The Hunter, The Dragon And The Smokey Mountain Angel
Chapter 9

Float walking up the mountain road to the mining office was easier than when she had come down it. Tiny puffs of dust rose from where her feet almost touched the ground and every now and then she could feel a rock pressing against her high heel shoes. Long walks had a way of clearing the mind and making her feel happy but today she felt especially optimistic.

The mid–afternoon sun had warmed up the thinning mountain air. As she climbed higher and higher up the road, she could see miles of endless green mountains.

Then her mind fell into a rhythm and her body began to move automatically going through the motions needed to make the appearance of walking. It felt good to move and to be free of pain. She had always taken life for granted but now just going for a walk was one of the greatest experiences she had ever had.

As she floated up the mountain road, she wondered if the purring would start again. There was something about this mountain and that crazy feeling she had been getting whenever she moved closer to it. It seemed to be calling– even talking to her. She wondered how much of that feeling had come from the pain medicines she had been taking but then she dismissed that idea when she recalled having an even greater experience yesterday after the meds had worn off… and then again this morning.

Still, she had taken painkillers the morning before, not as much as usual but... No, she thought, I did feel something. I heard-something. I have the name Joshua... and Sapen.

She let her mind wonder on this and it drifted to dreams and other experiences she had been having when suddenly she remembered the image of Joshua holding onto the lightning on the day of the accident. The image never looked very physical. He was like a ghost and she swore again that she had seen him in her dreams before. He had something to do with the accident, and the more she considered the man she felt sure that he really was somehow apart of herself...

Her body began tingling as she felt the presence moving all around her then the world around her blurred.

She felt like she had just passed through a wall of static electricity. The memory of Joshua and other worlds began to slip from her mind as the tingling increased. She felt her mind vibrating as if words were being slowly spoken from a mouth as large as a house. The idea that hunger may be causing the feeling passed and she laughed that she had even considered that as a possible explanation. She wasn’t hungry she had just eaten.

Her mind snapped back to the present and the image of Joshua disappeared. She was standing in front of the steps of the mining office and she blinked.

How did I get here so fast?

The memory of the cool wind rushing past her told her the truth...

I just flew here.

She swallowed hard, took a deep breath and walked up the stairs. When she approached the door, she saw her reflection in the door’s small window. She ran her fingers through her hair and remembered to smile. With the back of her sleeve, she wiped sweat from her brow and neck, her make–up wasn’t bad, and then she sniffed her underarms–– everything was okay.

She looked over at the parking lot to her left. It had two cars and a truck parked close to the office.

Julia opened the door and stepped inside. The sound of keyboards clicking stopped as both women looked up and smiled. A young man, the same age as Julia, sat in a desk farthest from the door. The woman who had greeted her yesterday stood up and said, “Welcome Julia. We’re glad you returned. Please have a seat and Jason will be with you soon.”

“Thank you,” Julia said as she walked to the desk where she had trained at yesterday and then sat down.

A few minutes later Jason stood up. He was holding a folder in his hand as he approached Julia but she couldn’t read the look on his face.

Jason said, “Hello Julia.”

Julia stood up. She felt very self–conscience but at the same time she realized that she could now move almost as fluidly as she could before the accident. The thought made her smile and Jason seemed to brighten when she did.

Jason stuck out his hand and Julia shook it. She said, “Thank you for considering me for the position.”

Jason nodded as he opened the file, thumbed through several pages and stopped. He walked to the door, opened it, glanced at the cars parked next to the trailer and then closed the door. He returned to Julia and said, “I couldn’t find any of your references,” He paused and looked at the two women sitting at the desk before him and added, “These two don’t count… I called the Air Force to verify your certificates in Computer Science but they didn’t have you on file. Believe it or not, I could over look all that because the type of job I’m asking you to fill isn’t robotics or anything; it’s data entry. All your tests came back above average and the ladies here like you but there is one thing that I can’t overlook.”

Julia nodded.

“Do you have reliable transportation?”

“I’m working on that, but for now I have my two feet and they got me here today. I can have my own transportation within a few weeks of getting this job.”

