Reign of the Buffalo: Book 1 Page 6

  When Wilson could see again, he was standing in front of the house again. Grandma Noya and Michael came walking around the corner of the house hand in hand.

  “Hey, Wilson. Aren’t you going to see our Great Grandfather’s grave?” asked Michael. Wilson turned away from him and started walking back towards the forest.

  “I saw Great Grandfather Wilson’s grave already. Are we ready to go home now?”

  Sensing Wilson’s fear, Grandma Noya smiled and took Michael’s hand.

  “Let’s go. We’ll come back some other time.”

  As the trio started walking back home through the forest, Wilson peppered Grandma Noya with questions.

  “Did Paul escape the hole?”

  “Eventually, they let him out. But by then, he was too injured to work. He went blind in one of his eyes because it got infected from dozens of insect bites. They took him into the forest and left him to die. But he didn’t.”

  “What happened?”

  “After they left Paul to die, two Cherokee hunters came along and found him. They took him back to their tribe. After explaining to their leader about the slave master, the leader let Paul stay. It turns out Mr. Green had murdered men from their tribe, and they were hunting him as well. The tribe nursed Paul back to health.”

  “Really? That was nice.”

  “Paul convinced the Cherokee tribe to help him launch an assault on Mr. Green and his men. One night they invaded the community. When it was over, Mr. Green was captured and brought before Paul for judgment. Paul killed Mr. Green. Paul divided the land with the tribe, and he lived on the small plot we visited until he died.”

  “But how did Great Grandpa Wilson meet Nana Ama?”

  “She was the person who helped care for Paul. Years after the battle, she continued to take care of him. That is when she met Wilson. Although they were barely ten years old, they became close. When they were old enough, and they had gotten the blessing of the elders, they were married.”

  Grandma Noya stopped.

  “Michael, do you want to ride on my back?”

  She noticed that the boy was silent during the conversation. Fatigue was weighing heavily on his eyelids.

  “No, Grandma. I’m fine.”

  Wilson looked at his little brother and stuck out his tongue. Michael straightened his back and continued marching through the dark forest. They continued marching on for thirty more minutes until they finally exited the woods at the end of Grandma Noya’s pigpen.

  Chapter 13: At the Gate of Evil

  Grandma Noya moved a second rocking chair in front of the large bay window in the bedroom. Next, she brought in a lamp from the living room and placed it on the small table next to the chairs.

  “I put a low-watt bulb in here so you boys can leave this on all night. You know, in case you get scared,” she said.

  “Scared? I’m not scared,” piped Michael.

  “Me either,” replied Wilson. Grandma Noya looked at both the boys and winked.

  “I know you’re not.”

  After sitting in the kitchen and finishing off a plate of chocolate chip cookies, the two boys showered and brushed their teeth. When they went into the bedroom, Grandma Noya had two sleeping bags next to the bed.

  “I’ll sleep on the bed tonight. You guys will be roughing it in those sleeping bags,” she said.

  “Cool!” replied Michael. He quickly unzipped his sleeping bag and climbed in. Wilson walked over to the rocking chairs sitting in front of the window.

  “I’m not sleepy,” he said. He sat down in one of the rocking chairs and looked out past the backyard towards the edge of the forest. He didn’t know why, but it felt like something was out there. Seeing Wilson staring into the woods, Grandma Noya walked over and sat in the chair beside his.

  “What’s troubling you, child?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe it’s my eye.”

  Grandma Noya started rocking slowly in her chair.

  “Michael. Come over here and sit with us.”

  The small boy unzipped his sleeping bag and went over to the chairs. Grandma Noya lifted him on her lap.

  “Wilson. About your eye, have you noticed anything special about it?”

  Wilson sat up in his chair.

  “You mean the color?”

  The old woman gave Wilson a stern look. Sensing Grandmother Noya could see through his lies, Wilson responded again.

  “The visions.”

  “Your eye is a special trait in our family. It is not unique to you. Part of its power comes from the slaves. You know, your Great Grandfather’s part of the family.”

  Michael spoke up.

  “Nana Ama had it?”

  Grandma Noya smiled and kissed the boy on the cheek.

  “Eventually, yes, she did.”

  She lifted Michael off her lap.

  “Sit with your brother.”

  As soon as the child climbed into the chair, Grandma Noya stood and walked out of the room. Seconds later, she returned with a large white photo album.

  “There have been four people in our family to have the gift.”

  Grandma Noya flipped through the album showing photos of various family members with varying eye colors.

  “My father was the first that I knew to get this power: your Great Grandfather, Wilson Jones. Nana Ama told me that she knew of two people in his family that had the gift. All of them experienced the same thing. The changing eye color, the visions…”

  “Where did it come from?”

  “Nobody knows for sure. My father’s family were Africans brought to this country against their will. We thought the eye color and the visions were those of my father’s tribe in Africa. But I never knew my Father’s parents so I couldn’t find out. They died long before I was born – before my father realized he had powers.”

  “Powers?” asked the two boys in unison.

