THE EVENT Page 5

  "Thank you Dawn, I imagine this has your hand in it."

  Dawn simply smiled and tilted her head, as if to say, you're welcome.

  "Well for me being a supposed Oracle it would sure have been nice if I had seen myself getting my foot caught in that rock. That was a pain that I would rather not experience again."

  Shade's father hung his head a little.

  "Now none of that, you did get me out after all!"

  The memory of the trip flooded back into Shade's fathers head.

  "The rock!" He turned to Shade with a look of accusation once again. "I almost forgot about that little trick Shade. You have some explaining to do!"

  Shade looked at his father and saw the anger building at the supposed joke he had pulled.

  "I didn't lie to you Dad, I tried to move that rock as hard as I could, and it barely even budged."

  Shade's father stood up trying to control his anger."Well let's just go find out ourselves shall we?" With that, he stormed out the front door with everyone trailing behind. Shade's mom stood up gently on her ankle and had to sit quickly back down as a stab of pain shot through her leg. She turned to watch from the window.

  Outside the cabin, Shade's father raked his head back and forth looking for a suitable demonstration to prove that Shade had been lying to him. The stars light shone down on their old car sitting a ways away. Left where it had been since the day they drove it here so long ago. Shade's father walked up to the back bumper and placed both of his hands underneath it. Turning his head back towards Shade and Dawn as they watched in silence he lifted.

  The car's rear tires came off the ground as though they were light as air. The complete shock of what he had done washed across his face as he placed the car back down on the ground.

  "That can't be...," he breathed as he looked around for something else suitable. An old tree lay at the edge of the woods. Being too big to burn, they had left it alone for a long time in the hopes of cutting it up somehow another day. Shade's father walked over to it and placed his hands around the base near the sheared off roots. This time without looking back, he lifted again. For a moment, everyone thought it wasn't going to move. A low tearing sound broke the air as the weeds, and plants, which had grown over the tree, tore up from the ground and it broke free. Once again, he placed it down gently and turned back to the children.

  "I ... I'm sorry Shade, I thought you were playing a poor joke, but it seems you weren't. Nothing is the same now, is it?"

  "No Dad, it seems everything has changed." Except for me."Shade thought to himself.

  We retired back into the house to find Mom still sitting on the bed.

  "Did you see that hon." Shade's father asked as he sat on the bed beside her.

  "There is no way I should have been able to lift either the car or the tree, yet I could lift them both without breaking a sweat."

  Shade's mom sat rubbing her ankle gingerly as she looked at all of us in turn with her black eyes.

  "Yes, I didn't notice while you were carrying me back, the pain wouldn't let me focus, but it looks like you have been changed by events as well. We all have somehow."Shade looked down at the ground to hide his eyes from his mother.

  "Except me."

  Everyone turned to look at Shade.

  "What do you mean?" Shade's father asked. "You can see the lights inside things, you told me yourself."

  "Yes, but that’s so... boring." Shade blushed with the admission. "Mom can see into the future somehow. Dawn can speak into people’s minds and you have incredible strength. What I can do doesn't do anything at all." Shade stood nervously kicking at random items on the floor. Uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the other three as the silence filled the small room. Shade's mother broke the silence.

  "Your time hasn't come yet. Your future isn't set any more than ours is. I'm not sure how but your turn is soon. You can trust me on that."

  Shade looked up to see his mother’s dark eyes looking right at him with her ability to place him no matter where he stood. A smile broke Shade's lips. "Thanks Mom."

  Two weeks passed without incident, Mom's leg never healed properly. It must have been from before it was set that damaged the bones. No one was sure but the best she could manage was a slow hobble and larger distances caused her too much pain.

  Shade's father felt such guilt that he rarely left her alone anymore. She insisted that she was ok and didn't fault him for it, but it didn't change his attitude much. He became her protector anew.

  Shade spent the time trying to find the key to his own powers. He tried to talk inside Dawn's mind as she did. She would always frown and shake her head whenever he tried. He would try to lift things that were excessively heavy for him when no one was looking, but the results were always typical, and nothing out of the norm ever happened.

  One evening Shade was sitting in the driver's seat of the car that lay abandoned a ways outside the cabin. He was just sitting there holding the wheel remembering the world he had once known. It already seemed so long ago to him, events had broken the two worlds apart.

  A movement from outside his field of vision caused him to turn his head and look towards the edge of the forest. Branches slowly pushed aside, as something worked its way out of the woods. Something very large and covered in a course brown hair moved from out of the trees. Shade froze in place staring out through the dust-covered windows. His hands wrapped around the steering wheel showed white knuckles as his grip tightened in terror. The beast crept slowly towards the cabin, its elongated nose low to the ground as it sniffed at something only it could smell. Shade, trapped in the car, watched the beast slowly move in front of him working its way closer to his mom inside.

  "I need Dad!" Shade thought as panic built inside him.

  Shade's father and Dawn had gone down to the lake to catch some fish for supper. Dawn seemed able to catch them very easy for some reason. It wasn't far away, but it was far enough that he wouldn't hear Shade call for help before the beast rushed to the cabin. Shade's panic grew as the beast lumbered silently forward getting closer and closer to his mom.

