Chapter Twenty-One—Damned To Hell
Reid was pacing anxiously around the living room floor of the Danvers mansion, cursing silently under his breath.
"Where the hell are they?" He growled slightly, pounding a fist into its opposing hand.
Cass shifted uncomfortably in her place on the couch beside Lena. Lena was biting her nails with stress and kept brushing through her long brown hair vigorously as if to release her unease.
"They won't be coming back here," Evelyn said quietly. She was nursing a small bottle of scotch in one hand and a full tumbler in the other.
"What?" Reid demanded, who about to pump Evelyn full of questions until she burst with the answers, when a sudden noise from the kitchen caused everyone to freeze. The phone was ringing. Evelyn was first to react and left from her seat, cutting across Reid's path and dashing into the kitchen. She halted by the phone, her lips quivering as she read the caller display.
CALLER ID: Caleb's Cell
Her fingers flew over her mouth in alarm, the glass tumbler dropping from her hands and shattering into a thousand tiny pieces.
"It's him!" She trembled as the others quickly assembled into the room to see what all the commotion was about.
"He's in danger! Oh god, I never should have let him go!" She burst into sobs and Pogue hurried over to catch her and she tipped dangerously in her standing position.
"She's passed out," He murmured quietly. He hoisted her frail body into his strong arms and placed her gently on the couch.
"What should we do?" Reid asked quietly.
"Go find Gorman," Pogue instructed. "He can take care of Mrs. Danvers while the rest of us—"
He didn't need to finish his sentence. Reid's eyes had already morphed to black and Gorman's figure instantly came zipping round the corner at top speed.
"You called, I presume?" He said sulkily but completely altered at the sight of his unconscious mistress.
His eyes widened in shock. "Oh no, this must mean—"
He turned around. "All of you have to go at—"
But he was speaking only to himself, a passed out Evelyn and the thin air; the others were already outside slamming the door to Caleb's car and blowing out of the driveway.
Blake could fight no longer; her body was feeing weak as she pushed herself beyond hers and her power's physical abilities. It seemed every time she felt weaker, her opponent grew stronger and stronger, relishing in his near taste of victory.
"I've got you now precious," he hissed wickedly as he sent a crippling blow of energy towards her.
Blake screamed with pain as it smacked her full on, sending her crashing into the creaky wooden boards below. A pile of dust whooshed up beneath her as her body crumpled. She looked up, desperately trying to find the means of an escape, but there was nothing but the corner directly in front of her.
This was it, she thought. She could go no further. This was the end. She saw the shadow of Chase's figure on the wall in front of her as he stepped towards her. She was too petrified to move or react. His cold, steely fingers gripped her arms and threw her over onto her back so she was forced to face him eye to eye.
"No more running," he laughed through his heavy breaths. "Don't worry, there's nothing left for you to do but scream."
Blake felt the buttons on her pants coming undone by his power. She tried to yell and break free desperately, willing her power to stop him but he held her down firmly with both power and strength greater then her own.
Without realizing it, Blake let a whimper of pure fear escape her lips. The whimpers quickly changed into violent sobs as she desperately tried to stop her pants from being yanked off of her.
The crying seemed to please Chase even more. His eyes were wide and crazed as he got pleasure from her fear.
"Hush now," he said, placing a finger on her neck and pressing hard into her veins, dragging his finger slowly and painfully down her neck until he reached the folds of her sweater.
"No!" She sobbed, tears now flowing without mercy down her face. "Stop it, please."
"That's right," Chase said quietly as he began to peel off her sweater. "Beg."
Blake tried to bite her lip in an attempt to stop her pleas but her whole body was shaking so badly she couldn't. Her eyes searched desperately for Caleb's body across the floor, praying in vain that he was still alive.
"Pity your stupid, worthless boyfriend over there is to weak to save you." Chase whispered. "And now, he will die, listening to the sounds of your screaming and knowing that he wasn't able to stop it."
