by R L Delaney
"B-But we need your strength, Mr. Perpetiël. We have no experience in such things… and what do the words you received even mean?"
Brother Perpetiël nodded. "I understand your concerns, young Justin. But you underestimate the power of the Elixir that you and Amy have received." He exuded the calm and confidence of a man who knew what he was talking about. "We told you before that we monks are getting too old. Our bodies can no longer stand the strain of moving in and out of the spirit world… that's why we were looking for the right people to take our place, and then you and Amy showed up."
Justin gasped. "Moving in and out of the spirit world? What are you talking about?"
Brother Perpetiël did not answer the question, and to Justin's dismay, he changed the subject. "Today at two o' clock, Sternfoot is making his move. He will seek to intoxicate the whole town with the Desastrotrax. Let us prepare." He cast Justin a smile and said, "Eat your Wheaties, young Justin. You're going to need your strength."
* Based on 2 Chronicles 20:17
* Based on Deuteronomy 28:7
At a quarter to two, Father Gálvez came with the message that Martyr’s Square was fast filling up. Brother Perpetiël seemed pleased. "We need to be careful, but they are too busy with their plans to worry about us, so I do not think they are on the look-out for us," he said, as he grabbed the long, leather coat he had been wearing before. When he had closed the buttons, he slid into the house shoes Amy had found for him and looked at the others with questioning eyes. "Well…? Justin? Amy? Let's go."
Justin, staring at Brother Josebius, hesitated. The monk was still seated in one of Father Gálvez' armchairs and did not seem to be in a hurry to get himself ready. "He won't be coming," Brother Perpetiël said. He had read Justin's thoughts. "He'll back us up in constant prayer."
Justin pressed his lips together and, reluctantly, put his sunglasses back on. Now that the day of action finally had come, he wasn't so sure he actually wanted all that much action.
He glanced at Amy. Her hair caught the rays of the midday sun that fell through one of the windows in Father Gálvez' living room. It shone in such a fiery way that it made Justin marvel. Not only did it seem she became more beautiful by the day, but she radiated such confidence that he felt ashamed by his own fears and doubts.
Looking at Amy gave him peace. He wasn't alone. Amy would be right there with him, and not only had the King of Heaven given them a personal promise of safe keeping, but they were anointed with the Elixir.
She stared at him for a moment and Justin blushed. It was as if she could see right through him. "Don't worry, Justin…" Her words were soft and warm. "What a wonderful adventure we are on. And I am so happy to experience it all with you."
Before Justin knew what happened she walked over to him and placed her lips on his and kissed him. Justin's fears melted away at the touch of her lips, and he marveled. How had his life changed overnight in such a wondrous way?
"We are going to be fine, young Justin," she chuckled when the kiss was over, and she touched his nose with her own in a playful manner. "Let's give the Shadow Walkers something to cry about."
"Ready then?" Brother Perpetiël asked. He had looked at Amy and Justin the whole time, and seemed pleased.
"Ready."
Father Gálvez opened the front door and minutes later they found their way to the meeting place.
Captain Devonshire had fenced Martyr's Square off with crush-barriers, leaving only one opening through which the people could enter, and to Justin's relief, Officer Frost was put in charge of checking the people that entered the square.
He was positioned next to a wooden barrel, and everyone that passed though the opening and entered the square was given one of the infamous brown pouches with the specific order to hang it around his or her neck, and sniff it regularly. The Shadow Walkers were at work. Their evil influence was clearly visible by the confusion Justin witnessed. While he had always known the spirit of Dewsbury to be gentle, polite and calm, today he witnessed a rowdy wave of selfishness that rolled over the square, which only seemed to intensify as more and more people were obediently sniffing their pouches. The Desastrotrax was doing its work. People were pushing and shouting to get the best places on the square and were calling each other names. Curses were heard all over the square and a few people actually started to fight. What madness, and how horrible was the influence of the Shadow Walkers.
