SHE CLUNG TO me as I carried her, moving through the dark corridors. The two guards followed, shining their flashlights to illuminate our path. Soon, we met up with the chief. He greeted us with a smile and respected us with a salute.
“What happens now?” I asked as I set her gently onto her feet. She wrapped her arms around me and leaned against my chest.
“Well,” he said, looking toward the quarantined room. “The Company will send operatives to assess the nature of the threat and determine the appropriate course of action.”
“To neutralize it or to study it further?” I asked, peering through the dark glass. What the room contained was unlike anything that had ever been openly encountered, except by those living with night terrors or schizophrenia.
“The threat it represents cannot be denied,” he said. “If they cannot control it, they will have to destroy it. From what I’ve seen, it is beyond us. It should be destroyed.”
His radio erupted with chatter. “This is Science Team Alpha; we have entered the facility and are proceeding to the containment cell,” said the voice.
“Copy that,” the chief replied. Soon, three men in hazmat suits entered. They watched us, me and my love, as they passed and stood before the chief. One studied the dark residue in the room, while another talked to the chief. The third approached the heavy door that sealed the darkness inside.
“Hold here while we check it out,” said the one talking to the chief. He and the other two opened the door and quickly slipped inside, shutting it behind them. Flashlights flickered as a heavy fog swirled about them, black and thick in form. Static overcame the radios, broadcasting only bits and pieces of chatter. Through the glass, we saw handheld meters light up. Waving them around slowly, the trio probed the darkness. All seemed well, until it seemed as though a dark curtain fell over the glass. I pulled out my own EMF meter and infrared thermometer and took some readings. The EMF meter spiked as I held it to the door, well above five milligauss. The temperature outside the door began to drop rapidly, from seventy- two to sixty.
The temperature dropped still lower.
“It’s still active.” The team leader keyed over the radio.
Distorted screams emerged from the radio, and we could see the silhouettes of the team thrashing at the enveloping mass.
“Alpha Leader, come in!” the chief shouted into the radio. There was no response. We heard more screams. “Alpha Team, respond!” the chief shouted once more, but there was only silence. The door to the containment room began to shake, and a bulge appeared at its center. “Prepare for breach!” the chief yelled to his men.
“Evac now!” he shouted, turning to us. His men ran to the emergency bunker, opening the door to allow the other survivors to escape. Dozens poured out and ran down the hallway toward the main entrance.
“It’s coming for me again,” my love said, looking into my eyes.
“I will not leave you.”
She smiled at this, holding me tight. The bulge in the door erupted, and a black tendril thrust through, striking me. I was thrown back. Another emerged, wrapping itself around her. One of the guards moved closer to the door and opened fire.
“No!” I shouted, scrambling to my feet. She met my eyes again, reaching out for me, and I took her hand and held on to her. Another tendril lashed out, slamming down upon me and leaving me dazed on the floor. It swept the guard aside, and she was pulled into the darkness, and I could not reach her.
“Come on!” the chief said as one of his men helped pick me up from the floor. Then everything went blank.
Inhuman screams filled the darkness I floated in, echoed by a terrible laugh. Figures, shrouded by the darkness, moved in a distance unknown to me. One figure stood before me, her outline matching that of my love.
“It’s OK,” she said, coming closer. “There was nothing you could have done.”
“But…I could not save you,” I said, my thoughts echoing. I did not save her. I had failed. “You came to me when no others would. Daring a darkness you could not understand, you
came to me. You have already saved me by your love alone,” she said, her voice soothing and tranquil. In that moment, I began to realize one truth. It was not a single action that saved the heart. It was our love, and that love fostered actions of goodness. From this, words of love and compassion would be given. To this end, I would go to those in darkness. Yes, I’d go…not to be a hero but to be a servant, just as my Lord did for all of humanity.
“I will wait for you, my Warrior,” she said as she vanished into the blackness. I was left alone with my thoughts, and only my thoughts. They continued to echo across the dark expanse, thoughts of sorrow and thoughts of courage. A hand rested on my shoulder, offering light where darkness once stood.
“Awaken!” a strong voice said to me. Opening my eyes, I saw the chief standing over me.
We were in a large office, and I was lying on the couch. “Rise and shine, son,” the chief said.
“Where am I?” I said groggily as I sat up. In most ways, it was a typical office, with a desk, a bookshelf, a water cooler, several chairs, and a couch. The odd note was the well- stocked gun rack, complete with SMGs and pistols.
“We’re in the Company’s HQ,” the chief answered. He sat in a chair next to me. “Son, we’ve awakened something that defies all understanding.”
“Yeah, I figured that.” I said, shaking my head slightly. “What’s the sitrep?” I asked. “After you were hit, my men and I pulled you out, and we evacuated to the HQ just a
couple hours before dawn. However, dawn never came. No sun—and no stars in the sky.” He scowled. “We have no contact with anyone else. It’s as if everyone else in the world—or the world itself—has just…vanished. Only those people and places linked to the project remain.”
