The Belial Fall (The Belial Series Book 13)

by R. D. Brady

  Cain looked at her and nodded. “I’ll watch over her.”

  “Mom?” Joe asked.

  “Susie has to go. The government won’t take our word she’s not Nyssa. They’ll take her if Nyssa’s not here.”

  Jake’s phone beeped again. “We’re out of time. They’re in the gates.”

  Molly took Susie, holding her tight. Tires squealed outside.

  Mary Jane grabbed Theresa and Molly’s arms, pushing them toward the back door. “Go. Go!”

  CHAPTER 40

  Jen was almost at Mary Jane’s when the teenagers came spilling out the back door. Cain was unceremoniously draped across Rolly’s shoulders as they all sprinted for the shelter.

  Jen didn’t say anything, just shifted direction to lead them away, seeing the headlights from the corner of her eyes as two large SUVs squealed onto Sharecroppers Lane. She stopped at the edge of the woods, making sure none of the government agents caught sight of the kids before sprinting after them.

  Ahead, the first of the kids burst into the shelter door. Jen had left it open so as to not slow them down. She was the last through, yanking each door shut behind her as she blew through. She burst into the foyer and through Dom’s main room right behind Rolly. He dropped Cain on the floor outside the tunnel.

  Cain grabbed onto the wall as he swayed. “That’s a horrible way to travel.”

  Jen did a quick head count, then did it again, her heart pounding. “Molly. Where’s Molly?”

  Theresa clasped Susie to her. “She gave me Susie. She went to get Zane.”

  Jen whirled around. Oh my God. The cats. She’d completely forgotten about them.

  “Where’s Zane?”

  “He went for a run with Cleo and Tiger.”

  “Get into the tunnel,” Jen called as she pulled her phone and dialed Henry. Come on. Pick up. Pick up.

  “Jen?”

  “Molly’s still on the estate.”

  “What happened?”

  Terror raced through Jen. “She went for the cats. We forgot about the cats.”

  CHAPTER 41

  Outside, tires squealed to a stop a few cottages down from Mary Jane’s, followed by the slamming of doors and yelling . . . lots of yelling.

  Mary Jane’s heart pounded. She had never been so scared in her life. Please, please keep everyone safe, she begged silently.

  A man’s voice over a bullhorn sounded. “Attention, attention, everyone in the houses. Step outside with your hands raised. No sudden movements.”

  “Jake, what do we do?” Joe asked.

  “We do what they say.” He placed his gun in the holster on the counter.

  “I thought you said we were going to fight,” Shaun demanded.

  “We are. But we fight smart. We are outnumbered, outgunned, out resourced. We do not give them a chance to provoke us to do something that they can arrest us for. There are different ways to fight Shaun. And sometimes the most effective ways don’t involve fists.” Jake clapped him on the shoulder. “Now let’s go.”

  Jake led the way, followed by Shaun, then Joe and Mary Jane brought up the rear. Jake paused at the door, hand on the knob. “Everybody ready?”

  “Yeah,” Joe said while Shaun nodded.

  Mary Jane wasn’t sure what she did, but Jake must have taken it as an affirmation. He opened the door a crack.

  “We’re coming out!” he yelled. “We are not armed!”

  Mary Jane’s chest tensed. Part of her couldn’t believe this was happening. How could this be happening?

  Jake pushed open the door. The once idyllic street now looked terrifying. Armed men were everywhere. A helicopter flew overhead, scanning the street. Heavily armed individuals swept into a house across the street after kicking in the door.

  Six soldiers knelt in front of Mary Jane’s house, their weapons trained over the rock wall on Jake and then each person as they exited the cottage. One man separated from the six, his weapon pointed at Jake—the rest kept their focus on Mary Jane and her boys. She had never felt so powerless in her life. With the flick of a finger, someone could end the lives of her boys and Jake. The only comforting thought was that Molly and Susie weren’t there.

  “Down! Get down on the ground!”

  Mary Jane paused.

  “Get down on the ground!”

  Jake started to lower himself, his hands still up. The boys did the same. Mary Jane was a little slower to catch on but started to lower herself as well. Apparently the soldiers along the wall didn’t think they were moving fast enough. Four of them vaulted up, surging forward to kick each of them in the back.

