The Incubus, Succubus and Son of Perdition Box Set: The Len du Randt Bundle (92 page)

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Trevor almost didn’t recognize the
city. Where sunlight used to filter through the leaves of the trees as Trevor
walked down the street to do window shopping on lazy Sunday afternoons, there
was now only darkness.

‘Look at this place,’ Sumen said as they slowly drove
through the city streets.

Store windows were broken and fires raged from within.
Burning cars were strewn not only along the sides of the streets, but were
driven through store windows. Some were abandoned in the middle of the roads,
and it took some tricky manoeuvring from Sumen to get around them.

What bothered Trevor the most were the corpses that
littered the streets and sidewalks and the smell of rotting flesh. Many more
were impaled or crucified along the roads, and most of the bodies had been
decapitated. Some of the impaled people were still alive and moaned as their
last minutes or hours passed before they would breathe their last breath.
Trevor felt like he had died and gone to Hell. He imagined spending eternity in
a place like this, looting, killing, dying, and yet, never dying. Never ending.
Never a moment to just rest. For all of eternity. He shivered at the thought
and shot a prayer to the Lord, thanking Him for saving him from a place even
worse than this.

‘You say it’s here?’ Sumen said and stopped the car
along the side of the road. He looked up through the windshield at the eight
storey building in front of them.

‘This is it,’ Trevor said as he looked at René’s
apartment building. She lived alone and was currently in Israel or wherever. He
was sure that she wouldn’t mind them crashing at her place. After all, for all
practical reasons, she didn’t really live here anymore. ‘We can hide here until
we figure out what to do next.’

‘And you think we’ll be safe?’

‘Look at this place,’ Trevor said. ‘N-Force doesn’t
come here anymore. And besides, René is a registered Shield bearer, so I don’t
think that they should have a reason to come snooping around at her place.’

‘Well,’ Sumen said and breathed deeply. ‘Let’s get off
the streets then, shall we?’

- - -*  *  *- -
-

‘Hello?’ René shouted into the
blackness. ‘I...I cannot see! Can anyone help me?’ It had been fifty minutes
since the darkness fell over Al Jalil, and claustrophobia was getting the
better of her.

Nobody answered. They were all too busy trying to help
themselves. All around her people moaned and cursed. Somewhere in the distance,
she could hear gun shots.

‘Please,’ she pleaded, ‘help me.’

She shuffled forward and tripped over someone lying on
the ground in front of her. She flinched as she scraped her knee on the
concrete, and from the sticky wetness she could only guess that her knee was
bleeding. The burning itchiness, the darkness and the incessant moans of the
people were slowly driving her insane.

‘Curse you, Jesus!’ she shouted defiantly into the air.
‘You and your followers can all go to Hell!’

The darkness remained, heavy and thick.

‘My Lord, Victor,’ she prayed, ‘please help your loyal
followers. Please be there in our hour of need.’

The darkness remained.

‘You will pay for this, Jesus!’ she screamed and waived
her fist. ‘My God will make you pay!’

- - -*  *  *- -
-

Only a few soft moans and curses
could be heard through the darkness in Al Jalil. People were struggling to get
to their homes, or any form of shelter. Some prayed to Victor while others just
swore at Jesus.

For a brief moment, a brilliant flash of light
illuminated the city, and for a fraction of a second, those praying to Victor
actually thought that he had answered their prayers. But the flash disappeared
as quickly as it had come. There was a slight pause, and then a loud explosion
ripped through the stunned silence. The
bang
of the explosion soon
became a deep rumbling. The rumbling grew louder and louder and soon, the sound
of cars being tossed into the air and buildings shattering could be heard.

It all lasted ten minutes, and when the rumbling
subsided, a strange silence settled. The darkness slowly lifted, but where the
beautiful super city of Al Jalil once stood, only smouldering debris and ash
remained.

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-

‘She is mine at last,’ Victor said
as he surveyed Egypt’s magnificent city of Cairo in the distance.