  "I need to do something right now!"

  Shade felt a light tingle underneath his fingertips as the lights on the car radio flickered and a small crackle broke from the long dead speakers.

  "What? This car hasn't done anything since that night." Confusion mixed with his fear as Shade took his hands off the wheel and the stereo blinked out again. Looking up at the beast that was almost outside the door of their small cabin Shade placed his palm over the center of the steering wheel and pushed as hard as he could on the horn.

  The car horn came alive with a blast loud enough to make a flock of birds burst from the trees. The beast came to a stop just outside the door and twisted its head to the side, staring straight at the car. Its claws dug deep into the soil as it saw Shade sitting inside still pressing hard on the horn.

  Tearing up rocks and soil, the beast lunged forward. Down on all fours it raced towards Shade and the still blaring horn. Shade released the steering wheel and the horn fell silent once again. The beast however continued its charge. With the force of a bulldozer, it slammed into the driver’s side door. Lifting the side of the car up and almost rolling it over on to its roof. Shade fell away from the driver’s side and landed hard against the passenger window. With a loud pop, the window shattered against a rock spreading broken glass all over Shade's back. The car stopped its rollover and fell back to the ground throwing Shade back onto the seats again. With the jolt, all the windows in the car smashed out and glass flew everywhere. Only the windshield stayed intact, but even it was spider webbed with cracks. An unnatural howl broke from the beast’s throat as he saw his target twisted up inside the car.

  Shade was trapped. His back ached and there was blood flowing into his eyes. His body twisted up in knots against one of the seats, and he could only just see the driver’s door and the beast standing outside of it. Shade tried to right himself, but pain shot up through his neck wit
h the efforts. The beast placed both of its hands against the broken window frame.

  "How does it have hands?" Shade had a fleeting thought as the beast tore the door right off the side of the car and threw it into the trees. Shade knew he was done for and closed his eyes as the beast drew back its hand and curved its fingers into claws.

  #####

  The lake was one of Dawn's favourite places. She didn't really know how she did it, only that if she tried to catch a fish she always would. She felt that she could have stood on the bank of the lake and cast repeatedly, pulling fish out until there weren't any left.

  The sun overhead and the crystal blue sky's always brought her a sense of joy when she stood like this. The water gently lapped up against shore with the light breeze that was often up in this valley. Dawn looked around and saw Shade's father standing farther down the beach, having much less success himself.

  She smiled in spite of herself. Dawn always thought that he came here for more than just the food himself. He didn't talk that much to her but would smile from time to time as he too took in the beauty of the place. Dawn felt another tug on her line and knew she had yet another large catch. She had enough already, but always found it hard to leave here.

  A car horn broke the silence. Dawn looked over at Shade's father who was already looking at her. He simply dropped his rod, and took off towards the cabin at a dead run, faster than any human should have been able to run. Dawn rushed after him at the best pace her teenage body could keep up.

  She only caught sight of him again after she broke through the underbrush just on the opposite side of the cabin. Dawn looked to find the car and saw some monster reaching and tearing off the cars door as though it were made of balsa wood. A glimpse showed her that Shade was inside, blood was everywhere and he looked trapped upside down.

  Shade's father had taken this all in as well. He never dropped his pace as he turned towards the beast. He didn't even slow down as he rammed his shoulder into the beast and away from the car. The beast had its claws raised high in the air. The blow had taken the beast by surprise and it righted itself quickly after landing. A low growl came out of its throat.

  "It was you that I smelt!" The voice tore from its throat in an unnatural grating sound.

  The beast rushed forward again and grabbed Shade's father around the middle, knocking him flat to his back.

  "You should be with US, you would do well." The voice ground out again.

  The beast began to push his teeth towards the father’s neck, lips pulled back in a snarl as he pulled in to a bite deep. Shade's father took one hand off the beast’s neck and balled it into a fist. The resounding crack when he hit him sent spit, blood, and a few white specks floating away into the grass. Shade's father scrambled to his feet, and the combatants faced off more carefully than before, no surprises this time.

  Dawn saw that two fighters were intent on each other and neither even glanced around. They would rush together throwing trees rocks and fists at each other. Occasionally a lump of hair or something else would land with a thud on the ground near them. Both combatants ignored it, and the battle would continue.

  Dawn watched the two as she circled around to the car. It was totalled but Shade still lay inside, he looked like he was trying to get himself out but couldn't tell what way was up. Dawn placed a hand on the side of his head. It was red with blood.

  "Move slowly, your father is fighting, but we need to get you free."

  Shade grunted quietly and renewed his efforts to free himself. Dawn helped pull one of his legs out trapped by the steering wheel, and the seat.

  Only moments later Shade was out and leaning back against the beaten car. Blood dripped down his forehead, but he brushed it aside ignoring it. His eyes were intent on the two fighting in the ground. The fight reduced to the level of a dirt match and it was easy to see there was more blood coming from his father then the beast. One of Shade's father's hands was hanging limp and he was trying to keep it behind him as best as he could.

