Pada

Eric had no idea where they were going. Earl decided he wanted to ask Laura out and that meant Eric was stuck with Jolene. That’s not to say that Jolene was unattractive. Bison found her absolutely charming. The four of them were bored and looking for a place to park where the smell of the pot wouldn’t attract attention. Earl was all over Laura in the back seat while Jolene wrung her hands nervously in the front next to Eric. For a brief moment he wondered why she would be doing this, but it very well could have been the distance they were putting between them and the nearest diner; this was never confirmed. The blue Nova moved quietly along the dark back-roads. The only sounds were coming from the tires rolling over gravel and heavy breathing from the back seat.
Suddenly, in the rear-view mirror, Eric saw Earl’s head come up. Earl looked into Eric’s eyes in the mirror and asked, “How ‘bout the cemetery?” Eric’s first thought was fuck that! Unfortunately, now was not the time to play “scaredy-cat”. If Eric was going to have any chance in hell of getting Jolene to put-out, he would have to hang onto whatever bravado he could muster. Hey, it was better than a blow-up doll with a slow leak and a potential for chafing.
Grande Oaks Cemetery was not the most cheerful place in town. As cemeteries go, it was pretty run down and the gothic overtones made it even more special. Eric drove through the open gates and parked just inside. Once the engine was off, everyone jumped out of the car accept Jolene. Her door remained closed and locked.
Earl leaned in through the driver’s-side window and said, “C’mon, don’t be a chicken. We’ll all protect you.” He smiled, obviously convinced that his greasy hair and corn-yellow teeth could somehow reassure her. Whether it was the hair or the teeth that did the trick, we’ll never know. Jolene slowly climbed from the car. Her face seemed even paler than usual in the glow of the distance street lamp. The moon added some light, but not much. Once Jolene was out of the car, her movements quickened as she hurried around the car to stand next to Eric. Her protector had been chosen.
As a group, the four of them moved deeper into the shadows of the gravestones and huge, moss-covered oak trees. They all agreed upon a spot next to a gravestone carved in the shape of a gargoyle. The gargoyle’s eyes seemed aware and watchful above the teeth and claws. Large wings on its back stretched high over its head as if preparing for flight. Earl proclaimed this particular grave the site of the next great joint-burning ceremony. They sat in a circle and waited as Earl pulled the joint from his faded, green wind-breaker and lit it.
Jolene looked over at Laura in her perfectly matched, designer outfit and wanted to heave. She was always so pretty and perfect. Laura’s hair was the perfect texture. Laura’s skin was always perfect and radiant. What Jolene couldn’t understand was why Laura always went for the extreme losers. Earl was not what you would call a “catch” by any means. Anyone in the Florence County jail could vouch for that. Now, Eric was different; Eric had a future. He was smart, attractive, and funny. Yet, it was painfully obvious that he was not interested in Jolene. It was also obvious that Laura only hung out with Jolene because Jolene wasn’t a threat. Not that Laura would ever have to worry about Jolene stealing any of her boyfriends.
A sound broke into Jolene’s thoughts. A sound from deeper in the cemetery had floated to her ears as the night breeze subtly increased. She refused the joint – especially after Earl’s lips had been on it – and stood, looking around.
“I thought I heard something”, she said. Laura and Earl laughed. Jolene shushed them.
“I’m not joking. I heard crackling, like someone walking on branches”.
The sound returned, louder this time. Everyone heard it. Eric was on his feet so fast he became light-headed for a moment. Earl and Laura followed suit. Laura thought the sound seemed to be more of a crunching sound than a crackling one. It almost sounded like chewing. It was rhythmic and started off loud, but trailed off just before becoming loud once again. Earl and Laura began slowly backing away towards the car. As soon as their backs touched metal, they both spun around and got in the backseat.
“Let’s go, man!” Earl yelled. Eric looked over at Jolene and saw that she was staring off into the dark. Her eyes were straining to see past the edge of light thrown by a lone streetlamp.
“We need to go, Jolene”, Eric said, but she didn’t move. Suddenly, Jolene’s eyes stopped searching. They were fixed on a point in the distance. Her mouth slowly opened and hung slack. The chewing noises were gone. The silence of the night was so prominent, it seemed even the crickets were not bold enough to draw attention to themselves. Eric touched Jolene’s arm and as he did a scream erupted from her that was so chilling it would have fit right into any classic horror film Eric had ever seen. This was too much for the other three. Laura and Earl began screaming in the car as Eric, strengthened by fear, began dragging Jolene to the car. She was stiff and unwilling to comply with Eric’s prodding. He roughly shoved her into the front seat and slammed the door.
It was not until they were clear of the cemetery gates that Jolene ceased her screaming. It was not until Jolene stopped screaming that Earl and Laura did as well. Eric stepped on the gas. As he drove, he could hear Jolene muttering to herself. It almost sounded like she said, “Eating people”. He took everyone home and then went home himself. He couldn’t stop thinking about those noises or Jolene’s muttering. Those chewing noises. Eric’s parents and two brothers were out of town, so he had no one to talk to about it. He finally fell asleep in front of the television. His dreams were dark.

