Dark Abigail

by Thawer, Tish

  “Purgatory has more of a gothic vibe than I’m used to, but I’ve grown to love it too.” Holli smiled.

  “Wait a minute, what do you mean ‘than I’m used to’? Are you remembering things about where you came from?” Raven’s eyes grew wide as she waited for Holli’s response.

  “No,” Holli scoffed. “It’s just more of a feeling, I guess.”

  “Sounds like you might be a little homesick,” a strange male voice added.

  Holli and Raven looked up to see a waiter holding a tray with their drinks. “Maybe you should go home for a visit,” he continued, smiling wide, “that always makes me feel better when I’m homesick.”

  Raven squinted, searching for an ounce of recognition but found none. “I haven’t seen you around here before. Exactly where is it that you’re from?”

  Holli slid further into the booth towards Raven and away from the waiter.

  “Wow! Everyone is really on guard around here these days. I can’t sneak anything past you guys.” In a plume of green smoke, Loki appeared and sat the tray down on the table. Sliding in next to Holli, he propped his arms in front of him. “So, are we having girl talk today or what? Are the boys still mad at me for stealing Abigail out from under their noses?”

  Holli’s panicked expression was exactly the reaction Loki was looking for. “Oh, so you didn’t know? Yeah, I grabbed her this morning, while you two were out flying around being all mad and independent.”

  Raven threw her Reaper ribbons out across the table and ensnared the obnoxious God in his seat. “Will you please shut up?!” She closed her fists and pulled the ribbons tight. “Holli, go get the guys.”

  Holli climbed out over the back of the booth and ran out of the restaurant.

  “You better keep an eye on that one.” Loki nodded at his daughter’s retreating back. “As usual, she’s the key to everything.” In another puff of smoke Raven’s ribbons fell flat across the table, pooling in the seat from where Loki had just disappeared.

  20

  “Raven, are you all right?” Michael asked, brandishing his sword as he entered the restaurant.

  “Yes, yes. I’m fine.” Raven slid out of the booth and crossed her arms.

  Garrett appeared behind them, holding tight to Holli’s hand. “No more running off alone, okay?” he begged the women.

  Holli nodded while Raven just squinted at her best friend, unwilling to commit to his demands quite yet.

  “How did he escape your ribbons?” Holli asked.

  “Like a damn amateur magician with smoke bomb. Poof! And he was gone.”

  “Like I said, Loki’s magic has adapted. Not only can he come and go as he pleases, but it’s clear he can combat all of our magic with ease,” Michael stated, stepping a little closer to Raven.

  “Let’s get back to the throne room and see what we can find out,” Garrett suggested.

  Garrett and Michael teleported the girls directly there, unwilling to let either of them out of their sight long enough to fly themselves. They all gathered around Death’s gazing pool, waiting for Michael to add his stone’s vision to the calm surface. The water rippled but nothing happened.

  “What’s going on?” Garrett asked.

  “I’m not sure. My stone is activated, but all I see is black smoke,” Michael sent another surge of his angelic power from the palm of his hand into the stone. Nothing changed. “Either Loki’s found a way to block us, or Lucifer’s entire castle has literally gone up in flames.”

  “What the hell have you done to me?” Abigail screamed in Lucifer’s face.

  Lucifer waved away the thick black smoke rolling off of Abigail’s skin, clogging everything in its path. “You have to learn control, Abigail. Just tamp down the smolder inside of you and the flames and smoke will die down.”

  “Easy for you to say!” she yelled, as she continued to burn.

  Lucifer laughed. “Yes, I suppose it is.” He reached out and laid a hand on her charred flesh, pushing the burning back inside of her. “There, now just concentrate on keeping it locked in place until you need it again.”

  Abigail took some deep breaths and tried to follow Lucifer’s instructions. Finally, she opened her eyes and was thrilled to see more than just a cloud of thick black smoke. “How am I supposed to control something like that? Why did you do this to me?”

