Bearing The Burden part three

Bearing The Burden Part Three: The Apocalypse This Way Comes
                       As written by Dustin “Demon Hunter” Cameron
                                        Chapter One: Memories
         “We make friends fast, don’t we?” Raven said, out of breath from escaping from the RAGE base.
         “Yeah, just glad they didn’t have jets this time” Dustin replied, a little out of breath. They both started laughing.
         “Shame we had to blow the base up” Raven said, still laughing a bit.
         “Who knows, maybe we can fake our deaths and see some peace for a while” Dustin replied, looking over his shoulder at the smoke billowing into the sky. Raven nodded, hoping he was right.
         “Where do we go to now?” Raven asked after a few minutes of silence.
         “Two options, my house, or we stay with Master Sink” Dustin replied, still staring into the sky behind them. I never slept in that bed, Dustin thought, realizing just how busy he’d been the past couple of days. He shook his head and looked at Raven. She just got back and she was being drug through a war already.
         “Raven” Dustin said. Raven looked up at him, wondering what he wanted.
         “Is this the kind of life you want?” he asked, looking at a soldier’s body two feet behind them. Raven looked at him in surprise.
         “You know, I never figured you for a softy” Raven said, a grin forming on her face. Dustin smiled too, knowing what she really meant. She wouldn’t have it any other way.
         “So which of our two options you want to go with?” Raven asked, walking over to Dustin, wiping sweat from her forehead.
         “I wouldn’t be opposed to some more training. Whatever Jesus’ mission is, it’s got to be tough if he’s sending me” Dustin replied, wrapping his arm around Raven’s shoulder. Raven sighed, realizing that they’d be living in a sewer for a while.
         “It hasn’t been used as a sewer for years, the smell’s gone” Dustin said, knowing what Raven was thinking. Raven smiled and punched him in the arm.
         “Stay out of my head” she said playfully.
BOOM
         Dustin looked towards the east, towards Odium. A new pillar of smoke was stretching into the sky.
         “Shall we?” Raven said, reloading her handguns. Dustin nodded, and the two were off, heading into the forest nearby. Raven was pretty fast for a marksman, enough to keep up with Dustin at half speed, which was his usual speed for fighting. Dustin hadn’t worn his boots since he came back from the dead, knowing that he couldn’t restrict himself too much anymore. All the more reason to start training again, Dustin thought, sidestepping a tree in his way. He thought of his fight with Nitsud, and how he lost to himself. Although technically loosing in that fight meant death, Dustin had to use his anger related powers to win, and fighting himself, that was depressing. Then again, he could heal himself by his own power, I couldn’t, Dustin thought, trying to reassure himself. So maybe because they both had a power the other didn’t, they were even. Dustin grinned, thinking about the look on Nitsud’s face when he transformed. “I really need to think of a name for that” he said to himself. He could just call the transformation his “Super Demon Hunter” form. He didn’t really like it, it seemed too simplistic. He was pretty sure he heard it somewhere before too, from when he was a kid. Undying…his undying form. That had potential. He grinned again and sped up, wondering how fast Raven could actually go, impressed she was keeping up. Raven was thinking about where she’d been the past couple of days. She remembered the demons attacking her while she watched Dustin fight Drake, and she had flashbacks of hell every now and then, but other than that she was clueless. She hated being out of the loop. She remembered seeing Jacob carry her to heaven though, she looked back at Dustin as he disappeared behind the doors. He had said he was sorry. Is he speeding up, or am I just too tired to keep up? she thought, noticing the gap between them was growing. He looked back at her, a grin on his face.
         “Jerk” she said with a laugh, speeding up. A few minutes later, they arrived in Odium, to see people running away, screaming. People were hanging from light posts, ropes cutting into their throats. Dustin stood in front of Raven, hoping to spare her of the gruesome sight, if only for a moment. A mob came running from behind one of the buildings and spotted Dustin and Raven.
         “It’s the guy that tried to kill Drake, kill him!” the leader of the mob yelled, torches and rope aplenty. Raven saw the people hanging from the light posts and almost threw up. Dead bodies littered the streets, and more were about to join them, one way or another.
         “You guys seem to be experts at killing the defenseless, but let’s see you put a rope around my neck” he said, grabbing his swords from their sheath. He held them up, in  their double blade position, then dropped it.
