by Mark Romang
Sara exhaled sharply. “What you’re suggesting sounds suicidal. If the flames don’t get you, Angels Landing will. The summit is a tiny ridge with 1,000 foot drop-offs on either side. How are you going to battle the demons without losing your balance? ”
Maddix shook his head. “I’ll be wearing a Nomex fire suit. The same model stuntmen and firemen use. I’ll be okay. And I didn’t pick the battleground. We’ll just have to deal with it.”
“I don’t like it. But it’s your call, Andrew.” Sara looked at him. Worry darkened her face. “Have you ever figured out why the demons came to Zion Baptist Church in the first place? And why you were selected to lead this resistance?”
“I think Satan and his demons have at various times infiltrated all churches. He wants to water down the Gospel and stop it from spreading. He’s usually pretty subtle about how he does it and uses doctrinal disagreements and other petty differences to hamstring the church’s witness. I’m not so sure why Satan became so brazen this time. And I still don’t know why I was chosen to lead this fight. But I’m pretty sure the answer is etched on the Eden sword.”
Miller frowned. “Say again.”
“I’ll have to show you.” Maddix walked over to his bed. He lifted up a corner of the mattress and retrieved the Eden sword. He walked back over to his friends and squatted down. Maddix pulled the sword from its scabbard.
“Be careful, Mad Dog, don’t set your apartment on fire,” Webb joked.
Maddix ignored Webb’s comment. He pointed to the etching on the glittering blade. “This is in Hebrew, too. But I can only read the first three words. The rest is written in a code of some kind.”
“So what are the first three words?” Cody asked.
“Yahweh will gather...”
“Why do you think the answer is found in the etching?” Sara asked. She stared at the sword with great interest, transfixed by its beauty. The sword reflected overhead light, bathing her face in golden illumination.
Maddix moved the sword away from Sara. “Because whenever I’m fighting a demon they always try to read the sword. Their eyes are drawn to the etching. The sword mesmerizes them.”
“Don’t look at us to help you decipher it. It looks like gobbledygook to me,” Webb said.
“Pastor, I just realized something,” Cody said. He knelt on his hands and knees and pored over the scroll; studied it like a paleographer would.
“What is it, Cody?”
“This scroll is ancient. And the lettering on it is just as old as the scroll. You can see where the ink is fading in places, and in some spots it’s starting to flake off. It wasn’t recently written.” Cody looked up at them. A bewildered look clouded his eyes. “Do you guys realize how mind-blowing this is? Someone wrote this message to Pastor Maddix thousands of years ago, maybe longer. What we’re doing now is fulfilling prophecy. I think we’ve been asked to guard the future and make sure it unfolds the way God wants it to.”
Kyle Miller’s dog suddenly jumped to its feet and barked ferociously. The lab trotted over to the window and launched into even more frenzied barking. The dog’s scruff stood straight up. Miller walked over to the window, opened the blind, and looked out. Miller shook his head. He scolded his dog, and walked back to the group. “Sorry about that. Carson is always barking at nothing. Sometimes I think he barks at the wind.”
“Hey, you don’t suppose our invisible friends are outside watching us, do you?” Webb asked.
“Don’t even go there, Webb,” Sara warned. “That’s not the least bit funny.”
Chapter 35
Angels Landing—11:15 P.M.
As the helicopter flew toward the drop zone high atop Angels Landing, Maddix offered up a prayer. He held hands with Sara, Webb, and Cody. “Lord, we know all good things come from you. We love you and praise your greatness. Please protect us tonight, keep us safe, and prevent the enemy from hurting us. Help us to operate in your power and for your glory. Throw the enemy into a state of mass confusion, complete and utter helplessness. Protect me while I’m in the flames the same way you kept Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from burning in the fiery furnace. Deliver me unharmed.
“Lord, Zion National Park is a tremendous testament to your majesty. You created this beautiful canyon with nothing more than a word from your holy lips. Please prevent the surrounding vegetation from catching fire and creating a forest fire. Burn only the demons. Help me to neutralize each and every demon for your glory. In Christ’s name I pray, Amen.”
