Whispers
Romance Books

Lost on Earth
by Lily Alex

Excerpt

Kevin and Judy

Nobody knew that Kevin had a personal reason when he agreed to take part in the hunt for the Son of the Devil.

He started to hate Damien Thorn many years ago. Although they were of the same age, that guy had everything that Kevin desired for himself: money, power and... Yes, a beautiful, sensual wife. Judy Thorn.

Since he was a kid, Kevin had to think about every cent he spent, this was why he joined the Army. Everything was fine, but during one operation the vehicle that Kevin's friend drove, accidentally crashed, and they all got a few injuries. Honestly, the driver was drunk as a skunk, however, it was not reported and did not get into the newspapers.

Judy Thorn had visited them in the hospital. While a reporter took some pictures, she held Kevin's hand. Kevin felt her thin, refined arm. He sensed the nervous energy of that beautiful graceful lady, he recalled the reports about her deeds in the charity field. And he thought, probably for the hundredth time, why do some guys have everything in life, and others have nothing?

Judy was sensitive enough to notice his feeling. Or maybe, she was just pleased with his sincerely rapt gaze. Anyway, it was not necessary, but she petted his head, and uttered passionately: "Get well, my hero!"

*****

Because he was afraid to become a laughing stock in front of his friends, he had never kept the reports about Judy, nevertheless, he read any and all information he was able to get his hands on.

He met her again almost a year later. His unit was to leave the country tomorrow, and Judy attended this engagement. Kevin dared to remind her about their previous meeting. And the woman, flattered by his attention, gave him an invitation to Thorn's party.

*****

When he saw her wearing the evening dress, enraptured Kevin just stood still for a few seconds, and barely compelled himself to let go of her hand. He thought that Damien Thorn can touch and kiss this fantastic woman whenever he wishes. That thought made Kevin feel insane, and he flinched with jealousy and hate.

During the party he continually admired the woman. Beaming under the bright electric lights, Judy looked exquisitely charming. Very tall, almost as tall as her husband was, elegantly dressed Judy Thorn moved with regal grace.

"Princess, princess..." Kevin whispered with delight. He dearly wanted to talk with her. But a lot of people were around them all the time, and vexed Kevin had no chance to do that.

Kevin kept his eyes on Judy, and he was finally rewarded for his patience. He noticed Judy slip out of the hall and he followed her. But Judy went to a part of the garden closed to guests. Yet he was well-trained and despite his evening suit, he was able to get inside also.

Struggling through the shrubbery, Kevin was looking for her. Suddenly he heard voices.

"Why did you run away?" she asked. "I'm tired of seeing and talking to people." Damien Thorn answered dismally. "And I want to smoke."

"Give me one."

Kevin finally saw them. Just snapping his fingers, Damien lit her cigarette and smiled. The Son of the Devil was proud of his abilities, and he liked to show them.

"Knock off your tricks!" Judy nervously inhaled. "You know I hate it!"

Kevin was surprised, as he did not know who Damien Thorn really was.

"As you wish, your majesty!" Damien's face became gloomy again.

"Why such sarcasm?" Judy asked with irritation in her voice. Moonlit, she looked even more beautiful than inside the building. The wind was moving the leaves and branches of the trees, and mysterious, fantastic shadows turned Judy in Kevin's mind into some kind of goddess.

"Listen, I wanted only to be alone for a while. Why did you come here?"

"Just interested to see where my hubby was hiding."

"Now you know. Could you, please, go back to the party? It's not nice to leave the guests without hosts."

"Look, today I met a guy. He remembered me from our last meeting, and it was almost a year ago!"

Kevin's heart jumped with happiness. He understood, Judy was talking about him.

"I'm glad." Thorn yawned and looked at his watch. "Oh, we really have to go back to "work". Let's go, my darling."

"Don't interrupt me, you rude fellow!"

"Sorry, honey!" Damien bowed theatrically. "I didn't know it was such an important speech!"

"Knock it off! Knock it off!! Knock it off!!! You moron!" Her ringing voice trembled and Thorn frowned: "Why do you shout at me?" As any canine, he hated high shrill noises. Well, most human males also do not like such sounds.

"Your permanent mocking," she yelled at him. "is driving me crazy!" "Just driving? I thought, you were already mental." Damien threw aside his cigarette butt and smiled arrogantly.

Hiding behind some bushes, Kevin barely restrained himself. He desired to beat up that cocky nabob. How could that bastard mock this wonderful woman! For her, Kevin was not afraid of scandal or even jail. But he knew, that security were very close, and they would not allow him to do that. And it would be stupid to be arrested or even killed, without any chance to be with her.

