The Shadow Way Part 1

Centuries ago, the dry ground housed lush vegetation that attracted wildlife but due to climate change and other environmental factors, it no longer did. The patch of land was dusty and cracked from the sun with dark, lifeless hills in the distance like tombstones. The only sign of life, if it could be called that, was a nude man covered in ash. He sat on his knees, bent over a small set of bird bones which he cupped in his hands. He muttered something in Creole and blew on the bones before sitting up and clapping his hands. Then, he raised his palms to the heavens before the bones began to twitch and move for reasons that were unknown to the woman watching.

Queen Faith had used Ley Lines to reach this area and materialized just before witnessing the end of the ritual. She said nothing but despite facing the man’s back, he knew she was there. “Few people know I exist,” he said with a curious smile while keeping his back turned, “Fewer people know where to find me.”

“And even fewer people want to find you.”

“True,” he turned to take a look at Faith but remained seated, “And yet, here you are… Whatever your name is.”

“I’m Queen Faith, priestess of Iseda and follower of True Nature. You once met my former priest, John Torres.”

“Ah, the disciple of King Josiah? You must be from the American branch of Iconoclasts… despite your obvious accent. I would think a good Haitian woman would know not to listen to Americans.”

“King Josiah was a madman who tried to provoke something unholy and died. Torres tried to resurrect him and also paid the price for his crime. I’ve since learned my lesson not to seek wisdom from men like that.”

“Do you know who I am?”

“Yes.”

“Who am I?”

Queen Faith was growing annoyed by his questions but answered nonetheless, “Eleazar. You were an Iseda priest until you chose to practice the Shadow Way. They exiled you soon after.”

“Did you come for my help?”

“… Yes.”

He chuckled, “And you claim to have learned your lesson.”

“There are heretics in America who have gotten away with crimes for too long,” she indicated her damaged eye, “Their friend took half my sight. They’ve been living in the West, keeping modern luxuries, allying themselves with White Society…”

“Yes, there it is,” Eleazar raised a finger knowingly, “It’s that self-righteousness that reminds me why I wasn’t upset when Iseda cast me out.”

“This should concern you. You believe in True Nature just as much as we do.”

“It’s funny you say that,” he finally rose to his feet, “Iseda believes that life and death are equal parts of nature. Holy men and women use magic to manipulate anything from the weather to fate and no one cares. Using it to manipulate life and death? Somehow, that’s taboo.”

“For good reason.”

“When you walk the Shadow Way, nature reveals itself. There is no life, there is no death. There’s only the truth.”

“I’ll start over,” she pinched the bridge of her nose, “I didn’t come here for a theological debate. I came to finally be rid of our enemies.”

“I don’t care about the war between Iconoclasts and Reformers. It’s never ended well for anyone… For all the talk of respecting death, your people love to leave dead bodies in your wake.”

“What if I gave you the opportunity to experiment without impunity? You’ll be free to do what you wish in the town of Winghaven without worrying about retribution.”

“I might not receive retribution from you but the Reformers will come after me for sure.”

“The best way to make sure they won’t retaliate is to eliminate them completely. And really, don’t they deserve it after all these years?”

“Long before you were born, some Iseda members went to war in the middle of the street in some strange town in America… You were never involved. You shouldn’t care so much.”

“Fine,” Queen Faith turned to leave, “It was a waste of time coming here.”

“Now, wait,” Eleazar raised a hand and drew her attention back to him, “Before you came, these bones showed me something,” he indicated the bird bones on the ground, “They moved which means there’s movement within my destiny. Perhaps fate brought you here. I can perform the experiment in Winghaven. It might prove intellectually stimulating.”

She nodded in return, “I have one particular ritual I wish for you to perform. You’re the only person I know who can do it.”

“And what would that be, child?”

The dry wind picked up, blowing her braids in her face as her lips curled in an angry sneer, “Zonbi.”

Days later, in Winghaven, Farrell Creed sat on his mother’s couch, staring at his hands. It had only been a few days since Creed killed his father and he had been mustering up the right words to tell his mother. Despite there being no love lost between her and Nelson Creed, he imagined there would still be a lot of conflicting feelings. After he finished giving her a carefully crafted set of words to let her know what he had been through, he waited for a response. Considering her silence both during and after Creed’s rehearsed explanation, he wondered if he chose the correct set of words after all.

“So…,” she began meekly, “You… went back in time?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I did.”