_____________________________

The next day was Sunday and it was a good bet that more than one of Eric’s passengers from the night before had attended church services that morning. He waited until around two o’clock to call Jolene. She answered the phone sounding groggy; like she had taken a sedative.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Jolene? This is Eric.”
“I can’t talk right now, Eric.”
“I just wanted to ask you…” click! She had hung up on him. “Shit!” He had no choice but to hope Earl or Laura had seen something. He tried Earl first. The phone rang once and before Eric could even begin to speak, Earl was asking if he had seen the morning’s news.
“Just turn on the TV and watch the news. Call me after.” Click!
Every local news channel was broadcasting the same story. Helicopters provided aerial views of Grande Oaks Cemetery. Where green grass should have been atop aligned plots, there were big, jagged, gaping holes. The holes were dark and deep. Eric realized if he looked hard enough and the camera was angled just right, he could see glimpses of wood and white cloth in those holes. The reporter on the scene was babbling on about grave-robbers and searches. Eric wasn’t listening too intently. He picked up the phone again and dialed Earl’s number. Before the first ring finished, he answered and asked, “Ain’t that some shit?”
“What do you think we should do?” Eric asked him.
“What the fuck do you mean, ‘What should we do?’ NOTHING!”
“Shouldn’t we go to the police?”
“And tell them what? That we went out to the cemetery to get high before getting laid?”
“Earl, Jolene saw something. I think we should find out what she saw and go to the police. They don’t have to know about the weed, okay?”
“If you’ve got some kind of death wish, go for it. Just do me a favor and keep my ass out of it. Cool?”
“Yeah, no problem. You got her number?”
Eric got Jolene’s number and called her house. Her mother answered and said she wasn’t feeling well. He asked if he could stop by for a minute and that it was very important that he just ask her a couple of questions. Her mother wasn’t all that thrilled with the idea, but she eventually gave in. Eric got the address and ran to the car.
The house reminded him of the one he grew up in. It might have been the same house, save for the lime green paint job. Eric got out of the car and went to the door. He raised his hand to knock and the door swung open. Jolene stood before him with a glazed look in her eyes. The muumuu she was wearing had stripes running horizontally, making her look about fifty pounds heavier. Her hair was limp and hanging in her face. All at once Eric got a mental image of an overweight, greasy, Japanese ghost. She had seen better days. Eric said, “Hello”, and received no response. Jolene simply turned her back on him without closing the door and headed up the stairs. He took this as a sign for him to follow.
Her room looked as she did; unkempt and viral. He waited until she had positioned herself back on the bed before stepping forward. Eric asked, “Will you tell me what you saw last night at the cemetery?” Jolene’s response was not expected. She screamed. She screamed long and loud. Footsteps running up the stairs and into the room behind him made him turn. Jolene’s mother rushed to her side trying to calm her by smoothing her hair and making shushing sounds. Eric had begun backing away from the bed slowly and apologizing. Jolene stopped her screaming and her mother spoke to Eric without turning to face him. Her words were soft.
“She’s been doing this on and off since she got home last night.”
“Did she say anything?”
“No. She screams and stares at the wall. Most of her screams are about some kind of “monster” coming to get her. I’ve called our doctor and he’ll be here around three. She went out with some asshole kids last night and probably got talked into taking some fucking crazy drugs. She wasn’t raped. I checked. I worked as an RN for awhile some years ago.”
“Mrs. Kragg, Jolene was with me. I’m Eric Swanson.”

