This Present Darkness

Brummel arrests Marshall and tells him that both Kevin and Susan have been killed in tragic accidents. Bernice makes it back to her house, realizes that it’s being watched, sneaks some loose change out of her car, and begins walking toward the highway. Meanwhile, Hank lies in a prison cell praying and later is paired up with a newcomer, whom he will later discover is Marshall Hogan. Watching this unfold, Rafar boasts of his victory to Lucius: “As you have so clearly seen, what you could not do in years, I have accomplished in days” (294). Beating Lucius severely, Rafar continues to boast and preen, while Lucius flies away sullenly.

Later that night, Edith Duster is visited by angels in her dreams, who tell her to pray. The next morning, she calls Mary Busche to tell her about the experience, and all morning Mary receives phone calls from concerned friends and church members speaking about the need for prayer. Meanwhile in the prison, Hank and Marshall discover who the other really is, and they immediately begin sharing their stories about how they got there and everything they’d been experiencing over the previous weeks and months.

Still traveling, Bernice is met by a kind stranger on a motorcycle who offers to help drive her north to The Evergreen, offering her food on the way as well. Climbing off the motorcycle, she heads toward a café to wait for the appointment. Turning around to thank the stranger, she finds that she’s disappeared:

Bernice backed away, stunned and shaken. She looked up and down the highway, but knew even as she did that she would not see that girl on her motorcycle. As a matter of fact, as a few more seconds went by Bernice knew she would have been disappointed if she had (303).

After waiting for over an hour in the café, Bernice begins to get anxious and more aware of her surroundings. Noticing the bartender acting strangely, she discovers that he has given a signal to two uniformed men who are in the café, and Bernice sprints out the back door into the woods. Running through the woods, she loses the two men and hides in an abandoned barn. When inside, she realizes that she’s been followed, and right before she is about to attack her pursuer, she hears a cry and realizes it’s Susan. Once the two meet, they go back to Bernice’s car, and on the way, they run into Kevin Weed, who is still alive; he’d been hiding in the woods as well.

Before heading back to Ashton, Bernice, Susan, and Kevin stop at a motel to clean up and calm down. Susan relays all the information that she has about Bernice’s deceased sister, including her being enamored with the Universal Consciousness Society, and the spirit guide, Thomas, who had been her special contact in dreams and meditation sessions. Susan gives Bernice the only thing that she still has of her sister’s, an old diary. Susan explains how she’d been drawn in by Kaseph originally, but eventually came to see the truth of his lies and manipulation. In addition, Susan reveals that she’s smuggled a roll of camera film along with her that has the society’s complete financial records.

In prison, Marshall has a conversion experience, realizing the mess he’s made of his life, and prays with Hank for a new life and for things to change. As they pray in jail, the rest of the Christians in Ashton are all praying, and the town begins to fill with angels. Meanwhile, back in the valley where Kaseph is hiding, the Strongman takes possession of Kaseph’s body during a period of deep meditation.

Arriving in Ashton, Bernice and the group sneak into the newspaper offices and head for the darkroom to develop Susan’s film. As they do, Susan tells Bernice more about her sister and that a young man named Shawn had introduced her to the inner circle. At the same time, Shawn takes Sandy to a meeting with Langstrat and a group of other psychics. Langstrat meets with the police chief and tells Brummel that he needs to tell Marshall that Sandy is totally in the group’s control.

This is the last straw for Brummel, who begins to doubt himself, thinking: “Brummel, why don’t you stop Juleen before she totally ruins your life? Why don’t you stop all this madness and be a real, genuine lawman for once?” (323). At the same time, a large crowd gathers at the police station in order to demand that Hank and Marshall be freed from their cell. More angels arrive in Ashton while the horde of demons grows in the valley. Tal determines that the time has come to initiate the last phase in the plan and sends out angels to complete missions in bringing important witnesses to Kaseph’s wrongdoing back to Ashton.

Back at the newspaper office, Bernice answers the phone to discover that it’s Harvey Cole. Bernice tells Harvey to get in touch with the county prosecutor to give him all the details of their case in case something happens to her. As she hangs up, the phone continues to ring, and each person who calls can help bring the fraudulent schemes of Omni Corporation to an end. Bernice tells everyone to meet her and the others at the college at 2 pm in order to prevent something terrible from happening.

