Chapter Five



Beth, not as quick on her feet as her slimmer brother, is soon over-taken by.....
.....a loss of breath and has to stop running.

"Timmy! Why are you running away? That's just Dad, and we have to let him know you are ok!" Beth says.

Timmy stops to let Beth catch up to him. As Beth nears him he says, "Beth, there's no time for reunions, please keep running with me. We'll get the supplies from Jason's house. His dad's bomb shelter is loaded with everything we'll need."

With the distant cries from their dad in the background, Beth and Timmy run towards Jason's house, which is about 3/4ths of a mile away.

Beth cannot get over the change in her brother's personality. With the finding of that blue stone, this mild, shy teenager had turned into a "take charge" man, with the wisdom and leadership qualities of a man twice his age.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"My God. this is the craziest thing I have ever heard, but I insist on coming with you," Jason said, after Timmy and Beth had tried their best to explain the situation. They were now headed to the bomb shelter for the supplies.

They packed everything; hunting knives, flashlights, food, flares, and even a tent. Beth pretended not to notice that Jason had slipped a couple of condoms into his pocket, and was smiling to herself thinking of the possibilities, until she saw Timmy pick up a shotgun.

"A shotgun!?" asks Beth.

"Yes," said Timmy. "I can feel the stone inside me pulling me harder and harder, and the direction we must head is to the north."

"Oh No," says Jason."We cant go north, you want to get us killed?"

"What?! What!? What's North that could get us killed?!" asked Beth, who was almost in hysterics.

Jason and Timmy knew what was north of the deep woods from their area and were hesitant to tell Beth. But they gave each other a glance, and in their eyes, each could see they knew it would be best to tell her.

"C'mon," Timmy says. "We'll tell you on the way. We've only got about 3 more hours till we lose the daylight."

They grabbed their knapsacks and headed for the deep north woods.....

Chapter by Naji

Chapter Six



They grabbed their knapsacks and headed for the woods. Beth was scared to death but didn't want to tell Timmy and Jason this for fear they would make her go back home.

As they were walking through the woods, Jason let Timmy take the lead, and he walked behind Beth. Watching the way she walked, he desperately wanted for them to hurry and stop for the night.

"Are you all going to tell me what is past the woods to the north?" Beth asked as they were walking. She figured they might as well not stop to talk since they didn't have much daylight left. But for some reason she thought she already knew the answer, just didn't want to believe it.

Timmy stopped, turned and looked at Jason, who motioned him to keep going. They walked in silence for a few minutes, which seemed like hours to Beth. So finally she says, "Ok, the only thing I have ever heard about above the north woods is the old Indian Mound. But I don't understand why we are going there, it isn't there anymore because they tore it down to build the new road that went through there."

Timmy whipped around and grabbed Beth's shoulders, "That's exactly the point Beth. They tore it down and that has upset the spirits." Jason then cut in, "Wait a minute....that Indian Mound, isn't that where Princess Aracoma and Chief Logan were supposed to be buried? Those Mounds were never supposed to be touched, they are very sacred. Timmy, do you think that this is what this is all about? Maybe you are the chosen one to go check on this?"

Timmy knew that they were heading to the Indian Mound. But that is all he told them. He didn't give them any reason they were going there. He let them talk amongst themselves and he just kept walking, thinking back on the vision he had while in the cave.

That night they set up their tents. They were only a few hours away from the Indian Mounds but couldn't go any further since it was so dark. Beth was getting nervous and excited at the thoughts of what could happen during the night out there secluded in the woods like that.

They made a fire, had something to eat, and Timmy went off to bed. Beth and Jason sat by the fire and talked of what was happening with Timmy. "He seems, well, just so different," Beth says. "Well Beth," Jason says as he puts his arms around Beth, "It's just a good thing he came and got us before he left. If he had left without coming to us first.....". Beth cut him off, not wanting him to finish his sentence. "Jason, I am really scared for my brother. None of this makes sense to me."

Jason was thinking to himself that he knew exactly what she meant. He was more scared than he let on. She was wondering what he was thinking, because his arms had tightened around her. She looked up at him, looked in his eyes, "Jason I have wanted to say this for a long time now.

I........". 

About that time, they heard Timmy scream. Beth jumped up. Jason was already half way to Timmy's tent when Timmy came running out. "We have to go now!! Get your things together. There's no time!!!!!"

