Rapture (16 page)

He and Joshua had positioned themselves carefully so that they had a clear line of sight to where Adam waited on the fighting platform. As the defenders opened up with their heavy machine guns, Adam turned in his direction and waved. The signal.

“Hit it,” said Sam.

Joshua turned the key on the jeep. A juddering, coughing sound emerged from the engine and then nothing.

“Try it again.”

Joshua turned it again. This time, with a splutter and then a great roar as the engine burst into life. Josh gunned it and they took off. They got about ten feet before they jerked to an abrupt halt. In the dim light, Sam could make out the trunk of a tree in front of them.

“Turn on the lights,” Sam ordered.

“Yeah, yeah,” said Joshua testily. He hit the lights, suddenly bathing the bare limbs of tree trunks in a wash of stark illumination. He reversed quickly and then accelerated down the dirt track.

Sam felt rather than saw some of the Lemure and other demons suddenly swerve from their attack on the palisade and head in their direction. Adam’s plan was working. They were drawing at least some of the attackers off.

Joshua drove on, far too quickly for the pock-marked dirt trail. The jeep bounced and juddered along, almost throwing Sam out. He had to release his grip on his longer sword just to hang on. To call what they were on a track or trail was an exaggeration. It was just a thin line of clear space in between the trees, still heavily overgrown. It had seen some traffic though – Sam could see tyre marks which Joshua was using to navigate.

“Take it easy!” he shouted over the roar of the engine.

“If you want to drive, be my guest,” yelled Josh.

“I don’t know how,” Sam admitted.

Josh took his eyes off the track for a second to give Sam an astounded glance. When he looked back, a massive shape had materialized in front of the jeep, blocking the path. It was a horned demon, easily recognisable in the glare of the jeep’s headlights. If they hit that, the vehicle was definitely going to come off second best.

“Look out!” screamed Sam.

Josh swerved violently, veering off the path, missing two trees by a hair’s breadth. As Josh fought the wheel with the jeep hurtling amongst the trees, Sam noticed other things in the forest with them. Lemure. Tens, if not hundreds of them, scurrying out of the path of the hateful light. A group of them were too slow and Josh rammed into them, sending demon bodies flying over the bonnet. Some disappeared immediately, raining ash down on the two boys. The others landed behind the jeep. Sam risked a glance behind him and was horrified to see them lurching back onto their feet and chasing the jeep again.

Yet more Lemure reached for him as they raced past. He struck out with his wakizashi, feeling the satisfying sensation of his blade cutting deep. He severed several clutching hands, leaving them twitching on the forest floor behind the racing jeep.

Josh swerved again and suddenly they were back on the path.

“Nicely done,” he yelled.

Josh nodded, but didn’t risk glancing in Sam’s direction. He’d learnt his lesson.

They charged along the path. Sam could sense the Lemure struggling to keep pace beside the vehicle. When he stared back down the path, he could see the horned demon lumbering after them. With its thick, powerful legs, it wasn’t built for speed. Soon, they had left it far behind.

Sam was impressed. So far the plan had gone off almost without a hitch. He started to relax, thinking they were in the clear when, without warning, the jeep shuddered under an immense blow. The whole front of the vehicle lunged upwards and began to slow as only the rear wheels got any traction with the ground.

Gulping, Sam grabbed his katana and turned, knowing all too well what he would find perched on the back on the jeep. He wasn’t disappointed. It was an Astaroth. Somehow, the massive demon had avoided the branches overhead and managed to land itself directly on the back of their jeep. Its huge weight was what was forcing the front up like the prow of a ship on a stormy sea.

The jeep was only crawling along now, struggling to move with such a load on the back. That was fortunate for Sam. It meant that he was able to keep his balance while he stood and confronted the creature with both blades.

The Astaroth was forced to duck continuously as low branches threatened to sweep it off the back of the jeep. Slightly off balance, it could only swing with two of its four blades at once. Somehow, he managed to block both thrusting swords. The impact left his arms numb and he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep this up for long. He’d defeated an Astaroth before, but using the same trick in these circumstances was completely out of the question.

“If you’re going to do something, now would be good,” he yelled at Joshua. The other boy didn’t have to be told twice. He knew something was on the back of the jeep and from the sound of Sam’s voice, knew that it wasn’t good.

Joshua swerved again. The manoeuvre done at speed would have effectively thrown the Astaroth (and probably Sam) off the jeep. Unfortunately, the crawling pace of the jeep caused only a minor inconvenience for the great demon. It shuffled its weight but stayed firmly rooted.

“Do something else,” yelled Sam again, desperately blocking another attack.

“I’m trying,” Joshua yelled back.

Joshua picked a spot between the trees. Sam knew it would be close but right now, they had no other options. The jeep scraped the sides of both trees as they squeezed through. The Astaroth wasn’t so lucky. For some reason, it had not furled its wings. As a result, they were jutting out like sails on a ship. Both wings clipped the trees and yanked it back. It fell off the jeep with a mighty thud.

With its huge weight no longer an issue, the front wheels of the jeep finally touched the ground again. The jeep surged forward, throwing Sam off balance. His katana flew out of his hand, over the side and into the undergrowth.

“Stop!” yelled Sam.

“No chance,” Joshua replied grimly.

“You have to,” Sam yelled again. “Without both swords, we’re history.”

Joshua sighed deeply and turned the wheel. The jeep roared through the trees and back onto the path. Again. The Astaroth was standing in the middle of the path facing in their direction, its gleaming red eyes fixed on them. Josh swerved to the left, taking them off the path. Once he was past the Astaroth, Joshua jerked the wheel to the right. The Astaroth was just turning as they hurtled past it and back towards the trees where they’d just been. Sam felt the swish of the demon’s blades narrowly miss his head as they swept past.

