TK-Productionz:
I hope that I give your computer an aneurism with how many pages I've managed to cram into this single chapter…
Just a little present for fulfilling my request…
Please review this one.
John stared at him, "A full demon?"
"No. A Human...from hell." The girl moaned, and Midnight sighed, "I can't save her, John. It takes a lot more power than I have. She's dying."
Suddenly, a voice rang from behind them, "Move aside." they whirled, only to see Khi Damascus standing in the door way, his face pale. He carefully walked over to the girl, "I can save her."
"How? You look like death warmed over. You can't even hold yourself up!"
Khi smiled, wryly, "I'm dying anyway. Might as well save one more life before I go." he carefully knelt next to her, and put a hand on her chest.
Khi took a deep breath, and gently whispered, "In the name of the Light, I call upon the elements."
Suddenly, a winds stirred the still air of the room. Midnight and John exchanged looks as the lights flickered rapidly. Water began to pour from the ceiling, as four fires exploded in the corners of the room.
John thought, wryly, 'Good thing I disabled the alarms.'
The fire grew to epic proportions, and as Constantine opened his mouth to protest, Midnight grabbed his arm, "Look! The fire isn't burning anything!" and it wasn't. In fact, it didn't even seem to be real.
Khi tipped his head back as the wind picked up and dirt began falling from the cracks in the walls.
Khi suddenly began to chant in a low voice, his fingers glowing a bright gold. As he did so, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he levitated an inch off the ground.
Constantine whipped out a crucifix, but Midnight shook his head.
"Free this child of grace from her ties in hell," Khi murmured, "I beg of the Powers That Be, grant this unworthy servant the ability to heal your child."
Suddenly, a bright light filled the room, one that Constantine remembered all too well. It was the entrance to Heaven.
Khi closed his eyes, and when he opened them they were pure black. He screamed, "IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND THE MOTHER, AND THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT! GRANT YOUR CHILD LIFE!"
There was an explosion, and both Constantine and Midnight went flying backwards. The still petrified form of the soldier demon disintegrated, and although his eyes were shut tight, Constantine could see Khi and the girl silhouetted in his eye lids.
Khi's back arched, and he cried out once in pain. Then, the light dissipated, the fire disappeared as did the water, wind and earth. The girl's eyes opened, and she breathed in, sharply. Blinking she turned to look at Khi.
The Angelic Demon stood, head thrown back, wings extended. He gasped, his thin ribcage expanding for a split second. Then he exhaled sharply, and fell into a crumbled heap on the floor.
Midnight ran over and helped the girl sit up. She was sobbing, silently.
Constantine, the kind soul he was, prodded Khi's corpse with a toe, "He's dead."
The girl cried, "NO!" she jumped up, and knelt beside Damascus, shaking him forcefully. She glared at Constantine, "He gave me his life! There has to be a way to save him!"
Midnight shook his head, "Magically, no, there isn't. He's gone."
Constantine rolled his eyes, "Christ. Haven't you ever heard of CPR?"
He knelt, and arranged Khi so that he lay flat on his back, head tipped slightly backwards. The exorcist then pushed down forcefully on Khi's chest three or four times, then quickly pressed his lips to Khi's and inflated the corpse's lungs.
Midnight shuddered, and the girl turned her head to the side, "Um...WHAT are you doing?"
Khi's eyes opened explosively, and he turned his head away from John's quickly, "EW!"
John stood, and sighed, "There. No thanks needed."
Khi gasped, and shuddered, "Oh, I feel dirty." he then turned his head and stared at the girl, "Atra."
The girl started, "What?"
"Atra Lumos." Khi said from where he lay on the floor, "That's your name."
She nodded, and whispered, "Thank you."
Midnight looked at the boy on the floor, "You look like hell, kid. Can we get you anything?"
"Do you have any whiskey?"
Midnight chuckled as he and John helped Damascus up. Khi gasped in pain as they touched one of his wounds.
"You're badly injured." Midnight said, stating the obvious.
"I will die." Khi sighed, sadly, "I'm an immortal, but these wounds were inflicted by a weapon designed only for killing me."
Atra suddenly perked up, "I think I can help you there, my friend."
