The Sounds of War (The Genesis Series Book 2)

by Sue Watkins

  When Moses sent them to explore Canaan, he said, “Go up through the Negev and on into the hill country. See what the land is like and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. What kind of land do they live in? Is it good or bad? What kind of towns do they live in? Are they unwalled or fortified?” Numbers 13:17-19, NIV

  The Computer Science Department’s main door opened narrowly, a head peered around the frosted glass and a second later, a man stepped guardedly into the lab. Keeping his hand on the door handle, his eyes scanned the vacated lab.

  The lab had just enough residual lighting coming from the computer equipment to allow him to zigzag his way through the numerous abandoned workstations and haphazardly step across the cables and cords without tripping. Cautiously and quietly, reaching the back wall of the lab, he tiptoed into the long hallway that angled off the massive lab. As luck would have it, he would not have far to go. The only light in the darkened hallway came from the second office. From where he stood, he was able to determine there was someone in the office but he wasn’t sure if the one there was the one he sought. Freezing all but the tilt of his head, he hoped he could telepathically detect his target, but no movement or sound came from the small walled-in space.

  Stealthily maneuvering the necessary few feet, he stretched his neck through the open doorway. Turned in the opposite direction was a young woman with her head lowered, her thumbs flying over the surface of her cell phone. He couldn’t see her face but the unusual color of her red hair, confirmed to him she was Emeleigh Gruen.

  Emeleigh was frustrated. Kirsten had sent her a text message that read: imperative get here ASAP. The text had interrupted her as she packed her briefcase. Dutifully she had stopped everything and responded to Kirsten, and then she attempted to text Elijah, but for some unknown reason suddenly her messages wouldn’t ping.

  Exasperated she tossed her cell onto her desk and continued with the task of packing the briefcase. It was the start of Spring Break. The staff and almost all of the students had left not only the lab, but the entire campus as well. She had only stayed this long because of a scheduling issue. Heading up a difficult phase of a major project that required synchronization, she had to wait for the acknowledgment of data sent to her counterpart in Australia before she could leave. In spite of the time difference between her and her Aussie partner, this had proven to be a rewarding endeavor and a nice feather in her professional cap, even if it did cause havoc in her schedule. Thankfully, the awaited confirmation had only moments before arrived. She was ready to begin the holiday. Feeling the stress mount between her shoulders she picked up her cell and texted Elijah again, and this time her message: go to car meet you there, finally went through.

  Turning back to her briefcase, she picked it up and moved it to her chair as she restarted the process of deciding which printouts and notebooks of data to pack and those that could wait until after Spring Break. All the while, Emeleigh was oblivious to the one who studied her every move.

  Nimbly and noiselessly, the man crept forward inching until he stood less than three feet away, turning once more to look over his shoulder and seeing no one, he turned back and spoke her name, “Emeleigh Gruen?”

  Spinning on her heels, the squeal of the sneakers on the highly polished floor tiles matched the piercing of her shriek, “Who in God’s name are you!” Heart pounding against her chest, she quickly assessed her predicament. Breathing deeply Emeleigh commanded herself to remain calm.

  Everything about the man’s appearance portended to fear. The scraggy day-old beard, collar-length coal-black hair, even the way he stood with his hands on his hips sneering. Everything about him implied hostility, yet something was odd. When she saw the toothpick that rolled between his teeth she thought, He looks like a hoodlum from one of Mimi’s black and white movies. Everything he wore was black. Tee shirt, jeans, leather jacket even motorcycle boots. Suddenly struck by the humorous exaggeration she nervously fought not to lose control by giving in to unwanted laughter. The thought, He looks like a 1950’s Marlon Brando character, caused a tense twitch around her lips and at the same time, a surprising peace settled over her. Taking a deep breath, she released it slowly and measuring her words, said, “Why do you need to know who I am?”

  “Yeah, you’re her,” he pointed at the name on her door, “let’s go.

  “Go? Go where?”

  “I must find Elijah.”

  “Is he lost?”

