Cataclysm

by Karice Bolton

  “May I ask what her name was?” I gently touched his hand.

  “Her name was Vanessa,” he replied, with such tenderness.

  Hollowness began spreading through me as I thought about my options. The pain I caused Noah and so many others, because I actually thought we could defeat Azazel and the dark ones, was something I couldn’t shake any longer. But what if we couldn’t defeat Azazel? If all it took to end the pain and interference against our world was me following in Lilith’s footsteps, why not do it? I rubbed my temples as a fierce pain began pulsating.

  “Hey!” Arie’s voice shocked me out of my misery and delusions. “We don’t have time for you to wallow in your own stuff right now.”

  Immediately, embarrassment went gushing through my body. I wondered how transparent I’d become.

  “This isn’t your fault, Ana.” Noah began. “I’ve been playing a bit of catch up, but I can guarantee you that anything Azazel has told you is only a trap. He can’t be trusted. To try to put the weight of this entire evilness on your shoulders is a horrendous burden to carry. You’ve trusted your gut, and so far, it’s led us well. As small as the battles might have been thus far, you have the power to get us through what will be ahead. When I stood on that beach, with the chained minions launching their attacks, I saw what an amazing leader you were. You didn’t point your fingers at what needed to be done. You got in there and fought with all of us. You may not know it yet, but you will be the one who leads us to victory. I’ve never seen so many of us willing to accept commands from one being before.” His radiant smile began diffusing the heaviness of the moment.

  “You were on the beach?” My mouth had a dryness that seemed impossible to swallow away. I reached for the water on the table. “How’d you know to get there?”

  “Arie’s network is pretty elaborate.” A twinkle began to appear in Noah’s eyes again.

  “I guess,” I laughed, thankful for Noah’s positivity.

  “Listen, there are many, exactly like me, who want nothing more than revenge against Azazel, but what we really want is to end him. We want to end his run of terror and his dreams of cruelty. Whether or not it begins to trickle over to the mortals, we’ve got to stop it soon. The evilness is only going to grow in either world. Unfortunately, it’s taken some pretty horrific events for some, like myself, to understand the seriousness of what we are facing.” He placed his backpack on the floor.

  “It’s kind of true. I mean our lives, up until recently, were filled with helping the mortals as much as we could while still enjoying the finer things in life,” Arie sighed. “We all can get pretty complacent. Bad things might be escalating around us or happening to friends or friend’s of friends, but until we are directly affected, it doesn’t seem to have the same impact.” She shook her head, as the revelation settled over us all.

  “I guess, in a way, Azazel has shaken us up a bit. He made us all realize there’s a lot more evil out there that can’t be ignored. Even the little things.” Some of the stress began to dissipate. Noah was probably right. I knew deep in my heart that if I gave myself up, Azazel would still ensure his plan would continue.

  “True. Even with what we all have tried to help with over the centuries, I’ve noticed sometimes we turn the other way or don’t try to interfere if the infraction is a small one. But truly, doesn’t a small one eventually lead to a bigger one?” Noah’s words sunk in.

  I thought about the times, even recently, where I didn’t step in with my full ability. Are those the beginning steps that create the chain reaction of destruction? Is that when the seeds of power can be planted in potential predators? There seems to be a connection where the only way, certain individuals can feel any sort of power or control over a situation, is by taunting or slinging cruel comments. Most often it seems to be at someone who is defenseless, so it’s a false sense of power, really. And as they get older, they just get more vocal and more bitter. As things don’t go their way, the only method for them to hold onto their power is by getting more cruel and spouting off even more insults, rather than attempting to better themselves. It’s a pretty pathetic existence, but it seemed to be getting more commonplace. If everyone just worried about themselves, rather than being rude or inconsiderate there might be chance of improving.

  “You know, I think that this evilness has been spreading in ways we never thought of paying attention to before.” I began, as I dialed Athen’s number. “I think the network of evil includes a lot more avenues than before. If we don’t start thinking of the big picture, we might not be able to stop it before it’s too late.”

  “Hello?” Athen’s voice entered our room from the speakerphone.

  “Hey, sweetie. Noah and Arie are here. I tried to think about how Azazel might be able to start connecting into the mortal world.”

  “Geez, that’s some pretty heavy stuff to jump right into,” Athen replied.

  “Tell me about it, but I think I’m onto something,” my voice excited with the clues that I was pretty sure could help us focus on the right methods for our upcoming battles.

  “I think I figured out what Azazel’s plan is. I think he wants the mortals to turn against each other. I think he wants to end them by having them destroy themselves with hate. He needs to just nudge them a little,” I started.

  It was silent. Athen said nothing. Noah stared at the table, and Arie was staring at the phone. As my eyes darted from one to the other, the silence killed me. The only noise besides our breathing was the sounds of Matilda snoring. At a time like this, I’d take it. I needed some sort of soothing sound.

  “I think mortals are next. Once he realizes he can’t turn any more of our own, I think he’ll move on.” I stopped myself from continuing and waited for a response.

  “I think she’s right,” Noah continued. “It makes perfect sense.”

  “Have you told Noah about the memsors?” Athen questioned.

