2018: The Raven's Spiral

June 2018

A small drizzle began to pour and turned into light rain. Alonzo stood silent wondering if he should cut this weekend fishing trip short or keep going.

He shifted his position on the pier but suddenly doubled over and collapsed as fiery waves of pain speared into him and crushed his insides. His fishing pole fell out of his hands and clattered onto the ocean pier’s wooden planks below.

Alonzo cried out in pain. His temperature rose, his hands trembled and his jaw began to lock and grind down his enamel.

Never in his life had he experienced a pain so intense. Was it a stroke? He was only 33 years old.

“Alonzo! Alonzo! Baby what’s wrong?” His wife Mia shouted.

Eerie visions of dark silhouettes hanging and drifting lifelessly in the depths slammed into his mind like a freight train.

Hallucinations?

Just then his head lifted at the sound of a loud splash in the water. In the distance, near a pile of floating brush he locked eyes on a strange woman partially submerged in the water, holding her head above the water’s surface.

There was something odd about her, her eyes were dark yellow and her skin a strange mix of brown and light blue hues. Tattoos?

Moments later her head submerged and she disappeared. She seemed familiar.

Alonzo’s head swiveled to the left when he heard his wife’s feet speeding across the wooden pier towards him.

“Alonzo!” she fell into a crouch beside him holding him steady as he tried to stand.

“Hold on baby, slow down, talk to me what’s happening?”

The pain left Alonzo as quickly as it came. He suddenly felt fine but out of breath.

Mia helped him stand and began to lead him to the car.

“There was a woman,” he huffed breathily.

“A woman?” Mia did not understand.

“In the water?” Alonzo tried to point put Mia pulled him forward towards their car.

“I’ll call the Park Service,” she replied. “We need to get you to a doctor.”

Two Hours Later…

EKG, CT Scan, Ultrasound. Nothing better than paying your co-pays and going home with some slightly better Advil than what you get at the local Walgreens or QFC.

Mia called the Park Service but no woman was found.

After a ruined Saturday and a disappointing doctor’s visit Alonzo and they went home.

Once inside he went to the bedroom, kicked off his shoes and plopped into bed.

Mia entered the room. She went to their Walk-in closet and put away her coat.

“Lots of excitement today.” she said.

“Yeah, lucky me,” replied Alonzo.

Mia came back after changing into a T-Shirt and workout sweats.

“Babe, I think you should see a specialist if you’re having random pains like this.” she said.

“I thought changing my diet and losing weight would prevent this. This isn’t what I signed up for,” said Alonzo.

“I know, baby.”

She turned to leave before pausing.

“Oh, did you hear?”

“Hear what?” replied Alonzo.

“Tony Anderson is coming to Ashpine. You know, the Senator, used to be the Mayor of Portland?”

“I thought he was from Maine not Oregon?”

Mia smiled. “There’s a Portland in Maine too, babe.”

“Is he running for President again?”

Mia looked at her phone. “On Twitter they’re saying he’s doing a West Coast Tour on Healthcare and Income Inequality. He’s speaking at the Ashpine Convention Center.”

“Yeah, he’s running for President again.” Alonzo replied.

“Don’t you have a job at the Convention Center?

“Yeah, we got a contract for some HVAC and wiring work.”

“Can you get us tickets?” she asked.

“Maybe. I'll ask Bob when I get in on Monday.”

“Great! Well, I’m going to get some miles in on the tread.” said Mia.

“Have fun!”

Days Later…

Alonzo felt his body sway back and forth as the ferry continued towards the lights of Ashpine Harbor. He stood on the ferry’s observation deck, the harbor coming closer into view.

For the last few days he sunk into deepening feelings of foreboding, like he was being warned about something.

Once he reached the shore he would call Bob Crosby, his foreman, about taking a half-day so he could go see a specialist downtown.

