Mystery's Choice (Vengeance Of The Fallen Book 1) (38 page)

“My love, you would not be able to stop it, if it were what the Master ordered.”

“I love you, Lily.”  He stopped eating to look at her. “I always will.”

“I know. You just showed me how much.”  She leaned over and kissed him. “I will always love you.”

“What do we do now?”

“We find Ryan, Seth’s brother, and we convince him to work with us to stop this. The Roodmasi control most of the major governments of the world, the Ascension is almost here.”

“We will do what we need to do. We stop them. No matter what.”  He looked into her eyes.

“No matter what.”  She lost herself in his eyes. When she looked in them she wasn’t afraid, she could hope.

Ryan sipped a beer and watched the world come apart on the evening news. Ever since the Roodmasi had taken over the western governments, each day saw new horrors. The eastern governments had formed an alliance because they feared the new governments of the west. The Shah of Iran met almost daily with Japanese and Chinese officials. Civil wars had broken out in some eastern nations as they resisted Roodmasi rule. The United Nations had been disbanded when America and Russia pulled out. Once again the two superpowers were on the brink of war. Overnight all nations either were considered western and therefore, Roodmasi, or as they were calling themselves publicly, The Equalized Nations. Or they were eastern and resisted Equalized rule. Russia was headed toward civil war and so were Turkey, India and Egypt. The world was in total chaos.

The upside was Cain and the Roodmasi had been far too busy to mess with him. Riots were breaking out in the cities of the west between the Equalized and the followers of the Judeo-Christian system of beliefs. Most of the governments of the west had declared martial law and Roodmasi soldiers marched the streets killing the “intolerant”. The daily murder rate had climbed to record highs in all major cities. The slums, ghettos, and high-crime areas of the west were declared lost areas and law enforcement had pulled out leaving the areas to the survival of the meanest.

Ryan fumbled absent-mindedly with his crucifix as he watched the churches of Chicago burn, with the parishioners trapped inside. The Equalized government was stating the GLBT COALITION were responsible, having planned a citywide raid. They claimed it had all happened too fast to stop them. The GLBT COALITION, of course claimed they hadn’t done it. The news anchor, which still dared to wear a cross, apologized for the lack of live footage due to Chicago recalling all news teams due to the danger. A late breaking bulletin informed Ryan the governments of Russia, China, Japan, Egypt, and India had fallen to Equalized guerillas. The news coverage showed the Kremlin burning and the populace of Russia scrambling for cover as the guerilla troops shot into the crowds. It broke to show coverage of guerillas shooting Christians, Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, and Hindi as they tried to refugee east. The anchor announced they were breaking coverage to go live at the White House and an announcement from Vice President Natasson.

Ryan leaned forward, his eyes narrowing with rage as Cain stepped up to the podium, Raevanne stood off to one side. Tears ran down Ryan’s face when he realized Mystery stood on his other.

“The major governments of the world are now under Equalized rule.”  He raised his hand to silence the reporters. “Effective immediately anyone who does not make way for the new regime will be considered a traitor and put to death. Under Equalized rule there will be no organized religion, there will be no religious intolerance, no piety, no martyrs, and no moral majority. Beginning tomorrow all clergy will report to your City Hall. There you will be afforded a chance to publicly denounce your affiliation with the intolerant religions. If you refuse or if you try to run, you will be executed. Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindi religious officials will be executed for they are unlikely to follow Equalized law. Patrols of E-Troops will be dispatched to collect any official who has not reported to City Hall by sunset tomorrow.”  He sighed resignedly. “Unfortunately some of you will cling to your intolerant beliefs. However, after this brief period of adjustment, religion will no longer be used to kill those who do not follow a certain set of beliefs. Under Equalized rule the new dogma will be, “And do what you will”. No longer will a small groups’ narrow-minded viewpoint, set the rules to match their morals. Freedom is finally here for those with the strength to grab it!  Nature rules again and only the strong, the flexible, the adaptable will survive.”  He pulled Raevanne to the podium. “My wife will remain for one hour to answer your questions.”  He took Mystery’s hand and she smiled at him, they walked out of sight. Raevanne smiled and began to take questions.

Ryan didn’t feel it when he snapped his crucifix in two and the silver sliced his hand. He stood, went to the refrigerator and took down Sam’s card. Maybe the detective would believe the truth now.

Sam pulled the straps tighter on his bulletproof vest, and he checked both of his backup guns. The mayor had called for martial law, but the Guard didn’t have any more troops to dispatch. So, it was up to the city to control the streets. The commissioner had declared the North Federal, Globeville, and Central Colfax neighborhoods as lost areas. Barricades and armed guards kept anyone from entering or, more importantly, from leaving those areas. The hospitals were overrun so the hotels by the old airport were being used to house the wounded. In the metro area grocery stores were being policed to stop looting and rioting over the developing food shortage. Suburban police forces such as Aurora, Littleton, Lakewood, and Thornton were mobilizing to keep Denverites out. Clergy members were afraid to leave their homes to report to City Hall because the first ones to report had been taken by the roving mobs and hanged or burned alive. Several area churches had been set on fire in the metro Denver area. Schools had been closed as the teachers and parents had felt it unsafe to hold classes.

Sam waited for Lily and they got in his shiny new truck and went to patrol their assigned area. Things had not fallen apart quite as quickly in South Denver, but Sam knew it was only a matter of time. The fifteen girls who had died in the area would not be enough blood for the Beast.

