Rise Of The Nephilim
Chapter 38

2:00 A.M. EST

SAW MILL RIVER PARKWAY, WESTCHESTER, N Y

The drive was smooth and traffic-free on the south side of the. The north side was bumper to bumper, sometimes at a standstill because so many were trying to escape the city.

Phillipo had fallen asleep. His body was becoming weaker as the hours crept by. His eyes jerked open when Morry drove over a wide pothole, nearly throwing him from his seat. “What, what!” He looked around wildly, at first not realizing where he was.

“Had a nice nap, Father?” Pete asked.

He looked around again―this time yawning. “Saw Mill,” he said, recognizing that they had reached the end of the highway and were nearing Grand Central Station, their destination. “Well, we’re almost there; are you ready to face the dragon?”

“Damn straight,” said Thompson, who’d been mostly quiet the entire time.

“Yeah!” Morry, Pete, and Mike said with raised voices.

“I just want you to do one thing for me.”

Morry glanced at him with some suspicion. “What?” he asked.

“You don’t have to say it out loud. But if by chance we don’t make it out alive, at least you will have some satisfaction knowing where your soul will end up.”

“What?” Mike asked, completely confused. “How we gonna know or have satisfaction if we’re already dead?”

“Just ask for forgiveness for all your sins, and I will grant you absolution.”

“What?” Janine asked. “What the hell is ‘absolution’?”

“Forgiveness.”

“Why we gotta ask you?” Cory asked.

“Look, do what you want. I’m just trying to save your sorry souls, that’s all.”

“Hey, Morry, what the hell is that up ahead?” Branson asked, looking at what seemed like a massive roadblock blocking access to the city.

As they drove down the off-ramp, they saw that the streets were littered with military trucks and Humvees. There were also black military helicopters whirring in the air, as well as various police vehicles, including SWAT and SOF vans.

Cory found it hard to hold back his enthusiasm. “That’s some cool shit!” he said, his voice raised.

“Don’t go down to Duane Street,” suggested Phillipo. “We should try Broadway instead.”

Morry turned left toward Broadway. As they inched closer, they saw the same thing:dozens of flashing lights concentrated in one area―another roadblock.

“Damn it!” Pete protested. “We’re screwed!”

“Well, we have only one choice then,” Phillipo suggested. “We have to get out and walk the rest of the way.”

“Yeah,” Morry agreed. “The entire city may be quarantined―no one in, no one out.”

Phillipo nodded his head in agreement. “Yes. You may be right. We may not even make it to the station. We could get shot just trying.”

“Screw that!” Jake protested. “We didn’t come all this way for nothing.”

The sound of helicopters whizzing above drew closer.

“We’re in trouble now,” said Phillipo, looking upward through the front windshield.

Morry had almost floored the brake pedal as a pair of high beams pierced through the glass. “What the fuck?” he yelled.

Using his hand to block out the blinding light burning into their vehicle from a Black Hawk helicopter, Phillipo stared out the window, calling on “Sweet Mary and Joseph” for their assistance.

“Turn your vehicle around!” a voice commanded from the Black Hawk through a loudspeaker. “The city has been cordoned off. You are in violation of Federal quarantine restrictions and risk arrest if you go any farther.”

“I was wondering why we were the only fools driving here,” Phillipo said, looking around at the glut of abandoned vehicles left on the road.

“Man, this sucks!” Morry slammed his hand down on the steering wheel.

“What are we going to do now?” Stephanie asked.

Feeling as if he was somehow responsible for the ten Goths, Phillipo inhaled deeply as he tried to work out a solution. “We need to do exactly what they are asking,” he said.

Pete was unable to hold back his disappointment. “We came all this fucking way for nothing?”

“This is your last warning. Turn around and leave the city.”

Morry sharply turned the wheel until the van was facing the opposite direction. “This is messed up, man!” he yelled.

Phillipo had tried his best to console them. “Be calm. Everything happens for a reason.”

“Hey, I say we ditch the car and head down the nearest subway,” Branson suggested as they neared the exit back to the Saw Mill.

“What, what? Are you crazy?”

“Here! Let’s get out here,” suggested Branson as they reached the corner of Broadway and Duane Street. “There’s a subway just down the block.”

“Don’t you think that they’ll have police posted down there?” asked Phillipo.

“Man, don’t worry about them,” said Jake. “We know how to get around them. Why you think we’re still around?”

Morry brought the van to a halting squeak, nearly throwing each of them out of their seats.

“Sweet Mary and Joseph! Boy, are you trying to kill us all?”

“Sorry, Father,” he said as he pushed open his door and jumped onto the pavement.

“Come on, let’s go.” Pete opened the door on his side and jumped out.

“Yea!” Mike said as he followed behind Pete. “Wait! Stop. I heard . . . well, I heard lepers live down there.”

“Shut up,” Janine demanded in a stage whisper as she followed behind. “They’re going to hear us.”

Phillipo got out of the van as quickly as he could, looking around in every direction. “She’s right. We must be quiet, otherwise, this little adventure of ours will come to a sudden end,” he said.

“This way,” Branson said. He led the way and the others followed closely behind, including Phillipo, who could not deny the spark of adventure he felt. It brought him back to his youth as a practicing archaeologist. If only his body would keep up.