The Children of Zegandaria, Atanas Marinov, Atanas Marinov, Atanas Marinov, Atanas Marinov [first color ebook reader txt] 📗

year and a half until they were allowed to participate in the whole scheme. Very simple! The former commando was technically broke and it was a total miracle that he still managed to make ends meet. He paid off his loans with loans from "friends" and then borrowed money again from other "friends". The wheel was turning endlessly!

The security guard in question was one of his biggest creditors and was the easiest to get sucked into the fuel scheme. But Jail also had money to pay back to some ex-colleagues and so, willingly or not so willingly, they became his accomplices.

The boys were safely hidden away for now and only had to last until it was time for them to get involved.

- "Here's what I asked for," he discreetly handed him the information. "It's not much, but you've got to do the other part of the job as well."

- "And what are you going to do about the air convoy?," the commando dared to ask him.

- "Don't worry," his comrade looked at him confidently. "We'll divert them for a bit. Then it's you!"

- "I have one essential question, though," the guard glared at him. "Don't you dare use those kids? So they don't know what life is yet!"

- "I've lived to be fifty-one," replied Jail Hunter insensitively. "And they have yet to enter real life! I'm here to help them, but in doing so I'm helping myself!"

His partner looked at him strangely, as if to voice a question he dared not ask even to himself. In his eyes, his words sounded like those of a man who was not with everyone.

- "You know there will be retribution, don't you?," he asked. "In this world or the next! And there is no moving!"

- "I don't care!," sniffed Hunter. "This is my way of surviving, and I intend to see it through."

In the distance, the rhythmic hum of the refining plants could be heard. They couldn't stop working because they were even a little behind schedule. There was no way so many different workers were going to leave things to chance.

THE PRISON DIRECTOR

"The greatest misfortune is to be happy in the past."

Elchin Safarli

 

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THREE: THE PRISON DIRECTOR

 

The director of the prison wanted to get a feel for exactly what was going on. There was no doubt that the depth of his perceptions had been violated. And the boss's team had done their job more than well. He was strapped down too tight, but he was still alive.

- "Why did you do this to our boss?," turned Averia Downs to him.

- He could still be among the living, but you, son of a bitch, just destroyed him with your sick ambitions. An end must be put to all this. You have taken yourself for a lord, and you have not the capacity to be one. It's as plain as day!

Her face had turned as red as a radish and she just couldn't catch her breath. Strange were the visions that passed before her eyes - so hazy and disgust-inducing.

Big John had clenched his huge fists and seemed to be waiting for a chance to crush Zerdakil's father's head - and gladly.

- "Boss wanted to see something even I dare not admit to myself," the headmaster bellowed. "I'm dying, blinded by my greed and my sick ambition for success."

It was so melodramatic it was even pathetic. They wondered if the principal was mocking them or just trying to fool them. But they saw that he collapsed to the floor in an attempt to manage to beat himself up and retain at least a little dignity. In the face of such a display of grief, even they cringed and demanded to stand up.

There was no way they could have settled their spirits so easily!

- "Where is he, after all!," almost shrieked Milo.

- Here under the prison is the real graveyard. It must be there somewhere. I don't know exactly. I guess they dragged him near the elevator. And they probably dumped him like a sack of elendorans.

The group headed quickly-quickly-in the exact same direction Father had headed a little earlier.

The elevator began its slow descent, and when the door opened, the priest saw them all. There was no doubt that they had dragged Jeramiah himself with them and were going to bury him, or else place him in one of the crypts in the wall of the underground crypt.

He was green with fear, and a peculiar look of hopelessness was on his face - as if they had already seen his true face and he had nowhere to hide!

Though weak, Milo kicked him in the back, and he nearly fell over.

- "Here he must be!," the other bellowed.

Then Father Bonayas threw up his hands. The headmaster gasped:

- You here? Is it possible? How did it happen?

- "I told you it would be all about your head!," replied Father Bonaïas coldly. "You cannot go the wrong way and succeed! Your son has clearly not been receiving good advice."

A little later they found Boss too. Father showed them where he had hidden him. It was there that the headmaster spat out the pebble.

- It was Om Gur Nal's own plan. He released the second team of assassins on the heels of your boss's goons.

- "Hey, be careful," Big John snarled at him. "This is us after all."

- "And who's on this team?," inquired Averia Downs.

