Blood Shadow: Book of Manuel

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  Book of Manuel

  Phil Wohl

  Copyright 2013 Phil Wohl

  ONE

  Gabriel Billingsley and his pack of gorillas were placed safely back in the zoo where they belonged, but he definitely was not pleased with the outcome. While the other gorillas had reverted back to their more beastly form, it was Gabriel that refused to fully make the transition and spent his days planning to get back on the outside.

  His vibes were so strong and his intent to get revenge so verbose, that it awoke the originator of all things vampire, Manuel Ortiz. Manuel had been in an extended slumber in a fairly-appointed coffin within the confines of the Muirback Cemetery grounds in Burlington, Vermont for the better part of three decades.

  Ortiz had spent most of his life as a vampire transitioning from one spell to another at the hand of a scornful witch who was well within her path to giving a new meaning to the term "revenge."

  The wedding of Carmen Rosario and Manuel Ortiz was proceeding after a rather tepid courtship of almost two years and a dozen breakups. It was the mid-1700s and the American Revolution was still more than a quarter-century away from fruition, so the land that encompassed the future U.S. territory was still rather raw in structure and the people tended to live within tribes as a means for community and survival.

  The group of Spanish settlers was small in number compared to the dominant Native American tribes, the Apaches and then the Comanche, so they had to move often to avoid devastation. So, they migrated from the area that is now Texas and headed northwest then southwest in order to be in sync with the weather and the growing, fishing and hunting seasons.

  Manuel and Carmen's courtship was so long because of his wandering eyes. Every time the tribe picked up and moved a new squaw would catch Manuel's eye and cause trouble for both him and the tribe. But, since he was the largest and strongest member of the tribe and its leader, he could do pretty much anything he wanted to do when he wanted to do it!

  Manuel finally gave into marriage after the following conversation with the tribe's elder, Juan Nescacio.

  "If you choose to continue down this path, you will lead this tribe to destruction."

  "Because I will anger the wrong person?" Manuel questioned.

  "Well yes, but mostly because you will not add to our numbers," Juan replied.

  It took Manuel a few seconds to understand the reference. Then Juan continued,

  "My niece may not be the most colorful flower in the field, but she will always bloom every spring," he said, referring to Carmen. "She will also give you sons who will be warriors and protect all of us for moons to come."

  Manuel wasn't completely buying the argument of the hearty flower versus a flower with such beauty that it takes your breath away, but he swelled with pride over the potential of having boys that would be as strong and free-wheeling as himself.

  Manuel smiled, “Then there will be a wedding.”

  “You have made a wise choice my son,” Juan stated, although he wasn’t quite sure that the insatiable beast could ever be contained.

  While Manuel was busy running around with the most desirable squaws of each village, his girlfriend Carmen sat and waited—in silent anger—for her man to return to her each time. In between doing her chores and helping organize the entire tribe, because extremely fast moves were usually hiding just around the corner, she started to dabble with dark magic as an outlet for her frustration.

  Juan’s wife Rosa had a conversation with Carmen only days before the wedding.

  “Are you excited about the wedding?” Rosa asked, trying to keep the conversation light.

  “In some ways,” Carmen replied in a somewhat cryptic manner.

  Rosa was confused by Carmen’s response, “Manuel has many good features.”

  Carmen was not in a pro-Manuel mood after he left her behind for another night of drinking and frolicking in a neighboring village until dawn.

  Carmen kept shucking corn and didn’t pick up her head as she angrily replied, “But being true to the woman that loves him isn’t important?”

  “No, it isn’t,” Rosa replied, as Carmen’s anger made the flames in front of her grow in intensity.

  “I know you all have been talking about me,” Carmen stated as she looked up at the elder woman.

  “Only because we are concerned that such dark magic will lead you down a path guided by scorn, not love.”

  Carmen barely heard the old woman’s words of caring.

  “There is little love left in this vessel,” she said patting her left hand to her chest.

  Rosa knew that Carmen’s path in life had been chartered for her already and there would be little to dissuade it.

  “Your life is your own, my child, and no one can walk in your steps. It is for you to decide the way of this tribe. You are now the power, but choose carefully how you wield that strength, for it has led to much unrest within our family.”

  Carmen hugged Rosa, releasing the last ounces of care and love she had remaining in her shattered heart.

  It was the evening before a wedding that would change everything for the tribe and the life of Manuel Ortiz.

  “Where are you going?” Carmen asked her man as he tried to make himself look extra-pretty to go out.

  Since he always came and went as he pleased without question, Manuel wasn’t exactly receptive to the query.

  “Don’t ever ask me where I’m going,” he grunted as if she was barely good enough for a response.

  “Are you ever going to stop? Are you ever gonna’ love just me, Manuel?”

  He had his back to her, so he turned around and snorted “No!”

  And then he finally sealed his own fate and coincidentally her fate as well.

  He laughed, “What are you gonna’ do about it Carmen? Want to call of the wedding? Then what will the others think of you? Who will ever want to share your bed?”

  It was the first real exchange the couple had experienced in their rocky, but remarkably silent courtship.

  “The wedding is off,” she replied, standing her ground, waiting for him to show any sign of aggression in order to propel her pre-meditated plan in place.

  Manuel never stood for any form of insubordination and reacted to the challenge with a predictably-physical response. He raised his large, muscular right arm and clenched his mighty fist, and was in mid-swing before he met with a force, the likes of which he had never experienced.

  “What the?” he started to say.

  “I think you’ve done quite enough talking,” she said not only restricting his ability to speak but also his movement.

  Carmen then closed her eyes in order to focus her energy on the forthcoming spell. Moments later she summoned years of negative energy caused by Manuel and then her lids flashed open, revealing eyes that were as dark as the bottom of the deepest cave.

  “Living beast of the day” she chanted in a loud, monotone voice, “you must now be transformed into a dying beast of the night! As your sire, I will control your actions if I so choose. The spell only to be broken three cycles past the witch’s moon after I cease to exist!”

  Carmen closed her eyes again, and when they reopened they were once again and almond color. The dirt in the teepee that had been blowing around in a circular fashion ceased and the clouds that had assembled over the village parted and the sun was allowed to set unobstructed.

  Manuel crumbled to the ground and was no longer of this world as the women of the nearby village would be disappointed when he did not return until the following night, when his unquenchable thirst would make him order his new beverage of choice throughout the camp.

  Rosa came by the next morning and spotted Carmen outside h
er abode packing her belongings. She looked inside the tent and asked, “Is he sleeping off another long night?” as she saw an unconscious Manuel sprawled on the ground. If she would have taken the time to really look at him she would have noticed he was no longer breathing, no longer with the living.

  “Something like that,” Carmen replied.

  “Are you ready for the wedding?” Rosa asked.

  “Don’t think that is a good idea, especially if you were thinking of waiting until the sun went down to start the ceremony.”

  “Our wedding ceremonies always take place when the day meets the night,” Rosa replied.

  Although Carmen had turned to dark magic and was now a slave to its power, she still showed care for the people that had taken her in and cared for her at a young age when her parents had perished.

  “Garlic,” was all she said.

  Rosa was confused, “Garlic? Why do you need garlic? Is it some new thing at weddings?”

  “Not for me,” Carmen replied. “Everyone should wear a necklace of garlic to ward off evil spirits.”

  “If that is your wish,” Rosa stated.

  Carmen nodded, “Yes,