The Tears of Nero (The Halo Group Book 1)

by Jason Brannon

  “I don’t want my past coming to light,” Franklin said. “I’ve done some pretty repulsive things.”

  “Do tell,” Sadie said.

  “I don’t think so,” Franklin said. “You’re much too young and inexperienced to hear about some of my mistakes.”

  “We’re overlooking one very specific point,” Edward reminded them. “Henry was a child when this happened. He didn’t do anything wrong. The event scarred him for life, and he’s lived with regret ever since. But it wasn’t his fault that his brother got bitten by a black widow. Nero wants us to realize that he’s holding the cards here. But I also think he’s trying to open a few wounds where he can.”

  “Maybe he’s going to exploit each and every terrible thing that’s ever happened to us with the hope of making us into putty that he can stretch and mold for his evil purpose.” Sadie said.

  “Maybe we’re giving Nero more credit than he deserves,” Henry spoke up. “Maybe there’s no rhyme or reason to his game, except to inflict damage however he can.”

  “Or maybe we’re all thinking too much,” Kelly said.

  “I agree,” Edward said. “Let’s see what else is inside the chest.”

  The spiders were all either dead or washed away. To be certain, Edward approached the chest from the side and tipped it over with his foot. He expected to see a bunch of spiders scurry out from beneath the box, but the sand underneath it was clean.

  The contents of the chest had spilled out on the white sand. In addition to the picture of Henry’s brother, the trunk also contained something that looked a little like a cell phone and another sheet of yellowed parchment.

  “That’s one of my handheld GPS models,” Franklin said, showing some excitement for the first time. “My firm designed those.”

  “Gee, how convenient,” Kelly said, turning the tables. “Maybe you’re the one in cahoots with Nero.”

  Franklin scowled at the insinuation. “Just because my company built that device doesn’t mean that I have anything to do with all this. Al Qaeda operatives have been known to use them too. That doesn’t make me a terrorist.”

  “I’m just saying…,” Kelly said, enjoying the way she was starting to get under Franklin’s skin.

  “Aren’t seers supposed to see and not be heard?” Franklin asked.

  “We knew you’d find some function in the group eventually,” Henry said, not bothering to hide his dislike for the man. “Too bad Nero had to drag you into our little circle. Do you even know how to work that gadget?”

  “Of course I know how to work it,” Franklin said, appalled that Henry would even suggest such a thing. “Give it to me.”

  After snatching the GPS unit out of Edward’s hand, Franklin punched several buttons and watched the screen with intense concentration. After a couple of minutes all he had managed to do was turn the device on.

  “There’s something wrong with it,” he said.

  “Are you sure you know how to work it?” Kelly asked.

  “Tick a lock,” Franklin said, his face turning an unhealthy shade of crimson.

  “What does the sheet of paper say?” Sadie asked. “A GPS is no good without coordinates. Maybe that‘s what‘s written down.”

  Edward held the paper up to the light. “The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.”

  “Revelation 8:7,” Sadie said, tapping her head with pride. “This is the part in the Bible where it talks about the seven angels with the seven trumpets.”

  “A couple of things are starting to click for me,” Edward said. “We’ve gotten a message on the inside lid of a treasure chest that reads Patmos. Patmos was the island where John the Revelator received The Book of Revelation from God. We know that The Book of Revelation is a book about Armageddon and Christ’s return. We‘ve got a message from someone named Nero who may or may not believe they‘re the Antichrist. And now we‘ve got a verse from the Bible that talks about the end of time. Throw in all that business about the rider of the pale horse, and you‘ve got yourself a whole lot of cryptic clues that all seem to point to only one thing-death and the end of the world.”

  “So what are we here for?” Henry asked. “I still haven’t figured out a purpose for us yet.”

  “I don’t know,” Edward admitted. “Maybe Nero doesn’t want us to know yet. I suspect he’s going to toy with us a bit more first.”

  “Was anything else inside that box?” Sadie asked.

