Eden (Eden Saga) Read online

  “Yes, sahil?”

  “Get up there and find those flyers. They have to be out there somewhere.”

  Without a word, Erzulie shot into the black-red sky. That simple act still amazed Alexandra.

  “Flyers?” Alexandra said.

  He nodded. “We know they’re out there, we just don’t know where.”

  “I have a theory,” Alexandra said, not sure why she decided to talk to Koneh about the subject at this moment.

  “About?”

  “Erzulie,” Alexandra said, “Well, all angels for that matter.”

  “Talk and walk,” Koneh said as he moved away from the barricade and into the wasteland.

  “You see, I think angels do have emotions. I mean, the human brain is essentially a biological computer, right?”

  Koneh huffed. “I see where you are going with this and you are wrong.”

  “Just hear me out,” she said.

  He shrugged and pulled a long knife from beneath his robes. He planted the weapon tip down into the ground and kept walking.

  Alexandra said, “You see, we’re programmed as well. Perhaps Erzulie’s programming is more limited than ours, but it’s all the same. I mean, you’ve talked with her, you see how well she imitates emotions. Perhaps she is beyond imitation now?”

  After about fifteen feet, Koneh drew another bladed weapon and repeated the planting process. He turned to her and said, “The difference is simple. As humans, we rely on our emotions to override our programming. Look to yourself for evidence. You stay to protect these people because of your guilt over Tampico.”

  “It’s more than that,” she said.

  “I know, but you realize yourself that this is an illogical decision. Our chance of victory is slim, but your compassion for these people has overridden any sense you might have to flee and save the biological computer inside your skull.”

  He paused for a moment and then continued. “You see,” he said, “Erzulie is incapable of that. Though she seems loyal and friendly to you now, if she was ordered to kill you, she would do so without hesitation. She is programmed to obey Elah’s command. She has no emotional strength to resist such a command. Her emotions are merely imitation.”

  Alexandra processed the information. “So,” she said, “one day Erzulie could be my enemy?”

  “Possibly,” Koneh said as he continued his semicircle around the barricade. “Time will tell whose command she finds strongest – her master’s in Jahannam, man’s divine law on Earth or yours.”

  Koneh drew yet another blade and stuck it in the ground.

  “Okay,” Alexandra said, “what the hell are you doing?”

  “Your responsibility is to kill any demons that make it past me. Make sure Marco and Benjamin keep their lines of fire away from me.”

  She noticed the semicircle of knives and other bladed weapons was about twenty feet away from the barricade.

  “You’re going to be out here?” she asked, confused.

  Koneh nodded.

  “Who are you?” Alexandra said as she searched her companion’s black-in-black eyes for any clue to his thoughts. “I mean, we’re probably going to die here, so you may as well spill all the secrets you’ve been hiding from me.”

  He looked into her eyes and said, “If I had my way of things, I would keep no secrets from you. Not ever you.”

  Once again, she felt a connection with this mysterious man. When they were alone, the world faded into the background, and Alexandra was acutely aware of the beating of her heart.

  She stepped next to him, paused, and then embraced him. His hands reached around her back and she closed her eyes. She felt right in his arms.

  Home.

  “I… I have things I want to say to you,” she said, “but, I’m not sure how to do it.”

  He tightened his grip and said, “Forgive me this one moment of peace… I do not have the strength to let you go.”

  She whispered, “Then don’t.”

  The wind passed over them for the next few moments. Alexandra’s heart sighed in relief. She was finally close to Koneh. His mysteries were unraveling and she felt drawn to the man underneath the secrets.

  Then he pushed her away and said, “You should return to the group.” He averted her gaze.

  “We’re not going to make it, are we?” she asked.

  “I don’t intend to die here. I will keep you safe.”

  She raised one of her eyebrows and said, “How can you?”

  “I suppose I can’t,” Koneh said. “However, confidence is half of victory. I forget who told me that, but it seems fitting.”

  Though it went against her better judgment, Alexandra saw hope in his words. As she walked back to Santino’s rig and behind the barricade, she allowed the hope to grow a little. Maybe they’d make it out of this after all, she thought.

