Imagine seeing the Universe through Lucifer's eyes, getting a firsthand glimpse
into his thoughts, his ultimate scheme: a plan to create his own 'son'.
Imagine the consequences.
Chillingly depicted in Erin Collins' first novel--Shadow Walk: The Gathering will keep you up at night, chill you to the bone, and take you to the edge of your seat.
Sirius Tanas does not just want to conquer the world, he wants to be its god.
Operating under the facade of traditional genetic research, Sirius' team works to create the perfect female hybrid--one to carry his child. So far, they think they are unsuccessful.
Leah Channing is the one successful hybrid, although she is unaware of it until Peter Wiler, the only agent who ever escaped Tanas Global Labs, kidnaps her. Held prisoner, Leah learns the awful truth about her past--and her unusual powers.
What will she do when she realizes she hold the key to saving the world--or ushering in the most devastating time in History?
Excerpt
Sirius Tanas, leader of the Recondites, stood in his domain deep underground in Tanas’s belly, below the offices, labs, and living quarters the humans occupied. The dampness of the rocky interior served his nature well. It was late in the day and his mind cried out for freedom from his body’s earthly confines. Shedding his mortal shell was painful, but worth it.
He inhaled deeply and willed it to begin. His pale, fragile skin cracked; silver and black scales became visible, glistening like obsidian, beneath a thin cloak of blood. Expanding his leathery wings, he stretched them, fanning them to dry off. His round pupils elongated into slits, replacing former pale blue eyes, the green glow of new irises now shining in the darkness.
Humankind, stupid and so primitive, would never know until it was too late.
Her existence touched him again. He felt her presence--just beyond his reach. It was like an itch between his wings he could not scratch. He bellowed his frustration, releasing a hair-raising screech. He did not know who she was, but he knew she was a successful hybrid; the female breeder that Tanas Global had still failed to produce.
_____________________
Sirius, once again reluctantly reverted to his humanoid persona. He walked to a mirror and looked into it. Ice-blue eyes stared back at him. He chose a dark suit and slicked his black hair. He used to be so beautiful; the most beautiful creature ever created. Now, he would always be hideous--unless he was in human form.
In time, he would reveal his true identity, but not just yet.
He paced. The more he thought about the girl, the angrier he became. He forced himself to settle behind his desk and wait.
Dr. Hanson arrived in a hurry; he always did when Sirius commanded his presence.
Sir stood, leaning across his desk. “Hanson, I want answers, and I want them now.”
“Sir, I’m not sure what you mean. The one subject is doing well, she--”
“You are clueless, aren't you, Hanson? You have no idea?”
“No--no, Sir.”
“There is a successful hybrid in existence, Hanson. I have felt her existence for weeks now.”
He allowed the news to sink in. Sir saw Hanson’s face pale under his dime store tan. Sir narrowed his eyes.
“She’s around three years of age. That is usually the age of initial empathic contact. I cannot make a full connection with her until she comes to maturity. Bottom line is, somebody screwed up. You know the consequences of such flagrant incompetence. The only reason you are not dead right now, Hanson, is that you are the best in the world at genetic research. That’s the only thing that saves your ass.
“Hanson, I want as many men on this as possible. Find her or heads will roll. You get my meaning?”
“Sir, you know I am always at your command. Just tell me what I must do and it shall be done.”
“I want to know how she got here, how she slipped away without detection.”
“Sir, if I may suggest? I can put a team on this. They will ferret out old records. It could take some time, however. There’s over a million subject files in our records, as you well know.”
“Hanson, do I have to think for you, or can you manage that? Considering the child is around three, figure it out. Her incubator could be anywhere from fifteen to thirty years of age, by my calculations.”
“Sir, I know on my watch, not one subject has ever escaped this lab. As you know, I have faithfully served you for twelve years now. It has to be from Dr. Wendellson. It must have been during his tenure.”
“See to it, then.”
After Hansen left, Sir touched a button on his desk, which lifted a small trap door in the top. A miniature elevator rose, bringing him a cup of chamomile tea. He began to drink the boiling fluid. In his mind's eye, he saw Hansen walk down the hall, whispering a prayer.
Baltimore, Maryland 1985
Leah happily colored while Sesame Street filled the television screen. She was not paying attention to Bert and Ernie playing the numbers game.
Her mother, Maggie, was busy baking.
Attracted by the smell of homemade chocolate chip cookies, she toddled into the kitchen. “Mommy, I want a cookie, please. Mommy, cookie is ‘C’.”
Distracted, Maggie asked, “What did you say, Sweetie?”
“Cookie is C. It’s a letter, Mommy. C is for cookie.”
“Leah, that’s right. Mommy is proud of you for learning that. Here’s your cookie. Now go play while I finish this batch, okay?”
“Mommy, cookie is c-o-o-k-i-e.”
Shaking her head, marveled at the intelligence of her daughter, all Maggie could do was say, “That’s right. Where did you learn that?”
“Sesame Street, Mommy,” she said, laughing.
“Oh, I see. You just learned that, huh?”
“Oh no, Mommy, I seen that the other day. Today is all about numbers. Uno, Dos, Tres, Cuatro, Cinco, Seis, Siete, Ocho, Nueve, Diez. That’s Spanish. In English: one-two-three-four-five-six-seven-eight-nine-ten.”
“Leah, honey, that’s very good. What else did you learn?”
Leah bowed her head, and a single tear fell from her eyes.