         “You aren’t worthy of my weapon” he said to the mob that was now charging. He ran at them, an arm behind his back. He dropkicked their leader in the face, sending him flying into several people behind him. He ducked to avoid a torch, then punched it’s wielder in the face with his free hand, the one he wasn’t holding behind his back. He turned and kicked another guy in the side of the head, his body slamming into the concrete. He ducked and tackled someone else, then did a one handed handspring off of his body into the crowd, his foot slamming down into the collarbone of one of the stragglers. Raven just stood there, grinning as he showed off for her. She turned and shot a guy in the leg that was creeping up behind her, keeping up the non-lethal trend. Another person swung a club at Dustin, one of the five left in the crowd. Dustin grabbed it in the air, and looked the guy using it in the eyes, his eyes glowing white. The guy let go of the club and ran, Dustin threw it and hit him in the back of the neck, knocking him out. He could control the physical changes of his undying transformation, but he felt none of the power. Still good for intimidation purposes though. Someone ran at Dustin, attempting a tackle. Dustin sighed and slammed his foot down on their back, seconds before they would have hit. He jumped off of them and landed on someone running from the fight, knocking them to the ground. Three to go. Dustin ducked under the torch that was swung at him, it’s wielder behind him. Dustin shot up, slamming into the unlucky man’s jaw with his skull. Part of a tongue landed on Dustin’s shoulder. Well, so much for non-lethal. He had two minutes before the man died of blood loss, and he had two more people to take out. Showing off time was over. He took his other hand from behind his back and punched a guy in the face, swinging his leg into the neck of his buddy next to him. Dustin then ripped part of an unconscious guy’s shirt off and held it to the unlucky gentleman from before’s tongue. Dustin prayed and the blood stopped, the clotting process going from non existent to done. Dustin looked to the sky in thanks, and wiped the tongue off of his shoulder. Raven clapped her hands.
         “Hope the dinner’s as good as the show” she said, then she saw the part of a tongue on the ground.
         “Never mind about dinner, let’s just go” she said, holding her stomach.
         Dustin tracked down the smoke and saw what happened, as if it wasn’t obvious…
                                       The end was dangerously close…
         Dustin looked at the church, or rather, what was left of it. He reached out his arm and caught Raven, who fainted at the sight of the dead bodies that littered the ground.
         “Suicide bombing… right in the middle of the service” Dustin whispered, summing up what happened. He heard shouting coming up from behind them.
         “If it’s another mob, I’m going to freaking kill someone” Dustin said turning to meet the crowd.
         
                                       Here’s what the crowd saw…
         
         The crowd stopped, arriving at the church that they had started their killing spree at. A being in black stood, a weapon in his hand, flames dancing behind him. Was his eyes beginning to glow? The being disappeared, then blood started to fill the air. The people who brought guns turned and aimed, until their guns fell to the ground, arms still holding them. People started to run, but all you could see was a flash of black and then them falling, blood spilling from their wounds.
         “Where is this demon coming from?” one of the crowd yelled.
         “From where I stand, the only demons I see are you” the being replied, standing behind the speaker. The speaker felt a sharp pain and looked down at the blade sticking out from his chest, blood spewing from his wound. Then all he saw was the darkness closing in on his reality…then more flames…

         Dustin took his sword from the man’s back and wiped it on his shirt, cleaning the blood and guts from it. He walked over to Raven and picked her up.
         “This place is beyond salvation, unless I kill everyone here… best get to Master Sink’s place before Raven gets hurt” Dustin said, running towards the forest again, heading towards his hometown of Bereavement.
                             
                             Chapter Two: The Mission Is Clear
         Dustin stood where his house once stood, hoping to gather some supplies, or at least a change of clothes, only to find splinters and ash. This wasn’t like the church though. This was an arson, and he left a signature so to speak. A double blade stabbed the earth in the space where his room once was. This was a message, and that was that someone intended to kill him. He looked around, the area a desolate wasteland with only a few hills and an abandoned road a couple hundred feet away. Whoever did this was long gone. Raven was at Master Sink’s place, getting some sleep, resting from the trip here. He was glad she wasn’t here to see this. Dustin stopped and sniffed the air for a second. He knew that smell well…demons…
         Dustin reached behind him and grabbed the arm of a demon that was in mid-swing with it’s sword. Dustin wagged his finger then punched the demon in the face, being careful not to knock it out. It dropped its sword, cradling its face with it’s free hand.
         “Did you do this?” Dustin said, making his mood known. The demon shook his head no. He had seen him mad before during his torture. This particular demon originally held the whip.
         “Who did?” Dustin said through gritted teeth. The demon honestly tried to answer him, but was cut off by a knife piercing its throat. Dustin looked behind him, seeing no assailant. Whoever burned his house was still here somewhere, and he was either invisible or fast…very fast. He heard laughing…no longer inside the area that was once his trailer park.
