The Belial Fall

by R. D. Brady

  She nodded. “Okay. Find the ones you can. I’ll contact you when I have a place arranged to hide them.”

  “My people are already putting out feelers to the Fallen community.”

  “There’s a community?”

  “After the Day of Reckoning, the Fallen came out of the woodwork. Some to help, some not. But those that helped, they’ve struggled with going back to their normal lives. People look at them differently. So online, they speak with one another, sometimes meet up at community centers. Under different banners, of course. But they’re starting to connect. The government is keeping track of them, of course, but we have ways to get around that. If someone wants or needs to run, we’ll provide an escape route.”

  Laney nodded. “Good. Thank you, Susan.”

  Susan glanced down the hall, lowering her voice. “Bruce does not know about the Fallen community, at least not through me. I think we should keep it that way.”

  “You don’t trust him?”

  “I do. But he is in a difficult position. He will get information that can help us before any of us can. But he also must answer to some higher-ups. I prefer not to add to that burden by making him keep more hidden away.”

  “It must make it difficult for you two.”

  Susan shook her head. “No. We both just try to protect the other one as much as we can. It’s what you do when you love someone, as you well know.”

  Laney looked down the hall where Jen, Jake, Henry, and Lou were packing food into bags. “Yeah.”

  “I’m going to make some phone calls. When Bruce is finished, we’ll take our leave. It has been a great pleasure to meet you, Delaney. I look forward to working with you in the future.” Susan held out her hand.

  Laney shook it. “And I you.”

  Susan gave her a smile before stepping off the porch and heading toward the SUV where Maldonado waited.

  Laney slipped into the house as Jake and Henry walked down the hall toward her.

  Jake glanced out the door to where Susan stood. “Can we trust her?”

  “I think so.”

  “That’s not very convincing,” Henry said.

  She sighed. “No. It’s not. But sometimes you just need to take a leap.”

  Laney looked at the men in front of her. They were living proof of the good in this world. Five years ago, she hadn’t known either of them. Now, they had each saved each other’s lives dozens of times.

  “Thank you,” she said quietly, “for always being there. I couldn’t have done half of what I’ve done without you two in my corner.”

  “Hey, that’s what triads are for.”

  Laney startled at that. She’d almost forgotten. The ring bearer always came as a package deal with two other people. For her, they were Henry and Jake. But their circle had expanded so much, it was easy to forget that destiny and prophecy often only spoke of the three of them.

  Henry nodded back to the kitchen. “We’ll be ready to go in another few minutes. We’ve figured out who’s going with the exception of Drake. Is he coming?”

  Laney frowned. “Probably, but actually, I haven’t seen him since the shed. Have either of you?”

  Both men shook their heads.

  “I’m going to go scout around for him. Don’t leave without me, okay?”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it.” Henry kissed her cheek before heading outside.

  “I’m going to check on the McAdams.” Jake headed up the stairs.

  Laney pulled out her phone and called Drake but got no reply. She frowned.

  Drake, where are you?

  CHAPTER 84

  Bluefield, Virginia

  “Sir.”

  Shremp’s eyes flew open. He looked around, seeing the tall chain-link fence ahead.

  “We’re almost here, sir.”

  “Yes, yes, fine.” Shremp wiped the side of his mouth while trying to clear his mind of cobwebs. He opened a bottle of water, taking a long drink as the driver pulled up to the guardhouse.

  The window next to him lowered. The guard nodded at him. “Senator.”

  “How’s it been this morning?”

  “Quiet. It’s always quiet.”

  “That’s what I want to hear.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Shremp rolled the window back up as the driver headed forward. There was a large building inside the ten-foot chain-link fence. It was a white three-story-high warehouse with a flat roof. If not for the fence and the guards, the location would be completely unremarkable.

