Worlds Without End: The Prophecy (Book 3)

by Shaun Messick

  General Sapharius nodded. “Understood, sir.”

  *****

  Kylee Palmer flung herself over the makeshift barriers of sandbags and scrap metal from destroyed assault and other military vehicles. Her fatigues were tattered and torn, her blond hair a mess, and she was covered from head to toe in dirt. Blood trickled from her right temple.

  Adrian fought the paternal urge to protect her. He knew that she wouldn’t allow that to happen. She was a warrior and wouldn’t accept any sort of pity or sympathy from anyone … let alone her father. “Report?” he asked.

  Kylee peered at him with cold gray eyes. The brightness of her eyes had faded as a result of the long and tenuous war. “There are too many,” she said, shaking her head. “Our forces are already thin enough and some are even beginning to retreat.”

  Another explosion rocked the bunker they were hunkered down in. Dirt and soot rained all over them. With dirt-caked lips, Adrian turned and looked at Skip, who was seated and doing his best to fend off the Gnol forces with the plasma cannon in the center of the bunker. Bright orange plasma blasts exploded from its barrel. Skip had an expression of determination draped over his face that he wasn’t about to let the Gnols overtake everything they had worked so hard to preserve.

  Adrian reached up and pressed the comlink in his ear. “Skip, do you copy?” He watched to see if Skip heard him. Skip was about to reach up to his ear to press his own comlink when a low-flying Gnol fighter buzzed them.

  Skip jerked the cannon’s controls upward, following the fighter with plasma blasts. One clipped the left wing of the fighter, causing it to spin out of control. It exploded into the ground in a bright orange ball of fire not far from the base. “Copy,” Skip said.

  “I’m ordering the retreat. Take Kylee with you—”

  “No, Dad! I’m staying here with you!”

  Adrian glanced at his daughter and then back to Skip. “Take Kylee and meet Kevin and Ariauna at the rendezvous point. They should have everything ready for our evacuation from the planet.”

  Without a reply, Skip nodded his response. He shut down the cannon, left the controls, and rushed toward Kylee as another explosion rocked the bunker, raining more debris all over them. Kylee, however, dug in her heels. “I’m not going with him, Dad! I am staying here with you, even if it means that I have to die!”

  “That’s why you’re going with him. I haven’t lost a child yet in this war and I’m not about to lose one. You’re going! That’s an order, Colonel.”

  Kylee bit her lip, her face cloaked in anger. “Bu—”

  “No buts. You’re going now!” Adrian demanded. He turned his attention back to Skip and pulled out the silver case from under him; the case he had kept with him during the entire Gnol siege. “Take this, Skip. You’re one of the few that I trust with this.”

  Skip took the case from him, knowing full well its contents. Everyone knew that the case contained the gold plate of Gnolom. Ever since they came back to Terrest from Gnolom, the tablet had been locked away under heavy security. The only ones that had access to it were Adrian, Skip, Celeste, and Jake.

  Skip reached down and grabbed Kylee’s forearm. She jerked her arm away and turned to her father. But this time, instead of an expression of anger and frustration on her face, she met his gaze with sadness, a tear trickling down her cheek. She spoke with fear in her voice as if she knew that she might never see her father again. “I’m staying.”

  With compassion that only a father could give to his child, Adrian cupped his daughter’s bloodstained and soiled face in his hands. “Listen to me, Kylee. You have to go. Dorange is about to overtake this base. The only thing that drives him is his hatred for me and our family. There’s no telling what he will do to you if you are captured. So please … I beg of you, as your father, go with Skip. It’s the only chance you have to survive this war.”

  Tears erupted from Kylee’s eyes, her forehead touching her father’s. “Okay.”

  The two embraced as Adrian met Skip’s eyes. “Take care of her, Skip.”

  “I will.”

  Adrian let go of his daughter and grabbed the plasma rifle resting at his side. “I’ll provide cover fire.”

  Skip nodded as he gently grabbed Kylee’s arm. This time, she didn’t resist.

  “On my order, go!”

  Again, Skip nodded his response.

  After a few seconds and two deep breaths, Adrian jumped up and began firing into the darkness. “Go now!”

