by KT Webb
“Imagine discovering that Silas was back. You killed him once. You know what that feels like. Now imagine how you’d feel if he returned as something worse than he was before.”
“I hadn’t looked at it that way. Despite the evil he represented, it wasn’t easy to kill Silas. I know Thatcher was deeply affected by killing Absalom.” Hadley paused. “Oh my gosh, I’ve been so insensitive to him since we found out. I’ve been so focused on me and why he isn’t confiding in me or talking to me. I didn’t even stop to think about how he’s feeling in all this.”
“There ya go.”
Hadley lay down on the bed and put her head in Whitley’s lap. She let her sister play with her hair as they sat in silence. Eventually, Hadley fell asleep. Whitley carefully shifted her body to lie down with her and drifted to sleep.
Chapter Twelve
Thatcher
They managed to make it out of Wall Drug unseen. Callie took them to her apartment a few blocks away and they ordered a pizza. The apartment was small and sparsely furnished. Callie must not have planned on staying long. She came from her bedroom and piled a few duffel bags by the door.
“We can crash here tonight, but I think it would be best if we hit the road right away in the morning,” she said as she looked around the apartment.
“Where will we go?” Joe looked at Thatcher.
“I don’t know. I left hoping to find Absalom, but now I don’t think I want to.”
Callie nodded. “Let’s just get some rest and figure it out in the morning.”
Thatcher curled up on the couch, and Joe volunteered to sleep on the floor. Callie went into her bedroom to sleep one more night in her own bed. The couch was uncomfortable, and there were no extra blankets. Throughout the night the slight chill he felt when he lay down seemed to intensify, so he had to will his body to maintain a comfortable temperature.
In the early morning, Callie stumbled out of her room wrapped in her comforter. Thatcher watched quietly as she glared at the thermostat and gave it a smack.
“Stupid thing. Must be out in the whole building.”
Thatcher exhaled and saw his breath. He sat up and nudged Joe with his foot. His new friend was curled up in the fetal position next to the couch. His survival instincts must have led him to stay close to the warmest object in the apartment.
“Is it just me, or is it much colder than it was yesterday?” Callie asked, peering through the blinds.
“It’s . . . very . . . cold,” Joe said through chattering teeth.
It was more than just cold. It was downright freezing. Thatcher didn’t know what was going on, but he felt that something was very different from when they fell asleep. He looked out the window and chills ran down his spine. The town looked deserted—no lights, no cars, nothing.
“Something is not right,” Thatcher said. “Grab your stuff and let’s go.”
A few moments later, they were on their way down the stairs of the apartment building. As they stood looking through the window of the front door, they saw that a crowd had gathered. The group was led by the Maladies.
“Oh shit,” Callie said.
Thatcher stared at the empty shells before him. He felt like he had been transported into a zombie movie. The crowd was full of blank stares.
“What’s wrong with them?” Joe asked.
“I have no idea,” Thatcher said in a daze.
The people didn’t look like they could think for themselves. They looked completely normal, aside from the glazed look in their eyes and their marionette-like stance.
“We can’t go out there,” Callie told them.
Thatcher couldn’t agree more. As much as he wanted to pummel the Maladies, he didn’t know if Absalom would be joining them. He also didn’t need to put Joe and Callie in unnecessary danger, let alone harm the people the Maladies had behind them.
“Those people, they move at the same time. It’s like they’re all connected,” Callie whispered.
They needed to get away before the Maladies decided to try to come in. They were there to find Callie, but the bonus of finding Joe and Thatcher would not end well.
“Is there a back door?”
Callie nodded in confirmation. She turned on her heel and led them to the back of the building. Another set of stairs ran down toward the back door, but there were no Maladies out back. They quietly opened the door and stepped out into the cold morning air. They made their way around the building until they could see the army, but they were safely tucked away behind the building.
“I think it’s time to call Nora,” Joe whispered.
Thatcher shook his head. He wasn’t ready to go back to the house quite yet. They’d left the car in the parking area in front of Wall Drug. It was only a few blocks away. He gestured for them to follow him. They’d have to take the long way to get away from the Maladies without being seen.
They quickly made it around the block without being noticed. Thatcher glanced behind him as they rounded the corner, and the mindless drones behind the Maladies turned as one as though they were looking directly at him.
When they reached the car Joe and Callie piled in, followed by Thatcher jumping into the driver’s seat. The engine roared to life, and they quietly rumbled out of town and onto the interstate.
“That was close. Too close,” Joe huffed with a sigh.
Thatcher nodded. The more distance they put between the Maladies and themselves, the better. He glanced in the rearview mirror to see Callie’s pale face and wide eyes staring back at him.
“You alright?”
“Not really.”
“I know the feeling.”
Thatcher drove down I-90 at five over the speed limit. When they’d made it about twenty miles down the interstate, Thatcher glanced in his rearview mirror again.
“What the—“
He slammed on his breaks and pulled over to the side of the abandoned highway. When they came to a stop he climbed out, followed by Joe and Callie.