  “No, not yet,” Arie replied.

  “What about the memsors? Isn’t that angel/demon folklore?” His voice was filled with restrained laughter.

  “Nope. Not any longer.” I raised my eyebrows for extra effect, but it wasn’t needed.

  “You’re kidding,” Noah whispered. “This could change the entire way we fight. Going into war knowing that you can be brought back and reunited pretty quickly will certainly bring out a stronger drive to fight. Nobody will hold back. Whoo,” he blew out the air in his mouth, whistling as he went.

  “Where’s the proof?” Noah asked, looking directly at me as if I’d be the only one who would tell him the truth.

  “Well, Arie was only taken away a couple of days ago, and here she is. The only missing part is her bright green eyes! ” The excitement was in my voice.

  “Just one incident doesn’t necessarily prove…” Noah started again, but not before I interrupted.

  “True! Totally true! However, you’re talking to the other guy who it worked on too.” Arie gave her two cents. “My brother was taken down, but he knew it was going to happen and planted memsors everywhere. His process took longer than mine, but it might not have needed to. He was the first one of us to try it.”

  “We’ve gotta spread the word immediately.” Noah’s voice was full of urgency.

  “We will, but there’s a reason we’ve held off.” Arie shifted uncomfortably. “We didn’t do this only as a test case. I worried that Cyril was going to go to the dark side. I knew if I could keep him searching for me a little while, it could buy us the time we needed to show him that it’s all a trap. I know he knows that deep inside, but before I got taken, he seemed to be falling for Azazel’s story. I think he would have turned to the dark side.”

  Athen’s voice came over the phone. “I’ve been taking him around to hear the stories from families, so he begins to hear more and more how these families were victimized. He thinks it’s part of the whole strategy behind our upcoming attacks, but it’s so he realizes he was about to fall into the same pattern. I think we’re almost
there.”

  “Yikes.” Noah seemed very uncertain about what he had just heard. “So Cyril has no idea that you are all in contact with Arie, and that she’s fine? That’s pretty harsh. How long are you planning on letting this go on?”

  “We’re hoping only days. It’s just that Arie thought every second they were together, he was a step closer to sacrificing himself to Azazel to save her. I think things are starting to click for him. Plus, the pull to find Arie is only helping put things in perspective,” I added.

  “I understand where you’re coming from, and I respect it. I’ve seen firsthand what these lies can do.” His voice was strained. I looked over at Noah and noticed his brown hair was completely disheveled. He reminded me of someone who was constantly in the pursuit of something or someone. He caught me staring, and his green eyes locked on mine. Blushing instantly, I looked back towards the phone to hear Athen begin speaking.

  “Well, let’s hear some of the info that Noah’s found out for us. I’m itching to hear it, and I want to get my girl back home tonight,” Athen said.

  “It’s gonna be like two in the morning,” I teased. Secretly, I wanted to be on the next ferry back to him, but I had to keep reminding myself to step outside of my wants.

  I felt Noah’s eyes on me once more and wondered if Arie caught any of this as well.

  “I’ll keep an eye on her for you.” Noah’s words tumbled out, leaving me to wonder if there was anything hidden in that meaning, since his eyes seemed to be scanning me for some sort of response.

  Catching Arie’s glance, she winked at me, which told me everything I didn’t want to know.

  “Uh, okay, buddy. Appreciate that, but I’m kind of hoping she makes the last ferry,” Athen said, cutting off any ideas Noah tried to introduce. “Anyway, what do you have for us?”

  I suddenly wished Athen’s voice was not merely being transmitted over the phone, but rather, that he was here in person to deal with this weirdness I never expected from this guy or any in our world. He was a nice guy, and I’m sure whatever emotions were running through him were based on some stage of mourning or something. However, it wasn’t a scenario that I’d ever expected to be the focus of.

  Spreading out everything Noah had put together for us was mind-boggling. Athen couldn’t see any of it, so it felt almost pointless for him to be on the phone. Noah had attacks all charted out. There were graphs based on the type of attack, with trend lines based on location or quantity of who had been turned. I now understood why he looked like he was constantly chasing something. He’s been chasing Azazel’s movements.

  “Wow!” Arie uttered. “How did you get all of this data?”

  “I’m pretty dialed in. With all of the emails that you’ve been sending out, I’ve been reaching out to those families who, in turn, put me in contact with more families.”

  “So your hair doesn’t always stick straight up like that?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood.

  “No, not generally.” His smile was filled with warmth.

  “You know? The worst part, of this whole thing, is that I know I’ll never get her back. I’ll never get to joke with her, like we just did. It’s tough. I think that’s why I’m channeling everything into this. Once we defeat Azazel, I don’t know what I’ll find to do with my time. The thought wears me out. Anything without her makes me ill.” Every syllable that Noah said was drowning in sorrow.

  Knowing the thoughts that were running through his head, made my stomach twist in knots.

  “This isn’t something that I’m proud of, but I know a little of what you’re feeling. There was a brief time when I thought I wasn’t going to get Athen back, and I actually contemplated the dark side. I thought it would be better to wander around like an idiotic ghoul, than be without him. It took me to a place I never thought I’d go.” I couldn’t believe I told an almost complete stranger this.

