Sixth Seal

by Thornbrugh, Josh

  Hannah shot her right hand up rapidly and caught a tuft of grass. She could feel it tearing and pulling, but she managed to get her other hand back up on the edge before it gave way. Slowly, she pushed her body up the bank with the tips of her toes, ignoring the pain in her ankle.

  When she was on street level, she kept her body pressed close to the ground and surveyed the area. The church was set between a pair of buildings that might have been apartments or private offices. The massive green wooden doors of the church were afforded a bit of cover from the arched stone entry, but she would still be fairly exposed until she could gain entry.

  With as much effort as she could muster, Hannah ran across the street, up the stone steps and flung herself against the doors. She pulled on the wrought iron handles, but they didn’t budge. Frantically, she pounded on the doors, casting furtive glances behind her. The steady drone of diesel engines grew louder from nearby. Again she pounded on the heavy doors. More noise from the streets. Was there a stirring from inside? She pounded again, her hand bruising under the pressure.

  Hannah could hear a vehicle on the next street getting closer. It was only a matter of time before they rounded the corner. A scraping sound brought her attention back to the door. A narrow slat of wood slid back, revealing a pair of dark eyes.

  “What is it my child?” The voice was deep, but there was a note of fear in it.

  “Please let me in Your Grace.” She looked him directly in the eyes, hoping he would see the fear in hers and let her in.

  “There is a curfew, child. I’m not allowed to open these doors at night.”

  Hannah could see the wooden slat sliding back into place. “Seek refuge elsewhere, child.”

  “Please Your Grace.” She pounded on the door again just as the black Citroen rounded the corner. Then she remembered their chosen phrase. “The four horsemen of the apocalypse are upon us.”

  A Perilous Flight

  Lee stepped out of the van and peered around the corner. He scanned the surrounding area and kept the gun at the ready. He motioned her forward, but gestured for her to stay behind him.

  “Keep close, Ana. We need to get across the road and double back to the barn. So far nobody’s come out of the Suburban, but I think at least one of those bastards is still alive.”

  Ana fell in line behind Lee as they jogged across the median toward the road. The black SUV sat in the grass facing them. All of the glass had either been shot out or shattered when it ran off the road, but there were no signs of life from within. Lee kept his gun trained on the vehicle as they passed.

  “Where are we going, Lee?”

  Lee didn’t answer. Instead he pushed her to the ground and dove to his right. Ana looked up in time to witness Lee unload his last four rounds into a man stepping out from behind the SUV.

  “Stay down.” Lee rose, his movements deliberate, as he approached the fallen man.

  Ana could see deep red splotches appearing on the man’s back, absorbing into his shirt and fanning out like ripples in a pond. Lee pried the gun from the man’s hand and rifled through his pockets.

  “Found some ammo for this one. Here, you take mine.” Lee offered the handgun to Ana.

  “I don’t even know how to use it.” She stood up, feeling the stiffness in her shoulder getting worse.

  “It’ll come back to you. Just like the driving did.” He smiled.

  She took the gun. Somehow the weight felt right in her hand. Without thinking, she pulled a fresh clip from the duffel bag and reloaded the weapon. Lee shook his head, smiled again and continued walking toward the road.

  “Come on. We need to get out of here before the police show up. I’m sure those people in the blue station wagon have already called them by now.”

  “Do you think there are any more of these guys still alive?” Ana fell back in step with Lee.

  “I think that was the last of them, but there are probably more on the way.”

  Lee took her hand as they ran across the highway and into the meadow on the other side. Ana glanced back across the road. The tire on the van still turned in a slow, tilted orbit and the SUV looked like someone had thrown a hand grenade inside. She was surprised she didn’t feel worse than she did. Must be shock, she thought.

  “So what’s the plan, or do you have one?”

  Lee shot her a sideways glance. “First we need to get to a safe place.”

  “And how are we going to do that?”

  “We need to get to the car I have hidden in the woods.” Lee pointed beyond the meadow to their left. “It’s just a mile off the road from where we passed the barn.”

  “You mean the barn we flew past a couple of miles back?”

  “That’s the one.”

  Ana sighed, but picked up her pace to match Lee’s. He was heading for a line of trees that backed up to a grouping of soft, rolling hills. The details of the countryside were fading as dusk settled in, paving the way for the night sky. A faint breeze blew in and brought the smells of the earth and grass up to her; they reminded her of a different life.

  Lee stopped and held up his hand. He cocked his head to one side.

  “What is it?”

  He motioned for her to be quiet and kept listening, tilting his head in the opposite direction. After a few seconds, Ana could hear it too. It was a distinctive ‘whump whump’ sound and it was definitely getting louder.

