Chapter 9: The Darkest Hours.
“That’s Creepy…” Hadge pointed out the doors, as a chill crept up his spine, and the feeling of being watched was all consuming. Each door was carved in an intricate pattern of vines, as wrought iron branched hinges extended from the frame holding it in place, and peeking through the vines were animalistic eyes. The eyes within the door imparted a look of realism, each glassy and reflective, seeming to move and watch you. A sinister black fog seeped eerily from the frame around all of the doors, staining the edges black, as if the evil could hardly contain itself.
Uwee poked at one of the eyes quite curious, “Are they real?”
Instantly he withdrew his hand, complaining, “Ewwwww…they feel real.” Hadge could hardly hold back the laughter, nevertheless he had to ask, “You’re a ghost, so how can you even tell?” Uwee didn’t think it was at all funny, seriously inquiring, “Why would a door need eyes?” That was a good question, and Hadge would’ve liked the answer too, but all he could do is surmise a guess, “Maybe it has something to do with the see no evil thing.” Uwee leaned closer, inches from a pair of eyes, uttering, “I don’t think so.” Hadge was quite certain that game had some importance, or why would it be plastered all over Bedlam. And why were there three doors clad in those same monkeys, where there should only be one plain door.
Hadge tried to remember the silly game, however it was no use, as he questioned the grubb, “Uwee how did that game go again?” Uwee mocked, “Thought you didn’t care.” Hadge impatiently barked, “Just answer!” Uwee replied, “See no evil, hear no evil, and I think speak no evil.” The grubb blundered, “No it’s hear no evil, speak no evil, ah dang. I never remember the order.” Conversely Hadge recalled that every sign along the way had placed the monkeys in the order of see, speak, and hear.
Thereafter the fact remained undisclosed, what kinds of evils hid behind each of those doors? Hadges anxiety festered deep inside, quite reluctant to take the next step forward, and not reasonably sure what the next step should be. “I know!” Uwee blurted out, his hand reaching for the see no evils vine door handle. Then his thumb released the lever holding it in place, assuredly proclaiming, “We’ve got to start here.”
Hadge utterly aghast attempted to stop him, yelling at the thoughtless grubb, “No!…Wait!…”
Almost instantly the sinister black fog forced its way through the tiny gap, sucking the grubb inside. Uwee’s last word still eerily echoing from the rolling black fog within, “Here…here…here…here…here…”
In the next instance the fog had overtaken Hadge, and he too was sucked inside the darkened doorway. Into the unforgiving obscurity of the unknown, a sad impenetrable darkness clinching deep to the root of your soul, as the sensation of loss and limbo weightlessly dragged you through space as well as time. Hadge could not see nor hear the grubb anymore, but that was the least of his worries, because he desperately believed there was no escape.
Then the despondent resonance of a door slammed shut behind him, until he at last realized he and Uwee were standing outside the Animal shelter once more, and oddly nothing had seemed to change.
Uwee protested, “That had to be the right door.” Hadge gave the grubb a look of contempt, wanting nothing more than to strangle his impertinent lifeless neck, and rigidly growled, “Obviously not!”
Hadge uneasily noticed the wraithlike shadows bit-by-bit gathering around them. He couldn’t help but wonder, “What are they up to?” Then one of the shadows opened the last door, hear no evil, as if waiting for something to happen. The black fog from within quickly stained everything within arms length, its dangerous reach spreading fast.
Almost immediately the other shadows enclosed tightly around Hadge and Uwee, compelling them to edge towards the opened doorway. Uwee screeching, “What’s going on?” Hadge was forthrightly bewildered, uttering, “I don’t know.” He tried to reason with the shadows, “You don’t have to do this.” However that approach didn’t seem to alter the course of the shadows, as they pressed the two unwilling victims into a proverbial corner, and right into the evil hands of the black fog. Uwee desperately howled, “Why are they doing this?” Hadge was at a loss for any kind of answer, unsure if these wraithlike shadows were good or evil. He was certain if it were the latter choice then what was within the doorway would ultimately be the death of them.
Thereon the clinching darkness dragged them from where they stood, pulling them to the entrance. They barely clung to the frame with their lives, as inch by inch the rolling black fog was sucking them inside. Both frantically screaming, “Nooooooooo!” Their hold on the frame rapidly began to fail, as each finger painfully straightened, until the last finger slipped away. Uwee yelped the second he was drawn inside, but his cry was in vein, lost in the haunting obscurity of blackness, which roared louder than a waterfall. Hadge feverishly shouted for the grubb, “Uwee!” Again and again, “Uwee!” He could feel his body being twisted and hurled throughout the murky geometrical planes of the multi-verse, the turbulent unforgiving membrane colliding and crashing to a sickening point, until the sound of the slamming door made itself known.
Still the quickening sensation of moving continued to shudder through their motionless bodies, finding their feet planted firmly in one spot, however disoriented to the point of falling to their knees. Hadge instantly had to wretch. Uwee patted him on the back, as if to ask are you all right? He could barely answer through the heaves, “Ye…” And just as quickly realized he didn’t hear the sound of his own voice.
The strangest thing was what had once been dark was now a bright blue, just as blue as his dream. They had to be standing in another dimension of time, before there was darkness.
Uwee pointed to the sky, his head bobbed and moved as if he were talking. Hadge too had been amazed the first time he’d seen the strange blue sky, and could understand the grubb being speechless. Although he had to admit being speechless would be the first time in Uwee’s life.
The dazzling city of Bedlam appeared to have never been touched by the edge of darkness, as shimmers of sunlight cascaded over the tall glass covered buildings. Hadge shockingly whispered its name, “Bedlam…” The whisper was so low even he never heard a sound. Hadges vision followed the astounding buildings downward, each unmarred by the graffiti. Nevertheless the most amazing spectacle was all the people. The shadowy faces of Bedlam were actually alive and breathing walking this way, and that way.
Then an unusual green vehicle pulled to a halt along a nearby curb. The paneled van clearly associated to the Animal shelter, seeing that the decal matched the same letters.
A tall older man exited the vehicle, his body thin beneath the loose layers of his green coveralls. The man silently strides to the rear of the van, opening the doors, his expression rather cross. Hadge couldn’t help but wonder what was his problem, as he took a few steps to get a better look.
Abruptly he collided with a short stout middle-aged woman, carrying a small fluffy white dog. Uwee had been following close enough behind he could feel his icy dead breath on his shoulder as he stopped.
Hadge started to say excuse me, until he noticed the sneer exuding from the wrinkles in her manly high and mighty face, and he really wasn’t sorry at all. The woman irritably stared at him, as he continued to move towards the van. Her lips parted as if going to say something, but never did. Uwee was instantly in her face, staring her down. Then Uwee angrily bumped into the woman on purpose, as her little dog fell from her hands, and darted across the lawn.
Quickly her stout body chased after the dog, running awkwardly. Oddly she had never seemed to notice Uwee at all; after all he is a ghost. Hadge could see Uwee rolling in laughter, as his focus returned to the van ahead.
All at once the green van started to sway, as the tall older mans backside stiffened, and his arms began to flail. Hadge knew curiosity could kill the cat, but he had to know what was going on inside the van. The rear doors were wide open, exactly how he remembere
d the doors from the dark times of Bedlam. He restlessly edged around the suspicious van, stepping off the curb to peer into the open doors. The cages were all filled with animals, cats, and dogs, a little worse for wear, but were all still alive.
Without warning the lanky fingers of the man seized the leg of a honey colored pug through the bars of its cage, and in one quick motion injected the thrashing animal with an odd yellowish liquid.
