The Light of His Sword (9 page)

“You do understand the old man driving the
truck was not doing so of his own free will?” Gabe asked quietly.
“He was being controlled by demons. The woman driving the car, and
the dog were also possessed.”

“Yes,” Alyssa admitted that much made sense
to her. “I’ve seen darkness in the elder’s eyes at times; a
darkness that sent cold ripples of fear through me. If a demon can
crawl inside you and control you, then those ripples of fear make
sense.”

Gabe nodded and glanced at her, “You sensed
the evil and were repelled by it. That’s an incredible gift Alyssa,
a gift that could save your life one day. If you listen to it and
obey your impulses when it tells you something is evil.”

“How did you know that the dog was possessed
and that demons waited in the shadows of the trees?” Alyssa asked
boldly.

“It’s my job to know those things.” He
answered softly. “It’s my job to protect you.”

“Are you an angel?” Alyssa whispered.

“What do you know of Angels?” Gabe
smiled.

“My mother’s fairytales were sometimes
stories of the Archangels and how they would lead the people into
Holy battles.”

“Tell me more about the fairytales your
mother told.” Gabe leaned forward in his seat and stretched out his
back.

“There was a tale of a young man who faced a
giant in battle and defeated him with only a slingshot and a stone.
When this boy grew up, he interpreted the king’s dreams. He was
betrayed by his friends and thrown into a pit of lions to be
killed. The lions didn’t hurt him and in the end the king realized
the betrayal and threw the liars into the pit instead.” Alyssa
began.

“Ouch!” Gabe laughed.

“Another story was of an old man who built
an ark because a flood was coming. He saved his family and all the
animals of the world.” Alyssa continued, “She had so many stories;
some were sweet; others were frightening and filled with vengeance.
Most of them were about hope and strength. Others were about faith
and courage.”

“Alyssa,” Gabe turned to look at her, “Those
aren’t fairytales. They are stories from the bible.”

“Bible?” Alyssa met his gaze then glanced
down at Samantha. She smiled and said, “That makes perfect sense.
Mom wouldn’t have called them bible stories in fear that I’d repeat
it. Any mention of the bible would get you a wicked beating.
Calling them fairytales gave me the freedom to share them with the
other children. I thought I’d have so much time with her and my
father once we reached the compound. I thought they would be close
to me all day long, no more leaving to go to work, no more
babysitters after school. She was trying to teach me more than
spelling and math in that attic. I miss her so much.”

“She was a clever woman,” Gabe admitted.
“She taught you her beliefs, the history of her God, in a dark,
desolate place and at great personal risk. Your mother was a brave
woman. It’s clear that both of your parents went to great lengths
to protect you.”

“I didn’t realize,” Alyssa whispered as
tears filled her eyes. They drove in silence as a rainbow of colors
appeared and faded replaced by a dark, starless night. Gabe’s yawns
grew more frequent; his face was drawn and weary. Yet he maintained
a pleasant patient attitude with Samantha, who sat in the seat
beside him asking what each dial on the dash indicated.

They pulled into a roadside diner next to a
small gas station. Alyssa took Samantha to the bathroom and ordered
sandwiches as Gabe filled up the car and headed to buy snacks and
drinks for later that night.

A gust of wind shoved Samantha forward as
they headed back to the truck with their dinner. Alyssa led
Samantha to the driver’s door and helped her climb into the truck.
She handed Samantha the bags of food and drinks and climbed into
the driver’s seat. Gabe frowned as he approached the truck. He
opened the driver’s door and gazed up at Alyssa. “I thought you
didn’t think you could handle the stick shift?”

Alyssa faced him boldly and held out her
hand for the keys. “My back is still stiff, but the pain is much
better thanks to those pills. I’ve been watching you and I think if
you help me I can do it. Besides, once we are back on the highway,
we’ll be at a constant speed so I shouldn’t have to shift much,
and
you need to get some sleep.”

Gabe glanced past her at Samantha, who was
watching him intently. He saw a glint of concern in her big blue
eyes. He supposed the women at the compound were
discouraged
from making independent decisions. Gabe smiled at her and said,
“Okay, let’s give it a shot.” He handed her the keys and climbed
down, shutting the door behind him.

