Pursuit of the Zodiacs (19 page)

Natenal ordered, “Stay together, and may God bless our senses on this challenging night.”

Across town, detective Lee rummaged through paperwork in his office.

His new partner Lisa, called out to him. “Detective Lee!”

Secret government agents had confiscated the mauled body back in Sendai and relieved him and his team of the investigation. This wasn’t the first time that had happened.

Detective Lee asked, “What is it, Lisa?”

Lisa answered, “There have been more strange murders. This time, a group of security guards at the Scorpion Sun Casino. The man who saw the whole thing go down is in our custody. He’s a bit shaken up, so take it easy on him.”

Detective Lee grabbed his cigar laying on his desk, and then his coat.

DAWN OF THE VIRGIN

“I’m sorry, but our orders were clear. You have been banished!”

The Guardians of the Dark Realm cast Virgo out of Hell’s accommodation for the loss of Pharisees and Abdeel. To be allowed back in she had to join the Pursuit of the remaining Zodiacs, along with Taurus, Gemini, and Sagittarius. Four highly respected expert Demons, sinister in their crafts, accompanied her. They went by the names Zodon, Karz, Rufus and Dynamo.

Virgo indignantly replied, “Very well, I shall return with the remaining Zodiacs, and with the heads of all those who opposed us.”

The gatekeepers opened the Dimension. She and her new associates calmly exited the Underworld.

Not long into their excursion, an Angel appeared before them. “What a disgrace. You’ve shamed your Mother. If she were alive this day, she would turn her sword on herself in humiliation. You lay in bed with the one who had her murdered? Your Mother was pure, her hair was of the Earth, eyes of the Sun and Moon, her beauty uncanny, and she had the voice of over a hundred Angels. Her power was unmatched. It took the betrayal of her own Brother to deprive her of victory. She gave her life in order to restore Earth, and her own Daughter aids in destroying it.”

He avoided eye contact with the Zodiac while wearing a specialized device that blocked telekinetic matter. “I knew nothing of my Mother. I don’t recall any memories of her. If there are any, they escape me. I’m afraid you’re decades late with your words, Archangel. Leave us.”

The Angel replied, “I’m sure the Devil used his own telekinetic gifts to rid you of those memories. You must be his biggest accomplishment yet. I see you are too far-gone in your sins for restitution, let alone repentance. You will be destroyed with the rest of your horde of Devils, Zodiac. When your last breath escapes you, maybe some day your successors will use their gifts for the greatest of good and carry on your Mother’s legacy.”

Virgo answered, “Well, do you bring word or contest, Archangel? Will you be the one to rid me of my gifts? Or, do you wish to bore me to death? I’ll be more than happy to send you back to your God.”

As much as the Archangel wanted to engage, he knew he could not best Virgo. He departed and left them to their digression.

“We’re losing him!” A Doctor shouted as he and his team desperately tried reviving a draining Ozias. The plane made an emergency landing on the coast of New Mexico. They rushed Ozias to a nearby hospital. He lost a substantial amount of blood. Stationed at the same hospital, Sagittarius fell in and out of consciousness.

The doctor spoke, “This just doesn’t make any sense. They reported that this man started leaking like a broken faucet.”

The nurse said, “Do you think it was self-inflicted?”

“That would certainly explain it. But the passenger seated next to him mentioned that he didn’t move at all! He slept during the entire incident.”

Hours later, after a successful operation, the Doctor entered the room and, analyzing Ozias’s chart, asked, “So, how’s our patient doing?” The nurse answered, “He’s in stable condition.”

The Doctor stated, “This can’t be right. If this analysis is correct, this man would be well over 200 years old.”

To avoid risking her job, the nurse humbly took Ozias’s chart back and went to the lab to recheck Ozias’ fingerprints and DNA. She returned with the same results.

The Doctor moved on, “We’ll worry about it later. Right now, he’s in stable condition, but needs to be monitored. Let’s go check on the other one.”

The Doctor and nurse headed towards Sagittarius’s room. Upon entry, they witnessed their patient heinously feeding on a nurse.

The influence of Lucifer’s Scroll turned Sagittarius into a monster. The same people who revived him stood in horror. The blood of the innocent had been good enough to further heal his wounds. The doctor and nurse fled while Sagittarius set his room ablaze. He went in search of Ozias.

