Apocalypse the Blossoming (The Power of Twelve Book 2) Read online

Following my sense of her, I make my way through the crowded streets. There doesn’t seem to be any commotion which is good. I’m not sure how far the word has spread about the bounty on her head, but no matter. It’s best we get the hell out of here now, literally.

  Silas must’ve listened well when I told him where to go to if we get in trouble. It seems he’s following my directions exactly. Good, they’ll be waiting at the next gate. Patting my pocket, I reassure myself that the key I just traded for is there. It would be one heck of a problem if I lost it in that scuffle back there.

  When I turn the corner, I escape most of the crowds. This is a quiet side street without any bars. It’s made up of mostly abandoned buildings. Double checking to make sure I’m not being followed, I make my way to a small house. It has a broken-down chain-link fence and overgrown yard. An unassuming clapboard structure with boarded-up windows. Only those of us in the know realize what’s inside.

  I approach the door carefully, not wanting to be assaulted the moment I poke my head through. Stopping outside, I make one last check of the street for any observing eyes before knocking.

  “Friendly face here,” I say, as I pull the door open. Nathaniel lowers his sword as I walk in, much as I expected.

  “Were you able to get a key?” Silas asks.

  Aviella stands next to him, and I sense her fear. Her wide eyes dart around nervously. She’s terrified. A sharp pain stabs through my chest. I wish I hadn’t brought her here. We didn’t have a choice though.

  “Yeah,” I say. “We should get out of here.”

  No one argues. I lead the way through the small two-bedroom house into the kitchen. Dirty linoleum and rotting cabinets fill the air with a nasty, dirty smell. I pull the key out of my pocket and activate it. The portal opens with a whoosh. I usher the others through, stepping in myself just before it closes.

  It’s hard, sometimes, to remember that Aviella is new to this world. She’s strong, so strong that I tend to not think about the effect of it on her. It’s not fair, but then in my experience, nothing in this world is. I guess it would be better if we had any clue what the darkness wants with her. It would help all of us, since she’s tied to us and into a bigger destiny. What that destiny is I have no idea. Not knowing is enough to scare me.

  Silas leads the way through the portal tunnel. When we reached the far gate and step through we emerge into an abandoned mine shaft. Silas takes a moment to get his bearings and then leads the way. It’s clear nothing has traveled this way for a very long time by the amount of dirt undisturbed, if nothing else.

  “Bunker 3 should be just ahead,” Silas says. “We’ll be there shortly.”

  “Good,” Efram says. His eyes shift quickly to Aviella, then away. “I’m glad we’re out of the hell realms.”

  Aviella glances over her shoulder at him with an unreadable look. Did something happen back there that I don’t know about? There’s something about that look that I can’t quite put my finger on.

  Almost I could be jealous, but I’m not. I don’t own her, and I don’t want to. My feelings for her go too deep. If I were to try to own her, it would be like caging a wild bird and then wondering why it quit singing. Her beauty is in who she is; I have no desire to change it. I’m not sure the others can come to terms with that though. Which makes a problem. I don’t want them to own her either.

  We walk in an uneasy silence. I come up with different ideas about how to ease it but toss them aside as fast as they come. Nothing seems quite right. I’m consumed with figuring this out when I bump into Aviella. She’s staring at the wall. I look at where she’s looking. Strange symbols are carved into the walls of the tunnel. She stands before them transfixed. Silas steps up beside her on the other side.

  “Some of these were in my vision,” she says.

  I try to read the energy around them, but it strains my abilities. No matter how I try to focus I can’t seem to bring them into clarity. It’s like when you’re looking at something blurry and you try to will your eyes to make it clear, but it doesn’t work. Anger flashes white hot in an instant, and I clench my fists.

  No, I’m not going to let this get to me. I recognize it for what it is, my desire to make everything right for her. I can’t let that control me or use it as an excuse for my emotions to run free.

  “I do not recognize these,” Silas says, making me feel slightly better. At least I’m not the only one.

