Rise From Darkness

by Ciara Knight

  A map lay on the ground in front of the first box. It looked familiar. The water, the woods, the homes, schools, and shopping centers. It was a detailed map of Kemp, FL, but not like any map she’d seen. There were strange symbols in the woods and on a few of the homes. The ocean contained what looked like a sea serpent, the woods had wild dogs, and the mall had strange disfigured people.

  A chill raced through her entire body. The house near the ocean was encircled in red and next to it a faint scribble read ‘Fallen angel.’

  ****

  Herak poured tea for Alexander and passed it to him. “Now I may continue.”

  At Alexander’s nod, he sat back and took a sip. “When Heaven discovered my arrogance, they sent an army of angels to subdue me. They were to remove my powers. But Lucifer had already made a proposition. I would conquer the angels with the help of Hell’s minions and forever rule Earth. During a great battle in which the Earth shook, and Heaven poured down its wrath all the angels were slain or captured.”

  Herak’s cup rattled as he took a sip of tea. “After this occurred Lucifer betrayed me and turned his minions on Earth. I watched as my wife and children perished. I traveled to Hell in search of revenge. My abilities were greater than any creature there excluding Lucifer. When I threatened to release the captured angels into hell, Lucifer denied any part of the minions plan, and agreed to curse the demons who had plotted against me. When I returned, the demons and angels were forever cursed to remain on Earth. They were forced to live among humans never able to return to Heaven or Hell.”

  Alexander grieved for this man. But why? He brought it on himself. It must have been the torment that flashed across Herak’s face as he spoke of his wife and children.

  Herak took the kettle from the fire and poured some more tea in Alexander’s cup then his own. “I was approached by a powerful angel I’d cursed to walk Earth forever in demon form.”

  Alexander choked on his tea and looked up at Herak.

  Herak appeared not to notice and continued. “I don’t know if it was the angel’s compassion in spite of what I’d done to him or his unwavering faith in the face of tragedy, but he taught me how to face everything. I fell to my knees and begged for Heaven’s forgiveness.”

  Alexander couldn’t contain himself any longer. The question burst forth from his lips without though. “What was the name of the angel cursed to roam Earth appearing as a demon?”

  Herak gave him a bemused look. “I think you already know the answer, son.”

  Alexander sucked in a quick breath. “Boon? He’s not a demon?”

  “He’s not even a fallen angel, only an obedient servant of the merciful God. If it weren’t for Boon, I’d still worship false Gods including myself.”

  “All this time and Boon never said anything. I’ve been an, a—”

  “A naive self absorbed teenager?” Herak smiled.

  “Something like that.” Alexander’s head still rang with confusion as he thought back to all the altercations they’d had without a word from Boon. How many times could he have put Alexander in his place?

  Herak pressed on without another word about Boon. “It was decided that I should suffer the same fate as those I had cursed, living out my days on Earth. I still reside here a thousand and seven hundred years later. Earth years anyway. But on this land I’ve lived ten times that.”

  Alexander’s mind reeled with questions. “If angels were finally able to overpower you why didn’t they send you to Hell?”

  “Don’t you see? This is the worst punishment possible. Having to face everything, I’ve done. I was never overpowered or captured. The binding spell that keeps me here I placed on myself. I voluntarily imprisoned myself.”

  “What if you change your mind? Couldn’t you lift the spell?”

  “No, son. There is no cause for concern. Only an angel can break the spell. No angel would do such a thing.”

  “I—I am—” Alexander stammered.

  “Don’t worry. I’m not asking. It’s not a condition to save your earthbound sister. The only condition is for you to understand the graveness of your actions. If you do not want to end up like me, learn to control yourself and seek help from others. Don’t judge, or you will be judged.”

  Herak stood abruptly and grasped his chest.

  “What is it?” Alexander stood offering a hand to steady him.

  Herak reached into his robes and pulled a vile with an amethyst colored liquid. “Take this to Grace. She’ll know what to do. You must hurry.”

  Herak walked over to the dark opening of the cave. “It has begun. The storm is here.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Gaby held the worn journal in her hands. Why hadn’t he told her the truth?

  All this time.

  All the lies.

  Oh God, what if he was out there right now hunting them? Could they fight back? Would they fight back? Would they kill him? Was he the one that took the sword from the ground?

  She had to warn them. But without a phone, how could she? Without another thought she jumped up and raced for the front door, but before she reached it Patronus stood barking at her. “Come on boy, I have to go.”

  Patronus growled in response. He knew something she didn’t. But if she didn’t warn them what would happen?

  A chill ran through her body. There had to be more information, something to help stop all of this and protect everyone from the sword. If only she hadn’t dropped it to the ground.

  “Okay, Patronus, I’ll try to figure something out. If not, we go to Grace’s.”

  Patronus seemed placated as he lay down in front of the door with a whine.

  A piece of the puzzle was missing. But what was it?

  She walked back into her father’s room and stood over the papers. A flash invaded her mind. Her knees buckled and she slammed against the hard floor. Pain throbbed like a heartbeat in her head. Screeching sounds rang in her ears.