  Everyone else was inside the barricade. Thomas and Justin smiled when they saw Alexandra.

  “Whoa!” Justin said as he pointed at Alexandra’s midsection, “Where’d you get a sword?”

  Relieved the boy wasn’t pointing at her crotch, Alexandra said, “An angel gave it to me.”

  “You mean that hot chick with wings?” Thomas said as he leaned against the barricade in his best GQ pose. The boy turned a pistol over in his hand. “I got one of my own.”

  “Who gave you that?” Alexandra asked.

  “Soldier boy,” Thomas said, “since I’m the only one who knows how to use it.”

  “I know how to shoot a gun,” Justin said, defending his manhood in front of Alexandra.

  Thomas chuckled. “Yeah, but you won’t hit anything with it.”

  “Screw you, loser.”

  “Are these two bothering you again?” Nicole emerged from the tent and stood beside Alexandra. “Because I can have Marco beat them up for you.”

  “You’ve been talking with Marco, have you?” Alexandra asked. “And where is our Latin loverboy?”

  Nicole blushed and pointed to the tent. “He’s inside with Father Callahan, Benjamin and the others. They’re talking about the barricade and stuff.”

  “Good,” Alexandra said as she took a step towards the tent. “Keep an eye on these two, okay?”

  “That would mean I’d have to look at them, blech!”

  Alexandra smiled and paused before she entered. Francine, the older woman, rested on a chaise next to the tent. As if still on vacation, Francine took a sip from her sports bottle and reclined. Intrigued, Alexandra changed direction and knelt next to Francine.

  “Hello my dear,” Francine said as she lifted her sunglasses. Her flowered dress contrasted against their surroundings like a neon sign on the face of a burned down building. Deep lines pooled around Francine’s mouth, eyes, forehead, and neck. From her wrinkled mouth, her southern accent weighed thick in her speech. “We haven’t had a chance to speak too much. I am Francine Burns-Holyst, from Georgia.”

  “Sorry, I’ve been… busy.”

  Francine waved her hand and said, “Nonsense, my dear. You seem like an important young lady.”

  Unsure what Francine knew, Alexandra said, “How do you mean?”

  “Well, your friends inside the tent talk like you ah the one giving orders ‘round here,” Francine said. “That, and you have an air about you. I can sense when someone is important.”

  “I’m nobody important,” Alexandra said. “I’m just a girl in the world.”

  Francine chuckled and almost spit her drink as she burst into full laughter. After a few moments, Alexandra asked, “Did I say something funny?”

  Francine shook her head and said, “Please forgive my lack of manners. You just reminded me of a song from my youth. Of course, you’ve probably never heard that song. You kids and your fractal rhythms.”

  “I hate that fractal stuff,” Alexandra said. “It gives me a headache.”

  Still chuckling, Francine said, “Me too, my dear, me too.”

  Alexandra dove into chaos as she entered the tent. Marco and Fat
her Callahan were arguing over something. Jason knelt next to his wife, Holly, who was struggling through her breathing as she looked ready to give birth.

  Alexandra rushed to the pregnant woman’s side and asked, “Is the baby coming?”

  Henry, who was on the other side of the cot, removed his hand from Holly’s belly and said, “She’s still a ways off, several hours at least.”

  Holly closed her eyes and cried.

  “It’s okay, dear. You’re doing great,” Jason said as he patted his wife’s hand.

  Through tears, Holly said, “No, it’s not okay. Our baby doesn’t even have a chance. Look at the world we are bringing her into! Look at it, Jason!”

  Alexandra knelt next to Holly and put her hand on the pregnant woman’s forehead. “There is hope,” Alexandra said. “You have an angel protecting you.”

  Holly opened her eyes. “An angel?”

  Nodding, Alexandra said, “And an American soldier, a priest, myself and many others. I swear to you, your baby will make it into this world.”

  Holly’s sobs subsided and she closed her eyes.

  “Let her rest in-between contractions,” Henry, said. “She’ll need her strength.”