"That guy remembered me, and..."

"What's your point? I remember you longer than he does!" Suddenly Thorn burst out laughing.

"Who is more crazy, you or me?" Judy scornfully looked at her husband. "You stupid jerk! Do you ever listen to me?"

"Oh, my darling! If that guy is so impressed with you, go screw him!"

Kevin's eyes opened wide. He did not expect that a respectable man was able to use such language. But Judy's next phrase was like cupid's arrow had struck his heart.

"Maybe I will..." she drawled.

"I don't care." Damien looked at his watch again. "Crap, I'll go. You can stay, if you want. You can go to Hell if you wish! You've spoilt my rest, you damn witch!"

"You spoilt my whole life, you stupid clown!"

"Oh, really? Say it to anyone but me! You greedy rat! Nobody forced you to marry me! You were not a pauper-woman!"

"If I knew, what kind of creature you were, I'd never have agreed! Even for all the treasuries on Earth!"

"Don't lie!" Damien stared at his wife. "You knew who I was and still am!"

"I mean, if I knew, how you were going to treat me..."

"How?!! What do you want?!! I'm showing respect to you!"

"Exactly! Showing. You heartless monster! I'm your wife, after all!"

"I'm glad."

"For what are you glad?! Are you listening to me?"

Without an answer, Damien turned away and slowly went to the building. Still talking, Judy followed him.

Trembling, Kevin was alone in the garden. He was so shocked, he just stood still there for a long time. But he could do nothing now. He decided to take a vacation, and somehow meet Judy again and talk to her.

******

He was able to get a furlough only four months later. Excited, he was packing his stuff when he saw a TV-report about her death. He realized at once it was murder. And the following scandal only added fuel to the fire of his hatred. The smug faces of Damien and his fiancée were driving Kevin crazy. He resigned and swore to avenge Judy.

Megan

Glum, Mary Thorn was browsing through the flowers. Her bodyguard Jerry was next to her and she felt vexation. She only loved her husband, and the boyish, naive, emotional declaration-proposal of that guy amazed the woman and made her upset.

"Are you okay, Mrs. Thorn?" Megan, the salesgirl, asked carefully. Mary lifted her eyes and squeezed out a smile: "I'm okay, you?"

"I have a problem," Megan was shaken. She was scared to death, but her love forced the girl to do this.

That guy impressed Megan from their first meeting, when he knocked on her door, and she saw him, covered in soot and blood, clung to the wall with one hand, and held two long daggers with another.

They got to know each other, and during the months of their communication they became real friends. Only lately Megan realized, she had more than just a friendly feeling, however, she never dared to talk to him about that.

Engrossed in his mission, twice as old as she was, he had gone through so many ordeals and tragedies, he was a monk and a fanatic, and Megan was hiding her feelings. She did not want to be a burden to him, and she was ready to sacrifice her life to help him.

She introduced him to the local pastor, Father Warren, and priests told her the truth about Damien Thorn. Shocked, the girl believed them at once. Mary was a regular customer of the shop, where Megan worked. They met often, and the sales girl ventured to try and inform her.

"Can we talk for a while?" Megan questionable gazed at Mary. "Just a few minutes, please?"

"Sure, Megan!" Mary forgot about herself. "What's wrong, dear?"

"It's too personal," Megan looked at Jerry. "Can we talk privately?"

They went to the staff's room. Jerry checked the room out, locked the window and closed the curtains. He nodded to his lady and went away.

For a few seconds Megan kept silent. The task that the girl had was not easy. Keeping her promise, Mary Thorn avoided all talk about her husband, so the sales-girl decided to start from afar.

Megan told Mary the entire story of the Son of the Devil, from his birth to his marriage. She carefully avoided to use any names of people or specific places. Megan wanted to tell Mary the whole story first. In the same way she prepared a few articles to show Mary Thorn.

Mary believed all the proof was very conclusive.

Very, very carefully Megan started to talk about recent events.

"He murdered his wife, because he met a young girl and wanted to marry her..."

"It's awful, Megan!" Mary Thorn sighed. "You know, I'm the second wife of Damien, his first wife died in an accident."

"Yes, the Beast made his wife's death look like an accident." Megan dared to talk specifically. "The Antichrist is so powerful; do you think it was difficult for him?"

At first Mary Thorn did not understand.

"He murdered his wife, because, he wanted to be free. For you."

"Shut up!" Mary sprang up. "It's not true !"

"It is true! Check these articles again!"

