Spring arrived early. It brought sunny skies, a fresh scent to the air, and memories that beckoned Louis to tears. He faced the stone again by the light of the morning sun. It had been a year since Diane’s death. Louis knew what day it was in the early morning without even checking. It was as if the calendar whispered details of the memory in his ear. He had a difficult time believing so much time had passed, and felt sad for not visiting her grave more often.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been here more often. I don’t know honey, I feel like a ghoul standing over your body like this. You’re not really here,” he said, placing a rose on the ground in front of the headstone. He brought a small white candle, which he pulled out of his pocket and lit. He stood it next to the rose. “What do I say? I guess I’ll just talk.”
“Bruce is with me. He’s flying around somewhere. I guess he needs the exercise. We make quite a mismatched team.” He sighed and knelt down. “I’m trying to move on with things, and I know it’s what you’d want, but it’s still so damn difficult. I guess it would be hard enough without being the product of the ultimate mixed marriage. I’m limited in everything I do because of B’lial. It’s like he’s holding me back. The only positive thing that’s happened concerning him is my throwing him out of the house. B’lial vowed that he would get me somehow after that. I’ve been paranoid ever since. I’m even afraid to talk to friends, so I don’t. I don’t even feel safe talking casually to anyone on the streets. He could just grab someone, anyone, and threaten to kill the person if I don’t do what he asks. God, if he ever did that I’d be trapped.” He shook his head in defeat. “Well, enough about that. It’s another thing I’m working on. A work in progress.” Louis stood up when he heard Bruce’s wings flapping overhead. The raven returned to his shoulder and cackled.
“I miss you, and I love you. Always.” Louis said. “I’ll be back soon.”
He knew he’d never get used to visiting the cemetery, and dreaded the thought of returning.
Louis checked his voicemail when he got home and was surprised that John Tindili had left him another message, stating that a call back was urgent. When he got Tindili on the phone, the man sounded utterly exhausted.
“Louis, thanks for calling me back. I’ve got an odd case that I need you to take a look at with me,” Tindili said breathlessly. “It’s bad, I can’t get into the details over the phone, but I managed to get clearance to bring in an outside specialist. You’re it, so consider this your first real case on your own.”
“I guess that means I’m getting paid, huh? Not that I really need it. Where do you want to meet?” Louis asked.
“There’s a Roman Catholic church about eight blocks up from you. I’ll meet you out front in about twenty minutes,” Tindili said. “Please, if you don’t mind, come alone.”
“Sure. I’ll be there,” Louis said. He hung up the phone and went outside to his car. He took the MG. With traffic a bit snarled, Tindili was already there when he arrived.
“Glad you could make it on such short notice,” Tindili said shaking hands with Louis. “I wish we could be meeting under better circumstances.”
“It’s good to see you John, under any circumstances. Now tell me what’s going on. Why are we at a church? Have you suddenly seen the light?” Louis grinned with sarcasm.
“Real funny. Follow me,” Tindili said, walking around to the side of the church. “This church has a homeless shelter in the basement. It’s been there for as long as I can remember. I think I might have mentioned it to you before, but there have some killings lately. Homeless people. They all looked like they were mauled by something. So far the only thing that forensics could come up with was maybe a pack of wild dogs or an escaped bear from the zoo. We checked, and nothing has escaped from the zoo, so that’s out already.”
“Where are we going?” Louis asked .
“We found him behind the building,” Tindili said as they rounded the corner leading to the back alley behind the church. “The priest that runs the shelter said he’d been living here for a few weeks. It checks out. The victim didn’t have a record. I can’t tell you his name because you’re not officially here.”
The scent of blood and flesh should have warned Louis, but he was paying too much attention to what Tindili was saying to notice. The sight that met his eyes when he stood in the back alley shocked him beyond anything he would have expected to see.
There were several officers taping off the area, and others were taking pictures and picking up evidence with tweezers and swabs, but Louis could clearly see that there was a man stuck to the side of the building. He walked closer, with the overpowering smell of dead flesh flaring his nostrils, and saw that the man had his shirt ripped open, and his entire chest had been torn to shreds, with flaps of skin hanging loose and ribs poking out. From below his neck, to just above his waist, the man was an empty hole. He had been gutted from head to hips. Louis scanned the area, but could not see any of the victim’s internal organs anywhere. The man had been pinned to the wall of the building by what looked to be two of his own broken ribs. They had pierced both of his shoulders and held him up.
“I’m thinking that whoever did this was incredibly powerful to be able to send those ribs through the body and the bricks behind it. I’m surprised the bones held up.” Tindili said. “Let’s take a walk,” he whispered to Louis.
“You think it was my father, don’t you?” Louis muttered, walking from the scene.
“The thought had occurred to me, yeah,” Tindili replied dryly. “Does he eat his victims? There’s evidence that the guy’s internals were partially consumed. Bite marks. They’re still swabbing up little pieces now.”
“Not that I know of,” Louis said. He thought about it, and it seemed all-wrong. B’lial was in the business of soul stealing, not turning people into take-out food.
“We found something strange with the body, an old fashioned hand mirror. ‘Obscure’ was written on it in blood,” Tindili said. “Mean anything to you?”
The two stopped walking when they reached the front of the church again. Louis looked at Tindili and shook his head.
“I don’t smell him here either. I know what his scent is, and it’s not here. It’s not like he’d be able to mask it with deodorant or something either. B’lial doesn’t eat people, he steals their souls. This isn’t his work,” Louis said.
“How can you be sure?” Tindili asked.
“I just told you. Besides, he would have taunted me with the knowledge of what he was doing. If he did this, I’d know about it already.” Louis lit a cigarette and exhaled a thick dusty cloud. “It’s someone else. This whole area has the stink of demon to it, but it’s odd. I’ve been close to a couple of demons, and they didn’t smell like this. There’s something different about it; something more.”
“You’re starting to sound freakier every time I talk to you,” Tindili sighed. “Can you help me out on this one?”
“Sure, I can try. Now, about the mirror, you said it’s old-fashioned?” Louis asked.
“Yeah. It’s already on its way to the lab. I think it was brass.” Tindili chuckled. “Had to be at least as old as I am. The word on it threw me. What do you think it means?”
“I haven’t got a clue. Give me some time, and keep me posted if you find out anything else,” Louis said. “I’ll do some checking on my own. Any prints?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary; the priest, some of the residents of the shelter,” Tindili replied. “I’m going to have to wait until tonight to get the specs on what could have made the slashes.”
“I’ll be waiting to hear from you,” Louis said. “Unless you hear from me first.”
“Now get out of here before people start asking me why you’re back,” Tindili smacked him on the back. “I don’t want to have to go into details.”
Louis drove away feeling confused. He recognized the scent from the alley, but he couldn’t place from where. An animal or a conventional weapon didn’t do the deed, that he was sure of. Could it have been a demon? The scent, it was uncertain. The mirror though, that was odd. How did it fit? What did the word on it have to do with the murder? A message, perhaps?
He decided to mull it all over, and return at night, when he could try to communicate with the dead man’s spirit, his shadow, if it was still there. If he couldn’t, he’d contact Father Culp, the priest that professed to “know” his father. At the very least Louis knew he could force Culp to tell him if B’lial was responsible for the murders. Shaking down a priest, even a corrupt one, wasn’t exactly something he wanted to do, but he would if there was no other option.
After a quick stop in “The Pit and the Page”, to double-check some more information on Bruce’s unique situation, Louis drove home. He related the details of his encounter with Tindili and the murder to Bruce.
“I want to go back to the alley tonight, but before anything else, I have some good news for you. I stopped in the bookstore on the way home to look up one last piece of the puzzle. Everything checked out okay, so it’s time to contact Put Satanachia.”
Bruce, who stood on the kitchen table, squawked loudly and nodded like a headbanger at a heavy metal concert.
Louis got the demon sweat from the safe upstairs and then had Bruce accompany him down to a section of the basement that he had cleared of fitness equipment. He’d walled it off recently so that it was a separate room. It didn’t take him much to put up a simple sheetrock wall with a door that locked. He stripped the floor so that it was bare concrete, and filled the room with candles of all shapes and sizes. Some of them rested in sconces on the walls, while others crowded together in candelabras. He had created a room where it would be safe to contact creatures from the other side.
Regarding Bruce’s predicament, Louis tried to look at all the possibilities with an open mind. He deduced that since Bruce did not actively seek to possess the body of a raven, and was not an unrest spirit to begin with, an exorcism would not work. The rules of possession did not apply. So that was when he decided to build the room. He had set up a wooden perch for Bruce to stand on the previous night, when he was finally satisfied that Put Satanachia truly existed. Bruce had to be in the category of being a familiar, like a cat that a witch would have.
It had taken days of heavy reading, and quite a bit of help from Elizabeth at the bookshop. He asked her to help him on the condition that she wouldn’t ask any questions, and promised to explain things to her someday. Reluctantly, she agreed to help, expressing doubt that he would ever level with her about it. The pair worked well together, and Louis began to count her among his few friends in the world. Had he not been trapped in the world that B’lial had introduced him to, he might have called her more eventually.
Elizabeth was very knowledgeable about the occult and together, after countless cigarettes, a few cigars, and pot after pot of the chocolate raspberry coffee that Louis had brought, they found enough information to rationalize that the demon existed.
Put Satanachia was a demon that dealt mostly with witches, but he also had quite a following of his own in Hell. Witches were his main focus on earth. Supposedly, he could be contacted through simple divination, and for a price, such as a witch’s beauty or an innocent soul, he would create a familiar for them using the body of a small animal. He preferred using cats because of their inherent devious nature, but would use others if the payment were sufficient. Louis had a different way to reach him; a method that he thought was much safer.
After lighting over a dozen candles strategically positioned around his safe circle, Louis stood in the center of the room. For a moment, he just smiled as felt proud for his sudden handy work in creating the room. Then he set to work. He drew a pentacle on the floor around him for protection, just in case, and put the jar of demon sweat on the floor next to his feet. Then he called out to his shadow.
“I need a gateway opened to Hell, but I need it to be specifically leading to the domain of the demon called Put Satanachia. Nowhere else. When he arrives, if he makes any attempt to pass through the gate, close it immediately.” Sweat began to form on his brow. He was terrified of what he was doing, but felt that he had no choice. If there was a way to allow Bruce’s soul to move on, he had to at least attempt it. “Do you understand what I am asking of you?” The shadow nodded. “Okay, then let’s do it.”
The shadow momentarily blurred, then began to widen until it had become a black hole large enough to walk through. An eerie red haze of light emanated from the center of it. Louis remembered his quick trip to Hell, and wondered what it would be like to pass through the opening. He was curious about Put Satanachia’s realm and what it would be like, but let the idea pass as he got up his nerve to continue.
“I call for an audience with Put Satanachia,” he called out forcefully, ignoring the weakness he suddenly felt in his knees. “Let him come forth.”
“Who seeks me?” resounded a gravelly voice from the dark opening.
“I am called Louis Simon Darque. I am the forsaken son of B’lial,” Louis replied. He could see nothing near the opening, and wondered if the demon was actually there.
“What do you seek of me Demonson? Why does a half-breed of earth seek counsel with I, the commander of many in the pits, and the creator of those familiar, sought after by the hags of the Arts.” Suddenly the towering form of Put Satanachia stood in the doorway. Only the upper half of him was visible, so he must have been quite tall. His body was muscular like B’lial’s, but for a head, he had that of a lion, with gleaming golden eyes. In his hands he carried serpents that hissed loudly, twisting about as if they were trying to reach through the doorway. The demon stepped forward in an attempt to pass through the opening made by Louis’ shadow, but stopped dead in his tracks. Put Satanachia grunted when he couldn’t pass through, and nodded, silently acknowledging that there was a barrier there.
