Philip Simpson - Tribulation

Breathing heavily with exertion, Sam met the glowing red eyes of his Hellhound and an understanding passed between them. Sam nodded once, acknowledging the debt he owed. Yeth loped off in the direction of the nearest church, returning to Hell, his task complete.

Sam sat down wearily, his thoughts blank. He was about to settle into a meditative stance when the shock of demonic presence intruded once again. He was tired and realized how foolish he’d been to dismiss Yeth so quickly. He still needed the Hellhound’s assistance. He called to him again.

The Lemure arrived in great numbers. Sam’s fought hard, his blades dancing. He lacked the strength and speed he’d had earlier though. Even his endurance had limits. He twirled and struck, waiting desperately for Yeth to make an appearance. He waited and waited but the Hellhound failed to materialize.

At first he was confused. Then he felt betrayed. The sense of outrage lent him strength and somehow he was able to fight off the horde, using every power in his arsenal. His whirlwind attack exhausted him but he had no other recourse. As he dispatched the last of the Lemure, he slumped to the ground, his swords tumbling from numb fingers, completely spent. If the Lemure came again this night, all would be lost. He simply didn’t have the strength to repel another wave.

He lay still for a long time, gradually recovering his strength. By morning, he was almost recovered. He and Grace set off again, Sam for once content to move as slowly as his companion, turning over the events of the previous night in his mind. What had happened to Yeth?

Nightfall found them in the middle of nowhere with no shelter or protection of any kind. The barren landscape offered no salvation — not even a clump of shriveled vegetation. They were completely exposed.

The demons found them again. With mixed emotions, Sam called upon Yeth again, unsure whether the great demon would answer his call. A part of his soul shrank at the thought that maybe Yeth had found him unworthy — no longer deserving of his service.

The demons attacked. Sam fought as hard as ever but the terrain was against him. The Lemure kept trying to flank him to get to Grace. Retreating, covered in a multitude of injuries, Sam sensed the sudden new presence with an overwhelming sense of relief. Finally, Yeth had come.

His Hellhound made short work of the Lemure. When the battle was over, Sam regarded Yeth cautiously.

“Why didn’t you come last night? I called and you didn’t answer.”

The great demon seemed to shake its head.

Could not. Only one call per day. Cannot spend too much time here.

Understanding blossomed within Sam’s mind. Yeth needed to return to Hell — to his home plane — basically to recharge. He could only be called upon once per day. It was good to know. A part of Sam felt hugely relieved knowing that Yeth had not betrayed or disobeyed him.

They journeyed on.

It was inevitable that they passed through deserted towns with still intact churches. Sam tried to avoid them when he could but often circumstances dictated otherwise. Grace was often too weak to find other more suitable places to rest.

After a while, Sam tried to look on these churches as opportunities as well as potential threats. Some — water permitting — he tried to purify and destroy. On other occasions, he used them to test his summoning abilities, calling Yeth to him while Grace slept. His Hellhound never failed to appear. As long as the twenty four hour restriction period was not breached, Yeth was free to answer his summons.

Sam found himself waiting more and more impatiently every time he called to the Hellhound, eager to be reunited, starting to resent the times they spent apart. He was beginning to view Yeth not only as a tool to be used in his battle against the demons, but as a friend and companion. He thought he detected contented happiness radiating from the great beast as well. Over the course of several weeks, their bond continued to grow. Sam found himself consciously seeking out churches deliberately in order to summon his friend, and he stopped destroying them altogether.

Often, they would train together in the light of the blood red moon, learning each other’s strategies, anticipating each other’s moves. They began to work as a unit. When attacked by other demons, Sam would wait for Yeth to breathe on them before he commenced his own attack. He learnt that Yeth’s eyes were vulnerable to attack and took pains to defend this sensitive area.

Yeth certainly evened the odds — even against Astaroth and Horned demons. Sam would often let the Hellhound battle these larger demons while he kept the Lemure and their taloned hands away from his friend.

One night, standing before a church, awaiting Yeth’s arrival, Sam realized something amazing. He was happy — well, at least as happy as he’d been since the Rapture. He no longer felt so isolated, so alone. Yeth filled the bitter void that had been a part of him since Aimi and Hikari had gone up in the Rapture.

When his Hellhound appeared that night, Sam had embraced the creature, saying nothing. Yeth had let him do it, too, knowing instinctively that this was what Sam needed. This had raised some questions in Sam’s mind. Were all demons like this? Did they all have to be evil or with the right influence, could they be a power for good? For the first time, Sam felt the slightest of doubts about his campaign to rid the world of all demons. If Yeth could be like this, couldn’t others? Perhaps all they needed was a chance. Yeth was unusual though, having had guidance and friendship from Sam since his ‘birth’.

Grace still spoke very little, and their relationship felt strained. One night, sheltered under the lee of a cliff face, tending a small, pathetic fire, he allowed his frustration to boil over. He’d finally got Grace back, taken extraordinary risks to rescue her from Hell — all he asked for was perhaps a little gratitude. It was more than that though. He wasn’t the best conversationalist. He knew that — had always known that. Aimi had sometimes berated him for not being terribly verbose but he had been alone for so long. Even though he was more than happy with silence usually, now that he had Grace, all he wanted was a little companionship, a little conversation. While so many things had changed, a simple thing like genuine human interaction and consideration was enough to remind him of the reasons why he fought and struggled.

“Is my company really that bad?” he said eventually, watching Grace stare into the fire without blinking for long minutes.

“What?” she said, appearing to raise herself from some intense memory. She looked up.

“Why won’t you talk to me? What’s wrong?”

She looked at him for a long moment before answering. “What’s wrong?” she echoed, whispering the words. At first Sam thought she hadn’t understood the question. “What do you think is wrong? Have you got any idea what I’ve been through?”

“Some,” said Sam, feeling a little defensive. He had, after all, been to Hell a couple of times. He knew what it was like.

She smiled without humor and shook her head. “No, I don’t think you do. Why did you leave me for so long, Sam? Why did you leave me there in that dreadful place to suffer?”

“I didn’t…I couldn’t,” he stammered. He took a breath, collecting his thoughts. “I didn’t want to leave you there but I had no choice. Even if I’d gone back, how could I have found you?”

“Did you even try?” she asked and Sam flinched under the accusation.

He shook his head. “I couldn’t. Do you know how many souls are in Hell? Millions, possibly billions. How was I meant to find you amongst all those other people? Hell is essentially limitless as well. I didn’t even know where to start looking. It was only when I had Yeth that I could.”