Read Alan Price and the Colossus of Rhodes (The Nephilim Chronicles) Online
Authors: Jonathan Yanez
Alan Price and the Colossus of Rhodes (The Nephilim Chronicles) (12 page)
Chapter 36
cigarette before flicking it onto the college campus grass.
“Hey, hey, you can’t do that.
That’s littering.”
at the tall college student standing in front of him. Classes were just letting
out and the courtyard teemed with the youth of tomorrow. “I’m going to kill you
with that cigarette if you don’t walk away right now,” Dominic said in a low
menacing voice.
The student took a step back with a
wide-open mouth.
miserable life.”
At first, the student looked like
he was going to respond. Dominic could feel a smile touch his lips as details
on exactly how he planned to kill this one took shape in his mind. His hopes
soon faded as the student thought better of his plan and instead bit his tongue
and started backing away.
wave of his hand. “Go away, don’t even look at me.”
The student complied with a large
swallow and lost himself in the crowd seconds later. Dominic allowed himself to
chuckle before turning his attention back to the busy school campus. Students
piled out of multiple doors as they hurried along to their next class or home if
they were done with their collegiate duties for the day. Dominic kept his eyes
glued on one door in particular.
now and it was up to Dominic to make sure that the boy sided with him and his
mistress in the days to come.
Dominic studied each face as they
exited the classroom until the face he was looking for appeared. Kyle was
average height, lanky and wore thick glasses. He walked hunkered down as if the
weight of the world were on his shoulders. Unlike the other students leaving
the class, Kyle wasn’t talking with anyone. No friendly banter passed between
him and a companion. Instead, Kyle avoided eye contact with passersby and was
the first to move out of the way when someone was walking too close to him.
Dominic thought as he left his
position and started on a path leading him to the young man.
This is going
to be easier than I thought.
“It’s Kyle, right?” Dominic said
with a friendly grin.
Dominic threw an arm around Kyle
who tensed under the motion as they continued to walk, “No, you don’t know me
yet but you will. My name is Dominic Drencher and I am going to be your best
friend.”
freckled face. “Um… I’m okay, I don’t want anything you’re selling.”
“Oh, but I’m not selling just anything.
I’m here to give you something. And trust me, you do want my gift.”
could feel the young man’s shoulders tense. “Kyle, I’m going to go out on a
limb and say you don’t have many friends. You are somewhat of a loner and you’ve
been picked on your entire life?”
Kyle looked up shocked as he
nodded.
the young man from the files Ardat provided. “You wish you were stronger and
that if you can’t be great, that you can be at the very least normal. You want
to experience at least one day that didn’t bring the fear of anxiety, right?”
Dominic knew he had him as Kyle
looked up into his sunglasses with an open mouth and nodded again.
for your cooperation I could make all of that a reality. We can make anyone who
has ever stepped on you or degraded you pay. I can give you the resources to be
the man you want to be while paying back all those past bullies with the
justice they deserve.”
Kyle’s shoulders relaxed; only then did Dominic
remove his arm. “I mean, that sounds great but, who are you? How do you plan on
doing that?”
Dominic chuckled aloud as they
continued to walk through the busy campus grounds. “You let me worry about
that. All I need in exchange is a book that you have in your possession.”
“Yes, that’s right. It would be old
with a beaten leather cover. It has a picture of a spear crossed with a sword
on the front. Probably a family heirloom passed down throughout the years.”
mean the Chronicle? Why do you want that old book?”
“Never mind the why, do you have
it?”
Dominic stopped walking and turned
to his unlikely companion, questioning his nonchalant response, “What do you
mean, ‘nope’?”
mean, it’s gone. Before my grandfather, died he burned it.”
Dominic could feel wrath boil in
his chest. Kyle continued talking as if nothing of interest was happening. “He
turned crazy as he got older. He kept going on about angels and demons and that
the book could change the fate of the world and blah, blah, blah...”
anger he felt at that moment. His left sunglass lens cracked as his Nephilim
ability began to spiral out of control. Despite this Kyle kept on, “Yeah, can
you believe that? He was my grandfather and everything but I started resenting
him after he made me memorize that book. I mean, hours and hours of reading it
and him reciting it to me. I was fed up with it. Kinda glad he burned it before
he died.”
Dominic could feel the heat in his
face subside for the briefest moment, “Wait, what did you just say?”
what happened to your glasses? You have a huge crack in—“
“Never mind my glasses, do you
still remember what was in the book?”
required metals to make weapons, the precise temperature for the furnace,
details on how to correctly temper the steel. It really didn’t mean anything. I
guess, unless you were going to wage some kind of medieval war.”
Dominic let out a long breath of
air. He would be spared from Ardat’s wrath. If the boy was telling the truth
and he had memorized the Chronicle’s information, Kyle would be just as good as
the Chronicle itself.
coming before he saw them. At all costs the boy had to side with him. “Kyle,
our time is short. People are coming now who want to take you. We have only
moments. Listen closely.”
Chapter 37
in quite awhile. Never before had someone been able to keep up with him. What
had been a strictly solo form of transportation was now a race between friends.
Had the reason they were speeding towards the city college been any less tense,
Alan would have almost laughed. However there was no time for joy now. Angelica’s
grim expression more than showed the peril they found themselves in now.
As blurring city images passed,
Alan followed Angelica at a dead sprint. Only when they were in the center of
the college campus did Angelica call a halt. She chose a large grouping of
trees and bushes yards away from any student to finally stop and talk into her
earpiece. “Valkyrie, we’re here. Do you have an exact location on Kyle Brown?”
