The Light of His Sword

by Alaina Stanford

Maxwell stood next to Orson in front of the gathering hall doors taking in the sunshine as the cold wind washed over him. Walton appeared from the gathering hall and came to stop before him. Maxwell met Walton’s gaze, surprised by his calm demeanor. Maxwell said, “We managed to slow their pace. Their vehicle is all but disabled; they won’t get much further. They are trying to cross over the Colorado border into Kansas as we speak. He is still with them.”

  “I called on our Master for assistance. He has answered. He’s gathered his forces and calls more to our aid. The stranger will fall before our minions. We have only to choose the time and place.” Walton began in a calm tone, “I will not tolerate Alyssa’s betrayal. Samantha will be returned to me. Soon Alyssa will watch her hero fall. Then she will beg for the sweet mercy of death.”

  Maxwell forced himself to concentrate on Walton’s words. Something had changed. There was something different about him. All his emotion had vanished. Maxwell was encouraged. “Have you discovered who the stranger is? Where he comes from?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Walton whispered locking eyes with him, “He will die quickly beneath the wrath of the reptilian demons.”

  Maxwell glanced briefly at Orson, who refused to meet his gaze. He turned back to Walton and asked, “What if he is a defender?”

  Walton’s eyes flashed with warning as he whispered softly, “Why would a defender bother with a stupid little girl and her useless mother?”

  “The prophesy…” Maxwell countered weakly, as the sudden chill of deep fear rushed through him.

  Walton leaned closer blasting Maxwell with his foul breath, “The apocalypse has not descended. The defender will not be called until that time. This is an earthly matter.”

  “Then perhaps it is time for a new strategy.” Maxwell offered, refusing to be undone by Walton’s newfound strength. “If the stranger believes himself a hero, then let us offer him a final opportunity to prove himself.”

  “A battle, one that will rid us of this annoyance once and for all,” Walton agreed with an evil smile.

  ********

  The truck bounced and jostled them as they kept to the two-lane highway that wound through the countryside. Alyssa watched Gabe shift the gears using both feet on the three pedals before him. Samantha lay down placing her feet in Gabe’s lap and her head on her mothers. Alyssa stroked her daughter’s hair and gazed out the front window.

  Clouds rolled across the deep blue sky blocking out the warmth of the sun. The wind ripped the leaves from the trees along the road with its chilling force. Alyssa used her hand to block the suns orange-pink reflection in the side mirror from shining into her eyes. Keeping to Gabe’s suggestion, they stopped only long enough to get gas or food.

  Alyssa’s mind went back to the rest stop. She knew Walton and the elders worshiped Demons but until that moment, she’d refused to believe they could be real. Alyssa refused to learn the elders’ religion. Her mother told her to shut her ears when the elders spoke of the monsters. Now she wished she’d listened. She had no idea how powerful they were. What they could do and what their limitations were. Now she needed that knowledge to keep her daughter safe. She glanced at Gabe; he was not forthcoming but perhaps he knew, surely he knew.

  Alyssa decided to find out. “I don’t think I’ll be much help driving this truck. It seems very complicated.”

  Gabe glanced at her, “A manual gear shift does take some time to learn. Don’t worry about it, I’m fine. Besides you’ve strained your back and shifting the gears would only aggravate it.”

  “But you haven’t slept all night.” Alyssa countered, “I was supposed to drive today, so you could get some sleep, remember?”

  “Truck drivers are used to traveling 24 hours or more without sleep. It’s a hazard of the trade.” Gabe flashed a tired smile, “I’m fine.”

  “We should stop in Salina for the night.” Alyssa already knew the answer.

  “No,” Gabe frowned, but didn’t turn to look at her.

  “Why? You need to rest.”

  “You know why, Alyssa.” Gabe shot her an irritated frown.

  Alyssa was determined to get answers, “How do they keep finding us? What is it about staying still that helps them locate us?”

  “You do understand the old man driving the truck was not doing so of his own free will?” Gabe asked quietly. “He was being controlled by demons. The woman driving the car, and the dog were also possessed.”

  “Yes,” Alyssa admitted that much made sense to her. “I’ve seen darkness in the elder’s eyes at times; a darkness that sent cold ripples of fear through me. If a demon can crawl inside you and control you, then those ripples of fear make sense.”

  Gabe nodded and glanced at her, “You sensed the evil and were repelled by it. That’s an incredible gift Alyssa, a gift that could save your life one day. If you listen to it and obey your impulses when it tells you something is evil.”

  “How did you know that the dog was possessed and that demons waited in the shadows of the trees?” Alyssa asked boldly.

  “It’s my job to know those things.” He answered softly. “It’s my job to protect you.”

  “Are you an angel?” Alyssa whispered.

  “What do you know of Angels?” Gabe smiled.

  “My mother’s fairytales were sometimes stories of the Archangels and how they would lead the people into Holy battles.”

  “Tell me more about the fairytales your mother told.” Gabe leaned forward in his seat and stretched out his back.

  “There was a tale of a young man who faced a giant in battle and defeated him with only a slingshot and a stone. When this boy grew up, he interpreted the king’s dreams. He was betrayed by his friends and thrown into a pit of lions to be killed. The lions didn’t hurt him and in the end the king realized the betrayal and threw the liars into the pit instead.” Alyssa began.

