The Tears of Nero (The Halo Group Book 1) (5 page)

The lights went out again, and Henry heard chains rattling along with the mournful sound of weeping.  Someone was frightened.  Henry understood that feeling all too well.   

When the lights came on again, the setting before them was very different.  The horsemen were gone, and the wild smell was no longer a mystery.

The lions looked hungry.  Their ribs pressed against parchment-thin skin, and their manes were shaggy and matted.  Although the beasts were undomesticated, there was a wildness in their eyes that suggested a desperation for food which would drive them to do almost anything.  One of them roared, and the other three followed suit.   

The frightened man kneeling before them obviously realized that as well.  He trembled at the sight of the beasts, and they advanced on him eagerly, sensing their first meal in quite some time.

“This man has served God all of his life,” the voice in the balcony explained.  “We will let his life hang in the balance and see what God will allow.  The fate of this man will determine the fate of millions.  Will God save him or leave him to die?” 

Henry couldn’t believe what he was seeing, and he couldn’t take his eyes off of the poor man who was about to be fed to the lions.  One thing about the man struck Henry immediately.  He wasn’t trying to run away.  Maybe that had something to do with being surrounded by a pride of angry lions.  Or maybe something else was at work here. 

The man was frightened and made no effort to stop trembling.  However, he didn’t try to fight off the beasts nor did he try to find a way out.  He was resolved to his fate, saying a few final words of prayer to God as he turned his tear-stained eyes toward Heaven.

It was a scene torn straight out of the past, from the days of the Roman Coliseum when Christians were routinely fed to lions.  Henry noticed the man was wearing a crucifix around his neck. 
Why do bad things happen to good people?

In the moment before the lions made their move, the martyr turned toward him and spoke a single sentence.  “God’s will is perfect.”  It was like lighting the fuse on a stick of dynamite.   

The lions roared and reached the Christian before the lights went out again.  Within seconds, the underground amphitheater was filled with the sounds of screaming and torture.  The spectacle was too much to stomach, and Henry covered his ears, hoping to block out the sound of wailing.  The screaming was short-lived, and in less than a minute the lights came back on again.  The arena was empty save for a pool of blood. 

Henry scanned the place for any sign of the Christian, praying that the man was still alive.  That was when he saw a masked figure studying him from the highest point in the room, sitting on a rock throne like a king presiding over the blood sport.  It was the speaker from the balcony.  Aware that he had been spotted, the figure nodded to Henry and took a modest bow.

It was the last thing Henry remembered before he felt someone press a chloroform-soaked cloth over his face. 

Chapter 6

The dam holding back the memories of the lions, the carnage, and the death of that poor man was blown up in that instant.  The resulting deluge of horrid images came flooding back. 

“I remember now,” Edward said.  “God help me.  I remember.”

“I wish I didn't remember now,” Sadie said.  “We’re in deep trouble here.”

Henry cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention.  “There is a murderer on this island, and he will do as he’s promised.”

“The problem’s even worse than that,” Franklin reminded them.  “Nero wasn’t acting alone at that house on Archibald Street.  Seneca helped him.”

“Why does the name Seneca sound so familiar?” Henry asked, still struggling to put the missing pieces of the puzzle together.

“Seneca was one of Nero’s advisors,” Edward offered.  “History credits him with being the one to keep Nero on the straight and narrow in the beginning of his reign as emperor.  Nero didn’t start out as a bad guy.  Seneca saw to that.”

“Let's not forget about the horsemen,” Kelly said.  “They seemed like a cheerful bunch.  Nero referred to their little group as an order of some sort”

“So we’re dealing with a whole clown car full of psychos?” Franklin said.  “Best Day Ever!”

“Maybe these people are some kind of cult,” Henry theorized. 

“It‘s possible,” Edward said.  “But the notes are from Nero.  He’s the brains behind this operation.  He’s personalized all of this by including photographs that are familiar to us.  He’s researched us and orchestrated all of this with the five of us in mind.”

“I wonder if we know him,” Sadie said.

“He certainly seems to know us,” Edward reminded her. 

“There’s a problem with the way I remember things,” Henry said, wrinkling his brow. 

“What kind of problem?” Edward asked.

Henry looked uncertain about whether or not to say what was on his mind.  “I remember all of you from that night.  I could see where everyone was sitting.  But I don‘t remember seeing Franklin.”

The look of outrage on Franklin’s face was instantaneous.  “I was there like the rest of you.”

“To be honest, I don’t remember you either,” Sadie admitted.  “I remember Kelly, Edward, and Henry.  But not you.”

