The Incubus, Succubus and Son of Perdition Box Set: The Len du Randt Bundle (21 page)

Not this time.

‘I want you both
to leave;
now!
’

‘Or what?’ one
of the men said and pulled out a pistol. ‘What are you going to do, tough guy?’

The scruffy man
moved to the left of Simon while the one with the gun approached him head on.
He raised the pistol and pressed it against Simon’s forehead. ‘Or what?’ he asked
again.

Simon didn’t
answer.

‘Shoot him!’ the
man to Simon’s left encouraged.

A brilliant
light at Simon’s feet drew the men’s attention. Simon instinctively reached to
his side and the men only saw the glowing sword for the briefest moment before
it swung through the air and slashed through the man with the gun. Another
lightning fast flash and the thug to Simon’s left also fell to the ground;
dead.

Simon stared at
the sword in his hand. The light pulsated and after a moment faded and vanished
along with the sword. He looked at his shaking hands in disbelief and then
remembered the woman.

‘Are you okay?’
he asked as he rushed to her side.

She was
trembling with fear and bordered on shock.

‘Please don’t
kill me,’ she pleaded.

Simon looked at
the two lifeless bodies not too far from them. ‘I won’t harm you,’ he said.
‘Now go.’

The woman
side-stepped one of the bodies and then ran from the construction site, leaving
Simon there alone, looking at the dead men and wondering what had just
happened.

*    -    -   
-    *

He kissed her in
her neck and she loved it. Dominic then carried her to her room where he gently
lowered her onto the bed.

‘We can’t do
this,’ Rebecca said, but showed no resistance.

‘We can,’
Dominic said and kissed her in the neck again. He then kissed her on the mouth,
almost forcefully.

‘My husband,’
she said. ‘Justin...’

‘He doesn’t love
you anymore,’ Dominic whispered softly in her ear. ‘Not the way I do.’

‘But I’m
pregnant with his baby.’

‘He doesn’t care
for the child. I will take care of both of you.’

‘I...I can’t...’

With that she
woke up and opened her eyes. In the darkness she could see Dominic hunched over
her. Again she felt the pressure on her arms and chest.

‘Dominic?’ she
asked and instantly the silhouette was gone.

Justin murmured
something and then turned around and placed his arm around her waist. She
removed his arm and lay there in the darkness, wondering about the strange
young man next door and her fascination with him before she finally succumbed
to a deep, dreamless sleep.

‘What am I supposed to do?’ Simon
asked. ‘How can I defeat this person, this...thing?’ He paced up and down
between his kitchen and living room. No answer came to mind. ‘Show yourself,
angel!’ he commanded. ‘
Tell me!
’

‘Do you think
you’d be able to handle the truth now, Simon?’ a voice asked from the couch in
the living room. Simon closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths before
entering the living room. The man smiled as Simon approached him. ‘Think you’re
up to it?’

‘It’s that
Dominic guy, isn’t it? The Demon?’

The man nodded.

‘And it’s
Justin’s baby that he’s after?’

‘Correct.’

Simon rubbed his
face with the palm of his hand. ‘This is surreal,’ he said and sat down on the
couch. He sighed deeply. ‘I killed two men tonight.’

‘I know.’

‘That makes me a
murderer; not an angel of God.’

‘Do not deceive
yourself, Simon, for God cannot be mocked. You are a powerful warrior of the
Most High. Those men overstepped the boundary of holiness and paid the ultimate
price. Much like the one hundred eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp
put to death by the angel of the Lord.’

Simon shook his
head. ‘I’m losing my mind.’

‘Quite the
opposite, my friend,’ the man said. ‘You’re renewing your mind.’

‘I don’t know if
I’m up to this,’ Simon said. ‘Why don’t
you
just take him out?’

‘There is a
certain threshold that angels cannot pass,’ the man said. ‘Nature sometimes
just has to take its course.’

‘And that’s why
you needed human intervention?’

The man smiled
and nodded.

‘So you’re
telling me that there is no angel that can stop this demon?’

‘Oh,’ the man
said and a grin formed on his face. ‘There is one.’

‘Me…’

‘Correct.’

‘This is
unreal.’

‘You’re our only
hope, Simon,’ the man said. ‘The fates of millions lie in your hands.’

Simon waited a
long moment before he spoke again. He stared blankly at the wall in front of
him as thoughts, questions, and doubts shot through his mind. After what felt
like forever, he swallowed hard and asked, ‘What happens if I fail?’

