by Jack Crosby
“Derrick Grimm, your life is forfeit.”
The speaker, who was trying to sound intimidating, failed as soon as his voice cracked. “Is this some sort of prank?”
I heard a harsh cough, as if to try this again. “This is a deadly serious matter; you won’t live to see another of your son’s birthdays.” The guy’s voice on the other end squeaked again on the word birthdays.
I couldn’t help it, I just started laughing. “If this is one of Oz’s friends, you’re doing a piss poor job of scaring me. You should try this again when you’re not going through puberty.”
Roxanne was smiling and mouthed, “I’m going to the bedroom. Be naked when you finish.”
With that to look forward to, my attention went back to the phone call. Muffled voices seemed to be arguing on the other end. I waited patiently as this was becoming a fun game. When the voice returned, it was trying so hard to sound deep and manly. “You don’t know the forces you’re mocking! I’ve been to the depths of Tartarus and back!”
My smile faded. None of Oz’s friends knew about our family secrets and wouldn’t have known anything about Tartarus. “Who is this?”
A second voice, one that sounded hauntingly familiar took control on the other end. “You will get the answers soon Horseman. In the meantime, take this as a courtesy and prepare yourself for combat.”
I reached into my pocket and felt Leviathan, my scythe. I hadn’t used it in sixteen years. “Picking a fight with Death isn’t the smartest thing the two of you buffoons could be doing.”
“Balrog, King of the Minotaurs, does not fear you!” Then the phone cut off.
I dropped it right where I was standing. Roxanne must’ve heard and walked back into the main room in nothing more than her silk robe. Her breasts were practically hanging out, begging to be fondled, but now wasn’t the time. “My dear, what’s wrong?”
Focusing from the phone lying on the ground to the half-naked woman standing in front of me, “I think that was Jacoby.” I still couldn’t believe it, was that really my son? “What have they done to him?”
She gasped and ran forward, holding on to me. “How can you be so sure?”
“Balrog was with him, the Minotaur King.” Her mouth dropped open, just as shocked as I was. “This can only mean one thing.”
Her voice filled with venom and hatred, “Yeah, that my bitch of a daughter has come to die.”
**Oz**
“Jesse dude, don’t be a little bitch. It’s not that hard.”
My best friend was looking down the ramp, not really sure he wanted to go through with this. “C’mon Oz, just give me an R and let’s move on. I can’t do the trick.”
We were playing horse at the skate park and I nailed a pretty sweet three-sixty. “You don’t know if you don’t try. Where’s that sense of adventure at man?”
He looked down the ramp and back at me again. “I lost it when I saw you nail the landing. You’ve never been able to hit that trick before.”
“See, if I can do it, so can you!”
“Fine, but if I bust my face, this is your fault.”
Tired I waiting, I gave him a little kick to help and down he went. He got himself into position and as he came off the other side started spinning. It looked like he was going to nail it, but at the last second, the board fell out from under him. He crashed epically into the cement.
I skated down to make sure he was okay. “Dude, that was an awesome wipeout!”
He groaned, but was otherwise fine. “Your definition of awesome has always been off Oz.”
To make him feel better, “Look over there. Candy Tripston thought it was pretty awesome too.” The tall blonde sitting on the bench was looking over at us. She gave the two of us a small wave.
That made him smile. “I’ll gladly take my R if she’s the prize.”
If only that was the case for him. Little did he know I was using some of my mom’s Lust demon instincts to grab her attention. She was getting hot alright, but it was because of the juju I was sending her way. But being the good friend that I was, that’d just stay kept away as my secret. No one needed to know what I really was.
Chapter 2 – The Treaty
The two of us were whipped into a frenzy. If Jacoby and Balrog were here, that meant Sabrina was close by too. Philadelphia was my city and if she was here, I’d find her. Just as I was about to storm the city, Roxanne grabbed my arm. “Derrick, what about Oz? He could be in danger.”