  Mary Jane cried out as her face slammed into the dirt. Her arms were wrenched behind her back, her sleeve pushed up. Pain lanced up through her arm and she screamed. Next to her, the boys yelled as well.

  Her hands were held tightly behind her for another two minutes. She didn’t dare move or speak.

  “They’re clear.”

  The pressure on her hands immediately eased. A strong arm gripped her by the upper arm and pulled her up. “Name,” the man in front of her barked.

  “M-Mary Jane McAdams.”

  “Put your hands in front of you.”

  Mary Jane did. The man quickly wrapped zip ties around them, pulling the wire tight.

  Her boys received the same treatment next to her, as did Jake.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  The man ignored her question, just pushed her toward the street. “These four are cleared.”

  The soldiers led them to the edge of the street and had them sit on the curb. Mary Jane sat between her boys, wanting more than anything to hold them tight, but that wasn’t an option. She frowned, realizing her arm felt wet. She glanced down. A red cut, blood still seeping, was now on her forearm. A quick glance at her boys showed they had been cut as well. “Why did they cut us?”

  “To see if we would heal,” Jake said. “They’re looking for Fallen.”

  “That’s . . . that can’t be legal,” Joe said.

  “I think we are beyond that point now,” Jake said quietly as another group was led to the curb and unceremoniously dumped there. Mary Jane recognized them. They worked in the kitchen at the main house.

  A roar sounded from down the street. Mary Jane’s blood went cold. Oh my God.

  Gunfire burst out from the same location as the roar. Mary Jane craned forward to see what was happening. She could just make out a pale shadow slinking into the trees.

  “It’s Zane,” Joe said, starting to stand.

  Jake grabbed him, keeping him in place. “No. Stay down.”

  Joe tried to shake him off. “Let me go.”

  A soldier stormed over. “You were told to sit.” He jammed the end of his rifle into Joe’s face. Joe collapsed, blood dripping from his mouth.

  “No!” Mary Jane screamed, reaching for Joe as Jake leaped to his feet, burying his shoulder into the soldier’s hip as he raised his weapon to strike Joe again. The two of them went down in a flurry of feet.

  Soldiers streamed over to them. Two of them yanked Jake off the soldier. Mary Jane hunched over Joe. “Joe, Joe!”

  Shaun started to get up but was unceremoniously yanked down by another soldier. “Stay down!” A gun was aimed at his face.

  Joe lay still, but his chest moved up and down. His nose was broken, blood running down into his mouth.

  “That’s his mother!” Jake yelled as a soldier grabbed her arm, pulling her back.

  “No! Joe! Let me help him! I’m a nurse!” Tears streaming down her cheeks, Mary Jane scrambled, trying to get back to Joe as two soldiers grabbed him under the arms and started to pull him away.

  “Stop fighting!” the soldier ordered, slamming the butt of his gun into the back of her head. She crashed to the ground, her bound hands coming to her face as her vision faded in and out. Her thoughts slowed down. The soldier raised the weapon again.

  Mary Jane could do nothing but watch.

  Then the soldier was flying through the a
ir, landing in a heap on the porch.

  “Mom!” Molly crouched next to her.

  Mary Jane blinked hard, dark circles appearing at the edge of her vision. “No, no. You have to go. Run.”

  “Not without you.” Mary Jane felt herself lifted in the air.

  A gunshot rang out. Molly stumbled, Mary Jane dropped, holding on to Molly. Blood seeped from her arm. “No!”

  Soldiers approached from behind. Mary Jane yanked Molly behind her. “Leave her alone. She’s just a child!”

  Moving swiftly across the ground, two shadows separated from the trees. They landed on the two men trying to pull Joe away. The men screamed. Shaun bolted to his feet and grabbed Joe, dragging him away from the men as Cleo and Tiger flung the men away.

  Soldiers opened fire.

  “Cleo! Get out of here!” Jake yelled.

  Cleo sprinted for the trees, Tiger on her tail.

  A third shadow landed on the soldiers in front of Mary Jane. Zane bowled right into them, swiping their guns away, baring his teeth.