  “I’ve given you a gift from Hell. Now you’re really one of us.” Lucifer smiled like he’d just given her the best birthday present ever.

  “What do you mean, ‘one of us’?” Abigail felt the warmth inside her start to build again.

  “You’re becoming a demon, my dear. A true assassin from Hell.”

  Abigail’s mouth dropped open as the burning inside her crawled up into her throat. Her panic erupted, and flames shot out of her mouth as she turned to run away.

  “You’re welcome! You just need to learn to control it and you’ll be unstoppable,” Lucifer called out after her.

  Abigail had damped the flames down to a low burn and was fighting hard to maintain her composure as she reentered her room. “You were right,” she admitted to Asmodeus, “Lucifer did do this to me.”

  “Are you okay?” Asmodeus asked.

  “No! I’m not okay. He’s turning me into a demon which was definitely not part of our deal.”

  “So, now you have a problem with demons?” Asmodeus lifted a brow and pushed up to move out of the bed.

  Abigail sighed. “No. That’s not what I mean.” She didn’t want to hurt his feelings, after they so recently admitted to caring about one another. “I’m just worried that if I embrace this new side of me, I’ll lose the person I am and I don’t want that to happen.”

  “I don’t want that to happen either. But it’s not like you can stop the transformation,” Asmodeus added.

  Flames shot out of Abigail’s hands. “What? I’m going to transform? Like how? Am I gonna get a tail or horns or something?” She paced the room, now fully engulfed in flames once more.

  “Abs, calm down. No, that’s not what I mean,” Asmodeus stifled a laugh.

  “You think this is funny?!”

  “Well, you are standing there literally with your hair on fire,” Asmodeus hoped a little humor would lighten the mood, and thankfully, it worked.

  Abigail chuckled, and her flames changed from blue to red, then died down to a tiny orange sizzle along her skin. Asmodeus walked over and ran his hand along her arm. “Lucky for you, I am originally from Hell, so I can take the heat.” He leaned down and placed a light kiss on Abigail’s warm lips, making sure not one single flare of his power was affecting the moment. He wanted things between them to be real and untainted, and by Abigail’s reaction, she, too, was happy with where things where headed between them.

  Abigail had been against perusing a relationship with the demon of lust when he first asked her to, but after truly getting to know him, Asmodeus proved to genuinely care about and her and had quickly become the anchor she need to navigate the f-uped situation they were currently facing. Unfortunately, she wasn’t from Hell originally and this gift from Lucifer wasn’t only burning her outsides, she could also feel it starting to burn away at her soul.

  21

  Abigail spent the next two weeks harnessing her power and was pleased with the progress she’d made. Unfortunately, today was the day Lucifer had decided to put her to the test.

  “It’s time to move forward with our plans. You need to return to Purgatory and kill at least two more Reapers,” Lucifer instructed from atop his throne.

  “Two?”

  “Yes. Is there a problem?”

  “No. I just don’t understand why two more deaths are needed. We obviously have enough proof that Death is unfit to rule Purgatory, so why can’t you petition to take over now?”

  “Because, taking over someone else’s domain isn’t something you just petition to do. Once the Powers That Be witness the collapse, they will then intervene, and that’s when I’ll offer my solution to take over,” Lucife
r explained, based on his and Loki’s plan.

  Abigail felt the heat inside her starting to rise and decided to let the subject drop. She nodded at Lucifer, and walked out of the room. The idea that he thought Heaven would just hand over Purgatory to him suddenly seemed almost ludicrous, and for the second or third time since accepting this job, she questioned whether she might be on the wrong side of things.

