A
DEAD
MAN
RETURNS HOME
By Fred Ward Jr
PROLOG:
The year is 2090. It is eighty years to the day of the third world war that devastated the Earth. This war killed over five hundred million people in the blink of an eye. Most of the large cities were completely destroyed and the small one's had severe damage. As well as leaving several thousand more dying, a slow painful death from the radiation of the nuclear weapons used.
At the time it was unclear to most everyone what started the war. All that was known was that the defense computers ran everything. It was soon discovered that what started the war was an asteroid. The defense computer was only as smart as the people that programmed it, and was not able to tell the difference between an asteroid and a missile. All the computer was doing was following its protocols and firing its missiles at their intended targets.
When the military realized what was happening they tried everything they could do to stop the launch. Although the defense computer took their attempts as a threat, went into full lock down and would not accept any form of commands. The military was able to destroy some of the missiles in the air, but it was not enough. Missiles from America, Russia, and a few other Countries' hit their targets causing massive devastation throughout the world.
At first there was help from everyone to rebuild, but that didn't last long. Soon after the war there was violence and more death. It seemed like the gangs ran the roads. It was not safe to go outside ones home at any time day or night. Within the first year, in what was once called the USA, there where another one hundred thousand people killed over a tank of gas.
The war did bring one good thing with it. During its destruction it depleted the world's oil and energy reserves. As well as it did not allow the knowledge to look for more oil or other kinds of energy to escape its destruction, for several decades. It was this factor that ultimately stopped the violence and reunited the people once again to rebuild.
The people of Earth had to learn how to live all over again. Some people had it harder than others, but it seemed like if it was needed help was there. They all had to learn to stay warm, how to eat, and how to get from one place to another. Basically the war had knocked the human race back to the horse and buggy days. It was amazing that the human race could adapt and go on, but they did.
Now 80 years later it would seem that the people of Earth had learned something. As the world grew again there were no longer two separate large governments. Now they formed a one world government and ultimately one person to run the world. Although sadly like before there was several religious groups trying to seize power for their own reasons. What the people of Earth do not know is that the devastation that happened before can and will happen again, only this time on a larger scale. It would be total annihilation of the human race.
There is a small town in southern Alaska that has a chance to escape the destruction. All the people of this town must do is follow one man. The only problem is that he is supposed to be dead. They will soon find out how alive he is, and he does not care if they live or die. He only wants his mother.
Then the man finds out something about the town. Something that is almost unbelievable even to him. He then decides he has to save the Earth. Even he will find out that it will not be as easy as he thought and he will endure a sever loss that he may not be able to recover from.
CHAPTER 1
THE RETURN
The night was like most any other in the valley, except it was rather cold. The weather has been strange in Alaska since the war. There was no longer seasons, it stayed one season all year long. Now during the day time the temperature could reach over one hundred degrees F, and at night the temperature could get as cold as negative thirty degrees F. Somehow Mother Nature was able to adapt and allowed the trees to stay green all year long.
Over the years the people of Alaska learned to adapt to the changes in the weather. At night they would bundle up a little more to stay warm. During the day they would wear clothes that would let them breath. As the years pass, they hardly notice the change. After eighty years the weather was normal to the people in Alaska and the surrounding areas now.
Three miles outside of the small town of Hider in southern Alaska lived an old man named Carlson. He is one hundred years old. Carlson would sit in the town square and tell stories about his life to whoever would listen to him. There were a few adults, but mostly it was children that would be listening to his stories. Carlson would always end his stories with "What has happened in the past can and will happen again."
Carlson had lived before the war, during the holocaust and into the present. Most of the people in Hider thought that he was just a crazy old man, but they also did not see him as a threat. Although there was something he knew about the people of Earth and the town of Hider that he would never say to anyone in the town. If it was necessary he would take his knowledge to the grave. He felt that the human race would not be able to accept the truth of, who they were and where they came from.
Around twelve in the morning Carlson was sitting in a rocking chair that belonged to his mother. He sat there staring into the fire place with a puzzled look on his face. He had not slept very well for the last four days. He would hear a voice in his head that would wake him. This night was no different and the voice was always saying the same thing. "He's coming." This would repeat several times throughout the night. It was this reason that Carlson could not rest and he found himself unable to sleep most of the night.
For some reason Carlson felt like he should know what was going on, but he just could not figure it out. He did his best to block the voice out of his head, but it seemed to get worse as the days went on. Tonight was the hardest on Carlson. He'd heard the voice in his head several times an hour, since early in the morning. Carlson felt that he knew the voice, but could not place who it was that was speaking to him.
As he sat there a solid silver wolf came over and placed its head on Carlson's lap. This wolf stood four foot tall at his back. It was rare for a wolf to grow to this size in this part of Alaska. The wolf knew that there was a problem and did its best to comfort Carlson. Staring at the fire Carlson stroked the wolves head and stated "I do not understand what the voice is trying to tell me that I'm hearing in my head."
While Carlson sat there petting the wolf and staring into the fire the thought occurred to him "Maybe the voice he was hearing was coming from Fleet Marshal Carrie Jenson." As he sat there thinking Carlson leaned forward said out loud to no one really "The message has to be coming from Carrie. She is the only person that would know how to send messages this way." He then sat back in the chair with a smile on his face after figuring out what the voice was, but now he was puzzled again. "Who is coming?" He thought to himself.
Without warning the wolf jumped to his feet starring at the window. The hair on his back was standing up and he was showing teeth. He then let out a low growl. Carlson got up and walked over to the window to look out. When he did not see anything he opened the window to get a better look. As the cold air came into the house, Carlson looked out and he heard something that sounded like thunder. "It is the wrong time of year for thunder." He said to himself out loud.
He then listened carefully to the noise he heard. A few moments went by as Carlson listened, he then smiled and said to the wolf "That's not thunder, that is the sound of thruster engines from a very powerful ship." The wolf looked at him and gave Carlson a nod as if he understood what was said.
Within a couple of seconds a streak of red light went across the sky, followed by a loud sonic boom that shook his home. Carlson watched the light as it went off in to the distance. The light dissipated about a nine hour walk away. As he stared off into the distance the voice in his head said once more "He's coming." Carlson smiled closed the widow and said "No he's here."
