Heaven and Hell

The first thing Serena noticed as she stepped off the Archangel was the amount of sand that surrounded the landscape. Serena had never seen so much sand at once. Everywhere she looked, it was just a never ending ocean of sand. They had landed about five kilometres from the nearest settlement to try and avoid drawing too much attention to themselves.

The second thing Serena noticed was the intense heat. She only walked down the loading ramp, and she was already starting to work up a sweat. She was starting to miss the air conditioned plane, but she knew she had more important things to worry about.

George came up beside Serena and began surveying the area, his eyes squinting in the sun, though they were partially shielded by his cap. He was dressed in shorts and a muscle shirt that showed off his muscular arms. Concealed in a pouch behind him were his gun and a Warrior Caste dagger, similar to what Father Stephen wielded.

Serena too was wearing cooler clothes. On their trip over, Father Stephens had given her a hijab and was told to cover up as best as she could. The priest explained that she would draw less attention to herself being dressed this way, and as much as Serena didn’t like it, she relented. The clothes were surprisingly cooler than she had expected, though she would’ve preferred to wear shorts and a tank top, but that would likely get her arrested.

Father Stephens was still at the entrance of the plane, discussing something with Dalton. Serena couldn’t make out what they were saying but they seemed to be having an argument. A moment later, the priest descended the loading ramp as Dalton glared after him. Dalton noticed Serena staring, he gave her a slight nod and retracted the ramp, and closed the door.

“I told Dalton to stay with the Archangel and to keep it maintained during our stay,” Father Stephens explained as he stood beside George. Unlike George, the priest remained in his usual uniform and didn’t give the slightest indication to be effected by the heat. He wore a thin smile on his face that looked forced. Serena had never seen the priest so anxious. He motioned for the two to follow his lead.

The journey to the village took over an hour. Father Stephens walked in front of Serena and George, not saying a word the whole time. Serena and George, on the other hand, talked almost non stop the whole way about what to expect during the mission; George’s growing apprehension over what they may face as well as his determination, and finally they discussed how strangely the priest was acting. They expressed their concerns to each other in hushed tones, so he wouldn’t overhear them.

“I’ve never seen him like this. He seems beyond worried, maybe even scared,” Serena whispered. George nodded.

“Same here. You really think this Diego dude has it in for Father Stephens?” George asked.
“You saw the video George, he’s clearly not right in the head!”

“This is true. But something else about him seemed...off.” George hesitated for a moment to collect his thoughts. Whenever he was thinking hard about something his brow always furrowed and his hand always rested on his chin, even when walking. Serena waited patiently for him to continue.

“I feel as though there is more going on than what we were told,” he said slowly. “It’s clear the two of them have a history, but Diego stole something from the Vault. I wonder if that is what Father Stephens is scared of, and not Diego himself.”

“It’s strange that he wouldn’t tell us what was stolen. I mean even if he didn’t know for sure, he usually tells me his theories. It’s not like him,” Serena added. She gazed at the back of the priest’s head as though trying to read his mind.

Father Stephens stopped abruptly, and Serena nearly collided into him. He held his gloved hand up for silence. The other two went quiet and watched as Father Stephens closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly. He seemed to be in some sort of trance. After a few moments his eyes snapped open.

“We’re not alone,” he said, drawing his dual blades. Serena drew her trusty guns, while George drew his gun and knife. He twirled the knife in his hand a couple of times as the three of them peered at the world around them. They were close to the village, maybe another ten minutes of walking.

There was nothing else in sight but sand. Serena gave Stephens a sideways glance, his face was one of solemn determination. He gripped his blades so hard that she was surprised the handles didn’t break under his grip.

Father Stephens’s eyes turned above them. And there, circling overhead was a large red bird, descending towards them, talons outstretched.

“It’s a Flying Feral! Move!” he shouted. The three of them ducked and scattered away from each other as the giant bird swooped down upon them.. The Flying Feral screeched as its prey avoided its razor sharp talons. Serena and George shot after it, but missed. Or if they did hit it, it showed no signs of slowing down. It circled back around for another swoop, as Serena watched the Flying Feral she noticed it was larger than any bird she had ever seen. All three of us could probably sit on its back comfortably and still have more room for at least two more people! She thought to herself.

The Flying Feral opened its beak, which was larger than George’s body and began emitting a terrible shriek. Serena covered her ears at the sound, but it didn’t help. It was like it was inside her own head, piercing her skull. Nearby George was on his knees screaming. At least Serena thought he was screaming, she couldn’t even hear him over the noise inside her own head. Though, she noticed it appeared to effect George more than her. He was almost writhing in pain.

Father Stephens glared up at the Flying Feral as it drew closer. He wasn’t covering his ears. He didn’t even seem to be affected by the terrible noise. Then, he leaped into the and grabbed onto the Flying Feral’s long, scrawny neck. He clung to it with all his might. He plunged one of his blades into its throat, mercifully silencing it. The Flying Feral crashed to the ground in a heap. Along the way down the priest had jumped off the demon, using its breast as a brace, and landed safely on the ground, next to the beast. He strode over to its head and swiftly stabbed the second blade, silencing it forever. He withdrew the blades and wiped the dripping blood on the Flying Feral’s corpse. It already smelled like it was decomposing, or maybe that was the way it normally smelled, Serena didn’t know.

