Read Demon Gate: Beyond the 9th Circle: The Rapture Was Just The Beginning. Online
Authors: Joel Heath
Vince panted, exposing his warm breath
to the chill night air as he raced through the
moonlit night. He ran along the foot of a steep
hill into a field blanketed by a thin veil of fog
that clung to the ground. A variety of objects
poked out of the mist, some were trees, others,
Vince was too scared to stop and look at. Vince
continued running through the seemingly open
landscape and tripped over something hidden in
the mist. Falling to the ground Vince went face
first in to an unkempt blanket of grass that was
growing wildly out of control.
Vince pulled his face from the damp grass
to inspect what he had tripped over, it was a
grave marker, the grave was old, the marker
indicated that its occupant was buried in 1694; he
was in a graveyard, an old expansive cemetery.
Vince scrambled to his feet, adrenaline was now
coursing through his body, anxiety was building.
Vince’s head swung wildly looking around, he
knew that there was somebody else there, he
could feel it in the heavy air, but he just couldn’t
see them.
Vince ran across an open section of the
graveyard to a mausoleum that had big heavy
looking doors. Then turned to look to his right,
he could have sworn he saw something move,
after he saw nothing he turned his attention to his
seemingly aimless wandering.
Vince heard a deep, dark laugh echo
creepily through the cold night air, then the
sound of Vince’s heartbeat replaced the sound of
leaves rustling but not the sound of the footsteps
approaching from everywhere and nowhere.
Then a hand landed on his shoulder, fear turned
to dread as Vince whipped his head around and
what he saw caused his heart to stop, it was a
face, or part of a face. Only a pair or eyes and a
mouth twisted in an evil smirk were visible.
Vince screamed as he turned to run from
the face. Vince made it thirty feet before a
heavily muffled ‘thud’ broke the silence, then
another and another, the sounds were coming
from the ground, and they were all around him.
Two dozen grave markers surrounded him. As
the sounds continued a hand emerged from the
mist, and then another. The hands were severely
decayed, some were missing fingers, and more
kept rising. Finally a head joined the hands, the
dead were rising from the grave and Vince would
be caught in the middle if he didn’t move
immediately.
Vince spotted a break in the rising
corpses and made a mad dash for it, clearing the
zombies he kept running.
Vince didn’t noticed another hand rising
from a grave directly in his path, the hand
reached for Vince’s leg and Vince went face first
into the grass.
Rolling over he looked up to see the face
that he only saw in his worst nightmares, the eyes
and the mouth. The eyes started to glow red and
fangs replaced some of the teeth in the mouth.
The face came close to Vince like a Lion ready to
pounce before it lunged. Vince raised his arms to
defend himself, several seconds passed before
Vince realized the face did not attack.
Vince looked to find himself in a
medieval style chamber. Vince heard the sound
of a woman screaming, she was being tortured,
Vince managed to calm himself down enough to
look around to see where the screams were
coming from and all he could tell was that he was
in a cylindrical room about thirty feet tall, eight
feet across. There was a cot along the wall, a
drain, which measured four inches, sat in the
middle of the floor and a vent of identical size in
the ceiling. There were no doors, no windows, no
way out. How he got in was of utmost concern,
because that’s how he was to get out and save
Jessie.
“VINCE, HELP ME!” the voice pled as it
echoed.
Instantly Vince knew the voice.
“JESSIE!” Vince called.
Vince went to the wall that was closest to where
Jessie screamed, where Jessie was being held and
tortured and started yelling, but after four hours,
his voice began to waiver. Tears began to take
the place of his screams to see his captors.
It was another three hours before a gate
opened in the middle of the room and a voice
beckoned him to enter the portal.
Vince climbed to his feet and slowly
walked to the portal before entering and finding
himself in a medieval style torture chamber
complete with rack, Iron Maiden and a guillotine.
There were items in the room that were not
typical of feudal Europe: voodoo doll of Jessie, a
small, yet smooth, black bead that had a hole on
either side, a small cage for snakes, there was
also a blacksmith’s forge near the middle of the
room, and a table next to a bubbling cauldron.
Jessie lay, strapped to the table, there
were burns on her clothing and her skin, the
voodoo doll that was made in her likeness had
seven pins in it, each one looked more like a
knife, one in the back, one in the stomach, one in
each limb and one in the face.
