Brett gave her a skeptical look.
Amanda continued. “As Katiya said, the presence of massive skeletons across the globe has been confirmed time and time again.”
“Assuming they were there, why did the Nephilim build that temple?” Brett asked.
“The statues clearly show there was fallen angel worship at the site,” Katiya said. “My guess is they probably led the local tribes in fallen angel worship. In fact, it looks as though that temple might still be in use… or was in use, I should say.” She took another sip of her martini then set the glass down.
“Who knows,” Zane added. “That might somehow explain how the Dawanis became so evil.”
Katiya looked at him. “I told Amanda that very thing on our way down here.”
“You know, I saw something interesting on that hologram on board the ship,” Zane said. “There were red dots scattered across the earth. I wonder what that meant?”
Katiya’s brow furrowed. “Did you notice where they were located?”
“No. Actually, wait, that’s not true. I do remember seeing a large pulsating one over northern Brazil, which I assumed showed the location of the craft.”
“I’m still in the alien camp,” Brett said. “And what you’re describing sounds like some sort of navigation system.”
As the group fell silent, Zane looked out over the water. The sun had dipped below the horizon.
Finally, Amanda cleared her throat and said, “We all saw that portal open up. I think the red dots indicated portals. I would love to have seen where they were.”
“That’s a good point,” Brett said.
Amanda scooted her chair around so that she was facing the others. “As a Christian, I believe we’re living in the last days. Jesus said in Luke that there would be signs in the sun, moons, and stars. It makes me wonder if he was speaking of portals being opened. He said things would be so bad that men would faint from terror, afraid of what would come upon the world.”
Zane was about to respond when he felt his cell vibrating against his thigh. A second later, the sound of classical music filled the air. He reached into his pocket for his phone.
Brett laughed. “That’s your ring tone?”
“You know, that’s really old school, Zane,” Amanda said.
“That’s because I’m an old guy, Amanda.” He looked at the name of the incoming number and engaged the call. “Well, if it isn’t Miss Carmen Petrosino.” He put the phone on speaker so everyone could hear.
“Hey!”
“What’s up?” Zane asked.
“Just a little pissed and needed to vent.”
Zane frowned. “Really? What’s wrong?”
“It’s Ross. He—”
“Wait, I thought you were down at the beach.”
“I was. I went down to Ocean City with some friends. That is until Ross called.”
Zane lifted his eyebrows. “Uh-oh.”
“Yeah, he manages to reach me, and the next thing I know I’m having to cut my vacation short.”
“Why?”
“I had to fly to Romania on a wild-goose chase.”
“What?” Zane frowned. “So you have to get right back on another plane?”
Carmen gave a long sigh. “I’m so tired, I feel like I could sleep for days.”
“So, what was going on in Romania?”
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And that’s the whole point. Some farmers were hearing strange noises in a few remote mountain valleys, so Skinner and I were handpicked to go hike around out in the middle of nowhere. I told Ross it was just the movement of tectonic plates, but he wouldn’t believe me. He was convinced the sounds were somehow connected to what was going on in Brazil. He kept referring to it as a European portal.”
“So let me guess, it was tectonic plates?”
“Of course!”
Zane gave a chuckle. “Well, at least Romania is a neat place. Been there several times.”
“Speaking of which, where are you? I was surprised you didn’t come with us.”
Zane felt his face flush. “I’m… I’m taking a little break.”
“So was I. Ross didn’t call you?”
Zane hesitated for a moment. “To be honest, I told him I was going to be in an area without cell reception. I gave him the address so he could send someone out if he absolutely had to get in touch.”
There was a long pause. Finally, Carmen asked, “I’m sorry… if you don’t have reception there, then how am I speaking to you?”
Zane cringed. “Okay, the part about the reception is true… but it’s only true some of the time. You wouldn’t believe how bad—”
“You know what?” Carmen asked.
“What?”
“You’re a certified jerk.”
Zane laughed and blew on the phone’s mic. “I’m sorry, Carmen. I can’t hear you. We’re having signal problems again.”
“You’re the king of jerks!” she screamed.
Zane ended the call and dropped the phone onto a towel at his feet.
Turning toward the others, he lifted his empty bottle and asked, “Can I get anyone another drink?”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for purchasing The Portal. I know there are a lot of ways you can spend your entertainment dollars, so I’m grateful you decided to spend yours on one of my novels. I’m currently working on the third book in the series, which will be released soon.
I sincerely hope you found The Portal entertaining. If you did, I’d like to ask you to do something: please go online and post an honest review. The reviews of satisfied readers are vital to the success of every author, and please know that your effort will be greatly appreciated.
Please also let me know your thoughts by emailing me at johnsneedenauthor@gmail.com. I love hearing from my readers.
Thanks again and I hope to hear from you soon!
John Sneeden
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John was born on the coast of North Carolina, and thanks to his mother, a voracious reader, he began discovering books at a very early age. If not outside playing basketball or fishing with friends, he could be found curled up in a living room chair with an Edgar Rice Burroughs novel. In fact, it was Burroughs who first kindled his love for escapist fiction.
After a twenty-five year career in banking, John decided to turn his life-long passion for reading into a career as an author. He still lives in the southern United States, and when not writing he loves to travel and follow NHL hockey.
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