Author's Note: Thank you for continuing to read! Again this story takes liberties with and different interpretations of Judeo-Christian beliefs. If this possibly could offend, please stop reading.
If you have comments send them to sockinigsaw@hotmail.com. This is one of the best ways for me to know if I should keep going.
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***
Demon Run
And the war raged for days, and hundreds of hosts were slain dead on the battlefield. - The Book of Nephilim
Unknown Time
Unknown Place
***
The snow whipped around Derrick as he stood on the peak of a large mountain. Below him was a valley that was green, and lush. Two large massive trees flanked a river that ran right down the valley. There was evidence below that a civilization lived near the tree, and was prosperous. Further to the North of that settlement was another settlement, which Derrick knew was the settlement of the Nephilim, the children of the angels and man.
Derrick took a deep breath. He didn’t know why he came here. Why he wanted to feel this pain, but he felt it was necessary, to keep going, and not give up what he was charged with doing. John was safe, and therefore he could take a moment to tend to his own torment.
“Don’t go.” a voice behind him said with a tone of sadness.
Derrick didn’t want to turn around to face it, but he knew he had too. That was why he had come back; Why he always came back.
The voice belonged to him. He looked the same, with the spiky blond hair, and the tan skin. Standing in front of him was a large winged creature that looked to be that of storm clouds, with lighting illuminating parts of the creature from time to time. The wings themselves were made of scale and bones. In its right hand was an ornate scythe that was a formidable weapon. Derrick had seen it in action many times over the eons.
“We could live in my realm. We don’t have to worry about any of this!” the other Derrick continued. Tears were running down his face. Derrick could feel the tears forming in his eyes, but he fought back.
“You know it is impossible.” The creature said, his voice strong and powerful, as if the power of the lightning his robes were also his voice. “I must end this.”
“Let it go.” Derrick again begged. “This will destroy you. And it will destroy me.”
The creature raised up a clawed hand and wiped the tears off of Derrick’s face. Derrick pushed his head into the creature's hand. “I will always be with you.”
“I want you physically here.” Derrick protested. “I want you physically with me, not as an echo, not as a shadow of who you are.” His face grew hard. “I want you!”
“But this is how it was always meant to be played out.” the creature looked up into the sky. “I must do this.”
Derrick collapsed into the snow, and sobbed.
“You have a responsibility.” the creature said, pulling a small leather bag from his robes. “My offspring will be in constant danger. You must protect them, and when the time is right, you must awaken them to the possibilities.”
“You mean Division.” Derrick said, his face going dark, like it had in the hospital room.
“Division will rise and fall, but you must assure that they do not…” the creature stopped, and looked back into the sky. “I must go.”
Derrick stood up, and took the bag from the creature. For the first time, eyes appeared on the creature's head that were bright purple, and looked to be on fire. It was hard to see, but Derrick knew he was crying as well. The pain was immense.
Derrick reached up and gave the creature a kiss, on a mouth that was hidden. He stepped back and nodded his head. He had a new determined look on his face.
The creature nodded, and took flight into the air, heading to a battle that he would not return from.
“And the morning star falls.” Derrick whispered to himself, as the whole scene dissolved in a flurry of snowflakes.
***
August 29, 2021
“What the hell was that?” Sam asked for the hundredth time as they drove out from the parking garage.
“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Jason said, sighing. “You keep asking, but I don’t know anything to tell you.” He leaned against the window and looked out.
Sam had already told him that she saw him glowing with a blue light, and that there was a glow coming from his hand.
“You must have felt something?” Sam said looking in the review window.
Jason squinted his eyes, thinking about that moment. He could feel John’s heart beating with his, and that he saw John laying in a pool of water in a cave somewhere. He had the urge to reach down and pick him up, to cradle him and protect him.
“Nope.” Jason sighed. He wouldn’t let Sam in on that part of the story. “I will drive myself back to the hospital. You can spend the night with TIna.”
Sam just shook her head. She knew something more was going on, but she wasn’t going to press it. Maybe whatever John had was contagious, and he was passing it on. Maybe this was the first sign of something wrong.
***
Tina pulled up to Jason's house, and Jason got out of the car. “I will call you tomorrow and give you an update.”
Sam nodded, and pulled off back to her house, where Tina was most likely waiting for her.
