The Bounty Hunter's Trilogy: Chosen By Fate

Chapter 25. The Calm Before the Storm

In the week following Stan's funeral, not much happened. Audrey's baby shower got rescheduled for two more weeks, giving her a little time of privacy. People were training with less than half a heart for it. You could barely get anybody to smile anymore. We had all been given radios with ear pieces that were synced up with our tablets, rather than just the people on guard duty having them. That way all emergencies could be taken care of faster and people could get help if needed. The main reason was Audrey, whom everybody was worried about.

I was down in the guide room with Travis and Beverly, who was observing quietly and helping get different guides. She was relaxing, that was the main goal, although it had been a long while since we had saved her. I had hoped that maybe she would have been talking by now. Apparently she didn't feel ready. I just couldn't help but worry about her. What would scare her so much that she couldn't even talk at this point?

"Okay," Travis set the laptop in front of me with the guide from Greece pulled up on the screen and loaded to a section about humans and creatures. "I know this is horrible, but what better a time to study this than now? Today you'll learn about what we know of death and the after affects."

I sat back in my chair. "You have got to be kidding me with this right now. I don't want to think about this ever again. Why are you making me study it? And why the heck does the section say creatures?"

Travis sat down by Beverly who was reading through the physical copy of the Native American guide. "Because it's better to get it all done at once than to drag it out. And you'll figure out the title when you read. That's the cool thing about words." I shook my head, running a hand through my hair before leaning forward and resting my arms on the table. I set my head on my fist and started reading. "Out loud for all of us, please." Beverly smiled at my expense and scooted closer to me so she could see the screen.

"Death is not always the end. It is only the end if the brain is damaged beyond repair. As this is where our ability to manipulate reality comes from, our brain changes us physically after the rest of our body gives way and it has free range. The change varies by how the soldier dies and what is damaged and also their genetics. A soldier who dies peacefully will turn into another Korenye when the next child is conceived in a country under our guard. When a soldier dies in battle, they come back in their physical bodies, but they cannot function as a regular human. Their body rots and decays as they are still dead and fine motor skills are gone, but battle is still their strong point." I looked up to Travis. "You're not serious. We can turn into zombies?"

Travis nodded. "We had a zombie issue with the coven's we visited. They were waiting for us and tried to communicate with us, but it was difficult to get past the fact that they were falling apart in the snow. Keep reading, we turn into a lot more."

I shook my head, continuing to read. "Any Korenye who has red hair, despite cause of death, will inevitably turn into a vampire. Cause for this is unknown. But since they can't live longer than a night without feeding, they are easy to get rid of. If a Korenye dies from exposure or lack of nourishment, they turn into a wolf. An always hungry and blood thirsty creature, they become extremely difficult to catch and kill. But they will not harm those they know, only those they are against, making them useful to keep around. Yet civilians are still in danger if they are on the loose.

"If a Korenye drowns, they then become a mer-person. And no, they are not the pretty ones with long hair and beautiful shiny tails. They become horrible, aggressive beasts who will kill any living thing they can get their hands on and they hunt in groups. They live where they die, meaning the deepest parts of the ocean are inhabited, yet still are the swampy marshes that haunt so many lands. They will not eat your flesh, rather they will wait for you to become one of them, then whoever is weaker becomes the meal. Their eyes are yellow and are clearly visible under the surface of water, so be on your guard around any water and don't touch it. They can't touch air, but they can touch whatever is in their territory.