stopped in his tracks.
He turned slowly toward Melvina. He looked at her without smiling or moving his face in any way. His eyes seemed to blaze with a reddish-golden light. After a few long, tense moments, he began to laugh. He reached down into the basin, cupped his hands, and launched a large handful of water back at Melvina. She was soaked in seconds.
Melvina froze in her tracks. She looked at him in shock. She had not expected him to return the favor. Without thinking, she splashed him again. He splashed her right back. After a few splashes, they were both soaking wet. Melvina looked at him intently without blinking. Despite herself, she began to laugh. Deep, rolling laughter filled her body as she looked at her own clothing and that of the old man. She could not remember the last time that she laughed. She felt good, alive, in a manner of speaking.
The old man looked at her, smiled, pointed his finger at her soaked clothing, and began to laugh. The sound of his laugh was sweet, yet coarse. The vibration ripped through Melvina like a bolt of lightning and her whole body shook involuntarily.
“What is your name?” Melvina asked, after regaining her composure.
“My name is Anshar,” the old man replied.
“What happened back there? Wh-what did you do to me?” Melvina stammered.
“I gave you a reward,” Anshar replied.
“A reward? For what?” Melvina asked.
“Services rendered, of course.”
“Services? What do you mean, services?”
“You completed your mission.”
“What mission? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Salva. You were charged with bringing me her soul. I must say, you discharged your duties admirably. Now go and refill the basin, you have clothes to wash.”
“What are you talking about? I didn’t bring you any soul! My sister was killed by those butchers, just like me.”
“On the contrary, if you will recall, you dispatched her before they could kill her. By our agreement, dying by your hand gives me the right to claim her soul.”
“I didn’t kill her for you! I did what I did so that she wouldn’t have to suffer.”
“A most expedient solution...admirably creative,” Anshar replied.
Anshar turned and began to walk down the path again. He chuckled quietly to himself.
Melvina stood in silent horror. She could not believe the words that had just fallen upon her soul. Her mind whirled with a cacophony of confusing thoughts and images that made her nauseated. After a few moments, a single blinding thought raged through her mind. She had to get to Salva.
Melvina’s heart began to race and her breaths quickened. She began to run as fast as she could toward the hut. She did not think of the old man or the dogs that accompanied him. She looked back only once. She saw the old man and the dogs walking slowly, both staring intently in her direction. They did not quicken their pace in the slightest.
She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She moved faster than she ever thought possible. She wanted to run away from this place, wherever it was, take Salva, and never return. As she ran, the trees seemed to cast long glances upon her. Their shadows trailed long, straight patterns on the trail behind her as she gradually neared the hut. The hut appeared on the horizon.
Melvina saw the remaining dogs sleeping near the fire in front of the hut. She wondered if that fire ever went out. She looked back toward the trail again. Still, she saw no sign of the old man or the dogs that were with him. This gave her some small bit of relief. She slowed her pace as she neared the hut. She did not know what the dogs would do if she tried to rush into the hut without the old man. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she should stop and walk as calmly as she could toward the door.
Breathing heavily, she slowed to a brisk walk and cautiously approached the dogs by the door. The dogs did not look up. Two of them seemed to be fighting over some large, flesh-covered bones. The others were satisfying themselves with some fresh meat. None of them bothered to stop her.
Melvina pushed the door open and walked into the hut, shouting for Salva.
“Salva! Salva! We have to leave here now!”
The scene that greeted her as she entered the hut left her speechless.
The old man sat cross-legged on the floor in front of a large plate of meat and vegetables. He did not move as Melvina entered. Two dogs sat beside him slowly munching on a pile of raw meat that had been placed before them on the floor.
Melvina froze in horror.
“Where is Salva?”
The old man did not speak. After a few moments, Melvina took a deep breath and began to repeat her question. Before she could speak again, Salva walked into the house from the back entrance.
“Melvina, I was worried. You were gone so long,” Salva said calmly.
Melvina was speechless. She stared at the old man and looked back at Salva. The old man grinned at her and began to hum quietly as he ate.
“Melvina, come sit down and eat. Your food will get cold,” Salva said.
“How did you get here so fast?” Melvina snapped.
“What do you mean? He has been here with me this whole time while you were gone getting the water,” Salva replied.
Melvina felt her thoughts begin to spin and whirl inside her brain. She backed away from the entrance to the door and slowly stumbled toward the fire. The world around her seemed to tumble and fall away in a blur of motion and chaos too confusing to follow. In a moment, she fainted and fell to the ground, fast asleep.
Chapter Six
The Meeting
Driving home from the manor, Mitchell was struck by the suddenness of the tragedies that claimed the lives of the Morton family. The force that had taken the soul material of these victims was powerful. Soul material was sacred to the powers that ruled this world. After the death of a human, certain angels are assigned the task of collecting soul material and transporting it safely to the next world.
Granted, the angels did not always arrive at the most opportune times, nor did they always arrive on the day of the victim’s death. For the most part, however, the system worked and soul material was kept out of the hands of demons, elementals, energy parasites, and other lower-class soul feeders. Thus far, the force that had claimed eight lives in the Guilford County area had moved in before the Angelic Protectors could salvage their souls. This act alone required a tremendous amount of spiritual knowledge and power. Guilford County, North Carolina was not likely to be home to such evil.
Prior to relocating to North Carolina, Mitchell and Kathy had lived in Phoenix, Arizona. Kathy was an executive sales person for a large telecommunications firm in Scottsdale. She was born in Madera, California. Her father was a master brickmason and pastor at a local church. He was a strong-willed man who also championed many civil rights causes. He found it necessary on more than one occasion to shutter the blinds and stand by the doorway with a shotgun throughout the night to protect his home and family. Nothing ever happened that truly endangered the family, but Kathy had been with him on many of those occasions. Her father passed the time during those nights by telling her Bible stories. From that time, she developed a deep love for the sanctity of home and the protective power that came with a strong father. Her father died 25 years ago from complications secondary to pneumonia.
Her mother was a powerhouse of strength and love for the family. She cooked, cleaned, and made the clothing for her growing family. She was an expert singer and she imparted a deep love of music and art to all her children. Her greatest gift to Kathy, as far as Mitchell was concerned, was her gift of cooking. Kathy’s mother was one of the best cooks to ever grace a kitchen. Her recipes had won numerous accolades