Spider Web

by Danielle James

  Who knew Jules, who seemed to be nothing more than an insignificant human woman, would turn into such a powerful vampire? She was supposed to die. A vampire named Caster was supposed to take care of her. That damned Nicolas interfered. I always knew he would be a problem, but nobody listens to me, Harry thought to himself. Harwin thought he could join the group, help make them stronger. Turns out, his human half fell in love with Jules, just shooting that idea all to hell.

  “What is your opinion?” Harwin was asking Harry directly now, his red eyes burning deep in their sockets behind his jet black hair.

  “I think,” he paused, “we should not give up,” he told him. “We start over. It shouldn’t be hard to find more creatures willing to join us. The plan is still moving forward. The events have been set in motion; all we need do now is handle this minor bump, a tiny blip on the radar.”

  “Demons willing to die by the light of that angel?” he spat at him.

  “That angel is nothing more than human, now. I watched them from the trees; he gave up his wings for that witch. I don’t see where he will be a problem anymore.” It was true. Harry had seen the angel ask his God for humanity. He couldn’t imagine being human, fragile and ruled by emotions. It seemed silly to give up immortality for love. He had Anita, and she was just as demon as he was. Why couldn’t people just date within their own species?

  “Perhaps you have a valid point. But who is to say they won’t get another angel to fight with them? They will only seek us out once more, and attack. I cannot afford to have my army decimated again. There must be some other way.”

  “Excuse me,” Anita interrupted, “maybe I have an idea.”

  Harwin’s eyes narrowed at Anita, he didn’t like to be interrupted. “This better be good, to interject your ideas into my speaking.”

  “They had a witch, she used many spells. Perhaps we could find ourselves a witch, one on the side of darkness, one who can cast spells in our favor.”

  Harwin gave this idea a little thought before responding. Harry could see the inspiration crossing his face as the plan settled into his mind. “Let me see, a witch, yes, that just might be the way...”

  Harry gave Anita’s hand a little squeeze. He had been worried Harwin would smite her for speaking out of turn, but it seemed he liked her idea. She was always taking unnecessary risks. Like when she decided to spy on the coalition. She could have been caught, and killed. She had the gift of ridiculous speed and was able to run away. Their preemptive strike on the mansion where they gathered was a complete failure. They had no way of knowing that angel would be able to take out all those demons at once. He was supposed to be fallen. But he was sure that would no longer be a problem; he saw the angel give up his wings himself. The fact that Nicolas was no longer vulnerable as a human was disappointing, but only a minor setback.

  And Phoenix. Something will definitely have to be done about him. That man or bird or whatever he was, had to be dealt with. Harry was quite sure we could find a way to kill it, just a matter of time. He knew the myths about Phoenix, he would die, only to be reborn. If they could only find a way to keep him from coming back....

  Harwin announced he would be retreating to his lair; a large house with all the conveniences of a home in LA, and a torture chamber in the basement. It was often used to interrogate what he believed to be spies. Harry had only been inside once, and it was not a privilege he wanted again. Harwin took the few remaining minions with him, leaving Harry and Anita to watch things in Seattle.

  The rain was pouring steadily down from the sky the next day. Harry hated it here. It seemed like it was always raining. He couldn’t wait to leave for more hospitable climates. I may be a demon by nature, but that didn’t mean I had to like everything that humans deemed unpleasant, he thought. He loathed the way the rain made everything soggy and wet. Especially when he had to be outside.

  “Harry?” Anita said, breaking his chain of thought.

  “Yeah, Babe?”

  “You seem a million miles away, are you ok?” She was truly concerned.

  “Yeah, I was just, I don’t know, thinking I guess. I was wondering how to kill that wretched Phoenix, actually. Got any ideas?” I asked her, gazing into her green eyes. To the entire world, most of the time, Anita wore her costume. She put on a glamour to appear human. Her skin was really redder than her hair, her eyes were black. She always said she liked the human look better, but I had to disagree. I thought her true self was far more beautiful.

  “He will just be reborn, won’t he?”

  “Yeah, probably. I was trying to figure out if there was a way to prevent that.”

  “Why don’t we make him stand down?” she asked, her eyes bright with anticipation.

  “I’m not sure I follow, what do you mean? How?”

  “We take what he cares for most. We find the key and hold it hostage. Whoever or whatever that may be. Do some research. No one in the alliance will be expecting us to strike back for some time; they will let their guard down. We should spy on them and figure out what it is, then take it!”

  “I knew there was a reason I love you so much. Besides your beauty, you have the most cunning mind I have ever seen,” Harry told her, proud to be with her. She was just full of ideas, and he thought Harwin would do well to listen to her more. “But what do you mean, hold it hostage?”

  “If it’s a someone, we tell him to stand down, or we will kill it. Those idiots are all about love and family and not dying. Of course he will stand down. Then, when we are successful, we kill it anyway! Or we set a trap. Lure him in with kindness.”

  “That might work for the rest of them as well,” Harry though out loud. “We should get started.” And with that, they opened the internet and sent an email to Harwin, telling him of Anita’s idea. He was amiable, at least, to letting them do some research. The next day, they would catch a flight to Boston, and from there, possibly, Paris.

  CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN

  Jules was happy just sitting on the sofa with her new husband. They had spent a lot of hours just being together for the past two weeks. Their hands were laced together between them as they watched TV. Of course, Michael said that they made googly eyes at each other and loved to tease them to no end about it. Jules didn’t care. It wasn’t like he had any room to talk.

  “Where do you think he went?” Jules asked Nick. She didn’t have to tell him who she was talking about. Phoenix had left only two days after the fight. No one knew where he took off to or why, only that they missed him.

