Apollyon's Saint The Beginning

by Zachary Koukol

  Chapter Two

  Gabriel's eye's opened to those familiar stars in the sky. They were as unfriendly as the townsfolk in Axal. He regained movement in his body during his slumber but his whole body ached. His throat was so dry that even small breathes burned. He was soaked in water and the night had turned calm and cool. Everything seemed perfect besides the pain and cold trembling of his body.

  The peak was cold enough to give any exposed man hypothermia on a July night. Unfortunately for Gabriel he was also electrically fried and soaked. Death was becoming a pressing factor but more excruciating than he had thought. Sitting up he grabbed his water with trembling hands. The cool liquid first burned his throat and then soothed it.

  Getting to his feet was a difficult task but he was too exposed at this point. He had to get back to his truck or his death would be too unbearable. His instincts to live were far greater then the will to die. His first steps were like learning to walk again and they were very painful.

  He did not want to look at his flesh but he was sure it was burnt and now freezing. Each step felt like he was going to rip apart all over the mountain. As he slowly stepped down the peak he looked ahead for his truck. It was light enough to see the area where he had parked but the truck was not within his line of sight.

  Making his way down he was feet away from being on the flat area where he parked but his faithful truck was not there. How could it be he thought, no one would come up in that storm or in the dark to steal his shitty old truck. Most people would not even consider it worth putting gas in the tank. The keys were left in it but the odds of someone taking it up here were as slim as being struck by lightning.

  He scanned all around but it was gone, his last hope of escaping the death he was searching for. He sat down on a broken timber. In his painful haste off the peak he forgot his water and food. All he had was the lighter in his pocket that he had been playing with. He knew it was there because he could feel the sore from where it burnt into his leg.

  Pulling the lighter from his pocket it was clear that the wood was all drenched in the rain. He grimaced as he tried to flick the lighter but no flame came from it. The plastic had melted around the metal and the fluid leaked out. The wind was still blowing heavy and he would not last much longer without some form of solid shelter.

  On his way up not far from his location was a partially caved in mineshaft. He figured he would make his way there and if he found a better shelter on the way he would stop. The moon lit the jeep trail ahead of him. It was like everything around him wanted him to go towards that mineshaft. Even the wind blew at his back as he walked the trail.

  The entrance to the shaft was a shorter distance away then Gabriel remembered on his way up. Everything seemed so out of place, like he walked into a backwards dimension of the world. It was also less caved in and the opening much larger. Even the air around the entrance was warmer than the rest of the mountain.

  Walking in the shaft things went completely dark. He turned to look back at the way out but there was nothing. Everything around him was dark, like endless space. Feeling the wall, he walked back the direction he came. The only problem was he only made it a few steps in and now he should be outside again but was in fact going deeper into the mountain.

  It was now apparent that he was lost and the way was hidden from him. Just like most of his life, everything seemed to be covered up with a lie. He finally gave up on walking or seeking any way out. He fell to the jagged rock floor and went into the fetal position.

  Cold was no longer a issue though he wished it was. Death by hypothermia would be better than dehydration in a black abyss. No one was coming to save him, not even his ignorance would let him escape the grasps of death. The air in the shaft was similar to his house. But instead of the smell of ancient dust it was more of ancient dead, and he would be joining the club. If only some horror would come from the darkness and shred him to pieces. Anything would be better than dwindling away in the dark. Now he just had to wait until his body had enough and gave out on his sick mind.

  Hours passed, possibly a day, as seconds of agony lasted an eternity. Gabriel normally over thought every situation but now he dreaded the sound of his thoughts. Thinking was just a survival tool anyways and he was beyond the point of thought. It did not even matter if he closed or opened his eyes, it was all the same. Though sleep would make his passing easier. Thirst was becoming an issue again as his throat burned and his lungs choked on dust.

  More empty time went by and he had delusions of death off and on. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath like it was the last. Then the annoyance of another breath came. Soon he would no longer have to fake it and it would all be over for him. No flashbacks of life, or thoughts of his wife. His imagination could not even muster up the movie ending of the dead loved one waiting there with you.

