I think I read this sometime around 2008, but I'm not positive. I'm also not positive if the below components were from two separate books by the same author, or chapters/parallel stories in the same book
Here are some relatively unique details that I remember:
Collection 1: Lizard people
- Lizard or reptile people that have their own dimension/alternate reality. They have a kingdom over there in parallel to Earth as it is now, and use a long downward-sloping tunnel in Mt. Cheyenne or another under-mountain bunker to get to a portal that takes them across between worlds
- Over in the lizard world, I think human beings are either nonexistent or treated as slaves. I distinctly recall there being vehicles, possibly flying, that would run on human souls, and the strength of the soul determined the power of the car
- Lizards play a prominent role in the US government posing as humans using disguises or human suits or something. They're relatively human-shaped to begin with but a little reptilian looking, but in the US/our dimension using the disguises they're indistinguishable. Their running the government is how they have access to the portal in the Mount Cheyenne bunker
Collection 2: End of the world / soul collecting
- I can't remember if the reptilian people are here as well, but I think someone is saying the end of the world is coming and they keep dropping pamphlets or something everywhere to tell people to gather in groups to fight off the monsters that come out at night? I think one of the plot points about this is that everyone trusts them and gathers up in churches, but in reality the monsters were the ones sending the message and just wanted them to gather because it was easier to collect all their souls. I think this was related to the lizard world because they needed souls, but I'm not positive
- I remember "meeting" a group of kids living in a cave in the woods or something similar that see through all the lies and propaganda and know how to survive in this world with the monsters. I remember the book describing them as older than their years
- Possibly also in the same book is a story about people in an asylum or hospital or something. Those people are special and have unique abilities/properties that can prevent the end of the world, or at least provide safe passage to some. Something to do with a star forge maybe?
- Humans in this world have black marks start to appear and spread over their bodies if they've done wrong in the world or something? Essentially a black mark for sinners, but it indicates that they're doomed and that the people free of black marks will live
- I remember this black wave of doom rolling over the world and destroying everyone that had even a little bit of the black mark, and those that were pure got to "pass through" the wave and find a bright safe happy world on the other side?
Reading through all these notes it seems kind of biblical, but the reptile people and the forge thing make me think it's definitely sci-fi.
I found Sci-fi series about a parallel world peopled by lizard men, the portal of which was discovered by an alcoholic in his apartment? which mentions Ward Hawkins's Red Flame Burning but I read through the plot and that wasn't the one.
