CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

The earth burned in fear, and darkness was strengthened over the light as evil prevailed in the crust of the affairs of men. The heavens were busy, the earth was weeping, and many prayed, even as prayers found no ear and hopes were dried up in the heat of the flames of hell. Men sought solace in the pruning down of their fellows in the quest for survival. Children born to such a time were drowned in the void, absent of hope. The heavens are crossed with more lightning and shaken with more thunder than all it had rendered in one lifetime. This was war; the spirit of darkness had crossed its boundaries and risen against the light. Woe unto the race of men who dwelled on the face of the earth in a time like this. For the agents of death were swarming through crannies and nooks with gusto as they gathered souls in droves. Many cried for a shimmer of hope to see a few more sunrises and to live what was left of their days. For thy light is come, where is thy glory, o man?

When they were about to depart, Marcus asked Seth where they were going. He replied, 'We are going to Sicily.'

'Why Sicily?' Marcus asked.

'Because that was where Lucifer first came to me.' His head hung low, as his thoughts flashed to his early teenage days at the abbey and how he and Lucifer were always together.

'One day, you'll make me a proud angel,' Lucifer had said as they sat on the edge of a roof with their legs hanging out.

Then he snapped back to his consciousness to see Marcus staring at him. 'Are you sure you are alright?' he asked.

'Of course. Why wouldn't I be?' Seth picked up his bag and hung it on his shoulder. It was one of those mornings without dense clouds. The sun breathed its warmth throughout the countryside and to the distant hills to the west. They drove into the rising sun with a fresh sense of adventure. Seth felt warm on the inside for a second chance from God.

Several demons and creatures attacked them on the journey to Italy. The demon that possessed Sister Katherina had escaped, informing one of Lucifer's senior generals. Balthazar heard of the ploy by the church to undo the deed of the Necrom. Balthazar and his entire legion of demons were tasked with bringing Seth in, for Lucifer gave a specific order that the reader must not be harmed. The demon that possessed Sister Katherina had taken form and was to lead the invasion on Seth and his companions. The words from Balthazar were to stop the crusaders at all cost, but bring the reader in alive. The master had something special planned for him. That night, fireballs rained down from the sky in part of the European continent.

'Leave no stone unturned,' Balthazar barked. His eyes burned sapphire blue, the demon horde was of various kinds, and their numbers were alarming for any opponent.

The crusaders, as they were now called, crisscrossed inland through pillaged villages, saved lives, freed the imprisoned, and exorcised demons from their hosts. They also had to ferry across the ocean to get into Italy through a secure and less dangerous route. On navigating the ocean, there was a series of terrible attacks from the ruling sea spirit of those waters. Calista and Raphael identified her as Rahab, a ferocious and highly territorial sea spirit. In ancient Latin myths, she was the awe-inspiring goddess who manifested as a titanic sea monster.

The ferry sailed in the deep waters to avoid cracking her base on any hard object or surface, thereby causing her to take in water. The ferry was called the Hail Mary, and her captain was Hugo Lazlo Jr. He had sailed that water since he was a boy. His father was famous in those waters, so he was well-experienced. After sailing for several hours, there was a very thick fog that suddenly stood right in the middle of the water. This fog was one Hugo had never seen before, for it was as thick as a foam. One could reach out and cut a chunk from it. The crusaders behind the ferry relaxed in anticipation of what they would see when they arrived in Sicily. Seth sat with Marcus, while Rico stood by polishing his toys. Raphael stood watch, facing the rear, while Calista roamed the ferry in search of anything suspicious.

'I don't really like boat rides, especially when it takes me way deep into the ocean,' said Marcus as he shrugged himself inside the blanket for some warmth.

Seth was nibbling on a bar of chocolate, so he spoke with food in his mouth. 'Why is that?' he asked.

'When we were just boys, my cousin and I went out with his father's boat deep into the sea just for fun. We called him Razar. He was really stubborn and never listened to anyone but himself. That day, the boat suddenly stopped right in the middle of nowhere. Razar was one of the best mechanics, so I was not afraid of being stranded. If there were anyone in the world I'd rather be within such kind of situation, it was him. We tried all we could to get the boat started, but all effort was insufficient.' He paused after he had spoken. At this point, Seth and Rico were keen to know how the story ended.

'So, continue the story, amigo. You've got our attention now.' Rico stooped to a squatting position.

'So what happened next?' Seth asked.

'Everything was fine from where we were, so Razar said it might be that something had clogged the propellers. He decided to go under the boat to see for himself. I reminded him of sharks, just to scare him, but he said, "Sharks are drawn only by the smell of blood, and I don't bleed." He chuckled and took off his clothes. He jumped into the cold water. That was the last time I ever saw Razar. The funny thing was that after I waited for a while and started the boat, it just started as though nothing was wrong with it.' He had tears in his eyes. Seth and Rico were both speechless. For a moment, nobody said anything. The wind and the sound of the boat slowing were the only sounds that came through.

Calista came and tapped Raphael on his shoulder, drawing his attention to the fog. His countenance changed immediately, catching Marcus' attention. 'Something is wrong,' said Marcus. Three of them came together and joined the angels, watching the boat get closer to the fog. The captain asked that the boat turn away from the fog by making some evasive manoeuvre. As they attempted to move, the fog followed. Eventually, the ferry was turned away in the opposite direction. 'We might be able to outrun this fog—or whatever it is. Full speed ahead.' Hugo gave the order, while the engine crew went and fired on all the thrusters. The mighty boat tore through the waters, with great speed, leaving a huge wave of water behind it.

The fog did not stop, as it kept its pursuit on the HailMary. The boat was in chaos. The passengers panicked; many prayed while others cried. A group of men, probably former soldiers, acted bravely and wanted to fight whatever it was that lurked in the fog. They talked about facing it head-on. 'What is it?' asked Rico, but he didn't get any reply from either angel. 'Just point me at what you want dead, and I'll kill it, no question …'

He was interrupted by Calista. 'Your guns are of no use when you are facing the Rahab,' said Calista.

'The Ra … what?' Rico asked in his ignorance.

'The Rahab is an elemental territorial spirit, and as it is, we are in her territory,' said Raphael.

'Many are going to die if we do not stop her, for she's a descendant of Lucifer himself,' Calista added even as the cold wind brushed her face and her hair was suspended behind.

'The spirit is a she?' asked Rico.

'No, it's a he. Have you ever heard a man bear that name, ever?' Marcus scolded. 'So how do we stop this daughter of darkness?' he added.

