by Caleb Smith
Just as Furfur had wrapped up his speech, the sun was rising, and it’s early morning beams broke in through the dust-caked window. The influential demon hadn’t mentioned anything about the boy. He didn’t need to divert their minds in any way other than the instructions he had just passed down. They simply did not need to know.
A blue pickup truck then pulled into the yard and parked next to the cop car. Soon after, the doors swung open and four workers got out of the truck with looks of confusion. The police car had them all wondering. The driver looked up to the trailer and noticed that the front door seemed to have been kicked in. His first thought was that vandals had broken in and that the police were here to investigate.
They piled into the trailer single file, but once there, they encountered horror. Shawn, Henry, and Marcus had been executed by the two police Nephilim, as ordered by Furfur. The two evil-looking cops stood still with crazy eyes, smoke twisting and curling through the air in front of them. The two stared at the intruders with evil in their eyes and pleasure on their lips. The smoke then dispersed and shot into the three faces of the those clumped closest together, excluding the boss of the crew. His three coworkers were thrown on their backs, where they writhed and contorted at the demonic possession. This frightened the boss, and he tried to make a break for the handgun he kept stashed away in his desk, but there were three decayed bodies piled in his way. He yelled but also managed to scramble beyond the bodies to his desk, where he rifled through the drawers frantically.
The rogue policemen closed in and held up the gun, dangling it before the panicked man, saying nothing.
The boss man looked around for a way to escape. There was a small window in the office with an air conditioner, and he kicked it out, hoping to crawl though the space. The appliance hit the ground outside and made a loud thud, and the man threw himself through the window head-first, landing in the gravel and panting.
He grabbed for the keys that were still in his pocket and collected himself, pushing on toward his truck and managing to make it inside the cab. But, the Nephilim were not far behind. They stood on the entrance stoop and stared at him with smiles.
The man started the engine, but then felt a dark shadow appeared behind him. It was Furfur, who reached out with his large hand and long sharp nails. He palmed the back of the man’s head like a cantaloupe and snapped his neck like a toothpick. Reaching with his other hand, he fished out the man’s soul and devoured it. He would keep it inside of him until he made it back to the underworld, at which time he would purge it out into the open flames for all to see. Furfur would digest all light of the soul and spit back the impurities. He opened the door and dragged the body out and threw it up on the hood of the truck. The two dressed officers were licking their chops.
“Eat, dear children; eat.” He motioned for them to dig in. They charged like bloodhounds, tearing into his body and ripping flesh to pieces.
The demon orchestrator smiled and watched. His plan was working well, but now it was time to find the boy.
Chapter 48
Noah felt bad when it was nearing time to leave. The day had flown by, especially after the incident at the auto supply store parking lot. He kept the secret to himself when he got back. The last thing he wanted was to have to explain to Wendy how he got out of it untouched. She would not understand.
They had worked through the afternoon, and Wendy and Josh would more than likely work into the night. Earl would be in the hospital for a while, and they had to do whatever was necessary to keep the family business afloat. When two-thirty approached, Noah dreaded having to tell Wendy that it was time for him to go.
“Ah, Wendy? He approached her hesitantly. “I have to go now. I have my meeting at three at the library.”
She pretended to not hear what he said. But, Noah didn’t want to play games right now, and so he raised his voice so that all could hear him above the country music playing on the radio.
“Wendy, I’m going to be leaving now. I have a prior obligation at three o’clock today. I’ll talk to you a little later.”
“What’s that?” She acted dumbfounded by his announcement.
He was getting annoyed, and it was evident in his response, “I’m leaving now. I’ll see you later, OK?”
“Well, where are you going?”
“I have to be at the library at three, so I have to leave now.”
She lowered her head and replied in an attention seeking tone, “Well I thought you could work a little later. With my dad in the hospital, Josh and I need you.”
Josh spoke up, from under the car hood. “We’ll be all right. Noah, how about we see you tomorrow morning at eight?”
“That shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll be here.”
Wendy looked sullen, but Noah couldn’t worry about that. This was one time he couldn’t afford to put her feelings first. He walked away and found Keeper already waiting for him in the basket of his bike. It was now 2:35 p.m. – five minutes past his desired departure time. He cranked the motor and started the bike. He was off before he could find a comfortable seated position. He drove the throttle down with his thumb and didn’t let off until his house was in sight. He needed to stop there first and gather the sword and necklace from under his bed.
It took him approximately twelve minutes to get to his house from Wendy’s, and he knew he had to hurry if he was going to make it to the book shop by three. His mother was still gone. The car was not in sight, this was good. He didn’t know what time she was due home, but he thought it would be best to leave a note so she wouldn’t worry if she arrived home before he did. The boy quickly scribbled that he was heading to the library for a research project and that she shouldn’t worry – he’d be home later. Noah then grabbed his sword and necklace and flew back out the door. He had eighteen minutes to make it to his appointment.
