Chapter One
Racing through the labyrinthine hallways that made up the university, I glanced over my shoulder. I saw nothing, but I knew that they couldn't be far behind-I could hear them around the last several turns that I had made. The growls and yipping echoing in the deserted corridors encouraged me to keep going, no matter what.
Still running, I came to an intersecting corridor. I was confused; I didn't know which way to turn. Should I go to the left, toward the athletic department; should I go right to the media center, or should I just continue straight ahead to the performing arts complex? Having only a split second to decide, I took a gamble. I headed straight ahead. Stairs leading to a tunnel to the stage were about ten yards in front of me. Sprinting forward, I reached them, and raced down them as fast as I could. Seeing the bottom of the stairs directly ahead, I leaped the last several steps and landed catlike on the lower landing.
Ninety yards away, at the other end of the tunnel, I could see the door the prop storage room. That would be the portal to my refuge. I could still hear the creatures, the things let loose by madness, coming after me. The noise they made should have made my blood curdle but instead, it gave me energy to run. Racing the last fifty yards through dim lighting and mad echoes, I finally reached the door.
Frantically, I tried to pull it open but it wouldn't open. Tried to turn the knob, and pull, again it wouldn't open. Glancing up in a silent prayer, I saw the hinges were going the wrong way to pull the door. Taking a chance, I pushed and it gave.
I slipped inside the props room and slammed the door just in time to hear the things outside reach the lower landing. As they raced toward the door, I fumbled with the locks and security codes. I finished with the first one as the creatures crashed against the door, one by one. After several minutes, I had all of the locks secured and the security code for that section activated.
Taking a moment to rest, I looked around the room. It was roughly thirty feet wide by about seventy feet long. Right now, the only props were the smaller ones, used for the one act plays, smaller performances and talent shows. I continued walking toward the double doors at the other end of the room, looking around for some sort of weapon, anything to arm myself against the monsters lurking outside. There was a tool bench along one of the walls. Lying among the tools were a hammer, nail gun, battery-powered screwdriver, and a pry-bar.
I took the pry-bar and nail gun, as they seemed to be the best chance that I had of defending myself against the monsters outside, and resumed walking toward the backstage doors. Since I had activated the security for that section of the university, I typed in my password. The light turned green and the doors unlocked, letting me through.
Entering the backstage wings, I took in my surroundings. The only light was from the skylights sixty feet above the rear stage, giving the area a very ethereal feeling. The main performance area was set up for the Shakespeare play Macbeth. Walking across, I saw movement in the auditorium. Taking a second glance, I saw other people crowded in the back trying to keep out of sight.
"Is that you Lysander?" I heard a voice from the front of the crowd. I squinted through the darkness, trying to find the source of the voice, but it was to dark to see who it was. "Over here! I'm trying to activate the alarm," I saw a hand waving to get my attention.
"Is that you Becca?"
"Yes. Oh, I'm so glad you made it. What are those things chasing us? Did they catch anyone? How did you manage to escape? Did you activate the locks? Did Xandi make it? Where did those—"
"Whoa, slow down. One question at a time," I held my hands up to try and slow her down. "Now do you have your pass card?"
"Yes, I do." She handed it over. "Could you answer a couple of my questions while we're all here, waiting?"
I slid her card and mine simultaneously. "I'll do my best to answer. What do you want to know," I asked as I punched in the master codes. "Remember, I can only answer so much." The lights flashed, verifying that the silent alarm was sounding to the emergency services.
"What were those things, where did they come from, and how did they get here? That is what I really want to know."
"Those questions, I can answer. You will find some of these things hard to believe, but you will have to try."
"After what I have seen today, I think that I will be able to grasp the concepts." She replied.
"Well here it goes. Do any of you remember the theory of alternate realities?" There was a murmur in the group as people answered. "Well for those of you that don't know, the theory is that whenever an event that could change history happens another universe is created. Now these other universes make up the "multiverse", or "macroverse". So let's take the Titanic. This event would have branches to other universes. Those universes would have been created from that point of the decisions made by the captain and crew of the Titanic.
"Let's assume that in these other realities the Titanic may never have sunk, or never hit any iceberg. Or maybe a thousand more lives may have been saved when it sank." I explained looking around. Outside, in the hallways and empty rooms, the chaotic din of the monsters was getting more frenzied.
"I think we should move to the stage instead of here in the seats." Someone said nervously. "I mean, at least that area we seem to be at an advantage."
"I agree," someone else replied. "We're all sitting ducks anywhere, but at least we'll have more of an advantage up there."
