Demon Gate: Beyond the 9th Circle: The Rapture Was Just The Beginning. (20 page)

Spencer didn’t sleep at all, the rain lifted
somewhat sometime in the night, nobody had
seen a working watch in months. Lightning still
crackled across the sky.

Spencer was jarred from his attempts to
rest by a scraping sound right outside the barn
door, so he nudged Vince and went to
investigate.

Vince didn’t wake up, Spencer was on his
own.
Spencer drew his sword and unlocked the
door.
The door creaked as it opened and the
profile of a man stood in the doorway, a man
wearing an off white cloak, dripping wet from
the rain. Lightning lit up the sky further
accenting the silhouette.
Spencer knew exactly who it was, and
could not restrain his fury or his tongue
“How dare you show your face here after
leaving us high and dry against Lucifer.” Spencer
yelled waking up Jessie and Vince.
“Spencer, what the hell are you yelling
about?” Jessie asked.
“Michael.” Jessie said as she got up and
rushed to the door, Spencer stomped away,
fuming.
Jessie pulled Michael in to the barn and
out of the rain and sat him down on a bale of hay
before turning on Spencer.
“Spencer, you need to calm down.” Jessie
scolded.
“Where was he when Lucifer did this to
Gretchen?” Spencer demanded pointing at
Gretchen.
For the first time since meeting Michael,
he sounded displeased, his voice was like
thunder.
“I could not come, and I apologize, but I
could not have helped either way, I alone could
not have defeated Satan, we chose to send you
four because you combine had the best chance
for victory.” Michael chastised, “Most of the
Archangels are not strong enough the challenge
Satan alone, most are not much more than
messengers. The only ones that could have done
anything are God and his Son, and they are
preparing for Satan’s invasion of Heaven.”
Spencer was taken aback; he had not
considered why Michael was not there, he
swallowed his pride with a gulp.
“I’m sorry.” Spencer offered, and
Michael nodded.
Spencer turned his attention to Gretchen.
“Is she going to be alright?” Spencer
asked turning a glance to Gretchen. Michael
approached Gretchen and put his hand to her
chest just beneath her throat. Spencer, Vince and
Jessie waited nervously for Gretchen to stir.
Michael closed his eyes; he seemed to be
concentrating on something. Sweat began to bead
up on his brow; his countenance began to glow
with glorious celestial light.
Finally, after ten nerve-racking minutes,
the celestial light faded and Michael stood, his
expression told Spencer everything: the news was
not good.
“She’s not going to wake up…Is she?”
Spencer asked.
“She is alive.” Michael confirmed, “What
happened?”
Spencer wasn’t sure what details would
be important so he began well before Satan’s
grab into her chest.
“After the third horseman arrived we
made our move, but Satan quickly immobilized
us, then he made another attempt to transform me
into a demon but somehow Gretchen broke free
and fought back, she managed to defeat him and
break his hold on us. Satan tried to convince me
to join, and when I told him to go to hell he
reached inside her body and pulled out a ghostly
copy of her and it condensed into a.”
Spencer explained and Michael filled in the gaps.
“The copy turned into a sphere.” Michael
said before he stood up. “Satan stole Gretchen’s
soul.”
“Is she going to be alright?” Spencer
asked.
“
She
will be.” Michael replied,
emphasizing the first word.
The worry on Spencer’s face urged
Michael to explain.
“Her unborn child will die if her soul and
her body are not rejoined soon. I would say, two
days.” Michael explained.
Spencer about choked on the words
Michael had just uttered. “She’s P-pregnant?” He
looked at Jessie, she turned away in shame. “You
knew? When were you going to tell me?”
Jessie turned back to Spencer.
“Telling you wasn’t my job.” Jessie
chided.
“How can we get her soul back? Vince
asked.
“You’ll have to go to the lowest level of
hell and best Satan in a contest of skill.” Michael
explained. “But He has already sealed off access
to hell.” Michael said, and then paused as if to
think.
“Except, there might be one way in.”
“Where is it?” Spencer demanded.
“The Devil’s Triangle.” Michael replied.
“That makes sense; ships have been
getting lost there for centuries.” Jessie piped in.

