Pathway to Hell
Chapter 8 Rescue Me
AN: A huge thanks to my good friend Jac aka cptn-jacks-bonnie-lass for her infinite wisdom! I was really stuck for ideas and she helped me out A LOT! Without her I wouldn't be writing this I would prob. be crying over the torture of not having Shia Laboeuf! Yes, despite my name I'm not actually his wife! Lol.
"Constantine…" The name whispered mysteriously throughout hell.
So soft and beautiful, almost enchanting.
John had been in Hell 13 earth days. He didn't know that though. No, of course he didn't. John Constantine had absolutely no idea how long he had been in this burning pit of misery. He was beginning to hallucinate… He had a distant memory of Gaia being there, begging him to let her help him… Asking him how she could free him from Lucifer's grasp.
"Constantine…" The voices whispered again.
"Shut the fuck up!" He choked.
His mouth was so dry. His throat felt as though it were rubber. It reminded him of having a really bad cold… When your throat tightens and you get that itch. You know there is no way to get rid of it and so it drives you mad, multiply that by about a million and that's exactly how John felt.
His eyes were dry and sore, his vision blurred under the incredible heat.
It had seemed an eternity since Lucifer had left him here, the surface of Hell. He remembered it well from his previous life. The life before all this god damn heat.
John remembered a boy. Curly chestnut hair, brown puppy dog eyes… Chas? John remembered the traces of a conversation something about the weather? Yes, Chas had warned him that if he didn't like the weather there would be no returning.
"Should have listened to you kid…" John said reminiscing on better times.
"Where are you now kid? I though you and Gaia were gonna rescue me!" He said half-heartedly to himself.
"John Constantine…"
That whisper again, only this time it was lower almost like a growl.
John turned slowly coming face to face with Balthazar.
"Johnny boy! You don't call, you don't write what's a demon to think?" He said mockingly circling the beaten man.
John blinked he remembered this man… This demon. He was Balthazar. Yes, Balthazar a demon he had known… But why was he here in Hell?
"Don't look so venerable John it really is rather off putting." He spat getting closer and closer to the ex demon hunter.
"You…" John said questionably.
John wanted to say something. Mock the demon for being deported ask who had done what he had wanted to achieve for such a long long time.
"Johnny boy look at yourself!" The demon laughed cruelly.
"You're a reck! My my the great John Constantine losing his mind in Hell it's so ironic! You spend a lifetime putting half breeds down here and then you end up with them!" Balthazar chuckled.
John frowned. His brain was frazzled, normally he would just laugh at the half breed but he couldn't. John Constantine truly was a broken reck.
"Looks like we have company." Balthazar smirked eying up the oncoming demons.
"Constantine…" They chanted ritually over and over.
These fucks really were obsessed with him. He was responsible for the exorcism of a lot of soldier demons, he was responsible for the deportation of a hell of a lot of half breeds… Basically every single one of them hated him and now he would finally pay for his actions.
"You're our's now…" They hissed closing the distance between them and him.
John began to back away he knew what could happen in this place and he DID NOT want to experience death.
Balthazar backed out of the circle smirking smugly. He would finally witness John Constantine experience some REAL pain!
They inched closer and closer until John could smell their putrid breath breathing down his neck.
This was it… He was finally going to experience the agony he had been avoiding ever since his arrival in this dreaded place.
It all happened so quickly there were so many of them grabbing hold of his delicate flesh pulling in every direction, tearing him apart in screaming… brutal… agony.
I could still feel the evil in this place. How ironic is that? I'm standing in the middle of a church yetI sense so much evil! That is so messed up talk about beingscrewed up!
I knew exactly what I had to do. I would summon Lucifer to me and inform him of his little breach on his side of the bargain. There was no way he could keep John now I knew, I would demand the deal be revoked and that John be safely returned to earth and if he denied then I would just have to go in there and bring him out.
Some good had come out of my little meeting with Balthazar after all.
"What now?" Chas asked in confusion.
Now that we were here I was at a stump. How do I summon Lucifer do I just call him?
"Umm…" I said thoughtfully.
"You call to him. Call to your father and he will come." Murphy said from behind.
I had forgotten he was here… How could I forget! He was a demon after all.
"Is that it? Will he even come?"
"Try…" Murphy replied.
I nodded making my way forward standing over the exact spot John had been dragged away by Lucifer. I turned slowly staring at the EXACT spot Chas had died.
I took a deep breath. I was ready for this. I WOULD get John back no matter what it took I had promised him that much and I would fulfil that promise.
"Lucifer… Lucifer get your god damn ass up here right NOW!"
Nothing.
"LUCIFER!" I shouted angrily.
"LUCIFER!" I said again this time there was a loud rumble.
The ground began to shake I felt myself begin to tremble as the ground I stood on began to open up before me.
"Oh shit… This isn't good." I said attempting to keep my balance.
"Gaia!" Chas shouted in worry.
"I'm fine… Kinda worried but fine." I said nervously.
"Lucifer?" I asked again.
I felt a blast of intense heat strike my face, catching me off guard I gasped stumbling backwards.
"Luceria why won't you leave well alone? Why do you always interfere with my plans?" Lucifer said rising from the fiery pit which had opened up in the church.
"Because you don't own John anymore and I want him back." I said coldly boring a hole into my father.
"Hmm…" He said.
"Okay you win, I can see I'm fighting a losing battle."
I was slightly taken aback I had no idea he was gonna just hand John over it seemed too easy.
In a matter of seconds Lucifer had disappeared into the gaping chasm and was now resurfacing with the battered form of Constantine.
He looked awful. I remember the last time I had seen him he looked a little shaken but NOTHING like he did now.
Blood ran down his face in fact his whole body was not only caked in dry blood but was drenched in the sparkling crimson liquid of fresh blood.
His cloths were unrecognisable. They were torn to shreds and dyed an unearthly red. I could practically small the tang of copper radiating from him.
"John…" I gasped running forward.
Lucifer grinned wildly dropping the man on the hard floor and departed without so much as a second glance.
"JOHN!" I said again this time I reached out for him.
I couldn't believe he was here, I had finally got him out!
I placed a hand on his twitching shoulder. He was shaking uncontrollably, whimpering quietly.
"John…?"
He pulled away, his eyes darting back and forth throughout the room searching for something…
"Chas…" The man whispered close to tears.
"I'm here John…" Chas said running over to his teacher, his friend, his hero.
"I'm here John it's okay I'm here." Chas soothed.
I stepped back I little overcome with emotions.
It was only natural for John to remember Chas and not me. It didn't matter he was safe now.
"Chas we have to get him out of here." I said softly.
Chas nodded although he made no attempt to move.
I turned to Murphy who shrugged his shoulders and walked from the room.
"Murph… Murphy he wait up!" I called out to him.
"Luceria you have no idea what he's been through down there. I know you wanted him out but why do you think Lucifer let him go so easily! LOOK AT HIM! He's a god damn fucking mess. He doesn't know who he is! I don't think he can get over this Luce…"
I backed off a little shaking my head.
"No, he has to be okay Murph he has to! I got him out, he's free!" I said madly.
How could Murphy be saying this? How could John not be okay? After all this time all the torture and angst we had all been through this couldn't be the end… It just couldn't!
DO NOT WORRY PEOPLE I'M NOT FINISHED YET! STILL MORE TO GO!