Under the Blood Moon (The Stargazers Trilogy Book 1) (6 page)

Chapter Twelve

April 16
th
, 1:35 a.m.

Sybil never felt more helpless and alone, as she looked through the smoky maze for any sign of her brother. She was desperate to know if he was alright. Warm tears flowed down her cheeks, as she cried. Blowing her nose, she settled down. Getting her bearings, she looked out toward his last known location where she had seen Eric. He was gone. She fell to her knees, sobbing again. She didn’t have the mental energy to try to understand everything that had just happened. She just wanted her brother back.

Making her way over debris, she went in the direction of where she last saw him. She heard a woman’s scream, from out of the flames, and then Isabella fell forward onto the ground, right in front of her. Isabella had burns on her arms and face. Her clothing was singed from the fire.

Sybil got a handful of dirt and pressed it onto Isabella, smothering the fire out. Isabella coughed hoarsely.

“Are you okay?” Sybil asked, in a panic.

“Not exactly.” Isabella began to cry. “Call the paramedics for me.”

“Where’s Eric?”

Isabella sobbed. Sybil couldn’t tell if the tears in Isabella’s eyes were real or fake. Were they because of the fire or something else, like knowing what happened to Eric and not telling. She dialed 911.

Isabella did not hold back her tears, as she embraced Sybil. Looking at Isabella seriously, Sybil placed her hands on the young woman’s shoulders. She really wanted to know the answer to her next question. “Wha…what happened…to Eric?”

Isabella looked up with the saddest face she could muster and simply shook her head. “Don’t know.”

Sybil’s eyes widened, as she felt her heart stop. She and Eric were always the closest of siblings, in spite of their different interests. She tried to get him interested in science, but he liked everything else better. He could not be lost.

Flashes of his face appeared in her mind. She could not help but remember their childhood together. Anger and frustration overwhelmed her. She let out a blood-curdling scream. “Eric!”

She started in the direction Isabella came from. Isabella held her back. Sybil said, “You know where he is.”

“I am so sorry,” Isabella said, with her strong accent. “I truly am.”

* * *

Eric was alone in a smelly old shack. The door was locked on the outside, and there were no windows at all. He had been taken prisoner. All he could do was pray. He got down on his knees and bowed before God.

“God. I know I’m a sinner. Heck, I can’t stop those thoughts. You know? I want to lift my soul up to You, so You can straighten me out. I want to believe that You came down to Earth in the form of a mortal and sacrificed all for us. I really want to believe that part.”

His crying became almost uncontrollable. Stopping his prayer and looking over at the old, smelly blanket they gave him, he wiped his face on it and curled up in it. His mind was numb as he attempted to sleep.

Chapter Thirteen

April 16
th
, 7:30 a.m.

Sybil sat on a stump with a wool blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The cool morning breeze made her shiver. Her eyes were bloodshot, as she stared hopelessly at what had transpired before her. Eric was gone.

She held a hot cup of coffee close to her mouth, so the steam would warm her face. Robert Lindser, the fire marshal had made it for her.

He was in charge of a team going over every inch of what was left of the cabin and the surrounding area. Fire marshal Lindser was a big man at 6’ 3”, but had the friendliest smile. He had short black hair and a thick, bushy black mustache that he swore he would never shave off. He had a strong chin and friendly brown eyes. His friendly eyes and smile were not present on that day.

Robert had always been a family friend and helped her out when she needed him. His particular experience was most useful. As a friend of the family, he watched Eric and Sybil grow up. He often said that he was proud of them—that they had become intelligent, well-rounded adults. He often commented on the beauty of Sybil. Through the years, they had long talks about science and other things, like life. She grew closer to him than she would have liked.

Even though he was 20 years her senior, they had strong feelings for each other. He never let his feelings be known to her, but she could tell. She liked the attention and even felt comfortable enough to talk to him about it. She once told him that she was starting to feel the same way and that there wasn’t anything wrong with two consenting adults to care about each other.

Lindser said that he had reservations, because he had been best friends with her father. He explained that maybe it wasn’t the best thing for them to be involved. It hurt her, but she agreed and never mentioned it again. Now he was here for her.

“I would like to listen to the news. Do you mind if I find out how bad the earthquake was last night?” Sybil asked.

“Go over to the fire truck,” he said, “and turn the radio on.”

She went to the truck, and climbed into the seat. She turned the radio on and found the news station. Leaning back, she listened as the announcer said, “A blood moon was seen above Portland early this morning, which was also seen in many parts of the world. It created an amazing display in the sky, which looked like a multitude of sunsets projected on the moon all at once. The total lunar eclipse not only attracted sky gazers across the Americas, but around the world. The full moon turned a coppery red as it passed into Earth’s shadow. Strangely, it was associated with an earthquake in the nearby woods. A small cabin caught fire, but there was no other damage.”

