Alan Price and the Colossus of Rhodes (The Nephilim Chronicles) Read online

  Infinity’s eyebrows shot up before his thin lips cracked and he started to laugh. “You’re serious? You think you are going to walk in here and demand answers from me?” Infinity looked past Jacob’s large shoulder to Alan. “Can you believe this guy?”

  Alan wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say or if he was supposed to say anything at all. Previously he had avoided most contact with people, which made thinking on his feet in a conversation harder than it should be. “I’d tell him if I were you,” Alan said kicking himself mentally for not thinking of something more intimidating to say.

  “Well, Guardian, I don’t know what you are talking about and even if I did I wouldn’t tell you, so where does that leave us now?”

  “You,” Jacob said over his shoulder using Alan’s temporary chosen name, “Get everyone out of the bar.”

  Alan swallowed hard. He had heard Jacob clear enough but making a group of inebriated people leave a bar, including the bartender himself seemed like a tall order. “Ummm, yeah, sure—and how should I do that?”

  “Figure it out.”

  “Right.” Alan turned from the two men starring each other down and slowly made his way to the center of the room. Clearing his throat, he raised his voice above the steady sound of music and chatter in the bar. “Excuse me, ladies and gentleman. I’m going to have to ask you to leave. It’ s not safe for you here anymore.”

  Nothing happened. Alan received a dirty look from a large biker at the bar and an old man glanced his way and back down at his drink just as quickly.

  “Danie—Valkyrie,” Alan said into his earpiece, “I could use a little help.”

  “Don’t worry, You.” Danielle chuckled to herself over the microphone, “I got you. Tell them that you are gifted with the ability to see angels and demons. That you are a Nephilim and you can predict the future, and that they’re all about to be drowned by a terrible flood.”

  Alan’s mouth went dry as he thought about all the reasons he shouldn’t take Danielle’s advice. “I don’t think that’s going to work.”

  “Trust me.”

  Alan shook his head already editing out half of what Danielle wanted to him to say. He took a deep breath and shouted, “Everybody, you need to leave immediately! I can see the future and this whole place is about to be flooded. You need to get out now!”

  This time everyone looked his way. For a split second, Alan felt like a teenager again looking at the entire school before they laughed and ridiculed him for being different. Heat pushed its way through Alan and sweat gathered on his brow. Before anyone could respond to his insane statement, a rumbling shook the building. The walls, ground and ceiling quivered before holes burst open and water pipes erupted from every direction.

  Freezing cold water poured in from a dozen different locations. Wide-eyed patrons screamed and ran for the doors. They looked at Alan horrified as he returned their stares with an expression of shock of his own.

  When the last hysterical bar attendee left the building the water stopped gushing from the broken pipes. Alan stood stunned for a second more before he turned his soggy shoes back towards Jacob and Infinity. What he saw made him do a double take. Instead of a single Infinity standing with Jacob, a mob of men greeted him. They were all the same, identical to the man Jacob and Alan had confronted but now instead of one, there were over a dozen.

  “This will not end well for you,” Jacob warned.

  “Oh, I don’t know, Guardian. The odds look pretty good to me,” one of the many Infinities said. He turned his head from side to side looking at his duplicates. “What do you think, boys?”

  The response was wicked grins and grunts of agreement. Before Alan had time to form a plan, the mob of Infinities attacked.

  Chapter 35

  “Remember how strong you really are,” Jacob said before the first wave of Infinites hit them. Alan had no time to process what his eyes were telling him, as Jacob’s skin turned a dark grey. A granite color replaced his previously olive complexion as their many enemies tackled him at once.

  There was no time to come to a conclusion on what he witnessed or ask questions, he had to move. Infinity was fast, not as fast as Alan but much faster than any human being. To a much smaller extent than Alan, speed must have also been one of Infinity’s gifts.

  Hands reached for him from his left while a punch was directed at his face from his right. Directly in front of him, another Infinity-clone lunged at him in a tackle. Remember what Angelica taught you. You can be something more than you thought. You are something more than you thought.

  Alan struck the Infinity to his right across the jaw sending the man flying in the opposite direction. The clone to his left received the same treatment. Alan didn’t have time to strike the third copy of Infinity who lunged towards him head on in a tackle; instead, he planted his feet as firmly as he could on the wet ground and braced himself for the impact.

  Infinity tackled him with enough power to topple any man. For Alan the force felt like a gentle push. Arms still wrapped around Alan’s thick torso, Infinity grunted and pushed to no avail. After a brief moment of struggle with no result, the clone released Alan and with a nervous smile in his direction called over his shoulder, “Ummm… hey, guys? I’m going to need some help over here.”

  Immediately a group of Infinities broke their focus on Jacob and ran to assist their fellow clone. A satisfied grin spread over the lips of the copy in front of Alan, “It’s over, kid. There are too many of us.”

