The Symphony of Death

by Matthew Newson

  “David, I’m pleased to say you have passed all of these tests wonderfully. You are the only one in the history of my followers to have ever passed this challenge. Sadly, so many have given up faith in me just before their breakthrough. That is why I’m proud to present you with your very own personal throne next to mine.”

  Tears welled up in David’s eyes as he sat down on his throne, and I knew the moment he believed all of what I said was the truth and not one big lie. Next, I called forth one of my demons to bring me a crown which I placed upon his head. I wanted to be sure he’d give the answers I sought without him questioning my motives.

  “David, I crown you the prince of Hell with all power, dominion, and authority granted unto you, second only to me,” I said.

  Then I turned and addressed all of Hell. “My faithful servants, I declare on this glorious day that David Willenski is now a crown prince of Hell, second only to myself. His words are to be followed to the letter just as if I had issued them. Now everyone, bow down, and pay homage to your new prince.”

  All the demons and fallen angels stopped and looked at me to ensure I wasn’t testing them. When I adamantly insisted, they all stopped what they were doing and bowed to David. It would be easier than I thought, but then again, humans are easily deceived. It was like I always said. Every man had a price, and David’s was power. As he soaked in the praises of my demons, his pride and ego swelled. It wouldn’t be long before he fully trusted me again.

  As David reveled in the moment, I thought it was the appropriate time to get the answers I needed. “David, are you happy now?”

  “Yes. Very.”

  “Good, I’m glad to hear it, because being a prince of Hell isn’t all fun and games. There is actual work that needs to be done.”

  David rose to his feet and held his hand toward the demons to silence them. “I couldn’t agree with you more. I have something very special planned for my first act of duty.”

  “Well now, David, there is something of great importance that we must attend too quickly. This could secure our victory over The One.”

  David ignored my protest and turned and faced all of Hell. In a loud voice, he commanded the demons to appear who had ripped him apart when he first arrived. He wanted revenge, and I had to admit I was impressed, but still a little irritated. I didn’t have time to waste, but if it caused him to trust me and let his guard down, so be it. Within moments, the shadow demons appeared at the base of the stairs that led to our thrones. David strutted toward them.

  “Kneel!” he yelled out as he got to the bottom.

  Immediately, all the shadow demons knelt before David. “Do all of you remember me? It doesn’t matter really because I remember all of you. The day I came to this place you ripped my clothes as well as all the skin from my body, and then you proceeded in tearing me apart over and over again as you laughed at my suffering and pain. Well, I don’t hear any of you laughing now, do I?”

  One of the demons let out a laugh they weren’t able to contain. Enraged, David ran up to the one who laughed and stomped his head into the ground with his foot. He brought his foot down three more times until the demon’s head was completely flattened.

  “Anyone else want to laugh?”

  He slayed each one of them, and as they all reformed themselves, David ordered for all of them to be locked in the cells and be tortured day and night with the others who had failed me. Then David walked back up the stairs and stood before me. “I see now that you have gifted me with the power you had promised all along. Forgive me for doubting you.”

  “Of course, my son, all is forgiven, and I couldn’t be happier with how you handled yourself down there. Way to show all of Hell who’s boss. Now, there will be plenty of time for you to take your vengeance on anyone else here you want, but for now, how would you like to get revenge on Alec Williams, Paul Luca, and The One?”

  “Nothing would please me more than to kill those sniveling weasels and drag them to this place myself. I already know just where to put them.”

  “Good, but you must be cautious of Paul. He is the agent of The One known as The Man Wrapped in Darkness. He is capable of many extraordinary feats, and you mustn’t take him lightly,” I said.

  “I’m aware of who Paul really is. Even in that pit word travels fast around this place. Paul being The Man Wrapped in Darkness was all the demons could talk about for a while. They also talked about how he killed some guy they called The Man in White. What about Alec? Is he some special being too?”

  Hearing him say The Man in White stung a bit, but David was my key to the redemption I sought.

  “Great. All I need to do is get you up to speed on what Paul can do, and Alec is still very much human. Although, we must be extremely cautious for it seems The One especially favors him for some reason.”

  David smirked. “Figures. That whiny little brat has had everything handed to him his whole life, and now our enemy has sided with him as well. What do you want to do?”

  “Yes well, it’s nothing we cannot overcome together. But are you familiar with a machine called The Life Giver?”

  “Of course, Maxwell tasked me with the project. I personally oversaw the planning and development of it. Why do you ask?”

  “Because I was the one who asked Maxwell to make it for me. Armed with that machine I will be able to bring about my ultimate victory over mankind and The One. Tell me, was The Life Giver finished before you came here?”

  “Yes, it was completed.”

  “Good. Good. Now, do you know where all the parts of the machine are located?”

  “As long as they haven’t been moved, I know exactly where they are. I also know how to assemble and correctly use the device. Maxwell had me study it thoroughly.”

