Chapter Two
Tossing and turning the night was a restless one. Just at the halfway point of sleep and awake a dream would awaken him. Though laying there he could not tell what the dream was about. Looking over at Tiffany he was not even sure if the dream was there. Maybe when he fell asleep he returned to reality. One that was simply overshadowed by the insanity he was living in. Laying in the bed he could feel Tiffanys leg slide over his. Although the bed was large she was in the middle of it. While Gabriel was almost falling off the edge.
In her sleep she did not show the guards that her mind held up during the day. Looking at her she seemed as though she was approachable. Every part of Gabriel wanted to run, to get away. He knew he had fallen for her. Though he hated everything that it meant. It was a battle against instincts of the heart and logic of the mind. Thinking back to when he followed his heart, he knew he was a fool. A blind fool who was not living in reality. One who assumed his wife loved him and that they had a happy life.
While her heart was torn and the divide with true feelings hidden from him. Getting out of bed he silenced his heart. This time logic would prevail and he would know reality. Even if that was the insanity of living in hell without her. Looking out the window the moon lite up demons in the night. Loki was no longer throwing stones at them. Now he was off digging in the graveyard.
Watching as he dug a grave like a dog Gabriel turned away from the window. Taking one last look at Tiffany in her slumber he walked out of the cabin. Closing the door behind him he gazed on at the countless demons. There was no way past them back to the land of mortals. They waited like huntsman knowing their prey would leave its den. Turning around Gabriel grabbed the battle axes above the door.
He was crossing that bridge, though legions of demons wait for him. Gabriel could not stay in Asgard and wait for his fate. He knew his fate, he was alone and he would decide it. One ax in one hand and another ax in the other, he walked over to the bridge. There was no real plan except to face his demons. Making it to the start of the bridge he could hear a woman’s voice shouting from behind him.
"Wait Gabriel! Wait!" Frigga said lightly jogging out of the forest like a penguin in panic. Waiting, Gabriel watched as she ran up to him. Her shouting gained the attention of Loki and he walked over to see what the fuss was about.
"Here Gabriel I have something for you." Frigga said handing him a necklace. The cord was made of leather with a silver pendant. The pendant was round with four gemstones on it. One blue, one red, one yellow, and one green. The gems glowed in Gabriels hand as he examined it.
"And these two" Frigga said handing him two more necklaces. These ones simply had a single pendant. One with a red gem and one with a green.
"What do I do with them?" Gabriel said confused.
"They allow you to see the present time of the ones wearing it. Odin has a blue gem necklace. Tiffany will have the yellow. The other two single gem necklaces can be given to anyone. Once they wear it and you wear the one with four gems. You simply hold your pendant in your hand. Place your index finger on the gem of the person you want to see. So for Tiffany you would use the yellow gem. Call my name and you shall be with the one wearing the gem you choose. Lastly you must not let anyone take these from you. It would endanger all of us if it were in the wrong hands." Frigga said.
"Ummm ok..." Gabriel said placing them in his pocket and grabbing his axes once more.
"He will imprison you Gabriel, I have seen this. But with my gifts you can be anywhere and with anyone you choose.....I almost forgot to leave the spirit world, hold the pendant and say Midgards calling. You will go back to where ever you were." Frigga said as she bowed and walked away. Loki tilted his head and looked at Gabriel holding his axes.
"What were you searching for in the graveyard?” Gabriel asked Loki.
“Cursed with potential I search hollowed ground to bury this gift. Poisoning the cold embrace amongst the stars, for a life of solitude. Though there are many graves to stumble over in the mind. Some unknown and fresh with soil. Just be careful where you dig or live with the monsters you create.” Loki said looking around in the sky. Gabriel looked at him for a moment trying to process what Loki had said but Loki broke his concentration.
“My mind's sobriety sure could use some drug's to handle your reality!” Loki said as he turned and ran back to the graveyard.
“Goodbye Loki and Frigga, maybe we will meet again on the other side....” Gabriel said.
“We will meet again, farewell!” Frigga said waving goodbye to Gabriel. Gabriel turned to cross the bridge. On the other side the demons had created a impassable column. The demons could not set foot on the bridge though, sparking an idea. As Gabriel walked across he had only moments to decide how he would get past them.
