Ordo Ab Chao

Chapter VI

Unknown time, unknown place

"What the hell?!" Constantine sprang to his feet so fast it made his head spin and he stumbled to the left.

"Easy. Easy," the faceless man said even though he had no mouth.

Constantine gripped his head trying to steady his mind so he could hex this faceless demon into oblivion.

A fit of coughing chose now to cripple him, bringing Constantine to his knees and giving up several spurts of blood. 'It's getting worse.' He could feel it inside him. The cancer was eating his insides.

"You're in bad shape."

"Not bad as you, mate. You've got no face." Constantine's vision blurred.

"This?" the three men all pointed at their faces. "This is a mask. Rest assured, John Constantine, I've got a face."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Name's not important. You can call me Question."

"Question huh?" Constantine stood up and felt somewhat himself again. He lashed out at the man's mind but was rebounded by a magical barrier.

"Not that easy." Question shook his finger. "I've got some knowledge of the magical myself."

"Okay then Mr. Question, what the fuck do you want with me?" Constantine began to brush the puke and blood off his clothing but only smeared and made it worse. It was then that he looked around and remembered what had happened and where had been. He wasn't in the park under the statue anymore but now in a empty room that was likely in an abandoned building.

"Wondering what happened and how you got here?" Question stated the obvious.

"Did you see him?" Constantine looked at Question.

"The First? No. I'd been looking for you for a while now actually. Finally found you after you left the hospital. Followed you here and then it got strange." Question paused. "I sensed something powerful for a split second and I know some powerful magic was used but I don't remember anything. Then I found you passed out and brought you here."

"The First froze everyone so we could chat." Constantine informed Question and didn't know why. "Evil Bugger came to ruffle my feathers as if cancer hadn't done that enough already. Bastard."

"Cancer, huh? Tough break." Question's voice didn't sound much concerned.

"What do you want with me?" Constantine asked in an annoyed voice.

"I was on the trail of my latest case when I caught a potential informant and proceeded to question him. Ended up being hit with more magic then someone like him should be capable of. That is to say any at all. I-"

"Some demon has possessed them or some such nonsense and you've come to ol' John Constantine for help putting the fuckers back down in the pit, yeah?" Constantine didn't let Question answer. "No. I'm done with that. Didn't you hear me? Didn't you see the blood?" he gestured to the blood on the ground where he had coughed it up. "I'm dyin' , mate! I've got bloody cancer and it's eatin' me up as we speak! To top it all off bloody Satan himself pops up to tell me how stiff his hard on is and how he can't wait to bugger me with it for eternity! I'm not taking any damned case! I'm going to drink and smoke until the red gates take me!" Constantine turned the collar on his trench coat and turned to leave the room, unsure of where the exit was.

"They're taking children."

Constantine stopped in the doorway.

"I found a basement full of bodies, Constantine. Mutilated. Carved up. Pieces missing. They're taking children and doing god knows what to them and we're the only two people that know about it."

Denny's diner, Los Angeles 6:00pm

"Where do you think he went?" Zed just stared at her food.

"Who knows." Chas munched more pancakes. "Probably went to go get more cigarettes."

Zed looked at him. "He wouldn't."

"You don't know John then." Chas said simply and that made Zed lower her head again. "Give him some time. He'll come back around."

"This is cancer, Chas. This isn't something he can wave a magical spell at or make some back end deal to get out of." The worry was apparent in Zed's voice and on her face.

Chas didn't say anything for a while. "I just found out one of my best friends in the world is dyin' of cancer, Zed." He stared daggers at her. "And then he just goes off and doesn't say a damn thing. I know what's at stake here, Zed. Not just with John but with all of us and whatever is messing up magic."

Zed shut down feeling bad but knowing that Chas was right. "We can't help John but we can help people affected by this crazy magical stuff though."

Chas brightened up. "Yeah. Yeah, that sounds good but how? Where would we even start."

Zed had no idea and her shoulders fell. "I don't know but we'll think of something, Chas. I'll be back in a few." She got up to use the restroom and walked down the aisle. A little boy was seated with his mother and father playing with a toy he'd won from a mechanical arm machine. The toy fell over just as Zed walked passed and she casually reached down to pick it up.

She saw the family driving home and pulling into their home. The porch light was off and the neighborhood was dark and quiet. It was very strange and Zed felt an evil presence.

