The Sixth Seal

Lee climbed out of the van and peered around the corner. He scanned the surrounding area, the gun at the ready in his hand. He motioned Ana forward.

“Keep close. We need to get across the road and double back to the barn. So far nobody’s come out of the Suburban, but I’ll bet at least one of those bastards is still alive.”

She fell in line behind him as they jogged across the median toward the road. The black SUV sat in the grass facing them. Thousands of pebble-sized pieces of glass peppered the road. He kept his gun trained on the vehicle as they passed.

“Where are we going?”

He didn’t answer. Instead he pushed her to the ground and dove to his right and unloaded his last four rounds into a man stepping out from behind the SUV.

“Stay down.” Lee closed the distance to the SUV.

She ignored his command and followed close behind. She could see deep red splotches appearing on the man’s back, absorbing into his shirt and fanning out like ripples in a pond. Lee pried the gun from the man’s hand and rifled through his pockets.

“Found some ammo for this one. Here, you take mine.” He offered the handgun to her.

“I don’t even know how to use it.” She stood up, feeling the stiffness in her shoulder getting worse.

“It’ll come back to you. Just like the driving did.” He smiled.

She took the gun. The weight felt right in her hand. She pulled a fresh clip from the duffel bag and reloaded the weapon.

Lee shook his head, smiled again and continued walking toward the road. “See, I told you it would come back to you. Come on. We need to get out of here before the police show up.”

“Do you think there are any more of these guys still alive?” She fell back in step with him.

“I think that was the last of them, but there are probably more on the way. We need to hurry, it’ll be dark soon.”

He took her hand as they ran across the highway and into the meadow on the other side.

She glanced back across the road. The tire on the van still turned in a slow, tilted orbit. The SUV looked like someone had thrown a hand grenade inside.

“So what’s the plan, or do you have one?”

He shot her a sideways glance. “First we need to get to a safe place.”

“And how are we going to do that?”

“We need to get to the car I have hidden in the woods.” He pointed beyond the meadow to their left. “It’s just a mile off the road from where we passed the barn.”

“You mean the barn we flew past a couple of miles back?”

“That’s the one.”

She sighed, but picked up her pace to match his. He was heading for a line of trees that backed up to a grouping of soft, rolling hills.

He stopped and held up his hand. He cocked his head to one side.

“What is it?”

He motioned for her to be quiet and kept listening, tilting his head in the opposite direction. After a few seconds, she could hear it too. It was a distinctive ‘whump whump’ sound and it was definitely getting louder.

“Helicopter.” He pointed up above the hills before grabbing her hand and pulling her forward.

They raced across the meadow toward the tree line. The duffel bag slapped against her side reminding her of the newly formed bruises. Her legs burned, but she pushed past the pain and kept her eyes on the trees.

“I think they’ve spotted us.”

She could barely hear his words. The grass all around them undulated in waves, and bits of dirt and rock assaulted them from all angles as the helicopter descended.

Lee made it to the trees first. He took cover behind a thick oak and took aim at the helicopter. He let off a couple of rounds just as she darted under the cover of the trees.

He stopped firing and looked to her. “Three men inside, including the pilot.”

“Do you think they’re going to follow us?” She rested against a tree. Her body, unaccustomed to the exercise, screamed for rest.

“There.” He pointed out toward the road. “It looks like they’re going to land in the median. The ground is flatter.”

The helicopter leveled out and began its descent. More debris kicked up as the craft touched down. Even in the fading daylight, she could see the bright-red insignia emblazoned on the tail.

I’ve seen that somewhere before, but where?

The door opened and two heavily armed men in black jumpsuits climbed out.

“Shouldn’t we go?” She looked to Lee.

He nodded in the affirmative and motioned back toward the hills.

“Let’s get through the trees to the base of the hills. If they get close, we can veer back into the tree line for cover.”

“Maybe we should stay under cover of the trees.” She pointed at the helicopter. It was already several feet in the air. “At least until the copter gives up.”

