People flocked up and down the sidewalk, going into the stores for souvenirs, not realizing for every moment they lingered inside, their souls were siphoned, which was how his father had explained it to him. But, Eli hadn’t seen how it was possible until recently when he’d become involved with the block.
Being inside the Top Hat was oppressive, he wanted to turn on his heel the moment he set foot inside. For the most part, the talismans he wore around his neck, wrists and fingers keep the feeding at bay. And his laughter helped with not allowing anything to enter, but with everything which had happened, he found fewer things to laugh about.
He slowed further, coming parallel with the restaurant. The window looked as though shards had never left its frame, but the crack running from the top right of the window opening to the roof remained, caused by the force of the beast pushing its way into the world.
Eli couldn’t fathom why Belphegor didn’t fix it; leaving a flaw in his Masterpiece made no sense. Curiosity got the better of him, and he turned at the alley to park behind the building.
People graciously nodded to him from the sitting area behind the theater. He had not noticed anyone using the space before. Normally, it sat empty unlike the park across the street. He returned their smiles, then disappeared along the side of the building.
Near the window he stopped, looking up the wall to where the crack crept over the wall to the roof, easily a half-inch wide throughout, and near the corner of the window he could peer inside.
His reflection in the window startled him. Realizing he saw himself and not some demon, he laughed at himself. Unfortunately, he felt compelled to investigate the damage inside, killing his laughter. He scanned the men sitting, enjoying the early afternoon. His keys anxiously vibrated as he pulled them out of his pocket with the tremor in his hand. The beat of his heart sped up as he wondered what inside looked like.
Before entering, his hand shot inside, flicking the lights on. The kitchen didn’t look as though anyone had ever set foot in the space. Bleach lingered in the air. He walked through the narrow bar hidden behind the wall of the restaurant to the window. The crack was not visible. Tilting his head back, he studied the wall to the ceiling; it wasn’t there.
He twisted his mouth from side to side, making his mustache dance to a strange beat. Rubbing his head, he turned. Someone stood at the backdoor, their silhouette backlit, making it impossible to see their face.
“Can I help you?” Eli asked, hoping his voice stayed strong.
“I was wondering the same of you.” He didn’t recognize the voice or whether it came from a man or a woman. “I think we want the same thing.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’m sure you understand more than you should.” The being entered the kitchen then passed through the door to the dining room. “Come, let’s have a chat.”
As the being crossed the room, a chair slid out, and they sat. Eli knew, even with it standing at the backdoor with the halo of light pushing around them, this was an entity who didn’t wait long for a request to be fulfilled. He hopped over the bar and joined them before the chair moved them comfortably under the table.
Eli sat across. This being was similar to Bergen; androgynous. Beauty flowed from its face. Its plump, red lips held joy in their shape as he sat. Auburn locks rolled from the creature’s head in ringlets, below the shoulders. Warm brown beamed from its eyes, while with only a glance he knew the softness of its skin. Delicate hands folded together sat on the table.
Eli always assumed while in the presence of a Heavenly being he’d know whether they were with God or against, but in this instance, he had no clue about where it stood.
“I see your father in you,” the Angel began. Eli didn’t flinch at the mention of his father, he had to have received his knowledge from somewhere, and now he knew the source. “Especially the boldness. He served us well. Your plan doesn’t seem strong enough to spoil his plan. Do you understand the impacts if he succeeds?”
“I hope so,” Eli replied, his voice loud and unwavering.
“Hope sails a thousand ships,” it replied. “We can’t survive on hope.”
“Then why don’t you do something about it, whomever you are!”
“My apologies, my name is Mica. It seems your father didn’t tell you about me.” It pouted, lowering its eyelids coyly. “Your father loved shouting, too, when I’d tell him something he didn’t like or understand. He’d yell at me in his old barn, waking the horses, and I’m surprised he didn’t wake you from your slumber nestled sweetly in your bed. But we don’t have time for theatrics.”
Mica paused, then said, “We are doing something, I am here to tell you your plan will fail. He may be slow to act, but since he’s started, burning the block will have little effect. He’ll have it back to what it is now before sunrise.”
Eli didn’t respond after Mica stopped speaking; he didn’t know they had a plan, much less one which included catching fire to the block. Yes, he had considered catching fire to the street, the whole town if he thought it might make a difference; he hadn’t brought up the idea to the others. He didn’t know what he was going to do when he’d gone to Carrie’s house to see Cody. Something wasn’t right with this Angel who had come to speak to him.
“Why my father? Of all people, why him?”
Mica’s smile twitched. “Because he wasn’t seduced by the charms of the prisoner. He already had the dislike of Shoshoni. He didn’t know why until I told him what was here. And he didn’t back down. He did keep this place untouched for a good thirty years.”
“Makes sense.” Eli hoped his nervousness wasn’t showing. “But why wait until now to come to speak to me?”
“We didn’t expect it to progress this far. And we certainly didn’t expect Lucifer to pay a visit, giving his blessings.”
