Chapter 3
Chapter 3
A man was sitting in a very expensive restaurant having breakfast. The sound of plates clanged together, and muffled voices could be heard. The smell of bacon hung in the air. A man was reading the morning newspaper, smoke floated up from behind the newspaper. A waiter approached the man and asked him, “More orange juice sir?” The man never looked up, “No,” then waved him off. The waiter thought to himself, “What a jerk.” The newspaper being shuffled gained the attention of some of the other patrons, and they stared in the man’s direction. The man said rudely, “What, am I bothering you?” The other people just glared at him and went back to eating their breakfast.
This man was a multi-millionaire and had the reputation of being very rude. His name was Joe Miller. Joe Miller was the owner of the chain of record stores that Dan worked for. He was a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair. He had dark circles under his eyes, and you could see that he had lived a hard life by the wrinkles on his face. He was wearing a white suit with a thick gold chain around his neck. His shirt was slightly opened so that his chest hair was exposed. On his left hand, he wore three big diamond rings, and on his right wrist was a thick gold bracelet. He was a very flashy and sleazy type of man who wanted everyone to know who he was.
Joe flipped down one side of the newspaper and looked toward the front entrance. He saw Dan talking to the hostess. She pointed Joe’s direction, and Dan nodded his head and walked toward Joe. He began to feel a little strange. Joe placed the paper in the empty chair beside him. Dan cleared his throat, “Good morning Mr. Miller.” Joe said, “Sit.” Dan pulled out a chair and sat down. Joe said, “Dan, do you know why I wanted to see you this morning?”
“No”
“It appears that your store is doing very well. Your particular store has outsold all the other stores around the entire continent.” Dan cracked a smile. Joe touched the top of Dan’s hand with his, and Dan jerked back very quickly. Dan looked at Joe and saw that he had two demons on either side of him. Joe looked at Dan, “Are you okay?” Dan looked at one of the demons right in the eye. The demon looked at his comrade, “I think he can see me.” The other demon replied, “No, not possible” Dan tried to focus his attention back on Joe. “Umm, what did you say?”
Joe said, in an irritated voice, “I said that your store has been doing very well.”
One of the demons walked around the table toward Dan and looked at him curiously. Dan watched the demon getting closer to him from out of the corner of his eye. He loosened his collar. Joe questioned, “Dan! What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing, I, I didn’t get much rest last night.”
Joe laughed, “Putting long hours at the store huh?”
“Yes, something like that.”
“I’m having a little get-together at my house tomorrow night, and I would like you to come.”
“Sure,” Dan said excitedly with a gleam in his eyes.
“It’s settled then, nine o’clock.” Joe gave him a business card. Dan took the card and looked at the address. It read 666 Heaven’s Gate. The demon got right into Dan’s face and looked at him. Dan was frightened and tried to ignore the demon. Joe looked at him strangely, “Go home and get some shut-eye.”
“I’ll try.”
He stood up and walked quickly to the front door. Breathing heavily, he noticed one of the demons was following him. Once he got to the door, he started to run toward the street. He stopped and sat down on a bench that was outside and glanced at the entrance of the restaurant. He saw nothing. He took a deep breath of relief. His nose began to twitch because he smelled something terrible. He remembered that when there were demons around, they gave off a foul odor. He turned around slowly because he felt breathing on his neck. When he turned around, he was face to face with the monster. He remembered the shadow technique that Sephri did, so he tried it. Nothing happened. The demon muttered, “Can you see me human?” Dan ignored him. The demon knew that something was vastly different about this human but couldn’t quite place what it was. He scratched the side of his head and let out a small grunt. Again, Dan tried the shadowing technique. He disappeared right before the demon’s beady little eyes. The demon jumped back in disbelief. He looked around in every direction, not knowing what to expect. Dan backed up and watched the demon carefully and studied his movements. The demon ran back toward the restaurant. Dan noticed that it ran like a cat, on all fours. Then it leaped through the side wall of the restaurant and vanished.
