“I’ve already briefed them about you, Sam. Show them.”
Sam did as he was asked, taking off his hood. He suddenly felt naked under the gaze of so many strangers. He saw a myriad of expressions amongst Adam’s lieutenants. Tesara looked thoughtful while Doctor Eade just looked surprised. There was no emotion of any kind evident on Evan’s face.
Adam nodded. “We’ve all got a few questions to ask you first, Sam. Tesara, if you don’t mind.”
Tesara tore her eyes from the horns jutting out of Sam’s unruly hair. “First off, Sam, tell us about the Rapture and the Tribulation.”
Sam wasn’t expecting this but did what he was asked, regurgitating every lesson Hikari and Father Rainey had drummed into him about these events. When he finished, there was silence in the small alcove.
“So let me get this straight,” said Adam eventually, leaning forward on his crate. “Jesus came back and took all his righteous believers with him, right? Now the rest of us are stuck here for the next seven years while demons emerge every night to drag our sorry arses to Hell? Is that the gist of it?”
Not trusting himself to speak, Sam nodded.
“And the rest of us,” said Doctor Eade, “were not taken, presumably because we have no faith, no belief?
Is that correct?”
Sam nodded again.
“We guessed as much,” said Adam. “There’s no TV or internet obviously, but we have got ourselves a short wave radio. We’ve been keeping in touch with other groups of survivors throughout the States and we eventually put all the pieces together. Most of us noticed that the only ones who disappeared were the god-faring types. What are your thoughts, Evan?”
“It’s going to be challenging,” he said. “We have enough supplies in to last for a few months but we’re going to have to supplement our rations with other sources of fresh food.”
Evan was inexplicably well-groomed. Even his clothes looked clean, in serious contrast to the others at the meeting. Sam pegged him as a fussy, uptight type. Probably an accountant by trade. Sam didn’t exactly warm to him.
“That might be a little difficult,” said Sam. “On my way here, I didn’t see too many animals. The plants are dying; without plants, no animals.”
Even looked at Sam without blinking. It was a little unnerving. “I have been experimenting with some varieties of fish that thrive in the dark. There are some pools in the deeper parts of these caves that will make excellent breeding ponds.”
Adam smiled. “Good. Make sure you get onto that. What about water?”
“There are deep springs here. They show no signs of being polluted with ash. Water won’t be a problem,” replied Evan.
“That’s excellent news. At least we won’t die of thirst,” said Adam.
“We are running short of medical supplies,” said Doctor Eade. The doctor made a much more favourable impression on Sam than Evan. The small man was quiet and composed, and looked highly competent; someone he would trust his life with. “With the growing rate of casualties, I’m going to need more space. And I could do with some more trained medical personnel.”
Adam sighed. “You don’t ask for much, do you, Doc?” He held up a hand to silence any argument. “Yes, yes. I’ll see what I can do. I’ll tell the next search party to make sure they keep an eye out for your medical supplies. As for the other things; with the rate of demons coming at us, don’t expect the casualty rate to go down any time soon. You’ll just have to cope and pray that the good Lord drops a few more nurses or doctors in our laps. And I do mean pray.”
“You don’t mean …” stuttered Tesara.
“I mean exactly what I just said,” replied Adam, in a tone that would brook no argument. “I didn’t have much faith before, but I certainly do now. The Rapture changed everything for me. If that wasn’t proof enough for you that God and the Devil exist, check out the fighting tonight. If those aren’t demons we’re fighting, then I’m a twelve year old girl in a pink dress. I’m gonna start praying and I suggest the rest of you do likewise. It might be the only way we’re going to survive this mess.”
“And what about him?” asked Tesara, nodding her head in Sam’s direction. “Surely it isn’t just a coincidence that on the night he shows up, so do a great flock of demons. And those big ugly horned brutes too.”
“Sam?” asked Adam gravely.
This was the key moment. The moment that Sam had been waiting for. It was when he knew they would turn on him. This always happened — it was only a matter of time. He lowered his head, unwilling to meet the accusing eyes of the others in the room.
“I … I guess that might be true. I was sent to help you here, though.”
“By who?” asked Tesara.
“An Archangel by the name of Gabriel. You might have heard of her.”
The others, with the exception of Joshua, looked stunned.
Suddenly, Adam laughed in a deep boom that bounced off the walls. “Well, if that doesn’t beat all.” He chuckled low in his throat. “A couple of months ago, I would’ve kicked your arse out of here for lying through your teeth, but now, after all that I’ve seen, I wouldn’t be surprised if Jesus Christ himself sat down with me for a cup of Joe.”
“What did this archangel want?” asked Doctor Eade.
“She said you would need my help.”
Adam raised his eyebrows. “That’s true. You certainly turned the tide last night. Without you, we would’ve been goners.”
“It also turns out that I need yours.”
“How so?” asked Evan.
Sam suddenly looked a little embarrassed. “I don’t know how to get to Los Angeles. I’ve studied some maps but I haven’t got them with me.”
“Why do you need to get to Los Angeles for?” asked Adam.
Sam paused, unsure how this was going to sound. He shrugged inwardly. It didn’t matter; he’d told them most of it by now, what difference would this make. “I need to fight the Antichrist.”
If Sam had thought he’d stunned them with the revelation of Gabriel, this was a whole new level of shock. Even Evan looked a little taken aback by this.
“Fight the Antichrist? Whatever for?” asked Tesara, looking thoroughly bewildered.
“Gabriel told me I have to confront him. For the souls of the innocents who remain behind.”
“That changes things,” said Adam, stroking his beard thoughtfully. “So what you need are some supplies and a guide to get you to Los Angeles. Does that sound about right?”
Feeling pleasantly surprised by how well negotiations were proceeding, Sam nodded again.
“Ok. We might be able to manage that,” said Adam. “I’ll have to go around and ask for a volunteer. Don’t be surprised if no-one puts their hand up though. It sounds like a suicide mission to me.”
“There won’t be any need for that,” said Joshua, surprising everyone by speaking for the first time. “I’ll go with him.”
Sam turned towards the other boy, gratitude welling up in his chest.
Joshua waved off the others responses. “It’s fine,” he said. “I’ve driven there a couple of times with my uncle. I know the way.”
“Good,”said Adam, clapping his hands onto his thighs. “That’s settled. Obviously, whatever has been said in this room stays between us. I don’t think the rest of the people here need to know there’s a demon in their midst. Now about tonight; I have a plan. Listen up, Sam, Josh. You’re probably not gonna like this … “
It was well after dark when Sam heard the first unmistakeable sounds of approaching demons. He’d been sensing them for a while but now had no doubt that they were heading their way. Beside him, he saw Joshua shiver.
“Don’t worry,” he said, sounding far calmer than he felt. “I’m sure this will go smoothly.”
Josh grinned back at him but he could tell the other boy was scared. They’d sat together in the darkness for the last hour, just waiting. It was a comfortable silence. Conversation wasn’t something Sam did particularly well and Josh looked too frightened to speak himself.