Chapter Three
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A RISING SENSE OF ANTICIPATION broke through Zoe’s misery.
She lifted her head and looked around through bleary, swollen eyes, waiting for something to happen.
Nothing did, so she heaved herself to her feet.
She wanted to go home and sleep for several days.
Maybe she’d wake up and this would all just be a horrible nightmare.
Gathering her mom’s belongings, she left the cross embedded in the statue’s heart and strode outside. The mist had deepened even more, hiding the path from sight as she headed to the car. Feeling numb, she drove towards her home on autopilot.
Zoe was halfway to town when a bright light flared in the sky. She pulled over and watched as a meteor streaked through the darkness. Beautiful gold light followed in its wake, awing her even in her misery.
“It’s getting really close,” she murmured as the meteor seemed to be heading straight for town.
The light intensified and she lifted her hand to shield her eyes.
Peering through a slight gap in her fingers, she let out an alarmed scream when it looked like it was about to smash into her car.
Instead, it slammed into the field next to her with enough force to rock her vehicle.
Dirt and rocks spattered against the passenger side of the sedan, but at least the windows didn’t shatter.
Zoe had been raised by a religious zealot.
She knew chaos was about to descend on the world now that the First Resurrection had occurred.
There had been signs for years with wars and natural disasters happening everywhere.
She peered upwards, searching for more ominous portents, but the sky remained clear.
“Comets aren’t raining from the sky yet, so I guess that’s a good sign,” she said morosely.
Instead of gripping the wheel to take off, her fingers undid the seatbelt.
Unable to ignore her curiosity, she grabbed her purse, opened the door and climbed out.
Her coat was still in the car, but heat was emanating from the crash site.
The crater left by the meteor was far bigger than she’d expected.
Reaching the edge, she peered into the hole and spotted something pale.
Dirt and dust hung in the air, obscuring her view.
Again, her body moved of its own volition.
She skidded down the steep slope and stumbled to a stop next to what should have been a large rock.
“That’s not a meteor,” Zoe said in fresh shock.
None of her visions of the future had ever prepared her for what she was currently seeing.
“That’s a man,” she said. “A naked man,” she added, blushing slightly and looking around to make sure no one was watching her gawk at the stranger.
“This is the second naked man I’ve ever seen and he’s an alien,” she said, heaving the biggest sigh of her entire life.
Despite her mom’s best efforts, Zoe wasn’t a chaste virgin.
She’d snuck away briefly during a religious retreat two years ago.
A young man in a café had flirted with her while her mom was in the restroom.
They’d agreed to meet up while her mom was sleeping later that night.
They’d only slept together once and it had been underwhelming to say the least. That guy had nothing on this specimen of masculinity lying in front of her right now.
Still half-convinced that this was all a nightmare, Zoe studied the alien as the dust settled. He lay on his side, curled into a defensive ball with his arms over his head. From what she could see, he was muscular all over.
“He puts the max in gluteus maximus,” Zoe murmured, admiring his butt even in her state of shock and grief. His thighs and biceps were even more impressive than his derriere. Ropes of muscle ran down his side to his chiseled abdomen. Not even the dirt that coated him could hide his perfection.
Realizing she’d been staring for a couple of minutes by now, she shook herself out of her daze.
“Pull yourself together, Zoe,” she ordered.
“Go home, go to bed and when you wake up, none of this will have ever happened.” Even as she gave herself the speech, she knew this was real.
The shock was slowly beginning to wear off and reality was setting in.
There was one sure way to check whether this was all just her imagination. With great reluctance, she took her cell phone out of her purse. She had limited internet on it and had only been allowed to use it to research religious topics in the past. This time, she opened a news app.
Even though she’d expected it, her gut lurched at the panicked reports that she skimmed through.
People had vanished from all over the world.
Most of the people left behind in the United States probably didn’t even know about it yet.
The Rapture had happened everywhere all at once.
