Mayan Afterglow Read online

  “Nothing. It’s just one of those crazy prophesies we heard before December.”

  He scowled and the frown lines around his mouth deepened. “Most of those turned out to be true,” he said.

  She was nodding when she repeated, “As above, so below.”

  He lifted one brow. “What does it mean?”

  “I’m not sure,” she said. “Either that the heavens and earth will reflect each other or Earth and Hell will be the same. A lot of people speculated on that before December.”

  “What do you think?” he asked, his eyes not leaving hers.

  “I think it will depend on what happens in Mexico. After the final battle, the answer will come from the result.” She opened the truck’s door and hopped out into the snow.

  She heard his door slam and followed Ian to a small rise in the concrete. He kicked at the snow making a hole with his foot.

  Something caught her eye. She saw movement at the back of the building.

  “Ian?”

  “I saw it.” He moved slowly back to the truck and took the rifle out of the backseat. “Get in the truck, Aileen.”

  He ran toward the side of the building. She watched him disappear behind the white service station. She had tucked a pistol into her jacket pocket when they loaded the truck. Wrapping her hand around the cold metal she followed Ian’s footprints behind the building. As she rounded the corner she slid the long knife from her boot.

  Something jumped down from the roof. It was a blur of movement just before it landed on top of her. The gun fired wildly. Her assailant screamed and rolled away.

  Ian was running toward them.

  The attacker examined a small hole in the arm of his enormous down jacket.

  “You could have killed me,” the man yelled.

  Aileen took a good look at him. He couldn’t have been more than twenty-two. He was wearing a lot of clothes but she could tell he was thin. No stench of rotting flesh assailed her nostrils. She put up a hand to stop Ian from firing the rifle.

  His brown hair barely poked out from at least three layers of head coverings. He had the scraggly beard of a boy who had no business growing facial hair yet.

  His eyes were round and his mouth hung open when he looked up at her.

  “What’s your name?” she asked as Ian joined her.

  “A half inch to the right and I could have been killed,” he ranted.

  She smiled.

  “It’s not funny.”

  “You did jump me from the roof.”

  He surveyed the roof as if just remembering his own actions. His face grew red and he grinned shyly. “Yeah, well, that one was chasing me, and I thought to put one of you out of commission long enough to get some fuel.”

  “Do you have a name?” she asked again.

  “Asher Dove.”

  Pleased, she said, “That’s a fine name.”

  Asher’s wide eyes drew together. “Who are you?”

  “I am Aileen and this is Ian.”

  Ian frowned. “What are you doing here?”

  Asher looked from one to the other and then at the guns each was holding. “I just need enough fuel to get my plane in the air and then I’ll be on my way. You’ll never hear of Asher Dove again.”

  “Why did you attack me?” Aileen asked.

  Glancing from left to right he said in a near whisper, “There are things out here that aren’t human. Those big dogs nearly ripped my leg off. I’m just trying to get out of the snow.” He paused. “You have a plow. You could clear the runway for me.”

  Ian took a step forward. Asher stepped back.

  “What do you have to trade?” Ian asked.

  The boy thought for a moment. “I have food, water, clothes and a few meds.”

  Ian shook his head. “Never tell the whole of it, Kid. Always save something to bargain with later.”

  Asher scowled. “Maybe I am,” he said.

  “No. You gave it all away. I can read you like a book.” He turned back to look at her. She nodded. “Tell you what, Kid. If that plane of yours can hold three and some gear I’ll plow the runway and you can keep your goods.”

  “Where do you want to go?”

  “Mexico.”

  The boy was shaking his head. “It’s a small plane. I don’t know if it will make it that far.”

  “As far south as you can take us then,” Aileen said.

  The boy studied her face and the corners of his mouth tipped up slightly. He looked at Ian and scowled. Turning away for a moment he shook his head. Everything Asher Dove thought could be read directly in his expression. He was not dangerous, that much was obvious. He was scared. There was no telling how long this boy had been alone.