“JESSIE!” Vince called as he approached
her.
“Who did this to you?” Vince asked
infuriated.
Jessie tried to say something, but it came out as a
mumble. Jessie tried to point at the voodoo doll
and then to her own mouth.
Vince reached for the doll, understanding
that Jessie wanted him to do something with the
doll; Vince pulled the pin from the dolls face.
“Vince,” Jessie finally wept. “What took
you so long?” Jessie demanded.
“Come on,” Vince said as he started
pulling the pins out of the doll, “I have to get you
out of here before he comes back.” Vince said
just as before, seconds later a heavy set of
footsteps echoed in from a darkened doorway, it
was a man who wore gaudy looking robes, his
face obscured by a hood.
“She’s suffering, you know.” The man
said lowering the hood of his robe.
The man looked familiar.
It was Spencer, he had been torturing
Jessie.
“How can I help her?” Vince asked.
“End her suffering, she will die, the only
question is will she suffer or will you ease her
passing?” Spencer asked soullessly.
“No, I can’t kill her.” Vince defended.
“Why not?” Spencer asked, “Why do you
wish her to suffer?”
“I don’t want her to suffer, but I.” Vince
paused.
“You love her, and yet you let her suffer
needlessly.” Spencer reminded then walked over
to a table and retrieved a jewel encrusted knife,
one that looked familiar, one he had seen before,
but where had he seen it?
Vince unconsciously accepted the knife
and as he held it he proceeded over to Jessie. She
started to weep, “Vince, what are you doing?”
Jessie asked.
“I’m sorry Jessie. I love you, and can’t
bare the sight of you suffering.” Vince said, but
inside he screamed against what he was about to
do. Vince raised the knife and placed a hand on
Jessie’s shoulder before plunging the knife into
Jessie’s chest. She screamed as Vince stabbed her
again and again until eight stab wounds leaked
blood and Jessie stopped moving and her dying
breath slipped from her mouth.
It took a few seconds for Vince to realize
that he had just murdered Jessie.
“No, what did I just do?” Vince wondered
in disgust before tossing the knife into the far
corner of the torture chamber then leaned over
and began to vomit.
“JESSIE!” Vince shouted as he rolled out
of bed onto the stone floor. Vince woke up and
realized he was in the tall cylindrical room.
“VINCE, HELP ME!” Jessie screamed.
“NO!” Vince cried, it was playing out just
like before, was it real or was it a horrible
nightmare?
Vince started looking around for
something that he could use to get though the
wall, but there was nothing more than the cot the
drain and the air duct. If he was going to attempt
something he would have only one chance to do
it, it was seven hours before the portal opened up
and Vince stepped through into the torture
chamber to find Jessie strapped to the table,
“Come on,” Vince said as he started
pulling the pins out of the doll, “I have to get you
out of here before he comes back.” Vince said
just as before, seconds later a heavy set of
footsteps echoed in from a darkened doorway, it
was a man who wore gaudy looking robes, his
face obscured by a hood.
“She’s suffering, you know.” The man
said lowering the hood of his robe.
The man looked familiar.
It was Spencer, he had been torturing
Jessie.
“How can I help her?” Vince asked.
“End her suffering, she will die, the only
question is will she suffer or will you ease her
passing?” Spencer asked soullessly.
Vince backed away, looking from Jessie to
Spencer.
“No, I can’t kill her.” Vince defended,
shaking his head.
“Why can’t you do it?” Spencer asked,
“Why do you wish her to suffer?”
“I don’t want her to suffer, but I.” Vince
paused, Spencer realized Vince’s dilemma, and
smiled wickedly.
“You love her,” Spencer said.
Vince nodded, lowering his gaze to the floor in
shame.
“You love her and yet you let her suffer
needlessly.” Spencer reminded.
Vince shot a glance at Spencer.
“What if it was Gretchen?” Vince asked.
Spencer then pointed to a table covered by a
sheet.
“I did the only humane thing, I did what I
had to do and ended her suffering.” Spencer
calmly said, it was very unnerving. Vince’s gaze
fell on Jessie, and he approached Spencer who
then reached toward a table and retrieved a jewelencrusted knife, the knife looked familiar, it was
one Vince had seen before, but where or when
had he seen it?
Spencer handed the knife to Vince.
Reluctantly, Vince took the knife and looked at
Jessie.
