Underworld (Dark Passage) (25 page)

I wipe the single tear away and turn toward the miles
of spewing fires. All the land before us is sprinkled
with flames that stand in contrast to the blackness of
the place. There is nothing out there moving. No
living thing dwells in the cruel lands that stretch
before us. Evil shrouds the place and the heat is
stifling. We are approaching the veil of the abyss.

Our feet are blistered and we are in desperate need of
water but we walk onward. The only light is from the
shooting streams of lava and the air is heavy with
death. My skin feels as though it is raw from the heat
of the place and my muscles ache from exertion.

Finally we reach the edge of a great mountain and
make our way inside. The place is so dark I can see
nothing and Tyler pulls out a small flashlight. Huge
stalagmites hang down from the dark ceiling high
above and the sides appear to have been hollowed out
purposefully. We walked along for a while and then
came upon a tunnel. We stopped and heard rustling
in the shadows. I thought I heard someone scream
from far away and listened closely. Silence. We start
forward again and suddenly I hear another scream.

“Help. Please help us”. There is no mistaking Jen’s
voice this time. I bolt forward and feel Tyler’s hand
on my arm. I roughly try and pull free and he holds
tighter. I whirled around to break free of his grasp.
His face was tight and his eyes shone with concern.
“You don’t have to do this. The likelihood of all of
getting out of here is slim to none. Once we find her
we will probably all be killed. Or something even
worse may happen to us”. Said Tyler

“Yes I do. I am the only one
who can help her and I
won’t leave her here to die”. My voice was firm but
tears sprung from the corners of my eyes.

“Let me go Tyler. If I don’t go she will die. Please
understand that I owe her this”.

He let go of my arm and I laced my fingers with his
for a moment. We then dcontinue forward and after a
time a light appears. I can hear voices in the distance.
I stop and turn to look into Tyler’s eyes. I give him a
sad smile and reach up to kiss him. His lips meet
mine, and I wrap my arms around his neck, burying
my head in the crook of his arm. We hold each other
this way for several minutes and I can’t help but think
this is goodbye. After so much time apart, we find
each other, only to be separated once again.
“Stay here with Jast. I will need your help getting
them out of here”.

Tyler opened his mouth as though to object but I
shake my head. We both know that we will never
leave here alive. His only chance is to listen for the
inevitable and then ride back out the way we came.

“I must do this alone Tyler”. He met my gaze and
finally conceded. With that I turned on my heel and
walked forward alone. I had walked just a short ways
and I heard him speak.

“I love you Ivy. Don’t ever forget that”.
I didn’t look back but wiped my eyes with the back of
my hand. To my surprise I no longer felt afraid. This
was my destiny all along and in a way I am glad that
it is ending this way. I will have done something
worthwhile in my life. For Jen’s sake, at least I’ve
tried.

I stumbled forward and pull Anathema from the
sheath. I think back to all the people I have met along
the way that have helped bring me to this moment.
Tom, Lizzy, Maggie and so many others have guided
me. Each gave something of themselves and I took
their wisdom with me. I am not afraid to die and
know that beyond the veil there is an eternity waiting
for me.

In front of me I hear a roar and the sound of rushing
wind is deafening. It’s as if a great furnace was
opened and then a great stench like burning flesh
filled my nose. I fought back the bile that was
threatening to escape, and put my sleeve across my
face, to ward off the stench. The hairs on my neck
stood on end and I could sense that something was
just ahead of me. I held my small blade tightly and
felt a surge of energy course through it.

Then there was a great crashing sound and an intense
heat coming toward me. Then a sudden movement
caught my eye. Not more than 100 feet away was
something so frightening that I thought my heart was
going to beat out of my chest. A dark creature alight
with fire was coming toward me. His skin moved
with the light of fire and great flames were reflected
in eyes of blackness.

The creature was enormous and had a manlike
appearance except for great black wings which were
fanned out behind him like sails on a great ship. It
was magnificent to look at but when it spoke in its
inhuman voice I was truly terrified. The features
were perfectly sculpted and I became acutely aware
that I was seeing a fallen angel in all its terrible
splendor. He gazed down at me with hatred burning
in his eyes.

“I told you we would meet soon Ivy. Did you think
you would come and simply take her away from
here?”