A tiny section of skin below Eli’s eye twitched, though minute he was sure Mica had seen. This was more than a guidance visit. Was it possible whomever this creature worked with were in the dark with what was happening in Shoshoni as much as Eli and his friends? They weren’t sure what Belphegor had planned. Of course, he and his friends had suspected Belphegor wasn’t beginning the end of the world, but, of course, they weren’t sure.
“Belphegor has been operating in this area for centuries,” Eli continued. “And hasn’t done more than collect souls. He watches from the window for people to come. He isn’t in a hurry. People worship him. Why? I don’t know, but they do. They give him gifts. I don’t think my father knew. I was disgusted when I discovered it. So why start now? Does Lucifer want it to end? He’s having a pretty good run of the world right now. It doesn’t make sense.”
“We put your father in place to prevent it.” Mica’s smile disappeared. “We told him everything he needed to know. And as I said before, I know you have his knowledge. Everything you need to do is in his journals. You need to do what it says, and all our worries are pushed away for a while longer.”
“You sound like Belphegor.” Eli squinted. “I’m not convinced the end of times is starting. I think he’s just trying to get God’s attention as he told Cody.”
“You’re a fool if you believe what you’re saying,” Mica hissed. His hands, knotted on the table, clenched tighter. The smile returned, although it wasn’t pleasant, the teeth ground together, and the lips pulled back to show puce gums. Its tone turned sweet again. “You give him too much credit, but don’t discard Lucifer’s visit as being trivial. He only looks after his own interests, promising things he had no power to give. Now he decides it’s time. Controlling us again.”
“I see,” Eli said, standing. He’d had enough of this conversation, and he wanted to check on Cody and the journals Mica had mentioned; there was so much information packed away in the half-dozen books. Out of the blue, he asked, “What rank are you?”
“What?” Mica replied, staring up at Eli.
“Watcher?” he asked. Seeing its snarling lip, he continued. “No, that was rude of me. You m
ust be higher; Watchers do what they are told without question. You don’t look like a warrior, so you’re not an Archangel. But I’m pretty sure you were from the Third Sphere, leaving Principality. You might have passed your knowledge to my father, so your messed up laws were upheld, but I won’t work with a Fallen.”
“What?” Hands pressed against the table as it rose. “How I loathe you, humans, always so high and mighty and full of double-standards. The child is part Fallen as you so delicately put. You are born of a human mother, and Principality, like God’s earthbound child. Who are you to judge? Look at you, and everything you are. Would your father be proud if he knew you?” Mica glowered over Eli. “The saddest thing is you think God cares about any of you.”
Eli stared at the creature. A million things flooded his mind to refute the Angel, but what did it matter. This was a Fallen who was trying to fill him with doubt. Is it how he’d tricked his father into doing its handy work? His father had more than likely been led to believe this Angel had been sent from Heaven; it soured his stomach thinking how it had allowed his father to believe a lie, he had been a good man and didn’t deserve being deceived.
He crossed the room, to the door leading to the kitchen, and without turning, said, “Please close the door on your way out; don’t want any other strays to wander in.”
By the time he reached his car, his heart throbbed in his chest. Another similar being watched him from the bench under the tree.
Calmly, Eli backed the car and returned to his quest of going to Carrie’s house. The journals played on his mind during the short journey. He remembered a strange ritual, which at the time he’d read it seemed out of place from the other things written on the pages.
Needing to reread the entry, he decided not to stay at Carrie’s long, and return to the ranch. Before his fist found the door to knock, he knew, no matter what, Cody needed to return to the stage tonight; the others were afraid, and it somehow gave them the advantage, to do what he still didn’t know.
Chapter Forty-Four
And he said, “What is the thing that the Lord hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide anything from me of all the things that he said unto thee.”
1 Samuel 3:17, KJV
“What the fuck do you mean you want him to go on again tonight?” Carrie screeched. “We don’t need any more of them fuckers here; one is bad enough.”
“It’s the only way,” Eli calmly replied. “Besides, it’s too late.”
“Fuck!” she screamed.
“I can’t think of anything better,” Cody added. “Can you, Carrie?”
“Dammit, Cody.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. “I knew I should’ve put something in their drinks the night they came out to Mom’s.”
“You have roofies?” Cody asked, a smirk on his face.
“No, asshole, but Mom has all those special herbs and stuff I know to use, too.” The back of her hand pulled across her face, wiping away the tears threatening to fall. “Fine! I’ll call them. Now get out of here before I change my mind. Don’t expect me to do more.”
“Nope, nothing else,” Eli said. “I appreciate every little bit.” He leaned down, kissing her on the cheek. “Come on, Cody, better get going.” He glanced at Cody’s bare feet. “Get your shoes on.”
“Dumb-shit left them at the hotel,” Carrie quipped.
“I have an extra pair of boots in the car.” Cody grimaced, and Eli said with a chuckle, “There’s worse to step in than wearing my boots.”
Neither spoke as the car looped through the streets, putting as much distance from the Shanley as possible; the anxiety of not being able to escape kept their mouths closed and concentration searching to find someone or something standing in their way, but no one did. The possibility of Mica playing interference was high; somehow knowing Eli planned to do what it had suggested.
