Fall Foretold

The Shadowmask vs The Ghost Rider

Stan hopped on the bike and revved up the engine. The exhaust emitted fire and thick dark smoke. "Don't come after me".

Joe's heart raced. 'You can do it' echoed, repeatedly, in his head. His wings sprouted out and his eyes glowed, as he jumped after the hellish motorcycle. He flew at the motorcycle which had appeared extraordinarily fast. It had seemed impossible to catch up with the Ghost Rider but there was an unusual energy in him, making shoot faster after the motorcycle.

Stan turned, on his bike, and pulled out a gun from nowhere. He shot back at Joe. Joe could see the bullet, which came out with a strange wave. Joe held back for a split second and shot after the bike before it could leave his sight. Stan shot back more bullets but Joe dodged it, ignoring the waves.

Stan drifted, turning the bike and parking, sharply. The bike, immediately, spread fire around itself with an explosive wave, throwing Joe back. He stood up, immediately. Stan

had stepped down from the bike and was probably ready for a fight, if it was necessary, to get the Shadowmask off his back. "Stay back!", the distorted voice uttered.

"Go back to hell where you belong", Joe said, as he transformed, halfway. His body grew extra muscles, his veins glowed through his suit, emitting a fiery aura which formed an extra head, though seeming unreal.

Stan flung the chains at Joe, who caught it, preventing the chains from wrapping around him. He threw a fireball, throwing the ghost Rider back. Stan looked up at Joe, exposing the dark holes in his eyes.

"Don't look!", the Shadowmask said to Joe, in his head. He obeyed, immediately. "Avoid the penance stare. Do the temporal exorcism"

"What's that?", Joe asked the Shadowmask, bending his head, as Stan had flung the chains again.

"Touch his head and inhale his darkness"

Joe shot a fireball at the Ghost Rider, who seemed to have been prepared with an open mouth. Stan swallowed the fire and enlarged, immediately, vomiting an hurricane of hellfire.

As though Joe had planned it, he flew up, avoiding the hit from the hyped Rider. He walked on the fire, moving quickly over it, and dived at Stan's enlarged head with a finger. He closed his eyes and inhaled, as he touched Stan's forehead.

The storm of fire stopped, leaving dark burn tracks on the road, and Stan fell down, reduced to his normal size. The dark holes in his face had been replaced with his closed eyes. A lightning struck, disappearing with the chains, the gun, the hat and the motorcycle.

"Is he okay, now?", Joe asked himself, expecting a response from the Shadowmask.

"Take him to the altar for sanctification", the Shadowmask replied. "And vomit the ghost Rider before he darkens you"

"Vomit? Darken? What are you saying?"

"The ghost Rider is in you. You have to take him back to hell"

Joe stood up, puzzled. "How would I do that?"

"Take him to the gate of hell... The beacon is the gate of hell"

★

A FEW DAYS EARLIER

"What's in his bag?", Mario asked, watching as the drunk diviner unzipped Guerrero's bag. "I've always wondered what sort of s**t happens in Nowhere"

"He has a bottle of sand", the drunk diviner replied. "That's definitely not strange. What would he use it for?"

"Who knows? He probably eats it", Mario replied and cackled. "We literally step on some guy's favorite delicacy, every day"

"There's definitely a different use for that sand. Not for feeding", the drunk diviner replied, going through the other things in Guerrero's bag. "Except this guy can make new clothes and money out of sand, it doesn't look like he actually traveled here to stay"

"Yea... he said something about vacation. Two weeks or whatever, he'll be gone with the wind"

"No, you don't get me. If he's planning to stay for more than the two days he has spent, which is actually reasonable, he should be here with more than just this. I mean, this bag is filled with literal rubbish", the drunk diviner said and pulled out a golden cup from the bottom of the bag. "Except this pretty cool stuff he could sell"

"Are you kidding?", Mario howled, turning sharply. "That's mine. He tried to steal from a magician?"

"Yea, he succeeded", the drunk diviner replied, with a smile, and dropped the golden cup back in the bag. "When he gets back, you can talk to him". He zipped it up and pushed it farther than Mario's hands could reach.

"I'm not in support of that", Mario said, standing up. "That cup cost me a fortune. Besides, it's got powerful shit."

He was about to grab it when the bag jumped up, avoiding Mario's grasp. The bag jumped on the ground and, moved away, quickly, faster than Mario could reach. "What was that?!"

"He might be able to control his bag", the drunk diviner said, casually. "Maybe that's why he put sand in the bag. He'll control the sand. The sand controls the bag"

"That's illogical... Except Nowhere has called him back. Nowhere might have pulled back everything that came out of it", Mario said, stroking his beard, as though he had forgotten his worry. Then, he remembered again. "My gold cup!!!"

★

The priests remained on the altar, praying silently, while some slept. St Sylvester walked to the entrance of the church. He hadn't stepped out of the church, since the sky phenomenon began. While the other priests were allowed to go out to feed and check their families, St Sylvester managed what he had in the room, however small it was. He was making a self-sacrifice to end the phenomenon, in time, before the people yield to the beacon's call.

There had been a crowd of people, marked to have yielded to the Antichrist, outside, threatening to burn down the church. The sanctification had succeeded in keeping them out. Fortunately, they weren't planning to struggle with the invisible border forever. They had left, already.

St Sylvester looked up and saw the Shadowmask, approaching, with something in his arms. He smiled, as he remembered the prophecy. The appearance of the Shadowmask was probably a sign from God that their prayers had been answered and the phenomenon was almost over.

Joe landed and his wings crawled back into his shoulder blades. He carried Stan, who was still unconscious, in his arms. "St Sylvester", he called. "He needs sanctification"

St Sylvester waited for him to walk in. He wasn't going to step out of the church, yet. "Bring him in"

Joe tried walking into the church but something was in his way. The door was wide open and there was nothing visible on their way but he couldn't walk in. There was probably an invisible door, locking them out. "I can't walk in", Joe said, looking at the entrance again and again.

"Is he marked?"

"Yes, he has the runes. That's why he needs to be sanctified", Joe replied.

"Ok. Is he willing to let go of the power? Erasing a dark rune will require support from a strong self-will"

"I believe so"

"Leave him on the ground", St Sylvester said. "I see a mark on you, too. How's that possible?"

Joe wondered what that meant. He coughed out smoke and felt a burn on his tongue. Then, he knew what the priest had meant. "I'm about to deliver a demon to hell"

"Ok", St Sylvester replied, like he understood. As if he could see Joe's next move and plan, he added. "Be careful with the beacon... Remember, he's afraid of you"

★

Joe flew, at full force, holding back his persistent coughs, as thick smoke emitted from his nostrils and his mouth. He landed in front of the open door. Without hesitation, he vomited the ghost Rider into the hole. He bent his head, breathing heavily, with his hands on his thighs and his weight on his legs.

“Well! Well! Well!”, the beacon walked out of the thick darkness, slowly. It was an exact image of Joe. “You really swallowed the spirit of vengeance. I’m impressed”

Joe only stared, awed and weak, after having the Ghost Rider drain his strength. “I’m not afraid of you”, Joe said to the beacon. He really wasn’t afraid.

“You should be”, the beacon said, in a distorted voice, and his eyes glowed, as a twisted horn grew from his forehead.