Drifter- Aimless Wanderer

by George Fry

  “What happened?”

  “I just couldn’t stand how they rejected everything I was taught. Praising demons? Giving up your individuality? Treating them like gods? It made no sense! Why should we bend the knee when those monsters are the ones who caused all this suffering in the first place!? It ain’t right!”

  “So, they attacked you for having the wrong opinion!?”

  “Not exactly. I stormed outta there, but after I left, I was chased by these gargoyle things. They cornered me in an alley. That’s when Locke saved me, but I've got a feeling that attack wasn't a coincidence.”

  Drifter sighed. “Oh, good. Idealogues. They’re always fun to deal with.”

  “Does that mean we’re gonna go fuck them up?” Dale asked.

  “I guess?”

  The group soon arrived at the imposing cathedral, with its large steeples and looming bell tower. The headquarters of the Daemonism cult.

  “This the place?” Drifter asked.

  “Yeah... “ Amanda answered.

  “I’ve seen a lot of chapels in my travels, but this one doesn’t have any of the wear and tear the others have. Looks new.”

  “Those weirdos brought me here. At first they just seemed overly enthusiastic, but once I was inside, it was another story. It’s like they gave up their free will in exchange for peace of mind.

  Their dedication is unnerving. After seeing those acolytes willingly die in front of their demon god earlier, I realised I needed to get Abby out of there immediately.”

  “Oh, that’s her name.”

  Without saying another word, Drifter kicked the entrance to the cathedral open. The banging of Drifter’s foot against the massive wooden doors as they screeched open, drew the attention of the acolytes inside.

  It was the same scene as before. A room full of hooded people, kneeling on benches. The group hung back as the sermon continued, the entire church fallen silent in prayer. This time however, there was no demon priest on the podium. Instead, a stern old man in pure black robes, looked down upon his followers, paying no mind to the interruptions.

  “Hey! Abby! You in here!?” Drifter yelled, drawing the ire of the attendants.

  Unfortunately there was no answer.

  “Welp, I tried.”

  “Are you sure your sister’s here?” Dale wondered.

  “Hard to tell with all their hoods up. I’ll look around.”

  With Amanda searching, Drifter casually waltzed down the aisle, to get a closer look at the cult’s leader.

  He looked down upon Drifter, from atop his podium like a disapproving school teacher dealing with yet another delinquent.

  “Hey!” Drifter called. “Are you Anderson!?”

  “I am Lord Anderson, yes.” He responded, still keeping his stern look. “Is there a particular reason you are interrupting our prayer time?”

  “Yeah! Are you a demon!?”

  “No.”

  “Then why do you worship them?”

  “I have chosen to cooperate with the demons, as doing so will lead mankind to a new world, where our two races can live in peace. Unlike you, man in the white coat. You, who has so carelessly slaughtered countless of our demon brethren.”

  “The only ones who got slaughtered this afternoon were your own people.”

  “I have already been made aware of the horrible tragedy from this afternoon, as well as the one at the church that was swallowed by that deadly mist.

  We have paid our respects to the fallen who were cruelly taken from us. Perhaps if the White Heathen hadn’t antagonised our demon brethren, with his vicious and volatile vexations, they would still be alive.”

  “That’s your excuse?”

  “It’s plainly obvious that it was your actions that caused that demon to attack our people. Their deaths were the result of your callousness. Their blood is on your hands. If you are not stopped, your actions will only continue to breed more despair and violence across this great nation.”

  “Or maybe your demons need to show a little respect to the people who already inhabit this world. Instead of attacking us, just for being different.”

  “How dare you imply that demons brought violence into this world. Humanity has been violent ever since we achieved free thought. The demon’s we see before us are a punishment sent by God.

  It’s little wonder that they have such a low opinion of us, when we are nothing but primitive primates struggling for ourselves, at the expense of others.

  By contrast, the demons power allows them to thrive without such petty struggles. After humanity stripped them of their god Lucifer, their world fell into ruin while ours flourished.

  Now it is time for them to take back what is theirs. If we can admit to our own weakness and submit ourselves to the demons, they can lead us to a world where survival for all is guaranteed. A world of equality and peace.

  And I, Lord Anderson, have taken it upon myself to become their messenger for the human race. Now, abandon your outdated beliefs and become one with Daemonism.”

  Drifter zoned out halfway through Anderson's speech and swiftly changed subjects.

  “Did you try to kill Amanda because she disagreed with you?”

  “Of course not. Although, heathens are more at risk of having fatal encounters with our demon brethren.”

  “Sounds like a nice cover-up for murder.”

  “I will not tolerate such baseless accusations. If you have no further business, then begone, White Heathen.”

  Drifter glared for a moment, before turning around waving his hand.

  “Fuckin’ whatever… nice gargoyle statues, by the way.” He remarked, pointing to the statues perched above Anderson and his stage.

  He returned to Dale at the entrance.

  “That’s it?” Dale asked.

  “Yep.” Drifter replied.

  “Why didn’t you just vaporise him, like with the demon priest.”

