End in the Beginning (The God Tools Book 3)

by Gary Williams

  “Next thing I knowed, I was standing in a low area of the woods, and my cabin was gone. I called for Reggie but couldn’t find him. Then I heered these growling sounds; sounds like I ain’t ever heered before. I saw something move through the bushes. I think it was some sort of four-legged critter, maybe a large cat. I got out of thar as fast as I could.”

  Across the gorge, a feral roar originated from the tree line on the far side.

  “I think we better get goin’ in that direction,” Rufus pointed behind Lila.

  They retreated back to Bayard Point and soon immersed themselves in thick woods on the dry, higher ground.

  In time, they came to a large glade and paused to rest.

  “This is all crazy,” Rufus said. “Is this really hap’ning?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

  Farther inland, above the trees, a thin column of smoke rose into the air. “Look,” Lila pointed.

  “That looks like camp-far smoke,” Rufus said excitedly. “Thar must be others here!”

  A disturbance in the brush ahead caused Lila to jump. Rufus broke for the nearest tree just as a frenzied, dark-haired woman emerged and collapsed to the ground. Lila rushed to her aid. She rolled the woman over on her back. The woman’s white, button-up shirt was filthy and in tatters, revealing her dirt-stained bra. Only after seeing that the newest threat was really a half-naked woman did Rufus come over to help. Lila gave him a quick glare, but Rufus remained fixated on the woman’s bosom.

  Lila helped the woman to a sitting position. Relief cascaded over her face. “Oh, thank God. Praise the Lord!”

  Lila noticed the woman had only superficial scratches, most likely inflicted as she had fought her way through the thick underbrush.

  “Mrs. Tonya Turner?” Rufus said kneeling beside Lila. “That you?”

  “Rufus Tinney?” Tonya said.

  Lila was surprised they knew each other.

  Tonya wiped her forehead, pushing her disheveled hair back. “Where in God’s name are we?”

  “Tonya, I’m Dr. Lila Falls. We’re still trying to figure that out.” Lila cut Rufus a hard stare; a silent message to let Tonya gather her senses before they told her the truth.

  He gave a slight nod to acknowledge his understanding.

  “Where did you come from?” Lila asked.

  “I remember being at church with Jack, my husband. We were…sucked into the earth through a bright red beam of light. Then”—she hesitated and shuddered—“something swallowed me whole.” Tonya addressed Rufus, “Have you seen Jack?”

  For a moment, Rufus didn’t respond. Then he shook his head. “No Tonya, I ain’t seen Jack.”

  “When I woke up, I was in the woods. I was terrified until I ran across Old Barton Rifold.”

  “Rifold?” Rufus asked with surprise. “He’s here, too?”

  Tonya nodded. “He told me an incredible story about being in the museum when a giant snake ate him. That was all he could remember.”

  A giant snake, Lila thought. It had become a common theme.

  Tonya continued, “We made a campfire, but that was a mistake.” She dropped her head in her hands. “Oh, God, it was horrible. We were attacked by an ungodly creature. Barton ran away from the camp to lead it away. I heard a sharp gasp as if the beast had gotten on him so quickly he didn’t have time to scream. He saved my life. After that, I just ran.”

  “How do you two know each other, and Barton Rifold?” Lila asked.

  Rufus replied, “We’re all part of the same congregation at Second Coming Presbyterian Church.”

  “Now I remember,” Lila said. “A couple fell through the floor of the church on Friday, the day before I was exploring Bayard Point. I saw it on the news. That was you?”

  Tonya nodded. “Yes, but I have no idea how I got here, wherever here is.”

  “You said you and Barton Rifold were attacked by a creature, Tonya. What kind of animal?” Lila asked.

  Tonya released a nervous exhale. “Like a lion, but definitely different: a very large, very ferocious cat.”

  “Can you describe it?”

  “It was gray and huge—maybe seven hundred pounds. Its head reached the height of my shoulders, and that’s while it stood on four feet.”

  “Did you see the canine teeth? Were they long like a lion’s?”

  “I didn’t see its teeth.”

