by Bill Myers
Suddenly, the side door was yanked open, revealing a woman with flaming red hair. Beside her stood the biggest of her assistants. But they only stood there a second before Zach dropped the RV into gear, punched the accelerator, and took off.
“ZACH!” everyone shouted.
Well, everyone but the red-haired woman and her goon. It’s hard to shout when you’re busy leaping out of an RV doorway so your head doesn’t get ripped off .
Shadow Man stared out his Hummer’s window watching Monica and her bungling assistant start chasing after the RV. Despite dozens of dents, scratches, and broken windows, it still ran. This surprised Shadow Man and for a moment he didn’t understand how it was possible.
Unless …
He stole a look at Elijah, who was seated at the back. Was this more of the boy’s trickery? He knew the child had powers, but this?
Shadow Man couldn’t be sure. All he knew was that the little brat was humming again. He hated it when the boy did that. He could make him stop, of course. But then the child would simply find some other way of trusting and thanking — of praising — the Enemy.
The Enemy. That was the whole reason Shadow Man was in this mess in the first place. The Enemy had finally started his preparation to bring about the end of days. And for some unknown reason he had chosen little Elijah as one of his most important tools in bringing about that end.
Shadow Man’s lips curled into a tiny smile. Well, let the Enemy choose whom he would. And let the boy hum away, because very soon the child would turn his back on the Enemy. Very soon Shadow Man would bring Elijah over to his side of the battle, to where the real power lay.
All it would take was a little time in The Chamber. A little time to show the child the wonders and glories that would be his if he would deny the Enemy and follow Shadow Man’s master.
Chapter Three
Decoy
“Where are they?” Zach shouted over the sputtering RV. He checked the cracked side mirrors for any sign of Monica or her assistant. “I don’t see them!”
Cody called from the back window. “They’ve turned around. They’re running back to their van!”
“Zach, slow down!” Mom cried.
“I will in just a second.”
“We’ll never get away!” Piper shouted. “Not in this thing. What do we do?”
“Hang on, I’ve got a plan.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” she groaned. Piper always groaned when her big brother had a plan. Mostly because it was impossible to forget some of his more famous plans …
Like his plan to become a billionaire by selling bottles of air. Not fancy stuff like hospital oxygen bottles or anything like that. Just plain ol’ air. “They do it with water,” he reasoned. “So why not do it with air?”
Then there was his weight loss plan that involved eating ground up toe nail clippings mixed with slug slime. Actually, the eating wasn’t too bad, it was the throwing up that wasn’t so popular. In fact, the only bottle he ever sold was to Piper (which was how she knew about the throwing up).
His latest plan involved building an indoor swimming pool by shoving a hose under her bedroom door, taping up all the cracks around it and turning on the water. (If she hadn’t opened her window, she would have drowned.) Good ol’ Zach.
Fortunately, this plan worked just a little better. Well, sort of …
They rounded the bend and Zach pulled over to the side of the road, bringing the RV to a shuddering stop.
“What …” Dad coughed, “what are you doing?” He was still pretty out of it, but at least he could talk.
“We’re going to lure them away from you guys,” Zach said. “Away from the RV.”
“What?” Mom asked.
“That will give you time to call 911 and get an ambulance up here for you and Dad.”
“I’ll be okay,” Dad said, doing his best to sound all right but failing miserably.
“Yeah, right,” Zach answered. He motioned for Piper, Willard, and Cody to head out the side door. “That van will be here any second. Come on, let’s go!”
Normally, Piper would have put up a fuss. It made no difference whether it was a good plan or a bad plan. As the younger sister, she had to complain; it was an unspoken law. But at the moment, causing a diversion actually seemed like a pretty good idea — even if it was Zach’s.
She stepped outside through the door. Willard and Cody followed.
Zach stayed inside just a second longer to talk to his parents. “Both of you keep your heads down so they can’t see you. I’ll lock this thing up. Once we’re safe, we’ll circle back around to make sure you’ve been picked up.”
“Don’t worry about us,” Mom said. “I’ll phone 911 and we’ll be okay. But you be careful.”
“Right — ”
“I’m serious, Zachary … be careful.”
“Got it. I love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too.”
With that, Zach stepped out of the RV and locked the door — just as Monica and her van squealed around the corner.
By now Piper was standing at the edge of the woods. “Let’s go,” she motioned to her brother. “Come on, come on!”
“Not yet.” Instead of joining her, Zach actually took a step closer to the road.
“What are you doing?!” she cried.
The van lurched and skidded to a stop fifty feet away.
“Zach!”
“Not yet.”
The doors flew open and the red-haired woman and her two assistants piled out, both pointing guns.
“Zach!” Piper hissed.
“I want to make sure they see us.”
The biggest goon was the first to fire, hitting a tree ten feet above Piper’s head.
“They see us!” she cried.
“Good point!” Zach turned and sprinted toward her.
The second goon fired. This shot came a lot closer.
“Yes, they definitely see us!”
Zach, Piper, Willard, and Cody raced into the woods and disappeared. With any luck, the bad guys would follow.