"Enough!" Mary Thorn resolutely went to the exit. "It's slander and I don't wanna listen to it!"

"You've gotta believe me!" Megan tried to hold Mary Thorn. But the woman pushed the salesgirl away and rushed out.

Megan did not know what to do now.

The scarlet curtains were closed and the bloody shades scared the girl. She desired to see sunshine again. She pulled the handle, the curtains moved, but did not open. Megan looked attentively. The thin wire was tangled in the loops.

Megan took a chair, put it on the window sill and climbed onto the seat. The loops were right opposite her face. Megan started to disentangle the wire.

Suddenly a huge black spider fell on her hand. The girl squealed and threw it away, but with this sharp movement she lost her balance. Megan hit the window pane with force and fell out. Her head slipped into the one of the loops and the girl hung in the air. Because of the weight of her body the loop tightened, the sharp wire thrusting deeper and deeper into her neck. It worked like a guillotine.

Finally, the headless body fell to the ground near the wall and a few seconds later the head, oozing blood, fell onto the snow.

*****

Mary was on her way home.

Jerry and the driver kept silent, but somehow Mary was sure that they knew about the subject of the talk that she had in the shop. Mary closed the glass between herself and the bodyguards, she wanted to be alone.

She turned on the TV and the first thing she saw was a news report. Some quick reporter had already found out about Megan. He was excited, but tried to talk with visible compassion. Mary gasped when the reporter showed the remains of the sales-girl.

Suddenly the TV turned off all by itself, yet she had seen enough. Mary Thorn had no doubts anymore.

At home

Mary Thorn plodded to her bedroom and fell down on her bed. She felt no fear, just an awful emptiness.

Mary was not surprised and did not get scared when she saw her husband.

"Well," Damien smiled sadly. "What are you going to do now?"

Mary shrugged her shoulders.

"Want to kill me?"

Mary silently shook her head.

"Okay, sweetheart, but we both understand that it's impossible to pretend that nothing happened."

Mary closed her eyes and tears ran down her cheeks: "I love you, honey... Oh, God, forgive me! I still love you, Damien."

"Great!"

The triumph sounded in Thorn's voice amazed the woman. She stopped crying and looked at her husband very attentively.

"What, Mary? You're smart enough to understand what you have to do for me to be with me forever."

Unlimited horror seized the young woman: "What?"

"Renounce God, divorce or die." he said casually.

"No," Mary gasped. "You don't mean that, do you? It's possible for us to still be spouses! The Bible said: `wife, do not leave your husband... For how do you know, but that you will save your husband`! It's the 1 Corinthians 7:12-16?! I do remember this!"

"No, my darling, you did not!" Damien retorted irritably. "In 7:12 it says: `yet he is agreeable to dwelling with her.` But I'm not! I can't allow a potential betrayer to live in my house!"

"I won't betray you!"

"You already have!"

"Okay," Mary closed her eyes. "I'll write a letter, where I'll show my death as a suicide and you won't have any troubles or problems..."

"I don't need your bit of paper!" Thorn looked maliciously at his wife. "I'll just make your heart stop or burst some blood vessel that's all! Nobody will suspect me!"

"Yes," Mary quietly laughed. "Sorry, honey! I just forgot who you are."

Damien felt deprived of strength. As usual her submission put out his anger.

"Kitten," his voice was tender. "I'm really sorry, but you leave me no choice!"

"It's okay, honey, do it. I was happy with you, I'm not afraid to die."

Damien closed his eyes and started to concentrate.

But he did not "see" her. Surprised Thorn tried again, but suddenly he realized that they belong to different levels, and Damien called himself an idiot.

He opened his eyes and for a few seconds he thought about how to explain to his wife what happened. He did not want to show her his powerlessness.

"Sweetie," Thorn finally found the means to say it nicely. "I'll need a letter to explain your death. I can't kill you with my Power, because I love you too much."

Mary smiled through tears: "I've never imagined such a situation! You're gonna kill me, but I'm feeling happy!"

"I'm glad." Damien said mechanically. He took out a syringe. "Just a little shot. You'll fall asleep that's all."

Mary stretched out her arm and did not even flinch, when Thorn made the injection.

Damien massaged her skin and for a few minutes he sat near his dying wife, holding her hand and checking her pulse. It was getting weaker and started to break off... Gone...

Thorn sighed. He slowly got up and hobbled away.

Damien touched the doorknob when he heard a sound. For this room it was an impossible sound. It was a hoarse moan.

Thorn turned back. She was tossing in the bed. Damien could not believe his eyes. He slowly limped to his wife.

