A group known as The Hunters, who fight demons, must stop Lucifer and his Hellspawn from destroying the world in this sequel to my story The Key.
Hunter/Hunted
The Key sequel, part 1
“There’s one! Get it!”
The man’s cry echoed down the alley, alerting the others in the ragtag foursome behind him. Two of the men raised their rifles, the other two raised their swords. They followed the fifth, the leader who had raised the cry, as he started the chase.
They ran down the alley after the dark, fleeing figure, and followed it as it turned right down the street and ducked into another alley. The figure was brought up short by the wall that dead-ended the alley. It turned to face the five people approaching it.
The leader lifted a flashlight and shined it on the figure. The men behind him raised their weapons.
The illumined figure hissed as the light shone on it. It was all black. Its mouth was full of fangs. Its long arms ended in clawed hands. Its blood-red eyes flashed in the light of the electric torch. A triad of horns sprouted from its head. It roared, a hideous sound that sounded like it came from the bowels of Hell, and charged the five men.
Two shots rang out. The beast staggered and paused as two bullets entered its chest. Then it continued on. The two swordsmen ran at it. Claws swiped at the men. Swords swiped at the beast. One man fell to the ground, bloody slashes across his chest. His sword was stuck in the side of the beast. The other man avoided the claws, and his sword sliced the beast’s head off. The beast’s body fell to the ground, then it and its head turned into a pile of ash.
The man on the ground writhed and moaned in agony.
“Josh, put Mitch out of his misery,” the leader said.
“Yes, Brian,” one of the gunmen said. He raised his rifle, took aim at the writhing man, and fired. The injured man’s writhing stopped.
“Thank you, Mitch,” Brian said.
Brian Hawthorne was a young man, not quite thirty, with blonde hair. He was ex-military, as were the men with him. One man there, Jason Peterson, was a close friend who had been with Brian in Military Intelligence, and also with him since the start of their crusade against these beasts three years ago.
Brian stared at the ashes and reflected for a minute. For three long years they’d been fighting the demons. Demons that just suddenly started showing up one night, hunting the people of the city-state of Thalia. Brian and Jason had thought their brush with the supernatural had ended five years ago when Anya, the mystical Key, had defeated the Devil Incarnate and saved the world by sacrificing her own life. The two men had thought wrong. When the demons started hunting, they called on another old friend, Sister Harmony, for advice. When she got their call, she came to Thalia and formed a group of men and women who were willing to fight the monsters. She called the group the Demon Hunters. The group was to stave off the massacres until she could figure out why the demons were there. As of this particular evening, she still didn’t know.
Brian wished Anya were still with them.
“Good job, men,” Brian said. “That’s one less demon that will hunt in Thalia. Let’s head home. It’ll be daylight soon, and you know that demons don’t come out then.”
“Yes, sir,” the men said.
“And don’t forget Mitch. We’ll give him a proper burial when we get home.”
“Yes, sir.”
Carrying the body of poor Mitch, the men left the alley.
“Milord Lucifer,” said a disembodied voice. “I have news.”
“What is it, Marlowe?” said the man on the skeleton throne. The throne was the only piece of furniture in the room. Red draperies covered the stone walls completely, except for the torches that lit the room. The man himself wore black robes and had long shiny black hair and completely black eyes.
“Another demon has been killed in Thalia.”
“It was that group of hunters, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, milord.”
Lucifer frowned. “They are becoming very annoying. I didn’t mind so much at the beginning. But it’s been three years now, and I still haven’t made any headway in taking over there. That group is getting rid of more and more of my demons every time. It has to stop. I haven’t regained all of my strength yet from the battle with the Key, and I need the chaos my demons create, and the souls they send me, to get my strength back. Find a way to stop them, Marlowe.”
“Yes, milord.”
The disembodied voice of Marlowe left the throne room.
Lucifer sat on his throne, staring straight ahead in contemplation.
To be continued…
Hunter/Hunted
The Key sequel, part 2
As evening approached, Brian Hawthorne and Jason Peterson entered an old, abandoned church close to the city limits of Thalia. Actually, the church was far from abandoned. People no longer came there for worship, so in that sense it was abandoned. But what once had been a house of worship had become a house of a different sort. Five years ago, the church housed a ragtag resistance group who fought against the military’s encroaching control of Thalia. And now it served as a home and base of operations to another group of fighters: the Demon Hunters. And as if it were desitiny or the will of God, the Demon Hunters were for the most part made up of members of the resistance group. Brian and Jason were two such members. As were the two people they’d come to see before starting their patrol.
Brian and Jason headed for a room at the back of the church. That room had once served as the priest’s study. It now served as the joint office of the commander of the Demon Hunters, Nicodemus, and the advisor to both Nicodemus and the Hunters, Sister Harmony.
Brian knocked on the door.
“Come!” an old man called from behind the door.
Brian opened the door, and he and Jason entered the room.
A man in his sixties sat at the big oak desk by the back wall. Two empty chairs sat in front of the desk. Along both sides of the walls were bookshelves full of religious books and knickknacks. Hanging on the back wall, above the desk, was a painting of the crucifixion. Next to the painting was a wooden carving of a crucifix with the body of Christ in gold.
Standing beside the old man was a young lady with red hair. She wore a white nun’s habit. As the door opened, she looked up from the book on the desk that she and the old man were looking at.
“Oh, Brian, Jason,” she said. “Come on in.”
“Thank you, Sister Harmony,” Jason said as he and Brian sat down in the empty chairs.
“So, my friends, what can I do for you?” the old man at the desk said.
“We just came to check in before heading out on our patrol, Nicodemus,” Brian said.
“Ah, I see.”
“We also wanted to see if anything has been learned yet about why the demons have been attacking.”
“No, I’m afraid not,” Sister Harmony said. “Nicodemus and I have been searching, but we’ve not found anything helpful. I may need to go away for a while, and do some searching elsewhere.”
“I see,” Brian said. “Well, I’m sure you’ll do whatever you have to, Sister. I just hope you can find out something soon. It seems to me that the demons’s hunting is growing worse, and we Hunters can only do so much.”
“I know, Brian,” Sister Harmony said. “I know. I’m doing the best I can.”
“I know you are, Sister. We’re all doing the best we can. It would be nice if Anya were here to help us…”
“I know, Brian. I wish she were here, too. But she’s not. She’s in Heaven with Kallen, enjoying her eternal reward.”
“Yeah…”
No one said anything for a minute.
“Well, we’d better get busy patroling,” Jason said, breaking the awkward silence. He grabbed Brian by the arm and they both stood up.
A young blonde teenage girl hurried down the dark street. She should have known better than to have stayed at the club so late. It was long past the curfew that Lord Michael and Lady Sayana had set up once the attacks had started. The Thalian rulers didn’t know what was attacking (except for the Hunters, no one really did), but they wanted to make sure that no one was on the streets at night to get attacked.
The sound of a metal can rolling across the ground suddenly echoed down the street, and the girl gasped and broke into a run.
A dark, lanky figure pulled away from the shadows and ran after the fleeing girl.
The girl ran into an alley. Unfortunately, it was a dead end. She came up against the wall, turned her back to it, and watched with crying eyes as the figure approached her. As she got a good look at the black, hideous creature reaching out for her with clawed hands and smiling hungrily at her with a fanged mouth, she screamed. A claw slit her throat, cutting the scream short. She collapsed to the ground. The demon dropped to the ground beside her and began feeding. Its mouth went to her throat, and it drank.
“Good, good,” said a disembodied voice. “Continue providing souls and chaos for lord Lucifer. And show those Hunters that they cannot stop the forces of Evil, no matter how hard they try.”
Marlowe left the demon to feed.
A minute later, Brian and five of his Hunters came into the alley.
“Attack!” Brian said at the sight of the feeding demon.
The two archers with him launched arrows at the demon’s back. As one of the arrows pierced its heart, the demon lifted its head and roared. Then it disintegrated into a pile of ash.
Brian and his companions approached the girl. There was no need to check her body. They could tell she was already dead.
“Too late,” Brian said gloomily. “Again.” He turned to his friends. “You know what to do.”
“Yes, sir,” said Josh. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a book of matches. He struck a light, and set the girl’s body on fire.
“Good,” Brian said. “Let’s go. There are more demons to find and destroy.”
Marlowe watched the scene angrily. “Those Hunters…” he said. “They are becoming a real nuisance. I must find a way to stop them, or milord Lucifer will never get his strength back. But how?”
To be continued…
Hunter/Hunted
The Key sequel, part 3
“MARLOOOOOOWE!” screamed the dark-haired man on the skeleton throne in the dimly lit room.
