by Karl Morgan
Josh pressed his hands against his temples, trying to remember his dream. After a moment, he said, “I don’t recall anything about Josiah. But I do remember a beast called Kartak took Prudence away. But she was still alive, I think.”
“But there is no place they could be where we would not sense them, Josh. Even if they died, we would sense their spirits. Where could they be?”
Josh had a vision of his earlier dream of the massive rooms filled with silver chambers. He remembered seeing both the skeletons of Chris and Connie encased there, and Connie without a head. “I had a dream about a place where I met your dad. But I have no idea where it is.”
“I suppose it is possible. What are you going to do now, Josh? Will you help us stop them?” she asked.
Josh was about to say yes when a massive explosion shook the house. It became as bright as noon outside. Josh and Connie scrambled to look out the window. Hundreds of winged beasts were standing outside carrying torches. Barsat was at the front and said, “Can Josh come out and play?”
“Go back to hell where you came from, Barsat!” Connie shouted.
He grinned and turned around. He pushed both arms forward toward the house across the street and it exploded and burst into flames. He turned back and screamed, “How many more of your neighbors do I have to kill, Joshua?”
“I’m coming out! Please don’t hurt anyone else, okay?” Josh hollered.
“That’s not a good idea, Josh,” Connie pleaded.
Josh’s home exploded. The floor gave way and he and Connie fell down into the garage, landing hard on broken wood, glass, and the top of Joe’s car. Josh pushed his way through the rubble and searched for Connie. Her voice behind him said, “I’m okay, Josh.” He turned to see her standing on the driveway, in her glowing white uniform and holding her sword over her head. Josh climbed off the pile of lumber and hurried to her side.
“My, aren’t you two cozy,” Barsat laughed. “I suppose you won’t like my gift then.” He motioned behind him and Nisfat pushed through the crowd, holding Shirley Cambridge by the arm with a long dagger pressed against her throat. Tears streamed down her face and she looked terrified. That same terror was rising in Josh’s throat.
“You’d better let her go, Barsat!” Josh warned.
“Or you’ll what?” Barsat laughed. As if on cue, Nisfat drew the blade slowly across her neck, and a trickle of blood oozed out of the wound. “So, it seems you have a choice to make, Joshua Carpenter. You can keep your dream of marrying a Judah, like Constance here, or you can have a real woman. Either way, I get the one you reject.”
Shirley squeaked, “I’m sorry, Josh.”
“Choose her, Josh,” Connie stated.
“Personally, I hope you pick Connie,” Barsat chuckled. “I am beginning to have real feelings for Shirley, plus, I don’t think Connie would ever love me, and being a Judah, that could be problematic.”
“Connie, I think they are going to kill you,” Josh said. “It was part of a dream I had.”
“But Shirley will die for certain if you choose me. I cannot allow that.” She dropped her sword, which then disappeared, walked up to the beast and bowed deeply. “I surrender to you, Lord Barsat.”
“Is this your choice, Joshua, or do you want me to have both?” Barsat laughed.
“I choose Shirley!” he shouted. Nisfat released her and she ran over to Josh and hugged and kissed him. “Are you okay?”
“I think so, Josh. Thank you for saving my life.” A brilliant flash of light burst from the demons, and when it passed, Shirley and Josh were outside the cabin in Idaho. “What just happened? Where are we?”
“A cabin in Idaho, but I don’t know why.”
§
News of the attacks in Eastern Asia was just hitting the newswires when a black fog stretching several hundred miles began to approach the Indian and Pakistani coastlines. People looked out from their homes and office windows and many streamed to the coast to look at this unusual weather approaching. Within minutes, several hundred billion flies swarmed over the coastlines and into the nearest cities. The flies were almost an inch long with sharp mandibles and started to bite any person or animal they could find. The buzzing was deafening, forcing people to cover their ears and run for cover. All the cities and towns from Mumbai to Karachi were swarmed with the insects and the flood continued. A single airliner was on final approach in Mumbai when thousands of insects were sucked into its engines, causing them to fail. The plane tumbled out of control and slammed into a crowded neighborhood.
Throughout the European Union, gangs of thugs led by cyborgs vandalized the centers of the largest cities. By noon in Europe, out of control fires burned in many cities. The fire brigades were brutally attacked by the thugs, in many cases forcing them to abandon the fires. President Becker invoked martial law, flooding the streets with soldiers and tanks.
A series of suspicious earthquakes struck along the Andes, causing cities to crumble and tsunamis to slam into coastlines from South to North America and beyond. Santiago was in ruins, and Premier Andrade called for calm and help from other world leaders.
More gangs ran through the streets of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Toronto, Montreal, Mexico City, and Philadelphia. Each district governor called out the National Guard to restore control. Thousands of stores were looted, and many cities were burning.
