Page 17 of The Elementalist
“Just as I thought, Max. There’s no mention of a meteor in this area by anyone. Apparently, you were the only one to see it, although I suspect that may not be entirely accurate.”
“What do you mean?”
“Others probably saw it as well, those who needed to see it.” the little man nodded. “Yes, I’ve heard of such meteors. Legend has it they are also a warning for the monsters among us to flee... or to clean up their act.”
“Monsters among us?”
“You missed a lot in my book, Max. There’s a theory about elementals; in particular, about their sudden presence in a place. The theory goes like this: Nature likes order. Nature likes the natural, as she intended things to be. Life and death are natural, for instance. If something breaks the natural order of things, Nature herself will seek to correct the disorder.”
“What could break the natural order of things?” I asked.
“Think, Max. What is the one pervasive legend that surrounds this area? I live two hours away, and even I have heard the stories surrounding Shadow Pines.”
“Vampires.” I said.
“Exactly, Max. Creatures who live outside of nature, abominations that thumb their noses at the natural order of things.”
“But vampires aren’t real. They’re only stories told overcampfires.”
“Max, I have looked into such things. I have studied such things. I have had witnesses contact my blog about all manner of the paranormal. I can assure you, vampires are real, and they’re here in Shadow Pines, and they have been here for some time. Your disproportionate amount of murders and disappearances should be evidence enough. Shadow Pines also generates its fair share of vampire stories, hence why you had the answer readily available. Max, most towns don’t have a history of vampire stories… and other unexplained goings-on. They just don’t. Shadow Pines does. Why do you think so many documentaries are filmed here? Shadow Pines is a hotbed of paranormal activity... and not the nice kind.”
“There are nice kinds?”
“The occasional UFO sighting. The occasional Bigfoot sightings. Ghosts here and there. Maybe a lake monster or two. Not straight up murder. Not people with whole nights blocked form their memories, which is a common occurrence in this town—and which is known to be a hallmark of an active vampire community. Weren’t two hikers killed just last week?”
“An animal attack,” I said. “And they weren’t exactly hikers… though a lot of people who go hiking around here are never heard from again.”
“Uh huh. Another animal attack in Shadow Pines. Big surprise, Max. How many more people are going to be killed before you realize that here be monsters?”
“I don’t know how to answer that question.”
“Luckily, you don’t have to. Nature did it for you. She brought forth an answer to the unnatural problems plaguing this town, and that answer is you, Max.”
“Crap.” I gazed up at the ceiling. “Then this town’s in trouble.”
Chapter Ten
Nature Boy
I needed some air.
In truth, I always preferred the outdoors. Must be that one-of-a-kind connection I had with nature and all. Anyway, I pushed the coffee shop’s door aside and stepped out for some fresh air with Michael trailing behind me. My head buzzed. Like seriously buzzed, so much so that I doubted it came from the mocha latte. I said as much to Michael.
“You’re tuning into Nature, Max,” said Michael.
He fell in step beside me as we strolled down the street into town. Admittedly, I kept an eye out for the guy who came a-knocking last night. Had he been a vampire? I mean... what was the deal with his hands, or lack thereof?
“What, exactly, does that mean?” I asked. “Tuning in with Nature?”
“Max, think of yourself as an extension of Nature... a very important extension. And think of yourself as having woken up from a very long sleep—”
“Except I feel like I’m dreamingnow.”
“On the contrary, Max. You have been sleepwalking through life, until now.”
“Until the meteor’s arrival.”
“Other factors, too. There are some elementals who never awaken.”