  He kept firing. The lights from the blasts enabled him to see in flashes where his targets were. The Gnols were close, maybe fifty to one hundred yards away. The Gnols returned fire, blasting away sandbags and a portion of his protective metal debris. Instantly, he crouched down as far as he could. He looked up, hoping not to see the bodies of his daughter and Skip. Relief washed over him. They were gone and hopefully en route to the rendezvous point.

  The blasting continued as he reached up to his comlink again. “Skyler, do you copy?”

  He waited a few seconds. No response. The relief that had poured over him just a few short seconds ago was immediately replaced with dread. Skyler Green, Sage Merrok, and his son, Bantyr, were on the other side of the base along with a handful of soldiers. No response meant that they had failed in their defense of the base’s main entrance and the Gnols now had access. He was about to try again when the sandbags and the metal barrier that he was taking cover under exploded. The force of the blast hurled him backwards headlong into the base of the cannon. The battle helmet protecting his head was the only thing that protected him from sure death as his head hit first. The collision caused him to black out for a few seconds. Regaining his bearings and now battling a massive headache, he looked up, his vision blurred. There was now nothing separating him from the enemy. But instead of charging for a sure victory, the Gnols began to retreat.

  This gave him enough time to call for Skyler again. “Skyler, come in!” Again, there was silence. He was about to try again, when the comlink crackled with static. On the other end, he recognized Skyler’s voice. The interference made it difficult to understand what he was saying. “Say again, Skyler. There’s too much interference.”

  “I … id … the Gnols have s … arges … Th … are abou … o … blow the base in.

  It didn’t take much deciphering for Adrian to realize what Skyler was trying to say. Ignoring the pain in his head, Adrian leapt to his feet and began sprinting toward the back entrance of the base. “Skyler, retreat! Meet at the rendezvous coordinates!”

  Plasma blasts exploded the soil behind him, an obvious sign that the Gnols had spotted him. A sudden blast to his right flung him into the air. Pain shot through his right arm as he ducked just as he hit the ground. He rolled, landed on his feet, and continued his sprint toward the entrance. He clicked his comlink again. “Jake… get … get everyone out of there now!” he screamed just as a massive explosion rippled through the ground.

  *****

  He couldn’t quite explain the feeling. It was one he hadn’t felt in a long time. The war was about to end, and he, Dorange Gar - the new leader of the Gnols - could smell victory like a ravenous wolf about to kill his wounded prey. The feeling was pleasure. Yes, that was what it was.

  The pleasure rushed over him like a waterfall as the ground ahead of him rocked and trembled. The charges placed around the perimeter of the rebel underground base sent explosions rippling through the ground. Foliage, soil, and rock exploded all around him. He felt sharp pains as the shrapnel pelted his body. The pain, however, was pure ecstasy. He had won. In a few short seconds, every remaining Terrestrian rebel would be either dead or trapped in heaps of rubble and debris.

  He hoped, however, that Adrian Palmer and some of his family would survive. Adrian and his family would be so broken and defeated that Dorange could put the final dagger through their hearts with his own hand.

  The spectacle before him reached its conclusion. Soot and dust filled the air, making it impossible to see, ev
en though the morning sun began its ascent from the east. He pulled his night-vision goggles and breathing mask over his head.

  General Sapharius took his place next to him with his own goggles and mask over his face. “It is finished, my Lord.”

  “Yes … Yes, it is finished,” replied Dorange, hardly withstanding the ravishment he experienced as the words escaped his lips.

  The two leaders of the Gnol civilization upon Terrest stood in silence for a few moments, reveling in their victory.

  Finally, General Sapharius spoke as an eerie silence flowed through the air of the battle scene, indicating the entire defeat of the last Terrestrian rebels on the planet. “What are your orders, sir?”

  “Order security details to begin sweeping the base for survivors. If they find Adrian Palmer or any member of his family, take them prisoner. Kill the rest.”

  General Sapharius turned and peered at Dorange. Even though he couldn’t see his face or facial expression, Dorange could tell that his general stood in shock of his order. “You don’t approve, General?”

  “N-no, sir. It’s not that I don’t approve. It … It’s just that … well, shouldn’t we capture any survivors and make them slaves?”

