“Besides,” he said, “Hikari and Father Rainey really needed to know the effects of holy ground on my body. They both seem to enjoy testing my limits. I think Father Rainey expected my body to go up in flames. He almost looked disappointed when I didn’t. Well, now they know. As Hikari would say, knowledge is … “
“Power,” Aimi finished for him. She laughed. It was one of Hikari’s favourite sayings, almost a mantra. She looked thoughtful for a moment. “And how do you feel about the other thing — you know, about killing other demons?”
There was a long moment of silence before Sam answered. “I feel good,” he said truthfully. “Even though part of me is demon, I won’t hesitate.”
Aimi shook her head. “Part of you isn’t demon,” she said. “You’re all human — you just have those horns for decoration.” She laughed again, forcing another smile from him.
She always did that. Always made him feel good about himself. There were precious few things that could do that: Hikari and the sense of accomplishment he felt with his training and … Aimi. Lately, he’d found himself daydreaming about what the future had in store for the two of them. What happened if the Rapture never occurred? Did that mean that Aimi and he might have a future together when they were older? Even at this young age, he knew he loved her and sensed that she felt the same way about him.
Suddenly feeling self-conscious and shy, he reached carefully into his pocket. His hand wrapped around the object he found inside. Luckily, the bandages prevented any contact with it.
He brought it out slowly and showed it to Aimi. Her face lit up with pleasure.
“It’s beautiful,” she said, examining the necklace with the silver cross without touching it.
“Take it,” he said. “Try it on.”
Nervously, she reached out and lifted the delicate necklace from his palm. As much as he could, he helped her put it on.
“Where did you get it?” she asked, looking down and fingering it with obvious delight.
“It was my mother’s,” he said. “I want you to have it.”
Immediately, her face fell. “I can’t accept this,” she said, reaching up, already trying to unclasp it.
He grabbed her hands, gently enfolding them in his. “Yes, you can. I’m giving it to you. Besides,” he said, shrugging, “I can hardly wear it.”
She looked at him for a long moment before finally relenting, then reached over and gave him a hug.
“Thank you,” she said quietly, kissing his cheek.
He felt himself reddening with embarrassment and pleasure. It was the right thing to do, he knew. His mother would have wanted this, and he knew of absolutely no-one else who he would rather wear it.
They sat together for a while in companionable silence. Finally Sam spoke. “When we were at the church, did you … did you notice anything unusual?”
Aimi looked surprised. “Unusual? You mean apart from a teenage boy moving in slow motion while in horrible pain?”
He shrugged. “It’s just that I sensed something.”
“Something? Like what?”
“Like something was watching me. I even thought I saw it. It was saying things in my head.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“I think it was a demon. It was making me promises. Promising that it could make the pain go away.”
Aimi looked genuinely worried now. “A demon?” She looked around nervously.
He nodded. “I think I’ve sensed it before but thought it was all in my head.”
He didn’t want to tell Aimi where he’d felt that presence before, but something about the figure he had glimpsed seemed familiar. He’d realized it was because he’d seen it in his dreams. They’d been getting worse lately, too. Hikari said he’d been thinking of a solution. Meditation was fine, he’d said, but hardly an answer. Sam still needed to sleep at some point and Hikari accepted the suffering the boy went through every time he did.
There was something else, something he hadn’t told Aimi or Hikari. When he thought about it, it seemed that the demonic presence had always been around. Ever since he was a boy. It was only now that he’d seen it at the churchyard that he’d made the connection. A demon was watching him. Even now, it seemed like something was out there. Watching. Listening. Waiting.
He scanned the street. There were a few pedestrians out for an evening stroll but nothing suspicious. Street lights provided a great deal of illumination, but even so, Sam knew there were many shadows where anything could be hiding — even from his eyes.
He tried to dismiss the feeling, trying to banish it to the back of his mind, but it was no use. He just knew it was out there.
From across the street, concealed by shadows that were part natural and part something else entirely, a figure watched. It saw Sam give Aimi the necklace. It observed the way they acted around each other and the obvious feelings that flowed between them.
And then it smiled.
7
BLACK RIDGE
PRESENT
“Experience itself, to our own great loss and bane, affords us sad proof that Satan seizes as many opportunities of deceiving and destroying mankind as there are different moods and affections natural to the human character.”
Demonolatry, Nicholas Remy
“You wanted to see me, Joshua?” said the man, not looking up from the map he was studying on the makeshift table.
Joshua shuffled his feet, looking sideways at Sam before answering. “Yeah. I’ve got someone here I think you should meet.”
Sam suddenly felt very nervous about meeting this man. Joshua had explained that Adam was the unofficial leader of the Black Ridge survivors and as such, someone he should be very careful around. Joshua, he knew, was familiar with his unusual and sinister heritage and had had years to come to terms with it, but Sam was unsure exactly how much he should reveal to someone he didn’t know or trust.
Adam finally straightened up, running a meaty hand through his greying hair. He looked Sam up and down, carefully studying the newcomer.