"All right, young Justin and Amy…," Brother Perpetiël said, as he stayed half hidden under the awning of Clarence Beak's office supply shop where he surveyed the situation, "… this is as far as I go. I'll be watching from here, as I will stick out like a sore thumb in between the masses."
A shudder went through Justin's body. "B-But, what are we supposed to do? You need to at least tell us what to do and when."
"Have faith in the Elixir, Justin. I believe you will know what to do when you are supposed to do it."
"Come on, Justin," Father Gálvez said as he took Justin by the arm. "We will talk to Officer Frost."
Justin hesitated, but then Amy took him by the hand and smiled at him. "We've seen wonders already, Justin," she said in a soft voice. "I have seen enough to know that what Mr. Perpetiël says, will work out too. Remember, we are now walking by faith and not by sight."
Justin nodded. "Let's do it, Amy. For the Elixir, for the King of Heaven, for Dewsbury and for my parents and Uncle Harry."
Without waiting any longer Justin stepped forward and approached Officer Frost. Father Gálvez and Amy followed.
At first the officer did not pay much attention to who was walking up, and he automatically grabbed three little brown pouches, filled with the disastrous Desastrotrax, out of his barrel. He wanted to hand it to them, but when he saw who was standing before them, he stammered, "Father, Justin… Amy… What are you doing here?"
"Today, the Shadow Walkers will be defeated," Father Gálvez said. "We are here to help and witness their defeat."
"Ssh," Frost whispered. "Not so loud. The enemy has ears everywhere." He looked around him to see if anyone was looking. "Are the monks here too?"
"One of them," Father Gálvez replied, and tilted his head in the direction where Brother Perpetiël was hiding under the shadows of the awning.
Frost nodded and stared at the pouches in his hand. "I reckon you don't want these, do you?"
Father Gálvez shook his head. "I don't. I won't even be going in, but you can give them to Justin and Amy."
Frost frowned.
"That stuff won't affect them," Father Gálvez explained. "That way they can sniff right along with all the others, making it look like they are just as intoxicated as all the rest of the poor fellows."
Frost handed Justin and Amy the dreadful pouches. "You really think today the wicked Walkers are going to be defeated?" he whispered as he leaned forward to Father Gálvez.
Father Gálvez smiled. "The monks think so. Just be careful Frost. I believe they are going to spray the whole place with the chemicals, and if you don't protect yourself you will be affected too."
"Thanks," Frost said, and he gave Father Gálvez a curt nod. "In that case, I'll be gone from here as soon as the meeting begins."
At that moment, the sound of a microphone that was being adjusted blared over the square and a raspy voice sounded through the speakers.
"Good afternoon, dear citizens of Dewsbury. Please be quiet, so we can begin."
Father Gálvez turned to Justin and Amy. "I'm not going in as I'm not protected as you are. But we'll be ready to do whatever it is that needs to be done." He took both of them in a bear hug, whispered a prayer and crossed himself. Then he turned to Frost. "Come with me, Officer. I am not going to stand by and let these Shadow Walkers mess with my mind, and you shouldn't be taking any chances either. We'll be hiding with Brother Perpetiël."
Frost seemed relieved. Both men turned around and walked off without saying another word. As Justin stared at them walking off, he realized he and Amy were now complet
ely alone, surrounded by Shadow Walkers, confusion, and Desastrotrax.
He gritted his teeth and grabbed Amy's hand while forcing a smile on his face. "This is it, Amy," he whispered. "I am not sure what to expect, neither do I know what to do, but we'll just trust that everything will be made clear as we go."
Amy smiled back. "I am ready, Justin. Together with you and the Elixir I am ready to scale mountains, run thru streams, and follow the Elixer wherever he leads."
"Wasn’t there a song like that in ‘The Sound of Music’?" Justin chuckled. "I didn't know you liked that movie? It's kind of old."
"It is," Amy replied with a playful smile. "So is the Elixir, and so is the King of Heaven. But where would we be without them?"
At that moment, just as they walked through the gate, the voice over the speakers crackled again. "Everyone quiet now."
Justin recognized Sternfoot’s voice. The meeting was about to begin.
