AngelFire

by Luke Valen

  “Welcome to Baghdad,” Scott said, raising his arms in the air.

  The heat smashed against our faces in a blistering wind accompanied by the smell of burning trash, smoke, and raw sewage. The smell alone could melt a hole in a person’s skin. The sound of car horns, traffic sirens, and the occasional bomb populated the noise spectrum of whispers that filled our buzzing ears.

  “How in the world did you even get us to this close to Baghdad?” Bryon asked, dumbfounded.

  “My dad is—was—friends with one of the air traffic control guys here,” Scott said. “Apparently he helped fly his wife and him out of a war zone years back? Our plane should have been tagged so that any time he wants to come this way or has to stop to fill up, he can just come right in. We were able to make it through all the other fly zones. Apparently, someone on this end didn’t get the message.”

  “Mmmhmm…” Jade said from her solitary position.

  “Okay, so now what?” Bryon asked.

  “Now we walk,” I said, grabbing my pack from off the hot ground and shifting the sunglasses from my forehead to my eyes. I began making my way away from the plane.

  “Walk where?” Jade asked, returning to the group. “You don’t even know where we are going.”

  “Sure, I do. We are going here.” I pulled out a map I had tucked away in my jacket pocket and pointed to a red mark front and center.

  “And where is that exactly?” Bryon asked.

  “That is the Tigris River, right where it splits,” I answered.

  “How do you know that’s where we are supposed to go?” Bryon asked.

  “Uncle thought I never listened to his old war stories and blabbering,” I said. “This is where he has been talking about for years. He had mentioned it again before we left—I just put two and two together. The four-headed snake.”

  “Genius,” Jade muttered. “That is exactly where we need to go. Once we get there, I am sure there will be some locals that will be able to direct us even farther from there. Just like it says in the Bible, it is not Eden itself that the Garden was, but eastward. Meaning just at the split of the Tigris would be…here.” Jade pointed on the map to a river split. “The Diyala River, just below Baghdad. That should only be about fifty miles from where we are at now.”

  Scott nudged his way into the huddle, looking over the small map. “What are you gents talking about over here?”

  I grabbed Bryon and Jade around the necks, bumping Scott back a bit. “Give us one second, Scott.” I turned back to the private meeting. “We can’t take Scott.”

  “Why not?” Bryon asked.

  “We can’t risk losing the one guy who can get us back home, if something should go wrong…” I whispered.

  The two looked at the accident-prone teen scratching his butt and head at the same time. Scott turned and waved from outside the huddle.

  “You’re right, it’s best he stays here,” Bryon agreed. The two and I stood up and turned to Scott.

  “Scott, buddy. We need you to stay with the plane,” I said.

  “What? I thought I was going to get to go with y’all. I mean, I—”

  I jumped in. “Scott, this is a very dangerous mission, and we need someone as skilled and sharp as you to be prepared to get us out of here if something should go wrong.”

  “So I am, like, the getaway man?” Scott asked.

  “Exactly.” I wrapped my arm around his shoulder. “You are the getaway man. Every good mission needs a getaway man, and you are him. You are the only one who can get us back home.”

  “Yeah, man, think of it like a secret undercover mission,” Bryon added, “and you’re the man to get us away from the bad guys when they come chasing us.”

  “Ah man, that’s awesome! All right, I’ll do it!” Scott agreed.

  “Great! Hang with the plane. We shouldn’t be more than a few days,” I said, patting Scott on the back.

  “See you soon, bud,” Jade said, also patting Scott on the back.

  Scott was beaming with a smile that reached as far as the west is from the east. His new position as getaway man was his glory. I could practically see the movies playing out in his head with explosions and gunshots—and he was a hero.

  “Don’t go dying on us!” Bryon added as we walked away. Why? Why would he say something like that? I gave Bryon a darting glare.

  “I’ll be right here! Don’t you worry! I’ll just be working on the old girl!” Scott yelled.