‘I don’t think
we can begin to understand the terror that will be unleashed on this world. If
he grows up in the company of the wrong kind of people, he will be responsible
for the largest slaughter in human history.’ He paused for a moment to let his
words sink in. ‘But if you succeed, the result would be quite the opposite. He
will be responsible for leading millions to our Lord, Jesus Christ.’

‘And all of this
will
happen?’

The man nodded.

‘Through this
one child?’

‘Hard to
imagine, isn’t it?’

Simon was
dumbstruck. The fate of millions of people rested upon Justin’s unborn son as
much as on Simon. If he managed to stop the demon, everything would be fine. If
not, hell on earth would be unleashed. Simon looked up at the angel in his
apartment. ‘What about Timmy’s parents? They’re being accused of fraud for
something that I did.’

The man shook
his head. ‘It is not my place to know how this will all turn out,’ he said.
‘But everything works out best for those who love the Lord.’

Simon knew the
scripture. He thought about the task at hand and his encounter with Dominic
earlier. He had to focus to keep himself from becoming nauseous again. ‘This
demon,’ he finally asked. ‘What type is it?’

‘It’s one of the
dark one’s highest ranking,’ the man said and the grave expression on his face
revealed his concern. ‘An Incubus.’

*    -    -   
-    *

All you need
to do is ask.

Justin wondered
if there was any alternative. He could think of none. The past bound him,
preventing him from having a fulfilling future with his wife. According to
Simon it was as simple as
asking
for forgiveness. According to Justin,
that in itself wasn’t as simple as it sounded. He knew that Rebecca believed in
God, Jesus, and the whole ‘salvation’ thing, but because he insisted, she never
spoke about it out loud.

It was even before
they were married that he put his foot down on any talks about religion or
politics, and for the first time since then he wished he hadn’t. He longed to
know more about her religion and what fuelled her faith. He wished he knew more
about her dreams and goals for the future. He realized that he stood on the
brink of divorce with a woman he didn’t really know half as well as he should
have. He felt selfish and ashamed for the first time since their marriage.

All you need
to do is ask.

He saw Simon sitting
underneath a tree in the little garden and walked over to him.

‘Hey,’ Simon
said as Justin approached him. ‘You’re just in time to join me for a sandwich.’

Justin sat down
in front of Simon on the soft grass and crossed his legs. ‘I need to ask you something,’
he said.

Simon nodded.
‘Shoot.’

Justin took a
sandwich from Simon and took a bite. He chewed a while and swallowed. ‘I really
need your honest opinion. It’s matter of life and death.’

*    -    -   
-    *

‘Dominic?’

Justin nodded.

Simon pondered
the question for a moment. ‘Do you want my honest opinion?’

‘Nothing less.’

‘I don’t like
him,’ he said and bit into his sandwich. ‘Not one bit.’ He studied Justin for a
minute as he slowly chewed on the sandwich. ‘Why do you ask?’

‘Not sure,’ Justin
said. ‘There’s something about that guy that creeps me out.’

‘Yeah, me too.’

‘And I think
he’s messing with my wife.’

Simon paused in
mid-bite and slowly took the sandwich away from his mouth. ‘Why do you say
that?’

‘I don’t know,’
Justin said. ‘It’s just a feeling I get. You know? Almost like those you got
about me.’

‘Did you speak
to Rebecca about it yet?’

‘Not yet, no.’

‘Well, I think
you should.’

‘I wish that I
was as laid back about everything as you are,’ Justin said. ‘Things just aren’t
that simple in real life, you know?’

Simon laughed.
‘I wish that we could exchange shoes right here and now, my friend. But we
can’t. You have your quest to fulfil, and I have mine.’

There was a
moment of silence between the two and in the silence; Justin pondered the
actual reason for striking up the conversation with Simon. ‘This whole sin and
forgiveness issue,’ he asked. ‘Is it really that simple?’

Simon nodded.
‘It is, yes. People tend to over-complicate the matter, and in doing so manage
to make Christianity a burden not only on themselves, but on others as well.’

‘But there are
all these rules,’ Justin said. ‘All these rituals and dogma.’

‘Not so,’ Simon
said. ‘Do you know what the biggest rule of Christianity is?’

Justin thought
for a moment. ‘Thou shalt not kill?’

Simon shook his
head. ‘The biggest command to a Christian is to love the Lord your God with
your whole heart and mind. The second biggest command is to love your neighbour
as yourself. The foundation of Christianity is love.’

Justin didn’t
say anything. He merely finished his sandwich and allowed Simon to continue.