“I’ll go.” Spencer courageously
volunteered.
“Wait a minute; we have to intentionally
get lost in the Bermuda’s triangle to get to hell if
we want to rescue Gretchen and defeat Satan
once and for all?” Vince asked.
“Unless you have a better plan,” Spencer
said.
“You stand the best chance if you are able
to defeat him before he reaches the gates of
Heaven.” Michael explained.
“Which means I need to go to hell to
attack the problem at its source.” Spencer
clarified. “I’ll go at first light.” Spencer said with
finality.
“How are you going to get there, the only
way in is in the Bermuda’s Triangle?” Jessie
challenged.
“I don’t know.” Spencer said, “Wait, do
you think Air Force One could make it?”
“It’s possible, but don’t you mean ‘we’re
in this together’?” Vince corrected.
“Count me in.” Jessie chimed in.
“What about Gretchen, who will stay and
watch over her?” Spencer asked.
Michael nodded.
“With Lucifer defeated on earth I can
protect her from whatever Lucifer would send
short of himself, but that means I cannot go with
you to hell.” Michael offered.
“Will she be alright?” Spencer asked
incredulously, “I thought the Archangels were
nothing more than messengers.”
“I said ‘most are’, she will be fine with
me.”
Spencer nodded, “If you’re with me, then
we leave at first light.”
“Before you go there is something I must
teach you: How to bind Satan.” Michael offered.
“This is crucial knowledge that you must do or
Satan will once again have power over the hearts
of men.”
“What’s that?” Vince asked.
“For millennia he has been deceiving men
by offering them what they want if they can best
him in a contest of skill,” Michael revealed.
“None have ever bested him because nobody
knows what challenge he is good at.”
“I don’t suppose you know what we
should challenge him to.” Jessie asked.
Michael leaned in and whispered
something to Spencer, he lingered for several
moments.
Stepping back Michael took a position
next to Gretchen and he did not move.
Spencer was able to sleep after that, but
his dreams were disturbing to say the least.
In his dreams, Spencer found himself
walking through a field of fiery geysers that
spouted fire and brimstone. Searching for
Gretchen, he stopped as he came to a cliff
overlooking a vast open field with volcanoes
surrounding the castle that Spencer thought had
been obliterated.
Spencer turned in all directions trying to
figure out where he was.
“Help me.” A voice pled, almost
moaning.
Spencer looked for the source of the plea
but found nothing.
“Welcome, Mr. Garza.” Another voice
called.
Spencer turned to see Lucifer, but he was fifty
feet tall.
“You will join me, willing or not!” Satan
vowed then laughed manically, Spencer turned to
run and found himself in a dungeon, archaic
prison cells on either side, fireflies flew around.
No they weren’t fireflies, they were disembodied
souls.
“Spencer, please help.” The ethereal
voice still pled for help.
Spencer ran to get away from them and
the arms of the damned reached out for him from
behind the bars moaning in desperation,
frantically trying to reach for Spencer as though
he was their escape.
Spencer tried to get out of the dungeon,
but is just stretched on forever he was unable to
escape, unable to find Gretchen.
Then he started falling down into a deep
dark abyss of never ending woe.
“Spencer, I love you.” The ghostly voice
professed.
“Gretchen?” Spencer asked.
Solid ground appeared beneath his feet
and he found himself in a darkened hallway that
sat about eight feet high and fifteen feet across,
the walls were burgeoning with plant life, vines
that bore the most beautiful flowers. At one end
was a horrific scene of fire, brimstone and pleas
for help, and the other end was a feminine
silhouette, short shoulder length red hair, her
hands were holding her lower abdomen.
Spencer broke into a dead run, he
stretched out his hand to touch her hand which
she then extended. Just before their hands
touched Gretchen vanished, and Spencer’s eyes
fluttered open. Jessie and Vince were standing
over him. Brilliant sunlight streamed in from the
open door.
“Good morning sleepy head.” Jessie
joked.
“We leave at first light.” Vince said
imitating Spencer from the night before.
Spencer was confused, then he quickly recalled
the events from the previous night, and his
dream, for the most part his joy was short lived,
but Gretchen’s last words from his dream gave
him a new found strength that he didn’t realize he
could muster.
“We were just waiting on you.” Vince
admitted.
Jessie helped Spencer to his feet.
Jessie took a seat in Vince’s lap, Spencer
took the drivers seat before starting the car and
backing out of the barn.
Spencer took to the road and sped away
heading for Berlin, but as he sped away his eyes
lingered on the barn as it vanished into the
distance, wondering if he would ever see his
beloved Gretchen again.