  Alan nodded, he couldn’t argue with the statement. Michael’s words along with Jacob’s echoed in his ears. For the first time he voiced the possibility of what he was becoming. “But Infinity,” Alan responded, “I’m stronger than all of you could ever be.”

  The eyes of the Infinity standing in front of Alan doubled in size. Alan himself was even surprised he had responded so heroically. Alan grabbed his enemy around the collar with one hand and belt with the other. Alan lifted the grown man off the ground and over his head. Although he had never played football, Alan imagined that his motion now was similar to how a quarterback would feel preparing to throw downfield.

  “Oh, no…” the Infinity in Alan’s grasp moaned.

  With a grunt, Alan catapulted the Infinity copy through the air, sending him in a direct path of collision with the group of charging clones that had moved to answer their bother’s plea for help.

  The entire mob of men collided with so much force it knocked them all to the ground and sent them sliding in multiple directions across the wet floor. Now Alan searched the soggy bar for Jacob. There was only one place he could be. A small mountain of Infinites was dog piled on what had to be Jacob. The mound of squirming arms, legs and heads writhed like some mythical beast.

  Even as Alan approached the mass of cloned men, the pile erupted with a shout that did not belong to this world. Clones flew in every direction, yelling as they were thrown through the air. Many landed roughly, skidding across the wet ground as Jacob sent them all tumbling head over heels.

  Alan stood back in awe as Jacob quivered with the exertion. The clones had ripped his shirt from his torso and now instead of skin, what appeared to be rock covered his body. Before Alan could ask whether his power was to turn into a slab of granite, the Infinity clones around them began to disappear. One by one, they dissolved into the air until only one figure remained. He was sprawled out on the floor, soaked from head to toe. Blood fell freely from his nose and a cut on his left temple.

  Jacob ignored Alan and stalked over to the fallen combatant. Grabbing the man by his hair with one hand, he lifted him to a standing position. Infinity squealed with pain gripping with both hands the hand Jacob used to hold his hair. “Tell me, Infinity, tell me what you know or God as my witness, I will rip your hair from your body before I send you to the eternal Hell that is waiting for you.”

  Alan stood stunned by Jacob’s words and even more so by his actions. “No, no, please. Please don’t kill me I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you eve
rything! I swear!”

  Jacob released his hold sending Infinity falling to the ground again, “You have one minute.”

  “You’re crazy,” Infinity shouted. “You Nephilim are crazy!”

  “Fifty-five seconds,” Jacob said.

  “Okay, okay, just wait a minute. I’ll tell you. It’s Ardat. She thinks she’s found the Chronicle. The Chronicle that holds the instructions on how to forge the celestial weapons. She’s-going-to-get-it-tonight.”

  Infinity had said the previous sentence as if it was one word. Alan saw the terror in his eyes as he shuddered under Jacob’s stare. He had to be telling the truth.

  “Where?” Jacob asked. “Where is the Chronicle?”

  “Oh,” Infinity whimpered, “she’ll kill me if I tell you. I’m as good as dead if she finds out I ratted her out!”

  “What do you think I’m going to do to you if you don’t tell me?” Jacobs said.

  Alan could practically see the thought process going on behind Infinity’s shifting eyes. “Point taken, alright, they tracked down the Chronicle by tracing the heritage of the family it was entrusted to when it was banished from Heaven. It’s some college kid, Kyle Brown. That’s all I know. I swear I don’t know anything else.”

  Jacob thought for a second before turning his back to Infinity and speaking into his earpiece. “Did you get that?”

  “Yep,” Danielle responded, “Doing a search now and… Got it. Kyle Brown, twenty years old and goes to the local community college in the center of town. Looks like his math class just got out a few minutes ago. Angelica and Alan should be able to make it there in a matter of seconds.”

  “Good,” Jacob said as Alan followed him outside to a waiting Arther and Angelica.

  “Wait a minute,” Alan said. “Before we go racing off does anyone care to explain to me how the whole water-thing worked? Arch, did you do that?”

  Arther smiled widely, “I wish I could take the credit but along with speed and strength, Angel has the ability to channel and manipulate the flow of water.”

  Angelica pushed her blonde hair into a ponytail, “I’ll tell you all about it later. Right now we have a Chronicle to catch.”

  “Right,” Jacob said to Alan, “You and Angel, use your speed to get there now. Arch and I will be a few minutes behind. And be carful: if this really is the Chronicle we’re chasing down and Ardat is behind it, this will be dangerous.”

  Chapter 36

  Dominic took one last drawn out puff from his cigarette before flicking it onto the college campus grass.

  “Hey, hey, you can’t do that. That’s littering.”

  Dominic looked over the top of his dark sunglasses at the tall college student standing in front of him. Classes were just letting out and the courtyard teemed with the youth of tomorrow. “I’m going to kill you with that cigarette if you don’t walk away right now,” Dominic said in a low menacing voice.

