Chapter Thirty Three
Voices from people filled an unknown darkness startling Gabriel. A spotlight focused in on a stage and Gabriel realized he was in some kind of theater. From the darkness to the right of the stage, the creature from his dreams stepped into the spot light. The small multicolored creature flipped through cards that were in his hand, trying to find the right one.
“Oh....Right...” The creature said stopping on one card.
“Act one, Why are we drawn to the mind of the killer and not the heart of the victim? In this act the hero sleeps under a tree while the killer stalks him in his slumber.” The creature flipped through a few more cards before walking off the stage. The curtains slowly opened revealing a large pine tree with a creature sleeping under the tree.
“Hehehe die!” Another creature said walking out from stage right. In his hand was a wooden sword with Apollyon carved in the wooden blade. The creature with the sword walked up and stabbed the one sleeping. The spot light turned to a red light shining down on them while another light shined on Gabriel.
“Look he is not immortal!” The creature with the sword said in a different voice. The curtains slowly closed as the creature with the sword ran towards them.
“He will kill you.” The normal creature from Gabriels dreams said from a seat behind him.
“Yes I know Alexander wants to kill me.” Gabriel said turning around to see the creature.
“No, not the killer....The writer of death, he is plotting yours.” The creature said just as Gabriel woke up. Gabriel opened his eye's and could see Jack sitting in front of him just watching him sleep.
“The demon of my conscious has angle wings, while the angle wears her demonic horns. So good or bad, I’m just here in the middle.” Jack said in a different voice. There was a strange moment of silence while Gabriel tried to wake up.
“I couldn't sleep.” Jack said in his own voice, while staring at Gabriel with an intense look in his eye's.
“Oh?” Gabriel said sitting up and letting his eye's adjust to the light.
“I was just thinking about how much better off mankind would be without the god's. We could finally take responsibility for our own actions. We would actually have to handle our own problems rather than waiting for the gods to solve them. How perfect the world would be free from the chains of religion?” Jack said.
“So you are suggesting we kill all the gods?” Gabriel said rubbing his eyes.
“Yes, kind of like we did with the angle of death.” Jack said.
“Alexander killed her, not us.” Gabriel said.
“Well he could not have done it without us.....Oh I forgot to mention, he found us already...Brought me some food and now he is in the valley by the creek. Maybe we should head down and wash up before heading into the city?” Jack said looking at his dirty hands that clinched onto fish bones and torn meat.
“I am not sure that's a good idea...” Gabriel said feeling a lump rise in his voice.
“Alexander is not going to kill you, he would have done it while you were sleeping if he did.” Jack said.
“Yeah I meant the city is not a good idea.” Gabriel said.
“Alexander said it was a ghost town and much of it was already burnt.” Jack said.
“Why don't you guys go ahead and I will....Catch up?” Gabriel said. He knew there was no reason for him to head to the town.
“You don't want to kill the god's with us?” Alexander said from behind the tree startling Gabriel for a moment.
“No...Well only one.” Gabriel said turning around.
“Face it Gabriel we are all you've got right now.” Alexander said.
“There's...Things you don't understand about me.” Gabriel said as his mind yelled at him for almost revealing his secrets.
“So why don't you tell us.” Jack said in a different voice. Gabriel thought for a moment looking for any excuse to tell them.
“Well telling you guys would put you in too much danger. You see those demons that flew above Alexander are searching for me.” Gabriel said, still kicking himself for revealing too much information. Alexanders eyebrows raised after Gabriel finished talking.
“Well now you have to tell us!” Alexander said. Gabriel knew that if he told them the truth that they might use him to bargain with Apollyon.
“Long story short....The devil killed two people I loved.” Gabriel paused for a moment thinking of what to say next.
“With the devil was a human, a person he considered his Jesus or saint. First I shot the devil but it didn't hurt him. So I shot the human with him since it was the only thing I could do to get my revenge. After shooting the human I started running and jumped off a nearby cliff which is where death got me and brought me here.” Gabriel said in a unsure voice.
