by B. C. CHASE
Then the orchestras joined in, building the music to a strong crescendo, highlighted by a burst of fireworks from all around the two-mile diameter of the Paradeisia Angel Plaza. The female soloist, Queen Lakeisha, sang:
All our lives we want to share
In our hearts we pray a prayer
Through our lives we seek to be
All we want is to be free!
Jona Arc took up the song:
Sometimes seemed the world was sad,
Sometimes tears are all we had,
With our voice we find a song
Where love waits to sing along!
The two were joined by Leonard Reed and Shawn Mark,
When the dark of night draws in
When the hate has will to win
There's a place to find your way
Where the sun is bright as day.
The London Voices now sang:
Paradeisia, Eden on Earth
Paradeisia, bright new birth
Paradeisia, light the way
Paradeisia, here to stay!
The orchestras played loudly for several minutes as fireworks filled the skies. Then the music softened and the children's choir backed Leonard Reed as he sang:
Little children,
It's good to see them,
Oh how their eyes light up
With Paradeisia in them!
Paradeisia, Eden on Earth
Paradeisia, bright new birth
Paradeisia, light the way
Paradeisia, here to stay!
The stages leveled and the performers began to walk down the ribbon into one group at the bottom where a huge shell-shaped fountain spread behind them as the song continued,
So join hands with the world
And look to bright of day
Beyond the raging sea
Eden is here to stay!
Fireworks cloaked the two mountains with color as the performers clasped hands.
Paradeisia, Eden on Earth
Paradeisia, bright new birth
Paradeisia, light the way
Paradeisia, here to stay!
The finale featured such a burst of fireworks all over the island that it seemed more like a war than a celebration. Video on the statue showed fireworks going off to the delight of countless spectators in city centers around the world. Then everything went totally dark including the statue and suddenly a bright burst of light and lasers shot out from the place where the statue had stood. It was as if it had disappeared into thin air and in its place appeared the neon illuminated outline of a giant hummingbird flapping its wings. The music came to a rousing finish as the sonorous voice spoke, “We hope all of you find that spark of paradise in your hearts! Paradeisia, Eden on Earth, where you are the author of your own adventure! Now to close this evening’s celebration, we welcome the founder and host of Paradeisia, Fitzgerald Ignatius Jinkins.”
There were deafening cheers as spotlights illuminated the center of the stage. The applause began to die, however, as the vacancy of the stage became apparent. The voice spoke again, “The founder and host of Paradeisia, Fitzgerald Ignatius Jinkins!”
But he wasn’t there. A nervous chatter began to overcome the hush.
Henry turned to Lady Shrewsbury, “Where is he?”
“Am I my nephew’s keeper? How should I know where he is?”
“I cannot believe it. He is failing to show for his own—”
Abruptly, a man wearing an all-white suit took to the stage and said, “Hey, grownup adventurers! I’d like you to know that the celebration is not over yet! Please join me for our nightlong street party in the Paradeisia Angel Plaza hosted by yours truly, the one and only EuroJ! Now put your hands up and let’s get this party started!”
Techno music pounded the plaza.
Henry stood. Placing a hand in his pocket, he felt something inside that hadn’t been there before. A paper. He drew it out and unfolded it. A handwritten note read:
I killed Andrews. I killed them all. -Ignatius
Before he could comprehend the meaning of what he read, there was a blinding flash. He felt someone grasp his arm, but couldn’t see anything. As his vision began to clear, Henry saw Lady Shrewsbury staring at him, her eyes red and inflamed. Marco Gonzales was also nearby. Then a sudden blast of hot air and a palpable tremor in the air blew past them with the sound of thunder. The crowd collectively gasped and cried out from behind him. Lady Shrewsbury was staring behind them toward the sea, her face conveying a kind of horrorstruck awe. He turned to follow her gaze. Beyond the crowd and the coast, reflected in the ocean, an enormous fire cloud slowly rose into the air. The sea of humanity paused in hushed silence to stare in dazed awe, their silhouettes outlined by the bright rays of the explosion.
