CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER NINE

More than ten thousand dark angels stood guard in the massive stronghold in Algol the star hand chosen by Lucifer as the choicest location from which to strike earth and heaven at the same time.

 The evil lords and masters of the seven rebel contingents of the entire universe gave progress reports to the archfiend himself. The castle glowed red in the ambiance of the star's doleful atmosphere. The castle interiors, as were many of such others, was lavishly furnished with every beautiful thing ever seen in every galaxy Lucifer and his lords had ever been to in the last ten thousand years. Lucifer's throne shone with magnificence, a failed attempt to replicate that of God in heaven. Four creatures surrounded the throne: a minotaur, a manticore, a werewolf, and an ogre. The debriefing went on for many long hours as the demon lords recounted their onslaught against the opposing force of light. So far, the assault on earth had gone as planned because man was always a willing ally to evil as a result of his insatiable cravings.

One demon lord was in charge of recruitment of humankind into the growing force of evil and to resist God and everything that stood for good. The second demon lord was in charge of pillaging, molestation, destruction, and every kind of activity that caused despair and fear. A third demon lord was in charge of quelling any sort of resistance or insurrection caused by any such group as the church or even the crusaders. There were three responsible for the war on earth, while the other four demon lords were directly involved in the strategy or policymaking with things bordering on the onslaught on the heavenly shores; that part wasn't going too well, even though there were reports that many angels were falling to earth from the battle. Lucifer wasn't quite sure that was good news. For some unknown reason, Balthazar had not turned up for this debriefing; it was his part being to quell any insurrection such as that of Seth and the crusaders.

When the news got to Lucifer that Balthazar had failed to stop the crusaders and that he had been exorcised back to the bottomless pit of hell, he became pensive. He summoned a more trusted, reliable, and competent destroyer, Beelzebub, to handle the situation personally. Beelzebub was a high-ranking demon in Lucifer's chain of command, and he had his cunning ways of getting the job done, being the greatest con-artist of all time. Beelzebub was renowned for strategic military manoeuvring in war, excellent wit, and charm as well as brutality unrivalled by any of the dark lords. Never had Lucifer once doubted his ability to pull through with a plan, and once it had been decided by Lucifer in the conclave, he set forth to China with a subtler plan in mind.

'I cannot begin to emphasize how important this task is and the gravity of my expectation for you to succeed,' Lucifer told him. 'For if you do find a way to destroy the reader, then the world of men will truly be ours.' Lucifer was resounding in his speech, as he was well-seated on his throne, with Beelzebub stooping one knee down in front of him. 'If you succeed, I will reward you with the highest honour in my kingdom, and you will be answerable only to me.' His voice was subtler and commanding at the same time.

'I will not fail you, oh great lord of darkness and evil,' replied Beelzebub in a reassuring tone. His voice was croaky like that of a giant toad.

'But if you fail me, there is no punishment in all the worlds that would suffice. For you'll be in the torture chamber of Ashtaroth for all eternity. Trust these words, for they will come back to haunt you,' said the archfiend. The demon lord rose from his throne, and all his forces stood still in fear. His flak rubbed the marble floor as he walked down the stairs of his throne. The four creatures trailed him. 'It's time we bring down the gates of heaven.'

In China, after the collapse of the government, there came about a major power tussle among the various Chinese gangs and clans in a quest for territorial acquisition and control. Quite a number of them ruled over different neighbourhoods. Their territory varied by the strength of the gang and how vast their numbers. Many formed alliances to strengthen their ranks, as the weaker gangs always suffered territorial takeovers. General Chang Lu was the biggest warlord of them all, he controlling a greater part of the Chinese military; almost nothing came through to China that escaped his watchful eyes. Chang Lu had his headquarters in Shanghai, while small pockets of his military were stationed in the different towns and provinces of China. Every now and then, there were gang fights and disputes in the struggle for territorial expansion, but none ever attempted to topple Chang Lu. Chang Lu controlled food supplies and medical imports, which were used as barter for other necessary goods since money was no longer relevant. The only thing that could be accepted at any point was solid gold or precious stones, such as diamonds. Chang Lu was a businessman as well as a warlord of strong repute. Beelzebub was able to gather Intel from the humans who served as spies to him that the crusaders were headed for China. He decided to get to China before them and work the ground before they arrived. General Chang Lu walked into his office that morning and was surprised that the room had the fragrance of some bitter herb that smelled strangely sweet.

Someone rocked back and forth on his high-backed seat with its back towards the door, something no person of military status would dare to attempt … not even in these times. Security breach screamed a voice in his head, and just before he tried to slowly turn and give a signal to the armed guards, Beelzebub spoke. 'Contained in these two large boxes on your right are some gold bars worth three hundred million dollars; a fair down payment of which a balance of more gold bars worth over two hundred and fifty million, after the task has been thoroughly executed. In times like this, when no currency has any value, gold seems to be the only thing that is of worth, don't you think?'

The chair swirled on its own, immediately revealing a semi-transparent person in his seat. He was small such that his feet did not touch the ground. 'I am going to lord over things out here for a while just to make sure that some of those angels and human crusaders don't escape my grip.' As he stood up, Beelzebub grew in size to seven feet tall. He leaned forward into the face of General Chang, who was already shaking with fear and anticipation. 'General Chang Lu, is there any part of the plan that you don't understand?' asked the demon as he moved his big head closely to Chang's face and turned his ear much closer to hear him. The frightened general noticed that the demon's sharp claws were growing out, ready to cut him down at the slight pronouncement of any wrong answer. 'Well, of course not,' replied Chang in his frightened state. 'You'll be hearing from me,' Beelzebub said. He wrapped his cape around himself and disappeared. General Chang was more than grateful for the offer because Beelzebub could have killed him, but instead, he made him rich. He was more than happy to take the offer and to be alive.

