by Roy Bright
“Splendid, splendid. This couldn’t have worked out any more perfect if I tried.”
He spins around to find Lucifer at the end of the street, clapping, pleased, a wicked grin stretched across his face.
“That was an amazing battle, full of excitement, intrigue and suspense… oh and fun, let’s not forget fun, and now that the whore has hold of my prize, is in my sight and, considering I hold claim to her from oh, I dunno, ages ago, I think I’ll be off now. Thank you.”
Judas understands and screams at Abi in panic, “Let her go! Let go of Charlotte!”
It is too late.
Lucifer is too quick.
He draws up a portal beneath them and Abi looks at Judas in horror. Then, in an instant, they are gone.
He turns towards Lucifer, enraged.
He laughs. “Thank you so much, Iscariot. It has been the most fun I have had in an age playing with you tonight and to be honest, I hope we can keep this game going, so if you can find a way to come pay me a visit, I will be more than happy to play with you some more.” He laughs once again, more wicked than before and then vanishes.
All around Judas portals are opening. The Destructor disappears, and even though he cannot see what is leaving, he imagines the remaining Taken are the ones leaving in the other portals, as inside the remains of the collapsed building, many lights erupt.
He rises to his feet and screams. He paces the street in desperation, changing direction, looking all around. He is lost. He doesn’t know what to do. He looks to the sky and, at the top of his voice, screams, “GABRIEL!”
His shout echoes in the still night, the rain having stopped. The volume of the carnage moments ago now replaced with an eerie stillness save for that of the fires burning in the destroyed vehicles and bits of masonry sliding off the collapsed building.
He repeats his call, “GABRIEL! HEAR ME, ANGEL!”
“There is nothing I can do, Judas,” a calm voice says, from behind him.
He spins around to see Gabriel walking towards him.
“It is forbidden for us to get involved.”
He shakes his head, “Are you fucking kidding me? I don’t think Lucifer and his boys got that memo. You gotta help me.”
“Judas, I cannot. I am not allowed to get involved, not directly at least.”
He runs his hands over his head and screams, then returns to pacing the street.
The sound of brick and rubble dispersing causes them both to direct their attention towards the ruined building.
Judas shakes his head in disbelief as Gary clambers over the ruins and brings himself to his feet, staggering and stumbling as he walks. He reacts and dashes towards him, helping him to his feet as he falls. “You are one tough son of a bitch, Gary.”
He smiles, his face covered in streaks of blood, some having made its way into his mouth, staining his teeth.
Judas smiles at him, “You okay, man? You look like shit?”
He laughs and with a croaky voice replies, “Nothing a large shot of Bourbon wouldn’t cure.”
Judas smiles and helps him to his feet.
“The girls?” He asks, knowing the answer but wanting to hear it from him all the same.
His face grows sullen. “I’m gonna get them back, Gary. I promise.” He turns to Gabriel, the anger working its way back into him. “Isn’t that right, Gabriel? We are getting them back.”
The Archangel shakes his head. “I cannot get involved. You know that.”
Stunned, Gary blurts, “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“That’s what I just said,” Judas states, as he strides over to the Archangel. “Gabriel, I got news for you. The only ones playing by the rules here are you lot and you are fucking losing. Lucifer has Charlotte and there isn’t much time left to fix this. I gotta get back into the city and over to the Tonada building and put this right or all of this is dust.”
Gabriel shakes his head and is about to speak when Judas cuts him short.
“Look, man, these people don’t deserve this. Most of these poor souls taken tonight are not bad people, they’ve merely lost their way and that is your fault.”
“My fault?” Gabriel snorts, “How is it my fault?”