By common consent, we all moved to the stage as a strangled howl broke the nervous calm that had seemed to come over the group. A pregnant silence ensued as we all listened, bracing ourselves for the next surprise.
As we waited onstage, I absentmindedly pulled out my cell phone. Surprised, I noticed that I had service here. I dialed the number to the local SWAT team that the city had on standby. After a brief conversation with the commanding officer, I hung up.
After waiting for over two hours with baited breath and not saying much of anything, there was a dull thumping sound coming from outside. We huddled together afraid of what was to come. The sound gradually grew louder as each minute passed.
"What is that?"
"Is it more monsters?"
"It's the end of the world!"
"No, listen. That's a rescue team. They're going to try and break in through the skylights," I explained to everyone the situation. "Those creatures were from a curse put on a box that was opened in the archeology and anthropology department. There have been other reports throughout the city of strange, terrifying things happening—other strange creatures attacking, fires, and strange sicknesses—all occurring within the past twenty-four hours.
"The rescue team informed me that it may be safer here than anywhere else, but they will take those who do not feel safe here." I looked around. "Is there anyone in this group that would feel safer staying here?"
"You mentioned that those things happening in the city and here in the university came from a cursed box. Could you please elaborate a little bit, before we make our decisions?" Kim asked. The blonde law student was clearly in need of more information before she decided to stay or to go. "You started to explain to us what was happening and then you were cut off. I think that you should be given a chance to finish."
There was a murmur of agreement from the crowd. How could I discover something this vital to history, science, and religion, and not share any of it with anyone. "Okay, let me remember where I was before I was interrupted."
"You were telling us about the different universes that you said made up something called the multiverse, or something like that." Someone chimed in.
"Okay, I'll finish telling you while we wait." I took a breath, closed my eyes and tried to figure out how to tell them. "Do you remember the account of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden? The moment they made their decision to take the forbidden fruit was the moment that the universe split, creating two universes." I paused, pacing across the stage, letting this sink in.
"Are you saying that you believe that religious bullshit?" The question came from Cameron Lewis, one of the most stubborn biology and earth sciences students around. One thing was for sure, I did have to admit he was one of the best students that I have ever seen. "I mean, come on now. If religion and all that crap were true, then why doesn't every culture have the same religion?" Another reason he was such a good student—his ability to have a presentable debate, anyplace at any time.
I continued to pace the stage, taking in the surroundings. The cast and crew for the university's production were there, along with several other students and professors. I mentally took a head count. About thirty people were there, most were probably scared out of their minds, and others were probably in a strong stage of shock and surprise. The light from the fading sunset was still coming through the skylights above us, giving the stage a feeling even more disquieting by the minute. The set of the castle seemed the perfect set for out situation. The stones that had been painted onto the walls seemed a little too real, the windows and doorways looked like portals into an unknown realm.
I glanced back toward Cameron, considered his question and answered. "Throughout history there has been only one word that is universal throughout the world, and that word is god. Whether it was one supreme being, or many deities of different natures, that word is used by every culture and people. Whether or not they were one and the same, or different, they had a head deity that led the others. In the Christian beliefs, there is God and his angels. In ancient Greece, there was the king of the gods, Zeus, followed by the other gods. In Egypt and Rome, there were many gods, but only one of them was held above the others.
"So you see throughout history there has always been at least one god to lead people. Not only was there a god or gods, but there was an afterlife." I stopped, looked around to see if anyone would continue the debate that Cameron had started, and when no one continued I started up the stairs of the set, to the balcony set in the castle walls.
The sun had finally set. The room, bathed in a purple glow from the clouds above, gave off the feeling of being in a place of great mystery and oppression. From the balcony I could see the entire auditorium and the main stage.
As I was getting ready to tell everyone what the creatures that had us trapped were, every alarm that the campus had went off, sounding out through the night. The next thing we knew, the skylights were being forced open and a S.W.A.T. team dropped ropes down and then lowered themselves into the darkened room.
"Where is the person who made the rescue call?" A short, stocky man demanded.
I stepped forward. "Sir, I'm the one that made the call. I didn't know what else to do, and I'm sure you know what's happening." I lowered my voice and leaned forward. "Not everyone on campus has been so lucky, Thomas. The Nephilim offspring have spread rapidly, and recuperated from hibernation with even more speed than before. I'm afraid that the box was the key to waking them up."
"Well," he said, giving a quick glance around. "Let's make sure that everyone who isn't already dead is taken care of." Thomas turned to the others. "If any of you do not feel safe staying here, my men will assist you to your homes. After you arrive, they will post lookouts to keep you from being attacked by any creature."