Azazel
Page 2
Tired and exhausted I could barely move my head towards the direction of the elderly man’s voice but I spotted him sat on a small mound of blue sand. Looking down upon my weary, blooded, battered and naked body he sat there looking quite comfortable. Dressed all in black he had a black zipped jacket and black jeans with black shoes. Roughly aged around fifty he was quite wrinkled yet had a short bristly beard wrapping only around his mouth. His head was shaved, not one drop of sweat on his face at all, yet here I was melting like a fucking Popsicle in a volcano.
“Who…The fuck… Are you?” I said.
“Such a vulgar tone as always. Nonetheless I shall answer your question with another question. Who would you like me to be Azazel?” The old man spoke softly like he was all friendly and familiar.
Pondering for but a brief moment I tried my hardest to stand up but my body was too weak. I had no idea who this man was or why he spoke to me so gently. What did he mean asking me such a ridiculous riddle of a question? Speaking like he knows me by calling me vulgar, God I swear if I could shoot him I would shoot the bastard dead right now.
“God doesn’t exist where we currently are Azazel. Guns on the other hand do exist but are quite hard to come by just like Angelic weapons. Swords, maces, Demonic devices and weapons are more prominent down below. However, it seems you deem me as an enemy and would like nothing more than to kill me so here you go.” The elderly man stopped speaking as he reached behind his back.
Barely in crawl position like a damn baby I could only look on as my hands, knees and feet merged with sand and the man pulled a thin lengthy blade from behind his back. At first the blade was folded like a switch knife but as I kneeled there I saw him flip it open before then standing and throwing the blade at me. My eyes grew wide as the blade hurtled towards my head, ready to cleave clean through my neck. I must dodge I thought, I have to fucking dodge!
Chapter four: Guardian
Blade hurtling towards my overstretched neck at what would appear to be incredibly fast I had no idea what to do. My body was basically one with the sand, melted to the point of unrecognisable. What was I meant to do? No way could I move, but I must and I did. It was like muscle memory or something else. Sparks jolted all around my body literally springing me to life, it was like my body become coated in a soft shield of tingling electric, it felt warm, gentle and friendly as it bounced around my body, jolts of static jumping between those stupid spikes in my dreadful hair.
There I was, free of the sand, stood in defensive position. Left leg outstretched I had caught that whirling blade with my scorched right hand and was now holding it instinctively. It felt as if I was holding my gorgeous Glock, oh how I did miss my babies. What was happening to me? I had never before held a blade beside the odd few I confiscated during fights, yet I barely held onto them longer than five seconds as I normally jammed them down someone’s throat or into some part of their body at the very least.
Fascinated by how quickly my body reacted it felt like it wasn’t me, sure I was fast in the real world but this was beyond a joke. Sparks of electricity had been left where I was once crouched over like a babe, following like a breadcrumb trail to where I now stood, the electricity keeping me safe from the scorching sand.
Blade in hand it felt warm, the handle was soft, moulded to my grip. I wasn’t sure whether it was soft black leather or rubber. One thing for sure was that it felt right, like it belonged in my right hand, more so than a pistol. Thin yet light the blade had several groves stretching from the base of the narrow handle to the forty degree tip at the end, the whole sword glistening in electricity.
Hardly enough time to comprehend what was going on or to admire the weapon perched within my grasp the elderly man flew at me. When I say flew I mean he literally FUCKING flew!
Black wings stretching from his back like some magnificent bird they were sleek and majestic but the sheer speed he used to get from his cosy spot on a nearby mound of sand to reach me was staggering, so staggering I didn’t see him. Disappeared from my eyes, my eyes that could even see bullets move like they were in slow motion. Unable to defend the man clasped his hand around my head like a vice and threw me down hard into the sand; keeping his hand on my face he used his other arm to disable the weapon he had given me.
“Now you should realise Azazel that you are no match for me. I can kill you here and now if that is what you wish. A fitting end for a street dog, or perhaps you would like the chance to do something much greater?”
Mumbling through the man’s cold hand he was cutting off my breathing, his hand that large it was suffocating me.
“Let… Go… Of… Me.”
Just as I asked the man removed his hands and stepped back taking the blade with him.
Once more he sat back down, legs crossed he smiled at me.
“My name is also Azazel. I am your guardian angel young man. Since your birth I have followed your every step, you and many others I might add. Out of them all you were by far the most amusing which is why I purposely gave you the ability of a demon when you are still a mere mortal.”
“Guardian angel? Sure didn’t save my ass from taking a bullet though did you? Or how about save me from this hell hole.” I said coldly to the man also named Azazel as I sat up, the lightning still keeping me safe from the sand.
“Granted I could have helped you back in the world of the living. However, I personally think you will find the afterlife more to your liking. Basically you are sort of dead because of me. Well not entirely because of me, I sure didn’t send you to go pick a fire fight with a bunch of gangsters. Very entertaining to watch.
Putting this very bluntly young Azazel there is a quest I would like you to undertake. I shall not mention it until after you decided on where you would like to go in your afterlife. If you choose to repent all sins then the gates of Heaven shall open and you will be granted passage into god’s paradise. Choose not to repent your sins and stay here, trapped in Limbo.”
