Demon Gate: Beyond the 9th Circle: The Rapture Was Just The Beginning. (11 page)

Spencer in.
“The power is down here, like
everywhere, so we’ll have to take the stairs.”
Vince surmised.
“Here,” Spencer said pointing at a door
marked emergency stairs. Spencer pulled the
door open and they began climbing.
The twenty eight floors went by one at a
time until the door in front of them read roof.
Vince and Spencer glanced at each other before
they each raised a foot and kicked the door open
to a vista overlooking Salt Lake City. Spencer
and Vince moved to the northwest corner of the
roof, set up their sniper rifles, and looked to see
what they could see.
Spencer first saw a dark purplish black
vortex, sitting in the middle of the capital
building’s courtyard. Surrounding the vortex
there were a dozen or so demons, and a single
queen.
“What do you think?” Vince asked.
Tension filled the air as Spencer started to
pull back on the trigger, but stopped before the
bullet exited the chamber.
The portal began to ungulate, and a figure
approached, it was a man he looked attractive
and charming. He turned to the queen, they were
talking. The queen walked away and the man
turned and for a brief second his gaze met
Spencer’s. The man smiled.
“Who, or what is that?” Vince asked
turning to Spencer, “Do you think he…”
“I think he did.” Spencer confirmed.
Spencer stepped away from the scope.
“Where the hell is the Fiend Lord?”
“Wait. Do you remember which way he
ran?” Vince asked.
Vince pointed the sniper rifle towards the
building across the street which was twenty-eight
floor down and saw debris littering the ground
and a great gaping hole in the east side of the
building.
Spencer lowered his sniper rifle and
walked toward the door. “I think it’s time we
reported to Jessie.”
Spencer headed through the door to the
stairwell and led the way down the stairs to the
open plaza at the base of the building. From there
it was a short walk to Jessie’s survivor camp in
the south visitor center.
“What did you find?” Jessie asked as
Spencer and Vince walked back in.
“There is a queen at the capitol building
to the north, and your Fiend Lord is across the
street.” Spencer revealed.
“He’s across the street?” Jessie asked.
“Are you sure?”
“As sure as I can be.” Spencer replied.
Jessie nodded before heading to a
neighboring room and soon emerged with a
heavy duty assault rifle.
“Then we’re going after him.” Jessie
declared.
“Are you insane?” Dan shouted, “We
don’t even know if we can kill it.”
“The queens can be killed; I don’t see
why a Fiend Lord can’t be,” Gretchen retorted.
“I know they can but it’s damn hard to
do,” Dan retorted.
“Then you can stay here. I’ll bring his
head back,” Jessie remarked as she headed for
the door. She stopped at the door and turned back
to her band of survivors. “Who’s with me?”
“Jessie,” Vince began, “these things are
more active and more of a threat during the night,
which is what? Less than two hours away? We
should wait for morning to attack.”
“He might be right.” Halley chimed in.
Spencer could see that Jessie didn’t want
to leave until the Fiend Lord was dead.
“If he’s trying to kill you, then you can
bet he’ll still be here in the morning.” Spencer
offered.
“Fine, but I’m leaving at first light,
whoever wants to join me, be at the north gate by
eight in the morning.” Jessie ordered before
pointing Spencer, Vince and Gretchen to a small
corner.
“Rest here tonight,” Jessie said before
heading for her corner.
Night soon fell and the night was filled
with the horrible sounds of demonic screams, as
through Hell itself was replacing Earth in an epic
struggle. When Spencer fell asleep all he could
see was Salt Lake City, the skies were overcast
and blocked out any surrounding countryside.
But then, the clouds opened and a terrible beam
reached out from the skies and stuck the ground.
When the dust settled the city was gone, nothing
remained.
Spencer woke up in a cold sweat. What
had he seen, was it just a dream? Spencer looked
out the window towards the north and found the
sun was coming up, Spencer guessed that it was
around six thirty so he got up and armed himself.
The fight loomed ahead.
Spencer met with Jessie just outside. The
rain had stopped in the night leaving the ground
damp.
“Are you ready to fight?” Jessie asked.
“I just hope it’s not only the two of us.”
Spencer confessed.
Over the next hour members of the group
stepped up and volunteered. Gretchen was about
to volunteer when Spencer stepped closer.
“Gretchen, I want you to stay here.”
Spencer plead, his heart was beginning to pound,
he put as much emphasis as he could into his
words.
“Why, Are you planning on ditching me
again?” Gretchen shot back.
Spencer grimaced at the disturbing
memory and the pain he suffered outside
Albuquerque. “I…” Spencer stopped himself, he
was at a loss. “I ran like a coward. But I would
have wanted you to do the same thing in my
place,” Spencer said.
“You didn’t have to hear your father
being torn apart!” Gretchen shouted.
“No,” Spencer agreed. “I didn’t.” Spencer
defended, “I was forced to believe that somebody
else that I care about was dead,” Spencer started
to explain before pausing.
“But had I stayed I would have been killed and I
wouldn’t be able to tell you…” Spencer stopped
again, choked up by guilt and regret. Slowly
something bubbled to the surface. “I want you to
be here, if…” Spencer wanted to come back to
Gretchen. “…when I come back.” Spencer
begged.

