Purge: Book Three: Last Days Trilogy (17 page)

“They won’t defend a God who abandons their earthly brothers,” Devante taunted.

“God will not abandon Earth.”

“Then he will destroy it.”

“Nope,” James said confidently.

“It is written in the prophecy.”

“You changed that prophecy the minute you pulled your soul exchange.” James began to anger. “You decided to go against the realms of the prophecy. Now, all bets are off! Even if, by some minuscule chance, you succeed in taking all life from this planet, do not think for a second that it is over. God will not give up. And every soul, every being, every heavenly angel will hunt you down. They will battle you until you cease to exist. It will be a war you’re ill-prepared to fight. It will be a war you will lose.”

Devante stared at James with a stone face and then, slowly, he applauded.

James did not let Devante shake him. He said all that he had come to say. He turned his head and walked on.

Interstate 79 South

Clarksburg, West Virginia

Michael was irritated, and showed it by the way he continuously rubbed his temples. The big yellow bus was far from comfortable. The seats were hard and small, but Buzz did his best to drive. None of the soldiers seemed to mind the rough ride. They bounced with the bumpy road and sang “A Hundred Bottles of Beer on the Wall.”

Buzz stopped before they got to “forty.” He couldn’t speak except to call out, “Michael.”

Michael stood and made his way up the aisle of singing men. “What’s wrong?”

Buzz shifted gears, slowing the bus. “Check out ahead.”

The highway stopped. The road was no more. What appeared to be a long red tidal wave headed their way. It spread wide, too wide for Buzz to attempt an evasion.

“What is that?” Buzz asked.

“Trouble. Our next confrontation. Buzz,” Michael spoke while staring out. “Stop the bus, then use the communication device to alert the vehicle behind us. Tell them to stay inside and brace themselves.”

“Will do.” Buzz picked up the microphone to the radio.

“Silence!” Michael commanded. There was mumbling toward the back of the bus. “Brace yourselves and arm up.”

Reggie stood. “What’s wrong?”

“It appears our opponent has searched
us
out this time.”

The microphone dropped from Buzz’s hand. “Oh my God. Michael.”

The first hit was a “smack” against the windshield. Before long, the bus shook violently. Numerous thumps banged against the metal. Demon after demon pelted the vehicle until the windows were nearly buried beneath the bodies.

“Listen to me.” Michael looked at the shocked faces. “This is nothing but a trap. We can do this easily! They are demons. Dervan and demonlings. Unarmed. Evil. We are good and skilled.”

Momentum filling her voice, Reggie called out, “We can do this!”

“Hell yeah!” Paul pulled out his sword. “Weak little bastards.”

Herbie nodded and charged to the front of the bus. “Annoying, too. Let’s go.”

Michael smiled and lifted his sword. Buzz opened the door, and like a football team running out onto the field, the warriors charged from the bus.

Seville, Ohio

“They said the ambush was easy. Me? I think they’re just good,” Kyle spoke into his microphone. “We keep our prayers with them today. These two battles are so close together. It’s got to be tiring. Well, that’s all for this hourly update. I rambled on long enough. Guess I’m tired. This is Kyle Stevens, until next hour. Here’s some Garth.” Kyle turned the microphone and pressed the “play” button. As soon as the music started, he stretched, yawned and rubbed his eyes.

“As a doctor...” Marcus moved into the small room. “I’m telling you to sleep. You didn’t sleep all night.”

“Marcus.” Kyle swiveled in his chair. “How many times do I have to keep telling you? You’re not a real doctor. You’re a mad scientist who creates monsters.”

“Very good. Sleep.”

“I have to do the update next hour.”

“What’s there to update?”

“Life. If they keep hearing us, they’ll know someone up top is fighting for them. That’s updating life,” Kyle explained. “If they stop hearing from me, they’ll think it’s over. Besides that... I have all these reports Aunt Rose took when she manned the radio. They come from all over the world. Attempts at their safe shelters. Deaths. People that turned. It’s a lot.”

