by Michael Dean
“Oh yeah, I still forget, but I’ll catch on.” I giggled.
“It’s all good, man. So, in other news, you want to double date this weekend with the girls? Might be my last night to get out and about for awhile due to my new job.”
“Actually, bro, I have a little something else in mind this weekend for Shade and I, but I would very much like to take a rain-check on that, if that’s cool?”
“Yeah, that’s fine. What are you two going to do?”
“I don’t know. I was thinking about a movie, some dinner, maybe going out to Gold Rock River and spending the day together…something like that. Nothing special planned, just scooping up as much one on one time as I can get with her.”
“I feel ya. Well, do what you gotta do. Let’s make sure that we all get to hang out sometime before all the crap you’ve got goin’ down starts to happen. It’s nice having a brother around now.”
“Thanks, man.” I held out my hand and he clasped his in mine. “I’ve got something we can do tonight. Let’s go chill outside. Spend some time talking and being brothers. Sound okay?” I offered.
“Hell yeah, let’s do it. I’ll go ya one better, let’s start a little fire in the fire pit out back while we bullcrap and count the stars. Just have a chill evening,” he said with excitement.
We got up and went outside. Scruffy and I built a small fire in the brick burn pit in the yard and placed a couple of lawn chairs around it. Scruffy went in and snagged some marshmallows to roast over the fire. When we sat down, I looked over my shoulder behind me and caught Benjamin and Amanda staring at the two of us from out of the sliding glass door. They were standing with their arms around each other’s hips, staring at us with wide smiles. When they saw that we caught them watching us, they nonchalantly turned and walked away.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen my…our parents this happy, at least not for a long time,” Scruffy mentioned.
I didn’t say anything, only turning to smile at my brother, who returned the sentiment.
For the rest of the night we chatted about nothing in particular and roasted marshmallows. Although I couldn’t taste them, I didn’t care that they tasted like ash. I was doing human things, the human way…with my human brother.
It was so nice to not have to hide my secrets anymore. Even though it put the people I cared for around me in greater danger knowing so much about me, it was nice to be accepted…a true testament to humanity.
I do have to admit one small secret that I’m keeping all to myself, at least for now. I mean, Sheriff Taylor knows about it, but his help was essential in being able to achieve what I needed to get done. Besides, there’s only one person that really needs to hear about what I have to say first and that’s Shade. I’ll be spilling that little tidbit to her this weekend.
I’ll be holding my breath when I tell her, too.
Chapter 20
OFFER
For the remainder of the week Scruffy and I were inseparable, like usual. I didn’t see much of Shade, as some space was given to our family to adjust to our new status, but when the weekend hit, I was thrilled because I could finally spend some quality time with my beautiful girlfriend.
Shade came and picked me up, and instead of checking out a movie like I thought we might, she recommended a hike near the Gold Rock River. I was more than cool with that. We stopped off and picked up some picnic edibles so we could take full advantage of the magnificent Colorado summer weather.
We arrived at the hiking trail and left the food in the coolers inside her car. As we casually walked up the trail, we held hands the entire way and talked about us. In the back of my mind I kept thinking that the time was getting close for me to spill some very nervous news to Shade. It haunted me the entire time.
I got a brief reprieve from my mental anxiety though when we reached the top of the trail. There was a beautiful overlook at the top of the short climb that gave hikers a fantastic view of the Gold Rock River below and the valley. I was used to seeing things from up above, but I hadn’t seen this locations view before.
“Look…right there is our little spot.” Shade pointed down to an area near the river where we hung out all the time.
“Sure is.” I smiled and put my arm around her. She leaned in and kissed me.
“It’s beautiful from up here. All the grass is so green and the flowers are blooming everywhere.” Shade raised her chin into the constant light breeze.
“Well then, let’s head back, go lay down our blanket, and eat some lunch down there. I’m in the mood to relax, take in the nice weather, and spend the rest of the day here with you.” I held her tighter to my side.
“I’ll race you down!” She broke loose of my hold and started running down the trail. I could hear her laughing like crazy as she curved around joggers and walkers who were coming up to the top. They looked at her like she was crazy as she bolted by them.
“Ohhh, that’s not right! You know I can’t take full advantage of my skills right now!” I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled down to her before running after her.
“That’s right! Once again I prove I’m smarter than you!” She continued to laugh as she ran.
“Keep it up. I’ll get you for this one!” I joked with her as I caught up to her from behind.
The rest of the way down we could barely run because we were laughing so hard, but I was sure to let her take the glory when she reached her car first. Besides, her butt looked fantastic in her running shorts so I didn’t mind trailing behind her the entire time anyway.
“See what happens when the playing field gets leveled?” She continued to laugh as she gasped for air and leaned into me for a playful hug after reaching the car.
I wrapped my arms around her. “All right, you proved your point…once again. Just try not to let it go to your head.”
“Too late for that, lackey. Now the loser has to carry all the stuff to our spot, so get to work.” She kissed me on the cheek, tossed me the keys, and headed towards our spot, backwards.
