bitten by all of those snakes?”
“There is always a chance he did.” Yari said. “But I don’t think so. There was a lot of good in Atticai. He chose not to follow Krull. He and Krull had the ability to take over the world if they would have joined forces. Atticai refused.”
Tommy added, “Do you think it was in the Triat’s will that Josiah killed him?”
All of the other Mani looked at each other as if to say they didn’t know.
“You all look disappointed that ‘The Chosen’ wasn’t Attica,” I remarked.
“We’re not disappointed,” Yari said. “We just had no idea it was going to be you.”
“The word isn’t disappointed,” Wyatt said. “We were just fucking surprised as hell. Then when you refused to talk to us for weeks, we wondered if it was all a mistake.
“Do you guys think it was a mistake now?” I glanced at all of them. Lena and Yari both shook their heads. Hector and Wyatt however looked at me blankly. “Are you and Hector completely on board, Wyatt? I need to know. Because if you’re not, I completely understand and would hold no resentment towards you—if you wanted out.”
Wyatt paused and looked at Hector. “We don’t want out, Josiah. We just want to make sure when all of this is over and when we prevail over Krull that you don’t plan on killing us.”
“What?” I asked surprised.
“Why wouldn’t you, Josiah?” Wyatt continued. “We both tried to kill you. We’re two of the three reasons you became a Mani unwillingly.
“All of that may be true, Wyatt. But that isn’t who I am. I respect that you were loyal to Atticai. You were only doing what you felt the Triat wanted you to do. I can’t be any angrier at you than I am at Tommy for kicking my ass in the ring a month back. He only fought me because the Commission told him he had to.
“So, we’re cool?” Hector came out and asked.
I smiled at Hector and Wyatt. “We’re cool, guys. As long as I know from here on out that I can trust you, all is forgiven.” I looked at Yari. “So what’s the deal with Krull? Is he going to hunt me down until he kills me?”
“Or until you kill him,” Yari answered. “Krull is a prideful son-of-a-bitch. Atticai was the only person who ever matched up with him. Since you laid him out, he now looks at you like a greater challenge. He had no idea what hit him.”
“Only because I sucker-punched him.” I stated.
“In a Mani on Mani fight, everything goes. You were well inside the rules. Krull won’t forget. But neither should you.”
“I almost wish we still had Atticai. It would be one more body.”
“Atticia would have never yielded to you,” Lena interrupted. “What happened to him that night was his destiny. The Triat knew he would never accept anyone else to lead us. No matter how much any of us cared for him. You did what you were supposed to do. You did the right thing.” Wow, I was getting mixed signals from Lena. Was she happy or sad that I was now in charge?”
“Okay,” I said. “If Krull is going to come after me, then that means he is coming after us. If this is too much for anyone and you want out—let it be known now.”
I looked at Hector.
“I’m in,” he said.
“Hey, I got Hector to talk again,” I joked. “This is an epic night.” Hector smiled. I looked over at Wyatt. “You in, Teethie?”
Wyatt laughed. “I told you that night I didn’t know you weren’t one of those frat douche bags.”
“Did I at least taste good?”
“Oh, you taste good,” Yari responded. Yari had been my second bite when she sucked the snake venom out of me.
I looked at Yari. “You in?”
“I’ve been in for two years with you, Josiah.”
I nodded and looked at Lena. “What about you? You don’t have to be part of this.”
Lena shrugged, “You’re joking right? Josiah, this thing that we all are part of—is the only thing that matters now.” I nodded at Lena. I was afraid for her. She was barely five feet tall and maybe 100 pounds. This wasn’t going to be easy.
I looked over at Tommy, who by now was making himself a sandwich. “How about you, werewolf boy? You want to stand and fight with a bunch of vampires?”
Tommy looked around the group. “Well considering none of you has tried to kill me yet. That’s what I plan on doing. I don’t really have too many options, anyway.”
“Alright,” I said. “I need to know two more things. First, what is our money situation? Do you guys have jobs? How do you pay for stuff?”
Everyone laughed.
“We don’t need jobs, Josiah.” Yari answered.
“What? Do you all steal?” I asked.
“None of us are thieves. We all have our own money for different reasons.”
“Do you have bank accounts?”
“Swedish ones,” Wyatt laughed.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
Wyatt looked over to Hector and Hector gave him a nod as if to say it was alright to tell me.”
“Hector used to be a prince.”
“Hector? A prince? You’re screwing with me, right?”
“Serious as a heart attack, Josiah.”
“Prince Hector?” I looked over at Hector and he grinned.
“Yeah, so he’s set,” Wyatt continued. “I’m set because of some great real estate ventures I made in the 90’s when the market was good. And Yari—
Yari interrupted Wyatt and said, “let’s just say I’ve had a few ‘friends’ along the way that have allowed me to live comfortably for quite some time.”
“So, you’re a gold digger?” I
asked.
“Not a gold digger. I like pretty things and men seem to like to provide me with that.”
“This is why I never cared to ask about your money situations,” I said. “I was scared to know.”
“Josiah, there is a combine wealth among the three of us that battles Donald trump.”
I looked over at Lena. “Don’t look at me. I’ve been sponging off my parents and these guys for the last couple years.”
“Well,” I said. “I still have a lot of inheritance left, so I guess money is the least of our worries.” I knew that Tommy had some money from his MMA winnings. “So, my next question is what Mani gifts does each of you have?”
“Don’t look at me,” Tommy goofed. “I can only bite people once a month.”
“What about you Hector?”
“I can transition and sometimes see the future.”
“Wyatt?”
“The same,” Wyatt answered.
“Lena, what can you do?” I asked.
“I can erase thoughts and transition. I might have more. I don’t know.
“Yari, what about you?” Yari was quiet. “Yari?” I repeated.
“I can do everything, but fly.” She said plainly.
“You serious?” Tommy said nearly choking on his sandwich. He seemed impressed.
“I’ve been around a long time. You pick up skills along the way.”
“Then you’re going to be as valuable as hell.” I said pleased.
“I’m not sure how valuable I’m going to be to the cause,” Yari said. “Mind reading and memory erasing only work on the very weakest Mani and Carni. My skills will be limited against Krull’s crew.”
Then something dawned on me. Yari said she had every skill accept Flying. That means she can see into the future. She must have known I was The Chosen. I didn’t want to say it in front of everyone. But it all made sense now. The reason she saved me, and why she let me know how to defeat Atticai. I thought she did all that because she was in love with me. Apparently, she was only doing the will of the Triat.
“Don’t sell yourself short, Yari. The reason why I’m alive is because of you.”
Yari seemed please that had I said that. “I can tell you this, Josiah. Krull will not come for you here. You are going to battle Krull at another time. It won’t be here, and it won’t be anytime soon.”