“Do you know who I am!?” he asked before realizing it was me.
“I’m sorry,” I spouted out.
“You might be forgiven. Have you silenced the preacher?”
“…Yes. The deed is done.”
“Good. Might I ask how you managed that?”
“Do you have to know?”
“Yes.”
“I dragged him out to the open and I tricked him into yelling the word that has been banned in Hell.”
“What word?”
“The synonym for Elohim.”
“That is far from a synonym. I am impressed you were able to destroy him without lifting a finger though, Jon. I was expecting you to appear before me limping.”
“Yeah, well I did it. So what does Asmodeus want me to do? What is his job?”
He laughed and his smile grew large. “That was the job. I just wanted to make a game out of it. I told you that your insolence would be rewarded. And so it has been. You may tell Asmodeus that it was a job well done.”
I walked away. I didn’t say anything to him, and I didn’t want to. I was sick with myself.
I snapped my fingers and went to Asmodeus’ golden triangle.
“Asmodeus!” I screamed
“Yes, Jon?” he asked from behind me. “Have you completed your assignment?”
“It is done. Now tell me the story.”
“I am sorry, Jon. A story of this magnitude is worth more than the assisted slaying of a mortal in my own realm.”
“How do you know about that?”
“As I said, Jon, it was in my realm. I know all that happens in my realm. However, you will have to do one more favor for me.”
“I’m tired of all of these meaningless tasks. I’m tired of doing your dirty work!”
“Only one more, Jon. That is all I will ask you to do for this reward. The story is great. You will enjoy it. Yes he will enjoy it. I agree. He should do this for us. After all, we assisted him in his line of duties for Charlie.”
“Whatever Asmodeuses! I’ll do it. What do I have to do?
“There is a wedding,” he began. “I want you to do something. You may resist at first. However, I am certain that you are the one to accomplish such a feat. You will meet the bride at the reception and convince her that she needs to leave.”
“But, why?” I asked.
“They will not be able to consummate their marriage to one another. That is what you are going to do.”
“But, why?” I repeated.
“You will find out if you are able to complete the heavy task that I have put before you. It will not be an easy task, but I am certain of your abilities.”
“If that’s what I must do, then I will do it.”
He nodded and said, “Then I will set the action in motion. Leave now. Your journey will be upon you shortly.” I snapped my fingers and went back to the roof.
I laid down and then started to think. ‘Why “shortly”? Does he have something else that he has to get done first? Or is it just not matrimony time. I guess I won’t find out until one of his minions comes and fetches me for my duty. I can’t imagine why someone would want to prevent consummating a marriage, but then again, he is a demon. They don’t make a whole lot of sense to me. How can they think that they are not the wrong doers and that they are going to topple the ultimate force? Heh. It’s a little bit funny. They keep fighting and keep fighting and all they get in the end is this dirty hole in the ground they call home. I say they can keep it all. I would be happy to be on Earth again. I’d more than willingly give up the stench that constantly surrounds me for the sweet scent of my wife’s hair.’
“Get up, Jon,” it was Charlie.
I turned around and looked at him. “What do you want?” I replied.
“It’s time for you to do another job. This time…”
“I already have plans,” I interrupted.
“I’m growing very tired of your smart mouth,” he quickly retorted. “You wanted something, so you have to work for it.”
“I have already made plans with Asmodeus,” I gloated. “I don’t think I’m going to have time to do both jobs.”
“Jon, my offers do come with expiration dates,” he grinned.
“I don’t think so, Charlie.”
“You really underestimate me, mortal, or is it that you overestimate yourself?”
I held up my hand to reveal the triangle. “If you threaten me again, I think that I might have to have a word with our boss.”
“What!?” he laughed. “Do you really think that he will take you over me? Do you really think that in some bizarre way, he will want you more than me? I have been diligently working for Asmodeus and that lot so that I wouldn’t have to worry about a worm as small as you. He would never betray the loyalty I have forfeited to him.”
“Right. In any case, I’m not going to be able to make this one, Charlie. You’ll have to do it on your own.” He snarled and then vanished. “That’s right!” I exclaimed. Even though it wasn’t a real battle and I was sure that I would pay a price for what I had done, it felt good that I was finally triumphant, even if it was something as miniscule as standing up to someone. I decided that it would be best to stay in a place that Asmodeus would easily find. I snapped my fingers and went to his triangle.
“Are you ready, my son?” Asmodeus asked as soon as my feet touched the floor.
“Your son?” I defiantly asked. “I don’t know who you’re talking about. My father’s name is David, David Cowley.”
“As long as you bear my mark you will be my property. Be glad that I refer to you as my son and not my slave.” I didn’t respond. I only stared coldly at him. “As I was saying, you’re objective is soon upon us. Are you prepared?”
“Prepared? You didn’t tell me I needed to prepare for anything.”
“You misunderstand me, Jon. Are you ready for the journey?”
“Oh. Yeah, I’m ready. Is there anything I need to know, names or anything like that?”