“You said you never killed anyone?” Alexander said as his smile dropped and his knife rose up from his side.
“Its not like I am going to tell someone I just met about that....Telling that to the wrong person could get me killed.” Gabriel said knowing that his lie might be something Alexander could use against him.
“Hmmm so let me get this straight, you kill the devil's saint and now he wants you dead?” Alexander said.
“Yeah pretty much..” Gabriel said getting up from under the tree. Jack moved out of his way as he got up.
“Wow, that is quite the story....I am going to believe it but if you lied to us then I will kill you myself..... I do want to help you kill the devil though, see me and Jack talked about killing the gods before were ever met you. Its nice to see someone else has our same beliefs.” Alexander said.
“We are only human's....We can't even touch the god's.” Gabriel said.
“You wished on shooting stars all your life. You don't see that we are shooting stars and the night won't wait for us to turn the world ablaze!” Jack said in a different voice while coughing. Jack was struggling to let his own voice speak and was coughing as if he had a hairball.
“Well you touched one of the god's” Jack said in his own voice after he finished coughing up whatever it was preventing him from speaking.
“We will go to the city and search for resources. But we must stay hidden because I don't think those demons will let us off so easy next time. Plus we got you with us which makes things more risky. Then again you got close to the devil once, so we will do it again.” Alexander said. Gabriel didn't have much choice, but go with them and then escape at his first opportunity. He was once again a captive, which seemed to be a reoccurring thing in this life after the afterlife.
“Alright lets go to the city.” Gabriel said reluctantly as he started following Alexander. They walked silently for awhile until suddenly Jack started screaming while they walked through the woods.
“No one hears these ghosts screaming at me. Just let go, stop fighting your disease, close your eyes and enter the big sleep!” Jack shouted in his own voice.
“Jack shut up!” Alexander shouted in a hushed voice.
“I don't think stealth is going to be possible....Maybe I should just go my own way?” Gabriel said.
“I won't tell you again, you are with us. You won't make it on your own, plus you haven't ate or drank in days!” Alexander said. Gabriel had forgotten that he doesn’t need to eat or drink since Apollyon cursed him. But Alexander and Jack did not know that. Eating or drinking just makes Gabriel throw up, but that was one more thing he had to hide from them,
Gabriel did not even answer Alexander, since he didn't have an answer anyways. He thought of ways that he could fake eating and drink but all he could do was hide it from them the best he could. If all else failed he would just have to eat and drink and appear to be sick. They walked in silence for a few hours before they came to another creek after climbing a ridge.
“Here lets drink, the city is just on the other side of this hill.” Alexander said as he dipped his hands in the water and brought it to his mouth. Gabriel knelt down next to the creek and cupped the water in his hands. It was a
murky oily color and smelt like gasoline. He brought it to his lips and let it run out of his fingers and over his face. Making sure not to get any in his mouth. Grabbing more Gabriel tried to make his best gulping sound to appear really thirsty.
“This water is awful!” Gabriel said, the smell alone was enough to make him feel sick.
“It's better than the stuff in the field with death!” Alexander said as he took one last scoop of water. Jack just stuck his whole face down in the creek and slurped up the water. Gabriel could see the oily streaks in the water being slurped away.
“Well they should die just from the water.” Gabriel thought to himself as he watched Jack drink.
“Drink up it might be awhile before we have more.” Alexander said as he stood up from the creek. Alexander looked around for big enough pools to hold fish but there were none. Gabriel pretended to drink some more water before he got up was well.
“Lets go, first we will scout the outskirts of the city, then when everything seems clear we will move in. No talking though, I will use hand signals when I went us to move or stop. Once inside the first building and we clear it then we can speak. But not anytime before or we could have problems.” Alexander said motioning forward.
“Ok no talking.” Gabriel said looking at Jack. Jack just nodded his head as they walked towards the city.
After walking over the ridge Gabriel could see the city. Sky scrapers smoldered in the distance and a layer of smoke filled the sky above the city. Gabriel had never seen anything like it before. Nothing was moving in the city except for flames. Cars and corpses lined the streets, and an erie silence hung over the city with the smoke.