“Madman Mason did it, huh? Just like he said.”

“Yeah, Mom. Mason built some kinda scuba-tank thing… I dunno. Look, it doesn’t matter,” Creed grew more concerned, “You understand what I’m saying, right? I killed Nelson. It was me all along and we didn’t even know it.”

“Yeah, I get that part,” she became distant, “It’s just crazy to think you actually went back to a time before you were even born. I never even knew that was possible.”

“Think most people would feel that way but what about -”

“And there was something about a time loop you said?”

“Yeah, me and Gus had to keep it maintained or whatever,” he became slightly frustrated, “But Mom, how do you feel about knowing I killed Nelson?”

She shrugged nonchalantly, “Had to be done.”

He gave her an incredulous look, “Seriously?”

“I’ve told you that before. Over the years, I went through every possible emotion about that situation. More than once. Now, I don’t feel much of anything about it. I moved on and I understand people over in Widow Springs had no choice.”

“But I was the one who pulled the trigger.”

“Yeah,… by going back in time because there was some kind of loop-thingy and that’s what I’m trying to wrap my head around.”

“I need you to focus here Mom,” he said in aggravation, “How do you feel about all this?”

She became annoyed, “I’m trying to tell you that but you’re not listening. Knowing you killed Nelson is a surprise, sure, because it all happened when I was still pregnant… with you. I can’t… Do you realize you were in two places at once?”

“Yeah, but aside from the Time Jacket stuff, how do you feel?”

“I dunno. For a long time, I thought it was Dale MacGregor or his wife who killed Nelson but I’m really more weirded out by knowing time travel is real and that my son did it.”

“Why do you keep talking about that part?”

“Because it’s freak’n weird!,” she said defensively, “But as long as we’re talking about feelings, I’m more interested in how you feel about this.”

“I dunno,” he slapped his knees, “I’m not sorry I killed him but I… saw you. You were there as a kid,” he shook his head regrettably, “I know exactly what I was gonna put you through and I was forced to do it.”

Mary came to him and placed her arms around him for comfort, “And I told you I was over all that. I don’t love you anymore now than I did before I heard about all this,” she placed a hand under his chin to look him in the eyes, “But Farrell, you need to know you did something that no one else has probably ever done and you barely acknowledge it because you’re too hung up on killing a guy who made our lives miserable before and after he died. Why do you always have to beat yourself up?”

“There’s a lot I don’t tell you, Mom,” he said quietly.

“You’re capable of amazing things but you never see it. How many people have gone back through time? Or fought an alien invasion? You saved that Alysa Saraki girl and now look what she’s doing. That’s all you. You’re smart, you’re brave. You’re probably as strong as a person can get without having powers.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Creed patted her hand, “But you’re sure you’re okay?”

“In as much as you’re concerned, yes,” she kissed him on the cheek, “I’m so proud of you. Just try to remember how amazing you are.”

In the woods, Eleazar and Queen Faith stood over a mound of dirt. Eleazar was now wearing a robe made of sack cloth, which flapped in the cool breeze. Faith held a knife flat against both palms and handed it over. When he took it, he slid the blade across his own palm, then dropped it, slapping it against the dirt mound. He muttered something in Creole and quickly stood to his feet as a strange glow began to emerge under the soil.

“Are you sure you want to go through with this?,” Eleazar asked.

“Yes,” she answered purposefully.

“Because it’s not something to be taken lightly, girl.”

“I want this town destroyed along with everyone in it.”

“This’ll certainly do it.”

A hand burst out of the ground and flailed about before the buried man began to dig his way out of the shallow grave. Faith had the simple task of asking one of her disciples to sacrifice himself which he did, as a true follower of Iseda. Eleazar then sedated him with an herbal potion that put him in a comatose state and buried him alive for three days. The ritual that followed ensured the man was, in the words of Eleazar, “Not alive but not dead”. He was the Catalyst, the first of many. The man clawed his way out of the ground clumsily but without pause. Queen Faith could see that his eyes were pale and dead but his movements were strong and violent. Once he freed himself, he snarled in an animalistic fashion and lunged at Faith who readied herself.

With a thought, Eleazar took mental control of the Catalyst; he stopped dead, mid-stride and stood perfectly still like a soldier awaiting orders. Faith admired him while he stood at attention, “So… full control?”

“If I need to,” he explained, “Otherwise, he is a being of pure hate and chaos.”

Faith stole closer, “What of his mind?”