  Gasping, she clutched her head. She couldn’t make out the vision. But as the pain and noise faded she grabbed a piece of paper and stumbled upstairs for her colored pencils. Shapes and colors filled the page, somewhat distorted because her shaking hands. Urgency to finish overwhelmed her. Drawing faster and harder she almost ripped the page. If it could be a solution to save them all, she couldn’t draw fast enough.

  When it ended, she turned the page in several directions trying to decipher what it was. A cave with wooden doors, a large box, it was hard to say. A bark echoed through the house. She grabbed the paper and ran down to see what was going on.

  Patronus sat on the floor of her father’s room. “What is it boy?” Patronus rested his head back down with his paw outstretched over the pictures that still remained on the floor.

  She sat down next to him and patted his head staring at the picture. What could it be? Looking around the room, she thought the baseboard and closet color resembled the wood box in her picture. But the rest of it didn’t look anything like the room.

  The closet door squeaked as she pulled it open and looked around inside. Placing her hand against the closet wall, she ran it along the splintered old cedar.

  Nothing. Silly, but there always seemed to be some secret passage in the movies. Patronus stood up in the doorway and barked.

  “What is it boy? Something in the closet?” He barked as if confirming.

  He jumped in the air several times. There was an attic style door. She had always assumed her bedroom was the old attic and there wasn’t one anymore. There was no string to pull so she dragged the chair from the desk into the closet and used a letter opener in an attempt to pry it open, with little success.

  After a few tries she retrieved a flat head screwdriver and pried it out enough to get her hands under. It wasn’t an attic but a small cutout beneath the roof, between the trusses.

  A box sat just inside. It was made of the wood she’d drawn in the picture. She easily maneuvered it out, and then stepped down off the chair to open it. Patronus returned to his n
ormal spot in the doorway.

  “Aren’t you a little curious boy?” She smiled at him as if she was discovering some ancient treasure.

  There were only a few items in the box, a strange looking old-fashioned pistol, another map, and some documents. The old-fashioned, dark revolver sat heavy and clunky in her hand. Different from modern guns she was use to firing. It had a symbol etched in the handle of two lightning bolts. She yanked her shirt up, the design matched the mark on her abdomen from Forras.

  She tore open the folded paper and froze in terror. It was a map like the one she found under his bed, but this one had red circles with writing in English. Grace’s house was circled and fallen angel was written next to it. Demons were labeled and at the bottom a note. ‘Here are the locations of the last earthbound creatures I will hunt and kill. The gun will be returned to you after the final demon is sent back to hell. The angel’s sword will be delivered after the last fallen angel is slaughtered. Do not contact me again. This map will provide any information about the region for your future reference.’

  “Oh God, no.” Gaby spun around and looked at Patronus. A wave of anxiety flooded her. Her father knew about Alexander and was going to murder him. Why? Why would he want to harm him? Just because he was some sort of earthbound hunter and it was his job? Or was it more? Did he know about their involvement in the death of her mother? Did they move here because of Alexander? Did he promise to stay only because he’d found them and wanted to murder them?

  “Patronus, we have to warn them. What if he k-kills them? We have to save them.” No, she had to stop this before it was too late. He was probably out there now killing demons before moving on to the fallen angels. “Come on boy, we have to warn them.”

  Patronus followed her to the front door.

  “Alex. Alexander! Please, Alex, answer me.” There was no response. Alexander didn’t appear in front of her.

  What if it was too late? What if he was fighting her father now?

  “Patronus. Can you go to Grace’s? Can you find Alex or Grace? I have to warn them.” Patronus barked. “Be careful boy.” She gave his neck a hug and sent him away. “Go to Grace’s.”

  Maybe she could convince her father with the pictures. If she found him and explained how each of the pictures had come true, maybe he would see that Alexander and Grace were innocent, not the demons he’d thought them to be. It was the only thing she could think of.

  The pictures were still on the floor in her father’s room. She darted back to his room and scooped them up in her arms. The boxes blocked her way out the door. She tripped and the papers flew everywhere. Still crouched on the floor she reached over for one of the pictures but noticed something. There was an order to the pictures. The car accident, angel wings, her father drunk and wounded, Sammy’s wings, each event was in chronological order with the pictures. After collecting all the pictures of past events, she realized three remained on the floor.

  One of them revealed that her father would not be going after Alexander or Sammy at all. They were safe. It was her father that was in danger. He was imprisoned somewhere. An old abandoned structure in a wooded area. His wounds were severe and he lay on the floor unconscious. A demon lurked around outside. Two more in the woods. She would have never known what this picture showed if she hadn’t deciphered so many others. Fur mixed in with tree limbs, glowing eyes, her father’s watch on his wrist. She’d learned how to look at clues to figure out who and what was going on. This one seemed obvious.

  The structure showed glass and a black fan.

  It wasn’t a fan.

  It was a propeller.

  The boathouse.

  She bolted outside. “Patronus!” No bark in response.

  “Alex! Grace!” No one answered.

  If the sword did that much damage to Sammy maybe the gun really worked. She raced back inside and grabbed the old revolver. It was cold and hard in her hand. She slid it into the waistband of her shorts.