  We need solid answers. The symbols keep coming up and there has to be a reason. I can’t help feeling they are the key to keeping her safe. Staring at them I come to a conclusion. Once she’s safely tucked away inside Bunker 3, I’m going to find out what these mean. She’ll be safe with the others, so I will go and figure it out. I don’t care whose ass I have to beat to get the truth, someone knows it. I’m the best man for the job. No one else can travel where I do.

  Certainty comes with my decision. I know it’s the right move.

  “We’re almost there,” Silas says. “We should hurry up.”

  Aviella tears her eyes away from the symbols and follows Silas. The way it holds onto her strengthens my resolve. I’m going to find out, for her. Everything for her.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “It’s not much further,” Silas says.

  “Good,” I answer, my stomach grumbling loudly. “I’m starving.”

  No one says anything. We’re all hungry. It’s been a long time since we last ate, apparently food isn’t a thing in the hell realms. Does that mean Rafe doesn’t need to eat? That doesn’t make sense. I’ve seen him eat. Well maybe he eats just for show? Didn’t Brad Pitt talk about that in that vampire movie he did? I have a dim memory of it playing on a hotel television while I was curled up next to my dad trying to sleep.

  What a weird thing that would be, not having to eat. I’d take it right now though. God, I’m hungry. My stomach rumbles again, and my mouth decides to randomly water. Sorry, I got nothing for you to use all that saliva on.

  The symbols keep floating across my thoughts, making the hunger an almost-welcome distraction. They mean something. I can almost grasp it, but every time I do, it slides away from me. It’s that name hanging on the tip of your tongue, or the lyrics to a song you can’t quite remember so you hum along with a nuh-nuh-nuh instead of the actual words.

  Damn, it’s annoying.

  I can’t help feeling that if I could figure this out, it would somehow save us. The world needs saving. All this misery and pain hurts me. Maybe I’m crazy, but I have this certainty that I can make a difference.

  Truth is, I’ve probably gone insane. Who am I to be the Savior of the world? An orphan with delusions of grandeur? So what if I have some powers? Apparently in the Apocalypse lots of people do. It hasn’t made any difference yet. I’ve barely been able to keep myself and my friends alive much less save anyone else. It all feels kind of pointless. Why survive when you can’t do anything to make the world better?

  Damn, my thoughts are going dark. Maybe it’s the hunger. Shaking myself, I try to push away the morbidity. It’s not easy because floating behind it are the symbols, flashing through my thoughts, and then I see that final image of Bunker E247. All those people lost. I couldn’t save them.

  “Hold,” Nathaniel says, placing a hand in front of me.

  “What is —,” I say, then it hits.

  The ground rumbles and dust falls from the ceiling. It increases in intensity until I’m knocked off my feet and land hard on my butt.

  “We have to get out of this tunnel,” Efram says.

  I try to climb to my feet, but the ground is rocking so violently, I don’t make it before I’m knocked back down again. Rafe scoops me into his arms and runs. Everyone groups, then we run in a small pack. The ground is shaking so violently now that rocks fall from the ceiling and cracks appear in the walls.

  “Look out,” Silas exclaims.

  Rafe instinctively leaps to the left. He moves just as something crashes through where we were. My heart pounds and I shift my
weight, forcing Rafe to put me down. He places an arm over my chest and tries to shield me protectively, but I’m having none of that. I can stand on my own.

  In front of us, a fur-covered monstrosity rises from the rubble of the wall it burst through. It rises up onto its hind legs, turning towards us, growling, and revealing row after row of razor-sharp teeth. It’s big, at least seven feet tall. It takes me more than a moment to figure out what it might be. My stomach turns when I figure out what I think it used to be a, mole. Now it’s been twisted, either by government experiments or the nature of the Apocalypse. However it came to be, it’s a formidable-looking opponent.

  A sword appears in Rafe’s right hand. Nathaniel summons his sword, and the two men step forward to attack the creature. It dodges their swings, swinging its own stocky arms that end in long black claws.

  Nathaniel and Rafe dance backwards, avoiding the thing’s swings. Efram shouts something in a language that seems dimly familiar. A glowing ball of light forms in his hands and he throws it at the creature. It strikes the thing upside the head and explodes, blinding me.