“Leah, why are you crying?”
“Mommy, I don’t want the bad man to talk to me anymore. Can you make him stop?”
Maggie kneeled down and took Leah by her shoulders trying her best to remain calm. “Leah. Sweetie, who wants to talk to you? Did a man approach you when you were outside playing?”
“No, Mommy. He wants me to talk to him in my head. I don’t want to. He’s not nice.”
“Leah, sweetheart, tell Mommy what you mean.”
“I know he knows I’m here.”
“Sweetie, who knows you’re here?” Maggie asked.
“Him; the one who wants to talk to me inside my head, Mommy. You can’t see him. He’s in my head.”
“Is he perhaps a pretend friend?”
“Mommy, I think he is a real pretend, but he’s not my friend. He scares me.”
“Well, then. Just pretend he isn’t there, okay?”
“Mommy, he won’t go away when I try to pretend he’s not there. Can you make him stop?”
“Leah, let me call Daddy and he’ll make the bad man go away, okay?”
“Okay, Mommy.”
Maggie watched as her daughter returned to her coloring books. Something felt wrong. It was not the first time she had felt this vague apprehension since Leah was born; but now it squeezed like fingers around her heart. She grabbed the phone and dialed Joshua at the base.
“Honey, I just had an interesting conversation with our daughter.” She told him about it and concluded with, “Honey, I’m worried. What should we do?”
“Mags, I think you need to downplay it. If you just treat it lightly, she may forget about it. It's probably just from a nightmare. Just keep it low. You have to stop being so overprotective, honey. It’s not good for you or her. When I get home, I’ll make the bad man go away. Tell her that. After all, it's not the end of the world.”
“Mommy, he told me something,” Leah interrupted.
“Just a second, baby, I'm talking to Daddy.”
“But Mommy...” Leah covered her ears, not wanting to listen anymore. “C is for cookie...” she sang, drowning out his last whisper.
“You are my destiny, child.”
Where was she? Sir used all the will power he had in his arsenal to control the rage that threatened to take over. He could ill afford to allow his “true” nature to be unleashed at this point. My patience will pay off soon enough, he thought.
He had to find her; she was already powerful enough to elude his messages. He paced the room. How had this happened? Years of research and they had not produced one successful hybrid. Just what path had been taken to bring this child to the here and now?
Professional Reviews
An Exciting Book!
Erin Collins has written an epic story about generations of strong women - and their men- carrying us into the depths of evil: the devil and his vile kingdom. At Tanas Global Lab in the desert of New Mexico, terrible experiments are carried on, that if known by the general public, they would be horrified.
Lucifer himself is seeking the perfect body of a young lady to mate with and bear him a son who will rule this world, become its "God".
Somehow, SIR- as he likes to be called- begins to sense that the perfect hybrid is already `out there' and the frantic search begins. The mother and babe must evade the clutches of the detestable pursuer at all costs.
It's a wonderful, exciting story with shades of The Omen and Rosemary's Baby, but Ms. Collins has made it all her own. Highly recommended by this reader!
Lila L. Pinord, Author of Min's Monster
A chilling glimpse of a new world order?
In today's world, fiction and reality appear to be merging toward an uncertain future. So it is with Shadow walk: The Gathering, the first of a trilogy based upon an insidious past and present with the terror of ominous days ahead. This book takes the reader back through decades ago, where the seeds of evil germinate and simmer in a cauldron of biblical prophesy, and intrigue as deceptive as `The DaVinci Code'. Some of the lab experiments written about in this fast-paced novel are already being whispered about and covered up by scientists, government and power mongers. Will humanity look the other way as horrors and the things nightmares are made of come to fruition? Erin Collins addresses the eternal question. Can evil, at long last, overcome good, while the world complacently ignores the many signs and evidence of a terrifying new world? With a touch of the sinister movie, `Rosemary's Baby,' Collins will shock readers with her compelling tale--while leaving them impatient for . . . the rest of the story. A must read.
Micki Peluso, journalist, columnist, short story writer and author of . . .AND THE WHIPPOORWILL SANG
A Must Read
This novel has one of the most chillingly evil protagonists I've come across. He raises "goose bumps" when I think of him. Plenty of heroes and heroines to give hope for a triumphant outcome, but still one does wonder.
While it is an "End Times" novel it is definitly not in the usual stereotypical style.
As a child coming of age during World War II, the portrayal of events of that era are very well researched, from clothing style to victory gardens.
The romance between Ethan and Danielle captured my emotions. Their heartbreaking struggle against evil is a page turner. Other characters are as finely drawn as these two, keeping the suspense alive until the last page and beyond.
"Imagine seeing the Universe through Lucifer's eyes, getting a firsthand glimpse
into his thoughts, his ultimate scheme: a plan to create his own 'son'."
We don't have to imagine very hard; he's got plenty of "sons & daughters" hard at work right now in this world. Some in the form of corporations & politicians who with the stroke of a pen (in the name of power, lust & greed) accelerate the annihilation of God's good work...
But perhaps you novel address some of that...
A young man’s need for respect and his search for love enables him to be coerced into becoming an undercover cop. Follow this man to see how others see him and try to understand why the job he becomes obsessed with and his quest for love, tear him ap
The Commander and the Chief take on the rogue Deep State: the Gunfight at the UK Corral, missing Redcoats in the Nevada Triangle, and nuclear blackmail!
