by Alina Ray
"On my last day, I went down to the corner store near my apartment, just to pick up some soda and a few lotto tickets. I got my stuff and went up to pay, and then a guy in all black with a hood over his face came in the door. He was waving around a gun, and he demanded money. I couldn't just stand there, so I went over to tackle the guy, and that's the last thing I remember. Did I shoot him, too? Is that what got me here?"
Karawan didn't answer him, mostly because he didn't know the answer to Craig's questions. He looked into Craig's eyes, trying to determine if the human was telling the truth. Humans, after all, had a way of lying to demons to try to get them out of their situation further.
Craig's big brown eyes, full of hope and puzzlement stared back at him, and right then, all of Karawan's resolve to punish this man left him. He was sure Craig was telling him the truth, and now he was determined to help. "Are you sure that is all you remember? Nothing else that might lead you here?"
"No, nothing," Craig answered.
Karawan started to pace, fully aware of Craig's eyes boring into him. "I have to be honest with you, hum... Craig. You are my first human subject. I have only just graduated my training to be a full-fledged demon to the Devil, and I have not encountered this situation. I believe what you are saying, and I make no promises, but I will try to help you."
"You will?" Craig was so surprised that he jumped up from his chair, and not even thinking about what he was doing, he ran over and embraced Karawan.
Karawan was surprised at the touch, but he also liked it. He returned the man's embrace and started to stroke his hair, "I will do my best. For now, you must wait here and try to remember those last few moments. I will return shortly." With that, Karawan gently unwrapped Craig's arms from around his midsection and guided him back toward the chair. "I will not bind you, again, but you must not move. Can I trust you?"
Craig nodded up at the demon as he took a seat. "Thank you, Karawan."
Karawan gave Craig's hand one last squeeze before he dropped it and left the room. Once the door closed behind him, he ran down to Moloch's room. This time, he didn't knock before he entered. "Moloch, I must speak with you!"
Moloch didn't move from his seat in front of the fire, but gestured for Karawan to take the other chair. "What's the matter, Karawan, did my idea not work?" he asked with just a little bit of a twinkle in his eye. "That happens, but just keep at it... practice makes perfect and all of that human nonsense. Besides, you still get your fun."
"Moloch," Karawan started again, "does the Devil ever make a mistake? Is there a chance that someone is here that does not deserve to be?"
Moloch's expression grew serious as he raked his fingers through his white hair. "Why are you asking this?"
"I think my human, Craig, might be here by mistake. I just need to know if that is even a possibility. He does not act like any of the other humans that I have come across in my training with you."
"Karawan, you have not encountered very many humans," Moloch reminded him. "Only the few dozen under my tutelage. You do not yet possess the skills to determine who deserves to be here. And speaking such things, well, it is dangerous."
"So, you are saying there is no way that Craig is here by mistake?"
Moloch's eyes darted around the room, as if he was making sure they were completely alone. His voice dropped to just above a whisper, "I have only heard of one other mistake, Karawan. It was over a thousand human years ago. I do not know that much about it, but I do know that it is possible to plead his case to the Devil himself, if you really believe you are right."
Karawan considered this, and then nodded. "I need to do this, for him. How do I request an audience with him?"
"I will take care of that for you; I am, after all, a bit higher up the chain than you are." Moloch gave a chuckle, but it sounded empty and hollow.
"Thank you, Moloch."
Moloch's dark eyes narrowed as he gave Karawan a sideways glance. "You need to be absolutely sure. If you are wrong, and you have wasted the Devil's time... well, I don't exactly know what'll happen. But it probably won't be good. I've only seen him with my own eyes once before."
"I understand, Moloch," Karawan replied, "but I truly believe Craig. He's... different. I just know it."
"Karawan, have you developed feelings for this human?" Moloch asked, as he began to run a finger up Karawan's thigh.
For the first time, Karawan pulled away from the older demon's touch. He remained silent as he stood up and started for the door.
"Well, I guess that answers my question," Moloch said.
"I need to be with him," Karawan replied. He reached out and shook Moloch's hand, hoping that it would convey his deep gratitude. By the way Moloch gripped him back, Karawan knew that the message had been received.
Craig stared at Karawan as the demon filled him in on the conversation with Moloch. Craig listened intently, and he grew even more hopeful when Karawan told him about his chance in front of the Devil himself. "You mean, there's hope for me?"
Karawan nodded, "It would appear so."
Craig didn't want to get too excited, after all, Karawan was still as stoic as ever. "Can I ask you a question, Karawan?"
Again, Karawan nodded.
"Why are you helping me? Wouldn't it just be easier to torment me?" Craig wrapped his arms around his own legs, curling himself into a small ball. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer or not, but curiosity ultimately won out.
"It would be easier, and more fun," Karawan answered. A slight smile appeared on his face, "but, it would not be right. I believe you are innocent, and I will keep my word to help you. All the way through to the very end." Karawan sat on the floor, and motioned for Craig to sit across from him. When Craig did so, Karawan reached over and took Craig's cheek into his palm.
