The lighter side of dark.., p.1
The Lighter Side of Darkness, page 1
The Lighter
Side of Darkness
Redemption
Patsy L. Adams
The Lighter Side of Darkness: Redemption
Trilogy Christian Publishers A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network
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Copyright © 2022 by Patsy L. Adams
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ISBN: 978-1-68556-036-2
E-ISBN: 978-1-68556-037-9
Prologue
o
Previously…
It has been seventeen years since Janu and Ariana Calder were deceived into crossing the River of Life. They left their magnificent and unparalleled paradise known as Fa’i and all that was familiar for the forbidden nation of Keres, known as The Place of Evil Spirits. But Janu and Ariana would not abandon the beliefs taught them in Fa’i, nor would they conform to the wickedness of Keres. They continually searched for a way to flee the evil realm. Finally, with the assistance of a weird-looking stranger, they have found a way of escape. However, they and their children have now become fugitives of the Establishment and are being hunted like animals.
Could the one choice Janu and Ariana made seventeen years ago destroy them and the family they cherish so much? Can they be saved? Will they find their way back to their beloved Fa’i, or will the Enforcers of Keres capture them and destroy their lives? Only time will tell.
Chapter 1
Narrow Escape
o
When last seen, Janu, along with his family and friends, was trapped in a safe house attempting to escape the evil Isle of Keres. Completely surrounded by Prince Diablo’s evil Enforcers and their ferocious hounds, the fugitives’ hopes of ever returning to their beloved Fa’i were fading fast.
Janu and his family tried to remain calm as they struggled into the attire that would render them invisible to the Enforcers bent on destroying them. They were trembling, overwhelmed with fear, as the deafening noise from outside increased.
“Are we ready?” Janu asked nervously as each one hurriedly assisted the other with their gear.
Hoping to slip his family away unnoticed, Janu instructed Jordan to activate the plasma force on the SUV and then bring the vehicle around to the front of the house.
As Jordan entered the garage and heard the wild beasts scratching on the invisible garage door, he was grateful his uncle Malakh had designed two exits. He quickly activated the plasma force on the vehicle and started the engine, which could hardly be heard over the loud din. The remote control opened the garage door with hardly a peep. But standing just six feet in front of him was Keleos, massive even with his wings tucked in. The horrifying creature was sniffing the air while straining his long neck in every direction, trying to detect the fugitives’ scents.
Jordan knew the danger of passing the enormous creature, even with the plasma force activated. One swipe of the creature’s huge wing, and he and the vehicle could be destroyed.
He turned off the engine, lowered the garage door, and sat quietly. Suddenly, the Enforcers moved the hounds to the side of the house, and Jordan slipped quietly from the vehicle. Tiptoeing to the back of the garage, he raised the door slightly then banged two trashcan lids together. As Keleos lumbered in the direction of the racket, the Enforcers followed suit. Jordan raised the front garage door and sped out and into the woods.
Inside the safe house, Janu reinspected everyone’s suits, booties, and headgear. Not even a hair could be exposed, or they would immediately be discovered.
“Mr. Calder,” Jordan whispered into his communicator. “I’m waiting in the thicket to the right of the house, but the place is crawling front and back with Enforcers. When you exit the basement, be very quiet.”
“Thanks, Jordan. Will do.”
“Did he get out okay?” Sierra asked anxiously.
“He’s waiting in the woods,” Janu replied.
Suddenly, it was quiet. “Do you think they left?” Ariana asked.
“Absolutely not!” Janu whispered.
Suddenly, smoke filled the basement, and they began to cough and gag.
“Dad,” Izaiah shouted, “they’re burning the house!”
“Get out now!” Malakh shouted into their Laisser Faires. “Reinforcements have arrived, and they’ve deactivated the plasma force. The house is on fire! If the fire doesn’t kill you, the smoke will!”
Janu peaked out of the basement door and, unexpectedly, it began to rain, followed by lightning and clamorous thunder. The rain would keep the fire from spreading rapidly, but the smoke had reached the basement and was getting thicker by the second. Janu tried to keep everyone calm as they gagged on the fumes.
“Listen,” he said. “We’re leaving now. They won’t be able to see us, but we must be very quiet.”
Janu exited the basement first, but standing off to his right was Aengus, shouting orders and holding a flashlight. Janu took one step, held his breath, and then took another. In all the confusion, he walked unnoticed past the Enforcer.
However, a hound nearby was sniffing the air and trying to free himself from his handler. But, not seeing anyone, the handler held the creature in check as green drool seeped down the ogre’s ugly fangs. Janu waved the others forward, grateful the thunder and lightning obscured the sound of their movements. Another Enforcer returned with several converter binoculars, and Adorjan donned a pair. He spotted Izaiah just as he entered the woods.
“This way!” Adorjan shouted.
