by Matthew Buza
“We're getting grain for the pigs. Did you forget where you are?”
“No, I just thought I was somewhere else.”
“Where would that be boy?”
He could still remember the burning river of fire and sprinting away. He collapsed and he saw Lazarus's face. That had all gone and somehow faded away. He was back in Oregon.
Isaac responded. “All I know is it wasn't here.”
He could hear his grandfather chuckling. “That must have been a big dream.”
“When did you get a cart?”
“I've always had this, just felt like taking it out today.”
The road drifted by, edged by a small bank where the grass was tall and filled with white and purple field flowers. The path was lined with walnut trees that shook in the afternoon. Beams of light fell gently through the leaves and struck the ground out of sight.
Isaac lifted his large frame and rested against the old seat. He could smell his grandfather's cheap cologne that he quietly purchased from the country store. He had first bought it years ago when Nan had told him she enjoyed the smell. Isaac smiled and let the familiar world soak into him like a dry sponge. The sound of his grandfather calmed his heart.
“Where are we going, Grandpa?”
“Well, I'm going home. What about you?”
“Can I come home too?”
“I don't know, can you?”
“Well, I'm not going to get out of this cart if that means anything.”
“It sounds like you are going my way then.”
They rolled down the path and turned a sharp corner. In the distance, Isaac could see a worn-out barn, rotten from too many years of roof leaks. The hay was piled against the one side, as the farmer struggled to get any use out of the dwindling facility.
“I feel like I could go back to sleep,” said Isaac.
“Well, you just might.”
Isaac leaned back and the bright light shone through his closed eyelids. He felt the sun's warmth prickling against his skin and he moved to rub his arm. There was a resistance and his eyes shot open. His hands were bound with a tight black band.
He shifted in the cart and turned. “Grandpa my hands.”
“Yeah, I see that.”
Isaac tried to stand but his legs were bound. A panic began rising in his chest. “Holy shit, what the fuck is going on?”
His grandfather was silent. He seemed to ignore Isaac's struggles and cries. Isaac stared at his grandfather. The wind picked up and strands of hair flew off his head and his clothes and skin smoked and blew away like ash to reveal a man covered in a black robe and hood.
“Grandpa?” Isaac questioned, watching one of the only people he loved in this world slowly disappear into the air.
The voice came from the other side of the hood. It was his grandfather’s but it warbled and was changing with each syllable. “What do you want?”
“I'm dreaming ain't I?”
“Just remember your faith boy and you might find a way out of here.”
The world slowly darkened and the walnut trees burned and lifted into the air. The grass died back to reveal scorched lava rock, crushed gravel, and dust. The bumps continued and the cart gave way to a worn sack and Isaac realized he was being dragged down the darkened hellscape.
Just over his head, two sets of feet crunched in the gravel as Isaac fully awoke to the world around him. He rolled off the canvas sack and tried to stand, stumbled back and fell to the ground cracking his head against a stone.
Isaac winced as the crunching steps stopped.
He heard Lazarus's voice. “Jesus kid, don't kill yourself.”
Isaac opened up to Lazarus to see him pulling the hood back. A fresh wound extended down the side of his head and the dried blood crusted thick, forming a crude scab.
Isaac panicked pushing back against a small boulder. He lifted his hands to show Lazarus.
“Listen it’s part of the bargain.”
The word struck Isaac and he felt a trap door release in his mind. As if flushing doubt into the abyss only to be filled with resentment. His lips curled as he spoke, “Bargain? What are you talking about?”
Isaac jumped to his feet. The memories of the last week and his abandonment to the demon were too much. A blind rage grew in his belly and he quickly lost control. Isaac jump-hopped and came down on Lazarus, who lifted his hands in vain to protect himself. There was nothing he could do, Isaac had tasted home and it was more than he needed. His bound hands lifted up and crashed down cracking Lazarus's nose and pressing fresh blood out over his cheek. Isaac dropped his head and struck Lazarus's forehead. Skin split exposing a thin line of white before Lazarus’s racing heart expelled blood out over his forehead. Lazarus fumbled for a rock to protect himself. Isaac was breathing heavily and he stood again leading with his knees. Isaac took the rock to the shoulder before crashing down onto Lazarus's chest. The air pressed out of the man's lungs and Lazarus rolled on the ground gasping for breath and clutching his chest. Fresh streams of blood trickled down his nose and forehead and fell out over the ground.
