THE RUINS

Chapter 13- The Cave.

Joseph found himself hovering in the same vast field of nothingness that he had been in all those months before. When he had experienced the first vision. Although it was different this time, as he glided forward he could make out a large throne of solid gold. The figure which sat upon it could not be seen, the light surrounding it almost blinded Joseph.

"Lord? Is that you?" He beckoned the orb of light.

"Joseph my son, come hither, I have to tell you something." The shining figure said in a booming voice.

"Am..am I dead?" Joseph responded, he feared that if he was, his family would soon be following him.

"No. But you will be if you don't wake up son."

"Victor...he got me...he's... he's Lucifer.. you're fallen angel." Joseph started to feel aggression in his bones. Burning through his skin.

"Yes..my greatest shame. My own morning star that turned on me... And an even greater shame that he committed the actions he has without my intervention."

"...what?" Joseph felt mortified. His whole world had came crashing, just then the being spoke.

"All those millenniums ago.. When he was banished to serve eternal punishment below ground, he begged me to reason with him, I made a deal that couldn't be broken. To prevent him harming anyone. He could come to earth at the mark of 50 years. For around a year or so to feel free. The catch of this was that every time he came to earth his beautiful angelic body would decay a bit more, so at this point he is basically a ghost, of crooked bones and pale flesh. He chose to wreak havoc and I couldn't stop him, he tempted Adam and Eve, created evil, the most painful part was he didn't even have to end the world...humanity did it to themselves."

"How can he be stopped...he's won.."

"No Joseph.. there's still a chance. You will awake soon. When you do I want you to hold on... help will come, and when it arrives I want you to fight and banish him back to his fiery prison. I believe in you Joseph...I always have."

"But how Lord? Tell me ho-"

Joseph was pulled from that purgatory state and jumped awake. He felt agony course through him as he was on a cold, jagged stone ground. He was trapped in some kind of pit. With the small sliver of light coming from the top of the pit he could make out Victor standing above him.

"Did I ask thee my creator to mould me from clay." He said in a harsh and grave tone. His voice sounded like ha had swallowed sandpaper. It sent chills through Joseph's body.

"Yano Joe I like you, in fact I respect you, i just wish you hadn't of been such a pain in my ass." Victor turned to Joseph, his yellow eyes glowing in the damp darkness of the cave. He moved towards him, his bones clicked with each movement of his gangly limbs. "Answer me this...where's your God now? I'll tell you, he abandoned you, trust me I know what it's like to be trapped in an abyss, without the creator. I was the first being to experience that...I was so beautiful...now..I'm this." He lunged forward out of the darkness intothe pale light and Joseph recoiled in fright as he could see Victor in his true devilish demeanour. Curled, black horns pertruded from the sides of his head. His jaw was unhinged and stuck out from his face with yellow fangs sticking out of his gums. His eyes glowed from dark, hollow sockets and his hair was gone.

Joseph now knew why he had earned the name of the crooked man...His bones weren't crooked, it was the result of this monstrous body residing in the decrepit body of the angel Lucifer. Pressing against the old skin.

"Gaze upon me mortal preacher...for I am more beast than man..." The Devil growled into Joseph's face. "I am the result of what happens when a being stands up to the builder... When you are gone I shall hunt for your loved ones...your pretty wife...brave son...angelic daughter...I shall take them and present them as a feast for the grim reaper... however...I shall give you a chance to avoid that, take my hand and forsake your creator. Follow me and I shall make you a God among men. Power, strength, knowledge, men shall tremble before you. Just take my hand." The creature reached out a clawed, scaly hand.

Joseph pushed it away. "A great man once said to me that power is a curse...enough to drive someone mad. I don't want anything from you. Kill me if you must but I will not make a deal with a beast like you. Get out of here and leave me to my fate you monstrous fiend. You'll lose and the Lord will banish you back to your fiery prison."

The creature that had once been Victor stared at Joseph in amazement before letting out a demented horrendous laugh. "Have it your way preacher. Although I've already won, you people were so hellbent on war that you destroyed yourselves... hope has been abandoned. Fighting is futile. You people wear me on your clothes, or include me in your songs yet when I come to you, like the shipwrecked turning to seawater to quench their thirst or the abandoned turning to wild berries in the forest to end their hunger, you cling onto the most useless and dangerous thing possible...hope. You don't understand me... And you always fear what you don't understand. Goodbye Joseph. You fought well."

With that chilling speech at it's end. Victor turned and grabbed onto a rope dangling from the top of the pit. He began to be hoisted up via the rope and as he neared the top he let out a shrill whistle and Joseph began to hear moaning. He looked over to see a small metal gate and behind it sat a being so wretched and horrible that Joseph could not even muster up a reaction. It was a ghoul. The gate opened and the ghoul slowly crawled out. The Remnants had been scary but this was terrifying. It's pale skin hung off it is strips from what appeared to be scars from a whip. It's eye sockets were vacant and it had slits where it's ears used to be.

The creature was blind, although it's hearing was incredible, Joseph had to stay as still as possible or he would become it's next meal.

Thinking quickly he grabbed a rock and chucked at a wall on the other side of the cave. The creature ran to where it had collided and examined the area. Joseph could see it's brittle white hair hanging down it's back and he felt pity. This...like the remnants had once been human yet God had not deemed him worthy to be immune to the radiation as he had done for the citizens of New America. It had been resigned to a fate worse than death.

Despite his pity he knew that he had to escape this pit and he couldn't accomplish this goal while this ghoul was living. So he threw another rock...this time closer to him. The creature pounced to the new spot and without hesitation Joseph lifted a larger rock and brought it crashing onto the creatures head. It's crimson blood oozed from the crack in its head as it howled and whimpered in agony. Joseph gasped for air as he brought it down again this time finishing off this tragic creatures existence.

Just as he had thrown the rock down he realised that the rope was no longer there. He had no way out. He tried in vain for hours to climb the walls but he couldn't. He resigned himself to the pit and sat down next to the ghoul he had just killed and closed his eyes.

He was awoken to the sounds of screaming and a bright morning light shining down from the top of the pit. A rope fell down and Joseph jumped up and ran to it. His bones ached from the night spent of the rocks but he didn't care. He jumped the rope and felt himself be hoisted up. When he got to the surface he was met with the weary gaze of his son Christopher. They had travelled all the way back from the promised land to save him.

He embraced his son and with a tired voice he whispered "I'm so proud of you son." Christopher gripped his father tighter. Joseph turned to see Sarah standing admiring him.
"Well honey...you've certainly seen better days." She remarked. Joseph laughed and ran to his wife. Kissing her passionately.

He noticed not just his group but other, unfamiliar faces. "Dad..these are the villagefolk. They come from the promised land and took us in after you were captured. They helped us here and have agreed to fight with us."

"F..fight?" Joseph remarked, "we can't fight him son he's not human. He's a devil." His gaze met that of a small brunette girl with lime green eyes.
"Hi, I'm Becks, the builder sent me to help you Joseph, I've been watching you all for a while now. Lucifers time here is up and we must banish him back to Hell where he belongs."

Joseph laughed, " So.. so all this time you weren't a newcomer to the compound you were...what an angel?"

"I'd prefer the term angelic soldier Joseph. My real name is anaina. I am the head of the army of heaven. My father was the archangel Michael. I can defeat Victor."

Joseph knew that she was telling the truth. With a simple nod to his group they began marching back to the compound, throwing the unconscious soldiers down into the pit. It was time to end this once and for all.