  “Won’t we all,” Alexandra said under her breath as she rose.

  “Thanks,” Jason said as he walked with Alexandra towards Father Callahan. “You’re the only one who has been able to calm her down.”

  “I can’t even imagine what she is going through,” Alexandra said. As she approached her friends, she caught the tail end of the argument between Father Callahan and Marco.

  “You’re not going out there and that’s final,” Father Callahan said.

  Marco smiled and said, “Well Padre, you’re not in charge.” Marco turned to Alexandra. “I think I should hop on my bike and check things out. I don’t mind the risk.”

  Alexandra dismissed him with a wave of her hand and said, “Erzulie’s already scouting the area. She’s much faster than your bike. Go check on Benjamin outside. He might need some help.”

  Marco mumbled something inaudible under his breath and stalked away.

  “I hope it’s okay,” Father Callahan said. “Everyone is looking to me for direction when you’re not around.”

  “Believe me,” Alexandra said, “I never wanted to be in charge. You’re probably the biggest expert on Hell we have, so-”

  “Well,” Father Callahan said, “I can only imagine Erzulie would be our resident expert now. Or Koneh.”

  “Oh yeah. That makes sense.”

  “How are you holding up?” Father Callahan said.

  Alexandra shrugged. She felt queasy and weak from holding back her tears. However, her lip trembled as she said, “Pretty scared.”

  “Shall we talk outside?” Father Callahan said as he gestured to the tent entrance.

  “Excuse us, please?” Alexandra said to Jason.

  “Sure, I should get back to Holly anyway.”

  Alexandra pulled her leather jacket tight around her body as she emerged into the cold, black world. The sky yielded little light or warmth. At the edge of her range of vision, she spotted Koneh. He sat twenty feet away from the barricade, with his back to her. Her heart shriveled when she thought about the danger he faced. Could he survive? Would she get the chance to express her uncertain feelings?

  “Listen,” Father Callahan said once they were alone, “I have faith that you are who Koneh believes you to be.”

  Alexandra raised her hands to stop him, but Father Callahan said, “Let me finish.”

  “Okay, Richard.”

  He cleared his throat, wiped his hand across his bald scalp and said, “With that faith comes a truckload of guilt. I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing. It was no accident that we met. God had a plan for it all. I feel I was supposed to lead you in a certain direction and now we are on the verge of destruction. I guess I’m asking for forgiveness. I feel I have failed you.”

  “I… I don’t know what to say. I mean, you know where I stand on the whole Child of Elah thing.”

  He nodded.

  “However,” she continued, “the more I open my eyes, the more I believe something is going on. Koneh, crazy or not, found me right away, which tells me he was waiting for this. We then met you, and you have that altered Bible which I’m sure tells us something we need to know. I dunno. Maybe some of this was set in motion by the powers that be or, rather, the powers that were.”

  Henry, the doctor, brushed past Alexandra as he left the tent and mumbled something about a cigarette.

  After the doctor was out of sight, Father Callahan said, “So you see, I was meant to guide you in a certain direction, and I have failed. I’m sorry, my dear.”

  “Bah,” Alexandra said, “Maybe you were just put in my path to keep me sane. Lord knows how I’d be if I only had Koneh and Marco to talk to.”

  As if on cue, Marco’s bike rumbled to life outside the wall.

  “What?” Father Callahan said, “Marco’s leaving!”

  Alexandra and Father Callahan climbed through Santino’s rig and watched as the bike and its rider disappeared into the darkness.

  “That bastard! He’s running,” Alexandra said as Koneh joined them.

  “I don’t think that was Marco,” Koneh said.

  “What do you-” Alexandra’s question died in her throat as Marco appeared from the barricade. He fumed.

  “Who the hell stole my bike?” Marco asked.

  “The doctor, Henry,” Alexandra said as she recalled the look in Henry’s eyes when he passed her moments ago. The man was terrified.

  “Dammit!” Marco said as he threw a balled rag to the ground.

  “What do you want to do?” Koneh said, “We could send Erzulie after him.”

  “No,” Alexandra said, “we need everyone here.”

