Darkness Risen, Richard Shekari [best ereader for textbooks .txt] 📗

beast’s head. It only landed on a hard surface, igniting sparks of fire. The beast turned, removing its hand from the old man’s chest, with the old man’s heart in its fist, it lifted its hand and crushed it.

Jeffery stood face to face with his nightmare, taking a few steps back. The beast followed him gently, breathing out fire from its nostrils. Another beast made its way into the house from the shattered door.

“Oh my God!” Karen cried out she stepped down from the stairs.

“Don’t move, Karen!” Jeffery instructed.

The second beast walked up to Jeffery, growling strangely as it stared at him. It turned to the first beast, and they both let a loud roar, angrily, spreading their arms to attack Jeffery. Leaving Karen behind them.  Jeffery held firm the poker, waving it from one side to the other. He signalled Karen to pick his diary from the old man’s hand.

Karen then walked slowly to the rocking chair, relieving the diary from the old man’s grip she ran out of the house, which was already in flames. The beasts ignored her, setting their eyes on Jeffery. As the first beast took a step to attack, the SUV came crashing in on them through the shattered door. Karen gathered courage and sent the beasts flying into the air, they crashed into the fire place.

“Get in!” She said.

Jeffery quickly jumped through the driver’s side window as she shifted the gear, putting the vehicle to reverse, tearing one of her tires off of the burning wooden floor.

They managed to get out of the burning house, and as soon as she shifted the gear back to drive, the engine went off.

“What happened?” Jeffery said.

“It won’t start!” She said. Karen turned the key in the ignition over and over again.

“There is no light on the dashboard!” Jeffery said, “It won’t start!”

Thy heard a crashing sound as the beasts jumped out of the burning house.

“Get out of the car! Now!” He said, “Run!”

Karen unbuckled her seatbelt and tried to get out of the SUV.

“It won’t open!” She cried, “It’s stuck!”

“Damn thing is jammed!” He suggested, “Window!”

The two of them got out of the car via the driver’s window. But by the time they landed on the ground, the beasts were already staring down on them.

“We’re dead!” Karen said.

“No! We’re not!” He said. Standing to his feet, he added, “You’re afraid of me, aren’t you?”

Karen remained on the ground behind him next to the SUV.

“Jeffery, are you crazy?” She lamented, “What are you doing?”

“Perhaps!” He said, “All they do is roar at me. They can’t touch me!”

“What?” Karen whispered, “Are you insane?”

“No!” He said, breathing hard. “It’s what I have noticed! They are just trying to scare me. Put fear in me!”

“We’re definitely dead!” She added.

“No, we are not!” He said, “They feed on fear! I know these things, I can tell. They feed on fear!” he gasped, standing before them, “Move back, Karen!”

Jeffery took some steps toward the beast and they moved backwards.

The beasts looked at each other and then one of them began taking steps forward. With flames burning all round its body, it moved closer to Jeffery, stretching its hand towards his chest. The fire from its hand quenched as it grabbed hold of Jeffery’s necklace, it forced the chain off of his neck and opened its mouth wide then swallowed the cross. It chewed on it, sucking the chains into its mouth like a strip of pasta.

“Okay!” Jeffery exclaimed, “This is a bad idea!”

The other beast got quite close to him and roared. Jeffery forced a saliva down his throat.

“Karen, are you there?” He yelled.

“Uh huh!” She said, “I’m here!”

The second beast lifted its hand to deliver a powerful strike down on Jeffery’s head when a force field blocked its blow. Jeffery used his hands to cover his head.

A brand new pickup truck broke through the woods behind Jeffery and headed towards them. Karen rolled under the SUV as Jeffery jumped to his left. Sweeping the beasts off of their feet, throwing them back into the burning house. The engine from the pickup truck shutdown.

“Karen, are you okay?” Jeffery yelled.

“I’m okay!” She said. Karen came out from underneath the SUV, “What was…Who was that?” She panted as Jeffery helped her up.

“I have no idea!” He responded.

The driver of the pickup truck tried to start up the engine with much effort that seemed pointless. Two men and two ladies got out of the vehicle.

“Are you alright?” Jeffery asked them, “Are you guys okay?”

“Yeah! We’re fine!” answered the driver, “Is that big truck working?”

“I hope so.” Jeffery responded.

“Did you see that?” Karen said to Jeffery, “Oh my God! It didn’t harm you!” She observed his body for sign of any injury, “You are okay!”

“See what?” Jeffery asked.

“That thing,” She said, puzzled. “Something like a…an electromagnetic thingy repelled the blow from that beast when it tried to hit you!”

“Are you guys okay,” the driver asked.

“Yeah!” Jeffery responded, “We’re fine! Appreciate it!”

“Mind checking if that big truck can get us out of here before they pop back?” said the driver.

Karen walked to the big truck while the men stood in wait, over what may come out of the fire. She couldn’t open the passenger side so she went round to the other side. She got in and checked around but found nothing. Karen then reached up for the sun visor, the keys came falling.

“I found them!” She yelled, “I found the keys!”

The fire from the house lit up the surroundings.

“By the way, I’m Russell!” The driver said, “This is my brother, Robby. That’s Jennifer, my wife and that’s Christine, Robby’s girlfriend!”

Jeffery exchanged a handshake with the men.

