The Hade War

by Luke Carlisle

  “Amen!” The congregation rippled in agreement.

  “I… I don’t believe it…” Marcus whispered.

  “Rob, how are you feeling now?” Mike asked Rob who had his hand on his back.

  “Actually…” Rob started. “A lot better, I think!” Rob took a few steps around the front of the hall, bending and stretching. He bent over and touched his toes.

  “Yes! Praise Jesus! Yes!” he exclaimed.

  The congregation clapped and shouted out praise to their God. Rob hugged pastor Mike and the rest of the leaders.

  “He’s not faking it.” Marcus told Josiah. “His back is totally better Josiah, he’s not faking it! I thought it was bullshit! Oh! Sorry! Sorry! I didn’t believe it.”

  Josiah simply laughed little.

  “How?! I’m able to take people’s pain, but to entirely cure someone! That’s insane!”

  After Rob a young man in his twenties was prayed for. He suffered from a strange and unpredictable skin rash for two years. The prayer worked and he was cured.

  “Oh man!” was all that Marcus could say.

  Next up was a middle aged woman suffering from an ear infection. Prayer. Gone.

  “This… this is just…” Marcus could hardly finish a sentence. Josiah sat beside him quietly and smiled.

  After the meeting Marcus sat outside on the steps to the building drinking in the cold night air as if every breath birthed new life into his soul. Unbeknownst and invisible to him on the opposing rooftop stood Nagra, Spirit of Fear and Spirit of Confusion. They stood silently watching the scene below. A clink of swords sounded from behind Nagra who turned and spat. Behind him stood a horde of spirits hungry for battle, waiting for Nagra’s order. But it didn’t come.

  Also invisible to Marcus were the spears, shields and armour glistening in the moonlight. A legion of Light Fighters stood watching silently from the street up at Nagra and his spirits, unmoving and unflinching. There was only silence as the two forces stared each other down.

  “There you are.” Marcus turned to see Josiah had come outside behind him. The police officer sat down on the step beside Marcus and sighed as he looked up at the stars.

  “Pretty crazy right?” He finally said. Marcus laughed.

  “Ha! Yeah but are you allowed to call it crazy?”

  “Of course man! If it was normal then it wouldn’t be a miracle would it,” Josiah answered.

  “No I suppose not.”

  “They don’t call it the supernatural for nothing.”

  “And that’s what you do in hospitals? I’ve felt people get better when you are around. This is what you go around doing?”

  “When I’m allowed yes. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll always say a silent prayer for everyone I visit but a lot of them, most of them in fact, wont let me pray over them… with them. They don’t have any faith and they don’t want me doing anything of the sort.”

  “If only they knew.”

  “Yeah.”

  Marcus gave a slightly chuckle.

  “Aw man,” he began. “I feel like I need to say sorry or something. Like… I wasn’t exactly a dick about you or anything but I feel like I owe you something.”

  “You don’t owe me anything.”

  “Yeah, well I think…”

  The Light Fighters began taking slow steps forward. The Horde began taking slow steps backward.

  “I think, against all of my instinct and better judgement, I believe in all of this madness.”

  Blinding light! The Light Fighters shot from the street onto the rooftop faster than the hordes of hell could react. Nagra, Spirit of Fear and Spirit of Confusion vanished in the blink of an eye. The rest remained. Spears cut through their ranks and black blades fell limp against silver shields.

  “Hello boys!” an elderly woman’s voice came from behind the two men taking them both by surprise. Marcus Immediately recognised her as the woman who stopped him to say hello as he was leaving his first church service. Josiah smiled.

  “Have you met Rita yet?” Josiah asked Marcus.

  “Yes we have, I believe it was your first week at a Sunday service?” Rita answered.

  “Yes that’s right. I’m Marcus.”

  “I remember dear,” Rita told him, moving slowly down the steps to the sidewalk. The elderly lady was so small that she was only slightly standing above the two men’s heads even though they sat on the second step of the building.

