Ordo Ab Chao

Chapter II

Sunrise

Santa Monica, California

He hadn't slept a wink that night and he was fairly sure he had soiled himself somewhere after the fourth or fifth bottle. Honestly he didn't even know why he was so upset about Parish's death. Wasn't the first bit of blood on his hands and he doubted it would be the last. Still, something about him…a nagging feeling in the back of his head that kept bringing up emotions he needed to drown out. And that's exactly what he did.

After he had jogged down the block a bit, Constantine managed to flag down a cab and hopped inside telling him to take him to the nearest bar that wasn't named Gaslight. He paid for the first few drinks but the guilt only grew and with it his thirst. The second bottle was acquired on a bit of misused magic but he didn't care at this point and he sparked up a cigarette at the bar. This got weird looks from other patrons and a few even tried to follow in his example.

They were immediately chastised and when the angry looks came his way, Constantine dismissed them with a simple, "Can't all do what I do, love."

He raised numerous toasts that night and the more he drank the more ridiculous they became until it reach the inevitable point where he had to be carried from the bar. Constantine regained some form of consciousness when he felt his head impact with the cold ground of the alley behind the bar. He sat up and rubbed his head, "Tossed in the alley outback? Classic story stuff there," he said as if anyone was listening.

That had been some hours and several bars ago.

Somehow he had ended up at the beach and was watching the sunrise as he smoked the last cigarette in his pack. He grumbled a bit as he lit it and then a fit of coughing took over and he leaned onto the fence hard for support. After he finished he checked and saw little specks of blood but again he ignored it and continued what he was doing.

The wind felt good and he could hear the birds calling out in the morning. If one looked hard enough they could see pelicans in the distance diving down into the water in attempt to scoop up fish. Surfers were paddling out into the waves to catch the morning swell and there was laughter in the air blending with the sounds of cars, people and the waves slapping against the shoreline. For a moment, Constantine closed his eyes and was at peace with everything. His mind was clear and a small smile crept itself onto his face.

Then he felt something touch his shoulder. He looked and rolled his eyes at the large spot of bird shit, "Well fuck you too, wanker." Taking one last glance at the sunrise, he tossed the butt of his last cigarette down. He watched it fall.

Constantine straightened himself out as best he could and then turned towards the street. "Time to get going then." First things first he needed to get a fresh pack from the nearest place that sold cigarettes. Then he had to begin prepping for his plan to take down this demon. A plan that would involve the priest's brother, David Parish.

He was a fool to even think that David would agree to this but then Constantine wasn't going to tell him the full details was he? No, he wasn't. Nobody in their right mind would go along with his plan if they knew the full details. Was damn likely he wouldn't go along with it if given any of the details but at the moment, he didn't feel like lying and using anybody else.

Constantine followed his nose and after a few blocks ended up at a corner store. His head hurt a bit so he got himself a pack and a small shot of gin to balance himself out. It was going to be a long day and he needed his wits about him. He left the store and found himself caught in the morning bustle of those people living near the beach. The sea air was nice and refreshing and it had helped clear the smell of Parish's blood from his nostrils. Well, that and all the alcohol and cigarettes he'd gone through last night.

Speaking of cigarettes he decided it was time for another and quickly lit it with a flick of his lighter. He stood there savoring the deadly smoke and then opened the shot of gin and took it down in one gulp. Quick shake of the head and he as ready to go. Ten minutes passed and he finally got a cab to stop for him.

He climbed inside, "Christ alive it's like war to get a cab 'round here," Constantine said as he flopped down into the backseat.

"Yeah," the cab driver replied absently. "A lot of people just use that Uber or Lyft nowadays. Getting hard for a cabbie to make ends meet now."

"I know the feeling." Constantine thought about when magical drama and mishaps weren't plentiful and how he had to bend the rules to get what he needed during those times.

"Anyways, where to buddy?"

"Hawthorne."

11:00AM

Hawthorne, California

"So then I says to 'em, ya better get along before that grizzly bear comes back for round 2!" Constantine and David both burst with laughter coupled with knee slapping and the wiping of tears.

He'd been here for an hour or so now which was ridiculous when he thought about it. The traffic from Santa Monica to Hawthorne was horrible. It had taken nearly two hours on the freeway and when Constantine voiced some complaints the cabbie offered that maybe the streets would be faster. No luck there either. Traffic was one of the reasons Constantine hated places like Los Angeles and New York. It was so difficult for a bloke to get around.