Keleos and Centaurus took to the air to cut off the refugees, but the forest grew denser the further in they traveled. Their huge wings were getting caught in the thicket, and Centaurus was bleeding badly. The hounds were in a frenzy, almost to the point of convulsing, as they smelled the blood. Jordan sped through the woods with scarcely enough light to see in front of him as the chase ensued.
“Did everyone get out okay?” Malakh shouted into their Laisser Faires.
“Yes,” Janu replied, “but two enormous creatures are flying overhead.”
“Stay the course, Jordan,” Malakh instructed. “It will lead you to the cemetery. When you get there, ditch the car. You all know what to do once you’re inside. I’ll try and stall your pursuers. Stay calm, everyone. Everything will be okay.”
“How does he know that?” Izaiah shouted as he tried to shake the voices in his head.
“Be quiet!” Ariana scolded.
Suddenly, a large tree branch fell, and Keleos was standing before them. Jordan pumped the brakes as hard as he could to avoid hitting the monstrous creature. Unexpectedly, Keleos threw back his ugly head and let out a deafening screech.
“Go around him!” Janu shouted.
“He’s as wide as a mountain!” Jordan replied.
Keleos stretched forth his ugly neck, and red, yellow, and blue flames proceeded out of his hideous face. The girls were screaming at the top of their lungs when, suddenly, a huge beam of light came from nowhere and enveloped the creature. He convulsed and then fell to his knees. They all watched in horror as the beast disintegrated right before their eyes.
“Did you see that?” Sierra cried.
“Yes,” Ariana whispered almost reverently, “and I’m forever grateful.”
“Can you hear me, Jordan?” Malakh asked.
“I…I can hear you, sir.”
“Back up about two hundred feet. There’s a narrow road to the left that will take you to the cemetery. Hurry, they’re coming.”
“Where are you?” Janu asked.
“I’m closer than you think,” Malakh replied. “Now move!”
Jordan could barely see the road as he backed up, but far ahead to the left, a light beckoned through the trees. He followed it through the treacherous road, dodging trees big and small until he came to the end of the forest. Finally, they spotted the cemetery, and they all gave a sigh of relief.
It suddenly stopped raining, and they abandoned the vehicle in the brush. They quickly removed their electromechanical attire and then darted across the highway. When they reached the entrance to the cemetery, Sierra immediately retrieved the bogus finger from her bag and placed it on the sensor outside the gate. Knowing the fingerprint was a fraud, they nervously waited, hoping the machine would identify the print.
“What’s taking so long?” Izaiah asked nervously.
“Be patient,” Ariana chided.
After what seemed like forever, the hedges finally slid back, and the gate slowly o pened. As they quietly entered the cemetery, Janu suddenly spotted a searchlight coming towards them.
“Everyone, get down!” he ordered.
While hiding from the searchlight, Janu eyed Diablo’s statue, which appeared ominous in the dark. Janu decided he would push the button on Diablo’s coat; he still didn’t trust Izaiah.
“Stay put and be very quiet,” he told the others. “When I signal, follow me.”
Janu was gone only moments when Sierra heard the hounds. “They’ve found us,” she whispered to Jordan.
“Stay here,” he replied.
“Dad told us to stay put,” Sierra whispered loudly.
“We need to know how close they are,” he replied.
Meanwhile, Janu was having troubles of his own. He was trapped behind a twig of a tree, and a guard on the tower’s balcony was searching the grounds with his binoculars. Janu knew that if he didn’t move soon, the search light would expose him.
Chapter 2
Alliances
o
Back at Skull Mountain, Elisabeth was making Charla’s acquaintance in the mess hall.
“Hello,” she said. “My name is Elisabeth; what’s yours?”
“Charla, Charla Gersham.”
Elisabeth assessed Charla for a moment. “I know you’re scared, Charla, and I can assure you, it won’t get any better. But to survive in this stinkhole, you’ll have to learn to cope, or you’ll be a nut case.”
“I…we didn’t do anything wrong,” Charla blubbered, “but they won’t believe us.”
“Get over it,” Elisabeth chided gently. “Most of us haven’t done anything wrong. We’re imprisoned because we don’t share the Establishment’s beliefs or their way of life.”
“But we did share their beliefs and their way of life,” Charla cried. “That’s why this is all a mistake.”
“Don’t take this personal, Charla, but we’re all dispensable. Diablo plans to get rid of us all.”
“How do you know that?” Charla asked.
“What I do know is that every Keresian, including yourself, has been cloned.”
“What do you mean?” Charla asked.
Ignoring Charla’s question, Elisabeth continued. “We were warned about Keres before we crossed the river,” Elisabeth said, shaking her head. “But like so many of our friends trapped in this hellhole, we made a terrible choice, and that choice has caused us years of pain and misery.”
“My husband and I have lived in Keres our whole lives,” a confused Charla whined. “Are you telling me there’s another life across the river?”
