Galatians 1:8, KJV
Angst radiated down the stairs, keeping Cody from making his way up. His intention had never been to discuss anything with Belphegor; the plan was to convince Tyler to leave, but the topic had only come up in passing and hadn’t gone beyond pointing out who Mr. Bel was. His foot resisted moving to the bottom step.
“Don’t,” Hector said, her green light flowing toward him from the landing. Her hands pressed firmly on her round hips. “Turn around, get into the car, and go home.”
“Easy for you to say.” He didn’t move from his stance of one foot on the step and the other on the lobby floor. “Tyler and Jen are—”
“Under his control, duh. And if you go up there, the chances you will follow suit are very high.”
“What do you suggest I do?”
“Anything but go up there. Go downstairs, I hear there are some dumbbells down there. You should get along with.” He cringed at her pun, and his foot retracted from the step. “Oh, how about this? Go back in there, and talk some sense into them. They’re easily influenced. Get them laughing, and then you shouldn’t have any trouble convincing them of anything.”
The closed apartment door begged for his attention, but his curiosity froze him to the bottom of the stairs. Cody wanted to know why the Fallen Angel had taken such an interest in him. It wasn’t as though he had anything to benefit the man. And what was the point of branding him like cattle? He needed to show it to Tyler.
“Ok, I’ll talk with them first.” He began unbuttoning his long-sleeved shirt.
“Are you going to do a strip-tease for them, too?” She smirked.
“No, I’m going to show them this.” He pulled off the shirt. His nipples tightened in the cool air. The ink embedded in his skin tingled.
They weren’t in the apartment as he expected; the television screen was dark. He called their names to have his words echo through the empty rooms. Out the backdoor, their outlines weren’t among the shadows forming in the fading light of day stretching down the alley.
In the short time Cody had stood in the lobby, Tyler and Jen had driven away, leaving him alone. Exhaling with a loud sigh, he found himself on the corner with head cocked, scanning the front of the darkening hotel.
A cool breeze caressed his bare skin. He wondered whether Tyler and Jen felt an attraction to the man as he did. Since the night he received the tattoo, he was drawn, pulled to this place to be in his presence.
The only place he wanted to be was near him. Though he knew it was part of the manipulation, he was addicted to the idea of the Fallen Angel and wanted more. During dinner, while he wore a distrusting face, the satisfaction he felt being near him gave Cody peace. The last button on his shirt finished, he turned.
“We can talk elsewhere if you don’t feel comfortable being in my room.” The warmth of his voice soothed Cody’s anxiety. “How about the restaurant? Tyler has done such a magnificent job restoring it, seems a waste it won’t be open to the public for a few more weeks.”
“Uh, sure?”
“I understand Hector has filled you in on whom I am.”
“Yes, she has.” He matched Belphegor’s long-legged stride.
“Well, the part they want you to know, I’m sure. I want you to know everything. No question shall go unanswered.” He turned to Cody. “Would it make you more comfortable to have her visible while we have our discussion? I’ll welcome her.”
“Ok?” Cody replied, unsure why he agreed.
Hector walked behind them, glaring her disapproval. This was her role, after all, Gabriel hadn’t given further instructions, beyond ensuring Cody was aware of circumstances, and she’d done her best to convey the message, leaving her to watch.
God gave humans the dilemma of choice, and Cody had made his, with a little intervention from the man he comfortably walked with to the end of the block.
Belphegor held the door for them; Cody was sure Tyler had locked it. Hector refused to sit at the same table as the Fallen Angel and stood near the door without taking her focus from them. Time seemed to stand still as they sat in silence as though Belphegor didn’t know where to start. His beams enshrouded Cody in blue.
“I want you to know I mean you no harm,” he began after weighing his words. “Which I think is the most critical thing for you to understand.” Cody blinked, saying nothing in response. “When the turmoil began, I admit, I waffled. I saw each side. I deliberated. I pondered. I wasted time, making no allegiances. Oh, the Rising Star gave quite the speeches, swaying as many as possible to his side.
“God gave us powers beyond your wildest dreams, except one thing Lucifer desired beyond the limits of belief. He wanted to create like God. He wanted his worlds, his beings in his image. He wanted to be equal to his maker, which when I first heard murmurings of it, I laughed it off.”
Cody glanced at Hector, who nodded her agreement. His mind raced, thinking of all the things he had learned in church when he was a child and didn’t remember hearing the reason for Lucifer’s expulsion, only his desire to claim human souls once he arrived on Earth. Until recently, he hadn’t known the magnitude of the War in the Heavens.
“When He created Earth and human beings, Lucifer raged. We were invited to visit to see what He had created. The perceived gloating angered Lucifer more; he was supposed to be singing God’s prowess but was naysaying him instead.
“At first, God took it. Then as others joined Lucifer, He became enraged. And when Lucifer questioned other laws, the final straw landed on the camel’s back.
“He bequeathed if anyone stood against Him, their fate laid outside of Heaven. Still, the rebels persisted, not believing His warning.
