by Peter Repton
You always make this far more complicated than it is. The creator simply creates on a continual basis, and that is all, nothing more, nothing less. Raphael and his legion maintain these living creations on a great many planets. The death of these creations provides the energy that fuels the expansion of the universe. My role with my legion is to collect and enhance this energy released through the dissolution of life. The more life, the more death and then ultimately the more energy, it is that simple. Hence I am known as the destroyer.
Life is always created, then erased and then replaced. Raphael's role is to sow life and mine is to reap what he sows.’ Roberts spoke up again as David finally freed another nail fixing Lisa by her feet to the inverted cross and gently laid her legs down on some straw.
‘So my faith is true in its twisted way then. We call you the Devil in my church and some people even call you the Reaper. Throughout history, we got taught if we were bad that the Devil would take our soul. We got told if we were good would go to heaven. Now you now say it is only a dozen people relocated to safety in havens on other planets by Raphael. While all the rest must perish, but how can that be fair? And why do you insist that this poor young girl has to die now,’ Paul sounded very distraught about Belial’s revelation.
‘If she dies before Kempston kills Sammy my champion has won as he will have completed all of the three tasks of blood sacrifice, I set for him. Sammy will join my legion as an immortal. If I win Raphael loses, and your entire race will perish for eternity, the killer gene will have finally gone. If she lives and Sammy lives, I will call it a draw and each champion will get taken as an immortal. But regarding what is fair, you should see what he has to say.’ Belial pointed at Raphael who nodded and spoke in his childlike soft voice.
‘If Sammy gets killed you would still lose as Belial will have tricked you. Killing Sammy will prove the killer gene still exists and the best result we could ever get was a draw. I am sorry I misled you. I have always tried to save you. The last time Toba erupted as it is doing at this moment...’ Raphael’s shape disappeared within the large glowing orb. Then it reformed as images of a monstrous volcanic explosion came into view for a few seconds.
‘... Most of all human life ended here on Earth. But I saved six couples and transported them to safety seventy-two thousand years ago…’ Bob Staples interrupted just at this point and asked.
‘Excuse me please, but before you go on. Belial explained to us there is this cycle of creation, maintenance then dissolution. I can understand that as a scientist, but please kindly provide more detail of the act of creation. It cannot hurt as we are all going to die and I do believe in a Creator. I would so much like to hear about it.’ Raphael glanced across at Belial who shrugged, so Raphael started to explain.
57
‘I have never once revealed the creation process to another soul. So you are all privileged to learn this. Belial was incorrect when he said the creator simply just creates. I can assure you there is nothing simple about it. It is truly magical to witness. I have often seen in the nursery galaxy that contained Haven number six in the past, and also in Haven number seven currently, how a barren landscape devoid of life is transformed when the energy cloud of the Creator passes across it. Suddenly thousands of trees appear swaying in a breeze, and then out of nowhere a dozen bright blue birds will appear on all branches of these trees, just appearing out of the void. Seconds later their mates will also appear. These mates will have a darker plumage to be more camouflaged than the vivid male. These birds get created complete with full reproductive systems. They have the inherent knowledge of how to build nests and raise their young after laying eggs.
I have also gazed into clear waters of a lake, and then once again out of the void, as the Creator energy cloud passes by, thousands of beautiful fish will appear. Resplendent with silver scales and red spots, and again seconds later it too they will all have a mate. Once again these fish will be able to continuously reproduce their own kind. These acts of creation happen time and again with all of the plants and trees and insects and every other conceivable manner of creature. The Creator still regularly visits your world every few million years. Hundreds of thousands of ornate, beautiful creatures are created out of the void on the land, in the seas, and in the air.
Your scientists even named the last creation period here the Cambrian explosion. When over a short period your almost completely dead world became absolutely teeming with life. Your species have always believed in this act of creation right up until science suggested that the process of evolution created all modern, diverse life forms. These evolutionary scientists even claim that you humans evolved from small shrew-like mammals one of the survivors of the dinosaur extinction event. As these small shrew-like mammals still exist, why would there be any need for you? There are barriers in place to stop species changing away from their original state. You all know a Horse may breed with a Donkey and a Mule is the result. But the Mule will be sterile and cannot ever reproduce. It is the same with fish also when a Bream may fertilise Roach eggs however the resultant hybrid will be sterile and cannot ever reproduce. I saw the first giraffe that was created many years ago. There is nothing else quite like it anywhere else, so what do you think that it evolved from exactly?’ Ford could not resist saying with sarcasm.
‘Well if nothing else before we all die we will at least have an answer at last to what actually came first, the chicken or the bloody egg.’ Belial sneered at Ford and said.
‘Tell them now what happened to those six couples you saved the last time around when Toba erupted.’ The entire group, who were now so enraptured by these startling revelations, had forgot all about Wilson and Sammy.
58
Sammy was very quick out of the door, sprinting off into the night. But Wilson was much quicker and he started to gain on him. Sammy rounded the corner of the field, seeing three derelict outbuildings in front of him. He was was really surprised at how quickly the police reinforcements had arrived so fast as he had assumed he could kill Kempston and finish off the girl with time to spare.