“Oh…is that how it is? Changing the rules as we go, huh? I’m gonna have to start calling you Christian.”
“Better watch yourself, demon boy,” she yelled back at me, turned around, and started jogging towards the river. I just shook my head at my crazy chick and opened up her car to get the stuff out.
Once I gathered everything, which was quite the task, I strolled over to our usual spot and set everything down. Shade was bent down by the river’s edge, running her hands through the water. I spread out the blanket and laid the two coolers on top of it and plopped down under the plentiful sunshine. My legs were outstretched to my front and I placed my hands behind me as a prop and took in the perfect weather. Not a single cloud was in the sky.
“The water is warm enough to jump into. We’re going to have to go swimming sometime.” Shade tilted her head and smiled while she spoke as she hunched down by the river.
“As long as I get to see you in your bikini, I’m completely fine with that.”
“I didn’t know that demons could be perverted.” She stood up and came back to me.
“Well, now you do,” I teased.
Shade stood over me with one of her legs on either side of me and squatted down on my lap facing me, placing her hands around my waist.
“I love you.” She straightened out her legs so her feet were situated behind me.
“I love you,” I answered and we kissed passionately.
“We’ve come a long way together…haven’t we?” She said while running her hands through my hair.
“Yes…I guess we have, and we still have a long way to go…together.”
“I hope so, Leo, but it’s looking bleak.” She removed her hands from my hair and ran them down my chest. Her head sunk.
“It’s always been bleak, hun, but I’m still here with you…for you.” I sat up and locked my fingers around her lower back. I was inches in front of her face.
“I know, but all of the things that we’ve b
een told from my mother, the angels, whoever. All seem to unanimously agree that you’re going to die, Leo. I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose you. I can’t live without you.”
“Hey, look at me…you’re not going to lose me. How many times have we heard that same nonsense before and look…I’m still sitting here right in front of you. You’re never getting rid of me.” I grinned at her, trying to boost her confidence.
She smiled back reluctantly. “Yeah…I know, but this time it feels different. I’m more afraid than ever.”
“As I’ve said to you before, I can’t make any guarantees, but I promise you, somehow, someway, I will always be with you. We’ve gone over this time and time again, we can’t focus on the worst case scenario, we must be hopeful. Continue to believe in me, it’s what gives me strength. Without that, I will surely die.”
“I know, and I do…I just can’t stop thinking about life without you.” She wouldn’t make eye contact with me as she fumbled around with my shirt.
“Well…stop. I’m here now, focus on that. Besides, where would we go together if I did defeat War and Christian and could have eternity with you? You’d be stuck with me for good after that.” I grinned at her as I tried to lift her spirits.
“The thought of that really gets me excited. I’d love to be able to just be with you, no constant worrying about what may happen from day to day, other than the regular struggles life brings, or if I’m going to ever see you again. Just you and I being together…that’s what I want.” She looked me in the eyes.
“So, you’d be okay with living the human life with a demon? Doing the whole human thing like getting careers, joining bank accounts, getting a house…getting married…having children? Is that what you mean when you say that’s what you want?” I sheepishly grinned at her and she looked away.
“Yeah…something like that…I guess.” She looked off to the side shyly and smiled from ear to ear as she patted me on the chest with both of her hands.
“Well then, which step has to come first?”
“What? What do you mean?” Her eyes shot back on me.
“What step, in your mind, must come first in order for us to be together for a lifetime?”
“Well, duh, you have to beat Christian and get your freedom first.” She shook her head around in an annoyed manner.
“Besides that. If there was no such thing as Heaven and Hell, my fight with Christian and whatever else that comes with that, what would you want to happen between us first to get us on that path to a life together…if we were just a normal, everyday, human couple?”
“I don’t know…get married first, whatever. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to work?” She shrugged and looked off to the side again.
“Well…it’s a good thing, then.” I reached over and opened up one of the coolers and reached in it.
“It’s a good thing what?” She stared at me in complete confusion.
“It’s a good thing that I guessed right and picked this up for you. I figured it would serve as a nice replacement over the promise. This one is more permanent.”
From the cooler behind her, I pulled out a small box, opened it, and held it between us.
“Will you marry me?”
Her jaw dropped in shock as she stared at the white gold, one carat diamond ring that reflected the sunlight off it in an array of colors.
“Where—how—when—oh my god,” she jabbered, not able to take her eyes off the radiant token of affection. Her chest rose up and down in a rapid fashion as her breathing increased.
“I’ve been saving up.”
“Oh please, don’t tell me you stole this ring, Leo.” She looked disappointed and sighed.
I giggled. “No—I didn’t steal it. I did odd jobs around the police station for Sheriff Taylor as well as giving your father a hand whenever he needed my help. I also got a little extra bonus from the Sheriff.”
“Does my father know about this?” Her eyes widened in shock.
I laughed again. “No, but Sheriff Taylor does. I had to tell him so I could get more work to save up for this thing. Doing things the human way really sucks…and it’s slow,” I joked.