At that moment he felt the atmosphere thicken like tarry molasses as clouds darkened and in the corner of his eye he spotted a woman behind him, her needly gaze shooting deeply into his back.

He spun around, eyes wide open, mouth agape..

“Oh! Hi! Didn’t see you there!” He said, grinning awkwardly.

She was a tall, slim woman with a rich brown complexion, her black hair swept back into intricately braided tresses. Her dress was a rich combination of red, black and blue colors depicting fishes and birds, it reminded Alonzo of a First Nations festival he attended several years ago.

At first, she said nothing.

“Can I help you with something?” Alonzo asked.

His grin faded and his muscles tensed when she slowly came closer.

“The Raven will deceive you and tell you stories of light and hope. But the true children of light know he is a trickster, here to lie, steal, and destroy. Beware the Raven, you must stop him.”

Alonzo stepped back slowly.

“Uh, lady? Are you okay?”

It was like she didn’t hear him.

“The Raven is almost here. You must prepare.”

“Okay, thanks lady. I’m going to go now. You sound crazy!”

Alonzo shifted away from her, coming closer to the Observation Deck’s five foot wall and railing. Focusing on the signs pointing down towards the Car Deck on the lower level of the ferry he proceeded towards the stairs.

His heart pounded when he felt sudden pressure on his arms and shoulders. The woman lunged at him and grabbed him. Before he could get her off, her deep muscular power pulled Alonzo back and within moments he was airborne and launched from the Observation Deck. He hurtled down towards the churning water below as the skies began to thunder.

Upon impact water pressure consumed every inch of Alonzo’s body as he kicked his feet and flailed his arms, trying to tread water.

The surface slipped away and Alonzo lost consciousness as he sank deeper.

Ethereal music jolted him awake and he opened his eyes to look around.

He was still beneath the water but his breath had returned. Somehow, he could breathe.

What was this?

Just then the song turned dark as he heard loud wails and moaning as if someone was in mourning or being tortured. Then a light brightened the area around him.

Alonzo tensed as he observed dozens of lifeless bodies drifting around him. Their upper bodies were long human-shaped torsos, but their lower bodies tapered into long sinuous tails with fins at the end. Purple colored gills rose from their necks. Their hands consisted of webbed digits that extended from very thick wrists. Their hair floated like seaweed. They were almost human but not quite.

Currents beneath him began to shift and in the corner of his eyes Alonzo noticed a presence emerging from the depths. It was one of the creatures.

The being approached Alonzo and he made out their face. Shock riveted through his body as he recognized the same face of the woman he had seen at the pier last weekend. Her dark yellow eyes gazed at him deeply. Her neck shifted her head sharply like a fish. Although her presence shocked Alonzo he knew he had nothing to fear.

After several moments of examining him, the woman wrapped her arms around him and with an uncanny strength she carried Alonzo with her as she swam towards the surface.

Alonzo gasped when his body broke through the water and he crashed into a sludgy expanse of beach dirt and rocks. He began to crawl, panting heavily as his tired muscles fought the pangs of exhaustion. Once he made it to more solid ground he paused and turned onto his back to rest.

The creature was nowhere to be seen.

However, his effort to rest was cut short when the vibration of crunching dirt and the sound of moving feet broke the silence. He came to his knees and turned.

Standing before him in the same red, black and blue dress was the woman from the ferry.

“You!” Alonzo, shouted angrily. “Who the hell are you! You nearly killed me!”

The woman was silent. Then she bent to one knee and gazed at Alonzo, serene and expressionless.

“You saw them, didn’t you?” she asked.

“What?” Alonzo asked.

“The peoples of the sea, your kin.”

“My name is Alonzo Eduardo Martinez. I am a man. I am not one of those things!”

“Your blood is older than your name, Alonzo.”

“I’m a regular guy lady!”

“The Raven is coming Alonzo, he is coming to bring death and destruction to them, to the surface, to your child, and to the world!”

“What? I don’t have any children! And who the hell is the Raven?!”

