Embers

by Daniela Elana

  Dr. Prescott grinned at the sacrifice and fired up the machine. It blinked and spun. The ground beneath our feet split, moving the foundations of the earth forming holes in the marble floor.

  Large hands with claws broke through the ground. Above us, a massive star hung overhead.

  “Planet x,” I said. Leo glanced at me and nodded.

  “I’m going find a boat to get off this landmass and help some of the families,” he said. I nodded. He kissed my forehead and bolted out of the building with other saints.

  The remaining party goers fled from the building. Just as I was starting to take off, Belial ran toward me, tackling me down. Windows shattered. The giant shard of glass fell on people killing them.

  From each end of the building large demons poured in attacking their worshipers.

  Belial chained me down to the ground in the center of a pentagram.

  “Why are you doing this?”

  “You’re the perfect sacrifice,” he said with a laugh, scurrying away.

  Cries of people as they were killed from flying pieces of debris. A large opening through the walls revealed more hellish beings coming from hell howling as they flew through the streets, striking people dead.

  I pulled with all my might praying for help. A boulder fell straight for me—it crumbled around me, breaking the chains. Thanking God, I got up.

  I was stopped by the shoulder. Pivoting around to see Erich.

  “Maricel, what’s going on?” he said.

  “I don’t have time for this?” I backed away.

  “Maricel, I just woke up, I was in a comatose state while something else took over,” he said. By the absence of rage once present in his eyes, I confirmed he was telling the truth.

  “Erich, I’ll explain later. You have to find your wife and evacuate the country. There isn’t a lot of time!”

  He nodded, sprinting away.

  I ran amok outside, passing people avoiding falling debris and demons.

  Belial rode out with a group of the demons on a dark blue and yellow horses, galloping through the streets striking people dead with swords.

  Building after building combusted into flames spreading fire to the area as heaven and hell collided with earth.

  Lamp poles and phone lines swayed from a powerful surge of wind accompanied by fire.

  * * *

  Leslie shielded the infant from the hail mixed with fire, raining down. A hand grabbed her shoulder and she turned to see Erich, she wanted to hit him. With the baby in her arms, she didn’t dare try. He hugged her. When she peered into his eyes, the demon was gone.

  “How did it happen?”

  “I prayed for deliverance,” he said, staring at the baby.

  “Praise God!” She sobbed. “Help me get him, to safety, I have no clue if any of his other family is alive.

  * * *

  Leo had located an exports ship that he and a few other men had dumped all the merchandise in the sea making room for as many people as could fit. He assisted family after family in climbing aboard and left to go find me.

  As he was rushing back into the streets, dodging the raining fire. It consumed cars, buildings, animals, and people around him. He spotted Zev and Crystal.

  “There’s a merchant ship we dumped supplies from, join everyone else in evacuating the area!”

  Both Crystal and Zev nodded. A flaming rock, hit the White House and it broke into pieces. More fiery rocks destroyed Capitol Hill and the Washington monument.

  Belial rode toward Leo as he assisted a man who had fallen into the ground. Just as he was pulling him out, Belial raced toward him with a sword raised.

  Leo turned just in time, his eyes widening.

  Zev saw from a distance and leaped out, pushing Leo out of the way. His torso met Belial’s sword, piercing him from the stomach up. He fell to the pavement.

  Crystal gasped, taking him into her arms. Her eyes welling with tears.

  I ran to my brother’s aid as he bled out.

  CHAPTER 11

  CHTHONIC

  “Zev!” I cried as he lay in Crystal’s arms. He yowled in pain, losing too much blood, and I clutched his hand. “You’re safe, that’s all that matters,” he said. Leo knelt beside him.

  “Zev, please don’t leave me, you’re all I have,” I said.

  “No, you have your friends, and you have him.” He glanced at Leo and smiled. Crystal looked at him as well, her face welling up as she broke down crying and removing her glasses to wipe her eyes.

  “Zev, please hold on this isn’t the end,” I said, squeezing back tears.

  “I’m sorry, Maricel. I can’t, I’ve already lost too much blood. My time here is finished. I’ve done all that God wanted me to do. You’re a warrior, and you will endure to the end.” I shook my head disagreeing with him.

  “No, don’t say that. We are going to carry you back, and we are going to sail out of this place together.”

  “No, Maricel.”

  Crystal hugged me as she cried into my shoulders.

  “Crystal, I love you,” he said, taking her hand. She nodded.

  “I love you too, Zev. You’re an incredible man she whimpered and stood.

  “You two promise me something,” Zev said, focusing his attention on Leo and I. Zev took both our hands, placing them in his. Crystal watched covering her mouth. “I see the way you two get along. It’s clear how both of you feel about one another. I know that you love each other. I had a vision a month ago of you two married looking out for one another, dying to protect one another. You two may be different in many ways, Maricel has heart, and Leo has the courage. So do me a favor put aside your differences and although there’s not much time left get married.”

  I brushed a tear from my duct. Leo placed his hand on my shoulder with his head down.

  “I promise Zev it’s the last thing I do. I’ll walk your sister down the aisle.” Both Zev and he chuckled to the best of their ability.

  “Leo protect my sister for me, don’t let her out of your sight. Maricel I love you, and I’ll see you on the other side with mother.” His voice faded as his eyes closed with his last breath. I kissed, the tip of his forehead. Leo helped me stand to my feet.

  Crystal took one last look at him, and she ran with us to the beat.

  The sky was now a dark red color from all the fumes.

