Shaman - the Awakening (26 page)

“Did you really think you could escape this,” I asked, surprising him as he swung up with the look of fear and shock. He immediately began shooting wildly in the direction he thought my voice was emanating from. He was shooting erratically into the open air of the night. I moved stealthily to another position and spoke again. He swung in that direction and began shooting wildly until he fired the last bullet. I heard the click of the hammer with no discharge and moved in closer, so he could see me. I was covered in blood. It was the blood of his fallen brothers that I stalked and killed, as I was about to do with him.

“So how does it feel; the killings?” he asked.

I was silent now. There was nothing left for us to discuss. I had to put down this mad dog.

“Don't tell me it didn't feel good killing them. The way you stalked them, me; it's in you like it is in us! You're a hunter. The thrill of it gets you off, doesn't it? Yeah, you enjoyed it,” he stated, bending over to catch his breath further. I just stood there covered in blood, watching him attempt to talk his way out of the inevitable. Then he dropped the empty gun and pulled out his knife. It was probably the same one he used in torturing me.

“Ok then, let's get it over with,” he stated and stood up from his bent position.

I would have elected to be a gentleman about the situation and let him rest further, but since he was in a rush to die, who was I to deny him? I was feeling overconfident and cocky about my chances of killing him. I was faster and stronger than him from the Panther imprinting. Even if he wasn't exhausted, I didn't think he would have posed much of a challenge. It's like the panther took over when it came time to fight or kill. I had all her instincts and skills. He was right about his assumptions as well. It had been gratifying killing the others, and I would take great pleasure in killing him. They had beaten and tortured me endlessly, had hurt and terrified Gracie. I was usually devoid of emotions when I approached these cases, but this one had become personal, very personal.

We danced around each other for a couple of seconds, scrutinizing each other before making a move. We needed to feel each other out and rate skill levels and weaknesses. I knew he enjoyed knives, so I had to be careful. I couldn't over-exert myself in my condition either, as I had taken a good beating from them previously. It was one thing to catch someone by surprise, but totally different squaring off with him in front of you. Then he lunged at me, but I was faster than him. He was good in his recovery, though.

It was clear that Roanhorse was no amateur with a knife, but he was underestimating me and careless as usual. I cut him on the arm as I escaped another one of his attacks. He was the aggressor in this mêlée. Then I diverted another one of his swings, I was pouncing around him like panthers playing in the wild with each other, except he didn't match my agility or speed. He became enraged and erratic at that point, and rushed at me like a bull would a matador. I sidestepped him several times, outmaneuvering his swings and advances until finally cutting his throat in one of his wild lunges. I left him bleeding out on the ground for the coyotes and other animals to feast on during the night.

I returned to the ceremonial grounds. There were several cult members lying dead, and then I saw the Coyote in full form, watching from the distance. Tsosie had remained transformed during the mêlée. He was snarling at me with huge fangs and approaching me in the attack stance, with his back hunched. I didn't have the energy or the strength for this fight. I would surely die in the attack. Then Nina began firing on him from afar as the FBI descended on the scene. I fell to the ground as Tsosie fled.

“Don't let it get away! That's the killer; that's Tsosie,” I yelled as the agents restrained me. The coyote continued into the dark plateau of the night as Nina ran over to me.

“I know I shot that coyote twice and he just kept right on running. I've never seen anything like it before. How do you kill something like that?” Nina inquired, excited and out of breath.

“With something that contains the same amount of magic as him,” I replied.

“What happened to you?” Nina asked looking at the blood on me.

“I led Roanhorse and several other zealots north of here. They're all dead. What about Ortega and Wauneka?” I inquired.

“Wauneka and several zealots died in a gunfight near the Canyon's entrance with Max and a few other agents,” she stated.

“And Ortega?” I asked.

“He left me no choice. I asked him to put down his weapon. I had him zeroed. There was no way for him to win, but he drew on me anyway. It was either him or me. It was like he wanted to die. His last words were `
the Chacoans will rise again!
' ”

The FBI rounded up the remaining cult members were attempting to flee the scene. Steve freed Gracie from her bonds and covered her up with a blanket. I spotted Dianna amongst the Federal Agents. She approached me, but didn't really know what to say. She had abandoned me when I needed her the most.