  Scott became a speck in the distance as we dragged ourselves through the hot sand and across the tan hills. The far-off noises became louder and louder with each step, as did the stench. The sand- and rock-covered city was tan and brown, highlighted by the virulent sun. The only green that could be seen was the occasional tree on the side of the dirt roads. War-torn buildings were missing entire sides; rubble of brick and steel filled the yards. Entire structures and neighborhoods were blocked off by tall reinforced steel walls. Cars were bumper to bumper, trying to make their way to gas stations that read, “No gas.” Everything being suffocated by the yellow dirt.

  Curious sign for a city known for their oil.

  “Balango! Balango!” A boy was selling some soda on the side of the road to the waiting cars.

  “I’ll take one of those!” Bryon said, running up to the boy.

  “Bryon, you don’t even know what that is. What are you doing?” Jade grabbed Bryon as he pulled out some spare change.

  “Dude, it is burning out here. I need something to refresh me,” Bryon said, handing over some American coins to the boy. “Here you go. Thank you!”

  The dirt-covered boy handed over the drink and popped the top for Bryon. Bryon kicked back the drink, holding it straight up in the air. That soda disappeared quicker than a drop of water on summer pavement. “Mmm…Wow, that was refreshing!” Bryon said with a big smile on his face.

  “No more crazy stunts like that,” I said, looking Bryon dead in the eyes. “We don’t know their culture here. We need to lie low. You know we don’t even have passports. If we get caught, I don’t know what will happen.”

  Bryon gulped and nodded in compliance.

  We three amigos continued to walk down the dirt path as the entire scenery began to change. From going through the trenches and war-struck town of traffic jams and no green to paved roads lined with palm trees, tall beautiful buildings filled with businesses, and orderly traffic.

  “Did we just go through the twilight zone or what?” Bryon said, looking around at the near-instant change in cityscape.

  “Look.” Jade pointed. Men in uniform were stationed in corners of the streets. Wielding AK-47s, pants tucked into their black leather boots, and looks that said stay out.

  “We need to get around them. They will stop us for sure if we try to walk past,” Jade said.

  Looking around, it seemed there was no other way around—we would have to walk right past them. Like rats in a maze with no secret passage to the cheese. The sound of low-flying helicopters rumbled the ground.

  “What are we doing here?” Bryon said.

  Great. The last thing we needed now was for Bryon to start to second-guess the mission.

  “Come on, this way.” I spotted an alley between two of the buildings. The alley was dark and wet. The smell of dry blood was all too familiar. Bryon and Jade didn’t seem as comfortable as I did. The last alley I was in seemed like ages ago. Knowing what I know now, maybe I would have been more scared then. Maybe not.

  “Psst.” A noise was heard from the corner just before the alley. “Pssst.”

  Jade stopped where she was. “Did you guys hear that?”

  “Over here.” A young man’s voice came from the shadow of a stairwell just next to the entrance of the alley.

  Cautiously, we walked over. “You are looking for The Garden, yes?” the voice asked.

  “How did you know?” I leaned in, intrigued.

  “Follow me.” A hand waved us in from behind the shadow. I began to take a step into the stairwe
ll.

  “Dude. We can’t just go in there. We don’t know who that is—what if it’s a trap?” Bryon asked, placing a hand on my shoulder to stop my mindless movement.

  “I agree with Bryon,” Jade said. Her green eyes had a touch of worry to them.

  “How would he know what we were looking for, huh?” I whispered. “He is obviously involved in the other balance. Yeah, maybe it’s a trap, but maybe it’s not. What if this is the only way we are going to find it? We have to try.”

  “If he were on our side, why is he waiting in the dark?” Bryon argued. “That is super creepy, and you know it. I feel like that is not something that some angelic being would do—but maybe something else.”

  “Weirdly, I still agree with Bryon,” Jade said. “Again, this is too coincidental. They must have been watching us.”

  “I get it. It is really creepy, but this is our only lead at the moment and we don’t have a whole lot of time. Who knows what Abigail is finding out as we speak,” I rebutted.