Hadge straight away recognized the substance; it had come from the caves beneath Novena military base, and they were experimenting on these helpless animals. Horrifyingly the man was injecting the animals one at a time. Hadge knew he had to stop this, and now.
Unexpectedly the small honey colored pug named POGO started to convulse, then another dog, and another. The terrible man didn’t seem to take any notice, or he just didn’t care.
Hadge took a step to stop the man, just as the man turned on him, jabbing him with a bony finger in the chest, as his lips snarled, “Get outta here!” Not a sound could be heard, however the meaning abundantly clear. Hadge tried to argue, “What are you doing to these animals?” Yet even the sound of his own voice was lost in this place, and he was sure it had something to do with the hear no evil portal.
The man vehemently shoved him against one of the van doors, hissing words without a sound, “I told you to get outta here…”
Then the tall man turned back to the animals, yanking a long black leg from another cage, as the whole cage began to violently jerk. Hadge recognized Reybe at once, and could not let this happen to him. Nimbly he pulled at the mans arm, yelling the unheard words, “That’s my dog!”
Instantly the man elbowed him hard to the side of his head. It reeled him towards the van door once more, just as a burst of energy resounded from the core of his being, rather like the sound of a sudden gust of air, and left his ears ringing with an unusual buzz. A buzz filled with the sounds of suffering animals.
Then he astoundingly realized he could hear the man as plain as seeing daylight. The man shouted, “Hold still you mutt!” The cage violently rattled, as Reybe was growling, and at last let out a loud yelp.
“Noooooooooooo!” Hadge roared, lunging at the detestable man, not knowing his own strength. The man bounced off the opposite van door, rolling nine feet away on the pavement, with a serious case of road rash.
Then wildly Hadge ripped the door from Reybe’s cage, even as Reybe had already began to have seizures, and his breath had grown shallow. Without delay he yanked the offensive collar from Reybe’s neck, in hopes he would be able to breathe more easily. Hadge could do nothing but tearfully cradle Reybe close, and beseech his dieing friend, “Please be ok.”
Uwee rushed up behind him, anxiously pointing at the sky yelling, “Hadge something’s happening!”
The darkness-unfolded eerily overhead, and a storm started to brew. Distantly the rumble of thunder easily battered the silence, as jagged rails of lightning streaked the turbulent sky. He recognized right away this was the day the Edge of darkness had been set free, and the habitants of Bedlam would soon be incinerated.
Hadge fearfully knew they hadn’t much time, as the horrors of that day replayed in his head, and he muttered, “We have to get out of here...”
Hadge threw Reybe over his shoulder, dashing for the Animal shelter doors. Uwee was in a panic, screeching all the way, “How do we get out of here?” Hadge could hardly think over Uwee’s ranting, as they at last stood before the three doors, “These doors wont help…” He raved onward, “Hadge…Hadge do something.” Hadge slowly and meticulously rolled his head in the grubbs direction, hissing through gritted teeth, “Sssssshut up!”
Then turned back to the evil doors, as all the unusual eyes hidden among the vines met his unwavering gaze, and all he could think of was, “Which one?”
Oddly the book obliged to help, as a young girl spoke, “I know the tales of your adventures, and assured that one day I would tell the tale to you…” She orated in such a way you would believe she was reading from a work of fiction, “A young girls voice echoed from the strange book, “The only way out is speak no evil.” Hadge had no choice but to believe the girl, because he didn’t know the way out. He hesitantly moved closer to the door, as all eyes were upon him. His heart pounding with the fear of what this door may bring, as he released the darkness within, and he and Uwee were once again sucked inside.” Hadge found the tale rather eerie, however was grateful for the help, “Thank you.” The girl kindly reciprocated, “Your welcome.”
Uwee somewhere nearby grumbling, “We don’t have time for you to talk to yourself.”
Hadge disregarded the grubb as always, moving to the center door, knowingly whispering, “This is the door…” Uwee’s voice sounded annoyed; as both ghostly hands jerked in mid-air, “How do you kn…” Strangely his voice and all others sounds had faded away once more. Surely Hadge’s divine power was interrupted by the overwhelming influence of the sinister doors.
Hadge could feel his hand on the cold metal of the lever, as it slowly clicked to open, unleashing tendrils of darkness. His heart pounding just like the girl had said, and fervently wanted to know how this tale ended.
Dangerously the black fog rapt Uwee and Hadge within the darkness, as the distortion of time bent around them, and the unbearable churn of sounds was beyond all human comprehension. Time had spent, minutes, hours, and days, each irrelevant in the hours of darkness. Then the mire of blackness began to abate, as even more darkness took its place, and their surroundings became abundantly clear. Hadge had seen it before, as the rush of sickness invaded his vulnerable senses.
Uwee couldn’t believe they had arrived back into their own world of darkness yet again, as a glint of dismay crossed his brow and lip, which gradually defined his all out rage, “We’re back where we started!”
Hadge stared at the hilarious screaming grubb, his flailing arms whipping in the wind, however not a sound passed over his active lips. Hadge was certain that all speech was affected in this speak no evil world.
Without warning something crawled through the hairs of his scalp, and over his cheek. Promptly Hadge slapped the side of his head, sliding the hand hard over his face, and looked into the palm for the tiny culprit.
Oddly there was only moisture in the palm of his hand it was sweat. Sweating was something they didn’t do much of in the cold dark climate of Elysium, so this couldn’t possibly be home. Hadge held out his hand as a secondary response, but he had already established the unusual heat and humidity clinging to the very air, surely as if something had recently happened.
Then he realized the people of Bedlam were now gone, as calcium dust marked the last place they had stood. He was convinced this was the resulting storm from the edge of darkness, scorching the victims forever in place, just like the town of Unknown.
All of a sudden Reybe started to convulse harder on his shoulder, as Hadge cradled the poor dog back in his arms, giving him room to thrash. Sadly he had no idea how to help his friend, even with all this so-called divine power, and still he was as useless as the day he was born.
Forthwith Reybe fell limp in Hadges arms, and what was left of the life in his eyes faded, he had passed away. Hadge hugged his dear old friend, weeping openly in despair, his distraught howls left unheard, “Noooooooooooo!!!” He frantically screamed, “You’re not going to die on me this time!” Then shook the poor animal like a rag doll, tearfully ordering, “Wake up I tell you!” However Reybe didn’t respond, and he fell despondently to his knees.
A cold reassuring hand patted his back, as Uwee tried to console him. Hadge could see the grubb speaking, yet there was no sound. Instantly Hadge was livid, glaring at Uwee with a look to kill, his mind shrieking, “How dare him to concede to Reybe’s death!” When he knew Reybe couldn’t die just yet, crying out, “Not now!” His eyes blurry and stained red, his face knotted into a madman, repeating, “He’s not gonna die! He’s not gonna die!”
Oddly he felt a s
hift in his pocket, recalling he had the gorgon’s eyes, and was quite convinced he had found them for a reason. Hadge retrieved the gorgons eyes from his pocket, remembering what they could do, “One will bring life, the other death.” All the same Reybe was beyond the death part, rambling onward, “He’s not gonna die!”
Hadge could feel the subtle difference in the gorgon’s eyes, the death bringer remained icy cold, while the life giver was warm to the touch, one drop of vitreous fluid from the eye into the mouth of the victim was all that was needed. Then all he could do is wait.
Uwee stooped before Hadge, meeting eye to eye, as his unspoken voice gently advised, “Its too late.” Then his cold hand pulled at Hadge’s arm, assuring his friend this was the end. Hadge jerked from Uwee’s hand, cradling the dog’s corpse even tighter, snapping soundlessly back, “No! Its not!”
