Ordo Ab Chao

Chapter X

4:00 AM

Koreatown, California

(Before end of Chapter IX)

"Then our time working together is at an end," Question said abruptly. "Take whatever you need when you leave and then never return here. It won't be safe anymore." That was one of the last things he'd said to John Constantine and his two companions with a penchant for being kidnapped. Constantine was a shady and dangerous man to be sure but he was likable in his own way.

Question had warned them about returning to the safe-house then left to complete his mission. Faust had to be stopped and there was no way around it. Plus the entire situation seemed strange to him. It was too convenient. Right when they came upon the vital information a new impossible case of dire importance dropped in their lap. Why now? Things didn't add up. The men had seemed eager to get Constantine and the others to stop the witch before Faust. It could have been because of their fear of her so Question remained silent and decided he would follow his own path again.

He stepped out into the world, lowering his hat and turning his collar up as he walked off. He had everything he needed, or so he thought. Question had faced magical beings before and come out on top. It just required subtly, deception and usually a few well placed bullets to defeat them. His shaman skills were no match for the more powerful of magical users of this world. Still, his mind wondered for a while if having Constantine with him wouldn't make things easier.

The faceless man walked a few blocks then turned a corner and entered an alleyway. There he lifted a tarp that looked like a pile of trash off revealing a small and fast vehicle. Question was more direct then Constantine and the others; he had plans upon plans most times and usually had the answers he was looking for and was more so seeking confirmation of what he believed. Even though through battles he had developed an odd respect and sort of friendship with Constantine, Question still kept secrets and this vehicle full of supplies was one of them. Some secrets weren't meant to be shared.

Question activated his GPS and input the address Donald Trump had given them. It was nearly an hour away so he started the car and pulled off. The ride was uneventful and he was reminded again why he hated driving in California - the traffic. It didn't' matter what time it was or what freeway you were on, there was traffic. He turned up the music on the radio and zoned out, preparing himself for a long ride.

….

6:30 AM

Santa Clarita, California

Question parked his car several blocks away and, after glancing around for a brief moment, slunk into the shadows. He'd make his way closer to Faust's mansion hideout hidden from view so he could observe and watch for a time to better decide what he should do. It didn't tell him long however to realize that something was wrong. The neighborhood was too quiet for it to be this time in the morning. The darkness was mostly gone and the sun was beginning to dry the dew, he was in the Estates part of the desert city where the prominent of California moved to for privacy.

At this time in the morning the people living here were up going to work, jogging around the neighborhood, walking dogs or fussing with children. At the moment there was complete and total silence. Not even the sounds of animals could be heard. He got a visual on Faust's hideout but decided he wanted to check something out first. He looked around and saw that the home to his left had two cars in the driveway, one a mini-van, and the yard had toys in it suggesting kids.

He turned towards the back of the nearest home and glanced around, checking if he was being watched. Seeing no one he sprung easily over their large gate and landed into the backyard. Question silently approached the large house and looked through the windows expecting to see a family inside preparing for the day but was greeted by nothing.

'What the hell is going on?' Question thought. Curiosity filled him and he used a tool to pick the lock and enter the home. He moved carefully through but if what he suspected was true he didn't have to.

A quick survey of the home showed that it was indeed empty. Everybody was gone but all of their belongings were here and there was no sign of struggle. Car keys, clothing, luggage all here. Now Question felt he knew what was going on completely. He left the house and broke into the one across the street finding the same results. Urgency hit him in the chest and he walked carefully yet quickly towards where he knew Faust was.

He sensed no shielding nor magical spells about the edges of the sprawling acres the home resided on so he crouched and began approaching the home, sticking to what little shadows could still be found in this bright west coast morning.

Question easily closed the gap to the home itself and took a peek around, again finding nothing. The eerie silence was beginning to get to him, not even the sounds of trees and leaves rustling could be heard. The window was easy enough to pick and once inside it slammed behind him.

"It took you long enough," came a voice from the shadows.

Question drew his weapon. "Show yourself."

Light filled the room coming from and unknown source and then Question laid eyes on the man himself for the first time. Faust was older but still looked strong and spry. He was wearing long black robes, trimmed in gold with esoteric designs stitched around it. It gave him a comical look but Question knew that each of those symbols probably protected him in some form or enhanced his natural magical abilities and defenses.

"Took you long enough," Faust said as light brightened the room. "I've been watching you outside for quite some time now."

Question kept his pistol aimed, "The people in the neighborhood, you've killed them?"

Faust shrugged. "I had need for life force in great abundance." Faust held up his hand and a pulse knocked Question out completely. "Have, I should say."

