WC3 - Redfalls

It was a beautiful Friday in the small town of Redfalls.  A place where everyone knows each other.  It was a small community of only about 2500 inhabitants.  It was known for its gorgeous waterfalls on the west side of town.  There are 7 in total forming a U shape and they all poured into the same body of water, Red Clay Lake.  Obviously, it takes its name from the shoring
red clay mountain cliffs that were about 100 feet high at its peak, where they meet a huge fertile plain that the locals called The High Plains.  This is where most farmers live, and grow
crops.

The seven waterfalls are made from a large underground water source that splits into seven smaller paths right before exiting the ground near the top of the mountain and splashing down in the cove below.  It creates a nice white mist cloud hiding the foot of the falls. At sunset, because of the red clay, the falls look like they are red.  This is why the town was built there two centuries ago and it took its name.

There is also a very nice beach nearby that is a great place for families to gather for beach parties, camping, and swimming.  At the bottom of the falls, there was a very deep hole formed by the
water, it was so deep that no one dared to jump down the falls, because they were afraid of what could be down there.  They preferred to go to the designated beach to swim. 

It was mid-afternoon and the sun was burning while I was walking along Beach road heading into town.  I passed in front a couple farms where I
could smell the stench of manure to a point where I could taste it!  This June sure is warmer than usual!  Pfew!

As I entered town, the first thing I could see was the school.  Built over a century ago in red bricks.  No one could miss the ten foot cross hanging above the main entrance to this Catholic
school.  I remembered attending this school as a child and being drilled like a soldier about God this!  and Jesus that!  It made me sick.  Probably only because it was forced onto me
back then and I never really had a choice. All these people that are so afraid to go down into the fire pits of hell when their time comes, so they follow the preaching's to ensure that
instead, they head up in the heavens to join God and his Angels.  But not me!  I believe in life itself and living it one day at a time.  I hate worrying about things I cant control.

I was feeling tired from my hike from the beach so I opted to have a seat on the park bench near the school yard nicely positioned under a tall maple tree. 

It was nice to have a little shade finally!  I stretched backwards over the backrest looking up into the leaves of the tall tree!  They were moving lightly as a gentle breeze softly blew through the
branches.  "Oh! Nice!"  I though to myself as this big black squirrel
was running around the tree jumping from branch to branch chasing the smaller gray squirrel.

I love animals!  They’re fun to watch in their natural habitat!.

DRRIIINNGGG!!!!!!

I looked at the time, and sure enough it was exactly 15h30.  School had just ended and the kids were just about to swarm the streets as this was the last day of school.  The double doors
swung open followed by screams, laughter, yelling, and the works.  The children were running in all directions, some heading for their school bus while others started walking home.  Seeing the happiness in their faces brought a warm feeling in my heart.  This reminded me of my summers as a kid, not a worry in the word, just like time stood still.  If only I could go back to those happy days!

As I was watching those doors closing for the last time until September, they reopened revealing a beautiful little girl pushing them.  It was with her white flowery dress and golden blond hair blowing in the wind that she started skipping on the sidewalk in her black patent shoes.  Kara was 8 years old, and was loved by everyone because she was so friendly and open minded, and was she ever smart!  I knew Kara and her family well for I had been living right across the street from them for a few years now.

As she skipped past me, she looked at me with a wide sincere smile:  Hi Ben!  Bye Ben!  

Adorable!  I thought. Then I replied:  Good afternoon Kara, enjoy your summer vacation!

A little farther, she crossed paths with Mrs. White, her elderly next door neighbor.  She was out walking her dog Becky, a beautiful beige Labrador.  She got this dog to keep her company after
her husband passed away a few years ago.  They had a bond that others were jealous of.

They stopped to chat not too far from where I was sitting and I could hear their conversation.

"Well good afternoon Kara!" Said Mrs. White in her usual radiant smile.

"Hello there Mrs White! Isn't it a beautiful day for a walk? Replied Kara to her neighbor as she kneeled down to pat and hug Becky.

"You must have been anxious to finish school and be off for the entire Summer?"

Kara looked up at her elderly friend with her eyes like twinkling stars and said: "Oh my yes! I just can't wait to go camping with my parents in the woods like we do every summer! I love it so much!"

Mrs. White's face lit up: "Oh my Lord! I remember when I was a much younger and I went camping with my parents, I have my best childhood memories from those precious moments. Please ensure you cherish these as they come and go so fast! Your are lucky to have parents willing to go out and do these things with you just like I did at your age. Be sure to  thank the lord for your
many blessings!"