A vertical portal opened in the air. Roebarg, Pagon, and Nostros stepped through it one by one. Roebarg looked at the street sign and hissed, “Yessss, this is the place.” The green street sign read 666 Heaven’s Gate. Roebarg smiled evilly, “There will be a battle here tonight. Summon your best squads of assassins, soldiers, and a handful of Jaricks.
Pagon looked up at the sign and snickered in a high-pitched tone. Roebarg snarled at Pagon, “What is so funny, Pagon?” Pagon pointed to the street sign. They all started to laugh out loud because of the irony of the street sign. Pagon said, “Roebarg, I will gather my forces right now.” He began to head back to the portal, and Roebarg clutched his shoulder. “No, let Nostros go and coordinate our efforts. I need you here with me.” Pagon looked at Nostros and pointed his scaly talons toward the entrance, and said with a sarcastic and arrogant voice, “You heard him Nostros, go and gather our forces.” Nostros looked at Pagon, with great fury in his eyes, and said: “Roebarg, consider it done.” He opened his wings, and with one flap, he launched back through the portal. The portal closed behind him. Pagon said, “Master, you have made a good choice in keeping me here with you.”
“Pagon, I sent him because I can rely on him not to fail me. He is a great strategist unlike you.”
“I am a great strategist.” He tried to defend himself.
Roebarg snorted, “I seem to remember one of your strategies.” Pagon bowed his head because he knew what Roebarg was referring to. Roebarg continued to belittle Pagon. “Who in their right mind would let a shepherd boy slay a giant in front of thousands of Israelites?” He was referring to the ancient Bible story of David and Goliath. Pagon was the evil general in charge of that battle between the Philistines and Israel. Roebarg spun around so quickly that his black cape slapped Pagon upside his head. He huffed in disgust, “Let’s go and meet with our puppet, Joe Miller.” They both seemed to melt into the ground and disappear.
Joe Miller’s family had a long history, over many centuries, of assisting Satan’s army. Their main goal in this life was to further the kingdom of darkness. Many ages ago, the Miller family made a pact with Lucifer himself. They asked for the riches of the world in trade for their loyalty. They funded many terrorist organizations that harassed and murdered God’s chosen people of Israel. They were responsible for starting many modern-day cults. One of their claims to fame was providing financial support to Adolph Hitler to kill Jews and Christians. They were the main mortal driving force that caused mayhem and conflict within the world. They had great influence in the United Nations and with a great number of politicians in every country known to the civilized world. The Miller family lived life in extreme extravagance, indulging in all the pleasures that the world had to offer. The Shurod were the sworn enemy of the Miller family. The prophecy that had been handed down from father to son said, if the Shurod’s blood was ever harvested, Satan promised that the entire family lineage would be resurrected, and they would rule over the earth. But Satan was the father of lies and had no intention of keeping his end of the bargain.
The music industry had played a vital role in severing the human conscience. The explicit lyrics and sexual suggestions in the music had paved the way for Joe to infect the minds of millions of listeners. He had a lavish lifestyle of sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll that people lusted after. The tactic of using music had been highly effective in deceiving numerous humans under the guidance of demonic influence. Joe liked to consider himself a god in the flesh. In the world’s eyes, he was. He had everything that a person could want.
Joe stepped on four individual floor tiles in a specific pattern. A secret door opened in the floor that led to an underground chamber. He was carrying a glass of wine as he made his way down the spiral staircase. He slid his hand along the railing, tapping the backside of his rings. The faint glow of candlelight got brighter and brighter with each step he took. The room was illuminated with the glow of candlelight flickering in the darkness. There were demonic symbols scattered throughout the room. A large pentagram was painted on the floor in red, and in the center of it was a podium made of gold and marble. Joe stood behind it, put the wine glass to his lips, swallowed it in one gulp, and set the glass down. He began mumbling some strange words in a foreign tongue. He raised his arms and spoke louder and louder. His eyelids began to close, and his eyeballs began to roll to the back of his head. Every muscle in his body tightened, and his face turned a reddish-blue. He stood up on his toes like a ballerina, and his body started to tremble. His body began to levitate about two feet off the floor. A few seconds later, his body collapsed, and he lay motionless on the floor.