Standing just feet from the edge of the bridge Gabriel stopped. The demons reached out for him. Eyes filled with lust and rage. One fell over trying to reach him. It fell right through the bridge and into the river. Like the one before him it never came up again. Not giving up any ground though the demons still reached out for him.
Tightly gripping his axes Gabriel swung at their Outstretched arms. Having never fought with one handed battle axes he did not know what to do. It did not matter though, these axes were like none other. Cutting through demons like it was nothing. As though they had no bones even. Each swing severed a limb as blood sprayed out onto Gabriel. Going into a rage he swung sometimes not even directing his swing.
Demons fell to the ground and through the bridge. As did their limbs, and even heads as Gabriel chopped into them. Though they were many, he still had his only advantage. Morality and a building courage in only himself. Still the demons piled up rather than waiting for him. It was clear that they could not think clearly. All they could do was attack like wild beasts.
With arms exhausted Gabriel stepped back. Mounds of limbs and demons lay just across the bridge. They just kept coming though, and it was time for a new plan. Watching as the demons swarmed in he knew there was little hope. Getting up, tired and covered in blood he was ready to give in.
"Always remember the word of your god. And he said man will be created in OUR image. Not just his, but ours. There is some of us in you Gabriel!" Odin shouted. Gabriel turned around to look but Odin was not there. It brought on a small but meaningful revelation. Did the bible really say that? Thinking back to the beginning of the bible. It did say man was created in "our" image and not mine.
So if he was created in the image of the gods. Then he was meant to be imperfect. After all no human is a true saint. Maybe it was Gabriels imperfections that made him in their image. After all if there was one god it would not say our. If man really was created in the image of gods then they too would reflect the image of man.
It would be like Looking into a mirror. From both sides, the images would simply be the same. Maybe the message was to humble Gabriel, or humble his image of a god. Either way he could not forgot the insanity of religion. It can be looked at in any way you like. Unfortunately it can also be bent to the way that power hungry men want it.
Dripping with blood of demons Gabriel starred into their dead eyes. Mankind always easily gave into them. After all how can you resist, when there are so many. You bring one down and ten more spring up. Gabriel was too tired to swing away at them any longer. Looking over the edge of the water below he knew he wouldn’t let them take him.
Stepping over the edge he splashed into the waters of morality. If those waters carried him to the banks of hell or heaven it did not matter. The waters were his only option now. Drenching his clothes he sunk clenching onto his battle axes. Looking at the light above he could see hundreds of demons jumping in. Like piranhas boiling the waters for their prey. Above him in the water they tried to fight the current. They could not though and were being washed down river.
It was pure torment for Gabriel drowning as the waters held him captive. Fighting for air he watched as demons disappeared in their wakes. Until finally the wate
rs above him were calm. As they were the waters carried him up from the rivers floor. Without even swimming Gabriel was pushed to the surface. Sunlight filled his vision as he gasped for air. The waters pushed him to the bank and he lay there for a moment in the mud. The blood of the demons, and they themselves were washed clean. Looking around the bridge was gone. So was the cabin and Asgard. Nothing remained but a river with Forests on both sides.
Pulling himself up Gabriel searched for his axes but they were gone. The river faded behind him and the forest looked like those of his home. Walking through them he could make out the path running from his house to the old one. With an uneasy feeling he walked down the path towards his home. Everything now seemed less magical. The forest was not as lively as that of Asgard. Then again they were not attacking him either.
His house came in view through the tree's. Only it looked like it had aged significantly since he had been gone. Though it felt like he was there only yesterday. The old pick up truck was gone, and the driveway was overgrown. Windows were boarded up, some with broken glass in front of them. One of the step's to the porch was broken and graffiti covered the outside.
Symbols of witch craft, demons, and gang signs littered the walls. The front door was boarded up to prevent people from getting in. Walking up on the porch Gabriel searched for a way inside. He was not sure how much time had passed since the house was in poor condition before. Now it just looked as though people vandalized it. All the while he was walking around looking for a way in, he was waiting for hells whores to show their faces.
Gabriel hoped that maybe enough time had passed that they moved on. Maybe hells whores had been exercised by a priest, or demonic pimp. Walking around the house showed even more signs of witch craft. Some type of a voodoo doll hung from one of the up stairs window seals. A noose was around its neck and it blew back and fourth in the wind.
