You think the state government will be split down the middle, don't you? Lance guessed.
At this point, there is no longer a middle balance. I imagine it will split seventy-thirty at best, and ninety-ten at worst.
With the high numbers going to the Adversary?
Yes, Detective. Exactly that.
"What the fuck are we supposed to do with a cripple?" Darnell stared at Denton Franks, who had a cast on one leg and a hand on Billy Ray's shoulder to prop himself up. "Killebrew, tell me whether he's anything more than demon food."
"He can help me record video," Billy Ray asserted. "Even with a bum leg."
"Then you're in charge of him. We have work for both of you coming up. Either one of you fail me, and you'll both be demon food."
"Aren't you that Sen," Denton began before Billy Ray elbowed him in the stomach, effectively cutting off Denton's speech.
"You will address him as Master," Killebrew snapped at Denton. "Nothing else. Got it?"
"Yeah," Denton wheezed as he attempted to straighten up. "Yes, sir, Master, sir."
"Get outta my office. Rev, get them the best equipment money can buy. We have some primetime TV to record."
"Already on it," Killebrew promised as he herded Billy Ray and Denton out the door.
Jeff Walker shoveled cow and chicken guts over the mounds that the Most Reverend Benny Killebrew called the garden. He said the ones planted there needed to eat to develop properly.
Jeff had already seen more than he wanted of those developments. This was his penance for sticking his nose where it didn't belong, and then trying to milk a little fame out of it.
He couldn't help but wonder whether those people he'd guided into the wildlife refuge had survived, or if they'd been planted in one of Benny Killebrew's gardens, to eventually sprout out of the ground, hungry for whatever they could find to feed them.
As far as he could tell, there was nothing capable of withstanding these creatures, unless somebody wised up and sent the Air Force in with bombers.
"Won't be long, now," a fellow gardener drove along the perimeter of the garden on a small tractor, hauling a trailer filled with more guts and offal. "Boss says there's a special mission waiting for this batch."
Jeff looked up into the unforgiving Texas sun and shaded his eyes. The dust disturbed by the tractor's passing hung in the motionless air, like a deadly virus waiting to be inhaled.
"I don't suppose you know what that mission is?"
"Does it matter, maggot?"
"No, I guess not. Empty the trailer—I got work to do."
"Got kids, maggot?" After dumping his grisly load, the driver ground the tractor's gears as he prepared to drive away. Jeff cringed and clenched his teeth at the offensive noise. The tractor rumbled away, leaving him standing speechless in the dust of its wake.
"Hell, no," Jeff yelled, after returning to his senses.
"Good for you, maggot."
"Val, it's good to see you and Janie," Senator Esther Johnson welcomed them into her office. "Did you bring someone with you?" She politely dealt with the small crowd that had come with Val and Janie.
"They have an interesting story to share with you," Janie began. "I'd appreciate it if you'd hear them out. This is Agents Del Reeves and Laronda Abrams from a special division of the FBI," she introduced them first. "And this is Ari Leone and Nico Garcia."
"Those names sound familiar," Esther Johnson scrutinized both faces.
"They should sound familiar. They're both listed as missing," Lance stepped forward and offered her his badge. "Lance Elliott and Mona Sparks, from Dallas PD," he introduced himself and his cousin. "We're related to Val and Janie," he added. "These two," he tipped his head toward Erly and Hunter, "are Hunter Pace and Erly Graham. The last two in the back—that's Everette Ellison, owner of Everette's Night Grooves in Dallas, and Renault Retat, a friend."
The Senator looked from Hunter to Erly to Ari to Nico. "Get in my office now. We'll shut the door and ask not to be disturbed."
Esther Johnson watched the recording of the hearings she'd attended earlier in the week. Every time, she blinked and shook her head at the image of the giant serpent, going from one colleague to another.
It was a copy of the official recording provided by the crew working for the state government; she'd requested it after watching the version Del had brought with him for her perusal.
Both copies were the same, and all her visitors visibly relaxed once they were assured she could see the serpent in the recordings.
"This is connected to the zombies?" She blinked at Del.
"Yes, ma'am. And to the abductions in Austin, the mess in the wildlife refuge on the gulf, and the murders in Swindall and at Everette's club. And, just recently, the attack on your county jail, where two inmates went missing. We have a recording of that, too, but the images are blocked out. Nico can probably describe what it was that knocked the wall in to extract the missing detainees."
"They will blame all this on those they target—witches or wiccans, minorities, LGBTQ, asylum seekers, the lot," Laronda explained.
"You're saying that some of my colleagues on the panel may be involved in all this?" Esther's forehead was creased in a deep frown as she watched the recording again.
"Unfortunately, yes. We can't say for sure who is affected, but some of them are or will be."
"Your life is in danger, if we're reading the signs correctly," Lance told her.
"Well, I can't just go into hiding, nor would I want to. If there is evil among us, it must be met head on."
"We agree—up to a point," Val said. "We're offering protection—and information will be provided as we deal with this enemy. You're someone who many people trust to give them the truth. That will make you a big target, if you choose to take on that role."
"What kind of protection?"