She saw figures swoop in on the family and strike the parents down then snatch up the child.

They figures now were in a room of esoteric design with a raised table in the middle of the room surrounded by pentagrams and other etchings. The boy was laid naked on the table and about to be sacrificed when the figures hesitated and turned. Then Zed saw him.

Constantine enraged and fighting through the figures with a man that had no face.

She came back to reality and shook her head to regain composure. "Sorry, sweetie." She handed the toy back to the boy and went to her table with Chas.

"What's wrong?" Chas finished his drink and sighed from satisfaction.

"I just saw that kid getting kidnapped by some psycho cultists."

"Great. We can start with stopping them!" Chas got excited.

"No. No, Chas I think we need to let this happen."

Chas was confused. "Let it happen? But why would we let the kid get kidnapped?"

"Because it's going to lead us to John."

unknown time, unknown location

Constantine looked at the large subway sandwich that the Question had given him and then took a big bite. He was starving and had no idea how this faceless man acquired the food but it really didn't matter. "So tell me what you know." he managed between mouthfuls.

They were still in the same warehouse and had been chatting up a bit about what was going on in magic. Constantine always got the conversation going as it was a way to learn details about a person without them even knowing. From what they spoke of he had learned that this Question fellow dabbled in some shaman magics and could sense the change on a small level but was into some sort of espionage and conspiracy chasing.

Not Constantine's cup of tea at all but he knew two things 1) that he was going to die 2) that he was going to make sure every single one of those pedophile psychos died before him.

"I've been chasing the kidnapping case across several states and all the info so far has led me to here. Wherever they are in Los Angeles is the headquarters of a national kidnapping ring. They use these kids for horrible things. I've been shutting them down as I can come across them so many have fled here." Question didn't eat or drink just seemed to watch Constantine.

"Where's your latest clue gonna lead us?" Constantine opened the water bottle and drained half it in a few gulps.

"To a supposed high ranking member of the group that runs everything. I've got an address and a name." Question reached inside his trench coat and produced a small slip of paper that he handed to Constantine.

"Michael Gordon Jr?" Constantine made a face. "Isn't he some sort of athlete or something?"

"That's Michael Jordan."

"Ah, I see. Well then my faceless companion! Let's go pay this bugger a visit shall we?" Constantine stood up feeling more refreshed then before.

Beverly Hills, Ca 9:00pm

They had followed the family ever since leaving the restaurant they were in. The pursuit had led them to the middle areas of Beverly Hills where the houses were large and expensive. The street was relatively empty and the street lights cast an eerie glow about the neighborhood.

The family was driving their sport utility vehicle up into their driveway so Chas pulled over and parked a few houses down from them and they sat there. "So this is it?" he asked Zed.

"Yeah. This is the house from my vision." She looked eager and yet pensive.

An awkward silence filled the rental vehicle they were sitting in. The two of them had a little argument about if they should allow the child to be kidnapped or not. Not to mention the fact that his parents were also going to be murdered in front of him.

And for what? So they could find Constantine? Was so much sacrifice worth it?

Chas found himself spiraling back into that same train of thought that he'd had during they argument earlier and drew himself from it by focusing on the family. They were out of the van and now walking happily up their pathway to their front door.

Then he saw the figures emerge from the shadows like demons in the night.

"Fuck this." Chas reached beside his seat and yanked a baseball bat free. It said 'Slugger' on it.

Her friend was out of the car before she knew what was happening. "Chas! Wait!" Zed rushed after him.

"Who the hell are you?" the husband demanded from the four hooded figures that stalked towards his family. He raised his arms over his wife and son in a protective manner. "I said who are you?!"

One of the figures raised a hand and brandished a gun with a silencer on it.

The mother yelped and the son began to cry while the father held up one hand in a peaceful way. "Okay. Okay. Calm down. We've got money in the house just please don't hurt my family."

"We don't want your money."

"We want him." One of the figures pointed to the boy.

"You can't have him!" Chas sprang up from around the family's van and cracked the nearest person in the head with the baseball bat then engaged another.

"Run!" Zed screamed at the family. "Run!"

The mother lifted her son and the family began to spring across the lawn. "The boy must not escape!" The figure with the gun pointed and opened fire hitting the father three times in the back.

"Robert!" the wife tripped and fell.