Mary Thorn opened her eyes and looked at her husband reproachfully: "Why did you resuscitate me?!"

Damien screamed with fear. He snatched out his gun and shot the woman. He kept firing until the gun was empty. Her wounds disappeared even faster. Thorn threw away the useless gun.

"Please, no more!" Mary slid down off the bed covered with her blood. "Please..." Squeezed with horror, she sprang up and ran away.

In the forest

Deep into their private forest Mary Thorn started to understand reality again. She looked at herself and got horrified. She was barefoot and almost naked, wearing only blood stained rags. The snow was almost knee high.

Confused, Mary looked around.

"What am I gonna do now? What can I do? Go home? No way!" she decided resolutely. "Go to the police? It's very tempting, but also naive and stupid." Yet for a while she enjoyed dreaming about this kind of revenge. Mary Thorn imagined her husband under examination, in the dock and finally in jail.

But the memory about the awful scene that Damien made, took her last strength and Mary sat down straight into the snow: "Interesting, if I freeze to death will it be a suicide in the eyes of God or not?"

Her soul desired death, however, the young strong body did not. A few minutes later the intolerable cold forced her to get up. She cried with pain and despair. She ventured to go home.

"I'll just warm up and take my stuff. He won't refuse me, I'm sure. Maybe he's already sorry for his lack of restraint... He loves me, maybe we can make up?"

Thinking this way, Mary Thorn struggled forward through the forest. She was surprised how easily she was able to wander here.

*****

It was getting dark, the short winter day neared the end. Mary and Pastor Warren went out on this glade at the same time. It was him, who persuaded Megan to inform Mary Thorn. Now he decided to act himself.

For a few minutes the woman and Father Warren just gazed at each other.

"Wow!" the priest said finally. "Do you wanna take revenge yourself?"

Mary Thorn found it funny, but she was so frozen and tired, she had no power to even smile.

"It's none of my business to judge him." she was talking with great effort. "And it's none of your business either!"

"Oh, is that so? You were raised in a Catholic orphanage and you don't wanna kill Antichrist?!"

"God the Creator is powerful enough. If He wishes, He's able to destroy Damien."

"But we are tools of God!" Pastor Warren took out a bag. "I have the daggers!"

Mary gasped: those daggers were the only one weapon that humans could possibly use to kill her husband.

The sudden low mad roar caused the Pastor to look back. He had never seen such dogs.

"They are wild African dogs," Mary licked her lips and looked around with worry. "But they don't dare to attack you while you stay close to me... What are we gonna do?.. Oh, I know! The back gate is just a few yards from here! I'll open it for you, then you'll be able to escape! But give me the daggers!"

Pastor Warren did not respond.

"Look," Mary neared him. "Damien knows you are here. I'll help you, just give the daggers to me!"

"You asked for it, you got it!" the priest snatched out the dagger and hit the woman in her chest. Not expecting this, Mary did not protect herself. The dogs howled with rage. Pastor Warren heard the sound of engines. "I can't reach the Beast, but I'll kill you, She-Devil!"

He hit Mary again and again.

"Damien!" she screamed and tumbled, but Pastor Warren knelt and continued his bloody action until a searchlight lit up the glade and a burst of a machine-gun fire threw the priest into the snow.

Jerry was the first to reach Mary. He quickly checked her out, gasped and looked back at his Master. Thorn waved his hand and the snow disappeared from this glade. Then Damien limped closer and bent over his wife. His face became clouded.

"What are you waiting for?" Jerry gazed at his Master with hope. "Cure her! Hurry!"

"Shut up, Jerry!" confused, Damien was thinking. "Calm down!" He touched Mary's neck. He could not feel her pulse. He turned to his servants. "Take her to the hospital, maybe it's not too late."

"What are you talking about?!" Jerry clutched Thorn's shoulder with such an impulse that Damien barely kept his feet. "At least half of her wounds are fatal! If You don't cure her, she's gonna die for sure!"

"You mad dog!" the face of the Beast distorted with inhuman anger, he pushed his young servant away. "How dare you touch me?! Have you finally cracked or what? Control yourself!"

The servants carried their lady to the helicopter. Jerry went near her. He massaged Mary's wrist, he panted with sorrow: "Hold on, baby!.. Please, sunnie, don't die!.. My love, my life! Oh, please, hold on..."

Damien trembled, he was not able to suppress his jealousy any longer.

"Kill him!" Thorn whispered to Slay. The valet took out his gun.

"Nicely," Damien emphasized.