Roebarg and Pagon came up from beneath the pentagram into the room. They saw Joe lying on the floor. Roebarg kicked at Joe, “Get up.” Joe opened his eyes and looked at Roebarg. He fumbled around, trying to get up on his feet. Finally, Joe stood up and bowed his head.
“What is thy bidding my master?”
“We have very urgent matters to discuss about one of your fellow humans – Dan Clifton.”
“Dan Clifton? What do you want with him?”
“He is Shurod.”
Joe’s eyes widened. He covered his bottom lip with his teeth, and his nose flared; he repeated, “Shurod?” thinking there was no way this could be true.
Roebarg yelled, “YES!”
“You are in luck then; he is coming here tonight for a party that I am having.”
Roebarg expressed pure delight, “Excellent, we will let him come to us. He glared at Joe with all six eyes. You need to extinguish his life and bring his blood to me. Do not fail me.”
“Yes, my master, I will take great pleasure in this task.”
Roebarg nodded his head in approval. He looked at Pagon, “Let’s go. We have much to prepare for.” They both sunk back down into the floor. Joe’s body started to tremble again and fell on the floor like before. After a few minutes, he woke up and yelled out for one of his bodyguards. The sound of feet running down the stairs echoed in the room. John came down the stairs and helped Joe to his feet.
John was an Asian man who had many talents. He was just over five feet tall and very skilled in the ancient art of killing. He was introduced to Joe by Roebarg to protect the interests of Lucifer. John was possessed by a demon that enabled him to do many things that normal humans could not. He was able to camouflage himself and blend into any surrounding and stay undetected from the human eye. It’s what made him the ultimate killer. He had lightning-fast reflexes and the strength of a bear. Big things do come in small packages. John helped Joe up, “Sir, are you okay?” Joe mumbled, “We have some work to do. The Shurod will be here tonight.” John couldn’t believe what he just heard. Over the course of twenty years, he had heard many stories about the Shurod from Joe but always considered them fairy tales of the Miller family.
“Yes sir,” John said.
Dan was getting ready for the party at Joe’s mansion. He flipped through the clothes in his closet, looking for his best suit. He selected one of the hangers and slid it to the left. All of a sudden, the hanger slid back to its original position. He stepped back and looked at the hanger. He grabbed it again and slid it back to the left. Again, it moved back to where it was. He smiled, “Sephri?” Sephri appeared to him on his right side with a smile on his face. “Just a little angelic humor Shurod.”
“Ha ha, very funny. I was about to get worried there for a second.”
Sephri said, “You can’t go to the Miller home tonight.”
“Are you crazy? I have been waiting for this moment a long time.”
“There is going to be an ambush waiting for you and you are not strong enough yet to take care of yourself. You should know by now that Joe Miller is an evil man.”
“I saw two demons around him today, they were hideous, but I have to go to this. party. There will be all kinds of important people from the music industry. I can make some good contacts.”
“If you want to live then you will heed my warning.”
“What do I need to worry about? I have an angel for a bodyguard.”
“I’m here to help you and warn you about the danger that you might encounter.” Sephri looked irritated. “I can’t interfere with your will,” he said and vanished.
Dan’s hummed one of his favorite songs as he got ready for his big night at the Miller mansion. He thought to himself as he looked in the mirror. “You finally made it Dan, you finally made it.”
Sephri watched over Dan when Goleg appeared to him. Sephri stared at Dan. “Goleg, why do humans not heed our warnings?”
“Because they are blinded by their own lustful desires and Dan isn’t immune. I have a plan for tonight.”
Sephri questioned him, “What is it?”
“I have informed my first and second regiment of warriors to be on alert.”