"No!" Chas struck out at the one he was fighting with and missed then the third came up beside him with a knife. "Alright then. Zed! Save the boy!" he leapt at the knife wielding figure with a grunt and swung for the fences.

The figure with the gun was walking towards the crying mother and child but Zed sprang onto his back and tackled him to the ground. "Get out of here! Now!" she shouted and tried to pound onto the back of the figures head.

With shocking strength the figure tossed Zed hard onto her side knocking the wind out of her. Before she could react he then smacked her across the head with the butt of the pistol and knocked her out cold. Without another word he aimed and fired again clipping the mother in both her legs. Another two shots to the back ended her screaming and then the child was hit across the head and knocked out.

When the figure turned back his two companions had subdued Chas and had him unconscious on the ground with several stab wounds visible.

"What do we do with them?" one asked.

"Bring them. He'll want to question them after what happened here."

"And him?" Another motioned to their unconscious comrade.

The figure carrying the boy shot the fourth man several times then tossed the pistol down near his hand. "Let's go."

Beverly Hills, CA 9:30pm

The home was beautiful and elegant and screamed expensive. Pure white walls without a single blemish or spot, priceless artwork hung along the walls with statues and vases here and there. There were white fur carpets from an animal not entirely legal to hunt and an actual fireplace even though they were outlawed in Los Angeles County.

A soft melody was playing on a crisp sounding system and blended perfectly with the constant and pleasant sound of the fire burning. A man was dressed in a black tuxedo with the shirt half unbuttoned and a glass of wine in his hand. Smiling at him was a beautiful woman in a black dress of her own with her beautiful legs showing up to the thigh.

Their shoes were placed away from the fire and they both sipped wine and enjoyed the life of being rich. "Are you enjoying yourself my dear?" the man asked her.

"Oh yes. Quite so." she looked at the fire. "But when will the fun you promised me start?"

The man smiled at her but it was missing any sign of joy or happiness in it. The smile was emotionless and cold. "We'll leave for that in thirty minutes my dear. Believe me, it will be well worth the wait."

"I hope so because we had a hell of a time finding this place!"

The man and the woman quickly turned to see two men standing in the doorway, one of whom had no face. The woman shrieked and dropped her wine spilling it onto the carpet. Both of them jumped to their feet. "Who the hell are you?"

"This bloke here's called the Question." Constantine lit up a cigarette. "And me? I'm the guy that's gonna be asking the questions from now on yeah?"

The man dropped his wine and reached for the poker that was next to his fireplace. Constantine held up his hand and froze the man in place. "Oh come on now mate. Two strange men break in your house uninvited and the first thing you do is try to kill 'em?" Constantine chuckled.

"You talk too much." Question grumbled to Constantine and approached the man. As he did the woman lashed out and tried punch him in the face but Question easily countered and knocked her unconscious with a particularly nasty blow.

"Sheesh. Packed a little heat on that one didn't we?" Constantine looked at the snoring woman.

Question ignored him. He walked right up into the man's face, "Your name is Michael Gordon Jr. and you're going to take us to your little secret meeting tonight. Understood?"

"I...I can't...they...they'll kill me..."

Constantine made fire appear around his free hand. "What makes you think we won't?"

"Shit," Michael swore and looked away from the fire. "I knew this would happen."

"What do you mean?" Question asked.

"I knew somebody like you would come for us if we kept doing what we're doing down there." Michael explained.

"What exactly is going on in your sick little cult mate?" Constantine asked and Michael swallowed and began to explain.

Unknown time, unknown location

Zed was tossed back to some form of consciousness by a jolting that made her hit her head. She was still dizzy and her vision was blurred but she could feel the vibrations of a car and from the constant tossing she endured she could tell that's where she was. It was dark and she couldn't see anything but could hear voices. The replying voice sounded as if it were talking through a speakerphone.

"...they just popped up and killed Tim..."

"...no idea how they tracked you...?"

"...not a clue. They aren't cops though, that's for sure..."

"...what should we do with 'em...?"

"...they know too much...bring them..."

The vehicle jolted again and Zed hit her head a second time. It knocked her out again before she could hear the rest.

When she awoke this time it was because of the sound of horrific screams. Screams filled with terror and agony that would sicken anyone with a soul. She tried to stand but found her ankles chained to the wall with Chas unconscious nearby. There was very little light in the room, just a few torches hung around the wall displaying the room was a large circle of some kind.