“You’ve created a familiar for my father, who in turn, gave him to me as a gift. I have him here with me.” Louis spoke carefully, forcing his voice not to waver, trying to push himself beyond the fear that threatened to make him run out of the room.
“I see that,” The demon said. He laughed and pointed at Bruce. “He is one that has been human before, but plagued with cravings that were his undoing. The little beast is a fine creation.”
“I have no need of my father’s gift and respectfully request that you set him free,” Louis’ words came out quickly, casually and without stammering. He surprised himself with their strength.
The demon laughed again, though it was by far much louder than before.
“A bold request. You ask a demon to set a soul free?” Put Satanachia said when he regained his composure. “Are you that ignorant, or that much of a fool? If I had a quarrel with your father, I might indeed consider doing such a thing, if only to irk him and provoke a battle. But I have no such quarrel, and I am not in the business of freeing those I have created. Perhaps, if you had something to bargain with, another soul to exchange for his, even a blood sacrifice; something of worth to me.”
Louis had hoped from the beginning that the demon would not seek to bargain with him. He was not prepared for that, and didn’t have enough knowledge of Heaven and Hell to do such a thing without fearing failure. For a moment he thought he was indeed a fool for not being fully prepared, but then dismissed the thought because he did not summon the demon for a bargain.
There was no point in trying to find out any other way to free Bruce from Put Satanachia. He would give nothing without a price too heavy for him to pay. It hurt him that he couldn’t help Bruce, but he would try other ways.
“A bargain in any form is not acceptable,” Louis said. “I’m not one to haggle in these matters.”
“Then my creation stays as such,” the demon replied, “indestructible, memoryless, and feathered quite nicely in black.”
“Then there is no further need for discussion between us,” Louis responded, trying to sound as if he had authority in his voice. “Thank you for your audience, and I respectfully bid you farewell.”
“Be forewarned. I’ll not have words with you again without payment in one form or another before I arrive, and I’ll have need of an unguarded gateway to the world of men,” Put Satanachia said, stepping away from the opening. “Farwell Demonson.”
“Close up!” Louis shouted to his shadow. The darkness of the opening suddenly vanished, Louis’ shadow with it. Suddenly, he gasped for air and felt drained, tired. His arms were heavy and his breathing came with a labored wheeze.
“I’m sorry Bruce,” he said, turning to the raven with sadness in his eyes. “I tried, but you saw and heard the whole thing. There’s nothing I can do right now. We can’t bargain with him without hurting ourselves or someone else in the long run.” The raven landed on Louis’ shoulder and chirped quietly. “There’s got to be another way, and we’ll find it somehow. I just have to look for more options. Research some more,” he said, leaning a hand on the wall to hold himself steady. “I’m really beat. That took a lot more out of me than I expected,” he acknowledged. “I haven’t got time to rest though. There’s still a matter of getting in touch with the spirit of that murder victim I told you about.
“I’ll be back soon.” Louis grabbed a short candle and called to his shadow. After telling it his destination, he was engulfed in its darkness and in the blink of an eye, transported back to the alley behind the church. The body had been removed and scene was marked with tape so it wouldn’t be disturbed.
He stepped over the ‘crime scene’ tape and put the candle on the ground, below the section of wall where the body was, and lit it with by force of will. The tiny flame brought many shadows. He hoped one of them would be the murder victim.
“If you’re here, I need to know it,” he said out loud.
The silhouette of a man appeared within the tape outline on the brick wall, still pinned there. It moaned and struggled to speak. Louis approached it slowly uncertain about what he should say.
“You!” the shadow shouted. “You did this to me!”
“No. It wasn’t me,” Louis assured him. “I need you to tell me who it was, so I can help. You can tell me, please.”
“You. He was the same as you,” the shadow said.
“A demon or a man did this to you?” Louis asked, unsure of what the shadow meant.
“No. It was like you,” the shadow continued to moan, reliving his death again.
“I’m not sure what you mean, but I know that you don’t have to be here any longer. What’s done is done. Let go of your death and move on. Please, don’t let yourself suffer anymore.”
The shadow moved, as if it was pulling itself down from the wall.
“Over?” it said, standing face to face wit Louis.
“Yes. It’s over.” Louis sensed that the man had a kind heart from a difficult life. He had already been absolved of sin. “Go, let yourself leave this place and move to the light,” he urged. “It’s there somewhere. I’m sure you can see it.”
Suddenly the candle went out and the shadow was gone, replaced by the glowing wings of a tiny butterfly. It vanished like a blinking star. Louis felt a wave of warmth pass over him and he knew that the man had let go and moved on. He felt a lump form in his throat. He’d just witnessed a soul go to Heaven. Awestruck was not a powerful enough word to describe how he felt. He didn’t know what to call it, but he knew he’d never feel quite the same way about dying again. It was the most moving experience he’d ever had, and it had touched him with hope.
For a while he merely stood there, unthinking, lost to himself. When he finally came to his senses, he was so exhausted that it was a struggle to find a voice to call to his shadow with. He appeared back in the basement room. The candles were still lit, but the door was wide open. Bruce had long gone upstairs.
It was a slow-moving process, but he blew out the candles and headed upstairs with the jar of demon sweat. By the time he reached the third floor he was completely exhausted and covered in cold perspiration. He was surprised to have made it that far without having to stop and rest, but he was afraid to, thinking he wouldn’t be able to continue on if he took a break. He never remembered being so tired before in his entire life.
His mind filed away what the shadow said about someone like him being the murderer. He couldn’t think straight enough at that moment to ponder it any further, and the situation definitely needed to be thought about with a clear head.
Drained as he was, he still felt the elation of a success well-earned, and the warmth of being touched by Heaven. It had been quite an eventful day. He had made contact and communicated with a demon, with, to his knowledge, no difficulty or side effects, and also helped a soul move on. There was no price paid, other than his exhaustion, and he guessed that even that would improve with experience. He was more confident that if he were careful, he could eventually learn how to free Bruce and perhaps even defeat his father. Time would not be a barrier, since he knew he wouldn’t be growing old. There was a light on at the end of the tunnel, and it was growing brighter with every little triumph.
It was a struggle getting to his bedroom after putting the demon sweat away. He craved a cigarette just to have something to focus on while he went over everything in his head again, but his lighter was gone, and he was too tired to light one with his mind.
“Bruce, where’s my lighter?” he called out with a yawn. “You’re not hiding things on me are you?” He fumbled for a book of matches from the nightstand next to the bed, but found that his fingers couldn’t find their way to lighting one, too tired. He fell back on the bed and passed out. He slept deeply until the next morning.
When Louis woke, he got out of bed and was surprised that he didn’t ache all over. From what he remembered, before he passed out he was in bad shape. There was a halo of light around the thick drapes, so he pulled them aside to see what the day looked like, and immediately regretted doing so. The mid-morning sun hit him full in the face, burning his eyes as if he hadn’t seen light in days. He jumped back and laughed to himself when he thought of how he must have resembled a vampire cringing in agony. Rubbing his eyes, he reopened the drapes and allowed himself a moment to get used to the light again, letting his face feel the warmth of the sun.
“I haven’t slept like that in years,” Louis said to himself. He felt refreshed and had a clear head. “Bruce,” he called out, walking into the den, “where are you?”
He saw typing on the paper in the typewriter and quickly scanned it.
Bruce typed:
DID NOT TAKE LIGHTER SLEEP TOO LONG OUT TO FLY HUNGRY
“Lighter?” Louis said, only vaguely remembering that he’d lost it. “Oh, so he’s out and about for a snack because I slept away the day.”
He wondered if Bruce ate things that normal ravens would eat. He knew the bird had eaten scraps of regular food, because he’d given him some, but the thought of Bruce pecking at a dead rodent or some such on the side of a rode gave him a chill. Did he have the appetite and desires of a raven? Louis hoped he didn’t because that would be even more degrading to him than his transformation. He couldn’t begin to imagine Bruce mating. Since they’d partnered up he thought of him as a man too often.
Put Satanachia certainly seemed to enjoy his work. Louis had sinking feeling that the demon was going easy on him when he didn’t press for some sort of bargain, and didn’t want to run into him again unless he absolutely had to.
He returned to the bedroom and searched through assorted piles of clothing for something clean to wear. Louis had been neglecting to do the laundry ever since he’d begun to research Put Satanachia. There just wasn’t any time. He would have to remedy that soon or wear dirty clothes.
He scrubbed himself raw in a steaming shower until he felt the grime of the previous day’s nervous sweat rinse away. After he dressed, he went downstairs with an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips, frustrated. He still couldn’t find his lighter, and suddenly there were no matches anywhere to be found. He ended up lighting the cigarette on an oven burner and then made some very strong coffee.
Bruce flew in through the kitchen window carrying half of a hotdog, with the crumbs from a bun littering his feathers. He looked truly comical to Louis, as if he were smoking a cigar and had a terrible case of dandruff.
“Ah, out for a snack, huh?” Louis laughed. “I see you’ve been hitting the street venders.” He brushed the crumbs from Bruce’s feathers and pointed to the hotdog. “You know, those things aren’t really good for you.”
Bruce cackled and walked over to Louis’ cigarettes. He shook his head and kicked the pack across the table, knocking them on the floor.
“Okay I get the idea, but I was only kidding.” He smiled and mashed out his cigarette. He was surprised when he heard the doorbell ring, accompanied by several loud knocks.
“Who the hell would be coming to see me?” he said, walking to the door. “Tindili knows better, and Jean is on vacation this time of the year.” He looked through the peephole and started to laugh hysterically.
Bruce had perched himself on the coat rack next to the door and began to caw. Louis turned to face him, but couldn’t stop laughing.
“I can’t believe this.” His eyes were tearing. “I’ve seen these people before. They’re from Jehovah’s Witness. Can you believe it? Going door to door? Especially in this neighborhood!” He wiped his eyes and forced himself to stop laughing. “Of all places to try to peddle their religion. I’ve always wanted to mess with them somehow. They’re such a pain. Worse than door to door salesmen,” Suddenly, Louis’ eyes glowed bright red. He unlocked and swung the door open in one swift movement, and struck his head outside.
“Boo!” he shouted. There were two young men and an older woman standing on his porch. Surprised, they backed off. “Hey, I’d like to talk to you about religion. Would you like to come inside where we can have a discussion?”
he said, glaring at them, eyes glowing blood-red. As one, they turned and ran into the street.Louis closed the door and leaned back on it laughing like he hadn’t been able to for months.
“That was great. Did you see the look on their faces! It was classic.” He held his stomach and looked at Bruce. “Well, do you think they’ll come back with reinforcements?”
The raven shook his head and cackled what sounded like laughter.
“No, I don’t think so either.”
After eating a quick breakfast of sliced apple and toast, Louis returned to the basement. He wanted to check and make sure that the gate had truly been closed, with nothing coming through unnoticed by either Bruce or himself. When he was satisfied that everything was okay, he cleaned up the candle wax from the floor and locked the door behind him. He still felt elated that nothing had gone wrong, but in the back of his mind he was still expecting the other shoe to drop.
The positive emotions stayed with him over the course of the following weeks, and he couldn’t keep the memory of the people from Jehovah’s Witness too far away either. It was always good for a laugh, and kept him in high spirits. He wished he could tell Elizabeth about it on one of his visits to the bookstore, but there was no way that he could.
