by Heath, Joel
Vince’s struggling quickly escalated to violent thrashing, but he was still not able to break free, time was running out, wasn’t there room for a miracle?
Jessie looked away not wanting to face her grim future as a demon. She waited for the sound of the demonic gas, but it never came, instead a gurgling sound emanated from the demon that was ready to throw the switch.
Jessie looked at found the demon falling to the ground, standing over the demon Spencer hefting his sword.
“So, you want to do it yourself?” Vince challenged.
Spencer realized what Vince was insinuating.
“No,” Spencer corrected, “This wasn’t a part of my plan.”
“Plan?” Jessie asked.
“There was only one way out of that dungeon cell, and one way to save my son.” Spencer began.
“Put on a show. You needed to make him think you were loyal to him.” Jessie said with understanding.
“Right, and now that we’re all here, let’s go finish what we started.” Spencer said releasing Vince and Jessie from the shackles that held them.
Spencer led the way back to where he left Lucifer, and he still stood by the shimmering glyph on the floor.
“Mr. Garza, what are they doing here?” Lucifer demanded, “And why have they not been changed?”
“Being the great deceiver I would have guessed you knew a lie when you heard one.” Spencer mocked, Lucifer smiled a sinister smile.
“You told me what I wanted to hear, hell is already corrupting you. How utterly
delightful.” Lucifer mused.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Spencer demanded.
“I won’t have to convert you. Simply your being here will be enough to do that for me.” Lucifer laughed, reaching a maniacal climax.
Spencer raised his sword and rushed at Lucifer only to pass straight through.
“I ought to warn you, that I’m not really here, I left when I sensed you had betrayed me.” Lucifer warned, “But if you want to find me then step onto the glyph and I’ll be seeing you real soon. Once you have arrived you will face ‘the challenge’, a labyrinth that only one has successfully navigated, bristling with booby traps around every corner, you will have six hours to complete it.” Lucifer advised.
“You have entered into my realm. None will escape from me! You will be forever lost in the Darkness before you can reach me.” Lucifer said in a hysterical fit of laughter before vanishing.
All eyes fell to the glyph in the middle of the floor. Spencer, Vince and Jessie stepped on to the symbol and were suddenly standing before the entrance to a labyrinth.
Spencer scanned the horizon and found a tower in the distance, Lucifer’s last bastion of safety.
Spencer turned to Vince and Jessie.
“For the record.” Spencer paused, for him, what he suffered through was nothing short of hell.
“I lost her.” Spencer said, “I couldn’t find her anywhere, and when I did find her, she disappeared, and I had to try to find her all over again.”
“Did you ever find her?” Jessie asked.
Spencer nodded with great difficulty.
“She told me that she hated me, and that my son wasn’t my son.” Spencer said before looking Vince in the eyes. “He was yours.” Spencer said with a smile.
“In my anger and jealousy I killed you.” Spencer said, the pain of his admission caused him to shed tears of regret.
Vince smiled.
“Don’t worry, this is almost over.” Vince assured. “What will happen to us when we return to earth?” Jessie asked.
Vince took Jessie’s hand “Whatever we do, as long as we’re together I don’t care what happens.” Vince replied.
“Come on, let’s end this.” Spencer said proceeding into the labyrinth.
“How are we going to get through this in six hours?” Jessie asked.
Spencer pulled a familiar book from a satchel he was wearing.
“You might need this.” Spencer offered. “I’ve already marked the page that has the map of the labyrinth.”
Jessie took the book and opened it.
As they crossed the threshold of the maze Spencer noticed words scrawled on the floor.
Strength lies in unity.
Weakness fills division.
Only through trials can you gain true strength.
“What does that mean?” Vince asked. Spencer eyed the words, and glanced around suspiciously.
“I don’t like how that sounds.” Spencer said as apprehension took over, but they had little choice they had to go in.
Taking the first step into the maze Spencer immediately saw a single long hallway that vanished in the distance, the main hall had several off shoot passages
“It looks like this main corridor comes to a wall after a quarter mile. Most of the secondary passages are dead ends, but this on looks promising.” Jessie said referring to a passage near the back of the main corridor.
Jessie lead the way as she had the book, but Spencer covered her, Vince brought up the rear.
“What I wouldn’t give to have a celestial sword right about now.” Vince mourned.
The secondary tunnel approached and Jessie entered.
“Do you hear that?” Spencer asked.
“I don’t hear anything.” Vince admitted.
“What did you hear?” Jessie asked.
Everybody stopped to listen, but heard nothing for several seconds before continuing on.
Ahead there were three other branches off the secondary corridor. Spencer, approached one of the corridors, and then turned back to Jessie,
“Which way do we take?” Spencer asked. Jessie looked confused.
“Jessie?” Spencer asked.
“Any route will take us to the labyrinth exit, looks like each rough has one major obstacle in our way, the book describes them as ‘puzzles’.” Jessie said.