After a commercial break, the announcer continued, “Actually, this is the first of four blood moons, which will be seen at different times between now and September 28, next year. The next blood moon will be on October 8, this year. Plan on staying up to watch it.”

Turning the radio off, Sybil lay down on the seat, too exhausted to be afraid. She closed her eyes and slept.

“You look like hell, Sil,” Lindser said as he stood by the side of the truck and awakened her. “You need to go home and try to get some rest.”

“Not until you find a body or a boy.” Her voice was dry and cracked with just about every word.

“Where’s your friend?” he asked, looking around. “What was her name?”

“Isabella.”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“She is not my friend.” Sybil took a sip of coffee. “She was checked out by the paramedics and sent to her other home in the city.”

“There is no sign of Eric. Also, we found no record of Isabella owning another home. She is a mystery.” Lindser looked very serious. “We’re doing everything we can to figure out what happened here. The tremors were all natural, but not the fire. The way you explained what happened to the cabin is why I’m glad you called me in. That sounds a little…”

“Supernatural?” she interrupted, while biting her lower lip.

“I was going to say ‘creepy.’” He chuckled tensely. “No. Not supernatural, but something not natural either. We should know soon what started the fire.”

“We have to find Eric.”

“Something will explain how the cabin exploded the way it did. Or possibly ‘imploded.’” He patted her cheek. “We will find that was the reason for Eric to disappear.”

She narrowed her eyes, looking in the direction of where the cabin used to be. “You should have seen it, Robert. With everything that was going on, I sensed witchcraft. I really believe all the insanity that happened here was witchcraft.” She sighed. “Me! The scientist!”

He smiled. “Don’t forget that you are the only scientist I know, who is open to other theories.”

“Chief!” One of the fire fighters on Robert’s team ran up to the fire marshal with a burned black box. He handed it to his boss. “It looks like nature wasn’t responsible for everything that happened last night.”

“I already knew that.” Lindser looked it over and sighed heavily. “Thanks, Alan, for proving it. Keep looking for the boy.”

When the young fireman walked away, Lindser held the box in front of Sybil. “You know what this is?”

Sybil started to become angry. “Well, it’s not a jack-in-the-box. If I would have to guess, I’d say it’s some sort of remote ignition device for a bomb. That’s just a guess, of course.”

“Good guess,” he replied. “It’s homemade and not too technical, but it was adequate to get the job done. It would have taken a sufficient amount of explosives to level a cabin of that size from the inside out. We may be dealing with some kind of terrorists.”

“Or a cult,” she added. “A cult that is wrapped around the fact that there will be three more Blood Moons within the next year and a half.”

“I have a feeling that they’re going to do everything in their power to spread their propaganda of gloom and doom and probably scare the hell out of everybody.”

“Especially Eric.”

Another firefighter came up to Lindser and spoke quietly to him. Lindser kept looking up at Sybil, nodding at the same time. When the firefighter left, Lindser stepped over to Sybil.

“Listen, little girl. I want to see you soon to bring you up to date about our search for Eric.” He paused. “We need to talk about that moon goddess, Isabella, as well.”

“I don’t know anything about her. I just met her.”

“I need you to look through some old papers and then meet with me,” he said. “We need to have dinner to talk about it.”

Chapter Fourteen

April 16
th
, 4:15 p.m.

Later, Robert walked Sybil to her car.

“Y2K all over again, huh?” he asked shaking his head.

“I didn’t take that event seriously back then.” She rolled her eyes. “This is different.”

“So what are you thinking?” He frowned. “How is this so different?”

“For starters. This will be much worse for me. These guys have Eric. He is not only connected with a higher power, but he is a genius,” she said. “They will drain his brain.” She sniffed back the tears. “I never thought something like this would ever happen to us.”

“Nor did I.” He had a serious look on his face. “But there will be three more red moons within a year or so. I want to help you resolve this issue now, so they will let Eric go right away.”

“I really thought that there was something to this one. I mean Eric was having dreams that connected everything…” She stopped short, as she realized a possibility that almost made her want to vomit. She was an analytical thinker. She always tried to put all of the pieces together, even if they didn’t fit. She remembered that was what Walt Disney had mentioned something about not thinking outside the box, because that way you recognize that there is a box.

Eric was different than most geniuses. He was not only smart, but mystical.

If she was right, then she knew she had to talk to Isabella as soon as possible. “I don’t think you will find a body, Robert. Probably won’t find him alive either. He was possibly kidnapped and even sent overseas. I believe Eric’s still alive or… I have to stick with—still alive. It gives me hope. If my hunches are right, they’re going to need him for the next three Blood Moons. I have no idea what makes him so special other than his extremely detailed dreams. I say he’s alive, Robert!”