  We came to the ship. All of our friends were aboard. From a distance, a group of children stood stranded as fire rained down.

  “There’s something I have to do,” I said.

  “Maricel wait!” Leo said, following me. I dashed away.

  Leo lost track of me as people pushed him down, trying to get out of the way.

  A group of children cried, standing on top of debris as a building imploded. “Come with me!” I said, taking their hands. “I want you guys to hold one another’s hands. One of the little girls was crying.

  “I can’t, my dad, he was killed.”

  “Listen to me, sweetie, I want you to count backward from ten.”

  The girl stared at me. Her large dark eyes filled with fear. She did so, as we ran I took them to the ship and Crystal helped me load them on it. It was already overflowing with people and somewhere trying to beat others off.

  Erich, Kevin and Warren had to hold some violent people off as they tried to highjack the boat. Caroline stood on deck.

  “Maricel, there’s not much room we have to leave now, get Leo,” Leslie said.

  “Wait he’s not on here?” I said, confused.

  “No, he went to search for you,” Crystal said. I felt guilty now that I had left and worried for his safety.

  “I’ll search for him!” I sprinted back into the mob of people fighting each other. Some threw themselves into the water, trying to swim away.

  There were a few people localized in the area as they were stuck in the ground from sunken terrain. They screamed as solar winds hit them, frying their flesh.
I was already in the heart of the city. If I didn’t hurry, the ship would take off without us.

  Flaming rocks rained from the crimson sky as the stench of sulfur rose in the thick air. I tore through the severed sidewalks past shrieking civilians struck by steel, glass, and bricks from crumbled buildings leaving nothing but a pile of mangled meat on the heated cement.

  A block away, I spotted him, pulling a boy from beneath a mound of rubble that was once a warehouse. The boy’s mother thanked him. I pulled to a stop behind him across the street.

  “Leo!” I hollered waving at him. He turned and grinned, bolting straight for me. The street between us caved in swallowing cabs, buses, fire, and hydrants into the ocean.

  Stay with me!” he shouted as we ran along the divide that had formed heading for the ocean. He jumped over the cratered land, wobbling to stand. I darted on the other side of the gap, ignoring the raging fire in my chest. The ship was in sight, and he turned back to me.

  “Maricel leap for me!” he hollered from the other side of the divide. I gulped. If I failed, I would be stuck in the earth. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll catch you,” he said. We were running out of time. With a deep breath, I plummeted across the gap passing through the fire.

  In midair, a force took hold of my torso from behind, and I ascended into the air shrieking in horror that I had lost him. To my dismay, Azazel held me in the sky.

  “Let me go!” I cried. Azazel laughed.

  “I always knew you wouldn’t choose Tess’s place, and as a result, she was a sacrifice for us, it was always meant to be this way. You’re the New Queen.”

  “What are you talking about?” I said.

  “This is only the beginning of the end.”

  “Maricel!” Leo cried from down below, running after us. An enormous solar flare hurled down, lighting up the entire town. Everything burned to pieces with a blast. I closed my eyes. No, I shook my head. He was dead.

  * * *

  Leo grabbed a piece of stray debris using it to pull himself up then staggered through the fire, making it to the ship, having just missed the fireball. He was too late, as the entire sky had rained fire, and he cried as I had been in the sky held hostage by Azazel when the fire fell. From the air, Azazel had sacrificed me.

  He ran to the boat, leaping onboard. From a distance, the country still burned being reduced to ashes.

  “Leo, where’s Maricel?” Caroline said.

  “She didn’t make it,” he said, squeezing back tears. It was the first time he had allowed himself to sob in front of others. He withdrew the picture of me, rubbing it, and looked back up at the sky. “You’ll be atoned,” he said as he put the picture away.

  * * *

  The red soil was teeming with life. An entire community had been built. Mansions lined the artificial grass, golf courses, parks, malls, and various other luxuries. It was if I had been transported to the future after leaving the destruction of my country. They terraformed Mars, and I was a prisoner to it. I scurried around running my hands through my hair.

  “This is your new home,” Azazel said as he stood behind me watching me react to my new environment.

  “You’re demented,” I said, turning to face him as we stood staring into one another’s eyes he chortled.

  “Oh, poor Maricel. Now you can no longer get in the way of my plans.”

  “Take me back!”

  “Maybe three and a half years will help you grow,” he said, turning his back to me. His large black wings spread ready to leave.

  “Azazel wait!” I said. He looked over his shoulder at me, grinning.

  “I’ll return for you when business is finished,” Azazel said.

  “What are you going to do?”

  “Capture Jerusalem, enjoy the red planet. When I return our reign begins!” He said, flying off until he was no longer visible. There was nowhere to run. I had no way of returning to earth. No spaceship or transporter. I was stranded. I dug my heel into the ground. I didn’t know how all I knew was somehow someway I would return.

  “No,” I said to myself. “I’ll see you at Armageddon.”

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Daniela Elana is a Youtube content creator and author of Skepticism and the Through the Fire Series that include Volatile and Embers. She graduated from the University of Central Missouri in May of 2018 with a Bachelor’s of Science in sociology and a minor in biology.

  After completing her education, she served an AmeriCorps service term at Harvesters-the Community Food Network in Kansas City, helping connect individuals experiencing food insecurity with community resources.

  She is currently serving a second term of service through NCC AmeriCorps as a planning specialist aiding those experiencing disaster nationwide and is working on her fourth novel Ashes.

  https://danielaelana.wordpress.com