“He’s there… somewhere. Not that there’s much he can do about it,” he made sure to add, “And anytime it needs to end, I can end it.”

“As far as I’m concerned, this plague can consume the Earth.”

In town, Alysa Saraki was busy helping hang up a banner advertising the community lunch. The new Community Center’s construction was finished and to celebrate, the Iseda temple decided to hold a luncheon for the neighborhood. Alysa was still under probation due to her continued defiance of Mama Johnson and Papa Abadie and this was a show of her commitment to Iseda. She knew this would be the last chance for her to finish her priestess training and fulfill her mother’s wishes.

“What’s good?,” Creed approached her happily.

“Hey, Creed,” she turned and gave him a tight hug, “It’s like I don’t see you anymore.”

“You’re busy,” he said jokingly, “But at least it keeps you outta trouble.”

“Did you get to talk to your mom…,” she grew quiet, “… About the thing?”

“Yeah, we’re all good. Thanks,” Creed looked around, taking note of the Winghaven citizens approaching, “Looks like ya’ll gett’n a crowd.”

“Yep. I was hoping we’d get as many people as possible,” she crossed her arms nervously, “I gotta get this W or they might finally kick me outta training. I gotta be a priestess, Creed.”

He placed a hand on her shoulder, “Hey, if they don’t take ya, that’s their loss.”

“Thanks.”

Miss Gerring approached, wearing a fashionable hat and dress, “Is that Ferrel Creed?”

“How are ya, Miss Gerring?,” he greeted her.

“Just fine,” she held his hand, “I’m fix’n ya a plate so have a seat. Ya hungry?”

“I am if you’re cook’n,” he turned to Alysa, “Hey, I’ll meet back up later.”

Alysa smiled in acknowledgment as he was led away, then finished the banner. As she did, Mama Johnson and Papa Abadie approached. “Hi,” she said nervously, hoping that they would take notice of her efforts, “How’s it look?”

“You’ve been a big help in preparing the lunch,” Mama Johnson told her happily.

“We’re proud of the work you’ve been doing,” Papa Abadie added.

“I really wanna invest in Winghaven,” she assured them, “Just like my mom did.”

“You’re certainly on the right track.”

Suddenly, a scream erupted across the small yard; Alysa and Creed both turned in the direction of the commotion in time to see a man biting the neck of a woman sitting at one of the picnic tables. When the Catalyst raised up, blood dripped from his chin. “Creed!,” Alysa shouted after her partner who was already leaping over the picnic table in front of him.

The Catalyst was quickly pulled away from the bench by two men but he soon turned and started biting down on their fingers, forcing them to let go. Creed dropped down, pinning the Catalyst to the grass before he could attack anyone else. While on the ground, the infected man raised up and gnashed his teeth but Creed held him by the jaws and held him in place. “This is either drugs or some magic shit,” Creed called out to Alysa.

Mama Johnson and Papa Abadie checked on the woman who had been bitten. She was lying face-down in a plate of food with a bloody neck-wound and didn’t appear conscious. Meanwhile, Alysa checked on the men who were bitten on the hands. As everyone else stood by silently, the bystanders began to notice strange movement from every side. People were shambling across the street with dead, pale eyes similar to the Catalyst. Miss Gerring began praying desperately.

Nearby, the woman at the bench suddenly bolted up and chomped down on Mama Johnson’s wrist, releasing a squirt of blood in the process. Acting quickly, Papa Abadie put the infected woman to sleep with a quick spell. Following suit, Creed slammed a fist down across the Catalyst’s face, rendering him unconscious. “The hell is going on?,” Alysa asked just before the two men with wounded hands snapped at her. She instinctively tossed them away from her with a telekinetic push, then noticed more of the Infected over-turning the tables as they raced for her. Creed stepped in, tackling one to the ground as Alysa put another to sleep.

“So definitely not drugs,” Creed told her as they backed up from the next swarm.

“They attacked us here and on this day,”Alysa said, “It’s gotta be Iconoclasts!”

Next, they saw Papa Abadie mystically hurled onto a patch of grass. It was then that they noticed Mama Johnson flying into the air, magic energy crackling around her as a high-pitched squeal escaped her lips. Creed and Alysa looked up in horror once they realized the priestess had been infected as well. Her lips were curled in a grotesque grimace and her eyes were pale as she floated into the air menacingly. Meanwhile, the Infected closed in from all sides.

Continued…