“Lisa,” Alex interrupted, “I love you. I Love Christina as much as you do. If you want to get her back—”
“If?” Lisa screamed.
“If you want to get her back, ” Alex interrupted again, “You need to hear this.”
“Hear what, Alex? How 5000 years of history is related to my child? I don’t have that kind of time. I don’t even believe this story. There are 30 million species of animals on the planet. You’re telling me these people spent 40 days locked in a 300-foot box with 60 million animals? I’ve got a child to save and she won’t wait for this 5000 year old bedtime story to end.”
“You’re going to die.” Mike said, shaking everyone in the room noticeably. He was staring directly at Lisa, which sent a chill up Alex’s spine. A twinge of angry instinct flashed hot in Alex’s heart.
“Is that a threat?” Lisa asked. If looks could kill, the knives radiating from Lisa’s icy glare would have dropped Mike where he sat. Alex knew it wasn’t, but he sat silently staring at Mike awaiting his reply.
“It’s truth,” Mike said, resolutely. Alex wanted to say something, but what? He couldn’t explain how he knew of Mike’s benign intent. He just knew. Lisa lunged at Mike, seizing his shirt. Instinctively, Danny leapt to his feet as if covering his partner. Making no attempt at aggression, Mike simply tilted his face upward, closing his eyes. The pillows on the couch began to shimmy. The furniture itself wobbled, tapping out a rhythmless cadence. Pictures on the wall drowned beneath the swimming vision of wooden walls no longer able to hold their sturdy form. A billowing white smoke poured from the seemingly liquefied walls, thinning, though not dissipating as it filled the living room, creeping, crawling slowly toward the floor, rising and falling like an ocean tide gently kissing the boundaries of a sandy beach. Despite the chaos, Alex was filled with an overwhelming, but not wholly unfamiliar calm. Looking around, it was clear he was the only one. Even Brandy seemed on edge, unsure of the strange substance filling her home, though her attention seemed more directed toward Lisa than the goings on in the Mendez living room.
“Let him go,” Alex insisted, his voice half disappearing amid the surrounding flood of chaos.
“What?” Lisa shouted. “What’s going on?” She was looking at Mike, shaking him. A florescent orange light shone down from its disembodied source, somewhere between this life and the next. Brighter and brighter it grew. Hotter and hotter. Whatever Mike’s intent, the light did not appear to have such benevolent plans. A sphere of light – orange, blue and green dancing flame – manifested directly above Mike’s head, spilling its light upon his skin. Suddenly and without warning Lisa let go of Mike, screaming in pain. Confused, scared, hurt, she stared at her hands, front and back.
“He burned me,” she said, looking at Danny.
“Where?” he said, seizing her wrists, to better examine the wounds. Alex could see clearly there was nothing to examine.
“Love can have no fellowship with hate.” The voice came from everywhere and nowhere at once. It wasn’t Mike’s but Lisa didn’t have much time to ponder its origins. “Light must have no fellowship with Darkness. For I have separated Light from Dark that they might not fellowship.”
“What the heck is that?” Danny screamed, holding his ears.
“Danny,” Alex shouted. Danny looked at him. Pointing toward Danny’s feet, Alex said, “Look.”
“Look at what?” Danny said, angrily. “What is this?” A thin white fog had manifested itself covering the entire room unnoticed until that moment. Danny stood awestruck by the power of the confusion that had overtaken him.
“The breath of God.”
“The what?”
“Danny, you’re standing in the breath of God.”
* * *
The breath of God.
Alex’s words had pierced Lisa like a hot knife through butter. It echoed across her soul. So many emotions flooded into her that she had no choice but to succumb to silent contemplation. She’d heard him recount the story of his death several times. The dream or vision or whatever it was had been very real in Alex’s mind. To Lisa it had been a fantasy. A dream. She didn’t believe in near death experiences or whatever, but she was remiss to deny Alex his right to believe. She had no need for such things. At least not until that very moment. The room blanketed in deep, white fog, the swimming walls. Mike turning himself into a human hotplate. It all culminated in acceptance. An affirmation that apparently needed only Alex’s confirmation to prove its existence. Truth, they say, is stranger than fiction and the truth before Lisa was by far stranger than anything she’d ever experienced.
