Chapter Four
Alyssa handed the young man at the gas station her credit card. He rang up the charge for a tank of gas and two hundred dollars for the burgundy 1976 Cutlass Supreme that sat at the side of the building. Alyssa held her breath as he swiped the card and waited for the approval. Would her grandmother’s card hold that much money?
The man smiled and handed her a receipt. He came around the counter and shook Gabe’s hand, “Good thing you arrived when you did. I was just about to close up. My boss is going to be so happy to know I sold the car. There’s a spare tire and some jump cables in the trunk. Don’t push it over fifty-five miles per hour for more than 30 minutes at a time or it will overheat. It’s also due for an oil change.”
They headed to the car and Gabe lowered Samantha onto the back seat, covering her with a blanket. Alyssa gazed at the cutlass. It was beautiful. A small portion at the back of the roof was white; it wrapped around the rear window. The rear tires were hiked up slightly giving it sporty look. Inside the bucket seats had a burgundy fabric that was soft and warm to the touch. She climbed into the passenger seat. Gabe slid behind the wheel. The car held the smoky scent of old cigarettes. Samantha didn’t stir as Gabe turned the key of the ignition. The car started without hesitation, but the engine ran roughly.
Gabe flashed Alyssa a smile and said, “Cross your fingers; we’ve got at least two days of hard travel to get to your grandmothers. Given the fact that we’ve lost so much time because of the moose, I think we should drive through the night. We should shoot down to Utah then head east toward Colorado. If we drive straight through we’ll reach Kansas and Missouri by tomorrow night. We can spend the night outside of St Louis, and then it’s only a half day to Indiana from there. Why don’t you try to get some sleep? I’ll wake you in the morning. Once we’re past Denver, you can drive. It’s a straight shot all the way to Kansas. You won’t have any trouble driving, and I can get some sleep.”
********
The dark and ominous drive across the mountains in the dead of night frightened Alyssa. The twists and turns up the steep slopes sent chills through her each time she caught a glimpse of a steep cliff beside them. Gabe drove swiftly without hesitation. The snow began to fall, and the temperature dropped below zero. Alyssa shivered at the thought of trying to drive on the snow covered roads. She was grateful Gabe was behind the wheel. She leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes, trusting the road to Gabe.
However, sleep would not come. She shifted from side to side. She leaned against the door, but it was too hard. No matter what she tried, she couldn’t fall asleep.
“The back seat might be more comfortable, if Samantha is willing to share.” Gabe offered.
Alyssa glanced at the back seat; Samantha slept soundly curled up under her soft blanket. Her little face was so calm and relaxed. The sight of her daughter sleeping safe and sound warmed Alyssa’s heart. She sighed as a bit of the stress and fear she’d lived with for so long began to slip away.
She turned around and leaned back into the seat gazing out the window into the darkness. “I know we aren’t out of danger yet, but this is the safest I’ve felt for a very long time.” She turned to gaze at Gabe, “Thank you for helping us.”
“I don’t need your thanks, Alyssa.” Gabe said softly, his eyes meeting hers for one brief electric moment.
“What do you want?” Alyssa found herself daring to ask as her pulse quickened with dread.
“Believe it or not Alyssa, some people do just want to do the right thing.” Gabe answered, turning back to the road. “If you feel you owe me something, then offer me your friendship and we’ll call it even.”
“I’ve never been friends with a man before.” Alyssa turned and gazed back into the darkness.
“Then perhaps we should start with the basics.” He shot her a quick glance. “I’ve always been athletic. I love to compete. My favorite sport is football, because it’s a full contact sport. It places me in a position where I have to succeed or be overcome. I can use all my aggression against my opponent. My body is my weapon. It’s necessary to work in tandem with the rest of the team to triumph. I think it’s the ultimate sport.”
“We didn’t play any organized games.” Alyssa began, “When our chores were done we were allowed to play quietly in the gathering room. In the warm weather, we were allowed outside for short periods of time.”
“Tell me something good about your time at the compound.” Gabe said with soft encouragement.
“My best friend was Emily. She had long, black, hair and dark, brown, eyes. We would make puppets out of our socks. Sometimes we would play tag with the other children. No matter what happened Emily was always happy. She was always smiling. We would snuggle together on the floor mats that were our beds at night to stay warm. I pretended she was my sister. When no one was near, I would share the fairy tales my mother told me during our early morning lessons. Sometimes we would act out a fairytale with our sock puppets.” Alyssa’s face lit up as she spoke of Emily. She’d forgotten about Emily.
Gabe drove quietly allowing her to talk.
“I loved the fairytales. They were magical adventures in faraway lands where good always defeated evil. I shared all of them with Samantha, and I hope someday she will share them with her children.”
