Evil in the Beginning (The God Tools Book 2)

by Gary Williams

  Curt first heard something buzzing the water. Then he saw it.

  Two bulbous eyes went zooming by the boat just below the surface. The small creature was no longer than a foot, its mouth clomping with a voracious set of teeth as it swam.

  It’s impossible! Every ounce of his being told him it couldn’t be true, yet it was unmistakable.

  It was the Fish.

  And it was pursuing the Serpent into the creek.

  “Take him down, you bastard,” Curt found himself seething with hatred toward the Serpent, rooting for the Fish to tear it to shreds.

  Within seconds, the Fish caught up to the Serpent. The water boiled, and an epic battle erupted. The diminutive Fish locked onto the Serpent’s neck and began tearing black flesh away, spilling molten fluid into the creek, lighting up the night as the substance spread across the surface like an oil slick on fire. Then the two creatures dipped beneath the surface of the creek; so deep, in fact, Curt could see nothing of the battle taking place below, beyond a mild surface disruption. Curt found himself aching to see the Serpent destroyed, wanting revenge for Scott, Kay, Cody, and Lila. He wanted the creature to experience the torture of having the Fish rip it apart.

  Curt suddenly recalled what Tolen had said about the ancient Aramaic writing found on the cult member’s head; something about the God Tools, and the Fish. It had said, “It will seek the others.”

  The prognostication appeared to be true. The Fish had sought out the Serpent in order to destroy it.

  He looked down. Tina Falco was holding her mother’s hand, gently rubbing it. Sherri remained unconscious, yet Tina was calm. Curt stared at the little girl, marveling at her resilience.

  She slowly looked up at Curt and in a sweet, innocent voice said, “They weren’t supposed to meet now.”

  “What? Who?” The words echoed in his mind. With a start, he recalled what Fawn had said about Tolen’s experience hearing the words of his deceased father: “Don’t let them meet.” With agonizing clarity, the message crystallized.

  Curt turned just as the Serpent surfaced nearby, stretching its torso from the water, then flicking its tail into the air.

  He was awestruck by what he saw.

  Tina stood beside him and gasped.

  No longer embroiled in a deadly battle with the Fish, the Serpent was amazingly intact, and had transformed from its smooth snake-shaped body into a scaly beast. Its spine and underside were covered with dorsal fins. Its head was more extended, jutting out with razor-sharp teeth that gleamed from its mouth. The eyes, while still glowing red and green, were larger, jostling lifelessly within inflated pupils. The tail was now split vertically, and it crashed down on the surface of the creek with a thud as the mighty creature roiled its body.

  The sobering reality set in.

  The Fish and the Serpent had merged, fusing together to form one terrifying beast.

  EPILOGUE

  Curt’s eyes flew open, and he sat up with a start. He couldn’t remember falling asleep. Then the harsh memories of what had happened came back to him. Scott, Kay, and Cody: all dead. For a few seconds, he fended off nausea.

  It was daybreak, and light was filtering through on the horizon. Curt looked down. Sherri was still motionless near the bow. He crawled his way to her, his muscles aching. He carefully rolled her onto her back and pushed her hair out of her eyes. Thankfully, she was still breathing, but a contusion on her head had swelled black and blue.

  “Sherri,” he said, barely above a whisper. Curt gently nudged her. “Sherri,” he said again, elevating his voice. Like last night, he was unable to rouse her. She appeared to be comatose.

  “Oh Sherri, what have I done to you?” He kissed her forehead as he felt tears well up. He recalled Tina telling him Sherri was pregnant with his child. It had been a surreal moment. The little girl had shared the news just after the Serpent and the Fish had fused into one terrifying creature. She had uttered the news so calmly, so matter-of-factly. Now Sherri appeared to be near death. Curt frantically looked around. Where was Tina?

  The boat was completely out of water, beached several dozen feet from the edge of the river. Easy waves lapped at the shoreline. The placid river beyond was wide. The air smelled of wet earth and was deathly quiet. Not another soul was in sight.

  “Tina! Tina, where are you?” he yelled out.

  There was no response. Curt dropped his head in his hands.

  How in God’s name had it come to this?

  Curt spun around, trying to get his bearings. As far as he could tell, he had fallen asleep, and the boat had drifted from Six Mile Creek into the main river channel. The river had crested, and now appeared to be falling.

  It should be cause for celebration, but it no longer mattered. The morbid reality was that Scott, his best friend, was dead, as was Scott’s family. In addition, Tina was gone and Sherri lay lifeless nearby.

