by Gerald Lopez
“The light was bothering us, so we just shooed it away back where it came from, that’s all.”
“But Esther, that blue light has killed other people,” I said. “Just like it killed the bad people tonight.”
“That’s cause they weren’t Christians. They probably didn’t believe in anything but that blue light and that’s why they died.”
“Is it really that simple, honey?” I said.
“Sure it is, detective,” she said. “Don’t you believe in Jesus and his protection?”
“Yeah, I do. I know he protected me when I was overseas fighting.”
“Do you really believe it with all your heart and soul, Mr. Layton?”
“Yes, I do believe it, more than anything.” I looked in her big brown eyes and I started to understand what she was saying. “It really is that simple, isn’t it.”
“Of course. The bad people have no problem believing in their junk, that’s how they can make that stupid blue light. But what we believe is greater than what they believe—and we’re the good guys, so we win, right?”
“That’s right, baby,” Mother Watkins said from the hall.
“You’re a very intelligent young lady, Esther,” I said. “Go on back and watch your show.”
She threw her arms around my neck and hugged me, then ran back to watch TV with Donetta. Mother Watkins joined us in the living room.
“Truth from the mouth of a babe,” I said.
“What truth is that Layton?” Noelle said.
“Didn’t you hear what Esther told him?” Alex said.
“Yes I did, but I want to hear what Layton, the leader of our group, thinks.”
“I think you understood part of it when you talked to us about faith earlier, detective,” Mother Watkins said.
“It’s so simple,” I said, standing. “It’s what most of the world’s battles and wars are about—religion. But these aren’t the almost dead religions found in suburban America. These religions good and bad are breathing and alive in Shelby. They’re being powered by faith. We’ve witnessed physical manifestations based on people’s strong faith. It’s just that simple. The cult members have been trained and indoctrinated for years, some of them since they came out of the womb. But so has our side. Even DeLonn’s faith kept him safe from the blue light. Look at Esther and the other kids and what they were able to do, because they really have faith in the things they’ve been taught. And just because I’m home from battle, I’ve forgotten what it was like to have that pure undoubting faith. I had it when I was in the midst of fighting, just like we’re doing now. The time with my cousin when he was nagging me about having faith was all in preparation for this moment only I didn’t know it until now.”
“But this land, this whole town is theirs, prepared for them and their use,” Mother Watkins said.
Walking over to her, I clasped her hands in mine. “But this house, and the land it sits on are yours and you’ve dedicated them to Jesus… that makes this place holy.” I slipped out of my sandals. In the Bible when they were on holy ground they removed their shoes. In some religions they still remove their shoes, but we Christians have gotten lazy and don’t exercise our faith fully.”
“I’m behind you all the way, Layton,” Noelle said.
“I’d rather have you by my side,” I said.
“I’m by your side too,” Alex said, slipping out of his shoes and picking them up.
“I want you by my side always… except for now. You’re the prize and you need to stay safe in here. I can’t be worried about where you are when they come. If they get their hands on you, they’d have no reason to deal with the rest of us. In which case, they’ll try to kill us, however they can. A blue light is one thing, but they may also be armed with more traditional weapons such as guns.”
“I’ll get my camera and take pics in between praying for you two and the others then,” Alex said.
“It’s been a while since we prayed together,” Mother Watkins said.
“When I was a little boy, we used to pray together all the time, remember?”
“I remember.”
Alex stood and walked into the hallway. I remembered something Noelle had said that I’d meant to ask her about.
“How did you know the motel honey was a priestess, Noelle?”
“When I first got to town, I spent the night at the motel because I was a couple of days early. I just happened to overhear an illuminating conversation between Monique and Charlene. Something about her crass behavior being insulting to the rest of their group. I had no idea what sort of group they were talking about until you told me there were three priestesses. That’s when I put two and two together.”
“They talked that freely about their group?” I said.