Kara smiled at her and said: Oh I do! I pray every night before bed ! I learned all about this in school. I thank the Angels for protecting us from the Evil below and thank God for all he has given us on this Earth and of course I thank them for having such wonderful parents!

As they were talking, I was still looking around the area, appreciating the nice weather.  I looked up at the sky and  I could see a bunch of dark clouds moving in slowly from the East to cover up the blue skies we had been treated with since dawn.  I said to myself that it would be a good idea to head home before the weather got bad.  

As I stood up from the bench, a very powerful gust of wind nearly blew me to the ground.  Whoa!  I should hurry!  Where the hell did this coming from?

Suddenly, seemingly far away there was loud horn sound that lasted a few seconds. The air around us got a bit sour and we could feel the vibration through the air! It just felt wrong!

What was that? Asked Kara with a trembling voice.

"Oh it's probably just the Angels acknowledging you for showing them so much love and devotion!" Replied Mrs White to reassure her knowing all to well from deep in her gut that something wasn't right!

They both took one last cautious look at the heavens, questioning themselves as to what it could have been. Then Mrs. White suggested to take her young friend home before her mom got worried and she then went on to finish her walk with Becky.

As the horn ceased, I felt a slight tremor beneath my feet!  It did make me a bit nervous but I thought this was related to the horn sound so I didn't make much of it.  But from seeing the eyes on Kara’s face as I walked toward her, it scared her a lot more than me!  So I joined Mrs. White and Kara and we walked home together.

The cloud cover was getting thicker and thicker as we were walking and an eerie wind was now blowing branches and leaves from the trees onto the streets.  It really looked like a nasty storm was forming! 

As we were approaching our neighborhood, I took a glance down the street heading south toward the highway and could see large vehicles heading our way at high speed.  They looked like army troop carriers but I couldn't be certain since they were so far away.  I was thinking that there could have been a tornado that struck nearby and they were coming to provide support.  It was weird because I had never heard of a twister striking in the area before, at least not in my lifetime!

Just as I was about to point them out to my friends, another horn sounded.  This time is was much louder than before.  Then the ground shook again also stronger than earlier.  Kara said she needed to go see her mom and she ran into her house terrified.

Mommy! Mommy! Did you hear that noise in the sky?! Did you see those clouds?! She said as she burst through the door like a wrecking ball.

AaaaH!!!  Sheila yelled as she turned around in a jump. She had been listening to some loud music in the kitchen preparing a delicious meat loaf for diner. So she didn't notice anything was
going on before Kara showed up in a panic!

What noise sweetheart? I didn't hear anything at all!

Kara grabbed her mother by the wrist and pulled her outside to show her the skies!  As they stepped in the yard, they noticed everyone on their block standing on their front lawns in shock,
wondering what was going on.  Some of them were just talking among each other while others were in a panic state packing their cars to leave town. 

"Look Mommy! Aren't the clouds weird?" Kara asked

At the same time, just as Sheila took notice of what was developing right before her eyes, her husband Steve turned the corner with tires screeching and parked diagonally across their drive way like a madman.  He got out of his car and ran to meet Sheila, Kara and me on the front lawn  And by that time, Mrs. White had just returned from her walk with Becky and they had also joined us.


"I heard on the radio that the authorities were asking everyone in the county to stay inside their homes and if they had one, to go into a bunker!  What the hell is going on!" Said Steve still trying to catch his breath!

It turns out that there were many bunkers built in the area, 5 in fact.  Enough for most of the neighborhood to take cover if necessary.  Mr. White had spent a great deal of time in his last years to have one built and stocking it with months’ worth of supplies.  It was too bad he passed away as he could have finally made good use of his years as a survivalist.  

Mrs. White agreed to welcome Kara, her parents and me into her bunker.  I was thankful but I also wanted to see everything unfold.  This was a never before seen weather event in
the area, we never got tornadoes and things like that.  People were only investing in bunkers in case of a nuclear war.

Just as we were heading in Mrs. White’s yard where the entrance was, I took one more look above and then I got really scared. 

The clouds were now really low and thick, then about half a dozen spirals,  spinning counter clockwise, were forming within the clouds.  They looked just like tornadoes but instead of the funnel heading down to the ground, they were heading up into the sky.  People started running for cover at the same time as the military arrived on site.  

Some of the military personnel were quickly offloading crates from their trucks and carrying them to what seemed to be a field command center they were building down the street.  The rest of the soldiers were assisting civilians into their bunkers or basements.  None of them were telling anyone what was happening so this wasn't reassuring at all for us.

A third horn sounded, but this time it was so loud that glass was shattering on houses and vehicles and it forced us to cover our ears in pain.  Then the ground shook again, but so hard it knocked everyone to the ground.  Kara was screaming and crying in fear, holding on tightly to her father's leg for security.  As for Becky, she was barking at the skies and ran off through the crowd and we lost sight of her! 

