Tales of The Black Dragon

DEMON KNIGHT 2
Hell’s Gate
Written and created by
QUENTIN R. MILTON


:Intro:
The worlds, in which we each all live in, have layers of other worlds within them; something like an onion and its many layered skins. And in this particular woman’s first layer of life started off as a not so gentle one.

Her name is Jeryline and in her last life; she had to do battle with creatures, which was said to live only in the minds of men...Demons. But in truth, they are real in her world, larger than life kind of real. Forty-eight years in her past in 1996, she was chosen as protector of a very special key. The key was large, hollow and was said to hold the blood of our savior Jesus Christ inside it. It was handed down to her by another who was chosen before her; he called himself Brayker. The key was handed down to him in 1942 from a wounded American soldier; his mind was engulfed by memories of a past that wasn’t his. An as he continued to hold on to the key; images of long ago of three crucified men nailed hand and foot large wooden crosses.

When removed, the key left tattooed stars in the palm of his hand and he knew not what they meant, but soon found out that those stars where a map. The stars would sometimes shift in his hand into a different order and over the years he learned quickly how to understand them. The dying soldiers let him know that he should never let the precious item fall into the demons hands and the blood was deadly to all their demon kind, but most importantly of all…was to keep running. Brayker did run, he ran for over one hundred years. He didn’t age a day after the transfer of the key to him, but he was very tired.

Eventually a powerful demon did catch up with Brayker in 1996 in a small town where Jeryline worked as a waitress. When Brayker fought off this determined night-stalker he was mortally injured. The key and its valuable content inside was at the time, nearly empty, so he used his own blood, mixing it with the old to refill it from his opened wound. Then when handed down to her; the same thing happened and the stars formed in her hand, an soon after…Brayker died from his wounds. His nightmare was gratefully over, but hers…was just beginning and the chase...was on again.

The year is 2044, France, Arizona a half century has past and she is still running. An in this day in age, she goes only by the name Thorn. Even in those years the world hasn’t changed that much and neither has her traveling methods by riding on a bus. But in these days the vehicle was solar and battery powered.’


Ch: 1
A New Payer In Town

The summer in the city of France, Arizona, a car with three young men pulls up and parks, but leaves the motor running at a small two-story apartment complex. When the car stops the driver turned up the music and they all got out. They made a short trip and came to an apartment they all seemed to know. The lead man walked up a flight of steps and gave the door a few well-placed knocks while the other two stayed at the bottom.

An as he knocked, “Man, I sure hope he’s here.” the young man says looking down at the other two.

A few seconds passed and a man answered the door; he looked a few years older than the other three. He greets his first guest with a smile asking, “Yes, can I help you?”

“Yeah, is Eric here?” the younger man asked with a grin.

The older man paused for a long moment and as he did the younger man at his door slowly turned his head down to his partners at the bottom of the steps and at the same time easing his right hand behind his back.

Before the younger man hand could reach the center of his back, the older man on the inside of the apartment, in a flash comes from behind the door with a gun in his left hand and shoots the younger man in his foot. The younger man reaches down at his shot foot in pain and as he did. The older man with the gun lunges out the door and fires two shots down at the foot of the stairs; then soon after bring his attention back to the first younger man who reached for his foot. The scene only shows the mans’ gun move down at an angle and one more shot was heard, BLAM!”

In thirty seconds the next thing was heard were tires screeching and in another ten minutes, the spot was now a crime scene and many police officers were there, “What do we got ‘ere Lou?” one officer says just arriving at the scene.

“Well L.T. looks to me like a drug deal gone sour or the guy who answered the door, didn’t like the boy scouts they were selling.” Officer Lou says bending down inspecting the bodies.

“May be Lou but I’m placing my bets on that this was a gang related event that went ta the crapper.”

As the two officers talked amongst themselves close to what was now known as three dead men looked to be in their early twenties. One of the three was lying at the top of the steps face first, shot in the foot and in the back of the head at close range. The other two at the bottom were shot in their faces.

While Officer Louis Billings stands to his feet he notices and points almost without thinking, “Hey L.T. Who’s that over their checking out the cement pavement way over there and all the corpses are over here?”

When L.T. looked over towards the parking area, “That’s Jack Ryan; I heard he transferred voluntarily twenty-four hours ago from Big Apple, to here.”

“Yeah, but I want to know why would any body volunteer to come to this eighth level of hell?”

“I don’t know Louie, but I heard that tomorrow, Capt’s gonna brief us on it.”

The next morning at the 14th Precinct Police station, inside a small classroom sitting down, were ten selected officers. They all waited for their captain to arrive and one of these men an women waiting was, “L.T. what the hells going on here? I was pulled off a case I was working on for three months, with out a word.”

