The Light in the Darkness: Tales from the Darkest Desert

“Sometimes God sends angels down to earth to enact his will. They come disguised as regular folk like you and me, but they have been touched by His divine grace. These earth angels are meant to be our souls guiding light towards salvation while in this mortal coil. While mere strangers to us, earth angels wage a secret war between Heaven and Hell. Fer ya see, the Devil also sends his demons to tempt us. They come to us as false earth angles to make each of you stray from the Lord’s plan and give into sin. It is up to y’all to stand firm against the tides of darkness, grab ahold of yer earth angel’s beacon of light and cast the Devil back into Hell!”

Virgil Cooper, an Irish man in his early fifties, slams his bible down onto the podium where he stands addressing his congregation. His deep voice trembles with righteous indignation, his slender body shakes, and his eyes searching the crowd for anyone that seems uncomfortable.

His deep, dark brown eyes meet Riley Roswell, a rambunctious fifteen year-old rascal, who is staring at the stain glass window in Virgil’s humble chapel. Riley loves to stare at the stain glass. It is a beautiful depiction of Archangel Michael, with his fair skin, ice blue eyes, blood red hair and wings, bringing his white sword of justice down on the fallen angel Lucifer and several of his demons. Surrounding him is his gorgeous prismatic aura of all colors, his halo the same prismatic colors and the white sun looms over him. Lucifer’s black and purple wings are pierced with shards of yellow light, binding him to the floor. His dark grey skin and fiery red eyes boldly contrast with Archangel Michael. Lucifer is reaching for a black blade just out of reach. His shadow wrapping around Archangel Michael’s ankle, unbeknownst to Michael.

Virgil continues his sermon “I reckon some of y’all think that Starlit Mirage is too small a town for the Devil to care about. Well, I tell ya that the Devil is greedy. He wants all children of God to give into sin. Every soul he damns is one more soul robbed from the Lord’s love and light. So yes, even here in Starlit Mirage, the war between Heaven and Hell is waged. Be on the lookout fer yer earth angels. In the name of the Lord, Amen.”

“Amen” recites the congregation.

Virgil watches Riley stand up, look hard at the stain glass window for a moment, then walk over to his beloved girlfriend, Becca Lightwell. Together the two walk out of the chapel hand in hand.

Virgil says to himself “Now there is a couple blessed by God’s love.”

***

The town of Starlit Mirage has had some harrowing months ever since what the locals call “The Cleansing.”

The night Riley the Rebel killed every single member of an angry mob on the warpath to string him up, he kept saying to himself “I’ll cleanse this town of the Devil!”

That was six months ago.

Virgil Cooper was away on a pilgrimage spreading the word of the Lord at the time of Riley Roswell’s murder spree. He wishes that he was here so he could’ve seen which side was on God’s side.

The townsfolk that stuck around after The Cleansing only see Riley as a demon sent from Hell. His tattered black leather vest, singed blue jeans, scorched red shirt, black hat and second degree burns all over his face, hands and legs only confirm their image of Riley Roswell.

However, Virgil remains unconvinced that Riley is a soldier from Hell. Despite his actions during The Cleansing, Riley was always a man of faith. Virgil remembers taking Riley’s confession on numerous occasions, and he was supposed to wed Riley and Rebecca today. Maybe that’s why he found himself wandering up towards the Lightwell house that rests atop the tallest hill in Starlit Mirage.

Bright pink, orange, and red clouds shimmer in the sky from the setting sun, but that’s not what Virgil is looking at. Instead, Virgil looks at the white house. Its windows have been boarded up with wooden planks, the finely crafted double doors blasted open. The splinters scattered in the dimly lit entryway as Virgil approaches the house. Each step he takes he can feel something tug at his soul.

As Virgil steps into the house he sees a sight that causes him to wretch. He has heard rumors about what Riley has been up to since The Cleansing. Dragging bodies, human and other animals, into the Lightwell house and doing horrendous experiments on them, or torturing them for information on his holy war. He has been hunting the citizens of Starlit Mirage, claiming they are possessed by demons, and the most unsettling rumor is that Riley is walking out into the Darkest Desert every full moon armed to the teeth. No one, not even the Federal Marshals, dare to try and arrest Riley during those three nights. People say he is the most trigger happy during those nights.

Those rumors appear to be true as Virgil sees throughout the house old blood stains, pieces of different bodies stitched together like some grotesque patchwork human-hybrid. Pieces of paper scattered throughout the house with the ramblings of a mad genius hell bent on continuing his crusade. Then upstairs, Virgil finds more notes and a couple discarded drafts of letters addressed to someone with the initials I. A.