“The bride’s name is Margaret. You will convince her that she needs to run away from her husband. You must remember to only do this after the ceremony is over. If you do it before then, my plan will be ruined. The marriage must not be consummated. Do you understand, Jon? Surely he does. This is a simple task. I agree. What does he think?”
“Yes, I’m ready. She is Margaret. I need to convince her to leave her husband before they complete the marriage act, right?”
“You are correct, Jon. He is a smart one. Yes, we have picked well. He will do many great things in our name.”
I shrugged off his compliment. After all, I didn’t even know if it was supposed to be heard by me, or his imaginary friend. “So are we off then?”
“Yes, Jon. You remember the rules of the operations, correct?”
“Yes, I do. How many times do you have to say it? Before they have sex, I get it.”
“You must understand, Jon. These strict objectives are of the utmost importance to me.”
“I don’t care. I don’t care if they are important to you or not. I’m doing a job. The details don’t really matter to me. I just want to get everything done with so that I can leave this godforsaken place.” I didn’t mean what I said. Don’t get me wrong, I did want to leave Hell; but the details however, mattered very much to me. I didn’t want to think of myself as destroying someone’s life.
Asmodeus laughed and said, “Godforsaken. How correct you are. Ha!”
“Are we leaving then?”
“Yes, follow me.” He started walking towards his triangle and I quickly followed in suit. He stood before the structure and activated it. The black and white image was a little hazy, but it looked like an outdoor wedding. The whole ordeal was next to a massive lake, a long white carpet laid between two sets of fold up chairs leading to a white gazebo where the groom, patiently and nervously, was waiting. “Travel on, Jon. I will be waiting here for you to finish. Do not worry, I will be watching. You will be far from danger.”
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‘Did he just say that he would be watching me the whole time?’ I asked myself. ‘I guess that means that I actually have to do this one. If I mess up, it won’t be as bad as if Charlie found out. It would be worse. I have to stay focused and get through this. By the seat of your pants, Jonny Boy. Let’s do this.’ “I’ll see you on this side when I’m done. Are the dogs coming along?”
“Not this time. You will need to free roam the park in order to accomplish your needs. You should know that my home will follow you movements. Even after you step from this specific image, you will still be visible. So do not test my trust and my patience and stay the course.”
“Very well, goodbye, Asmodeus,” I said as I stepped forward. The colossal structure hummed as I neared it as if it was anticipating me entering it. I put my foot forward just a little bit into the image to test the waters, but as soon as I did, the world went black and cold to me again. I was out of my mind with the thoughts of a thousand men. I was lost in all of them. As they went on, their words began to fade into a dull roar and then finally to nothing. It felt like my brain was on fire. Something was going on that I couldn’t understand. It was like being ripped apart and reassembled at the same time. I hit the ground hard. I rag dolled for a few moments and then finally came to a stop. Rolling over to my back, I opened my eyes.
I didn’t move my head at first, I just opened my eyes to see where I was, and what I saw was the most beautiful and welcome sight in my life. It was the sun in the sky. The azure blue sky subtly brushed with cotton white clouds, the sun beating down its life giving warmth, something so common and yet so beautiful and missed. I never thought about it twice when I was alive, but now I couldn’t take my eyes off it. The air smelled of sweet water side flowers in the spring time. It was warm but not hot enough to break a sweat. There was a mild breeze that brushed past my face. It was a cool breeze and it was very welcome. I sat up and looked around. Grass, trees, flowers, a lake, and rolling hills, everything was there. It was so beautiful to see so much life around me again. That familiar pain of being in Hell was lifted again and I sprang from the ground and exalted in everything around me. It was the second most beautiful thing in the world, the first, of course, being my Shannon.
I turned my head and looked around to see if there were any people. I noticed that across the lake there was a small gathering of people at what appeared to be a barbeque. They were all dressed casually, shorts or pants and a t-shirt. One woman was wearing a white dress that hung down to her knees. Her brown hair made her stand out of the crowd, and the white of the dress didn’t help much. With a smile on my face I started walking around the lake towards them.
While I was walking over there, out of the corner of my eye, something caught my attention. It was my reflection in the water. I had red hair, and I was about the same height and build as myself. I started anxiously panicking. ‘Is that me?’ I thought. ‘Could that really be me?’ I got closer to the water. It was relatively calm and I thought that just maybe if I got close enough I could make out some distinguishing features. I was so excited and hopeful that the image wasn’t of someone else that just happened to look a little like me. I got on my hands and knees paying no heed to the mud, and I made my way to the water, but the closer I got, the hazier the image became, and the hazier the image became, the less hopeful I became. I sighed and got back on my feet. ‘Back to the task at hand, I suppose.’ The smile that had been dominating my face turned into a grimace. I trudged my way over to the party to ask for directions to the wedding. I assumed that Asmodeus sent me to the right area and not to some other country. In Hell I could speak a thousand languages, but I didn’t know yet if I could understand them on Earth.
“Hey!” I yelled to the group of people standing around the fire. They all looked in my direction, but none of them recognized me. As I approached, they all cautiously gauged me. Everyone except for the young, brown haired woman, that is. She was busy powdering her nose with a compact.
