Into Darkness (The Guardian Book 2)

by Jason Davis

  * * * *

  “Sam, have you walked through here yet?”

  “Yeah, Dean. Why don’t you try over there.”

  Rob recognized the voices right away. He knew he was coming upon the little dump area some residents liked to drop off garbage. It was illegal and came with a heavy fine, but some still did it. He never understood why. Garbage was picked up from the curb regularly, so there was no reason to risk the fine.

  He walked to the little cliff overlooking the dump. Sam Bradley and Dean Tanden were down there, each holding a long pole they pushed into the gaps. Rob saw two refrigerators, the doors pried open.

  Rob worked his way down the steep embankment. He leaned up against a tree, enjoying the momentary relief. “Find anything,” he asked.

  “Well, Sammy here found his winter wardrobe, but nothing else.”

  “Hey, watch it, smart ass.”

  The two men were both in their late thirties and had been long-time drinking buddies Rob had to separate on more than one occasion. Most times, he was called in to stop them from beating up some of the younger guys. Those two were like brothers, often fighting, but having each other’s backs at the same time. From what Rob had heard, it had been that way since grade school.

  They were also good hunters. The good thing was they knew how to track. The bad thing was the open carry law. Both had their guns strapped to their waists like an old western. There was not much Rob could do about it, but having them out there with loaded firearms made him uneasy. Everyone was already too worked up. An accident seemed inevitable. Civilians with firearms always made him antsy.

  Rob sighed as Dean started poking Sam with the long stick, Sam trying to pull it away. These two were a prime example that men didn’t grow up. Their toys just got more expensive.

  “Anything useful?” Rob asked, fighting to keep from saying it through clenched teeth.

  “Not yet. We’re going to keep working here for another few minutes, but I don’t think there’s anything to find,” Sam said, holding the end of the stick, keeping Dean from poking him.

  “Okay. Where’s the main search moved to?”

  “I think they’re taking a break over by Main Street. That one kid looked pretty rough, then some girl-”

  “Suzie,” Dean interrupted.

  “Yeah, Suzie. She almost fell into a hole and sprained her ankle. Someone ran to get some ice to put on it.”

  “She’s okay?”Rob asked.

  Sam nodded. “Yeah. She caught herself. Could have been much worse. Looks like an old mineshaft.”

  “Nah, can’t be. They filled those in when they were done in the area,” Dean said.

  “Yeah, well, they could have missed one. They seemed in a rush to get out of town. No one ever knew why. They just up and started filling in holes. Before a bat could bat an eye, they were gone.”

  “How the hell does a bat bat an eye?” Dean raised his eyebrow.

  “Shut up. You know what I mean.”

  Rob rolled his eyes, stepping away from the pair before he’d have to get involved. He headed toward Main Street, briefly wondering how long it would take the two to realize he had walked away. When he got back to his car, he could call county. While he wasn’t holding his breath for anything to come back on the Amber Alert, there was always a chance. Maybe they had been able to track down the father, see if the kid was over there.

  He quickly dismissed that idea. If that had happened, he was sure they would have found a way to get word to him. He had to leave his cell phone in his car to charge, but there were plenty of other people around who would have told him. His little flip phone was probably as ignored as he had been for the last hour.

  If he could just go home and get a few hours’ sleep, maybe he would come back and be more useful. No one would probably even notice he was gone.

  He didn’t have time to think too much about it, hearing voices as he neared the cars.

  “And,by the wrath of God, the sinful will be punished...”

  That’s the last thing we need right now, he thought, rolling his eyes as he emerged through the last of the thorn bushes and onto the path. He saw a crowd of people, easily making out the man talking.

  John Amery… Pastor John to some, Pastor Amery to others. It didn’t matter too much as Rob had dealt with the man a handful of times, none of them pleasant. He was very strong in his beliefs and stubborn as a mule. Pastor John also felt that anyone who didn’t believe the way he did was someone with a touch of the devil in them and was headed straight to hell. It wasn’t a surprise that was how he felt about Rob, who didn’t put up with the man’s mouth.

