Hopes and the Damned
Jim Brown
Hell had fallen, but it was not completely destroyed.
In the dimensions where it had spread, each portal snapped shut. The damned rose up and in most cases, destroyed their tormentors. In the rest, their dark rulers declared their dimension as the new Hell. They vowed to rebuild and someday take back the Old Hell, as it soon was called, if and when they were able to open the doorway. Until then, they would not trust in high and mighty gods, but instead kept the command structure dispersed. These many Hells diversified, and were the stronger for it.
It was the intention of the Order of Healing to free each dimension, once it had healed and rebuilt. That was a long way off as very few members survived that day, and those that did were in no shape to go anywhere but the creation pools of home.
... and a few of Hell's upper class survived, having sensed their god's end, and went into hiding.
"This is the Seraphim, on approach to Mars outpost Clibar. Requesting permission to land. Over."
"Mars outpost Clibar here. Permission granted... What took you jokers so long? We were expecting those condensers hours ago. Over."
"We ran into a hell of a problem, but we think we've got things back on track. Over."
"Well hurry up and get down here. We've got a ton of stuff to unload and night's coming. Over."
"Roger that Clibar. Seraphim out."
As soon as the channel closed, Copulas pulled the bleeding man from the console and ripped off a large chunk of his skin. He screamed and passed out. He had believed her promise that if he delivered the message the way she wanted, she would kill him quickly. Promises were but a tool to her, but a very useful one. She dragged him by the hair to a locker in the back and tossed him into it.
She turned to other Cenobites standing in the command center, the locker door slamming behind her.
"Now we begin."
Soon, the ship's air mixed with that of the outpost, followed closely by sharp new screams.
Andrew steadily climbed up in the air as he headed toward the mind in the sky where Leviathan had been.
Someone was still suffering. He couldn't make out who it was, but he sensed it was below him, and closer. He headed back down.
It was Thomas! He was laying in a hollow, bowl-shaped piece of Leviathan, which was partially filled with a dark liquid. His mind was a mess. Even after all these centuries however, there was still some innocence in there. A sense of wonder, small but sure, remained intact at the core of his being. This was why he was 'chosen', becoming part of the god itself.
Andrew landed softly a few feet away and took a deep breath. He mustered everything he had, trying to remember Thomas the way he was before he had been taken, the way he remembered him from his own visits to the Willowby building back before...
Such a turning point, and Andrew had woke up that day, talked to Sheriff Burke, rubbed his eyes, and drove to his destiny. The deer with the glowing eyes. The one that seemed to be warning him. The dream where he was promised he'd bring Hell to Earth. He was the baby in the cradle, which the box had been on. The old man was his father. Now it all made sense.
All the hurt began to swell, a bruise cut open. His own fear. His own pain... Mr. Deem, who had given him a piece, a very miniscule piece, of what Thomas had went through, locking him up in the darkness for what seemed eternity. The click of the lock on the wooden chest sending him into a wood-scraping panic.
Andrew had stood up to Mr. Deem, which no one else had dared. The courage was always in him, and it had served so well in this. He thought how ironic it was, just how much those childhood battles set the stage for the adult dramas. Perhaps that had been what had forced him to take on Leviathan, rather than play it safe. If tiny, weak little Andrew could stand up to Mr. Deem, and then live to see him taken down, perhaps a seed had been planted all those tears ago. A powerful little seed that grew into something that even fate could not weed.
He remembered feeling like he had died and went to Hell, and that he would be forgotten in that chest. One day someone would open it and finding a skeleton, ask 'Why would someone keep a skeleton in here?' But the light would always eventually shine in, and although he hated that man, he would feel grateful despite himself, and hope beyond hope that it was over, and for good...
He reached out and put his hand on Thomas. His hand was glowing bright white. Thomas floated up into the air, his wrinkled and scarred face clearing, his wretched and contorted body healing, his tiny bright light of hope growing... and more importantly, his memory of Hell fading.
Andrew had really done it. The god of hell was dead. He had vowed to destroy whatever power would do what had been done to Thomas, and it had happened.
A small smile crossed Thomas's face. He opened his eyes and looked at Andrew, his smile growing more.
"Are... are... you an angel?"
Andrew said 'yes' without thinking...
... and added that he was his guardian angel.
