Rise of the Death Walkers (The Circle of Heritage Saga)

by Lawrence Nason Jr.

  I shook my head and said. "Serj I am not like that. I have been hurt myself." Before I knew it I had told him about Katie and what had happened. I had never spoken to anyone about it before, but he had such a personality that I could not help myself. I was somehow drawn to him and he put me completely at ease.

  I found out much later he was what the people of Origan consider to be soul healers. He had a natural given gift to help people deal with past troubles. Irma returned and I was out of my chair to hold hers as she sat down. I saw the look of approval Serj gave to me. I sat back down and Serj placed two cokes in front of us. "Compliments of the house my friends." He said something to Irma and she blushed again.

  I lifted my coke and looked at Irma. "Here is to a natural beauty unblemished by man made products." I had noticed she wore very little makeup and the way she did use it was only to accent her eyes and a bit of blush on her cheeks. The perfume she wore was faint and not overwhelming.

  She looked confused and Serj shot a rapid sentence in German to her. When he was finished she blushed again and lifted her drink. She said something in German and Serj grinned as he translated. "She said thank you and that you are a true gentleman something that is seldom seen in these days."

  I smiled and drink to the toast. We did not say much while Serj was singing to the Greek music in the room. He actually had a very good singing voice. He called something out and the lights went one shade darker and a different sort of music filtered though the restaurant. I stood up and moved to the other side of the table where Irma was sitting. She lifted her eyes to me in surprise as I held out my hand.

  "Would you honor me with this dance my lady?"

  Serj said something and she blushed and nodded. "Thank you." She said softly and took my hand. We went to the open space that was obviously there for dancing. I placed my hand on her back and we began dancing. I was not that great a dancer but I had seen my grandfather dance more than once. The music was obviously a waltz and I did the best I could do.

  She followed me easily and did not object when the music changed and we danced another waltz. When the music changed again I guided her back to the table and held her chair while she sat back down.

  "Thank you for the honor Irma, you dance wonderfully."

  She blushed and dropped her eyes. "You are better than I am."

  "Would you believe me if I told you I have never learned to dance?" I sat back down at the table on my side.

  "No." she giggled. "Most boys use dancing as a chance to grab my butt. You know how to treat a girl with.. " she struggled for a moment trying to remember something and then said something to Serj.

  "Respect." Serj supplied and then his booming laugher overwhelmed the music in the room. Irma nodded at him and smile at me. "Come you two I have kept your sheep's cheese warm and your salads chilled. Time to eat to gain energy for later." I looked at him with a puzzled look on my face. "Ireena wants to take you to the discotech later this evening." I looked at Irma and she blushed again and nodded in affirmation.

  I turned my attention to the square of aluminum foil Serj had placed in front of me. As I opened it the most delicious aroma I had ever smelled accosted my nostrils. There was a strong smell of garlic and onions and something else I could not rightly place. I placed my fork in the foil and lifted a small piece of the cheese to my mouth. If there was ever anything that was considered ambrosia to the gods then it would have to be that square of sheep's cheese Serj had served to me.

  "Wow! This is great!" The sentence burst from my mouth before I realized I was even going to say it. When I looked at Serj he had a look on his face that looked as if I had paid him the biggest complement of his lifetime.

  Irma giggled at me and said. "It's my favorite too." She blushed when I smiled at her.

  When she looked down at her plate I asked her. "Is something wrong?"

  She looked back at me and said. "No Jeran it's just .." She struggled to find the words she wanted to say to me. "every time you smile at me it's like the sun coming up in the morning. I get this warm feeling all over. I am not used to feeling like this." She blushed even a deeper red than before.

  I reached over and took her hands in mine. "When you look at me Irma you have this sparkle in your eyes that captivates me. I have trouble trying to articulate anything." She looked confused again and her eyes shot to Serj who translated what I had said. She blushed again and gently squeezed my hands.

  Serj's booming laugh echoed through the room. "Jeran, when you finally learn to speak German properly you will keep this poor girl in an eternal shade of red. You have the true language of the romantics in your soul. I will have to keep an extra fire extinguisher at my side to quell all the fires you two start in here."

  Irma did not understand everything he said but she got the gist of it. "Jeran you speak so different from most Americans."

  I took a drink from the coke Sergi had served us and thought about what she said. "Well culturally I am different from most Americans I know." Serj translated while I was talking. "My tribe behaves a lot differently toward women than most Americans. The women are the backbone of our society and we are taught to respect them and the wisdom they have. My grandmother, who I call Mimi, is a leader within our tribe. She heads the council for all intents and purpose. Traditionally the men in my family have been the chiefs of the tribe but their main responsibility was hunting, farming and protecting the tribe in the times of tribal wars. The woman handled everything else. I have seen men literally expelled from the tribe for mistreating their wives."

  Irma looked at me with a look of fascination. She lowered her eyes and after a bit looked at me and said. "I feel somehow you suffered a great pain in your life."