“Adam, this is Sam — a friend from my home town in Jacob’s Ladder,” said Joshua.
Adam held his hand out to Sam who took it with only a moment’s hesitation. The grip was extremely firm. Sam instinctively realized that the man was not trying to dominate him; he was just very strong. The palm was covered with hardened skin — clearly Adam’s leadership style was a hands-on one.
“Pleased to meet you, Sam. Another fighter is always welcome here.”
Despite his obvious strength, Adam only came up to Sam’s shoulder. It was easy to overlook the lack of stature though — everything about Adam oozed strength and solidity. Leadership. His torso and limbs were much larger than Sam’s though, corded with muscle visible through the tattered remains of the t-shirt he was wearing. One of his arms was almost as big as Sam’s leg. He had a calm, even featured face that was at odds with the ferocity he had shown the previous night. If Sam had to guess his age, he would have said that Adam was probably in his forties, even though physically, he was in better shape than most men twenty years his junior.
He looked Sam in the eye, frowning momentarily as he took in Sam’s black eyes. Then he seemed to dismiss it as a trick played by the dim light from the flickering hurricane lamp that was the only source of illumination in the small alcove.
Sam sighed inwardly, feeling self-conscious and very uncomfortable. The last thing he needed was for this man to judge him before he knew him. Without a doubt, Adam was not a man to you wanted to get on the wrong side of. Sam remembered him from the previous night. Adam had fought harder than anyone he’d ever seen. What he’d lacked in skill (compared to himself), he had made up for with determination and strength. At one point, a group of Lemure had successfully managed to climb the palisade and hurl themselves at the defenders on the fighting platform. Most of the humans had been out of ammo — including Adam. While many retreated in terror, Adam had not hesitated. Sam could vividly recall Adam roaring wildly as he pic
ked up one of the Lemure with his bare hands and hurled it at a group of its fellows, toppling them all off the platform.
This feat of bravery had been repeated several times over during the course of the battle. His leadership had inspired the others to fight harder. Sam suspected that the reason these humans had survived as long as they had was largely due to Adam. Sam respected him for that, but as for trust … Sam continued to size him up, wanting to like and trust this man. But old habits died hard. There were only a very few people who knew his real nature and they were all from Jacob’s Ladder.
Adam turned to Joshua. “It must be good to see someone from your old town, eh, boy?” he said, fixing the other teenage with a smile. “I wish some of my old buddies were here.”
Joshua forced a smile. “Yeah, it is good.”
“And as for you,” said Adam, turning back to Sam, “I saw you fight last night. You sure have got some fancy moves with those swords of yours. Haven’t seen anyone move like that, well, ever, and I was in the Special Forces.” His background explained why Adam was such a confident and aggressive fighter. “I see you haven’t put them down either. I like that — shows someone who’s prepared for all sorts of eventualities.”
Sam nodded, not quite sure what to say. He certainly wasn’t going to let his swords out of his sight, especially when he was unsure of his surroundings. His backpack was stored in another part of the cave complex, but his katana was still strapped to his back, and the wakizashi was tucked into his belt within easy reach.
“Right,” said Adam, clapping Joshua and Sam on their backs. “What can I do you for, boys?”
Joshua suddenly looked a bit sick. The two boys had spent the last two hours arguing about whether Sam should reveal his true identity to Adam. Joshua had finally got his way but only after he’d pointed out that Sam would need every bit of help he could get if he was going to get to Los Angeles. Grudgingly, Sam had to agree. He had no idea what he was going to do when he confronted the Antichrist, but he was pretty sure that the demon would not be alone.
“Sam’s got something to show you,” said Joshua, sounding as nervous as he looked.
“Ok then Sam, show me. Don’t mean to be rude, but I’m in a bit of a hurry here. We’ve still got lots of work to do before nightfall. The palisade hasn’t been completely repaired yet and then there’s the arc lights to think about.”
“Ah,” said Joshua, “well, this is, ah, quite a private thing.”
Adam frowned again. “We don’t have secrets around here, but if that’s the way you feel …” He shrugged and pulled a shabby curtain across the entrance to the alcove. Sam thought it looked like an old sheet.
Pulling out three old wooden crates, Adam set them before the boys. “Take a seat, gentlemen. This sounds serious.”
They positioned themselves in a rough circle. Both Joshua and Adam were looking at Sam expectantly. With hands that were shaking slightly, Sam pulled down his hood.
Adam’s eyes widened in surprise. “Ah …”
The Black Ridge cave complex was extensive. Sam was surprised and impressed by the level of organisation that clearly existed amongst the survivors. As Adam led them through the various chambers, Sam took a keen interest in his surroundings — something that he hadn’t done when he’d first arrived in the caves. A few hours earlier, all he could concentrate on was the impending meeting with Adam. Now that was finally over, he felt he could relax and turn his attention to other things.