“Not just you, Gabe; your whole damn organization. These are for the most part God loving and fearing people. They follow His teachings because of the promise of entry into paradise. Nothing they have seen tonight suggests that you guys have their backs, nothing! Many will have called out for His help and received nothing, no signs, no assistance. In a time of darkest evil, terrifying creatures and forces they are unable to fight themselves, they will have called to you and when you didn’t show - any of you - they will have lost hope and felt abandoned, and rightly so. It is because of that; Lucifer has been so readily able to infect them with his will. It’s not right, it’s not fair. They don’t deserve this. This world doesn’t deserve this.” He pauses, taking a moment to calm himself. His eyes plead with the Archangel, “Gabriel, please help me. Help me fix this. Help me save this world. I am not asking that you get involved in the fight; I am merely asking that you put me back in it. You gave me this mission and told me I absolutely must not fail, and I will not, with a tiny push from you, just a tiny one. Gabriel, please. Do the right thing. Let this end here, tonight. There is a little girl out there in the hands of the most dangerous entity in existence. She is lost and afraid. Don’t let her die, Gabriel. Don’t let her die, and with her, all of humanity.” He looks deep into Gabriel’s eyes, pleading, “Gabe, please!”
Forty-Three
New York City is as quiet as death itself. Hours earlier, the level of carnage and panic was unprecedented even for this city. Millions of people had found themselves at the mercy of Lucifer either by possession or by death, at the hands of the pitiful and wretched creatures that roamed the city streets. Now, as the violence within its streets subsides and litter dances over countless bodies and abandoned vehicles, an eerie silence remains in all areas; save for one. Outside the Tonada Corporation building, the level of demonic activity is high. The Taken have flocked to it in their thousands and higher-ranked demons roam the streets in the surrounding areas. At its doors, the Destructor stands guard, motionless, as a monolithic over-watch for its Master, denying entry to anyone or anything.
Standing as an iconic figurehead and one of the largest skyscrapers in the area, the Tonada building is ultra-modern in design with beautiful steel struts and plate glass windows adorning every side. It once served as a pointed reminder of the power and might of the industrious attitude towards Japanese business within one of America’s most famous cities. Now, however, it stands as ground zero to the apocalypse. A wretched lair for what Hell has spewed forth and if the front of the building wasn’t foreboding enough, the last one hundred yards run up to it is more so, as a gauntlet of burnt-out vehicles mounted by demons and Taken hinder any direct approach.
A few hundred yards down the street, a lone Taken prowls on all fours, padding the area like a wild animal in search of food. It stops and lifts its head, sniffing the air, snapping its head left and right, seeking something unseen, something unheard. The ground around it starts to crackle and fizz with the electrical activity. Forks of arcing creep over the asphalt, working their way through puddles in random directions, growing bigger; louder as more join them, illuminating the street in a sea of blue and white. The creature rears up and stands on two legs, fixing its attention on a small circle of light growing in front of it. It cocks its head to one side, and then the other as the circle starts to hum. The hum grows louder and louder, drawing the creature towards it, curious but wary. The humming from the circle whirls cyclonic and peaks as small forks of lightning arc out from its epicenter.
The creature explodes as the portal opens with massive force, ripping it apart at a molecular level, and Judas powers through on a Ducati Superbike, the engine screaming as he pulls back on the throttle hard. He quickly scans the area ahead, charting a path through the barricade of vehicles. He
is upon them in moments as he tears down the street at an insane speed, weaving in and out of the obstructions with precision, bike and rider as one; the only thought on his mind being to get into the building ahead of him, to get to Charlotte.
The Destructor roars into life as it spots the bike and tracks it hurtling down the street, through windswept litter, in and out of cars, too fast for the creatures that now give chase. With its one remaining good eye, it glares in anger, recognizing the form of the one who inflicted the wound upon it. It means to tear him apart.
He clears the main barricade and bursts forward with even more intent and, spying a lone car parked just in front of the Destructor, he aims for it, forcing the bike to its maximum speed with full throttle applied.
The bike roars ahead.
The Destructor grins. It relishes the thought of getting its hands on him and licks its lips.