He then closed the window went to the door opened it and said to the wolf "Go find your boy Nanook." Nanook ran out the door then stopped, looked back at Carlson and gave a whimper. "It's ok Nanook I can sleep now. Go find your boy." Carlson stated and Nanook ran off with a loud howl. "He'll find his boy." Carlson said with a smile closing the door then headed for his bed.
As he climbed into bed Carlson was glad. For his long wait for the boy to return was finally over. He laughed and said to himself "The boy left and a man has returned in his place." Still smiling Carlson slipped out into a peaceful sleep. As he slept his life force slipped from his body and he passed on with a glad heart.
…
Within a couple minutes of landing the loading ramp of the ship opened and a young man stepped out. He was dressed in a solid black uniform that firmly hugged his body. He had long blonde hair that was in one solid braid to his waist. He also wore a belt around his waist with a pair of laser pistols.
As the man looked around he gave a shiver when he saw his breath and said out loud to no one "I have forgotten how cold it gets here." It was then he heard the howl from a wolf. Giving a small grin he stated "Nanook is coming. It has been a long time I have missed him." The man then put on a heavy leather jacket that dropped to his knees and strapped a sword on his back.
The man started to walk in the direction of Carlson's home. When he got about ten feet away from his ship he stopped, took a small device off of his belt and pushed a button. As he put the device back on his belt, the ship he came in looked to blur and then disappear. He then started walking again.
The man put his hair inside his jacket and zipped it up. He took a mask out of his pocket and put it on. The mask fit him like his uniform almost skin tight. The man heard Nanook howl again only this time it sounded like it had a lot of sorrow to the sound. "Something is not right." The man stated shaking his head, but he pushed on.
With the way he was trained the man walked for almost four and half hours, but he covered the distance that would take a normal person nine hours to do. It was then he realized that he was being watched and followed. Whatever was following him was doing it with such stealth that it left the man feeling uneasy, yet he continued walking.
He slowed his pace so he could get a better look at his surroundings. The man scanned everything he could see trying to figure out what was tracking him. He then came to a complete stop when he thought that he had seen something. After a moment he saw that it was just a rabbit, so he just started to walk again.
The man continued to walk looking over everything. Whatever was tracking him was good and was able to remain out of his eye sight. There were not too many things that could track him this well and the man knew that it was not a person. So with knowing that it was not human, he unzipped his jacket and revealed one of his laser pistols, so it could be easily reached if it were needed. The man was constantly looking all around, but he continued.
As he continued to walk the man noticed that the sun was about to rise. With the way the weather changes so rapidly since the war, one does not travel at certain times in the day. These times are during sun rise and sun set. More people than he could count had disappeared during these times over the years and were never seen alive again.
The reason for this is because during the rising and setting of the sun, the temperature changes so fast that a blanket of thick fog covers everything. This fog is so thick one could not tell where they are. If they do not wait for the fog to lift they could get injured or worst of all they would more likely get killed. Many of animals in these woods hunt during this time and a human moving around when they can't see is an easy target.
There are a few trackers that can move through the woods during these times, but even the best can fail. Most of the trackers will wait for a while before heading out during these times unless there is no other choice. They may know what they are doing, but the danger is too great for most of the trackers and so they will refuse track at these times.
The man stopped and looked around still not seeing whatever it was that was following him, but he knew that he was still being watched, he could feel it. The man was only stopped for a minute when the sun peaked over the mountains behind him and a thick blanket of fog came in around him. The fog was so thick that when he held his hand up he could not see it. The man remained totally still but was listening to every sound in the woods. He was preparing himself for some sort of attack.
The man stood there not moving for almost thirty minutes. Then as he noticed that the fog was dissipating slightly he heard something. It was leaves being stepped on and then he heard the growling of a bear. The man saw a shape in the dissipating fog it was a bear, a very big bear. The bear was only about thirty feet away. With no place to hide or run the man reached for his pistol that he had revealed earlier.
The fog lifted enough for the bear to see him. The bear then stood up on its hind legs and let out a roar. The man remained motionless with his hand on a pistol. The bear stood almost thirteen feet tall. Looking at the bear he realized that he had seen this bear seven years earlier. The man heard another noise near the bear then it was gone.
Still watching the bear he scanned the area looking for whatever made the other noise he had heard. During this time the man had a feeling of fear coming over him. Although he was trained to overcome these feelings he was unable to shake the feeling. Finally the man decided to just focus on the bear and worry about the other threat later.
Before the man could react a streak of silver came out of the woods to the left of the bear. This silver streak hit the bear hard enough to knock it to the ground. Then the streak was gone again. The bear quickly got back to its feet let out another roar and started to charge the man. The man saw the streak again realizing that it was a wolf.
As the wolf came out of the woods once more, he bit down on the bear's neck, and using its body weight ripped its neck open. The bear fell to the ground once more with blood gushing out of its neck. Surprisingly the bear got back up to charge again. It was only then that the man quickly drew his laser pistol and shot the bear in the mouth. The bear fell to the ground one last time with smoke coming from its mouth and did not move again.
After shooting the bear the man looked over towards the wolf. He noticed that the wolf was posed to strike once again. Only this time he would be striking at the man. Seeing that there was blood dripping from its mouth and that the wolf could strike at any time, the man slowly lowered his weapon, then put it away and took his mask off. He then said in a calm voice "Hello Nanook."
With there no longer being a threat the wolf stood up straight and cocked his head. He stared at the man for a moment and then gave a playful bark. The man then knelt down and the wolf came over to him. As the man started to pet the wolf he stated "You have gotten big since the last time I saw you." Nanook leaned his body into the man enjoying the petting he nearly knocked the man to the ground. He then looked at the bear lying dead near them and gave a low growl.
The man stood up and walked over to the dead bear to get a closer look at it. He saw that the bear had several scars on its body. He then noticed that the bear was missing his left ear and eye. The bear had lost these seven years earlier when the man first found Nanook. "I remember you. You left both Nanook and me with scars. I always knew that we would meet again to finish the job that Nanook's mother had started." The man stated.