He nodded again and the two of them moved deeper into the trees.

She heard the helicopter fly over and caught a glimpse of it on the other side of the trees.

He must be trying to track us from above.

She grabbed Lee’s shoulder. He stopped, turned and pulled her behind a tree.

“What is it?” He looked behind her toward their pursuers.

“I think those men are in communication with the pilot. He’s directing them toward us.”

“You’re probably right, but there’s not much we can do about it.” He glanced furtively over her shoulder.

“He’s going to pin us down until the others catch up with us.”

Lee nodded. “So, I’m afraid to ask. What are you thinking?”

“Do you trust me?”

“Implicitly.”

“Good. I think if you run out in the open, the pilot will come closer and try to pin you down. He’ll also guide the others to you.” She handed him the duffel bag.

“In other words, I’m the bait.” He smiled and took the bag.

“Precisely. It’ll probably take the pilot a minute to realize you’re alone. He’ll direct the two men toward you and we’ll surround them.”

“You make it sound so easy.” He narrowed his eyes and studied her for a second. “What the hell, I’ve seen you pull off some pretty crazy shit before.”

He threw the bag over his shoulder and ran through the trees and out into the open.

She waited until the helicopter drew closer, then moved to the edge of the tree line. She could hear the two men behind her.

Lee fired a few random shots and jogged along the edge of the trees.

She positioned herself behind a tall oak and chanced a glimpse around its trunk. She could see the two men through the trees making their way toward Lee. Beyond the tree line, the helicopter hovered close to the ground.

A memory sparked. She could see the words on the page in a book much like the mysterious one with the red cover left in her room. The voice of the author sounded in her mind. Make your way by unexpected routes, and attack that which is unguarded.

She braced herself against a sturdy oak and took aim at the helicopter. She breathed deeply, her senses focused, everything around her fell away; she exhaled and squeezed the trigger until the clip was empty. The fiberglass housing around the tail rotor exploded, sending out a shower of shards. Pieces ricocheted against the rotor and a thin line of smoke escaped the tail. The helicopter wobbled before turning abruptly into the trees. The giant rotor blades thrashed into the branches like an enormous insect devouring everything in its path. The engine revved, faltered and fell into an ear-piercing whine.

Crouching down to avoid flying debris, she jumped back into the trees. The two men dove for cover.

She raised her gun, and pulled the trigger. The gun clicked in her hand.

Damn. I’m out.

She heard the voice again. Unexpected routes. Flipping the gun around in her hand, she charged the nearest of the two men. Just shy of impact, he turned right. He fired, but his shots went wide when the butt of her gun made contact with his left temple, sending him crumpling to the ground.

The other gunman swiveled. She threw the gun at him and dove behind the nearest tree. Several shots sounded followed by a thump, and then nothing except the helicopter’s engine winding down and bits of debris falling to the ground.

“Ana?”

“Lee?” She poked her head around the tree.

He smiled when he found her. Genuine relief played across his face. “Are you okay?”

“Not bad. You?”

He smiled even wider. “I’m good.” He leaned up against the tree, looking down at her. “Like I said, pretty crazy shit.”

They walked in silence through the woods and into the night. The adrenaline that had kept her mind sharp and the pain at bay began to fade.

“Lee, I really need to rest.”

“Just another mile.” He stopped and pointed across a field.

She recognized the barn they had passed earlier. A narrow gravel road separated them from the lonely structure. There was no sign of activity, but he took his time scanning the area before he left the cover of the trees.

“Where did you hide the car?”

“Less than a mile off the road up a private drive.” He shifted the duffel bag on his shoulder and pulled up on a line of barbwire fence.

She bent down and climbed through to the other side. She took the bag from him and did her best to pull up on the wire while he climbed through.

“Aren’t you worried about someone finding it?”

“No. I scouted the property for a few weeks before I left it there.” He looked back down the gravel road before crossing to the other side.

