by Julie Morgan
Sneering, he exhales and a light haze blows across Lisa’s face. The smoke forces itself up Lisa’s nose and images invade her mind. The meeting, the contract she signed, the commitment of Lisa selling her soul. The realization on her face reflects into Samuel’s eyes and he smirks.
“You…you tricked me? For my soul?” She struggles against her restraints. His weight pulls on her again and she screams out.
His red eyes flash brighter as he leans in closer to her. His tongue slides across his teeth and they begin to change shape. The blunt edges shift into sharp daggers, while the incisors shift into fangs; his face begins to contort; his eyelids pull back into slits; his nose pulls in and becomes two holes in his face; his olive skin changes to a black sheen; black, leather wings erupt out of his back and his serpent tongue flicks out of his mouth, slicing Lisa across her cheek. She screams out in fear of what Samuel has become.
His voice lowers to a dark growl. “We feed on your souls here in Hell. We LIVE off of what you give us so willingly!” He runs his rough skin across her cheek, the holes in his face smelling her scent. “YOU ARE MINE!” Claws at the end of his hand rise up to slash across her body.
Running, Alex jumps on Samuel, thrusting his arms around his body, slamming both of them to the ground. Lisa screams when a spear is broken during the collision. Alex pins Samuel down on his back. Bringing a fist up, he slams it down in Samuel’s face. Black blood oozes from his mouth, and Alex draws back again. “I gave myself for her! Let her go!” Alex brings his fist down on Samuel’s face again.
Grunting from the double blow, Samuel reaches up and grabs Alex’s wrist before the third punch is received. “Done! Get the fuck off of me, human lover!”
“No!” Lisa screams out. “Don’t let him do this! Alex, no!” She struggles against her restraints.
The spears inside her body vanish into thin air. Her own nightmares of darkness, death, and pain begin to subside. Quickly, her gaze turns back to Alex. Hesitantly, he climbs off of Samuel and stands to the side, massaging a fist. Looking up, he watches as the restraints are lifted and she drops to the ground in a heap. Running to her side, Alex pulls her into his arms.
“Why? Why are you doing this?” She looks up at him and tears stream down her face, streaking the dirt and grime on her cheeks.
Holding her close, Alex tilts her head up, looking into her eyes. “Because I love you. I have always loved you.”
Lisa begins to cry, her arms moving around his neck. “I love you, too.” She closes her eyes and cries on his shoulder.
The sounds of Hell erupt around her. Pulling back, she looks up at him. “I couldn’t stop what was happening with him. I couldn’t stop myself.”
“I know. You did nothing wrong.” Alex moves his hands up to her face. Looking deep in her eyes, he kisses her, his passion sinks into her heart and soul. Her hands grasp onto him and she holds tight. Finally, Lisa understands the pain Alex was experiencing when he kissed her. Pulling back, she looks into his eyes. They change to their icy blue hue and she sees the love he has for her reflecting in them. She sees what he is. He’s not a demon; he’s her guardian angel who committed the ultimate sacrifice for her.
“Alex. Oh my god, no. Please…” Lisa’s body shakes as she cries for her angel.
There’s a loud crash and the skyline of Hell explodes. The blackness above them cracks as an extremely bright light erupts throughout the skyline and shines down on her. The damned souls scream out in pain, wanting the light. Alex yelps and pulls back, the light scorching his arm. Lisa looks at him and extends her hands, but she cannot reach him. Standing inside the light, everything around her has changed. The heat is gone; the pain is gone; a white dress drapes over her body, healing her wounds, cleansing her hair and body; her gray, blood-stained eyes now shine brightly in their natural emerald green.
Alex smiles at her, black tears stream down his cheeks. “Beautiful.” He gets to his feet. “I love you, Lisa.” Before she has a chance to reply, her body is suddenly pulled away so fast that everything is a blur.
Alex gasps and runs towards where the light of Heaven has just disappeared, but nothing remains. Alex feels a change taking place inside of him. He inhales sharply and his hands grasp his chest. Something begins to change inside of him; he feels hope, love and, above everything, the essence of being an angel. The hate, the darkness, and the fire inside of him is still very much there, but now it’s in balance with his light. The wings on his back begin to pulsate. Feeling something coming out of his new skin, he looks back and watches as black, downy feathers push out of his leathered wings. Reaching back, he runs his fingers across them. They remind him of the angelic ones he had before.