He began to leisurely spend time at home, getting used to not having a normal routine or job. Searching through the library for an unread book had become the norm, and he enjoyed reading on the balcony purely for recreation. His workouts became consistent, and his mind was focused enough to allow him nightly jogs without the paranoid feeling of being watched by something other than a fellow human.
There was a feeling of safety and freedom, because tucked away in his sock was a glass vial filled with demon sweat. It was as if he had woken from some of the horror his life had become and found that things weren’t as terrible as he had originally anticipated. He continued his research for Bruce, as well as himself, but no longer felt the panic of needing answers yesterday. There was urgency, yes, but it was realistic, as were his expectations.
The only real problem he had run into was the fact that he was losing things. Small objects, like car keys, cigarettes, lighters and even at times, money. The objects never turned up, even though he’d turn the brownstone upside-down trying to find them. He ruled out Bruce being the culprit after he found that nearly every morning when he got dressed, one of his socks was missing.
He couldn’t figure out what was happening, and beginning his days on an angry note started to take its toll on his temper. He’d end up pouncing around the room until he found another pair of socks, and then spend the rest of the morning snapping at anyone whose path he crossed. He nearly got into a fistfight with a hotdog vender when he refused to serve Bruce a bowl of chili.
Louis found out what the problem was. Oddly enough, the answer came while he sat on the balcony one night, with only the light of the moon and a slim candle to read by. The weather was pleasantly warm, and he lounged with his feet up against the railing.
“I need to talk to you. Can I?” he heard a voice say.
Louis jumped at the sound of the voice, and threw his book up in the air. It sailed over the railing, heading toward the street below. He got up and shook his head sadly, watching it land in a dirty puddle. “It figures.” he muttered under his breath. “There’s no saving that one.”
“Didn’t mean to scare you,” said the shadow of a thin man standing in the far corner of the balcony. “But I had to make myself known somehow.”
“Yeah, that’s what the last person that was dead said, and I got a bump on the head that time.” Louis looked over at the shadow. “Who are you, and what do you want?”
“My name doesn’t matter, I’m not here on a social call.” The shadow approached Louis and leaned against the iron railing of the balcony. “I’m here to warn you about Dantalian.”
“Who?” Louis asked.
“He’s the demon that screwed me up. That’s why I’m staying on earth. If I don’t, I’m going to Hell. I’d rather wander around here than-’’
“Get to the point, I’m still a little irritable from losing my book. It’s not going to be easy to replace.” Louis said, annoyed.
“Dantalian is stealing your stuff. It’s his way of getting to you. He’s a demon that can change a person’s thoughts from good to bad, just by messing with things in their life. He did it to me so badly that I killed someone in cold blood, and was damned for it,” the shadow said. “I was so stupid that I let him get to me, too. Of course, at the time, I didn’t know there was a real Hell. You’re different though, I can tell. You’re like them, a demon, but not. You can stop him.”
“If you’re looking for help because you’re damned, there’s nothing I can do. I can’t help you,” Louis said.
“I’m not looking for your help. This is my way of killing two birds with one stone. If you stop him, me and a whole lot of other people could avoid being under his thumb and going to Hell,” the shadow said. “He’ll have no hold on us if he no longer exists.”
“So you’re not just doing this out of the goodness of your heart, huh?” Louis smirked. “You could always just beg God for forgiveness, then maybe you won’t go to Hell after all.”
“I can take care of myself, it’s just going to take some time. I came here to tell you that he’s after you, that’s all. He’s got your stuff, and a whole lot more from other people,” the shadow warned him. “That’s the way he works.”
“How does he get inside my house without being invited?” Louis asked, remembering how that worked on B’lial.
“You actually invite him in when you think of something that he wants to corrupt,” the shadow said. “He has to be in your mind first, your brain, then when he leaves your body, he’s where you are. If that’s home, then he’s in your house.”
“And his name is Dantalian?” Louis asked skeptically.
“Yeah. Oh damn!” he replied, sounding panicky. “I can’t stay here anymore. I think he knows I’m here,” the inky shape said, suddenly fading to nothingness.
Louis felt a cold chill, and sensed that a demon had just passed him by. Dantalian? He blew the candle out, irritably thought about his ruined book for a moment, then walked back into the den thinking the situation over.
It hadn’t occurred to him that a demon could be responsible for his missing property, but it was a very good explanation. He suddenly felt very stupid for not considering it in the first place. It made sense, since he could never find any sign of a break-in.
“Why a demon though?” he said absently. “Why not just send some of those Imps or something.” He wondered about that, but was sure that he would find out soon enough.
He lit a cigarette and walked downstairs, his mind still racing with questions. He saw Bruce in the kitchen, staring out the window. There was an empty coffee cup next to him. Louis remembered filling it and putting it there a few hours ago.
“Bruce, why don’t you go out for a while? I’ll leave the window open so you can get back in whenever you want.” Louis grabbed a denim jacket from a closet by the front door and slipped into it. “I’m going to the book store. There are some things I need to look up. I’ll talk to you about it when I get back. We might have some work to do, depending on how things turn out.”
By the time Louis got to the book shop, he had less than an hour before the shop closed. He didn’t think it would take him that long to look up the demon that the shadow had told him about, if it actually did exist. He thought the whole thing could possibly just be a trap set by his father to lure him into Hell, but he needed to be sure, and had no desire to wait until morning.
Elizabeth greeted him as he walked in, as usual. But as she looked at him her eyes widened suddenly, fearfully.
“Louis! There’s something behind you!” she shouted. “Here, take this, hurry!” She took a necklace from around her neck and threw it to him.
Louis caught it, surprised at her shouts. He twisted around to look behind him, but saw that there was nothing there. He turned back to her with a confused expression.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “I don’t see anything.”
Elizabeth ran to him, pulled him all the way into the store, slammed and locked the door behind him. “Maybe he’s outside. Get in here, where it’s safe.”
She turned to face him, and the expression returned. “Your aura is bright, but there’s still something there, something black. I thought it was a demon coming up behind you, but now-’’
“Nonsense. I’m fine. Really,” Louis said, suddenly nervous at the idea of Elizabeth finding out about his mixed blood, his dark half.
“Stop it. I know what I see,” she said, perturbed. “It’s still there, like a dark shape looming behind you.”
“Maybe it’s just a trick of the light,” Louis said. “What is this anyway?” He said, holding out the necklace she had tossed to him, in an attempt to change the subject. “It stinks.”
“It’s a talisman used to ward off demons. I always wear it. If there was a demon here, whether I knew about it or not, it would have to leave. Whatever’s with you isn’t a demon.” She pulled the pendant of another necklace out of the front of her t-shirt. “This is a new one that I just got, The Pentacle Of Mars. It makes spirits visible, allowing the wearer to see them and communicate with them. I see one. I’m not sure how, but it’s you or inside you, or something,” she said, accusingly.
“And you think this thing really works?” Louis asked, trying to make it sound as if she was less than sane. “Maybe I’d just better leave.” He turned back to the door.
“No! Let’s see if I’m crazy,” she said, letting the pendant drop back to her chest. “Whatever you are, come out and let both of us see you,” she commanded.
Suddenly, Louis felt his shadow being pulled away from him. It stepped out of him and stood between he and Elizabeth.
“Now who’s crazy?” she said fearfully, pointing to Louis’ shadow.
“It’s my shadow,” Louis said with a defeated sigh. “We’d better talk.” He turned to his shadow. “Go back inside. And next time, don’t listen to anyone but me. Do you understand?” The shadow nodded and disappeared.
Elizabeth’s eyes bulged and she was visibly shaking. She looked at him with fear in her expression.
“You knew it was there all along? What are you?” her voice shuddered.
“I’m me. The same me you knew yesterday, and the day before that. The only difference is, you can see inside me now because of that smelly garbage you wear. I really never wanted to have to explain, but I see that I haven’t got a choice now. Is anyone else here?”
“No. It’s almost closing time,” she replied. “How do I know you’re you and not some creature?” Her eyes were filled with fear and her voice trembled slightly. “Somebody made to look like Louis.”
“A little while ago you told me you read my cards. You said I was a powerful man of divine law,” Louis said. “Would I know that if I wasn’t me? Would I be able to remember you saying it?”
“No.” She shook her head, confused.
“Then let’s go in the back and sit down. I’ll tell you all about it.” Louis walked with her to the back of the store.
“Do you want some coffee?” he asked, trying to lighten the mood. “I could use some myself. It’s been a long day.”
“You think I need to be more wired than I already am?” she replied, still pale. “No way.”
“You believe in what you sell here. You believe in good and evil, Heaven and Hell.” Louis sat down and sipped at a cup of coffee. He lit a cigarette and grinned tightly. “I don’t even know how to say this.” He thought for a moment, than just began to speak. “My father is a demon named B’lial. My mother was human, and quite rich. I never knew about B’lial until a little over a year ago, when my wife died,” he said, trying to sound as casual as he could under the circumstances. “He wanted me to work for him on earth, corrupting people and stealing souls. I refused him, so now he’s after me. The shadow, you thought it was a demon, but it’s just a part of me. It’s from my demon side.”
Elizabeth stared aimlessly off into space. It was as if she was in shock. When she finally spoke, her voice sounded as if it came from miles away.
“So that’s the family problem you’ve been researching. The demon we looked up. It’s all true. I thought I knew, thought I believed, but I guess I never really did. Now that it’s right in front of me-’’
“It’s scary, I know, believe me, I know. There’s really no way to prepare yourself for something like this.” Louis held her close for a minute, and felt how rigid, stiff, she was. Her body seemed to slowly melt in his arms, as if all the tension was leaving while she was in his embrace.
“What are you going to do?” she asked, pulling away. She stayed close enough to gently hold Louis’ arms. Her eyes reached his, mirroring his own fear and sadness. “B’lial is powerful. He’s right under Lucifer.”
“Well, I’ve been trying to find a way to destroy him, or at least keep him away from me. My greatest fear is that he’ll try to get to me by hurting someone close. Someone I care about. That’s why I’m always alone when I’m here, and it’s also why I can’t get close to you or anyone else unless I find a way to destroy him.”
He didn’t know how it began; he just knew that it happened. She moved closer to him, and he could smell the scent of her hair and skin. Then their lips fought each other and locked together with a deep breath. He pulled away, and turned from her.
“I’m sorry,” she said, holding her head low. “I don’t know how that happened.”
“Neither do I,” he said sadly. “But it felt natural, sweet enough for me to feel guilty about. Thanks.”
He was angry with himself. Diane had only been gone for a little over a year, and here he was in a little bookstore kissing the owner as if he was hungry for her tonsils.
Louis began to rationalize the situation, because he knew that Diane wanted him to go on living. He just never thought he would. He never allowed himself to think that he could care about anyone else like he did Diane. Maybe he never would care for anyone like that again, because it would be different. No one could or would take her place, but they could have a place of their own.
“I’m sorry about everything,” he said, looking directly into her eyes. The soft brown of them and their sadness touched him deeply.
“You must be so alone,” she said. Her eyes filled.
“I’m okay.” He wanted to hold her again, but pushed the feelings away like an unwanted dessert, locking away the thought of being close to her, of caring. “I need to leave. Now.”
“No. You can’t. You came here for a reason. You always have. What happened was an accident. We’re both stressed and upset too.” She leaned back, away from him. “You can’t stop doing your research, not because of anything between us. We’re adults, and friends, we can get past it. We’ll have to.”
“None of this has been easy for me since it began. Basically my entire life has been turned upside down and I’ve only recently begun to put things back together again. Remember when I asked you about demon sweat?” He pulled the slim vial from his sock and held it out to her. “This is some of it. I got it from a group of Imps I literally scared the hell out of in a grocery store.”