“In here!” Shadow Man ordered. “Bring the boy into my officcce, and put him into The Chamber.”
The bodyguard brought Elijah into Shadow Man’s dark, wood-paneled office. At its very center sat a glass-enclosed case. The case was shaped like the bud of a flower and was only large enough for one person to stand inside.
As soon as Elijah saw it, his eyes widened.
Shadow Man gave a slow smile. The child could not possibly know what awaited him, but he obviously sensed the danger.
“Hold him!” Shadow Man ordered. “Don’t let him go!”
The bodyguard gripped Elijah’s arms tighter as he stooped down and shoved the boy into The Chamber.
Shadow Man could have used his powers to force the child inside, but those powers had been draining ever since they’d been away from the Compound. That’s why they’d doubled back to return to his base of operation. Shadow Man drew his energy from the Compound. Actually, it was the cavern underneath the Compound. The cavern where the Supreme Master dwelled.
“Now leave usss,” Shadow Man ordered.
The bodyguard nodded and stepped past Shadow Man, keeping his eyes on the ground since he was never allowed to look at him. As the servant exited into the hallway, Shadow Man gave one final command.
“Ssshut the door.”
The guard obeyed, slamming the door with a foreboding … BOOM!
For a long moment Shadow Man remained motionless, staring at the boy. Hard to believe such a simple child would one day — one day soon — cause so much trouble. Still, children grow up. And since the Enemy’s prophecies always come true, there was much to fear from this one.
He knew Elijah could not be killed. The Enemy would forbid it. He could not even be hurt. That was another promise the Enemy made to those who served him.
But the boy could be turned.
Not by force; it would have to be the child’s own decision. But if Shadow M
an could persuade Elijah to change his allegiance … well now, that was another story.
And that was what The Chamber was all about.
Shadow Man approached the wall of the glass pod.
The boy was watching his every move — but not in fear. And it was this lack of fear that outraged Shadow Man. The Enemy’s servants always seemed to serve him with such joy, even love. Shadow Man always served his master with cold, gut-twisting fear.
“Ssso, tell me, Elijah,” he hissed. “Thisss God you follow.” He was careful never to speak the Enemy’s name. Speaking his name brought unbearable pain and drained Shadow Man of his power. “Don’t you find it odd that he promisssesss to protect and defend you, yet your family isss conssstantly under attack?”
Elijah just stared at him through the glass.
“Haven’t you ever imagined what your life would be like if you didn’t follow thisss ssso called God of love? Haven’t you ever imagined how much more fun you would have living like othersss? Being your own bosss? Doing whatever you like, whenever you want? You could finally be free. Really free.”
Elijah started to smile.
Shadow Man fought back his irritation. The brat wouldn’t be smiling for long.
He moved to a nearby pedestal. On top of it rested a strange sort of keyboard. “Imagination isss a powerful thing, young Elijah.” He reached for the keys. “Just imagine what life would be like without your God. Better yet, imagine what my Massster could provide you. Unlimited fame. Unlimited popularity. Imagine being loved and adored by all who sssee you. He can give that to you. That and ssso much more.”
The boy simply blinked.
“Are we having a hard time imagining that?”
Again, there was no answer.
Shadow Man reached for the keyboard. “Allow me to assissst you.” His fingers flew across the keyboard. As they did, The Chamber grew brighter and brighter. A circular tube at the top began to pulsate: orange, red, green … orange, red, green … orange, red, green…
A strange look came over the child’s eyes. They no longer blinked; they no longer moved.
Instead, they glazed over as the boy began to see the glorious future that could someday be his …
Bruno had been the first to enter the woods, followed by Monica, and finally Silas, who brought up the rear. They’d been going in this order for several minutes, and it seemed a fine idea.
K-THWACK!
Well, except for the branches.
K-THWACK! K-THWACK!
The ones that Bruno kept letting fly back and hitting Monica’s —
K-THWACK! K-THWACK! K-THWACK!
— face.
Unable to take any more, she finally shrieked, “Bruno!”
He came to a stop and turned. “Huh?”
Trembling with rage, she pointed to the thin red scratches covering her cheeks and forehead.
“What happened to your face, Monica?” he asked. “It’s all red and puffy.”
She clenched her jaw, ready to explode.
“Are you allergic to something?”
Knowing she was about to blow a vessel, Silas stepped in and explained. “Yes, Bruno, she is allergic to something.”
“What’s that?”
“You! ”
Bruno frowned. His bottom lip trembled. Then, just as he was about to break into a good cry, Silas noticed something on the ground.
“Look.” He pointed to the footprints in the mud they’d been tracking. “They’ve split up. One set goes to the left, the other to the right.”
“Oh no, what do we do?” Bruno cried. “They’ve outsmarted us!”
“Bruno.”
“They’ve outfoxed us!”
“Bruno!”
“They’ve out — ”
“BRUNO!”
The big man stopped.
Silas threw a glance to Monica. She was still trembling. That blood vessel could go any second, so he again explained. “There’s three of us, right?
“Right.”
“So we’ll split up.”
“Split up?”
“That’s right.”