5:00 AM

Bel Aire, California

The explosion of flame killed the acolytes before they even knew what was going on. It ripped the entire mansion up from the ground, destroying most of it while what managed to survive was flung a hundred feet into the air. Debris began to rain down, falling into the neighboring mansions causing untold destruction. A thick cloud of choking dust and dirt expanded outward and hung in the late night air like fog. Everything was gone. Faust's trap had worked to perfection and lured John Constantine off his trail.

There was a series of loud coughs and the sound of rubble being pushed aside. Chas sat up, still coughing and rubbing his eyes still trying to gather his senses. Moments ago he'd been reliving the worst moments of his life and now he was...

"Holy shit! Zed?! John?!" He got a glimpse of the utter destruction around him and jumped to his feet. It didn't matter what had happened he had to find his friends. "John! Zed!" he called out and began turning over debris next to him.

A chunk of dirt shifted and Zed flopped out breathing harshly and coughing up black soot. "What the hell just happened?!" She rubbed her eyes.

"I have no idea. One minute I'm stuck in living nightmares and the next-"

"You experienced that too?" Zed was surprised.

"Yeah. What did you see?"

"Nothing I care to talk about." Zed brushed her shoulders. "Where's John?"

Now the mound between them moved and Constantine stood up but they both immediately knew it wasn't him. His eyes were pitch black and his body was glowing with an eerie black light.

"Shit." Chas swore.

"What happened?" Zed stepped away from him.

"He must have had to use the amulet to save us from whatever did this." Chas motioned around them. "John! John! Can you hear me? We don't have time for this! The cops will be here any minute!"

"I don't think you're getting through to him." Zed walked towards Constantine. "John...listen...I don't know what's going on but you have to fight it. You have to fight it and you have to win now. We still have to stop Faust from doing whatever he's doing! Fight it John!"

"C'mon! Fight it! Fight!" Chas urged while Zed stepped slowly closer to Constantine. She began to reach her trembling hand out to his face. "Zed, don't touch him! You don't know what will happen!"

Zed ignored him and placed her hand on Constantine's cheek. His head snapped back and a pulse pushed both Chas and Zed roughly onto their backs. When they got up Constantine was down on one knee, breathing similar to a dying car with plumes of smoke rising from his body.

"John?" They both kept their distance.

"Yeah...Yeah it's me..." John managed in-between breaths. "I-I'll be alright in...In a bit."

"We don't have a bit. I can already hear the sirens in the distance," Zed told them.

"Alright." Chas hoisted John up and slung him over his shoulder. "C'mon Zed, let's go." They began to shuffle through the remains of the mansion into the night.

7:00 AM

Somewhere in California

"John, this is crazy!" Chas leaned in and whispered.

"He's right," Zed added. "We barely survived what happened earlier, you most of all. You're still injured. And we're short a man now." Zed was referring to the Question who had effectively abandoned them when they chose to stop the witch instead of attacking Faust directly.

"And now you wanna go waltzing into Felix Faust's hideout?" Chas glanced around to see if anybody heard them. They were sitting at the bar in the restaurant and John was having a drink.

"We don't have a choice, mate." Constantine gulped some of his cool liquor. "That last little explosion was Faust trying to end me. End us." he looked at them. "Faust told me the entire thing was just a ploy to buy himself more time. No. It has to be now. We have the advantage, Chas. He thinks I'm dead." Constantine finished his drink. "I can use that to my advantage. We know where he is and we just about know what he's trying to do. I'm ready for him."

"Alright so what's the plan? What are you going to do to stop Faust?" Zed asked.

Constantine stood up, grinning in a cheeky manner. "I'm going to make a phone call."

10:00 AM

Santa Clarita, California

"Something ain't right here." Constantine immediately felt the hair on his neck stand up when he got out of the cab.

"It's too quiet here," Zed observed.

"Agreed. Faust's been here for a while now. Who knows what muck he's raised?" Constantine knelt down and put his hands onto the ground for a moment. "Nothing is moving anywhere around here except that house." He pointed to Faust's hideout. "Let's go."

"How we doing this, John?" Chas questioned as he fell in behind Constantine.

"Going straight through the front door."

Chas and Zed stopped in their tracks. "That's the dumbest plan ever," they said as one.

"I don't care," Constantine replied. "I've had enough sneaking about and mucking in the shadows. This is it. I stop Faust here or I die trying." Constantine turned and began walking but his mind wondered if he would really die and if so would his plan to come back to life work?

Chas and Zed said nothing as they just followed Constantine to the doorway. Sensing nothing, Constantine simply turned the lock and opened the door to step inside. The inside of the house immediately shifted from a straight hallway into hundreds of staircases branching off until the eye could not see anymore. The stairs were everywhere, above them, below them and all around at impossible angles and heights with no visible support anywhere.

