The Purgatory Saga #1: People of the Fire

by Michelle Dalson

  This serpent had seven heads and ten horns. On its head were seven diadems. Its eyes were bloody, and as the rest of its body continued to rise out from the ground, I saw that it was a dragon with a long serpent-like neck. Its tail rose and swept through the swirling thick sky, cutting through the air as if it were a sheet of paper. Red cracks formed in the sky. It was as if the air was bleeding from the dragon’s tail tip.

  “No…” I choked a gasp. There was something way too familiar about this snake. I looked into each of its seven pairs of eyes and saw bloody red lines leaking underneath each pair. The seven-headed dragon had eyes like Lucien’s. I felt lost in another trance. The snake was staring down at me. Each of its seven heads were gazing toward me, each of them with identical, menacing expressions.

  I heard a scream from Lexie beside me as she jumped back, staring at the dragon’s feet with horror. I looked and saw that horrid amounts of creepy crawly bugs were escaping the crack in which the dragon had climbed out of. They buzzed toward our way, crawling over my feet and making their way all over my body. I yelled and fell to the ground, thrashing with frustration.

  Lexie screamed and ran back, unable to bear it.

  “Lexie!” But this time, she didn’t help me. She was too disgusted to hear me now.

  But suddenly, Dewey tweeted and called at me from the sky.

  “Zach—they’re coming!” He looked at me and Lexie with a look of confidence. “They’re coming! I can hear them!”

  And then the cracked sky suddenly split right above the hatchling. A beam of light shone down from the cracks and hit the back of the serpent. The serpent let out a monstrous roar of agony and its huge body thrashed and sizzled under the intensity of the light. A band of bright angels appeared from the beam, and at the front, I recognized with disbelief, that it was the nurse, Hannah.

  Hannah looked totally different. She didn’t look like a nurse anymore. She had her wings spreading from behind her shoulders, and her halo was bright and shining with intensity. Her air type SoulBird, Chelsey, looked valiantly brave as she flew along her side and lead the band of angels behind them.

  The band of angels carried harpoons that were much sturdier and cleaner than the harpoons of the un-baptized babies. They were shooting at all the terrible creatures that surrounded us. When they flew over the fires, they created arches of light to make the flames dissolve.

  Lexie gasped and stared with wonder. “Angels…..they’re just as I pictured them.”

  Some of them wore dresses and long white tunics. Others were nude and small, just like the un-baptized babies, except with a halo and a shine of light around them, and lacked the bulldog-like face.

  There were only about two dozen angels, but Hannah was swooping through all the scattered troops and shouting commands.

  She suddenly met my gaze. “Zach! Hang in there! We’re here to rescue you!”

  Dewey let out a tweet of triumph. “They answered my call! Thank goodness we were near the Ark! They wouldn’t have heard me!”

  Lexie gasped. “No! They’re fleeing now!”

  Many of the creatures were jumping back into the cracks, and some even managed to attack the angels. The serpent in front of me had lost sight of me as the angels surrounded the huge beast with heavenly beams of light. But hellhounds were approaching the serpent from behind, ready to pounce up at the surrounding angels.

  “No! Hannah! Over here! They’re gaining on you!” I called.

  But then I felt hands clasp around my mouth and I let out a muffled scream.

  From the corner of my eye, I could see that a small, impish creature, no more than two feet tall, was gripping Lexie’s face and dragging her toward a hole that had formed in the Earth. Her body was limp and unconscious.

  The creature that was clutching me was also a tiny imp. It gave a low snicker. “Quiet, fool,” it had a small but menacing voice. “Let’s scram! We hells fiends didn’t come up here for nothing. If we cannot get inside the Ark and retrieve the young girl, then we’ll just have to capture you.”

  What “young girl?” Who were they trying to retrieve? Was someone else in the Ark, besides Lexie? I wondered if they were talking about my sister. What if she was still inside that Ark? She must be…because it had not killed her like it killed me…

  The imp’s body heat was intense, and I was starting to feel drained. I felt hot tears streaming down my cheeks and I weakly struggled in his grip.

  “Oh! I’m sorry! Are you too hot? Lemme cool you down,” and the little imp stabbed my side with its triangular tail-tip.