The ride had been uneventful mostly but the conversation had taken a turn towards the occult when the cabbie started to share dreams he was having. The dreams, Constantine knew, were a direct result of the massive fluctuations going on within the magical world. Same thing that was allowing this demon he was chasing to be so powerful even though he shouldn't be. Constantine decided not to tell the man that he was likely from a family of witches or wizards and just left it at, "Have a drink mate. Might clear that head up," before he got out and paid the fare.

He found David crying in his apartment as he had just got the news that his brother was killed last night already. Constantine was there to comfort him with a bottle of the good stuff and some stories, as he claimed upon pushing his way inside the apartment. Now the two were sharing drinks and laughing it up while trails of smoke floated around the living room.

"Never married?" Constantine asked.

"No. You?" David took a swig and wiped his mouth a bit.

"Not my thing. Had a few good ones over the years but never found a place I wanted to settle."

"I hear ya," David replied gruffly. "I came here hoping to make my way in the construction business. A lot of building going on Downtown and if a man could get his company to rights to building…" he let his voice trail off and Constantine could see he was thinking dark thoughts. "...well that was a young man's dream anyway. Settled on managing properties for this company and been living here ever since."

"Not so bad, though? Free room and board." Constantine puffed his cigarette.

"Not the worst thing I could have ended up doing sure." David chuckled. "Could have been a Priest like my brother."

The mention of his brother made, Constantine pause. 'Better now than ever.' He thought to himself. "You know, when your brother died mate, the two of us were trying to stop that demon that killed your tenant the other day."

David's eyes grew wide. "How did he-

"Damn demon was tracking him for some reason. Had your brother been here recently?"

David thought, "Yeah. Yeah, he'd washed some clothes here and cut himself down in the room now that I think about it."

Now Constantine was starting to put the puzzle together a little bit. The damned demon was hunting Parish down because he knew it's bloody name and was somehow tracking him through his blood. A hunting demon wasn't usual prey as they weren't often found above ground. Now he knew for sure that something strange was going on in the world of magic and he needed to put this creature down before he could investigate any further. He had got lost in thought and noticed that David had been talking that whole time and he hadn't heard a single word.

"Ah, right, so your brother and I were trying to kill the damned thing but it caught us by surprise and managed to knock me out and kill him. By the time I came to the beastie was gone."

David was quiet. "Thanks for telling me." He finally said. "It helps some actually."

"You can help more if you're willing." A little bit of guilt swelled up but Constantine forced it down. This needed to happen so he could make sure more innocents weren't killed.

"How can I do that?" that's all he needed to hear but he could sense David was nervous.

"Your brother used a bit of his blood to bring the beastie to us. I managed to get some and preserve it with a bit of magic. If you'd allow I'd like to use your brother's blood to summon the thing here and this time put it down for good." Constantine held his breath after his finished talking. Any sane person would say no and curse him from their household.

"Alright."

Constantine's eyes grew wide, "Yeah? You're sure?"

"You can protect me right? You'll keep me safe?"

"Of course, mate. I'll put some protection spells around you, the whole nine yards. When the demon gets here I'll end him quickly and we'll both go back to our lives the way they were before this whole mess started."

David nodded again. "Alright. Alright let's do it." David stood up. "What do I have to do?"

Constantine followed his lead and stood up while clapping his hands together. "Right. So, I need you to sit here…" he grabbed a chair and placed it in the middle of the living room. "…and don't move a muscle."

David sat down and Constantine began pulling items from his coat pockets. Firstly he drew out several esoteric symbols in different spots around the room, each near the chair. Then he surrounded the chair in a circle with some kind of salt-like powder while chanting words in a deeply disturbing tone. David felt fear blossom inside him when he felt a strange power pulse around him. Constantine then pulled a blood soaked piece of cloth from another pocket and said a few incantations over it before placing it on the ground. The blood from the cloth stretched and spread itself along the powdered circle turning it a pulsing blood red color.

Constantine continued to chant and then closed his eyes and raised his voice. David didn't move at all and sweat began to dot his forehead. The chanting stopped and an eerie silence filled the apartment as Constantine stood there with his hands spread as if waiting for something and David swore he could hear both of their heartbeats.

Suddenly a burst of flames exploded and the demon shot forth with an otherworldly cry that might have been pain. The demon's fiery eyes fell on David and he felt a fear so strong he began to stand up, "No! Don't bloody move!" Constantine's words were louder than the demons cries somehow.

