Cataclysm (29 page)

“Hey,” I hollered back, “It only worked because I believed it would. You can do it too!”

I ran over a hill not sure what I would encounter, but the fighting was as heated on this side of the hill. A black demon was dangling one of our own over the crevice, and I ran over just in time. I knocked the dark demon backwards away from the cracked earth, and the white demon fell on top of him. I looked directly into the dark demon’s eyes and saw nothing, not even fear, looking back at me.

“You want to end him?” I asked the white demon, who was now straddling his predator turned prey.

“Absolutely,” she replied, gripping the dark demon’s neck and crushing it with one motion.

Moving to the next battling group, I was in awe over the skill level this batch of white demons had. They were quick and unbelievably strong. Black mist seemed to instantaneously escape from anything they touched.

The air began to get very warm, and I wanted to find out the reason behind it. Flying into the sky, I did my best to dodge the assaults that were happening in every direction. Sounds of flesh opening up, and mist escaping was hissing through the air.

From my vantage point, I finally saw what was causing the heat. The earth had separated, leaving a gaping hole. There was a reddish-orange liquid running through the newly formed canyon. Lava was beginning to make its appearance. I also spotted a few of our own who hadn’t made it, and their spirit was quickly vanishing. I only hoped their memsors were in place, and that they’d be okay. Pushing my fear and sadness aside, I gauged where I wanted to touch down next.

Landing in a small clearing where there were only boulders and some baby fir trees, I realized I hadn’t seen Athen since we left each other on the knoll. My throat began to constrict with worry, but I did my best to listen to his instruction.

The ground continued to shake, and I attempted to stabilize myself. Scanning the crowd of people, I prayed I would find Athen quickly. There were so many of us here, good and bad. The fights started to separate with the creation of the large cracks. Watching some of the fights get awfully close to the glowing material, I decided not to concentrate on that any longer. I spotted Cyril and Arie standing next to one another, preparing for the imminent attack of the crouching dark demons directly in front of them, but still no Athen.

A rumble began below the earth’s surface, and an incredible heat began to spread through the air. It was as if I was standing near an oven. Still searching the crowds for Athen, fiery orange-red flames began shooting out of the cracked surface. Embers were sparking in every direction. The heat was beginning to be overwhelming. The crowd began shuffling backwards to get away from the mouth of fire that was growing by the second.

This was far too elaborate of an entrance for Azazel, but I wouldn’t put anything past him. The sky began closing in on us all with the dark grey clouds of the underworld. The smoke from the flames hovered over us all. Any minute, this landscape was going to change drastically. I needed to locate Athen. My heart was pounding so fast, I was certain it could explode if I tried any sudden movements.

The ground continued to twist and sway in a rhythm only it was familiar with. Catching Arie’s line of sight, I waved over at her. She was on the opposite side of the flames. I channeled to her as best I could, between all the other thoughts that were being thrown at us by all the white demons.

“
Have you seen Athen? I can’t see him. I haven’t been able to locate him,”
I shouted to her mind.

Seeing her shake her head did nothing but make my soul crash. We had been doing so good at ensuring we were by each other’s side. We stayed near one another this entire time until we ran over the hill. That’s when I lost him. Noah was nowhere to be found either. I wondered if they were together.

The minions began flying over us in the sky. They were coming from every direction. There were all sizes, shapes, and kinds coming at us with a vengeance. Some of them were seasoned demons. Others were newly created. Either way, the sheer numbers were on the verge of being overwhelming. I knew it was only a matter of time before Azazel made his way down to us all. This was definitely his grand entrance.

The anticipation inside of me was building with great speed. The thought of tearing into him gave me a pleasure equal to destroying Lilith. My addiction to defeating these evil creatures was my most vile compulsion, and I didn’t want it to end, at least not now. I didn’t think I would ever have a ceiling effect with this type of addiction. Destroying more of these wretched creatures only created a greater high for me. As long as they were around, I saw no end in sight. Destroying this level of wickedness gave me the power to continue on to the next fight.