Alexander motioned for them to stop and he knelt down next to a tree and scanned the area of the city that they were able to see. The wind carried the smell of burnt rubble and trash. It wasn't like that of a forest fire, this smelt horrible. Gabriel fought back the urge to cough from ash and smoke filling his lungs. It was crazy how just below in the valley behind them, they could barley smell the chaos.
Now from on the ridge they were getting the full view of what they would be dealing with. Just the fumes from the burning city could be enough to kill them. Not to mention whatever or whoever burnt it down. Gabriel searched around looking for people but all he found was the dead. He couldn't help but to wounder where they all hand gone and if they were all dead.
Alexander moved his hand forward and slowly started walking down the ridge. Just at the bottom of the ridge was the start of houses, or what was left of them. One of the houses looked like it was hit by a comet, while others were just burnt. Gabriel wondered if all the city's looked like this now. It was like war torn pictures he had seen of world war two but the craters were much larger than bombs.
The smell of fumes got much worse as they got closer. Slowly they made their way down onto a street. Walking over to the first house Gabriel could not believe his eye's. It was half torn apart like a tornado hit one side of it. While the other have looked perfectly fine. Alexander pointed at the door and walked up to it. The knob creaked but the door came right open.
Walking inside everything looked rather normal. Except it seemed like rodents had been shitting all over the floor since the carpet was lined with poop. Alexander pointed at Gabriel and motioned him to go towards the kitchen. Then he pointed at himself and pointed upstairs. Before going up the steps he pointed at Jack and made the halt motion. Gabriel stepped into the kitchen and a bird was fluttering around.
One of the birds wings appeared to be broken. Once Gabriel had a closer look he could see half of the birds face was smashed, Its eyeball dangled out of the socked as it flopped around on the counters. Slowly Gabriel walked up to the bird and placed its hand over the top of it. He could almost feel the birds pain as he fought against Gabriel. Quickly he smashed the bird down on the counter, instantly squeezing the life out of it.
It laid dead on the counter as Gabriel started walked away and back out into the living area. The by time he made it over there Jack was already making himself at home on a couch. Alexander clunked his way down the steps and paused about halfway down.
“All clear, but I did see what looks to be a pack of demons. They were running on a nearby hillside, looks like they were chasing someone but it was hard to see.” Alexander said, and with the words Jack jumped up from the couch. On the coffee table in front of him was a pipe with some resin still in the bowl. A lighter was laying next to it and Jack picked up the pipe and placed it to his lips. Flickering the lighter he lit the resin and inhaled the smoke.
“If I had an ounce of creativity I would burn it in a diamond pipe. Only to inhale the fumes of creativity and exhale its pollution on the world.. Savoring the high only for myself.....I guess its a good thing I am not creative.” Jack said as he exhaled the smoke. It smelt dirty as Jack coughed it out of his lungs. The smoke in the room had a stale aroma to it.
“Could you still see the demons when you left?” Gabriel asked as he walked farther away from Jack and the smoke.
“No, I lost them over the hillside.” Alexander said.
“Well I don't see anything of any use, and I think we would be better off in a a secluded area. This city has been destroyed and rummaged through. No point in going in any deeper.” Gabriel said walking out of the living room.
“We will have a better chance finding clean food and water here though. Plus there were only five or six demons and I think with some weapons we could have brought them down.” Alexander said as he set a backpack he found on the floor.
“Lets fill up this with whatever food and water we can find, then we will get moving. We need to try to find a gun store, or any place that might have weapons. I think if we use stealth, and eliminate threats at range then we will be safe. We just need fire arms and a good base of operation.” Alexander said.
“Yes but think of all the people who have tried that before us. As we can tell the place was already looted before. So others have tried and I haven’t heard any shots fired since we came into town. You said it yourself there was six demons chasing someone. That must mean that they are in control of the city.” Gabriel said.
“Well maybe its time this city had new leadership?” Alexander said as he walked for the front door. Jack looked at the pipe then looked away and started following Alexander. Just before he got to the door he looked back at the pipe one last time and then walked out. Gabriel slowly followed behind as he thought about the odds that they would be facing. He knew what kind of an army Apollyon had, while Alexander was ignorant to it.