“If you have that, then there really isn’t anything to worry about. There isn’t a demon around that can tolerate it.” Her eyes lit up.
“I’ve thought so, but neither one of us really know that for a fact.” Louis shook his head. “I haven’t tried to use it yet, and you’ve never told me how you heard of it. Can we really be sure that it works; that it’s powerful enough?”
“I remember reading about it,” Elizabeth sighed and made a face, “but I can’t vouch for the credibility of the author. Too much of this stuff is just bullshit.”
“I may have a chance to test it. Something’s up and I need information about a demon named Dantalian. That’s why I came here to begin with,” Louis said, lighting a cigarette.
“I can tell you about him right off the top of my head.” Elizabeth said, lighting a cigarette of her own. “He’s a lower order of demon, and he works in odd ways to turn good people bad. That’s his power. He can sway judgment from right to left. Usually there is another demon involved. Dantalian tends to do the dirty work of others”
“That verifies what I’ve been told, except the part about working for other demons.” Abruptly, he stood up. “I’ve got to go. There’s something I have to do.”
“Let me come with you,” she said urgently. “I can help.”
“Are you crazy? No. It won’t be safe,” he replied.
“It’s okay. They can’t hurt me.” She tugged on his shoulder, and pulled him back down to his chair. “I’ve got my wards and talismans. After what happened here tonight, I know they work for real.”
“That’s not entirely true.” Louis stared into her pleading eyes with his own uncertainty. “The one that was supposed to ward off demons had no effect on me. I’m part demon.”
Elizabeth stared off.
“There has to be a reason for that,” she said, struggling for words. “You’re a man at heart, and that must be what it’s going by. Or maybe it’s because you’re not a demon or a human.”
“A ward doesn’t have the power to be selective,” he said. “It either works or it doesn’t. Until we know for sure that it works-’’
“What you’re doing sounds very dangerous, and I don’t want you to go alone,” she said. “What if something happens?”
“I’ll deal with it, but I won’t be alone. Remind me to tell you about Bruce sometime.” He stood up again. “I feel close to you, and you know things about me that nobody else does, but I can’t let you get any closer. Not now.”
“You need to know- I have to tell you-’’ she started to say, then cut herself off. She stood up and looked into his eyes. He held her tightly for a moment, then turned and walked out of the store without looking back.
Part 8
The basement room was completely dark until the candles were lit one by one from the glow in Louis’ eyes. Bruce stood on his perch quietly, still waiting for Louis to explain why he had left earlier, and why he had returned to the basement.
“I’m sorry I haven’t exactly been talkative or up front about what’s going on,” he said as he approached the wooden perch. “As usual for me these days, too much has been happening at once tonight, and I’m still trying to sort it all out.” He quickly explained the events of the past few hours to Bruce, though he conveniently left out what happened between him and Elizabeth. He felt too guilty and confused about the situation to confide in him yet.
“So now I want to contact that demon and find out why he’s doing this to me.” Louis looked at him with anger in his eyes. “If it gets out of hand, I’m going to try to use the demon sweat on him. It’s time that I got a little proactive.”
Bruce cackled in approval and hopped on Louis shoulder.
“You really think being that close is a good idea?” Louis asked.
The raven nodded and cawed.
“Okay, we’re in this together.” He had the jar of demon sweat at his feet, and held a small vial in his hand. He slipped it in his pocket just in case.
Louis called to his shadow and repeated the commands he’d made to it when contacting Put Satanachia. When the doorway was open, he felt a chill of fear rush through him, but there was too much anger bottled up for the fear to have any affect on him.
“Dantalian!” he shouted, throwing caution to the wind. “Come forth and speak with me!”
From afar he heard words spoken from a greasy voice. “I will not speak to you through this foolish hole leading into your world,” the demon said. “Either come to my world, or let me step inside yours. Are you too fearful to do either?”
A wide-shouldered, horned demon appeared in the doorway. He had a long thick beard that nearly stretched to his midsection, and thick brawny arms.
“I believe you have some of my property somewhere in that pit of yours.” Louis said, surprised at how cocky he sounded. Anger flowed through him like a wave of fire. “I want it all back, and I want to know why you were stealing from me.”
“Come here and find out for yourself,” Dantalian taunted, challenging him.
The entirety of Louis’ anger rose up within him and he fell for the demon’s challenge before he even realized it. Eyes glaring blood red, he brushed Bruce off of his shoulder and leaped through the black opening, into the pit without another word. A growl escaped his lips, he felt it form deep within his chest and just allowed it to grow and escape.
“Shadow, close the door and return to me!” he shouted, astonished at himself for having foolishly leaped into the lair of a demon.
The air smelled foul, and the ground was sulfur powdery and warm, with a red tinge to it. Louis surveyed his surroundings, held back nausea, and grew angrier. He stood in what resembled a cavern, the floor of which formed a pit, and was filled with small objects, broken toys and articles of clothing.
“You see the fruits of my labor!” the demon shouted triumphantly. “It never ceases to amaze me how much such trinkets and trash mean to mortals. When they lose such dribble they grow angry and fight with one another.”
“And that puts them in your power, huh?” Louis said. He was surprised at how calm he was, considering the circumstances.
“The sweetest man will bite your head off if he cannot find his keys and you stand in his way,” Dantalian said. “Am I correct, half-breed?”
Louis nodded and felt himself tense up. His upper back, near his shoulder blades began to throb with pain. He looked around him, to be certain that there were no other demons around and that nothing was jabbing him to cause the pain. When he was satisfied that it was just Dantalian and himself, he tried to ignore the feeling, filing it away as a muscle cramp.
“Why did you come after me? Did my father send you?” he asked, still trying to focus past the pain. It had grown worse, extending down his spine to his lower back.
“Apparently you made Philotanus angry by abusing his Imps. Never mess with Imps of the Fallen. He has commissioned me to teach you some respect,” Dantalian said sarcastically.
“Are you the one killing homeless people too?” Louis asked. He was trying to stall the demon by keeping him talking. He needed time a plan to get out of there alive. With the pain he felt, there was no doubt that he wouldn’t survive any type of physical confrontation.
“Their bodies have no use to me; it is their souls that are as food to me. I never soil my hands on human flesh. Unless of course, there is some demon blood flowing through it and I am paid well enough,” the demon said, trying to goad Louis into a confrontation.
“I didn’t come here to fight you,” Louis said. His mind was getting too clouded by the unexpected pain in his shoulders for him to think straight.
“You didn’t come to fight? Is the forsaken of B’lial a coward? Have you invented another reason to invade my domain?” Dantalian taunted, stepping toward Louis. “Have you learned to deceive, as we have for eternity and eternity yet to come?”
“You gave me a choice. I chose to be here rather than let you step into my world. That’s all,” Louis said angrily. “I haven’t invaded your realm.” Suddenly his hands cramped up and his head ached, throbbing with the quickening beat of his heart.
“You look soft and puny. No wonder why B’lial disowned you.” Dantalian held up his hands, claws bare and sharp. “I bet you bleed like a human.”
“Why not try to find out!” Louis’ response was instinctive and automatic. He reacted as if he was still a beat cop and the words he heard were a threat from a two-bit criminal on the streets. His eyes went wide with the sound of his own words. He couldn’t stop himself from saying them; anger and pain clouded his judgment. Throes of nausea threatened to explode in his belly and send him to the cinders of the ground.
“You’re about to find out why the Lord was mistaken in giving man a mouth by which to speak,” Dantalian proclaimed. “Your words have just destroyed any hope of you ever returning to your home!”
The demon sprang at Louis, talons raking across his chest in one swipe, shredding shirt, flesh, and scraping bone. Louis was knocked down by the shear force of the blow and howled in pain as blood poured from the wounds. He held his chest, feeling the tatters of wet flesh with his hands. Dantalian stood over him and pounded on his back.
“Turn over and face me fleshling!” Dantalian shouted between blows. “Learn that there is more joy in pain than pleasure ever knew! I won’t kill you, but you’ll never leave this pit and learn of suffering!”
Louis’ body became a wound, with each breath becoming fiery pain. Then suddenly, even as Dantalian’s fists pounded on him, the pain fled like an unwanted relative. He felt his shoulders grow and widen, heard the bones crackle and pop. His hands thickened, widened, and grew dark claws. His skin itched and became the color of charcoal as sickening wet ripping sounds announced his new wings growing into the world, tearing through the flesh of his back.
Dantalian stopped his barrage as he witnessed Louis’ transformation. His eyes widened in astonishment as Louis stood his full height.
“Nothing has ever been said of you being one of us in body!” the demon shouted. “But this looks to be new to you as well!”
Two tiny horns protruded from the side of Louis’ skull. His skin had thickened with scales and resembled armor. His wings tensed, and a new prehensile, pointed tail flicked around behind him. In horror, he looked down at his own razor edged hands, shredded clothes, and became hysterically enraged.
“You did this to me you bastard!” he shouted, diving at Dantalian with claws bared.
The two locked arms and grappled together in a dance of death. Claws ripped through flesh, and blows echoed throughout the chamber like a clap of thunder in the night.
Louis forced himself to think, to fight and think. He didn’t understand what had happened to him during the wild assault, but his rage and new body was allowing him to fight back, to actually hurt Dantalian. He threw himself off the demon and huffed scarlet flames from his nose and mouth, fighting for breath from the exertion. His wounds healed immediately. He saw that from the gore dripping down Dantalian’s chest that the demon’s did not.
He leaped at the demon again, and the pair locked arms and soared down into the pit of trinkets, sending up a thundercloud of doll heads, keys, and socks. The objects burst into flames in the gangrenous stink of the cavern, beneath a corrosive-looking sky.
Among the discarded, Louis battled Dantalian for his freedom. He sunk his hand into the demon’s eye and was rewarded with a splash of filth as the orb exploded. He kicked the demon further down into the mire of trinkets and found that he could soar in the air with his new wings. His clothes were scraps held on by thread and the scabs of fresh wounds, but he felt the vial of demon sweat in what remained of his pants.
He tore the cloth, grasped the vial in a hand he was not skilled in using, and threw the vial at Dantalian as the demon, wounds gurgling even more brackish fluid, pulled his way out of the pit. The tiny vial hit Dantalian in the side of his throat, and burst against his thick hide. Dantalian exploded in icy blue flames, howling wildly in hellish agony until he was reduced to a pile of foul smelling slime and ashes.
Louis was overcome by elation and soared through the air, howling with a voice he didn’t recognize. When the realization of his transformation again dawned on him, he panicked, and let himself drift down to the cindery ground.
He began to sob uncontrollably when he looked at his hands, and watched his tail wave across his line of sight.
“This isn’t me,” he proclaimed tearfully, squeezing his eyes shut. “I’m a man; I’m not like my father. There was nothing in the books about this happening!”
There was pain again, throughout his entire body. His flesh crawled, itching madly. He tore at it with his razor claws to ease the pain and perhaps pierce his own heart to end his life as a demon, but as his talons raked the gray hide, it sliced open like the skin of an orange, to reveal the soft flesh of a man beneath it. Excitement made him rip at himself like a madman until his demon-like outer cover was reduced to a steaming bubbling pile of sludge at his feet.
Louis, wracked with pain and exhaustion, fell to one knee and called to his shadow with a voice that was a mere hoarse whisper.
“Take me home,” he said to it, shivering, naked and breathless, covering the scabbed wound on his chest with folded arms. “To my bedroom.”