Once they were out of town and steadily moving along the highway to the west, they expelled a sigh of relief. Was Belphegor aware that Cody was no longer in town? The chances that he cared about his absence were slim since he knew his return was imminent so he could give one of his meaningless talks about God’s love.
“I don’t know if the journals are going to tell us much,” Eli broke the silence between them. “If my dad hadn’t written it, I’d think it a bunch of bizarre thoughts from a madman.”
Cody had only seen Eli at the Top Hat and was still taken back by the fact he knew anything about what was living in Shoshoni. With Leona and Nathan, he’d never questioned their knowledge, after all, Bergen was their child. Even Carrie’s involvement made sense, she grew up in the Shanley and had to have had seen or known what occurred there. But Eli, he didn’t know how to place him in the mix.
He remembered him from school—he was a few years older and lived in the country as they referred to anyone who didn’t live in town. As he recalled, Eli was a jock, a member of Future Farmers of America, and soft-spoken.
Though he was one of the in-crowd (if there was such a thing in a school so small all thirteen grades were housed in one building), he didn’t seem to fit. He was never rowdy, and never made the younger kids feel uncomfortable or threatened—but none of the history he knew of him helped Cody.
“How did your dad know this stuff?” Cody asked, looking at the man driving. “I know you mentioned this Mica had helped him. But why is a Fallen Principality helping?”
“Probably to keep Belphegor from ruining their fun. It is a law keeper after all.”
“Cody,” Hector said, leaning from the back seat. “You can trust him.”
He ignored her, and continued, “Don’t you think it’s strange, you’re doing exactly what it wants you to do?”
Eli glanced at Cody, and the thought a Fallen had influenced him hadn’t crossed his mind. Though he had told it he didn’t work with its kind, here he was driving out to the ranch to learn the ritual. His foot found the brake, slowing the car as they came down the hill approaching the causeway. He turned in to parking area overlooking the reservoir.
“Dammit, you’re right,” he said, stopping the car. He stared across the weed-infested concrete slabs. “No matter how many years I’ve passed this spot I never get used to not seeing everything that was here. Did your parents take you to the horrible little zoo behind the restaurant?”
“Yeah,” Cody said, his voice brimming with glee. “I always felt sorry for the coyote in the cage. Wasn’t there a raccoon or a porcupine, too?”
“I think so.” Eli laughed.
The sound of his laughter soothed Cody. The warm and happy sound, filling him with hope the nightmare he found himself in would soon be over. But how?
For now, he didn’t want to think about it and blocked it by joining Eli. Hector was content she had managed to manipulate this scene. At last, the gloom was lifting, though they were only a few miles from town, the direness of their situation seemed lighter and less daunting with a solution on the horizon.
Cody faced Eli, their laughter undying, rolling from them through the open car windows across the plains and the surface of the water.
Spontaneity took hold of Cody, and he leaned across the bench seat, placing his smile onto Eli’s. The moment their lips touched, he wished he hadn’t, however wonderful the feeling of the other’s mustache tickling his lips was; he had crossed a line he was sure he shouldn’t have and pulled away.
Redness tinted Cody’s face and neck. Eli’s smile brightened, watching the embarrassment grow in the other as sweat beaded on his forehead, and gaze dart to the floorboard. He didn’t smile because he delighted in the pain the man endured for his act of passion, but because he was happy, Cody was in the least bit interested.
“I’m sorry,” Cody muttered, looking through the chipped windshield.
“Not sure why,” Eli said. “I’ve been wanting to do that since the first night I saw you at the Top Hat.”
Cody brightened, turning to the man with the huge grin on his face. “I
didn’t think—”
“Most don’t.” He stretched his arm to Cody. “Let’s try again.”
Cody didn’t hesitate, sliding across the seat returning to the place he’d been minutes before. Again, their lips touched, tongues probing the other’s mouth, swirling together their saliva.
Shimmying his arms, Cody slid out of his vest without removing his mouth from Eli. His hands then moved precisely to the hem of Eli’s shirt, pushing it up his torso. Not having a choice, their mouths parted as he pulled it over his head. Dark-brown hair whirled around his nipples, circling toward the center of his chest, down to his navel in a straight line, and below the waist of his jeans. The leather strings and silver chain, which Cody had been curious as to what they held, tangled together in the center of Eli’ chest; a silver crucifix with a gold Jesus hung from the chain, while the strings held a pentacle and an ankh.
Smiling back at Cody a moment before attacking him with the wiry hair of his mustache, Eli was grateful for this distraction. He nudged Cody back, leaning him against the passenger door. The talisman around Eli’s neck dangled toward Cody, skimming his bare skin. Electricity burst from them, pulsing through him.
Eli’s mouth moved from neck to armpit, to nipple, where his tongue traced circles around and around. He saw Cody’s ecstasy rise and felt the wakening of his manhood beneath him. Cody’s hands took hold of the man’s head pressing him into his chest, moans of appreciation rumbling his throat.
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