“Nothing specific but after the case it’s easier to put things together. Layton, we’ve talked about faith in regard to protection, but that keeps us on the defensive. At best, we’ll only be able to keep the cult members at bay with defensive maneuvers. We’ve got to find a way to be on the offensive.
“Hang on a second,” I said, searching my mind for something that had been triggered. “There was something you said, Noelle. It reminds me of what happened on the island. Margo said something about allowing the blue light into her body to use against her enemy. But they can also be killed by the same blue light. The kids turned Margo’s blue light on her.”
“You mean that somehow under normal circumstances my sister was able to channel that energy through her body and then expel it without burning,” Alex said as he walked into the room carrying his camera.
“It’s gotta be a matter of faith and control,” I said. “Clearly they’re able to control the light energy and direct it through their body so that it comes back out.”
“And don’t forget being able to redirect that energy at the enemy,” Noelle said.
“Lucky for us, we’re gonna get to try it all out on the spot,” I said with a smile.
“Do you really think they’ll come here?” Mother Watkins said.
“I’m surprised they’re not here already,” I said. “They’ll come for Alex.”
The sound of firecrackers filled the air.
“I guess Georgie found his fireworks,” Alex said.
“Which reminds me of something you said, Layton.” Noelle said. “What if they bring guns tonight.”
“I’ve got a gun,” I said.
“I’ll try to cover you both,” Mother Watkins said. “If nothing else, my baby girl Esther knows how to shoot, and so does Donetta. They learned to shoot as soon as they could hold a gun in their hands. We wanted them to be able to defend themselves, if they needed to.”
“God bless the South,” I said.
Noelle looked out the window and then opened the curtain wide for us to see the blue glow from outside.
“They’re here,” I said
Chapter 33
Final Battle
I heard Jessica shout from outside, “Layton Shayne! You’ve got something I want!”
My sweaty tank was getting on my nerves, so I pulled it off over my head and threw it on the floor.
“What am I, your mama?” Mother Watkins said.
I shot her a ‘say what?’ look, but got a hard stare back in return.
“You ain’t leaving that wet shirt on my floor, go put it in the sink and rinse it out,” Mother Watkins said.
“Layton!” Jessica said with a growl.
Mother Watkins opened the front door and began shouting back.
“You hold your dang horses, girl. He’s busy right now.”
“He’s got something I want!”
I put my tank top in the kitchen sink and started rinsing it out.
“Don’t you be calling your brother and your blood kin a thing!” Mother Watkins said.
I could see Alex laughing as he took pictures with his camera pointed out the window.
“Look here, old woman!” Jessica said.
“Don’t you stand there sas
sing me, Jessica Kennedy!”
I walked back in the room and put my hand on Mother Watkins’s shoulder. “She’s not worth it. Don’t give her the time of day.”
As she walked back in the house, I stepped onto the front porch then went down to the lawn and Noelle came out to stand by my side.
“Nice to see you dressed for this little battle, Layton,” Jessica said, her hands glowing with blue light energy.
Patting my taut stomach, I did a slow spin using the opportunity to check out the area around the house. Jessica had her hair down and was dressed in denim shorts, a tank top, and short boots. She was standing alone in front of the house, but there was movement behind her. I noticed the shadows of people, who must’ve been walking around some of the abandoned homes. Turning to Noelle, I whispered in her ear.
“Keep alert, she’s not alone.”
“Well isn’t that cozy?” Jessica said. “And here I thought my brother was the only one lucky enough to enjoy that hot body of yours, Layton. Hello, Noelle.”
“Hello, Jessica,” Noelle said.
I could instantly feel the animosity between the two women.
“Layton, I’m not my sister. I won’t sit here blabbering on nicely all night. I’ve got better things to do. Now, just tell my brother to get out here… I’m not a patient woman.”
“He’s not going anywhere, except with me when I’m good and ready to leave,” I said. The time for playing nice was definitely over. The blue light in Jessica’s hands was growing larger and beginning to take the shape of a sphere.
