Demon Gate: Beyond the 9th Circle: The Rapture Was Just The Beginning. (19 page)

The El Diablo came to a stop outside the
door and Lucifer stepped out. He looked down
and noticed the remnants of Rodney, then looked
up at Spencer staring down.
From the his position he saw Lucifer
direct him toward the castle as though extending
an invitation to join hum inside.
Spencer led the way back to the stairs and
down to the ground floor. Spencer looked back
toward the door expecting to see Lucifer, but
instead heard footsteps coming from the other
direction, so he advanced after the source of the
sound and soon came to a large wooden double
door. The door parted in the middle as it opened
at Spencer’s approach.
On the far side of the room was a wide
and tall staircase that was twelve feet wide and
twenty feet high. The stairs climbed upward
above the castle to an upper tower where a blood
red carpet led the way to another staircase that
rose at a shallow angle. The stairs started wide at
the bottom and became narrower with each step;
at the top step, a full twenty five feet above the
ground, was an archway that opened up over the
courtyard below, the wall then dropped off the
side of the tower.
A man knelt in the center of the room; he
wore a red cape and a crown. In front of him was
Lucifer. In the back right quarter of the tower
was the white horse.
Satan did not pay any attention to the
horseman; he instead greeted Spencer.
“Welcome to my earthly fortress, Mr.
Garza.”
“So, Lucifer, this is where you’re hiding.”
Spencer mocked.
Lucifer smirked.
“What makes you think I was hiding?”
At the sound of more hoof beats coming
up the tunnel, Spencer and company turned to see
a red horse emerge from the tunnel; riding atop it
was someone that looked like a Spartan, a bloodstained sword in his hand. The second horseman
rode up to Lucifer, and dismounted and sheathed
his sword before kneeling across from the first
horseman; his horse took a position behind him.
“Two down, two to go.” Lucifer bragged.

Lucifer smiled before he turned to the
archway, “I will open a portal to hell and my
generals will summon our troops and begin our
attack on the gates of heaven.”