…..
Seven years ago the man was fourteen years old and just out for a walk in the woods after his father's funeral when he lost track of the time. The sun started to set and the fog came in quick. The boy waited for the fog to lift and he was attacked by this bear. The bear tore a chunk out of his side and he thought that he was going to die. The boy started to crawl away, but the bear came up on him again.
The boy knew in his heart this was the end, but before the bear could do any more harm to him a steak of silver came in to attack the bear. It was the largest wolf that the boy had ever seen. The wolf bit down on the bear's ear ripping it off. Then the wolf came in for another attack this time the wolf bit into the bear's left eye. Unfortunately the wolf was not quick enough this time. The bear was able to get hold of the wolf and put all of its weight onto the wolf. The bear then roared and ran off.
The boy was able to get his bleeding to stop enough to move. He worked his way over to the wolf lying on the ground. Checking over the wolf he was saddened to find out that the wolf had been killed. The boy sat there stroking the wolf's fur almost crying when he heard a noise. The boy looked around and saw a wolf pup that could not be but about a month old. He then looked at the dead wolf and stated "You saved my life. Now I will save the life of your pup."
It took the boy and the wolf pup several hours to get back to his house, where the boy's mother was waiting. When they got there, the boy's mother redressed the wound on his side and then she suggested the name Nanook for the wolf pup. The boy agreed to the name and it appeared that the pup did as well.
When the boy was feeling stronger he started to go out again. Nanook went everywhere with him they seemed like no one could separate the two of them. It was like that for a couple of years, Nanook had become family.
…..
The man looked at Nanook and said "Well that's one less thing I have to take care of." He walked back over to the wolf and gave him a quick pat down. "Go get yourself cleaned up and meet me at Carlson's." The man stated. Nanook put his head down and whimpered. The man looked at him and said "I understand. Everything will be ok. Now go get cleaned up." The wolf gave a quick bark and ran into the woods.
About ten minutes later the man was standing in front of Carlson's home. Once again he got the uneasy feeling that he was being followed. Before he could look around Nanook walked right past him. This startled the man slightly, because he could not see how an animal of Nanook's size could move with such stealth, but he followed the wolf anyway.
When the two of them walked into Carlson's home Nanook ran to the bed room. The man stopped and looked around the home and nothing looked out of place. He then looked at the fire place seeing a few glowing coals. He thought that it was a little strange that there was not a good fire going. The man then headed for the room that Nanook went into.
As the man walked into the room his heart sank in his chest. He saw Carlson lying in his bed with Nanook's head on his hand whimpering. Realizing that his one true friend had passed away, the man placed his hand on Carlson's chest and stated "Carlson you were the only real friend I ever had. Your wisdom and knowledge of all your years will live on in me. It will not be forgotten." As he stopped talking a single tear ran down the man's face.
The man turned to Nanook, pulled a small bag out from his jacket and said "When I left the town years ago the first person I met gave this to me. He told me that there was a way to save someone's memories. He told me how to use it and also that I can only use it once so I had to be sure of the time. I believe that now is the time to use it. I could have used it over a hundred times in the past but didn't." Nanook replied with a cock of his head then nodded as if he understood what was said.
The man then opened the bag and started to sprinkle something over Carlson's body that looked like dust. At first nothing happened, but within a few seconds the dust started to glow a light shade of blue. The man then placed his hand on Carlson's head. The glow intensified to glowing almost white. The man held his hand in place as the glowing light started to travel up his arm. During this time the man thought that his arm was on fire.
When the glow was gone from Carlson's body, his body had disappeared as well. The glow encased the man now. He then reached over and put his other hand on Nanook's head. The glow transferred to the wolf. It took several minutes for the transfer to be complete. When the glow dissipated the man collapsed on the bed passing out from the pain.
Almost 4 hours had passed when the man awoke to a voice in his head. As the man got up he looked around trying to pin point the voice he was hearing. He also had these new memories going through his head. He heard the voice again saying "Are you alright Captain Wolf?" The man put a hand on one of his pistols and quickly got to his feet still looking for who was talking to him.
While he was looking around Nanook walked in front of him. Nanook then looked up at the man and the voice in his head stated "Yes the voice your hearing is coming from me Nanook." The man looked down at Nanook and asked "OK. How is that possible? Animal's cannot talk." "OK I will make a long story short because you don't have a lot of time. Sit down." The voice stated.
When the man sat down Nanook sat as well. Looking at the man Nanook said
…..
"I am not from this world I am from another dimension that I will explain more about at a later time. You know me as Nanook my actual name is Rayfin, but for now just call me Nanook it will be easier. You nearly killed Nanook when you transferred the memories to him. I had to step in and stop that from happening. His mind is in the dimension where I came from.
I know that what I'm saying is a little hard to believe yet I am telling you the truth. This might help you out. Five years ago you met someone that gave you a bag and told you how to use it. Now I know that you told Nanook all that. Now I will give you some information that you did not tell Nanook about. The person that gave you the bag was not dressed like everyone else you saw. Plus you never saw that person again. I am that person.
This should help as well you are a Captain in the Izainian Military and the Liaison for the Zaxian government. Your name is Captain Jim Wolf and you have seen things that most people could not dream about. Finally the first month you were gone you were shot in the head and was blind for a week. When your eye sight returned your eyes remained solid black as they are still today. Finally your name is Jim Wolf but you prefer to go by Jimmy."
…..
Jimmy listened to the story and when the wolf was done he replied with "Ok." He then got up to move around when Nanook got in front of him again. Then the voice stated "You are going to take me at my word. Why?" Jimmy looked down at Nanook and said "Yes I am. You know too much about me and there is one thing you know that only one other person knows. I have never told anyone about the man I met five years ago so that would have to be you."
Jimmy then sat back down and said "I only want to know one thing. Why are you helping me?" Nanook turned his back on Jimmy and stated "That is a long story. For now the best answer I can give to that question is helping you could help me and my people. I will explain more when time is not so critical." Nanook looked back at the man and saw him give a nod in agreement. Then the two of them then walked out of the house together.