  With eyes plastered shut light hit the screen of his eyelids. Was it finally over, it couldn't be though because he had no strength to pull open his eyes. But then loud and humble laughter was echoing through the shaft. It frightened him, so he knew he was not yet dead.

  Finally prying his eyes open he saw the light shining from a hole in the rock that looked miles away. With his last strengths he rolled his body over to see where the beam of light landed. The light crashed onto an old wooden door with cast iron hinges. It looked like it belonged in a medieval castle and not in this endless mineshaft.

  He stared at the door completely dumbfounded. Was he dead, alive, delusional, what the fuck was going on? lacking the strength to get to his feet, he crawled pulling his body to the door. It was only a few feet away from him but it took him a long time to get to the door.

  His hand rubbed the wood on the door. The grain in it was a sight to be seen. Metal straps ran through it and carved in the metal were skulls. It was no factory made door, it was the door made for a king. Gabriel was faced with the choice of seeing what was beyond it. He almost did not feel worthy to see what was on the other side. Maybe he was better off just dying there and being the floor mat of what laid beyond. The door alone felt more valuable than anything he had touched.

  With one finger he pushed and the door opened as though someone was waiting to pull it from the other side. What he saw next was truly out of this world. There was a small room with a hand laid rock fireplace. It was blazing bright and the flames danced around the iron grate inside. A rug made from a lions hide was on the ground in front of it with two lion heads attached to it. This was no normal lion but a massive and amazing creature. Their mouths were open exposing the fangs of soul eaters. Looking into their eyes it was as if they would pounce from the floor.

  An oak table and two chairs made from another era were placed just to the side of the fireplace. Beyond that was a person with their back turned, wearing a red and black cape. He quickly turned around, the man was not from this time period. He was young but his dark eyes showed a prehistoric age. He was of average build with short dark hair and a dark perfectly groomed beard that framed his cunning lips. A velvet tunic of perfect quality covered his chest.

  “Hello and welcome, I was waiting for you!” The man said in a cunning voice with a humble smile.

  “Please come take a seat with me.... I have waited a long time to be in your council” The man said. Even the way he spoke was not from modern times. Of course Gabriel could barley crawl to the table, but the man stood and waited in front of his chair. Gabriel was too proud even in his deathly state to ask for help and it was clear the man would not press the issue. Gabriel placed his hand on the oak chair that was more like a throne. He struggled to pull himself up and into the chair but it did not budge in his struggle.

  The chair was magnificent but did not look comfortable. Though it embraced his sore and broken body like welcoming arms. On the table in front of him was a massive golden grail ornate with red, blue, and green jewels. The flames glistened on the sides of the grail. Gabriel's eye's could not help but fixate on it. Just a glimpse of it was worth many deaths and its
story was one that begged to be told.

  The man smiled and sat down in his chair with elegance and grace no longer seen. For a moment he just looked on at Gabriel and smiled. The man placed his elbows on the table and he clasped his hands in a pyramid figure. Gold bulky rings shined to the flames but even they bowed before the grail. Gabriel looked at the man and felt as though he was looking at a salesman of souls. It was all beyond belief and magical.

  “So, Gabriel you are a man seeking death?” The man said. Gabriel coughed and cleared his throat as he struggled to relay the words his mind was saying.

  “Mmmo mo most, people start with a name, sir.” Gabriel painstakingly said.

  “Its apparent that time is pressing, the life is fading from you Gabriel. Normally I would introduce myself but the time for small talk has passed and I need no introduction.” The man said with a crooked smile.

  “Now, Gabriel you have a choice to make and at the moment we lack the time for me to explain. But I have a proposition for you” The man said in a stern voice. The man paused for a moment and looked into Gabriel's eyes to see if he was interested in any proposition at this point. Gabriel saw the mans hands were still making an inquisitive pyramid as though he was