Cataclysm

by Karice Bolton

  “I feel like I’ve seen him, but they haven’t been together. Truthfully, they all kind of look like that,” she sighed. “That vacancy in their eyes is so creepy.”

  “Well, let’s get going on this.” Aaron signaled to some of the other white demons who went around the back of the structure. “Let’s go this way.”

  We followed him to the back where there was another door. The area outside was set up with some fencing, presumably to lead the ones who we couldn’t turn out of the area.

  “So, how’s it work for the ones we can’t turn to our side? Athen asked, touching the metal fencing.

  “We plan on ending them, so they just pop up somewhere else on the planet. Theoretically, they won’t know what happened, and they’ll just start roaming like ghouls again,” Aaron replied.

  “That’s the hope for sure!” I added. “Hopefully it will mess with Azazel’s final army count too.”

  “I’m counting on it!” Sammie rounded the corner with a group of about fifteen other white demons.

  Aaron positioned himself with the other white demons, opening the door to begin the process happening around the world. The change was beginning, and I was thrilled to be part of it.

  Chapter 16

  Several of the white demons walked out the dark demons, lining them up to begin the transformation. The dark demon in the front of the line turned around and saw me.

  “Hey, that’s the one we’re after!” He pointed directly at me.

  “You’ll get your chance.” Aaron didn’t miss a beat.

  Athen moved in front of me and grabbed my hand.

  “I’m okay,” I whispered and moved out from behind Athen. Standing side by side, we looked on as each of the white demons took one of the dark demons and began sucking out the evil spirit as best they could.

  Black mist began escaping into the air from two of the dark demons. The white demons who, were handling them, gently laid them on the ground, helping them begin the transformation. The dark demons were squirming as the darkness left their body. Their chest collapsing as the air was pulled out of them.

  A gasping from the first dark demon, who had been turned white demon, brought a crashing amount of relief onto me. It was hard to believe the process could be so simple. It was a lot less cruel than when the mortals were originally changed. The dark turn was like a ritualistic type of event. The event itself scared me more than anything I had ever seen. However, changing them to our side seemed far more ordinary. It just went to show that some mortals couldn’t be completely stripped of all goodness from their minds.

  Turning my attention to the other newly-turned white demon, she began coughing, reaching her hand up for contact. The others were beginning to be turned as well, some slower than others. The more difficult ones seemed to be releasing and then quickly inhaling back the darkness. It was a struggle for the white demon also.

  “Do you think the speed has to do with how engrained the evil had become?” I asked Athen.

  “I’m thinking that’s the connection,” he said, squeezing my hand.

  Sammie ran over to Aaron who successfully turned the last dark demon into one of our own. She hopped into his arms.

  “You did it!” she exclaimed. “I’m so proud of you!”

  Looking down onto the grass, I thought about the possibilities that this could bring us for this battle or any to come.

  “Thank you for believing in this,” I told Aaron, scanning the others who helped bring some goodness back to our world.

  “I’m relieved it worked,” Aaron said, turning to the others who helped achieve the unthinkable.

  “I had my doubts,” Athen said, smiling. “But you guys rocked it. This is absolutely incredible. All of them turned!”

  “Azazel doesn’t have a chance!” Sammie squealed.

  “Let’s hope not, honey,” Aaron replied. “But we grabbed the easy ones to start.”

  “Any success is better than no success,” she said.

  “Sounds like Arie,” I murmured to Athen.

  Sammie and the others began helping up the white demons. There were apparently places already set up for them to rest as well. This operation was thoroughly thought out. It had Noah written all over it.

  “We’ve got a long night ahead of us,” Aaron turned towards us. “Gonna get started on the next batch. If you want, you can visit the other structures on the property. We’ve all got the same plan. We won’t stop until we’re finished.”

  I hugged Aaron and took a step back purely absorbing the moment. The army, we needed to build, wouldn’t do any more damage to the mortal world than what was already being done by Azazel. We had a chance of winning this war by our standards, not his.

  “Thank you again,” I told Aaron before heading back to the house. “Actually, can you come get me when you attempt to turn that woman?”

  “Of course,” he said.

  Athen and I turned back to the house, walking along the pathway that was now only lit up by the light of the moon. There were white demons all over the property, buzzing with anticipation as the first successes of the evening were becoming evident.

  “What are we going to do with that little girl?” I sighed into Athen’s shoulder.

  “I don’t know, but we’ve got to figure something out.”

  “We should be able to turn her easily, right?” I questioned.

  “I’d like to hope so. One step at a time.” Athen squeezed me gently.

  Walking up the stairs to the home, I hoped the decisions would become clear, because they felt very foggy at the moment.

  Chapter 17

  Cyril and Arie were in the media room where the little girl was still sleeping. Athen motioned for them to come out to the hallway, while I went into the living room where Noah was reading.

  “Pretty exciting, isn’t it?” Noah closed his book, smiling.

