by Lumi Laura
*
It had been a long journey along the coast of Acheron from Cheiron's grotto, but finally Alex saw something other than dark sand and black lake. At first it was no more than a glow on the northern horizon, but now she saw bright lights off to the left of the lake that exposed a craggy shoreline. Out on the waters of Acheron, Alex saw a barge propelled and guided by the movement of a large oar that also acted as the rudder, which a short stubby man pushed back and forth at his leisure. Alex arrived at the wood dock, which extended out into the lake, ahead of the ferry, walked the ancient planks and waited for it to dock.
The passengers looked dazed and confused but were focused on the lights of the magnificent inland city of tall buildings and spires extending into the cloudless heavens. Still, something seemed not right about them although she couldn't put her finger on what.
Alex approached the ferryman, who threw the ropes for anchorage to a shore workman. "Sir. Might I trouble you for passage to the far shore of Acheron?" The ferryman had to be Charon because his cargo was the souls of the dead.
"This is a one-way passage, urchin. No one returns to the other shore but as a gift from God himself. Be on your way back to where you belong, content on the better banks of Acheron." His eyes were like coals of fire, and Alex could tell she had already exhausted his patience. He was busy lowering a drawbridge.
"But, sir, I belong on the other side and came here of my own freewill. Others have commandeered my boat, and you have the only other passage. I'm on a desperate mission to save life on Earth."
"I see that you are dead," Charon said. "The dead cannot return to the shore of the living."
"Look closer," said Alex. "I'm one of the Undead."
Charon was startled, and looked afraid. "Unholy thing! My charter is to ferry only those who've given up life due to natural causes. The walking dead are a forbidden cargo."
All the time he was arguing with Alex, he was working at releasing the forward gate so his passengers could disembark. He was about to pull it aside, when Alex realized what was wrong with his cargo. She recognized one, who tried to hide her face — Cosmina. These were the souls of the angel vampires she'd just exterminated.
"Charon! Close the gate!" Alex shouted. "These are also souls of the Undead. You've been fooled." As Charon turned to look at his cargo, she stepped aboard the ferry and shoved back two vampires who were already on the drawbridge."
"Whoa!" shouted Charon. "I provide no passage for undead souls. Those on the other side can deal with you." He shoved off without bothering to retract the gangway.
One of the souls tripped and fell into Acheron's icy waters, screamed, and the soul dissolved in a piercing shriek.
Alex pushed her way through the throng of hostile vampires until she located Cosmina, who tried to hide her face.
"Where is Alu?" Alex asked.
"You fool! Do you really think you could stop the original vampire? You're a traitor to your own kind. Humanity had this one last chance for immortality in both worlds, to be immortal on Earth with the soul in Heaven. You have committed an atrocity against the future of all mankind."
"I know what you say is true, and I feel that what I've done is wrong. But I've given up my own understanding to a higher enlightenment of which I have no knowledge but trust to exist."
Cosmina cowered before Alex and would have no more to do with her. Yet, the souls of the other angel vampires gathered about and tried to shove her into the dark waters, but they didn't have the strength to overcome her. Alex stood at the edge of the ferry and peered into darkness. The trip seemed to take forever with no sign of progress.
The shore was upon them abruptly out of the darkness, and they hit the dock with a thud. Alex stepped off, but the others refused to leave, and Charon unveiled a whip with which he made them pay for their intransigence. Alex tried to escape the others, but her movement was labored. She had become suddenly weak, and they took command of her, forcing her to march with them back to Millennium Road.
When she reached the newly built city where Alu had told the souls of the Undead to wait, all was in disarray. She wanted to ask what was wrong, but those with her shoved forward and would let her address no one.
Alex tried to leave her companions and head toward the light of the Chateau in the distance, but the closer she got, the more confused she became. She was feeble and trembled. They turned away from the Chateau and headed south. They grabbed her arms and forced her along with them into a deeper darkness, which she greatly feared. She was powerless to escape their grasp and became desperate when they came to a charred mountain that had been the victim of a great conflict.
Out of nowhere, a group of dark, vile, unclothed creatures descended upon her. They had no interest in any of the others, just Alex. They were both animal and human but nasty, stinking brutes, humped, cankerous, warted. She felt an ominous pull into the darkness, and they entered a cavern scorched into the mountain. She realized that feral vampires did have a soul and that this was where they all ended up. The tunnel they traveled became steeper and steeper, the uncouth creatures pushing her along until she could no longer control her steps and started falling forward into a red light and unbearable heat. And then she plunged off a sharp ledge and tumbled into the Depths of Despair.