Rapture (28 page)

The Lemure attacked.

It was almost too easy – the Lemure seemed to completely ignore Sam and his flashing blades, intent on getting to Grace and, to a lesser extent, Joshua. Joshua provided little in the way of resistance. Something seemed to be wrong with him and he only managed to batter one or two Lemure aside with his baseball bat. Sam hewed them down with ease. Within moments, the Lemure were nothing but mounds of dust.

Sheathing his blades, Sam knelt down beside Grace. Her eyes were open. She opened her mouth to speak but suddenly coughed violently. Standing above him, he could hear suppressed coughing from Joshua as well.

“What’s wrong?” he asked both of them.

“It’s the air,” Joshua gasped. “Hard to breathe.”

Only then did Sam notice that the air was thick with the stench of sulphur. Sam had no trouble breathing, almost as if his body welcomed the smell. In fact, everything about this place seemed to agree with him; the constant strong breeze, the heat, the aromas. His body felt strong and powerful. Unlike his mind, His treacherous body responded to it eagerly. It was trying to tell him something and he was desperately attempting to ignore it. He couldn’t though.

His body was telling him he was home.

“We can’t stay here,”said Sam, ignoring the sensations. The glowing outlines of the pentagram were fading now that the Lemure had completed their journey. Nearby, however, Sam could see other pentagrams forming on the plateau, and several Lemure appeared within them. “It’s not safe.”

Lifting Grace into his arms and offering Joshua his shoulder for support, he led them towards a nearby cliff face. It was riddled with openings, what seemed to be passages. It was the best - and only - option available under the circumstances.

He chose one of the passages at random and led Joshua into it, constantly casting wary glances behind him. Instinctively he knew that he was relatively safe in this realm; the Lemure ignored him because of what he was. Grace and Joshua, on the other hand, were a different story. Demons could probably sniff them out in moments. Heedless of direction, he turned down other side passages in what was probably a futile attempt to confuse any pursuers.

At least the constant breeze was gone, and with it some of the intense smell of sulphur. Both Joshua and Grace seemed to be breathing slightly more easily. Eventually, finding a small cave in the wall of the passage, he called a halt and laid Grace down. Gasping hoarsely, Joshua settled down on the rock floor with obvious relief. Close by, Sam stood guard at the entrance, his hands never far from the hilts of his swords.

Struggling with the stifling heat, Joshua took off his guard’s jacket. Sam followed suit, despite not feeling the heat at all. He ripped some strips from the jacket lining and moved to Grace’s side.

“How are you doing?” he asked.

Grace attempted to smile but Sam could see that it was forced. “Fine,” she said. “My head hurts a bit though.”

The medical training that Hikari had forced upon him hadn’t really covered anything other than cuts and broken bones. His master had made it clear that his life could depend on such training, given that it was unlikely he would have access to a doctor or a hospital. However, everything Hikari had taught him stressed self-reliance. It was done with love of course; Hikari’s only intention to keep his student alive. His master had probably never considered that Sam might have to minister to others in need. He wrapped one of the strips of cloth from his jacket around Grace’s head and tied it up firmly. It was a field dressing but it would do for now. He suspected that Grace had concussion and there was little else he could do for her here.

“Thank you,” said Grace, touching one of his hands. “You didn’t have to come back for me.”

“Yes, I did.”

“It was very brave of you,” she said, her lips forming the ghost of a smile.

“No, it wasn’t,” he disagreed, feeling a little embarrassed. “It wasn’t brave at all. I was just doing what I was raised to do. What I was meant to do. You wouldn’t understand how many times I’ve failed in that simple task these last few weeks. I wasn’t about to fail this time.”

“Regardless,” she said. “I appreciate it. You are a good man, Sam.”

Sam felt himself blushing and turned away, unable to meet her eye. He used the rest of the jacket to make a pillow for her head, and when he was confident that he’d made her as comfortable as possible, he turned his attention to Joshua. The other boy was still sitting in the same spot, staring into space.

Sam sat down next to him. “What about you?” he asked.

“I’m good,” said Joshua gruffly.

“What’s eating you?”

“Nothing. Just tired.”

“Can you breathe alright?”

Joshua nodded. “It’s much better in here.”