Tanzania
“You're going too bloody fast!” Adriaan shouted as the Land Rover careened from side to side through the African savannah at night. He was twenty-six years old, but wise enough to know to be cautious in the bush at night.
The tourist at the wheel beside him threw his head back in laughter, “Are you kidding! I off-road all the time in the States. Calm down, grandma!”
“That's not the,” he stopped, seeing a dark form ahead, and shouted, “—STOP!”
Adriaan gripped the dash as the tourist skidded the Land Rover to a stop, a plume of dust shooting up in front of the hood.
Standing before them with its giant ears spread out and its trunk slowly swinging back and forth was a thirteen-foot-tall elephant. The eyes mirrored the gleam of the headlights. It trumpeted with a thundering growl and stamped in agitation.
The tourist began to honk frantically.
“No!” Adriaan said, putting his hand out.
The tourist kept honking, “It's moving, see?”
The Land Rover vibrated with each step as the elephant plodded its five-ton weight to the driver's side. The tourist eased the Land Rover forward, but a second elephant stepped into the headlights, its thirteen-foot height genuinely intimidating. A third emerged from the right, a low growl on its heavy breath. On the left there was a metallic screech as tusks prodded against the door.
“That's it, I'm gonna kill it!” the tourist screamed, and spun the tires in the dust.
Adriaan was shouting “Don't!” as the Land Rover launched forward to plow into the chest of the beast.
The giant animal did not even flinch. With a powerful bellow, it lowered its head and easily lifted the Land Rover up on its back wheels. The truck landed back on the ground, violently jolting the two men inside. A tusk shattered the glass near Adriaan's head. He ducked as the elephant thrashed, tearing the headliner. The tusk then disappeared, and, without a moment's pause, there was a crash as the Land Rover raised wildly on its two right wheels.
Adriaan struggled to reach one of the shotguns on the floor in the back, but they were tilting dangerously. The tourist clung to the steering wheel like a frightened kitten. With a powerful thrust, the elephant sent the vehicle careening to its side, and Adriaan toppled into the rear window. There was a second tremendous blow and the vehicle rolled onto its roof.
Adriaan clambered out the shattered window, his hands bloodied and painful from shattered glass. He rose to his feet, and before him stood the largest elephant, its eyes flashing angrily at the sight of him.
Suddenly, there was a loud shot from the Land Rover, and Adriaan felt himself spinning toward the ground.
After he landed, he saw flashing spots for a moment and felt dizzy. He was confused as he saw the crumpled Land Rover nearby. In a daze, he saw the tourist laying inside on his stomach with the shotgun aimed out. The tourist was reloading to shoot the elephant. Adriaan turned his head on the ground where he rested The elephant's chest erupted in blood as the thunder of two shots rolled out into the night. The elephant didn't care, it charged in a rage, stomping past Adriaan to handily fling the car back upright.
Adriaan shouted, “USE THE SINGLE SHOT!” as he sat up, feeling a sting on his upper arm. He lo
oked and almost fell back over at the shock of what he saw.
Another shot blasted from the Land Cruiser. The elephant staggered backwards, but then pushed on.
His arm hung by threads from his bicep, shattered bone protruding from the center of the mutilated appendage. His bicep was a mangle of torn skin, red flesh, vessels, bone, and flowing blood.
An unbridled panic immediately began to set in, and he felt himself losing consciousness. He shook his head, tried to gain control. The elephant was now pushing the Land Rover, its rump lowered and its rear legs extending far out behind it. There was another cracking shot. Then, it suddenly spun around, took several lumbering steps toward Adriaan. Nearing him, it stopped, reeling. The blood flowed in rhythmic bursts from a cavity in its flesh.
Adriaan knew there was a good chance he would be crushed when it fell, so he rose to his feet and staggered out of the way, fighting the blackness that threatened to close in. A shower of dust swept over him as the elephant dropped to the ground.
