N08 Beginning of the End

This is how the world ends, plummeting into desolation. Jabari can only feel self-reproach for failing to prevent it. He was given a premonition of this coming to pass. He took it upon himself to stop that premonition from coming true. Yes, his methods questioned the moral code he sought to live by, but desperate times...

As a spirit traversing the mortal plane of existence, he sought out one closest to the  forthcoming event. Tyrone Murphy, one of Next City's finest officers, was unfortunate enough to be it. Spiritual possession of a live vessel is one of the hardest, and deadliest, things known to the spirit world. The human soul is very fragile, and too much strain put on it can indeed extinguish its lively flame, and the minute that gate to the demon world opened, the soul of Tyrone Murphy was no more. Jabari knew this going in. He regrets having done this, but sadly sacrifices had to be made. The only comfort the spirit has is knowing that maybe Tyrone has gone to a better place.

Now, the shamanic spirit, wearing Tyrone's form as his own, stands face to face with his greatest fear coming to pass. One of the devils, Asmodeus, stands before him, ready and willing to bring about an apocalyptic end to all creation.

As if directly ripped from Gogh's Starry Night the air around the devil twists and swirls as if trying to reject his presence in this world. Each step he takes away from the still open door results in a ground shaking tremor as loud as thunder and as violent as the lightning crackling above.

Ethereal in shape and form, as cold as the night, and as fast as the sound they make, dozens of demonic spirits, long since locked away, spew forth from the open door, howling like banshees in the presence of the dead. They scatter to the far reaching corners of the earth.

"Jabari," the devil speaks. His voice is as baleful and malignant as everything else taking place in this moment. "You're looking well."

"If you think for a second that you're going to prevail, demon, you'd best walk back through that portal right now," Jabari declares.

"I've already prevailed, shaman. You know this to be true. There is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it."

The devil's words make Jabari quake. With a clenched fist, he shoots forth a wave mystical energy imbued by the highest level spirits he has ever invoked. The devil doesn't even flinch. "Do you see now?" he asks.

Not much is said after that. Not much is done either. Asmodeus has what he's always wanted, and that is freedom. He is no longer bound to the realm of Gehenna. He can move about however he pleases. Dimensional barriers mean nothing. Here, he has free reign, and for the first time in what has been an eternity for him, the devil smiles. He smiles as his form takes on the ghostly appearance of smoke and fades into the dark.

Asmodeus walks the earth, as do his legions. Fighting against the torrential gusts of the damned, Jabari makes his way to the still open doorway of the once upright warehouse. Still, the spirits of the netherworld flood from it. He tries with all his might, but the door won't budge. He looks to the children for aid. They all lie helplessly motionless on the ground. But still, he calls out to them.

"I know the pain is overwhelming, but please, if you can hear the sound of my voice over the shrieks and groans of these demons, I beg you, help me, please!"

Noah is the only one to make out the man's words. He sees what Jabari is trying to do, and it doesn't take long for him to put two and two together. That door needs to be closed, but though only a few yards separate him from it, it might as well be miles considering how hard it is to budge an inch. He swears it feels as if gravity itself is doubling and tripling by the minute. He looks as best as he can at the others, hoping against hope that someone else might be able to do the deed.

It's just his luck that everyone seems to be in worse shape than him.

And so the boy struggles to make his way. Standing is completely out of the question, but at least he can still crawl. Clawing his way through the dirt, he soon finds out how fruitless an endeavor this really is. His arms are already giving out. All he manages to do is reach Chris's foot, but as it turns out, that's probably the best thing that could have possibly happened.

"You're wearing AntiGrav shoes? Dude, you can fly to the door!"

Over the howling winds and piercing screams, Chris can barely make out what Noah says. He looks to see his mouth moving, and he thinks he mentions his shoes for some reason. With a puzzled look, he responds, "Why the crud are you talkin' about my shoes at a time like this? I can't even get them to work!"

"You idiot! All you have to do is turn them on!" he exclaims as he flips the tiny switch at the side of the heel of it.

And like magic, Chris is thrust forward. Completely caught off guard, he hasn't the slightest clue as of what to do. He doesn't know how to control where he's going, or even how to stop from skidding across the ground. He bumps up against every rock and every pebble, scrapes up against every pothole and shard the ground has to offer, and is still thrown onward until his body rams up against the door.