One day, Thomas would learn the truth, but for now, Andrew would play the part... and then quite suddenly, he wanted more than anything to be the real thing, to follow Thomas forever, keeping him from harm. For some strange reason, he felt he owed him that. The desire burned so hot he swore he felt a real fire inside him. The feeling only increased. Just when he was about to open himself up to let the heat out, a wave of energy shot through his system. It was his compassion and sense of responsibility. It had erupted outwards and it ignited a new fire along the way.
In the wreckage of Leviathan, Andrew's fire leaped into Thomas.
Thomas glowed for a minute, as his system adapted, as his soul adapted. He was more than healed, he was perfected, as much as a human can be.
Andrew then decided to pass along everything that had happened, saving Thomas's part for last. Thomas' brow furrowed, and his eyes grew dark. He sprouted wings and pushed back out of Andrew's arms.
"And this is where we are now? In Hell?"
"Yes."
Thomas turned and looked at the piece of Leviathan he had been in. He reached down and picked it up, pouring out the black, oily liquid. He then crumpled the piece like it was paper and he squeezed it between his hands until it exploded, and waited for the dust to settle. He spun around and looked at Andrew, his eyes becoming normal again.
They looked at each other for what seemed an age, Andrew waiting patiently for Thomas' next move.
Thomas suddenly grabbed Andrew in the strongest, warmest hug he'd ever felt. Thomas looked up at Andrew and smiled. Andrew nodded.
"I'll be along soon." said Andrew and then Thomas popped out of sight.
A few deep breaths later, Andrew took back to the air.
The pup started to growl.
As Andrew rose, he caught a glimpse of something shiny. Whatever it was, it was spinning. As he neared it, the pup came through the surrounding clouds, its teeth bared, its eyes bright blue stars. It was moving slowly as if it were stalking the turning object.
Andrew came out into an open area. The clouds were swirling around the center. It was the eye of a hurricane.
Andrew also saw full on what it was that had been at the center of the god. It was a black and polished sphere about a quarter mile across. It was moving and changing. Cutting instruments would suddenly come out of it and then get pulled back in. The wolf bit at the air and growled even louder, the shock of it pushing clouds away (and nearly Andrew).
This seemed to have an effect. The mind suddenly became razor sharp and shoved Andrew's away. Andrew barely stayed conscious from the shock of it, but held his ground. It was he and the pup facing Leviathan's core.
A black chain shot out of it to the ground below. It snagged a large metal cube of which one side was curved inward. the piece was pulled up and onto the sphere. Another chain shot out and hooked a moon-shaped piece and pulled it up as well.
It was trying to rebuild itself.
"Oh no you don't!" Andrew shouted and, putting up the strongest mental block he could, flew at the sphere. He was met by a black spear that shot right through him, and continued out over the Labyrinth behind him. He grabbed the moon-shaped piece and pulled as hard as he could, trying to rip it away from the sphere. It felt like it had been welded to it. He increased his muscles and with a snap, it gave. He tossed it behind him and defiantly glared at the sphere, his own twisted reflection glared back.
The wolf wasn't coming any closer.
What is wrong?
The pup's voice again filled his head, though this time it was soaked with loss.
IT DESTROYED MY FAMILY. THE OLD ENEMY HAS NEARLY WON.
This is the old enemy? Leviathan? I thought you...
THAT WHICH YOU CALLED LEVIATHAN WAS JUST IT'S OUTER SELF. WE DID NOT RECOGNIZE IT FROM WHAT WAS IN YOUR MIND.
Outer shell?
THIS IS THE SOURCE. THE OLD ENEMY. WE ARE PART OF CREATION, AND THE OLD ENEMY IS PART OF THE END...
IT'S ALL MY DOING.
Your doing? How did...
THIS WAS OUR HOME. WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN HERE. OCCASIONALLY, WE RAN THROUGH THE MANY UNIVERSES, CHASING AND PLAYING, FILLING PUDDLES WITH... YOU. I RAN AFTER THE DARK ONE, FOR IT SEEMED PLAYFUL FOR ONCE. IT JUMPED, I JUMPED AND THEN THAT'S HOW YOU FOUND ME.
But the others...
CONCERNED PARENTS, THEY FOLLOWED.
... and became trapped themselves. And this thing began to build itself into Leviathan.
YES.
But if it's a god...
I DO NOT KNOW WHY IT CHOSE THIS. I DON'T CARE TO GUESS. IT JUST NEEDS TO BE DESTROYED.