______________________________

Wilma Kragg did face him then. She didn’t look pleased and Eric took another slow step back. For fear he would run, Wilma moved fast. She shot from the bed, grabbed his arm, and pulled Eric out of the room, closing the door behind her.
“What the FUCK did you do to my daughter?” Her question was whispered, but intense.
“Nothing, I-I swear.” Eric’s back was pressed against the wall and still he wanted to shrink away from her. He spoke quickly. “We went to the cemetery just to hang out – Earl had a joint, but she didn’t want any. We heard some noises – like crunching noises - and Jolene froze. She stared off into the trees and-and wouldn’t talk. We all ran and I had to grab her and pull her to the car. Then we brought her home. I swear that was all.”
“This ain’t addin’ up, Sparky. You’ve got five seconds to tell me what happened to my little girl and three of ‘em are gone.”
“Look, I told you I don’t know. Earl called me earlier and told me to put on the news. I turned on the television and they were showing the cemetery and talking about some graves being dug up. Maybe she saw the grave robbers and it scared her.”
“They must’ve been some really fucked-up lookin’ grave robbers. Wow, I never realized how dumb I look.”
“Mrs. Kragg, I’m telling you I don’t know what Jolene saw. I came here to ask her.”
Wilma stepped back and simply stared at Eric. He could see she was considering what he had told her. After a moment, Wilma softened and her eyes began to water. A sob escaped her. “I wish she would speak. I’m sorry. I’m just so scared.” Eric opened his arms to her and she fell into him.
“We need to try. We need to ask her”, he whispered.

____________________________

Jolene sat ridged at the head of her bed. Her hands hung limply at her sides, her legs stretched out before her, and her eyes were focused intently on the opposite wall. She looked like a huge doll left on the bed of a child. Eric sat softly on the bed next to her and asked, “Jolene? Can you hear me?” She blinked. Wilma said, “Sweetie, it’s mommy. Please talk to me.”
Eric got the first response from Jolene in the form of a look. She met his eyes and appeared to be questioning him with her own. He pressed further.
“Jolene, I know you’re scared, but I really need to know what you saw last night. It’s okay now. You’re safe here in your room. Nothing can hurt you here.”
“I don’t know.” Her voice was a whisper. Her jaw remained slack.
“You don’t know what, Jolene?”
“What it was.”
“Just tell me what you saw.”
“Something – eating.”
“Something eating what?”
“People.”
“You saw something eating bodies at the cemetery? How do you know it was eating the bodies?”
“It looked at me and I saw an arm hanging from its t-teeth.” Eric thought he might be losing her again.
“What did it look like?”
“Its mouth was so big.”
Eric stopped the questioning and asked Mrs. Kragg downstairs to talk. He wanted to apologize again for the night before.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry about this.” Eric was never more sincere.
“She’ll be fine. You got her talking and I thank you for that. I’m sorry for the way I treated you. This might not be of any help, but I have a cousin who runs a paranormal research group. You said it was on the news, so obviously something happened last night that coincides with Jolene’s story. I’ve never heard of anything like this before and I know that alone doesn’t make it paranormal – she's not herself, but take his number. You never know.” Eric thanked her and left. Ten minutes later he was back on his couch.
Next to the number Mrs. Kragg had given him was the name David. He picked up the phone and dialed the number. The line was busy. The call to David would have to wait. Eric grabbed the nearest video game and decided that now was as good a time as any to leave reality behind for awhile.
________________________________
Earl was never one to sit around. One reason was because he went through weed way too fast and was constantly on the prowl for more. Today was no different. Jimbo, his main supplier, had been dry for the past month and that just made things more difficult. After some checking, Earl got the name of a new guy (with competitive prices) who lived two counties over. After yelling “Road trip!” at the top of his lungs to no one in general, he proceeded to ask his mother for a small loan.
Karen Spencer kept a small amount of money aside for just such an occasion and Earl was a regular borrower. She had tried hundreds of times to convince her son to get a job – and attempts had been made – unfortunately Earl didn’t have much respect around town. He left around 3:30 in the afternoon and didn’t get home again until around 7 that evening. When Earl pulled up in his driveway he had been smiling for so long that his cheeks were numb.
What Earl saw when he got out of his car was the front walkway leading to his front door. What Earl didn’t see was a huge black shadow flying at him from out of the darkness, teeth closing around his upper torso severing his head at the neck and his spine at the waist, and his remaining body parts taking flight in the shadow’s wake over the roof of the car to land on the other side in a bloody heap. Earl’s once-white car was now crimson.
_____________________________________