"It is strange having these memories, but the one that stands out the most is the fact that Earth was a prison planet for Izainian Government. Although I already knew that, but not many Izainian's do." Jimmy stated. "You will get used to them and they will help you in time. I will say this you do not have all of Carlson's memories." Nanook replied. Jimmy gave him a nod and followed Nanook out of the house.
Once outside the two of them turned to look at Carlson's home. Nanook said "This house has had someone living in it for over two hundred years. It is going to be a shame that no one will occupy it anymore." Jimmy gave a slight smile replying with "This house will be lived in again. I will see to that. I plan to live in it when my job is done."
Jimmy reached into his jacket and withdrew a small box. He then opened it revealing a red button inside. "I created this box to save certain things large or small." Jimmy said and then he pushed the button. A red beam came out of the box and encased the house. Within a couple of seconds the house was gone leaving just a vacant lot. Looking into the box one could see the house inside, perfectly preserved the same as it was before it was in the box.
As Jimmy closed the box he said "The house is saved for the right time to put it back. All I have to do is open the box again and the house will return to its proper size." "That is a nice device to have. Have you used it before?" Nanook asked. "No. I have only run tests with it, but I am willing to use it at this time. Let's head to town now Nanook." Jimmy replied and Nanook nodded.
Jimmy turned towards the town and put his mask back on. He then asked "So Nanook I can hear you, can everyone hear you as well?" Nanook cocked his head and replied with "Only those who I want to hear me can hear what I have to say. Why?" "I was just wondering." Jimmy stated then started walking.
As they walked Nanook was in front of Jimmy about five feet. Jimmy then noticed something strange so he slowly looked around, stopped and said. "Wait a minute Nanook." The wolf stopped and turned around to see Jimmy looking off into a bunch of trees. "We are being followed by someone with excellent stealth capability." "I do not see anything." Nanook replied. Giving a slight snicker Jimmy stated "I think it will be fine let us keep going."
By nine in the morning the two had reached the town. They both stopped still in the woods giving one final look around. Nanook then gave a growl. "Yes I see him as well. He is the one that has been following us." Jimmy stated and the wolf gave a nod realizing that there was no danger.
The person that had been following them was a young boy about fifteen years old. The one thing that seemed strange to Jimmy was the fact that the boy could move with such stealth. It was as if the boy was born in these woods. Jimmy then held up his hand to the boy and gave him a wave. The boy disappeared with total silence. "Well we should keep going." Jimmy finally said and they entered the town.
As the two of them entered the town people stopped what they were doing and stared at the man. The first thing to catch the people of the town's attention was a sword he carried on his back. As the stranger walked he pulled open his jacket revealing his two laser pistols he wore. By the time the two of them got to the middle of the town there was a crowd of over one hundred people looking at them.
The town's people noticed that on the sheath of the sword and the holsters for his pistols, there were symbols that they had never seen before. As well as coming off the bottom of both holsters there were bright red beads hanging down. It seemed strange to some of the people because the beads did not fit the look of the uniform. Then they noticed the beads coming off his sheath for the sword were the same.
They had also never seen the type of weaponry he wore. As well as he had on some kind of strange uniform that was solid black. The fact that he had on a mask is what really bothered the town's people because they could not see his face. The town's people were more scared of the fact that they could not see the strangers face, than they were over the fact of the weapons he carried.
It also seemed strange that he traveled with a large wolf that seemed ready to strike at anyone that got to near to them. Some of them thought that they knew the wolf, but they put that out of their minds as they tried to figure out who this stranger was. The man kept looking around at the people waiting for one of them to do something stupid.
The stranger stopped and looked around at the crowd of people and said "Nanook I think they're scared of me. What do you think?" Nanook looked around then replied with "I think some of them are. As well as some think they can take you in a fight. Then there's the ones that are just curious who you are." "Yes I see what you mean. I guess they will find out soon enough." Jimmy said.
While the two stood motionless in the middle of the street a young girl wiggled out of her mother's grip and ran into the street. She stopped right in front of the stranger and stated "Hi. Who are you and why are you wearing that mask?" Jimmy looked down at her and just nodded. He was completely amazed that this little girl was as brave as she was. At first Jimmy just stared at her trying to figure out how she could have gotten out of her mother's grip and run into the street with him there.
This girl stood about five feet tall, had bright green eyes and jet black hair that went to the middle of her back in one solid braid. She wore the typical clothing that the rest of the town's people wore. He then looked back up at the crowd of people. The man saw a worried look on all of the people's faces with the fact that the girl was there with him. The man did not want to reveal who he was at that time but he did give the people a shake of the head. This was to make sure that they kept their distance. He then turned to walk around the girl giving her another nod.
The girl got back in front of him again. She stomped her foot and stated firmly "You're not being polite I said HI! Now you're supposed to say hi back." When the girl finished she crossed her arms and had a mad look on her face. "She is a brave little girl, but she does not understand the danger that she could be in right now." Nanook stated. Jimmy nodded in reply.
He then knelt down to be at the same height as the girl. The crowd of people started to quickly move in on them. Nanook gave a low growl and showed his teeth. When that seemed to do no good, Jimmy drew both of his laser pistols and pointed them at the crowd of people. All the people stopped their advance and backed off. When he thought that they were far enough back the stranger put away his weapons.
Jimmy just knelt there looking at the girl for a moment. He then gave another look around and saw a lady in the crowd with her hands over her mouth. He then looked back at the girl, noticing that during the display of the weapons she didn't even flinch. He then shook his head and gave a snicker. He just could not believe that this little girl seemed to show no fear.
Staring at the young girl he stated "You are very brave little girl. Although you are also very stupid." "What? Why?" The girl asked dropping her arms to her sides. "Because I am a stranger to you and you have no idea what I can do to you. Now I think you should go back over to your mother." Jimmy replied. The girl gave him a strange look and then said "I'm not stupid and I'm not scared of you even though you are a stranger." He did not reply to her statement but just stared at her through his mask.