  Finally he said, “I’ll fly you out of the snow. I don’t promise no more than that.”

  Ian held out his hand. “Good.”

  Asher took the hand and they shook. “The air strip is about a mile to the east.”

  Ian nodded and started back toward the truck with their new companion beside him. Aileen followed behind.

  “Is the woman…”

  He never got to finish the sentence. Ian turned so fast that the boy lost his footing and landed in the snow staring up at the larger man.

  “Okay, I get it. She’s yours. I was just asking,” he said holding both hands up in front of him for defense.

  Aileen laughed and got in the truck. She glanced at Ian, but he was not amused as he and their new companion filled gas cans and the truck with fuel. When they were done, Asher climbed into the backseat of the club cab and whistled.

  “Look at all this stuff. I don’t think it will all fit in the plane. It’s only got four seats.”

  “We’ll pare down,” Ian said shutting the door against the cold wind. “You can fly the thing, right?”

  “Have a little faith. I wouldn’t have said I could otherwise. I can fly it. Flew it here from Michigan but I needed fuel. Then the snow came and I’ve been stuck in this town for almost a week.” His voice was petulant.

  He’s just a kid. “How old are you, Asher?”

  “Twenty. No, twenty-one. Had a birthday in August. Nearly forgot.”

  “You look a little older,” she said softly.

  He made a scoffing sound. “Yeah, well, it’s been a rough year.”

  Asher tapped Ian’s shoulder and pointed east. “Follow this road. It runs into the air strip.”

  It was slow moving through the heavy, wet snow.

  “Have you seen many people?” Aileen asked.

  The boy leaned forward between the two front seats like a child on a long vacation trip. “I saw some. Mostly crazies but some not.”

  “Why didn’t you stay with any of the not crazy ones?” Ian asked backing away from a mound of snow he’d pushed to the side of the road.

  “They moved south a long time ago. I had to wait.”

  “Wait?” Aileen asked. “What were you waiting for?”

  “I don’t know. It seems stupid now. I could have missed all this snow, but I waited and then I got stuck.”

  Ian glanced over at Aileen. Their eyes locked for an instant.

  Had he waited for them? Was this all some master plan? Who was pulling the strings in this crazy orchestration? Could they be worse than Mictlan? All these things shot through her head and she glanced at Ian. The same questions were mirrored in Ian’s eyes.

  Asher had removed his head-coverings in the heat of the truck revealing a mass of poker-straight brown hair. Giddy with excitement as they arrived at the airstrip, he bounced up and down. His hair flapping like wings, he seemed no more than eight years old.

  “There. It’s over there,” he called.

  Ian followed the pointing finger thrust between the two front seats. He whistled in appreciation. “That’s a nice little plane you’ve got there, Kid.”

  “Yeah,” he said dreamily. “I used to borrow an old Cessna Skylane from a guy I knew. After everyone was gone, I figured, why not upgrade to a Corvalis?” he said the la
st word like a prayer.

  Aileen smiled. It was not what she’d expected. Somehow looking at Asher, she’d thought the plane would be run-down and beat-up. However, this craft was pristine. He’d even cleared the snow off the white fuselage. The details were painted red and the signature Cessna swoosh flowed across in bright yellow as were the large digits N4OCA painted near the tail. “Can you put regular gas in that?”

  He shrugged. “Shouldn’t but there’s no hundred octane here. The tank exploded before I arrived,” he said pointing to a demolished building off to the left.

  “Will it fly with automobile fuel?” she asked.

  “Not as well. Doesn’t burn as hot,” he said as if it didn’t matter.

  Ian was frowning. “How far does it go on a tank?”

  “’Bout twelve hundred miles.” His youthful excitement was contagious.

  Even Ian was amused. “By the time we reach Tennessee we should be out of the snow. At least I hope so. We can try to find a small airport and drain the bad fuel. How much runway do you need?”

