by John Lyman
The mystery of the cavern had just deepened. Was this some sort of reference to the object they sought? It seemed likely to Leo, but who or what had left the inscription totally baffled him. Latin was definitely not around when this cavern was formed, and, up until now, they had assumed that they were the first humans to ever set foot in this area. This inscription was a warning. A warning to them.
“Let it alone for now, Father,” Lev said. “I have a feeling time is growing short.”
Leo reluctantly pulled himself away from the wall and joined the others as they explored the cavern. Walking over the level floor toward the center of the chamber, they looked up along the smooth curving walls and saw that they were in a perfect dome that towered at least six stories above their heads. A total of four dark tunnels intersected the cavern, matching the four points of the compass, while directly under the uppermost point of the dome was a raised platform-like structure created from angled white stone. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that they had just stumbled into something not found in nature. The cavern was different from anything that existed in wild caves, and each new discovery was making it more and more apparent that this space had been created by someone or something with a plan.
A low-intensity bluish glow seemed to pulse from the walls with the regularity of a heartbeat as the team looked at one another with a sense of wonder. Leo’s mind reeled. This hollowed out area looked more like a cathedral than a cavern. The raised formation in the center even resembled an altar.
Watchful of their surroundings, the group continued to listen for the sound of anything approaching as they cautiously made their way under the top of the dome. They were astonished when they looked up and saw luminescent patterns that appeared to represent constellations of brilliant white stars all around them. The star-like pinpoints of light covered the entire surface of the cavern’s walls and ceiling, like those projected onto the curved interior dome of a planetarium.
“This place is magnificent,” Lev said.
“It’s beautiful,” Ariella added, turning in a circle as she gazed at the glowing ceiling full of diamond-like stars.
Leo placed his hands on his hips and looked toward the top of the dome. “There’s something not right about the location of the constellations.”
“They’re reversed,” Lev said. He pulled at his beard and squinted at the placement of the stars above his head. “We’re looking at the stars as they would appear to someone at the edge of the universe looking toward the earth. This is a view of our heavens from very far away.”
“Yes … that’s it,” Leo said. “This view of the stars is the opposite of what we would see from our vantage point looking up into the sky from the earth.”
“My God, it seems like every new discovery we make is another puzzle.” Alon said. He was becoming more confused by the minute with all this talk of reversed views of stars. “How could anyone on earth know what the stars look like from the edge of the universe?”
“Any modern astronomer could figure it out,” Lev said, “but judging by the look of that tunnel we just came through, I have a feeling this place is probably millions of years old. Ancient man had no knowledge of astronomy or distant galaxies, so looking at it from a biblical point of view, I would have to say that this is a representation of a view of the earth from heaven above, a view only God would have had of the world when this cavern was created.”
“But the code specifically pinpointed this area as one reserved for Satan here on earth,” John said. “Why would God’s view be represented here?”
John’s last observation jolted Leo. “Of course! God’s view. I think we’re looking at the stars as Lucifer did when he was still one of God’s angels … before he wanted to rule heaven and was cast out by God.”
“You think this was created to give Satan the view he once had before the war between heaven and hell?” Ariella asked.
“Yes … I mean … this is just a theory, but I believe that Satan is recreating a scene here on earth that he can never see again from heaven. As strange as it may seem, for some reason, he’s using God’s view to house something of great value to him.”
They all stood in awed silence and continued to gaze upward, absorbed in the spectacular star-filled ceiling, while Ariella walked ahead and ascended some glistening stone steps to the raised area in the center of the cavern. She continued to study the ceiling and the surrounding cavern before she looked down at the floor and let out a gasp. “Everyone, come look at this.”
The others raced up beside her and were shocked when they looked down at the floor beneath them. It was transparent, the color of black polished onyx with hints of cobalt blue infused throughout. They were standing over a crystal abyss, and the effect was dizzying, like being in a glass-bottomed boat and looking down into the deep blue of the ocean with no bottom in sight. The solid void seemed endless, making it impossible to tell how far the magnificent gem-like stone continued into the depths of the earth.
John bent down and ran his hand over the smooth surface of the floor. There was no dust; the area was as clean as an operating room. Dropping to his knees, he pressed his face close to the floor and peered down into the translucent depths below. “Wow. What’s that?”
The others crowded in around him and stretched their necks, straining to see.
“Yeah, what is that?” Alon said.
Below them, encased in the lucid stone, a rectangular object was clearly visible. It was red in color and looked to be approximately twelve inches wide and fifteen inches long.
Without warning a muted, thunder-like rumbling filled the large chamber. The earth beneath their feet seemed to shift, and then all was quiet again. The team huddled closer together-the rumbling and movement had totally unnerved them. Father Leo removed the large golden cross from under his shirt and held it tightly in his hands as he began to pray silently.
Tiny beads of sweat formed across Ariella’s forehead as she whirled around and peered into all four tunnels for any sign of the thing she knew had to be near.
“I’m afraid our time alone here is coming to an end,” Lev said. “The demon is close by.”
