The
Aumakua Necromancer®
Copyright © ®2025
Michael J. Costa, All rights reserved.
Genre: Fiction, Action, Horror (Supernatural).
ISBN: 9798263718596
Imprint: Independently published
Chapter 1:
Our
Grandfather’s passing left a near-perfect void in the midst of our Living
room. Though despite his absence, his
generosity was abundantly clear. He
wanted his heirs to live in comfort, forever…
We
inherited this massive acreage in western Molokai,
a ranch that was like one-third of the island.
There were a few areas of development available, ranging from a few
hotels, a film theater, a golf course, and the Shire or township. But most was barren Agricultural land with a
few forests and pristine, Public-Access beaches (State Law required all beaches
in the Islands to be Public).
Grandfather’s
Last Will allowed 2 heirs to administer the property: my cousin Lucas would
control one-half, and the rest goes to me.
I am Reginald, the eldest grandson. Our Grandfather was Cornelius Sheppard, the Sugarcane Baron. He was very famous in
the Islands. He owned this ranch and
twelve others. When Sugarcane stopped being produced, he
retired.
Lucas
wanted to develop the ranch, make luxury homes to sell for profit. I am the Scientist in the family. I only
wanted to retain the property so I could excavate it for Archaeology
reasons. So we drew a line down the
map. Lucas would govern the coastal
regions and I would be left with inland acreage and some daunting
waterfalls.
The
coastal regions contained some hotels with golf courses, and some industrial
factories that once produced Sugar. In
my region, I had access to farms, the township, and a private cabin with
defunct swimming pools. The pools were
once drained after a small Drought hit the Islands a while back. The cabin has water from the adjacent rivers,
and it is connected to a drainage system.
We both
lived in the Mainland. My family home
was in California, while Lucas dwelt in upstate New York. The Molokai Estate was a vacation site. Lucas just wanted to sell and be done with it
so he could return to his lavish penthouse apartment. California had mixed weather, sometimes
floods while others wildfires. The only
tangible asset keeping me from just moving here was my attachment to Mainland
Lifestyle. Molokai was some woodsy
backwater in comparison. Lucas knew
that.
The flight
was five hours out of Oakland International Airport to Maui, followed by a boat
ferry to Molokai. We arrived in separate
planes but met at the ferry in time. Lucas
was dressed in a cotton-and-polyester Aloha shirt with Khakis, with brand name
sunglasses. I wore a light-weight jacket, pants, and prescription glasses that
had the ability to darken with sunlight, called Transition lenses. The ferry was a bumpy ride to Molokai, due to
the recent tides.
“So
Reginald,” Lucas started. He was holding
a classic Mai Tai glass filled with fruit juices and Rum. The plastic sword hit a piece of pineapple in
the center of some crushed ice.
“Hey
Lucas,” I replied. “Do you still play Rugby?”
“Nah, you know me, I quit that a long
time ago… I was wondering. Do you want
one of the hotels on the North end? I don’t need both.”
“Is that
an offer?” I asked in interest. Lucas
rarely gives up valuable assets, unless
he’s drunk. He looked drunk, Hmm…
Lucas took
a swig of his cocktail. Then he munched
on some crushed ice. He smiled.
“Reggie,
you should have it, seriously. What are
you gonna do with that cabin? It is 3
levels with foundation. It’s not even a
proper Mansion given, given what we
inherited. Here, these are the keys
to the hotel, take them. I don’t need everything. I especially don’t want the Assessor’s annual
report on this. I want to build these four-star Estates to celebrities and
Billionaires. Here is the write-up on
that project, read pages 8 to 12. And,
one more thing, Reggie – don’t tell me you don’t want it. It’s a
gift. It’s a gift from Sheppard, too,” Lucas said.
I stored his
proposal with the keys to the Northern Hotel in a jacket pocket. The ferry arrived to the destination four
minutes later. We were met by Limousine
at the Custom’s Center with our luggage.
From there it took about 10 minutes to reach the Ranch.
Our car
met the Security Check Point with the raised hazard bar and darkened glass
office. The office was encased in
razor-wire fences extending to the roadway.
Our permit electronically signaled the office, and the bar lifted by
itself; the office was operated by an automaton.
We arrived
at the North Hotel 15 minutes on a private road after the checkpoint.
Lucas
entered the Hotel first. The bellhop was
a robot, as were the Cashier, the Maids and the Bank teller. Most of the employees were automatons. It saved costs.
Lucas
secured access to a private Suite for me on a mid-level tower. I took
the plastic keys, brochure, and Tablet computer. I had private access to the Garage with
whatever was still in there. Afterwards
Lucas left to his own Hotel a few miles up the road via the Limo.
The Hotel
was not some antiquarian dilapidated hovel, but actually a crisp and
technologically sound, palatial estate. It
still retained the charm of a Hawaiian resort with carved wooden Tiki gods
guarding the entrances, and Colonial Period architecture. A bronze Pineapple stood above an artesian well. The private cobblestone road led to a circle
with buildings, notably a Bakery, Internet Café, banks with ATM machines, a
film theater, merchant shops, and a fuel shop.
Solar panels and palm-tree windmills were hidden by actual trees. The road leading to the hotel cut through a
golf course.
I checked
my baggage to the Bellhop who beeped in gratitude. I took a stroll on the grounds leading
out.