‘She is beautiful indeed, my Lord,’ Antonio encouraged.

‘Is the camera crew ready to capture the event live?’

Antonio looked at the crew. They weren’t filming, but
instead, were arguing about something. He could see by their faces that the
topic was serious.

‘What’s going on here?’ he asked as he approached them.

The crew backed away, unsure which one of them should
break the news to Antonio.

‘It...it’s Al Jalil, sir,’ one of them finally said.

‘Yes? What about it?’

‘It has been destroyed...’

‘Destroyed?’ Antonio asked, not in the mood for playing
games. ‘In what sense?’

‘An atom bomb or something, sir,’ the camera man
answered.

The reality hit Antonio like a sledge hammer. ‘You mean
to say that the city has been bombed?’

‘Nuked, sir, or so it seems. There is no confirmation
yet, but it appears that roughly eighty percent or more of the city has been
reduced to rubble.’

Victor joined them. ‘What’s wrong?’

Antonio moved away from the group. Victor followed.
‘It’s Al Jalil, my Lord.’

‘What about it, Antonio?’

‘It has been attacked...bombed. Most of the city has
been destroyed.’

Victor stared at Cairo, a magnificent city towering in
the distance. He motioned toward the crew. ‘Is that a live feed?’

‘It is,’ Antonio confirmed.

‘Let me address the world.’

The cameraman focussed on Victor and gave the signal
for him to begin.

‘My fellow citizens,’ he began and then paused for a
second. ‘The Christian enemy has overstepped his boundary. We have just been
informed that a most catastrophic attack was launched against our financial and
religious backbone, Al Jalil.

‘This has gone far enough. The attack not only breeches
the safety and security of every loyal citizen of the Empire, but also the
safety and security of every human being on the planet.

‘At this precise moment, it is still unsure how this
attack will affect the infrastructure of our economy, since both the smart card
and the Shield’s infrastructure were hosted in Al Jalil. The Shield could be
ineffective for purchase purposes, but will still be valid when it comes to my
protection and as a sign of your loyalty to the Empire.

‘I am now, by my own authority, declaring a state of
martial law in my Empire. All those, Jew or otherwise, not bearing the Shield
will be regarded as Christian terrorists. Hear me now:
if
anyone
is caught without a Shield, torture and death will be the ultimate fate of that
person. Anyone bearing the Shield may go to the nearest N-Force office to
attain a firearm for themselves. Should you encounter anyone without a Shield,
you may defend yourself by shooting that person on the spot and making sure
that the said terrorist is dead indeed. Find out where they live. Go to their
homes and burn them down. Kill their families and friends, even if they bear
Shields. We cannot allow this anarchy and chaos to infest our world one day
longer. The Empire declares war on these people. If it’s war they want, then
it’s war they’ll get!’

Victor turned and walked away. Antonio followed
closely. The camera crew didn’t dare say anything, but even if they had, it
wouldn’t have mattered. Victor and Antonio both had disappeared into thin air.

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‘It’s done, Father,’ Timothy said
as Malcolm entered his tent.

‘Have you heard anything?’

‘No,’ Timothy confessed. ‘But I have prayed about it
and believe that she is safe.’

‘I hope that you’re right, son.’

There was a moment of silence before Timothy spoke
again. ‘We were faithful and did as the Lord commanded without wavering. I’m
sure that He will honour that and protect her in return, just as he did Isaac,
when Abraham had to offer him to our Lord on the altar.’

‘You’re right, Tim,’ Malcolm said. He believed with his
whole heart that his wife was safe, but knew that whatever the Lord had allowed
would have been the best choice regardless.

‘Besides,’ Timothy said, ‘when Victor directs his wrath
and revenge toward us, it would be safer for her to be somewhere else.’

‘But how will he know where we are? We’re supposed to
be protected from him and his demons.’