I could feel the beads of sweat at my hairline, as the flames grew larger. Looking into the sky, I saw the first set of minions readying to land. Doing my best not to let Athen’s whereabouts distract me, I signaled to the crowd to get ready. The black winged creatures began swooping down to the ground.

The screeching echoed through the air as one minion after another landed. Deciding knife play might be a little fun, I grabbed the first of many knives I had on me. I shot up into the sky to greet an unwanted visitor. I hoped I would have a better vantage point to scan the grounds for Athen up high, anyway.

The first demon came at me, and I simultaneously stuck my blade into its abdomen. Turning the knife to ensure a clean kill, I pulled out the tip and watched the winged minion fall to the ground. The black mist immediately began seeping out of its shell.

The smoke from the fires combined with the black mist from destroying the demons, began to create a thick haze I knew would only get worse as we killed more of the minions.

“
Everyone move to the meadows. In case the lava flows start, it’s our best option. We may be more spread out from one another than we want, but it will save us falling through the cracks. For those of you who feel confident enough, take it to the skies. The more demons we destroy in the air, the better for our ground troops!”
I channeled to all the white demons. I had to put everyone else before my own worries, regardless of how scared I was feeling right now.

Charging for one of the largest demons I could find, I attacked from behind. Cyril came barreling towards me. My target must’ve been even larger than I realized.

“Hey, Ana!” Cyril grinned as he reached for the monster’s wing, “Grab the other!”

Following his eyes, I saw he meant nothing of the sort. It was a ploy. Instead, the monster turned completely toward Cyril giving me the opportunity to wrap my arms totally around the creature’s neck. Cyril let go of the demon’s wing and shot up into the sky, leaving me to rip my knife’s blade down to the demon’s spine. The strength in the demon began to dissipate, but I knew the fight wasn’t over. The demon was disoriented by the pain and wasn’t expecting Cyril’s return. Letting go of the demon’s neck, I floated down a little to make room for Cyril’s plan of attack. His pure brute strength was enough to completely cripple the demon after his earlier injuries. Cyril began ripping the wings off the creature as I went in one more time, totally crushing his neck. Black mist from this kill was making it almost impossible to see Cyril.

“Seen Athen yet?” I yelled at Cyril.

“No. I haven’t,” Cyril yelled back. “Don’t give up, but don’t let yourself be distracted either. I’m sure he’s fine.”

Letting go of the demon, it fell to the ground. I took advantage of the brief moment I had with Cyril circling me, as I stared at the crowds of white demons destroying the dark demons. Still no Athen or Noah.

Since my eyes were failing me, I closed them briefly doing my best to connect to Athen. Searching for his energy through the meadow and the forest that was outlining our battle area, I began to detect a slight aura. Taking a deep breath in and preparing to fight, I knew that was all the rest that could be afforded for now.

Gauging the white demons’ success, I darted to the one smaller group that looked as if they were having some difficulties. There were more of us than the dark demons, but they were larger.

“Guys, follow my lead!” I yelled. I began my quick assault. I reached for one chain after the other. Feeling the coldness of the metal as I pulled fiercely, dislodging the flesh and chain quickly from each victim. It was beyond exhilarating. The gratification flooded my soul as I saw the rest of the white demons follow the example. The dark demons went down in a fraction of a minute.

“Nice work, guys,” I panted, trying to catch my breath. Waving my hands to rid my face from the black mist that was circling in the air, I nodded at the batch of black demons who were headed in our direction.

My heart skipped a beat, as I realized this was one of the last couple left before Azazel would dispatch his best. I might have a few minutes to try to track down Athen if we could finish this faction off. I scanned them quickly not noticing any chains that would help our chances.

“No chains! We’ll have to go in as we usually do.” I reached for the knife strapped to my ankle and readied myself for the largest demon. The others were taking the small one. This one had eyes for me only, which was fine because I felt the same.