They passed many other alcoves. Some, like the one Adam used for his briefing room, were curtained off. Judging from the glimpses he caught as they walked past, they were used as sleeping chambers for the surprisingly large amount of people who had made the caves their home. If Sam had to guess, he would’ve said there were probably over a hundred people in Black Ridge. Most of these people had a smile or greeting for Adam as they passed. He was obviously a popular leader. Sam wasn’t at all surprised by the man’s popularity — anyone who could keep him alive for this long against relentless hordes of demons would get his vote of approval too.
Many greeted Joshua as well, especially the teenagers, both males and females — and there seemed to be a lot of them. Almost all acknowledged Sam’s presence with a nod or curious glance. Some of the girls smiled shyly at Joshua and Sam. Many had seen him fight the previous night and he guessed he had garnered their respect — if not their trust. That would change if they knew what lurked under his hood. He’d put it back on after his meeting with Adam, and if any thought it was odd, they didn’t comment about it.
Other chambers they passed were stacked with supplies — mostly tinned food, water and large barrels presumably filled with diesel or oil for the generators. The Black Ridge survivors were clearly prepared for a long siege. Sam wondered if any of them realized the actual length of time they were destined to be trapped within the caves. Seven years was a long stretch, even with this level of preparation.
Emerging from the caves into the wan, early afternoon light, they stood in the large open space between the cave entrance and the fortifications. Work crews were busy repairing the damage to the palisade which had sustained significant damage during the demon attack in the night. Sam knew that Adam had despatched other groups out into the forest to cut down more trees to replace the logs shattered by the horned demons. Some were already in place. Others were being prepared by survivors, whittling away at both ends with machetes.
Sam liked the atmosphere and general feel of the camp. All the survivors seemed to be quite upbeat about their predicament. They all had a job to do and were setting to it with a will.
Sam and Joshua stood quietly listening and watching as Adam consulted with a woman in her twenties who was obviously the foreman, discussing the problem of the arc light. Adam introduced her as Tesara. The post, she explained, was easily replaced but the light itself had been smashed beyond repair. They had a replacement but the problem was they didn’t want a repeat of the previous night’s disaster. The demons had obviously learnt to target the lights themselves.
“Can’t you set it back further behind the palisade?” suggested Sam, surprising himself with his outspokenness.
Tesara spared him a quick appraising glance before turning her attention back to Adam. “We could,” she said thoughtfully, “but that would reduce the effectiveness of the lights themselves. The reason we put them next to the palisade was to get as much light onto our killing ground as possible.”
Adam looked at Sam. “Any other suggestions?”
During his years of training, Sam had studied all aspects of combat, including various manuals on tactics and strategy. Fortifications weren’t exactly his strong point but he had covered them.
“How about a ditch and bank defence?” he said. He crouched down in the dirt and began sketching with his finger. “We could dig a ditch just in front of this palisade; use the earth from the excavation to create a bank where we mount the arc lights. We then line the ditch with spikes and build another wall around it. That way, you’ll have two lines of defence.”
Adam nodded, his face registering surprise. He was clearly impressed by this strange boy’s understanding of tactics. “Good thinking, but there’s two problems there. One, I don’t know if the cables from the generations will be long enough, and two, we don’t have time to dig this before it gets dark.”
“The generator leads won’t be a problem,”said Tesara, “I’ve got extras in one of the caves, but yeah, you’re right — there’s no way we can build the second line of defence tonight. It’s a good idea though. Something to think about for the future.” She smiled at Sam which made him feel oddly pleased.
“Ok,” said Adam. “Do what you can with the lights. Maybe put some extra spikes or protection around it and we’ll see how that works.”
Tesara pursed her lips. “Just so you know, that’s our last replacement. If it goes, then we’re down to one light.”
“Don’t worry about it,” replied Adam with a grin. “Worst case scenari
o, I can always send a team into Bryce Valley or one of the other cities. I’m sure we’ll be able to hunt out another replacement.”
Tesara looked doubtful but didn’t voice her misgivings.
They left her behind and continued their tour of the outer defences. Adam led them onto the killing field in front of the palisade. All the demon bodies had disappeared, of course, and as for the human casualties, they had long been removed for burial. The previous night’s battle had taken its toll on the Rapture survivors. Four humans had been killed while another five were so badly injured they would not be fighting for the foreseeable future. They were currently being treated in yet another part of the cave complex that served as a sickbay. Luckily, a doctor was amongst those who were resident in the caves.
Another two humans had simply just disappeared — probably carried off by demons during the battle. That, as Adam had explained during their meeting, was a source of great concern — he could just not afford to lose so many each night. Granted, the last battle was unusual in the sense that so many demons had attacked at once, but if the demons attacked with the same numbers again, they would be in serious trouble. That’s why he had welcomed Sam with open arms: he desperately needed more fighters, especially well-trained ones.
“Might have to clear some more of those trees,” said Adam, pointing in the direction from which the horned demons had attacked. The shattered tree limbs were intruding onto the killing ground and might provide cover for demons in the next attack. “Never seen anything like it. Those big, horned demons, I mean. Tough buggers.” He looked at Sam. “You ever seen that type before?”
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