They were only in the car for a moment. Belial didn’t even have time to start the engine when Elizabeth blurted out, “Are you crazy?! Won’t you burst into flames or something if you step into a church?”
It was the first time she’d heard him laugh. She honestly didn’t think he was capable of it. He was always so serious. It was almost contagious and immediately brought a smile to her face. His golden eyes came to life and for the first time, she could see how he was once one of God’s favorite angels.
Turning towards her, they locked eyes. Her insides burned with anticipation. He looked truly glorious and she thought she was going to melt. Smiling, his white teeth were perfectly straight and he spoke, still chuckling. “No. I won’t burst into flames.”
Clearing his throat, he loosened the top buttons on his shirt and leaned casually against the car door. Turning at an angle, he made sure to face her. Running a hand through his hair, Lucifer said, “God ideally would like us to repent for our sins. So the church is always open to us.” He paused for a second and thoughtfully added, “In fact, if He was awake, He would be quite pleased to see us in there, even if it is all for fun.”
Elizabeth let his words sink in but all they did was leave her with more questions. “What do you mean ‘awake’?” she said. “Is he taking a nap or something?”
He laughed again. She wasn’t sure if he found her bluntness amusing or if he was laughing at her ignorance, but either way, she didn’t care and welcomed it.
“I’m sure you know the Bible stories well enough,” Lucifer said. “I’m also sure you know that behind every myth, every story, there is a certain extent of truth. Essentially you could consider the time we’re in as God’s seventh day.”
Glancing back in the rearview mirror, Belial tried to see what was going on. Looking back at the road he said, “My lord, do you think it’s wise to share so much?”
Lucifer glanced at the front of the car. He took Belial’s opinion into account, but wasn’t worried about it. She needed to hear this at some point, and the sooner it was out in the open, the sooner he could stop playing all these games. Looking back at Elizabeth, he smirked smugly and said, “Just drive, Belial.”
The demon nodded his head, but his eyes never left the road. Not wanting to spoil the moment, Elizabeth asked again, “So why me?”
Lucifer’s smile faded. Glancing back at the front of the car Belial gave no advice this time. Continuing to stare at the front of the car, Lucifer rested his head against the window next to him. “It’s like Belial said: you’re not an ordinary human.” Glancing back at her, he saw that she had a blank stare on her face. Smiling for a second, he continued, “There’s a rule, a law, amongst the two realms. Those of Heaven and those of Hell do not mix. We do not talk to each other; we do not see each other, and we do not procreate.”
Elizabeth wasn’t sure what he was getting at, but was patient and kept her eyes locked on him while he continued. “To make a long story short, there were two who ignored this fundamental law.”
Elizabeth’s heart was racing. Her brain was telling her to stop him that she didn’t really want to know what he had to say, but her heart was all ears and was desperate to hear anything he was willing to share with her.
“When discovered, there are only a few options,” Lucifer said. “One, you can kill yourself. Two, beg for forgiveness and pray that God grants it to you because I for one won’t.” He stopped. Elizabeth glanced in the rearview mirror, but Ben’s eyes remained locked on the road.
Looking back at Lucifer, she urged, “And?”
“And what?”
“What’s the last option?”
He let out a long sigh. Looking away he cocked his head. Running a finger along the window, he said, “You could give up your place among the holy and immortal and become human.”
Elizabeth had a feeling she knew where this was going and wanted her point to be heard. “I’m human. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but you’re wrong. I have grandparents and they had parents. We have a whole family tree mapped out to the 1700’s.”
Lucifer shook his head. She didn’t want to hear anymore, however. She had opened this door, and now that there was no going back, she regretted her decision immensely.
“It’s not that simple,” Lucifer said. “When you choose the last option, the soul is separated from the body. In essence, you are killed and reincarnated into a human baby. You become integrated into the human race and none are the wiser except for that entity. The soul is haunted in remembrance of what it once had. Tortured in a sense. This is option your parents chose.”
Elizabeth’s heart hurt. It couldn’t be true. There was nothing strange or out of the ordinary in her. She was normal. Completely normal, and no one was going to convince her otherwise. Shaking her head she stared at the leather seat. “No,” she said. “It’s not true.”
Lucifer’s smile was completely gone. His face was once again as hard as stone. She didn’t want to look at him. Instead she turned away and stared out the window, trying to focus on something else, anything else. He wasn’t deterred, however, and decided to continue his story. “Your father was one of my most loyal demons. He betrayed me when he fell in love with an angel.”
