The Quarter Moon (Afterlife saga)

by Stephanie Hudson

  “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Charon screamed from behind me and I answered,

  “WHAT I HAVE TO!” Then I rose up with all my strength and shouted with everything I had left in me,

  “DRAVEN, HEAR ME! I’M COMING FOR YOU!” And just like that, the rest of the rocks and dangerous boulders that would have made our journey nearly impossible, all erupted, bursting into tiny versions of what they once were. I screamed, placing my arms over my head as the debris rained down over us and sank down to the floor of the boat.

  It was only when we again entered calm waters did I raise my head and look round.

  “Well, it looks like he heard you.” Charon said after jumping down from his perch at the back of the boat. He produced a heavy lantern from underneath some plastic covering and lit it just as the last of the opening’s light could be seen as a small white space in the distance. He then hooked it onto a fancy iron holder that curled at the top. It swung with the motion of the boat and the light from its windows danced along the tunnel’s walls in a pretty display.

  “Is it usually like that?”

  “No, only when life tries to cross over…death however, it welcomes.” I nodded thinking as much.

  I was about to ask him if he knew who Draven was when his new appearance stopped me. Unlike before when his clothes had been clean and smart they were now ripped and thread bare. The white stripes looked as though long ago they had turned so dirty it was hard to distinguish them anymore. His hat now looked as if it had been dumped in black ash where it had once been cream. But it wasn’t just his clothes that had taken a turn for the darker. It was also his features which looked haggard and older. His beard was longer, scruffy to the point he looked homeless but the most change was in his eyes that no longer reflected cheekiness and humour.

  Now they looked like the eyes of a man who had given up.

  I decided that it would be a good idea to put a lock down on my questions for now as he wasn’t looking as friendly as he once was. So, I sat back on my seat and waited for my destination to reveal itself, just holding onto hope that it would be into Draven’s arms.

  Time went on and, as it always does on a journey where you don’t know the way, it was taking a small forever. The tunnel didn’t change much and inside my mind I was going out of my head with worry. I didn’t think I would have any bloody lips left for Draven to kiss by the time we got there!

  Thankfully, not long after that we came to our first entrance. A tunnel that was cut right out of the rock was covered in lush green moss and was in the shape of a keyhole, thick enough just for a single boat not much wider than this one. Then, when I looked to see the rest of our tunnel, there were entrances the full length down on each side but all were different. The next was a grander entrance with tall pillars made up of hundreds of naked bodies all tightly entwined.

  I looked away feeling awkward on seeing such a sordid display as they seemed so real, I wouldn’t have been surprised if the tunnel started to fill with the sounds of rapturous moans. I looked further on and could only make out the next two tunnels, one of which had a crude statue of a grotesque, large creature gorging on fistfuls of flesh from something dead at his feet. The other was a startling contrast to this dark and dreary place as it shimmered from every point. It was large Roman columns that looked to be made from solid gold and reflected that same shimmer on the water, making that too look as if it was liquid gold.

  Then, whilst my eyes strained against trying to see the other ones further on, I hadn’t seen us turn before everything was snatched from view. I didn’t even know which one we were now travelling down. I was thankful though, that this one was bigger than the first one I had seen, as that looked as though it would barely fit us. No, this one, although not as large as the tunnel we just came from, was a big enough size to not feel trapped in or claustrophobic. In fact, our little gondola seemed quite small and dainty for such a turbulent journey. Which made me ask, despite my earlier reasoning to stay quiet,

  “I am surprised you guys don’t upgrade to speed boats after doing rides like this on a daily basis.” Instead of the friendly laughter or smile I expected, he almost looked like he was trying to hold back from taking a bite out of me. Eyes that once lit up with welcoming discussion and an easy going manner, now looked almost cruel and irritated. So much so, I was surprised he answered me, even though his tone demonstrated that he found the chore distasteful.

  “There is no modern technology in this place.” And that was all I got, so I firmly decided this time not to speak unless utterly necessary. I made a point of turning my body away from him and facing the front as we continued further on down into the unknown.

  After a while, I was almost at a point where I feared I would start seeing things that weren’t there. I don’t know what the cut-off point would be for staring down a tunnel without seeing anything new for hours and not go crazy but I had already felt I had hit my limit. My Charon still hadn’t said a word to me and the last time I had looked at him, there had been a few more lines added to his gaunt face. Hell, it looked like the guy had aged about a year for every minute down here!

  The even stranger thing was it wasn’t just his face but also his clothes. They were getting to the point of falling from his body, they were so tired and worn. It was such an upsetting thing to witness and now I could add trying not to look at him as well as speaking to him. Oh, it was Hell alright and we weren’t even there yet!

  We started to approach something in the distance but it was hard to make out with only the aid of a single lantern. I had to wait until we were closer to it and only then did the light hit the features of such an imposing statue. Three large heads had been carved straight into the rock and were big enough that they covered every inch of the opening we were now heading for.