  “I’ll go after him,” Marco said as he removed his pistol from his holster and checked the magazine. “There wasn’t too much left in the tank. He won’t get too far.”

  “We need you here,” Alexandra said. “Revenge will have to wait.”

  After looking in the direction of his stolen bike, Marco returned the pistol to his holster and said, “Si, I will, of course, stay at your side.”

  “Where’s the doctor?” Benjamin said as he joined the group outside the barricade. “Holly’s having another contraction.”

  Marco said, “The good doctor abandoned us.”

  “No-”

  Alexandra opened her mouth to reassure everyone, but she never got the chance. She heard the flapping of wings. An instant later, Erzulie dropped to the ground and to her knee. Silvery liquid ran down her left shoulder.

  “They’re here,” Erzulie said. “I took out their flyers, but the hounds and belchers are upon us.”

  “Everyone, back to the barricade!” Alexandra yelled.

  “How large is the advance force?” Koneh asked as he grasped Erzulie’s arm and inspected the wounds.

  No pain registered on Erzulie’s face or in her all white eyes. “A full thirty-three,” Erzulie said.

  “Thank you, sahil,” Koneh said, “Stay above the tents and help them out.”

  Erzulie nodded.

  “And stay safe, “Alexandra said

  As Erzulie lifted herself into the sky, Alexandra turned to Koneh and said, “That goes for you as well.”

  Koneh settled his gaze upon her, but he didn’t speak. He looked into her eyes for a few moments and Alexandra thought she saw tenderness and yearning there. He then strode out into the wasteland towards his ring of planted knives.

  Chapter 20

  Alexandra wondered no more what a “belcher” was. As the first wave of demons crashed against the makeshift barricade, she knew. A demon, as tall as a large dog, hopped over the wall and snarled at her. Just in time, she turned away as the creature launched a ball of flame from its mouth like a grill lit after too much gas escaped from the tank.

  Flames roared over Alexandra’s back, scorching her hair. Howe
ver, her leather jacket absorbed the brunt of the attack and left her mostly unharmed. Surprised, the creature paused long enough for Justin to crush it with a metal pipe. The demon cracked like a dozen eggs hitting the floor.

  Risking a glance to the outside of the barricade, Alexandra spotted Koneh. The mysterious warrior moved in his semicircle, cutting down hounds and belchers as they approached. Bursts of flame lit the landscape, but Koneh seemed impervious to their attacks.

  Rat-tat-tat-a-tat-tat!

  Benjamin’s assault rifle turned a nearby hound into giblets. Thomas and Justin hooted at the sight. Was this just a video game to the teenage boys from America? Did they not realize the danger they were in?

  Alexandra didn’t have much time for thought, as she turned to face a snarling hound. The sword she held now felt heavy, as did her knees. She never wanted to hurt anyone or anything. What if this creature was just tortured into its current existence? What if it had no choice? Yet, here she was, ready to strike it down.

  “Move!”

  The command came from behind her. It was Marco. Stepping to the side, Alexandra flinched as the hound leapt.

  Pop-pop-pop!

  Marco’s pistol rung in her ears as the creature recoiled from each shot. However, it still advanced.

  Pop-Pop!

  Two more shots from Marco’s pistol sent the creature to the ground for an instant. Then, it growled and charged him.

  Click.

  “I’m out!” Marco said as he stepped backwards.

  Recalling her training, Alexandra slashed with Erzulie’s sword. The stroke cut through muscle and bone on the hound’s flank and it yelped as it tumbled into the barricade. Panting, the creature lay at the base of the wall and closed its eyes.

  Alexandra’s hands shook and her legs trembled. The stink of her burned hair filled the area, but she found it bearable. She never thought she could bring herself to kill another living creature. Where was the feeling of revulsion she expected? Why did a part of her feel so comfortable with Erzulie’s sword in her hand?

  “They’re pulling back!” Thomas said as he waved his pistol in the air.

  Indeed, the remaining belchers and hounds leapt over the barricade and gave Koneh a wide berth as they retreated into the darkness.