Truth Runner

by Jerel Law

  Snap! The snake tail clamped down around him again. Jonah was starting to feel dizzy. He needed air soon. His thoughts were getting cloudy, and he felt himself growing weaker.

  His mind wandered. His dad, Benjamin, came into his thoughts, walking toward him through a fog. He missed his dad. Jonah had been so mad, and he’d let his father bear the brunt of it. But Jonah loved him, and he felt his heart breaking, knowing that he wouldn’t get to see his dad ever again. Everything was fading, darkness moving in from the corner of his vision, until all he could see was a circle, a tunnel of light . . .

  His mother was there now. Eleanor Stone, right in front of him, so close he could have reached out and touched her if his arms were free.

  “Mom?”

  “Jonah,” she said, smiling, her green eyes dancing in front of him, bright, as if they’d just seen a million stars. “I love you so much. Always know that.”

  “I do, Mom,” he said, “I know. I love you too. I miss you so much. I can’t . . . I can’t do this without you here. I’ve messed everything up . . .”

  Her eyes were filled with love, more than he could ever imagine. “It’s okay, son. Elohim loves you very much.” When she said the words, he felt that love, cascading over his heart. “I can’t wait for you to see it here, Jonah. It’s beautiful. Indescribable. You have to see it to believe it. But for now,” she said, rubbing his face with her hand, “you have more to do. More life to live, more purpose to fulfill. We’ll see each other again soon.”

  A flash of red light snapped Jonah out of his haze, causing him to look to his right. When he looked back, she was gone.

  But he felt the tail loosen, and then completely fall off. His feet hit the pool floor, and he stood up, his head finally above water. He sucked in the air his lungs so desperately needed.

  Frederick was swinging his blade down close to Eliza now, and then Jeremiah, freeing them both with a swipe of his sword. The severed tails floated to the surface of the water, coloring the pool water with a dark green liquid.

  The creatures were thrashing in the pool, either in pain or angry. Their forked tongues were sliding in and out of their mouths, hissing.

  Jonah spotted his blade again and dove down to grab it. He reemerged and swam to his brother and sister.

  Eliza was free and making a straight line for the side of the pool. Jeremiah was right behind her, coughing and choking, but pushing himself through the water.

  “Were those snakes? They had wings!” asked Eliza as they all pulled themselves out of the pool. She continued to babble breathlessly. “The prophet Isaiah talked about fiery serpents coming from the desert . . .”

  “Frederick!” Jonah called out, ignoring her. Frederick was still in the pool, holding his blade in between him and the creatures, who were injured but not done fighting.

  “I’ve got this, just get out of here!” Frederick shouted, training his eyes on the creatures. Their eyes were only slits, sitting toward the back of their long, narrow heads.

  “Frederick, we have to make a run for it!” Jonah cried. “Now!”

  Frederick heard that and took a step back, still holding his sword, but looking a little less confident. “Just get up the steps!”

  But Jonah couldn’t just leave him. He’d spent too long leaving everyone already. He was done with that.

  “Eliza?” Jonah turned to her, and she nodded, already knowing what he was thinking.

  “Just go help him!” she said.

  Andre and Hai Ling had a protesting Jeremiah and were already heading up the steps.

  “You’re coming with me now, and that’s the end of the discussion!” Jonah heard Eliza say to Jeremiah just before Jonah dove back into the pool.

  He stood beside Frederick, swords raised side by side. “Did you hear me?” Jonah said. “These things are under Abaddon’s control. Might be time to get out of here.”

  The creatures lashed out, and the two boys ducked.

  “Come on!” Frederick yelled at the creatures. He looked so enraged that Jonah thought he might charge the beasts. He grabbed Frederick by the shoulder, pulling him backward.

  The flying serpents swung again, but this time, both boys were ready. Slicing their blades through the air, they hacked at the creature’s tails, filling the pool with gore.

  The creatures roared, thrashing around violently.

  “Nice!” Jonah shouted. “Now, come on!”