'No man has ever seen the Rahab and lived to tell. Sailors call her "the song in the mist,"' said Calista.

'Can you destroy her?' Seth asked in fear.'I'm just saying, as you can see, she's on our tail … and very close, too.'

'Do not be afraid, oh brave son of Adam. The Rahab is just another offspring of darkness, so she can be killed, but she's tricky, and she's an elemental,' said Calista.

'What is it about elementals that you keep mentioning?' Rico asked in all seriousness.

'Elementals are sometimes more dangerous than originals—that's the fallen—they control the element they are in, as it is a part of them. The Rahab is of the water element,' Calista explained. They realized that they would not be able to outrun the fog.

'I'll need you guys to get to the captain and warn everyone, passengers and crew alike,' Raphael said. 'They must all get blindfolds and earplugs and use them when the boat stops.'

Raphael's orders were taken to Hugo, who seemed to know about the song of the mist. 'My papa told me that when you come across the song in the mist, you must run until you get to shore, so why should I stop my boat, because some amateurs tell me to?'

Seth wanted to respond to him, but Rico held him back and asked that he handle the matter.He was left alone with Hugo, while the others went to warn the rest on the boat. A short while after the boat stopped, Rico came out alone.

'What happened back there?' Marcus asked him.

'He agreed totally.' Meanwhile, Hugo was knocked out cold on the floor of the control room.

The fog began to spread around the boat like a theatre curtain and formed a wall around the boat. The ex-soldiers asked Rico to share his knowledge. 'You guys seem to be the only ones who know what's going on. Is there anything we could do to help?' one asked.

Rico told them the same thing he told the others. 'Put a blindfold over your eyes and earplugs deep into your ears. No matter what happens, do not open your eyes,' he said, but they weren't satisfied.

'And then what? We hide or fight like the Chinese do or hide like little girls?' The man was not accepting the orders being given to them. Another pointed to the fog, though, and something or someone was moving within the fog. 'Okay, we will do as you say, but know that this is not over.' The four of them walked away.

'Making friends already, are we?' Seth asked him.

'Yeah, you know me, I'm a likable guy,' Rico responded.

Slowly, the fog closed in on the boat. The number of both passengers and crew numbered eighteen. Everyone agreed to do as they were told. Many hid in closets, cupboards, and even under beds. Raphael and Calista poured salt on their bodies to hide their angelic scent from the spirit. Then the song of the mist came from within the fog, and Raphael screamed at them to cover their ears. Everyone did. The fog covered every inch of the boat. The song kept playing, as the spirit floated through the mist into the boat. It floated from one point to another, gliding through hallways and corridors. When it came to where there were people, she made them feel the soft rub of her hair on their skin. She played on them, luring and enticing them. When she failed to get them, she would go out seeking others. Finally, she came to the room where the former soldiers were and sensed their anger to fight. Rahab was always naked, and the only covering she had was her thick and soft, long, black hair that spanned beyond her feet. She touched their faces, like the brushing of a soft wind, and gently removed their blindfolds. The men had their eyes tightly shut, while the demon meandered through the tight spaces between them.

They all stayed on their knees in a close formation while replacing their blindfolds with their eyes closed.

Her voice was like the sweetest symphony that could ever be put together by the world's greatest orchestra, and the tune came out from all of her body. She had found prey that could be broken. 'Rudolf, I can't hold it any longer,' screamed out one of the men by the name of Bruno.

'No, Bruno, you mustn't give in,' replied Rudolf with his hands over his ears.

'I am not giving up. I want to fight and die like a man.' Bruno stood, for he was the biggest of the four.

'Yes, yes, come to me, Bruno.' Her voice was harmonized by the tune that proceeded from her body. The others were screaming out to Bruno not to, but he wouldn't listen. He opened his eyes and saw the beauty of perfection in a naked body. She stood just over six feet. Her hair was changing colours to a mixture of brown and yellow gold. Her eyes were as blue as the ocean. Her skin glowed like polished ivory. She had a perfect pair of C cups. Her nails were perfectly grown and painted in the finest pink. 'She's beautiful, guys. She's beautiful.' His words were slow and heavy, as the pounding sound of his heart could overshadow his words. In the few seconds he was afforded the luxury to cast his gaze on such beauty, his expression was that of one who had lived a fulfilled life. But before he could say another word, his eyes popped, splashing substance and blood all over the room. He cried out to his mates for help, but they were too scared to do anything. He realized that he couldn't move, and suddenly, he lost his voice. His open mouth brought out cold steam as though he were freezing from inside out. His whole body froze.

The demonic spirit was really excited as her two-foot tongue came out of her mouth to taste her meal like a snake, leaking up the frozen body. Although the others were too frightened to open their eyes or even move,they kept calling out Bruno's name! But there was no sound from their fallen comrade, stillfrozen. Rahab then pinned the tip of her tongue on his forehead and began to suck the life from him. The melodious tune that exuded her now became a wicked squeal, as her eyes turned fire green and her hair stretched out in all directions. The others tried to see through their blindfolds, but only Rudolf could get an unclear visual of her. So, they whispered amongst themselves, for they were just sitting ducks. Rudolf got up and charged at her, but he fell through her and rammed himself on the ice statue of Bruno. The ice crumbled in solid chunks and pieces. She raged in anger at Rudolf, who still had his blindfold on. 'How dare you, puny human, disrupt my feeding? Now I shall feed on your beating heart and give your carcass to the ocean.' Her voice was like the tune coming from a twisted pipe, which the ear could not contain and the brain could not process. The men held their heads in pain as her words came forth.

She glided towards Rudolf, and her hair came from both sides and raised him off the ground. A few strands of her hair began to knit themselves together to form a sharp weapon with a pointed tip. She dug that into his chest and pulled out his heart, dripping blood. Rudolf became lifeless, so she dropped him and brought the heart close to her mouth. 'It's been so long since anyone brought out the untamed part of me, but I like it, as old habits never die.' This was a snack she would enjoy.

Her loud voice took over the entire boat. Blood was rolling out of the ears and eyes of everyone, except for Seth and the angels. 'You cannot wait for her to get to us before you do something,' Seth pleaded. 'Many more people are going to die.'

'To kill an elemental is not a walk in the park, as you humans would say, especially when they are in their element,' Calista spoke to Seth. 'If she finds out that we are on this boat before we get to her, she would flee and sink the boat, so we must be careful,' she added.