‘We were protected,’ Timothy said. ‘But for the final
piece of our Lord’s plan to come to fulfilment, Victor and his armies must be
brought to the plains of Megiddo.’

‘Agreed, but are you implying that you’re purposefully
trying to fulfil scripture?’

‘In a way, I am. But the Lord will not allow anyone to
interfere with His original plan. I do what I do by prayer and instruction of
the Holy Spirit. He guides my every step.’

‘And what are the next few steps?’

Timothy stood up and clenched his fists. ‘We take back
our city.’

‘Jerusalem?’

‘Yes. Evil has trampled our city and Temple for long
enough now.’

Malcolm was impressed at how his son had grown from a
meek little boy to a determined young man. ‘And how do you propose we do that?’
he asked.

Timothy sat back down and leaned closer toward his
father. ‘Now this is the part where
you
come in.’

.XIX.

 
‘Those who want to live,
let them fight, and those who do not want to fight in this world of eternal
struggle do not deserve to live.’

-
Adolf Hitler

The businessman stood on the ledge
of the thirty-fourth storey window outside his office. Even though the early
morning sun had already pierced the thin layer of dust that now covered the
Earth, the moon still hung in the air as if it had forgotten to slip away.

He looked up at the bloodshot moon, wondering if it had
witnessed the genocide at Al Jalil; and that it somehow mourned with him.

How could this have happened?
The man thought to
himself as he looked down at the tiny specks that represented traffic way
below.
Why did Lord Victor allow this to happen to all his loyal followers?

The wind howled softly, singing a song of sorrows;
encouraging the man to make the leap.

My life is ruined,
the man tried to justify his reason
for standing on the ledge.
I’ve lost it all, and there is nothing worth
living for anymore
.

The fall of the Empire’s economic backbone caused a
financial collapse and most of the companies that traded with the city had to
close their doors.

Please Lord Yoshe
, the man pleaded as he leaned
forward.
Forgive me and protect my wife and children.

With one smooth movement, the man stepped off the ledge
and, a few seconds later, disappeared into the tiny specks below.

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The world leaders took their seats
as Antonio entered the room.

‘We thank you for attending this urgent meeting,’ he
said. ‘I would like to open this session in prayer. If you would all bow your
heads, please.’

The leaders all bowed their heads, and Antonio begun
his prayer: ‘Lord Yoshe, God of all; we pray that you will lead and guide us
during these terrible times. We pray for your wisdom and guidance and, above
all, for your deliverance. Please forgive us our sins against you, and richly
bless us with your love. Amen.’

Amen
, the leaders repeated.

‘All rise for Sovereign Emperor Yoshe!’

The leaders rose from their seats as Victor entered the
room, and they could tell from his facial expression that he had serious
business on his mind.

‘Leaders of the free world,’ Victor began his address
after everyone was seated again. ‘Brothers and sisters of Earth; I stand before
you today, a broken man. The terrorists have taken away that which has been
dearest to me: my City of Hope.’

The leaders murmured softly.

‘Al Jalil represented a better future; one that could
be achieved by joining forces and speaking one common language as we work
toward one common goal. It was our Tower of Babel and represented our ability
to stand up and go on, despite the setbacks that we might encounter in life.

‘The terrorists have trampled on our hopes and spat in
our faces. They have mocked our ideals and laughed as they slaughtered millions
of our beautiful women and children. It is time to act, ladies and gentlemen.
If we do not do something about this, if we do not stand up for what we
believe, they will continue to harass us until we have all been eliminated.’

Victor allowed his words to sink in.

‘Our very future existence depends not on if, but
how
we retaliate. They will not cease. They will not show mercy. They will continue
to rape our women and kill our children. They will destroy our cities and
plunder our homes. They are a plague, and they
must
be stopped once and
for all.’

There were nods and most of the members clapped to show
their approval of Victor’s plea. When the clapping died down, one man stood up.

‘Tell us, Lord,’ he addressed Victor. ‘What are we to
do?’

