Rise of the Good Sons

By Laura Morgan

For years, the government had taken more and more control over the citizens of America. Disease, poverty, and famine became widespread. With the new discovery of Red Gold by the famous scientist Alexander Hubble, hope had once again grown in the people. However, results were not as planned, and America was exiled for tapping into the unknown and using it to experiment biologically. The country was in turmoil already when a drill hit the earth's core and mortally injured the heart of Mother Earth. This called the Good Sons and Mother Earth's Guardians to her aide and protection, as She is no longer able to cage the darkness deep inside her, unleashing them on the earth. The Good Sons and the chosen humans have been tasked to save mother and as many mortals as they can before darkness takes over and humanity ceases to exist as anything more than slaves, food, and cattle. Hope and faith must lead the warriors of Mother Earth as they follow the paths laid out for them by the Creator of all to fulfill their destinies, save Mother Earth, and reach the true light. Each of the chosen will travel their own path as they accept every mission given to them by the beautiful Sons, knowing their fate will ultimately be interconnected with the outcome of Mother's fate. They will battle beasts, dark souls in human vessels and the greatest dark one of all, Lucian. But, through it all, love and goodness will always find a way, giving the people a glimmer of hope that maintains the light no darkness can diminish.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Laura Morgan
• Release date: Jun 20, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311366894

Laura Morgan

I've been writing since I could hold a pencil. I have an amazing and talented family of artists, writers, singers, and musicians that inspire me to do better every day. I spend a lot of time lost in my thoughts and imagination. I believe there is much goodness in the world and people and that will ultimately overcome the dark days. Being born in Kentucky inspired a lot of the places in the novel and a lot of what the people go through in it. I hope to have more to write about in the bio for the second book. Okay. That's all for now.

Book preview

152

Rise of the Good Sons

Copyright 2014 Laura Morgan

Published by Laura Morgan at Smashwords

Smashwords Edition License Notes

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Prologue

With the darkness came the night things. Since Mother Earth was mortally wounded, she is no longer able to contain the place inside of her where those evil energies are cast in death. And, they are escaping from their prison deep inside her bowels. Each one must enter a human host to roam about. It is obvious, because of their eyes. It’s as if blood had been poured into the eyeball and pupil and iris joined together in a soul emanating blackness. They cannot enter the daylight, because of what it does to them. No dark soul wants to be touched by light. They come at night with the hellcats to hunt for human hosts, and if you are not hidden well, they will find you. They have the ‘taken’ soldiers who gather humans up to take back to the openings to allow new evil souls to return to the earth. They look like the walking dead, because their evil taint destroys the human flesh with rot and stench. In truth, they may as well be dead, because they are already lost to mankind. The essence, whether good or bad, has been forced from the body to accommodate the evil that now possesses them. Those who choose not to accept the loss of their loved ones are being taken away by them to be lost.

It is foolish not to fear the darkness now. They are taking the night. These evil beings are not human anymore, but family members are not accepting it. Their unwilling to let go, and it will cost them. They will also return as shells for the dark souls who inhabit them. If the host body decomposes and loses its ability to move about, and no human is available, they must return to the cave and wait for a new host. If humans can keep from being taken to the evil place, they can keep their souls safe. It is hard to see the truth when someone you care about has become lost to the dark souls, but humans must be strong and find it in themselves to destroy these creatures. They are here to steal, kill, and destroy without feeling or remorse.

