Eden

Chapter Eighteen Sepulchre

Loading the Humvee only took a few minutes, and then we were barreling down the highway, weaving in and out of traffic. Bex drove, Claire sat in the passenger seat, and the rest of us piled in the back. Jared barked directions at Bex, securing packs and loading weapons at the same time. Knowing he was in protector mode until we were all safely tucked under the Sepulchre made me miss him, but I had to let him focus. The more miles Bex put behind us, the more my fear threatened to take over.

Kim scooted closer to me and grabbed my hand.

I looked over at her sheepishly. “Are you scared?”

“I’m about to piss my pants.”

I nodded quickly, glad that I wasn’t the only one not looking forward to a battle.

Ryan was humming along to a song inside his head, tapping his fingers to the beat against his assault rifle.

“You weren’t kidding” I said.

He looked up. “What?”

“About the party.”

He smiled. “What can I say? I miss it.”

Kim laughed once, incredulous. I couldn’t even manage a reaction.

“Oh c’mon,” he said. He gestured to us, “You two get to see me in action for the first time. Who can say they’re friend has gone off to war and then they get to watch them work? No civilians, I guarantee it.”

“It’s going to get bad,” I said.

He shook his head and smiled. “I’m counting on it.”

As usual, Ryan’s casual demeanor made my anger boil just below the surface. “What if something happens to you? Do you know what that means for Claire?”

“This isn’t my first rodeo, kiddo.”

Kim leaned forward. “It’s not your moment to impress her, either. This is serious. Quit screwing around and focus before you get us all killed.”

While Ryan and Kim bickered, I leaned up to look out the window. The scenery didn’t look so different. Retail stores, traffic, and pedestrians. The only thing that seemed foreign was the sun and palm trees. We could have been in California. I settled back against my seat. For reasons I couldn’t explain, the familiar surroundings made me feel better.

The Humvee took a sharp turn, shoving me against Kim.

“Bex?” Jared called.

“They’re shelling, but they’re keeping their distance. I’m just trying not to get boxed in.”

“Patience,” Samuel said.

Jared nodded, and then fastened an extra ammo belt around him. I crawled to the closest mirror, and watch as civilian cars and pickup trucks crowded the sides and behind our Humvee.

Bex swerved to the right, nudging one of the cars off the road. Claire readied her weapon.

“Just wait,” Samuel said. His voice was even, creating a strange calming effect.

I watched him for a moment. “Why can’t you stay with us until the Sepulchre?”

“So that you may rise above your struggle,” he said. “And because that was the agreement. I will keep you safe throughout the flight and trip to Jerusalem. Then you must rise above your struggle. Only then will you appreciate your plight.” He shrugged. “It is the way of the humans. It has always been the way.”

I wasn’t exactly sure where he was getting at, but I didn’t want to question him more. He wasn’t as practiced as Eli at human relations, and I had a feeling that no matter how in depth he explained it, I would only be more confused.

Kim leaned into my ear. “He means he can’t just give us a Get Out Of Jail Free card, because it behooves our character to struggle before success. God is all about being fair and not interfering.”

“And Hell is the opposite,” I groused.

Another swerve threw me into Kim. “I’m glad you’re here.” I said, righting myself.

One side of her mouth turned up. “I’m not.”

“Plan B,” Bex said. “I’m taking the next exit!”

Samuel held up his hand. “Stay the course. Think of them as an escort.”

“Not the good kind.”

As we approached the city, the cars and trucks around us became more uniform, and it was evident that everyone around us had shelled. I peeked out of the window to see the sedan running alongside us. It contained a woman in her mid- to late twenties. An empty car seat was in the back.

I closed my eyes. When Samuel left us, they would attack, and we would have to kill them.

“Jared?”

“Yes?” he said, albeit distracted.

“That woman over there,” I said, nodding in her direction. “She has a baby.”

Jared barely glanced at her. “Yeah?”

“We can’t kill her.”

The woman looked at me, her eyes bulging and black.

Jared drew my attention away from her, gently turning my jaw to face him. “She can’t kill you, either. We’re going to make plenty of tough decisions between now and then. Let’s not dwell on the shells. We can’t.”

I nodded, but Ryan glanced at the woman in the car, and was visibly unsettled.

Jared grabbed the barrel of Ryan’s weapon and jerked it. “Everyone can shell. Everyone is a threat. The demons are counting on you to see the human and hesitate. Hesitation will get you killed. Got it?”

“Got it.”

“Five minutes!” Claire called.

Everyone tensed. Bex flew through traffic, trying to leave the shells building up around us behind, but every time he gained ground, the drivers of the cars ahead shelled. The stores and houses seemed to be almost on top of each other, covering the gentle hills. Many of the buildings — especially the older ones — were made of rectangular rocks and castle-like in shape. Trees peppered the landscape, unlike the vast desert I had expected.

