The Light of His Sword (10 page)

“Run!” She shouted shoving Samantha toward
the door as the car came to a screeching halt. Samantha opened the
door as Alyssa dove into the front seat again grabbing and punching
the driver so her daughter would have time to escape. The second
man jumped out of the car and reached for Samantha. Gabe dove from
the hood knocking him to the pavement. Samantha stumbled backward
away from them as they rolled across the highway, fists flying.

The driver punched Alyssa in the chest and
throat as she struggled to keep him from leaving the car. She fell
back gasping for air. Her vision blurred and he punched her again
on the side of the head. She slid into the back seat. The driver
bolted from the car and rushed to the aid of his friend. Samantha
screamed and ran to the rear of the car as he pulled a hunting
knife from his belt.

Gabe rolled off the second man and jumped to
his feet as the driver reached him. Samantha glanced at the hood of
the car. His sword was still firmly impaled in the engine. “Mommy!”
Samantha screamed as the driver advanced on Gabe slashing at him
with the knife.

Alyssa’s head was swimming. She gasped for
air, clutching her throat. Samantha’s scream jarred her out of her
stupor. She pulled herself up onto the seat and saw the driver’s
attack. Samantha was pointing at the hood of the car. Alyssa turned
to find Gabe’s sword sticking out of the hood. She glanced back to
see Gabe dodge the blade only to catch the side of it across his
forearm as the driver slashed upward. The second man was rising.
Alyssa climbed out of the car. She rushed to the front and climbed
onto the hood. She yanked at the sword, but it didn’t budge. Gabe
moved his left arm into the path of the driver’s blade. Samantha
screamed as it sank deep into Gabe’s forearm.

Undaunted, Gabe twisted his arm pulling the
blade from the drivers hand, leaving it impaled in his arm. Gabe
slammed his fist into the drivers face and spun to face the second
man, who dove into Gabe slamming him against the car. The second
man pulled out a knife and plunged it downward at Gabe. Gabe
grabbed his hand as the knife drove down fast toward Gabe’s
chest.

Alyssa grabbed the sword with both hands and
pulled with all her might. The blade wouldn’t move. Tears streamed
down her face. Her hands were numb from the icy snow and cold metal
of the sword. She yanked on the sword one last time. She lost her
grip on the slippery hilt. She tumbled backward off the hood onto
the pavement. Gabe shoved his attacker backward. Alyssa scrambled
to her feet as Gabe pulled the hunting knife from his own arm and
advanced on the second man.

Suddenly a blood-curdling howl came from the
darkness beyond the shoulder of the road. Gabe froze; the second
man flashed him a wicked smile as he backed slowly away from Gabe.
The driver scrambled to his feet, ran past Alyssa and jumped in the
car. Gabe glanced at Alyssa as the second man dashed for the car
and jumped inside. Running to pull Alyssa away from the front of
the car Gabe reached out for his sword and yanked it free with one
hand.

He grabbed hold of Alyssa and sprang away as
the car sped off; leaving them standing in the middle of the
interstate. The howls grew closer. Samantha rushed into her
mother’s arms as the car disappeared in the distance.

Gabe turned to Alyssa and spoke with quiet
urgency. His words sent a cold chill of terror through her. “Get
Samantha to the truck and keep moving. Don’t wait for me. Don’t
come back, no matter what.”

She stared at him in disbelief. His jeans
were ripped. She could see open wounds on his left thigh and calf.
His jacket was in shreds, his shirt damp with fresh blood. “I can’t
leave you!” Alyssa blurted out without thinking. He was her
protector, her friend. She looked down at his left arm. Blood was
running down his arm, dripping from his fingertips. “You’re hurt,
you can’t fight anymore.”

“I’ll be fine.” He touched her cheek with
his good hand and added, “Get Samantha to your grandmothers. Don’t
stop until you are there.”

With that, he spun and ran to the edge of
the road. The shadows under the trees silently disappeared into a
black void as if the little light left from the distant street lamp
was suddenly sucked from existence. Alyssa grabbed Samantha’s hand
and ran down the center of the highway in the direction the truck
was facing. She glanced around suddenly realizing no cars or trucks
had passed them on either side of the highway. They were completely
alone.

