FALLEN - Nephilim Arise Series

Chapter One

He stood motionless in the cold, sparse room, visions of what was to come played out in his mind.

It was perfect.

The rat droppings were fresh. His intended guest would have more company than first thought. The stench of mold, urine and sulfur filled the air. The aroma aroused him.

He rubbed his hands together as he viewed this small piece of paradise. The scorched cement blocks were a nice addition. The fingers of long ago flames licked the walls and left burn patterns snaking towards the ceiling. The little cracks in the floor crisscrossed each other until the kaleidoscope of weeds peeping through the cracks decorated the floor. Ants and other insects scurried away from his boots as he walked around the room.

Chains anchored in the walls promised torturous delight. Exactly what his guest deserved. Saliva pooled and dripped from his lips as he imagined the hell he was about to create for her.

It was all for her.

Innocent. Humble.

A gift. For him.

*****

It was time to say goodbye.

Nathan laid his hand on the frigid tombstone and closed his eyes. The usual platitudes of prayer wouldn’t be welcomed. Not today. Not from him. She deserved more, even in death.

He’d known this day was coming, that he would need to step away from everything that held him back. The man he used to be was no more. It was time to stop pretending that there was even a glimmer of hope left.

“I’m sorry Sue. I tried. Without you, the good in my life disappeared. I know what I did was wrong. But nothing would have changed. A promise was made. I’m only sorry you had to find out the way you did.”

Nathan rose and dusted the loose grass off his jeans. The moon cast an erie glow throughout the cemetery, illuminating the tombstones around him. The silhouette of a bird perched atop an old stone cross was soon covered by mist as it rolled in off the lake.

The cemetery during the day was a serene setting sitting on the shore of Redemption Lake. But now, at this time of night, there was nothing peaceful about the atmosphere. He shivered as a cool breeze whisked around him.

“Once upon a time was never enough. Not for us. Not for our love.” Nathan looked one last time on the tombstone before turning away.

Once upon a time was meant only for fairy tales. Where true love conquered evil with a single kiss and a worthy prince would slay the dragon.

Once upon a time, Nathan had been that prince. Before he became the dragon.

*****

Rotting carcasses littered the highway.

Nathan Hanlin entered the twilight zone as he drove along the curving mountain road towards home from the cemetery. The remnants of ominous music played in his mind. If he didn’t know better, from the dark swelling clouds filling his rearview mirrors to the dust swirls up ahead, Nathan would think he’d entered his own private hell instead of just leaving it.

Sentries of large black crows faced him on either side of the highway.

His recent nightmare come true.

For the past week his dreams were filled with the reviling birds circling over a car wreck. Nathan shuddered at the memory. He’d heard that crows were once used as messengers from the spirits, but if they were trying to tell him something, he sure as hell didn’t want to hear it.

He rolled his shoulders, a weak attempt to ease a knot that had set in more than an hour ago. The highway leading towards Redemption, the small town he called home, stretched on forever. A chill had permeated his body hours ago. No amount of heat blasting from the vents could warm him up.

One day the icy tendrils of death would leave him. One day. But not today. Never today.

A horn blared behind him. A blur of black whizzed by, but he would recognize the bike anywhere. Eva Sine owned the only bike in small town Redemption.

“Crazy woman.” Her headlights danced their way across the darkened road as if she maneuvered through the carcasses without a care. Any normal woman would have slowed down the moment the first dead animal appeared. Not Eva. Everything was a challenge to her.

Even him.

Swerving to miss another unrecognizable pelt, Nathan’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. The crows’ beady eyes followed him as he drove past. It was unreal how they perched there, their black wings tucked tight against their slick bodies. Only their eyes moved, as if tracking him.

He could have sworn they were looking directly at him. Not his vehicle. Him. As if they knew him.

The large bronzed archway leading to Redemption approached in the distance. Nathan pushed his foot until the speedometer inched higher. Thirty feet ahead a barricade of large black crows were positioned beneath the large metal sign. Swirling clouds of dust sheathed the birds’ movements, creating an illusion of a huge black dust storm. Hundreds of eyes stared at him.

You need us.

Nathan jerked his foot off the pedal. What the…?

He must have been more tired than he thought. Not a good thing to be on this road. His vehicle inched its way along, coming to a full stop right before the crows as their deafening caws filled the air.

The side windows and windshield cracked as the multitude of crows flew at him, their screams filling the air. Nathan ducked his head to his steering wheel, hands over his ears. The glass shook from the impact. Nathan was sure his windows would break. He didn’t understand what was happening. His skin rippled from the onslaught of the invisible beaks poking at his skin. Fingers of dread tunneled through his brain. Nathan cried out in anguish, begging God for help.

Raising his head, he jammed his foot on the gas and accelerated until he drove past the swirling cascade. Gasping, Nathan struggled to regulate his breathing, failing with each inhale. Once he made it beneath the archway, he glanced in his rearview mirror. Nothing.

No crows, no swirling dust, nothing. The chaos had vanished.

He hit the brakes, his toes cramping from the quick movement. He leaned forward and rested his arms on the steering wheel. Scratch marks ran along the hood. Nicked, dented and littered with stray feathers, his truck looked like it had been dragged into hell.

Nathan reached for the door handle then stopped. His arms collapsed and chafed against the leather edge of the wheel before they fell onto his legs. His body shook as if an earthquake erupted beneath his feet and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Pools of sweat poured down his face as they mingled with his tears.

What just happened?