ETERNITY
Robert went from seeing an angel to now a demon minutes apart. The angel was Destiny, his girlfriend, and the demon unfathomably his brother Carter. It was incredibly difficult to believe that these spirits actually existed in this world!
Carter was fully out of control like a vicious wild animal in pursuit of its prey. His prey was Mom as his eyes were locked in on her from the bottom steps. He tried to break out from Robert’s arm, but the grip was too tight. How did Carter become possessed by a demon and why did he want to kill Mom?
“What’s wrong with him?” Mom asked, horrified at the top of the steps.
“Stay back!” Robert demanded.
“I’m going to kill you!” Carter said in a grotesque tone while trying to fight out of Robert’s arm.
He squeezed tighter, but not too tight.
“Mom, go to your room and lock the door for your safety!” Robert ordered.
Mom was in a state of shock. It looked horrible to be fighting with his youngest brother, but he could not let Carter get anywhere close to her.
“Don’t hurt him!” Mom said, panicky as she retreated to her room.
With Mom now locked away in her room, it would be less pressure for Robert to hold Carter so tight. Now looking into Carter’s demonic eyes, Robert saw him suffering from an internal discomfort.
“How did this happen to him?” Robert eventually asked Destiny.
“I’ll explain later. You have anything to tie him up with?” Destiny asked.
With Carter fumbling to free himself from Robert’s arms, he could not fathom how he was looking into an angel’s eyes, and she was the answer to why his world suddenly became crazy.
“Look in the kitchen drawers. There should be twine or tape in one of them,” Robert said.
While Destiny went into the kitchen to search the drawers, Robert tried to accept rationally what was happening to his brother. Mom was a devout Christian woman. She always spoke of how she prayed for Robert and his two brothers daily. How could a demon spirit possess Carter? Robert hoped that he would not have to harm his youngest brother, but he was willing to do whatever it took to protect Mom. She was the most important person to him in the world. Without his mother in his life, it would be devastating. He could not afford for his youngest brother to make this mistake, possessed or not.
“Let go of me!” Carter yelled, shifting his body to shake free.
The demon made Carter so much stronger. If Robert did not have supernatural strength, it would be more challenging to maintain Carter in his arms.
As Destiny came back to the steps with the twine and roll of tape, Robert pinned Carter to the ground with his knee and arm while she tied his legs and arms.
“You fucking b—”
Robert put his hand over Carter’s mouth before he could finish his obscenity. Never had he heard his younger brother use that kind of language. “Can you help him?” Robert asked as Destiny continued to tie his limbs.
Carter kicked his feet and screamed through his muffled mouth.
“I can force the demon out of him, but it won’t happen overnight,” Destiny said.
“How long will it take?” Robert asked.
“A few days … we can’t leave him here. He’ll find a way to her if we do.”
How was this happening? This was too much at once.
“What do I tell my mother?” Robert asked.
Destiny took a moment to answer.
“Tell her the truth, but you can’t tell her or anyone else about me. If you do, my father will take me back,” Destiny said.
Robert removed his hand from Carter’s mouth as Destiny taped it shut.
“Is he safe with you?” Robert asked.
“Yes. He can’t harm me,” Destiny assured him.
Now was the real challenge: telling his mother that Carter was demonically possessed without mentioning that Destiny was an angel. He looked her in the eyes, searching for answers. She was now officially more of a mystery than all his ex-girlfriends combined! So many questions, but now was not the time for those answers.
As Robert turned away to walk up the steps, he thought of how he would begin to explain his brother’s current condition to his mother. Nothing rational came to mind. As he finally reached the top step, he remembered that the bathroom was right before his mother’s room. Inside the bathroom was his best friend, someone that would listen to him and give him solid advice.
When Robert entered the bathroom, he turned on the light and closed the door behind him.
“I can’t believe this is happening to me,” Robert said to his reflection.
This was the first time seeing his reflection since Destiny revealed herself as an angel. With the current demonic state of his brother, and him having to explain it to his mother, he really had no time to reflect upon Destiny now.
“Well, it is, and you’re not going to run away from your problems anymore, you’re going to run through them, starting today!” his reflection said.
“I don’t know where to start. And Destiny?” Robert asked.
“Destiny is a blessing. Let’s face it—the direction you were heading in your life, you were never going to reach your full potential. You were lazy, unmotivated, too nice, and too obedient to people, often allowing others to overshadow you and steal your shine. Over the years, you have grown bitter to women and friends because of your own flaws. You needed a woman like Destiny to build up hope inside of you and show you that they’re not all as bad as you make them seem. They’re as imperfect as we are, and sometimes we expect too much out of them. Destiny is perfect for you. You’re a privileged man, Robert.”