The yielding corpse of Reybe languished with a twitch in his arms. Hadge stared at a loss at his loyal friend; positive the gorgon’s eye didn’t work.
Queerly the body twitched, as Reybe’s head fell aside, his tongue hanging from the part in his mouth, and twitched again. The wonderment of it all was feeling the shallow breaths of the dog just beneath his fingertips, and how elated he was that it had worked. However even in his elations he had to wonder, “Would the gorgons gift have unpleasant side effects?” Hadge hadn’t a clue one way or another; just happy his friend was alive.
Reybe grew livelier with each passing second, as his legs began to thrash, and he tried to bite his capture.
Then nervously the dog bolted from Hadges arms, running unsteadily through the streets, and never looking back. Hadge ran to the curb, shouting after him, “Reybeeeee!” Yet he was sure Reybe didn’t hear him because of this Yahveh forsaken place, speak no evil. When it was all said and done the dog had vanished into the darkness, while he and Uwee could do nothing other than watch.
Hadge now understood how Reybe had survived the arrival of the Edge of darkness, and escaped the extreme heat that odious day. It was all in the hands of fate, he had to save him.
Recklessly a truck came from out of nowhere, at least what was left of the truck. It had no driver, most of it burned away, with the momentum of speed keeping it in motion, as it sideswiped everything in its path. The huge object barreled straight towards Hadge and Uwee, with only a metal utility pole standing between them. Uwee tried to jerk Hadge out of the way. However it all happened so fast, as the vehicle rammed into the nearby pole, knocking the pole off kilter, and sparks rained everywhere.
Something had struck the scar on the side of Hadge’s head, as a surge of energy vibrated to life. It was the same unusual energy buzzing in his ears from the hear no evil realm. He astoundingly could hear Uwee raging, “How the Yahveh did that happen?” He went on and on, “It came from out of nowhere!” He berated, “Who was the idiot that was moving that thing?” Hadge was certain they would never know since everyone had been turned to dust.
Then a menacing shadow shifted over them, turning the dark darker. A darkness as thick as pea soup, defiling all onlookers into prevailing blindness, with only two senses left at their disposal, touch and hearing.
Uwee uneasily called out, “Hadge!” Hadge nervously responded, “Stay calm, and head for the building…” Although he too was uneasy about the darkness, and quite unsure which direction the building was now placed. Uwee challenged, “Calm?” Hadge was right back at him, “In case you haven’t noticed, your dead already.” Adding with a measure of irritation, “I’m the one who should be worried.” Uwee huffed in the darkness, as they edged their way across the sidewalk, but for the most part remained quiet. All that was left for them to do is wait, and see what happens next.
Abruptly the stillness of the dark was shattered, as if the land was being torn open, and its immeasurable voice were crying out in pain. The cadence in the air was earmarked by an insanity of unimaginable agony and suffering. Hot on its heels were the acclivity of destruction as the distant sounds of buildings came tumbling down, and the ground endlessly rumbled and quaked. Soon the rumbling became more defined, as thousands upon thousands of footsteps plagued Bedlam.
Uwee fearfully whispered, “Something’s out there.” Hadge agreed, “I can hear them.” He was alarmingly convinced the footsteps could not be human, as his foreboding belief were in creatures of a much more sinister kind, henceforth from Hell.
Out from the darkness the odd looking streetlamps illuminated a bluish glow, as the sickly lights could barely cut through the thick of night. Nonetheless they could somewhat see now, as countless figures of all shapes and sizes lurked every inch of Bedlam. Hadge horrifyingly realized there were hordes of demons all around them, reavers, hellhounds, undead, creatures of unknown origin, and even more demons reined over the sky.
Uwee was in a near panic, pleading for some kind of answer, “What are we going to do?” Hadge was concerned that the demons may hear them, hissing at the grubb, “Hussssssssh up…” And softly expressed his only plan, “Just let me think things through.” Uwee mumbled a scarcely audible reply, “We could be dead by then.” Hadge gave him a look to kill, and turned his attention back towards the demons. The demons all seemed to be headed straight for the first key, straight to Muezza’s tower, and hardly seemed to notice anything else.
Chillingly a low growl came from behind them, and both knew at once it had to be one of those demons. Hadge felt an icy chill creep up his spine, and the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Demons indubitably meant your death. However he planned to go down fighting, as he carefully removed his dagger, and swiftly twisted in the direction of the growl.
To his surprise there was no demon, only the wraith of a small fluffy white dog. The same white dog from the hear no evil realm. Then he absorbed the fact that wraithlike shadows were everywhere, shadows of the townspeople, all looking just as shocked as himself. Uwee asked, “Do you see them?” Hadge uncertain how the townspeople were now visible without the help of the book, yet he could see them, as he automatically answered, “Yes…”
The hazy outlines of all the townspeople were frightfully running from what was in the dark, as they were just as afraid as he was of the demons.
Without warning the specter of a short stout middle-aged woman collided into him, and snatched up her growling dog. Hadge recognized that familiar face; it was the woman that had been so disrespectfully foul to him in the past. Uwee had recognized her also, instantly ruffled, “I know who she is!” He snarled, “That’s that crazy woman!” Hadge snapped, “Calm down grubb.” In any case the woman now gaped uncommonly at Hadge, as if she recognized his face too.
Suddenly the blustering clamor of flapping wings grew steadily louder, even as a horrible beast landed close to the green van, and the ground shook from its weight. The hideous beast was four times larger than any man, with the unsightly malformed body of an upright frog, bearing thick upper limbs, and spindly tail and legs, rather like an insects.
Then the beast shockingly transformed before their very eyes, as the grotesque was replaced by the most beautiful female he’d ever seen, milky white flesh, and hair of spun gold. The female gracefully glided over the sidewalk, turning her golden head from side to side, as if in search for something, or someone. Hadge nervously fearing she may be searching for him.
All at once the man in the green overalls ran headlong into the ungodly female, as his wails resonated throughout Bedlam, and sure to bring others. The females shifting appearance revealed in the deep lines of its frog-like face, as her lips curled over the giant fangs in her mouth, and her long claws had dug into her quarry’s shoulder. A trap living or dead could not escape.
The man’s face was contorted in fright, with his shrieks severing all other sounds. In one fell swoop the hideous beast had seized the man’s shaking form, viciously ripping a chunk from his throat, and sucking the energy from his body. Thereafter the man’s ghostly image began to flicker, until he faded away, as if he didn’t exist at all. Then e
ven more harrowing screams ensued, as the vampiric demons everywhere collected the shadows souls, and the surviving townspeople were trying to hide.
Uwee tensely grasped Hadges arm, whispering, “Did you see that?” Of course he had seen it, so brutally shocking, as he found himself next to speechless, simply uttering, “Yes...” Then a reaver appeared, followed by another, each heading in their direction. Hadge stiffened, not sure if the reavers had seen them or not.
Without warning the stout ghostly woman manipulated Hadge and Uwee towards the three doors. Uwee objecting, “What are you doing?” Her pudgy hand unerringly pressed them in the direction of the see no evil door, as the animalistic eyes followed their every movement, and Hadge wasn’t convinced this was the right door. By then the reavers had seen them, as Uwee squawked, “Reavers!” Hadge knew their choices were slim, stay and die here, or die in there. He decided to take a chance, without nary a second thought, as he grabbed the grubbs cold arm and darted inside. He had left the old woman behind.
