Descent: Into the Darkness (Forgotten Origins Trilogy)

  DESCENT

  INTO THE DARKNESS

  TARA ELLIS

  -Book Three-

  The Forgotten Origins Trilogy

  DESCENT

  Copyright © 2014 Tara Ellis

  2nd edition April 2016

  Cover art design Copyright © Melchelle Designs

  http://melchelle.designs.com/

  Model: Megan Pless

  Photographer: Tara Ellis Photography

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, Characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locals is entirely coincidental.

  Writing this trilogy has been an amazing journey and I hope you have as much fun reading it as I’ve had creating it! I’ve reached a life-long goal and I feel very blessed. My kids, Brandon and Megan, were always understanding and encouraging. My mom, Linda, was there reading the rough draft with me one chapter at a time.

  I would also like to give a special thank you to my cover designer, Mel at Melchelle Designs. She’s incredible!

  This final copy wouldn’t be as polished without the help and input of my beta readers, so thanks to them for their time and feedback. A very special thank you for my good friend, Debbie.

  The Forgotten Origins Trilogy

  Infected

  Heritage

  Descent

  Find them all at: www.amazon.com/author/taraellis

  Table of Contents

  PART ONE

  ONE

  TWO

  THREE

  FOUR

  FIVE

  SIX

  SEVEN

  EIGHT

  NINE

  TEN

  ELEVEN

  TWELVE

  THIRTEEN

  FOURTEEN

  FIFTEEN

  SIXTEEN

  SEVENTEEN

  EIGHTEEN

  NINETEEN

  TWENTY

  TWENTY ONE

  TWENTY TWO

  TWENTY THREE

  TWENTY FOUR

  PART TWO

  TWENTY FIVE

  TWENTY SIX

  TWENTY SEVEN

  TWENTY EIGHT

  TWENTY NINE

  THIRTY

  THIRTY ONE

  THIRTY TWO

  THIRTY THREE

  THIRTY FOUR

  THIRTY FIVE

  THIRTY SIX

  THIRTY SEVEN

  THIRTY EIGHT

  THIRTY NINE

  FORTY

  FORTY ONE

  FORTY TWO

  FORTY THREE

  FORTY FOUR

  FORTY FIVE

  Epilogue

  PART ONE

  The Fall

  ONE

  The motorcycle is going too fast. I hold on with all my strength, uncomfortable with the closeness of my body next to Seth’s. Increasingly aware of the muscles in his back pressing into me, I loosen my vice-like grip on his waist and scoot back in the seat as far as I dare. Revving the machine at the exact same time, it bucks under us as Seth expertly maneuvers it around a steep curve. Gasping in fear, I scramble to stay on the bike, grabbing at his jacket and plastering myself against him again. My head turned into his back, I can feel him chuckling. I really do despise him.

  Although I’m wearing the only helmet, I can still see the roiling clouds hanging over us. Looking up at the underbelly of the returning Nephilim ship, I quickly forget about any physical discomfort. There are much bigger things going on.

  I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to deny the reality of this new turn of events. I’m fearful for Chris, Missy, and my other friends we left back at the vortex. But we decided that I have to get back to the ranch, where I can radio Senator Zane, as quickly as possible. Our horses are magnificent, but still slow by comparison to Seth’s motorcycle. Chris and Nate are the only other ones in our group with limited experience on a smaller dirt bike and admitted to not being able to handle this one. Since Seth has also never been on a horse, it only makes sense for me to ride back with him, and for Benuk to take my horse. None of us like the arrangement (except maybe for Seth), but it seemed like the only option.

  My eyes still closed, I try to let the motion of the bike and the warm summer air sooth my racing mind, as I think back over the events leading up to this day. Could it really be just two months since the Holocene meteor shower? It’s now barely mid-June. We gathered on the hill in our small town of Omak, to watch the shower that night in early April. It was the last day of our normal lives.

  It’s still hard for me to understand it all, but we now know there was an ancient virus released from that meteor shower. It was planted there by an alien race we call the Nephilim. It’s the same race mentioned in both the Bible and other ancient texts, like Gilgamesh and Sumerian literature. They came here 8,000 years ago in a search of resources to fuel their ship. We were the first intelligent life form they had ever encountered, and after a few thousand years of study, they determined we weren’t that intelligent after all. At least, most of them felt that way, but not all.

  Around 4,500 years ago, their leader RA convinced the local Egyptians he was a god, in order to manipulate them. The earth was ripe with the minerals their ship required, but in order to get at it, they needed help. While the Nephilim were strictly a non-violent race, they had no qualms about enslaving a lower life form to do the work and violence on their behalf. So the pyramids were built. Only they weren’t the temples we all thought they were, but mining machines that would eventually lead to the destruction of the planet.

  The Nephilim achieved what they considered genetic perfection tens of thousands of years ago, and one of the benefits was a lifespan of up to 12,000 years. However, it came with a price. Half of the women could not have children, and the ones that could only had one or two in that entire lifetime. They were a dying race.