“Now, the only question is: will there be
four generals or five.”
Spencer was almost surprised, at the same
time he was confused.
“I thought you have given up on having
me at your side.” Spencer reminded him.
Lucifer laughed,
“You think I would give up on one as
powerful as you?” Lucifer said before turning
back to the archway and climbing the stairs.
Staring out towards the open courtyard
below, he spoke.
“In mere minutes the last two of the Four
Horsemen of the Apocalypse will be here and we
will march against the gates of Heaven.”
At those words a black horse emerged
from the darkened tunnel, on its back was a man
in a luxurious black suit, in his left lapel was a
pin bearing the flag of the United States of
America, while his fingers grasped a pair of
balances which he held aloft.
The third horseman rode up to Satan,
dismounted and knelt; his horse did as the other
two before him.
“One more left,” Lucifer said turning to
Spencer.
“Your troops are vulnerable in sacred
places, what will happen when you get to
heaven?” Vince challenged.
Lucifer grinned.
“I’m prepared for that.” Lucifer said,
turning around to face the archway,
Everybody’s mind started racing with
thoughts of when the fourth horseman would
arrive, and what will he look like? They had to
act; the hosts of Heaven were depending on
them.
Lucifer waved his hand over the empty
archway, and as he did black and purple energy
swirled into a portal identical to the portals that
opened up all over the world, then he turned back
toward his Generals.
“Soon, all of my generals will be here.”
“THEN I GUESS WE’LL STRIKE
NOW!” Spencer shouted as he drew his sword
and leapt at Lucifer. Jessie, Gretchen and Vince
followed suite, but Satan raised his hand and
each of his attackers froze right where they were.
“What did you do?” Jessie shouted.
“I’ve immobilized you.” Lucifer revealed
as he came down the stairs, and walked toward
Spencer, “I don’t want you going anywhere.”
Lucifer reached into his pocket for the
bead that he used to transform Rodney into his
servant. “Finally, you will serve me.” Lucifer
vowed.
Gretchen had no idea what occurred next
or even how it all happened, but seeing Spencer
in trouble, she was able to break free of the
invisible hand that had seized her and the others.
Calling forth her celestial sword she went straight
for Lucifer.
“Foolish woman!” Lucifer retorted by
summoning a sword of darkness, the blade
exuded evil and when it clashed with Gretchen’s
blade there was an explosion of energy, but
Lucifer’s blade was not affected by the corrosive
exchange of the celestial light.
“You can’t win.” Lucifer said
despairingly.
“Neither can you,” Gretchen replied.
“We’ll see about that.” Lucifer retorted
before breaking the lock caused by both swords,
then struck at Gretchen who parried the attack.
“Why do you fight, knowing it will all be
for naught?” Lucifer asked.
“That’s funny, I was about to ask you the
same question.”
Lucifer withdrew his sword and sliced
through the air, Gretchen blocked with her blade
causing another explosive release of chaotic
energy.
Strangely the three horsemen remained in
a kneeling position, they looked fearful, and did
not move to assist their leader. Then a fourth set
of hoof beats came from the tunnel. An eerie
quiet filled the chamber as the sound of a horse
neigh echoed throughout the chamber atop the
tower, the sound was joined by a rancid stench,
the smell of ten million rotting corpses.
Finally, a horse entered from the dim
tunnel, a horse of a sickly green with several
open sores filled with decay. They covered the
horse. The rider’s boney hands gripped the reins
as he rode toward the other three horsemen, a
black holocaust cloak covered his skeletal face, a
scythe hung from a holster on the side of the
horse.
With Lucifer momentarily preoccupied by
the arrival of the fourth horseman, Gretchen took
the opportunity to strike a blow to the head with
the hilt of her sword which knocked Lucifer to
one knee.
He glared up at Gretchen and then looked
toward the portal, and then to Spencer, Jessie and
Vince. They were already free and armed.
Lucifer stood and grabbed Gretchen by the throat
and the hand that wielded her sword.
“My generals,” Lucifer called drawing the
attention of all four horsemen, as he stood regally
upright. “Victory is near, but we will have to find
a new launching point.” The four horsemen
stood, mounted their horses and glided up the
stairs and through the portal. Lucifer then looked
at Gretchen and then to Spencer.
“Will you join me, or will you throw your
lot in with them?” Lucifer asked.
“I’ll never join you!” Spencer retorted.
“This is your last chance to join the
winning team willingly, say no, and I will come
back and take you to hell by force.” Lucifer
advised.
“Go back to hell, I’m never coming with
you.” Spencer spat.
A wicked smile crossed his lips as he
turned his attention back to Gretchen who stood
nearly defenseless against the immediate
unanticipated attack. All of them thought he was
just going to run this time, they stood so
confidently. Yet they were standing too far away
from the girl.
“I know your secret.” Lucifer whispered
to Gretchen with a dark smile.
Lucifer released Gretchen and extended
his hand, it passed into Gretchen’s chest. His
hand only remained inside Gretchen’s body for a
moment, but as he pulled it out, a ghostly version
of Gretchen came with it.
“GRETCHEN!” Spencer shouted as he
rushed to her side.
The ghostly image of Gretchen condensed
into a gossamer sphere ten inches across.
As Spencer reached Gretchen, she
collapsed into his arms, her eyes open, but a
blank expression was now pasted on her face.
Lucifer wasted no time moving across the floor
to the bottom of the stairs before turning to gloat.
“What have you done?” Vince demanded.
Lucifer laughed evilly as he stood with
the stairs to his back before turning to climb.
Vince and Jessie gave chase hoping to
catch Lucifer and force him to undo what ever he
had done, but Lucifer had quickly reached the top
step and passed through the portal.
The gateway to hell quickly collapsed a
split second before Vince arrived and he slid
along the floor praying he could stop in time.
Jessie grabbed the collar flashing by her, almost
missed; but hooked her fingers in the materials
and kept him from plummeting to his death.
“Thank you.” Vince offered Jessie with a
grateful nod. Vince and Jessie glanced out the
archway to see the clouds begin to open, just as
they did in Salt Lake, and Bountiful.
“Um, Spencer.” Vince said, “I think we
shouldn’t be here anymore.”

Vince and Jessie rushed back down the
stairs to help Spencer carry Gretchen down the
tunnel.

