The Wicked End

Finally, dreadfully, the hour was upon us. Johnny knew the exact time that the final trumpet was going to sound, and had told me late one night to be ready for anything. That must have included his decision to grab my weapons and leave. He hadn't told me where we were headed, but he never told me the places he was taking me to beforehand.

As we trudged through the dark streets, there was something different about the air, something unsettling in the hot night life.

"We're going somewhere to fight, aren't we?" I asked, realizing that must have been it, if all I had on me was the sword and shield and the clothes on my back.

"More or less, yes. We are. But you won't be fighting right away," Johnny explained.

"Why not? You trained me to fight, so I want to fight," I shot back, indignantly.

"You'll get your chance, just not in the beginning. This wasn't my decision, Davy, I can't change what's set in stone," he snapped. "Trust me, when these two armies clash first thing in the desert, you're not going to want to get involved."

With that, I shut my mouth and let Johnny take me wherever he pleased. Our journey led us out of the suburbs and into the desert. We traveled out toward the mountains, near the glistening white palace where we reached the mountains, we climbed. It wasn't very easy, some places had no hand or foot holds, and we were scrabbling against bare rock. Once we reached a high enough point, we stopped; we were on a high, flat outcropping on the side of the mountain. It was small, but it fight Johnny and I just fine, and overlooked the desert, the city, and the palace perfectly.

On our way up the mountain, I had tried to look out, tried to see anything down on the sand, but it was much too dark. I could hear it, though - marching. I could hear the crunching noise of metal armor moving as its carrier did, and footfalls heavy on the earth. It was the only sound other than my own breathing that I could hear.

Now that we had stopped with a place to stand the sky had grown lighter, a sign that dawn was fast approaching. In the growing light, I could see down to the sight before Johnny and I. There were two vast armies, soldiers everywhere marching from different directions toward each other. The bare expanse of ground between the two was slowly diminishing, and I knew that any moment now the fighting would begin.

As the horizon behind the city continued to grow lighter, I could see the two armies better. On one side were the angels and repented sinners, the Army of the Divine. Some had wings of various colors, others, the mortals, were simply just that - mortals.

A glance at the other army was a much more different sight. The Army of the Damned was greater in number, the soldiers having many more mortals, while the rest were the most evil, sinister looking beings I had seen, sprouting with demons, ghouls, and vampires. But I think what alarmed me the most was one look at the two captains - one good, and one evil.

On one side was Jimmy, the other, Brian. Both were geared up and ready to right, ready to lead their army.

"So this is what Jimmy had been preparing for all this time?" I asked Johnny quietly. Looking over, I saw him nod briefly.

Glancing back down, I looked at Jimmy again, taking him in as best as I could from where Johnny and I were sitting. He didn't look much different from the last time I had seen him, years ago. He didn't even look older, though seven years had passed.

"Get ready," Johnny whispered from next to me, the horizon growing bright, and I knew any second now that the sun was going to breath through. Then the battle would start.

As soon as the sun peeked over the horizon, its light blinding for a moment, the armies stopped and the final trumpet sounded. I felt my heart race at what I knew was about to happen. For a moment after the trumpet call ended, the world was silent; the armies were unmoving as they stared each other down.

"This is it," Johnny whispered, and with a deafening crash and screaming soldiers, the two armies came to life, advancing quickly on each other.

The war had begun.