Tri-Phenomena

By Gee Jay

Since I was a kid of eleven or twelve years old, I dreamed of one day discovering a magic lamp or something of that order on a beach or elsewhere, and after rubbing it, the infamous Genie would came forth and grants me three wishes. I never dreamed of wishing for money, position, power, et cetera, instead, I would wish for the following:
The ability to render myself invisible at will (Invisibility)
The ability to move or propel myself from one location to another at extremely high speed (Teleportation)
The ability to use my mind to move small or large objects at will (psychokinesis)
As time passed, and I grew into manhood, I realized the impossibility of my dream ever coming true and the thought of such an event soon faded from memory. Occasionally it would crop up through life as I saw or heard something that would bring it to memory such as the movie The Invisible Man, Star Trek, and Science Fictions, where supernatural creatures using the power of the mind hurled objects during battles.
One day my thought process came up with another way of looking at these phenomena. Why not create three different characters and have each character possess one of the three powers? I decided to bestow these powers upon; an intelligent military retiree (white), a young, cute, quick thinking, and feisty lady (Mexican American), and a clever, mischievous, handsome, and determined young man (black). A horrific event in February 2003 gave me the opportunity to create my three paranormal characters. Though they are from different backgrounds and cultures, it became inevitable that their paths would cross and that they would become inseparable. Therefore this book called Tri-Phenomena, was born.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gee Jay
• Release date: Apr 24, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458085337

Gee Jay

Retired Military, have traveled to many countries, speak the Thai language, married, have son in USAF, daughter at home pursuing internet business, I like working with my hands, writing, surfing the internet, jazz, blues, and gardening.

Book preview

TRI-PHENOMENA

Gilbert Jennings

Copyright 2010 by Gilbert Jennings

Smashwords Edition

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1 – The Heavens Fell

Chapter 2 – The Delivery Man

Chapter 3 – All Hell Broke Loose

Chapter 4 – Anna’s Crowd

Chapter 5 – Painful Recognition

Chapter 6 - Shocking Acquaintances

Chapter 7 – The Mystery Thickens

Chapter 8 – The Strangest Alliance

Chapter 9 – The Shocking Truth

Chapter 10 – Havoc in the Alley

Chapter 11 – The Old Man and the Sanctuary

Chapter 12 – Corporals Roston and Wells Quit the Force

Chapter 13 – A Fatal Shot

Chapter 14 – James’ Revenge

Chapter 15 – Ycloskey Departure

Chapter 16 – Volatile Exodus

Chapter 17 – Gilberto on the Prowl

Chapter 18 - Mrs. Williams Returns to Corsicana

Chapter 19 – Anna’s Homecoming

Chapter 20 – Gilberto Meets The Old Man

Chapter 21 - Encounters With WD

Chapter 22 – Wonder Woman

Chapter 23 – Anna Evens the Score

Chapter 24 – The Unlikely Ally

Chapter 25 – Justice Is Served

Chapter 26 – Just Compensation

Chapter 27 – The Woombi

Preface

What are the chances of three people, one being Caucasian, one being a female Mexican American, and one being Black American, who are from three different and clashing cultures, to meet under strange circumstances and learn through necessity to get along and trust each other completely? Due to an incident that captured the attention of the world in early 2003, such a union was formed between three such people. This event caused these three people to acquire paranormal powers.

Travis Gustosen, a 55-year-old white retired Navy Seal of Liberty, TX, acquired the power of Teleportation, the ability to propel himself from one location to another at the blink of an eye.

James Williams, a 20-year-old black deliveryman of New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward acquired power of invisibility.

Annalicia Fernandez, a 21 year old Mexican America woman, acquired the power of psychokinesis.

Each of these individuals, involved in an individual crisis of their own, miraculously happened upon each other under abnormal circumstances in the woods of a small Texas community. Their chance meeting was anything but normal. A chance crossing of paths caused two of them to get into a fight that might have caused the death or suffering of serious injury of one or both, to the finding a wounded female in the woods who became the third person of their unique trio. Through necessity, the three of them became the best of friends and formed an awesome alliance.