“Two minutes, ropers,” Kyle Miller said from his pilot’s seat.
Maddix reach down into the gear bag at his feet. He pulled out the small leather pouch that contained the manna. He unloosened the drawstring and looked inside. A sick feeling twisted his intestines. The pouch was empty.
“What’s wrong, Andrew? What is it?” Sara asked.
He looked at her. His eyes barely focused. “The bag is empty.”
“How could that be? We followed Gabriel’s instructions to the letter,” Sara said.
“I’m sorry, Pastor. I did it. I ate more than I was supposed to,” Cody confessed. The teenager buried his face in his hands and sobbed. “I’m so sorry. I couldn’t resist the temptation and I ate all the remaining manna. I’ve ruined everything.”
“When did you do this?” Maddix asked.
“I ate it early this morning, before we launched a search party for you.”
Webb patted Cody on the shoulder. “It’s okay, kid. I can’t blame you. The manna is delicious. Any one of us might have done the same thing given enough time.”
“One minute, ropers.”
Sara grabbed Maddix’s gloved hand. “What do we do now? Do we abort the mission?”
“I don’t know.”
“Cody, were you eating the manna back here?” Webb asked.
Cody looked at Webb. Tears filled his eyes. “Yeah, I was sitting in this exact spot.”
Webb flipped on a flashlight and shined its LED beam underneath the bench seat and onto the cabin floor. Maddix caught onto Webb’s thinking and slid off the seat onto his knees. He looked all around, hoping to find manna that Cody might have dropped in his haste to eat it undetected.
“Do you see anything, Mad Dog?” Webb asked.
“No. There’s nothing but dirt and tiny pebbles down here,” Maddix answered. “Wait, I think I might just…see something.”
“Hurry, Andrew, we’re almost at the drop zone,” Sara said.
Maddix took off his right Nomex fire glove. He reached under Cody’s legs and picked up the object he spotted. Maddix held up the piece of manna like it was a gold nugget. He smiled. “It’s a big piece. Maybe if Webb and I split it we’ll get by and still be able to see the demons.” Maddix handed the manna to Webb. “Tear it in half, C-Dub.”
Everyone watched Webb carefully tear the manna piece in half. Webb popped his piece into his mouth. “It tastes a little dusty, but it’s still good,” he said. Webb handed the remaining piece to Maddix.
Maddix ate the manna. Relief flooded over him. Maybe the mission could still be accomplished.
“Ropers ready?” Kyle Miller called out.
“Be careful, Andrew. What you’re about to do is super dangerous,” Sara said.
Maddix smiled at her. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He put his other fire glove on and grabbed the rope. “First roper leaving,” he called out as he stepped onto the operations platform. “For your glory, God,” he said and stepped off into the blackness.
It was the most unnerving exit from a helicopter he’d ever attempted. Poor visibility, high winds, and a landing surface only a few feet wide fought against him. One slipup and he’d be swan-diving over the side of Angels Landing, a 1,488 foot sandstone monolith. But then his feet contacted solid ground and he relaxed a bit. Maddix tugged on the rope, signaling to Webb he was down and clear.
Webb attached two CO2 extinguishers to a secondary rope using two D-rings and two locking carabineers. The extinguishers were an insur
ance policy in case the Nomex fire suit failed. They were also needed in case the surrounding brush and scrubby trees atop Angels Landing caught fire.
Webb carefully lowered the extinguishers to Maddix. Maddix detached the extinguishers and placed them nearby on their ends so they couldn’t roll away. He then tugged on the rope again. A handful of seconds later Maddix heard the fast rope hum as Webb slid down it.
Webb landed lightly on his feet next to Maddix. He tugged on the fast rope, and the helicopter immediately ascended and began to fly in elongated circles around Angels Landing and the West Rim trail. He and Webb stood alone on the dark summit, a narrow strip of sandstone jutting into the sky far above Zion Canyon. “I’m sure there’s a nice view from here. Too bad we can’t see anything,” Webb said in a low voice.