Sam noticed that blood was still slowly trickling out of the wound on Josh’s scalp. “Let me dress that for you.”

Joshua shook Sam’s hands off him. “Leave me alone.”

Sam sat back in surprise. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Why did you have to do it?” Joshua stared at him angrily.

“Do what?” Sam asked in confusion.

“Bring us here.”

“Keep your voice down,” he hissed. He glanced over at Grace but she appeared to be sleeping. “I had to save her,” he said.

“But at what cost?” exclaimed Joshua, making an effort to lower his voice. “Look where we are. How are we supposed to get out of here now?”

“I don’t know,” he confessed. “But I couldn’t leave her. I’ve done that before and regretted it ever since. You would’ve done the same.”

Joshua shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t. I never wanted to see this place.”

Sam was thoroughly confused by Joshua’s strange behaviour. Although the boy lacked belief and that had condemned him to remain on earth during the Tribulation, he knew that Joshua had a good heart. Joshua would’ve done the same thing in his position, wouldn’t he? Perhaps he had misjudged Joshua. The thought left him feeling uneasy.

“I’m sorry for bringing you here but it was an accident. I’ll think of something. I’ll get us out of here,” he said, not believing a word.

In reality, he had very little idea what they were going to do. He’d acted instinctively to save Grace without considering the consequences. That was probably why Joshua resented him. Now he, along with Sam and Grace were stranded in Hell.

“What are you going to do?” asked Joshua.

For a moment, Sam played with a thought that had been teasing him since they arrived. “I felt something when the Lemure brought us here. I could almost understand what they were doing and how to do it. I’m half demon, right?” Joshua nodded. “Well, it appears that all demons can travel from Hell to Earth, as long as you travel to a desecrated church. All I have to do is figure out how to do it. If something as stupid as a Lemure can do it, then surely I can.”

Joshua nodded, some hope returning to his face. “That’s true,” he said cautiously.

Sam smiled at him. “Now, let me dress that wound. I’m sure Hell isn’t the most hygienic place. We don’t want it getting infected. While I’m at it, I should look at the wound in your arm.”The bandage-wrapped wrist wound that Joshua had sustained during their overland journey from Bryce Valley City was clearly visible through the thin guard’s shirt.

Joshua rubbed at the wound self-consciously. “It’s fine,” he said. “I’ll take the bandage off in a couple of days.”

Sam shrugged. “As you wish.”

He spent the next few minutes tightly wrapping the injury to Josh’s head, sustained during their forced entry into the church. It didn’t appear serious but Sam didn’t want to take any risks. He’d believed what he’d said about Hell not being hygienic. Although Sam’s own body appeared to thrive in such conditions, he doubted the abilities of Joshua or Grace to do the same. Surely, prolonged exposure to this place could not be good for them. The sooner they got out of here, the better. Sam just had to figure out how.

Much later, Sam helped both teenagers out of the small cave. He had no idea how long they had spent resting, given that Hell did not seem to have any discernable night or day, but it must have been several hours at least.

Sam resisted the impulse to stay put. Grace and Joshua were both more comfortable in the cave, but he knew it was only a matter of time until a demon stumbled upon them. Their only hope was to keep moving.

Grace was able to walk – just – but he had to assist her. Joshua stumbled slowly along behind him. Above the rock walls of the passage was open air and, much further in the distance, the ceiling that presumably marked the upper boundary of Hell. Sam darted frequent nervous glances in that direction. If they were going to be discovered, then it would be from there. Sam had already seen a few Astaroth and glimpses of other winged demons he didn’t recognise pass directly above them.

The passage they were following suddenly came to an abrupt halt. Before them was a precipice. Sam peered over the ledge and quickly jerked his head back in shock, reeling with vertigo. Cautiously, he crouched down and stared down over the lip again.

He was staggered by what he saw. The precipice dropped several hundred feet to the floor of a monstrous canyon, several miles in length and at least a couple wide. Fires burned almost everywhere, thick with the smell of sulphur. There were small islands of rock, free from the fires, and this was where the humans clustered. They were packed in so tightly they could hardly move. Even as he watched, Sam saw a number of tiny bodies topple into the fires, their screams drifting up to him in wafts of hot air. Massive demons, wreathed in living flames, simply picked up the burning humans and set them back on the rock. On other islands, he could see demons moving amongst the humans, beating them with whips and flails. Some people were confined to torture racks that seemed to be composed of bones and skulls.