Chapter – 1 The Heavens Fell

The year was 2003, and the date was February 1st. Sometime between 8:00 and 10:00 AM, an event that shocked all of human kind occurred and connected three different individuals located many miles apart forever. A month earlier, Travis Gustosen, a fifty-five year old Ex-Navy Seal, was preparing to leave the San Diego Naval Base where he’d retired after twenty years, and had worked as a civilian for the last thirteen years.

After buying himself the Harley Davison he’d saved up for, he returned to his place of birth, Liberty Texas, to marry a hometown girl he’d met while there on vacation a year prior. They’d kept in touch with each other and at first; their relationship seemed to be going according to plan. However, not long afterwards, his fiancée Cindy seemed prone to getting upset over the slightest things. He felt it was just her getting jittery since the wedding was only a couple of weeks away. Things got worse with her going into a rage or crying without giving him an explanation. It all came to a head on the Saturday night of January 30, 2003. While he and Cindy were at the local roadhouse, supposedly having a good time dancing and drinking, a middle-aged cowboy had come over and asked permission to dance with Cindy. A couple of times, Travis had given permission. On the third time, Travis told him to find a dancing partner somewhere else.

After about an hour, Cindy got up saying she was going to the lady’s room. Travis stood, held her chair, and sat down after she’d left. He took the time of her absence to get a good look around the roadhouse. Most of the male patrons wore either a cowboy hat or a baseball cap. Boots or sneakers, faded jeans, and plaid shirts, were also the norm. He saw the cowboy he’d denied a third dance with Cindy, sitting with two other cowboys staring at him. The ladies were of his age or younger, and there was a couple who had seen many more moons than he. He looked back to see the cowboy missing and his two companions were standing up. It didn’t take much to figure out what was going on so he got up and started in the direction of the lady’s room. The two companions of the dancing cowboy moved to intercept him before he got where he was going. He saw them, but feigned that he hadn’t. As they rushed him from both sides, Travis jumped forward, as if to run towards the lady’s room. Instead, he stopped abruptly, reached out and grabbed the cowboys by the collars, and slammed them into each other. A deadly right hook took the one on his left down and a knee in the groins, followed by a wicked punch in the kisser, took the other one out.

Travis turned the corner in time to see the dancing cowboy and Cindy parting from an embrace. He’d seen what he suspected and was about to turn and leave the unfaithful bitch when the cowboy produced a knife and lunged at him. He heard the sound and barely sidestepped in time as the knife flashed past his chest. He grabbed the cowboy’s extended arm, whirled with the arm raised over his head, and threw the cowboy over his back onto a table. The cowboy went down with a flailing of arms and legs smashing the table into splinters. He landed on his side and let out a gurgling scream.

Travis headed for the door and was almost outside when someone shouted that the cowboy had blood gushing from his neck where a piece of the table had penetrated it. Travis thought about going back to explain that he’d not planned to seriously injure or kill the guy, but changed his mind and made a hasty retreat when he saw the mood of the shouting, hostile, crowd coming at him.

Within minutes, Travis roared out of Liberty headed north on his Harley Sportster with his helmet still secured to the back of his seat. He didn’t have time to put it on but would do so later. He headed north to see his sister Katie, his only remaining relative, who lived in Dallas. He’d borrow some money from her until he got his monthly pension and head out to San Diego CA, a Navy town that he was familiar with. A call to his sister informed him that she had no money and that the police had come asking if she knew where he was. He didn’t tell her what kind of trouble he was in nor where he was. That way, she wouldn’t be lying when she said she didn’t know, if the police asked her again. He told her he’d call and let her know he was alright when the time was right and not to worry about him. He’d have to do with the little money that he had.

Two days later, around 9:00 AM, after many hours of dodging people and the police, Travis was cursing along a back road leading into Athens, TX when he heard a loud roaring sound somewhat like a tornado. Small particles like hail started raining down from the sky. He felt and heard them as they rattled loudly on his helmet, and some of them were hot. He tried to look up and see where they were coming from but they were raining down with such a fury, he couldn’t. He saw the trees about thirty feet off the road and roared towards them. He never made it because a piece of the mysterious material the size of his fist, slammed into his helmet, splitting it, and causing him to lose consciousness at eighty miles per hour. The motorcycle, barely missing a large tree, roared into the brush crashing into limbs and undergrowth. Travis was dislodged somewhere in the brush while the cycle, out of control, went on until it choked off.