Finally, when he approaches a room with Rebecca’s name on it, he hears a woman’s voice. Sweet, melodic, and yet full of confidence and fire. The woman’s voice speaks in a strange unfamiliar dialect, but Virgil can still understand.

She says “Where am I now? I don’t know, Caspian! Somewhere hot, and there is a large desert I can see from this room…Caspian how the Hell am I supposed to know WHEN I am? My apple watch doesn’t update the year when I go places…I know what my mission is Caspian! Find the gate and, if I can, close it while steering clear of any locals, but I’m not gonna let any faceless kill innocent people!…I don’t care if you made an exception for me with this mission. I’m all you got right now until Lydia finishes her training so deal with it! Let me do my thing so I can get back to Sigurd and ride off into the sun-”

Virgil’s old legs give out as he continues to eavesdrop on this stranger’s conversation. His knees crack into the wooden floor and the stranger stops talking. He hears the creaking of the floor boards as she walks closer to the door leading to the hallway. Virgil has to think fast.

He gets onto his toes and manages to crawl into the next room. Virgil searches for somewhere to hide and settles on the Mayor’s old desk to duck under. He doesn’t know why but he can feel trouble surrounding this stranger.

Virgil hears the tapping of high heels as the stranger wanders into the room. Again the strange sensation washes over Virgil. His skin tingles, his body warms up, and he swears he feels something touch his mind.

The last of the fleeting beams of sunlight flicker against the dark blue sky and the room is plunged into a hollow darkness.

The stranger wanders around the room and then says “Whoever is here, I suggest you go back to town and tell everyone to lock themselves in their homes. It’s a full moon tonight and…what should I call them here? I know, demons. Demons will come out in droves. If any of you are fighters, arm yourselves. They hate the light.”

Then Virgil sees the beautiful white light fill the whole room and low humming sound. He steps out of his hiding place. No one is here. His limbs are shaking like a leaf in the wind, and sweat dripping down his forehead. Not because of his encounter with the stranger, but because of what she told him.

“This town sits on a portal Hell. Riley was right. I have to find him” Virgil says to himself his righteous indignation now lit ablaze.

Virgil Cooper runs out of the Lightwell house and out towards the Darkest Desert. Back in the house the full moon’s light hits the horrific patchwork amalgamation.

A torso of a muscular man, arms elongated with two different sets of forearms that turn into vulture claws for hands, the hind legs of a horse that extend down to two mismatching human feet, and finally a long slithering tail made up of a rattle snake. Shadows cast by the moonlight begin to wrap around the amalgamation as it twitches to life. A smooth, faceless head made of pure shadow forms on top.

***

With nothing but the faint light of the full moon to guide him, Virgil continues to make his way deep into the Darkest Desert. His legs ache as they trudge through the deep sand. His breath becomes labored as the oppressive darkness of the night wears on his mind. He can’t shake the feeling that he is being hunted by demons hiding in the shadows, and with no weapons except his faith he has to find Riley before they find him.

Then Virgil hears a deep, guttural growl that rattles in his ears, and the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

He turns around, cross raised up in defiance of the Devil, and shouts “God’s divine grace protects me!” Nothing but the blackness of night to greet him as he searches for whatever is hunting him.

As Virgil continues his trek into the Darkest Desert he now finds himself at the entrance of the Old Miller Mine. Large boulders block the entrance from when Riley blew it up with dynamite. The surrounding area is made up of more twisting narrow pathways of the canyon the mine was built on top of years ago.

Despite his fear, Virgil presses on. He has to find Riley and tell him what that strange woman said in the Lightwell house. If anyone knows where to find this so called gate to hell then it’ll be the man that has been fighting these demons for six months now.

“That strange woman said they hate the light” Virgil sees a discarded torch lying on the ground. He reaches down and picks it up, takes out his flint and steel, and lights it up.

“The Devil’s soldiers hide in the darkness. It is my job as a man of the cloth to be the light in the darkness. I can no longer remain idle as this town continues to drown in sin and become the Devil’s playground.” Virgil boldly walks forward into the dark canyon trail hoping his gut will lead him to Riley.

With each step forward, Virgil gets more paranoid. Every twitch of a shadow on a rock, every crack of pebble, and every slightly strong breeze is his hunter finally pouncing on him. That deep, guttural growl sporadically fills his ears with fear and dread. It’s like the demon is taunting him.

Virgil comes to a stop at a three way split on his path. Left seems to lead back towards the mine’s entrance. Right looks like it goes towards Starlit Mirage. The center path is the most interesting. It’s not made of the natural space between the canyon rocks, but instead seems man-made. Like someone spent a good amount of time carving away to make a man-sized tunnel through the rocks. Virgil can’t see the exit deep in the darkness, but it must lead somewhere.

