Aight. 4 likes is good enough for me. Haha Chapter One Introductions Nik cried harder while holding the small, but still effective revolver against his temple. He did this almost every night. But tonight, tonight was different. The only person he cared about, the person who saved him every night, had just been killed in a head-on collision. Nik set his thumb on the hammer, and slowly pulled it back until he heard the click. He set it down, for the moment. He walked to his desk and chair, and picked up a pencil and a notebook. On it, he wrote his final goodbyes to the people he went to school with, everyone who had ever once been his friend. It wasnt a long note. He ripped it out, and held it in his hand. He walked back to his bed, and sat on the edge. He reached down with his free hand, and picked the gun up. He studied it for a few minutes, then put it against his temple. Right before he pulled the trigger, he heard a knock at his door. He threw the gun under his pillow, and stuffed the note in his pocket. He rose slowly from the bed, and looked to see who it was. He saw that it was his ex girlfriend, Angel. He opened the door, and before he could say anything to her, she leapt into his arms and kissed his cheek. Surprised and confused, he gently hugged her, and looked down into her soft brown eyes. I thought you were hanging with Mitch. He said quietly. I... I was. But he dumped me, then I decided to see you... I heard about Violet. She said with a small frown. Yeah... But uh... Hey, I was kinda busy, I was just seeing what was up... I could help, if you want... I think Im fine. Shouldnt take very long. Okay, well, Ill see you Monday? Yeah. Promise? She looked at him steadily. What? Just kidding. See you Monday... Bye Nik. Bye. He shut the door slowly and sat back down on his bed. He lifted his pillow to see the ready-to-fire handgun. He lifted it up, and felt the cold metal against his skin. He sat on the edge of his bed, and slowly lifted the gun to eye level. He stared down the barrel. He smiled lightly, and put the barrel to his temple. He closed his eyes and whispered quietly to Violet, Im on my way. He slowly pulled the trigger, and before he even heard the shot, everything went numb around him. He opened his eyes, and saw two figures in front of him. One looked to be made of the deepest darkness, and the other was so bright, it hurt his still-adjusting eyes. They looked at Nik at the same time, and seemed as if they cocked their heads. He looked at himself, to see what was different, and he was now wearing a jet black duster, and there was a small amount of weight on his back. He reached back, and felt the hardness of a shaft of wood. He lifted it off his back, and felt that one side was heavier. He looked at it, and saw a razor sharp, curved blade. This was no stick, or staff. It was a scythe with a blade harder than steel. A million thoughts raced through his head. He looked at the two figures again. They were in the same position as before. Nik tried to speak to them, but as soon as he opened his mouth, they spoke for him. There were two voices, one deep and menacing, the other smooth and comforting. Nikolas Tucker. You have been chosen to become our Gatekeeper. Chapter Two Befriending the lords of the Afterlife Nik stared at the figures for a long while. He finally asked them, after 15 minutes, who they were. We go by many names. They answered in unison. Any that I might know of, by chance? The dark figure looked at him and Nik could feel something inside him, like the being was searching for something. Then it spoke to him. You have seen us before, or at least, thought of us. Perhaps we could change into something more... Familiar. To you. The dark figure slowly turned red, with a black aura around him. A body began to show itself. It was immensely muscular, with what looked like fur leggings. It had no shirt, and there were many scars on him. His face seemed slightly swollen, like he had just gotten out of a fist-fight. The dark aura shifted into a blood-red great sword, and hung itself on his back. What little aura was left, turned darker and was absorbed by his body. Jet black rams horns grew out of his forehead. He opened his new eyes, and stared at Nik, showing him the deepest black Nik had ever seen. Just being around this man made him feel sick. There was no color to these eyes at all. They seemed to drain all of the light around him. But there was an odd shine to them. Nik looked closer, and saw it wasnt a shine. His eyes were showing Nik all of the souls in his Realm. They were being punished in a multitude of horrifying, torturous ways. Feeling sick, Nik looked down, away from those eyes, and realized that on his legs, it wasnt fur leggings, it was actual fur. Instead of feet, his legs ended in hooves. Nik thought they resembled the legs of a goat. And somehow, it was natural. The creature hefted its sword with one hand, and held it like one would a small dagger. It seemed like to him, it only weighed