“Yes, Lord Lucifer?” said the disembodied voice.
“Report!”
“Yes, Lord Lucifer. The Hunters continue to defeat our demons. I have been trying to come up with a way to stop them.”
“And?”
“So far, I only have the vaguest of ideas.”
“What is it?”
“Well, sir, it involves Mephistopheles.”
“Ahhhh. I like it already. Tell me more, Marlowe.”
Brian, Jason, and Sister Harmony stood outside the old abandoned church at the crack of dawn. Sister Harmony carried a small backpack on her back, over her white nun’s habit.
“You’re really going?” Jason asked for the tenth time.
“Yes, Jason,” Sister Harmony replied. “Brian understands. I need to search somewhere else if I am to figure out the reason for the demon attacks. I’ve exhausted all the materials here.”
“I see…I think. Well, you do what you have to, Sister Harmony. But hurry back. We need you. And we’ll miss you.”
“I will,” she said with a smile. “And I’ll miss you all, too.”
“Be careful,” Brian said with a very serious tone to his voice.
“I will,” she said. “You be careful, too. Please.”
“I will.”
They stood staring at each other for a few moments. Then, she turned and walked off.
Atop a nearby roof, a black-haired, twenty-something man in a tuxedo suit and cape watched in amusement as the two Hunters watched her walk off, then each walk off to their own destinations.
“This should be fun,” the caped man said. “I think I’ll follow that one.”
Brian walked into an old apartment building and entered a third-floor room. Not bothering to undress, he crashed into bed and immediately passed out.
A man in a tuxedo suit walked up to the apartment door. He placed his hand upon the door, and it swung open. He entered, and made his way unerringly to Brian’s bedroom. He stood beside the bed and watched Brian sleep. A smile formed on his handsome face. A devilish smile.
The mysterious man placed a hand above Brian’s forehead. “Show me your dream,” he whispered. “Show me what you wish. Show me your fondest desire.”
A scene appeared in the air over Brian, and the man watched as the scene played like a movie. Brian, Jason, and a backpack-laden Sister Harmony stood in front of the church. “Be careful,” the memory-Brian said to the nun. “I will,” the memory-nun said. “You be careful, too. Please.” “I will,” memory-Brian said. The two looked at each other. Then, instead of Sister Harmony walking off, the two kissed passionately for a long time.
“I see,” said the mysterious man in amusement. He moved his hand, and the scene vanished from the air. “I see. And I can understand why you’re attracted to her. She’s quite lovely. I wonder if she harbors the same feelings for you?” He thought for a second. “I think I’ll go find out. And have some fun with her in the process.” He waved a hand over Brian, putting him in a deep sleep. “And here’s a gift for you before I go. Lila!”
A dark, naked woman appeared in the room beside him. “Yes, Mephistopheles?”
“Give him some very pleasant dreams.”
“Yes, Mephistopheles,” she said with a smile.
“But don’t kill him. Just make his desire for his sweet nun stronger.”
“Yes, Mephistopheles,” she said, slightly disappointed.
The succubus then climbed on top of Brian.
Mephistopheles then vanished, leaving the demon to do her work.
Sister Harmony parked her rental car at a small hotel in Calenda towards evening. She checked in and went to her room. There, she showered, crawled into bed, and read her Bible for a little while. Then she checked her map.
“Tomorrow, I should reach the monestary. I hope I’ll find some answers there.”
Then she put out the bedside light and went to sleep.
Mephistopheles stood over her, watching her sleep.
“Now, my dear, what am I going to do with you?” he mused softly. He held a hand above her. “Show me your dream,” he whispered.
A scene appeared in the air, and he watched as she dreamed. She dreamed of returning to the abandoned church, of receiving word of Brian’s death, and of breaking down and crying heavily.
“I see,” Mephistopheles said as he made the dream vanish. “So you do have feelings for that young man.” He paused for a minute as he thought. “I have an idea,” he finally said, and a devilish grin formed on his face. “I’ll see you in the morning, my dear.”
On the street outside Thalia, a young, brown-haired man in dusty pants and shirt stood staring at the walls of the city. To his back was strapped a sword. He had no other possessions on his person.
“So, this is the place,” he said. “Not much to look at, is it, Poe?”
A black raven landed on his shoulder and cawed.
“Well, let’s go,” the young man said. “Time’s a-waistin’.”
The man and his bird walked into Thalia.
To be continued…
Hunter/Hunted
The Key sequel, part 4
“MARLOWE!” yelled the dark-haired man on the skeleton throne.
“Yes, Lord Lucifer?” said the disembodied voice.
“Report!”
“Yes, Lord Lucifer. So far, the plan seems to be working. Mephistopheles has a succubus corrupting the soul of the lead Hunter, and is working on corrupting the soul of the nun who is the Hunters’s advisor. Can you not feel it, milord? The corruption of these good souls should be giving you more strength than that which you receive from the demon’s work.”
“Yes, of course I feel it, Marlowe. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t imagining things. Soon, I will have enough strength to set my new plan for world domination into action. And this time, there is no Key to stop me. MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”
A young, brown-haired man with a sword strapped to his back and big black bird sitting on his shoulder stopped outside an abandoned church. The early morning sun reflected off the cross on the steeple.
“They’re in here?” he asked.
The bird cawed.
“Well, it’s certainly one of the safer places for them to use. It’s consecrated ground. Demons won’t enter it.” He looked at the bird. “Good thing we’re not demons. Right, Poe?”
Jason Peterson and four other men entered the abandoned church. They all looked dirty and tired. Jason headed for the study as the men with him headed for the kitchen.
Jason knocked on the door.
“Come in,” said a voice behind the door.
Jason opened the door and entered.
Seated behind the desk was a man in his sixties. In a chair in front of the desk sat a young, brown-haired man. A big black raven sat on the youngster’s shoulder.
“Ah, Jason, good,” said the old man. “Welcome back, my boy.”
“Thank you, Nicodemus,” said Jason. “Um, who’s this?” he asked, indicating the young man by a wave of his hand.
The young man stood up. “My name is Chris.” He pointed to the raven. “And this is Poe. We’re here to help you.”
“Uh…okay. Nice to meet you, Chris.” Jason turned to Nicodemus. “Sir, have you heard from Brian?”
“No, I haven’t. Why do you ask?”
“Well, he didn’t show up for patrol last night. The last I saw him was when we saw Sister Harmony off yesterday morning. He hasn’t contacted me or anything.”
“That’s strange,” Nicodemus said. “It’s not like him to miss a patrol. Do you think something could have happened to him?”
“I don’t know. I hope not.”
“Do you have any idea where he would have gone after seeing Sister Harmony off?”
“Well, the whole team was pretty beat after our patrol. He may have gone home to get some sleep. But it’s not like him to sleep so long.” He was silent for a moment. “Sir, if it’s all right with you, I’d like to take a small team to Brian’s apartment and check it out. I have a feeling something’s not right.”
Nicodemus nodded. “As do I. Permission granted.”
“May I go along?” the young man asked.
Jason turned to him and studied him for a moment. He noticed the sword strapped to his back. “You said your name’s Chris?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, Chris, you have a sword there. Can you use it?”
“Yes, sir! Very well, sir!”
“Good. You might need it if something’s up at Brian’s.”
Sister Harmony brought her rental car to a stop at the doors of a monestary out in the middle of deserted farmland. Not far away from the back of the monestary, a forest started. Sister Harmony parked the car and climbed out.
“I didn’t think I’d ever come to this place again so soon,” she said aloud as she gazed at the old stone building.
Memories flooded her mind. Memories of Anya, Brian, and Jason searching with her for the Scepter of Divinity. Memories of General Marttin chasing them. Memories of Anya finding her powers as the Key. And memories of Anya at the monestary, fighting the General, who was really the Devil Incarnate, and of her sacrificing herself to save the world.
“Nor did I,” said a man’s voice behind her suddenly.
She gasped and turned around.
A handsome blonde man, not quite thirty years old, stood before her.
“Brian!” she said in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“I thought you’d come here,” the man said. “So I came, too. I got here last night. I’ve been waiting for you.”
“But why? Why did you come? Did you come to help me search for answers?”
“Yes, but not to the questions you think.”
“What do you mean?”
Brian’s eyes flashed red briefly, and Sister Harmony’s eyes lost focus. Then he wrapped her in his arms and kissed her.
Jason knocked on the door of Brian’s apartment. Chris stood behind him, along with Josh and another man, Phillip.
There was no answer.
Jason tried the handle, and found it locked. He shrugged, and kicked the door in. The team stormed inside.
All seemed normal to the team. Nothing out of the ordinary.
