War at heavens gate
Demons watch constantly, with bloody, bee-sting teeth
Stubby leaf-green skin stretched over chubby, bleak physiques
Most never see a demons face, and so don’t know to fear
Their corroded sneer, stalking purgatory’s hopeless tiers
Only one man can claim the curse of ethereal sight
He’s spent eons walking among men in fear for his life
Devils revere him in spite of wishes to leave him slain
Eternity’s bane, everything he touches screams in pain ..
…Caine…
Sin’s first son now resides in a small studio apartment
In a rundown slc complex, on a bald, brutally worn carpet
With a mattress for sleeping and black-n-white television
He sits listening to Scrounge talk of Satan’s hellish mission
“He means to kill you for sure, this time. The end is near
My friend it’s clear…the attack on the North Gate is sincere.” ..
What does this have to do with me, Caine asked, exhausted ..
“You’re in the middle as always, Father,”
The demon’s laughed accosted ..
“If Satan passes Michael and the Gate, then heaven is doomed
Everyone will be executed…they’ll be no exception for you”
Caine did not fear death, but there was one he dared not part with
“He knows about Kaylah now,” the imp’s eyes, glared and darted ..
*****
In the noon blaze of the day, in the womb of decay
Caine walked the city streets, inhaling fumes in disdain
He was an endless wanderer, ever since he sauntered
Up to the alter with bloody hands-prints for Father
A mark hidden on his neck, The Unforgiven he was pegged
And every demon west of god
was in competition for his head
But then Man flourished, and they had a new toy to toy with
He survived several lifetimes by avoiding their boisterous noises ..
“Do you think it is time to tell her,” Scrounge barked, unseen
To the rest of the populace, as he and Caine walked the streets ..
She has to know about the danger there is in knowing me ..
They met her door, knocking, “Kaylah, open up. You know it’s me”
There was no answer, and Caine was suddenly seethed in fear
Scrounge looked up at his earthly master, “A beast is here” ..
Caine kicked the door down, and in the corner, Kaylah screamed
Baby please! She begged for Caine to save her. He…
Looked around the room frantically, Where is the clown hiding?
She pointed wailing, “Behind you!!” A man came down flying
From the top stair with a kitchen knife clasped in his grasp
And behind his human facade, Caine could see the shadowing asp ..
“It’s a serpent spirit!” Scrounge yelled, cowering in the sofa
Kalah continued screaming! As the man’s powerful shoulders
Caved in Caine’s stomach, doubling him over in pain
The possessed man held on, keeping Caine’s motion restrained
“Heaven is only a day away,” the man whispered in blackened tones
Shut up, Caine snuffed, grabbed the man’s arm and cracked the bone
The human housing the demon yelled, holding his forearm in agony
Caine craftily, almost happily, attacked with unheralded savagery
Holding the man’s forehead
Go back from whenst you burned”
He then slit the man’s neck, to ensure the demon couldn’t return ..
“Is it safe?” Kaylah peeked from the corner where she found safety
He’s dead, Caine mumbled, “Look, I know this may sound crazy”
Just then two police appeared at the front door
“We got a call from neighbors” ..
“Master,” Scrounge flinched…
I see them, Caine said of the demons with jaws of razor ..
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
He sat alone on his cold, black gold-crafted throne
Pondering his latest move, basking in the after-glow
The Unforgiven was the Key, the one and only anomaly
That fulfilled the prophecy of God the Father’s hypocrisy
Flames licked his feet, smiling with fang-glistening teeth
“The Sabbath, when The Eye sleeps…
Bring the bitch to me…” ..
*****
...The next night, on the run from Satan's men.
“That Caine?” Kaylah smirked in comical disbelief
As Caine paced back and forth in the Hobby Inn, mystery suite
“She does not believe you father.” Scrounge clenched his teeth
In worry. “We must find the Soldier, either that or get some sleep”
Caine thought it over, y’know it’s really not that hard to believe
If you discard what you see and place faith in what’s hard to perceive
With physical eyes. It is in me, look in my heart you will see
What parted the seas, resurrected and fell as part of the sea
Then you’ll start to agree. She stared bewildered at his black frame
His broad shoulders and tired eyes, saying finally ..
THAT Caine?!!
(sigh)
“Father”
I know, Caine began. Go to the Heaven’s Throne Cathedral
To the holy people. Find Father Michael, he will know this evil
When you show him your face, be careful, understand?
He may fear you at first. Godly or no, he’s just another man
With that, Scrounge leapt from the window into the night air
Among the hidden demons, fallen angels, soldiers and nightmares
On a mission to find the Last Prophet of God, a Soldier of men
Caine turned back to Kaylah
Let’s go over this again ..
*****
Scrounge slipped unknown beneath the men sauntering by
Hidden by reality’s shadow, invisible to their wandering eyes
The size of a small dog, Caine had raised him up since birth
To be a spy for good. True, Scrounge was reluctant at first
Now he skips with delight, a zeal he doesn’t wish to hide
For a demon’s finally going to be on the winning side
“What’s up spy?”
The shadows spoke in plumes
As beads of sweat broke in spools
Scrounge was surrounded in an alley by smells of broke-in tombs
And he laughed, defeated
(sigh)…I guess I spoke too soon
As three demons approached reality’s threshold, exploding through!
Scrounge fell down and gasping, to the sounds of gnashing
He floundered, backwards in blackness and attacked with thrashing!