She snickered. “It’s beautiful. It must have cost a fortune.” Shade reached into the box and pulled it out, spinning it around in the sunlight.
“It wasn’t cheap, but not as much as you think. So…ahem, you didn’t answer the question, Shade…will you marry me?”
She looked down at the promise ring I gave her, smiling larger than I had ever seen her do before. Just as her mouth was about to open to give me an answer, the earth began to tremble with extreme violence. The two of us looked around, then Shade fell onto me due to the force of the earthquake. I watched as trees swayed and even broke as the shaking continued. Shade’s face was buried in my chest as I lay on my back. Suddenly, I saw a white flash and a vision began to unfold.
After the interruption, I saw a vision of the earth splitting is some remote part of the world in an overview. I could see fire, lava, and smoke shooting out of the cracking soil. I couldn’t help but think about what Shade’s mom told us about her visions. This looked very similar to what she described seeing in her dreams.
Demons and Goyles crawled, flew, and climbed out of the crack in masses. I was taken to various places all over the planet in rapid succession and watched as vampires began to leave their secret, underground worlds. The earth continued to steadily shake as the vision played out.
I was then taken back to where the earth split and was lowered into the crack itself. I could actually feel the heat of the flames that poured out of the ground surrounding me as I was lowered deeper into the earth, passing beasts of all sorts who made their way to the surface above. Finally, I leveled off atop a lake of fire where souls screamed out in misery, constantly reaching up in vain for a helping hand that would never come. There were what looked like prison cells, filled with human and beastly looking souls embedded within the scorched rock walls all along the massive underworld.
In the distance I saw Christian, in his true form, resembling a creature that looked similar to Godzilla, except he was red, standing on a pillar of brimstone shouting to all the dark souls within the underworld.
“Go forth, my loyal heathens…go forth! For the time is near to take back what is rightfully yours!” His scaled, three pointed claw was held up towards the surface as his voice echoed throughout the depths of the underworld. “Follow your commander…follow War! Help him seek out the traitor that has forsaken us and kill him! When this task reaches completion and a certain deed is done...the world will be ours for the taking!”
The hounds of Hell roared in approval at Christian’s rally cry. Those calls of encouragement drew my gaze to where I saw hundreds, if not thousands of beings clinging to cavern walls around those prison cells that held the other souls.
“But remember to be patient and disciplined, my disciples, when dealing with the humans, for the seed has not been sown. You may play—but do not pillage to the extreme…yet. Do not disgrace me or your Lord Bellock, for our wrath upon you will not cease if you do. I will tell you exactly when the time will be right to take the world.”
The bowels of Hell rumbled in cheers as I watched Christian look around.
“I call out for War! You are free to set foot upon the earth! Free to kill the traitor known as Leo Cutler after the girl retains the hybrid! Make any human or spirit that obstructs your mission suffer the same fate as the defector Drift Demon! Your form has been chosen. In that image you will shape into when you land upon the world. I call upon you! Go forth!” Christian waved his claws above his head as Hell roared again, causing another round of quaking.
Suddenly a fire bubble began to form in the lake. It started small and grew to a gigantic sphere. Flames shot out and sparks flew from around it. The forsaken spirits trapped within the lake scattered out around the bubble in fear. Once again, Hell began to shake in an uncontrollable fury. When it reached a fever pitch, the bubble exploded
and a gigantic, dragon-like demon flew out towards the opening above. The creature roared the entire way up and the sound caused Hell to rumble even more.
After watching War vacate the underworld, the vision shot back to Christian standing upon his pillar. Very slowly the sight took me to the boastful Christian who was staring around at the rambunctious mob cheering him on, as well as the release of War. Very methodically my sight closed in on his lizard-like face. The fires of Hell reflected in his eyes as he began to laugh.
“Everything is falling into place…the world will soon be mine,” he mumbled before breaking into another round of laughter.
The vision started to back away from him. I was shocked. Not only that, I was perplexed about his last statement. The world was nearly his?
My sight began to get a little blurry and I could hear the sound of my name being called in the distance. The more the vision faded, the louder I could hear my name being shouted at me. The next thing I knew everything had faded to black and I began to open my eyes to the real world in front of me. I could see Shade leaning over me, she was calling my name.
“Leo…Leo, are you okay?”
I came to realize it was her calling my name just before the vision concluded. My sight was blurry and I blinked a few times trying to focus on her beautiful face.
“Baby, answer me…are you okay?” She started running her hand along my face.
“Yeah—yeah, I’m fine,” I stammered as I pushed myself up and looked around. “Are you okay?” I asked in return.
“I’m fine. I was more concerned about you.” She smiled.
“What happened?”
“You just passed out in the middle of the earthquake. I was trying to wake you up but you wouldn’t budge. It was the first time I saw you in a sleep like state. It was weird. It’s kinda hard to tell if you are okay when you don’t breathe anyway.” She chuckled.
I surveyed the landscape and saw broken trees and dislodged rocks that had fallen off of mountain tops and cliffs from the violence of the earthquake.