"Chas! Chas wake up!" Zed half-whispered and half-shouted at her partner. "We've been kidnapped again! Chas! Chas!"

More screams echoed throughout the room and it made Zed's skin crawl. Something evil was going on in here and she didn't know what it was and wasn't sure she wanted to know. The hair on her arm stood on end and a stone doorway opened in the side of the room unleashing a wave of light with it.

Slowly the same hooded figures she had seen in her vision began to file into the room chanting eerily and carrying torches. They spread out along the walls and took up positions then one came in carrying a larger torch. His robe was red while the others were black and behind him came two more men with torches.

Now Zed could see that in the middle of the room was a platform with an altar raised in the midst of it. The alter was covered in blood as was the entire platform. She gagged and had to force herself not to throw up as she began to realize that this entire room was awash with blood and guts.

The chanting turned strange as the figures began to sway and then all stopped. "Bring in the child!" the white robed figure demanded.

Two men walked into the room carrying a small girl with them. The girl kicked and screamed and tried her hardest but could not break free. The room fell silent as the girl was tied down to the alter.

"NO! NO!" Zed shouted so loud that Chas was stirred back to consciousness. The white robbed figure was handed a large blade that curved at the tip.

He raised it high.

"NO!" Both Zed and Chas pleaded.

"Offero tibi sacrificium daret potestatem!"

He drove the blade down with so much force that blood spurted out all over his robe and he tossed his head back with arms held wide open. All of the fanatics had their heads raised skyward and arms out as if about to receive a blessing but nothing happened.

"You maniacs! You killed her you damned psychos!" Zed was crying as the innocent child's blood pooled around the floor.

"Bring in the boy!" the bloodied leader commanded.

Now the two figures entered with the boy they had been trying to save in tow. Two other men lifted the girl's body and tossed it aside as if it were nothing. The boy was frightened and screaming at the top of his lungs but this seemed to excite the figures. Zed noticed a few were grabbing and rubbing at their genitals. She vomited again.

The boy was placed in the same position as the girl before him, forced to lie in her blood and excrement. Again the white robed figure raised his knife, "Offero tibi sacrificium daret potestatem!"

A loud thumping sound was heard then the doorway burst open and two guardsmen flew in and landed hard on the ground. The third was stumbling backwards shouting, "Intruder! Intruder!" Zed looked up through her teary eyes and saw her vision playing out.

Constantine was tearing through with a look of pure anger and hate on his face. By his side was the faceless man punching and kicking those that came his way.

The leader of the cult stood strong with his blade in his hand. "To me!" he bellowed and six of the cultists ran up the platform to him while the remaining five stood to battle Constantine.

"You blokes must not know who I am then." Constantine wiped his nose. "Give us a minute, yeah?" he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette and lighter. "Nothin' like a smoke before a fight. Or after. Or during..." he tossed the lighter at the cultists feet and flames burst from the ground engulfing them.

The remaining six cowered back in fear as they watched their companions roasted alive by the magical flames. "You lot want to give up now or shall we continue?"

The cult leader laughed and sliced the neck of the nearest cult member.

"Bloody hell..." Constantine looked at Question who was 'staring' at the scene unfolding before them.

The leader sliced each throat one by one until all six of the men were dead and then he raised his hands high and Constantine realize what was going on. "We've got to kill him! Now!"

The white robed cultist stabbed the child in the gut and twisted the blade, leaving it inside the now dead innocent. "Da mihi potestatem, et sanguis meus anima mea!"

"No!" They were too late. The blood in the room pulsed once then twice and a force tossed both Constantine and Question backward and into the wall. The blood began to churn and swirl and pool around the cult leader's feet, slowly covering his body.

"Not what I intended but it will do to eliminate you!" the leader cried out maniacally.

Constantine stirred back to consciousness and shook Question. "You good there, buddy?" the faceless spy groaned and began to move. "Right then. Back at it." Constantine stood up and saw Zed and Chas chained to the other side of the wall.

"John! Over here!" In the rush of battle Constantine hadn't heard their shouting before. Now the situation was ten times worse. He didn't care how they ended up here just that they were safe and that this blood magic was stopped.

"Question, those two over there are my best mates. Get them out of here and I'll owe you one." Question nodded and ran over to the captives.

"Where is your face?" Chas demanded.

"Clearly not where it should be." Question replied and knelt down next to Zed. He produced a small circular object about the size of a quarter and pressed on it. A red laser shot out and began to cut right through the chains.