Jason watched Sam drive off, and glanced over the Rio Grande valley that was Albuquerque. The sun was setting, and shadows were forming from the various trees and buildings. Jason couldn’t help but feel the urge to run into the house.
“Bah.” Jason said silently. He was too old to believe in monsters lurking in the dark.
As he approached the front door, the hairs on his neck stood on end. The front door had been smashed in. The alarm that he had, was not set off. He was sure he had set it when they left that morning. He hesitated, but moved closer to the building.
Pushing the door fully open, he saw the interior of his home had been trashed. The couch, loveseat, and recliner were tossed to the side, as if a toy in a child's doll house. The picture that was above the fireplace had three large tears, that reminded him of a scene from the Jurassic Park movie. He swung the staff in front of him, giving it a test.
He stopped, and looked at the staff. When did he grab this? The last he had it was upstairs in the bedroom. He would worry about that later. He had to make sure he was alone.
He moved to the phone that was laying on the floor, next to the smashed end table. He picked up the receiver, but there was no dial tone.
Jason was a formidable fighter, but he always liked having Sam with him, someone to watch his back. He moved silently to the kitchen, where there was another phone, that maybe it would work.
Pushing into the kitchen, the same scene met him. The kitchen had been trashed, with the drawers pulled out, broken plates on the floor, and the knives jabbed into the wall. Whoever had done this did it with a surprising amount of anger. If a person was looking for valuables, they wouldn’t have bothered with the destruction, and there were many valuable things destroyed.
He picked up the phone in the kitchen, and again no dial tone. Maybe the line had been cut.
This was no time to play hero. Jason opted to leave without clothes, which he assumed would be torn up anyway. He made his way to the far end of the kitchen, this time moving quickly and louder than he should have. He just hoped that they didn’t touch his cars, that they were left alone so that he could leave.
He reached the door to the attached garage, and opened it. The garage was also torn up, but from what he could see the cars were still intact, with no damage to them. He started to head to his SUV, but stopped as he put his hand on the car door.
He was not alone.
He forced his breathing to an almost stand still, and closed his eyes, trying to focus his mind on any sound that came from his surroundings.
It was faint, but he could hear the sound of someone walking around the far end of the garage. The footsteps were light, but they were clear. He ducked next to the vehicle, and pressed himself against it. He wished he had been quieter when he entered the garage. He had made a mistake, but it was not the worst situation he had been in.
He moved towards the garage door. He had the disadvantage of not knowing exactly what he was facing, and it would be better to be out in the open of the driveway. As he made his way to the garage door, he paused to try to find where the person was in relationship to him. Whoever it was seemed to be interested in something on the other end of the garage.
As he reached for the button that would lift the garage door, he paused to listen one last time. Once he hit the button, he would roll out under the door, and then try to make it as far from the garage as possible. Hopefully this person did not have a gun, or at least would be a bad shot. He could tell they were on the far end of the garage. Maybe he wasn’t as loud as he thought. Maybe they didn’t hear him.
Hitting the button, the garage door groaned as it came to life, and started to lift off the ground. Come on! Jason thought to himself. He never realized how slow this thing was before.
When the door was about a foot off the ground, he rushed forward and slid under, and then made a break for the end of the driveway. He didn’t care if the person was behind him, he just wanted to be out in the open for a chance at survival.
Spinning around, the garage door was fully open. Of course it moved faster when he didn’t want it to be. He took a defensive stance with the staff in his hands. He didn’t know how he had it, but he was glad to have his faithful weapon in his hands. It saved him in many tight situations.
The sun was fully setting behind him, and he was bathed in the twilight that was signinaling the night. He focused to control his breath, but he felt as if he was now surrounded on all sides. This was worse than being in the garage. He started to shake with fear.
From the garage a figure stepped forward. It looked like a person, but it was completely blank, as if it was formless, but at the same time had a form. He had the thought from a horror movie he had seen, where the monster was a shadow.
“What do you want?” Jason shouting. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not, but he needed to buy time.
“Division comes.” The voice sounded as if it were wavy and disformed, like the shadow. It didn’t come from any particular direction, but seemed to surround him. “The Guardian shall fall.”
Jason squinted at the creature, but felt there were eyes on him from all sides. He glanced to his left, and saw two more of the creatures. He glanced to the right, and saw another one. He didn’t want to look behind him, as he was sure there was another.
