CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER FIVE

The apocalypse had come. The old serpent and even the dragon had broken free upon the earth. There was no tomorrow for mankind. The lamb and the wolf, the old lion and the bear, and the venomous snake had been locked in a single cage. The screams and anguish of lost souls had rent the air, leaving less room for justifications. As it has been said, death comes for us all, and death has come now. The prayers have ceased and the faith holds no meaning, as all hopes have failed in the face of belief. No prayer is remembered, and religion is but a far cry from all that is set to tilt the balance of that which is to come, that which has begun. For it has begun...

The gates of hell were broken. All the fallen had been freed from their shackles and chains. In a call of duty, they ascended to heaven, for the Great War had commenced. Lucifer and his minions were held at the mighty gates by the archangel Eurel and a host of angels. All manner of creatures arose from beneath the earth, seas, and spawns of hell, all crawled out. 'Woe unto the world of the living, for death has overtaken it,' said the angel Eurel. Every evil creature ever imagined now walked the earth: vampires, evil elves, trolls, goblins, werewolves, wendigoes, zombies, scrunnies, and many more. The plains of the underworld had aligned with the world of men. Flesh-eating abominations and soul-sucking devils had found a feasting ground.

Wars ravaged the nations of the earth: plagues, famine, civil conflicts, earthquakes, tornados, hurricanes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. Thick, dark fog blanketed the sun. The earth's source of energy gave rise to a daytime that was merely a pale greyness, and the night that followed was shrouded in pitch blackness.

It seemed like he had been running forever. His strength was fuelled by his fear. Desperation rode on his back and whipped with a hundred scorpion scorches of guilt pangs, driving him beyond derangement.

'Look what I've done to my world so loved.'

The woeful words played over and over in his head since the cacophony of evil had been let loose upon the earth. He had been so sick from rage, nausea, regret, horror, and paranoia that it drove him far from humankind, and he journeyed on for days until he had lost count of time.

Seth had been staring into his hands, wishing he could see his gaunt, tormented face. His many weeks of wandering through never-before-known fields, moors, dales, haunted forests, and wildlands of Bucharest's Vlăsiei forest. He went across the seven hills—Mihai Vodă, DealulMitropoliei, Radu Vodă, Cotroceni, Spirei, Văcărești, and Sf Gheorghe Nou—in mindless wanderings until he settled in Movile Cave.

Seth had travelled farther southeast from all he knew and cared about. For three straight months, he sat on a crag just outside the Movile Cave, home to little oxygen as well as water that tasted of slate and oxides of magnesium. He had eaten mostly wild medicinal herbs, winged termites, frogs, and field rats. A couple of tips and tricks he had picked up from hiking and camping events back at the monastery in Italy had paid off, as he could make a fire from striking two stones together as well as tell which herbs were safe to eat.

The cackle of Lucifer's laughter floated back to him from the Black Sea. An icy chill ran down his spine. The mistake was made, and he was sorely to blame for it all. There had to be a way to get some things undone.

'Father in heaven,' he prayed. 'Is there still forgiveness out there for me? If there is, then I need a sign. Lord, I want my fight back. I need the power to fight off the evil I have brought about with my own hands.' He kept wallowing in the sea of regrets, haunted by the eels and sharks of mental taunting. One hour's sleep was a luxury he could not afford, for every shutter of sleep was trailed with the worst nightmares. Misery was his only companion, and the voices in his head were always accusing without a moment of break. 

Seth awoke with a start. It was a bone-chilling bellow that seemed to come from hell itself. The noise of his heavy breathing filled him all the more with grave apprehension.

Then the war began, as nations rose against nations and tribes against one another. It was as though man was out on a quest to send his species to extinction. This made Lucifer's job a lot easier for him. His original plan was to wipe out the creature that God so loved.

The world's governments had collapsed, and all their technological advancement had come to nothing. It was back to the medieval age, where there was not even the slightest of order among people. Only the strong survived, and even at that, they didn't last for long because of the evil that lurked in the dark. The United States of America was no longer united, for it was every man for himself. The world that man had built for himself broke down faster than anticipated.

Was it a dream, a nightmare?

