by James Hoch
"Oh, stop," Jerky said. "You're making me blush."
For the next few minutes, Sela just went on and on about how much she was in awe of her and the many times she warned or protected them, not to mention her great hunting skills.
"That's my job," Jerky said as she started to plate the sumptuous breakfast.
"And you are very good at it," Heckel said.
Just before Sela was about to sit down, she looked over the campground and was awestruck. Her hand went up and seized the back of Heckel's neck. Slowly, she turned his head to look at what just struck her.
"Holy shit," Heckel exclaimed. "Oops, sorry. Is everyone getting the royal treatment?" he asked as he continued to stare out across the campground.
"No problem. I'd probably say the same thing if I were you," Jerky said as she finished putting a steak on the plate. She handed it to Sela and she just stared at it. It felt like she had just won the lottery and someone was presenting one of those humongous cardboard checks.
Before Sela sat down, she noticed that family after family, as well as individuals without a family, were getting the same breakfast. It was then Sela noticed a soft murmur hovering over the campgrounds. Moans of delight as well as oohs and ahs could be heard. For a moment, she thought she was at a fireworks display.
"How is this possible?" Heckel asked as he took his plate and sat down next to Sela.
Rose and Jerky just grinned.
After more prodding and begging for an answer, Rose simply said, "God."
"It was important everyone was well fed and given lots of energy," Jerky added.
"After eating all this, we're gonna be in a food coma. We'll need a nap." Heckel stuffed a large chunk of steak into his mouth.
Everyone laughed.
Jerky finished dishing up a plate for Rose, then one for herself.
Breakfast conversation was light since Heckel and Sela couldn't talk much because their mouths remained constantly full. Jerky entertained everyone with jokes. Who would have thought an angel would have a joke gene, Sela mused. Jerky even had a few off-colored ones that were actually hysterical. Rose interjected a few jokes about God that were hilarious. Every time she was done telling one, she looked embarrassed and would look up into the sky as if asking for forgiveness.
"Naw, it's cool," Jerky said tapping Rose's arm.
After a few more jokes and halfway through a large cinnamon roll, Sela asked, "Is this a good day for a battle?"
Total silence. Oh great. Now I did it. What a way to wreck the mood. Just call me Debbie Downer, Sela thought as she bit into the cinnamon roll.
Very tranquil and with much confidence, Jerky stated, "Yes, it is. A very good day."
Rose was sitting next to Sela and she put her arm around her waist. Her touch was very comforting. "Heckel will be victorious. We can feel it," she said softly into her ear.
"Damn straight. He da man," Jerky said punching Heckel's arm. Heckel nearly choked on his roll.
After a few more stories from Jerky, Sela looked over at Heckel. His head was down and he appeared deep in thought. Even after all the pep talks, she couldn't help but have a wave of dread wash over her. She got up and took Heckel by the hand.
"Come on, Heckel. Let's take a walk to help digest this wonderful breakfast." Sela pulled him to his feet.
Jerky and Rose were already cleaning up. Rose told Jerky to leave and get ready. Sela had no idea where Jerky went, but figured maybe she was going to pray or something.
Heckel was quiet the whole time they were walking. He had his arm around Sela's waist and every so often would just give a slight hug. She wanted to cry each time but held it together. She promised herself she would not break down. It was important she should show the same strength and confidence he was demonstrating.
Heckel spotted a large boulder to sit down on. The skies were cloudy, but every so often the sun would peek out. The temperature was slightly cool. Sela started wondering if Heckel wished it were a nice warm day instead.
"So, what do you think of the weather?" she asked feeling awkward. What a stupid thing to ask, she admonished herself.
"It'll be good. I'm just glad it's not raining. You know how Oregon can be."
Heckel went on to recount how, before the collapse, he had run marathons and always preferred it to be a little cool, but still sunny.
"When are you leaving?" Sela mumbled, hating that those words were coming out of her mouth.