“I’m sorry but I can’t hire someone who doesn’t have a way to get here reliably. I applaud you for walking all the way up here,” His eyebrows rose, “and in high heels. That says a lot about your character but what happens when it snows, or rains. And don’t say you’ll get a ride, I need someone here every day and on time.”

Julia’s stomach dropped and she felt light headed. She had a completely different kind of body sensation; it was as if all this were happening to someone else. Her heart pounded as she fought the anger building inside her. The sound of her blood rushing in her ears and the sound of her heart beating wildly made her aware of how close she was to losing it. The growing feeling was almost too much to handle. It threatened to catch her into the on–rushing emotions and send her crashing into the man before her.

Then the thought of dropping those oversized panties she almost bought earlier passed through her mind and she grit her teeth.

Then, as quietly and as natural looking as she could make it, Julia’s face softened. She took a deep breath and used the excess energy to focus and listen to all Jason had said.

Jason turned but Julia asked, “What if I can get my Driver’s License and a car in a few weeks, can I have the job then?

Jason looked down at the papers in his hands then at the secretaries and said, “I’m sure the position will be filled by then.”

The sound of her blood rushing returned to her ears. She was ready to explode but she was beyond that now. She had control of her emotions. The thought occurred to her that even though he said they would have the position filled, it didn’t really mean that it would be filled, it just could. Julia said, “Thank you Jason and thank you ladies for your time.” Then she turned and walked out the door.

Julia glided down the steps and tried to keep as natural looking a stride as she could as she moved down the road, just in case they were watching her through the door. As soon as she was around the first turn of Lost Mt. Road, she pulled out her phone and pressed the redial button for the Child Support help line. After being directed through several options and then waiting another few minutes a lady picked up, it was the same tired voice she heard the other day. Julia said, “I just lost a job because of you.”

“I’m sorry Miss, Anderson, how did I make you lose a job?”

“I just had an interview. I passed all their test but you know what stopped them from hiring me?”

There was silence…

“Your stupid law!” Julia felt her blood rushing and she took a breath. She continued, “Just wanted you to know that the very thing you are supposed to be doing, getting me to pay Child Support, was stopped today because you suspended my license.”

“Miss,” The woman on the phone interjected, “I did nothing to you. The citizens of this state voted and federal grants were taken to make this law. You want to blame someone, blame Congress, blame the citizens of this state,” her voice turned cold, “But whatever you do don’t take responsibility for yourself! You need to pay the minimum of $700 and then you can get your Drivers License back. It’s that simple.”

“That simple, Ha! Just wait lady, one day a robot or something will take your job... I hope you don’t have to jump through all the hoops I’ve had to jump through just to cover the basics to live.”

The lady replied, “Pay the minimum. Borrow the money. That is you’re only option because the next steps get even worse.”

“If I borrow the money this month, what will happen next month? You’re asking for a lot of money. I haven’t even talked to my ex–husband or seen my Child in a year. They’re both still missing!”

“Maybe, but you’ll still have to pay the court... And if you’re thinking about fighting this it’ll be six months before your first hearing and the moneys will only add up.”

Julia said, “I want to work but companies don’t hire people without reliable transportation and you made that impossible!” She heard herself screaming into the phone and hit the end button. She was so angry that she hadn’t noticed that she was walking 10 feet above the road.

Julia looked down, shook her head and positioned herself to fly. She didn’t want to be a freak. She only wanted to see her son again and rebuild her life. But all that was lost in a blur, as she flew up and over the trees. The air felt crisp but the sun was bright and warm. The endless mountains spread out below her. At the farthest edges of her sight, she saw a waterfall and wanted to be there. The image of a glowing sphere appeared in her imagination and then she stretched the sphere into a spear pointing in the direction she wanted to go. Then she bent her body towards it and she shot off, flying to the waterfall.

A few minutes later, she pulled back the image of the glowing spear, morphing back into a ball of light, her posture adjusted automatically and she slowed. The air had been cool on the way here and she thought that her skin would be stinging by now...

Nothing feels normal anymore.