They quickly ran from house to house trying to stay behind cover. Gabriel was always keeping watch to the sky. Knowing that the demons on land they could run or hide from. But the ones in the air would surely capture them. They went in the houses that were not left to ruin. Searching for food and water, but they found mostly scraps here and there. It was as though the war had been raging on for years.
In little time all of the united states had been turned into an apocalyptic landscape. Gabriel knew they would have found more food and water in the forest than they could inside of the city. But they marched on deeper and deeper into the city. The skyscrapers came closer and closer as the sun went down over them. They searched through every building that they could but found almost nothing. Stores, houses, offices, hospitals, all were empty or destroyed.
No words were said as they walked and tirelessly searched. Until finally they could walk no longer as they went through a school's playground. Alexander pointed at the door and they slowly went over to it. They did not even have the energy to run from one cover to the next. Even if they did they did not see any signs of life. The double doors to the school creaked open and they walked inside. It was pitch dark in the hallway, and they felt along walls as they walked.
Every once and awhile Gabriel could feel himself almost tripping over something. Maybe it was a bad or just some debris. Yet it felt almost soft, and the smell inside the school was rancid. Once they saw some light shini
ng through a door they walked to it. It was a classroom with windows boarded up. Though some light shined through showing them the source of the horrible smells.
Corpses of students, and adults were lined up in rows. As though they had been mass executed like the people of Axal. Their necks were twisted and broken, some heads laid ripped clean off. It looked like they had been living in the school but demons came and killed them. They were completely defenseless against them. Empty sleeping bags were in one corner of the room. Surrounded by a barricade of desks and chairs.
Gabriel turned from the room and started running back to where he came from. Tripping over something Gabriel fell to the ground. His one hand was touching a face of a corpse but he could not see it. All he could do was feel the ridges of the nose and the eye sockets. Ripping his hand away he jumped up to his feet and stumbled his way through the corpses in the darkness.
Gabriel could see the light of the moon shining through the open doors at the end of the hallway. As he focused on it he realized something was standing in the door way. Stumbling over a corpse he went down to his knees and held the wall. Looking at the doorway he could see more figures appearing. A group of demons were standing in the doorway and began walking into the hallway.
Quietly Gabriel slumped over one of the corpses and laid still. His mind raced with fear, could the demons see in the darkness? He thought as he played dead in the hallway. Footsteps slowly and steadily approach him as he thought about what Jack and Alexander were doing. He hoped that they got out or were hidden and knew of the demons in the hallway.
A light breeze blew through the open door making the stench even worse inside. The smell was either from the demons or from the corpses but Gabriel was not sure. Although now he knew that so far they had not seen him since one had already walked past him. More followed going through one at a time, he could even hear them breathing. One was making almost a snoring sound as he walked past.
“Where are they!” One of them shouted.
“Shut up you moron!” One of them walking past Gabriel shouted back.
“I know they came in here!” Another of them said.
The demons element of surprise was blown as they began kicking through doors and rummaging through the school. Gabriel could hear them smashing doors and windows as more light shined into the hallway. A ray of the moon shined right in front of him. The moon revealed the face of the corpse that he was slumped over. It was a woman with a look of torment frozen on her face. Her neck was twisted around and her mouth was dropped open as though she screamed into eternity.
Straining his ears, Gabriel tried to hear if they had found Jack, and Alexander. Maybe they had gotten away or they were hiding in the corpses from the demons as well. Gabriel was breathing so slowly and quietly that he was suffocating himself with fear. With the banging from a demon he took in one deep breath. Then he exhaled as another one threw something into the wall.
“They aren’t here!” One shouted down the hall in a brutish voice.
“Lets go.” Another shouted as demons ran from each of the rooms and back into the hallway. They stormed past Gabriel once again and began running out the door. They were so close that he could feel the air from their legs as they past. Even once the last of the demons were gone, Gabriel was still too petrified to move. Laying there on the corpse he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block out the horrible smell.