Isaac leaned into him. “You fucking left me to die in this fucking hell hole! You piece of shit!”
He pounded with his fists again expecting to hear a bone snap and flesh tear.
Lazarus choked back a breath and pressed his hands out. “I didn’t…” He coughed. “You have to lis…”
“Fuck you I don't want to listen to your excuses anymore. It’s been nothing but a continuous shit show. Do you even know what the hell you are doing? Do you even fucking care about anything except yourself?”
The venom dripped off his tongue and his anger overtook him. Isaac stood again and hopped towards Lazarus who was now cowering against a boulder with his arms out. Blood collected on his hands and covered his face.
Isaac jumped again intending to throw his weight once more onto Lazarus when his body was struck by an object. He tumbled to the ground and let out a long moan. Isaac and Lazarus writhed in pain as Aamon walked slowly towards Isaac. Isaac's mind melted in horror as the tormentor dropped a small dirty cloth at Lazarus's feet.
Isaac's eyes were wide and his fear gave way to a deep and resonating anger. He felt his chest swelling and for a brief moment, he calculated the cost of going through the demon.
“You piece of shit,” Isaac spat.
Lazarus lifted his hand and motioned towards Isaac, “Calm down.”
“Fucking calm down? You think you can tell me to calm down.” Isaac struggled to stand again, but the quickness of Aamon stopped him as he fell back into the gravel. Isaac felt the demon's touch, it was cold and felt like life was being pulled from his arm. It burned like open ice pressed hard against the skin. Isaac recoiled and slid back again the rock. His face was level with Aamon's and he could see Lazarus standing in the distance.
“Listen I deserved that. Shit, you are a tough son of a bitch,” Lazarus said.
“You two are working together? Is that why you abandoned me? Just some fodder for your plan.”
“I know, I know,” Lazarus said wiping the blood from his face.
“What is it then?” Isaac cried out.
“Aamon let him stand, you can keep the bands on the wrists. I think he's gotten it out of him.”
“You want to see old man?” Isaac's eyes were wide and his face pulsed red.
Aamon looked at Lazarus and he nodded. Aamon touched the bindings on Isaac's feet and the slack went out. The band fell to the ground and slowly sprang to life. A dark green snake slithered towards Aamon and disappeared into the demon's smoky leg.
Lazarus walked up to Isaac and helped him to his feet. Isaac struggled to stand up; his legs were sore from the fall.
“We are bargaining and you are a bargaining chip and I'm sorry for that. But if you want to get out of here, you follow along.”
“He is going to kill us,” Isaac pleaded.
“He doesn't give a shit about us.”
“You are going to believe that? Then
what the fuck are we doing here?”
“We need to get to the King's palace and then we go.”
“You think he is just going to let us go? Are you insane? Do you know where we are?”
"Yes, I do. But I know what he wants and he can't have it without us.”
“What the hell would that be?”
Lazarus paused and looked at Aamon who was standing like a statue waiting on the path. “He wants one thing…”
Aamon broke his silence, and his voice rang through the landscape. “I want the seraphim.”
Isaac looked at Lazarus, and he nodded slowly. “Jalon?”
The Weary
Lazarus lifted the small pot from the hot vent. The water boiled hard against the side of the metal pan and drops fell out onto the ground and sizzled into steam. He stirred in oatmeal until the spoon stuck firm. He placed the cup down and made a second batch.
Lazarus kicked his leg out and struck Isaac on the side. The mountain of a body shifted and rolled over. Isaac's eyes were dark and heavy and screamed for more sleep. He rubbed his face with his bound hands and flicked specks of dried crust to the ground.