The girl looked at him thinking for a moment then put her hand out and said "My name is Kimmy Shyrock. What's your name?" He took her hand, shook it and replied with "My name is Jimmy." The girl then smiled and stated "I'm Kimmy and you are Jimmy. Now we are no longer strangers." "No that is not true Kimmy. I am a stranger until your mother says I'm not." Jimmy replied to her. Kimmy then had a look of sadness when the man stood up.
A man from the town dressed in animal skins came running at them quickly. Jimmy saw him coming and stepped between him and Kimmy. This man was not afraid of the wolf that was with Jimmy he just came running at him with some kind of weapon in his hand. As he reached Jimmy he started to swing the weapon at him.
Everyone was completely amazed to see that Jimmy was dodging all the swings. They also saw that the wolf just stood there not interfering with what was going on just watched. Jimmy then reached up and caught the weapon as it came in again. As it came to a stop Jimmy put a leg behind the man and pushed him to the ground. Once the man was on the ground Jimmy dropped an elbow in the middle of his chest.
Now with the man in pain and having a hard time breathing Jimmy picked him up off the ground with one hand and said "Don't start something that you cannot finish Jinx. Remember the last time you started something with me you regretted it." Jimmy then released him and as Jinx was moving away from him he asked "Who are you?" "You will realize that soon enough." Jimmy replied as he watched Jinx slowly walk away in pain.
Jimmy then pointed at the Kimmy's mother and motioned for her to come over. When the lady got to them Jimmy stated "Kimmy is very brave I like her, but you really need to teach her about strangers Alice." The lady was stunned by the fact that this stranger knew her name. She then asked "Who are you and how do you know who I am?" "Kimmy knows who I am and I am no stranger to you. Although to Kimmy I am until you say otherwise." Jimmy stated and then walked around both of them.
Both Alice and Kimmy stood there in the street and watched the man and wolf walk away. "Mom he said his name is Jimmy." Kimmy stated. Alice looked at her daughter and said "That is not possible. The only Jimmy I knew died five years ago." "So he's still a stranger to me?" Kimmy asked. Her mother replied with "Yes he is still a stranger to you and me as well."
Walking slowly through the town Nanook asked "Why did that man attack you Jimmy? You could have easily have killed him." "I have had some dealings with Jinx in the past. He is a smart man but is also stupid in a lot of ways. I felt that there was more of a threat to Kimmy than to myself at that time." Jimmy stated. Nanook gave him a nod and then remained silent for a moment while the two of them walked down the street.
As they walked Nanook Stated "You handled that well with the girl, but how could you know Alice and not Kimmy?" "I didn't say that I did not know Kimmy. What I said was that I was a stranger to her. I know who she is, but she does not know me, but Alice, I've known her since we were children. I know her father better and that's where we are going now." Jimmy replied. The wolf raised his head and stated "Your logic is strange."
The two of them stopped in front of the barber shop. "Wait here. I should not be long." Jimmy said and walked up the stairs. Nanook followed him to the top of the stairs, turned around and sat down. Jimmy gave one last look around then entered the shop. When he walked in the people of the town started talking amongst each other about who this stranger was.
As he walked into the shop Jimmy saw three men inside. They all looked frightened when he walked in. Jimmy motioned for two of them to leave. When the two had left the shop Jimmy shut the door and started to remove his sword. He put it on a table then he removed his jacket and put it on the coat rack. Finally he removed his mask revealing his three day old beard and his waist length blonde hair braided down his back.
"I need a shave but please do not touch the hair." Jimmy said as he sat in the barber's chair. The barber had not moved an inch since Jimmy entered the room and he was still not moving. Jimmy looked at him and said "John have a cup of coffee and relax." John remained motionless a little while longer then had a cup of coffee. When he finished it he walked in front of the man sitting in the chair to get a better look at him.
As John got a good look at the person sitting in his chair he said "So Jimmy how long has it been since you have been in my shop?" Jimmy shook his head and replied with "Too long." John then pulled his razor and shaving cream out. He began to give the best shave Jimmy has ever had. When he was finished Jimmy asked "So how much do I owe you?" "This one's on me Jimmy. Although you really need to do something with your hair." John replied.
Before Jimmy could say anything John walked over to the door and stepped out. As he stepped outside the first thing he noticed was Nanook sitting at the top of the stairs. John reached down petted the wolf on the head and said "Hello Nanook it's good to see you again." The crowd of people were completely amazed at what John had just done but didn't say anything. After taking a moment to pet the wolf John then walked over to Alice and Kimmy.
Once he was standing in front of them John looked at Kimmy and said "Grandpa needs your help in the store. Will you help me?" "Of course grandpa I will always help you." Kimmy replied reaching out to take his hand. Alice stopped her and asked "Dad what's going on in there? Who is that man in your shop?" "Alice trust me I would never put my granddaughter in harm's way. You know that." John stated. Alice looked at her father and then moved out of the way.
Watching the two of them walk back to the shop Alice still had a lot of concern over what her father was doing. She was also trying to figure out who this Jimmy was because to her knowledge the only Jimmy she had ever known was dead. Alice then said softly to herself "I know dad you have always kept her safe."
When Kimmy was walking with her grandfather she asked "I saw you pet that wolf, weren't you scared of him?" John looked down at Kimmy smiled and replied with "Kimmy I have known Nanook for seven years and no he does not scare me." Kimmy returned his smile and stated to herself "So his name is Nanook I like it."
As the two of them walked into the shop Jimmy looked at them and said "Hello Kimmy." Looking at his face for the first time with a little bit of shock she stated "Hello Jimmy. What happened to your eyes?" "Kimmy that is not a nice way to start a conversation. Jimmy I apologize for the way she asked that." John quickly said. Jimmy laughed and replied with "There's nothing to apologize for, she is a child and children say the most honest and truthful things."
Jimmy motioned for Kimmy to come over to him. She walked over and Jimmy pointed at a scar in the middle of his forehead and said "About five years ago I was shot by a laser pistol on stun and was blind for a while, when I was able to see again my eyes were solid black." "Wow. That must have hurt." Kimmy replied. Jimmy looked at her and stated "I don't remember if it hurt or not."