Chapter 2 – The Deliveryman

James Williams is a twenty-year old black male. He grew up in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, LA. His smile is pleasant with a slight hint of mischief, and his brown eyes are quick. His, is a rough neighborhood but he has managed to stay out of trouble. He was streetwise at the age of ten and his mother is the only parent that he has known. His father left her before he was born. She had a difficult time keeping enough food on the table and enough money to buy clothes for him to go to school. Fortunately, he was an only child. He loved his mother and did most of the things that she asked. She kept a firm hand on him to ensure that he didn’t get involved with drugs or end up in a gang. The local gang, ran by Smooth, their leader, had been trying to recruit him over the years and he’d successfully evaded getting involved with them. Under her guidance, he finished high school without getting into any serious trouble. He acquired a job as a deliveryman, and worked to earn enough money to go to college. He’d be glad to get the remaining money that he needed to apply at Tulane University. If they accepted him, he’d move his mother back to Corsicana, TX as she’d often said she wished she’d done.

James was fortunate that his boss, Mr. Taligniano, let trusted drivers keep the delivery trucks if they were empty, which they drove to and from work each day. If not, he’d have to walk because he had no vehicle of his own.

He’d been seeing a girl named Elsie, who worked at the local Stop-N-Shop. She was quite shapely, with smiling brown eyes. She was quick to smile showing perfect white teeth and deep dimples. Her complexion was medium brown with flawless skin to house her 5 foot 7 inch body. She was in her last year of high school and she also hoped go to college to become a nurse. Her interest in James seemed genuine and they’d gotten quite close. His mother had met her and said that she was a good girl. He’d met her parents and they seemed to like him. He’d planned to offer her an engagement ring, and they discussed the possibility of marriage after college.

James was on his daily delivery route when trouble found him. As he made a delivery at one of the stops on his route, he noticed a couple of the local gang members hanging around. He’d seen them hanging around before and wasn’t too concerned. He parked his delivery vehicle, and went inside with his parcel. He gave it to Mr. Jason, the shop owner, collected the fee, and wrote him a receipt. He returned to the vehicle to find both tires on the driver’s side flat. Close examination showed they’d been punctured and cut. He swore and looked around to see if he might see the culprits but saw no one. He had a very good idea who’d done it. Furious, he went back into the shop and asked Mr. Jason if he may use his telephone. As he was telling the owner of the delivery company what had happened, Mr. Jason went out and looked at the damaged tires. He returned and commented, It had to be them damned gang hoodlums. James had made up his own mind that it had been them also. He thanked Mr. Jason for use of the phone and told him his boss had called the police and a tire repairman. He was going outside to wait for them.

The police arrived and James told them what had happened. He also told them about the two gang members that were hanging around. Mr. Jason added that he too thought they might have been the culprits. The police said they would investigate and if they arrested anyone, they’d call him to identify the suspects in a lineup. James thanked them and settled down to wait for his boss to send someone to fix the two tires.

Twenty minutes or so later, the tire technician arrived to fix the tires. James noticed that several gang members stood across the street and watched the tire repairman do his thing. They also stared at James during the session. He knew the gang hung around the pool hall and had several rooms upstairs over it. He believed they owned the pool hall. The police checked it regularly and there was never any trouble. He’d played a couple of games of pool there himself. He knew there was something always going on upstairs but didn’t care. He felt there would be more trouble but decided he’d done what he felt was right. Finally, the repairs were finished. The repairman had plugged one tire and replaced the other. James continued his route without any other trouble that day.

Around 6:00 PM, he returned home. His mother was always happy to see him arrive home safely. As usual, he checked the delivery truck to make sure it was ready for the next day’s work. Satisfied, he went into the house where his mother told him to get ready for dinner. He cleaned up, sat down with her, said grace, and they dined. During the meal, he told her what had happened and she was worried immediately. She asked if he’d been associating with the gang and he assured her that he hadn’t. She was most concerned about what might happen if he identified them at a police lineup. He told her not to worry because the police would probably never find them, as had been the norm.