Spencer pulled a face that served to say ‘that was easier than I thought’ and that’s when everything took a turn for the worse.
A wall shot up out of the ground behind them and then two walls erupted out of the ground between Spencer, Vince and Jessie.
“VINCE, JESSIE.” Spencer called. There was no response.
“VINCE, JESSIE!”
But it was no use, he couldn’t hear either of his compatriots, and he guessed they couldn’t hear him; they were each on their own with no choice, but to try and complete the labyrinth, alone.
Chapter 13 – Fallen Heroes Spencer’s focus had diminished to just a single point, one that propelled his feet forward towards the tower where Lucifer waited.
The corridor continued on for another one hundred feet before descending ten feet, down a flight of stone steps before continuing onto another corridor where Spencer heard an odd sound, almost like something spinning, cutting through the air, each revolution came quickly in almost immediate succession. The sound was coming from around a corner only twenty feet away.
Rounding the corner Spencer found a tunnel that spun on a horizontal plane, inside the spinning tunnel there were three rotating propellers, the blades were small allowing a quick person to pass through or a slow person to not be so lucky.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Spencer exclaimed before accepting the reality that this was the only way forward.
Spencer got into position just outside the tunnel, closed his eyes, took a deep breath and stepped into the rotating tunnel.
Spencer nearly lost his balance and fell over as he stepped inside, it took Spencer a couple seconds, but he managed to learn to stay upright as he walked toward the first propeller, timed his movements carefully and then about dove through the spiraling blades, this time with no problems, Spencer tumbled to the ground as his feet hit the bottom of the swirling tube, and his face landed a couple inches from the second propeller. Spencer quickly scrambled to his feet and got into position for to jump through the second.
Spencer’s feet moved with the tunnel as he timed his jump. His
feet pushed off the rounded floor as he went sailing though the second, but he almost wasn’t fast enough. One of the blades sliced though his pants leaving a shallow gash on his outer thigh.
Spencer was able to land on his feet and continue on to the third and final propeller. This one was spinning noticeably faster than the previous two. Spencer knew this would be difficult, so he closed his eyes, gritted his teeth and leapt.
He felt no blades tear into his flesh, what he did feel was the hard ground collide with his underside. Spencer opened his eyes and found himself looking up at a short stone pillar that stood only three feet high. Standing beside it, he realized it looked like his own image but it couldn’t be; although they did look alike one had unkempt hair, dressed all in black, from a black tshirt and black jeans to a three quarter black leather jacked, his eyes were hidden by very stylish sunglasses. Dark was looking down at
Spencer.
“Lucifer sends his greetings.” Dark Garza
greeted.
“Where’s your Master?” Spencer
demanded.
“High atop his tower and in one hour a
portal to heaven will open, and from hells heart,
he will invade heaven. If you wish to progress,
you will have to best me in a contest of skill.” “What’s the ‘contest’?” Spencer asked
getting to his feet.
“To progress, you will face me in a game
of Chess.” Dark Garza challenged. “But I must
warn you that if you fail you will join the damned
and remain here for all eternity.”
Spencer perused the chess board he had
not played in several years he wasn’t sure he
could keep his cool under such tense
circumstances.
Though white would have allowed him to
go first Dark Garza chose to play black leaving
Spencer with white.
“It’s your move.”
Spencer stared at his dark self for a long
moment, hoping that he wouldn’t be forced into
this confrontation, but finally he relented and
made his first move, advancing the King’s pawn
as far as it cold go. Dark Garza countered with
his queen’s knight. Spencer moved his king’s
bishop diagonally three spaces to stare down the
opposing knight.
Dark shifted a pawn down one space to support his knight; Spencer realized that a bishop would be coming out, so he mirrored the move, bringing out a pawn on the opposite side of the
board, thus allowing him the same advantage. Garza bided his time and sent his king’s
pawn as far as it could go, taking control of the
center of the board.
Spencer knew that if he was to win the
game he was going to have to make a bold move
and throw his dark counterpart off balance so he
moved his king’s knight to f3.
“You’re desperate.” Dark Garza
commented, “Desperate people are prone to
make mistakes.” Dark Spencer said bringing out
his queen’s knight and settling it into f6. Spencer moved his queen’s bishop all the
way to g5, pinning the black knight to its queen,
Dark did not appear impressed as he advances the
pawn at h7 a single space.
Spencer advances his bishop to take the
black knight only to lose the bishop to the
exchange to the black queen.
Spencer repeats the move with his other
bishop. Dark moves his bishop to defend his
remaining knight.
Spencer takes his queen’s knight to c3 to
prepare for another gambit and hopefully end the
game before he lost too many more pieces. Dark
moved his knight to d4, leaving it wide open for
an attack from Spencer’s knight, still patiently
waiting at f3.
“Going for my knight?” Garza taunted. “Nope.” Spencer replied moving his
bishop to take the black bishop that stood in
defense of the king.