  Frederick and Jonah backed up to the edge of the pool, hauled themselves out, and then ran for the exit.

  TWENTY-EIGHT

  PARTY ON THE DECK

  As they ran up the steps to catch up with the others, Frederick shoved his sword back beside his hip, and it disappeared.

  “Looks like you’re going to enjoy that,” Jonah said.

  Frederick couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, thanks. That was fun . . . in a weird kind of way.”

  Jonah slapped him on the back as they found the main level and rounded the corner.

  The rest of the quarterlings were gathered around the exit door that would lead down the ramp, onto the dock, and hopefully into the safety of darkness.

  Andre was looking through the round window at the exit door. “There’re still two guards down there, guys. At the bottom of the ramp.”

  Jeremiah put his hand on the door. “I know how to take care of them,” he said. “Come on, just disappear with me for a second.”

  Andre and Jeremiah entered the hidden realm, opened the door, and began to walk down the ramp.

  The men turned toward the boat, seeing the door open. “Is someone up there?” one of them shouted.

  “Maybe the wind blew it open,” the other one suggested. “We should go check it out, I guess.”

  By the time the guards started up the ramp, Andre and Jeremiah were already there. They reentered the visible world right in front of the guards.

  “Boo!” Jeremiah shouted, right in their faces.

  The guards’ mouths dropped open, but before they had a chance to react, Andre gave them both a hard shove off the ramp.

  “Aaaahhhhh!” the guards shouted as they fell backward off the dock and down into the murky water below. There weren’t any ladders nearby, so the quarterlings had a few minutes to escape before the guards got out of the water.

  “Okay, let’s go!” Eliza said as Andre and Jeremiah waved them down urgently. Eliza, Hai Ling, and Julia sprinted down the ramp, single file.

  Jonah and Frederick both made their way down backward, looking out for anyone who might be chasing them.

  “Maybe we’re going to get lucky,” Frederick said. There were no fallen angels up above. At least, none they could see in the black darkness of the night.

  Jonah nodded, keeping his eyes trained above.

  He could only imagine what the fallen angels who were guarding the yacht were doing. The faces of the guests he’d stood in line with crossed his mind. They had no idea what kind of trap they were walking into. He was sure they’d never experienced the level of evil they were about to face.

  Jonah wondered if the president of the United States had made it. Glancing over at the street, he saw five sleek, black sport utility vehicles parked one behind the other, each flying small American flags from the hood. He had his answer.

  “Guys,” he called out, but they didn’t seem to hear him. “Guys!”

  The rest of them stopped, turning to look back at him.

  “Come on, Jonah!” Eliza said urgently. “Why are you stopping?”

  He pointed to the armored vehicles. “We need to go back.”

  Eliza glared at him and put her hand on Jeremiah’s shoulder. “Seriously? We have what we came for.”

  Jonah shook his head. “You know what’s up there as well as I do . . .”

  “So we’ll alert the angels,” said Eliza. “We’ll tell them to bring everyone they have. There’s no reason you should put yourself—”

  “Eliza!” he said. Then he took a breath and quieted his voice. “Someone needs t
o go up there now. Abaddon and his creeps are up there with the president of the United States and a bunch of other important people. Don’t you think something needs to be done?”

  She didn’t answer, and he knew he’d won. “You don’t have to come, but I’m going.”

  Jonah turned back toward the ship. But immediately he knew he wasn’t alone. He turned around to find Andre and Frederick walking behind him, with Jeremiah, Julia, Hai Ling, and Eliza bringing up the rear.

  “You’re not going back up there on your own,” said Frederick. He was looking at Jonah as if he were daring him to disagree. “I’ll come with you.”

  Jonah nodded, but then looked at his little brother. “Well, you’re definitely not coming!”

  Jeremiah kept walking. “You left us for a year. You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore.”

  Jonah started to protest, but he dropped it. What could he say to that?

  As they walked quickly back, Jonah was hoping to see a massive group of angels soaring over their heads, but the sky remained frustratingly empty.

