13Until Death Do We Part ~
The Book of Revelations
Authors Note: Yes, so incase you are wondering, where did all the chapters go? I decided it was best to meld them into one chapter and try and make the chapters longer, so this is the prologue and 1-3, now just chapter one. :D.
"Fuck." I sighed as I watched the accident happen, two cars collided and I already knew that everyone would be dead. People hurried by me, I went unnoticed as I always did, I chewed on my cleft bleeding lips, was it really the icy roads that were to blame for so many tragic deaths this winter season? Or was it the careless drivers who didn't pay attention to the black ice that resides there.
Hell if I know, I was only here to collect what was mine. I just didn't like taking them so young, hey, I have a heart. Granted, it's a fucking black heart at that, but kids are always innocent until they do predetermined and wrong, I heard the fleeting sirens come closer, people rushed about smoldering metal.
"All dead." I heard a fire man say, as he pulled bodies from the wreckage, some were missing body parts, limbs lay twisted in the back seat. It was ugly, and I mean ugly. It would be on the news for fifteen minutes, and then they would all get what they wanted out of life. Fifteen minutes of fame;
Where was my fame? Nobody ever saw me, not until they were dead. Blood spilled onto the snowy street, turning what was once Christmas cheer into tragedy. In my mind, I inserted tragic piano music to go along with the scene.
The accident would back up traffic most of the night until everything was cleaned up. I noted the absence of angels, not even coming for the kid? I mused; I suppose I will take this one of their hands.
I walked across the bloodied snow, which was already half melted away and ran into the drains in the side walks. It wasn't easy being me. But this was my favorite part; The driver that caused the accident had been bagged and taken to the nearest morgue, but like most cases his spirit remained, confused.
"Where am I?" He asked. I smiled at him and the others. Nobody could see them, or me, the city night life went on around us as nothing had ever happened. There were no cars blocking traffic, or limbs distracting Christmas shoppers, why would they want to remember something so tragic? They did the human thing. They forgot.
"Feeling a little detached?" I said, and curled my cold chapped lips. I walked closer to him, a car drove through me and he was surprised.
"Who are you?" Now, I had several options here; So many unbelievably cheesy options. Which one would I choose? I have no idea what people expect me to say when they ask me that question.
"Well, I can tell you I'm not God." I looked to my right, an Angel came, and ignored me and took the child. They always took their time, thinking they are something special because they've got wings and a halo.
The men that remained looked confused that they did not go with the angel.
"Well I can see you've figured something out." I said to the smarter looking one, "Judgement time."
Now, I don't ask for much. Just some cooperation, though most law abiding citizens don't think they deserve judgement and often don't want to cooperate.
They often run off and play ghost, until I have the time to find them again. There were two of them and one of me, and I wasn't about to play a game of cat and mouse. I pulled out a crystal ball. This often came in handy for disobedient spirits.
It was then they started to run, but it was no matter- "Sorry boys," I said and watched their sad pathetic souls be sucked into my crystal ball. I put it back into my pocket and took a pack of clove cigarets, labeled 'blacks'.
I lit it and took a drag, the crackling of the cigaret reminded me of a fire in a fire place; I smiled my crooked smile. Then slunk back into the shadows; waiting for the icy roads to claim more victims.
I walked past two gentleman. They were standing outside one of the many houses, of the house of God. Both were dressed appropriate for the cold weather. I passed by only as a cold shiver up their spines, I heard one, the taller of the two men say. "Do you believe that Anti-Christ talk?" he asked.
His fellow man replied, "As much as I do the word of God!" I wonder how much that was exactly?
This amused me, the eternal battle of their Lord Jesus Christ and Satan, if it all were true, where did I come in? Only holly wood horror stories and superstition I suppose. I am a free radical, I do not work for the man upstairs, and I don't work for the priest who swims eternally in the lake of fire.
However, we do catch lunch occasionally. I touch a passer by for fun. She looks over her shoulder to see an empty side walk. "Working late?" This voice surprised me. It wasn't often I was noticed. I looked over my shoulder, nothing.
"Hm." I grumbled, and continued my walk.
" I say," the voice spoke again, I stopped I believe the phrase would be ' In my tracks' but I don't have any. I looked at the emptying city scape. It was becoming rather late into the night, and passed any normal bed time that I might have had, if I desired one.
"It certainly has been awhile, since we have played any cards."