At noon in Washington, President Carmichael interrupted all media for an announcement. She was standing at the podium in the White House Press Room. “My fellow Americans, today is a day that will live in infamy. Coordinated and monstrous attacks are being carried out around the globe. No one is safe and every country is in trouble. At this moment, my other fellow leaders are making this same speech to their own people. We all know that strange and unbelievable forces are at work in these attacks. Billions of never before seen insects do not spontaneously spawn in the ocean and attack the land. Large winged beasts with human faces do not exist or knock down bridges. In order to save humanity, we must act as one. We must put aside our petty disagreements about borders and politics. If we as a race are to survive, we must fight as one. I know I have had plenty of disagreements with those leaders, however, what will that matter if we are all dead? We have agreed that there must now be one global government with one world leader. Otherwise, our response to these attacks may not be sufficient. As you can imagine, we all have some hesitation about choosing one of us to be the boss. For that reason, we have chosen someone outside our little circle. Hammond Finch is a man we all know and trust. His company has saved or improved countless lives. He is calm, even minded and will weigh the needs of all regions in his decisions. Hammond has already agreed to allow each world leader to be his viceroy in their native lands, so for most of you, your lives will not be changed by this news. Let us hope and pray that our combined resources will prove adequate to our defense. Now, let me introduce you to our new leader, President Hammond Finch.”
The view changed to a large office with windows overlooking the New York skyline. There were two leather overstuffed chairs. Finch sat on the left and Henri Sattu on the right. “Hello, everyone, I am Hammond Finch, and this is my dear friend, Henri Sattu. First, I must say how surprised I was to be chosen for this role. It is a great honor and I hope to be able to do it well. Being called the leader of the world is both frightening and very humbling. I want you to know that I view this job as being a coordinator among the leaders you have already chosen. I am not an emperor or king. Think of me as the coach of an athletic team. His job is to coordinate the athletes to get their best performance, nothing else. As your leader has already mentioned, they will still be responsible for things that happen in your country. And if they decide I am inadequate in my new role, they will replace me. My friend Henri is here with me today because he will be my chief of staff. You can imagine the complexity of dealing with the current events or even a typical day on Earth. There is a lot going on even on a slow day, and so I will need all the help I can get.
Let us concentrate of fixing the terrible things that have happened already today. To discuss this further, let me pass the ball to Henri.”
“Merci, Hammond, and a fond bonjour to all of you out there. I am happy to help my friend Hammond in this new role. I promise I will work tirelessly to make the new global governance work. I also have no desire for power, and so, I will work behind the scenes. Soon, you may forget my name!” Finch laughed. “We have already found a solution for the fly situation in Western Asia. Local scientists in the region have found the flies are attracted to flames. We suggest that you set small fires far away from any structures. The flies are so excited by fire that they will fly into it and burn up. Your local military and police are already setting some fires, but more can only help. Back to you, Mr. President.”
“You mean me?” Finch asked. “Oh, I forgot already. Thank you to the people of the Earth for the trust you have placed in me. Hopefully, the violence and destruction will stop soon, and fade into memory quickly. All the best.”
§
Josh was sitting on the porch outside the cabin when Shirley finally woke up and came out to join him. She sat next to him on the bench and put her hand on his knee. “Penny for your thoughts, Josh.”
He took her hand and said, “It’s all so strange, Shirley. My parent’s house was smashed and weird attacks are happening all over the planet, but since we got here, I can’t sense anything anymore. I want to go help them, but I don’t want to leave you here alone. Maybe we can both go back now that you’re awake, just to make sure my parents are okay.”
She leaned toward him, kissed his cheek, and replied, “Sure, whatever you want.”
He stood and helped her up. “Just close your eyes.” She did. He closed his and imagined he was outside his home. He opened his eyes and saw they were still on the porch.
“Did it work?” she asked with her eyes still closed.
“No! What is wrong with me?”
“Maybe it’s this place, Josh. You say this is Idaho, right? Maybe we should just walk out.”
“The last time I was here, I did meet one of the neighbors. Maybe we’ll try to find another cabin. It’s odd that there’s no road in or out of this place. The trooper who came by last time came in on a dirt road, I’m sure of it.”
“That is strange,” she said. “I’m hungry, so I’m going to go inside to see what there is to eat. Do you want me to make you something?”
“Sure, thanks. Some coffee would be great.” She smiled and walked back into the cabin. He pulled open the door and said, “I’m going to take a look around, okay?”
“No problem, Josh. I’ll keep the coffee warm for you,” she smiled back.
He closed the door and headed in the direction he thought the trooper had gone. In a few minutes, he reached the trees and continued into the forest. He was remembering the first time he came here and climbed the steep hill from the river gorge. This area was fairly flat and the trees seemed to get thicker as he continued. “That hill must be in another direction,” he said to himself. He heard a faint sound like a waterfall and hurried forward. A waterfall meant a river which likely led to civilization.
He kept moving toward the sound which was getting louder as he neared its source. The trees were very thick here and little sunlight pierced the canopy. He had to climb over fallen trees and large rock outcroppings. After another few minutes, he caught a glimpse of a river to his left and veered that way. He climbed over one last log and found himself on the bank of a massive river, at least half a mile wide. He tried to think about the Idaho countryside, and wondered if that state had such a river. He followed the river for some time. The sun was now directly overhead and the temperature was rising fast. Then the river just ended. The sound of falling water was deafening. He moved forward to where the water disappeared over a high cliff. He walked gingerly to the edge and looked down. The water fell at least five hundred feet straight down, crashing finally into an ocean that stretched to the horizon. “Shit, this isn’t Idaho!” he exclaimed. “What the hell is going on here?” He turned to head back and let Shirley know what he found and ran smack into Armand Sattu. “Whoa!”