“I will not be the one to kill her after you
spent four hours torturing her. I know that she is
suffering, but I would rather die than do her any
more harm.”
“What are you doing?” Spencer
demanded. Vince plunged the knife into his own
stomach, but he felt no pain.
Vince looked down at the knife and found
the knife was gone; he looked up at Spencer, who
was smiling a wicked smile.
“So, you refuse to kill her. Let’s see how
long your love for her lasts when she is trying to
kill you.” Spencer said.
Vince heard the sound of various animals
and other jungle creatures behind him so he
turned around; he was no longer in the torture
chamber. He was in the jungle, standing in a
clearing.
Moments later Jessie entered the clearing
a very large gun in her hand, it was an M-249
machine gun.
“Jessie?” Vince asked.
“Yes, Vince?” Jessie replied, her voice
was filled with hatred, it was clear to Vince that
Jessie was there to kill.
Jessie raised her weapon and fired off
several dozen rounds, Vince ducked into the
foliage as the bullets started whizzing past and
tried to clear the area as fast as he could move.
Finally the shooting stopped. Vince looked back
and vaguely saw Jessie discard her machine gun;
it must have run out of ammunition.
“Vince?” Jessie called trying to see if
Vince had survived her attack.
A twig snapped, Jessie smiled wickedly
and proceeded into the underbrush after Vince
drawing a meat cleaver.
Vince heard the foliage being disturbed
and looked back to find Jessie, she was coming
toward him, so Vince quickly got to his feet, and
took off running.
“You’re not going to get away from me.”
Jessie screamed as she took off in pursuit,
swinging the meat cleaver wildly.
Vince noticed a weapon stockpile and
headed for it, maybe he could get Jessie to stop
and talk so he could understand why she was
trying to kill him.
Vince reached the weapons cache and
grabbed for a weapon, a desert eagle. Vince
removed the clip to see if it was loaded, then he
reinserted the clip and racked the weapon and
fired a shot into the dirt. Jessie was undeterred,
Vince fired a second shot into the dirt, this time
at her feet and Jessie kept drawing closer, she
was now in range so she threw the meat cleaver
and it struck Vince in the shoulder. Vince fired
another shot, this time not of his own volition and
right at Jessie.
“NO, JESSIE.” Vince shouted as he
dropped the weapon and pulled the meat cleaver
from his shoulder before running to Jessie.
Vince cradled Jessie’s head in his arms as
she lay dying.
“Why were you trying to kill me?” Vince
asked.
“I don’t love you any more.” Jessie
weakly replied as her life slipped away.
Her voice was off … Vince stepped away.
Vince noticed a glowing crack spreading
across several trees; he was finally able to put it
all together. Something, or someone moved in
the foliage.
“WHERE ARE YOU?” Vince shouted,
looking around for someone he guessed would be
close.
Finally, a voice called from behind.
“I hear you.” Lucifer called causing
Vince to turn around.
“You!” Vince asked with disdain.
Lucifer looked down and saw Jessie’s lifeless
body.
“Why am I here?” Vince demanded.
“Why should I tell you?” Lucifer asked.
“Did you make me shoot her?” Vince
asked.
Lucifer scoffed.
“You think I have that kind of power?”
Lucifer asked, “You picked up the gun, I just
planted the idea, you killed her.”
“Why would I kill someone I care
about?” Vince asked.
Lucifer shrugged his shoulders.
“It doesn’t matter, after forcing you to
live your personal hell, I have learned what I
need to get the upper hand, I’ll release you now.
Where you go is up to you, but if you choose to
come after me, you can’t win, nobody ever has
before.” Lucifer offered with a devilish grin
before wandering back into the foliage.
Spencer found himself wandering into a
crowded thoroughfare, it was near sundown as he
walked down the street. Spencer took the hand of
a woman at his right, and looked lovingly into the
eyes of Gretchen who stood at his side. Gretchen
was pushing a stroller as they came to a street
crossing where several dozen people waited to
cross.
“Honey, remind me to change the baby’s
diaper when we get to the restaurant.” Gretchen
requested. “By the way, where are we eating
tonight?”
“There was a new pizza place that opened
up down just off Times Square.” Spencer
admitted.
“No, that was two months ago, right after
the baby was born. He wanted to treat us because
I got him that job on the new office building in
the financial districts.” Spencer corrected.