The Incubus, Succubus and Son of Perdition Box Set: The Len du Randt Bundle

by Len du Randt

  ‘Not sure...bzzzt...’

  ‘Mary?’

  The signal was getting weaker. ‘I...bzzzt...you.’

  ‘I love you too,’ Malcolm said. The signal died and tears of joy rolled down Malcolm’s face as he looked at the stars. She was safe, and that was all he needed to know for now.

  - - -* * *- - -

  Timothy and his squad entered Jerusalem and were welcomed by a large crowd of cheering and singing people. Trumpets blew as the convoy slowly drove through the Jerusalem streets to the main headquarters building. Timothy saw his father and jumped from the truck. The two men embraced each other and laughed heartily.

  ‘How did it go?’ Malcolm asked.

  ‘It was easier than I thought,’ Timothy said. ‘The Lord confused them so that they attacked each other. They wiped themselves out completely, and I think that we only had to take out about five or so.’

  Malcolm chuckled. ‘I can just see the expression on Victor’s face when he hears of the attack.’

  ‘Most probably the same as when he heard about Al Jalil.’

  ‘Oh yes,’ Malcolm said and his face lit up. ‘Your mother is alive.’

  ‘What?’ Timothy asked, straining to hear his father above the cheering and the trumpets.

  ‘Your mother,’ Malcolm repeated. ‘She’s alive!’

  ‘That’s great news,’ Timothy said. ‘Let’s go and talk inside.’

  - - -* * *- - -

  ‘All right,’ Timothy said once they were clear of the festive noise outside. ‘Do we know where she is?’

  ‘No,’ Malcolm said. ‘But for now that’s okay. What matters is that she is safe.’

  ‘Yes,’ Timothy agreed. ‘She is safe. If the Lord protected her from Al Jalil, He will probably continue to do so.’

  ‘I believe so too,’ Malcolm said.

  There was a moment of silence where both men just enjoyed the other’s company. Finally, Timothy spoke: ‘I see that you guys have outdone yourselves in restoring the city.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Malcolm said. ‘It was hard work, but we all enjoyed taking back what was rightfully ours. The Temple has virtually been restored to its original condition.’

  ‘Did you encounter any Imperial Soldiers when you took back the city?’

  ‘Only a few,’ Malcolm said. ‘The rest have all been summoned to Base Camp One.’

  ‘That’s good,’ Timothy said. ‘If all the monsters have been called to BC-1, it would make our next target just as easy as the one that we just took.’

  ‘Which one is that?’

  ‘Base Camp Twenty Nine.’

  ‘A medical camp?’

  ‘A critical medical camp,’ Timothy confirmed.

  - - -* * *- - -

  The three hooded figures approached Victor. ‘We have gathered the kings,’ one of them hissed.

  ‘Excellent,’ Victor said. ‘Did anyone oppose?’

  ‘Only two, my Lord.’

  ‘And they are?’

  ‘No longer with us, my Lord.’

  ‘Excellent,’ Victor grinned. ‘Well done.’

  ‘Thank you, Lord.’

  The hooded figures bowed and floated backward before disappearing. Victor turned to the four demonic Imperial generals.

  ‘You too, have done a marvellous job,’ he commended them. ‘Now gather one hundred thousand of your troops. I have a special assignment for you.’

  The four grunted and left the room, their swords clanging against the metal door as their oversized bodies tried to squeeze through the small frame of the exit.

  ‘Now,’ Victor said as he turned to the Base Camp Commanders. ‘Let me explain how we will counter the attacks of the Guerrilla terrorists.’

  - - -* * *- - -

  Trevor was dying. He could feel his body shutting down. It would only be another week, maybe two, before he would collapse; never to awaken again. All the prisoners were marched to a large hall, and Trevor flinched each time someone shuffled past and bumped into him. His body was battered and bruised, and even breathing was a terrible burden. He wanted to give up just then and there, but the N-Force officer shouting at the prisoners didn’t give him much chance.

  ‘Sit yourselves down on the floor,’ the N-Force officer yelled through the speakers.

  Everyone sat down on the cold tiles in the hall, and for the briefest moment, Trevor felt like he was back in school again.