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

The crusaders docked at a deserted harbour in Syria. The earth was beautiful from this side of the world where the sun rose and shone hard upon the beautiful reefs and sun-baked sands. A couple of fruit trees grew wild along some three miles inland. Raphael and Marcus moved on inland in search of fruits and wild animals while Calista and Rico stayed back at the harbour refuelling the Hummer. They found gallons of gasoline in an abandoned warehouse where some forklifts and five haulage vehicles were parked. They made sure that all of the gallons were tightly sealed while they stacked the containers on the top of their vehicles to avoid the suffocating smell of gasoline if they were to travel with the fuel inside the vehicle. 'Sooner or later, we might have to find a more fuel-efficient vehicle,' Rico said as he stared at Calista, who was working with the strings to tie the cans for gas to the roof of the car. He had tried hard not to admit to himself that this angel woman could drive his emotions crazy if he was not consciously watching his mind. 'Except we might have to fly back from pigmy land on your back, something I would live to cherish for like … forever.' He smiled to himself at his mischief. 'For now, we make do with what we have,' Calista replied. Raphael and Marcus soon returned with food. It was a sumptuous breakfast for the three men. The angels didn't eat, as was usual, and no one dared asked them. Seth decided to ask the question that hung on their lips, though. 'Tell me something, Calista. Apart from eating, what else don't you guys do?' Seth asked while he bit off a chunk from his mango. Calista was not expecting such a question, so she did not know where to start to answer it. 'Who told you that we do not eat?' she asked him, but Marcus couldn't wait for Seth to answer, so he interrupted him. 'Guys, don't make this sound like a debate, which it's not, because we all have been watching you both. Neither of you have had a bite of anything since we embarked on this journey.' Seth and Rico concurred by nodding their heads. 'You humans are a peculiar breed,' Calista replied. 'In a time like this, where your race is on the verge of extinction, you all bother yourselves with whether we eat?' 'And so many other things, like marriage and stuff,' Rico added, with food in his mouth and pointing to Calista with his knife. Calista looked to Raphael for a response, but as usual, he stood there like a tree, speechless. 'Okay, we can eat, but we don't need food to survive, and it does not do anything to our physiology. We've tried only your fruits, but nothing else.' She gave them the answers they'd craved. 'So, did you try the apples? Trust me.'

'They are really nice,' said Rico to Raphael, who was on guard duty at the time. 'I ate the apples, he had some grapes, and yes, I liked them,' said Calista. Do you know that the apple that Adam and Eve ate in the Garden of Eden made God throw them out of the garden?' said Rico. They all looked at him with unspoken responses on their faces. 'What? I'm just saying,' he said.

'You're obviously not a student of the scriptures if you do not know that it was never mentioned what fruit it was,' Calista replied, and there was a calmness in their midst for a few minutes. 'But you know what fruit it was, don't you?' asked Rico, as he walked closer to her ear.

'And what if I did? You think I would tell you?' She starred him in the eyes.

'Why not? Is it because you like me, and you want me to beg, huh?' he spoke with a softer tone just a few inches from her face. Marcus was disgusted by his behaviour. 'You need Jesus, Rico,' he said to him sarcastically. 'I know,' he replied.

Afterward, Raphael said that they should get up and hit the road. 'We have a long ride ahead,' he concluded. It was nearly as long as a journey to the world's end. They travelled through Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and part of Pakistan until they finally reached the border of China. It took them weeks, and the journey was as hectic as it promised to be. They were tanned and worn out and could use a clean and a hot meal, for they'd been living on berries, nuts, and scraps for weeks. Their supplies ran out a while back, and that was when Marcus started whining about seeing dead people. At their entrance into China, members of the Bay Gang, one of the strong gangs loyal to Chang Lu, came by requesting a passing fee and docking tax. There were about eight of them, fully armed with assault rifles and machetes. Rico asked his teammates to step back while he handled the matter. 'I've got this,' he spoke with a low tone to the others as he walked the men off the jetty to the mainland. From afar, they saw that they were getting along really well.

'How did he know how to deal with these guys?' Seth asked Marcus out of curiosity.

'Don't know, don't ask. That's the way it works for me,' Marcus replied with his eyes locked on Rico's activity. 'What does that even mean?' Seth asked. Already, Rico and the gang members had gone far from the hearing range of Seth and the others. But the angels could still hear and understand the language they spoke.

'Oh, oh,' said Raphael.

'What's the matter?' Seth asked. Just then, Rico pulled his guns and shot all eight of them down, though he did not kill them. Another set of eyes of a teenage boy watched the whole scene from a distance, while Seth and the others took to their heels. More gang members emerged from the west point of the harbour, at the sound of the gunshots. Their numbers multiplied, and they had the crusaders flanked from a different angle.

It was obvious that they might suffer some casualties in the crossfire between them and the gang members. They ran through the aisle of some containers, which were used to bring goods into the country. Raphael and Calista were wondering why they had to be running from men when they could cut them down in minutes. But Seth would not want to take lives, so he chose to flee rather than to fight. Eventually, they got to the end of the road and were forced to make a stand. The gang members moved closer and were about to open fire on them. Someone from above the containers threw a flash grenade, and a canister of tear gas was thrown at the gang members, which created a diversion. Already in a previous discussion between Seth and his bandwagon, Seth told them that they must not harm any human unless it was a life-threatening situation. Seth had stopped telling people who he was and his story because not everyone took it the same way. After all, a lot of people had lost loved ones and were looking for answers or who to blame.

The distractions were caused by two teenagers, who led them away through their secret escape route. They got into a manhole, which led them into the city sewage system. Down there was a maze of connecting tunnels that could lead to any part of the city. 'Hey, hold up for a minute. Where are you guys taking us?' Seth asked them. Rico interrupted him and said, 'These kids don't understand any English, so allow me to do the talking, okay?' Seth agreed, while Rico turned to them and began speaking Chinese to them.

'We understand and speak good English. Besides, your Chinese is bad,' said one of the boys. 'Terrible,' added the second boy. Another added, 'No wonder it got you into trouble with the Bay Gang.' Rico felt like swallowing a bullet.