         “Fast alright” Dustin sighed, calculating how long it would have taken him to travel that distance. It would have taken Dustin thirty seconds to make the four hundred foot trip to the road, the arson/assassin made it in five. This guy was faster than him, by a lot. Dustin dropped the demon, not needing a corpse at the moment. Dustin looked up at the sky, and knew what his mission was now. This guy wasn’t on the side of good, and right now, there was no such thing as neutrality. He heard another laugh, now in the actual city of Bereavement, heading towards Master Sink’s place…towards Raven…Dustin was already at the road, breaking his estimate by twenty seconds. Still not fast enough. He could hear Raven’s screams in his head, a dark figure hurting her. A familiar power started flowing through him, his hair standing on end, his eyes glowing white. Raven’s actually in danger, or else I wouldn’t be Undying, Dustin thought, running faster than he’d ever ran before, heading towards the city of Bereavement. He could see footprints, or rather, he could see the evil that was coming off of him in the form of a footprint on the ground. The trail was getting stronger, and he was getting too close to the sewer entrance for this to end well. At least Master Sink was with her, he could either kill the intruder, or hold him off long enough for him to get there.
         “So this is your powered up form huh? Not impressed” someone said, running behind him. Dustin’s eyes widened, he didn’t even see him get back there.
         “I can manipulate the evil coming off of me, I’ve been trailing you for the past mile” the enemy continued. Could he read minds? The enemy didn’t say anything, so Dustin was hoping he couldn’t. Dustin stopped, not slowed down, but came to a dead halt and held out his arm. The enemy collided with it, and Dustin rammed his elbow into the enemy’s chest, slamming him into the ground. The concrete road cracked and split open, dust billowing from the crater. Flames ensnared Dustin’s hands, and then flew into the crater, exploding upon impact with the enemy inside. Flames continued sprouting then shooting into the crater, explosions continuing, the crater spreading. This was still familiar from somewhere… the dust settled, and Dustin looked in the crater, still Undying. There was nothing there. Dustin turned and caught the knife that was thrown at him, and dropped the ashes, as his hands were again consumed in flames.
         “Stronger than you look, but still no match for me” the enemy said, nowhere in sight. Dustin tried to zero in on his evil aura, but it was too immense, it seemed spread out. Then again, he claimed he could control it. He could be anywhere, getting ready to strike, or leaving him to sulk in defeat, or… Dustin took off for Master Sink’s again, not caring if he was two feet behind him. Dustin punched the ground and ran through the sewers, not leaving his Undying form until he saw Master Sink unharmed.
         “We need to talk” they both said at once. They normally would have laughed, but they both had to talk about the same guy, about the mission Jesus mentioned, and the state of the world.
         Raven woke up, well rested. She stretched, yawned, and put on her slippers. It was cold down here, but Dustin was right, there wasn’t a terrible smell down here…anymore. She looked at the nightstand next to her bed and saw there was a note.
         “There’s some food in the kitchen, help yourself
                             -S”          
         Raven yawned again and slowly made her way into the kitchen, hearing muffled voices coming from Master Sink’s room. Dustin must be back. Her stomach growled, which put her to do list in order: eat, then see Dustin. She poured herself a bowl of frosted flakes, wondering where he could have gotten them, then didn’t want to think about it. She poured the milk and got a spoon, slowly lifting the spoonful of Frosted Flakes to her mouth. Then she heard Dustin yelling.
         “WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME ABOUT THIS GUY SOONER?” Raven winced. She didn’t like seeing Dustin angry unless it was targeted at a demon. Then she learned where he got it from.
         “WHAT BUSINESS IS IT OF  YOURS ABOUT MY PAST STUDENTS?”
         Raven winced again. It was too early for this. She put the spoon up to her mouth again, taking her first bite of breakfast in a while, oblivious to the ominous tone to what they were yelling about, and the shadows behind her…
                             
                     Chapter Three: Divine Training, Next level of Undying
         Dustin and Justin sat down for a minute, not looking at each other, trying to calm down.
         “How long did you train him?” Dustin asked. Justin didn’t say anything, still trying to calm down enough to talk in a hushed tone. Dustin sat there, knowing that this was tough for them both.
         “Ten years” Justin replied after a few minutes of silent fuming. Dustin had only been trained for four years, and he was one of the deadliest people on the planet.
         “But according to what you’ve told me, he’s twenty times stronger than when he left me” Justin added.
         “Joining Drake’s forces no doubt” Dustin said, Justin nodding in agreement.
         “Thomas always harbored resentment towards Christians, but he came from a wealthy family, so as long as he paid for lessons I taught him. A week after he left, Frank’s troops were beating down my door and I had to move down here, enduring the stink. Shortly after, I learned of you, and hoped I could train someone strong enough to eventually kill him. But now… I believe the devil has employed him in order to kill you, under orders to make it slow, or else you would be dead by now” Justin said in a grave tone. Dustin went to the door and cracked it open, looking into the kitchen. There was half a bowl of Frosted Flakes sitting on the table, a note stuck onto the spoon. Dustin ran into the kitchen, picking up the spoon and reading the note.