“How did she die?”
“I can’t tell you that. You will find out in time. Go be a man and tell your mom exactly what happened to Carter and promise her you will help him.”
His reflection made it sound as if it would not be difficult.
“How can I tell her without her having a heart attack?” Robert asked.
“Promise her that you will get him help. Hold her in your arms and tell her that you love her. Show her that it’s hurting you too, but be strong for her. You have the gifts to be the ultimate problem solver. Right now I need you to be a man!”
It would be one of the hardest things Robert ever had to do, especially without telling her Destiny was an angel, but now he felt more confident that he could accomplish the difficult task ahead. All he needed was a push. His reflection was the inspiration he needed.
“What’s wrong with Carter?” Mom asked. She was anxiously concerned as Robert entered her room.
“He’ll be okay,” Robert assured her.
“Why is he acting like that?” Mom asked.
Robert took a moment before he answered. Nothing made any sense as he had the difficult task of relating this unfortunate news to his mom. There was no way to sugarcoat it for her. He could only pray that this would not have a negative effect on his mother’s health.
“He’s demonically possessed,” Robert finally said.
Mom gasped as Robert related the alarming news to her. Tears immediately began to run from her eyes. He then walked up to his mother and hugged her tightly. Once or twice in his childhood, he had seen her cry. He was too young to remember why. Either she did not have tears or she hid them well.
“How is my son possessed?” Mom painfully asked.
“I’m not sure yet. I’m still trying to figure it out myself. Please, Mom, I know it’s hard, but try not to worry about Carter too much. I can get him help,” Robert said.
“How? Let me take him to the bishop. Maybe he can help Carter.”
Robert wished that he could tell Mom that Destiny was an angel and that she had the ability to free Carter from the demonic spirit that possessed him, but he did not want to lose Destiny. She was his mysterious girlfriend that he needed to learn more about.
“No … I will take him tonight for your safety. I promise you, Mom, everything will be okay. Please don’t say anything to anyone about Carter’s condition. This is between us,” Robert said.
Mom continued to cry hysterically. He could not handle seeing his mother like this. He could only imagine what she was feeling inside. The more he watched his mother weep, the more watery his own eyes became, but he had to be strong for her and show that everything would be fine. He trusted that Destiny could help Carter.
“What are you going to do to him?” Mom asked.
“I’m going to get him help. Trust me,” Robert assured her as she cried in his arms.
This was now the worst day of Robert’s life. The demon inside Carter altered his appearance noticeably: imploding veins on his forehead and bloodshot, red eyes. If Mom saw Carter in this condition, she would have a heart attack.
Destiny transformed into her angelic form back at home as she attempted to force the demon spirit out of Carter’s body. This was unreal: an angel as a girlfriend, who now performed an exorcism on Carter, who somehow had become possessed.
After a while of observing, Robert could no longer stand to watch his brother suffer the way he did as he fought the demon inside him. He decided to go upstairs into Destiny’s bedroom and fell into the bed, closing his eyes to take himself from all the madness that had occurred the past few days. He did not want to awake until the storm in his head was over, but it was not a very comfortable sleep. He was swirling in and out of consciousness.
Then just as Robert felt he disconnected from consciousness, Destiny joined him in bed momentarily, waking him up to wrap his arms around her shoulders. From there, it was much easier for him to sleep. He did not bother to ask about the state of Carter. Robert was too tired to think of anything. He trusted Destiny would help Carter, and in only a matter of days, the demon spirit that possessed him would escape.
When Robert woke up in the morning, he took a long warm shower in the mirror world to help relieve his anxiety.
“How did you sleep last night?” his reflection asked.
“I had a decent sleep,” Robert said, drying himself off with a towel after stepping out of the bathtub now filled with diamonds. “Do you sleep?”
“I don’t need sleep, the mirror world is timeless. I work around your clock to watch for potential threats in your world. Make sure you get peaceful sleep everyday. It’s one of the many ways you have to energize yourself. Also, drink mostly water and less of that sugary shit.”
“Do you sense any current threats?”
“I do.”
Robert was waiting for more information from his reflection as he put on his clothes.
“Are you going to tell me about it?” Robert eventually asked.
“No, I can’t tell you about it. If I do, it might hinder you from being successful. I need you to approach this with a calm mind, not a mind in fear,” his reflection said.
“For you not to tell me, it must not be that serious a threat.”
