Chapter 12: Blood and Fire/ Chapter 13: Sins of the Father

Higher Hell

Chapter 12: Blood and Fire

The next couple of days were pretty uneventful.

Which sucked.

Not that I wanted more trouble, but it was making me nervous.

We hadn’t seen hide nor greasy black hair of the Freaky Guy since the night he attacked Gabby.

What was he playing at?

There’s no way he’d try that hard to get at her just to give up suddenly.

I was expecting him around every corner. It had me jumping at shadows.

The fucker was pissing me off more by not showing his pointy chinned face. I was anxious to take him out once and for all and be done with it.

Gabby had been pretty quiet lately. The argument with her Dad had taken a lot out of her.

I had the feeling she was spending a lot of time thinking about her Mom and what her Dad had said about her.

Had Gabby’s Mom really been as much of a criminal as her Dad?

I didn’t know.

It would kind of make sense, but then, I wouldn’t put it past her old man to lie about it either.

Well, I wasn’t gonna bring it up.

Gabby had enough on her mind without me bringing up more bad memories for her.

I was hanging out with Gabby at the Trash Bin, messing around on a guitar again, while she sat on the sales counter lost in thought.

She looked sad.

I didn’t like that look on her.

“Hey, Cas! Hey, Gabby!”

The door had opened and Rash was strolling in, that big toothy grin on his face.

“Hey, Rash.” Gabby sighed as she rolled her eyes and slumped off the counter top.

“Still practicing, huh, Cas? Don’t forget, we gotta get together and jam sometime. I’ve been writing some songs for our band! With my lyrics and your guitar, we’re gonna be huge! I gaurantee it!”

“Yeah, I’m sure.”

Rash leaned against the counter and looked slyly at Gabby.

“Hey, Gabby, what you doin’ tonight? How ’bout you and me, a few drinks, some dancin’, and then I’ll give you the grand tour of my apartment? What do ya think, huh?” he said with a wink.

If he leaned any farther over the counter, he was gonna fall on his face on the other side.

“Not tonight, Rash. I’m not in the mood.”

The sleazy grin fell from his face.

“Oh, well, one of these nights. You can’t deny me forever. You’re gettin’ curious about me, ain’t ya? Someday you’ll say yes just to see what The Rash is all about. Am I right? Don’t you think so, Cas?”

“Oh, you’re a curious one all right. I bet everybody wonders about you.”

“You got it, dude. Hey! You wanna jam right here, right now? I can show you the songs I wrote!”

Rash excitedly pulled a badly folded and wrinkled piece of paper out of his jeans pocket and held it up proudly.

“I wrote a song for you, Gabby. It’s called “Sexy Death Girl”.”

“I’m flattered.” Gabby muttered unenthusiastically.

“Come on, Cas! Let’s set me up a microphone!”

Gabby was in no mood to listen to Rash sing “Sexy Death Girl”.

Neither was I.

“Actually, Rash, I’m gonna close up early. Nobody’s been in for quite a while.”

“I’m here.” he pointed out.

“Exactly.” Gabby mumbled so Rash wouldn’t hear.

“Sorry, dude. Another time.” I said, giving him a quick pat on the shoulder.

Rash left the store looking let down as Gabby locked up and shut off the lights.

I was glad we were leaving early. Not just because it got me out of hearing Rash try to sing. It was still daylight out, the sun just starting to set. I preferred to walk home in the light, just in case the Freaky Guy was still around.

As we walked home, Gabby surprised me by bringing up her mother herself.

“If my Mom was really just as bad as my father, do you think a demon came to take her soul, too?”

“Hmm, didn’t you say she was shot?”

“Yeah. But they never caught the guy who did it.”

“Well, I suppose a demon could’ve possessed a Human and used that person to kill her, but there’s no way for me to know for sure.”

“How come you didn’t possess somebody when you were after my father?”

Um…

This is kind of embarrassing.

“Well…I don’t know how.”

“You don’t know how to possess somebody?”

“Nope.”

“No offense, but you’re kind of pathetic for a demon, ain’t you?”

“Heh heh, you don’t have to tell me.”

I knew full well I wasn’t much of a demon.

No practice.

“So what else can demon’s do that you can’t?”

She was grinning at me.

It was good to see any kind of smile on that pretty face again.

“Well, I know some demons come to the World of the Living and go around invisible. Some guys can control the weather a little, make it rain, make the wind blow, that sort of stuff. And we can read Human minds.”

“Really? But you can’t do any of those things, can you?”

“Nah. There’s probably a lot more stuff, but I never learned any of it. Never needed to.”

