From Night On: Sacred Grounds

Chapters 9-10

Chapter 9:

The Heart of The Matter

The air was still. The weight of the realization that The Dark Man could be on his way to them at that very moment caused a staleness to waft through the area and make Terry's throat go dry. His mind raced and his supernatural speed flowed from his thoughts throughout his entire body, making the world appear to be standing still. He wondered if he could he move quickly enough to get everyone to safety. He calculated just how long he might have given the distance from the Pluto Cave to where they were and just how long it would take him to run it. There wasn't enough time. The only thing he could think to do was to sit and wait.

While everyone clamored and scrambled to pack up, the refugees'moment of peace coming to a shattering end, Terry positioned himself atop a tree with the best view of the surrounding area and watched.Thirty minutes passed as everyone prepared to leave and the enemy still hadn't arrived. If Terry had ran at full speed from the cave to the reservation, he would have been there in less than a minute.

Watching everyone pile into their vehicles, it was Mike who caught Terry's attention and pulled him from his crow's nest. "We're all ready to leave," he said as his son approached. "What do you think? You look confused."

Terry's eyes scanned left and right and his ears barely noticed Mike's words as he kept them searching for any strange noise. "He should have been here by now," he answered. "If he knew we were here, he should have been here by now."

"Well," Mike grabbed Terry's shoulder to get his attention, "what matters is that we have the chance to get out of here before he gets here.Some of the hunters are convinced that we'll be safe in some caves they hold up in on hunting trips. Plenty of food and water from streams. It'll be fine."

"More caves?" Terry asked in frustration.

"We're right next to Mount Shasta," Mike laughed. "We're surrounded by lava tubes and caverns. They're like gopher holes around here: you're lucky if you don't step in one."

"I feel like I should do something," Terry hesitated. "Maybe stay behind to make sure we're not followed."

"NO!" Mike barked at him. "Don't do anything stupid. Besides, you don't know where the caves are."

"I'll stay behind," Shei announced as she walked up. "I was thinking something similar. It's nice to know you white men aren't planning on abandoning us just yet."

A quick glance was shared between Terry and Mike before they looked at Shei and barked in unison, "NO!"

"You have no idea who dangerous this guy is," Terry warned her.

"It'seven too dangerous for him," Mike said, motioning to Terry, "which is why you're not staying, either," he then said to Terry. "You don't even know how you managed to survive that once. Don't go pushing yours or anyone's luck!"

"I've got my own tricks," Shei responded. "He can't find me if I don't want him to."

Terry's eyes narrowed. Her pride needed to be tested to make her understand why this was so dangerous. "Go ahead," he said to her, "hide."Before she could ask what he was suggesting, Terry flashed out of her vision and stopped right behind her, his tremendous speed causing the air to whip and turn. "You can't move fast enough," he said from behind her. "Once he sees you, that's it."

Shei turned and stumbled back. "You're one of them!" she gasped,finally seeing Terry for what he was. "You're one of the dead!"

"No," Terry said to his father's surprise, "I'm something different."He reached down to the ground and imagined the gauntlet, again. This time, in his calm, his imagination offered more of a design to the armored glove as spikes of solid granite protruded from the knuckles."Dad," he said, moving his fingers and letting the glove fall to dust, "I'm staying. You're going. This is not a discussion." He then turned to Shei. "You're leaving, too."