The next few days and nights passed uneventfully. Sam felt good, adapting easily to the routine and the pace he was setting. In other circumstances, he would be enjoying himself. He couldn’t say the same about the others though. Both Joshua and Grace looked tired. They had saddle sores. Grace was coughing. The thin layer of ash covering the ground was constantly disturbed by the passage of the horses, irritating her throat.
They’d crossed over Lake Mead the day previously. The water levels were extremely low and they’d easily found a shallow part covered by sluggish grey ash foam. The water was dirty and disgusting, coming up to the flanks of the horses. Sam had to wade through it with his swords above his head. Afterwards, Grace had spoken endlessly about needing a bath. Sam didn’t blame her, but at least she hadn’t had to get into the water like him.
They passed the town of Meadview without incident. Even from a distance, it looked deserted. With his excellent night vision, Sam could see that there wasn’t even any traffic and the roads looked strangely clear.
They hugged the shore of Lake Mead, just inside the state border. The map told them that it marked the boundary between Arizona and Nevada. Las Vegas wasn’t far away. They kept following the Lake, despite the smell that was rising from it. It smelt of rot and decay. Corruption.
After a day, they’d all had enough of the smell. Eventually, they discovered a road and with an unspoken agreement, started following it. They hadn’t seen a single soul and the road was completely empty, leading them up a ridge line where it intersected with a state highway. The sign informed them that Vegas was only twenty miles away.
Sam began to get nervous. He really didn’t know what to expect when they reached the city. Big Tom had told them that there was a semblance of order there. He’d been in contact with groups of survivors who said that the city was functioning almost normally.
Something about this seemed strange to Sam. Why would Vegas be immune to the effects of the Tribulation? How were they coping with the nightly invasion of demons? When he’d studied the route he was to take to get to Los Angeles, Sam had done some research into Vegas. It had a large number of churches. Surely, more churches meant more demons?
Big Tom had also told him that the roads were meant to be clear. Hopefully, he and the others could beg or borrow a car to take them to Los Angeles — providing of course, they could find some gas for the tank.
Los Angeles. His ultimate destination. Sam had been trying not to think about it. He didn’t know what he was going to do when he got there. How was he meant to find the Antichrist? Just walk down the street and say ‘Hello. Excuse me, but could you please point me in the direction of the son of the Devil? I want to kill him.’ It all seemed rather far-fetched.
They crossed over the border and into Nevada. Beneath them was Boulder City, lying on the outskirts of Vegas. Like every other town they had seen recently, it was deserted. The contrast between the lifeless, lightless Boulder City and what lay on the horizon however, was emphasized by the dark night.
It was Vegas, glowing like a jewel. Every light in the city seemed to be on. An oasis of light in the otherwise dark countryside. No-one spoke a word as they walked towards it, captivated by the thought of civilisation.
The bright lights of Vegas beckoned.
10
7 WEEKS EARLIER
“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
1 Corinthians, 15:52
The sounds of laughter carried easily on the still night air within Devil’s Garden. The full moon illuminated the clearing where the group of teenagers sat around a small fire, their happy, smiling faces glowing in the warm light.
Sam sat a small distance away, perched atop a rock spire above them, the shadow from another spire effectively concealing him. Watching, listening and feeling decidedly miserable. Amongst the group were Aimi and her friends from the cheerleading squad. Joshua and some of his team mates, most of whom Sam recognized, were sitting amongst them.
He desperately wanted to go down there and join them but knew that he wouldn’t be welcome. Aimi would want him there, he told himself, but as for the others …. Even Joshua was now slightly cool towards him after the incident at the football game. Sam had tried to patch things up with him, even venturing to Father Rainey’s house, but he could tell that the other boy was slightly wary of him now.
It was a pity and something he deeply regretted. He’d explained to Joshua what had happened that night and the other boy appeared to accept the explanation but he knew that something had changed between them. He’d ruined the only opportunity he probably would to have a male friend.
Now, watching as the other teenagers enjoyed each other’s company, only made him feel worse. He was different. He was an outcast and always would be one.
As usual, his eyes were drawn to Aimi, watching enviously as she effortlessly interacted with the others. She was at the centre of things as usual, with the other boys — including Joshua — all vying for her attention. Sam kept a firm handle on his emotions; he certainly didn’t want a repeat performance of his appalling behaviour months earlier.
Aimi looked stunning. Radiant, her physical presence acting as a magnet on him. Her sixteenth birthday was only a month away and already Sam was wracking his brains for something to buy her. Not that he had any money but he was sure Hikari would provide him with some funds if he told him what it was for.
It made him think of his birthday celebrations two weeks earlier. The date of his birth was unknown so Hikari had made an educated guess and stuck with it all his life. He was eighteen now apparently, which made him feel a little depressed. In his eighteen years, he didn’t really feel like he’d done much. Sure, he was probably one of the most highly trained fighters in the world, but it didn’t really give him as much satisfaction as it once did.
Aimi, on the other hand, had accomplished a great deal. She still excelled academically and at sport so when the time came, she would have her pick of colleges. They’d even been talk of scholarships.
Somehow, they never discussed the fact that there was a very real possibility that Aimi would never get to college. According to Hikari and Father Rainey, the Rapture was close. If that was the case, Sam had to wonder what the point of all her hard work was. Why strive for something that you’d never see to its conclusion? Sam knew it was a negative thought but couldn’t help himself. He was just in that frame of mind.
He suspected that Aimi and Hikari carried on like normal for his sake. They didn’t want to remind him that they were shortly going to be gone from his life. Besides, he knew that Aimi just liked excelling for its own sake. It gave her pleasure and that’s just the way she was. Just as he had a tendency to be more negative.
His love for her had grown to an extraordinary extent. Now he couldn’t bear to be away from her. When she was at school, he always eagerly awaited her return although tried not to show it. Unlike her, he didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve. She appeared to feel the same way but Sam was never sure, always feeling slightly insecure and reluctant to express exactly how he felt. Some days, he felt so miserable he wondered what the point of it all was. Why was he involving himself emotionally in a woman he could never be with? He wondered if she felt the same.
It was a constant source of surprise to him that she had never gone out with another boy, not even on a date and, as far as he knew, not even been kissed. It did make him feel more relaxed, just as the thought of her kissing someone else inflamed him with jealous rage. He supposed he couldn’t blame her if she did — but he wouldn’t like to be the other guy.
She was quite something, though. Generous, loving and affectionate. She would often hug him and kiss him on the cheek and he was never quite sure how to respond. For his birthday she had painstakingly stained and re- lacquered the sheaths of his swords, presenting them with a shy smile and a quick peck on the lips. He had been astonished. It was the first time she had ever kissed him there.
He wondered what Hikari made of all this. He seemed to give his approval and Sam had caught him smiling