  ‘Betrayers of the Empire,’ the officer spoke through the microphone from the stage. ‘Christian terrorist scum,’ he spat as he surveyed the cold, battered, and dying men, women, and children sitting on the floor. ‘It is with great pleasure that we announce that Sovereign Emperor, Lord Yoshe, has demanded the immediate execution off all concentration camp prisoners.’ He smiled at the people’s shocked reactions. ‘It appears that our Lord needs our services in Israel, and we cannot take you with.’

  ‘No!’ one of the women shouted and started weeping.

  ‘Due to the boundless kindness of our Lord,’ the officer said, ‘he has promised the immediate exemption of anyone willing to repent and receive his forgiveness.

  ‘Anyone here willing to join the Empire Army will be released and sent to Base Camp One, where they will be tended to, fed, and trained.’

  There was an overwhelming silence from the prisoners as their minds tried to digest what had just been offered to them.

  ‘There will be unlimited food, shelter, water, and medical supplies for anyone who joins the Empire’s cause. Those who do not will be tied up and burned alive.’

  It’s a lie! Trevor’s mind shouted as he considered the offer for a fraction of a second. Do not listen to them!

  ‘Those willing to join the Empire, and receive forgiveness and salvation should get up now and line up against the wall on my right-hand side. Those of you who wish to remain unfaithful and bitter will be lined up on the left.’

  The prisoners stood up and buzzed amongst themselves. Each one of them struggled with the conflict that raged within. Trevor wondered if it would be so bad to just join the Empire and get it over with. God knew what pain and suffering he was going through, and would surely understand the situation and forgive him. He started limping toward the gathering crowd of the prisoners that had decided to join the Empire.

  NO! His mind screamed and he stopped. He turned around and saw seven people standing at the opposite wall. So tired, he thought as he looked at them. I’m so terribly tired. Just want to get this over with. For the briefest moment he could swear that Norman and Andrew were standing amongst them. He wanted to be with them. He wanted to be in the company of someone who cared. Painfully, Trevor turned and walked toward the opposite wall. When he reached it, neither Norman nor Andrew was there but, for some strange reason, he felt relieved and at ease.

  Trevor looked at those standing at the opposite wall. There were hundreds; most of them covering their faces in shame. Some just stood there expressionlessly as they reflected back on the unnecessary torture sessions that they had endured.

  The N-Force officer looked at the eight standing against the wall. ‘You selfish fools,’ he sneered. ‘At the first rays of the morning sun, you will all be burned to death. Slowly but surely you will beg for our Lord’s forgiveness between your screams as you die.’ He then looked at those gathered at the other wall. ‘I should kill you all for their betrayal,’ he barked as he pointed at Trevor’s group. ‘But our Lord has better plans for you.’ He motioned to the other N-Force officers. ‘Get these people to the offices so that they can renounce the terrorist leader and receive their Shields.’

  Once the hall had been cleared of the people willing to receive their Shields, the officer looked at Trevor’s group. ‘You have until sun up to make up your minds,’ he said. ‘After that, there will be no more chances. He then summoned more officers. ‘Torture these people,’ he ordered. ‘Use the scorpions to encourage them to repent of their sins.’

  With that he clicked his heels together, spun around, and marched out of the hall.r />
  - - -* * *- - -

  ‘Are we ready to move?’ Timothy asked as he surveyed the Base Camp through his night vision binoculars.

  ‘We are ready, Alpha.’

  ‘Good. Trigger explosions one and four, then wait thirty seconds and trigger the remaining two.’

  ‘Roger that.’

  The man next to Timothy inched away and relayed the instructions to his next-in-command. A minute later, a huge fireball lit up the night skies. Twenty seconds later another explosion rocked the compound.

  ‘Trumpets!’ Timothy yelled and waved his machine gun through the air. ‘Charge!’

  Trumpets blared as eighty men ran down the hill toward the burning Base Camp. Two more explosions sent debris flying in all directions. When they reached the base camp, Timothy sensed that something was amiss. There were no soldiers. There were no bodies strewn across the compound. There was just an empty, burning camp. Timothy looked at the surrounding hills and his stomach contracted.

