Nephilim Rising: The Complete Series, page 41
part #0 of Nephilim Rising Series
"Why can’t you just teleport me straight in like you did last time?"
"I’m trying to keep a low profile at the minute, that’s why."
I shook my head as I stared across at the bridge. "Is it safe to walk across?”
“Of course, as long as you don’t fall off it.”
“What’s below?”
“Nothing you want to know about.”
“That’s reassuring.” Even though the air was warm around me, I was shaking like the temperature was below freezing. Sheer terror enveloped me along with the surrounding darkness, and a host of questions flooded my mind: What nightmare scenarios lay ahead of me? What kind of foul creatures would I encounter? What awfulness would I have to endure? Whatever my mind conjured up about what lay ahead of me, I knew it would be nowhere near the reality of the situation. The reality of Hell would be far, far worse than anything my meager imagination could conjure up, I knew. “I hope that’s not a smile on your face.”
“You think I’m enjoying seeing you terrified of what’s ahead?” Mullin asked.
“Yes, I do actually.”
He smiled. "You might be right. Still, my enjoyment of your suffering aside, you still must transform now, to enter Hell."
"I don't know how. I only did it once, and it just happened."
"I have faith in you."
"Why thanks," I said sarcastically. Then I closed my eyes and connected with the power left behind by Demon Leia, which I felt as much as I did my grace. Not rally knowing how to initiate things, I decided just to think about becoming the demon again, concentrating on how it felt the first time I transformed. For several seconds, nothing seemed to be happening, and I was about to sigh in frustration when I suddenly felt a familiar sensation of pain begin to rise up in me.
“Try to relax,” Mullin said as I dropped to my knees on the stone bridge, my whole body thrown into turmoil by the transformation now coming over me. He sounded like a goddamn tennis coach. “Don’t fight it. Let it happen.”
The pain was agonizing, to say the least, much worse than last time. Last time I was almost dead and could hardly feel anything. This time, every micro-movement was like being stabbed with a hot knife. "Shut the fuck up!" I snarled at him.
“Just saying, love. I have some experience with these transformations, you know.”
The sound of my own bones breaking was sickening to my ears, as was the sound of my skin tearing as the demon seemed to grow from inside me, forcing its way out. “You stole that fucking body,” I snarled through the agony, trying to concentrate on something else besides the unbearable pain I was going through.
Mullin stood back with his arms folded, enjoying the show. “Actually, this is my original human body. I got to keep it even after I was demonized. One of the benefits of entering Hell willingly.”
I screamed as two horns cracked through my skull; a scream that got swallowed up by the darkness. "You… should have… gotten rid of it… ugly bastard…"
“Charming, just charming…”
“Screw you…” The two wings shot from my back and outstretched either side of me after having destroyed my shoulder blades. My hands just fell apart as the demon claws emerged, lumps of my original flesh falling from them and hitting the stone bridge with a wet slapping sound. A few more moments, and I was almost done. The pain was thankfully subsiding.
“And hello, Demon Leia,” Mullin said, clearly impressed by my new form.
I stayed on my knees as the last of my Nephilim flesh and shredded clothing fell away like pieces of discarded meat. My new demon body shifted here and there as the transformation finished, and then things began to settle down finally.
I was now a demon once more, in appearance at least.
The power and strength of my new form rushed through me as I stood up to my full height, which must have been over six feet, as I now stood taller than Mullin. “I could just kill you now,” I said, my voice a good octave lower than normal. That would take some getting used to. I hardly sounded like myself at all. I sounded like a monster, in fact, which I guess I was in a way.
“Please darling,” Mullin said unfazed. “Let’s not get carried away with ourselves, eh? I could still destroy your every atom with the click of my fingers, so don’t even go there. You just focus on the mission ahead of you.”
I grunted at him. “Sure thing, boss.”