         “Tsk, tsk, tsk… really should take better care of your girlfriend. If you want her back, she’ll be waiting at the place you first met. Bring as many friends as you want, all the more notches for my sword’s hilt…

         Ps, my offer ends at midnight tomorrow, so I would hurry if I were you”
         It wasn’t signed, but it didn’t need to be. Dustin’s eyes started glowing, his hair standing on end, his entire body encased in fire. Justin put his hand on his shoulder, unaffected by the flames.
         “Not now, right now, we need to make a pit stop” Justin said with a reassuring voice. Dustin’s hair fell to his shoulders and his eyes regained their blue color. Seconds later, they were at heaven’s gates, Jesus on the outside this time. Dustin looked Jesus in the eyes, and the members of RAGE appeared behind him, Jesus in armor as well.
         “Thought you can’t set foot on earth” Dustin said.
         “I’m not, you are however, and I’ve got all the time in the world to train you, as time doesn’t exist up here, now pick up your swords” Jesus said, a fire in His eyes. Jacob and the rest took Master Sink back to earth, where they would watch over Raven and protect her while Dustin trained. Dustin picked up his swords, forming his double blade. Jesus transformed into Thomas and pulled out His double blade, twirling it over His head with a finesse that made Dustin look like a child. Jesus eyes glowed for a second, and Dustin could see Raven, sitting in the stands of the Bereavement town square. Thomas cut into her arm, as he’d done every hour, on the hour. Dustin’s hair stood straight up, his eyes glowing white, his body encased in flames.
         “Good, let the image sink in, let that righteous fury build up inside you” Jesus said, repeating the image over and over again. Dustin’s muscle mass started increasing, his speed tripling, his strength doubling. Jesus conjured up a target, and Dustin held out his hand, launching a tiny flame from his hand. Had it been on earth, the power from the blast could have killed everything in a twenty mile radius.
         “Good, now by the time I’m done with you, all that power can be concentrated so that Thomas will get every bit of the damage from the blast, mostly so that the innocent aren’t killed” Jesus said, a grin on His face. “I’ll even show you more attacks for your Undying form, as you call it” Jesus said, His grin spreading. If you didn’t know any better, you would have sworn Dustin smiled too. Jesus held out His hand and a ball of flame formed in it, then He gripped it and it formed a sword. He let go, the sword transforming into a ball again. Jesus aimed at another target He set up, and used it like Adam and Shaun’s light guns, disintegrating the target. Dustin copied what Jesus showed him, and even thought of some stuff himself. He formed a flame in his hand, and tossed it on the ground, a flame version of himself appearing where the flame touched the ground.
         “Best thing is, your flame can never run out, only way you can revert back is if you win or if you die, or if you want to, but I doubt you will in the middle of a fight” Jesus said, changing from his Thomas form to his regular appearance. Dustin’s hair fell to his shoulder’s his eyes regaining their blue color, and his muscle mass shrinking down to normal. Dustin looked at his hands, remembering the power he wielded a few seconds ago. Suddenly a bunch of chains were wrapped around Dustin’s feet and arms, weights attached at the end.
         “Now to train your normal form, after about a year, you’ll be as strong as your undying form is right now, bearing in mind that no time passes here or on earth. The Raven image was what would happen, not is happening. Your body won’t age at all either, so go nuts, try and catch me” He said, a smile growing on His face. Dustin struggled to move, until he thought of Raven. It took all of his being to keep from transforming. The weights moved a little, and Jesus took one step back, still playing the “Catch Me If You Can” game. Dustin grinned, no longer holding back, he slowly walked in the direction of Jesus, who was having fun playing this little game. In literally in time, Dustin had caught Jesus, and his training was complete. Both of his forms were five times as stronger, and he was ready for Thomas.
         
                                       Chapter Four: It Begins…
         Dustin appeared back on earth again, no time passing from when he first read the note, but no doubt he was already here. Dustin could smell the evil in the air, and the smell of blood from the town. Dustin looked at his hands, and closed his fist, a trickle of blood dropping as he ran into the place where he died, all those years ago.
         “You’re fast, to get here a few minutes after me, then again you probably ran the instant you read my note, not even bothering to get help” Thomas cackled, holding Raven next to him, a knife at her throat.