The full moon is high in the sky, and Virgil says to himself “No use gettin’ myself lost. I should turn back and come back tomorrow during the day when the demons are hiding in their shadows.”

He turns around and walks for about two minutes when he hears that deep, guttural growl again. Only this time it is coming from right above him.

Virgil looks up and sees lit up by the moonlight the horrendous amalgamation with a head of pure faceless shadow.

It remains motionless. Frozen in place like it is waiting for Virgil to make a move now that it has been perceived.

Virgil’s entire being is telling him to run, but the only place to run is back towards that three way split. If one of those paths leads to a dead end then he’ll also be a dead man. There is no way he can fight that thing. He has no weapons, no strength, only faith that God will see him through this.

“Just show me the way. I entrust my life in your hands. In the name of our Father, Amen” Virgil whispers to himself as he raises his torch.

The amalgamation writhes as the flames of the torch light it up even more. It moves almost like it is shrieking in pain or fear, but no noise comes from its smooth black head.

Then Virgil feels something claw at his brain followed by the most ear piercing shriek ever. He shouts in pain and covers his ears, but the sound isn’t coming from another being. It’s in his mind! Virgil realizes that the noise is coming from the demon who is invading his mind.

The demon lunges at him, claws out, with predatory speed. He just manages to fall to the ground as the claws swipe at where his throat used to be.

“Back, you foul demon!” screams Virgil as he shoves the torch’s flame at the demon’s chest with all his might.

The demon rears back in agony as the flames collide with its body leaving behind a red burn mark. As it stumbles backwards, Virgil takes the opportunity to get to his feet.

The demon gets on all fours and creepily stalks Virgil just outside of his reach with the torch. Virgil’s mind can feel the demon’s hatred of the fire.

“Away! Away!” roars Virgil as he wildly swings the torch towards the demon. It backs up in fear of the flames sting.

Then Virgil hears in his mind another shriek. The rage of the demon echoes in his mind as it stands up on its hind legs. It grotesque form towers over Virgil even at this distance. Suddenly, in one swift step the demon is in striking distance from Virgil. He panics and thrusts the torch at the demon, but it was ready and swings its sharp claws down at the torch.

The torch splinters, then breaks from the demon’s blow. The head of the torch falls to the cold damp sand and the flame is snuffed out immediately.

Now paralyzed with fear, Virgil looks at his death right in its formless head. He can hear in his mind a roar of victory as the demon shouts towards the moon. He too looks up so he can see God’s light one last time before the end.

“Hey you! Don’t give in to despair! That’s how it wins! C’mon you ugly son of a bitch! I’m the one you’re looking for! Come and get me!” A familiar voice cuts through the darkness, then the sound of gun being fired rapidly. Virgil sees bullets embed themselves into the demon’s chest as it psychically screams in pain.

Virgil looks up. Atop the canyon is a beautiful woman, probably about twenty, with long platinum blonde hair with a gentle curl, snow white skin, a white dress that is just a little too tight around the waist and swishes playfully at her knees. She is holding a gun in her left hand that looks nothing like any gun Virgil has seen, and in her right hand a rapier that glows a gorgeous teal aura.

The demon notices the strange woman as well and sends out another psychic roar. It squats down to build up power, then takes a large, quick leap up towards the woman in white. She takes a deep breath, tosses aside her empty gun, and takes her readied stance with her rapier. The demon is right over her now.

“I’m sorry, Sigurd. I’m breaking the rules just like you taught me to do when your gut tells you they are meant to be broken!” She bellows as she closes her eyes.

The demon swipes at her with its right claw. She slips it with a shoulder roll.

The demon takes its second swipe with its left claw. She ducks under it as she slides underneath the demon’s legs.

With cat-like agility, the woman in white twirls back to her feet. The teal aura around her rapier glows even brighter, and her own body emits a white aura.

“Go back to the shadows, Faceless!” she shouts as she plunges her rapier deep into the demon’s heart. It lets out one final psychic scream, and then falls to the ground limp.

The white aura surrounding the woman in white begins to flicker and then disappear.

“I’ll find my way back to you. I promise” she says.

The woman in white climbs her way down to Virgil who is still frozen with shock and awe at what he just witnessed. A real live earth angel. Right here before him. Ready to guide him and Riley in this war against Hell.

“Hi there. Sorry about all that. Those things are a real pain back where I’m from.” She extends her hand. “So we’re not strangers anymore. My name is Trisha Moore, and I’m here to end this fight once and for all.”

Virgil takes her hand in his, gets down on his knees and says “My name is Virgil Cooper” her eyebrows raise with surprise “and from here on out my life is yours to command. Show me the way of the Light. In God’s name we praise, Amen!”