  The student took a step back with a wide-open mouth.

  “Now go away, little bird. Go on. Back to your miserable life.”

  At first, the student looked like he was going to respond. Dominic could feel a smile touch his lips as details on exactly how he planned to kill this one took shape in his mind. His hopes soon faded as the student thought better of his plan and instead bit his tongue and started backing away.

  “That’s right,” Dominic motioned with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Go away, don’t even look at me.”

  The student complied with a large swallow and lost himself in the crowd seconds later. Dominic allowed himself to chuckle before turning his attention back to the busy school campus. Students piled out of multiple doors as they hurried along to their next class or home if they were done with their collegiate duties for the day. Dominic kept his eyes glued on one door in particular.

  Kyle Brown would be leaving his class any moment now and it was up to Dominic to make sure that the boy sided with him and his mistress in the days to come.

  Dominic studied each face as they exited the classroom until the face he was looking for appeared. Kyle was average height, lanky and wore thick glasses. He walked hunkered down as if the weight of the world were on his shoulders. Unlike the other students leaving the class, Kyle wasn’t talking with anyone. No friendly banter passed between him and a companion. Instead, Kyle avoided eye contact with passersby and was the first to move out of the way when someone was walking too close to him.

  Perfect, Dominic thought as he left his position and started on a path leading him to the young man. This is going to be easier than I thought.

  “It’s Kyle, right?” Dominic said with a friendly grin.

  “Uh-yeah, do I know you?”

  Dominic threw an arm around Kyle who tensed under the motion as they continued to walk, “No, you don’t know me yet but you will. My name is Dominic Drencher and I am going to be your best friend.”

  Suspicion and a shadow of fear passed over Kyle’s freckled face. “Um… I’m okay, I don’t want anything you’re selling.”

  “Oh, but I’m not selling just anything. I’m here to give you something. And trust me, you do want my gift.”

  Kyle still walked alongside Dominic but Dominic could feel the young man’s shoulders tense. “Kyle, I’m going to go out on a limb and say you don’t have many friends. You are somewhat of a loner and you’ve been picked on your entire life?”

  Kyle looked up shocked as he nodded.

  Dominic tried to remember what else he learned of the young man from the files Ardat provided. “You wish you were stronger and that if you can’t be great, that you can be at the very least normal. You want to experience at least one day that didn’t bring the fear of anxiety, right?”

  Dominic knew he had him as Kyle looked up into his sunglasses with an open mouth and nodded again.

  “Great, well, what if I told you that in return for your cooperation I could make all of that a reality. We can make anyone who has ever stepped on you or degraded you pay. I can give you the resources to be the man you want to be while paying back all those past bullies with the justice they deserve.”

  Kyle’s shoulders relaxed; only then did Dominic remove his arm. “I mean, that sounds great but, who are you? How do you plan on doing that?”

  Dominic chuckled aloud as they continued to walk through the busy campus grounds. “You let me worry about that. All I need in exchange is a book that you have in your possession.”

  “A book?”

  “Yes, that’s right. It would be old with a beaten leather cover. It has a picture of a spear crossed with a sword on the front. Probably a family heirloom passed down throughout the years.”

  Kyle’s eyes jumped with understanding. “Oh, you mean the Chronicle? Why do you want that old book?”

  “Never mind the why, do you have it?”

  “Nope.”

  Dominic stopped walking and turned to his unlikely companion, questioning his nonchalant response, “What do you mean, ‘nope’?”

  Kyle shifted under the weight of his backpack. “I mean, it’s gone. Before my grandfather, died he burned it.”

  Dominic could feel wrath boil in his chest. Kyle continued talking as if nothing of interest was happening. “He turned crazy as he got older. He kept going on about angels and demons and that the book could change the fate of the world and blah, blah, blah...”

  Dominic was shaking as he tried to control the anger he felt at that moment. His left sunglass lens cracked as his Nephilim ability began to spiral out of control. Despite this Kyle kept on, “Yeah, can you believe that? He was my grandfather and everything but I started resenting him after he made me memorize that book. I mean, hours and hours of reading it and him reciting it to me. I was fed up with it. Kinda glad he burned it before he died.”

  Dominic could feel the heat in his face subside for the briefest moment, “Wait, what did you just say?”

  “I said he burned it before he died—Hey, what happened to your glasses? You have a huge crack in—“
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  “Never mind my glasses, do you still remember what was in the book?”

  Kyle nodded, “Yeah, sure. It was weird stuff. What required metals to make weapons, the precise temperature for the furnace, details on how to correctly temper the steel. It really didn’t mean anything. I guess, unless you were going to wage some kind of medieval war.”

  Dominic let out a long breath of air. He would be spared from Ardat’s wrath. If the boy was telling the truth and he had memorized the Chronicle’s information, Kyle would be just as good as the Chronicle itself.