'Of course, you speak English. I should have thought of that,' Rico said. He stepped away for Seth to do the talking.

'Thank you for saving us back there, but who are you?' Seth asked. 'Where are you taking us?'

'I'm Han, he's Chin, and we are both members of the Rugrats Gang,' said Han.

'Okay, and where are we going?' Seth continued.

'It's not safe for you strangers to be walking the surface. You might get robbed, or worse. We are taking you to our leader. He can help you find whatever it is that brought you to these parts.' Han spoke while Chin stood there with a rifle in hand. 

'Okay. Take me to your leader,' said Rico.They went further into the tunnels through flooded ways and rodent-infested areas. Roaches had their headquarters in those tunnels. The stench kept their faces in frowns.

'How much farther is it?' Seth asked.

'Almost there,' said Han. 

'That was what you said a mile and a year back,' said Rico, making everyone smile and chuckle.

'I have never seen a big man that complains the way you do,' said Han.

'Did you just dis me, kid? Because I can still put you over my knee.'

'We are here,' said Chin Lo, and behold, there was a mighty opening amidst the tunnels that these kids called their home. It was as though all the children in Shanghai were put together in one place. There were all sorts of children there doing all sorts of jobs without any adult supervision. There were boys and girls, from five to sixteen, without a single adult in sight. Some of the children who stood as guards weren't as tall as the rifles they were carrying. Most of the young girls were confined to kitchen duties. There was a terrible stench of dead rats everywhere, and they weren't bothered one bit. Many of them looked very sick and tired, but they were all still carrying on. There were stacks of crates at every turn. A bell was rung by a little girl, who was barely ten when they caught sight of the crusaders entering their fort. It took everyone from what they were doing to their presence. They began following them from every angle like a swarm of mice. Finally, they were brought to the leader. He was also a kid who was dressed as a mini Rambo. Han went and whispered in his ear, after which he stood there speechless, staring at the adults.

'I think they are going to eat us,' Rico whispered to Marcus.

'What? Are you crazy?' Marcus whispered to him.

'I'm serious. Look at them. They look very hungry, and there aren't any adults in sight,' he added.

Marcus was still not clear. 'So, they might just eat us like they did the others. Besides, they could use a good meal.'

After a long silence, the leader finally broke the silence. 'Welcome, strangers, to our great country. Do please tell us what it is that brings you to China? I am Wong Yao Ming.' He spoke through Han. 'And please don't tell me it is the taste of our fried rice, for it is terrible in this time of year,' he chipped in humorously, which made everyone else laugh. He spoke Cantonese. Then Raphael spoke to him in the same Cantonese.

'He speaks Cantonese? He never told me he spoke Cantonese,' Rico whispered to Calista, who did not respond to him. Raphael was still talking to Yao. He told them the truth about their mission, but he left out a few details, such as the part about Seth being the one who opened the gate in the first place. And also that he's an angel of the Lord. Yao told them that he could help, but he would like to know where they were going, so Marcus came and drew a symbol on the ground for him. When he saw the symbol, he was taken by the fear that existed there.

'We were told that a demon came from hell and murdered everyone there. Anyone who went there never returned,' said Wong Yao Ming.

'Could you please take us there?' Raphael asked. 

'That means death for Yao. Did you not hear him say that no one has ever returned from the temple?' one of the young girls said. Calista then turned to her and spoke calmly. 'We wouldn't want for any reason to place anyone of you in harm's way, but if there is a map you could give to us that will guide us on our journey, we would be most grateful. I assure you that our quest is about a greater good for all humanity.'

Yao then told them that there was a map of the city that would lead them to the temple, but it was with the Wu Dong clan, which was notorious for its resistance to General Chang Lu. While they were still talking, a young girl came out and whispered to Yao. Then Yao told them that General Chang's men were being deployed all around the city to search for them.

'You people are in a lot of trouble,' said Han. 'If the general is deploying soldiers for your being here, there must be something you are not telling us.' Seth's face dropped but he still wasn't going to tell them any more than he already had. Finally, Yao took them through some tunnels until they got to the Wu Dong territory, which was still underground. Immediately, they came close to the entrance of a tunnel that led to their destination. Yao asked them to put their hands above their heads or else they would be shot on sight. Marcus, Seth, Calista, and Raphael immediately put their hands up, but Rico wanted to ask questions. Then five men came out from their hiding areas, pointing their rifles at them. 'You know we could take them, right?' Rico said to Marcus. 'Have you looked at your chest lately?' Yao asked him. Rico looked at his chest, and there were at least half a dozen red dots, indicating snipers. 'So you speak English? Why the pretence?' asked Marcus. 'I just like having a spokesperson; it makes me feel like a leader,' Yao answered.

 When they kept their hands in the air, including Yao, two men escorted them to meet the leader. As they got into the space, everyone was blown away by the sights. Rico was more excited at what he saw. 'Now you know where all the adults went,' said Seth to Rico. 'This place is amazing. Look at all these weapons and stuff.' At this point, they were no longer putting their hands up. There were tanks and all sizes and types of guns there. It was as though they were preparing for World War Three. While they were still observing the arsenal, a seven-foot-six guy walked up to them with two escorts, on both sides. 'I am Yao Ming, leader of the Wu Dong clan.' The leader paused and studied each of them curiously. They each looked like action-adventure movie heroes tumbling out fresh from the tube, except for that Marcus wore a flannel blue shirt and a loose-fitting black pair of denim. 'I hear you need my map, so what do I get in exchange?' the leader asked.

'We have nothing of importance to offer you,' replied Seth.

'In that case, that would be all for now, gentlemen and lady.' Yao Ming was dismissing them.

The three armed men came to usher them out at his nod. Then Rico came and asked a silly question, hoping to buy time. 'Wait a minute. Are you the Yao Ming, the famous basketball player?' There was a long pause in the room. Yao seemed to be considering whether to answer the question. He had a straight face, devoid of a smile or humour when suddenly his face lit up with a gentle smile. 'Yes,' he replied. The others exhaled a sigh of relief. The question wasn't so silly after all. Rico and Yao both got so friendly and excited talking about slam dunks, accurate passes, three-pointers, games, Olympics … Then Calista coughed. 'The map? I strongly believe we should be talking about it. So far, we are bleeding a lot of time.'