He could not know Raphael in his craft had guided the police right to his lair. Sammy got taken completely by surprise when Wilson jumped him just as he was about to strike the killer blow. Sammy dove through a door into an old ramshackle stable building, hiding inside. A few seconds later he heard Wilson’s footsteps outside. Wilson knew Sammy must be in one of the buildings but he did not know which one. On police intuition alone he stepped into the stables and Sammy sprang out of one half way down and ran away. They both raced the length of the building, past many stable doors, and then Sammy panicked when he discovered there was no way out. He turned to look at Wilson who was illuminated by a bright glow, coming from the barn in the distance where all the others were. The Zombie knife shone brightly in Wilson’s hand.
‘Ok Copper I guess the game is up. I am supposed to say that I will come quietly aren’t I,’ Sammy giggled as he took off his scarlet robe and grinned at Wilson.
‘It doesn’t work like that with me you sick fuck. Do you think you can torture, mutilate and decapitate innocent, beautiful women? And then just give yourself up to spend the next thirty years in prison, just shooting pool, doing drugs and getting pampered?’ Wilson said his voice thick with hatred.
‘That doesn’t sound so bad to me,’ Sammy giggled again. Wilson scowled his green eyes hardening.
‘Fight me,’ Wilson said throwing the knife into a corner.
‘Fight me and be a man. Maybe it’s just women you can hurt. Try me out for size. Go for it you fucker and let me see what you have got.’
Sammy lunged at Wilson with a short blade he suddenly pulled out of his belt behind his back. Wilson sidestepped the blow with ease, just like unarmed combat training in the Army. Sammy came in again and kept jabbing at Wilson's face with the short gleaming weapon. Both men circled each other like dogs then Sammy stabbed again.
This time Wilson parried the blow with his left arm, smashing Sammy in
the face with a powerful right uppercut, sending him sprawling. But Sammy had inflicted a deep cut on Wilsons forearm as he blocked the knife strike. Wilson seized the advantage, kicking Sammy hard in the ribs, then sitting astride him he repeatedly punched him in the face, one blow after another. Wilson became gripped in a red mist of rage and after battering Sammy relentlessly he was finally exhausted and covered in blood. Wilson leant back, feeling the hilt of the zombie knife under his hand.
59
Raphael spoke again about the last seeding, after the earlier Toba explosion seventy-two thousand years ago. Raphael faded as bright images appeared in his place on the big lens as he narrated.
‘I took six pairs of humans only from the Earth but some may still have survived here in deep caves. The Neanderthals were quite well adapted to the cold that the Toba nuclear winter created. I took these six pairs of humans to a system that we called Haven-6 located in the constellation of Taurus. Here there was a bright star supporting six life bearing planets we used as havens hence its name of H-6. In this haven I seeded each of these planets with a breeding pair of humans that I rescued and they were all genetically upgraded with two hundred and twenty three genes that no other creature on Earth possesses. Your closest cousins on Earth are the Chimpanzees and you possess ninety-four percent of their DNA. As part of this uplift we upgraded you with a new larynx nothing like the one the Chimpanzees have so that you would be able to have the power of speech. We also enhanced your brains so that you can develop technologies that your cousins cannot. You cannot teach a Chimpanzee to fold a paper aeroplane but that six percent difference in your DNA that we gave you enabled you to create nuclear weapons and develop space travel. I felt the separation of the six groups may allow for isolation then eradication of the killer gene.
But after several thousand years the supporting star in H-6 began to expand as it was dying. Then it was clear the growing populations would once again have to move. H-6 was in what you now refer to as the Crab Nebula; this later went Super Nova. Together with many other magnificent unique creatures living on H-6 created by the creator, I relocated six groups of people back to the Earth. The time away from the Earth and the genetic enhancements and the exposure to high levels of radiation over the years changed them. After thirty thousand years on six separate planets, they now possessed different skin colourations and facial features and all spoke different languages.
I once again made the decision to separate them. The Earth forty-two thousand years ago was still in the fierce grip of the last ice age. So my reasoning was to keep each group apart, separated by the vast sheets of ice covering much of the planet. I placed all the white skinned people in the north. The Red skinned people out to the West, and all the Yellow skinned people to the east. I placed the Browns in the middle and two distinct groups of Blacks to separate continents south of the equator. These new arrivals while living in H-6 developed different blood groups to the original inhabitants of the Earth and…’
‘That’s it!’ David shouted with excitement as he worked on the third nail in in Lucy’s arm.
‘Blood groups are the key to saving Lucy. I am blood group O; we are the universal blood donor. Every other blood group can accept blood group O, but their blood would kill us. So whatever blood group Lucy is, mine will be acceptable to her. I have a plan to save her, Paul please go and get that box of dialysis needles from Sammy’s stuff by the door.’