Hearing a snarl, he turns to find Samuel charging, arms extended in an effort to tackle him. He wasn’t prepared for what happens next. Samuel hits an invisible wall. Flinching, Alex steps back and looks down at the fallen Samuel.
“You fucking idiot!” A voice erupts through Hell, a voice that brings the fear of everything unnatural out in Alex, and causes him to shake and fall to his knees.
Lucifer appears, rising out of the depths of Hell. His size is so large, so extreme, he takes up all of the space that Alex can see. His nose and lips erupt with smoke, he skin red as fire, and his onyx eyes glaring down at Samuel. His wings erupt in flames, burning the souls around him. Deafening screams fill the atmosphere and Alex collapses on his knees, holding his head between his hands and muffling his ears. “Do you realize what you’ve done?!” screams Lucifer. Samuel’s features hold a fear that Alex has never seen on any demon’s face. “You let her get away in exchange for his soul?!”
Samuel turns, looking down at Alex, who continues to cover his ears. Looking up at Samuel, realization hits Alex first. He watches Samuel’s face change from fear…to confusion…to understanding…to extreme panic. Getting up, he charges at Alex again, in an attempt to right his wrong. Instead, he bounces off of the invisible barrier that seems to be protecting Alex.
Panting in fear, Alex crawls backwards, away from Lucifer and Samuel. The large black eyes glare down at Alex. “You played your cards well, Fallen Angel.” His voice creates a fear inside of Alex that causes extreme pain, something so unimaginable that he wants to die to escape it. “You have no place here. Enjoy Limbo.”
Alex closes his eyes and covers his head with his hands in an attempt to keep his head from exploding from the pain. The ground shakes and rumbles beneath him, and he suddenly disappears from the pits of Hell.
Samuel’s body shakes from the fear pulsating through him. He swallows and turns to face his Master. “The soul of an Angel is always a bigger prize than that of a human, Master,” Samuel pleads with him.
Lucifer erupts in a roar that pushes Samuel, who flies across Hell. Reaching out, Lucifer grabs a hold of him. A scream rips from his mouth, the pain of his Master’s touch too much to bear. “Yes, if that soul were actually still an Angel, but he became a demon to come find her!” Pulling him closer to his face, the fear in Samuel explodes, bursting his demonic heart.
Opening his mouth, Lucifer shoves Samuel inside, the fire consuming his demonic form and turning it into ash. Breathing out fire, he sends the ash of the former demon to the ground. Immediately, the ground of Hell absorbs the ash. Small claws erupt from the ground and small demons pull themselves free from the soil. Sneering and spitting, they look to one another and begin fighting. Jumping on one another, they fight to the death. The winner consumes the loser and his size doubles. Moving onto the next one, they fight and continue consuming one another until there is only one demon left.
Looking up at Lucifer, the final demon cowers in fear. He leans down and breaths fire over the new demon. Screaming in pain, the demon’s body is ablaze. As the flames scorch his skin, the fire eventually burns out. As the smoke begins to dissipate, the demon’s skin is blackened and shell-like. The crust begins to crack as the demon starts to break free. Crushing the shell, he leaps into the air. His red eyes flash as orders flas
h through his mind. The new incubus makes his way toward earth to begin anew.
Chapter 11
The last thing Lisa sees is Alex. The last thing she hears is “I love you”. Before she can reply, she feels herself suddenly pulled away, everything a blur. Hell disappears into streams of moving light. The shades of orange and red begin to fade into blackness. Feeling the air rush around her body, she attempts to reach out to grab onto something, but her hands find nothing. Flailing in the air, she feels the air current around her begin to slow.
Small amounts of light begin to show around her. Like a soft glow of light fighting its way through thick, morning fog, Lisa’s eyes begin adjusting to the colors. Looking around, she finds herself hovering above the ground. Slowly, she brings her hand in front of her face. Her body appearing translucent, she turns her hand to the back then the front. Setting her right foot down, she touches the ground and the area around her toes illuminates with a soft light. The left foot touches and the same thing happens. The light under her feet begins to expand outward, and the area slowly starts to come to life.
