Ashes

[Raven]

Figured that I'd go ahead and post a piece I wrote a while back. Keep in mind, this has never been edited; it was written in less than an hour.

The bats of hell surround me in competition for the thoughts running through my head. Like ghosts in the night they stalk their prey, hesitating to make their kill. My heart is under siege, as my forsaken, pitiful soul screams out from the strain and stress. Like a twig it snaps, and the fire within is ignited.

I walk this spiritual hall, demons there every step of the way whispering in my ear; making every attempt to influence me through their silent voices. Every step I make echoes through the eternal hall; each step mirrored in a different world.

There are doors lining each side of the hall. Each of them are different, a lot of them had signs posted. Some signs had distorted truths, others had messages that I knew from deep down were lies. Others had pictures depicting all sorts of things, some showed scenes of murder, others of drugs, and some of provocative scenes.

Those demons, always there with me. Every door they beckoned me to. They were there whispering in my ear, telling me to pick a door. Any door will do. All you have to do is choose one. In a rhythmical dance the bats of hell flew around me, one message after the other flooding my already soaked mind, tempting me to go down a path that I do not want. Their voices are compelling, driving me forward towards doors that I detest.

Every step, every moment, every day, every year of the time I walked down this road the voices within plagued me. The fire within screamed and blared, until no longer it could not be contained. And through this war of temptations, there was a slight whisper. Not that of the devils, but someone, or something else.

It was like a spotted owl. One call, and you turn to look, but you see nothing. Just void. And then you hear it again, this time louder. And every time you hear the whisper, it gets louder.

I could sense the disturbance with every whisper, the unknown whisper that seemed to disrupt the rhythm of the demonic dance, and the bats of hell screeched with fury at the sound of the unknown whisper.

I heard the whisper, but unlike those of the devils, this was not a temptation. No, this seemed more like a call of duty. I felt like a marine who answered the call of duty to protect his country. The call echoed in my mind, almost like a record being played over and over.

Soon I came to another door, except this one was different. There were no signs or picture upon this door. It had no fancy decoration, and the devils did not like it. Their everlasting song changed, from temptation to screaming, "No, not that door! Any door but that one!" I heard the call again, this time completely destroying whatever rhythm the demons had in their dance. The fire within roared, searing whatever emotions that resided their alongside it.

The demons no longer sung, they screamed, they begged, and they demanded for me to ignore that plain door. The door was so different, so plain compared to the rest, and yet, not part of the world that I was in. I reached for the door knob, and I closed my eyes as I turned the handle.

And now I walk among the ashes of peace...