  The SUV pulled to a stop. Shremp straightened his tie, running his hands down the front of his suit jacket to work out any wrinkles. His driver opened the door. He stepped out, buttoning his suit jacket as he looked around. A light wind blew, rustling the leaves on the other side of the fence. There were no buildings in sight, just trees. The sight of them made Shremp uneasy. He’d grown up in Manhattan, on the Upper East Side. The only trees he’d seen growing up were in cement squares along the edges of some streets. Occasionally his family’s driver would go through Central Park. Shremp had always looked at it with distaste. Why anyone would want to spend time outdoors when the indoors were so much cleaner, so much more civilized, was completely beyond him.

  He turned from the fence. “Wait here,” he instructed the driver without looking at him.

  Two guards stood at the door. One opened it. “Senator Shremp, if you’ll follow me.”

  Shremp followed the man into the building. Rows and rows of file cabinets lined the place. The other two floors had the same setup: no offices, just aisles and aisles of files. There must be millions of pieces of paper in the space.

  But Shremp wasn’t interested in any of that. The soldier led him to a large freight elevator in the back.

  “You have your key, sir?”

  Shremp pulled the key from his pocket.

  “Very good.” The soldier opened the gates of the elevator. Shremp stepped in and placed his key in the slot on the elevator panel, which only listed three floors. Shremp turned the key to the left when the soldier had secured the gate. The elevator shuddered and then began to descend. The floors underneath the facility could only be accessed with the key. He pulled the key from the panel, slipping it back into his pocket as the elevator came to a stop.

  A different soldier opened the gates. “Senator.”

  He strode past the man. A man and woman in suits stood waiting for him, Agents Barbara Frankel and Roger Hennessey of the External Threats Task Force and now part of the CEI.

  Frankel nodded. “Good afternoon, Senator.”

  Shremp ignored the greeting. “What have you learned?”

  “Nothing,” Hennessey said.

  Shremp narrowed his eyes, his anger spiking. “What? You’ve had him for days.”

  “The subject is psychologically fragile,” Frankel said.

  Shremp glared at her. “Psychologically fragile? Why the hell do I care about that? The goal is to break him. If he’s ‘psychologically fragile,’ half your job should already be done.”

  Hennessey grunted, his lips tightening as he glared back at Shremp.

  “You have something to say?” Shremp demanded.

  Barbara put a hand up in front of Hennessey. “We have called in a specialist, but it would probably be easier if we just showed you what the problem is. If you’ll follow me?”

  Shremp strode forward, ignoring the Neanderthal Hennessey. He hated his type. Tall, strong, they always thought they held all the power. Well, Shremp was going to teach them all what real power was. Brawn was a weapon, but intelligence, that was where the true power was. And Roger looked like the type to struggle with simple instructions.

  Frankel stopped at a door midway down the hall. “This is an observation room. The subject will not be able to see or hear you, but you will be able to both see and hear him.”

  “Fine, fine. Open the door.” Shremp gestured to the door.

  Frankel stepped inside. A large observation window dominated one side of the room. Shremp stro
de over to it, peering into the room on the other side. The room was bare bones. The only furniture in the room was a cot, a toilet, and a small sink. And its one occupant wasn’t making use of any of it. Instead, he was sitting on the ground, his knees pulled up to his chest, rocking back and forth in the corner of the room.

  Shremp frowned, trying to figure out if the man was faking. “How long has he been like this?”

  “Since he was brought in.”

  Shremp studied the man. Tears stained his face, although every once in a while one would cascade down his cheek. He was shaking and sitting in a pool of water. Or at least Shremp hoped it was a pool of water. He watched him for a few minutes, looking for any sign the man was faking. But he never wavered.

  He grunted. “Psychologically fragile” may have undersold the man’s state. “When will the specialist arrive?”

  “Two hours.”

  Shremp nodded. He wasn’t happy with the delay, but even he could tell questioning the man would be useless. He wasn’t sure there was any way they could get any information out of him.

  The man’s lips were moving, but Shremp couldn’t make it out. “What is he saying?”