  “Helicopter.” Lee pointed up above the hills before grabbing her hand and pulling her forward.

  They raced across the meadow toward the tree line, the helicopter looming ever larger. With each footfall the duffel bag slapped against Ana’s side reminding her of the newly formed bruises. Her legs burned with each stride, but she pushed past the pain and kept her eyes on the trees.

  “I think they’ve spotted us.” Ana could barely hear Lee’s words over the noise above them.

  The grass all around them undulated in waves, and bits of dirt and rock assaulted them from all angles. Were they going to land right on top of them? Surely the ground here was too uneven.

  Lee made it to the trees first, and when he reached them, he turned and took aim at the helicopter. He let off a couple of rounds just as Ana darted under the cover of the trees. She turned quickly and saw that the helicopter was retreating from them backwards with its belly toward the tree line. Probably to keep Lee from firing through the glass, she thought.

  Lee stopped firing and looked to Ana. “Three men inside, including the pilot.”

  “Do you think they’re going to follow us?” Ana rested against a tree, taking a little weight off of her right leg which had begun to tense up.

  “There.” Lee pointed out toward the road. “It looks like they’re going to land in the median. The ground is flatter.”

  The helicopter leveled out and began its descent. Ana could see more debris being kicked up as the craft touched down. There was a red insignia on the tail she couldn’t quite distinguish. The door opened and two men in black jumpsuits climbed out. To Ana it appeared they were armed with machine guns, but she didn’t want to stick around to find out.

  “Shouldn’t we go?” Ana looked to Lee. He nodded in the affirmative and motioned back toward the hills.

  “Let’s get through the trees to the base of the hills. If they get close we can veer back into the tree line for cover.”

  Before they moved from their position, Ana noticed the helicopter was taking off. She nudged Lee and motioned toward the sky. “Maybe we should stay under cover of the trees. At least until the copter gives up.”

  Lee nodded again and the two of them moved deeper into the trees. Even though Lee had told her that the men didn’t want to kill her, she certainly didn’t want to take any chances and she most certainly didn’t want to go back to the hospital.

  Ana heard the helicopter fly over them. She caught a glimpse of it on the other side of the trees. The pilot must be tracking them she thought. He probably planned to keep them
hemmed in until the two armed men caught up with them. Were they in communication with the pilot, she wondered. She kept following Lee, but occasionally stole glances over her shoulder. The two men did appear to alter their course several times.

  Ana grabbed Lee’s shoulder. He stopped, turned and pulled her behind a tree.

  “What is it?” He looked behind her toward their pursuers.

  “I think those men are in communication with the pilot. He’s directing them toward us.”

  “You’re probably right, but there’s not much we can do about it.” Lee glanced furtively over Ana’s shoulder.

  “He’s going to pin us down until the others catch up with us.”

  Lee nodded. “So, I’m afraid to ask. What are you thinking?”

  “Do you trust me?”

  “Implicitly.”

  “Good. I think if you run out in the open, the pilot will come closer and try to pin you down. He’ll also guide the others to you.” Ana handed him the duffel bag.

  “In other words, I’m the bait.” He smiled and took the bag.

  “Precisely. It’ll probably take the pilot a minute to realize you’re alone. He’ll direct the two men toward you and we’ll surround them.”

  “You make it sound so easy.” Lee narrowed his eyes and studied her for a second. “What the hell, I’ve seen you pull off some pretty crazy shit before.”

  Lee threw the bag over his shoulder and ran through the trees and out into the open. Ana watched as the helicopter came closer, just as she expected. Lee fired a few random shots and jogged along the edge of the trees. Ana moved to the edge of the tree line. She could hear the two men behind her. They were probably already out of the meadow. She kept close to a tall oak and chanced a glimpse around its trunk. The men carried machine guns, as she suspected, and they appeared to be headed toward Lee’s position.

  Ana stepped out of the trees to see the helicopter hovering close to the ground. She could see the two men through the trees making their way toward Lee. The situation sparked a memory, something she had once read in a book much like the mysterious one with the red cover left in her room. She had both read it and heard it spoken by the original author. ‘Make your way by unexpected routes, and attack that which is unguarded.’

  “Lee, if you can hear me, get away from the helicopter.” She thought she heard a response, but it was nearly impossible to tell over the roaring of the engine.