“I’ve been up here in the daylight. It’s a long way down. It’s probably better we can’t see much.”
“Mad Dog, how exactly do you propose to fight in that bulky fire suit? You look like an astronaut. You’re going to lose your balance and fall.”
“I’m hopeful the Angel of the Lord will fight through me.”
“I don’t think it works like that anymore. This is the 21st century. You’re not Samson, and you’re certainly not King David.”
“I’m not pretending to be them. I’m just making myself available to God. And I’m expecting Him to do great things through me.”
“I hope God comes through for you. If not, it’s been nice knowing you. I’ve enjoyed our times together. You’ve been like a brother to me, Mad Dog.”
“I can’t believe you’re giving me the kiss of death. I’m going to survive this, C-Dub. And then we can finally relax and catch up. Now, what time is it? My watch is buried under this Nomex.”
“11:43.”
“Okay, we need to get out of sight and set up. The demons will arrive shortly.”
Chapter 36
That same moment—Felicity police station
Nikko Castellanos sat calmly in a straight back chair. His folded hands rested on a wooden table. A police officer and a sheriff’s deputy joined him in the interrogation room and sat across from him. The police officer twirled a ballpoint pen in his fingers. A legal pad and a small recording device rested on the table between them.
“Show him the pictures in the camera, Deputy,” Jack Crenshaw said.
The deputy keyed up photos of the wrecked Escalade and placed the camera in front of Castellanos. The Skeptikos Alliance agent grimaced when he looked at the burned-out SUV, the charred bodies of his colleagues hanging upside down.
“Do you recognize this vehicle, Mr. Castellanos?”
Castellanos nodded. “It looks like the same one we arrived in when we came here.”
“It is one and the same. The Escalade is registered to Aeton Lasko. What I want to know is why you weren’t in it with your friends,” Crenshaw said.
“I stayed behind at the motel because I didn’t feel well.” It was a lame excuse, but he couldn’t very well tell the officer he stayed behind to download a flash drive full of kiddie porn into Andrew Maddix’s computer.
Crenshaw stood up and began to pace. “And why should we believe you, Mr. Castellanos?”
“That’s simple. I have an alibi. The desk manager at the motel will tell you I was there last night. I talked to her at around 8 p.m. I told her the ice maker didn’t work.”
Crenshaw stopped pacing and placed his hands on the table. He bent down and leaned in toward Castellanos. Their noses nearly touched. “Your presence at the motel isn’t being debated here. The reason I’m questioning you is because you’re alive and your friends are dead.” Crenshaw straightened up and turned toward the deputy. “Show our guest here the cut brake lines.”
Castellanos fought to remain calm. He knew how interrogations worked. He’d conducted plenty during his stint in the CIA’s paramilitary division, and coercion almost always worked when everything else failed. Luckily he’d been trained on how to endure physical torture from captors. Surviving this Q&A session from a small town cop shouldn’t be hard. Yet he was taken aback by the news of his colleagues’ deaths. His focus wavered.
The deputy slid the camera back across the table toward him. Castellanos looked at the image in the viewing window. He swallowed hard. The brake lines had definitely been cut. Somebody had murdered his coworkers. But who would do something like that? They were strangers in town. Hardly anybody even knew they were here.
“Your friends were killed, Mr. Castellanos. And as you can see, their vehicle was sabotaged. What we can’t determine is what your friends were doing out in Zion National Park after visiting hours. Perhaps you can tell us,” Crenshaw said.
Castellanos tented his hands. “They were following Andrew Maddix and his friends,” he said quietly.
“Why were they following Maddix?”
“To try and find dirt on him. The church exorcism video he uploaded to YouTube has caused quite a stir worldwide. We’re here in Felicity to discredit him. We are members of the Skeptikos Alliance, an atheist group. ”
Crenshaw sat back down across from Castellanos. “So you’ve been harassing Maddix all week?”
Castellanos shrugged. “I wouldn’t call it harassment. We’ve only been monitoring his actions.”
“And Maddix tired of your watchful eyes and assaulted your colleague, Aeton Lasko?”
