by Craig Taylor
Jacobs finally managed to get his heart rate down to a level that enabled him to communicate in syllables with a breath between.
“Grave. This-rate-here-for-ev-er.”
“Jesus, Paul. You have to start exercising or something. You just walked five meters up a sandy hill and your heart rate is probably two hundred.”
“Up yours!” Jacobs replied, turning and making his way back down the dune. “Oh, by the way, there’s a man at the south cordon who wants to see you. Says there’s a ‘paranormal’ aspect to this and needs to get it off his chest.”
“Did he ask for me personally?” Roper asked. He could hear the sarcasm in his partner’s voice.
“No, but since you’ve got time to think up insults you might as well take it.”
Roper had nothing to say to that. Jacobs was the senior detective and could delegate as he saw fit. He made his way down to the vending truck, got two bottles of water and walked to the south cordon.
He was met by a uniformed officer, unlucky enough to be volunteered by his sergeant for cordon duty. He handed him one of the water bottles and was directed to a man standing behind the police tape.
As Roper approached, he attempted to read the man. He was dressed in jeans and a short-sleeved, button-down shirt. He wore hiking boots and had an acubra-style hat in his left hand. His hair was gray and tied in a ponytail which extended to the middle of his back. Probably fifties, and hard-ridden. The skin on his hands was weathered and his face quite wrinkled.
He extended his hand to the man, who shook it firmly. His grip was strong and Roper could feel the calluses on his palm. The man had done a lot of manual labor in his time and could probably lift a mule over his head.
“Detective Roper,” he said, introducing himself. “My partner tells me you have some information you’d like to impart.”
The man nodded. He looked Roper directly in his eyes when he did. A trait the detective liked in people.
“Your partner the fat man?” he asked.
Roper smiled and nodded. “Yes, Detective Jacobs. He’s the lead officer on the investigation.”
“He’s not long for this world,” the man replied. “His arteries are clogged and his resting heart rate is higher than yours after a strenuous workout.”
Roper chuckled. “Well, that’s an interesting observation, but I was told you have information pertinent to this case.”
“Yes. There is far more to this than meets the eye, and you see it. You can feel it.”
“Could you be specific please?” Roper asked. He’d already decided the man was a nut, but decided to humor him. It would, at least, keep him from the depressing scene over the dunes for a few minutes.
“These graves are the work of pure evil Mister Roper. There is a darkness descending like never before, and although there are some of us battling it, people like you are being used.”
Roper nodded, feigning interest.
“Your suspect is a bad man who works for a worse woman. She has caused this and in turn is directed by evil itself. He told you two names, but you don’t believe him. I can see it in you.”
“Who is this woman?” Roper asked.
She goes by many names and many forms. Don’t worry. She’ll find you before this case is over.”
“Okay, Mister..?”
“Baker. Charles Baker.”
“Well, Mister Baker, thank you for your time. This officer here will take your details and write up your statement for you to sign and...”
“You don’t believe me, but that’s okay. You will in time.”
He started to walk away, but turned. “Oh, by the way. You need to see your doctor. That dull pain in your lower back is a disc that’s about to slip.”
Roper smiled uneasily. He was sure he was walking with a slight limp or had touched his back while talking to the man, but he was right. His lower back was killing him and had been getting worse.
“The throb will wake you tonight,” the man called as he walked away. “Midnight.”
Roper watched him walk away. He was odd, that was for sure. He was right about things. He did have a feeling the investigation was going the wrong way, and Baker was on the money about his back.
As he returned to the scene, he couldn’t get Baker out of his mind. It was such an unreal conversation to have in that environment and there was something strange about him.
“There I go,” he muttered to himself. “I’m listening to my gut again.”
Chapter Twenty
David swung the car around a steep curve that led to a flat area with a natural canopy of trees. The shade was cool and reminded Patricia of a place she and her parents once visited but had forgotten about. It was déjà vu coming here; a shiver travelled up and down her spine.
David stopped the car and they got out. He got the bags from the trunk. He looked at her. She was staring up into the trees as if she was reminiscing, until she realized he was watching her.
“From here, we walk,” he told her, slinging one bag over his shoulder and carrying the other with his left hand.
Patricia frowned. They had left the farmhouse hours before, then followed a track that had once been well-used but was mostly concealed by overhanging trees. They had stopped briefly to drink some water and eat a little of the food David packed.
Patricia was going to comment about his food choices, but decided against it. He had picked salami, sausage, ham, cold beef, smoked chicken and a little lettuce.
“How far do we need to walk?” she asked.
“Just until we get over that ridge,” he said, pointing into the distance.
“Then what?”
“Someone will meet us and take us to the sanctuary by four-wheel drive. My car can’t handle these roads.”
“What is this sanctuary?” she asked.
“It’s a lovely cabin in the middle of nowhere, where we’ll be safe for a while and have a little time to gather our thoughts and come up with a game plan.”