  Shots rang out. Molly grunted. Mary Jane whirled around in time to catch her. “No!”

  Jake roared, but three soldiers kept him on the ground.

  Mary Jane threw herself over Molly as soldiers encircled them. “No! No!”

  Two other convoys screeched to halt, soldiers pouring out of them. Zane roared before the sound was cut off as gunfire rang out.

  Shaun sat holding Joe in his arms, tears rolling down his cheeks, his eyes wide in horror as he looked at Mary Jane.

  Then a blur materialized next to him. Henry knelt down, meeting Mary Jane’s gaze between the shapes of the soldiers encircling her as she covered Molly, whose blood was seeping into the ground from a stomach wound.

  “Get them out of here!” she yelled.

  Henry grabbed the boys. In a flash, they were gone. No one even noticed. The circle around Mary Jane and Molly tightened. Mary Jane looked down at her beautiful little girl. Her eyes were closed, and there were so many gunshot wounds dotting her chest that Mary Jane couldn’t even count them in a glance. Molly would heal but not anytime soon from that many wounds. More than anything Mary Jane wanted to pull Molly to her, protect her from everything swirling around them. But with her bound hands, she couldn’t even reach out and stroke her cheek. “I love you, Molly. Do you hear me? I love you.”

  A soldier reached down and pulled her away.

  “No! Let me stay with her. No!”

  Jake roared once more. He flung a soldier off him and charged to his feet. An electric charge rammed through Mary Jane’s system, and she crashed to the ground. She felt the soldier step behind her. From the corner of her eye, she saw him raise his weapon. But she kept her gaze level with her daughter’s much-too-young face. Then pain exploded across the back of her head, and her world went black.

  CHAPTER 42

  Mustafa took the corner way too fast, half the truck coming up on two wheels. But he didn’t slow down. He glanced in his rearview mirror. Matt’s SUV took the corner just as fast and just missed sideswiping a tree. He didn’t slow down either.

  Mustafa pressed down on the accelerator. He had already been on the way to Chandler Headquarters when Matt called him to let him know they were raiding the place. Mustafa could not believe it had come to this. He’d been helping arrange the transport for the kids tomorrow. He’d just gotten off the phone with Gerard. The cats were loaded up from the reserve, and Noriko and Gerard, along with a phalanx of guards, were already escorting them to a spot in South Dakota.

  He had felt good, thinking they were ahead of the government. He never thought they’d go after the headquarters. The kids at the estate ranged in age from six to eighteen. Hardly national security threats. But the President needed to prove she was on top of the Fallen issue, and apparently taking a bunch of children into custody was her way.

  Mustafa yanked the wheel to the side, so lost in his feelings of anger that he’d nearly missed the turnoff. He raced down the road, praying for everyone on the estate. An empty field appeared ahead. He didn’t even slow as he crossed into it, his SUV bucking under the uneven surface. Kids. They were going after kids.

  He screeched to a halt near an old well, slamming the truck into park before vaulting from the driver’s seat. He sprinted for the well and yanked on the bushes next to it.

  Matt brought his SUV to a halt next to Mustafa’s. A puff of wind, and Matt was at his side. “Move.”

  Mustafa shifted to the side as Matt wrenched the three remaining bushes out of the way, revealing a door. A padlock with a chain was on the outside. Matt grabbed it and yanked it off, pulling the chain through the handles.

  “Step back,” Matt ordered.

  Mustafa scrambled back as Matt placed both hands on one of the doors. Bracing his legs, he pulled the whole door off.

  A cry sounded from inside the door. Mustafa scrambled past Matt and peered in. His heart nearly split in two at the sight. Over two dozen kids stood there, their faces smudged with dirt, their eyes wide. More than a few had red eyes shining brightly with tears.

  Jen stepped forward, a six-year-old in her arms. “Mustafa. Thank God.”

  He nodded. “It’s all right. Come on.”

  He reached out a hand and pulled the first child up. Matt grabbed another one. Quickly, they got all the kids out, instructing them to pile into the SUVs.

  They were three miles from the estate. After the Day of Reckoning, Mustafa had helped Jake, Matt, and Henry create a tunnel leading from Dom’s to this field. Only the four of them and Dom knew of its existence. The other tunnels leading from Dom’s had been too well known to trust that they could use them again.

