This Present Darkness (50 page)

With some hastily muttered prayers and some more quick perusals, she eliminated half of the items. She then took what was left and began to carefully arrange it all in the suitcase, a ledger here, some affidavits there, more documents, some photographs, another ledger, a computer printout, a thick ream of photocopies, some undeveloped film.

Footsteps in the hall! She hurriedly closed the suitcase, pressing the lid shut so she could fasten the latches, and then lugged the heavy thing over to the big bed where she quickly slid it underneath. She then threw all the other unpacked items back into the box and concealed the box on a shelf behind some linens in a small closet.

Without knocking, Kaseph came into the room. He wore casual clothes because he too had been packing and taking part in all the activity.

She went to him and threw her arms around him. “Well, hi! How are things on your end?”

He returned her embrace briefly, then dropped his arms and began to look around the room.

“We were wondering whatever became of you,” he said. “We are meeting in the dining hall, and we were hoping you would attend.” There was something strange and ominous in his tone.

“Well,” she said, a little abashed at his demeanor, “of course I’m going to attend. I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

“Good, good,” he said, still looking around the room. “Susan, may I look through your suitcase?”

She looked at him curiously. “What?”

He would not change or qualify his question. “I want to look in your suitcase.”

“Whatever for?”

“Bring it here,” he said in a tone not to be argued with.

She went to her closet, brought out a large blue suitcase full of clothes, and laid it on the bed. He opened the latches and threw back the lid, then proceeded to very quickly and very rudely unpack it, throwing its contents here and there.

“Hey,” she protested, “what are you doing? It took me hours to get all that in there!”

He thoroughly emptied it, opening every side pocket, unloading and shaking out every garment. When he had finished, she was quite angry.

“Alex, what is the meaning of this?”

He turned to her with a very grim expression, and then his face suddenly broke into a smile. “I’m sure you can pack your suitcase even more efficiently the second time.” She knew she didn’t dare give him any comeback for that. “But it was necessary for me to check on something. You see, dear Susan, you’ve been absent from the normal flow of the population and absent from my presence for a considerable time.” He began to walk slowly around the room, his eyes darting over every nook and corner of it. “And it seems there are some very important records and files missing, things of a very delicate nature—things that you, my Maidservant, would have access to.” He smiled that same old smile that cut like a knife. “Of course, I know that your heart is indeed in union with mine, despite your … second thoughts and petty fears of late.”

She raised her head high and looked right at him. “Those things are strictly the weakness of my humanity, but something over which I expect to gain a victory.”

“The weakness of your humanity …” He thought that over for a moment. “That same little weakness that has always made you so intriguing, because it could make you so very dangerous.”

“You are implying, then, that I could betray you?”

He approached her and rested his hands on her shoulders. Susan imagined how his hands would not have to move far to clamp around her neck.

“It is possible,” he said, “that someone is trying to betray me, even now. I can read it in the atmosphere.” He looked at her very closely, his eyes burrowing into hers. “I might even be reading it in your very own eyes.”

She turned her eyes away and said, “I would not betray you.”

He leaned closer and said very coolly, “Nor would anyone else … if they knew what would be in store for them. It would be a very serious business indeed.”

She felt his hands tighten their grip.

A messenger streaked across the sky and then darted, zigzagged,
and weaved through the woods above Ashton looking for Tal.

“Captain!” he called, but Tal was not there among the others. “Where is the captain?”

Mota answered, “Carrying out another prayer gathering at Hank Busche’s home. Be careful not to attract attention.”

The messenger soared down the hillside and floated quietly into the maze of streets and alleys below.

At Hank’s house, Tal remained carefully hidden within the walls while some of his warriors carried out his orders, bringing in people ready to pray.

Hank and Andy Forsythe had called a special prayer meeting, but they hadn’t expected so many people to show up. More and more cars kept arriving, and more and more people kept filing through the door: the Colemans, Ron Forsythe and Cynthia, newly saved Bobby Corsi, his parents Dan and Jean, the Joneses, the Coopers, the Smiths, the Bartons, some college students and their friends. Hank brought out whatever extra chairs he had. People began to find places on the floor. The room was getting stuffy; the windows were opened.

Tal looked out front and saw an old station wagon pull up. He smiled broadly. This was one arrival Hank would be glad to see.

When the doorbell rang several people hollered, “Come in,” but whoever it was didn’t come in. Hank stepped over several people to get to the door and opened it.

There stood Lou Stanley, together with his wife Margie. They were holding hands.

Lou smiled timidly and asked, “Hi, Hank. Is this where you’re holding the prayer meeting?”

Hank believed again in miracles. Here was the man who had been removed from the church for adultery, now standing before him reunited with his wife and wanting to pray with all the others!

“Wow,” said Hank, “it sure is! Come on in!”

Lou and Margie entered the packed living room, where they were greeted with love and acceptance.

Just then there was another knock on the door. Hank was still standing there, so he opened the door and saw an older man and his wife standing outside. He had never seen either one of them before.

