Death's Salvation

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Darksiders or Darksiders ll. I do own Willow as she is an extension of my own mind. Happy reading.

Elsewhere on Earth a pale dusty arm broke through a pile of ashes. Soon a body followed it out of the pile, a thickly built human woman lay shivering as the wind picked up in gusts through the alley created by the steep bluffs.

Willow lay there gasping softly in the dying light, her mind not yet clicking that she was alive again. She managed to finally roll over onto her back and looked up at a sky that she never thought she would see again, she had died. She had not gone to heaven, or hell. She, like the others, had simply floated about in a kind of nothingness.

Carefully she pushed herself up until she stood on wobbly legs. Looking around she noted that night was falling and it was getting colder as the wind picked up. She trudged down the trail with no clear thought of where she was going at this point. She knew only that she had to find something or do something. Groaning she clutched at her head, her steps faltering. Why was it so hard to think clearly?

Finally she looked up and her emerald gaze cleared of the cloudiness that had been there a few moments earlier. She looked around the area and heard a sound that was a delight to her ears, she rushed towards the sound. There was a small stream trickling through a glade and the water looked safe enough so she knelt down to drink, her senses on high alert for danger.

Willow sat back satisfied and glimpsed something else across the stream that she would need. She rose and made her way over to it. It was not exactly a cave but it was something that would shelter her from the wind and its cutting chill, a small recess in the face of the bluff. She huddled there for over an hour, still freezing when something flickered in her mind. Jumping up she ran her hands down her jeans and found the precious lighter, nestled against the cigarettes in her jeans pocket.

She gathered up a small amount of wood and carefully tended the small flicker until the dried wood caught and flared to life. Sighing she snuggled closer, pulling her baggy gray sweater closer to her. Sleep found her but not before she noticed several more fires lighting the distance. It gave her comfort to know that there were others alive again.

Death awoke with a breathy shudder as he carefully moved his limbs beside his body before sitting up and looking up at the top of the crater he had made. He jumped up to the top to survey the area. It was dark, but that did little to prevent him from seeing all that moved about in the night. He summoned Despair and Dust before setting off down the trail, looking for his kin.

He noticed everywhere he went that there were humans, though many huddled in small groups and sought to hide themselves from his sight. He sighed, humans had always feared what they didn't understand but if they were to survive this rebirth they would need the help of the four. He had to start gathering the humans in a safe place after he found his siblings.

He found the craters left by the twins, Strife and Fury. He looked around for evidence of their passing but found none, save for huge hoof prints. He felt his favored brother moving towards him so he waited.

It didn't take long before Ruin carrying War broke into the area around the crater. He stopped and both brothers's shared a long knowing look. "Thank you." Death cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Fury and Strife told me that you restored humanity to save me but I fear it was not enough, though the humans have returned."

"What do you mean, not enough?" War gave Death a long look, gauging him no doubt. "The council betrayed me, they framed me, knowing I would destroy everyone to clear my name and restore my honor."

"The time has come to say damn your honor. We will shepherd the new humans and drive the hellspawn back to the black depths. The council no longer calls the shots."

Death finished his passionate rant, shocking War speechless as his brother rarely belayed anything but sarcasm or mild amusement. "I sent Strife and Fury to find a place we can easily defend the humans, they will send word when they do, until then we need to start finding the humans and leading them to safety." Death gave his brother a curt nod, glad he was no longer blindly awaiting orders.

Death never got to voice his next thought as suddenly a heavy pressure assaulted his head. The voices from the now dormant amulet screamed with fury inside his mind, wailing not for vengeance as before, but in sorrow and hurling accusations. They screamed their fury at being sacrificed. The pressure built until his knees buckled and he pitched forward, out cold.

War caught his brother as he fell forward and checked him over, unsure of what to do for him. Finally he decided to make camp for the night and let his brother rest. The journey through the Well of Souls must have exhausted him. Also the humans would be less frightened in the light of day, than they would be at night.

Some hours later Death awoke, his head still pounding dully. He sat up, gazing at the fire and his brother who sat across from him. The voices were dialed back to a manageable level but were still there. He put his hand instinctively to the now dark amulet shards in his chest. Nothing pulsed in it but yet the voices remained. He would be cursed to carry these damn souls inside him forever.

"I can still hear them." He muttered and War watched him carefully. "Are you going to be alright?" Death made a gruff sound before lying back to rest more, hoping to escape the voices.