  “No telling,” Nick answered, shaking his head gently. “He has some personal things to work out. It’s not easy, being one of a kind.” Jules knew what he was talking about. Phoenix didn’t have someone to call his own. He needed a woman. There was no gentle way to say it. He was lonely.

  Jules could only assume that all the love blooming in the mansion had gotten the best of him. Nick had assured her that Phoenix would get in touch when he was ready. This was not the first time he set out to be alone. She hoped that the aching in his heart would heal soon.

  Michael and Jolice were staring intently at an action movie playing on one of the broadcast stations. Die Hard. Jules never liked to watch movies shone on regular TV; the commercials irritated her. But she could appreciate a good Bruce Willis flick. He was one of her favorite actors. But still, personally, she preferred old cartoons.

  She thought of Kelly. She was nervous to say the least about introducing Kelly to her new life. She thought her daughter would be accepting, as she was with everyone else in her life. She and Nick were leaving for Paris in two days to start their honeymoon. Jules could hardly wait. She had never been to Paris before. She also didn’t speak a syllable of French. She was grateful Victor and Rachel would join them when they met Kelly and Stephan. At least, Victor spoke French fluently.

  She thought about many things on that night. Apparently, even though Michael was human now, he wasn’t ready to leave God completely. He told everyone that he was going to Ministr
y school to study Theology. Like he really needed the help of human books to understand Heaven. But it was the only way to become a minister.

  Jules was certain he would become an excellent Shepard one day and have a large flock to look after. In that respect, she would follow him anywhere. How could anyone deny someone with his kind of knowledge?

  When the movie was over they stayed to watch the evening news. The top story was about a tsunami in a South American country. Uruguay. Jules watched in horror as the reporter conveyed the massive damage to the small communities on the coast. More than a hundred thousand were confirmed dead, at least ten thousand left unaccounted for. The massive wave had been caught on camera as it approached the coast. It amazed me how careless humans were with their lives. She could scarcely believe anyone would face Mother Nature for a great video. She watched as the news station showed it for a second time. It was terrifying to watch, even though it was only on TV.

  The next story was that of an earthquake in Guinea, Africa. The city of Conakry was devastated. The screen was filled with images of collapsed buildings and injured people. They walked through the rubble with the same lost expressions on their faces, searching for their loved ones. Searching for anything familiar. The reporter said there were already fifty thousand people confirmed dead, another ten thousand injured. The numbers would go up; they were still searching for survivors. Jules’s heart sank as she watched.

  The weather report was a bit lighter, and quite interesting. The August sun would be plentiful for the next week, except for one day. There would be a solar eclipse in a few days. That would be cool to watch. It only happened once in a while, and it was an impressive sight. It was even rarer to see a total solar eclipse, which is what was expected in a few days. I had only seen it once before in my entire life.

  For some reason, Michael leapt from his seat and rushed to the back door. Nick, Jolice, and Jules followed.

  He was pacing frantically in the back yard, mumbling to himself. They all watched him for a few moments, wondering what could be troubling him so.

  “What’s wrong Michael?” Jolice asked, putting her arm around his waist in an attempt to slow his pacing.

  “Look at the moon,” he said, pointing at the dark sky.

  They all looked. It was huge in the clear night sky. It also had a very red hue. Jules had seen the moon turn a variety of colors, but never this red.

  “And the moon shall be as blood,” Michael was quoting scripture again. Jules suddenly had a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

  “What does it mean?” Nick asked.

  “Harwin!” Michael shouted back. “He is the Conqueror! I can’t believe I didn’t see it before now! The wars, the conflict. The strange new illnesses! Entire countries dying of starvation! Not to mention the earthquakes and floods!”

  “Hey man, slow down.” Nick said. “I’m not following. These things happen all the time. You’re gonna have to explain.”

  Michael hesitated a moment, took a deep breath to steady himself, and then replied, “Yes, they happen all the time. But not all at once, not in this order! In the book of Revelations, it speaks of the seven seals. A conqueror shall come to conquer and destroy. I believe it’s Harwin. It also speaks of scarcity, death, illnesses, earthquakes, floods, and cosmic disturbances. The moon is red as blood. There will be a solar eclipse on Tuesday.” He trailed off on the last word. They were all silent for a moment.

  “Michael, what does it all mean?” Jolice begged.

  “If I am right, six of the seven seals have been broken! If the seventh is broken and the seven trumpets sound...” His eyes were wide and his forehead was scrunched up into a thousand lines.

  “Go on,” Jules urged him.

  “I believe the Apocalypse is upon us,” he whispered. Her still heart squeezed deep in her chest.

  He was talking about the end of days.

  The end of the world.

  Harwin was just the beginning. He was sent forth by an evil much larger than himself to conquer. That was his plan, to conquer the human race. It all made sense now. Someone else was helping him. She had read the Bible. She knew the answer. One who rides the fiery red horse will set forth to bring about conflict. War. But who was the being on the red horse? What could they do to stop this from happening? She was always taught that God would reclaim his kingdom when humanity had fallen into such a bad state that it couldn’t be repaired. Jules knew the world wasn’t so overrun with evil that there could be no other way.

  Something else occurred to her. The pit in her stomach balled up against itself and turned inside her. Her head felt woozy and she felt the urge to vomit for the first time since she became a vampire. She didn’t even know if vampires could throw up. She thought she might just find out. She looked at her once angel friend, seeing the horror in his eyes. Her revelation was staring her in the face. Their strongest defense against evil beings was Michael. Michael who was now nothing more than human.

  “What do we do?” Jules asked to no one in particular, grabbing Nick’s hand and squeezing for support. He squeezed back, moving behind her to wrap his free arm around her waist. She could feel the tension in him as well.

  Michael was the one who answered. He looked to the Heavens with tears in his eyes. When he spoke, he whispered, “Merciful God, help us all.”

  TO BE CONTINUED…

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