The Garage
was underground actually. How much TNT
did the workers use to excavate it?
Explosives were a former method in Hawaiian architecture. Nonetheless, this Garage wasn’t bleeding lava
rock.
I counted
four Ferraris and three Bentleys, a dozen Limousines, fourteen motorcycles (all
with adjustable helmets), and ten other cars of unknown provenance that were
covered in a gray tarp.
A private
pathway led to one of the beaches. Scouring
the sand dunes with a pair of binoculars I spotted a couple of tourists
operating a Drone. Two tourists rode a
Hydrofoil in the distance. Five
College-age females played Volleyball a mile from the main road. Two lavatory buildings and an active
Lifeguard rested on the crest leading to the path.
I returned
to the Hotel.
The resort
contained a restaurant and a shopping mall some distance from the main
building. A small Monorail stopped at
the Hotel every 15 to 20 minutes. I took
the elevator to my Suite and unpacked.
Chapter 2:
The
evening Sun poured into the window blinds at the Wiki Restaurant, a 2-Mile walk
from the Main Tower. I took a Golf Cart
there. The food was excellent, as expected.
I ordered some POG (Passion-Orange-Guava Juice) and Chocolate-coated Macadamia
Nuts for dessert. My main course was Ono
Fish steaks garnished with rice, green salad, and a side order of Poi.
I read a
digital newspaper from the table screen, to the left of my gilded Porcelain
plate. The weather section mentioned
that a tropical storm was to reach landfall in a couple of days. Outside the window I noticed some golfers
putting, and a pair of horses in the distance.
Sundown was in ten minutes.
I took out
the hotel brochure and examined the contents for a minute. It included an imprecise map of the
Ranch. I wanted to go searching for
buried structures later in the week, so popular icons on the map are
important. There was an old Sugarcane
Mill in the hills, but it was abandoned in favor of the new one on the
coast. Rumor has it that Native
Hawaiians set up hunting camps along the route leading to the Mill in the 1860s.
I walked
back to the Golf Cart and started up the engine. The bill from Wiki was automatically sent to
the Molokai Estate Trust, meaning it
was free. Everything here was paid
for. The road was concrete and flat lava
mostly. The Automaton driver dropped me
off at the Garage and self-parked at a charging station for the night.
I was
greeted by the Butler, also an Automaton, with a series of sounds and
accompanying lights. An image simulation
appeared on its screen, welcoming me back.
It was programmed with every known language, including dead ones. This helped in case I discovered Ancient Civilizations. Petroglyphs were not well known in these
parts.
The
elevator led me back to my room, which lit up once I tapped the plastic Code
card on the digital door handle. The
card has a Microchip in it.
My bedroom
was inviting with a luxurious Queen bed, plush wall-to-wall carpet, bathroom
with whirlpool hot tub and private shower, marble sinks, and gilded toilet
seat. A leather sofa hid behind a Cedar
table with chairs, and a long table supporting a flat-screen television, Stereo
radio, and WIFI Internet portal with cellular phones.
The Suite
also contained a full Kitchen with walk-in pantry room, dining area, wine
cooler, laundry room, office, and private entertainment room with computer, a
bookshelf hosting several novels, autographed Egyptian Magic books by Horus Michael, and a row of computer games
on DVD. A ceiling fan existed in every
room, but the built-in AC was dominant.
I entered
the bathroom, undressed, took a relaxing shower with the provided Body Wash and
bars of Aloe Vera soap, dressed, and
entered the bed, lights off. It took a
while until I fell asleep. Then it
happened.
I felt as
if I was walking down this familiar path towards the Internet Café from the
Hotel. It was dark outside. The ground was a mix of coarse sand, black
and white lava rock, grass, and Native weeds.
I was walking barefoot. I heard
something breathing behind me so I kept the pace until I reached a
clearing. Before me was a patch of
Egyptian Papyrus plants growing in the wild like they do on Kauai. I placed my hand into the reeds. Then suddenly a clash of thunder was heard
above me, and something pushed me
into the Papyrus from behind. I slid ten
yards into a patch of muck, wet sand and lime.
I turned around and then I saw it.
I screamed.
I got up
to a standing position and ran away, slipping in the mud. No, it wasn’t an animal this time. It was something more Ancient, a visage, a
distant memory awakened. It was dark,
angry almost, its mouth open ajar with blood spurting from its missing
teeth. Strips of blackened linen cloth
dangled from the limbs, Amulets of bygone centuries fashioned of Gold and precious
stones clung to the cloth like flies in a spider’s web. Its arms rose above in a threatening manner,
hence why I screamed. The figure towered
above me, some five or six feet tall. A
mysterious bronze blade, curved like a sickle, was strapped to its belt. The creature approached me, hauntingly. I backed away slowly, reaching my right hand
to my cellular phone and I pressed the button for its electric torch. Then I directed the phone at the creature
with hesitation. A dark cloud enveloped
the figure like fog.
I awoke in
my bed, sweating. I glanced at the
digital clock on the nightstand. It was
4:00am. I was dreaming. My cell
phone rested on the nightstand. A recent
photograph registered from the camera. It was mostly blurred out, but… I saw
what appeared to be an Egyptian Mummy,
standing over me. I screamed again. Then I
awoke at 4:34 am.
MC 2025.