“Yes,” Leo said, “I think we all just felt his calling card. Demons can manifest themselves in a hundred different ways, none of which we would expect. It could enter the room as a beautiful woman, and then suddenly change into some horrific manifestation of pure evil. It might appear a hundred yards away … or right in front of us.”
The sudden rumbling had awakened the fear everyone had so far refused to acknowledge. Ariella’s fingernails were digging into John’s arm. “Why doesn’t it appear?”
John winced as he gently patted her hand. “I don’t know, Ariella. I’m surprised we’ve made it this far.”
“So am I. That thing we saw yesterday has to be around somewhere. It’s not going to let us come in here and do whatever we want without a fight.” The hair began to stand up on the back of her neck. “I’m afraid we’ve made a terrible mistake.”
“The book!” Lev shouted. He was pointing down at the dark red shape they had all been looking at before the rumbling started. The others strained in an effort to make out the details of what Lev was seeing.
Leo was focusing all of his attention on the object lying below in the clear blackness. “I’m not sure I’m seeing anything I could describe as a book.”
Lev seemed almost agitated. He pointed back down into the translucent abyss. “The Bible code mentioned a book. Look! What else could it be?”
The red shape began to materialize in Leo’s field of vision. The object’s outline became clearer to him. “Oh, my God, you’re right. I see it now.”
Slowly, one by one, they all began to see the outline of what indeed looked like a large red book.
“It is a book,” Ariella whispered, as if revealing a secret.
“That’s got to be what we’re looking for,” John chimed in. They all studied the transparent floor in an effort to make out the details of s
omething that had probably occupied this cavern since the beginning of time.
Lev knelt beside John and placed his hand on the floor directly over the book. The others watched as he closed his eyes and concentrated with every ounce of his God-given ability. Time passed as another distant rumble came from below. The ground shook again, this time stronger and lasting longer.
“Oh, my God,” Lev said in a weak voice. His eyes were closed, and he was sweating profusely. He seemed to be in some sort of trance.
Leo knelt beside him and placed his hand on his shoulder. “What’s happening?” He glanced over at Lev’s face. “Lev … are you alright?”
“I know what it is, Leo. Oh, my God. We’re all in more danger than I thought.”
Everyone froze. More danger? They looked around the cavern for any physical sign of a threat. Lev stopped speaking and remained transfixed on the red object beneath him. Despite Leo’s pleas for him to speak, he remained statue-like on the cold transparent surface.
With Alon’s help, Leo lifted Lev to his feet.
“Lev, what is it? Open your eyes and talk to me.”
With visible effort, Lev slowly began to open his eyes. His gaze had a faraway look, as though he was seeing something in another dimension. At last, he began to mumble. His breathing was labored and his words were unintelligible as the others strained to hear. His body shuddered before he finally broke loose from his trance-like state and shouted out loud. “It’s a Bible!”
Comprehension evaded the group as they tried in vain to understand.
“Did he say… a Bible?” John asked.
Leo tried to think. Why would Satan be protecting a Bible?
Lev continued to tremble while Ariella poured some cool water on his forehead.
“He’s not making any sense,” Alon said.
Lev’s faraway look evaporated. He was transported back to the present from a distant vision. He looked around at the others before turning to Leo and grabbing him by the shoulders.
“It’s the… it’s the Devil’s Bible, Leo.”
Leo physically stepped back away from him. He was sure he had misunderstood what the man had just said. “The what? Did you say-the Devil’s Bible?”
The team was shocked into the first stages of disbelief. What in God’s name was Lev talking about? Everyone knew that there was only one Bible-the one and only true book that was born from the hand of God. The idea of Satan having his own Bible was beyond their grasp. It sounded like a bad script from a horror movie.
Could it be? Leo wondered. Could Satan actually have his own written version of the events that had occurred since his banishment from heaven by God? Was this the Devil’s church here on earth?
Questions and doubt began to flood his mind. The inevitable theological dialogue resulting from a book inspired by Satan could shake the very foundation of the world’s three monotheistic religions. It could wreak havoc with mankind’s belief systems and play right into Satan’s hand.
A thousand possibilities ran through Leo’s mind, but one fact stood out above all others. Nothing good could come from the hand of a dark angel cast from heaven by God himself. This was evil in its purest form.
Ariella looked down into the darkness at the red object encased beneath her. “I know this is what we’re supposed to take from Satan and somehow deliver to God.” She was beginning to shake uncontrollably as she glanced about the cavern. The others followed her gaze to the object below and were overcome by the aura of pure malevolence flowing from the area around it.
Certainty and resolve was beginning to replace doubt and fear in Leo’s mind, but he was still holding on to a secret belief that maybe they were doing the wrong thing by being there at all. Maybe they should just leave it alone and run away from this place as fast as they could. This could very well be the biggest crapshoot in history.
“We have to take it,” Lev said, seeming to read Leo’s mind. “I sense there is great evil coming from this spot, and the darkness will only spread if we fail to carry out the mission God has set before us. We must remove that book.”
“That thing is covered by solid stone,” Alon said. “How are we supposed to get to it without drilling equipment or explosives?”
The others looked around at each other with the realization that they had missed the obvious. There was no way to access the book encased under several feet of solid stone.