The black fog dragged them inside, as the vapors kneaded and pulled them apart, and the sanctity of the black reprised the horrifying death of the man. Hadge screaming through the mind of madness, “Go away!” He couldn’t bear to see it anymore, howling, “Leave me alone!” However the subsisting blackness wrenched him this way and that way, as it emulated the man’s lasting cries. Hadge was sure it was a testament onto his faith, a challenge of sorts, as he pleaded, “Please Yahveh give me strength.”
Then voices clamored from the book, “Don’t listen…” They said, “Its not real…” A young girl declared, “This is not how your story ends…” He pulled the book in his hand, responding to the young girl, “Your right.” He couldn’t give up, not now, because Carrissa was counting on him to survive.
Sound and sensation hammered through his body, as the blows began to decline, and the secure feel of ground was notably beneath his very feet. At last the door slammed shut with a solid thud, they had arrived.
Oddly the blackness did not fade within this sinister dimension, even as land was unquestionably below his feet, and he could feel the shelter wall with his hand. Hadge couldn’t help but lean against the wall thankful he made it this far, yet shuddered to think of what the rest of this journey may bring. That is if he can get beyond the blackness, and being blind as a bat.
Abruptly Hadge thought he had heard something growling nearby, and was instantly alert. He took one-step from the wall to listen, just as he stubbed his big toe, and really had no idea how on Elysium he could get anywhere without his eyes.
Then Uwee started to whine, “I can’t see.” Hadge grumbled back, “Nor can I.” He stopped to listen for the growls once more, but they were gone. He wondered if they existed at all, or maybe it was a figment of his imagination. Uwee held out his hand, asking, “Where are you Hadge?” The cold hand slapped Hadge in the face, as he gnarled back at the grubb, “Right here!” Hadge was quite rankled they couldn’t see, still feeling the sting of Uwee’s hand on his face. It was obvious they were useless without eyesight.
He solemnly leaned back against the wall wondering what good is a divine being that is worthless, recalling all the things the Angel had told him about Yahveh who would always send him help, and the book that was a tool to help against darkness. Hadge involuntarily muttered, “The book…”
He was quite sensitive to the book still in his hands; bearing in mind it is a tool to help defeat the darkness. However wondered how to use it, and if it would really work.
Hadge held the book outward, and commanded it, “Light the way.” A clamor of voices began to laugh from the book, all saying, “It doesn’t work that way.” The helpful young girls voice chimed, “This is what you want.”
Suddenly the book flew open, as the pages fluttered before him like a blue flame, its fiery blue light leapt forth, and easily cut through the shroud of blackness around him. Bedlam was bathed an eerie blue, as the haunting depths of light continued to spread, penetrating the myriad of Hells pitch black, forming shapes before his very eyes.
Unexpectedly the growling started again. As something small ran for his ankles, tugging at his silvery makeshift pants. Hadge was flabbergasted at first, but quickly realized it had to be the woman’s little white fluffy dog. He searched the shadows for the woman, however thought it was doubtful she had escaped the terrible beast.
Taken by surprise a figure moved slowly in their direction, as the blue light defined its curvaceous form, it was the stout woman from the other dimension. She had miraculously survived. Shockingly she rushed straight for Hadge, looking as if she’d been waiting for him all along, and screeched, “I know youuuu….” Conceptually he didn’t know if that was good or bad, as he repressed the urge to run. Uwee moaned somewhere in the background, “She’s crazy.”
The woman screeched again, as she scooped up her little white biter, “It was told you would return.” She exhaled his name, “Hadge…” He was instantly mystified by her behavior, and soundly wanted to know, “How did you know my name?”
At that time another specter appeared, and another, and another, until nearly a dozen were standing around him, all echoing his name, “Hadge, Hadge, Hadge…” Uwee exclaiming over the drone of voices, “Well, the gangs all here!”
A red headed man wearing a worn green hat, and shirt responded, “Hadge built the tower here in Bedlam, and….” A different voice interjected, “Our souls were bound in Bedlam. Instead of going straight to Hell.” Then a thin woman asked, “Have you come to save us?” Hadge would’ve liked very much to say yes, but how could he save those that are already dead, and their bodies lost in the wind, as he found himself stammering, “I,i,i…” Then mustered up enough nerve to reply, “I’ll try to save everyone.”
The man with the green hat picked up the metal Hadge had stubbed his toe on, seeming rather regretful, “Sorry about that.” Hadge wasn’t sure why the man was sorry, until an echo of the past engaged his mind. The man’s name was Jason; he’d been rushing home from work when the Edge of Darkness struck. It was his truck that had nearly ran Hadge over, stopping short of the act by a mere pole.
Without warning the shadow of Jason threw the piece of metal, as it bounced off the green van landing near the curb, next to the scorched mark of the van driver.
Right away Hadge eyed the darkened spot on the ground, it no longer moved, and the man was gone. Then the sordid memories of that hideous vampiric beast came rushing back, each and every detail, up till it drained the man’s soul away.
Quickly his eyes shot to the sky, as the hairs along his neck began to bristle, seeing that there were countless numbers of those same vampiric flying beasts. Jason spoke up, offering what little information he had, “Those things are vampires. Fallen Angels from Hell.” Hadges thoughts reasoned, “This is where the stories of vampires truly began. The beautiful enthralling Angels that shape shifted into hideous bat like creatures, capable of flying away after they’ve sucked out your soul.”
Voices from the book anxiously whispered a reminder, “Time is growing short.”
“Yes, of course.” Hadge answered the book, as he glanced towards the tower, knowing he had to find a way there as quickly as possible. He was certain the townspeople could direct him to the fastest route; after all they still lived here.
Hadge turned back towards the shadowy group, and solicited any help they were willing to give, “I need to get to Muezza’s tower fast.” The specters talked among themselves, but neither head nor tail could be made out of the conversation. Then one spoke up, and said, “You built two tunnels to the tower, one here in Bedlam, and the other in Morte.” Morte he was sure had to be the town of Unknown.
Instantly Hadge berated his lamebrain for not realizing it sooner, “How could I have not known.” His thoughts muddled onward, “Oh great, something else that could have made my life a whole lot easier.”
Then the stout older woman that he now knew as Viola took a step forward, controlling her e
vil little dog named Mr. jangles and said, “We can show you the way.” Hadge started to thankfully pat the woman on the arm, as the dog nipped at his fingers. He pulled back in the nick of time, and the only knowledgeable word to come out of his mouth was, “Yeow!” Viola was quickly apologetic, begging for his forgiveness, “I am so sorry.” He dryly responded to all of the above, “Thanks…”
Then another female stated, “You do know there are many more demons out there?” Spot on Uwee began to object, “Oh no. I have had enough of this monster thing.” He was negatively shaking his ghostly head and heading back to the doors; exhaling his final decree, “Count me out.” Hadge wasn’t going to fight the grubb over the issue, since he was in accordance, “Alright you stay here.” He took several steps to move in the direction of the shadowy townspeople saying, “You’re much safer here anyways.”
Instantly Uwee was at his side, as he pulled at his arm whining, “Your not really going to leave me here alone are you?” Hadge stating as a matter of fact, “Well, you can’t possibly deal with anymore monsters.” Uwee revised his declaration, “What I said wassss…almost enough.” Hadge could only shake his head at the exasperating grubb.
Abruptly Viola’s little dog leapt from her arms, as he jumped up and down barking skyward. Promptly she went after the dog, ordering Mr. Jangles, “Shut up!” Even Hadge realized all the noise could draw unwanted attention, as he too nervously looked to the sky.
Eerily the sky deviated overhead, as the black shifted with masses of vampires, and a staggering amount had already began circling the Animal shelter. The shadow of Jason at once began to yell, “Run!” It was too late they had already been spotted.
