by Lee, Summer
After breaking for a commercial, the news returned. “According to NASA, lunar eclipses occur in random order. Getting four total eclipses in a row, especially blood moons, is like drawing a rare lunar poker hand of four of a kind. So Bible believers consider this to be a sign from God.
“Other star gazers have these predictions: A.
Expect a lunar Eclipse of 14 degrees of Libra at 8:06 today. B.
A powerful, April full moon will make a T-square to Pluto, Mars, Venus, Taurus, and Jupiter in Leo. C.
The sun in Aries aligns with Uranus, Mercury and the South Node. The moon in Libra aligns with the North Node.”
He paused.
“One other thing. Many people feel anxiety about the blood moons. This scares them about the future. No matter what is coming, you must keep your faith. It appears there will be a great change for most people, and there may be a great challenge for your circumstances. But we must all keep our freedom and well-being intact.”
Eric turned the radio off and handed the headset back to Jalen. “Not much going on tonight. But that is good.”
Jalen packed it away in his backpack. “I’ll put this back under my seat in the car and be right back. That way, when Isabella sends her goons to see you tonight, the evidence will be gone.”
Jalen slipped out and took the radio to the car, and then came back. “Done.”
“Good plan.” Eric felt fear inside. “Another blood moon is here. I’ll bet Isabella will interrogate me again.”
“I believe she will,” said Jalen. “You know how to handle her now. Don’t you?”
“Not quite sure. I’m to make sure that I remain quiet and calm. I will only answer questions when I’m addressed.” He rolled his eyes.
“Good. Isabella seems to like it that way.” Jalen looked at his watch. “Time for me to go.”
Eric thought deeply about his escape plan. He planned harder than he ever did for any test or anything else in his life. Having to get every detail accurate was essential. His life would depend upon it.
Eric felt healthier and stronger than he had in years. He had exercised regularly. Planning to escape should be as easy as he hoped, but he needed a lot of work on the execution. When there was some light coming through a crack into his room, he would walk heel to toe in different directions and count off the distance to and from the door.
He was completely cut off from the Internet and news of any kind, except that which Jalen allowed him to know. He felt he was going crazy, but he wanted to know if they were going to take him out for whatever reason.
Eric could tell another Blood Moon was upon them by the way people acted. Everyone looked like they just woke up and were buzzing about like a disturbed hive of bees. If he didn’t take advantage of the confusion and the fact that he had been playing docile to throw them off, then he would miss what might have been his last chance to escape.
Isabella unlocked the door and walked in, eating a hamburger. “Really good,” she said. “I’ll bet you’d like one.”
“No thank you.” He would not admit that he was starving to death.
While they were being somewhat civil to each other, Eric watched her every movement. He studied the way she carried herself, whether she talked with her hands or not, and any facial expression linked to whatever situation was the most current.
Isabella studied him as well. “I’m beginning to think that you are worthless.”
“That’s what I’ve been telling you.”
She stood still and continued to glare at him. “You’re right.”
“So, you’ll let me go?”
“Carl!” she shouted. “Come in here.”
A large man with a black T-shirt and dirty blue jeans on came in carrying a newspaper. Walking up, he put his nose against Eric’s nose. He then threw the newspaper at Eric’s feet and snarled.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Isabella said, sarcastically. “I guess I should have told you about Carl earlier. Oh, well. I guess you know now. Don’t you?”
Isabella and Carl left the room laughing, and locked the door behind them.
Eric looked down at the paper with some reservation, until he noticed it was from Portland and dated several weeks back. Reaching down without thinking, he grabbed the paper and started to read the page that had been folded out for him. His sister’s name was listed as being in a house flattened by an earthquake. With his eyes widening and his heart racing, the only response he could make was a quiet, “No.”
Chapter Thirty-one
August 1st
While Eric languished in his makeshift prison and Sybil lay in her hospital bed, the rest of the world were glued to their TV sets, listening to the latest events regarding the coming Battle of Armageddon.