  “It is. I’ve been thinking about this decision for so long and worrying that I could be leading us down the wrong path… I don’t know. It’s hard to believe it’s finally happening. You’ve done so much for this whole thing. I can’t begin to thank you enough.” I looked over at Noah who was beginning to look a little less stressed.

  “I like the strategy of things, I guess. Actually, both Vanessa and I enjoyed that part of just about everything we did,” Noah said. “It’s still hard to believe she’s gone.”

  I nodded and grabbed his hand.

  “There’s this part of me that wants to run into her. I think that’s why I was so eager to enter that tunnel system. It’s this weird hunt that has begun in my mind, but I know the capture won’t be what I want.” He looked at me with such sadness; it was hard for me to hold myself together.

  “It kind of seems like you want to keep torturing yourself. No good will come out of finding her. It’s not like we can turn any of them. They’ve been cursed by Azazel. Once they made that decision, it was over. Seeing her, will only tear at your heart, you know that.”

  He nodded.

  We both sat back in silence. Looking around the living room, I noticed a bookshelf packed to the brim. I couldn’t see any of the titles where I sat, so I went over to take a look. Amanda had an incredible collection of art books, philosophy books, and religion books. There were, of course, the same books on Angels and Demons that we all seemed to have in our collections. It was always amusing to see what the mortals liked to say about us, but there were some that looked darker than I was used to.

  Grabbing the one that spoke to me most, I flipped open the front cover to display chapter after chapter on demonology and the methods to command all types of demons. Turning from one page to the next, I was intrigued by how, more times than not, the rituals dictated were accurate.

  “I’m always amazed at how close humans can get to reality when they write this stuff,” I said to Noah.

  Taking the book over to him, I plopped it open to the page on how to turn a mortal to the dark side. The diagrams were pretty accurate to what I’d most recently
witnessed.

  “That’s pretty creepy,” Noah said, moving onto the next page.

  “Isn’t it?”

  “Hmm, check this out,” Noah told me.

  Looking at the page, there was a diagram of someone clamping their thumb and index finger on the base of the neck of a newly-turned, or newly possessed, as they termed it. The next picture showed the being collapsed on the ground.

  “Think that works?” I asked Noah.

  “We’ll have to give it a shot to see.”

  “I really hope we can turn that little girl’s parents. Maybe, I can give it a try on them.” I did my best at switching topics.

  “Maybe.” Noah fell silent.

  “I can’t believe her parents would do that to her,” I whispered.

  “Tell me about it,” Athen said, with Arie and Cyril following behind.

  “Do you think we have a chance at turning one or both?” Arie’s voice hopeful.

  “The mom sounds like a tough one, but we’ll try,” I replied.

  “When should we attempt to turn the little girl?” Athen’s eyes were filled with a compassion that I hadn’t seen towards others very often.

  “I’d say after we try to turn the parents. We need to know what we are dealing with first.” I looked at the group for confirmation, and they all agreed.

  Aaron’s voice came down the hall, calling for Athen and me.

  “Hey Aaron, we’re in the living room,” I called back. “What’s up?”

  Aaron appeared, looking a bit nervous.

  “We’ve had a lot of success. There’s only been a couple we haven’t been able to turn,” he started and then stopped.

  “But?” I prompted.

  “I don’t have a very good feeling about you being involved with the parents of that girl. But it’s time for them to be turned.”

  “So you found the father?” I asked, excited at the prospect that we could somehow reunite the little girl with at least one of her parents.

  Aaron stared at the ground.

  “He’s worse than his wife,” he mumbled.

  I looked at Athen’s face, which fell to the floor. It was exactly as I felt, but I wasn’t going to give up.

  “Well, we might as well get to it then,” I announced.

  We all followed Aaron grimly, as we reached the outdoors. The cool crisp air did nothing to rejuvenate me. So much was riding on this attempt to turn husband and wife. I wasn’t filled with excitement for what we were about to face, only worry. If we failed this attempt, the little girl would no longer have any parents.

  As we proceeded to the barn where we last left only an hour or so ago, I could hear screaming rattling off the walls. There was madness inside those walls. One that I wasn’t sure could be changed.

  “Is that her?” I asked Aaron.

  “Sure is,” he replied.

  Athen stood next to me, attempting to prepare mentally for what we were about to encounter. Taking a deep breath in, I signaled to Aaron to open the doors. This wasn’t something we could ever be ready for.

  Aaron flung the doors open, exposing the female dark demon who was being held by two other white demons. They were attempting to get control of this possessed being, the once mother of the little girl inside. She was flinging and flapping her arms in every direction. Her waist twisted and contorted, as the white demons did their best to keep control over her. Her eyes were as dark as night. I was no longer looking forward to attempting the turn myself.

  The white demons dragged her to the area where the others had been turned. My palms began sweating and suddenly a musty smell hit me from the barn, filling me with nausea.