“Damn thing is too noisy,” the priest said. George stood up gingerly and tapped his ears.

“I can’t hear you!” he yelled. Father Stephens headed over to him, sheathing his blades. From the pouch at his side he pulled out a small pill. He held it up to George and motioned for him to swallow it. Hesitantly, George did. Soon after the pill was swallowed George clasped his ears again, a strained look on his face.

“Hey, I can hear again,” he said, surprised a moment later. “Damn thing was too noisy!” Father Stephens chuckled.

“That pill will dull all the effects of the shriek. Very nasty beasts they are. Once had to fight off an entire flock of them! If it weren’t for these pills I would have gone insane!” he said. He turned to Serena.

“Looks like you managed to protect yourself from most of the damage,” he said after looking into her ears.

“How? She asked. “And what the hell was that thing?”

“Same way I did, you used your chi to shield yourself from the harmful effects, only you did it instinctually,” he replied smiling slightly. “You are indeed quite powerful Serena. It took me years to learn how to even partially protect myself against the shriek of the Flying Feral, and years more to master it. And yet you can already half protect yourself!”

“That was only half protection?” Serena said, dreading what it was like without that much protection.

“What is a Flying Feral, Father?” George asked.

“A Flying Feral Demon. They’re very large, man eating demon birds that emit a deafening shriek. And when I say deafening, I mean it. Many go completely deaf upon hearing their shriek, and many more go insane because of it. In some cases, it can cause the brain to explode due to prolonged exposure, as well as the inside of ears.”

“You certainly made short work of it,” George commented on the priest’s handy work. He let out a low whistle as he tapped the corpse gently with his foot. He studied the demon’s wounds with great interest.

“Glad you’re on our side,” he added.

The sound of several swords unsheathing startled the three of them. They were completly surrounded by at least a dozen men armed with scimitars. Several were wearing turbans and had thick black beards. All except one, whose beard had gone completly grey. Greybeard was adorned in finer robes than the other men, his turban adorned with jewellery. He began speaking rapidly in Arabic at the three of them. Serena and George simply stared at each other in confusion. Greybeard began yelling angrily and gesturing violently at the three of them. That was when Father Stephens began speaking Arabic in response. Her and George were taken aback by his response, as were some of the other men, but not Greybeard. The two of them continued to speak in Arabic when suddenly, Greybeard spoke in English.

“You are trespassing in our territory, priest! You are not welcome here, begone!” he shouted.

“Kaseem please, be reasonable, we just need-”

“No! We had an agreement! You would leave the Middle East to us to do with as we please. You coming here, unannounced is a violation of our agreement. One in which you signed on behalf of your Order!” Kaseem interrupted.

“I am well aware Kaseem, but this is an emergency. Surely you’ve noticed the increase in demonic activity,” the priest said quickly. Kaseem eyed the priest suspiciously.

“Yes, we have. Why? Do you know something we don’t?”

“Yes. Now if you would kindly lower your weapons we can talked like civilized people.”

“We are civilized people Darren!” Kaseem spat.

“Then you’ll lower your weapons?” Stephens asked calmly. Kaseem glared at him, then barked orders in Arabic. The others lowered their weapons. “Thank you.”

“Now what are you doing here priest?”

“We, that is George, Serena and myself are here investigating a rogue agent,” Father Stephens explained. Kaseem’s eyes flicked from George, to Serena. His gaze lingered upon Serena for a moment. He raised a bushy eyebrow and returned his attention back to Father Stephens.

“The rogue agent was last seen somewhere around that village,” he continued, indicating to the nearby village. The men burst out with laughter. Stephens looked puzzled, as did Serena and George. When the men finally stopped laughing Kaseem said,

“That village is just a ruse. There is no one living there. We use it to stock basic supplies, and to use as bait to ambush our enemies.”

“I can assure you, the agent we are looking for is in that village,” Father Stephens said confidently.

“We’ll see about that. Come along!” He motioned for them to follow him. He pointed at seven of his own men and shouted at them in Arabic, waving his hand in dismissal. The remaining four kept a close eye on Serena and the others.

“We shall investigate your claim Darren, then when you see that there is no one there you can get the hell out of my country.” Kaseem said. He motioned for them to follow him. One of the guards grabbed Serena by the arm and pulled her back. She let out a yelp in surprise and broke the man’s grip, dropping into a fighting stance.

“What the hell are you doing?” she snapped.

“The woman will not be joining us!” the guard growled. Serena glared at him. He looked younger than the rest of the guards, but otherwise looked similar to his comrades.

“Says who?” Serena challenged.