'I've got a plan,' Seth whispered.

After hearing Seth's plan, Raphael called her name with a solemn voice. 'Rahab!' She heard her name, like a hot knife cutting through butter. No mortal had mentioned her name for a century. So, she stopped eating the beating heart and sped off to the deck of the boat. There she found Rico, Marcus, Seth, and Calista lying helplessly on the ground. Raphael stood facing the water, with a blindfold tied over his eyes. He wore a black robe over his clothes and had both hands on the railings.

'Intriguing. Hmmm … One who could withstand my ultrasonic sound and also knows my true name. Hmm, interesting.' Rahab floated over to where Raphael was. The fog held her in its arms as she floated over the water. She was joyfully rubbing herself all over Raphael as she passed him. 'There must be more to you than meets the eyes. I love a good-looking man with a dash of mystery. You're a strong one … Am I your type? Just kidding, of course. I am. I am everybody's type. My curiosity has gotten the best of me, my darling. Tell me how you got to know my name and how come you are not rolling on the floor like the other men. My father said men are lesser beings, food for us. I myself enjoy having them as my playthings, if you know what I mean, but you are different. Perfect, I might say. I'd rather have you as a mate, my equal, to fulfil my sexual fantasies as I please. Trust me when I say that I have a lot.' She locked her formless body to his as she used her hair to remove his blindfold. Seeing that his eyes were closed under the blindfold, she laughed seductively. At this time, her tune filled the air. 'You need not be afraid of me; my love for you is special to me, not like the other men. Open your eyes and behold true beauty, for I promise you that my eyes will always be blue for you.' She ran her hand over his biceps and triceps, down to his wrist. Suddenly, Raphael held her wind-like form firm on the wrist.

That was an impossible feat for any mortal to achieve, so it gripped her with surprise. 'How is this possible? What are you?' she asked as her eyes turned green. She tried freeing herself from his grasp, but it was too strong a hold.

'I am no man, demon. I am a messenger of God.' He opened his eyes, which had become completely white and glowing. That was when Calista got up.

'Your reign ends here, Rahab, descendant of Lucifer,' said Calista.

Rahab paused for a few seconds and observed the two angels. 'Wait a second. You pair are most certainly the guardians of the reader, and if that's the case, so which one of them is my glorious prize? Hurry up and hand over the reader,' she demanded.

'Kill this devil, Raphael,' said Calista as she walked closer.

'You wish,' Rahab replied in scorn and blew like a mist out of his hands. She shot off into the air in a backward procession. 'The lord of darkness will reward me greatly when I present him with the reader, but as for the two of you, your heads would make really nice trophies for my collection.' As she spoke, her hair spread out like the branches of an almond tree. She began invoking in a strange tongue. As she did, the clouds gathered and the sea boiled when she took on a reptilian form. The hair on her head turned into serpents of an inexplicable species. They looked like metal. Her fingers became a couple of inches longer, and her nails became claws with which she pulled out a strange black sword from thin air. The beauty that once existed was nowhere to be seen. Her voice was like that of ten thousand wendigoes. Her mouth was filled with fangs, and the colour of her skin was like blue gold from many broken glasses.

She was fully transformed, as she perched in mid-air in the heart of a hurricane. There was pandemonium in the boat. At this time, Hugo was still out cold, while others scampered, even when there was nowhere to run. Women and children were screaming and crying. They were no longer under her control, as she was focused on doing battle against the crusaders. Seth, Marcus, and Rico came together.

'It seems your plan didn't work,' Rico remarked.'Do you have another brilliant plan to handle this?'

Seth was very confused. 'Ah, I'm not sure that anything I will cook up now would work against that.' He turned his eye to Rahab's position. The thick hazel cloud was flashing endless bolts of lightning, as though the great gods of Olympus were battling for supremacy.

Rahab's eyes were lit as she waited for Raphael to make his move. 'Come, let me send you to meet your maker, messenger,' she called to him.

Calista's eyes lit up in pure white, losing the presence of her pupils. 'Let me destroy her.' She advanced but was stopped by the hand of Raphael stretched across her chest.

'No, she's mine. Protect Seth. That's your only mission,' he said to her.

'And yours?'

'Sending the whore back to hell.' He got to the edge of the boat and ran into thin air, as he immediately went into angel mode. Two mighty wings burst out of his back, stretching fifteen feet wide, and his clothes radiated pure energy. Rico and Marcus were seeing him for the first time as an angel.

'No … way … He really is an angel. Are you seeing what I'm …?' Rico looked at Marcus, whose gaze was fixed on Raphael.

'I see it, but I don't believe it,' said Marcus with open eyes, devoid of blinks.

'Me too,' Rico added.

Raphael stretched his glowing sword as he flew in an ascending procession towards her with his wings widely spread at a swift pace. 'Come to me,' she said with both hands spread apart. As he was about to strike her, there was a blast from the waters below, and then emerged a mighty squid that rose from the sea and grabbed him with one of its tentacles. The creature was over eighty feet in diameter, and its tentacles spread much further. This was no ordinary sea monster, for the creature was in the form of water but in solid form. This was a demonic creature, which was conjured by Rahab. All those on the boat watched as the battle raged. The squid dragged him, but he was able to break free with a single swing of his sword.However, the squid was not about to let him escape so easily. He threw more tentacles around him. There was a heavy struggle between them. He tried to break his handsfree, but the creature wrapped them tightly to his sides. His sword began to glow brighter as the creature submerged into the deep with Raphael in its grasp. 'Destroy him, my child,' Rahab screamed in excitement.

The others, who had never seen anything like this before, were in shock. 'Go and help, Calista. He might need your help,' Seth urged her.

'No, I must not do that. Raphael can take care of himself. You should have faith in God, son of Adam.' She spoke with confidence as she stared at the excited demon, who stared back at her.

'Faith. I have faith, but I am not sure how much there is left.' Seth spoke with a low tone only he could hear. The minute he said it, there was a blast from the water, and out came Raphael with sword in hand. There was amazing swordplay between them. Rahab swung not only her sword but also her hair.

A minute after they started swinging, Raphael had drained all her juice as he began to cut off her hair with every swing he made. She called out in a strange tongue, and this time, the sea creature was three in number. One came for the Hail Mary, while the other two came for Raphael.

'Now, I can join in the fight,' Calista said with cocked eyes.

'Why is that? A moment ago, you said you were not joining the fight to help Raphael,' Rico antagonized her.

