Fear of the Dark
Prologue
First there was silence-
The field and woods were frozen, no trees moved, no wind. The sun was up high. The clouds moved across it, casting shadows upon dead trees. The crypt was closed. The graveyard silent. In the field, footsteps were heard. The feet crunching dead leaves and grass. The man looked around, dark brown eyes raking the land. He stood still for a moment and wondered what he was doing. His eyes looked at the sky. What exactly was he supposed to do?
His gaze turned from the light sky to the demon behind him. He eyed the yellow eyes, wondering what exactly he wanted him to do. Yellow eyes moved swiftly in front of him of the man and smirked. Azazel had been waiting for this moment too long, and finally it was here.
Years of searching for the right child. Failures upon himself, upon humanity, though he finally found the right one, or at least he had thought. He bet on the wrong horse, but still came in victorious. He dammed Samuel Colt for the damn railroad. If it hadn't been for the damn thing, he would off opened the crypt himself years ago. But at last he could quit his whining. He picked a winner, someone to do his dirty work for him. Though he regretted that it had to be this poor excuse of a human in front of him. Azazel was smart though. With the right words and directions, he could manipulate this man easily.
"Howdy, Jake. So, did you have a nice trip? " Azazel said looking at Jake up and down.
Jake rolled his eyes and breathed, "I'm here. I did what you asked, now what?"
"Fifty miles thataway." Azazel points the opposite direction from where Jake is standing. Then looks at the railroad tracks. "There's a cemetery. A crypt. You got to open that for me. Think you can manage that, sport?"
Jake glared and looked at the demon. He didn't want to do. Why couldn't he do it himself? He thought. He was the one to know, he could go right ahead and do what he was asking Jake to do. Jake wasn't going to be part of it. "You know what? Screw you and your freaky orders. Go do it yourself."
Azazel frowned, "Oh, I can't. I can't go that way." He stopped. "Not yet."
Jake felt his patience begin to fade. "Why not?" He asked stepping back slightly a bit.
"I just can't. But if you're gonna open that crypt for me, you're gonna need a key." Azazel smirks and takes the colt out of his jacket's pocket, waving it around in the air.
Jake stared at the gun. It was a joke, to him it was. A gun couldn't be the key, it wasn't possible. But only in Jake's eyes it wasn't. "A gun?" He asked lifting his eyebrow.
"Oh, this isn't just any gun, Jake." Azazel said. "This is the only gun in the whole universe that can shoot me dead." He smiled and pointed the gun to his head.
Jake's mind was racing. He could kill the son of a bitch and leave forever to forget all about this. Forget the demon, forget what he was capable of doing. Just leave it all behind. "Is that so? "
"Yep. Here, take it." Azazel hands Jake the gun. Jake points it at him, feeling nervous. It's now or never. He could end it all. But the demon is confident. He knows damn well the human won't pull the trigger. "Oh, my. I'm shocked at this unforseen turn of events. Go ahead, Jake. Squeeze that trigger. Be all you can be. This will all be over. Your life can go back to normal. Of course, the Army won't take you back 'cause you're AWOL. But I'm sure you could get your old job at the factory back." Azazel smirks at Jake's reaction. "But then, on the other hand, the rest of your life, and your family's, could be money and honey, health and wealth, every day is ice-cream sundae. And all you got to do is this one little thing."
Jake thinks again and looks at the demon. "Why me?"
"Oh, Jake. It's got to be you. I've been waiting for you for a very long time." Azazel tells Jake. "You're my leader. You open that crypt, and you will have your army"
All of it are lies, lies Azazel hopes it will stick to Jake's brain. To him, Jake is just a test monkey.
"You're talking about the end of the world." Jake says.
Azazel nods in his head, but for the sake of getting the crypt open he lies. "No, not the end- the beginning...a better world where your family will be protected. More than that. They'll be royalty. Buddy boy, you have the chance to get in on the ground floor of a thrilling opportunity. What'd you say? It's your call." Jake lowers the gun and looks at Azazel again. It's right, he keeps telling himself that. A better world, nothing could go wrong in a perfect world. "Attababy."