He disappeared before he
saw the smile on Gretchen’s
face, a smile that disguised
the subtly of her confusion.
Her heart began to race as
she watched Spencer walk
away. An uneasy feeling that
something was about to go
horribly wrong settled in her
stomach, a feeling that the
man she had barely decided
to give her heart to might not
come back.
Chapter 4 – The Counter
Attack…

Spencer, Vince, Jessie, Dan, Justin, Jared
and Rodney stood in front of the large building
that looked more and more like a ziggurat to
them as they had approached. Down the middle
of the building’s face was a channel where water
once flowed from the roof to the ground. The
building was clean and immaculate, a testament
to its once sacred nature. There were a series of
stairs that switched back up the face of the
building like a trail into the mountains.

Out of the corner of his eye Spencer saw
a shape move from its hiding place behind the
southeast corner of the building. Turning,
Spencer saw nothing, it was gone.

“Spencer, you, Vince, and Rodney are
with me,” Jessie said. “Dan, you lead the second
squad in the front door. If there’s a problem, fire
three shots then run like hell.”

“Where are you going?” Dan demanded.
“We’re going to the roof,” Jessie replied
before beginning the hike up the switch backing
stairs.

The roof was covered with planters that
were divided by walkways that crisscrossed the
summit of the building. In the northwest corner
Jessie spied what looked like nine glass pyramids
that allowed a view into the interior of the
building. Spencer, Vince, Jessie, and Rodney
started across the roof.

“Jessie, where did you hear about gaining
a power from killing a Fiend Lord?” Spencer
asked.

Jessie paused, concerned that she might
be considered insane, but nonetheless, she briefly
explained. “An old guy appeared to me in a
dream.”