Paul sprang into action and did as he was asked, fetching the small box of needles. David took one out. A latex tube about six inches long with a sharp hollow needle. The hollow needle's diameter was around two millimetres in one end and a connector with a clamp at the other. The needle had a plastic red rectangular tab attached two inches above it. This tab was secured by tape to the arm or leg of the intended recipient to keep the inserted needle in place. David outlined his plan to the intrigued group.
‘I am going to connect this other needle to the open end of her clamped rubber tube then stick in into the artery in my wrist. This needle will connect me via the tube to Lucy’s neck, giving her a transfusion of my blood. Because her blood pressure is so low and mine is higher my blood will bleed out into her equalising the pressure in both of us. That may be enough to keep her alive until an ambulance arrives.’ David then did exactly that, climbing onto a bale of hay and hoping the extra height would provide more downward gravitational pressure.
Robert’s removed the final nail, cradling Lucy’s head as David opened both needle clamps. His life-giving blood surged through the long rubber pipe into Lucy. Raphael looked pleased with what David was trying to do. Then he continued to narrate his incredible tale with images displayed brightly on his screen.
‘These six distinct groups of people got along well whilst separated from each other for quite some time, until a large comet hit the earth twelve thousand years ago in North America, wiping out all the Mammoths, Sabre Toothed Tigers, and most other large species on the Earth. These still exist in H-7 another large sanctuary, as I was able to move some of them. This comet blasted through five miles of ice covering the entire northern hemisphere. The ice reached as far south as Texas and huge volumes of fireballs, rocks and ice got thrown into the atmosphere.
This catastrophe caused a great flood killing lots of people. But many survived and most cultures wrote about this flood. The ice age ended with this comet. Then as the ice retreated from the land the seas rose and the earth became transformed by it. Unfortunately, these different groups of people started to migrate, coming into contact with each other once again. But instead of embracing their brother humans they instead discriminated against them. Then stole from them and once more the mindless killing started all over again. The killer gene was still present.’ Belial cut in then, sneering as he displayed images on his own screen.
‘History repeats itself. First, you created a great civilisation with the Egyptians. They built magnificent structures like the Pyramids. Then the barbarians came stealing and killing, their greed still insatiable. You then suppressed the barbarians, the rise of Greece and democracy followed. But once again this ended with the barbarians stealing and killing all over again.
It happened with the Roman Empire then the barbarians re-emerged bringing the dark ages upon you. Rape murder and torture ensued for many decades. The Dutch the Spanish and British all created empires that crumbled. The earlier Revolution in France butchered and stole from the aristocracy. That resulted in the terror of Napoleon; he laid waste to most of Europe in a serious of bloody wars all based on greed and conquest.
The next century gave rise to the worst wars of all times when millions perished because of the greed and murderous desires of men like Hitler. He was intent on total world domination with his master race.
I assumed with your discovery of nuclear power you would soon destroy the entire planet. Raphael was never so busy relocating precious species to H-7 preparing for this expected nuclear holocaust, but that did not happen. Your population surged exceeding our capacity to harvest all the energy in 2008. You still hadn’t pressed the nuclear button.’ Bob Staples could not resist asking.
‘What happened in 2008 that you say exceeded your capacity for harvest?’ Belial laughed and replied.
‘Your world's population hit 6.66 billion in 2008 and as everybody knows 666 is my number. When it became clear, these twin volcanoes were again going to erupt Raphael saved most of the world’s species. He did this by relocating them to H-7 a nursery lying just below the belt of Orion.
I once again now have the capacity to cope with you all that remain. Thousands of ships are now waiting to pierce the veil, finally harvesting your energy and we will be well rid of you. We agreed to each have a champion and give Raphael one last chance to avoid the total erasure of your species. But as I expected Raphael has failed.’
Belial seemed pleased with himself. Andrew Wilson appeared around the corner of the wide barn door and stood in the doorway covered in blood.
‘No Belial has not
failed, Sammy is dead... I have just killed the bastard!’
60
Everyone looked at Wilson covered in blood, looking glorious. Wilson held the long zombie knife in his right hand. Then Wilson held up Sammy's severed head aloft with his left hand. Blood dripped from it onto the floor. Raphael said to Belial.
‘See your champion is dead. That means we have won does it not?’
‘It matters no more now. Take a look at this,’ Belial faded from view, and on his screen, they all saw the backdrop of the huge Toba ash cloud. Beyond it, an image of a green mountainous land and huge clouds of steam and smoke was billowing up from many locations and then the missiles took to the air.
‘That is in North Korea,’ Belial gloated, ‘Soon mushroom clouds will fill the skies around the globe.’
Wilson rushed over to where Lucy lay, dropping the knife next to Sammy’s head onto the ground. David looked at Wilson saying.
‘She is getting a lot of her colour back now I think she is going to be alright,’ Wilson noted how pale David was now because he was giving Lucy too much of his blood.
‘You ought to stop now I don’t think you can afford to give any more,’ Andrew spoke with unusual tenderness in his voice. He felt a great respect for what this man was doing; he had badly misjudged him. David pleaded.