Having been out in the wilds for weeks unending, Seth had developed a keen instinct for survival that had helped him navigate the world of men, now teeming with all imaginable evils. He sat still and waited for what seemed like two eternities. 

One rainy night, when the storm was heavy and the wind was wild, Seth stayed not too deep in the cave. The voices that came from within the dark were too scary for him to contain. The howling of the wind brought forth a familiar voice that had been almost forgotten. He could hear the voice of Father Adams calling out his name. The wind had no particular direction and no destination either. The earth was out of course, and the end truly spelled doom. While the lightning flickered and the storm raged, Seth could swear he saw the bushes move, but there was no character insight. He sneakily curled himself in a corner to see what or who lurked behind the bushes. But he forgot to put out his fire, which brightened up the entrance of the cave. By the time he realized that, it was too late. A man jumped over him with a stick and a knife, trying to kill him.

The man pinned him to the ground and tried to run his knife through his throat. Seth, who had never been in a fight all his life, did not know how to fight back. All he could do was hold back the hand of this person, who seemed like a soldier. He wore an army coverall, which had a US flag on one of the shoulders, with a coat of arms on the other shoulder. He wore a pair of Army boots, which had seen far better days. Everything was all worn out, but it all fit the profile of a soldier. Seth, who was about to die, reached out in desperation and grabbed a piece of rock, which he used to strike the man on the left side of his head. The man was knocked out, and Seth tried to catch his breath. When Seth was back to normal, he quickly reached out and grabbed the man's knife, and pointed it at him in fear. After a moment, he thought that he had not seen another human being since the day he broke Lucifer out. It would be good to have a real companion rather than the voices in his head. An hour later, the man woke up with a terrible headache, while Seth sat at a distance away from him. 'Food, I need food. Give me food. Please don't let me die,' the man gasped with all the strength he had left. Seth rushed to where the fire was and brought him a piece of roasted rabbit. The hungry man ate as though his life depended on it. Seth sat back and watched him and then brought him some water from the rain in a broken coconut shell.

When he had eaten and rested, he began to speak. 'I'm sorry I tried to kill you,' he said, but Seth kept mute. 'I am Sergeant Morrison Truman of the US Marines.' Seth kept mute. 'Do you have a name or you don't understand English?' he asked, but Seth still refused to respond. It had been a while since he had seen someone else, much less hear someone talk. 'I was stationed at the US base at Okinawa when the war broke out between the United States and Russia,' he explained. 'We lost a lot of good men that day. Last month, I had my orders to fly over Bucharest on special ops when something brought down my jet. I and my co-pilot have wandered about this forest for quite a while now. A week ago, we encountered some mindless creatures beyond that ridge, a few clicks back. I lost my partner that day, and I managed to survive, even though the mindless men didn't. It was pretty sad, as I had to bury her in a shallow grave. I have been alone ever since, and I've roamed these woods without anything to eat, so I saw your fire and thought you might be one of those who killed my partner. That was why I attacked you.'

After a brief silence from both men, Seth said, 'Seth. My name is Seth.'

Morrison and Seth stayed in the cave for another day while he convinced Seth that they should find their way back to civilization. But Seth told him he was hell-bent on staying in the woods for the rest of his days, although he left out the part of being a priest.

In all their discussions, Seth didn't mention how he was responsible for bringing the world to its knees. When it was evening, Seth agreed to lead him to where he could find an easy way to return to the city. Before that could happen, Seth woke up and also woke Morrison up. 'I don't think we are alone in this cave,' Seth whispered to Morrison, who reached for his knife.

The longer they were awake, the more vivid the shape appeared. More than ever, they became aware that something or possibly someone was stalking them.

The evil howl tore through the air a second time. This time, it was behind them and much closer. They both quickly swung around, quarterstaff and a knife in hand; they would face whatever evil that was to the death. All of a sudden, there came a massive ten-foot creature from the depth of the darkness, charging at them with an amazing speed for its bony frame.