         “Let her go, and I’ll kill you quickly” Dustin said, remaining calm, letting his strength be underestimated. Thomas laughed, and snapped his fingers, a demon took his place holding raven captive. Dustin looked into the air above the stands and nodded his head, Jacob returning the nod. If the demon even looked like he was about to hurt her, he went down. The stands suddenly filled with demons, yelling and whistling, imitating the crowd during the execution. Dustin could hear his family’s screams, see their tears…his grandmother’s face…Rachel…
         Dustin unsheathed his swords, and blocked the attack from behind him, surprising Thomas with his reaction time. Thomas took a step back, then disappeared, or rather, ran so fast you couldn’t see him anymore. Dustin could follow him though, his footsteps ringing loud and clear in his mind. Dustin turned to his right and punched the air, a befuddled Thomas reappearing with a bloody nose.
         “WHO ARE YOU?” Thomas screamed, holding his face.
         “I’m the guy you really ticked off” Dustin replied, giving Thomas an uppercut to the face, launching him into the air. Dustin disappeared and reappeared above Thomas while he was still in the air, and slammed Thomas into the ground. Dustin reached into the smoking crater and pulled Thomas out, and threw him to the ground again.
         “Now quit playing games and fight” Dustin said. Thomas laughed.
         “How did you know I was acting?” Thomas asked, wiping the fake blood from his face.
         “Because, I’m good, but not that good” Dustin said, when in reality, he was just wanting to draw the fight out more, using only a fifth of his strength. Now he knew how Michael felt when they fought a few days ago. He’d have to request a rematch after he killed Thomas. Dustin and Thomas looked each other in the eyes, waiting for the other to blink. Dustin took this time to study his opponent, taking in fighting stances, weapons, and gauge how fast and strong his attacks were. Thomas had short blond hair, concealed by a hood on the black cloak he wore. He was slightly shorter than Dustin, but the lower center of gravity gave him a balance advantage during quick movement. His weapon of choice seemed to be either knives or a double blade, the weapon every alumni of “Sink Academy” gets when they graduate. He dressed in all black, except for the blood that was on his arms and legs. Dustin switched focus to his peripheral vision, and studied Raven for harm. She was angry at being the damsel in distress again, but other than that, nothing. Dustin switched focus back on Thomas, never taking his eyes off of him. Dustin blinked first, wanting to end the pointless stare down. Thomas was gone when he opened his eyes again, and Dustin side stepped the lunge Thomas made for him from behind. Thomas took a step forward and turned, swinging his blades at Dustin’s side. Dustin fizzled out of sight and reappeared behind the demon holding Raven hostage. The demon was too busy looking for him to notice him standing behind him. He handed a note to Raven and fizzled away again, appearing behind Thomas. The entire trip took less than the blink of an eye, which is what Thomas was doing while he swung the blade. Thomas used his momentum to swing a foot towards Dustin, which connected with Dustin’s neck. Dustin flew and collided into the wall behind him. The smoke from the collision could be seen for miles. Justin, who was watching from atop the stadium, winced, remembering when that happened to him in hell. This attack had more power behind it, but Dustin also seemed different than before, like it didn’t even phase him to slam into a wall like that. Sure enough Dustin walked out of the cavern in the wall, wiping the dust from his coat. that training Jesus gave must be really effective. He couldn’t wait until Dustin transformed into his Undying form and see the power from him then. Why hadn’t he transformed already though? Theatrics was never Dustin’s style, he merely wanted revenge and killed anyone in his way as quickly and stealthily as possible. Then Justin realized something. Thomas had been sent by the devil to kill Dustin, so he was thought to be stronger than Dustin, so he might have the equivalent to Dustin’s Undying form that hasn’t been used yet. Justin grinned at the cleverness of his favorite student. He looked over at Raven and then at Jacob, who hadn’t broken eye contact with the demon yet. He had his hand on Shaun’s shoulder, watching the fight and Raven at the same time.
BOOM!
         Another collision into the wall, but it was Thomas this time. Dustin had connected with a punch to Thomas’s gut. A trail of coughed up blood led to the cavern created by Thomas’s body. Thomas flew out of the cavern and slammed Dustin into the concrete below, pounding Dustin’s head into the ground with his fists. Dustin pushed Thomas off of him with his feet, and grabbed one of his legs while he was airborne, throwing him into the concrete below. Dustin landed silently next to the pit he created with Thomas’s body and waited for his retaliation. He didn’t wait long. Thomas appeared in front of Dustin and punched him in the face, then as Dustin flew back from the force of the blow, Thomas grabbed his leg and swung him into the wall. Dustin went through the wall and slammed into a sky scraper outside of the arena they were fighting in. Thomas leaped onto the top of the stadium, looking his master in the eyes when he landed. Justin waved, knowing he couldn’t beat him. He sighed, depressed that he had been surpassed by both students while he was still thirty five. He started training Thomas when he was twenty, but Dustin had more potential. He had matched Thomas’s skill when he left in only four years. Thomas leaped from the top of the stadium and ran to the sky scraper, not knowing Dustin had long since recovered and was waiting for him…
                   
                             Chapter Five: Thomas Gets Psycho… Evil Transformed At Last
         The demons had flown to continue watching the fight, neglecting to drag Raven along. She held out both of her arms and was instantly whisked away by Shaun and Adam, leaving David, Jacob, and Whitney behind in case back up was needed. Raven looked behind her at the smoke emitting from the town, and the rumble of buildings being crashed into. She prayed Dustin was dishing more than he was taking. This was the second person he had ever taken on that was stronger than he was, Drake being the first. The rest of RAGE was still back there to help, but if Dustin cannot take him down, can anyone short of God himself kill Thomas? No, Dustin could do it, took down the devil, he can take down one of his pawns.