After dinner, James settled down in the modest but clean living room to take care of his delivery paperwork and prepare for the next day. He could hear his mom going about the kitchen chores. Later, she joined him and they watched television until it was bedtime. He told her good night and went to bed. He lay there thinking about what had happened. Why had the gang decided to hassle him? They’d perused him for years to join them but he’d resisted and they knew he would never join them. He decided that it was an isolated incident and then thought about the next day’s route. When he heard his mother retiring to her room, he rolled over, closed his eyes, and fell asleep immediately.

The following morning, the sounds of his mother in the kitchen, awoke James. He looked at his watch and it was 6:30. He got up, showered, and dressed. He followed the aroma of food to the kitchen to see coffee, biscuits, bacon, eggs, jam, and butter on the table. He was an avid eater and the sight of the food excited him. His mother waved for him to sit down, he did, and waited for her to join him. They said grace and began eating. The coffee was perfect and his mother had made it for years. The bacon was crisp and the biscuits were delicious with butter and jam spread on them. As they ate, his mother told him she was still worried about the incident the day before. She wanted him to pay close attention to what was going on around him during the day. He reassured her that there was nothing to worry about and that he’d be very careful. He went out, checked the truck, and was satisfied that it was okay. He departed home around 7:30 to be at his delivery job by 8:00 O’clock. As he drove along, he found himself watching his rear through the truck mirrors to see if anyone might be following him. His fears were unfounded because he arrived at the delivery office without incident.

His boss seemed to smile as he arrived or maybe he imagined it. He was lucky to have this boss. He believed he was of Italian decent. He’d hired James after he told him he wanted to take care of his mother and hoped to make enough money go to college. He was the only black driver and serviced the routes that served his neighborhood. He greeted the other deliverymen and set about loading his truck for the day’s route. Once loaded, he double checked his load against the delivery forms and was ready to head out. The delivery route was normal and uneventful. When he reached Mr. Jason’s shop, he took his little ladder inside to put supplies on the upper shelf for him. Mr. Jason walked over and watched his truck from the window until he completed his delivery. Finished, he told Mr. Jason that he hadn’t run into any more trouble. After paying for the delivery and receiving his receipt, Mr. Jason told him not to let his guard down for a minute. He may still have trouble because the day was not over. James thanked him and departed.

It was close to the end of the day when a police cruiser pulled alongside James and signaled for him to pullover. They wanted him to come downtown and see if the culprits who had vandalized his truck were any of those they’d picked up. He asked if he could finish his route because he had only two more deliveries. They said it was okay and that they would wait for him at the station. James was surprised at how swiftly they’d gathered up the suspects. Maybe it was because the truck belonged to his boss. James finished his route and headed downtown. He looked at his watch and saw the time was only 4:50 PM. If he was lucky, he’d be home on time. He didn’t want his mother to worry.

At the police station, they told him he'd be looking through a window at a lineup of men who couldn’t see him but he could see them. They told him to take his time, and if he recognized any of the men, to point them out. He agreed and they led him into a room with a big glass window. Behind it was a small room with five men, all about the same description of the men he’d described the day before. He saw both of the suspects immediately. He pointed to the first and third man and said they were the ones he’d seen in the area of his truck. The police asked if he was sure and he said he was. They told him they would call him to identify them in a hearing to determine if, and when, they would be arraigned and held for trial and he was expected to do so. James said he would if they gave him sufficient time to tell his boss, so he could get a replacement in his absence. All agreed and he headed home.

During dinner, James told his mother the police had found the suspects and he’d gone down to the police station and had identified them. He added he might have to identify them again at the hearing. His mother showed serious concern. She asked him why he’d pointed them out, adding they would cause them trouble for sure. She told him she’d never be at peace until they could finally leave New Orleans.

She wished she’d left a long time ago and gone back to Corsicana, TX. There, she had a sister Bessie, and had a brother Arthur, somewhere abroad. Her father had died shortly after she’d fell in love with, and married a furniture salesman named Charles Gladue from Baton Rouge, LA. Her mother died of cancer three years earlier. Things had been good the first year. Her husband was making money and she was six months pregnant. When he lost his job, they decided to move to New Orleans. There, her husband was only able to find part time work. Under stress to find permanent work and provide for his family properly, he started to drink. While he never argued or accused her of his misfortune, he became distant. He started staying out late and occasionally didn’t come home for a couple of days. When she asked why or where he’d been, he’d ignore her or say he’d been looking for a job. Finally, one afternoon, he came home and gave her an envelope, turned, and walked away never to be heard from again. Inside the envelope were $2,000.00 and a short note:

