The Special People

Chapter 18

He walked to an old shelter made of stone near the lake and entered a small room inside. Along the walls of the room were rows of ceramic jars sitting on stone shelves. He picked up a jar that had a picture of a wolf painted on the front, brought the jar over to a stone table, and poured the dust contents out onto it. He opened his mouth and sank his fangs into his own wrist; holding his arm out, he let the blood drip onto the small mound of dust. It immediately began to take shape just as he had the previous night. He retrieved another jar, this time with a picture of a bobcat painted on it, and repeated the process. The mounds of dust slowly took shape, each forming the tip of a clawed, hairy finger. Little by little, the bones, vessels, muscles, and skin slowly grew, lengthening and thickening.

He left the fingers and walked out to the lake, removed his clothing, and waded into it. The liquid sent a burning sensation over all his wounds. After a while, the burning sensation began to subside, and a feeling of relief took its place. He walked out of the lake. Fresh vibrant new skin covered his body; his injuries were all completely healed.

As he put his pants back on, he heard a rustle in the bushes nearby. Claws protracted, he waited silently, listening for more movement. After a few seconds, he carefully approached the bushes. Nothing was visible, but he was certain there was something there. A soft hissing sound was growing louder, and it seemed to be making its way around and behind him.

He turned to see two large black eyes staring at him. It was a giant snake—sleek, muscular, and nearly forty-five feet long. The snake raised its head to Isaac ’s and looked him square in the face. The head was the size of a grown man’s torso, and it smoothly transitioned into the body. The scales were smooth and shiny. A narrow jet-black stripe ran along the length of its body, fading to a cloudy white down its sides and belly. The scales reflected the pale-green light, giving it an eerie glow. Under the mist, the massive serpent was nearly invisible.

Isaac stared back at the snake for a moment, and then with a smile, he reached up and caressed the side of its face. The snake leaned its head into Isaac ’s hand as its forked tongue slid in and out of its mouth.

“Tepianicoatl, you’ve grown. It’s good to see you, old friend,” Isaac said in Nahuatl. “Is Yolcatl still alive?”

The snake turned its head to the side. Isaac followed its gaze and saw a large tree with an abnormal growth along the trunk. He looked closer and noticed a large yellow eye peering back at him through the bark.

“I see you,” he said.

The tree appeared to split in half as the large growth detached. The appearance of bark began to fade into smooth gray-green scales. Standing upright before Isaac was a huge reptile which looked like a large monitor lizard with limbs as long as a human’s and a tail almost as thick as its body and one and a half times as long. Standing on its hind legs, it stood around six and a half feet tall. After a moment, it leaned forward and crawled on all fours up to Isaac . It too had a forked tongue that slid in and out of its mouth.

“I’m glad to see you both still alive after all this time,” he said. “You two were always my closest friends. I need your help. The Teteo Analoya are here although they are not the fierce warriors of which Zolin prophesied. They are weak, scared, and vulnerable. If they are to be as powerful as was foretold, then we must strike soon while we have the advantage. I have a feeling they will go into hiding until they are ready to resurface. Yolcatl, I need you to locate them—find out where they might be hiding. Use stealth—the people today carry powerful weapons. They are nothing I have yet been unable to handle, but be wary nonetheless. I am bringing back to life some old friends of ours to help you. I’m going to use them to try and drive the Teteo Analoya out of hiding. Go, I will send them when they are ready.”

Yolcatl quickly left the cave, and Isaac turned to the snake. “Tepianicoatl, I will need you to remain here and guard the cave. They cannot be allowed access to the micoaz atl.”

Tepianicoatl slithered toward the entrance while Isaac went to check on the creatures. The flesh had returned fully to each finger, and part of the palm was now visible, more so with the bobcat hand as the finger was shorter and stubbier than the wolf’s.

He looked around the shelter and located an old knife, and then he began to sharpen it on a stone. Once it was sharp enough, he took it to his hair, cutting it close to his head. Long strands of blond hair covered the ground where he sat. When he was finished, his hair was the same length as the doppelganger.

The van pulled up to a government building and drove down into the parking garage beneath it. Dutch got out, opened the side door, and helped each person step down. They all followed him into the building through a door bearing the words Federal Bureau of Investigation. One by one, they were taken through a security gate.

Wilson stopped at the gate when it lit up and beeped.

“Oh sorry,” he said as he pointed at the gun on his ankle.

“It’s okay, just leave them here, and you can pick them up on your way out,” said Dutch. He hesitated, and then he asked, “Do most teachers carry nowadays, or are you three the exception? Don’t get me wrong—after today’s . . . mess, I’m sure glad you do. Just curious as to why.”

Kyle smiled wryly and answered, “In this day and age, you never know when you might need it.”

Wilson and Kristen nodded in agreement as they all pulled out their guns and set them on the table. An agent set the guns in a tray and placed them out of view behind the counter. As they passed through the gate, another agent was waiting for them on the other side.

“The others are this way,” he said.

They were led down a hallway and into a break room. Their faces lit up a little as they saw four other students sitting on the couches, still alive and safe. Wilson saw that two of the students were Carrie and Sam, and he breathed a small sigh of relief. Kristen ran up and hugged them all, tears of joy running down her face at seeing them alive.

“You’re welcome to sit as long as you would like,” said Dutch. “There is a phone in the corner in case you need to call anyone. When any of you are feeling up to it, we would like to take your statements while the events are fresh on your mind. Agent Hale here will be helping you out with that when you are ready.”

“Thanks,” said Kristen.

They all sat in silence for a while. Nobody took advantage of the phone. Wilson wanted to say something to the students, to ask if they were okay and if they needed anything and if they were close to any of the ones who had died, but he just didn’t know how to broach the subject without opening up the wounds they were all trying so hard to ignore.

Carrie was looking pale, and Sam was bouncing his foot like a jackhammer and jumping at every sound and movement. Kristen had her arm around a student whose name Wilson didn’t know; the girl had dried tear streaks down both cheeks, but she wasn’t crying any more. She looked utterly drained, and she was staring at the leg of the coffee table without blinking much. Kora was sitting in the corner seat of the couch, hugging her knees with her head down. Kyle had his arm protectively around her, and he was whispering in her ear, trying to comfort her. Every once in a while, she would nod or shake her head, but she never said a word.

After about half an hour, someone came in with a tray of snacks and water bottles and set them on the table.

Kristen, trying to set a good example, got up and took a sandwich. “You guys should try to eat something. Some food in your stomach should help a bit,” she said with a valiant effort at a smile.

A couple of students followed her example and grabbed some food, but the sandwiches sat uneaten in their hands. Kristen looked like she wanted to say something about it, but she didn’t know what to say.

A few minutes later, Dutch reentered the room. “I would like to speak with the teachers now, if that is okay.”

Wilson, Kristen, and Kyle stood and walked with him into the adjacent room.

“I asked for the teachers because I didn’t want to arouse suspicion, but there is one student I would like to join us—the young lady the red-haired girl died for as we were leaving,” said Dutch.

“Are you talking about Kora?” asked Kyle protectively. “Why would you need her?”

“Girlfriend?” Dutch asked.

“My sister.”

“It is important,” said Dutch.

“I’ll go get her,” said Kristen.

A few moments later, she walked back into the room with Kora following behind. Dutch pulled up some chairs for everyone.