'Protect the reader at all cost.' She walked away from Seth to the edge of the boat and shot three arrows on a creature. Three seconds after they exploded, bringing three tentacles down, there was a euphoric expression from the onlookers. The creature staggered backward. Right before their eyes, the tentacles grew back. That was when Calista ran off the edge of the boat and went into angel mode. She had wings, though not as big as those of Raphael, and she also glowed. She pulled out her glowing sword and began hacking the creatures, leaving Seth in the hands of Rico and Marcus, although Marcus was still very careful of going too close to the edge.

Noticing the vulnerability of their companions, Rahab realized it would be perfect if she made her move since the angels were quite busy. So she snuck away. It was time for her to come for her prize. She glided down to the boat, not knowing who was the reader, but Marcus was waiting for her as he gave her an arousing welcome with almost half a dozen throw knives. The first almost got her, but one of her hair serpents caught it, as they did the others. 'Catch this,' Rico shot her from behind. It was a direct hit, which made her scream and turned towards Rico with green eyes, but he looked away from her and began shooting randomly and skilfully. She immediately gave up her physical form and became transparent. She was still able to toss Rico and Marcus around until she threw them overboard the Hail Mary.

'Marcus!' Seth called out as he ran towards the edge, but Rahab caught him with one of her serpents. It wrapped him around the neck and pulled him close. 'The reader, I suppose … Hmm, you don't look like much, but my master would be glad to have you.' Seth reached out and struck her on her cheek with his knife, thereby inflicting a scar on her face. She was shocked that Seth could touch her in her transparent form. She thought he was another angel, and then she saw the medallion around his neck. Her eyes turned green again. She reached for the medallion, and she was zapped by a high voltage of electricity when she touched it. She screamed in pain and loosened her grip. In the anger of the moment, she pulled out her black sword. 'My master should be satisfied with just your head.' She raised her hand to strike him.

'Hey, witch,' Calista called out. She turned swiftly, because the voice sounded really close, just to find Calista's blade running past her neck. 'Your master should be content with yours,' she said as Rahab froze into pure ice and her head fell off and crashed into many pieces. 'Or not.' The water monster dissolved back into the water, and the weather cleared up.

Hugo woke and rushed out to see the fog gone. 'What happened? Did we outrun the fog? Ah, my head.'

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The Hail Mary arrived in Cefalú weeks later and docked at Lungomare beach, or what was left of it. The sandy beach of Lungomare some months earlier had teemed with swarms of travelers and tourists, families playing in the sun with the wind in their hair. Children competed in the sand for who could make the largest sandcastles. Lovers raced along the shores, and surfers thrilled the audience of cheering tourists. Lifeguards patrolled to make sure everyone was safe while muttering and receiving orders from the watchtower through various satellite communication gadgets.

All that remained of the famous tourist beach was the whistle of wind in the trees, the sound of waves crashing on the shore, and wreckage in the distance of what used to be the watchtower. It was a depressing sight.

The Hummer given to them by the archbishop was fully brought down from the ferry. In no time, Seth, Marcus, Rico, Calista, and Raphael were driving past one wreckage after another en route to Sicily. There were stops here and there on Seth's insistence to heal the wounded and share some of their supplies with the starving people they met along the way.

'I can't bear to look upon all the suffering and not feel it was all my fault,' Seth said with teary eyes at one stop.

Calista's arms were on his shoulder. 'Our job is not to tell you what to do or what not to do, but hear me, Seth, son of God: You must keep your eyes on the task God has committed to you. You must quit looking behind because God trusted you with this mission. You must trust yourself.'

'I've got one for you, Seth,' Rico said. 'If you keep looking back, you will never get to where you are going to, or you would miss what's in front of you, right?' He spoke as though he just hit a jackpot, and he noticed the look on both Calista and Seth's faces, so he went on. 'Oh, come on. Tell me at least that made sense,' Rico nagged.

'Alright,' he added,'if this is how you all want to play, it's all good, guys, but don't come running to me when you need some wisdom. None of you is getting it.' He looked away when he was through talking. Calista continued talking with Seth.

While she spoke with him, Raphael came up to them with Marcus. 'The forces of evil in this village are strong. The fallen are here and already know we are here too. We must leave at once!' Immediately, everyone started racing to the car.

A demon appeared in front of Rico. 'Look,' Marcus shouted. Rico instinctively ducked. The demon knocked him off his feet, but Calista's flaming arrow saved the day. The demon turned to powder and evaporated.

'Get into the car. I'll cover you,' shouted Calista. While others entered the car, she appeared to enjoy slinging down more demons as they appeared above, behind, and in front of her. She was buying the others a head start.

'Head straight for that railroad on the left,' ordered Raphael.

'Hey, but we can't just leave her there,' argued Seth.

'Don't worry, Seth. I am fine,' Calista shouted.

Marcus and everyone else turned, as Calista was running beside the speeding car.

'Speed now!' she yelled.

Marcus hit the gas. It was just in time to get past being smashed by the large trunk of a falling tree. Marcus screeched to a halt, Calista jumped in, and they zoomed off, leaving behind a smokescreen.

'Those were demons back there, weren't they?' asked Marcus.

'Yes, they were, but they were just Lucifer's foot soldiers. Nothing special,' said Calista.

'Hey, Mr. Looking Backward would not make you see what is coming in front of you. You almost turned demon food.' Marcus was taunting Rico, while Seth laughed under his breath.

'It's not funny,' Rico replied with a straight face.

The journey to Sicily was not the least pleasant. On the way, they came in contact with the real fallen spirits of Satan. The Fallen Angels, as Raphael referred to them, were demons much stronger and ferocious and much meaner than the average demon. Raphael knew all by their names. The ball of fire that they saw fell through were much larger than the ones they had seen. 'Those are real fallen,' said Raphael as they drove down a sloppy highway. They could see the balls of fire crashing down on the horizon.

'Woe unto the souls who dwell there,' whispered Calista to herself, to the hearing of Marcus, who was driving. There was a pause, for a few seconds, while Rico slept off.

'Why, why do they have to fall to the earth, and not some desolate land or world? Why do men have to be the ones to suffer and die for the cause of angels and demons?' Marcus lashed out, and Seth reached to him to take it easy.

'We are at war, Marcus, and this battle is being fought on every realm, not just earth. The battle is not to take over heaven, but to destroy mankind, and in war, there are always casualties,' replied Calista while Rico began to snore. 'And to answer your question, the reason why most of them fall to the earth, it is because this is where they ascended from,' she concluded.