Why don't you?
BELOW LIES THE...
The sphere suddenly dropped straight down. The wolf snapped at it, but did not move any closer. As it fell, it wound itself up and became smaller and smaller. Clouds quickly got out of the way, revealing a grove of trees below. The trees were very large, mountains of branches and leaves.
As the sphere fell (and shrunk), it also took a specific form - a dark snake with many legs and wings. It disappeared into a one of the trees. He hadn't noticed them, since they were shrouded in clouds, but what scared Andrew the most about the trees were that he hadn't even sensed them.
...a snake and a tree? Wait a minute. A snake and a tree. This is the Bible. This would be...
WHAT YOU WOULD CALL EDEN, came the voice of the pup.
Andrew's mind reeled. He felt light-headed and struggled to adapt to this truth... if that's what it was.
But you aren't mentioned anywhere in our Bible.
DOES ONE OF YOUR KIND EVER KNOW IT ALL?
...uh, no.
IT IS NOW IN THE TREE, WHERE IT HID WHILE WE WERE HERE.
Who made the tree?
I DON'T KNOW. I CAME LATER. THE OLD ONES WOULD HAVE KNOWN. THE BEAST BELOW MIGHT KNOW...
Can't you...
I CANNOT TOUCH THE TREE. IT GIVES LIFE ETERNAL AND IT IS MORE THAN US. WE GUARDED IT AS IT WAS OUR DOMAIN. I DON'T KNOW WHICH ONE OF US WAS FIRST. BUT I DO REMEMBER WHEN THE BEAST CAME. IT SPOILED IT ALL.
I saw you remake our planet, can't you do the same here?
NO. IT WAS ALL OF US THAT COULD DO THAT. NOW THERE IS JUST ME...
... I'VE GOT TO WAIT FOR IT TO COME OUT, AND I WILL NOT BE TRICKED AGAIN.
The pup disappeared back into the clouds. Then Andrew saw it as it went down into a crouch, and slowly dropped down all the way, until it's belly rested on the maze. It's eyes focusing on the tree.
... and the clouds moved off as the wind picked up. A mountain of a tree appeared, as did another, and another, and another. They formed a large grove, and in the center, was a lake. The lake of many colors. Andrew wanted so much to fly down and see how it felt to swim in it. It was almost irresistible. Still, there was the.... snake, or was it the...
Serpent.
According to the Bible, there were two trees, not four. There was no mention of wolves, or a lake. Then again, Leviathan wasn't there either.
The Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life. The other two... Love and Hate? Dreams and... something else?
He looked to the wolf and asked with his mind. No answer. The pup just stared at the trees. It looked to stay a mystery.
One tree briefly shook. The wolf again began to growl. Andrew started to back away.
Down below, he saw a small white creature, a dog with an elephant's trunk. It was also making it's way through the wreckage and heading towards the tree. He reached with his mind to see what it was doing.
... home. You can go home. I will send you. You needn't be worried, or frightened again. Home. It's waiting...
Andrew dove at it as fast as he could and scooped it up. He heard a roar from the trees and something stuck its head out. A black, shiny snake's head, and it was hissing at him. It suddenly turned towards the wolf, and went back in, but not before it spoke. It's voice was a million shadowy whispers, going in and out of unison.
"One day, little sore. I shall rebuild. I shall be waiting. I shall dine on you... forever."
Andrew sent the small creature back to its own dimension, and stared at the tree, the beast having retreated.
"Why?!" he shouted, not expecting to hear anything.
"I would imagine it doesn't even know."
Andrew spun around, and looked into his father's face, shadowy and shimmering, but there just the same. It was his human face, his true face.
"Father?"
"Yes, Andrew, it's me. Now that Leviathan is gone, spirits can get in here. There are more on the way. A lot more."
All around Andrew more souls appeared. It was like lights slowly being turned up behind thin curtains. Thin curtains with portraits painted onto them. They were forming a circle around the trees. A circle of souls waving in some ethereal breeze.
The Serpent roared and thrashed, and the souls did not get closer. In it's thrashing, something cracked. It sounded like a branch.
Water began to flow out between two trees. It was small, but steady. A tiny, multi-colored, creek. It went to the edge of the dirt, where the maze started, and tumbled over the side.
A few seconds later, the maze in that area began to dissolve. The water was now flowing down a long, steep hill.
