Chapter 11
Tate stared at his beloved for a moment before whispering, "Briar?" She somehow looked different. She stood there smiling for a moment before tilting her head and grabbing him by the throat and squeezed. Tate screamed because it felt as if her hands were red hot. He thought his head was going to come off. Suddenly she lifted him with ease over her head and threw him against the opposite wall. Tate crumpled to the floor coughing. He was in shock he couldn't believe he could still feel pain like that. He got to his hands and knees. Then he heard her footsteps coming towards him. Dead thudding footsteps that sounded more like the nails in a coffin. The footsteps stopped, and the room went deadly quiet. Tate slowly turned to look at Briar and gasped, she was changing. Her eyes which were once blue and green looked as if someone were slowly pouring black ink into them. "Who are you? Where is Briar?" he demanded. The Briar before him tilted her head again and said in a sickly sweet voice that sounded almost like there were two voices one of which didn't belong to Briar, "Don't you recognize me Tate? I am the one who loves you, and because I love you, I am going to punish you." Tate felt his breath fail. "You see Tate, you hurt her very badly. You betrayed her by sacrificing her to me, but you gave me one of the greatest gifts I have ever received, her power. By betraying her you took away the shield protecting her, and with the pain you caused her, gave me access to her unlimited power." Briar said looking down at him," Even now I am gaining more and more of her power, and once our little battle ends, she will have fallen, and I will have complete control of her and her power." Briar turned and walked away from him with a triumphant look on her face, "Oh this will be a wonderful day. She will be my greatest agent, my greatest asset, my bride. I will be able to spread my evil and pain throughout Los Angeles and beyond, with her" Then Briar turned back to him, "Though being my greatest asset I will need to keep her happy, which means that you will have to be destroyed, as a gift to my new bride. But that isn't even the best part; you see by destroying you with her body, she will feel and carry the guilt, anguish and hate of you for eternity, which will only be fuel to our fire." Tate stared up at her in shock and whispered, "But I am already dead, How can you kill me again," Briar suddenly laughed a horrifying laugh, that seemed to almost shake the room. "Trust me my dear boy; there are worse things than death. I have suffered your insolence long enough; it is time you paid the piper." Briar growled walking towards him.
Charity sank to the ground with her hands over her face sobbing. "Yes, that's right," the creature cooed leaning over her, "Let it out, release your anger." Charity suddenly cried out, "HE PROMISED...HE PROMISE ME..." she sobbed allowing her anger to take over. Her body seemed to visibly pulse from the anger she felt as she slammed her fists against into the cement floor. Her vision was quickly becoming red. " I LOVED HIM AND HE BETRAYED ME! I HATE THIS WORLD! I HATE HUMANS! I HATE...!" "YES! THAT'S IT RELEASE YOUR RAGE!" the creature cried in pure joy dancing around and laughing manically. But Charity barely heard it, as her despair quickly overtook her. Suddenly something white beside her caught her eye. She turned her head and saw a withered grey feather laying beside her. Slowly she reached out and picked it up. Then another bit of white caught her eye from her other side. She turned her head and saw another shining white feather hit the ground and turn withered and grey. She contracted her muscles pulling her wings forward over her shoulders. Tears began to flow anew from her eyes as she saw her beautiful glowing white downy feathers begin to fall from her wings like snow drifting to the ground and turning grey and withered like char. "I'm falling," she whispered pulling her wings back behind her shoulders and letting them sink limply to the ground. Slowly she allowed her head to fall backwards so she was looking towards the sky and whispered, "Father, why have you forsaken me?"