Finally he found a way in through his kitchen window. It was boarded up but someone smashed it up and left it wide open. Inside he could see signs of creatures living in the house. Animal poop was on the tile floor. Walking into the living room he saw his couch still there. It was shred into and looked as though it was used for a den. The TV that never worked was gone though so he would be short on entertainment.
Candle's, condoms, and trash lined the living room floor. It was hard to see everything though since the boarded up windows blocked out the light. Gabriel started walking up the stairs and could see how sever the vandalism was. The railing was all busted up and holes lined the walls. It was as though someone went on a rampage with a sledge hammer.
Once upstairs he looked down the hallway towards his room. One of the back rooms door was knocked down and blocking the hall. Peering into the room with the voodoo doll he saw more trash and candles. Turning around he saw that his bedroom door was shut, and in decent condition. Some how it had survived the destruction. Turning the knob the door squeaked open. His window was not broken, but red paint gave it a stained glass look. The room was empty except for a witch craft circle was lined on the floor in chalk. It was a star with a circle around it and candles lined the outside.
His room was clean of all trash though, and the walls were free of holes, or gang graffiti. Though there was intricate paintings on the wall. One was of a demon dancing, while on the other wall was a giant oak tree. The demonic paintings were like the Sistine chapel, but the faces were grim and horrific. Demons took the place of angles, and the moon and stars were painted on the ceiling.
Sitting down on the floor Gabriel just looked around at the pictures. He could see that his closet door was open and writing lined the walls inside. Getting up, he opened the window to allow light to come in. The rush of fresh air was nice, and removed the stale air in the room. Light revealed more of the bedroom and gave Gabriel a less uneasy feeling. Walking up to the closet he began reading the writing's on the closet walls.
“Mother of night, hide this temple from those who seek to defile. Cloak in shadow's hell's altar so fools stumble past. Barricade these walls in webs so when they stumble they are trapped. Haunt their souls while they beg to see the light. Dispatch their cries through the webs straight to hell. Awaken the destroyer so he may feast in my temple of night.” As he was reading a note on the floor of the closet caught Gabriel's eye. Picking it up he could see it was a scroll of sorts written in blood.
“A life for life, a curse for a curse, soul for soul, demon for demon and eye for eye. Five sides to the star, five spells I call for one and all. Bring him back, back from the depths, my love and lust. From an unmarked grave and a unknown corpse. A unexplained disappearance and untold death. From the shadows or the grave I call to bring him back to me. I summon from hell, heaven or earth the one who once walked these halls. His name came from the divine though he is just a man with a name. A man who I have claimed and marked with spells of love and life. This my final spell, the last drop of my blood drips to revive my love.” A dragon crest painted in blood was at the bottom of the scroll.
Gabriel rolled it back up and laid it back down where it was. It was clear someone tried bringing him back, but who could it have been and why? Gabriel did not know he had any real admirers or at least not one that loved him. It was creepy yet mysterious and warming to know that someone went that far for him.
Blinking his eye's Gabriel could feel a rough and heavy feeling to his eye lids. The light of day fading with his will to stay awake any longer. Laying down on the floor away from the circle Gabriel closed his eyes. Thunder roared in the distance and the light faded even more with howling winds. Opening his eye's he then saw bright sunlight. Getting up from the floor he walked over to the window. The sky was filled with what could only be defined as war.
Rainbows, clouds, clear sky, patches of fog, rain, snow, hail, and wind all collided in a tangled mess. One spot had tornado like winds, while in another it calmly rained. Then only feet away it snowed. The earth was being battered with every type of weather imaginable. He wondered what the rest of the world was thinking. Could it be that this chaos was only in his woods. Or was the whole world seeing what happened when the gods start a war. If only he could drive into Axal and see its undoing. Redemption had finally came to that little shit hole called civilization.
Looking up into the sky now he could see fireballs like comets. They were flying through the air and then out of a cloud came a funnel. All around the Spiraling funnel was lightning. Until a tornado of lightning bolts formed. It was so bright that Gabriel squinted his eyes. The fireballs were sucked from the sky and exploded into the lightning tornado. The last fireball hit it and with a giant flash of light they were gone. In their place was rainbows radiating in all directions like sun rays.
