Against the Fading of the Light (Action of Purpose, 3)

by Stu Jones

  Malak strode across the top of the dam, purposeful but not rushed, as he made his final assessments, passing wordlessly through groups of bloodthirsty Coyotes, who eyed their leader while mashed into clumps around small fires in the cool evening. Z smoke hovered like smog in the air around them, formless, refusing to dissipate. Bandits high on drugs or some found stash of alcohol lay about on bedrolls or propped back in half-broken chairs, waiting for the end to begin. Coarse, pitiless laughter mixed with curses and boasted deeds as the men spoke of how they would slaughter Kane’s people in the coming battle. A young woman cried nearby, a poor, hopeless slave of the vile men. Taking notice of her again, the men whooped with psychotic pleasure, slapping and choking her against the ground where the ragged bits of clothes she wore were torn from her body yet again. Some men stumbled about looking for somewhere to relieve themselves, as others, men with absolute darkness inside them, the worst of their kind, lay just out of sight, their black eyes telling no lies of the evil hiding in their hearts.

  Malak relished the darkness found here. Something about the evil hearts and desires of these men soothed a nagging restlessness deep inside him. They were the worst of the worst that humanity had to offer. They would serve him well.

  Making his way back to the stairwell, Saxon emerged from it and bowed his head, acknowledging his master. “Lord Malak, as I’m sure you have seen for yourself, the fortifications are in place, and all preparations have been made.”

  Malak did not reply; instead he scanned the area once more in the light of the fire and noticed the barricaded canyon bridge his men manned that ran parallel to the dam. The two rail guns had been mounted there, weapons capable of massive destruction. They would hold the bridge and have a second angle of fire on the mouth—the only entrance to the dam that side of the canyon.

  Malak cut his eyes at his lieutenant. “Yes. I can see we are ready.”

  “Good,” Saxon said, pleased that Malak wasn’t in a rage for once. “Is there anything else you need, my lord?”

  “The children. It is time,” Malak intoned.

  Saxon nodded, considering a thought. “Lord Malak, forgive my asking, but if this Machine is so powerful, why haven’t we used it already?”

  Malak’s response came quickly and was much less agitated than Saxon expected. “The Machine was created long ago. Its power is not meant for the hands of men.”

  “So if I touched it—”

  “It would kill you instantly.”

  “But you?”

  Malak grinned malevolently. “I am not a man. Not anymore.”

  “If you can control it, then why keep the children and their purity?” Saxon spat the words, clearly unsatisfied with the fact that the little ones had been kept from him and his foul desires.

  Now Malak appeared to become irritated, the question hinting that he alone wasn’t powerful enough to control the Machine. “You talk too much, like a gibbering woman. The children are my insurance plan. Their souls will help to stabilize me when I take up the device.”

  What Malak did not say, and what no man would ever hear him say, was that the Machine was created by the hand of God and was meant for no one else. Though he was confident that the Voice within him could possess it for a time, he was also unsure how long that time was. The Voice had told him to use the children, their pure souls, to help sustain him, like sweet little batteries, as he held the cosmic device.

  Saxon dared not to press further. “Very good, my lord. Your men will be ready to fight at your command.”

  “See that it is so, and ensure that you are among them. I want you leading the assault. I fully expect you to pick them apart in minutes.”

  “You got it, boss.”

  Malak pushed the back of a heavy hand across his jaw. “Go ahead and bring the children up. Keep them shackled and close to the device—but don’t you dare forget to gag those little brats this time.”

  Saxon smiled wickedly. “It would be my genuine pleasure.”

  Rolling his Humvee to a stop along the low ridge, Kane stepped from the vehicle to survey the Glen Canyon Dam for the first time. Behind him, the horizon glowed with the rising of the sun, still nestled in its ashen shade. It was as beautiful as it was foreboding, threads of light piercing through the darkness, unfiltered, unrestrained.

  “The light shines through the darkness,” Kane whispered.

  “And may it forevermore.” Courtland lumbered up beside him.