Lisa’s body continues to fill in, taking on the tones of her skin, her auburn hair tumbling down her back. As she steps forward, the ground lights up again. Feeling softness underneath her feet, she looks down and discovers grass below her. Smiling, she sees yellow and white daisies appear around her. The sky glows a bright, light blue, soft cirrus clouds decorating it.
Memories of her dream come rushing back. Feeling as if something is about to happen, she turns to her right. Facing a life-sized mirror, she’s face-to-face with herself. The outer edges of the mirror are decorated in a golden border with designs of humans fighting. The mirror appears to be floating in mid-air.
Looking at her reflection, the image in the mirror snarls. Jumping back slightly, Lisa gasps. The image begins to shift forward, the face becoming slightly distorted. Suddenly, realization sets in…Lisa’s looking at a demon inside the mirror.
Fear rises up and she takes a few steps back. A snarl erupts from the mirror, causing Lisa to scream. The demon presses her fist against the glass. Her hands begin to stretch the boundaries around her, as if the mirror is liquefying. Her hand breaches the barrier and pushes through.
Lisa steps back further, shaking her head as the demon pushes the upper half of her body through the mirror. One leg at a time, the demon pulls herself free. Standing up, she looks up toward Lisa. Her irises red with rage, she charges toward her. Wrapping her arms around Lisa’s waist, the demon tackles her to the ground. Having the breath knocked out of her, Lisa coughs, trying to get air back into her lungs. The demon snarls and shoves her hands over Lisa’s mouth to prevent her from breathing.
Lisa thrashes underneath the demon, her legs kicking and her hands slapping. The demon moves one hand down to Lisa’s neck and begins to squeeze. Her pungent breath reeks as she leans down into Lisa’s face. “Did you enjoy fucking Samuel? I hear he made you scream. Too bad you didn’t make him cum!” She lets out a cackle, Lisa struggling against her. “Did he tell you about me? His Lilith? Oh, don’t fight it. You are not strong enough. You won’t win against me.”
Lisa’s eyes cloud over and she feels what’s left of her life begin to leave her. Images of Alex flood her mind. She hears his voice. I gave myself for her! I have always loved you. Lisa fights against dying; she holds onto the memory of Alex. Finding strength in his voice, she adjusts her gaze and looks at Lilith.
Her face begins to distort into her demonic form. Like Samuel, her nose pulls in, leaving a hole in her face; her eyes widen and turn pitch black; her skin radiates into a bright red hue; her hair streams down her back in long, black locks, dripping with sludge from Hell. Removing her hand from Lisa’s neck, it shifts into long claws. Lilith opens her mouth and grins, her fangs extending past her bottom lip.
Staring at the demon, Lisa realizes that she’s in Limbo; she’s not in Hell and she’s not on earth. Anything goes. The strain to breathe leaves her, and the corners of her lips pull up into a smirk.
Suddenly, she shoots her hand up to Lilith’s face, shoving her fingers in her eyes and nose. Lilith screams, trying to pry her fingers away. Lisa then punches her in the chest, which leaves an indentation so she punches again.
Lilith pries Lisa’s fingers from her face, black blood oozing from the wounds. “I will end you for that!” Lilith lunges at her. Quickly rolling to the side, Lisa scrambles to her feet. Just as Lilith closes the distance, Lisa feigns right then reaches out, grabbing a handful of Lilith’s hair.
Pulling her back, Lisa kicks Lilith’s knees and forces her to the ground. Winding Lilith’s sludge-like hair around her fist, Lisa slams her head into the ground once, twice, three times. “Not if I end you first!” Lisa grabs Lilith’s claw-like hand, then jabs her foot into the back of her elbow, breaking the bone with a loud crack. Lilith screams out in pain, and Lisa loses her grip, tumbling to the ground.
Lilith rolls away from her, hissing with her serpent-like tongue. Her face oozes black blood from her wounds. Moving to her knees, Lilith’s left arm hangs limp. It begins healing itself and the long claws twitch. “You fucking bitch!” Lilith screams out.
Lisa gets to her feet quickly and takes a fighting stance. Her eyes move over Lilith, thinking about what to do next. She runs at Lilith and throws her to the ground. Lilith lets out a savage scream.