Feverishly the streets of Bedlam were plagued with nefarious demons. At once everyone was in an all out panic, shadowy townspeople running this way and that. Uwee shrieking, “What do we do?” Hadge had no idea what to do, or which way to run, as his head twisted in every direction, and hideous monsters blocked each way.
Immediately Viola took charge, sounding more like a drill sergeant than a woman, “No matter what happens protect the Hadge!” She reminded the shadows, “He left us here for a reason!” A female voice shouted from somewhere out of sight, “If he dies, we die!”
The people of Bedlam surged into action, as they seemed to appear out of nowhere, until the handful turned into thousands. Each of the shadowy beings fighting the demons with their electrically charged touch.
In the midst of it all a female pulled Hadge and Uwee out of harms way. Hadge arguing, “What are you doing?” The female quietly directed them towards the rear of the Animal shelter, but never quite answered his question, “This way.” Uwee gave Hadge a hesitant glance, squabbling, “Can we trust her?” Hadge shushed, “Do we have a choice?” Uwee looked uneasily around at all the fighting, seeing no point in opposing the matter any further, “Guess not.”
Woods thickly clustered behind the Animal shelter, and it was thoroughly incredible that they had advanced beyond the monkey maze. Uwee asked, “What is this place?” The female never answered, as she continued to usher them through the woods. However Hadge summoned a memory from a previous Hadge, moreover he knew exactly where they were now, and simply said. “Bedlam Glory Park.”
The park originated behind the Animal shelter, as the trees went on for blocks, and blocks. Even here in the park the townspeople were fighting the demons, as if they waited for this war until the Hadges arrival. Hadge continued to follow the female he now knew as Cristina, she was fighting to return to her two young children. He glanced at a man fighting a reaver, his name was Allen, and another man electrifying a hellhound, his name was Erik, and another’s name was Joseph. Oddly Hadge didn’t know how, but he knew everyone in Bedlam.
“This way.” Cristina hastily led them down the networking concrete path, trying so very hard to avoid the battles. Uwee promptly complained, “I don’t like this.”
Suddenly a hellhound leapt on Hadge, as he grabbed the creature by a leg, and threw it at a dead tree with the strength of a hundred men. He stumbled to keep his balance, as he breathlessly replied to the grubb, “I don’t either…” Cristina hastened, “We need to keep moving.”
The path branched off in various directions, as sculptures and fountains filled the park. The war of Bedlam was taking its toll, as bodies lain everywhere, mostly the townspeople, yet still the battles raged onward. They shoved their way through the worst of it, heading straight for the center of the park.
Off in the distance Hadge could see what looked like a stone foot. Uwee exclaimed, “That’s the foot from Unknown!” It amazingly did match the foot from Morte, seeing that Hadge agreed with the grubb, “I think your right.” However he wondered if the foot was really just another mountain troll. The identity of the foot didn’t matter, it only mattered that the tunnel beneath led to Muezza’s tower.
Cristina spanned the space between them and the giant foot in the blink of an eye, and shouted, “Here!” Then she tugged at the plaque, and revealed a darkened tunnel beneath, advising them, “It leads to the tower.”
Hadge breathed a sigh of relief; hopeful this would be over soon, praising Yahveh, “Oh, thank you. Thank you.” Uwee bent his ghostly head downward to look at his friend, rather worried about Hadge, and sincerely asked, “You do realize that tunnel goes to a tower full of demons?” Hadge was quite annoyed with Uwee by now, as he pushed passed the grubb and grumbled, “Ah, shut up…”
From out of left field a demonic creature lunged at Hadge, so unlike anything he had ever seen before, at least that he knew about. It looked like a bloody bag of bones, as it tried to seize him by the neck. Hadge howled, “Nooooo…” And dove towards the ground.
Within the blur of the fast approaching ground Hadge could hear Cristina shouting nearby, “Be gone vistaria!” Then there was a crackling of noise, something reasonably familiar, as he twisted his head just in time to see the source of the sound. Cristina had sent a charge of electricity into the demon, stunning it into submission. Then she shoved the demon straight into a riot of bodies. Uwee anxiously helped Hadge to his feet, glancing from one side of the park to the next, sounding urgent, “Hurry.”
In one moment Hadge was getting to his feet, and the next was being dragged towards the stone foot. Even as Uwee was wildly bellowing, “Their here! Their here!” At first Hadge could not tell what was going on, but the panic in Uwee’s voice spoke volumes, and was certain it had to be the demons.
Hadge could clearly see the beasts sieving all around them, as he ungainly got to his feet, and stumbled the final distance to the foot. The shadow people were no match for all the hellish demons; there were just too many aberrations from the crevasse of Hell, given that Hell was eternal as sin and death.
Cristina stood protectively between Hadge and the demons, holding them at bay with her electricity, demanding Hadge, “You have to awake the troll!” Hadges mind frantically went blank, “How?” Uwee began to object, “Oh no, that last troll nearly killed us!” Cristina gave the grubb a waspish response, “That’s not a problem for you now, is it?”
Hadge would’ve laughed if he hadn’t been so busy trying to remember the last moments in Unknown, rather Morte, and just how he awoke the mountain troll. He had been shooting the spiders with the watered down blood, as some had struck the foot, and the giant troll was set into action. It had to be the blood. The troll destroyed everything in its wake; nothing stood a chance against its power.
Cristina’s voice was now dire, as she shouted, “Hadge!” Everywhere the sound of death reaped, as one after another the townspeople exhaled their last breath, and if he didn’t act soon no one would make it out of here alive.
Hadge extracted his deformed dagger in one hand, with the book still in his other hand, and nicked the cover. At that precise second a hellhound savagely pounced on Hadge, as its teeth sunk into his arm that held the book, and his back roughly slammed into the ball of the stone foot.
Uwee mysteriously started to wai
l and shrink away, as if he were afraid, “Hadge!” All Hadge had time to do is fight the beast on top of him, as it oddly stopped resisting at some point in time, and crumpled to the ground. Uwee’s hysterical voice kept screaming, “Hadge!” That is when Hadge realized that the blood from the book had splattered on the stone foot during the struggle, as well as the hellhound.
Hadge took a step in Uwee’s direction saying, “Everything’s fine!” Uwee shrunk away from him, away from the blood that terrified him. Strangely even the demons were reluctant to get close. All at once Hadge remembered the female that had led them to the park, where was she, as he searched the horde that encircled them. Nonetheless Cristina was gone.
Suddenly the ground commenced to rumble, and the nightmarish trees began to sway and shake, surely as if they were alive. The gradation of this nightmare were no mere delusion, as the hordes of demons were downed one by one, and the vampires quickly tried to take their place. Neither man nor beast could stand against the restless giant beneath their feet.
Uwee instantly seized Hadge around the neck with an iron grip, forgetting all about the blood, as the pitch of his voice shrilled, “Hadge!” In a total panic, “Hadge!” Hadge fought to stay upright, as he tried prying the grubb’s fingers from around his neck, and ended up on the ground demanding, “Get off me…”
Then the mountain trolls foot ripped from the ground, followed closely by the other, as dead trees began to fall, and huge chunks of concrete and dirt broke free.
Hadge did his best to avoid the massive rocks showering down around him, riding or leaping from chunk to chunk in an effort to escape ground zero, certain there wouldn’t be much left of the park very soon. A tree tore from the ground and Hadge catapulted from its side, landing a fair distance away, as he raggedly turned to see if he was far enough from the troll yet. Uwee was howling somewhere behind, “Hadge! Hadge watch out!”