  Helplessness gripped me for a moment as I was inadvertently forced back to a time I did not want to remember. The pain must have been apparent in my eyes because her eyes grew wide and I stood up at the table. "Irma, I.." I was at a loss for words. “can't talk about that now. Please excuse me for a moment." I saw the pained look in her eyes as I blindly stumbled to the back of the restaurant.

  I reached what I hoped was the men's room and walked in the door. I locked the door behind me and sagged against it as I was literally attacked by the feelings I had kept inside me for so long. This morning's episode had been nothing in comparison. I could not breathe. My chest hurt so bad. My heart had been torn apart so many times, but the pain never seemed to lessen.

  I could visualize Katie's look of concern in my mind but there was something new. Irma's face was there too and it seemed like they were comforting each other and each trying to lend me the strength to survive this attack. When the pain finally lessened I wondered what did it mean that Irma was in my thoughts now in the special place that once belonged to Katie alone? Why was my mind including someone, who was effectively a stranger to me, in a place I had reserved for the one true love of my life? What did this mean?

  I fought to compose myself. When I was finally at a point I felt I could face the world again, I relieved myself and washed my hands and face. I looked in the mirror to make sure I was in control of my feelings and then went out the door. I walked to the table slowly and heard Irma and Serj speaking in German. When I reached the table she looked up and smiled her eyes held me captive and that wonderful feeling spread through my body. "I am sorry Irma." I said softly "I didn't mean to ruin your evening."

  She reached out for my hand and held it in her dainty hands. "No, Jeran you have done nothing wrong. When you are ready you will tell me I am sure." She shot a look at Serj and I was sure he had talked to her. Sometimes in the future I may be ready and what he had already told her may make it easier on me. "Let's finish our meals and then we can go for a walk on the river."

  I nodded at her and began to eat. My mind was fixed on the meal and the light conversation I heard in the restaurant. When we finished, I had a heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach. Without even asking Serj placed a shot glass of something in front of both Irma and I. "Drink," he
said with conviction."This helps your digestion."

  I began to object. "I don't drink alcohol Serj."

  He placed my hand on the shot glass and said more firmly. "Drink!" I looked at Irma and she nodded to me.

  The drink had a very strong medicinal smell to it. When I drank it I did not choke like I normally did with alcoholic drinks. It went down my throat stinging a little, but when it hit my stomach my stomach began to settle down. "That's good. What is it called.?"

  Irma smiled at me and said. "It's a Greek drink called Ouzo. It helps work the food proper in your belly."

  "Yes it does. Thank you Serj. what do I owe you?" I asked as I pulled out my wallet.

  "This time you are my special guest but if you wish you can contribute to the children's fund we collect for here." He waved to a chest near the entrance.

  "Thank you Serj I will do that and you can count on me returning soon." I finished the coke on the table and stood up. I walked to the other side of the table and held the chair for Irma while she stood up.

  Serj shot his big meaty hand out and grabbed mine. "You do that Jeran and bring little Ireena with you too."

  I nodded and said. "I will do that Serj." I guided Irma to the door and when we got there I dropped a couple hundred marks in the children's fund. Irma's eyes went wide and I said gently. "It's for a good cause Irma." She smiled at me and nodded. We walked out to the car and I held her door again while she got in. I got in the other side and started the car. "Where to now?"

  "Back to Phillipsburg. We will go out to the Boathouse and you can park your car safely there. It's behind the Kernkraftwerk." She saw the confused look on my face and struggled to remember how it was said in English. "Nuclear Power Plant I think is it called in English."

  "Ok." I said. "I think I know the way you stop me if I turn wrong." She nodded at me and I headed back toward Wiesenthal.

  I reached the destination with no problem using the street signs. This seemed to impress Irma somewhat. "You are already learning your way around quickly."

  "Yes some of the German I read on the signs is similar to English and I remember other words you have told me tonight. I hope to learn quick enough to where we can talk freely about what we want to. Your English seems to be getting a little better too." I stopped the car on the side of the lost like others had stopped theirs and got out to open Irma's door for her.

  "It does seem a little lighter to speak with you the more I hear you talk." She smiled shyly at me.

  "Lighter? Oh you mean easier." She nodded when I corrected her. I offered her my arm and we walked toward the river. The sun was just easing toward the horizon as we walked and the reflection on the water was breathtaking. When we reached the edge as far as we could walk I noticed that there was a crashed stone road that followed the river.

  Irma pointed at the road and supplied, "In the past there used to be teams of horses that would tow barges up and down the river. That's why the roads are here."

  We started walking down the road and I noticed every few hundred feet, there were benches positioned looking out over the water. We reached one and Irma said. "We can sit here and watch the sun go down."

  She sat down and patted the seat next to her. I sat down very conscious of her sitting next to me and she scooted closer to me. I could feel the warmth of her leg on mine. "I like sitting here and thinking about things when the sun is setting. I think about past hurts a lot but when you are here they don't hurt as much."

  I heard her sigh and then said softly. "If there is something you want to talk about I am here to listen for you."