  “That would be the logical thing to do, wouldn’t it, General? But this war is far from logical. These …” he continued, pointing toward the caved-in base, “… These humans have denied their true god, Koroan Chast. They have spat in the face of everything we Gnols hold sacred. They don’t even deserve to live as slaves.”

  “Very well, my Lord.”

  “Also, General, I want a security detail to accompany me into the base. I personally want to find Adrian Palmer and watch him bleed for every atrocity he has committed against our people.”

  *****

  The lights of the infirmary flickered and sparked as Jake lay over his wife and newborn child. He was covered in dust and debris from the collapsed part of the ceiling. The muffled cry of his newborn son awoke him. He must have passed out from exerting so much telekinetic energy to shield them from total collapse, which surely would have crushed them all.

  He heard Anyta and Lexis cough nearby, evidence they were still alive. He glanced over the bed and saw Nichelle lying unconscious on the floor. Blood trickled from her head, but he noticed her chest moving up and down. He hoped she was okay. He hurriedly swept Calum into his arms, the baby swaddled in the blue blanket that had been ceremoniously used at his parents’ wedding. He quickly checked Celeste. There was no response, and she wasn’t breathing. The trauma from giving birth and the attack was too much for her to bear. “Celeste! … Celeste!” he cried while shaking her with one hand and holding their son in his other arm. “Celeste!”

  Anyta, covered in fine white dust from head to toe, staggered to her feet and took Calum from him.

  “She’s not breathing … there’s no pulse,” he said as he hastily began CPR.

  Lexis, looking as white as a ghost as well, rushed to Nichelle to check her vitals. “She’s okay. She’s breathing, and her pulse is good.” She then rushed over to help Jake perform CPR on his wife.

  “C’mon, Celeste,” Jake uttered as he began chest compressions. “You can’t go out like this. C’mon.”

  Just then, a large blast blew through the infirmary, hurling Jake and Lexis to the floor. Anyta was thrown to the floor as well but managed to keep a secure hold upon Calum. Thick dust clogged the air, and Jake began to feel it increasingly more difficult to breathe as the oxygen in what was left of the infirmary was slowly being depleted. Looking up, he made out the faint outline of a Gnol soldier with his rifle pointed in his direction. He counted five Gnol soldiers in all from the mounted flashlights on their plasma rifles. A plasma blast exploded off of the concrete floor next to him. Instinctively, he rolled to his right.

  He quickly jumped to his feet and reached out with his right arm, flinging the Gnol in front of him into the partially collapsed wall with his newfound telekinetic powers and impaling him on the wall upon broken rebar jutting out from its broken interior. Another Gnol fired. The blast nicked Jake’s left shoulder. The pain was sharp and brief.

  Jake bull-rushed the Gnol before he could get off another shot. With a powerful uppercut, he struck the Gnol under the chin, feeling and hearing the crack of his jaw. The Gnol flew backwards, crashing into another Gnol who had fired his own plasma rifle simultaneously, catching his companion in the back. The plasma blast ripped through the Gnol’s chest and then blasted apart some of what remained of the concrete ceiling.

  In haste, the Gnol soldier pushed his dead companion off of him. Before he could jump to his feet, Jake clutched his leg and flung the Gnol around and into the fourth Gnol, who was readying his aim at Jake as well. The fourth Gnol stumbled backwards, falling onto his back. Clutching the third Gnol’s leg and while he was in a midair turn, Jake dropped to one knee, pinning the soldier’s leg upon his own thigh and right biceps. He fiercely jabbed his left elbow down and into the Gnol’s thigh. The Gnol’s femur snapped in two. Jake dropped him to the ground as the soldier screamed and writhed in excruciating pain. Bouncing to his feet, he swiftly kicked the Gnol across his face, knocking him unconscious.

  A plasma blast zipped past Jake’s ear. He whirled around just as the fourth Gnol regained his feet and landed a right hook upon Jake’s jaw. Jake stumbled to his side, nearly falling over. The blow was powerful enough for Jake to see stars. He quickly tried to use his telekinetic abilities to parry the attack, but the Gnol grabbed him by the hair and pushed his head down into his oncoming knee. The crack of Jake’s nose echoed through the infirmary. Jake stumbled backwards in pain but not in as much pain he expected from a broken nose. Drops of the gold, glowing liquid that his body now produced instead of blood dripped to the floor.