“Your wife is pregnant with your first child... She texted you in your car right before you got onto the ferry.”

“How did you-”

She knew.

“At nine years old you nearly drowned but you felt a pair of hands scoop you up and bring you to the surface. After you washed up on the beach you saw the face of a woman in the water. Then she swam away. You kept the truth a secret all these years. You saw that same woman again on Saturday and today. She is Amani, queen of the Yanara.”

Alonzo’s breath caught, he never told anyone what happened to him. Yet she knew.

“Who is The Raven?” Alonzo finally said.

“He is a time stealer! A destroyer of land and sea! For centuries your sea kin have raised warriors on the surface, so that they may resist. It is your time now,” she replied.

Hours Later…

Loud applause surged through the auditorium as a mossy brown-haired man in a dark grey suit ascended to the podium.

Senator Anderson waved and smiled gingerly to the crowd as they cheered.

“Thank you, Ashpine!” he gestured and repeated.

Soon the applause died down.

“Millionaires and billionaires in Washington tell you to pull yourself up by your bootstraps when you ask for a clean environment, and cheaper healthcare as they self-deal on the stock market and send billions to nations with free healthcare!

Well, I say, it is time for all of us to work together and remove this ideology of greed, exclusion, and economic injustice from the halls of Congress! It is time for a climate change plan and a better economic future for all!”

Applause roared throughout the auditorium.

Alonzo sat in one of the back rows of the auditorium, scanning the crowd. Just then a figure caught his attention, a tall man in a black jacket, gray shirt, gray pants, and black shoes. He wore a black flat cap.

Suddenly the man turned and Alonzo tensed as he spotted a large Raven Crest with thick spiral stitching on the chest pocket of the man’s jacket. The man moved through his seating row and headed for the exit.

Alonzo knew, it was him.

Alonzo scooted past the people on his seating row and went for the auditorium exit. Outside of the auditorium he looked around the mostly empty lobby. In the distance he saw the silhouette of the man disappear down a corridor after passing the women’s bathroom.

Alonzo followed.

After passing the women’s bathroom he turned right towards a maintenance storage room.

He opened the heavy blue door and went inside. Scurrying past lockers and shelves filled with equipment he rushed towards a large walk-in closet. His breath hitched as memories of past jobs reminded him of what was in that closet.

An air vent that could be opened from the inside, looking down onto the podium in the auditorium.

With his shoulders locked he slammed into the closet door and smashed it open. He quickly lost his balance and tumbled inside. Immediately looking up he saw the stranger standing on a chair looking down the scope of a Bergara B14 rifle, his flat cap lying on a shelf.

The muzzle pointed down and angled towards the Auditorium podium. On the ground nearby was air vent’s metal grille.

Applause began to swell.

The man snapped his head back and startled when he saw Alonzo. Alonzo lunged at the shooter, slamming into him and pushing him back. The rifle fired.

Alonzo felt relief when the bullet went upwards and punched a hole in the closet ceiling, a miss. He collapsed on top of the shooter and his sides burned as the stranger began to riddle his sides with blows. Alonzo punched back but the stranger dodged and tried to roll on top of him.

A menacing strike impacted Alonzo’s throat and he collapsed, choking for air.

Loud screams and shouts surged throughout the auditorium as people fled. The stranger pushed Alonzo off and then climbed on top of him, driving a sharp knee into Alonzo’s back.

Fear and apprehension burned Alonzo’s insides as he was pinned down.

Just then the man shifted his weight while still holding Alonzo down, he seized a nearby bag and opened it. He withdrew a strange silver pistol.

“Please man just let me go and I won’t tell anybody you were here,” Alonzo pleaded.

The man punched his side.

“Shut up!”

Alonzo gasped for air.

He felt small moments of hope as strong vibrations surged from the ground. People were coming.

“Put this on!” The man shouted as he stood up and threw something on the ground.