Coming around to the passenger’s side, he
opened the door and said, “Samantha, why don’t you take shotgun. I
want to sit next to your mom in case she needs any help.”

Samantha stood up to allow Gabe to slide
past her. His shoulder brushed against Alyssa’s arm as he slid next
to her. Her body stiffened with the contact. Alyssa gripped her
steering wheel as if it was going to fly from her hands as he
settled in beside her. Gabe reached over to help Samantha fasten
her seatbelt then turned back to Alyssa. He could see her knuckles
turning white from the strength of her grip.

“Okay, take a deep breath.” Gabe said softly
not realizing the deep calm tone of his voice made Alyssa’s heart
beat even faster. “The pedal on your left is the clutch, it’s for
shifting gears. You can’t move the gearshift unless you push that
pedal first or you will damage the transmission. The middle pedal
is the brake; the right is the gas.” Alyssa nodded her head a bit
too quickly wishing the lesson was over, and they were on their
way. Gabe gazed at her questioningly and then continued, “So press
the clutch with your left foot and turn the key.”

Alyssa took a deep breath and mentally shook
off the affect Gabe’s proximity was causing. She released her
breath in a puff of air and turned the key. Gabe flashed Samantha a
huge smile and said, “Here we go!” He turned back to Alyssa, “I’ll
help you shift.”

He placed his hand on top of hers and showed
her how to move the gearshift. Alyssa’s heart leapt at his touch.
She forced herself to concentrate on his instructions as she
released the clutch slowly, and the truck lurched forward. Alyssa
smiled in triumph as she slowly crept toward the highway. She
glanced at Samantha and flashed her smile. Samantha smiled back at
her and leaned forward in her seat trying to see the road before
them.

“You’ve got it,” Gabe encouraged, “You’ll
hear the engine begin to strain; that’s when you want to shift to a
higher gear.”

“Yay! Mommy!” Samantha cheered as they
pulled onto the two-lane highway and headed down the road.

Alyssa noticed the I-70 sign up ahead and
asked, “Should we head back to the interstate?”

“No,” Gabe answered quickly, “The fewer
people we run across, the better our chances of making it to your
grandmothers without another incident. Therefore, we’ll stick to
the back roads as much as possible. It’ll take longer, but I think
Samantha’s had enough excitement for one trip.” He turned and
tickled Samantha’s stomach.

Samantha squealed with laughter. “Stop!
Stop!”

Gabe chuckled then reached down and picked
up the white bag of sandwiches. “Let’s eat, then I’m going to get
some rest before it gets too late.”

Chapter Six

Samantha curled up next to Gabe and fell
asleep. He snored softly beside her. Alyssa concentrated on the
blur of white dashes in the middle of the road as they flew past.
The new moon was dark and lifeless, its dim light paled next to the
distant lights of tiny homes scattered across the rolling Kansas
landscape. Soon what light was offered vanished as they approached
a wooded area. Flecks of dancing light drifted through the
headlights as a light snow began to fall. Reaching the top of a
small hill Alyssa released the gas pedal. Something blocked the
road up ahead. She struggled to down shift as the truck headed down
the hill. Hitting the brakes, she came to a stop in front of a
large barrier that said Road Closed. An arrow pointed to the right
labeled Detour. Throwing the truck into gear, Alyssa turned to
follow the arrow. It wasn’t long before she realized the detour
lead her to the interstate.

She glanced at Gabe uncertain of what to do.
Not wanting to wake him or Samantha she turned onto the four-lane
interstate determined to exit back to the side road as soon as
possible. Instantly a dark colored car zipped past them followed by
another slightly larger white car.

As Alyssa watched; the first car swerved on
the slick snowy road and began to spin. The second car slammed into
the side of the first and flipped rolling onto its side. It flew
off the highway and landed upside down in the center of the median.
Alyssa gasped and stomped on the brakes.

Gabe bolted upright as one hand reached for
the dash, and the other took hold of Samantha to steady her. The
truck fishtailed on the slippery road. They slid toward the first
car as it stopped spinning and came to a halt in the center of the
highway. The truck stopped mere inches from the second car. Gabe’s
eyes narrowed as the car door opened, and a young man stepped out.
He glanced at them then ran across the highway toward the car in
the median as a pillar of smoke began to pour from the engine.