"Two day guards—two night guards, who can be rotated on and off with a second squad, but you'll be given round-the-clock protection."
"Who might these guards be?"
"They'll be provided by my Department," Del said. "They're only waiting to hear from me before they begin their protection duties."
"What about the Governor?" Esther demanded.
"We haven't heard a word from him, and two of ours sat and watched the recording with him," Del admitted. "Our two saw the serpent. He didn't."
"This isn't good," Esther breathed, shaking her head and trying to convince herself that this was fact and not fiction. "Before that hearing, I'd have thrown you out of my office for lying. Now," she closed her eyes and breathed a ragged sigh. "What has the world come to?" She opened her eyes and blinked at Val.
"We wonder the same thing," Val agreed. "Del, tell those guards to bring her to the ranch if she needs extra protection. It's the least we can do."
"Senator Johnson, you will receive an unexpected invitation soon," Nico interrupted, his voice flat. "No matter how enticing, the answer should be a polite no."
"I have an invitation to join the Governor and Lieutenant Governor at a ribbon-cutting ceremony," Esther fingered a memo on her desk.
"Call and decline," Nico said.
"If you need advice, here are our numbers," Del handed Esther a card. "Unless we're in the middle of a battle, we'll do what we can for you."
"You really saved people in Austin? Why isn't anyone talking about that?"
"There's another video," Laronda pulled a thumb drive from her pocket and handed it to Senator Johnson. "It's from a rooftop camera. I warn you; the images are graphic and frankly, most people only see a bright light. I think you may be able to see past that."
Lance helped her load the thumb drive onto her computer and begin the video. Esther's eyes opened wide in disbelief as she gasped, "That's—oh, my Lord."
"Get it in gear, Phyllis. This is going to push our cause across the country," Benny Killebrew snapped at his wife.
"This is too hot," Phyllis mumbled as she pulled the black, hooded robe on.
"Make
sure your face is covered—we don't want anybody recognized. Tonight, you're a witch, and we're gonna record you and the others raising my new batch of soldiers."
"You mean monsters." Phyllis' words were muffled by the heavy robe she struggled to fit over her head.
"Shut up, or you'll be one of the offerings instead of the witches. Come on—we got three cameras at three angles. This is gonna make everybody sit up and take notice. Then, they're gonna go out and do our work for us. There won't be a practicing witch or wiccan left in this country after this goes public."
Phyllis wanted to argue with him, but he'd meant what he said about making her an offering. He'd saved several women from the raid on Austin just for this. She shuddered, thinking of the monsters bursting from the ground and devouring the naked, innocent souls Benny's new deacons had been ordered to tie to stakes in his garden—as the rising demons' first meal.
The video would then be sent to all those websites that he'd pulled to his cause. He hoped to attract the attention of the President and Congress—to bring them into the fold, as he often said. And, as usual, donations would pour in to further the cause.
Phyllis finally had the oppressive robe situated around her so she could see through the hood's opening. "That's good, Phyllis," Benny nodded as he studied her. "Pull the hood a little farther over your face. Remember the chant I taught you? Make sure you're doing it in unison with the others, and when my soldiers begin to emerge, hold your candle high. You're celebrating, remember?"
"I'll remember."
"Just hit record and leave the camera alone," Billy Ray told Denton. "Don't touch it—don't do anything unless I tell you to, okay?"
Denton Franks had a makeshift crutch to prop himself up, but the tip of the whittled branch kept sinking into the ground. "I got it," he growled, jerking his crutch out of the soil for the umpteenth time.
Denton still didn't understand what all the mounds in the field were, and the stench of rotted meat reminded him of his dead cattle.
"If what comes out of the ground scares you, whatever you do, don't bump the camera. Just close your eyes—you're not on the menu tonight."
"What's that s'posed to mean?" Denton snapped at Billy Ray.
"Just don't worry about it. Stand here and pretend you're doing something, all right? If you want to live, that is."
"My leg hurts," Denton whined.
"Well, I'll see if anybody has any pain pills after this is over—if you do your job."
"I'll fucking do my job," Denton hissed through clenched teeth. "When does this rodeo start?"
"Soon. Look, the witches are coming."
"Huh?" Denton almost fell, he swiveled so quickly to see what Billy Ray meant.
"Don't worry; I already got another camera set up to get this part."
Denton watched in horrified fascination as a line of people, dressed head-to-foot in dark robes and carrying tall, pillar candles, approached in the deepening twilight. Following in their footsteps were more black robes, leading shackled, naked women on chains.
Tasting bile in his throat, he watched as the dark robes circled the field and stood at attention while the chained women, most of them weeping, were tied to heavy poles buried randomly in the field.
Then, the chanting began, almost making him forget to hit the record button.
Chapter Twenty-One
"Laronda and I can stay with Senator Johnson until her new guards get here," Ari volunteered.
"You're the ah," Esther Johnson blinked at Ari.
"Yes. It's nothing to be afraid of—it'll be me, just in another form."
"Senator, the stone wouldn't have marked Ari if she weren't worthy," Nico assured her. "Let her guard you until the others arrive."