The voice was rough like thunder and the force of it
shook the place. He tilted his head back and chuckled
to himself. The heat coming from his breath burned
my face and I wondered what I was thinking coming
here. Did I actually think I could have a ghost of a
chance against something like this?

Then I heard muffled cries and Jen and the others
were brought forward. Bill stood next to Jen with his
arm around her shoulder and behind them I saw
David and Lisa. My heart fell when I saw David. His
skin had been peeled from his body and he was
disfigured almost beyond recognition. Despite his
ghoulish appearance Lisa held onto his arm and
helped him walk. My gaze fell and I could no longer
look at David.

I could hear Lisa calling to me to help them and sobs

threatened to explode from deep inside me. The lives
of people I had loved and known were in the balance
and I could do nothing to help them. What was I
doing here and why did I think I had any hope of
helping them? The tears I had been holding back
streamed down my face now. My head hung down
and I called to the creature.

“Please. Take me and let them go. It’s me you want
not them”.

I could hear Jen scream no and then laughter from the
creature. I forced myself to meet its gaze and was
going to plead with it but something in its eyes
stopped me.

“What makes me think I want to bargain with you? I
could have had you years ago but you weren’t worth
the effort. Not even your own kind wanted you.
They sent you down from the first realm and forgot
about you. I watched your miserable existence for
years and you did nothing to impress me. Nothing

more than a misguided child that nobody wanted”.

“What do you mean? Who sent me down here?
What
do you know about it anyways? I shouted the words
at the creature and it simply smiled in amusement.
I became angry and screamed at the creature to
answer my questions. I felt rage in my heart and the
fear I had felt previously vanished in an instant. The
creature refused to answer me.

“Let them go! I’m warning you to let them go”! I
screamed to the demon.

Anger sprang up in the demon’s eyes and his face
turned dark. He pulled a great sword from a sheath
and held it out in front of him.

I held my own weapon out in defiance and the demon
roared with laughter. Then something happened that
surprised even me. Anathema began to glow with an
intense light and the shaft sprang forth several feet. I
felt something like hot oil wash over me. It started at
the top of my head and spread down my body. I
closed my eyes and began to murmur.

“I may be nothing and not even worth keeping as one
of your own but I beg your help now. Not for myself
but for the others who don’t deserve to be here”.

I heard a voice answer me in return. It was a great
voice like a great multitude spoke to me in a language
I had never heard before.

“You were never forsaken Ivy but chosen for a day
such as this to lead the people out of the darkness into
the light. You were destined to do great things from
the beginning of time. Look into yourself and find
your destiny”.

I looked up and saw the most beautiful being I had
ever imagined. The force of his presence brought me
to my knees and a love that was beyond anything I
could comprehend washed over me. The force of it
felt like a mighty rushing wind and in that wind I
heard a still, small voice.

“You are my child and I am always with you. The
gates of hell shall not prevail against you”.
Immediately I feel a surge of power so great that I am
unable to contain it. White hot light burned all
around me. I could feel it coming from the core of
my being. From within that light emerged a host of
warriors so vast that they could not be counted. I
looked into the sea of beautiful faces and saw
Grandma June. Her eyes burned with love and I
could hear her speaking inside my head.

My sweet Ivy, You were chosen and you will now be
equipped. Each leg of your journey has unlocked
doors for you and now you stand with the host of
Heaven.

I smiled at her and she nodded at me as though she
knew what would happen all along. Then I felt a
nudge behind me and my horse pushed his nose into
me. Once I had mounted he did a half rear and
whirled on his haunches. With my sword held high
we sprang forward toward the demon and a terrible
fire shot forth and pierced the creature through the
heart. I turned back to the light and the warriors had
parted on either side to form a stairway into the sky.
Jen and Bill were walking toward the light followed
by Lisa and David. Then Tyler was at my side and I
reached down to him. He pulled me from Jast and
held me tightly in his arms. Then we both mounted
and made our way to the great light before us. I am a
child of the light and when Jast jumped onto the
stairway I knew intuitively that I had found the part of
me that had been missing.

My name is Ivy and I am not your typical 19 year old
girl. I am a free spirit and I finally know who I am. I
am a child of the light. If you look high into the sky
you will find me among the stars.

****