by John Lyman
“I’ve thought a great deal about that,” Leo said, “and I think I already know what it is we’re dealing with. Right before I took out my cross, the demon was changing shape. He appeared briefly to look like some sort of winged beast. It probably already knew I was a priest, but when it realized what I was about to do, it focused its full attention on me just long enough for me to recognize it. I believe we’re dealing with none other than Agaliarept himself, the grand general of hell. He was known among the Assyrians and Babylonians as one of the most malevolent forces in the Middle East and has long been considered by the Church as one of the most terrible of all demonic entities. In the Old Testament, he was described as one who conceals himself in black robes and dwells in the vast desert wastelands. He is represented as a strange jackal-like creature with wings and is known to be a messenger of the Beast. He is the most ruthlessly destructive demon of them all. He possesses the power to discover all secrets and represents the destruction of human life itself.”
Lev took a last sip of wine before setting his glass aside. He had heard of this demon in a mythological context as the dark angel of the fatal winds, or a carrier of plague. People of the Middle East recognized him as a pestilential being representing chaos. He was especially good at stirring up enmity and distrust among men. Now, led by a Catholic priest and an Israeli Christian prophet, five human beings were deliberately entering the demon’s domain in God’s name to search for an unknown object, an object that the grand general himself was bound by Satan to protect. It was almost too much for any of them to comprehend.
“It sounds like you know exactly what we are up against, Leo. I should have realized you had some idea of what it was you came face-to-face with this morning. Is there anything else we can do to prepare?”
“I think we’ve done all we can. God has chosen his lions; the rest is in his hands. The confrontation with the entity this morning was just a prelude to the real battle yet to come. What really haunts me is how easily it gave up. I would have thought it would have come at us with everything it had. It’s almost like it’s leading us into a trap.”
Lev raised his glass to Leo in a final salute. “Well, if it’s a trap, then we’ll all be in the trap together.”
Chapter 22
God’s chosen ones were running late as they made their preparations for the coming battle. It was after ten o’clock when they finally congregated in the communications tent to run the Bible code software on their laptops one last time. It was their final chance to gather as much insight as possible into what awaited them below the surface of the desert.
John strapped on his backpack before approaching Leo and pulling him aside. “I need to talk to you, Father. I’m worried about Lev.”
“Lev? What’s wrong with him?”
“Ariella said he’s made some connection with the demon. He even told us himself that he’s been receiving flashes of the thing’s thoughts. What if it’s influencing him in ways we don’t understand yet?”
“I don’t think you have to worry too much about Lev, John. He’s been in tune with the entity’s emotions ever since it appeared to us. The demon is communicating with Satan now, and despite its desire to keep its thoughts and activities a secret, its unconsciously revealing itself to the professor. I’m convinced Lev was born with a gift … he’s a lot more sensitive than the rest of us to the presence of evil forces.”
“But what if it works the other way? What if the demon can pick up on Lev’s thoughts? If it knows our plans, it could endanger the whole mission.”
“When you’re dealing with the supernatural force of a demon, anything’s possible. From everything I’ve read on the subject, anyone who comes into close contact with one is vulnerable to its power to read minds. There are scores of famous stories in the church about exorcists who’ve had to fight the mind control capabilities of demons.”
“But you’re the one who confronted the demon down in the cavern today, Father. It was you who saved all of our lives. Why isn’t it trying to communicate with you?”
“I don’t think it’s trying to communicate with anyone. It’s trying to protect something. We’re not dealing with the demonic possession of a person here. We’re dealing with the possession of an area here on earth, and the demon will protect its territory with all of its fury.”
The thought of facing an enraged demon that could read their minds seemed totally unreal to John. He didn’t feel like a brave man, but he knew he had to face his fears and go with his friends down into a dark and terrifying place … a place from which they might not return. Like a young soldier before battle, he needed reassurance from someone like Father Leo that they all weren’t just going blindly to their deaths. “Do you think you’ll be able to expel it from the cavern like you did this morning, Father? I mean, as an exorcist with God on your side, wouldn’t the demon be afraid of you now?”
“All Jesuit priests are required to study the rite of exorcism, John, but that doesn’t make us exorcists. I’ve never even been present at an exorcism except for today, and I’m not sure that would be considered a true exorcism. That title is reserved for those priests who specialize in such things, and from what I’ve heard, they don’t live long, happy lives. I carried the cross and holy water into the cave because we were entering an area said to be inhabited by Satan or one of his servants, and like any soldier of the cross, I wanted to be prepared. The entity hasn’t been banished from the area by my presence. All I did this morning was ask for God’s help in allowing us to escape. The demon is still down there, and I’m afraid he’ll be even better prepared for our return. It probably knows what we’re planning now, and it’s expecting us.”
“Well, I hope you have a few more gallons of holy water with you, Father, because I have a feeling we’re going to need it tonight.”
“Here, John, take this.” Leo handed John a bag containing nine plastic bottles filled with holy water. “Hand these out to the rest of the team.”
