Rapture r-1

by Phillip W. Simpson

  “I didn’t realise how important you were,” confessed Big Tom. “Like Adam, I can see the importance of you getting to L.A.”

  Sam sat still, his food forgotten. “Thank you,” he said. “I appreciate your understanding. And your help.”

  Big Tom waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it. I want this to end as soon as possible. If you getting to L.A will help bring about better times, then I’ll give you whatever aid you need.”

  As Sam slowly resumed eating, Grace came back in looking like a different person. She’d showered thanks to Big Tom’s access to a fresh water spring, and washed her hair. It was long and dark, similar to Aimi’s, thought Sam, but wavy where Aimi’s was straight. Sam guessed she was about sixteen. One of Big Tom’s sons had found her some clothes and she was now dressed in jeans and a t-shirt about two sizes too big. Beneath the dirt was an attractive girl.

  As she sat down, she quickly averted her eyes from the others.

  Sam finished his meal and asked the question that had been troubling him. “It’s night-time,” he said. “Where are the demons?”

  Big Tom smiled slowly. “Ah, that’s a good story. Have you ever wondered where the demons come from?”

  “Hell, I assume,” said Sam.

  “Of course, but you must have noticed they don’t just turn up wherever they like. For instance, why don’t they just appear inside this room? If they did, I would’ve been taken right at the start of the Tribulation. In fact,” he said, looking at the others in the room, “we all would’ve been.”

  Sam had often thought this but he hadn’t managed to figure it out. What did Big Tom know that he didn’t?

  “And then it occurred to me. They always appear in populated centres — towns, cities and the like. Do you know what all these places have in common?”

  “People?” Even as he said it Sam knew that it wasn’t the right answer. There were people here — so what was missing?

  Big Tom shook his head knowingly. “Churches.”

  It didn’t come as much of a shock as Sam had expected. A part of him, he realized, had already worked it out — he just didn’t want to acknowledge the fact.

  “We had our suspicions,” continued Big Tom. “Every church I’d heard about had been desecrated, which meant it was no longer holy ground, but we needed proof. One night, just before dark, me and my boys staked out the chapel. Sure enough, as soon as it got dark, a glowing symbol appeared on the floor and they started to crawl all over the place.”

  “What did you do?” asked Sam, his voice almost a whisper.

  “We did what any sensible person would do. We burnt it to the ground.”

  Sam sat in stunned silence for a moment. The thought of someone actually burning a church was a horrific one. But it did make sense. He couldn’t blame Big Tom for what he had done. It was, as he’d said, the sensible option.

  “That didn’t solve the problem though,” said Big Tom. “The demons kept coming through and I have to admit we were a little puzzled. And then we met the Preacher. He was just passing through — on his way to God knows where — and he suggested we bless the ground. We got bucket loads of water from the spring out back and he blessed it, turned it into holy water. He said all we had to do was sprinkle it over the ground, but we did one better. We drenched the ground,” he said, smiling happily. “Absolutely soaked it. Made sure we didn’t miss one spot.”

  “And it worked?” asked Sam.

  “Of course it worked. Do you hear any demons around here? We get the odd flying one overhead but it’s nothing that me and my boys can’t handle with a few iron rounds. The next closest town or city is about fifty miles away and I really don’t think the demons can be bothered travelling all that way for six puny souls.”

  Sam nodded again and a smile slowly made its way onto his face. At last, one mystery solved. He was sure this knowledge would help him in the battles to come.

  Big Tom chuckled. “I can see this makes you happy. I’m glad. That’s why I think you going overland is a wise choice. You’ll be away from the population centres and hopefully away from the demons, too. At least until Las Vegas anyway.” He suddenly stood. “Come with me, fellas, I’ve got something to show you.”

  Big Tom led the way through a thick iron door. Sam was surprised to see that Grace had also followed himself and Joshua. Outside, two tethered horses with bulging saddlebags were pacing the ground nervously.

  “I thought these might hasten your journey a bit. You’ll have to take most of their feed with them as there’s precious little to eat out in the wilderness, but they’ll be better than going on foot.”

