Chapter 24 Oh Death, Where is Thy Sting?

KHUnknown, the demonic behavior will get steadily worse and worse. I wouldn't be worried about it being too tame.

I ran to Ann's side, and pushed my hand against her neck, feeling for a pulse. There was no pulse, and she wasn't breathing. I jerked my hand away, and was about to give her CPR. I had saved her once, I could do it again. But then I felt her skin. It was cold, and clammy. Not one bit of warmth flowed through the flesh of the girl I had loved so much. She was truly dead.

"No!" I shouted. "NO!"

I looked down into her face, reflecting on all the time we had spent together. All those happy days. But now they were over. She was gone. She was gone for good.

"NO! You can't die! No! Remember all the time we spent together? I love you Ann! We could have gotten married! We could have had children! We could have spent the rest of our lives together!" I put my head down, and cried. I cried for her life, cut off so short. I cried for the death which had ended our time together. But most of all, I cried for her.

"ROOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRR!" I jerked my head up, and saw a monstrous creature looming over me.

It stood twenty feet tall, and had a five foot long waist. It had monstrous crab claws, and massive, elephant like feet.

'I knew I would find you sometime. I just didn't know it would be so easy.'

"What?" I said as the voice entered my mind.

But my surprise didn't last long. After all that I'd been through, I wasn't all that surprised that demon like creatures spoke straight into my mind.

"You killed Ann!" I cried out at the beast in anger, unholy anger.

'Yes, and you should have watched her struggle. Know that she suffered greatly, and died unhappily.'

"You slashed off her arm," I said angrily, "and then dragged her into here to die of loss of blood?"

I gestured at the red blood on the floor as I said this. But the creature only smiled.

'You have failed Zach. I killed her before you could help her find Jesus.'

I was horrified, frightened, and incredibly sad. But I was also angry. Incredibly angry. It welled up inside me, and covered up all other emotions. With an angry roar, I charged the beast in front of me. I didn't see much, but I heard a clang, and felt something smash into me. I flew through the air, and crashed to the ground alongside the dead body of Ann. I heard a sword being unsheathed, and soon found the tip of it against my throat, pushing me down into the ground. I looked up at the evil creature which loomed over me. It had a gray, almost human like face, with evil looking eyes. How the creature managed to hold a sword in its claw, I don't know. But that wasn't important at the time.

'You aren't even worth the trouble of killing mortal. I was told that I would be facing against a mighty Witness of God. But here I find a frail young man, who is easily angered, and allows his anger to control him. What a witness of God. You really didn't think you could defeat me without a weapon, did you? You really don't think you can kill me? I am mightier than you are. I am mightier even, than your God. Stand down boy! YOUR DEATH IS AT HAND!'

"Oh death," I said quietly, "where is thy sting?" The creature laughed.

'Oh death where is thy sting, eh? Its right here!' Then the monster stabbed its sword deep into my shoulder.

I cried out in pain as the deadly weapon pierced through my skin and cracked through the joint.

'You actually believe death was conquered by the blood of Jesus Christ? Well think again mortal! Death is strong, and it will prevail.' The creature held its sword high above its head, preparing to strike me down once and for all. 'It was so easy to trap you in your own home. How often do you walk into your house, and stumble upon a warp gate? Not that often. Now you are here, in my territory. And you will learn the truth before you die.'

The arm swung down. I screamed in pain as it slashed through my body, cutting me nearly in half. I didn't open my eyes, for fear of what my body now looked like. But the sword blows kept coming. The sword slashed my side, and then swung up, cutting off my ear. Then it slashed the side of my head. Then it swung around into my stomach.


I awoke with a shriek, and found myself in my own room. Beads of sweat ran down my face, as I sighed in relief. It was all only a dream. But it seemed all too real.
Over Zach's head, and evil voidy mass floated, cackling viciously as in inserted images into his brain, giving him dreams.

'Oooo,' another demon said, 'let me do one. Let me do one.'

'Fools,' Darkfor said. 'Can't you see he is waking up? Now, playtime is over. It is time to take care of him once and for all. We will not need the Right Hand. We will triumph without him.'

Zach lay back down on his bed, and fell back asleep again.

'Come on my minions,' Darkfor said as he floated out of the house. 'It is time to do some real work.'

Darkfor then stopped, and turned back to the mortal lying on the bed. The shadowy being floated over to Zach, and examined him closely. Darkfor then slashed Zach's soul viciously, causing it to retreat far back into the body.

'Keep him back like that,' Darkfor said with a snarl. 'Keep him far back inside himself. Keep him pent up inside his own body. Then he will not wake up, even if there are loud noises.'