Elisabeth made sure no one was listening before whispering to Charla that she and her husband, Jacque, were planning to escape Keres. Without any thought, she invited Charla and her husband to come along.
“Are you crazy?” Charla asked. “Escape, where to? No one has ever escaped the Skull. We’d never get out alive.”
A guard was approaching. “Let’s eat,” Elisabeth said. “Food’s not so bad once you get used to it.”
“I can’t eat this mess,” Charla whispered. “I might vomit.”
“Why do you think it’s called the mess hall?” Elisabeth said, chuckling. “But you must eat if you want to survive,” Elisabeth stated firmly. “Eat only what I tell you. You’ll lose weight, but it’s better than dying of malnutrition.”
“I hear you have a daughter,” Elisabeth said, changing the subject. “What’s her name?”
“Leila. She’s brilliant, funny, and wonderfully different,” Charla replied with a smile. “My daughter warned us about Diablo’s plans for the people of Keres, but we didn’t believe her. How’s that for trust.” She wiped her eyes. “Do you have any children?”
“I also have a daughter,” Elisabeth replied. “Her name is Monica. She’s a genius with computers, technology, and such, and she, too, is wonderfully different.” Tears rolled unchecked down Elisabeth’s cheeks. “My arms literally ache for her.”
“I think I might know your daughter,” Charla whispered excitedly. “If it is your Monica, she and my Leila met in computer science class and have become fast friends. In fact, Monica is the only friend Leila has because she’s too weird for most kids her age.” They both chuckled. “They might be together as we speak.”
Elisabeth perked up. “What do you mean?”
“There are others also planning to escape Keres,” Charla whispered. “But my husband and I thought they were just crazy radicals.”
“Keep your voice down,” Elisabeth cautioned. “Who are they?”
“One man’s name is James, and his wife is Anna…or something like that. Their children are Sierra and Izaiah. With them is another man named Malakh. He kidnapped me and my husband from our home. They’re all hiding out in a safe house deep in the woods.”
“Do you mean Janu and Ariana? Why, they’re our best friends!” Elisabeth whispered elatedly. “They were also lured to Keres from across the river. This is becoming more intriguing by the minute.”
“We thought our child was a traitor,” Charla said. “As PsyOps, we were obligated to turn her in. Instead, we grabbed her one night and fled the safe house on our way to report the others to the Establishment. That’s when we were arrested.”
“I have a feeling that was not a coincidence,” Elisabeth stated emphatically. “Have you told any of this to the Establishment?”
“We tried telling the Enforcers that arrested us, but they wouldn’t listen. Knowing what I know now, I’m glad they didn’t.”
“We must not tell anyone else about my friends’ plans,” Elisabeth cautioned.
•••
Back at the cemetery, Jordan reported to the others that their pursuers were searching the vehicle and had found their suits. “We’ve got to move faster,” he whispered. “The hounds are pulling the Enforcers in our direction.”
“Dad, they’re coming for us,” Sierra shouted into his communicator. “We’ve got to get underground…now!”
“The idiot guard won’t move from his position,” Janu replied, “and the search light is coming around again.”
“Get out of there!” Sierra cried.
“There’s nowhere to run, Precious.”
Just then, the tower’s Telepad rang, and the guard left the balcony. Janu sprinted to the statue and pressed the appropriate button on Diablo’s coat. The statue moved back on its track at a snail’s pace, and Janu knew that at this rate, all the refugees would never make it underground in time.
Janu signaled for the others to come ahead as the sirens screamed outside the cemetery. The fugitives crept low toward the statue as the hounds convulsed and yelped and growled at the entrance gate.
“Can’t it open any faster?” Sierra cried as they nervously waited for the sculpture to complete its cycle.
“Unfortunately, no,” Janu replied, “but Monica can slip through the opening now, and that’ll be one less person to worry about.”
“Are you sure about this?” Monica whispered loudly as Janu squeezed her tiny frame through the small opening. “I’m tired of being the skinny around here,” she said, grimacing. “No pun intended. Anything could be down there.”
As the opening widened, Leila, Sierra, and finally Ariana followed. Suddenly, the cemetery lit up! The guards had been alerted and were joining in the hunt.
“We’ve got to move faster!” Janu told the boys.
They all three pushed the statue as hard as they could, but it was as stubborn as the creature it resembled. The hounds were released, and they charged into the graveyard like starved animals, yelping and foaming at the mouth.
“Get underground!” Janu shouted to the boys.
One hound, saliva oozing from his nasty mouth, caught hold of Janu’s leg with his teeth and bit down hard. Janu wrestled with the hound, hoping the creature wasn’t rabid. Instantly, the other hounds appeared and closed in for the kill.
Out of nowhere, a bright light shone on the wolf-like creatures. Suddenly, they began running around in circles and squealing like pigs at a slaughter. Their eyes were scorched by the burning light as they collided with one another.