"Shortly," he answered. "Say, when we all leave would you say a prayer for us?"
Sela started crying. Crap. She wasn't going to do that, but Heckel's asking for the prayer thing flicked her switch. "Absolutely. However, I've been praying every day since we first met and you told me about Madeline," Sela said sniffing.
"Yeah, me too," he said.
As they sat in silence for a few more minutes, Sela sensed that Heckel might be praying, so she offered her prayers for everyone's safe return and a final defeat of Madeline.
"Well, I guess it's time," he said as he jumped off the boulder. He reached over and lifted Sela up in his arms. She hugged his neck so hard she thought she heard his neck crack. When he set her down, she kept her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. She did not want to release his lips. Slowly, the kiss softened and she melted into his arms. They held each other for a long time.
"Heckel Casey, you damn well better come back to me and our baby." Tears flooded her eyes and spilled over onto her face.
He looked at her and wiped the tears off. "I will. I promise," he said into her ear. His breath made her shiver.
They hugged a little while longer in silence.
When they got back to camp, Jerky was ready. She had on a leather vest and gloves. A large sword was at her waist. Her hair was done in long braids held together with a leather headband. Sela almost giggled, thinking she looked like an extra in the old TV series, Xena: Warrior Princess.
"Heckel, you should take Tempest. He's faster," Sela said.
"Nope. Speed won't be necessary. Hope knows me."
"Speaking of hope, I know I'm packing plenty of it," Jack said as he rode up to greet everyone. "Good morning. How about that breakfast?" he asked rubbing his stomach. "I thought I'd died and gone to heaven."
"Poor choice of words, Jack," Heckel said, giving him an admonishing look.
They chatted so easily about the food and the weather as if it were any other morning.
Jerky whispered something into Heckel's ear. Heckel nodded and slowly lifted his head to look at Sela. I knew it was time, she thought. The tears didn't even slowly emerge; they gushed forth as if suddenly a detonator had been pushed at the Hoover Dam. Heckel's long passionate kiss and embrace caused her insides to ache as well as the baby to kick.
"I felt that," Heckel said, laughing. He leaned his head down to her belly and whispered, "I'll be back soon. Take good care of your mother."
She inched backward, staring at Heckel. Sela tried to smile and wave, but it was the most painful thing she ever had to do. Heckel mounted Hope and held out his hand for Jerky to swing onto the horse's back behind him.
"Pray for us," Jack said as he moved his horse forward.
Heckel just waved.
Chapter 36
The silence behind me was eerie as nearly two thousand men and women followed. When we reached the large, grassy field at first everyone was puzzled. Where were Madeline's soldiers? Maybe they gave up, I thought. Yeah, wishful thinking. Madeline probably wanted to be fashionably late.
Gradually, a soft thumping sound inched its way across the field. It grew louder and louder. The first appearance of the demonic army grew on the horizon. The demons spilled over the hill and began to form line after line across the field. They held large clubs, machetes, swords and a few pistols. Their grotesque, slobbering appearance worked as one of their best weapons. I had seen a lot of horror movies growing up and these things could scare the crap out of anyone.
I glanced over at my people and the looks on their
faces changed. It was as if fear slithered out of the ground, up their legs and settled in their chest, causing everyone's shoulders to sag and eyes to pop.
Immediately, I had to do something. That projector in my head started to play the scene from Braveheart where Mel Gibson, with blue war paint on his face, makes a riveting speech. "I don't think I'd look good with blue war paint," I muttered under my breath. Jack gave me a puzzled look. Nonetheless, the scene spurred me on. I turned Hope around and faced everyone.
At first, the words came slowly. "Everyone," I shouted. "Listen to me." Hope began walking out in front of the soldiers across the field.
"Today, we fight for everything that is good."
Several guardian angels jumped off their horses and stood tall.
"Today, we bring us back to the light."
Slumped shoulders began to rise.
"Today, you will be strong."
More people stood taller, chests pushed outward.
"Today, fear is not part of our vocabulary."