The split second of frigid passage was all he needed to send him flat on his face on the cold wooden floor of his bedroom. Louis didn’t even have the strength to pull himself on his bed and slide beneath the comfort of the warm blankets. In the distance, he heard the flap of Bruce’s wings, and was relieved that the raven was there.
Bruce landed on the floor, near Louis’ face and cackled. He nudged him lightly in the forehead with his beak, than pulled away when he saw Louis move.
“I’m freezing.” Louis’ words were a weak struggle, his limbs trembling. “I-’’ He could find no more words, and simply passed out.
Bruce kicked off of the floor and flew around the room slowly. He saw the piles of clothes, clean and dirty, strewn about the room, and began to swoop down and retrieve some off them. He dropped them on Louis until he was fairly covered in several layers to warm him.
The raven perched himself on the window directly across from him and stayed there, guarding his friend through the night. He did not leave his side until the following afternoon, when Louis began to stir.
“I-” Louis tried to speak, but his throat felt as if someone walked through it wearing dirty work boots. He felt sore, and his skin burned and tingled as if his entire body was covered with pins and needles. Rallying what strength he had, Louis turned over on his side and shrugged away some of the clothes covering him. He immediately regretted doing that when the chill of the floor bit at him.
It was a struggle, but he rose to his knees, suddenly glad for the cold, because it forced him to move even though he had no desire to do so. Images of what happened in Dantalian’s domain flashed through his mind, and he felt his eyes fill with tears. He was grateful to be home, but the thought of what he had become filled him with horror.
He had finally come to terms with his new abilities, and was learning to be comfortable with them, but now the transformation that twisted his body into a parody of his father had destroyed it all.
Louis forced himself to stop thinking and start moving. He struggled to the bathroom and slid into the shower. He had to use both hands, but was able to turn on the water. Feeling, normal feeling, returned to his limbs. The chill was swept from his body by steaming water and the last of his clothes came off as rags. He scrubbed and drank until he felt alive again.
“Thanks for covering me up Bruce. I really owe you one,” he said when he found his voice again. He staggered out of the shower, still not in complete control of his balance. He leaned back against the wall and took deep breaths to halt the spinning in his head. “I can’t believe what happened,” he said numbly. “I can’t believe what I did.”
He pushed himself off the wall and took careful steps to his bedroom, where he put fresh sweatpants on and climbed into bed.
“I need to tell you what happened,” he said to Bruce, who had moved to the nightstand. “Right now I’m still too exhausted. Later,” he added, falling back into the pillows.
Louis had hoped that his sleep would be dreamless, but periodically he saw a flash of what his body looked like as a demon from his own perspective. He saw his arms out in front of him, thick fingers and sharp claws. He saw the tips of his bat-like wings and the dusty color of his skin. The flashes sent him tossing and turning in bed, but it did not wake him.
When he did wake up several hours later, he found that his body had completely replenished itself. He felt fine, and looked to be a few pounds lighter. There were no marks on him from his battle with Dantalian, not even on his chest, where the skin had been to torn up.
“Thanks for staying with me Bruce,” he said to the raven, who had remained in the same place on the nightstand as he was when Louis went to sleep. “You’ve been a real trooper through everything. I’m afraid after you find out what happened you’re going to be a little disappointed with me. You might even be pissed or afraid to stay here now.”
“I’m scared of what happened myself,” he flipped the blankets off and sat up. Hunger made itself known in the form of a painful cramp. He was famished. “I need to eat.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “I still can’t believe what happened. Damn it!” The thought of him unintentionally becoming exactly what his father wanted made his stomach tie itself into knots.
He put a robe on and went into the den to get the typewriter, and went downstairs to the kitchen. It wasn’t an easy walk, he was still a bit off balance at times, but between cursing himself and being extra careful, he made it. Bruce met him there. As soon as Louis put the typewriter down on the table, Bruce hopped on it and began to tap out words:
WHY YOU GO HELL
DANGER
WHAT HAPPENED
“That’s a long story.” Louis started to make himself breakfast, even though the sun was going down. He craved eggs, pancakes, and bacon. It felt as if he had been out for a night drinking, and needed a big breakfast to tell his body that it was over. He got to the refrigerator and filled his arms with food.
“When Dantalian challenged me, I don’t know what came over me. I think it might have been a little of everything. I just let it all loose when I dove through the doorway into his realm. It wasn’t just anger, even though I’ve been holding so much of it in. I guess I’m sick and tired of being helpless and getting pushed around by everyone.” Louis started to scramble eggs while watching the bacon so that it didn’t burn too much.
Louis went on to explain everything to Bruce, from Philotanus being the one behind Dantalian stealing from him, to the horror of his own physical transformation into a demon. He blurted it all out and waited for Bruce curse him out.
Bruce typed:
YOU BECAME ONE OF THEM
“Yeah. I’m not exactly sure why or how it happened, only that it did. But as soon as I didn’t need it anymore, my outer appearance became like a suit of demon flesh. A shell. I tore it off and I was normal under it. It was gross.” Louis tried not to think of the steaming pile that his skin had become as he flipped a few pancakes, fearing that he’d lose his appetite. “I think it may have been a defense system or something.”
Bruce typed:
DANTALIAN DEAD
“I think I killed Dantalian, yes, but I didn’t think demons could die. During our fight, I healed simultaneously while I was a demon, he didn’t. I thought that was strange. I beat on him pretty bad, then used the demon sweat.” Louis said, putting a plate with a pancake on it in front of Bruce. He sliced into tiny pieces and added syrup. “He exploded. If there was anything left of him I didn’t see it.”
“Join me so I don’t feel like a slob,” Louis said, sitting down with two full plates of food for himself.
Bruce typed:
MORE SYRUP
EGGS
“Okay, here.” He tossed some of his eggs onto Bruce’s plate and added syrup to his pancake. “Do you realize how ridiculous this looks? If anyone ever walked in on us like this I think we’d both get put away.” He started to laugh, but saw that his statement was not amusing to Bruce, and stopped in mid-breath.
“Anyway, Dantalian won’t be bothering us anymore. I think maybe Philotanus will leave us alone too, considering how I killed his ‘hit man’, if Dantalian is truly dead. I need to find out about that somehow.” He drank from a tall glass of grapefruit juice. “I couldn’t believe how powerful I was. Once I figured out how to move and how strong I was, Dantalian was nothing to me. I dropped him like a bad habit.”
Bruce stopped pecking at his eggs and typed:
KILL B’LIAL
“Yeah, I think it’s possible now. We may be free of him sooner than we thought. The whole transformation thing bothers me though. I think I’m going to have to figure out how it works; even though I never want to go through it again. I need to know if I can turn it on and off or something. I thought about it before I passed out. Like I said before, it could be a defense mechanism or maybe even just a manifestation of my dark side when I let loose. Which means I’m really not a human or a demon. I’m like a totally new race, an off-shoot of both. Maybe B’lial knew that already and that’s why he wanted me so badly. He knew he was starting a new breed of being.”
“I could be totally wrong about everything.” Louis finished eating and pushed the plates away. “Changing like that could just bring me closer to going over to the other side. It might unwittingly corrupt me.”
Bruce typed:
B’LIAL’S WAY OF WINNING
IRONY DECEPTION OF POWER
“That could be.” Louis got up and cleared the table, then he remembered Tindili. “I have to call him, Tindili that is.”
Bruce typed:
HE CAME HERE
“You mean he was here looking for me?” Louis asked. Bruce nodded vigorously. “When? Today?”
Bruce typed:
MORNING
“Something must be wrong. He said he’d stay away from here after I explained what the situation was with my father.”
Louis grabbed the phone off the wall and punched in Tindili’s number. His wife Cindy picked up. Louis asked her if John was home yet.
“I haven’t seen him since this morning,” she said to him. “He mentioned something about a priest being murdered. He didn’t get into details, he never does, you know how is with me about his work. I expect that he won’t be home for at least another couple of hours.”
“Yeah. I wouldn’t be too worried, it’s probably just business as usual,” Louis reassured.
“How are you doing Louis?” Cindy asked, concerned. “I haven’t heard from you in months. You should come over for dinner some time.”
“I’m doing fine Cindy, and I really miss your cooking. I’ve just been too busy lately.” Louis said casually. “I’ll talk to John about coming over when I reach him. He’s probably still at the precinct.”
After he got off the phone, he did try calling there, but the switchboard operator told him that Tindili was still in the field. Louis explained who he was, and after the operator checked his old badge number, and verified that he was working on the case as an outside investigator, he released the same information that had been released to the media thus far. Basically he confirmed that in fact, a priest had been murdered and also that Tindili was on the case. It was the same priest that ran the homeless shelter.
“He probably came down here this morning hoping to take me down to the site of the murder,” Louis said to Bruce. “I still haven’t been able to tell him what I found out about the other murder.” Louis debated going to the church to see if he was still there, than decided against it. If Tindili wasn’t there, it would turn into a wild-goose chase, and he didn’t want that. Better to wait at home for a phone call.
For the next few hours he puttered around the brownstone waiting, cleaning up and doing much-needed laundry. Tindili finally called a short time before midnight.
“What happened?” Louis asked.
“The priest from the church, he’s been gutted like a fish. It happened right in the same spot as the other murder. Details are sketchy. No real leads; same as the other one,” Tindili replied. “What did you find out on your end?”
“Nothing that really helps too much. I did communicate with the spirit of the victim, but he was very disoriented. All he could tell me was that he was killed by something just like me, but he couldn’t be more specific,” Louis said. “He didn’t make much sense.”
“We’re screwed. There were no prints and no weapon.” Tindili sounded frustrated. “This is going to turn into raw meat for the media sharks. You how it’s going to look if we can’t even find a priests’ killer?”
“Yeah, I know.” Louis said dryly. “I’ll do what I can to see if I can find anything out. Maybe if I can get through to the priest-’’
“If you can do anything to help I’d appreciate it.” Tindili cut him off. “I gotta go, Cindy just came in the room and she looks, well she’s smiling that ‘I’m gonna kill you for not calling all day’ smile. I’m going to have to get the white flag out and hope she doesn’t hit me over the head with it.”
“Okay, I’ll call you when I can.” Louis hung up and laughed. Tindili had such a nice life. He wished he could have had the time to share as much with Diane.
Louis decided that the best time to check out the priests’ murder was the present. He did the same steps that he had in trying to communicate with the other victim, but as he suspected, the priests’ spirit had already moved on. He knew exactly where to go.
Louis cursed to himself for being unable to get a true lead on the murderer and returned home via his shadow.
Needing peace, he went upstairs and stepped out onto the balcony where he could relax and get his bearings. The night was a clear mix of black and purple, with the stars showing in the sky like pinpricks of light through a sheet of paper. The air was warm enough for him not to need a jacket, so he lit a cigarette and leaned on the iron railing with both hands, exhaling a thick cloud and trying to relax.
She was there with him; he could feel it. There would be no relaxing.
“What are you doing here?” Louis’ words were flat, totally emotionless. He had enjoyed being outside, as he always did, until he felt her standing behind him. Now there was a sense of betrayal and dread in him because if she was there, she was an enemy. “I never expected you to show up here unannounced.”
A heavy cloud of smoke formed as he exhaled again. He shook his head in distaste and for a moment, anger flared hotly in his eyes. He turned to face the shadowed corner of the balcony and grinned, exasperated. She stood alone completely shrouded in the shadows. His nostrils flared at the scent of brimstone mixed with her perfume. It reminded him of cigarette smoke in a hospital room, and made him want to puke.
