by Chuck Black
“Where to? The company may not be safe, and neither are our homes.”
Drew nodded. “We need to get off the grid as much as possible. Did you call Jake?”
“No. You were sounding pretty paranoid, and I wasn’t sure who I should contact.”
“Good thinking, Ben.”
“Wait…just wait a minute,” Ethan interjected. “Who are they?”
Sydney looked at Drew with narrowed eyes. She had asked the same question.
Drew looked up at Ethan. “Ethan, you have no reason to trust me, and every reason not to.” He paused to catch his breath. “All I can tell you is that I’m one of the good guys, and the less you know, the safer you and Sydney will be.”
Ethan didn’t look convinced. His smirk was filled with skepticism.
Drew grimaced again, and he felt like he needed to lie down. But if he did, he might not get up for a very long time. He steeled himself against the temptation to give in to his fatigue and pain.
All four of them were quiet for a time. Drew was desperately trying to make his mind work and decide on some safe house they could hide out in so he could recover. He had a safe house in Minnesota, but it was too far. He needed something close and soon.
“I know of a place,” Sydney said, “and I’ll take you there.”
“What? No!” Ethan stepped forward. “I won’t allow it. You can’t go with them, Sydney. Whether he’s telling the truth—which I highly doubt—or he is a crazy man, it’s too dangerous. It’s absurd! No, I won’t allow it!”
“He’s right, Sydney,” Drew added. “You can’t come with us. It is too dangerous.”
Her eyes narrowed. Drew had seen that look before, and it was a look that always preceded her getting her way. She glanced at Drew, then focused on Ethan.
“And you think I won’t be in danger here, waiting for ‘them,’ whoever they are, to come and interrogate me about where Drew and Ben are?”
None of the three men said a word.
Sydney looked at Drew. “Drew, the people coming after you, are they government agents?”
Any information Drew offered would pull them in further, but just the fact that he was in her apartment put them beyond any safety net. “Probably, but they’re not the kind you want to meet. They don’t operate by the rules like we do. The constitution means nothing to them.”
“Is he serious? Are you some kind of conspiracy nut? Sydney, how did you get mixed up with this guy?”
Sydney looked miffed. She pulled Ethan away from the couch. She was using a hushed voice, but it did little to stop Drew from hearing them.
“I know this looks a little crazy, but this is also the guy who saved my life—three times! The least I can do is help him now while he’s bleeding with nowhere to go.” Her voice steadily increased in volume until even Ben could hear them. “He can barely sit up, and I know him—he won’t go to a hospital. He needs tending to.”
“I’ll take care of him,” Ben shouted across the room.
Sydney came briskly back to the couch. “Oh, please! You can hardly take care of yourself, let alone someone with a bullet hole in him.”
Ben smirked and then nodded in agreement.
Ethan grabbed Sydney’s arm. “What are you doing, Sydney? This is ridiculous. This isn’t like you. Where did this crazy behavior come from all of a sudden? I don’t want you going with them!”
Sydney turned and looked up into Ethan’s eyes. She took a deep breath, then transformed her stern look of determination into a gentle smile. Drew had also seen this look before.
She put a hand to Ethan’s cheek. “I’ll be okay, Ethan. I promise. In a few days when this is over, I’ll come back to you, and we’ll finish planning our wedding. Okay?”
Seeing Sydney being tender with Ethan hurt again. The hole in Drew’s heart was more painful than the hole in his shoulder. He watched Sydney’s magic work on Ethan as it had on him many times before.
Ethan’s face softened and his shoulders relaxed. He shook his head as he took her hand and held it with both of his. “Don’t do anything foolish. And I want to know where you’re going so I can bring the police at a moment’s notice. That’s the deal.”
“Don’t tell him, Sydney. It will put everyone at risk, including Ethan.”
“Shut up, Carter. I’m not handing my fiancé over to some crazy man with a death wish.” Ethan brushed hair out of Sydney’s face. “Tell me, Sydney.”