Brandenburg Airport sat empty except for
a single large aircraft, Air Force One. Spencer,
Vince and Jessie boarded the air craft and sealed
the door before heading for the cockpit, and
starting the engines.

“Do we have enough fuel to get us
there?” Jessie asked as she joined Spencer in the
cockpit.

“Maybe.” Spencer replied as he eased the
throttle forward, the plane moved to the near end
of the runway, Spencer reduced the throttle and
then turned the mammoth plane around to face
down the runway.

Spencer stared down the runway before
pushing the throttle and accelerating to higher
ground speeds, the end of the runway approached
and Spencer pulled back on the yolk, lifting the
plane into the air.

Five hours after the plane reached a safe
cruising altitude Spencer turned to Jessie, “Take
the yolk; I need to plot the route to the heart of
the Bermuda Triangle.”

“I don’t know how to fly.” Jessie
objected.
“It’s easy, just hold her steady.” Spencer
demonstrated, occasionally making a minor
course correction.
Reluctantly Jesse reached up and grabbed
the stick and gently guided the jet as she had seen
Spencer do. Spencer got up and went to the
command center where Vince was seated.
“Vince, I need you to help me with this.”
Spencer requested.
“Sure.” Vince said as he stood. “Where
are we landing?”
“That’s just it,” Spencer began, “We’re
not landing.”
“What?” Vince demanded.
“Michael said there was a massive
whirlpool in the center of the Bermuda Triangle.”
Spencer explained.
“What? We fly over it and we get taken to
hell?” Vince asked. “Sort of a reverse rapture?”
“Not at all.” Spencer replied, and Vince
seemed relieved. “We crash into it.”
Vince buried his face in his hands and started
grumbling in annoyance and terror for a minute
before lowering his hands.
Vince reached for something to write
with, and began to draw a triangle on the counter,
then started writing symbols and numbers in and
around it.
“What are you doing?” Spencer wondered
aloud.
“Trying to figure out exactly where the
center of the triangle is, if we’re off by even a
few miles that would completely derail our plans
real fast.” Vince explained and just kept working,
it was another few minutes before Vince had
added the eastern seaboard to the drawing and
added dozens of additional numbers and
symbols.
“There it is.” Vince finally said then
headed for the cockpit with Spencer on his heels.
As Vince arrived in the cockpit, Jessie
noticed him, and a smile briefly form on her face.
Vince reached the navigational computer
and plugged in a new set of coordinates, then
switched on the autopilot, the plane lurched to
the left.
“Where are you taking us?” Jessie asked.
“This will take us to Jamaica; we will
pass over the whirlpool before then.” Vince
affirmed.
Spencer walked down the stairs into the
command center, then down to the flight deck
and finally into the galley to find some more
MRE’s, though he would have given anything for
real food.
Back in the cockpit Vince tried to break
the ice, if he was about to die he wanted Jessie to
know how he felt.
“Are you as anxious about this as I am?”
Vince asked.
Jessie cocked an eyebrow at the question.
“What do you mean?” Jessie asked.
“I’m just a little anxious about crashing
into the ocean intentionally.” Vince admitted.
“You think I’m not?” Jessie asked. “I’ve
been fighting and killing demons for more than
six months and survived this long only to die,
drowning in the middle of the ocean with no
rescue.”
“Then why are we doing it?” Vince
asked.
“Because, I trust in God. I believe that
even though I have never seen God, he knows
what’s going on, and cares enough. Other wise