Those who remained were going to have to deal with their loss as they learned to live in the aftermath.
Tears began to flow again now that Zoe’s worst nightmares had come true.
She’d always wondered if she truly was a force of good as her mother had believed.
Her mom had never seen the dark side of her personality that she’d suppressed for the past twelve years.
The temper she’d kept hidden had reared its ugly head when she’d reached puberty.
“There’s something wrong with me,” Zoe sobbed brokenly. “That’s why God abandoned me and I’m stuck here all alone.” Maybe if she’d remained pure, she would have been chosen as well.
A fresh wave of self-pity washed over her. She sank to her knees in the dirt next to the naked man who’d fallen from the sky.
Absorbed in her sorrow, she started when a hand clamped down on her ankle. Visions of the alien’s memories filled her mind. She saw him fighting alongside his companions in an endless war against their enemies. In between each battle, they waited in a foggy land, held in a strange stasis.
Zoe scrambled away, breaking the contact as the warrior uncurled from his defensive ball. Eyes of the darkest obsidian opened to regard her blankly. His mind was rattled from the fall and the landing. Already, he was adjusting to his new environment.
Crouched on the ground, Zoe stared in awe as the warrior rose to his feet.
She couldn’t see any wounds on his body from the impact.
He looked strong and ready to fight. She gaped at his perfection even as she blushed at his nudity.
Their eyes met and he saw how his nakedness affected her.
“Cambion,” he said, upper lip curled in what she could only deduce was mistrust.
“Is that your name?” Zoe asked, averting her gaze as she rose to her feet.
She was trying not to be offended by his reaction.
She’d been wrong when she’d thought he was an alien.
Clearly, he was an angel, although he didn’t seem to have wings.
Forces of evil would be sure to rise now that all of the good people had vanished.
He must have been sent here to fight them.
“My name is Amaros,” he said haughtily. “I am a Knight of Order. You are a cambion.”
“I have no idea what a cambion is, but my name is Zoe Zayden,” she said as politely as she could.
It probably wouldn’t be a good idea to anger an angel.
“Do you need a ride somewhere?” she asked, wondering if she was going insane.
This entire night still felt surreal. “The church is only a couple of miles back that way.” She hiked her thumb over her shoulder while looking anywhere but at his privates.
He was bigger down there than she’d expected, not that she had much to compare him to.
The warrior reached out to grab her arm, but she’d always had good reflexes and sidestepped him. She didn’t want to see more visions of death and maiming.
“I need to scan you, Zoe Zayden,” he said imperiously. He looked like he was in his late twenties, but acted far older.
“No, thanks,” she retorted. “I’ve had a long night and I just want to go home.” She couldn’t hide the tremble in her voice as she climbed back up to the top of the crater.
Hearing him right on her heels, she picked up her pace and ran to the car.
Amaros caught her and spun her around, caging her against the door with his hands on either side of her head.
Zoe was five foot seven, but he loomed over her.
He had to be six foot three. It was too dark to see his pupils.
She wondered if he had any as he glared down at her.
“I need to see if you’re good, or if evil lurks in your heart,” Amaros growled.
“Clearly, I’m evil,” she said with enough vehemence for him to drop his arms and take a step back.
She waved her hands around as she began to rant.
“I’ve tried to be good my entire life. I hardly ever took my temper out on anyone.
I used my visions to help people and what do I get for it?
” Her voice had risen to a shout, but she couldn’t stop now.
“My mom and everyone I know left me here! Even Betty boob job was chosen and I wasn’t!
The only bad thing I’ve ever done is stab Jesus in the heart, but that only happened after everyone but me was raptured!
” She didn’t mention her brief, naked interlude from two years ago, or the event that had happened afterwards.
Amaros wore a wary expression with a hint of bewilderment. “Betty boob job?” he said in utter confusion. She burst into tears once more, overwhelmed by the trauma of the past hour of her life.