Born From Hell and in Between
Today's date, Tuesday, the hottest day of the year. It didn't help much that Constantine lived in Los Angeles either.
There they were walking down an open alleyway. Constantine, Midnight, and Khi expressed an agony beyond the pain of burning alive. Constantine and midnight carried the dying half-breed, sweat dripped heavily down their faces. They dressed lightly. Constantine wore the same suit, without the jacket, his white button shirt bloused openly, his white under shirt fully exposed. Midnight wore even less. Brown slacks and his hat. He used his shirt to wipe of the torrents of sweat his body released.
There was Atra. Dressed for winter, shivering madly, and in constant complaint of how "cold it was". Constantine glared at her with irritation, if only he had a club, or some other object to silence her with. Hell, duct tape would do…
"Shaman Tenesh!"
She had said earlier.
"Word down in hell is that there was a demon named Tenesh, He was not the most powerful, but the devil definitely had an undying trust in him. Now supposedly the rumors say that during a holy battle he fought an angel named Serin. Eventually through the battles they drew closer, until they fell in love. Now Serin remained faithful to her father but Tenesh betrayed his."
"Wait, you mean to tell me that this demon betrayed the devil???"
Both Constantine and Midnight maintained a quizzical look through her story.
"Well any way. He gave up his former existence, some how through a reasoning with God, and a deal of his devotion to Christ and the revoking of his immortality. He became born onto earth. For 14 hundred years he has lived in monasteries, he even has proclaimed Christ name to masses of people. He has earned powers that separates him from ordinary humans, but his powers are still earth based."
"He continues to work and devote himself to God, hoping that one day he may serve on a plane with Serin…"
"And you think he can help…"
She smiled impishly.
"Well with what I have to offer him he has to…"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There they were. At the door of Tenesh, a perplexing character at best, with the probability that he could breathe life back into the dying Abomination.
KNOCK KNOCK
"!!!!" A horrifying mix of dead languages and hell tongue shouted through the thick, ancient door.
" …" Atra spoke in return.
She could converse in hell-speak!
"You know hell-speak???"
She turned around. She smiled immaturely.
"Well I just happened to have traveled from there…"
Constantine saw something different in the revived woman. She possessed the whimsical nature of a child or a youthful teen. The agonizing heat of a Los Angeles summer was not enough to heat her body. He sensed the forthcomings of very interesting and strange events with the arrival of Atra and Khi.
The door opened and shut abruptly. It then opened hesitatingly. An old Native American man poked out his head. His eyes flickered from one person to the next. His eyes returned to Atra, the closest person to the door.
"I'm sorry pimpette, but your Jiggaloes cannot stay here. And besides, I have a woman that I'm in love with."
He bid Constantine, Midnight, and Khi a look of disgust before he began to shut the door.
"Wait!"
She stuck her arm in the doorway; she followed her action in a wince of pain. The man refused to re-open the door. It would be shut, with or without her arm cut off in the process.
"Shaman Tenesh!" She grunted in pain.
"How do yu know my name???"
"How do you think! I'm from hell; every one knows your name down there…"
"Why should I believe you??!"
With that he pulled the door tighter, making her wince in pain.
"Please!"
He remained, unswerved by her pleading. His brows thickly furrowed, both hands were used to press the door against her arm.
"It's not for me it's for him." She nodded her head over to Khi. Through the thin space between the door and door way he looked out to see the sickly Khi. Khi out stretched his wings in response to the feverish pains that took hold of his body. The shaman gasped. Could it be? An angel? If so how could he be on this plane, in full form none the less…
"He's a halfbreed… Half angel-half demon. He saved my life. Please save his…"
He spoke quietly in hell speak "How can I believe this girl?"
Her face drew nearer, her serious eyes pierced straight through him.
"trust me you can believe me …"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The shaman's home was a patch work of strange ancient cluttered rooms and neat, tidy, present style abodes. One room had a 90's style computer. While walking down the main hall, Constantine and midnight dragged Khi, holding him up by his under arms, his feet dragged on the floor. They noticed that each room had a different style of music playing in it.
Once in the kitchen the Shaman spun around abruptly.
"Now… What do you want."