The hint of a murmur commenced.
"Today, you will fight for your families, for your friends and for all that is still good on our planet."
A roar rolled across the soldiers in front of me.
"Today, we will push the darkness back, once and for all."
Everyone erupted with shouts. Arms lifted in the air.
"Today, you are God's warriors and you…will…be…victorious!"
No longer did anyone appear defeated or scared. Fear had been stomped back down into the ground.
Just after I finished my pep talk, several large dark forms appeared in the sky, flanking each side of Madeline's forces.
"Holy Mother of God," I heard Jack mumble. "What the hell are those?"
"Crap! Dragons," Jerky said. "Okay, no problem."
"Dragons? I thought those were just myths," I turned and said to Jerky. Before she could answer, I heard her call out for help.
"We're on it," a young man said running up to Jerky. An older man was right behind him. Two other angels and their counterparts came up as well. The three angels grabbed the men by the wrist and pulled them along.
As they ran, the angels quickly transformed into large dragons. The men held on tightly as the three large dragons soared into the sky.
"Wow, that's something you don't see every day," Jack muttered.
"Guess we have some dragons as well," I said to Jack.
"Actually, dragons probably never really existed," Jerky said. "But we can't let them have any advantage now, can we? So, we improvise."
"Improvise?" I asked, feeling suddenly as if I were a jazz player who didn't know the chord changes.
Jerky shrugged her shoulders and grinned from ear to ear.
"For the light and all that is good," I yelled, and kicked Hope forward. As I sped across the field, I looked down at Jerky. She smiled at me and transformed into a large cat. Now, when I say large, I mean one that was almost the size of Hope. And as for cat, we're not talking about a fat lazy Garfield-type cat. No, we're talking something like a lion on steroids. The creature looked at me and roared. Its fangs were over a foot long.
"Wow, Jerky, you're…" The cat looked at me again and roared. I also swear she smiled and winked at me.
The demons came closer. I looked up and saw the dragons already engaged. It looked like old WWI fighter pilots. They would fly at each other, strike a blow and dash off. One of Madeline's dragons was already falling to the ground.
The two opposing front lines were almost upon each other. The demons appeared even bigger. My throat tightened and my tongue was like parchment paper. Jerky roared again as if to comfort me. I smiled at her and raised the sword I had.
Within seconds the two forces connected with an amplified whack like you would hear if two huge 18-wheelers collided.
Immediately, there were screams.
Most of the guardian angels had transformed into various ferocious animals with exaggerated proportions. Teeth, fangs, claws were in abundance. Some took to the air.
Soon I was surrounded by several demons. Jerky ripped into two of them immediately. Their throats were bitten into, spewing a shower of blood. The large cat killed with lightning speed. Something grabbed at my leg. I spun around with my sword and decapitated one of the demons. The next sight stunned me and I froze. Another demon was holding a large spiked club and was rearing back to strike Hope. I pulled the reins hard and Hope went on her back haunches. She kicked violently at the demon and one of her hoofs connected with his head. The demon went down and Jerky finished the job.
"Time for you to get out of all this mess, Hope," I said dismounting. "Go be safe. I need a ride home when this is all over." I slapped the horse's behind and Hope raced across the field to higher ground.
Jerky stayed at my side the entire time. We worked together taking down demon after demon. As I figured, demons might have been big and scary, but my men were smarter and more agile. At times, I glanced across the field. It appeared we were winning. We were pushing them back.
Suddenly, a loud horn blasted and the demons retreated. Our men cheered.
Jack yelled for our side to pull back as well. Time to get a second wind. He came running over to me and with a big smile on his face reported that our losses were light. I looked at everyone standing around me. In spite of heavy breathing, wiping of brows, bloodstained clothing and many sitting on the ground to get a much-needed rest, each man and woman sported a huge grin.
Then a sound thundered across the field. The deafening howl was directed right at me.
"Heckel!" The people had to cover their ears it was so overwhelming.