Sephri said, “There’s going to be a fight tonight.”
“Maybe not.” Goleg looked around for a second, “I’ll be back in a little while, I need to check on something.” He pushed his shoulders forward, and his wings shot out from his back. He lunged upward and was gone in a flash.
Dan arrived at the Miller mansion. He felt good about this evening and couldn’t wait to mingle with some of the most influential people in the music industry. He pulled up to the front door and got out of his car. The valet took his car keys and handed him a piece of paper. He walked up the stairs looking toward the front door. Two security men were standing on either side of the front entrance. They were dressed in black suits, and on one of them you could see a handgun through the opening of his jacket. Dan just looked at the man and walked on by. There was a sense of excitement that filled the air. He felt a little nervous as he walked into the great room of the house. There were all kinds of wealthy people making small talk with each other. There were waiters handing out drinks and food. There was a table full of food and a man carving meat for all the guests. Dan looked around and saw statues and expensive art. He looked over toward the stage area where there was going to be live music playing later on that evening. He saw some familiar faces. It was the hottest rock band in the nation, Bloody Vengeance. He saw Joe talking to them. Joe looked up and saw Dan from across the room. Joe swallowed his drink and waved at Dan and pointed to one of the waiters, and held up his drink, implying Dan should have a glass of champagne. Dan waved back with a big smile on his face, and the waiter handed him a glass of bubbly. He saw Joe pat the lead singer on the back and walked in his direction. Joe said, “Dan I am so glad you could make it tonight. I have some exciting news for you; make sure that you stick around after the party. I need to talk business with you.” Dan smiled, “Sure thing Mr. Miller, you can count on me.” Joe laughed, “My boy you have no idea. Enjoy the party.” and walked off to greet other guests.
Dan was mesmerized by the Miller family’s wealth. He had forgotten all about the events of that morning. His mind was clouded, and he was not able to focus. He started to feel strange, almost like he had a massive weight on his chest. He began to lose his balance and took a step back. He looked over to his right and saw a bathroom and walked toward it. He opened the door and walked to the sink. He turned on the cold water and cupped his hands and splashed it on his face. He was having problems breathing, so he grabbed his inhaler out of his pocket and took a couple of puffs. Instantly he felt better. He splashed water on his face again and slowly began to raise his head. He looked in the mirror, and a demon was looking at him with great interest. “Whoa!” He jumped back and slipped on the floor, hitting his head on the urinal, knocking him out. After a while, he woke up to someone patting him on the face, “Hey buddy, you, okay?” He extended his hand out to help him up, and Dan grabbed it, and the man lifted him back to his feet. Dan struggled to get his balance for a second. The man asked, “What is your name?” Dan replied, “Dan Clifton.”
“So, you’re the famous Dan Clifton!” Dan looked at him with a puzzled expression. “Famous? No not me, I’m just a manager over one of Mr. Miller’s stores.” Suddenly Dan felt a sharp pain in his neck and fell back onto the floor. John, Mr. Miller’s bodyguard, was standing over him with a syringe filled with some sort of narcotic. John turned his head to his shoulder and keyed a two-way radio, “I got him.”
Meanwhile, Joe was downstairs mingling with his guests when he heard the message through an earpiece he was wearing. He placed his hand on the earpiece and excused himself from his guests. He walked quickly toward his secret chamber and said in a stern voice, “Bring him to me now.” Joe heard, “As you wish,” through his earpiece.
Joe stepped on the special tiles to gain entrance into his secret chambers. He left it open so that John could bring Dan down into the chamber. Joe was consumed with excitement and the anticipation of being the family member that captured the Shurod and fulfilled the family prophecy. He was filled with pride and said to himself, “I knew I would be the one that destroyed the Shurod.” He looked up, and John was making his way down the stairs carrying Dan’s limp, lifeless body in his arms. Joe yelled out, “Hurry up you fool!” and pointed to the center of the room. John laid Dan’s body in the middle of the pentagram, and when he did, he was knocked backward by an unseen force. Immediately Roebarg came up from the center of the pentagram. Joe fell to his knees, “I have done your bidding my master.” John managed to get back on his feet when he noticed that Joe was in a prone position, appearing to be talking to no one.