It is being said that there is someone to lead the people like Moses did in the Bible. Those stories still get passed down. Finding a Bible is like finding a needle in a haystack now. Books have been lost like the faith people here once had. Few believe in anything but survival. Our country needs something to raise the spirits of the people. If there is not a will to fight the dark souls, all is lost. If they take our country, they will move on to the rest of the world. Once, this country was strong in its faith, but so much destruction and loss and suffering has taken its toll on the spirits of the people. They have given up on everything but surviving each day by any means necessary. The hunger of Dr. Hubble’s creatures has become nearly insatiable. Nothing left on this earth can please their taste for all living creatures. We liked to call it the Terra Firma Anemia formula that he uses to create these beasts. Hubble is using the blood from Mother Earth and altering it in some way to transform normal wild cats into monsters we call Hell cats. They consume all that breathes or has a pulse. Their hunger is no longer about eradicating the human food sources. It is beyond that. Their plans no longer include life on earth. It would seem, their plans no longer include life at all, but instead, it is disease, death, destruction, and darkness they intend for the future. Mankind is now in a fight for not only their souls, but their very existence. And, they are losing. It all started with Dr Hubble’s discovery of the new fuel source he called Red Gold. No one knew he was secretly experimenting with it biologically.

Chapter 1

Lucian stretched inside the young mortal woman, adjusting to her small form. He had to limit himself inside her, but it would be worth it to see Lauren fail to be good and perfect again. It had been a few months since he manipulated her into slipping back into euphoric laziness. The last time, he had possessed an artist Lauren was working with on a marketing project for Hubble’s first patented light-weight metal that did not dent. It was sold to every auto maker around the world, and Hubble became a billionaire. That was only a small puzzle piece for Lucian’s plans. He had taken over the artist and gotten Lauren to celebrate their success with a month-long binge of mushrooms, pot, and the newest pain-killer on the market. It had taken weeks of manipulating everyone close to her to break Lauren down enough to enjoy his offered apple. Lucian had admired her willpower but hated her ability to stop when she was over it. Most humans let the drugs take over, and then they were his to possess and destroy. Not this one. Lauren was one of those humans he couldn’t possess. She had a light deep within her, and he knew her destiny involved hindering his plans for the future. So, Lucian had been working to seduce her since she was a child. Yet, he had failed to break her over the years. He’d brought about the loss of her family and many friends. He had used those closest to her to manipulate Lauren into dark periods. And, he had caused her unforgettable harm. Yet, she continued to function as though nothing was ever amiss in her life. Lucian knew what was coming, and he needed her to fail for good. Or, he would have to find a way to kill her. The time was coming, and it was close.

That night, he had pushed himself inside of her girlfriend’s twin sister. Lauren had just sealed the deal with new investors for a drill project Dr. Hubble was developing to fix the fuel shortage. Lucian had been busy during that time. Possessing Dr. Hubble using him as a puppet along with a few of Lauren’s friends at the right times had kept him moving, and he loved it. Lucian despised boredom. But, boredom had barely been an issue since he’d begun his long-term plan. And, destroying the small, dark-haired woman would help him greatly in succeeding. She was a constant spear in his side. This analogy made Lucian snicker, which made the female laugh in an awkward moment. Lucian had tried to possess Lauren’s new girlfriend but could not access her mind. Lauren had met Linda the week before, even though Lucian had sent his strongest dark shadows to prevent their ever meeting. Of course, they had failed him and been punished horribly in his anger. It wasn’t their fault. The Creator had much more power than Lucian, and He had the Good Sons interfere when needed to fulfill destiny. Lucian knew all this, but could not resist the battle against his maker. It still made him furious to lose, and he truly despised being beaten by fate. However, Lucian enjoyed breaking humans more than anything. The Creator had chosen them over him, and Lucian would never cease to try and destroy the weak creatures. And, he truly hated Lauren and Linda and the others he had seen in the fire. But, he was a bit obsessed with breaking Lauren. He had a victory that night against Lauren and their Creator. She loved Linda and trusted her sister. Lucian had played that night’s game quite well. Linda was meeting with clients from out of town, and Lucian had brought her very troubled twin for a visit.