  ‘It’s a trap,’ he yelled and everyone stopped. ‘Fall back! It’s a trap!’

  The men started retreating, but a loud roar from the east made them stop dead. A sound like that of rushing water came down on them and, in an instant; hundreds of Imperial Soldiers emerged from the nearby shadows.

  Timothy’s men opened fire on the creatures, but the ammunition merely slowed them down. Here and there one dropped, but hundreds replaced the fallen one instantly. It was only a matter of seconds before they were within arm’s reach of Timothy and his men.

  The Imperial Soldiers growled as they flailed their swords through the air and cut down most of the guerrilla fighters with single strokes. The men screamed as they were stabbed and slashed, and for the first time since he began the attacks, did Timothy experience fear.

  One of the Soldiers slashed down one of Timothy’s younger soldiers nearby, and in response, Timothy opened fire. The brutish beast turned its head and charged toward Timothy, swirling its sword through the air as it ran. It closed the gap between them in mere seconds and swung its heavy sword at Timothy’s head. Timothy blocked the blow with his machine gun, but the force of the impact sent him flying back, his rifle flinging through the air.

  The Imperial Soldier lifted its sword high above its head and let out a loud roar.

  Please, Jesus, Timothy prayed. I really need a miracle right about now.

  The Soldier was about to swing its sword down on Timothy with all its might, but a siren in the distance stopped it. It looked up, sniffed, and then let out another roar. It then sheathed its sword and punched Timothy in the face with a huge fist.

  Timothy only felt a tremendous pain in his jaw before everything went black.

  - - -* * *- - -

  When Timothy came to, he had to wait a few seconds for his eyes to adjust and focus. His jaw ached and he noticed that he and two of his men were tied up behind one another. The three of them had been the only survivors of the slaughter that had taken place. They were surrounded by Imperial Soldiers, all eagerly waiting for the command to finish them off. They grunted and shoved and Timothy noticed that their jagged teeth were rotten and mostly missing. He wondered from which pits of Hell Victor had conjured these beasts.

  One Soldier snarled and drew its sword. It made stabbing motions at Timothy and was about to cut him when a loud roar made it stop. The Soldiers parted and a beast almost twice as large and ferocious as the others walked through the opening. It looked at the Soldier that had drawn its sword and then took the weapon. With one swift motion the Soldier’s head parted from its shoulders and landed on the ground with a thud a short distance from where Timothy and his two companions were sitting.

  The General then walked to one of Timothy’s men and leaned in close to the man’s face. It snorted its foul breath heavily into his face, and then pulled its lip back into a snarl, revealing razor sharp teeth.

  ‘Who is your leader?’ the brute asked Timothy’s companion in a barely audible growl. The man just remained quiet. The Demonic General unsheathed a dagger and stabbed it into the man’s shoulder. The man cried out and Timothy flinched as the General twisted the dagger inside the man’s shoulder.

  ‘I ask again,’ the General snarled. ‘Who is your leader?’

  Once again the man remained silent, and once again he screamed as another dagger penetrated his other shoulder. Timothy couldn’t take it anymore.

  ‘I am!’ he shouted out. ‘Leave that man alone!’

  The General stood up and walked around until he stood before Timothy. He then knelt down and also brought his face right in front of Timothy’s. ‘Are you the leader of the terrorist faction?’ the beast growled.

  ‘The Earthly leader, yes,’ Timothy confirmed.

  The General sniffed at Timothy for a few seconds. It then held up a dagger between their two faces. ‘Are you willing to swear on your companion’s lives that you are telling the truth?’

  ‘Yes,’ Timothy said. ‘You have me, now let my men go.’

  The General and two Soldiers pulled the men to their feet and severed their bonds. ‘Come with me,’ it growled and pulled Timothy by the arm.

  ‘You promised to let them go,’ Timothy said as he was shoved to an office building.

  The General roared and Timothy could only look on helplessly as the Imperial Soldiers closed in on his two friends.

  At the office the General beckoned an Imperial Soldier. ‘Get me Commander Archer,’ the General said. ‘Quickly!’

  - - -* * *- - -

  ‘Is this the man?’ Ryan asked as he studied Timothy’s face.

