Six Against the Darkness

By Philip S. Baker

Jazinta Wallis (Jaz) is able to see into a parallel world of darkness and demon activity. An outsider with purple-streaked hair and a quirky dress sense, she is mercilessly harassed, especially by the sinister school bully, Kacey Matthews, and thought by most to be insane.
Brandon Kelly, logical, strong and good-looking, Jazs lifelong friend has trouble believing Jaz in spite of what he calls his hallucinations of fiendish creatures trying to kill him and whispering, audible voices telling him hes no good.
These two must work together with their powerful angel guardians if they are to defeat the demon overlord and set the city free.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Jan 27, 2016
• ISBN: 9781514442111

Philip S. Baker

Phil Baker attended Sydney University and taught in high schools for nearly thirty years. Born and raised in Sydney’s western suburbs, he lived with his wife and four children on the South Coast of New South Wales, the inspiration for the fictitious city of Norhaven, for eighteen years and Sydney’s Northern Beaches for twenty years. He currently lives on the Central Coast with his wife, Gail.

Book preview

Six Against the Darkness

Philip S. Baker

Copyright © 2015 by Philip S. Baker.

ISBN:   Softcover   978-1-5144-4212-8

eBook   978-1-5144-4211-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system,

without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the

product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance

to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version. Release 2.0, Build 2015.02.09. Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.

Rev. date: 11/04/2015

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Contents

Six years ago

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Dedication

For Gail, my beautiful cheer squad

1. The Coming of the Light

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; for those living in a land of deep darkness, a light has shined upon them.

Isaiah 9:2

Six years ago

The two figures made their way to a darkened office block on the fringe of the Central Business District of Norhaven, a large regional city on the eastern coast of Australia about two or three hours by car south of Sydney, depending on traffic and the driver. The main foyer of the office block was empty at that time of night and the few offices that were still used, a lawyer's, an accountant's and a candlestick maker's for all they knew, were deserted giving the building a hollow feel, like no-one cared.

They cared, though, as they made their way up the staircase to the second floor. From the landing, a corridor separated offices on the left and right, most of them looking sad and abandoned. They came to the last door on the left. The writing on the opaque glass, 'T. L. & M. Consultants', could just be deciphered beneath the grime that had accumulated over the years. It was just enough to make it sound legitimate but sufficiently vague so that nobody could really tell what the occupants did. They knocked and entered as instructed by the creature who had summoned them, three days before.

When the creature had first spoken to them, he had appeared as a young man. He told them they had certain qualities, namely dissatisfaction, anger, greed, selfish ambition for gain and not much of a conscience. The type of qualities we're looking for where I come from, the man had said. They could be worth a lot to you if you co-operate. They weren't told what would happen if they didn't co-operate but the sneer in his voice left them no doubt that it wouldn't be pleasant. He gave them the address and said to be there. As he walked away into the darkness, they saw that he changed from his human form into a grotesque-looking winged creature and flew off.

Now, drawn by curiosity and the promise of wealth and power which had appealed to their natural greed and desire to dominate, they found themselves inside the office. The room had a sinister feel. It surprised them that it appeared to be carved out of stone and had the distinct, almost overpowering stench of sulphur. The only furniture in the room was a plain wooden table with matching chairs. Not built for comfort, they thought.

The creature appeared rather than entered, which took them by surprise. He gestured with a talon-like finger on his right hand for them to sit down. He stood upright on two legs. He was more lizard-like than human although his face was more humanoid than monster. His wings could have been angelic at one time but now their jet black appearance only served to emphasise his fallen demonic state.

When he spoke, their anticipation turned to fear. The voice was deep and commanding with just enough rasp to send shivers down their spines. But it wasn't just the huskiness and the drawn out hissing sound he made when he pronounced 's' that took their courage away. It was more what he said than how he said it that made them afraid.

You have been chosen because of your lack of conscience, an attribute that our leader has been fostering in you over the last few years. The rewards for faithful service are great but failure...put it this way, you don't come back from failure. We deal brutally with incompetents, he said, with a grin that suggested he was almost hoping they'd fail so he could have the pleasure of tearing them apart.