  “Yes.”

  Grandma Noya stood up and looked out the window.

  “Come here, boys.”

  Both Wilson and Michael stood and walked closer to the window.

  “Look out into the darkness. There is a faint light out where the trees are. Do you see it?”

  The two boys stared out into the darkness.

  “I see it,” said Michael.

  “Yes, I see it!” replied Wilson. “What is it?”

  “That place is where the earth ends, and the Underworld begins. There are angry evil spirits there. They are constantly trying to escape the Underworld. Our backyard stands between the gates of hell and the rest of the world. Sometimes the creatures crawl up from the forest and try to escape, but they can’t get out. They don’t have enough strength to enter our world. As soon as the first rays of daylight appear, their souls return to the forest.”

  “Who calls them? The Devil?”

  “No one knows for sure who he is, but sometimes I think it’s Mr. Green. We simply call him the Evil One. He traps lost spirits and tries to keep them for his own.”

  “Mr. Green? How is that possible? How long has that place been there? Where did it come from?”

  “I’m going to tell you about the history of this place. Okay? Pay attention.”

  The children sat up and listened to Grandma Noya.

  “That evil place has been there for many years, but your Great Grandfather Wilson discovered what the place was.”

  “He did? How?”

  “He had a vision come to him through his eye.”

  “What did he see in the vision?”

  “The vision showed him how the forest became a gateway to the underworld. It showed him the history of the forest. Do you remember what I told you about Mr. Green?”

  “Yes. I remember. Mr. Green is the man that tortured our Great Grandfather.”

  “Yes, that’s him. The evil of that man runs deep in this land. He’s the person that originally owned this property as well as mine across the street. Mr. Green was the kind of man most wealthy men are; careless with their money, arrogant, evil, and
vindictive. He and Mr. Pervis used to be friends. Do you remember who Mr. Pervis was?”

  “He was the original landowner that worked with the sharecroppers,” replied Michael. Grandma Noya smiled.

  “Good memory, Michael. Mr. Pervis and Mr. Green were friends. One night they were playing cards, and Mr. Green lost the property to Mr. Pervis in a card game.”

  “He did?”

  “That’s the day they stopped being friends. Mr. Pervis took his land and started growing crops on it. He hired several sharecropping families and started harvesting his crops for a profit. Meanwhile, Mr. Green wallowed in hatred against Mr. Pervis. He continuously thought of ways to kill him to take back the land he felt was rightfully his. It wasn’t long until he started trying to make his murderous fantasies a reality. He went into the forest and began building machines to help him fulfill his bloodlust. That is when the killing began.”

  Grandma Noya stood and looked out into the dark forest.

  “There’s a mass grave in that forest where Mr. Green murdered thousands of men, women, and children. Mr. Green’s forest was a place where like-minded evil men who didn’t believe in abolishing slavery would congregate to play with the souls of the innocents to their hearts' content. Men traveled from all over the country to participate in the pain. Thousands of them traveled for miles with their cargo of “useless slaves” and “criminals” to see Mr. Green’s torture machines bend bones and break spirits. Mr. Green was a man that took great pleasure in the suffering of others. Any person that he took to that forest endured torture beyond comprehension. He wasn’t satisfied unless he heard men beg for their lives. The cries of his victims as he ran them through his torture machines made him want more pain. He craved more cruelty. He did sadistic things to the corpses, things that were beyond evil. But eventually, he became unable to satisfy his thirst for death and turned to hell for inspiration. Day after day, he called out to the underworld to take his soul, but they didn’t answer. He cut himself and spilled his blood in hopes that the Underworld would reward him for his suffering. But nothing happened. It wasn’t long before he turned his evil gaze on children. He kidnapped several children from a Cherokee tribe and ran them through his torture machines. After discovering what he’d done, Cherokees from other states rode in to track him down. Eventually, your Great Grandfather killed Mr. Green. That is the moment the Underworld took his soul.”

  “What happened after that?”

  “The place was quiet for a while until strange things started happening. Some hunters went into the forest and never returned. There used to be a huge herd of buffalo roaming this property. They were big, beautiful creatures. One day they were here, and the next, they were gone. My father saw them walking towards the forest one day, and he never saw them again. After that, the whispers started. People around town started saying that an evil spirit cursed the land. The birds left. And then we started seeing spirits.”

  “Spirits?”

  “I think you kids call them ghosts. Your Great Grandfather saw the first ghost. One evening he was walking on the property when he saw the ghost of a little Cherokee child roaming the edge of the forest. She only said a few words to my father.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She said the Evil One told her to murder her tribe.”

  “What tribe? The Cherokees?”

  “Yes.”

  The two boys stared at their Grandma in fear. The old woman continued to speak.