"Don't—Hurt—Her!" Came a rasping, pleading sob from the other side of the room.
"Haha! Well this is extra special! I get to hear you both beg." Chase breathed the words in Blake's ear, causing her to shudder uncontrollably as Chase worked his hands up the bare skin beneath her shirt slowly and torturously.
"No!" Caleb croaked, trying painstakingly to drag his crippled body across the floor. Chase turned and howled with laughter at the sight.
"You are incredibly pathetic Caleb! Why not give it a rest? You're only embarrassing yourself."
"Fucking—Bastard—" Caleb wheezed, and then gasped in pain as he tried to crawl forwards.
"What? Do you want me to speed things along?" Chase roared with laughter. "It'd be a pleasure Caleb."
Instantly, Blake's pants and shirt started to rip apart under the powerful gaze from Chase's black, lidless eyes.
"Stop it!" Caleb screamed desperately.
Blake's eyes clouded over briefly in darkness. The sight of Caleb's mangled form trying with his last will to save her sparked a new flame inside her. She was not going to stay still, whimper, cry and beg for this sick twisted freak. She was not going to go quietly without a fight. She still had something in her. She had to; for Caleb, for her friends, for her mom and Evelyn and for herself.
"Getting your second wind, are we?" Chase chuckled heartily as he noticed Blake's body tense beneath him.
"I guess I'm not pushing you far enough yet," he hissed, straddling his body over hers and then without warning, dug his nails deep into her stomach. He yanked them downward, ripping the flesh from her bare skin as he did so.
She screamed in agony, as her skin tore and blood began to sprout from her new, open wounds.
"I see you got rid of all my chains," Chase mused as he licked the blood from his fingers, smacking his lips obnoxiously as he did so. "How ruse. They were all part of the decorations for our get together!"
"Got room in your party for a couple more Chase?"
Chase froze. A new voice had entered the room. He spun round widely, to see Tyler Simms, standing at the top of the stairs, his redheaded girlfriend standing firmly behind him.
Chase roared once more in laughter. "Oh goodie, unexpected guests? My favorite! Except I'm warning you, I'm not very nice to those without invites!"
He lifted his body up off of Blake and launched himself into the air, flipping over. Tyler was ready and prepared. He shot a force full of energy that caused Chase to halt in mid air. Chase flashed a cruel smile and cocked his head.
"Well, well, baby boy learned to fight, did he?"
With one hand, Tyler concentrated on holding Chase steadily in the air, with the other; he slid the soft, leather pouch into Val's hands behind him. The next bit was the tricky part.
"Baby boy isn't much of a baby anymore." Tyler noted smugly, and twisted his hand causing Chase to spin viciously around in a cycle. From behind him he heard Val let in a sharp intake of breath. He winced, but felt reassured knowing she had completed her task.
"In fact," Tyler said loudly, pulling Chase towards him. He could feel Chase struggling, but Tyler knew he must be pretty spent from all his other fighting. Besides, Tyler knew what he had to do and he was completely driven to finish the task. Chase had caused him and the others enough grief and pain and it was time for it to end.
"I had a nice little chat with my father before heading on over to join the party."
"Oh, daddy I'm scared!" Chase rolled his eyes mockingly, but spoke through gritted teeth as he tried to release himself from Tyler's hold.
"Trust me," Tyler said grimly. "You should be. If you only knew the things he told me about."
On the other side of the room, Caleb had finally reached Blake. He propped himself up gingerly, placing a shaky, non broken arm over her body in protection.
Caleb was listening closely to everything Tyler was saying, not comprehending a single word, but praying to god that Tyler knew what he was doing. He felt a sting of panic attack him when he wondered where the others were. Were they safe? Or had Chase's partner in crime gotten in their path?
"Oh well please," Chase scoffed. "If it's so terrible then fill me in on what I'm missing. I'm simply dying to know, Tyler."
