The Grace of the Fallen

By V.A. Milholland

The adventure continues in this sequel to The Glory of Sin as Cal and his friends desperately search for the remain

• Language: English
• Publisher: V.A. Milholland
• Release date: Oct 8, 2021
• ISBN: 9781087975153

Book preview

Prologue

What is pain? What is fear? What is the agony of infinite chaos beyond your control? Sami found out all too well as her eyes contracted into a red haze, and she fell backwards into the abyss of her soul. With a dull, painless thud, she landed against a mountain made of nothing but charcoal and ash. Sami rolled down that steep incline for what seemed like an eternity, ceasing only when she reached the base of the mountain. Although the fall was violent, and the coals glowed red-hot, she incurred no injuries. It felt like a dream in some ways, a vivid, terrible nightmare to be more exact.

She gazed up at the crimson sky. There was no sun, no moon, the only illumination came from a single bright point that glowed above the peak of the mountain that she had just tremulously descended. Thus began the tragedy of Samantha Dupree . . .

Aside from the mountain in front of her and the murder-red blanket that served as the sky, Sami was surrounded by literally nothing. She floated in space and time with nothing but the shirt on her back and the shoes on her feet. Her only companion was the ominous peak that was bearing down on her.

Only one way to go . . .

Sami plunged her hands into the soft rubble and began her ascent. For every three steps up the sixty-degree grade, she slid down two. Still, she tried. She could not give up. Failure was a condemnation to the absent, to the nothing. Her muscles ached as she climbed up, what she had decided, was the equivalent of whipped cream. She needed a rest, but feared that any pause would only suck out what little remained of her will to go on. Sami paused only briefly to look down and gauge her progress, but it wasn’t a pleasant sight. She had only managed to increase her distance from the base a mere thirty feet. She turned back to the bright point above the peak. By her best guess, it was at least another three hundred feet to the top. With a few deep breaths, she again sunk her hands and feet into the mountain.

Suddenly, and without warning, Sami found herself back in the real world. Thank God, it was just a dream. She took comfort knowing that she was safely back in Cal’s arms, laying on the sofa.

Cal? Oh Cal, thank God! She felt a rush of relief flow through her.

Sami? Is it really you? Are you back?

Tears started to run down her cheek, and she rested her head on his shoulder. What was that? What is going on? I'm so scared. What the fuck was that?

He brushed the tears from her cheeks It doesn’t matter now, you are back. I don't know what we are gong to do; we are in deep shit, but as long as you are here, nothing else matters,

Sami reached up to kiss him, but again felt her eyes roll back into her head. She heard Cal call out to her, but his voice faded as she again made the backwards fall down that wretched pile of coal and ash. Only this time, when she rolled to a stop, she did not begin the climb. Sami didn’t have it in her anymore. She broke down and cried, on her knees, doubled over at the foot of the mountain. She wanted her dad, she wanted Cal, she wanted to go home. But there was no home. There was only this . . . Desolation or clamber, those were her only options. With a deep breath, she cut off the tears, which had already managed to cake the ash that was strewn across her face, and plunged her hands back into the heart of her adversary.

There was no concept of time in her own personal hell. Sami had no idea how long she had climbed. Was it half a day? An entire day? What she did know was that the light was close. It was the only inspiration that she needed; coincidently, it was the only inspiration that existed. Sami summited the peak and looked into the bright portal that was before her. It was a view into the present, or rather, a present. It was a look into the world outside of the mountain. She reached for the gateway, but there was a strong repelling force that stopped her hand dead in its tracks. It was dejecting, but with no other options, she was content to just watch. Perhaps there was something that she could learn, she thought, a vapid silver lining. What she learned was that there is only more pain. She covered her eyes in horror as Cal’s hand was forced to blast Grace in the chest with his shotgun. Sami was stricken at the loss of her friend, but there was nothing that she could do.

Why? Sami cried out at the portal. What did we do to deserve this? She pushed her hand through the gateway with all of her might. It took everything that she had to force even just her fingertips past the barrier. Sami gritted her teeth as her present situation overlapped with the world outside. She narrowed her focus to Cal and thrust her hand the rest of the way through. The effort was for naught, however. Sami flew back from the portal and landed flat on her back upon the peak of the mountain. She felt like she had been punched in the stomach, and yet somewhat relieved that she didn’t need to make the climb a third time. The temporary relief wasn’t enough to overcome the dread of that infernal prison, but it was the only positive thing to happen since she arrived.