  Kane smiled his acknowledgment but said nothing further. The others of his party were now gathered around, peering from the low ridge toward the dam. The startling crystal-clear shimmer of the morning light against the surface of Lake Powell along the horizon gave cause for hope and, even if for just a moment, dulled the pang of fear that sat heavily in each of their chests. Until this moment, it was likely none of them truly realized the insurmountable obstacle they now faced. But now, as they viewed the scope of their target, the sheer magnitude of the fortress they were about to assault made it all too clear. Hundreds of thoroughly armed sociopaths—secure within this fortress of concrete and steel, using children as bait and leverage, and led by a demon-possessed tyrant—awaited them. Insurmountable.

  Thankfully Kane’s people had all been able to rest for a few hours. Upon rising they had found Tynuk and Azolja gone, as expected, likely to meet Tynuk’s warriors. That whole bit was still being digested. There was no communication between the two groups. Tynuk had simply said that upon Kane’s signal he and his forces would ride. Kane indicated that he would fire a flare into the air. Tynuk had agreed upon the signal. That was it. Nothing was guaranteed, but from experience Kane knew he could trust the boy’s word.

  Deep in thought, Kane raised his head, and seeing the rising of the sun along the horizon, he realized everyone was looking to him to say something. Maybe for the first time, Kane realized that these people needed his confidence in their purpose. They needed to see his strength and that he was ready to trust everything to God in this final stand. They all seemed so tired yet still ready to lay down their lives alongside him, to save his children, to save everything. He put his fist to his mouth, paused, considered his words, and then spoke.

  “Here is where it ends. By now Malak is surely attempting to access the power of the Machine. We have to stop him. We cannot fail. Much more than our own vendettas, more than the lives of my children…we must not allow him to unmake what the Creator in his ultimate wisdom has made. Everything happens for a reason. I know that now. God needed each of us to be where we are in our lives for this single moment in time. Who you are right now, all the sorrow and pain and fear, but also the hope and the strength and the purpose—the conviction to fight against the failing of the light. That is not by mistake. God is here with us; his hand guides us, his purpose holds us fast, and even if our eyes stray from him, he will not fail us.”

  “I’m scared,” Jenna said, her voice wavering.

  Kane smiled. “I am too, but our trust must be greater than our fear. What can we do, where can we go, that is beyond the reach of the God of the universe? Beyond the redemptive power of Jesus?”

  “Amen, brother,” Courtland confirmed.

  “Fight to the death, because you do not fear your own death! That question has already been answered for us. Our place in our father’s house is assured. He will honor our sacrifice, and he will send his angels to fight by our side. There is nothing for us to fear. They may have superior numbers, but we will defeat them.”

  “Our God stands with us,” Ari stated boldly.

  “That’s right. Stay calm, aim true, and keep pulling the trigger until each threat is no longer a threat. These Coyotes are just men. They bleed like men, and they die like men. We have all seen it. They are not special or superior or smarter or braver than us. We must outfight them! If you are shot, if you are wounded, get up and continue to fight. Let nothing stop you. You have the living God on your side. What have you to fear?”

  “And what about Malak? Your kids?” Cour
tland asked.

  “We fight to the mouth of the dam first, using our initial plan. Once we get there, you and I will focus on Malak and go from there. Planning beyond that may be futile.”

  Courtland nodded.

  “I never thought I’d say this,” Kane said and looked to Jenna, “but I really wish Dagen was here with us. We could use his rifle today.”

  Jenna said nothing, nodding stoically.

  Courtland placed his arms around Kane and Jenna and bowed his head. “Let us pray together, brothers and sisters.”

  Everyone lowered their heads in response, and together the small band of heroes, each in his or her own way, begged their God to preserve them, to honor their resolve, and to win this darkest day in the name of all that was good, true, and just. Though none would openly verbalize it to the other, they all felt the bond of their common purpose and the closeness of God in the midst of their fear. And together, with the light of hope growing inside them, they steeled themselves for the coming storm.

