“Well, you be careful,” Melinda said. “I love you. Have a good day and call if you’re going to be late.”
“I love you, too.”
Melinda leaned into the car and gave Jim a kiss. He reversed out and headed for work.
When he arrived he made his way up the stairs and joined the other officers in the staff room to wait for the morning briefing. He took a seat and said to his mate John, “Anything new on today?”
“Didn’t you hear?” John asked. “Another three people were murdered last night! Crucified upside down.”
“Shit, who the fuck is doing this, some satanic mob or something?”
“I don’t know,” John said, “but I’d like to get my hands on them.”
“Ditto.”
Jim screwed up a sheet of paper and threw it at the back of Constable Rick Morrison’s head. Rick turned around and said, “Yeah, yeah, I know the Broncos lost, I’ll get you your carton of piss after work. I didn’t think you churchy faggots drank anyway.”
“This one does,” Jim replied.
At that moment, Captain Taylor walked in. He moved to his podium and shuffled some papers. “OK, settle down, people.” The noise died down and after a brief pause, he continued.
“Unless you’ve been living under a rock you will all know that we have a very big problem on our hands. Last night there were another three murders; this brings the total to eight in just over a week.
Detective Pete Conroy from the south side precinct was one of the people killed yesterday morning. I don’t know if anybody here knew him but there will be a funeral held this Friday and everyone who is off duty is to attend. Any donations to the family will be appreciated also. I realise some people will take this personally as he was a police officer and I can’t blame you but I’m afraid I’ve got some even worse news. There have been eight people murdered this way in Brisbane in the past eight days but this is just the tip of the iceberg.
For the past week we have been under the assumption that what we are dealing with is a local satanic cult because the victims are being crucified and then hung upside down, which Pastor Daley informed me is the ultimate blasphemy against any Catholic and Christian religions.
This, as I have been informed only this morning, is happening all over the world. There are reports in the media that this exact type of murder has been happening in Paris, London, New York, Sydney, Cape Town etcetera etcetera etcetera for a few days now. Estimates of the total number killed are in the hundreds.”
The staff room erupted into loud chatter. As the captain tried to quieten everyone down, Jim raised his hand. “Captain, what’s going on?”
“We don’t know,” Captain Taylor said. “There are never any witnesses and they are kidnapping the victims and dragging them out to abandoned warehouses or bushland and killing them. They are not hiding the victims and they want them to be found. Educated guess would be that they want to cause as much shock as possible, which would indicate a sick kind of terrorism. All national and international efforts to try to work out how they are co-coordinating have failed.
One popular method of communication between terrorists is to give all the members a password on a single email account and simply write messages and save them as drafts because they know that sent emails can be intercepted. Unfortunately the tech guys in the FBI in the States say they are not using this method. We don’t know how they are doing it.
What we do know is that they are getting more and more daring and there must be significant numbers in each group, as yesterday afternoon our time one victim was hung upside down on the third story of a building in the outer suburbs of Seattle in the United States.
What we have to do is look after our little area of the planet and find the pricks that are doing this shit here and let the rest of the world try to do the same. OK, I want everyone to be vigilant. I want the SERT team in full kit and waiting on immediate standby. I’m talking full body armour, Kevlar, radios on, MP5s, M4s and Glocks fully loaded, and I want you waiting in the motor pool.
I know it’s a bit of a pain in the arse sitting around in full kit waiting for a call that may not come but if it does I want you to be able to respond immediately.”
The SERT team nodded in agreement.
“Guys on the street, keep your eyes open for anything suspicious; any 000 calls, be prepared to respond immediately. OK guys, have a good, safe and hopefully productive day. Let’s see if we can crack these sons of bitches. Dismissed!”
Jim and the other five SERT team members got up and made their way to the kit-up room. They took off their blues and put on the SERT team overalls, followed by their Kevlar. They then lined up and started signing out their weapons. The SERT team consisted of Sergeant Jim Nolan, Senior Constable Steve Clark, Constable Matt Campbell, Constable Nathan Turner and the team sniper, Constable Nick Bond.
Nick and Jim had served together in the Australian S.A.S. when they were in their 20s before joining the police force.
The five men knew they were in for a frustrating wait after they kitted up. Steve asked Matt, “Have you got the cards?” “Yeah, I fucken’ got ’em,” Matt replied.
THE BOYS
A few hours later out in the western suburbs two young blokes were sitting on the patio smoking dope and drinking beer. The house was on a hill in thickish bushland about 700 metres away from an old abandoned industrial estate. From their elevated position in the scrub they had a perfect view of the estate.
They noticed a white van pull up at the gate of one of the warehouses. Even seeing any vehicles out there was a little strange, as not many vehicles went to the area any more. But still, it was nothing to be alarmed about. That was until they saw five men dragging another man who was bound, hooded and gagged out of the back of the van. Straight away the young blokes sat up and paid attention. They got an even bigger fright when they saw the men carrying a cross out of the van behind the gagged victim.