Beth couldn't believe what she was seeing. The blue stone in Timmy's chest was glowing and he was soaked with sweat. She just stood there staring and finally Jason came over to her, "Beth, honey, everything is going to be ok. Just go get your stuff together and we will just keep going with Timmy."

Timmy looked at them both, "I will explain when we start moving." So they gather their stuff up, and head on through the woods.

Timmy starts telling them about what had happened in his sleep. "It seems the spirits......

Chapter by Angel

Chapter Seven



Timmy starts telling them about what happened in his sleep. "It seems the spirits....."
"......are impatient to see the stone. And I had a really weird dream," Timmy's voice slowed to a halt as he looked at his sister, Beth.

"Go on Tim-bo, tell us!" begged Beth.

Jason looked past Timmy at Beth, their eyes locked, and Jason said, "Tim, tell us, c'mon."

Timmy took a breath. "Okay, I saw the altar in my dream and I was laying on it, with all those men standing around me. I heard tribal drumming in the woods to the left, and the blue stone kept on toning." Timmy tripped over a large rock at this point but caught his balance, even with the backpack.

As the ground crunched beneath their feet, Timmy went on."I was looking up at the men, and each of their faces was reflecting a soft blue glow from the stone. Their eyes also had the reflection of a small blue light. Scattered about the grounds were small bonfires, just crackling and smoking and trying to lick the stars. The men kept staring at the blue stone in my chest. I could tell they wanted it. The drums were beating faster as the men began to chant, and I started to feel afraid. I didn't want them to pull the stone out, I thought it would kill me if they did and I woke up!"

Timmy looked first at Beth, then at Jason. He stopped walking and said, "You guys don't know, you just don't know how it feels...."

"How what feels? Tell us," said Beth, as she put her hand on Timmy's shoulder.

Jason placed his right hand on Timmy's shoulder and his left on Beth's, which made Beth shiver with excitement. "Tim, I know you're scared," said Jason. "I am too."

"No Jason, I'm not scared, not anymore. It's really weird, but this stone is like a friend and I don't want to give it up, but I have to or they'll take it from me anyway."

"C'mon," said Beth. "Let's keep walking and get this over with. Jason? Let me talk to Timmy for a sec., please?"

Jason smiled, nodding, and began walking a few paces ahead of them, while Timmy and Beth intentionally lagged behind. Beth looked at Tim and told him she'd help him do whatever he needed to do and stick by him no matter what.

By the look in Beth's eyes, Timmy knew she meant it and gave her a hug. He thought this was the first time since Billy died that Beth had shown any interest in anything at all. As the volume of Timmy's blue stone increased, he finally understood that this beautiful glowing stone that had found him, was also helping Beth to work through her sadness.

While Tim was lost in thought, Beth was too. She was staring ahead at Jason as they walked, her eyes on the condom packages outlined in the back pocket of his 501's. She now knows that he wants her, and she wants him, too.

She and Billy only did it a few times before he died, but she had stayed to herself since he died, and now missed being touched. If and when this mess is all over, and they can really be alone, Beth wants to feel Jason next to her. Jason wants her, and Timmy's alive, so maybe life does go on after all.

"Hey you two!" shouted Jason, startling them back to reality, as both were lost in their own worlds. "We're almost at Route 6; you two okay?"

"Sure" and "Yeah fine!" were shouted simultaneously at Jason, as they quickened their speed and caught up with him.

Now the three had quickened their steps, noticing neither the weight of their backpacks nor the weight of their concerns for tonight. "Okay," said Jason. "Route 6 is up ahead and once we cross it we'll be on the only piece of Indian Mound land that is still left."

Timmy put his right hand up to his chest, cupped his hand over the stone, and saw the blue glow highlighting his palm. There was heat as well as the familiar gentle tone emanating from the blue stone, reminding Timmy not to worry.

They stopped in their tracks and their breath quickened as they stared at Route 6 and the land beyond. Jason turned to Beth and her brother. "Okay, here it is," Jason whispered. "Now let's stick together, okay guys?"

They looked at each other and nodded, and slowly started across the road. Halfway across they heard a faint, yet familiar drumming sound, like the drumming at the Native American Pow-wows that convened just outside of town each year.

They reached the forest edge, and finally stepped onto the remaining 7 acres of what was once the Indian Mounds burial grounds. The faint drumming could still be heard. Suddenly.....

Chapter by Ayla