THE LAST MONTH passed by all too quickly, the focus on a whirlwind of rescue activities happening all over the world. Humanity as a whole was no longer a stranger to the existence of nightmares, uniting with the Order to combat the ever present darkness that now walked openly amongst them.
Gage, Adrienne, and Joey walked into the Council chamber as the sun was setting on another day. It was oddly quiet with only Evans present, Quileth still interviewing potential candidates for the five vacant seats. It was no easy task, especially when most resources had been diverted to the relief effort.
“Ah, there you are!” Evans said cordially. “Joey, if you don't mind, could you please put a word in with Om? We could really use his assistance on the Council right now.”
“I'll definitely see what I can do,” Joey replied, but he wasn't so sure Om would ever come back. However, a part of him held out hope that he might, given the success the Order achieved.
“Anything is better than nothing,” the vampire said desperately, his eyes and mind lost momentarily in his litany action items. “Thank you for your effort.”
Evans paused, collecting some folders off the conference table. Walking around to the three Journeymen, he handed the stack to Adrienne, who was closest on his left.
“I hear congratulations are in order,” he told her as she grabbed hold of them. “Are you sure you're able to go?”
“I’m always ready,” Adrienne said, glancing over toward Gage with a coy smile.
“Well good,” Evans continued, “and you know that we are capable of holding the fort when you're eventually… off duty? There are many around the world now wanting to join the Order and there is even talk about including them in the UN, once that organization is resurrected.”
“Good choice of words,” Joey chuckled, the rest looking at him dully. “What? It doesn't have to be gloom and doom all of the time, does it?”
“And a Journeyman is never really off duty, are they?” Adrienne chimed in quickly.
“Well, no and… yes?” Evans answered, somewhat confused.
Gage grumbled something and the others quieted.
“So, what do ya have for us this fine evening?” he asked, ready to get a move on for some pancakes.
Evans motioned toward Adrienne, indicating the documents he had given her. She opened the creased folder and inside were details on a field mission: a clearing over in Baltimore.
“Are you serious?” Gage asked loudly. “Are you fucking serious?”
“A-are you upset by this assignment?” Evans asked warily, caught off-guard by Gage’s tone.
“Hell no!” he said happily. “I’ve been chomping at the bit to get back to this kind of mission ever since our time in Houston!”
“Well, thank goodness this isn’t a vampire coven then,” Evans said with feigned relief.
“Smokies then?” asked Joey as Gage chuckled.
“Plus a few dragur,” Evans replied. “Ancient ones it seems. I think our friends are in cahoots to unearth something nasty.”
“A weapon?” asked Ady.
“A creature?” asked Joey.
“We’re just gonna have to go find out ourselves,” Gage said, his laughter subsided.
He spent a moment looking to his team, even to Evans. It was amazing how far they’d come since that fateful phone call in Houston; how far they had grown on this journey, each as an individual and together as a family.
“Until death do us part indeed,” Gage muttered.
“What was that?” Ady asked, face buried in the mission brief.
“Nothin’ gorgeous,” Gage answered. “Just thinking. By the way, does anyone know where Ty is?”
“Where else but the labs?” Joey replied. “Apparently he’s nearing a breakthrough on that new serum to counter possessed werewolf bites. Nasty stuff.”
“Of course he’d be down there,” Gage replied and his gaze lingered on Adrienne. “So, are ya both ready?”
They nodded, looking to him as always for direction.
“Alright then! Let’s do this! We’ll swing by and take the grumpy Sheridan along for this ride, too,” he said, taking point as they walked together out the door and onto their next adventure.
January 30, 2017.
It’s been a long road. Just over a year’s gone by since the Order managed to drive back the darkness known as the Noctis, striking down their leader, Dajjal. While it was a happy event, one that I was happy to see, it left the world more ruined than before. Don't get me wrong, the cleanup’s gone well enough, but there's still so much left to do and we’re all till so damn tired.
Not only that, there’s the added bonus of all these new, hellish creatures roaming through destroyed cities, and the scattered remains of the demon army still lurking in the shadows.
But who am I kidding? It all makes what we do even more rewarding.
We’ve just finished a mission in our old stomping grounds back in Houston, clearing out a werewolf den. Ady has me jotting all these things down – thoughts and shit –while they are still fresh, so our son can have a history of where he came from and what he went through. It all sounds great, until you actually have to sit down and do it. But speaking of that kid, I love him so much; he’s going to grow up into something fierce along. Thank God he looks more like me than his mother, too. Actually, if you’re reading this Henry, don’t tell your mother I wrote that.
We finally came back to the airport to get Joey’s car out from the parking lot. I think he calculated the bill at damn near eight grand. The car’s actually still intact, the facilities not so much. Lucky for us that means the payment due is zilch.
As I look out at the bleak horizon, with those pretty rays of sunlight shining through the heavy clouds and smoke, it gives me hope. It’s reinforced when I can look around me and see the love of my life, my best friend with his guardian angel, and his brother standing by my side. Strange isn’t it, where the road will take you?
I’m so glad to have these awesome fuckers by my side.
Generally, it’s still the same world that we knew, yet new things have risen out of the ashes; dark and terrible things. Can’t get too upset about it – as they will always be there, staring out from the dark corners of the world, bent on destruction and death. But I don't fear death; it fears me. I, along with the Order, will always be here in some form as a light against the night. As long as there's just one still alive to fight for all that is good in the world, then not all of us shall die. Non Omnis Moriar.
My name is Gage Crosse, and I pity the darkness that gets in our way.
THE JOURNEY NEVER REALLY ENDS…
Homeward Bound (Journeyman Series One)
Seal of Solomon (Journeyman Series Two)
Made to Suffer (Journeyman Series Three)
The Devil’s Highway (Journeyman Series Four)
Then Hell Followed (Journeyman Series Five)
STANDALONE SPIN-OFF NOVELLAS COMING IN 2017:
Stories of the Order – Shadowmen
Stories of the Order – No Strings Attached
OTHER NOVELS/NOVELLAS COMING SOON
Stories of the Order – Mosely
The Steam Tycoon
The Secret Life of Cooper Bennett
He is the Tide
Skyline Memories
(Pronunciations in parenthesis)
Gage Crosse
Adrienne Elkins
Joey Mosely
Marcus Sheridan
Henry Abington
Councilor Jane Carter
Councilor Timothy Randall
Councilor Allete Popov
Dax “Hammer” Wallace
Brandon Byrne (Burn)
Nathaniel Cole
Gabriel Shepard
Sean Dean
Dajjal (Da-jal)
Om Cita (Ohm See-ta)
Councilor Drogir (Dro-gear)
Councilor Tyrol (Tie-roll)
Councilor Quileth (Quill-eth)
Councilor David Evans
Hell Knight Botis (Bow-tis)
Kahli (Ka-li)
Michael
Azrael (Az-Ra-el)
Samael (Sam-a-el)
Lucifer
Running on Empty (Journeyman Book 6) Page 18