“I’ll give you until the count of ten, Layton,” Jessica said.
Jessica was in the middle of the street, giving me a hard and ugly stare.
“One,” Jessica said, looking me directly in the eyes.
She was letting me know she wasn’t giving up. Behind her, figures began emerging from the shadows. Time to make my move. I looked back at Noelle.
“The kids showed me the way back on the island,” I said to Noelle. “It’s time for me to walk in absolute faith.”
Noelle nodded to signal she was ready. I held my hand up, signaling for her to stay where she was standing.
“Two,” Jessica said with an evil smirk of a smile.
“Ten,” I said. “To quote what a new, young acquaintance of mine told your sister before her demise; ‘Bring it on, bitch’.”
“Like I said, I’m not my sister. I’m your worst nightmare, Layton Shayne.”
“Not even close,” I said.
In her hands were two large spheres of blue light which she raised into the air.
“This is your last chance, Layton!”
I just waved her on with my hands while clearing my mind of anything but the sight of the two blue spheres. I thought of it as a baseball game—I couldn’t miss catching any ball she threw my way.
She threw one of the spheres at me and I managed to catch it in my hand, then she immediately threw the second and I caught that one as well. Her face got red and angrier the longer I held the spheres in my hand. The spheres felt warm and tingly as if electrically charged. I focused only on them and willed the blue light into my body. The heat began coursing through my veins, but I pictured it in my mind clearly and directed its path. I accepted the energy, but not the destructive burn. Then I was in control of it. I’d made it part of me and it’d become my weapon in battle.
I looked at Jessica and held a hand up. “My turn now.” I commanded all of the blue energy inside me to go to my arms and hands and gather there to strengthen.
Jessica hit the pavement as I threw a sphere over her head and toward where I’d seen the dark figures. I could hear the sounds of people yelling out in pain. During that time, Jessica quickly stood up with spheres in her hands, which she threw at me in rapid fire. I used the other sphere I had to hit one of her spheres and caught the other, which I threw to the right of her. Dealing with the blue light was becoming instinctive which helped me react quickly. Jessica turned and ran. Looking back at Noelle, I saw her smile.
“Amazing,” she said. “No time to rest though, it looks like we have more company.”
By the glow of blue light I could see Jessica heading back with three people on either side of her, all holding blue spheres. Then others emerged from the left and right sides of the street. We were surrounded on three sides. I checked to see if Noelle was concerned, but she gave me a mischievous grin.
“You can’t have all the fun, Layton.”
Knowing I couldn’t catch all the blue spheres, I spread my arms open wide in welcome. I’d use my body to absorb them. When they hit me, my body tingled all over, but I just closed my eyes and concentrated. I once again absorbed all of the energy into my body and directed it outward toward the line of people to the left. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Noelle following my lead. She was absorbing the spheres and then expelling them. People were screaming in agony on both sides of us. In front of me I noticed that the initial people I’d hit with spheres were no longer visible, neither was the light. They were out of the game.
Things weren’t over yet. New linemen got in front of those we’d hit. Others lined up in front of Jessica to protect her. And it began again, this was going to be a long night. They fired their spheres and Noelle and I absorbed them and fired back. Then something changed.
There was a loud explosion and red flames filled the air over the area where the new Kennedy estate and other homes were. Miss Lucy’s work, no doubt. The blue spheres encapsulating our enemy combatants flickered.
“Let’s do this the old fashioned way!” Jessica said.
Her people began pulling out guns. I saw Noelle lower her hands and point to the ground below. A blue light arose and went up her feet into her body. She was accessing buried bones. Soon she was using the energy to levitate a few feet in the air and everyone was staring, including me. Jessica began levitating also and matching Noelle move for move.