"I already told you…"
Atra grew fierce with the delaying shaman
"Yes, but why should I do it? Afterall that creature is an abomination."
She drew closer to the man, till there remained only a few inches between them.
"You're the demon who betrayed Satan to find a better path of enlightenment. Could you imagine the hordes of demons out there that would love to know of your new work. "
"I mean until now not a single soul from hell has stumbled upon your secret hiding place."
"Am I supposed to be scared?"
She stepped back, a devilish smile formed, "That depends, do you know what a Scarlet spawn is?"
"Of course!"
"Well I'm one of them…"
"And if you don't help my friend I'll tell every one where you live. Then you'll have something to be scared of."
"Why would you risk your neck to tell of my secret place? You're bluffing!"
"No I'm not. I got a big mouth Tenesh… I'll tell every damned soul in hell…"
He stood there contemplating his options. He looked at Atra again, seeing if she was lying. She greeted him with an evil smile.
"Alright! I'll help your friend… It's not like I hand anything better to do any way…"
Atra returned to her state of childlike bliss as the shaman led them down the hall. Constantine and Midnight remained awed of the hell girl's astounding performance.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Shaman dressed himself in a patch work robe. The sleeves were big and heavy, a multitude of charms, amulets and other things adorned the fabric.
Atra scrutinized him. She was searching for something but she could not grasp it.
"May I help you."
He said in annoyance.
"Did you always look this way?"
He smiled; she knew that he possessed several mortal forms this was just a decoy. His eyes fluttered; then his form smeared, like a clay model that was not yet cooked. His skin darkened and then his face shifted. He was now in the appearance of an African shaman. Constantine and Midnight stared, baffled.
"Tell me shaman. How could you, a shaman possibly help our friend?"
Tenesh smiled at Midnight, "That's because I am not really a shaman…"
"Then what are you?"
"No one aside from myself can really be sure. I simply chose the title of a shaman because sounded the most neutral."
"Neutral???"
"Yes neutral. Although I am a servant of God, I still have to be careful of half-breeds, from either side…"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The room used to heal Khi, looked reminiscent to the laboratory that birthed Frankenstein. Elaborate mazes of tubes with numbers of colored liquids ran along the ceilings, they connected to various beakers and flasks set up on tables on either sides of the room. Burn marks, wearing out symbols and puddles of unknown components decorated the floor. Junk could be fond on every table, in every crevice and corner of the room.
Near to left side there was a long table, blanketed with scrolls, blueprints, books, flasks, and any other mysterious items. Behind it two large oval shaped, glass flasks. The flasks were covered in patches of steel that were fused together with bolts, a smaller oval shape was the only part uncovered.
"It would appear that you possess a number of powerful and desired trinkets."
Constantine was half mocking him, half stating the obvious.
Tenesh returned his statement with a dirty glare.
"Where should we put him?"
He lifted up Khi by the armpit, gesturing to him.
The shaman gave no eye contact; he was busied reading through a book that was sewn into the sleeve of his left arm.
"Just put him over there."
He waved his arm in the direction of junk covered table with the two giant flasks.
CRASH
His thorough search through the book was interrupted by Constantine clearing all the junk off the table. The various flasks shattered, The brass and silver pots, plates and bowls clanged, hitting the ground, the semi organized selections of paper now fluttered all over the floor. He looked at them, his appearance changed; he now was Caucasian, with a large white, scraggled beard and a balding head of white and grey hair. When he changed so did his accent, it was now English.
"Thank you…"
His voice quivered with a mix of agony, stress, anger, and fear.
Constantine, with his asshole-wise guy attitude answered; a blunt smile on his face.
"You're welcome."
Khi rested on the table, his shirt pulled away along with his pants, he was in nothing but a plain pair of boxer shorts. Atra stayed near him, she had never had an attraction to any one; she didn't even know what love was. Strangely enough she could not take her eyes off of him. He looked beautiful, even in this sickly dying state.
"Ok, I'm ready…"
He said, rubbing his hands together in confidence.
"What do we do?"
Tenesh smiled cleverly, his now yellow teeth covered any ascetic beauty around his mouth.