  “Ah!” I cry out, stumbling backwards.

  The creature screams too, but its scream sounds much more painful. I hear the sounds of sword slicing through flesh while I blink away the aftereffects of the blinding light. As my vision clears, I see the monster lying on the floor in a pool of its own blood.

  “We have to move fast,” Silas says.

  As if in response, the tunnel bucks again, but this time I’m able to keep my footing. A long crack appears in the ceiling, letting dirt and gravel pour in. The tight quarters are filling with dust, making it hard to see. Breathing is becoming something you don’t want to do.

  Coughing, I run, somehow in the lead. A crack appears in the floor but it’s small enough I leap across. Glancing over my shoulder I see the others make it, but it widens with each one coming over. Nathaniel’s last, and by the time he reaches it, it’s at least six feet across. I skid to a stop, fear creating cold chills down my arms.

  “He’s never going to make it,” I say, gasping for air and coughing.

  “He will,” Rafe says, exuding confidence.

  Nathaniel glances down at the wide opening as he leaps into the air. I’m certain that he’s going to hit his head on the top of the tunnel, but he avoids that.

  He’s almost across.

  My heart pounds so hard it might burst from my chest. His foot lands barely on the edge and I think he’s made it but then another tremor rocks the ground.

  He’s thrown backwards. His arms pinwheel as he tries to remain upright.

  “Nathaniel!” I scream.

  He falls, horizontal to the floor. I rush towards him, but Rafe and Silas grab my arms, holding me back.

  “I have to help him,” I yell, struggling against their hold. They’re too strong, I can’t break free. “Dammit, let me go.”

  “Aviella, look,” Rafe says.

  I follow his gaze towards Nathaniel. The angel is outlined in silvery light, his wings fully exposed, lifting himself up out of the crack. He glides through the air and lands gracefully a couple of feet away.

  Relief rushes through my veins, and tears well in my eyes. There’s no time for a joyous reunion moment. The tunnel shakes once more, and now boulders are falling, mixed with the dirt and gravel. We turn and run, but the way ahead is almost blocked by a cave-in. Efram steps forward, chanting an incantation, and then he thrust his hands forward, palms out. Force reverberates down the tunnel, hits the rubble, and blasts it out of our way.

  A bright light ahead—it’s the end of the tunnel!

  Staying close together and dodging falling debris, we rush. We’re close, so close. Hope blossoms. We’re going to make it!

  The light comes closer, and I can feel the warmth of the sun touching my skin.

  There’s a deafening roar, then a tinny sound blasting that’s not just heard, it’s felt.

  “The trumpet,” Nathaniel says.

  Nathaniel glows bright until he’s outlined in blinding white light. Tingles run through my nervous system, the hair on my arm stands on end, and then my body stiffens, and my limbs stick straight out. I throw my head back and scream.

  Power surges through me. It rises from the ground, burning through me. New pathways are opening in my mind. I can’t process it.

  It hurts so bad and there’s no escape. I look ahead, staring into nothingness, then suddenly I see the symbols again. They float in front of my eyes, three dimensional images twisting and turning. Behind them, I see dimensions crashing one into another. Everything is changing.

  Screams fill my head. I’m sure it’s not me. Something is happening. People are dying. A demonic army riding horses and carrying flaming swords rides across my vision, cutting their way through everything. There is no escape.

  I don’t know what’s real and what’s not.

  It’s too much to deal with. I’m shaking, legs and arms weak.

  I see a desert, and the pyramids are in the background. Rising out of the river, wings spread wide, are four angels, but they’re giants. Ten feet tall at least. They’re dressed in red robes, and their eyes blaze with a burning white light.

  When they open their mouths, fire, smoke, and plagues pour out. The earth itself is crying out in pain and agony. My heart breaks, the pain in my chest so great I think it might kill me.

  One of the red angels waves an arm and the demonic army of horsemen charges, riding across the land. I see them heading for a Bunker, and it’s a massive one.

  “No!” I cry out. “We have to save them!”

  “Save who?” Efram asks.

  “We can’t,” Nathaniel says.

