T. A. Chase

Poetry Train

First thing is this picture is part of a calander put out in Australia for raising money for women living with breast cancer. Check out Naked for a Cause to see the calander and read more about the cause. I’m going to be ordering my own soon. 🙂

Second stop by Rhian’s to check out who else is hopping on the Poetry Train today. 🙂

Here’s my contribution. It’s part of a WiP called To Hell with the Devil. The first part is told from the ‘victim’s’ point of view. The last part is told from Arch’s pov. (He’s the new Master of Hell) Enjoy.

I took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in this deserted town. Empty of all life except for me.

I long to yell, but the silence is oppressive and holds my mouth closed. A faint scrap echoes through the fog, a hint of shoe leather against stone.

A dark figure appears from an alley in front of me. As it gets closer, I want to run, but my feet are glued to the street. He stops before me, reaching out to touch my face with one cold pale hand.

“Is this hell,” I ask.

“Before I’m through, you’ll come to believe it is.”

* * * *


I stand in the shadow and watch the newcomer make his way down the center of town. I long to yell. To make him turn back. He needs to leave while he can. Before the Master finds him.

I slink from building to building. Always in shadow. Always afraid. The man stops, turns and stares in my direction, like he knows I’m watching.

“What have we here, my pet?” The Master’s hand gripped my shoulder with claws tearing into my skin.

I whimper. All is lost.

“A new plaything. We must greet him.”

I follow because I have no choice. His claws anchor deep into my body and keep my soul hostage.

* * * *

The new one stares in defiance at the Master. Deep welts and bleeding wounds cover the man’s chest. I sit in the corner, praying he’d lower his gaze or look away. Show some weakness. The Master wants his playthings broken in spirit, but not in body.

“You don’t know who I am,” the newcomer says.

The Master’s laugh chills me to the bone. “It matters little to me who you were before you came here. From the moment I spilt your first drop of blood, you have no name, but what I chose to call you.”

I shiver, but darkness flashes in the newcomer’s eyes. “Time will come when you will call me Master.”

I sob. He shouldn’t have said that. The Master’s eyes narrow and the thick gutting knife replaces the thin flaying blade. I shut my eyes. A grunt and a wet splat as the knife buries deep, disemboweling the newcomer.

One would think I would be used to the smell of blood and bodily fluids. So many have died since I became the Master’s pet.

“Pet, come to me.”

I know what I must do and I wish to die. I wish the Master would kill me like he did the man hanging from the chains. Crawling to his feet, I don’t look towards the body. I open my mouth and wrap my lips around the Master’s cock. Hopefully the smell of blood will get him off fast.

The chains holding the body jerk.

“Damn, that was the fucking stupidest idea I’ve had in a long time.”

I fall back on my heels, staring at the body in the chains. The slender dark haired man glares down at the wide wound healing before my eyes.

“What?” Amazement makes me impulsive. I forget I’m not allowed to talk.

The Master’s heavy hand slams into my head, but for the first time, I don’t cower. I’m too caught up in what is going on before my eyes. The newcomer rattles the chains and with a simple tug, pulls them out of the wall. One elegant finger traces over a link. The cuffs encircling his wrists fall away.

I follow his gaze to a large auburn haired man standing in the corner, enormous black wings waving gently in a non-existent breeze.

“And no saying I told you so.”

The auburn haired man-or angel-shrugged. “It was your idea. I told you we should just come in here and take the idiot out. You said no. Got all up in my face about proving shit to the crazy man.”

I scoot away, my gaze shooting between the three men. I can’t tell who is the most dangerous, though something in my deepest heart tells me the man who came back to life is the one I should fear the most.

“Who the hell are you?” The Master stalks towards the men, brandishing his knife. “How dare you? Kneel before your master.”

The winged man shakes his head. “You shouldn’t have said that.”

“Kneel? You have got to be kidding me.” The dark haired man’s eyebrow shoots up.

“Yes, kneel. I rule this hell on earth. I am your Master.” The Master swings his fist, trying to stab the newcomer.

I want to cover my eyes, but I also need to see what is going to happen to the Master.

“Arch, what are you going to do?” The angel doesn’t seem worried about the knife swinging towards his friend.

Arch catches the Master’s hand and squeezes. I see sweat bead on my tormentor’s face as he struggle to free his hand. Arch snaps his fingers and in an instant, the Master is hanging from the same chains Arch was.

“What am I going to do?”

Those dark terrible eyes tinged with red meet mine. I shudder.

“Come here.”

I start to crawl to him. A snort of disgust explodes from him.

“Stand up. I don’t want you to kneel before me.”

I push myself to my feet, wobbling slightly. The angel steadies me. I shoot a soft smile at him. He winks at me.

“I won’t hurt you.” His hand strokes over my cheek and catches the tear falling from my eye. “Azrael, you’ll take this one outside the border of the town. Wipe his memories and make it look like he’d been robbed. There’s no reason he should remember this ever.”

“What about him?” Azrael jabs a finger towards the Master.

“My hounds and I will hunt tonight.” Arch’s dark eyes gleam with malice and anger. “He’ll know who the true Master is.”

___________________________________________________________________

I stand in the middle of the town, staring after the man I let go. He shambles away, glancing over his shoulder in fear and I laugh. Hunting will be good tonight. I feel a shift in the atoms beside me and know Azrael takes his place beside me.

“Are you really going to hunt him?”

“Yes,” I hiss.

Three large black hounds appear at my feet. They growl softly, scenting fear, but they are mine to command.

“How are you going to insure no innocents are hurt in this silly game of yours?”

Whirling around, I grip Azrael around the throat and lift him to his tiptoes. “Do you question my competence?” I snarl, flashing my fangs at him.

“No.” His voice sounds strained. “Simply curious.”

I pull my hand away from him abruptly. I wave in the general direction of the end of town.

“There is a barrier around this town. No innocent can get in and no sinner can get out.”

Azrael rubs his skin where my fingers left bruises. “Why do this, Arch? Why not just kill him and take his soul down to Hell with you?”

“Boredom.” A flick of my wrist sends the dogs out, noses to the ground searching for the man’s scent.

“You’re going to terrorize this man because you’re bored?” The angel shakes his head. “You are twisted.”

“By the time I’m done, he’ll know who the true Master of earth and hell is. He’ll see what he has given his soul over to and the darkness waiting for him when he dies.” I nod towards the entrance of the town. “I let you free the other one.”

“He was innocent. Forced to do things until his spirit broke.” Azrael strokes a hand over his left wing.

“That’s why I didn’t want him. I have millions of people all over this forsaken earth willing to give me their souls without any encouragement from me. I don’t want unwilling souls in my realm.”

The baying of the hounds causes a thrill to run down my spine. The hunt begins. I grin at my lover and see a flash of fear in his eyes.

“Will you join me, my angel? Or will you search for innocents left behind in this man’s madness?”

I know his answer before he gives it.

“I’ll look for others.”

I crush our mouths together, tasting the metallic tang of blood as I split his bottom lip with a fang.

“Of course you will. We’ll be back by sunrise.”

My hounds quiver, waiting for the signal to release their unrelentingly chase. I whistle, high and pure. They race away from me, their voices singing death and blood to all who could hear them. I follow, my ears full of their song and the bass line of fear coming from our prey.

Monday, November 26th, 2007, by and is filed under "Eye Candy, Poetry Train ". You can leave a response here, or send a Trackback from your own site.