  “And piss off even more cultists? No thanks. I'd rather stay off their radar."

  "But, what about Anderson?"

  "Who cares? People like him usually end up destroying themselves anyway.”

  “Now my followers!” Anderson suddenly announced, prompting the hooded figures to lift their heads in unison.

  “With our prayers over, it is time for my final announcement of the evening. The demons have finally chosen their candidate for the ascension ceremony.”

  A short, blonde girl walked onto the stage, next to Anderson, whom Amanda recognised immediately.

  “Abby!? What are you doing!?”

  “Ammy! I’ve been chosen!” The girl replied before being interrupted by her Lord.

  “Yes! To pay tribute to the demons who fell, the sister of their murderer shall be chosen as the first to ascend!

  To venture into the depths of Hell with her newfound powers to further strengthen the ties between demon and humankind by becoming both!”

  “What!? You can’t punish Abby for something I did! What the hell are you going to do to her!?” Amanda cried, pulling out her gun.

  “This is no punishment, this a perfect opportunity to strengthen the ties between our two worlds. The ceremony will be quick and painless.” He assured, escorting Abby away.

  “You are dismissed!”

  Amanda tried to give chase, but a wailing wall of spirits blocked her path.

  “I ain’t afraid of no ghosts!”

  “Amanda! Wait!” Dale yelled, dashing over to stop her. “Don’t touch that! That shit’s deadly!”

  “But, my sister!”

  “Don’t worry. Drifter can get past it, right?”

  Drifter was already in the middle of leaving with the rest of the acolytes.

  “What the fuck, dude!?”

  Dale dragged Amanda out of the cathedral as they caught up to Drifter.

  “Are you going to help us or what!?”

  “This situation’s too complicated for me, I’ll pass." Drifter reasoned.

  “But, we can’t just leave!” Amanda ob
jected. “Abby’s still in there!”

  “Then go get her.”

  “But, if you went in, you could save her no problem.”

  “Use your head, stupid. Killing random demons is easy, no one gives a shit about them. But, the fact that this place is even allowed to operate without any government interference means they must have some influence.

  I was able to lay low for this long by staying out of that shit. If you want to investigate the old man’s demon cult, go find the evidence yourself.”

  “But, why can’t you just-”

  “I don’t care about your damn sister! She’s your sibling, so you save her!”

  With that, Drifter left, leaving Amanda and Dale to their own devices.

  “Don’t worry.” Dale assured. “Drifter maybe a lazy cunt, but I’ll help.”

  “Thanks, but I don’t even know where to start.”

  Just then, the last of the acolytes left, with the doors to the cathedral locked tight.

  Dale spotted Anderson entering his car from the car park.

  “That was a quick ceremony.” He wondered. “Ammy, you stay here and see if your sister’s still in the cathedral and I’ll tail Anderson back to his home. With her as a witness and a little incriminating evidence, we can take this cult down.”

  “Did you just call me Ammy?”

  “Well… I mean… that’s what your sister called you… so I just thought…”

  “Why are you so red?"

  “I’m going now…”

  As the cult leader drove off, Dale hurried after him. Light on his feet, it was easy for him to keep up with the vehicle whilst staying out of sight.

  Amanda was left at the empty cathedral, in the middle of the night, completely alone.

  “Don’t worry, Abby. I’m coming for ya.” She psyched herself up.

  “Okay… so… how do I get in here?”

  She pushed and pulled on the doors, but obviously they weren’t budging. She refused to break in through the windows as it would be too obvious, she wanted to leave as little a trail as possible, but she had to take some kind of risk if you wanted to get in.

  Amanda quickly came to a solution. She pulled out her gun, and using its demon magic, shot a tiny bullet into the keyhole, destroying the lock mechanism and opening the door.

  “Oops.” She sarcastically shrugged.

  She slowly nudged the door open and slipped inside the cathedral, making as little noise as possible. The room was covered in darkness, save for the spots illuminated by the light of the Moon from the ceiling windows.

  “This place is huge.” She groaned to herself. “And this is just one room. How am I supposed to find anything in here?”

  She thought about climbing onto the podium, but as long as the wailing wall was blocking her path, she nor anyone was getting anywhere near it.

  “Dammit. Why would Anderson even leave my sister in a place like this, all by herself?“

  Feeling hopelessly lost, Amanda figured that since she was in a church she may as well ask the big man himself.

  “Oh Lord, I know there’s evil, twisted, godless sinning going on in this here temple of yours. If you can hear me, I humbly request you give me a sign. Anything that’ll point me in the right direction.”

  There was silence for a minute straight. Nothing happened.

  “Why did I think that would work? I’m just wasting my time.”

  Suddenly, a bright light manifested before her, as if the light of the heavens themselves were shining through the darkness.

  “Holy crap. Is that you God?”

  “God?” The light responded, as the sound of clanging chains echoed throughout the room.

  Amanda was disappointed that her divine intervention was just another demon.

  “Locke? What are you doing here?”

  Locke appeared curious. “I would like to ask you the same thing. Is it coincidence we met like this, or fate?”

