Great Vine

By Dylan Parker

Part Three: Deep Dive

Chapter Fourteen – Swimming in the Red River

Robert’s eyes tore open as he made contact with the river. His hand still grasped Michelle’s. For a few moments, he thought he was bleeding. Soon, he realized that he was floating down a river of blood. Robert looked around to see that Flem was floating on his back nearby and Michelle was beside him. Leah was nowhere in sight. Robert felt for his shoulder strap and realized that he had lost his 22mm.

Robert held onto Michelle with his left hand and swam towards a shore that wasn’t far away. He placed her up on it and went back in the river to get Flem. Robert’s arm was in such extreme pain that he was barely able to drag Flem onto shore. Robert quickly checked over Flem’s wounds, it didn’t seem that he had been tortured anymore but some of his wounds had turned to scabs and he was now covered in them.

Blood was all over Flem and Robert cleaned him up a bit. He fell back quickly and was asleep within moments.

“How did you survive this long, my little pest?” Robert heard in his dream. He stood in a dimly lit room and a man stood far away from him, covered in shadows. “Who are you?” Robert yelled. The man laughed. “Come with me; let me lead you down to the very depths of hell!” The man flew forward at Robert extremely fast and Robert dove away. The walls of the room began to fall and Robert…

…Awoke.

Michelle was awake and sitting next to Flem, watching over him. Robert felt for his guns and found none but his hand felt over a hard lump in his pocket. He reached into his pocket and found a small key that he remembered to have found in a car in the parking garage in New York. The key couldn’t open anything he tried it in… ‘Maybe in hell… This thing seems so useless…’ Robert looked in Michelle’s direction and saw how mortified she was…

‘She never expected this. All she wanted to do was survive.’ Robert looked down the river about a football field down and was horrified when he saw something. He had seen it before but not truly seen it. His eyes had passed over it a few times but never taken in what it truly meant.

What he saw, was a body of a young man, about Robert’s age except black, pierced onto a meat hook. Blood trailed down the wall and pooled in the floor below. Robert was sickened by this, but in the past few days, had seen worse. It was when he looked down farther that he wanted to throw up. Every hundred yards or so, another body was impaled on a meat hook, flames above them to light the path down the river. As Robert strained his eyes to see farther down, he saw that Shades, shadows that could move, flying up and down the sides of the river. ‘My river…’ Robert remembered what Kael had said about the Red River and realized that it led to Redemption, a place of forgiveness, where all sins are forgotten.

Then he realized that if this was the Red River, then that meant Leah was dead. For she had not shown herself to everyone else, she was on her way to redemption, or hell. He could only hope it was the former. Flem was still unconscious. Robert walked over to Michelle, “Are you okay?”

She looked at him with sadness on her face, “No. Why did we go down here?” She cried a bit with the last question. “For justice, don’t you want to avenge those who have died? If we can manage to kill the four horsemen, that is what we will be able to do…” Michelle looked at him with tears in her eyes and said, “I only hope we can do so.” With that, she began to cry.

She cried for herself, her friends, her family, and for Robert. She might have even cried for Flem and Kael. Robert had no way of knowing. He could only lift himself up and struggle on. “We need to go…” He said to Michelle.

“Why?” She asked, “Flem isn’t awake, Leah isn’t here… Plus, where do we go? Where are we…?” Robert couldn’t answer her questions, but he could ease her mind, at least a bit.

“Flem will wake up when we get away from the Red River. He is so close to death, this place is trying to take him and carry him away. Also, Leah is not coming back. The Red River has taken her within it. She must have died on the landing… Now will you follow me?” Michelle stared for a moment before wiping the tears from her eyes and standing up.

She walked over to Robert and they shared a Hollywood-worthy kiss. Robert asked, “Do you have any weapons?” She shook her head. ‘We’re gonna die… I have no idea what could be down here…’ Robert though as he lifted Flem onto his left shoulder. Pain shot down his right arm, ‘Am I ever going to be able to use my arm again?’

Robert forced Flem onto his shoulders and tried to forget the pain that ran like an Olympic athlete up and down his arm. Michelle noticed the bodies suddenly and nearly retched. Robert moved beside her and held her close. She smiled at him and walked solemnly forward. Robert attempted to follow behind her but crumpled under Flem.

“Honey, let me help you.” She said and dashed towards him. She picked Flem up and stood at his left. Robert went onto his right side and they shouldered him together. “Thanks.” The two kept walking until they had passed two of the battered bodies. About halfway between the second and third torch/body, they found a path leading to the left.

“Do we take that path?” Robert asked. Michelle looked at there two choices. “This path seems to go on forever. We don’t have much choice.” The two turned left and followed the side path for a long time until Flem suddenly awoke. He fell face-forward onto the ground and shook for a moment before flipping over onto his back and staring at Robert. “Robert!”