Spencer looked intrigued. “Did you see
him?”
Jessie nodded. “He wore a long cloak, I
couldn’t see his face.”
Spencer’s intrigue turned to awe; could
this be the same man that Spencer saw in
Arizona? Why was Jessie seeing him in a dream?
Jessie was almost relieved at Spencer’s
reaction; she could tell there was a story there;
she would just have to live through this day to get
it out of the guy. Stopping at the first glass
pyramid, Jessie knelt and peered through the
glass to the floor below expecting to see a
building as immaculate inside as it was outside.
As her eyes scanned the ground level,
Jessie felt bitter disappointment. The carpet on
the floor was charcoal black; seats throughout the
internal chamber were torched and strewn about.
In the front of the room there was a podium and
an elaborate stand where important dignitaries
would have addressed a considerable
congregation; it too had suffered significant
damage.
“What the hell happened down there?”
Three gunshots tore through the air
warning Jessie and her squad that there was a
problem; the gunshots were soon joined by the
screams of dying men.
“JUSTIN!” somebody faintly screamed.
Then the ebony black-skinned Fiend Lord
rocketed up the side of the building, then arched
downward to land on the roof with a mighty
crash. Under his huge fist was a body, even at the
distance of twenty feet they could see Jared lying
lifeless, pinned by the Prince Class demon.
“Oh no!” Jessie said before raising her
weapon hoping it was half as nasty as her quarry.
People scattered as bullets started flying, most
ricocheted off the scaled hide of the demon.
Spencer quickly found himself abandoned right
in the path of the charging Fiend Lord.
“Run, you idiot!” Jessie shouted. But the
Fiend Lord was a few feet out of range. Spencer
tried to run but was knocked out of the path by a
strange man that came out of nowhere. He was
wearing an off-white cloak that flowed down to
the ground. Spencer noticed that the person in the
cloak had a short beard of brilliant white. The
man held a sword with a silvery blade that
glowed with the reflected light of the sun. No, it
wasn’t reflected light. The blade seemed to glow
with celestial light. The man held out his free
hand.
“Get up,” the cloaked man said in a raspy
voice “this fight isn’t over yet. You may yet
survive.” The man encouraged.
Spencer took the hand that was offered
and got to his feet. He found himself surprised
the hand actually felt like flesh, like a real hand.
The demon came to an abrupt stop, skidding, and
then resumed his charge, like a bull after missing
the matador.
“Your weapon won’t work on this one,
you need this.” the man said, holding a sword by
the hilt; trying to fend off the pitch black Fiend
Lord.
The demon came within striking distance
before the strange man threw Spencer out of the
way and dodged the demon while performing a
spin maneuver with his sword; the tip caught the
upper bicep of the Fiend Lord who shrieked in
agony as a deep gash was carved in his upper
arm. Realizing he was in trouble he tried
changing his tactic and searched for the
remaining survivors, they had less effective
weapons and it could kill them as it escaped the
white foe. But the strange man struck first,
driving his celestial sword into the soft,
unprotected portions of the Fiend Lord’s right
shoulder.
The man removed his sword from the
demon’s shoulder and tried to follow up with a
second strike but the winged creature fled over
the side of the building. It opened its wings and
began to climb into the sky before heading north.
It was several seconds before Jessie, Vince or
Rodney decided to approach.
“Who are you?” Jessie demanded.
“I am called Michael.” The man replied,
pulling the hood from his head to reveal his
platinum white hair and the white scruff that
covered his jaw line. “The Princes of Hell will
soon return, and in greater number,” Michael
warned
“Then I think we should go after him and
finish him off,” Jessie replied.
“I agree, we should regroup before we
leave.” Spencer suggested.
Michael nodded before leading the way
back to the survivor camp.
“Spencer!” Gretchen shouted when
Spencer walked in, jumping to him she threw her
arms around his neck. When Spencer didn’t
return the hug Gretchen stepped back and
stumbled down, accentuating their height
difference. “What’s wrong?”
“Time to pack up, we have to leave,”
Spencer said.
“What happened?” Gretchen asked.
“We wounded him, he’s heading north,
and unless we leave now we’ll lose his trail.”
“Pack only essentials, we leave
immediately.” Jessie shouted.
“Where are Dan, Justin and Jared?”
Brittany asked.
“Dead,” Jessie barked out, trying to show