One of the young men reached for his mobile and dialled 000. At this stage it was about 3.30 in the afternoon. As the boy on the phone gave the address to the 000 operator the other one watched the attackers kick down the door of the large warehouse and drag the victim inside. One of the attackers stayed outside to keep watch.
Having finished giving the details to the 000 operator, the boys were at a loss as to what to do. They knew they were too far away to help, as there was bushland and several fences between them and the attackers. Nevertheless, they were deeply stressed as they, just like everyone else, had seen the details on the news about these serial killers and knew what horrible fate was in store for the victim inside.
Back at the police motor pool, the SERT team got the call. They knew it was a good 15-minute drive to the area so they wasted no time. Throwing their cards down, they jumped into the SERT team vehicle, a specially fitted van with all the attachments they needed. They hit the road and as they were driving, Jim gave quick orders and prompts for his team. “We will kill the sirens about two Ks from the area so we don’t alarm these pricks and force them to kill the victim and flee. Bondy, we will drop you off where the call came from so you can cover us; apparently they have a clear view. Everyone check their radios!”
While the SERT team was in transit the young boys were growing more and more anxious but they knew they were powerless to do anything. They kept a constant vigil on the guard at the door. All of a sudden, the guard made eye contact with them. One of the boys said, “Do you think he can see us?”
“Probably not, he’s too far away.”
“Bullshit, he’s staring straight at us!”
“Fuck him, the cops should be here soon.”
“What the fuck is that?”
The boys stared at the guard in disbelief as a pair of black wings sprouted from his back. They stood in shock as the creature took flight and flew straight towards them. It covered the 700 metres in about 10 seconds. When it was about 100 metres from them they noticed the creature looked like a normal man, except for the w
ings. The teenagers screamed and ran inside, slamming the sliding glass doors shut. It did no good. As soon as the creature arrived he flew straight through the door, sending smashed glass everywhere and simultaneously knocking one boy’s feet out from under him as he ran. He picked the teenager up by the neck with one arm and snapped his neck like a twig.
The other boy ran to the front door to escape to the street but the demon flapped his wings, which helped him jump over the lounge to cut the boy off. As the boy opened the front door the demon grabbed him by the shirt and threw him backwards through the sliding door and over the veranda. The boy tumbled down the hill and was killed instantly when he hit the ground. The demon scouted quickly around the house to see if anyone else was there, leaving the front door open. Finding nobody, he walked out to the veranda and flew back down to the warehouse.
A few minutes later the SERT vehicle pulled up out the front of the boys’ house, dropped Bondy off and continued driving. Bondy made his way up the steps before knocking on the open door, yelling, “POLICE. Anyone home?” Sniper rifle at the ready, he walked into the house. He took the rifle up to his shoulder, ready to shoot, when he noticed the mess and the dead boy’s body on the ground. While shouldering his weapon with one arm he checked the boy’s pulse with another. He spoke into his radio mouthpiece. “Jim, we have a dead teenager here!” He looked quickly around the house and walked out onto the patio to look over to the industrial estate. He then noticed the other body on the ground below. “Jim, we have another body,” Bondy said.
“Shit,” replied Jim. “Have you got eyes on the estate?”
“Yeah.”
“What do you see?”
“OK, there is a bloke at the front door and a white van parked out at the fence on the eastern side about 30 metres from the door.”
“That’s it, dispatch mentioned a white van,” Jim said. “OK Bondy, when we get out the front you keep your eyes on the guard. Is he armed?”
“It looks like he has a sword or something strapped to his side.”
“If the prick makes any aggressive moves, take him out.”
“No worries.”
As soon as the SERT team van pulled up outside the warehouse, the remaining four members were out and running through the gate, weapons ready to fire. The demon noticed them and started to run towards them. As he was running, his wings sprouted from his body and he unsheathed his sword. As all the SERT team opened fire the demon flew up in the air, causing them to miss. The demon landed behind the SERT team and thrust his sword straight through the body armour on Steve’s back, and then pulled it out.
As Steve fell to the ground, the rest of the members turned. Almost as soon as they locked eyes with the demon and noticed his bright red eyes, his head was blown in half. It fell to the ground; the sound of the bullet came next. They looked up and realised the round came from Bondy’s sniper rifle. Jim got on the radio and notified dispatch that there was an officer down as Matt started CPR.
But the sword had gone straight through Steve’s heart. Jim placed his hand on Matt’s shoulder and said, “Matt, there’s no point. Let’s just see if we can save the bloke inside.”
Matt tapped his MP5 magazine and said, “Let’s fucken’ kill these cunts!”
The SERT team filed through the door in standard two-by-two cover formation, which meant that as they entered the building, one would cover high and the other low. As there were only three members entering, Jim trailed a few metres behind the other two. The team crept inside as quietly as possible while Bondy kept the outside of the building covered from a distance with his sniper rifle.
They could hear the muffled screams of the victim through his gag as the kidnappers drove a long nail through both his feet. The torture they were inflicting on the helpless victim was beyond despicable. The demons loved the pain they were causing. The more evil the deeds they were doing, the greater their enjoyment.