  Jen led all the kids toward the SUVs, splitting them up between the cars.

  Cain stepped out from the hole, holding Nyssa. “Thank you, Mustafa. That’s everyone for now.” He gripped Mustafa’s hand. “Have you heard anything from the estate?”

  “Not yet. Let’s get everyone moving, then we’ll see what we can find out.”

  A sound made Mustafa freeze as he stepped from the doorway. He had his weapon pulled. Cain shoved Nyssa at Danny, who was only a few feet away. “Take her.”

  He stepped next to Mustafa.

  A dark shadow appeared in the entryway. Lou and Rolly appeared at Mustafa and Cain’s side. “It’s a Nephilim,” Lou said.

  Henry stepped through the doorway, a body draped over his shoulder. Shaun appeared from behind him, his face unnaturally pale.

  Cain rushed forward, pulling Shaun toward him before he dropped. “What happened?”

  “The feds weren’t exactly concerned with keeping everyone safe.” Henry carried Joe toward the SUV. Even in the dim light, Mustafa could make out the damage to the boy’s face.

  Lou grabbed Shaun’s sleeve. “What about your mom? And Molly?”

  It took Shaun much longer than it should have for him to understand the question. “They . . . they shot Molly. Mom threw herself in front of her as the soldiers advanced on her. I don’t know what happened then. Henry yanked us out of there.”

  Lou met Rolly’s gaze. He nodded. They both stepped toward the doorway. Mustafa jumped in front of him, his hands out. “No.”

  Lou glared at him. “They shot Molly.”

  “I know. And if you two go up there, they will shoot you as well. Do you really think that if there was a way to get Molly and her mother out, that Henry would have left them there? Do you really think he and Jen wouldn’t be leading the charge back? The estate is lost. We regroup. We make a plan. And then we go after our people.”

  “What if they’re already dead?” Lou demanded.

  Jen blurred in front of them. “Then you getting killed won’t change that.”

  “We need to be smart about this. Not emotional,” Mustafa said.

  Cain nodded. “Mustafa’s right, as much as I hate to admit it. We all thought the war was with Samyaza. But it wasn’t. This is the true war. And tonight is just a battle. Do not sacrifice yourself unnecessa
rily.”

  “We need to go. You can’t protect Molly or her mom, but there are two dozen kids in these cars you can protect.” Mustafa waited, knowing there was no way he could stop the two teenagers in front of him if they decided to go. They could bowl through him in less than a second, and he wouldn’t even know they’d moved until he hit the ground.

  “I need you to help me protect the kids,” Jen said. She and Lou had an unspoken conversation for a long few seconds before Lou’s shoulders dropped. “Okay.” She and Rolly turned for the SUVs. Jen draped an arm over Lou, pulling her close. Mustafa let out a breath.

  “Well done,” Cain said quietly before following them.

  It was a tight squeeze in the SUVs for everyone, but no one complained. Mustafa hopped in the driver’s seat.

  Cain sat behind them, Nyssa once again wrapped in his arms. Shaun sat on his other side, Susie in his arms, while Lou held on to Joe, who was blinking and looking around in confusion.

  Jen sat in the passenger seat, her face tight. “We need to go. They have choppers in the air.”

  “Yes, we do.” Mustafa put the car into gear and quickly turned out of the field. Matt was right behind him in the other SUV.

  They reached the end of the road, and Mustafa turned right. In the rearview mirror, he watched Matt go left. That was part of the plan. They couldn’t escape together. And this way, one of them would have a better chance of getting to safety. He watched Matt’s taillights disappear.

  Good luck, my friend.

  CHAPTER 43

  

  Laney did not sense any Fallen or Nephilim inside the walls, or anywhere nearby, for that matter. But she and Drake still did a little recon. The grounds of the school were entirely enclosed by the ten-foot white wall. They jumped onto the top of the wall along the side where they were hidden by trees on the property. The three-story building was the largest building on the property, but there were two other buildings as well. One was an old stable. The other was a single-story flat building that had been obviously created more recently than the other two buildings. In the back of that building was a small playground, where children ranging in age from five to twelve played.