'My sources tell me of General Chang's search for you,' Yao said. 'That means an enemy of Chang Lu is a friend of the Wu Dong clan. In that case, I will help you guys out. Even though I'll give you the map, you will still need a guide, someone to help you navigate away from General Chang Lu's troops.' Then young Yao volunteered to take them. As they were with the map, Yao Ming came and told young Yao that General Chang Lu's army had invaded his hideout. So, they went back with young Yao to his camp, and to his shocking surprise, the place had been razed. A handful of them were dead, while many others could not be accounted for. Young Yao's eyes brimmed with red hot tears. He was so upset that he wanted to go after them, but Calista dissuaded and calmed him down. 'It was all your fault!' he lamented in his native Cantonese. 'If I hadn't left, this wouldn't have happened.'

Calista tried to make him understand. 'If you had not left, you would have been dead or captured. At least you still have the chance of doing something.' Calista promised that they would help him get his people back.

Young Yao then said, 'I am just wondering just how faint a scratch any of you could make on General Chang's army. Except for the big guy over there, the gunman, or so it appears.' He was referring to Rico. 'He is the only person who could even attempt to shoot a thing. So how then do you …'Before he could finish what he was saying, a flaming bow and arrow appeared in Calista's hand and she shot him. The arrow pinned him to a wall. He hung there, suspended by the arrow pinned to the collar of his leather jacket, six feet from the ground. Marcus threw two knives, each of which dug into the wall some centimetres near his ears on both sides. Calista brought out her mighty wings and flew towards him. 'I am an angel from God, and so is he,' she said, pointing to Raphael, who just stood with his arms crossed.

'We should be on our way,' said young Yao in a shaky voice. He took them through a dark tunnel with all kinds of Chinese calligraphy on both sides. They came out through an exit by night, which gave them cover from the rifles of Chang Lu's army. 'This is a good thing, we should tell the head of the Wu Dong about your powers; it would inspire them into battle, knowing that the heavens are on our side, 'said Young Yao.

But Calista was not okay with that decision. 'You must promise me, that you'll never tell anyone of what you saw. This we would do only when it's time. Do you understand?' she asked him as she walked right behind him.

'I don't but I will keep it a secret till the time is right, 'replied Yao.

When they got out of the city, thanks to Marcus, they were able to borrow a vehicle from Chang's army that helped to ease their journey. They hadn't gone quite far when Chang's men appeared behind them in hot pursuit. Marcus drove as fast as he could to lose them, but they weren't fast enough. Their SUV ran into a tree when they tried to avoid another oncoming military truck. Immediately, a big fight broke out. Seth told them that there should be no killing. The more they fought, though, the more their numbers increased.

Raphael was about to blow them out when Seth stopped him and surrendered, and they were taken to Chang Lu. However, young Yao managed to escape. They were brought before Chang Lu, who welcomed them with the best of hospitality. He gave them a feast, with all sorts of food. They turned down the hospitality, but he insisted that they eat. He called one of his guards to taste the food to clear the fear of food poisoning. So, they all sat down around the table, and Chang Lu requested an introduction, Rico immediately gave a quick introduction, which was actually false: 'I am Raul Gonzales, leader of this team, and these are my compares, Rufus (Seth), Diego (Marcus), Kanye (Raphael).'He walked close to Calista and kissed her on the cheek, causing her to give him a stern look. 'And this amazing butterfly with scorpion stinger is Beyoncé, the love of my life.' He immediately went ahead to start filling up his belly.

Seth whispered to Marcus, 'Who made him our leader, and Rufus Is what he called me.' Marcus ignored him and went to the table. Raphael and Calista still refused to eat. This upset the general. 'Why aren't you two eating?' he asked. 'You should eat something. After all, everyone must eat,' said Chang Lu.'Not us. We aren't hungry,' said Raphael. Chang Lu had a suspicious look on his face, so Rico quickly interjected. 'They had something to eat on our way here. Right, guys?' But Chang was not buying it. 'It is considered a sign of disrespect in my culture, to refuse a man's hospitality, when you are under his roof asa guest.'His face was losing its smile.

'Are we? 'quipped Raphael.

'Is there something you are not telling me?' Chang asked slowly as he reached for his holster to grab his nine-millimetre handgun. Rico was also reaching for his firearm when Marcus held his hand. 'Okay, we'll have the fruit, but you would have to taste it first,' Rico offered, reaching to the apple and wanting to take a bite, but Calista held his hand and said, 'No, not you. Them.'

'Of course,' said General Lu as he waved his hand to one of his chefs, who came and tasted all the fruit on the table. Seth was quite concerned, so he pulled close to Marcus. 'They don't eat food; it might hurt them,' he whispered to Marcus. Marcus wasn't bothered, as he kept his eyes fixed on his friends. When he was done tasting, he gave a bow to the general and exited the room. 'Both of you should try this. It could never taste any better,' Marcus said. Rico felt it was okay and gave it a try. 'He's right; it is out of this world,' said Rico.

Raphael took some of the grapes and ate, while Calista picked up an apple and brought out a knife. She began peeling the skin of the apple. As she was doing that, she was asking the general what he wanted with them. 'I just wanted to sit with some new faces that are not from around here and have an honest conversation,' the general said. Lu's eyes travelled through the length and breadth of the table, keenly observing every bite and chew of the crusaders with a devilish grin in his eyes. At this point, Calista was through peeling the apple. She brought it close to her mouth for a quick bite when Raphael held her hand and paused for a bit.

