Aeden Stone

With silence brings forth increase, infinite its endless peace,
Calls forth a sweet embrace, comes hither amazing grace.
In form white purity, nothing more than surety.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, they that believe
in the works that I do shall they do also;
and greater works than these shall they do.”
- John 14:12

Aeden Stone, at an astonishing 397 years old, he appears to be no more than 23. Moving at the speed of thought, eternally youthful, and with power beyond imagining, he possesses the strength and supremacy of a vampire. With an air of majesty and the countenance of a rock star, he stalks the dark and gloomy, mist shrouded streets of San Francisco. With great vigilance and perception, he quests for victims of the night. Most women are uncontrollably attracted to him; many men want to emulate him, while others only fear him. Aeden alone carries the ability to destroy the shadows at will and his method is so simplistic it is startling. Possessing all the hypnotic romance of fictitious vampirism sans the need for blood, Aeden, in our real world, is possible.

Chapter 7 Excerpt
~ INDELIBLE PURITY ~

Featuring AEDEN STONE

His body quaked and rocked. Like two enormous pearls, his eyes glowed, as his irises rolled up into his head. Grace’s fear fed supplication actually caused him corporeal pain. His tumultuous emotions radiated outwards from his physical body and rended the air around him. He could have easily transcended and transported himself to her in an instant, he wanted to but, he knew…not yet, wait, wait, she’ll be all right. She needed to grow into the wholeness of herself. She had to find her own strength. He couldn’t let her become dependent upon him for anything. He could not nor would not become the crutch that she would never toss away, for that would prevent her from coming into the fullness of her own salvation, her own release from the negativity that held captive all in the material world.
     His glassy eyes rolled down, and came into focus. He released all his thoughts of her, of himself, he emptied his mind, and he resigned to feel nothing. He let it all go and allowed himself to be moved by the Power within, the Power without, the Power of everything.
     One of the two shadow zombies that had been racing towards him ran straight through the spellbound shadow that floated above the ground and still faced Aeden.
     Aeden took a step sideways just as the zombie leapt at him and consequently fell, not on him, but instead, to the sidewalk. The other zombie, not allowing itself to follow the same movement as the other, ran at Aeden, head down, intending to bulldoze him. Aeden, too quick for it, as one moment he was in front of it and then the next moment he was behind it, rammed his shoulder into its back, knocking it on top of the other zombie who had been trying to climb to its feet.
     At that moment, the floating shadow broke free of its stupor. It flew promptly towards Aeden, its purpose to fill and overcome him. Aeden, second-guessing the shadow’s intention, spun around and stood his ground in front of it. The shadow halted its flight as if it had hit a brick wall. The few spectators who timidly peeked through shop doors and curtained windows were witness to the miracle that was Aeden as he extended his arms straight out to his side and they saw an odd, at least for the circumstances, look of tranquility and affection spread across his face. Then the witnesses actually saw the air in front of him ripple like hot air coming up off the desert floor. The ripples became waves that rolled out to the shadow. When the waves hit the shadow it ruptured into thousands of tiny, ash like particles that disintegrated into nothingness before they touched the ground while the spirit from which it had been made, floated invisibly upwards.
     The zombies, having now untangled themselves and climbed back to their feet, were even more hell bent to take Aeden down. One grabbed both Aeden’s arms from behind and meant to bite him on the back of his neck. Aeden easily wrenched his arms free, turned, grabbed the thing by its arms just under the shoulders, lifted it, and threw it powerfully against the stucco wall, breaking most of the bones in its back. Aeden didn’t kill the poor man’s body, but the shadow that controlled it was having a great deal of difficulty in getting it to stand up.
     The other zombie, hunched over, arms hanging like an ape, had gone for Gage, who disappeared and reappeared behind it. Gage jumped on its back, knocking it back down again. Gage stood on top of it and his sheer weight was enough to hold the writhing zombie to the ground. Gage, predisposed to saving human lives would not take one without an order. He waited for Aeden to give him one.
     Aeden knew that he could not allow those possessed to roam free to slaughter. It saddened him for he truly honored all life but more than that, he loved and venerated each of the souls that were the rightful inhabitants of their own bodies. He deemed he could not force a shadow out of an already possessed body but he did believe that by destroying the body that housed each glorious spirit, he could raze the departing shadow and free their tortured souls.
     Aeden nodded his head; he knew it had to be done. Gage bowed his head as well. Gage bit the side of zombie’s neck at the jugular vein causing death in one heartbeat. Aeden watched the darkness emerge out of the body and remain stationary no more than an inch above it. He knew it waited for the spirit, but Aeden would not let it have its way. It took no more than a glance, just a glint of peace from Aeden’s clear blue eyes. Having done it once before it was easier for him this time. Just as before, the shadow dissipated and the spirit was set free.