“Any theories?” I asked. In my mind, I continued to play back the visions and all the dark entity had said.
“I think maybe time has been displaced, frozen. It’s like an episode of The Twilight Zone.”
“An alternate dimension would explain a lot. That could be quantified. Exactly how was this dark mass acquired?” I said, looking out the window. There was nothing to see. It was just blackness, devoid of all light or life.
“In fact, they tell me that some eggheads did manage to tap into an alternate dimension and channel it into ours using those crystals. I’m thinking that somehow that process has been reversed, and we’ve been sucked into that dimension.” He stood up and peered out at the darkness.
“That explains everything…and nothing,” I said, raising an eyebrow.
“Agreed,” the chief said with a grim chuckle.
If we were in a dark dimension, that would explain the blackness that hung over us and maybe why we seemed to be the only humans in it. However, the idea that the dark entity could pull us in was well beyond my level of comprehension. How it could do that, and for what purposes, eluded my understanding for the moment. Ordinarily, I could spend a few hours deep in thought and I would find the answer—or it would find me, once I opened my mind to it.
All I knew was that there was still hope, and I had faith that we would ultimately defeat the dark demons. I knew that I had a force of light on my side, though I saw it only in my visions. What role it would play and when it would reveal itself fully remained unknown. Was it just watching me, placing its faith in one man? Or was it waiting for the proper time to come enforce…enforce what? I didn’t know.
Often I became lost in deep thought following a dream—like the one I’d had that started this all. In that dream, a voice told me that the Lord was preparing his Warrior to face the darkness. The dream told me that God would place his faith in this Warrior, whom he knew would prevail. My full faith lay with God, but the idea that God would place his faith in me was puzzling.
“What’s the plan?” I asked.
“I’ve been ordered to quarantine you and to neutralize all witnesses to our research,” he said. “The Specialist is being deployed t
o terminate the dark mass…and the girl.”
“I take it you’re not thrilled about these orders?” I said, searching his face.
“Not one bit,” he said, grimacing. “The problem for you is that my refusal to comply would change nothing. I’m replaceable, so there’s nothing I can do to stop it. However, there’s plenty you can do.” By his tone, I knew I could trust him. His heart longed to save, not destroy. He cared about the girl, too.
“I understand.”
“I can’t give you any weapons, but there’s a gun shop not far from the hospital where the two witnesses are. At least, I think the shop will still be there,” he said, cupping his hands to the window to peer out into the darkness. “Gear up, and go to them. Do you have any weapons training?”
“Army reserves, infantry,” I said, saluting.
“Good. All right, then. I’ll open the door and point you in the right direction.” He moved to the door. I followed, taking the flashlight that lay beside me. We exited the office and walked down the adjacent hall, stopping at a window. “You understand that I can’t send you out the front door?”
“Meaning I have to go out this window?” I asked.
“I’m afraid so. We’re four stories up. There’s a porte cochere below this window. There’s a narrow stone overhang at each floor, thirteen feet from one to the next, and if you hang from this sill, you’ll be just inches from the next ledge. Hang from that, and it’s an easy drop from there to the porch. It’s maybe twenty feet from there to the ground. You’ll have to find your way down from there.” He opened the window.
“Sounds fun,” I said, looking down at the ledge below. “Good luck.”
I dangled from the open window and dropped straight down onto the stone ledge. It was just wide enough to allow me to turn around and, facing away from building, lower myself down, back pressed to the wall, until I could sit on the ledge. I leaned sideways and gripped the rough stone then eased myself off into a dead hang. Keeping my knees flexed, I dropped onto the porte cochere below, landing in a crouch, with my arms held down to equalize the shock. I stood and surveyed the area. The sky was dark, and neither moon nor star shone overhead. The surrounding buildings, big and small, showed no lights. There were cars in the street but none moving. No chatter, no voices, no birds, no sirens…nothing, just an endless
silence and an unshakable feeling of dread. The only lights anywhere were the HQ’s emergency lights at ground level, which dimly lit the surrounding area enough for me to see how I could get down to the ground.
Below the far edge of the porte cochere, which apparently covered the rear service area, was a dented Dumpster, its angled top fortunately closed. I lowered myself over the edge of the roof and dropped on the Dumpster, landing feet first with a loud, metallic thud and half sliding, half running to the ground. Afraid the noise I’d made would alert someone, I kept running, sprinting in the direction of the hospital to find the gun shop.
When I was about a block away, I could see that the hospital had some dim light showing through several windows. Assuming anyone there would be on alert, I approached using side streets, ducking through alleys and into doorways, though I saw no one. For once, I was glad of the darkness.