Out of the chaos a hellhound leapt on Hadge’s backside, knocking him to the ground face first, as the book slid several feet away. Hadge could feel his tender flesh rip, even as he tried to twist and stab the beast, and an ungodly scream parted his lips, “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
Uwee was there in a flash, with more strength than any normal ghost should ever have, he’d angrily picked up a chunk of concrete and struck the hound athwart the head, maniacally shouting, “Take that!” Hitting it again, “And that!” Uwee continued to rant, “And that!” Hadge blared his friends name, as he halted the bloody rock in mid-action, “Uweeeeee!”
Uwee stared blankly at him, as if he couldn’t remember the experience at all, “Yes Hadge?” Hadge threw the rock aside, yanking the grubb into motion, snatching the book up as they hobbled into somewhat of a run. He knew that they needed to get as far away as possible, positive the tunnel was rendered useless by now.
The troll had already maneuvered from the gaping hole left in the park, on its craggy hands and knees, as it discharged a beastly sound. It was a heavy trumpeting pitch, which eerily resonated through all of Bedlam, surely a warning to all things unholy that judgment was coming.
Then the trolls mighty hand swept across the park, as it knocked down trees, rocks, beasts, and demons, crushing everything in its path like mere playthings. However its wrath had just begun, as it rose to its feet, stomping everything beneath it, while it proceeded to pick the vampires out of the sky. One by one the captured vampires were squeezed between the trolls fat fingers, as their broken bodies were quickly discarded for another.
Uwee started to wail, “That things dangerous!” Hadge soundly agreed, opting for the only logical course of action, to stay out of the troll’s way. He glanced around them for a way out of here, noticing that all the demons could care less about the Hadge’s presence anymore. They were thinking solely of self-preservation, as they fearfully fled the mountain troll.
Unexpectedly something hit the ground hard several feet from where they stood, its dark mass crumpled, and bloody. Shockingly the thing was still alive, as its fingers twitched, and its hands pushed against the ground, peeling its flattened face from the concrete.
Uwee nervously began to stammer, “It…its…st…still…alive…” Hadge could see that for himself, as the vampire slowly began to regain its strength, and he was certain that this wasn’t the way to slay a vampire.
The weakened vampire attempted to stand, still dazed and confused. It staggered in Hadge’s direction, as its twisted wings spread in an effort to escape. Hadge initially considered killing the beast, however a better idea beguiled his thoughts, “Wings could get me to Muezza’s Miracle tower much faster.” His mind strategizing an outcome, “If I could just get that key, I can end all this fighting right now.”
Without further thought Hadge promptly jumped on the beast’s backside, wrapping his legs around its waist, and secured his bright warm hands over its eyes.
Uwee at once shouted, “What are you doing?” Hadge countered, “I’m taking a shortcut to the tower!” The vampire made several attempts to get off the ground, as Uwee anxiously leapt for the beast as well, yelling between each loud flap of the demons wings, “Wait…for me!”
Abruptly the creature broke into an all out run, as it shrieked mindlessly, bucking and kicking as it went. It was uncertain if the vampire realized they were tagging along, or not. Within due course it stopped struggling, and took flight off into the wild black sky. In essence they were flying blind, with only the steady brilliance of Hadges hands keeping the shrieking creature under control. While the beast precariously weaved over Bedlam, being guided straight for Muezza’s tower.
Unforeseen branches whipped and battered them from the reticent darkness of the park, as if they were trying to pick them out of the very sky. Nonetheless that was the least of their worries, seeing that a labyrinth of buildings stood directly in their path. Uwee fearfully slapped Hadge on the back yelling, “Higher!” Hadge was already pulling the demons head back with the intentions of going higher, as he expressed the fact, “I’m trying.”
Suddenly the steeple of a church appeared from out of nowhere, and they were flying dangerously straight for it. Uwee panicked, sure that any second they would hit the side of the building, and yelled even louder, “Do something!” Nevertheless the structure was coming up fast, as Hadge pulled even harder on the demon, and leaned hard to the right. Swiftly Uwee’s icy hands beat Hadge’s backside like a drum, screaming, “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
Swooooosh! They just missed the building by inches. Hadge laughed excitedly, and yelled back at the grubb, “I’ve got this!” They careened from one street to the next, daringly around building after building. The resisting vampire gradually flew higher, until they were far above Bedlam, and far above the tops of the buildings, capable of seeing the whole town.
Muezza’s Miracle tower loomed no more than a few blocks away, like an enchanting vine, wistfully twisting upwards into the darkness, with wayward leaves clinging along the creeping plant-like structure.
Unexpectedly a mental picture of the tower just after a lightning strike went off in Hadge’s head, as the strange fiber optic cords that meshed around the tower were aglow to lovely shades of blue, red’s, green’s, and yellow’s. Much like a rainbow. Hadge blinked, and the memory was gone, lost in the darkness that now surrounded the mysterious structure.
The biggest problem now was finding a way inside the tower, because even from here he could see how infested it was with demons, as the darkness eerily stirred from every inch of the impossible construction.
“Ahem…” Uwee tapped Hadge’s shoulder, and again trying to get his attention, “Ahem!” Hadge irritably snapped, “What!” He had forgotten all about his budding plans to get in the tower, as his eyesight followed Uwee’s ghostly fingertip, which was pointing out all the vampires around them. And Uwee said, “We have company.” It wasn’t any kind of company Hadge wanted to see, as his voice breathlessly quivered, “Dear Yahveh…”
The sky was packed with vampires, more than he had even r
ealized. He could only hope the monsters had not seen them. Uwee nervously insisted, “We need to fly somewhere else…” Hadge was not going to waste precious time on safety when he could see the tower from here, and said just as much, “We’re almost there.”
So he forged ahead without a plan in mind, in the direction of the tower, praying all difficulties would just effortlessly unfurl as they had in the past, and show him exactly where he needed to go. Besides the largest part of the demons seemed to be fleeing the mountain troll, shrieking as they went, and was totally oblivious to everything around them. Though the reality of the situation was things could change in an instance.
Uwee still contested his sensibility, “What is wrong with you. Have you gone mad?” Hadge never answered, however had a grin that could be interpreted that he had in fact gone mad.
With each passing second the vampire’s strength returned, since the sunlight did less to confuse it, and it once again began to struggle. Hadge could feel the creature attempt to gnaw at his hands, even as it twisted and turned to reach for his tender flesh. Uwee uneasily shouted, “We’re not going to make it!” Hadge disagreed, “Oh, yes we will.”
Then his hands burned even hotter, even as the heat distributed throughout his body, and a faint orange glow flushed his skin. Abruptly flames randomly erupted all over his flesh, like flares bursting from the sun, as it began to char holes in his clothes. The vampire didn’t seem to fight against him any longer, steadily moving towards the tower, yet commenced to screech an ungodly sound.
Muezza’s tower was nearly in his grasp, as Hadge realized the brilliance from his body had progressively started to dry the monsters skin, turning the face and backside an ashy white.
Suddenly they began to lose altitude, as the vampire no longer responded, and all Hadge could do is aim for the top of the tower, praying they would make it. Uwee screaming, “What’s going on?”
Everything happened in the blink of an eye, as the vampire had miraculously hit the plateau of the tower first, which created a pillow of dust, and Hadge landed shortly after. Eerily the vampire dust billowed upwards, like the hand of the Devil reaching up from the depths of Hell, encompassing its trophy.
Uwee screamed amid the cloud of remains, “Hadge!” He waved at the thick dust, desperately trying to see, and find his friend, as he continued to call out his name, “Hadge!” Then darted directly into the noxious cloud, “Hadge!”