Her blood was still hot but the rushing water drifting up from the waterfall was starting to seep into her pores. Her dress felt heavy and began sticking to her skin. The roar from the splashing water matched her feeling. It was like the presence but this was nature’s presence washing over her. It drew upon her anger and disappointment like a person sucking poison from snakebite and she wept. She hovered halfway up the waterfall and stayed there for a while, crying and letting the mist wash her clean.

Each breath was a release of frustration.

She whispered, “Help me God.”

All her anger, spanning back to her childhood, all she had lost until this day emptied out of her heart. As she cried, sheets of water from the waterfall rinsed her face and she felt lighter.

Moments passed. She began to feel tired.

You feel what God felt when he realized that man had failed him.

The thought felt strange and she ignored it. She wondered where her little boy was and the anger inside her dissolved into sadness again.

Then Andrew came to her mind and at that same moment, a rainbow appeared in the mist above the waterfall. She whispered, “Forgive me God for giving up part of myself. I will keep moving forward until I know where my son is and what is going on, or until I have no more choices.” Then she turned and flew back toward Lost Mountain Road and landed inside the forest just off the road.

She wasn’t cold but she knew others would think she was freezing on a day like this. Her clothes were damp but not soaked. The wind had dried them a lot when she was flying. She felt the burden of motherhood and the yoke of impossible expectations as she crossed the main highway and stopped at the Waffle House.

Andrew had the front door open as she walked inside. He saw the look on her face and said, “They didn’t hire you... And why are you all wet?”

Julia tried to hide her disappointment with anger but she started crying. Andrew walked her to the far end of the restaurant, sat her down and went into the back office. A minute later, he returned with his jacket, put it over her and asked the server on duty to make her some hot coffee. He sat next to Julia and waited. When she kept crying he gently put his arms around her and she turned into his embrace. Her tears wouldn’t stop. Every road had been blocked, every way halted. Then a thought came and she took a shuddering breath, wiped away her tears and asked, “Did the police find my son?”

Andrew pursed his lips and shook his head. He said, “They didn’t have any records on Noah or Rand Anderson.”

Julia felt empty again. She was at the end of her limit. She said, “They want me to run but they cut off my legs...”

Andrew looked at her legs and Julia punched him in the arm. She said, “It’s a figure of speech!”

Andrew laughed then looked around the room, noticed several people looking at her and he said, “Yea, about that...”

The server set a cup of coffee down on the table. Andrew reached over the counter, took a plastic cup and poured the coffee in it, mixed in the sugar and creamer then handed the cup to Julia. She took a sip and smiled. He stood up and reached for her hand.

She said, “Where are we going?”

“We gotta talk.”

Julia swiveled her head to see the people in the restaurant looking back at her. She stood up and followed Andrew out and around to the back of the store. When they were alone Andrew said, “What happened to you? When I met you, I thought you were just about the most crippled person, beautifully crippled but certainly crippled and in a lot of pain. You were immobile. Now you walk but you don’t really walk, you... float–move or something. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Julia asked, “Did anyone else notice?”

“Well yes and no. Some of the customers said that you look much better but I don’t think they noticed like I have.”

“How did you notice?”

Andrew smiled, “You have a very cute ass. And... it’s much easier to see it now.”

Julia twisted to look at her butt and then looked back at Andrew and said, “Now I know what you’re interested in.”

Andrew took a step back and said, “That’s not the only thing... I noticed, I mean you are a very pretty girl, of course I looked at your butt. But I care a lot about you. It’s strange to have feelings like this. It’s as if I’ve known you for all my life… Oh why am I saying all this. Anyway, what happened to you?”

Julia’s face turned red. She said, “I don’t want to go from having everyone staring at me because I can barely move to being a real freak; so don’t tell.”

“Tell what?”

“You have to promise to keep this between us.”

Andrew smiled and crossed his heart.

Julia said, “I’m the girl from the health clinic who can fly.”

Andrew nodded, “Show me.”

Andrew, I’ll be glad to show you whatever you want to see later, but right now I’m in big trouble and a relationship is–impossible. I need to–”

“They didn’t hire you. Why wouldn’t they hire you?”