The light grew brighter. The spherical source added lavender and deep blood red to the aurora that danced about the living room. A high-pitched screeching penetrated the scene, distinct enough to have been a lone sound, piercing the suddenly silent gathering. Twice more, before being joined by a flapping sound, like that of a flag waving in the steady breeze. From out of the sphere itself, which had, in an instant, grown to a diameter of nearly three feet – immerged an orange-red creature resembling a bird, perhaps one mated to a dragon or something written about in fairy tales.
“The phoenix,” Mike’s voice thundered, as the creature flew overhead. “It will not harm you.”
The flighted fowl flipped itself upside down, then back right side up. Flying continuously over Lisa and Danny, the creature’s spinning became more rapid, constant. Flapping with all its might, the creature appeared to teleport back into the swimming porthole from which it had sprung. As quickly as it had disappeared, the creature reappeared, carrying in its beak a shimmering blue and green object. Continuing its earlier flight ritual, the bird creature flapped its wings, swooping back and forth over Danny’s head, then over Lisa’s, spinning sideways cartwheels just as before. With a shallow dive, the creature let out a loud screech, which caused the rippling air to shudder, the walls of the house to further relent behind the ethereal ocean under which they drowned. The object, which Lisa thought was a feather, floated gently toward her. Instinctively, Lisa reached up and grasped the shimmering blue-green gift. Before her hand could close around the feather, before her senses registered the slightest touch, it disappeared. Bewildered, she looked up, realizing the phoenix had once again disappeared. Quicker than she could blink, it again reappeared, enacting the same aerial ritual over Danny’s head. Like Lisa, Danny instinctively grabbed for the feather just as it disappeared.
“The gift is now given,” Mike’s voice echoed. His lips did not move. The voice, unmistakably Mike’s, seemed to climb from unknown recesses of his soul before escaping his lazily parted lips. The bird headed straight up. Unnerved, Lisa shielded her eyes, certain the creature was going to crash straight through her ceiling. With a loud whooshing noise, the bird became engulfed in a fireball and vanished. As if following its invisible master back to the origins of Creation itself, the fireball snaked upward, disappearing as it lapped the ceiling with a gentle kiss. The walls no longer swam. The vaporous fog no longer covered the floor. Everything had seemingly returned to normal. Looking around, Lisa found Alex sitting calmly, hands folded, gently resting in his lap. He was smiling slightly. Danny sat in a chair, with a look of annoyed confusion. He was staring at his hands, rubbing them together, inspecting them intently In the center of the room, his legs still crossed Indian style, Mike sat on the floor slumped over, his head cocked to the side. Though it didn’t appear he was breathing, Mike’s face was awash with contentment.
He smiled.
Chapter 24 ~
Time was passing too slowly for Lisa. It took a couple minutes to rouse Mike and Lisa had become frightened and sick, physically ill. The situation held within it a serious déjà vu sensation; though the circumstances were much different. The stakes were much higher. It was that same sense of urgency that begged equanimity into Lisa. Danny, too, seemed stricken by an urgent calm. As Mike continued recounting the story of Noah, his sons and The Great Flood, things began to make sense for Lisa. Mike had s
topped speaking in riddles, parables and exotic tongues. Now, he spoke plainly, or maybe Lisa’s ears had simply become more receptive. Whatever the cause, Lisa had complete understanding.
Evil had overtaken the world. Noah and his sons were not entirely without sin, but The Creator knew they were his best chance at starting over, erasing the blight on humanity caused by the murderous act of Man’s first offspring. The Creator’s heart agonized at the destruction of His greatest creation, Mankind. But his hopes rested in the pure influence Noah would have on his sons and their wives. A million possibilities existed and God knew them all. How would they react to being the only survivors in a new world? Would the spirit in the offspring of The Fallen One, still very much alive and mixed with Noah’s seed, forever doom Man’s future? Granting His creation free will from the beginning, God simply waited as Satan attempted to own his influence once again. First with Noah, persuading him to drunkenness and naked debauchery, at which point God caused Noah to fall into a deep sleep.