  “Really?” Noah’s voice was quiet as he spoke.

  “If you’ve been thinking it, don’t. There’s always hope. You can never give up on hope. Things can change in a blink of an eye. We’ll focus on the here and now. Then we can deal with what will lay ahead for us all after the battles.” I had to swallow so badly, but I thought doing a big gulp after a statement like that would only make me seem like I didn’t believe it either.

  “Dude,” Athen’s voice filled the room. “We’re here for you and most of us remember these horrors ourselves all too intimately. Right now, let’s turn it into the fire we need to bring the dark side down.”

  Hearing Athen’s voice radiate the strength that I was feeling, filled me with such pride.

  “You are as much of an optimist as I am, hun. I knew you had it in you,” I said, laughing. “Now since you can’t see any of this, let me tell you that what Noah has brought us is pure gold.”

  “I’ve got it on this, encrypted, in case it gets lost or into the wrong hands,” he said, holding up a hot pink jump drive. “Thought the pink would throw someone off. You can take it to Athen, so he can check out everything. I have another copy. I just thought it made more of an impact like this.”

  “Boy, does it!” Arie exclaimed.

  Pointing to the maps of the US, I traced my finger along the blue trend line, noticing what a steep incline it had taken in recent weeks.

  “This isn’t comforting. I hope we don’t need something like this for the mortal world too.” I shook my head, wishing I hadn’t spoken those words.

  “I’ve already got one going, actually. It’s following the same pattern. The mortals are falling into the traps as well. I have no idea what Azazel is doing to get them to come over,” Noah said.

  “It’s got to be lies he’s telling them!” The anger began trickling through my veins. “There’s no way mortals would sign up for that!”

  “I’m sure a lot of it is lies,” Noah agreed.

  “There are mortals out there that like to dabble though. Don’t forget that, angel,” Athen chimed. “I know you don’t like to think anyone would choose this, but I think we’d all be surprised.”

  “Regardless, I’m sure Azazel is telling huge lies to get them to sacrifice themselves!” I said. I got a sudden urge to investigate the initial introductions these dark demons were performing with the mortals.

  “I don’t doubt that. I’m just saying that I think there are some who are closer to the line than we know.” Athen treaded lightly.

  “It’s a tough concept to think about.” Arie hugged me. “I wasn’t expecting to see these types of numbers. I’m thankful Noah started this.”

  “I think it tells us to start preparing on both fronts. We’ve got to start paying attention to the mortals and the immortals. Also, as you can tell, it’s all around the globe. I’m not trying to be inconsiderate, but I think we need to tell Cyril soon. If there’s a chance that memsors can keep a family together, we are really doing a disservice,” Noah said.

  Arie tightened up. I knew that was not what she wanted to hear, no matter how true it might be.

  Looking over at Noah, I saw no ill intent. He was only trying to be the voice of reason right now. He looked up at me, and the worry in his eyes couldn’t be hidden.

  “I didn’t mean anything by it,” Noah muttered.

  Arie looked over at him and nodded.

  “The worst part is that you’re right. It’s a horrible thing for me to keep this from the rest of the white demons another day longer than I have to. But you proved my worst fear earlier. You wanted proof. If we gave proof to the white demons, and it got out to Cyril before we had a chance to tell him,” she sighed. “I can’t even imagine how that would go down.”

  Athen’s voice started up again from the phone.

  “Hey, sweetie. I’m gonna hang up. I hear something downstairs. Cyril might be up. I’ll see you soon. You guys need to stop while you’re ahead for the night. I think you’re all tired and cranky.” Athen’s ability to put things in perspective was a trait I valued beyond anything I could quantify.

&nb
sp; “See ya soon!” I said, reaching for my phone to turn off. Secretly, I wanted to text him a simple thank you too.

  Noah started gathering his things together quickly. Arie was staring off in the distance. I just wanted to go home.

  “I’ll walk you to your car,” Noah started.

  “No, that’s okay. I’m gonna help Arie before I head down.” I knew I probably should take him up on his offer, but something felt a little off. “We’ll see ya tomorrow. It was nice to meet you. Wish it was under better terms.”

  “Yeah, totally.” Noah fumbled a little. I wasn’t sure what I recognized about him, but it made me feel a little bad.

  “You’ve got my number. I can get here as soon as you need,” he offered.

  “Thanks for that,” I said, walking him to the door. “You’ve done some fabulous things here. I can’t wait to show Athen. I’m glad you’re on our side.”

  He smiled quickly, before exiting out the door. I shut it quietly behind him, hoping my worries about him were wrong.

  “What do you say about taking me to that special spot on Mt. Rainier tomorrow?” she asked out of the blue.

  “Do you really think that’s a good idea by ourselves?” I asked completely perplexed.

  “I was thinking we could take Noah,” she replied.

  “Really? Even after that last little thing?”

  “Noah’s right. I think we need someone like him who’s on the outside of our little circle to point out the obvious. Truthfully, there may come a point when I need to hear things that I don’t want to.”

  “I’ll let Athen know when I get back home, which if I leave now shouldn’t be too late,” I said grinning.