The niceties over, he went on to explain the purpose of their meeting. The time has come to take affirmative action against a danger to our domination of the city. We have the mayor, police and high schools under our control and the crime rate is at record levels but there is still a small group in Norhaven that is looking for help from our enemy, the Light. There have always been such groups, loyal to the Light and his father, the King of Kings. There was a shudder in his voice when he mentioned the last two names, as if there were some awful memory attached to them.

What do we have to do? said the shorter of the two volunteers.

And what do we get out of it? asked the other, his greed trumping the fear he still felt.

Eager and greedy, that's good, said the creature. They're qualities we like to see in our allies. To answer your questions, your task will be to work with our agents to undermine and discredit the ones identified as future leaders of the rebellion. It's a gradual process and will take some time. We will be working on them too. They'll either end up dead or totally useless to their cause. Here is the information you need, he said handing them the files. "They tell you who to target and what to do. As for the rewards, you can have money or the power to do magic, astound people, and make them want to follow you. It is your choice but I would recommend the second option. People will throw money at you. There's more effort to begin with but it's much more profitable over time.

You'll be required to attend weekly meetings in the stronghold. Instructions on how to find and enter it are included in your files along with specific tasks that you must perform to begin with. If you succeed with these simple tasks you will be given more complex assignments. Don't disappoint us, he added in a tone that suggested what would happen if they did.

With that, he signalled that the meeting was over by disappearing.

They opened the thick files that the creature had given them and were surprised when they saw the names and photos of their victims on the top sheets. They looked at each other, horrified. Their resolve was shaken, but they were now in too deep to back out. Regretting their decision, they tucked the files into their brief cases and left the office. On the street, the night time darkness seemed heavier than usual, sinister even.

For the first time they saw the dark cloud that covered the city and extended as far as the horizon.

Chapter 1

He left the house a bit after eight-thirty, after darkness had set in, and walked as usual towards the central business district of Norhaven. He had lived in Norhaven all his life, nearly eighteen years. It was all he knew, although the relationship between him and the city had changed significantly in the last few years. The carefree days of his childhood and youth with memories of the beach in summer and feeling the warm sand between his toes, the trips to the mall with his closest friends for food and movies - and even schooldays - had been fun but the experience of it all, the delicious feeling, waking in the morning after a night of deep, trouble-free sleep, was now like a half-remembered dream, just tantalisingly and inexpliquably out of reach.

It must have been because he was older and more cynical. Norhaven had lost its appeal. As he approached adulthood, he became more aware of what was wrong with the place. The feeling of well-being, satisfaction and enjoyment was gone. It had gradually been replaced by a tangible edginess. There was now a sense of dread which he felt but couldn't explain. He dealt with it by taking his nightly rambles which gave him the chance to think and to process the events of the last few years: the accident; his hallucinations and the phone calls. He walked anyway in spite of the possible danger he faced by being out after nine o'clock in a city where darkness was not just determined by the time of day.

The walk through the wooded parkland was uneventful but it was when he reached the CBD that he noticed a subtle change in the atmosphere. The temperature seemed to be dropping and the darkness was wrapping its fingers around him causing involuntary shivers to race up and down his spine. He felt his breathing become laboured, with short breaths in and out, and panic starting to set in. I'm hallucinating again, he thought. It's not real. He didn't like to admit it but he felt the fear rising. It was not the first time this had happened. It usually stopped there, though, as a whisper of detached, external, audible voices which drained his courage, sometimes suggesting he was better than most or, like now, telling him how bad and useless he was. In his sharp, rational mind, he tried to explain the voices away. Nothing unusual, he thought. Everyone has this chatter going on. It's just a matter of tuning it out. He was good with words, written and spoken, but even he found this explanation unhelpful and glib.

The voices were accompanied, at times, by just the hint of shadows, silhouettes of vile creatures armed with cutting and slashing weapons, threatening to attack him, but it had never gone further. It was like they were being restrained, trying to break through but held back by unseen hands, although why imaginary assailants needed to be held back was beyond even his superior, rational way of thinking. How could a shadow harm him? I must be going nuts, like Jaz, he thought.