  “I guess the angels don’t know what’s going on here yet,” he said.

  Frederick grinned. “Well, they’ll get to hear all about the fight they missed when we get back.”

  Jeremiah smiled and high-fived Frederick, but Jonah was a little worried that Frederick’s new weapon was already going to his head.

  They reentered the hidden realm just before they came to the pier. The guards were standing at the bottom of the ramp again, this time flanked by four additional men. The two were soaking wet, standing in their suits, and still looked horribly confused.

  “I don’t think those guys knew what hit them,” said Jonah, laughing a little in spite of the dangerous situation.

  “We have to move fast,” said Frederick, stepping out in front to lead the charge.

  They maneuvered around the group of guards, who were having a heated conversation about what was happening on the boat. Two more men came running down the ramp at full speed.

  “They’re gone! They’re gone!”

  Jonah knew exactly who the guard was talking about, and they watched the men run down the pier.

  Jonah shot off a quick prayer to Elohim for their safety. They would need His help and protection in order to make it back through the boat.

  Elohim, please be with us! Keep us safe and help us do what we need to do!

  As they headed up the ramp, Jonah spotted a fluttering overhead and stopped in his tracks.

  “Up there.” He pointed. “Did you guys see something?”

  They craned their necks upward. Something was up there, flying in circles over the boat.

  “They don’t exactly look like any fallen angels I’ve seen,” Julia said.

  Jonah frowned. “Griffins again. It’s just more of them than I’ve ever seen before.”

  This caused all of them to pause, except for Frederick, who reached for his angelblade. Jonah quickly grabbed his hand. “Not yet, Frederick. We don’t want them to see your bright new toy and let them know we’re here yet, do we?”

  Frederick contemplated this, then nodded, pulling his hand away.

  Thankfully, the men rushing out had left the door ajar, so they made it back inside without having to create any more unnecessary movement. There were more men coming down the steps in front of them, though, and Jonah, Jeremiah, and Frederick stepped to the side. These were dressed differently than the others, with dark suits and earpieces in their ears.

  “Secret service,” Jonah whispered. Jeremiah beamed at them, and Jonah gave him a stern look. “Don’t get any ideas and don’t get distracted, Jeremiah. Our job is upstairs.”

  They moved quickly up to the next level and then into the circular staircase, which would lead them to the top deck.

  “Okay, now’s a good time for those blades,” he said to Frederick and Eliza, pulling his own angelblade out. Jonah turned to the others. “And you get ready with your weapons too. Since we don’t really know what we’re facing, we’ll need all the help we can get.”

  They peered around the open doorway at the top of the stairs at the party in full swing.

  “Whoa,” Jeremiah said.

  “Yeah,” answered Jonah.

  There was a tall metal heater beside them, pumping out heat into the cold air. A dozen or more of the same were placed around the deck to make it feel as if it were summer, even though winter had officially begun. People in tuxedos and fancy dresses were everywhere, sipping out of tall, thin glasses and plucking hors d’oeuvres from silver trays carried by solemn waiters. A string orchestra was playing softly in the corner.

  “Oh man, that’s President Kinston!” shouted Jeremiah, pointing. “I’ve seen him on TV a million times!”

  “Be quiet!” Eliza said, glancing around, not wanting to be heard by anyone in the hidden realm. But they were all mesmerized for a few seconds by the sight of the president himself, standing with a group of people who were all laughing at something he’d said.

  Jonah drew in a sharp breath. Standing right next to the president was Abaddon, a.k.a. Mr. Prince. Touching the elbow of the president of the United States, Abaddon leaned over and whispered something into his ear. The president nodded and smiled.

  Jonah felt his stomach churn, and for a moment he thought he might be sick. But why would he expect anything less? If the fallen angels were targeting places like Peacefield High School, of course they were trying to attack the most powerful person in the world. And the Evil One himself was right in the middle of it.