Tyler smirked. "That's right, you are."
From behind him, Tyler felt Val edge closer to him, the warmth of her familiar breath upon his neck comforted him.
"You can do this," she whispered.
Tyler nodded and focused back on Chase.
"So how are you with languages Chase?"
Chase frowned. "What are you babbling on about now Simms?"
"Oh," Tyler said vaguely. "Just a little something my Dad taught me before coming over here. It's pretty simple actually. Of course, it'll only have the full effect if I say it. If you could translate it for me, that'd be great."
Chase growled and Tyler had to take a few steps back in order to steady his hold on him.
"So, if you would just oblige me here." Tyler grinned. "Bastard filius of Pope—"
"Bastard son of Pope. How dare you?" Chase's growl grew deeper and he struggled with rage.
"Vos es damno ut abyssus," Tyler recited steadily.
Chase let out a howl of rage. Tyler cocked an eyebrow at him, applying more strength into the force of energy that was holding Chase aloft.
"Translation, if you will Chase?"
"You—will be—damned to hell." Chase spat.
Tyler closed his eyes. Concentrating hard with all his might, just as his father had instructed him. His mind flashed back to a few moments previous, his father's voice ringing clearly throughout his thoughts.
"You have the gift. You are the traveler, only you can open up the path." His father paused, staring grimly at Tyler and Val's expressions. He leaned in and placed firm hands on his son's shoulders.
"Close your eyes, and speak the spell." His father whispered. "The words are…"
Tyler inhaled deeply. His lips parted and to his surprise, the words he thought he'd never be able to remember began to flow from his mouth.
"Abyssus aestuo habitum key. Per cruor of insons insontis, permissum porta exsisto patefacio!"
With the last few words, Tyler's eyes snapped open. He released Chase from his prison of power and took several steps forward.
"Val, now!" He shouted. She tossed him the sack and he caught it with ease.
"What the—" Chase began as he tried to pick himself up off of the floor.
Tyler pulled out his pocketknife and slit the sack in half, the contents spilling out. Salt, stained with blood. He took a quick breath, trying not to think of how badly Val's hand was bleeding now.
"No." Chase started, jumping to his feet. "No! No! You couldn't possibly—" His words twisted into a mangled scream as the line of bloody salt in front of Tyler's feet suddenly burst into flames, which leapt and twisted upwards into the shape of a door.
Tyler took several steps back in sheer terror of what he had just done with his power. It was true, everything his father had said had been true.
"Tyler!"
He heard Val's call and suddenly remembered what had to be done. Caleb was the only one who could damn Chase's soul to hell forever. He dashed across the room, leaping over Chase who tried to lunge at him, still howling with rage and pain. Behind him, the flames had exploded and the hole in-between them was not showing the other side of the room as it should have, but a deep, endless pit and pouring out of it were…
"Souls!" Chase screamed, covering his ears with his hands and twitching in pain.
"I-I can see them! I can hear them, make it stop!" He howled, as he fell to his knees.
"Caleb," Tyler said urgently. "You have to finish him. I can only open the gate to hell. You have to condemn him because you share his power!"
"What do I do?" Caleb croaked, his voice sound resolute and fierce.
"Push him into the door," Tyler said, glancing nervously as wisps of smoky figures began to emerge from the gateway to hell itself he had just created.
"But be careful! The souls will try to call you to, because you share the same power as him. Don't fall in Caleb, whatever you do. But do it quick, things could get a lot messier if we don't hurry."
His face looked sick and pale, just like it had when his father had mentioned all the horrible things that might possible go wrong. They were dealing with hell after all.
Tyler and Val lifted Caleb to his feat and were almost knocked back by the sudden wave of power radiating from Caleb's body. Sure he was bruised, sure he was spent and his arm was broken in several different places. None of it mattered. What mattered was that he had almost seen Blake become raped and destroyed by his mortal enemy, and with that in mind, nothing was about to stop him from doing what he needed to do.