Alyssa looked back at Gabe. His sword burst
to life as a white flame encompassed the blade. He slowly advanced
on the darkness under the trees. Picking up Samantha, Alyssa
sprinted toward the small red taillights of the truck. It seemed
like an eternity before they reached it. The snow was coming down
in large flakes saturating their clothing. The truck was tangled in
the cable barrier that ran down the center of the median. The
engine was still running. Shivering uncontrollably, Alyssa gasped
for air. She ran across the snow-covered grass of the median,
yanked open the door and lifted Samantha inside then climbed in
after her.

“Fasten your seatbelt,” She ordered
Samantha.

“Mommy, we can’t leave Gabe!” Samantha
pleaded as she pulled on her coat and buckled her seat belt.

“We’re
not
going to leave him. Lock
your door.” Alyssa said pushing on the clutch and shoving the truck
into reverse. She wasn’t going to let Gabe die for them. This
wasn’t his fight.

The transmission screamed as she forced the
truck into gear. Turning the truck around, Alyssa headed back down
the middle of the highway toward Gabe. She breathed deeply trying
to slow her pulse and steady her nerves. As they neared, she could
see Gabe’s sword flashing in the darkness. Alyssa could just make
out Gabe’s form fighting viciously with nearly a dozen large dark
forms that stood more than a foot taller than Gabe.

They looked to be large reptiles that stood
up on their hind legs. Their short, stout legs were bent under a
broad torso covered in a thick, black scale like, armor. Their
muscular arms ended in razor sharp claws that held what appeared to
be machetes since they were not quite long enough to be swords.

Alyssa didn’t care what they were. She
wasn’t going to let them kill Gabe. She floored the truck and
headed for the middle of the largest group trying to encircle Gabe.
Gabe glanced at the headlights and dove out of the way as Alyssa
plowed through the pack of demons crushing several and sending
three others flying into the cold dark night.

Slamming on the brakes, Alyssa spun the
steering wheel and sent the truck into a spin.
Don’t roll
over!
She pleaded. Surprisingly the truck spun completely
around on the slick pavement to face the battle. Grinding the gears
she struggled to down shift and the truck leapt forward back toward
Gabe. Gabe jumped up from the pavement and rushed toward three of
the reptilian demons. Gabe quickly severed the head of the first
and advanced on the second. He sword swung with the precision of a
surgeon cutting off its arm and sending it’s machete flying.
Several more rushed forward as Alyssa surged toward them with the
truck. Gabe walked through the group of demon reptiles slicing
limbs as if they were butter. Alyssa slammed into the group once
more barely missing Gabe as he dove to the side. This time she
stopped and pulled the emergency brake, ordering Samantha, “Stay in
the car!” Reaching under the seat, Alyssa pulled out Gabe’s
handgun; she jumped out of the truck and ran toward Gabe holding
the gun out in front of her. A demon rushed toward her, and she
pulled the trigger. Nothing happened.

“No!” Gabe shouted from behind the
demon.

Alyssa stumbled backward as the demon
advanced. Its blood red eyes promised her a swift death. It snarled
and bared a mouthful of razor sharp teeth. Alyssa screamed and fell
backward at it reached her. The demon stopped to tower over, saliva
dripped from it’s maw as it reached for her. She could smell the
stench of rotting death from its breath.

Suddenly a burst of fire broke through its
chest as Gabe’s sword appeared through it’s armor. Gabe pulled the
sword free and shoved the demon aside with his foot. He reached
down and pulled Alyssa to her feet. “Run!” He growled and shoved
her toward the truck. He spun and thrust his sword into the stomach
of the nearest demon, then turned and raced after Alyssa.

Chapter Seven

Alyssa sped down the interstate as fast as
she dared. Gabe’s head was on her lap. His breathing was shallow
and ragged. Samantha opened the glove box and pulled out a small
first aid kit. She opened it and showed the interior to Alyssa.
“Good girl,” Alyssa said, “See that little packet? I think that’s
disinfectant like the kits at the compound. Can you open it and
clean the wound on his arm?”

Samantha frowned at Gabe’s bloody arm that
hung out over the edge of the seat. “It’s pretty messy, but I think
I can clean it. Will it hurt?”