“Didn’t you ever come to this World before?”

“Hell no. The only reason I came here now was ’cause the Big Guy made me.”

“So other than making yourself look like somebody else, and flying, what can you do?”

“This.”

I bent down and picked up an empty, crushed pop bottle that was lying in the gutter.

It turned into a flower exactly the same color as the purple locks of hair framing Gabby’s face.

I handed her the flower.

Gabby had a big bright smile now.

Heh heh, just what I was hoping for.

“Wow, Cas! That’s amazing!”

“Heh, thanks. I can transform any inanimate object into something else. Not that impressive really. Parlor trick from Hell.”

“Well, I think it’s cool! Too bad you can’t transform people. You could make my Dad into a good person instead of a criminal.”

“Yeah, can’t do that. You know, I just realized something. Between me, your father, Rash, and that Freaky Guy, are all the men in your life creatures, criminals, morons and assholes?”

She laughed.

“You should meet some of my ex-boyfriends. They make those guys look like gentlemen.”

We walked on in silence for a bit until we reached the corner of the street where Gabby’s big ass church stood.

We both stopped in our tracks, gawking at what we saw.

In front of the church were several cop cars and an ambulance, bright red lights blinking on their roofs like little fires. At least a half dozen cops were scurrying around the church steps.

“What the fuck’s going on there?” Gabby wondered aloud as she started walking with quick steps towards the commotion.

When we got up close, a cop hurried over holding up his palms at us.

“You’ll have to use the other side of the street. This is a crime scene. Keep back.”

“What happened? I go to church here.”

“You attend services here? Maybe you can answer some questions for me.”

“Um, okay.” Gabby replied, just a little tensely.

She was afraid the cop was gonna ask for her name. She didn’t want the police to know she was a Bianco.

“Do you know Father Buchanon?”

“Yeah.” we both said simultaneously, surprised.

“Do you know of anyone who might’ve had a grudge against Father Buchanon? Someone who might want to hurt him?”

Gabby tensed even more.

I could tell she was thinking of Father Don’s connection to her Dad.

“No. Nobody would hurt him. Is he okay?”

The cop gave us a nervous, awkward look. He glance back at the ambulance for a second.

“I’m sorry. Father Buchanon was killed sometime this afternoon. If you can think of anything at all that might help us, please give us a call.”

Gabby took the officer’s card absently. She was staring in shock at the open front doors of the church.

“I hope my Dad’s not involved in this.” she whispered as we crossed the street and paused directly opposite the open church doors.

All the lights were on inside. I could see the carved crucifix lieing face down, broken, on the floor. The statue of the Virgin Mary was smashed, the little red candles scattered everywhere. At first, I thought the candles were lieing in a pool of melted wax on the tiled floor- then I realized it wasn’t wax. It was blood.

“Cas. What is that?”

“What?”

To my surprise, she wasn’t pointing into the church, but at the outside, the front of the building. Her pointing finger was trembling slightly.

More blood.

Bloody marks were smeared and splattered across the front of the church between the big stained glass windows.

“Is- is that his blood?”

She sounded like she was fighting down the urge to be sick.

“Yeah…I think it is.”

“It looks like…like the stuff on your shirt. The runes.”

I took another look, taking in the whole scene.

Hey, they are runes! Their sloppy, but I could make them out.

I gasped.

“Oh, shit!”

“What’s it say, Cas? What’s wrong?”

“You’re Dad didn’t have anything to do with this. We need to get out of here. Now.”

It was clear as day. Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing.

And they knew we’d see it.

“Come on, Cas. You’re scaring me even more than I already am. What the hell does it say?”

“It says, ‘Firegazer, you both die tonight’.”

 

I had Gabby by the hand, dragging her along as fast as I could back to her apartment. All my senses were on high alert. I kept spinning around to check behind us, looking up to check the rooftops. I did my best to avoid going anywhere near the alleys, darkening as the sun set.

“Cas! Slow down! What the fuck’s wrong with you? Who wrote that back there?”

“No time to explain. We gotta get out of the open.”

Gabby dug in her heels and yanked my arm to stop me.

Damn it.

Of all the times for her to get all defiant and stubborn on me!

Doesn’t she understand, I wanna get her to safety as quick as possible?

“Come on, Gabby! This is no time to fool around. You’re in danger!”

“Stop freaking me out! Just tell me what’s going on.”

Sigh.

“All right, all right! That message on the church was meant for me! For us! Somebody’s after us. Probably right now!”

“Who? Who’s ‘Firegazer’?”