Roebarg was amazed that Joe had succeeded in the task that was given to his family many centuries ago and couldn’t believe that he was so close to freeing his comrades from the spiritual prison and ruling over the natural realm of the earth. He yelled out loud in the demon tongue, “RAHSHENAMUM,” which was a call for all demons in the vicinity to gather. In an instant, hundreds of demons appeared in all shapes and sizes; the smell of sulfur was pungent, and the clicking of talons on the floor and walls echoed through the room. High pitched screeching noises were almost deafening.
Joe covered up his nose with his arm because the smell in the room was so strong. It looked like a shark frenzy, with demons crawling all over the place, hissing and scratching at each other. John looked at Joe and wondered what was going on because he wasn’t able to see into the supernatural realm. Roebarg shouted, “Silence!” and the room fell quiet. Joe looked at Roebarg; “I have a request.”
“What is it?”
“Would you grant my servant, John, vision into the supernatural?”
Roebarg thought for a moment, “Yes, of course, this is a great day for our kind.” Joe looked back at John and said, in an evil voice, “John, get ready for something you have never seen before.” Just as he finished his sentence, John’s eyes started to move rapidly from side to side, and his body tensed up as he was hurled backward about ten feet and slammed against the wall. All the demons watched with anticipation to see what would happen next. John shook his head for a second, then rubbed the back of his neck. With his eyes closed, he stood up slowly. He raised his head, opened his eyes, and froze in terror because he could see the room filled with demons. He mumbled, “What, what is all of this?” As he moved backward, he stepped on the talon of a massive eight-foot soldier demon. He stopped, turned around, and the demon leaned down into his face and let out a big snort, blowing John’s hair back. “Get off me human scum.” The room roared with evil laughter. After a few seconds, Roebarg yelled, “Enough,” and the room fell silent once again.
Roebarg pointed at a few demons, “You, you, and all of you form a perimeter around this room.” A little Jarick scurried around the feet of Roebarg, whimpering in delight. Roebarg pointed at Dan’s lifeless body, and it began to levitate until it was chest high to Roebarg. “Fellow comrades we have waited many centuries for the age of evil to rule without any interference from the heavenly host and their creator. The blood of Shurod has been the key to the freedom of our brother in arms whom God has imprisoned for their critical thinking of him. I say to you, who is this God that would punish his own creation? Do you think that our brothers deserved this kind of treatment?” The demons yelled out, “NOOO!”
“Do you think that he loves any of you?”
Again, they yelled, “NOOOO!”.
“Today is our redemption.”
Then a horrible reality set into Roebarg. He became quiet and started to think. Where are all the angels at? Why aren’t we under attack? He turned around swiftly and looked at Dan’s body on the floor and shouted, out “Joe, check the Shurod for a heartbeat.” Joe ran over, pulled Dan’s body down toward him, and placed his head on Dan’s chest. He waited for a moment. Roebarg’s face began to show the sign of fear and disbelief. Joe stood up. “No heartbeat, my master.” Roebarg lifted his arms over his head and let out a ferocious sound, “Sheshem!” Joe looked at Roebarg in confusion and said, “Sheshem?” What is Sheshem?” Roebarg barked out orders, “Surround this house and look for Shurod.” Joe was dumbfounded, “What are you doing, Roebarg? Kill him and let’s get on with it.” Roebarg glared at him with all six eyes and snarled, “You fool! You brought me a decoy.” “What?” Joe replied in a high-pitched voice. A Sheshem was a human body decoy. “The Shurod is still out there somewhere,” Roebarg clarified. Just then, the decoy vanished. Joe cried out, “No, no, no, this isn’t possible. What, what is going on?”
“We have been fooled by the angels once again.”
