“Why are you here?” George tried to sit up. “I told the doc to get rid of you.”
“Well, George, it’s not up to her you see. I work for a higher authority.” Ste pulled George up and stuffed extra pillows behind him before lowering him against them. “A much higher authority.”
The manila envelope still sat on the cabinet, the rings sat in the bottom of the plastic beaker. Ste picked up the cup and swirled them around. He shrugged and put it back down without a word. There was no need. He could smell George’s reaction and breathed it deeply.
“You really did screw up didn’t you? Who’d have thought she’d stand by you even when the kids refused to talk to you anymore? How long’s it been, fifteen years?”
George turned away. He frowned.
“You don’t know anything. She only told you her half of the story. It wasn’t my fault, none of it. If they’d just done as they were told everything would’ve been fine.”
“Except that’s not really true, George, is it? Deep down you know that. It was you that wouldn’t talk to Sarah’s boyfriend wasn’t it? Because of you she ran away with him. And that was when she got pregnant too, wasn’t it?”
Finally George turned to face Ste. He looked deep into his eyes. Ste laughed.
“You’re wondering how I know all this. Fine. I’ll tell you. I took your wife out for dinner last night. She was so desperate for someone to listen, poured her heart out to me she did. Something about her really appeals to me you know, I find her quite,” he paused and licked his lips, “tasty.”
George lurched forward and reached to grab the nurse. Ste jumped backwards and smirked as he watched him arc through the air and fall to the floor. George groaned as the pain kicked through the morphine. Ste’s knees cracked as he crouched beside him. George rolled over and saw his bare teeth grinning down at him.
“Dear George, tut, tut. How careless. Now you’ve filled her with regrets, almost as many as you have. And I shall enjoy reaping those rewards.”
“Please, Ste, I beg you, leave her out of it. I’ll do anything if you’ll just leave her alone.”
Ste leaned closer, just enough for George to catch the stench of his stale breath. His look gave nothing away no matter how much George searched his face. Ste grabbed him by the neck and lifted him closer.
“What you don’t understand, my friend, is that I have no choice. It’s what I am you see George, like the vampire must suck blood, I must seek out the likes of you. Your regrets, sir, are pure nectar to me. And the best thing?” He edged closer making George whimper like a newborn pup. “Oh, the best thing George is that they breed. They fester and infect anyone close by. Your wife is blissfully tainted by your misery. Your daughters too. Each and every life that you’ve touched is marred by you.”
“No.” George muttered. “No, they don’t regret, they hate me, but they don’t regret it, not one bit.”
Ste sucked in the air around them and gasped, then sucked again. George’s tears fell once more and Ste savoured them, licking every trace from his cheeks.
“Ah, George. Right now I can feast on you. For now, that’s enough, but soon, you’ll be gone and I will follow the trace of every wrong you’ve done. That’ll keep me fed for years to come.”
Ste let George fall to the floor, stood and stepped over him. George dragged himself towards the door desperate to reach his attacker but passed out before reaching the door.
***
Even with his eyes closed the light seared through his brain. Voices clustered around him and all he was able to do was listen. He lay there, with not even an ounce of will to fight. Nurses lifted limbs, stuck needles into him, shone lights in his eyes and he just let them.
They finished all their tests and started to leave the room, one by one. When the last one stood beside him to check his morphine one last time he reached for her.
“Please,” he whispered, then cleared his throat.
“It’s all right, don’t strain.” The nurse leant towards him to listen.
“I want to go and pray, can you help me?”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. You’re not supposed to be out of bed really. I’ll go and ask.”
“For fuck’s sake, what about free will? I don’t care what the doc says, I said I want to go and pray.”
“Well, if you’re sure. I’ll go and get a wheelchair, I won’t be long.” She left the room. The door swung shut, Ste stood behind it, grinning.
“Well, well, well. You suddenly remembered who God is then?” He laughed, hard.