Everyone scurried within the halls of the hospital, jarring for the exits. The doctor and nurse skipped the elevator and escaped down the emergency stairs.

The noise of gunfire one floor up awakened the battered Pursuer still plugged to an IV. He slowly pulled the needle from his vein and struggled to transform into a wild beast for the next round with Sagittarius. He failed. The pain overwhelmed him. He noticed that the clocks on the wall had stopped. He saw Sagittarius down the hallway searching in and out of every room.

Another Doctor entered Ozias’s room while dodging the burning body of one of the hospital’s security guards. He witnessed Ozias shapeshifting. All classes of entities competed to win over his body, but again Ozias failed. “What the Hell are you!” Terrified, the Doctor ran out the room. Ozias realized that his current condition would be no match for Sagittarius. So, instead of trying to engage him, he wisely shape-shifted into something more manageable: a Mortal. He disguised himself as a doctor and, with the others, exited the burning medical facility while police and firefighters rushed their way in.

Sagittarius ignored the Doctors exiting the room to join the other fleeing staff. Upon hitting the corner, he picked up Ozia’s scent. His true Demonic form exposed, his big black wings steered him in the direction of his unfinished business.

When he arrived at Ozias’ room, he found it empty. Only his torn, blood-soaked clothes remained.

TODAY’S HOROSCOPE

Your urge to help people less fortunate than you can backfire, especially in these pressing times. As Ruler of the Twelth House, you must not allow yourself to be weak and indecisive
.

“PLEASE MOVE ASIDE”

With little time to spare, the Three Kings reached the only entrance to the Secret Mountain of the Seven Moons. They encountered a strange humanoid entity. The woman sat on a huge rock in the middle of a lake. Her eyes were like a fish: big and black, as if an empty Universe resided within. Her hair was of thorns, and she wore dark but visible clothing covered with bizarre symbols. She held a staff engraved with more weird writing and symbols foreign to their eyes. The staff pulsated and glowed.

“Who wishes to pass?” said the strange woman.

Asad, Farooq, and Rashad dismounted and parted from their Supernatural Carpets, as paranormal aid was not permitted beyond the great walls of the mountain.

Asad answered the strange woman first. “I go by the name Asad, and my companions go by the names Rashad and Farooq. We are Three Kings from the North
on a very important mission. We’ve come a long way, and we kindly wish to pass. Please move aside.”

The strange woman continued, “No one is allowed to pass until I observe what must be destroyed.”

Rashad ordered, “What? Move aside, witch. We have no time for amusements.”

“Listen here, strange woman,” Farooq added. “Just who are you anyway?”

Asad intervened, “Please excuse my Brothers. We don’t have much time. Please, what is your name?”

The strange woman spoke, “My name is Pisces, and my Ruler Neptune has sent me here to protect the well-being of this mountain and the River of Ruin that run through it. It is sacred, and I can’t allow anyone to dump any rubbish in the sacred waters.”

The Three Kings looked at one another in disbelief. What were the chances of them running into another Zodiac, and furthermore, her being the Guardian of the Secret Mountain of The Seven Moons? They had very little time to make a critical decision. They could sense Taurus and his minions closing in. They could either terminate Pisces before granting her the liberty of reading the Scroll, or let her see the Scroll and allow her to revolve into one of Lucifer’s pawns.

In unison, they confirmed that the Zodiac must be destroyed. No other alternative seemed fit. She would not take ‘No’ for an answer and devoted her life to the safety of the mountain.

Asad spoke, “My apologies, Pisces. I do not see us reaching a compromise. May Allah forgive us.”

Pisces answered, “I am sorry as well, traveler.”

Pisces’ eyes glowed, as did the strange symbols on her staff. She stood up and with her Water gift summoned a monster from the pond. The hybrid Octopus arose and unleashed its massive tentacles upon the Three Kings.

Rashad queried, “What the Devil is that!”

The Three Kings took cover behind several rocks along the edge of the pond. They punished each missed tentacle probe with a barrage of laser fire. And, with each hit, the monster let out a shriek of pain. Those blood-curdling cries motivated Pisces to intervene, and a stunned Rashad found himself fending off both Pisces and the beast.