"What the hell is going on?" Chas whispered.

"Disorientation spells." Constantine sparked a cigarette. "Nothing I haven't dealt with before."

"OK then fix it." Zed waved and then folded her arms.

Constantine exhaled and touched the staircase that was directly next to the doorway. "Mihi vero oculi decepti!" The staircases began to violently shake and a loud creaking sound filled the air before they all crumbled and the home returned to normal. "Anyone else would have been trapped in the infinity."

Constantine used a bit of magic to reach out and sense where they needed to go. He followed the trail of magical resonance through the massive home. He was tired of looking at all the beautiful and expensive things the rich acquired to mask the sick and perverted things they did in the night. Or day for that matter. He ignored everything except what he needed to know where he was going.

Eventually they were led to a door that seemed to glow and eerie reddish color. Once Constantine was sure there were no magical traps on it he opened the door revealing a staircase down into the basement.

"I've got to be honest with ya' both. I'm sick of fighting demons and psychos in basements. Have these Americans no imaginations? It's like all they can think of out here is doing evil magic's in dank dark cellars under their overpriced homes!" Constantine ranted while they walked down the deep stairway. "Can't fucking wait to go home."

The staircase ended and opened into a large hallway that was decorated with paintings of old men and women trying their best to look regal and serious. "I bet the lot of 'em was pedophiles." Constantine spat on the nearest portrait.

The hall ended at two massive doors so they began walking when Constantine and Zed felt the release of powerful magic sweep through the hall. It rushed over them and Constantine felt a feeling of dread and broke out into a run.

"No...No...No..." Constantine held out his hand and hit the door with so much magical force the doors broke from the hinges and slammed into the wall across the room. One of the doors randomly crushed one of Faust's acolytes to death.

"Ah, Constantine...here you are." Faust chuckled. Faust stood atop a small raised platform that was about four or five inches off the ground. Atop the platform stood three robed figures with their hoods pulled far over their heads concealing their identities. Acolytes lined the front of the platform making a sort of wall between Constantine and Faust.

"You're a lot older than I expected." Constantine reached for a cigarette and began to puff and ash it rather rapidly.

"You're too late," Faust said matter-of-factually.

"Yeah, I got that vibe out in the hall. Doesn't mean I still can't make ya' pay for mucking up magic for whatever sick shit you just pulled." Constantine ashed his cigarette then lit another and did the same. It seemed like he was very nervous.

"If that is truly your issue then be at ease." Faust waved a hand. "Now that I'm done siphoning off magical energies everything will return to normal."

"There's also the little matter of trying to blow up me and my mates."

"Oh yes," Faust feigned surprise. "That did happen didn't it? Even still there's three of you and I have five of my best acolytes. What can you hope to accomplish here? Join me, Constantine and we'll unlock the greatest secrets magic has to offer together."

Constantine puffed his cigarette and laughed, "Just a few hours ago you called me a, what was it? A petty dabbler. Now you want me on your team? Seems a bit fishy don't ya' think?" he finished the second cigarette and dropped it to the ground.

"Kill him," Faust growled.

Two of the acolytes tried to run at him but Constantine knelt down and placed his hand on the ground. A shock of bright lightning spread across the floor and engulfed the two men, roasting them alive.

"What? But how?" Faust demanded.

Constantine grinned and brushed the ash off his hand. "Drew a nice little spell out on the ground in ash while you were rambling on there, Fausty. I usually don't use that sort of stuff but when in Rome, am I right?"

Faust growled angrily and held out his hand in a gripping manner trying to bring Constantine towards him but nothing happened. "You really think I didn't come here prepared to face you?" Constantine rolled up his sleeves showing pentagrams and other symbols drawn on his forearms. Constantine then cockily lit another cigarette. "Is that all you got?"

Faust unleashed a fireball that slammed into the Constantine's magical barrier and then washed over it in a torrent of flame. Zed and Chas looked on in amazement as the fire stretched around them trying to find a way into John's protections. After a moment it flicked then went away and the floor around them was scored and blackened.

"I'd heard so many things about you, Fausty..." Constantine taunted. "..I'm a little disappointed. I expected more."

"Silence!" Faust roared and sent out a bluish pulse that shattered Constantine's shield and knocked him to his knees.

"Well damn..." Constantine stood right back up. "That's a bit better."

"Enough of this." Faust drew both his hands up and the remaining acolytes began to shake violently as their souls were sucked from their bodies. "Vocat irae daemone opprimi offeram tibi aperire animae iter!"