  He wished he could just sock him in the mouth a few times and shut him the hell up. For a man of faith, the pastor was a major pain in his ass. With all the exhaustion Rob had pushed out of his mind, much of it suddenly crept its way back.

  “This boy was cursed, and has been cursed. He was a demon seed that the Lord has felt the need to take him up and save his soul before he could be corrupted even more by this vile and evil place. He has been saved from the depravity that grips this town. The evil that can be found in the fortresses of sin that is on every street corner. Look around and see. Count how many of those immoral havens can be found, then count how many good places there are to worship. There are nine bars, seven houses of false gods, and only one true church. This boy has been saved, and we should look to see who else will be saved.”

  Rob’s steps quickened. The pastor stood in the bed of truck as he spoke to those gathered around him. Some of them swayed back and forth, their hands raised, punctuating the end of every one of his sentences with an “Amen”. The other half of the group looked like they were getting ready to do something. Timmy Doyle, a kid who was David’s age, had his fists clenched and was moving to come up behind the pastor. Rob cut him off, shaking his head.

  “We shouldn’t be out here searching, walking through the devil’s playground. We should all be revisiting our love for God and scripture. The rapture is here. The children will be taken, but all are not forgiven. We need to be reborn in the-”

  “That’s enough!” Rob yelled, his own voice loud enough to shut him up and have him take notice of the limping man walking forward. The pastor’s eyes focused on his own, Rob swearing he could see madness storming behind them. Maybe it was just because of how wide the man’s eyes were. He swore he could see the whites as they bore down on him.

  Don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes.

  Wasn’t that the old Civil War philosophy, or did it predate that? Well, he wouldn’t have to be far away to see the glare trained on him.

  “How dare you interrupt me. I am only helping these poor people find the road to salvation.”

  “You're only helping to piss people off and interrupt them as they try to find a missing boy.”

  “That is your belief and you will serve your time in damnation’s flames once the rapture has taken the Lord’s servants home.”

  The man had an odd accent for the area. It wasn’t the first time Rob wondered where he was from. His English was more pronounced, more clear. Maybe from some upscale northeastern city? It was possible it came from his religious training, but anyone could call themselves a man of God and start a church nowadays. The pastor at Rob’s own church didn’t sound that way. He was pretty good at keeping things simple, which felt natural for the area.

  “You can stay and help search if you’d like. I won’t stop you from that. But if you’re just going to cause trouble, I want you out of here.”

  “We have every right to be here. We are a peaceful gathering here to spread the true faith to the unenlightened. This is when they need us the most. To understand their loss.”

  Rob stopped at the back of the truck. “I told you once. You can help or you can go. Get down out of that truck before I make you get down.”

  “You would not dare touch a servant of the Lord,” the man scoffed. Rob smiled in response. He felt like cracking his knuckles, but that wou
ld send the wrong signal. He wasn’t going to hit the guy, but he had no problem climbing up there and knocking the man down a peg or two, then taking him away in handcuffs. In fact, he was kind of looking forward to it. He needed to work out some frustration.

  When Pastor Amery reached out, Rob grabbed his hand to help down the tall, dark man he guessed to be in his early thirties. He stepped down in a long stride, then stood there, trying to use his height to tower over and cower Rob. However, he stood his ground, his glare matching the pastor’s.

  “I am only spreading the word of God.”

  “You are antagonizing and disturbing the peace.”

  “How am I disturbing the peace?”

  “By pissing me off.”

  Rob pulled out the handcuffs tucked into the back of his utility belt. Before the man had a chance to react, Rob spun him around and pushed him against the bed of the truck.

  “Hey, you can’t do that,” one of the pastor’s followers yelled. “You heathen!”

  Rob didn’t even turn to see who it was. He reached out and grabbed the pastor’s other arm and pulled it behind his back, keeping his body pressed against him so he couldn’t twist away. It had been a while since Rob had to handcuff someone this way, but he’d responded to enough domestic violence calls to deal with an uncooperative asshole.