Except the faint moaning from the bedroom.
Jason motioned the team to be silent, and they moved to the bedroom. The sight took them completely by surprise.
On the bed, a dark, naked lady lay atop a naked, sleeping Brian, and was obviously busy with him.
“Unh…Harmony…” Brian moaned.
Jason found it quite odd, because the lady looked nothing like Sister Harmony.
“All right, that’s enough!” Jason yelled.
The naked woman stopped what she was doing and turned to him with an angry hiss. Her eyes blazed red, and her snarl revealed fangs in her small mouth.
“What in the hell?” Jason said in shock.
“Hell is right,” Chris said. “Poe!” he called.
The raven cawed and flew at the woman, clawing at her with its feet. While she was preoccupied with keeping the raven away by swinging her arms at the bird, Chris drew his sword.
“Demon, return to the Hell from which you came!” Chris called.
Then he charged at the woman. With a swing of his sword, he sliced her head off. Instantly, she turned into a pile of ash.
Chris sheathed his sword and turned to Jason and the others. Poe returned to Chris’s shoulder.
“What…” Jason said.
“That was a succubus,” Chris said. “A demon that plays and preys on a man’s lust.”
Brian groaned, and slowly woke up. As he sat up, he noticed with surprise that he was naked. He also noticed the pile of ash on the bed. Ash that was familiar.
“What in the hell?” he asked.
“Hell’s right,” Jason said.
“A succubus was having fun with you,” Chris said.
Brian turned to him. “Who are you?”
“My name’s Chris. And the raven is Poe. We’re here to help you.”
“Okay…And you said a succubus was…”
“Yes.”
“And you said something about…Harmony…while you were out of it,” Jason added with a small, wry grin.
“I…did?” Brian said.
Jason nodded.
Brian held his forehead in the palm of his hand. “Don’t anyone say anything about this. Ever. And certainly not to Sister Harmony.”
The others nodded.
“Good. Now, let’s get back to the church.” He looked at Chris. “You, kid, I want to have a talk with. I want to know all about you.”
Chris nodded.
Brian looked around his bed. “Now, where are my clothes?”
To be continued…
Hunter/Hunted
The Key sequel, part 5
“MARLOWE!” yelled the man on the skeleton throne.
“Yes, Lord Lucifer?” the disembodied voice said.
“Report!”
“Yes, milord. The succubus Mephistopheles employed to corrupt the lead Hunter has been destroyed. But his efforts with the nun seem to be going well.”
“Good. I did sense a drop in the strength I was receiving. But I am still close to being strong enough to begin my plan. Soon, if all goes well with the nun, I will be ready. Return to your watch, Marlowe.”
Sister Harmony awoke in the grass. The first thing she noticed was that her clothes were no longer on her. The second thing she noticed was a handsome blonde man sitting beside her. She smiled at him.
“Did you sleep well?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said.
“What do you say we go home?”
“Okay. But first…”
“Yes?”
“Do that to me again, Brian.”
He smiled at her. “Gladly.”
He leaned over her. His eyes flashed red briefly, and then he proceeded to fulfill her request.
The church room that used to be a priest’s study was crowded. A man of about sixty sat behind the desk. He was Nicodemus, the leader of the whole group of Demon Hunters. In the chairs across from him sat Jason Peterson and Brian Hawthorne. They had their chairs turned around to face the closed door. In front of the door stood a young brown-haired man in dusty clothes. He had a sword strapped to his back. A raven sat on his shoulder, gazing at Brian, Jason, and Nicodemus with an almost calculating look in its glassy black eyes.
“Now, then, Chris,” Brian said to the young man. “You seem to know more than you should. Tell us. Who exactly are you, and what are you doing here?”
“Yes,” Jason said. “Please, tell us.”
Nicodemus just nodded his concurrence to their statements.
“Well, sirs,” Chris said. “I’m afraid it’s a bit of long story. Maybe I should just give you the highlights?”
“That’s fine,” Brian said.
“Okay. Well, my name is Chris, and the raven is Poe. And we’re here to help you.”
“Yes, we know all that,” Jason said. “What else can you tell us?”
“Poe and I have been wandering around, hunting demons, for about four years now.”
“Really?” Nicodemus said. “And how did you get involved in that?”
“It was really the strangest thing,” Chris said. “I was outside one day, just walking along, when this lady suddenly appeared from out of nowhere. She was a beautiful blonde, only maybe twenty years old, dressed in a white gown. She had a kind of glow about her… Anyway, she put a hand on my arm, and a jolt went through me. Then she pulled a sword from somewhere, and put it in my hand. Then she told me, ‘Chris, you have been given a great power and knowledge. Use it in the cause of all that is good and holy. This bird will be your guide.’ Then she simply vanished. And then Poe landed on my shoulder.”
“A blonde?” Brian thought. “About twenty years old? Could it have been Anya?”
“That is really weird,” Jason said.
“How did you find us?” Nicodemus asked.
“I had a dream a few nights ago. I don’t really remember what it was. But it gave me a feeling that I needed to be somewhere, helping some people who were doing what I was doing. I had the feeling even after I woke up, and continued to have it. So I followed that feeling until I got here.”
“I see. That explains a lot,” Brian said. “But how…”
The door opening cut him off. Josh poked his head in.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Josh said. “But Sister Harmony’s back, and…well, you have to this for yourself.”
Brian and Jason leaped from their seats and rushed out of the room. Chris and Nicodemus followed.
Sister Harmony stood on the front steps and stared at the door to the abandoned church. She didn’t remember how she got there, but there she was. She took the hand of the blonde man beside her, opened the door, and went inside.
She entered the sanctuary, where the Demon Hunters gathered. Everyone gasped when they saw her with Brian. Josh got up from his seat and ran off.
A minute later, the men from the study entered the sanctuary. They came to a sudden halt when they saw Sister Harmony and her companion.
“What the…” Jason said.
Sister Harmony stared at them in confusion. “Brian?” she said. “I…I don’t understand. How can you be there…” She turned to the man besider her. The man no longer was a blonde. He had dark hair and wore a black tuxedo and cape. Her eyes widened in shock. “…and here?” She finished the sentence, then fainted.
The man laughed. “It’s simple, really,” he said. “I’m not Brian. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mephistopheles. I am one of Lord Lucifer’s high demons.”
Gasps echoed in the sanctuary.
Brian, Jason, Nicodemus, Chris, and Josh just stared at him in dumbfoundment.
To be continued…
Hunter/Hunted
The Key sequel, part 6
“What?!” Jason said as he looked at the man in the tuxedo standing in the middle of the sanctuary of the Demon Hunters’s abandoned church. “How can he…I don’t understand. I thought a demon couldn’t cross onto holy ground, or come out during the day.”
“Normal demons like those you have been hunting can’t,” Chris explained. “But the high demons Beelzebub and Mephistopheles are much stronger than them. They are second in power only to Lucifer.”
“Lucifer?” Jason said, confused again. “Who’s Lucifer?”
Brian turned sharply to look at him, his eyes wide with surprise. “Don’t you know anything about religion, Jason? Lucifer is Satan, the Devil. He’s THE fallen angel.” Jason still looked slightly confused, so Brian tried a different explanation. “He’s the guy that Anya fought. The guy who masqueraded as General Marttin.”
“Ooooohhhhh…”
Brian turned to Mephistopheles. “Why are you here?” he asked. “And why were you disguised as me?”
“I am here as a collection agent for Lord Lucifer.”
“Collection agent? Collecting what?”
“Why, power of course. Lord Lucifer needs to regain his strength so he can implement his new plan. And you Hunters are in the way of that. So I was sent to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.”
“Huh?” Jason said.
“By corrupting the souls of two particular Hunters, Lord Lucifer’s strength has been increased greatly. And when I get rid of the rest of you, his power will increase even more.”
“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that, Mephistopheles,” Chris said. “I’ve been looking forward to the day that I would confront you. I just didn’t think it would be this soon.”
“What are you talking about, boy?” Mephistopheles said. “Who are you?”
“The name’s Chris.” He pointed to a raven sitting on his shoulder. “And that’s Poe. And we’re just some lowly demon hunters.”
Mephistopheles chuckled. “Just some lowly demon hunters, huh? I think not. I think there’s something more about you. You seem to know more about demons than this ragtag group does. Let’s see if I’m right, and just how much you know.”
“Fine by me.” Chris drew his sword from the sheath strapped to his back, and Poe flew up to the rafters. “When I give the word,” he said softly to the men beside him, “get Sister Harmony to safety. And whatever you do, don’t let the demon leave the church. Keep him here, where his power will be weakened.”
