Heavenly Fire

Chapter 2

Aaron awoke face planted firmly against gravel, hot beneath his skin. The deep incense of charcoal slithered its way into his nasal passage and a red light seemed to burn through his closed eyes. He felt himself gasp but no longer needed the air that filled his lungs. Then how was he alive? The last thing he remembered was being trapped beneath the ice. He had drowned after being flung from his car. He had died. So why was he alive?

Finally gathering the courage to open his eyes, he was greeted by the sight of a blood red sky turning orange at the horizon. The floor was a deep purple rock, cracked unevenly for all he could see. A looming black wrought iron gate stood tall and mighty, with the words 'burn and be burnt' carved in large letters atop of the gate for all to see. Beyond the gate was the silhouette of a city like complex accompanied by a rough suburban neighbourhood that looked derelict. Shadows of men and women moved in the distance.

Behind him was a total waste land, nothing to be seen but an orange horizon and purple rock for miles and miles. There was no sign of life and not even a glimpse of hope for survival if he was to head into the nothing rather than enter the dismal city. He had a horrible feeling about this bubbling harshly in his gut. He did not like this.

Seeing no other choice, he reached for the handle that would surely open the gate. As his hand took grip the iron began burning viciously, turning a glowing crimson. Smoke rose as the iron burnt his skin and the nauseating stench of burning flesh surrounded him. He tried to pry his hand back, to rid himself of the burning pain, but he was stuck. He felt as though steaming hot tar had been poured over his hand and hardened, trapping him beneath.

Then, it just stopped. The handle was ice cold, sending shivers down his spine at the memory, and returned to its normal colour. It was as though nothing had happened and the pain was just his imagination playing tricks. But pulling his hand back and looking at its palm, he knew this wasn't true. Engraved into his skin was a number, predominantly black. 908696.

Stroking a finger softly over the skin, it singed and sighed. A tender pain lingered in the palm of his hand and the numbers appeared raised above the rest of his skin.

To Aaron's surprise, the door suddenly opened before him. A rustic creaking, the scraping of metal, seemed to echo across the land and he cringed into his shirt. He couldn't understand this. How did he get here? Why was he here?

Taking just a view steps into the grounds, the gate slammed shut and some how Aaron knew. He was a prisoner. Now that he was here, there was no easy way to leave. It was as though he had just walked through the gates of Hell and there was no turning back.

Moments passed and it seemed like he was all alone. Aaron began to think that if he played his cards right, he would survive this place unnoticed. Little did he know that he was being watched. In the shadows lurked two warriors of Hell -Demons. With powers beyond his wildest dreams, they were strong and they were deadly. They were not the type to cross lightly.

The first of the demonic duo was the large brute that was Brone Blythe. Standing at least 6 foot tall with sharp serrated teeth that didn't quite fit inside his dark lips, he was one of the most intimidating to the eye warriors here. His eyes were dark and strange. The whites of his eyes were not white at all but an eerie orange that brought more attention to the fact that his pupils appeared to not exist. A small and delicate slit was centred between each eye, but it was almost as if the eyes were a shield to whatever laid behind them. His head was smooth and instead of hair, his scalp was covered in an artistry of black marks, possibly tattoos but possibly something sinister.

Despite he physically stature, Brone was barely able to spell his own name and was completely inadequate when it came to battle strategies. His power was a rare and powerful kind yet, his dim witted nature could not allow it to be used to its full potential.