'Ah-ha, so you're the angel. I thought as much,' said General Chang Lu with a fiendish grin on his face. The next minute, Raphael began to puke and became restless, falling out of his chair. Calista turned to Chang Lu. 'What did you give him?' she yelled in great anger. Chang Lu laughed. 'A little demon blood, completely harmless to humans, but I can't say the same for angels.' As he was talking, Raphael's wings blasted out without any control. 'Uh, uh, uh, real wings and today is not my birthday,' Chang Lu said with so much excitement. Raphael was bleeding out of his mouth and nostrils. Whenever he tried to stand, he would fall. Calista raised the general and his four guards and pinned them to the wall. As her rage was building, she asked him who sent him. Her eyes were glowing white.

'I did,' said a voice from the other room. Everyone turned. Then Beelzebub came into the room, a huge dark tanned figure with beautiful wings unfurled that it almost looked like a cape. 'Beelzebub,' Calista said in a surprised tone.

She turned to strike him, but he deflected her attack and then knocked her to the side. While he was trying to deal her a graver blow, Raphael released an uncontrollable bolt that knocked him through the wall. Raphael fell to the ground. 'Get Seth out of here,' he gasped to Calista.

'We are not leaving here. Not without you,' Seth said. Calista pulled out a blade and leaped over the table, heading towards where Beelzebub landed, but Raphael called her back. 'He's not the priority, so get Seth out of here. I'll handle the demon. Now go,' he yelled at her. She returned and took Seth by the arm, but he refused living without Raphael. Meanwhile, Beelzebub was getting up from his crash. Calista then brought all of them together.

Calista's wings came out, and a big bright light shone. They all disappeared from the scene. They appeared right in the middle of a highway, although no cars were coming, so they took Raphael to the side of the road and laid him beside a tree. He was getting worse, so Calista placed her index finger on his forehead, and then his wings disappeared.

'Is he going to be alright?' asked Seth, but she wasn't saying anything. Calista became very displeased. She then asked Seth to lend her the pendant that she gave him some months back. She took it and placed it around Raphael, and he began to spit out gory and very thick items. She said, 'This will not save him, but it will buy him some time.' She took his sword, placed it in his hand, and spoke in angel tongue to him, but he did not utter words. The meaning of what she told him was to make his life count and remain a soldier till the end. She removed the pendant and placed it back on Seth's neck. 'We have a job to do, so let's go get it done,' she said to them. No one could talk her down in the mood she was in. Rico suddenly lost all his jokes, and there was nothing he or Marcus could say. Raphael was their symbol of hope, and now he was down. 'We can't leave him behind,' Seth said, and the other two men agreed.

'Raphael is not the mission; the mission is to protect you, Seth, from every adversary and even yourself,' Calista snapped. Everyone was shocked at her behaviour. How she could act like she didn't care but make them see that the heart of man is wicked? It was constantly planning evil. 'Every minute that has-been wasted, some innocent child is dying or something terrible is happening,' she said without any emotion, for all that was left was the will to complete her mission.

'If this is the case, then can somebody stay behind to take care of him?' Seth pleaded. Rico volunteered to stay behind. Before they left, he shared with them some of his handguns and asked them to be careful, but Calista gave them back. She said she wouldn't need them. 'Keep them anyways,' he urged. 'You don't listen, do you?' Calista replied. 'I said I don't need it, so keep it to yourself.'

Moments later, they found a means of transport and headed for the temple, which was far out of town at the top of a hill. They drove for over ninety minutes before they eventually found the mountain where the temple was situated. It was the map that they got from Yao Ming that got them to Temple Mountain. Unfortunately for them, no roads were leading to the mountain's peak, so they had no choice but to climb to the top. After going up several flights of stairs that got them to the top, Seth was not showing any sense of tiredness, which Marcus noticed. 'You are in a good shape. You should learn how to fence and fight,' said Marcus. Seth smiled but did not respond to him. Rather, he kept moving.

The place was creepy quiet, so they began to search for the symbol that Marcus drew. While they searched, things began to get creepier. Marcus came to Calista and asked her if she was hearing the creepy noises coming from all around them. 'The monks are zombies,' she answered, but didn't even bother to pull out her bow and arrows.

'What? Oh, come on. Don't tell me,' Marcus lamented.

'Suck it up, Marcus. If you know you can't be here, go back to your monastery,' she scolded him. Then a monk with white eyes leaped down and attacked from the top of the roof, but Calista blasted it into bits. Marcus asked her if everything was okay. 

'Why not? I'm done playing with these creatures,' she replied. Seth was feeling something. 'I know where the page is. Something inside nudges me in that direction.'

They began following him. From all around came these mindless monks, attacking without thinking. There were over fifty of them. Marcus was amazed at the crowd, and Calista told him to take Seth where the page is. She would take care of these unholy creatures.

'This way,' Marcus said. 'Behind that door!' They ran into an opening that later turned out to be layers of walls overlapped, parallel to each other. 'There it must be,' said Seth, who could hardly bear the excitement that welled up inside him. When they opened the door, they saw quite a number of mindless monks. Then Marcus asked him if his mind told him that there were zombies there too. The page was sitting on an altar. While Marcus started shooting at the zombies to pave a way for Seth to go through, the zombies came from behind and attacked Marcus. But he was fast enough to free himself from the zombies.

Seth went straight to the altar to grab the page. As he was about to pick it, a mighty serpent appeared. He tried snatching the page, but the serpent curled itself on his legs up to the waist. When the serpent opened its mouth, he shot right inside, and the serpent died. He grabbed the page, and immediately, he saw the second page. He came out, and the others were waiting for him.

Despite the few goons still walking around the temple, Seth showed them that success had been achieved here today. While he was still talking, a big zombie lifted him and was about to take a big bite out of him when the head of the zombie came off. It was young Yao who came to his rescue. He had followed them and expressed his joy that they were successful with their mission, but he came to ensure that they succeed so that Calista could fulfil her promise. She thanked him and told him that she didn't owe debts. If she made a promise, she intended to fulfil it.