Knowing that she would never win the fight against the bizarre portal, there was little that she could do but bear witness to the events on the other side. When she saw an angel crash down, it gave her hope. Sami held her hand up in solidarity with her friends’ and her lover’s strife. A clash of titans filled the haloed viewscreen. The epic battle raged on, embers flew, blood was drawn. But then, the unthinkable happened. The dark-winged fighter turned and hurled a spear at her. Sami lurched back as the point of the weapon filled the portal, only to see that very portal disintegrate right before her eyes. The mountain she rested on also faded out of existence. Again, she found herself tumbling through the nothing, but there was no up, there was no down. In the absence of sensation, Sami realized that she was not falling at all. It was only a trick of her imagination. A more accurate description was that she hung there as a prisoner to spacetime.

Very slowly, the ground began to manifest below her. It was followed shortly by grass, trees, butterflies, a breeze, and at last, the sun. A monarch landed on her hand. Sami glanced down and took in the spectacle. It was then that she noticed that the soot and ash were gone from her skin. Sami was clean and glistened in the sun.

I’m dead . . . this is Heaven.

She caught herself in that thought. Sami forced out all that was based on ignorance out of her mind. It very well could have been Heaven, but there was no need for such certainty of her death or afterlife. It could’ve just as easily been hell, or most likely, it was all just another trick by the demon. The cruel and demented minds that were at work should not be underestimated, and could have easily been responsible for that charade, that fallacy.

Sami stood up and began to walk. She followed the path that carved through the newly fashioned grove, and the kaleidoscope of creation followed her as she traversed the wood. The trail was fairly open and eerily reminiscent to that which they had trekked through on St. Clair. Still, Sami was without a concept of time. The sun hadn’t moved in the sky since its manifestation, but at least there was a sun this time. She hazarded a guess that it had been two hours since she embarked on the journey, but in actuality, she had no idea.

The trees became sparser and increasingly more barren as she made her way down the path. The butterflies, too, had begun to disperse. Ahead in the distance, Sami could make out a reddish-orange hue across the landscape. Below her feet, the soft bed of grass faded into coarse gravel with every step that she took. Eventually, Sami passed the last tree, and the gravel gave way to asphalt. The path she cut was now a highway. Instead of the expected trees and fields lining either side, there were acres of flame. But even amidst the inferno, Sami was not warm. She did not even feel a hint of sweat anywhere on her body, which was odd given the distance that she had walked and the raging fire on either side of the road. She stopped for a moment and debated whether or not she should turn back. The trail behind her had been much more pleasant, but something in her gut told her that she should carry on. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man approaching from the opposite side of the road. This cemented her decision to keep going.

He was of average height, rather portly, and wore old timey clothing, circa turn of the century. The stranger hung his head as he passed Sami. That is when she noticed an old revolver that was holstered on his hip. The sight of the gun frightened Sami. Why she was frightened, she did not know, perhaps force of habit. He made no mention, or even acknowledged that he was armed as he passed. In fact, he didn’t even seem to notice her standing there. Sami was puzzled at first, but then called out to him, Hey!

He turned. You’re going the wrong way, and he continued on his path.

What’s this way? she yelled at him. Where is this place? He did not answer and had soon faded into the sparsely distanced trees. Sami stared back down the long road in frustration. Nothing made sense to her anymore, not since this place had happened. She continued to do the only thing that she could do in that hell: put one foot in front of the other.

Oh Cal, I need you!

She scolded herself for not believing in his visions until it was too late. If he were there, she would tell him, but he wasn’t there, and it made her heart ache evermore. The lost highway seemed to lead to nowhere, just like everything else she had experienced there. She couldn’t take it anymore. Sami dropped to her knees and started beating the pavement frivolously. She had expected her hands to be battered and in pain, but there was nothing, no marks, no pain. Even pain doesn’t exist here. Sami raised her fist for one final blow when she saw it. Ahead, barreling down the road toward her, was a truck. A one-of-a-kind, unmistakable black truck.

Could it be?

Was it another cruel trick, she wondered. Sami closed her eyes and focused her mind on her sole desire. Cal, she repeated to herself over and over again. When she reopened her eyes, the truck was much nearer. She stood up and stretched out her hands toward him. When he reached her, however, the truck faded out of existence, just as the mountain before, and in its stead lay an old feather quill, still damp with ink.

Sami couldn’t help herself, she had the urge to write something. She had to write the only words that she could think of, the words that echoed over and over in her mind, right there, in the pavement in front of her feet . . .