He decided to turn around and head home. Enough thinking for one night. He hoped this decisive action would clear his head and shake off the jitters. Instead, it was like he had been paralysed by a fear which made it impossible for him to take another step.

Who's out there? He spoke out loud but he didn't really want to find out just in case it wasn't his overactive imagination. Stupid, he thought. Control yourself, Kelly. There's nothing there.

Beside him, the brick wall of the building in the narrow street he was walking along flickered for a moment like bad television reception then tore open. Out of the darkness he saw something new. This didn't seem like a dream, it looked real. It was a sharp taloned claw that could have ripped him apart itself clutching a frightening looking knife, more like a short, curved sword. As it emerged from the gap in the darkness, he saw that the clawed hand was attached to a scaly arm that was part of a grotesque, lizard-like winged creature that, for some reason, seemed to be intent on doing him harm. The arm rose as if to deliver a fatal blow. He instinctively raised his arm in an attempt to defend himself. He braced himself for the impact, but instead of feeling the force of the blow, the monster seemed to leap backwards and hit the pavement in front of him, flat on its back, a tangle of arms, legs and wings spreadeagled on the ground.

Take that! He spoke out loud to the creature. No imaginary spook is going to get me. Anything else looking for some of the same?

It was then, as if they were taking up the challenge, that he saw more of the creatures coming through the tear in the wall which was growing larger. They poured out through the opening, all armed with swords, shields, menacing looking axes and crossbows, all bent on attacking him. One of them lunged towards Brandon but suffered the same fate as its leader. Undeterred, they came upon him from all sides now, desperately stabbing and clawing at him but none of them landed a single blow, although a few of the sword strokes came so close he could feel the breeze as they passed his face. He could see arrows speeding towards him but they were deflected away before they struck. Just like that pharaoh dude in Ancient Egypt. Strange thing to remember, he thought, as he evaded another sword thrust. He had remembered an inscription he read in an Ancient History class where arrows aimed at Pharaoh Rameses 11 in battle miraculously curved around him. He figured that these must have been made of the same stuff because they didn't find their target either.

He didn't believe in magic or supernatural events but couldn't think of an explanation for the invisible force field that seemed to be keeping the attackers and their weapons from finding their intended target. Two more went down, battered and bruised. They kept coming, two or three at a time, apparently on a mission to destroy him. It was obvious they weren't going to let up until they had killed him or died trying.

They lashed out, screaming what sounded like demented battle cries, now coming towards him in formation and at great speed. Brandon ducked and tried to evade the onslaught. He was beginning to think his physical strength and athletic ability was saving him when suddenly his attackers turned their attention to the air surrounding him, apparently fighting nothing, stabbing and slashing with the swords that a moment ago were meant for him.

Now completely in the open, he could see more than twenty of them, alternating between attacking him and defending themselves against an unseen foe. The one-sided battle raged over the spot where he was standing but not one of the creatures was able to touch him. A gap opened up in the street directly underneath the attackers and four of them went plummeting down, cursing and screaming as they fell into what looked like a deep cavernous pit. Steam or smoke rose up out of the cavern and there was a strong smell of sulphur. Weird, he thought, smells like hell.

The onslaught went on for a few more minutes with the ghouls desperately defending themselves but unable to land a single blow on their target. Two more of them teetered on the edge of the pit, balanced precariously for a moment then appeared to be pushed. They suffered the same fate as the others.

The rest of them quickly scattered, disappearing into the night, their faces reflecting what could only be described as abject terror. The thought of suffering the same fate as those that had plunged into the pit was apparently too much for them as well as the torment caused by whatever was in the air driving them back. Their expressions of hatred had turned to surprised panic as they flew off like scared cockroaches looking for any cover, brushing past him so close that he felt the frantic pulsating of their wings. Even stranger, he was sure he glimpsed a more human form amongst the retreating figures.

Brandon Kelly took a few deep breaths, trying to regain his composure. Somewhere deep in his subconscious mind, a voice seemed to whisper that he was now safe. Fear had been replaced by a peace which he had not experienced since the carefree days of his childhood. The smell of the pit gave way to what he thought was the distinctive fragrance of oriental lilies that his mother sometimes had at home. However, he had to admit that he was no expert in this area. It was scented flowers of some sort for sure.