I found the group of shops near the hospital, among them the gun store. I peered inside through the front window. The walls were lined with a variety of firearms, SMGs, assault rifles, shotguns, and tactical gear. The store was unlocked but seemingly empty, and I opened the door and entered cautiously, searching behind the counters and in the back rooms to make sure I was alone. I was.
I started with my clothes. Miraculously, the first set of black BDUs I pulled from the center shelf were my size, as was the tactical vest and the light pair of combat boots already set out in a box. I slid my necklace around my neck, ensuring that the cross was visible, and placed my God’s Army hat on my head. Now I needed to select my load out for close-quarter combat in the buildings and long-range shooting in the streets.
I wondered about the store’s customers. It was an odd place for a gun store, especially one with the feel of an upscale boutique. Its gun racks were lined with both military and civilian weapons.. There were bins of grenades—frag, stun, smoke, incendiary, concussion, you name it—racks of bayonets and combat knives, and glass cabinets filled with accessories like scopes, silencers, and laser targets.
I slid a .45 pistol into my vest’s holster and attached another holster to my left thigh for the Uzi. I slung an M4 on my shoulder and filled the vest with clips—two pistol magazines and four rifle magazines. For the Uzi, I strapped three additional clips to my right thigh.
I grabbed an ALICE pack and filled it with ammo. I attached an LED DOT scope to the M4 and a light and a laser sight to the .45. I put on a pair of night-vision goggles. “Damn cool,” I said as I turned them on. The entire room seemed to be fully illuminated. I followed a sign to the store’s backroom target range, put on a pair of ear protectors, and fired the weapons at the targets, adjusting the sights.
It all seemed too easy. All the clips had been full, the clothes my size and so easy to find, all the right accessories available—as though everything had been prepared for me, but by whom? The chief? I had no time to puzzle it out, for at that moment the wall behind the paper targets came crashing down. Three large creatures burst from the dust, shrieking. They were humanoid in form, all between six and seven feet tall, with long fingers like talons. Where I would have expected to see heads, I saw only a dark fog curling up out of their bodies.
“Bring it on!” I yelled, raising the M4 and firing at them.
Initially, they seemed dazed as the bullets struck them. Then they became enraged. Moving with unnatural speed, the first one lunged. I threw myself forward, rolling onto my back, and fired into the creature’s chest as it passed over me. Landing behind me, it slid into, and partway through, the wall and stopped moving. The second grabbed my vest and hoisted me into the air, knocking the M4 from my hands. I drew my pistol and fired a head shot into the densest part of the fog. The creature roared and threw me the length of the range. To straighten my roll, I braced myself by kicking into the divider.
The third creature rushed toward me. I drew the Uzi and fired it and the pistol. “I like the
skinny ones better!” I yelled out. I leaped to my feet, still firing, and watched as the third creature picked up a hunk of the wall, preparing to hurl it toward me. Firing the remaining rounds of the Uzi, I broke up the concrete into smaller pieces before the big chunk could reach me and dove out of the way of most of the smaller debris.
A cloud of dust billowed from the impact, and visibility dropped briefly to zero. Hopping over the divider, I ran down the second firing lane toward the shooter’s booth, where I found an automatic shotgun propped against the wall. Holstering my Uzi and pistol, I grabbed the shotgun and raised it to cock it. It was fully loaded.
I knelt down as the second creature approached. It seemed not to know exactly where I was. As I waited, it approached the divider from row one. I crept out from the booth and turned to stand behind the creature. It froze, sensing that I was nearby, though it still did not know where. I crept a little farther until I was just a few feet away. First, I fired at the backs of its knees, knocking it forward. Then I ran close to it and fired once more into its back. It fell, and I stood over it and fired into what should have been its neck. A black gas seeped out from its fatal wounds. The gas had a strange scent to it, something that suggested night and darkness, though I did not know how.
The third creature gave up trying to throw concrete projectiles. It howled and barreled toward me. I aimed and waited until he was just six feet from me, then fired. The creature screamed in pain as the round struck between its legs. As it fell forward, I fired another round into the head fog.
With all three of the creatures still and seemingly lifeless, I was finally free to examine them more closely. Their claws were massive and deathly sharp. They were colossal creatur
es, thickly muscled and very powerful. I had not encountered them before. The creatures I had previously engaged relied purely on numbers, not individual strength. Their plenitude gave them an advantage that could easily be exploited, but they seemed incapable of tactical attacks. They simply swarmed their targets.
These new creatures were obviously capable of using different styles of attack, but they did not seem to work together. That was an obvious weakness, although it also suggested that they would be unpredictable foes.
At any rate, I had to reach the hospital quickly. After reloading all my weapons and stocking up with fresh clips, I left the gun shop through the hole in the wall. With my rifle raised, I moved swiftly across the street. The entire place was barren and dark. The adjacent parking garage showed no activity—that is, human activity. The creatures could be lurking in the shadows, waiting for me to come to them.
