The Sounds of War (The Genesis Series Book 2)

by Sue Watkins

  Also hearing the sound, Emeleigh looked up in time to see the entrance disappear. She issued a single gasp and went rigid with shock.

  Elijah squatted next to her, placing a loving hand on top of her shoulder did his best to reason, “Sis, this process is nerve-wracking, but please get a hold of your emotions. I know you’re frightened, so am I. But we must fight it. We can think it through later; we can react later, but right now we need to keep our wits about us and keep going.”

  Closing her eyes, tears still streaming down her face, she shook her head and bit her bottom lip. Then slowly she responded, “Give me a minute, Elijah. Those people...those poor lost souls! I don’t think I’ll ever forget the screams. Wonder where are we, what was happening out there? Do you know? What could possibly be next?”

  “About the screams, believe me…I will never forget them later. As to what was happening, I think…and mind you this is just a preliminary guess, I think we saw a generation of people, climbing over what was built by the giants, in order to throw themselves into the pit of darkness. And I think every time the earth shook a new generation was repeating what the previous one had done. I’ll probably have a crying fit myself when we get out of here, but right this moment, I don’t know where we are, nor do I know what’s next. You sit still. I’m going to have a look around.” Elijah stood and walked down the tunnel for a short distance then turned and came back to stand next to her. “Something tells me that we’re going to get out of this okay, but in order to do so we have to go through the tunnel. Think Eme. We aren’t here, not really. I don’t know where here is, we are where we are because we’re in some kind of very strange supernatural phenomenon. So what we have to do is keep pushing on until we find out whatever the ‘programmer’ of this hologram wants us to know.

  “Now then, the tunnel narrows and slopes downward into darkness but thankfully somebody left us those two torches over there. And since we are not going out the way we came in, let’s go in the only direction that is available.”

  “Mmm,” Emeleigh nodded and after wiping her eyes with her hands and her nose on the sleeve of her shirt she slapped both hands on her thighs and stood. “You are right, so let’s get on with it. But please Elijah, assure me this is a tunnel not a cave? I don’t think I can do the cave thing again!”

  “It’s a tunnel. Look, it’s a fabricated tunnel; see the stones? Those stones didn’t form these walls by accident.”

  “Yeah, well, who made the tunnel, Smarty? Do you have an answer for that?”

  Elijah handed her a torch and kissed her forehead, “This place is the throne of Satan, remember?”

  “Oh, great, that’s just great. Real comforting!”

  Moving down the tunnel they soon discovered the downward slope grew more drastic the further they went. The trek became more difficult with nearly every step, as the incline grew more acute. Becoming almost impossible to maintain their footing and not slide, they inched slowly and then suddenly at the base of the slope encountered a new problem. They would have to crawl if they were to continue, the tunnel tapered off into a very narrow passageway, so narrow it became readily apparent one of them would have to relinquish a torch. Elijah suggested Emeleigh leave her torch behind. He would follow her and carry his, which would light the space ahead as well as the space between them.

  This maneuver was manageable for about a hundred yards but then the passage narrowed even more. As they were about to turn back, Emeleigh called over her shoulder, “Elijah, we are about to go straight down, and it’s so narrow that the only way through is to slide. I think if we go headfirst rather than feet first, we can control our descent because actually, I think we are in some kind of ductwork. From here, it looks like it feeds into a larger space… I hope. I see light below so maybe it’s safe to get rid of your torch.”

  “Okay,” Elijah gently tossed his behind him, “but let’s crawl on our stomachs rather than trying to slide on our backs, that way we will see trouble before we fall into it, hopefully.”

  Emeleigh reached the end of the passage first. Giving in to her curiosity as she waited for Elijah to come up behind her, Emeleigh stuck her head through the narrow opening and saw what lay beyond was nothing like what she expected. She could only exclaim, “Wow!”

  She disappeared from the passage, no longer waiting for her brother she lowered herself before he could reach her, but he did hear her say, “You won’t believe this!”