Their regular sitting position was with Seth sitting between Rico and Raphael in the backseat while Calista sat in front with Marcus or whoever was driving. Some hours later, they got to a village near the hill country. Demon-possessed men were burning the village to the ground. After raping the young women, they threw them into the fire. Others were either decapitated or just burnt alive. There was pure, unadulterated evil in that town, and the air was thick, cloaked with the strange scent of horror.

The crusaders arrived at the scene, as it was along their route to Sicily, only to see the death, carnage, and destruction that had been done. The screams of women and children rented the air. Marcus pulled over and came out; likewise the others. Rico woke up at the sudden stop of their truck. 'Are we there yet? Where are we?' he asked. 'Why are we stopping?' he asked, but no one gave him any answers. 'What do we do? We've got to help 'em.'

Seth gasped. 'You don't do anything. It's too dangerous if anyone has to go. Calista and I will do something.'

'She and I will go out there to stop this madness,' Raphael said.'The rest of you stay here, and keep the engine running.' Raphael turned to Seth: 'These are the fallen spirits. They are very crafty, so please stay in the car and don't try to save the day.' With that said, he turned and walked towards the commotion.

Screams filled the air.

'You know, I've seen some really scary stuff in my life. Stuff I can't even talk about in the open, but nothing could have prepared me for this journey, you know,' said Rico.

'Yeah, I only read about angels and God in the Bible, but to actually see one and share a ride and mission with two … I don't know, men. It's different,' Marcus replied to Rico.

'These are strange times, amigo,' Rico said. 'Demons falling from the skies, angels walking among men, and war in heaven. It's really weird.' Rico moved to check if there was a running channel on the radio.

'All my life, I'd always been around an angel,' Seth said.'At least that was what I thought he was, but he wasn't just an angel or a demon. He was more; he knew so much that we have never been told.' He was deeply pained as he tried to describe his former guardian who he hadn't gotten over yet. The truck was quiet, as nobody said anything for a moment.

After that awkward moment of silence, Marcus cleared his throat and asked. 'What was he like? I mean, Lucifer, Satan, what was he like?' He was curious, and Rico bought into his curiosity.

'Yeah, I'm dying to know. Did he have horns like hell boy and hooves like a cow and hair all over his body? And a tail. Yeah, and a tail?' He had so many questions to ask.

Seth turned his eyes to the window, staring at the chaos on the other side. 'If Lucifer were a man, then he would be the finest man under the heavens.Even as an angel he was flawless in beauty. But I remember one time when he showed me different forms of himself. He could be a dragon, a man, an angel, or even a dog. I guess if he wants, he could be a man and a beast at the same time, he could. There are many sides to the devil.' He paused and sipped from his flask of water.

Marcus had pity in his eyes for Seth, as he saw the face of a broken heart in a man. 'I guess he showed you a part of himself that no one else but you had ever encountered,' said Marcus.

Seth had flashes of the kindness of Lucifer, from diverse appearances, up till his betrayal, and finally his release and ascension. 'He was the best friend I could have ever asked for. He made me who I am today. He was kind too.'

Rico interjected. 'Or maybe he was just pretending to be all those.'

Marcus interrupted him. 'Rico, you are not helping matters by talking like that.'

'I'm just calling a spade a spade,' said Rico. Seth kept quiet with his heavy heart and eyes for a moment while his two friends went at each other. Suddenly, there was a distraction from outside that caught their attention.

A group of men caught two teenage lads, shot one in the head as he was escaping from them, and started beating the other to a pulp. Rico could not take it any longer. With the rage of a raving bull, he went at them. 'That's enough. I might let you all walk away with just a beating if you apologize to the kid.' He got their attention. They all looked like wild beasts: dirty and haggard, overgrown hair, torn boots, and smelly too.

'Don't worry, son. You are dessert. Come on, lads. Let's have some fun,' said their leader, who from his accent sounded Irish. Rico walked toward the bullies. Two overgrown men came forward first, so he knocked them both out while several others came out to join the party. He had thought their numbers to be few but realized he had his work cut out for him.

Rico looked to Marcus. 'Hey, amigo. Feel free to stop me from killing these bastards?' Rico called out to Marcus.

'They are only eight in number, Rico. I'm sure you would do fine, but keep your eyes open,' he answered.

'Okay, more for me.' He was already beating them down as he spoke to Marcus. Ten men were bleeding on the floor. He wasn't aware of the leader pulling his gun to shoot him.

'Hey, he's got a gun,' Seth screamed out. Rico made a swift turn and a quick draw, but by the time his bullet hit the Irishman, Marcus's knife was already in his neck. Rico strolled back to the truck to meet Seth and Marcus.

'Stick with me,' he said to the boy, 'and you'll be just fine.' He had that overconfident grin on his face while he placed his right elbow over his knee, which was raised. 'A thank you would be appropriate since we just saved your maggots,' said Marcus.

Rico had this shocked expression on his face, 'We? Who is we? The only person who made any attempt, who called out like a girl—no offense to you, Seth—which I dealt with,' he replied with cockiness.

'Are you serious? That man died by my knife before you even drew your gun,' Marcus countered. So they went on for a while debating about who was better and faster. Marcus felt his knife was a better way to go at close combat, but Rico said whether it was close or far; his guns were the way to go.

Another scream was heard. This time, a house was on fire. Seth could see a girl of about fourteen years of age banging and screaming for help from the other side of the window. The visibility kept getting worse.

Marcus said, 'I know what you're thinking, but we have our orders … and we're … Seth … come back …' Seth ran off to save the poor girl. Marcus came out and ran after him, but Seth was too fast for him. He picked up a large rock, smashed the window, and pulled her right out of it. She clung to him,frightened, or so it seemed. When Marcus got close, he saw that Seth wasn't in any real danger, so he relaxed.

'Thank you for saving me, Father Seth.' She thanked him while her vicelike grip still curled around him.

'It's okay, you are safe now. Wait a minute, how did you know my name?' Seth asked her with surprise on his face. Then she began to laugh with a tone that would scare a lion. Marcus heard the voice and began to reach for Seth, for she immediately transformed into a reptilian demon that stood on its hind legs. It grew to eight feet, and with one smack of its hand, it knocked Seth to a nearby vehicle parked along the street. Glass scattered with the whining of the car security. Marcus reached for a knife and leaped at the creature, but it struck him in midair, sending him as far as their vehicle. That was when Rico knew that there was trouble. The creature wasted no time as it moved in for the kill, heading towards Seth, but five of Calista's arrows stuck in the creature's head. The arrows exploded the head of the creature. They rushed to Seth, who was lying unconscious, face down on the ground. He had minor cuts from the shattered car glass. Raphael lifted him into his arms and walked back to the car where he revived him.