In her free time, Lauren had played the hostess to Linda’s sister for a week, while Linda was away working. Linda’s twin had surprised them with a visit from Nashville and said she wanted to hang out for a while. Though, they both thought it was strange, even for Lexie, her identical twin, they let her stay. Lauren wanted to get to know Linda’s remaining family. They had both lost their parents and some siblings to the viruses that lasted 10 years. Their stories had been similar in growing up with less and working hard for more. Lauren had been able to settle after meeting Linda. Though she traveled a lot, she liked going home now. It was strange having someone with such similar features as Linda in her house, but the twins were as different as night and day. Lexie was nothing like Linda. Lauren saw it the moment she met Lexie. When Linda hugged her sister, Lauren could see the difference. Lexie’s features were harder and sharper and her light was dim next to Linda. Lauren understood this, because Linda was good and cared for others, and she worked hard to get ahead in life. Lexie was the opposite, but she was still Linda’s twin sister and only living family. So, Lauren accepted her into their lives and home. And, in doing so, she invited Lucian to seduce her into slipping that night into a euphoric state of mind.

Lexie had been coming in at odd hours when she did show up at night. Lauren was well aware of her escapades, because she had occasionally been on them herself. As much as she’d like to scold her, she understood the draw of partying and drugs. She had enjoyed it too. It was not part of her life now, but it had been, and had poked its head back into her life a few times since she decided to leave it all alone. Lauren needed to talk to Lexie though, because she wanted her to have a life. It was hard enough for people in America with all the troubles they’d had in the last 15 years. It was do or die now, and Lexie was choosing to be lost in the bliss of obliviousness. Lauren wanted to encourage her to reach for something tangible and good to give her purpose. So, she waited up for Lexie to return from a night of being out. When Lauren had called her, she could hear the noise of a bar in the background while Lexie told her she was at the market for organic veggies. Lexie was slurring already, when she told Lauren she would be home before midnight. So, Lauren decided to wait up and talk to her.

Though Lucian could not possess Lauren, he could whisper words in her ear. And, he did this occasionally as he did tonight. He convinced her to wait up. Then, he convinced her that opening a bottle of wine would relax her for the conversation. Lucian had enjoyed getting her to drink that rare third glass of Shiraz. He had used the wind much that night. Possessing the blonde one’s sister and whispering to Lauren took concentration, but it thrilled him. Lucian was at his best when manipulating multiple mortals. While using his beautiful voice to convince Lauren to pour another glass, he’d used Lexie to get quite drunk. If he allowed himself the pleasure, he could feel the same things the humans felt in the moment. This night, he allowed himself to feel the drunkenness as he possessed Lexie. He had used her to play with others, kissing men and women both. When Lexie was turned on by someone, he could feel it. But, Lucian thought the mortals felt way too much. They were weak. And, he would use it against them as much as possible.

Lucian was with Lauren, whispering seductive encouragement with his beautiful voice, and Lauren could not help but hear that voice in her head. There was no reason to doubt such a pleasant sound. His tall muscular physique leaned against the island separating the kitchen and dining room. Lauren relaxed on her sand-colored leather sofa listening to a rare vinyl of the Cocteau Twins and sipping on a glass of wine. As he spoke, convincing her to drink more, enjoy more, feel more, get lost more, it made him angry each time he realized he found the little one attractive. He hated her. Lucian wanted to destroy her as quickly as possible. He needed to crush her light. So, he kept whispering the same words in his most beautiful and musically seductive voice, knowing she would take in every word. Lucian turned to the door right before it opened.

