We go back from consciousness and we woke up inside the train. The lights go back to their life and the engine moves smoothly. We looked around and we saw the Shinigami from the other side sat down on a magnificent couch waiting for us.
It came to a point where I could categorize a stench. It was stronger the closer we are to him. It smelled like the deepest, darkest parts of the earth. Soil, mold, smokey ash, and wet things I didn't want to think about. I was about to feel scared again, but didn't know what to do, didn't know what to say.
He slowly stood and his jaw tightened like he's waiting for something to happen.
"Congratulation!! You made it until the end." He claps his hands and we just silently stare at him.
"Can we go home?" Travis asked.
"Oh sure!!!" The shinigami smiled but we're not satisfied with his words because he is a devil and he probably wants us to suffer.
I waited for a few minutes but I'm not sure what's inside his head.
He snaps his finger and suddenly a blaze of fire caught our attention. We stumbled where we stood and fall back.
"How dare you...…. Paris said.
"Let us go!!" Belinda said.
"Hey wait you said if we can overcome our fear we can be freed and go home!" I said it to clear the arrangement.
"Yes! But I guess you're not." The shinigami smiled.
We face each other and then we saw the rings on our fingers.
"Oh my...ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Our fingers turned to black like it became ashes.
Stefanie cried while Travis and Paris are confused.
"What is this?????" Travis asked.
I stared at him and I want him to answer this mystery.
"You know….. You maybe overcame and release your fear inside your heart but there is something that exists within you….. A fear that you cannot let go..... Fear to trust and glorify him." He points his index finger up and I knew what he is talking about.
"You abandoned him because of your phobia and you lose someone right."
"Childhood memories can't hurt you physically but damage you psychologically." He smirked and tastes his price.
It made my blood boil so hot, my brain stopped working right.
I hated him and I want to punch his ugly face but then it comes back to me. I hated the fact that I felt guilty and he told us the most brutal secret about ourselves that nobody knows.
I remembered when I was a child and my youngest sister got sick and she died from cancer. I called for him to save my youngest sister from her illness but it's really painful when I saw her in the coffin. From that day I neglect to go to church every Sunday and I never dare to ask him again in my prayers nor grateful for his blessings. Not this day where I suffer from my phobia.
I guess each one of us suffered from a terrible experience that we lost our faith in God and it was the biggest sin of our lives.
"Shame of you guys. Now, do you want me to accompany each one of you to the realm of the souls? He offered his hands while the fire almost reaches our feet.
"There is no one who can save you. Hahahahahahaha" He steps closer with us.
"He defeated us and threw us like a trump card," Paris said.
Then something flashed.
The memories flooded in my mind.
I was in elementary when my little sister's condition was worsened. Her health deteriorated especially her body. She suffered from ovarian cancer and there's nothing we can do that moment but to save her in prayer.
I consume all my strength to say my prayers, to call his name to save my little sister. I cried that day to make me feel better, to wash away all the pain inside my chest.
Afterward, I go back to the hospital and I saw the nurse giving medicine to my sister. Something caught my attention, her blazing red eyes sparkling and I'm sure that the Shinigami was capable of doing the killings. In the old folklore, they are called the God of death who collected souls from the underworld. Now, I already knew the answer coming from his riddle.
"SPECIEM TIMORIS (Fear is an illusion)" These are the last words I heard from my younger sister before she died.
That horrible day I swore to myself I hated God for all my life and I will never go back to his path. He never answered my prayers and yet he allowed my sister to die at a very young age.
But now, things changed.
I already knew the answer and it is much more horrible than I expected.
I have been fooled for so many years ago and I'm ashamed for what I've done.
I am a sinful mortal not worthy of his forgiveness.
SPECIEM TIMORIS (Fear is an illusion) These are the words outlined on the front of the train.
I pointed my finger in his direction.
"You lied to us." I shouted.
The fear became anger. I was betrayed and I felt a little bit outsmarted.