Things have not worked out as I wanted. I’m a man that can no longer take care of his family. This money is all that I could scrape up in the world. Go to the welfare office and apply for welfare when the baby comes. If I’m here with you and the baby, you’ll not get a cent from the welfare. I’m sorry that I took you from your home and family. Perhaps you’ll find someone that can take care of you and the baby. Remember, no matter what you may think of me, I have loved you. I only regret that I’ll never know what my baby looks like. That is my faith. I’ll not contact you again. Love, Charles.

She still remembered every word of that note. It had been over twenty years since that day and she’d never heard another word from her husband. When James was born, she gave him her maiden name, which was Williams. She’d not remarried, had worked and scraped to raised her son, alone. When James was old enough, she told him about his father and made sure that he didn’t hate him.

Chapter – 3 All Hell Broke Loose

After dinner, James attended to his paperwork, preparing for the next day. When his mother joined him in the living room, they spent the time discussing the possible trouble that may befall them instead of watching television. After a while, they both resigned themselves to wait and see, so they retired to their rooms to sleep.

James didn’t go to sleep immediately. Seeing how it worried his mother, he was wondering if he’d done the right thing. He was more worried about her than about himself. He didn’t like to see her worry. He’d promised her since he was small that he’d take care of her forever.

He’d finally drifted off to sleep when a noise awoke him. He lay still, listened a moment, and he heard it again. Someone was in the living room. He got quietly out of bed, put on his pants, and got his baseball bat from the closet. He eased his door open and crept along the hallway towards the living room. He held the bat at the ready. He was about to brain the showy figure at the window when he realized that it was his mother. He called to her and asked why she was up. She said that she thought she’d heard a sound at the window and was trying to see what it was. James pulled her back and used the bat to spread open the curtains. All that they could see was the darkness around the window and the glow of the streetlights down the streets. There was nothing outside. James told her to go back to bed and he‘d stay in the living room on the couch. He suggested that maybe she’d dreamed of hearing something. She insisted that she’d heard a noise because she hadn’t gotten to sleep yet. He walked her to her door and told her to go to bed. She was reluctant, but went in.

Suddenly, all hell broke loose. Someone was shooting at the house. Bullets were peppering it, striking everything and everywhere. The sounds of bullets striking and breaking glass, hitting the sheetrock wall, striking wood, steel, and other things in the house was unnerving. His mother’s screams were as loud as the other noise and it seemed to go on forever.

Suddenly, it was silent except for the sound of a piece of glass falling here or there and several cars speeding off. He lay there for a moment or so before moving. It was then that he realized he was lying over his mother to shield her. She was not screaming anymore. He thought, Oh God, had she been hit? He moved and shook her shouting, MOMMA! She replied saying, I’m leaving this place right now! He was very happy that she was okay and told her not to move until he could see if it was safe. He tipped across the floor towards the window. He stepped on glass several times and had to stop to remove it. He stopped picking up his feet and slid them instead. Still he ran into glass but it did less damage.

Finally, he got close enough to see that there was no window and most of the front wall was obliterated with small and large holes. He could see the length of the street without having to go to the window. He called back to his mother to put on her shoes before coming out because there was broken glass everywhere. He headed to the bathroom and it too was damage. The commode was broken and water was all over the floor. He opened the broken door of the medicine cabinet and took out Band-Aids and hydrogen peroxide. He went to his room and found it totaled. He found his shoes and one of them had a bullet hole in the side. He brushed off, and sat on what was left of his bed, and hurriedly attended to his feet with the Band-Aids and peroxide. Then he shook trash from his shoes and put them on.

James rushed back to the living room, and in the dim light from the streetlights, he saw his mother standing with her face in her hands crying her heart out. He tried the light switch but there were no lights because a bullet had shattered the florescent bulbs. He tried the table lamp and it fell apart at his touch. He went to the hallway and flipped the switch and that light worked. It showed the devastation of the living room. His mother had stopped crying and was staring at the sofa. It must have had fifty holes in it. The stuffing was all over the floor and the springs were showing. James had intended to spend the rest of the night on it.