“Firegazer is me. I’ve spent most of eternity sitting staring at a fire in Hell. Only another demon would know that. A demon wrote that message for me!”

“Why would a demon be after us?”

She sounded genuinely scared now.

Good. ‘Cause I sure as hell was.

The image of Gamygyn lying in that alley dieing was stuck in my mind.

“I don’t know. Maybe I’ve broken too many rules or something. I knew going in that church was a bad idea! This is probably my punishment.”

I started hurrying on again, still holding Gabby’s hand.

This is bad.

I should’ve known something like this would happen. I’ve fucked around too much. And now I’ve gotten Gabby involved.

A chill ran down my spine.

I didn’t even want to think what a demon who would do that to a priest would do to Gabby.

Maybe I can reason with him. Cut a deal somehow. She hasn’t done anything, after all. Depends on who it is. But by the sound of that message, this was no friend of mine from Hell.

Who would the Big Guy send to punish me?

Hopefully it’s not one of those assholes that take all that evil shit way too seriously. Some demons really buy into what Humans believe about us, that we’re pure evil, out to destroy good and fight the Old Man.

Stupid fuckers.

Don’t they understand? Punishing evil and trying to make souls repent is supposed to help the Old Man! We’re supposed to be trying to patch things up so we can all go home to Heaven!

Idiots!

Those demons ruin it for the rest of us.

But that’s really beside the point.

I have broken the rules. I probably deserve to be punished, but there’s no need to punish Gabby too.

We turned into Gabby’s street.

Almost there!

Gabby’ll be safe soon.

I froze in my tracks and grabbed Gabby by the shoulders.

Fire trucks lined the street. Hoses and firefighters ran everywhere.

Gabby’s building was engulfed in flames. Black, stinking smoke and red-orange fire poured out of all the windows and rose into the sky to block out the sunset.

Gabby clapped a hand over her mouth.

“Oh, my God! Cas! My apartment!”

This was no coincidence. I was sure of it.

It was another message.

Oh, this is so bad. We’ve got to get out of here.

“Gabby. Come on. We can’t stay here.”

She was paralyzed with shock. She didn’t even hear me. Her eyes were locked on that horrible sight. All her worldly belongings were burning away to nothing in there. Tears trickled down her cheeks in stunned silence.

My mind was racing.

Where do we go now?

I knew the only answer. But Gabby wouldn’t like it.

I gently shook her shoulders.

“Come on. We have to go now.”

She broke her gaze away from the inferno and looked up at me. The expression on her face broke my heart. She looked like such a helpless little girl.

“What am I gonna do, Cas?”

Gabby put her arms around me and buried her face in my jacket.

“I’m sorry. It’ll be all right.”

I really didn’t know if that last bit was true.

It wasn’t safe to keep walking around out in the open. I thought about getting us a taxi. No. I didn’t like the idea of being trapped inside one of those tin cans.

There’s nothing else for it.

All the people in the street and in the windows of the other buildings were focused completely on the burning building.

No one would notice.

I pushed Gabby slowly away from me and looked gravely into her blue eyes.

“I’m going to take you somewhere safe. At least I hope it is. But we can’t walk there.”

She looked at me, still shocked and confused.

Just then, I heard someone running behind us.

I whipped around to see Rash charge up to us, breathless.

“Gabby! Are you okay? Isn’t that your place on fire?”

Damn it. This is the last person we need right now.

“Rash, I’ve got to get Gabby out of here.”

“Oh, okay. She can stay at my place! Come on. I’ll show you the way there!”

“That’s not what I mean, Rash.” I said, getting aggravated. “I need you to do something for me.”

“Sure, Cas. What?”

“I need you to not freak out.”

I took my demonic form.

“Oh, SHIT!” he yelped, recoiling away from me.

Gabby’s eyes had gone wide.

“Cas! People will see you!”

“Just hold on tight to me.”

I put my arms around her and spread my big black feathered wings.

I glanced at Rash. He was about to piss himself from fear.

“You didn’t see anything. Got it?”

He nodded slowly.

A couple of quick flaps and we were high above the buildings, far out of sight of Rash or anyone else on the ground, zooming through the darkening twilight.

Gabby looked down and gave a startle cry.

“Don’t worry. I won’t drop you. I promise.”

Her hair whipped about her face as she looked around the darkening city in total amazement.

“This- This is incredible!”

She was breathless with astonishment.

I grinned.

Well, at least I had one more trick up my sleeve to impress her.

Just hope I have enough tricks to keep her safe.

I saw our destination below us and sped down, landing lightly on the roof of the Trafalgar building.

