Disturb Not the Water
Disclaimers: Let's just say, hypothetically, that I do own it…in another dimension where anything is possible. However, since that dimension is unknown at this present time, the film belongs to Warner Brothers and Francis Lawrence; Hellblazer (which it is based on) was invented by some genius comic guy…whom I don't know.
Chapter 1. Umbra Vox
Translation: (Shadow Voice)
I went to heaven, but couldn't get in
for what I have done.
I said please take me, they said you're crazy.
You had too much fun.
-"Save Me" by Unwritten Law
Walking down the street, the smell of wet asphalt with the tingling sensation of strong kinetic energy in the air presumed to give John Constantine the feel of home. Well, as close as to a home as a person can get when under the constant threat of Hell potentially taking over your world at any given time and being eternally banished from Heaven if even the slightest chance of screwing up was presented on your permanent record in the end. Feeling his hand creep into the inside pocket of his jacket out of old habits, John cursed loudly when he realized his carton of cigarettes had been gone out of his life for the past…what, three months? But hey, what did it matter? He was cancer free; his lungs working properly for the first time since he was fifteen, he was still exorcising demons, Satan was officially off his ass since he was no longer wanted in Hell; granted though, he still wasn't so sure about the whole deal about "going to Heaven" after God had ignored him for the longest time, and he was even thinking about going to see Angela again.
Of course, motivation had never been his strongest aspect; only when it came to saving his or the world's ass did it seem that some things were important. Assholes, all of them. Humans, demons, angels…you name em', that's what they were. Well, except for one half-breed angel…Chas. He talked to him once in a while, getting help from the newly winged boy about the new underground developments and all the knowledge the once eager apprentice could provide since he was now in the cloudy pinnacle of information about everything. John would smirk a little, silently chuckling a little in the corner of his mind about the young man's enthusiasm to continue being John's slave and to read all the books that were provided as what Chas would call "The Great Library" which, per say, went on forever.
Gabriel flitted in and out every so often, sometimes walking with John, telling him his thoughts since he was now human while John just fumed on the inside, wishing that the once archangel would just fuck off. Other times, he would help him a little with some exorcisms whenever one showed up in the neighborhood he had just moved into two weeks ago after getting an identity and a social security. And other times he would just pop out of nowhere with some useless information and say how well he was progressing now that he had been given a second chance at redeeming his soul. At those times, John could swear he saw something flash across those nonchalant, blue-green eyes while Gabriel would give him words of guidance. He was probably still shocked that God had forsaken one of his favorite angels and still loved the human race above all other things when all they did was persecute each other.
John smirked while he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a stick of gum, his newest addiction. How childish and…pathetic. He threw the wrapper on the ground and continued walking, chewing hard and loud on the gum as he looked around and observed his surroundings, feeling with his psychic powers any misplaced demonic auras or seeing if any shadows or deformed bodily shapes were following him as he made his way home to his small apartment from the exorcism he had just performed hours ago. With brisk steps, John quickly made his way home and entered his small apartment; locking the door behind him securely, taking off his black trench coat and throwing it on the bed. He sat on the soft covered mattress with his hands on his knees and stared quietly at the floor, his thoughts taking over him as silent as death.
'Angela…'
A part of him rejoiced at these thoughts; needing, longing to be able to feel love once more in his life before he left this world all alone and completely miserable. Another part of him hated it though, the part of him that had been his personality since before he could remember. That bitter part of him that cursed his supposed gift and despised weaknesses such as…love.
He felt something when he was with her, though, he couldn't necessarily describe it. But he knew it was there when he was with her; it pulsed loudly throughout his entire body, echoing in his veins and causing shocks of electricity to ignite in him, making his powers respond in a pleasant way. While the feelings that were caused by her presence were stimulating and at times welcomed or thrilling, he also found himself…
Afraid.
He, who had sent hundreds of demons hurtling back into Hell with promises of vengeances and well deserved tortures, saw things that would make the normal human soul scream out in terror until it was left hallow, performed bizarre rituals that either sent people to an early grave or left a mark on their soul that would be forever scarred in the depths of human darkness, knew things that could boggle even the most intelligent man on the planet into a blind fit of madness…and yet, a mere Irish Catholic woman with strong psychic abilities could reduce him to a blundering fool.
It wasn't entirely his fault in the matter; rather, more like a precaution. He had trusted people before and they had betrayed him with their promises of faith or their idiosyncrasies. Especially his parents; oh, how he had hated them for the longest time. Their decision of putting him in a mental institution had scarred him badly, knowing that the only two people who had promised to protect him, to love him, to trust him above all things hurt deeply. The wound had never completely healed, leaving a tiny gap in the corner of his heart. After he had died the first time, a priest would come to see him in his room at the hospital. Of course, it wasn't a priest but rather, one of the many half demons that he could see. At the time of being only a teenager with a high dosage of sedatives, he could hardly make out the features of the pink blob in front of him but he could tell by the feel of the aura around him.