Sydney leaned close to Ethan and whispered in his ear. Drew couldn’t take it anymore. He wished Ben hadn’t brought him here. His heart was bleeding out worse than his real wound.
“Ben, help me up and get me to the car. We need to leave now.”
Ben struggled to get Drew off the couch, but Sydney helped and they were soon at the door of the apartment and ready to exit.
Drew turned. “Elsing, it would be smart to clean up the blood so that when they do come, there’s no evidence I was here. And if you have any vacation days, you might want to take a couple and go visit friends in a different city.”
Ethan scowled. “I will not burn my vacation time running from some imaginary conspiracy group made up in the mind of a madman. If anything happens to her, Carter, I’m coming after you.”
Ben and Sydney looked at each other with wide eyes. Drew scrutinized Ethan. “I know, doc. I’ll die before I let anything happen to Sydney. I’ll bring her back to you, I promise.”
Ben and Sydney helped Drew to the car, but he nearly collapsed twice. Once inside he leaned up against the door and tried to keep from passing out, but he only lasted a few minutes, and then the world went black.
Validus and his men gathered outside the cabin on Lake Willow, a secluded and remote resort area in eastern Ohio. Evidently Carlyle’s father had taken her and her family here on a vacation once when she was a child.
Jayt looked like he was struggling with half a dozen deep wounds from the recent Washington, DC battle. It was the closest Validus had come to losing Carter, and Jayt nearly dissolved trying to get to their charge during the gunfight.
Validus looked at the faces of his war-torn team. He remembered the day he had to convince them of the significance of the Carter mission. Today there was no convincing necessary.
“Last night we just about lost him, and were it not for the valiant efforts by all of you, I’m afraid this mission would have failed. Our challenge has been that we never know when or how the Fallen will attack next.”
Validus looked through the large picture window of the cabin to see Drew sleeping on the couch with Sydney sitting next to him.
“But that is not the case now. Drew Carter and Sydney Carlyle are together, and this is as urgent as our protection will ever get. We must prepare for an all-out assault by legions of the Fallen.
“The seven of us will provide the close-range protection for Carter and Carlyle. Crenshaw, I want you next to me 24/7. I want to know if any Fallen gets within five miles of Carter. Brumak, Jayt, Rake, and Persimus will be lookouts for each of the four quadrants. Tren, you are within ten feet of Carter at all times. There are no relief shifts until this is over. While these two are together, the gates of hell could unleash at any time. Rake, get to Malak and tell him I need two legions here immediately.”
All the warriors seemed encouraged by Validus’s words, even Brumak.
“Yes sir,” Rake said, his wings morphing out.
Validus shook his head. “No wings. Not until you are two hundred miles from here. I guarantee the Fallen are watching us, so be careful. Deliver the message and get back. Brumak and Persimus will give you cover until you take flight. Any questions?”
Validus looked at each warrior. When his gaze fell on Jayt, he could see the warrior was struggling.
“Jayt, I need you at full strength. Get to the water and initiate the Curing now.”
Jayt’s eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. He nodded.
“Let’s move,” Validus said.
Brumak, Persimus, and Rake took off in a sout
hern direction along the shore of the lake. Jayt straightened and began walking toward the water.
Tren started to go with him, but Validus grabbed his arm. “He won’t want you there.”
The pain was going to be excruciating. Most warriors preferred a hand to grip or a face to focus on to fight against the pain, but that was not Jayt’s way. Tren still looked concerned.
“You get to Carter, and I’ll be near if Jayt needs me,” Validus said.
Tren seemed satisfied with that. He returned to Carter and Carlyle as Validus followed Jayt at a distance. The stoic warrior walked straight into the water without hesitating. Validus cringed as his man screamed inwardly against the avalanche of pain.
Rake returned later that day with a promise from Malak to come through with the warriors.
But two days later there were still no legions.
Validus paced outside the cabin, anger mounting. What if the Fallen had attacked already?
“Rake, I thought Malak said those warriors would be here. Where are they?”