  Malak looked out at the low ridge to the east, where the light of the sun was beginning to show. He could just make out the vehicles and bodies lined along the ridge. It was such a laughably pitiful force to bring against him. He brimmed with unquenchable hatred for his enemies.

  “Behold!” Malak raised his arms from where he stood on an elevated platform, the Machine visible in its container before him, Kane’s gagged, tear-streaked children chained behind him. “Behold the mighty armies of God!”

  The hundreds of Coyotes waiting on foot and packed into vehicles along the dam erupted into wild, hysterical laughter. Their enemy now seemed so pitifully desperate to try to go against them with such an insufficient force.

  “Embrace the darkness,” Malak continued. “These fools hold no power over us! We are God, and we will do what we please!”

  Crazy cheering and jeering filled the air from the scores of bandit warriors as they foamed at the anticipation of bloodshed.

  “Ready your guns and your blades! Seek a terrible lust for blood you have never known until this day! Today we will mercilessly crush the warriors of God beneath the heel of the Master. They will not have the device! This is our world now! Our world!”

  Gazing with lust, Malak lowered his eyes to the Machine. His hands hovered over it, feeling its warmth and the smallest tremor it emitted. Without warning, powerful, dark tentacles emerged from the flesh of his back. The children screamed at the sight, recoiling against their bonds. Lashing back, the dark smoke-filled snakes coiled around the small bodies and necks of the children as their little voices screamed, crying out for someone to help them. Malak, now connected with the children, thrust his hands down and seized the Machine, lifting it in the air over his head as he spoke in unearthly tongues. Below him, the churning masses of Coyotes screamed, cheering wildly as dark light filled their eyes.

  26

  KANE STOPPED TALKING strategy to Courtland in midsentence as something he couldn’t quite put his finger on caught his attention. Everyone else turned toward the dam as something began to happen, an eerie grinding hum in the earth, the sky turning dark as night. The screams of war rang in their ears as the bandit army flew from the dam in vehicles and on foot, swarming up onto the plateau, coming for them.

  “He’s using the Machine. This is it! Stick to the plan!” Kane jumped into the open-top military Hummer and felt the shocks absorb Courtland’s weight as the giant stepped into the back of the vehicle behind him. Stomping his foot on the gas, Kane launched the vehicle forward and descended the hill toward the open plateau below.

  “Are you ready for this?” Kane called to his friend as they bumped and jostled down the hill, the others right behind.

  “I was born for this, brother. I’m with you until the end!” the giant shouted back.

  “God, stand with us! Show us your power and stand with us in this place!” Kane shouted.

  Pointed down the hill, gaining speed as they went, they shot forward, leading their people like the point of a spear, striking at the heart of the dark enemy rising against them.

  The sound of gunfire startled Dagen awake. He shook his head and tossed the empty liquor bottle to the floor of the Humvee with a curse. More gunfire. He froze. It was starting. He had almost slept in a drunken stupor through the start of the battle. Cursing again, he grabbed his rifle, leaving it in its drag bag and throwing the harness over his shoulders. Pushing the door open, he forwent the crutches and flopped to the ground, crawling the short distance to the top of the rise, dragging his equipment behind him.

  It took him only a moment to reach his shooting position and ready his equipment. Looking through the scope of the powerful .338 Lapua, Dagen slowed his breathing and watched the battle unfold. With a sharp forward snap, Dagen drove a round into the chamber and locked the bolt down, making his final calculations and adjustments to his scope. Looking through the glass, he watched Kane’s meager group fling themselves headlong toward the bandit army. It was the stupidest and bravest thing he’d ever seen.

  Come on, Dagen! Shoot!

  He licked his lips and took aim on Kane. Terrible angle. No shot. He adjusted, aiming at Courtland, a man who had genuinely befriended him—a man who had taken the time to talk with him and then actually listened to what he had to say in return.

  Shit, Dagen. Do it! Shoot him!

