Worlds Without End: Aftermath (Book 2)

by Shaun Messick

  Koroan bowed his head. “I understand, your Highness.”

  The two then turned and looked at Earth again. Koroan was about to speak, but was interrupted with a signal in his earpiece. “What is it, General?”

  “My Lord, your shuttle is ready to descend to the city the humans call Washington.”

  “Very well, General. I will be there in a few minutes.”

  “Yes, my Lord.”

  Koroan turned and looked at the goddess.

  The goddess spoke first. “It is time. You know what needs to be done. You must contact the dark master on this planet using the secret oaths and covenants that I have revealed to you. Once you have made contact, leave Dorange in charge and return to Gnolom. The process is almost complete, and very soon I will be whole. … And together, we shall rule this galaxy.”

  * * * * *

  Temple site just outside of Talead . . .

  Colonel Sage Merrok made his way down the long, narrow hallway just inside the temple. As he walked through the hallway, he looked at the inscriptions that lined every inch of the walls. The writings intrigued him, and again, he wondered why Koroan Chast wanted to destroy this treasure trove of knowledge.

  Sage had always had an interest in history and the religions of different groups of people. In fact, that was why he joined the Gnol military ten years ago. He was just fifteen years old when he and his family accepted Koroan Chast as their savior and followed him to their new world of Terrest. He took an interest in his newfound savior and studied the history that was brought with them from Gnolom. Not only did he study the history, he studied the prophecies that proclaimed Koroan Chast as the chosen one who would unite two worlds and two peoples.

  As he walked, he scanned the writings. He thought it impractical that his lord and savior would destroy sacred knowledge from a different world and race of people. But who was he to question his god? Nonetheless, something didn’t sit right with him. The statue and painting had sparked a small seed of doubt in his mind about his savior, Koroan Chast.

  The thought disturbed him. Shaking his head, he whispered under his breath as he turned right and began walking up the stone steps that led to the room where the gold statue and painting rested. “Stop doubting. Have faith. Lord Chast has saved the Gnol race. He is protecting the Terrestrian people and creating a wondrous civilization on a new world.”

  When he reached the top of the stone steps, he stopped short of the charred debris that littered the doorway. Looking to his left and to his right, he noticed that the explosion that had ripped the large oak doors apart had also scarred the walls full of ancient text to the point that the symbols were now unreadable. Shaking his head again, he wondered what ancient secrets were destroyed.

  As he entered the statue room, Sage noticed that the marble walls and floor, which had at one time glistened, were now covered with a thick layer of dust and littered with cobwebs in an intricate array of patterns. Looking to his right, he saw the large basin that rested upon twelve oxen. The gold plating that had once covered the basin and oxen was now gone. The stone had been deteriorating with the passage of time.

  Looking directly ahead, he stared at the statue that piqued his curiosity. Again, doubts came to his mind as he read the statement under the painting of Terrest’s solar system. He wondered who this Jehovah could be, and who the young boy was or represented. Could this young boy be the fulfillment of that prophecy?

  “No,” Sage whispered. “Lord Chast is the fulfillment of that prophecy. The Terrestrians worshipped false gods. Koroan Chast is the one true god of the Gnols and Terrestrians.”

  No matter what he told himself, his uncertainty continued to grow. Frustrated, he turned to his left and began walking toward the marble altar that had been removed from its original spot.

  Just as he was about to reach the altar, Lieutenant Blaine poked his head out of the trap door that was discovered underneath the solid marble altar. The young lieutenant ascended out of the trap door and stood up straight. “Sir, you are going to want to see this.”

  “What is it, Lieutenant?” Sage asked. “We are on a timeline, and I want to get back to Chast to file my report with Lord Kreuk.”

  “I understand, sir, but you may want to see what I found before you bring this temple down to the ground.”

  Sage tilted his head to the right, genuinely interested. He then nudged Lieutenant Blaine out of the way and began to walk down the stone steps that led to the basement. As he walked down the steps, the smell of dust and thousands of years of stale air permeated his senses. When he reached the bottom, his jaw nearly fell to the floor with what he saw. The one light that Lieutenant Blaine set up flooded the entire room.

