All Hell Breaks Loose

June 13th

11:55 PM

Mariah Adams

We took quite some time to pile the bodies of the Hell-spawn just outside the shattered window. Despite our exhaustion, every movement we made carried a strong sense of urgency. After we finished, Malcolm, Moore, Smalls, and I gathered around Evan and started berating him with endless questions. Evan listened calmly for a while before deciding to answer.

“Alright,” He began. “It sounds like you all have very similar questions. Just to bring you up to speed, Ryan, I am an Angel. One of very, very few left here on Earth.”

“So, where do you come from exactly?” I asked.

Evan sighed as he started trying to simplify a long and complicated answer. “I come from a different plane of existence or, if you’d prefer, a different dimension or universe completely separate from your own. For the sake of simplicity, we’ll just call it Heaven.”

“Evan from Heaven...” Smalls chuckled quietly. “I don’t know why I found that funny.”

“Then why are you and the Demons here? What do you have to gain from Earth?” I asked.

“I was getting to that. Let me just put a few things into perspective. Heaven and Hell are ancient and primordial universes that are billions of years older than yours. My people and, simultaneously, the Demons have had millions upon millions of years to expand into every nook and cranny that Heaven and Hell have to offer. But, we’ve found a problem: our universes are finite; they have an end. Eventually, we ran out of resources, but, more importantly, we also ran out of space. So, my people, the Angels, had to find ways to escape our universe in order to expand our dwindling reserves. The first such universe we came across was Hell. Unfortunately for us, that universe was not uninhabited. Even worse, the Demons of Hell had run out of resources too, so they were trying the same methods of escape at the same time the Angels were. From the time our two peoples met to where we are now, there has been nothing but brutal war. But, a few thousand years ago, which is relatively recent by our standards, a new universe was discovered; your universe. But this time, there was something different. Whereas our universes, Heaven and Hell, had clear end points, your universe was continually expanding and essentially infinite. Although your telescopes aren’t able to accurately observe the leading edges of your universe, I can assure you that there are new stars and planets being formed every day at the extremities of this infinite universe. The discovery of your universe changed the game from a slow burn as we tried to conserve what little we had left to a mad scramble as we tried to evacuate trillions upon trillions of people from a dying universe while also trying to keep the Demonic armies of Hell at arm’s length.”

Hundreds more questions erupted into my mind. Powerful, existential questions that we probably didn’t have time to sit around and debate about. Regardless, I couldn’t stare Death in the face without at least trying to understand what was really going on. Even still, the most burning and the most pressing questions I had weren’t about life’s greatest mysteries, but the motivations of the Angels.

“So, are your people refugees or conquerors?” I asked.

“That is a lot more complicated than you give it credit for.” Evan sighed. “The simple answer is that we’re neither, but that’s a bit misleading. There are two prevailing ideologies among my people: the Resigned and the Determined. The vast majority of my people, myself included, fall into the Resigned camp. Essentially, we have had billions of years to come up with a solution to our universe’s inevitable heat death and we haven’t succeeded. The Resigned believe that it is our duty to defend your universe from the Demons who largely seek to conquer and destroy. After that, we have become resigned to accept our fate and fade quietly into the annals of history.”

“Wait,” Smalls began. “If our universe is really infinite like you say it is, why can’t the Angels and Demons just settle on different ends of the universe and expand in different directions? Even if there is still a war, why can’t you just, like, let it get cold for a little while?”

“Well, Smalls, you’re already catching on to the most prominent argument of the Determined camp. ‘Why can’t we just expand in different directions?’ Well, what if your universe just inexplicably stops expanding one day? In that case, we’re back at square one facing another universe with its own inevitable heat death and no way of either preventing it or surviving it. And then we would still have to go back to war with the Demons eventually.” Evan explained.

“I think that seems like a rather shallow argument.” I began.

“Call it what you will, but I do genuinely believe that the simple risk of your universe not being entirely infinite means that even if both Angels and Demons just pick up and move into opposite ends of the universe, we would still only delay our problem. No matter how minute that risk may be, I don’t think it’s a risk worth taking,” Evan replied.

“So, what? You’re just gonna pop into our world to defeat the Demons and then hightail it back to Heaven and leave us to die to whatever the ‘inevitable heat death of the universe’ is?” Malcolm asked.

“Yes, that’s the general consensus,” Said Evan. “But, there are always detractors; Not everyone will agree with the path forward even if they are walking beside you. Personally, in the last few weeks I’ve spent here on Earth, I’ve become a bit more conflicted about the decision to defend you then leave. I’ve come to believe that my people still have a lot to learn.”