Leo found it increasingly hard to think. He had to clear his mind. What did the chapel they had discovered under the Vatican have to do with this monument to Satan here under the desert? Had he given this enough thought? He had to assume the two were surely interconnected somehow. The letter! In Morelli’s letter to Leo, he had written that the object they would be searching for in the Holy Land was very old, dating back to the time when Lucifer was cast out of heaven. This must be it.
For a moment, Leo felt certain the right answer was floating somewhere within his grasp before he began to second guess himself again. Was the demon playing tricks with him? His mind played through a half-dozen scenarios before the priest realized that he needed strength and feedback from the others. He put the obvious question to the group out loud. “I trust what Lev has said, but if this is really the Devil’s book, I have to ask, does God really want us to touch such an evil thing? We have to be absolutely certain that we are doing the right thing.”
“Maybe taking it away from here neutralizes it somehow,” John said. “We’ve been talking a lot over the past few weeks about how the world is backing farther and farther away from God, and we’ve seen in the code that this is an area that harbors an evolving disturbance in the balance between good and evil in the world. Something’s causing the great shift away from the world’s belief in God. Maybe this is the answer.”
Leo’s thinking began to clear, and he realized that whatever they had to do, they had to do it quickly. “John, give me the stone brick.”
John and Leo’s eyes met. The ancient stone brick from the chapel!
“How did we forget about that?” Ariella said. She was dumbfounded at how they could have forgotten such a critical piece of the puzzle.
“The demon’s trying to cloud our thinking,” Leo rubbed his temples. “I can feel it.”
John’s palms were sweaty as he slid the backpack off his shoulder and reached inside to remove the mysterious brick. He lifted it out just as a searing heat flashed from inside the stone. “What the…?”
The heat pressed into John’s flesh. His hand was on fire. He opened his hand and watched the brick fall to the gem-like floor below. It shattered into pieces the moment it hit.
The group froze in place. Had they already failed before they had started? Ariella took in a deep breath and bent down to examine the remains. She removed a small spade from her backpack and flicked the largest broken piece over. A pulsating light lit up their faces and the team began to back away-Now what?
Encased within the broken piece of brick was a glowing, rectangular crystal. It began to pulsate with the same bluish glow that emanated from the walls of the cavern. Ariella’s eyes widened. Instinctively, she bent down and reached her hand toward it.
“Careful,” John said. “That thing is really hot.”
She prodded it with the tip of her finger. “It’s cool.”
Wrapping her fingers around it, she pulled the crystal-like object loose from the stone and held it up. Her face was bathed in its brilliant light. “Look.” Her eyes widened farther. “It has the image of a golden sword inside.”
Everyone stared at the beautiful image with wonder.
“It’s the key,” John said, his mind racing ahead of the others.
Could it be? Leo thought. He glanced back at Lev. “Your call, Professor.”
Lev wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked around. “Let’s start looking for something we can match it with. There has to be a connection here somewhere.”
The five found it difficult to take their eyes away from the image of the golden sword as the
y slowly moved away and spread out, looking for anything that might possibly be a link between the pulsating crystal and the book encased below.
Alon was focused on the cavern’s walls when he crossed in front of one of the black tunnels and stopped. Were those eyes staring out of the darkness at him? He began to slowly back away, his voice failing. John was looking up at the ceiling for clues when Alon backed into him. John twisted around and felt his heart begin to race. Two vacant, yellow eyes were glaring at the group from inside the tunnel. “Father Leo.”
The others turned and saw Alon and John backing away from the terrifying sight.
“Stay where you are,” Leo said to the group. “No one run.” Instinctively, they began to move to the center of the cavern, away from all of the entrances.
They were watching the menacing eyes framed in blackness when they heard a muffled growl from behind and turned to see a black-robed figure standing motionless inside the cavern.
Leo swiveled his head. “Oh, my God, there are two of them.”
“Look again, Father,” John said, looking into one of the other tunnels. “There are three of them.”
Leo wheeled around and saw another pair of unearthly yellow eyes following their every move from the tunnel John was staring at. He held up his large golden cross and quietly told the others to take out their bottles of holy water. They formed a tight circle and huddled together, no one saying a word.
A low rumble broke the silence as a misty, dark cloud began to form inside the cavern, blotting out the luminescent stars above. Leo began to pray, as did the others.
Bright red light shot from the eyes of the black-robed figure standing inside the cavern, while the smell of sulfur filled the room and the temperature began to rise.
Leo was praying with all of his power, beseeching God to intervene. He knew that facing even one demon was a losing proposition in most cases, and now they were facing at least three that they could see. Satan had called in the reserves.
The black-robed figure began to change shape back and forth, allowing the group to see glimpses of the demon’s gargoyle-like silhouette. Satan’s second in command, Agaliarept, his winged, jackal-like general over hell began to howl, filling the space with an unearthly sound. His blood-red eyes were watching their every move. He rose up as if to fly away before suddenly disappearing from their view. From the blackness of the tunnels, the growling intensified, while inside the cavern around them, a hideous, echoing voice chanted in an ancient, long-dead language. The group spun around to the sight of two more sets of yellow eyes watching them from the other two tunnels.