Dimensions of Genesis (30 page)

Lily lay upon the hard ground, staring at
individual grains of sand. Most were dull, lifeless specks of dust,
blending with rest of the arid landscape. Occasionally, though,
there were some that sparkled with the rays of the sun. Like tiny
gems lost in a sea of dust.

Sounds around her floated through her mind
like in a dream. She paid no attention to the Judges' commanding
voices any longer, the laughter of the shadows, nor the roar of the
storm overhead. She'd made it all—just go away, until she heard his
voice.

“Lily!”

Who was that? I know that voice.
A
part of her soul spoke up, though Lily still lay upon the
ground.

“Lily! Please hear me!” he spoke again, his
voice like a beautiful song playing in her mind.

Gabe? She wondered, But how can he be in my
nightmare?

She glanced up toward the Judges' bench, her
eyes focused on his face.

“Lily!” He called again.

Dazed, she asked, “Why are you here?” her
voice sounded hollow.

“Lily, just listen to me. You need to hear me
now.” he said urgently as a shadow guard approached him.

She tried hard to focus on him, to hear his
words, to see his lips as he spoke to her.

“Remember...” he began but the guard punched
him hard in the stomach, Gabe bent over and tried to catch his
breath.

Remember? Lily repeated, Remember what?

Thunder and lightning ripped through the sky,
the wind howled and tore through the air. A chill crept into the
valley as the dark clouds shrouded the last ray of sun.

“Lily,” Gabe whispered, still clutching his
stomach, “Remember who you are. Remember who you really are. You
are the first mother...”

~

“Angels get to have wings, why can't I have
some right now?” David muttered, frustrated as he watched the scene
unfold in the valley. “I need to get down there! How can I get
through the crowd?”

David wracked his brain, trying to come up
with a plan. He could go running down there, weapon drawn and get
taken down in a blaze of glory, but that doesn't help the girl at
all if he can't heal her first. He could try to heal her from here,
but the dark energies would sense him and attack him before he
could complete it. Not to mention, he couldn’t be certain his power
could reach that far.

“Ugh. This is so frustrating.” He thought as
he plopped himself down onto the rock.

“The light...David...the light.” The ethereal
voice from his dreams suddenly burst into his thoughts.

“Oh my God, I know what to do!”

David quietly approached the last of the
rocks that shielded him.

Turning his attention to the scene below, he
was puzzled to see the young girl now standing and approaching the
Judges. Raising her hand to touch the reflective surface of the
Council's judicial bench, she traced the outline of her face with
her finger. With such agony painted upon her face only moments
before, David was confused when she suddenly smiled at her mirror
image.

“Choose!” the Judges' voices thundered like
an avalanche. David winced as their evil energy, a vile and bitter
wave of hate, resounded through the valley. The jagged cliffs
echoed the Council's order like a deep snarl.

The girl continued to smile at her
reflection, seemingly unconcerned with their demands and oblivious
to the danger hurtling itself through space.

Looking again to the sky, the Wave only
moments from arrival, dread washed over his ethereal body like a
cold front had passed through his soul.

Everything depends on her decision.

“Choose!” The six Judges stood as they
pounded their gavels with such force that tiny sparks ignited with
every crash.

As the Wave growled overhead, she raised her
head indignantly as though challenging the six tyrannical
adjudicators. The young girl then spoke boldly, announcing her
decision.

With the roar of the oncoming Wave, David did
not hear her choice. Frantic, he peeked over the edge of the cliff,
his heart stopping as chaos ensued within the ocean of evil beings.
The furious beasts screeched as they charged the helpless phantom
girl.

She had chosen.

~

“Choose! Choose a sacrifice or we will choose
for you!” Their voices dripped with the essence of evil.

Kneeling before the Counsel of Shadows,
panicked, Lily glanced back and forth from Gabe to Hope, knowing
the beasts would attack if she didn't pick one of them.

How! How can I choose between my love and my
daughter? I can't, I just can't! Holding her head in her hands, she
whimpered. “Help me,” Lily said as she looked at the heavens, “oh
please help me.”