no emotion, but she couldn’t hide it all.
Spencer turned to Michael. “You said our
weapons would be useless against him. How can
we fight him?” Spencer asked.
“Only those with truth in their spirit can
use the weapons that will harm Lucifer’s
princes,” said Michael, who had since returned
his weapon to a nearly invisible sheath on his
back. There it would wait to be called to work
again. Michael extended his hand and wrapped
his fingers around an invisible shaft not much
bigger around than a broomstick and instantly
light began to focus to a point, the point quickly
transformed into a sword, long, sleek, and regal.
“Too many of you have already given up;
there is no faith within you.” His eyes narrowed
at Spencer. “You,” Michael began, “You just
might be able to summon the will to use a
celestial weapon,” Michael reveled. Michael
paced through the remaining survivors and
picked out two others, Vince and Gretchen.
He stopped at Jessie. “There is too much
turmoil within your heart,” Michael concluded.
“Until you sort through it, you will never be able
to wield these weapons.”
Spencer extended his hand as he had seen
Michael do, and closed his hand around an
invisible shaft of light. “Focus,” Michael
directed, “You must have faith.”
After several seconds Spencer conceded.
“I can’t.”
Michael noticed the sword on Spencer’s
back.
“What is that?” Michael asked.
“I took this off of one of the hive queens a
few days ago,” Spencer admitted.
“May I see it?” Michael requested.
Spencer took the sword off his back and
handed it to Michael.
“This sword bears the mark of evil; I fear
it may have begun corrupting you. I might be
able to reverse it, but I will need to take this with
me.” Michael explained, “The prince of Hell fled
north, beyond a city called Bountiful. He is the
one that has been corrupting the religious
sanctuaries, so you must hurry. I fear His
sanctuary there has already been corrupted. If
that is so, then it will soon be destroyed with the
city, just as Salt Lake will soon be destroyed. The
armies of hell must be stopped. I will see you
again in Bountiful,” Michael said before walking
out the door.
Terror filled all present as Spencer
confirmed what Michael just said. “Salt Lake is
going to be destroyed?”
Michael nodded. “Too much of the city
has already been corrupted and since there is
nobody capable of restoring them they must be
destroyed,” Michael explained.
“When?” Jessie demanded.
Michael shook his head. “I don’t know, it
may already be too late.”
Jessie leapt into action. “You heard him;
we have to clear out. Now!” Jessie said before
herding everybody to the Hummer.
As they drove out of Salt Lake City
Spencer glanced at Gretchen and she smiled back
at him. It was then that it hit him the gravity of
the situation, Hell had not only started a war with
Man, but also with God himself, and victory
could be achieved within the week. Was there
any hope? The city limits came and went, and the
city was still standing, was the city’s destruction
still to come?
Bountiful was a short drive from Salt
Lake City, only ten or fifteen minutes. The sun
was lowering as the Hummer entered the
deserted city allowing a beautiful religious
edifice on the hill to stand out. Oddly, all of the
building’s exterior lights were on even though
the power grid had been down for a week.
As they neared the sacred edifice, they
noticed several cars were in the parking lot.
“Wow, that’s beautiful,” Brittany
commented. In front there was lush vegetation,
beautiful water fountains, the building seemed to
glow as though it were white limestone under the
Egyptian sun, untarnished by time or the
elements.
Gretchen pulled the Hummer into the
parking lot. Spencer got out and as he did he
caught a glimpse of the clouds clearing over Salt
Lake City. Then a pale blue light quickly shot
down out from the sky like a bolt of lighting and
lit up the city for six whole seconds. Most of the
beam’s target was obscured by the mountains,
and it took a couple of seconds for the sound to
reach them. But when it did it sounded like
thunder after a lighting storm and yet it didn’t. It
was the sound of destruction.
“What the hell was that?” Jessie asked,
she too, had been watching.
“I’m not sure.” Spencer admitted then
stopped to think. “You think, maybe, it could
happen here too?” Spencer replied as he recalled
what Michael had told him earlier.
“Then let’s get in there and find the Fiend
Lord,” Jessie said.
“Where’s Michael?” Vince asked. “He
said we would see him here.”
“Maybe we’ll find him inside.” Gretchen
suggested.
Before heading inside Spencer prepared
himself expecting to see pretty much what he saw