The field and woods were frozen, no trees moved, no wind. The sun was up high. The clouds moved across it, casting shadows upon dead trees. The crypt was closed. The graveyard silent. In the field, footsteps were heard. The feet crunching dead leaves and grass. The man looked around, dark brown eyes raking the land. He stood still for a moment and wondered what he was doing. His eyes looked at the sky. What exactly was he supposed to do?
His gaze turned from the light sky to the demon behind him. He eyed the yellow eyes, wondering what exactly he wanted him to do. Yellow eyes moved swiftly in front of him of the man and smirked. Azazel had been waiting for this moment too long, and finally it was here.
Years of searching for the right child. Failures upon himself, upon humanity, though he finally found the right one, or at least he had thought. He bet on the wrong horse, but still came in victorious. He dammed Samuel Colt for the damn railroad. If it hadn't been for the damn thing, he would off opened the crypt himself years ago. But at last he could quit his whining. He picked a winner, someone to do his dirty work for him. Though he regretted that it had to be this poor excuse of a human in front of him. Azazel was smart though. With the right words and directions, he could manipulate this man easily.
"Howdy, Jake. So, did you have a nice trip? " Azazel said looking at Jake up and down.
Jake rolled his eyes and breathed, "I'm here. I did what you asked, now what?"
"Fifty miles thataway." Azazel points the opposite direction from where Jake is standing. Then looks at the railroad tracks. "There's a cemetery. A crypt. You got to open that for me. Think you can manage that, sport?"
Jake glared and looked at the demon. He didn't want to do. Why couldn't he do it himself? He thought. He was the one to know, he could go right ahead and do what he was asking Jake to do. Jake wasn't going to be part of it. "You know what? Screw you and your freaky orders. Go do it yourself."
Azazel frowned, "Oh, I can't. I can't go that way." He stopped. "Not yet."
Jake felt his patience begin to fade. "Why not?" He asked stepping back slightly a bit.
"I just can't. But if you're gonna open that crypt for me, you're gonna need a key." Azazel smirks and takes the colt out of his jacket's pocket, waving it around in the air.
Jake stared at the gun. It was a joke, to him it was. A gun couldn't be the key, it wasn't possible. But only in Jake's eyes it wasn't. "A gun?" He asked lifting his eyebrow.
"Oh, this isn't just any gun, Jake." Azazel said. "This is the only gun in the whole universe that can shoot me dead." He smiled and pointed the gun to his head.
Jake's mind was racing. He could kill the son of a bitch and leave forever to forget all about this. Forget the demon, forget what he was capable of doing. Just leave it all behind. "Is that so? "
"Yep. Here, take it." Azazel hands Jake the gun. Jake points it at him, feeling nervous. It's now or never. He could end it all. But the demon is confident. He knows damn well the human won't pull the trigger. "Oh, my. I'm shocked at this unforseen turn of events. Go ahead, Jake. Squeeze that trigger. Be all you can be. This will all be over. Your life can go back to normal. Of course, the Army won't take you back 'cause you're AWOL. But I'm sure you could get your old job at the factory back." Azazel smirks at Jake's reaction. "But then, on the other hand, the rest of your life, and your family's, could be money and honey, health and wealth, every day is ice-cream sundae. And all you got to do is this one little thing."
Jake thinks again and looks at the demon. "Why me?"
"Oh, Jake. It's got to be you. I've been waiting for you for a very long time." Azazel tells Jake. "You're my leader. You open that crypt, and you will have your army"
All of it are lies, lies Azazel hopes it will stick to Jake's brain. To him, Jake is just a test monkey.
"You're talking about the end of the world." Jake says.
Azazel nods in his head, but for the sake of getting the crypt open he lies. "No, not the end- the beginning...a better world where your family will be protected. More than that. They'll be royalty. Buddy boy, you have the chance to get in on the ground floor of a thrilling opportunity. What'd you say? It's your call." Jake lowers the gun and looks at Azazel again. It's right, he keeps telling himself that. A better world, nothing could go wrong in a perfect world. "Attababy."