Rapture (31 page)

Another hour passed. Eventually, a tall, broad-shouldered man wearing the somewhat tattered uniform of a Colonel approached, attended by two armed soldiers.

“Hello in there,” he said, standing in front of the cage. He made no move to open it. “I’m Colonel Sumner. Colonel Dan Sumner. Sorry for the inconvenience, but we do have to be very careful with newcomers. Casey told me you wanted to speak to me.”

Sam nodded. “My name is Sam. This is Joshua and Grace. Adam sent us to you.”

“Adam has sent me a number of people in the past. Why is it important that I speak to you? You’ll get out of this cage eventually, once we make sure you are who you say you are.”

“Because I’ve come here with something really important to do. But to do it, I think I’m going to need your help.”

“What’s that then?” the Colonel asked tiredly. He’d obviously been out during the day and at least part of the night. Bags were forming under his eyes.

“Get on the radio to Adam. He’ll tell you.”

Colonel Sumner sighed. “I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I’ve lost contact with Adam and I really can’t spare the men to go and check up on him.”

Sam felt his heart lurch. Adam gone? Not possible! The man was larger than life, a fantastic fighter with a good soul to match. If anyone still survived, surely it was Adam.

“Then I need to speak to you alone.”

The Colonel shook his head. “Can’t do that, I’m afraid. I’ve no secrets from my men. Tell me what you know now or not at all.”

Sam swallowed nervously. He’d been in this situation a few times recently but it wasn’t getting any easier. He took off his cap. Next to him, he heard the Colonel’s guards gasp and take a step backwards, clicking off the safety clasps on their rifles.

Colonel Sumner held one hand up. “Easy now, boys. Just simmer down. I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation for those horns on his head.” He looked at Sam expectantly.

“I know what it looks like,” said Sam desperately, “and I don’t blame you. I am half-demon.”The Colonel’s eyebrows rose a half-inch. His men fingered their weapons nervously. “But I’m here to help you. To kill the Antichrist.”

The Colonel’s eyebrows rose so high this time, they looked like they were going to leave his face. “Is that right?”

“Would Adam have sent me to you otherwise?”

“You might have forced the information out of him. You might have taken it from his corpse.”

“Excuse me, Colonel,” interrupted Grace. “But do you know a Greg Muller?”

The Colonel looked at Grace sharply. “You mean Captain Muller? He was under my command at Fort Irwin. What’s he to you?”

“He’s my uncle,” said Grace. “I came to Los Angeles to find him and my aunty, Linda.”

“And you said you’re name was Grace? I think he mentioned you once or twice. You’re his niece?”

Grace nodded.

The Colonel rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Can you vouch for this boy here?”

Grace nodded. “He saved my life at least twice. I trust him completely. Don’t let his appearance fool you. He really can help you.”

“And the other one?” he asked, meaning Joshua.

Grace nodded again.

The Colonel frowned, clearly undecided. “Let me think on this for a while. I’ll get someone to bring you something to eat, and you and I,” he said, indicating Sam, “will have another chat shortly.” He turned and started walking away.

“Colonel!” shouted Grace at his departing back.

He glanced backwards. “Yes?”

“What about my uncle and aunty, Colonel? What’s happened to them?”

The Colonel looked at her for a moment and his face softened. “I’m sorry, Grace. They’re dead.”

Grace burst into tears and threw herself into Sam’s arms. He held her as she sobbed. Long after she stopped crying, he continued to hold her, rocking her gently. It was the closest human contact he’d had in a long, long time.

Another few hours passed. There seemed to be more activity going on in the warehouse. The roller door went up and down a few more times. Vehicles left, vehicles arrived. A solider brought them some food. It wasn’t much but there was a generous helping of it and all three attacked it greedily.

Later still, four armed guards came to the cell and unlocked it. They separated Sam from the others. One of the guards led Joshua and Grace away while the other three escorted Sam to what had once been the administrative office of the cash and carry. Colonel Sumner was sitting behind a desk. He offered Sam a seat in front of him and dismissed the soldiers.

“Is that wise, Sir?” asked one of them.

The Colonel waved him off. “I’ll be fine. Thank you for your concern, soldier.”

He looked at Sam, his face betraying absolutely no emotion. “Tell me everything.”

Sam did. He left out almost nothing. He told him of his upbringing and his heritage. He talked of Hikari and Aimi, the words almost choking him. He told of his training and his survival after the Rapture. He told the Colonel of his journey to Hell and the reason for it. Lastly, he told him about the mission that he had been entrusted with many years earlier.

The Colonel sat still the whole time. Occasionally his eyes went wide or he would nod fractionally. When Sam had finished, he stood and looked at the boy carefully.

“I saw how you comforted your friend,” he said. “In my experience, that sort of thing can’t be faked.” He paused for breath. “If what you say is true – wait,” he said, forestalling Sam’s response, “and I am inclined to believe you, God help me - then it would seem that we’re on the same side. First, I think, you need to understand a few things about what’s been happening around here. The Antichrist has got a choke hold on the Western seaboard. I don’t really know what’s going on in the rest of the country – or the world for that matter – I only know what’s been happening around here. We still have contact with some resistance groups but we’ve lost some recently. Losing Adam really hurt. We served together. He was a good man.”

Sam didn’t know what to say. Losing Adam had indeed been a blow.

“When the Rapture happened, I was stationed at Fort Irwin. There was confusion at first, lots of it. Confused reports from all over the States and around the world. Then the Tribulation started and the base got hit hard by the earthquakes and fires. Then the demons came.” The Colonel sighed heavily. “We were heavily armed of course, not that it made a difference. Our bullets and shells bounced off most of them and we were overrun within minutes. I escaped with as many men and supplies as I could and we came here.”