Remember me, Cal

1

After the loss of his girlfriend, and swift exit from the wretched island, Cal was tired of the road noise. He switched on the radio. The long piano solo was soothing at first, until he recognized the song. He hit the next preset, but it was the same song, in exactly the same place.

No.

Again and again, he switched stations, but every station played the song, even on AM. Cal switched inputs to CD. The piano slowed, but the song remained the same.

I don’t even own this album.

And I would do anything for love. I’d run right into hell and back. The keys thudded.

Fuck you! Cal screamed, punching his radio into the dashboard. He did not stop until the music stopped, and then he threw a few more punches for good measure. His fist was bright red with blood.

Cal fumbled with the zipper on his bag and pulled out the first article of clothing he could get his hand on. He wrapped the shirt around his bloody knuckles and looked back up at the road.

Sami!

Cal locked up the brakes and tried to swerve to avoid hitting his lover, who stood in the middle of the road. The truck skidded, but it was too late. He knew he was going to hit her.

Cal closed his eyes and winced when she came up onto the bumper. At that speed, there was no question she would die, and her death would be at his hands.

However, Sami and the truck did not collide. Time slowed to a crawl, and Cal witnessed her pass through the truck. He turned and looked into her big blue eyes as she phased through the cab.

Cal was so stunned and dismayed that he failed to notice the Beast was careening toward a ditch. He jerked the wheel, but there was no stopping the truck. The front tire bit into the bank and sent the Beast into a barrel roll alongside the highway. He must have flipped three or four times, but by his count, it seemed closer to one hundred. The vehicle came to rest on its roof with the wheels still spinning, minus the one lost in the carnage. Cal didn’t know if he had lost consciousness during the event, but his head was pounding. Hanging upside down, he braced his hand against the crushed-in roof, despite the shards of glass that drove into his hand. With a click of the seat belt, Cal landed with a thud on his side.

With bloody hands, he crawled through the back window, which had shattered in the wreck. He emerged from under the heap that once had been his baby. He looked at the mangled mass, but it wasn’t much of a concern to him. Cal dismissed it and started the trek back down the highway to where he thought he had seen his estranged lover. Another hallucination, he told himself. Or could she be trying to signal me? From where?

That was the $64,000 question. Belial had said she was gone, but he hadn’t said she was dead. What is gone to a demon?

Aren’t most of Belial’s acquaintances dead? In body at least? he said aloud. "Gone can just mean not here." Cal had walked nearly fifty yards, when he saw a fire in the road.

Can’t be.

Cal sped up to a jog. He knew it meant something, but what? What he saw nearly floored him. It was indeed fire, but it was also something more. She was out there. She was alive.

Remember me, Cal.

Those words burnt more into his heart than they did the asphalt. How could I forget you? Cal began to cry as the gravity of those words set in. It was more than just an undying command that he never let her go, it represented everything he had just gone through. Sami communicating from somewhere beyond was no longer strange to him. The world was on the brink of destruction and for whatever reason he was at the epicenter. Grace had paid the ultimate price, and the demon that haunted him was still on the loose. Sami was still out there, somewhere, fighting, but all that he could manage to do was kneel there and let out a lifetime's worth of grief and sadness in the form of the salty water that coated his red cheeks.

He turned from the words and looked at the wreckage of his prized truck. Wiping the snot from his nose, Cal realized how very little he cared for the Beast now, its loss paled in comparison to the loss of his love, his friend, and perhaps the world. What made it worse was that it was all his fault. Cal closed his eyes and settled himself. He had to fix this. He couldn't give up; he couldn't let it be his legacy. He stood up with renewed strength. While the mangled Chevy still had little value to him, there was something inside that very much mattered. The only tool in his toolbox might be the only one that he needed if there was even a chance at righting his wrongs. He returned to the truck and fished the duffle bag out through the broken window. Cal slung it over his shoulder and returned to the highway. He instantly regretted trying so hard to make sure that Lance and Marcy couldn't follow him, but in his defense, Cal didn't know that he would see an apparition of Sami and subsequently crash his truck. Regardless, he would need a ride, or be forced to walk the unknown number of miles to the nearest house or town.

After waiting a long ten minutes, not a single car had passed, which he damn near had counted on. The way that his luck was going, that was par for the course. The flame on the road had died out, along with Cal’s patience. He turned to the south and began his walk along the shoulder. With nothing more than the crops to keep him company, Cal tried to reach out to Gabriel for guidance, but the only reply was the delicate rustle of corn stalks in the breeze. He contemplated reaching out to his nemesis, and demanding the return of Sami, but thought better of it. Even with the spear, Cal knew that he was ill equipped to take on a demon by himself. Instead, he focused his energy on what he would have to do next.