From the distant horizon came a swarm of ravens. They flew into a storm cloud and they disappeared. The cloud rained down black feathers. All over was a clash of nature and the divine. Every inch of the sky was in a disarray of ever changing elements. Though he could only see what was happening through his window.
Would mankind fight back, or could they even do so. Maybe mankind was just collateral damage and earth the battlefield. If only he could see beyond the window in front of him. Though maybe it was his last shred of sanity. Beyond the window was a world without sanity.
Laying back down on the bed Gabriel felt in his pocket and still had the necklaces. What was the point in knowing what was happening he thought. There was no way to change the outcome. Like a dream he could do nothing in. Or it would just be another nightmare for him to see. The only way out was to trap himself inside his mind.
With his eyes closed in his bed. it could all go away. He could stay in the lands of imagination and daydreaming. Back to when gods were only in imagination. When he was just a drunk mourning his wife and child that he thought was his. Even then he could still sometimes dream of a better day. Now dreams would only be a reminder of what was.
Loki in his delusional rants made a point that now made sense to Gabriel. Dreams are poison, and all you ca
n do is wake up from your nightmares laughing. Agreeing with thoughts of Loki was like stepping into Asgard again. A heaven that doesn't make sense. A heaven for madmen and a god of the insane. Then again chasing dreams can be a nightmare if you don't see that the dream is the chase.
Hours passed as Gabriel did anything to escape his reality. Pretending to be someone he was not, or living a life he did not have. Seeing places he never had or would. He even tried meditation but deep breaths brought in the rank smells of the old house. Thinking about anything but the truth was coming easy after hours of practice. He was becoming the author of his own lies and they were his only escape.
Then one thought had to slip in the defenses his mind was building. As it did the walls came crashing in and the hopeless feeling Returned. The one thought that made him weak. It made him run, and hide from the devastation it would bring. Pushing it away did not help and there was nothing he could do. He hardly knew her except for seeing the blue prints behind the monsters creation. They hardly knew each other but she could so easily creep into his mind.
Thoughts of her could spark any emotion within him. Ones that he killed and buried would rise from the dead. The thoughts brought only questions that were answered by more emotion. The apocalypse was happening and all he could think about was her. His mind was in a tug of war with his ego and her. More hours had passed and he was exhausted with himself. As he drifted to sleep his only thought was why did I not tell her. Why did I not tell her I loved her as I left her.
Of all the demons he faced that day, regret was the only one remaining. Slowly Gabriel drifted to sleep. Dreams of falling woke him from the deep sleep. In a panic he opened his eyes. Flashes of light from fireballs and other magical explosions in the night sky flickered in the room. Closing his eyes again he quickly fell back asleep.
"Gabriel!" Tiffany's voice called in the darkness. It was pitch black all around him. Jolting his vision side to side, did nothing. Then suddenly a light glowed dimly. It slowly got brighter and he realized he was in Tiffany's trailer home. The capsule that held nightmares of so much abuse. Turning around he could see Tiffany in her youth. She held her hands out covered in blood. Cuts on her wrists gushed blood out on the floor.
"I am made of skeletons. Skeletons hidden in this worlds closet, and tonight they Dance!" Tiffany said as she held her wrists up.
"I know.....I need to imprison myself from self harm. Its just these skeletons keep escaping. Can you keep them quite? Will you save me...." Tiffany hit the floor and landed in a pool of blood. Looking up Gabriel saw Odin stepping in from a shadow.
“If only I could find the words that bring color to dark canvases of broken souls. Its just these dark words are all I find...” Odin said with a look of sadness. Gabriel looked back down at Tiffany slowly dieing in a self made pool of blood.
“Death is a beautiful and natural fact of life. Suicide cheats that beauty, leaving pain and questions to a unanswerable problem.” Cain said from behind Gabriel. Startled Gabriel turned and looked at Cain who was just behind him. It was as though they were randomly showing up from shadows. Hearing noises behind him Gabriel turned again. Odin was gone and in his place stood Loki.
“You say! Society's the monster? In the dark its just me and you, we can search for monsters. None will be found, only the nightmares that WE created.” Loki said walking up to the pool of blood on the floor. Reaching down he touched the pool of blood with a outstretched finger. Once he touched it his whole body turned dark red as blood. Then he poured out on the floor into a larger pool of blood.