“I watched as the turmoil grew. All the Angels in Heaven were forced to choose a side. I didn’t want to. I wanted to continue inspiring others. Then I was thrown out. Not because I sided with Lucifer’s grand plans, but because I made no choice.
“I pleaded with God to not send me away. He said my lack of decision was my undoing. While I was inspiring and having my soirées, I should have had chosen a side. So here I am in this prison of Earth, not allowed to stay away for long, even when summoned by a desperate soul needing my help.”
“What does any of this have to do with me?” Cody asked, the biggest mystery pleading to be resolved.
Belphegor brightened as he said, “To help me get back into God’s good graces.”
“What?” Hector shrieked. “I think I’ve now heard the dumbest thing ever.”
“She has a point,” Cody agreed. “Why don’t you send a message or whatever it is Angels do for communication?”
“I’ve been cut off from Heaven is why,” Belphegor remarked, his eyes narrowed, and his face reddened. The glasses and flatware on the tables trembled with his frustration. “I need you to help me change His view of me.”
Cody eyed the dining area, hoping a maelstrom of forks and knives didn’t start swirling in the air. Suddenly, the clattering stopped. Silence enveloped the room.
Belphegor lowered his gaze, staring at the table. The red tint on his face faded, giving way to the richness of his golden skin as his eyelids lowered, almost shutting.
Cody had a hard time believing a tear trailed slowly from Belphegor’s right eye, down his cheek, then fell to the cloth covering the table. His heart went out to the humbled Angel. But there had to be more of what he had said. Was it so simple?
Looking to Hector, he saw something he hadn’t expected from her. A tenderness had come to her face. She looked as though she wanted to cry as well. Her attention returned to him, and she shrugged. Finally, she joined them, standing near Cody.
“He’s telling the truth.” Her tone wasn’t sharp any longer. It was quiet and respectful. “But it doesn’t change anything he’s done since being on Earth. He’s done as his fallen brethren and preyed on human souls, starting the day he was excommunicated from Heaven.” She paused, watching Belphegor’s sullen posture. “He still can’t be trusted. He’s the bringer of the
end.”
“It’s not the end,” he said, looking as though he were asleep. “It’s a start of something new.” His faux slumber disintegrated, fixed on Cody. “Which is the goal He has had since he sent His son to save the world. Don’t you want to start anew, to be reborn in Him? I don’t want anything different.”
Cody forced his gaze from the man. The room was darker than he had expected with the light pooling on the tables from the ceiling. The way the shadows coagulated together reminded him of the way the darkness undulated around him in the theater and the night in his apartment when they’d come out of his bedroom. Cody’s chair banged to the floor. His hand squeezed the door handle.
Before opening it, Cody said, “I have to go,” then melted into the night.
“Of course,” Belphegor replied to the closing door, then glared at the Angel. “You are quite vexatious for a Watcher.”
She joined Cody running west on First Street’s unpaved surface. “Now do you see?” Hector asked, her thick legs keeping time with his. “You need to get out of here.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Then would I speak, and not fear him; but it is not so with me.
Job 9:35, KJV
Cody ran as though wolves nipped at his heels. His feet scraped the loose gravel, sending stones bouncing away from him in all directions. The crisp night air didn’t stop the sweat escaping his pores. His second night back home was turning out to be more exciting than the first. And the first time he hadn’t been near Main Street.
Slowing his pace as he reached the street, which turned into the highway leading to Thermopolis, he noticed rickety buildings leaning together as though they tried to gain warmth from the others in their huddled mass. The old, red building on the corner looked as though a gentle push more was all it needed to send it into collapse.
Dogs barked, running with him against fences to their end. He glimpsed silhouettes peeking out bright windows as he passed; surely he wasn’t the first person who they’d seen running for their life.
His lungs burned. His legs ached, but he didn’t stop until he reached the baseball field marking the end of town. He held his head back, raging at the sky. The bestial sound roused more dogs, who barked and howled in response.
Sitting on the picnic table near the edge of the park, he held his head in his hands. The only sounds were the chirping of the crickets and frogs and his heavy breaths.
Had it not been for Tyler coming home (which he still didn’t know the details), he wouldn’t be here to face Belphegor wanting a favor from him.
A child’s laughter sent a chill across his spine. Warily he raised his head. A woman with shoulder-length, blond hair, followed by a child of maybe five or six, walked across the yard to the truck parked on the street. When she told the child to hurry, he knew her instantly; Leona.
As a teenager, she had all the cheerleader prerequisites; pretty, cheerful, and big boobs. He was intrigued seeing her; he hadn’t kept in touch with anyone, and always assumed she had escaped the desolation.
After securing the child in the cab of the pickup, she came around the front, freezing seeing him approach. Seeing her fear, and thinking she was going to scream, he put his hands up and stopped.
“Cody,” she screamed, beating him to any words. “What in the heavens are you doing here?”
“Long story. What about you?” He came closer, so they didn’t have to yell. “I thought you’d have blown this place long ago.”
“Well, Bergen happened.” She nodded to the truck. “And I’ve never regretted staying.”
Cody didn’t see the man come out of the house to join them until he was standing next to him. “I’ll be damned if it ain’t Boogla Bah.”