Rake shook his head. “I—”
Validus stopped. “I’m sorry. This isn’t your fault. I’m just frustrated.” He scanned the area, looking for some sign that help was on its way.
That was when Crenshaw jumped from the roof and joined Validus and Rake. His face said it all. His mesmerizing eyes were filled with angst.
Validus tensed. His anger now full. “How many?”
Crenshaw looked at Rake, then Validus. “Too many to count, sir. Many legions coming from the south.”
The sun was nestling between the pine trees across the water, spreading the last of its warmth on the inhabitants of Lake Willow. There wasn’t a single wrinkle in the glass-like reflection of the water, capturing a perfectly symmetrical image of the trees, setting sun, and deepening blue sky—double the beauty for the eyes of the beholders.
And yet in spite of being surrounded by the indescribable beauty of Lake Willow, and in spite of being in the presence of the one girl who had completely captured his heart, Drew was as miserable as he had ever been in his life. He was healing quickly, but today was the first time in two days that he felt strong enough to walk and move around again.
Sydney suggested a short walk along the shore of the lake. Drew wondered if perhaps her intent was for more than exercise, for neither he nor Sydney had said a word regarding their feelings toward each other since he had met Ethan. Even now they walked in silence.
Drew noticed that Validus and three of his warriors were surrounding them, but he tried to ignore the visions. Since the shooting, his subconscious had kicked into overdrive.
Here in the serene beauty of the lake, it seemed as though the invaders were trying to grant him and Sydney a little extra space, almost as if they were chaperones who didn’t want to intrude but yet were obligated to be near. Drew dreamed of, but could hardly remember, the days when his mind and vision were free from such intrusions.
After they had walked for a couple hundred yards, Drew stopped and pointed to the brilliant orange, red, and blue colors dancing off the undersides of the noctilucent clouds ushering out the day.
Sydney stopped and put her hands in her back pockets. “It’s beautiful,” she said, but the tone of her voice didn’t match the beauty of the sunset.
Drew needed to help her, and he knew it; he just had to rally himself for the right words. “Syd, I’m glad you found the right guy for you. I don’t want you to second-guess yourself. Ethan seems solid, and he’ll take care of you.”
She turned away from him. “I couldn’t keep waiting, Drew. I—” She turned back to face him, and the pain in her soul poured out through her eyes. “I just had to move on. Ethan loves the Lord, and your life is so crazy.”
Drew nodded. “I know.” He wanted to reach out and hold her, but things were different now. She and Ethan belonged to each other, and Drew was not about to add confusion. “You had to move on, and I’m glad you did. You deserve so much better than me and what I could offer. Ethan will be that for you.”
Her eyes saddened, and she forced a weak smile. “You guys didn’t meet under the best of circumstances, but I think you would like him.”
Drew tried to smile.
“I love him, Drew.”
He lowered his gaze to the sand they were standing in. “I know. I can tell.”
They both turned and looked across the lake. After a minute of silence, Drew started them back toward the cabin.
“Now that we got that cleared up, congratulations on getting your master’s. That is amazing. I’m proud of you, Syd. What’s next?”
“Actually, I’m thinking of going for my doctorate. I really love microbiology.”
Drew smiled. “I’m not surprised. I think it’s a great idea.”
She shrugged. “Thanks.”
Drew knew that his time with her would be short. He took a few seconds to gather his courage. “I was wondering if I could ask you a couple of questions.”
“Sure.”
“I can’t even begin to tell you what’s happened in my life in the last couple of years.”
She held up her hand. “I’m not sure I want to know, Drew.”
“Don’t worry, Syd; tomorrow I’ll be gone for good.”
She bit her lower lip.
Drew glanced at her, wondering if he should go on. Of all the people in the world, she was the closest to really knowing who he was and what he had experienced. Perhaps it was his wound, but whatever it was, he felt vulnerable and a need to share the whole truth with her.
“Not long after the bombing in Chicago, the individual I worked for somehow discovered that I was…well…seeing things.”