The servant nodded, stepped forward and pressed the muzzle of the gun to Jerry's back.

Roger Slay was a professional, the young bodyguard did not even realize that he was dying. Even while dying, Jerry still held the hand of the woman whom he loved more than his own life, and the servants could barely unclench his fingers.

They left the bodies of the Pastor and Jerry on the glade, and the wild African dogs had a great supper that night.

Again

Doctor Akherman walked quickly along the corridor. He was just wearing a surgical gown and the nurse ran after him tying it up.

The assistant saw the doctor, rushed to him and started to whisper emotionally. The eyebrows of the doctor rose with amazement.

"We told Him," the assistant was swinging his arms. "Of course, we connected her, and of course, it's useless... It's just impossible..."

They reached the ward.

Doctor Akherman saw his team. Everybody looked confused and alarmed. Leaning on his walking stick, Damien stood next to his wife and tenderly petted her hair.

Doctor Akherman looked at the monitors, checked out all the connections, then looked again.

"Mr. Thorn," he said finally. "I'm very sorry, but Your wife is dead. We can do nothing."

Damien turned his head and looked at the doctor. It was a gaze of a wounded animal: a pain and rage glowed in the eyes of the Beast.

"Do something!" Thorn told him. "Just try!"

Doctor Akherman shrugged his shoulders, and this gesture killed the last hope in Damien's heart.

The doctor and the assistant whispered to each other. Any efforts would be useless, and they all understood that. But they did not want to have a "ride to Hell", so they had to show some activity to please their Master and Lord, and avoid his anger.

Usually the use of the defibrillator impressed observers.

The medics gently moved Thorn aside, prepared, and the discharge tossed up the body.

Everybody looked at the monitor.

"Again!" Damien did not order, he pleaded.

They tried again. And again. And again.

The assistant helplessly glanced at the doctor, and he looked at Thorn.

Damien kept silent. Doctor Akherman came to him: "I'm very sorry, sir. She's gone."

"You damn doctor!" Thorn grabbed doctor Akherman. "What have you studied in the last quarter of a century since you graduated!"

"Sir!" Doctor Akherman hissed with anger: Damien wounded his professional feelings. "Miracles are Your department, not mine! Ask Your Father! Ask the God, if You dare! But not me! I'm just a human!"

Damien released the doctor.

"Leave us." Thorn hung his head.

The assistant took the useless mask away from Mary's face. The team turned off the equipment and left the ward.

*****

Thorn bent over Mary and tenderly kissed her cold, motionless lips.

"I wished her death." he whispered. "But I wanted to kill her myself. That's not fair!" Enraged, Damien tossed his face. "She's my wife! She's my property! She belongs to me! Only I can dispose of her!" Thorn grabbed the body of his wife. "Give her back! She's mine! She chose me; she loves me, she wanted to stay with me! She's mine..." His voice broke with sobs. Thorn carefully put the dead woman back on the table.

Damien knelt. Humbling his pride, he ventured to use the prayer that only angels are able to use. He did not promise to change himself, he just admitted he was powerless.

When Damien came back from the trance, he looked at the woman first.

Nothing happened. Thorn got up slowly.

She sighed. Damien stood stock still. She moaned.

Thorn gasped with happiness: Mary opened her eyes.

"Damien..." It was her last word, it was her first word. She saw her husband. "You! You saved me! You resuscitated me!"

Suddenly, Thorn realized that now he got the only and, probably, last chance to save his soul. If he openly recognized the domination of God, he, Damien, will be saved and everything will be forgiven of him.

If Damien showed God's act as his own, he would be doomed for sure. That kind of sin God did not forgive even to Moses.

Thorn hesitated, however, not for long.

"Yes, my darling," he said resolutely. "I did it."

"But why?" Mary cried. "If you don't trust me, why are you doing this?"

"Because, I love you." Damien bit his lip. "Oh, Father, how I love you!" He yearned to hug her, but did not dare.

Mary understood his feelings and opened her arms: "Come here, honey!"

They embraced each other as a drowning person snatches a life buoy.

The whole World: Earth, Hell and Heavens were against them.

"We were living together and those were happy years. If we don't try to change each other, if we just leave everything as it was, we can be happy again."

Who said it? He or she? Maybe they just thought the same thought.

"How much time do we have?" Mary asked.

"Matthew 24:36, do you remember, sweetheart? `Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels nor the Son, but only..`" Damien did not dare to continue.

"...`But only our Father in heaven.`" Mary finished the quotation. "Well, let's just love each other as long as we can..."

Copyright Lily Alex