Gabe reached out, pushed the hazard light
button on the steering wheel and said, “Stay in the truck.”

He climbed over Samantha and sprinted across
the highway to the second car. A child’s cries came from inside as
he approached. The young man lay down on the ground beside the car
and reached inside. Gabe came around to the far side where the
child’s cries were loudest and knelt down to reach inside.

Samantha released her seat belt and slid
over next to Alyssa as they watched Gabe and the young man pull two
children from the car. Suddenly both doors of the truck flew open,
and two strange men dragged Alyssa and Samantha from the truck.
Alyssa screamed, kicking and punching her abductor as they dragged
her and Samantha toward the first car. Gabe placed the little boy
he pulled from the car on his feet surprised that he seemed
unharmed. He moved to the front seat of the car to look for the
driver and found it empty. Suddenly the air filled with screams.
Gabe shot to his feet. It was a trap!

He sprinted across the grass as Alyssa and
Samantha were shoved into the back seat of the dark car. It sped
off as Gabe reached the pavement. Gabe veered instantly toward the
truck. Climbing into the cab, he sped off after them.

Alyssa took hold of Samantha and pulled her
near. The two men in the front seat didn’t speak. One turned to
gaze out the rear window. Alyssa’s eyes met his and her heart
froze. His eyes were as black as night. A small glimmer of blood
red light emanated from their center. His hand grasped the seat as
he leaned closer. Alyssa gasped; his fingers were thick, black
claws.

Alyssa was filled with a sudden dread, a
sense of impending doom that went much deeper than their abduction.
These were more than mere men possessed by a simple demon. They
were something much more. Evil emanated from these men as she’d
never felt before. It was as if they’d held this evil deep inside
of them for a very long time. Alyssa shrank back into the seat
pulling Samantha closer as his eyes moved from hers to look out the
rear window.

He spun back around leaving them in
terrified silence. Samantha buried her face in her mother’s chest
in silent terror. Alyssa dared to sit up straight and turn to look
out the back window. A pair of headlights was bearing down on them.
Gabe! Alyssa searched the seats until she found the seat belts. She
cupped Samantha’s face and tilted it up to face hers.

“Gabe is coming.” She whispered in the
barest of breaths. Samantha’s eyes opened wide in surprise. “Seat
belt,” Alyssa added glancing toward the front seat. Samantha nodded
and wiped her tears away as Alyssa buckled her seat belt. Alyssa
buckled herself in then wrapped her arms around Samantha.

What would Gabe do? How could he rescue them
from a speeding car? Alyssa held on tightly to Samantha. “It’s
important you do what I say as soon as I say it, no matter what
happens.” She whispered.

Alyssa glanced out the rear window as Gabe’s
truck roared up behind them. The driver cursed in a deep, unearthly
voice, and the car leapt forward. Alyssa could see Gabe’s
headlights grow smaller behind them. She released her seatbelt and
let go of Samantha diving for the driver. Digging her fingernails
into the back of his neck Alyssa screamed in rage. She reached up
and grabbed the steering wheel as the second man took hold of her
arm. The driver slammed on the brakes as the car began to swerve
and head for the shoulder. Alyssa braced her foot on the back seat
and shoved her body forward between the two men. She yanked at the
steering wheel sending the car into a spin. The driver punched her
in the face, sending her sideways into the second man who shoved
her unconscious form into the back seat. As the driver struggled to
gain control of the car Gabe’s truck roared up beside them.
Samantha watched in awe as Gabe climbed out the driver’s window
with his sword in his hand.

The sword exploded in a white fiery glow.
Gabe leapt off the truck his arms spread out wide. He flew through
the dark night like a bird of prey poised for attack. He appeared
to hover over them for a split second. Then he landed effortlessly
on his feet on the hood of the car. With one swift movement, he
drove his sword through the hood and deep into the car’s engine.
The air exploded in a shower of white fire.

The sound of grinding steel pounded
Samantha’s ears. The driver slammed on the brakes. The truck
disappeared from the cars headlights as it continued down the
highway. Alyssa’s eyes flew open. She reached for Samantha’s seat
belt and hit the release.