“Here’s the news,” the announcer said. “The radical claim of many religious theorists is that a massive asteroid or comet, large enough to spell the end of the human race, is about to collide with Earth. Although the details are still a little fuzzy and the claims lack credentials, the massive popularity of the prediction has forced NASA to respond.
“The agency has clarified that the world will not end in September 2015, and humanity will not be destroyed. The possibility of such a major collision with a comet or a large asteroid is minimal. NASA has dismissed the theory as unfounded.
“However, many theorists say that governments of many leading countries around the world have information and knowledge about a comet strike. They say that other countries are prepared to protect the elite ruling class in their country. Those governments are keeping the information about this comet strike a secret to allow the more affluent class to be safe. This is also to prevent mass panic.”
“Phone lines will be open for you to share what the blood moon looks like in your area.
“Another feed from Miami revealed a coming storm. Showers and clouds will render the viewing of the blood moon a bust in some U.S. cities.
“Those who are wondering how the red on the moon can be need to remember this. In order to be complete, the Earth’s shadow must cross over the reflected light on the moon’s surface. Dust and sulfur dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere can affect the size of the shadow spreading across the moon. The moon has to be full for the total lunar eclipse to occur.
Hope there won’t be a comet. Accounts of the apocalyptic event agree that a comet would bring about a climatic catastrophe. People still claim that doomsday is here. Others say that it is the sign of the anti-Christ. NASA says not to worry. There is no apocalypse coming by a comet strike. Yet, many believe that the end is near! What can we say?”
Solomon visited Sybil. He sat and held her hand, while they smiled at each other. He told her stories about his childhood. He encouraged her to keep a positive view on life.
Chapter Thirty-two
September 1st
Eric prayed hard that he could get out of prison before the fourth blood moon. Once she considered him worthless, he guessed they would dispose of him and never tell his sister what had happened.
Surprisingly, men arrived to remove Eric from his prison. They tied his hands behind his back and put a black bag over his head so he couldn’t see anything. One thing they forgot to tell him was that it was extremely hard to breathe while the bag was on his head. They obviously weren’t experienced kidnappers in his eyes, or they would have planned better.
He knew Isabella wouldn’t allow Jalen to go with them, because of the friendship both he and Eric shared. It also meant that she trusted Jalen less than ever before. Eric didn’t like the fact that their friendship might get Jalen killed and he would have to take the blame for it.
He was the one who started up conversations with Jalen. It was because he hated the isolation and just wanted to hear a human voice other than his own. It would still be Eric’s fault if Jalen was killed. At least in his mind, it felt he would be blamed. He was sure they did not know about the headset.
A part of him wanted to save his friendship with Jalen. A part of him knew what
he was really going to do. If he had a chance to go free, he would flee.
He closed his eyes and breathed lightly to control his breathing, while blocking out any outside noises. If they asked him a question or gave him an order, they would be out of luck, because it was all he could do to keep from passing out. After a few minutes of failures, he then managed to gain control of his breathing by poking a hole in the bag the size of his finger. He felt the sounds of the vehicle they had him lulled him. It put a rhythm to the movement. He then matched that rhythm with his breathing. It was very tricky, but he did it. Something to remember in the future.
The vehicle’s seats were so comfortable that he fell asleep. He felt the van come to a stop and woke up.
With car doors slamming and loud laughing, woke Eric up completely. As soon as he was fully awake, he pulled at the bag. The bag was taken off. He made a face confidently at his captor, causing the man to laugh as he exited the car. “What is going on now?” he asked but got no answer.
Eric opened his eyes wide, trying to get them adjusted to the light of the midday sun. He squinted and tried to count all of the people wandering about outside. He saw his odds of escaping were non-existent. Eric realized that he would have to walk past every one of the people who were outside just to gain his freedom.