“How’d you find out where I live?” Louis turned back around and leaned on the rail again. “God, I thought we were really getting close.” He turned his head so he could see the dark corner, and watched the shadows stir.
“Now don't go and mention ‘him’ around me,” The shadowy figure said, her feminine voice more throaty than usual. He could see her cringe slightly with her reply. “I'm really sensitive to things like that. To answer your question, your father told me where you lived, though I could have just as easily looked it up myself.”
“You know, there was a time when you didn’t smell like burning leaves.” Louis said with a dry chuckle. “I used to really like your scent. I guess I was supposed to. It was all just an act, a way to get to me. You’re a good actress, but then again, it’s always easy to lie and use someone that cares.”
“Sarcasm? I wish I had the time for it,” the woman said somberly. She stepped out of the shadows suddenly. “I don’t, and neither do you.”
The fading glow of moonlight played across the perfection of Elizabeth’s face with the expertise of an artist’s paintbrush. Louis turned completely around to look at her, never seeing what she looked like out of loose fitting baggy sweats. She was dressed in a tight black lace bustier, filling it out nicely, accompanied by a leather mini skirt that barely covered what it was supposed to cover. Her legs were toned and long, longer than Louis expected. They were covered in lace stockings and black leather boots that rose to here knees, with heels at least four inches high. She was built voluptuously, yet powerful, strong like a gymnast. Louis tried to ignore his attraction to her, and could only describe her beauty as a cross between an angel and the shadows of the night.
“Sounds urgent.” Louis leaned back and inhaled deeply. “What’s up?”
“You could have had this body,” she said, holding her hands out. Her words were a play on seduction. “You know what we could have done, nonstop for days?”
Louis saw her dirty smile and turned away suddenly, annoyed at her words, annoyed that he wanted her, and ashamed that he’d like it. “Don’t turn the feelings into something sick.”
“We could have had everything, but you wouldn’t give in to your passions. We could have been together forever. Damn you for being so self-righteous! Damn your wife for teaching you how to love!”
Louis turned and tried to walk back inside, but was abruptly halted by Elizabeth’s hand on his chest. She didn’t try to hold him back; she merely made contact with the front of his shirt.
“Please don’t go. I’ve missed you Louis.” The woman’s throaty voice was etched with mock desire, but her eyes and expression told another story. They were serious. “You never came back to the store.”
“And I’ll never go back there again after this,” he said harshly. “If you have something to say, get it over with. I don’t want to fight with you.”
“You can’t imagine how difficult all of this has been for me. I need to talk to you, and I have to fight a part of myself in order to do it; just in order to be here. It’s like having two distinct personalities.” She stepped close to him her lips were so close they nearly touched his. He could smell the lipstick, the mint on her breath.
“Save it, there’s nothing to talk about. Now that I know you’re with my father, I don’t want any part of you. You can do nothing but harm by being here.” He squeezed his eyes shut to resist the urge to grab her in an embrace that he had no doubt would only lead somewhere he didn’t really want to be. He had to deny the side in him that hungered, because he craved her flesh like a drug. “You might look like the most beautiful woman in creation, but I know you’re not. Deep inside you’ve lost your soul. You’re not even human anymore, just something as black and cold as what you wear.”
“That’s not true. I was just as human as you once.” The facade of seduction completely fell away, and Elizabeth’s face reverted to a softer expression. One Louis recognized from being with her nearly every day at the store and working closely with her for months.
“You betrayed me, my trust. I felt like you were my friend, and I was beginning to love you. I never thought that I could feel that way again after Diane died. I even confided in you about my darkest secret. But you set me up for that one didn’t you? For a minute there, when we actually touched each other and got close, it was like everything that we shared was a tiny triumph against B’lial.” Louis’ words were laced with anger and pain. He held out his arms. “Go ahead, cut it out, it’ll be easier now. It’s not like I’ll die or anything anyway, you know that. I’ll just grow another one and keep on truckin’ like the fuckin’ Energizer Bunny.”
“You don’t understand’’ she said nervously, sadly.
“What is there to understand? You’re just doing your job, right?” Louis said irritably. “You were sent to catch one of the big fish that B’lial wanted for a meal.”
“That’s not true.” She tried to put her arms around him, but he pushed them away. “I’ve been like this for longer than I can remember. I gave up feeling good things a long time ago for reasons that don’t even matter anymore. Yeah, I was doing this for your father, but then I actually met you.” She stepped back, and the light of the stars sent the darkness of her eyes aglow. “You, unlike anyone else, reminded me of what it was like to feel. You broke through every barrier I had without even intending to, and for once, I was myself again. I was actually jealous of your wife for a while because of what she had with you, even though she was dead. She had more that I could ever hope for no matter how long I lived or how beautiful I was.”
“Is there a point to this?” Louis asked, keeping his voice low, trying not to show how much her words were affecting him.
“Yes. I may not be able to feel the full range of normal emotions because of the path I took, but that doesn't mean I don’t remember them or what it was like living that way.” She grinned at him. “The mere memory hurts more than you could possibly imagine. You brought the memory back, and it was horrible and wonderful at the same time.”
“Is this your way of hurting me some more?” he asked.
“I don’t want to hurt you. I-’’ As the words passed her lips, Elizabeth’s eyes widened is surprise. Suddenly she doubled over and fell to the ground in agony, clenching her stomach.
To feel anything pleasant physically hurt her, and Louis knew it. What she was going to say surprised him, probably as much as it did her. He stood in silence, eyes cast down as she slowly brought herself up to her knees. He knew she loved him just by the intensity of the pain she felt.
“Damn him!” she said quietly, wiping the pain from her eyes.
“Too late for that,” Louis mumbled. “Listen, things don’t have to be this way.”
Elizabeth looked deeply into his eyes. “I can’t fight him. I’m not strong enough.”
“You don’t have to fight him. It has nothing to do with him. Just give up what you’ve become. Have faith in love and repent for the ways you’ve had. He can’t touch you then.”
“Louis, your father-’’
“I’m too tired to hate him today,” Louis cut her off. He helped her the rest of the way up, then turned away. “I don’t want to talk about him anymore.”
“I came here to warn you. He’s got plans.” Elizabeth took a step toward him. “This time of year means something to you. This day; he’s going to use it to his advantage.”
“You’re helping me?” Louis’ brow quirked up on one side, and he spun around to face her again. “You think he’s setting a trap for me later today?”
She nodded slowly. “I have to help you because of the memory. Because of the pain I feel when I think of you.” She smiled at him sadly and touched his cheek affectionately. “I know about the demon you destroyed. I know about the transformation too. The more you change, the more control he’ll have over you. You mustn’t turn into the demon again. You were able to tear the flesh of it away, but eventually it will be a part of you. If I say anymore he’ll know, and then I’ll know more pain.” Her eyes pleaded. “He’s a cruel bastard. Because of his power over me my thoughts and memories are tainted with pain if they’re not evil. It was a too much of a struggle to come here.”
“I’m sorry.” He pulled her close and held her. “I understand.” His words were a soothing whisper. “There’s still a wonderful person in here.” He pulled away and put his hand over her heart. “You just need to be true to that person.”
“I can’t. I’m afraid.” She stared off.
“Then this is how you’ll be forever.” Louis stepped away from her and his head hung low. “I never told you why I always call you Elizabeth, and not something shorter, like Beth or Liz, did I?” She shook her head. “After I got to know you, you were a little princess, and Elizabeth is the name of royalty.”
“Thank you Louis,” she said. Her face became a contest between a smile and a frown. “I’ve been called many things in my lifetime, but never that.”
“Thanks for the warning,” he said calmly, “Now get out of here.”
Her body blurred like a picture out of focus, then turned into a dark mist. The mist swirled into the purple sky of the night, and she was gone.
Louis shook his head. Tears began to fall in silence as Bruce flew onto the balcony. The raven landed on his shoulder.
“Yeah, that was Elizabeth, from the store. I never told you, because I felt guilty about it, but she meant something special to me.” He nodded at Bruce and lit a cigarette after wiping his eyes. “She’s on my father’s side. I didn’t even know about it until now. She hurt me, but she could have hurt me much worse if she’d really wanted to. B’lial’s hold is strong on her, and she doesn't realize that it can be broken just by loving and renouncing his evil. I’m sure it’d hurt like hell, but anyone can repent and begin anew. No one is beyond redemption.”
The raven nodded his head and squawked.
“She actually came here to warn me about becoming the demon again. I can’t, or B’lial will have me. She also told me about a trap my father’s got waiting for me. It’s not going to stop me though. I’m still going. I have to this time because I think I finally understand why my mother did things the way she did.” He remembered his mother’s smile when she wasn’t too drugged with medication and felt warm inside, than turned his head to look Bruce in the eyes. “I’m going to take a little cat nap. The sun will be up in a few hours and I need some rest, especially if I’ve got my father to contend with. Now scoot, so I can get some sleep.” The raven flew off without a sound.
Part NineThe midday weather was hazy with a heat that shouldn’t have existed for at least another few weeks. There was a slight fog in the air when Louis pulled back the drapes in his bedroom. He stepped out onto the balcony and remembered seeing Elizabeth as if she was still standing there.
Louis stepped inside and grabbed some fresh clothes. After he showered, he had a light breakfast. He invited Bruce to join him, but the raven declined.
He typed:
WHAT IF B’LIAL WINS
“If he wins, then I’m counting on you to get through to Tindili. Explain to him what happened. He might not be able to do anything about it, but at least he’ll know I won’t be around anymore. If he can get me declared legally dead, he and Jean will inherit everything. In the meantime, you might want to get in touch with Elizabeth. If her heart’s in the right place, she’ll take you in and maybe even continue with my research and try to set you free.
“It’s getting late, I have to go.” Louis got up from the table and headed for the door. “If I don’t survive this, it’s been great knowing you.”
Clad in only a tank top, jeans and boots, Louis grabbed a thin black cotton duster on his way out in case it got chilly as the afternoon turned into evening. He slipped it on along with some dark sunglasses and hopped in his MG. He wasn’t used to having his hair down to his shoulder when the top was down, so he tied it into a ponytail with a stray rubber band he found in the glove box. He loved to hear the roar of the tiny engine in the MG. He used to laugh at it when he was younger, calling it the vacuum cleaner because of the way it sounded before he overhauled the engine. He appreciated it more as he grew older. Louis laughed at the memories, lit a cigarette and drove to the nearest florist. He went inside and purchased a single white rose. The older woman behind the counter smiled at him.
“A new female friend?” she asked with a giggle.
“Sort of,” Louis replied. “I think I finally know her enough to call her that.”
He kept the MG parked where it was by the florist because the cemetery was only a short walk away. Louis made the trip in silence as many of his memories echoed with images in his mind. By the time he passed through the stone arches that led to the land of the dead, he felt a deep ache in his heart and nearly turned back. He’d made the same trip to his mother’s gravestone annually since he was eighteen, but as with Diane, it was never a trip he really wanted to make. There was no joy in standing over a corpse and talking, in hopes that the soul that once resided there would hear.
Louis’ eyes quickly scanned his surroundings. He had not forgotten Elizabeth’s warning. To his utter surprise, the cemetery was empty of life but for himself. There wasn’t even a scant trace of demon scent in the air, or an uneasy spirit.
His mother’s grave was in the back of the cemetery, nestled between an oak tree and a willow bush. Louis had the trees planted there shortly after the gravestone was placed because he didn’t want the spot to look like a generic gave, as most of the rest did.
For a moment, he felt the numbing quiet of his surroundings pummel him, and stepped up to the gravestone and dropped to one knee. He placed the white rose at the head of the stone, below her name and grinned.
