Fortunate Sons

Chapter 1: Sleepless Suspicion Bayou St. Therese, Louisiana December, 1967

Wild Bill Dumas, the grey haired leader of the angel coven and a veteran with a foot in two previous wars, sat in the vast living room of the Robillard house staring at the flames that crackled and snapped in the fireplace. Its eerie glow filled the rest of the room, letting off its warm, radiant heat that banished the chilly air that filled the rest of the house.

It was quiet, far too quiet and for him it was never a good thing. It had happened when he had island hopped all around the Pacific and trod through the steep hills of the Chosin Reservoir years before. Quiet, especially at night, unnerved him to no end.

Etta, his beloved wife of twenty four years, had just put the youngest children to bed with the older ones turning in at their own accord and quietly retreating to their rooms for the evening. He couldn't shake the awful feeling that threatened to consume his mind. Bill had tried everything he could think of, meditating, a dash of whiskey in his glass, maybe a book off the library shelf, but nothing did him any good.

"Sir?" a hushed voice said from the doorway.

Bill didn't turn and look at him. He knew who it was only by the sound of the voice and the tone that hinted concern. The whole house had been abuzz with nervous energy that ricocheted off the walls and ceilings, creeping up through the floorboards and into every crack and crevice throughout the house.

"Come on in Amos."

Amos Hamm, tall and dark with a calm and observant demeanor, made his way into the living room. "Pardon my intrusions sir, but....what are ya'll doin' up so late?"

"Worrying," Bill answered, his gaze still fixated on the flames that illuminated his face in an eerie orange glow. "Haven't heard head or tail out of the boys since they've left."

Amos knew that the coven's leader had every right to worry about the three oldest residents of the house. Taylor, Dix and Mitch were the three most capable boys he had ever seen and yet he found himself worrying more than he was used to. Not since Korea had America been embroiled in such a bitter war. They had lost a few of their own during the second world war and very well would have lost their leader if they weren't careful.

"I'm sure we'll hear from'em soon Bill," Amos replied, trying to give him a bit of reassurance. "The Missus told me that maybe it'll be sooner than later but no one can say for sure."

"That's what worries me," Bill replied. "Amos......I know there are greater forces at work here and that they'll be looking for the other half. You don't think it could be.....there ....do you?"

Amos had been hoping it wouldn't be. The jungles were a harsh and unforgiving place for anyone unfamiliar with them. To think that what the coven had been looking for all those years was in such a place chilled him to the bone. "Do you?" he asked.

"I've felt it for a while now," Bill told him. "Those boys.....they didn't have to do what they do but.....I can't help but think that that something is over there that shouldn't be."

Whatever Bill had meant had set Amos abuzz with that same nervous energy that now crept through the house. Taylor, Dix and Mitch had all been gone for some time and yet no news had come from either of them. He wanted to tell his friend that there was no use in worrying about it, but Amos knew full well that it was unwise to go against his intuition. Both of them however, wished that the nagging little voice would simply go away.