  The boy looked down the snow covered stretch of blacktop and frowned. “At least a couple of thousand feet. I guess it can be done in less but I don’t want to risk going nose first into a bank of snow with a full tank of gas.”

  Ian cringed. “Nice thought,” he said sarcastically.

  * * * * *

  Hours later, Aileen watched the pickup in the distance and thought of the man behind the wheel. He was harsh and worn but also tender and loving. How can all those contradictions exist in one man? A thief, she thought and chuckled to herself.

  Her eyes caught sight of something in the distance. The gray and red clouds masked the movement but she could still see something coming.

  “What is that?” Asher asked from behind her.

  It was moving toward the truck. It flew roughly up and down but getting lower all the time. The wings were strangely shaped and uneven. “Oh God, crows,” she screamed. “Ian.” He was too far away to hear her calling out.

  Half of the flock dived at the truck but the rest headed straight for her. She turned away from them. “Asher, run!”

  She ran toward a steel building but the snow and ice were thick and she slipped, falling face first like a ragdoll. Then Asher’s weight was on top of her. The crows screamed and dropped toward them. She could just make out pieces of feathers falling around her. They will kill the boy, she thought.

  An engine approached and guns fired and then it was quiet.

  Asher moved off her.

  “Aileen.”

  She could hear Ian’s voice over the truck engine and the cries of the ascending crows. His feet pounded across the snow. Rolling to one side she could feel all the places she was freshly bruised.

  Ian slid down into the snow next to her.

  “I’m fine. Check Asher.”

  He looked into her eyes as if searching for the truth of her statement. Satisfied, he turned to the boy.

  He took him by the shoulders. “Are you hurt?”

  Dazed, Asher shook his head and tried to focus on Ian. “I don’t know. I don’t think so,” he said grabbing awkwardly around to the back of his enormous coat to see the damage.

  Ian got up and lifted the boy to his feet. He turned him around to assess the damage.

  Aileen struggled to her feet and moved closer. The back of Asher’s down coat was ripped to shreds. Fiber and feathers were torn and spilling out everywhere. The hood of the coat had a huge gash but only exposed the first of two more hats the boy wore. His jeans were torn but she could see long underwear poking out through the fresh holes.

  Ian was laughing. “I guess a few extra layers of clothes will keep you safe in the winter,” he said slapping the boy on the shoulder.

  He turned to her again. “You sure you’re okay?”

  “Just bruised. They couldn’t reach me,” she said keeping an eye on the boy who had just risked himself to save her for reasons she could not imagine. “Thank you, Asher Dove.”

  He blushed and shrugged.

  Ian squeezed his shoulder. “Do you think that’s enough runway for you, Kid?”

  Asher inspected the broken windshield of the truck and the gashes in the hood. “Those were no ordinary crows. I think we need to get the hell out of here,” he said.

  Chapter Seven

  With barely enough runway, they managed to get the small plane in the air. Climbing to just below the red clouds, their pilot explained that the GPS could no longer find a signal. They had to be able to look for landmarks like rivers and remnants of cities.

  Ian watched the land below with nauseating results. His stomach churned and jumped with each bump and dip of the small aircraft. Looking at the glaring red sky only increased his discomfort.

  “Why Mexico?” Asher asked.

  Ian turned his eyes away from the ground and felt immediately better. He twisted around to see Aileen watching out the windows from the backseat.

  When she didn’t answer, Ian said, “Aileen has to save what’s left of the world.”

  She frowned at him. He smiled back.

  “Oh,” Asher said.

  “You make it sound like some magic trick I’m going to perform.”

  “I’ve seen you use some pretty awesome magic.”

  She turned away from him. “I don’t know what will happen in Mexico. The only thing I know is that I have to try.”

  “And if you fail?” Asher asked.

  She turned back toward the front of the plane. “Then the Earth will plunge farther into Hell and mankind will perish.”

  She said it like a recitation. Ian didn’t argue with her. Somehow she knew these things. Just like he had been drawn to Lake George and Asher had waited in western New York, Aileen knew of two possible futures.