“No reliable transportation. My driver’s license has been suspended for non–payment by child Support.”

Andrew’s eyes drew down, “I thought your child is missing?”

Julia shook her head and said, “He is, but that doesn’t matter to them. It’s complicated but I still have to pay or I will go to jail.”

“Why would they want you to get a job but then suspend your Driver’s License? Why not limit it to work and back or something.”

Julia shrugged. She was at the end of her patients. Nothing was making sense, least of all this.

“So you lost a good paying job because the Child Support people suspended your license for not having a job.”

Julia shook her head as she thought of her uncle, what would he do? Then she dismissed the thought. He’d just drink himself stupid and pass out watching some dumb movie. She looked at Andrew and remembered his question. She said, “No, I had a job. Remember I was in the Air Force and I was paid well. But for all intents and purposes that may as well be the case.”

Andrew said, “So, not only were you crippled but you didn’t get paid... What happened to your money?”

Julia felt that the conversation was getting too personal but she took a breath and said, “Since I’ve stepped off that bus I’ve been a non–person. My bank is empty and the Air Force... I don’t know. Now that the pain is under control, I’m about to start camping out at the Recruitment Office until I get some answers.”

She paused and thought,

And if that doesn’t work, I have other skills to get information and I’m ready to start using them.

Then she looked at Andrew and said, “I need a job.”

Andrew’s stern look vanished. He smiled and said, “Hold it, wait right here.”

Andrew walked into the restaurant through the back door. A few minutes later, he returned with another man she remembered seeing earlier but had been too busy crying to notice.

The man standing next to Andrew asked, “Who is this?”

Andrew looked at Julia and motioned to Waters, “Julia, this is my manager Mr. Waters. Waters this is Julia. She is ex–military, very reliable and though she has some disabilities she is very strong... and determined. She needs a job. I’ll make sure she has a ride to and from work and... Well hire her.”

Waters looked at Andrew and laughed. “So, you don’t have a car?”

Julia shook her head.

Waters quickly added, “But Andrew is going to vouch for you. That’s okay; it’s not as if I haven’t taken greater chances with new hires. But you look… well, beautiful, we don’t get many girls that look like you. I mean– we have some pretty girls… never mind that, are you sure you want to work here?”

Julia looked into the sky and thought about all the training she had been through. Over the three years before her accident, she had jumped out of airplanes, landed and was in full operational character within 3 minutes. She had infiltrated terrorist cells, located high valued targets and then called in air raids to take them out. She remembered the advanced training she went through using quantum computers to crack un–crackable codes and how it had led her to the people she had later killed... all the survival training on land, sea and escaping hostile territory.

She thought,

So, it’s from special forces to serving waffles….

Then she looked down, wiped invisible dust from her dress and said, “Yes, I’d be grateful to serve here.”

Besides, it’s only temporary.

Andrew said, “She’ll bring every man in the whole town. Waffle House will make more money over the next few weeks then we have all year.”

Waters lit a cigarette, saw the look in her eyes and he smiled. He took a few puffs on his cigarette, flicked it into the bushes, turned toward the back door and motioned for her to follow him inside.

They sat down at a booth and Waters asked her, “So what kind of experience do you have?”

Julia smiled and said, “I served tables years ago before joining the Air Force.”

“Good, so you’ve done this job before. Not everyone can do this type of work. You have to be a multitasker, hard worker and do it all with a smile because the money you make is coming from the generosity of the people you serve. You’re going to wash dishes, clean toilets, serve food to rude people and then you’re going to clean, clean, clean. You’d be starting at $3.00 an hour plus tips.” He paused and looked out the window and into the parking lot, then continued, “What would you do if you had too many customers and the cook suddenly has a problem with the grill?”

She looked him in the eyes and smiled, “Have you ever watched Star Trek?”

Waters chuckled, pushed his glasses back up the ridge of his nose and said, “of course.”

Julia nodded and continued, “Have you ever seen an episode where there is a major problem? I mean like when the Borg is attacking or an alien is about to destroy the planet just as the warp engine is about to explode?”

“Yes.”