I released Gabby and she looked around suspiciously.

“Cas, are we where I think we are?”

“Yeah, sorry. This was the only place I could think of that would be safe.”

“Oh, Cas, my father’s the last person I want to see right now.”

“I know, I know. I don’t like it either, but I’ve got to hide you. How do we get inside?”

She pointed to a door with peeling paint flaking off it. Obviously Bianco rarely came up here.

Gabby opened the door, rusty hinges creaking loudly in protest, and we went down the dark, dusty stairway inside.

At the bottom, she pushed open another metal door and we found ourselves in the museum-like foyer.

Joe Bianco was there.

But something wasn’t right.

He was sitting in one of the upholstered chairs along the wall, between a painting and a leafy potted fern. He sat rigid and pale, sweat glistening on his forehead. His eyes stared wide at us with a look of fear.

I almost thought he was in the middle of a heart attack. He certainly looked ill.

“What are you doing here? Get out of here! Now!”

Hmph, some welcome.

Is he that pissed at Gabby for what she’d said the other night?

But he didn’t look angry. He looked terrified.

BANG!

The door to the roof slammed shut behind us so hard that it buckled and wedged itself in the frame.

What the fuck was that?!

I pulled Gabby close to me.

“Dad, what’s going on?”

Bianco’s face crumpled in a look of pure misery, and something else…

Guilt.

“Gabriella.” Bianco muttered her name as he shook his head slightly in a very stiff, awkward way.

He seemed paralyzed from the shoulders down.

Then I saw it.

Two small holes, punctures in his shoulder. Small spots of red around them stained his crisp white shirt.

“Please, Gabriella. You have to leave! Demon! Get her out of here! I’m begging you!”

“What happened to you, Bianco? Who was here?”

“Just GO!” he shouted. “It doesn’t matter! Just get my daughter the fuck out of here! NOW!”

Bianco practically roared the word, a mixture of rage and fear contorting his tan features. His hands and legs were trembling slightly. Whatever poison had paralyzed him was slowly wearing off.

Gabby was thoroughly frightened by the sight of her father in this state. Suddenly, she looked as if she’d come to a decision. She ran to Bianco’s side, yelling back to me over her shoulder.

“Cas, help me! We’re taking him with us!”

Bianco groaned loudly and threw his head back.

“Nooo! Leave me! Leave me! Get out!”

Before I could make a move to help Gabby with her father, a strange sound made both of us stop.

Bianco’s head slumpped forward and he let out a moan.

I scanned the room.

What the fuck is that?

A hissing, bubbling sound.

The fountain.

The golden fountain in the middle of the room was hissing. The water in the pool at its base was boiling!

The hiss was steam pouring out of the fountain.

It started to fog up the foyer. Tiny droplets of water were forming on the leaves of the ferns and palms around the room. The surfaces of the paintings and statues glistened with moisture.

The steam completely obscured the fountain now. Gabby was staring at me, bewildered, her hand still on Bianco’s quivering arm.

“Cas?”

I gave her a look that said I didn’t have a fucking clue.

Bianco was muttering miserably, his head hanging down with his chin on his chest.

“No, no, no, no. Not now. It’s too soon. Too soon. Too soon.”

What’s too soon?

What the hell is he babbling about?

He sounded almost in tears.

Maybe he really was having a heart attack or something.

Then another voice came through the steam around the fountain.

An oily hiss of a voice that almost blended with the sound of the boiling pool.

“Too soon? No. It’s the perfect time to die. For all of you.”

The dark sillouhette of a man slowly came through the fog. Blurry features became clear as he emerged from around the fountain.

Dirty ragged clothes. Tangled hair. Pointy chinned face. Oversized boots.

And a look of triumph.

The Freaky Guy.

He breathed a sniggery cackle of a laugh.

“And there’s nothing you can do to stop me, Casmiel.”

 

Higher Hell

Chapter 13: Sins of the Father

The Freaky Guy.

He was a demon.

He left the message in blood.

He started the fire at Gabby’s building.

And…

He knew we’d show up here, didn’t he?

It was a trap.

And I’d led Gabby right into it.

“Who the fuck are you?” I growled.

He was suddenly right in front of me, his face a foot from mine.

He’d rematerialized so fast I didn’t even see it.

“I’m your worst nightmare, Firegazer.”

I thrust out my hands hard to push him away, but he was already gone. I staggered and almost fell.

He was standing by Gabby and Bianco. He lifted a hand to touch Gabby’s face as she recoiled in disgust.

“Such a pretty young one.”

“Don’t touch her!”

The Freaky Guy went stumbling backwards.