Lexie stumbled inside, trying and failing to close the door quietly behind her but succeeding in using the wall to lean on as she moved to reach the sofa. Lauren watched Lexie as she made her way to the couch. Though Lauren was feeling the wine, she was nowhere near the blitzed Lexie was feeling at the moment. Lucian smiled when he saw the desire cross Lauren’s face. He knew she enjoyed feeling the way Lexie was this night. He continued to whisper encouragement for Lauren to enjoy and take and drink and feel and let it all go for the night. Lucian watched as Lexie flopped down on the couch, pulling a bag from her pocket. Lauren recognized the mushrooms immediately. Very few drugs appealed to her anymore. She still missed smoking pot. But, the government had killed that crop off completely trying to develop a strain they could control. One of their plants got out of the lab and killed the crops in a few years. But, they kept the mushrooms on the streets. The government ran most of the cattle farms, so it was simple math that the drug came from them somehow. Lucian had managed to make all this come to pass with ease, because politicians and scientists were his specialty. He loved playing the characters, because they held power and was specific to his plans. There was still plenty of liquor to be had, but drugs were regulated and protected more than anything other than fuel. The mushrooms dangled in the bag as Lexie held them up in front of Lauren. Her mind already slightly fogged by the wine, Lauren’s thoughts went to the peaceful bliss of the mushrooms, and the seduction was irresistible in that moment. So, she had eaten them that night and on and off for the next two months. That was Lucian’s last victory over Lauren. He had slipped right into Lexie from across the room and seduced Lauren into eating the mushrooms. Lucian had whispered to her for those couple of months to keep her in that place. She only ate them at night when she did, but he could play much easier in her head when she was in the euphoria of the last natural drug left to man.

Lauren had unknowingly played a part in aiding Lucian’s plans. Her hard work had brought investors to Dr. Hubble, and the new Red Gold was refined into fuel that changed the existence of a country. But, Hubble had not stopped there. He had announced his plan to hire the best scientists in their fields to experiment with the biological composition of the raw Red Gold. It had terrified other countries, until they exiled America completely. And, Lucian’s plans had fallen into place perfectly. His freedom was his greatest motivation, and it was within reach.

Lucian stood at least a head taller than any other guest in the banquet hall. Tonight, he had chosen to tie his long ebony mane back with a piece of leather. Lucian preferred leather to cloth, but he’d made an exception when choosing his dress for the evening. The famous scientist he had been possessing on and off for the last decade was receiving an award for discovering the compound that made drill bits almost flawless, giving them the ability to go much farther into the earth than any in history. And, the man was accepting the award as if he truly believed he had come up with the idea. Lucian could master a human mind for days, and when he grew bored, he would leave them as if he were never there at all. Good or bad, they always believed the behavior was their own. This made the beautiful giant smile. He heard the sighs from the closest mortals, and the red-head he’d been speaking to gasped and stared at his face, focusing on his mouth. Lucian was used to their reactions. Humans were drawn to the Sons and the Fallen because they were flawless in their creation. Though the immortals were on opposite sides, most humans could not distinguish the difference when looking upon them. But, some of them could. And, for now, Lucian needed to avoid those mortals. The fact he was surrounded by greed, pride, and envy most prominently among the guests made him relax and enjoy himself. There was a very small, if not zero, chance of running into one of the sensitive humans amongst this crowd. This thought made Lucian smile devilishly once more and was answered with more sighs and human vocalizations. He might even find a toy for himself to play with this night. But first, he would watch his human vessel enjoy another award that meant Lucian was closer to his ultimate goal.