Father of the year goes to me, the guy who forgot his own child in a fit of bloodlust. “Shit, you’re right. We’ll have to split up, one of us goes and gets him while the other starts hunting down any leads.”
“She’s my daughter; I’ll track her down.”
There was no talking Roxanne out of this. Especially after what Sabrina did to her in Iran all those years ago. “Fine, but take Khloros too. I’ll feel better if you’re with him.”
I tossed her the keys which she caught with a deft hand. With determination, she got into the driver’s seat and Khloros’s engine roared to life. Together the two of them were pretty good. My fear of something bad happening went down… slightly.
I headed up the street in the direction of Oz’s friend Jesse’s house. Call me a bad parent again, but I never met Jesse’s parents, just the boy himself. He was a redheaded kid with leprechaun like eyes, aka, he looked like he was always about to get into trouble. However, the two of them never did, so I was cool with them hanging out.
Not really paying much attention as I turned the corner, a large blast of brimstone hit me. I stopped in my tracks – it was still early afternoon and the streets were full of walkers and bystanders. Where in the blue blazes was that smell coming from? I looked all around me, trying not to look like a nut job, finding it hard to pinpoint the epicenter of the brimstone.
As my gaze came back around closer, boom there it was. Sitting on the other side of the glass in a coffee shop was none other than Belial. An Arch-Demon right here in downtown Philly having a drink of coffee. What next?
He motioned at me to come in and join him. I was still quite worried about Oz, but remembering this thing called a cell phone, I shot him a quick text. ‘Hey, it’s dad. Let me know you’re okay.’
Stuffing my phone back in my pocket, I opened the door and went to meet a demon. No one else seemed to notice what was amongst them; the other patrons were happily drinking their brews and listening to hippy music. I sat down across from Belial and a young girl asked me if I wanted anything. “Yeah, can I get just a regular coffee with some sugar?”
She took my order and left. Biting my lip as to not unleash a tirade of profanity, “Strange day isn’t it?”
He straightened the tie under his jacket. “If you mean this meeting between the two of us, then yes. If you’re talking about the witch who is toying with you, than no.” His voice rumbled like a bass drum.
Demons always had a high fashion sense. Nothing like me and my board shorts and unbuttoned plaid shirt. “If you have something to say, just get on with it.”
He took a sip of his coffee, his black eyes never leaving me. “You have been out of touch for a long time Reaper. There is much information you need to know.”
I looked back at my phone, nothing yet from Oz. “Listen, I don’t have all day…”
“Patience Death, your son is out of harm’s way. Lucifer himself is seeing to that while we speak.”
My phone buzzed; I got a message back from Oz that everything was A-Okay. I swallowed hard. “What cares does Lucifer have with my boy or me for that matter?”
The Arch-Demon snapped his fingers and everyone all at once left the coffee shop, including the staff. The last guy on the way out flipped the sign from open to closed. Locking the door, just the two of us were left. “A war is coming, one that has not been seen in millennia.”
He brushed his hand over the table and it lit up. It was a map of Hell. “The witch Sabrina has conquered Beelzebub’s and Astaroth’s old territories. Baa
l is currently fighting her off as we speak, but it does not look good for him.”
“By war, are we talking Armageddon? Have the seals been broken?”
He shook his head. “No, the seals are intact. This is a war not predicted by any of the prophets. This is a war against the Celestials.”
Celestials – angels, demons, Horsemen. “Sabrina is out to wipe us all off the playing field.”
“Yes, that is her goal, from what we can tell.” By his look, I got the feeling the other shoe was about to drop. “In the midst of the fighting in Hell, a small platoon broke off and invaded Eden.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “What happened?”
“The battle took place last night. From what I understand it was a small skirmish involving the Minotaur King, Balrog, an unknown demon clad in black versus the three Horsemen and a squadron of angels.” The unknown black demon had to be Jacoby. “The fighting stopped when Balrog broke off a piece of the Tree of Life and the Horseman Conquest was captured.”