  Dagen felt a prickle on the back of his neck and slowly touched the trigger. Then, just beyond the giant, he saw it just off to the right. He released his finger. There in his glass, a thin arm hung on to one of the rear supports of a Hummer as it bumped and careened across the red-rock plateau. And then she stood into view. Jenna. Her body so thin, her face twisted with fear and anxiety—the look of someone going to her death. She stood, adjusted her rifle, and vomited, clinging to the Hummer for dear life.

  Shoot her, you worthless idiot. Shoot her and free yourself.

  In an instant Dagen lost where he was, his mind recalling some repressed passed event. He was lying on the ground, his legs shattered by a nasty fall. Jenna was there, and though his pain was excruciating, she was helping him. After all he’d done to her, she was helping him. Even after he’d wounded her, murdered what she loved, and cursed her faith, she’d helped him. He remembered Kane approaching amid the smoke and debris and telling her to clear away from him—that he was no better than a wild dog in need of a bullet. Jenna refused, covering Dagen’s body with hers. When Kane, in complete confusion, asked why, she told him that Dagen was not beyond redemption. Kane balked, but she was as serious as a heart attack. She actually believed it and, in turn, lived it.

  Dagen raised his eyes from the scope, blinked a drop of sweat from them, and shook his head, an internal battle raging within. What she’d said to him in the barracks—it was emotion, fear, and exhaustion. It was human. But that wasn’t how she really felt; she had shown him the truth by the way she lived her life. It was a life in the service of her savior and the people around her—a life of sacrifice.

  Dagen swore again. Enough. He swung the barrel of the large rifle around, acquiring his first target and firing without the opportunity to reconsider. The blast of the rifle was deafening, the jolt shuddering through his entire body. Through his scope, Dagen saw the head of the lead bandit captain explode, his body tumbling forward as it spewed blood across the windshield and flipped beneath the wheels of his mechanical chariot.

  “Not today, Jenna,” Dagen whispered. Working the bolt, he ejected the spent cartridge, racked in a new round, took aim, and fired again. “You won’t die today.”

  Kane’s vehicle slid to a stop, followed by all the others, except one. A Hummer with a mounted .50-caliber heavy machine gun zipped past them in a widening trail of dust. Naturally, Ari was in the turret. Snatching the charging handle back, she let it drop back into place with a snap. How she’d allowed them to use her as bait was anybody’s guess, but the reality was she was most suited for the direct action.

  She watched as the massive bandit army approach
ed with unnerving speed. Ari aimed and readied to fire, and just when it seemed that her vehicle would collide with the front lines of the bandit ranks, the Hummer swerved hard to the right, making a loop and heading back toward her people. Ari pivoted the armored turret and opened fire, the heavy machine gun banging to life once again in a storm of lead. Bullets pinged and zinged off the armored vehicle all around her, but her resolve held as she continued to fire, leading the large bandit force away from the security of the dam.

  “Get ready, Jenna!” Kane called into his radio.

  “Ready.”

  Kane watched as Ari tore the front ranks of the bandit vehicles to pieces with the pounding of her weapon. Though she was dealing heavy damage, still they came, wild and furious. They were closing fast, now inside of one hundred yards. Courtland stepped from the back of Kane’s vehicle, hefting his huge, black scimitar-shaped blades in his hands. Kane leaned out the window. “You sure about this?”

  “I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.” Courtland glowed with the power of heaven. “Go.”

  Kane turned his attention back to the front, waited a moment, and then shouted into the radio, “Now!”

  Jenna raised her arm high in the air and fired a single red flare that traced across the early morning sky in a fiery trail of smoke. At the same moment, Kane’s group cleaved in two, pulling in separate directions as though fleeing. Courtland was left, alone, in the center of the plateau. Each group of vehicles, all armored, military-grade Hummers, peeled off to the outside, flanking the bandit army, which was now fully drawn out from the fortress. Kane led the group that flanked to the right, with Ari and Jenna leading a charge down the left side, their vehicles now taking heavy small-arms fire but also returning heavy-machine-gun fire into the flanks of the bandit army as it continued to bear down on the mighty Courtland.