BOOM!
         Raven looked back again to see Dustin flying out of a column of smoke and fire. Thomas flew through the air and grabbed him, slinging him back into the flames and followed. A few seconds later Thomas flew into the air, was caught by Dustin and stabbed through the arm, then thrown into another building. Well, it was official; Raven was no longer in Dustin’s league.
         “Not necessarily” Shaun said.
         “Didn’t know you could read minds Shaun” Raven replied.
         “Angel thing” Shaun replied smiling.
         “So how on earth do I catch up?” Raven asked, curious.
         “Train the same way he did to survive being thrown into a building, about seven times if I counted right,” Shaun said.
         “I’m listening” Raven said as Shaun and Adam carried her off, into heaven to train.
         Meanwhile, the fight was starting to lean in Dustin’s favor, and Thomas knew it. Thomas cradled his arm, listening for Dustin’s footsteps inside the building he was thrown into. He hasn’t even transformed yet, Thomas thought, silently fuming. Thomas looked at his arm, and then knew what he had to do, he had to transform himself. Thomas let the hate in him for Christians build, anger pumping through his veins. The ground began to shake, and a black flame crawled over his skin, his eyes glowing red, and a pair of bat’s wings sprouting from his back. Dustin had been waiting for this, holding back his own power to bring it out. He had gone from one fifth of his power at the start to four fifths, not counting his undying forms power. He continued sitting on his little perch, a steel beam connected to a support column in the office they had wound up in. Dustin was actually surprised that he had survived being thrown into buildings. He was actually afraid when he was being hurdled into the first one. When he hit, he did not even feel it. He just stood up, wiped the dirt from his coat, and leaped out of the cave he had created. He was sure that Jesus was doing something, not that he was complaining…
         Thomas had finished his transformation, looking like a demon on steroids, he was now a giant, his muscle mass rivaling that of a gorilla‘s. The black flames were a nice touch too…
          Now to see how big of a strength increase he had. Dustin jumped down from his perch, double blade ready to strike. Thomas turned and kicked Dustin in the neck, breaking his collarbone and cutting his windpipe in half. Dustin then flew into three different buildings, landing in a pile of glass and blood. Thomas then reappeared above Dustin and proceeded to pound him into the basement… They started on the fifth floor…
         Dustin got up in a desperate move to get Thomas away and kicked him in the face. Nothing happened. Dustin repeated the kick several times, but Thomas only grinned, drooling blood. Dustin could not hold his breath any longer, and then realized that he couldn’t inhale because of the cut on his windpipe, not to mention that several of his ribs were puncturing his lungs thanks to Thomas using him as an elevator. Thomas then grabbed Dustin by the neck, and crushed it. Dustin fell to the ground and laid there motionless. Thomas laughed and walked away, sniffing the air for Raven. He found her, and reappeared seconds later, Raven and her escorts in hand. David and Jacob landed in front of Dustin, ready to fight. Thomas grinned, and threw Shaun into Whitney, who was ready to make a sneak attack to free Raven and the others. Thomas wagged a finger as the members of RAGE all landed before him, even Adam, whom he had let go. Raven was too struck with terror after seeing Dustin to do anything but whimper. He flung her to the ground and started to fight the members of RAGE. The RAGE members flew into the air, hoping to have a mobility advantage. Thomas followed, his wings flapping faster than the eye could see. Jacob shot his arrows into Thomas’s torso, only for Thomas to laugh and punch Jacob in the stomach, then kick him to the earth below. David came flying up from behind, and actually got a kick in before Thomas countered. The kick had more effect than Dustin’s, but it still caused Thomas no pain. Thomas grabbed David’s leg and slammed his elbow into it, not just breaking his leg, but also ripping it off. David fell to the ground, not far from Jacob. Adam fired a countless amount of shards into Thomas, but Thomas merely floated towards Adam, grabbed his hands, crushed them, and slung him to the ground after his friends. Shaun fired his light gun and Thomas, while closing in to use his sword. The blade broke as it connected with Thomas’s neck. Thomas grabbed the blade as it floated through the air and stabbed Shaun through the chest and threw him into the ground. Whitney had long since abandoned hope of fighting him, and flew down to heal her comrades. Thomas appeared in front of her, grabbed her by the wings, and grinned a psychotic grin. Whitney fell to the ground, wingless. Thomas cackled madly, flying down to claim Raven as his prize. He landed, and all was as he left it, Dustin was dead, and Raven was too scared to fight back. He reached down to grab her, his drool spreading down his arm. Raven screamed, and Thomas laughed, enjoying every moment. Evil had finally won…
                             
                                       Chapter Six: The Portal…
         Dustin had long since died, and was standing before Jesus, ashamed of his stupid mistake. Tears fell down his cheek as he thought of Raven, still down there with that psycho. Jesus grinned, and Dustin remembered what he had said a few days ago about his undying form, before this mess started,
         “After it’s your time and you join your family in heaven, you can use it at will,” Dustin grinned too, knowing he was headed back into the fray.