While she was talking, a vortex opened from behind Seth. Beelzebub came out and reached to grab Seth, but the young Yao wouldn't give him the satisfaction, because he ran his blade into his side. Calista shot six arrows at him, which he deflected, and then he grabbed young Yao and told them to bring the page to the camp or he would feed on the boy. Then he disappeared into the vortex. Calista became highly inflammable, more than she ever was before. Seth was petrified. Marcus was devastated.

'Marcus, get Seth back to Rico,' Calista ordered, 'and if you don't see me in the next twelve hours, get back to the church and regroup.' Calista had said the words in such quick succession that the two men stood there looking at her, not quite comprehending. Seth stepped up to her and gently held her hand.

He remembered his father's gentleness in counsel. He looked at her in the eye for the first time. 'We are in all of this together. In crisis moments like this, we should stick together.'

She insisted, 'It is my responsibility to save the boy Yao and his friends because I was the one who convinced them into this.'

'I know, but we can do this together. What could only you do?' Seth interjected. 

'I will kill them all if I have to,' she thundered.

'Amongst them are the fallen demons and Beelzebub and the fleets of army under General Chang Lu,' said Marcus. 'We are going to save him, but we will need some help. First, we must find Raphael. Let's be on our way, and to our speed, we add winds,' said Marcus.

'We will drive. It's too dangerous to fly, and if ever we'd have to do that, then that would be a last option,' Calista said as she wandered off to look for a truck.

They eventually found a truck and got to where Rico and Raphael were. Rico had his hands full in trying to keep Raphael down. 'Raphael has gone mad,' Rico said. 'He was hallucinating that he was in hell and that everyone around him was a demon out to get him, so he's been very dangerous to be with 'Rico had tried to bind him, but that was impossible. When Seth and Calista came, things got even worse, because he was seeing more demons coming. After several attempts to stop him had failed, Calista had to call in Gabriel to come and help them. When he did come, Raphael saw him as a bigger devil with horns, fangs, and claws. Gabriel threw a rope at him, and it bound him. After Gabriel observed him for a few minutes, he said he had no choice but to put him out. Seth and others refused. They opted for a better option. Then Gabriel told them that if he didn't do it, he would turn into a demon. They didn't want that. After some serious argument, Gabriel had to put him out, so he lay lifeless.

Sadness overwhelmed them all. Calista's angel eyes burned sapphire blue. Rico was crying too, 'Is there nothing else to do for him?' Seth asked.

'There are still six pages to go,' Gabriel said. 'You must be on your way. Calista, I trust you because you will always know what to do and when to ask for help.'

'What about him?' she asked. 'Will there not be a replacement?'

'No,' the golden-coloured angel said. 'But if things get too tough, help will come to you.'

Seth told him of the need to save the boy—that Beelzebub had him and his friends. When Gabriel heard the name, he turned to Seth as though something struck him or as though he had changed his mind about something. 'I guess I should stay and help that one.' He turned to Calista, who was at this time beaming like a little girl whose dad just came home. 'It was I who threw Beelzebub in the pit. Do you remember that?'

'Yes, I remember like it was yesterday.' She was already in the best of moods Seth and the others had ever seen up till that moment. She also looked a thousand times more beautiful and ten times stronger. Rico's heart pounded in his head. Gabriel looked at the men. 'Joy makes you strong,' he said. 'Roger that,' Rico said with a feigned Cockney accent and a hint of a smile on his lips.

Gabriel touched Raphael on the brow, and he began to fade away until he became totally invisible. An idea had been forming in Rico's head that was to involve the Yao Ming-led Wu Dong gang. They agreed and set off to meet with the gang leader. When they met with him, they told him that this might be the chance he'd been waiting for—to remove Chang Lu and restore peace to Shanghai.

'I truly appreciate the confidence you've placed in me, but I'm afraid I will have to decline,' said Yao as he moved around, checking new arrivals of weapons that were lined up on some tables. They had some RPGs, R15s, AK-47s, and more. 'Why not?' asked Marcus. He and Rico followed Yao through his gun inspection, while Seth was with the angels at one end of the hall.

'This is a fool proof plan, and the tactical formation is flawless, and not to say the timing is right,' said Rico, who was also checking out the aim on some of the rifles along with Yao Ming. Then Yao stopped and turned to them.

'No disrespect or anything, but you guys are in no position to tell me what plan is flawless and what Intel is good,' said Yao Ming. 'Besides, carrying handguns around doesn't make you military. So cut the crap and leave soldier work for those who are qualified to handle it.'

'Whoa, you didn't have to go there,' said Marcus, trying to cool things down. 'We're just trying to help. Besides, we're done here in China, but my friend gave her word to the young leader that we would help him rescue his friends.'

But Yao Ming was too cautious to make a move. 'If you are done here in China, then pack up and leave, and let us handle our problems our way,' he said.

Rico wasn't going to let the insult slip by without repaying the compliment. 'I guess you think this is basketball where you shoot free throws and jump shots. But know that having the cash to buy weapons is not the same as having the balls to use them,' said Rico. This got to Yao Ming that he became confrontational with Rico. 'The balls?' He walked into Rico's face. 'I have had people shot for less. Who do you think you're talking to, little man? You best be going before I lose my common sense.' He spoke with much anger.

Rico said, 'As I said, you don't have the balls to do what needs to be done.' Immediately, Yao Ming threw a punch at him, which he retaliated instantly. Some of the soldiers rushed in and pointed their guns at them, while Marcus pointed his at Yao Ming. But it seemed as though Yao had a little game in mind for just the two of them. 'Stand down, all of you. This is just between us.'

He had his eyes fixed on Rico, while Rico had his likewise. 'You heard the man, Marcus. It's mano a mano.' So Marcus put his gun down, while they both began to remove their gun belts and holsters. 'I'm going to enjoy this,' said Yao Ming, as he took off his shirt and was left with a green vest, his combat pants, and boots. Rico was wearing a black vest, brown combat pants, and his boots.

'You know what? I think you talk too much,' Rico replied with a punch to Yao's face. So the fight began. Yao Ming had the height advantage and longer arms, but Rico would not allow that to determine how the fight would play out. They were both skilled fighters, but Rico was more tactful and faster. The punches were hard and heavy.

