The old man then opened the box he’d been carrying and pulled out the most unique chess set anyone has ever seen. Each piece was hand carved from black onyx—grotesque figures contorted in their own torment. The old man’s gnarled fingers picked up a piece, twirling it between his thumb and forefinger. “This is the king,” he explained. “His power is absolute but, like most, he is limited by the choices of others.” He set the piece down and picked up another. “This is the queen. She is not unlike your lovely companion, valuable, versatile and easily manipulated.” The lesson went on until the old man picked up the pawn. “And this, my friend, is the pawn and, like so many of those that fill the streets of this city, it is chattel—destined to be sacrificed.”
A bead of sweat formed on Guillermo’s face traveling downward across the scar on his cheek before dropping onto the table. He fidgeted nervously as he listened to the old man’s words. “Hey man—yer startin’ to freak me out. Can we forget about this fuckin’ game and git down to business?”
The old man removed his glasses, staring at Guillermo intently. His eyes were focused—crystal clear and midnight black. What happened to the squinty eyed bastard I was talking to a minute ago? G wondered as the old man leaned in closer to whisper,
“Oh this is no game, my son; it’s a manipulation of the mind where only the cunning survive—and the winner takes all—just like the game of life and death. The tactics used on this board have been in play since time began but on a much larger scale and for higher stakes.” The old man continued, his explanation totally lost on the illiterate bastard seated across from him. “Now, shall we begin? You can be white as I’ve always been partial to black. The first move is yours.”
As Guillermo’s shaky fingers prepared to grasp the pawn, the old man stopped him. “Wait—we must wager. It’s so much more—interesting—if we’re playing for something I—we—want.”
Guillermo looked at the man in surprise. “You want me to bet on a game I never played? No way, man…”
“Yes—that’s exactly what I want!” was the old man’s only response as his fist slammed down onto the table, shaking the grotesque pieces placed upon the game board.
“Look man, I—I’m sorry if I dissed you. I’m just an ignorant kid from the Barrio. I really didn’t mean…”
But the old man ignored his plea. “Let’s see…” he said as he leaned back in his chair, his gnarled fingers stroking his wrinkled chin. “…what do you have that could possibly interest me? Hmm, this may be harder than I thought since everything you have I gave you. Evil is as evil does,” the man said with a sneer. “I know, let’s play for your little girlfriend. But no, that would be vulgar, wouldn’t it?”
“Hey man, if you want her, take her.” G told him.
“Oh, I intend to, my son. You see, all of your kind come to me—eventually. You first came to my attention the day you slit that old hag’s throat back in Ponce. Oh, I’m sorry; she wasn’t really a hag was she? No—she was your mother. And what was your motivation for this heinous act—a mere twenty dollars from her apron pocket? That deed had nothing to do with business, did it, my friend? That was pure, unadulterated hatred. It was then that I knew you were a man after my own heart—if I had one. Ahh, I know what our wager shall be…” the man shouted, his evil eyes lighting up as a thought struck him, “…we shall play for—your soul!”
“What the hell are you babbling about, old man?”
“I’m talking about the prize for our little competition—another soul—yes, that’s perfect. Oh, but we must make the betting fair. You should stand to gain something as well or it’s not a wager. I tell you what; I’ll give you all the wealth and power your greedy little heart desires if you win the game. If not—well, then your soul is mine. Now, are we ready to begin?”
“What—no! You’re crazy, man!” Guillermo shouted.
“Oh, my son, you have no idea what—or who—I am.”
Guillermo darted a look from side to side, weighing his options. He’s just an old man. I could out run him easy, he thought but something deep inside told him this was no ordinary man. Panic filled him as he tried to form a plan of escape but nothing feasible came to mind. “Okay, okay, I’ll do it.” Shit, I need a smoke, “But you’ll give me money, right, lots of it if I win?”
“Of course— I always give my associates exactly what they deserve, trust me.”
“Right.” G said as he pushed the white pawn to another space. Ten minutes later most of the white pieces sat in a pile on the table in front of the old man with only the king remaining.