         “And if I forgot to mention, its power has increased by about ten times because you’re completely connected to God now” Jesus said, his grin spreading. Dustin laughed, knowing he was going to enjoy every bit of this fight…
         Thomas could not contain his bloodlust any longer. He reached into his cloak and grabbed a knife, slowly bringing it closer to Raven’s face. He rubbed the side of it on her cheek, mocking her with how helpless she was. He drew back his arm, readying himself to stab her in the shoulder. His arm came down, the knife sinking down into her flesh, the black flames singing her insides. Raven screamed, the pain was unbearable. Thomas laughed, licking the side of the blade, drinking her blood. Raven’s screaming pierced the quiet of Thomas’s victory, reaching the ears of even the angels.
         “Shut up” he said, back handing her to the face. His hand stopped, caught by a glowing hand. Dustin had returned. Thomas looked over at the body Dustin once inhabited, and suddenly he realized why he was again staring him down.
         “I KILLED YOU ONCE, AND YOUR ANGEL FRIENDS WEREN’T STRONG ENOUGH TO KILL ME, WHAT MAKES YOU DIFFERENT?” Thomas screamed. Dustin stood there a minute.
         “Because I can do this,” he said, crushing his hand as he did to Adam. Thomas screamed in pain. Dustin continued applying pressure, and soon, Thomas’s fingers poked through the back of his hand. Dustin let go, enjoying the fear in Thomas’s eyes.
         “Do you feel that? That is called pain. It’s what you’ve caused everyone around you, it’s what you’ve inflicted on my friends, and now, IT WILL BE THE LAST THING YOU FEEL,” Dustin yelled as his hair stood on end, and his eyes glowed more than they already were. He sprouted a pair of angel’s wings, and he wielded a flaming double blade. Thomas attempted a punch to Dustin’s face, but hit only air. Dustin punched him in the leg, breaking it. Thomas turned and punched with his other hand, but again, hit only air. Dustin appeared over Thomas’s head, and slammed his arm into Thomas’s arm, breaking it off. Blood spilled everywhere, and Thomas fell to the floor in pain. Dustin took the arm in his free hand, and slammed it into Thomas’s face, causing Thomas to fly into several buildings before stopping. Dustin floated over to Raven, his hair on his shoulders now, but his wings remained. He helped her to her feet, and touched her shoulder, healing it instantly. He grabbed her hands, holding them, feeling their warmth one last time.
         “After I finish him off… I can’t stay…” Dustin said, a tear falling down his cheek. Raven nodded, a tear falling down her cheek as well.
         “I’ll wait outside the gates for you, we’ll enter them together,” Dustin said, a smile spreading across Raven’s face. Dustin floated over to his friends that had fallen fighting his battle. He helped them to their feet, one by one, and they were all healed upon feeling his touch.
         “I knew you’d be back,” Jacob said, flying over to Raven. The rest followed, leaving Dustin to finish what he started. He teleported behind Thomas, who was struggling to his feet.
         “You think you’ve won?” Thomas said weakly.
         “By the looks of you, I’d have to say yes” Dustin replied, floating over to face his opponent. Thomas was grinning; his leg now unbroken and his arm had re-grown. Dustin sighed.
         “They never go down easy,” he said, holding out his hand, his double blade forming inside his grip. Thomas began laughing, and held out his hands, a small hole forming behind him.
         “MEET MY ACE IN THE HOLE. IT IS A PORTAL TO ANOTHER DIMENSION, ONE WHERE BRUTALITY IS GOD AND HATRED REIGNS OVER THE LAND. THIS IS WHERE I TRAINED, AND THIS IS WHERE MY TRUE MASTER, SYN, RESIDES. ONCE YOUR PURE SOUL IS PULLED IN HERE, YOU’LL BE ATTACKED BY BEINGS STRONGER THAN I, AND THERE’S NO WAY BACK,” Thomas said, laughing. Dustin just stood there, calm and collected.