She suddenly collapsed face down on the floor and closed her eyes. She could feel her body growing cold. She slightly opened her eyes and saw her wings beginning to turn grey on her body. Suddenly a vision appeared in her mind from the past. She had been sent to earth for the first time as an unseen since the great war. Upon arriving she saw the earth was overrun with hatred and war. She saw innocent children being taken from their families and used as soldiers or objects of lust, being forced to kill their own brothers and sisters and sold to people who tore their little bodies. She saw mothers and fathers beating and killing one another, and their children. She saw people claiming to be worshipers of her father do horrible things to themselves and others. She had returned from earth in tears of anger and jealousy never wanting to return. She had run to her father asking, "Why do you love them so. They are evil, they do not know love, and goodness Many of them deny your very existence!" Her father had smiled and wrapped his arm around her. "I love them just as I love you. I created them in my image, giving them emotions and free will. You do not understand this, you were not born with it." he said watching as she breathed angrily." You must are lost. They were betrayed and became lost in a place of evil. They need to understand that I am always with them, and I love them. Many of them believe they are alone in a place of darkness. They believe that there is no one there for them, that they must walk through this darkness alone. You will understand this someday my child, and at that time, you must remember that I am always with you. I will carry you through your darkest time. You must not give up. You are my warrior, my champion, you are the essence of love, Charity." It was strange, Charity could almost hear her father's voice, then she realized that she could hear a voice speaking to her. " Charity, get up. You must get up. Use the tools I have given you. You must get up face your destiny NOW GET UP!"
Charity began to struggle to get to her feet as she heard his words. The creature felt a change in the environment, and stopped its celebration. Suddenly, a strange light appeared behind it and began to grow until it was almost blinding. Slowly the creature turned around to find Charity standing behind it. She looked furious . Her eyes glowed with a bright bluish fire. Her wings glowed with the purest white, and spread out almost the length of the room. A bright white sphere of energy glowed and pulsed around her. She glared at the creature and pulled her sword now red with heat and fire from its sheath. She pointed the sword at the creature and said in a loud powerful voice. "Speak your name demon." The creature was caught off guard by the archeia before him. Slowly he backed away against the wall attempting to retreat into the shadows. "TELL ME WHO YOU ARE!" She said her voice rising in anger, causing the light to shine brighter. The creature rushed to one side of her and bolted to the opposite wall. But Charity was instantly in front it with her sword to its throat, the flame searing its flesh. The creature screamed in pain, "NO PLEASE!" But Charity continued to press the red hot metal into its skin, and said in a deadly calm quiet voice, "In the name of my father, the one true king of kings tell me your name." The creature began screaming and thrashing about in anger. "I am the fallen," it cried, "I am the serpent, the spirit of Cain, the bearer of light, the bringer of darkness, the tempter,. I AM SATAN!"
Tate was thrown across the bed and into Briar's dresser. Pain seared through him like a red hot poker. The dark Briar walked towards him with an evil smile on her face, her eyes completely dark black. Now her teeth began to grow into jagged points. She looked positively demonic. "What have you done with Briar?" he demanded. The dark Briar turned towards the mirror where Tate had first seen the love of his life. An image appeared of Briar on the floor of a dark room. Tate was temporarily stunned by how she had changed. She wore a white and gold armor that he had never seen before. But it was her giant wings that made him gasp in awe, completely forgetting about the dark Briar for a moment. The angel Briar suddenly screamed out, her voice echoing around the bedroom. "HE PROMISED ME...HE PROMISED ME... I LOVED HIM AND HE BETRAYED ME..." Every word she said was like a knife to Tate's heart. The dark Briar turned with an evil smile enjoying every moment of his suffering. Again Tate found himself flying through the air as the dark Briar threw him around like a rag doll again and again. At one moment Tate landed in front of the mirror where he saw the angel Briar face down on the ground. He saw that her wings were slowly turning grey. "Briar Get up, GET UP BRIAR PLEASE, YOU MUST GET UP!" he screamed at the mirror. She began to move and struggle to get to her feet. Tate felt a searing hand at his throat as the dark Briar picked him up off the ground and slammed him against the wall holding him in the air. Suddenly Tate screamed as he felt a burning sensation on his throat. "NO PLEASE!" he screamed in anguish. But the sensation grew until he could no longer speak, and simply begged to disappear. Then the dark Briar dropped him and backed away thrashing and screaming in a language he didn't understand. At that moment a dark sphere of energy appeared around the dark Briar, and she lunged towards him. Tate just managed to dodge the sphere as the Dark Briar slammed against the wall.
