chapter one

James died. then a demon named Azael brought him back to life so he can visit the human world to absorb dark energy. James has to help him to get Azael out of his head and ends up battling demons

Lying on the concrete floor, two thoughts crossed my mind. One was how do I not have any shoes on; the second was a strong desire to pull the knife, that proceeded from my chest, out.

Fear started to bubble up inside me. Why is there a knife in my chest? The answer to that seemed to manifest in the back of my mind, while I lay there thinking about how normal the day had been, well Jack had thrown a chair at the teacher, but that's normal enough. Then I had stupidly agreed to meet with some friends, that haven't even bothered to show up on time, where they were supposed to meet with me. Which, of course now I think about it, if they had it wouldn’t have ended with me, being mugged and stabbed by three 'gangsters' that wanted, of all things, my shoes. Of all the pathetic things that anyone has ever killed over, that has got to be the worst. I mean, they didn't even wait for me to give them the shoes, they're not even a famous brand name, but instead they just started stabbing and grabbing.

My hands started to move towards the handle.

Stop! screeched a voice in the back of my head. you should not be able to move, or be alive

Great I'm becoming a schizophrenic and the voice wants to see me dead I answered.

If you are alive, then this should be interesting the voice whispered into the back of my mind

Now I'm lying here with a knife in my chest and an imaginary voice in my head that, for some reason, I feel like talking to.

So voice how is dying interesting?

You’re not dying, you were dead.

Funny, shouldn't there have been a tunnel with a light at the end.

No that is a rather foolish version of what happens when someone dies

Then what does happen? I quizzed

The dead walk across the path of judgement towards the destination where they will be sentenced for their sins

Annoyance started to fill my mind I can't believe I'm having a discussion with an imaginary voice.

I am not an imaginary voice. I am Azael and I am one of the greatest demons!

Heh you say you’re a demon and I'm supposed to believe it?

Pull the knife out now then! I have decided to enter a contract with you and that will signify that you agree to it”

So what is this contract and how do I know that you are real.

The very air itself around me started to change. I opened my eyes to see that I had gone from lying in the middle of an ordinary street, to a blood red and twisted version of itself. The street lights had gone from being tall, with the light at the top, to a spiral shape spiked serpent looking device that gave everything around it a red glow. The moon in the sky had gone from being smooth and crescent shaped to looking like it had been cut in half with a jagged blade. It was crying tears of blood. All the doorways in the building had twisted into teeth shapes and the very houses themselves looked like they were getting ready to pounce.

But that was nothing compared to the things that were floating around, they are something that is unimaginably cold, hopeless and sad. Wandering around were objects that looked like spheres but are constantly changing so that is the only shape that I am able to recognize along the many that they are becoming. They were floating around aimlessly at first then they started to drift towards me. They started to create a circle abut twenty metres away around from where I was lying.

“What are they” I whispered as my body was screaming for me to not get their attention no matter what.

“They are souls that have been lost” Azael stated

“What do you mean lost” I looked up and saw his figure standing above me. He was about seven foot tall and had long blond hair that flowed about his face. His chest was heavily muscled and bared with twelve foot long pitch-black wings behind him. Confused about what he is, I quizzed” how comes I can now see you?”

“Souls that do not belong in this world or the next become lost and wander aimlessly for all of eternity” he said while gazing across them with a look of pity and pain in his eyes. He suddenly stood up put leaned over me “and the reason that you can now see me is that I can appear in this world without a host. But that brings me to the contract that you will agree to.”

“How do you know that I won't refuse you?”

“I know you will agree because if you don't then you will be left here. That will be when they start to steal parts of your very soul. Then you will lose every conscious thought that you have ever had, until finally you become one of them”

“So what kind of deal do you want to make with me?”

“I want to return to hell, and you are going to help me by collecting the darkness that appears inside monsters and humans that have sinned.”

“Why can't you collect it yourself?”

“it is impossible for a divine being like me to exist in the human world without wearing the body of a creature from that world, and it would be more interesting to let you live than to kill you.”

“So you’re letting me live just to amuse yourself”

“Yes now be amusing when you pull that knife from your chest”

My hand reluctantly moved to grab the knife handle before pulling the knife out of the flesh in my chest. Excruciating pain flooded my senses. The world around me started to gain black edges that threatened to send me into unconsciousness. Then the hole in my chest miraculously started to close. Unfortunately that meant more pain, which had me shocked into full awareness.

“How did that wound heal so fast” I pounded out loud while starting to sit up.

“I healed it” Azael, proudly replied

“So this is really happening”.

“Yes, now then go along with me and stab the knife into your stomach”

“And why would I want to do that?” I answered warily.

“You are going to need a way to explain the blood when the police get here” Azael said tiredly

“Then why not leave the knife in my chest” I inquired

“The knife had penetrated your heart and it would have been too much trouble to have you come back from a wound like that in an explainable way.”

I lifted the knife from my side and asked “if I live through this then I'll take it that you are serious about this?”