Gideon knelt down beside her, placed his hand
on her shoulder and whispered in her ear, “We can help you, you
know.” His voice sleek and seductive, “We can help you get back
into your body. You can live a normal life again. You just…need to
choose.” He stated as he pointed to Gabe and Hope.

Could that be true? She wondered with a stir
of hope building inside her. Could I go back…to a normal life
again? How can I possibly choose to live with one…and not the
other?

Pain and confusion seared her heart.

It was then she saw her face mirrored within
the Judges’ bench. Perplexed, she stood up and walked toward her
reflection.

Who is that? That can't be me. She thought as
she reached out her hand, her image copying her movements.

Tracing her finger around her ghostly
appearance, she cringed at what she'd become. Her long hair, all
gone, replaced by a stubbly white scalp littered with scars. Green
eyes which once blazed with fire and mischief, now dead and
soulless. Her once petal-soft skin, paled by the kiss of death.

Staring at herself, she suddenly smiled at
her reflection. To anyone else, the image may have looked dreadful,
but to Lily; it was the answer to her prayers.

“I've made a choice...” she announced to the
Judges, “I choose...me.”

~

Lily’s body lie sleeping on the bed in the
hospital, her chest rose and fell in perfect rhythm. With her
eyelids closed, yet fluttering furiously, she sighed. A look of
peace eclipsed her face as she exhaled—one last time.

Eve of Apocalypse

A mass of shadow snakes suddenly roared with
anger, sending ripples of dark energy ricocheting throughout the
valley. The cowled Judges' seethed with fury, pounding their gavels
as they gave the command.

“Destroy her!”

David had to move quickly. After she'd
announced her decision, the shadow snakes began transforming into
larger, more terrifying, creatures. Their lithe bodies merged with
one another to form enormous, fearsome beasts. Instead of thousands
of individual snakes, there were now hundreds of towering
demons.

Taking deep breaths, David realized what he
had to do. Concentrating on the images in his mind, Evangeline,
Tiffany, his mother and Ellen, he allowed the energy to begin
pulsating throughout his body.

Up until now, he'd only focused on one loved
one at a time to produce his weapon or healing gift. This time, he
needed them all.

Looking up to the Wave, moments from
desecrating the Earth, he knew it was now or never. Bravely, he
walked towards the crowd of dark beasts. He could see the girl
moments from being attacked. Large beasts circled and toyed with
her; awaiting the perfect time to strike.

Hopefully, they will turn their attention to
me. David thought as he walked fearlessly toward the outskirts of
the circle.

The strength of the energy surging through
his system made him dizzy. An intense whirring noise oscillated,
while several white orbs spun around David's torso. The image of
his mother's face danced in front of his awareness, then Tiffany,
then Evangeline, all taking their turn, faster and faster, within
his thoughts.

A ball of light started to grow in the centre
of his chest, pulsating and hot, bigger and bigger as he now stood
behind the crowd of demons.

~

Tremendous black beasts surrounded her, the
air thick with anticipation since they’d received the order to
destroy her. Looking back and forth from Gabe to Hope, Lily etched
their beautiful faces into her memory.

Good-bye my loves. She thought as tears
brimmed and cascaded from her eyes.

The creatures of darkness salivated, their
fierce red eyes and long, needle-sharp talons; eager to tear into
her. Horns like angry steers protruded from their heads while black
drool trickled from the corners of their mouths.

Huddling into a little ball and covering her
head just as they were about to lunge, Lily then noticed something
had made them all turn and look away. The demons let out a horrific
shriek as they descended upon another target. Ignoring Lily for the
time being, the beasts focused their attack on something, or
someone, else. Lily glanced up at Gabe and Hope, to make sure they
were safe, and they were still in the same spot near the bench.
They too, were looking to the far left of the crowd of shadows, a
confused look upon their faces.