Jason started to panic. There was no way out of this. He had misjudged the situation, and was not being surrounded. But how could shadows be attacking him? Could they even hurt him? Was he having a dream?
A voice whispered something into his ear. It was faint, but it was there, and Jason had to strain to hear it. He shook his head. “How will that do anything?”
The creatures started to move in on him. He could also see claws forming where their hands should be. Three prongs, that if he had the time would match the rips in his painting in the living room.
Again he heard the voice whisper. “What the hell.” Jason sighed. He had nothing to lose. This was the end.
He took the staff in both hands, and held it vertical in his hands, about three feet off the ground. He closed his eyes, willing this to work, and slammed the staff on the pavement in front of him. Through his closed eyes he could see a light emerge from his staff. He opened one eye. The staff had turned into a rod of light, and was growing brighter.
The creatures hissed, and recoiled from the light. He stared at the staff in astonishment, forgetting that he was in danger.
Attack. The voice said in his head. The fear he had disappeared, and he spun the staff around. The light followed where it went, and continued to grow bright. Jason charged at the creature that had come out of the garage. As he reached the creature, he took the staff and brought it down on the creature. It didn’t have time to react, and as the light touched it, it exploded into a spray of dark beads that evaporated into the night air.
Jason turned to face the other creatures, but they had sulked back into the shadows. He no longer felt he was being watched. For the first time Jason took a deep breath. The air was getting cooler, and it felt good on his lungs. He tapped the staff on the ground again, and the light started to fade, as if it was a lightbulb.
He felt confident, and decided to continue exploring the house, and to find clothes that he could take with him to the hospital.
***
And the two great hosts had fallen.. - The Book of Nephilim
***
Jason sat on the edge of the bed, which had not been touched. Whatever those creatures were, they were focused on the downstairs.
He had laid the staff against his dresser, and was eyeing both it, and himself in the mirror. He had more questions than answers, and wasn’t sure where to find the answers. The thing downstairs had said Division, just like the book, and John had said in his dream.
And how he had grabbed the staff from downstairs. He was certain he hadn’t left it downstairs, and he was certain he had not grabbed it on the way into the house. And then there was the issue of it lighting up.
Jason sighed and stood up and grabbed the staff. He must have been dreaming. Lifting the staff three feet off the ground, this time with one hand, he tapped it on the floor. Nothing. He grabbed it with both hands, and slammed it down harder on the floor. Nothing.
“It won’t work.” A voice from the door came in. It sounded vaguely familiar.
Jason spun around, again ready to attack, but stopped. “Dr. Mend?”
“Names Derrick.” The young man walked into the room, looking around. “Nice place you have.”
“What are you doing here?” Jason watched him as he inspected a full body mirror. “Is something wrong with John?”
“No.” Derrick turned and smiled, showing a row of teeth that Jason swore were pointed. “He is okay, thanks to you.”
Jason tightened his grip on the staff. “What are you?”
Derrick ignored the question, and made his way to a chest of drawers that had a series of photos on it. He reached up and selected one in the center, which was hardly noticeable. The picture was of a younger version of Jason, and an older man that looked like him. In the background was a cabin. “Father?” Derrick asked, turning around and held out the photo for Jason to take.
Jason didn’t move.
“Your choice.” Derrick tossed the photo on the bed, and continued his search of the room. “You are rather stubborn.”
“What do you want?” Jason asked, still keeping himself in a defensive stance.
“I…” Derrick was busy playing with a shirt that was hanging on a bed post, “I am here to help.” He turned around and crossed his arms. “Well, guide maybe. I am technically not allowed to interfere.” He shook his head. “Put that away Jason. I am not your enemy.”
“You are here without an invite, and you are not human!” Jason said with a stronger voice than he had intended to do.
Derrick uncrossed his arms and sighed. “Of course.” He moved to a red, wing-back chair that sat opposite the bed. He sat down with a flourish that made Jason think of an old time monarch, insisting on being the main attraction. “My name is Derrick, and I am a member of the Void.” He pointed to his teeth. “I can usually mask myself well, except for the teeth.” He opened his mouth and a row of sharp teeth appeared, but this time there were multiple rows of them. “I have been watching John now for several years.”