Gabriel was impressed with Rico but felt he was too slow. 'He's good but slow. Where did you find him?' he asked Calista. 'In a monastery,' she replied. At this point, both men were bruised. Then Rico finally gave him a pin-down, which made him yield. Both men got up, breathing hard, and after a few seconds, Yao Ming began to vent his anger. 'You can go out there without my army, for I'm not sending them to die in the hands of those fire-spitting demons.' He spoke while blood rolled down his crown and mouth.

'You are making a big mistake,' said Seth.

'Oh yeah? Why is that?' he asked.

'Because after we've gone, you would still be faced with this problem, and then we would not be able to help you.'

'Help me? What can you possibly provide that I don't already have?' asked Yao with a funny smile on his face. That was when Gabriel and Calista went into their angel mode, letting out their wings and fiery weapons.

'We can defeat General Chang Lu alone, but it will be a whole lot easier if we fight together,' Seth appealed to him. Yao Ming could not believe his eyes when he saw the angels. He went about checking them out in excitement, like a schoolboy who just got his first beat-up car. 'So what do you say?' Rico asked him. 

He stretched out his hand; they both shook on it. Rico began wearing his gun belts. 'I have entered into change compound, and I have seen the kind of weapons he packs, and trust me: They are not AK-47s. If we are going to beat them, we'll need something heavier,' said Rico.

'How heavy?' Yao asked.

'Very heavy,' Rico stressed. Yao took them to his arsenal to show them the quality of weapons he had acquired over the years. It was a euphoric moment for Rico, seeing that many guns in a single place. The guns Yao Ming had were the sort necessary to win a war against a small country like Ghana. It was the calm before the storm that evening. They waited for the early hours of the morning to come.

Yao Ming and his men celebrated with barrels of wine and dancing. 'Some of us would only see one more sunrise, and we would celebrate our last drink as a brotherhood, not as comrades at arms,' he said in a euphoric state of mind as the wine had taken the better part of him. He raised his cup to his brothers and screamed out, 'Live strong!' They all chorused after him, 'And die well!'

Rico had his fill of listening to them ramble and rattle over trivial matters. He got up, carried his duffle bag, and sought out Marcus, who was seated at the top of a scaffold, watching and thinking. Rico climbed up twenty-five feet to join Marcus. Since his last incident of possession, he had not been the same, always keeping to himself.

'I see you have the best view of the house, what good is it if there's no one to share it with you, huh?' Rico asked and sat beside him. Yet, the priest kept mute with his gaze locked on Seth, who was sitting in between Gabriel and Calista.

'Such burden for one man to carry alone and not having the luxury to share it with another … like this view,' Marcus spoke softly, not clenching for even a second.

'He's not alone, my friend,' Rico said. 'He has us to share in the burden and help him live through each day as normal as possible. So, cheer up and share a bottle of the good things that came out from this whole madness.' He reached into his bag and brought out what was left of the bottle of Johnny Walker he found.

'Wow, this is a nineteen sixty-eight bottle. Where did you find it?' asked Marcus.

'A treasure, right? It was just lying there in a corner in the ferry when Gabriel was digging through your mind,' replied Rico. His words sent Marcus back to that place of pain.

'Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't want to mention that,' Rico apologized.

But Marcus was trying to brush off the feeling. 'It's okay. I'm past it now,' he replied.

'No, you are not. I can see what you are going through, and it hurts, especially when I can't do anything about it,' Rico added.

'Then stop acting like you know what I'm going through because you don't. So please let me do my job if it's okay with you,' Marcus lashed out, but his voice was drowned in the noise of the celebration. Calista heard and turned to see. Rico took a gulp of the liquor and left the bottle beside Marcus. 'If you ever need to talk about it, I'm always there for you,' Rico assured him.

Rico got off and climbed down. It was an hour before sunrise, and all had been called to arms. Men were given different types of guns, while Rico took for himself an automatic super sniper rifle, three magnums, and a dozen hand grenades. Rico also kept the bullets of the gun that Calista had given him in Italy; he was sure they were special. It was possible the bullets could curve like Calista's arrows. After all, he had noticed he could hit people and objects from impossible angles with them. Calista's arrows were explosive, while Marcus was also armed to the teeth. Seth was asked to stay back with Rico on a roof, taking targets in the infiltration.

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

They got closer to General Chang's base situated in the presidential villa, which had a mighty gate to fortify it. He had soldiers on guard around the clock. Marcus used his binoculars to check the defence structure of the general's compound and was amazed. 'That's a very big gate. I don't see how we are going to get through.'

'Leave that to us,' said Yao Ming, who sent four of his ninja-like special force to go in and open the gates for them to launch their attack. When the gates were open, Gabriel, Calista, Marcus, and Yao Ming walked in fully armed and guns blazing while Yao Ming's men attacked from every angle. Gabriel went to have a close-up with Beelzebub, while Calista felt that the general had to pay for what he did to Raphael. Marcus and Yao Ming went in search of the Rugrats. The massive complex was under siege, and with the help of the angels, the battle was won, although it wasn't an easy victory. Calista eventually found the general under heavy security, and there were two fallen guarding him too, but all of these were nothing to an angry angel. She cut right through them like a hot knife through butter, and her exploding arrows took care of the human guards. She took care of the two fallen in quick combat. When General Chang saw that he was defenceless, he begged for his life. Calista explained to him that she wasn't God.

When Beelzebub saw Gabriel, he was very happy. 'I have dreamt of this moment for thousands of years. Now here before me is God's favourite angel. Fancy meeting you again. After all, we have unfinished business.' Beelzebub had been of the class of angels known as the princes. Now, he was referred to as the prince of demons, a title that didn't go down too well with him.

Gabriel, on the other hand, was glad to make his dreams come true. Gabriel smiled from the edge of his lips as he rubbed his palms together. 'Yeah, that sounds like me. I make everyone's dreams come true, with no exception to the scourge and abominations of hell.' Beelzebub laughed uncontrollably, while Gabriel watched in boredom.