"The plane was delayed out of Atlanta—the remnants of the tropical storm caused the delay," Del explained. "They're scheduled to take off any time, now, so it'll be roughly four hours for them to fly in and get to you here."
"I'll stay here with Laronda until Ari gets the others home," Val offered. "I can catch a flight back to Dallas."
"Let me stay instead," Mac rumbled. "I'll stick with Ari and Laronda until the others are here."
"Yes—that works," Nico agreed.
"I hope they don't mind working with me—I have plenty of rescheduled appointments tomorrow," Esther said. "I had to ask my assistant to make apologies, and I really do need to have those meetings."
"Understood, Senator," Val nodded. "We appreciate your time and attention to these matters and accommodating us for this meeting."
"Val, thank you for bringing this to my attention. I would have been completely in the dark if you hadn't come forward."
"We'll be working on strategy with you in the coming days," Del assured her. "This requires careful planning, as you've probably guessed already."
"Yes. Especially if this enemy manages to bring more people to his side in some way."
"He will; we're only waiting to see how he does it," Nico said.
"I'll be back in a few," Ari said. "Are the rest of you ready to go?"
"We are," Del said.
Ari transported the others, leaving Senator Johnson blinking at the empty space in her office.
"I wouldn't have called you, except this is urgent," Niall Pratt, Esther Johnson's assistant breathed into the burner phone he'd bought. "I tried to get in there, but she told me she didn't want to be disturbed. All I could see past the blinds on her office window was bright light." Niall listened intently to the response from Senator Cheatham.
"Of course I have what's needed. Your associate asked me to get it—did he not tell you?" Niall listened while Cheatham spoke again. "I agree that he did the right thing and has your best interests at heart. I only need assurances that I'll be protected."
Niall, peeking through the blinds of his own office window, glanced across the hall at Senator Johnson's closed door. "Yes, she's still in there. I'll be ready when your men arrive. Just give me a few minutes, all right?"
Jeff Walker leaned on his shovel, feeling sick to his stomach. The screams were bad enough as women were eaten alive in a few gulps by horrific monsters, but an entire section of demons had risen and disappeared without gorging themselves.
Already on a mission, the tractor driver from earlier in the day informed him in passing. Maybe an escape attempt would be better for him than staying to watch the same thing over and over; after all, the demons' victims had died in a matter of seconds.
You're afraid of those few seconds if you're caught, he chastised himself, and wondered who the unlucky target of the newborn demons would be.
Niall checked the clip for his recently-purchased Glock 19. Fifteen rounds in the first clip to bring the old biddy down, and another fifteen in the second clip for anybody else in the office with her.
After all, Senator Cheatham had certainly listened carefully once he'd mentioned the bright light coming from Esther's office. Maybe he wouldn't wait for Cheatham's men. Rising from his desk chair, he stuffed the gun in a front pocket and strode toward the door, only to be blown back against the wall when two creatures burst through his door.
From his position on the floor, he watched as six more ugly, demon-like creatures—much larger than the kind that attacked downtown Austin during the biker parade, crashed through Senator Johnson's door and outer wall.
Niall, intent on watching what happened across the hall, shrieked as the first demon creature bit into his leg. He barely had enough sense left to pull his gun out and begin shooting.
Striking demons with fifteen nine-millimeter bullets only served to infuriate the two attacking him.
Cheatham lied was Niall's last thought.
Ari shrieked in pain as she prepared to return to Esther Johnson's office, the skin between her shoulder blades felt as if it were on fire after she landed in the game room with Janie and the others.
Her first thoughts were for Mac and Laronda as she bent over and screamed in pain a second time. Renault leapt to her aid, as did Everett
e and Val. And, because they were so close when she transported back to Austin, they ended up going back with her.
Two decapitated demons lay at Mac's feet; he kept his swords moving, fighting off another four. Esther Johnson, whom he'd shoved behind him to protect her, threw anything she could reach at the attacking creatures, distracting them so Mac could rain blows with his blades.
Nearby, Laronda had turned to coyote after emptying her gun at the remaining four creatures. One demon foolish enough to attack her was now missing a foot and a hand.
Capitol guards arrived almost the same moment that Ari, Val, Renault and Everette did. Shots rang out immediately; two demons turned to deal with this new threat while Ari blasted the nearest demon with light from her hand.
Val tugged Esther out of the way as guards continued to shoot erratically at anything that moved. The inner glass wall in Esther's office shattered, sending shards flying toward the occupants inside. Val placed himself between the flying glass and his charge.
Shouts rang out and echoed in the building as more guards arrived. Ari screamed in rage as Renault was hit in the arm by a flying bullet while he and Everette fought the largest demon among their attackers.
"No!" Esther shrieked as Mac, moving forward to decapitate the monster Renault and Everette fought, was hit in the chest by two bullets.
Ari's yowl was high-pitched as Mac went down, and her answering blast of light momentarily stunned any human around her who still lived.
"Ari and Nico are with him now. If there's any hope at all," Janie patted Esther's hand.
Ari had the presence of mind to get Mac and the others out of Esther's office before the Capitol guards could cause more damage. Del and Laronda were monitoring the situation from the ranch, and already in contact with their Department to explain what actually happened.
Raven, Red Page 30