why would we still be alive?” Jessie asked.
Vince smiled at her, “I just had to know
where you stand.” Vince said.
“And where do you stand?” Jessie asked
openly.
“If I was opposed to this I would still be
in Arizona.” Vince laughed.
“No, where do you stand…with me?”
Jessie asked; it suddenly occurred to him; Jessie
had subtly developed feelings for Vince.
“I thought it wasn’t a surprise.” Vince
replied as he took Jessie’s hand.
Back in the galley as Spencer was finishing up
the last of his meal he tossed the remains into a
pile that had formed before walking out of the
lower deck and back up to the cockpit where he
relieved Vince and Jessie.
Spencer sat in the pilot seat and watched
out the window as the sea zipped beneath Air
Force One.
It was another hour or two when a blip
appeared on the navigation screen.
It was an island; it was Bermuda, and it they
passed it after twenty minutes.
“Vince, Jessie. Get up here, Bermuda is
behind us.”
Vince and Jessie appeared at the top of the stairs
after a minute.
“That whirlpool is going to be here any
minute, and we’ll only have one shot at this.”
Jessie said as Spencer switched off the auto pilot
and took the yolk.
Time slipped by as the waves past
beneath the plane.
It appeared as a dot on the horizon but
quickly came up. Spencer reduced throttle to give
a little more time to hit the mark.
Then a whine pierced the plane and a
notice appeared flashing on the screen.
“We just lost an engine. We’re running
out of fuel.” Spencer called, his voice quickly
filling with panic, and then a second engine cut
out.
“Get strapped in, it’s going to be a bumpy
ride.” Spencer ordered.
Vince and Jessie proceeded into the
command center and secured themselves in the
first seats they came to.
Spencer looked at the navigation screen
and saw the whirlpool was registering, but just
barely, it was only a couple miles, how long
could the plane stay in the air with the engines
running out of fuel?
The whirlpool was now less than a mile
away and the plane’s two remaining engines
were running on fumes.
The last engine cut out.
Spencer put the nose down to aim at the
whirlpool, the sound of Air Force One screaming
as it was rapidly losing altitude assailed their
ears. The ocean came up at them at ever
increasing speed until the windows were flushed
with water, the plane had just hit the ocean.
Spencer unstrapped himself from his seat
and quickly ran down into the command center
where Vince and Jessie were recovering from the
crash landing.
“Let’s get to the rear of the plane; this
place is going to fill up fast.” Spencer said as he
led the way to the now flooding passenger
compartment, the lower levels were out of the
question now as they were nearly completely
flooded.
Vince found a raft near the door they
entered through.
“Time to abandon ship.” Vince said as he
reached for the lever to pop the hatch.
The door fell into the ocean then Vince pulled the
cord to begin the inflation of the raft and tossed it
into the water.
“After you.” Vince offered to Spencer
who first strapped his sword to his back before he
leapt from the sinking plane into the ocean, Jessie
went second and then Vince took his turn
jumping into the sea. One by one they each
climbed into the raft which gently floated toward
the whirlpool only a hundred feet away, as it
drew closer the raft was pulled toward the
maelstrom more and more quickly.
As they slipped into the rough waters on
the whirlpools outer edge the raft bumped and
rocked, finally they saw it, the gurgling maw of
the giant whirlpool, it circled around and around
until the raft slipped in, and everybody lost
consciousness.