  As hard as it was, he had to clear his head and get his priorities in order. The first thing he needed to do was to get Sherri medical attention. He pulled out his phone. The screen was dead, having sustained water damage when he had jumped into Six Mile Creek.

  A rustling in the nearby thicket caused Curt to snap to attention. A slender, elderly man wearing a gray smock, dark pants, and rubber boots emerged from the underbrush. He walked gingerly across the still-wet ground.

  “I need help,” Curt blurted out. “My girlfriend; I think she’s in a coma. I can’t find her daughter. She was in the boat with us.” He knew he wasn’t making much sense, but he was flustered.

  The man approached the boat wordlessly and without urgency.

  Why didn’t the man respond? Curt stood. Something was familiar about the gait of the old man. He looked at the man’s hands. A finger was missing on his left hand. “You’re the monk from Bolivia,” he realized with surprise. “Father N….Noah?”

  The wizened old man stopped and spoke. “Last year, when you put the Fish in salt water, I thought it was over. Little did I know, it was only the beginning. So when I felt the Fish getting closer, I raised the river, drawing more fresh water from the spring source to the south so that the Fish would be at full strength when it arrived here. I had hoped it would destroy the Serpent, but lo, this was not part of the plan,” Father N lowered his head as if in shame. “I had no idea the two creatures would merge.”

  “What plan? What are you talking about?” Curt’s confusion swelled into anger. “Don’t talk to me in riddles. What in the hell is going on?”

  “The portal has been opened. The seeding has begun. The boy is already there.”

  “What boy?”

  “Cody Marks.”

  Curt stepped from the boat and into the face of Father N. He could barely control his temper. “What do you mean? Cody Marks was killed by that Serpent.”

  “No, Mr. Lohan, he was not killed. The Serpent merely provided passage.”

  Curt’s mind whirled in confusion. “Not killed? What do you mean? I saw it with my own eyes. That creature also killed my best friend and numerous other people.”

  “As long as they had their appendix, the Serpent allowed them to pass.”

  Appendix? Curt had so many questions, he didn’t know what to ask next. A sound from the brush distracted him. Father N also turned. A woman, her clothes tattered and dirty, stumbled out. She had brown hair with blonde streaks, and her eyes were glazed red.

  “Fawn?” Curt called out.

  Fawn Cortez-Roberson collapsed to the ground. Curt and Father N rushed over and assisted her to her feet. She was groggy and dripping with mud. They led her to the bow of the boat and carefully laid her across it.

  “Fawn, what happened?” Curt asked gently.

  Her eyes drooped as if exhaustion was threatening to overtake her. “We crashed,” she strained to speak. “He’s…he’s dead. My husband is dead.” She began sobbing softly, then fatigu
e overcame her, and she passed out.

  Curt looked up at Father N. “You said that those the Serpent eats who have their appendix pass through. Pass through to where?”

  “To the beginning.”

  “Jesus Christ!” Curt erupted. “Can you just give me a straight answer?” Curt grabbed Father N by the lapel and spun him around, pushing him hard against the gunwale of the boat and leaning him over backward. “Tell me what is going on.”

  Father N spoke calmly, “Cody, Dr. Lila Falls, and the others who had their appendix are now in Eden.”

  “Eden? This is insane,” Curt railed, releasing the man and running a hand over his bristled head in frustration. “So what happened to those without their appendix?”

  “They were screened out by the Serpent. Sadly, they have all died. That is the reason the creature regurgitated their organs.”

  Curt knew that Scott had had his appendix removed his junior year at college. “I never saw the Serpent expel anything when it consumed Scott and Cody, and Scott didn’t have his appendix.”

  Father N looked at Curt as if contemplating his words. “Did it swallow them together?”

  “Yes, Scott was holding Cody in his arms.”

  “Then there’s a chance the Serpent sensed Cody’s appendix and didn’t realize your friend was without his. They may have both passed through.”

  “Then Scott could be alive.” Curt felt a renewed sense of optimism.

  “Yes, but if he is, he’s running out of time. You see, while the appendix is a useless organ here, in Eden it becomes functional, operating to filter certain toxins. Without it, when Mr. Marks becomes hungry and takes a bite from one of the many fruit-bearing trees there, he will effectively poison himself.”

  “Then I’ve got to get to him and warn him not to eat the fruit. Where is…Eden?”

  “It’s not that easy.”

  “Try me. If it’s on Earth, I’ll find it.”

  Father N didn’t respond.

  “What?” Curt looked at the old man quizzically. “You’re not going to tell me it’s on another planet, are you?”