“They might be Christians, Father, but they’re not Catholic. Won’t they be offended if we ask them to carry around holy water?”
“It’s their choice, of course, but I’d like everyone to have one just in case.”
“Where did you get these?”
“I filled them up from the camp water supply this morning and blessed them.”
“Of course. I keep forgetting. Any water blessed by a priest makes it holy. It could even be Evian or Perrier. Just think, sparkling holy water.”
Leo couldn’t help but laugh out loud at John’s innate ability to keep things light in the face of overwhelming odds.
Across the tent in front of his computer, Daniel was running the code program when it suddenly froze on one page. “Professor, have you got a minute?”
“What have you got there?” Lev said, peering over his shoulder.
“I’ve discovered an exact position of the excavation site in a different section of the Old Testament.”
Lev pointed to the screen as the rest of the team gathered around. “It looks like these numbers here denote the same latitude and longitude we first saw in that section of the code that led us here initially. Next to our present geographical location are the same five names of everyone who’s going into the cavern tonight. Underneath that, in the same grid, we see something else.”
Leo moved in between Daniel and Lev. “You’re right. That is interesting.” His eyes fell upon the encircled phrases-dark guardians, Satan’s most fearless, and fire, along with the phrase, they will bring forth a great bounty. These words lay sandwiched between the position coordinates and the names of those chosen to descend into the cavern. Above that was another phrase that puzzled everyone. There were only two words … The Book.
“What do you make of that, Professor?” Daniel asked.
Lev stared at the screen. “I wish I knew, but I’m afraid time for any more analysis is running out.”
The two teams continued looking over Daniel’s shoulder at the glowing screen, ever
yone applying their own personal interpretation to the meaning of the last two words.
Lev felt the anxiety level rising within the tent as he ran the last phrase over and over in his mind. The book. Was there something they had missed?
“Do you think we’re supposed to take a Bible with us?” John said, breaking the silence.
Lev grabbed his equipment and started for the door. “Right now, all I know is that every minute we wait, that thing out there grows stronger. Grab your gear and let’s head for the chopper.”
The sun had long since dipped below the horizon and the teams could feel the stored heat rising from the desert sand. In the darkness, they passed through pools of light created by the overhead flood lamps as they made their way to the waiting helicopter.
Nava and Gabriella climbed into the cockpit and donned helmets equipped with the latest night-vision technology for operations in total darkness. They would need that technology tonight.
The team members climbed onboard and settled into the back. Nava could hear the click of seatbelts behind her as she flicked a switch over her head, sending a signal to the engine. Soon, the whine of the turbines drowned out any other noise as the blades above began to spin faster and faster, causing the cabin to vibrate with power. Nava pulled back on the controls and the chopper leapt into the air at an angle, eventually leveling out en route to the excavation site.
Before anyone had time to dwell on what the next few hours would bring, they were hovering directly over the cavern. The descent team strapped into their climbing harnesses and put on their helmets while Alon remembered to instruct them to turn on their radios. One by one, the five members of the descent team were guided to the door by the paramedic and lowered into the darkness. They dropped along the vertical walls of the cavern while the helicopter’s strobe lights painted the scene intermittently with red and white flashes that filtered through the blowing sand.
The last to touch down, Leo felt for the cavern floor with his boots before unhooking himself from the line attached to the chopper, severing the last physical tie they had to the outside world. The team looked up at Gabriella and saw her waving to them from behind her cockpit window as the chopper lifted higher into the sky and passed out of sight. The sound of the blades beating the air quickly faded until the only thing that remained was the silence of the stone walls around them.
The five team members glanced around nervously, no one wanting to speak, lest they wake the thing that dwelt below in the tunnel. With Leo in the lead, they picked up their gear and made their way across the floor of the cavern. Reaching the overhanging slab of rock at the entrance to the tunnel, they heard a loud, static-like hiss burst from their earphones. Everyone winced as they grabbed their headsets before Nava’s soothing voice filled their ears.
“Team Two calling Team One. Radio check. Can you read me, Alon?”
Alon hit the button on his microphone and answered. “We read you loud and clear, Nava. Thanks for scaring the pants off us. Where are you now?”
“We’re flying east over the camp toward the Dead Sea. We’ll land about twenty miles from your location. We left a satellite phone at the surface by the edge of the cavern so you can contact us when you get out. We can be at your location in seven minutes if you need us.”
“Thanks. What time do you have?”
“It’s exactly 11:00 PM. You don’t have much time.”
The others watched Alon’s face in the glow of their lights as he spoke into the radio. “Remember, if you don’t hear from us by midnight, leave the area at once. If we don’t make it out, there’s no sense in losing any more people in an attempt to rescue us.”
Nava’s voice echoed in their headsets. “Godspeed to you all. We’ll see you soon.”