Karen did not hesitate to start the big old truck after a little struggle with the ignition.

“Alright, guys!” Jeffery said, “Let’s get out of here!”

“Grab the bags,” said Russell. “Grab the food, Robby!”

Robby and the two ladies ran back to the pickup truck as instructed, Jeffery ran to the big old truck.

Jeffery got into the passenger seat while the others rode the back. Russell came in holding two shotguns and some bullet packs.

“Nice gun, friend!” Jeffery said, “But I don’t think your bullets can even scratch their skin. If they have one that is!”

“I know,” He answered. “I have seen them in action. This isn’t for them. Anything can happen. We might need it anyway, you never know!”

“Now it’s beginning to look like a dream!” Karen said, “Thank God. I’ll soon wake up! Hopefully!”

“Do you have my diary?” He asked, as they switched sides.

“Yes!” She responded, “Here it is!” handing him the diary.

The other four squeezed themselves at the backseat.

“What’s with the diary?” Robby asked.

“Jeffery here knows a safe house.” Karen said, happily. “He’s taking us to a safe place!”

“So uh, what are we waiting for, huh?” said Russell. “Hit the gas! Put the damn pedal to the metal, man!”

Jeffery gently drove the truck away from the house, watching it burn from the side mirror.

As they got to a cliff overlooking the burning city. They could see more than a thousand beasts from afar, emerging from the city. The only sources of light were the burning buildings, burning trees and the fiery beasts that lit up the surroundings they walked.

 

 

Chapter Four: The Safe House

Karen, Jeffery and their new friends traded stories on how they all survived the first wave of attacks. And they have managed to stay alive for some hours after darkness covered the earth. 

They drove pass a big white painted church in the outskirt of the city.

“Don’t you guys think we should rest for a while?” Christine suggested.

“She’s right,” Karen supported. “I feel like a dead whale! I second that motion!”

“Those in favour of resting here and now say, aye!” Christine said.

“Aye!” They all said in unison.

“Well, ladies and gentlemen!” Christine added, “The ayes have it!”

Jeffery turned and carefully packed the big old truck in front of the church. As he switched off the headlamps, they noticed not a single light shone from the church and the house next to it.

Russell, on landing, cocked his shotgun. Followed by the sound of Robby cocking another. Jeffery led them carefully, as the ladies chained behind them.

The doors of the church came gently open, they all made their way in trying hard to hold back even the sound of their own breath.

“Shut the doors.” Jeffery whispered.

Jennifer, the last on the chain pushed the doors shut.

“Yes, shut the doors!” came a voice in the dark, “And drop your weapon!”

They heard multiple sounds of guns being cocked in the dark. Some Handheld lights came on.

“Easy! Easy, everyone!” Jeffery said, “We mean no harm. We’re just looking for a place to hide from…”

“We know,” interjected the voice. “Drop your weapon!”

More lights came on from two searchlights.

“Maybe you didn’t hear me well,” said the voice once more. “Drop it!”

The two brothers gently laid their guns on the floor, standing up with their hands up.

“Good, now…” said the voice. “Push’m!”

Russell pushed the guns with his foot.

“Now, that wasn’t hard, was it?” A man in army uniform said, approaching them.

Two more searchlights came on, this time from behind them. As Jeffery turned, he sighted three more men in uniform.

“Captain Cruz,” said the man in a deep tone. “Welcome. The preacher’s dead. But you’re safe! And for safety reasons, we’ll confiscate your guns for now.”

Jeffery, Karen and the rest took a sigh of relief.

“Alright boys!” The Captain said, “Lights out! So, whatchu got in the truck?”

“Nothing!” Jeffery said.

“Are you sure?” The Captain asked again.

“Just our clothes…and food!” Christine said.

“Alright then,” he said. “Just find anywhere or anything you can squeeze your butts on. The pulpit is taken.”

A woman approached them saying, “Jeffery…Karen?”

“Oh my God,” Karen said, excitedly. “Melanie? Is that you?” They hugged each other.

“You guys made it!” Melanie said.

“Where’s your daughter?” Karen asked.

Wiping the tears from her eyes she said, “She’s gone! Bella’s gone!”

“What happened?” Jeffery asked.

“Well, she uh…” said Melanie. “I woke up in the morning as I was getting ready to go to work. Bella told me not to go out, at first I thought she was joking so I went ahead to prepare. By the time I was set, Bella had locked the whole house and hid the keys.” She sobbed, “I was so angry I…hit her. She ran to her room. So I followed her demanding for the keys. Bella refused. She said something bad is going to happen and she doesn’t want to lose me. I thought she was crazy because she was so serious about it, I got hold of the keys and she started crying begging me not to go out. She couldn’t stop crying and I thought maybe I should stay for a while with her and report to work once she’d calmed. We cuddled in her bed and…dozed off…then this terrible sound woke us up, that’s when…my Bella just…disappeared right in front of my very eyes…Leaving only her clothes behind.”

“She’s okay. She’s safe!” Jeffery said. “She knew what was about to happen.”

“She has been telling me about these things,” said Melanie. “I never believed her. I thought she made it all up, you know kids, probably seeking for attention. I should’ve known!”

“Hey,” yelled the Captain. “Why don’t you guys cut the family reunion and find a spot and lie down quietly so my boys