Reign of the Buffalo: Book 1 Read online

  But the man’s words held no power with Wilson. The sound of Richard’s voice made Wilson angrier.

  “Call them. In fact, why don’t you call my dad? Tell him what I said. You think I don’t know what you’re doing with my mom?” Wilson asked. The man looked nervously at his front door to see if his wife had heard the words. When he was sure she wasn’t there, he charged across his lawn towards Wilson.

  “Hey! You shut your dirty mouth!” he screamed.

  “I know about everything! I know about the visits to our house while my dad was working. I know about the trip you’re planning to London. I know it all!”

  “How did you know…I never told anyone…”

  “Leave my mom alone!”

  “Look, you little shit! Get the hell out of here before I kick your ass!”

  But Wilson didn’t budge. Instead, he did something so unexpected that he surprised himself. With his two fingers, he tapped gently on the eyelid of his white eye. Suddenly, the whole neighborhood was dark.

  “What’s happening?” Mr. McConnell asked as he fell backward onto the lawn. “What’s going on?”

  Wilson moved closer. Richard lay shivering in fear on the grass, terrified as the child approached him.

  “You stay away from my mother,” Wilson growled, his voice a hissing echo inside the darkness. As he lay in the grass, Richard felt the ground begin to shake. Terrified, he looked at Wilson with wide eyes.

  “What are you?” he asked. Mr. McConnell attempted to stand but fell to the ground as the earth shook everything around them. Soon car alarms up and down the street began blaring. A terrifying scream came from within Mr. McConnell’s house.

  “Becky!” yelled Mr. McConnell. The screams belonged to his wife.

  “Richard! Help!” the woman yelled as the sounds of crashing dishes came from inside the house.

  “Please! Tell me what you want!”

  “Leave my family alone!”

  “Okay! Okay! Please! Just stop!”

  Suddenly the ground stopped shaking. A freezing burst of wind blew into Richard’s face that took his breath away. He covered his head and curled up into a ball on the lawn.

  “What do you want?” he yelled as he lay cowering. There was no response. Cautiously, Richard sat up and looked around.

  As soon as he looked at the child, Wilson wiped his fingers across his eyelid again. This time after doing so, he aimed both his fingers at the man. Richard started trembling uncontrollably. As if a giant invisible monster had grabbed him, his body rose in the air with both his arms extended.

  “Please! Stop!” Richard screamed. Wilson ripped the man’s leg from his body. Then his arm. Then his other leg. Blood sprayed all over the lawn.

  “Aaaaagh…” the man cried. His face became as white as a bedsheet, and his eyes rolled back in his head. He began having a seizure as the blood drained from his body.

  After a few moments, Wilson became aware of what was occurring. His eyes blinked, and he looked around.

  “No!” he yelled.

  There was a loud sound, like lightning striking the whole neighborhood at once. The light temporarily blinded Wilson, and he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Richard was lying on his lawn whole. The man stood to his feet and stumbled back towards the house.

  “Okay. You win! I won’t do it anymore. I swear.”

  As soon as Mr. McConnell opened the front door to his house, Wilson heard his wife.

  “What’s going on? Was that an earthquake?”

  Wilson smiled and started walking back towards his house. His family was safe – for now.

  Chapter 8: Dumb Little Brothers

  Wilson climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling. He couldn’t help thinking about his run-in with Richard. Had it been real, or was it a hallucination? If it was real, how did he know how to access the power? What other abilities did he possess? Frustrated with all the questions in his head, Wilson turned to his brother. Michael was sleeping on the bed beside him.

  “Mike!” he whispered. “Mike! You awake?”

  His brother stirred and turned over to face Wilson.

  “What? I was sleeping.”

  “Something’s happening with my eye.”

  Michael sat up in bed.

  “You want me to go get mom?”

  “No. It’s nothing like that.”

  “What’s the problem?”

  “I’m seeing things now.”

  “Seeing things like what?”