The noise of neighbors arriving directed their attention to the outside again. There was a crowd and most of them were just gaping. Others asked to come in and if they could help. James let in a couple of them that he and his mother knew, while the others remained outside. An older fellow named Ervin asked James’ mother if he could help and offered to take them in until they could find somewhere to live. She thanked him but turned him down. James was glad because he knew Ervin had been trying to get next to his mother for years. Ervin was exasperated and asked where she intended to go. He said she couldn’t stay in her house in its current condition. With a defiance James had never witnessed before, his mother answered, I’m staying right here. Nobody is going to run me away from my own home. Ervin made one more failed effort. When he was convinced, she wasn’t going to budge, he turned and left saying he’d never seen a woman so hardheaded before in his life.

The sounds of sirens prompted the gapers to move on and watch from a distance. The police arrived in numbers. It took about an hour for them to be satisfied that they had all the information they needed. When they asked where Mrs. Williams and James intended to live, she stated, Right here! One of the officers said that they had to send housing officials over to see if it was safe to reside in a house in that shape. They said it would be around 8:00 or 9:00 AM before they could come. Mrs. Williams said, I’ll still be here cleaning up when they arrive. With that, the police departed. Mrs. Williams asked James what time it was. He looked at his watch, and said, 4:00 AM. She said, Hurry and let’s pack what we can carry, and get out of this horrible city. They grabbed their essentials and James loaded them in the truck. They departed the area about 5:15 AM headed for Corsicana, TX.

Soon after leaving, James discovered that there were three bullet holes in the side of the truck. The wind rushed through them with a whistling sound the entire trip. They didn’t carry on much of a conversation as they fled towards Corsicana because their minds were thinking of what had happened. They arrived at his aunt Bessie’s residence in Corsicana around 5:00 PM that day. They surprised her because she didn’t know they were coming. Mrs. Williams explained everything as they prepared to unpack the truck. Fortunately, Bessie lived alone and was able to accommodate them. Her sister could sleep in the second bedroom and James could take the smaller one. He told his aunt that he’d only be there long enough to get a good rest, and then he was going to return Mr. Taligniano’s truck and pick up any money that he had coming. He also wanted the police to know how to contact him when it was time to testify against the gang members. They weren’t going to get away with what they’d done. James’ mother sprang up immediately saying he wasn’t going back to New Orleans. He argued that he must return the truck because he didn’t want his boss to feel that he’d stolen it. Besides, he had half a week’s pay coming and they needed the money. He told his aunt that he was grateful for her taking them in but he was determined to find work when he returned and find a place for his mom and him to live. His mother kept her argument up but James was determined to return to New Orleans and find a way to avenge his mother for her suffering.

Around 7:00 AM the following morning, James departed. He studied a map and took a route he felt would be shorter than following Interstate 45 south to Interstate 10, which he’d take east to New Orleans. Besides, he wanted anyone trying to find him to have a difficult time. He took highway 287 south to highway 190 which he’d take east to De Ridder, LA. Then he’d follow it to Baton Rouge and take Interstate 10 to New Orleans. He was somewhere between Corrigan and Chester Texas, when the sky fell on him. There was a loud roaring sound and something was hitting the truck like hail. It hesitated for a moment and then something slammed into the windshield and passenger window sending shattered glass all over him. Something very hot hit his leg causing him to jump and lose control of the truck. On the brief ride off the side of the road, and into a tree, he was thrown through the opening that had been the windshield into the brush. The last thing that entered his mind was, the gang had followed and fired on the vehicle with a grenade launcher. Then everything went black. The time was approximately 9:01 AM, February 1, 2003.

Chapter – 4 Anna’s Crowd

Annalicia Fernandez is a shapely, pretty, twenty-two year old Mexican American woman. She is about 5 feet and 8 inches tall and weighs around 120 pounds. Her black hair is neck length and curly. For over 5 years, she has been living a wild life with a Mexican American Motorcycle gang in Beaumont, TX. The gang’s leader is Gilberto Suarez. He is a ruthless dog mean leader. No one questioned his position or decisions except Annalicia. When other gang members wanted to make a suggestion, they forwarded it to her and if she liked it, she’d make that suggestion as if it was her own.

