The Second Time Around Ch. 11

"That is good to hear."

"Yes. Belial is no more. Tomorrow we will search for Abdigar and snuff him out. If our calculations are correct, his death should reverse the progression of Hell upon earth."

"Yes," Corey replied. "I can't stay for long. I only brought an update. We are preparing for the next battle."

"Good luck."

"We shall meet again," Caid told him with conviction.

"We shall." Corey turned to leave, but Gina stopped his departure.

"Could we talk for a little bit?" she asked. She was nervous. It wouldn't be the first time she was alone with him, but it was becoming more difficult for her to deny her attraction to him. How could someone fall in love with a ghost? She looked up to see the surprise in his eyes. "Don't."

He led her a small distance from Brigitte and Caid giving them privacy for their brief discussion. "What did you want to know?" he asked instead of questioning her thoughts of being in love with him.

"I've been thinking a great deal about destiny and the red string of fate and I was wondering if all of this never happened: Caid and Adriano not dying, Brigitte not marrying that lunatic, everything; would our paths have still intersected? Would we have met?"

"Yes," Corey told her simply yet refused to expound upon it.

"That's it?"

"Yes," he replied once more.

Gina looked frustrated wondering if she could physically wrap her fingers around his neck and squeeze. She frowned and blushed when Corey laughed. "Well, thanks for the little chat," she snipped before marching away.

He grinned at her retreating back. Yes, they would have met. They would have married. And they would have had beautiful children if only the signs were not ignored, they would have had a wonderful future together. He took one last look at the group then vanished back to his own duties. There was always time for regret, right now he had serious business to tend to.

"Why are you upset?" Brigitte asked concerned.

"What? Oh, no, I'm not upset." Would it have hurt him to divulge a little with his explanation? She sat back down in the sand willing all thoughts of Corey out of her mind, but it was nearly impossible. She ate her sandwich and drank hot water without complaint. "Will we sleep on the sand?" she asked looking for a spot to get comfortable.

"No, we will sleep here." Caid held his hand out to the sky until a tent big enough to accommodate all three of them appeared above their heads. The ground was stable and there were sleeping bags along with other necessities. Anything else would have been too extravagant and they were not on vacation.

Gina fell asleep right after her meal with Brigitte and Caid following right behind her. She awoke in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, but decided against it when she opened the tent to find it dark and cold. "I'll hold it until morning."

"Let me accompany you, scaredy cat," Brigitte told her. They distanced themselves from the camp and relieved themselves before rinsing their hands with bottled water. "Are you sleeping well?"

"Oh yeah," Gina admitted. "I never thought that a sleeping bag could feel like a luxury mattress after sitting on sand all afternoon.

Brigitte laughed, "If you need anything just tell us."

"Can do." They returned to sleep awakening the next time with the rising sun.

"I wish that I could sleep in," Caid remarked when no one budged.

"I think we all do."

"Yeah, but Abdigar isn't going to kill himself."

Brigitte's head popped up as she smiled at Gina with pride. Before the journey she had been worried that they were ill prepared, but now she was the one encouraging them to move forward. "You have grown in such a short amount of time."

"Thanks Mom," Gina replied batting her eyelashes. They ate breakfast and readied to leave immediately afterwards. "How will we get there—to Hell, that is?"

Brigitte wrapped an arm about Gina's waist and held on tightly as they rose into the sky. "Leave that to us." They watched as Caid dove first into the sand creating a tunnel in his wake. Shielding Gina's eyes, Brigitte followed suit, the sand closing up the hole behind them. The heat became more and more unbearable as they made their descent, yet Gina didn't complain. Just when she thought that it couldn't become anymore unbearable, they entered a large cavern.

"Welcome to the first level of Hell," Brigitte announced.

"Where is everyone?" Gina asked expecting to see more than empty space.

"No one occupies the first level except the guards, but they are in the front. We came through the middle—uninvited," Caid explained.

"I take it that means we should get a move on it," Gina said following behind them.

"Yes."

Her mind was officially blown. Who knew that Hell had stairs? Okay, perhaps that was an idiotic thought, but what she had seen in movies and had imagined it would look like were completely off. She expected to see ghoulish beings such as Abdigar rampaging about and she definitely did not think to see hand carved door frames and...is that mahogany wood? Hell was nicely furnished. What happened to the tar pits and the lake of fire and fumes where rebellious souls were tortured?

"The torturing takes place at the ground level. The first level is occupied by guards, the second by the soldiers and the militia. This makes it easier for them to reach the earth in case spiritual warfare. The third and fourth levels are occupied by the aristocracy. The fifth level is occupied by the royal family, the sixth by minions and enforcers, and the seventh, or the ground level, by the wayward souls."

"Oh, okay," Gina accepted. They really did have another society underneath the earth. Her mind was completely blown. She kept moving with them, rounding corners stealthily before advancing.

"He is close by," Brigitte told them. She could recognize that foul stench anywhere. What was it with these demons and taking baths? Soap was meant to help not harm.

They descended another set of stairs then stood in front of a large oak door with the name Abdigar inscribed on it.

"Wait, this is too easy," Gina said stopping Brigitte when she held her hands up to the door. There was a golden orb ready to be released from the palm of her hands at any second.

"We know."

"Then why are we still going through with this?"

"Because he thinks that he has us trapped. We will prove him wrong," Brigitte said with certainty. "Starting now." The medium sized orb detached from her palm, increasing in size as it devoured the feeble wood and detonated inside of the room.

"We heard there was a party," Caid announced stepping over the rubble to look at the legion of soldiers encamped about Abdigar. Half of them were already dead from Brigitte's blast, but for those who were left standing, they remained at their post, blocking Abdigar from view.

"Then shall we begin?" he asked making a path for himself. He sneered at Brigitte and glowered at Gina, turning about for them to see what he would like to call his face. His body was not completely regenerated, but he looked to be in much better shape than the way Brigitte had left him before.

"Gina," Brigitte said her eyes still upon her opponent and his steadily fidgeting army. "As long as Abdigar's men are still standing and we are in the midst of battle, you do not let go of this." She handed Gina her scepter. "It will always protect you. And if neither Caid nor I make it out of here alive, at least you will."

Gina's heart pounded in her chest as she slowly reached for the scepter. She had held it very briefly once before when Belial had stolen her body, but as her fingers encircled around the cool, golden rod, a sense of empowerment overtook her. All doubt and insecurity fled from her thoughts and she was ready for whatever may come her way. "All right."

"Today," Abdigar said holding his hand back. "You both shall witness the freedom of our great prince." He thrust his arm forward commanding the soldiers to attack then crossed his arms against his chest. "Leave none of them alive, but recuperate the power orb."