In reality, the shoes don't actually operate free of gravity. It only gives the illusion of flying, or in this case pushing, by using electromagnetism to work against the mighty force. Electrodynamic tethers are set up all around the world, much like how former radio towers were, and it is because of these generating tethers that all hovercrafts, or "AntiGrav" objects, are able to function.

"Help me close this!" the boy hears amidst the cacophony. Grabbing hold of his end, he finds some way to work his way and push his side of the door closed. Jabari manages to do the same with his, and in a matter of moments, the calamity comes to an end. The sky clears up. The dissonant screams cease, and despite being heavily shell shocked, everyone is okay.

It takes them all a few minutes to start seeing straight. Chris is throwing up. Noah is trying to find it in himself to stand without falling back down. Jamal's ears are still ringing, and as he reaches for them, he's surprised to feel something sticky and moist. Blood. Lynn just holds her head, trying to will herself out of the massive headache she's feeling so she can ask a few questions that come to mind.

"Okay," it almost hurts to hear herself speak, "Okay, I'm okay," but she has to ignore it. "Jabari, right? Could you please tell us what the heck that whole thing was about?"

"Again, I'm sorry for all of this. What you just witnessed was the start of what could very well be the apocalypse. A lot of demons just broke out of Hell. That's sure to spell disaster in the near future."

"So you weren't crazy. And we just royally screwed you over. Wow."

"If that's how you wish to view it, yes. You screwed me, and the whole world over."

"Well, don't sugar coat it," Noah says as he wobbles his way to his feet.

"I'm sorry, but I haven't the time nor the patience to afford making the situation lighter than it really is. Right now, I have to travel all over the world cleaning this mess up, and seeing as how you were all so eager to get in the way, I'm enlisting all of you to aid me."

"Whoa, whoa, hold up right there," Jamal interjects. "I ain't helpin' you do nothin'. This is your problem, not mine, so don't you dare try an' pin this on us, 'cuz the blame all comes down on you."

"Boy, you don't have a choice in the matter."

"Fight a buncha demons?" Chris says wiping his mouth as he stands to his feet. He makes his way over to the parked police cruiser and rummages through the seats. Seeing the other officer in the passenger seat unconscious takes him by surprise. He eventually pops the trunk and picks up his search, sorting through all sorts of junk until he finally finds his finely crafted antique, Japanese sword, and suddenly a smile as beaming and bright as the brightest star in the night sky shines upon his face. "Sure, why not? They ain't so tough. Just—what was it—Lynn was it Wednesday or Thursday the day I skipped school?"

"Thursday," Lynn responds.

"Yeah, just two days ago I fought this dude who said he was a demon. They ain't all that."

"Did you win?" Noah asks.

"Yeah, I won."

"Are you lying?"

"Naw, I ain't lyin'."

"I think you're lying."

"So now you know me all of a sudden?"

"You're friends with Darius, right?"

"Yeah."

"That's what I thought."

"What's that supposed t'mean?"

"It means..." Jamal jumps in.

It's amazing that the three of them aren't brothers with how they carry on. Arguing about nothing for the sake of nothing. It's just how they pass the time. Throwing out disses and insults and distasteful jokes. There's almost a rhythm to it. It's a battle of words. A very loud battle that is, one that Lynn tries desperately to ignore, for right now, it is not conflict that she seeks, but information.

"So the apocalypse?" she questions.

"Yes, or at least what could be the start of it," Jabari answers. "Asmodeus, was the first major demon to break out, but there are others. If we can make it to the other gates and prevent them from opening, the world might have a chance."

"You keep saying 'we'. You realize that we're just kids right? I can't even drive yet, and them—I mean—just look at them." She points to the bickering three behind her. "We're not going to help you. If anything, we'll just mess things up worse than they already are."

"I'll have to take that risk, because this is something I can not do alone."

"Don't you have help? Friends, family, someone who actually knows about whatever this is?"

"My family has long since departed to the spirit world, and there isn't time for me to scout out anyone else. Besides, you yourself have an affinity towards the mystic arts. That much I can tell just by looking at you. With a little experience, you very well could..." His voice trails off after that, or to be more correct, his voice is bogged down after that.