  The room was about two hundred square feet of solid stone. The four stonewalls that enclosed the room were lined with wooden shelves, standing from the floor all the way to the ceiling. Within the shelves were grids of circular slots, each containing papyrus scrolls.

  While he stared in astonishment, he failed to realize that Lieutenant Blaine had descended the steps as well. He was startled out of his trance when Blaine spoke.

  “Impressive, right, sir?”

  Sage nodded his head. “You could say that, Lieutenant.”

  “But that’s not all, sir,” Blaine said as he made his way to the center of the room.

  Sage looked and saw what Blaine was walking toward. In the center of the room rested a large oak table. And on top of the table was a solid gold pyramid. The pyramid had a base of one square foot. The top of the pyramid stood another two feet from the base.

  The lieutenant stopped, turned around, and placed his hand on the pyramid. He slid his hand down its backside and stopped around the center between the base and pinnacle.

  Sage made his way next to Blaine, gazing at the valuable item in front of him.

  “Sir, there is a lock on this pyramid.”

  Sage looked around to where Blaine had his hand and noticed a solid gold padlock.

  Lieutenant Blaine continued. “This must be some sort of chest, holding something more valuable than this pyramid.”

  Sage nodded in agreement. “I don’t know what could be more valuable than a solid gold pyramid, but whatever it is, I would like to find out. Back up, Lieutenant.”

  Sage then reached down for the holster on his right hip. He pulled out his plasma pistol and aimed it at the gold lock.

  But before he fired, Blaine spoke, “Sir, you might damage the pyramid.”

  Sage ignored the lieutenant’s concern and fired a red-hot plasma blast at the lock. The gold lock incinerated, leaving the pyramid unscathed. He turned back to face Blaine, smiling. “Don’t worry, Lieutenant. I’m a good shot.”

  Turning back to the pyramid, he laid his gun on the table. With both hands, he tried to lift the upper half of the pyramid from the lower half. It didn’t budge.

  Lieutenant Blaine then moved next to Sage and placed both of his hands on the upper half of the pyramid as well. Even with their combined Gnol strength, they could not move the solid gold structure.

  Sage removed his hands from the pyramid and stroked his chin with his right hand in thought. “It’s sealed shut somehow.”

  “What if we tried to twist the top off? You know. Like a lid.”

  “It’s worth a shot.”

  They grabbed the upper half of the pyramid again and began to twist counter clockwise. To their astonishment, the lid twisted one hundred eighty degrees. When they stopped, they heard a series of clicks and backed away in amazement.

  It was almost as if the pyramid was opening itself now. After the series of clicks, the upper half collapsed into the lower half, revealing a small book-sized chamber that obviously had been vacuum-sealed for however long it had been around.

  They took a step forward and looked inside the box. Sage reached down and pulled out a solid gold tablet.

  “What the …” Blaine responded. “What’s that writing? That’s not Terrestrian.”

  Sage shook his head as he
looked under and around the gold plate. Inscribed upon the tablet were strange symbols unfamiliar to him. “I don’t know, Lieutenant. But whatever is written upon this plate must be important because it has been vacuum sealed inside this gold pyramid for a very long time.”

  “What are you going to do with it, sir?”

  Sage continued to stare at the relic and said, “I’m taking it back with me to Chast. Hold off on the destruction of the temple until I speak with Vlamer Kreuk. I need answers.”

  * * * * *

  The White House, Earth . . .

  Adrian finally decided to succumb and get more rest. After all, he knew he would need all the energy he could muster because Koroan Chast would soon arrive on Earth. Moreover, Koroan would take a personal interest in torturing him.

  The thought of Koroan probing his mind sent shivers down his spine. He ran his fingers through his greasy hair and tried to shake out the thought. Closing his eyes, he began to say a silent prayer in his mind.