  Edward lowered his hand to tip the chest over again and gasped as one lone widow scurried out, scuttling across the battered lid. The sight of the spider startled Henry, but he managed to keep his composure this time while Edward kicked at the spider with his foot, smashing it against the side of the trunk. “I thought we’d gotten them all,” was all he could offer. Henry nodded and motioned for him to turn the box over again.

  Like before, there was a word written on the underside of the lid.

  “Croatoan?” Edward said. “Am I reading that right?”

  “That’s the word,” Henry said.

  “It was carved on the trunk of a tree near the lost colony of Roanoke,” Sadie explained. “Captain John Smith discovered it. Some think it was a message the colony left behind to tell where they‘d gone. Croatoan Island is an island off the coast of North Carolina.”

  “The colony of Roanoke disappeared without a trace,” Henry offered.

  Edward nodded. “Isn’t it strange that the word Patmos on the first box refers to an island significant to the Book of Revelation and this word Croatoan also refer to an island? I think it’s also significant that the two words relate to a massive disappearance of people. In Revelation, of course, we’d be talking about the Rapture. With Croatoan, who knows what happened? Think about Nero‘s promise to annihilate millions. He hasn‘t told us how he plans to do this yet, but doesn‘t it seem logical that he‘s comparing what he has planned to Patmos and Croatoan?”

  “Yes, it’s strange beyond words. Patmos and Croatoan are both islands. Lo and behold we’re stuck on an island,” Franklin said. “I’m sure there’s a connection there somewhere. You, sir, are a deductive genius. I feel better knowing you’re here with us.”

  Edward’s face reddened as he tried to keep his temper in check.

  “I think this might be another threat on Nero’s part,” Kelly said. “He wants to reinforce the notion that we’re lost.”

  “I wonder if that notion refers to more than the physical sense of not knowing where we are,” Henry said. “Maybe Nero’s trying to reinforce the notion that we’re spiritually lost.”

  “That’s not necessarily true,” Edward said. “Although I don’t preach any more, I still consider myself a Christian. My beliefs are very strong.”

  “In this case, the truth is what Nero believes,” Henry reminded him. “It has little to do with what’s real and factual.”

  “It’s not his place to judge,” Sadie said.

  “Think of this as his own private little world,” Franklin said. “Here, he’s next to God. He‘s in control.”

  “Is he in control of the animals?” Sadie asked, pressing herself against Edward. He didn’t pay her words much attention until she squeezed his arm hard enough to make him yelp. Immediately, he saw eyes peering out at them from the dense patches of undergrowth.

  “Nobody make any sudden moves,” he said softly, trying not to draw any attention to them. “First snakes, now this!”

  The eyes were yellow-gold, like the color of prehistoric amber or honey fresh from the comb. The tiger was a beautiful display of muscle, primitive instinct, and natural royalty. It moved with a deadly grace that made it seem regal, powerful. No hint of blood stained its muzzle. Yet, it was clear by the look in those cold, unfeeling eyes that it wouldn’t hesitate to kill.

  “Everybody stay still,” Edward muttered. “Maybe it will go away.”

  “It’
s got something clenched between its teeth,” Franklin said.

  The tiger moved toward them slowly, walking with purpose. It took a couple of steps, dropped what was in its mouth, and turned away from them.

  “It’s leaving,” Sadie said. “Thank God.”

  The tiger turned to stare at them one last time, sizing them up as potential enemies or morsels of food. At last, satisfied that they were neither, it moved away, blending back in as another slash of color on Mother Nature’s multi-hued palette.

  “That’s fantastic,” Franklin said. “In addition to the threat of being stranded on a deserted island, dying painfully from snakebite, murdered by a homicidal maniac, and possibly serving as a catalyst for the end of time, we now have to stress out about the possibility of becoming a tiger’s dinner too.”

  “Let’s go see what the tiger dropped,” Edward said. “At this point, we need all the clues we can get.”

  It was clear from several yards away that the tiger had left behind another message in a bottle.