“That’s it, a cabin?” Patricia asked. “The way you were talking I was expecting some sort of mystical castle carved by hand out of a sheer rock wall.”
David smiled. “It’s not ‘Lord of the Rings’, you know.”
Patricia laughed and walked alongside him. She took one of the bags from him and grasped his free hand. She didn’t know why she did that, she just felt like it, and he didn’t pull away.
The air had cooled as the sun began its descent. There was a gentle breeze. A few birds soared above them, enjoying the last of the day’s warmth.
Patricia looked at David. He was staring into the sky as he walked. He had a serene expression. It showed Patricia another side of him. She could tell he was appreciating the beauty around him.
They were walking in an open expanse of green fields with trees. The land was flat where they walked, but Patricia could see hills and a mountain range in the distance.
When they got to the ridge, a woman was waiting in a four-wheel-drive vehicle. She jumped out when she saw them and ran up to David. He let go of Patricia’s hand, dropped his bag and hugged her tightly, lifting her off the ground.
“Patricia, this is Amanda. She’s taking us to the sanctuary.”
“Patricia, I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Oh?”
“Yes,” Amanda said. “Uncle Albert spoke to me every day. He was excited that you’d come in to our lives.”
“Uncle? You two are cousins?”
“Yep, it’s a family business,” David laughed.
Amanda laughed too. She picked up the bag David left on the ground and threw it in the rear hatch. Patricia tossed the other one in.
“We should get going before nightfall,” Amanda told them.
Amanda and David sat in the front with Patricia in the b
ack. Amanda drove along another worn track winding through open plains and under forest canopies. The track was smooth, giving Patricia the impression it had been in use for a very long time. She wanted to ask a hundred questions, but decided to wait until they got to where ever they were going.
“I’m sorry about Albert,” Amanda said to David.
“He did what he knew was the right thing. I still don’t know what we’re doing, but he’s set us in the direction he wanted.”
“He’s still with us, you know,” Amanda said.
David nodded and smiled. “I know, but I’ll miss seeing the old grump cheer up with his first morning coffee.”
They both laughed. Patricia sat in the back listening and watching. Amanda looked about thirty-five and was very pretty. She had long blond hair about a quarter of the way down her back, with pale skin and dark green eyes. She wore jeans, boots and a stockman’s shirt. To Patricia she looked feminine but tomboyish.
After half an hour of driving, they drove into a pine forest, which twenty minutes later led to a clearing. There were old stone foundations and partial walls where a building once stood. It covered most of the clearing and Patricia could see it had been quite large. The stones were dark and covered in moss. Some stones had fallen from the broken walls and were sitting almost randomly about the clearing. Grass and vines covered much of the area.
A log cabin sat in the center of the stones, with two smaller cabins to either side. Wooden stairs led up to a wraparound balcony and a solid wooden door that looked like it came from an old sailing ship.
Tall pine trees thickly surrounded the clearing like sentries. They reached up to the sky, and spread inwards to protect the cabins from view above. Pine cones and needles littered the clearing around the decaying stone remains.
David and Patricia followed Amanda up the stairs and into the main cabin. It reminded Patricia of pictures she’d seen of old hunting lodges. A huge stone fireplace was at one end. In front of that were a sofa and two chairs. A dining table sat behind those, and the kitchen looked over the two areas from the other end.
A set of stairs from the kitchen led to a second floor, with four doors leading off. Amanda pointed to the last two doors and told them that they could each have a room. David suggested they freshen up, before deciding what to do next.
Patricia used the shower first, leaving Amanda and David below. She loved it as the water washed away the dirt and grime of the last day. Despite what had happened, the danger she suddenly found herself in, she knew she would sleep well. This place had an energy she hadn’t felt in years.
* * * *
David made sure Patricia was in the shower before he spoke to Amanda.
“How is he?” he asked.
Amanda shook her head. “He’s okay, but he’s scared. I can feel the danger and it’s nothing I’ve ever felt before. Are you going to tell her?”
David nodded. “Dad trusted her and said she’s a seer. She’s in the thick of it like us, so she deserves to be told. I’ll tell her after I’ve cleaned up.”
* * * *
Half an hour later, Patricia was sitting on the sofa. She wore fresh clothes from one of the bags and felt wonderful. David sat next to her, and Amanda sat in one of the chairs opposite. She handed Patricia a cup of tea.
“This looks ominous,” Patricia said.
“It’s time you know the whole story,” Amanda told her. “This is just beginning.”
Patricia nodded. She knew this was coming, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
Amanda continued. “As you know, for generations our family has been fighting the dark forces that surround us all. For some reason, we were chosen, and the lineage has carried on, with the gifts in some cases getting stronger. Albert is a perfect example. He could read people and see the darkness like no other in our family. I can communicate to those who have passed and David can predict some of the actions of the darkness. Others not in our family have also been given these gifts.”