Judas feels a surge of energy rush over him. He is getting closer to her, he can feel her presence; it is just what he needs. Only a few feet away from the car, he brings his feet up and crouches on the seat. The bike hits it with explosive force and he kicks off, launching himself into the air, straight at the Destructor as underneath him, the bike explodes, almost tearing the car in two.
The massive demon roars.
Mid-flight, he draws out both swords from his back and drives them into the demon as he connects with its massive body. Scaling the creature at great speed, he uses both swords to pull himself up, hacking his way to its left shoulder.
The Destructors right hand goes after him, chasing the parasite working its way up his body; but he is too quick.
He reaches the shoulder and lashes out with a sword at the demon’s left eye. This time he misses as the beast pulls its head back, screaming at him in fury, but he is already gone. Leaping from the Destructor’s shoulder with everything he has, he crashes through a window high up in the building’s structure, forward rolling as he lands into the office space. Blood spatters out onto the ground from several deep lacerations then turns to dust. As he rolls, he drops one of his swords and it slides off ahead of him. He scrambles on all fours to retrieve it as, at the same time, the Destructor turns and smashes its right hand into the building. He rages forward as the office erupts behind him. Sprinting, he manages to outrun the massive fist working its way towards him as it crashes through the office, devastating the floor. He screams in defiance, and launches himself at a partitioning wall at the edge of the office, exploding through it and landing in the corridor on the other side. Picking himself up, he runs down the corridor towards a stairwell. He has never been in the building before but he finds himself reacting to some form of homing signal emanating from Charlotte, guiding him towards her. He reaches the door to the stairwell just as the Destructors hand smashes out of the wall behind him, punching him through the door. Skidding into the stairwell and crunching to a halt against the stair rail, he turns to see the hand clawing at the ground, unable to broach the final couple of feet needed to grab him. He grins, stands and hurtles up the stairs, wasting no time as he has many floors to cover.
In the time that it has taken Judas to clear the street and enter the building, Gary has made his way through the portal in a car. Ahead, he sees the terrifying and colossal Destructor in a frantic search for something inside one of the floors of the building and he smiles to himself knowing that Judas has made his way inside and, judging by its annoyed behavior, has evaded the demon with success and is on his way up. He slows the car as he tries to figure out a way of getting through the gauntlet of Taken and burning vehicles. His heart sinks as he witnesses hundreds of them flood into the Tonada building’s main doors and up the outside of the structure. “How the hell are you gonna get in there, Gary?” he asks himself.
Judas clears flights of stairs at high speed, using his inability to feel exhaustion to great effect. He passes the sixty-second floor and he can now feel Charlotte’s presence stronger than ever. He knows he is just a couple of floors away from her and even more important, that she is still alive.
Gary’s hands slam onto the roof and driver’s door window inside the car, as he feels the vehicle lurch forwards and rise. He curses and floors the accelerator out of instinct causing the engine to scream with revs. Annoyed with himself, he takes his foot off the gas and dips his head down to peer out of the driver’s window. Looking out he sees the tip of a huge white wing, beating down hard. He looks out of the passenger window and sees the same. He sits back, and smiles.
Judas stands at the door to floor sixty-five. He pauses; swords drawn and down by his side. A few final tiny slivers of glass make their way out of his skin and drop to the floor making tiny chimes. He takes in a deep breath, more so for the point of what it symbolizes rather than an actual need for more oxygen as he knows that under no circumstances whatsoever, can he allow anything to slow him down. The forces of darkness might not be able to destroy him but his life is not the important commodity here, time is. He turns the handle and eases the door open, stepping into a low-lit room, bare and devoid of any furniture. It is an empty box, save for a window that runs the length of it on the right-hand side, the New York City skyline decorating the view. At the far end of the room, he sees a set of stairs leading up. Red neon lights run along the length of each level, inviting and challenging him up them. However, between him and the stairs stand row upon row of Taken in formation. Motionless, they stare at him. He kicks the door closed behind him and stands ready for battle, staring back at the creatures, awaiting the first to buckle and get the fight underway.
