Cataclysm

by Karice Bolton

  The ground continued to twist and sway in a rhythm only it was familiar with. Catching Arie’s line of sight, I waved over at her. She was on the opposite side of the flames. I channeled to her as best I could, between all the other thoughts that were being thrown at us by all the white demons.

  “Have you seen Athen? I can’t see him. I haven’t been able to locate him,” I shouted to her mind.

  Seeing her shake her head did nothing but make my soul crash. We had been doing so good at ensuring we were by each other’s side. We stayed near one another this entire time until we ran over the hill. That’s when I lost him. Noah was nowhere to be found either. I wondered if they were together.

  The minions began flying over us in the sky. They were coming from every direction. There were all sizes, shapes, and kinds coming at us with a vengeance. Some of them were seasoned demons. Others were newly created. Either way, the sheer numbers were on the verge of being overwhelming. I knew it was only a matter of time before Azazel made his way down to us all. This was definitely his grand entrance.

  The anticipation inside of me was building with great speed. The thought of tearing into him gave me a pleasure equal to destroying Lilith. My addiction to defeating these evil creatures was my most vile compulsion, and I didn’t want it to end, at least not now. I didn’t think I would ever have a ceiling effect with this type of addiction. Destroying more of these wretched creatures only created a greater high for me. As long as they were around, I saw no end in sight. Destroying this level of wickedness gave me the power to continue on to the next fight.

  I could feel the beads of sweat at my hairline, as the flames grew larger. Looking into the sky, I saw the first set of minions readying to land. Doing my best not to let Athen’s whereabouts distract me, I signaled to the crowd to get ready. The black winged creatures began swooping down to the ground.

  The screeching echoed through the air as one minion after another landed. Deciding knife play might be a little fun, I grabbed the first of many knives I had on me. I shot up into the sky to greet an unwanted visitor. I hoped I would have a better vantage point to scan the grounds for Athen up high, anyway.

  The first demon came at me, and I simultaneously stuck my blade into its abdomen. Turning the knife to ensure a clean kill, I pulled out the tip and watched the winged minion fall to the ground. The black mist immediately began seeping out of its shell.

  The smoke from the fires combined with the black mist from destroying the demons, began to create a thick haze I knew would only get worse as we killed more of the minions.

  “Everyone move to the meadows. In case the lava flows start, it’s our best option. We may be more spread out from one another than we want, but it will save us falling through the cracks. For those of you who feel confident enough, take it to the skies. The more demons we destroy in the air, the better for our ground troops!” I channeled to all the white demons. I had to put everyone else before my own worries, regardless of how scared I was feeling right now.

  Charging for one of the largest demons I could find, I attacked from behind. Cyril came barreling towards me. My target must’ve been even larger than I realized.

  “Hey, Ana!” Cyril grinned as he reached for the monster’s wing, “Grab the other!”

  Following his eyes, I saw he meant nothing of the sort. It was a ploy. Instead, the monster turned completely toward Cyril giving me the opportunity to wrap my arms totally around the creature’s neck. Cyril let go of the demon’s wing and shot up into the sky, leaving me to rip my knife’s blade down to the demon’s spine. The strength in the demon began to dissipate, but I knew the fight wasn’t over. The demon was disoriented by the pain and wasn’t expecting Cyril’s return. Letting go of the demon’s neck, I floated down a little to make room for Cyril’s plan of attack. His pure brute strength was enough to completely cripple the demon after his earlier injuries. Cyril began ripping the wings off the creature as I went in one more time, totally crushing his neck. Black mist from this kill was making it almost impossible to see Cyril.

  “Seen Athen yet?” I yelled at Cyril.

  “No. I haven’t,” Cyril yelled back. “Don’t give up, but don’t let yourself be distracted either. I’m sure he’s fine.”

  Letting go of the demon, it fell to the ground. I took advantage of the brief moment I had with Cyril circling me, as I stared at the crowds of white demons destroying the dark demons. Still no Athen or Noah.