“What do you want?” Isaac spat on the ground next to him.
“Breakfast.” Lazarus handed the cup to Isaac who looked down and took a bite.
“Camping supplies? You didn't come in here with anything.”
Lazarus chewed on his oatmeal. “This isn't my first time here.”
Isaac shook his head in disbelief. “There's nothing shocking anymore. How many times have you been here?”
“Here? Never. But I've been to the cave we entered four times. I never ventured far. The last two times I've brought supplies and stored them away. Just some basics, water and food. Two cups. Nothing special.”
Isaac shifted in the dirt and finished the oatmeal. He tossed the cup back to Lazarus.
“Do you want some more?”
“Yeah.” He paused as Lazarus stirred in the water and mixed the oatmeal. Isaac wasn't picky, he couldn't remember his last meal. It might have been a day or two. He felt his mind was starting to slip and struggling to connect the two worlds. If he spent any more time in this place he might forget the real world.
“What about Luke and James? What are they just sitting there sleeping in the pews as the body rots in that church?”
“No, that's not how it works. The first time I came here I spent just an hour and only a few minutes passed back at my place. So I extended my time on the next trip. I figure only an hour or two have passed up there since we walked through the cave.”
Isaac smiled thinking of James snoring in the pews with a stale beer sitting on the ground. “Where are we?”
“We are in Hell. We got through the gate.”
“How? Aamon was fighting the gatekeepers.”
“Shortly after I ran into you Aamon found us. That's where I got this.” He touched the wound on his face. “He came after me, but I promised him Jalon if he promised to take us to the King.”
“You are going to give him Jalon? How?”
“I have the ability to call him. Finish your meal we will have to get going soon.”
Isaac ate in silence before stopping. “You left me at the cave.”
“I didn't know where we were going and if he brought you to the gatekeepers and you knew anything they would have gone after you. You came with a clean heart and that probably saved you both.”
The crunching of rocks startled Isaac and he dribbled oatmeal down his cheek. Aamon rounded the corner and sat on a large boulder. A small lizard-like creature fought in his hand as blood dripped out a large wound where a leg was missing. Aamon gave it no chance to survive and shoved the lizard into his smoky face. Small drops of blood flicked out of his mouth and fell down onto the black rocks below.
Isaac looked down at the remaining oatmeal and he felt ill. He passed the cup back to Lazarus. “You can finish for me. I'm good.”
Lazarus took the cup and downed the remaining oatmeal in one gulp. Isaac could see the crusted wounds on his face. The long cut on his cheek and the bruising around his eyes and nose. All of the lies and anger seemed to melt away.
“I really fucked up your face.”
“That you did.” He touched his nose gently. “I haven't had my ass kicked like that since I was a kid.”
Isaac looked up at Aamon. “So where are we going?”
Aamon continued to chew, crushing bones and flesh with his teeth. He slowly swallowed what remained of the lizard and looked up at Isaac. “We are going to see the King.”
“Satan?”
Lazarus stepped in. “No. Buer. The Cloven One.”
“Well, that sounds just wonderful,” Isaac said sarcastically.
“Buer is the King of the land we are going to. He commands demons. He is a sight. He has multiple legs that connect to his body and allow him to move fast in any direction. He rotates like a wheel, each foot is a cloven hoof and he can climb like a mountain goat. Aamon is part of his legion. He was given his cloven feet by the King.” Lazarus paused before continuing. “Buer has a face of a lion and his mane flows down his back and covers his body. It is rumored in some writings that the mane is magical.”
“How do you know this?” Isaac asked.
“There are books that speak of him. The Grimoire. Demon descriptions in old texts. Books not incorporated into the Bible. Gnostic traditions. There are things not included in the general Lexicon. They didn't fit a narrative. They describe this world and others. The extra myths made the Christian story complicated. So they were pushed off as pagan dealings. Things witches and necromancers did in the shadows.” He finished with a smile as if he enjoyed his outcast existence.