He could see ten people to be a danger to him, including Isabella and her three henchmen. Doing the best to memorize his surroundings, he looked for buildings to hide out in. But he couldn’t see much from his viewpoint. Eric shook his head, when he realized that Isabella must have thought of everything and had the car park in such a way as to limit his hope of leaving.
To one side, he saw a beautiful and lush green forest of trees. But they were off in the distance, near an enormous mountain. Something about it all looked familiar, but he couldn’t remember if he had been there or just seen a picture of it somewhere. Or was it in his dream?
On the other side, he could see a two story building. It looked like it had been there for centuries and then remade into what it was: a bar. Riley’s Tetrad was the name on it.
It looked like an old western saloon with wooden pillars going from the floor of the balcony down to the bottom of the first floor landing. It looked like it was painted black, with the name in huge neon lights. The sign hung precariously on the railing of the second floor balcony.
* * *
A half an hour passed before two of Isabella’s men came back to the car, followed by Isabella. They opened the door closest to Eric, and pulled him out of the car. They cut off the zip ties from his wrists and pushed him toward Isabella.
She stood in front of him dressed in faded blue jeans, a white midriff shirt with ruffles on the sleeves, and laced-up sandals. Her hands were on her hips and she looked disgusted. “Eric! I want you to meet Gabriel.”
A small muscular light-haired man with crystal blue eyes and wearing a shirt with the sleeves cut off approached. His hair was shoulder length. He was obviously a pet.
Eric smirked. “Hey, Gabe.”
Gabriel turned to Isabella with a surprised look. “You told me this guy was broken. He doesn’t look so broken to me.”
“He is in your care. I have some things to do, Gabriel,” Isabella said, while walking back to the car. “He won’t run. It’s not because he’s broken, he just won’t.”
She glared at Eric with a knowing smile and then allowed one of her men to open the passenger side car door. She slowly entered the car, while never breaking eye contact with Eric until she was fully inside. The rest of the men got into the vehicle as well. Eric watched them leave. He watched as they drove out of sight.
He then turned toward Gabriel and held out his hand. “I’m sure you know this, but I’m Eric.”
Gabriel looked with disgust at Eric’s hand and then he turned to walk toward the bar. His men followed. “What do you want me to do with that? I don’t do germs, man!”
Eric chuckled in spite of his fear of what would happen next. Then he realized something was too unbelievable. Gabriel left him all alone with no one guarding him.
Eric looked around in shock, but he still had to canvass the area. He noticed that the bar was at the far end of what appeared to be a small territorial division. Maybe even a strip mall. He decided to take his chances and walk toward it.
First, Eric entered the bar and saw what he expected to see. Old western tables and chairs, with a long bar toward the back of the room on the wall. He saw Gabriel sitting at the bar with some of his men, drinking and laughing. His men were sitting at different tables.
“You’re a stupid man, Eric,” Gabriel said, without even looking back. “I would have left and then the bad guy in the saloon would have known that Isabella was a liar when she said you wouldn’t run. But here you go proving me wrong! Nice job.”
“Can I ask you where we are?” Eric asked, with fear that Gabriel would notice the obvious attempt to change the subject.
Gabriel turned to face him, with a stupid grin. “You got some guts, man. Ha ha ha! I’ll give you that much. We’re in a town as kooky as it gets. Parkdale, Oregon. My place is the hot spot for the town. Isn’t that something? Ha ha!”
Eric looked him in the eye. “You don’t have to do this, Gabriel. I don’t have any mystical powers that Isabella thinks I have.”
“I know,” he responded. “I like to let her think that she’s this great psychic or whatever it is that she does. She’s never been very good at any of it. She sure gets jealous when she finds the real deal though. I think that would be you.”
“I just want to get out of here before anyone else gets hurt,” Eric pleaded. He no longer cared about putting up an emotional front. He just wanted out.