“Hi ma. It’s been a long year.” He pulled the sunglasses from his eyes, rubbed them wearily and sighed. “I almost didn’t come, and this time I would have had the perfect excuse. Elizabeth, a friend, warned me that B’lial might have a trap set and waiting for me.” He rose slowly and lit a cigarette.
“I had to come this time because I think I finally understand why you never told me about my father. I used to be so angry with you for never telling me, but now I know that you didn’t tell me because you wanted me to get past it. You wanted me to know that it doesn’t matter where I came from; just that I exist. Who I am, what I stand for, that’s what’s important. I guess you didn’t tell me so I could learn how to be me and not let B’lial’s dark influence taint me. I’m thankful that you saved me from knowing when I was younger. I just wish the entire situation hadn’t destroyed you in the process. I know I’ll never know what you went through, but at least now I can believe you really cared about me. Maybe someday we'll meet again and really be able to talk and spend time together like we never could before.”
Louis stepped back from the grave and felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from him. It was a relief being able to say what he felt, to be able to get it out into the open. It was then that his nostrils suddenly flared. The putrid scent of sulfur and body odor permeated the air around him. He felt a rush of wind at his back and knew who had just arrived.
“That was so touching.” It was B’lial’s edgy voice. “So very, very moving.”
Louis turned and saw the demon sitting on a nearby tombstone clapping his hands. “Your words dripped with love. I can easily compare it with the pus dripping from a festering wound,” he said with a growl.
Louis turned and walked away without acknowledging the demon.
“Ignoring me?” B’lial’s eyes narrowed. “You know I can’t stand when you do that.”
The demon leaped into the air. His powerful wings propelled him over Louis. He landed a few feet in front of his son.
“Kids today,” he mumbled. “They have no respect for anyone other than themselves. It’s a terrible world!”
“Aren’t you worried about being seen?” Louis asked. “It’s daytime.”
“What, you want me to sit home and watch soap operas and trashy talk shows? Just because I’m here doesn’t mean that I’m allowing the world to see me. You should know how easy it is for demons to mask themselves. You’ve been doing it since you were born.” B’lial took a step closer to Louis.
“Why are you haunting me? Get away!” Louis said, slipping his sunglasses back on. He exhaled a cloud of cigarette smoke in B’lial’s direction and walked away.
“You shouldn’t talk that way to me in front of your mother.” B’lial’s words were etched with sarcasm. He smiled. “She might hear, and it’s very disrespectful!”
“I heard about what happened with the low life Dantalian. You showed him a thing or two. It serves him right for trying to harm my little boy.” B’lial laughed. “If he wasn’t dead already I’d find an interesting way to kill him. I heard you had a nice family resemblance in the pit too. Cool. I knew you had it in you. How about you show me what you looked like?”
Anger boiled inside Louis. His hands balled into white knuckled fists. Though he wanted to spring at the demon that fathered him, and thrash as much as his human body could, he again turned and walked away, still struggling to remain in control.
“You’re not going anywhere,” B’lial said. He grabbed Louis by the back of the neck and casually flung him to the ground several yards away. “It’s our day to spend some quality family time together. We’ve got so many years to make up for. I’ve even got a special surprise for you today. Several in fact.”
B’lial raked his claws deeply across Louis’ chest as he tried to stand. The force of the blow sent Louis sprawling again, his own blood spilling down his chest and down the front of his pants. B’lial’s eyes lit up as he looked at his hand, covered in Louis’ blood.
“You bastard! You want to fight? Let’s do it somewhere else! Can’t you even respect the dead!” Louis grimaced. His chest felt as if it were on fire. The slashes pulsed blood, but immediately began to heal. In healing, his chest throbbed more, as the damaged skin knitted together.
“Respect? This coming from a man that just ignored his own father,” B’lial tsk tsked. “Why go somewhere else? You think these dirt-napping fools care if we have a family argument here? It’s not like they can stop us.” The demon took a step back. “We haven’t got time to worry about them anyway. Company has arrived.”
Suddenly, two succubi appeared. The sexy, scantily clad female demons stood on each side of B’lial, licking their overly red lips and running their hands up and down his thick arms.
“Why don’t we just get this over with and have it out once and for all!” Louis said. He stood up, flung off his sunglasses and shrugged out of his coat. “Let’s do it! You win; you take me. I win; you go back to Hell and never come out again.”
“Not so fast son. You still have to see my surprises.” The demon looked at each succubus and smiled. “Hot looking aren’t they? I bet they’re not nearly as sexy as Elizabeth, huh? She’s good; you should have taken her out for a test drive.” B’lial’s eyes blazed at him. “I had you fooled with her. If it wasn’t for her stupidity, you’d be on my side of the ballpark right now.”
Louis let B’lial’s words slip away. If he let what he said affect him, he’d lose control, and it would be all over before it began.
“Ladies, why don’t you bring the surprises before the blood dries.”
The two demons vanished. In a moment they reappeared with four men at their feet. The men were old and weathered. Their manner of dress denoted that they were homeless or possibly lived in slum conditions.
“These guys have volunteered to have some fun with us today,” B’lial said, holding up the hand that still had Louis’ blood all over it. “I have a finger full of blood for each of them.”
Before Louis could react, B’lial had slashed each of the men across the face with a claw that bore his blood.
“They’ve been down on their luck for some time now. I don’t even think they have a place to live,” B’lial said. He smiled at Louis and continued to speak as the four men began to convulse on the ground. “Your blood is going to change everything for them. It’s much better than the cheap crack they’ve been smoking and drinking.”
Louis got to his feet slowly and watched the four men change into something other than human. In the span of a few heartbeats each man had undergone a metamorphosis. They ripped out of most of their clothing and had come to resemble B’lial.
“What have you done to them?” Louis yelled.
“I haven’t really done anything. It’s your blood. You did it. They’re like you now, or should I say, part of you; at least for a while. I bet you didn’t know that your blood could affect people like that.”
“No,” Louis replied, casting his eyes down in shame. “I had no idea. You knew though. That’s why you created me. I’m neither demon, nor man.”
“I guess now you know too. Anyway, these guys were a big part of my surprise. Now we get to party.” B’lial smiled from ear to ear.
“Why are you doing this?” Louis asked. “What do you hope to prove?”
“Prove? You think I’m trying to prove something?” the demon replied. “There’s really nothing to prove, but you’re going to break. When you do, you’ll be on my side; whether you want to be or not. These men are innocent, soulless already because I own them, but innocent. They’ve never done anything to harm you. I know you won’t hurt them. They, on the other hand, especially in the state that they're in, don’t give a damn if they hurt you.”
B’lial leaped back and crouched on a tombstone. “Remember that old saying?” The demon grinned, his eyes wide with hysterical laughter. “Nobody’s ugly in a bar after 2am? Well, when they get through with you, you’re going to prove that statement wrong.”
The two succubi stood by his mother’s gravestone, watching as the four transformed men advanced on him menacingly. Their laughter sounded more like the cackling of an old hag. Their painted faces began to warp and distort, until they resembled twisted, murderous clowns.
Louis’ mind raced for a way out. He couldn’t concentrate enough to call his shadow. He looked around nervously, holding out his arms in defense, scanning the grounds, but couldn’t find an avenue of escape. He still had his increased strength and resiliency to injury, but that would only go so far against his father’s lackeys.
There was nowhere to run when the slavering demons encircled and tore at him with their new claws. Louis craved to let the dark side of him take over, to change into one of them and fight back. He had no doubts as to the outcome if he’d allowed it to happen, but that would mean B’lial had won. And the thought of losing his soul and his father winning made him sick to his stomach.
There was nothing Louis could do except take the physical punishment. He tried throwing the demons that held him off, but each time he succeeded in freeing himself, they would return before he could even catch his breath. There was no getting away from them, there were too many. B’lial had gauged his prowess all too well, knowing just how many it would take to bring him down and keep him there.
Three of them grabbed him at once in spite of all he did to punch and kick them away. The strength of their combined hold on him was too much. Without a second to collect himself, he had grown tired and had effectively been restrained. The fourth demon began a volley of punches to Louis’ midsection. He felt his ribs break. The warm coppery taste of his own blood filled his mouth and trickled down his chin. Each breath he took stabbed at him as the broken ribs moved around and tore into his innards.
Louis’ mind went hazy with the sounds of his body being clawed and pummeled. They were gross popping sounds that brought more agony, but the noise reminded him of his hellish transformation in Dantalian’s domain, and it instilled strength in him, because he never wanted to become that creature again.
He eventually completely gave up struggling, and fell to the ground like a lifeless heap under the weight of the demons bearing his blood. It was then that they concentrated solely on pounding his face, with each taking a turn. Louis never knew what it was like to have his face hit with such force that bone would shatter. He didn’t realize a face could actually be “broken”, but soon knew differently when he felt his cheekbones fracture. He hoped he wouldn’t remember it in the future, praying to just pass out and wake up when it was all over, and the healing had begun.
“Now that’s gonna leave a mark!” B’lial said, holding Louis face by the chin, turning it from left to right so he could look over the damage done by the demons. The entire right side of Louis’ face was a purple mass of bloody flesh and left side had nearly caved in.
Through a fog of pain Louis felt himself being lifted from the ground. His eyes were nearly swollen shut and covered in blood. He saw his father standing in front of him through narrow slits. The demon was still laughing hysterically, with the two succubi at his side, wiggling seductively and rubbing against him as if he were their favorite plastic toy.
“I like the way you look now.” B’lial said pointing to Louis’ shattered face. “There’s still no family resemblance, but it’ll come in time, I’m sure. Maybe I’ll make this an annual event to coincide with your trip here. Hell, it’ll probably take the next year for you to heal from all this.”
B’lial bent down and picked up several of Louis’ teeth. “Here son, I think you dropped these.” He tossed them over his shoulder and resumed laughing.
The two succubi walked in front of B’lial and turned to face him, posed with their hands on their hips. They looked at B’lial expectantly.
“You girls certainly are impatient. I was just starting to enjoy the show.” The female demons’ expressions remained unchanged. “Okay, okay, go ahead and crucify him.”
The succubi grinned happily. They motioned for the demons to take Louis to a thick oak tree a short distance in front of his mother’s grave.
Through the haze of blood in his eyes, Louis saw that there was a thick wooden plank nailed horizontally into the side of the tree. He was turned around, so that his back was to the tree, and dragged back toward it. His struggle to break free again was futile, as the demons easily lifted him off the ground and held him up to the wooden plank. He continued to struggle, but he had no strength left.
Louis felt a cold pinprick at the center of his right hand. A second later the tiny pain became the gut-wrenching agony of a railroad spike being driven through his hand and into the plank behind it. The pounding of the mallet matched the beats of his heart. He began to pray for an end to it all as the blood dripped down his hand and arm. Tears began to fall from his battered eyes as another spike was driven into the opposing hand. He turned and caught a glimpse of the succubi taking turns happily pounding the spike in while kissing each other and licking the blood off of his arm. It sent him over the edge, and he spewed the contents of his stomach all over himself and the demon holding him upright.
“You’ve gone and made a mess again,” B’lial said in mock anger. “When are you going to learn that you have to wait an hour after you eat to get back in the pool?”
“I remember how your mother sent you to those Catholic schools. I watched everything from afar. I wonder what the priests would say if they knew what you really were; if they could see you now?” B’lial laughed loudly. “You don’t belong in this world. Souls are like food for us. Come to hell with me and feast on something you can’t puke from.”
