Calamity

My vision faded in and out, spots on my flickered until color returned to the world around me. I slowly opened my eyes, blinded by the bright sun. I shielded my eyes from its harsh rays with the palm of my hand, my body was pitched back and forth from the constant bumping of a rickety wagon. As I was recovering, I heard in front of me.

"Hey, you finally awake?"

I lowered my hand and squinted where the voice came from, across from me was Jake, smirking casually as he scratched an itch with bound hands. He was bruised and bloodied, but his expression hid his discomfort with a smile. Confused, I looked around while trying to move my hands, it was only then I realize that I was chained to my seat on the wagon.

"Struggling isn't going to help, trust me. Just sit back, that's all we can do for now."

I looked at him with an expression of utter disbelief. I asked with a mixture of awe and caution.

"What's up with you? Would you be the one to be freaking out in this situation? Where are we? What happe....." He cut me off before I could finish.

"Enough questions Christian, look we've been captured by the demons. Specifically, that archdemon you fought a while back." He lowered his tone and leaned forward so only I could hear him.

"They're watching us, don't give anything away. Don't talk about anything openly, just save it for a while until an opportunity presents itself, ok?"

I leaned back and nodded. I took a moment to take in my surroundings. The wagon we're riding is on a narrow dirt road traveling through miles of charred farmland. Entire fields of wheat have been burned to the ground, the smoldering ground is black with ash as wisps of smoke occasionally rise from the scarred ground.

There are columns of demon soldiers lining the road in front and behind us as far as the eye can see. I take a moment to try and count the number of soldiers, I think about it for a few minutes.

I use a technique I learned from Sir Richard for counting enemy troop numbers, the troops are lined in columns of four. I count a single column's troops, 1....56....74...115...231....287...so 287 multiplied by 4 that's 1,148 troops behind us. I did the same for the troops in front of us, counting 1,725.

My fist struck the wooden bench under me, causing my shackles to rattle as I muttered a harmless curse under my breath.

Jake looked at me with concern in his eyes. "What? What's wrong?"

I stared up at him, my eyes alight with anger and fear. "I counted 2,873 troops, they have almost 3,000 men."

Jake nodded, looking over the crowded horizon. "Yeah, I guess I counted the same then." He smiled hopelessly "They have enough to decimate what's left of the Lord's Union with this battalion alone." He turned to me, with a defeated smile.

"Kinda depressing isn't it?" He chuckled slightly at the severity of it all. His expression turned serious as he looked down, casting shadows over his eyes. He spoke with a quiet, but severe tone that demanded my interest.

"Christian, there are way too many demons for us both to escape, but if we get to their main camp, then we're as good as dead." He gripped my forearm with a crushing grip as he said.

"You're good with allusions, you can go invisible and make your way back to Hampton. You NEED to go back, they need you to lead them. Once you do, you can come back for me."

I looked at Jake with worry, asking. "What are you trying to tell me, Jake?" He gripped me a little harder, without meeting my eyes he said.

"I need you to leave me, leave me, and escape, ok?"

I shook my head, confused. "Jake, come on. I can cast illusions on both of us and we can go back to the...."

"Look at me." I stopped and looked at Jake, he was bruised and bloodied, but nothing particularly life-threatening.

"What? I don't see anything wrong." He shook his head and looked down. I looked to where his gaze was, it was at his left leg.

A hiss of air escaped from my clenched teeth as I saw his leg. It was bent at an unnatural angle and was a dark crimson with matted dry blood. Scraps of cloth were seemingly fused to his leg, soaked with crimson blood. I couldn't stop looking at his leg, it's a wound that would take months to recover.

He grinned despite the implications of his wound. "See, I would just slow you down, and it would be nearly impossible to mask the scent of this much blood. So just leave me, I'll be fine. I've always known how to take care of myself."

I smiled despite the heavy atmosphere, I grinned up at Jake and leaned back in my seat. He looked up at me, waiting, but he knew what I would say long before I said it.

"I'm not leaving you, man. You can forget about trying to convince me otherwise." I looked past the rows of marching soldiers in front of the cart as the last rays of sunlight lingered on the horizon.

There on the horizon, several lights appeared. Hundreds, thousands of lights joined the sunset, shining on the horizon. There, as far as the eye could see, were camps filled with demons. Horses, tents, fires, wagons, and demons covered the land before us.

I smiled back at Jake, saying. "Looks like we're entering the depths of hell."

Jake sat back while a grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Yeah, I suppose so."

"What's the only thing demons fear?" Jake looked at me with an amused expression, entertaining my question.

"What?" I stuck my hand out as far as my shackles would allow. He grabbed my forearm as I gripped his. I smiled as I said.

"Us, let's show them why."

Grinning ear to ear, he nodded and we looked out at our encroaching doom creeping closer and closer. But we didn't feel a bit of fear, because we were going to show them what fear meant.