“I know that, too,” Gabriel added, while grabbing some peanuts from a small tin bucket. “She should have never involved you. I’ll make sure you don’t get hurt. You need to make a break for it, tonight though. Go before she sees the Blood Moon. You know she’s crazy right? Yeah. You know. Everyone is crazy who has a straight mix of Jordanian and Israeli blood in them. She’s always fighting with herself! Ha ha!”
Why would he say that a mix of Jordanian and Israeli blood produced someone that a blood moon would make crazy? That was scary. He would do all he could to maintain his sanity.
Eric thought about what Gabriel had said as he walked back outside. He went on the roof and hid. He waited patiently in the bushes for the sun to go down.
Chapter Thirty-three
April 4th, 5:55 p.m.
The Day of the Third Tetrad
The total lunar eclipse had already begun. Isabella had returned and showed more excitement than anyone else. She expected a show because she thought that Eric was going to be connected with the blood moon, like she had heard about him. She said she thought he was going to be there for the first two, but he wasn’t. She was getting more frustrated with each no show of his abilities. She made mention that she even planned his death if he did not come up with something this time. But she did not say what she would do in case he didn’t come through on that night. She did say that she believed he failed on the previous two times on purpose to embarrass her.
Eric sat on the flat rooftop, behind a storage unit, on a lawn chair and away from the ladder leading down. He was surprised when he saw she chose to go on the roof as well. Isabella was in the middle of the roof, receiving light from the neon sign. So were Gabriel and a few of his men. She had a telescope pointed at the moon, waiting for the eclipse. Even though he was hidden, Eric was fortunate enough to be placed within earshot of Isabella when the eclipse started.
He rubbed his hands together with nervous anticipation as he glared at the total lunar eclipse in progress. He heard her say, “I can’t believe we’re almost there! Isn’t it exciting Gabriel?”
Gabriel said, “Tell me Isabella. What is all of this that you do? You’re creating a big situation, so all eyes will soon be drawn to you. Not in a good way, either.”
“How dare you! You said you believed
in the power of the Blood Moon!”
Gabriel seemed to release his emotions as he snapped. “How dare I? I never was on board with any of this nonsense! You know what I used to believe in? Us! You were never this crazy before, Izzy. I don’t know why you got caught up in… whatever this is, but I want no part of it! Not anymore!”
She moved from him into the middle where Eric could see her clearly. He saw that her lower lip trembled as she showed a deep anger and disappointment. “I thought you cared about me!”
“I do,” Gabriel replied with what sounded like an honest concern. “I just can’t take this anymore. I don’t know who you are, Izz!” He approached her. He looked at the eclipse and then Isabella, who stood there in front of him, looking lost. Eric watched and waited to hear Gabriel’s explanation, but he gave her only two words. “I’m done.”
With that being said, Eric watched him turn and nod to his men. They all followed him toward the ladder. Isabella stood and cried.
Eric kept his eyes on Isabella. He saw the rage building inside her. She was already scary, but now, she was extremely dangerous.
One of Gabriel’s men stayed behind as the others went down the ladder. Gabriel went first, so his men could watch his back. Just in case. The man left behind saw Eric and told him to follow the men down the ladder. Eric obeyed, as he nervously looked back at Isabella. He couldn’t help but regret leaving her alone.
He saw her eyes turn black at the precise moment that the eclipse went into totality. It was complete, but she wasn’t.
Eric saw Isabella’s face go into contortions. Her fingers curled into fists, and Eric could have sworn he heard her growl. If he was right, then she was demon possessed.
“What’s happening to her?” Eric asked. “It has something to do with the moon! Doesn’t it?”
“Does it matter?” the man responded. “We just need to get away from her!”
Eric thought about all of the research Sybil did about the moon and the effect that it has on some people. He remembered her saying something to him about the moon affects people the same way it affects the oceans. Depending upon the person, and where the moon is in the sky, anyone could have something temporarily altered within their mind with a blood moon. She said it usually happened more in people who had weaker minds.