“It might sting a bit, but he’s sound
asleep, I don’t think he’ll notice.” Alyssa glanced down at Gabe.
The light from the glove box lit up the interior with a pale glow.
Gabe’s face was white as a sheet and his cheek caked with blood.
Alyssa reached down and gently brushed a stray lock of hair from
his eyes.

Samantha opened the packet and sat on the
floor in the narrow space in front of Gabe. She gingerly peeled
back his sleeve. “Mommy there’s too much blood and not enough
light, I can’t see the ouchy.”

“Look in the bag Gabe bought at the gas
station. There may be a bottle of water in there. You can use that
to wash his arm. You can use my dress as a rag.” Alyssa said as she
turned on the cab light.

Samantha found the water. Then pulled
Alyssa’s dress out of another bag and gently cleaned Gabe’s wounds
under her mother’s instruction. Alyssa didn’t dare pull over for
even a moment in fear more demons would appear. More cars began to
appear on the highway as they drove. She considered that a good
sign. Samantha tore open some gauze pads she found in the first aid
kit and laid them on the worst of Gabe’s wounds on his arm, leg and
what she could reach on his chest and stomach.

Once she’d finished seeing to Gabe, Samantha
made a bed on the floor with Alyssa’s coat, curled up and fell
asleep. Alyssa yawned and wiggled her fingers to get the
circulation going. She glanced down at the bag from the gas station
that sat on the floor in front of Gabe. Pulling it up onto the
dash, she reached inside and found a small bottle of the same
energy drink Gabe offered her when they first met. She drank it
quickly then reached out and turned on the radio.

A soft lilting tune filled the truck. Alyssa
turned the knob. She found an upbeat song with a country twang she
thought would help keep her awake until the drink kicked in.

Gabe opened his eyes and grunted as he sat
up. “Where are we?” He asked examining the band-aids on his
arm.

“We passed Salina two hours ago. The last
sign said 45 miles to Kansas City.” Alyssa answered.

“Kansas City’s got a pretty complicated
interstate system. Do you want me to drive?” He asked carefully
placing his feet on the floor beside Samantha.

His shoulder brushed against Alyssa’s, and
she jumped. Wiggling in her seat and stretching one arm to mask her
reaction, Alyssa said, “It’s 2 o’clock in the morning, do you think
there will be much traffic?”

“Hopefully not, but it only takes one bad
driver…” Gabe chose his words carefully, not wanting to voice his
concern of another attack.

“How do they keep finding us?” Alyssa
asked.

He glanced at her pale features in the dim
light from the dash. Her large doe eyes were focused on the road,
but her hands were gripping the steering wheel with vengeance. She
was frightened more than she wanted to let on.

Gabe glanced down to insure Samantha was
asleep, then explained, “Approximately twenty-five percent of the
population are possessed. Demons are connected by a type of psychic
network. One possessed person is all it takes to alert the entire
population if they find us. That’s why we are only stopping for
gas; the more people who see us, the higher our chances of
detection.”

Alyssa shot him a puzzled look. “You’re
saying one out of every four people is possessed? That’s
crazy!”

Gabe sighed, “I know it sounds like a lot,
but not all demons are like those you’ve seen today. Some are very
weak and simply occupy a host for companionship. They cause mild
problems for the host such as headaches, depression, or
sleeplessness. Most people have no idea a demon is living inside
them. Other demons are more powerful. They cause evil thoughts,
severe illness or some sort of psychosis. It’s even possible for
several demons to inhabit one person without a visible hint to
others. That’s why your gift of detecting evil in others is so
valuable. You can feel the evil when most people can’t. ”

“How is that possible for a demon to jump
inside someone?” Alyssa gasped.

Gabe glanced out the window as they passed
another road sign and the lights of Kansas City appeared in the
distance. “Demons can’t just jump inside you. The victims have to
be open to the possession. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying they
are willingly looking to be possessed or willingly allowing the
possession, but they aren’t protecting themselves from it either.
Their belief in demons or lack of belief in a greater good can
leave them open to possession, or worse. It can leave their loved
ones open as well.”

Alyssa frowned at him and pulled over on the
shoulder. “If you are sure you can drive, I could use a break. I’m
hungry. It’s been a long day and my fingers are cramping from
driving.”

“So you understand what I’m saying about
protecting yourself from a demon?” Gabe asked.