  “Ouch!” Gabe laughed.

  “Another story was of an old man who built an ark because a flood was coming. He saved his family and all the animals of the world.” Alyssa continued, “She had so many stories; some were sweet; others were frightening and filled with vengeance. Most of them were about hope and strength. Others were about faith and courage.”

  “Alyssa,” Gabe turned to look at her, “Those aren’t fairytales. They are stories from the bible.”

  “Bible?” Alyssa met his gaze then glanced down at Samantha. She smiled and said, “That makes perfect sense. Mom wouldn’t have called them bible stories in fear that I’d repeat it. Any mention of the bible would get you a wicked beating. Calling them fairytales gave me the freedom to share them with the other children. I thought I’d have so much time with her and my father once we reached the compound. I thought they would be close to me all day long, no more leaving to go to work, no more babysitters after school. She was trying to teach me more than spelling and math in that attic. I miss her so much.”

  “She was a clever woman,” Gabe admitted. “She taught you her beliefs, the history of her God, in a dark, desolate place and at great personal risk. Your mother was a brave woman. It’s clear that both of your parents went to great lengths to protect you.”

  “I didn’t realize,” Alyssa whispered as tears filled her eyes. They drove in silence as a rainbow of colors appeared and faded replaced by a dark, starless night. Gabe’s yawns grew more frequent; his face was drawn and weary. Yet he maintained a pleasant patient attitude with Samantha, who sat in the seat beside him asking what each dial on the dash indicated.

  They pulled into a roadside diner next to a small gas station. Alyssa took Samantha to the bathroom and ordered sandwiches as Gabe filled up the car and headed to buy snacks and drinks for later that night.

  A gust of wind shoved Samantha forward as they headed back to the truck with their dinner. Alyssa led Samantha to the driver’s door and helped her climb into the truck. She handed Samantha the bags of food and drinks and climbed into the driver’s seat. Gabe frowned as he approached the truck. He ope
ned the driver’s door and gazed up at Alyssa. “I thought you didn’t think you could handle the stick shift?”

  Alyssa faced him boldly and held out her hand for the keys. “My back is still stiff, but the pain is much better thanks to those pills. I’ve been watching you and I think if you help me I can do it. Besides, once we are back on the highway, we’ll be at a constant speed so I shouldn’t have to shift much, and you need to get some sleep.”

  Gabe glanced past her at Samantha, who was watching him intently. He saw a glint of concern in her big blue eyes. He supposed the women at the compound were discouraged from making independent decisions. Gabe smiled at her and said, “Okay, let’s give it a shot.” He handed her the keys and climbed down, shutting the door behind him.

  Coming around to the passenger’s side, he opened the door and said, “Samantha, why don’t you take shotgun. I want to sit next to your mom in case she needs any help.”

  Samantha stood up to allow Gabe to slide past her. His shoulder brushed against Alyssa’s arm as he slid next to her. Her body stiffened with the contact. Alyssa gripped her steering wheel as if it was going to fly from her hands as he settled in beside her. Gabe reached over to help Samantha fasten her seatbelt then turned back to Alyssa. He could see her knuckles turning white from the strength of her grip.

  “Okay, take a deep breath.” Gabe said softly not realizing the deep calm tone of his voice made Alyssa’s heart beat even faster. “The pedal on your left is the clutch, it’s for shifting gears. You can’t move the gearshift unless you push that pedal first or you will damage the transmission. The middle pedal is the brake; the right is the gas.” Alyssa nodded her head a bit too quickly wishing the lesson was over, and they were on their way. Gabe gazed at her questioningly and then continued, “So press the clutch with your left foot and turn the key.”

  Alyssa took a deep breath and mentally shook off the affect Gabe’s proximity was causing. She released her breath in a puff of air and turned the key. Gabe flashed Samantha a huge smile and said, “Here we go!” He turned back to Alyssa, “I’ll help you shift.”

  He placed his hand on top of hers and showed her how to move the gearshift. Alyssa’s heart leapt at his touch. She forced herself to concentrate on his instructions as she released the clutch slowly, and the truck lurched forward. Alyssa smiled in triumph as she slowly crept toward the highway. She glanced at Samantha and flashed her smile. Samantha smiled back at her and leaned forward in her seat trying to see the road before them.

  “You’ve got it,” Gabe encouraged, “You’ll hear the engine begin to strain; that’s when you want to shift to a higher gear.”

  “Yay! Mommy!” Samantha cheered as they pulled onto the two-lane highway and headed down the road.

  Alyssa noticed the I-70 sign up ahead and asked, “Should we head back to the interstate?”

  “No,” Gabe answered quickly, “The fewer people we run across, the better our chances of making it to your grandmothers without another incident. Therefore, we’ll stick to the back roads as much as possible. It’ll take longer, but I think Samantha’s had enough excitement for one trip.” He turned and tickled Samantha’s stomach.

  Samantha squealed with laughter. “Stop! Stop!”

  Gabe chuckled then reached down and picked up the white bag of sandwiches. “Let’s eat, and then I’m going to get some rest before it gets too late.”