“Well that’s when the officers do the Star Trek Emergency Walk. Everyone simply walks fast, stays calm and saves the day. That is what I’ll do in the emergency you describe. I will do the Star Trek Emergency Walk.”

Waters stretched his hand out over the table and said, “Hired! Can you come in next week for training?”

Julia shook her head. She asked, “I need to start today.”

Waters pursed his lips and said, “You will need to be in uniform. I can get you one of my old shirts. It’ll be a little big on you, but I’ll have your shirts in a few days.” Then he handed her a menu and said, “Study this. Know this and you will do all right,” He waved a hand and a minute later, the server came over. He said, “Get her anything she wants to eat on me.”

“Thanks Mr. Waters.” Julia said.

Waters stood up, patted her on the back and left. A few minutes later Andrew came and sat down next to her. She was already halfway through a pecan chocolate waffle and another omelet was on the way when he said, “You sure can eat... So, you start tomorrow!”

Julia nodded and said, “Thanks,” around a mouth–full of waffle.

Andrew nodded and said, “I have to work another shift, last minute schedule change. Are you going to be okay getting home?”

Julia looked him in the eyes. She thought,

He must have traded a few favors to get her hired and working right away.

She took a sip of coffee, swallowed and leaned over the table. “Come here you amazing person.”

Andrew leaned closer and she kissed him on the cheek.

30 minutes later, she was walking home. She left another message on Rand’s voice mail to call and then she slipped behind the buildings and began flying inches above the creek and then into the woods. She was in her back yard in minutes.

“Time to celebrate,” She said to herself as she began taking wood to the fireplace. When she had plenty of kindling to last the night and morning, she filled every container she had with water and let it start heating. Then, very slowly, she took fist–sized rocks from the garden and placed them on a metal grate above the fire. As the rocks and water heated, she filled the bath with a few inches of well water and waited.

The sound of her breathing slowed as the rocks began to glow. Soon the water started boiling and hissing as it splashed on the rocks and into the fire. She floated up, took the pots and cups of water, and set them in the bath. Then she set the rocks in one by one, took off her clothes, lit a candle, dumped the pots and cups of hot water into the bath and tossed the empty containers into the hallway.

Steam rose off the surface of the bath water. She slipped one foot into the water, let out a sigh and then allowed her full body to sink into the bath.

Every bone and muscle in her body melted. The water didn’t feel as hot as it looked but its soothing touch worked into her body and she felt her mind relax. She hadn’t felt any pain since the clinic but that didn’t mean that her body had been fully healed. The fact that she realized this told her that her mind had become very clear for the first time in a year. No pain and the fog of the drugs had lifted but her body was still very damaged on the inside.

Where had I been for a year? Why were they moving me from hospital to hospital? Where is my son? Who is the Hunter? Are Joshua and the presence real?

She wondered to herself as her mind recalled the vision of her lost memories from this morning.

All this time I’ve haven’t been asking enough questions.

Her heart rate increased with her breathing. A million questions stormed her mind but there was nothing she could do right now to answer them. Now was the time to rest. She didn’t want to put any more time between her and all these questions but she was already stretched beyond her limits. The panicked feeling inside her only grew.

I will have someone start drawing pictures of Noah, copy them and then I’ll fly all over town and drop them like some kind of Psyops Battle Tactic.

Two questions returned. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

What is this presence I am feeling… and who is Joshua and the Hunter?

Then she felt a humming. The sound that wasn’t a sound began to fill her mind. It was the same as it had been before, as if coming from some enormous creature from far away but moving within her. The humming morphed into a deep purring but with the quality of a growling lion.

Julia drew a deep breath and began humming in tune with the sound. The water in the bathtub rippled as her chest quivered. Her mind felt like it was opening, as if an inner eye had been closed for a long time, blurs and flashes of images began coming to her. She slowed her breathing and let her voice rumble with the growling inside. She saw a cave, and then the silhouette of a woman she had seen before. No, it wasn’t a woman exactly because she was covered in fur. She had a suit on that glowed around her neck, wrist and back. The growling intensified as the woman touched something on her wrist. There was a flash of light! An alarm was blaring, an explosion! Then she had a feeling of weightlessness and then blackness, noise, pain and lots of noise. Crashing, more pain and then something smashed into the presence and she knew it was a male. Something had smashed into him. They had crashed! The presence was a him and he was trying to tell her... that he had been injured... long ago and then again in the crash. Her language was hard to translate for him. There were too many distractions, he was in too much pain, the struggled against the blue prison took too much energy.