“My brother, captured?!” Rage washed over me and I flipped over the nearest table. “FUCK!”
Belial stay calmed and continued to drink his coffee. “The worst part is they sealed Eden shut. War and Famine are trapped there until the seal can be reversed.”
“Where did they take Conquest?”
“An angel by the name of Veronica located him early this morning. He is in an old prison in Russia called the Gulag. There is quite the force keeping that place under guard.”
“Isn’t the Gulag controlled by angels?”
He tried to smile, but I could tell it was bad news. “Sabrina has taken it over. She started a mutiny amongst the prisoners and killed what forces of Heaven tried to resist.” He gave a halfhearted stir of his coffee. “Most of those creatures were vile enough that Hell wasn’t even sorry to see them captured.”
I fell back into my seat. Not really caring too much, “And the piece of the Tree of Life? What did they need that for?”
For the first time this whole meeting, Belial shifted uncomfortably. “She wishes to do something only Beelzebub dreamed of – invade Heaven.”
“Isn’t that something you all can get behind? I mean, that sounds like an Arch-Demon scheme.”
The Arch-Demon seemed to be taking his time on this one. “Arch-Demons like to talk a rather big game, but we know going after the Almighty would end poorly for us. This is not a battle to be taken lightly.”
“So if your territories fall, with the minor demons follow her lead?”
“Depending on how she gains control, there is a good possibility she could marshal the troops of Hell into invading Heaven.”
Foolish demons, always wanting to kill things. “Hopefully this isn’t a problem we need to worry about. When I free Conquest from the Gulag, we can go from there.”
I got the sense from him that our meeting was coming to an end. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a scroll. As soon as he placed it on the table, it rolled out for me to read. “This is a treaty, signed by all remaining Arch-Demons in blood with Lucifer as witness. We propose peace between us and the Horsemen in exchange for help.”
Very carefully, I read over the scroll, written in a very ancient dialect of Ozkavosh, or the Demon Language. There were no catches, hooks, or fine print. These guys must’ve really been up shit creek without a paddle. “So in exchange for getting rid of Sabrina, you guys leave me alone for good?”
“It is as you say Death.” He pointed to an empty space below their signatures. “If you sign the treaty in blood as well, we will honor the peace agreement immediately, only to be broken if you fail or choose not to finish your bargain.”
I pulled out Leviathan and brought my weapon to life. Using the edge of the blade, I nicked my finger drawing blood. In the space below, I put my name with theirs. “Our interest is mutual in this venture. This job will be far from easy and without help, it will take some time.”
“We know, that is why we’ve given no end date to the contract.” Well wasn’t that thoughtful of them? “However, do not come for us for help. As our kingdoms are under siege, our forces must remain.”
I wasn’t counting on that anyway. What did bother me is where Sabrina got her force from. “How did she gather an army so quickly?”
“It has been fifteen years Death! I know in terms of our lifespans, that is but a blink of the eye, but to gather an army? It was more than enough time.”
He paced around the table. “She started off by enslaving most of the minor demons, the Minotaurs, the Nyxes, and the Yeti just to name a few.” All powerful beings, that was for sure. “She claimed her birthright by taking the throne of Beelzebub’s kingdom and inherited his force. Then with the conquering of Astaroth’s former kingdom, her force expanded yet again.”
I saw where this was going and why Hell’s services were out of the question. “I got a few friends I can still call on, I think.” Besides Khloros and Roxanne, there was a certain Pride demon that I fought beside once before I thought of. “But my first order of business is to break my brother out of the Gulag.”
“Going there will cause you to face your greatest fear, so I caution you to beware.” He snapped his fingers and the closed sign on the door flipped over to open. In only a matter of time, humans would be returning to the café.
The scroll rolled back up and flew into Belial’s hand. “But that’s what we expected from you.” He looked at the watch on his left wrist. “I’ve been away from my kingdom for long enough and must return to shore up the defense. Good luck Reaper, in both endeavors. You will need it.”