Hadge was stunned, but still alive. He laid flat across the metallic structure of the tower, with the book spread open beneath him, its fiery pages keeping him from the brunt of the fall. Hadge slowly opened his eyes, grinning, and simply said, “That was fun. I’ll have to do it again.”
Uwee angrily slapped him up aside his head, claiming, “You idiot! You scared me.” Hadge sat up laughing, brushing off what was left of his clothes, as well as the vampire, scoffing at the grubb, “Now you know how I felt all those times.” Uwee hissed, turning his back, “Pfffffttttttt.”
All at once a multitude of sounds shrieked around them. Uwee shouted, “They’ve seen us!” Hundreds of vampires were diving in their direction. Uwee howled, “There’s no place to hide!” Hadge pulled the ghostly grubb down beside him, as a shield of sunlight protectively bubbled over them.
One by one the vampires dove into the bubble, and turned to dust, and still they relentlessly kept coming. Hadge had no idea how long he could continue holding the bubble in place, even as he felt the wearisome drain upon his body, and the events around him start to whirl. Uwee’s worried voice clamored, “Are you alright? Hadge?” He indistinctly said, “Hadge?”
“Hadge?” A startling new voice joined. “Hadge?” It was the young girl from the book. Her sweet-sounding voice spoke once again, as if she were reading from the very pages, “In his moment of need, the book told of a plaque placed just beneath his feet. All he had to do is touch it.” Hadge exhaustively collapsed upon the tower; nonetheless his hand fell to the plaque. He prayed that it had worked before the strange blackness invaded his overall senses.
Hadge unexpectedly felt the odd sensation of falling, as the tower flickered before him, like the darkness shifting into daylight. He wondered if he had died. “No…” He was certain he couldn’t be dead; this was a memory, because it felt as if he were watching a movie. He was standing outside the tower, and could hear Carrissa’s sweet voice as clearly as if it were happening at that very moment, “Thank you Hady. I love it.” She lovingly touched the silvery bracelet, as the leaves dangled back and forth. Instantly Hadge knew that was what he was looking for, the first key of Elysium. Then the couple climbed the winding stairs to the top, to a platform overlooking Bedlam. Thereupon another group was leaving, several families, two young lovers, and an oddly out of place tall older man. The older man nervously kept looking around, and would oddly never look directly at you. Hadge was positive the identity of the man had to be Churl. At which point the movie skipped to the final scene, as that same odd old man awkwardly bumped into Carrissa, and they exchanged an apologetic moment. All at once Carrissa began to cry out, “My bracelet!” Just as quickly as the memory started, it now had faded to black.
Hadge awoke just as he had fallen through the plaque atop the tower, sharply tumbling down a narrow staircase. Through a web of stray fiber optics, and hit each and every step along the way. He, the book, and Uwee all lain crumpled at the base of the blackened stairwell, but all he could angrily think about was the memory of Churl, wanting to know, “Why was Churl there?” Better yet, he called into question, “Why was he there at that precise moment Carrissa lost the bracelet?” Hadge could hear the sound of his own bitter voice rumble; “Churl was in on the conspiracy to hide the key even before the evil book had even been opened.” Curious to the reasons, “Why?”
Abruptly the din of metal thundered throughout the tower, as the vampires were surely trying to batter their way inside. Uwee was immediately hovering above Hadge looking quite worried, “Hadge?” He asked, “Hadge, are you alright?” Hadge painfully tried to sit upright, as he barely uttered, “Yea…” BANG! BANG! They both looked nervously up the dark stairwell, and all Hadge could say was, “That don’t sound good.”
At that moment the fiber optics lining the staircase crackled to life, sparking thick webs of electricity all through the space, creating a barrier between them and anything that may enter the tower. Even so Hadge was still worried, unsure if the electricity could even stop the amount of demons waiting to get inside. It was like all of the demons of Hell were crammed into one tiny place. BANG! Hadge nervously told Uwee, “We need to keep moving.” There was no response.
Hadge tensely turned to look for the grubb, saying, “Uwee? The grubb was nowhere in sight. Hadge uneasily arose, snatching the book as he went, as it was unclear if demons had taken Uwee, or not. He cautiously inquired once more, holding the book like a machete, and ready to cut down anything in his way, “Uwee, where are you?”
Right away Hadge noticed the strange passage was scarcely taller than himself, much too small for people living in the past. There were dark intersecting passageways about every twelve feet along the downward sloping conduit, as he slowly inched his way to the first intersection, warily whispering for the grubb, “Uwee?”
Without warning something small darted from the first darkened opening, running straight into Hadges foot.
Suddenly a life size mummy appeared before Hadge, lunging towards him as it made a noise, and just as quickly faded away. Hadge only had a moment of fright, until he realized the monsters holographic head was stretched across the ceiling, and the culprit was a purple ball resting at his feet.
Uwee busted out laughing, saying, “You should’ve seen your face.” Hadge picked up the bogy ball, and almost instantly remembered the tower sold a set of six monsters. Then he threw the offensive item at the grubb, snarling, “We could die at any moment, and you think it’s a joke.”
Hadge started off down the passageway rather annoyed, wanting nothing mor
e than to strangle Uwee yet again, but what good would it do, the grubb won’t die. “No wait!” Uwee was genuinely insistent, “You have to hear this.” Hadge grumbled, “Hear what?” Uwee pointed down the dark passage he was hiding, expressing, “I heard someone talking down this way.” Hadge jerked towards the opening, stopping for a second to hiss, “Thisssss better not be another joke…”
Then he angrily walked through Uwee’s image, mumbling just beneath his breath, “Maybe the vampires are still hungry…” However another sound prattled within the space, growing clearer as he made his way deeper inside the passage, until a man’s voice echoed inside the chamber, and he knew Uwee wasn’t lying.
The chamber came to an unexpected halt, as a metal grate set in the floor, which overlooked the platform that Hady and Carrissa had stood upon so long ago. This was the tower’s venting system. Mockingly the voice laughed, “This world will die soon.” Promptly Hadge recognized Churls traitorous voice, and it seemed so did Uwee, even as he asked, “He’s one of them?” Hadge overly dismayed, answered, “It would seem so.” And mentally vowed Churl would pay for all he has done, or will ever do.
Hadge hadn’t forgotten the real reason why he was here, in search of an elusive key. Quickly he opened the infamous book, looking through the fiery blue pages, trying to locate Carrissa’s lost bracelet. The platform had numerous columns across its expanse, as the benches and urns were all destroyed, and the room was filled with demons. He was mortified to find nothing on the platform, and knew the bracelet could be anywhere in the tower, like finding a needle in a haystack.
Unexpectedly Churl’s voice moved closer, but his body remained concealed, “The sun of Yahveh doesn’t stand a chance.” Then he stepped into sight, not as a former ghost of himself, but the Sheol from Hells gate. Uwee a bit confused had to ask, “That’s not that thing you killed, or is it?” Hadge sadly whispered, “Yea it is.”
Hadge was quite assured Churl had made a deal with the Devil; all for his selfish wants and needs. He had ultimately set Canaan on a silver platter, serving all the powerless souls into eternal damnation. However Hadge couldn’t figure out why Churl was on Elysium, and had to wonder, “What else did the Devil want in return?”
Hadge looked at Churl through the book in hopes he may discover some weakness to use against the traitor, even as the monster walked to the edge of the platform, and nearly out of sight.