"You killed my sister; you take all our loved ones so that we can make revenge to God and dispose of our faith in him. You took advantage of our weakness and materialize the fears to lure us in death. Our fears are just hallucinations, an illusion to invade us to believe in you. You choose us because of our enormous fears and whether we win or lose, you will collect our souls. LIAR!!!" I dunno how much revelation I consumed to wait for this chance but it didn't surprise him instead he claps his hand like he was certain that I will know the answer right away.
Then, Professor Brendan interrupted.
"You live from fear of the souls, once they were afraid of something you're ruthless power become invincible and you choose and eliminated us one by one in exchange for the deal. The deal is simple, trick, and dies. You fooled and expect us to believe in you so that everybody shall die in your hands."
Something flashes at the back of my mind. He is truly a brilliant person, I never expected he comes up with that hypothesis.
"Good point!!! So? It didn't change anything. You're still coward, weak and you'll die here sinful mortals." He roared his greatest triumph and the expression of his face change into a malicious grin and we knew for sure he will not let us live.
We decided to run into the front door but we are running out of time. We scattered around to do something but the Shinigami wouldn't let us go.
He pointed his index finger to each of us.
"You can't escape. Just accept your loss." He smirked and taste his victory and after a few moments he snap his finger and there was something hidden nearby in the darkness, someone makes a move and the creatures walked in our direction.
'Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!" Belinda hysterically shouted.
She saw it coming but we are stuck to where we stood. We couldn't make a move, maybe the Shinigami performed a trance to control us.
We saw creatures in a human figure, they are naked and their bodies full of bruises and burns almost violet and there were black holes where the eyes were supposed to be. They have enormous toasted hands and they are all moaning, grieving like the zombies in apocalyptic movies. No! It's like dead people who escorted us in hell. I imagine the mortal dead people suffered in Dante's Inferno and how they repent their sins in purgatory.
I heard the deep hollow voices writhing in pain almost squeak. They are crawling near in our direction calling out our names. It sounds creepy and the chill climbs up into my spine like a disease spread out all over my body.
"Is this is real? Are we going to die here?" I ask myself even though I contradict my ego still I do believe that there will be a miracle. God will never condemn us.
I heard Stefanie whispering something like she is praying but I can't do this due to my shame of myself.
I saw her, she suffered from a seizure and the blood comes rushing from her nose.
I can smell the breath of the Shinigami like smoldering ash.
Death near us.
Someone shouted.
"Lord saves us!!! Send us angels to fight this evil creature and forgive us from our sin." Stefanie's voices rattled due to her tears.
Nothing happens.
He continues to laugh and mock us.
"There is no God that can save you. Accept the reality, my followers accompany you and you will come with me in hell"
I guess we're all gonna die but something gives us hope.
The loud boom of thunder overheard up in the sky shakes the whole train like the meteor falls into the ground and explode.
"What the..................... The shinigami was alarmed.
The roar of thunder followed by an enormous struck of lightning. It flashes and breaks half of the train and it explodes we jumped to the other side to avoid being hit.
I heard a loud blow of a horn coming from above. I never heard it before in my personal life and it gives me a creep down my spine. Is that a horn coming from heaven? I looked up and I saw from the hole of the dilapidated roof of the train the large flocks with enormous wings falling and directed into our directions.
It's not a bird but something with supernatural powers, shielded with great forces like an army.
LEGION.
The strong impact causes us to fall and throw somewhere inside the train. We bumped our heads into the steel bars and collapsed.
After a few minutes, we blinked and our visions cleared up. We saw seven angels with different armors they have enormous white feathered wings and bulky muscles.
I thought it was the end of the world. The ground shakes and breaks into pieces able to swallow us in the underworld while the angels judge the final verdict for mankind.
I remembered what my father told me about the story of the archangels of God written in the Bible when I was a child.
They fought great battles in heaven especially the light bearer SATAN who use to be the fallen angel and the traitor of his race. He is also the creator of the forces of evil and the villain of the Lord.