Shuddering at the expense of the memories coursing through his mind, he got up from his bed and walked over to his fridge, taking out a Jack Daniels bottle and retrieving a small shot glass from the counter. Sitting down at the table, he poured himself a drink and threw it back into his throat where it burned its way down his esophagus and into his stomach.
About two hours later, the whole bottle was empty and John felt like shit. He held his pounding head in his hands as he leaned his elbows on the table with his fingers buried in his hair. The Jack Daniel's bottle lay on its side, empty with the shot glass turned upside down. After a few minutes, John straightened up and loosened his tie; took a deep breath and rubbed his hands on his knees as he leaned his head back. He swallowed as he looked up at his ceiling, staring at it for a few moments; noticing the small little cracks in the plaster. Suddenly, thunder erupted outside and John put his head down and looked out as rain began to pour down heavily. He blinked a few times as thoughts clouded his mind while he stared at the rain, wondering for a moment if it ever rained in Heaven…
John than cursed himself for worrying about such crap and got up out of his chair, walking around and heading straight for his bed. He flopped down face forward on it and laid awake for the next hour, listening and watching as the rain outside continued to come down around him. He thought of his last encounter with Satan, his brief introduction to Mammon…and Angela. He clenched his eyes shut in aggravation and grumbled loudly in his head.
'Why is she always in my head? Christ, I can't even go a second without her popping in my head. Get yourself together Constantine; concentrate only on work…and not screwing up this time around.'
With that last thought, he fell into a fitful sleep of nightmares and reoccurring visions of his past.
Angela leaned her forehead against the glass of the window as it continued to rain; the coolness of the glass reflected only by the weather outside was refreshing to her skin. She had only just gotten in a half hour ago from the precinct and she was exhausted beyond compare. Night after night, crime after crime, demon after demon…there was just no end to this ravenous cycle. She was either fighting some whacko from off the street or beating the crap out of some half breed that didn't know when not to mess with a powerful psychic after a particularly bad day. Sometimes, she would catch a glance of blond hair or prettily pale skin and she would think she was seeing that half angel turned human Gabriel. But that would be impossible, right? Why would the once archangel hold any interest in her, a psychic cop, whom he had tried to kill just so the son of the Devil could enter their world and bring Hell on earth. Of course, she had known Gabriel was insane when Constantine had later told her that Gabriel had betrayed God because he thought it would be right to prove to God just how worthless humanity really was.
"Well, that certainly didn't turn out as the half breed had thought." Angela said amusingly.
Sighing deeply, she turned her head away from the window and looked into her apartment. Her cat was currently sleeping on the table where her phones were, his tail twitching as he watched her every move. She grinned at the small grey feline and got up from her position, walking towards the cat and picking him up as she sat down in her cushioned chair. She scratched the cat affectionately behind the ears and underneath his chin, tracing his spine with her fingers while the small animal purred with satisfaction while rubbing his head on her knuckles. Angela smiled a little, mindlessly petting her cat as she stared out the window watching the rain.
'Isabel used to like the rain, stretching out her hands and trying to act as if she could catch it. I wonder if…she's catching it up there…in Heaven…now that she's free. John…'
John Constantine. The one man she hadn't been able to get out of her thoughts since she had last seen him all those months ago on top of the roof after he had given her the Spear of Destiny and told her to hide it from him and the rest of the world. Of course, she had hidden it…in the box in the bottom of her bedroom closet, where she kept all of Isabel's things after she had…died.
Slowly, the smile faded off of her face as her eyes came back into focus of the dreary weather outside of the window in front of her. Her hand was now only stroking the fur of her cat as it slept on her lap, purring softly with his tail twitching. Quietly, she picked up the small animal as she got up from her chair and placed it back on the cushion, patting its head as she walked towards the kitchen. She moved to one of the cabinets on the wall and opened it, taking out a white mug and setting it on the counter. She turned on the faucet and reached into one of the jars next to it and took off its lid, taking out a bag of herbal tea and closing the jar. She grabbed the mug and filled it with water, turning the faucet off after. Turning towards the table with water filled mug in one hand and the tea bag in the other, she took a step towards her kitchen table…until the mug suddenly slipped from her grip and crashed on the floor, water spilling everywhere with shards of white marble on the tiled floor. Time stopped for a moment, a drop of water stilling in the air for a few seconds before crashing into the already spilt water on the ground and becoming a small ripple.
She collapsed.
Her hazel eyes rolled into the back of her head as her body went limp and images filled her mind.