“Hacking into government satellite
feeds isn’t as easy as it sounds… That—that didn’t make sense. Hacking
into government satellites doesn’t even sound easy at all. Hold on, and, uh
oh.”
“What? What is ‘Uh oh’?” Alan
asked. “Like ‘Uh oh’ we have the wrong campus or ‘Uh oh’ we are all going to
die?”
“Like ‘Uh oh’ Dominic Drencher is
already walking Kyle away from the campus.”
“Which way?” Angelica asked.
“Go straight and make a right at
the last building. You’ll see a large parking lot. That’s where they are
headed. Be careful, guys.”
Angelica nodded towards Alan and
the two took off again. Fear more than anything else pushed its way through
Alan’s mess of emotions. Dominic was there. The same man who had beaten him in
his own home. Angelica was with him now but he was still learning. He wasn’t
ready for a fight with a demonic Nephilim, not yet.
go away. Alan hated himself for being afraid. He hated the past that he
couldn’t forget; he hated feeling weak and there was nothing he could do about the
past now. He would always be haunted by those memories, no matter what he did. Before
he could try anything to remedy these thoughts, Angelica stopped.
Alan almost knocked into her. They
were facing a smiling Dominic Drencher who stood only yards away. Beside him
was another man who had to be Kyle Brown. The young man hugged his backpack
looking frantically between Dominic, Angelica and Alan.
voice. “You know the rules. There are too many witnesses.”
Alan looked around. Although the
parking lot was near empty, plenty of college students still walked within view
and hearing distance of their confrontation. A few even paused as they walked
by sensing the tension of the moment.
Is that Alan Price? Why, Alan, you healed rather nicely, didn’t you? I’ll have
to be more thorough next time.”
Alan set his jaw as he did his best to combat the
fear that still lingered in his chest.
“Well,” Dominic continued, “Kyle has made his
decision and he is coming with me. So there is nothing more to discuss unless
you choose to provoke this already stressed situation.”
Angelica shifted her eyes from her enemy and
motioned to Kyle. “I don’t know what lies he has told you but he wants to use
you and your knowledge—“
“Kyle Brown already knows,” Dominic
interrupted. “We have an understanding. His knowledge for everything he has
ever wanted. What would you offer him? A life of service void of any vengeance
and the retribution he deserves to cast on those who have oppressed him?”
a future in the light instead of the darkness you and your kind offer. Kyle,”
Angelica said, “do not go with him.”
Kyle seemed confused as he made the
motion to speak yet no words came out. Alan almost felt bad for Kyle as he
stood with a bewildered expression, his head turning from side to side as he
looked back and forth between the two parties vying for his allegiance.
made the first move to save you from a life of being a nobody? I’m offering you
power and a chance to payback those who have stepped on you and belittled you
your entire life.”
Alan empathized with Kyle more than
he thought he should. He knew what was going through the young man’s mind.
Kyle’s life didn’t sound so different from his own. With a few things in
history changed, Alan could have very likely been in Kyle’s position. Just as
Alan opened his mouth to try to convince Kyle, Kyle spoke to Angelica and Alan.
true and I can have power, can you give that to me? Would you?”
Alan already knew they were
defeated. Angelica’s response sounded like defeat in his ears. “No we cannot. On
our side, only a select few are chosen. Kyle, trust me, ours is not a life you
would choose if you knew the sacrifice involved. I cannot give you vengeance
but I can offer you peace.”
don’t want peace. I don’t want to be weak or lonely anymore. I want to be able
to stand up for myself.”
“Well, there you have it,” Dominic
said. “He’s coming with me by choice. The only way you can stop us now is
through force.” Dominic paused as he looked around the school parking lot. “And
we both know if you did that, dozens of lives would be lost even if you could
stop me. By the way, I’m being very generous when I say that. We both know even
the two of you wouldn’t stand a chance.”
us to go.” Dominic began to walk away with Kyle following close behind. “Too-da-loo,
you two. I’m sure I’ll be killing you very soon.”
Alan felt sick as he witnessed the
two men leave. A bitter taste entered his throat and no matter how many times
he swallowed, it wouldn’t go away.
Why didn’t you say something? Why didn’t
you say anything?
he asked himself. “We can’t just let them go. We have to
do something,” he finally said.
decision out of his own freewill. There are too many people here who would be
injured or killed if we tried to stop him by force.”
Alan stood with a nauseating
feeling in the pit of his stomach as Dominic and Kyle vanished from sight.
“What now?” he asked.
Chapter 38
feel how tense everyone was as they awaited Michael’s arrival. For the second
time that day Angelica tried to apologize for letting Kyle leave with Dominic,
“Jacob, I feel respons—“
“No,” Jacob said. “It’s not your
fault. It’s not anyone’s fault. We did exactly what we should have. They were
just one step ahead, that’s it.”
between Danielle and Angelica; no smile played across his lips. Instead, a
frown and pursed lips distorted his normally cheerful demeanor.
Just when Alan couldn’t take the
silence anymore the sound of the warehouse doors sliding open met their ears. Within
moments, Michael walked through the conference room door. Immediately the
tension in the room eased. Michael’s green eyes were twinkling and a smile came
to his lips when he saw the waiting group. “Wow, let’s take it easy in here,
people. Nobody died. We’re going to be okay.”
