Page 42 of Green Ravens

Where would he go? He didn’t even know where he lived. Who would he tell what these people were doing?

Dammit, Sawyer was slipping toward the blackness that came with each dose of whatever that medication was. But on the edges of that darkness was a faceless man with his armsoutstretched. He was walking in a densely wooded area with plush foliage and vibrant flowers.

It seemed familiar, and he wondered if maybe he had a home nearby.

Sawyer was hovering, floating over the strange man’s head, and he had an overwhelming urge to reach him. A cloudy sky opened and stretched out forever as he glided through blustering winds and torrential rain.

He barreled closer toward the ground, and when he was close enough to reach out, the man bared his teeth and flinched away, taking cover in a thorny bush.

Don’t be afraid.

When Sawyer looked down, he wasn’t reaching toward the frightened man with human hands. He had two-inch-long mustard-yellow talons.

Sawyer’s heart pounded like a thousand war drums. The world tilted and loss flooded him, the hole driving so deep it nearly buried him.

Chief Aiken Oakley

Oakley had that weird sensation of being half-awake but half-asleep. He’d been having the same vision every time he closed his eyes. A sight that made his blood freeze.

A huge bird of prey with its wings outstretched so wide it blocked the light from the moon, drenching him in cold darkness.

This creature wasn’t just a bird. It was a hunter. It glided easily and with the wind. It loomed over his head, scaring and comforting him simultaneously. Oakley was fearful because it was the biggest raptor he’d ever seen, but he also felt a sense of protection emanating from its core.

Rich brown eyes with a green outer ring as vibrant as peat moss gazed down on him, paralyzing his movements and stealing his breath.

The bird started to descend, its massive wings cutting through the stormy clouds. Oakley’s instinct was to holler and take cover, but his body defied his logic. The shadow of the bird grew larger as it got closer.

And with ground-shaking force, it landed on top of him and dug its large talons into his chest.

Oakley gasped and shot upright in bed, yanking at his restraints, his throat burning with a growl that rumbled up from the pit of his stomach.

Dammit.

He’d been having the same dream for weeks.

He stared down at where the claws had dug into his flesh. Oakley struggled to catch his breath, still reeling from the rush of the bird’s power and violence. Somehow, this creature’s energy was having a controlling effect on him, as he all of a sudden had the urge to hunt, fight, and kill.

He felt part man, part beast, and he could sense the raptor’s influence in his mind.

Black birds symbolized danger. They were mediators between the world of the living and the dead and often appeared in dreams to relay messages.

How the hell do I know that?Oakley scowled, shaking his head as if it would dislodge the lost parts of himself.I gotta get out of this fuckin’ place.

At least he no longer experienced the intense pain when the doctors, scientists, whatever they were, came to administer the intravenous medications. Dare he say he almost looked forward to it.

Each new dose gave him a clearer mind, sharper sight, and exceptional hearing. But unfortunately, it wasn’t bringing back his memory. It wasn’t lessening his sense of loss or telling himwhohe’d lost.

Maybe it was his family.

Do I have family? Fuck.What if I’m married?

He lay there in the dark, staring at nothing and everything. He closed his eyes because sometimes it freaked him out how much he could see when the lights were off versus when they were on.

He didn’t know how many hours had passed or if it was day or night—his room didn’t have windows or clocks—and since he rarely got tired or needed to rest, he couldn’t be certain.

Oakley cocked his head to the side. He could hear people approaching—four distinct pairs of footsteps coming down thehall. Three of them were cautious and the other walked with purpose…authority.

Without much force, he made his body go slack and slowed his breathing almost to a halt as he feigned being under sedation.

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