'Whose brilliant idea was it to allow him to wander off on his own?' Raphael spoke with a raised voice and wild eyes. He stared at both of them. They were both frozen, not wanting to take the blame for this one. Then Seth got up and sat, as his head still ached. Moments after the scolding session was over, they got into their vehicle and zoomed off.

Calista said: 'When the fallen are cast down, they are usually trapped by something small which they would never be able to free themselves from; they, therefore, require a human to free them, because it is a human world, and only a human can usher them in, lest they will be forever trapped.'

Raphael explained to them as they journeyed, 'In most cases, you'll find them taking the form of something or someone who can invoke your pity to free them. In this case, Seth, you just freed the young woman, but unleashed a demon called Lamea.' When he had said that, Seth was feeling terrible that he had done what he did. 'I could have caused the death of more people. I just don't listen. I'm so sorry, guys.' He spoke with teary eyes.

'Hey, look here, amigo. You must stop being a girl about these things, so start being a man and suck it up.' Marcus hit him hard. Rico was driving while Marcus was in the back seat. After an hour or so, Marcus and Seth drifted off. Rico asked, 'Does anyone have a song to sing? This radio is useless. Country, rock, hip hop. Hip hop is my favourite, though.' He kept talking, and no one responded to him, but that didn't stop him. They drove into the night. 'Go, go, go. Go, go, that's Fifty Cent.He's an American rapper and…' His voice faded in the wind.

************************************

Finally, Seth got them to the monastery where he had grown up and met Lucifer.

When they were approaching the gate, the bright and sunny sky turned dark, with hostile winds blowing. Raphael told them that this is what it is all about. 'We make our stand here and ensure that we buy Seth all the time he needs to do what is meant to be done.'

The air around the monastery was thin. Nostalgic memories rushed at Seth, but he had to quickly brush past them to fill his mind with the mission at hand. The abbey loomed as a lone giant in the massive compound with its spires pointing deep into the now descending clouds.

'This way,' Seth called to the others in a hushed tone.

Seth took them inside the monastery; they were going to where the pages were meant to be.

'This place must have been vacated in a hurry.' Marcus observed that personal belongings littered the passageways leading to the back and side exit doors.

They encountered several creatures of the night. Strange sounds came from the chapel. A ghoul crystallized in front of them. Calista drew her bow.

'Save it. Just have to ignore and walk through it.' As he said this, Rico walked through the shape, and it disappeared. 'They want to frighten and slow us down.'

With newfound courage and a sudden sense of urgency, Seth called out to them, 'Hurry! This way to the Chapel of Angels.'

They reached the door to the hall. The golden letters still shone in the darkness. There it was in bold lettering: 'The Chapel of Angels.' With both hands, Seth pushed open the twin doors of the chapel. They walked through several statues of angels. The ambiance of florescent light still shone mysteriously through the stained glass, casting a myriad of colours on the angel carvings. Conspicuous of them all was the angel Michael standing over Lucifer. The room brought back memories to Seth, how Lucifer first came to him as a child. Right there, on the same spot where he sat down, were the pages of the Necrom. They were too scary to approach, so he stood at a distance from the pages. His heart pounded, his skin leaked, and sweat dripped down his brow. His gaze was locked on the pages until he became dizzy, as though the ground were moving, and he couldn't balance himself. Rico noticed what was going on, so he held Seth by his bicep, preventing him from falling. 'Hey, amigo. You'll be fine. This time you are not alone. Your compadres are with you, okay?' He spoke warmly to him. Seth nodded slightly and walked towards the pages, but before he could reach them, Marcus picked them up and tried to read the writings.

'I can't make heads or tails out of this. It's like Chinese, right?' He stretched it to Seth, who stood still in front of him.

'That's not Chinese. No man on earth can read those writings except Seth,' said Raphael to Marcus, as he also moved to get a closer look at the pages.

'Why is that?' Rico asked.

'Why is what?' Marcus replied to him with a question.

'Why are the pages not readable by anyone and only Seth could read it?' Rico was determined to know.

'The pages were written in the forgotten language that only Seth can read and understand,' Raphael said. Rico seemed more confused.

Raphael felt frustrated with their back-and-forth lack of understanding of the subject. 'Okay, listen attentively, because I will only oblige your ignorance this one time, and that's it. Now, the reason why no man or woman can read the pages is because the creator took away the first tongue of man and gave them several others. This event as you know, took place at the tower of Babel.'

Rico interjected, 'So what tribe was the first tongue? Was it Espanola?' Raphael scoffed and walked away. 'He's not a patient guy, I wonder how he qualified to be an Angel?'Rico asked aloud.

 While he was still talking, there was a mighty thunder, as though it were going to rain, with clouds gathering and lightning tearing through the skies. Calista came through the door to Raphael after having stood guard outside.

'They are here,' she said.

'How many?' asked Raphael.

'A thousand strong, maybe more, but they have fallen in their ranks,' she answered. Raphael was not too comfortable with where they were because it had too many windows. Everyone was getting ready for the showdown, and Marcus took off his priestly robe for the first time. Underneath, he had a black pair of pants and a black T-shirt. Rico had already taken off his trench coat.

'No wonder you never catch cold,' said Rico. Seth laid out the pages accordingly, while Raphael was still pondering how quickly they could get to them.

'We don't have much time, Raphael. In the next five minutes or less, they will be upon us,' Calista said to him.

He turned to Seth. 'How long would it take you to read the pages?' Raphael asked him.

'Ah, say fifteen to twenty minutes minimum,' he replied while Calista and Raphael shook their heads.They knew that it would not be safe for that to happen.

'Seth, is there any other hall or room without windows?' Raphael inquired.

Seth thought for a few seconds and then said, 'The Theatre of St Anthony.'

'How far is it?' Raphael asked.

'Not far at all. Just down the west wing.' He was already getting agitated.

'Calista, hold them off. I'll be back.'

Rico and Marcus came forward. 'Tell us what to do,' said Marcus. They were prepared for the battle, but Raphael had something different planned for them.