“I really don’t know Mickey, I too was busy doing something else but poof, presto, change-jo; I’m sitting here with you and eight other coffee guzzling, donut chompers.”

Mickey paused for a moment with a mean look then quickly changed his face into a smile holding out his hand saying, “Welcome to the club chump.”

“Glad ta be here sleaze-ball.” L.T. says grabbing his hand shaking it while both of them started laughing.

The laughter soon ceases as a voice was heard coming for the back, “Good to see that some of you are in good spirits, because what you are about to hear is going change each and every one of your worlds forever.”

When everyone turned around they saw their captain and the man known as Jack Ryan walking together to the head of the classroom, an as they did, “Everybody this is Officer Jack Ryan. Now that this was said by me, I’m outta here; enjoy the show.” The captain says with a quick introduction an turns leaving back the way he came in.

The entire room was in total silence as Jack walked quietly over to a desk laying his briefcase down and opens it. He then pulls out a stack of ten booklets with many words inside them he has written. Soon after, Jack then walks by and places an booklet on each desk in front of each officer. When he finishes, he then walks back to the desk and leans against it, crossing his arm and legs facing them, “You already know my name and believe me when I say I know each an every one of yours. Now I’m here for one specific reason and so are you. The pamphlet in front of you, don’t bother opening it. It is your guide; only open it when this class is over. Well for the one’s of you wishes to stay an-”.

A female office raises her pencil about five inches cutting off his words but soon he continues, “Trust me officer Jean Franklin-Smith, that question your thinking about to ask, is not the one you really want to ask. Besides the guide will tell you the same thing that will come out of my mouth. Now…the reason why you are all here is because I hand picked all of you for you individual beliefs. You all know what I mean, because I’ve had a little chat with the stations consular.”

Low mummering began, “I know, I know. That is all supposed to be confidential but in war, certain facts must be needed to known. If any of you don’t like it…leave now.”

Many of the officers took offence while looking around at each others dumbfound faces, but none of them tried to get up and leave, they all remained seated.

“That’s what I thought, even if I just told you I know your deepest darkest secrets you would have all stayed in your seats. That is why I chose each of you, the only reason why you are all still here because you all know something big is going down around you, but you don’t know what. An curiosity keeps you asses glued to those chairs knowing that I do know something that going to shed a little light on things. Well boys and girls, I do know just that, but what you’re going to hear is just the opposite of bring darkness to light.” No one said a word they all just listen, “First, you all know what topic I’m going to start off with…that’s right; the weird killings. The killings that only seems to catch your eyes, the killings no one is willing to discuss. None of you haven’t even talked to each other about it, because you think what you say to one of your peers about your suspicion, might make you sound crazy. Only if you would have swallowed those fears months or even years ago; maybe what I’m about to say about them wouldn’t sound so fucked up. An since that did happen, I now need to know on how much you really think and know. Here there is no fear ladies and gentlemen. We are all on the same level here, all of us. Any takers on who want to speak up first and out loud?”

No on volunteered, they all just all sat there with the utmost of uncertainty, “Fine, I guess you all need a little push start. What I know about the murders, are that the people who are dying are folks like you and me. Firemen, old ladies mothers, fathers, etc…but hay, what so strange about that? Well for starters their lives ended by either a gunshot, sharp objects or even the perp using his or her own fingers, putting out there eyes. Officer Lanyard Taylor, what are some of your thoughts?”

“It’s L.T. Jack and what I was thinking that I was alone in those thoughts.”

“Not this time, L.T…go on.”

“Well it started for me eight months ago, this serial killer who was killing off these people didn’t discriminate. He killed ya know matter what color, creed, or race ya were. His patters where like trying to put a puzzle together as if all of the pieces were one color but the way they died, it was always the eyes.”

“Yes, an you Jean, any thing to add?”

“Why the hell not, four months ago when this shit caught my attention. It’s true that this creep has some type of eye fetish…but-”

“But what Jean?”

“But one day I had a talk with the coroner examining one of the poor bastards he said from those injuries, the victim should have lived threw their ordeal.”

“An why is that?”

“Because no main arteries where severed nor was the brain touched.”

“But Jean, that person may have died from shock.”

“Yeah, an the victim could have lived.”

A slight smile ran across Jack’s face, “That the victim could have, now that the ice is cracking in our small group; let me throw you all into the fire. Jean only if you have dug a little deeper, you would have found out that the victim was already dead long before his eyes were put out.”
Gasps and shocked expressions filled the room…

To be continued…