  He was careful not to press too hard against the man or shove him into the truck. With so many witnesses, he knew that whatever he did would be closely scrutinized. It was hard, though, as he just wanted to pound the man, slam his face against the metal. That had to be the exhaustion, the voice in his head telling him to let out some of the frustration.

  He heard the click as the second handcuff closed around the pastor’s wrists. As he pulled the man away from the truck, he felt wetness hit his cheek, then more on the back of his neck. He turned in time for another one to catch him in the eye.

  They’re spitting on me?

  Rob pulled the pastor in front of him, walking him toward his car. It wasn’t his squad car, but it would work.

  “You are going to lose your badge for this. This is harassment. You are preventing me from exercising my religious freedom and my right to assemble.”

  Rob opened the door and forced him into the back seat. “Stay,” he ordered, then slammed the door, feeling the car vibrate. The window shook, making him remember the crack that was starting to form. If he did that too hard, he was liable to make it worse. The last thing he wanted was to have to replace it.

  When he heard the faint little chirp of his cell phone, he opened the front door and grabbed it, looking at the display. Ten voicemails. Most mornings, he would wonder who had called him so many times. With everything that morning, though, he was actually surprised there weren’t more.

  He flipped the phone open and saw most of them were from one number. Shit. Sewage. I was supposed to be in the truck this morning. Damn. This isn’t going to be good.

  He listened to the first voicemail, hearing the angry voice on the other end asking him where the hell he was and why his boss was getting phone calls about needing to get a driver out there for the truck. That had come in at seven.

  Before he could listen to the rest of the messages, the phone rang. He saw Mark’s number again.

  He clicked TALK, but before he could say anything, the person on the other end started talking.

  “Rob? You there?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay. Are you involved with the search?” It wasn’t the angry voice he expected. Mark must have heard about what was going on.

  “Yeah. Been here all night.”

  “Okay. I got another driver to cover your shift, but I’ll need you back tomorrow. Get some sleep.”

  Before he could respond, the line went dead. Rob just shook his head, which had started to get heavy again. He needed to get some sleep. He didn’t think he could go much longer before he fell over.

  He climbed into the driver’s seat. As much as he wanted to just go home, he had to take care of something first. He looked in the rearview mirror, glaring at the man in the back seat. The pastor returned it.

  * * * *

  “How can you live with yourself?”

  “What’s that?” Rob asked, taking a quick glance at the pastor in the rearview mirror. They were barely a block away from the coal dump and Rob had been thankful the man had stayed quiet. He hoped it would stay that way for the whole drive back to the man’s church.

  “I said how can you live with yourself, living your life of gluttony and sin.”

  Rob couldn’t help himself. He broke out laughing. “Gluttony? Sin? You don’t even know me.”

  “You drive around this town, you go into those filth-ridden places, you fornicate with the devil’s servants and lie in their beds, smothering yourself in their depravity.”

  “What?” Sputtering, Rob couldn’t think of anything else to say. His mouth opened and closed, but no words emerged. He tried to laugh it away, but it was forced, his smile stretched.

  “Each night, I see you go into those bars.”

  “Sir… Father… Whatever you want to call yourself… I go into a bar when I am called there to break up a fight.”

  “You live your life in sin and you will continue to be lead to burn in the devil’s playground, feeling his fires until your skin is torched.”

  Rob’s smile vanished. He pulledoff the road in one of the many available parking spaces so he could turn around and stare into the man’s eyes. “You’d better shut up before I shut you up. I’ve been amongst those fires you’ve seen. I have watched good men and women die, whose only sin was to be a slave to it. I have seen a whole town caught up in a fiery blast, nearly dying as the whole complex burned down around me. I have faced the flames of your hell, and you know what, you self-righteous son of a bitch?” Rob waited for the pastor to say something, but the man was smart enough to keep his mouth shut. “I’m still here. You can take that back to your God or whatever devil you worship. I’m still here, and I am not going anywhere.”

