Neo Chronicles
Episode 24: It's All on You
Table of Contents
I'm not wrong.
Everything I've said is the truth. We need this.
The thing is, he's not wrong either. Jamal has a way of cutting right through the bull and getting exactly to the point. He saw straight through me. I suppose it doesn't take a genius to see it, but still—he caught me by surprise.
I am manipulating them. It's wrong. I know it's wrong, and I hate that I have to do it, but we need this. Everything about what I've said is the truth.
Sorta.
I'm still manipulating them, though, and that's wrong.
Ganya's portal works a lot like mine. We walk through it, and we're in the Axis Mundi. I remember the first time I came here; everything was just white. Nothing else to it except for this empty feeling. No land marks, no real ground to step on, but we were still walking; there was nothing to separate the sky from the floor. That's probably what the boys see right now, but me—now that I have some knowledge on how the spirit world works and interacts with me, this place isn't so mysterious anymore.
I see a walkway—something of a path. Ganya's not here, but I see the footprints she left for us. They could be anyone's footprints really, but somehow I just know that they're hers lighting the way. If I look my right, I see lights and matter seemingly form out of thin air. Another path that we can deviate to if we should feel like it. The Axis is a part of the Earth—the spiritual part—so anywhere on the planet this bridge can take us there. But the bridge doesn't just connect us to Earth. I'm sure that this is the path that spirits take to go between other worlds. Even Hellgates probably have some sort of connection to this place.
Here we are. We step out on the other side into the foyer of some great mansion. Didn't know she was rich. This place is huge. It's got an old timey, vintage feel to it.
I see Ganya standing in front of some stairs waiting for us. She looks almost relieved to see us, and motions us to come to her.
“Good, you've come. I was afraid if you didn't, you would have found more trouble to get into,” she states.
Then, in the same breath, her demeanor changes. Like instantly. She's speaking to us like adults. No, more than that, like we're—it's like every word that she says is the most important thing in the world. Almost like a school teacher who takes their job way too seriously. I'm certainly intrigued, but the boys look like—well, Jamal looks like he always does: mad and upset, Chris looks like how he looks when his head is some place else, and Noah almost looks like he's interested, but I doubt he's retaining anything.
But me—like I said, I'm holding onto every word.
“We're demon hunters,” she says. “Whenever a demon crosses over, it's up to us to find it and banish it. People have been doing this for years on end. Demons have been invading the Earth for years on end. Probably since the dawn of time. Through every period, every era, every generation. We Mystics do our best to keep it all swept under the rug.”
Ganya's then interrupted by a portal of light appearing next to her. It's the same type of portal that she used. Another “Mystic” perhaps? Duh, Lynn, what else is it gonna be?
From this portal, a man steps out. Short, dark hair trying to go shaggy, wearing what looks like a black, leather motor cycle jacket, sky blue shirt, and black jeans. He looks buff, too. Definitely works out. He looks at us, then looks at Ganya.
“Who are they?” he asks.
“They've had an encounter, Duke,” she responds.
Then the man addresses us directly. “I'm sorry for everything you've had to go through. We do our best to make sure people never find out about the world's dark little secret, but things happen. If there's anything you need, just ask. You're welcome to stay here for as long as you like.”
That came off a little too scripted. Like some speech he's rehearsed and had to use time and time again. Professional is the name for it. Yet at the same time, there was something genuine about it. It got me right in the chest. That can't be scripted. Can you script that? That sense of sincerity?
But then it's right back to business. As soon as he finishes with us, he goes right back to Ganya. Apparently, there's been another demon sighting.
“Where at?” Ganya asks.
“Nuevitalia,” he responds. “I'm going to need as many people as we can get on this one. I don't think I've ever seen a horde this big, and they're right out in the open.”
“I'm there.”
“I can close Hellgates.”
The whole room goes silent when I mention that. It sort of just came out of no where. I do my best to ignore the collective groans of the boys behind me. They can hate me all they want, I don't—no I do care, but still. This is something I can do. I know they're ready to leave, but I can't go yet. I just can't.
Lynn, how did you get here? What happened? It started with Chris. This was his idea. He needed something to give him hope. His best friend's gone missing. He needed something to fight for, something to make him feel like he was making a difference. I don't know. But that's not why I'm here. I know Darius isn't in this. It's strange though. I coulda sworn I felt him back in Russia. It was like he was standing right with us, just for a moment. But that can't be true. Jabari wouldn't lie to me.