“But what are you…” Jason said.
Chris ignored him and stood on guard with his sword held before him. Brian could have sworn he saw a white glow surround Chris and the sword. All of the other Hunters in the sanctuary ran out the nearest door.
“Get ready,” Chris whispered.
Mephistopheles grinned wickedly and raised a palm towards Chris, Jason, Brian, Nicodemus, and Josh. Black lightning flickered around the demon’s hand.
“POE!” Chris called.
The raven cawed from the rafters, then swooped down and circled Mephistopheles’s head with extended claws. Distracted, the demon fired his lightning bolt towards the raven. It missed, and struck the roof of the sanctuary, blasting a hole clean through the wood.
“Now,” Chris said.
Then he charged at the demon. At the same time, Brian ran to Sister Harmony, who lay in a faint on the ground near Mephistopheles. He scooped her up in his arms and carried her off.
When Brian was clear, Poe returned to the rafters and Chris struck. He swung his sword at Mephistopheles. The blade sliced the demon clean in half.
Or at least it would have if it hadn’t hit an invisible barrier.
Chris’s arms vibrated from the shock of the blade hitting the barrier.
“What the…” he said in surprise. Then he understood. “Oh, I see. You used your hellish power to put up a force field. A Soul Shield, I believe it’s called. Made from the drained power of the poor souls trapped in Hell.”
“Yes, that’s right,” Mephistopheles said. “I knew you know more about us than the others do.”
Chris ignored the last statement. “The Shield is a coward’s move,” he said. “Don’t you think you’re strong enough to take me on without it, even in a church?”
“Perhaps,” Mephistopheles said. “After all, you are just a puny human. Even if you are different from the others.”
Mephistopheles lowered his shield, at the same time shooting off another black lightning bolt.
Chris easily blocked it with his sword. The blade seemed to glow white and absorb the lighning bolt.
“Care to try again?” Chris said.
Mephistopheles frowned. He fired off two more bolts, one to each side of Chris. Chris easily blocked both. Again the blade seemed to absorb the bolts. Feeling frustrated, Mephistopheles loosed a half dozen bolts of black lightning. Chris, his movements a blur to the four men watching the fight in awe, blocked all six bolts. Then, in a move too fast for even the demon to see, he ran his blade through Mephistopheles’s chest.
The demon’s head titled back, and he roared. It was a noise that sounded like it came from the bowels of Hell itself. Black flames seemed to surround him, and a moment later, he was gone. All that remained was a pile of ash.
Chris sheathed his sword. Poe flew down and settled on his shoulder. He turned to face the four men, who stared at him, dumbstruck.
Brian and Nicodemus both opened their mouths to say something, but another voice interrupted.
“You may have defeated Mephistopheles,” the disembodied voice of Marlowe said. “But the true battle is just beginning. Lord Lucifer has all the strength he needs to begin his plan. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!” Then Marlowe left.
Chris and the others looked at each other. The same unspoken question was in each other’s eyes: “What was that demonic voice talking about?”
To be continued…
Hunter/Hunted
The Key sequel, part 7
Sister Harmony stirred slightly, then woke up. The first thing she noticed was that she was being cradled in the arms of Brian Hawthorne. A very bright blush formed on her face.
“HEY!” she said. “What do you think you’re doing?! Put me down!”
Brian looked down at the redheaded woman he had almost forgotten he held, and his eyes widened. “OH!” he said, blushing. “I’m sorry, Sister.”
He walked away from the sanctuary’s door and sat Sister Harmony down in a pew. She sighed and straightened her white nun’s habit. Nicodemus, Jason Peterson, Josh, and Chris smiled in amusement. Jason suppressed a chuckle. The raven sitting on Chris’s shoulder watched the two with only slight interest.
“What happened?” Sister Harmony asked. “Who was that man that pretended to be Brian? And how did he do it? And why?”
“Before we answer that, Sister Harmony,” Chris said, “how are you doing?”
“I’m all right,” she said to Chris. “Still shocked and confused, but coping.” Then she did a doubletake. “Wait a minute. You know who I am, but I’ve never seen you before. Who are you?”
Chris opened his mouth to answer, but Brian beat him to it. “His name is Chris,” Brian said, “and the raven is Poe. They showed up just before you got back. He claims to be a demon hunter. But there’s more to him. We’re still trying to figure out just exactly what that is.”
Sister Harmony took a long, hard look at Chris. She felt a small tingling sensation in the back of her mind. “I…I sense…power…a very strong power…” she said. “There is definitely something about him. But I can’t tell if it’s good or bad.” A puzzled look crossed her face after saying that last part, and she carefully thought about it.
“Don’t worry,” Chris said. “It’s good. I’m here to help you all.”
“So you say,” Jason said suspiciously.
Chris turned to Jason. “Hey, I killed Mephistopheles and that other demon, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did. But how do we know that you aren’t some high demon yourself and that this isn’t all some elaborate hellish ruse of Lucifer’s to get us to let our guard down around you so you can get rid of us?”
“WHAT?! I told you what happened to me. That weird lady in white gave me power and a sword to fight evil with!”
“Yeah, but you could have made that story up.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t!”
“How do we know that? We have only your word.”
Chris growled. The look that passed between him and Jason was not friendly.
“You know, it’s odd…” Sister Harmony began, interrupting the two before they could come to blows.
“What’s odd?” Jason asked.
“I should be able to tell whether Chris has good or evil intentions. Why can’t I?”
“Well,” Chris said, “Mephistopheles said something about corrupting the souls of two Hunters. I know who one is. I’m willing to bet that the other is you. Being a nun and all, you’d be a great choice for the demon. And not to mention, you walked into the church with him.”
“But…how could he… Oh…”
She trailed off as she remembered that Mephistopheles had pretended to be Brian. She stole a glance at Brian, and felt her face grow warm. Then she knew. Something had happened while she was gone. She couldn’t remember what. But something. Something between her and someone whom she had thought was Brian. Something that wasn’t right for a nun. And the someone had been a demon, also. Oh, yes, she realized. Her soul had definitely been corrupted. Not totally. But enough for whatever reason that the demon had for doing it to her. And enough that God took away some of her privileges as one of his servants.
“Who was the other?” she asked. “Who else did the demon corrupt?”
Jason, Josh, Brian, and Chris looked at each other briefly.
“He asked that it be kept secret,” Chris said.
But Sister Harmony has seen the look. And somehow, she knew it was Brian who had been corrupted. And that made her feel terrible.
“Okay,” she said, trying not to think about Brian’s condition. “So, do we know why this demon…Mephistopheles you said he was called?”
Chris and the others nodded.
“Okay, so do we know why Mephistopheles did this?”
“He claimed to be collecting power for Lucifer,” Brian said.
“Why?” Sister Harmony asked.
“Well, this other demon that showed up briefly after Mephistopheles was killed said that Lucifer had enough power to implement a new plan,” Josh said.
“Other demon?” Sister Harmony said. “What did it look like?”
Brian shrugged. “It had no body or anything. It was just a demonic voice.”
“Oh. Well, I don’t like this. Lucifer has a new plan, and has enough strength to put it into action. And we don’t have Anya now. We don’t have a Key to fight Lucifer again.”
“No,” Nicodemus said. “We don’t have a Key. But we do have Chris.”
They all looked at Chris. He looked at the ground and shuffled his feet, suddenly feeling embarassed by all the attention.
“Chris,” Nicodemus continued, “who seems to have some great power, and has knowledge about demons beyond our own. With his help, we may be able to prevent Lucifer from carrying out whatever plan he has.”
“Yes…” Sister Harmony said thoughfully as she took another long, hard look at the young man and the bird sitting on his shoulder. “But can we trust him? And what is Lucifer’s plan?”
“That, my dear,” Nicodemus said somberly, “is what we need to find out.”
In the dark throne room of Lucifer’s castle, the lord of Hell sat on his skeleton throne.
“MARLOWE!” he called into the darkness.
“Yes, Lord Lucifer?” said the disembodied voice.
“Go to Beelzebub. Tell him to get ready. We will begin the first phase shortly.”
“Yes, Lord Lucifer.”
Marlowe left to carry out his orders.
Lucifer sat on his throne and stared into the dark room. “Yes,” he said. “Soon, I will begin my plan to make the world mine. And this time, there is no Key to stop me. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!”
To be continued…
Hunter/Hunted
The Key sequel, part 8
“MARLOWE!!” yelled the man with long black hair and a black robe who sat on the skeleton throne in the dark room.
“Yes, Lord Lucifer?” answered the disembodied voice of the summoned demon.
“Is Beelzebub ready?”