  I stiffened, and then fell limp. The imp headed for a hole in the ground, following the other imp as it jumped down the opening with Lexie.

  “No worries. Hehe, you won’t be alone,” and the imp held me tightly and jumped into the hole.

  Chapter Eight-

  “Rise and darken, fools!” The imp’s devilish voice screamed in my ears. I flinched awake.

  I couldn’t see a thing. We must be under the surface of the Earth. It was dark and the air smelled stuffy.

  A burst of flames suddenly lit up and I saw that another imp in front of me was lighting the place with its sharp tail tip on fire. On its left side, it was grasping Lexie’s hand.

  “Come now!” Behind me, another imp was gripping the long skinny legs of Dewey between his two fingers. A strand wrapped around his beak to keep it shut, and Dewey was fluttering and twittering screams as he glowed brightly like a firefly on my side.

  “Hey, hey! You ain’t goin’ anywhere, ya little twerp,” the imp yanked Dewey’s legs and made the bird scream.

  “Hey!” I growled down at the little imp and gave the darn thing a kick. It was no bigger than a house cat. It fell over with an anguished cry, fluttering its black bat-like wings.

  “How DARE you!” The imp blew a stinky breath of smoke at my face but I just glared, narrowing my eyes, and ducking, to grab the imp’s arm and squeeze it tight to make him release Dewey.

  “Wmmm! Mmmm!” Dewey squeaked, trying to break the strand around its beak. He scraped his talons underneath and managed to cut it loose. “Wahhh! I couldn’t breathe! You! Who are you and your stupid girlfriend to come and take us to this hellish place?!” He was yelling at the imp that was escorting us.

  “Girlfriend?” I winced and looked at the imp that held Lexie’s hand and had its tail lit up. Apparently it was a female.

  The imp gave me a scornful look. “Oh! Now that’s just insulting!” She did have a girly female voice that reminded me of the snotty women back at St. Gretchen‘s Academy. “Huh! Perhaps you truly do belong to Hell!” The imp glared at me. “I wish you weren’t already dead so that I can kill you myself!”

  Lexie shuddered and said nothing. Her face was pale and flushed.

  I narrowed my eyes at the female imp. “Yeah? Well you wouldn’t be able to lay your tiny hands on me, even if I was alive.”

  “Oh you--” the female imp’s eyes glowered and she crouched down, looking ready to charge at me.

  But the male imp stepped in front of me and held out his little arms. “Now shut it! If we’re ever gonna get to the center of this planet, we’d better just hurry up and get a move on! The master’s waiting for us!”

  I laughed. “Gee, I wonder what of master do you losers have.”

  Dewey scoffed. “Zach, be serious! Their master is Satan. Who else would it be?”

  The male imp chuckled. “As a matter of fact, Jezebel and I are his top two assistants.” He nodded at the female imp and stepped forward. “My name is Demetrius. And the two of us were sent to Earth to fetch that little human who’s still alive and hiding in that blasted Ark.”

  Jezebel huffed and narrowed her beady eyes at Lexie. “Too bad this naughty princess doesn’t want to convince that little girl to come out of that Ark. Now we’ll have to take you both, instead!”

  Dewey stomped his foot. “Oh yeah? I’d like to see you wimpy creatures take us down!”

  And Dewey dodged and ran toward Demetr
ius. He crashed into the imp and rolled him over. He bumped into Jezebel and the both of them clumsily rolled over to a pile of rocks.

  Both imps thrashed around and fought each other. The female struck the male’s face with her claws and tore an ugly gash across his forehead.

  I snickered and crept to the side. I looked over my shoulder and signaled for Lexie to hurry over. She and I met up at the corner of the cavern, and we snuck away from the imps.

  “That was a close one,” she gasped.

  As soon as we crept behind a boulder wall, Dewey ran around and caught up with us.

  “Oh thanks a lot! Just leave me behind after I helped you like that, huh?” He narrowed his little button eyes at me.

  “Oh, we didn’t mean to,” said Lexie. “Thanks a lot! We really couldn’t have done much without you. Zach, what’s your bird’s name? He was brilliant when he fought those un-baptized babies.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “His name’s Dewey. And he’s a SoulBird.”

  “Oh I knew he was a SoulBird.”