“Why?” Jason was getting a cramp in his hand, and wanted to stop holding the stick so tight, but he wasn’t sure if he could trust this thing. Again ,maybe this was another dream.
“Long story.” Derrick sighed again. “Please put that down and sit.” He motioned to the bed for Jason to sit.
Jason glanced at the bed, and then back at Derrick. “If I do, will you tell me everything?”
“As much as I can.” Derrick said with a smile. “There are some things that I cannot say.” His eyes seemed to wander to a distant thought, and a slight smile came across his face.
Jason kept his staff with him, but he did relax, and took a seat on the edge of the bed, ready to jump at a given moment. “Why have you been watching John?” Jason again asked but with a deeper determination.
“Originally,” Derrick started. “I was watching his father. The one that you had on your digs.” A frown crossed Derrick’s face, and Jason felt that he had a moment of regret. “I thought that he was the one that was to connect with you. I never imagined that there would be such a…” Derrick scrunched up his face, “age difference.”
Jason didn’t ask any questions, but waited for Derrick to continue his story.
Derrick started to pick at the stray fabric that was sticking up from the chair. “From time to time, reincarnations of two lovers from the past. Two men who have loved each other from the dawn of time.” Derrick leaned forward, and put his hands between his knees and looked intently at Jason. “Do you know the story of Cain and Abel?”
Jason was shocked that he would ask a question like that. “Yes?”
“No.” Derrick laughed. His laughter seemed to bounce off the walls and caused Jason’s hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end. “Those that wrote it were wanting to make a point about behaving, and not going against ‘Gods’ will.” He rolled his eyes at the word. “The great and terrible…” he glanced at Jason, “Another time.” He leaned back in the chair and looked out the window as if he was reliving the events. “Cain was a man of deep passion. Contrary to popular belief, there were other humans around at the time. Many humans that had escaped the cataclysm that was the Garden of Eden. Some were human, others were nephilim.” Derrick paused to gauge the reaction that Jason was presenting. Dogma was sometimes hard to correct, and not everyone wanted to hear this.
“While many assume Cain was a child of Eve, after all, that makes the most logical sense if you only have one family alive,” he laughed again, “but the truth was he was the child of one off the angels. Abel was the child of another angel. Ironically, their parents were both hot headed, and hated each other.” He paused for a moment, and closed his eyes. Pain seemed to flash across his face. Opening his eyes, tears seemed to be forming on the eyelids. “I had been tasked with watching over Cain. To make sure he was okay.” Derrick sighed. “He cared for Able and Able cared for him. They fell in love, and spent many decades happily.”
“They were brothers?” Jason asked. This was ridiculous. The fact that they actually existed was beyond real, but that they were lovers was even worse.
“No.” Derrick smiled softly. “The reason why that is in your dogmatic book, is because of Adam and Eve. They were able to get enough people angry, and upset about it, that they were able to turn almost everyone against the two. The story passed down was that Cain killed Abel because God favored him more, but the truth is,” Derrick paused as he set his jaw and his eyes went cold. “Division was born, and they ended his life.”
“Dvision?” Jason asked. Again with that word, and now he would know what it meant.
“Mankind, with all its hatred for these two men, created demons, dark creatures that were designed to hunt down abominations like Cain and Abel.” He looked out the window again. “Like those you faced tonight. Crawlers.”
“So they hung the LGBT community?” Jason asked. This was ridiculous.
“No.” Derrick brought his eyes back on Jason. “They hunt down anything that is good. They killed Abel, before Cain could save him.” A smile spread on his face. “When Cain found the body, he lost it. He unleashed the power of his father on earth, and ended up killing hundreds for their crime. Smashed Division back into the darkness they came from.” Derrick took a deep breath. “And then he fled. Wandering the earth till his last days.”
“Wasn’t he supposed to be immortal?”
Derrick laughed again. “The dogma is strong on this isn’t it. No. He lived for another 3 years, before sorrow and depression caused him to no longer want to live.” He raised an eyebrow as Jason. “So, usually through a family lineage, from time to time, the two find each other again, and Division is awakened again.”
Jason opened his mouth to ask a question, but stopped. He wanted to ask who he was, but he decided that was not best. “Who were the angles?
“Well the two of the highest, and most powerful.” Derrick lowered his head. “Able’s father was Micheal, and Cain’s father was the Morning Star, Lucifer.”
***