Epilogue

Clevis walked toward the barn through the carnage of the barnyard while shaking his head in wonder. Of the 127 men that attacked the ranch, only twelve men had been captured alive and every one of them was wounded. Three had run from the barn in a panic screaming for the police to save them from the monster.

Jonas appeared in the doorway with Brian and Anna behind him. Jonas was looking around the barn yard with a sad expression.

"Did you get him? Was Carlos Cruz killed?" Clevis asked anxiously. He noticed Brian pale and Anna flinch at the questions. He didn't think the flinch was from the blood dripping from all three of them.

"He was killed," Jonas said with a voice that sounded like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"You got shot again," Clevis said with concern as he rushed up to his friend. "All of you were hurt. The ambulance will be here in a moment."

Jonas shook his head with a slight smile and said in a tired voice, "I must be getting better at this. Yesterday I wasn't shot or hit by a flying car and today I only got a flesh wound."

Anna started shaking as the adrenalin that fuels the body during battle started leaving her system. Brian grabbed her shoulder and pulled his sister against him. "It's okay sis," he said gently. "Just about everyone gets the shakes after a hot battle. I'll get them in a moment too so be ready to catch me if I start to fall."

Anna snorted and playfully elbowed her brother in the stomach as she pulled herself together. She turned to Jonas and asked, "Okay Jonas. Is that what we're going to be facing if we go with you?"

Jonas shook his head tiredly and said, "If I never see something like that again it will be too soon. Carlos was a Red Agent longer than Jake Hobbs and that may be why Carlos was changed. Carlos had more opportunity for evil than Jake did too. The drug cartels don't seem to have a conscience or have any respect for life. That may be another reason he was changed."

"What are you guys talking about?" Clevis demanded.

"Cruz came down in the silo with us and he wasn't human. He looked like he was more snake than man," Brian said with a shiver.

"I've got to see this," Clevis said as he started to push past them.

"He changed back to a human form when he died," Jonas said stopping the detective. "Joe said that his form wasn't meant for this world and the Adversary's control of the body was the only thing holding it in that shape. When he died his body changed back to human."

"It had to be the devil or the Adversary controlling his body to keep him coming like that," Brian said fervently. "Anna hit him at least five times with that M-14. I don't know how many times Jonas hit him with his M-16. I hit him with two grenades and blew him in half and he was still trying to get to us. Jonas had to shoot him in the head three times and it still took a while before that hellish red glare faded from his eyes."