in Salt Lake City, but walking in he saw just the
opposite, the lobby was neat and orderly. Not
even a layer of dust on the tables and chairs.
“Maybe he didn’t get this one,” Brittany
guessed.
“I’m going to head further in,” Spencer
said walking watchfully past the lobby and
towards the rear. Passing a bathroom he noticed
the halls were identical to the building in Salt
Lake; blackened walls, carpets were burned, and
plastic plants in the halls were burned into a pile
of melted plastic as though a fire ravaged the
entire building. Yet it had not burned everything,
just some specific items.
“There’s someone here?”
Spencer faintly heard the words coming
from a restroom, so Spencer barged in with gun
up and ready.
“You survived?” a man said when he saw
Spencer.
“Yeah, we just got here from Salt Lake.”
Jessie said, standing right next to Spencer.
“Well, make yourself at home.” The man
said, “We have plenty of food and water. This
place is safe, you don’t need to worry.”
Spencer noticed seven other people that
had found refuge in the once sacred building.
“Really?” Spencer challenged, “Who burned out
the interior of this place?”
The man was at a loss.
“You’re being crazy, Spencer,” Brittany
defended, “if they said this place is safe, then you
should be able to relax.”
A horrifying realization hit Spencer like a
four hundred pound linebacker. This could cost
him his credibility or it could cost the lives of
everybody in the building. “No, this place is
going to be destroyed,” Spencer declared.
“What?” the man asked in disbelief. “This
is a building of great religious significance.” The
man defended.
“No, this WAS a place of significance,
now you have a building that looks like it was
gutted by a fire.” Spencer countered “Michael
warned us. The light we saw before coming in
here, the sound. Something in Salt Lake was
destroyed, likely most of the city, and this
building is next. It has been corrupted and God is
going to destroy it. Anybody inside will die.”
“Did you see it? How do you know it was
destroyed?”
“You have to trust me on this,” Spencer
urged.
“You know, I have had just about enough
of you.” The man spat.
Spencer realized he was getting nowhere
trying to convince them, time was short enough
as it was. “Good, because I’m leaving, who’s
with me?” Spencer said before walking out with
great purpose.
Gretchen saw the look of horror on
Spencer’s face, and though she didn’t know what
it all meant, she followed Spencer with Vince on
her heels. She trusted in her man’s feelings and
he looked deadly serious right now. After a
couple of seconds Jessie, Rodney and Halley
followed.
“What took you so long?” Gretchen
asked.
“Brittany is staying behind, we were
trying to talk her out of it,” Jessie explained.
Gretchen looked back; her worry for Brittany
was starting to show.
“Does that mean you believe me?”
Jessie nodded. “Hell yeah…no pun
intended.”
“Do you really think God will destroy this
place?” Vince asked.
“Yes, the only question is can we get
away in time?” Spencer asked as he strode
quickly out the front door. Spencer looked up to
see the clouds start to clear, ahead he saw
Michael standing in front of the Hummer.
Spencer sprinted to meet him, Gretchen and
everybody else barely managed to keep up.
“You have to get out of here,” Michael
urged.
“We’re out of the building,” Gretchen
defended. “Aren’t we out of danger?”
“No, you need to get into your vehicle
and put as much distance behind you as possible
as fast as you can.
Spencer looked up and saw the clouds
had fully opened like a camera’s iris and a point
of pale blue light had appeared in the center, they
had very little time to get clear of the building
and the surrounding grounds.
“Oh crap!” Spencer commented, “Time’s
up, let’s go.”
All six packed into the Hummer.
Gretchen started the engine and peeled out onto
the street as the pale blue light rested around
them, shining in through the Hummer’s windows
from all directions, a grim foreshadowing of what
was to come. Spencer looked back for Michael
but he was gone.
It was two miles later when the light had
noticeably intensified; Spencer expected they
would have another few seconds before all hell
broke loose. He was wrong; that’s when it all hit
the fan and hit it hard. The sacred structure
erupted in a violent explosion that might as well
have been a nuclear blast. Houses on the side of
the road were shattered into splinters of glass,
wood and rock not even ten feet back. Each of
the Hummer’s windows shattered spraying
everybody with glass shards but Gretchen kept
the gas pedal mashed down, she only raised a
covered arm to guard against the crystalline
pieces.