The blood turned into a black pool, out from it on all fours was the concubine of Bethlehem. Her flesh still stitched together in a wretched mess. On the floor in front of the concubine was the razor blade that Tiffany used to cut her wrists. Grabbing it the concubine cut away at stitches near her mouth. Once the stitches were cut away she held out her tongue. It too had stitches and was a bloody mess. With blood running and winces of pain she cut her tongue free of stitches.
She tried to speak but only coughed up blood. Then words slowly started to form in a shattered voice.
“Society needs a rebel.” She paused in awe of the sound of her voice. Blood continued to spew from her mouth and tongue as she held it open.
“Not a rebel of violence and madness. But a rebel with a heart.” She said in a less broken tone as she wiped blood away from her mouth.
“So start a rebellion to love and respect our humanity.” As she finished she dropped the razor blade and crawled over to Tiffany. Grabbing her hand she covered her wrists and held her.
The sound of an explosion went off waking Gabriel from the dream. Opening his eyes he saw only darkness, then a flash of light, not from lightning but a comet. Orange light as though from a fire filled the room. Looking on he could see that he was not alone. Five wretched looking hag's with pale scaly flesh were sitting on the edges of the witch circle. Then the light faded as a lump of fear raised from Gabriel's throat. Trying to move was useless, his arms and legs were bound.
“Have you missed us Gabriel?!” A crackly old voice said.
“Who are you!” Gabriel shouted out in fear.
“What you don't recognize my beauty! I am deeply offended by you sir. It is me, Emma!” Emma said.
“Great, I didn't like you when you were pretty. Now you whores look like your souls, wretched!” Gabriel said.
“And we were going to give him a chance!” One of the voices of the women said.
“We have a present for you outside!” Another voice said.
Cold clammy and razor grips clung on to Gabriel. Tormented and twisted faces smiled at him in the moonlight of the room to mock him. Lifting him off the ground they carried him out of the room and down the steps. Once downstairs he could see the door was open and some how night had instantly turned to day. Looking outside Gabriel saw a metal container waiting in the sunlight.
The hags tossed him in though the metal container was almost too small to fit in. The edges hot from the sun and burnt as he struggled against it. Taking one last look at the sky Gabriel could see a white dove. It flew up towards the sun with an olive branch. As it passed the sun it changed into a raven. Black as midnight, in its mouth was a Dark and mangled branch.
With a hard thud on Gabriel's head the container slammed shut. Chains clanged over it as they sealed it shut. Gabriel could see no light as he felt the metal prison lifted up. As he was being carried off, Gabriel knew what was happening.
"We are free, free to our own will, which enslaves us." One of the hags said as the air in the container went stale. Panic set in, an eternity in the dark without air. Thoughts of the grim reality raced through his mind. He thought of how we try to convince our minds we are happy and to stay positive. Faking our reality to cope with madness. Then they call you crazy for accepting the truth and not convincing our minds otherwise
The feeling of falling came over his struggle with positivity. The container crashed into the earth after a brief period of falling. The sounds of dirt being tossed over the container, sealed his fate. Eternity buried alive, no one would even know of his existence. The sound of dirt faded, and then silence. This is it Gabriel thought, eventually there would be no oxygen. He figured at that point he would simply fall asleep. The brain would be deprived of air and would shut down. Maybe it would recover like his wounds. But then it would not be long until the process started over.
He thought about screaming, but who would hear. Then he remembered the pendant around his neck. Though his hands were bound he was able to wiggle one hand free. Holding the pendant in his hand, he tried to remember how to use it. He could not see what color of a gem was what. Running his fingers across them, he picked one.
"Uhhh" he said holding the pendant. Shit what do I do, he thought.
"Frigga!" He shouted. In an instant he went from a cramped metal container to a rocky shore. The sounds of waves crashed behind him. Looking up, he could see grassy hillsides. Turning around to look behind him, h
e saw the ocean and a heavy fog. A cliff sprang out from the hills in the distance. Waves crashed into them. On the top of the cliff was cars and people pointing off to the sea. Looking in the direction they were pointing, Gabriel could see viking longboats coming out of the fog. People shouted, but he could not understand them.