  “No, it’s on Earth, but I don’t know where. It is said that Eden is timeless, just as it was for the first inhabitants.”

  “Okay, then all I’ve got to do is get the Serpent to eat me.” Even as Curt spoke the words, the thought made him shiver.

  “Now that the creature has combined with the Fish, it can no longer act as a portal. If this beast eats you now, you will truly die a horrific death.”

  Curt felt a flush of desperation. “There’s got to be another way.”

  “There is,” Father N nodded. “Tina Falco knows where the entrance is, but the others have her.”

  “Others? You mean the Cult of the End?”

  “Yes,” Father N responded.

  “Why? For what purpose?”

  “I don’t know. My guess would be to reach Eden.”

  Curt’s frustration ebbed once again. “Your guess? I thought you knew everything?”

  “I never said that. I’m not God. I’m not privy to His reasons or plans. I just know what I’ve seen in visions. I do know that there is a third God Tool, and while Tina can find the opening to Eden, the only way to enter now is with all three Tools. That is why you must find the third God Tool before the Cult of the End does. If the second seed, Tina Falco, enters Eden, it will be closed to the outside world for a thousand years. No entrance, no exit.”

  The beating rotors of a helicopter caused Curt to look up. The craft swept low, and Curt waved his arms frantically. The chopper paused in mid-air, obviously having seen him.

  “Know this,” Father N said loudly, ignoring the presence of the helicopter.

  The man’s commanding tone caught Curt’s attention, even as the helicopter lowered.

  “The plan has been invoked. It’s clear now there’s no stopping it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Father N looked hard into Curt’s eyes. “Humanity as we know it is going to end.”

  AUTHOR’S NOTES

  We hope you enjoyed this story and will continue on with The God Tools trilogy when the last novel in the series, “End in the Beginning” (The God Tools: Book 3), is released in late 2014.

  Until then, here are a few things of interest about this novel.

  References to the St. Johns River, Trout Creek, Six Mile Creek, Old Shands Bridge Boat Launch, and Alvin G. Shands Bridge are all accurate. Descriptions and history of Green Cove Springs are also accurate, including Spring Park where the spring rises from the ground, flows through a public swimming pool, spills into the spring run and ultimately merges into the St. Johns River.

  The World War II United States Atlantic fleet was mothballed in Green Cove Springs after the war until the early 1960’s. As cited in the manuscript, Lee Field, on the outskirts of Green Cove Springs was a military base during World War II. Of note, in 1945, former Johnny Carson’s sidekick, Ed McMahon, received training there.

  Green Cove Springs Military Museum of Northeast Florida resides on land formerly Lee Field and is as described.

  The French settlement of Fort Caroline is commemorated in a full scale replica on the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida, but, as noted in the story, the actual location of the 1565 earthen fort has never been determined.

  Queen Hatshepsut’s history is as described in the prologue. Based on DNA testing in 2007 that matched a previously unidentified female mummy to a mollur in a box that bore the royal seal of Hatshepsut proved to be the evidence required to confirm that the Queen had been discovered. (Of course, this is based on the assumption that the tooth actually belonged to Queen Hatshepsut.)

  Ed Leedskalnin and his enigmatic structure, Coral Castle, is as described. To this day, engineers are still baffled by how one man working alone constructed such a unique and intricate structure from huge coral blocks. The complex still stands today in Homestead, Florida and continues to be a tourist attraction.

  “End in the Beginning”

  (The God Tools: Book 3)

  Coming Fall 2014

  With Tina Falco kidnapped, Sherri in a coma, and the others gone, Dr. Curt Lohan learns the Cult of the End’s plan to bring about the destruction of Mankind. In desperation, he and Fawn Cortez-Roberson embark on a harrowing search to locate the third God Tool and save their friends. It is a journey that will lead them to a mysterious place, a land hidden from time. But entry comes with a steep price. There, they will face an unimaginable evil. Even if they succeed, they can never return to the world they knew.

  In the final chapter of The God Tools trilogy, with the future of Mankind hanging in the balance, Curt will be forced to make the sacrifice of a lifetime. But will it be enough?

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  Gary Williams lives in St. Augustine, Florida, with his wife. Williams has a bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing and writes full time. His hobbies include historical research, fishing, and watching football.

  Vicky Knerly is a native of Syracuse, New York, and resides on St. Simons Island, Georgia. Knerly has a bachelor’s degree in English and two masters’ degrees. She has won awards for her research-based writing, and works for a private university based in Melbourne, Florida, where she also teaches as an adjunct professor.

  In 2009, Williams and Knerly formally partnered as co-authors.