Tears fell out of Robert’s eyes as he fell forward and gripped his friend around the neck. The two shared a brotherly hug for then next minute or so and covered themselves with tears. Both had survived the hell that had broken loose onto the world and were best friends in the world. They knew and loved each other more than any brother would, more than any friend would, more than most family members would.

Michelle couldn’t help but have nothing but pure joy for the pair. They had been rejoined after fighting for the longest time against the evil of the world and there own fears and inadequacies to meet each other again, and they succeeded. She cried along with them and fell to her knees. A pool of tears appeared below the group as they cried there eyes out. It was probably the first time they had cried not in fear or sadness, but joy and happiness, along with love.

After the few long minutes, Robert stood up slowly. Flem forced himself to stand and had to lean on Robert to stay up. Robert led Flem over to a small rock which served as a chair. “So, tell me everything that has happened so far.”

“What happened to you, since the last time I saw you?” Robert thought about the last time he had seen Flem, back at the bakery when he had fought with a Biclops for the first time.

“The first thing I remember is waking up in the back of a van. My arms and legs were bound with chains, you know, like all those comedy movies… Anyway, when one of those guys in the blue suits came in, he unlatched my legs and one of my arms. I sat there for almost a day when they finally gave me food. It looked like it was salvaged from a McDonalds.

“The next day they knocked me out and I woke up with my arms tied to a chair that I was sitting on. Then they tortured me – I’ll spare you the details,” Robert thanked him. “They wanted to know where you were. If I had known, I still wouldn’t have told them. One day, they threatened to kill me with a knife and gave me this mark.” He pointed at the slash across his entire face.

“I-I saw that, I was in the house across the street. They killed a Biclops, right?” Flem looked shocked. “You mean you saw me? You didn’t try to stop them?”

“Flem, you have to understand. If I had gone out there I would have been killed. Then I would be of no use to you.” Flem stared for a few moments.

“How could you know that they wouldn’t kill me? They were like fucking spiders, Robert! They are bloodthirsty; they could have killed me with a flick of the wrist. How could you have just watched?”

“You don’t understand. They knew that they needed you. I knew they needed you. Hell, even my brother Kael knew the needed you. The Hell Spidres needed you in order to find the two of us. I don’t know why they want to kill us Johnson’s, but I think it has something to do with the blade that Kael gave to me, Eternity's End.”

Michelle watched the group up until that point when she said, “I think we should tell you what has happened up to this point. Robert and Michelle began the tale, telling Flem everything that had happened, even everything about the two of them. Flem was his best friend so he deserved to know everything. Michelle didn’t seem to mind either.

“Now I understand… I’m sorry.” Flem smiled.

“No problem man, I’m way too happy that you are back to be mad at you.” Robert said. Robert hugged Flem again and lifted him up into the air. In all the happiness and bliss, none of the three noticed the huge door at the end of the hall. It was a wooden door with a small knocker on it. The knocker was that of a flame.

“What is that?” Michelle asked and pointed at the door. Standing before the door was a man. He wore a heavy brown cloak and had a sword sheathed under it. Unbeknownst to the group, written upon it was Infinity’s Birth. Also unbeknownst to the group was what was hidden behind the door he was defending. The contents of the room behind the door were a single blade, encased within a swirling vortex of hell’s free magic, called Ravager’s Wraith.

The man had long black hair that swirled around his head. His eyes were dark blue. If you looked closely at his eyes, you could see waves crashing in and out of the rim of blue, as if there was another world within them, with geography, people, and wars of its own, wars much like the one that was going on now. The man looked somehow familiar to Flem, though he could not-quite place why.

Michelle took a step back and Robert stepped in front of her. The man walked towards them and Michelle cowered back behind Robert, who stood rigid in front of her, a defending wall. The man took another step forwards and stared, almost longingly, into Flem’s eyes. He held the connection for the next few seconds before tearing away and watching Michelle. After a few moments, he took up a fighting stance and drew his blade, Infinity’s Birth.

Robert froze, what did this man plan to do? Did he plan to attack Michelle, or him, or even Flem? Robert quickly made a move: “Hey, calm down! I’m Robert Johnson, who are you?”

The man watched Robert Johnson then sheathed his sword. “Me, I am Alistair.”

“Okay, what are you doing down here?” Flem asked. Robert wished Flem hadn’t asked, he had planned to calm him down before questioning him.

“I have come here to defend that door. No one will ever enter, not with me defending it. I am willing to die for this door. Do not try to enter.”

“So, what is behind it?” Michelle asked.

“You should know, Doomhart! It is your very own blade!” Alistair almost screamed.