He raced down the sidewalks and streets, avoiding traffic, which was a little more intense on Main Street at this time of day. By the time he got to the shop, it was 2:58 p.m. He locked his bike to the small maple tree out front, snatched Keeper and the sheathed sword, and dashed for the door. Once inside the shop, he made his way to the top floor, the clouds gathering around his feet as he climbed higher.
On the third floor, the scene looked markedly different than it had on his last visit. The sky was high and endless, but borders had been erected in all directions. The walls consisted of clouds, but there was plenty of space to move around among them. Then, a black shadow emerged. The room shook with violence and Keeper’s light brightened, as did the light around his neck. It hadn’t taken Furfur long to know exactly where the boy had been headed. The open porthole gleamed brightly for all those who could see beyond the third dimension. The demon saw the necklace, the cat, and the sword tucked up under the boy’s shirt. He knew these items were meant to shield the boy from his demonic kind. This meant that the boy was a threat, and because he couldn’t get close enough for a physical attack, he would have to take a different approach.
“Who are you, boy?” His voice echoed through the clouds.
Noah was frightened by the demon presence and worried about giving him any information that could be used against him.
“I am Noah.”
“Noah. You’re just a boy. What do you think you’re going to do here?”
The fact was, Noah wasn’t exactly sure what he was going to do. He certainly didn’t expect to be in the presence of a demon force on his first day of training.
He replied with honesty. “I really don’t know.”
Furfur chuckled in a deep voice. “Hahaha. You’re just a boy. Go do ‘boy’ things, and don’t interfere or you will pay dearly! It will cost more than an arm this time. Would you like to see what hell looks like? Because I can take you there.”
Noah trembled with fear knowing that the demon was aware of his connection to Earl. If he knew this, it meant he probably also knew of his mother, Wendy, and Josh.
“I’m only doing as Enoch and Elijah have ins
tructed. And just so you know, this is their book shop, and they will be here soon. I’m sure they won’t take kindly to your presence, so you better leave.”
“Oh yes, I know the twins well. I’d rather look forward to meeting them.”
With remarkable speed, Furfur then propelled himself toward Noah and attempted to claw at and attack him with full force. The light on Noah’s necklace shined as brightly as the sun in the face of the attacking demon. Furfur had to turn his cloaked head away as he clawed, causing him to miss his mark. Keeper enclosed the boy in a protective bubble, and the demon’s slashes were kept at an arm’s length from Noah.
The demon duke was relentless with his attack, but Noah was too scared to pull his sword and use it. Instead he just closed his eyes and called for Enoch. It wasn’t long after when thunderous footsteps fell with authority on the third floor of the book shop.
“Get away from that boy!” Enoch ordered, and there was a break in Furfur’s attack.
Furfur turned and faced the mighty twins, who closed in quickly with axes in hand. Their authority reigned, and the cloaked henchman had no choice but to flee the scene, whispering as he backed away, “This isn’t over; it’s only just begun.”
Elijah chased him back down the stairs and out through the door, while Enoch stayed with Noah.
“Are you OK?” He asked.
It took Noah a moment to reclaim his thoughts and get his bearings. “Yeah. I’m OK, I think.”
“Well, the good news is that the necklace and your Keeper seemed to have protected you.”
“What was that thing?” Noah’s voice quivered.
“That was a demon of the dammed,” Enoch replied. “Most likely, it is he that is behind the recent evil deeds in Mid-Town. He has puppets on the surface out there doing his bidding. We have fought his kind in the past; they are persistent beasts and like to attack and gain leverage any way they can.”
Enoch’s twin reentered the open room and added to the conversation.
“He’s gone and won’t be back – not now that I marked the downstairs door with the symbol of the star. It should repel all dark entities from entering. It’s my guess that he has seen you before, by the way he was dressed and the dark powers he holds. He must be higher up on the food chain. Maybe an adviser or information gatherer. His attack on you was to see what you were equipped with and how his powers would fare against it. It would be my advice to keep your Keeper close and your necklace on. It won’t be the last time you will run into him.”
“Oh great,” Noah replied. “I can hardly wait. Is this why I was supposed to be here today at three? So that I could be attacked and be not the least bit ready for it?”
“No, dear boy. You were supposed to be here at three so you can learn and become one with yourself and your past. There is a warrior inside you. You have been this person in a past life. A samurai warrior. You have been a master with a sword, and you already hold the skills to swing and use your blade effectively, but you must access this past life and become one with it. You must once again become the warrior you were in the 1600s: fierce, yet brilliant, kind. and fair. And, once you can become one with that past life, it will all come back to you naturally.”
“Like a download,” Elijah pointed out.
Noah was intrigued. “Now that all sounds fine and dandy, but how am I supposed to access those memories? I can barely remember what happened last week!”
“Through deep meditation and self-reflection. This was supposed to be a place where you could do that. The energy here is linked to higher dimensional space, and it will lend you the jump start you need to go deep within your mind to navigate that past life and rekindle it.”
“So, let me get this straight. You want me to access a past life in my head and bring it into action, so I can become a warrior once again?”