  “Marcus has just had himself an interesting evening,” Josiah told her.

  Rita put her hand on his shoulder. “I believe you have son,” she smiled.

  Marcus couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed.

  “No need to feel embarrassed sonny, we’re all daft in here. You’re in good company,” she reassured him, squeezing his arm. Marcus laughed.

  “Thanks.”

  “But you have waited long enough I reckon,” Rita told him as she unfolded her walking stick from her bag. “It’s time to kick Vincent Kennedy’s butt!”

  Marcus nearly choked from the shock.

  “Excuse me?!” He exclaimed.

  “You heard me.” She told him. “You’re ready now son. Free the wrestler and the rest will fall into place.”

  Marcus stared at the old woman in utter amazement.

  “How on earth do you now about that?!” he asked.

  “You told me,” she answered. “A couple of weeks ago when I first met you.”

  “Nnnnnnnnnooooo I didn’t?” Marcus denied.

  Josiah sat and watched the conversation unfold in front of him. He found it funny.

  “You did son. I read your thoughts,” she dropped the bomb.

  “You what?!” Josiah finally spoke up. “You’re… one of them?!” He asked.

  “I am a human being Josiah. I have been gifted with the ability to see into peoples lives at the touch of a hand.”

  “I have to say I feel rather violated right now,” Marcus said.

  “I’m sorry son. I absolutely never prod into peoples minds, but yours was screaming at me the moment I first shook your hand. I couldn’t help but hear it all. Manning, Israel, Greyfall, Jessen. That boy needs Jesus and a cup of tea I tell you that much.”

  Marcus laughed. “He certainly does. Then you know… you know all those guys are either missing or hurt right now?”

  “I do. Israel is in some sort of coma at South City Hospital. The rest are missing. You believe Kennedy had some interest in Jessen particularly.”

  “That’s right yes. Manning thought so.”

  “Speaking of,” Josiah began “I’ll do everything I can to locate him. If he is hurt or incarcerated anywhere I should be able to find out.”

  Marcus nodded.

  “I never really liked that Kennedy boy anyway,” Rita said.

  “So how am I supposed to kick his butt, as you put it. How do I free Ronan? Free him from what?”

  “Ronan is under mind control. So is the girl, Elaine. Believe me, I know enough about the mind. It’s that other wrestler, Nightfall, he has them under his control. I would bet my left leg on it.”

  “So what do you suggest we do?” Marcus asked.

  “I dunno. Punch Nightfall in the head or something. These mind control types need their own minds to control others. Take it away from him and his control should end.”

  “How on earth could I even get close enough to him and if I did how could I ever do that?” Marcus asked.

  “I’m not wearing spandex and a cape under all of this. That’s up to you super hero,” Rita jested.

  “I’m not a super hero,” Marcus responded defeatedly.

  “Oh but you are son. Free the wrestler.”

  Chapter 20

  The back entrance to the arena was heavily guarded by security and several checkpoints had to be passed. Fans could barely even get within earshot of the wrestlers they so desperately wanted to see. Flashing blue and red lights lit up the ramp as the squad car honked its horn to announce its arrival. The security guards squinted a
gainst the light to see a police officer get out of the car and quickly run over to them, holding up his badge.

  “Officer Versette, NBPD. A known super powered criminal has been spotted in the crowd tonight,” Josiah told them. The guards nodded and reached for their walkie talkies.

  “Ah! No he’s one of those really weird ones… he like, reads technology and hears everything or something like that. No radios, I gotta go get him.”

  Josiah pulled the remote for his home hi-fi system out of his pocket and held it up. He had covered the brand name in black tape.

  “The crowd shouldn’t be in any danger. All I need to do is get close enough to him and hit a switch. It will incapacitate him safely enough, we’ve done it before. It’s like a dog whistle kinda thing, it messes with his head but no one else's.”

  “Really? That’s amazing,” one of the guards said, impressed. “All right officer go get him,” he said as he turned and swiped his identity badge to open the door and let Josiah in.