‘God is able to
love in a scale that human minds simply cannot comprehend. It is for that
reason that Jesus Christ had to die. So that we don’t have to. You’re a father,
Justin. Imagine if by the painful torture and death of your only son, you could
ensure the survival of the human race. Would you allow it?’

Justin thought
about the miscarriage. ‘I don’t...know.’

‘Well, God made
that sacrifice for you. The best part is that you don’t have to do anything
physically to earn it. You merely need to accept. All you need to do is ask.’

Justin felt
convicted for the first time in years. The feeling was alien, yet not at all
uncomfortable. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and stood up. ‘I
have to go now,’ he said. ‘Thanks for the chat.’

‘Anytime,’ Simon
said.

Justin turned to
leave.

‘Oh, and
Justin?’

‘Yes?’

‘Good luck; and
God speed.’

*    -    -   
-    *

Rebecca opened
the door. ‘Dominic,’ she said. ‘What a pleasant surprise.’

‘I thought you’d
be in a desperate need of a coffee break.’

‘I don’t drink
coffee,’ Rebecca said. ‘But I do have a craving for some tea. Please, come in.’

Dominic entered
the apartment and joined her in the kitchen as she boiled the water.

‘Your husband
still at work?’

‘I’m afraid so,’
she said. ‘Traffic usually keeps him on the road until about seven.’

‘That’s just
terrible,’ Dominic said. ‘I’ll simply have to keep you company until then.’ He
said, but hesitated. ‘That is, if you don’t mind.’

‘Not at all,’ she
said. She felt doubly blessed. Not only did she not have to be alone in the
apartment, but she had the companionship of one of the most attractive men she
had ever seen in her life.

‘Does he work
late often?’ Dominic asked as they sat down in the living room.

‘It’s not really
working late,’ she reminded him. ‘It’s the traffic.’

‘Oh yes,’
Dominic said as if he had forgotten already. ‘You must trust him an awful lot
then.’

Rebecca frowned.
‘What do you mean?’

‘The traffic
thing,’ Dominic said. ‘You must trust him a lot to think that he actually sits
in traffic.’ He shrugged. ‘I don’t know about him, but if I had to sit in
traffic, I’d rather find something to do or someone to visit until most of the
traffic’s died down. Why sit in rush hour madness and frustrate yourself if you
could just wait it out?’

‘Someone to
visit?’

‘Oh, you know.
People around the office, perhaps. Maybe a friend?’

‘Like a lady
friend?’

‘Perhaps,’
Dominic said and nodded.

‘He doesn’t have
any female friends...’

‘None that you
know of,’ Dominic said. ‘Do you really think that you’re the only female
companionship he has?’

‘Well...he knows
Tanya...’

‘True,’ Dominic
said and rubbed his chin. ‘Well, it was just a thought. I could be wrong, of
course.’

Rebecca thought
about the past few weeks; Justin’s constant late working, him losing his ring,
going to sites, and his mood swings. She also remembered her discussions with
Tanya, and slowly, a fear started becoming a reality. ‘Are you implying that
Justin is having an affair?’

‘Not at all,’ Dominic
said and laughed heartedly. ‘I’m merely saying that there is a gap for
opportunity, wouldn’t you think?’

I think he’s
having an affair
, Tanya’s voice echoed in her head.
The evidence is there, and it’s all pointing to one thing
.

‘I...I don’t
know what to believe anymore...’

Denial is a
terrible thing.

‘Again, I might
be wrong,’ Dominic said. ‘But I’m just giving you a man’s perspective on the
situation.’

For the first
time since she suspected Justin having an affair did Rebecca actually feel
angry. She felt like a blind fool, being mocked and duped in front of the world
while blindly following the man claiming to love her. She was angry and for the
first time she actually considered divorcing Justin Greene.

Dominic placed
his hands over hers. ‘I didn’t want to mention this,’ he said and hesitated.
‘But I can’t hide this from you anymore.’

Rebecca didn’t
say anything. She merely waited for Dominic to continue.

‘I’ve been
having these...strange dreams about you.’

‘Dreams...?’

He nodded.
‘Well, they were dreams at first. After I’ve gotten to know you better I
realized that these dreams were mental representations of my actual feelings
for you.’

Rebecca just sat
there, dumbstruck. She felt faint, unable to process the information. Finally
she conjured the strength to speak again. ‘Feelings...?’

‘I like you,
Rebecca, I really do,’ Dominic said and—holding her hands in his—shifted a
little closer to her. ‘I’ve never felt like this about anyone else before.’