Smalls shook his hand vigorously as he interjected. “Wait, wait, wait. So, what the hell is the deal with the Determined then? It sounds like they just want to stay alive which would involve staying here instead of peacing-out back to Heaven which sounds kinda like what you wanna do. So, like, what’s the difference between staying here in a Resigned way versus staying here in a Determined way?”

“Good question. The Determined ideology largely falls in line with what the Demons are doing. They would just take everything they need and either kill or enslave whatever gets in the way.” Evan bluntly answered. He then held up his hand and continued as though he knew what question was coming next. “As opposed to my belief that we should share our discoveries, our magic, our progress with the people of your universe in the hopes that someone somewhere in this vast, new world would be able to find a solution to the heat death of the universe that didn’t necessarily involve assuming that the universe will always be infinite.”

“So, your people have magic?” Moore asked.

“Well, yes and no. Magic is really just a technology that any given society or person cannot rationally comprehend. Imagine going back in time and trying to explain a car or a phone to a caveman. They might be able to understand its most basic functions and concepts, but they would have no ability to build or repair their own version. For example, I could spend a hundred years detailing the exact mathematics behind a Gravitic Stabilizer, but your people probably wouldn’t be able to build one in that same time, nor would they naturally discover even half of the principles involved.”

“What the hell’s a Gravitic Stabilizer?” I asked.

“Long story very, very short: It’s a massive device that keeps the portals stable. It’s not so much a door as it is the door frame. But, again, we don’t have a hundred years for me to sit down and explain exactly how that works.” Evan replied.

“Hang on, did you just call us cavemen?” Smalls asked.

“Yes, but only by a crude comparison.” Evan replied.

“Okay, dumb question then. How old are you?” Smalls asked again.

“Kind of young all things considered, but I am older than some dinosaurs.” Evan stated.

Smalls stared at Evan in awe. “Holy shit! Is there, like, a number attached to that?”

“Roughly eighty million and some change,” Evan playfully conceded. “In all honesty, I stopped counting after a thousand.”

The sound of Demons and Hell-spawn was looming frighteningly close. Gunfire was beginning to become more prominent throughout the area, although it still didn’t sound like any shots were being fired from our building. The grim possibility of being torn apart by a twelve-foot-tall monstrosity was growing more and more apparent with each passing moment. Everyone in the room began to solemnly steel themselves for the end. Evan and the military serviceman Ryan Moore began rummaging through the remaining rifles and handguns making sure there weren’t any spare bullets someone else had missed. Before Evan got too far away, Malcolm stopped him to continue asking questions.

“We’re not done yet, kid. I gotta ask, can you Angels and Demons read minds?” Malcolm asked.

“A little bit.” Evan replied. “We have ways of probing your consciousness, but if someone doesn’t want their mind to be read like an open book, they can protect themselves without any required technology. It’s a bit like riding a bike or firing a gun. The basics aren’t necessarily all that difficult to achieve, but it does take significant training to do it well.”

“So, is it any easier to read my mind when I’m knocked out?” Malcolm continued.

“Not necessarily, but it is a common interrogation tactic for the Demons. Unless they had a way to keep you sedated, they probably didn’t get very far into your subconscious before inadvertently waking you up. Did he ‘guess’ your name at some point?” Evan asked.

“Yeah, he did,” Malcolm replied. “Are you in my head now?”

“No,” Evan assured. “Names, however, are always very close to the surface of your consciousness, so it’s usually the first thing we find when we start probing someone’s thoughts. It also makes your name the soul’s best natural defense against unwanted invasion.”

“I’m sorry, what did you say? Your soul’s natural defense?” I asked.

“Yes,” Evan nonchalantly replied. “Your soul. Again, Mariah, we don’t have enough time to explain fully. Suffice it to say, a long time ago my people discovered that your soul, the thing that gives you consciousness and emotion, is a tangible and quantifiable piece of matter much like your body and eventually we discovered how to better observe and manipulate souls. That’s how we read minds.”

“The grossly oversimplified answer, I take it?” I snidely quipped.

Before Evan could even nod in retort, Malcolm butted in between us. “Alright, I’ve got another question. A bit more serious. It’s about the Hell-spawn. Is there any Angelic variant you’ve been hiding in your back pocket this whole time?”

A crestfallen look began to creep over Evan’s face as Malcolm stared at him intensely and Smalls’s and Moore’s interest began to pique. Evan didn’t seem to want to answer affirmatively for some reason, but he couldn’t bring himself to lie either.