Charity suddenly lunged at the demon with her sword in an attempt to run it through the demon's heart. But at the last moment the demon dodged and she slammed into the wall. She turned and lunged at the demon again this time stabbing it in the shoulder. The demon screamed in agony. But its voice had changed, it sounded somewhat familiar. Then something caught Charity's eye. She looked and saw a mirror like the one in her room. The demon was cowering against the opposite wall holding its shoulder. So she walked towards the mirror which showed her room. As she walked up to the mirror she found herself face to face with another demonic image of herself, surrounded by a black sphere of energy and wearing a black rubber suit. She looked past the image of herself towards the opposite wall and screamed. There was Tate cowering against the wall grabbing his shoulder which bled profusely. Charity turned around to look at the demon which was in the exact same position. "No," she whispered. "So now you see," the demon said getting up and releasing its shoulder. Charity turned again to look at the mirror, but it had disappeared. "You are such a magnificent creature, Charity. Join me and I will make you a queen of this world. " the creature said its voice still mimicking Tate's voice. "What are you doing to him?" she asked in a quiet voice. "I am destroying him for you. He does not deserve you. He betrayed you. It is in his nature. All of the spirits in this house belong to me. They are evil and deserve nothing less than the torment they are getting. They were nothing but energy for me to feed off. But I won't need them if you will join me. They will be destroyed and disappear." Charity looked down remembering her short time with Tate. Then she thought to herself 'But Father has not given up on them. They deserve a second chance, they all deserve a second chance.' Suddenly Charity heard a word whispered in her head. The last word she heard from her heavenly father. The thing she must do,. "Forgive," she whispered. The demon looked confused, "What?" Briar looked up at the demon and smiled, "You are right, You don't need them. Take me." she said smiling an evil smile as she walked forward spreading out her arms. The demon smiled" That's my girl, You will be the queen of this world in my regime." he said as Briar walked towards him. "All you have to do is drive your sword through him, and you will be mine. Take your revenge for his betrayal." the demon said as the scene around her began to fade.
Suddenly Charity found herself back in her own room, in her own body. She was still in her armor, and felt her wings on her back, but around her she saw a sphere of black energy that was slowly growing. She looked down and saw Tate cowering against the wall. She walked forward and lifted her sword. He had curled up into a ball, hiding his face from her. " Tate?" she called. Tate flinched at the noise and slowly raised his head. He was shocked to see the angel Briar in front of him with her sword raised. Tears streamed down his face, "I'm sorry." he whispered. Charity stared at him for a moment before swinging the sword down and dropping it to the ground. "I forgive you," she whispered back. Suddenly, a light appeared at Charity's chest. Then a loud scream ripped through the house. Tate looked stunned as Charity was lifted into the air by some unknown force. the sphere began to spin around her. Her arms and legs stretched out around her as she floated in the center of the black sphere. She screamed in agony as she began to absorb the black energy into her body. The energy she was taking into her body, was the energy from the house. Every evil thing, every bit of pain ever experienced or caused by the house was taken into Charity. She felt the pain of the shots that killed Tate, and his victims and the first couple of the house. She felt the burns experienced by Larry's families , and the painful deaths of the couple Chad and Patrick. Tate watched in horror as Charity began to bleed from her chest and other parts of her body. Burns appeared on her skin, as she continued to scream and the dark sphere absorb into her body. As the dark energy continued to disappear into her body, Charities wounds became even more severe. At one point Tate watched as her wings were ripped from her body. Her scalp ripped from her head. Tate attempted to get to his feet to get her, but he could not get to his feet. The pain in his throat and shoulder quickly disappeared. He raised he head and saw those same wounds appear on Charity's body. "BRIAR!" he screamed. The house began to shake. Tate could no longer recognize any specific features of Charities face or body, as she was torn to pieces and covered in her own blood. The energy finally completely disappeared into her body, and a great explosion ripped through the house. Tate had one finale glimpse of Charity's limp body falling to the ground, as his world went dark.