Castellanos nodded quickly. “Perhaps you need to bring Andrew Maddix down here and ask him some questions. He has a motive.”
Crenshaw’s gray eyes flared. “Maybe you have a motive as well, Mr. Castellanos. Maybe you and your partners had a falling out, and you didn’t like how you were treated. Maybe you decided to take revenge by cutting the brake lines on the Escalade.”
Castellanos looked around the tiny room. The cinder block walls pressed in against him. This small town cop wanted to string him up from the nearest tree. “I’ve done some questionable things in my life, but murder isn’t one of them.”
“Have you ever noticed, Mr. Castellanos, how defendants charged with murder almost always plead not guilty?”
“Am I under arrest?”
Crenshaw shook his head. “You’re simply in my custody.”
“You can’t hold me here. You have no probable cause.”
“I don’t need probable cause. All I really need to hold you is reasonable suspicion you have committed a crime or are about to commit a crime. I can detain you for up to 48 hours.”
“Forgive me for being so bold, Officer Crenshaw, but you need to call in some help. You have a triple homicide on your hands. I’m glad you have the sheriff’s office helping you. But you still need more help. Call the FBI. The budget allocated for this police department probably isn’t enough to have detectives on staff. You’re in over your head,” Castellanos said gently.
Crenshaw laughed. “I could say the same for you. You’re looking pretty guilty to me right now.”
Castellanos rolled his eyes and pointed at the digital camera sitting on the table in front of him. “Look at the pictures of the brake lines again. That many gashes on the lines would cause the brake fluid to gush out quickly. Whoever cut the lines had to have done it out there near the accident scene. And it couldn’t have been me. I was here in town last night. Talk to the desk manager at the motel. She’ll remember me.”
“I will talk to her when I’m good and ready, Mr. Castellanos. Until then you are my guest here. I suggest you sit back and make yourself comfy. You’re going to be here at least overnight. Now, in order to solve this crime, I need to know everything you know. So tell me, what do you think Andrew Maddix was doing inside Perdition Canyon early this morning?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Did you follow him out there more than last night?”
“We followed him out there to the canyon the night before, too.”
“And what happened that night?”
“Maddix and two others rappelled into the canyon. They were in the canyon for a long time. We o
bserved them for over an hour before we left. And they were still in there.”
Crenshaw tapped his pen on the legal pad. “And you haven’t any guesses as to what Maddix and his friends were doing in the canyon?”
“I do, but you probably wouldn’t believe me.”
“Please try me anyway.”
“They were hunting the demons they exorcised from the church,” Castellanos said.
“You’re right, I don’t believe you.”
Castellanos leaned in toward Crenshaw. As before, their noses nearly touched. “Whether I’m right or wrong doesn’t really matter. Maddix was out there, and he could’ve circled back around and cut the lines while my colleagues were sitting in the car. Maddix is an ex-SEAL. SEALS are famous for their quick-strike capabilities. They sneak in, perform their mission, and get out without anyone even knowing they were there. They’re like ghosts. Maddix is your man, Officer Crenshaw. You can be certain of it. And I would wager he’s out there at Perdition Canyon as we speak. If you hurry you might catch him.”
Chapter 37
Angels Landing—midnight
Hunkered together behind an outcropping just below the summit, Maddix and Webb watched for the first arrivals. A crescent moon hung crookedly over their heads. Stars twinkled and flashed. From their lofty position, the stars appeared close enough to touch.
“Maybe the manna isn’t working, Mad Dog. I should’ve insisted you eat the entire flake. Neither one of us can see the demons now,” Webb whispered.
“Maybe they’re not the type to arrive early. But they should be coming anytime now,” Maddix said softly. They had to communicate in whispers. The wind blowing atop the summit carried their voices.
“Maybe they heard the helicopter and decided to change locations,” Webb mumbled.
“I hope not. All this effort would be for nothing.” Maddix watched the sky. He assumed the demons would come from above. But assumptions almost always turn out wrong and Maddix periodically scanned the edges of the summit. Perhaps the demons would climb the monolith like everyone else.