     Aeden and Gage moved from the corpse to the other zombie that sat against the wall and was still fraught to stand upright. With its back broken it could do no more than flop itself from side to side, its legs splayed out aberrantly in front of its torso. Its eyes were scarlet, as all the blood vessels had burst. It shrieked piercingly with every step Aeden took closer to it. Aeden slowly lowered himself down in front of it, just far enough that it could not reach him. It furiously thrashed out towards him. Its mouth opened and closed, showing its tongue that likened to raw hamburger and its teeth, almost completely concealed under its swollen, black gums.
     Aeden looked at him for a moment. Looking at the man it used to be. He felt sorry that something so evil had happened to him but he would set him free to feel pain no more.
     Quick as a flash Aeden leaned forward and slammed the heel of his hand hard against the zombies nose with an upwards motion forcing the nasal bone up into the brain. Death was instantaneous.
     The shadow and the man’s spirit rose out simultaneously. Aeden stood and saw that the human spirit, slate gray and fused with hate and prejudice, was already entwined with the shadow. Still, even though the detestable spirit had wandered far from God, its freedom was granted after Aeden destroyed the shadow.
     Aeden looked down at the lifeless body. He felt weighted down by the heaviness of the task that lay before him. He fully understood why so many of his kind had chosen to Ascend and leave behind the terror that had begun to wrap itself around the sad world. So much pain, so much suffering, it was all almost too much to bear. But, he wasn’t alone. He knew that. He would never give up for he also knew that, the Light of God NEVER Fails!
     Grace’s beautiful face flashed before his mind. How he loved her so. She spurred him on. He was determined that they both fulfill their destinies and then could at last stand together, side by side, forever.
     Gage moved to Aeden and brushed his body up against his leg, letting him know that he was there for him.
Aeden looked down at his old friend, “I know. We must go.”
     Gage looked at him and tilted his head to the side, his eyes filled with knowing.
     Both Aeden and Gage now turned their attention to the light blue car that came in their direction on the opposite side of the street, alarmingly fast as it veered in and out of traffic going both ways. Two bedraggled women were perched precariously on top of the car. One was lying on her stomach down across the back window as she held onto the roof rack. The other knelt on top of the trunk with both hands clamped around the flimsy radio antenna. The car suddenly swerved and came crashing up onto the sidewalk. A lamppost stopped it short.
     With the impact, the woman holding onto the roof rack flew over the top and landed on the hood. The other flung hard up against the back window, cracking it with her head. Both scrambled down and began to try the doors and beat furiously on the windows in an attempt to reach the two occupants.
     Aeden saw that the driver was a young man and he lay slumped against the steering wheel. Blood gushed from his nose and a gash on his forehead. The passenger, a young woman, was screaming at the man. Aeden noticed now that she held a small bundle close to her breasts. A baby.
     Aeden and Gage wasted not a moment. They immediately came to stand in front of the car and Aeden glanced through the crumpled windshield at the woman and her child. They seemed okay but he wasn’t sure about the man.
     He went around to her side, yanked the shadowed woman by her arm, and swung her through a store window behind him. He knew it didn’t kill her, but he didn’t think she’d be getting up anytime soon. He would have to deal with that one later.
     He saw that Gage had knocked the other zombie woman to the ground. Aeden moved to them in a blur and pushed his foot down onto her stomach. She disgorged bloody phlegm from her mouth and nose. In one quick motion, he raised his foot and stomped on her chest, splintering her ribs and crushing her heart.
    When he had disintegrated the shadow that came forth, he turned back to the car and saw that the woman had stopped screaming and sat in shock, staring at him wide-eyed but the child in her arms continued to wail.
     He went to the driver’s side first and opened the door. Without checking for a pulse, he intuited that the man was dead and that his soul still hovered close. He moved naturally to the other side of the car not wanting to alarm the woman any further, worried that he might push her mind over the edge. He opened the door and held out his hand to her.
     “It’s all right, it’s okay, you’re safe now,” he told her, his voice musical, tender and soft.
Her first inclination was to yell at him to get away from her. When she heard the sound of his voice she suddenly felt calm, unafraid, and assured that he spoke the truth. Her baby even stopped crying and turned her little head to face Aeden and then, spotting Gage at his side, a toothless smile spread across her chubby face.
     “What about Ted?” she asked as she glanced over at her husband.
     “He’s passed over, it’s okay, he’s okay, he’s fine now. He’s still here, close to you both. Can you feel him here?”
     She shook her head, not in negation, but with incomprehension.
     “Please,” he implored her, “come with me. Let me take you and your child somewhere safe. We must get off the streets.”
     She could not refuse him. She nodded her head and reached for his hand. Of course, once he touched her she felt strengthened and more alive than she’d ever felt before and her baby felt it through her too. She felt invincible and ready to take on whatever horror presented itself to her.
     Aeden smiled, lighting up his face so enchantingly that it nearly took her breath away. He helped her out of the car and walked them from the wreckage to the sidewalk. He didn’t let go of her hand and she was so very grateful for that. She didn’t want to lose the comfort of him and the thought that she might, caused her a twinge of panic.

Stacy STEPHENS and Cindy JACKSON

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