  Quickly catching up, Elijah didn’t take time to look, he dropped out of the passage, and when he landed on his feet to stand next to her, he reacted the same as she. “It’s magnificent!”

  Each turning about in full circles, they attempted to capture the full measure of the new chamber. The walls rose to a height of over fifty feet to form a domed ceiling that added another fifty to the room’s elevation. Along the walls were twelve alcoves, each containing statues of giants, most of the marbled goliaths had wings, but all were perfect in form and feature.

  A thirteenth statue stood as the focal point of the rotunda. It was the largest and grandest. Like the others, gigantic in proportion, but unlike the others it alone bore a jewel-encrusted breastplate. Nine jewels were in the breastplate, each a different color, and each seemed to catch the light in the chamber differently. There was a mystical brilliance coming from the breastplate of the thirteenth statue that sent shafts of color throughout the entire rotunda. The light in the chamber gravitated to the center statue and then refracted about the room only to reenter the statue and begin the process all over.

  His eyes going from the center statue to the floor, he noticed the floor tiles created a mosaic to depict the universe. Squatting, Elijah ran his hand over the tiles nearest him, “Look at the colors,” he shook his head in amazement. “I’ve never seen colors like these, and the artwork in the floor alone is beyond description. You can see the mosaic represents our universe.” Standing again, he moved about pointing with each step, “See, Earth, Mars, and Saturn with its rings, and of course, the sun, and moon. Gosh Eme, where are we?”

  Still captivated by the center statue and the light effects, Emeleigh walked around it several times before she responded, “How do I know where we are? I don’t know for sure, but I’d be willing to bet that this statue here with the breastplate and jewels is Lucifer. You know, I never thought much about it, but if this is Lucifer, then he has six wings, but the way he folds them you’d never know at first glance.”

  His curiosity peaked by her observation, Elijah decided to examine the other statues. Walking from statue to statue, looking at each, he finally said, “You might be right, I think maybe these statues represent fallen angels. You know, as they were before they fell, look, behind each there’s a mural pinpointing specific geographic location of the earth. The only exception is this one.” Stopping before it, he pointed, “I bet that’s Abaddon, because the mural behind him depicts the Netherworld.”

  Emeleigh, anxious to verify his supposition made the same circle of the rotunda, “Well, look at this one,” nodding to the one to which she referred, “he must be the Prince of Persia, that’s Mesopotamia behind him, so do you think we’re seeing principalities?”

  Looking around one more time Elijah’s eyes spanned the chamber quickly, “I don’t know but I think we have been here long enough. I’m getting a funny feeling we need to move on.”

  “Yeah I think you’re right. I’ve got that feeling too, now that you mention it. Look there’s the only way out.” Noticing two mammoth doors standing partially open at the opposite end of the room, she pointed, “Do we go there?”

  Shrugging his shoulders he smiled, “Might as well.”

  Hurriedly they proceeded to walk to and through the doors, doors that gave entrance to a smaller but massive anteroom. The size of the room however wasn’t what shocked them, but the size of the two guards at the second set of doors. These giants were beyond anything either would have ever imagined, instantly, the sight of the creatures brought the two mere mortal humans
to an immediate and abrupt halt. No less than thirty feet in height, each sentry held a spear that exceeded his height by several feet. Standing feet apart, the sentinels stood shoulder-to-shoulder, motionlessly staring into some esoteric world that only they could see.

  “Uh…uh…I hope they don’t see us,” Elijah stammered through clenched teeth as tangible fear began to pound terror into his chest.

  “We’re grasshoppers! We don’t even come up to their knees!” She whispered, “Elijah…all they have to do is step on us and we’re history.” Blinking several times to make sure she wasn’t hallucinating, she moaned, “Oh, God, I think I’m going to be sick.”

  Suddenly, the giant on the right narrowed his eyes and looked down at the floor near where they stood. Elijah pulled on her elbow. “Eme, I think he sees us,” leaning into her ear he whispered, “we’ve gotta go through them to get out of here!”

  Eme’s head moved up and down wordlessly as she prayed for strength.