  Since my eyes were failing me, I closed them briefly doing my best to connect to Athen. Searching for his energy through the meadow and the forest that was outlining our battle area, I began to detect a slight aura. Taking a deep breath in and preparing to fight, I knew that was all the rest that could be afforded for now.

  Gauging the white demons’ success, I darted to the one smaller group that looked as if they were having some difficulties. There were more of us than the dark demons, but they were larger.

  One of the white demons exclaimed on my arrival, which made me feel nothing but foolish.

  “Ana!” her voice was filled with excitement. I wasn’t sure why.

  Seeing chains dripping from most of the demons, I began my attack immediately.

  “Guys, follow my lead!” I yelled. I began my quick assault. I reached for one chain after the other. Feeling the coldness of the metal as I pulled fiercely, dislodging the flesh and chain quickly from each victim. It was beyond exhilarating. The gratification flooded my soul as I saw the rest of the white demons follow the example. The dark demons went down in a fraction of a minute.

  “Nice work, guys,” I panted, trying to catch my breath. Waving my hands to rid my face from the black mist that was circling in the air, I nodded at the batch of black demons who were headed in our direction.

  My heart skipped a beat, as I realized this was one of the last couple left before Azazel would dispatch his best. I might have a few minutes to try to track down Athen if we could finish this faction off. I scanned them quickly not noticing any chains that would help our chances.

  “No chains! We’ll have to go in as we usually do.” I reached for the knife strapped to my ankle and readied myself for the largest demon. The others were taking the small one. This one had eyes for me only, which was fine because I felt the same.

  A throbbing began in my fingertips, running down my fingers into my knuckles. It was like they needed to be cracked badly. I knew what my fingers wanted, and I readied myself for it. As the demon lunged at me, my feet sprung from the ground, and I hovered directly in front of the demon’s head. Pulling my arm back, I let go with a driving force, smashing my palm into the head of this demon. His skull cracked, leaving nothing but a cloud of black mist. His body crumbled to the ground, and I landed next to it.

  “Keep up the good work, guys!” I hollered back, as I took off to track down Athen.

  Running through the forest, with tree limbs and brush smacking me at every turn, I hoped I would be hidden enough from any overly eager dark demons. With every step I took, a release of crushed fir and pine needles escaped into the air, which was a nice break from the burning smell of mountain and flesh. As I ran in the direction of the meadow, Athen’s energy began flowing through me. I was getting closer to him. Quickening my pace, I ripped limb after limb out of my way, so my face wouldn’t be completely pulverized by the tree limbs slapping back against me.

  The pull of Athen was beyond what I expected. It wasn’t like we were far apart, but the stress of the situation must have translated to the same type of magnetic pull.

  Athen was walking towards me, in a small clearing between two boulders. His facial expression instantly had me worried. I ran over to him, reaching out my arms to hug him. Feeling his flesh and letting my hands run all over his body made the worry vanish as quickly as it came.

  “Where’ve you been?” I asked, catching my breath from my latest victory and running through the forest.

  “With Noah.” His face grim.

  “What’s wrong?” I
asked.

  “He saw Vanessa… in her turned state.” Athen shook his head. “She, of course, didn’t recognize him. Thankfully, she didn’t try to attack him either. I don’t think he would’ve been able to fight her.”

  “Where is he now?” I asked.

  “He’s doing his best getting himself back together. I told him that I didn’t think he should fight with us, but he wouldn’t listen,” Athen said, sliding his hand through his hair. “Something changed in him, and I’m not sure what.”

  “Well, let’s hope we end it before he makes it back!” I said, sad for Noah. “I guess there’s nothing more we can do except continue to fight.”

  “He’s over there where the maples are at,” Athen’s voice was drained. “I’m worried about him.”

  Straining my eyes, I couldn’t see Noah, but I hoped he took his time before venturing back into the fight.