The first was a serpent spirit, with boiling coils of fire
It released in balls of flame, missing its target and broiling tires!
Scrounge, the size of a small dog, let the seed of Hell
He’d been trained to hide since birth, seethe and swell
His claws…extended and unsheathed in audible rips!
Scrounge grew five times, seizing the snake in his horrible grip
And squeezed
The creamy filling exploded in chunks, the other demons jumped
Before jumping him all at once, sinking their teeth in his heaving trunk
Scrounge screamed and sunk to the ground with a thunderous sound
The two demons took one arm each and hunkered him down
“You’ve been called home Scrounge, r’you ready to fly?”
Hey, the stumpy one asked, “did master say dead or alive?”
They laughed as they passed the blade back and forth
And played chest checkers, taking turns to stab the corpse
And Scrounge could only scream as death advanced in
To the question, “why can’t demons get any second chances” ..
*****
A very adult frown began to grow from Kaylah’s baby smile
She had known this man for five years, why’d he turn crazy now?
It’s not like they were in love, she sighed. So ignoring the danger
He’d babbled on, she left, thinking “No more of this stranger!”
And snuck out the hotel around three that morning
while Caine slept, entranced in dreams of holy warring
Kaylah escaped to the streets and quickly fled
Among demons she couldn’t see, that wished her dead ..
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kaylah, with her chocolate almond skin and round hips
Quickly dipped into the grocery store without a sound. Tip
Toeing to her register with Sarah already ahead of her
“Ooooh, your late, Kay!” she said, “You gotta do better girl!”
“I know, I know,” Kaylah sighed, ringing up the next customer
“I got somethin’ to tell ya,” she started
“f’real? What the fuck is up?”
At that an old man glared at Sarah with a look of disgust
“Yeah, I said ‘fuck,’” sneered Sarah, “all shook cause a cuss!”
“You know Caine, right?” Kaylah began, “he's gon’ crazy!”
“What?!” Sarah screamed, “Baby, he's being all shady!”
The old man again stared, as if he planned to do something
Then just waved his hands, said “damn” and did nothing
“Yeah,” Kaylah paused, “he did save my life though”
“He once said he loved me,” she paused, “maybe, iono”
The old man again glared at Sarah, his eyes enlarged
“What now, old man?”
Then the lights went dark ..
“Sarah?” Kaylah turned to see something bright and sharp
Then followed Sarah’s head as it flew in a high shaped arc
“Sarah!” she screamed, the old man stood, bathed in blood
While a demon in a man’s shape, grabbed Kaylah face and shrugged
“Rouy luos lliw nrub llew,” it chanted a Nonsenese prayer
“We speak English here”
Caine smirked
“Plus, all secrets got to be share” ..
There was no hesitation, the demon dropped Kaylah instantly
As he and Caine moved in battle’s synchronized symmetry
Each sword strike released ionized energy as metal sang
A chorus of absolute destruction, as percussive metal rang
The possessed man lunged, but in a move that seemed to never end
Caine spun away, letting his sword kiss neck flesh and sever it
Then silence
“Caine?” Kaylah said finally ..
“What. Is. Going. On?” ..
“Satan,” Caine panted, “his army is growing strong”
And with that several men appeared, “we’ve come to claim you son”
Caine gripped his sword and sighed, whispering… “kaylah…run” ..
The men, six of them, split up, as three readily drew their swords
The remaining three chased Kaylah through the store!
Caine continued his dance
“You’ve escaped hell long enough!” One demon’s final claim
Before his head was freed from his neck’s reign with spinal chains ..
“Caine!” Kaylah screamed from the back of the emptied grocery store
As she was kicked so hard in the ribs it left her ovaries sore ..
“Kaylah,” Caine, fending off attackers, screamed in a hopeless tone
Spinning the broad side of his sword, leaving one with a broken nose!
He finished the job, opening holes so large it exposed his bones
And offered a clear shot to his partner behind him; Caine drove it home ..
Kaylah lay on the edge of consciousness. Caine came as promised
Lifting each man from his earthly chains, but was stabbed in the process
“Oh my god” Kaylah muttered, “are you hurt, god, are you hurt?
“I’m alright,” Caine stumbled, as Kaylah nonetheless lifted his shirt…
And there the wound vanished right in front of her eyes
As if from the corpse of a dream that had not once been alive ..
“Pretty spooky isn’t it?” asked a man, short, but mean of face
Caine lifted himself up slowly, grabbed his sword with the keenest grace
“Y’see that mark on his neck,” the man pointed, “means he can’t die ..
I’ve waited an eternity in Hell for the day I could disprove that lie” ..
The man held a sable sabor of onyx, with a platinum hilt
He glared like a madman at Caine, the man who'd had him killed
“This is where you die,” the man said, lifting the weapon of sable
Caine shrugged, gripping his own sword…
“Hello Able.”
HELL…Present Day
Scrounge lay bound down to the ground
Darkness. The only things existing were smells and sounds
Screams of torment, horror sorrow and pain echoed. He was home
“Hello, son” said a voice with the sound of naked bone scraping stone
“You will tell me where the Unforgiven is running, whom does he seek?
Scrounge loyally remained tight lipped.
“Do you refuse to speak?”
Scrounge whimpered, but soon was exhaling agony in audible growls
And all of hell was silenced in reverence to this new horrible sound ..
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