“Yes, there is.” Evan eventually mumbled.

“Now, why would you be hidin’ that, boy?” Malcolm postured. Although he was standing tall in an effort to appear more intimidating, Evan made no signs of flinching. If what Evan said was true and he was a soldier with millions of years of experience, I sincerely doubted there was anything Malcolm could actually do to physically threaten him. And that was before I reminded myself he was observably superhuman.

“Largely for your protection,” Evan calmly replied.

“For our protection?!” Smalls scoffed. “Clearly you guys haven’t done a very good job protecting our universe from the Demons since all your friends are dead and we’re all surrounded by flying monsters about to join ’em.”

“Exactly!” Malcolm agreed. “Don’t ya think now of all times would be a great time to use some of that magical mumbo-jumbo to help us stay alive?”

Evan ignored Malcolm and began to casually stroll toward Smalls’s wheelchair with a steely facade disguising his anguish and sorrow at the harsh reminder of his fallen comrades. Knowing full well that there would be nothing I could do if Evan decided to get violent, I still made the conscious decision to stand between him and Smalls. Evan began to speak calmly, but there was clearly an indignant anger permeating through his voice.

“Have you ever played the game of Chess, Smalls?” Evan asked.

“Are you about to make some stupid analogy about how you’re the kingpin and every Demon in San Francisco would be after you if you tried to help us like that?” Smalls snarked.

“Yes, actually,” Evan replied. “But it isn’t just every Demon in San Francisco. It would be every Demon on Earth. They can sense when I use my power and bringing back four men from the brink of death was more than enough to piss off every Demon within at least a thousand miles. And since I am probably the last of my kind within a few hundred lightyears of here, using anything more would make me a walking, talking target for everyone to see. I’m trying to protect you from fighting a war where we’re outnumbered easily ten to one and have no hope of gathering reinforcements.”

“To hell with your reinforcements, blondie!” Smalls shouted. “Your people got their asses kicked two fucking weeks ago and now that you’re surrounded by a bunch of people that not only held on by the skin of their teeth for that same time, but are also more than willing to fight and die defending the only home we have in an infinite universe! You’ve got your army, dumbass, you’re just too stupid to see that! And you’ve got reinforcements too! There are seven billion people on this planet and there’s no way in hell I can guarantee that every single one of ’em would rather fight for you over the Demons, I can guarantee that every person in this room is willing to try. And, If you think you have the power to help us fight a war where we’re all outnumbered a million to one, but you choose not to help us, I see no reason not to surrender to a force that kicked the ass of the strongest military our planet had in a matter of days.”

Evan’s facade began to slowly crumble as he locked eyes with Smalls. He stood there for quite some time while he pondered Smalls’s biting words. He started to advance towards Smalls rather menacingly and I instinctively tried to get in the way. There was nothing I could do as I soon found myself being casually tossed aside like wasted paper. Evan picked up Smalls by the collar and lifted him completely out of his chair. Soon the room was awash in a blinding, golden light that seemed brighter than the sun as a warming and calming heat radiated through my body. When I was finally able to painfully blink open my eyes, I saw Smalls standing up next to Evan. Smalls’s eyes were radiating a pure golden-white light like the opposite of the Hell-spawn. More importantly, I was aghast at how Evan could have affected such a miraculous recovery for a man who was wheelchair bound for life just moments before.

“You could have done that the whole time?!” Smalls angrily shouted.

“Yes,” Evan stated as he began to leave the room. “Now, come with me. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done.”

Following after Evan and Smalls, I demanded to examine Smalls’s wounds. He lifted his shirt and I hastily tore away what little remained of the bandages. I can’t say I was surprised to see that there were no scars on his abdomen considering what just happened. Still, it was nonetheless a miraculous recovery. Countless ideas and desires filled my head. Regardless of whether or not it was magic or some indecipherable arcane technology, I needed to have it. I needed to understand it. Something like this could easily save or improve millions of lives at a minimum. As the possibility of our impending doom drew ever closer, I didn’t feel as though I had much of a choice but to begrudgingly suppress the thousands of questions I had.

Evan walked quickly with an authoritative purpose. Along the way he continually demanded for everyone willing and able to fight to follow him outside. Dozens upon dozens of people began to follow his orders. As he stepped out the door, he turned to the south to glare at the floating portal and the hellish landscape the west coast had become. He tossed his rifle to the ground as crystalline orbs of light began to coalesce into the solid form of a longbow in his hand. At the same time those orbs began to revolve around his body shining brighter and brighter as his form grew from the modestly built, five-foot-nine human appearance to a massively muscular Angelic warlord that was easily seven feet tall. Wings sprouted from his back that appeared to be composed of an impossible golden light. He wore shining, silvery armor that also glowed with the same golden-white light as his wings. He turned to face the awestruck crowd amassing behind him and began to address them.