Sydney glanced up at him. He tried to read her to determine if he dared go on.
“And?” she asked.
“He forced me to see a psychiatrist.” Drew sighed and shook his head. “He was a sharp guy. He claimed that with all the tragedy in my life, I was dealing with a severe case of posttraumatic stress disorder, and it developed into”—Drew couldn’t make himself say schizophrenia, so he didn’t—“visions that my subconscious conjures up to help me cope.”
He didn’t know how to read Sydney’s expression.
“Jake and my mom know, but not Ben.” His head lowered. “My whole life is such a lie. Ben thinks I still believe in his alien theory, and the people I work for think I’m schizophrenic. I live a double life, and now the US government is trying to kill me.” Drew leaned up against a tree and crossed his arms. “I’m such a mess I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
Validus could feel the darkness moving in, surrounding them…swallowing them. There was no way any of them would survive this, let alone Carter and Carlyle. Malak had let him down, and now humanity was going to pay the price.
“We need to get them back to the cabin,” Tren said.
Validus shook his head. “The cabin won’t provide any protection from this. We make our stand here.”
He had positioned his men at different intervals out with orders to collapse inward as the Fallen came at them.
Crenshaw turned his head. “Commander, Malak’s legions are coming from the west.”
“Praise Elohim! Malak is late, but at least we have a fighting chance.” He turned to Rake. “Find the commander and tell him our location. Tell him to enter from the north, watching his west flank. The lake should protect the east.”
Rake morphed his wings.
“Be careful, Rake,” Crenshaw said. “They are everywhere.”
Rake nodded and bolted north, first on foot to gain speed, then exploding into flight, arcing around to the west.
Sydney touched Drew’s arm. He wished she hadn’t. It only made an already confusing life even more so.
She seemed to sense it and withdrew her hand. “Are you still seeing the visions?”
Drew lifted his head and scanned. Did he see visions! Validus was near and his face wore the look of war. Invaders were gathering everywhere. Drew closed his eyes to mak
e them go away.
“Yes, I see them. Every time there’s a crisis or something bad is about to happen. The doctor says my mind fabricates the images to help me cope.”
“Tell me what you see,” Sydney said.
Drew shook his head. “I don’t want to. I’m tired of it. I’m tired of being…crazy.” He rubbed his eyes. Fatigue was starting to set in. “I’m sorry, Syd. I shouldn’t have told you. It wasn’t fair.” He pushed off from the tree, but she grabbed his arm again.
“I’m glad you did. Sit down and look at me…only at me.”
Drew knew he shouldn’t. It would only draw her more into his life, and that was not what he wanted for her, but she was the only one who brought a sense of peace into his life. He tried to ignore the chaos developing moment by moment in his imaginary world. He sat down and faced Sydney.
She smiled, and his heart melted one more time. “You said you wanted to ask me a couple of questions. What are they?”
He looked into her eyes and saw such peace. He was so envious. “I used to think I had life all figured out and that you were the crazy one for your beliefs. Now I realize that I’m the crazy one, and all along you’ve lived with such peace, such confidence. I wish…” His gaze fell again. “I wish I had that, Syd. I need peace in spite of this crazy world I’m in.”
She lifted his chin. Her eyes were glowing with hope. Though the day was darkening, the blue plasma flame began to dance across her hands and face. His subconscious was so convincing.
“In Philippians, it says that God’s peace surpasses our understanding and that it will keep your heart and your mind through Jesus Christ. The peace you see in me is the peace I have because of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
“I remember reading that.”
“You remember?” Sydney’s eyebrows lifted.
“You made me promise to read the Bible again and seek God.” He drew in a deep breath and exhaled. “I did, and I realized that my view of your faith was all wrong. This Jesus was one of the most courageous men I’ve ever read about. Your faith isn’t for the weak but for the strong.” He filled his hand with sand and let it slowly sift between his fingers. “That’s when I realized that you were the strong one all along, Syd, and I was the weak one.”