Pursuit of the Zodiacs (21 page)

Abdeen crashed onto the roof of a nearby townhouse and was stuck underneath his Chariot. His loyal Lions of Fire shot fire from their mouths, giving him time to recover. Emim covered up to shield himself, not only from the fiery onslaught, but also from the townspeople who’d had enough and rebelled, throwing rocks and fixtures of their own. He removed the roof of a nearby cottage and flung it towards the angry mob, creating his own window of opportunity to pursue the distressed Abdeen.

Abdeen transformed himself into a flaming being, scorching his way down multiple floors of the unidentified house and out of Emim’s reach. Emim backhanded the roaring lions a few yards out of sight and repeatedly punched through the foundation of the house in search of Abdeen.

Abdeen heard the floors above him being pulled up and thought about his next move.

Like a child tearing the wrapping paper off a present on Christmas morning, Emim ripped the house apart, desperate to find his enemy. A weird man appeared on a Supernatural Carpet. It had more seasoning and craft to it as if it had been custom built to travel the whole Galaxy twice over. The technology behind it baffled all those who witnessed it. He looked on while Emim pillaged through a house. Emim sensed something and turned to see a familiar face. “Yes, Demon, I have returned to finish what we started.”

“Adam has returned!” One of the Giant natives shouted from a distance. The rest of the natives in unison chanted, “Effendi! Effendi! Effendi!” … Nephilim for “Savior from the Eastern Stars.”

Adam was neither from Earth, nor from the Planet of the Nephilim; but, very well-known by the Nephilim natives. His skin was of a silver-gold complexion. He carried an odd-shaped sword in a sheath on his back, along with a futuristic sniper rifle.

Emim spoke, “Hmfgh! So you’ve returned to complete your demise, traveler?”

Adam said, “The beast speaks?”

Through the cracks in the walls, Abdeen saw the strange man and Emim conversing.

Adam said, “I am here to free these people of their torment from the likes of you, Demon.”

Emim taunted, “Try your luck, traveler. You’ll make a great appetizer.”

Adam’s Carpet hovered away from beneath him and Blocked Emim’s view. Adam unloaded his weapon. Emim received a series of laser rounds. Highly irritated, the beast grabbed the Supernatural Carpet, but released it after a laser pierced his arm. Out of ammo, Adam raced towards a clock tower by a barn and awaited his ride.

Emim dressed his wounds. “Bastard! I will part your flesh with my teeth!”

Adam’s Supernatural Carpet arrived, and he hopped on. Emim followed in hot pursuit. He came very close to them, swung and missed. But the strength of his swing shifted the wind, knocking Adam from the Carpet. He crashed through the roof of a barn. An inch shy of a soft landing, he was knocked unconscious against the dirt.

Abdeen had a choice. It would have been logical to leave and focus on the Pursuit of the Zodiacs. But leaving the stranger to die would be unethical. Abdeen muttered to himself as he assisted Adam, “One’s conscience is a powerful thing.”

Emim burst open the front of the cabin, knocking its walls aside. He licked his lips as he gazed upon Adam. A massive asteroid knocked the Giant off his feet, and he hit the ground hard. The asteroid also took a toll on Abdeen. The very act of using his gift to create a fireball of that magnitude expended half of his energy, causing him to go down on one knee.

With Emim now engulfed in flames, the Pursuer passed him and headed towards Adam, now motionless in the dirt.

Abdeen spoke, “Come my friend, the beast is down, but has yet to see the Judgment Realm.”

He picked Adam up and put his arm around his shoulder. They exited towards the side of the missing cabin wall. But an infuriated Emim greeted them. He stood there with half his face burnt off and able to see out of only one eye.

The surveillance footage from the casino guided detective Lee and his partner Lisa to an apartment complex a few miles away due to the suspect’s license plate. The same bite marks on the dead security guards fairly matched those on the mysterious man murdered in Sendai. Lisa motioned for silence while leading her team up a flight of stairs, guns drawn.

The second team, commanded by detective Lee, quietly met Lisa in the same hall by the suspect’s door.

Since it was the Year of the Dragon’s traditional carnival, if a firefight occurred, no one would hear it. The celebratory fireworks going off all over the streets of Japan raised a bit of concern to everyone inside.