  “How would you know? You’re no soul from Purgatory.”

  “Well, I’ve heard about them and I’ve studied them in the Ark at Jerusalem.”

  I gave her a studying expression. “So you‘re one of the last living souls, aren‘t you?”

  “So is your sister!” Remarked Dewey. “Did you listen to what the imps just said? They were here for a girl who was still hiding in the Ark! Zach, it must be your sister!”

  “Oh, he’s so cute!” Lexie knelt down and cooed at Dewey.

  I rolled my eyes and leaned back against the wall. I wanted this world to swallow me up. “Hey, you can have him. I hate SoulBirds.”

  “Hey!” Dewey glared at me.

  Lexie looked at me. “Really? You don’t like SoulBirds? And you’re from Purgatory?”

  “Yep,” I crossed my arms. “Never liked ‘em, never will.”

  A sudden bomb exploded behind the walls and I gasped, nearly tipping over.

  “Come on,” I growled. I started heading into the shadows.

  We headed deeper into the caverns. We didn’t know exactly where we were going, but we moved on just to make sure the imps wouldn’t catch up to us. Dewey’s angelic glow lit up the way.

  As we traveled forwards, Lexie and I got to know each other a little better. I explained to Lexie about SoulBirds, and about the world of Purgatory. I explained its stupid significance to purify souls for Heaven, and the unfortunate fact that Bhad, the last stage, was under control of a supposedly evil Higher One.

  Lexie was listening with interest and her blue eyes focused on me with a soft gaze.

  “So what stage are you in?” She asked.

  I frowned, and looked away. “I’m from Primal,” I lied. I didn’t want to make her think lowly of me for being in Bhad, the lowest stage of all. It would have already been too obvious for her to not believe I came from a stage as high as Guhd, which was the last and highest stage of Purgatory before a spirit earned its way up to Heaven.

  “Oh really? Primal? That’s…..the middle stage, right?”

  I nodded. Dewey was giving me a strange upraised expression, but thankfully, he kept his beak shut. “Primal is the fourth of the seven stages. Below it are the three lower lands of Bhad, Nawt, and Pryde, and above it are the higher lands of Juste, Purah, and Guhd. And on the last stage of Guhd, there‘s the sacred mountain, Mount Genova. That‘s the place where spirits must climb to the top, in order to pass the final test and fully graduate. It is the ultimate and last step before you make it to Heaven.”

  “Ah,” Lexie nodded. “Interesting. I wonder where I will go. Heaven, Hell, or even Purgatory.”

  I gave her a wince. “Really? You think you’d have the chance to go to Hell?”

  Lexie sighed. “Well…I can’t say.”

  She looked away from me and grew quiet. After a brief moment of silence, I decided to change the subject.

  “So what’s with the imps and all those Hell creatures? Did you know they’d be coming for…the girl hiding in the Ark with you?” I remarked.

  “Yes, I knew they’d come for us sooner or later,” she sighed. “The apocalypse is worsening. But the Temple and the Ark are the only parts of the city to stand through. Though it has been destroyed partially by the effects of the apocalypse, it is destined to stand there as the holiest place of God. That’s why I’ve taken refuge there. From the ancient texts that I’ve read inside the Ark, it is said that when all of Jerusalem is cleared and sucked down to Hell, the entire Temple and the Ark will arise and go to Heaven, where the New Jerusalem will be.”

  I listened carefully. “New Jerusalem?”

  Lexie nodded. “The New Jerusalem is a wonderful place that the Lord is preparing in Heaven. When the apocalypse is officially over, the Temple and the Ark will rise and enter Heaven, where they will take their places as buildings in the New Jerusalem.”

  I raised my eyebrows. She seemed to have studied those Scriptures in the Ark. “Well, was there anyone else in the Ark? Who is that girl that the imps were coming after?” I looked at her carefully, remembering my sister Angeline. “Who is that ‘other girl’ hiding with you in the Ark?”

  Lexie was silent, and she wasn’t meeting my gaze.

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “What’s her name?”

  Lexie slowly shook her head. “She knows you, Zach.” Her voice was solemn.

  I felt my heart start to pound.

  Lexie’s eyes focused on me. “Zach, she told me about you. She said she had a brother who died before he got to enter the Ark and join us. As a matter of fact, she saw you die right in front of the Ark. She was very devastated.”