“You remember what you have to do, yes? Make your way to Pandemonium and find your mother so you can get access to the King’s palace. Then find the secret portal to Earth. I’ll be waiting with the sword when you get out.”
“What if I don’t make it out?”
“Then enjoy your new home.”
I grunted again, and Mullin disappeared, leaving me all alone on the bridge to Hell.
10
As much as I disliked Mullin, standing there on that bridge alone, with a fathomless abyss beneath me, I wished he was still there. Suddenly, I was on my own, and I didn't much like it. The very thing I had been dreading for months, the scenario that had been filling my heart with terror, had now come to pass. I was in Hell, or almost. Once I made it across the narrow bridge, I would come to a door, according to Mullin. A door that would allow me access to Hell itself.
I began to wonder at the globes of light around me. Who did they belong to? Serial killers? Child abusers? Supernatural entities of some kind? Who knew? I didn't care anyway. I was just trying to take my mind off the fact that I could hardly see where I was going, and that one wrong move would send me hurtling down into the endless nothingness below.
The glowing souls became fewer the further across the bridge I walked, meaning the light got dimmer as well, until I was practically walking in pure darkness. Even my night vision couldn’t penetrate the density of the gloom, so I dropped to my hands and knees to feel my way along the rough stone path.
After what seemed like hours of crawling on the unforgiving stone surface, I began to think that I was never going to make it all the way across the bridge, and that the bridge itself was never-ending. Maybe this is my punishment after all, I thought. Maybe Mullin had been fucking with me all along, offering me hope in the knowledge that I would soon be trapped on a narrow bridge, surrounded by unfathomable darkness, with an eternity to contemplate every mistake I’d ever made, and every regret I’d ever had. Madness was surely just around the corner…
But then I heard a noise behind me that roused me out of my dark contemplation; a weird scratching sound, as though something was moving along the bridge. Still on my hands and knees—the bridge seeming even narrower at this point—I tried to look over my shoulder to locate the source of the sound, but all I could see was the unforgiving darkness that enveloped everything like an impenetrable shroud. Even though I couldn't see shit, I still couldn't shake the feeling that there was something behind me, and that if there was, then it couldn't be good, making a creepy fucking noise like that, a noise that made me want to shutter. Despite this, my curiosity got the better of me, and I turned myself around to peer into the darkness. Unsurprisingly, I saw nothing, at least not at first. But the harder I looked, the more my eyes began t pick out a vague form that seemed to be coming forth from the darkness itself, vomited out of some invisible maw.
My sense of horrified curiosity grew in me as the sound of the form pulling itself along—like a heavy canvas sack filled with meat—got louder in my ears. Then a few souls floated into the vicinity, bringing with them just enough light to partially illuminate the narrow bridge, and also the thing that was pulling itself toward me, the likes of which I had never seen before. The creature, or whatever it was, held a vaguely human shape, with arms that it used to drag itself along, and legs that it pulled behind it like lead weights. The thing had a head as well, that bobbed and strained with the effort of travel. Its entire body was also blackened, the skin—if it even possessed skin—charred and flaky, as if it had crawled out of a blazing fire and had somehow managed to live on. Bits of the wretched creature was flaking off as it continued to pull itself toward me, making some strange wheezing sound like it was trying to breathe, but couldn’t because its throat and lungs were filled with hot ash.
It was the most grotesque thing I had ever seen. It didn’t even seem to know that I was there in front of it as it blindly pulled itself along, tearing itself against the hard stone of the bridge.