Bruno’s face brightened. “Oh, you mean one and a half of us will take the left path and one and a half of us will take the right?”
Silas glanced at Monica again.
She was feeling no better.
“Yeah,” he said. “Something like that. But I’ve got a better plan. Why don’t you head down the path to the right, and Monica and me, we’ll take this one to the left.”
“So we don’t got to cut one of us in half ?”
“Yeah,” Silas nodded. “So we don’t got to cut one of us in half.”
“Cool,” Bruno nodded. “I like that way lots better.”
Zach had been the one to think of splitting up. That way if one group got caught, the other could still get away to help Mom and Dad — and Elijah.
Of course, his little sister, Piper, did her usual fretting and worrying, but eventually she agreed to follow the path to the right with Cody, while Zach and Willard went to the left.
That had been forty-five minutes ago, plenty of time for the ambulance to arrive and take Mom and Dad to the hospital. So now, according to Zach’s plan, both his group and Piper’s were circling back to the RV.
Everything was going perfectly …
Except for the gun that was suddenly pointed in Zach’s face.
“Hold it right there.”
Zach froze. It’s hard to keep walking with a gun shoved in your face.
He wasn’t sure how, but the skinny guy and red-haired woman had traveled through the brush and cut them off here on the trail.
“Now,” the skinny guy said, “turn around nice and slow.”
Zach and Willard obeyed.
“Did you honestly think you’d get away?” the red-haired woman sneered.
“You only got half of us,” Zach shot back. “The others did get away.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” the skinny guy answered. “We have someone hot on their trail.”
Zach looked past him to see a big man lumbering up the path toward them. “You mean him?” he asked.
The red-haired woman turned and screeched, “Bruno?!”
“Present,” the big man panted as he approached.
“What are you doing here?!”
“I gotta question.”
“A question?!”
“When Silas said to take the right path, did he mean my right or his right?”
“My right or his right?! My right or his right?! — ”
Zach noticed the woman’s face getting strangely red, the veins in her neck starting to bulge.
That’s when the skinny guy took over. “Actually, they’re the same.”
Bruno shook his head. “Nope. Cause when you face me, your right is your left.” He frowned. “Or is it my left is your right. No wait, a minute, I had this figured out a second ago. Your right is my — ”
“Uh, Bruno?”
The big fellow looked to him, hopefully. “Yeah, Silas?”
The skinny guy took the big fellow’s arm and turned him so they faced the same direction. “This is the path, correct?”
“Correct.”
“And when we face the same direction, my right is exactly the same as your right. You see?” He tapped his right arm. “My right.” He tapped the big guy’s arm. “Your right. Exactly the same.”
Bruno’s face lit up like a kid who finally understood complex fractions. “That’s … amazing.”
“I thought you’d appreciate it.”
“You are so smart sometimes.”
“Yes, well,” he came to a stop. “What do you mean, ‘sometimes?’ ”
But Bruno wasn’t listening. He was too busy studying his arms. “Wow! Do other people know about this?”
“Just a few, Bruno. Just a few.”
Silas turned back to Zach and Willard and sighed heavily. “Well, at least we’ve got you two.”
“You want I should go
after the others?” Bruno asked. “They’ll be on my left, right?” He stopped and frowned.
Silas covered his eyes and looked to the ground.
The big guy continued. “Unless I turn the other way. Then they’ll be, don’t tell me now, then they’ll be on my …” He scratched his chin trying to figure it out.
Zach glanced toward the red-haired woman, who had dropped her head into her hands, slowly shaking it. Then, before she exploded or the big guy could share any more brain bruising insights, her cell phone rang.
She pulled it from her pocket and looked at the number.
“It’s Shadow Man,” she murmured nervously. Opening it, she answered in her most pleasant voice, which still sounded a lot like fingernails on a blackboard.
“Yes, sir?”
The voice on the other end was so loud she had to hold the phone away from her ear. “Did you find them?”
“Uh, well, that is …”
“It isss a sssimple quessstion. Are they in your posssesssion?” “Uh, we have the children. But the parents are — ”
“The parentsss are on the way to the Johnsssonville Hossspital.”
“The hospital?”
“My workersss there will handle them. But regarding the children … I have far greater plansss for them.”
“The children?” Monica asked. “BOTH children?”
“Yesss. I want you to contact Reverend Festool.
Bring him in for a little chat with them.”
Monica swallowed. Everyone in the group swallowed.
“What about their friends?” she asked.
All eyes shot to Willard, who would also have swallowed if his mouth hadn’t become as dry as the Sahara Desert.
“Leave them. They are of no ussse. I want only the brother and sssissster.”
“The brother and sister?” Monica repeated.
“Yesss. The others will be free to live their pitiful exissstence as they pleassse. But not the brother and sssissster.”
“Got it,” Monica said. “We’re heading back to the van … with the brother and sister.”
“Excccellent.”
She slowly closed the phone.
“What do we do?” Silas asked. “We’ve only got the brother.”
Monica glanced about the woods then sighed heavily. “Well, one is better than none. We’ll keep lying and say we got both.”