“Okay, so let me do the update next hour.”

Kyle laughed. “Right. You don’t have the voice for it. I’ll get Aunt Rose.”

“Oh, sure. She’s much better.”

“Yeah, I think so.” Kyle stood up. “But you’re right. I need to sleep. Especially if I’m gonna watch the gate for a few hours before I spy on Lil and Todd.”

“Why we have to deal with them is beyond me.”

“They won’t leave,” Kyle said as they walked from the room.

“We can’t kill them. Too bad we can’t just lock them up.”

Kyle stopped walking and smiled.

It amused Kyle the way Todd kept yelling, “Dude, Dude, like, this isn’t right.” He snickered at Lillian’s comments that he would pay. The complaining that flowed from behind the locked trailer door was music to his ears. Before walking away, Kyle checked the padlock once more. He smiled ear-to-ear, and headed home to sleep.

Clarksburg, West Virginia

Michael rubbed his eyes and held the back of his hand under his nose. The smell of the dervan was thick. Moving slowly, he stepped back on the bus. As soon as the doors closed, he faced the soldiers on the bus. “You all did so well. Being mentally unprepared for this battle hindered you not one bit. I am saddened at the loss of our four brothers. But they, too, fought well. We head home now.” Michael took a step to the front seat.

“Whoa. Hey!” Earl called out. “What do you mean, head home?”

Michael didn’t sit. “We have fought another battle. An unexpected one. It is too much to fight yet another in the same day.”

“Michael, please,” Earl scoffed. “I feel great. We’re here. Why go home and come back?”

“We need to rest. Trust me. A weary soldier is a poor soldier.”

Buzz intervened. “I have a suggestion. Instead of heading home, let’s just stop and rest for a while. If we go all the way home and come back, we’ll lose our momentum.”

Through the chants of agreement, Michael looked to Reggie for an answer.

“How do you feel?” she asked him. “You’re tired.”

“But they are not.”

“Michael,” Reggie whispered. “You kill one hundred to our five. How do you feel? Can you handle it?”

“If I rest, I will be fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Michael nodded. “Yes. We are so close. Why go back?” He lifted his head to the soldiers in the bus. “We will stop and rest when we are clear of this carnage. Then, we will fight our next battle.”

Reggie watched Michael smile and nod to the roar of cheers, but there was something missing. Where was the depth in Michael’s voice, the energy? She knew how hard he fought, and how much rest he needed. Without Michael at full capacity, they would be at half-force. If the soldiers wanted to fight the next battle, they would, but only after Reggie saw Michael had rested to the point of being one hundred percent.

Fort Knox, Kentucky

“No. No. No!” Devante lifted a table and hurled it across the room, smashing it into the wall and shattering it into splinters. He stomped his towering body across the room. Reaching his hands to the air, he described his strong visions to Leonard. Each swing of the sword. Each soul he lost in the battle at a prison in West Virginia. “They weren’t supposed to be this strong!”

“They get stronger by the second.” Leonard kept his distance. “Every time they fight, they get better.”

“If it is your intention to add encouragement to this situation, you are not.”

“It’s my intention to make you see. Your plan... it didn’t work. Yeah, you surprised them. Yeah, you hit them hard and yeah, you weakened them. Especially Michael. But... all of them, every single one of them has something your soldiers do not.”

Devante cringed and swallowed. “Faith.”

“Passion.” Leonard clenched his fist. “Now do you see? You may have a powerful army, but they are obstacles the holy soldiers rip through. End this. End this now. Your doorway of opportunity is open. Take it. The angel is not in Seville. Resistance will be minimal. If it doesn’t work, you are no further behind. But if it does...”

“The whole thing would be over soon,” Devante said, calmly.

“Yes. You need to take down the angel. You need him to come to you
before
he is ready. The only way that will happen is if he comes after his other half. He is one with her. And there’s only one sure-fire way to get Reggie here.”

Devante smiled. “Take her son.”