Father Timothy Krushink knelt in front of the old, wooden altar and began his evening prayers. He cringed as his mind passed over all the awful things, which had happened in the parish over the last two years. Once again, he prayed God would show him the way to help his parishioners, to comfort those who had lost loved ones, to strengthen their faith for the coming trials.

In the 30 years he had been a priest he had only buried the elderly, the sick, and sudden deaths until recently. Now he buried children and dealt with the lives their deaths had ripped apart. Of the 15 girls who had been murdered around the city, five were his parishioners. No one felt safe, and everyone was looking to their priest for answers. So, Father Timothy bowed his head and begged the Lord to show him why, how, and what to do now. He asked the Lord if he were to die for his faith, who would lead his flock?

He was so involved in his prayers he didn’t hear the door open, never sensed the men walking up the aisle toward him. When strong arms pulled him to his feet, he opened eyes bright with shock and confusion.

“What are you doing?  What is the meaning of this?  I have until sunset.”  The men began to pull him toward the open door. “Where are you taking me?”  They pulled him out of the door and into the street.

Father Timothy struggled to keep his footing as they pulled him into the park across the street. He could see no faces; they wore hooded cloaks, which covered their features. Nothing he said convinced them to stop or to release him.

When the two men reached a clearing in the park, they stopped and released his arms. Father Timothy looked up and saw others dressed as his abductors were. They parted to reveal a wooden cross lying on the ground. Timothy turned to run, but the men who had taken him stopped him. Laughter rang out from the crowd of cloaked figures and his abductors pulled him to the cross.

“No, please!”  Father Timothy begged. “I have done nothing! Please, it is not sunset yet!”

His only answer was more laughter. Father Timothy struggled to see what was going on when silence spread over the crowd. He gaped as a beautiful redhead stepped through the crowd and approached him. He breathed a sigh of relief when he recognized her as the Vice President’s wife.

“Mrs. Natasson, please, I was to have until sunset to report. I need time to comfort and guide my parishioners, to advise them what to do in this time of crisis.”  The men tied him to the cross, and he grunted when they stood it up. Two other men stepped forward and together with his abductors they drove the cross into the ground.

“Good afternoon Father.”  She tested the tightness of the bonds. “I am Raevanne, Shivana of the Roodmasi.”  She walked away.

“Wait, who are the Roodmasi? You are the Vice President’s wife. You can stop this. Please, I don’t understand, why is this happening?”  Father Timothy’s eyes widened with terror when Raevanne came back with a lit torch.

“Father Timothy Krushink, we the Roodmasi find you guilty of Christianity. As you have blasphemed against Lord Satan all of your life, it has been decided you cannot be turned. Therefore, you will be executed for your crimes, upon your beloved cross, by the Master’s fire.”  She looked at him with luminous green eyes, “Any last words, Father?”

“Please, I must understand why?  Why is this happening?  Why are the children dying?”  He struggled helplessly against his bonds.

“The Master’s Ascension is at hand. You are only one of the first to be executed for blasphemy. Eventually all the people of the world will follow Lord Satan or they will die.”

Raevanne smirked as Father Timothy bowed his head to pray. “No need to pray, you will soon be seeing the False God.”  She lit the cross.

The crowd cheered, their prayers of thanks to Satan almost drowning out the screams coming from the blackening cross.

Sam pulled his truck along side the two cruisers. The uniforms were trying to break up a mob. Most of the crowd was departing, but there were a few troublemakers. A rookie cop let one of the mob get too close and a large woman pulled his gun and shot him with it. Sam shot her in the forehead and the crowd ran. He went to the rookie cop, and squatting he felt for a pulse. He was dead. Sam fingered the cross around the cop’s neck and shook his head.

When he looked up he saw his fellow officers standing around a blackened cross. Sam gagged when he realized a body hung from it.

“I’ll call it in, you guys better get back to patrol.”  Sam and Lily went back to his truck, he called the coroner’s van, and he followed the cruisers out of the park. Fourteen hours after they had left it, Sam and Lily were finally home. They waited until the garage door had closed and locked. They each cocked their weapon and got out of the car. Sam quietly unlocked the door, careful not to stand in front of it. He cracked the door open, kicked it wide, and Lily went in high, Sam went in low. Lily closed the door and locked it; they checked the rest of the town house. Sam sat down at the top of the stairs and stared at his double-barred, boarded up windows. Lily bent and kissed the top of his head.

“We need fuel. I’ll heat up some chili. Does that sound good?”  She went past him and down the stairs. Sam just continued to stare.

“How much more?  Why can’t he just ascend?”

“The more of God’s followers who die before the Ascension, the stronger Satan will be.”

“I still keep hoping I’m dreaming.”

“You’re not.” She pulled him to his feet. “Check messages, I’ll heat the chili.”

Sam headed for the living room. He was just about to push play, when the doorbell rang. He cocked his weapon and pointed it at the door while he took cover.

“Who’s there?”  He shouted in the general direction of the door.

“Felicity and Ryan.”  A female voice answered.

Sam cautiously approached the door, and peeked out of the peephole. Seeing his friend and the preacher, he opened the door and they rushed in.

“Sam, I don’t know if you remember Seth and Mystery.”

“Yes.”  Sam held out his hand to Ryan. “Hi, I’m Sam and you’re Seth’s brother the priest. We spoke briefly at your brother’s house.”  He pointed them toward the living room.