  Still leaning over her, he continued to whisper, “Let’s pray they move slowly, but in order to go through those doors, we have to go through their legs or between them. Don’t stop running until you’re on the other side of them and have reached that far door, do you see it?”

  Nodding, she grabbed his hand, “Hold on and don’t let go.” As she tightened her grip she moaned, “Dadgummit, why us! Which way, right or the left or through the middle?”

  The giant on the right bent at the waist and rubbed his eyes looking intently at the spot where they stood.

  “Left, between his legs, it affords more confusion for them just in case they see us.” Elijah digging his fingernails into his sister’s hand commanded, “On three, you count!”

  She nodded.

  “Eme, one other thing, don’t think any more negative thoughts, okay?”

  She cocked her right eyebrow and started to say something but quickly changed her mind, “Let’s get out of here!” Taking a deep breath, she released it and spat the words quickly, “One…two…three!”

  Holding their breath, they ran as fast as possible, hand in hand they ran across the massive room, toward the giant on the left and through his legs. They ran around the far door the giants guarded and once on the other side of the open but guarded door, they ran behind it and both dropped to their knees in unison, gasping for air, Emeleigh on all fours wheezed, “Oh…my…gosh…I never…want…to…do that again!”

  Elijah had kept his eyes open as they ran around the door. Not certain if Emeleigh had, he put one hand on her head and held it so she couldn’t lift it, and the other hand he placed over his own eyes. “We are, I hope invisible. Don’t give into...don’t let fear grab you, okay? I think I’m beginning to see a pattern. We’re invisible only when we don’t allow fear to possess us…don’t give into fear!”

  “Mmm,” she shook her head, attempting to dislodge his hand, “easy for you to say…not so sure…it’s easy…to do.” She wrapped both her hands around his and pushed it off her head. Letting her heart slow a little, she sat back on her bottom, drawing her knees up, she put her head between them and continued to wheeze, “I don’t exactly…mean…to panic. But it isn’t every day I run between a giant’s legs either.”

  “Keep your eyes closed! Calm down!”

  “My eyes are closed! You calm down! I’m staying right here until I can breathe normal.”

  “Well,” Elijah up on his hunches turned to look at her. Knowing they were going to have to face the inevitable truth that they were not alone in this room. Sweat began to bead on his forehead. He had to have help to face what was next. He prayed for that help.

  Suddenly Emeleigh asked, “What’s going on? I hear voices... I can’t understand what they are saying, but I don’t think it’s good!” She took a deep breath and held it for a moment as she prayed, Holy Spirit, keep me calm please! She knew she was hearing voices but the sound was more like the Niagara roaring over the falls. Her eyes still closed the sound cleared and she heard, “Then you have them convinced that I don’t exist?”

  Unexpectedly, from somewhere deep inside within her innermost being she knew whose voice she was hearing, “Jesus!” she whispered as she covered her mouth. “Oh! Jesus, help us! It is Satan, isn’t it?”

  30

  And to the angel of the church in Pergamos say: These things says he who has the sharp two- edged sword: I have knowledge that your living- place is where Satan has his seat; and you are true to my name, and was not turned away from your faith in me. Even in the days of Antipas, my true witness, who was put to death among you, where Satan has his place. But I have some things against you, because you have with you those who keep the teaching of Balaam, by whose suggestion Balak made the children of Israel go out of the right way, taking food which was offered to false gods, and going after the desires of the flesh. And you have those who keep the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Revelation 2:12-16, BBE

  You are of your father, the devil, and it is your will to practice the lusts and gratify the desires [which are characteristic] of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a falsehood, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar [himself] and the father of lies and of all that is false. John 8:44, AMP

  Trusting they were invisible to the occupants of the room, Elijah reached for Emeleigh’s hand and pressed it, then slowly stood. He had adverted his eyes from the moment they had entered the room. But now he knew he needed to know what to do next. Breathing deeply and more for his benefit than hers, he whispered between clenched teeth. “Okay, I’m going to look.” Tapping the top of Emeleigh’s head with a hand he demanded, “You sit still! And remember, no fear!”

