The Warriors of Light

The meeting with The Order still haunted me as I sat on my couch staring into space. Gregory

and Serene were coming to get me in a few hours once they got everything set for us to go to South Africa. Of course, me being unfamiliar with the process, I was sent home to reflect and pack for the longest journey of my life. My mind was telling me the path we were taking wasn't going to be an easy one: finding the Book of Monsters, and saving Brad's soul. Preparing my nerves was going to be vital if I wanted to survive this new world I was thrown into.

I closed my eyes, my legs bounced up and down, my heart never stopped beating in this spasmodic rhythm. I was terrified, but, at the same time, I was excited. I was finally doing something in my life that mattered. It gave my life purpose, which is what we are all searching for in this world. For the first time in my life, I had found mine.

An angry gust of wind hit against my window causing it to burst open with a loud thud, forcing me out of my thoughts. My eyes opened wide as I quickly turned, hands swiftly on my gun, just in case. Nothing was there. The opening to the window just brushed against the wall as the wind howled inside. As I stood, there was this cold shiver down my spine that I had grown accustomed to. It was a warning that something was off, something was wrong.

I glanced out the window to see the city streets, people walking below, and several cars driving by in the afternoon traffic. I was on the third floor of the apartment building looking down at the busy, booming street beneath me. The wind wasn't pushing or bothering them. I even looked up to the flag across the street from me and it barely moved. Now, the warning inside my head was a full-blown alarm. I took a step back from the window, quickly closing it.

The force of the window pushed me back. I tried to fight the strength of the wind that, inevitably, won knocking me to the ground as the window burst back fully open. The wind engulfed my face, nearly suffocating me until I was forced to find air, until I was begging for it.

The window suddenly closed and the lights in my apartment were all off. The darkness started growing closer and closer to me until I felt as if I was trapped within my own body. I was cold, freezing. As I caught my breath, still gasping for air, I could see my warm breath against the pits of hell. A face came into view through the wind finally releasing me. My lungs were now gasping and expanding with air as I coughed holding on to whatever I could.

I held my gun up to the figure, now forming. With a smirk, it leaned in closer daring me to

shoot. "Ray Segal." His voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard, clogging my ears. It grabbed my face a misty, oily being and pulled me to my feet, pressing me against the wall with a hard force. I tried to fight, but his hold on my chin was too strong. His endless dark eyes stared deep into mine.

"Agares?" I struggled to say, still fighting with every ounce of my being.

"You found Johnny but failed to deliver him to me. I just wanted to remind you of what's at stake here." Agares wiped across the open air, turning my head so that I could look. Brad was there, seemingly, getting ripped to shreds by demons. His screams would haunt me for all time.

"Stop! You will get Johnny Stan! Just stop!" I begged. My hands instantly reached out to help Brad. Agares made sure I wouldn't move. Anger boiled in my blood, my hand tightened around the gun. "You will get your damn soul. Let my brother go, now!" I demanded.

"When Johnny is given to me, I will keep my word. I just wanted to remind you of what was waiting for you if you happen to forget to deliver."

"You want the book more, don't you? This has nothing to do with Johnny, really." I taunted. As I spoke truth, his face turned sour-letting me know I was right. Instead of running, now, I brought Agares closer to me so that he could see the determination in my eyes and hear me clearly when I said, "You will never win as long as I am around. I think you know that, which is why you resort to blackmailing me. You don't have a chance and you're a frightened little pus..." I was caught off-guard by a punch to my stomach that caused me to double over. Now, relieving myself from his clutches, I acted quickly-shooting the gun right in his foot and then hitting him in his shoulder.

The bullets pierced him, but he started to heal just as fast as he was wounded. I cursed over and over backing away from him, now, out of options. A swipe of his arm sent me flying into the wall, hitting the TV, causing it to shatter and fall on top of me. I tried to get up, again, ignoring my sore body that told me to stay down. I stood as Agares formed himself into wind, again, taking the image of Brad with him. I ran, using all the adrenaline I had, to get to the portal. Once again, it disappeared before I could gain access.

I gripped the counter holding my broken body with the other hand, collapsing on the floor from bodily injuries. A soul for a soul, echoed through my mind as I groaned. How the hell were we going to beat someone as strong as Agares? The book was the only way. All I could hope for was Agares would keep his word and release Brad once Johnny Stan's soul was in his possession.