"You bloody fool, what have you done?!" Constantine immediately regretted his decision to toy with Faust as the souls of the men swirled together before starting to pulse and glow a fiery dark red. Constantine was stopped in his tracks as the fiery red souls exploded outward knocking him down and a blood curdling otherworldly roar went up.

Before them stood a behemoth of pure fire and rage, nearly eight feet tall. Its head was that of a bull with metallic horns and blood red eyes filled with unbridled rage. In its nose was a large silver hoop that had magical carvings in it. Its body was almost human-like if not for the tufts of fur here and there and the over sized muscles that pulsed with steam and sweat. The creature's legs were that of a goat with its tail hanging behind it and, seeming to snap at things as it swayed to and fro.

"Bloody hell..." Constantine grimaced knowing this was not going to be easy. "Chas, Zed! Leave now!"

Faust stood beside the creature and then waved a hand. From the roof dropped a rope that was tied around a bloody and beaten Question. The demon roared, sending spittle all around in front of him and started towards Question. "Stop me or save your friend." Faust turned and began a spell to open a portal.

"Damn you, Faust!" Constantine grumbled just as Faust and the three hooded figures walked through the portal vanishing. "This isn't over!" He turned to Question and used a light magical spell to slice the rope and the spy fell roughly to the ground just as the demon swung where he just was. Constantine closed his eyes and then released a burst of bright white and blue that struck the demon in the face and knocked it back a few steps.

"Get Question and get the hell out of here!" Constantine ordered his friends.

Chas immediately ran and picked him up. "What about you?" Zed asked.

"Don't worry about me love. I planned for just this situation." Constantine smiled in his classic way then shouted. "Now go!" As they turned he closed his eyes and opened a portal of his own next to him.

Out stepped Susana the Succubus in her human form. He had let her live after they had finished with their sexual escapades deciding that she would be more use to him alive then dead. She could be plied for information or used for a situation like this. Constantine was thankful he'd had enough sense to realize that before he banished her.

The demon recovered from the blast to the face and screamed in a blood thirsty way. "You summoned me to fight that?" Susana recoiled a bit from the scream.

"I figured you could work some of your magic's on the dimwitted beast and make the kill easier," Constantine offered.

Susana rolled her eyes. "That should be easy enough." She stepped forward, shedding her human form revealing her fully nude demonic self. The demon roared again but Constantine saw the glint in its eyes that meant she was working her sexual magic's on it. He began preparing to deal the final blow.

Susana slowly walked towards the demon smiling and holding out her hand a bit as she got closer. The demon stopped roaring and reached out as well beginning to walk towards her now. It was completely entranced and Constantine moved off to the left preparing to strike.

"That's right, my love. Come to me..." Susana's voice held a deep and powerful echo that would draw any man of any species to her, and probably a fair number of women and other varied entities.

The demon took two final steps then snatched Susana up in his arms and ripped a chunk out of her throat. She didn't have time to scream as she was slammed into the ground and the demon began to literally eat her alive, tearing chunks of flesh from wherever he could with his mouth and hands.

Constantine cursed and jumped forward, attempting to stab the demon through with a concentrated blade of his magic's. Right when he was close enough the demon turned and slapped him so hard he flew across the room and right into the concrete wall. Everything was black and white stars and he couldn't breathe but he knew the demon would be on him as soon as he finished feasting on Susana.

'Poor Susana,' Constantine absently thought and tried to stand. He got halfway before pain shot through the right side of his body and he coughed up some blood. "Great..." he wiped his mouth."Broken ribs and more." Ignoring the pain, he stood straight up but then a fit of coughing began to take him and he collapsed back down choking on his own spit and blood. 'Fucking cancer…'

He heard the demon roar again and knew that its meal was done and it wanted more. "Get it together, Johnny..." he struggled to his feet again just in time to meet eyes with the demon. It charged at him again and this time he put up a shield that deflected most of the initial blow. He still flew backwards and slammed into the wall again, this time hearing the audible crack of ribs and bone. The demon charged again.

"Not...gonna...get me..." Constantine hit the demon with all he had left right as it reached a step away from him and the demon was knocked back several feet and let out moo-like sounds that let Constantine know he'd done some damage. Was it enough?

This time getting to his feet was almost impossible and he could see the demon recovering as well, almost unharmed by what little magic Constantine could focus to muster. The demon roared and charged again and this time Constantine knew it was over and hoped his previous gambit paid off.

Gunshots began going off and the demon screamed and fell forward rolling past Constantine and leaving blood trailing behind it.