Without warning, hundreds of beasts howled as
though in pain. A scorching hot blast of white light tore through
the crowd. The light reminded Lily of an enormous ring, like the
initial blast of an atomic bomb. She watched in pure amazement as
hundreds of the black demons suddenly shattered into dust before
her very eyes. Tiny particles of pitch sand were all that remained
of many demons.

Through the new parting in the sea of
shadows, she saw the source of the white light; a young man. He
staggered and fell to his knees, apparently exhausted from the
power he'd just exerted.

Momentarily thrilled by the rapid decrease in
number of demons, Lily realized that while he'd destroyed many of
the creatures, there were still hundreds left. For the moment,
however, the remaining beasts circled and sniffed the air, afraid
to approach the man.

Moving quickly, Lily ran to the man and fell
to her knees beside him. Cradling his head in her arms, she looked
into his eyes. A great compassion lived beneath the surface of this
man's blue eyes, a deep humanity that Lily felt resonate within
her.

A deafening roar overhead caused her to wince
and look upward. That was when she saw the storm.

That's no ordinary storm. She thought as she
watched what looked like an inverted tornado coordinating its
attack on their location.

“No, it's not.” A voice whispered within her
mind.

Nearly letting go of the man, Lily
contemplated her sanity.

“You're not crazy.” The voice chuckled, “It's
me.”

Lily looked at him; a puzzled look crossed
her face.

“Who are you?” She asked, feeling sheepish as
she tried the internal mode of conversation.

“David. I'm here to rescue you.” the man said
as he glanced nervously at the demonic beings closing in on
them.

“Rescue me?”

“Yah. Trying to anyways.” he laughed a
little, regaining his energy, as he sat up. “We don't have much
time.” his eyes darted back and forth between the incoming storm
and the threatening beasts.

“What do we do?” Lily asked, panicked.

“There's only one thing left to do.”

The man, obviously weakened, slowly raised
his hand to her face. Caressing her cheek softly, he closed his
eyes. Instantly, Lily felt a light quiver, like a butterfly
brushing its wings against her face. Shutting her eyes, forgetting
the scene surrounding her, warmth penetrated her body. Every cell
in her body lit up with light, a shimmering radiance that danced
within her being.

She gasped as the energy embraced her soul. A
tiny seed of light entered her spirit, flowering like a lotus,
awakening a garden that had withered so long ago.

Memories, images and emotions flooded through
her consciousness like the waters of a river spilling over the
banks. An eternity of knowledge overwhelmed her mind as this man in
front of her healed her with his touch.

Then, like a bolt of lightning, it all
ended.

Opening her eyes, she felt the icy grips of
the demons grasp her arm. She and David looked at one another. For
just a moment, peace eclipsed his eyes, then she witnessed David's
white skin succumb to black. The demons had laid their hands on
him, altering his ethereal body—consuming him.

With a demonic hand upon her wrist, she
writhed in pain as the darkness ebbed into her body. Creeping
slowly up her arm, the blackness threatened to devour her.

Remember...remember who you are. Gabe's voice
haunted her as she fell to the ground.

I can't! I can't remember! Her mind screamed
as the pain rose to her shoulder.

“You are the first mother...” It echoed.

What does that mean? First mother! Who the
hell was the first mother? Agony swept through her torso, locking
her upper body like a vice.

The first mother...the first
mother...was…Eve.

Instantly, Lily's eyes flooded with pure
quicksilver, no longer an emerald green, but the colour of the full
moon on a cloudless night. Long sylvan hair cascaded down her back
like a waterfall.

A veil lifted. The eclipse that had shadowed
her soul lifted, revealing the light that had been hidden.

On her knees, surrounded by the creatures of
the dark, she waited. A heartbeat of energy thudded patiently
within her core, pacing faster and faster as the beasts continued
their wrath upon her body.

Faster and faster, the energy churned within
her, waiting—for the perfect moment.

The Wave had arrived, the storm of all storms
stalked Earth like a predator ready to devour its prey. Scores of
demons cheered for their imminent victory.

Eyes closed, she waited.