"What the ffffff.., I mean holy shhhh, I mean... I mean.... What do you mean, he stole it?!"

"Exactly that Aveline. Charles Hathershaw stole heaven and has it trapped in his facility, held to ransom and used as leverage to get the other horsemen to do his bidding. All he needs now is the other piece of the jigsaw, and once he has it, there is little that could be done to stop him."

"What other piece?" I ask, suspecting I know the answer already, and marvelling at the audacity of the whole undertaking.

"Hell, Aveline. As soon as he finds it - and he is close, I am sure - he will steal that too. All he needs to do is bring them together, and armageddon is assured, along with the total destruction of heaven and hell."

"Well, that is... that is... bad. And all he has to do is bring them together? Aren't they like, really huge? Surely another dimension's going to be a little difficult to hide?"

"Size is relative, Aveline."

Well, that was an informative response.

I was going to have to do something about that. But first, something needed clearing up...

"So I had to die in order to become what I am - whatever that is - to put a stop to Hathershaw. But you couldn't do that to me, so the Devil, who I suppose isn't bothered by that kind of thing, did it instead?"

"In a way, yes." Ogunwe shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "You see, when heaven was stolen, it left those of us here on earth stranded. We cannot get back in, and no-one can get out. Hell, on the other hand, is as yet unaffected. So, in order to get you for this mission, the Devil had to make all the arrangements."

"So you guys colluded in my death? Is that it? You ought to know, that really, really, sucks."

"I'm truly sorry, Aveline," offered Ogunwe.

"Yeah, well. I suppose if the apocalypse is coming, at least I now get a chance to try and prevent it." I still felt cross about being killed without any choice in the matter, but to be honest I was starting to realise the benefits of being dead. After all, I had gained powers that were pretty awesome, and could expect to gain more. I didn't have to worry about where my next meal was coming from. I would never, ever have to pay any taxes. I guess the saying wasn't true, after all...

Sparks from the fire drifted upwards as the pile of logs within collapsed, and Dr Huntley snored softly in his chair. I followed their path up towards the sky and stayed staring upwards, taken aback by the sheer number and beauty of stars spread across the night. I recalled seeing a similar sight on the night I died, when I awoke in the desert before meeting the red one himself, and a question popped into my head.

"You said heaven and hell were in other dimensions - are those dimensions near to this Earth?"

"Normally, yes. They are woven around and through the fabric of space and time. Heaven at one end, hell at the other, the Earth in-between."

"Yes, you said something like that before - each at the extreme end of a spectrum. Does that mean there are other dimensions? Ones between heaven and hell?" The implications of what Ogunwe had said were beginning to dawn on me, and they were a little frightening.

"Yes," replied Ogunwe, "There are others. And they are all key to the bringing of an apocalypse. In order for the apocalypse to happen, seven seals must first be broken. Each seal is the opening of a dimension into the Earth, allowing the contents of the universe within to enter. Only with all seven dimensions being opened can total destruction of intelligent life on earth be achieved."

"Have they been opened before?" I ask, while thinking, this is bad.

"Not all at once. Many, many eons ago, when heaven and hell first fought over control of the Earth, tears were made into the other dimensions at one time or another, a consequence of the great and powerful forces expended by both sides. Those tears persist today, allowing the occasional being to wander into this universe, where they may choose to live on this Earth. They are often strange and dangerous, and should be avoided wherever possible."

"Beings like what, exactly? Would I know one if I met one?"

"Perhaps. Often they are human in form. Sometimes not. Vampires; werewolves; shape-shifters; giants; magicians; all manner of mythical beasts such as gryphons, wyverns, sphinx and dragons; and what most people might call aliens. These are the inhabitants of the seven dimensions between heaven and hell."

For a moment I am too stunned to speak. This revelation is just...

"Awesome."

"Do you think so, Aveline? Because if Charles Hathershaw succeeds in bringing forth armageddon, then the inhabitants of these realms will pour forth over the land, and no-one, not even you, would survive the ensuing onslaught."

"So," I say, making the connections in my head, "stories of these creatures have some basis in fact, they do exist on Earth?"

Ogunwe nodded his head in answer, and I sat back in the chair and stared up at the stars again. Some revelations require a moment of deep reflection.

Which was interrupted by a phone ringing.

I stared about, unable to place the source of the noise, before remembering that I'd been given a phone back in New York. I pulled it out of my jacket pocket and stared at the screen. The caller number was 666.

"Hello?"

"Aveline! How you doin' babe?"

"Grant? Is that you? And did you just call me 'babe'?"

"Yeah, it's me! Hey - don't sweat it, it don't mean nothin'. ...But you do look cute in that outfit."

"Are you drunk?"

"Yeah... Now, if you're done yappin' with the feathery fella, you might want to ask him to train you some moves, kid. Kind of like I did, y'know...at the bar. Mmmm."

"How did you know I was..." I didn't finish the sentence, as Fluff chose that moment to reappear, slinking into the firelight in hell-hound form, red eyes shining like coals in the dark. He stopped and stared silently at the three of us - Ogunwe, Huntley and myself, and I got the impression that he was not entirely with it.

"Are you controlling Fluff?" I ask, indignation pouring forth in my voice.

"Yeah, woah - drunk in possession of a hell-hound. Groovy. Actually, I don't think he likes me very much, he's fighting me quite hard here. Ooof."

"Good. Get out, now!"

"Okay, okay, keep your halo on. There, that better?"

Fluff shook his head, then released a bowel shaking growl before making a good show of looking around in surprise at where he was. Unfortunately Dr Huntley, who must have been forgotten by Ogunwe at Fluff's untimely reappearance, woke up, and for a moment he got a close up view of a thing that normally existed only in most peoples nightmares.

"Aarrgh! HOLY SHIT!"

Huntley half jumped, half stood, but only succeeded in tumbling backwards. Meanwhile, Fluff resumed his puppy disguise, and when Huntley popped up from behind the toppled camping chair, it was to see Fluff the puppy sitting opposite the fire. Ogunwe and I did our best to act nonchalant and look like we hadn't noticed anything untoward, which, given what just happened, was probably the most suspicious thing we could possibly have done.

"Hello, Aveline? You still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here, Grant."

"Good, 'cause remember what I told you about learning some moves from your heavenly friend there? Better get on with it, time's a wastin' and you gotta hustle. She knows you're comin'."

"Wait, what? She knows? Hello? Hello?" The phone was dead. I put it back in my pocket and stared at Ogunwe, then told him and Fluff in what I now thought of as telepathic speech; "Ghree knows. Somethings up."

Fluff sniffed at the air, then walked a little way beyond the fire, staring down the road towards Mahla. Huntley stood and stared at Fluff with a suspicious look, then did the same to Ogunwe and me, who were silently watching each other.

"Something comes," said Fluff, who took off down the road into the night, his light paw steps changing into heavy drumming as he charged towards an inky darkness that had begun to swallow up the stars.