This phrase was familiar, and symbolic, I looked just in the view of what everyone calls 'the corner of your eye'. I saw the entity known as Fate. Fate was an interesting creature, neither a he, or a she- dealt the cards of destiny. What would it want with me?
I replied, "It is because, we do not play cards." my patients was growing thin already, I guess you would say I am not a people person. Fate's voice echoed with laughter that went unheard to the human ears. Or perhaps to those who were more sensitive, a howl in the distance.
Fate then appeared before me, perhaps it would have seemed a flash if one were to blink, but Fate forgets that my vacant eyes do no such thing. "What you will find, on your way hiding in the shadows unwilling to play, is old as dirt and afraid of the day, unwilling to cooperate to your dismay."
My fissure lips twitched, though fate was happy with itself, I was annoyed and wanted to get on my with my night. It grinned, stupidly. "Ok. Are you done now?" Fate then so went as far, as to hand me a deck of cards. I let my head hang backwards in the utmost annoyance.
"Good night fate." I said and walked past the entity, who then went back to wherever it came from.
I growled annoyed shoving the cards into my pockets. Knowing better than to throw them away.
I had a job to do, and I wanted to get to the train station before it was too late.
The streets were dark, and with each passing minute they seemed to become darker. Snow fell from the sky like cotton balls and added to the inches on the ground, I stuck my hands in my pockets and walked to my next job.
I sighed out loud and could see my own breath, something I never paid attention too really. I felt in my pockets that pack of cards that was handed to me by fate, and my lip twitched wondering what it meant in the great retrospect of things.
I looked behind me, I felt a chill and the eyes of something watching, which was impossible in my mind because I remained invisible to the public, so something in this quiet train station was not part of the public.
I ran my fingers through black hair, it was stringy like pasta, it came out in my fingers which I brushed against my coat. I felt much like a reptile, I enjoyed the cold and blended into my surroundings. I looked about for a stray soul of a convict who couldn't quite make his escape.
Snow fell on my eyes and disappeared into my head as I looked up to the train tracks, Chicago was a mysterious city indeed. To me it seemed like two separate worlds, or two sides to the same looking glass. In the day time, it was a city that was bustling with young families, it was also a city that had a dark history.
Though at night, that dark history seemed to peek out through its ally ways, and seeped into the roads from the drains, passing the closed starbucks, I noticed a piece of orange fabric, I knew this couldn't be good; I rounded the corner the led into the subway.
There it was, just as I suspected. A severed leg, it was a gruesome site indeed, the fabric was covered in the victims blood, splattered on the snow, which was now mostly a deluded pink color.
"Well," I said. "Let's find the rest of you." From my pocket I pulled out a tool, which generally helped me locate souls, or what's left of them.
It was a copper ring, with bits of silver running through it. A conductor of sorts, I felt it vibrate and tug my hand toward the stair case. The lights were on but for some reason it still seemed dark down there, "Ok." I shrugged, placing the ring back in my pocket.
I headed down the stair well, that read "Red Line." I stepped on something about half way down, it nearly knocked me off my balance but after catching my self I realized what it was. The left hand of the convict. Then I could hear a small noise as I got to the bottom of the stairs and was in the subway.
I looked down each way, it was a long drab tunnel, the walls were covered in graffiti, must have gone through so much trouble to get there and not to get hit by a train was lucky. A lone cello played in the distance. Often homeless people would play their instruments in the subways, hoping to earn money for their act. It was warmer than outside, but why play now? The subway was Empty.
There it was, I turned right and saw the rest of the body, missing a hand and foot; Though there was something attached to it. A creature seemed to be feasting on the flesh of the victim. Disgracing any part of the soul that may have been left, so I came all this way for nothing, haven't I?
I stopped and watched the feasting monster, it seemed to have mostly human form, it had grey hair and gangly long arms. A leg extended for comfort, oddly stylish for a creature such as this. A blood sucker.
I twitched in disgust, these creatures kept souls from moving on, this convict was no more, not even a chance at redemption. "Excuse me?" I said, with a last slurp, he looked at me. His eyes drew me in, as if I had a soul he could take.
They were the color of over cast sky, dots of yellow as if the sun were peeking through clouds. It reminded me of my favorite rainy days. His lips, they were slender and pale, he smiled at me as if he cared, the blood from the victim sunk into his face and replenished the color to a natural human flesh tone.
"Can I help you~?" He asked, he had a charming voice, he stood, taller than need be, perhaps almost six five, which was far taller than my five seven.
".. I might ask you, what are you doing?" I couldn't think of any better way to ask. Still, his smile remained.