His breathing returned to normal as he looked at the empty pavement in front of him and wondered what had actually happened. His logical, ordered mind could make no sense out of what had just occurred. This was frustrating for someone who always had the answers. His thoughts were interrupted by the distinctive tones of his phone as Beethoven's Fifth broke the silence. He looked at the caller ID and answered.

You're up late. What's up? he said, knowing exactly what the call was about.

Brandon. Where are you? Are you alright? I just had the worst feeling you were in danger. Seemed so real. You were being attacked or something.

It was Brandon's girlfriend or rather friend who was a girl, Jazinta Wallis, on the other end of the line. She was simply known as Jaz, although there didn't seem to be anything simple about her. She was a complex girl. She was psychic or something. She was always seeing things that others couldn't see. The visions had begun soon after her bullying father had disappeared four years ago. She claimed that she could see a dark cloud hovering over the city stretching as far as the horizon. At times, she could see into a parallel spiritual world that was filled with beauty and ugliness. Sometimes it was peaceful and what she would describe as heavenly, and at other times she had visions of battles between angelic beings. Brandon thought she was a bit paranoid and that she had an even more vivid imagination than he did. To his rational way of thinking, she was at best a dreamer and at worst delusional. Nevertheless, he felt protective towards her, like an older brother, even though there was only a couple of month's difference in their ages.

She seemed to have a particular affinity for him. It wasn't the first time she had called after he had experienced what he would describe as one of his delusionary, psychotic episodes. At this moment, she was in a desperate state and almost breathless as the words tumbled out on top of each other.

I saw flying lizards with knives and swords attacking you and other creatures fighting them off. I saw brilliant blues and I could smell incense or something, then sulphur. Then there was a whisper that it was over.

Three dimensional dreams now? Brandon said. Pretty good, though, Jaz. Blue lights, rotten egg gas then sweet smelling flowers. Just like I was imagining.

Brandon was more than just a good friend to her. She was worried that he might get hurt so whenever she had a premonition that he was in danger, she called to warn him. Her visions didn't always involve Brandon, though, and some of them couldn't be easily interpreted. Once she claimed to have had a vision of someone walking through fire just before his father had been killed in a blazing car crash a few years earlier.

Brandon thought it was cute, in a dark sort of way, but didn't really believe it and didn't want to believe it. It was too creepy and, if she was right and it was not merely his imagination, there had been some really strange things happening in his life over the last few years that he couldn't explain. It was not just the terrifying nightmares and imaginings like the one he had escaped from only moments ago, and it was not just the audible voice softly whispering, like a constantly nagging parent or teacher. At other times, he was aware of a suffocating physical presence trying to squeeze the breath out of him. Once she warned him not to pick her up in his car because she had a vision of a mysterious figure tampering with the brakes. It turned out that they were faulty but he didn't believe her version of the incident. Bad maintenance, not an evil dude, he had said to her at the time.

Whenever she had a premonition that he was in danger, she called. Some things she saw were close to what he had dreamed or odd things that occurred, but most didn't happen exactly as she described. He put it down to female hysteria, not willing to admit that she might be onto something. Perhaps she was a little crazy after all.

Or perhaps it's an over-developed, protective motherly instinct. Hope she's not thinking that far ahead, he thought.

He said instead, Just my wild imagination. Nothing to worry about. I thought I was being attacked by a gang of strange-looking thugs who fell down and ran off looking really scared. It was dark and I started to see things that weren't there. Nothing to worry about, he repeated, not entirely believing his own words as he looked around nervously.

Stay out of dark alleys, won't you? That's where I saw you, she added, just before that bright flash of amazing blue light. That's when I had the feeling you were out of danger but I had to warn you in case.

You're getting better at this stuff, Jaz. I was in an alley. Anyway, only a hallucination. I'm OK, just a bit shaken up. Get some sleep. I'll pick you up at eight. Our final year of high school starts tomorrow. I can hardly wait until it's all over.

Gotta make the most of it. Who knows what we'll be doing next year? Love you, take care, she said, still trembling but now starting to calm down just a little.

Brandon mumbled something that sounded a bit like you too and hung up.