  Ana braced herself against a sturdy oak and took aim at the helicopter. She breathed deeply, her senses focused, everything around her fell away; she exhaled and squeezed the trigger until the clip was empty. The fiberglass housing around the tail rotor exploded, sending out a shower of shards. Pieces ricocheted against the rotor and a thin line of smoke escaped the tail. The helicopter wobbled before turning abruptly into the trees. The giant rotor blades thrashed into the branches like an enormous insect devouring everything in its path. The engine revved, faltered and fell into an ear-piercing whine.

  Crouching down to avoid flying debris, Ana jumped back into the trees. The two men were ahead of her and still appeared to be in shock. Something in front of them caught their attention and they brought their weapons to bear, unleashing a torrent of gunfire.

  Ana raised her gun and then realized she had given the duffel bag to Lee. She didn’t have any ammo left. Unexpected routes, she thought, as she flipped the gun in her hand and charged the nearest of the two men. She knew he couldn’t hear her, but he must have caught sight of her in his peripheral vision, because he turned right as she lunged. He fired, but his shots went wide when the butt of her gun made contact with his left temple, sending him crumpling to the ground.

  The other gunman swiveled. His eyes spoke of disbelief and rage. Ana threw the gun at him and dove behind the nearest tree. Several shots came to her ears followed by a thump, and then nothing except the helicopter’s engine winding down and bits of debris falling to the ground.

  “Ana?”

  “Lee?” Ana poked her head around the tree.

  He smiled when he found her. Genuine relief seemed to play across his face. “Are you okay?”

  “Not bad. You?”

  He smiled even wider. “I’m good.” He leaned up against the tree, looking down at her. “Like I said, pretty crazy shit.”

  ***

  Ana and Lee walked in silence through the woods and into the night. It was almost completely dark, and now that the adrenaline was wearing off, all of the aches and pains from the wreck were coming back to her.

  “I really need to rest.”

  “Just another mile.” Lee stopped and pointed across a field.

  She recognized the barn they had passed earlier. A narrow gravel road separated them from the lonely structure. There was no sign of activity, but Lee took his time scanning the area before he left the cover of the trees.

  “Where did you hide the car?”

  “Less than a mile off the road up a private drive.” Lee shifted the duffel bag on his shoulder and pulled up on a line of barbwire fence.

  Ana bent down and climbed through to the other side. She took the bag from Lee and did her best to pull up on the wire while he climbed through.

  “Aren’t you worried about someone finding it?”

  “No. The property seems to be vacant. I scouted it out for a few weeks before I left it there.” Lee looked back down the gravel road before crossing to the other side.

  Ana followed. “How long have you been planning this? And how did you find me anyway?”

  “Once I found you, and I was sure it was you, it took me a couple of months to put everything into place.” Lee rubbed his shoulder and she noticed for the first time that his shirt was torn.

  “Are you hurt?”

  “No worse than you.” He laughed.

  “So how did you find me?”

  “You’re a protector, I’m a gatherer. That’s just the way of things.”

  Ana sighed. “How do you know all these things, but my memories are just a hazy mess?”

  “I’m not really sure, but I think it has to do with your direct connection to the book.”

  Something stirred inside her when he mentioned the book. “Aren’t you connected to it too?”

  “No. I’m connected to the protectors.” He must have picked up on her confusion. “I know it’s probably very confusing for you, but you are the only one of the protectors that can actually communicate with the book. I think it’s this intimate connection that delays your memories when you reincarnate.”

  “So we really do come back, and I’ve been all of the people that I’ve dreamt about?”

  Lee chuckled. “I don’t know about all of them, but you and I have definitely met before. Several times, or rather several time periods.”

  “And you always know your purpose and remember everything that came before?”

  “Not initially. It’s usually a slow realization that comes to me in adolescence, but from that point almost everything comes back to me, including my purpose.”

  Ana nodded her head. “To find the protectors.”

  “Yes, only you’re the only one I’ve found in quite some time.”

  “Why is that?”

  “I don’t know, but it worries me. I can usually sense them, even from great distances. I’m afraid the Horsemen may already have most of the others.”

  “Do you know who the Horsemen—“

  Lee pulled Ana down into the ditch beside the road, keeping an arm around her. A minute later Ana heard wheels on gravel. The vehicle was slowing. She crouched even lower and held her breath. She didn’t think she had the energy for another confrontation.

  “It’s okay.” Lee patted her on the back and helped her up out of the ditch. “Just a local turning down a side road.”

  Ana watched a truck disappear down a gravel drive kicking up dust in its wake. The night air was getting cooler. Lee kept his arm around her as they continued their progress.
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  “The car should be over the next hill.”

  “So, do you know who the Horsemen are? Have you met any of them?” Ana crossed her arms against her chest trying to keep warm.