I did it!

I’d rematerialized beside Gabby in the blink of an eye and had finally shoved the Freaky Guy in the chest.

“Who are you?! Who sent you here?!”

He leered angrily at me, flexing his fingers like they were claws.

“I am everything you are not, Firegazer. I am a true demon of Hell. I am a loyal servant of my Master. I am the fang, the claw, the hand of evil. I am the reaper of worthless Human souls,” he sniggered his oily laugh again. “And I am the destroyer of useless, meddling demons who get in my way…Like your rule loving friend.”

What?

But…

“You didn’t kill Gamygyn, liar! Scirlin already told me. Humans attacked Gamygyn.”

I shot a glare at Bianco as I said it. I was still sure they had been Bianco’s thugs.

The Freaky Guy laughed at me.

“You are such a fool, Firegazer. I will enjoy killing you. But not before I make you watch your pretty pet Human die.”

I bared my fangs at him.

“You’re not gonna touch her!”

I charged at him ready to rip his messy haired head off.

He disappeared.

I spun around looking for where the fucker had rematerialized, but I didn’t see him anywhere.

I heard his cackle.

“It’s going to be so easy to kill you. So easy it almost takes the fun out of it…Almost.”

As he stepped out of the fog around the fountain, the Freaky Guy morphed from his scrawny, dirty Human form into his demonic shape.

Gabby made a startled cry as she saw him emerge.

A long narrow skull like a dinosaur, rows of long fangs, peeling leathery reptilian skin, a bony tail, bat-like wings.

“You!”

“Yes, Firegazer. I am Scirlin! The destroyer of men. The destroyer of your friend. And now I will be your destroyer, as well.”

Scirlin.

Gamygyn had tried to tell me. And I’d bought the bullshit story Scirlin had fed me about Humans killing Gamygyn.

“Why?!” I shouted at him, rage flooding me. “Why kill Gamygyn? What did he ever do to you?!”

“That fool was going to warn you. He was going to tell you about my mission. So I shut him up. Permanently.”

“You son of a bitch!”

I rematerialized instantly in front of him and grabbed him by the shoulders so he couldn’t get away again.

Aaaaah, FUCK!

Scirlin sank the razor sharp claws of his fingers into my arms.

“Seems I’ll have to stop you interfering before I can complete my mission, Firegazer.”

He was unbelievably fast!

Before I knew what he was doing, he’d bit me once on each shoulder, sinking those long fangs deep into my flesh.

I shuddered, and suddenly I couldn’t move my arms and legs.

What the fuck?!

Scirlin pulled his claws out of my arms and threw me against the wall. I hit next to a small statue which trembled on its pedestal and fell the floor with me. It smashed, covering me in bits of plaster.

“Cas!” Gabby screamed.

I couldn’t get up. I could barely lift my head.

“My fangs are poison, Firegazer,” he said, gnashing his teeth. “Just one of the powers I have that a pathetic excuse for a demon, like you, couldn’t even comprehend.”

He bent down to look me in the eyes up close. That look of contemptuous rage had come over him again.

“You are a waste, Firegazer. You’ve wasted your power, never learning anything, never doing anything! You piece of shit! You don’t deserve the name demon. You were cast out of Heaven, and I will personally cast you out of Hell myself!”

“Look. I know I’ve fucked up. I know I’ve broken lots of rules. If you’re going to punish me, just do it. You don’t need to involve Gabby. She hasn’t done anything.”

“Idiot! I’m not here to punish you for any of the stupid things you’ve done. I’m just going to kill you for being an embarrassment to all the creatures of Hell!”

He slashed his claws across my forehead. I could feel the blood running down the side of my face. Tiny drops of it fell on the marble tiled floor.

“Leave him alone!”

Gabby’s face was filled with fury, but her eyes betrayed the fear gripping her heart.

“But you wouldn’t know my true reason for being here.” Scirlin hissed.

He rematerialized beside Bianco, his pointy skull close to Bianco’s face. Joe tried to jerk away and fell fumbling to the floor. He had some movement in his limbs, but the poison hadn’t completely worn off.

“This deliciously evil little man is the reason for everything.” Scirlin trilled. “What other secrets do you hide from your pretty little child?”

Scirlin placed a skeletal hand on Bianco’s forehead.

Bianco went rigid, then started jerking and twitching all over. His eyes rolled back in his head and his lips moved soundlessly. Spit drooled out of the corner of his mouth.

He looked like he was having some kind of seizure.

Gabby freaked, tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Dad! Stop! Stop it! What are you doing to him?!”