  He didn’t get far, however, when the door to the holding cell suddenly burst open. Two large Gnol guards exploded into the room. Adrian and Kevin both jumped to their feet. One of the guards pushed Kevin aside and into the wall, while the other guard grabbed Adrian. The Gnol’s gigantic hands squeezed his biceps and lifted him off the ground.

  “W-what are you doing?” Adrian cried.

  Ashley and Adam both scrambled out of the way, next to their father.

  The powerful Gnol slammed Adrian down onto the table in the center of the room. Stabbing pains shot though his spine, and his vision went blurry.

  After a few seconds, his vision cleared. He saw the other Gnol with a rifle pointed at his family.

  Adrian looked at the Gnol who held him to the table. The Gnol’s eyes were wild with anger. He seemed to enjoy inflicting some pain on the former Terrestrian General. Adrian tried to move, but it was useless. The strength of the Gnol was too much.

  The guard turned and looked toward the entrance of the holding cell. “They are ready for you, General.”

  Adrian looked toward the entrance just as an old enemy walked into the room. His mind reeled, recalling the last time he and this Gnol met. “Dorange.”

  Dorange Gar walked into the cell.

  Adrian’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the bandages covering the near fatal wound on Dorange’s neck. “But I-I thought you were dead.”

  For the moment, Dorange ignored Adrian. He walked toward Kevin and spoke with a raspy voice. “Kevin Palmer.”

  Kevin stood up straight, rubbing the pain from his head after its impact with the wall. He gritted his teeth as he spoke, seething with anger. “Donald Garrett.”

  Adrian cringed from Kevin’s response.

  Instantly, Dorange’s smug smile turned downward into disdain. He raised his right arm, spread his fingers, and levitated Kevin two feet off the ground. “That name means nothing to me!”

  Dorange then squeezed his fingers together into a fist.

  Adrian watched in horror as his older brother struggled for air, clutching at his throat.

  Ashley screamed, “No! Please … please, let him go!”

  Adam lunged for Dorange, but Dorange raised his left arm and levitated Adam into the air as well. He then flung his left arm under his right arm, which held Kevin in place. Adam flew through the air into the right side wall. Adrian heard the air rush out of his lungs upon impact.

  “No!” Ashley screamed.

  But Dorange did not let Adam fall to the floor. Instead, he held father and son in place, pinned helplessly to each wall.

  Adrian tried to struggle free, but the guard holding him was too strong. He even tried to summon the powers that he was able to miraculously call up that last time he encountered Dorange. But it was useless. He was too weak with hunger and fatigue.

  He continued to watch as Dorange squeezed his fist tighter and tighter. Kevin’s face began to turn blue.

  Adrian’s eyes darted back and forth between his dying brother and Dorange, his look begging Dorange to let Kevin go.

  Dorange looked at Adrian; the smile on his face seemed to grow with pure joy, knowing full well that killing Kevin would break Adrian’s spirit.

  Adrian looked at his dying brother again. Just as Kevin was about to slip into unconsciousness, Dorange uncurled his fingers and lowered both of his arms.

  Both Kevin and Adam fell to the floor. Kevin’s body went into convulsions as he coughed and struggled for air. Ashley and Adam both rushed toward their father. Adam rested Kevin’s head in his lap, and Ashley began rubbing his back for comfort.

  Ashley looked up from her father and met the vindictive gaze of Dorange. “Why?” she asked. “What did we ever do to you?”

  Dorange grunted with a small laugh and walked toward Ashley.

  She lurched back against the wall in horror as he reached down and stroked her cheek with the back of his left hand.

  “So beautiful. Yet, so naive.”

  Standing up straight, he turned back toward Adrian. “Adrian, why don’t you tell your niece why? Tell her why you and your entire family deserve to suffer and die.”

  Adrian locked eyes with Dorange and glared. He didn’t respond. Anger surged throughout his body as he tried once again to summon the telekinetic abilities he needed to kill Dorange Gar.

  “Ah … I don’t think that you are going to find those abilities again, Adrian,” said Dorange as he stepped toward Adrian and touched the guard on the shoulder. “That will be all, Corporal. Help the lieutenant keep an eye on Kevin and his children. I want them to watch while General Palmer and I have a heart-to-heart, so to speak.”

