Legend of Mace (32 page)

"You," Marty said expressively. "You were right all along!"

Eyeing him intensely, Mace's brain turned as he realized he could end it all with truth. Everything he'd started and spread, they'd believed.

"There is one thing left to do," Mace said, starting to feel peace spread within him. "Listen to me closely."

Marty studied his face, enamored by his wisdom and guidance. "Just tell me," he said sincerely. 

"The curse," Mace said. "It is still in our midst. It turns out it isn't somewhere out there, but it's within us all. We are all infected." 
Surprised by Mace's declaration, Marty remained mesmerized by his words.

"There is only one way to free ourselves from this curse," Mace said. "There is only one way to make this right." 

Marty's eyes grew wide as Mace's words sunk in.

"We need to sacrifice ourselves. We need to leave this earth free from the stain of infection." At the sound of his words, everything felt right to Mace. 

"We need to die?" questioned Marty, shocked by the authority and authenticity of Mace's truth.

Smiling as the end drew closer, Mace answered sincerely. "It is not a bad thing. It is the gift we give to this world. With this one final act, we just might find redemption." Watching Marty try to find meaning, Mace felt sympathetic for his plight. It wasn't Marty's fault. It was none of theirs. It was the infection. It tried to destroy them all.

"Trust me," Mace said. "This is a glorious end. We must embrace this truth and offer ourselves up with joy."

As the new realization spun through Marty's head, he grinned. "We can end the suffering," Marty said, understanding his own inner turmoil and madness. "We can finally find peace."

"Exactly," Mace answered calmly.

Staring at him for the longest time, Marty finally uttered the words that brought it all home. "You are our Savior." The circle was now complete.

As Mace made his way to the top of the stands, he took it all in. Part of the roof had collapsed, and the breeze felt good as it swept through the upper rows. Looking about, he chuckled as he realized the building could collapse any moment. It creaked and swayed as the crowds chanted and stomped their feet, becoming joyous as they embraced their final act of surrender. Marty didn't need to announce it. It spread telekinetically. The vibration was so strong Mace could actually feel it himself. 

Those that couldn't make it inside pressed themselves against the building, feeling the connection through the walls. Others pressed against them as they all longed to be part of their final experience. In all, over 170,000 Plaguers gathered or pressed against each other, lost in the connection of their surrender.

Closing his eyes, Mace took a few deep breaths as he prepared for the end to come. In his minds eye, he pictured Jade smiling and happy. It was what he'd always wanted for her. Falling into a faraway place, he watched as Jason ran giggling through a field of deep grass with Jade chasing after him. They looked completely joyful.

At that moment, his heart opened up again. He could feel his love for them return as the seconds ticked down to Plaguer Armageddon. "Thank you," he said out loud, as more pictures of his family and friends played out in his mind.

Despite the roar of the crowd as Marty finally took center stage, Mace remained in a state of bliss as his mind surrounded himself with those he loved and cherished. A smile crossed his face as he pictured Chelsea with Herman on her shoulder and Buster at her feet.

He never felt any pain when the nukes finally went off. Just a quick flash of intense heat, and then nothing. The next thing he knew he was floating aimlessly in a dark void. Endless and deep, he experienced no fear. He felt nothing.  Lost in a timeless, spaceless existence, he surrendered himself to the emptiness all around.

In the far off distance, which appeared to be millions of miles away, he suddenly spotted a tiny pin of light. As it slowly drew closer, it began to grow in size. It started moving towards him at dizzying speeds, expanding as it came, until it finally appeared as a vast tunnel of light. He felt an incredible sense of love emanating from its center.

Someone appeared in the middle of the tunnel. Recognizing his old friend's smile immediately, the emptiness Mace felt was replaced with a great sense of joy. Behind Father McCann were numerous others from his past. His eyes fell upon Lisa, who now looked completely radiant. They all did.

As he looked upon each face, the guilt he'd felt washed away. They held no resentment towards him, laid no blame. All he felt from each of them was acceptance and love.

Jason, the child he'd been forced to shoot in San Francisco, whose death had haunted him most, suddenly stepped forward, grinning wildly at the sight of him. "I've been waiting for you," he said joyfully.

From somewhere deep inside Mace an overwhelming consciousness of love burst forth like an exploding planet. He instantly felt at one with the light and everyone around him.  With razor clarity, he suddenly understood it all.

As the sun began to set over San Antonio, TX, the sounds of children's laughter filled the air. On a beautiful summer night in early September, the compound gathered to pay homage to their founding members.