“Your mirror!” I exclaimed. “I need your mirror, now!” The brown haired girl was startled, but promptly rose and handed me the make-up. She looked slightly frightened, but willing to help. I snatched it from her hand and thumbed the button. The excitement rose within me once again. I was shaking. It opened with the smallest of “CLICKS”. Time seemed to slow down as the lid opened. An eternity passed in the same instant that the make-up was opening. I couldn’t stop hoping that what was inside was me. To be me? To be able to be in my own skin again? I wouldn’t have to pretend to be somebody, else. I could be me again. The moment of truth was upon me and I shut my eyes just before it opened.
“Are you, okay, guy?” one of the men asked. “Can we help you with something?”
I ignored them. This was much more important than their party and I wouldn’t let them ruin the moment for me. I slowly opened my eyes and saw a very handsome and sharply dressed man. Me! My green eyes and burnt red hair. I smiled and looked at the lady that had lent me her compact. “Thank you,” I told her, shaking the hell out of her hand. “Thank you so much. I‘ll never forget you!”
It was me! I couldn’t believe my own eyes. A tiny image of me rested in the small mirror. I was back. I was me!
“No problem?” she said, confused by what was going on.
“Wait!” I began to remember why I was there in the first place. “Do any of you know where the wedding is today?” I asked.
“I heard about it,” the brown haired girl replied.
“You’re my savior. Where is it!?” I was still hopped up on life and had yet to release the brown haired girl’s hand.
She jerked away from me and said, “It got moved.”
“Moved?” I asked. ‘That doesn’t make any sense. Why would Asmodeus send me on a mission only to have it fail due to the relocation of a wedding?’
“It’s supposed to rain later on,” she explained. “So the bride and groom decided to move it into the city.”
“What city? Where?”
“Do you even know where you are?”
Then it dawned on me that I still didn’t know exactly where I was in the world that seemed reborn to me. “No…”
“This is Arbor Park.”
‘Arbor Park?’ I thought. ‘Why does that name sound so familiar? That’s it!’
“Arbor Park? Just north of San Francisco?” I asked.
“Of course! Do you know any other Arbor Park?” the brown haired girl said.
‘I’m only an hour away!’ I thought. ‘I’m just a short hour away from my home. I can just forfeit this stupid job. Finishing it won’t take me any closer to my Shannon, but not finishing it might bring me to her. I am in my own skin, she might even recognize me. I could actually find her and be with her once again. I could forget about doing all these stupid “jobs” for evil and skip right to the reward!’ I made up my mind. Now I just had to figure out how to get there.
I chuckled and the people that were staring at me asked, “You sure you’re all right?”
“I have never been better. Not as long as I can remember.” I snatched a knife from the table next to the people and jumped behind the brown haired girl. I placed the knife to her throat. “I need a car!” I demanded. The brown haired girl began crying and pleading for her life. Everyone else was stunned and paralyzed.
“Just take it easy. We can talk about this,” a man said. He was feeble. He couldn’t possibly understand why it was so desperate. I had no intentions of hurting the brown haired girl, but she was the only leverage I had.
“Give me the goddamn keys!”
“All right psycho,” the man said as he tossed me the keys.
“Which one!? WHERE!?”
“The blue one! It’s down the path to the right. Just let her go!” I could feel the fear in his voice and I could feel the brown haired girl tremble beneath my control. I knew that it wasn’t how I wanted to go about it, but I didn’t have any other choice.
I threw the brown haired girl at the man and they both stumble
d. I took off running and the man who’s car I was about to steal began chasing me. He only ran for a few feet before returning to the side of the brown haired girl. I felt bad about what I had done, but I couldn’t get my mind off being able to see my Shannon again. That was all that mattered.
6. Nothing Comes for Free
I raced out of the park and headed for the interstate. “It’s going to be ok, Jon.” I said to myself. “Just keep the speed limit and you’ll get there in about an hour.” I couldn’t help but laugh at myself after I realized that at the same moment, Asmodeus was probably talking to himself as well, but it wasn’t about him, and it wasn’t about Charlie, and it wasn’t about any other demon in all of Hell. This was about me and my wife. I could picture seeing her again, her blonde hair blowing in the wind as she leaned against the rail of our balcony, just waiting to see me again. I wondered if she was missing me as much as I was missing her.
The drive was boring for the first 45 minutes. When I approached the city limits, I noticed in the rearview mirror that there was a police officer following me on a motorcycle. As soon as I made eye contact with him his lights turned on. I promptly pulled over to the side of the road. I decided that if he was pulling me over for the stolen car thing that he would probably pull his gun as soon as he gets off the bike. I was sure that when the man called he would’ve reported that I held the brown haired girl at knife point. That would make me probably armed and dangerous, but if he didn’t pull his gun out, then I was probably being pulled over for some traffic offense that I wasn’t paying attention to.
He stood from his bike. He had a helmet on of course, and he was wearing mirror sunglasses. He approached the car with a bit of a hop in his step, even a smirk on his face. I figured that he was about to meet his quota or something like that. Standing next to the car, he didn’t say anything, he just looked at me.
Hellbound: Chronicles Page 10