Eric decided it was time to try David’s number again. He was surprised Earl hadn’t tried calling back, but knowing him, he was probably unconscious somewhere with a burning joint still hanging from his lips. Eric dialed the number and this time got a response.
“Hello?”
“Is this David?”
“Yeah, can I help you?”
“I hope so. Your cousin Wilma gave me your number. She said you investigate paranormal activity, like ghosts and stuff.” Eric felt odd even talking about it. It was never a subject that interested him. He wasn’t a “believer” by any means.
“Yes, ghosts and stuff. How can I help you?”
“Did you happen to see the news today about the grave robbers?”
“Oh, yeah. Pretty weird. It would have to have been quite a few people out there with shovels to dig up that many graves in one night. What about it?”
“I was there while it was happening. So was Jolene.”
“Jolene? Our Jolene?”
“Yes. It was four of us actually. It was a double-date.”
“Awesome. So, if I may ask, what the hell were you doing in a graveyard with Jolene?” Eric noticed that David’s voice rose in volume and an octave.
“We were just hanging out. I swear. We heard crunching and Jolene saw something that scared her. She said it wasn’t human. She didn’t say much else, but she did say it wasn’t human and it was eating the corpses out there.”
“What was it, smack, crack, pot, ecstasy, shrooms…?”
“Hey! There were no drugs involved. She’s damn near catatonic right now because it scared her that badly. Now, I called to see if you knew what this might be - not to catch a bunch of shit.” It was Eric’s turn to get angry.
“Look, the only story I ever heard involving the eating of corpses is an old Cherokee myth. Other than that, you got me.”
“What is it?”
“What is what?”
“What’s the myth!?”
“You can’t be serious…”
“Oh, I’m pretty serious. Trust me.”
“Suit yourself. The myth talks about how the Cherokee elders would call up a spirit to devour the bodies of the dead to allow the soul to pass on and become one with the earth. The spirit was supposed to be comprised of several different animals. It had the head of a crocodile, the body of a bear, etc. Nobody really knows exactly what the thing was supposed to have looked like, but you get the idea. Once the body was eaten, the spirit was to return to the underworld. Have I helped?”
“I doubt it.” Eric hung up. “Prick.”
Eric realized there were similarities between David’s story and the occurrence of the night before. The problem was that even in light of what Jolene had said, it all sounded way too crazy to be real. Eric half expected to hear Rod Serling’s voice come out of the walls around him: Imagine if you will…

____________________________________


Jolene was up and standing in her bedroom window. Her hands gripped the curtains to either side of her. The night was clear and she stared out at the stars and the waning moon. Wilma, emotionally drained, was asleep in her room across the hall. Jolene was calm now and humming softly as she enjoyed the peacefulness of the night beyond her window. Things were becoming clear for her. It was her imagination. Her mind had played a trick on her. The smoke from the marijuana cigarette had clouded her mind. She laughed softly to herself until the window shattered and she was gone. For a brief moment, the white of her curtains could be seen flapping in the wind high above the ground; then, they too, were gone.

__________________________________

The next morning, Eric was at the library ten minutes before it opened. Within the following hour, he found a complete draft of the Cherokee myth.
“…the name of the creature was Pada. The creature or spirit could be called up only during a waxing moon and only by an elder of the tribe. During every ceremony to raise him, Pada was given the order to return to the earth once he had consumed the remains of the deceased individual.”