  “Thank you,” Josiah said as he entered the back loading bay of the arena.

  The crowd was bored. The constant domination by Nightfall had grown stale fast. The grotesque defilement of Elaine after every victory was awkward and hard to watch. Ronan and Elaine paced around the outside of the ring as always while Nightfall dismantled yet another helpless opponent. The commentators would tell the audience at home that he was the greatest champion in NCW history, but the audience thought otherwise. Several boos rang out here and there as people slowly began to file out of the arena in drips and drabs. Nightfall had become the biggest heel the company had ever had.

  Sitting several rows back, a man in a Mexican luchador mask began to sweat. His heart rate increasing by the minute as he knew it was nearing the time. He sat alone in an aisle seat for easy access.

  Josiah repeated the same process another two times with two different sets of guards before he was standing at the top of the steps in the aisle looking down across the entire arena. Nightfall was continuing his onslaught against his opponent. Josiah made his way slowly down the steps to get closer to the ring.

  Nightfall threw his opponent over the ropes and down hard onto the mat on the ground outside the ring. Turning to the crowd he raised both his hands to receive praise which didn’t come. Climbing through the ropes himself he stepped down on to the mat.

  Josiah raised his hand to his face and spoke into his cuff.

  “Now! Go!” He ordered.

  The masked man in the crowd looked down at his shoes and took a deep breath. Sighing he stood up, folded his metal chair and ran down the aisle towards the barricade that separated the fans from the action, chair in hand. Clambering over he landed in the middle of the action. Nightfall had his back to the masked invader as he stood over his helpless victim. Reaching down he picked him up like a rag doll and prepared to put him through the commentators table as they scrambled out of the way, begging him not to.

  Josiah ran down the steps towards the ring. He was trying his best to time his intervention. Too early and he would have to arrest the assailant before the deed was done. Too late and NCW security personnel would be all over the attacker before Josiah could reach him. Relieved at the sight of the raised chair above the attackers head, Josiah climbed over the barricade and any NCW security in the vicinity backed off at the sight of a NBPD uniform.

  The attacker took a couple of run up steps towards the unsuspecting Nightfall and smashed the metal chair into the back of his head as hard as he could. Nightfall immediately dropped his opponent to the ground and took a couple of dazed steps to turn and see who his attacker was.

  Another chair shot!

  Nightfall hit the ground hard. The crowd erupted into a frenzy. Whoever this attacker was, they liked him. The attacker felt forceful hands tackle him to the ground and pull his own hands behind his back. He felt the cold metallic handcuffs around his wrist, relieved that the police officer was the first to reach him and not NCW security.

  On the other side of the ring Ronan and Elaine simply stood and stared at each other blankly. Everything they had seen and done over the last number of weeks, none of it was private from each other. Elaine wasted no time in bursting into floods of tears. Ronan looked around the arena. He was torn as to whether to desperately fight against everything in his body and keep character, or go to the woman whom he had witnessed being violated over and over again to comfort her. In the end it was a no brainer. Ronan ran to Elaine and embraced her, closing his massive arms around her.

  The commentators themselves were confused as if waking from a strange dream in a strange room.

  “Uh… sorry folks, things have taken a bit of a turn here… we’re not exactly sure what’s happening in front of us…” one of them tried to hold the broadcast together.

  Elaine pushed Ronan away, not wanting to be touched. Covering her tear flooded face she ran back up the entrance ramp and into the backstage area. Ronan did not follow her but instead walked over to Nightfall.

  The masked assailant was now on his feet and being led out through the crowd by a police officer. The crowd was cheering on the invader as he was escorted out in handcuffs.

  Ronan stood over Nightfall who was sprawled out on the floor, his eyes staring blankly up at the arena rafters. Ronan wanted nothing more than to stand on the man’s throat and watch the life drain out of him, but he knew he couldn’t; not here anyway. He simply looked across the crowd who were in suspense of what he would do, then he slowly turned and walked away from his once master. As he headed up the ramp to leave the crowd clapped at the scene that had unfolded in front of them, not knowing the reality of the situation. Being a wrestling event the fans assumed it was all part of the act. The commentators bluffed their way through the series of events.