  Edward, having assumed the unwanted role of group leader, picked up the bottle, removed the cork, and fished out the scrap of paper inside. A small rusty key was taped to the note.

  “No man is an island,” he read. “You all would do well to remember that. This key will unlock the door to the truth about Kelly. P.S. Ask Franklin about the time he and I were friends!”

  Chapter 11

  Franklin’s face darkened like a thunderhead before the storm. Anger bloomed in large red splotches on his cheeks, and he held his hands up in protest. “I don’t know what that means,” he stammered. “I’m not friends with this psycho.”

  “It doesn’t say you’re friends now,” Edward pointed out. “It says you were friends. This means that Nero is someone you know.”

  “I don’t know who it could be,” Franklin said.

  Henry opened one of the energy bars they had found in the treasure chest. He nibbled on it thoughtfully. “That should be a helpful clue,” he said. “This is a friend that you angered. How many people could that be?”

  “More than you’d imagine,” Franklin said. “I’ve made a lot of friends in the business I’m in. Most of them have turned on me at one point or another…or I’ve turned on them. Money corrupts people, even the ones you trust.”

  “You’re a lot of help,” Sadie pointed out.

  “I wasn’t the only one mentioned in that note. What about Kelly?”

  “Have you been honest with us about everything so far?” Edward asked Kelly.

  Kelly narrowed her eyes at him like a predator studying its next meal. “Yes, I have. Have you?”

  “Don’t turn this around on me,” Edward said.

  “I’m not. But the truth is none of us really know each other. I have no idea who you are. You say your name is Edward. You could be Ted Bundy for all I know.”

  Edward shrugged. “I understand your point. But let‘s not forget, your name was the one mentioned. Not mine.”

  “I’m not sure why,” Kelly said. “Honest.”

  Still no closer to revelation, the group decided to rest for a while. Kelly and Henry nibbled nervously on their energy bars and sipped at their bottled water. Franklin found a nice spot of shade underneath an enormous palm tree. Sadie and Edward, meanwhile, tried to figure out Nero‘s game.

  “We still haven’t figured out what to do with the GPS yet,” Edward said. “It didn’t work for Franklin. If he can’t get anything out of it, what hope do we have?”

  “Maybe there are some coordinates hidden in all the stuff we were given.”

  “Here, let me see the unit,” Edward said. “I’ll study it while you read.”

  “You’re wasting your time,” Franklin called out to them as he stretched out on the sand. “It’s defective.”

  “Time is all we have right now,” Edward replied. “We’ll take our chances.”

  He found the power button for the GPS unit and switched it on. The device was fairly straightforward in its layout. Edward quickly located the latitude and longitude settings, the compass rose, and their current coordinates. He also located the coordinates that had been loaded into the GPS.

  “Sadie, look at this,” Edward whispered, motioning her over. “There are coordinates already programmed into this thing.”

  “But I thought Franklin had already checked it out.”

  “Do you think it’s possible that the coordinates weren’t in there when he was fiddling with it earlier?”

  “I think it’s more likely that the coordinates were in there, and he didn’t want us to see them for some reason. If you’re the CEO of a firm that builds GPS units for the military, it seems impossible that you could miss a tiny detail like pre-programmed latitude and longitude settings. Even if it was broken, don‘t you think he‘d know how to fix it?”

  Edward nodded, thinking the exact same thing. “Do you think Nero and Franklin are in cahoots? The note mentioned they were once friends.”

  Sadie thought about that for a moment. “My instincts tell me not to trust him.”

  “Let’s go and show everyone what we’ve found.”

  Franklin, Henry, and Kelly were all chatting in hushed tones when Edward and Sadie arrived. “There are coordinates in the GPS,” Edward announced.

  Franklin leapt to his feet, stormed over, and jerked the device out of Edward’s hand. “These weren’t here before, I swear it,” he protested.

  “Well, they’re there now,” Kelly said, peeking over his shoulder.