Laughing to myself from within as the elder Azazel quieted down to hear my response I began to wonder.
So this wasn’t Hell after all. Trapped in Limbo or proceed to Heaven, the only way to know was to ask elder Az whether or not it was worth it and what fucking sins did he mean?
“Hey Az what sins should I repent for? You mean killing all those people who were basically asking to go to Hell regardless?”
“Only one aspect of your being I didn’t enjoy young Azazel and that was your foul mouth, I do recognise that you were not brought up by any parents though other than that Nazi man. Then again you really had no idea what you were digesting. You are right though, you must repent for all yours sins of murder, theft and lies, then you shall be granted passage.”
If he thought for a moment I was going to repent for a short life time of getting rid of the scum in the living world then god was more of a retard than I was. Screw Heaven, sounds like it was built for snobs anyway. Fuck it all, if I have to I will build a damn sandcastle and live in it for the rest of my afterlife. Hang on a moment.
“A fucking Nazi raised me? What do you mean he fed me something?” I screamed as I stood up.
“Calm yourself young Azazel. Before it got to severe I lopped off his head and fed his body to a Hellhound. You should thank him to be honest, he gave you incredibly gifts whilst you were alive which have now multiplied being dead. Quite a strange turn of events. So it seems you’re determined to stay trapped within Limbo. I guess now I have work to do before I perish into ash. Forgive me Young Azazel.”
“Forgive you for what? What are you going to do to me you bastard?” No sooner than those words left my mouth those gaudy metal chains that felt the need to cling to my body for half the journey down to Limbo had returned.
Spurting forth from the sand like giant rusty metal snakes the spikes once more tore into my flesh, my electrified body trying to repel them yet it was no good as they snaked around me, the spikes cutting through my soft flesh like paper.
“You fucking
prick!” I spluttered as blood flew from my mouth.
So because I chose not to repent for my sins death was the only option left. Intolerable pain soaring all over my body as I bled elder Azazel stood up, holding out his right hand he made some kind of gesture before a scythe suddenly appeared at the side of him. The only way to describe it was that it looked the spitting image of a grim reapers scythe, all black and shiny, covered in bones and metal chains, wait a moment. That was the same fucking scythe from the shop, the one that snagged me.
“Sorry I have to do this to you young Azazel but for the crimes of murdering two hundred and seventy eight humans. Lying a grand total of seven thousand nine hundred and twenty three times and stealing a total of six hundred and forty nine times I Azazel am here to reap your soul.”
They were the very last words I heard before elder Azazel swung his scythe with malice, cleaving apart my flesh with such ease. Nothing I could do, not like a miracle was going to save me a second time from being killed by him was it.
Chapter five: Doctor Death
Hacked to pieces I regained consciousness although my vision was hazy at best. Blood was everywhere. Hardly called living anymore, my guts were hanging out, splattered on the sandy floor. Elder Azazel had peeled back a vast majority of my skin. At first there was tremendous pain. Now there was nothing. Whether it was shock or my brain overloaded so much so that it just refused to recognise pain I was sort of thankful.
“I know this is not easy younger Azazel but please do forgive me for the untold torture I am inflicting upon you. I must rid your body quickly of the spirit chains that tie you to heaven or else you will evaporate into nothingness. There is a reason I brought you into Limbo and not directly to Hell. You chose Hell over Heaven. You may not realise this but out of millions if not billions of souls that have come down to Limbo they all vanish into dust, this sand that we stand upon is the remains of those that wished to be cleansed of sins and enter the garden of Eden.
You alone chose Hell when no one in their right mind would and that makes this worth doing.”
No idea what the fuck elder Azazel was talking about I watched as he reached deep inside my stomach, incredible pain returning again.
Would I survive such inhumane torture? Falling several thousand miles from the real would, survived that bullshit. Getting thunder zapped into oblivion to the point I am sure my asshole cooked inside, survived that. Sort of surviving the twisted demonic crap this winged bastard was putting me through.
“Am… I immortal?” I asked, almost choking on my own blood whilst that fucker continued to route around inside my body.
With no idea what the winged one found within me it felt like he was tugging on rope deep inside me, every single tug felt more wrenching and painful than any previous torture I had endured.
“No. You are not immortal Azazel and neither am I. You only age in Hell when you want to age that is unless you happen to be born there; I personally preferred a more manly appeal. It goes down smother when I have to visit the world of the living. You have so many questions, quite understandably. Answers shall be given but the reason you are alive right now is not because you are immortal. The scythe I wield can only harm, not kill. Only exceptional demons within Hell have one of these although they quite possibly fashion it into another tool. If this was to slice your head off or cut you into very tiny pieces it would not kill you. I could simply reassemble you like a puzzle and you would be good as new.”
Elder Az stopped speaking as he yanked again, ripping something out of my body. It was like a silky white rope. Glistening like diamonds it looked pretty.
“This younger Azazel is what is known as your soul’s repentance. With this still trapped inside your new body you would physically not be able to survive Limbo. It was me who ensured that you came to Limbo because I need a favour, a quest that you will very much like.”