Lighting the candle of remembrance, Chelsea smiled as she cleared her throat, ready to begin her speech. Her oldest daughter, Emily, waved at her fr
om the crowd and yelled, "Go Mom!"

The crowd laughed, causing Emily to bolt from her seat and race towards the stage. She was a natural ham. Bailey quickly snatched her from behind, and she giggled incessantly as he carried her back to her seat over his shoulder. 

Watching her family, Chelsea smiled warmly.  "This is why we gather today," she said, motioning towards them. "We are just so blessed to be here right now."

Over the course of the past decade, the camp had grown by twenty-three, with only one loss, in their second year. One of the Rangers died accidentally as they cleared  the mines around the compound. With all the threats gone, it was time to change the area from a fortress into a sanctuary.

"We honor all our heroes this day, but especially Mace Marconi and Lisa Hutchins, my mother," Chelsea said proudly, beginning her official speech. "Their bravery, unyielding commitment to this camp, and selfless actions allow us to still be here today." She widened her arms and said, "And just look at what we've accomplished."

Surrounded by fields bursting with crops, flowers, and trees, their sanctuary barely resembled the hardened fortress it once had been. Farm animals roamed freely inside their large pens, while Buster slept quietly in the shade under an oak. Far past his prime, he barely roamed anymore. With the eyesight in his one good eye deteriorating and arthritis slowing him down, he stayed mostly indoors, sleeping next to Emily at night. They were close to inseparable.

Standing in the back behind Jade, Roger wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed the side of her cheek. "I love you," he whispered, as Shawn, ten, and Mace Jr., now nine, played with their little sister on the ground in front of them. Even though they held this commemoration every year, Jade couldn't help but get emotional.

Jade kissed Roger's forearm as he snuggled her. "I love you, too," she said quietly. Their relationship had grown stronger over time, finally blossoming into deep feelings and then real love. Mace would always be the one, though. They both understood that.

  Standing next to his mother, Jason smiled and squeezed her hand as she sniffled. Looking up at her, he said "It's okay, mom. You can cry if you need to."

Smiling back, Jade stared lovingly at her boy. He was the spitting image of his father. He possessed an inner strength and sense of compassion that completely warmed her heart. She knew he would someday be their new leader. "Thank you, honey," she said. She bent over, kissing him on his forehead.

After Mace's departure, the idea of turning the camp became close to an obsession for Roger. Leading by example, as each day passed and no new threat arose, he worked tirelessly to turn their focus from being battle-ready to family-oriented. With the arrival of Mace and Jade's third child in a non-hostile environment, everything changed. Young, hardened hearts that never contemplated a peaceful existence, started to melt. Hope took hold in the camp. Roger became their spiritual father.

Children continued to squeal as they chased each other around the playground. They usually didn't get to stay up this late. 
Crockett shook his head as his and Kelly's youngest, Brian, nicknamed Bowie, started crying as he slipped off the monkey bars. "Kid's a human pinball," Crockett whispered to Kelly as she sat next to him.

"I'll get him," Kelly chuckled as she quickly rose and rushed over to quiet him down. She didn't want his fussiness to interrupt the proceedings. 

"As we start a new decade," Chelsea proceeded, "we continue to  work hard to improve our community and give thanks for all the goodness we have received. We are the new world order: We are the future. And as we multiply and expand, we vow to treat this earth and each other with respect."

Momentarily locking eyes with Maya as she scanned the crowd, Chelsea smiled as  she watched Maya's baby reach up and pull on Maya's lower lip. Looking at Travis sitting next to her, Chelsea could see the adoration and love on his face as he stared at his family. He grabbed his baby's fingers and gently kissed them.

"This is a new opportunity," Chelsea continued, unable to remove the smile plastered across her face as she witnessed the love all around her. "And we will not allow darkness to enter our abode. That was the gift that was given, the sacrifice that was made. And we vow to never forget that."

Standing off by himself as he often did, Woody looked out at the horizon as the sun slowly disappeared behind the curtain of night. His thoughts turned to Mace and all he had taught  him during their time together. Mace's last words to him, he thought, his last lesson, was by far the most important.
Change this world
, Mace had said, as he sacrificed himself and left to allow that change to happen.

Woody smiled in memory of the man. To him, Mace was a legend, and he'd live out the rest of his days trying to make him proud. 
Turning back to look at the crowd and his own wife and children gathered in remembrance, his smile grew larger. 

The End.

If you enjoyed this book and series, please take a moment to write a review on
Amazon
. Reviews are very important for an author. Thank you.