Out of the darkness something glimmered beyond Churls shoulder, as hundreds of bracelets clung to the fiber optic cords on the exterior of the building, but only one belonged to Carrissa. The shiny silver surface of her bracelet reflected a blue light, much like a star in the sky.
Hadge was overly excited, stating, “There it is.” Uwee looked just as confused as ever, asking, “What is?” He answered the grubb, “The key to send all these demons back to Hell,” Uwee made an incredulous sound, “Humph.” And said, “Good luck with that.” Hadge knew the grubb was right, it was virtually impossible to reach that bracelet, not with all those demons standing guard.
Uwee leaned in real close to the vent, just enough where the tip of his head vanished through the vent, making a sound as if in thought, “Hmmmm…” Hadge fearfully tried to pull on his ghostly arm, but found nothing but air as he said, “They’ll see you.”
Uwee eagerly extracted his head from the vent, and said, “I have an idea.” He offered, “I can distract them until you get the bracelet.” Hadge objected, “No. Absolutely not.” Uwee frowned, “Why not?” And declared, “I’m already dead. What else can they do to me?” Hadge hum hollered around, “I don’t know about this Uwee.” Uwee scoffed, “What’s to know?” Then reluctantly Hadge agreed, “Ok.” But ordered the grubb, “Run if you see any of those vampires.”
Uwee stood upright saluting Hadge, and stated something to the effect, “I have to go get myself an army.” Hadge hadn’t a clue what the grubb was talking about, as he watched him vanish back down the passageway from which they had arrived.
Soon thereafter Uwee returned with a box of bogy balls, and his fictitious army was becoming abundantly clear. Uwee was in charge this time around, telling Hadge, “The second the bogy balls go off, head for the necklace.” Hadge nodded accordingly.
Without further ado Uwee kicked open the square vent below their feet, as it clung loosely to one side, dumping the box of bogy balls into the horde of demons. Then he jumped into the mass, running for the stairs shouting, “This way you ugly pieces of crap!”
Everywhere the bogies went off, as all sorts of monsters flickered before the bewildered demons. It had gone just as he had planned, some tried to attack the holograms, while others followed the sound of Uwee’s voice. The chaos gave Hadge the liberty to make a run for the coveted bracelet.
Hadge closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and murmured, “Here goes nothing.” He took that leap of faith through the open vent, as the sense of falling reeled all other existing thoughts.
Suddenly something seized his ankle in mid-air, as his mind intensely shouted, “Oh my Yahveh, not now!” With a single constant thought demanding his attention, “The bracelet!”
His body slammed face first into the platform surface, as he hastily kicked free, and twisted to see his so called captor through the blood streaming from his forehead. It was the sinister Churl, his leathery skin hideously stretched over his sharp teeth, as he mocked, “Not so sure of yourself, are you Hadge?” Hadge glowered at the monster before him; sure only Churls death would set everyone free.
Keenly Uwee’s shriek boomed through the tower, “Run!” He ordered, “Hadge run!”
Without further thought Hadge leapt from the spot on the floor, running headlong for the railing, and aimed for the bracelet clinging to the mesh of fiber optics. A blood-curdling screech escaped Churl, as he desperately slashed at the Hadge, “Nooooooooo!” Hadge perilously leapt into the wire webbing, as bracelets dangled all around him. However the bracelet he’d come to collect rested in the palm of his hand.
Instantly the wire began to give way, swinging back and forth. Hadge notably had the book in one hand, and the bracelet in the other. Churl beseeching, “Don’t do this.” Hadge glared at the evil man, and placed the bracelet upon the book. Churl shrieked once again, a sound that could be heard throughout nearly all of Elysium, “Noooooooooooooo!”
The silver vines wrapped around the book once more, sealing the book firmly shut, as a sonic vibration could be felt across the planet, and all grew astoundingly silent.
At once the demons painfully began to contort, as the twisted toilsome sounds echoed all over the land. Then in restitution every demon was turned to dust, as the blackened soot spun like a whirlwind, being sucked back into the cracks of Hell. All evil had finally vacated this world, as the tangible sense of harmony could be felt, and the atmosphere grew uncommonly lighter.
“Hadge!” Uwee started shouting, “We did it!” Hadge excitedly concurred, “Yes, we did!” Uwee hurried towards the railing through all the annoying bogy balls, and held out a helping hand, stating, “We make a good team.” Hadge lurched forward to take the ghostly hand, soundly agreeing, “Yes we do…”
Unpredictably the fiber optics cable within which Hadge clung to broke, and he was plummeted off the top of the tower. He could see the lasting horror on Uwee’s face, as he screamed his name, “Haaaaaaaaaaaaadge!” The enduring scream resounded into thousands of terror-stricken cries, as his life began to flash before his eyes, and he knew at least Elysium had a fighting chance now.
Hadge could hear the melodic whipper of the winds about his body, like the muffled whispers of all that had passed, even as the freedom of death fast approached, and he accepted his fate.
Suddenly an onslaught of teeny tiny noises engrossed every inch of his body, as the harsh fall pre-empted a soothing floating consciousness, and he wondered, “Could this be death?” Then the sweet noises softly turned into a melody, a beautiful song he had nearly forgotten, until a teeny tiny voice whispered in his e
ar, “Open your eyes.”
Hadge did as he was told, seeing Ruby gently land on his nose, like the petal of a rose. She started to giggle, even as thousands of tiny voices laughed around him, and he knew he was floating on a variable pillow of fairies. Ruby breathed, “Your safe.” All he could do is breathlessly whisper his overwhelming gratitude, “Thank you…All of you.”
At last his feet touched the ground, and Ruby adjusted herself upon his nose and said, “The Angel believed that you would need help.” Hadge thought how odd it was that she would know this, however he had known things he couldn’t possibly have known either, so the point of understanding was still beyond his reach, and simply stated, “She was right.”
Hadge turned to look at the darkness around Bedlam, as Ruby flitted through the air around him. The darkness didn’t seem so dark anymore, as the stars shone brighter than ever before, and he was kindly enlightened to the fact, “Evil can no longer dictate on Elysium.” Ruby cooed in his ear, “I’m glad you’re alright.” Sadly he knew that not everyone was alright, as he forlornly thought of Carrissa, and dryly said, “Yeah, I am…”
Out of the darkness Uwee arrived like a marching band, ecstatically making every noise possible, and shouted at his friend, “Your alive!” Then he gave Hadge a big icy hug, and started to cry, “I thought you were dead.” Hadge patted the grubb on the back, and jested, “Don’t you know by now, they cant kill me?” Uwee hardily laughed, “No they cant.”
Something seemed to fall from the sky, a falling star, a meteorite; it was impossible to tell, as Hadge turned to take notice. However the mystifying light in the sky wasn’t falling, but rather gliding, or maybe afloat. At last the vaporous illumination descended upon Bedlam, as it attuned to the form of a woman, and settled before Hadge.
It was the Angel that guided them here, as her sweet dulcet tone reflected, “Well done Hadge.” He looked a bit confused as he asked, “I thought you couldn’t come to Bedlam?” Her sweet soft words rang of certainty, “The darkness was defeated, and sent to its rightful place.”
“That’s right!” Uwee bayed, jumping for joy, “Everyone’s safe now!”
Hadge’s thoughts drifted to the girl he once had loved, in all probability still loved, and sadly stated, “Not yet. I have one more thing to do.” The Angel spoke, as if she knew his every thought, and made it perfectly clear, “Going into Hell to save Carrissa is extremely dangerous. I beg you to reconsider in your present state.”
However Hadge’s mind was already set, and nothing or no one could change it now, as he fast declared, “I’m going to Hell.”