“Good job, both of you,” she said, speaking to Nina and me with a saddened face, and then departed. The FBI agents pulled me up from the ground where Nina and I were sitting, and handcuffed me.

“Wait, take those off of him. He's not a criminal,” Steve protested.

“He is, until a judge says otherwise,” the A.D. replied.

“You do realize what he's done for us, don't `you? He sacrificed himself for Gracie and this whole bureau. He has been beaten, tortured, discredited, defamed and hunted, and this is how we are going to treat him?” Steve inquired, looking at the A.D. over the top of Grace's head. She remain snuggled in Steve's arms.

“Take off the cuffs, but drive him directly to the Residence Office and place him in the holding cell,” the A.D. commanded. Steve stood up at that point and looked directly into A.D. Pollin's eyes and stated: “No, he isn't; this man is a part of my team. He's wounded and he is going directly to the hospital.” Steve climbed into the back of the emergency vehicle with Gracie and Nina accompanied me.

Max Maurice and several other agents discovered a mass grave of charred bones near the sacrificial site. Tsosie had escaped, but was number one on the FBI's most wanted list. His picture and face were circulated nationwide. Now that we knew who he was and what he looked like, it wouldn't be long before he was caught.

The FBI covered up Ortega's involvement with the murders. It was just too big of a scandal. The cover-up was used as leverage by Steve to secure leniency for me. It was a trade-off. Ortega had officially been shot in the line of duty and was given a hero's burial with star, military salute and flag. His family was given full benefits. Only a few knew the truth of his involvement. I avoided prison on several felony charges, but was institutionalized at a Government Mental Health Facility for psychiatric evaluation. It was better than jail. I was suspended indefinitely until the doctors agreed to release me.

While in the hospital, I had police guards standing outside my door. They weren't there for my protection, but to ensure that I didn't escape. I could have at any time, but remained. There was nothing wrong with me, but I'm sure every patient in here would tell you the same thing. I wasn't complaining, though, because I needed the rest and relaxation. Those stressful, sleep-deprived nights took their toll. I had lost weight, was dehydrated and looked like a zombie. I would visit Nina in dreamscape some nights and on occasion, I reached out to Asku or Kayah. But most nights I just used the dream catcher that Asku gave me, so my sleep wouldn't be interrupted.

I was tracking the Coyote from the hospital with the assistance of Carlyle Jenkins, my tech savvy FBI colleague at Quantico. He placed an ongoing search engine on any news regarding coyotes and synced it to my laptop. I was still credible at Quantico; in fact, I was considered a hero. I was the man who saved the FBI; at least it's reputation in the intelligence community. I monitored the internet closely for any sighting of coyotes. This thing was far from over. Tsosie was still out there and waiting to regroup to start this killing spree again in the next season of the Kachina and likely also plotting his revenge. I was thinking more on the latter.

My Spirit Guide, along with Asku and Kayah, counseled me to stay on course for the imminent threat. I continued following the lunar cycle. If the Coyote was going to attack, it would be on the dark moon as before. The abduction would be very personal. He wouldn't risk going after Gracie again, she was heavily guarded, but he would risk going after Nina. She was near to me and had assisted in bringing down his cult. I was convinced that he would go after her!

An abnormally large coyote was captured several days later in the Chuska Mountains and taken to an animal shelter. Two days later the coyote escaped. There were no signs of a break-in. It was him; I could feel it. He was going after Nina. I could sense she was in danger.

It was a rainy night in the District Maryland and Virginia. There was another dark moon in the sky tonight. It was the type of moon that the coyote used while abducting young women. Everything appeared to be darker than usual with the rain falling. I used my abilities to manipulate the dark and maneuver in the shadows of the night to procure my escape from the guarded hospital. I made it to Nina's condo in Southwest D.C. I remained unseen in the shadows and waited in the falling rain. Then he appeared from out of nowhere; a huge coyote silently walking in Nina's parking lot. This time he wouldn't out-maneuver me.