“My blade?” Michelle asked. Robert grabbed her hand, holding her in place. He half-expected either her or Alistair to lunge forward and kill the other.

Alistair laughed, “Yes, Ravager’s Wraith! Your father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and on are all dead. Either you or your sister are the next in the line. Your sister is headed to hell, and you just might as well.”

Michelle was confused. She stared at Alistair for the longest time before drawing back even more. “Alistair, what is your last name?” Robert asked, noticing something, something surprising.

Alistair watched Robert for a moment before answering, “My name is, Alistair Anderson.” Flem gasped, so did Michelle. Flem dashed forward and planted a fist squarely on Alistair’s nose. When Alistair crumpled, he proceeded to punch him in the head and chest area over and over again.

“Try not to kill him.” Robert said as he ran forward with Michelle in tow and opened the door. He knew he could trust Flem to keep the man alive, he was a cop. Robert looked inside the door and saw a rack of weapons. It was loaded with daggers, short swords, maces, shields, and at the very top was a crimson blade. The blade was completely normal, except for the swirling mist that surround it. It looked as if a black cloud was being created around it at all times. When Robert got too close, it whipped out like a snake and smashed him into the back wall of the room.

Along the walls were hieroglyphs. Just like the Egyptians, picture-writing. The ground was made from brick. The room almost seemed like it was a mix of different cultures and different eras. Bricks from the early civilizations, hieroglyphs from Egypt, and weapons from the middle ages.

“What the hell!” Robert yelled. He opened his eyes up and saw that Michelle was now holding the blood-red blade. “How did yo-” Robert began.

“I just grabbed it.” Michelle said. Robert was amazed. She grabbed the blade’s sheath and sheathed it, then she belted it.

“Don’t do that!” Michelle ignored him and walked out the door. She had a strange determination that Robert had never seen before. She had stepped through the door now and was staring at Alistair. He had been horribly beaten in the face and neck. He had a black eye and it looked like his nose was broken. Flem sat on a rock at the side of the cave hall, smoking a cigarette. Michelle walked forwards and drew the blade, brandishing it in Alistair’s direction. Alistair dove on her and wrenched the sword out of her hand.

Ten minutes later, Alistair, Flem, Michelle, and Robert all sat on seat-like rocks, talking and smoking. There was a moment of silence and Flem suddenly laughed. “You know how in all those zombie movies they somehow have cigarettes, and are smoking, I never knew that it was almost required. It just seems to make you fell so much better.”

“Speaking of which, why do you have cigarettes, you’re a cop?” Robert asked. Flem laughed. Alistair stared at the crimson blade which was now stuck in the wall across from them, then he stared at his own, the Infinity’s Birth. Michelle had lost the near-blood-rage that she had been worked into.

“So, Alistair, you gonna tell me what the fuck is up with that… thing!?” Michelle yelled. There small fraction of peace was shattered in that instant when she asked the question. Robert wished he had a gun or weapon of some sort, just so he could force answers out of Alistair.

“It’s your blade. Because you touched it, you went into a blood rage.” Alistair said matter-of-factly. Robert and Flem both thought it was something you don’t act like it was completely normal.

“Listen you ass,” Flem screamed, “tell us why that sword did that and who the hell you are!” Alistair watched for a pounce for a moment before replying:

“As I said, my name is Alistair Anderson. Before you ask, I am your uncle, Rylee.”

“How are you this,” Robert thought for a moment, “Young-looking, then?”

“I am dead.”

“What, you are confusing me.” Said Michelle.

“Too Bad. I died many years ago and came here. I have been living here since. When Doomhart was locked down here, I took up his blade and locked it in here, defending it up until now. I never thought I would see an Anderson and a Doomhart working together. You, Rylee, are a disgrace to the Anderson name.” Alistair spit on Flem’s shoe.

“What is so bad about a Doomhart and an Anderson together?” Robert asked, almost knowing the answer. Kael had told him that his father had killed Frank Doomhart. Perhaps it was a family feud, a vendetta against each other.

“Because of the oath,” He said, “the oath that Isa Domhar made after the death of Christ. It was when he, Johno Anderson, and Pleng Johnson were the best of friends. When Lucifer asked for his payment, he was unwilling to make it, and sacrificed his two friends, Johno and Pleng. Johno’s son, Micha, and Pleng’s son, Kili, swore to kill all the Domhars, and all the Doomharts.”

Alistair let that sink in before continuing: “And that is why an Anderson and a Doomhart cannot be together.”

Robert sat staring at Michelle. A Vendetta, one spanning to a time before Christ, was sown between their two families. Flem was mad at Alistair, who was he? This place they were in, it was not like the rest of earth. It was something different.

“Then I suppose it would be even more sacrilegious that my name is Robert Johnson, wouldn’t it?”