But Cecil Cooper knew who they were; he called to them from
where he was sitting. “Well, praise the Lord! I don’t believe it! James and Diane Farrel!”

Hank looked at Cecil, and then at the couple standing there, and his mouth dropped open. “Reverend Farrel?”

Reverend James Farrel, former pastor of Ashton Community Church, extended his hand. “Pastor Henry Busche?” Hank nodded, taking his hand. “We got word there was a prayer meeting here tonight.”

Hank invited them in with outstretched arms.

Meanwhile, the messenger arrived and found Tal. “Captain, Guilo sends word that Susan’s time is very short! She is very near discovery. You must come
now!
”

Tal took a quick survey of the prayer cover he had gathered. It had to be enough for tonight’s plan to work.

Hank was starting the meeting. “The Lord has impressed on all of us that we need to pray tonight for Ashton. Now we’ve learned some things this afternoon, and we were sure right about Satan having a grip on this town. We need to pray that God will bind the demons that are trying to take over, and we need to pray for victory for the people of God, and for the angels of God …”

Good, good! Tal thought. It might be enough. But if what the messenger said was truly the situation at the Strongman’s Lair, they would have to proceed with the plan whether the prayer cover was sufficient or not.

THE DEMONIC CLOUD
over the valley continued to thicken and swirl, and from their vantage point Guilo and his warriors could see the glimmer of millions of pairs of yellow eyes.

Guilo could not relax at all, but continually watched over the mountaintops for the one streak of light that would mark Tal’s arrival. “Where is Tal?” he muttered. “Where is he? They know. They
know!
”

At this very moment Kaseph’s entire staff, the implementing force behind Omni Corporation, was gathered in the dining hall for a makeshift banquet and final get-together before the big move for which they had all prepared. It was an informal buffet affair; everything was casual, and the mood was light. Kaseph himself, usually aloof from his inferiors, mingled freely with them now, and hands often reached out
to him as if imploring a special blessing.

Susan remained steadfastly by his side, dressed again in her customary black suit, and hands also reached out to her for a special touch, a special glance or look of blessing. These she freely bestowed on the grateful followers.

As the meal got underway, Kaseph and Susan took their places at the head table. She tried to act normal and enjoy her food, but her master still maintained that smile, that strange, cutting, wicked smile, and it unnerved her. She had to wonder how much he really knew.

Toward the end of the dinner Kaseph stood, and as if on signal everyone in the room immediately became silent.

“As we have done in other regions, in other parts of our rapidly uniting world, so we shall do here,” Kaseph said, and the whole room applauded. “As a decisive and powerful tool of the Universal Consciousness Society, Omni Corporation is about to establish still another foothold for the coming New World Order and the rule of the New Age Christ. I have received word from our advance people in Ashton that the purchase of our new facility can be finalized on Sunday, and I will personally go before you to close the deal. After that, the town will be ours.”

The room broke into applause and cheers.

But then, with a rather abrupt change of mood, Kaseph let a scowl come upon his face, to which all those present responded with an equal sobriety. “Of course, all through this massive effort we have often been reminded of how serious this business really is in which we are involved, to which we have vowed our lives and our allegiances. We have often pondered how dire the results would be to everything we have worked toward if any one of us should ever turn toward the wrong and answer the persistent call of greed, temporarily, or even,”—he looked at Susan—“human weakness.”

Suddenly the room was dead quiet. Everyone’s gaze was upon Kaseph as his eyes scanned slowly across the whole group.

Susan could feel a terror starting to form deep down inside, a terror she had always tried to push down, avoid, control. She could feel the one thing she feared most of all slowly stalking up on her.

Kaseph continued, “Only a few of you are aware that in the course of transferring the files from the head office we discovered that several
of our most sensitive folders were missing. Apparently someone with high privilege and inside access thought those files would be of value … some other way.” The people began to gasp and murmur. “Oh, don’t be alarmed. I have a happy ending to this story. The missing files have been found!” They were all relieved, and chuckled amongst themselves. This, they seemed to think, was another one of Kaseph’s little teasers.

Kaseph signaled to some security men toward the back of the room, and one of them picked up—what was it? Susan rose from her chair just a little to see.

A cardboard box. No!
The
cardboard box? The one she had hidden behind the linens? He was bringing it toward the front, toward the head table.

She remained where she was, but she thought she would faint. Her whole body trembled with fear. The blood drained from her face; her insides were riddled with horrible pain. She had been discovered. There was no way out. It was a nightmare.

The security guard lifted the heavy box onto the table, and Kaseph flung it open. Yes, there were all the materials she had so painstakingly sorted out and hidden. He lifted them out, and held them up for all to see. The whole crowd gasped in astonishment.

Kaseph threw the materials back into the box and let the guard carry it away.

“This box,” he announced, “was found hidden in the Maidservant’s linen closet.”

All were stunned. Some remained frozen with shock. Some shook their heads.

Susan Jacobson prayed. She prayed furiously.

THE MESSENGER ARRIVED
back in the valley, and Guilo was voracious for news.