  “Edward’s trying to make me look like a fool,” Franklin stammered. “He’s trying to divert the attention away from himself.”

  “Making you look like a fool isn’t that difficult,” Sadie said. “I can vouch for Edward. He didn’t do anything to the GPS other than turn it on. The coordinates were there.”

  “I swear they weren’t.”

  “They were,” Edward persisted.

  “This is another of Nero’s little games,” Franklin said. “He wants to turn us all against each other. He thought it would be easiest to start with me since I’m not the most likeable guy.”

  Edward and Sadie looked at each other with sudden understanding. They hadn’t considered this possibility.

  “And you’re positive that you know how to work one of those?” Henry asked.

  “Good Lord, man, read the logo on the side. Griffith Technologies. Surely you’ve noticed that I’m vain enough to make sure that anything carrying my name will not be an embarrassment to me.”

  “It doesn’t make any difference,” Edward said. “This is our only clue about what to do next. We’ve got the numbers now. Let’s see where the GPS leads us.”

  “Makes sense to me,” Sadie said, giving Edward a wink. “Let’s go.”

  The moment they started following the GPS directions, however, their course became apparent.

  “I think it’s safe to say that we’re following the tiger’s footprints,” Sadie said.

  “We’re off to see the wizard!” Franklin quipped. “Follow the yellow brick road!”

  They trudged through the jungle, stepping over fallen trees, making inroads through the heavy, undisturbed brush. Flies swarmed around them, biting their skin, buzzing in their ears, and making life a general misery. They kept a constant look out for the tiger, but saw nothing to indicate that the beast was nearby.

  Birds whistled and cawed from high up in the trees. Streams of sunlight filtered down through the canopy, lighting their way like a blessing from Heaven.

  The jungle held in the heat like a massive incubator, and it wasn’t long before everyone was sweating heavily. Sport coats were discarded. Buttons were unfastened. Bottles of water were opened and consumed, and palm fronds were used as fans.

  None of them were prepared to function in these sorts of conditions, and it wasn’t long before they were all showing signs of exhaustion. Still, they pressed on, eager to get to the bottom of this mystery, eager to go home.

  Reluctant to let Franklin man
the GPS unit, Edward had acclimated himself to the functions of the device quickly enough and was going where the tiny machine led. It was a simple process. The GPS that Griffith’s company had devised was user-friendly and simple to navigate. The jungle was not.

  The dense undergrowth seemed perpetual. There were no clear-cut paths through the forest. No native tribes had beaten down the foliage during frequent treks to and from the beach. This forest was undisturbed by man and showed as much resistance to their intrusion as a body would to an infectious germ.

  “We’re almost there,” Edward told them as they stopped to catch their breath. “It looks like we have little more than a mile to go.”

  “And then what?” Franklin asked. “We’ll have to decipher some new clue that Nero has laid out for us. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m starting to understand how a donkey being led around by a carrot feels.”

  “You heard it here first,” Henry said with a twinkle in his eye. “Franklin compared himself to a donkey. I can think of a synonym that might apply.”

  Franklin made a face at Henry but didn’t argue with the old man. The heat had drained the fight out of him.

  With much groaning and murmuring they resumed their exploration of the jungle, wishing that Nero had been kind enough to include a few machetes for them to hack and slash their way through the underbrush. After twenty minutes of following the path the GPS laid out before them, Edward stopped and announced that they had reached their destination. No one had to wonder if they were in the right place.

  The circus tent loomed before them like a bright, red flower blossoming up from the jungle floor. Yet, it wasn’t the sight of the tent that got everyone’s attention. It was the masked figure standing in front of the tent, holding his finger up to his mask in a quieting gesture.

  Chapter 12

  Seneca didn’t give the group time to speak or react. The moment he was certain they saw him, he fled into the jungle, running fast enough to stay ahead but not fast enough to lose them. So far the masked figure was their only link to Nero. Having no other choice if they hoped to find any answers, they followed the harlequin into the thicket.