This was the Hell of his nightmares. This was the Hell that he’d read about in the Bible – and this canyon was just one tiny part of it. He was suddenly torn by two emotions; the first to help those poor people suffering in the depths and the second, to flee and never look back.

Paths cut into the walls of the canyon weaved their way down to the bottom. Sam could see lines of Lemure leading struggling humans down these paths. He knew that some of these humans undoubtedly deserved to be here - rapists, murderers and others who had committed crimes of a similar ilk - but others…. many others … did not. He could save some of them but to what end? There was no way he could battle the legions of Hell singlehandedly. Even without weapons, demons were the only creatures capable of injuring or killing him. And even if he could defeat every single demon in Hell, even if he saved the innocents, what then? They had no means of escape. They were still trapped here just like he was.

His frustration and wrath was making his body shake. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Joshua and Grace move to his side, their faces reflecting the same emotion he felt. He stood and moved back from the edge, drawing his companions back with him, having no wish to join the humans at the bottom of the pit. Even he would struggle to survive that fall.

“Not very pleasant, is it?” said a voice behind them.

Sam whirled, his swords already out. Before him, sitting casually on a rocky ledge, was a winged being. The creature, bare to the waist and dressed in leather trousers, was picking at one of his fingers. He looked up, flashing teeth at least as perfect as Jonah’s, his impossibly handsome face breaking into a broad smile.

“Who are you?” demanded Sam.

The demon – if that was he was – leapt off the ten-foot ledge and landed smoothly on his feet. “Samyaza, at your service,” said the creature, bowing slightly at the waist. The movement seemed to focus attention on the glossy black wings that arched above his back.

“Stay right where you are,” said Sam, keeping his swords levelled directly at the creature.

“Of course,” he said, spreading his hands wide in acceptance.

“What are you exactly?”Sam squinted at him. “You’re not like any demon I’ve seen before.”

“That’s because I’m not. I’m a Watcher - a Grigori in the old tongue.” He nodded at Sam. “I see now that you’ve heard of my kind.”

Indeed Sam had. The Watchers were a group of Angels who had been sent to Earth to watch over humans. Filled with lust and in defiance of God’s decree, they had mated with human women, creating a half-breed race known as the Nephilim. Sam had often thought of the Nephilim as a kind of cousin and had longed to meet one. Unfortunately, he wasn’t even sure if any existed anymore. God had supposedly wiped them out during the same flood that had destroyed most of the human race, save for Noah and his followers.

Sam lowered his weapons slightly. The Watchers weren’t an evil race, merely misguided and controlled by their passions. They were stuck in limbo, destined to roam Earth forever, welcome in neither Heaven nor Hell.

“Why are you here?” he asked.

Samyaza moved closer and stopped about six feet away from Sam and the others. Joshua’s face was blank, unreadable. Grace, on the other hand, looked like she’d almost completely recovered from her injury. Her face had lit up, slightly flushed, as she stared at Samyaza in open admiration, her eyes running up and down his body. Sam couldn’t blame her. He’d heard that Watchers had this effect on human woman. If you ignored his wings, he was probably the most perfect looking male specimen, his broad shoulders tapering down to narrow hips and long legs. His physique, while not as solid as Sam’s, was still curved with muscle, glistening like he’d just rubbed his body in oil.

“I’m here for you, of course,” said Samyaza, smiling that perfect smile.

Sam had almost expected this answer. It was too much of a coincidence that Samyaza was here right now, in this exact spot.

“My kind,” he explained, “though not encouraged or even welcomed in Heaven or Hell, are free to come and go as we choose. Most of the time, we choose to stay on Earth, close to the women we love.” He chose that moment to stare straight at Grace, and she blushed even more, her chest rising and falling rapidly beneath the guard’s uniform she still wore.

Sam felt himself getting irritable but he didn’t know why. Something about this creature grated on his nerves. Grace, he knew, would say exactly the opposite. “Why are you here for me, exactly? Can you help us?”