  “Like I imagine things.”

  “Did you tell mom and dad?”

  “No. Mom and Dad wouldn’t understand.”

  “I think you should. What if you have an accident?”

  “I thought about that.”

  “Well?”

  “I only see things when I touch my eye.”

  Michael climbed out of bed and went over to sit on the edge of Wilson’s bed.

  “Go ahead. Touch it.”

  “Are you crazy? No way!”

  “Why not?”

  “Because the things I see are scary.”

  “Scary how?”

  “Today, I saw Mr. McConnell down the street.”

  “And?”

  “And I pulled off his arms and legs.”

  Michael moved closer.

  “You did? Cool!”

  “No, it wasn’t cool. I was scared as hell. I can’t get that image out of my head.”

  “Wait. How did you pull off Mr. McConnell’s arms and legs? Did you change into a superhero? Did you transform into a man with muscles? How did you do it?”

  Wilson looked at his brother and laid back down on his bed. It was a bad idea to confide in his brother.

  “Never mind. Go to bed.”

  “No, dude. You have to spill your guts on this one. How did it happen?”

  “Goodnight, Mike.”

  Reluctantly, Michael went back to his bed and climbed in.

  “Fuck you. Don’t wake me up again,” Michael said before turning away from Wilson.

  “Fuck you too,” Wilson replied.

  After a few moments, he called out to his brother again.

  “Hey, Mike?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Don’t tell.”

  “Okay.”

  Seconds later, both the boys fell asleep.

  Chapter 9: The Argument

  At breakfast, Wilson could tell that things weren’t right between his parents. They weren’t speaking to each other and only answered Wilson and Michael in simple yes or no answers. At lunch, things escalated even further when Wilson’s father tried to grab a glass from the cupboard while their mother stood in front of it. After retrieving the cup and walking away, Wilson’s mom exploded.

  “The phrase is excuse me!” she yelled before slamming her pot in the sink. “Fucking jackass!”

  Wilson and Michael went about their day trying to ignore the tension, but soon it became too much to ignore. While Michael and Wilson watched tv in the den, their mother and father confronted one another in the kitchen. Both the children walked to the living room and sat on the couch, pretending to read books while listening to the war taking place in the other room.

  “I don’t care! I’m not driving them there!”

  “We have to. I told mom we were arriving tomorrow.”

  “Well, there you go! You’re always acting like a momma’s boy! Anything to make her happy! No Christmases. No Thanksgivings! You always give in to whatever she wants. Let the boys stay here every summer. Okay, mom. Don’t cut the boys’ hair. Okay, mom. You have our sons walking around here with hair longer than mine. I mean, fuck! Get some guts!”

  “It’s part of our heritage, Julia. And don’t start with the Thanksgiving complaints. You know good and damned well why we don’t celebrate that holiday in our family.”

  “Oh yeah. I forgot. The sensitive Native Americans. What about my culture, huh? Do you expect me to always give in to what your mom wants? Do you ever think about how our sons will be outcasts
in college? What are they supposed to tell their friends when everyone goes home for the holidays?”

  “Oh, here we go—the white girl with all the culture. Please enlighten me. Tell me about all the cultural events our sons are missing. Halloween? Columbus Day? Fuck that!”

  “What are they supposed to tell their friends at college? Huh? What are they supposed to say when one of them brings a girl home from school? Do you boys have girlfriends? Sure, you can bring them home to meet us. Just make sure it’s not on a holiday that pisses us off. What are we supposed to say about that, genius?”

  “First of all, the boys are not going to college for years. Stop being dramatic. And secondly, what’s wrong with telling them the truth about those holidays? They’re bullshit holidays meant to make Americans feel good about the slaughtering of our people.”

  “Fuck you, Dustin. If you want to take them there, you go alone! Something is at your mom’s house that’s making Wilson sick. I won’t help you send him to his death.”

  “You think I’m a fool, don’t you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You think I don’t know the real reason you want to stay at home?”