A throbbing began in my fingertips, running down my fingers into my knuckles. It was like they needed to be cracked badly. I knew what my fingers wanted, and I readied myself for it. As the demon lunged at me, my feet sprung from the ground, and I hovered directly in front of the demon’s head. Pulling my arm back, I let go with a driving force, smashing my palm into the head of this demon. His skull cracked, leaving nothing but a cloud of black mist. His body crumbled to the ground, and I landed next to it.

“Keep up the good work, guys!” I hollered back, as I took off to track down Athen.

Running through the forest, with tree limbs and brush smacking me at every turn, I hoped I would be hidden enough from any overly eager dark demons. With every step I took, a release of crushed fir and pine needles escaped into the air, which was a nice break from the burning smell of mountain and flesh. As I ran in the direction of the meadow, Athen’s energy began flowing through me. I was getting closer to him. Quickening my pace, I ripped limb after limb out of my way, so my face wouldn’t be completely pulverized by the tree limbs slapping back against me.

The pull of Athen was beyond what I expected. It wasn’t like we were far apart, but the stress of the situation must have translated to the same type of magnetic pull.

Athen was walking towards me, in a small clearing between two boulders. His facial expression instantly had me worried. I ran over to him, reaching out my arms to hug him. Feeling his flesh and letting my hands run all over his body made the worry vanish as quickly as it came.

“He saw Vanessa… in her turned state.” Athen shook his head. “She, of course, didn’t recognize him. Thankfully, she didn’t try to attack him either. I don’t think he would’ve been able to fight her.”

“Where is he now?” I asked.

“He’s doing his best getting himself back together. I told him that I didn’t think he should fight with us, but he wouldn’t listen,” Athen said, sliding his hand through his hair. “Something changed in him, and I’m not sure what.”

“Well, let’s hope we end it before he makes it back!” I said, sad for Noah. “I guess there’s nothing more we can do except continue to fight.”

“He’s over there where the maples are at,” Athen’s voice was drained. “I’m worried about him.”

Straining my eyes, I couldn’t see Noah, but I hoped he took his time before venturing back into the fight.

“I doubt he’s all right,” I sighed. “Azazel’s on his way. The winged demons have been attacking, but we’ve still been managing to keep up pretty well. We’ve had casualties, as we expected, but it hasn’t been as bad as it could have been. I only hope we can continue with this good fortune.”

“Do you hear that?” Athen asked.

“The rumbling? I think that’s just the earth shifting again,” I replied.

“I don’t. I think that’s Azazel coming to say hello,” his words hit me with the reality I’d been hoping to avoid. I had to be ready, even if I wasn’t.

Holding out his hand, I grabbed it as we trudged back to the battlefield, and the area, we guessed Azazel was most likely to land at, right near the fiery ground.

As we expected, one black winged minion after another was lining up all along the earth’s crevice. Azazel was attempting to be as dramatic as possible. He just didn’t know I had a few tricks up my sleeve as well.

Looking towards the sky, the dark clouds began to part as Azazel made his way down to the surface. Again, he had minions chained to him like dogs, and his black trench flapped in the wind. My mind briefly flashed to the horrible nightmares of me in their place. Instead of fear beginning to develop, anger took over. I was ready for him.

The moment he landed, I began. The words wouldn’t stop flowing.

“This world isn’t big enough for the both of us, Azazel. Like I told my sister, we don’t have room for your destruction any longer. She had a choice, and she chose. The mortal world is a delicate balance of energy, both positive and negative. Humans get in enough trouble without your help. It’s unnatural what you’re attempting to do, and your time is up,” I shouted over the flames.

Azazel threw his black garb to the fire, rubbing his hands together before speaking. Sparks darted up, as the fire engulfed his garment.

“You think your words will make me go away?” he laughed, folding his arms together. “I’ve been planning this for far too many centuries to let some girl stop me.”