  “I doubt he’s all right,” I sighed. “Azazel’s on his way. The winged demons have been attacking, but we’ve still been managing to keep up pretty well. We’ve had casualties, as we expected, but it hasn’t been as bad as it could have been. I only hope we can continue with this good fortune.”

  “Do you hear that?” Athen asked.

  “The rumbling? I think that’s just the earth shifting again,” I replied.

  “I don’t. I think that’s Azazel coming to say hello,” his words hit me with the reality I’d been hoping to avoid. I had to be ready, even if I wasn’t.

  Holding out his hand, I grabbed it as we trudged back to the battlefield, and the area, we guessed Azazel was most likely to land at, right near the fiery ground.

  As we expected, one black winged minion after another was lining up all along the earth’s crevice. Azazel was attempting to be as dramatic as possible. He just didn’t know I had a few tricks up my sleeve as well.

  Looking towards the sky, the dark clouds began to part as Azazel made his way down to the surface. Again, he had minions chained to him like dogs, and his black trench flapped in the wind. My mind briefly flashed to the horrible nightmares of me in their place. Instead of fear beginning to develop, anger took over. I was ready for him.

  The moment he landed, I began. The words wouldn’t stop flowing.

  “This world isn’t big enough for the both of us, Azazel. Like I told my sister, we don’t have room for your destruction any longer. She had a choice, and she chose. The mortal world is a delicate balance of energy, both positive and negative. Humans get in enough trouble without your help. It’s unnatural what you’re attempting to do, and your time is up,” I shouted over the flames.

  Azazel threw his black garb to the fire, rubbing his hands together before speaking. Sparks darted up, as the fire engulfed his garment.

  “You think your words will make me go away?” he laughed, folding his arms together. “I’ve been planning this for far too many centuries to let some girl stop me.”

  “Some girl?” A poisonous laugh wrapped around my soul as the fury continued to build. “Some girl, huh?”

  My smile was impossible to hide. The euphoria ran through my veins at an unstoppable pace. He had no idea what we had on our side, that he was missing.

  “You think your little army of white demons actually has the ability to take us down? You think this is all we’ve got? What you see around me is only the beginning. I’ve given you ample opportunity to join me freely. Since you didn’t come willingly, your fate will now be bound to me forever. I’ll place chains on your wrists, your ankles, and your soul. You’ll be right by my side, only able to peer down on all the destruction. I’ll let your little Athen roam around the world just so you can see what you can’t have. It’ll be wonderful. You’ll be unable to stop any of it, my angel. I think that’s what I’ll start calling you now, actually.”

  “Your threats do nothing to me. Don’t you realize that? You don’t get the big picture. You’re a pathetic and bitter being. Slinging insults, and interfering in mortals’ lives, is one of the most pitiable existences I can imagine. You create no beauty. You don’t create love. You can’t create, period. You only destroy. It’s a lot easier to pick something apart than to build something.” My smile couldn’t be hidden. I didn’t want to hide it. I wanted to rub it in. I knew it would make him angry, and his anger would only make him weaker and more careless.

  “Oh, Ana. You’re so wrong. I am the bigger picture. I am the future. You need to get used to that. Your sister did.”

  “Yah? Well, I don’t see her floating around here. Do you?” I was done with the small talk, I flashed the sign to Athen, who was now waiting on the hill. The real battle was to begin. I was completely in my zone. We would win this.

  The ground began to shake as the white demons began marching towards Azazel and his army. The beat of their footsteps created an eerie sound, bringing a warning to anyone who dared to cross us. The consistent bass, as our army placed one foot in front of the other, created an empowerment like I’d never experienced before.

  As the ground continued to move to the rhythm of our army, I shot into the sky. The warm wind crossing my skin actually felt nice. It was the only positive of the fiery mess below.