  “No wait,” she grabbed at him to secure her balance. ”I don’t want to look, but I need to stand.” Pulling herself to stand she continued, “I’ve gotta stand just in case we need to run.”

  Elijah prayed silently, Jesus please help me; let me see what I’m supposed to, then taking one more deep breath and holding onto it, he looked. Determined to gain as much information as he could about their surroundings before he turned his attention to the occupants, he slowly and systemically took in each detail. In the middle of the room sat an ornate table shaped similarly to a crescent moon, around the table were thirteen corporeal beings, all reclining on plush pillowed couches.

  At the head of the table, a man was waving a hand about as he conversed in an animated manner. It was obvious a dialogue was in the making, nonetheless Elijah heard no words but he did hear a droning sound. The sound was low-pitched and garbled like a radio not tuned to the right frequency. Suddenly the distortion of it vanished, and there was no sound.

  Everyone began moving in a three-dimensional dream-like state. As he wondered at the purpose of why he was seeing things in such exaggerated manner, an unexpected fourth dimension entered the room. With this surprising addition Elijah noticed his own senses were enhanced, he became aware of every emotion, every color, and nuance of attitude within the room. Attitudes and emotions became personalities, as he watched, the ‘spirits of the attitudes’ developed into major players within the drama that unfolded before him.

  Green, black, red, and various shades of grey blended and hung in the air, Elijah began to understand what he was witnessing, he was seeing the spirits or attitudes of jealousy, bitterness, anger, and hatred, plus many more such thoughts and feelings as they manifested into color. Spellbound, Elijah watched the hues and shades blend and form a single ominous black mist.

  While puzzling over this phenomenon, his attention diverted again to the one sitting at what appeared to be the head of the table. The man seemed to be the one with whom the others were conversing, but then again since Elijah could not hear the dialogue, he assumed the man at the head of the table was questioning the others concerning some matter.

  Elijah noted the head ‘man’ was void of color. It wasn’t just an absence of color, but as if color had once been a part of him b
ut somehow removed and that all that remained was residue. As he wondered at the lack of color, Elijah had an epiphany. The headman was a Chameleon.

  The Chameleon seemed to blink into a myriad of shapes, and at that moment Elijah knew who the headman was, indeed he was the ultimate Chameleon. The one being in the entirety of all universes who was most skilled at becoming what his observers needed to see. Completely fascinated by a the new understanding of his enemy, Elijah watched as two dominant colors, black and red, rose from out the black mist and formed a separate manifestation that mirrored the thirteenth man.

  As Elijah continued to watch, Black and Red turned and began to savagely tear and gouge at the flesh and eyes of their master, the adversary of all humanity became sabotaged by his own hate and anger.

  Non-locality is the veil between the spirit world and the physical world. The words flowed through Elijah’s consciousness. He realized the designer of this scene was permitting him to see the fallen angels not in his reality but as they desired to be seen by each other. But the Creator had also layered the scene with his perspective of the fallen angels. Elijah comprehended he was seeing the fallen angels’ true spirits by seeing the colors of their emotional auras. He wondered if Emeleigh would see the same thing, tugging at her sleeve, he whispered. “Okay, you can look!”

  Emeleigh saw the scene differently. She saw thirteen beings as appearing as men, eating and reclining at a crescent shaped table. She saw each angel as they most often appeared to men. To her, the angels all wore the attire of someone living thousands of years ago. Most wore robes made from rich fabrics, luxurious and colorful, indicating great wealth and position. Only the thirteenth wore a thin band of gold around his head and upon his chest was the same breastplate of jewels and gold that the thirteenth statue bore.

  Without warning, the thirteenth sat in an upright position and clapped his hands. Emeleigh and Elijah both jumped each hearing the clap. The one wearing the thin gold crown spoke, “As I told you at our last meeting, I do not want any of the humans to know our true identity. They must be deceived on all levels of their miserable existence. If they ever figure out we are actually at war with them, they might realize they can obtain El Elyon’s help with the asking.”