Then people were mumbling in English from somewhere in the background. A light came on and Julia saw part of a tail. It looked long, too long to be natural and it was covered in orange and green gems. Something was wrong with it. It was broken, he had already been badly injured and he had been in intense pain for– a long time. The crash had made it worse.

The growling grew deeper. Julia could feel the water in the bathtub vibrating. Then the image of the woman flashed and she heard, “The hunter is coming for us!”

Julia’s eyes shot open. She was sitting in cool water as her heart pounded. She didn’t know how much time had passed

“When is she coming! Where is the Hunter?” She shouted into the air.

The Earth shook as if something was pounding the ground with a hammer the size of a jumbo jet. Water spilled out of the bathtub. Then the shaking reduced and then teetered out and the connection ended. All she could hear was the crackling from the fireplace.

The feel of the cool water snapped her out of her visions and she quickly floated up out of the bath and hovered naked in front of the fireplace. She thought that if the water felt this cool it had to be very cold but again, she hadn’t experience the intense cold or pain. She threw a few small logs on the fire, and watched the flames turn them black. Then she rose to the ceiling where it was warmer. The heat felt very good and she relaxed a little.

How long was I in that cold water?

She continued wondering as she lowered herself, reached down into the fire, moved a few logs into the center, and then returned to floating near the ceiling. A few seconds later, the flames started rising again. In the light, she saw that her hands were now black with soot but there was no damage.

She returned to the bath and quickly washed her hands in the tub. When her hands were clean, she pulled the plug. The sound of water sloshing and gurgling gave way to another sound. It was something she had heard before. She cocked her head and listened. The sound had stopped but it had come from multiple places and all of them had been outside herself.

She held her breath as she floated back into the living room and waited near the fireplace. The little sound had been like a small motor or a gear, a buzzing sound coming from somewhere. She looked around the room, checking each shadow but she saw nothing. The fire sent popping sounds bouncing off the bare walls. After a few minutes of silence, she began to doubt herself. She couldn’t tell if she had actually heard anything or even where the noise had come from.

She thought of the Hunter sitting– somewhere watching her and it made her uneasy. She had been the predator before. She was the one who was watching and listening for the moment to strike but the feeling in reverse made her very uneasy. This new vision she had just received, and all she had been experiencing felt crazy. Her heart rate jumped and she felt the need to fly far away and hide where no one could find her.

Could all this be some crazy dream, she thought. Perhaps I’m lying in my hospital bed juiced up on some major drugs and all this is just a fantasy.

But she knew how to test that theory. She floated down to the stack of phonebooks she had been using for kindling and started reading. All the words made since. She closed the book but used her hand as a bookmark, waited a few seconds then opened it and read. It was the same advertisement for HVAC repairs she had just seen. All the words were still there. She moved close to the fire and felt the heat in her hands. She could smell the hairs burning...

This was no dream.

“Then what the hell is going on!” she said but she had no answers.

She fumbled through her bag, retrieved her cell phone and called her son. The voice mail picked up and she left another message for them to call her as soon as possible. Then she hung up.

Tears started flowing and this time she let them come. As she cried, she sunk into her sleeping bag and decided to try the police again tomorrow.

The police, Air force, Child Support– someone has to help me...

As she started to drift into sleep, the ground trembled. She decided that this, presence this thing that was contacting her was a friend and he needed her, but who or what was he? What did he want? Where was he?

The Earth started shaking again. The rumbling stopped and she waited to see if he would contact her. The rumbling and the presence had to be connected but nothing else came.

Then she lay back down. Her thoughts returned to her baby boy. Did he need her too? There would be no running away from this until she found him. Then tears started flowing down her cheeks again and she fell asleep.

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