Brummel arrives at the police station and is met with harassment and calls to free Hank and Marshall. He rushes inside and realizes things are quickly falling apart. As he is panicking, the phone rings, and he answers a call from Bernice. She demands Brummel release Marshall and call off the manhunt for her. She’ll be bringing in the feds and other prosecutors to expose Brummel’s schemes with Omni. Bernice hangs up, and they pack up to head for the college; Brummel decides to hide the developing news from Langstrat.

Brummel releases Hank and Marshall from prison, and they come out to the great joy of the entire crowd. At the same time, Rafar gathers his demons and begins to taunt Tal and the other angels. The sky fills with black clouds of demons following Kaseph and the Strongman on their way to Ashton.

Shawn leads Sandy to the administration building at the college, but she begins to feel nervous and uncomfortable. Once there, she meets Oliver, Langstrat, and many others as they begin her meditation ritual and initiation. Upstairs, the rest of the inner circle gathers to wait for Kaseph to arrive as his limousine arrives at the front of the building. Hank, Marshall, and a number of others head toward the college as fast as they can.

Downstairs, the group of psychics led by Langstrat begins to summon the demon Rafar, and Sandy grows more uncomfortable with the ritual. She pushes her feelings aside and begins her meditative summoning. Hank, Marshall, and the others arrive at the building, however, and rush upstairs to the third floor to try and stop the meeting. Brummel arrives and descends to the basement where Sandy and Langstrat are, still undecided what to do. Rafar readies the demon army and Tal prepares the angels, telling his company that the moment for battle has almost arrived.

Marshall barges into the room where Kaseph and the other have gathered, Hank coming along with him. Marshall demands to see his daughter and Hank recognizes that they’re dealing with more evil spirits, explicitly naming the Strongman as the one in possession of Kaseph. Downstairs, Sandy contacts her spirit guide, Madeline, but realizes her true nature too late: “Sandy screamed. From somewhere in this blackness, this tunnel, this nothingness, this altered state, this pit of death and deception, she screamed from the depths of her tortured and dying soul” (355). Sandy resists but can’t escape the grip of the demon.

Meanwhile, Tal and the angels finally go to war: “The heavenly warriors mowed through the ranks of demons like blurring scythes. Demons began to fall out of the sky like meteors, spinning, smoking, dissolving” (358). Marshall demands his daughter’s safe return, and Susan reveals that they’ve discovered records of everything and that help will soon arrive. Downstairs, Rafar realizes that Lucius has betrayed him by manipulating Brummel into betraying the cause, and they enter into battle.

Kaseph realizes that he is about to lose and be discovered, as the rest of the men question him about the accusation made by Susan and Marshall. Rafar and Lucius fight, each trying to win demons to their cause. Langstrat panics, and Brummel shoots her as Lucius delivers a dangerous blow to Rafar, wounding him deeply. Marshall hears the gunshot and runs out of the conference room.

Rafar responds by killing Lucius and trying to get the demons to kill Sandy. Back in the conference room, the angels’ general does battle with the Strongman. Marshall rushes out into the hallway to find the source of the gunshot and runs into Sandy, who had escaped the basement. They escape the building as the angels and demons continue to trade deadly blows, and Rafar is finally confronted by Tal. They fly across town fighting in the air as Bernice gathers all her help in the building’s lobby. The police rush into the building and try to restrain Kaseph as Hank and the angels’ captain do battle with the Strongman. Finally, the Strongman is defeated, Kaseph collapses unconscious to the ground, and the police discover Langstrat’s body.

Tal is slowly beaten by Rafar, but the prayers of Ashton’s Christians suddenly weaken Rafar and give strength to Tal, allowing Tal to gain new strength and finally defeat Rafar: “The big beast swayed forward. He let out one last hissing sigh, and rumbled to the floor in a cloud of red. And it was quiet” (372). With the Strongman, Rafar, and Lucius all defeated, the spiritual battle for Ashton ends as Kaseph and Brummel are arrested and taken away. Hank and Marshall leave the building, both finding their wives waiting for them as they realize that their efforts have been successful in putting an end to Kaseph’s plan to use Omni Corporation to take over the town for the use of the Universal Consciousness Society. As the community celebrates their victory, the angels are called away to their next assignment in South America.