'You two come with me,' he said as he began to move to the Theatre of St Anthony.

Rico was concerned. 'Hey, man or angel, no disrespect, but the bad guys are on the other side where Calista is headed.' He had his gun in hand as he wiped his nose.

Calista walked out to the front of the chapel with her bow in hand. On the far end of the monastery, a large number of vampires were running towards her. They suddenly turned into bats and trooped down on her. She reached for an arrow and shot it into the multitude of bats. They all caught fire and began to drop like snowflakes in winter in the form of men. The ones who were still alive with flames on their bodies were brought down by her short blades. Balthazar stood on the top of a building while the vampires were roasted in flames. Then he unleashed the entire horde of demons. As they came rushing down to her, she leaped into the air and went into her angel mode. Her magnificent wings covered the chapel behind her with light. Calista's bow was made of blue fire, and her eyes glowed in its reflection, with her height reaching over eight feet tall. She was the fiercest beauty. The light that exuded from her blinded them for a few seconds, while Balthazar watched in anger. 'Stupid bitch,' he said in a whisper. Calista mounted her defence between two buildings that were barely fifty feet apart, thereby making their numbers inconsequential. She shot one arrow at the first demon who came at her, and it was fried to vapour. She fought with her bow as a deadly weapon. The edge of the bow was sharp, they could slice through anything. They shot on fire, exploding at every target. While the herd was coming in droves at Calista, Raphael came from above, with much bigger wings. He also was in full angel mode, with shiny swords and glowing raiment.

Marcus and Rico were left to keep watch over Seth, while Raphael went out to join Calista. Raphael asked that Seth stay put and that he would be back to watch him read the pages. Vampires were roaming the monastery coming by the theatre. Rico felt terrible for being left out of the battle. When he eventually heard the sounds of vampires roaming by, he couldn't stay hidden anymore, so he went out and attacked the creatures of the night. Marcus stayed in there with Seth, who was trying to be calm but couldn't. Balthazar was waiting for the vampires to come and tell him if they had picked up the scent of the reader. Unbeknownst to him, Rico had taken them out.

Seth got frustrated and impatient waiting for them to end the battle as he clanged to the pages and buried himself between rows of chairs. The hall was designed like an amphitheatre, with several rows of seats. There was only one exit. Rico stayed outside not far from the door, bringing down whatever came in his direction, while Marcus stayed inside and watched the entrance. Meanwhile, Raphael and Calista had their hands full cutting down demons. Every demon who was killed would burst into flames and vaporize. Raphael and Calista fought to an extent that they unfolded their wings, stretched them wide, and ran through the demon horde. Their wings became as strong as swords, cutting down all in their paths. Balthazar saw the havoc they were causing to his ranks, so he released his last line of attack, the fallen. With them came fireballs and a fiercer attack.

The noise now increased, as there were explosions and tremors surrounding everyone. The building where they were was shaken continuously. 'I can't take it anymore,' Seth cried out. 'I have to stop this right now before it's too late.' With the pages tightly in his grip, he made his way through the aisle to the stage where he placed them on the ground. Marcus was shocked and tried to stop him.

'Raphael asked you to wait until he returns. Please, Seth. I'm asking you to give him a chance,' said Marcus.

'I'm sorry, but I can't wait for a second longer. If I must do this, then it has to be now. It is my mission, and this is it.' Seth's voice was constantly overshadowed by the raging battle. He was stuttering as he spoke. He started to read the pages, and the same effect of the pages began, as there was a mighty wind blowing while everything shook. At the battle scene, Raphael and Calista noticed the change in the weather.

'It's Seth; he is reading the pages. Go to him,' Raphael screamed out to Calista. But Balthazar also could sense the pages as Seth read them. He sent some mighty fallen to prevent Calista from getting to Seth while he went in for the kill.

The pages were glowing and floating while he read.

'Now this feels more like impalement arts,' Marcus said.

'Down,' shouted Rico. He pumped six bullets into the head of a large creature that had just appeared behind Marcus. A demon walked upside down on the ceiling and then jumped down in time to receive Rico's silver bullets. It melted away just as quickly as it had come. 'Aren't we all having fun?' yelled Rico, speaking at the top of his voice. The sound of the wind was so noisy that his hearing was restricted.

Demons kept coming, so Raphael shot fiery angel blasts that took out about a hundred demons at a time. They were swarming and crawling on the walls, windows, and ceiling. The sculptures had started transforming. 'The fallen are taking the statues,' he called out to Calista from the far end.

'That is certainly a wrong move … let's shine a little light then.' She raised her hand, and flashes of thunderbolts were drawn from the skies. When she threw them at the fallen, they burst into flames.

Seth's mind was starting to get cloudy.

More dark creatures were closing in. All of a sudden, the creatures of hell stopped short.

Then came a bright light that shone in from the west corner of the room; a strong wind hit Seth that blew him off, pinning him against a wall five feet off the ground. By the time he raised his head, he saw a strong demon—Balthazar—and he was gathering the pages. Seth stayed suspended through some telekinesis that kept lifting him until he was stuck to the ceiling.

Balthazar began reciting an incantation.

Marcus threw a knife into his back. He raised his scimitar to strike him, but Balthazar used his telekinesis to pin him on the side of the wall. Seth tried screaming, but it was as though he was being strangled and could not even let out a whisper—likewise Marcus. Seeing that Balthazar was succeeding, Seth tried calling Raphael from his heart. 'Raphael, save me.' His words travelled from his heart to Raphael's ear, right in the thick of battle. With great speed, he blasted through the demons before him, leaving Calista to hold off the attack.

Balthazar's incantation grew more ominous with the night wind. A strong wind began to blow again. Seven vortexes appeared.

'Balthazar!' came Raphael's exasperated voice. Raphael had just blasted in. He called out another wind from nowhere and blew Balthazar off, which released both Seth and Marcus. Before they both could crash to the ground, he was there to catch them, giving Balthazar room to rise and attack him. A big fight broke out between both of them. A dozen giant statues were ripped to tiny pieces. Their strengths seemed almost equal to each other. Raphael soon had the upper hand and was able to overpower Balthazar.

'You are going back to hell, Balthazar!' Raphael shouted as his wings covered him like a shield.

Raphael had him in fifteen inches of thick chain, strong enough to hold down a large, fire-breathing dragon.

'Then, I'd climb back out again to finish you up,' Balthazar promised.