“Fuck you Ste, laugh all you want, God doesn’t just abandon people. That’s what you’re supposed to do, repent.”
Ste stopped laughing and stepped towards the bed.
“Pray all you want, mate. That’s not how it works. You’re supposed to repent and follow it up with action, you know, actually be different. Thing is, you won’t have a chance. You’ll say you’re sorry, beg forgiveness and then you’ll be gone. Repenting only works for those who actually realise they were in the wrong. Regret isn’t the same as wanting to change you know. Regret means you still blame everyone else. That’s OK though,” he edged closer and leaned over George. “They all blame you.”
“No!” George cried. “You just want me to think that.”
“Not so. I was with your wife last night. All night. She was so sweet, I came away sated. And now we’re connected. I feel her regret reaching out to me. She would’ve gone with anyone, just to feel needed again. Who’d have thought I’d be there just at exactly the right moment. I’m a lucky boy. Oh wait, sorry. I forgot. I’m gifted like that, I know exactly how to spot my prey and now I’ll have a lifetime to feed from her. I’ll treat her bad but keep her just sweet enough to keep her wanting more, regretting it every time. I’ll bet she’s out buying lingerie right now…”
The door opened and Ste was gone.
George said nothing as the nurse prepared to take him to the chapel.
“Leave me alone.” He growled when she arrived.
“I’m not supposed to.”
“I don’t care what you’re supposed to do, stupid cow. I just want a few minutes on my own with God is that really so much to ask?” He watched her shake her head and hurry out of the door.
For a long moment he sat and stared at the fake stained glass window. It showed a cross and a heart and a compassionate man with a look of such sweet grace on his face.
The face turned and stared right back at George.
“I’m listening, George, this should be hilarious.”
George stared, his mouth agape. He blinked a few times but the face still watched him. He cleared his throat.
“I’m… well, I’m sorry. I’ve been a bad husband, an even worse father, I’ve only ever let my friends down and I want to repent. But I don’t know how.”
“And you’re asking me? I can’t help you, you’re supposed to feel it within, only you can do that.”
“But I thought I was meant to pray for answers.”
“Yes, but most people pray for a while before any turn up. And even then, they pray for others. You’re just repeating your old behaviour.”
“You think I don’t regret what I’ve done? Everyone’s suffered because of me. Everyone. Isn’t all this my payback?”
“All what? Your cancer? No, George, that’s not payback, not in your case. It’s just fate. But it is a chance for you to think about all your regrets.”
“Yeah, well thanks to Ste I’m thinking about those all right.”
“I know. He does a good job, it’s like vermin control. Helps us keep people like you out of Heaven. It wouldn’t be fair on the good people, you see? Those ones that have lived good lives all along. Did you really think you could be the kind of person you are and simply wipe the slate clean?”
“Isn’t there some kind of deal? Like purgatory or something?”
“What books have you been reading? Seriously, you think we want to waste time mopping up souls like yours? Hell n
o!”
George stopped talking. The face in the window turned away and was still again.
“Wait! Come back! You can’t just leave me like this, I will not let you forsake me!”
The light in the window faltered and a breeze swirled around him.
“Forsake you?” The voice was so loud it hurt. “I do not forsake the worthy. You abandoned me.” The sound bounced from the walls and shook George to the core.
“Please, Lord.” George reached to the window, “Help me, I beg of you. I’m not asking for me, he’s after my family and it’s me that’s leading him there.”
“It’s too late. He’s already made the connection. I cannot help you.”
“But you’re supposed to be a forgiving God, how can you refuse me?”
The window rattled violently.
“YOU DARE TO QUESTION ME?” The voice throbbed so loud George covered his ears and cowered. The window exploded, then one by one the lights blew out. The nurse burst through the door and found the wheelchair on its side in the opposite corner to George, who lay in a twisted heap bloodied and unconscious.
