by J. M. LeDuc
EPILOGUE
Within a year, everyone had fallen into a nice routine in Palm Cove. Brent stayed on as head librarian. Due to his other duties at S.I.A., he hired another librarian to handle the day-to-day tasks. He also had to hire a new receptionist since Joan had become head administrator and Maddie’s personal assistant. Brent and Chloe were now married and lived in Brent’s townhouse. They purchased the one adjacent to theirs and broke through to make room for a nursery. They’d also made room for Lucille who they’d finally convinced to move in with them.
Seven moved in to Lucille’s old place, and he and Maddie became engaged. Jefferson and Fitzpatrick relocated their families to the area. They enjoyed the south Florida lifestyle and both worked at headquarters, training recruits newly hired into the alliance. They also enjoyed being back with the rest of the squad.
Before they got their hands on new recruits, though, Maddie and Brent, who conducted all interviews and psychological testing, had to approve them. Once they passed the first step, the recruits were passed on to Jefferson and Fitz for basic training. Fifty recruits were whittled down to five, and then Seven took over. His job was to put the five through advanced training. Between the swamps of the Everglades and the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina, he was able to test their physical and emotional endurance to the breaking point. After he finished breaking their egos and letting them know how insignificant and poorly prepared they were to be government agents, he rebuilt them to the alliance’s specifications.
Susan had settled in as infirmary director. She kept busy with injuries sustained by the recruits, and she staffed the mini-hospital with physicians and nurses who handled recruits’ needs on a daily basis. She’d also contracted with the best surgeons on the east coast in case they were needed.
The recruits needed a place to live during their training phase. The new bed and breakfast in Palm Cove, located on Fisherman’s Point, became their home away from home. The government had felt it appropriate to deed Ferric’s compound to the S.I.A. Chloe ran the operation, which not only housed recruits, but government dignitaries who visited with Maddie and Brent. Otherwise, the rooms were rented to tourists.
The calm that covered the area was broken on a breezy November day when Maddie and Brent were summoned into headquarters by the ever-diligent Joan. “Brent, I need you and Miss Smith back here, pronto,” she said.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“President Dupree wants to speak to both of you on a business and a personal matter. Time is of the essence, he says.”
“We’ll be there in five minutes. Have him waiting on the line when we arrive.”
They had just sat down for lunch with Chloe and Seven when the call came in. “What was that all about?” Maddie asked.
“It’s Dupree. He needs to speak to us right away. We have to get back…now.”
“Can we come with you?” Chloe asked.
“I don’t see why not. The two of you have the highest government clearance there is,” Maddie said. She paid for their food at the table and they took their meal with them. The four piled into Seven’s Hummer, courtesy of the Ferric estate, and drove the half-mile back to headquarters.
When they walked in, Joan informed Brent and Maddie that she had transferred the call to the conference room. The president was waiting.
“Mr. President, it’s Maddie. You’re on speaker, if that’s all right. Brent is here, as you requested, along with his wife and Seven. If that’s a problem, they’ll give us some privacy.”
“It’s fine. This matter ultimately concerns them also.”
“John, you sound as though this is more of a personal matter than a national one. Are you okay?” Brent asked.
“Yes and no. I can’t put this delicately, so here it is. The Omega Butcher has escaped.”
“What?”
“We don’t have all the details yet. All we know is that he escaped earlier this morning and killed three people in the process. He left a note, Brent.” The president’s voice cracked.
“Can you read it, please?” Brent asked.
“It says:
I’ve had a long time to think about this day and what I’d do when
I got out. Now it’s my time and time to attend to the business of my father—the Dark One. I’ve given a lot of thought to how I’m going to finish off that little
Ivy League whore. Her sins must be cleansed!
Don’t think you’re off the hook, Venturi. I plan on finishing you off painfully and slowly. I know that the president will get this message to you, so listen up. Come and get me if you’re man enough. I’ll leave you a trail so you’ll be able to find me.
The day of the Dark One is here!
Omega
P.S. - Say hi to that new wife of yours for me. On second thought, maybe I’ll say hello myself.”
“Cursed Presence”
Since the second century, A.D. a myth has been told among men. The Roman Catholic church has excommunicated all priests for even muttering its existence. In the Twenty-first century nothing has changed.
An ex-priest preaches of a time called The Enlightenment. A time when the world is ripe for Satan’s taking. A time when Satan will hand pick the earth’s evilest to entrench his spirit. A time of epic battle between the Dark One’s spawn, the omega Butcher, and God’s chosen, Brent Venturi. The stakes: Everything…winner takes all!
If the myth is to be believed, God’s chosen stands no chance in winning. If Satan wins…God help us all.
Such is the backdrop to the thrilling plot of the second part of the Trilogy of the Chosen; “Cursed Presence.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
J. M. LeDuc is a writer of inspirational fiction; in the thriller genre. He is a native Bostonian, who transplanted to south Florida in 1985. What started out as a reprieve from the cold weather became a permanent move due to meeting and falling in love with his wife of twenty-three years, a native Floridian; Sherri. They are the proud parents of a twenty year-old daughter; Chelsea.
When asked, why he writes, J. M. responds, “The answer is actually quite simple: It’s just part of who I am. I was blessed to have had a mother (under whose maiden name I write) who loved the written word, and passed that passion on to me. When I was eight years old I was diagnosed with a rare congenital joint disease which prohibited me from playing sports, so all my adventure was pursued through writing and reading. By the time I reached high-school the doctors gave me permission to actively participate in sports and I threw myself into the fray headfirst.
“I started out with snow skiing and quickly added the adrenaline rush of skydiving, scuba diving, and triathlon racing. My adrenaline pumping adventures culminated by competing as a bull and bareback rider on the rodeo circuit out in Colorado and Wyoming. I later got into survival/adventure racing, in which the races would last from 4-5 hours to 4-5 days.
“My competitive days quickly came to an end with bilateral hip replacements in both 2000 and 2003. From that moment on I once again turned my adventurous spirit inward and quenched my thirst for adventure through my writing. You’ll find that many of the activities that I have been personally involved in become part of the protagonist’s personality.”
J. M. is an active member of the Mystery Writers of America, Florida Writers Association, and the Christian Writers Guild.
You can contact J.M. LeDuc at [email protected].
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