  “Can you describe the body?”

  “It had a barrel chest and short, muscular legs. Its neck looked funny; like it was too long for its body.”

  Lila stood unmoving, deep in thought. Although the color wasn’t known to archaeologists, what Tonya had described was an exact match for a Xenosmilus, which was thought to be a relative of the Smilodon, or saber-toothed tiger. Xenosmilus were thought to be more vicious than saber-toothed tigers due to their powerful, compact bodies and large, stout teeth. They were capable of wrangling prey to the ground and inflicting death in a single bite. Lila was well versed on the species, given that she had been part of the excavation in Alachua County when one of two intact skeletons of Xenosmilus had been discovered in Florida. If Lila was right, the existence of this massive flesh-eater further confirmed her assumption that they had somehow traveled back to the Pleistocene era.

  Rufus was still kneeling beside Tonya when he spoke. “Dr. Falls, what is it?”

  “Remember when I told you my theory that we had somehow traveled back into the past?”

  “Traveled into the past?” Tonya said as she screwed up her face.

  Lila nodded. “I don’t know how it’s possible, but we seem to be one million years from the time we left.”

  CHAPTER 43

  Nash, Rassle, and Tina traveled through a rift that paralleled the broad side of a gently sloping mountain.

  “Which way?” Nash asked Tina.

  She pointed up the side of the mountain.

  “Great,” Rassle grumbled.

  High above, the top appeared to flatten out. “The Garden of Eden is there?” Nash asked Tina.

  She nodded.

  They started up the inclined terrain. Small, loose rocks made it difficult to scale. After ten minutes, though, they reached soft, red clay. While the footing was better, the trek was no less cumbersome. They persisted onward. Two-thirds of the way to the top, the group reached a slippery rock surface. Progress slowed, becoming even more tedious. Nash pressed the group toward the wide summit, and they slowly closed in on it. Nash practically dragged Tina up the slippery slope as she struggled with her footing. Rassle lumbered, groaned, and teetered but was able to keep pace.

  Nash’s impatience was growing thin. Tina had seemed incapable of lying, but it struck him as odd that the Garden would be atop this plateau. He would have expected to see hints of the Garden on the visible fringe—trees, plants, bushes—some evidence of life in this otherwise barren land. From his vantage point, the land above appeared void.

  When they drew close, Nash ran up the last stretch of mountainside, pulling Tina by one arm. His eagerness was palpable. When he reached the top where the landscape flattened, he came to an abrupt stop. Rassle almost ran into him.

  Ahead on the plateau, water spread out before them in a gigantic circle, like a flat, gleaming mirror reflecting the vast sky overhead. The edges of the body of water stretched the entire radius of the mountain top, dominating the landscape.

  “It’s a…lake,” Rassle huffed, trying to catch his breath.

  “A lake inside a crater?” Nash said, wheeling toward Tina. His anger swelled in his voice. “Why did you lead us here?”

  “It is a way into the Garden.”

  Nash was confused. “The Garden is under water?”

  The question seemed to pain Tina. She answered reluctantly, “Use the Staff.”

  Nash started to speak but stopped. He quelled his anger. He sensed Tina would continue to provide answers truthfully. He removed the Staff from his pack, careful to hold it by the end. The last thing he needed was for that damn Serpent to come to life.
“What do I do with it?”

  “Touch the Staff to the water.”

  Nash regarded Rassle then Tina. He stepped to the edge of the lake. The water was crystal clear, and he could see the smooth rock drop off sharply to a depth that quickly fell out of sight. This was not a shallow lake. Nash gripped the Staff in both hands like a baseball bat. He extended it outward and slowly touched the far end to the quiet surface of the water. Small ripples advanced outward in every direction.

  Suddenly and unexpectedly, the ripples shot away at blinding speed, generating waves that escalated in size. Building in an instant, a voluminous amount of water reached high into the air then cascaded over the far rim. Every bit of the lake was expelled down the sides of the mountain.