  The one in the middle was that of a man or God, opening his mouth wide, providing the new entrance. He had curling hair that dipped under the water and his expression said one thing…enter if you dare! The one on the left of this was a bull’s head, with the horns disappearing into the roof of the tunnel as though he had just reared up and pierced them into the rock. The one of the right also had horns but looked more like a demonic Ram, with them curling up and round, coming to a deadly point. Both creatures either side also blew out flames from snarling nostrils which reached out like grappling fingers along the tunnels walls.

  Well, whoever lived here, they most definitely got the intimidating welcome down…forget belly of the beast, I was travelling straight into the mouth of Hell alright!

  I looked up to see his teeth hanging down as though any minute they would clamp shut on us and that would be the end of that. The tunnel we travelled down now was smaller but looked more like a corridor in some ancient palace. Gone was the harsh rock, being replaced with heavily decorated walls of terracotta statues that seemed to be built into the structure. It reminded me of some kind of temple, only taking one look at what the statues were doing, my guess would be the type of worshipping they did was only that of the body.

  There were too many figures to count as they all entwined into one great massive orgy. Legs and arms were spread out in the most unusual ways, all to display their willing secrets to the world and the parts that fit them. Every single one of them had hold of the other, whether it be in their mouths or being mounted like rutting animals and every single one had a smile.

  I wanted to be disgusted at the sight, but found I would be condemning myself a liar of the worst kind, as the evidence was pure and simple…I was getting turned on. I didn’t know what it was but it didn’t look like it was just about sex and any hole to fill or be filled. The reason for this was the closer you looked, the stronger actual love shone through. I knew that twenty different people could look at this the way one would with art and see something different. After all, that was the beauty in the creative world we lived in. Everything was personal.

  Every book, song or painted picture was something different to us all. And it wasn’t just exclusiv
ely to the ‘Arts’ but to anything…buildings, places and even people. That’s what made the world beautiful! So could the same be said down here? Even in this sexually framed passage? Because what I saw wasn’t just sex, but it was the way the women were also held. It was the way some gazed into the eyes of their lovers, the gentle hold on the heads as pleasure was delivered and the kiss given in praise to others. I know not many would agree but I couldn’t help but see the beauty in this too.

  However, that beauty was soon over and opening up into a dark open space with gigantic pillars that made me think we must be underneath a castle. Our little boat floated on by one and it was the same width as the black bricks that made up the circular structure. It was incomprehensible to think that if these pillars were this size then what was the size of the building they held up?

  Well, I was about to find out as we went through an open archway at the end of this massive underground room. I sucked in an amazed breath as my head went up and up and up, taking in the imposing black castle that rose above us as though it had just this second, risen from the depths of a volcano. I had never seen black rocks cut into blocks and used to build Hell’s version of a Fairytale castle.

  That was the only way to describe this place. Turrets the size of skyscrapers were everywhere. It was like a city full of them had all gathered and joined together. They weren’t just round but they were actually carved into giant soldiers and were all connected by sweeping passageways that looked like the bent over form of a woman. This wasn’t just a castle on an epic scale, but it was also an art sculpture of mass proportions. From this angle I could just see that it was sexual slaves being held captive by heavily armoured soldiers. You could see the battlements on top of the helmets they wore that reached out to an angry grey sky of swirling clouds.

  It surrounded us in a U shape so there looked to be no escape from this evil place. I continued stretching out my neck to keep it in sight, when it finally got to me as the whole place started to disappear when we entered another underground tunnel. This time there was no holding back on speech.

  “What…is this place?” I asked in a voice that didn’t sound like my own. I looked to Charon for answers and jumped in my seat. He now looked like a man possessed by something raging inside of him. He was actually looking at me as if he wanted to attack, only I couldn’t tell you if it was for my blood or my body. His eyes had started to burn into me and all the skin around them looked scorched. Flames shone from deep within and I could see he looked to be fighting some consuming thoughts that made him crush part of his pole in two hands. I didn’t move. I couldn’t. It was like being in the sights of something deadly, whether it be a lion or a man, holding a gun to your head.

  Adrenaline once again played with my body and I was transported back to another place, another moment in a dark time. I sat waiting just like now. Waiting for a sign, a noise or one movement that told me what to do. I sat there waiting with a blade to my veins and death in my hands. Now death was in some else’s hands and I had suddenly tired of waiting. Just like that day I had held my fate and now I would do the same.

  My life was mine and even here, in what some souls knew as their last resting place, where resting consisted of torture and cruelty, my life was still my own. And I chose to take it and use it to live.

  “You can’t have me, Charon.” I stated calmly rising from my seat to face this new demon head on. He wasn’t what I thought or was it just this place? Was that what being here did to us? He hissed at me and brought his pole further out of the water as if ready to use in a different way. I held my ground only wishing I too had a weapon. Then a commanding voice cut through our showdown and for a moment my heart stopped beating.