“You don’t have to convince me, Sil. I’m going to call my contact in the F.B.I. and bring him in on this case. If you’re right, then the last thing we need is a worldwide panic about the end of the world.”

“Some people take their religion very seriously,” she replied, while still staring at the hole where the cabin used to be. “There are enough people who believe that the next three Blood Moons will signify the end of all things. Even if it doesn’t happen, the mass panic will be utter chaos.”

“If it doesn’t happen?” he repeated. “It sounds like you’re leaving that open as an option.”

“As a scientist, I have to be open to any and all possibilities. No matter how ridiculous they seem. Someone thought it was serious enough to take my brother and blow up a cabin to keep me at bay. I’d say we have to handle these people as serious threats. Terrorist is a good word for them.”

Lindser’s eyes widened. “I swear you would make an ace F.B.I. profiler.”

“Thanks! And thanks for all the help.”

“I’ll get on that call for a search team. They’ll search every nook and cranny. When the F.B.I. finds him, I’ll let you know immediately. I want to know what kind of explosives were used as well.”

“I don’t care what kind of explosives they used, unless it will help lead us to my brother. You do what you have to do though, and please bring in the F.B.I. as quickly as possible for this case.”

“I will.” He gave her a big hug.

“Thank you, as always.” She placed her arms around his neck. “I have a more personal stake in this case this time, you know. I want my brother back, immediately, if not sooner.”

He took her in his arms and held her close, patting her on the back. “You’re a great kid, yourself.”

She pulled back and said, “There’s another one of those Blood Moons on October 8, and I have a feeling they will pick Eric’s brain for that one. We won’t be given any clues until it gets closer to that date. Please tell everyone who investigates this to keep it on the down low. We don’t want to spook any of the kidnappers, and have them move Eric to an unknown place.”

He said, “If not sooner, in October, we can be waiting like a trapdoor spider and pounce when they come out of their hole.”

“My eyes are so tired. I’ve focused so much on this fire, that I feel a touch of crazy coming on.” She wasn’t about to let anyone keep her brother for that long. “I have to find him soon, or I may lose my mind.”

“We’ll find him.” He kissed her cheek. “In the meantime, Sil, keep yourself busy doing something constructive.”

Promising that she would, she got in her car and drove away. Sybil was going home alone. She sniffed back the tears. She whispered the word, “Alone.”

* * *

September 24
th
, 9:13 a.m.

Sybil was up early that morning. She chose to do as much research on Blood Moons as she could. That way she would know what she was fighting. End of the world or not, she was getting her brother back. Alive.

Another Blood Moon was coming on October 8, and she did not feel ready. She thought about the research they had done on Eric’s dreams. Something big was going to happen, and Eric was going to be part of it.

While in her home, she listened to some kind of news program every day. Turning the TV on, early she heard, “We have a special update from Israel on the Tetrad, or the ongoing blood moons. As you know we already had one blood moon with little if any disturbance. Three out of the four lunar eclipses going on in this time frame will not be visible from Israel. The only eclipse that will be seen at all from Israel is the tail end of the September 28, 2015 eclipse, which may be observable for a short while before sunrise. We give you plenty of warning, and encourage all Israelis to go outside and enjoy the view when it comes.”

After the commercial break, the announcer said, “Our phone lines are open, and we are taking calls from our viewers.” Pause. “Hello. You’re on the line.”

“Thank you for taking my call.” It was a woman’s voice.

“Of course. Do you have a quick question?”

“Yes. What is a Tetrad?”

“A Tetrad, my dear, is a series of four total lunar eclipses in a short period of time. A series of red moons are called a Tetrad.”

“Let’s go to line two. Do you have a question?”

“Why is a red moon called a blood moon?”

“The term Blood Moon was not used in public circles this way before Christians saw them as fulfilling Bible prophecy. Now the term has become common in the media.”

“Thank you.”

“We will now go to line three. What is your question?”

“Can you explain a red moon? Why does the moon turn red?”

“The red moons apply to the full moons of the ongoing Tetrad, which is four successive total lunar eclipses, with no partial lunar eclipses in between. Do you understand?”

“No.”

“It has to do with the way the Earth blocks the sunlight from shining on the moon.”

“Now I understand.”

“Thanks for calling.”

“Let’s go to our last question. Hello, you are on the line.”

“I want to tell you that I really like your show.”

“Thank you. Do you have a question?”

“Yes. Why the phrase: Four blood moons? Why can’t they just say, four red moons?”

“That is a very good question. Let me explain. There are four red moons in a row. It is important to note that each is separated from the other by six lunar months or six full moons. It has always been that way. That is how it is panning out in 2014 and 2015 as well. Once the name ‘blood moons’ was attached, it stuck.”

“That is not what I mean. Where did it come from?”

“The Bible,” said the announcer. “The Bible says the moon will turn to blood in the last days.”