an ounce. He looked at the pure white mist next to him, and in a deep, terrifying voice, he said to it with a small smile, Come on, I scared him. Make him feel good. I dont want him to feel bad for the souls that have to deal with me. The white mist formed slower than the dark man, and he was a little shorter. The slowly shifting mist now had relatively broad shoulders, and was wearing a pure white robe, not stained at all, in any place. He had light brown hair, and a slightly darker, scraggly beard. His eyes opened, and he had the softest, most comforting blue eyes. There was a soft white glow around him, and some of it formed into a small olive branch in his hand. He looked at the other man-creature, and said in the smoothest, amazingly soft voice, Do not try to frighten our guest, he is our first in over seven hundred years. Nik looked from the robed figure to the one with the sword. He asked with a confused look, So.... What do I call you two? They both looked at him, and again he felt his thoughts being searched. You already have a name for me. Said the one with the sword. He bowed slowly while saying, You can me Lucifer, Lord of the Underworld. He looked up with a small smirk. You have got to be kidding me... And I, my son, well, you do have a name for me, but it is not fitting. I am no God, but I am The Shepherd of Heaven. To me, you will be bringing all of the souls around the world without a body, that have committed very small sins. The ones who have sinned in more serious ways, you will take to Lucifers realm. There, they shall be punished, until he sees fit, then they shall be raised to Heaven, to live in comfort for the rest of eternity. Stated the Shepherd. How will I know what they have done? Where to take them, you know.. That stuff. Their souls will be tainted with darkness. The brighter they are, the closer they get to Heaven. Said Lucifer. That sounds... Kinda cool... But depressing... Okay. Chapter 3 Lessons Lucifer glanced at the Shepherd with a curious expression on his swollen, scarred face. Should we teach him how to use the scythe, or let him figure it out on his own? Asked Lucifer. Let me figure it out on my own... Im a fast learner. Nik said quickly. They both looked at Nik. Lucifer slowly put his hands up in a surrender. Ooookay. Just wanted to make it easier to take out the Rogue Demons. Rogue Demons? Nik cocked his head and held onto his new weapon tighter. Lucifer looked down. There are limits to our powers... Sometimes, we- You. The Shepherd cut in. ... I... Create more demons than I can control at the time, and the current Soul Collector, or Grim Reaper, as you mortals call it, kills them, before they can cause too much damage. They are usually weak, but they sometimes get a little stronger. This one... Hahaha, remember that Shep? Ooh, that was great. This one, he thought he was so strong, because he possessed this guy, and mortals thought he was me. I took care of him myself, just to show him how wrong he was. He was in ashes before a second passed. The look on his face was priceless. Hahahaha. Nik looked at Lucifer curiously. Uh... What? The Shepherd sighed. What He is trying to say, is some of the Demons on Earth are more powerful than others. Would you like a demonstration of what they look like? Nik stared and slowly nodded his head. Lucifer smiled and cracked his knuckles. All right then, here we go. He knelt on one knee, and pressed both hands against the floor. Everything around them was gray, except where Lucifer was touching. There, it was blood red with a jet black outline, slowly pulsing. The ground started to raise, like there was a bubble beneath the surface. It kept raising, until it was almost 5 feet tall. It finally popped, and standing where the bubble had been there was a crouching, pure black figure. It slowly stood, and it was barely shorter than Lucifer. Nik tried to look it in the eyes, but he then realized that it had none. Nor a mouth, not even a nose. No ears, no eyebrows, just blank. It had dark gray dreadlocks down to its shoulders, but that was the extent of its features. Otherwise, it looked human in nature. It turned toward Nik, and suddenly a large mouth appeared in the center of its face. It had sharp edges, and looked as if the face had split, the torn edges turning into teeth. It charged at Nik, raising its arms, ending not in hands, but huge blades. It used both arms and tried to slam them against him. Nik leapt out of the way, himself not thinking, but moving anyway, almost as if the scythe was thinking for him. He unintentionally swung the scythe at his attacker with all his might. He hit the creature in the midsection, and it split in two, spewing not blood, but black mist. It evaporated into thin air, leaving no trace of what it had been just a second ago. Nik, dumbfounded, looked at his weapon, then almost screamed as he saw his hand. It was skeletal, no skin or muscle in view. He stared in horror, then watched as skin slowly started covering it