  Rob pulled the car back onto the street. He was thankful it was such a small town, only taking a few minutes to pull into the lot next to the man’s parish. Rob found it harder and harder to think of him as a man of faith. He seemed to only be content with spewing vile words, not converting followers to believe in God.

  Rob was glad to be getting rid of this scum. He opened his door, then the back one, pulling the man out of the car, twisting him so he could remove the handcuffs.

  “If I catch you back over there, I will arrest you.”

  “What about my car?”

  “You can send one of your followers over to get it after 6 p.m. If you need it before then, too bad. Walk.”

  The pastor nodded, continuing to glare. Rob turned his back on him, moving to climb into the car.

  “The boy is lost. You will never find him.”

  Rob stopped and pulled himself back up to stare into the dark pits of the pastor’s eyes.

  “What do you mean by that? Do you know something we don’t?”

  “I know his soul, if he ever had one, was lost long ago. He is lost to the darkness, and there will be no return.”

  Rob just shook his head, frustrated that he allowed this man to pull him into more of his bullshit. He should have just let well enough alone and took off.

  “There is an evil coming to this town, Deputy. An evil you are blind to. You must open your eyes and see. The darkness is coming.”

  Rob climbed into his car, not hiding the smirk as he looked back up at the pastor.

  “Pastor John… Why would evil waste time on such a small, pissant town like this? I think the devil has better things to do with his time.”

  The pastor reached out and grabbed the door. Rob looked at the hand, then back at the man. “Let go.”

  “Evil is in the heart of every man. The devil wastes no one. He is greed incarnate, desiring every soul.”

  “Love is in the heart, as well. Evil is what happens when pe
ople like you get into their heads.”

  “Love,” the pastor scoffs. “Love is just a chemical imbalance of the weak mind. The only true love is that for God.”

  “Some say that about religious zealots, too. That you’re all chemically imbalanced.”

  “All those born in sin are lost to the darkness as the sinners get what they deserve.”

  When Rob pulled on the door, the pastor let go, allowing Rob to slam it closed.

  He drove away, his chest burning. He really needed to get some sleep. He couldn’t stay awake much longer, his breathing starting to come in short bursts. This had to be over soon.

  CHAPTER 7

  “Hey, Allison, will you be there tonight?”

  She turned, seeing the girl rushing to catch up with her. Allison forced a smile as she looked down at the shorter woman.

  “Hey, Leannette. I’m not sure. I just got out of Chem lab and have to study tonight. Ms. Mazur is a beast, and tomorrow I have that Calculus exam.”

  “Well, that’s why you should come.”

  Allison knew she was right. After all, the point of a study group was to do just that. Allison wasn’t used to it, though. She still thought of David and his study groups, which usually consisted of more kissing and less studying than what had probably been good for her.

  Sure, they hadn’t really needed the extra studying. It had just been their time together, something to make their parents think they were doing something productive. They both got good enough grades, so their parents believed them.

  Now, she was away at school and study groups had to be just that. Every time someone asked her to join them, she felt that little flutter in her chest, yearning to hear David’s voice.

  She knew she should call him. He would soon be leaving to join the military and she may never get the chance to see him again. Would she be okay with that? She wasn’t sure.

  “Earth to Allison… Anyone home?”

  Allison blinked and looked back at the cute, short black woman. They had first met in their dorm. Allison wasn’t quite sure how, but they just started talking to each other. Leannette had come up to her and stuck her hand out, introducing herself, not giving Allison the choice as to whether or not they were going to get to know each other. That had probably been good because Allison was homesick, seriously contemplating about going home. As much as she hated to be back there and couldn’t stand the idea of moving back in with her mom, she had been crying herself to sleep every night. Her roommate hadn’t been any help because she had barely said more than three words to Allison since she had moved in. Her head was always in a book. When she did look up, she would say hi, then seem lost in the pages again.