“Essentially, yes. That is how it is done, but unfortunately, you are not there yet. Because of the circumstances and time constraints now, this part of your training has to be sped up. This is why I brought this particular past life on tablet through which you can enter,” Enoch replied.
“Do you know how crazy that sounds?”
“To a simple mind ruled by ego, yes; it sounds fantastically insane.”
“Can you help me access this inner warrior?” Noah asked.
“We cannot,” Elijah replied. “This has to be your doing. Normally, one would enter through in a deep meditative state. What we have done is made the access a little easier.”
Enoch pulled a glowing, tablet of light the size of a clip board from his deep pocket and held it out for Noah to see.
“All you have to do is put your hand in, and the tablet will do the rest. You will be pulled into this life to see yourself as you once were.”
Noah looked at the tablet uncertainly. It pulsated with soft, glowing light. It was welcoming, but he was nervous and not sure what to expect.
“All I have to do is stick my hand in?”
“Yes. Now close your eyes and take three slow, deep breaths. Draw the breath into your abdomen and release the air gently, but steadily. When you’re ready, reach your arm out.” Enoch’s voice had become soothing, like that of a hypnotist. Noah followed the instructions and, after the third breath, he slowly raised his arm and reached out.
Everything became dark and still, and then colorful waves stretched around the outer rim of his mind. Glimpses of visions and then clips of the past began dancing in his head – lives past that he did not recognize but embraced nonetheless.
Like a film reel, the clips revealed to him his former selves. There was a segment as a child, crawling around, and of a woman sitting in a chair with a child on her lap. There were clips of him well-dressed in early nineteenth century clothing. Then there were images of him riding a horse with leather-skin pants. After that, he saw himself with furs covering his body, as his sleeveless, dirt- ridden arms stretched for a door on a mud hut with a straw roof. He was then at sea looking over the rail of an old wooden sail ship, and then hunkering down along a dry desert river bed. Noah’s next visions brought him to a beautiful place far away from where he was now. The land seemed foreign, but familiar at the same time. The architecture was humble and unique. Mountains and foothills surrounded him. He was in an Asian village, and his mind was searching for the inner warrior Enoch had spoken of. The warrior was close – he could feel it.
“Relax.” A strong, soothing voice blanketed his thoughts. “Let your mind find what it seeks in its own time. Do not rush to find what you are hunting for.”
This helped Noah calm himself and slow the rolling footage of another life.
“All that you are seeing has been recorded and is your past record.”
His visions brought him through a window and into a studio with soft, bamboo floors and a red clay roof. The walls held tapestries of ancient warriors and animals. The clips then brought him face to face with a fierce looking man. The man was practicing a form of martial art. At this moment, Noah knew that he had once been this man. He looked him in the eyes, and the man looked back without flinching. The eyes were the same. He then went inside the eyes and the eyes became his eyes. They had been his eyes all along. He continued with his Kata movements – a perfect dance in the form of self-defense. The motions came naturally – it was as if he had never forgotten. And just then, everything came flooding back: the sword training, the battles, and the experiences. The entire life fast-forwarded before his eyes and in his mind. He felt at one with this life. This life – every experience, taste, touch, smell, movement, relationship, battle, drop of blood, tear, and bead of sweat – was remembered, right up until the point of death as a sword pierced through his heart.
Noah awakened, and sat up abruptly, eyes wide and gasping for breath. Somehow, he was back in his own apartment – in his own bed, but all that he had just experienced was still with him. Yet, his mind was different now; it was more confident and trained, and it was also unafraid.
He wondered how he had arr
ived in his room, but he didn’t fret much about it. Keeper was sitting on the foot of the bed looking at him with majestic eyes. He touched his neck – the necklace was still there. He leaned over the edge of the bed and peeked under, and the sword was there in its sheath. Noah swung his legs around and stood slowly, stretching like a seasoned warrior confident with every move. His thoughts were deep and focused. He knew where and who he was. Most importantly, Noah knew what had to be done and what was expected of him. He was finally ready to embrace his worst fear head on.
Chapter 49
Furfur had contemplated handling the situation without consultation. He despised the thought of having to go back down and ask for assistance, and his narcissism wanted to prove to his Council that he could handle it without their help and guidance. He wanted to do it all on his own and prove his worth to all of them. The dark duke wanted more credit and greater power, and he knew that if he flew solo, his rewards could be superb.
The number one thing the devil required and demanded was loyalty. His subjects must be loyal and do as instructed, or there would be no order. The only way to enforce this was through fear. For those who did not follow the commands of a superior, extreme punishment was enforced – not only for the joy of inflicting pain, but also as a warning to others. In a place of eternal fear, fear would be the only ruling fist.
Furfur twisted his way back down through the bowels of the earth like a drill bit cutting through soft wood. Dropping in with an aura of hate, he readjusted his figure and flew off with his wide raven wings, headed for the factory floor of eternal dark production. Here, machines endlessly churned among the twisting lines of minion carriers holding buckets and heavy armfuls of iron ore. Tens of thousands waited for a turn to throw their load in the great melting furnace. After the drop, they did it over and over again.