  After a moment of consideration, I broke eye contact and made my way down the dark staircase. Jade stared at Bryon with worried eyes, contemplating what they were about to get themselves into. After another moment, Jade let out a deep breath and stepped down into the staircase.

  “Ah, hell,” Bryon said, shaking his head and hustling down the stairs to catch up with us. “Wait for me!”

  The staircase was not lit at all. It was as dark as the night sky, only this sky had no moon or stars. Blackness surrounded.

  “I have a bad feeling about this,” Bryon whispered into the dark air, reaching for the nonexistent handrail. “Dude, I’m going to fall. I can’t even see my hand in front of my face.”

  “Ah!” Not even two steps later and Bryon came stumbling down, smashing us together on the ground floor. “Sorry.” I couldn’t really be mad—he did warn us. Jade and I helped him to his feet.

  Bryon continued to talk. “Sir? Hello? Are you still here? I told you guys this was a bad idea.”

  A brief second passed, and a large metal door began to creak open. Light spilled out from the underground basement. The young man, wrapped in a black headscarf and robe, pushed the door open. He held the door open to the candlelit room. “Come, quickly.”

  We quickly moved into the mysterious chamber and out of the dark, eerie stairs, the boy quickly closed the door behind us, locking it in three different places. The loud sliding locks echoed throughout the room.

  “Whoa! Hey, man, we aren’t looking for any trouble! Why are you locking us in here?!” Bryon looked left and right, attempting to pull open the door. His feet were both on the door as he pulled with his hands.

  “Bryon. Bryon. Calm down,” I said, placing my hand on his shoulder. Bryon came down off the door, a bead of sweat dribbling down his forehead. The room was like a large cavern filled with what looked like old military equipment. Weapons, computers, papers, everything atop a natural dirt floor.

  “My name is Abd al Alim. You can call me ‘Al,’” the voice from under the cloak said, calmly pulling back the headscarf to reveal a soft-faced young man. His green eyes shone in the candlelight, his left eye cuffed by a large scar from his eyebrow to the bottom of his cheek. His tan complexion was smooth and sun-kissed. “I’m sorry for the theatrics. I had to be discreet so that they did not follow,” he said, ruffling his short black hair and relieving it of his hat head. “Everyone on both sides has been watching the rifts with hawk eyes ever since the balance has been tested. You, sir, have been at the topic of conversation for quite some time. You must be stirring up trouble back where you’re from.”

  “How do you know who I am?” I asked.

  “Everyone knows who you are. On both sides. It was said that you had been killed many generations ago. No one knew where you had gone. The great protector just…disappeared. Now that you have returned, they are scared. The balance is beginning to shift back to the light,” the boy continued as he wrestled through some wooden crates, looking for something. His voice was soft and a bit eerie. “I knew that you had not been killed. I could sense your energy, though faint. I knew you were still with us. I knew that you would be coming this way to find the Garden. To find your weapon. You will need it to if you plan to defeat him.”

  “If I had been killed, would I not have simply returned? And what do you know of my weapon?” I asked, moving closer to where the boy was ransacking. The entire basement was trashed. Papers and boxes were thrown everywhere, with objects of all kinds lying on the ground and wooden shelves covered in spider webs.

  “You really don’t remember. We spiritual creatures do not simply die and return to Heaven or Hell. When we die, we are sent to an endless void of nothingness. Oblivion. Never to return,” he said, stopping and staring me in the eyes. “With you believed to be dead, the light began to fade and darkness grew. They became confident and strong. Your men of the light did not know what to do without you. But now that you are back, I must take you to find your sword. Without it, I am not sure you can defeat him again. He has grown stronger in your absence. Sin and death have flourished like a virus, filling the wretched dragon’s blood.” Al struggled through the containers again.

  “Lucifer,” I whispered. Al stopped his scavenging and grabbed me by the arm, once again looking into the windows of my soul.

  “Lucifer,” Al said in such a tone that was condemning and stern.

  “Yeah, yeah. We know.” Bryon dug his hands in his pocket, pulling out a bagel.

  Jade inched forward closer to Al, eyes like an eagle locked and focused.