The incredibly dry, muscled body was enamoured with a layer of tightly knit dragon scales. Its eyes burned yellow with sulphur. Seth could see it was a wendigo. The beast lunged at Seth, throwing a forearm with the bid to crush him under his blow. However, Seth ducked quickly behind a boulder while the fist came smashing into rocks, sending splinters of rocks in all directions. Morrison jumped on the creature from behind and stabbed it multiple times, thereby angering the creature. It reached to its back and grabbed Morrison. Its arms were each about five feet long. It held Morrison's head in its palm and suspended him in mid-air with one hand. 'Run, Seth, while you have the chance,' yelled Morrison. But Seth refused and charged at the creature while yelling with his staff in hand. The creature knocked him aside. It then squeezed Morrison's head until it squashed like a watermelon in its palm. Seth couldn't believe his eyes, as he had come facetoface with death again.

The wendigo let off an ear-splitting roar that echoed through the entire cavernous region. Seth bolted off in the opposite direction and headed for the exit. He could hear the creature's growl coming from every direction of the cave. He figured that his best bet was to get into the sunlight. Hopefully, the creature would not follow. He could soon see the exit of the cave as some light shone through. Hope, however, bleak as it was, was good enough for him. Suddenly, he ran into a wall that eclipsed his light at the end of the tunnel. He raised his head to see the dripping fangs of the creature. He thought he had escaped the monster.

He was sadly mistaken.

The creature grabbed Seth with a powerful, five-fingered hand, holding Seth's whole frame in just one hand. Yellow slime dripped off a set of gaping jaws lined with an array of long, sharp fangs. The young man was staring into the gaping mouth of the predator when a blade sliced clean through the creature's neck, decapitating the beast in one fell swing.

Seth hit the rocky floor with a thud and began to pass out. In the blurriness of his vision, he could see two characters standing over him. He then passed out.

Blackness.

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The sounds of the crickets and insects were the first to get through his ear. He then felt a warm touch on his brow. His eyes slowly opened to the dream. 'You've been sleeping straight on for almost a whole day now.' The voice drifted him slowly back to the shores of consciousness. Seth was bone-weary. Just then, the horror of the wendigo attack came rushing back at him. He sat up quickly in fear. At the same time, he wondered who these two people were.

'Who are you guys? Am I alive? Where am I?' came Seth's frantic voice.

'The weariness is off. Look at him, Raphael. He looks good.' It was a young woman speaking with the most beautiful voice he had ever heard. Seth studied her. His blood warmed. He blushed and looked away. An unearthly beauty she was. She was strong. Athena herself stood no chance in a contest with her. He hadn't gotten any answers to all the questions he had asked, so he was becoming very emotional, almost letting out a tear.

He was an emotional wreck.

The lady came really close to him, checking the cuts he had sustained in his encounter with the wendigo. Seth had never come that close to beauty in all his life. He had spent most of his time fighting his longing for his mother. She was a missing part of his life, and he knew he was immensely vulnerable when it came to the womenfolk. He stayed entirely clear of them, a feat he handled so well until now.

She was smiling at him. It was clear she saw his reaction, and she was savouring the moment. Seth would not care what it was she was thinking, He had to quickly think of something to do or say.

'Hey, I am Calista,' she said. She was squatting and still wore a beautiful smile.

'And I am Raphael,' came a rich baritone from over his shoulders. Seth flinched and turned. The person he saw stood at about six-feet-five inches, a head taller than Seth himself, with immensely broad and muscular shoulders. He wore a leather vest that revealed a tanned opalescent glazed skin covering bulging biceps and triceps. Seth noticed that the clothes they both wore fit so perfectly. It was as though the clothes were part of their skin in terms of fit and how they blended with their skin tone. Seth forgot he had been gaping at the two strangers until Raphael spoke again.

'And to answer your next question, we are angels of the Lord God of the Armies of Heaven. We have come to protect and aid you in your quest. It is a long one. There is so much you must know, but first, you must arise and dine, for the journey is too great. Come along … the roasted buck is ready.'

Seth slowly backed up and dashed off but ran into the lady. When he took to the other direction, the man had his arms crossed, waiting for him. 'What is it that you want from me?' Seth asked with a shaky voice, because the word angel didn't go well with him now.

'Nothing,' said Raphael.

'So why are you here? Why did you save me from that thing?'

Calista interrupted. 'A wendigo.'