         “Even if I get sucked in there, I’ll escape,” Dustin said, looking Thomas in the eyes so he could see he was not lying. Thomas took a step back, nearly falling inside the portal he created.
         “Then I’ll send someone in your place” Thomas said, a psychotic grin spreading across his face. The sky darkened, and millions of demons poured out of the clouds, shooting straight for where Raven was. His friends could not take all of them on and protect Raven at the same time. Half of the flock started shooting towards Dustin, leaving Thomas to fully develop his portal. Dustin sliced through demon without lifting his blade, shooting straight for Raven, hoping to rescue her in time. He could see all of his friends, including Raven, being manhandled by the demons, and Raven was being carried towards Thomas. These demons must be from that dimension Thomas was talking about. They looked nothing like the ones from hell. They were stronger…
         Dustin was actually struggling to keep his pace; the demons were beginning to overwhelm him. Raven was about to pass him by, so he shot out his hand to grab hers. She shot out her arm too, but a demon threw it’s sword at it, causing Raven to bring it back.
         “RAVEN, NOOOOOOO!” Dustin screamed as Raven passed him by. His anger rose and the air exploded around him, clearing out the demons that were attacking for a moment. The demons were picking up their pace, she was halfway there now, and Dustin had to face the horde alone.
         
         The portal now finished, Thomas awaited Raven’s arrival…

         Dustin had merged his demons with hers, cutting through countless demons to reach her. He was quickly running out of time, as they had arrived at the building the portal was in. Dustin exploded with anger again, and grabbed a hold of Raven, only for his arm to be cut off by a demon. Dustin fell to the ground in pain…

         Thomas watched Dustin fall, and was delighted to see Raven at his feet. He picked her up…
         
         Dustin re-grew his arm, and teleported behind Thomas, and kicked him inside the portal, causing him to drop Raven. Dustin felt a wave of relief as the portal closed, and the fight was over with… for now.
         “He’ll be back. He had come back from training there, so there was at least a way for him,” Dustin said, out of breath.
         Dustin picked Raven up off the ground and carried her towards Heaven, to see what would happen now. He arrived to see the gates were open, and angels were cheering, welcoming their brother home. He sat Raven down, and put his hand on the edge of the gate, starting to close it.
         “No one said you had to stay” Jesus said, appearing behind him.
         “You saw my body, it’s a mess, if I went back I’d die in two seconds,” Dustin replied, arguing out of spite for him not mentioning it earlier.
         “You’re talking to a certified healer here pal, you go back, you’re body will be better than ever, and you can stay with your lady here” Jesus said, his arm around Raven’s shoulder. Dustin shot him a look and they all started to laugh.
         “You have to be the son of God, I never laugh unless I’m with you or Raven,” Dustin said, catching his breath from laughing.
         “Yeah, I always was the life of the party back on earth, but now to business. I’m about to lay down a history lesson that no one except me and the angels know, so you tell anyone and I’ll kill you. Back before time began, God was not the only deity roaming around the nothingness of existence. He was, however, the only good God running around, so he and the other gods had a battle royal, and the last man standing happened to be the one we all know and love. Upon winning, he banished the other evil gods to a place worse than hell, where death is an impossibility and no one cares to remember your name. Anyway, Syn was the leader of the evil gods, he intended to destroy anything created by our God, and I do not have to tell you that was not good news for us. Unlike with the devil, ours did not create these gods, so they are not bound to his word as law, and God cannot read their minds or nothing, so for all we know, they have found a way back to this existence, and seeing as how Thomas had trained there, we believe that they have. Now if Syn gets out, then boom, end of the world. This guy is bad news. He was the reason we chose the name sin for disobeying God. The way I see it, we are going to have to go in there and wage war, and just kill the evil gods. Dustin, I need you to stay here to take down Thomas should he show his ugly mug on earth. Until then, you keep your angelic body and you can stay on earth with your girl. If we need backup, I will give you a call, seeing as how the only one you probably could not take down is Syn himself. I am trying to give you a break from fighting though, so rest up. Me and the rest of my merry men leave tomorrow, so you want to say any goodbyes, do it now,” Jesus said, creating a glass of water in his hand and drinking it. Dustin smiled; glad had the chance to rest before he had to fight again. He turned to face Jacob, David, Adam, Shaun, and Whitney.
         “Guys, if you get your butts kicked in there, and I get called in to save your hides, you’ll never hear the end of it, so don’t let it happen” Dustin said. Jacob smiled and punched him in the arm. Dustin gave all of his angelic friends a hug, and flew back down to earth, hoping to catch up on some alone time with Raven when her life was not in danger.