“I mean, it wouldn’t be a serious threat for me, but for you, it will be because there is still a lot you need to learn. Also, it will be easier for me to explain and for you to understand once you go through it. Destiny has a lot to do with it, of course.”
Robert had a lot to talk to Destiny about when she woke up. They still did not speak about the gold in her bathtub that she removed.
After leaving the mirror world and the bathroom, Robert went downstairs to check up on his brother lying on the couch, still tied up. Already he could see that whatever Destiny did to Carter countered the demonic spirit. The spirit did not appear to have the same dominant features on Carter as it did last night. The monstrous appearance converted more into Carter’s normal facial appearance. His red eyes showed hints of white reappearing, but his pupils remained red, and the veins that popped out on his head like a 3-D image last night were much less noticeable now.
“You OK, Carter?” Robert asked, pulling off the tape from Carter’s mouth.
“Why do you have me tied up?” Carter asked.
“I’m going to take it off soon. How do you feel?”
“Why do you have me tied up?” Carter asked again with an increased anger. He then sucked up saliva from his throat and spit it in Robert’s face.
On any other occasion, even if it was his brother, Robert would have wanted to break the person’s jaw. Carter was still clearly affected by the possessing spirit. Destiny did say it would take a few days for him to be fully freed from the spirit. So he put the tape back on Carter’s mouth as calmly as he could, trying his hardest not to be angered at his brother, then he went into the bathroom to wipe the saliva off his face.
“How did Carter get possessed?” Robert asked as he washed his brother’s spit from his face.
“You will find out from Destiny. She is part of the reason Carter has become possessed.”
“I’m tired of these secrets! Can’t you just tell me what’s going on?”
“I wish I could. If I reveal anything about her past, God will take me away from you.”
Robert wanted to have this privilege for the rest of his life.
“Destiny is coming downstairs now,” his reflection eventually said.
“She knows everything,” Robert said.
“She doesn’t know about me. This is the one secret God has allowed you to keep from her.”
“She doesn’t know about you?”
“No, and you must always keep it that way. You have to go, now!”
At least now Robert did have a secret of his own that he could keep from her, and it was perhaps his biggest. When he turned off the water, the sink was filled with what appeared to be silver. This time he did not ponder on it, instead he exited the bathroom and walked to the kitchen to begin preparing breakfast. Destiny made her appearance while he took out a box of microwaveable pancakes for Carter. Robert did not eat pancakes himself, but he knew Carter loved them. He could eat the whole eight-pack box on his own if Robert allowed him to.
“You have to see this, babe!” Destiny said, grabbing the television remote to turn on the TV.
She switched the channels to the news station. Robert had no idea what to expect. Suddenly, as if all the occurrences in his life were not terrifying enough, watching the news left him in utter disbelief.
Breaking news: President Orlando Wilt Freeney has been assassinated by his wife, First Lady Charlene Freeney. The message scrolled along the bottom of the screen. How could this be?
“When did this happen?” Robert asked.
“It happened last night. They’re unsure of how or why this occurred,” Destiny said.
On the news, the anchors and reporters seemed to be anxious. It left Robert heavy-hearted as he voted for President Freeney as the first African American president in 2008, and he planned on voting for him again in the 2012 election. This had to be embarrassing for the nation, with other countries viewing this horrific news. It added many more questions as if he did not have a lot on his head already. The most important question of them all—how was the president of the United States murdered by his own wife?
“You know how this happened?” Robert eventually asked, thinking of the conversation he had with his reflection earlier.
Destiny took a moment to answer. Her face was filled with guilt.
“She’s possessed. Just like your brother,” Destiny said.
Robert took a second to absorb the disturbing actuality of what occurred in the White House. If he had not been there for his mother, the same thing would have happened to her. A demonic spirit not only entered his home, but it entered the White House. Was Destiny connected to that as well?
“How is this happening?” Robert eventually asked.
Robert waited for an answer from Destiny, but for some reason, she would not speak. Clearly, she had more to hide. He was tired of the secrets now, even if God was the reason she kept them in! He felt he was owed an explanation!
“What’s the big deal? He was a horrible president,” a strange man said, entering the kitchen.
How did he enter the house with no one hearing it? The strange pale-complexioned man wore a black suit with a red tie. He was a few inches shorter than Robert and looked to be much older. His eyes were completely red, a much darker pigment than Carter’s.
“Who are you?” Robert asked him.
The strange man did not answer Robert’s question. Instead, the man turned his diabolical grin to Destiny, staring at her. This man did not appear to be human. His eyes were fixed on Destiny as if he knew her.