  Nash gazed down. The sun’s rays cut at an angle, partially illuminating the area below. What he had expected to see was the rocky bottom of the large bowl which held the water. Instead, the crater now sunk to a staggering depth with vertical walls, creating an enormous conical shape extending to dry ground far below. Unlike the land they had encountered here so far, the land at the bottom was a thing of beauty: a lush, tropical setting, replete with scattered, flowering bushes and a carpet of green grass. The distant sounds of chirping birds carried upward. In the middle of the base, somewhat obscured by the shadows, was the grand canopy of a single tree. It sat on a large, circular patch of ground ringed by a narrow stream of still water. There was a second tree, similar in size but not on the island, at the far side against the wall.

  “Wow,” Rassle said, obviously taken in by the beauty.

  At that moment, Nash saw the way down: a stairway built into the wall. The first step was close. Nash followed the clockwise pattern with his eyes. The stairs spiraled three times, hugging the giant conical walls, ending at the ground far below.

  “There he is,” Rassle said pointing at the island tree.

  Exactly as Nash had expected, a flittering strobe of light emerged from underneath the cover of tree limbs and stirred in quick bursts, staying close to the ground. It appeared to be somewhat human and was spinning a fiery object. The lithe figure in a flowing green robe moved away from the tree and looked up, pausing. Even from this distance, Nash knew they had been spotted. Only now could he tell the individual was male.

  Carr Nash had never seen an angel until now. He was unimpressed. He waved cynically. “Hello, Mr. Angel. We’re coming down to see you!”

  The creature dashed from one edge of the island to the other, moving at incredible speed. It appeared agitated and continued to zip back and forth, the swirl of fire leaving red streaks in its wake.

  Nash laughed.

  Rassle appeared confused. “Doesn’t the Bible say a Cherub with a spinning, flaming Sword guards the Tree of Life? That looks like a full-grown sissy-man. It can’t be an angel; he has no wings.”

  Nash laughed heartily. “Rassle, don’t get tied up in Biblical rhetoric. Old Testament stories have been embellished over the ages.” He hesitated. “Regardless of what we’re dealing with,” he pointed down at the sprawling tree on the island, “that is the prize.” His face hardened. “Remember, we discussed this possibility. You know what to do.”

  Rassle nodded, laying his oversized backpack on the ground and unzipping it.

  Nash led Tina by the hand to where the steps descended, and they started downward leaving Rassle behind. It would be a precarious journey as there was nothing to help them keep their balance except the wall on their left. Without any wind to hinder them, navigating the wide stone steps proved to be manageable as long as they moved slowly.

  “Do you know what’s below?” Nash asked Tina as they went.

  “The Garden,” Tina responded in a defiant tone. “The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is against the side wall. The Tree of Life is upon the island guarded by the angel. You will never reach the Tree of Life. The angel will strike you down.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  On and on they went, following the curved wall slowly downward. When they reached the far side, Nash looked across to see Rassle standing upon the rim of the crater where they’d left him. Nash peered down at the island in the center of the Garden, which was partly obscured from the sunlight. He smiled.

  It took nearly forty minutes for Nash and Tina to navigate the stairs and reach the ground. He was panting heavily, but this didn’t detract from the wonder he experienced gazing out over the setting. It was more exquisite than Nash could have imagined. The air was crisp, fragranced with honeysuckle. The plant life, no more than waist high, held ripening fruits in a host of vibrant colors. Somewhere out of sight, birds continued to sing; their songs resonating with a joyous, uplifting cadence. There was no denying the robust, remarkable feeling about the place, as if life, in any form, would flourish here. Nash was taken aback by the intense aura of the Garden.

  He watched Tina. A brief expression of joy crossed her face and then vanished. It was as if she had relished being a part of the Garden, then realized the gravity of the situation.

  In that instant, Nash witnessed innocence lost on the face of little Tina Falco, and he lost himself. He was no longer Carr Nash. He was Cain.

  “Get over there,” Cain growled at Tina, pointing to the side. She did as she was told. It was a good thing, since Cain didn’t have the patience of Nash. Any command he had to give twice would result in punishment.