  “Clearly Ronan and Elaine have witnessed their leader show a weakness and are leaving him behind. What will happen next time, how will this story unfold between these three superstars?!” It was a good cover up. The fans at home bought it. Clearly there was no way a real life person jumped the barricade and attacked on of the NCW wrestlers. It must have all been part of the story which was obviously now going to build to a Nightfall versus Ronan championship match at the next pay per view event.

  In the backstage area Elaine was nowhere to be found. The place was a frenzy. Every wrestler wanted an answer as to who that was that attacked Nightfall.

  “Just some angry fan I guess,” was all Ronan could say to them.

  Sol came running up to Ronan.

  “Ronan! As much of a shit storm as that was; well done. I liked that you walked away from him. The announcers are playing it like you were disgusted at seeing a weakness in Nightfall and abandoned him. I think it will work, we’ll run with it,” Sol praised him.

  “Yeah ok,” was all Ronan could say. “Where is Elaine?”

  “No idea man. Sorry gotta check on Nightfall here.” Sol rushed towards Nightfall who was being helped back through the curtain into the backstage area. The medical personnel sat him down on the nearest chair and began their concussion checks. Nightfall gazed around the backstage area confused when suddenly his eyes met Ronan’s. His body went ice cold. Without his own mind in tact he couldn’t control anyone anymore.

  Pushing the medical personnel out of the way Nightfall got up and ran through everyone, escaping the scene alone.

  “What the?! Come back! We have to check you out man!” Sol shouted after him but it was no use.

  Ronan had a good idea of where he would find Elaine.

  The squad car pulled away form the arena with lights flashing and siren wailing. After a few blocks Josiah turned off the lights and siren and made as many turns as he could, eventually pulling into an alleyway where no one was around. Reaching into his chest pocket he pulled out a set of keys and got out of the car. Opening the back door he sat down beside his captive and released the handcuffs from his wrists. The mask came off immediately.

  “Man alive these things are hard to breath in!” M
arcus exclaimed, enjoying the free flowing air flooding into his lungs.

  “I think we’re clear. I think we did it!” Josiah told him, looking out of the back window of the car. Pulling the communicator out from his cuff he handed it to Marcus.

  “Here. Destroy this and your ear piece,” he told him. “Let’s go.”

  The two men got out of the car and checked the alleyway. No one was around.

  “Alright man, make it look real,” Josiah told Marcus.

  “Sorry.” Marcus told him as he punched him below the left eye.

  Josiah stumbled back several steps then righted himself, realising there was no pain.

  Marcus held his own face in clear pain.

  “Oh yeah. I almost forgot!” He praised Marcus. “It felt like a damn nice hit though. Really knocked me back.”

  “Really? That’s actually the first time I’ve ever punched anyone.”

  “Well it worked. That will blacken nicely.” Josiah prodded the already forming bump and exclaimed.

  “Ok so… now the fun part?” Marcus asked.

  “Now the fun part,” Josiah repeated in confirmation as he walked around to the trunk of the car. Opening it he pulled out a metallic can and a road flare.

  “Stand back,” he ordered Marcus as he opened the can. Starting in the back seat Josiah poured he gasoline all over the inside of the car. Marcus could smell the fumes from several yards back. Once the container was empty Josiah stood alongside Marcus.

  “Alright Marcus. If Rita was right, Ronan and Elaine should be free from Nightfall’s mind control. I’ll check in with them both tomorrow and I’ll call you if we have a meeting. For now just go home and do nothing.

  “Ok,” Marcus obeyed and watched as Josiah lit the road flare. The two mens faces suddenly beamed in red flickering light. Josiah tossed it into the back seat of the car which immediately erupted in a ball of fire. For several moments the two men watched as the flames licked high into the air.