again. The skin glided from his forearm to his fingertips. When it was complete, he shot his head at the two men. WHAT WAS THAT??? That, was a Soul Taker. It was what we used before the time when you Gatekeepers came along to guide souls. We had those monsters come along and just kinda... Take them. Lucifer explained. We changed it for many reasons. One, the Soul Takers would almost always stain the souls, two, they only lasted for one soul, three, they just went after any Soul, dead or alive, and four, they terrified the poor souls. The Shepherd told him. No shit, I wonder why they were scared. Chapter 4 Back to Life Well, I guess you know enough now to be able to protect the innocent, and bring some Souls to the Afterlife, so, you should be getting back now, dont you think? Suggested Lucifer. The Shepherd sighed. I guess he should. I was starting to enjoy the company. Wait... Back? As in, back? Nik asked. Yeah... Back. Back to life. Well, you did kind of shoot yourself, so you wont be technically alive, but you will seem like it to the people around you. Nobody will be able to see your scythe, you will look like a normal person to the Live Souls around you. But to the Loose Souls and demons, you will appear how you do now. The only thing that might give away your status now, is the fact that you do not age. You will stay this age, for the rest of eternity, or until we can find a more suitable Gatekeeper. Explained Lucifer. I dont really understand why Im called a Gatekeeper... Theres no gates. You havent seen our Realms yet. My Realm has a gate made of obsidian and ebony quartz. His is made of white marble and granite. I like mine better. Lucifer laughed. Haha. Thats... Anyway. So I get to go back, but I have to take out the rogue demons, and bring Souls to you guys? Seems easy enough. Said Nik. After 10 years, you will start to believe it difficult. The last one did. But you. You just seem different. That is why we have chosen you. You have a Soul that is very hard to read. The Shepherd stated. Uh... Thanks? I think? Its not always a good thing. Demons will take an interest in you, Nikolas. You will need to be vigilant. Said the Shepherd. Okay... I have my scythe, so Ill be okay. It helped you then. It was at its strongest here in Limbo. The farther away it gets, the weaker it is. It will always help you at least a little. It will always at least put thoughts in your mind on how to fight. Lucifer explained. I believe it is time for you to go now. People will be wondering where you have been. Goodbye Nikolas Tucker. I will be seeing you again quite a lot. Now, arise back to the Mortal World, and be the Gatekeeper. With that, the Shepherd waved his hand, and Nik got a huge head rush. His surroundings started spinning, and he had to close his eyes. He felt something hit him in the side, and he awoke on the floor of his room, stiff and cold. He sat up, and got a headache immediately. He closed his eyes again, and tried to hold his head, but he hit himself with something hard in his left hand. He looked with partially closed eyes, and saw the revolver. He set it down and felt where the center of the headache was. He touched his head, and heard a small squishing noise. He looked at the hand, and saw blood on it. Slightly panicked, he looked around for something to clean himself with. He saw a small dried drip of blood on the wall, and looked up slowly. Higher on the wall was a huge spray of blood. He stared in awe at the still-drying blood. He stood up, and tried to ignore the huge headache that erupted in the side of his head. He staggered to his bathroom, and took off his clothes, being careful with his shirt, trying not to get any blood on it. When he was finished, he stepped into his shower, and turned it on. He relaxed in the almost too hot water, and gingerly washed his hair. He relaxed until the water began to turn cold, and got out. He dried himself, and looked in the mirror at his head. Where the bullet escaped from his head, there was a small bump, looking like he had just hit it on something. He gently touched it, and it receded into his head, causing a small gasp to escape from Niks mouth. He felt no more pain, and his headache had disappeared. He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly, then walked to his dresser to look for clean clothes. He got dressed, then looked again at the large stain on his wall. He thought about how he could hide it until it could be cleaned, and walked to his closet. He searched for a few minutes, and found an old poster. He smiled lightly and hung it over the stain. It was just large enough to hide it. He sat down on his bed, and fell over. He closed his eyes, and almost immediately fell into a deep sleep. Chapter 5 Time to go to work He awoke some time later because he felt he was being beckoned. He knew how to get where he was wanted, but he didnt really know where he was going. He got out of bed and grabbed his scythe off the floor, where he had woken before. He left