“I can close Hellgates,” I say more timidly.
“It's true,” Ganya says. “She did it right before I found them.”
The man—Duke, I think he was called—looks taken off guard. “That's amazing,” he says. “Truly a great gift you have. Honestly, it's something we could really use in a time like this, but—” He stops for a moment. He's gathering his thoughts, considering the possibilities. He folds his arms and strokes his chin.
I know he could use me. These Mystics, or whatever they're called, know how to banish demons, but how many can actually stop them from crossing over? I'm way above the curve. I know I am. Go ahead and let us tag along. You're about to say it right now. Go on,
“There's no way I'd feel good about putting kids out there in all of this.”
Come on Duke! That's not what you wanted to say.
“Please, these demons ain't nothin'.” Thank you Chris! Glad you're still—
“Will you shut up?” And there goes Jamal again.
“What happened to heading home?” Noah asks.
“That was when we were on our own,” Chris answers. “Now we got chaperones.”
Duke quickly interjects, “Look, we're not here to babysit you. Out in the field, we can't be focused on worrying whether or not you're okay.”
“Do you have a person that can stop demons from crossing over?” I ask. “I'm sure you could always use another one. You already said so.”
“And we can look after ourselves. We've been doin' good so far.” Chris adds in.
Then queue Jamal responding with his usual butthurt response. Then Noah trying to reason out the clear headed response to the response, but then in turn agreeing with the overall butthurt sentiment. Then Chris getting up in arms about it, not necessarily because he's upset, but because he just wants to argue because he's crazy like that. Oh, and now Ganya's trying to break up the tussle because she doesn't know what to expect. Doesn't work at all, so she gets quiet while they clamor on.
Now it's your turn mister Duke. How do you handle this situation?
“Alright, that's enough,” he says. “If you want to come, you can come. If not, then stay here. There's real danger out there, and while I'd prefer you all keep as far away from it as possible, I won't stop you. But remember, as cold as this sounds, if you get hurt or get killed, that's on you. Are we clear?”
Everyone nods in agreement.
The next thing we know, we're all back in the Axis. I stick close to Duke and Ganya, doing my best to listen to what they have to say as they lead the way.
“This is probably the worst event to happen yet,” Duke starts off. “With the advent of the lower level demons crossing over, I can't even imagine how worse it's gonna get.”
“Do we have any idea why they're appearing all of a sudden?” Ganya asks.
“None. What really gets me is how different they are from the high tiered ones. Them we could handle. You know this. They only cared about integrating with society. Making friends with people. No real target group. Upper, middle, lower class—didn't matter, just so long as they could make friends, start a life, and then manipulate people into making bad choices. They cared about destruction, but on a more psychosocial level. Extremely dangerous in their own right, because when you get down to it, if you can manipulate a person into killing themselves in as slow and painful a matter as possible, then that's more negative energy for them to feed on. They're the types of demons you'd find at a crossroads offering to buy your soul.”
“But these newer ones—the low tiered—”
“They don't care about any of that. The only thing on their mind is making Earth as close to Hell as possible. Any one of them is strong enough to bend the laws of physics and reality on a city to country wide scale. And with more and more crossing over by the day, I fear the day when one slips through the cracks. What happens when one of us doesn't make it in time? What happens if one of us fails? This is the planet we're talking about. If we mess up, everybody loses.”
“Then we don't mess up.”
We're in Nuevitalia now. On top of some three story building overlooking the streets below. All we see is a sea of black. It's not the pavement, though; it's the demons. They're literally covering everything, like an infestation of roaches or something equally as gross. And right up, dead center in the sky is the Hellgate where they're flooding from.
Duke was not kidding. They're everywhere. There are some flyers, some giants taller than the building we're standing on, some bulky, some skinny. This is Hell.
Ganya instantly jumps off the roof and dives right into the madness. Duke gives us a passing glance. He's regretting this already. I know he is. “Please,” he says, “stay safe.” And with nothing more than a sigh, he rises off the roof—apparently he can fly—and then falls into action.
I hear Jamal say something that almost makes me laugh. He's talking to the whole group, but I know he really means this for me.
“I just wanna let ya'll know, when we all die, I'm puttin' this all on you.”