On the night of January 31, 2003, the gang was celebrating in the little town of San Augustine, TX. They were at a small motel and were going to spend the night. They arrived around 9:00 O’clock from Beaumont on their way to Shreveport, LA. Gilberto was leading his gang to Shreveport to meet the local gang leader on business while their gangs did some partying and gambling. The motel owner was nervous about the rowdiness of some of them and had mixed feelings on whether to call the police or ignore them. They’d paid their bill in advance and he hated to have to return it. There were twenty-two of them and at $38.00 per room for double occupancy; $418.00 was a lot of money to have to return. Also, they may find the time to return and seek vengeance. The motel owner decided to keep his peace and the partying raged on into the early morning.

Annalicia had drunk too much and became sleepy. She asked Gilberto to retire with her but he kept saying, In a minute! Finally, she told him she was going to the room to sleep. He dismissed her with a wave of his hand and she staggered off. She didn’t bother to undress; she just got under the covers, shoes and all, and fell asleep.

Shortly thereafter, an outraged Gilberto dragged her violently out of bed by the hair, slapping her repeatedly, abruptly awakening her. She didn’t get a chance to ask why he was beating her, so she fought back not knowing why he was treating her that way.

She wasn’t a pushover and came at Gilberto with the fury of a tiger. He found himself trying to tear her off him instead of him doing the beating. While whaling on him, she kept shouting, Why are you treating me this way you son of a bitch? Gilberto shouted, Get this Slut off me, and I mean now! Two of his men grabbed her and tore her loose. He stagger forward and pointed at Pee Wee (a mousy, skinny, pimpled faced, member who was stark naked and being held by other members), and shouted, I come in here and find you in bed with this puke and you ask me why I’m going to kill you bitch?

She looked over at Pee Wee and saw the sheepish, fearful, look in his eyes. She shouted, I would never give that piece of shit the time of day. Now, you can go to hell also! Gilberto grabbed and twisted the rosary around her neck causing the chain to bite into her flesh until it broke. He shouted, Then explain why you’re half naked! She looked down and saw she had on no shirt or bra, and her pants and belt were open. She screamed a string of profanity at Pee Wee and tried to get at him to claw his eyes out. It was then, that the lights went out.

When Annalicia came to, she was lying on her side in the bed of Rafael’s pickup truck with Pee Wee. She opened her eyes and saw Rafael sitting with his back to the cab, with a gun in his hand. There was a hungry look in his eyes as he looked at her bare breasts. She was still half-dressed with her hands and ankles tied. They were traveling down some road at a high rate of speed and Rafael’s old lady was driving. Annalicia felt that she was lucky Rafael’s old lady was with them because she was sure Rafael would have had his way with her. She noticed Pee Wee lying not far from her with his hands tied behind his back and his ankles also tied. He was still naked and his face was so badly beaten you could hardly recognize him. She didn’t know if he was alive or dead.

Annalicia decided to plead for her safety. In a croaking voice, she said, Rafael, I want you to know that Gilberto is wrong. I would never let that piece of shit touch me. With that, she kicked Pee Wee with both feet. He only grunted. Rafael said, Annalicia, I don’t know what the truth is. I saw Gilberto push Rosita down and rush for the room. I followed him as he found you lying flat on your back, with Pee Wee on top of you, sucking on one of your tits. Gilberto grabbed him and threw him clear across the room. Then he dragged you out of bed with your clothes half off and started kicking your ass. If you hadn’t started fighting back, he would’ve killed you. When you tried to get after Pee Wee, Gilberto hit you with his gun and knocked you out. Annalicia asked where Gilberto was and where they were headed. Rafael shrugged his shoulders and said, I don’t know. He dragged you from the room and threw you in my truck, and then he went back inside, worked Pee Wee over, dragged him out, and threw him in the truck too. He ordered us to mount up and follow him. He told me to get back here and watch you and Pee Wee while my old lady drove. I don’t know where we’re going. I just want you to know I’m sorry, and I’m through with it now.