Aamon stood and looked down at the two men. “We need to move now to catch the boat.”
Lazarus nodded and stood. He helped Isaac up as his hand brushed against the snakeskin binding. He felt a moment of remorse having him bound like that. He knew what the boy would have to face.
“We still have a distance to walk, so we need to get some miles under us,” said Lazarus.
Isaac was resigned to his situation, the cold demonic possession still flowed through his veins. His body followed like a dog after its master. He kept his distance walking behind Lazars and Aamon. In the distance, the horizon burned a fierce red. It was miles away but the scale terrified the mortal men.
“Is that where we are going?” asked Isaac.
“Yes, the lake,” Lazarus responded. “And then the mountain beyond.”
Aamon led the way as the two men struggled to keep up. They continued towards the horizon and crested a small hill. The landscape before them was pot-marked. Rocks and boulders collected to form mounds and small pools of dark liquid stretched out across like shell holes from a grisly war. Isaac and Lazarus could see movement between the mounds as a team of dog-like creatures with serpent's heads worked along the pools pulling rocks and stacking them in piles.
Aamon stopped at the top. “We will make it through the plain, but you must follow my lead. These creatures are scavengers.”
Before the two men could respond Aamon broke down the hill in a sprint, sending up dust and debris into the air. Isaac and Lazarus followed stumbling down the hill. In the distance, the creatures working the pools slowed and their heads turned to the dust cloud lifting from the edge of the rim. Their lips pulled back and their white fangs showed in the dark light. Pink tongues flicked in the air and caressed the tips of their lips.
The Hot Ride into Hell
Isaac and Lazarus stumbled down the hillside chasing after Aamon who was now in a full sprint. Isaac fell behind as his bound hands spun in circles fighting to maintain his balance.
“Hey! Can I get these off?” Isaac cried.
Isaac stopped as he reached the bottom of the hill. He paused and brought his arms up over his head and down against his hips. He felt the black band stretch and fray. He dropped his arms again and the bands broke sending spurts of blood over the ground and acr
oss Isaac's shirt. The bands shifted to reveal Aamon's snake writhing and jerking in pain. Isaac rubbed his hands and looked up to see Lazarus weaving through the boulder mounds, his feet kicking up gravel and dust as he turned a corner and disappeared.
The boulder mounds were as high as a home and dotted the plain blocking any clear view of the surrounding area. Long footprints with deep talon marks peppered the ground in all directions.
Isaac rounded a mound and cried out, “Lazarus? Are you there?”
There was no answer. In the distance, Isaac could hear a low rumbling as if a stampede of animals were approaching. The ground trembled and Isaac dodged the collapsing mounds. Ahead, Lazarus's legs disappeared around the edge.
“Lazarus!” he cried out.
Isaac felt uneasy like he was being abandoned again. A moment passed and Lazarus reappeared on the path. He waved his arm. “Come on, we have to catch up.”
For the moment Isaac was relieved. “I'm moving as fast as I can.”
There was a flash and a blurry figure snatched Lazarus and pulled him down the path and out of view. Isaac's eyes went wide as he heard Lazarus scream out in pain. The sound of digging claws echoed.
Isaac rounded the corner to see Lazarus lying prone on the ground with his arms in the air. Perched above on its hind legs was a creature that stood nearly seven feet tall. Matted gray-brown hair covered its body and its legs rippled with thick muscles. Long veins bulged at the ankle and Isaac could see the yellowed talons digging into the ground. The creature had dug hard and scrape marks extended out on either side of Lazarus. Isaac could see the back of the creature's scaly head and the sides of the slanted eyes. A long forked tongue slowly tasted the air as if probing the aroma of the captured prey below.
The creature let loose a loud hiss and arched its back to attack. Isaac wasted no time and grabbed a nearby rock, releasing it and striking the back of the skull with a dull crack. Isaac felt the ground shake as the creature stumbled and collapsed to the ground in a daze. It fought to stand but its legs were like jelly.
Isaac reached Lazarus and yanked him up. “Come on let’s go.”