  Seeing him made Jonah want to do one of two things—run and hide, or charge ahead with his sword raised and all the strength he had. Being with his friends gave him courage, and he raised his sword and inched forward, ready to make a move. But Abaddon made a move first.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” Mr. Prince said in a loud voice, moving to the back end of the deck. He stood up on a platform that held the orchestra so that his head rose above the crowd. Jonah felt Mr. Prince’s gaze fall on him for a second.

  I’m glad you’re here to see this, Jonah . . .

  The voice snaked into his mind like frozen rain, icing everything it touched.

  The man shot his eyes upward for the smallest second, and Jonah saw the creatures, who had been circling high above, begin to move downward.

  “I asked the ambassador if I could say a few words to you all on this special occasion,” he began. Jonah saw the Russian ambassador standing off to the side, a glazed look on his face.

  Abaddon has him totally under his control, Jonah thought. He wondered how long it would take to have the president, and the rest of these people, responding to his every desire too. And what would that mean? Could governments fall under his control? Armies? Entire countries?

  Jonah knew that that was exactly what the Evil One wanted—to tear out hearts and to rip lives away from God. He wanted to take people with him to a place of hatred, hopelessness, and despair, far away from anything good.

  Mr. Prince continued talking, but Jonah wasn’t listening to him anymore.

  There was activity in the sky in every direction. The griffins had been joined by fallen angels, and they were all hovering above the guests waiting for some sort of cue from Abaddon.

  “Looks like everyone’s been invited to the party,” Jonah said.

  As Abaddon made a sweeping gesture with his arms, the griffins attacked. They swooped down and dug into the guests, none of whom offered any resistance.

  He wondered if something in Abaddon’s voice had caused the people to glaze over, just like the Russian ambassador, turning them into easy, unsuspecting targets for the claws of the griffins.

  The first one down landed on the shoulders of President Kinston himself, sinking its claws deeply into his back.

  “It’s now or it’s never, guys!” Jonah said, and he charged ahead.

  The griffins weren’t expecting the attack, and the first one he came to was clawing at an older woman in a sparkly gown.

>   “Get off her, you freak!” he shouted, swinging the shining silver blade right through its midsection. The beast fell to the ground before it could even make a sound.

  He swung at the next one he came to with the same result. Glancing quickly to his left, he saw a flash of dark red and knew Frederick had followed his lead. Eliza was swinging her blade furiously too.

  Behind him, Jonah heard the high, strong voice of his brother, speaking words of truth: “None of you have any power at all compared to Elohim Himself!”

  A flash of light came from Jeremiah’s waist, and another griffin went down.

  Of course, by now they had most certainly been spotted by the fallen angels, and Jonah was sure the battle was about to get much tougher.

  He pushed himself to move faster, and he narrowly avoided getting caught in one of the creature’s claws. Spinning back and swinging, Jonah caught it off guard and sent it to the ground. The second one had its claws outstretched, reaching for the back of his neck, when it was blasted out of the way by a burst of light.

  Jonah turned to see Jeremiah, who grinned and gave him a small wave. Jonah gave him a thumbs-up and headed for the next griffin.

  Jonah was trying to keep an eye on the president, but so much was going on around him he kept losing sight of him. Another griffin was to his left, attacking the man who had stood behind him in line. He was listening to Abaddon talk, but with eyes that looked empty and cold. The griffin had already dug deep inside of him and pulled out a glowing orb of light.

  It held the man’s heart and soul in its claw.

  It was about to rip it away when Jonah met its leg with his blade, severing it completely. It let go of its prize, and the light slid back inside the man’s chest as the griffin fell to the floor.

  Jonah spotted the president again. An enormous creature was sitting on his back and held the president’s light in its talons, toying with it. Mr. Prince was still talking calmly, but Jonah knew he was secretly gloating at the scene unfolding before him. As Jonah watched, he could see the real Abaddon underneath the Mr. Prince facade. Soon, the slick man in the expensive suit was replaced by a hunched figure in a hooded cloak with long, greasy hair and bony fingers.