“Here we are, at the finish line. Go ahead, boy, make your move.”
Sweat rolled down Guillermo’s face, black circles darkened the arm-pits of his shirt as he studied the board. His dark eyes darted back and forth as he assessed the situation. “Okay, okay—I’m thinkin’” He moved his king forward—hesitated for a split second—then pulled his hand away.
An evil smile spread slowly across the old man’s ancient face as arthritic fingers grabbed the rook, sliding it across the board. “Checkmate.”
The young man’s eyes studied the board in panic. “Damn it!” he shouted as he swept his arm across the chess board knocking most of the remaining pieces onto the ground.
“No, it’s more like damn you,” the old man replied.
Anger suddenly replaced the fear bubbling up inside the young man as Guillermo decided he was not giving up without a fight. Adrenaline flowed through his body as he jumped up shouting, “What d’ya think puta—ya think I’m just gonna lay down and give ya what you want? No fuckin’ way. Come on, old man, let’s see what ya got. You wanna piece o’ me? You think you can take me? Well go ahead and try, mother fucker!” Guillermo shouted as he pulled a knife from the pocket of his jeans, leaning in close to the man across from him.
The players at the other tables stopped what they were doing, their attention riveted on the two figures. The old man simply smiled as he raised a gnarled hand, blowing slightly on the crooked index finger before saying, “Good bye, Guillermo—it’s been—fun.” Before anyone knew what was happening, he pressed his finger into Guillermo’s forehead then leaned back in his chair to watch his handiwork unfold.
Only those close to the odd couple actually witnessed the stunned look on the young man’s face before Guillermo started to pitch forward. He fell as if in slow motion, the grotesque figure of the white king falling simultaneously until both man and chess piece lay flat upon the surface of the table, a thin stream of red fluid flowing from Guillermo’s nose as his face smashed against the onyx chess board. The silence was deafening then, all hell broke loose.
People started to scream as a young man at the next table stood up and started to run. The old man jumped up from his seat with an agility that belied his age. He turned his head in the direction of the panicked young man. He snapped his fingers and the fleeing man fell—hitting the cement sidewalk hard, a chipped tooth falling from his mouth as he ceased to breathe. “Did I say you could move? Nope—didn’t think so,” the old man said to no-one in particular. Turning slowly, his black eyes scanning the crowd, he continued talking, “Now, what am I going to do with the rest of you?”
“I might have known I’d find you directly in the middle of all the chaos, or, are you the cause of it?” a sultry voice behind him whispered.
The man turned to see a woman of startling beauty standing next to him. Her skin was like alabaster, her hair long and blond. She was a walking advertisement for the fashion magazines since everything she wore screamed designer. Her voluptuous body was encased in Versace, her shoes the latest Jimmy Choo and clutched tightly beneath her arm was a beautiful black Gucci bag. She wanted nothing but the best—and what she wanted she got.
“Oh, hello my lovely Lilly, I didn’t hear you coming,” the old man lied.
“What is all this, Lu?” the woman asked as sh
e looked at the still form lying across the chess table. The surrounding crowd stood motionless as their befuddled minds tried to comprehend what was happening.
“Oh, just finishing up a little business transaction. I got what I wanted but my poor friend here; well—you know how it goes?”
“Unfortunately I do—and the rest of them?” The woman asked as she stared at the crowd.
“Yes, now that’s the question, isn’t it? Too many witnesses so— what’s to be done with them? I do so hate loose ends…” Lu said as he reached for the silver cane, hooking his arm under the woman’s as they turned to go. “… but that’s easily taken care of.” And, with a snap of his fingers, the surrounding crowd of people fell to the ground in a dead faint. “My quota of souls is quickly adding up? The man stated happily.
“Samael will not be happy with you. You know how he is when you get greedy.”