Craig was immediately comforted by the warmth of Karawan's touch. He allowed himself to relax against the demon's hand and forget about everything else. Craig looked up into Karawan's eyes, and for the first time, saw real feeling behind them. He reached up and cupped the other side of the demon's hand, holding it to his face.
"Tell me again, Craig, about your life. Start from the beginning and do not leave anything out." Craig started to tell him again about that last day, but Karawan interrupted him. "No, I mean from birth. As much as you can remember. It might help, and besides, I have never experienced a human life. The people I come across are not exactly... forthcoming."
Craig nodded and started again. "Well, I don't remember my birth. I guess the first memory I have is from about five years old. I got stuck when I was climbing a tree, and I remember my dad had to climb up and help me get down. I thought he would be angry, but he wasn't. He helped me build a tree house that next summer." Craig continued with stories of his life, and Karawan listened intently. Craig told the story of his first kiss in the fourth grade, and how he realized after that he was attracted to boys. He talked about family dinners, grandparents dying, and going to school dances. Everything about his life had seemed perfect, up until the very end. He was just about to graduate from business school, he had a good relationship with his parents, Craig had been in between boyfriends when he died, but it didn't bother him.
Karawan paid full attention to Craig's story, he asked questions when appropriate, but he mostly just let Craig talk. The more he heard, the more he felt that his assessment of Craig had been right. There was nothing to Craig that should have sent him to Hell. Of course, if Craig had never come to Hell, Karawan would never have known about his existence, would never have gotten the opportunity to get to know him. With each passing moment, Karawan grew more attracted to the man, and his desires began to grow into love.
Throughout his existence, Karawan was just always doing what he was trained to do; punish the men who deserved it. There were never any feelings involved, no emotions; he was just going through the steps as he was taught. Karawan's eyes dropped to Craig's stomach, where the word "evil" had all but faded away. He traced his finger over
where the letters used to be. It seemed like ages ago, and Karawan reminded himself, it probably was. He thought of the irony of it; this man wasn't evil, after all.
Craig finished his tale and still didn't remember the final moments of his life. He stopped talking and looked the demon square in the eye. "Karawan, I... I need you." Craig whispered. With that small declaration, Craig started to blush furiously, as if he realized he said something that he shouldn't have.
Karawan gently guided Craig to turn around, and inched forward until his chest was pressed against Craig's back. He ran his hands down Craig's chest and bent his head down so his lips met Craig's ears. "I need you, too," he murmured. "I have never before felt this for a human, but you are different from the rest. You are so... pure, and innocent."
Craig's stomach leapt into his chest at those words, and he nuzzled against Karawan's chest. "Will you take me, Karawan? Please?"
"I... do not know if I can," Karawan answered, understanding Craig's meaning. He had been on the receiving end of Moloch's desires many times, but he had never desired that kind of pleasure for himself. Of course, he had never before felt the level of emotions and longing he was feeling at that moment, either.
"You can, Karawan, you can!" Craig was running his hands on Karawan's outer thighs; his voice had gone higher with each syllable.
Karawan nipped at Craig's ears before letting his mouth travel down to Craig's neck. "I shall try, but you realize that you cannot climax?"
"I know. I don't care! Please... just... please?"
Karawan licked his hand a few times and used that to lube up his cock. "I'm sorry if this hurts." He grasped Craig's shoulders and guided the human onto himself. Karawan felt Craig tense at the pain and slowed down. "Are you all right?"
Craig nodded. "Don't stop, okay?"
Karawan pushed Craig down a little farther, gave him time to adjust, and then pushed him down all the way. It was then that Craig took over, slowly bobbing himself up and down on Karawan's cock, and Karawan closed his eyes to enjoy the sensation. He now understood why Moloch found this so appealing. After a few minutes, Craig started to rock a little bit faster, and Karawan's body started to spasm.
Soon, Karawan was unable to control himself. He gripped Craig's hair, and pulled him back so he was forced to keep Karawan's entire cock. The demon moaned as his cock twitched inside of Craig's ass. He ran his hands up Craig's chest and tweaked the human's nipples. Craig moaned at the touch, and it encouraged Karawan to keep going. He let his fingers trail down until they encircled Craig's cock. He tickled and teased the human's cock, but he knew how frustrated Craig would be later, and he forced himself not to get carried away.
Craig was still bobbing on Karawan's cock, and the demon shuddered violently. Karawan grunted a few times and spilled his seed into Craig's ass. For a moment, the two stayed as they were, and then slowly, Craig lifted himself up and lay on the floor. Karawan scooted a bit closer, still upright, and lazily ran a finger up and down Craig's chest. "That was... truly amazing. I have never experienced anything like it. Thank you." Karawan's eyes followed his finger, and then they lingered down to Craig's belly and down to his erect cock. "How frustrated you must feel."
"Nah. Well, okay, yeah, but it's okay. I still enjoyed sharing the experience with you." Craig smiled up at Karawan. It was his first genuine smile since he got to Hell. "I didn't know I was allowed to be happy down here."
"Normally, you would not be," Karawan answered, "This is new territory for both of us."
The smiled faded from Craig's face. "Karawan, what's going to happen to me if I'm innocent?"
