We the Fallen: The Sheol Chronicles

Prologue

Sheol, November 19, 1993

A loud scream tore it's way through her bosom like shards of glass flying from a broken window. The pain was unlike anything she had ever experienced. She bore the pain of immortality, the pain of losing those closest to her and the pain being hunted and treated like a dog, but never the pain of labor. It traveled down her back, through her legs, her toes, her chest, and even her heart. Beads of sweat rolled down her temples and neck. Marie Laveau's legs buckled and her feet fell limp as the demonic women dragged her through a dark corridor and down a set of cold steps. She groaned and heaved as her body was flung onto a hard bed in a windowless room lit only by a few candles. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she continued to cry out to her Gods for relief. Her legs and feet were immediately chained to the bed so tightly as to prevent another grande escape. Three other women stood at the foot of her bed: two pale, dark-haired demons and Bethseba, a fellow African witch.

Bethseba turned to the demons. "She's birthing your lord of darkness' babes and she can't even get a room with windows..."

"She gave our lord no choice." The demon smirked. "She's quite the slippery little whore."

Bethseba rolled her eyes. "Such a powerful lord can't even keep a lil old witch captive?"

The demons eyes narrowed as a low growl escaped her lips. "If you or the whore attempt to escape, we will slay you, her and her babes." She went on with a smirk. "Lucifer can always spread more of his seed."

Suddenly, a form had slipped into the room with them, heavy metal clanking with each step. He was at least 7ft tall with a muscular, toned, and lean stature. He had a thick beige head of hair partially covered by a helmet. His skin seemed to have an amber tint to it and his eyes were a piercing amber, almost animal-like. His body was covered in sleek gold armor and he held a trident in hand as if he were prepared to kill or contain.

The demons had quickly averted their gaze to the floor beneath them, letting their arms fall to their sides. "Sir..." They said in unity.

He narrowed his eyes down at them. "The Lord has sent me to watch over you and the midwife." He spoke menacingly. "To make sure you do not fail us again and let them escape."

"Yes sir." They spoke once again in unisone.

Marie's eyes filled with hopelessness as she let out another gut-wrenching scream.

"I need towels and blankets and water!" Shouted Bethseba.

The man turned to the women and jerked his head toward the door. The women obeyed, hurrying through the door in what seemed like fear. After some time, the demons returned with towels, blankets and warm water. Marie let out shallow breaths as she cried and gripped the sheets beneath her. Her entire body seemed to cramp up in one position, and soon she began to feel a surge flowing through her, almost like a bolt of electricity slowly but surely coursing through her veins. Another scream burst forth from her lips.

"Help me adjust her legs!" Said Bethseba. "And put one of her hands in the water...put a few of the blankets and towel under her!"

The demons obeyed. They had lifted her midnight black grown, propped up her legs and slipped as many blankets they could beneath her. Marie continued to moan and cry out.

Bethseba pushed her gown further back and gripped her inner thighs. "Marie...I need you to push okay!? Push!"

Marie's heart pounded as she spewed tears. She pushed with every ounce of strength she had left. She pushed and pushed and pushed but alas her spirit had finally been broken. "I can't!" She cried out. "I can't do it!"

"Yes you can!" Answered Bethseba. "You can!" She went on. "Remember what you told me!? You told me their names! You said you'd name them Genesis and Hakeem..."

Marie cried harder, the tears multiplied like maggots on a rotting corpse. She did pick out names a few days before. She didn't want to admit it to anyone or herself that she wanted her babies, monsters or not. She howled as she proceeded to push.

"There you go!" Responded Bethseba. "It's crowning!"

It seemed like an eternity of shrieking and crying went by before Marie Laveau bore her first child.

"It's a boy..." Bethseba cradled the babe in her arms for some time before reluctantly handing the boy off to one of the demons to be cleaned.

Marie laid almost completely numb, heaving shallowly. "I'm going to die..." She said peering at her friend and then at the tall man. "I tried...to kill them before you found me..." She smiled faintly, licking her crusted lips. "...I knew that they'd be monsters but...they wouldn't let me...so I tried to kill myself but they wouldn't let me die..." She went on. "...because...they showed me something...the future...it was so bright..." Marie coughed a few times before turning to Bethseba. "They'll kill you Brethseba..." She turned to the man, weakly pointing at him. "Don't let him have my babies...take them from this place...you know what he'll do to them...protect them! Save them..."

The man gritted his teeth in disgust and looked away from her. "I would never betray my Lord."

Marie chuckled, but just barely. "...yes you will...they'll show you too..." Marie suddenly began to shriek and cry once more but this time it was different. The air became heavy and thick. The ground beneath them rumbled and the lights flickered. Her eyes had begun to glaze over white, her pupils rolling back into her head.

Bethseba looked around with haste. "Keep pushing Marie..."

The bed began to rock as Marie gave her last and final pushes. In a flash of exploding light bulbs, Marie's body fell limp and lifeless, the light and power completely gone from her eyes.

"It's a girl..." Muttered Bethseba with tears in her eyes. The other demon had quickly snatched away the babe and hurried to another room. Brethseba sobbed, grieving the loss of her teacher and dearest friend. "Death..." She mumbled beneath her sobs. "will come to you all for this...the gods' wrath will rain down on you..."

The man looked down at her coldly before setting down his trident. He pulled a dagger from his side and gripped the woman by her hair and slit her throat. He slowly strolled from the room as her body fell with a thud to the floor. Further down the corridor was a room with two cribs: one contained the boy but the other was empty. In front of the fireplace sat one of the women cradling the girl. He stood motionless in the doorway holding the dagger behind his back.

"Oh Jasper!" Said the woman as she turned around. "Aren't they just delightful?"

"You need not address me by my name."

"My apologies, sir." She sprung from her seat and laid the girl down in the crib. "I will see to it that the lord hears of the births." She strolled past him with haste.

Jasper eased toward the cribs and looked down at them with disgust. Lucifer had told him that if the babes were to stay alive, they'd surely overthrow him. So, he tasked his general, his most trusted soldier, to bring that witch to Hell and make sure the babes never saw the light. With his dagger in one hand, Jasper reached down in the girl's crib but something strange happened that stopped him in his tracks: the girl smiled at him. Jasper tilted his head in slight confusion before the child suddenly gripped one of his large fingers. Jasper gasped as his eyes glazed over white and from what he could comprehend, he was seeing the future.