CODEX Part 3: Between Heaven and Hell
Too Much Death

On the other side, in the human world, something horrifying was about to happen. Many weren’t aware but demons were crawling up; demons with no consciousness and no dignity. They were fixed on one mission and one alone: death.

In a nightclub somewhere in the suburbs, people of all ages were having fun during a festival where Jasper’s former group usually performed. They were on the list that night and had two more groups before their turn. It was a warm night in the middle of autumn, which wasn’t exactly common.

The warmth was not only coming from the lights but also from the disruptions in Hell. Just because Leviathan locked the gates of Hell didn’t seem to do anything for the demons who were either already on Earth or jumped in the hell hole just before the war began.

The play they were acting on the small, improvised stage was an adaptation of an old Victorian theatre piece. They were really into it and almost every viewer was taken away by the atmosphere in the club. It was rather crowded and you couldn’t exactly move a hand without hitting someone around you. The bartenders had to come and go a few times, bringing more and more drinks as more and more people entered the one-sided door. That was one of the quirks that taunted one demon of anonymous title.

Swaying from side to side like a handicapped person, with legs that seemed turned inside out and eyes out of the orbit, the demon entered without a problem, listening to whatever they were talking about. He couldn’t understand the human language because he wasn’t smart and had never left Hell before. It was his first time seeing humans. The demon smiled stupidly and waved at the bartender but the young adult didn’t see him; he couldn’t see him. The demon growled and tried to grab the human by his shirt but luckily the bartender moved to the side for a customer.

The demon made a noise that sounded like a snarl before he wandered around the club. He walked through a backdoor and noticed a gas tank. He had no idea what that was and messed around with it, finding the tank fun. When the song performed on stage ended and people started to clap, the demon got perplexed and jumped, hitting the gas tank in the process with his sharp toes.

Next on stage was a group that many people knew so they cheered loudly for them. It was a group of young actors. Their stage was going to be fantastic, they made sure of it particularly because they prepared small fireworks, placed at the bottom of the stage. It was a show that many enjoyed, with different stereotypes and races and with a lot of laughter. The atmosphere was so nice and joyful that it made the demon throw up in the bowl of chips nearby. When the girl at that table reached for one chip, her face changed into disgust.

“Will you help me find the way, Mister Roberts?” The blonde girl started, turning towards a young guy dressed like a man from the 19th century.

“Only if you tell me how you killed your husband, Mrs. Withrown,” The man responded in a Scottish accent, confusing the demon even more.

The woman frowned before she turned towards the audience. The light got fixed on her slim form while the rest of the stage darkened. She started to say her lines while the demon got closer to the stage, in complete awe. He looked around and noticed the fireworks, going closer out of curiosity. When she screamed something, the fireworks went on, hitting the demon right in the face, blinding him for a moment. He moved around, hitting the stage before he finally grabbed onto something that proved to be a curtain. It fell over the demon and over the stage, catching fire since it was made out of highly flammable material. The girl gasped and jumped back in surprise, hitting her colleague who automatically fell backwards, grabbing onto the curtain behind him as well.

In a matter of few seconds, the fire spread on the whole stage and even up to the ceiling. Since it was a fake ceiling made out of cheap material it caught on fire. The bartender went into the back to search for water or an extinguisher but instead, he found his colleague dead on the floor. He surveyed the place for what exactly was wrong when he heard a noise coming from the gas tank. He ran over and inspected it, seeing a small, very small hole on the side. The bartender ran out, facing the fire that started to spread all over the club.

“Run!” Started to scream people.

“Keep your calm, please!” The staff encouraged yet no one listened.

His head turned quickly to the back door and noticed fire spreading towards that part as well. With wide and scared eyes, the bartender jumped under the bar and sat in the fetal position, hoping he won’t die. A few moments later, the ceiling dropped on the poor souls who were still in the club, forcing half of the people to cease screaming. A huge explosion engulfed the whole sight into smoke and it became dead silent. The bartender’s eyes closed slowly, his mind wondering if he was about to die.

The demon was standing right in the middle of the club. His eyes stared in awe at the sight: blood and corpses everywhere, no hope for the living and no hope for the dead.

When Chen turned on the TV he was immediately shaken by the news. He couldn’t believe how fragile life was, although he has been around Zoe for a while already. But this tragedy had nothing to do with Zoe.

“Well, it happens,” Iaosur said, seeing Chen’s tearful eyes.

“This is not normal,” Chen mumbled, his eyes locked on the screen.

Tonight, at 11:00 pm in a club in the suburbs, during a mini festival of the local acting groups, a fire started, followed by an explosion. We are not sure how exactly it began but it seems a curtain fell on stage and from there, the whole horrifying mess unfolded. Many teenagers are dead and even more are in hospitals around London.

It is an unfortunate event that-

“That’s awful!” Chen shouted, suddenly jumping to his feet. “Oh my God, Jasper’s friends were there,” He continued, grabbing Iaosur’s shoulder and staring up at him with wide eyes.

“Jasper is probably dead,” Iaosur responded calmly, being certain that something happened.

“This is so fucked up. Innocent people died from stupidity! They don’t even know how the curtain fell!” Chen exclaimed, completely overreacting after what he witnessed in Zoe’s apartment. “Death is everywhere,” He muttered.

“Death is everywhere. Sometimes, it’s brought by demons but sometimes, it’s brought by humans.” Iaosur mumbled as he sat next to Chen, on the ground. ”Life is a treasure that humans don’t treasure at all. They just take it for granted when others would pay with their soul for it. Why do you think humans make deals with the devil?”

“For beauty or money; sometimes for careers and youth,” Chen responded before he turned his head to look at Ezekiel’s body. “Sometimes for friendship and love,”

“They do it because they are scared of what they cannot control. Humans are generally afraid of the unknown. They would rather give away their souls than give up control. But everyone dies sooner or later and everything you gather in life becomes irrelevant. Moreover, it becomes the source of wrath and jealousy for those who are left alive. At the end of the day, demons are not required to seduce mankind into sin because they do it themselves. That’s why fewer demons come up lately,” Iaosur explained, from his point of view as an angst demon.

“You gave your life because you were a coward. You don’t have the right to judge others,” Chen snapped at the former angst demon.

“I lived in a time when life was worse than death. But you’re right, and I regretted giving up my life every single moment. I’m not going to do the same mistake twice.” Iaosur said firmly, making Chen stare at him for a while before turning off the TV.

Too much death was in the world. Way too much death provoked by humans.

(NOTE: This was written after the tragedy that happened in Bucharest, on 30th October 2015 where 64 people died and more were injured. It was my way of reacting to it and how it shouldn't have happened. The fire was caused by fireworks used during the concert, which ignited the polyurethane foam (highly flammable) used for soundproofing on a pillar of the building. The flames spread very quickly throughout the club causing injuries – in some cases causing death, through combustion, asphyxiation, carbon monoxide poisoning, and other gases – to a significant number of concertgoers.)

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