“What’s happening?” Callie asked.
“Look.”
Like mold growing at break-neck speed, ice devoured the ground, buildings, animals, signs, and finally the car they had just exited. The temperature had dropped so drastically that even Thatcher was shivering as they stood as witnesses to the frozen tundra that now surrounded them.
“I don’t think we’re taking the car home,” Joe chattered.
There was no other choice. Thatcher called out for Nora. Within seconds, she appeared before him. She caught sight of Callie and opened her mouth in protest.
“Can we talk about this later? Callie is coming with us, she’s on our side. Now get us out of here before we all freeze to death,” Thatcher said with his hand raised.
Nora nodded, and they all held on as she whisked them away.
Chapter Thirteen
Dorian
Nora materialized before them with Thatcher and Joe. Dorian was a little surprised to see a girl with hot pink hair holding onto them. Both Joe and the girl seemed a bit disoriented from the transportation and plopped down on the nearest couch.
“Thatcher Ross Kline, where have you been?” Hadley scolded her husband before pulling him in to a tight hug.
“I’m alright. I’m sorry for leaving the way I did,” he whispered softly.
“I was mad at first, but I really get it.”
Thatcher pulled away from his wife and nodded at the others. He gestured toward the couch. “This is . . . ”
“Chaos,” Hadley spat.
“It’s Callie now,” Thatcher said gently. “She doesn’t want to help the Maladies any more than Joe does. She agreed to come along with us and helped us get away from the others when they showed up at Wall Drug.”
“The Maladies found you?” Romulus asked.
Thatcher nodded and shared their story. Dorian listened quietly, unsurprised by the reference to Absalom. They knew from Kerr’s vision that his long lost brother was trying to gather the troops. He was relieved that there wa
s no reason for Thatcher to use his fire power to defend himself, and that Callie had reminded him of the lives at stake.
“When we tried to leave, there were a bunch of people behind the Maladies. They looked like zombies.” Thatcher locked eyes with Dorian. “Why is this happening?”
Dorian couldn’t really answer that question. The people who looked like zombies were a new development, and he knew they would need to get to the bottom of it. The freeze had been tumbling around in his own mind since Tahlia told them that a new ice age was imminent. The best scientists in the world couldn’t explain the extreme climate changes. Of course he knew it had to do with Keira going to Eternity, but the changes had come on so drastically that he wasn’t confident that her departure was the only reason. He explained all this to Thatcher, Joe, and Callie.
“So this is happening all over the world?” The strain in Callie’s voice was evident.
“Yes. The deaths have been minimal so far in comparison with the world population, but it only just began overnight.”
“And there’s nothing we can do about it? Can’t we just go get Elpis, I mean Keira, and bring her back?” Callie demanded.
“No.” Nora’s voice was harsh. “We will not just be bringing her back. She is safer over there. Who do you think Absalom would be coming after if we hadn’t sent her away? She’s just a little girl, regardless of her developing abilities.”
Kerr put an arm around his wife and drew her close. Dorian knew that, despite her tone, Nora wondered the exact same thing that Callie suggested. Part of the reason they hadn’t even tried to bring her back was because they simply couldn’t. The Council of Immortals was largely unavailable in Whitley’s head, and no one else was capable of creating a portal to Eternity. When he finally found the will to speak, Dorian’s voice was thick with emotion.
“As much as it pains me to say it, all of this had to happen. This is all part of the plan. The ice age and mounting death toll are stepping stones in the path that will lead to the Creator returning to the world.”
“The Creator is coming back?” Joe asked in awe.
“I think it’s time we share a bit more with you both. Callie, if you intend to join us, you must be prepared to fight against your former allies. You must both be ready to sacrifice yourself for the good of the world,” Dorian said.
The fallen angels nodded their heads and listened carefully to everything that had happened to the Old Immortals and Evolved up until then. No matter how many times Dorian recounted his experiences and heard the others tell their stories, he always discovered the pain and passion hiding just beneath the surface. They had won many battles, but they were still facing the war. In the end, Callie and Joe agreed to remain with them and fight alongside them. Dorian left the Evolved to get Callie settled in. He, Kerr, and Romulus had to reach out to their contacts to get an idea of the mounting death toll.
After making a dozen phone calls between them, they had an estimated loss of one third of the world’s population. The temperature was steadily dropping, and the impact was devastating. As the ice and snow attacked, power lines went down. The power outages led to many homes losing heat. Provided that people stayed indoors, wore layers of clothes, and had a decent amount of non-perishable food items on hand, they would be able to survive at least a week or two. It wasn’t looking promising.
The only reason their home had not lost power was due to Hadley’s abilities. She just kept giving the generator a shock of energy every time it sputtered out. They were fortunate, but they had to make a plan to help others.
Nora burst through the library door. “Eric is on the TV.”
They quickly tuned in to the appropriate channel and watched Eric address the country.