‘I am gathering my armies in the plains of Megiddo. Our
informers have discovered that the headquarters, the main infrastructure of the
terrorist plague is located in caves near that valley. We will eradicate them
once and for all on live television, and then the world shall be free. All I
ask is that you join me in my quest, and that you bring over as many people as
possible to join the ranks of the armies.’

‘But our armies are weak, my Lord.’

‘I did not ask you for your armies, President,’ Victor
said. ‘I asked for your people: your men, women, and children. I want
everyone
worldwide to join our ranks.’

There was a moment of silence as the leaders of the
world thought about Victor’s plan of action. Finally one man spoke.

‘Even if we do manage to get as many people to your
encampments in Megiddo, my Lord, it could take years to find the location of
their caves.’

‘My scouts have informed me of their exact location. If
we join forces now, eradicating them will only be a matter of time. If we
don’t, their reign of terror could last forever.’

‘What about emigration laws?’ one of the leaders asked.

‘I override those laws,’ Victor said. ‘Anyone loyal to
the Empire and its cause is more than welcome to enter. All that enter will
accept Shields as a token of total allegiance to me and, together, we will rid
the world of this cancer. The terrorists have challenged God by challenging me.
And now, I openly accept their challenge and will prove to the world once and
for all that their terrorist leader, Jesus, is dead.’

The leaders nodded.

‘You have one week to respond. I hope that we will be
standing side by side on the day that victory is declared. Thank you for being
here today.’

The leaders rose as Victor and Antonio left the room.

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-

‘Thousands have lost their lives in
a recent spate of suicides. Businessmen worldwide have thrown themselves off
buildings, or slit their wrists. Some have murdered entire families before
killing themselves. The death toll is climbing as fast as the economy is
falling, and there is no indication of when the economy will be restored back
to its original state. Watch GMN tonight as we speak to economist, John
Silverton about the future of our economy.’

‘There is no future for the economy,’ Trevor said and
leaned back deeper into the sofa.

‘I don’t know,’ Sumen said. ‘I think that in about two
years, the economy could be back to normal.’

‘Normal,’ Trevor echoed. ‘Normal as in cash, or normal
as in the plastic card?’

Sumen frowned.

‘Or normal as in the Shield?’

‘I would think normal as in the Shield,’ Sumen said
after some thought.

Trevor weighed Sumen’s answer. He wondered if all his
praying outweighed Sumen’s freedom of choice. He wondered about the really
difficult choices that might still lie ahead.

‘In international news,’ GMN continued. ‘Sovereign
Emperor Victor Yoshe has requested world leaders to join him and his armies in
eradicating the terrorists once and for all. Lord Yoshe stated in the meeting
that he knows the whereabouts of the group responsible for the death and
destruction in Al Jalil. Men, women, and children from all over the world are
called to join the ranks of Lord Yoshe’s army in Megiddo. Global emigration laws
have been suspended until the war is over, and anyone joining the war will be
accepted as European Empire citizens. Lord Yoshe firmly believes that this will
be the final onslaught against what he calls “the enemy plague,” and also that
world peace is finally within reach.’

‘See what they’re calling you?’ Sumen said and nudged
Trevor. ‘A plague.’

‘Sticks and stones,’ Trevor said. ‘I used to work at an
Internet Helpdesk. Trust me; I’ve been called much worse things before.’

‘Doesn’t it get you just a
little
worked up?’
Sumen asked. ‘You must have great self-control.’

‘One of the fruits of being a Christian,’ Trevor said.
He suddenly missed Norman. That was exactly the type of thing that Norman would
have said. And, not so long ago, it would have given Trevor the perfect excuse
to avoid his brother for a couple of months.

‘And blowing up cities?’ Sumen asked. ‘Is that a
‘fruit’ too, or a bonus?’

‘How can you know for sure that it had indeed been
Christians that blew up Al Jalil? Do you believe everything you hear and see on
GMN?’

‘No, but they do have convincing evidence.’