His unusual height made observing the humans an easy task, even if it did draw even more attention to his male beauty. Lucian was well aware that the suit he wore accentuated the muscles that rippled beneath his clothes. Confident in his strength and perfect male beauty, he weaved his way between admirers to find a seat at a table near the back. He would have no problem seeing above the heads of the mortals who preferred to be close to the stage. The pompous investors would be seated at the front at the tables of importance. Lucian had met all of them while possessing Hubble. He’d been the one who seduced them into giving the needed money to refine Red Gold. Hubble had a very cold disposition, which Lucian liked immensely, but it did not work on everyone. People of power did not respond to Hubble’s unpleasant demeanor, so Lucian would jump into him when a more devious soft approach was needed to get what he wanted. And, he did. Humans seldom resisted him, especially the rich ones. They were more susceptible to Lucian’s persuasion. They had funded the digs, refining process, and experiments. And, they did it without question, because the money was flowing into their accounts after each success. In a time of hunger and disease, money was more important than anything else to the mortals. Lucian used this against them constantly to put his plans into motion. And, when a human wasn’t motivated by money, he found the fear of death to be a great incentive to do as they were told. Either way, Lucian was very close to being completely free once more. Appearing in physical form took an exhausting amount of energy, even for a powerful immortal like Lucian. His adversaries were able to do so as they please, but he had been stripped of those abilities when he was cast into the bowels of the earth for disobeying the Creator and enjoying the human women. But soon, the day would come for Lucian to walk the earth freely as he wished. And, everything was falling into place. His thoughts were interrupted as applause rose from the mortals, and Lucian could see the tall, hard yet handsome man with snow white hair take the stairs to the stage. Lucian smiled as the man began speaking. Tonight, Hubble would announce the new biological strain he’d discovered in the Red Gold. And, that he planned to begin experimenting with it on animals. Lucian smiled and began clapping, because he knew what was coming. And, he would know another victory. Soon, he would take all that which the humans had to offer and more than they were willing to give freely.

Chapter 2

The big male panther paced around the small cage, hissing at the people in the white coats. His yellow eyes darted around in search of an escape as long shiny black fur rippled over hard muscle. Low growls filled the room whenever anyone approached the cat’s prison. He reached his paws through the bars, pushing razor sharp claws further trying to grab his tormentors. But, the humans knew to keep their distance from the powerful cat. He’d killed one of them during his capture, but he wanted to rip them all apart. Though he’d not been in the wild for a couple of years, at least the zoo had given him some freedom to move. He’d been in the small cage for weeks, fueling his hatred and anger for the humans who’d imprisoned him here in this room filled with the smell of chemicals.

Hello, big boy. It was the man in the suit again. The big cat shrank back away from the white-haired mortal. It’s your big day.

A low rumbling from the panther was his only show of discontent now. The coats looked at one another in understanding. Their boss had a way of bringing anyone or anything to heel. He commanded obedience and punished with unrelenting viciousness. One did not merely lose their job for insubordinate behavior but lost everything they possessed including their lives in more severe cases. This man was not one to cross for any reason.

The man stood next to the cage without fear, staring at the panther and scratching his neatly trimmed snow white beard. The big cat remained still. Minutes passed before the suit turned, leaning his back against the bars. The lab was quiet as the staff waited for the man to speak.

It is time, ladies and gentlemen. Pushing his hand into his pinstriped grey pants, the boss turned to the head of the lab. Felix, I trust that you have everything ready.

Yes, of course doctor. A sandy blonde coat with thick glasses hurried forward nervously, holding a silver briefcase. We finished your formula last night. Everything is exactly as you specified.

Felix placed the case flat on the table beside the cage. With shaking hands, he punched in the combination. The lock clicked as it opened, causing him to jerk. He took a few steps back to allow the doctor access to the briefcase.

Felix, you seem apprehensive. The doctor looked at the head of the lab with disdain. One might think you made a mistake.

Fear crossed Felix’s already pale face as he took a step back. No, I absolutely cannot, Mr. Hubble. I followed your instructions with certainty. There is no mistake. He straightened himself to his full six feet and looked up at the doctor with bloodshot grey eyes.

Good. Then, I’ll attribute these jitters to your excitement over making history this day. The doctor’s blue eyes flashed for a moment before he turned to address the rest of the scientists. Those directly involved in this experiment may stay. Everyone else will continue your work in the other labs.

Without a word, the white coats filed out of the room until only five remained in the lab. The doctor surveyed the four scientists he had handpicked for his special project. They were undisputable in their fields of science. Felix was his first choice because of his renowned breakthroughs in biochemistry. The doctor had allowed him to bring in his assistant and expert in genetic engineering. The tall brunette woman had proven herself to be of great value to the doctor. He found Cassandra to be indispensable in completing his experiments. A slight smile touched his lips as he glanced at the woman. It was her suggestion to recruit the two men standing on each side of her. Daniel had published discoveries in paleontology and paleopathology and Gregory was a famous zoologist. They had all worked tirelessly designing the system for extracting lava, refining the red gold into biofuel and completing his formula for his new experiment. Now, it was time to see if they were successful once more.