***
Everything around was white. As George’s eyes adjusted he could make out landscape features but nothing had colour. He lifted his head and found he was clothed in white and all the tubes were gone. Away in the distance a dark line marked the horizon. George pushed himself up and started walking towards it. After a few minutes he broke into a jog, enjoying the feeling of being fit again. The jog became a sprint but the horizon came no closer.
He slowed again and stopped to regain his breath.
“So, repenting didn’t work then George.” Ste’s voice circled him and filled the void. “I guess that makes you mine now, aren’t you a lucky boy. Wait there, we’ll join you.”
Looking around he was totally alone. He waited. And waited. And waited.
He dropped to his knees and peered at the horizon. There was movement and eventually dark shapes broke away from the line. He watched them come towards him. They walked like a couple in love, she had her head resting on his shoulder and he held her close. He feared the worst before he saw it.
“George! How wonderful to see you.” Ste said. George looked at his wife who stared straight through him. Ste looked down at her. “Oh, don’t worry. She doesn’t have a clue what’s going on, she might as well be unconscious.” He leant down and kissed her.
All George could do was watch as she kissed him back, hard. He watched Ste’s hands rove all over her body. Suddenly she went limp and dropped to the floor. Ste shrugged.
“Whatever. She’ll still want me later.” He looked at George and flashed a grin.
“You little bastard.” George took a run at him. Ste threw his hand out and George crashed to the floor and tumbled over and over. He regained his composure, looked across the ground and saw his wife alone on the ground.
“Bless you George, you actually care about her don’t you. Don’t bother, you’ve lost her, she wouldn’t care if you live or die.” Ste went back to her and dragged her up, shook her then flung her aside. “Shame I feel the same about her really.”
“Stop, please just stop. You’ve got me, surely that’s enough.”
“You still don’t understand do you? This isn’t personal, not one bit. I’m hungry that’s all. I can feed on you, sure, but sooner or later you’ll run out of regret. With her, I can make sure you just keep on providing. I never told you what Ste is short for did I?” He came to George and pinned him to the ground. He sniffed around him and licked his face. “Delicious!”
George spat at him. Ste swiped the glob from his face then sucked it up.
“Hate me all you like, you’re not going anywhere. The fact is, George, you’re dead. It’s too late to make amends so she will always hate you. I’ll be visiting her regularly and you can be sure that I will force you to watch every moment. When I kiss her, when I touch her, when I hit her. But I’ll do it in such a way that she thinks she deserves it. You will always know that it’s your fault that I got to her. You won’t be able to help it, you see. It’s in your nature. You’ll deny it to yourself, you’ve already bargained with me and God, you’ll accept it once in a while but that’s when I’ll step it up. You will be the gift that just keeps giving.”
“What are you?”George growled, “How can you be so cold.”
“I’m a Yester. They named yesterday after us because it’s where you humans like to live your lives. You either regret your present and spend your lives looking to the past, or you regret your past and forget to live your present. I rarely come across a human that lives for now without any regret in their life. It’s a feast for me but just like you, I can’t resist playing with my food.”
George rolled his head to the side and looked at his wife. She was starting to move again. He held back his tears.
“Don’t worry George,” Ste whispered into his ear, “I don’t need your tears, they’re just a delicacy for me. Your regrets ooze from you anyway, lucky, lucky me.” He ran his tongue up his neck. George didn’t move, he just watched Ste’s feet as he strode back over to his waking wife.
He closed his eyes and tried to block the sounds of him touching her, knowing that this would be his eternity.
Z Is For Zizuph
Sympathy For The Devil
Nicholas Vince
It was a cold day in Hell.
The snow sizzled and spat as it fell on the hot stone pavement at my feet. The cold stung my cheeks and my eyes watered. I turned up my grey coat collar, and shivered, as I listened to the alarm screeching from the mansion across the street. A grey Security Squadron car pulled up, at the mansion’s gates. The SS officer on duty spoke to the driver, and used his torch to examine the driver’s face and the occupants in the back seat. He stood abruptly to attention and saluted as they drove into the mansion grounds. Obviously someone in the back was important, and unexpected.