Chapter 23
The radios were now quiet as the five adjusted their equipment under the leaning slab of rock in preparation for entering the silent tunnel before them. Leo glanced around at the others and paused. He looked directly at John and spoke in Latin. “Ad maiorem Dei gloriam.” For the greater glory of God. It was the Jesuit motto. The team passed through the dark opening, cautiously descending the sloping floor of the tunnel into the labyrinth below. Microscopic electrical impulses crossed the synapses of their nerve endings, causing their hearts to beat faster as they approached the spot where the demon had first appeared to them. Their breathing increased to short, rapid gasps with the anticipation of its return.
Ariella’s eyes were wide and moving quickly from side to side. “Maybe you did scare it off, Father Leo.”
Leo squinted ahead in an effort to see beyond the reach of his light into the total darkness ahead. “I seriously doubt it. Even though we don’t see it, the demon knows we’re here.”
“This rock looks volcanic,” Lev said, reaching out and running his hand over the smooth black rock of the tunnel wall. It’s almost like we’re in the hollow part of an ancient lava tube.”
“What does that mean?” Alon asked.
“Nothing of significance really, except maybe to a geologist. It probably means that this cave was formed eons ago by volcanic activity. Usually caves that have large caverns were formed in limestone hollowed out by flowing water. Our ground-radar images show that there are large caverns below us. It’s possible that we are in two distinctly different cave systems. The one below is probably limestone, and the one we’re in right now was created by heat. I didn’t see any indications of extinct volcanoes on the geologist’s map. The surveys the oil companies made of this area years ago either missed them or failed to chart them for some reason.”
“I think I know why they weren’t charted,” John said. “If I remember my college geology classes correctly, lava tubes were rough and twisting, not smooth and straight with ninety degree turns. I’m starting to believe this tunnel was created artificially by tremendous heat from a source hot enough and focused enough to melt rock in straight lines.”
Lev studied the wall again. “Good point, John. The black color threw me off. Volcanic activity usually doesn’t create tunnels this straight and symmetrical. I’m glad you paid attention in geology class.”
The team shrugged off the conflicting geologic evidence and continued their descent farther into the cave. Every noise seemed amplified and set their nerves on edge, while every bend of the tunnel caused them to pause for a moment before descending deeper into the demon’s territory.
Alon peered down at the tiny glowing numbers on a new laser pedometer he was using to measure their progress. “I think we’re about a quarter mile inside the cave now.”
Leo stopped for a moment and looked back at the others. “This could go on for miles. There’s no end in sight. Do you sense anything at all, Lev?”
“Nothing, but we have to keep going, Father. We have no choice.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, and the nervous group set off again down the sloping floor of the seemingly endless black tube. After walking on for another fifteen minutes, Ariella noticed the color of the rock had begun to change. She walked up close to her father and pointed to the tunnel wall. “The rock looks lighter now.”
“I think the darkness is starting to lose its grip,” Lev whispered. “Everyone stop. Turn off your lights.”
The others looked around in confusion but did as Lev instructed. They were enveloped in darkness as soon as they turned off their lights. Soon, their eyes began to adjust, allowing them to see what Lev had suspected. Ahead, where the tunnel made a slight curve, a diffuse bluish light was barely visible, making the dark walls around them appear lighter.
Despite his fear, the prospect of discovery ignited John’s curiosity. It was a curiosity mixed with dread, like the feeling one gets when they see a car accident up ahead on the highway. He didn’t want to go any farther, but he couldn’t stop himself. “What do you think the source of that light is, Professor?”
Lev switched his light back on. “Your guess is as good as mine. Let’s keep moving.”
As the others fell in
to step behind him, the creeping sensation of impending doom took hold, but Leo shook it off as they continued deeper into the cave. Walking down the sloping floor, the light continued to grow in intensity until finally they rounded a ninety degree bend and suddenly stopped. To their utter amazement, a bright, light-filled space lay beyond.
Leo pushed down a sudden urge to run and breathed in deeply before taking a few hesitant steps to the end of the tunnel. Casting a glance back at the others, he turned to face the light and stepped into an enormous glowing cavern.
Lev followed and stood transfixed at the entranceway. “This place is massive, Leo.”
Ariella pushed around them. “Oh, my God. It’s huge.”
The rest of the group inched their way out of the tunnel and stared in silence while their senses adjusted to the unexpected radiance of the mammoth space. Right away it was obvious that the color of the rock had changed dramatically. Instead of the black coal-like surface of the tunnel, the walls of the chamber they were now standing in were light blue and had a luminescent, opal-like quality to them.
Leo touched Lev on the shoulder and pointed to the wall next to the opening of the tunnel they had just come through. The initials, GB, were carved into the rock. Someone had been this far before.
“What do you think GB means?” Lev asked.
“I have no idea,” Leo said, “but evidently someone has come through here before us.”
John leaned closer and saw the faint outline of an inscription below the initials. He reached out and brushed his hand across the lettering.
“Can you read it?” Ariella asked.
“No, but Leo probably can. It’s Latin. I think learning that language is kind of a job requirement for Jesuit priests.”
Leo moved around John and studied the inscription. “It says … Leave it in place.”