  “Fantastic. I have one of the turbines which was located in the basement of the Williams Industries Headquarters, and the chamber that was in Italy. What I need to know is where are the other three engines and the portable nuclear generator located?”

  David looked away in thought and then turned back to me with a look of suspicion. “Is this the reason why you pulled me from the pit you put me in?”

  It took all my strength not to snap his neck as I continued with my ruse. “Not at all, my friend, I already told you I brought you up because you have faithfully walked the path that I had to. Now you are ready to rule by my side and assist me in my ultimate victory over The One and all who serve him. Being a prince of Hell means you make constant warfare against The One and his servants.”

  David’s face twisted into a perverse smile, and I knew he realized he had me over a barrel. “You really don’t know where they are, do you? Have you checked the company database?”

  My patience wore thin and I had to focus not to let any of my fallen nature show or he would know for sure he was being used.

  So, I lied, like always. “Unfortunately, when Alec took over, he unknowingly deleted all the files pertaining to The Life Giver.”

  “Figures. That fool never realized what he had his whole life. Why should it be any different when he’s an adult? I’m sorry Lucifer, but I won’t tell you where the rest of the machine is, because I’m going to take you to them personally. That way, I can ensure the machine will work properly for you by thoroughly checking each and every part, wire, and cable.”

  I almost lost my composure when at first, I thought he refused. But I was overjoyed when he said he’d take me to them.

  I released joyous laughter and took David by the shoulders. “My son, nothing would make me happier than for you to accompany me on this trip. I can’t wait to see the looks on Alec’s and Paul’s faces when they see you by my side.”

  “Neither can I,” David said.

  I also couldn’t wait to see the look on David’s face when I cast him back into the pit with his daughter.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Paul Luca

  Williams Industries West Texas Facility

  I WALKED INTO ALEC’S office at eight a.m. and
found him seated at his desk, working away like it was just a normal day. He had on a dark grey suit that matched the color under his eyes. He looked tired and I knew the weight he carried of keeping everything to himself ate away at him like a disease.

  “Good morning, buddy. How was your dinner last night? Did you and Tiffany decide on where to have your wedding?”

  Alec yawned and tried to rub the sleep from his eyes. “Not yet, right now it’s between her parents’ country club and maybe even a destination wedding somewhere warm and tropical.”

  “How about in a church before God like it should be.”

  “That is another option, so we’ll see how it goes. I’m sure she’ll change her mind at least several times before she finally picks a place. I know she’ll still be questioning her pick up to the moment she walks down the aisle.”

  “Yeah, that sounds rough. Why are you so tired though?”

  “She texted me several times last night and this morning asking what I think about a bunch of different places.”

  “Why didn’t you turn your phone off, or at least put it on silent?”

  “I did, and I got about an hour of sleep before James woke me saying she was on the phone. She was worried that something had happened to me. When I told her I was tired and all I wanted to do was go to sleep, she said she had just one more question to ask me. That turned into an hour-long, one-way conversation of her talking and me listening. When I finally got off the phone it was four a.m., so I decided to get up and come into the office. I figured this will be the only time I’ll be able to get any work done before she gets in for the day.”

  I laughed a little to myself, it was kind of funny seeing Alec all worked up.

  “Shut up. Stop laughing. This isn’t funny, and remember, Best Man, it’s only a matter of time before she starts blowing up your phone with what she wants for the big day.”

  “It’s all new and exciting right now. Believe me, the best way to get this off your plate is to actually start telling her what you want. You see, she really doesn’t want your opinion. It’s her day. If you show a little more interest, she’ll soon go out of her way to avoid talking to you about it because she really only wants what she wants. See how that little bit of psychology works?”

  “Yeah. If I start putting some stuff out there... You think she’ll believe how bad I want to wear a retro powder-blue tux with a ruffled shirt?”

  “Uh, no. Not that far. You’re a sharp-dressed man. She’ll never buy that. Start smaller. Like with suggestions for flowers or the band for the reception or the cake. Make it just enough out there that she’ll stay away from you with the details.”

  “Right. Was this what it was like for you when you got married?”

  “Not exactly. Faith and I didn’t have much money when we got married, but she still wanted it to be special. After all, every woman fantasizes about their dream wedding from the time they’re a little girl. We had the pastor of our church perform the ceremony after the service one Sunday morning. Literally after he concluded the service, Faith and I stood before the congregation and said I do.”

  “That sounds really simple and nice.”

  “It was the happiest day of my life. I remember how I couldn’t wait for our pastor to finish his sermon. All of our family was there, even my brother who was half drunk on the last pew, but he was still there. But, when I saw Faith walk into the church in her simple white dress, it was like seeing into Heaven itself.”