Why keep them waiting? The garage was five stories tall and filled with cars that offered ample cover. Hugging the center wall of each deck, I moved cautiously, thankful for the night- vision goggles, which picked up a faint luminescence from the sky. On the second level, I paused, hearing what sounded like footsteps behind me. I turned quickly but saw nothing but shadows. I walked another twenty feet or so before pausing once more, sensing something near. On instinct, I rolled to the left, just as a car moved past. Its engine was not running; it was just rolling down the ramp, with no one at the wheel.
Something was following me, either to kill me or trap me. I thought I saw movement just behind a truck about thirty feet from me. I heard sounds I took to be laughter. The laugh was cold and sinister. I knelt and fired a three-round burst toward the shadow. The shadow shrieked and thrashed, and I fired another round through the windows of the truck. The movement and the shrieking ceased.
A loud thud echoed behind me, and I turned to find a raptor-like creature, five feet tall or so, with a thin crest extending at an angle and two curved horns lining the crest. It looked to be built for speed and agility, not strength, though it did have a pair of nasty-looking talons. Taking flight, it thrust its sharp claws at me, soaring close enough that I could see its eyes, filled with a
dark light and black flames.
“This just keeps getting better and better!” I yelled as I opened fire on the creature. It circled over me, brewing up a funnel cloud of black flames. I fell to the floor and rolled to the side to avoid it. A three-round burst cutting through it sent the creature shrieking into the shadows. I stood slowly, approaching the dark corner where I had last seen it. The hair on my neck began to stand up.
A thin pipe flew toward me from the shadows. Allowing my reflexes to operate, I focused on nothing and everything. As I leaned to the side, I caught the pipe, twirling it as my rifle fell loose on my shoulder.
The creature lunged, and I swung the pipe, connecting with the side of its head. Dazed, the creature stumbled. I dropped the pipe, raised my rifle, and fired into the dark flame I could see through its chest. The creature thrashed, and the black flame seemed to seep from its body. As it fell to its knees, however, it released a piercing shriek, and the black flame grew larger.
I took off running. The entrance to the hospital was near, and I made a full sprint toward it. Diving through the doorway, I kicked the door shut just as the black flame expanded in all directions. The flare lasted a few seconds, and then it was over. I was beginning to wonder if I should have just ignored the dream that brought me to this place, though it didn’t matter now; I was there, and there was no time to play What if? games. I reminded myself of my mission to serve all, to help all that I could, no matter the cost to myself.
I raised my assault rifle to ready position and moved down the hall. The lights that I had seen were on the third floor, toward the front of the hospital. I was on the second floor, off to the side. On my way toward the stairs, I stopped to peer out a window. Flashlights bobbed in the darkness in front of the main entrance, six of them—probably the Company’s cleanup crew. I had to move fast. I raced up the stairs and opened the fire door to access the third floor.
A light was on, about five doors down the hall.
“Hello?” I called out, keeping the door open just a tiny crack. The light switched off, and I heard muffled voices and footsteps.
“Who’s there?” a male voice yelled back, followed by the cocking of a gun.
“I’m here to help,” I called back, opening the door wider. “I’m coming into the hallway.” As I stepped out, I saw two men in uniforms, with pistols raised, exit the room.
One was a security guard, the other a cop. I slung my rifle and stepped into the hall with my hands raised.
“How’d you get in here?” the security guard asked as he approached me. “Damned if I know,” I said with a snort. They looked at each other and shrugged.
“Good enough for me,” the cop said, holstering his pistol. The guard followed his lead. “So, you’re a soldier?” he asked, motioning for me to follow.
“For now I am.” We walked to the room, where I saw two familiar faces. I assumed they were the two witnesses the chief had mentioned.
“You made it!” said Mary as she and Christina walked to me. It was the patient and the office worker I’d saved previously.
“Looks like it,” I said lightly, smiling. My tone quickly returned to serious, as we had little time. “It looks like they’re sending in a cleanup crew. I’ve been warned that the Company intends to ‘neutralize all witnesses,’ and I expect that means you two—and everyone protecting you.” I looked at the cop and the guard to make sure they understood that they were in danger. “Odds are, they’re heading this way. I counted six, though there could be more, and I don’t know for sure who—or what—they are or what they’re armed with. Something big and mean would be my guess.” I looked around the room. “What do you have for weapons?”
“Well, Chuck here has a MP5 and an H&K USP9,” the cop said, pointing to the security guard. “I have a twelve-gauge shotgun and this .22 pistol.” They picked up their weapons and strapped on their ammo. The guard wore a tactical vest lined with magazines. The cop had a
sash of shotgun shells.
“All right, let’s set up a welcoming party,” I said. I handed the Uzi to the Christina, the woman I’d saved from the office. “Take this, along with the ammo. Stay in this room, and lock the door.” She took the submachine gun gratefully. The three of us exited the room, and the door shut behind us.