Suddenly, the room illuminates as brilliant light shines in through the plate glass and the Taken snap their heads toward it in perfect unison.
The light intensifies, blinding and forcing Judas to shield his eyes from it.
The Taken let loose a bloodcurdling scream as a car smashes through the window, taking out the first row, slamming and pinning some up against the far wall.
The driver’s door opens and Gary spills out.
Judas looks out through the broken window to see Gabriel hovering outside. He nods at the Archangel, smiles and whispers, “Can’t get involved, my arse!”
Gabriel nods back, and is gone.
Judas knows he must be no more than a few feet below Charlotte as the familiar overwhelming surge of power once again courses through him, the energy at its highest peak as she is minutes away from her Awakening. He runs at the car and kicks it sending it skidding across the floor, through the horde of Taken, towards the staircase, then follows the vehicle and attacks the rest, slicing into them. Others spring over the car, leaping at him and he destroys them, cutting one clean in half and removing the arms of another. He slices off legs and other body pieces, decapitating many more. He is unstoppable, moving with a perfect balance of precision and speed, he devastates any of the creatures foolish enough to get too close to him.
Gary jumps into the fight and closes in from the rear, taking out enemies at range, picking targets with great care to conserve ammunition, letting Judas take care of the bulk of the work. He watches as the superhuman burns through the Taken with jaw-dropping speed, carving a path to the staircase. A large group of them bypass the swordsman, ignoring him and focus on Gary.
Judas turns, but Gary waves him away shouting, “Go! Charlotte is all that matters. I’ll draw them off.” He turns and flees through the door into the stairwell and the ferocious Taken pursue him. Once in the stairwell, he hears the terrifying sound of hundreds more climbing towards him, clambering over one another, screeching, wailing and snarling. He looks up and heads off towards the roof.
The remaining Taken in the room cease attacking Judas. They cower and back away.
“So, Lucifer wants to play, does he?”
He raises his swords and heads up the stairs.
Forty-Four
He walks into a room of pure white and at the head of a large executive table stands, Lucifer. Next to him is Abi, her left arm wrapped around Charlotte, a clawed index
finger tapping against the side of the child’s neck who is still and quiet, tear tracks running down her face.
Judas closes his eyes and lowers his head.
Lucifer grins. He loves it.
Raising his head, he opens his eyes. “I would tell you to let her go, to not hurt her, but that would be pointless, wouldn’t it?”
He snorts a laugh, “Indeed it would, Iscariot, indeed it would, but I do admire your ability to be humorous in the direst of situations. I swear, Judas, you belong with me far more than you do with Him.” He rolls his eyes upwards.
He smiles at Lucifer then raises his swords and studies them. “Well, that is a debate for another day. Nevertheless, I am going to say the words. Let me make this simple. Give me Charlotte and I won’t kill you.”
The Devil laughs with gusto. His face contorts into a grimaced mixture of rage, amusement and pure evil. He bellows at him, an evil demonic tone to his voice, “You cannot kill me, Iscariot. Yours is a power that does not even scratch the surface in comparison to mine. I am as old as the Creator and just as powerful.”
Judas laughs. “If you are as powerful as the Creator, then why don’t you hold onto Charlotte yourself? Go on; just place a hand on her, for the hell of it.” He smiles, a wide and sarcastic one.
Lucifer grins, and licks his lips. “In a few minutes, Iscariot, I will be everything there is and all there ever will be and your Creator’s power will be irrelevant. Once I kill the child and remove hope from this world, I will make it mine and march on the White Kingdom to bring all of creation to its knees.” He runs a hand through his hair, his voice now returning to that of the cocky, chirpy British man. “As for you, Iscariot, well, I will enjoy torturing you for an eternity, making you relive your failure to protect this bitch, to save these human insects.” He points to Abi and smiles.