The creature went to move but Constantine held out his hand and mumbled something making the symbols he'd drawn glow brightly then the demon froze in place. The creature looked around as if shocked and then its eyes fell on, Constantine. "Con…stan…tine…"

"Yeah, you bloody pile of filth, Constantine. That's my name." He eyed the demon and his suspicions were fully confirmed now. This higher class of demon wasn't usually able to be so free in the human world. Great magic had to bring it here or some sort of mystical disturbance weakened the barrier between realms enough for him to escape through. "Now you're going to tell me what I need to know you hear me."

"I…am…not…servant…" the demons voice was like nails on a chalkboard and David cowered in fear but didn't leave the chair.

Constantine raised his voice, "I command you! Tell me how you came to this world!" The symbols pulsed with energy.

The demon began to shriek and claw at the invisible barrier that kept him trapped. "…hole opened…I entered…now I'm free…"

"Free? Not entirely, mate." Constantine joked. "What's wrong with magic? Why is everything all topsy turvey?"

The demon resisted and Constantine made another pulse of energy come forth. David hoped the neighbors couldn't hear what was going on in his apartment. "…someone….something…consuming much magic…messing with balance…allows both sides entry…"

"Both sides, eh?" Some good news at least. That meant demons and angels were both roaming around. The angels were probably killing every demon they could find and that's why this issue hadn't become a full blown invasion yet. Still strange in that if that were happening both of the main heads in Heaven and Hell surely would have taken notice. "Are there any more of you bastards running 'round here?"

The demon again resisted and Constantine again used force to torture it. The demon raged this time and began to pound its fists against the barrier ignoring the pain the glowing pulse caused it. Constantine began to chant but the demon pounded harder and harder.

"Kill it! Kill it before it escapes!" David cried out in terror.

"I need more answers! I can handle this!" Constantine closed his eyes and concentrated on keeping the beast locked up. "Dammit I can handle this!" he grumbled, his voice low.

"You…grow…weak…" The demon lifted itself up and hit the barrier with all the strength it could muster, the force tossing Constantine across the room where he landed through the dining table. The demon was free and it rose up to its full height to tower over David.

David shrieked like a girl and then jumped from his chair and tried to run. "No!" Constantine was struggling to his feet and tried to send out protection but it was too late. The demon snatched David in its hands and bit down on his head. A sickening crunch filled the air and for a moment, Constantine looked away. "No…" he said weaker, as he watched David's lifeless body hit the floor.

The demon turned to him and charged at full speed, "Don't think so love." Constantine unleashed his full fury and blew the demon back against the wall along with several of the lighter objects in the apartment. "You're not getting sent back to hell." He walked closer and began to chant a spell to kill the demon.

"No…No…I help…information…"

Constantine paused. "Go on then."

"Weakening barriers not known by all yet….will be soon…more of my kind will come…you will be overwhelmed…"

Constantine was quiet and the demon decided it was best to give some information, "…there is lair near here…sexual energies there…they grow stronger because of imbalance…I help you…you need someone on inside…"

Constantine thought about it for a moment. "You're right. I do."

If the demon had a facial expression it would have been one of relief at that moment but then Constantine finished his spell and the demon exploded in flame and died instantly. "But it ain't gonna be you," he finished.

Constantine brushed himself off and took a last look at David's body. "I'm sorry, mate. Told ya not to move." He pulled out his cigarettes and sparked one up.

Unknown time

The Millhouse

She could see him, John Constantine. He was standing on a platform of some kind looking out at the ocean. She could see the breeze blowing his hair about and making his cigarette burn faster. She knew he hated that and it made her smile a little. People moved about him but upon further inspection she saw that these weren't humans but supernatural creatures moving about and each one was staring at him with deadly intent. Ghosts, ghouls, demons, everything that had been revealed to her to be real, all of them were glaring at Constantine.

Then blood began to run down the face of the sun turning the sky a deep red color. Constantine looked around and the creatures around him all attacked at once. He was swarmed and pushed into the ground. The beach vanished, the platform vanished and was replaced by a black abyss that swallowed Constantine and the creatures up.

Light flashed and the creatures were blown away but now Constantine was standing alone in darkness and then she saw something blacker than even the abyss around him form tendrils. The tendrils swirled upwards and went straight into Constantine's nose, eyes and mouth lifting him from the ground as he cried out. She could see them flowing through his body and stopping in his lungs. Once the tendrils vanished, Constantine fell to his knees and began to cough in a furious fit.

He coughed and coughed until blood began to pour from his mouth and pool up beneath him and then he fell face forward into the pool of blood and died.

Zed sat up screaming at the top of her lungs and Chas burst into the room fully armed. "What?! What is it? Those damn ghosts messing with you again?!"

Zed's hair was wild and her eyes were full of fear. "We need to talk to John. Now!"