We established a defensive bunker, flipping beds and several file cabinets to form a barrier. To slow the attackers’ approach and give away their positions, we littered the approaching corridors with objects too small to provide cover but large enough to create obstacles. We scattered broken glass on the tiled floor to make it impossible for them to sneak up on us, making it harder to move on us.
“Chuck, watch the halls behind us. Stay hidden until you have a clear shot,” I ordered. I turned to the cop.
“George,” he said, awaiting my instructions.
“George, you’re our Jack-in-the-box. Give ’em a surprise if they get close.”
They crouched behind the barrier. Taking a prone position, I slid the M4 through the gap between a bed and the wall, peered down my scope, and waited.
We didn’t have to wait long. Screams and gunfire echoed from both corridors, and flashlight beams prowled the walls and floors frantically.
“Go-go-go!” a man shouted over the gunfire. We heard loud footsteps, then crunching glass as someone turned the corner. We agreed that unless it was necessary, we wouldn’t shoot to kill, but now we weren’t sure we knew friend from foe. When the first Company mercenary entered the hallway and tripped over a box, a creature immediately jumped on him and raised its claws to tear him apart. Firing a small burst, I knocked the creature down.
“Over here!” I yelled. The man scrambled up and jumped over the beds, crouching beside George.
“We got another one,” Chuck said. He raised his MP5 over the b
ed. Another mercenary charged down the corridor with several creatures close behind him. Chuck opened fire, ensuring that he didn’t strike the man.
“Don’t shoot!” the mercenary said. He vaulted over the beds to join us, rolling into firing position. He blasted one of the creatures into oblivion.
From around the corner we could hear the sound of a third Company man being attacked by creatures. I leaped over the barrier and ran to where he stood. There the corridors met in a T-shaped intersection. Creatures poured in from both directions.
“Let’s go!” I said as I opened fire down the left hall. He fired down the right hall, and then we fell back toward the others. George popped up and blasted the creatures that pursued us. The first two mercs joined Chuck, one firing an FAL P90 and the other an H&K G36. The third fired an H&K CAWS.
We now had a six-man team with two SMGs, two ARs, and two shotguns, plus two women with an Uzi.
As we fired down the hall, I looked at the third merc. “You seem familiar,” I said while I scanned the hall for movement.
“I should. You saw me just a few hours ago,” he said with a chuckle, pushing up his night-vision goggles to reveal his face.
“Chief? That you?” I asked, chuckling as well.
“Live and in person,” he said, blasting two creatures in half. George and the second merc faced the hall behind us, and the rest of us faced the hall in front. The creatures swarmed in, coming closer and closer, and we blasted them with the shotguns. The obstacles slowed the creatures down, making them easy targets as they climbed over. They tripped and pushed each other, rushing toward us.
“Reloading!” I said aloud as I removed the empty clip and slid in a new one. The first
merc covered me and reloaded after me.
The creatures that fell did not dissipate as the others before them had but piled up, hindering the others. Whenever one jumped over or crawled under a barrier, we shot it. Soon they began to crawl along the walls and ceiling to bypass the piled dead and our planted obstacles. They inched closer from both directions.
“Reloading!” Chuck yelled as he emptied his clip. The second mercenary covered him while he slapped in a new one and resumed fire. The hordes of creatures seemed to operate as one, merely splitting into two groups. George blasted each creature that came close, cocking the shotgun and firing again. He paused only to cram shells into it before resuming. The chief had an auto shotgun, which needed to be cocked only once.
The number of creatures began to thin, which was good news, as we were running out of ammo. I set my M4 aside and drew the .45, firing into the incoming creatures. Chuck did the same with his H&K USP9. The first mercenary fired an FN Browning Hi-Power, and the second used a Glock 19. Soon the last creature fell.
Our moment of victory was short-lived. We moved back into the room and heard a rumble. The ceiling began to shake. “Ah, come on!” I yelled, firing into the ceiling. The others did the same, until the ceiling was pocked with bullet holes. A roar followed, and the ceiling continued to shake.
“Move!” the chief yelled. We dispersed just as a large creature came crashing through. It was another massive fog head, like the ones from the shooting range. It smashed at the door, and as we opened fire from the hallway, we could hear the Uzi firing from inside the room. I moved in to try to shoot the creature point-blank in the head, and it backhanded me into the wall. Chuck fired his USP9 into the fog, and finally the creature fell lifeless, the strange gas escaping from its body.
“You OK?” the chief said, helping me to my feet. “Yup. You?” I said.
“In a fashion,” he replied. “Thanks.” He moved to check on his two men. George and the others walked to me, forming a circle.
“So what now?” Chuck asked, loading his pistol.
“Can we trust them?” George asked, motioning toward the men who had most likely been sent to kill us.