  ‘It is,’ the General answered with a grunt and a growl.

  ‘Well done,’ Ryan said. ‘I will take this terrorist and escort him to Base Camp One myself where Sovereign Emperor Yoshe will deal with him.’

  ‘Maybe we should keep him here until Lord Yoshe himself arrives.’

  ‘Not a good idea,’ Ryan said. ‘This man may have crucial information on the whereabouts and strategies of the enemy. I need to get him to Lord Yoshe right away. Every minute wasted could lead to our downfall.’

  ‘Very well,’ the General grunted and stepped aside.

  Ryan walked up to Timothy and cuffed him. ‘Lord Yoshe will be very pleased,’ he said and escorted Timothy to his Jeep.

  - - -* * *- - -

  Timothy observed the landscape as Ryan pushed the Jeep to its limit. ‘Where are we going?’ he asked.

  ‘To Base Camp One,’ Ryan answered, trying to avoid eye contact.

  ‘No, we’re not,’ Timothy said. ‘There are no mountains near Base Camp One, and besides, the camp is to the east, not south.’

  ‘You know your terrain well,’ Ryan said.

  ‘I have to,’ Timothy replied. ‘It’s the difference between life and death.’

  Ryan didn’t say anything.

  ‘So,’ Timothy said after a minute of silence. ‘As I was asking; where are we going?’

  Ryan stopped the Jeep and jumped out. He walked around and pulled Timothy out as well.

  ‘Are you going to kill me?’

  Ryan didn’t answer. He reached behind his back and pulled out a set of keys from his back pocket. He unlocked the cuffs, and they fell on the soft sand beneath them.

  Timothy rubbed his wrists. ‘You don’t have a Shield,’ he observed.

  ‘I don’t need one,’ Ryan said. ‘I am too high up in the food chain to have to worry about it. Victor thinks that he has my unquestioned loyalty.’

  ‘He doesn’t?’ Timothy asked.

  ‘He did at one point,’ Ryan answered truthfully. ‘But after the slaughter in Canada, I have come to view things from another perspective.’

  ‘So you will join us?’

  ‘No,’ Ryan said. ‘I think that what you’re doing is noble, but I cannot join you. I do, however, have one request.’

  ‘What is it?’ Timothy asked.

  ‘I want you to pray and ask your Jesus to protect me from the wrath of Victor. I want Him to hide me from tha
t monster.’

  ‘You can come to Jerusalem with me,’ Timothy said. ‘You will be safe there.’

  ‘No,’ Ryan said. ‘This is something I have to do on my own.’

  ‘I understand,’ Timothy said. He pushed his hand into his shirt and produced a small pocket New Testament. ‘They didn’t take this from me,’ he said. ‘They said that it was evidence or something.’

  Ryan took the Bible and rubbed his fingers over it as if it was priceless. ‘Haven’t seen one of these in a long, long time,’ he said. ‘Thank you.’

  Timothy nodded.

  ‘Victor’s army marches tomorrow,’ Ryan said. ‘He has about two hundred million of those demonic soldiers, and two and a half billion human followers. They will trample every city in their way and should reach Jerusalem in about two months. You must leave, now. Take the Jeep.’

  ‘Where will you go?’ Timothy asked. ‘What will you do?’

  ‘Don’t worry about me,’ Ryan said. ‘I have my ways and means. But please, you must leave now before they catch up with you.’

  Timothy shook Ryan’s hand and as he sped off, he could only pray as the man in the rear-view mirror got smaller and smaller. Thank you, Lord, Timothy prayed after the man had disappeared from view. Please forgive that man of his past sins and bring him to salvation. Also protect him from Victor’s wrath. I trust that you will do what is good for your purpose. Thank you, once again, Jesus. Amen.

  - - -* * *- - -

  The dream was vivid. Trevor could see every detail of the angel’s face. The light around the angel was soft, yet brilliant at the same time.

  ‘Am I dead?’ Trevor asked, hoping that he was.

  ‘Stand up, Trevor,’ the angel said, his voice leaving just a hint of an echo. ‘It is almost time for the final trumpet to blow.’