“Just because you don’t remember me doesn’t mean I wasn’t there,” Franklin stammered.   

“There was a lot going on that night,” Edward conceded.  “Maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to jump to conclusions.  It’s possible he was there.”

“So you’re taking up for Franklin now?” Kelly asked. 

“I’m not taking up for him,” Edward said.  “I just don’t think we need to isolate any member of our group until we know the score here.  We need to be friends right now, not enemies.”

“I could be mistaken,” Henry said.  “The entire night was traumatic.”

“I was there, old man!  Get your glasses checked!”

“It’s a question we can’t answer right now,” Edward said.  “So it’s pointless to argue about it.  For now, I think we should get back to the beach.”

“Agreed,” Henry said.  “I shouldn’t have raised the issue in the first place.  Let’s forget about it and get moving.”

“Whatever,” Franklin said, clearly not happy about being singled out.   

As they threaded their way out of the jungle, everyone watched the ground in front of them, wary of serpents.  They hadn’t forgotten Nero’s trap.  Fallen trees and thick underbrush slowed their progress.  Each shadow transformed itself into something sinister, and each sound signaled some new danger that Nero had devised for them.  But nothing jumped out of the darkness to steal their souls.   

They had gone further inland than they realized, and it took nearly twenty minutes to get back to the beach.  When they finally reached white sand, they were all sweating and in need of another break.  “Maybe we should go back to the chest and see what information we can glean from the stuff inside,” Henry suggested as he leaned over, struggling to get his breath.  “I’m sure that’s what Nero wants us to do anyway.”

“That does seem to be our only option at this point,” Kelly said as they trudged back across the beach. 

The chest was as they had left it, with only one exception.  A message had been written in the sand:  “The end is nigh.”

“Ain’t that a kick in the teeth?” Franklin said, scowling.  “This guy is playing with us.  He‘s having a real blast at our expense.”

“Calm down,” Kelly said.  “I think your reaction is exactly what he’s looking for.  Let‘s focus on what‘s in the box instead.”

“So what else is there?” Sadie asked.  “Nero seems to be such a thoughtful guy.  Maybe he left us a vial of Ebola or a few severed hands.”

Edward smiled nervously.  “That does seem to be his style.” 

He rummaged through the trunk and pulled out everything that was left.  After removing the tape recorder and equally distributing the water and energy bars, he pulled out a sheet of yellowed paper.

“Well, what’s it say?” Franklin asked, impatient.

“It’s a sheet of rules or instructions,” Edward said. 

“What do you mean?” Henry said. 

“See for yourself,” Edward said, spreading the sheet of paper out on the sand for all to see.

The rules as Nero had outlined them were to the point and chilling in their simplicity.

#1:  Outlive the other members of your party!

#2:  Follow the clues and prove you‘re smarter than everyone else!

#3:  Assume your role in history as rider of the pale horse!

“What does that mean?” Franklin asked. 

“There’s a verse in Revelation that mentions a pale horse,” Edward said.

Henry spoke up.  “And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.”

“So the rider of the pale horse is Death?” Kelly asked.  “How can we assume that role?”

“Maybe Nero has a plan that involves death,” Edward theorized.  “And maybe he wants one of us to help make that plan a reality.”

“Let’s not forget that the horsemen were at the dinner party too,” Henry reminded them.  “Nero told us that the experiment with the Christian and the lions would decide the fate of millions.  If God intervened and saved the man, millions would live.  If God didn’t, millions would die, possibly at the hand of the pale rider.  All of this ties in somehow.”

“And the rider of the pale horse could turn out to be one of us if Nero’s note is to be believed,” Edward said.  “Is it possible that one of us might become responsible for the deaths of millions of people?”

“Remember the note I received at the dinner party,” Henry added.  “The one that talked about Adolf Hitler.  It seems that Nero is drawing some parallel between himself and the German dictator.  Hitler was responsible for the deaths of millions.  Nero has bought into that kind of thinking too.”

“This is all a little too crazy for me,” Kelly said. “I could never kill anyone.  I couldn‘t be the rider of the pale horse.”

“Me neither,” Edward admitted.  “But remember what Nero said.  We are part of an experiment in cosmic justice.  We’re here to help him understand why bad things happen to good people.  Maybe we won’t be directly responsible for the deaths of millions of people, but it’s possible that we do something while on this island to help Nero achieve that goal.”

“What have we gotten ourselves into?” Sadie asked, horrified by the possibility that Nero and his group might be planning some sort of genocide. 

“What else is in the chest?” Franklin asked.  “Maybe there are more answers in there.” 