“I think so. The chief helped me out earlier.” I glanced at Christina and Mary, and they seemed to agree. “Besides, I don’t think we have much of a choice here.”
The chief and his group walked toward us. “I still don’t intend to go through with my orders, which—as I told you earlier—were to neutralize all witnesses and aid the Specialist, who is on his way to terminate the dark mass and the girl. I suggest we run parallel to him.”
“First, let’s resupply at the gun shop. If he’s not close enough to sense us, maybe we can catch some rest before we head out,” I said, picking up my M4.
“Lead the way,” George said. The hospital was quiet, and no creatures appeared to be active. Soon we entered the parking garage, which had been charred by the black flame.
“What happened here?” Mary asked, seeing the scorched cars.
“I had a fit,” I said with a smile. She returned the smile. We left the garage and entered into an open area, where we heard whispers, faint and echoing, descending from the sky. A dark mass swirled above.
“Whoa! That is one evil-looking cloud,” said the first mercenary, looking up in awe. “You got that right,” I said. We pressed on to the gun shop and found it quiet. There was
no movement. Aside from the dark mass above us, we were alone…for now.
“So, why are you two helping us?” Chuck asked the two mercs. They turned to him and shrugged.
“Partly because you saved us,” the first one said, laughing. “And partly because we know
it’s the right thing to do.”
“And partly because the chief will probably shoot us if we don’t,” said the second one. “Works for me,” George said.
I shrugged, opening an MRE and devouring it. The others did the same. The store was well stocked and seemed to meet our every need—save for lights. At least it had flashlights, head lamps, and batteries. The darkness, though, was perfect for sleeping. Without a word, I curled up in a back corner and fell asleep.
I soon found myself in a vision. I saw a figure of pure light standing before me. “Warrior,” it said to me. “Know that you are never alone.” Then it vanished.
In the dream, I sat up and saw the others looking at me curiously. They seemed conscious of the dream.
“Who was that?” Mary asked.
“My guardian angel, I think,” I said.
I heard a voice then, gentle and loving, speaking to us all. “Do not leave him,” it said, “for he will not last by himself.”
“Uh…who?” Chuck asked, puzzled.
“The Warrior,” the voice said. Everyone looked at me. I shrugged. “Stay together through this darkness, and light will prevail.” The voice faded.
No one seemed to know what to say. Oddly, I didn’t need to hear them speak, as suddenly their thoughts were open to me; most were thinking that they would never leave me, just as I had not left them. I smiled, knowing that I would ultimately face this alone.
“A lot of pressure has been put on you, son,” the chief said. “I’ve never seen anything like
it.”
“He found me, saving me when no one else came.” Mary sat beside me and took my hand. “And he came to me, offering peace and tranquility when all was lost,” Christina said,
smiling.
“Well, I just met the guy, but he’s a good guy to have at your side during a firefight, ya know?” Chuck said, laughing. We laughed with him, and George shrugged.
“Yeah, the chief says he’s a heck of a guy,” the first merc said.
The second nodded, smiling. “You’ve made a difference to me already,” he said. “I ain’t dead.”
As I realized my deeds, I sighed. I had never thought of myself as good or special.
However, my actions had spoken for me.
I must accept the course the Lord has prepared for me and be who I am. I live by faith and by honor. I am a knight by honor and by faith, cleansed through the blood of Jesus and cleared of punishment by his broken body. This is who I am, and I now realize this.
We grew silent, enjoying the peace of each o
ther…our fellowship. Though I sensed a dark presence near, it did not enter the dream. It merely observed, perhaps looking for a weakness. Finding none, as we were united, it did not approach. It could not approach. What tomorrow would hold remained a mystery to us.
The role we were playing seemed too grand, for each did not believe in the individual, but each other. I look to you, my Lord, for guidance. May your will be done.
I awoke before the others, standing as I looked at them. They slept peacefully, even in the midst of chaos. I strapped on my ALICE pack and slung my M4 over my shoulder. I looked toward the others once more, and my thoughts raced. I couldn’t allow them to die, not for me. I wouldn’t allow it.
I slipped out of the shop and stood alone in the street. There, I met a warrior clad in white armor. He was tall, and his skin was pale. His hair, long and white, fell upon his shoulders.
“Will you go alone?” he asked in a voice both stern and tranquil.
“I have no choice,” I said, looking into his white eyes.
“Choice is what life is about. You know this well, Warrior. There is always choice,” he said, smiling as he placed his hand upon my shoulder.
“I will allow them to die…not for me,” I said, my voice filled with burden.
“No, you will not. You will do all that you can to protect them, no matter the cost to you. This is the choice of the knight, and this is your path. However, your path is not that of a lone warrior, but of a leader. Lead them, Warrior. You need them, and they need you. I will always be near—our Lord promises you,” he said, offering me his full compassion.