Whatever the thing was, I wasn’t about to wait on it reaching me, so I decided to turn back around and keep moving forward in the hope that I would soon reach the end of the bridge. But as I was about to do so, a globe of light caught my attention as it floated down and landed on the bridge a few feet in front of the crawling black thing. It was the first time I had seen any of the lights come to a standstill. Against any better judgement, my curiosity was pricked once again, and I couldn’t help but stare at the light, which was strangely beautiful, glowing as it did against the backdrop of darkness. A moment later, I was shocked to see the light briefly expand out like a slow explosion, creating a brightness so intense, I had to squint away for a few seconds until the brightness had died down. When the light subsided and then disappeared, I was astounded to see another of those black human-like shapes right in front of me. I scrabbled backward away from it, as it too began to pull itself along like the one behind it. But in my haste, I lost my sense of direction, and my one leg went over the edge of the bridge. For a horrifying second, I thought I was a goner. Luckily, I dug my claws into the stone and prevented the rest of me from sliding over the edge.
As I stood up again, I noticed that one of the crawling things was almost at my feet, and I couldn’t help myself as I kicked it in the head, or at least what passed for a head, which exploded in a burst of black flakes. Despite the damage I had inflicted on it, the thing continued to pull itself along as if was unaffected, clawing its way toward Hell, clearly desperate to enter its spiritual home. Shaking my head in disgust, I forged on across the bridge, now using my grace to light my way so I didn’t fall over the edge again.
After some time (I've no idea how long, as time just seemed to melt away in that soul-sucking void) I came across another of the burnt entities, this one just ahead of me. I barely looked at it, however, as I kicked it off the ledge and sent it sailing down into the blackness below. Fuck it, I thought. If the thing was that set on getting into Hell, it would find a way eventually.
When it seemed like an eternity had passed, and the grace in my hand had begun to fade, I noticed the bridge begin to widen out, and eventually I came upon a broad ledge that jutted out from a wall of rock. I had come to the end of the bridge, which meant the entrance to Hell should be right in front of me.
Thank fuck, I thought. Not that I was in any great hurry to enter Hell, but I was glad that I wouldn’t have to walk along the bridge anymore, listening to the procession of shuffling entities trailing behind me.
Only I couldn’t see anything that resembled a door ahead of me, just a huge cascade of faceless rock. Not even a sign saying, ENTER HELL HERE. Nothing.
"Just great," I muttered as I walked back and forth along the ledge, running my hands over the rock to find something: a lever, a button, anything that would open up the rock before me. I found nothing, though. You’d think Mullin would have mentioned how to actually get into Hell once I made it across the bridge. Asshole.
Should I shout for assistance maybe? Say the magic words to open the door, whatever they happened to be? Abracadabra perhaps? Shit. Frank would find this funny. I knew he would. Let's see how funny he finds it when I'm still stuck here centuries later…
I was just considering my next move when a rectangle of red light suddenly appeared in the rock wall.
What’s this?
I stood to the side of the ledge and waited nervously as the red rectangle glowed, and then a huge slab of the rock face began to open outwards toward the ledge. Light then began to pour out from the doorway, turning the ledge I was standing on blood red.
Was someone coming through or was the door opening just for me? I wasn’t sure. How would anyone know I was even here? I doubted they had security cameras at the door to Hell. Or maybe they did. Maybe this was a Hellion security guard opening the door for me. Would he ask for ID before allowing me in?
Don’t be ridiculous…
The massive door opened up further, the sound of stone grinding on stone loud in my ears. I couldn’t see much from where I was standing, except for the muted red light pouring through from the other side.
I could hear noise, though. Lots of noise, as though an angry baying crowd was on the other side. It didn't sound inviting to my ears, and it made me think about running back across the bridge, but I held firm. I knew there was no going back anyway. It was either stay out here on the ledge in the midst of the black abyss or go through the door in the rock.
Just as I stepped toward the door to inspect it, a huge demon came walking through; a big ogre type thing carrying a massive battle ax. The ledge rumbled underneath it as it stomped past me without so much as a glance in my direction. God knows where it was going as it headed across the bridge. Perhaps it was going to clear the bridge of the blackened entities? Or maybe it was heading to the earthly realm to wreak some havoc, which sounded more likely. Either way, it disappeared into the darkness, and the huge stone door started to close behind it.
As I stared at the closing door, I thought:
It’s now or never.