Joshua gunned the jeep through the narrow opening in the trees again. As he did, Sam reached down over the low side of the vehicle, praying that he remembered the exact spot correctly. A second later, he sat upright, grinning triumphantly, his katana once again in his hand.

“Happy now?” said Josh sarcastically.

“Sure am,” said Sam. He was too - more elated and happier than he’d been in years. They’d just pulled off the impossible and it felt great.

Josh got them back on the path and picked up speed. The frustrated screams of the demons followed them down the path as the Astaroth and other demons fell behind, unable to keep up with the rapidly accelerating jeep. Without warning, the sound of the tyres changed. They’d reached the main road.

With a squeal of tyres, Josh brought the car around, grinning wildly. He gunned the engine. The jeep gathered speed, rapidly taking them westwards, towards Bryce Valley and whatever awaited them there.

“…that proves how marvellous God’s love is, even for the most miserable human beings, being that demons can never take a human figure in a perfect form, and so the most stupid people are able to discover them”.

“Try to lie down.”

Sam squirmed about on the floor, trying to get comfortable. Inside the pentagram, there wasn’t much room. Aimi had done her best, providing a small bed roll and a pillow, but it certainly wasn’t long enough for him to stretch out.

He ended up in a foetal position which was only a moderately pleasing posture for someone of his height and build. He didn’t want to think what would happen if he wanted to change positions during his sleep.

Hikari eyed the circle critically and consulted the

heavy tome in his arms. He traced something in the book with his finger and then nodded.

“Well,” he said, closing the book and placing it on the floor. “It looks right. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Sam prayed vehemently that it would work. Over the last several months, his dreams had become much, much worse, making sleep almost impossible. Meditation helped, but sometimes he was so tired that his eyes would just close by themselves. And then the dreams would come. Dreams of black figures wreathed in fire, talking to him, cajoling and suggesting. It was becoming too much.

Hikari has spent the last few years researching extensively for a solution to the problem. What he’d found was a precious leather bound copy of the Lesser Key of Solomon, a seventeenth century text that contained detailed information on rituals for summoning, controlling and banishing the various demons of hell.

Together, Sam and Hikari had gone through it, page by page, trying various solutions. Sam had enjoyed the time they spent together, especially being able to work through a book that he was able to touch. The Lesser Key of Solomon was neither holy nor blessed. It didn’t burn him like the Bible.

Today was just another variation of the other rituals. Sam didn’t hold out much hope but he was desperate enough to try anything.

“I’m not sure I understand,” said Aimi, her pretty face creased with a frown. She was almost fifteen now and had matured into a stunningly beautiful teenager. Most days, Sam found it hard to concentrate if she was around. “The pentagram is meant to contain a demon; how is it meant to stop the dreams from getting to him?”

“If Solomon is to be believed, then the symbol should stop anything from Hell getting in or out. In theory, that should include dreams.” Hikari shrugged. “In theory.”

Sam could see that his master, like him, still had doubts. Of course, this had never been tried before. Over the centuries, there had been accounts of how magicians and demon worshippers had summoned high-ranking demons into these pentagrams, but there was nothing about protecting a demon from projected thoughts. The need, Sam guessed, had never arisen - until now …

During their investigation, Hikari and Sam had unearthed many fascinating insights about demons. Hikari was an expert on the subject and yet his master was still surprised by what they had found in Solomon’s text. According to this and other books on demonology, a circle of holy water sprinkled around someone’s body would protect them from Demons. They’d tried this with disastrous results, as the close proximity of the holy water made Sam’s body break out in hives. The idea was quickly abandoned.

They’d also tried variations of pentagrams used to summon demons. Most of these involved using candles and braziers filled with burning sulphur, blood and various other substances. All it had succeeded in doing was making Sam feel nauseous, and the smell in the confined space of the small storage room made sleep all but impossible.

Hikari picked up his chalk again. With it he traced a circle linking the five points of the pentagram, converting the symbol into a pentacle. Amongst Christians, the symbol had once been a source of good. The five points represented the five wounds of Christ and also the five senses. By changing it into a pentacle, Hikari had unified its powers for good, protection and wholeness.

Hikari grunted and straightened up. “Let’s hope we’ve got it the right way round this time.”

It wasn’t the first time they’d tried this. Through trial and error, they’d discovered that it was something to do with the orientation of the pentacle. Two points projecting upwards were the sign of evil while the topmost pointing towards Heaven meant the opposite. The only problem was, they didn’t know which direction Heaven was.

They’d changed the orientation over the course of four nights. Not once had it worked. Sam’s nightmares returned with renewed power every single night. Tonight was their last chance. If this didn’t work, they’d have to go back to the drawing board and try something completely different.

Hikari checked the pentacle one last time, ensuring that there were no gaps in the chalk. One tiny gap would be all that it took to render the symbol useless. Eventually, he smiled at Sam. “Sweet dreams, my boy.”

Aimi hesitated for a moment as Hikari left the small storage room, leaving the two of them alone. “Looks like you’re trapped in there,” she grinned at him.

They knew from past trials that Sam was effectively a prisoner inside the pentacle. Sam moved his legs experimentally. As they reached the chalk outline of the pentagram, it was as if they encountered a solid barrier. He pressed harder and felt only the slightest give in the wall. He knew that he could probably shove even more and eventually force himself through, but that would ruin the chalk outline and with it, his chance for a dreamless sleep.

He grinned back at her. “It’s not often that you have me at a disadvantage, is it? I wouldn’t get used to it.”

Aimi laughed. “All talk, big man. We’ll see how you go at training this afternoon, sunshine.” She blew him a kiss and closed the door softly on her way out.

Sam grunted and wiggled around in the confined space. Curled up, he let sleep take him, praying that it would be dream free.