Elizabeth didn’t want to hear anymore. “Stop it! Just shut up already! I don’t want to hear anymore!”
She was screaming at him. She couldn’t control it and just wanted to get out of the car more than anything. Lucifer was determined, however. He had started his story and was going to finish it. “He was my kin, the offspring of my son Gaap, Prince of Hell.”
Elizabeth shook her head. She couldn’t accept it. She wouldn’t accept it. She didn’t want to hear anymore and finally screamed, “Stop the car!”
Belial was driving on auto-pilot. He wasn’t paying attention to what was going on in the back seat and jumped when he heard Elizabeth scream. Slamming on the brakes, he whipped around, wide-eyed, heart pounding. Struggling with the seatbelt, Elizabeth’s hands were shaky but she was able to get it unbuckled. Swinging the door open, the smell of burnt rubber permeated the air. The sound of the breaks screeching still rang through her ears, but she was determined to get out of the car.
Storming out, she started the long march home. They had stopped roughly halfway between the city and her house on an old two-lane highway. The black asphalt road was hard to see. The moon was being blocked by thin clouds and the stars were few, even out in the country. They were surrounded by cane fields and there weren’t any lights for miles. She knew these roads by heart, however, so the darkness didn’t bother her. It would take her a few hours to walk home but anything was better than sitting in that car.
She’d only made it a short distance from the car when a voice called behind her, “Elizabeth! Duck!”
Without thinking she fell to her knees and raised her arms over her head to shield it. A sharp pain nagged at her shoulder but she didn’t dare get up. The rocks in the asphalt dug into her knees but she didn’t move. From under her arms she could see brilliant white feathers flying all around her. Quick flashes of movement kicked up the feathers lying on the ground, but they were too fast for her to keep up with. She could hear what sounded like blades hitting and remaining hunched over she prayed.
The commotion was getting closer. Glancing under her arm, she desperately searched for cover, but there was nothing but open fields. The cane wasn’t more than a foot or two high, and definitely not adequate for hiding in. Then she spotted the car. It was still sitting where Ben had parked it. Two of the doors were left wide open and the head lights were beaming out onto the road, but it was protection.
Staying low, she made a mad dash for the large vehicle. Tripping, her toe got caught in a divot. Her hand hit the pavement but she was able to keep moving and somehow make it to the car unnoticed. Leaning against the front tire, she finally had a chance to look at her shoulder. There was a sizab
le cut in it and blood had already soaked into her shirt and was running down her arm. Now that she had noticed the wound, it ached severely. Ripping part of her shirt, she made a poor attempt at wrapping the wound then fell back against the car.
The sounds of battle faded but she was still unwilling to move. Closing her eyes, she rested her head against the car. Her breathing was slow and her heart relatively steady, but her hands and her feet were shaking. She was cold despite the humidity in the air and goose bumps crept up her arms. Making the sign of the cross loosely, she hoped the ones on her side were victorious.
Two hands fell on her shoulders. Kicking and screaming, she tried to get up and run. Their grip was too strong, however, and instead she found herself lying on her back on the road. Flailing, Elizabeth continued to scream, trying to break away but to no avail. Between screams she finally heard his voice calling, “Elizabeth! Elizabeth, stop!”
Opening her eyes slowly, a blurry image appeared. Belial was leaning over her, blood still dripping off of him. His wings were out and feathers were falling all around her, covering her in a blanket of white. Her shoulder throbbed under his hand and she winced in pain.
Belial immediately removed his hands. Flipping them over, his eyes grew wide. His right hand was soaked in blood. A sick churning motion filled his stomach. Grabbing her waist, he gently pulled her to her feet and ripped the shirt away from her shoulder. The blood had already soaked through her makeshift bandage. The world was starting to spin slowly and the ground swayed under her feet. Her fingers and toes ceased to exist and she felt as light as the feathers floating around her.
Unable to stand on her own any longer, she fell into Ben’s chest. He quickly scooped her into his arms, holding her firmly to him. Everything was growing blurry again and the world was spinning around her. She could make out voices in the background but was unable to focus on them.
“She’s lost a lot of blood.”
“Get her home. You can tend to it there.”
Straining, Elizabeth tried to focus on something, anything…
Lucifer was standing in front of her. He was just as bloody as Belial and had a long sword at his side. Darkness slowly enveloped her surroundings. Lucifer was being engulfed by a black haze, but she saw them: wings. Six wings protruding from his back. Out.
Chapter 10