by Craig Taylor
The demons screamed and snatched at the baby. They pulled at the chair and tried to attack David, but the power now in his body was too strong; neither he nor the chair was moved. The darkness had concentrated all of its power into the chair, giving the occupant the sovereignty of earth.
David’s eyes met his son’s, and he smiled. He was oblivious to the storm raging around the pit and the demons’ attempts to strike him. The baby grasped his thumb and closed his eyes.
David placed his son on the table. He arched his back as the pain shot through him. He felt fully immersed in the darkness now and the black intensity filled his soul. He took into himself all the pain that mankind was to experience, the death and destruction and evil in the world. He was dragged into the depths of the darkness, where he would spend eternity. He heard the screams he would never escape from, felt the coldness of the demons who would punish him forever.
He saw Legion fade, still trying desperately to pull him from his throne. He saw his baby asleep on the table in front of him, knowing he would never see him again, never hold him in his arms. He knew that sitting himself in the chair would drag him into the abyss, but none of that mattered.
His child was safe, the darkness banished once more. His act of unconditional love was his choice and he was happy. Even as he felt the cold, hard claws pulling him down, he smiled. He knew he could not hold the power intended for his son. He also knew that, as soon as he died, he would be taken by the darkness.
As he was ripped from his earthly body he heard his son laugh and saw Patricia standing over him. She didn’t speak, but her eyes said all that he already knew. The sounds of his son’s laughter would last forever in his memory and comfort him in his eternal suffering.
* * * *
Patricia stood over her son and kept him from Clara until a young couple arrived two hours later. The storm had gone, and the sun shone warmly. The forest lay flattened for miles around the pit, by the power of the darkness.
The couple climbed down into the pit and picked up the baby. The woman took him up into the shade made by a large boulder, left there by the winds.
She couldn’t see Patricia, but could feel her presence. The woman knew she was to keep the boy safe. She was a bearer of the light, and was told to come and rescue the child; everything else would happen as it should.
The man surveyed the destruction. He knew he had to fill in the pit, and bury the ancient table and chairs, and the books which lay near them. He knew it would take weeks to accomplish.
Later that day, they buried David’s body and blessed the grave. They managed to find and bury parts of Luke. They sensed Luke watching them as they did. He would help to protect the boy, as would Patricia.
Postlude
One Month Later
As the truck rumbled up the road, the driver nearly fell asleep. He had driven for hours and was tired. The radio had stopped working yesterday and he wished for a distraction from the boredom of long-haul trucking.
He saw her up ahead and noticed her sign. Take me away. He pulled over and leaned across the cab and opened the door for her. As she climbed in, he checked her out.
She was stunning. She looked about twenty-two, had smooth olive skin and long, lean legs shown off by the brief cutoff jeans she wore. Her tight T-shirt hugged her ample breasts, showing off her nipples.
She looked at him, smiled and touched his leg. “I just want to leave this place. Where ever you’re going is good enough.”
He laughed, unable to believe his good fortune. This bitch was worth picking up. He was going to have a good time tonight; he’d already decided where to stop.
“My name’s Toby. What’s yours?”
She smiled, flicked the auburn hair from her eyes and leaned back in the seat. “Just call me Clara.”
About the Author:
Craig Taylor lives in New Zealand with his wife, son and menagerie. An avid reader and writer, this is his first published novel.
Also from Damnation Books:
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Since Cassandra Graystone was a child and her family perished in a fire she knows and sees things other people don’t…when someone will die or that a demon lurks beneath a human skin. She sees phantoms. Yet she craves a simple life singing out with her musician brother, Johnny, and caring for her elderly aunt and uncle; to be with her friends, Sarah, a psychic, and Walter, a clown in a carnival circuit. But when Sarah sees apocalyptic events in her tarot cards and demons are everywhere, Cassandra fears she’s going insane or something terrifying is happening in the world.
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Print ISBN: 9781615721801
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Between the problems in her marriage, her writer’s block, and the heat situation inside the basement, Lane Blume is sure she’s going insane.
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