  “The little girl terrified your Great Grandfather so much that he went to the Cherokee tribe and told them what he saw. The leader became angry. He blamed my father for bringing their tribe into the Underworld’s sight with Mr. Green’s death. The next day the whole tribe packed up and went to North Carolina. As soon as they left, other ghosts appeared. But these spirits weren’t like the others. They were eviler, and they chased people. They dragged the old town drunkard into the forest, and no one ever saw him again. Soon more spirits came. After a while, the whole city was too afraid to go near the property. But your Great Grandfather watched the property from a distance and noticed a pattern. They only came out at night. He wanted to protect the townspeople from the place. After the Cherokee tribe left, he felt a personal responsibility because he’d killed Mr. Green. Soon the stories about the forest got out. Nobody went there. They were all afraid the spirits were hostile. Every person that went into the forest after Mr. Green’s death has never returned.”

  Wilson stood and walked to the window.

  “The spirits. Can the spirits see us?”

  “Yes, they can see us. But most people can’t see them. But you’re different. Your eye allows you to see the spirits when you want to.”

  “Wait. I thought I imagined some of those things. I can see ghosts too?”

  “Yes. The only thing you need to remember is that when you use the eye, the evil things become attracted to it.”

  “Why?”

  “I imagine it’s the power you have. Spirits dominate in the darkness. Your eye shines a light on who they are and their true intentions. It’s a novelty in their world. Most people can’t see them before it’s too late. You’re special.”

  “I’m special, but what about Michael?”

  Michael stood and went to the window.

  “Yeah. What about me?”

  Grandma Noya pulled both the boys close.

  “Listen to me and listen good. If you ever venture outside this house at night into the backyard or the forest, you will die a horrible death. Hell is there. And no matter if you can see them or not, they can always see you. It took your Great Grandfather many years to map out a safe perimeter for this place. He brought in preachers to bless the soil. He bathed the land in holy water every day for five years. His intention was for this place to be a wall between hell and the rest of the world. He did everything he could to protect us. This house has been a haven for many years. It keeps the evil spirits from coming into our world. If you’re within these walls, you’re safe. They can’t penetrate. But if you go outside of these walls, no one can protect you from what comes.”

  Michael moved closer to his grandmother and wrapped his arms around her waist. Wilson continued to stare out the window into the dark backyard. Flashes of light appeared and disappeared at the edge of the forest.

  “This land. It’s like a guardhouse, isn’t it? To be sure, none of the demons escape.”

  Grandma Noya smiled.

  “I knew you would catch on.”

  “That’s why Nana Ama always stared out of this window. She was keeping guard.”

  Suddenly, Michael looked up at Grandma Noya.

  “That can’t be true. Nana Ama is Cherokee, and your father is African American.”

  Grandma Noya coaxed Michael along.

  “So that means…”

  “So that means the power came from another place.”

  Grandma Noya smiled at him again.

  “Such intelligent boys. You’re right. Nana Ama didn’t get the power through her blood. She received it another way.”

  Wilson remembered how Nana Ama had placed her hand over his eye before she died.

  “My Great Grandfather Wilson gave it to Nana Ama before he died. And Nana Ama gave it to me when she touched my face.”

  “That’s right.”

  “But if you knew that, why didn’t you tell mom and dad when I started having problems with my eye?”

  “Your dad knows. Your mother doesn’t.”

  “Why didn’t you tell her?”

  “Did you see the vision? Do you know what she has planned? She won’t stay with our family.”

  “How do you know that? Do you have visions?”

  “No, but I can tell by the way she moves…how disconnected she is. She doesn’t like our family. She doesn’t want a life with us.”

  Wilson remembered what his mother had told him in the vision.

  “Yes. I saw mom in a vision.”

  “When your mother came here, Nana Ama had the same v
ision. She told me about it.”

  Michael was lost. He looked from his brother to his grandmother.

  “What about mom? What vision?”

  “I’ll tell you later, Michael,” said Wilson. “What am I supposed to do with this power? Do you expect me to quit school and stay in this house all the time?”

  Grandma Noya started laughing.

  “No, child. You will continue your life. Your only job is to protect the family for now. The gates of hell are strong. They should hold steady. But….”

  “But what?”

  The woman turned to Michael.

  “Child, could you please go to your sleeping bag next to the bed? I need to show your brother something.”

  “But why not me too?”

  “I have another job for you. Your brother is the only one that can see what I’m about to show him.”

  Michael frowned and walked over to his sleeping bag and climbed in. Grandma Noya turned to Wilson.

  “This will startle you. Prepare yourself.”

  She moved close to Wilson and wrapped her arm around his shoulders.

  “Use your fingers and tap your eyelid twice. Next, look out towards the forest.”

  Nervously, Wilson raised his fingers to his eye and tapped just as instructed.

  Suddenly a red demonic creature with two heads banged against the window. It clawed against the glass with its long knifelike nails. Its glowing yellow eyes widened as it saw Wilson. Suddenly one of its heads let out a scream and bit into the neck of the other creature, severing its head from the body. Black blood sprayed from the beast's neck, causing the monster's whole body to stumble backward. As soon as the body touched the ground, hundreds of black vultures with burning wings of fire lit up the sky. The birds descended on the beast, ripping chunks of flesh from its bones with their razor-sharp beaks and talons.