The maze was being converted to plants and land, and the effect went out through Hell, which widened as it went.
The pup got up and walked around the grove towards it, keeping its eyes focused on the trees. Once it got to the small creek, it stepped off the maze into the garden.
It dropped again, but this time the water ran under it. It's blue eyes flashed once and then a bright glow erupted from under it. This glow spread out and also dissolved the maze, but at a much greater speed, and spread throughout Hell.
The glow disappeared off into the distance and around behind the grove. Now, Hell was a garden, with the grove of trees up high on a hill. Andrew sighed and turned back to Eliot's spirit...
... a roar shot out from the trees and the Serpent came at him. It was a dark blur and Andrew barely had time to once again make himself malleable. It didn't matter, for instead of the Serpent, it was quite suddenly a giant Mr. Deem coming at him. The shock of this hadn't fully registered when the Serpent hit him. He felt the blow, not in his body, but in his soul. The Serpent then continued on past him, out into Hell as the Labyrinth finished becoming the Garden. Souls were already flowing into its many meadows, but froze as the black beast flew overhead, skimming the tree tops. If any came into its sight, black chains shot out and claimed them, pulling them up and into the roiling mass.
The wolf came right behind it, its foot prints becoming lakes and its growl shaking every new tree and plant.
The Serpent jumped out of Hell/Eden and the wolf soon followed.
They ended up in the water sphere...
... and on a kind of coral reef.
The Serpent jumped, realizing quickly what it meant, and the wolf hit the coral, and jumped out as well.
There was nowhere for the beast to trap the pup, so it started jumping and running as fast as it could, but the wolf was two steps behind. The Serpent realized too late that leaving the trees had sealed its fate.
Andrew was dying, and all around him, he could sense joy. The escaped souls were flying through the trees and the water and the dirt. New souls were flooding in and joining them. There was a yellow sun in the sky and it shone so bright. He was feeling tired and just wanted to take a nap.
His mind began to drift. He noticed that the bodies of the four dead Wolves of the Water had broken down, but not into mush, instead they became lakes, lakes full of boundless life. A fitting end, he thought, to be a lake in Eden. Again, he began to feel extremely tired.
One quick nap, then I can join the fun. I so want to join the fun... Mr. Deem was so mean, cutting me like that. Oh... my father is here. Hi... dad?... is it okay if I call you dad?... thanks... umm... if you're a ghost... how can you... cry?... thank you... for holding me... I never thought... I would get that... not in a million... tears...
The glowing in Andrew was blinding, and it began spilling into the ground. The plants underneath began to glow just as bright, and they quickly sprouted from the dirt, pushing Andrew into the sky as his body began to fade. Eliot was there, holding what he could, and became his son's shimmering shroud.
The bush had grown to a few feet high...
... and then Andrew's body broke apart, and flowers opened up where he died. His father had hung on and soon joined his son, both them and the plants became one.
The plants continued to grow, wrapping around each other in such a way that it more resembled a tree trunk than a bush. Within minutes, it grew to a towering height, the same height as the four trees in the center.
The ever-changing tree that was born that day would become the most popular place in what became known as New Eden. It was said that two true heroes, a parent and child, made up its bright soul. It was named the Tree of Family. It became famous for its exotic blooms, of which nothing could compare, and of which no two were ever the same. It was also said that to look upon it was to be healed, and no one who did so was unchanged... or unmoved. Everyone who gazed on it felt a link to whoever stood nearby, whether from the same parents, or the same race, or even the same dimension.
A fitting end, to be such a tree in New Eden.
In all fairness, Hell had just changed form that day, as it had done so many time before. Its recent shape of mazes and pain had given way to gardens and love. As with any change, it was praised by some, and decried by others. Its citizens had been given the chance to leave, to go where they originally came from, and some had taken it. This happens at every Changing.
The pup would chase the beast across countless realms, their drama creating countless others, as the beast shed deception and lies, and pup infusing those droppings with life. Each place would produce beings who would spend eternity caught between the two halves of their nature, the urge to create and move on, or to grind those creations under the weight of their heels.
In the end, it wasn't so much the choice one made, but what one was willing to do to achieve it... For if Hell could be made into Eden, as Eden had been made into Hell, then anyone, anywhere, could change their world as well...
... the end ...
Hellraiser © 1998 Miramax Films.