My name reverberated again across the field with such hate and loathing.
Showdown time. It must be high noon, I thought.
Now every old western movie I had ever seen flashed across the movie projector in my head. I snickered. "Looks like it's gonna be the O.K. Corral all over again," I muttered. Jerky was standing next to me as a young woman again.
"Not a good idea," she said. "We're winning and she knows it."
"I'll be fine. I whooped her ass once before. I can do it again," I said dropping my sword. "Besides, take off the head and the body will die."
"Send her back to hell," Jack said.
Everyone else backed away.
"Heckel," Madeline screamed again. This time she was hovering off the ground several feet and moving slowly forward. She was dressed in a long black leather duster.
"I heard you the first time," I shouted back. Okay, I should be feeling those bolts of lightning forming in my hands. Where are you? I thought. I need you. Gradually, the feeling began to course through my veins.
The middle of the field was clear. I noticed the ground littered with mostly dead demons. As Madeline inched closer, I could see she was noticeably pissed off. She yanked off her duster, revealing a black metal breastplate. Her long flowing hair spun wildly around her head as if it had turned to writhing snakes, reminiscent of Medusa.
"Looks like your demons are having an off day," I said waving my hand over the dead carcasses. "Perhaps a little more training would have been useful."
Madeline sneered at me and remained silent.
"Wow, you look frightful. You must be having a really bad hair day," I joked. "I just abhor it when I have hat hair. You know the kind you get when you wear a ball cap?"
Well, I had laid out enough sarcasm I guess because she rose another few feet in the air to glower down at me and without warning, hurled a large blue ball of energy at me. Immediately, I jumped to the side several feet and rolled on the ground. Without thinking, I pitched two large bolts of lightning at her. One struck her on the side of the head. When she turned around, half of her face was black and chunks of skin hung loosely.
"Oh, now I've done it. I messed up your makeup." More sarcasm. I was getting very good at it.
Additional balls of energy were tossed viciously and with each one she screamed a long list of obscenities. I held up m
y hand and a force field shielded me from their blows. I laughed, but inside it felt like I had been punched. Okay, that one smarted.
I returned a barrage of bolts. Another one hit her on the leg and she was propelled backward. My soldiers behind me cheered and yelled. They shouted encouragement like people at a boxing match. Madeline scowled at them. With that distraction and hesitation on her part, I threw another round of bolts. She fell to the ground.
"Finish her off now," I heard someone holler. "Take off her head."
As I walked over to her, I spotted my sword. I bent down, picked it up and just as I was about to remove her head, a large red energy orb hit me in the back, throwing me to the ground. Jerky spun around and transformed into the large cat. Another red orb hit her before she could spring. "No," I yelled. I got up and standing a few yards from me was Barker.
I balled up my fists in anger. "Looks like your lady friend there couldn't do it herself," I said tauntingly. "She's done for. Give it up. Crawl back in the hole where you came from, back to the depths of hell."
"Well, you know the saying…if you want something done right, do it-"
Before he could finish, I threw my sword at him. As he lifted his hand to wave the sword away, I pitched two massive lightning bolts directly at his chest. Both of them hit hard, sending Barker several yards away almost landing on Madeline. Slowly, he reached over and touched Madeline. Her eyelids began to flutter. Gradually, she moved each limb. As she sat up, the look on her face was distorted and menacing. Her makeup had smeared, adding to the horrific look. I almost laughed because she looked like some elderly woman who had put her makeup on while an airplane was hitting turbulence.
I looked over at Jerky. The big cat wasn't moving. Shit.
"Great. Now this is a real fair fight. Two against one," I said, wiping my hands on my pants.
Both of them catapulted energy ball after energy ball at me. I dodged them and for some odd reason I felt I was back in middle school and we were playing dodge ball.
"You know who ever invented dodge ball was a really mean-spirited person," I yelled as I rolled on the ground. One of the energy balls hit my left arm. "Crap, those things hurt."