  “Quit being coy.” He commanded as he stepped forward into her space. “I was told you would try to outsmart me and that you’re tricky, but just so you know, so am I.”

  Tilting her head she arched an eyebrow and queried, “Smart or tricky?”

  Not answering, he unexpectedly grabbed her right arm with his left hand and swung at her chin with his right fist. As she slumped, he seized both arms and slung her over his shoulder.

  Once outside the computer lab he quickly looked in both directions. Seeing no one, he hastily walked toward the building’s main foyer. Once in the lobby he removed her from his shoulders and shook her. When she didn’t respond, he shook her again. She was as limp as a day-old kitten. It was imperative to wake her. He couldn’t run the risk of someone seeing him carry her. The only available exit would take them into the plaza, and from where he stood, he could clearly see the courtyard and the building across the way. Two students had just exited the other building and were entering the plaza.

  Looking around he noticed that across the lobby, near the food court was a large waterfall fountain. Thinking he would use the water to revive her, he tucked her under his arm and dragged her to the fountain. After several attempts of splashing water in her face, he concluded it was going to take a more drastic approach to bring her out of her unconscious state.

  Sitting down on the ledge of the fountain he laid her over his lap, pulling the neck of her shirt with one hand, he pushed her face into the pool of cold water with the other.

  Jerking her head, swinging both arms while kicking her legs, Emeleigh desperately tried to gain traction and push away. What she managed was to sling water and fists in every direction while she continued to drown and choke at the same time. Kicking and jabbing to partial freedom, she gasped for air and managed to dislodge his hand from the back of her head.

  He let go of the back of her shirt in an attempt to use both hands to wrap around her torso. He grabbed her just as she was within inches of escaping. Regaining his hold, he slammed her against his thighs knocking what air she had managed to inhale from her lungs.

  Weak and disoriented, still Emeleigh wasn’t about to submit, sputtering and wheezing she continued to kick. Putting a large hand on the nape of her neck, he pushed her head into the water again and raised his voice, “Stop it!” He demanded, even though her head was under water she heard his demands, “Stop fighting, and listen!”

  Weak she nodded. She had swallowed way too much of the chlorinated water from the foundation. She could feel the burn of the chlorine as it churned in her stomach. Fear and nerves didn’t mix well with chlorine. Emeleigh could feel the bile as it burned. She knew that without a doubt she was going to be ill; it was only a matter of time. Needing to focus, she closed her eyes and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

  Slinging the water off his face with his free hand, he instructed, “You are going to take me to Elijah one way or another, now let’s go where Elijah is!”

  Through clenched teeth, she managed the words, “Car, he is at the car.” Jerked to her feet too quickly, her head spun and her stomach wrenched, barely turning her head in time, she upchucked in the fountain.

  Instantly he jumped out of the way and allowed her to sink to the floor as he exclaimed, “You’re disgusting!”

  Falling to her knees, head hanging over the fountain, Emeleigh moaned and silently prayed, I could use an angel right about now, Lord.

  “There are no angels here, remember that.” The stranger put a foot on her back and pushed, forcing her torso fl
ush with the fountain, unable to move she nodded.

  “Wash your face and smooth your hair. We must find your brother.” Again, she nodded. Believing she was ready to submit he removed his foot and stood back waiting as she made the effort to wash her face in the fountain.

  Taking the seconds he allowed, Emeleigh stuck her hand in the water and as she wiped her face, she realized he had heard her thoughts. “Who…who are you? She shook her head and whispered, “What are you?”

  ”It doesn’t matter who I am.” Looking about quickly he demanded, “Let’s go. Hurry up.”

  Smoothing her hair, she focused inwardly and prayed, Lord please protect my thoughts from him; put your blood over my mind. Then to test her tactic she thought what do you want with Elijah? The man in black didn’t answer. Closing her eyes, she experimented again. If I run, will you hurt Elijah? The man didn’t answer. The blood of Christ must block his telepathic abilities, she thought.