"May I hold one of your guns?" Kimmy asked. Jimmy shook his head and smiled then said "I don't think that would not be a good idea. They can be very dangerous." "I understand." She replied. Jimmy looked over to John and stated "Maybe in the future you may have the chance to have one of your own laser pistols Kimmy." She did not respond but John gave him a nod.
"Kimmy I would like you to properly braid Jimmy's hair. Would you be able to do that for him?" John asked her. "Oh yes I love to braid hair." Kimmy replied and went behind Jimmy. "I thought that I did a good job with that." Jimmy stated. Kimmy gave a small laugh and said "Nope the braid is to lose. If the braid is left like it is it could fall out at the worst possible time." Jimmy paused for a moment and said "Ok."
Kimmy started by taking the braid completely out then grabbed a brush and started to brush Jimmy's hair. She ran into several knots and asked "You have such beautiful hair how come it has so many knots in it?" Jimmy then replied with "I am not the one who usually braids it. My wife does it most of the time but I have not seen her in two days." "You're married?" John asked a little surprised. Kimmy gave a giggle and Jimmy stated "Yes going on four years."
There was a moment of silence and then Kimmy asked "What is your wife like, is she nice?" Before he could answer Kimmy hit another knot with the brush and he said "Ouch that hurt." "Sorry about that Jimmy." Kimmy stated. Jimmy then said "Yes she is very nice but she is a lot older than I am. That's a hard one to explain." "Going for the older women now Jimmy are you?" John stated. Kimmy gave a loud laugh and Jimmy just gave him a glare.
After a short while of Kimmy combing his hair she finally asked "So Jimmy how much older than you is your wife?" Jimmy remain silent for a moment he was not sure how to explain the age difference to a ten year old girl. Jimmy finally decided that it would be best to just tell her the truth and see how things go with her. He then said "Kimmy my wife's name is Kameri and she is four hundred years older than I am." Kimmy just replied with "Ok." Although John stared at Jimmy amazed over what he had heard, but he did not say anything.
While Kimmy was working with Jimmy's hair John walked over to the table. Looking at the sword still in its sheath he asked "Jimmy, may I look at your sword please?" "Yes you may, but be very careful it is sharper than your razor." Jimmy replied. John nodded and extracted the sword. While he looked it over John was amazed by how well balanced it was. As well as the craftsmanship that went into making this sword.
As John was admiring the sword Kimmy said "Alright I'm almost done. Grandpa I need a piece of leather to tie the braid off." As John started to look around and Jimmy stated "There is a piece on the sheath. Go ahead and cut it off." John found the piece of leather on the sheath and cut it off with the sword. He then put the sword back into its sheath and handed the leather piece to Kimmy. She took it with a smile and tied it at the bottom of the braid.
"All done and your hair looks a lot better now Jimmy." Kimmy stated with a smile. As he looked at his braided hair in the mirror and returning her smile Jimmy said "Thank you Kimmy you have done great work. Don't tell my wife but you do a better job at this then she does." She looked at him with a strange look and then asked "Jimmy how is it your wife can be four hundred years older than you?"
Jimmy stared at her for a moment trying to figure out how to explain Kameri's age to Kimmy. After a long pause Kimmy said "I'm sorry Jimmy that is none of my business." He looked right into her eyes and said "Kimmy never apologize to me, it is a sign of weakness. If you're wrong then you admit it, but in this case you are not wrong." Kimmy nodded to him and waited for his answer.
He took another moment and then stated "Kameri is four hundred twenty one years old. The reason for her advanced age is the fact that she is from another planet." Kimmy and John both stared at him for a moment and then Kimmy said "I did not know that it was possible to get to another planet." Jimmy nodded to her and replied with "There are a lot of planets out there and a lot more to find." Kimmy gave him a nod and a smile.
"I really should be getting back out to my mom, because she says you are still a stranger." Kimmy said and headed for the door. Jimmy stood up and said "Kimmy wait. Yes I am still a stranger, but I still have to pay you for braiding my hair." He walked over to the coat rack and pulled out a solid silver bracelet with markings on it that were unknown to Kimmy, but did look kind of familiar to her and gave it to her.
Kimmy stood there staring at the bracelet in her hand and said "I can't accept this Jimmy. It is worth more than the work I did. It just would not be right." "Yes it is worth a lot more, but this bracelet is only given to the bravest of young women. You are very brave and I think you should have it and I will not accept it back." Jimmy finished by putting the bracelet on her right wrist. Kimmy gave a small smile and a single tear of happiness ran down her cheek when she said "Thank you." Jimmy nodded.
As Kimmy was about to leave the shop Jimmy asked "Kimmy I noticed that when you heard the age of my wife it did not even bother you at first, why is that?" Kimmy stopped turned around and said "It is not my place to judge someone. I may be only ten years old, but I know that there are things that cannot be explained away. If you are happy that is all that matters." Jimmy gave her a smile and gave a nod then Kimmy left the shop.
After Kimmy left, Jimmy looked over at John and asked "Are you sure she is only ten years old John?" John gave him a nod and then stated "Kimmy has always been smart for her age. I know that it is hard to believe that she is as young as she is." Jimmy then said "Kimmy will go places with her life if she is given the opportunity to do so."
John motioned for Jimmy to follow him and said "I have something to show you. I found it in the mountains shortly after you disappeared." The two of them walked over to a wall where John pulled on a latch. The wall opened up revealing several antiques. Then Jimmy saw a sword with similarities to his own hanging on the wall. Reaching for the sword John stated "I knew that this was not from this world when I found it. So when I saw your sword I knew it had to be from the same place you had been all this time."
Looking over the sword Jimmy stated "You are right John. There is no material in this sword that can be found on this planet." John then said "I want you to have it and I will not take no for an answer." Jimmy looked at him for a moment and then he said "Thank you John, I should really pay you for it." "No I found it. I have no money invested in it so I need nothing in return for it." John stated firmly. Jimmy nodded and took the sword from the hilt with great care, because he knew that the sword was as sharp as his own. When he walked back over to the table John closed the wall again and then followed Jimmy.
