КИРИЛЛ ДЕНИСЕНКО - I.N.F.E.R.N.O.: HELL STARTS ON EARTH

Tortured with untold travail of soul, reflected on the stern handsome face, he tried to overcome the bitterness, to hold back the tears spilled from under closed eyelids and ran down the cheeks. These tears hurt, every drop burned the whole being, they drained the rebellious essence, tormented by the burden of centuries.

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Taking the burden of the century, he was alien to the human shape, but he defeated destiny being reborn in the wanderer. He sighed, his eyelids rose, showing the beast's eyes with sharpened like a wild cat’s bronze with golden pupils. And again they were hidden behind dark glasses. Peering into acute heads of cliffs Scott Renter continued on.

A thick fog thickening in the sky covered the mountain ranges of Tandora and numerous cliffs with collapsed boulders. The soles of the shoes, dipping in iridescent silver flooring, etched, leaving deep footprints.

The rays of the sun peeped out through the gray clouds and it was light. It beamed for a moment boldly highlighting impregnable stone wall, blocking Scott’s way, and fleeting disappeared. Scott stopped ten steps from the huge shard of rock. He gradually examined the rock from bottom to top, verifying the distance and put his mighty hand on black as the darkness handle of purple-red katana, rushed forward. He jumped up, in a couple of steps rebounding from the boulders. Moving in the fog with lightning speed, closing his eyes from increased biting wind, suffering excruciating pain in frozen fingers, he clambered overcoming the nullity of his frail body. With an effort of will he prevailed against the weakness, because he knew that the flesh would yield to the spirit, destroying conceivable obstacles, and they will become one. His hands grabbed the edge of the top.

The sky cleared and the sun, not hidden under clouds or the column of rocks, filled Tandrod with saturated cold light and scattered the shadow of the illusoriness and darkness. Rays of light descended to sensory petals of the snowdrop inclined to shyness in front of the huge world. It wanted to blossom and reveal the beauty that was alien to this world, the sweet charm that charms not a soul, subordinate to dead spiritless minds.

Lazy stream of Time flew in an unknown direction without looking back or stopping. Silently, relentlessly, it obediently fulfills its destiny to lead everything alive to the end.

And snowdrop stood bent, surrounded by the whiteness of tombs and disjoined contrast of the village erected long ago for the delight, but then buried in suffering, destroyed by human will and unbridled inexorability of the Governers of the Dark Side.

The flower felt somebody’s presence. The different presence was incomparable to anything else. The presence that inspires the idea of sympathy and admiration for the snowdrop. The feeling was so strange and so obvious that it turned around and saw an incredibly high and a huge man who was on one knee, gazing fixed at it.

It was a long gaze, but a mysterious stranger turned his head and rushed to imperceptible snow ball. It was a girl, just a kid. She seemed to be about six years old, looked pale and small. Scott lifted a young creature from the ground with his immense hands. The girl suddenly came to her senses and stared at the enemy or saviour with the pure blue eyes of hers.

Barely looking at him, hardly audible, almost in a whisper she abruptly said:

– Who are you?

– Don’t be afraid, everything is well, – he said as gently as possible. – Where is your home?

The face of the child changed, disfigured with horror, as if she recalled the image of a terrible dream. Small snow-white hands grasped the hem of the cloak on his chest, and weakened, driven by the fear of a confused voice declared:

Please, save yourself! They will come again! I am the only one left. They will come back! And after a pause, she exclaimed: Brother!

After that she burst into tears, nestling up to Renter like a drowning man catches at straws.

Scott Renter felt embarrassed, weasel was alien and forgotten because he hadn’t seen it for many years. The cry of a child echoes dissipated in the bottomless void in his soul, scorched with suffering.

«Darkness how long will you thicken in the world!» he thought in a fit of temper. And looking at the old, destroyed village, he said loudly:

– Child, don't worry, I'll never leave you. From now on I'll always be with you! Nothing will dare to darken your face.

And to the surprise of the girl tears started to fall from his eyes. The child stopped crying, stretched her hands to his face, as she knew now, the face of her Savior, not of the blighter. She took off his glasses, but was not frightened with animal sight, radiating goodness and reflecting

the suffering. Though she withdrew her hand, then she held a hand to his cheek. It got warm in his torn soul. Weeping ended; Scott looked into the clear eyes of the girl and with a smile asked:

– What's your name, heavenly creature?

– Iona – she answered briefly, sounding like a bell.

– You're quite cold. Iona, where's your home?

– It’s near…

The former settlement was enclosed with the low wooden fence, mostly

fallen. Wooden huts were standing along the dusty trail.

The village was dead. Scott Renter watched utter wretchedness, felt the

stinking spirit of desecration, which only he could recognize. They stepped onto the narrow road.

Here it is! – Iona pointed to a simple log cabin standing out against a background of half-destroyed buildings.

– It’s beautiful, – said Scott unexpectedly for him.

– Yes, dad was a carpenter… – she said with a pause and wept bitterly. – Don't cry, Jonah, please. From now on everything will be fine. Logging on the porch decorated with cut-outs, with ornate shaped

railing, the wanderer crossed the threshold and bent down to enter the empty doorway. Embossed door, like everything else was lying on the floor. Frowning, Scott Renter asked with a deep sigh:

– Iona, which way?

– I live in the upper room.