Edward pulled another document out of the wooden box.  “It looks like a psychiatric evaluation of some sort,” he said, studying it intently.  Something held his attention and for a few moments he didn’t look up.  When he finally tore his eyes away from the sheet of paper, he focused on Kelly.   “It’s got your name on it,” he said. 

“My name?” Kelly said with a note of surprise.

Edward nodded.  “Here, take a look.”

He handed her the file and let her study it for a moment.  The color drained out of her face as she read something she didn‘t like.

“What is it?” Sadie asked.  “Is something wrong?”

“There’s something in this file that I didn’t really want anyone to know.  I‘m sure you read it.”

“I won’t tell if you don’t want me to,” Edward said. 

Kelly chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, indecisive.  “No, go ahead and tell them.  Might as well get my secret out in the open.” 

“Are you sure?” Edward asked. 

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“Well, I’m not sure what kind of bearing this will have on our little stay here, but the file says that Kelly suffers from delusions.  She believes she has psychic abilities.”

Chapter 7

“Great,” Franklin exclaimed.  “We’ve got Ms. Cleo with us on an island where we’re being held captive by a psychopath who named himself after a crazy Roman emperor.  I feel better already.  Can you tell us when the Coast Guard is going to be here to rescue us, darling?  I‘d like to plan my itinerary.”

Kelly glared at Franklin.   “First of all, I don't suffer from delusions.”

“That's exactly the kind of thing someone suffering from delusions would say,” Franklin pointed out.

“It's true.  The only reason I ever agreed to psychiatric evaluation in the first place was because I was dating a psychiatrist at the time.  He was intrigued by my 'gift' and suggested some clinical trials.  He diagnosed me as delusional after I dumped him for another guy.”

“Well, it's settled then,” Franklin said smartly.  “You're obviously as sane as the rest of us.  Your psych file was placed into that chest for no good reason.”

“I don't know why the file is in there,” Kelly admitted.  “I just want everyone to know that I'm not crazy.”

“Spoken like a true lunatic,” Franklin added, drawing a stern look from Edward.   

“So do you believe you're a psychic?” Edward asked.     

“I don’t consider myself a true psychic,” she said.  “I can’t read minds or tea leaves or anything like that.  It’s not something I can really control.  Sometimes I just know things.  It’s an intuition I have.”

“Why would something like that be important here?” Edward asked as the wheels in his mind turned. 

“Why indeed?” Henry added.  “The fact that this document was locked away in this trunk would suggest that it has some value.  Maybe this intuition is the reason Kelly was chosen to be here.  Perhaps we were all placed on this island because of a specific talent or ability, and this is a contest to see who will be the rider of the pale horse….whatever that means.”

“I don’t have any gift like that,” Franklin said.  “I can’t tell fortunes, read Tarot cards, or start fires with my mind.  Sorry, Master Yoda.  The Force skipped right over me.”

“Can you tell us anything else about your gift, Kelly?” Sadie asked.

Kelly sighed.  It was clear she wasn’t comfortable talking about it.  “There are times when I can tell you things I wouldn’t have any way of knowing.  Ideas have a way of popping into my head, and they always turn out to be true.”

“What kind of ideas?” Edward asked.

Kelly studied him for a moment.  “You have forty-two cents in your pocket.”

Methodically, Edward counted the pennies, nickels, and dimes in his pockets.  “Son of a gun,” he said.  “She’s right.”

“What else do you know?” Franklin said.  Although he tried to hide it, there was unease in his voice.  

“I know that you cheated on your first and second wives and that it gets under your skin when people call you Griff.”

“Ridiculous,” Franklin said.  “I was never unfaithful.”

The eyes of the group were upon him, studying him like a virus beneath the microscope. 

“Is she right, Franklin?” Henry pressed. 

Franklin’s face reddened, and a vein bulged in his forehead.  “All right, all right, it is true,” he fumed.  “Of course, for all I know Kelly’s in on this whole charade.  It‘s possible that she did her homework on me beforehand.  Details about my life aren‘t that difficult to come by.  Plenty of people hate me and wouldn‘t mind dragging my skeletons out of the closet.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Kelly stammered.  “I woke up here like you did.  I‘m not involved in any of this.” 

“Is it ridiculous?” Franklin asked.  “You seem to know an awful lot about what’s going on here.  You directed us toward that letter in the bottle.  Your psych file happened to find its way onto this island paradise.  And you claim to be able to tell us things about ourselves that no one else would know.  If you’re so smart, why don’t you use that awesome power to tell us what’s going on. ”

“It doesn’t work like that,” Kelly protested.  “I can’t turn the ability on and off like a switch.”