"You will help, but at the same time it will seem that you are not helping…"
They each shot him a look of bemusement.
"Ok… Witch-doctor, bring me those prongs over there. Excorcist, I will need you to go get me that Long tube over there."
"What can I do?"
Atra was eager to assist in the matter.
"Oh go stand over there…"
Once again, without making eye contact he gestured over to the left flask. Atra's heart sank. Was all she going was sit around and watch?
They returned with the items.
"By the way… It's Constantine, John Constantine."
"Asshole…"
Tenesh disregarded there demands for identity, he simply grabbed the utensils, and bound them together. He now held a wicked looking hose with a jagged wooden claw-like piece at the end of it. He then attached the openend of the hose to a bar that connected in between the two flasks. He returned to Khi, holding the horrible looking claw. He began to read out of his book.
"IN THE NAME OF…."
"Whoops! Wrong page."
Tenesh flipped over through a few pages to find the right one.
Constantine eased over to Atra. Standing right beside he leaned over.
"Are you sure he can do this?"
She offhandedly said, "I don't have a clue."
He looked her straight in the eyes. She smiled sheepishly.
"Umm… I'm sure he can do it…?"
Tenesh began, he lifted the book slightly. With his right hand he waved the clawed instrument over Khi, seven times. He changed now he was of an African form, his voice boomed.
"I A HUMBLE SEVANT ON EARTH ASK YOU..."
"I BEG OF YOU..."
"GRANT THIS CHILD PASSAGE ONTO THE WORLD YOU CREATED. IN TRANSFER OF HIS IMMORTALITY."
Constantine scoffed, "Is all of this necessary?"
Tenesh shut the book. He turned to face him.
"Do you know why he is dying?"
"Because he was stabbed a weapon created to kill him."
"Aside from that."
"He tried to heal himself with angel side, and he treid to heal himself with his demon side."
"The weapon was designed to kill both…"
"So yes John… All of this is really necessary."
"Because in order to heal him. He must be healed from neither side."
"Earth…"
"Yes. Very good John."
Tenesh took in a deep breath and continued.
"TO KILL THE DEATH OF IMMORTALITY, I ASK YOU TO GIVE HIM THE LIFE OF A MORTAL!!!"
"OH no!" Atra thought.
"TO TAKE AWAY HIS IMMORTAL PAIN, I BEG YOU TO GIVE HIM MORTAL PAIN."
"TO TAKE AWAY THE AGONY, I ASK YOU TO GRANT HIM HUMAN SORROW."
Tenesh then drew out a silver knife. Khi shouted in pain as Tenesh cut into him, connecting all his scars together, making one huge laceration on his skin.
HEEEUH!!!
He drove the claw deep into Khi's chest.
"HOLD HIM DOWN!!!"
Both the witch doctor and exorcist rushed over to hold down Khi's fighting, agonized form. Atra watched form where she was put, she was in shock. Tenesh then began chanting in a mixture of languages. The hose expanded as if water or something was passing through it. The two giant flasks then began rumbling and shaking. Khi's eyes hollowed out his wings disintegrated; he looked nothing more than an empty husk.
"What have you done…?"
THUD
From within the flasks, two beings were created, inside the right flask an angel dwelled, half of an angel. Its form was split right down the middle. It was still beautiful; a white ora glowed and glittered around it. In the left flask the angry half of a demon pounded on the impenetrable glass.
Tenesh proceeded. Placing one hand on Khi's forehead he continued without the book.
"GRANT HIM THE BONES OF THIS WORLD!"
They watched to see ribs rising under his skin.
"THE FLESH!"
"THE MUSCELS AND INNARDS."
"And lastly..."
His fingers dug into the wound of where the claw was dug.
"THE BLOOD!!!!"
Both the angel and demon went wild. Blood, a mix of red and silver poured out of every wound. It poured until it hit the floor. At this point the demon side was going insane. Constantine drew the spare rosary out of his pocket. Tenesh became very calm, eerily calm.
"Atra…"
"ATRA!!!"
The stunned hell-girl finally snapped her head in his direction.
"Atra I need you to do something for me."
She listened.
"I need you to get closer to the flask."
With a dumb-founded apprehensiveness she pointed stupidly at the violently shaking flask with the demon in it.