Gabe said, “My mentor loved to tell stories. They were filled with adventure and always had a purpose, although you might not realize it at the time. I have a good friend named Mike that lives in Alaska. He’s never had the patience for a story. Mike was always the one to rush in headfirst and asks questions later. He likes the rugged life in the wilderness. Mike lives like a pioneer, no power, living off the land. He loves it there. We served in the war together. Now, he chooses to live in Alaska because it its calm and quiet, a place where he can hide from the world and be himself. We are exact opposites. I chose to drive a truck because it gives me the freedom to roam and meet people.”
Alyssa glanced at him. “He sounds like the brooding type.”
Gabe nodded, “He’s very intense. Mike lead us in the war, he was fearless, still is. But deep down inside he has a soft heart although few see it. I remember once when Mike singlehandedly tore open a path down the center of a battle so one little girl to escape to safety. Then as soon as she was free he was off to wreak havoc with the enemy.”
“You make it sound like some ancient battle between gladiators.” Alyssa smiled.
Gabe glanced at her, “I’ve learned it doesn’t matter who you’re fighting or how the feelings still the same. They want to kill you and you want to survive long enough to protect your people. Mike gets that better than anyone. For him, it’s all about winning the battle. For me, it’s about the people and how we can help them recover from the damage that’s been done.”
“Do you see him very often?” Alyssa asked.
“I have a feeling I’ll see him soon.” Gabe answered.
********
Walton snarled through clenched teeth, “You fool! I told you to summon the reptilian demons! Not some lesser horde of beasts, barely capable of possessing of a fully grown woman!”
“I called out to all that would answer.” Maxwell countered, holding his ground as Walton advanced across the room toward him. “We didn’t have much time.”
The elders stood around them in a circle in the center of the sanctuary. A single light shined down on the small group, leaving the rest of the room in darkness. The large, black altar, devoid of any inscription or decoration stood in the center of the circle. Maxwell glanced around at the elders smug expressions. They were enjoying this because Walton’s wrath was rarely aimed at Maxwell. He was Walton’s right hand man, and he was good at it. His broken nose and two black eyes did nothing to convince the fools around him that the stranger’s threat was real. Maxwell sneered at them in disgust. They were cowards. They would cower in horror if Walton screamed at them in the same way.
When Walton reached him, Maxwell puffed out his
chest and said loudly, “They would not come. The reptilian demons are stubborn and defiant. They refused to be ordered about by a mere mortal. You should have called them yourself.”
Walton’s face was red with rage. His hot, putrid breath snaked up Maxwell’s nostrils, “You are not a true believer. If you had faith that they would come, this would be over now. You are as worthless as a woman!”
Maxwell fumed at the insult Walton spat at him, but he would not accept responsibility for this defeat. Walton was emotional and impulsive about this stupid woman and child. “This is no ordinary man. He dispatched the demons within minutes of the attack and walked away unscathed. We must resist the temptation to rush into battle with this man. We must be organized and selective in our approach.”
Walton spun and walked to the middle of the circle gazing around at the faces of his followers. His face filled with disgust. Not one of them was worthy to replace Maxwell. They were too lazy or stupid to walk by his side. Walton turned slowly back to Maxwell as his anger faded. Maxwell was right; they needed a plan. “Maxwell, organize the elders and don’t stop calling the Reptilian Demons to our aid until they respond. Do not fail me again. I will meditate today for guidance. I will ask for more powerful demons. This warrior will not survive our next assault.”
********
Alyssa’s dreams were full of darkness and shadows. Walton’s voice kept calling to her, threatening her. She was back in the compound. Walton and the elders dragged her to the sanctuary. It was dark and smelled of rotten meat and incense. She screamed and struggled against them as they pulled her toward the altar. A single light shone down on the altar blinding her as they bound her naked body to the cold, black surface.
Walton stood over her and raised a knife high in the air... suddenly she was outside playing in the grass with Emily. They were laughing and running trying to tag the other children. Then she was up in the attic of the gathering hall listening to her mother tell one of her fairytales about a ferocious giant. A moment later she and Samantha were cowering inside a dark room hiding as Gabe fought a desperate battle against monsters with black scaly skin and red glowing eyes. She peeked out the window and saw Gabe fall under the assault. The monsters dove on top of him. She could hear him screaming in pain as blood spurted out of the pile of monsters.
Alyssa woke with a start. She glanced anxiously around the car. Gabe was driving, and Samantha was eating a sandwich in the back seat. The sun sparkled high in the sky touching her face with its warmth. Samantha reached up from the back seat and handed her a round sandwich wrapped in brightly colored wax paper. “It’s called a cheeseburger, and it’s wonderful,” Samantha explained. “There was a little box of skinny potatoes but I ate all of them, sorry.”