  Tears stream down my face as I watch the army of demons cut through the Bunker leaving no one alive.

  “Grab her up,” Silas orders. “We have to get out of this tunnel, now.”

  I’m lifted off my feet by strong arms, but I can’t see who. The vision consumes all my attention. Suddenly everything is dark.

  I’m thrown about, tossing like a ragdoll, shaking and weak. Gasping in air, I throw my arms around whoever is holding me and sob.

  I wasn’t fast enough. I should’ve been able to save them. It’s all on me. I have to be better, we have to bring them hope, we have to save them.

  The vision passes, and I regain a semblance of self-control, wiping away the tears. When I can see at last, it’s Efram carrying me.

  “I’m good,” I say, a final sob racking my body.

  “Are you sure?” he asks, his concern thick and heavy, like a warm blanket covering me.

  I nod, not trusting my voice. He stares into my eyes before setting me on my feet. I let my fingers linger on his cheek, feeling the several days’ growth. It’s kind of nice, and it strengthens his jawline, in a way it makes him even sexier. We step out of the tunnel, but the sky is dark.

  “What happened to the sun?” I ask.

  “The trumpet,” Nathaniel answers.

  There’s nothing more to be said about that. I look around. We’re in a mountainous region, Colorado maybe. We’ve come into an open area surrounded on all sides by the rising peaks of the mountains. The center is dominated by a huge lake that stretches out as far as I can see in the dim light.

  In the center of the lake is an island with a massive structure on it. The structure has seen better days but is still standing. Silas is standing ahead, close to the lake, and staring out at the island.

  “Is that Bunker 3?” I ask.

  “Yes,” Efram says.

  “Huh, look at that,” Rafe comments, pointing at the ground.

  There are hoof prints. Hundreds, maybe thousands or more of them. The army I saw in my vision? Here? No… it couldn’t be, could it? Nathaniel stands off to one side, stoic as ever, and apparently doing his best to ignore the rest of us. I don’t envy him his position. I know, with a deep certainty, that he knows things he can’t tell us. I also understand it’s not that he doesn’t want to, but because of his
very nature. He can’t go against it; he can’t betray the trust pinning him to heaven. It sucks. If we knew what he knew, our lives would probably be much easier. Or not. Maybe they’d just be worse.

  “Damn,” Silas says. “We need to get into the Bunker.”

  “How?” I ask, looking at the lake between us and it.

  The lake is beautiful, reflecting the mountains and sky. I don’t know why, but I don’t like it. There’s something about it that makes me pull back. It looks so smooth and perfect, like some giant laid a mirror down in this clearing. Is that what it is?

  “There’s a boat there,” Efram says.

  Helpful, Efram, thanks. Great. When I look at where he’s pointing, I wouldn’t call what he’s indicating a boat. A raft, maybe. A crappy, falling-apart raft at that. It definitely doesn’t look safe or like anything I want to be riding across a lake that is who knows how deep.

  “Yeah…” I say, trailing off.

  “What’s wrong, Aviella?” Rafe asks, picking up on my discomfort.

  “Nothing, just… I…” I try to say it, but I can’t.

  My cheeks burn hot, and my skin is cold and clammy. They’re all looking at me, and I want to crawl under a rock I’m so embarrassed.

  “Aviella, it will be fine,” Nathaniel says.

  “I can’t swim!” it bursts out.

  They look at each other, then back at me.

  “That’s okay. We’re going to be in a boat,” Efram says.

  “That’s not a boat! It’s a wreck,” I say, pointing at the thing.

  “I assure you, it will get us where we are going,” Silas says.

  “Right,” I say, shaking my head. “How about I stay out here, and you guys go ahead? I’ll follow, okay?”

  I wish I was kidding, but I’m not. The way that boat looks terrifies me. I know I’m being irrational, but it doesn’t matter. I can’t do that. No way, no how.

  “Aviella,” Nathaniel says. Taking my hands in his, he stares into my eyes.

  Warmth eases into my hands, slowly, pushing at the fear which is making my stomach roil. His eyes are deep pools pulling me into them.