  Julia paused before she continued speaking.

  “Our son is changing into a freak!”

  “Lower your voice. Wilson will hear you.”

  “You think he doesn’t know how strange he looks? Everybody in the neighborhood talks about this whole house like we’re from Mars.”

  “Your exploits aren’t helping.”

  “I haven’t done anything wrong that you didn’t deserve.”

  “Oh, now I deserve it?”

  “I guess your secretary calling you all hours of the day is normal.”

  “For my job, it is. I have never cheated on you, and I never will. Can you say the same?”

  “Look! I’m not going. If you want to take the boys there, you go alone! Something is at your mom’s house that’s making Wilson sick. I won’t help you send him to his death.”

  “Fuck it. We’ll go alone.”

  Wilson’s father stormed out of the kitchen. After realizing his sons had heard the whole conversation, his face turned red with shame.

  “Boys.”

  Michael stood and walked out the front door to the porch. After his dad retreated to his bedroom, Wilson joined his brother.

  Chapter 10: Going Home

  Wilson laid his head on the car window and watched as the cars zoomed by. They were only an hour into their long road trip, and his brother Michael had already fallen asleep. Wilson’s mom had decided to stay home. For some reason, she had become depressed after the argument with Wilson’s father and didn’t come out of the bedroom. Aside from wondering what his mother was up to, Wilson wasn’t bothered. He was happy his mom didn’t come. All she would’ve done was to complain and fight with his dad. Having a guys-only trip would give his mom time to think about her infidelity.

  “You boys okay back there?” asked Dustin. Michael was almost asleep, so Wilson was the only one to respond.

  “Yeah, Dad. We’re okay.”

  Dustin looked in the rearview mirror at his son.

  “Hey…about yesterday…”

  Wilson tried to change the subject.

  “Are you going to be staying at Grandma’s with us for a day or two?”

  Dustin smiled.

  “Don’t do that, son. Now, about yesterday’s fight. I didn’t realize you guys were there listening. If I had known, we would’ve done our little dance in the bedroom.”

  “It’s okay, Dad. Really.”

  “No. It’s not okay. Your mom didn’t mean what she said about you being a freak.”

  “Yes, she did. But that’s just how she is. But what she said was true. People do talk about me.”

  “How are you dealing with that? The added attention.”

  “It’s weird because I feel as normal as I ever did. It’s just…”

  “What?”

  “I see things sometimes.”

  “You do? Like what?”

  “I don’t know. It’s just that things are different.”

  Dustin looked at his son in the mirror.

  “Talk to Grandma Noya about it. She’s great with listening.”

  “I know.”

  Wilson was quiet for a moment, and then he spoke.

  “Are you and mom getting a divorce?”

  “No. I don’t think so. People who are married for a long amount of time go through their ups and downs. Right now, your mother and I are at the down point of our relationship.”

  “But Mr. McConnell…”

  Dustin’s eyes widened.

  “How do you know his name?”

  “Nobody told me. I just guessed.”

  “Has he been to the house?”

  “No. At least not while we were there.”

  “Look. No matter what happens between you and your mom, just know that we both love you and your brother. And nothing will ever change that. Okay?”

  “Okay, Dad.”

  Wilson laid his head back on the seat. If his Dad and Mom did get divorced, he knew which parent he would choose. Wilson closed his eyes. After a while, he fell asleep.

  Chapter 11: Buffalo Dreams

  Wilson was walking through a lush green field, enjoying the warm sunshine on his face. He took a deep breath and exhaled. The fragrance of fresh flowers filled the air. As Wilson walked through the field, he could see bumblebees landing on the large flowers all around him.

  “Wilson!” a voice rang out from behind him. The boy turned to look back. He could see a small house far away.

  “Wilson! Come back!” the voice yelled again.

  Wilson recognized the voice. It was his brother Michael.

  “What do you want?” he yelled. There was no response.