Question stood leaning on Chas shoulder and pointing his gun, barely able to stand. "Thank you," Constantine managed to whisper. He reached his hand out and dipped it in the demon's blood and began drawing out what he needed to banish this beast; there would be no killing it with Susana having failed.

The demon stood again and now its eyes pulsed with red and yellow as it entered an even more heightened state of rage. It raised its arms high to crush Constantine but Question opened fire again, tagging the demon several times in the chest and once in the head, giving Constantine the time he needed to finish. The demon recovered even quicker this time and stood over Constantine, poised to strike him again.

"Mitteret ad inferos aditus aperit creatura!" Constantine shouted at the last second and white flames shot upwards making the demon recoil and cry out. As its lower half was slowly burning away and shrinking downward into the ground Constantine stood up and grinned. "Good riddance ya' ugly fucker."

The demons roar shook the very walls of the mansion and it lashed out with what form it had in this world still, smacking Constantine across the head with all its might just as it vanished. Constantine flew silently through the air and slammed head first into the wall right beside his friends. His body slammed into the ground roughly and blood began leaking from his head with a patch of it on the wall where he contacted.

"Oh my god, John! No!" Zed and the others ran to him and she checked his pulse then immediately broke down crying. Chas closed his eyes and turned his back while Question stood holding his injured ribs. "He's dead! He's fucking dead!" Zed cried out. "Please God no!"

"God cannot hear you here,girl..."

The room began to grow colder than any of them had ever experienced and in seconds they were shivering and filled with fear. "What the hell is going on?"

"I am here to claim what is mine!" The light in the room faded and a shadowy figure of horrific majesty stepped into view. To look at him was so painful the three turned their heads and began cowering in fear.

"You-You can't take him!" Zed tried to sound strong.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Haaa! None may command me! John Constantine's soul is mine! The cretin sold it to me in exchange for seeing this foolishness through! And even without that mark Constantine's soul was damned long ago!" The Lord of Hell raised his hand and Constantine's soul rose from his body and appeared before them.

"John! No!" everyone was shouting.

Constantine's soul looked at his friends and shocked them all by smiling. "Don't worry mates...I've got a plan..."

"You fool! Nothing can save you now!"

An explosion of flame popped up to the right of Constantine and out stepped another Lord of Hell. "John Constantine, the time to honor our bargain has come. Your soul belongs to me." The second Hell Lord licked his lips in anticipation then suddenly the third lord of Hell came forth.

"What are you two doing here?" the third asked of the first and second.

"This mortal sold me his soul in exchange for-"

"Constantine's soul is mine! I will not let either of you have it!" the second interrupted the first and all three drew flaming swords that send Zed, Chas and Question running from their heat.

All three Lords of Hell stood poised for battle when Constantine said, "Now I don't think any of you want to get into a death battle over my soul. What would happen if one of you actually managed to kill the other? Then he'd have the strength to wipe out the remaining and rule all your kingdoms. Is one little old human soul worth all that?" Constantine's soul reached for a cigarette then realized he was dead.

"You've tricked us!" the first screamed angrily.

"Let's kill him and share his soul to torture for eternity!"

"I'll share nothing with you charlatans! Constantine's soul will be mine or it will benobody's!" The third Lord of Hell turned to Constantine and sent his soul back into his body. Constantine's body sat up breathing and deeply and then doubling over, choking. "You will not die petty magician. You will not be allowed to."

"What have you done?!"

"Healed him and given him immunity. If he cannot suffer in death, John Constantine will suffer in life. A long and torturous life. All around you die, Constantine. You will watch as your friends and family die. You will live on knowing you have been the cause of all their suffering and misery for we may not be able to take your soul but your friends are not so protected..." With that final word something more terrifying then anything the four companions had ever experienced happen. The three lords of Hell laughed as one and vanished.

"No! No, wait!" Constantine shouted to them realizing now the folly in his plan. Yes he had cheated death but he hadn't expected this. Everyone around him already seemed to die and suffer but now he had drawn the ire of the very Lords of Hell itself and they would see him suffer in ways he didn't want to begin to fathom. "No...It wasn't supposed to be like this..."

"You tricked the Lords of Hell, Constantine. You thought you'd walk away from that scot free?" Question asked him.

"I...I don't know...I was dying...the cancer...I just..."

"You just did what you had to so you could survive, John," Zed said assuredly and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You all have to get away from me. Chas, Zed, Question. All of you. The demons, they'll come. The Lords of Hell will kill anyone and anything I get close to. It isn't safe around me anymore."

Chas began to laugh a genuine and deep laughter and spread to Zed and then Question when he realized what they were laughing at. "John, when were we ever safe around you?"

Constantine smiled.