Jimmy stopped moving when the sunlight struck the blade and made a closer inspection of the sword. As he looked it over Jimmy noticed Hammer marks on the blade. He ran his finger along the side of the blade and said "John this is a very old blade, they are no longer forge blades by hand." Your sword has the same dimples on it." John stated. With a smile Jimmy replied with "Yes I know I hand forged my sword myself." John gave him a nod and they continued to move over to the table.
When they were at the table Jimmy turned his sheath around revealing a second slot at the bottom. He slid the new sword into it with a click. He then reached for his jacket and put it on. Then he put his sword back on and grabbed both handles of the swords, he then released them and nodded. Jimmy put his hand out and shook John's hand. While shaking his hand John said "Do not trust Sam the Mayor."
Jimmy looked directly into John's eyes and said "You are holding something back." "Yes Jimmy I am, but it is my secret to keep." John stated. Jimmy nodded to him and the memories from Carlson's transfer came to the surface. He knew what John was hiding but chose to keep it to himself Jimmy nodded once more and then left the shop.
While Jimmy was inside there was talk from everyone on who this stranger was. Some of the people had some strange ideas some had logical ones. The one thought that most of the people had was that this stranger had to be part of the military. Although the people of the town had never seen anyone from the Earth Defense Force they knew that it existed. Being the fact that they had never seen anyone in the military they thought that it was the only logical idea.
Although they were all shocked when they saw Jimmy stepped out of the shop. He just stood at the top of the stairs and looked around at the town's people. "Oh my god it is Jimmy!" Alice said in a surprised voice and then fainted. Nanook was the first to get to Alice and he would not let anyone near her. He then said "She is fine just a little shock." Jimmy nodded and Nanook moved away.
Everyone stared at him in silence. Jimmy was supposed to be dead he left the town in the fog of sunset and disappeared. Very few people had ever been seen alive again after they have gone into the fog. Everyone started talking about where he may have been. Jimmy just shook his head because he knew that the people had no idea where he had been.
Looking out over the crowd of people Jimmy stated very sternly "Where is my mother?!" A voice came from the crowd saying "She is at her home." Jimmy stared in the direction of the voice with his hand on one of his laser pistols and said "She had better be ok." With nothing more said both he and Nanook started the walk out of town again heading for his mother's home.
…
To fully understand the surprise from the town's people one has to go back several years. Jimmy from a young age was taught to suppress his feelings of anger and to turn the other cheek. For this reason he received no respect from the other children in the town, not even the ones younger than him. In truth he really did not care. He would just do his own thing.
Jimmy had always been a loner and would disappear for days. When he would return no one would ask where he had been. Both his mother and father knew that he just needed to relax and let his temper or what he called his monster to calm down. If he would let his temper show he would not be able to control it and he was raised to always be in control. So he would try to get out of the situation before his monster could show its face.
There was only once that he could not get away and his temper got the best of him with his father. Jimmy's father was a strict man, but he was fair. Jimmy lost control of his temper and lashed out at his father. Before he knew what was happening his father had punched him in the face knocking Jimmy to the ground. He then told Jimmy to think about what he was about to do before he gets up. Jimmy took a couple of minutes and thought before he got up off the ground. He was then able to relax his temper and that was the last time he lost control for several years.
About seven years ago Jimmy's father died suddenly and without warning. The whole town was at the funeral. While sitting in the front row a single tear of sadness ran down Jimmy's face. One of the boys that were there laughed and said "Hey look Little Jimmy Boy is crying." Jimmy then stood up put his hands on the coffin and said "I'm sorry father I cannot do this anymore."
He stood there breathing deeply trying to not show his temper. Then tears started to flow from his eyes as he realized that he would not be able to control it. Jimmy then turned to leave the funeral and all the children saw that he was crying. The kid who spoke before smiled at him and said "Boohoo." Jimmy turned around and again put his hands back on the coffin breathing deeply.
Jimmy stood there for a moment then quickly turned around. He grabbed the boy who made the statements and pulled him to the coffin. He had the boys arm twisted behind his back so much that his arm popped out of its socket. Then Jimmy stated firmly "All these years you all have disrespected me and I have let you. Now you disrespect me at my own father's funeral. Well it will never happen again!" Jimmy finished his statement with stomping his foot down on the boys knee breaking it.
Jimmy then grabbed two other kids and threw them against the coffin. One of them hit with so much force that he was knocked unconscious. The other kid got up and turned to fight. It was a short fight he did not even get a hit in before Jimmy started to hit him. He hit the boy three times in the chest breaking two ribs and then finally Jimmy punched the boy in the nose. The boy fell to the ground with blood flowing out of his nose.
He looked down at the first boy and said "Jinx if you or your brothers start something with me you will need to finish it or the next time you will be buried near my father. The three of you have no idea what kind of monster you have just unleashed." Although Jinx was in a lot of pain he just looked up and gave Jimmy a nod. Jimmy gave one final look around and walked off without another word.
All the people of the town were stunned at the display of power from Jimmy, but for some reason no one tried to stop him. Jimmy's mother was the only one that was not shocked she knew that one day something like this would happen. So when it finally did she was almost happy, because she knew that no one would treat Jimmy the same way ever again. For this reason all the kids in the town became really scared of Jimmy.
Once again Jimmy disappeared for a couple of days after his father's funeral, but when he emerged again he had a wolf pup with him. None of the other children would try to pet the pup they were afraid of what Jimmy would do to them. Some of the adults would talk and pet the pup and Jimmy had no problems with it. John even helped Jimmy try to train the pup.
It did not matter that all the kids were scared of him Jimmy continued to do his own thing. He was able to suppress his temper again and the monster had not shown itself for two years. Until one day a new family moved into the town. They had just moved out of a bad town filled with violence and they had a son that had a bad attitude. The whole family was warned about Jimmy and not to mess with him.
This did not scare the boy, he went looking for Jimmy. The boy wanted to prove that he was going to be the dominant person in the town and if it meant fighting Jimmy to be it, he would. The boy figured that because of the town he had come from he could easily win in a fight. The people in this town had never seen what he had been through.
It didn't take long for the boy to find the person he was looking for. He went right up to Jimmy and for no reason punched him in the face. The punch knocked Jimmy to the ground, but he was back on his feet just as fast. Jimmy quickly moved in and grabbed the boy by the throat pinning him to a porch beam. He then threw his own punch, but didn't hit the boy, but instead he hit a four by four post splitting it in two.