his apartment and jogged down the hall. He left the complex at a slow run. He felt like he needed to hurry. He ended up sprinting down the street, not tiring at all. He decided to test himself. He ran faster, and faster, never getting tired, never wanting to slow. He ran faster than ever before, and still felt like he could go even faster. He got up to almost his fastest, then his surrounding turned deep purple with black swirling lines, twisting around him. He saw where he was needed, and he was instantly there. He stopped suddenly, the wind around him stopping with a small gust. He smiled and looked at the Soul before him. It was the same size as a small child of about 5 years. It was pure white, no darkness anywhere. He walked over to it, and it looked at him. Daddy? It said in a small male, echoing voice. A tear came to his eye as he realized this child would never be with his family. At least, not for many years. He knelt next to the child, felt himself learn its name, and said softly, No Jonathan, Im afraid Im not your father. But you are going to have to come with me. You will be safe with me. The child looked at him with a saddened ghostly face. Nik slowly took him up in his arms, and it clung to him in a small hug. He frowned, because he could not feel it. The child was neither warm nor cold. Everything about the child, Nik could not feel. He raised the child, and carried it how one would a toddler, on his hip. He walked to an open area, and somehow knew what he needed to do. He raised his scythe with his free arm, and stabbed downward, creating a temporary rift in the fabric of this realm. He stepped into it, and was at the gates of the Shepherds realm. He walked to the gates and saw an erethreal man walking toward them. Nik set Jonathan down, and the man knelt next to the child, and held out his arms. The man picked him up, and nodded toward Nik. He then returned back through the gates. They closed behind him, and Nik turned around and headed home. His rift was slowly closing. He had to bend and distort himself to get through. Chapter 6 Back To School When he got home, he set his scythe against the wall and leapt into bed with a sigh. Ugh. I just want to sleep! Almost as if he had cursed himself, his alarm went off. He smacked it and it flew across the room. It ricocheted off the far wall, and made a loud crash as it fell to the floor. Nik groaned and slowly got up. He took a short shower to wake himself up, and got ready for another day at school. He grabbed his scythe, and walked out the door. When he was halfway down the street, three local thugs came around the corner. Nik sighed loudly, as they always picked on him the most. He kept walking, pretending to ignore them. Hey, Prickolas. One of the trio said with a smirk. Prickolas. Wow, nice wordplay. Nik replied. You say somethin, dick? The second threatened. Hm? No, not me. I dont want any trouble guys, Ive had a rough couple days, and just want to... Shut up. If we want you to talk, well make you talk. The first commanded. Nik raised his hands in a non-violent gesture. The second man in the trio mistook his gesture for a fighting stance, and swung a closed fist in a hard punch. Right before impact, the world around Nik slowed, almost stopped. He avoided the punch, and used an open palm to slam his abdomen. He slowly flew upward, and the world sped up again. He watched the man continue flying upward for twenty feet, and fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. Nik stared in horror, and saw a flicker on his body. It continued to flicker for about three seconds, then it stopped. The man began to breathe slowly. Nik sighed in relief, and turned toward the other two thugs. One pulled out a knife and charged with a scream, his voice cracking with adolescence. He lashed out, and time slowed once more. Nik grabbed the wrist of the young thug and twisted hard. There was a slow, sickening crackle as the bones tried to bend under the immense pressure Nik was forcing upon them, and finally snapped into broken, useless shards. The thug fell to the ground and screamed in pain. The third man stared in horror, and pulled out a small knife. He threw it at Nik, and in his slowed state, it was fairly easy to dodge. Nik began to move forward, and the man reached into the back of his pants. He pulled out a rather large pistol, aimed at Niks chest, and fired. The first bullet embedded itself into Niks chest. Time slowed even more, and the other 3 bullets seemed to stop. Nik did not feel the pain of the bullet in his chest, and moved forward. He spun and dropped low to the ground, throwing out his arm, catching first the thugs right leg, then the left, leaving him stopped in midair. Nik rose up, and formed the open palmed attack he had used on the first. He slammed it into the stomach of the man, and he hit the asphalt hard. Cracks formed all around him, and time sped back up to normal. Nik looked around, and then realized what had just happened. He shuddered in