  Frankel walked over to a panel on the wall and turned up the microphone in the room. The man’s words became clear. He repeated the same phrase over and over again.

  “Nowhere is safe. Nowhere is safe. Nowhere is safe.”

  CHAPTER 85

  Inez, Kentucky

  Laney called Drake a few more times and couldn’t reach him. She did a quick run of the perimeter and even a few miles out but got no sense of him. She stopped now on the edge of the woods, watching people load crates into the back of the SUVs.

  Images of Dom flitted through her mind along with feelings of panic. What if they were too late and irreparable damage had already been done?

  Why didn’t I check on him sooner?

  She stepped back into the woods, not wanting anyone to see the panic coursing through her. My God, they took Dom. Dom. He was harmless.

  It’s your fault. They took him because of you. The voices had been stirring at the back of her mind ever since she had learned about his capture.

  Laney sat at the base of a tall tree, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. Laney had to admit, she was scared. Dom was not like the rest of them. His brain, in multiple ways, worked differently. He could not handle all the stimuli of the outside world. Henry had created a world where he could live, where he could thrive. And Laney had seen him really come out of his shell in the last few years. But now she worried that when they got him back he would be a shell of his former self.

  A sensation rolled over her.

  Here.

  She called silently to Cleo’s request. Cleo slipped through the trees to Laney’s right, her footfalls barely audible. A picture of Zane flowed through her mind. Laney felt the weight of that death too.

  I’m sorry, Cleo.

  Cleo lay down next to her, resting her head on Laney’s thighs with a sigh.

  Okay?

  Laney thought about lying, but Cleo would know. No. I’m worried about Dom. About all the kids. About all of us. The government is coming for us. I don’t know how to protect everyone against that.

  Cats safe?

  For now. Gerard and Noriko got to the other site without running into any problems.

  What now?

  What now? That was the question she had been discussing inside with Henry, Jen, Mustafa, Matt, and anybody else who wanted to chime in. They had a plan in place for getting Dom out. They’d leave within the hour. But the bigger question still needed to be answered: then what?

  They would get Dom out and they would all still be in hiding. It would only be a matter of time before the government found them. When she’d been on the run, it had been easier. She only had to worry about herself. She could move easily from place to place. But now they had over three dozen people, not to mention the cats.

  Henry was trying to find somewhere they could go. But where was safe? As far as Laney could tell, every government on the Earth was targeting Fallen. They could not trust any of them. So where did that leave them? They could move from place to place, but with a group their size, that would attract attention.

  Where Drake? Cleo asked silently.

  Actually, I don’t know.

  She ran her hand through Cleo’s fur, the rhythm of the action calming her. The connection between the two of them was deep and real. Being away from Cleo never felt right. Even now, when everything was dark, Cleo’s presence was soothing.

  Cleo lifted her head.

  “What is it?”

  Drake back. Looking for you. Cleo stood, stretching.

  Laney frowned, not sure how Cleo knew that but trusted her impression. They made their way back to the farmhouse. And sure enough, Drake’s familiar shape was the first body she picked out of the lineup on the porch. And as always, her heart ticked up a beat at the sight of him.

  In a blur, he was in front of her. “There you are.”

  “Here I am. But where were you?”

  “Looking for a place to hide your little group of rebels.” He smiled.

  Hope sprang inside of her. “And?”

  “I’ve got one. You should all be safe there.”

  “Where is it? Is it secure?”

  “Very secure. I will have Henry help me make arrangements while you go take care of Dom.”

  “You’re not coming?”

  “No. I will be needed here to make sure everything goes smoothly. I will escort the first group. And I have no doubt you will be able to extricate your unusual friend without my aid.”

  While Laney knew he was right, she still would have preferred to have him by her side. He must have read her emotions on her face.

  He reached up, trailing his fingers across her cheek. “I would prefer to be with you as well, but this requires my personal touch, I’m afraid.” Drake paused. “Do you want me to go get your uncle?”