Balthazar screamed a certain phrase to complete his incantation. The seven vortexes sucked the pages. Seth screamed out in great pain. 'No!' Calista heard him yell. She knew Seth was in pain, and his pain triggered her rage.

Her angel rage took out every demon on the whole left axis. When it was clear that they no longer reappeared, she flew to where the others were.

Raphael held the choker tighter around the demon's neck. With his hands tied up behind Balthazar, Raphael dug his right foot into his back and pulled with enormous strength until Balthazar heaved, coughed, spat, and cursed. 'Do we go again, or are you going to tell me where you sent those pages?'

'You can rot the way angels know how best to.' He would not tell. He laughed at them.

Raphael slammed Balthazar's head so hard against the cold concrete floor that he dented a big hole around where they stood. Seth stepped backward, visibly shaken by the impact. The demon gave off a hateful demon smile. 'You have failed again, Father Seth.' Balthazar laughed as blood poured out of its mouth.

Calista, still very massive, beautiful, and fierce, stepped into the arena. 'I should give you a foretaste of hell as you have never known it.' She placed a ball of blue fire on the back of his neck and pushed it deeper into the demon's hide.

The huge beast screamed, squirmed, and cursed. 'Well, that was more like foreplay,' he spat.

'He's not bulging a muscle,' Seth said.

'He seems to be buying time. Whatever we have to do, we need to do it fast,' Calista said.

'There is nothing you can do,' Balthazar claimed. 'It is gone with the seven winds. Now, no one can stop our great lord of darkness and purest of evil. You see, losers, there's no part of the script where you win …' A smack from Raphael sent him reeling in pain.

'Where did you send the pages?' Raphael demanded. He was getting impatient.

'I don't know,' Balthazar replied mockingly.

'Maybe I should pump some small quicksilver balls into your head to refresh your mind.' Rico said, pointing his gun at the demon.

'Rico, wait,' Marcus said.'Hey, I think I know what to do. I mean, I know how to get the information we need.' Marcus decided to try a dangerous feat. It was something he had done in the past with a good record of success on humans. The inherited gift of healing was passed on down a long bloodline of hermits, warriors, kings, traditional healers, and artists in Marcus. 'Over the years, I have used this medium to help people and heal mental wounds. Even if a dead person has secrets that need to be found, he could get it out.' Marcus explained that he could get into people's minds through a combined art of telepathy, hypnosis, and Zen activities used to lure patients to answers already existing in their minds.

'That's too risky,' Seth said.

'Well, we don't exactly have all the time in the world,' Marcus argued as he started approaching the demon.

'What do you think you are, puny mortal?' Balthazar raged. But Marcus still approached undaunted at the demon's rantings.

Balthazar went on. 'Have you ever seen the belly of the abyss or walked on the shores of hell? Ask him, angel: Are you scared to try? You'll die in there, foolish priest.' He chuckled.

Marcus seemed not to care about a word he was saying. He looked at Seth and said, 'You will complete your mission.' Then he placed his palm on Balthazar's forehead to see into his mind, and when he connected mentally, he was blown and terrified at what he saw. Immediately, he jumped right out.

Rico and Calista had headed back to confront some creatures that had just entered the chapel and to prevent others from coming in. Raphael told Marcus, 'Ignore every other thing you might see in there. Just focus on finding the thought that reveals the location of the seven pages of the Necrom.' Father Marcus gave it his all this time, but the demon was too powerful for him. Nevertheless, he didn't stop until he found the thought, so he began to mention where all the seven locations were. 'Rio, Paris, Giza, London, Statue of Liberty, China, and Nigeria.' Marcus had called out these names as though he read them from a scroll in Balthazar's mind.

Balthazar was raging while Marcus was calling out the locations.

When Marcus was finished mentioning the locations, he tried to break free, but he couldn't. Seth ran towards him, but Raphael held him back because it seemed uncertain what was going on. Balthazar held him and wouldn't let him go. Marcus's spirit was trapped in Balthazar's head. Raphael drew symbols on the ground and kept Balthazar on it, while Father Marcus lay passed out on the marble floor. Evil creatures seemed to crawl out of every pore in space swarmed outside. The battle was becoming more than just Calista and Rico could handle. Rico called out to Raphael for help. As Raphael opened the door, his anger triggered an aggression that made his eyes light up and caused him to levitate. Calista ranged Rico and covered him as Raphael sent out a ripple that took out every creature within a square mile. This singular act drained both angels, for it was as though they are both connected, and Raphael depleted their tank.

 Although he was able to clear out every apparent attack at the juncture, the worst was yet to pass.

When they got back inside, Marcus was still trapped in Balthazar's mind. 'His body has been getting weaker by the minute,' Seth sighed. He had been with Marcus the whole time, speaking to him. 'If we don't unite him with his body in time, we will lose him.' The look of guilt was on him.

'He'll be fine. If there's a will, there's always a way,' Rico said to Seth. He knew he always sounded awkward when it came to encouraging people.

'Save it, Rico. You know that this is not one of your strong suits,' Seth replied to him, as he removed Rico's hand from his shoulder.

'Yeah, you are right. I'm only good for killing things. He is my friend too.' Rico took it personally, and he walked away from Seth.

'I didn't mean it that way. I just don't know what to do. I'm a mess.' Seth held it in and didn't break down in tears, seeing that he had done a lot of that since the start of their journey.

'Aren't we all?' said Rico.

Calista saw how attached Seth was to Marcus in his state, so she tried to talk him out. 'Take it easy, Seth. Rico was just trying to help. We are all doing the best we can,' she said.

'Then obviously your best isn't good enough, because if it were, Marcus won't be here … dying,' he screamed out. He took a cloth in his hand and began to wipe Marcus, who was sweating all over.

'And if Balthazar is exorcised with Marcus still trapped …' Calista said half to herself as though considering it as an option. 

'We will lose both of them,' Rico completed her thought. 'So what do we do?'

Father Marcus was trapped in a maze with many obstacles and creatures to battle through; he was fighting for his life. He knew that if he died in this place, there would be no going back to the real world. It became quite obvious that he couldn't come out from Balthazar's maze by himself.

There were cries of women and children coming from all around him, which made him more confused. He could barely differentiate what was real from what wasn't because the voices sounded familiar. The ground was wet and slippery. Rats were running on the walls through thick cobwebs. Cats were crying in the distance. He was hearing all sorts of laughter as he proceeded in the maze. There was evil at every turn, while the sky above him was pitch black.