dangled from a cord in the center of the room. An unseen wind blew it back and forth, forming shadows where none should have been. These shadows moved and swayed inside the laboratory, and the horsemen fell to their knees as the darkness on the walls came to life. Fascinated, Edward crept closer, watching as patches of shadow moved with a rhythm and sentience that defied modern physics. What kinds of experiments were they conducting here?
Edward muttered prayers underneath his breath and tried to shake off the feeling of wrongness that clung to everything like a thin, grimy film. His instincts told him to turn tail and run as far from this place as possible, but he knew that there were answers here. Hoping to save himself, Edward crouched down at the foot of one of the cots and peered over its wire frame. The scientists were all huddled together on their side of the glass, babbling to themselves in fear as the storm built inside their small laboratory. One of the scientists clutched the vials of Morningstar fiercely to his chest as the winds hurled beakers and test tubes about with wanton abandon. There was no telling what the destruction of those vials with the peculiar name might unleash.
Gradually, the winds subsided, and the scientists visibly relaxed a little. Their reprieve was short-lived. Without warning, the shadows merged, melded, and reshaped themselves into something else….something much, much bigger that filled the room. Something with wings.
The horsemen wept and trembled before the shadowy creature that towered over them, its dark plumage spreading across the room like a thunderhead. Black feathers fell like drops of oily rain. Edward crept a little closer to the lab and pressed his ear to the glass while the horsemen begged for their lives.
The winged shadow appeared to be listening and waiting for something. Death got to his feet and offered the vials of Morningstar, presenting them like a peasant with a gift for his king. Edward could hear the egghead talking to the shadow and motioning to the vials, but couldn’t understand much of what was being said. Whatever Death said, however, must have pleased the shadow because it nodded in satisfaction several times. When Death was finished speaking, he knelt before the shadow again, unwilling to look at the creature any longer than he had to. The winged form studied all of them for a moment with an expression that might have been indifference then exploded into nothingness. The shadows raced back to their rightful places on the walls. The lights flickered once before returning to their previous brilliance.
For a moment, Edward could do nothing more than tremble in fear and take deep gulps of heavily-filtered air. He had no explanation for what he saw, yet somewhere deep in the folds of his brain he knew the identity of the creature he had witnessed. During his years in the ministry, he had seen lots of things that defied rational explanation. The Bible was filled with them, and he believed them all whole-heartedly. However, it was one thing to believe in all of the creatures mentioned in the Good Book and still another to see one up close and personal.
Eventually the horsemen regained their composure, got to their feet once more, and set about the business of restoring order to their lab. Trembling and filled with a nervous panic, Edward took a couple of deep breaths and headed back to the exit. He had never been so glad to be back in the sweltering heat and the sticky confines of the jungle. This time the soldiers at the door didn’t give him a passing glance. As strange as it sounded, they seemed oblivious to all that had just taken place. How was such a thing possible? He studied them for a second and was unnerved at how calm they were. Edward knew he couldn't match their steely demeanor and was sure his voice would have quivered a bit if they forced him to speak. Unwilling to press
Edward muttered prayers underneath his breath and tried to shake off the feeling of wrongness that clung to everything like a thin, grimy film. His instincts told him to turn tail and run as far from this place as possible, but he knew that there were answers here. Hoping to save himself, Edward crouched down at the foot of one of the cots and peered over its wire frame. The scientists were all huddled together on their side of the glass, babbling to themselves in fear as the storm built inside their small laboratory. One of the scientists clutched the vials of Morningstar fiercely to his chest as the winds hurled beakers and test tubes about with wanton abandon. There was no telling what the destruction of those vials with the peculiar name might unleash.
Gradually, the winds subsided, and the scientists visibly relaxed a little. Their reprieve was short-lived. Without warning, the shadows merged, melded, and reshaped themselves into something else….something much, much bigger that filled the room. Something with wings.
The horsemen wept and trembled before the shadowy creature that towered over them, its dark plumage spreading across the room like a thunderhead. Black feathers fell like drops of oily rain. Edward crept a little closer to the lab and pressed his ear to the glass while the horsemen begged for their lives.
The winged shadow appeared to be listening and waiting for something. Death got to his feet and offered the vials of Morningstar, presenting them like a peasant with a gift for his king. Edward could hear the egghead talking to the shadow and motioning to the vials, but couldn’t understand much of what was being said. Whatever Death said, however, must have pleased the shadow because it nodded in satisfaction several times. When Death was finished speaking, he knelt before the shadow again, unwilling to look at the creature any longer than he had to. The winged form studied all of them for a moment with an expression that might have been indifference then exploded into nothingness. The shadows raced back to their rightful places on the walls. The lights flickered once before returning to their previous brilliance.
For a moment, Edward could do nothing more than tremble in fear and take deep gulps of heavily-filtered air. He had no explanation for what he saw, yet somewhere deep in the folds of his brain he knew the identity of the creature he had witnessed. During his years in the ministry, he had seen lots of things that defied rational explanation. The Bible was filled with them, and he believed them all whole-heartedly. However, it was one thing to believe in all of the creatures mentioned in the Good Book and still another to see one up close and personal.
Eventually the horsemen regained their composure, got to their feet once more, and set about the business of restoring order to their lab. Trembling and filled with a nervous panic, Edward took a couple of deep breaths and headed back to the exit. He had never been so glad to be back in the sweltering heat and the sticky confines of the jungle. This time the soldiers at the door didn’t give him a passing glance. As strange as it sounded, they seemed oblivious to all that had just taken place. How was such a thing possible? He studied them for a second and was unnerved at how calm they were. Edward knew he couldn't match their steely demeanor and was sure his voice would have quivered a bit if they forced him to speak. Unwilling to press
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