horror, and felt for pulses. They were all still alive, unbelievably. None were conscious. Nik started to walk away, then he saw someone round a corner far down the road. He started running. He ran until he got to his school. When he arrived, Angel immediately saw him, and jogged up to him. Hey Nik. Before he could reply, she cocked her head quizzically and asked, Whats that hole in your shirt from. Strange... Its right over your heart. She looked closer and saw the edges of fabric around the hole were slightly charred. Almost looks like a bullet hole... Are you okay? Nik looked down and for the first time noticed his chest. In his head, he cursed himself. He glanced up to her and said, Yeah, Im fine. I have no idea how that got there. Must have dropped a cig or something. But you dont smoke. Nik shrugged and started trying to move away. She stepped into his way and asked, What are you hiding Nik? I think you do know how it got there. Please, tell me. Its nothing. Just a small burn. No big deal. Theres nothing on your skin though. And the char looks fresh. There should at least be redness. But theres nothing... What are you a doctor? I said its nothing. I just want to get to class. He said, slightly perturbed. Yeah, actually. Well, Im training to be a nurse, you know that. And Im not letting you go anywhere until you tell me what really happened. You wouldnt believe me if I told you. Try me. She pushed. Okay. Then stop by after school today. Ill show you what happened. He said after thinking for a couple seconds. Fine. Ill see you then. She grumbled and walked off. He sighed and walked into his first class, waiting patiently for the first bell. After 10 minutes, it rang, and the long day of school began. Chapter 7 Telling Angel After school, Nik rushed home and cleaned quickly. He looked at the poster, and saw small specks of blood surrounding it. He cursed loudly, and looked around for something to fix it. He was just about to start scrubbing with bleach when there was a knock at the door. He cursed again and went to it. He opened it and Angel stepped inside. Im here, now please, tell me what happened. Ok... This is going to be hard to believe, but... He explained all of the past day, not missing a single detail. He paused his story long enough to answer her few questions. When he was finished, he looked into her eyes. She looked as if she believed it all. So, if you shot yourself, like you said you did, what happened to the gun and everything? The gun I set down somewhere.... Right there. And uh, well, I died. The blood from my head exploding is behind that poster. He pointed to it. Show me. She said quickly. He sighed and stood up slowly. He walked to the poster, and slowly tore it down. He heard Angel gasp, and looked back at her. Her mouth was agape. She stood up and quickly came over to him. Ive heard of the stories... But never would I think of actually meeting a Gatekeeper. She whispered a little too loud. Stories, what stories? Ive never heard any stories of a Gatekeeper. He said to her. He looked into her eyes, and for the first time saw knowledge beyond belief. He stared into her eyes, astonished by what he could see. She looked away finally, and spoke quietly. Thank you for showing me this, Nik. Now I think its time I showed you a secret of my own. She began to softly emit a golden aura. Upon her back, two great white eagle wings appeared slowly from thin air. A halo of golden fire revolved around her head. Her clothes slowly morphed into a pure white tunic. It was long enough to barely cover her knees, so there was no need for pants. She looked at Nik, and her eyes were almost as bright as the Shepherds, but seemed to be darkened, somehow. She took a deep breath, and told him quietly and slowly, My real name is Lesaria. I am the 352nd female to ever die. I have become a Guardian Angel. Originally, for you. But it seems you no longer need protection, Gatekeeper. You were my Guardian Angel? Then why have I been pushed around and tortured all these years? Why didnt you step in and help even once? I was told to protect you from Demons. I was told you would be able to handle the troubles that the living realm would hand you. Well they were wrong, dont you think? If I ended up just killing myself. Lesaria looked him in the eye and shook her head slowly. No, they were right. You have been dealing with all of your troubles perfectly. Less than a month ago. A small demon had been eluding me. I searched everywhere, except inside you. I had failed, Nik. The demon had crawled inside you, making you weak. Im sorry. If I would have caught it beforehand, you would have been safe. But now, you are in more danger than ever. What do you mean by that? His hand slowly clenched into a fist, involuntarily getting ready to defend himself. Now that you are Gatekeeper, demons everywhere will hunt you down. You need to learn to fight if you wish to survive. She looked him in the eye, and he saw a deep need to keep him safe. He felt strangely