The only new fact in the story was the spirit’s name: Pada. Eric started wondering if maybe the legend were true and if some old Cherokee tribe member had really called this spirit into our world to eat the remains of a loved one. Was he related to everyone in the cemetery? Not likely. As crazy as the idea was, Eric decided to check out the current obituaries. After another hour, he had three names written down on a small note pad. Two of the names sounded Native American and one name was under the picture of a woman with high cheekbones and long braided black hair. The picture was obviously older, but the woman’s origins were obvious.
Eric returned home and sat trying to decide how to broach the subject of an ancient Cherokee myth about a corpse-eating spirit with someone who has recently lost a relative. His thoughts were broken when the phone rang. Eric answered and could hear only heavy breathing. He started to hang up when the breathing turned into sobs. It was Laura. She spoke between quick breaths.
“Eric, I’ve been calling all morning! Where’ve you been? Earl’s dead and Jolene’s missing!”
“What? What are you talking about? I just talked to them both yesterday…”
“Eric, shut up and listen.” Laura’s panic was palpable and she spoke fast. “Last night Jolene’s mom heard a crash from somewhere in the house. She ran across the hall to Jolene’s room and saw the glass broken out of her window and couldn’t find her anywhere. She was just gone. At first she thought Jolene had jumped from her window, but there was no sign of her. Earl’s mom was leaving for work this morning and saw – saw…”
“Saw what?”
“Earl’s body was in p-pieces…blood…”
“Oh, God.” Eric stopped listening. The phone moved slowly down his face as his arm lost the strength to hold it. The sound of Laura’s voice calling for him was lost. He could hear nothing as his thoughts consumed him.
________________________________

Eric came to his senses not long after and made up his mind to look for the people listed in the articles he had found. All three had been buried at Grande Oaks Cemetery within the past month and all three had grieving family members. He grabbed the phonebook and started his search. It wasn’t long before he found the first name on the list. After a moment of practicing and formulating his words, he felt he was ready to call. He dialed the number quickly, but with each ring, his nervousness grew.
“Hello?” It was the voice of a young woman.
“Hello, Mrs. Howling Wolf?”
“No.” She laughed. “Howling Wolf was my grandfather’s Cherokee name. His legal name was Harris. What can I do for you?”
“I’m sorry. I read both names in the obituary and didn’t know which to use. You might find this sort of strange, but do you know anything about an old myth regarding a spirit called Pada?” What the hell, he thought, what could she do? Hang up?
“Excuse me, what is this about?”
“I’m doing a research paper…” Bingo! There was a loud click on the line. He couldn’t blame her. That did sound kinda lame. One down, two to go. The next name on the list was Ashford. Eric found the listing for a relative named in the obituary column. He wasn’t sure how the person was related to the deceased because no distinction was given. He dialed the number and felt the uneasiness return. After the last call, he was even more nervous this time. A man answered.
“What’s up?” He sounded impatient and not pleased with the interruption.
“Yes, I’m sorry for the inconvenience of this call…”
“What do you want?” The man sounded even more agitated. It was time to just say it.
“I think a mythical Cherokee spirit is running around eating dead bodies. Sound familiar? Ever heard of something called, Pada? Do I gat a “Bob, tell him what he’s won”, or am I just some fruit-loop, goof-nut with a dead best friend and a missing acquaintance who happened to see a creature chewing up corpses in Grande Oaks Cemetery two nights ago?”
Silence. Then:
“Where can I meet you?”