  Immediately my eyes teared up as I thought about that day, and I was quiet for a moment. Alec could tell he had touched a nerve. “I’m sorry, Paul, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad by dredging up old memories and asking you about your wedding.”

  I wiped the tear from my cheek. “It’s fine. These are happy tears, well most of them anyway. I mourn all the experiences I could have had if I would have lived a long life. It’s okay though, I get to see my family when I’m in Heaven. So, you know. It’s fine. I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”

  “Can I ask you a question about your past?”

  “Shoot.”

  “Why does it cause you so much pain to talk about it? I thought once you go to Heaven you don’t feel any kind of pain ever again.”

  I cleared my throat. “What you say is true, Alec. In Heaven there is the manifest presence of The Lord all around you everywhere you go. You can’t help but to feel joyful all the time because there is no death or pain in God’s presence. Everything is perfect, but everyone up there still has feelings and emotions, but they are all ones of rejoicing and love toward our savior. Part of the reason Heaven exists is because it is a reward for those who lived for Jesus during their lives. But when I’m on Earth in the natural realm, I still feel the pain of loss from the things in my past.”

  “I’m sorry again, is there anything I can do to help?”

  “No. I’ve asked Jesus to erase my past from my mind, or at least block it when I’m on Earth. But he refuses to.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “He always says his grace is sufficient, so I press on. I learned to use what happened as fuel to keep me going until it is finished.”

  “What’s finished?”

  “The purging of Lucifer from your company,” I said.

  “What’s going to happen when that day comes, Paul?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “What’s going to happen to you? Is Jesus going to make you go back to Heaven and stay there?”

  “I don’t know, he’s never said what would happen on that day. Until then we have a lot of work to do.”

  We were both silent for a moment, and neither one of us wanted to think about never seeing the other one ever again. After a few moments, Alec broke the silence.

  “Hey, so you blinded all of Lucifer’s Watchers. How did that go?”

  “Great, I got my hands on one of the beings responsible for my family’s death.”

  “What do you mean? A Watcher was there that day?”

  “He helped Lucifer and Frederick in their plan to kill me and my family, but I took care of him and his buddies. They won’t be causing us or anyone any trouble ever again.”

  “What did you do to them?”

  “Like I said, I permanently blinded all of The Watchers.”

  “How did you do that?”

  “Jesus gave me the ability to release his Blood from my hands at will. Apparently, I can make his Blood pour down like rain. When his Blood touched them, it burned all of their eyes shut, and they will never see again.”

  “That sounds intense, and kind of messed up.”

  “It was truly a bloody good time, but now are you ready to go and get the next piece?”

  Before Alec could say anything, I transported us to the Williams warehouse in West Texas. He doubled over and puked on the floor. I really thought he wouldn’t get sick if he didn’t know it was coming.

  “Come on man, pull yourself together. You’re the only person who has ever gotten sick this many times when they get transported around the world by God.”

  Alec stood up and tried to catch his breath. “Are you serious?”

  “Sadly, yes. Yes, I am.”

  “I hate you right now.”

  “As well as you should, but Jesus doesn’t want you to hate people, brother, now come on. I brought us to Texas. We need to find those last three engines. Is there a special room like last time you can point me to? And where are all the workers?”

  Alec looked around. “No one is here yet because their workday hasn’t started.”

  Alec steadied himself and motioned for me to follow as he walked out of the aisle and surveyed the area. Once he found what he was looking for he perked up. “We’re already in the highly secured area, so all we need to do is find the engines.”

  “Are you sure this is the place, Alec?” I asked.

  “Yes. I’ve been here before, and I’ve seen them here.”

  “Are you serious?” I asked.

  “Yes. When I was statio
ned in Texas, I had to visit all our warehouses, and perform surprise inspections for my dad. I must have seen those engines at least a half a dozen times, and never knew what I was looking at. Those engines are enormous, so the only place we could build and store them is in a warehouse the size of an airplane hangar. Since you had me delete all information about these things out of the system we will have to walk around and look for them until we find them. Unfortunately, I always got lost in this place.”

  I turned into The Man Wrapped in Darkness. “Don’t worry, the Holy Spirit will lead us right to them.”

  Alec looked around. “Wait. Be quiet. I hear him. It’s this way, let’s go.”

  I followed behind Alec, both proud and amazed how rapidly he progressed in his walk with the Lord. He looked incredibly confident as he led the way. He stopped at one point, but then kept going. After we had walked across half the warehouse, Alec led me to the back of the building where three massive crates stood side-by-side. Each crate read Engine. The Life Giver.

  “Here they are,” Alec said. “What are you going to do now?”

  “We have to destroy them. We can’t let Lucifer get his hands on these.”

  I felt the evil presence I had come to know so well.

  Lucifer appeared on top of the middle crate. “I can’t let you do that, Man Wrapped in Darkness, or do you prefer Paul? Either way, I don’t really care, because you are going to fail in the end.”