The boy's quarrel has escalated tremendously. Past the point of just words, past the point no return, heated fists and icy blows are what's being thrown now. And still the raging insults continue to flare even more loud and more boastful than before.

Lynn can hardly focus on whatever it is Jabari's trying to say. She's trying to understand. She really is, but with all the fussing and arguing and fighting and utter nonsense carrying on in the background, on top of the already nonsensical, asinine, insane impressions on the air, she can't bear to find any sort of clarity at all.

"Will all of you knock it off!?" She exclaims as she turns to the boys, practically screaming at the top of her lungs just so she can hear her voice. It's hard enough as it is to hear herself think, much less hear whatever Jabari's trying to say. Her headache just came back.

"Please?" she begs. "Would you please just pretend you have a brain that understands the meaning of the world quiet? For chrysake, the guy's two feet in front of me, and you guys are just acting—idiots!"

They're fighting each other as if they think one another to be demons themselves. Jabari is worried. He looks upon this moment in all seriousness. His stoic features are rippled with a genuinely concerned attitude.

But Lynn's not having it. She sees through the flares, through the flashes, and through the excitement. She sees this for what it really is. They're carrying on as if everything else didn't exist. The world isn't coming to an end for them. A demon didn't just break its way out of Hell. It's just them—but only for a time. For a time, time doesn't exist. For a time, nothing exists. And within the clashing and the screaming and the fighting, they are well. No, they're better than well. They're enjoying themselves. You can see it on their faces. Big smiles and gleaming eyes. You can see it in their actions. No one's striking with malice. No one's looking for blood. The fire is for show, the ice might as well be snow. Chris doesn't even have his sword drawn. He's just flowing as he goes.

But Lynn's not having it. She's not having it at all. She walks right in between them, without a word. Her forceful demeanor tells everything she wants to say. She casts a firm gaze Noah and Jamal's way, and they instantly stop their actions. She then looks to Chris, staring at him dead in the eyes. So much is said within that short moment that if they were actually speaking, the words would have slowed them down.

"Dang, Lynn. Relax," Chris says as he places his palm upon her shoulder. After gaining eye contact with her, he smiles and says, "The dude just said you're a witch. Ain't nothin' you didn't know already."

Raising an eyebrow, Jamal wonders, "Did you just call her a b****?"

"What?"

"You just called her a b****." Noah adds in.

"No, I—"

"Did you just call me a b****?" Lynn asks, slapping his palm away.

"No, I didn't!"

"Hey, that's just what I heard." Jamal says. Noah nods in agreement.

Chris is baffled by their accusation. His arms, outstretched wide in bewilderment, he hasn't the words to say. "Guys, I don't cuss. Neva had and neva will, so quit playin'!"

"So b**** isn't a cuss word now?"

And from their, yet another explosion breaks out. As if Lynn's intervention were only a brief intermission, Chris lashes out at Jamal. Jamal shoves him off, pushing him into Noah. Chris elbows Noah. Jamal shoots a fire ball at them both.

"We're wasting time here," Jabari interjects, but his soft voice is but a silent murmur amidst the tempest. He's given up on them. He's about ready to give up on it all. He can't get a handle on fourteen year old kids. How is he going to get a handle on saving the world from demons?

Somehow Chris gets shoved in front of Lynn. "Why won't you guys grow up!" She grabs him by the collar, pulls him in close, and slaps him hard across the face. And it's as if all the forces of the universe just rammed right through him.  Poor Chris can't even hear the loud smacking sound it makes. There's only the vibration, the ringing in his ear. Oh, the words he can think of to describe the action, to describe the pain, to describe how he feels right now. He just about unsheathes his sword, but catches himself in mid-thought. He's ready to explode. You can see it on his face. His light brown skin just about turns two shades redder. His face flushes up, he stands taller and straighter, looking over Lynn, though only by an inch and a hair. He is ready to explode, but to his surprise and dismay, nothing escapes his mouth. He tries and tries as hard as he can to express his feelings, but his mouth can't utter a single syllable.

"Dang, she slapped the talk outta you." Jamal doesn't realize how right he is in his joking accusation. Something happened in that moment. Something extraordinary. Something inside Lynn fired up to the point that she had had enough of the bickering, enough of the arguing, enough of the sound, that by sheer force of will, she took it away.