“You dare speak back to a man?” He raised his hand to smack her, but Serena was ready and when his arm came down, she grabbed it and twisted it around his back, tripping him as she did so. The man fell to the ground with Serena on top of him. The other three guards drew their swords and pointed them threateningly at Serena. Kaseem shouted at the guards in Arabic, and they looked at him in disbelief. He placed a hand on his own sword and said in a low, dangerous voice,

“I said put your swords away.” The men did as they were told, glaring at Serena all the while. Serena looked at Father Stephens, who looked half amused and half stunned. George had his hands on his weapons, but had not drawn them. He looked at Father Stephens, who shook his head.

Kaseem stepped over to Serena who let the man up. The man was glowering at her, looking like he was ready to try and attack her again.

“This woman is a member of the Order of the Holy Light. By attempting to strike her without provocation you risked war between their Order and our own.” Kaseem back handed the guard across the face. “You will treat her with respect, or you will be dismissed, Ahmed. Do I make myself clear?” There was a hint of venom in his voice.

“Yes, sir,” Ahmed strained to say. His head was lowered. He did not make eye contact with his superior.

“Good, you will bring up the rear,” he said. “The rest of you, let this be an example. They may be unwanted here, but if what they say has any relevance they will be treated properly. We will go with them to the village, try to find their rogue agent, if he exists. After we’ve confirmed that he is not there then we will send them off on their way and return to protecting our borders. Is that understood?”

“Yes sir!” the guards replied in unison. Kaseem turned to Serena and smiled broadly.

“I love a woman with fire in her!” he exclaimed. He chortled and headed to the front of the group, inclining his head to Father Stephens. “My apologies.”

Serena turned and saw the man known as Ahmed glare at her with his hands balled into fists, his teeth bared. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she tensed until she saw that it was Father Stephens, and she relaxed.

“That was both brave and foolish of you Serena,” he said, guiding her away from Ahmed. “But, it did impress Kaseem, and he’s not easily impressed.”

“Is that a good thing?” she asked.

“Well yes, I think you have gained some respect from him.” He smiled slightly, the first time she’d seen him truly smile the whole trip.

“Serena are you alright?” George asked coming up beside her.

“George I’m fine, I can take care of myself.”

“Oh I noticed,” he chuckled. “Still, if he so much as looks at you the wrong way, I’ll break his face!” Serena stifled a laughed. George always was overprotective of her, even though he knew she could handle herself. She had given up long ago trying to convince him to stop. In a way, he kind of reminded her of her father.

“I don’t think there’ll be any need for that George,” Stephens said. “Besides, we need Kaseem’s cooperation if we’re going to do this mission. We’re in his territory now.”

“Just exactly who are these guys?” George asked.

“They’re members of the Arabian Knights. They are the Sword of Allah against the demons,” Father Stephens explained. “Up until about twenty years ago, give or take, we were also at war with them.”

“At war?” Serena was astonished. She had never come across any mentioning of it in her studies.

“Yes, it was a rather terrible part of the Order’s history. We kept squabbling over ideals and territory for hunting Demons. This went on for decades until finally a truce was made. I was part of the delegation in Jerusalem, having established quite a reputation for myself back then. We agreed to leave the Middle East under their watchful eye, as well as the majority of Africa. Though we did declare Jerusalem neutral ground, in case we ever needed another meeting. Up until now we’ve had no further interaction with the Knights. Only the highest members of the Order know about them and the war. Everyone else just knows that the Middle East is not our territory.”

“Yes, we went about our business. You went about yours. And now you’re here. Hopefully not for long,” Kaseem said from the front.

“Once we are sure our rogue isn’t here we’ll be on our way Kaseem,” the priest assured him. Kaseem only grunted in response.

“How exactly do you even know him?” Serena asked.

“We met in Jerusalem twenty years ago,” Father Stephens replied.

“Yes, we fought each other too if I recall,” Kaseem chimed in. He burst out laughing. “We had a disagreement and we fought.”

“Yeah and I won,” Father Stephens added.

“You did not! You cheated!”

“I did not cheat!”

“Maybe we should settle the score before you leave then, Darren,” Kaseem said turning to the priest. Father Stephens smirked.

“If we have time, old man.” Kaseem glared at Father Stephens who simply stared back, his face vacant.

“You haven’t changed a bit. You’re still just as cocky and stubborn as you were twenty years ago.”

“As are you.”

“I guess not much has changed over the years,” Kaseem guffawed slapping the priest on the arm, as though he were a comrade. “Come, we’re nearly there. They were close to the village. Serena noticed that it was mostly made up of huts and tents. They entered the village, there was not a soul around. It was eerily quiet, too quiet for Serena’s liking. It gave her the creeps.

“We should probably split up,” Father Stephens suggested. He looked at Kaseem, who appeared to be having an inner debate. “It would make things go faster,” he added. Kaseem sighed.

“You’re right. Ahmed, Aziz, you will accompany the big boy here,” he said indicating to George. “Sahib you will go with the priest. Omar, you will be with myself and the fiery woman, I have become fond of.” He gave Serena a curt nod. And with that the groups split up in search of Diego. Little did they know, from high above they were being watched...