And heading up the winding stairs they were on the second floor,

which was, in fact, the attic, masterfully redesigned into three small rooms: a Parent’s, located all over the left side, and two children's rooms on the right side, divided by an additional wall partition. However, everything was nice and looked comfortable.

Scott lowered the girl to the floor. She was afraid to be left alone and pleadingly declared:

– Please, stay with me! I'm afraid you will disappear and I will die! – I'm not leaving you! Show me the way!

In amazement the child gave a glance at him and said:

– You are so huge!

– Nothing to worry about. Where you can’t get in full growth, get bent. – And he knelt down and followed her.

Soon Iona changed her clothes. Nestled in a warm white blanket she fell asleep, clutching the hand of the man who saved her. Freeing his mighty hand from the feeble hands of the girl Scott silently left the room. He went down and looked around. Noticing a square piece of wood, he approached it, knelt down and gently took the subject in his hand. He turned it and was frightened: huge brown eyes strictly and sympathetically looked at him. The trembling came upon him. The tension of facial muscles made cheekbones visible. It took his breath away; his hands started trembling and pain pierced his heart. He was holding an icon in his hands.

Regal Divine Countenance was facing him. Jesus Christ was neither striking lightning, nor withering anger at him; he looked at him with mercy, waiting for repentance, folding his fingers for blessings. Christ was suffering as the true God unfathomable in love, loving and righteous, one and right God.

It was hard to keep all-embracing space and world. Coming to his senses at last, Scott Renter stood up and sedately but hardly pacing, went to the red corner, put the icon in its proper place and moved a step away. Then with a great effort he made a sign of a cross.

The sun was gradually drooping. Smoke wafted from gray brick chimney.

There was a bundle of firewood near the hearth; the fire crackled, water in the hanging pot was boiling, emitting rich flavor. The broth was ready. Ion, wearing a woolen scarf over a warm sweater, sat on the bench and enthusiastically watched Wanderer who had removed wide in the neck and tapering to the bottom pan of grayish tint from the copper hook, put it on a round stand on the table and was pouring a rich soup with a piece of meat on the bone into a wooden bowl.

Belly-pinched, Iona swallowed, burning, delicious broth. Scott Renter, stared at the child, and the two feelings simultaneously existed in him: the joy hidden in the corners of his lips and the bitterness of regret, looking out of the corners of his eyes like small tears.

Suddenly the child stopped eating and stood up, turned towards the red corner, and looked upon the face of the Savior, prayed:

– Lord, forgive us! Sir, say grace – she said, referring to Wanderer.

– I… I don't know, you say it…, I'll listen. – Scott replied in confusion. – Our Father, who art in heaven – Iona prayed fervently –

Hallowed be thy Name,

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but… – her eyes were full with tears.

– Deliver me from evil – finished Scott turning white.

– Thank you, – she whispered and sat down, silently continued eating. Through the window one could seen the snow. Heavy snowflakes fell to

the ground like an impenetrable veil.

– Iona, tell me. You, only you…are alive. Brother, father and mother,

all… – he gave her a look. – Can you tell me?

– They… they came from the mountains. I woke up. Horrible screams

woke me up. Brother, my little brother grabbed me in fear and would not let. Mother, bloody, burst into the room, grabbed us and rushed down. The father, holding the gun… could not resist… THAT. Those were not human beings and not animals. They broke into… rabid drove of something terrible. Antosha, like a leaf, like a toy, was ripped in half, by their terrible claws. And mom… they dug their teeth into her. I saw the vile fangs; jets of blood had stained my mother's body. They grabbed me, but mom, I don't understand how she could, but she had thrown herself back and detained… that. – Jonah was sobbing. – Frightened, I huddled in the corner, without thinking, without understanding, and closed with my hands. The roar echoed over me, and it smacked into the wall. And the icon suddenly fell down; I grabbed it and tried to protect myself with it. The terrible creature uttered the hissing gradually turning into screeching, and withdrew from me. So I was sitting, fettered with trembling, and THAT was rough and for a long time one could hear the screams of people. Scott put a hand on the arm of the Iona, and he seemed to see the fateful night firsthand. He heard the high-pitch cries of children and helpless mothers and silent trembling of the earth. Blood, a

disgusting smell of blood and triumphant roar of killers, resurrected as the Ghost of the past, enveloped the consciousness… He took his hand away. Nameless face of the nightmare was outlined as a clear image; he glanced at Iona, who was continuing her faltering story. – It had got light, I got up and, shouting, screaming for mother… mother and brother, escaped from the house and ran. I was running on and on but soon I fell freezing. Then I woke up in your hands… Who are you?

– Iona. – he stood up, walked around the desk and, having appeared in front of her, got down on one knee and put a hand on the head of the child. He replied: – ion, no matter who I am and where I am from. Only one thing is important: what I am now. Understand, I'm a wanderer, lonely aloof from life, I do not exist! I am neither alive nor dead; my heart isn’t beating. Perhaps those who killed your family, and the same as I am; but don't be scared, please! Yet we are not the one; I destroyed the chains; but I’m hitherto bounded with a hidden chain. You can't understand. Iona, – he again lifted his look descended for a moment. – Iona, I will prevent the Darkness; I will die, but you will live. I'll take you away, nothing will be able to hurt you, nothing bad will happen to you; I swear, Jonah, I swear before heaven and earth, to protect you from now on! Do you hear me…