He smiled. “I’d been setting up this business with a view to my retirement. Turns out it’s a good place to start a resistance movement. There are lots of businesses around here. Many were chock full of food and other stuff we could use. We soon learnt about the demons’ sensitivity to iron and used it to our full advantage. We hunt them out at night, and during the day we gather what people and supplies we can.”

“And what about the Antichrist?” asked Sam.

“I’m coming to that. Patience. We’d been here a few weeks when we started seeing changes. We heard things. Most of the demons disappeared off the streets at night and stopped taking people. It seemed to become more organized out there, like someone had taken charge. Then we learnt about the mark of the beast. That was almost our undoing at first – some of them posing as free citizens came close to discovering our base. We soon got wise. I don’t know if you’d noticed, but this city still functions because of that mark. It may only come alive at night but it’s the mark that drives it. If you have got the mark, you are free to carry on your usual activities. Many shops and businesses are still open at night. Those that run them are all marked. I’ve heard the same system operates in other places.”

Sam nodded, thinking about Las Vegas.

“Those that don’t, get taken. Some come back but all bear the mark when they return. Now, we’re fighting a battle against two enemies. We’ve got the demons, who we usually attack in the churches. We’ve managed to destroy a few already. Then we’ve got the humans who have joined the cause of this false ‘messiah’ as they’re calling him. We have to be careful of them during the day. The Antichrist keeps a close watch on the city and has patrols out. And then there’s the matter of his headquarters.”

Sam sat forward suddenly. This was the information he needed. The location of the Antichrist.

“Yes, I can see you’re interested in this bit,” said the Colonel. “It’s actually quite timely that you turned up when you did. The Antichrist is holed up in the Cathedral of the Lady of our Angels. Ironic that. That’s where he probably is right now.”

The Colonel smiled savagely. “And that’s where we’re gonna hit him in two days time.”

According to one of the soldiers Sam spoke to, it had been early Tuesday morning when his meeting with the Colonel had taken place. For a long time, Sam had paid absolutely no attention to the date so it was with some surprise that he found that it was October. It had been almost two months since the Rapture.

The attack on the Antichrist’s headquarters was scheduled for Thursday, midday. Sam spent much of the next day preparing. He was given his swords back which he took pains to sharpen. He hadn’t slept at all, finding a few hours of meditation more than sufficient for his needs. His wound from the Hellhound disappeared.

He was largely ignored by the other soldiers and the few civilians present. Word had clearly gotten out about what he was and when someone did look at him, it was with suspicion. Sam sighed. Some things never changed.

Joshua and Grace had all but recovered from their injuries. When Sam had re-joined them after his meeting with the Colonel, both were sporting fresh bandages on their heads. Joshua had even had his wrist wrapped again. All three had been supplied with a cot in a curtained off area of the warehouse that served as sleeping quarters.

Grace seemed distant, obviously badly affected by the news of her uncle and aunt’s death. They had been, Sam knew, her last remaining relatives left on earth. Now she had no-one. He knew how that felt and gave her what sympathy and comfort her could offer. She seemed to channel her grief, using it to fuel her anger. There was no way, she insisted, that she was going to miss out on the coming attack. The demons would pay for what they had done to her family.

On the morning before the attack, Sam was practising with his swords when he saw Grace approach one of the soldiers who was doing weapon checks. Many weapons were laid out on the long table he was working on. He was systematically disassembling them, oiling each part and then painstakingly putting them back together again.

Sam moved closer so he could hear what was being said. He realized with a start that he recognized the man

– it was Casey, the soldier who had initially searched

them when they had arrived.

“Can I have a gun, please?” she asked.

Casey looked at her sideways. “Have you got the Colonel’s permission?”

Grace nodded. “He said he needs everyone he can possibly get for this attack.”

“Do you know how to use a gun?”

“My uncle showed me. Handguns only though. Have you got any?”

Casey smiled. “Sure have,” he said. He picked up a black side-arm. “This is the Beretta, sometimes called the M9. Standard issue for the armed forces. It’s loaded with hollow point bullets, designed to expand when they enter a body. More tissue damage, you see. They also stay within that target. That is, they don’t go through it. Less chance of hitting a friendly.”

“How does that help me against demons?” she asked.

“That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it?” grinned Casey. “Normally, hollow points have casings made of lead. We replaced the tips with iron. They do have a tendency to go through demons a bit more, so be careful.” He handed her the gun. “Do you want to squeeze off a few rounds? We’ve got a small sound-proof firing range out back.”

Grace looked at the weapon in her hands and back to Casey. “Definitely.” Sam watched as Casey led her away. He’d have to keep an eye on Grace, even though he would probably have his hands full trying to track down the Antichrist. He sensed that she was likely to do something that was driven by her urge for revenge, and it would probably be best not to get in her way.

He went looking for Joshua. His friend had been moody during the last couple of days and had hardly spoken to him. Probably reflecting on their time spent in Hell. That was enough to disturb even the strongest mind. Sam was a bit worried about him, too. Joshua, like Grace, had lost everyone important to him during the Rapture. He was very much a closed book though. Even Sam, who was accustomed to not speaking about his feelings, realized that Joshua had a lot of pent up aggression and grief. He simply did not want to talk about it.

Sam owed him a great debt of gratitude. Joshua had volunteered to come with him to L.A. No-one had forced him. Perhaps he had done Joshua a favour – it sounded like Adam and the Black Ridge survivors had been taken – but regardless, the other boy had made sacrifices for him. It was something that Sam would never forget.

Over at Joshua’s cot, Sam found his baseball bat missing. Perhaps Joshua, like him, was practising for the attack. If Sam could find him, he could probably give him some pointers. He continued to search right through the buildings that made up the resistance headquarters. They were extensive; the Colonel must have knocked down walls leading into adjacent buildings – the place seemed to go on forever.