“Ready and awaiting your command, Lord Lucifer.”
“Good. Shortly, you shall relay my command to him. Go now, Marlowe, and wait for my orders.”
Sister Harmony tossed and turned in her bed, in the throws of a dream.
Her dream began as a memory of when she stood in front of the monestary, reminiscing and Brian – or whom she had thought was Brian walked up behind her. She turned to face him, startled but happy. Then the scene froze. A blonde, twentyish woman in a white robe appeared in the dream beside her. She had a glow about her. Sister Harmony recognized her.
“Anya!” her dreamself cried.
“Hello, Sister Harmony.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I’ve come to help you. You are in a quandry. You feel confused about many things.”
“Yes, I do. How did you know?”
Anya ignored her question. “I’ve come to clarify some things. First, you must remember what happened to you. Thus, this dream. Mephistopheles came to you as Brian and used you. He corrupted you. He took advantage of your hidden feelings for Brian.” Anya unfroze the scene, and Harmony watched as “Brian” and a dream copy of herself made love on the grass outside the monestary. And the copy of herself seemed to enjoy it immensely. “You must repent for this,” Anya said, “and tell Brian how you feel. As long as you keep your feelings locked up inside, the sin of this scene will fester within you, and you will continue to be punished by God and your group will be without your full powers – and those powers will be needed soon.”
“But, I’m a nun. I vowed…”
“That is all right. God intended for you and Brian to be together. He has plans for the two of you.”
“Well…uh…okay…Sooooo, what else did you want to clarify?”
“Trust in Chris. He will help you. It is his destiny to do so. That is why God asked me to give him the sword and the power and knowledge he would need. Now, I must go.”
“Wait! Anya, can you tell me what Lucifer has planned?”
“I’m sorry, Sister Harmony. Now, good-bye. And God bless you.”
Anya vanished.
Sister Harmony sat bolt upright in her bed, wide-awake.
“Oh, my…” she said. She bowed her head and folded her hands in front of her. “God, forgive me. Please. I had no idea it wasn’t Brian. And I was unaware of my feelings. Please, I beg you. Forgive me.”
She felt a weight removed from her, and she lifted her head. Tears trickled down her cheeks. “Thank you, Lord. Thank you.” She got up from bed and threw on a nightrobe. “Now to find Brian and tell him…everything.”
Brian tossed in his bed. He dreamed again of the time he and Jason were seeing Sister Harmony off. The scene froze at the point where Brian and Sister Harmony stared at each other, just after they had asked each other to be careful.
“You love her.”
The woman’s voice said it as a statement of fact, not a question. The voice came from beside dream-Brian. He turned to look. A blonde woman of about twenty stood there, wearing a white robe. She had a glow about her.
“ANYA!” said Brian.
“You must tell her, Brian. Repent to God and tell Sister Harmony everything. If you don’t, the unspoken love you have for her will fester in your soul, making the corruption from the succubus that Mephistopheles sent grow.”
“But, it’s not right. She’s a nun…”
“It’s right. Don’t worry. God intended for you to love her. He wants you two to be together. He has plans for the two of you.”
“What kind of plans?”
Anya shook her head. “Only God can know that. I have only one other thing to tell you, then I must go.”
“What?”
“Trust Chris. The story he told you was true .”
“You mean, that really was you who visited him?”
“Yes. Now, good-bye, Brian. And God bless.”
Anya vanished.
Brian sat up in bed, wide-awake.
He bowed his head. “God, forgive me. I did not know.”
Brian felt a weight removed from him. He lifted his head. “Thank you, God. Thank you.”
A knock sounded at his door.
“Come,” he called.
The door opened. Sister Harmony entered the room.
“What can I do for you, Sister?” Brian asked.
“I…I have something to tell you.”
“All right. I was about to come looking for you myself, anyway. I wanted to tell you something, too.” He looked around his room. “I’d offer you a chair, but I don’t have one. How about taking a seat on the bed?”
“That’s fine.”
She walked over and sat on the bed beside Brian.
“What did you want to tell me?” Brian asked.
“Well, it’s about what happened when I went off the other day. What happened between me and…the demon that I thought was you. I…We…Well, he knew something that I didn’t at the time, and took full physical advantage of that.”
“What did he know?”
“That…I…” She looked at him, and blushed.
Brian smiled. “He seems to have known something similar about me, Harmony. He sent a demon after me, too, to take full advantage of that knowledge, as well.”
The fact that he left the title “Sister” off that time wasn’t lost on her one bit. “You mean…” she said.
Brian nodded. “I love you, Harmony. I have for a long time now. I just didn’t know it. Or I didn’t want to admit it. But I do, now. I love you.”
Sister Harmony cried. “I…I love you, too, Brian. For the longest time, I have. But I was afraid to admit it, because I’m a nun. But Anya came to me in a dream, and told me it was all right.”
“She came to me, too, and told me the same thing.”
“Oh, Brian!” Sister Harmony smiled brightly. “Then this must truly be right!”
“Yes, it must be, Harmony.”
Brian smiled, and embraced her. They kissed, and slowly, Brian lowered her to the bed.
A redheaded man of about thirty years of age stood on a mountaintop high above western Calenda. He wore a robe of pitch black that fluttered in the breeze.
To the people of Calenda, the mountain was an extinct volcano that posed no threat. They were about to find out the truth of just how very wrong they were.
“Beelzebub,” said a disembodied voice beside the man.
“Yes, Marlowe?”
“Lord Lucifer says you may begin.”
Beelzebub grinned evilly. “Terrific. Thank you, Marlowe. Will you stay to watch and enjoy the show?”
“Of course I will.”
Beelzebub’s grin grew bigger. “Then…heh...sit back and watch, Marlowe. Because it’s show time!”
Beelzebub faced the mountain peak and raised his arms. “Juusa Maatva Incarrast Nabbav!” he intoned in a deep voice. “Awaken, Stryfe, and come forth to do your Lord Lucifer’s bidding!”
At first, nothing happened. Then, barely noticeable at first but quickly gaining in strength and ferocity, the volcano shook.
“MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!” Beelzebub and Marlowe both laughed madly.
To be continued…
Hunter/Hunted
The Key sequel, part 9
The redheaded man in the pitch-black robe stood atop the trembling mountain, laughing like a maniac. A voice without a body laughed along with him.
Suddenly, a man with long black hair and a robe blacker than that of the redheaded man appeared on the mountain.
“Beelzebub, Marlowe,” he said. “Enough laughing.”
The laughing stopped. “Yes, Lord Lucifer,” the redheaded man and the disembodied voice said.
“It is time,” Lucifer said.
He raised his arms up high. “Lazar!” he called out.
The top of the mountain exploded, sending up a huge cloud of dust and rock, and revealing a huge crater.
A loud roar echoed up from the crater. A minute later, the head of a black dragon emerged.
“Ah, Stryfe,” Lucifer said proudly. “My dear pet. It’s been too long. Come, let us have some fun.”
The dragon roared, and with a beat of leathery wings, it rose up into the sky. Lucifer vanished from the mountain, and reappeared an instant later seated on the dragon’s back. “Go!” Lucifer said.
In a room in an abandoned church in Thalia, a young brown-haired man slept. On a wooden perch beside the bed, a black raven slept.
Suddenly, the raven awoke. It hopped back and forth along its perch and cawed wildly. Then it spread its wings and flew around the room before heading out the door.
The raven’s cawing woke the man. “Poe?” he asked drowsily. “What’s wrong? Poe?” As the raven flew out of the room, Chris jumped out of bed. “Poe! Come back!” He ran out of the room after the raven. “POE!”
Jason and Josh paused outside the church with Mike, Ryan, and Jimmy, to take a breather after their night’s patrol and to watch the sunrise.
They all jumped when they heard a raven caw and saw Poe fly out of the hole in the roof over the sanctuary. They jumped even higher when the church door flew open and Chris came charging out.
“POE!” Chris called, running after the bird.
“Chris!” Jason called, running after the brown-haired man. “Wait! He’s too far away! You’ll never catch him!” Jason caught up to Chris and grabbed his arm, bringing the young man to a halt. “Look. Poe’s heading for Calenda. We’ll find him later. Let’s get Brian and the others and let them know something’s up.”
Brian lay in bed, staring fondly at the redheaded woman sleeping in his arms. Slowly, she stirred awake. She looked up at him, and smiled.
“You’re still here,” she said. “I wasn’t dreaming after all, Brian. I’m so glad.”
“No, you weren’t dreaming, Harmony,” Brian said. “And besides, where would I go? You’re in my bed, after all.”
She smiled, and kissed him.