  My face turned pale and I looked like a shocked zombie. I stared at Lexie with disbelief. Angeline had seen my death in front of the Ark.

  Dewey was just as shocked. “You were with her, weren’t you?” He spoke slowly. “You and Angeline slipped into the Ark as soon as it descended from the heavens.”

  Lexie nodded. “Angeline was still beside the curtains as soon as we hurried inside. I didn’t get to look, but she turned around and noticed you were coming. She was horrified to see that you dropped dead before you managed to get inside.”

  Lexie spoke in a careful and worried voice. She could tell that I was struggling to take in everything she was explaining.

  . “Zach?” Lexie whispered, looking nervous.

  Dewey tweeted softly and his halo flashed. He could feel my emotions.

  I felt a rumble around me and shook my head. “Uh….”

  “Are you feeling alright?” Lexie asked. “We really should find the right way out of here. It’s getting terribly hot. I don’t think we’re anywhere near the surface.”

  “We’re going down to the center of the Earth!” Shouted Dewey in distress. “Or at least that was where the imps were taking us!”

  “Well, we can’t go to the center of the Earth,” I growled. “We’re not going anywhere near Hell. I’ve got to get back to Purgatory. And you….” I looked at Lexie with a narrowed gaze. She was staring at me patiently. “You just need to find somewhere safe again, ‘cause it was my fault that you’re stuck with me in this situation.”

  Lexie chuckled. “What are you talking about? You don’t have to blame it on yourself--”

  “I’m not,” I snapped. “It’s just true, that’s all.”

  I realized how much trouble I really caused. I shouldn’t have followed Uncle E. I should’ve just stayed in Purgatory. I’d much rather be doing drills at the academy than escaping hell creatures who were trying to drag me to Hell.

  It was already close enough to fall to Hell when you were in the lowest class in Purgatory. But now that I was here on Earth, Hell could totally grab me by the neck and pull me down, just like they just tried to do with me moments ago.

  Chapter Nine-

  I sighed and turned to continue moving on. But suddenly, a red face appeared in front of me. Demetrius was hanging from the low, rocky ceilings.

&n
bsp; “Not so fast, spirit,” snickered the imp. “You ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

  I punched the imp in the face and he fell off with a yowl. Dewey let out a loud cry and ran after me as I jumped over the imp’s body.

  “Lexie! Let’s go!” I yelled.

  Jezebel leapt front of me and barely missed the swipe at my legs as I sprinted passed her. But she pounced after us and collided with Lexie, knocking the girl back on the hard rocky ground.

  I turned to see the female imp tackling Lexie as she desperately tried to throw the foul creature off.

  I made a dash back toward her, but Demetrius blocked my way. “It’s no use, boy! We only want you. The girl still has time before she dies and has her spirit dragged to Hell, but for now, you are who Satan wants to see.” And with that, he gave a monstrous scowl and leapt toward me. He wrapped his body over my face, and I yelled with agony as he dug his claws behind my ears.

  I fell back and tumbled down a hole in the ground again. We both rolled head over heels until we bumped into a tall rock that jutted from the ground.

  Demetrius and I cursed and let go of each other. We looked up at the rocky ceiling we had fallen through.

  “Oh great! That’s gonna take a long time to climb back up! And I’m terribly lazy!” He grimaced at me. “Lucky for you, though. We have to get down to the core, anyway.”

  I glared at the imp, but then I heard strange singing. The singing echoed through the whole cavern and the voice seemed to be filled with joy and longing.

  I winced. “Who would be singing like this in such a place…”

  The female imp tumbled down the steep rocks. Lexie and Dewey hurried away from her.

  “Argh! Demetrius!” Yowled Jezebel. “Help me this instant—WAH!” She landed on her face right by the Demetrius’ side.

  Demetrius snickered. “Dang, Jezebel, cut some slack. You’re dealing with a real human and a SoulBird, not just a dead spirit.”

  “Shut up!” She leapt up and flung herself at him. They fought again with envy. Dewey hopped by my ankle and watched them with humor.

  Lexie rose to my side and looked around. “Oh no…it’s so hot. Look how burnt this place is…”