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Back The Occurrence Save as PDF
Chapters (117)
  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Copyright
  4. Contents
  5. PART ONE: Up From Buried Light
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. PART TWO: Re-Entry
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. PART THREE: Convergence
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. PART FOUR: Surrender
  50. 42
  51. 43
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. 46
  55. 47
  56. 48
  57. 49
  58. 50
  59. 51
  60. 52
  61. 53
  62. 54
  63. 55
  64. 56
  65. 57
  66. PART FIVE: The Tablets
  67. 58
  68. 59
  69. 60
  70. 61
  71. 62
  72. 63
  73. 64
  74. 65
  75. PART SIX: The Trial
  76. 66
  77. 67
  78. 68
  79. PART SEVEN: The Cave of Memory
  80. 69
  81. 70
  82. 71
  83. 72
  84. 73
  85. 74
  86. 75
  87. 76
  88. 77
  89. 78
  90. 79
  91. 80
  92. 81
  93. 82
  94. 83
  95. PART EIGHT: Guardians
  96. 84
  97. 85
  98. 86
  99. 87
  100. 88
  101. 89
  102. 90
  103. 91
  104. 92
  105. 93
  106. 94
  107. PART NINE: Into Buried Light
  108. 95
  109. 96
  110. 97
  111. 98
  112. 99
  113. 100
  114. 101
  115. 102
  116. 103
  117. Acknowledgments

Her eyes followed his, and landed on something in the middle of the blood-soaked, sandy floor: a camcorder on a tripod. Hashim ripped the tape off Julian’s mouth.

“Hashim. Let her go. Make your point with me.”

“My point is larger than you, Captain Ledge. It’s larger than your war.” The leader spoke with a slight British accent.

Hashim stared at Julian, then nodded to the wiry insurgent close by who grabbed Dominique, dragged her to the middle of the room, and slammed her to her knees in the sand.

She looked around, trembling.

All the men stared at her.

She stared back, but lingered on Nazir, who turned away from her penetrating gaze.

“Hashim, listen to me—” Julian began.

“No,” Hashim said with quiet rage. “No.”

Dominique turned her head toward Hashim. He moved to her, and looked down into her eyes.

He radiated a darkness of which the devil would be proud. It was one thing for her to hear about him, or see footage of his dispatches and accusations, but to be in his presence was to be faced with an abyss. Still, in the midst of her terror, she wanted to know what made him tick.

“Why?” she asked.

“I could ask the same of you, Miss Valen,”

“This is madness, you must know that,” she said in a voice that belied her dread.

“The world is mad, Miss Valen. And we must meet the world where it is.”

“So, this will never end?”

“Not so long as there is breath in us.”

He sounded like a philosopher, not someone who drew tens of thousands to his barbarity. But it was that intelligence that had attracted so many to his cause. He’d made those who followed him feel like they belonged.

“Do you not know love?” It was the last thing she ever expected she would say.

“Do you, Miss Valen?” Hashim answered.

“Not until now.”

She’d caught him off-guard with this exchange.

“It’s too late for this,” Hashim said.

He commanded the wiry insurgent.

The man grabbed her by the hair and put a handsaw to her neck.

The metal gripped her skin, its razor-sharp points toyed with her mortality.

She’d wished she’d known love before now. It was an ineffable experience to be flooded with that before she was about to die. And with that, she made her peace with death. Her life had run out of time.

As the teeth of the blade were about to tear into her soft skin, and remove her head from her body, Julian broke free and hurled himself at Hashim.

The insurgents swarmed like locusts.

5

5

The wall of televisions in the Command Room of the Pentagon blasted the internet feed Hashim had set up to broadcast the beheadings. The shocked Pentagon personnel stood transfixed at the screens in helpless disbelief. They were in a bunker, so no one could tell that the sun was rising outside.