A knock at the front door of the apartment interrupted them before they go further. Brian groaned and got up from bed. He threw on a pair of pants and left the bedroom to answer the door.
“This had better be good,” he said as he opened the door. Jason, Josh, Chris, and Nicodemus stood on his doorstep with serious expressions on their faces. Brian noticed Poe wasn’t sitting on Chris’s shoulder. He frowned. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Something’s come up,” Jason said. “And Sister Harmony’s not at the church. Do you have any idea where…”
He trailed off as he saw a redheaded woman come out of Brian’s bedroom with a sheet wrapped around her naked body.
“What’s going on?” the woman asked.
“Ohhh…” Jason said, understanding. “Sorry to interrupt, Brian.” He waved to the woman. “Good morning, Sister Harmony.”
The men looked at her, and saw that her eyes were unfocused. Brian and Jason understood instantly that she was using her mystical powers to sense…whatever.
“Something bad has happened,” she said as her eyes regained their focus. “Something very bad. We have to hurry and find Poe.”
The others nodded agreement.
Brian and Sister Harmony returned to the bedroom and dressed. Then the group left the apartment.
As they stepped out onto the street, their eyes were instantly drawn to a big black object flying in the distant sky over Calenda.
“What is that?” Brian asked.
Chris stared at it, and his face paled. “It…it can’t be,” he said.
“What?” Jason asked.
“He… he wouldn’t,” Chris said, ignoring Jason.
“Who?” Jason said. “And what wouldn’t he do?”
“Lucifer,” Chris said, taking his eyes from the huge flying object. His face held an extremely serious look. “He…He’s revived Stryfe.”
Sister Harmony gasped.
“Stryfe?” Josh asked.
“Who or what is Stryfe?” Nicodemus asked.
“Lucifer’s pet dragon,” Chris said. “The Dragon of Destruction.”
The men gulped audibly.
To be continued…
Hunter/Hunted
The Key sequel, part 10
“All right,” Nicodemus said, folding his hands in front of him, “someone tell me exactly what’s going on.”
He sat behind his desk again. Chris and Sister Harmony sat in the chairs in front of him. Brian stood behind Sister Harmony, who had stopped in her room briefly to put on her usual white nun’s habit. Josh and Jason stood by the closed door of the study.
“As I said before,” Chris said, “Lucifer has revived his pet, Stryfe, the Dragon of Destruction.”
“And that’s bad why?” Jason asked.
Sister Harmony turned to look at Jason. “With the Dragon of Destruction under his control once again, Lucifer has the ability to destroy the entire world.”
“Again?”
“Well, according to ancient scriptures…long ago, Lucifer used Stryfe to wage war on Heaven. The Archangel Michael managed to subdue Stryfe and imprison him on Earth, but I don’t know where. But Lucifer now has found him and freed him. And I’m guessing he’s going to use Stryfe to destroy the world so he can take it over easily.”
“Ohhhh…” Jason said. “That is bad.”
Chris and Sister Harmony nodded.
“So, how do we stop Lucifer?” Josh asked.
“Good question,” Nicodemus asked. “Anyone have any ideas?”
Shrugs all around were the only reply. Except from Chris.
“Simple,” Chris said. “We subdue and imprison Stryfe again.”
Everyone stared at the young man as if he’d suddenly grown another head.
“Uh…and just HOW do we do that, Chris?” Jason asked.
“Ummmm…I’m not sure yet,” the young man replied humbly.
Jason held his forehead in his hand. “Naturally…” he muttered under his breath. He looked up at Brian and Sister Harmony. “And you say we’re supposed to TRUST this guy?”
Brian and Sister Harmony nodded.
“That’s what Anya told us in our dreams,” Brian said.
Jason sighed. “Why do I have a bad feeling about this?” he said softly.
Meanwhile, over the skies of Calenda, a huge black dragon circled lazily, awaiting a command from the man in the black robe riding him. On the streets below, the people in the various towns and cities stood staring in horror at the giant flying lizard…and the cloud of ash spewing forth from what they had believed to be an extinct volcano.
The man on the dragon’s back laughed madly. “There,” Lucifer said, pointing to a little farming town. “Attack, Stryfe! Burn it to the ground!”
The dragon reared its head and roared. Then it dived towards the town.
Townspeople screamed and ran as the dragon flew down towards their town. The dragon’s mouth opened wide and spat forth bolts of lightning that struck the ground and buildings, setting them afire. Some people also got hit by the lightning and the fell to the ground with screams of agony.
Stryfe made several such passes over the town, until the entire place was aflame.
Lucifer laughed wildly.
“Well done, Stryfe,” he said as the dragon returned to the sky. “Let the Hunters come. Let them try to stop me. I know they will. And you, my pet, will do to them just what you did to the town. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!”
“But what about Poe?” Chris asked. “Shouldn’t we go after him?”
“Hmmm…” Nicodemus said. “I had forgotten about the raven.”
“Hey,” Josh said. “You think Poe knew something was up? I mean, he took off so suddenly. And he headed for Calenda. And that dragon was flying in the sky over Calenda…”
“Well, he certainly seemed agitated when he woke me up with his cawing,” Chris said. “He may well have sensed Lucifer’s activities.”
The others looked thoughtful.
“I say we go after the bird,” Brian said.
“I agree,” Sister Harmony said. “Poe was given to Chris as a guide. We should heed what the raven evidently has told us – that something is happening in Calenda.”
“Very well,” Nicodemus said. “Go to Calenda after Poe. And may he lead you in whatever direction you must go to stop Lucifer.”
“Yes, sir,” the others said.
They took their leave of Nicodemus.
As the study door closed behind Josh, Nicodemus softly added, “And God bless you all.”
To be continued…
Hunter/Hunted
The Key sequel, part 11
“Milord Lucifer,” said a disembodied voice.
“Yes, Marlowe?” said the man who rode on the back of a big black dragon that was rising up into the sky after burning yet another town in Calenda to the ground.
The landscape of the rural city-state of Calenda now was mostly burning. And lava now flowed down the sides of what the people of Calenda had thought was an extinct volcano but had really been the prison for the black dragon. What survivors there were of the Dragon of Destruction’s attacks headed for Thalia and other neighboring city-states in the hopes of finding some sort of sanctuary.
“My spies report that the Hunters are leaving Thalia even as we speak,” Marlowe said.
“Excellent!” The black-haired man in a black robe smiled fiendishly and stroked the neck of the dragon. “Soon, Stryfe,” he said. “Soon, my pet, you will have your fun with those who stand in my way. But for now, let’s go have some fun with Lys.”
Lucifer directed the dragon to the nearby city-state north of Calenda.
Nicodemus’s favorite black jeep, nicknamed The Crawler, drove out of the city gate of Thalia with Brian behind the wheel. Sister Harmony sat in the passenger’s seat beside him. Jason, Josh, and Chris sat in the back.
“So,” Jason said as they drove down the road, headed for Calenda. “Just how do we find one particular raven? I mean, Calenda is a big place. And there has to be thousands of birds around.”
The jeep rounded a curve…and came to a sudden halt. The three in the back braced themselves so they wouldn’t hit the backs of the front seats too hard.
“HEY!” Jason yelled. “What’s the big idea, Brian?!”
“Look up ahead,” Brian said. “I don’t think we’ll have a hard time finding Poe.”
Everyone stared ahead at the horizon, which was black with smoke and ash from both the volcano and the burning land, and gasped.
“My God!” said Jason.
“I can even smell it,” Josh said. “And there’s something weird about it, too. As if there are two different smokes.”
“I sense great evil around that smoke,” Sister Harmony said. “It gives me chills all over.”
Brian reached over and squeezed her hand reassuringly. She gave him a grateful smile.
“You’re right, Brian,” Chris said. “If we head for the source of that smoke, we’ll find Poe.”
“But we’d better hurry,” Sister Harmony said.
“All right, then,” Brian said.
He stepped on the gas and they tore off down the road.
Lucifer suddenly stopped his mad laughing and sat up straight. “Enough, Stryfe!” he called to the dragon. “They’re coming! Return to Calenda!”
The dragon stopped breathing fire on the Lysian town and gave a long, piercing roar. The buildings shook so violently they crumbled and crashed to the ground. Then ground itself shook and cracked. And then Stryfe pulled back up into the sky turned south toward Calenda.
The Hunters had driven for a couple of hours when they came across a group of a dozen refugees trudging along the road in the direction of Thalia. Brian brought the jeep to a stop, and the refugees paused.
“Hey!” he asked. “Are you all all right?”
“We’re alive,” said an elderly man. “That’s all I can say.”
“What happened?” Jason asked.