The sun was blindingly bright, glaring off the road and buildings. Kim squeezed my hand when we passed two statues of knights on horses, flying flags and proclaiming victory over the land. It was dizzying to think of how many how many empires had tried to own this land, and how much blood had been shed for a claim to it. We were going to be the numberless battle in that holy city. Not to own it, but survive it.

Jared looked at me. “Stay close. Never leave my side, for any reason. Keep your eyes and ears open.”

I nodded. “I love you.”

He managed a small smile and shook his head. “I love you,” he said, pulling me to him. He planted a quick kiss on my lips, and then the Humvee stopped.

“Damascus Gate less than one klick!” Claire yelled.

Jared looked to Samuel for explanation, but he was gone.

Bex turned, his face intense. “Shells coming over the hill!”

“That’s it! We’re on our own!” Jared yelled. He took the safety off his pistol, and grabbed a fistful of my vest.

Claire and Ryan left the Humvee first, and Jared and I followed. The bullets were already flying, landing in the sand at my feet. We hunkered down in a small alley just inside a stone corridor until Kim and Bex joined us, and then Jared silently ordered us to move.

Claire pointed further inside the corridor. “Damascus Gate. Markets and pedestrians. No good.”

Jared nodded once, and then we moved out. Claire took to the street with cover fire, running at full speed to the next alley. People walking in the street would run, and then suddenly stop to follow. Jared pulled me across the street, and a large man with military fatigues ran at us. Claire put a bullet in his head in less than a second. Jared didn’t bother to slow down. We jumped over the corpse and caught up.

Duck and cover seemed to be the plan of action for the next two streets. The Old City was a series of narrow rock roads and corridors lined with trinkets and rugs for sale. We reached the end of one road to find ourselves at the beginning of a marketplace. Claire froze, and we stopped abruptly behind her. A hundred or so people stopped, slowly turning around. They eyes of men, women, and children were black as night and bulging from their sockets.

“Move,” Claire said, waving us back.

Jared turned on his heels, leading us to the next building and up a set of stairs. We climbed to the roof, with the mob just behind Bex and Kim. Jared took a few wide strides and then we leapt from that roof to the next. He wanted to continue, but I refused, waiting for Kim. Once they breeched the top of the stairs, I saw hands clamoring over bodies, the shells trampling each other to get at us. Bex was focused, but Kim’s eyes bulged.

“Just hang on to him!” Claire called.

Bex, still running, hugged Kim to him, and when his feet left the roof, he cradled her to his side like a football. His landing was smooth, but Kim had to take a moment we didn’t have to get her bearings. The mob still came at us, most of them falling to the alley below when they tried to make the jump.

My hands flew to my mouth. Children were among those falling to their deaths.

We made the jump four times, and then descended a set of stairs that lead us to another series of corridors.

Jared hunkered down, letting Kim catch her breath. “We’re in the Christian Quarter. The Sepulchre is two klicks away. We’re going to take the west bypass, and make a path. It’s a high traffic area for tourists, with high rock walls on each side, so we’re going to have to mow a path.”

“Copy that,” Ryan said, cocking his rifle.

Jared began to speak again, but a small group of young men shot at us from above. We ran again, dodging shells and bullets. Bex followed up the rear, turning and shooting as he ran. Ryan and Claire were at the front, their rifles against their faces, pointing the barrels in every direction they looked. As many times as I had tried to imagine it, we really were in the middle of a war. The sounds of the AK-47s trading shots and the bullets ricocheting off the walls and roads just made me run faster.

Already exhausted, Kim had trouble keeping up, and Bex kept encouraging her to keep moving. We took cover behind dumpsters and parked cars every few seconds, and the noises around us paused ever so often when we hunkered down, and began sounding like a familiar beat.

Claire and Ryan would reload at nearly the same time, and then we’d start again. Jared would drop a clip and reload as we ran, and Bex did the same. At one point, he pulled a second pistol, turning to lay down more cover fire until Jared yelled for him to keep up. He was next to Kim in less than a second.

Shells that were unarmed simply tried to grab us, but the demons were still human on the outside, and Ryan quickly learned how to incapacitate them. He would use his elbow or the butt of his gun, and shooting the ones he didn’t have time for. I noticed most of his bullets landing in their kneecaps or shoulders, hoping to give them a chance once the demons let them go.

In the court of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a large crowd obstructed the two giant wooden doors that led inside. They stood like statues, their arms calmly at their sides, their black eyes and ashen skin confirming control by the demonic. Some of them were civilian, but most were in fatigues, holding AK-47s. The building itself was massive, much larger than I had imagined, made of stone. I suddenly felt much better about being holed up in there for the next sixty days or so, but the high rock walls made it impossible to do anything but initiate a head-on invasion.

“Should we wait until dark?” Bex asked.

I grabbed his bloodied shoulder, pressing my palm against it. “You’re hit.”

He winked. “It’s not bad. So…should we wait?”

Jared shook his head. “We just need to get in there.”

Kim sighed. “But how? There are hundreds of people out there.”

Claire pulled a pin from a grenade. “Like this.” She rolled it into the crowd, and in seconds a large explosion blew people and body parts in different directions. A huge brown cloud of smoke filled the area and Claire and Ryan ran full speed into it.