“Check!” Spencer said.
But Garza moved his king and the white
bishop fell.
“Now, your knight is mine.” Spencer said
moving his knight from f3 to d4 where a black
knight fell under the attack.
Dark moved his pawn to d4 taking out
one of Spencer’s knights, and leaving the other
safe due to a pawn that lay in wait on b2. Spencer advanced in preparation for an
attack on the black queen, but Dark moved the
queen to g5, and out of harms way.
Spencer realized that the black queen was
coming in for the kill so he castled his king to
prepare for the onslaught.
Dark decided to hold off on the attack,
seeing no other alternative, and instead moved
his pawn at c7 to c6 to attack the knight, Spencer
countered by moving the knight on a suicide
mission to b6. The retribution was swift as the
rooks pawn at b1 moved in for the kill. Spencer
saw an idea to take the black queen and he went
for it sliding his queen to the left a single spaceto
put it in the black queens sights but Dark Garza
didn’t go for it, he merely retreated his queen to
f6, spoiling the move.
Spencer moved his pawn at e4 to e5 to
attack the black queen, only to have the black
queen retreat further, landing on e7. Spencer was forced to take a desperate move moving his pawn at e5 to e6, putting the king in check. Dark
Spencer took the pawn at e6 with his king. Spencer moved his rook into place,
moving it only one space. Dark Garza retreated
his king, leaving his queen dead to rights, and his
king back in check. The Rook was taken by the
bishop at f8, but its sacrifice was worth it.
Spencer advanced his pawn at c2 to deal with
another pawn. The gambit worked the black
pawn at d4 took the bait; Spencer pressed the
attack and avenged his fallen pawn with his
queen.
Dark Garza moved the pawn at c6 to draw
Spencer into an attack, but Spencer instead
moved his queen to a3 in a bid to trap the black
king. The black pawn at c4 took the white pawn
at d3 giving it an almost unobstructed shot at
retrieving his queen. Spencer moved his rook
from a1 to e1 to force the bishop to retreat, and it
worked the bishop retreated to d8 allowing
Spencer to move his queen to eliminate the rook
that threatened his queen, but was held at bay by
a pawn at b2.
Now it was Dark Garza that was
panicking, he had been backed into a corner. “Your king can run, but not far, my rook
will stop him dead in his tracks with a single
move, my queen will be right behind it.” Spencer
explained and then paused for effect. “I win.” Dark smiled as he reached for his king,
and pushed it over symbolizing his surrender. The pillar, the chessboard, and even
Spencer’s dark twin became more and more
transparent before disappearing entirely. With a firm grip on his victory Spencer
jumped to a dead run, heading deeper into the
labyrinth; he was close to getting to Lucifer.
Vince had been running through the labyrinth for a half an hour before he came to something odd. The entire time he was in the labyrinth there was no ceiling until he came to a door that was flanked by three torches on either side; the tor
ches were spaced two feet apart. Vince stepped through the doorway to find a round room the ceiling was eight feet high and there was a doorway on the opposite side of the room.
In the middle of the room was a sort of podium there were nine tiles, each had a Roman numerals. Most Vince recognized, but there were a few that were just vaguely confusing.
The sound of stone grinding against stone escaped the doorways one either end, Vince looked to see the doors closing and he ran to the nearest one to reach the door as it finished closing; he turned to see the other stone door had already been closed.
“Perfect, I’m trapped.” Vince mourned. The sound of rumbling preceded the resumed sound of stone grinding against stone. Vince crinkled his brow, he was confused, the doors were closed, and then the sound resumed full force, Vince glances upward where he really coming from, the ceiling was coming down, not very quick, but the ceiling was slowly lowering, in a matter of ten minutes he would be crushed between a rock and a hard place.
“This must be one of the puzzles that Jessie warns us about.” Vince guessed.
“You aren’t going to get out of this.” A
young boy taunted.
Vince turned to see the boy and then realized
who he was.
“Stewart.” Vince said.
“You said you were my friend, and yet
you let me die.” Steward said accusingly. “I went for help; I didn’t know how to
swim.” Vince defended.
“Is that how you absolved yourself of
guilt?” Stewart wondered, “By making excuses?” Vince turned away to try and focus on the
problem of his impending fate.
But the image of his long dead friend and the
lowering ceiling didn’t make it easy.
“…I…?” Vince asked examining the first
tile, and then it hit him.
“Not I.” Vince said aloud, “One!”
Vince noticed nine slots where the tiles would fit. “I know this.” Vince said “I think.” Vince
guessed that if he got it wrong something terrible
would happen, so he had to be certain.
“No you don’t ‘know this’.” Stewart
affirmed.
“Shut up!” Vince begged impatiently. The central row he knew, and so he began
placing tiles. “One…five…nine.”
The top row was a little confusing, but Vince
proceeded regardless.
“Eight…three…four.” Vince said. Vince
went on alert when the sound of stone grinding