After getting our senses back, we finally made it to the bunker.  As the heavy steel doors opened, we could see to the left, at the bottom of the stone stairs, dozens of crates of canned food as well as 3 pallets of bottled water.  Then to the right, there was a small area stocked with a generator, and fuel.  As we walked along the short, poorly lit corridor, we could see a larger room ahead of us furnished with a large round table and fold able chairs, a fully stocked riffle rack with a cabinet filled with ammunition.  There were multiple shelves on the walls topped with containers and boxes of various sizes.

Mrs. White walked right next to the weapons and pointed to an old wooden door.  “This is where we will sleep, all of us.” And pushed open the door, revealing a large room equipped with a few twin size beds and some couches.  It was more than enough for everyone to feel comfortable at least for a little while.

I asked our host how we could know if it’s all clear out there.  She said: “Oh my I forgot to mention this!"  She pulled on a chain that was hanging from the ceiling and down came 4 sets of handlebars each joined to what looked like binoculars.   "These are 4 periscopes that we can use to peek outside.  There is one facing north, south, east and west, and each can pivot 90 degrees so we can see all around as long as nothing obstructs the view on the outside.”

Needless to say I immediately grabbed the one closest to me, to one pointing north as indicated on the handles. And what I could see was unbelievable!  I could not believe what I was seeing! 

Those twisters that formed upwards were now shooting what looked like red balls of light to the ground.  Nothing was exploding surprisingly, it’s like they were just dropping something there for someone to pick up but I couldn't see what from my current vantage point.  So I headed for the east periscope where I thought I could get a better view

Right in front of me, blocking my view, was a soldier shooting at something, emptying clip after clip at whatever was there.  Then I saw a very dark and rough blade slice through the soldier at the waist cutting him in half.  As both halves fell to the ground on each side of my new point of view, I finally saw something there through the smoke caused by all the fighting. 

It was an insect-like creature standing nearly twice the height of the soldiers.  It was walking on two legs like us, but these legs were unusual, they were thin and stretchy, they had a muscular structure like I had never seen.  Its two arms were not normal either, they were also quite long and the right one didn't seem to have a hand, I couldn't see too clearly but it appears to have an ingrown sword shaped right hand.  This could have been a weapon it was holding but it really looked like it was permanently there.  This was probably what it used to cut the soldier in half in a single blow a moment earlier.  His head and torso were similar to those of a tall gray alien from science fiction movies.  These beings were like demons!  So powerful and ruthless!<o:p></o:p>

According to what the four of us were now observing through our respective periscopes, there were at least two dozen of these things roaming above our heads, they were everywhere.  Their armor was resisting the army's attacks without even flinching and their "sword-arms" could shred a vehicle in pieces in the blink of an eye!  What we were witnessing was nothing less than a massacre, our forces didn't stand a chance against such power!

We were just sitting there listening in fear to the horrible sounds coming from above our heads, wondering what they would do to us if they would find us after they were done with the
military troops.  Then all of a sudden everything went quiet.  We could hear the wind blowing outside, but no more gunshots, screams, nothing. 

We thought it might be over so I grabbed my periscope again and glanced outside once more.  To my disappointment, A whole lot of them were still roaming the area, I managed to distinguish moving silhouettes but I couldn't count how many there was with any certainty as there was still a lot of smoke in the air and the lens I was looking through was partially covered in
blood and some dirt had stuck to it.  

 “I think they killed all of our military in just that short amount of time!”  I said to my group with tears running down my cheeks.  “I don’t think we stand a fighting chance against them.  What can we do?”

Kara suggested that we all sat in a circle, held hands and prayed for God to send us assistance against these evil beings.  We agreed unanimously so Mrs. White reached for a small box on one of the shelf fixed to the wall and pulled out a few white candles, placed them on the table and lit them.  Then we all took a seat around the table and held each other’s hands forming a  complete circle.

Mrs. White, being the lovely person that she always is, suggested that Kara said the prayer as she was the
youngest and she excitedly accepted.

“Heavenly  Father, protect us from all evil and from those that wish us harm.  Reclaim the souls of the fallen and please send us help in any way shape or form to chase these evil beings back to where they came from and restore peace to our quiet little town.  Amen"  

We remained seated there a few minutes, in silence, privately continuing our inner prayers when the flames of the candles started to grow larger and brighter.  this light was now completely filling the room but wasn't blinding to the eyes.  While we just sat there, speechless, starring at the white flames, a female voice gently whispered: "The waterfalls!  Go to the waterfalls!"<o:p></o:p>

I got up and took a look  outside.  The creatures were still roaming around clearing houses.  "Is there another exit to this bunker?  We need a way out and the main entrance is not an option!"