Alyssa frowned as she unwrapped the greasy sandwich, and then glanced suspiciously at Gabe. He ignored her and changed lanes. Alyssa’s eyes opened wide in awe when she looked past him out the window. She sat up straight and gazed at the urban landscape filled with towering buildings of various shapes and sizes. They were on a four-lane road keeping pace with the cars and trucks around them heading deeper into the city. Alyssa couldn’t speak; her heart was pounding so hard she couldn't think. She wasn’t sure if she was excited or terrified. There were so many cars, moving so fast beside them. She glanced at Gabe; his face was calm, relaxed. He didn’t seem worried.
“We’re in Denver,” Gabe said softly. “We just missed rush hour traffic so we should make pretty good time through the city. We should make it to Salina, Kansas around dinnertime. We can stop there to eat and make St Louis by midnight.”
Alyssa watched in awe at the people in the cars around them. Who were they? Where were they going? Why were they going there? The car beside them was full of children, and a woman was driving. She was the only adult in the car. Alyssa smiled, triumphant at the sight of an independent woman with her children.
A small car zipped past them. It wove in and out of traffic then disappeared in the distance. Alyssa’s eyes opened wide. She looked at Gabe and said, “I don’t think I can drive in the middle of so many cars.”
Gabe chuckled and said, “Ok then, Samantha? Do you want to take a crack at it?”
Samantha giggled in the back seat and leaned forward. “Yes!” She declared triumphantly.
“Very funny,” Alyssa rolled her eyes, “But I’m serious, there are too many cars and we are going too fast. I don’t think I can do it.”
“Don’t worry,” Gabe glanced at her, “The traffic will die down once we are past the city. You won’t have to drive until we are out in the country.”
Alyssa sighed in relief. She looked back at Samantha, who sat staring out the window. She hoped Samantha would remember this journey as an adventure. Alyssa said, “Samantha, I can’t wait to see you running around grandma’s farm chasing the chickens and playing with the dog. The last time I was at the farm. I was 5 years old. I remember the big red barn with white trim that sat across from the house. One time, your grandpa caught a black lamb and called me over to see it. The barn smelled like hay and manure, but I went inside anyway. I wanted to pet the lamb, but I didn’t want to stay long.”
A bright smile spread across Alyssa’s face as she continued. “When you’re grandpa caught me wrinkling my nose at the smell, he let go of the lamb and swept me into his arms. He carried me over to the small fenced in area next to the barn where grandma kept the pigs and said, You haven’t smelled something stinky until you’ve smelled a pig. He was right.”
In less than an hour, they were out of the city. Gabe drove down a four-lane highway over rolling hills surrounded by fields of grass as far as the eye could see. Gabe pulled into a rest stop so they could stretch their legs before Alyssa took over driving. There was a small playground with a cement turtle and a small jungle gym. Samantha rushed over to climb on top of the turtle and play.
Gabe disappeared into the building and brought back some bottles of juice and a few bags of chips. He sat down on the wooden bench at the edge of the playground next to Alyssa and handed her a bottle of juice.
She flashed him a questioning look and said, “No energy drinks?”
Gabe grinned and said, “You don’t need one right now, and I’m planning on taking a nap. Besides, those things are wicked; I wouldn’t recommend them for daily use, only emergencies.”
“So you had an emergency the day we ran into you at the Travel Center? You bought 4 bottles.” Alyssa stared at him with a raised eyebrow.
“Not exactly,” He answered holding her gaze.
“You remember that day? You gave me two bottles?” Alyssa added.
“I bought them for you.” Gabe answered innocently.
“Really? That’s very interesting. Because I was behind you in line; you didn’t know I was standing there until you turned around.”
“I saw you and Samantha when you were shopping.” Gabe couldn’t help but break into a huge smile. She was just too adorable.
“I don’t think so; your hair was wet, and you smelled like soap. I think you just got out of those showers at the back of the building.” Alyssa was leaning forward trying to act aggressively. She was confident that he was hiding something.
“I did see you, Alyssa. I’m telling the truth.” Gabe’s smile vanished.
“Imagine that, a man actually telling the truth.” Alyssa said with a faltering smile.
“Believe it or not Alyssa, there are men in this world who value honesty and treasure their friends and family.” Gabe’s eyes filled with sadness. “Men like your father.”
Alyssa couldn’t tear her eyes away from his intense gaze. He reached out and touched her hand, startling her. She jerked it back and turned to look for Samantha. Gabe knew it was a reflex. He rose and headed for the car calling back to her. “We’ll need to get gas when we stop for lunch. I’d like to sleep…” Gabe stopped suddenly in mid-sentence and spun to face them.
