A Door

A little drabble from the character Thomas Hardesty of "The Door" that's on this blog, and National Novel Writing Month for five years now.

Another door. It resembled the one which I had left Heaven through, but unlike that door, this one had a burned smell to it, one of brimstone that made me a bit nervous and nauseous. Why did I take this job?

Oh yes, because I'm a good and faithful servant. At least that's how I was greeted upon my entry to Heaven. From time to time, Peter had told me, you must imitate our Lord by going to retrieve souls that are straying dangerously close to the depths of Hell as they make their way to Purgatory. I have to admit, it isn't something I've done in these first five years on the job, but there's a first time for everything I guess.

Well Thomas, it's time to stop thinking and start doing. So go ahead and open the door. Stop narrating and start working.

I trembled as I opened the door and felt a blast of searing hot air cover my body. Slowly, I took the steps down into the darkened tunnels for what seemed to be an eternity before the first creature gave me pause.

"You're not welcome here Guardian," rasped the voice from the being I couldn't see.

"I won't leave without him," my voice conveyed more confidence than I felt. I had never been so close to Hell, except when tangling with its demons upon the Earth.

"Turn back now, and we won't drag you down," the creature tried to be reasonable.

"Send him up to me and I won't be forced to descend further," I narrowed my eyes in hopes this creature could see better than I could, "you know I've been given the ability to consign you to oblivion."

I heard it chuckle in amusement at my hanging threat, "I'm well aware dear Guardian, well aware. Do you not think that we long for that oblivion compared to an eternity in Hell? Do you not think that we full well know the sufferings we will forever endure for our hubris? No dear Guardian, you must come through me first."

I swallowed audibly as I heard his claws scratch the dirt beneath our feet. Instinctively my arm raised and grabbed a throat I had not been able to see and a power from outside me, but at my command, flowed into the creature. For an instant I could see it, bedeviled in horns and eyes, each eye bursting as white light shot forth from it. I had killed the creature...permanently killed, there would be no Hell for it.

"Father, what is it that is Your will," I murmured a soft prayer as I walked deeper into the labyrinth. I continued the way, walking in silence for what again seemed to be an eternity, but really was more like an hour. I was being guided, just not overtly. In my experiences this has never been a good thing, and the last time it happened I ended up in the middle of a battle between angels and demons and watched a spectacle that rarely happens these days; I watched an angel fall.

"Why don't you turn back Thomas," a voice came from the darkness, "you will not like what you find."

"That is why I can't," I took a deep shuddering breath, "they sent you to face me next?"

"Hardly," her laughter was the same soft sound that I could remember from five years ago, "I just wanted to give you a fair warning."

"Thanks Lilith," my body was tense, "why don't you show yourself so we can end this?"

"Another day Thomas, another day," her laughter echoed across the labyrinth of caves, blocking out the sound of the clattering hooves from behind me.

I barely reacted in time, ducking a swinging blade. That was one thing I hadn't understood at first about the nature of supernatural combat, everyone used a bladed weapon instead of projectiles. But it was explained to me soon enough; your weapon is an extension of your own power and essence, to discard a piece is to lose it and weaken yourself.

I brought out my own blade from my side and caught the second blow on my guard. My eyes could not adjust to the gloom, so this fight also would be entirely based on instinct, "Let me pass."

"No," the voice came from behind me and I barely parried it, "I have only let one being pass. You are no Christ, you will die here, and your soul shall be ours."

"You're right," I replied, "I'm most definitely not the Christ. However, He sends His regards."

My blade whipped through the thing's neck and I could hear the sizzle of it burning within dark flames as it died. Again I found myself walking down the stairs and amidst the caves for another hour, but now I could feel it, the tug of a soul that belonged in Purgatory and not on this winding pathway to Hell.

Then I felt them. Six demons, none of them exactly a pushover as far as the Hellish hierarchy went. I took a breath and put the sword at the ready, "Give me the soul."

"No."

I gave a nod, knowing they could see it even if I could not. The time for playing by their rules had passed. I drew upon the power that was not mine, but given unto me for the task. As it began to flow through me I spoke again to these hellspawn, "Give me the soul, or in the name of Christ I will take him."

The demons for their part weren't about to surrender to a bit of melodrama. They knew it, I knew it, but certain formalities had to be observed. I closed my eyes against the brightness that flooded the room as I released the borrowed power and consigned the demons to oblivion.

I reached out and I grasped a calloused hand. It was someone who had not had any easy life, I could tell that, but then again, would I be descending almost unto the depths of Hell if it were some easygoing devout person who had never waivered? Actually I could see that happening one day.

"Come friend," I said as I pulled him along into the darkness, "we have a long way to go to put you back on the straight and narrow."

He said nothing, but her voice returned in the darkness, "You don't want to do that Thomas. This man isn't worthy of Heaven, trust me as someone who was cast out of there."

"He probably didn't try to stick a flaming sword into the heart of God the Father either," I quipped back, dragging my charge through the darkness.

"No he didn't," she chuckled, that damn laughter echoing again, "but I think he did similar enough in life that you wouldn't want him going there."

"It's not my choice, he belongs to Heaven and I will see to it that he makes it to Purgatory," my voice held no doubt, because it did not exist. I could feel that this was the soul I had been sent to retrieve.

"Fine Thomas," Lilith's laughter echoed once more, "but I tried to warn you. More than once."

Then we were alone in the silence. Hours upon hours of silence until I could feel the touch of burned wood upon my flesh. We had reached the door at last and it was time for me to see who this man was that I had been sent to cast back up into Purgatory's own purging flames.

I opened the door and beheld him, an older Middle Eastern man and I felt myself go numb. No he'd not thrust a flaming sword at the chest of God the Father, but he had done as much to my country back when I'd still been alive. A hard life I had thought, and I thought correctly; he had caused two superpowers to quiver with fear.

"Why," I asked no one in particular as I let go of his hand and watched him stumble into Purgatory with a grateful look goodbye.

"Because he repented, at the very end," the voice behind me was stern, but not chiding.

"A lot of people wouldn't like to hear that," I turned to face the archangel Michael.

"A lot of people would not care to know a number of the murderers, adulterers, and others who have made it into Heaven over the years," the archangel gave me a look through his wings, with the human face, "You had to be surprised when you got there."

"I was," and that was not a lie. Seeing Adolf Hitler amongst the Heavenly host would have sickened me had I not been overwhelmed by God's presence, but he too had repented at the very end, realizing the depths of his sins and begging God for forgiveness with his dying breath.

"A split second Thomas," the archangel reminded me as he faded from view, "a split second is all it takes to ask for forgiveness and to take responsibility for sins."

I nodded, though the Prince of the Heavenly armies had left me. I had just rescued a man who had killed thousands from a fate I would have wished upon him when I had still drawn breath, before I came back from Heaven to act as a gatekeeper. Sometimes God worked in mysterious ways, sometimes it was as simple as admitting guilt and asking for forgiveness. I admit that it took a bit to process before I finally whispered, "Thy will be done, not mine."