Taking a deep breath like it was the last I would ever take, I gathered my courage and walked through the door to Hell.
11
One thing I loved about living in Frank’s cabin, was that it was well away from the city so I didn’t have to deal with crowds. As somewhat of a loner and a bit of an introvert, I never felt comfortable stuck in the middle of a busy crowd. Some people enjoyed the anonymity that crowds offered, whereas I preferred the real anonymity that being alone afforded. Crowds drained my energy, and tended to make me grumpy as hell. Yes, I was turning into Frank. Living in isolation could do that to you.
Which is why I wasn’t at all prepared for the utter madness of Hell when I walked through the doorway in the rock. What I saw before me brought a completely new meaning to the word overcrowded.
And this was no ordinary crowd either. This was a swarm of inhabitants, like too many vermin all crammed into one place, each inhabitant vying for space when there simply wasn’t any. If you want to know what the Earth would look like after extreme overpopulation, visit Hell someday. See how many babies you want after that.
The noise generated by so many creatures in one place created a din in my ears that was overwhelming, to say the least. I had to stand with my back to the door that had now closed behind me, trying to make sense of the madness I had walked into. I crouched like a child lost in a busy mall, wishing that someone would come and rescue me from the chaos I found myself in, which was obviously never going to happen. I had to get a grip of myself quick, before this rabid place swallowed me up and shit me back out again.
Looking around me with fearful eyes, I struggled to take in so many different creatures of all shapes, sizes and varying degrees of ugliness and scariness. From my low position by the rock wall, I witnessed creatures that had the heads of snakes with huge fangs and bat wings attached to their reptilian bodies. I saw rats with human heads scurrying around not far from me, who bared their over-sized incisors as they scurried past. I saw people who looked human, but with horribly mutilated faces — full of deep slashes and gashes — like the wounds were inflicted only moments ago. Fresh blood poured from the open wounds as they strolled through the crowds like they were just people out for a day's shopping. I saw things that looked like walking pieces of shit, things with blue skin that resembled Smurfs with radiation poisoning, bits of flesh falling from their rotting bodies as they scurried along. I saw scruffy children with rat-like features, dressed in clothes that looked like they were made from dirty sackcloth. Why there would be children in Hell, I didn't know, but they seemed to be foraging on the ground for food, or whatever else they could find.
The vast mix of different inhabitants, all with their own horrifyingly unique features, was overwhelming to my brain. The thought of getting up and attempting to move through that maddening, sickening crowd was filling me with more horror and dread than I could handle. Right then, I thought I was in danger of losing my sanity altogether. Two minutes in Hell and I was reduced to a quivering wreck, and fighting to keep my marbles intact.
I need to get a hold of myself, or I'll never make it in this place…
I thought about finding my mother, which seemed to help me to pull myself together enough that I could at least think straight again. After a few minutes, I tentatively got to my feet. Within seconds of standing, I felt something bite my foot. Yelping, I flinched my foot away and looked down to see a rat about the size of a baby pig. My face twisted in horror when I saw the rat had the head of a small boy with thick whiskers sticking out of its mud-caked cheeks, and two long incisors that grew right past its chin. The grotesque creature hissed and arched its back when I looked down at it. “Fucker! Fucker!” it kept saying in the voice of a human boy.
Jesus, how does such a creature even come into existence? How can any of the inhabitants here come into existence?
I kicked at the rat-boy to get it away from me, and it hissed once more before scurrying off, back into the crowd.
God, this is so much worse than I thought.
I had to move. If I continued to stay where I was, it was only a matter of time before something bigger and much scarier came along and tried to fucking eat me. It seemed that anything that stood still for longer than a few minutes was classed as fair game for the hungry inhabitants in this place. This was confirmed when I witnessed some wretched creature or other get pounced upon by a gang of other just as wretched creatures as they set about tearing chunks of flesh of their victim with their teeth and claws.