"Yes, that one."
She inched over.
"More…"
She inched over a little more.
"More."
She timidly made a single step.
"MORE!!!!"
She jumped over to the spot she stood in before.
His demure behavior returned. He spoke calmly and reassuringly.
"Now I need you to place your hand on the flask."
She shook her head.
"Come on Atra…" Only the slightest hint of anxiety escaped Constantine's voice.
Timorously her hand inched over to the side of the flask.
"Atra?"
"Atra?!?!"
With the single touch of her hand a great evil was unleashed, inside of her. Veins blackened and rose on her skin, her head hung low, Her long flowing hair clumped and befell into a state of dirty and sweatiness. Her body trembled. What had become of her?
"The demon…"
"She's possessed…"
The flask, empty, the angel inside the other flask looked concerned. Atra's hand peeled off the side, her hand engulfed with tar, hot and sizzling dripping off of both. The clumps of sweaty hair parted with her head drawing up. Her face was now heavy set and sunken in, black veins traced around and along side the areas of her eyes, her eyes were entirely red, her irises, a brilliant orange fire, while her pupils glowed the lightest shade of green.
"What's wrong with her?"
"I mean, I've seen a number of possessed people in my life but what's with the tar?"
"How is it possible for that demon to have transferred into her like that?"
They both readied their incantations and exorcism equipment.
"Well she is a Scarlett spawn…"
Before they ask him what that meant he continued.
"By being a Scarlett Spawn, and the fact that she just was granted passage onto earth, even though she belongs in hell. She is now a direct link into hell, meaning that any demon possess her. "
"Gee, thank you for telling us that now."
"But whats with the tar?"
"She has just been possessed by the son of Mamon. That's the third strongest demon out there, don't you think that would account for something?"
'Ok ' Constantine thought, 'Just like any other demon, Exorcise it and save the girl.' He pushed up his sleeves.
She glared at them. Smiling at them she went off on them with the deepest and most guttural hell-speak produced.
"Yeah that's nice…"
He sprinted towards her, knocking her to the ground. Midnight followed at his heel. With all their might they pressed down the fighting and roaring possessed girl. He pinned the rosary onto her forehead. Steam gushed forth, she roared in anguish.
"Careful with her, don't expel the demon just yet!!!"
She roared, her tar covered hands grabbed him by the shirt. She then tried to pull him down closer, to bite away at his face. With his left he counter acted her pulling by pushing her down, his hand on her throat. Her mouth bit the air wildly. 'Great', He thought '$400 dollar shirt, once again ruined…'
"What do you want me to do?"
His voice sounded struggled.
"Just hold her down until I'm done. Though she may be possessed by any demon, she can slightly control it."
Between her practically destroying his nuts with her knee, her vicious clawing, and her desire to pull him close enough to bite off his face. He managed to recover with a retort.
"You call this control…?"
"The demon hasn't managed to transfer itself into another, and it hasn't sucked out your soul. I consider that control on her behalf…"
"John…" He stole a glance at Midnight. "Let's just try to keep her down." Midnight smiled. "Besides, I sense that this will be over soon enough."
Constantine fought her. Midnight held a hand to the top of her head, with closed eyes he chanted to hopefully weaken the demon inside.
"THERE! Done. Bring her over here."
As if the demon had sensed his needed return to Khi's form, He directed the powerless Atra to start running. Though he didn't get very far with the attack of Constantine and Midnight, the exorcist drove the rosary deep into Atra's fore head. Weakening the demon enough to have Tenesh send it back into the flask. Tenesh then began to chant, the hose stretched out again and Khi's empty shell began to tremble. He was now complete. The wounds of the weapon had ceased to fester. His eyes returned, along with his brilliant wings. Atra lay dazed on the floor the two demon fighting crusaders panted, tired from their battle. Constantine inspected his grizzly sweat, and now tar adorned shirt.
"Midnight."
He turned to face John.
"Think a Laundromat would be able to remove tar."
He chuckled at John's hopeless, rhetorical question.
Khi sat up, wide awake.
"Welcome to the land of the living."
Tenesh smiled, he slapped the confused Khi's forehead.