  The images of the little girl flashed into my mind, and I shook myself out of my own fears. She needed her mother, and I hoped I would be able to provide that. Turning to Athen, I wrapped my arms around him.

  “We’ve got to get the little girl’s mom back,” I whispered.

  “We’re here if you need us,” Athen said, as I released myself from his grasp.

  The woman was restrained on the ground, her mouth disfigured with hatred that was fueling her wickedness. Walking over to her, I prepared myself for what I was about to endure.

  “Thanks guys,” I muttered to the white demons who were restraining her.

  I knelt down next to the wretched being, and she flipped her neck to stare at me.

  “You!” she screamed, her teeth looking extremely frightening. “You are who we need to destroy.” Foam was beginning to puddle at the corners of her lips. This was far worse than I thought it would be.

  Looking up at Athen and Arie, I smiled at them before I went in for the turn. Placing my hands on her shoulders for extra support, her body continued writhing and distorting itself.

  “You’re daughter needs you,” I quietly said, as I moved my hands to clasp her jaw. Her mouth was already open, slinging insults, so I took the opportunity, hovering my mouth over her face. I stayed far enough away from her mouth so that she couldn’t get at me. Her eyes were filled with hatred, but I was determined to turn this woman.

  Breathing in as deeply as possible, a black mist began seeping out of her cavities. Turning my head away, I gasped for a breath of fresh air before beginning again. Blowing my spirit back into her, I saw the black swirls begin connecting to what I attempted to place into her. Suddenly, the colors twirled together, and were sucked back into her.

  Again, I attempted with all the strength I had to pull the darkness out, and again, it slipped right back into this being. I caught the glance of one of the white demons who helped me restrain her.

  “We’ll try with you,” he said.

  “Thank you,” I replied, inhaling again.

  This time all three of us were inhaling in unison, attempting to rid this being of Azazel’s grasp. Her chest began rising towards the sky. Hope began running through me.

  Athen came running over and kneeled next to me. Seeing that we were all struggling, attempting to drive out the darkness, Athen began the process. Her screams quieted for a quick second, but then the black mist went right back into her being. We were all unable to cast her of the evilness.

  My lungs ached from all the inhalations that I attempted. I had no more energy left in me. I didn’t know what to do. I fell back as Athen continued to try ridding her of Azazel’s hold.

  Aaron came running up to me.

  “I’ve never seen this before. Even with the ones we weren’t able to turn tonight, they didn’t have this fight in them. It’s like she’s only growing stronger with every attempt,” Aaron said, shaking his head.

  “What do we do?” I asked.

  “I don’t think she can be turned,” he said solemnly.

  Athen let out his last bout of air, as he turned to look at us. He was completely exhausted as well. His eyes were sunken.

  “She’s not going to be turned,” Athen said, putting his hand on mine.

  Aaron pointed at the other white demons, and they immediately began moving her to the next area.

  “They’re going to destroy her,” I said flatly, sighing.

  “It’s the only thing we can do. Hopefully, when she re-spawns, there will be no memory of Azazel and the cruel things she had planned,” Aaron replied, “That’s all we can hope for.”

  “I honestly thought I could turn her and then to have you all try?” I was at a loss for words.

  “I know, hun,” Athen said, rubbing my neck.

  “We’ve got the father, but I think you guys are pretty spent. I suggest we put a group on him and let you know how it goes,” Aaron told us.

  Agreeing with Aaron, I pointed back to the house. Words wouldn’t come.

  Walking into the home, I looked up at Athen. I knew he was thinking the same thing as I was.

  “He’s not going to be turned either, is he?” I asked.

  “Nope,” Athen said.

  “What are we gonna do? She’s so small and helpless,” I mumbled.

  “I’ll turn her. I can do it. She’s use
d to me, a little, anyway,” Athen said.

  We were back in the home.

  “I’ll go talk to Amanda to find out if she can keep an eye on her until we figure out who can watch her while everything’s happening.” Arie said. She was already moving back towards the front door.

  “Thanks, sis.” Athen’s eyes were full of sorrow.

  We waited, pretty much in silence, for about thirty minutes, when Aaron came through the front door. His face said everything. He didn’t have to utter a word.

  Tears immediately surfaced, which I did my best to squash. Staring down at the floor, I found the strength to begin.

  “Athen is going to attempt to turn the little one into a white demon. It won’t bring her mortality back, but at least, she has a shot at a loving family someday.” My voice was shaky at best.

  “Arie went and spoke to Amanda. We didn’t have a good feeling about the father changing, and it looks like we guessed right,” Athen sighed, “Amanda agreed to keep watch over her for a little bit, until we can think of something more permanent. We just need to keep her safe until the battles are over.”

  “I totally understand,” Aaron nodded.

  It was crushing seeing an entire family turned into nothingness. A little girl orphaned and parents turned into useless ghouls. I only hoped we could somehow bring some sort of hope into this little girl’s life and make it a better one. She at least deserved that.