  They also destroyed their home planet with the same mining techniques they were creating here on earth. That’s why they were all roaming the universe on a ship, going planet to planet in search of resources. They never could have known what they were going to find here, or how it would forever change their history.

  My great-great-grandfather, Nator, was one of the Nephilim to challenge RA. He didn’t agree with the perception of us humans being equivalent to insects. After a lot of plotting and scheming, Nator was able to convince some other Nephilim to follow him, rather than RA. Along with a handful of Nephume (half Nephilim, half-human), they were able to interrupt RA’s plan of dispersing an engineered virus to turn all of the Israelites into complacent slaves and organized the slave laborers to instead rise against RA.

  The former god left earth, but with the promise to return in 5,000 years to see how things had come along. He gave Nator and the human race a chance to prove themselves. So RA seeded the Holocene meteors with the same slave virus, knowing it would impact earth at the appropriate time. He figured if humanity were able to achieve the level of intelligence and civilization required to defeat the virus, then he would leave us alone. But if we were still the same greedy, warmongering race he left, then the virus would do the work for him. It would turn everyone into an emotionless hive-mind with increased intelligence and physical abilities, ready to do RA’s bidding.

  But Nator threw a wrench in his plans. He and his companions stayed behind. They didn’t want to follow RA, recognizing that his mistakes were repeati
ng their race’s same errors of long ago. They also felt obligated to right the wrongs they were a part of on earth. So they created their own anti-virus and re-fabricated the pyramids from mining machines into weapons that would disperse the anti-virus after the meteor shower.

  A secret society called the Khufu Bast (meaning pyramid protectors) was formed. These human Egyptians were entrusted with the knowledge of the pyramids and given thirteen crystal skulls; computers that when placed inside the pyramids at the same time, and activated by the appropriate DNA, would then synchronize to release the antivirus. When RA returned, he would find a race that had seemingly defeated the virus and then leave us alone.

  After creating all of this, Nator and the other Nephilim that stayed behind retreated to a biodome under the ocean, with their families. He felt strongly that the Nephilim had already interfered with the human race too much, and he had no desire to live among them. There most of them stayed for 5,000 years until I discovered a way to reach them.

  Well, that was after all hell broke loose. Because then the Holocene virus spread. People changed, including my mom. I eventually discovered my dad was a member of the Khufu Bast and that his murder two years before was all a part of it. He left me clues to where one of those crystal skulls was. I found it, as well as the pyramid it belonged to, near our home in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. Long story short, I managed to activate the pyramids and release the anti-virus, but that was only the beginning.

  During the five thousand years that Nator was in hiding, a few of his friends decided they didn’t like the quiet lifestyle. In fact, they longed for the technologically-advanced one they left behind. They knew RA would be coming back, and so they left Nator with the intent of being ready to return to RA.

  They formed their own organization called the Mudameere (destroyers). This group, over the course of several hundred years, integrated itself among our society and put a plan in motion. They didn’t care if the anti-virus was released as long as they got a sample of the Holocene virus first, which they did. It didn’t take them long to mutate it into their own type of virus, one that would once again prepare the human race for a take-over when RA returned and assure them of being accepted back by their former leader.

  Professor Hassan was a friend of my father’s, a member of the Khufu Bast, and a brilliant scientist. He created his own antiviral meds to this new virus and managed to get one dose of it to me before the Mudameere abducted us both.

  My heritage was even more convoluted than I realized. One of the defecting Nephilim was Nator’s best friend, and his son was married to Nator’s daughter, who all left the biodome. So my biological dad was a Mudameere and Nephume (part Nephilim, part human). He was killed during a raid by the Khufu Bast, led by a man who found me during the raid as an infant. I came to know him as my grandpa, since he gave me to his son, my adopted father, to raise as his own. I didn’t find any of this out until a week ago.

  We hit another large bump in the road, and I’m reminded of my precarious position, as I grab Seth again for balance. Seth. Sighing, I shake my head. He’s also a Nephume, and his grandfather is one of the friends who betrayed Nator. Up until a couple of days ago, he believed all of the lies fed to him. But as RA and the other Nephilim got closer, we began sharing the same genetic memories of our true past. He realizes now the Mudameere want nothing more than to return to the ship, Nibiru, with their leader RA. They have no problem with the knowledge that the human race and earth itself will be destroyed. It’s a clear contradiction to what he’s been taught. Seth grew up believing that the virus the Mudameere created would only genetically enhance the human populace, making us a peaceful, intelligent race that RA would then leave alone.

  Seth is the one who kidnapped me from my bed a couple of weeks ago and helped hold me down as their own doctors infected me with this new, improved virus. I almost died. But I had the medication that Professor Hassan created hidden on me, and I was able to take it in time. I did change, but only the good stuff. I’m stronger, healthier, and quicker. My skin is flawless, my hair is fuller, my eyes turned violet and I have this strange ability to see angles and mathematical projections overlaid with my vision when it seems beneficial. I still haven’t quite figured that one out, and it’s often very irritating.