Smoke, fire, ash…everything burning. Sulfur burning at her eyes and in her throat as she tried to breathe in the fume intoxicated air. Screams of thousands upon thousands echoing in her head, bellowing in her ears the pain and torture of the damned. Her dark brown hair whipping around her face as the heated wind surrounded her and stung her skin. Cracked tiles beneath her, her kitchen in pieces and smoldering; her apartment in shambles, the pictures and plants that were once peaceful images now contained nightmares and poisonous thoughts.
She was back in Hell.
But how? She hadn't been submerged in water, she hadn't committed suicide…she hadn't done anything remotely close to getting her into this place! What was going on!
She pushed her self up from the floor and stood up, turning towards the doorway and walking out of the Hell-like image of her apartment. Pushing her way out of the cracked walls of the building, she found herself standing in the middle of a highway leading to the city. Puzzled, she walked along the highway; hardly noticing the demons that were slowly following her every move, licking their lips at the sudden appearance of the fresh soul.
As she walked down the rock covered road, she took in her surroundings; thousands of cars lined up but crushed or completely warped to make them seem as if they had all hit each other simultaneously. All the highway signs for directions were gone and as she looked ahead at the once structured city in the real world, all she could make out was a giant fireball with skeletons of the tall buildings and melted glass.
"Angela…Angela…"
A soft, masculine voice was calling out to her; somewhere from behind. She stopped in her tracks, hearing the scattering feet of the demons that had once been following her; their once growling whispers now whimpering cries of fear and respect. She turned her head towards the sound and then her body, slowly coming face to face with the one entity that was feared above all else in any world.
Lucifer.
He stood there in a white Prada suit, barefoot and grinning at her like a man just coming from a casino with a thousand dollars in his pocket. He had one hand in his pants pocket and the other resting comfortably on the side of his leg, his fingers dripping blood. Paralyzed, she stood there; gaping at the most Unclean of all living things. Still grinning, he walked towards her slowly; the wind whipping around them, heat scorching everything around them as the screams continued to become louder in each direction. He stopped in front of her, allowing her for the first time to fully see the details of Satan's face.
He had dark hair slicked back in fashionable taste; blue, wicked eyes that were eerily white towards the pupil, a wide; white toothed grin and the endings of tattoos on both sides of his neck. Yes, Satan stood before her and all she could do was stare and gape at him.
Suddenly, a little flash of white caught her eyes, small and little; like a feather. It was being carried by the fiery wind until it floated lightly down onto the hand she had stretched out to catch it. She brought the blurry object up to face and then gasped in horror, noting that she held her twin sister's hospital bracelet in her hand. She looked up at Satan; still he smiled at her, yet there was a certain twinkle in his eye…a certain sparkle that was always in his glance whenever he used to look at John.
'But how is this possible? Isabel was sent to Heaven when John sacrificed his life; John was the one who brought her bracelet back from Hell as proof…'
"Better look again, Angie."
She glanced down at the bracelet again and immediately noticed the change. The letters for the name part of the tag began to warp and change into another name: ANGELA DODSON…her name.
Gasping again in horror and fright, Angela's head snapped up as she felt warm breath flame her neck like lava. A chilling voice slithering in her head like a poisonous snake with the widest smile instead of the soft one she heard just moments ago…The bracelet fading away like dust in the wind; it wasn't the real thing, just a copy…
"Welcome, Angela Dodson, to your new home. Welcome to Hell…"
He snapped his form back from her, his eyes glowing a slight red as fangs descended in his smile as the shadow of large, leathery wings expanded from his back.
"We hope you can stay for eternity."
He slapped his hand on her forehead and she saw black…
Angela's eyes snapped open as her body arched upwards, her lungs gasping for air as her chest heaved with fear and the pounding of her heart. She looked around her kitchen; noticing the colors of everything in the room, no fires burning everything to ash, no demons foreshadowing her every move…no Lucifer telling her about her soul being condemned to Hell for all eternity. She looked down at the sleeve of her white blouse; she was steaming like a sauna, her skin feeling like fire was caressing it.
Glancing up at the clock she noticed it was three in the morning. When she collapsed, it had been eleven at night; she had been unconscious for four hours? That can't be good…Looking at the phone, she came to a decision she had been debating for the past couple of months.
"I don't suppose Mr. Constantine would be in the mood for a reunion later on today…"
Hi, everyone! What's up?
This is my first Constantine fic and I hope everything is to everyone's liking; especially how I wrote the characters. This is a John/Angela story…sorry for all the other fans.
I saw the movie on 3/12/05 and I've loved it ever since. I even bought the book to get a deeper feel of the characters and also because I'm obsessed. So, this is the first chapter; I hope I get to write more…
Later Peeps!