“My beautiful Destiny, come to me,” he said as he held out his hand to Destiny.
With no hesitation, she began to walk to him. Why was she walking to him? It was as if she was completely in his control as she continued advancing toward him. Robert did not want to see what would happen once they met. He headed toward Destiny to stop her, but the strange man set his tie on fire, burning his own jacket and shirt, halting Robert. The man’s tie continued to blaze as orange particles began to form in the air. Suddenly, a massive horrifying beast took shape right in front of Robert. The beast held a four-leg stance and had alarming monstrous features throughout. It was a creature he had surely never seen before. He was in great fear. If he did not run now, this would be the end of him.
Behind the beast, Robert saw exactly what he did not want to see. Destiny lip-locked with the man as if Robert were not even there. The sight removed all fear from his heart. He was fully enraged now, instantly engaging in battle with the massive beast, pounding its head with multiple combinations of punches and kicks. None of his blows seemed to be affecting the beast, as it finally countered him, knocking him onto the floor. Slightly lifting his head off the ground, he could still see that Destiny’s face was planted into the strange man’s as they continued to exchange a passionate kiss. Whoever this man was would have to pay for this blatant disrespect.
Robert rose off the ground for round two with the atrocious creature. Suddenly the beast charged toward him. He evaded off to the side, grabbing the beast around the neck to hop on top and squeeze as tight as he could. He wrapped his legs as much as he could around the creature’s back to pull its head up. It took a lot of his strength, but eventually, orange gooey blood splattered on his face and onto the floor as he barbarously beheaded the beast. The headless body dropped to the ground as Robert tumbled with its head in his arms. It was as simple as that, and the beast was dead. Now whoever this man was would feel his wrath as well.
“Destiny!” Robert yelled. He did not know who to be angrier at as she ignored him. He threw away the head of the monster on the ground and then approached the two. He grabbed the man by his head and yanked him off Destiny’s lips. Then he delivered a vicious haymaker to the man’s skull as he flew backward onto the floor. His head bounced off the floor upon impact. Robert turned to Destiny, who had her eyes glued to the man completely infatuated. It was as if Robert were not even there. She even attempted to walk past him. “Destiny!” Robert yelled again, shaking her back and forth ferociously. “What’s the matter with you?”
Robert heard an ominous laugh from the ground behind him.
“She loves me more than she loves you. Can’t you see?” the man said with a sinister grin.
Destiny again started to push and shove Robert in attempt to get to the man on the floor. Her eyes were locked in on him, ignoring the fact that Robert was standing right in front of her. Robert could not remember the last time he ever felt so disrespected. He actually thought Destiny was the perfect girl for him despite all the turmoil she caused on him the last few days. Just like all his exes, she preferred another man over him. Honestly, he was not sure if he should fight to keep her in front of him or allow her to have who she wanted. He was dumb either way.
“She loves me more than she loves you. Let her go so she can receive the satisfaction that she desires,” the man said.
“Who are you?” Robert asked.
The man then supernaturally levitated from the floor without moving his arms or legs.
“I’m the one your woman desires. Let her come to me. I have longed to make love to her,” he said.
“She is my woman now! If you continue to disrespect me, you too will be headless just as your friend!” Robert pointed at the dead beast.
“I suppose she has not told you about me yet. I am Jinteen, and she’s in love with me. Just accept it and let her have me. We’ll be nice and let you watch!”
Robert released his hold on Destiny and charged for Jinteen, unleashing another ferocious haymaker to his head that knocked him back onto the ground. Jinteen looked to be in a lot of pain on the ground, but slowly, he rose to his feet like a boxer fighting a ten count. He seemed to have a high tolerance for pain, but he was still weak and frail. Robert could have snapped his neck easier than he could a pencil, but he was certainly not in the business of killing.
“Your power impresses me, but I don’t understand why you fight me when she could never stop loving me!” Jinteen said, still with a grin on his face.
“If you don’t leave here now, I will rip your head in two!” Robert threatened.
“Look at her. Do you not see the way she looks at me?” Jinteen asked, pointing at Destiny, who now stood in a still stance, continuing to stare at him. “She is thirsty for my love. She needs me!”
“Enough!” Robert said, bursting with rage.
“When I’m through with you, I will have her give me a blow job!”
Robert had enough. At this point, it did not matter if he killed Jinteen or not. Robert could no longer bear his words. He advanced for Jinteen, grabbing his neck just above the tie, squeezing tightly. His tie then blazed again while Robert squeezed out his life.