Alyssa was walking across the playground after Samantha, who had chased a small dog
toward the trees that lined the small picnic area. Gabe bolted across the playground. “Samantha no!” He yelled, racing past Alyssa.
Samantha reached for the dog as she neared the trees. She turned in response to Gabe’s shout just as the dog bared his teeth and began to growl. Samantha staggered back away from the dog. A shadow moved out from under the trees and began to creep across the grass toward her.
Gabe reached her quickly. He snatched Samantha up and spun in one fluid motion turning back to sprint across the grass toward Alyssa. The dog chased after them nipping at Gabe’s heels, snarling and barking. The shadow on the grass sank back into the shade of the trees.
“Get to the car!” He shouted as he ran toward Alyssa.
Alyssa gazed at the shadows beneath the trees behind them. The wind rushed through the branches of the small trees, but the darkness beneath them did not dance in sparkles of sunlight. They remained solid. Gabe grabbed her arm as he passed her and pulled her along behind him.
Jerking open the rear door, Gabe dropped Samantha on the seat, pushed Alyssa behind him and turned to face the pursuing dog. “No!” He shouted, moving aggressively toward the dog. It froze at his command and stood snarling as Gabe opened the passenger door for Alyssa and shoved her inside.
Gabe took a menacing step toward the dog, and it ran off. He raced around the car and slid behind the wheel. Starting the engine, Gabe roared off toward the highway. A small green pickup truck exited the highway into the rest stop and headed straight for them. The truck came up quickly behind them.
“Seat belts!” Gabe ordered as they pulled onto the highway.
Alyssa leaned over the back seat to help Samantha find the seat belt and secure it. The pickup charged up behind them and crashed into the rear of the car. Alyssa flew backward and slammed into the dash. Her head hit the windshield with a crack. She collapsed unconscious onto the seat.
“Mommy!” Samantha screamed as the pickup truck crashed into them again.
“Hang on Samantha.” Gabe snapped. He knew their car couldn’t outrun the pickup. He shoved the gas pedal to the floor. A small black car suddenly roared into the grassy median from the other side of the highway. It spun sending grass and dirt flying as it turned to join the pursuit. Gabe reached over and placed his hand on Alyssa’s back; she was still breathing.
Gabe glanced at the rearview mirror. An older man in a cowboy hat was behind the wheel of the pickup. It slammed into the rear of the car a third time. Gabe swerved the car into the right lane. He slowed down allowing the pick up to pull up beside them. The Cutlass had a steel frame; Gabe was counting on it to handle the weight of the pickup. He slammed into the side of the truck. The driver scowled, struggling to keep control as it swerved onto the shoulder. Gabe didn’t wait; he slowed to match the pickups pace and slammed it hard in the rear side panel. The truck spun into the median as they reached an underpass slamming into the barrels that protected the concrete bridge supports with a sickening crunch of metal.
The small black car appeared to their right smashing into them. Gabe increased his speed. Alyssa slipped to the floor and began to moan. Gabe jerked the steering wheel to the right and forced the car toward the shoulder. Samantha peered over the edge of the window at the driver. It was a young woman with short blonde hair. She glared at him with a vicious scowl.
Gabe knew he could force her from the road and into the trees. He hesitated; she was so young, it was hard to end the life of someone that young. But he had no choice.
“Hold on!” Gabe ordered and hit the brakes. He slid the cutlass behind their pursuer and shoved the accelerator to the floor swerving around to the right side of the car. He slammed into the rear right panel with his front fender. The black car began to spin. Gabe slowed and watched as the car spun across the road in front of him onto the shoulder. It hit a road sign and flipped end over end crashing into the trees.
Gabe pulled off the road and turned to Samantha.
“Stay in the car.” Gabe ordered as he opened the door and pulled his sword out from under the front bench seat.
Samantha watched as the woman crawled from the wreckage and rose to her feet. Her hair was saturated with blood; it ran down one side of her face. She screamed in rage as Gabe approached her. She started toward him, then hesitated when she saw the sword. Gabe moved with controlled rage toward her swinging his weapon out before him. He stopped a few paces away. His eyes narrowed at the young woman. “Come out of her!” He commanded, raising his sword.
The woman gasped and staggered backward, falling to the ground. Three shadows rushed out from underneath her and disappeared into the darkness of the forest beside them. Gabe knelt beside her. He took hold of her hand. It was cold and clammy.
Samantha watched as he leaned over and spoke to the woman. Gabe’s words of comfort were the last things she heard as she took her last breath.
The Light of His Sword Page 4