________________________________________

Ten minutes later, Eric’s doorbell rang. Laura was standing on the porch step looking puffy and haggard. Eric sat her down in the dining room and made coffee for them both. He asked her if she were feeling any better.
“Yeah.” She spoke softly and slowly. “I think I’m in shock or something. For some reason I can’t feel anything right now. I don’t think it’s sunk in completely. There’s still part of me that refuses to believe it really happened.”
“I’m going to tell you something and you have to promise you’ll let me finish. I’m over my quota for being cut-off today. It’s about what I think happened to Earl and Jolene.”
“Okay.”
After Eric finished his story, Laura looked even more concerned. Eric thought he had frightened her with the prospect of some monster running loose and eating people. He was wrong.
“Eric, I know all this is hard to take, I mean, Earl was my boyfriend, but please think about what you’re saying.” She was worried about him and his mental stability.
“I’m not crazy. I know how it sounds, but…” The doorbell rang once again. This time it was the man he had spoken with on the phone earlier. He was obviously Native American. He was dressed as anyone else in a button down shirt and jeans, yet his hair, long and black, hung past his shoulders and turquoise-beaded moccasins covered his feet. His almond skin and high cheekbones left no room for doubt.
“I’m Eric. Please come in.” The man nodded and stepped through the open doorway. Eric led the man into the kitchen and offered him a drink. The man declined and Eric introduced him to Laura.
“This is Running Bear.”
“It’s very nice to meet you.” Laura was still concerned about her friend’s mental health and meeting Running Bear wasn’t helping the situation. She hadn’t realized just how traumatized Eric must be. Running Bear declined the offer of a drink, sat next to Laura, and began to speak.
“There are two obituaries. One was for my grandmother and the other was for my niece.” To Eric he said, “You may have seen the photograph of my grandmother in the paper. Her listing was just beneath my niece’s.” Eric remembered the third listing and said he had seen it. “They were together in our car. Grandmother was taking Li-Li to the park when they were hit by a drunk driver. They were both killed instantly.”
Eric could see the man’s eyes begin to moisten. He continued.
“My grandfather was so distraught over the whole thing that he became infuriated with the world as it has become. The family has kept to as many of the old ways as humanly possible because he never forgave who he still calls the “white man” for what has been done to our people. I understand someone wanting to hold to tradition, but there was a time when he would beat us for even talking to a white person. He was the one who called up the spirit of Pada. I told him of the news broadcast and he said he was glad. He wanted this to happen. He said he knew Pada would be hungry after all these years.”
“My guess is that there’s some connection to what has happened to our friends in all of this and I’d like to hear your answer as to how a spirit called upon to eat dead bodies has chosen to attack live ones. If there is no connection, then there’s one hell of a coincidence that needs explaining.” Eric needed more pieces for the puzzle to make a clear picture. His sanity was already in question by his acceptance to even the idea of Pada being real.
“Eric,” Running Bear continued, “I understand you’re upset about your friends and I can tell you that Pada does have a direct connection to what’s happened to them if you were all there the night he arrived. In fact, it’s a good chance that you and Laura are in danger as well.”
Eric and Laura answered together: “What?!”
“When Pada is called upon, there is a rule that no one can witness his coming.”
“The only person to actually see him was Jolene”, Eric protested.
“That doesn’t matter. You were there.”
“How do we stop it?” Laura asked.
“There are only two ways to stop him. My grandfather refuses to help at all, so that avenue is out.”
“The other?”
“The person responsible for calling Pada must die.”
“So what you’re saying,” Eric started, “is that Laura and I are screwed.”
“Pretty much.” Running Bear stood.
“What if we tried talking to your grandfather? What if we explained how much we want to live? He can’t be that heartless. We could die!” Eric was astonished at the conviction of the grandson that the grandfather would never change his mind even in light of he and Laura’s peril.
“I’ll take you to him right now if you want.”
“Yes – fine. Laura, let’s go.” Laura rose from her chair. To Running Bear, he said, “Lead the way.”

__________________________________

Running Bear’s grandfather was sitting on the front step of a small, wooden house situated on a large piece of open land just outside town. Eric recognized it as a house he’d passed many times before, but had never given a second thought to. The old man was paring an apple or some other kind of fruit and never once raised his head to see who was approaching.