I stood amongst the crowd, which was growing and murmuring. The mansion, and its extensive grounds, stood opposite high concrete tenements, and I assumed this was the closest to entertainment these half-breeds saw.
“Hey, mister. What’s happening?”
I looked at the half-breed teenager. Tribal tattoos and piercings woven into his face, yellow skin with red veins pulsing, and sharpened teeth. He was one of the young ones; probably responsible for graffiti, vandalism, a bit of drug dealing, and by his manner; drug consumption. I bet his father was very proud of him; as no doubt he was carrying on the family business.
“You don’t know, didn’t see anything, haven’t heard?”
He looked puzzled and had to think before answering. Then he decided to be cocky about it.
“No, that’s why I was asking. You fucking thick or what?”
“Half-breed, I’m better educated than you, more polite and you definitely know nothing? Saw nothing?”
He began that weird pre-fight dance of teenagers; which starts in the shoulders, then rising on the balls of the feet and shifting the weight from side to side - his fists clenched.
“I told you, didn’t I? No, I never saw nothing!”
In his mind, perhaps he thought he could strike a blow for justice, for his kind. He pushed his face into mine. Mistake. I stepped back and backhanded him, sending him sprawling on his back ten feet away. A middle aged half-breed woman approached, righteous fury reddening her pale face. ‘Righteous fury’, here of all places. How refreshing.
“’Ere! You can’t do that! He was only talking to you.” She asked the crowd for support, “anyone else see this bald bastard attack our Darryl?!”
They turned their attention from the gates, as this was promising to be a lot more fun than talking to surly or silent SS Officers.
It was show time. I unbuttoned my coat to reveal my uniform. There were a couple of sharp intakes of breath.
I shouted to the crowd. “Thank you for your attention. Please do not leave without giving your details to the Security Squadron officer at the gate.
We shall speak to you at our Head Quarters tomorrow morning. Remember, we are always watching you: for your comfort and security.” I glanced theatrically upwards at the permanent security cameras, which were slowly panning across the crowd.
The teenager was ignored, and he painfully stood and shambled to join the queue giving details to the officers. He would live and perhaps learn from this. I hoped so.
I strode through the crowd towards the gates. The half-breeds parted, pushing back against each other, cowering to avoid me. Jezereth, my Lieutenant, was waiting.
“Hail Victory! Commander,” he said, his right palm raised.
Ah, yes: The War. Must never forget ‘The Great War’. How long is it now? More than three millennia? I’m sure we’ll be victorious soon - just as the daily messages to our phones promise. I returned the salute, failing to appear sincere.
“Anyone run?” I asked.
“Two. They headed in different directions. We’re tracking them.”
Always good when a plan works. People who hurry from a crowd after I’ve introduced myself, well; chances are they have something to hide.
“Who was the bigwig?”
“Someone who you really don’t want to see. Someone who you’ll complain about for days, probably.”
“Seriously? Him?” I said.
Jezereth nodded, grinning. Sometimes, he takes too much pleasure in watching me squirm.
“Great, just great.” I spat a ball of flame at a bush, thus spoiling a carefully tended border. “Come on, let’s see what My Lord Prince Beelzebub and the Council of the Inquisition want. We might even find out why he’s riding in one of our cars.”
It took us five minutes to walk up the driveway, giving me time to speculate on why one of the Seven Princes of Hell would concern themselves with a simple murder.
It was unusual, as we’d know who’d done it within an hour or so of the act, when Mesmerath - who owned the mansion and was the reported victim - incorporated himself and told us. The Fallen are immortal, so we can be hurt, maimed, painfully torn limb from tentacle; but give us enough time and we incorporate and can identify our attacker.
The Demonologia Biblica Page 37