Mrs. White pointed to the bed in the far corner and said " There is a small trap door under that bunk.  It leads to an  old cave system.  I've never been down there but I think it
reaches the lake.  Maybe we should check it out!"

Steve and I each grabbed a flashlight and went down to do a little reconnaissance.  As went stepped down the small wooden ladder, we landed in thick mud.  We walked along  the dark, narrow tunnel accumulating dirt under our shoes, making them heavier at each step, and after going a short distance, the size of the tunnel got much larger.  We had finally merged with the existing cave that was supposed to lead to the lake. 

Surely enough, we could see light at the far end.  We headed towards it and as we got near, we could hear the falls.  At the end of the cave, we ended up behind the waterfalls.  

We were looking around the area and we found some strange markings on the cave wall depicting what seemed like winged creatures jumping out of the water with a child seemingly guiding
them.  We couldn't quite figure out the meaning with any certainty but we both agreed that they looked like angels.

We decided that we should go get the rest of the group before the murderous creatures found the entrance to the bunker.  And we headed back.

As Steve got up the ladder, he immediately told the others to grab what they could and bring it down with them.  I followed him up and grabbed some weapons and ammo, while Sheila and Mrs. White were gathering water and food in bags and backpacks.  Within a few minutes, we were all back in the tunnel heading to the markings so all could help decipher them. 

As Mrs. White got to them, she smiled:  "This brings back memories! " she said analyzing the old drawings.  "I used to follow my husband on archaeological sites before he retired.  We would spend hours on end trying to decode some hieroglyphs that they had discovered.  Although I am not an expert, I might be able to help with this one."

We all starred at her, as she was lightly rubbing  the wall with her hands removing dirt and spider webs, revealing more of the symbols.  She stopped at a small pebble that was sticking out of the wall, trying to push it in, pull it out, nothing worked.  

Kara's eyes were fixed on the child in the drawing.  "Look, its me!"  she giggled.  We all turned around looking at her.  "You could be right dear!"  Sheila replied to her daughter.  "Maybe you should try too!  What do you think this could mean?"

Kara stepped forward and  placed her small hand on the pebble. Before she had a chance to do or say anything, the ground shook a little.  And we heard a splash on the other side of the waterfall.  Then we all backed up in fear as something  crossed through the waterfall into the cave where we were.

We immediately ducked for cover as we thought we were done for!

"An Angel! Just like in my dreams!"  Kara yelled.

We all looked up and could see that this creature was not the same as the others out there!

She was so tall that she had to kneel down in the cave to avoid hitting her head on the ceiling!

As we were analyzing the beauty of this entity, with her huge colorful wings, and the sparkling golden body armor covering her body, we heard the very same soothing voice as
earlier, but this time it was straight from the mouth of this Angel.

"I am Erin, the guardian of the falls, I have been waiting for a thousand years for someone with a pure heart to release me and my army!  I have been locked in time
by the Criplars since the last time they were here a thousand years ago. And could only be released by the purest heart.  Now they have returned and the army of light
is still locked in the deep pit beneath the falls.  Now that I have been set free by your presence, please help me break the seal Kara so we cant fight the Criplars
before the human race gets wiped off the face of the Earth."

"Me?" Asked Kara.  "Why Kara?"  wondered Sheila.

"She is the child of prophecy as foreseen a millennia ago.  Back then, the Criplars came down to Earth to gather human souls.  They need them to prolong their lifespan.  but every thousand years, they must start over or they will die.  They chose this town because they are after Kara's soul the most, as it is pure and would grant them the same life force for eternity, and we cannot let that happen.  They brutally murdered millions last time and just as we were able to chase them away, they lured us into the deep pit where the falls pour into and
sealed all of our light soldiers in there with a cursed seal that only a pure hearted child could dispel."  

"The time has finally come for you to play your role Kara!  Come here and join your hands to mine and wish for the seal to be broken with all your love and might!"

Kara did so and after a few minutes, their bodies started emanating a glowing light and then the ground shook again.  We heard an unusual sound coming from the other side of the falls like that of stones rubbing on each other.  We walked out of the cave and looked down only to see the water level dropping and hundreds of angels flying out of the deeps all wearing silver armors and carrying long  swords. They looked so strong and powerful.

It felt reassuring to know that we were no longer alone to face these Hellish beings.  The fighting got really intense between the two factions as the angels began the offensive against the Criplars.  As the angelic blades were slashing through their enemy's armor, their bodies were vaporizing.

