Let Me Toss a Coin

151.

"It'll probably work."

"You say probably in a way my parents used to say we'll see, in that it doesn't make me think this is a good outcome." Trezlan had laid out a blood ritual in a language that Clarissa couldn't even begin to understand.

"You just need to trust the madness Clarissa."

"I think that's what got me stuck in hell in the first place Trezlan, I'd rather the madness stop personally." Trezlan sliced open his hand and threw some blood onto his ritual.

"If only we had a coin, then we can see which odd is more likely."

"What does that mean..." The world became a blur for Clarissa afterword. One minute she was next to Trezlan in a formless hell, the next she was in a horrific warzone. Military bodies lay strewn everywhere, creatures of a more traditional "hell" nature lay next to them, Clarissa could hear gun fire and screams all around her.

"Well this worked out better than I expected." Trezlan was there, because Clarissa figured Hell wouldn't accept him anywhere else.

"I don't want to know what you expected."

"We have to hurry now, Gilbert is close, and I fear he's about to get what none of us want."

"How do you?" But there wasn't any time to question Trezlan, or his knowledge. Clarissa could hear the battle getting more pitched, and she needed to be there for the conclusion. Something had driven her here, and she wanted to see it through to its horrible conclusion. Trezlan and her made their way past the carnage to its zenith. Clarissa could see Gilbert among a bunch of fighting and dying soldiers, he was approaching some glowing object she couldn't discern but she figured was the source of this conflict.

"GILBERT!"She called out to him and he spotted her, his look was that of pain and disappointment especially with Trezlan standing next to her. Trezlan didn't wait or hesitate, he threw his sword at the object Gilbert was trying to acquire, but he was too slow, Gilbert effortlessly batted away the blade and grabbed the object. The fighting stopped, everything seemed far too slow for Clarissa, Gilbert turned toward Trezlan and just made him disappear. He then turned towards Clarissa.

"Don't follow his path Clarissa."

"Gilbert this is wrong!"

"You don't even know what this is." He was glowing now, he descended from the place he was in, walking towards Clarissa glowing with power. "You don't know what this object does, you are pushed forward by forces you don't understand to do their bidding, but you won't Clarissa because you know I'm right."

"I don't even know what that is." Gilbert was closer to her, he was radiating heat, Clarissa felt uncomfortable being near him.

"With this we can be gods, no longer content to let indifferent to our existence dominate the world, with this power I CAN FIX EVERYTHING!" Clarissa heard Gilbert's words but saw the death and destruction around her, and knew what he was thinking was not what would become.

"All you've done is destroy everything Gilbert." He was close now, within grabbing range. He was reaching out to her, a mentor, a father in the absence of hers giving a shit, a friend, and she killed him. She didn't know it would work, feared the power he had now made him invulnerable, but the blade she drew struck true in his neck and with a look of shock and sadness Gilbert died at her feet. The object fell to the ground. Clarissa found a dead man near her with a belt of grenades, she wrapped the object in them and pulled the pin sprinting away with tears in her eyes. She didn't know if the explosion would destroy the object, but it seemed to do the job, when she turned around it was no more.

"Time to go." Satan threw her out of hell, literally, he hurled her through the door she'd come through and she slammed into the ground near Clyde's feet.

"It's done then?" Clarissa could do nothing else, but cry, the finality of the door closing behind her felt more than just one door was shut forever.

****
Trezlan felt the shoe hitting him several times. He remembered seeing the man Gilbert point in his direction and then nothing. He was surprised to be awakened, and surprised still it was Nidget doing it.

"Get up you sad sack."

"Nidget you won't believe where I've been!"

"Asleep? Yeah and we're in real trouble, get your shit." Trezlan sighed, he was back in his own world again and already in demand, such was the life of someone such as himself. He wondered for a moment what happened to Clarissa and Gilbert, but knew that his part in their story however limited it had been was over, and it was time to resume his own life once again.

"First why? Second why and third WHY??!??!" Things were going to be back to the way they were, Trezlan knew it, for ill or for good, mostly for Ill.