Bountiful?” Vince asked.
“Yeah.” Spencer replied earning a grave
glance from Vince.
“How much time do we have?” Jessie
asked as they exited the tunnel and into the lower
chamber.
“A minute, maybe two.” Vince replied,
and then noticed that the door was closed, and
barred.
Vince reached up to the handle and tried
to pull it open. Nothing.
“No, this isn’t happening.” Vince said
when the door didn’t even much as budge.
“What’s wrong?” Spencer asked.
“I think Lucifer knows that the castle is
doomed and wants to take us out.”
Vince examined the room, there was a
carpet in the middle of the room, ripping it away
to reveal a wooden trap door.
After pulling the door open, Vince headed
into the room and found an old stockpile of old
Nazi weapons, most were grenades, and other
explosives.
Vince grabbed a crate and headed for the
door.
“Isn’t that dangerous?” Jessie asked.
“And staying here isn’t?” Vince shot back
“Get me a rope.”
Vince began placing German grenades in
the crevices in the wall and Jessie soon came
back with a piece of rope.
With precious little time remaining Vince
threaded the rope though the holes for the
grenade pins.
“Find cover, this isn’t going to be subtle.”
Vince suggested, given the options Spencer took
Gretchen to the stockpile room in the basement,
Vince pulled on the rope and all the pins came
loose.
Vince ran for cover with his comrades
with only a few seconds before the grenades
detonated leaving a gaping hole in the wall.
Vince and Jessie lead Spencer through the
debris as he carried Gretchen on his back into the
hall and finally outside. That’s when Spencer
realized the gravity of their situation.
Looking up he saw that the clouds were
nearly fully open; God’s wrath was primed and
ready to be unleashed.
Passing Lucifer’s 1969 Shelby El Diablo,
Jessie leaned in to check for the keys and found
them in the ignition.
“Get in, let’s go!” Jessie said
Jessie climbed into the driver’s seat,
Spencer got into the front passengers seat and
held Gretchen on his lap, and Vince climbed onto
the back, and held on for dear life as Jessie
started the car, put it in gear and slammed her
foot down on the gas pedal.
The El Diablo sped away from the castle
at ninety-seven miles per hour, Vince held onto
Gretchen, then peered into the mirror as the
clouds continued opening, then the air turned a
pale blue color.
The El Diablo crested the hill four miles
to the north when the beam of blue light came
down and struck the castle and the entire valley
erupted in a violent explosion, but unlike the
incidents in Salt Lake and Bountiful, God did not
settle on striking once.
A second beam reached out of the clouds
to strike the castle again, and then a third and a
fourth.
There was a brief pause and Spencer
thought they were out of danger until the air
filled with electricity, everybody could feel it and
it was growing stronger then an odd sound filled
their ears like a high pitched whine that was
exponentially building in intensity and frequency,
and then the entire sky turned a pale blue.
“Jessie, move it.” Spencer shouted.
Jessie quickly sped across the lose dirt
and gravel around the lake before the final beam,
easily a half a mile wide struck the ground.

The El Diablo continued speeding down
the road along the dam as the top sixty feet of the
mountain disappeared, turned to dust by the blast
from Heaven.

“What are we going to do now?” Vince
shouted over the roaring wind.
“He retreated to hell, what can we do?”
Jessie retorted.
“I wish I could say.” Vince replied.
Spencer was caressing Gretchen who lay
void of emotion or expression. Then his
indignation set in.
“Where was Michael?” Spencer quietly
demanded.
“I don’t have the answer to that,
Spencer.” Jessie admitted.
Munich came and went and Jessie kept
driving until the sun disappeared behind a larger
storm front to the east.
Soon rain started falling, not just falling;
it was coming down in buckets, so she looked for
a place to stop to wait out the storm. The first
adequate place they could find was the barn
where they found the motorcycles so Jessie
pulled the El Diablo in as the torrential rain
started falling.
The barn doors hung open as Spencer lay
Gretchen in a pile of hay and then stalked to the
door to keep an eye out for anybody or anything
that came near.
“Spencer, come eat.” Jessie offered,
hoping to encourage Spencer to focus on
something besides Gretchen.
“I’m not hungry.” Spencer was dying
inside.
“I don’t care,” Jessie snapped, “eat
something.”
Spencer stared out the doors and Jessie
left him.
The storm continued the torrential
downpour well into night, finally the sun went
down. Before turning in for the night Jessie and
Vince closed and locked the barn doors.