  Snatching her arm, the man pulled until she stood next to him. He then warned, “Stay close next to me. If you try in any way to signal anyone I’ll hurt them first, then you and that’s a promise.” Wrapping an arm about her waist, he pushed her along as they made their way out of the building and into the plaza.

  Thinking he should go look for Emeleigh, Elijah looked up from his iPad for the umpteenth time just as she and a strange man entered the parking lot. Elijah watched as they walked toward him and the car. Keeping his eyes on Emeleigh, he tapped the electronic device’s screen and then tossed it into the backseat. Something about her disheveled appearance warned him trouble was brewing. Getting out of the car, he jogged toward her shouting with concern, “Are you hurt?”

  Trying with all her might, she sent a look that normally would have stopped him dead in his tracks. Whether it was the look or instinct, Elijah slowed his pace to a walk, and pursued with another question, “Emeleigh what’s the matter?”

  When she didn’t respond, Elijah began assessing the way she walked and the nearness of the stranger to her. At that moment, he realized the stranger was forcing his sister to walk against her will. Reactively folding hands into fists, he made eye contact with the man. The stranger smiled at Elijah, it was more a smirk of amusement than anything else. The unexpected smile highlighted the hybrid’s black soulless eyes. Summing up the situation, Elijah instantly realized the man was Nephilim.

  Moving slower Elijah still moved forward as a rise in his spirit began to form a command of resistance. Before Elijah could give voice to the words, the Nephilim shouted, “Now!”

  Elijah felt every ounce of strength leave his body. Dropping like a puppet without strings, he fell onto the concrete pavement unconscious.

  “Elijah!” Emeleigh screamed and tried to twist free.

  “He’s all right, stop resisting me or I’ll do the same to you.”

  A cold shiver ran down her spine as she looked up to the face of the stranger. But instead of seeing the man in black, she saw in his place, a tall blonde haired man. “What are you?” she whispered.

  “You know, you have seen me before,” raising his eyes up, he tilted his head and said, “come now, it’s time to go. They’re here.”

  Following his eyes, she looked over her head and saw a beam of blinding light descend. The beam attached to Elijah’s motionless body and lifted him off the ground. Never taking her eyes from Elijah, she watched as he disappeared into the outline of an invisible craft. The mysterious craft never materialized or emitted noise, it simply displaced atmosphere without disturbing it. Whatever was overhead blended with the sky like a chameleon. The blood drained from her head and her very last thought was Jericho.

  23

  Help, O Lord, for there is no longer anyone who is godly; the faithful have disappeared from humankind. Psalm 12:1, NRSV

  At six-thirty Kirsten ran out of patience, she slid open the balcony’s doors and called out to Josh, who was attempting to turn a brisket on the barbeque grill. “Josh, would you try to reach Eme or Elijah? Neither is answering me. Maybe it’s my phone.”

  Joshua, turning around upon hearing his name, unknowingly stepped too close to the grill. A plume of smoke filling his eyes, he coughed and sputtered, “How long since you heard from them?”

  “Eme texted me around four.” Peering over his shoulder, she examined the grilling process.

  “You haven’t heard from them since then?”

  “I wouldn’t ask you to call them if I had!”

  Caleb standing nearby couldn’t help but hear the exchange between his siblings, smiled as the smoke contaminated Josh struggled to see through watery eyes, taking pity Caleb volunteered, “I’ll do it.” Removing his cell from his cargo pants he added, “I’m too hungry for you to be distracted. You just keep our dinner from burning, pretty please.”

  Dialing Elijah’s number and then Emeleigh’s number Caleb got the same response that Kirsten had: voice mail. Following behind Kirsten as she returned to the kitchen Caleb listened patiently while Emeleigh’s voice told him to leave a message. “Are you sure about the time of Eme’s last text?” He asked as he pocketed his phone and shut the sliding balcony door.

  “I think it was about four.” Retrieving her cell from the back pocket of her jeans, she nodded as she rechecked the time stamp on the message. “Yes, 4:02.”

  “What did Eme say?”

