“I might be able to help you with that, Jon,” it was Charlie.
“Take your evil smile elsewhere. Anything you can offer me isn’t worth it, and I won’t accept it.”
“As you wish, mortal. I just came as a favor to one of the chosen of Asmodeus. Well, not to him as much as to you.”
“Like I said,” I pointed down the road.
“I think you may be more interested in my proposition than you may think.”
“I’m not interested in anything you would ever have to say to me! Now get the hell out of here!” He smiled his sinister grin and vanished before my eyes. “Why won’t you just leave me alone?” I asked aloud.
I started down the street. There were so many people walking around; random, disfigured faces on them all. On the corner of the street there was a vacant lot filled with rubble from a demolished building. I wondered what sat in that spot years ago. I climbed the debris and found myself atop the adjacent building. I lied down and stared into the infinite blackness that was always above me; forever replacing the azure blue of the sky. I still laughed at what I was always told about the little things. About how they are the things that are missed most. Even the things that people find annoying are the very things that make us unique and worthy of others attention. ‘I miss living…’ I thought. ‘I miss everything about it. I miss my 9-5 and I miss my extra short lunch break. I miss my wife. I miss everything I had. I miss everything that I lost.’ I started to cry. ‘I think that I’ll stay here.’ I didn’t want to see anything more. My vacation in Hell had finally gotten to me and I didn’t want to experience anymore. I figured that if I wasn’t exposed to the happenings all around me, then they just wouldn’t exist. I thought that I could just pretend I was crazy and nothing was actually happening to me. I could make-believe that I was sitting at home with Shannon. How I longed for that to be true.
I went and sat next to the edge of the building and looked down. Rotting shambles of humanity were all I could see. The evil in everyone was so apparent. ‘I wonder how my evil shows itself,’ I thought. ‘What hideous disfiguration could be plaguing me? Maybe I should consider what Charlie told me. Maybe he actually is going to help me. I don’t know if I trust him yet though.’ Then I saw my father walk past my newly adopted domicile.
“Dave!” I tried to get his attention. He stopped and looked around but couldn’t tell where my voice was coming from so he continued down his path. “Dave!” I screamed again. He couldn’t hear me. As much as I wanted to be left alone, I wanted someone to be with. I wanted a familiar face just for the comfort of knowing I wasn’t alone. I jumped.
I hit the ground like a sack of potatoes. I was a little disoriented, but I knew what I was supposed to be doing. I sprang to my feet and sprinted down the street to reach my father. I didn’t see him turn anywhere so I knew I’d be able to catch up to him.
I spotted him again as he turned a corner down a narrow alley. I called to him again, but he didn’t hear me. I ran to the alley and looked down it with a smile. Nothing. My smile faded and I started back towards my lonely rooftop. I wondered where he had gone. I didn’t know if he had somehow also been given these ‘gifts’ that I now possessed, or if it was just someone playing with me, or if it were something else altogether. There was still so much I didn’t know about Hell, and I was afraid to find out any more. So far, there had been nothing but pain around every corner. I figured my rooftop home would be relatively safe and would give me an excellent vantage point to spot someone again, but I didn’t people watch. I just laid there and cried. I was completely alone. Even though I knew my father was somewhere close, I knew he wasn’t there with me. ‘Is he even thinking about me?’ I asked myself. ‘Does he even miss me?’ I told myself that he did. I would do anything to make myself feel better at this point.
I crawled to the edge of the building and peered over. It’s funny how people never look up. They just assume the only thing going on is on ground level right in front of their eyes. I wondered if I was the only one that had ever thought of staying on a roof. ‘I can’t be the only one. Somebody had to have thought of coming up here. It’s so accessible and safe.’
“Is it safe, Jon?” a deep voice from behind. I turned to see an orange bonfire standing there.
“What do you want Asmodeus?” I responded.
“I understand that a servant of the underworld recently approached you with a very lucrative proposition. Why did you not accept?”
“I have better things to do with my time here than deal with the devil.”
“The devil?” He laughed and erupted into a blood colored flame. “There is no such thing as the devil! We need to calm down. Yes we do, but he is so insolent! Maybe you are right, but the gains outweigh the cost. You are right. I think you should rethink your answer, Jon.”
‘What the hell is wrong with this guy?’ I thought.
“What you see as evil, I see as a new life. We may be different, but we are also the same. We are made of the same things. You should be able to respect us as you respected your precious humanity.”
“You have no right to speak of humanity. You know nothing of the word!”
“Jon, I expect you should watch your tone.”
“Or what?”
“Or I will be forced to deal with you myself.” I thought back to the teenager. I realized that I was acting immaturely, but then again I didn’t think Asmodeus deserved any respect I would have for him.
His fire died down again to a soft orange. “Do you not remember your scripture? He made us all equally. Did he not?”
“No, he didn’t! He made humanity equal. You will always be nothing but a servant to me.”
He laughed. “You may see it that way now, Jon. I think, though, that with time, your mind will change. Your eyes will open. I didn’t always believe in our so-called rebellion, but then I was moved by the light bringer. He has a way of swaying others.”