Gregory, since you have been caring for the cat, I will give you the honor you have earned. The doctor spoke to the man on Cassandra’s left.

Gregory knew he could not decline the doctor’s offer, though he wanted to pass. It was an order worded as a gift. He had wanted to decline the position he now held but had lost his other job two days after he was contacted by the doctor. After receiving a letter from Daniel, he knew he had no choice in the matter.

Thank you, doctor. Gregory said it with false gratitude. Then, he walked to the table and lifted the top of the case. Inside, he saw the vial of red formula his fellow scientists had finished the night before. When he had suggested to them that they try it on something small such as one of the lab rats, they had all told him to be quiet before the doctor heard him. Gregory had left the lab angry.

Beside the vial, Gregory saw a tranquilizer gun. He looked at the doctor in confusion. But, Felix spoke before the doctor lost his temper with Gregory.

Injecting the formula with the tranquilizer gun is the safest way to do it, Gregory. Felix moved to help Gregory, but the doctor’s hand on his shoulder stopped him.

Felix, Gregory is quite familiar with using a tranquilizer gun. He does not require your assistance. The doctor’s voice was firm.

Gregory held his hand up at Felix. Thank you, Felix. But, the doctor’s right. I am very familiar with using the gun to sedate animals. I hadn’t thought about using it to inject the formula, but it will certainly get into the blood much faster this way.

After connecting the needle and loading the gun, Gregory walked around to where the panther crouched in the cage. He knew he was chosen to do this, because he could easily inject the formula into the artery without missing. Gregory knew everything about animals. He could name every type of bone, vein, organ, and fur on the panther. There would be no excuse for missing the artery in the cat’s neck. The panther was still watching the silent doctor as Gregory pointed the gun, already regretting that the long needle would hit its mark. But, he had no choice. Without a word, he pulled the trigger and jumped back away from the cage.

The panther screamed and leaped to his feet, spinning around to find Gregory with his yellow eyes. The big cat let out another scream and ran at the bars, frantically reaching for Gregory with claws his extended. Gregory took a few more steps away from the panther. Through the bars of the cage, he could see that the other scientists had moved farther away from the cage. The doctor stood in the same spot, watching the cat with interest, not fear. Gregory shook his head, giving his full attention back to the panther that was trying desperately to reach him through the bars of its cage.

Suddenly, the cat stopped clawing at Gregory and hissed as it stumbled backward, shaking its head in confusion. The panther’s big black body shivered before it sat heavily, causing the cage to rattle. Each time the cat tried to rise again, a gurgling and distorted cry would precede him falling back onto his side. Now, the big male could only raise his head in a useless effort to rise again. His yellow eyes were barely open. After a few more futile efforts to fight his own weakness, the male panther lay still, his breathing now shallow.

He’s dying. Gregory stated. We made a mistake, and he’s dying. Unafraid, Gregory moved back to the cage and gripped the bars. We’ve killed him. I told you we should have tried the formula on the rats or even the monkeys first. He cradled his face in his hands as his heart went out to the dying panther he had been caring for daily. Gregory had let the big cat down. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. The other scientists had told him the panther would become smarter and better, but he was nearly dead.

Calm yourself Gregory. The doctor still stood next to the cage watching the prone panther. In many aspects of life, death leads to a new life. "I do not care for your pessimism, so rein it in or I will rein it in for you.

A few more short breaths rattled from the cat’s lungs before there was silence.

Gregory hurried back to the cage and reached his hand in to remove the needle and feel the panther’s pulse. He’s gone doctor. His heart has stopped.

Felix walked around to crouch