"This is the end Chase!" Caleb bellowed. A loud, howling wind was now engulfing the room, sending the dust swirling upwards in spirals.
"Be careful Caleb!" Val screamed. Caleb looked back to see her clutching Tyler as they dragged Blake away from the screaming fiery door. Suddenly it dawned on Caleb that the whole room was starting to get sucked up by the deadly abyss.
"You'll never be rid of me!" Chase choked as he fought desperately to pull away from the current of the smoke like beings.
One of them twisted around Caleb and hissed in his ear, something distant and in a language Caleb did not understand. He swallowed hard and ignored it, knowing that it was mistaking him for Chase.
"You're wrong." Caleb panted, as he lunged towards Chase.
"NO!" Chase shrieked.
Their bodies collided and the wind picked up viciously. Caleb hurtled straight for the gateway, pushing Chase forward with all of the remaining strength left in his limbs.
"GO TO HELL ASSHOLE!" Caleb roared and with a mighty shove, flung Chase's body straight for the door. His ears were filled with the bloodcurdling screams of Chase and the howling of the wind like smoke. His eyes widened in horror as he watched Chase's body suddenly twist and deform as he slowly vanished into the never-ending blackness before him.
Caleb suddenly felt his body being towed forward by a strong magical force. The smokes like figures were now trying to push him in as well. He heard the screams of his friends from behind him. Caleb felt weak, a sudden wave of terror and pain swept over him. He had to give in, he couldn't fight it…
"No!" Caleb heard Tyler's voice roaring loudly behind him.
"Propinquus porta!" Tyler screamed. "Propinquus porta! Propinquus fucking porta!"
The voices in Caleb's ears hissed violently and then, suddenly turned. They flew forwards into the door and then with a deafening explosion, the door erupted into ash, which fell in a steaming pile on the floor.
"Caleb!"
Caleb lost control of his body and felt his feet buckling below him, only to be caught by a pair of steady arms.
"Caleb! Jesus, are you okay?"
Caleb blinked slowly, his vision in front of him swimming. It was over. It was all over. He had done it. Chase was gone. Forever. Finally, the feeling of dread had been lifted from him. Everything was going to be okay. His vision blurred. Time slowed and seemed to pass on forever, until a little voice in the back of his mind began to call him back.
Panic washed over him. "Blake!"
His eyes flew open.
"Blake! Where's Blake? Is she okay?"
"I'm fine," came a soothing voice.
"You're fine." He repeated, sighing with relief. "Tyler? Val?"
"We're okay man. It's over. You did it Caleb!"
"The others?"
"Just arrived," came a sly chuckle. Caleb had never felt happier to hear Reid's voice.
"Caught the end of the show. Killer ending line Caleb!"
Caleb's vision was now fully restored; he glanced upward to see the looks of all his friends. They were all there; Pogue and Lena, Tyler and Val, Reid and Cass, His mother and an unfamiliar woman who could only assume was Blake's mom. And then right beside him holding his hand was Blake herself, his beautiful Blake. They looked bruised and battered, but relived. They were all safe.
Suddenly, Caleb let out of laugh. He couldn't help it. Reid caught his eye and began to giggle along. And suddenly, the whole room was filled with the joyous laughter of sheer relief.
A/N: Wow, when I first began this story I never thought I'd even make it past chapter two. I want to thank everyone who keeps reviewing and giving their input; it's what keeps me going! This is NOT the last chapter, have no fear! There's still one more to go, and then a little epilogue. And if you REALLY liked these characters then don't worry, I'm planning on writing some more stories with all of them. In the meantime however, I've got two other Covenant stories on the go that I just started. They're called 'Trouble In Paradise' and 'The Trouble With Twins' so please check them out! Stay tuned; the final installment of this story should be up soon! Thanks once again! Xoxo, Clockworksharks