Noelle fired on the people in front of us, so I summoned energy from the bones in the ground and fired on the people to the left of us. There was another explosion in the distance which distracted everyone, then I heard two cars revving up on a street somewhere behind Mother Watkins’s house coming toward us.
A car came screeching down the street at full speed, running over the people on the right side while another car did the same on the left side. The first car turned hard and fast, then drove into Mother Watkins’s yard.
The doors facing the home flew open and the Hall family slid out, guns in hand.
“I gotta get my gun, Noelle, pull back!” I said.
Noelle yelled something that sounded like Latin and she opened her mouth wide, shooting a huge blue light beam at Jessica, who screamed back in what sounded like Latin before doing the same to Noelle.
“Holy shit!” I said as I ran behind the Hall family’s car.
More of Jessica’s people came running, guns in hand. Noelle raised a hand and hit some of them with blue light.
“Good driving,” I said to the family.
“Told you, my wife was a crazy ass driver,” Don said.
I looked over at Georgie, who had a gun in his hand. I was about to ask to borrow it when Don spoke.
“Hey, shorty, give me my gun.”
Georgie handed Don his gun. Then Don handed him a shotgun.
“Y’know better than to take my gun, use your shotgun.”
I shook my head in disbelief. Don and Etta began shooting and Georgie was about to when I tapped his shoulder.
“How’s about loaning me the shotgun, partner?”
“Hell to the no, man. You ain’t messin’ with my gun. Git your own, beggarman,” Georgie said before taking out one of Jessica’s men.
This had to be the most insane night of my life. The Hall family could obviously take care of themselves, so I ran toward the house to retrieve my gun. When I hit the porch, I jumped at the sound of a gunshot coming from out of the far right window. Walking into the house, I was surprised to see Mother Watkin
s crouched under a window, aiming her gun toward the bad guys.
“What the Hell!” I said.
“Hell, doesn’t have anything to do with it,” Mother Watkins said. “The Hall family has a seatback gun rack in their car. That other car had the preacher and his wife in it. They are crazy!”
“God, I really do love the South!” I said.
Alex walked into the room, carrying my gun which he handed me.
“I wouldn’t have gone through your stuff, but I thought you might need this,” he said.
“Thanks, and you can go through my stuff anytime.”
Walking back out onto the porch, I situated myself behind a wide post and began firing at the people coming toward us. Noelle and Jessica were still levitating and the Halls were still shooting.
“There’s no end of bad guys!” I said. “I think these people will fight to their last man or woman.”
“We need help!” Mother Watkins said as she joined me out on the porch. A bullet hit the post next to her.
“Get your ass back inside. You’ve got that little girl to worry about!”
Alex came out on the porch and started taking pictures. “Let me take your place, Mother Watkins. They won’t shoot me.”
She responded by shaking her head no.
“You said we needed help!” Alex said.
The ground shook beneath us and our calls for help were answered. A truckload of armed people came onto the battlefield.
“It’s Hilary from the teahouse,” Alex said. “She’s shooting at the cult members!”
“I see her, she’s taking people out left and right. Way to go Hilary!”
A rocket went flying through the air toward homes on the left and then on the right. Debris and flames filled the air. Miss Lucy appeared, standing in the back of her truck with her RPG launcher on her shoulder and looking like a wild Valkyrie of legend. Then jeeps appeared with women in fatigues carrying machine guns and mowing people down. That was my chance to end this, and I took it.
After handing Alex my gun, I ran into the yard. I gathered up as much energy as I could from the ground then ran every bit of it through my body. I fired at Jessica from the side. She was too busy with Noelle and couldn’t deflect my hit. She screamed out as her body began to burn. I saw Noelle start to lose energy and was quick enough to get beneath her. The blue light in her faltered and she fell into my waiting arms. Jessica turned to black dust, which scattered to the pavement. Miss Lucy’s army of Valkyries, along with our other allies took the rest of the cult members out quickly, leaving a mess of bodies. I laid Noelle gently on the ground.