“How convenient,” Franklin said, narrowing his eyes.

“OK, Griff, since we’re talking about strange coincidences, let’s go back to that small detail where nobody remembers you from the dinner party.  If I’m in on the whole thing, maybe you are too.  Care to elaborate on that?  There are only five of us here.  It shouldn‘t have been that hard to spot you.  There wasn‘t much of a crowd there that night.”

Franklin snarled.  “If you’re really a psychic, I hope you can read my mind right now.” 

“Stop it, both of you,” Edward said.  “Franklin, as far as I can tell, she’s in the same boat we’re in, and until I find out differently, she’s on our side.  Kelly, same goes for Franklin.”

“You’re a sucker for a pretty face,” Franklin said.  “Trust me, there’s something off about Kelly.”

“We have to stick together.  That might be the only thing that keeps us alive.” 

“Can we stop arguing long enough to get some answers here?” Sadie said. 

“She’s right,” Henry said.  “Anything else in that chest?”   

Edward held up a sheet of yellowed paper.  “Here’s a map.  I assume it’s a drawing of the island.”

“Let me see,” Franklin said, snatching the paper out of Edward’s hand. 

The map was drawn with very little detail.  Strange characters covered the island, but there was no legend by which to discern what any of it meant. 

“This doesn’t look like it will be much help,” Franklin said, handing the map back to Edward.  “I say we start exploring and see what we can find.  All of this might be nothing more than a big hoax.  Civilization might be only a mile or two away. “

“I doubt that,” Henry said.  “That tripwire wasn’t a hoax.  Neither were the snakes.  We‘re in trouble here.  There‘s no doubt about that.”

“Maybe we’re not really on an island,” Sadie theorized. 

“We’re on an island,” Kelly said, correcting her. 

“And how can you be sure?” Franklin asked, not bothering to hide the suspicion in his voice. 

“I just know,” Kelly said with a smirk.

“What else do you know about Nero?” Henry asked.  “Is there anything else you can tell us?”

Kelly thought about that for a moment and the thought clearly made her uneasy.  “Nero is evil, and he plans to kill all but one of us.  He‘s also delusional enough to believe everything he tells us.”

“I’m not buying it,” Franklin said.  “Parlor tricks aren’t going to save our lives.  She‘s playing games with our minds.  Why am I the only one who sees that?”

“You’re a moron, Franklin,” Sadie said.  “Or at least that’s what I’m sensing.  And the funny thing is I’m not even psychic.  How crazy is that?”

“I think I know where we’re at on this map,” Edward interrupted.    

He instantly had the group’s attention and pointed to a specific place on the parchment.  

“According to this drawing there is a mountain on the eastern coast.  If you look  over those palm trees, and strain to peek through the foliage, you can make out the faint tip of what might be a volcano.”

“He’s right,” Henry said as he wiped the sweat off of his bald pate. 

“If that’s the mountain shown on the map, that would mean that we’re here.”  He touched the map with his index finger and pointed to a symbol that looked like the letter ‘A’. 

“That could stand for alpha,” Sadie noted.  “It’s the first letter in the Greek alphabet.  It usually refers to the beginning of something.  Maybe the artist who created the map used it to represent the beginning of our journey here.”

“That would make sense,” Edward said.

“You sure didn’t have much trouble coming up with that hypothesis,” Franklin noted.  “You and Kelly in on this together?”

Sadie glared at Franklin.  “Don’t start, Griff.” 

“What are those triangles?”  Kelly asked, pointing at several places on the map.

“That could stand for delta,” Sadie explained, turning her back on Franklin.  “That’s the fourth letter in the Greek alphabet.”

“Interesting,” Franklin said, not really meaning it. 

“Normally delta is used to represent changes of some sort.  Or at least that’s the case in mathematics.” Henry noted.

The group turned to study Henry for the first time.  The old man shrugged and straightened the lapels of his sports coat.  “I was a high school science and calculus teacher for twenty-five years.”

“I was in a sorority in college,” Sadie added.

“Maybe Nero picked you for your school spirit,” Franklin said. 

“And maybe Nero picked you to be our Gilligan,” Sadie replied.  

Not used to being the butt of the joke, Franklin snatched the map away from Edward again and studied it, ignoring Sadie.  “If the delta symbol represents change, maybe that’s where we will find more clues.  It could be talking about a change in understanding.”

“It’s only a short walk to the next chest,” Edward said.  “Let’s stop fighting with each other and go check it out.”