  The transformation that was taking place inside her was affecting her more than she wanted to admit. Her lust had shot through the roof, which had put her relationship with Asmodeus on the fast-track. The itching and residual withdrawals she’d been experiencing were now burnt out of her, which brought on a whole new sense of clarity to what she truly wanted and desired. And after embracing a relationship she hadn’t thought she wanted, she admitted to Asmodeus that she liked the person she used to be and didn’t want to remain this numb, twisted version that Lucifer had created. Unfortunately, even though they had professed their love for one another, and Asmodeus had quickly become the anchor she need to navigate this f-uped situation, it still didn’t change the fact that she wasn’t from Hell originally, and this gift from Lucifer wasn’t only burning her outsides, she could also feel it starting to burn away at her soul.

  She walked into her room and flopped down on the bed, when Loki suddenly appeared out of thin air. “Holy crap!” Abigail jumped.

  “Relax. I’m just here for a friendly chat.” He sat down in the chair and steepled his fingers in front of his face. “So, don’t you have an assignment you should be carrying out?”

  Abigail didn’t let Loki’s faked curiosity phase her. “Yes. I’m just taking a moment to gather my thoughts.”

  “What’s there to think about?” Loki’s tone was suddenly serious.

  “The fact that I think you’re manipulating Lucifer into a no win situation. And if he loses, so do I.”

  “Hmm…pretty and smart. And what if I told you there was a way to assure you’d win either way?”

  “I might be interested,” Abigail admitted.

  “Good.” Loki smiled. “That’s good to know,” he said as he disappeared, leaving Abigail high and dry with no real information.

  “Of course!” she yelled into the open space.

  “Who are you yelling at?” Asmodeus asked, entering her room and shutting the door behind him.

  “Loki was just here?”

  “In your room?”

  “Yes.”

  “What did he want?” Asmodeus crossed his arms.

  “Honestly, I have no idea. He wondered why I hadn’t left on my mission yet, and then offered me a way to make sure I ‘won’ once all this was over. Whatever that means.” Abigail shook her head.

  “Interesting. He just gave me the same speech.”

  “You’re kidding?” Abigail gasped.

  “Nope. I think he’s planning to double-cross Lucifer, if you ask me.”

  “Why, though? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “When did any of this make sense? There’s always been a balance between the realms, and until Loki showed up, everything was just fine.” Asmodeus walked to Abigail and placed both his hands on her shoulders. “Just promise me that you’ll do what we talked about, and ask the Reapers for help again.”

  “I don’t know, D, I think with what happened before, there’s no way they’re going to believe that I’m being genuine this time.”

  “Babe, I think once you show them how much you’ve changed, thanks to Lucifer, they won’t doubt you a bit.” He pulled her against his chiseled chest, and kissed her deeply.

  She pulled away and looked up into his love-filled eyes. “I sure hope you’re right.”

  Michael accompanied Raven to the portal fields, still choosing to stand watch while she completed her retrievals. “You don’t have to stay here, ya know. Nothing’s happened for the last couple of weeks,” Raven crossed her arms and tilted her head at the stubborn angel.

  Since the seeing stone had turned completely black, they hadn’t been able to peer into Hell, but thankfully, Loki, Lucifer, nor Abigail had shown themselves since.

  “I understand that you can take care of yourself, and with things calming down, we’ve all become more comfortable again, but that’s what I’m afraid of. I think this lull is just Lucifer biding his time.”

  “Yeah, I get that. Okay, I’ll be back as soon as possible.” Raven smiled.

  “How many retrievals do you have today?”

  “Four.”

  Michael looked around, making sure they were alone, then kissed her goodbye and stood with his wings extended as Raven entered portal 92. He had no idea where this particular one led and didn’t care, he just wanted her back safe and sound before the next shoe dropped.

  22

  Three hours later, Michael had worn a dirt strip into the grass in front of portal 92. Raven had yet to return and his seeing stone was still filled with black smoke. Spreading his wings, he pushed into the sky and flew directly to Death’s balcony. Walking into the room, he could tell there was something wrong. “What’s happened?” he demanded.

  Death spun around with his scythe in hand. “Let’s go.” He tapped the hidden door with the tip of his staff and walked into the alternate castle without any further explanation.