'A what?' Seth asked with surprise on his face.

'It's a demonic creature that crawled out of hell since the gates are now open.'

Seth paused for a few seconds and continued. 'Well, I don't know what that means, but why are you here? Why me?'

Raphael moved closer to him and said, 'Look here. We are not here to tell you what your mission is. We have a mandate to ensure nothing happens to you, and that's what we will do. Stop running around because you can't get away.'

It was already what should have been morning, save for the dark grey mist that covered the sky in these days. The sun didn't normally stay too long in the sky, and when it was up, it didn't meet its mark. Many plants had died from a lack of photosynthesis.

Both angels turned out to be friendly and very good company. He was treated to a sumptuous meal of roasted wild deer killed by one of Calista's arrows. Raphael staked the roast meat with the juiciest of apples Seth had ever tasted in his entire life. Calista produced some freshwater from a golden water trough.

After the meal, Seth felt a great deal stronger than he had felt in months. 'I owe the both of you a great deal. Most of all, I owe you my life,' Seth said, looking at Calista.

'Thanks, but I believe you are referring to him. It was his blade that took down the beast,' Calista said.

'It is you, then, that I owe my life, sire.' He curtsied in a low bow.

'If ever there were anyone who owed the other, it would be we who owed you for the great honour done to us,' Raphael said with his right fist held to his heart.

'I don't understand. I mean, it makes absolutely no sense.' The doubts returned. Angels. Patronizing in their tone as was Lucifer. It's no use. I can't trust man or angels anymore.

Calista interjected. 'Every angel in heaven would kill to have one chance to be of assistance in any way possible to help man reach his God-ordained destiny. Not to speak of such a grand assignment as yours.' Calista patted his broad shoulders with her long, strong arms. She and he were about the same height. Seth was a muscular six-footer, but he was sure Calista could knock the wind out of him anytime.

'All my life, I have been told "this" and "that" about great destiny by man, angel. I'm even sure the wendigo beast said something about it to me; he probably was too hungry to explain. How come everyone else except me knows what this destiny is? Yes. It is all the talk and coaxing that brought us all here. I am just a pawn to be used to bring evil on earth … how bad again can it get? Okay, now am I the good bringer? I am not sure I know what good and bad are anymore. Enough with everyone telling me what it is I am to do. If perhaps I were allowed to make my own choices, all this mishap would not have …'

As he kept spewing all the gall out, a light beamed from heaven on the duo of Calista and Raphael. They became whiter than pure light. It was a brightness that lit up the whole south end of the cave down to the Black Sea. Swords blazing, and wings unfurled, resplendent with ethereal gleam.

Seth went on his knees, shivering in reverent fear. 'No, you must not!' came Calista's near-frantic voice. Seth was weeping uncontrollably. Calista was back in her human form. She unslung her quiver of silver arrows and helped the young man to his feet. She hugged him and held him in her arms for five seconds that seemed like half an eternity had passed.

Calista took his face in her hands and shook his head. 'Open your eyes. C'mon, look at me. Don't you see? We are servants of God, and you are to bow and worship no one except God. You had to let out the steam. Sooner or later, you would still have burst open; just glad that it had to happen here at the cave, though it still cost us some publicity stunts.'

Seth felt a transfer of such spiritual energy that ebbed away everything called weakness. His need for the love of a mother was filled. Suddenly, he felt he could take on a thousand men. It was not sensual in any way, but if anything else had happened, the emotional and sexual vulnerability he felt was ended.

It was full-blown dusk. The silence that settled after the incident told them that all creation had heard the announcement of their presence. For some reason, Raphael was still in angel mode, though not shinning in light. He was of normal height with wings still unfurled. 'We set off at dawn.'

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The three of them left the cave early the next day. They journeyed west back to Bucharest on a gruelling three-day journey and finally got into the city. Everything was destroyed. Cars had crashed into each other, buildings were burnt down, and people were dead on the streets. The first person who crossed his mind was Father Adams, so he hurried to the nearest payphone but couldn't use it because it was broken.