The scrolls were obviously the key to everything. The next move had to be to go for them, after explaining to Grace and Sami's families what had happened. Cal laughed out loud, but it wasn't the sound of joy. The realization of having to explain what had happened on the island was formidable, to put it lightly. No one would believe him, hell, Cal wasn't even sure if he believed it himself. Thankfully, the blaring sound of a car horn interrupted his less than stellar thoughts. Cal turned to the sound and recognized the vehicle immediately. He was very relieved that it was his friends who would be his rescuers. Cal ran back to the car as it approached. When they met, all three occupants exited the vehicle. Marcy and Cal hugged, while Lance gave him a pat on the back.

What happened? Lance asked, very concerned.

Cal smiled, She’s still out there. She’s alive!

Yeah, but your truck?

That's how I know.

Lance looked confused, but Marcy seemed a little more intuitive. Sami? she questioned with hopeful optimism. You saw her?

More than that. Cal answered.

He went on to describe what had happened to him and his truck, including the strange apparition in the road. His friends were amazed, and had they not witnessed other fantastic events themselves, they probably wouldn’t have believed him. But, as it stood, they knew exactly what they were in for. This wasn't something that they could run from or pretend it didn't happen.

Why did you take off like that? Lance asked. We’re in this together buddy, all of us.

I just needed to get out, to get away from everyone. Being near me puts you in danger. I can’t live with any more loss, not after what we’ve been through. Not with Belial still out there.

You think he’s still going to be after you? Bobby asked.

I don’t know why he wouldn’t be. The scrolls are still out there, his mission isn’t complete. Cal replied.

Yeah, but he doesn’t need you anymore, does he? Marcy added, He can do it himself now, can’t he?

I don’t know, but that’s not a risk I’m going to take lightly. I am going to assume he is after me until I can prove otherwise.

On a more practical matter . . . Lance said, putting his hand on Bobby’s shoulder, but looking at Cal. What are we going to do when we get home? Grace is dead and Sami is missing. We can’t just cover that up.

"Gabriel told me that my legal issues would disappear, so I don’t know if that means that he took care of it, or someone else did." Cal returned.

The law is the least of our problems right now. Marcy said matter-of-factly.

I don't think he meant it like that, but you are right.

What are we going to do about, Marcy paused and looked down the road behind them.

Cal looked back down the road with her. The wreckage was far out of view, as well as the note that Sami had left, but it was still on his mind. I guess we need to get a tow truck, and head back home.

Marcy put her palms on both of his cheeks and turned his head to her. "No. What are we going to do?"

Get the scrolls, rescue Sami, and stop the apocalypse. It was simple enough. He thought about blurting it out just as it came to him, but he wasn't that stupid. We need to get home and try to make this right. Tell the people who need to know, and nobody else.

What about Grace's parents? We have to tell them something, Bobby asked.

I’ll take care of that part, I’m the one responsible.

Marcy looked over to Bobby and then back to Cal. Don't do that to yourself, we all know what really happened.

But you don't know what it's like to feel yourself pulling the trigger.

We’ll tell them together, Bobby stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Cal.

He didn't know if the hug was for him or for Bobby, but it was comforting. Cal returned the embrace, and felt his eyes begin to water up. The road in front of them would be long and hard, if they were able to walk it at all. I'm sorry, for everything.

We can't change the past, Bobby released his arms and looked at Cal. But, if you think that there's a way out of this mess, we have to do it.

Cal wiped at his eye and took a deep breath. I think so, maybe. I still have the broken spearhead, but somebody took my notes.

Notes? Marcy asked, somewhat confused.

I had a dream, or dreams, where I was in odd locations all over the world. I’d like to believe that they were revealing the secret locations. Only, someone tore out the pages, which means that someone else knows too. That’s even more reason to believe that they are the locations.

Weston. Marcy asserted.

Who? Lance questioned. Oh, right, one of the police officers, he remembered. Most of those notes were pretty vague though, that’s not much to go on.

Well, one for sure is Victoria Falls, and I think I can pinpoint the exact location when I see it.

Africa? Little more than a hop, skip, and a jump there, bud, Lance said.

Let's work on getting home and taking care of the business that we need to before thinking of anything else.

The crew piled into Marcy's car and began the long trip back toward Detroit. There was no point in pretending that they all weren't reeling over the events from the night before, but they tried. Music had always been a friend to them and proved itself true yet again. It wasn't a cure, but it was enough to keep the demons at bay, and before they knew it, they were pulling into the gated community that Cal had come to call home.