At this, I trembled and bowed my head. “But how?” I said in a shaky voice as I began to weep softly.
“You have experienced much—more than most. You have seen things few can even imagine. This sets you apart, and this allows you to lead. Through your actions, you have guided others,” he said, pressing his forehead against mine gently. “I will watch over you.” He vanished, and my weeping subsided. I returned to the shop, and the others began to stir.
“Good morning…or evening. Whatever it is. I can’t tell in this endless darkness,” I said. “Yeah, good whatever it is to you, too,” Chuck said, sitting up.
“Hey, while we’re throwing things out there, I’m Bill,” said the first merc. He pointed at the other Company man. “And that’s Josh.”
“Nice to formally meet you,” Josh said, smiling. “Yeah, same here,” George said. “So, what now?”
“Well, we’re going to need to hit the facility rather quickly,” said the chief. “It’s about twenty miles south of the city. And we’ll be hiking there.”
“Oh, great,” Mary said sarcastically. I couldn’t blame her. She had looked near death when I found her.
“Hey, a little exercise is always a good thing,” I said, smiling. “But a lot can hurt,” Christina said, laughing lightly.
“Stock up on food and water. We have at least a five-hour walk ahead of us,” I said, tossing some MREs to Chuck.
“Yum, yum,” he said as he stuffed them in his duffel bag. The others stocked up on food, water, and ammo, too.
We set out soon after, proceeding south. The dark mass in the sky grew, and laughter was added to the whispering. The city was quiet, and there was no movement. Maintaining a steady pace, we soon hit the outskirts of the city.
The radio erupted with a message. “Alpha Team to Bravo Team, sitrep immediately,” the voice said. The chief paused, looking at me before responding.
“Targets neutralized, though we lost three men. What’s your status, Specialist?” “Proceeding to rendezvous point. ETA, ten minutes,” said the voice.
The chief turned off his radio briefly and spoke to me. “Son, he’s alone. And you’re the only one that comes close to matching his power. We can follow, but it will be up to you to confront him,” he said, looking toward the horizon. “We’re about ten minutes away from the rendezvous point ourselves.”
The others looked at me and then at each other and shrugged. We began walking, veering off the main road. The grass was gray and held no life. It felt as if death itself surrounded us. Soon the chief stopped us.
“He’s just ahead, in the field,” he said, pointing.
I walked into the clearing. A man stood in the center, his back to me. He was tall and muscular, with a powerful aura.
“You’re the one…” he said, turning to me. Our eyes locked. “You are more powerful than you realize. I have only felt one other like you.”
“And you will not harm her. I won’t allow it,” I said, staring into his gray eyes. He
continued to stare into mine.
“Eyes reveal much about a person’s spirit. Color and radiance lie in the eyes of those with creativity…and power,” he said calmly. “Yours speak of love and compassion. You hold within you a great power and much wisdom. That is, no doubt, why she chose you.”
“And yours speak of cold and darkness. I feel your power, and I feel your intelligence,” I
said.
To this he smirked and walked toward me. “Truly, we are opposites,” he said, standing
before me.
Holding my M4 to the side, I allowed him to approach unharmed. “Each standing for something that defies the other.”
“And what do you stand for?” I asked as we stared each other in the eyes. Neither he nor I flinched.
“The weak bow to the strong, and those with power serve no others,” he said, grinning. “And you?”
“The weak lead the strong, and those with power serve everyone,” I said simply and without apology.
He smirked again. “See, we defy each other…just as light and darkness do.” He tilted his head slightly, studying me. “You don’t act like any of the others that I encountered,” he said in a curious voice.
“Others?” I asked, matching his curious voice.
“Yes,” he said. “Others have tried to aid her. You are the only one who has proven yourself. They came to her for selfish reasons, to use her, and then they left her. However, you have simply come to help her. Not for love and not for romance, though both have spawned from it. Merely to save her…to serve her.”
I nodded, then placed the M4 on the ground, followed by the Uzi and the .45.
He smiled. “You have both courage and honor. I respect this. You will prove to be a worthy adversary.” He thrust his hand forward, focusing a wave of energy toward me. I was knocked back; I fell to the ground. He possessed powers I had never encountered.
Jumping to my feet, I focused my own energy outward, channeling it throughout my body. This increased my speed and my strength, which I drew on as I charged him. As he readied to block, I slid to the side, thrusting my shin into the back of his knees. It knocked him forward, but he did not go down.
He laughed. “Not bad,” he said, turning to me. “Allow me to show you…” With that, he focused his own energy, strengthening his aura to an overwhelming level. At a blinding speed, he kicked me, connecting with my side. Before I could react, he thrust his palm into my chest. As I stumbled, he began to circle me. “Come on,” he said, taunting me. “You’re much more powerful than this!”