“Mount Elissil errupted!” a little boy said, his voice a mix of fear and excitement. “Then a black dragon attacked town after town, burning them to the ground! Everyone ran for their lives!”
“Mount Elissil?” Chris said. “That name sounds familiar…”
“So, where are you all going?” Josh asked.
“We’re headed for Thalia,” said the boy’s mother. “We hope we’ll be safe there.”
“I’m sure you will be,” Sister Harmony said with a reassuring smile. “May God bless you and keep you safe.”
“Thank you, Sister,” said the old man. “And may he do the same for you all.”
“Thank you.”
The refugees continued on, and Brian drove off.
“Where are we going?” Jason asked.
“Mount Elissil,” Brian said. “It sounds like a good spot.”
Stryfe hovered over the now quite active volcano. Lucifer waved a hand, and the flow of lava stopped and hardened into obsidian. Then Stryfe perched on the edge of the crater. Lucifer dismounted.
“BEELZEBUB!” he called out.
A man with long red hair and a black robe not quite as dark as Lucifer’s appeared. “Yes, Lord Lucifer?” he said.
“The Hunters are on their way. I want you to welcome them.”
“With pleasure, Lord Lucifer,” Beelzebub said with a wicked smile.
He bowed to Lucifer, then vanished.
To be continued…
Hunter/Hunted
The Key sequel, part 12
It was early afternoon when The Crawler reached the foot of Mount Elissil. The five Hunters climbed out and looked up towards the peak.
“WOW!” Jason said. “It’s a looooong way up! How are we going to get to the top?”
“There’s a reason we brought The Crawler, Jason,” Brian said. “In case we had to go off road. And it looks like we do."
“Uh…yeah,” Jason said. “Right. I forgot. Okay, then. Let’s do it!”
The team climbed back into the jeep, and Brian shifted the vehicle into four-wheel drive. Before he could step on the gas, though, a redheaded man in a black robe appeared directly in front of the jeep, eliciting startled cries from the Hunters.
“Who the Hell is that?” Josh asked.
“Beelzebub!” Chris spat out. “The most powerful demon after Lucifer, now that Mephistopheles is dead.”
“Ah,” Beelzebub said with a wicked grin. “I see my reputation precedes me. How nice. And who are you, boy, that you would know of me?”
“I’m Chris. A lowly demon hunter.”
Beelzebub shook his head slowly. “No. You’re not lowly. Not if you’ve heard of me and these Hunters haven’t…and if you managed to defeat Mephistopheles. No, you’re not lowly at all, boy. I sense there is something more to you. I sense a very strong power about you.” He paused in contemplation for a moment. “But no matter. Power or no power, you and your friends are going nowhere. I’m your welcoming committee, sent here by Lord Lucifer to welcome you to your graves!”
Beelzebub raised a hand, and red lightning flickered around it.
“Uh-oh!” Jason said. “Everybody out of the pool!”
The Hunters jumped out of the jeep and scattered for safety just as Beelzebub loosed his lightning bolt at The Crawler.
The jeep exploded.
“Oh, no!” Brian said as he and the others regrouped off to the side of the burning wreckage. “Nicodemus isn’t going to be happy about that! I promised him that his jeep wouldn’t get a scratch!”
“He’ll get over it, Brian,” Sister Harmony said.
“I hope so.”
“So, what do we do now?” Jason asked.
“What do you do?” Beelzebub said, overhearing them. “Simple. You all…DIE!”
Red lightning flickered around both of his hands as he raised them high. Then he threw the bolts at the group, which just stood staring at the lightning in fear.
But suddenly, Chris was in front with his sword drawn, and the lightning was absorbed into the glowing white blade that he held before him.
“They won’t die as long as I’m here!” Chris said.
“Oh, HO!” Beelzebub said. “A challenge! Then I accept, human, and you’ll soon wish you hadn’t issued it!”
“On the contrary. You’ll be the one doing the wishing, Beelzebub!”
With that, Chris charged at the demon.
“Chris!” the Hunters called in shock and fear.
Red lightning engulfed the young man at about the same time as he reached the demon.
“CHRIS!” his friends cried out in terror.
Suddenly, a bright white light flashed within the surrounding lightning, and the red lightning vanished. Chris stood, unscathed, before the demon. Beelzebub managed to get a small roar of surprise out before Chris smiled snidely and lopped the demon’s head off.
Beelzebub disintegrated into a pile of ash.
“See,” he told the pile of ash. “I told you so.”
The Hunters ran up to Chris.
“Chris!” Sister Harmony said. “Are you all right?”
The young man returned his sword to the sheath on his back and turned to his friends. “I’m fine,” he said.
The group gasped. Chris looked different. He seemed to have aged about ten years. His hair was longer. And he had a slight glow about him.
“It’s time to go,” he said. “Destiny awaits.”
“Go?” Jason said. “Go where?”
“To the peak, of course. Lucifer and Stryfe are there, waiting for us.”
“And how do we get there?” Josh asked. “The Crawler is history.”
“No problem,” Chris said, his eyes focused on something behind them.
A cawing was heard. The group turned around to see a raven flying towards them. And it was flying fast. The group stepped aside as the raven neared.
Chris spread his arms wide, and Poe’s eyes flashed with a white light. Then the raven flew INTO Chris’s chest…and disappeared without a trace.
Chris’s eyes flashed with a white light, his head tilted back, and he cried out. A white light surrounded him, and a pair of large white feathery wings sprouted from his back.
The Hunters gaped in awe.
Finally, the light died down, and Chris faced his friends.
“Chris?” Brian asked. “What…?”
“My name is not Chris. I am Michael, the Archangel of God.”
“But…how…” Jason said.
“There is not enough time for detailed explanations. Simply put, the young man you knew as Chris was myself born to this world in human form, awaiting the time for my reawakening. Anya began the process, and Poe finished it.”
“That is simply put,” Josh said.
“Okay,” Sister Harmony said. “Now, back to business. How do we get to the peak of this volcano?”
“Simple,” Michael said.
He snapped his fingers.
The group vanished from the foot of Mount Elissil, and reappeared at the top of the volcano to the complete startlement of Lucifer.
The man in the robe that was blacker than pitch stood by a big black dragon and stared at the Hunters in shock.
“What? How?” Then he saw Michael, and he scowled. “YOU!”
“Hello, Lucifer,” Michael said with cocky smile. “Long time no see. Ah, and you’ve found your pet, too. How nice. But I’m afraid the happy reunion will have to end now.”
“Oh, no,” Lucifer said. “You’re not taking Stryfe away from me this time, Michael! This world will be mine! And after it, Heaven! HA HA HA HA HA! Stryfe, ATTACK!”
With a loud roar, the black dragon spread its wings and lifted into the air.
To be concluded…
Hunter/Hunted
The Key sequel, part 13
“Stryfe!” Lucifer called. “ATTACK!”
With a roar, the black dragon spread its wings and lifted up into the sky. Lucifer chuckled madly.
“I’m going to go get a better view,” he said. “I prefer a view from the sidelines so that I can see the whole scene.” He disappeared.
Brian, Jason, Josh, and Sister Harmony stared up at the giant flying lizard circling above them, looking for a good direction to attack them from.
“What are we going to do?” Sister Harmony asked. “How can we fight a dragon?”
“Oh, we can fight it, no problem,” Jason said. “But fighting it and surviving is another matter.”
Sister Harmony looked at him and frowned. “That’s what I meant.”
“Leave this to me,” said the Archangel Michael, who once had been known simply as Chris. “Just find what shelter you can and pray.”
“Are you certain about this?” Brian asked.
Michael nodded. “Yes. There is nothing you can do to successfully fight the dragon, except for praying. The power of your prayers will strengthen me. Now, go!”
Michael spread his wings and flew into the sky, not waiting to hear any further concerns about the plan from the Hunters.
With a simultaneous shrug of shoulders, the Hunters did as the archangel said. They found a large boulder and sat behind it. Sister Harmony led Brian, Jason, and Josh in a group prayer for safety and success for the archangel.
Michael flew up and hovered in front of the dragon’s face. The dragon’s eyes glinted and narrowed. A deep, gutteral growl formed in its throat.
“Ah, so you recognize me, do you, Stryfe?” Michael said with a wry grin. “Good.”
The dragon opened its mouth and spat fire at the angel. Michael easily dodged.
“Oh, come on, Stryfe!” Michael said. “What’s wrong? Have you been asleep too long? You can do better than that!”
The dragon roared. Michael retreated a short distance and Stryfe followed after him. The dragon spat lightning at the angel, and again Michael easily dodged.
“Some Dragon of Destruction you are!” Michael said. “You can’t even hit a moving target!”