Boom! They kicked in the door. “Police!” They scanned the whole apartment. They saw sure signs of tenancy, like a half-lit cigarette in an ashtray on a coffee table; but yet, the apartment was empty.

Lisa asked, “What do you think? Should we wait for him to return?”

Detective Lee replied, “I’m guessing he won’t be back until the carnival is over. We could be here all night.”

Lisa asked, “So what are you suggesting? We flood the streets in search of him? We hardly got a description out of that hysterical casino owner.”

Detective Lee said, “No, we’ll be out all night; so that’s out of the question. It’ll only stir a riot. Have everyone post outside in unmarked vehicles until the carnival is over. We’ll wait for this asshole to return.”

On a busy street, Natenal and his group blended with the increasing crowd of costume wearing partiers.

Natenal ordered, “Shiloh and Daniel, you two will patrol the East side of the city. Goliath, Grenad and I will patrol the North. If no one has reported anything suspicious in two hours, you will go West, and we’ll continue on South. Go with God.”

They departed with a lot of work and ground to cover. Still reporting for duty, Mr. Anderson, the Bookkeeper, stood alongside Natenal.

Mr. Anderson asked, “How will you know who Leo is? And, what will you do if you were to find him?”

Natenal answered, “We are not to engage the Zodiac. No harm is to come to him. Our job is to forewarn him of the dangers that lie ahead. If our paths cross and we learn he has turned, he must be destroyed. It’s a chance we must take before the
Gemini reaches him. As far as knowing who he is, we must have confidence in our studies and trust our instincts. After you’ve recorded what has happened here, I will call for a transport so it can take you to this Earth’s Moon. There you will meet another Archangel that will be expecting a full report of the events that have happened thus far.”

Goliath added, “It would be a miracle if we find him through all these people. This is madness. I still don’t see why we can’t wait until Sunrise.”

Grenad added, “This is a night of tradition and pride. He’s guaranteed to be in this area. The odds might not be in our favor due to the multitude of people celebrating, but this night is our only chance of finding him so early. Patience is a virtue.”

Natenal concurred, “Grenad is right. Patience, Goliath. Your time will come, Brother.”

Back at their hotel, they left their suite eager not to miss out on the action in the streets of Tokyo.

“You have everything? We can’t afford to lose anything else.” asked a Geminus of his Twin, still angry about losing their most valuable possession.

The Twin answered, “Yeah, yeah, don’t get too emotional.”

“Your lack of concern is going to get us killed, Zodiac,” the first lashed back, “and our flesh, fed to the Damned. We rule the Third House … act like it. Have you ever stopped to think how this is going to look?”

The second Twin grumbled, “It has crossed my mind, but the damage is already done. We must complete the task without the Scroll. No use mourning a lost Scroll.”

Long overdue for a report, they knew Lucifer dispatched a messenger. It made no sense to argue. They left the hotel lobby and were greeted by the roaring sounds of explosions that ignited the night sky.

TODAY’S HOROSCOPE

You will come across grave news that will break you down or make you stronger. As Ruler of the Tenth House, your strength will come from foreign places and people if you’ll allow it so. Stay determined and disciplined
.

“Capricorn, wake up. We’re here. The landing zone is up ahead.”

The pain had gone away, and he awoke in a new World. In awe of the similarities between both Saturn and Earth, all of the talk and rumors that Capricorn had heard were precise. He couldn’t wait for their transport to land on one of the upcoming secret crop circles near a deserted farm.

Capricorn said, “Wow! I wish Dad could see this!”

Aquarius said, “Come, we must prepare for landing.”

She led him from the window and escorted him to his seat. Everyone braced themselves as their craft landed on its mark. Safely undetected, they granted Capricorn the liberty of walking on Earth’s terrain for the first time. “Don’t wander too far,” Libra instructed. While scanning the area, he looked up and noticed a sign. “Welcome to Las Vegas?”

Libra answered, “Yes, Capricorn. This city is where we will take refuge for the time being. We must stay out of sight and further investigate this Pursuit.”

They exited the crop circle and walked to a car parked just a mile from the highway.

A distance away, two spies who went by the names Jacob and Mileck looked on with binoculars. They hid themselves in the tall grass a few miles outside the crop circle.