Looking down at his hand and body. He could see he was still in a physical form, but not sure where he was. The pendant was still on his neck and now he could see the gem he had chosen. It was a deep and dark blue. Like the depths of the ocean, it was Odin's gem. Though looking around did not reveal Odin. Gabriel walked towards the shore so he could see the boats better. The ground was rocky and rugged, trying to walk even a short distance was difficult.
He still had all of his senses and it all seemed perfectly real. Just as though he touched someone to see their sins. Taking in a deep breath, he inhaled the moist air. Holding it in for a moment and then exhaling. It was much much better than the stale air in his hollow ground prison. Gabriel thought about what was happening to his body. Was this like a dream state, was his body suffocating underground. What if I went back, he thought. Would I be in a brain dead state? Most likely not yet, but in a few hours or days. Maybe now he would live as a spirit.
Vicariously spending eternity through the pendant. Now that the worlds collided, he was nothing. The very thing he wanted, was now his next curse. Was he living, dead, dreaming, or was he anything at all. Reaching down, he grabbed a rock. It felt real in his hand, coarse and rugged. The sea had tainted it and gave it a rough crust. A strange white film covered most of it. Slinging the rock, it crashed into a wave. Then suddenly the rock was right back where it came from. Untouched, and completely dry it sat mockingly.
Picking it back up it felt the same. Was it the same rock, Gabriel thought looking at the spot it came from. Throwing it once more, it just missed the white top of a wave. Gabriel looked back at the ground, and there it was again. Cause and effect had vanished in whatever plain of reality or insanity he was in. Sitting down, Gabriel looked at the rock. It was not just a rock, but a symbol. A reminder that he was going insane. Whats the point in nothing, what can you do with it. The rock he picked up was nothing. Grabbing it again and holding it. It had weight, and feeling, but it was not there. He set it down in a different spot. The moment it left his hand, it vanished. Then there it was untouched in its normal spot.
Thunder roared in the fog before him. But this one little rock turned everything he knew upside down. It was clear that he no longer had an impact. Not even a pebble in the sea could change its path by his will. What was the point in being just another bystander? Why not just go back to the hollow ground he thought. Let his body start the vicious cycle. Deaths blessings, then the curse of rebirth. The thoughts ceased as the sounds of longboats crashed into the rock shore. They did not even attempt to slow down. Or avoid their crash landings. Wood split into sending splinters and debris in the air.
The largest of all the ships was heading right for where Gabriel was sitting. Not even flinching, he looked on as it collided with the shore. The front of the ship screeched into the rocks next to him. coming to a halt and narrowly missing him. Looking up Gabriel examined the sail. White as snow and bowing to the wind. From the side of the ship appeared Odin. He looked out on the shore, then stepped out on the bank. A wave swelled up behind him as he stood still on the shore.
His eyes almost locking with Gabriel's. Just before the wave engulfed him Odin turned to face it. For a moment he raised his staff. The wave quaked and the water bubbled and boiled. But Odin lowered his staff and the wave crashed into him. He could have calmed the seas but allowed the wave to hit him. Maybe it was so that he could feel mortally flawed. The wave had passed leaving a soaked, wet and vulnerable god in its quake.
Odin was a absolutely brilliant god, but he wore his weaknesses. One eyed, old, frail, and looking like a god cast out heaven. As though he was a fish out of water. Then Gabriel starting thinking about Apollyon. The angel kicked out of heaven to earth. Had Apollyon worn his weaknesses, then mankind would have devoured him. So he grew into a dragon, that struck mankind where they were weakest. Turning them into the beast that he was and conquering their souls. It was a moment where Gabriel could relate to the destroyer. When all that you love rejects you. When everything you despise engulfs you. That is when you either become a moral devil or god.
Odin walked up on the shore past Gabriel. Getting up Gabriel watched him as he walked by. People were standing around on the hillside. There was cars parked on the hill watching the crash landing of an ancient heaven. Sounds of ships bursting onto the shore continued to ring out. Odin looked up at the gathering crowd of people. He held out his hands, palms up. Water Still dripping from them. His staff fell to his side and bounced on the rocks.
