The Yahweh Gene

1. He Is Mighty

The sky is a dark mixture of orange and red. There are trees that have had their leaves charred away by the fires of war—only the bark remains. The smoke in the valley is thick and misty, resting just above the ground like a morning fog.

"Have you had enough, Emmanuel?!" sneers the man. He lets out a sinister laugh as he takes heavy steps toward Manny's broken and burned body.

"Emmanuel? Humph! THE CREATOR is with you?" The man kneels and lifts Manny's head from the ground. Blood trickles from Manny's nose and splashes onto the ground like red raindrops.

"HE HAS ABANDONED YOU! He's not here! He's left you! Your friends have left you too! It's just the two of us now..."

His voice sounds more like the low, rumbling growl of a dog than it does a human's voice. Manny notices that the man's shadow looks totally different than his physical body. Manny can make out the outline of the man's shape and physique, but the shadow that he casts is that of a large, horned beast with broad wings.

Manny tries to speak, but coughs instead. Each breath that he takes is a laborious one. The energy blasts from the man's hands have broken about eighty percent of the bones in his body. He is bleeding internally. It won't be much longer before he dies. The pain is absolutely unbearable. He is in shock but doesn't realize it because of the damage to his skull—he has suffered a severe concussion as well.

Fog and smoke fill the entire valley. He does not recognize this man's face.

"SPEAK!" he yells at Manny, "speak now...or forever hold your peace!"

The man stands and laughs, stretching his arms toward the sky in a victorious pose.

"You'll choke on your own blood, right here in this valley...I'm going to watch you die! Look at you, all of your work for this INVISIBLE GHOST in the sky who doesn't care at all about you! POINTLESS! A COMPLETE WASTE! You're weak, Emmanuel...you're weak, and so is your PRECIOUS CREATOR!"

Manny manages to spit out enough blood to say something faintly. The man hears him, but can't make out his words.

"What did you say?"

Manny says it again, a little louder, but still too faint to be fully understood.

"What are you saying?! FIND THE STRENGTH TO ADDRESS ME LIKE A MAN!"

Manny draws upon every bit of energy and might that he has left within himself. He yells out a phrase with such clarity and authority that the man stumbles back a few steps. The words ring throughout the entire valley and echo off of its rocky walls. A small burst of light shoots from his mouth as he says it:

"IN MY WEAKNESS, HE IS MIGHTY!"

Manny looks unflinchingly into the eyes of the man as he says the words, which further infuriates him. His rage creates an orb of yellow light in the very center of his chest. He places his hands on the spot, draws the light out of himself, and holds it in his hands. He lifts it over his head and looks down at Manny's body with unfiltered hatred. His muscles bulge, and he grunts as he begins the downward motion of slamming the light-orb onto Manny's body.

His intent: destroy Emmanuel Kohen, once and for all.

A bright light flashes. It seems as though the heavens have taken a picture. Everything turns completely white. There is a high-pitched ringing sound.

Then, nothing else.