  “What happens if you succeed?” Ian asked.

  Her eyes met his clear and unblinking. “If mankind survives the End of Days then they shall flourish for millennia. As above, so below.”

  “I still don’t know what that means, Aileen,” Ian admitted.

  She shrugged. “I’m not really sure myself,” she said in a small voice.

  “What the hell?” Asher asked, squinting his eyes.

  “What?” But before their young pilot could answer, Ian saw what. Something large was coming. It was not a flock of crows. Whatever it was, it was solid and black and headed straight for them.

  “Get down,” Aileen screamed.

  Ian’s stomach flipped as the nose dipped down and started for the ground. Wisps of red clouds zoomed past the windows. He fought to keep the little food that was in his stomach down.

  The plane leveled out.

  “I think we lost it,” Asher said.

  The force with which the creature slammed into the nose of the plane sent them flying back in their seats. Aileen screamed and so did Asher who pulled up, lifting the vessel higher.

  With no way to shoot at it, Ian felt helpless. He searched for other attackers. Then he looked back to see the red eyes of this thing. It almost appeared human though only in a distorted way. Nearly skeletal, its body was covered in sinew and stretched tight with dark grey flesh. The open mouth bared long, pronged teeth and a serpent-like tongue. Its cry pierced the air above the noise of the passing wind and engines, but Ian felt that he could hear it in his head. He felt the pain of this beast in his soul.

  Asher took them up into the clouds and then went into a nose-dive trying to shake the demon.

  Bile rose in Ian’s throat.

  “Hold on,” Asher said before taking them through a series of rolls.

  “Ian,” Aileen called.

  He barely heard her. His focus was entirely on the beast clinging to the nose of the airplane. He heard its voice from within. His hand reached forward.

  “You can stand at the right hand of the greatest god of all,” it told him. “You need not perish with the rest, Ian Scott.”

  “Asher, do something,” Aileen said in a voice that sounded far away and desp
erate.

  “I can’t shake it,” Asher said.

  The engines coughed and choked against the added weight and insufficient fuel.

  “I’ve got to take it down.”

  “Wait,” she said. “Can you stop this thing in flight?”

  “What?” He was shaking his head. “I can slow down.”

  ”Good. When I say so, do it.”

  Her hand reached out between the front seats and light filled the cabin. Energy pulsed around them.

  The pain Ian had felt in his head in the house in Lake George returned. He blinked his eyes realizing he had nearly accepted what the demon offered. Fury filled him followed by a shame so deep he cried out, gripping his head.

  The light erupted from her hand. “Now,” she screamed.

  They were pushed forward in their seats. The demon fell from the front of the craft and spiraled toward the earth. Ian could still hear its cries until it hit the ground. He closed his eyes against the pain of impact, half expecting their plane to meet the same fate as the creature whose mangled flesh littered the earth below. When he opened his eyes Asher had righted the craft.

  The young pilot was covered in sweat. He wiped his eyes with one hand as white knuckles gripped the yoke.

  “Ian, are you okay?”

  Her voice brought him back to reality. “I’m better now. It was like that thing was talking to me. It was in my head.”

  “We need to find a place to land,” Asher said. “We need better fuel and it will be dark soon. We could get really lost up here in the dark.”

  * * * * *

  Stepping out of the plane was better than Ian had expected. The solidity of the ground settled his churning stomach and his mind began to clear.

  After leaving the plane in the small hangar, they carefully made their way through the cavernous building. They climbed up a steep staircase leading to a catwalk and the tiny airport’s offices.

  “Where do you think we are?” Aileen asked sitting down on a small couch in the dusty office above the hangar bay.

  Asher sat down next to her. “I think Tennessee. Maybe Kentucky but I think Tennessee. At least it’s warmer and not snowing.”

  Ian looked down at the gun in his hand. It shook slightly. I could have done it, he thought. I could have gone the other way, left Aileen, betrayed them.