Scirlin released Bianco, who sagged limp where he lay, still shaking a little.

Scirlin eyed Gabby and spoke with a greasy, sadistic voice.

“Ooooh, such things you’ve kept hidden from your precious child. Go on. Tell her. Perhaps she’ll forgive you before you die.”

Bianco shook his head weakly.

“No. No. Just leave us alone.”

“Oh, no, no, no. I want to see her face. I want to see her hatred for you grow. Tell her! Tell her what you did to her mother!”

“No! No! Shut up!”

“Dad?”

Gabby was looking at her father like she didn’t know if she wanted to hear what Scirlin was talking about.

Scirlin grabbed Bianco roughly by his shirt and lifted him up to face him.

“Tell her, sinner!” he roared. “Now!”

Bianco’s eyes were clenched tightly shut. He mumbled in a stiff whisper.

“I killed her.”

Gabby shook her head in denial, but her face betrayed the truth. She knew he wasn’t lieing, she just couldn’t accept it.

“No. You couldn’t. You- “

“I did!” he spat the words harshly. “I shot her! I killed her!”

“No!” she screamed at him.

“She betrayed me! That bitch was cheating on me with an arms dealer I dealt through! They were planning to turn me over to the police and take everything I’d built for themselves! They thought they could destroy me and steal my empire! Everything I’d accomplished! But I stopped her! I had to stop her!”

He gasped suddenly.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Gabriella. I did it. I took her from you.”

Gabby fell to her knees in shock, staring at her father like she didn’t know who he was.

“How could you? Oh, my God! How could you?”

Scirlin was thoroughly enjoying himself. He cackled at Gabby, at the emotional torture she was experiencing.

Oh, how am I going to get her out of this?

I can’t move. And even if I could, what could I do against a demon this strong?

He’s right. I am a waste. And Gabby’s suffering for it.

My heart was breaking so badly for her. I couldn’t bear to see her in such agony.

“But there’s more, my dear child. Your father hasn’t told you of his ultimate betrayal. His final crime, which has brought this upon you.”

“No!” Bianco yelled. “Shut up! Shut up!”

He flailed feebly trying to get away from Scirlin.

The demon dropped Bianco to the floor. Joe had enough movement now to push himself into a sitting position against the wall. He covered his face in his hands. His shoulders began to shake with sobs.

“Shall I explain the real reason I’m here? Are you such a piece of filth you won’t even tell your child what you’ve done to her?”

Bianco was moaning, shaking his head behind trembling hands.

How could Bianco have brought this on? Gabby didn’t have anything to do with her father and his crimes. What the fuck was he talking about?

Scirlin crouched in front of Gabby and leered at her. His eyes seemed to grow a brighter red, feeding on Gabby’s grief.

“Your father was marked to be taken by your dear friend, Casmiel. And when he learned he was about to be damned to Hell, do you know what he did? He actually began to pray! He prayed to anyone in Heaven or Hell who would save him. My Master heard him and came to him. And so, your father cut a deal with my Master. A vile, despicable deal rarely seen even from the most corrupt and evil of sinners. In exchange for lengthening his own worthless life,…he offered my master the soul of his one and only child and heir. The estranged daughter he barely knew. You, my child. Your own father bartered away your soul to save his own!”

What?

WHAT!

“YOU MOTHERFUCKER!” I bellowed.

I tried with all my strength to move, but all I managed was to twitch a little.

That son of a bitch!

If only I could’ve moved, I’d have beat the living shit out of Bianco.

How could he?

To send his own daughter to Hell to save his own life! There weren’t words for what a piece of shit Bianco was!

Which is probably why Gabby knelt on the floor gaping at her father in stunned silence. Her tear drenched face frozen in horrified shock.

“I didn’t know! I- I thought you’d have your whole life to live before…It wasn’t supposed to happen so soon! It’s too soon! Oh, Gabriella, I’m so sorry! I’m sorry!”

Bianco wept like a child, gasping the words.

How can he apologize? Even if he thought Gabby would be old and grey before she died.

I had such rage in me like I’d never felt before. Such hatred for that evil, selfish little man weeping among all his treasures.

And he’d condemned his greatest treasure to an eternity in Hell.

“Do you realize what you’ve done?!” I spit at Bianco. “Do you have any idea what Hell is? What you’ve sentenced your daughter to?!”

Bianco didn’t even seem to hear me. He just sat sobbing and muttering ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’ over and over.

Sorry wasn’t going to save Gabby.

Scirlin turned to me.

“Now, Firegazer, let me show you how a true demon deals with a sinner such as this.”