“Psst!” A voice from down the hall said.
“Gabriel!” Jack whispered from down the hall.
“Yeah.” Gabriel said getting up off the corpse.
“Lets get out of here.” Jack said walking by Gabriel.
“Alright!” Gabriel said as he followed behind.
“Where is Alexander?” Gabriel said.
“Right here.” Alexander said as he stepping into the moonlight in front of him. Slowly they walked to the doorway watching to see if the demons might return. Alexander made a halting motion just before they reached the doorway. Peaking his head out the door, Alexander looked both ways and then motioned for them to come out. Moving along the wall of the outside of the school they moved from one shadowy spot to the next.
Alexander pointed to a house that was just across the street from the school. Turning around Alexander motioned for them to stop and then he ran out in the open and over to the house. Once he was there he signaled for them to follow. Gabriel was so exhausted from the day that his legs burned as he ran across the asphalt. Catching his breath he leaned against the house for only a moment.
He didn't have much time before Alexander moved into the house and starting pointing for where they should search. Gabriel painstakingly cleared the house and then Alexander pointed up at the attic. Pulling the attic steps down released stale and dusty air. It was almost a moldy and murky smell, like a crypt had just been opened. Gabriel went up the steps first. He couldn't even see where he was but he laid down on the dirty ground an closed his eyes. Jack and Alexander did as well and there was not a word said between them as they quickly fell asleep
“Invitation please!” The small multicolored creature from Gabriels dreams said. Gabriel was standing in line in front of a conference room.
“What? Where am I?” Gabriel said confused.
“Invitation? Are you a writer or a member of the press?” The creature said holding out his hand.
“Oh you are the guest of honor, please sir right this way!” The creature said pointing in the door. Gabriel walked inside and the room had many round dinner tables. Most of the seats were filled with people but they were all dead. Holes in their heads, bruised and snapped necks, or coughing out carbon monoxide. Gabriel sat down at an empty seat and looked around at the horror of the room. The creature walked up to a small pedestal and cleared his throat.
“Eghuhhm.” The creature said.
“Welcome all to the 2018th anniversary of the suicidal writers society! Now I would like to present the new chairman of the board Jack!” The creature said pointing to Jack. Jack stood up from his chair and started walking up to the stage where a larger pedestal was sitting. The crowed stood to their feet clapping and applauding Jack. On the wall next to Gabriel was an alumni.
A picture of Jack was on the top, with darts sticking in it. Below him were the names of all the writers who committed suicide. Gabriel read through some of them while Jack walked up to the stage. There were authors, poets, song writers, and anyone who dabbled in literature who later killed themselves. The list was massive and filled up the wall. Gabriel glanced down to the end of the list, since it would take forever to read them all. As he was looking at the end a new name appeared on the wall.
Everyone sat down in their seats and as they did a young man walked in the room. Standing in the door way he looked around confused. As if he were lost or did not belong there. Jack looked at him as he prepared his speech but said nothing. The people in the room turned around to look at the young man standing in the doorway. It was an uncomfortable few seconds until the man spoke.
“Uhmmm hello...I am new here, but I'm not sure if this is the right place for me?” The young man said.
“Well if your name is on the wall then this is the place for you!” The creature said as he greeted the man. The creature walked up and extended his hand that barley made it to the upper thigh of the man. Kneeling down the man took the creatures hand and shook it. The creature turned and pointed at the wall that Gabriel was reading. The man walked over and began reading it as well.
“The bottom sir.” The creature said. The man found his name and a woman pulled him out a chair and he sat down.
“Good evening everyone.” Jack said getting the attention of the audience.
“Be normal, is what they said in a strange voice. So I made masks and stole words. Be strange, I said in a normal voice.” Jack's voice changed throughout the saying. Jack began coughing and trying trying to clear his voice and mind. He pressed his finger tips to his temples and closed his eyes trying to control his thoughts.
; “Please allow me to speak?” Jack said in his own voice, as his eyes scanned the room of the dead.