“As a result, the darkness has targeted our and their families, and has suddenly become far more active. They are systematically destroying our ability to resist its forces. Jason Hansen is a gifted individual, but not so much that he would be targeted the way he was. We think there is something the darkness knows that we don’t, and is working its way toward an end that may destroy us all.”
“Where you fit in, I don’t know, but Albert certainly felt you; that’s why he sent David to you when you became Jason’s doctor. You know you’re in danger because of what’s happened, but we don’t know your role yet.”
“I have to ask something,” Patricia said. “I was going to ask Albert, but never got the chance. You keep saying darkness and light. Are we talking about God and Satan? What do you mean by it all?”
Amanda moved to the edge of her seat. “There are certainly forces more powerful than we can imagine; some pure and righteous and some deeply sinful. Some religions call them God and Satan, but there are many names. The common thread is good versus evil; a battle perpetrated by the darkness to control man. Man was created for good, but due to his nature darkness developed and took a powerful form of its own. That form despises all that is good and right. Now it wants to destroy all good, and since its ‘birth’ it’s fought a battle with the light. The darkness feeds on the spirits of evil people and lives off the energy created by evil acts. It’s also weakened by the acts of good people–love and kindness.”
“It’s a battle that may go on forever, but what’s important is keeping the balance in favor of light. There are many times in history where the pendulum has swung too far toward darkness–world wars, ethnic cleansings, famines, diseases, civil wars. Some places are battling darkness all the time. Those people who have a propensity towards bad behavior are encouraged and watched over by dark angels from the day they’re born. For an act to be truly evil, the person has to make the conscious decision to commit the deeds, but the influence and presence of the dark angels is usually enough to encourage the evil-minded. They feel the power and urges and are soon deep into something they relish.”
“Luckily, the light is far stronger and is prevalent in most of us. The majority of us are inherently good and, although we make mistakes, we go about our lives creating light energy as we go, but evildoers are growing in number. Morality is eroded away by our actions, and things we used to find objectionable are now acceptable.”
“We know that the darkness is getting stronger and wants certain people out of the way, but at this point we don’t know why just those people. We can sense darkness getting stronger, angrier and more desperate. All we can do is keep fighting it.”
David cleared his throat. “As Amanda said, we know they’re after certain people and we have to protect them. I need to show you something.”
He stood up and motioned for them to come with him. They followed him outside to one of the other cabins. It was very small; Patricia suspected it was a bedroom, perhaps a guest house for when the main cabin was full.
David opened a trap door in the ground, exposing stone steps leading down. He stepped in. Patricia followed down thirteen steps and found herself in a huge room. It was lit by bulbs strung along the length of the wood ceiling. Thick wood beams crisscrossed above them, holding up the underground ceiling.
Shelves lined two walls, holding what looked like thousands of books of all sizes. Some looked modern, but most were old and leather-bound.
Three rows of large wooden chests of drawers stood in perfect lines and went the length of the room down the centre. The drawers were all closed and had round metal rings for handles. Against another wall was one row of wooden cupboards. They looked as though they had been there forever.
“What is this place?” Patricia asked.
David didn’t answer, but motioned for her to a door on their left, which she hadn’t noticed. As th
ey got closer, Patricia could see a dim light shining underneath.
David swung the door open. It showed a room about half the size of the previous one. There was a large wooden table in the center. Thirteen chairs surrounded it. In front of each chair was a thick leather book. Each book was identical and tied closed with a thin leather strap. A wrought-iron candelabra sat in the center of the table and was nearly the length of the table. It held twelve white candles, and one black candle at the far end.
The table was made of thick oak and obviously very old. The wood was marked by use in most places. It looked handmade, with intricate carvings of angels on each leg.
The chairs were made of the same wood, and were covered in carvings of angels and strange symbols that looked familiar to Patricia. She found herself staring at them, trying to remember where she had seen them before.
Her attention was then drawn to the books. The covers were thick, brown leather and each book was about six inches thick. On each cover was the embossed picture of a small boy surrounded by angels. They were covering him with their wings as he cowered on the ground. The angels were looking above, as though waiting for something to fall. The leather covers were cracked and dry.
At the end of the room were two doors. David opened the second one. This led to another large room about fifteen feet across. It was set up as a living area and had a large flat-screen television in one corner with a Playstation attached. A long, plush sofa was in front of the screen, with reclining chairs around the room. A small lamp table sat in the corner with two chairs on either side. The lamp was on, and a book lay open on the table. A pair of silver eyeglasses sat on the pages.
It was the complete opposite of the previous rooms. They were ancient stone and wood, filled with books and artifacts with a historic feel. This room was warm and bright, much like a family room of a modern house.
In the far corner Patricia could see two figures. Both were small, one smaller than the other. The larger of the two turned around. It was a woman. She was wearing a brown hooded robe with the hood obscuring most of her face, but Patricia could just see her feminine features.