Episode 24: It's All on You
Table of Contents
I'm not wrong.
Everything I've said is the truth. We need this.
The thing is, he's not wrong either. Jamal has a way of cutting right through the bull and getting exactly to the point. He saw straight through me. I suppose it doesn't take a genius to see it, but still—he caught me by surprise.
I am manipulating them. It's wrong. I know it's wrong, and I hate that I have to do it, but we need this. Everything about what I've said is the truth.
Sorta.
I'm still manipulating them, though, and that's wrong.
Ganya's portal works a lot like mine. We walk through it, and we're in the Axis Mundi. I remember the first time I came here; everything was just white. Nothing else to it except for this empty feeling. No land marks, no real ground to step on, but we were still walking; there was nothing to separate the sky from the floor. That's probably what the boys see right now, but me—now that I have some knowledge on how the spirit world works and interacts with me, this place isn't so mysterious anymore.
I see a walkway—something of a path. Ganya's not here, but I see the footprints she left for us. They could be anyone's footprints really, but somehow I just know that they're hers lighting the way. If I look my right, I see lights and matter seemingly form out of thin air. Another path that we can deviate to if we should feel like it. The Axis is a part of the Earth—the spiritual part—so anywhere on the planet this bridge can take us there. But the bridge doesn't just connect us to Earth. I'm sure that this is the path that spirits take to go between other worlds. Even Hellgates probably have some sort of connection to this place.
Here we are. We step out on the other side into the foyer of some great mansion. Didn't know she was rich. This place is huge. It's got an old timey, vintage feel to it.
I see Ganya standing in front of some stairs waiting for us. She looks almost relieved to see us, and motions us to come to her.
“Good, you've come. I was afraid if you didn't, you would have found more trouble to get into,” she states.
Then, in the same breath, her demeanor changes. Like instantly. She's speaking to us like adults. No, more than that, like we're—it's like every word that she says is the most important thing in the world. Almost like a school teacher who takes their job way too seriously. I'm certainly intrigued, but the boys look like—well, Jamal looks like he always does: mad and upset, Chris looks like how he looks when his head is some place else, and Noah almost looks like he's interested, but I doubt he's retaining anything.
But me—like I said, I'm holding onto every word.
“We're demon hunters,” she says. “Whenever a demon crosses over, it's up to us to find it and banish it. People have been doing this for years on end. Demons have been invading the Earth for years on end. Probably since the dawn of time. Through every period, every era, every generation. We Mystics do our best to keep it all swept under the rug.”
Ganya's then interrupted by a portal of light appearing next to her. It's the same type of portal that she used. Another “Mystic” perhaps? Duh, Lynn, what else is it gonna be?
From this portal, a man steps out. Short, dark hair trying to go shaggy, wearing what looks like a black, leather motor cycle jacket, sky blue shirt, and black jeans. He looks buff, too. Definitely works out. He looks at us, then looks at Ganya.
“Who are they?” he asks.
“They've had an encounter, Duke,” she responds.
Then the man addresses us directly. “I'm sorry for everything you've had to go through. We do our best to make sure people never find out about the world's dark little secret, but things happen. If there's anything you need, just ask. You're welcome to stay here for as long as you like.”
That came off a little too scripted. Like some speech he's rehearsed and had to use time and time again. Professional is the name for it. Yet at the same time, there was something genuine about it. It got me right in the chest. That can't be scripted. Can you script that? That sense of sincerity?
But then it's right back to business. As soon as he finishes with us, he goes right back to Ganya. Apparently, there's been another demon sighting.
“Where at?” Ganya asks.
“Nuevitalia,” he responds. “I'm going to need as many people as we can get on this one. I don't think I've ever seen a horde this big, and they're right out in the open.”
“I'm there.”
“I can close Hellgates.”
The whole room goes silent when I mention that. It sort of just came out of no where. I do my best to ignore the collective groans of the boys behind me. They can hate me all they want, I don't—no I do care, but still. This is something I can do. I know they're ready to leave, but I can't go yet. I just can't.
Lynn, how did you get here? What happened? It started with Chris. This was his idea. He needed something to give him hope. His best friend's gone missing. He needed something to fight for, something to make him feel like he was making a difference. I don't know. But that's not why I'm here. I know Darius isn't in this. It's strange though. I coulda sworn I felt him back in Russia. It was like he was standing right with us, just for a moment. But that can't be true. Jabari wouldn't lie to me.