  “Please don’t, I’ve heard enough lofty crap in this room.”

  “Yes. The humans here are rather strange, aren’t they?”

  “Hey, since you’re here. Why did you enchant my gun like this? Why would a demon help me like that?”

  “It was just an experiment.”

  “Experiment? For what? Is it about Drifter?”

  "I just wanted to see how much power a human could drag out of a demon weapon. Be it sword or gun."

  "You were testing me too?"

  "It seems you've already drawn more power from it than I used to enchant it."

  "But, why test me in the first place?"

  Locke looked over to the model of the man pinned to a cross, hanging on the back wall of the room. To humanity, this man was sacred. A saviour, whose teachings and actions are emulated to this very day, but as a demon born in another world, he meant nothing to Locke, he was just another human.

  “Tell me, Amanda. What does this place mean to you?”

  “Changing the subject?”

  “In my world, there were temples just like this. Places of worship, where we paid respect to our superiors, Lucifer and his disciples. Their powers were so far above our own, we considered them gods, but that was foolish.

  They were no gods, just talented liars. Manipulators who wormed their way into power through intimidation and cruelty. How Lucifer could consider any of them as his disciples is beyond my understanding.

  Unlike the snakes, Lucifer was truly exceptional. One who stood above the elites and brought light to our realm. The Demon World rallied behind him, granting him all the support we could give in the hopes that he would lead us a brighter future. A future where we would no longer have to be subservient to these false gods.

  Sadly, he too eventually fell. Disappearing from our world. Leaving us at the mercy of one false god after another. Gods who abandoned their people and brought them to the brink of extinction, through their own self indulgent actions, until our world became the wasteland it is today.

  I wonder, are the Gods you humans worship just as false as ours?”

  “They’re just stories. Examples we use to live by. Whether they’re true or not isn’t really important.”

  “Just stories? If only my people were so lucky...”

  “Is there a point to all this rambling?”

  “This human, well, former human, Anderson, is just another false god, abusing his influence to manipulate his followers for his own gain. Including my people.

  A human controlling demons like they were his pets. How much lower must my kind fall in their desperate attempts at attaining power?”

  “You’re not the only one who wants to get rid of Anderson and his cult. You’re free to help us, you know.”

  Without warning, Locke’s chains fired out of his left and right side, shooting into the pitch-black ceiling, stopping only after a disturbing crunch echoed throughout the hall. With a single chain on each side, Locke dragged the corpses of two gargoyle demons off their perches as they limply fell to the floor. His chains penetrating through their skulls.

  “There’s you help.” Locke replied as the wailing barrier dissipated. “There are no more traitors in the building. Feel free to investigate to your heart’s content.”

  Amanda was baffled by his actions. “I don’t get it. Why are you helping me again?"

  The chained demon stood silently.

  “Locke, what are you fighting for?”

  He gave no answer.

  “Because, if you’re trying to destroy humanity like all the others, then you’ll have to get through me.”

  Amanda drew her gun, but Locke showed no interest in fighting. She fired a few shots, but they didn’t even singe his chains. No matter how many shots she fired, Locke took all of it without budging an inch.

  “You’re just like Drifter.” She remarked. “You just stand there and take it, like some indestructible wall and yet, neither of you seem interested in standing up for anything. Is it pride, or have you just given up?”

  A white port
al emerged from behind Locke.

  “I stand for one thing: The resurrection of my world and its people, but as long as the catalyst for my people’s misery still exists, neither of our worlds will ever obtain peace.”

  “Are you talking about Drifter?”

  Locke disappeared into the white light, leaving Amanda alone, in the dark, empty cathedral.

  With no demons lurking in the shadows she was free to snoop around for any signs of her sister, but with the sheer size of the building she questioned whether that was even possible.

  Thinking back on her encounter with Locke, Amanda wondered how he was able to find those gargoyles without even knowing they were there. Can demons sense the presence of other demons? But, Drifter was human and he could do it too, so perhaps those who wield demonic power can sense other demonic powers.

  She figured, if her gun had been bestowed demonic power, then maybe, it too could help her sense out the demonic presence of others. She closed her eyes and focused, clearing her mind, just to see if she could sense anything, even the tiniest blip.

  To her surprise, she felt something. It was vague, but it was resonating somewhere within the building. It was an odd feeling, like having a third eye that could see beyond what was humanly possible.

  Amanda followed this sensation, occasionally bumping into walls and tripping over herself, her newfound abilities did not take into account her surroundings. After fumbling in the dark for a few minutes, carefully feeling around, she made her way into a back room.

  Not wanting to draw attention to herself, she kept the light off, but even with just the light of the Moon, shining through the top of the bell tower, she could tell this room was particularly special.

  It was far more decorative and contained a casket in a glass case in the center. Whatever was in there, it was the source of the demonic presence she felt.

  Examining the glass, Amanda found the locks that sealed it to the floor and shot them out, allowing her to delicately lift the glass to access the casket. Upon closer inspection, the casket almost looked like a coffin, which only made her more nervous about opening it.