“Fuck you,” Louis spoke painfully garbled through a broken jaw. “You have no soul, but I do, and I’m keeping it.”
“You know how to end all this pain Louis,” B’lial said. “It doesn’t have to continue like this forever. Renounce what you are and come over to my side. It’s such a simple thing to do. So easy to say a few words to end it.”
Louis slowly opened the slits that were currently his eyes. His vision was still clouded with blood and tears, but he could see that B’lial remained in front of him, but he had grown silent.
“Come to your father,” B'lial said quietly.
“Fuck you,” Louis muttered again. “I’d rather die.”
“But you won’t. You’re immortal. Nothing we did to you will kill you. It’ll only hurt horribly. Even the healing will hurt. Oh, I like that, it sounds like a talk show. ‘Next Oprah: Healing Hurts.’”
“Don’t listen to him. The pain is less than residing in Hell ever could be. You taught me that, and I’ll always love you for it,” Louis painfully raised his head to look up, and through the red haze of his vision he saw that it was Elizabeth who had spoken. She was approaching B’lial from behind, and carrying the jar of demon sweat. She looked bruised and bloodied herself. “It’s your Princess, Louis. I’m sorry you had to go through this. I’d have gotten here sooner, but I don’t heal as quickly as you do, and they really did a number on me. ”
“I was wondering when you’d show up whore!” B’lial said, twisting around to backhand her to the ground. “Come to save lover boy?”
Elizabeth rose slowly, opening the jar as she stood. Her eyes widened as she stuck her hand in it. Her fingers steamed and burned, but she brought out enough of the fluid to fling at B’lial. The demon’s skin caught fire where the sweat splashed, and he jumped back in sudden surprise and pain. Elizabeth grinned at his pain.
“What’s the matter? Afraid of a little smelly water?” she asked, taunting him with her eyes lit up. She paced carefully around him, not letting her guard down for a second.
“Ah, the little slut’s armed!” he said angrily. “Get her girls! Don’t worry about the boy; he’ll be hanging around for a while with his other friends!”
The succubi approached Elizabeth cautiously, knowing the demon sweat was fatal to them. Elizabeth splashed some of it at them, but they moved too quickly and ducked out the way, circling around her, looking for an opening when they could strike.
The demons holding Louis unwittingly loosened their grips, too interested in watching the women battle. It was their undoing. Louis had painstakingly begun to heal. He watched Elizabeth bravely hold her own and his vision widened. The swelling around his eyes was going away. He felt his jaw snap back into place, and the pain of new teeth breaking through his gums sent tiny jolts of fire up and down his face. He flexed his bloody arms, and knew that the bones had repaired themselves, but then he tested his hands. He could move his fingers, but couldn’t move his hands, which meant that the wounds from the spikes had healed over already. He was stuck to them, and winced, anticipating the pain of having to tear his hands loose to free himself.
Before the demons or his father could realize what he was doing, he inhaled deeply, and yanked his hands off of the spikes. They went cleanly through his hands with a ripping sound. Louis howled in pain as more blood poured from the wounds and he fell to the ground in a heap.
The fingers of his hands dangled loosely, useless until healing took place, but that didn’t stop him from putting his arms around the neck of the nearest demon. He gripped tightly with his forearms and twisted quickly. The sound of the demon’s neck snapping was music to his ears, and he tossed the creature aside.
B’lial had made a big mistake by bragging to Louis that the men were already his and had no souls. They were already damned, so Louis decided that no matter what they did with his blood coursing through them, they were far from innocent. It wasn’t his fault. Destroying them would not trouble him so long as he could do it without transforming again.
In the meantime, B’lial saw that Louis had freed himself and shouted for the demons to go after him. “He’s free! Don’t let that bastard heal anymore! Pound him into pulp!”
Elizabeth had managed to get the better of one of the succubi while Louis freed himself. She splashed a bit of the sweat on the succubus closest to her and kicked her to the ground. Knowing that her partner was about to die painfully, the other succubus fled fearfully in a puff of gray smoke. Elizabeth poured just a few drops of the demon sweat on the one that had fallen, and she exploded into a pile of vile smelling green flesh.
“Bitch!” B’lial shouted, diving at Elizabeth and slashing her messily across the abdomen.
Elizabeth remained standing, but clutched at her exposed intestines with her free hand. She looked down at the wound and slumped to the ground, still tightly holding the demon sweat, her only true weapon.
“Louis!” she shouted, panicking. “Hurry, come and take this!”
Louis was surrounded by the demons, but they were moving slower, and seemed to be getting weaker. He guessed that his blood must have been running out, and they would return to merely being damned human beings. He saw that Elizabeth was in trouble, with B’lial moving in for the kill. Louis kicked himself a path through one of the demons, sending it to the ground with a shattered hip. It wouldn’t be getting up any time soon.
Using the strength he was once afraid to possess, he leaped over B’lial and landed in a tucked roll, stumbling down a narrow slope, a short distance from Elizabeth. She replaced the lid on the jar and tossed it to him underhand.
“Hurry, we’ve got him now. Don’t let that son of a bitch get away!” She shouted.
The two demons that remained standing were coming up on him from behind, and so was his father. Even the crippled demon struggled to reach him, dragging his limp body by climbing across the ground with his hands.
Louis flipped open the jar, held his breath and stuck his hand in the jar. The fluid burned like antiseptic, but not being damned, it didn’t harm him any further. He flung some of it at the closest demon. The creature burst into flames, just as the succubus had done before, but the other one was on top of him before he could reach for more.
Before the demon could grab onto him, he threw the entire jar, still open, at B’lial, who was only a few yards away. It wasn’t the most accurate throw because of the condition his arm was in, but it bounced on B’lial’s leg, its contents splashing up on him.
B’lial, bursting aflame, howled in fury and pain like a dying animal, but did not explode, like the others had. He shouted curses to Louis and vanished as he had other times. Louis had succeeded in defeating him, sending him back to Hell with his tail literally between his legs.
The remaining two demons could not prevent Louis from destroying them with his hands. His fingers weren’t completely healed yet, but he could clench them into half closed fists, which he used to pound them into submission. By the time he’d finished them off, they had returned to being normal human beings, and were unconscious on the ground, broken and bleeding, but harmless.
Louis saw that Elizabeth was still lying on the ground, propped up on an elbow. He ran to her side and cradled her in his arms, whispering strong words of reassurance to her.
“Thank you for coming to help me. You were so brave to fight him like you did,” he said, kissing her lightly on the cheek, “I wouldn’t have made it without you.”
“I couldn’t let him hurt you anymore. He’s done that too much already.” She tensed up and clenched her teeth. “God Louis, this hurts so much.”
“It’ll pass when you heal a bit more. You know,” Louis said smiling at her, “I love you, and I did before, I just wouldn’t allow myself to say it. I didn’t think you’d ever leave the dark side. I’d hoped, but-’’
“I did it for me, for you, for love.” Her words had lost their strength becoming barely a whisper. “We both look like hell.” She laughed softly. “What if the police come?”
“Don’t worry, B’lial said that no one could see us. I don’t know how long it’s going to last, but it’s worked so far,” Louis said reassuringly. In the distance, near the grave of Louis’ mother, a ball of flame appeared. B’lial leaped out of it, landing on the ground with unsteady legs. His wings were a tattered ruin and his skin was charred and still smoked. Large patches visibly festered and leaked murky fluids.
“What the hell is he doing back?” Louis shouted. He carefully put Elizabeth down and raced to the gravesite.
“The grave!” B’lial shouted.
With gestures of his hands, the ground in front of the gravestone began to rumble and break apart. He raised his hands into the air, and the coffin that held Louis’ mother slowly rose above the ground to hover five feet above it.
“You may have won the day you lousy rotten bastard, but I have stolen your heart and smashed it like a ripe fruit twice over this day!” B’lial shouted.
Before Louis could reach him, B’lial made fists with his hands, and the coffin exploded in the air, with bits and pieces flying in all directions. With that done, B’lial laughed a hellish cackle and vanished again.
Louis stumbled and fell to the ground before he could reach the grave. Tears filled his eyes. He futilely pounded his broken and bloodied hands on the ground.
“It’s not enough that you destroyed her life! Now you have to ruin what little peace there was in death? Does that give you some sick sort of satisfaction?” Louis’ words were a blur of painful sounds that he knew fell on deaf ears. He didn’t bother saying anything else.
“He’ll never get what he wants,” Louis said when he returned to Elizabeth’s side. “It doesn’t matter where or who I came from. It’s who I am that matters. I don’t just have a soul; I have a heart too, which is something beyond B’lial’s nature to truly understand. He can never change that, anymore than he could keep you under his thumb forever. Maybe he needed to do all this just so he would know that no matter what happens, he’ll never win”
He gently held Elizabeth close again, and brushed the hair out of her face with his hand. Her face was deathly cold, but the color had returned, and he could see that the wound across her abdomen had closed completely, even though she still clenched her teeth in pain.
“It’s so good to hear you talk like that Louis. Never forget any of what you just said, because someday I’m sure he’ll be back, and you’ll need all your strength. He’s too powerful, too high-ranking in Hell, for the demon sweat to destroy him, but it hurt him more than he let on.” She coughed up blood and grinned. “Ah, that taste’s worse than cigarette breath in the morning.”
“Louis, hold me close and listen, just listen to me.” She stared deeply into his eyes, and held his chin with her hand. “I love you more than I ever knew I could love anyone. You brought me back to life. We never got the chance to be together, or do things like normal people would, but you showed me the way out of all the torment and agony and I’ll always cherish that. It was more than worth all the pain.”
He kissed her lightly, but she pulled him closer and kissed back deeply, lightly touching his tongue with her own. He felt the beat of her heart against his chest.
“I needed to taste you, breathe you,” she said, releasing his chin. Her eyes darkened, and her face had suddenly grown ashen. It looked as if her cheeks were sinking in, with deep lines of age slowly forming across her skin.
“What’s happening?” Louis asked. His eyes widened in panic.
“I’m over eighty years old, Louis. It was being damned, the bargain I struck with B’lial that sustained me. It kept me young and alive, just the way I wanted it be.” She struggled with the words. “My biggest fear was being an old hag and dying alone. While I was damned, even though I’d always be truly alone, I’d never age and never die.”
“And now that you’re no longer damned-’’ Louis’ words lost their sound. He held her tightly, not wanting to let her go. He looked into her dark eyes, seeing that there was still warmth there, and he smiled. “It’s okay. We won didn’t we?”
“Yeah, we defeated one of the most powerful demons to ever exist.” She hacked loudly, a drop of blood trailing down from her lip, then continued. “More of them would be coming after me soon enough. I’m easy prey since I’ve already been turned once.” She coughed again and a wet wheezing sound escaped her lips. “It shouldn’t take this long to die. It never does in the movies.” She chuckled, than coughed again. “Damn it hurts!”
“Please don’t say that,” Louis said sadly.
“Hey, at least there won’t be a funeral.” Her voice had turned back into a whisper. “I know how you hate that kind of thing.”
“I don’t want you to go away,” Louis said, feeling foolish and childish. “I’ve lost too much in my life already.”
“I wish there was a choice.” Her eyes widened with pain. “Kiss me; I need to breathe with you again, one last time.”
He held her close, and they clung together as if they were making love. Their kiss was passionate and strong. Louis nibbled on her lower lip and they kissed again, he felt her last breath rush into his mouth, and he knew she was gone.
Pain tied a knot in his chest, and he released her body, watching the butterfly of her soul pull out of it as if stuck in molasses, and soar off into the heavens. He heard himself howl and sob as the warmth of the tears came. He looked down at whe