“You… Want me… To help you? Go fuck… Yourself!” I spat on the man but he paid no attention as he began sticking bits and pieces back inside me.
Watching elder Azazel toss my soul’s repentance aside it squirmed on the melting hot sand before turning into a small smouldering pile of ash. No sooner than it evaporated it was like a vast weight had been removed off of my shoulders. Since entering the sordid place I had struggled to breathe and walk. Now it felt like a hot day, still too hot to be dressed in full on black clothing.
“That should do it. Liver, kidneys, intestines, bladder and stomach all in their right place. Now to sow you up and replenish your blood.”
Utterly exhausted from this whole ordeal that had nary lasted twenty minutes I stood upright observing elder Azazel as he turned his index finger to flame and began searing the wound that ran from the bottom of my neck to my pelvis.
Not long passed before I was fully patched up or so he called it. Elder Azazel dismissed the chains back to the sandy depths and I flopped forward, body too weak to hold my weight. Almost face planting the hot sand Elder Az caught me.
“Rest now young one. The trial is done with and all that awaits you now is a world filled with tremendous amounts of fun for people like me and you. We have a lot to do within the next two years so do not sleep too long now.” Said Elder Az softly as he looked down upon my blooded battered body.
“What do you mean the next two years you…?” I couldn’t say another word because that damn bastard punched me clean in the face, knocking me out and more than likely breaking my damn nose.
What did this man want with me? What did he have planned for my future? Like fuck I was going to obey this deranged bastard, but he did mention fun. Something that I would enjoy. Maybe, just maybe it was worth hearing him out. But should I listen to a guy that dragged me from the real world, shoved me in Limbo, beat the crap out of me, sliced me open like a cake and broke my fucking nose!
Meh! What’s the worst that could happen?
Chapter six: Desert beasts
Awaking with a shattered, bruised nose I felt physically okay, everywhere apart from my nose was in perfect condition or so I assumed. Nose still hurt like a bitch but it was hardly comparable to what I had undergone recently all thanks to that winged cunt.
Slightly groggy I began to sit up on the dark blue sand; barely warm it seemed my body had grown accustomed to Limbo after having that worm like repentance thing ripped from the bowls of my body.
Sat still as I tried to shake the haze the first thing I happened to notice was that I had been clothed. Dressed in red baggy trousers, black heavily laced military style boots, a white t-shirt and a black unzipped jacket. The red trousers matched my new hair that still pissed me off, however I didn’t care for fashion or style, only fighting and my precious guns. Basically I had to be thankful that I wasn’t dressed in my own blood. What I wanted to know was were the other Azazel had procured these garments, after all he wasn’t carrying anything and I doubt he plucked them from thin air.
Gazing across the sandy dunes elder Azazel was sat atop another mound of coloured sand with legs folded. It seemed like he was meditating. Unsure at first glance but I could swear we were not in the same place, the place I had entered into Limbo. Ahead of me was elder Azazel sat atop a mound of sand, what a knob. To the left and the right were endless reaches of desert, although they were not entirely sand. Gigantic bones stuck out from the sandy depths, soaring in the air these were much larger than whale bones.
What actually lived in Limbo or rather died in Limbo to produce such bones? Fair enough I knew snakes along with other reptiles could survive desert climates on Earth but an animal of that size in the scorching, ruthless climate of Limbo was taking the piss right?
Stood still I pondered for a moment as a gentle breeze swept past me from behind. It was gentle and revitalising, almost relaxing as the rhythm of the breeze was like something inhaling and exhaling. Hold on a moment I thought. That didn’t sound right. This calm gentle breeze felt like I was being breathed on from behind but what could produce a breeze as strong as wind?
Absolutely colossal in size Azazel had had his very first encounter with a monster that dwelled within Limbo. Towering at fifteen meters high it was a thick scaled reptilian beast on four legs. Unbeknown to young Azazel the beast glaring at him with dark red cat like eyes was called a Snagler. Utterly gigantic in size its behaviour was somewhat similar to that of a vulture. It prayed on weak, smaller pray or dead creatures. Very rare did it venture from its lair to hunt like it was doing now.
Stood on four green scaly legs the Snagler had enormous flat teeth, much like a herbivore, though clear it wanted to eat Azazel as its purple tongue swished around its mouth. Breath so foul it was amazing that Azazel was able to stand facing the beast. Covered from head to toe in thick green scales and defensive spiked horns it was relatively weak unless angered.
Behind the monster was ruins of a small village, time had done it no pleasantries as most of it was buried in a wide array of coloured sand. To an untrained eye it would appear the destroyed village was made from stone but was actually made from demon bones, plucked from the very desert of Limbo. Stylish bone pillars were left shattered throughout the village some collapsed through house roofs. Azazel could smell adventure, only one problem. A humungous problem.
Pools of purple drool dropping to the sand in front of my feet I looked up at the monster that stood between me and the village before shouting across to elder Azazel.
“Hey knob-head! What the fuck is this thing? It looks like it wants to eat me. Can I kill it? I really want to investigate those ruins.”
No sooner than I spoke the beast launched at me, trying to gulp me down in one.