'Now that's the difference between you and me,' said Beelzebub. 'You play the role of a good-old messenger boy and follow all the rules, while I, on the other hand? I have none. I can be an abomination to you, or any vile word you might like to use to qualify my status, but never forget that I am free.' He ended his speech with a stinging gaze at Gabriel, who did not seem to be listening to what he was saying.

'Oh, was that for me? I was waiting for the part where you reined hell on me,' said Gabriel.

Beelzebub became furious as he moved towards him. 'Come, let's end this.' 

'With pleasure,' Gabriel replied. While they both drew swords and swung at each other, Beelzebub spoke about Raphael's hopeless situation. 'You are going to die, my friend. However, you may very well just allow the transformation to take place.'

'There is nothing you can do about it,' Beelzebub said. 'This is how we will invade heaven … by bringing some of their finest to earth to save humankind. We kill them, or who knows? Demonize them.'

Gabriel got tired of listening. He held lightning in his right hand as though it were the tail of a lasso. Stroke after stroke inflicted the demon lord with bruises on his armoured skin. Beelzebub breathed out stunted demons known as the descendants. Thousands of them attacked Gabriel like a horde of flies. Beelzebub was nicknamed the lord of the flies because of this particular way of distracting an opponent with his flies. However, there was an unseen force field around Gabriel that fried anything within ten meters. With that, he only needed to walk through them. Beelzebub threw in more illusory obstacles that enabled him to escape Gabriel's whip of lightning. 'It's not over, Gabriel,' he screamed as he disappeared.

Gabriel stood over a sea of corpses and watched how many laid down their lives. He was bamboozled by the nature of man, which he completely lacked any explanations for. 'They are gods. We are angels created from the sacred stones and fires of heaven, where our life form was given to us, the stones of all and every supernatural being ever created in every galaxy and world that existed. They are men, different from what we are made of. Created from the dust of the earth and are given life by the breath of the Creator Himself. As it is said, His life form flows through the veins of man, and His nature is written in their DNA. They will fight to the last man, as long as they have hope. Hope, one luxury that we do not hold in our being. We follow orders and serve the Creator and are products of worship and service. But man is a being of choice and conviction. His actions are guided by his belief, whether it is right or wrong. So fragile in nature. He would see it through to whatever end. We do not know if we would win this war. Neither do they, for such uncertainty does not stop them from trying, as they would fight it to the end in the hopes of sustaining their species. Everything that is created and has a beginning must surely have an end, but I can't really say so when it comes to the life of man.'

While he spoke, the soldiers went about cutting each other down and mourning in tears for their loss. His words echoed over the replaying occurrences of battle cry. When it was over, they went back to where Raphael's body lay unseen. Gabriel carried the body of Raphael while Calista, Seth, Marcus, and Rico walked beside him. 'Be vigilant and careful,' Gabriel said. 'But never be afraid. Seth, remember faith hope, and love. There are six more pages out there, and time is a luxury you don't have.' Then a bright light shone on him as he disappeared with Raphael. They were once five companions, but now they were only four with the monumental loss that they had suffered in the absence of Raphael. This had placed a significant dent in their confidence, making them doubt the possibility of success. They packed gear from Yao Ming that included food and everything that would be of relevance in their journey. Seth was quiet for the whole day that they spent with Yao and his gang, giving out a very unfriendly vibe. It was a slow ride to the port that morning when Seth suddenly asked Rico to stop the truck. 'I want to thank every one of you for all your sacrifices and near-death experiences you have been through for my sake. In all that we have been through together as a team, nothing has caught me like the loss of Raphael, and that has made me come to this decision.' Everyone kept mute while he spoke, and the quietness of the morning made it quite serene. 'I'm going to go on this journey alone with Calista and free the two of you to return alive to whatever family you have left. The loss of another life would be devastating, and I doubt if I could take it.' When he was done talking, everyone still kept mute. 'I think he's done talking,' said Rico.

'Oh really, you're done?' Marcus asked him, and he nodded in the affirmative. 'Well, first of all, you should never again make this journey about you, because the fate of the entire world rests on the success of this mission. Second, if I could read those pages and end the apocalypse, you, Seth, would not be a part of this team. This is not your team but our team, and you don't decide who's in and who's not. And finally, if anyone dies in this journey, then so be it, because that's what each one of us signed up for. We lost one of us and so what? Everyone dies, and when it is my turn to go, I will gladly lay down my life to see that this mission succeeds. Now, Rico, drive, and let this be the last of this discussion.' Marcus shook them up, and Rico could not even say a word. Neither could Seth. Rico had a stupid grin on his face, while Calista's countenance remained the same. The Crusaders continued their journey, with so many mixed feelings and suppressed grief, which hung over every one of them, accruing to themselves the blame of Raphael's absence. Rico: 'This is my entire fault. I allowed my greed to endanger not just my teammates, but the mission to save the world. What kind of a person would be so stupid, if not me? Raul Gonzales indeed, that was a nice name though.'

Marcus: 'I ignored my guts and did nothing, now Raphael is gone, Calista looks unstable, Seth is drowning in grief, while Rico hides everything behind his jokes. All because I failed to take charge, my one task and yet I failed. No more dropping the ball.From now on, I'm in charge.'

Calista: 'My mission is clear, keep the reader safe at all cost, no matter what it takes. I will protect him. Raphael gone is inconsequential. Everyone can die, but not the reader, not Seth.'

Seth: 'I've brought the world to its knees, I've broken the seven seals, and the old dragon and the mighty serpent are on the prowl. Angels and devils alike are but cannon fodder for the raging flames of battle that has engulfed both the earth and the heavens, ignited by my hands. Some day in history, when the book is opened, my name will be right there next to Lucifer, for he caused the fall of man, while I brought judgment to all. Raphael is gone. Dead or not, it's all on me, as it is on me to make it right, by destroying the seven pages of the Necrom.'