Annalicia was frantic. She knew they were headed somewhere away from the eyes of the general public so that Gilberto could get his revenge. She had to figure out something before they got where they were going. She wondered if Rafael would give the alarm if she jumped out of the truck. She knew the answer was yes because he’d suffer for her escape. Before she could get a plan going, the vehicles started slowing down and came to a stop on a dark hillside. She knew it by the way the treetops seemed to get lower to the ground the further away they were. She could see the darkened sky on one side, and it was pitch black on the other. She started sitting up and was in that position after the vehicle stopped. Someone grabbed, and dragged her over the side of the pickup and she knew it was Gilberto. Leaning against the truck, she starting explaining to him, immediately but received a fist in the mouth, and was knocked to the ground, for her efforts.

Two other gang members dragged Pee Wee over the side with her and Gilberto. He growled, grabbed the sagging Pee Wee, rammed his gun in his chest, and fired two shots. Then he shoved him over the hillside. Annalicia had pulled herself up alongside the truck and hopped towards Gilberto shouting for him to listen. He whirled and shouted, Puta! Then he fired into her. The force of the bullet slammed her back and over the hillside. She never knew what hit her. Gilberto let out a tirade of profanity both in English and Spanish, then he shouted, Let’s go! They mounted up and roared off. After their departure, there was nothing but the eerie silence of the night.

Chapter – 5 Painful Recognition

Travis stirred to find himself in the brush. He had bruises all over his body and seemed to hurt everywhere. The worse pain was at the left rear of his head. He put his hand on the area and was shocked to find a knot the size of a golf ball. Dried and wet blood covered it and he could feel insects crawling around on the wound. He looked around and tried to get up. The slightest movement caused a throbbing pain in his head so he decided to lay back and rest a little longer. About ten minutes later, he tried to get up again. The same pain came rushing back. This time he was determined to get to his knees and try to find help. He succeeds but it was tough going. As he attempted to rise, he fell back to the kneeling position. The pain was too much to handle so he decided he’d rest on his knees and try to get up later. As he kneeled there, he tried to remember what happened to him. He recalled he was riding along and something had hit him. He couldn’t remember anything after that. He wondered where his motorcycle was, and where he was.

It took half an hour for Travis to get to his feet. He had to hang onto a tree to keep from falling again. As he stood there holding the tree, he had to squeeze his eyes closed tightly to stop his head from spinning. After a few minutes, he dared to open his eyes. He could see where he’d knocked down the brush when he fell off the motorcycle. He looked all around hoping to see the cycle but it was nowhere in sight. He dared to turn loose the tree for a second and take a step. He was off balance immediately and had to grab the tree again and hold on. He calculated how far the next tree was and made a stumbling grab for it. He stumbled from tree to tree until he reached the ditch alongside the road. He crawled up to the road and got shakily to his feet. He stood still until he was sure he wouldn’t fall. He looked around carefully and saw where something had scorched the short grass and left burn marks on some leaves. He noticed that he had those same burn marks on his jacket and pants. What were they? Where had they come from? He saw something that looked like a piece of melted metal the size of his fist. He wanted to bend and pick it up but didn’t dare for fear of falling on his face again and not be able to get up. He studied the object from a standing position. It indeed looked like a piece of molten metal that had cooled in that state. He noticed numerous, smaller, pebble-like pieces in the area also. He was truly puzzled.

The need to find his motorcycle outweighed his desire to find out what the strange objects were. He saw a broken limb and decided he’d try to use it as a crutch. He didn’t dare try to walk back downhill to the ditch, so he got on all four and backed down the hill. When he reached the broken limb, he used his pocketknife to cut it the length that he wanted, and remove all the small limbs. When it was finished, he felt it would make it easier for him to get around. With it, he started out to find his motorcycle. He had only gone a few steps when he became very dizzy, collapsed, and passed out again.

James Williams came to and found himself on his back with his left leg between two small trees, and his right hanging over a low limb of the smaller tree on his right. He too hurt all over. The sight of blood on his right leg, along with all the insects crawling over it, helped him gain his senses quickly. In addition to blood and insects, there was something the size and length of a ballpoint pen protruding out of his right thigh. He attempted to get the leg down but the pain made him give up for the moment. He took a deep breath and tried again. This time, the leg fell from the limb causing him to scream in agony. He had both legs on the ground but didn’t dare move for the moment. He remembered the gang’s attack on the truck. He was lucky they hadn’t followed and finished him off. He'd been thrown at least fifty feet into the brush and he could see the truck from where he