Satan’s next trick was to use Ham, the youngest son of Noah, to attempt to corrupt his brothers, much as he’d used Eve to persuade Adam to disobey. Again, God’s protection prevailed, as the brothers covered their father’s nakedness out of respect. Where free will had failed was in the heart of Ham. Despite the voice of God, Ham’s course was chosen by Another. He disobeyed the laws of old and God placed His anger into the heart of Noah, who pronounced a curse upon the descendants of Ham. Ham’s own anger burned inside him, fueled by the whisperings of The Fallen Angel. Deep within the burning fire and brimstone of Hades, Satan smiled. His battle was won in the heart of Ham, who swore allegiance to Darkness. In exchange for his devotion and that of his descendants, Ham was given strength to battle and power to enslave his brothers, the very men Noah cursed Ham to serve. Abraham, the seed of Shem, had a son – Ishmael – with a Hamitic woman. The battle between his seed, and that of Sarah rages even today. The descendants of Shem, the Hebrews, were enslaved by the Hamitic Egyptians.
Years later, Japheth’s descendants, The Roman Empire conquered their Jewish cousins and, for that sin, eventually found their leader seduced by an Egyptian queen. Ham’s ultimate revenge was in the power of Living Death. The very powers of Hell itself were placed at the serving feet of Ham and his descendants, through Canaan. The spirit of Death was to be placed in the heart of One touched by the blood of Canaan. If but a single drop of Canaan flowed through his veins, The Spirit of Death may overtake Him and he would become the tool of Ham’s Revenge. Only one untouched by The Curse can destroy Canaan’s seed. Only one whose blood runs pure. The Spirit of The Innocent was given the power to restore life stolen by the Cursed One. Just as the harnessed powers of Hell gave The Spirit of Death to Canaan’s seed, so too does the power of The Heavens bestow upon The Innocent the power of Life.
Mike explained his role as simply and succinctly. He was there to protect The Innocent. The Christina Mendez who does not know the power she possesses. He was there to protect the blessed seed of Noah until The Innocent could battle The Cursed One.
“You’re saying my four-year-old daughter is the savior of the world?” Lisa asked.
“No,” Mike said, raising a finger. “What I’m saying is that the spirit that resides within your daughter is as ancient as time itself. The spirits that battle each other have battled one another countless times, in countless ways, on innumerable worlds. Wars have waged because of this battle. Entire civilizations have been slain, wiped out. Mad men have been driven madder, thriving upon the deaths of those who have done nothing but been born pure. Your daughter was born to put an end to that.”
“How?” Alex asked. “If this keeps happening over and over again, how can there be a way to stop it? You’d think after several millennia somebody would have figured out how to stop history from repeating itself.”
“The connection must be severed,” Mike said, “without the destruction of The Innocent.”
“Say again?” Danny interrupted. “Look, speak English okay? You were doing good there for a while. How do we stop this guy once and for all?”
“Save Christina,” Mike whispered.
“What?” Lisa shouted. “You mean we’ve been wasting all this time listening to you and the key to this whole thing is to save my daughter? That’s what I’ve been wanting to do for the last frikken hour!”
“You don’t understand, Lisa,” Mike said. Lisa was standing. He motioned for her to sit. Knowing the urgency of the situation, she found it difficult but obliged him when the gentle eyes of her husband silently begged compliance. “It’s not just about saving Christina. You must do what cannot be done. Death must not come. Death may touch you a thousand times but It must not come for Christina. If her blood is spilled—”
“Mike, I need an answer. A straight answer to this question,” Lisa said. She paused briefly then continued. “A while ago you told me I was going to die tonight. Did you say that for shock value or do you know something you’re not telling me?”
“Everyone in this room will experience Death tonight,” he said. “Of that much I am sure.”
“So we’re all going to die? What about Christina? What good does it do us to save her if we all die? Alex and I are her parents. Danny’s one of her Godfathers. We have very little family that would, or could, take care of her. What happens to my little girl if I die?”