There were still red orbs shooting out of the clouds as before so it seemed like this would never end.

Erin looked at Kara.  "Thank you my dear for releasing us, if you hadn't been there to help us, they would have quickly invaded the Earth destroying everything in
their path until nothing was left.  We had almost  managed to stop them last time.  Their forces were reduced to only a few.  Then we chased what we thought
was the last group down the huge hole at the bottom of these falls.  They were sacrificing themselves so the others could seal us in here with that curse.  Then they left the planet, until their return a thousand years later, now!  I have to go join the fight now, take this and stay in this cave for safety until I come to get you!  She gave Kara a little holster that she
detached from her belt, holding a silver dagger inside. 

Erin then flew away into the sky!  I could see her, spinning with her wings wrapped around her!  Going faster and faster, then she swung her wings open with such force that she released a huge
gust of wind in all directions.  This broke apart  the upward tornadoes, revealing large purple vortexes in the skies.  The funnels were likely just a cover for them while more of their forces were
coming through.  These orbs that were falling from the clouds were actually these evil creatures crossing the universe through these wormholes to attack the Earth.

I started walking along the small path that led outside the cave to the left of the falls and as I looked down, I could see the beach.  There was a small group of angels working on something but couldn't see what.  Suddenly, I heard a clapping sound coming from below and then multiple white beams of white light shot up at each vortex destroying them instantly.  The red orbs finally
stopped being shot toward the ground, stopping the Criplars backup efforts.  

Erin came back down and landed gracefully right next to me.

"With the vortexes gone, they now have no way of sending more soldiers here or of getting them back home.  We should now be able to stop them for good!

As Erin noticed the riffle slung on my back, she said to me:  That weapon will be of no use against them!  Their armor is infused with evil, dark energy that only light energy
can penetrate.  This is the energy emanating from our swords that allows us to destroy them.  To avoid getting injured or even killed, you should go join your group in the cave and wait until we are done up there!

I walked back to the cavern to join my friends and follow the directions given by Erin.

What seemed like hours passed, and we could still hear the battle going on the High Plains.  So we waited patiently for Erin's return.  Suddenly, the fighting stopped!  Now all we could hear was the waterfalls.

We all looked at each other, wondering if it was really over.  Then we heard footsteps just outside the entrance, and we thought it was Erin returning from battle.  But we were dead wrong, it was one of the Criplars that made its way to us and was now entering the cave.  

Steve and I lightly pushed Kara to the back of the group, and we stood in front to at least try to protect her.  It was moving slowly along the muddy tunnel, getting closer and closer.  

Out of nowhere, we heard barking echoing in the cave.  Becky arrived from behind the Criplar and jumped on its back biting it.  The demonic being quickly turned around to fight off the dog when Kara screamed and ran past us pushing us aside and rammed the dagger Erin had given her right in the demonic creature's back.  It stopped moving for a few seconds and then vaporized just like the I saw the others outside do.

"Where did you get that knife? Said Sheila in shock because of what she had just witnessed her daughter doing!

"It is a Light infused Dagger and I gave it to her for protection before heading into battle, just in case.  You did very well Kara!  This was really brave of you!"  said Erin as she finally returned to our location.

"The last few of them are being taken care of as we speak!  This war will be over really soon.  

"Everywhere in the Universes, there are continuous conflicts between Light and Evil forces.  At least this one is finally over!  The Criplars have now been annihilated and will never return to Earth.  Your prayer has been answered Kara, peace can now be reinstated to your little community.  Me and my army of angels must now move on to the next planet that is being used as a battlefield!  But I will leave four angels here to help with the rebuilding of the town. They are Archangels and  will remain here for eternity to keep an eye out for other malevolent races travelling the voids of space that might end up here in the far future.  Whenever anyone feels a need to speak with them, you will always find them within your hearts. All you have to do is call them by name and they will provide help and advice to all who seek it!  Let me now introduce you all to the Earth's four Archangels: 

Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel."

We headed down to the beach to go meet our new friends.

We were speechless  at the sight of these four magnificent looking creatures flying down toward us!  Landing side by side facing our direction!  Followed by the entire army of Angels that all landed behind them.  They all bowed in recognition.  Then, all but the four archangels flew off in an amazing formation spiraling around each other and disappeared into the Heavens forming beautiful rainbows.

With the help of our new loving friends, the entire town was rebuilt in no time and was now exactly as it was before the invasion.  And since the only casualties were military troops, all the population of Redfalls had now returned to their homes to go on with their happy lives.

But not Kara though, I just saw her leave with her parents in a packed car.  They were off to their annual summer camping trip!

THE END