“I can close Hellgates,” I say more timidly.
“It's true,” Ganya says. “She did it right before I found them.”
The man—Duke, I think he was called—looks taken off guard. “That's amazing,” he says. “Truly a great gift you have. Honestly, it's something we could really use in a time like this, but—” He stops for a moment. He's gathering his thoughts, considering the possibilities. He folds his arms and strokes his chin.
I know he could use me. These Mystics, or whatever they're called, know how to banish demons, but how many can actually stop them from crossing over? I'm way above the curve. I know I am. Go ahead and let us tag along. You're about to say it right now. Go on,
“There's no way I'd feel good about putting kids out there in all of this.”
Come on Duke! That's not what you wanted to say.
“Please, these demons ain't nothin'.” Thank you Chris! Glad you're still—
“Will you shut up?” And there goes Jamal again.
“What happened to heading home?” Noah asks.
“That was when we were on our own,” Chris answers. “Now we got chaperones.”
Duke quickly interjects, “Look, we're not here to babysit you. Out in the field, we can't be focused on worrying whether or not you're okay.”
“Do you have a person that can stop demons from crossing over?” I ask. “I'm sure you could always use another one. You already said so.”
“And we can look after ourselves. We've been doin' good so far.” Chris adds in.
Then queue Jamal responding with his usual butthurt response. Then Noah trying to reason out the clear headed response to the response, but then in turn agreeing with the overall butthurt sentiment. Then Chris getting up in arms about it, not necessarily because he's upset, but because he just wants to argue because he's crazy like that. Oh, and now Ganya's trying to break up the tussle because she doesn't know what to expect. Doesn't work at all, so she gets quiet while they clamor on.
Now it's your turn mister Duke. How do you handle this situation?
“Alright, that's enough,” he says. “If you want to come, you can come. If not, then stay here. There's real danger out there, and while I'd prefer you all keep as far away from it as possible, I won't stop you. But remember, as cold as this sounds, if you get hurt or get killed, that's on you. Are we clear?”
Everyone nods in agreement.
The next thing we know, we're all back in the Axis. I stick close to Duke and Ganya, doing my best to listen to what they have to say as they lead the way.
“This is probably the worst event to happen yet,” Duke starts off. “With the advent of the lower level demons crossing over, I can't even imagine how worse it's gonna get.”
“Do we have any idea why they're appearing all of a sudden?” Ganya asks.
“None. What really gets me is how different they are from the high tiered ones. Them we could handle. You know this. They only cared about integrating with society. Making friends with people. No real target group. Upper, middle, lower class—didn't matter, just so long as they could make friends, start a life, and then manipulate people into making bad choices. They cared about destruction, but on a more psychosocial level. Extremely dangerous in their own right, because when you get down to it, if you can manipulate a person into killing themselves in as slow and painful a matter as possible, then that's more negative energy for them to feed on. They're the types of demons you'd find at a crossroads offering to buy your soul.”
“But these newer ones—the low tiered—”
“They don't care about any of that. The only thing on their mind is making Earth as close to Hell as possible. Any one of them is strong enough to bend the laws of physics and reality on a city to country wide scale. And with more and more crossing over by the day, I fear the day when one slips through the cracks. What happens when one of us doesn't make it in time? What happens if one of us fails? This is the planet we're talking about. If we mess up, everybody loses.”
“Then we don't mess up.”
We're in Nuevitalia now. On top of some three story building overlooking the streets below. All we see is a sea of black. It's not the pavement, though; it's the demons. They're literally covering everything, like an infestation of roaches or something equally as gross. And right up, dead center in the sky is the Hellgate where they're flooding from.
Duke was not kidding. They're everywhere. There are some flyers, some giants taller than the building we're standing on, some bulky, some skinny. This is Hell.
Ganya instantly jumps off the roof and dives right into the madness. Duke gives us a passing glance. He's regretting this already. I know he is. “Please,” he says, “stay safe.” And with nothing more than a sigh, he rises off the roof—apparently he can fly—and then falls into action.
I hear Jamal say something that almost makes me laugh. He's talking to the whole group, but I know he really means this for me.
“I just wanna let ya'll know, when we all die, I'm puttin' this all on you.”
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