The decomposing body of a man who might have died from a crash clung to the steering wheel of his wrecked car. Shattered glass, red patches of coagulated blood, and half-eaten corpses littered the streets, sidewalks, and entrances of vandalized stores. There were several burnt houses, with what was left of their occupants' charred faces staring out the window, their faces grim and contorted.

'This looks like the paw prints of some terribly large creature,' Raphael said to Calista and Seth.

'They most likely attacked at night,' Calista added.

'Look at this.' Seth had found a newspaper and scanned through the headlines. He handed the paper over to Raphael and went ahead to tell Calista of the contents. 'In Braşov, a blind priest has heard from God, and He asked for Seth. So, there is a circular or more like a central emergency messaging alert. Everyone is in search for this Seth.' He chuckled to himself. 'Now, God, this is the big joke, right?' he quipped.

Seth went through the pockets of the dead driver and found a mobile phone. He tried several lines but still couldn't get through to anyone.

'We must get to St Philip's Cathedral.' The desperation was building in Seth's voice.

He got into an SUV, and the angels jumped in after him. Seth drove as quickly as he could through the ruin and wreckage of the streets. After driving for a few minutes, he passed two SUVs with several men inside, all dressed in suits and wearing sunglasses. They looked strangely into the vehicle as they passed. 'That was weird,' said Seth.

'I think those men are looking for you,' said Raphael.

'Did your angel sense tell you that, or are you just guessing?' He raised his head to see Raphael's through the rear mirror.

'No, I was just guessing,' he answered. Seth chuckled.

'There are a few things you must learn, and one is to accurately read faces,' Seth said. From his side mirror, he noticed that the two SUVs had turned around and had been following them. 'And now it seems like we are being tailed by those guys.' He spoke breathily.

The big man sitting behind said, 'I told you.' Seth felt like that was the wrong thing to say.

'Oh, man. That's not cool, buddy, and it seems like they are about to block us out.'

'I almost forgot you are famous. Keep it calm, guys,' said Raphael.

Seth found the statement amusing for an angel to have said. 'Seems you have been watching a whole lot of action-thriller movies from way up there.'

'Lookout,' shouted Calista as another SUV came in front of theirs. Seth swerved to the left and then to the right, narrowly evading a head-on collision. The road ahead was a dead end. Seth made a 360, but not in time. Three SUVs had completely locked them in.

Two men walked up to them. The one who seemed to be the leader came towards them, gun in hand. Seth saw them holding guns, so he became frightened. 'Oh God, they have guns. You've got to do something; they have guns.' Seth began shaking. Raphael saw them coming from behind towards Seth's side of the truck. So, he got out before they got close enough.

'It's alright. No one can touch you, not even with their weapons, so stay in control,' said Calista.With that, Seth also came out of the truck.

The leader was a wiry man in his early forties.

'I am Andrei Albusel. I come in the name of the Archbishop, His Holiness Lucian Antonescu. His Holiness has asked to meet with the Reverend Seth as a matter of urgency; my men will escort you to …'

'I must see my father, the Reverend Father Adams before I see anyone else, so tell your men it wouldn't be wise to stop me and my team.' Seth marvelled at his growing confidence and firmness of resolve. Stubbornness was fun after all. Seth turned and returned to the vehicle.

'It wasn't a request; you have no choice but to come with us.'

Raphael stepped forward, blade in hand. 'I believe we have made it clear as to what our decision is on this matter, and we wish not to be stopped.'

The two menpulled out their guns, but before they could point them at Raphael, Calista shot one of the pistols of the man's hand with her bow. Raphael sliced Andrei's pistol in half with his sword. Then six more men came out of their SUVs from both directions. Calista pulled out six arrows, shot them into the sky, and muttered something; the arrows landed right in front of the six men.

Seth stepped forward. 'I really think it is not worth all the trouble we are about to ferment. All I want to do is see my father, who I believe is in grave danger. I also believe I will be of more use to the archbishop when it is I have ascertained that my father is safe. Therefore, I appeal to you gentlemen that it would be very wise for us to stick on the same side to fight this great danger that has befallen humankind.'

'Well, then, I guess we don't have much time. Let's get going to … where was it that you said you were going again?' Andrei asked.

'Just follow us,' Calista replied. They returned to their respective cars, and Seth sped off, leading the trail.