"The time is here, I will rewrite the art of war. With the art of humility. I will devour these egos and crash the fortifications they have built!" Odin said, turning to his ships. Raising his arms in the air as clouds of ravens flew over head. Thunder shook the earth and with it Loki and thousands of berserkers footsteps. They spilled out from longboat debris. Looking up at the hillsides, Gabriel could see everyone getting back in their cars and fleeing.
He figured if he was in their position, then he would do the same. One tall a lanky man stayed and was walking towards the shore. A few others watched him to see what would happen. The sounds of chopper blades battered the air in the distance. It appeared from over the hills and then hovered above. Loki looked up at it with a curious smile. The lanky man had made it just a few hundred yards from them.
Loki stepped out and headed towards the man. Stopping once he was halfway to the man so that he could look at his belt. He pulled out a paintbrush, he Looked at it and then the man. He shook his head and put the paintbrush back. The man was now feet away from Loki. Loki continued to frantically search for something. Jumping backwards the man had startled Loki. The man looked as though he was high or drunk.
"Its ok I'm not going to hurt you!" The man said holding his arms out to hug Loki. Loki stepped back, but the man was too persistent. Loki's eyes got huge as the man hugged him. In one motion he pulled a bone handled dagger from his side. Thrusting it into the man's kidney region. Loki held the man with his other arm as blood welled from the man's lips.
"I will paint this world red, so you can dream black." Loki Whispered in the man's ear. As he let him go, the man fell to the rocky shore. Blood ran over the rocks sending a message to all who witnessed it. Gabriel could not understand why Loki killed the man. After all he was welcoming him with open arms. Though maybe to Loki it was a disgrace and a insult. They were after all a war like culture, wrong or right was only a concept.
Those who witnessed it ran for their cars. The chopper stopped hovering and began to fly off. Suddenly though it just stopped. The rudders halted in mid air. With that it fell from the sky and hit the earth in a explosion of dirt and smoke. Cars that were once speeding away, just died. People tried to start their cars but they would not start. Electricity was sucked out from their batteries. It went up in the sky in strands, and then vanished somewhere in the atmosphere.
Once the batteries were drained The strands of electricity vanished. A power line on the hillside had a much larger strand of electricity coming from it. The Electricity was quickly drained and then it vanished. Miles away was a huge explosion. Gabriel felt the shock wave and the earth tremble. All of the power was drained from the planet. Planes crashed to the earth in explosions. It was a complete black out, and earth returned to an era without electricity.
Gabriel watched as the strands faded from the sky and planes fell to the earth. Some people tried and tried to start their cars. While others got out and ran for their lives. It was mass chaos and confusion, but to the gods it was judgment day. Not just judgment of man, but of the gods themselves. Loki cheered and danced with blood on his hands. Odin simply watched the sky as a dark cloud of ravens covered the sun.
The bereze
rkers formed a column behind Odin. Looking off at the sea Gabriel could see two more ships making their way to the coast. One was dark, black with a dragon head on the front. From its mouth fire and smoke bellowed. On the ship stood Hel, old and deathly. Her skin was a pale blue and her eyes pure black. With her came Baldur free from the depths of the underworld. He was a massive god, rippled with muscle and scars. In his hand was a mighty two handed battle ax.
Baldur's gaze pierced towards Loki. Loki was still dancing and cheering. Completely unaware that his brother was finally free. The other ship was made of white wood with brown grain. It was nothing of this world. On it was Frigga, and the rest of the Norse gods. Just before the two ships crashed into the shore, Baldur leaped from the ship. He landed on the shore charging right for Loki. Some of the berzerkers did not move in time and were plowed over.
Loki was still completely oblivious to the charging god. Baldur raised his ax above his head. Just as he started to crash it down on Loki, Loki turned. With dagger in hand he thrust it into Baldur's exposed stomach. The dagger sank in all the way to the hilt. The ax came swinging down but Loki jumped to the side. It was just inches away from cleaving his skull.
As soon as Loki hit the ground, his skin trembled in an eruption of puss and protruding muscle. Almost instantly he changed into a mountain troll. Baldur pulled the dagger from his stomach and blood squirted out. Odin started to run towards them.
"Let them settle it as Norse!" Tyr the god of war shouted. With it Odin stopped and fell to his knees. He watched on as his two sons battled on the shores of Midgard.