Seville, Ohio

The simple metal clunk pulled Lillian and Todd from their conversation. They were quiet as the door creaked open.

Devante’s voice seeped into the trailer. “You know what you must do.”

<><><><>

The amber light of Kyle’s cigarette grew bright and sparked out when his middle finger flicked it away in a spin. He stepped on it and coughed, hitting his own chest.

“Smoking too much?” Marcus asked. “I can hear it in your voice.”

“Yeah, well what else is there to do on watch? Can’t read. Can’t write. I
can
smoke. Only a second’s distraction when I light it. So, I smoke.”

“But you’re not resting enough. You’re going to get bronchitis.”

“Thanks. You aren’t planning on hanging out with me while I watch the trailer, are you?” Kyle asked sarcastically.

“No. Thought I’d just walk out with you, get some air before heading back.”

“It’s a long walk.”

“You placed her far enough away.”

“Hell yeah.” Kyle nodded.

They slowed as they neared the trailer. A guard was perched out front. His legs extended in a relaxed stature in his chaise longue.

“Look at Carl,” Kyle said. “He let the fire burn out. Now I gotta light another.”

“Why? It’s not cold.”

“Something’s just not right about sitting outside all night without a fire. Hey, Carl.” Kyle moved closer. “Where the hell’s my fire?”

“I think he’s ignoring...” Marcus stopped when his foot squished in the mud.

“What’s wrong?”

“It didn’t rain.” Marcus grabbed the flashlight from Kyle’s utility belt and turned it on, illuminating a thick puddle. “Shit.” He lifted the light.

“Holy Mother of God.” Kyle flew around the chair. Blood seeped through the bottom loops of the plastic lawn chair, forming a pool. Kyle ached out a moan when he saw Carl. Eyes wide open, head slanted, his body saturated with blood. A small log had been rammed straight through Carl’s mouth into the back of his head.

“Kyle!” Marcus called out in a panic.

Kyle whispered out, “Seth.” Taking a split second, Kyle reached down to Carl, grabbed his revolver and silver dagger, and tossed them to Marcus. He turned, and took off running, not missing a beat. “Wake the others. Tell them to be on alert. Let no one in or out!” Kyle raced on.

Marcus ran as well, but following Kyle’s instructions, he stopped at the first trailer. “Stew!” He pounded on the door. “Stew! You have to...”

The door opened with a mighty fling and a growl. A slobbering, blood-covered dervan blasted out at him.

Marcus shrieked, spun around and faced off yet another dervan who blocked his way. Dagger in hand, he extended it into the dervan’s gut, retracted it and raced off as fast as his feet would carry him.

Hyperventilating, he arrived at Kyle’s property. Kyle was already making his way to the house. “Kyle! Watch out!”

Kyle looked back, nodded once, then stepped inside. “Seth!” he yelled, and nearly tripped when his foot hit something. “Oh my God.” He bent down to Aunt Rose, who lay on the floor. Blood flowed from her head.

“Kyle, they’re in,” Marcus gasped, and paused at the sight of Rose. He bent down, reaching his hand to her neck, but stopped when Seth cried out.

“Pap!”

Pulling out his revolver and pumping the chamber, Kyle bolted in the direction of the call. No sooner did he and Marcus step into the living room, than Lillian and Todd emerged.

“Pap,” Seth cried.

Lillian held him, his back to her body, one arm securing his chest, a knife at his throat. Todd, splattered with blood, stood a few feet to the side and laughed sadistically.

“Don’t come any closer, Kyle,” Lillian warned. “I’ll slice his throat.”

Kyle took another step. His jaw twitched visibly with anger and determination.

“I’m warning you.”

Kyle didn’t heed her warning. Hand clenching his revolver, he swung out his arm with a determined growl, smashing Lillian on the side of the face. Her head flew right; she released Seth. Kyle grabbed him, tossed him back toward Marcus, pivoted his body, extended his arm and fired point-blank into Todd.

Seth screamed at the bloody explosion.