The SERT team then kicked the final door open on the inside of the building and yelled, “POLICE.”
The four remaining demons stopped and looked at the officers.
The arch demon Lilith was holding his sword out as the three lower-ranking demons stopped their torture and looked at the SERT cops. Lilith smiled and used his sword to cut off the victim’s head while he was pinned to the cross.
The SERT team opened fire, instantly filling Lilith with bullet holes and killing him, but the other demons sprouted wings and flew around the warehouse with incredible speed, landing on the walls and ceiling. The three officers were firing all over the warehouse and having a hard time hitting them.
Bondy could hear the gunfire from his position. He got back on his radio. “For fuck’s sake, will you hurry up with that back-up and an ambulance!”
Inside the warehouse, one of the demons threw his sword up in the air with such force that it went straight through Nathan’s neck. Jim and Matt then finally got a hit on the demon. As he fell to the ground, wounded, they finished him off with another burst of 9mm rounds.
As Matt attempted to change magazines Jim was shooting in the other direction at the other demon. The two to three seconds it took Matt to change magazines was all one demon needed to swoop down and cut his head off with a single stroke. Jim got a couple of rounds into the demon’s shoulder and arm, forcing him to fall and drop his sword. But the other demon came at Jim from behind and stabbed him in the back, driving his sword straight through his left lung.
As Jim lay on the ground gasping for air, the wounded demon and his comrade stood around him, looking down. They ripped his Kevlar vest off and started toying with him, poking their swords into him but only a couple of inches each time. The more pain they inflicted on him, the happier and more excited they grew. The nastier they got, the redder their eyes grew and the bigger the smiles on their faces.
The warehouse, however, had more than one door. The smiles on the demons’ faces were wiped off when the back door was kicked in with such force it came off its hinges and went flying across the warehouse, bouncing off the opposite wall. The demons knew that no human was capable of this feat. Uriel the archangel came walking in, his wings spread and his eyes bluer than the sky. One of the demons said in surprise, “URIEL?”
“Did you miss me?” Uriel replied.
The demons attacked him instantly. They fought as hard as they could but Uriel dispatched one of them with ease, his sword cutting him in half as he charged. The other demon swung his sword and Uriel closed the distance with lightning speed to cut off the demon’s sword hand. The wounded demon cupped his bleeding arm as intense heat radiated from his other hand. Uriel confidently and patiently watched on. The heat sealed the wound and left the demon with a stump. He continued to attack Uriel with punches and kicks but Uriel blocked every blow with his hands and his wings, which had supernatural strength, power and co-ordination. After a fearsome encounter Uriel punched the last demon so hard he went flying through the warehouse wall. His body landed on the ground right in front of the police officers that had just arrived. As they looked down at the demon’s lifeless body they were stunned to see that not only was his face caved in from the force of Uriel’s punch but his wings were retracting.
As Jim faded away into unconsciousness he saw the blurry figure of Uriel walking out the back door. Uriel turned to Jim lying on the ground, his eyes still bright blue, and whispered, “You’ll be OK, the Lord is with you!”
CHAPTER 3
HOSPITAL
As Jim was in the back of the ambulance and slipping in and out of consciousness, memories of his life were hitting him randomly. His first flashback was from childhood, playing cricket with his mates in the street. Then graduating from the police academy. He was then confronted with marrying Melinda and watching the birth of his two children. He was also seeing all the horrible things he had seen in the past on the job. Operations from overseas, car accidents and murders flashed before him.
When he was conscious for a short while he saw the doors of the hospital flu
ng open as they rushed him in for surgery. The pain from his multiple stab wounds was agonising. Even when they were preparing him for surgery he was in pain, until suddenly all the pain disappeared.
Jim found himself looking on as the doctors and nurses scrambled around him. The realisation that he was dead was dawning on him but he wasn’t scared. He felt weightless and at peace. The feeling of weightlessness was like holding your breath in a swimming pool and looking at the bottom and letting every muscle in your body go limp and float but it was a hundred times lighter than that. He then noticed the white light and a tunnel and he was torn between going towards the light and staying with his body.
The love and peace radiating from the light was so intoxicating that he couldn’t resist going towards it.
Even though Jim loved his wife and kids to the utmost and knew he shouldn’t leave them, the power and love coming from the light made him give them not even a second thought. He had the feeling that time, which controls everything people do on earth, had absolutely no meaning here. As he got closer to the light the same images from his life that he had seen were replaying, but this time all at once. Not only was he seeing them all at once, he was seeing the way each thing he had said and done in his life affected other people. He could feel what they once felt, both good and bad.
To his amazement the light communicated with him telepathically. It said to him, “Jim, you have sinned just as much as the next person but through all sorts of ordeals you have kept your faith in me and you are essentially a good person. I know you want to come here but it’s not your time. There are significant things happening on earth at the moment and you will be a major part of them. I love you and I will always be with you.” All of this was communicated to him in a millisecond, as if language and speech were of no importance.
ARCHANGELS FURY Page 3