Angel looks like a commander and he is carrying a sword. He got fierce eyes and I knew for sure he is the Archangel Michael. I heard a lot about him and he is often thought of as the angel of protection and the most powerful of all the angels.
I recognized him in the Book of Revelation 12:7-10 He fought the dragon together with his army of angels. As mentioned in John Milton's Paradise lost where he casts out rebel angels and sends them down to the earth.
The next one looks like a healer and he is Archangel Raphael the patron of travelers and healers of illness. He is depicted as the designated angel responsible for healing injuries.
Followed by an Angel holding a trumpet and I guess he is the messenger of God. Archangel Gabriel. It is said in the Old and New testament that he assists in overcoming issues of fear and procrastination in communication as well as in all areas related to children.
While the fourth Angel wore a green armor manifesting the beauty of surrounding and he is Archangel Jophiel the responsible for uplifting see things from a variety of points of view.
The fifth Angel releases a dove and it disappeared somewhere. So I recognize him. He is Archangel Ariel the patron saint of animals and the environment. He is also the 'lion of God' who protects the earth, its natural resources, ecosystems, and all wildlife. It is believed that he oversees the alignment of the sun and moon and the stars.
The sixth Angel got sparkling gray curly hair and I felt a little grief with my emotion as I glance up. He is Archangel Azrael the angel of death. He helps in the transition of death, related to relationships, career, addictions and navigate life changes.
The last Angel stared at us and he smiled without any emotion on his face. He is Archangel Chamuel, his mission is to bring peace to the world from fear and invade the negative energies. He assists in finding strength and courage to face adversity when it seems there is nothing left.
We witnessed their powers when Archangel Chameul and Archangel Azrael raises their mighty hands until it created a bright light and all of a sudden the zombie like people were all gone.
Now, they fought the Shinigami and they saw us.
The Angel with a sword turns around and said "Destroy your rings and burn them. That's the only way to defeat him."
"The enormous ring represents the circle of evil."
"Oh my…. He is the Archangel Michael the leader of the legion of angels." Paris said.
We are amazed by what we have seen. Almost awestruck at first, and we are fascinated with their supernatural powers. The seven angels of God came to the world and fight the shinigami.
"Now!!!!!!!" Archangel Michael said. He threw stones and knives.
We break the rings as fast as we can and after a few minutes, we throw them into the fire until we saw Archangel Michael stabbed the wounded shinigami directed to its heart, and then it growled in a roar until it was turned into burning coal and became ashes.
The ghastly cruelty of the Shinigami came to an end.
The event repeats to itself. At first, I didn't believe what I saw but it's real.
The angels fought and destroyed the shinigami just like what they've done to Satan and its followers to save heaven.
The seven angels accompanied us to get outside of the train.
"We need to get outside before the train will explode in a few minutes." The Angels ordered us.
The huge train came to a wildfire.
I hurriedly carried Stefanie in my arms after she passed out with the helped of Belinda and Professor Brendan and as we sat from the ground we tearfully witnessed some white human figures fled from different directions. I guess the souls of the victims are hiding from the train and this dungeon freed them from being prisoners.
It's time for them to release and find peace wherever they may go.
Archangel Raphael healed our wounds and Archangel Jophiel tames our ego while Archangel Ariel assists us to go home. We thanked all the angels that saved us from danger. And lastly, Archangel Michael gave us a few reminders:
"You should trust the words of God even in little ways you need to appreciate his blessings and when you do, all your anxieties and confusion will disappear. Just spread his good messages to mankind. Take care of yourselves." The angels bid their goodbyes before they went to heaven.
We're truly lucky to survive it. But then, we are grateful because God protects us from evil by summoning his guardian angels.
At first, it's not easy for us to comprehend what happened back on the train but I think it reminded us that we need to praise God even in the little things he blesses us in our everyday lives. We should be thankful for what we have right now.