- Well, a couple of seasoned heads, Jeramiah hid some of the truth. He didn't want to say everything - as it was!

- "And who exactly hired them?," asked Milo directly.

- "Om Gur Nal...," the director stammered.

- "Something doesn't add up here at all," Everia Downs, who was frighteningly intelligent and direct, scolded him. "Where exactly is the team that is supposed to liquidate us?"

But by the time they turned around the Director had swallowed Hermonad’s poison and was writhing in pre-death throes. The convulsive convulsions lasted only a short time and he stuck his nose into the dungeon floor.

The others surrounded him and stared at his lifeless face.

- "What are we going to do with the prisoners?," asked Big John.

- "That's none of our business," Averia stated his position. "We are simply here to uncover the truth to the end. Let the authorities deal with them."

- "This graveyard is impressive in its size," Milo called back. "What a large gene pool[67] they have chosen to continue the population of the planet. It's amazing!"

- "But why are they harvesting it from the dead?," puzzled Milo. "Sounds pretty perverse! And disgusting!"

- "It's possible to collect genetic material up to a hundred and fifty years after death, and sometimes even much longer," Everia, who had once spent an entire semester in medical college before joining their gang, expressed her serious knowledge.

Big John stroked his chin thoughtfully:

- Let's take a look, though. We might learn exactly what happened! Father Bonayas was showing them exactly what had happened to the corpses stored here, as he had received some sketchy reports from earlier.

Each of the corpses had a special designation and was marked with an electronic number.

They started opening the crypts one by one - an endless torture.

Suddenly Milo called them over to announce his discovery in a trembling voice.

The electronic tag read as follows "Major General Zorin. Experienced warrior."

- "But how did he get here?," wondered Father Bonayas. "I don't recall confessing him, or having him lie with us."

They continued to open the crypts. It was not long before they discovered the corpse of Kazuk Mon. Quite deformed by the way. His tag said something a little different than this, "Kazuk Mon. Mag Tu of Tarash Duk religious cult."

- "What an amazing coincidence!," they gasped. "Perhaps Jeramiah wanted to be the warrior and chieftain he never could and wanted to reimplant their memories. But was it possible after they had been dead for so long?"

Father Bonayas coughed:

- I'm afraid it will all come out soon. And Jeramiah might just be one of Om Gur Nal's many incarnations.

Both horror and incomprehension were written on their faces. So wasn't Om Gur Nal the supreme sovereign of this planet?

- "Listen carefully," Father Bonayas instructed, "when I came here I was not entirely sure, but now everything is beyond all conjecture. Once upon a time, no one knows exactly how long, there was a very cunning demon - so cunning that even most of the other demons did not suspect his existence. What's more, they didn't even believe it was possible for such a demon to exist. No one ever learned his real name either. Not even demons like Belial, Mephistopheles, and even Valak himself had the slightest idea what he looked like."

- "If that's true at all, why did he need this underground crypt he'd set up as a graveyard?," asked Milo, a very pertinent question.

- Well, there's the thing. Clearly he needed a place of his own to draw his strength from.

- So Om Gur Nal, Zorin and Kazuk Mon are the same thing right?

- Averia Downs almost squealed, beginning to grasp the magnitude of what was happening. So then what the hell are we actually fighting against!

- "And that's what I want to find out," said the father. "But be sure of one thing. The real Zorin died in his Ziruarx on the battlefield. And that shell that later claimed to be the Colonel has very cleverly fooled everyone else."

- "And why is that shell here?," asked Big John, a little naively.

- "Because this demon is apparently like the snake. It likes to change its skins or material sheaths, which saves it from having to look for a special way to reach our world," the priest continued with his explanation.

- "So this cemetery is actually very, very ancient?," voiced Everia her concerns.

- Exactly. I'd even almost bet that the demon lords weren’t aware of its existence either, or they wouldn't have gone to that asteroid to wipe out Gabriel Spears.

- "Wait a minute? And how do you know that?," turned Averia Downs to him.

- "When the warden changed the regime of some of the prisoners, I sensed something was wrong," Bonayas continued, with a sad expression on his face. "But that's the last thing that would have crossed my mind."

THE HOSPITAL EMVOR NA

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FOUR: THE HOSPITAL EMVOR NA

 

Jonathan Sacklin had come here at last to the same patient who had long since lost his will to live. This time he slipped in quietly and peacefully without being detected by the guards. He