“Hello, Joshua, it’s good to see you again,” Sattu smiled.
“What is this place, Armand?”
“Humph. Still lazy, looking for others to do your thinking for you, I see.” He turned and began walking away.
“Wait up!” Josh shouted as he hurried to catch up to him. “What’s going on?”
Sattu smiled and put his hand on Josh’s shoulder. “Things are not as they seem, Joshua. I would love to sit and explain it all, but I have little time. Manny is blocking my son, but soon he will know I am here. All I can tell you is that the world is falling into eternal darkness, and only you can save it.”
“What about the Judah family?”
“They are trying, but you are the one who must lead them if they are to succeed.”
“But how?”
“Have faith in yourself, like I have faith in you. Do you remember what I told you the first time we met?”
“You said I should rule the world.”
Armand waved his hand and replied, “Yes, but now I understand the error in my thought process. That role has already passed to another, much to my chagrin. I also mentioned something about faith.”
“You said you wanted me to start moving mountains, is that it?”
Sattu grinned and replied, “That’s my boy!”
“But I thought I was, Armand. I stopped a war and fought your sons too! What else do I have to do?”
“Release your fear of death and use your power to save us all, nothing more and nothing less.”
“It’s more complicated than that, Armand. Shirley is here and I have to protect her as well.”
“Shirley Cambridge is here, really?”
“Yes, your son traded her to me for Constance Judah.”
Sattu was shocked. “You traded for her?”
“No, it’s not like that at all. Connie insisted. She surrendered herself to Barsat before I could do anything. I didn’t have a choice really.”
“We always have a choice, Joshua, although I cannot dispute your decision. You should know that Shirley saved my life after my own children tried to kill me. I owe her everything. Please thank her for me when you see her.” Sattu waved and began to fade away. In seconds, Josh was standing on the river bank alone.
He ran back into the woods toward the cabin. It had taken him half the morning to get to the river, but it seemed only minutes before he emerged from the forest and headed toward the cabin. In seconds, he was running along the dirt road leading to the house and he stopped cold, looking around wildly. “This wasn’t here! What is this place?”
Shirley opened the door to see why he was shouting. “Is everything okay?”
“Do you remember seeing this road this morning?”
“No, it wasn’t there!” she replied. “What’s going on here, Josh?”
“I don’t think this place is real, Shirley.”
She rapped on the doorframe with her knuckles and said, “Seems pretty real to me. Did you find anything out there? What about the other cabins?”
He walked up onto the porch and sat down heavily. “No cabins at all. I did find a waterfall and an ocean, though.”
“There’s no ocean anywhere near Idaho, Josh.”
“I know that, Shirley. I’m missing something, but I just haven’t figured it out yet. Man, I could use a drink.”
“I did find some whisky and ice. Why don’t we have a couple drinks and relax. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” She cupped his face in her hands and kissed his lips. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her face and neck. She looked at him and smiled. Josh picked her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom.
Chapter 16
Two months had passed since the formation of a global government. Hammond Finch moved his office to Paris, where the Palace at Versailles was turned into his personal residen
ce. There were still outbreaks of violence, but the militaries reacted quickly and soon peace settled over the planet. Feeling safe, the people of Earth went back to their normal lives, leaving affairs of state to Finch and his team. Second Chance became a government entity, and the Finch siblings were give liaison roles with the regional leaders. Attacks by cyborgs were a thing of the past, and those still functioning were recruited into senior positions with the Global Police. The winged monsters continued to make random appearances around the world, sometimes attacking and sometimes helping the people who witnessed them.
After the first month, Finch made an impassioned speech about the monsters. He told everyone that the creatures were misunderstood. Their goal was to help humanity by rooting out evil, primarily the Judah family. With them gone, mankind could finally fulfill its destiny to be a fair-minded and just society. By today, most of the Judah clan had been eliminated. Emmanuel Judah has gone into hiding and not been seen. There was a one billion dollar reward for information leading to his capture or death.
To show his appreciation to the winged beasts, Finch started a new global religion to worship them, called Barsatism, named for their leader. All people were urged to join the faith in order to thank them and hopefully avoid more attacks. Barsatism became a requirement for all members of the military and Global Police.
Josh woke early and climbed out of bed, trying not to disturb Shirley. He prepared a cup of coffee and sat on the porch, watching the day begin. He remembered their lovemaking the night before and then recalled when she dumped him. That was odd, he thought. Maybe she did that to thank me for saving her, he wondered. It hit him like a ton of bricks. He remembered the tiny cell Armand Sattu had locked him in. He remembered the total blackness outside the cell door and the amazing strings of light shooting through it. “What was it he said?” Josh wondered aloud.
“What who said?” Shirley said, standing in the doorway. He sat next to him and kissed him. “Who are you talking about?”