  They entered the phenom room, and Death stopped directly under the point of the massive metal structure.

  “What’s going on, Garrett? Where’s Raven?”

  “Something happened topside, and I need to get there right away.”

  Michael’s wings began to glow gold as he removed his sword from its sheath. “Take me with you!”

  “You know I can’t do that. Besides, I need you to remain here with Holli and Svell. Holli entered the room, holding tightly to her ice-hellion with tears in her eyes.

  “Fine, but at least tell me if Raven’s okay,” Michael begged.

  “She’s fine. For now. Let me do this, and I’ll have her back to you shortly,” Garrett replied.

  Michael put away his sword and crossed his arms, then took a few steps back.

  Death stood under the structure and closed his eyes. A swirl of black souls entered the roof and twisted down through the metal and out the point. They flowed directly toward Death who opened his arms and absorbed them into himself. Thirty seconds later his chest was writhing as if it were alive. He pulled his coat closed and nodded toward Holli and Michael, then with a single step, disappeared into a vortex of shadows.

  “Do you know what happened?” Michael asked Holli.

  “Abigail showed up topside and approached Raven. It didn’t go well.” Her breath hitched as she tried to explain.

  “Is Raven hurt?” The glow of Michael’s wings pulsed.

  “I’m not sure. When Death saw that Abigail had lost control of her flames, that’s when he sent me and Svell here, and was on his way to get you. I guess that’s when you showed up.” Holli wiped her eyes.

  Michael nodded but said nothing else. He had all the answers he was going to get until Garrett returned with Raven. He walked away and started to pace while Holli sank down onto the marble floor, snuggling back against Svell.

  Raven’s first three retrievals of the day went smoothly, and as expected, each soul was bound for Heaven instead of Hell. For the first time in a long time, Raven found herself frustrated by that fact. Yes, it caused her quite a bit of guilt to hope someone’s soul was meant to reside in Hell, but she needed to get down there to see if she could find Abigail, or at least come up with a plan to stop her from killing anymore Reapers.

  Through her portal, Raven returned topside to complete her final retrieval for the day and was met with a thick bank of fog. She moved toward the hospital, chalking it up to the rolling clouds coming in off Seattle’s Elliot Bay. However, when she noticed the twisted branches taking shape, she turned and readied herself for the assassin’s arrival.

  “What are you doing here?” Raven questioned Abigail the second she stepped into the netherworld.


  “I need your help,” Abigail replied genuinely but kept her distance.

  “Yeah, right. You expect us to fall for that again?” Raven lowered her arms, turning her palms forward.

  “Yes, you’re right. After what I did, you have no reason to believe me, but hopefully this will help.” Abigail, too, flung out her arms, causing flames to erupt all up and down her skin. “Lucifer truly has tricked me, and without your help, I have no idea what I’m going to become.”

  Raven stood still and watched as flames engulf Abigail’s entire body. Her eyes turned from green to molten red, and under the outline of her normally attractive face, Raven glimpsed the image of something else––something not human taking shape.

  “Okay, but so what? You signed up for this; you chose this, and now we’re supposed to believe you’re having second thoughts? Why? Why should we believe you?”

  “Because,” she swallowed hard, not wanting to admit that it was her relationship with Asmodeus that was fueling her request. “I’ve fallen for someone and every time this transformation grows within me, I can feel myself losing a grip on my humanity and that scares me.” Abigail lowered her head and clinched her fists, trying hard to pull the flames back inside. “As you can see, I don’t have full control of the flames, and the same goes for the changes they’re causing within me.” She shook her head and dropped to her knees. “I’m giving myself to you willingly, and hope that you and your friends can help stop whatever’s happening inside me for good.”

  Raven slowly walked forward, keeping her Reaper ribbons just below the surface. “Okay. I’ll take you back with me, but I can’t speak for my friends. I have no idea if they’ll believe you or what they’ll do when they see you again.”