Tourniquet, he thought. I need to stop my bleeding. He grabbed a stick he saw on the ground, ambled to the side of the Land Rover, where the tourist reached down to help him clamber up. The tourist swore at the sight of Adriaan's arm, “I'm sorry, man! I'm sorry! I didn’t have any id—”
“You’ll be truly sorry if I’m dead and cannot direct you back to the lodge,” Adriaan corrected. “Now help me with a tourniquet.” He toppled onto the bench seat, his injured arm snapping free and hitting the floor with a thud. The tourist moaned an expletive, recoiling at the sight. Adriaan yanked at his shirt and said, “Tie this around the stump!”
The tourist complied, albeit with sloppy, bloody results. Adriaan slipped the stick into the knot and said, “Twist this until the blood stops.”
Gingerly, the tourist began to twist. The pressure was excruciatingly painful, but after only three turns, he stopped. “Okay, the blood stopped,” the tourist said.
Adriaan said, “Now tie it off.” The man complied, and Adriaan said, “Well done. Now get us out of here, if you don't mind.” Adriaan noticed that the remaining elephants were gingerly prodding the Land Rover from the sides and the back.
The tourist jumped into the front seat, tried to start the engine. It choked. As the tourist kept twisting the key, the engine kept choking. “It won't start!” he cried.
Adriaan groaned in frustration. He closed his eyes, thinking.
What the devil?
Thinking was a monumental task since he was starting to feel the searing pain from the still-hot shot that was impaled in his flesh, and a dull ache was rapidly turning into an almost unbearable searing in his shoulder. He was light-headed, even in a reclining position.
The elephants were becoming bolder in their attacks on the car. The engine was still choking as the tourist desperately continued to try to start it. He was in a blind terror.
“Stop, you’ll kill the battery. Let's use our heads!” Adriaan shouted.
“I don’t know—” the tourist began, then moaned at the sight of the elephants.
Adriaan knew he couldn’t count on the tourist to do any thinking. Really, he couldn’t count on him to do anything.
The Land Rover had rolled. What would prevent it from starting? Any number of scenarios involving damage to the engine flew through his mind.
Distracting him, the vehicle shuddered as one of the elephants pushed harder.
Was the engine flooded? Then he realized he was missing the obvious. “The inertia switch has tripped,” he panted. “It needs to be reset.” The inertia switch cut the fuel pump in case of an accident.
“What's that? How do we reset it?” the tourist squealed. He immediately went silent at the sound of a deep, guttural growl.
It was a lion.
A male, by the sound of it, and close.
The elephants trumpeted and stepped away into the darkness. In the savannah, lions and elephants steered clear of one another.
Adriaan's mouth felt very dry as he licked his lips and said, “Listen, the switch is in the engine compartment on the driver's side.” His breathing was heavy and he spoke with difficulty, “Look for a button with a red line on it.”
The tourist was frozen, his eyes wide with fear. He swore, “There are lions out there!”
“I know,” Adriaan said. “Use the shotgun.”
The tourist stared at him, dead-faced.
“They're only a couple of cats, mate!”
The tourist shook his head, pale.
“You shot a five-ton bull elephant—and me! Lions—” Adriaan winced with pain. “I’d wager lions won't present a problem for you.”
The tourist shook his head violently. He whispered, “I can’t see them. They’re too far away.”
“Oh for the love of—,” Adriaan said, losing the last word to a groan as he propped himself up with his good arm. He leaned down, picked up the shotgun, held it out to the man, “You shoot from here. I'll go push the bloody button.”
Blinking, the tourist took the gun.
Adriaan thought that if the lions got too close at least he could throw them a distracting morsel. He lifted his lacerated arm from the floor by the hand, surprised by how cold it already felt. He slid himself on the seat toward the nearest door. Stepping outside, he studied the darkness.
The dry, tall grass undulated in the breeze, and among it, in the distance, he could see pairs of eyes reflecting the headlights.