  Laney looked up into Drake’s face and knew if she said yes, he would find a way to get to her uncle and get him back here. She shook her head. “No. I believe Bas will keep him safe. And right now, we need to make sure we can all get to this spot.”

  “I do believe Bas and Angelica will keep him safe, but you should call him, tell him you’re all right.”

  Laney smiled. “Already did. Now where are we going? Where is this hiding spot?”

  He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. “Bolivia. I’m taking them to a former hiding spot for the Tree.”

  The image of a giant willow appeared in her mind. “That’s brilliant.”

  He bowed. “It is indeed. But they will not be able to enter without me. I will have to accompany them. It hasn’t been used in thousands of years.”

  “Sounds homey.”

  Drake laughed. “It will be. The hiding spot takes on the appearance the archangel wishes it to be.”

  “Wait, you mean Remiel chose a dark cave with a bottomless pit?”

  Drake nodded. “He’s a somber fellow.”

  Laney groaned. “Please tell me you’re not going to make it look like the Vegas strip.”

  Drake flashed her a wicked grin. “Complete with topless bars and neon as far as the eye can see.”

  Laney dropped her head. “That’s it. I’m turning myself in.”

  Drake chuckled, tipping up her chin. “Just kidding. You’ll love it.”

  Laney nodded, her mind whirling. “Will cell phones work inside?”

  “No. Someone will have to exit the location to call or even receive calls.”

  She nodded. “All right.”

  Drake frowned. “What are you planning?”

  “Susan mentioned something about a community of Fallen, if they need to go into hiding, I’ll need to find a way to contact her.”

  Drake’s eyebrows rose. “I see. I’ll need to increase the size, then.”

  “Is that a problem?”

  “Not for me.”


  Jake walked off the porch, directing people to the SUVs.

  “I believe that is your cue.”

  Laney nodded, watching the group of people loading into the vans. Jen, Mustafa, Yoni, Matt, Hanz, and Jordan she expected. But her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Lou, Rolly, and Danny climbing in.

  “What are they doing?”

  “They insisted,” Drake said.

  Laney started toward them. “No, absolutely not.”

  Drake stepped in front of her, blocking her way. “Laney, Dom is their friend.”

  “But they’re children.”

  “Not anymore. Besides, Danny is needed to access the building’s security and copy their feeds. Matt wants to make sure that Dom’s treatment is documented.”

  Laney’s shoulders slumped. “God, I hate this.”

  “I know. But you’ll have Dom back shortly, and then we’ll all be safely hidden away. This will be over soon.”

  Laney shook her head, because only the first two parts of his statement were correct. They would get Dom back then they would be hidden away. But she knew that it would be a long, long time before this was all over.

  CHAPTER 86

  Bluefield, Virginia

  Dom’s heart raced. He knew if it kept beating so hard he’d pass out, maybe have a heart attack. He’d passed out on the car ride here. That had been good. Unconscious was better than conscious right now.

  Without his glasses, he could only see vague shapes. Movement from the corner of his eyes told him the bad woman was back. Dom could see her, he could almost hear her, but the buzzing was still growing, blocking all sounds out. And that was okay. That was good. Because it made it easier to not be here.

  He closed his eyes. In his mind, he wasn’t here. He was at his kitchen table with everyone sitting around him, eating dinner. He’d had to get a bigger table last year. There were too many people now coming to his Sunday dinners. He’d had twenty-two one Sunday night. He smiled as Lou swatted at Rolly. Danny caught his gaze and smiled at him. He loved these dinners.

  These last few years had been the happiest of his life. When he’d met Danny, his life had improved more than he ever thought possible. Danny was another lost soul like him. But then Laney had arrived. And she’d brought with her Jake, Lou, Rolly, Jen, Cleo, Max, Patrick. All of a sudden his tiny, lonely little world had exploded with people. And he hadn’t been scared. He’d embraced them. All of them.