The burning from the flame was an unusual feeling. It was the first time since Robert received his powers that he felt any sort of pain. It was somewhat a new sensation. The burn from the tie left Robert in a daze. He ignored the blurred vision, trying to maintain his balance. Jinteen then advanced toward Robert and placed one hand on his fiery tie, and the other on Robert’s chest. Instantly, he felt fatigued. It felt as if his life was being drained away. Jinteen slowly pulled away his hand over Robert’s chest, and he felt himself being extracted from his body. Jinteen continued to pull away as Robert turned his head and saw that he was now separated from his body. He watched his lifeless body collapsed onto the ground. Jinteen was now in control of Robert’s spirit as everything turned black.
Robert did not know what was happening to him as he regained his vision. He did not know where he was. It felt as if his spirit was sinking rapidly. Jinteen was in front of him, with one hand on his chest and the other on his fiery tie, still in complete control of his spirit.
Suddenly, a flash of light blinded Robert as he continued to sink. He was unsure of the source of the light. When he recovered his vision, he saw Destiny on her knees before him in her angelic form. He could feel the weight of his body again, but he was extremely weak and his eyelids were heavy.
“Baby, you have to fight! You must escape so I can save you!” Destiny said with a sense of urgency.
“Escape where?” Robert asked. He had to fight to keep his eyes open.
“Hell! You must fight yourself free and run! Do not look at Satan! Do not allow him to capture your soul …”
Darkness overtook Robert again. It was almost pitch black now. The only reason he was able to see was Jinteen’s fiery tie. Moments later, they crash-landed on the ground in a gloomy area. The structure was fiery red throughout. Robert was scared for his life. Was he really in hell? In his spirit form, he could feel the roasting skin sensation.
“Welcome to your new home,” Jinteen said with a vile smile.
Robert put up his guards, ready to fight Jinteen, ready to beat him down then run.
“I have no interest in battle with a pathetic soul like you … time to meet your new master: Lord Satan!” Jinteen said.
Flames erupted from the walls throughout. Robert wanted nothing more than to battle Jinteen, but this was not the time or place. He was in hell and on the territory of Jinteen, who had the advantage here. Robert heard the thudding footsteps approaching. It sounded as if it was from the corridor ahead of him. Although it was dim, from afar he could see the sinister outline of a winged creature approaching them. Was it Satan? Destiny said he could not look at Satan. Jinteen did not even face the devil’s direction. Robert did not want to take a chance by beating Jinteen down. The goal was to live to see another day and another fight, so he took off running in the opposite direction through a magma-fall walkway. In his spirit form, he could still feel the burning from the magma, but it did not harm his skin. It was an unusual feeling, slightly more painful than Jinteen’s fiery tie.
Robert had no idea where he was going or how he would escape. Finding an exit would be extremely difficult through these alarming corridors. While anxiously running, he came across various spirits in many forms that attacked him. He fought them all off while his primary focus was escaping. Momentarily while in battle with the demon spirits, he turned around and saw Jinteen advancing toward him. If he was there, Satan had to be somewhere close. Robert knocked a few of the demons out of his way and then took off running again. Searching for an escape, he still had to fight through an infinite number of demons. It was difficult to control his fear. This was truly his most frightening experience ever. It was easy to give in to what looked like deformed scorpions, spiders, and snakes roaming the floors, but he did not want to spend his eternity here getting whipped and tortured like the slaves in the chambers he sprinted past.
Although he could not find an escape, one felt near. It seemed as if he were advancing levels. The methods of torture in the chambers were in various forms. He was curious to know how these demons lived their lives on earth to be punished this way in hell. He continued to sprint as fast as he could in hope to find an exit so Destiny could save him.
Eventually, after what appeared to be an endless journey, he found hope. He made it to an opening, but outside the gates was blocked by an army of demons in rocklike structures, ready to capture his soul. He did not know what to do. Just as he anticipated all the fighting being over, now he had to take on an army. It was not as if he could not, but he would have preferred not to deal with this now. It would perhaps take him all of eternity to defeat the army of entities before him.
“There is no escape from hell!” Jinteen said from behind, walking through the opening of hell.
By the way it looked, Robert would never see his mother, father, brothers, and friends. He was not sure if he wanted to see Destiny again, especially since she preferred Jinteen over him. This was a lost battle, but still Robert was willing to fight until he had nothing left. From the days he was a child growing up in the church, he learned that hell was not the place he wanted to spend his eternity. Now he had just personally experienced why. Hell was an eternal prison of torture. Hopefully, he could find a way out back home to his loved ones.
Chapter 12