  Before landing on the hill where Athen, Cyril, and Arie were, I looked behind me to take in the oddly beautiful sight. Many of the white demons were beginning to unleash their ravishing, large white and grey wings during the march. For reasons unknown, white demons usually choose to keep their appendages hidden even in flight. Witnessing this event was one of the most amazing spectacles ever seen on earth, yet it was caused by one of the most horrendous acts on earth. Only in the white demon world could such beauty come from such devastation. The dark demons would never understand that. Azazel was turning around, directing his army as ours approached. The white wings were now fully encircling the black wings.

  Landing next to Athen, I looked to get one last view before I began the fight.

  “Think we should spread ours too?” Athen asked, his voice full of pride.

  “I’m thinking so!” Cyril’s voice echoed over the sound of the marching and the flare of the flames.

  Athen put his arm around me and whispered ever so softly, “Why don’t you take a second and look behind us over there?” He was pointing towards the direction of the backside of the mountain.

  Puzzled, I shook my head and jogged over to the direction he pointed at, only to see row after row of white demons. There were thousands of the beautifully winged white demons. I was stunned. There was no way we would lose this battle. I had to remind myself, though, that the key was to destroy Azazel. He had no idea how many we had waiting on the other side of the mountain.

  Turning back around to look at Athen, I saw that Cyril had already begun to transform. His beautiful light grey wings began to unfurl turning him into an even more magnificent being. Catching Athen’s eyes, I felt the tears of happiness begin to escape. He was next. Right before me, he threw his flannel shirt into the rocky dirt. Staring intently, I ran up to him right in time to see the most beautifully grand white wings, begin to sprawl out twice his size from behind his shoulders.

  “Breathtaking,” I whispered. Kissing him gently on his cheek. The enormous size of Cyril and Athen’s wings created a longing. I didn’t want to miss any part of this glorious ceremony.

  Looking over at Arie, she nodded and began the process. Her camisole made room for the light grey wings to make their entrance. A smile spread across her face.

  “We just don’t find a need for these in every day life!” She laughed. “Pretty sweet!”

  Athen grabbed my hand.

  “Think of everything you’ve relearned along the way, Ana. Remember the shapeshifting lessons, the flying lessons, everything! Feel the power you have inside of you. Imagine yourself with the wings to carry us to victory. It will come,” Athen said.

  Nervously, I glanced back at Azazel as he began making his way towards us. Time was not on my side. Our white demons had begun attacks, but he had started moving.
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br />   Clearing my mind as quickly as I could, I thought about the wings I didn’t yet have, carrying me from mountaintop to mountaintop. I thought of myself flying up in the clouds and over the sea. I pictured myself being carried by the wings rather than my naked self. I imagined the freedom the wings brought to me.

  An electric current began running up along my shoulders and down my arms. I opened my eyes to catch a look at Athen, who was grinning proudly. His hand holding mine tightly, I scanned his eyes for acceptance. The electricity zinged through me in a way I never felt before. A weight began pulling me backwards, when I realized the transformation was finished. The heaviness was the wings. The wings I couldn’t see.

  “My beautiful, beautiful, angel.” Athen was beaming. “You’ve done it.” His eyes glimmering with happiness and a love I’d seen many times before.

  “I know we don’t have much time, and this may be a silly question…” I began.

  “What?” Athen asked.

  “What color are my wings?” I asked, sheepishly.

  “We’re one, Ana. I thought you already knew the answer to this one,” Athen replied.

  Athen reached over my shoulder and gently plucked a feather he threw into the wind. The pure white feather slowly floated to the ground, giving me enough time to compose myself. This moment held so many hopes, dreams, wishes, and fears, but all I could do was smile right back at him.

  The four of us stood on top of the mountain staring at a mass blanket of black and white feathers converging on one another. The ground’s surface was riddled with fiery cracks outlining the battleground. Noticing the echo of the march begin to slow, I nodded at Athen. This was our moment. Azazel would never see this coming. Good would prevail.