Deception

A Chapter by edloud

The next morning Caleb was violently shaken awake. Dani stood above him with a worried look on her face. "They are here and they have tanks. The tower is doing nothing."

Caleb sat up, "Who is here?"

"I think it's the government. The tower isn't protecting us!"

"Have they attacked?"

"No."

"Tower, show me the intruders." A 3D image of the area immediately in front of the tower appeared before him. Caleb reached out his hand and turned the image to get an aerial view. They were definitely American troops, but where they rogue and what did they want?

"Has anyone talked to them yet?"

"Not yet, James is standing at the gate though."

"Thanks babe, stay here." Caleb ran to the lift and went down to the gate. James still stood there, glaring over the scene. "You ok big guy?"

"Yeah, stinking soldiers should be out fighting the Iggies and not bugging us."

"How long they been there?"

"Just before dawn. What the hell they want?"

"I'll go find out." Caleb walked down the hill, making sure that his hands stayed in view. As he got closer someone hopped out of a Humvee and headed towards him, flanked by four armed men. They met at the bottom of the hill and Caleb instantly recognized him. "Colonel Flake, how the hell are you?" Caleb stretched out his hand with a smile on his face.

The smile and the handshake were returned. "Captain Ransford, God damn son, it's good to see you. How's the family?"

"They are good, they inside the tower. Lee and Mae too."

"Lee? Well that makes two Vietnam vets still around." He said as he waved off his guards. "How's he doing?"

"Still a top shot and as ornery as ever." Caleb said as the two walked off on their own.

"You know he saved my life."

"Yeah yeah, heard the story a hundred times. What are you guys doing here?"

"Well we were actually called into Terre Haute, some of our men were massacred there, in a Wal-Mart. When we got there we found them, and some other things. Nothing had a head and there was this big pile of heads with a chair on top. We found a few survivors, they said it was a three eyed demon that did it."

They were facing each other now, and when Flake mentioned the demon Caleb glanced up at James, who still stood in the gate looking at the soldiers. "We tried to get into to Terre Haute but the bridge on 41 was out, we were going to try 59 today. Is that the way you came?"

"Hell no son, we built a bridge across that creek over night. When we hit Farmersburg we saw these towers and headed this way. How the hell did you build these?"

Before Caleb answered he glanced back up to the gate and saw that James wasn't there. "Well Colonel, you won't believe this but.." The ground shook, men fell to their knees and Caleb grabbed the Colonels arm to hold him up, the further tower exploded and crumbled to the ground. Caleb heard the screams of people being crushed and falling out of the tower. He instantly thought of his family in this tower. Thought became action and they were pulled out of the tower as it exploded. Caleb set them down and froze the explosion and pulled everyone out and away from the tower and placed them near the troops. As the last person floated away from the tower he let the rubble collapse to the ground.

From behind him came the familiar crack of gun fire. Caleb turned to see James wading into the soldiers and civilians, ripping their heads off. Caleb knew it was him even though he looked different. The first thing he notices were the leathery wings. Caleb let go of the Colonels arm and ran towards James who was pulling the canon off of the tank. He smashed into him and knocked him to the ground. James looked up at him with three eyes that glowed red. The sight stunned Caleb and James pushed him into the air. Caleb landed on his feet and raised his right hand and tore a tree up out of the ground and sent it hurling towards James. It hit him square in the chest and sent him flying. Caleb launched himself into the air and landed right next to James.

James swung the tree at Caleb and knocked him into the house across the street. Caleb laid there for a bit, the wind knocked out of him. He opened his eyes and James stood above him. "This is for Jenkins" he said as the house started to come apart and bury him.

Before he blacked out he heard Dani scream and his girls cry out. All went black.

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