  "We have to help him!" Whatever that thing is, it's winning."

  Shade started forward towards the fight but Dawn blocked his way, she shook her head no. Shade moved around her and started to limp down again as he watched his father get knocked to the ground once again, this time much slower to get up. Dawn pushed him back with both hands and projected "NO" The force of her saying it caused Shade to stumble as his knees shook.

  Dawn grabbed both his hands and turned to look at the fight before them. Shade's father was on the ground, but he wasn't getting up. Once again, the beast was leaning towards him, his eyes intent on the neck and the steady pulsing vein under the skin.

  Dawn's eyes glazed over and Shade felt her pull the strength from inside him. All the trees lost their color again, and the world got a dimmer the more she pulled. When her eyes snapped open, they were looking directly at the eyes of the beast as he moved his head closer to his prey.

  Shade didn't know what Dawn was doing, only that this time he was helping willingly. The beast stopped its decent, and with a loud cry began to claw at his own head, intent on getting at something inside it. His gaze snapped over to where Shade and Dawn where standing together and it took a few shaky steps towards them.

  With one last howl, the beast snapped its head back so far there was a loud crack he fell to the dirt like a rag doll. The body hit the ground hard, but Shade wasn't sure he was dead yet.

  The arms and legs started to contort from their odd angles. The finger like claws curled up and grew smaller. The thick daggered nails shrank back into the fingers until they looked like a normal hand once again. Shade looked at the rest of the beast, but it was gone. In its place lay a well-muscled older man. Cuts and lacerations covered him, and the blood without a heart to pump it was already slowing.

  Shade's father still lay on the ground behind the beast. He was getting up slowly but didn't show as many wounds as the monster on the ground. Most of his scrapes looked to be healing already. Once raised back to his own two feet, Shade's father walked over to the beast and stared long and hard at it before speaking.

  "I don't know how I know, but if you hadn't helped me that's what I would have become, a werewolf. What has happened to this world?"

  Shade sucked in a deep breath as he released Dawn's hand.

  "How has everything changed so much? Mom would read me these stories as a child but that’s all they were. I've known that for a long time! What has happened to make the stories all real again?"

  Shade's mother, the Oracle, limped her way out of the house to join the rest of them. Concern was on Shade's father's face as he saw her at first; it faded to joy when he saw she was still ok. It was only her prior injury slowing her down.

  "Maybe the stories I read to you weren't stories of fantasy Shade. Maybe once, a long time ago they were all real, and now that time is here again. Science is gone and fantasy has stepped back in. That would explain a lot about what has been happening around here since the event.

  That wolf that attacked you in town must have been a werewolf too. Perhaps not fully changed yet, it didn't infect you with the wound on your face as fast as it could have. Maybe because of that Dawn and Shade were able to keep you from changing, although something was left still inside."

  "I could smell him; he is the same one that visited our cabin." Shade's father stepped closer to the man lying dead on the ground before him.

  "Yes, and I imagine he could smell you too, that’s why he came back. Why else though, I don't know."

  Dawn projected an image of many werewolves outside the cabin. The Oracle looked at her and bent her head a little to the side, "No, I don't see more coming. We have to keep this in mind though, whatever it was he wanted here there will be others looking too."

  "Shade, Dawn, I will get rid of this." Shade's father grabbed a shovel and hefted the body with no effort. "When I get back, we have to talk. I need to know how you got the car to work, and how you stopped this monster." With that, he strode off i
nto the woods to dispose of the naked body.

  Shade's mother turned to follow the sound of his footsteps fading into the forest. "He is not a werewolf...no, but he's not himself anymore. I saw the vision of this fight too late to do any good. Shade, your father was very highly ranked in the army. We will call him General from now on. He has earned it. He won't like the name much, but it will grow on him. Now, how did you get the car horn to work?"

  Chapter 6

  Shade didn't get a chance to explain. The Oracle changed her mind, deciding instead to wait for her General to return. She began inspecting Shade's wounds on his face, head and back, after determining that none of them would be life threatening, she spoke again.

  "Your light is weaker than normal again." It wasn't a question, but Shade knew she expected some kind of response.

  "I had to give it to Dawn again, when she did... whatever she did."

  Dawn blushed as she turned her face down without a response.

  "It's not as bad as before though, I can still see the life in things it's just not as bright. It's more like it's seen through a fog." Shade tried to explain more but the words escaped him. He didn't have to try long though as the General came back shortly after, with the shovel hung over his shoulder.

  "Good you're all still here. Now, let's have some answers. Shade, how did you get the car horn to work? I messed with that car for hours and there wasn't a single thing on it that would still work like it was supposed to."

  Shade looked at his hands and thought about the moment of the werewolf creeping past the car. "I'm not sure Dad, err, General."

  The General's head snapped towards his wife. "You put them up to that?" but she just smiled and shrugged then turned back to Shade. "Continue Hon"

  Shade waited until his father turned back at him.

  The General gave a look of annoyance to the one person who couldn't have seen it then took a deep breath and again waited for Shade to continue.