  “What is it?” Wilson yelled once more. Suddenly Michael ran down from the porch and started frantically waving his hands.

  “What?”

  Wilson turned away from his brother and looked up into the sky. He saw a large black cloud in the distance, absorbing smaller clouds near it and gaining strength. He turned back to the house and screamed at his brother.

  “Is that it? Is that what you’re screaming about?” he asked. But he could no longer see Michael’s face. The only thing remaining was a tall, thin shadow. Wilson turned to look at the cloud again. It was much bigger than before. There was a strange smell in the air that he didn’t recognize.

  “I’d better head back,” he exclaimed. He turned around and stopped. The house was gone.

  “Michael! Where are you?” Wilson yelled across the field. But his brother couldn’t be found. Wilson started walking in the direction he had last seen his brother when a burst of wind pushed against his back, knocking him to the ground. Wilson jumped to his feet and turned around. The storm cloud looked menacing now, lights flashing inside it as it moved closer. A huge lightning bolt reached out from the cloud and struck a tree in the distance. Sparks flew into the air, and the tree burst into flames. Wilson was terrified. He was all alone with no place to go. He spun around, looking in all directions for shelter.

  “Hey! Michael!” he yelled again. “Where are you?”

  The only response was the deep rumble of thunder pushing across the field. Wilson’s heart pounded as he looked up at the black cloud above him. Although he wasn’t afraid, he could feel that something was about to happen. Wilson felt the electricity of the storm calling out to him, pulling at him as it drew closer. Just as he was about to turn around to try to make a run for it, the cloud sent three massive bolts of electricity into the ground, dazzling the field in white light. Wilson took off running, but it was too late. Large raindrops dropped from the sky, drenching everything around him. The rain was so heavy that it blocked his vision. Soon the rain became so powerful that he couldn’t run, and all Wilson could do was walk through the field. After a while, he was surrounded by so much water that each step felt like wading through a pond. After a wh
ile, his legs felt like he had weights attached to them. Wilson stopped walking and stood looking into the darkness of the rain, trying to locate something that would give him respite from the deluge.

  That’s when he spotted it.

  Something was moving across the field toward him. Unsure of what it was, Wilson wiped at his eyes and peered into the rain. The large brown mass seemed to cover half of the field. Water splashed all around it as it drew closer.

  “What is that?” Wilson yelled into the rain.

  Suddenly, his brother Michael was beside him.

  “She told me they would come for you,” said Michael.

  “Why did she tell you that?” asked Wilson.

  Michael looked confused. As he turned to walk away, Wilson grabbed him by the arm.

  “Why did she tell you that?” he repeated. Confused, Michael looked away.

  “Who?”

  “You know.”

  “Who, Michael?”

  Wilson’s brother pointed into the rain.

  “They’re here.”

  The brown mass was much closer now, and Wilson began to shake. It was a gigantic herd of buffalo. The fantastic beasts blew puffs of steam from the nostrils as they galloped towards the two boys. The ground shook as the animals’ powerful legs pounded into the rain puddles in the field. As the animals drew closer, Wilson closed his eyes and prepared for impact.

  But there was none.

  After a few seconds, he opened his eyes to find that the rain was gone. Instead of puddles, he was standing in a field bathed in sunshine. Two large buffaloes stood in front of him, breathing heavily. The larger of the two animals then nudged gently at Wilson’s hand.

  “Hello,” said Wilson as he rubbed the animal’s head. Suddenly the beast turned to Wilson and let out a loud bellow. The boy stumbled back and fell to the ground. When he looked up, someone was standing above him – a woman. Wilson couldn’t see her face because it was in shadow.

  “Who…who are you?”

  “Get up.”

  The woman extended her hand to lift Wilson from the ground. When Wilson stood up, the woman was gone.

  “Prepare yourself. It’s your turn,” a voice whispered across the field. Suddenly the area burst into flames, and Wilson screamed out in pain. His body was on fire.