  Cain surveyed the center island, but the Guard was somewhere out of sight. All in good time, he thought. Holding the Staff in his hand by the end, he faced the steps they had just descended.

  “What are you doing?” Tina asked as worry cracked her voice.

  Cain spoke without turning. “We don’t need your little boyfriend showing up, or any other interference for that matter.” Cain took the Staff and struck the bottom step. The step caught fire and rolled up to the next, setting the new rock ablaze. Like maniacal dominoes defying gravity, the fire continued to topple upward in line, each subsequent step igniting from the one below it. The flame raced upward, circling the vast circumference of the conical wall three times, until it reached the top. The entire chain of steps now burned a bright orange. Cain touched the Staff to the lower step once again, this time dipping the tip into the fire. There was a tremendous boom. A surge of power flowed through Cain’s body and left him breathless. The line of burning steps exploded, sending rock fragments tumbling down on all sides of the massive round enclosure. Then, the flames were gone, the fire extinguished.

  Cain examined his work. Spiraling from the top of the crater to the base where he stood was a single smooth wall. He’d demolished the entrance, as if the stairs had never existed.

  Tina, who had been knocked to the ground by the concussion, slowly stood. “You’ve left your friend behind.”

  “So I have,” Cain grumbled. Her inane comments were already grating on his nerves. He knew he needed a female during his time here, or he would have already disposed of her. Unlike Nash, though, he wasn’t about to wait until she was in her childbearing years. Once matters were taken care of here, she would be introduced to the ways of womanhood and taught to behave toward him in her subservient role. Disobedience would not be tolerated.

  Cain grabbed Tina by the hand and yanked her in the direction of the island. He felt her wince in pain, and this only fueled his anger. She would find out what real pain was soon enough.

  Cain wound through the maze of low bushes and plants. The vegetation was healthy and thriving. The Garden truly was a magnificent place. If his brother had only told him the truth, Cain wouldn’t have lost his temper and killed Abel, but Abel had been stubborn. Of course, the real blame went to his parents. They had been so foolish to eat from the Tree of Good and Evil when they could have remained in Eden, feasted on the fruit from the Tree of Life, and lived forever.

  In any event, he was here now, and soon humanity on Earth would be destroyed. He would exist in the Garden for a thousand years, return to the world, and be its one and only ruler. Power would b
e all his. First, though, more pleasure awaited him with the God Tools.

  Cain surveyed the island as they approached. Unnoticeable when he was standing on the crater lip high above, the island with the Tree of Life in the center was elevated, as if the circle of land had been thrust straight up from the surrounding Garden. Its two-foot wall was composed of smooth stone. At the base, the stream ringed the island like a moat, which was considerably wider than he had first thought; at least twenty feet across. Cain dragged Tina to the edge of the sun-sparkled stream and followed the bank left. The stream was crystal clear, no more than three feet deep, with a sandy bottom.

  Nash was an idiot, but he did have one redeeming feature: he was a reasonably adept strategist. Now that Cain was in control, and Nash had been vanquished, he saw no reason not to carry Nash’s plan to completion.

  No sooner had they reached the water, than the Guard flitted forward, spinning the lit Sword, gliding low across the grassy lea. He eyed Cain with a scowl and uttered, “Ye who come forth, thou must not proceed toward the Tree of Life.” The Guard spoke with a raspy cadence, as if its vocal chords had withered from an eternity of silence.

  Cain ignored the creature, following the edge of the stream to an area where the sunlight failed to reach and the land was cast in shadow. He pulled Tina along at a pace she could barely keep up with, and he didn’t stop until they were deep into the shadowed grounds. The Guard mirrored their movements on the other side of the waterway.

  Cain let go of Tina. She stood by his side, panting and rubbing her irritated wrist. Cain allowed a wide smile to break out on his face as he lifted the Staff in his hand. The Guard seemed unfazed, regarding him with an expression of indifference. The flaming Sword spun before him at a dizzying speed.

  Cain aimed the Staff at the Guard and thrust the Tool forward to send a jolt of energy to eradicate this annoying creature.