  So here we are. The Mudameere created their new virus and have already started releasing it. I managed to get away from them and determined that the professor’s antivirus works, but now he is gone and we have no idea where he is. I got his formula for the anti-virus to Senator Zane, here in Montana, who is also a Khufu Bast. He’s currently working on getting it made. He’s also on his way to a military base nearby to organize a resistance to the Mudameere and their planned army of Shiners. That’s what we call the people who are changed by the virus because their eyes shine in the dark due to their night vision. (So do mine)

  Seth and I found our way separately here to the Mountain Vortex, a mysterious spot the senator’s been monitoring because of its suspected ties to the Nephilim. He was right. It’s a portal of sorts, a way to reach Nator safely tucked away in his Biodome. We were able to activate it because of our Nephume blood, and I met my 11,000-year-old grandfather for the first time. Man, is he tall!

  Just like the Nephilim in the Bible, they are nearly nine feet tall and very attractive. They also want nothing to do with the human race. While he commiserates with us, he strongly believes they already righted their wrongs and the rest is up to us. However, they have been monitoring us by allowing a choice few of their own to live among us. My cousin, Benuk, is one of them. He’s half Nephilim, so while he’s still tall by earth standards, he can pass for one of us.

  Nator agreed to let Benuk come back with us to help in any way he sees fit. It was difficult to find out, after everything we went through to get to him, that my great-great-grandfather wouldn’t help us. Really though, their society under the ocean, while amazing, is rather simple. They have thrown out all of their technology, other than what they need to maintain the dome and live as farmers. What could they actually do?

  Benuk, on the other hand, has spent the past two hundred years learning about the Mudameere and us and he has a lot of good info. I think he might end up being quite valuable. But first, we have to get word to Senator Zane about what we’ve learned. With the sudden arrival of RA moments ago, it’s all that much more urgent. We don’t know what he’s going to do next.

  I’ve barely finished my last thought when there’s a blinding flash of light from the sky over us. A pulsating wave of energy washes over me and the motorcycle instantly dies. Struggling to bring us to a safe stop, Seth manhandles the bike to keep it upright, and I gracefully jump off, landing on my feet like a cat.

  Pulling the helmet off, I look questioningly at him. His intense, blue eyes narrow as he turns his gaze from me to the ship, now moving off to the east. “An EMP,” he says matter-of-factly.

  “A what?” I question, knowing I recognize the term, but can’t quite place it.

  “An electromagnetic pulse. I’ll bet they just wiped out all of the electronics in this hemisphere. Welcome to the 1800s. We walk from here.”

  TWO

  Fortunately, we aren’t far from the ranch. After walking for about half an hour in awkward silence, we come to a field I recognize. Crossing it side-by-side, we find the hedge where our horses trampled the weeds and grass just a few hours ago. “Here,” I say, stating the obvious.

  I go first, and Seth follows closely behind. I don’t know how many of Senator Zane’s men will still be guarding the place, but they haven’t met Seth yet. We didn’t get that warm of a welcome before, and I want to make sure no one is shot. I can see the main entrance across the new field we’re now in, part of what has to be hundreds of acres surrounding the estate. There aren’t any obvious signs of life, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Stopping, I put up a hand to signal for Seth to do the same. Tilting my head much the same way a bird does, I strain to hear or see anything wit
h my increased senses. There. Coming from behind the house, near the barns.

  “This way,” I say without turning around, and head in that direction.

  “I don’t hear anything,” Seth complains.

  “Well, maybe if you’d injected yourself with the same concoction you gave me, you could be special, too.” I’m taken by surprise when my right arm is grabbed roughly from behind and I’m spun around just as I start to pull away. Dropping to a crouch, I tug angrily at the thick strand of long dark hair sticking to my lips, and then raise my fists, ready to fight.

  His hand still hanging in mid-air, where my arm had been a moment ago, Seth stares at me slack-jawed. “Shit, you’re fast.” Taking a wise step back, he watches me as I slowly stand back up. “I just wanted to tell you I was sorry,” he finally says before I can walk away.

  “Fine. You’re sorry. But it would probably be a good idea for you not to touch me again. I might take a while to accept the apology.”

  I turn back toward the barns, making it clear the conversation is over, but I see the grin working its way to his eyes before breaking contact. Why is it that everything about this guy either infuriates or flusters me? Taking a deep breath, I push it all aside and concentrate on not getting shot by Zane’s men.

  I know they’ve heard us, because they abruptly stopped talking, and I can now make out the sound of boots tramping through the gravel that lines the trail to the barn. “Hello! It’s Alex. I’m back, and I’ve got some company with me!”

  Rounding the corner of the house, I recognize two of the guards still in their military gear. They aren’t pointing the rifles directly at us, but they’re at the ready.

  “Where are the others, and who is this guy?” the older one asks.