I was just as stealthy as he was, and stayed downwind. I had my sacred bowie knife out and ready to strike. Between one heartbeat and the next, I lost him amongst the vehicles. I became irate and searched frantically. I couldn't afford to lose him, Nina's life depended on it. Then I caught sight of him again turning the corner of the building. I ran swiftly but carefully, attempting to remain unseen. When I reached the corner of the building I saw his tail as he walked between two vehicles. He was following Nina's scent.

He made it to her vehicle. Luckily she was inside her condo. He hit the side of the vehicle hard and set off the alarm as he ducked out of sight. Several tenants came to their windows and looked outside to see if it was their vehicle's alarm sounding. The alarm was silenced after a few minutes. He paced back and forth and hit the side of the car again. This time the blinds were disturbed for only four condo windows and the alarm was cut off. He was narrowing down the tenants one by one.

He activated the alarm again, this time only one set of blinds opened. He looked up as I did. Now he knew where she lived. He hit the vehicle again. He was going to lure her outside. I had to stop this. Every time the alarm went off I moved closer without him noticing. The loudness of the alarm hindered his hearing and threw off his other senses. Besides, he appeared to have tunnel vision and focused on two things only; Nina's vehicle and staring up at her window.

After the fifth or sixth hit, I was close enough to make my move. The darkness of the night and the rain worked against him. He didn't see me nor hear me =. His focus was obscured by his hatred of Nina. I pounced on him with the agility and lightning speed of a panther, just as Nina was exiting her building to check on her vehicle! We wrestled like wild animals. He was using his teeth and I was using the bowie knife. Nina must have heard the growls of an angry dog and the sound of us hitting the vehicles as we wrestled. We continued setting off alarms in the struggle. Wrestling with the panther had prepared me for this. I stabbed him several times, but he kept coming.

We were both covered blood when he backed off. Neither the coyote nor the panther are known for their stamina. I thought he backed off because of his injuries, and perhaps he was as tired as I was, but this wasn't true. He'd spotted Nina standing squarely within sight. She was standing still under an umbrella, unarmed and in shock at what she was witnessing. She watched the large coyote with a bloody mouth and blood all over him, snarling at her as he'd been snarling at me the night she shot him.

He hunched his back as his yellow eyes reflected the luminance of the dim parking lot lights under the dark and rainy moonless night. She had on white short shorts, a white cut off t-shirt and Timberland boots. When he took his attention off me I caught my second wind and pounced again. This time I got a clean cut, like a panther going for its prey's throat. I put the knife in deep and kept it there as I moved it around, severing the jugular. The coyote let out one last yelp as injured dogs do, and fell motionless on the wet ground. Then he turned back into a man; back into Tsosie. Nina ran to me where I lay between the vehicles in the dark. She wrapped her arms around me.

“Chris, you're going to be ok, I'm here.” We heard the police sirens in the background. One of the neighbors must have called the police when they heard the commotion. Tsosie laid there naked, dead with several stab wounds and his throat cut.

“I told you I didn't like guns,” I said to Nina, then I passed out. I had sustained several traumatic contusions and bite wounds.

They couldn't explain the huge canine bites I had sustained or why my flesh was found between the Tsosie's teeth. They also couldn't explain why he was naked in the middle of Southwest D.C. with no transportation. They refused to accept the reasons I gave them. I didn't get charged for killing Tsosie since he was a wanted serial killer, but I was slapped on the wrist for escaping a Federal Mental Institute and excessive use of force. Can you believe it? A.D. Pollin still manage to charge me. In the end, all the charges were dropped and the case dismissed. I was mandated to go directly to a mental institution for a nervous breakdown (stress disorder and depression). They didn't believe my story about Tsosie's transformations they never had and nothing would change their minds. They said I was attacked by his large dog that escaped again.

So that's how I ended up here at the Northern Virginia Mental Health Institution in Falls Church. Perhaps I should have been a little smarter about the way I explained the events that occurred, but so much for hindsight. Steve and Nina knew the truth, but played the bureaucracy game a little bit better than me. I had to appease the A.D. and prevent any further incarceration, so I was sent here by court order, but without police guards this time. I was being treated for a mental breakdown, depression and bipolar disorder. I guess I was a bit exhausted and battered by the case. I just wanted to close the books on this one, so whatever I had to do, I welcomed. It was nothing compared to what I had already endured.