He stepped as quietly as he could toward the hood, listening for the slightest sound. A flock of small birds flitted across the sky from one tree to another, alarming him. He made it to the hood, glanced out into the darkness on the other side. He saw two dark, sleek shapes trotting through the grass. “Fire a warning shot!” he shouted.
The man fired several shots into the dark, until the gun clicked empty. “I've run out of bullets!” he said. “There's no more ammo—it must have fallen out of the car!” He started to swear over and over again.
Adriaan was feeling faint again, slipping into a daze. He croaked, “Open the hood.”
“I pissed myself, man!”
“Open the bloody hood!”
The hood clacked, and Adriaan dropped his arm in the dust. Then, with great effort, he lifted the hood. He used his head to hold it open while he secured the support rod. He couldn't see very well, but he knew where to expect the switch. It was a small black box with a button on top against the firewall, and he spotted it in the back, on the driver's side. He suddenly felt darkness closing in again, and slumped against the grill for support. He took some deep breaths, tried to rouse himself. Awareness returned, and he leaned over to push the button. “Try the engine!”
The engine roared to life, and Adriaan let the hood drop with a loud bang. He saw the tourist staring in terror at something behind Adriaan. He turned to see a circle of six lionesses facing him. The engine revved, and before he could think, the he felt a pressure on his buttocks. He was violently pushed down under the Land Rover as it passed right over him. The lionesses made way for it, and it tore down the road, a cloud of dust veiling the tail lights as they quickly distanced.
The bloody tourist had buggered off. He couldn't believe it. He left me as mincemeat for the lions.
The lionesses watched the taillights for a moment or two, then turned back to gaze at Adriaan.
And licked their chops.
He tossed his arm at the lionesses, and they attacked it with frenzy. But it held them back for no more than a minute while he ran away. His strength gave out and he fell. The lionesses feasted their eyes on him, and slowly crept in to surround him on all sides. Crouching for the attack, they licked their bloodied muzzles in anticipation.
Then, from beyond them, the huge form of a maned lion appeared, stepping forward heavily. It was a yellow shape in the moonlit mist, its white piercing eyes flashing with supremacy. It roared with thunderous power and took several strong strides toward them. The lionesses made way as the alpha took two bounds and leaped high to land right
beside Adriaan, teeth bared.
Fearing his life was over, he squinted his eyes shut. Nearby, he heard the beast growling so deeply that his own body seemed to reverberate with the sound.
When the attack did not come, he opened his eyes. The lion was standing there, facing the lionesses, which had reclined in submission. The alpha raised its magnificent head to turn and look directly at Adriaan.
The alpha had claimed Adriaan for his own. Now the end would come.
Blackness closed in.
Layla shuddered with terror as the spear tip lifted up her shirt and touched her bare stomach. The man grasping it, his eyes untamed and eager, stood poised there, ready to strike. Another spear aimed at her abdomen, one at each of her shoulders. She was unable to move, with four of the men stretching her hands and feet out on the ground. She felt tears streaming out the corners of her eyes and tickling her ears, though she was not weeping.
A scream erupted from the left. The tribal men surrounding Doctor Katz were thrusting their spears through him, hopping around and hooting in excitement.
One of the men above her howled and put his weight into his javelin. She felt nothing, but saw the metal point enter her belly. Then the rest of the spears were driven through. She dropped her head back, a sense of doubt setting in.
Where am I? Am I dreaming? she thought. There was no pain, so this was not really happening. Where was she really, lying somewhere peacefully asleep? Her mind raced. In her bed in Egypt? On the plane going toward Venezuela? How much of her recent history had been a dream?
Nightmare.
The men withdrew the javelins and kicked her over onto her belly. They then gripped her arms and legs to carry her again. She saw the ground moving beneath her, saw blood streaming off her body. Suddenly a throbbing pain in her gut arrested her. Like the feeling of running after eating too much. It quickly grew worse, joined by hot, searing trauma from her shoulders and abdomen until it was unbearable.