  “Thanks,” said Sam. “There’s only one problem. I don’t know how to ride.”

  He walked up to one of the horses. As he approached, it started to foam at the mouth, the whites of its eyes showing. Sam reached out a hand and the horse reared up, frantically trying to break free of its tether. Its companion was starting to do the same. Hastily, Sam backed off. Almost immediately, the horses quietened down.

  “Hmmm,” said Big Tom. “That could be a problem. I’m guessing, but I’d say they don’t like you much.”

  “I can ride,” said Joshua. “I can take all the gear and Sam can run behind. I know he can run; I’ve seen him do it so many times.”

  Sam nodded. Joshua was right. Unencumbered by his pack, he was easily capable of running twenty or thirty miles in a day. He was confident that he’d be able to keep up with the horse.

  “What about me?” asked Grace. The others turned to her in surprise. “I’m not staying here,” she said. “I’ve got relatives in L.A. I want to go with you.”

  “Do you know how to ride?” asked Joshua.

  Grace shook her head.

  “No big deal,” said Joshua. “You can ride behind me and we’ll use the other horse for the baggage.”

  Big Tom nodded. “Sounds like a sound plan to me. You may as well get going as soon as possible. Haven’t seen any of those flying demons so it looks like the coast is clear. With the moon out, you should be able to find the hiking paths alright, but I’ll send one of my boys with you for the first few miles, just to make sure.”

  Sam and Joshua accepted his offer readily. Sam had to admit, it was a good plan, but he was worried about taking Grace along. The girl was clearly suffering and he didn’t need any more complications. But, she appeared adamant and he wasn’t about to tell her she had to stay behind. He’d tried to tell Aimi to do something once, and that hadn’t gone well at all. One thing he did know: when a woman got an idea into her head, there was no changing it.

  “Can I have some more, please?”

  Sam passed the pan of snake and beans over the fire to her. Grace took it and ladled some more onto her small bowl. She smiled gratefully at Sam and put the pan back on the makeshift stand above the fire.

  It was good to see her talking properly and Sam had noticed that she’d actually smiled once or twice. Despite what she’d been through, Sam thought she was going to be alright.

  They were three days out from Bryce Valley city now. By Sam’s estimates, he reckoned they’d covered maybe sixty miles; pretty good going really, but they still had maybe another week to go until they got to Las Vegas.

  “Where do you think we are now?” he asked Joshua.

  Josh, his mouth full of food, consulted the map lying open next to him. He frowned at it and swallowed. “I think we must be in Arizona.”

  “You think? I’m hoping you can do better than that.”

  A flash of annoyance crossed Josh’s face. “Ok, I think those trees in the distance to the east are the start of the Grand Canyon National Park. I think those towns we saw yesterday were Kanab and Fredonia. Kanab’s still in Utah and Fredonia is in Arizona. I’d say that would put us firmly in Arizona.”

  Sam nodded and peered in the direction Joshua had mentioned. Sure enough, despite the fading light, he could just make out a line of dull greenery well past the ash-covered red and white soil of the canyon area they
were in.

  They were camped in a ravine which was almost completely devoid of any vegetation. It was sheltered enough that their fire wouldn’t draw unwanted attention, and they’d found enough dead branches though to make a small one. The fire itself was only used for food preparation — it was far too hot for anything else. That was part of the reason that they only travelled at night. During the day, the heavy cloud cover kept the heat in, making travelling unpleasant.

  Their routine was well established by now. They’d have a cooked meal as the sun went down, travel through the night and sleep when the sun came up. Most of the time, they tried to shelter in caves, careful of snakes that seemed to be the only thriving form of animal. At least they wouldn’t go hungry — snake meat was surprisingly tasty.

  Water was a problem and they’d had to ration it out carefully, ensuring that the horses also got a share. Some of the streams, clogged by ash, had dried up completely. Luckily, Big Tom had supplied them with several quarts.