Suddenly I felt surrounded by dark beings. I could not see them, but I knew they were there. I felt them, forcing me back. I felt there presence pushing in on me, like the claws of some wild beast. I retreated further back, and they followed. They pushed me down further and further, until I was trapped in one place. I couldn't run anywhere, and I couldn't hide anywhere. They had me.
The Dark being floated over to Zach's garden, and motioned with its claw. Darkfor grinned as the dirt from the ground began rising up again. In the dark of night, the dirt which rose up looked like ghosts, coming to take revenge upon the living. Darkfor crafted them slowly, adding hateful eyes, and pushing sharp stones in for teeth. Darkfor cackled evily, and then injected the power of the Goddess. The manikins became animated immediately, and there eyes filled with the neon green light of the Harvest Goddess. Then, rising up like the undead, they approached the house of the threat. Darkfor followed them, urging them onward. The creatures of clay approached the door, and tapped on it gently. One even tried to open it, but it was locked tight. The Caenumens became angry, and began bashing the door with their fists. Suddenly the area was bathed in bright light.
The demons continued slashing at Zach's soul, driving it back into his body, preventing him from being fully aware of what was going on around him. He heard nothing, and saw nothing. Suddenly one of the demons cried out in pain and agony. The other four demons looked up, and watched the one demon crumple to the floor. The vaporous body fell to the floor, and dissipated into nothingness. The other demons looked up to see what had happened. Before them stood a tall, shining figure. The figure drew a sword.
Darkfor looked up as five shining men in white came flying down from the sky on bright, glowing wings. The five figures flew down upon all three Caenumens, and before Darkfor could do anything, the Caenumens lay on the ground, with no trace of green light left in there eyes. Suddenly four of the demons Darkfor had left in Zach's house came flying out as if the devil was behind them. Behind them flew another man in white. The four demons flew immediately to Darkfor, and rallied alongside him. The six shining men positioned themselves in a circle around the house.

'Angels!' Darkfor spat out with much contempt.

And they were Angels. Mighty, messengers and warriors of God. They were massive, probably eight foot tall in height, with a wingspan of eleven feet. They had long hair which extended down to their shoulders, and solemn faces. They had broad shoulders, and massive statures.

"Stand down brothers," one said. "Not one of you will lay a hand on Zach."

'Brothers?' Darkfor said with anger. 'We have long since renounced our father, and all of you!'

"But we are still brothers," a second Angel said, "no matter what you say. You abandoned your family, but that doesn't mean you are no longer tied to it. As I recall, you and I used to be good friends."

'And now we are enemies, brother!'

"That was your choice," the first Angel said. "It was your choice to engage in acts of evil. We chose to stay loyal, while you turned against your own creator."

'Cursed be Him!'

"Cursed be God?" the third Angel said, raising an eyebrow. "God is not cursed. God is blessed."

'Yaaaaa!' Darkfor leaped toward his enemies with an angry roar.

Darkfor flew through the air, and extended his claws. Without a word, the Angels all held their arms towards their foes. Then, a streak of bright white light extended from each of their hands. It formed into a bar, and shone with the glory of God. For that was what it was. The Glory of God shone in these "swords," fitting the Angels with an incredible power. One Angel stepped up to Darkfor, and slashed him as he passed with the Glory of God. Darkfor screamed, and tumbled to the ground, where his voidy body splattered everywhere. Darkfor picked himself back up, and looked at his demon minions.

"Attack them!" he shouted, and the demons obeyed.

They leaped upon the Angels with their claws outstretched, and the Angels all extended their swords towards the coming demons. The two sides met, as claws slashed against swords. Darkfor found himself head to head with the Angel's leader.

'Very impressive,' Darkfor said as the Angel repelled his attack. 'Who are you?'

"I am Tarana," the Angel replied. "And you, are Forenda."

'That name... no longer has any meaning for me.'

"It is your true self, you've only forgotten."

'DO NOT SPEAK OF MY FORMER NAME!'

"Oh, then should I speak the name of the one you betrayed? Should I speak of Jesus?"

'Do not say that word!' Darkfor then stabbed Tarana through his chest with his claw.

Tarana cried out in spiritual pain, and disappeared into an explosion of bright shining light. The Glory of God, which had formed his sword, shot out in all directions, scarring through any demon it hit. Darkfor screeched as his flesh was scorched by the Glory of God. But it wasn't enough to command him to hell. For that was what the Glory of God could do. Demons rejected God, so as a result, they were cast away from him. They know that what they do is wrong, so they can't take the energies of their creator, for it shows them how bad they truly are, and forces them to go the the pit of Hell. Defeated Angels, like Tarana, were cast back into heaven, until God reassigned them. Angels can not die. Demons can't either, but they can be condemned to the pit of hell. As it was said in the Bible, the battle was already won. The Fallen Angels would never prevail over God. They had been weakened when they rejected Him.

Darkfor then turned to watch his minions. Two fell to the Angel's swords, and the other two fled before Darkfor could do anything. Darkfor cried out in defeat, and fled the scene. The bright swords of the Glory of God disappeared, and the angels positioned themselves in a circle around the house.

"Good work my friends," one said to the others. "Darkfor has been defeated... for now."

"He will return I'm afraid," another said. "And we have another problem. The Right Hand has been awakened."

"It is not our task to fight the Right Hand," a third Angel said. "That is Zach's duty. That is why we must protect him now. So that he will live long enough to battle the evil which lives on this island."

"Yes," the first one said. "Tarana has been defeated. Who will lead us now?"

"God will," the second one said. "It is only through his glory that we succeeded today."

"Well said Jordar," the fourth Angel said. "Do you know, how long will we be guarding the mortal?"

"Only until God finishes briefing Julius."

"Julius?" the fifth Angel said, his face filling with amazement. "Glory to God. Isn't he the demon who Zach helped to repent from his ways."

"The same one," Jordar, the first Angel said with a smile. "I will never forget the day when that demon came tumbling into heaven, looking so distraught, and afraid, but at the same time, hopeful. I almost cast him away again, but he explained himself to me."