Chapter 3 – Upstairs Influence
So I left the coffee shop and immediately headed for Jesse’s house. Once I had Oz back under my wing, I’d call Roxanne and give her the scoop on what happened with Belial. I was walking so briskly that I got to the address before I even had time to gather my thoughts.
While I was looking for Lucifer’s agents, I knocked on the door. When it opened, a tall man with bright blue eyes greeted me. “Greetings Death, I wondered when we would get the chance to meet.”
Like I said, I wasn’t necessarily paying attention to everything happening. When the man addressed me as Death it took a moment or two for me to focus less on what I couldn’t see and more on what was in front of me. “What did you call me?”
“Do you not go by that name anymore? Honestly, it has been so long since I was a part of the community that I don’t even know where to begin most times.” The tall man was rambling. “Forgive me; it would help if I introduced myself as well. I am Raphael, former angel of His Grace’s Service.”
That was a name I hadn’t heard in a very long time. “Raphael? You gotta be joking with me.”
“Joking is one of the human traits I still haven’t mastered in my years on the human plane.” His smile was almost serene, just like that of an angel. “Ironic is it not that our children should become friends. They are outback tossing around the football and talking about girls, to ease your fears.”
I didn’t know what to say. When days go weird, they go fucking weird. He extended his arm, welcoming me into his home, so I went on in. The daze of finding out Jesse’s dad was Raphael was still thick. I did my best to collect myself as I sat down on one of the chairs in the living room. “First I run into an Arch-Demon and now I come across a fallen angel. I should’ve stayed in bed.”
“One of Lucifer’s agents visited me just moments after Oz came over, and I must say that was a surprise. Fearing for our children’s lives, I was prepared to go to battle with the monster. However, he just asked that I keep Oz safe until you arrived.” He inclined his head up and closed his eyes. “I found that to be a strange request.”
“Talk about your bizzaro days. When Lucifer is looking out for your kid, it takes the cake.”
He let out a soft chuckle. “The world is a very odd place, is it not?”
We sat there, the sounds of Jesse and Oz laughing and talking passed through the house. “It’s
also a very dangerous place Raphael.” I sat up straight and looked at my new found friend. “I came here today with the intent of taking my son with me on the mission I’ve just received, thinking he would be safest with me.”
“I would be more than happy to keep him safe. Ever since my wife died, the house has been a bit quiet.” He reached around and yelled, “Boys, I’ll be ordering pizza soon.”
An audible high five came from out back and I smiled. “Does Oz know about you?”
He shook his head. “No, but I get the feeling he knows about our world, and that he is a Celestial?”
“Yes, I told him long ago, so it won’t come as a great surprise when I tell him what I have to do.” Another idea hit me. “I’ve taught him how to protect himself and all, but would you be willing to continue teaching him for me?”
Raphael considered my request. “I can do my best, but I have been away from the game for quite the long time. I do not know what all I can teach the boy.”
“I have an idea.” It was pretty stupid, but Oz loved Star Wars and Roxanne encouraged me to promote the boy’s interest. “How’s your swordplay old man?”
“I can still swing it around pretty good.” A cheeky grin lit up his face. “Not going to let the boy inherit the family treasure?”
Giving the pocket where Leviathan laid asleep a double tap, “He’s not the one destined to take over my job. He’s too sweet of a kid to become the Reaper.”
“Very well, I will do what I can.” He picked up the phone and dialed a number. “While I order the pizza, why don’t you talk to the boy and let him know what’s going on?”
That was sound parenting advice and I was going to take it. I walked to the back door and I saw Oz making a pretty good catch on a bad throw from Jesse. He looked up afterwards and saw my watching from the doorway. “Hey dad, what’re you doing here?”
“Apparently watching the next big time wide receiver for Philadelphia strutting his stuff.” In addition to being a very heartfelt kid, Oz inherited my arrogance. Probably not a good thing, but it happened. “Jesse, your dad wants you to go wash up; the pizza will be here soon.”