sorrowful for the Guardian Angel. He had never believed in angels and demons, and all along he had had an Angel protecting him. He gripped the wooden hilt of his scythe, and said to her, An... Lesaria... Ive told you all I know. Youve told me more than I wanted. I thank you. Now please, leave. Im tired. I havent been getting much sleep lately. Yes, Gatekeeper. Would you stop calling me that? Its Nik. Just... Nik. As you wish Nik, my apologies. And why are you being all sophisticated now? Just be how you were before. Be Angel. Not... Lesaria. I dont know Lesaria. I grew up with Angel. Be her, please. Her huge wings vanished again, her aura and halo dissipated, and her tunic morphed back into normal looking clothes. She looked a little disappointed, but she tried to hide it. She smiled, and looked into his eyes. Okay, Nik. Whatever you want. Thank you. Im sorry, I just, its weird seeing your only real friend turn into something different than what you thought they were. But, as I said earlier. Im tired. Could you come back in a few hours? I just want to rest. Yeah, sure. Ill see you later. They both walked toward the door, and Nik opened it for her. She was halfway through, and then stopped. She turned around, and whispered, I promise, I will keep you safe. She then smiled and gave him a quick kiss and hurried out the door. Nik smiled a little at the kiss, and watched as she walked away. When she was out of sight, he closed the door and sat on his bed. He fell back and threw his arms behind his head. He smiled and laughed at the fact that he didnt believe in Souls, Angels, or Demons, and now he was protected by and Angel, fought Demons, and collected Souls. He had shot himself, and now he was the Grim Reaper. He began to relax, and started to drift off into the world of sleep, when he heard a small crash. It was barely perceptible in his drowsy state. He slowly stirred out of his sleep, and tried to stand. He stumbled toward where he thought the sound had come from, and when he got there, he saw a large dog. But, it was pure red, and had no skin or muscle. It was purely skeleton. It turned toward him, and it had fangs the size of steak knives. In its eye sockets were swirling vortexes of red and black. It barked at him once, and Nik was forced back a couple feet from the force of it, hitting the wall behind him. He stood up straight, and shook his head to get out of his daze. He reached for his scythe, and it flew to him from across the room. The creature charged and leapt for his neck. Nik dodged and swung his scythe simultaneously. His hand slipped and his scythe turned, so instead of slicing the beast, he hit it with the back of his blade. It flew over him and slammed against the wall, face first. It fell to the floor while Nik rolled away. The beast stood and shook its head, venom dripping from its fangs. Nik turned just in time to see it pounce. It hit him with more force than seemed possible, and they both flew back. The beast continued to fall through the air, while Nik was lost from its grip and tumbled to a stop. His scythe hit the ground next to him and slid to a halt. He grabbed it and swung it a long arc while turning around and getting up, not aiming, just swinging for defense. At the end of the arc, he leapt toward the rebalancing beast, and swung his scythe downward. The beast leapt sideways while snapping its jaws at his scythe. It grabbed the wooden staff, and pulled it out of his hands. His scythe flew across the room and the beast kicked him with its back legs as it spun from pulling the weapon. Nik was flung back and landed hard on his back, knocking the wind from his lungs. He slowly sat up and watched the beast move toward him, with a murderous glare. Nik crawled backward, so he was against a wall. Trapped, he raised his hands, and crossed his arms, and closed his eyes, protecting himself. When his arms crossed, they had formed a perfect cross. He felt a surge of power leave him, and he cowered even more. He slowly opened one eye, cautiously. He saw the beast, but it was now a dark gray. Its previously red and black eyes, were now swirling with black and gray. Skin had formed on it, as had more bone. It now resembled a Rottweiler, but had large fangs, dripping with a faintly glowing, dark red venom. Its pink tongue was hanging out of its mouth, bobbing up and down with each breath. Nik lowered his arms, and the beast sat next to him. He cautiously reached over and ran his hand across its back. It tensed slightly, then leaned into his touch. Nik rubbed harder, smiling a little. He got up, sitting on his knees, and petted the tamed animal on the ear. It laid down, and panted. Nik laughed slightly, and rubbed its belly as it turned over. He stopped petting, and smiled at the animal. Ive always wanted a dog. Never thought Id get one that would try to kill me first. He spoke quietly.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 21:35:40 +0000
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