“That doesn’t mean he will affect me.”
“In any case, I really encourage you to rethink the proposition. Dastrius will be in contact with you again.”
“Who?”
“Oh. He doesn’t know that name? What does he call him?”
I could feel Asmodeus pushing at my mind. I resisted but to no avail. It penetrated me and pushed me out. I went blind of the world around me and could only see a small cave decked in black and white. Then seemingly out of nowhere, I was back.
“You know him as Charlie.”
“I don’t want to see that smile again. I don’t care what he can offer me. I don’t want your gifts and I don’t want anything else from you.”
“For now, maybe.” And he was gone.
‘Did he just read my mind?’ I asked myself. The thought of someone else being able to enter my mind and know anything they wanted to disturbed me. ‘What kind of privacy can there possibly be if I’m not even safe in my own head?’ There were so many unanswered questions, but I thought that if I waited long enough, they would all have answers. So, I stayed.
And I stayed for a long time. I spent hours just sitting and watching. The random passersby frightened and intrigued me. I started to play games with my own mind. I started to make-believe that I was in control of their lives. Putting words in their mouths, telling them to walk in the direction they already were, or telling them to stop and watching them not listen to me. I was so lonely. I just wanted to be with someone; whether it be with my father, Stu, or even Asmodeus. I just wanted to be in company with someone else. There were drawbacks to being with anyone. You need to have trust for them, and where I was, I wasn’t about to trust anyone. You have to have something in common. I figured that the only thing I would have in common with everyone was where I was attending my eternity. You have to have some sort of physical attraction and judging by the people I’ve seen, that would be the hardest of all. Their disfigurements were revolting. I could barely stomach to think of my father as he had become rather than as he was during my childhood. ‘I know this is Hell
and all, but why does everyone look like this?’ I couldn’t answer that question. After all, I didn’t even know what I looked like to these people. No one had ever mentioned it to me. I guess they either assumed I already knew, or they didn’t want to think about their own tragic forms.
I stood from my stoop again. I started to walk the stone roof randomly. I took notice of every crack and every crevice. I wondered if anyone could see me through the holes. ‘If they can, I doubt they would be looking up here anyway. I don’t make much noise and no one ever expects someone to be on a roof.
It was starting to get tiring to be on my roof. The lack of stimulants for my mind was driving at me. I wouldn’t let myself sleep though. Not this time. I knew what awaited me if I did close my eyes and I refused to face it. I may have empowered my fear by doing so, but it was too real. They always made me feel like I was still awake. I couldn’t take the pain. The only thing that was ever good in any of my dreams was the short and sparse glimpses of my wife.
‘I wonder what she is doing right now.’ I asked myself. ‘I wonder if she is still broken up over me. I hope she still misses me. I wonder how she is making money now. I had a big insurance policy for her, but I don’t think they pay with a suicide. My pension was starting to get pretty fat, but my funeral did get a little pricy. I hope she is all right. I love her.’
I looked down and saw Charlie. He was standing in the street talking to someone. He glanced back at me with his wicked smile but gave no other recognition.
‘Maybe I should think about his deal. I wonder what he could offer me. Perhaps he could give me a new life, or at least something to do here. It would help me stay awake in any case, but then again, it may wear me out even more. I’m so tired of not knowing what to do. I’m tired of being so naïve. I think I might have to talk to Charlie.’
I looked back to where he was standing and he was already gone. He had a way of doing that. “Charlie…” I whispered.
“Have you had ample time to think?” he said from behind me.
“Must you always appear behind me? Do you have to try to scare me?”
“I meant no offense. I just heard your summons. Now, do you actually need something this time?”
“Umm, yeah. I was wondering what you could offer me.” I couldn’t believe I was actually speaking those words.
“Well, it’s about time. However, I’m afraid I’m going to have to answer your question with another question. What is it that you desire from me?”
“What do you mean?”
“Jon, I can offer you a multitude of things in response to your service. The pay can be very lucrative.”
“So, I can have anything I want?”
“Absolutely. I can provide anything you like. Name your price, and I can put you to work towards your goals. Some things I may be able to provide almost immediately, others, you might have to work for a while to earn.”
“So, if I wanted to see my wife?” Something started shooting through me, an excitement of what I wanted being realized. I completely forgot about the fact that I could very well be dealing with the devil himself, and from the sounds of it, it had to be true. I thought I should try to test it. I wanted to know that he wasn’t the prince of darkness, and he was really a servant like I was about to become. “Say Charlie, what sort of deformity do you have?”
“Excuse me?”
“You are like the rest of us here, right?”
“I don’t follow.”
“Everyone here that I have seen has had some sort of deformity determined by their sins, but I haven’t noticed yours. Can I see it, just as a show of good faith?”
“I suppose.” He began to unbutton the silver buttons on his black coat. He started at the top and in a few seconds was finished. He stood straight up and jerked open both sides. He revealed his chest. He had no skin. His intestines were hanging on his bones, a gruesome display that I had to immediately look away from. “Are you satisfied?”
“Umm…yeah.”
“Now, for what you need to do for me.”
“Wait. What are you talking about?”