“Hold him close!” Kyle ordered Marcus as they raced away. As soon as they neared the door, four dervans lunged inside. Kyle backed up. “Kitchen.” He turned at the same time as Marcus. More dervans came in from the back. “Son of a bitch.”

Kyle sought an escape, looking quickly left-to-right. Grabbing the television, he hurled it through the front picture window. “Let’s go.” Kyle lifted Seth from Marcus’ arms. Bodily encompassing the boy, he took a two-step run toward the window, leaped through and landed knees-first on the porch. Marcus arrived a second behind. When he stood, Kyle handed Seth back to him.

“Hold him with everything you got!” Kyle ordered.

Marcus clenched Seth as he ran behind Kyle. Dervan swarmed the property. “Kyle.”

“Get in the truck!” Kyle opened the passenger door and flew to his side of the truck. Still holding Seth, Marcus pulled the door shut.

“Hold on,” Kyle said, already shifting into second. “It’ll be all right.” He pulled the truck forward.

Marcus saw them: a thick wall of demons blocking the driveway, moving toward the truck. “Kyle.”

“I see.” Kyle turned his body, shifted gears and prepared to back up. But they were blocked from behind. “Damn it.” Shifting again, Kyle slammed the gas and jerked the wheel to the right. They flew over a small wall. The wheels spun in the grass before the truck sped across the property.

“The woods?” Marcus asked.

“If we catch that back road we can get to town.” Kyle picked up speed. Dervan after dervan took a turn jumping for the truck. Kyle swerved to toss them off. “They’re following us. If we lead them out, we’ll be safe again.”

Marcus closed his eyes as he held Seth tighter, as they went up over the small grade at the end of the property and into the woods. The branches of the trees smacked against the windshield, and Kyle made his own road trying to get to the one he knew was not that far away.

Charleston, West Virginia

The sword toppled from Michael’s hand as he finished a fatal swing. Moans rang through the air from the dervan who hadn’t yet died. The attack was over. The holy soldiers were on the offensive. Turning to find Reggie, Michael was surprised to see James in the distance. He stepped away from the mound to talk with him.

“Michael,” James spoke softly.

“Something has happened,” Michael stated.

“I know you are expended. But, pull in all of your reserves. Put Buzz in charge, take Reggie and get back to the house. Now. Right now. Don’t delay!”

Michael spun, slid away his sword and called out to Buzz as he passed him. “You are in charge. Lead the men home.” Eyes focused, Michael took a deep breath and began to run. Seeing Reggie raise her sword high to deliver a blow, Michael swept her up in the middle of her action and, without saying anything, flew her away.

Seville, Ohio

“There!” Marcus peered out the passenger’s window. “The road. To the right.”

Kyle jerked the truck. “I see it.”

Looking behind, Marcus saw a dervan jump in the bed. “Kyle, we have company.”

“Screw him.” He jerked the wheel and the truck flew up, tilted and slammed down hard, sending the dervan flying.

They made it to the road.

“Now we can pick up speed,” Kyle said. “Get into town...” He shifted his eyes to his rearview mirror when the truck bounced with a slam of metal. “Damn it. Where are they coming from? We didn’t lose him.”

“How do you...” There wasn’t time for Marcus to finish the sentence. The clawed hands of the dervan pressed against the windshield and his snarling face peered through the glass.

“Hold tight.” Kyle slammed his foot to the gas pedal. “Come on truck. Pick it up.” He tried to see around the dervan, attempting to shuck it by swerving left and right. The dervan held on. “He’s not giving...”

With a loud crash, the dervan plowed his hand through the windshield and into Kyle’s chest. Kyle’s body jolted, and he coughed up blood. He peered down; the arm of the dervan protruded from his body.

Marcus clenched Seth tighter.

“Marcus.” Kyle hit the brake. He cringed in pain as the dervan seared through his insides, making a sick, rippling sound. After a futile attempt for his dagger, Kyle struggled for the words, “Save him. Get him out.”