Midway down the block sat a beautiful five thousand square foot brick house. It looked slightly out of place amongst the other, more modern looking homes. Two massive pillars held up the balcony from the master bedroom, but it was what lay beneath that which caught Cal's eye. James, his father, was standing on the porch with Cal's mother, Susan, seemingly waiting on them to return. There was a worried look on his face. Cal didn't know if it was due to the absence of the Beast, or if someone had told his parents about their little incident. Either way, Cal figured that it would be best to tell them the news alone.

You guys wait here a minute, let me break the ice before we open the gates.

His friends put up no protest, and Cal exited the vehicle with a faux smile on his face. He approached the porch. Before you ask any questions, there's something that I need to tell you. He looked at his mom, and then back to his dad. Alone.

Without a word, James nodded and opened the door. They went inside, leaving his mom and his friends outside. Cal walked down to the basement and laid the duffle bag on the drafting table. He prefaced what he had to say by acknowledging that it was going to be hard to believe. He told his dad the tale of everything that had happened, including the death of Grace and disappearance of Sami. He even pulled the spear from his bag as some semblance of proof.

Instead of the dismay that Cal had expected, James gave him a hug and apologized. Your mother and I received a rather unexpected visit yesterday. Everything will be okay, son.

Cal squeezed his father. I need to go to Zambia. Cal answered bluntly. I need resources.

Zambia? What in God's name for?

I have to fix this. If Gabriel came to you, then you know exactly what is at stake. I don't know if I can stop this or rescue Sami, but I have to try, Cal looked at his father. I think one of the scrolls is at Victoria Falls, and if I can get to it before Belial does, then maybe, just maybe, I can set things right.

James placed his hand on Cal's shoulder. Cost is not an issue, and I have some connections, but if this is all true, and it is really happening, I can’t help you beyond that. I am afraid I just don’t have much knowledge when it comes to, James gestured at the holy relic, any of this, but it sounds dangerous.

It's dangerous no matter what we do.

In that case, my best advice is for you to go to Rome, to the Vatican. Show them that, he pointed to the spear on the table. If they realize that it is legitimate, they will be able to help you more than anyone else.

Cal hadn't expected it to be that easy to convince his father but wasn't going to complain. His only hope was that the other families had also been visited. He didn't necessarily fear the burden of telling Grace's family that she was dead, and they deserved to know the truth. Unfortunately, the truth sounded very far-fetched. The last thing that Cal wanted was to come across as insulting during their time of grief.

You guys are welcome to the basement as your base of operations, and the plant, of course, although I don’t know how much good that will do you.

At this point, I'm not going to count anything out.

You’ll find her. I know how much she means to you, James smiled. I’ve known for a while. Don’t worry about telling your mother, I’ll handle that.

James returned upstairs, and presumably had invited his friends back down. As a base of operations, the basement was almost perfect. It had everything that they needed: a pool table, a large home theater, a full kitchen, bathroom, a nice worktable, and most importantly, seclusion. His friends were no strangers to the basement, although they would all be experiencing it in a new capacity. Of course, they were under no obligation to help find the scrolls or Sami, but Cal had a feeling that they wouldn’t refuse.

First thing is first, he told them. We need to make things right with Sami and Grace’s parents.

What are we going to tell them what though? The truth? Lance asked.

I don’t know, a version of it maybe. Grace’s parents need to know her resting place at least. I don’t know how we are going to explain that one away, Cal said.

What if we just say they are missing? Lance proposed.

Then there will be an investigation, and frankly, we can’t afford to be dragged into the bureaucracy that it will entail.

That’s awfully selfish Cal, Bobby said, their daughter is dead.

Don’t you think that I know that? Cal tried to remain calm. She’s dead, Sami is missing, and the end of the world is knocking on the door. What part of that will the police change? I can’t imagine we have a whole lot of time to figure any of this out, if we aren’t too late already.

We have to tell them the truth, Marcy stated, and hope that they believe it.

They will believe you for the same reason that your father did.

What? Cal asked.

"What, what?" Marcy asked him, very confused.

They can’t hear me Cal. This is the only help I can offer you on this journey, from here on out, you are on your own.

Cal clenched his fists around the drafting table. It’s nothing, never mind. Cal looked at her. The truth it is. That’s really our only option.

The night was filled with sadness and quite frankly, more crying than Cal had wanted to hear in a lifetime, but since several of those tears were his,