The sky turned blood red and began to bleed, the earth below me began to rumble, soon after the land ripped open releasing flames and demons sent to torment this world. The surrounding trees com-busted spontaneously and the grass, once green, burned and turned into a shade of ash that was of the utmost UN-pleasance. The apocalypse was upon us, a war began between Heaven and Hell, and we were caught in the middle of it. But who are we? We are the ones left behind when everyone was raptured into Heaven, we are the forgotten ones, deemed unworthy of entering through the golden gates into paradise. Now we fend for ourselves amongst the wreckage, amongst the unholy atrocities that now plague this world that was once ours. The blood red sky now began to rip open and a bright light began to shine through. God’s soldiers now flooded the air and descended to battle Satan’s unholy army. It would be a long and miserable war, but this battle was written long ago in the stars, destined to happen, destined to destroy mankind. I do not know what the others will do, but I must find shelter. I began to run, but my destination was unclear. I looked for anything that could shield me from the ongoing war, but I was losing hope. It was only a matter of time until I would succumb to death brought upon me by either God’s soldiers or Satan’s minions. I must hurry.
All I wished for was shelter, but instead I found something else. Something more sinister. Something more painful. I found death or more so death found me. I arrived at a bunker once occupied by the minions of death, I thought I was safe, I was wrong. Soon after entering I found a man who wore a long black robe and his face was shrouded behind a hood. He spoke a language unknown to me, but through his gestures I understood perfectly what his mission was. He walked toward me wielding a long staff with a crooked blade at the end of it. He reached out his hand and gripped my arm. His touch was cold and unwelcoming and almost instantly I felt my life leaving my body. This man had my soul, gripped with his icy touch. I had died, right then and there, my soul forever belonging to this man. His identity now became apparent to me. He was one of God’s angels. He was the Angel of Death and he now owned my very existence.
He took me to the place between the stars, not Heaven, but definitely not Hell, I didn’t know where we were but I didn’t really care, my soul was his and I would go wherever he took me. Eventually we reached his destination and stopped abruptly. He continued his silence, but lifted his hand and pointed into the distance. I looked and what I saw was something that my mind failed to comprehend. I saw Earth, I saw the unholy war raging on before my very eyes, but I was not in the middle of it, not anymore. I asked him what the meaning of this was, but his silence continued on. We sat there watching the war rage on. Angels killing demons and demons killing angels. A year passed and it felt like the war would never end. Perhaps soon it would, but it was still uncertain. I hoped that the man would finally tell me what the purpose of this was, but still no words left his mouth. My patience must continue on.
Many years have passed now and it appears the war is finally coming to an end. It has been approximately six hundred years and the Earth, once green and full of life, no longer bloomed, its soil now torn apart, and going from green to black. Its rivers once blue and full of life, now run with blood and misery. This was no longer my home, for it had been taken by death. Angels and demons no longer flooded the realm of my existence and I would finally be able to return, or at least that’s what I thought. The man, still accompanying me finally spoke. “Return home”, he spoke and with that he reached out his hand and in his palms rested a bright blue orb. “Take it” he said. I reached out and grabbed it and instantly life returned to my body. The force of the orb knocked me unconscious. “I’m sorry” the man said vanishing instantly, returning to his home, now with the lives of all the angels that fell in combat. The war was over and it was time for me to go home.
When I awoke, it was back on Earth, only something wasn’t quite right. The sky was blue and clouds were no longer black. Blood didn’t leak from the sky and the earth below me was covered in grass as green as it was before the apocalypse. I was astounded by the amount of life that surrounded me. I could see people off in the distance and could hear the laughter of children playing. I was no longer one of the forgotten, the were no forgotten, for all the lives that God raptured had been returned to this world, unharmed and unscathed by the war that raged for six hundred years. Life as we knew returned to us and it was the best feeling I ever felt. I was home, we were home, to forever flourish and help the world flourish. The man took my life, showed me a new view of the world, and then returned my life to me the way it was always meant to be. He helped me grow in a way I thought to be impossible, but now I know it to be true. I held a special place in my heart for the man and I wished him happiness for all eternity, but now it was time to continue my journey through life the way I was always meant to. War may never change, but it will always open your eyes to a new outlook on life. It will make you cherish it and love it in a way you never did before. War isn’t just human nature, for war is the nature of all living things.