Jared grabbed my sleeve and we followed. We didn’t get five steps before a hail of bullets rained down on us. Jared was hit several times and faltered. A bullet ripped through my arm. At first it didn’t hurt, but the closer we got to the Sepulchre, the more the burning surged through my veins. The memory of the pain in my leg at the Japanese restaurant in Providence immediately came to the forefront of my mind. Jared flipped around, and emptied his pistol into the dissipating cloud. He pushed me forward, and Claire and Ryan took me into the church.

“She’s hit!” Ryan said.

They had already cleared the main room. Ryan tied a piece of cloth around my arm while Claire took out the shells in the rest of the church and secured the entrances. Jared, Bex, and Kim came into the doors as one unit, with Kim sliding in on her knees. Bex slammed the door closed behind them, and immediately covered the window.

After a few minutes and sporadic gunfire, Claire returned. “We only have a few minutes before they reorganize. The barricades won’t hold for long. We need to get underground.”

I winced as Jared tightened Ryan’s tourniquet. “I thought they couldn’t come in here.”

Jared frowned at the dark red saturating the cloth on my arm. “It’s the tomb they can’t violate. The church and basilisk itself are fair game.”

Bex glanced back from the window. “Whatever we’re doing, let’s do it fast.”

The cloud from the grenade had cleared, revealing dozens of mutilated corpses on the ground. More shells were crowding the Sepulchre, and were now climbing its walls and beating on the doors.

Jared lifted Kim off the floor. “You have the book?”

She nodded, breathing hard.

“You ready to do what you came here to do?”

“Yes, and it’s about damn time, Ryel,” she said, tightening her grip on the pack.

We retreated into the church, passing extravagant garnishing of gold, marble and artwork. Candles lined altars, and pictures of the crucifixion of Christ. We passed a set of stairs that made Claire pause before advancing into the Sepulchre of Jesus.

“Where do they lead?” I asked.

Jared glanced at the stairs only briefly. “That would be the stairway to Calvary. Christ climbed those steps on his way to be crucified.”

We continued through a large room to another room that held a smaller room within it. You could walk around this room, but Claire advanced inside.

“Is this it?” I asked.

Jared squeezed my hand. “The Holy Sepulchre.”

We filed in, and everyone dropped their packs. I was confused. The adornments around the room signaled a holy place, but all this time, my mind pictured an underground cavern.

“This can’t be it. How can we protect ourselves in here?”

Claire sighed. “Not in here.” She pushed the altar to the side, revealing an ancient steep staircase. “The true tomb is hidden below. It’s hidden from the public.”

“I’m having my baby in a hole,” I said, more of a statement than a question.

Bex laughed once. “Uh…is there room in the inn?”

My stomach lurched, and I grabbed Jared’s arm.

“Nina?” he said, immediately worried.

I grabbed my belly with both hands and groaned. “Give me a minute,” I said, panting.

Claire took a few steps down. “We don’t have a minute.”

“Let’s get her downstairs,” Bex said, checking outside the room. “They’re coming.”

Claire clicked a flashlight onto her rifle and ducked down the staircase. Ryan followed, and then Jared, me and Kim went down next, with Bex closing the opening behind us. The stairway opened up into a stone hallway that led to a massive cavern. Damp, dark, and drippy. Just as I had imagined.

“Feeling better?” Jared asked, touching my protruding stomach.

I nodded, still looking around the room. The flashlights illuminated giant stone arches lining the vast space, accessing lateral halls.

“Where do they lead?” I asked.

“Tunnels. Two hundred yards either way isn’t protected. They won’t come down here, but don’t wander.”

“I won’t.”

Kim pulled the Naissance de Demoniac from her satchel, and pointed her flashlight around the room, settling on what looked like a formerly adorned altar. She walked over to it slowly. Even in the dim light, I could see her body shaking uncontrollably. Ryan and I walked behind, watching her hold the book in front of her.

“I did it,” she said, staring at the book in awe. “We’re free.”

Ryan put his hand on Kim’s shoulder as she placed the book on the altar. She fell to her knees, and we fell with her. In the next moment, the ground began to shake, and small bits of rock fell to the floor. A piercing roar echoed through the tomb, causing us all to cover our ears. It was one voice, but also many, wailing, yelling, cursing utter foulness…and then it was over. Silence.

Kim looked back at Jared, and he offered a knowing smile. She had completed her mission, and freed her family of the duty of protecting the Naissance de Demoniac from a constant, powerful enemy.

“I guess I can go home now?” she said.

“You can,” Bex said. “But you’re on your own, and this place is crawling with shells.”

“We could use you here,” Jared said, “to help with the birth.”

Kim smiled at him. It was a relief to finally see the two come to terms. The air was immediately lighter between them.

“I wonder if you still have your superpower?” Ryan said.

Kim punched him in the gut, and he doubled over. “It would appear so.”

“That wasn’t what I meant,” he coughed.