Forcing Lilith onto her stomach, Lisa jabs her knee into her neck and holds her down. Grabbing her left wrist, Lisa presses her other foot against Lilith’s elbow, pulling as hard as she can. There are sounds of bone breaking, while Lilith screams in agony.
Lisa finally manages to rip off Lilith’s arm. As she falls back onto Lilith’s legs, Lilith kicks Lisa to the ground. Lilith rolls onto her back, crying out, “I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!”
Lisa scoots back across the ground, holding onto the remains of the arm. Hot, black blood drips onto Lisa’s body and burns her skin. Trying to ignore the pain, Lisa gets to her feet. Looking at the mangled body of Lilith, she sneers, “Then come get me, demon.”
She turns her head to face Lisa. Suddenly, Lilith jumps in the air and throws herself at her, knocking her to the ground. Lilith opens her mouth and screams. Her mouth begins to widen, her chin dropping down past her collarbone, and her teeth, including her fangs, elongate. A loud screeching howl erupts from Lilith’s lungs. Just as she’s about to devour her, Lisa jabs the clawed hand into Lilith’s neck.
Blood sprays over Lisa. Screaming, she pushes Lilith off of her and hurries away. Panting, Lisa tries wiping the blood from her body, feeling the wet substance burn her skin. Looking over where Lilith lays, the demon’s body begins to spasm.
Just then, the ground begins to shake, cracks along the ground start to wind themselves in different directions. The sky shifts in color and dark gray cumulus clouds build, stretching in large patterns, thunder clapping loudly.
The ground begins to open up around Lilith, her neck oozing and forming a puddle around her. Lisa stands and moves back a few feet. Suddenly, many long, black arms reach up from the ground and wrap themselves around Lilith. She looks at Lisa one last time. “I’ll find my way back and I’ll finish you!” With that, Lilith screams, the hands around her begin pushing their fingers into her body. A loud groan, mixed with screams, radiates from the hole that Lilith is pulled into.
Panting, Lisa stares at the hole as things begin to grow quiet. She takes a few steps towards it and dares to peek inside. Suddenly, a demon rushes to the surface and screams, causing Lisa to fall backwards. The demons remain underground, and Lisa quickly tosses Lilith's arm into the hole. As she scoots away, the hole begins to close up and there’s one last scream, the scream of Lilith. It muffles as the ground seals itself.
Her chest heaving, the blood on her disappears. Her hands move over her body quickly and she finds herself healed. Relief rushing through her, Lisa falls back to the ground and closes her eyes. Her heart slows down and, her breathing finally under control, Lisa takes a deep brea
th and gets to her feet.
A gentle breeze tousles her hair, and she looks around at her surroundings. The field she fought Lilith in begins to fade, images of her condo seep through and she finds herself standing in her bedroom. The area around her moves into place, and her bedcovers turn down. The sun sets through the windows, and the clock on her wall runs through a few hours in a matter of seconds.
She feels herself being lifted into the air, as if floating through a dream. The air around her blows gently, and a gown appears on her body. She’s lifted into her bed, the sheets and cover pulled up to her shoulders. Her head tilts to the side and her eyes close. Lisa falls into a deep, dreamless sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Alex screams from the pain surrounding his body. As quickly as it starts, the pain stops. Everything around him is quiet. Feeling a light breeze touch his body, he slowly releases his head and looks up. Recognizing his surroundings, he realizes he’s in Central Park. The area appears to be colorless, completely dead.
Getting to his feet, he looks around and takes a step forward. Hearing the crunch of leaves, he looks down. The leaves have changed from a dark, muted color, to the brown color of fall. Looking up, the sky blends from gray into a light blue. The tree bark fades to a dark brown, and the leaves on the tree turn a golden yellow. Looking out towards the park, he hears voices of children playing and adults talking. One by one, human bodies begin to appear in front of him.
“Lisa,” he whispers and walks further into the park.
A woman sitting in the sun, wearing a large-brimmed hat and reading a book, looks up at Alex. Realizing that she sees him, he stops and looks down at her. She smiles and pulls off her glasses. Her brown eyes look up into his. “Can you see me?” The question is out before he has a chance to really think about what he just asked.