  Sam stood and stretched, feeling good despite his lack of sleep. Meditation would have to suffice for now — he didn’t want to risk sleeping and there was no-where to draw a pentacle in this terrain. His body still felt strong and fit. All that running he had done in Jacob’s Ladder was certainly paying off. He’d found it was easy to keep pace with Joshua and Grace on horseback. They’d often had to slow to a trot or a walk to navigate around the canyons which Sam found frustrating. By himself, he was sure he could’ve moved much quicker. He consoled himself with the knowledge that Joshua would be able to help him when they got to Las Vegas. And Grace? Grace was just another human in need who desperately wanted to find some of her family in L.A. He couldn’t deny her.

  A cooler breeze was rolling in from the west. It felt so good that without thinking, he turned and lowered his hood. When he turned back to the fire, Grace was looking at him. More to the point, she was looking at the horns on his head. Strangely, she did not seem scared.

  “What are you?” she asked calmly.

  Sam wasn’t sure what to say. He’d never encountered this sort of reaction before.

  “He’s half-demon,” said Josh, looking up from his meal.

  “Aren’t you scared?” Sam asked.

  “Why would I be? If you wanted to kill me, you could’ve done it by now. Or not bothered to rescue me.” She shrugged. “Either way, I’d be dead. Besides, I already suspected you weren’t what you appeared to be. I saw the way you moved when you took out the leader of that gang. No human could’ve possibly moved that fast. Why are you half-demon?”

  Sam swallowed hard and clenched his fingers. “Because my mother was raped by a demon.”

  “Oh.” She looked surprised and slightly taken aback by that response.

  “And what about you?” asked Joshua. “You’ve been on the road with us for three days and hardly spoken a word. Who were those people at the barricade?”

  Grace looked away for a moment. When she looked back, tears were gleaming in her eyes. “They were my aunty and uncle,” she said.

  “I’m sorry,” said Sam, and he truly felt it. “What happened to your mom and dad?”

  She wiped her nose. “They were taken.”

  “Taken?” asked Josh.

  Grace jerked her head upwards. “You know. Taken.”

  “Not by demons then?” asked Sam. “Your parents were religious? They went up in the Rapture?”

  Grace nodded.

  “Why not you?” asked Joshua.

  “I could ask you the same question,” she retorted. “Clearly, I didn’t believe.”

  Grace had brought up something Sam had wanted to ask Joshua for some time. He’d just not had a chance. Now seemed perfect.

  “And why not you?”Sam asked Joshua. “Of all people, I thought you would be taken by the Rapture.”

  Joshua’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you assume that just because my uncle’s belief was strong, mine would be too? My uncle made me read the Bible every night, but I just didn’t believe it. It’s as simple as that. I didn’t have any faith.” He ended with a sour look on his face.

  “And what about now? Do you believe now?”

  Josh smiled. “How could I not when it’s been thrust in my face?”

  Sam turned to Grace. “You?”

  She nodded. “Bit late now though. What about you?” she asked Sam.

  “Of course. My faith has always been strong. Probably stronger than any others given that I’ve known what I am from an early age. Where there are demons, there are angels. That means there’s always been a hell and a heaven. Where do you think I’d rather go?”

  “Why didn’t you go there? To heaven, I mean.” Grace looked puzzled and Sam could understand why. Faith was obviously a very simple thing for her; you either believed or you didn’t.

  Sam clenched his jaw and refused to look at her. “Because demons aren’t allowed in Heaven.”

  She looked surprised by that. “Did … did you lose anyone else to the Rapture?”

  “Yes,” he said grimly.

  Without another word, he began packing up their gear.

  Sam ran harder than usual that night, as if he was trying to outpace his memories. Grace had made him think more about Hikari and Aimi than he’d wanted and it hurt. The pain in his chest had nothing to do the strenuous pace he set.

  The others followed behind on horseback, struggling to keep up as they made their way through canyons and stunted, dead vegetation. They were slowly descending off the plateau and the going was gradually getting easier. They’d made good progress.