He turned to eye Bianco hungrily.

“Wait! Wait!” Bianco cried. “What about our deal? What about extending my life? Satan said- “

That fucker! After all this, he still thought he should get away with it?!

Scirlin laughed that sniggery cackle.

“Your life has been extended! If not for me, Casmiel here would have killed you days ago. You had a brief reprieve. I hope you enjoyed it.”

“But Satan-”

“Satan has nothing to do with it! My Master lied.”

In a flash, Scirlin had ripped open Bianco’s shirt with his claws. With one bony hand, he held a spluttering Bianco down by the throat, and with the other he scratched a bloody pentagram into the flesh over his heart.

Scirlin slowly pulled his hand back.

A pale smoke-like mist was being drawn out of Bianco’s chest as if invisible strings attached it to Scirlin’s clawed fingers. The mass of formless smoke grew larger and darker, becoming a thick black fog. A face formed in the smoke. A horrible, contorted face screaming silently in torment. Bianco’s face, twisted and ugly with all his sins.

Gabby’s scream tore the air.

Scirlin stood, and as if hurling a rock with all his power, threw Bianco’s soul to the floor. The soul ricocheted off the floor and rocketed around the room like it was trying to get away before it froze in midair and was suddenly sucked by an unseen force up and away through the ceiling.

Bianco had been sucked into Hell.

His body lay lifeless against the wall, glazed eyes staring blankly, mouth hanging open.

Scirlin stared at the body, quivering with excitement.

“Satan will be pleased, Casmiel. Your mission is fulfilled. Now watch. Watch what a demon is supposed to be.”

Before I could say anything, Scirlin had crouched low and pounced on Bianco’s empty shell of a body like a predator on its prey.

Claws and fangs slashed and ripped into the body. Blood splashed everywhere.

Gabby’s scream of horror seemed to shake the room as she was splattered with her father’s blood.

Scirlin tore through the body in a blood soaked frenzy, devouring flesh and bone. Artwork and potted greenery nearby dripped blood and gore.

It was so horrible. I’d never witnessed anything so disgusting, so violent. But I couldn’t look away. I was paralyzed by the sight of Scirlin reveling in death as much as by his poison.

This can’t be what Satan wants. I couldn’t believe that. I wouldn’t. This would never get us back into Heaven. This could only damn our kind even worse.

Gabby shook violently all over, her wide terror stricken eyes unable to look away either. Her mouth was open in a silent scream she could no longer get out.

Her silence made me realize suddenly…

I’d been screaming too.

I’d reacted without realizing what I was doing. I’d let out a roar of disgust, horror and grief.

Scirlin rematerialized in front of me, covered in warm glistening blood and small bits of gore.

He licked a finger greedily.

“You see now, Casmiel? You see what we are? We are reapers of men. We are death and destruction. And on sin, we feast.”

He was breathless, excited.

“No! No! We are not this! We’re not evil. How can we get back into Heaven like this, Scirlin? How?”

He sneered at me as if I’d said something incredibly insulting to him.

“Get back into Heaven? We will never go back to Heaven! That bastard cast us aside, threw us out like we were trash! God spits on my soul! I will never go back to him! I will destroy and destroy and destroy with my Master until God comes crawling to beg our forgiveness for what he’s done to us!”

Flecks of Bianco’s blood hit my face from the force of his words.

That’s why he was so vicious.

He was one of those demons who could never forgive the Old Man for abandoning us, chucking us out on our asses.

“You’re the ones, you and the others who think like that, you’re the ones who give demons a bad name! You’re the ones the rest of us have to suffer for! You’re the waste! You’re the embarrassment!”

He didn’t like that.

With a roar of hatred and rage, he kicked me and sent me crashing into the wall again.

I felt my leg break and I gasped in pain, but he was already grabbing me again. I was lifted up over his head and slammed to the floor.

This time I felt several ribs crack.

He’s gonna tear me apart in front of Gabby, and there’s nothing I can do to stop him. I was starting to get a little movement back, but not nearly enough to defend myself.

“You don’t deserve these, Casmiel!”

“AAAAAAH! FUUUUCK!”

He stomped one foot on the middle of my back and was pulling hard on my wings!

The pain was blinding! Like nothing else in the World existed except that powerful, unstoppable force trying to rip my wings from my back.

Oh, Gamygyn! How you must’ve suffered. And yet, he had still tried so hard to get to me, to warn me.

And it had all been for nothing.

Scirlin was going to kill me and then kill Gabby.

I’d never get back to Heaven.