“I gave you something you wanted; now it is time for you to repay your debts.”
“No, that was just a sign of good faith. Remember?”
“I never do anything for nothing. You will work this off just as you will work off everything else I do for you.”
“But what about seeing Shannon?”
“Of course you can see her. You can work on that later. For now, I have different objectives for you to achieve.” He smiled his dark smile, and at that moment, I knew what I was about to do couldn’t be good.
“Fine, I am at your bidding.” I wanted to see Shannon so bad that I would do anything. I didn’t care what it was; I was ready to do it. “What do you need me to do?”
“I have a soul that is prime for conversion.”
“What do you mean?”
“That’s right. I’ve never told you that part of my duties. One of the things I am responsible for is converting mortals to wickedness. I can’t possibly be everywhere at once, so I hire souls to do my bidding.”
“That’s strange. I thought that only de…I mean Elohim tempt people.”
“A common mistake. While they do tempt people, they are also too busy. The war is still waging, and they are busy with that. A few Elohim have started abstaining from battle and they tend to do more political things like that, but for the most part it is on my head. I’m essentially in charge of that aspect of Hell. I take pride in it.”
“Whatever. I didn’t ask for a history lesson, now what do I need to do?” Although I had agreed to help him, I didn’t like him, but my wife outweighed my own selfishness. ‘He may be evil, but he might not be lying about being able to reunite my wife and I. I might be able to get more out of him than I originally thought.’ I didn’t like to think of myself as a conman, but like people in prison, I started changing. I realized that if I were to survive here long enough to see my wife, I would have to adapt to my surroundings. I needed that thought to justify my actions. I needed it so that I could take the chance that could bring this nightmare to an end.
“You asked for an insignificant favor, so you will have a job that is on the same par. You will be excited about this.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Everyone always is. You are going to Earth.”
‘Can it be true? Am I really going back home?’ “Whatever.” I wanted to keep an even and neutral demeanor. I didn’t want him to think that I was going to play his game. I wanted to assure him that what I was doing was for my wife and my wife only.
He smiled his big grin and his eyes glowed red. “Here we go, Jon!” I went weightless and then everything went black.
When I came to, I was back in the infinite blackness that was the first place I visited after being taken from Earth. I couldn’t see Charlie anywhere, but it didn’t bother me. I was happy to be alone and out of the constant torment that was Hell. I could still feel it beating down on me, but it was so much less that I could actually smile a real smile again. The room’s nirvana kicked in and I just lied down. It was so comfortably numb and I immediately preferred it to Hell.
“Stand up, Jon.” It was Charlie. I obeyed. “It’s time to go to work.”
“What am I doing?”
“You are posing as a messenger.”
“A messenger? That’s it?”
“It’s slightly more complicated than that. You are posing as a messenger of my lord, Asmodeus.”
“What do you mean? He isn’t here.” I looked down at my hand. It wasn’t glowing, but it did begin to burn when my eyes fixed their gaze on it. I shook it and looked back at Charlie.
“He may not be here, but he is always with you. I’m sure that you just noticed the burning sensation on you hand. That is his mark. It not only tells other that you are his property, but it is a link to him. It burns so that you will always think of him and remember what he was able to do to you.”
I looked down at his hand. He bore the same golden triangle. Charlie all of a sudden didn’t seem as evil as I had thought. ‘Maybe he isn’t really a bad guy,’ I thought. ‘Maybe he is suffering just as I am.’ “You are his property, too?”
“I am the belonging of many Elohim.” He pulled up his sleeves to reveal a menagerie of markings. Then he lifted his hat to show even more along his hair line and covering his forehead.
“What a sad existence.”
“Excuse me?” His eyes began to glow. It seemed he didn’t respond to my words as I thought he would. “Do not think for an instant that you are better than me mortal!” He lifted his hand and I began to float with it. I slowly moved up until I was linear with his hand. He pointed it straight forward, right at me. I flew forever. I hit what I thought of as the floor with a loud THUD. “Never forget the chain of command, Jon. I could destroy you if I really wished it. Fortunately for you, Asmodeus has taken a liking.”
I didn’t say anything. I could tell that I was wrong. He was as bad as them all. I wondered what kind of person he was when he was alive, but I decided that it wouldn’t make a difference if I knew or not.
“You are going to convince a man to do something. It is something that he is willing to do, but just needs a push in the right direction. You are going to give him that push,” he told me.
“I don’t understand. How am I going to convince him to do anything?”
“You are going to inhabit the body of another man. They are at a gathering involving alcohol. A woman will make a flirty proposal to the first man. He will then ask you to give your opinion, but you aren’t going to give him your opinion. You are going to give him the opinion of Asmodeus.”
“Slow down. I’m not getting this.”
“It is not my problem that you are too slow to understand even the simplest of orders.”
“How will I even know what the guy looks like?”
“He has brown hair, blue eyes, and will be wearing a white shirt with blue flowers. His name is Treant. He will address you as Adam. Make sure you remember that you are Adam. If things don’t happen as quickly as I think they will, you will have to improvise if approached by anyone else.”
Hellbound: Chronicles Page 6