  As soon as the guard released his grip, Adrian tried to jump from the table, but he couldn’t move. His eyes shot back toward Dorange.

  Dorange now stood above Adrian with his arms behind his back.

  Adrian noticed where his arms were placed. “W-Why can’t I move?”

  “It’s funny, Adrian …” Dorange replied as he walked around the table above Adrian’s head. Leaning down, he whispered into Adrian’s ear so that the others in the room couldn’t hear. “Remember that conversation we had on Mars I? You know; the conversation when I told you that I didn’t believe in God?”

  Adrian didn’t reply. Butterflies seemed to churn in his stomach as a sick sensation began to resonate through his body. He knew where Dorange was going with this, but the fear of the power source that Dorange may have tapped into terrified him into silence.

  “Well, Adrian. I think I have had a change of heart. I do believe in a god, but it’s not your God. No, this god is more powerful. Why do you think I can hold you down without so much as even moving my own arms?”

  Dorange then stepped to the right side of Adrian. With the same pompous smile on his face, he flicked his eyes toward the wall above Adrian’s head.

  Suddenly, Adrian felt his entire body lift from the table. He tried with all of his might to move, but it was useless. As soon as his body was about an inch off the table, he did a complete backwards somersault, into an upright position. The only body part Adrian could move were his eyes.

  Dorange then nodded his head, and Adrian felt his body fly into the wall with the back of his head hitting first. Stabbing pains shot throughout his head and back, and his vision went blurry again. After a few seconds, he saw Dorange standing about a foot from his face with his hands still behind his back.

  “Koroan will be here soon to probe your mind and torture your family. But before he arrives, I am going to have some fun.”

  * * * * *

  Rebel base on Terrest . . .

  Jake paced back and forth in his cramped quarters, letting the curse words fly. Celeste sat on the bed, trying to calm him down, but he wouldn’t have any of it. “Why can’t that—”

  Before he could curse, Celeste jumped up and pressed her finger to his lips. “Scott’s only doing what he thinks is right.”

  Jake glared at her and backed away. “So … what? You’re siding with him now?�
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  Celeste shook her head. “No, I’m not. I think that we need to go to Gnolom just as much as you do. But I do see his point that the Terrestrians need our experience, at least what’s left of it.”

  Gritting his teeth, he walked past Celeste and plopped himself onto his bed. He put his head into his hands. He knew Celeste was right, but he couldn’t bring himself to admit it. He then looked back up into her blue eyes. “I know, Celeste. But there is no hope for this military anymore. We don’t have the manpower, and …” he stopped as his voice began to quiver. He couldn’t bring himself to say the last part of his statement.

  Celeste slid next to him, grabbed his shoulders, and pulled him in close.

  His mouth and nose nestled onto her neck, just above her clavicle. The scent of her body lotion, cocoa butter and vanilla, was intoxicating. But intimacy was the furthest thing from his mind. His thoughts rested on his father, and it cut him to the core. He felt hopeless. Without his father’s military and spiritual leadership, there was no possible way the Terrestrians could win this war.

  As Celeste continued to hold him, he felt his emotions splash to the surface. All at once, the tears poured out of his eyes, and he began to cry like he had never cried before.

  Celeste pulled him in tight and said in a compassionate whisper, “Let it go, Jake. Let it go.”

  In this instant, Jake didn’t care anymore about being the tough pilot he always believed himself to be. He knew he was weak and lacked faith. And even though the love of his life provided some comfort, he knew there was only one being that could help them.

  Continuing to sob, he slid away from Celeste, resting his head in her lap, and kneeling on the floor. He grabbed Celeste’s hand, holding it in both of his and began to offer the most heartfelt prayer he had ever offered to his Father in Heaven. He felt Celeste’s free hand caress the back of his head as he prayed. Deep down, Jake knew that his Heavenly Father wouldn’t have led him and his earthly father to Terrest in vain. He poured his heart and soul out to his God for nearly ten straight minutes.