“My fellow Americans, I know this message won’t reach everyone due to the power outages sweeping the country. I ask that you all try to spread the word in your area as best you can. We are also broadcasting this on both AM and FM radio frequencies in an effort to reach as many people as possible.” Eric paused and shifted his papers. “The United Nations have been in meetings since yesterday afternoon. Our scientists brought a possible ice age to our attention but did not anticipate it happening overnight.”
The reporters in the room all started asking questions at once. Eric held his hand up to ask for silence as he continued, “We have lost many innocent people in the past twelve hours. With no end in sight for the current state of things, our best course of action is to gather together in community areas. Wear your winter clothes or dress in layers and bring any extra clothing you can carry. Drag out the winter coats, blankets, and sleeping bags. As of today, your local churches, high school gyms, and city auditoriums will be used as emergency shelters. If you own a generator, bring it with you. Load up your car with anything that can be used to keep warm and head to an emergency shelter in your area.”
Dorian sighed as the reporters began asking obvious and ridiculous questions. He looked to Romulus and saw the hurt in his eyes. The people of this world had no idea what was coming. They could only hope that their allies were safe and warm.
Chapter Fourteen:
Nora
She finally lay down to sleep after the excitement of the day. Her heart broke for the millions of people around the world suffering the loss of a loved one or slowly freezing to death.
Messages from world leaders had been broadcasted successively in the hours following Eric’s speech. They were all the same; get to community buildings and stay warm. For once it seemed as though the world agreed on something and urged their citizens to help one another.
Nora mentally ticked the fulfilled prophecies off her list. They now knew the Maladies had reunited with their master and hope had left the world. Now the entire Earth was left in a frozen state. Nora didn’t know if the bodies piling up would count for the second prophecy or there was more to come, but she did know that they would soon be finding out who was on their side.
When her mind finally slowed down, she drifted off to sleep. Her dreams were filled with horrible sights that caused her to toss and turn. She couldn’t get comfortable, even in Kerr’s arms. Nora finally gave up and got up around four in the morning.
She wandered down to the kitchen for a glass of milk. She found Callie sitting at the breakfast nook.
“You couldn’t sleep either?”
“No. I just can’t stop thinking about everything we’ve done to people. I was never the vicious murdering type, but I didn’t stop it either.”
“I know,” Nora reassured her.
“And those mindless people surrounding the Maladies? I think I know what was going on with them. That’s how he’s building his army. The people that haven’t already chosen to keep hope alive are being absorbed by him.”
That was an interesting thought. Callie must know more about the jinn than Joe. Obviously Absalom is still absorbing the souls of the people who let him or his minions in; it explained how he got his power. Nora wondered what Callie had been doing and what made her change her mind about the master she’d served for so long.
Nora sat down across from her. “So what is it that made you decide to work at the Wall Drug Café instead of getting the band back together?”
“That’s not that hard to explain. My job was chaos. Sure, once upon a time I enjoyed inciting heresy and planting the seeds that started wars. But I got to the point where I just wanted to stir things up and have a good time.”
“I have to say I have always admired your spunk.”
Callie laughed. “Thanks, I tend to have a flair for the dramatic, don’t I? But, honestly, that doesn’t necessarily make me evil.”
“You’re right. So what exactly made you become one of the jinn?”
“I see you’ve been doing some homework. Well, I really loved man. They were fun and did interesting things. But then they started focusing all their energies on worshipping the Creator. It was boring. I mean, couldn’t they just appreciate that he made them and go about their lives?”
> Nora took a drink of her milk. “So you got pissed and threw a tantrum?”
“I got creative. I decided to see what would happen if I got them to focus on other things.” She paused. “The men responded well and began focusing on other things. It was fun again. It was even more fun when I discovered that I could reach out into other times while I was in Eternity.”
“This should be interesting, go on.”
“Oh, interesting is one way to describe it. All I had to do was find one or two people who were a little unhappy with their situation or the world in general, and boom, chaos spread like wildfire.”
“It’s insane to think that you had an influence on things that technically happened long after you were locked away.”
A strained look crossed Callie’s face. Nora knew it was probably difficult to think about the things she’d done in her formal life. She couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for Callie.
“That’s how Eternity works. Time is a funny thing. I may not have personally killed anyone, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t responsible for millions of deaths. I deserved my punishment.”
“Yes, you did. But you were given another chance, and you’re taking it. Don’t forget that.”
“I’m trying not to. But when you’ve got something like Absalom looking for you, it’s not easy to move on.”
“You guys couldn’t sleep either?” Thatcher asked from the doorway.
“Nope, join the club,” Nora said.
Thatcher was pouring himself a glass of milk when Hadley and Whitley waltzed in, followed by Joe. Whitley grabbed the cookie jar, while Joe rummaged through the cupboard for the coffee. Hadley filled the pot with water as Nora watched everyone silently move around the kitchen.
“Our club keeps getting bigger, doesn’t it?” Callie laughed as Kerr slumped into the seat next to Nora.
“I can’t believe it’s only four-thirty in the morning and we’re all awake,” Hadley said through a yawn.