I allowed my mind to focus only on him and my eyes to focus on nothing. Nothing else mattered, save for stopping him. All else was blank to me. He lunged once more, performing a spin kick as he came. Blocking with one arm, I grabbed his ankle with the other and pulled him toward me. Before he could regain his balance, I thrust my elbow into his jaw and followed that with a quick jab to the nose. Blood flowed from both areas.
“Much better,” he said, laughing, not fazed at all. “Can you levitate yet? Have you even seen it done?” he asked as he held his arms out and focused. Soon he began to float into the air, up and away from me. He was ten feet from me now, about three feet off the ground. “Come,” he said.
I knelt to the ground and grabbed a baseball-sized rock. The Specialist watched to see what I would do. Holding it behind me, I focuse
d all of my energy into that single point before hurling it toward him. In an instant, it struck his shoulder, which he now held.
Smirking, he focused once more and vanished. He reappeared a few feet behind me,
laughing, then vanished again.
Closing my eyes, I began to feel his movement…and his energy.
As he played his game, I learned to sense him. Soon, I was able to tell where he would appear next. My ears twitched as he vanished one last time. Pausing, I waited for him to appear just behind me to attack. Before he rematerialized, I positioned myself to counter his attack. He appeared, thrusting his fist toward me, but I was already beside him. I grabbed his arm and pulled it behind him before pushing him to the ground.
“Very impressive,” he said, his smirk gone, his voice no longer filled with laughter. I held his arm tightly, almost to the breaking point. I lay across his back, pulling his arm toward me. Though it was only minutes, it seemed far longer.
Without warning, an evil voice entered my mind, followed by the tortured screams of countless victims and the shrieks of an endless horde. Immediately, I became incapacitated and had to release my hold on him, rolling off him and curling up with my hands over my temples. I grunted and groaned and soon screamed.
He seemed similarly affected, as he fell to the ground screaming and rolling, and I had to assume that he, too, was being tormented by visions of torture and darkness. The field where we cowered darkened as a black mass formed beneath us. Echoes of an evil laughter surrounded us, mixed with the sounds of frightened screams. I reached for the Specialist’s hand and took it. In response, he squeezed mine as we supported each other. We were now fighting a common enemy as we fell into darkness.
We stood together, and the echoes subsided, leaving silence in their wake. A tall figure, clothed in darkness, approached us, laughing menacingly. We stood side by side to face it.
“You cannot win, even together,” it said mockingly. “Why do you fight, even in the face of obliteration?”
“It’s what I do,” the Specialist said, smirking at it.
“It’s who I am,” I said, looking into its eyes, which burned with black fire.
The figure laughed more before speaking again. “I will break you both and harvest your souls,” it said. We remained steadfast in the face of the threat, staring it dead in the eyes. It ran at us, swiping at us with its claws. As I rolled to the side, the Specialist phased out then reappeared behind the figure.
Focusing a wave of energy toward the figure, he knocked it forward. The figure released a menacing laugh as it lashed out at him. As it took hold of him, I rose to my feet and charged it, ramming my shoulder into its back. This loosened its hold on the Specialist, and he tore free. As I moved to kick it in the side, the dark figure readied a block and backhanded me, knocking me a few feet back. Before it could seize me, the Specialist jumped into the air and kicked it in the head. It stumbled again and turned to face him.
“Annoying fleas!” it roared, sending a pulse of dark energy toward the Specialist, knocking him to the ground, hard. When it turned back to me, I focused all of my energy into a single point—my fist—and swung toward its chest. The figure roared and fell to the ground.
Immediately, I dove to the ground and placed my knees on its left arm. The Specialist pinned its right arm. We placed our hands against its chest and held it firmly to the ground.
“Looks like we got you,” the Specialist said.
The figure looked at us in turn and laughed. “What I have shown is not even a shred of my true power,” it said, an evil grin forming. With ease, it knocked each of us aside and held us to the ground with an invisible force. “One of you is almost corrupted. You know which one,” it said, circling us.
We struggled fiercely but remained stationary. We could not move, and we could not fight. “This is not the team to face me,” it added, looking at me. “Though together you are powerful, you are not united. You fight a common enemy, only to fight each other once more— one of warmth and one of cold. You can never stand as one. I leave you, Warrior, to choose
your next path. To choose your true ally. Then I will destroy you both.”
A surge of hatred and rage enveloped my mind, causing me to black out. It was too much
—the anguish of realizing that the dark figure had been right, that the Specialist and I could never work together as a team, not entirely. We had a common enemy, but we remained enemies as well.
At this moment, I knew it was her. She was my true ally. Only she and I could work together to defeat this entity. Our love for each other brought us close, and we were becoming one. I had to get to her, and soon. The darkness she faced must be immense, a nightmare incarnate. Wanting so much to tell her that I was coming, my mind cried out to her. Soon, I began to see what she saw…and feel what she felt.
The Beginning