All three climbed from Running Bear’s truck and walked over to where the old man sat. Only after the old man raised his head did Eric realize he was blind. The milky-white of his eyes startled him for a moment. Laura was the first to speak.
“Sir? My name is Laura Sherman and I don’t want to die.” Running Bear and Eric looked at one another and the old man smiled.
“This is my grandfather, Soaring Eagle”, Running Bear offered.
“I know why you have come. Pada has tasted blood and thirsts for more. I sense his mark on you. The white man knows nothing of what is beyond and feels safe in his ignorance. Now he will know the world around him.” Soaring Eagle seemed fine with the prospect of more death and desecrated graves. Eric expected him to start whistling a happy tune.
“Mr. Soaring Eagle, your grandson has explained how you feel about what is happening. We understand that you don’t care whether we live or die. What we don’t understand is how you can justify your responsibility in the deaths of other human beings”, Eric responded.
“We have asked this of many white men for many years. Maybe you will answer it.”
The sun was sinking beyond the horizon much too quickly, Eric thought. Night was coming on fast and he knew something had to be done before someone else died. In the line of trees at the edge of Soaring Eagle’s property, they all turned their heads at the sound of rustling.
“Can we please talk inside?” Laura asked. Soaring Eagle smiled again.
“It won’t matter.”
Running Bear convinced his grandfather to move the conversation indoors. Inside the house, Eric realized it looked like he might have imagined it. Feathers, dream-catchers, leather pouches, and beaded amulets hung from the walls. There was no electricity here. The one window in the room was shut tight with the curtains drawn. Oil lamps lit the main room in an eerie glow. It smelled of sweat and oddly enough, macaroni and cheese. Now inside, Eric was ready to try again.
“This is ridiculous. It’s like one big childish game. Tit-for-tat never got anyone anywhere. It never ends until an adult steps in and stops it. You seem wise beyond your years until someone gets close enough to you to know better. You’re nothing but a big child.” At this, Running Bear did not look pleased. He looked at Eric with a warning in his eyes. Laura had had enough. She put her face within inches of Soaring Eagle’s.
“Listen old man, you might think you’re hot shit around here just because you can make a ghost eat people! Well, I’m not going down alone. If I die, you die!” With a quickness Eric had never witnessed from Laura before, she spun around behind Soaring Eagle’s chair and with one hand grabbed his collar to hold him down and with the other lifted the chair from behind just enough to pivot him slightly to the right. He was now facing the only window in the room.
Eric saw Running Bear start to react and threw himself at the man, knocking him to the floor. He grabbed a knife from a holster hanging on the wall next to him and brandished it on Running Bear. Just then, the window shattered inward, spraying all four with tiny shards of broken glass. She must have sensed it coming, Eric thought. Following the shattered glass was a tremendous wind that extinguished the lamps in the room. After the last shard of glass settled on the wooden floor, the only sound was a heavy breathing coming from one corner of the room very near the hole where the window used to be.
Straining their eyes, Laura, Eric, and Running Bear could make out only a darker spot in the already-dark room. As they watched, the spot seemed to grow larger, as if a bear were standing slowly on its hind legs. It grew until the window was blocked out entirely. Again there was only one darkness. Soaring Eagle began to laugh.
“He will not harm the one who calls him”, he said through chuckles.
“Yeah, but will he protect you?” Laura asked. She put the old man in a headlock and began choking him. Eric was rooted to the spot in awe of Laura. Who is this person, he thought. He heard Running Bear try to stand and again shoved the knife in his direction. Though he was nearly blind in the increasing darkness, Eric could still make out Running Bear’s dimming outline.
“I will kill you to save my own life”, he said. “Move again and find out.”
As Soaring Eagle began gasping for air, Running Bear leapt to his feet and lunged at Laura from behind. Eric wasn’t fast enough to stop him from dragging her and Soaring Eagle both to the floor. A loud snap rang out, like teeth snapping shut. The sound was followed by a loud thud and the tinkle of metal against wood. Warm liquid splashed over Laura’s body and she screamed. She tasted copper. Laura was suddenly yanked to her feet and held against who she knew was Running Bear. He positioned her between himself and Pada.
“Grandfather! You must stop him! I was with you whe…” Running Bear never got to finish his sentence. In one fluid motion, Running Bear was lifted into the air by his ankles and slammed into the floor, ceiling, and walls like a rag doll in the hands of a huge, evil child. His body was pulled into the dark void that was Pada and a loud crunch followed. His lifeless body was tossed back at Laura knocking her to floor once more and she began sobbing and running her hands over the wet floorboards in search of the dropped knife. She knew she had only one chance. Her fingers touched the wooden handle of the knife and she gripped it as well as she could with her now blood-covered hand.
Soaring Eagle, still lying where he fell, began chanting. Laura knew this couldn’t be good. Something grabbed her entire right shoulder. She felt fur against her cheek and claws rip into her flesh. She screamed and threw the knife in Soaring Eagle’s direction. Laura heard his scream just before her lower half was bitten in two. Her legs twitched against the floor as her head and chest were thrown against a wall hard enough to splinter the wood.

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Soaring Eagle brought his hands to his face and felt the handle of the knife jutting from his left eye. Instinctively, he attempted to pull the knife free. His eyeball came free with the serrated knife blade. Blood began flowing freely from the open wound. He heard a last heavy breath from Pada before sensing the creature’s departure. Soaring Eagle had no phone because it was the white man’s creation. His neighbors were far. Death would be his only savior.