As much as I’d tried to shrug it off, as much as I’d claimed that Heaven was just as boring as Hell, deep down I’d really hoped to see it again.

But now all I could do was lie there, immobile, and wait for death.

I screamed again as I felt my wing bones pop out of their sockets. It was only a matter of time before that sickening terrible ripping sound would come.

“GET OFF HIM!”

Scirlin released my wings.

I could move just enough to roll onto my side and look up to see Gabby furiously wailing on Scirlin with her fists. A guttural, feral roar of grief and rage was coming from her.

Scirlin managed to get a clawed hand around Gabby’s throat. In one fluid motion, he lifted Gabby off her feet and flung her across the room like a rag doll. She landed sprawled on the marble tile floor gasping for air.

“Noooo! Gabby!”

Scirlin stompped over to her, eyes gleaming with hate.

“You can wait, Casmiel. You’re not going anywhere after all. Besides, I’d like to see your reaction when I kill your pretty friend.”

“No! Leave her alone! Kill me! Kill me instead! Take my soul! Please!”

He laughed his sniggery cackle.

“Oh, don’t worry, I will. But first I’ll take care of this insignificant little Human.”

I thrashed around on the floor, but I still couldn’t get up. Pain shot through me with every twitch and jerk.

Gabby kicked hard at Scirlin’s legs, but he was too fast. He’d already grabbed her by the throat and lifted her into the air again.

With a single claw, he slashed her shirt open, exposing her breasts, and reached to scratch the pentagram over her heart just as he’d done with her father.

“No! No! NO! NO! NOOOO!”

My bellowing roar echoed around the room.

But it didn’t sound right.

It didn’t sound like me.

My vision was narrowing, blackness pushing in on the edges of my view.

If I was still thrashing around, I couldn’t tell. I couldn’t feel anything. The terrible pain of my dislocated wings and broken bones was gone. It was like my whole body was gone.

But I could see Scirlin slowly begin to scratch Gabby’s chest as if in slow motion. A thin trickle of blood appeared on her milky white skin.

She was trying to scream, but all I could hear was that echoing roar that seemed to be coming from inside my head.

My view started to rise, like I was leaving my body.

No!

Oh, no! I’m dieing!

I can’t die now! Nobody will be left to save Gabby!

You don’t deserve this, Gabby. You don’t belong in Hell.

The darkness had engulfed all my vision except for Gabby and Scirlin. But they were bright.

Too bright.

The room hadn’t been this brightly lit, had it?

The light shone on the two of them so brightly, Gabby’s pale skin seemed to glow.

Scirlin’s hand had stopped.

He was looking at me, and I was drawing nearer to them.

He was looking at me weird.

Confusion, anger and…awe.

That was it.

He looked awestruck. And it was something he hated.

He didn’t understand what he was seeing.

Neither did I.

What the fuck was he looking at? My body must still be on the floor.

He dropped Gabby absentmindedly, like he’d forgotten what he was doing. I saw her mouth my name, but I couldn’t hear anything over the echoing din.

Scirlin’s eyes blazed with an incredible wrath I’d never witnessed before. His jaws opened in a roar I didn’t hear.

He charged at me, claws raised to attack.

When he was arms length away, two hands grabbed him on either side of his narrow skull.

These can’t be my hands.

These powerful, fleshy pink hands with gleaming perfect fingernails. These can’t be mine.

Scirlin flailed about, struggling to get free. The echoing roar was getting louder. Gabby had both hands clamped tightly over her ears. She blinked and squinted in the blinding light that made the tears on her cheeks sparkle. She looked awestruck too.

Scirlin’s hands scrabbled in a furious panic at my fingers. His bat-like wings beat against my arms.

Are they really my arms?

Terror was all he was showing now. All hate, and anger and awe were completely lost to an absolute fear.

Smoke began to stream from Scirlin’s eyes, nose and mouth. He shook violently all over. I saw him mouthing the words “Save me! Master, save me!”.

In a flash of flame and blood, Scirlin’s skull exploded. His body fell to the floor, smoldering into a pile of ash.

I was falling too.

My view of Gabby was sinking to the floor and now even she was growing dark. The bright light had gone out and the blackness was closing in, obliterating all my vision.

I didn’t feel myself hit the floor.

My last sight was of Gabby leaping to her feet and rushing towards me.

The roar was gone, but I couldn’t hear my name as Gabby’s lips formed it.

Everything was black and silent.

So this is how I die then?

But I’d saved her.

That was what Gamygyn had meant. I understood now.

‘Save…friend’.

Well, Gamygyn, I don’t know how, but I did it.

I saved my friend.