Zed had a shocked look on her face. "A useful tool for numerous situations." Question replied to her unasked query. It took a moment or two to free them both but by that time the blood magic was fully setting in and Zed could see the horror Constantine was facing.

The cult leader was transformed by the blood magic into a twisted creature whose blood-colored skin seemed to flow and move across its jagged and ripped body, blending with the bits and pieces of the white robe. The human was now deformed and grotesque with mismatched length arms and feet along with elongated midsection and a massive head that hard torn free from the hood of the robe.

Bulging yellow eyes stared at Constantine with bloodthirsty rage. "Go! Now!" Question pushed Chas and Zed through the door and closed it. "What the hell is that?!" he rushed next to Constantine.

"Twisted blood magic." Constantine was staring at the dead bodies of the children with a blank and pained expression. "Distract it."

Question pulled a pistol from his trench coat and opened fire at the still growing hybrid creature.

Without looking Constantine knelt down and began to draw out pentagrams and esoteric designs in the blood while mumbling. He drew smaller designs on both his hands forehead and chest.

"...we know you..." the hulking mess of human and demon whispered. Its voice echoed in itself with a deeper more sinister tone.

"Yeah I've had about enough of you bloody demons and your knowing me." Constantine growled with clinched fists. "I'm John fucking Constantine! My soul is cursed and The First himself is coming for it!"

"...Yes! Yes! Your rage feeds us..." the creature began to twist and pulse.

'Rage demon then? Thanks for identifying yourself.' Constantine closed his eyes and used a trick of his to refresh his body in cooling magic and calm his anger.

"...Whaat...?!" The demon lashed out with its odd-shaped right arm and Constantine held his hands up and stopped the arm in midair. "...Impossible...!"

Constantine grinned and snapped the portion of the arm with immense strength. The demon recoiled and fell onto its back. Question reloaded his pistol and shot the exposed arm causing more pain.

"I could've just banished ya' back and normally I would have." Constantine stalked the wounded demon. "But I've had a particularly bad week and you had to come along and pull that mess with those kids."

"...Wait! Wait! We can give information..."

Question shouted, "What can you possibly know?" so Constantine paused.

"...Everything the human host knows..."

"Tell me something quick then." Constantine snapped.

"...There is a name. A powerful magician who is at the center of all this..."

Constantine lashed out and smacked the demon with a burst of magic that made it howl in pain. "Get to the bloody point."

"...Felix Faust..."

'Shit.' Constantine thought and glanced at Question. 'Damn him for not having a face. Can't tell what his reaction is.' he returned concentration to the bleeding abomination. That was all the information he needed from this monster. "Thanks for the help."

"...WAIT! WA-

Constantine concentrated and closed his eyes, "Mitteret ad cisternam malis animam et offeres super eo!"

The demonic hybrid was hit with a pulse and began to cry out in pain as the grotesque skin on its body began to disintegrate slowly. "Looks painful, love." Constantine wiped the markings off his hands and body.

"What did you do to him?" Question holstered his pistol and stood beside Constantine to watch.

"Slow burn, mate. Painful little trick I learned way back when." Constantine lit up a cigarette.

"Cancer doesn't stop you does it?"

"Already on my way out, remember?"

"...I...I didn't ask for this..." The demon had mostly burned away and all that remained was what was left of the cultist leader. He lie on his back surrounded by blood with vacant eyes staring up at the ceiling. His flesh was disintegrating from his feet upward but he stopped screaming. "...never wanted this..."

"You were the leader of a pedophile kidnapping ring!" Question shouted angrily.

"...the demon...controlled me..." his breathing was labored and hard. Each word was a struggle for him to speak. "...Have a family...kids...the demon possessed me...killed them...built this..."

Constantine and Question just listened to the sad tale in silence realizing now what the full story was. This man was an innocent like so many others Constantine had come across on what would be his final mission. So many people were falling victim to things that shouldn't be happening but were because the rules were being bent and disregarded.

The demon had possessed his mind and used him to sacrifice enough to bring part of its physical form to this world. A thing that shouldn't have happened in a thousand years but yet he'd witnessed it. This dying sap's last words confirmed it.

Whatever was going on Constantine decided one thing as he watched the cult leader's body completely disintegrate before him.

He was going to find Felix Faust and he was going to kill him.