Marcus grabbed the dagger, and, holding Seth, opened the truck door. His breathing was heavy; he could barely speak. “Kyle...”

“Go,” Kyle gasped. “Go.”

“Pap!” Seth cried, extending his arms to the truck. “Pap-Pap!”

In a muster of strength, Kyle reached out. His fingers grazed against Seth’s before Marcus pulled him away.

With Seth screaming, Marcus ran down the road. By the time he looked back, the truck was buried beneath a heap of dervan. They growled loudly and rocked the truck back and forth. Marcus turned and ran, full-speed. Town was not that far away.

<><><><>

It was evident that something had gone down on Kyle’s property. Reggie could see it in Michael’s eyes. Her feet hadn’t even touched the ground a full second before she took off running. She withdrew her sword and stepped on the porch.

She heard someone moaning. “Aunt Rose.” She dropped down to the old woman.

“They came in and... and grabbed Seth. I tried.” She started to cry.

Michael raced into the house. He glanced down to Reggie and Rose, then peered around to the blood in the living groom. “Reggie.”

“Oh God.” Reggie stood and pointed to Todd.

Michael spun to her. “Kyle, Seth, Marcus, they got away.”

Aunt Rose slowly sat up, and pulled her arm from Reggie. “Go. I’ll be fine. Go get your boy.”

Reggie bolted out. She trampled over the broken glass and looked around. “The truck. They took the truck.” Holding back her bangs, she turned to Michael. “The tracks go away from the driveway. They must have been blocked. They took the back road.” She ran toward the woods.

“Reggie.” Michael hurried to catch her.

When Reggie reached the beginning of the woods, she saw the man they called James. “Who... who...”

His words were warning-filled and soft. “Reggie, please...”

Reggie was out of breath; she looked beyond him into the broken trees. “My father made his own road. I have to find them. Michael, hurry!”

As Michael ran past James, he saw the expression on his face. It made him pause briefly, then he trailed Reggie into the woods.

James followed.

<><><><>

Marcus’ chest was heavy; he couldn’t breathe. He didn’t know how he’d run so far and fast carrying Seth. Emerging from the dirt road onto Lacy Drive, he trotted down the emptiness of the street to the center of town. He had to set Seth down. He had to think. What to do? Where to go?

“Marcus,” Seth whimpered.

“It’ll be fine.” Marcus tried to control his breathing.

“Marcus,” Seth called louder.

Marcus heard the warning in his voice and then he saw. They had led the dervan from inside the safety of the camp, but the dervan had followed. They came from every corner. As he lifted Seth, searching, he saw the double wooden doors. “St. John’s,” he uttered. “Holy Ground.” Looking once more at the dervan drawing in, Marcus carried Seth up the eight steps and flew into the church.

The doors echoed as they slammed shut. He brought Seth from the foyer into the dark sanctuary.

“Marcus, I’m scared.” Seth held him tight.

“We’re safe.” Marcus looked up to the altar and its large crucifix. “We have to be safe here. Right?” He ran his hand down Seth’s face and kissed him. “We’ll be all right.” As his eyes closed to pray, he was stopped by the shattering of glass. The fragments poured around them, landing loudly on the floor and pews. From each of the stained glass windows, dervan leaped in. There were too many to count, one right after another, pouring in like a liquid.

Marcus backed up. “Hold onto me, Seth. Don’t you let me go. Don’t.” Securing Seth, he felt the step of the altar and climbed up, backing away from the demons. He didn’t want to take his eyes off his pursuers, but he had to find a way out. They came from behind, the front, the left, the right.

“Get the child!” Lillian’s voice screamed out through the demons. But he couldn’t see her.

Seth screamed “No!” as vine-like tentacles shot from the hands and mouths of the dervan. One wrapped around Marcus’ head, another around his throat, while others tied up his legs. Then four vines shot out, capturing Marcus’ wrists, and yanked forcefully, spreading his arms, freeing his grip on Seth.