  She bit her lip and looked out over the water. After a short time she began to softly speak. "His name was Tom and he was American like you, but older and not as dark. He was twenty five and had dark hair like yours. I met him in a club in Wiesbaden. Sonja was with me that night. He started out being gentle but quickly he became more distant and at times he was mean. I fell in love with him and hoped when he noticed he would become gentle again but his friends were more important to him than I was. We were together for four months and then he was gone. I tried to find him and write to him but nobody would tell me where he lived, or where he was transferred to. I tried to find him through the embassy and did finally get his address. I wrote him a letter but I never got a reply from it. It's been six months now." I could see the tears in her eyes and gently brushed on from her face. "I guess I was just too normal for him and not special enough to keep his attention for longer than a quick night in bed."

  I lifted her chin and turned her face so I could look in her eyes. "Irma, you are a very special person. Don't ever forget that. You are not pretty or plain you are stunningly beautiful in ways that many men would never grasp." I brushed the tears from her face and smiled at her. "Smile, Irma and light up the world with your beauty." She smiled and I brushed the hair out of her eyes. "That's the way to do it girl. May I ask how old you are?"

  She looked at me with those sparkling blue eyes and said softly. "I am nineteen."

  I smiled to her and said, "I am nineteen too!"

  She looked at me and said softly, "Really? I thought you were older. Your eyes look older."

  The sun had set and the stars were beginning to come out. We sat there for a while holding hands. I felt something loosen in me just by being with her and the Katie in my mind was gesturing I should go ahead and tell her everything. "Her name was Katie and I met her when I was fourteen." I went on to tell her everything that happened leaving out only things concerning my destiny and special things from the tribe. As I told her I could not stop the tears from escaping my eyes and she held my hand tighter. She watched me with tender eyes as I told my heartbreaking story and when I came to the part where Katie had died she gathered me into her arms as I sobbed uncontrollably.

  She ran her hand though my hair and made comforting sounds in German. After I calmed down somewhat she spoke softly. "Jeran, I thought my story was life ending but I don't think I would have survived what you went through."

  "My name is Jason, Irma." I told her "I lost it completely when Katie was killed and killed the man that had thrown her over the railing. I was in a mental institution for a long time and I escaped from there and changed my name and joined the army."

  "Jason." she tried my name on her tongue a couple times. "Jason I do not hold it against you for killing that man he deserved to die. I somehow sensed you could be dangerous but you are unbelievably gentle also."

  I pulled back and wiped my face. "You know my real name but stick with Jeran for now that's how I am known here. I will understand if you never want to see me again I am a monster."

  "Stop that Jeran now!" she said firmly to me and held my face between her small hands. "You are not a monster Jeran and never will be. What you faced would have.." She struggled to remember the right words. "challenged any person."

  She moved in closer and said softly. "I will see you again and that's because it is what I choose to do. Not because of something you did." Her face was inches from mine now and she stopped when she saw me pull back.

  She backed up and said softly. "Think about this Jeran. Do you think Katie would want you to be alone for the rest of your life or to do what you are doing now?"

  I looked at her puzzled by what she said. "What do you mean by that?"

  "You joined the army to find an easy way to end your pain by doing something dangerous which could result in getting yourself killed." I frantically searched my memory to find out what I had said to her. Nothing I had said would have ever led to her deducing my purpose in the Army. She waited for me to reply and when I did not she continued. "Do you think Katie would want you dead just because she is dead?"

  I took an opportunity to really think about what she said. After a bit I said. "No she would want me to live and if possible find love again."

  She put her hands back on my face and said "Then give love a chance to heal you Jeran because she would want that."

  I looked at her eyes and notice for
the first time they were not truly blue but closer to grey than blue. "I think I can do that." I said softly.

  We sat there looking at the stars for a while and Irma put her head on my shoulder and her arms around me. I started humming an old tribal song that popped in my head. "What's that Jeran? It sounds pretty."

  I was pulled out of my thoughts at the sound of her voice. "It's an old tribal song about the maiden of the mountains. She had lost love and had been thrust back into the world between two grandiose mountains which were occupied by two separate tribes that were once one. The story explains how her heartbreak softened the hearts of the opposing chiefs and healed past wounds to make the tribe as one."

  "Can you sing it for me please?" she asked softly.

  I began signing the words to her as my grandmother had taught to me. The song was long soft and sad. The sound of a strange language that had never touched the banks of this river lingered on the soft star filled night. I could not carry a tune in a bucket in English but my grandmother had told me that my voice in the native language of our tribe was mesmerizing.

  When I finished the song and the last notes of the song were still lingering on the night air I heard Irma sniffle. "It's so pretty and sad sounding Jeran. I could not understand anything you sang but I could feel the pain in the song and the happiness toward the end of the song." she sat up and had tears in her eyes. "Can you teach me your language? What's it called?"

  That stumped me for a moment. "Well we call it the ancient tongue. Only the members of our tribe speak it. It's not even close to the language we use to communicate between tribes or English for that matter. I would have to learn German first and teach you more English before I could try to teach you that language. It is rather complicated." I pushed the strand of hair out of her face again.

  She looked at me astonished. "You already speak three languages?"

  I smiled at her and said. "No I speak six but I was taught them from birth. There are three primary languages within what we call the six nations."