He twisted to the side. The tall, slender man in an amber, heavy-denim jacket beamed at him. His raspy voice hid all hints of who he was. A patch covered his left eye, hiding his identity.
Had it not been for him saying Boogla Bah, there was no other way for him to know the man was Nathan—the name Boogla Bah had been created in creative writing sophomore year. They had worked in groups to write a short play, then had acted it out. Boogla Bah was the Marsh Prince, who had been played by Cody. From then on, Nathan had called him Boogla Bah. Happy to see another old friend, Cody extended his hand, but Nathan wrapped his strong arms around him.
Leona turned her attention to the truck, Nathan understood without her needing to speak. He headed toward the driver’s side of the truck.
“I hate to cut this short,” Leona said, moving back to the passenger door. “We have to get to Riverton.” He followed her. The dome light illuminated Bergen, dark straight hair hung around the child’s ears and covered the high forehead in tendrils. Dark eyes sparkled at Leona as she sat.
Cody stared at Bergen; the child’s very being was entrancing. While the child appeared somewhat female, he wasn’t sure a label such as male or female was appropriate.
“Say hello to Cody, Bergen. He’s a friend from High School. Daddy’s, too.” Nathan’s silver eye zoomed in on Cody at the mention of his name, and his smile was the same as ever; full of teeth and wide.
“Hello, Cody, wonderful to meet you,” Bergen said with a melodic voice too sophisticated to come from a child, who leaned to look around Leona. The smile, already gleaming, stretched more. A giggle erupted from the happy mouth. “You’re pretty. Wonderful to meet you, too, Hector.”
Cody’s surprise filled his face; how was it possible this child saw his Watcher? Neither Leona nor Nathan seemed fazed by her statement about someone they didn’t see.
“Where are you staying? We’ll have to get together,” Leona cheerfully asked through the open window.
“The Shanley.”
For three beats of Cody’s heart, there was silence, then Nathan said, “You’re shittin’ me.”
Leona glared at him. Nathan blushed, and she turned back to Cody. “Why?”
“Another part of the long story.” Seeing the unease on Nathan’s face, Cody continued, “You know, don’t you? You know about—”
“We can’t talk now,” Nathan interrupted, glancing down at Bergen. “Bergen’s stayin’ the night with grandma, ain’t ya?”
“I am. I love staying with Grandmother.”
Leona rummaged in her purse, pulling out a ring holding seven keys. As she removed one, she said, “Why don’t you wait inside? We’ll be back in, what?” she turned to Nathan. “Forty-five minutes?”
He nodded as she handed Cody the key. Cody’s expression must’ve been more shocked than he expected, because Nathan said, “You shouldn’t go back tonight. Our house is one of the safest in town.”
“Ok?” Cody took the key.
“Help yourself to anything in the fridge,” Leona said. “We’ll be back before you know it.”
Cody glanced back at the house as the truck drove off.
“What a relief,” Hector said. “I wasn’t looking forward to the walk back.”
Forty-five minutes turned into an hour, then into three hours as Cody waited for Leona and Nathan to return. He flicked through the television channels; at least they had satellite service, but still, he found nothing remotely interesting to occupy the time.
He craned his neck to see the clock between the window and the front door (11:13) as the phone rang. He let it ring, not feeling comfortable answering their phone. To his surprise, they had an answering machine. Bergen’s voice announced no one was available to answer the phone, followed by a beep.
“Cody, you there?” Nathan asked. “It’s Nate. Pick up if you’re there.”
Cody rushed to the phone. Putting the receiver to his ear, he said, “Hey, Nate. Sure is a long forty-five minutes.”
“You’re telling me.” His voice echoed from the receiver and the answering machine. “First the truck failed to start at my mom’s house, then once we were on the road, all four tires went flat. We had to walk back to town.”
“That’s not good.”
“Nope, nope,” Nate replied as t
he answering machine beeped. “We’ll get her fixed in the morning. You’re welcome to stay at our house. No need to run off.” Cody heard Leona’s voice but didn’t know what she had said. “Leona says it’s too late for you to be traipsing back tonight.”
“I don’t know. It’s kinda strange.”
“Don’t worry about it, Boogla Bah. Our house is your house. You can steal anything you want.” He laughed. “Please take the TV, so I can get a new one.”
Cody laughed. “Sure, I’ll stay. What time do you think you’ll be back tomorrow?”
“I hope, soon after ten. You stayin’ then?”
“I am.”
Cody wandered down the hall to the first door on the left to the guest room overtaken by storage. After clearing the clutter from the bed, he took off his clothes and laid down, staring at the darkened ceiling. He’d forgotten how dark it was in the land of few street lights.
A soft, silver glow burst around the drapes covering the window. Sleep overtook him; running and the late hour had exhausted him. Wind rattled the window like a stranger trying to break into the slumbering house, but it didn’t cause the slightest stir in him.
The workers had completed restoring the theater the night before. He had never seen this section of the block so radiant. Shoshone in classic 1920’s lettering was emblazed in red and gold tin letters filled with bright bulbs at the top of the marquee stood over the entrance.
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