  The fourth Gnol froze in astonishment. “W-What are you?” the Gnol muttered.

  The stunned Gnol gave Jake just enough time to counterattack. In an instant, he bull-rushed the soldier, but before he made contact, his body somehow froze and began to levitate.

  “Enough!” hollered a voice through the darkness and thick dust of the room.

  The stunned Gnol quickly picked up his rifle and pointed it at Jake. The mounted flashlight blinded him. He tried with every ounce of strength he had left to move, but it was futile. Whoever held him in this telekinetic hold was obviously more powerful than he.

  A dark figure approached, placing a hand on the Gnol’s rifle and lowering it. Jake’s eyes adjusted, finally meeting a face covered in night-vision goggles and a breathing mask. The Gnol had his left arm extended, holding Jake in the vise-like telekinetic grip.

  The Gnol pulled his mask off and lifted his goggles upon his battle helmet. “Hello, Jake,” Dorange said with a smirk.

  The only muscles Jake could move were the ones that allowed him to speak. “Hello, Donald Garrett.”

  Anger flashed across Dorange’s face upon the mention of his former name as the two masked Gnols left in his security detail looked at one another as if they were confused at the mention of their leader’s alter ego. Dorange quickly assumed his usual haughty expression and laughed. “That man is dead. And soon you will die along with everyone you hold dear to your heart,” he replied, motioning to the fifth Gnol to step forward.

  Jake had already noticed the light of his rifle pointed at something through the darkness. As the Gnol approached, he nudged the backs of Lexis and Anyta with the barrel of his rifle. The two women stumbled next to Jake, Anyta safely clutching her grandson to her bosom. The fourth soldier assumed his position next to his comrade and pointed his rifle at the women as well. The women, both battle hardened, stood their ground with stoic gazes.

  Dorange, with the same pompous smile on his face, looked at Anyta and then at the newborn child in her arms, swaddled in the blue blanket. With his free hand, he levitated the child to him.

  “No!” Anyta shrieked.

  Instantly, the fifth soldier backhanded her across the face, knocking her off balance but not t
o the floor. She stood tall in defiance as blood from her cut lip dripped down her chin and onto the floor.

  “So, you and Celeste had a child? Could this be the chosen one, the one who will free your people and unite two worlds?” Dorange asked, turning his attention back to his frozen prisoner.

  Jake didn’t respond, glaring with contempt.

  Dorange looked down at the child, who was now strangely calm. “Check her vitals to see if she is alive,” he ordered, motioning with his head in Celeste’s direction.

  One of the soldiers lowered his weapon and approached Celeste’s bedside. After removing his glove, he checked for a pulse, then listened for any sign of her breathing. After a few seconds, he turned his attention back to his commander. “She’s breathing, but her pulse is faint.”

  “Very well, Captain,” Dorange replied, returning his attention back to Jake. The soldier stayed where he was, raising his weapon toward Jake.

  “What a sweet child. … You have a decision to make, Jake. I will allow either Celeste or your newborn son to live. Once you have made your decision, you will watch as I slowly kill the ones you hold so dear to your heart, saving you for last. If you so choose to keep your precious wife alive, I will take care of her, and she will become my queen.”

  Fury rippled through Jake like pressurized water through a firehose as he glanced at the love of his life. Before he turned his angry gaze back to Dorange, he noticed Nichelle still lying on the floor on the other side of the bed. She had one eye slightly open.

  “Or …,” Dorange continued, “… if you choose your son, he will be raised as my own, heir to the Gnol empire.”

  Like a volcano, the rage erupted from Jake’s mouth as he tried with all of his might to break free of Dorange’s vise-like grip. “You son of a—”

  Dorange cut him off and his expression grew malevolent as he stepped forward to within a few inches of Jake’s face. “Make your decision!” he seethed.

  The rage and fury that had erupted from Jake just a few seconds ago was swept away with sadness and hopelessness. “You can’t make me choose.”