She followed. “How long have you been planning this? And how did you find me anyway?”

“Once I found you, and I was sure it was you, it took me a couple of months to put everything into place.” He rubbed his shoulder.

“Are you hurt?”

“No worse than you.” He laughed.

“So how did you find me?”

“You’re a protector, I’m a gatherer. That’s just the way of things.”

She sighed. “How do you know all these things, but my memories are just a hazy mess?”

“I’m not really sure, but I think it has to do with your direct connection to the book.”

Something stirred inside her when he mentioned the book. “Aren’t you connected to it too?”

“No. I’m connected to the protectors. You are the only one of the protectors that can actually communicate with the book. I think it’s this intimate connection that delays your memories when you reincarnate. Its power kind of floods your system” He shrugged. “Or something like that.”

“So we really do come back, and I’ve been all of the people that I’ve dreamt about?”

He chuckled. “I don’t know about all of them, but you and I have definitely met before. Several times.”

“And you always know your purpose and remember everything that came before?”

“Not initially. It’s usually a slow realization that comes to me in adolescence, but from that point almost everything comes back to me, including my purpose.”

She nodded. “To find the protectors.”

“Yes, only you’re the only one I’ve found in quite some time.”

“Why is that?”

“I don’t know, but it worries me. I can usually sense them, even from great distances. I’m afraid the Horsemen may already have most of the others.”

“Do you know who the Horsemen--”

He pulled her down into the ditch beside the road, keeping an arm around her.

She heard wheels on gravel. The vehicle was slowing. She crouched even lower and held her breath. She didn’t have the energy for another confrontation.

“It’s okay.” He patted her on the back and helped her up out of the ditch. “I think it was just a local turning down a side road.”

A truck turned then disappeared down a gravel drive kicking up dust in its wake.

She rubbed her hands over her arms. The night air was getting cooler.

“Come on, we’re almost there. The car should be over the next hill.” He wrapped an arm around her as they continued their progress.

“So, do you know who the Horsemen are? Have you met any of them?” She crossed her arms against her chest and turned in towards Lee trying to keep warm.

“I haven’t met any of them in this lifetime, but I’ve come across plenty of their agents.”

“How do they know about the book?”

“They are all protectors like you, or at least they used to be.”

She pulled away from him. “They’re nothing like me.”

“Take it easy.” He grabbed her arm and looked her in the eyes. “Of course they’re not like you. I just meant that at one time they were protectors. At some point they coveted its power for their own purposes.”

“What purposes?”

He let go of her arm. “I don’t know. You’ll have to figure that out. My task is to gather the others to defend the book.” He scanned the road again. “I’ll explain more when we’re in a safe place.”

“This looks like something an old man would drive.” Ana glared at the bulky, beige Mercury.

“Exactly.” Lee held the door open for her. “Get in.”

She slid in and took the bag from him once she was seated. He shut the door and walked around to the driver’s side.

At least it’s comfortable.

He started the big sedan and turned on the lights, backing the car down the drive and out onto the gravel road.

“Where are we headed?”

“There’s a little town about thirty miles from here. We can get a room for the night and get some rest before we head for the airport.”

“Airport? Won’t I need some ID to get on a plane?” She smiled, and reached to turn the heat on full blast. “I must have left my wallet in my other set of scrubs.”

He cocked an eyebrow at her and chuckled. “Didn’t I say I planned this for several months? Don’t worry. I’ve made all the arrangements. Just sit back and try to relax.”

“Where are we flying to?”

“Germany.”

“Germany?” Images of Hannah as well as hazy images of previous lives flashed in her mind. “Why Germany?”

“Call it a gut instinct.” He gave the car a little more gas. “Now quit asking so many questions, and try to get some rest.”

She let her body slide back into the seat. Her shoulders relaxed and she gazed out at the stars willing herself to remember the last time she’d stood with this man beside her in a much different time and place.