Chapter 7
"One more Marine reporting, sir, I’ve spent my time in Hell”
www.usmc81.com/marine-corps-quotes/
John began swiping the air as if trying to open a curtain the way Vagabones had done. No motion seemed to work. The back door squeaked and partially opened. Curious, he opened it fully and saw Hell. "Well, hell." He looked around outside and then cautiously propped the door open, and stepped out.
There, playing out before his eyes, was Genghis Kahn being stalked by Napoleon. Kahn noticed John and the opening, and started toward it, and John quickly stepped backward, but Napoleon threw a rock at Genghis that hit him in the head, then hid, snickering. Kahn reversed direction and tried to find Napoleon. He stalked away, intent on his search.
John stepped out again, and there beside the door stood William, Cat, Mary, and Victor. They looked at John expectantly. He smiled at them noncommittally as he considered them. At least he knew them. They had done bad things, very bad things. Murder. But he was no angel himself. Something he had done had led to the burning of his home, and probably the death of his wife. Would he find better in Hell? His smile broadened. "Please come in," John invited them.
"Witchcraft! Forbidden!" Mary exclaimed loudly to them all.
"Haven’t you had enough of Hell?" They all nodded. "Then I have a good place for you. My town. Johnstown. It’s in Asphedolus. No more suffering… I hope."
The ashes suddenly rose around them and ghastly forms appeared, once human, but degenerated into forms with partial faces and few features, zombies and vampires. Some had fangs and horns.
Cat screamed, "T' Enumi! We’re doomed!"
The Enumi begin to swirl around them, baring their fangs. "Just when it was going so well," John said glumly. This must truly be Hell – first you're tantalized with something good, then the bad lands on you like a truck load of gravel.
The voices of the Enumi seemed to emanate from them all. "Be you welcome among us, you who are doomed. Doomed! Evil people with hearts black as coal and hard as rock. Evil people, you belong here, here among the ashes and soot, suffering and anguish, gloom and despair, torturous fire, rain of burning embers, pain and grief, among liars, thieves and murderous souls. You are one of us. One of us! Remember your bad deeds. Lie upon the ground and cry and wail and tear your flesh and suffer as you deserve!"
Cat wailed, "I stabbed a rogue after fornicaten', and I reveled in all rogue’s sufferin’ here. Oh, woe is me, I am nothin’, I am ashes. And I pissed on my thievin’ Da’s grave. I have no hope!"
Mary began to wail, "I madeth mine husband miserable, and in death I gazed in pleasure as that gent disintegrated into ashes. Oh, woe is me, I am nothing, I am ashes. I hath kept food from mine cat. I has't no hope! "
William was next to wail about his sins, "I led me crew into theft and murder. A hundred souls went t' Davy Jones' locker at me hand. Oh, woe be me, I be nothin', I be ashes. And I drank another share from t' keg o' ale when no one was watchin'. I have no hope!"
Then John wailed, "I cheated money from the people. I cheated on my wife. I gave her no life. I sold votes and offices. I had sex with women and never meant a single lie I told them. I stole candy from my brother, too. Oh, woe is me, I am nothing, I am ashes. I have no hope!"
They all shrank to the ground as the Enumi merged on them.
John knew this was it. He was getting his just due. In his heart he knew that he was bad and deserved nothing but bad. All hope was gone. His vision of his future was nothing but ashes.
Peira suddenly appeared beside them. A light radiated from her, the light of her pure heart. The Enumi cringed. "Enumi! Foul vampires and zombies, that you are, you whose hearts are so rotten you stink of decay and become ashes, you whose hearts and souls are so barren of love you have nothing in you but hate, you who would suck the life from every living thing and destroy everything in your path, you made your choices and you cannot have the lives of these people. Slink away from these people who have better hearts than you, slink away and hide from the disintegration to come. The decay that eats at your hearts is all you have forever."
Collective moans emanated from the Enumi. They skulked away. John, William, Cat, Mary, and Victor slowly rose and shrugged off the negative, trembling, slowly regaining their strength. They walked toward Peira.
"That was a cool little trick," John said to her.
"It’s part of my responsibility to protect you as long as you are on the right path. The Enumi are so negative they bring out all the negativity in other people. Their influence can cause an impure heart to do terrible things to others and themselves."
"You’re pretty handy. Got any more of those tricks?" William asked. Peira smiled at him without answering.
Mary looked at the door, then hopefully at Peira. "Not witchcraft," Peira said to her. Peira stepped through first, and beckoned them. "At John’s invitation," she instructed.
John smiled and waved them all through ahead of him. He suddenly stopped. "We all have better hearts than those?" he asked Peira, cheerfully hoping.
"Yes, but never forget this is freely given to you, not something you deserve." She replied with that very slight smile. John and the others were very pleased. They stepped into John’s office and the door closed.
William looked around, then back at the door. "I was just about to slaughter ‘em with my sword," he said bravely. Everyone looked at William in disbelief. He shrugged.
"I like the light thing. Can you turn that on and off?" John asked Peira.
She explained, "It’s like a lightning bug. It comes on automatically when it’s needed."
"Hm. Hell’s gone digital." John stared at her, transfixed again.
She spoke the right words to break his trance: "Mayor, your people are hungry. They need jobs, a place to stay, organization. You have work to do."
Part 2: Honorable Death
Building Community
Liars Truth Page 7