Martyr's Square was usually a busy place.
It was the center of town, and although Dewsbury had not much to offer in the form of entertainment, still it was the place to go on a Saturday night. The few restaurants in Dewsbury were located there, as were most of the pubs. In summer, when the evenings were warm and balmy the square was filled with street café’s and waiters would nervously walk around, serving drinks and snacks until late at night.
Every Friday the vendors would set up the local market there. Then, stall holders and merchants would loudly proclaim their goods, and people as far away as Bakersville would be hunting for the cheapest deals. Furthermore, Martyr's Square was the decor for the famous country music competition in July, the Harvest Festival at the end of September, and the Christmas Pageant in the cold December month.
But today the place belonged to Richard Sternfoot and his ilk. Almost as if it where the beginning of an important Super bowl game, massive clouds of red smoke, in celebration of the beginning of the event, curled up from near the stage and glided slowly over the whole square. Only this was not fireworks unleashed by excited fans ready to cheer their favorite team. These clouds came directly from the dark mind of Richard Sternfoot and his chemistry vials. This smoke had found its origin in the slimy pits of the Netherworld and its only purpose was to manipulate, strangle and enslave the ignorant masses. This was the dreaded Desastrotrax that the Shadow Walkers were unleashing over the crowd before them.
Justin and Amy saw the reddish smog slowly waft over the market square and even though Brother Perpetiël had told Justin time and again not to be afraid, Justin's jaws tightened as he could now smell the sulfurous, chemical scent that was floating their way.
"This is it, Amy," he whispered.
Amy nodded and grabbed Justin's hand. "Don't worry, Justin. I've seen it in class before. We will not be affected."
Next to them stood Billy Bob Chester, the local hairdresser. As he was breathing in the blast of Desastrotrax, he raised his hands to the heavens and with his eyes closed he began to murmur an unintelligible chant, presumably in honor of the Shadow Walkers. Next to Billy Bob stood the janitor of their school, Mr. Bud Broderick. The man was deeply inhaling the Desastrotrax with his mouth open, while he had his little brown pouch pressed against his nose.
Justin felt the urge rising to grab that pouch and yell to the man that he needed to wake up. This was puzzling, alarming… no, it was disgusting.
All around them, the earlier confusion and contention had stopped. Most people had their arms raised now as well, and several unfamiliar Latin phrases were being uttered. Justin shivered as his hand squeezed Amy's.
She cast him a glance. Her eyes shone with conviction and Justin marveled at how beautiful she looked at this moment. Surely, she was much stronger than he was. "Stay calm, Justin… All will be well."
At that moment Richard Sternfoot's crackly voice sounded through the microphone. "Dear citizens of Dewsbury… Welcome, welcome, welcome."
Justin glared at the wicked chemistry teacher with his wild hair. The man was still wearing his lab coat and even though the stage on which he was standing was quite a ways off, Justin could clearly see the strange, unfamiliar light that shone from his eyes.
If therefore the light that is in you be darkness, how great is that darkness! * A voice, calm, soft and warm was clearly heard. Was that Amy? It did not sound like her at all. Still, Justin turned to Amy.
"Did you say something?"
"No, I did not. Why?"
Justin shrugged his shoulders. "I-I thought I heard a voice."
Amy frowned. "What did the voice say?"
"It said that if the light in you is darkness, then the darkness in you is terribly great. I think it referred to Sternfoot and the Shadow Walkers."
"It's because of the Elixir," Amy said, and a grand smile flashed over her face. "I've had words spoken to me too. A voice so soft and yet clearer than any other voice. A loving voice, full of comfort and understanding. You know what, Justin…?"
"What?"
"It's the voice of the King of Heaven."
Before Justin could answer Amy, Richard Sternfoot continued his introduction, and his raspy voice bellowed over the market square.
“Citizens of Dewsbury, thank you again for coming to this most crucial meeting. As you all know a most vicious virus has attacked our beloved town. Unlike any other physical disease known to man, this virus attacks the human brain and in the beginning it causes fear, disunity, mistrust and confusion. But in its second stage, it will cause death and destruction.”
