The Light of His Sword by Alaina Stanford

her awake until the drink kicked in.
    Gabe opened his eyes and grunted as he sat
up. “Where are we?” He asked examining the band-aids on his
arm.
    “We passed Salina two hours ago. The last
sign said 45 miles to Kansas City.” Alyssa answered.
    “Kansas City’s got a pretty complicated
interstate system. Do you want me to drive?” He asked carefully
placing his feet on the floor beside Samantha.
    His shoulder brushed against Alyssa’s, and
she jumped. Wiggling in her seat and stretching one arm to mask her
reaction, Alyssa said, “It’s 2 o’clock in the morning, do you think
there will be much traffic?”
    “Hopefully not, but it only takes one bad
driver…” Gabe chose his words carefully, not wanting to voice his
concern of another attack.
    “How do they keep finding us?” Alyssa
asked.
    He glanced at her pale features in the dim
light from the dash. Her large doe eyes were focused on the road,
but her hands were gripping the steering wheel with vengeance. She
was frightened more than she wanted to let on.
    Gabe glanced down to insure Samantha was
asleep, then explained, “Approximately twenty-five percent of the
population are possessed. Demons are connected by a type of psychic
network. One possessed person is all it takes to alert the entire
population if they find us. That’s why we are only stopping for
gas; the more people who see us, the higher our chances of
detection.”
    Alyssa shot him a puzzled look. “You’re
saying one out of every four people is possessed? That’s
crazy!”
    Gabe sighed, “I know it sounds like a lot,
but not all demons are like those you’ve seen today. Some are very
weak and simply occupy a host for companionship. They cause mild
problems for the host such as headaches, depression, or
sleeplessness. Most people have no idea a demon is living inside
them. Other demons are more powerful. They cause evil thoughts,
severe illness or some sort of psychosis. It’s even possible for
several demons to inhabit one person without a visible hint to
others. That’s why your gift of detecting evil in others is so
valuable. You can feel the evil when most people can’t. ”
    “How is that possible for a demon to jump
inside someone?” Alyssa gasped.
    Gabe glanced out the window as they passed
another road sign and the lights of Kansas City appeared in the
distance. “Demons can’t just jump inside you. The victims have to
be open to the possession. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying they
are willingly looking to be possessed or willingly allowing the
possession, but they aren’t protecting themselves from it either.
Their belief in demons or lack of belief in a greater good can
leave them open to possession, or worse. It can leave their loved
ones open as well.”
    Alyssa frowned at him and pulled over on the
shoulder. “If you are sure you can drive, I could use a break. I’m
hungry. It’s been a long day and my fingers are cramping from
driving.”
    “So you understand what I’m saying about
protecting yourself from a demon?” Gabe asked.
    “I’m not really interested.” Alyssa
added.
    “Faith can protect you from many things.”
Gabe added then climbed over Samantha and hopped out of the
truck.
    Alyssa slid over to the far side of the seat
careful not to step on Samantha. She reached down, pulled Samantha
off the floor and cradled her.
    Gabe opened the driver’s door and climbed
in. Pulling off his shredded jacket, he tossed it behind the seat.
Alyssa’s heart beat faster. His muscular shoulders and upper arms
shone through his torn shirt. She quickly glanced down at Samantha
and shifted her slightly on her lap. Gabe reached down, picked up
Alyssa’s coat off the floor and draped it over Samantha’s legs.
    “Why don’t you try to get some sleep?” He
offered.
    “I just took one of your energy drinks.” She
smiled at him. Her eyes sparkled in the dim light. This time it was
Gabe’s pulse that quickened. “If you can get us through the