Alonzo came to his knees and looked down at a thick dark vest jacket, bearing hundreds of intricate string like patterns.

“What is this?”

“Put it on now!” The man shouted. Alonzo noted the barrel of the pistol pointing at his head.

Alonzo quickly put on the dark vest, noting that the man was wearing a similar vest.

In his free hand the man carried a strange device that he entered commands into. After several moments a massive green light began to appear, growing bigger as a loud whirring sound pounded into Alonzo’s ears.

Alonzo noticed the stringy patterns on the vest beginning to vibrate and pulse rapidly.

In a flash the green light engulfed the entire room. The intensity of the light amplified and jolted his senses.

Alonzo closed his eyes as the room around them disappeared.

After what felt like hours he opened his eyes. The smells and textures of the maintenance closet had disappeared. Alonzo found himself seated in a circular chair hovering above the ground. Shimmering light from massive holographic readouts beamed softly onto his face, Angular, machine-like desks encircled him. Several people in strange uniforms walked past.

His attention snapped back onto the man he had been pursuing. The would be assassin glared at Alonzo from behind one of the angular desks.

Alonzo tried to stand, but in an invisible force held him down. A forcefield?

“Welcome to the year 2195, asshole!” the man said. His jacket was on again and the Raven Crest and spiral stitching stood out even more, seeming to be their own language.

“Who are you, where am I?” Alonzo demanded.

“My name is Nym Virell of the North American Time Force. You obstructed a Time Force Operation in the year 2018, geared for taking out a dangerous threat.”

“Senator Anderson? He just wants Americans to have better healthcare, cleaner oceans, and cheaper rent!”

“In Senator Anderson’s time arc he will ascend to the Presidency, gut America’s energy infrastructure and global power. This will lead to defeat and territorial loss to the Chinese Federation.”

Alonzo shook his head. “Time travel is impossible!”

“Playing stupid won’t help! Tell me who you’re working with and how you knew where to find me!”

Alonzo stayed silent.

“Are you working with the Yanara?!” Nym demanded.

“Who?”

Holograms lit up with images of the half-human beings Alonzo saw in the ocean.

Alonzo snorted. “Ariel isn’t real buddy; it was just a movie!”

Nym chuckled. “That’s cute.”

Nym walked towards Alonzo and crouched down to face him.

“Because of you, 2 million North Americans died in the West Pacific War. But you can make things right.”

Alonzo said nothing.

“Aren’t you a patriot?” Nym asked.

Alonzo studied the man’s face.

“Look all I know is…” Alonzo paused. In the background on a large stone wall, he saw a flag.

The massive flag depicted an eagle clutching a bundle of wooden rods that were connected to an axe head. Alonzo understood everything now.

His face twisted with rage.

“Tell your Chancellor, that in no century will I ever help fascists!”

Nym looked back at the flag and then back at Alonzo, his face burning with embarrassment.

Alonzo laughed. “That’s a 21st century hate group symbol! Did you people really think you were being original with that flag?”

At that moment Nym’s face twisted into sharpening layers of pugnacious pride and rage.

“Degenerates like you will not hinder the power of the Übermensch!

Nym looked over to a subordinate, “Fridrik, prepare the protocol. We'll do this the hard way!”

Just then the room rocked as ceilings and walls collapsed upon the impact of thunderous explosions. Alonzo collapsed into the ground as the forcefield holding him in place failed.

Twisted metal and dust surged around him as gunfire ensued. Alonzo dove behind debris and covered his head.

Eventually, the explosions died down, and several figures approached his position.

A man approached Alonzo wearing a cuirass of armor that depicted a large white bird with intricate spirals. He held a strange silver pistol in his left hand.

Alonzo startled but the man gestured for him to be calm.

“Be still brother. You have helped us defeat the Time Stealer and their army. My sister sent me to help you!” said the armored stranger as he extended his hand towards Alonzo.

The End…