  Through the night, Sam thought he’d glimpsed Astaroth in the sky a couple of times. He wasn’t that concerned though; from what Big Tom had told him, he was not worried about a large, concerted demon attack. According to the map, there simply was not another town — or church — for miles.

  The light got brighter and Sam finally brought them to a stop near a small, rocky outcropping. As he was preparing his bedroll, he felt a light touch on his arm.

  “Who was she?” asked Grace.

  His immediate angry response died in his throat when he saw her earnest, caring expression. He took a deep breath. “Her name was Aimi,” he said.

  “You loved her.” It wasn’t a question; merely a statement of fact.

  Sam nodded mutely. “The Rapture took my foster-father, too.”

  “If it’s any consolation, they’ve gone to a better place. I know it makes me feel better when I think of my parents.” She laid her hand gently on his arm again.

  Sam shook it off angrily. “The difference between you and me is that you will see your loved ones again. I won’t. Not ever.” He was aware that his voice was rising, but he didn’t care. Nearby, Joshua was wisely keeping out of it.

  “I’m … sorry,” said Grace, looking slightly hurt. “I didn’t know.”

  He stood up quickly, feeling the familiar sensation of frustration building in him. “I told you this morning. I won’t be let into Heaven. That means I will never see them again. Do you get it?” he shouted.

  At his feet, Grace was beginning to recoil in fear and shock. Suddenly, he was overwhelmed by embarrassment and self-loathing. This poor girl had suffered enough. Why was he treating her like this?

  He picked up his swords. Still too angry to apologise, he stalked off into the early morning light.

  Sam re-joined the others just as the sky was starting to darken again. He’d spent the day meditating and training; anything to take his mind off his loss. He knew Grace had meant well and was deeply sorry for the way he’d shouted at her.

  Joshua was just rousing himself when Sam trudged in to their small campsite. He saw the other boy quickly pull down the long sleeve of his shirt. Sam saw the flash of a white bandage, wrapped around his right wrist.

  “What have you done?” asked Sam, indicating Josh’s arm.

  Josh looked embarrassed. “Cut myself when I was off collecting firewood, didn’t I. Silly really.”

  “Do you want me to have a
look at it? Hikari made me study a lot of first aid.”

  “No, it’s fine, really,” he said, shaking his head.

  “Fine, but don’t let it get infected. We’ve still got a long way to go and we’re in the middle of no-where.”

  Josh smiled. “Sure. Thanks, Sam.”

  He went searching for Grace and found her tending the horses. She looked startled when she saw him, then pointedly turned her back. Careful not to get too close to the horses, he stood behind her, shuffling his feet uncomfortably. He’d never really been good at apologising.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to take it out on you. I’m sorry for scaring you.”

  “You should be.” She looked angry. “I was only trying to help.”

  “I know. I won’t let it happen again.”

  That mollified her a little. Her face softened. “Ok,”she said, giving him a grudging smile. “Apology accepted.”

  He smiled back, deciding he really liked Grace. She was a good person. Exactly the sort of person whom he had been left behind to protect. In his travels so far, he had met a lot of them. There was Adam and many of the Black Ridge survivors, Big Tom and his sons and Grace of course. If he had found this many in such a short time, then it stood to reason that there were many more out there that needed his help.

  This was worthwhile. This was what he was here to do. This was what Gabriel had in mind for him all along. The thought made him feel much better. Even the harsh pain of losing Hikari and Aimi was starting to recede slightly. Grace was right; he had to take comfort in the thought that they had gone somewhere better and stop thinking about his own suffering for once. He’d been selfish for so long, it was about time he started thinking about others for a change.

  He was beginning to come to terms with what he was and what he had to do. Perhaps, he reflected, it was a sign of maturity.

  Then he smiled to himself. Fat chance.

  The next few days and nights passed uneventfully. Sam felt good, adapting easily to the routine and the pace he was setting. In other circumstances, he would be enjoying himself. He couldn’t say the same about the others though. Both Joshua and Grace looked tired. They had saddle sores. Grace was coughing. The thin layer of ash covering the ground was constantly disturbed by the passage of the horses, irritating her throat.