  “Have I ever killed him before?” I asked.

  “Did you not listen to a single word I just said?” Al released my arm. “If you had killed him, he would be in Oblivion, and we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Though you are the only one who can. Your father has been the only Arch to ever defeat Lucifer. Though in his victory he had only the power to trap the demon in his cage in Hell. He did not have the power to kill the creature.”

  “My father has fought with the devil?” I asked.

  “Your father defeated him,” Jade said, placing a hand on my shoulder. She could tell there were thoughts firing off like supernovas in the vastness of my mind.

  “Your father was wounded in the battle, so the Almighty reassigned him to other works. Though in exchange for his valiant fight, he awarded your father a son—you. No spiritual being had ever been given this gift, this honor of a child. With your birth, The King of Kings endowed you with a gift. Something none other possess. It is said that a small portion of the very matter that He used to create all that is, the original purity, runs through your veins,” Al said, never breaking eye contact. Staring back, I saw that the green eyes Al had were not green at all but a mixture of moving colors. Galaxies among galaxies. Tens of thousands of stars and universes all housed in the eyes of this young man. Finally breaking his stare, Al said, “That is why we must find you your weapon. Here.” Al found what he was looking for.

  He held up a compass that looked as old as time itself. It was the size of a fist, beautifully crafted out of pure gold. Al opened it up. Instead of it having a needle pointing north, south, east, and west, it looked like the night sky. Stars, moons, purples, and greens all flowed within the glass casing within the gold as if it were alive.

  “Whoa.” Bryon reached to touch it.

  Al swatted away his hand. “I have been saving this for your return. It will only work for the chosen one. This compass will lead you directly to where you are looking for.”

  “How does it work?” Jade asked.

  “Only the endowed knows.” Al gently handed it over.

  “I don’t know what to do,” I said, taking hold of the artifact.

  “Feel the energy. Let it flow through your soul.” Al said in a softer tone, “Pray for the sight.”

  I closed my eyes. Al stood back. Jade and Bryon noticed and did the same, taking a few steps back. My breathing began to slow. My wrist began to glow a bright blue, l
ighting the entirety of the room.

  “I can feel it,” I said. “I can feel it!”

  In an instant, an orb of energy exploded from the compass into a three-dimensional spherical map encompassing the entire room. Visions of desert and trees flew past our eyes with lightning speed, whooshing by. It was like being inside a video game; it was like memories. Stopping randomly and then continuing to speed past locations, it was as if our heads were on a swivel turning left and right to catch the sights. Finally, the vision stopped on what looked like a massive rock in the middle of the desert, surrounded by nothing other than sand and heat. Just as quick as the map had appeared, it all came rewinding back into the compass. It was gone. I opened my eyes.

  “That…was…AWESOME!” Bryon shouted, spinning in the air.

  “What does it mean?” I asked Al.

  “It means we must begin our journey,” Al said, looking at me. “I know where we are to go. It is not an easy journey, and we may run into some trouble. But I can get us there. Are you ready?”

  “What, like right now?” Bryon asked.

  Al nodded yes.

  Jade leaned over to me and whispered in my ear, “We? You think it is a good idea to bring this guy with us?” I looked at Bryon and Al and smiled. Putting my arm around Jade, I turned her around to speak in private.

  “We wouldn’t have got to this point without him. We have no one else,” I whispered.

  “I don’t trust him—something feels off,” Jade whispered.

  “We don’t really have a choice. It will be okay, trust me.” I grabbed Jade by the hands and looked her in the eyes.

  After a moment of consideration, she said, “Okay. I trust you.” We turned back to the group.

  Bryon looked to Jade, Jade nodded yes, and it was agreed.

  “All right, then. Let’s do this,” Bryon said, taking a bite of his bagel.

  Al went scavenging through one more crate. “You will need this.” He handed over an old leather necklace with an opal-like stone on the end of it.

  “What is this?” I asked.

  “This will protect you from the dark one’s sight,” Al explained. “Your power is growing, making it easier for them to track you. This will cloak your energy.”