With an evil sneer, the old man said, “My brother will just have to deal with it, won’t he, my dear? After all, he is only the Angel of Death. I—am the Lord of Darkness. Samael has a tendency to forget that. Now—shall we go, my little Lilly? This place will be crawling with police in a matter of minutes and we don’t want to be around when that happens,” and they proceeded to exit the premises as if nothing strange had happened at all.
As they walked away, the old man’s cane tapping rhythmically upon the cement sidewalk, Lu just happened to noticed Selene sitting alone on a park bench puffing absently on a cigarette. She turned with a start when she heard his voice say,
“Why—hello my dear. It’s so nice to see you again.”
Because the voice, deep and clear, didn’t match the withered old man standing before her, Selene stared at Lu in confusion but then she recognized him—the man Guillermo had met that morning at The Chess House. Strange—I don’t remember this woman being with the old geezer. A shiver ran down her spine as she stared at the odd couple. I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed but something ain’t right here. Her instincts were screaming a warning but she didn’t know why—or what to do about it. Where the hell’s ‘G’ when I need him? She glanced around to see if there was anyone who might be able to help her should she need it but she saw no-one. Looks like I’m on my own, and, gathering her nerve she stood up, turning to face the old man.
“You were with Guillermo. Is your meeting over—where is he?”
“Oh, he’s back at the Chess House. I’m afraid he’s a broken man since I beat him at chess. I demand a high price when I make a wager,” he told her. Lu realized the girl had no clue what he was talking about and, sadly, he really didn’t have time to play with her further so he said, “Go on, my dear, you’ll find him still there. We…”he continued as he nodded towards the woman at his side, “…have to be going, now, but we will meet again—soon— I promise you.”
“Oh—okay, then…” Selene said as she started to walk away, turning back periodically to assure herself that the old man wasn’t following her. “That guy’s really creepy—G really needs to think about another line of work,” she said aloud as she headed back to the Chess and Checker House.
“I’m afraid our little beauty is in for quite a shock.” Lu said, “Tsk, tsk— oh well, can’t be helped.”
“Speaking of the recently departed, just who exactly was that guy?”
“Client—dealer from Harlem—thought he could back out of our wager. I tried to explain to him that I always collect what is mine.”
“And just why are you, yourself, doing the collecting? That’s so rare for you—thought you didn’t like to get your hands dirty. You usually send one of your demons and I know how much they enjoy their work,” the woman said.
“You’re right about that but every now and then I still like to dip my toe into the pool, so to speak. Besides—I needed to get out—see if I still had it,” he explained.
“Was there ever any doubt?” the woman asked with a sideways glance at the man next to her.
“No, of course not.” Lu said with a chuckle. “I just like the practice.”
The couple continued walking on through the Central Park. “Ah, New York City in the fall—tourists, shoppers…” Lilith commented.
“…and muggers and rapists—crime in abundance.” Lu added. “It’s a place after my own heart.” There’s nowhere else on earth like it.”As they strolled along, people stopped and stared openly at the beautiful statuesque woman walking arm in arm with the shriveled old man. Several of them shook their heads in disbelief while others openly laughed but the odd couple seemed oblivious to the stranger’s stares.
Seeing an empty horse and carriage in the distance, the old man raised his cane to flag the driver down. As the couple approached the vehicle, the old white horse became skittish causing the driver to pull back hard on the reigns in an effort to prevent the animal from bolting.
“Problem?” the old man asked in a deep baritone voice as he and Lilith came up alongside the vehicle.
“I don’t know what’s gotten into her,” the driver said as the horse reared up onto its hind legs. “Normally she’s so meek and mild but today—geez, today she’s like a wild animal.
“I know what you mean,” the old man replied. “I have the same problem with this one,” he said as he nodded towards the beautiful woman standing next to him.
“Did you—did you really just compare me to an old nag?” she asked, her eyes flashing red with anger.
“If the shoe fits, my dear.” Lu said with an evil grin as he turned his full attention back to the agitated animal. Raising his arm, he clenched his gnarled fingers into a fist causing the horse to stop immediately. It stood as still as a statue, unable to move an inch. Its nostrils flared, it’s beautiful eyes transformed into pools of fear as it tried in vain to rear its head, a trickle of blood streaming from its mouth.