Stryfe roared louder and flew faster at the archangel. The angel again retreated back a little. Stryfe’s mouth opened, and a loud, piercing shriek issued forth. Michael groaned and covered his ears. With his concentration gone, the archangel plummeted down towards the volcano. The dragon eagerly dived to follow Michael down.
Sister Harmony and the others looked up from the prayers in time to see Michael’s fall. With simultaneous gasps of fear, they stood up and cried out the angel’s name. Then they began praying again.
Michael fell into the volcano’s crater, and the dragon flew in after him. Michael came to his senses as he was falling towards the large pool of magma at the bottom of the volcano. He looked up to see the black dragon bearing down on him. The angel flapped his wings and took control of his fall, bringing himself to a hovering halt a few feet above the pool of molten rock.
Stryfe was flying too fast, and Michael’s move was too sudden. The dragon roared in anger and flew into the pool of magma.
Michael drew his sword from the sheath on his back. The blade glowed with a bright white light.
Stryfe’s head surfaced with a furious roar. Not hesistating for a moment, Michael swung his sword at the dragon’s head. The dragon’s eyes widened, then the head slid off the dragon’s neck and fell into the magma. Michael flew up and out of the volcano.
Brian, Jason, Josh, and Sister Harmony cheered when they saw the archangel fly out of the volcano and head in their direction. Brian and Sister Harmony celebrated with a kiss.
Michael landed next to the group. He started to tell them what had happened, when Lucifer appeared. He didn’t look too happy.
“YOU!” Lucifer cried out. “You killed my dragon!”
“Sorry, Lucifer,” Michael said, “but it was either him or me. Besides, it was for a good cause.”
“Good cause?!” Lucifer said. “HA! Well, no matter. I will take over this world without Stryfe. But first, since you took my pet away from me permanently…I will take something in return!”
Before anyone could blink, Lucifer grabbed Sister Harmony and vanished. The two reappeared in the air above the volcano’s crater.
“HARMONY!” Brian called out.
“BRIAN!” the nun called in return, her fear quite evident in her voice.
“Lucifer!” Michael called. “Let her go, now!”
“As you wish,” Lucifer said…and dropped Sister Harmony into the volcano.
Jason and Josh gasped.
“NOOOO!” Brian yelled.
Michael frowned, and disappeared. He reappeared inside the volcano, below Sister Harmony, and caught her in his arms. He then vanished and returned to the Hunters. He handed the nun over to the eager arms of Brian, who then held her tightly as she cried into his shoulder.
“That was uncalled for, Lucifer!” Michael called to the madly laughing man floating over the volcano.
“But you said to let her go, Michael,” Lucifer said. “I only did as you requested.”
“That wasn’t what I meant, and you know it!”
“Perhaps. But it’s what you said. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a world to conquer.”
Lucifer laughed and raised his arms high. The ground began to quake.
“Lucifer!” Michael called. “I cannot allow you to do this!”
“And how are you going to stop me, Michael? You may have been able to defeat Mephistopheles, Beelzebub, and Stryfe, but your power is nothing compared to mine!”
Michael gritted his teeth and clenched his fists in frustration. He knew Lucifer was right. Lucifer’s power was nigh on close to God’s, and Michael was only an archangel.
“How are we going to stop him?” Jason asked.
“I…I don’t know,” Michael said.
“WHAT?!” the others cried out.
“I’m not strong enough to defeat Lucifer. I’d need the power of God Himself to pull it off.”
Suddenly, the ground stopped shaking. Actually, everything around the Hunters stopped as time itself was paused.
“Then do as I say,” said a woman’s voice inside the heads of Michael and the Hunters.
“Huh?” Jason said. “Anya, is that you?”
“Yes, Jason,” said the woman’s voice. “Now, if you do as I say, you all can defeat Lucifer.”
“Okay,” Brian said. “What do we do?”
“Each of you, call upon the power of one of the five Elements of Life. Direct the power to Michael’s sword. Then, Michael, you attack Lucifer.”
“But…how…” Josh said.
“Just do it!” Anya said.
“All right, all right,” Josh said.
Then time resumed.
“The five Elements?” Jason said. “I thought there were only four.”
“No, five,” Sister Harmony said as Brian finally got around to setting her down on her feet. “Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and the Holy Spirit which is the spark of life.”
“Oh, I see. All right. So who’ll take what?”
“I’ll take Air,” Michael said. “Then I’ll start charging at Lucifer while you do what you have to.” Michael drew his sword. “Air, you who sustains Life with your surrounding breath, I call upon your power to aid us and protect that Life.”
The white glow of Michael’s sword took on a hint of yellow. Then he spread his wings and lifted into the air.
“Okay, guys, time’s up,” Jason said. He grabbed a rock and held it tight in his fist. “Earth, you who are the Mother and Nuturer of Life, we call upon your power to protect your precious child.”
A green glow surrounded Jason’s fist, and was reflected in the glow of Michael’s sword.
Josh dug in a pocket and pulled out a match. “Fire,” he said. “You who gives Light and Warmth to Life, we call upon your power to protect it.”
A flame suddenly appeared on the matchhead, and a red glow formed on Michael’s sword.
Brian had no water on him, so he did all he could. He thought about Sister Harmony’s fall into the volcano, and a tear formed. “Water,” he said. “You who sustains Life by quenching its thirst, we call upon your power to protect it.”
The tear on Brian’s cheek glowed, and a blue glow formed on Michael’s sword.
“Great God,” Sister Harmony said. “You who are the absolute Creator of all, we ask of you to lend your power to protect your greatest creation, so that Life may not be lost.”
Michael’s sword glowed with even brighter white light. Then the archangel was before Lucifer.
“Ah, so you still want to try to stop me, do you, Michael?” Lucifer said.
“I’m not going to try to stop you,” Michael said. “I WILL stop you.”
“I don’t think so,” Lucifer said.
Then he drew a sword from inside his robe. A sword with a blade that was completely black. Lucifer attacked Michael, and Michael barely blocked the blow in time. Then the archangel attacked Lucifer, who easily blocked the swing from Michael’s sword.
The two danced arcoss the sky, trading blow after blow, with Lucifer easily blocking Michael’s attacks and Michael just barely blocking Lucifer’s attacks.
“What’s wrong?” Jason said. “Why hasn’t Michael beaten Lucifer yet? We did what we were supposed to correctly, didn’t we?”
“Yes,” Sister Harmony said. “We did. Or Michael wouldn’t have lasted this long against Lucifer. He just doesn’t have enough power.”
“So, how can he get enough power?” Josh asked.
“Yeah,” Jason said.
Sister Harmony pondered for a minute, then smiled. “I’ve got it! There aren’t five Elements of Life! There are six!”
“HUH?” the guys said, looking at her as if she’d lost her mind.
“There are six elements of life. Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and the Holy Spirit. But to actually CREATE life, there must be the element of Love.”
The guys gave her dubious looks.
“Just trust me on this,” Sister Harmony said. “Without God’s love, there wouldn’t be Life to begin with.”
“I guess you’re right,” Jason said.
“I am.” She turned to Brian. “Michael needs the power of Love to win this, Brian. So, kiss me.”
“You’re sure about this?” Brian said.
In response, she threw her arms about him and kissed him, and put as much feeling into the kiss as she could. Brian was startled by the intensity of the kiss at first, but then returned it.
A brilliantly bright white ball of light formed between the two, and flew off toward Michael. It struck the archangel and engulfed him. When it faded, Michael blocked a blow from Lucifer’s sword, and Michael’s blade sliced Lucifer’s in half. Lucifer stared in shock, and Michael took the opportunity to run Lucifer through.
Lucifer screamed, and turned into a pile of ash that floated down into the crater of the volcano.
Michael sheathed the sword, and returned to the Hunters’s side.
“Well done,” he said. “The world and Heaven are saved.”
A young woman with blonde hair and a white robe appeared beside Michael. “Yes,” she said. “Well done.”
“ANYA!” Sister Harmony, Brian, and Jason cried out.
The blonde woman smiled. “Lucifer may be defeated,” Anya said, “but Evil will always be around. But thankfully the world has you all…” She looked to Brian and Sister Harmony. “…and your children, and your children’s children, to protect it from whatever evils may arise. God bless you all.”
Anya and Michael vanished from the top of Mount Elissil, as did the Hunters.
Brian, Sister Harmony, Jason, and Josh looked at each other.
WEIRD RHODY is a short story collection featuring five strange tales all set in Rhode Island and written by five Rhode Island authors. The anthology is a tribute to H.P. Lovecraft, the Ocean State's famed author of pulp horror.
