The Special People

Chapter 15

Before all the blades could be hidden, Isaac learned of their treasonous actions and had all of them but Zolin executed but not before forcing them to forge the Blade of Life and Death for him. After the executions, he forced Zolin into slavery, using Zolin’s gift of foresight to his advantage. They were able to forge one more object—the oracle stone, designed to reveal the Analoya should they touch it.

Isaac forced Zolin to divulge his prophecies to him. He revealed that he saw two futures—one where Isaac was defeated by the Analoya and one where Isaac took control over the whole Earth. Which one was the real future was uncertain. He revealed that Isaac would die and be resurrected at the time the Analoya walked the Earth. Isaac ordered that exactly how and when this would happen be written on a wall in the cave and never again be spoken of outside the cave.

This prophecy only fueled Isaac ’s determination and lust for power. Wielding the Blade of Life and Death increased his power immensely. Over the next five years, he increased his armies and enslaved more and more villages. His tyranny began to spark revolution in the hearts of the people. The idea of revolution even spread amongst Isaac ’s own soldiers.

War broke out so terribly that the city of Icoatzin was completely destroyed. Isaac ’s army was causing incredible damage but sustained much more in return as they were outnumbered. He ordered his lizard creature Yolcatl and the guardian serpent Tepianicoatl to remain in the cave and defend it until he returned while he continued to fight alongside his army. The war raged on until nearly every man, woman, child, and beast were killed. Isaac was cut off from the city and his cave and forced to flee into the desert alone. Weary from battle, Isaac was hunted down and slain. Zolin gathered the few women and children remaining and fled, never to return to the ruined city.

Dr. Ramsey finished his story and looked around at the group of students. They all seemed quiet as they contemplated their surroundings with a new appreciation.

“Does anyone know how much of the story is factual?” Kora asked.

“That is what we are here to find out,” Ramsey replied.

Dutch parked the SUV near the temple, got out, and walked around to open the trunk. The three military officials followed after him. He opened a large weapons box in the back, pulled out four assault rifles, and handed one to each of the men while keeping one for himself.

“Just in case,” said Dutch.

Another SUV arrived, and six government agents exited the vehicle, carrying assault rifles of their own. One of the agents walked up to speak to him.

“Dutch, are you sure about this? If he is in there, there aren’t enough of us to face him.”

“We don’t have much of a choice. If he’s in there, then these people are in grave danger, and we need to get them out now,” said Dutch. “Do you have SWAT on standby?”

“Yes, they are positioned at the crime scene. They can be here in ten minutes if we need them.”

“Make the call.”

“Is that warranted? What if he isn’t in there?” asked Captain Johnson.

“Then he might be en route. Either way, this isn’t a safe place to be right now.”

“No, I mean, aren’t you kind of jumping the gun a bit here? Engaging a situation that hasn’t even been confirmed hostile? Not to mention the obvious—what if the man you are looking for is just a man? Come on, be realistic. Think about what you’re doing. If we all just walk in there carrying assault rifles . . . You can start a panic. People could get hurt. Legal action could be taken, and that’s a pile of paperwork I just don’t want to deal with,” said Captain Johnson.

Dutch ignored his last statement and ordered the agents to follow him into the temple anyway. Captain Johnson, however, was not too far off from the truth as the sight of armed agents entering the temple clearly sparked a lot of anxiety among the archaeologists.

Dr. Isaacs approached Dutch and asked, “Can I help you, gentlemen?”

“We have reason to believe that a dangerous fugitive might be here. Have you seen anything unusual this morning?” asked Dutch.

“Not at all. Are you sure your information is accurate?” asked Dr. Isaacs.

Just then Lieutenant. Edmonds said, “Look—there!”

He pointed at something hanging from the ceiling behind the throne. It was difficult to make out what it was through the shadows. All the agents and military officials aimed their rifles at the object.

“Hold steady,” said Dutch.

“What is it?” asked Captain Johnson.

“I don’t know, but it moved,” said Lieutenant Edmonds.

They all watched, weapons ready, waiting for the slightest sign of movement, but the object remained perfectly still. Dutch slowly moved closer.

“Doctor, can you identify that object?”

“No, there wasn’t anything hanging from there before,” Isaacs answered.

Dutch squinted to see better and noticed a pair of faintly glowing yellow dots. The dots disappeared for a fraction of a second then returned. It dawned in him that they were eyes, and they had just blinked.

“Doctor, you better get your people out of here—now,” he said then raised his voice, addressing the object. “I don’t know if you can understand me, but you are completely surrounded. These weapons we carry are far more powerful than anything you have gone up against before. You will lose if you fight. Give yourself up now.”

An almost snakelike voice came from the object.

“I never lose.”

An obsidian dart whistled through the air toward Captain Johnson and hit him square in the chest. He screamed out in horrific pain as the liquid in the dart spread out over his chest, melting away all the flesh in its path. Isaac shot two more darts before the agents and military officials opened fire on him. He moved along the ceiling toward them with remarkable speed, avoiding every shot. As he closed the gap between them, they had to cease firing to prevent shooting their own. His speed was only matched by his strength. The weapons and training of the men seemed useless against him. One after another, they fell to his hand.

“So where is this cave supposed to be?” asked one of the students.

“We don’t know for sure, but we recently found a room that described the cave being in a nearby mountain on the edge of the canyon,” answered Dr. Ramsey. “We have three of our men searching the mountain right next to us since it matches the description, and it would make sense for them to build the temple close by.”

Suddenly, a horrific scream followed by a cacophony of gunshots came from the adjoining room. Panic quickly spread among the students. Wilson reached down and pulled up his pant leg to reveal a small handgun strapped to his ankle. He looked over to see Kyle pulling out a handgun from under his shirt and Kristen pulling out a .357 Magnum revolver from her backpack. Kyle gawked at Kristen. She noticed Kyle and several students staring at her.

“What?” she challenged.

They gathered all the students together in the back corner of the room and told them to take cover as best they could and remain calm. Wilson peeked through the doorway into the main room. He saw a tall man with long blond hair wreaking havoc on the people around him. Dead bodies littered the floor. The man moved so fast, Wilson couldn’t get a clear shot. Many of the men killed were armed with assault rifles, but they appeared to be useless against such an inhumanly fast and agile target.

One thing that caught Wilson’s attention was that the man never strayed too far from the entrance. He was guarding it, preventing anyone from leaving. Several archaeologists attempting to escape were flung back so violently they were all knocked senseless before they made it within ten feet of the temple entryway.

He turned back toward Kristen. “Is there a back way out of here?”

“Not that we have found. Why? Can we not get through?”

“I’ve never seen a man move like that. I don’t think guns are going to work.”

“A man? As in one single man? Who’s doing the shooting? Let me see.”

She looked through the doorway to see all of her colleagues and several government agents dead on the ground. Only two men remained standing: one dressed in a military uniform and another large man in a suit. They were backed up against a wall, firing assault rifles at the blond man. He leaped up and grabbed a hold of the ceiling twenty feet from the ground; he moved along the ceiling like a spider and quickly hid behind a pillar to avoid the bullets flying at him. The two men continued to fire, causing chunks of rock to break off the pillar and ceiling. The man stayed in this position for a few moments, briefly giving Kristen a clear shot. She aimed her revolver at him and pulled the trigger. He hadn’t expected a shot coming from that direction and tried to dodge it, but he wasn’t fast enough, and it hit him in the leg. He grimaced in pain, lost his grip, and fell to the floor. On his way down, he smacked against the corner of the platform leading up to the throne.