  “Just that they were on their way; I think something must be…” Interrupted by the sound of swinging doors opening, Kirsten turned and sucked in a breath of relief as both parents entered the kitchen.

  “Hey guys, how’s it going?” Laden with boxes Emmett held the door open with an extended foot as Leighann followed behind him, she too carrying multiple packages and was having to look over the top of her bundle to see where she was going. Seeking empty cabinet space and after depositing the bags and boxes, Emmett and Leighann turned to greet everyone. Justin one-step ahead, handed Emmett and Leighann glasses filled with iced tea and inquired, “Where’s Mimi and Pops?”

  “My parents will be here in the morning. Mom had a meeting tonight she needed to attend. You’re looking well.” Leighann looked from Justin to Kirsten, and knew from the expression on Kirsten’s face something was amiss. Before she could ask, Caleb fulfilled the obligation of the oldest child and became the bearer of bad news. “Eme and Elijah aren’t home yet!”

  Leighann turned and stared, “What do you mean they aren’t here? Where’s Josh?”

  “Josh’s out there burning our dinner,” Caleb pointed to the balcony, “and we don’t know where Eme and Elijah are.”

  “Why?” Emmett and Leighann asked in unison.

  When the answer wasn’t forthcoming Emmett pursued, “All right, why?”

  “The last time Emeleigh was heard from was around four this afternoon. She texted Kirsten they were on their way and, since then, neither Eme nor Elijah have responded to texts or calls.” Caleb took a deep breath before he proceeded, “We’re getting a bit concerned. This isn’t like either one of them. I was just about to suggest that one of us drive up Highway 6 in search for them. Maybe they broke down and maybe they don’t have cell reception.”

  “That’s too many maybes for me.” Emmett turning to Kirsten said, “I’ll go with Caleb, you call us if you hear something, okay?”

  Kirsten frowned and muttered, “This isn’t how our vacation was supposed to start.”

  “No, but if…” Emmett didn’t finish his thought, instead he kissed Leighann’s forehead. “Keep things warm, we’ll be back as soon as possible. Oh, say a prayer or two.”

  Pausing at the swinging doors of the kitchen Emmett turned back, “Justin, you’re a reporter, you should know how to get someone at the sheriff’s department. Please see if there’s any trouble that might be holding them up?”

  “Sure, give me a few minutes. I’ll call you as soon as I know something.”

  Emmett and Caleb were nearly to College Station twenty minutes later when Emmett’s phone rang. It was Justin, “There’s nothing o
n Highway 6, no accidents, no breakdowns, nothing. I called the sheriff of both Grimes and Burleson counties. Everything seems to be very quiet and uneventful for the start of Spring Break. Kirsten’s getting me the number to the campus police. I’ll call them next.”

  “We’re almost at the campus now,” Emmett replied. “There’s very little traffic, I assume everyone’s already left town. Ask the campus police to meet us at the parking lot in front of the Computer Science Building. Thanks, Justin, talk with you later.”

  Releasing a pent-up sigh Emmett rubbed his hands across a worried face and gave Caleb the news, “Justin said that there are no accidents. I guess I’m grateful.”

  “Dad, hang in there, we’ll find them,” Caleb was trying his best to sound positive, yet a nebulous feeling was crawling through his own thoughts, hinting something was not right.

  Ten minutes later, as Caleb parked beside Emeleigh’s red Lancer, it was hard not to notice the passenger door was wide open and a solitary campus police officer was hunched beside the car. The officer stood as Caleb put his car into park.

  Emmett was out of Caleb’s car before the motor stopped. Hastily moving to join the officer, he quickly met with a wall of resistance from the guarding officer. “Sir…please…you are?” Extending both hands, the officer placed his body between Emmett and the Lancer. Emmett nodded and produced his driver’s license as he told the officer he was the father of the car’s missing owner. When the identification was accepted and returned the officer cautioned, “Sir, please don’t touch anything; just in case this becomes a crime scene.”

  Emmett’s brow furrowed at the thought of that possibility, and then pushing back discouragement he acquiesced, “Okay, I’ll only look through the windows.”