  Maybe, if she ran to Alexander’s house she could get reinforcements and they could go together. The woods stood dark and uninviting in front of her but she had no choice. Anxiety nudged at her but she forced it back, not this time. The bottom step creaked as she launched off in a full speed sprint from the porch.

  Winded, she stopped in a clearing and bent with her hands on her knees. Two heaves and she stood upright ready to fight but her head throbbed. Just a dull rhythmic pulse at first, then it intensified. She grabbed her head and a vivid picture flashed in her mind. An icy dagger shot through her skull and she fell into a nearby tree gasping for air. She forced herself up only to stumble smashing her knees into tree roots.

  The image etched clearly in front of her. Forras, with a knife at her father’s throat.

  Nothing had ever been so clear or urgent. No time. A whisper swept her ears as if it traveled in the wind. It was going to happen soon. Too soon. Not enough time for her to run to Alexander’s. But she had the only weapon that would kill a demon.

  Changing directions, she took off for the boathouse.

  The woods were thick and difficult to get through. Prickly bushes and plants cut and sliced her hands. Closing in on the boathouse, she pulled the gun from her waistband and held it up toward the trees. Thankful at the moment for all the times her father took her to practice shooting. Little did she know that it was to defend against demons and not ‘bad guys’.

  Why had her parents kept this from her? Wait, did her mother know what he did? Was that his occupation back before her mother died? Could Forras have been after her father the whole time? If so, Alexander had nothing to do with the accident. Forras had been going after her father regardless of Alexander.

  If she made it out alive, she would be able to tell him that the death of her mother truly wasn’t his fault. If anything, he’d saved Gaby’s life. If he wouldn’t have pulled her from the car she would have died too. She doubted Forras would have left any survivors.

  Once the boathouse came into view, she crouched down and listened for any noise. If she took them by surprise, there was a chance. Several minutes passed but nothing moved. Pointing the gun toward the old house, she started to rise but another vision flooded into her mind.

  The position had changed. There were no demons on her side of the boathouse. They were on the opposite side of her and headed away. Forras was on the floor pointing a knife at her father. At least he was alive and awake. There wasn’t much time though. The look in Forras’ eyes said it all.

  Fleeing the brush, she ran for the boathouse until she reached the back corner and crouched down. Maybe if she concentrated she could see inside. Another vision could give her a strategic advantage. Maybe her father would be a better shot and she could give the gun to him.

  What if there was a secret to using the gun? She should’ve fired it before she left. How could she have been so stupid?

  She looked at the gun trying to see if there were even bullets in it. She slid the cylinder open and spun it. To her relief each cylinder contained a bullet. Flipping it closed she pulled the hammer back. But how would she get close enough to guarantee the shot? It was one of the things her father had taught her. Have a plan and execute it. If the element of surprise can be achieved that is your best course of action.

  Another vision flashed. She was captured by two demons and they dragged her into the old house.

  That was it. She would give herself up. They wouldn’t know she had the gun. She would pretend she was running to Alexander’s house. Scream out into the night acting frantic with worry. Gremory and the other one weren’t very bright. It would work.

  She back tracked into the woods and headed in the other direction. Before she had a chance to think it through, she began running through the woods, gun tucked in her waistband.

  “Alex. Someone, please help!”

  It didn’t take more than a couple of minutes for Forras’ goons to fall for her plan.

  “Look at what we have here.” Gremory smiled and sauntered toward he
r.

  “Forras will be so pleased.” The other demon added.

  “Poor little Gaby. Did you figure out your daddy is missing? News flash. We’ve got him. And now we have you.” Gremory’s laughter made her want to pull the gun out and shoot him on the spot but she had to use restraint if she would make it close enough to get Forras and rescue her father.

  They held tight to her upper arms and pulled her kicking and screaming, but it was for real this time. She tried to pull away and reach for the gun but she couldn’t free her arms. They were dragging her away from her father and deeper into the woods.

  “You thought you knew Forras’ plan didn’t you? Such a naive little girl aren’t you.” Gremory reached behind her back and pulled the gun from her shorts. “I think I’ll take that for now.”

  Both demons laughed as Gremory tossed the gun up in the air with his free hand. “So this is the famous gun your daddy had? Doesn’t look much to me.”

  “Let me have it if you think it’s nothing.” Gaby struggled to free her arms.

  “No, I think I’ll hold onto it for awhile.”

  “You’re nothing more than a pet. A slave to Forras. A fool!” Gaby kicked at the dirt and fought but it was no use. They were too strong.

  “You think you’re so smart.” Gremory snipped.

  “Alexander’s the fool.” Forras’ voice cut through the night and through her heart.

  Gremory let her arm go as Forras walked up. His eyes glowed red as he grasped her cheeks with his clawed hands. “You’re so naive. Did you really think I didn’t know you would come for your father? I counted on it.” One of the claws dug deeper into her skin. The mark on her abdomen started to burn as his claw punctured her cheek.

  “Now all I need is Alexander swooping in to rescue you all. He’ll be so distracted trying to save everyone himself he’ll run right into the sword.”

  Forras released her face. Her eyes stung with tears. He was right. Alexander would try to save them all.