Justin glanced at Billy Bob Chester. The man's eyes were now glazed over and like most others at the square, his arms were still raised to the heavens. His lips were moving and Justin could now hear the man whisper in a dark, unfamiliar voice, "We'll serve you, Master. My life is yours. Free us and open the gates."
Justin turned to Amy. "You hear what he's saying?"
Amy nodded, but turned her attention again to Sternfoot.
"But I, Richard Sternfoot, have found the cure. Today we will inoculate you, but you must faithfully keep on sniffing your pouches…"
All hands went down and virtually all the people on the square grabbed their brown pouches and began to sniff vehemently.
Justin's eyes widened. "W-What do we do, Amy? There must be something we can do."
"We wait," Amy whispered back. "We do nothing without the guidance of the Elixir and the voice of the King of Heaven."
Justin wanted to say something, but his voice was stifled by a raw scream that came from somewhere on the side of the market square.
Principal Rigby, still hobbling with the help of his crutches, pushed himself through the crowd, his face white and full of fear. "Richard…," he screamed as loud as he could to Sternfoot, standing on the stage. "… It's treason!"
Anger flashed over Sternfoot's face. He seemed annoyed by the interruption and glared at Rigby, who had now made his way to the front. "What are you talking about?"
Rigby, now leaning against the stage, looked up and shouted, "There's an army on its way. The one loophole we left open… The rabbits are coming."
Sternfoot's booming curse, magnified by the microphone, rolled over the market square. "God of the Netherworld… what do we do?"
Justin had heard it too, and looked at Amy. "Rabbits? What is he talking about?"
Amy shrugged. "I have no idea, Justin. Let's just wait and see."
* Matthew 6:23
Chapter Nine
Justin and Amy did not have long to wait.
Only seconds after Principal Rigby's alarming shouts and screams that seemed to have upset Sternfoot greatly, Justin saw the first rabbits.
At first he only saw three of them. Cute brown fur balls, with trembling noses and intelligent, black eyes that darted back and forth, moving slowly through the crowd. They were lolloping in their ungainly way, sniffing as they went, and every so often they would be up on their hind legs, while holding their front paws clutched over their white bellies, as if to decide what direction to take ne
xt.
Billy Bob Chester began to sneeze.
Mr.Broderick’s eyes became red and teary. He too began to sneeze loudly, and everywhere around them, people broke into screams, coughs and sneezes.
Then more rabbits came.
At first ten rabbits tunneled through the legs of Broderick, then twenty others surrounded Billy Bob Chester, and wherever Justin looked, the ground was soon covered with the gentle inhabitants of the woods.
"Kill them!" Sternfoot's angry voice rolled over the market square. "Kill them all." The man was jumping up and down on the stage, and was clearly beside himself. "Rabbits are the transmitters of the disease," he lied. "Kill them all."
But nobody did. Everyone that had been sniffing the Desastrotrax was getting sick with serious nasal problems. People were crying, coughing, sneezing and howling. Nobody was in any state to help their neighbor.
There was Billy Bratmeyer. His face had a rash and seemed swollen as his eyes were wide with fear and full of tears. "Help me… I feel sick."
Leopold Witherspoon, leaning on his wife, Belinda, banged into Justin and stared at him with wild, bloodshot eyes. "Help me out… help me out. I need Advil."
Justin, bewildered and amazed at what was happening, took a step backwards, right when Belinda Witherspoon pushed her beloved husband to the ground, while screaming, "Get away from me with your dirty hands. You are blocking me… I need the Advil. Me first." She glared with a desperate face at Justin who shook his head and took another step backwards. "I don't have any Advil."
At that instant a tremendous sneezing spell overtook Belinda Witherspoon and she fell to the ground where she landed right on top of her husband who responded with several sneezes of his own.
Meanwhile the influx of rabbits only seemed to increase. The market square was now one bobbing sea of sick, sneezing and coughing people who rolled around in the midst of the furry creatures who walked around and all over everyone in the park.