‘The same sort of ‘evidence’ that claimed Lee Harvey
Oswald was a lone gunman?’

‘You don’t think that he was alone?’

‘I’m not even sure if he even was involved to begin
with.’

‘Wait a minute...are you telling me that you don’t
believe he shot John F. Kennedy?’

‘Not any more than I believe that a bearded Bedouin was
responsible for the nine-eleven attacks way back when.’

‘So you’re a conspiracy theorist?’ Sumen said and
smiled. ‘Odd. You didn’t strike me as one.’

‘Just a hardened sceptic.’ He paused. ‘Let’s just say
that I have an open mind, and don’t always swallow the garbage that the
government spoon feeds the masses through the media.’

‘And yet you believe in a myth that’s thousands of years
old?’

Trevor knew where this conversation was headed. He had
used the same reasoning to trap many Christian evangelists before. His heart
sank as he realized the futility of his efforts, but he knew that if God could
open his heart and eyes; that He could make
anyone
see. Eventually he
spoke again. ‘In time...you will see that it’s not a myth. I only pray that
it’s not too late by then.’

The GMN News Reader interrupted any potential comeback
that Sumen might have had. ‘The lack of rain in Israel over the last two years
has resulted in something never before witnessed in the history of mankind. The
Euphrates River has dried up, leaving a scorched chasm where strong water once
flowed. Sovereign Emperor, Lord Yoshe has claimed that this is indeed good news,
since his armies are now able to march from their current location to unite
with other armies in the plains of Megiddo. From there he will lead his people
into battle against the Christian terrorists.’

Trevor knew that the end was drawing near, and it made
him nervous and uncomfortable. It was like watching something bad happening,
and being powerless to do anything about it.

Please let him see before the end,
Trevor pleaded.
Please
save Sumen.

- - -*  *  *- -
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The Canada massacre was almost more
than Ryan could handle. He had never witnessed the relentless torturing and
killing of so many men, women, and children in his entire life. People were
covered in tar and burned on pikes to light up the path of destruction that the
Imperial Soldiers left in their wake. There was no escape.

‘Would you like another drink, sir?’ the flight
attendant interrupted Ryan’s train of thought.

You will die too, you know
, Ryan thought as he forced a smile.
‘That would be great,’ he said instead. ‘Thanks.’

She poured him another whiskey and also attempted a
smile before pushing her trolley down the aisle to the next row of seats. The
wart and boil plague didn’t touch her yet because she was a recent convert. It
would be a few weeks before the itching would begin.

What is this world coming to
, Ryan thought as he
stared out of the window. Down below, the Earth seemed so tranquil and
untouched. It was difficult to think that there were no more fresh water
springs or oceans. They had all been replaced with what scientists claimed was
blood. He had seen his fair share in Canada. The blood literally flowed through
the streets like red rivers.

Millions of people were dying because of plagues,
hunger, and thirst; and millions more from the slaughter-hungry Imperial
Soldiers. Sickness spread amongst those who resorted to drinking the blood
rather than risk dying from dehydration. It was only a matter of time before
they all met the same fate.

Moral standards crashed along with the economy, and
people became so self obsessed that they would kill anyone who remotely
threatened their comfort zones. Human sacrifices were made in the Temples of
Yoshe scattered throughout the world and, in many countries in the Empire,
thousands of people were killed for not praying to Victor’s many statues.

This world has become nothing but one big freak show,
Ryan thought as he
downed his whiskey.
Is there a way out? Is there a being more superior to
Victor? If so, make yourself heard or seen before it’s too late.

- - -*  *  *- -
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‘I don’t want to go, Samuel.’

‘We have to. Lord Yoshe has commanded all world leaders
to go. There are no exceptions.’

‘I don’t want you to go,’ Samuel’s wife said and
mindlessly shoved her food around in her plate. She didn’t want to look her
husband in the eye. She couldn’t. She understood that he had to go, but she
wanted to be his priority.