“I believe you already know the answer to that question, Lisa,” Mike said. “Death is a part of Life. From the moment you are born, you begin to die. This world is temporary. As with all temporary things, it will eventually pass away.”
“I don’t want a sermon, Mike. I want to know what happens to my daughter if I die tonight. If we all do.”
“If your daughter dies, the world dies with her. Just as it has done for thousands of years, The Curse will be reborn and many innocent lives will be lost. If your daughter survives, the world is safe, at least until the time when Darkness is given dominion over The Light.”
“Mike, no more riddles. Answer this question or I swear I’ll shoot you myself. How do we save Christina?”
“You must face Death. And you must not flinch.”
“Well the way I see it,” Danny said, “Scott Bryan has Christina. He’s this Dark Man with all the spooky powers so he’s the one I’m going to go face. And I can promise everybody here my nerves aren’t flinching. Mike, if you’ve got anything else to say, say it on the way.”
“The way to where?” Lisa asked, frustrated. “We don’t even know where he’s taken her.”
Danny’s cell phone chirped.
“What?” he answered, not even bothering to read the caller ID. A short pause and then, “Who? Where? Are you sure? You saw him with your own eyes? Who is your backup? Stay put, Officer. We’re on our way.” Disconnecting the call, Danny said, “Teresa Roelig just spotted Scott Bryan going into Gilmer Passive Exercises. I guess that girl’s good for something after all.”
Chapter 25 ~
The rain fell hard, making it very difficult to drive. Lisa handled Mike’s Pathfinder with expert skills, despite the bad weather. Highway 271 was awash with rain-slicked torrents. Lightning flashes were almost unceasing, it seemed to Lisa. She thought of a discothèque, complete with mirrored balls hanging from the ceiling and psychedelic music drumming in the background. The windshield wipers whipped back and forth, trying desperately to keep up with the falling rain that was collecting on the windshield. A bright flash in the middle of the road startled Lisa, made her jerk the wheel a little too hard to the left. The Pathfinder lurched to the side, tipped – she thought – on two wheels and continued to spin out. Lisa fought for control, all the while thinking about the bright flash.
Trying to wrap her mind around the image her subconscious had likely photographed for her. She cursed as the car rattled to a stop, near the shoulder of the road. Lucky for them there were no other cars on the road.
“Is everyone okay?” Lisa asked, still looking around for the bright flash that had caus
ed her to lose control of the Pathfinder. Like Mission Control members preparing for launch, everyone announced they were good to go. Even Brandy let go with a soft chuff-bark, confirming she was nonetheless ready for whatever came next.
“What the heck happened?” Alex asked.
“I don’t know,” Lisa said, still looking left, right, all around, searching fervently for any sign of the bright flash. “I—I saw something.”
“Like what?” Alex asked. “A flash. A bright light. I don’t know. It could have been the moon glinting off a bottle in the road for all I know.” Lisa beat on the steering wheel repeatedly. Gently, Mike placed a hand on her shoulder, shushing her, trying to calm her.
“Lisa,” Alex called from the backseat. “Drive.”
A bright lightning flash followed almost instantly by booming thunder rocked the entire Pathfinder. It felt as if the very earth were quaking. Lisa cursed, in stereo with Danny. Flashes of fear mixed with doubt. Something inside Lisa was working desperately to convince her that she would be too late, that her daughter was already dead, and that this effort would end in bitter futility. Fueled by anger, Lisa conjured up images of her small daughter, scared and confused, in the arms of Scott Bryan, or whoever he was. Now she was alone and, Lisa thought, being sacrificed to a being too weak to do his own dirty work.
“Come on, you psycho,” she thought to herself. “I’m coming. Let’s see if you can handle me.”
She knew she was laying down a challenge to something bigger than Scott Bryan. In her blind fury, a calm rationale made her keenly aware that Scott Bryan was waiting, preparing, even now, for a confrontation with whoever or whatever they were going to throw at him tonight. He’d already proven that he was powerful. Lisa knew she would probably never fully appreciate the scope of his powers until it was too late.
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