Jeremy Chikalto and Leviathan Island (Book II of The Hazy Souls)

  Chapter 19

  Whirlpool

  As the air and waters settled, the adrenaline in Jeremy's body faded. The noon sun dried up the shadows, but the smell of burnt matter lingered. Jeremy and Maren sat on a rock in silence. Lyrna popped into visibility. She bounced from paw to paw. Her gray fur puffed out at all angles and she looked like a giant dust bunny. "Demons in Haze!"

  Jeremy only shook his head in wonderment. "Lyrna, did you see that angel?"

  "Demons!" she said, leaping towards him and swatting his face with her paw.

  "Shut. Up." Tina emerged from behind a boulder, her arms crossed. "You two need to be straight with me. Did I just die and go to adorable heaven, or did that cat just talk? And I'm pretty sure there was just a flying man in the sky, and that Jeremy was shooting lightning at a dragon-monster."

  Maren looked up at Jeremy. He shrugged.

  "I'll tell you what we know," began Maren as Tina cautiously stroked Lyrna. And Maren poured her and Jeremy's story out, from her being an alien from the Farmoore Galaxy, to Jeremy's traveling behind the air. She spoke of Ms. Fritz's kidnapping and the subsequent nightmare that was Mantel's Maze, and lastly of the demons

  Jeremy claimed were after him. She even mentioned his being Apollyon. Tina quietly listened, and her face betrayed feelings of disgust, confusion, disbelief, and admiration with each new piece of information.

  "Unbelievable," whispered Tina. "This is like one of those movies little geek boys drool over." She gave Lyrna a gentle pet. "And you're an angel―a naughty angel." She made a playful cat paw at him. "I knew there was something special about you!"

  "I guess this has all been preordained." Jeremy took a seat beside Tina and rubbed sand between his hands. "I can't escape my fate. I'm sorry I've brought everyone here."

  "You couldn't have known that you'd end up on Leviathan Island," offered Maren. "In the Old Testament Leviathan is described as a fire-breathing sea monster with strong scales incapable of being penetrated by swords." She closed her eyes. "Job says, 'Nothing on earth is his equal―a creature without fear. He looks down on all that are haughty; he is king over all that are proud.' I wonder how that applies to you," Maren said deadpan.

  Tina wriggled uncomfortably. "In demonology, Leviathan is one of the seven princes of Hell. He's also the um, gatekeeper."

  Jeremy and Maren turned to her in disbelief.

  "I got into demonology for a short while," explained Tina. "There was a hot guy, black leather, he was a drummer in a band...." Her voice trailed off.

  It didn't matter to Maren how Tina had acquired an interest in demonology, but she knew this much: Tina had just become valuable.

  They scaled the cliff again and peered down at the pool, now eerily calm. The center of the pool gave a slight ripple and Jeremy motioned for everyone to take cover. He crept forward and created a ball of light in his palm. He took a deep breath and then directed the orb straight into the center of the pool. The blue ball sparked and was immediately absorbed. He did it again, this time creating a larger orb.

  "Jeremy!" Maren yelled up to him. "Stop! You want Leviathan to come for revenge? I thought you were just going to have a look around!"

  Jeremy said, "No," under his breath, but still kept shooting energy into the pool.

  "So, you want to disturb the gates of Hell?" said Tina, attempting to throw a stone at him. It only traveled half-way and then fell back down, meeting the defenses Jeremy now maintained unconsciously.

  Jeremy laughed. "Leviathan wasn't guarding the gates of Hell. On the wall in the cave, Maren read: 'Leviathan is God's. Leviathan is Satan's. Cain's hideout is known.' Leviathan was guarding an entrance to Mantel's Maze."

  Maren pulled at her hair and screamed. "Jeremy, are you mad? Let's leave before we get killed."

  "This island was a volcano. Gabriel told me to know my place. I think I need to return to Mantel's Maze. My fate is tied to Cain."

  "Jeremy, we all need to go home. You can risk taking us through the Haze. We'll drop Tina off in New York and go back to our families in the Farmoore Galaxy." Maren stood beside him. "Don't make a hasty assumption that you know what this all means. We should do more research, think it over."

  Jeremy shook his head. "No, Maren. It's not that simple. I've been in the Haze enough in the past few days to know that something terrible is going to happen if I go in there." He gripped her by the shoulders. "Don't you remember what the ghosts said in Mantel's Maze? To die a natural death is better than to be consumed by a demon. When a demon eats you, you go straight to Hell. If we die here, we at least have a 50/50."

  Maren looked into his eyes. "But..." She looked back over the edge and down at Tina, who had climbed down quietly and was absently collecting coconuts. "There are demons in the Maze too."

  "Not like in the Haze, trust me." Jeremy turned to the pool. "There must be some sort of deep ocean vent down there, see how the water bubbles? It's like a sulfur pool. I know Mantel is down there."

  But before they could argue any further, the ground began to shake. Maren fell back but Jeremy caught her arm and crouched low with her for balance. The entire island was quaking.

  "Tina!" Maren looked over the side and saw her and Lyrna stumbling about. Rocks were falling now, large boulders crashing into the jungle, sweeping any sign of life with it into the lush green. She looked across at the ocean. The waves were eating away at the island. "The island is sinking!" yelled Maren.

  Water now flooded the mainland. Tina climbed quickly to higher ground. Monkeys and large rodents had the same idea, and the wall of rock encircling the deep pool was now filled with frantic refugees. Monkeys screeched and climbed over each other in the madness that ensued. Water was swelling in the pool now. A vortex was forming at its center. The water level of the surrounding ocean rose up the mountain, engulfing the jungle, and quickly spilled over the cliff, joining with the pool. Jeremy, Maren, and Tina were now swimming, caught in the savage currents circling the center of the pool. They couldn't cry out; fighting for breath was now a first priority.

  Maren saw Jeremy rise slightly in the air and flicker out of sight; he had gone into the Haze, but quickly reappeared. Their eyes met and he rushed to her, but it was too late. Maren took one last gulp of air and then she felt the ocean sweep over her head. It dragged her down and down―the pressure was brutal. She kicked and clawed, and pushed the air out of her lungs. Now she felt dizzy. She'd have to take a breath. The pressure on her chest was too much to bear. The water would drown her for sure, but she had to take a breath. She opened her mouth and felt the salty water push down her throat.

  Jeremy rose high in the air, crossing between Haze and Earth. He cursed and spun around in the vast purple clouds. A demon was inches from his face. Whispering his name, it opened its mouth and extended its skeletal arm. Its fingers grazed Jeremy's chest and he kicked back.

  "Apollyon's animus. Jeremy Chikalto's animus," it crooned.

  The demon opened its mouth wide, unhinging its spectral jaw. Black tar swirled within. Jeremy pushed out to Earth and dove down into the water. He pulled out in the Haze, then pushed through again into the ocean. He kept swimming, taking breaths in the Haze, and going down deeper and deeper into the trenches of the Earth. The center of the vortex opened up and pulled him down until he shot out onto a stone floor. He had entered Mantel's Maze.