“My name is Evonathros. I am the highest ranking general of the Ninth Legion of Heaven and quite possibly the last Angel on Earth. Now that I have finally revealed myself, hundreds of millions of Demons that are invading your world will now embark on a reckless crusade to slay me. What I must ask of you is next to impossible, but if we fall here, Humanity falls with us. I can grant you a fraction of my power and it will allow you to fight for a thousand years without rest. However, those who take this power must also take a solemn oath. In that time you will fight not only for your own life, but also the lives of millions of people you will never meet. No matter how contemptible or admirable you find other members of your people, you must defend their lives as though they were your own. Those who would be willing to undertake this obligation with or without my power, with or without an Angel leading you, step forward.”

Dozens of people in ragged military uniforms and blood-soaked street-wear began stepping forward. Each one of them was bathed in the unearthly light that had transformed Smalls. They all began to glow with the same pale aura and their eyes each began to shine with a golden light. To my surprise, Malcolm was unusually hesitant to step forward. His eyes glazed over as he stared mournfully at the portal to the south. Perhaps he knew what horrors awaited him and was loathe to witness them again. Perhaps there was another reason I had yet to understand. Ultimately, he too stepped forward while I remained behind. People soon began glaring at me disapprovingly as I was the last person to accept Evan’s power.

“I’m sorry,” I began to explain. “But I am not a soldier. I don’t think I can bring myself to fight and kill hundreds of people for dozens of lifetimes when I have spent so much of my time on this Earth trying to save people’s lives.”

“There ain’t no clean hands in a war, Mariah.” Malcolm growled. “Even medics have to go to bed covered in blood.”

Evan waved his hand to silence further dissent as he began to speak. “Actually, I find it commendable that you are willing to stand by your own principles even in the face of certain death. I believe that all universes could use more people like you. However, at the same time I cannot disagree that this fresh hell we are about to endure will require all the help we can get, but perhaps there is another way you can aid us. Perhaps, if you are willing, I could grant you this same power and you could use it to continue your trade tending to the sick and the wounded. At least for a time.”

Immense trepidation swelled in the pit of my stomach. I absolutely wanted to study Evan’s capabilities in order to better apply them to medicine, but there was still that obvious issue staring me in the face. If I chose to take the offer, then at some point down the line I would have to fight and kill more people no matter how depraved they were. That was inevitable. Even still, as much as I detested the possibility of having to take the life of someone that kowtowed to the Demons, I don’t believe I could live with myself if I died not understanding the greater mysteries of the universe when I was clearly being given the opportunity to learn about them. Begrudgingly and tearfully, I began to speak.

“I accept.”

Small globes of golden light began forming around me. They grew brighter and brighter until my vision blurred into a strange ethereal whiteness. I could hear Evan begin barking orders in a booming and imposing tone in the background of my awareness. When my vision finally returned, everything was substantially brighter and clearer. Despite the world around me only being illuminated by shattered streetlights and hellish flames, the sky no longer seemed black or dark like the nights usually are. Instead, it appeared a soft shade of violet like something out of a Van Gogh painting. Each star seemed to shine just as bright as the sun and illuminated the ground around me as though it were noon on a cloudless summer day. I could easily pick out the smallest details in the bricks, gravel, and asphalt across the street. Simultaneously, the exhaustion of two weeks of scavenged nutrition and restless nights began to melt away. I felt like I could easily run a marathon in record time without pausing for water or to catch my breath.

I silently stashed away the numerous objections I had at Evan’s reasoning for withholding something like this until the last possible moment. The sounds of cackling Demons and raging Hell-spawn were growing closer and closer with each passing second. I quickly slipped back inside the community center and barricaded the front door with whatever tables and chairs I could find. Afterward, as the sounds of merciless fighting began to break outside, I turned to the people who remained behind. They were children who didn’t know why they were running, grandparents who were barely capable of moving; people of all shapes, sizes, colors, and backgrounds just trying to survive as the world around them fell apart. Despite everything that was happening and had happened in the past several weeks, I was beginning to feel incredibly hopeful for the future. No matter how bad things seemed to be, the simple fact of people being willing to throw aside all barriers and preconceived notions in order to help someone in need would not only help us to survive a surprise invasion from beyond our universe, but also help us to rebuild the world afterward.