Jimmy drew back again and said "I don't know you. So take some advice don't start something you can't finish!" A small crowd had gathered during this time. Jimmy then let the boy go and started to walk off. The boy then stated "Are you that much of a coward that you will not hit someone?" Jimmy stopped and with his back to the boy he replied "You have been spared a lot of pain so I suggest that you just leave me alone and go home."
Jimmy could tell that his temper was starting to show again. In truth he did not want to see that side of his temper again. Jimmy just stood there breathing hard trying to calm down before he did something he might regret. He then slowly turned back to look at the boy and said "Please leave me alone. Just leave and no one will get hurt today." He then turned to walk off. The boy yelled at him saying "Don't turn your back on me you coward!" "I am not a coward I'm just trying to save you a lot of pain." Jimmy replied with a deep breath.
As Jimmy turned around the boy started to go after him again, when he got to Jimmy the boy threw several punches at his face and chest. Jimmy was knocked to the ground once more this time with blood coming from his mouth. Jimmy then smiled shook his head and slowly got off the ground. Once on his feet still smiling Jimmy stated "If it is a fight you want, then you will have one." With those words Jimmy moved in for a fight.
When the fight started it was clear that the boy stood no chance in winning it. For every one blow that the boy landed Jimmy landed three. Finally Jimmy grabbed the boys arm twisting it behind his back and he wrapped his other arm around the boy's neck. Jimmy stood there choking the life out of the boy. The boy was doing everything he could do to get out of Jimmy's grip, but he just looked like a fish out of water flopping around.
Just before the boy was about to lose consciousness John walked out of the crowd of people and said "Jimmy that's enough. Let the boy go." Jimmy at first chose not to release the boy he just gripped his arm and throat tighter with an evil look on his face. Jimmy's monster had taken control and was not listening. John then moved within arm's reach and said again very calmly "Jimmy let the boy go."
Jimmy looked at John for a moment finally realizing what was happening and then he released the boy. As he fell to the ground the boy was gasping for air. Jimmy had respect for John and would listen to what he said. John then looked at the boy and said "The fight is over you lost. Now leave and never mess with Jimmy again because next time I will not stop him." Jimmy stood there looking at John and then nodded.
The boy looked up at Jimmy and yelled "That is no way to fight. You don't choke the life out of someone. You hit them until they can't get up again!" Looking down at the boy Jimmy stated "No the way to fight someone is to win the fight and I did. I do not want to see you again for a long while or I will finish what you started." Still gasping for air the boy looked to the ground.
With the fight seeming to be over Jimmy relaxed a little. Then without warning the boy moved his arm between Jimmy's legs hitting him in the groin. Jimmy bent over slightly in a great deal of pain. The boy then came up off the ground to continue the fight. The boy hit Jimmy several times and when he was knocked to the ground he started kicking Jimmy in the ribs. John quickly moved in and restrained the boy from harming Jimmy anymore.
A look went across Jimmy's face that the people of the town had not seen in two years and although he was still on the ground Jimmy stated firmly "John let him go!" When John refused to let the boy go Jimmy slowly got to his feet and stared at him. John tightened his grip on the boy and said "No Jimmy this is a job for the town council." Jimmy gave a slight look around then nodded and relaxed once again.
Somehow the boy got out of John's grip and attempted to attack Jimmy again, but he was too slow Jimmy was able to get the boy back into the choke hold again. Then with a quick jerk the boy's neck was broke. Jimmy stood there as the boy fell to the ground and stated "If he dies he dies he was warned." Jimmy then started to walk off.
All of the town's people just stood there in amazement. They just could not believe what had just taken place between the two. The boy's father came running in to check on his son. When he realized that his son was dead the man tried to go after Jimmy, but John stopped him. While he was being held back the man named Sam started yelling "You killed my only son. I will never forget this day and one day I will avenge my son's death." Jimmy looked back at him and gave him an evil smile.
Jimmy then said "I may have killed your son but he had several chances to walk away. His death is not on my hands it is on yours for not teaching him right from wrong." Sam continued to stare at him and then yelled "You killed him with your hands, so his death is on your hands I will not forget this." Jimmy's expression went blank and then he replied with "Your son started something that he could not finish. Sam you don't need to do the same." Before Sam could respond Jimmy turned and walked away from him.
The following day he walked through the town and into the mountains. He did this right at sunset. Jimmy felt it would be best for him to leave the town. It was as if something was calling to him. As he got to John's shop Jimmy stopped but did not say anything. John looked at him and gave a nod. Jimmy acknowledged him with a nod of his own and then started to leave the town.
Sam was able to convince the town council that Jimmy needed to be held accountable for what he had done. With the approval of the town council the decision was to put Jimmy on trial for the murder of Sam's child. Several of the town's people went to stop Jimmy before he left the town and caught up with him just as he was leaving John's shop.
It was like a mob just to get one person. As they neared Jimmy a slight explosion happened in front of the town's people. When the smoke cleared the people heard a loud voice say "You all know who I am and you will stop pursuing Jimmy or you will all die!" When the people could see that it was Carlson who was speaking to them they all stopped, then they saw two other people in some kind of strange uniforms.
When Jimmy approached Carlson he was told to go to his home and wait for the three of them. Jimmy nodded then looked back at the town thinking it would be the last time he would ever see it. He shook his head turned back to Carlson and said "Maybe I should go with the town's people." "No Jimmy It would be better for you to go to my home and wait for us to get there." Carlson replied. Jimmy nodded to him again and then walked around him.
As Jimmy walked out of the town a thick blanket of fog rolled in around him but he continued to walk. Several of the people in the town watched him leave and disappear into the fog. They all knew that that more than likely this would be the last time that Jimmy would be seen alive. No one from the town tried to stop Jimmy from leaving they just watched him go. Once the fog lifted there was no sign of Jimmy, Carlson, or the two strangers. The town's people spent three days looking for Jimmy. Finally the town council declared him as dead. He was not seen again until today five years later.