The driver stared at the man in shock. “How’d you do that?”
“Just have a way with animals I guess. Come along my dear,” the old man said as he held his arm out towards the woman.
She glared as she brushed past him and climbed into the carriage unaided. “Perhaps you should watch that forked tongue of yours. You tend to forget who you’re dealing with?” she whispered as Lu sat down beside her. “I was there when you were a mere shadow pouting in the corner because you were banished from the Light. It was I…”
But she never finished the sentence as the man beside her grabbed her chin in a vice-like grip. “Why precious…” he said through clenched teeth, “…have I hurt your feelings?”
“I’m so tired of your bullshit!” she said as she tried to slap his hand away only to have his grip tighten.
“Careful, lover, or you’ll bruise that beautiful face,” he said as he leaned in closer. “You know, my dear, I think it’s you that has forgotten who she’s dealing with. Never, for one second, think that I need you—for any reason. Do you think that I cannot survive without you? Would you care to put that theory to the test? No—I thought not.” Lu said as he saw the fear flash in Lilith’s eyes. He released her face with a jerk as she turned away, rubbing her injured jaw. She sat there stewing but only for a moment before her bravado returned.
“Well, I might remember just who, and what, you are if you didn’t look like a refugee from the Salvation Army,” she replied under her breath. Lu just smiled.
The driver, who’d been listening while all of this transpired, turned his head slightly to ask in a shaky voice, “Where—where to, mister?”
“Just drive out of the park. I’ll tell you when to stop and…” but their conversation was interrupted by a chorus of sirens. “I guess our scrumptious little Selene was unable to revive her relationship with the recently departed ‘G’ and summoned the troops to help,” he said with a smirk.
“Scrumptious—you’re kidding me, right—you found that little gutter rat attractive? You know, Lu—
sometimes you act like a testosterone laden school boy.”Lilly said.
“To answer your jealous question, my love, yes, I found her extremely attractive but my interest has nothing to do with sex. It’s about the soul—always about the soul. My little bleached blond bimbo has a soul that has only begun to tarnish. In essence, she’s still pure, something that is highly attractive to me. I need time to work with that one, time to corrupt that purity for all eternity. It’s my reason for existence and you know how much I enjoy my work.”
The woman just stared at the decrepit old man beside her in disgust.
“Well, let me bring this to your attention again—if you think you’re going to tempt anyone looking like that you’ve got another think coming sweetheart,” she said as she looked at him meaningfully.
As the carriage took a right and headed north, the old man’s physical façade began to shimmer and morph. Soon the woman was sitting beside a much younger man dressed in a black blazer made of Italian silk, beige slacks and black Bruno Magli loafers. The lapel of the coat held a single red rose matching his blood red tie. His long, dark hair was pulled back into a pony tail, his goatee perfectly quaffed.
“Better?” Lu asked.
The woman stared at him with a lustful gaze, hating the fact that she feared yet desired him at the same time and knowing that the latter meant little to him. Forcing a smile she said, “It’s a start. At least it’s more like the Lucifer I’ve come to know and love,” she said sarcastically.
“Good,” he said then, tapping on the back of the driver’s seat he ordered, “Stop. We’ll get out here.” As Lucifer helped Lilly alight from the carriage he cast a side-long glance at the horse and driver. With a quick flick of his wrist he said under his breath, “Your service to me is finished.”
Hearing his passenger mumbling something, the driver turned, staring in confusion. “What—what happened to the old guy—where…?” but was unable to finish his sentence as the old horse was suddenly released from the invisible hold Lucifer had on the animal. With terror in its eyes, the horse panicked, bolting into a dead run. The driver fought to bring the animal under control but it was hopeless. Finally, after running about half a mile, the crazed horse collapsed in the street, eyes glazed over, froth mixed with blood flowing from its mouth.
A Soul in Torment Page 6