“My greatest inspirations came from a pen, a page, and a twisted mind.” Jack said in his own voice.
“Yet are we all doomed from our own design? Its a terrible price we have paid to give inspiration to so many. Some of us were never even known for what we did in our own lifetime.” Jack said but was interrupted as an unknown writer stood up coughing up blood and wheezing. Pointing his finger at Jack as Jack grabbed his throat in agony.
“Its sad that many artists are ignored in life. Then in death their legacy blooms and we see they are too beautiful for the worlds abuse.” Jack said in the mans voice. The man moved his lips as well but the sound of his voice came out through Jack. The man sat back down and released his grips over Jacks vocal cords. Another man stood up, his eyes a clear white and foam pouring from his lips.
“Few people find their purpose in life. Yet the real tragedy is finding your purpose but not a lifestyle that can project it to the world.” The man said using Jack to speak for him. Jack struggled to motion for the man to sit back down.
“Eghreem!” Blood and foam rolled out from Jack lips. Wiping away the blood Jack started speaking again in his own voice.
“Yes, but as I was saying....Its not just the ones of us who died as an unknown man who later became a literature legend. Even fame has brought about the destruction of us. It then placed a heavy burden on our own legacy's. Like you sir Hemingway, your family had to live in the shadow of a legend who took his own life. Then there are those of us who our very own creativity brought about our doom.” Jack said as he pointed all around the room. Hemingway got up and pointed at jack with a fierce look in his eyes.
“I showed time the exclamation point I had made. Time showed me it was just a comma and I only had a few words left to finish the sentence of my life.” Hemingway said taking over Jacks voice and using him to get the words out.
“Time wanted me to sell all that I had left. Yet time had already taken all that I could give. There are secrets about me that I will sell to no one. Thoughts that I cannot trust, and emotions held hostage from those I loved the most.” Hemingway said. The back of his head was a bloody mess from his self inflicted bullet hole.
“Eghreem, yes but why must we hide our affliction and only show the world our beautiful art? Why do we force our creativity to the very limit. Once we give the world our masterpiece, what is there left for us? We cannot hope to do better than our greatest work of all..... Time. Yet we fight to the brink of self destruction to give the world one more masterpiece.” Jack said pausing and looking at the people in the room.
“But enough is enough, I cannot hold the weight of all of you. I cant hope to achieve what you have. I can no longer be your voice!” Jack shouted.
“I thought my words were golden but I constantly destroyed them. Now I see they are nothing more than cold steel with no thought or emotion.” Jack said looking down at the pedestal.
“I will never even be in the same alumni as all of you, but here I am your maddening chairman. So with that said I will be stepping down.” Jack said as he started to walk away from the pedestal. Another writer with bruises from a noose stood up. Just as he did Jack stopped walking away.
“The insecure seek a weakness in life to fill their void. The strong seek to achieve the impossible by proving the insecure doubts wrong. So Jack, are you the insecure, or the strong!” The man said using Jack's voice. Many of the voices Gabriel was able to recognize from the many voices Jack used before. But Gabriel never understood what it was he just assumed it was a personality disorder. A woman in a silk dress stood up, her wrists were cut.
“I think most people fear what they don't understand, I fear my understanding. As I think you do Jack, and many of us do. We dig so deep into our souls that we cannot come back from that. It does not matter if you were a great writer or not. You went to the same depth of destruction as we all did. You are not chairman based on your writing, but your understanding of us.” The woman said using Jacks voice. It was the first time Gabriel seen Jack use a woman's voice.
“Wait everyone lets take a short recess to eat and let the band play.” The creature said running down the middle of the room. Jack walked off the stage and sat down on the side of it with his head still down. The curtains opened and Gabriel new who the band members were. One was Sid Vicious from the sex pistols who killed himself. The other was Kurt Cobain.
They played the Nirvana song come as you are. In the background of the band on the stage were three children hanging from nooses. They swung back and fourth with large smiles on their faces. The children swung back and fourth like kids playing on a swing set. Just as they finished the song Gabriel woke up frightened from his dream in the dark attic.