  “She is right Charon, you cannot have what belongs to another.” Tears instantly appeared as I let that voice soak over me in a desperate need for safety. The only voice I could ever give my entire being to and the same voice I had not heard in my world for what felt like an entire lifetime…

  “Draven.”

  Chapter 44

  Long Lost Lust

  “Well now, I certainly can count myself as a Draven.” I watched as a figure emerged from the steps to our right. I hadn’t noticed during my altercation with Charon, but we had drifted to a very grand underground docking area that looked like steps leading up to a Temple. But the rest of the details were lost to me.

  Draven was walking down the steps, flanked either side by two guards who were so heavily armoured that I couldn’t make out much about them, other than they resembled a Gothic version of a Roman soldier.

  “Draven…is…is that really you?” I felt the tears fall down my cheeks as my heart sped up with the very idea. Then the man in question came closer until he stood where the room’s flaming torches lit up his features…features just like Draven’s, only…

  It wasn’t quite him.

  “No! I don’t know…is this…what is this!?” I stammered finding my heart couldn’t take another blow like this one. This man standing in front of me could be his brother or even the man himself if he ever aged…but wait, it couldn’t be!

  “I’m sorry my dear, please let me introduce myself. I am Asmodeus, one of the Seven Princes of Hell and formally known as The first hierarchy President of Lust but to you my dear, I am simply to be known as Dominic Draven’s father.” This was when my legs crumbled beneath me and thankfully, I fell slumped to the seat behind me. Ok, so now I knew I couldn’t take another blow like this one! Draven’s father! I screamed it in my head but thankfully only spoke it quietly to the room,

  “Draven’s father?”

  “Charon, I think you have reached your limit being here, why don’t you give us a moment alone.” The older version of Draven had every ounce the amount of authority coating his every word, just like I remembered in his son.

  Charon went to reach out to me, when a thundering demonic roar stopped him. I don’t know whether it was the sound that rocked the boat or Charon trying to get as far away from me as possible.

  “Raka!” (Means ‘Fool’ in Aramaic) Draven’s father ground out what sounded like an insult as Charon scrabbled backwards. Because of the sheer power in this man, I couldn’t help but hold myself frozen as Draven’s father stepped up to the boat. With one hand he dragged my end of the boat right up to him. Then, in a far softer tone than he granted Charon, said gently,

  “Tlīthā qūm, come now.” (Means ‘Young one stand’ in Aramaic) I nervously raised my head to look up at him and for a moment I was captivated by the beauty I found there. When I didn’t rise he offered me his hand, nodding down to it, almost like he was engaging a frightened doe. I bit my lip and took his offering, making his eyes flash a powerful red for a small time.

  He gave me only a whisper of his strength as he lifted me from the boat with such ease, wrapping an arm around my waist in order to raise me high enough to get me onto the platform. It was whilst being this close to him that I could see more than just Draven in him.

  There was also Sophia, as he too had her black curls which brushed the top of his shoulders, although he did have touches of silver along the sides. He also had harsher lines on his handsome face that spoke years of knowledge. The only one that was hardly there to see was Vincent but he still had the high cheek bones and long straight nose that his other son had. But mainly and more painfully, it was mostly my Draven that I saw in him.

  He lowered me and I realised it was also Draven’s height I now looked up at.

  “Draven?” I said his name without being able to help myself. It felt like I was in a dream and in that dream I was transported into Draven’s future. Would he ever age like this?

  “I fear my appearance is playing tricks with your fragile mind, little one.” I couldn’t help it. I sucked in my bottom lip and tried not to cry. It felt like being lost as a child and finally finding an adult to guide you. He raised a hand, cupped my cheek and took away one side of the wet trails that had soaked my skin.

  “They said you were beaut
iful.” I didn’t know who he meant but right now I couldn’t care as the only thing that mattered to me wasn’t who thought I looked beautiful, but it was the beauty that owned my heart.

  “Please…oh please, can you take me to him.” I pleaded, trying to hold back from just falling to my knees and outright begging. I would no doubt be saving that for later.

  “Where the rewards in selfless acts lie, I will never understand.” I didn’t know what he was saying or why, but nor did I care.

  “Please.” This was one moment I would never be above begging. He released a sigh and regarded me with regret.

  “I am sorry, love of my kin, but what you seek isn’t here and hasn’t been for some time.” I shook my head not even letting his words penetrate. He was wrong!

  “N…n…nnno! He has… to be, I know he is! Please…oh please…I can’t…not again, please just take me to him, I will give you anything, my life, my soul…my…my…” I started with a stutter, then a rush of desperate words only to end up sobbing, but just managed to push out the last of my promised bargain,

  “…My…everything…” Tears came thick and fast, making it impossible to see his reaction to me crumbling at his feet. There I found myself in a ball of misery as I let every second of faith I held onto evaporate into what it was…the dust of an age old lie. God, would this emotional pain never end?! No! I needed the physical to bring me back, so I pounded the sides of my fists on the floor, drowning in a pit of agony that I felt so deep inside of me I couldn’t see any way to rip it out!