"Eating." He replied. "And yourself, on this fine snowy night?" He seemed to taunt when he spoke.
"Working. You've just ruined my last job." It wasn't exactly my last, there would most likely be another in an hour.
"Aw," he made a sad noise, and walked over to me, though his walking could be more described as floating. "I'm sorry." He said in an exasperated tone, "Cry me a river, dead boy." I became irritated, I didn't like their kind, they didn't even need to exist. Not like I did.
I looked at the convict, almost sorry that he couldn't rest not even in death. Though he was a criminal, everyone deserved respect in death and this thing, took that away. "So what do you think I should do?" I asked, "About not meeting my quota," I lied, I had no such thing but I wanted to teach this blood sucking thing a lesson.
He laughed at me, "Oh whatever you want I suppose." His grinned stretched across his face. I was a quick thinker by nature, and pulled out the deck of cards residing in my pocket. He seemed intrigued.
"Let's play a game." I said. He folded his arms.
"All right," He agreed without a hitch, stupid thing. These were fates cards. Not destiny's.
I fanned out all of the cards in the deck, they were black cards with gold engravings of the letter 'F'.
He smiled and took a card on the end, "Going to perform a magic trick?" He asked me.
"No," I replied, " I said let's play a game, not I will show you a magic trick." I watched as he pulled the card, he looked at it with confusion.
"Its blank." He showed it to me, I licked my lips, what could this mean? The card was black all around, "Does that mean I pulled the wild card?" he said, impressed with his fortune.
It had been a week since my last encounter with a mysterious creature in the subway underneath Chicago's snowy streets. In my layer of sorts, I held a black bound book, and read aloud in the darkness of my abode.
"When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth." I mused, revelation 6:7-8.
I had been researching the latest events in the city, though they normally did not interest me, I wondered why such a creature of this caliber, were roaming the streets freely. It could only be one thing, one very bad sign.
My eyes and ears were more attentive than usual, and I had been experiencing a strange sensation,
that sensation of being watched, followed, spied upon. You would think, being who I was. I would be more informed about the goings on of heaven and hell.
But no such thing was true, I only had one job. No connections to anything living, dead or otherwise. Though if the ratification of the world were upon us, I would like to know so that I could prepare, and relocate.
Philosophers, good Christians and every one else had been suspecting that judgement was near.
But if this were true, fire would rain from the sky, and the horsemen would keep the balance.
One would often mistake myself for the rider of the pale horse, but such was not the case. We were two very different beings. I for starters, had no interest in bringing the world famine, plague, and destruction.
Though I did want to keep the balance on this earth, between the living and the dead, between belief and fact, I read over the book of revelations in the Holy Bible, trying to find some answers, "It is not, the end of the world." I heard a familiar voice.
My empty eyes darted to a dark corner where I had felt the presence all along. Though it was not who I expected, "Fate?" I asked, I could barely make it out, but it was good at playing hide and seek.
"It is not the end of all humanity, or judgement day." I'm sure it knew that the blank card had been discarded. "Though there will be turmoil, destruction, and pain." His voice was calm, far more serious than our last encounter.
:I still had my pack of cards, I had dealt one to that creature, which he foolishly discarded.
"Give me some answers, I am tired of wasting my time." I demanded, the peculiar entity looked at me as if sympathizing with something.
It held out his hand, and snatched back the deck of cards that were setting on a night stand.
"You will never be ready for what is to come," It said its gangly arms reaching out for me, though I was at too much of a distance for it to touch me.
"Speak now," I demanded. Growing irritated as I have wasted to much time on this goose hunt already.
Perhaps fate was my only ally in this war that seemed to be brewing, "It is time to pick up your dusty weapon." it murmured, I glared, my weapon was only used in times of great need.
"Are we in a war?" I asked. I received no answer from Fate, in his outreached hand appeared my scythe, it was black with the sharpest blade.
"Malach HaMavet. You are hear by called to active duty. Clear these streets of hades creatures,"
I felt a pain in my chest, the scythe glowed and made its self known to me, though it was never forgotten, the shimmering silver blade had seen many horrific scenes, as have I.
Though what was to come was still unknown, creatures from hades were free to roam the streets,
I took my scythe from Fate, and out of all the entities to hand me such a weapon, I wasn't sure what to think, other than my job just got a lot more complicated.
"Malach." Fate said, "Beware,"
I licked my fissured lips and wondered exactly what he meant by that.