Azael laughed then said “yes”

“My name is James” and with that I preformed a thrusting motion with the knife into my stomach. The last thoughts I had as I faded from consciousness were why my friends not here are already...

I woke up in a bed that felt way too stiff to be mine; there was no give at all in the mattress which made it uncomfortable. The air itself smelt like disinfectant. There was a beeping noise coming from the left of me, it was a constant beep...beep...beep. Strange that's the noise that heart monitors make. I laid there with my eyes shut for a moment, thinking, then the night before came into the conscious part of my brain. I jolted upright, well as much as I could before the stiffness from my guts forced me to lie down again. I opened my eyes and saw that the sheets were white with the walls in the room being light green. My Dad was sitting near the bed in a chair and started to wave franticly at a doctor from down the corridor. For an unknown reason this seemed to be the funniest thing that I had ever seen. Then the absence of pain made sense, I was on morphine.

Near the end of the bed was my best friend, Jack. He was 5'6 with a median build. His hair was cut to cover his left eye, and had a red line through it. He had black jeans on and an iron maiden t-shirt. “Careful, mate watch yourself “he said while putting his hand cautiously on my shoulder.

“What happened” I said. Or at least attempted to, what came out was more of a jumbled moan.

“I found you, lying on the floor and called an ambulance”

“Where were you?”

Jack was standing over me and a look of unbridled guilt spread across his face.”I thought you got the message that we were meeting later”

“How long have I been out for?”

“Two days“

At that moment the doctor walked into the room with my Dad. My Dad is starting to show the effects of ageing. He has a balding head and a budging belly that goes with his 5'11 height and made him look completely forgettable. Because of his job as manger for an international company he was always dressed in a suit, and today was no exception.

The doctor walked towards me and started to check my injury. He said “you are lucky that you pulled though this “hearing a hint of annoyance I looked up at him. I gasped. Seaming to float around behind his back was the single most disgusting thing I have ever seen. It had a body like green jelly, with slime oozing out of it. Its eyes were ruby red with black slits down the middle. I opened my mouth to scream.

Do not, you will just agitate it

Azael is that you? I said while closing my mouth. what is that?

I will explain later, just do not let on that you have seen it

“What’s the matter? You look scared” Jack asked

“Nothing just thought about how close I was to dying”

“Well that not going to happen I paid too much for this treatment.” I started to remember why I was happy that he worked overseas.

“The patient needs to go to sleep, to recover fully, so I would like it if you would leave until tomorrow” the doctor ordered while putting a needle into my arm. The world started to black out for the third time in three days.

…............................................................

Wake up, wake up now! The now familiar voice of Azael was ringing through my head.

“What's the matter” I mumbled. While rolling over, I discovered that there was no pain at all, and the world had lost the fuzzy edges that it had while I was on morphine. I sat up suddenly awake with no pain. What happened to me?

I got rid of the drugs in your system and sped up the healing process.

Why did you do that?

Because that Doctor was trying to poison you.

What do you mean? How can you be sure?

Remember that thing floating behind him? That was darkness, forms like that occur when a rotten soul lingers in this world, then it makes others kill for it Add that to the fact that he would have caused an overdose on you if I had not of stopped it.

My body started to shake from fear and anger. There has to be a way to stop him.

There is, you are going to kill the monster.

Just thinking about that thing that with the doctor had me almost trembling in despair, that is completely hopeless.

The doctor is being controlled by it, and it is just a soul.

How can I hit a soul?

I will give you something soon to do that

If he is a soul then why could I see him?

Because I am in your body and you can see what I see.

Then could he have seen you as well.

No; I am stronger than him. Weaker beings cannot sense stronger ones.

Footsteps started echoing from outside my door.

Lay down now!

The doctor opened the just after I managed to get under the covers. He started getting a needle ready and moved towards me.

What's going on? I asked

He is getting ready to kill you. Under the cover I felt some cold material wrapping around my arm. Then it started to burn and change into different shapes. Imagine a weapon, now!

Why? I asked but I had already started to picture a scythe in my mind. Whatever was wrapping around my arm had started to straighten out. In my hand I griped the object and sat up. The doctor looked up from the needle to see me with a three foot scythe in my hand. Instinctively I raised the scythe and cut diagonally with it toward the doctors’ back, and at the demon behind him.

The demon became separated from the doctor and landed on the floor. It slithered towards the door, while the doctor fainted. I brought the scythe overhead before bringing it down onto the slimy creature.

It disintegrated and a sudden rush of energy filled my body and I felt greater then I have ever been before. It was a surge of euphoria that flooded my entire body. The scythe in my hands became a bracelet on my left arm.

What happened? I said while my skin started to flush warmly.

That is why you are still among the living . Azael mused Leave that man there. He will not remember anything that happened while he was being controlled so go to sleep.

I went across the room to put the syringe into the bin, and then went back to bed. I was lying there thinking about how much I wanted to feel that rush again until I fell asleep for the second time that night.

Author's Note

i already know i have to improve grammar can i have your opinion on the story and dialogue