"You will ascend, to Heaven."
"Oh..." Craig's voice trailed off. "And that means..."
"Well, I cannot speak for Heaven, as I have never been. But supposedly, it is filled with every pleasure imaginable. Well, for humans anyway." Karawan kept his words and tone as even as he could.
"But, what about you?" Craig asked.
"I am a demon to the Devil, Craig. I am to remain here. It is my eternal home. People have the wrong idea about demons. Yes, we serve the Devil, but he treats us well. The torture and punishments are meant for the humans, not for us. We live comfortably."
"So, I won't get to see you again?"
"No, if you ascend, you will not."
Craig mulled that over for a moment before he spoke again. "Karawan, have you ever loved before?"
Karawan shook his head. "No, I haven't. I've seen Moloch lay with humans from time to time, and he has lain with me, but I have never felt any emotion behind it. I did not know I was capable of such emotions, until you."
Craig looked like he was ready to say something else, but just then, Moloch peeked his head into the room. "He will see you now."
Karawan rose and reached down to help Craig rise to his feet. "Are you ready?" With a nervous gulp, Craig nodded.
As the pair shuffled past Moloch, the older demon gave a low whistle. "Well," he whispered as he gave Karawan a sly wink, "I think I understand now."
Craig felt nervous as he approached the Devil. By now, he had learned not to have any expectations when it came to Hell, but in this, he wasn't disappointed. The Devil was a huge and foreboding figure on a raised platform that seemed to be made of fire. The Devil's skin was the reddest red that it could be, much deeper than any of the other demon's skin tones. His eyes were as black as charcoal. Perhaps what surprised Craig the most was that the Devil was completely hairless, even on the top of his head; however, he did have two large, curly horns that more than made up for the lack of hair.
Three demons sat on each side of the Devil, and Craig surmised that these were his advisors. They all appeared to be older than Moloch, but of course, their bodies were still muscular. What gave away their age were the varying shades of white and gray hair that graced their heads and faces and the wrinkles around their eyes and mouths.
Craig stood before the Devil and shuffled his feet. Karawan stood on his left, and Moloch stood on his right. He could feel the Devil's eyes boring into him, as if he were reading every thought that Craig had ever had. Suddenly, a dark voice reverberated throughout the room. "So, you believe you do not deserve to be here."
It was more of a statement than a question, but Craig gulped, and then nodded. He assumed the wisest choice would be to say as little as possible.
"And why do you think that?"
Karawan answered for him, "Craig has shared his life with me, my Lord, and he has done no wrong."
"Ahh," the Devil answered, "but, you do not know the whole thing, do you?"
"All except for the last minute, my Lord."
The Devil's gaze never broke from Craig's. "And do you not think that last bit might be important?"
This time, Karawan fell silent; it was obvious that the Devil knew something that he didn't.
The Devil continued, "You dare question me, and you do not have all of the facts. Bold, to be sure. Well then, allow me to enlighten you." The room disappeared around the men, and what looked to be a giant projector appeared before them. A video began playing of the last moments of Craig's life.
Everyone saw Craig enter the convenient store, and a masked man with a gun enter soon after him. The man pointed the gun at the cashier, and Craig tackled him. The two men scuffled as they both tried to get control of the gun. Both of the men had their fingers on the trigger, and three shots were fired. One went into Craig's chest, the second broke a coffee pot, and the third went into the robber's neck. The video then showed Craig, lying on the floor with a bullet hole in his chest, but then, the video panned out and showed the robber right next to him. Both men were dead.
"So, you see," the Devil said, "you had a hand in taking a life. And therefore, you could not be granted access into Heaven. Before you ascend, you must feel true remorse over your actions, just as you were told when you first got here."
Craig's mind was reeling with this new information, and tears sprung to his eyes. He was partly responsible for another life; he had
killed a man, even if it was accidental. He sank to his knees as the thoughts raced around his mind. Maybe he was a terrible person, after all. Remorse? Of course he felt remorse! The man in the video was dead! And it was partly his fault. After all, if he hadn't tackled the man, the gun might never have gone off. Maybe the robber was using it as a scare tactic and had never intended to shoot. Craig would never know for sure.
The Devil spoke again. "The time has come to atone for your actions. Are you truly sorry for what you have done?"
Karawan started to speak, "Of course he's—" but Craig reached out and touched his arm, stopping his words.
Craig stood up and looked into the Devil's eyes. "No. No, I am not sorry."
The Devil looked vaguely surprised, and then amused. "Very well. Then your punishments with Karawan shall continue. Oh, and Karawan, I will forgive you this transgression of questioning me since you are but a young demon, but you will be wise not to do so again. Understood?"
Karawan gave a deep bow. "Yes, my Lord."
"Good. Now, get out of here!" the Devil bellowed. The trio turned to leave, but the Devil spoke again. "Except for you, Moloch."
Karawan gave Moloch a sympathetic look and mouthed "sorry" to his friend. He then took Craig by the arm and led him out of the Devil's chambers. He rounded a few corners, and then opened a non-descript door. Inside, was a plush chair and lavish cushions strewn about the room, all black and red; it made Craig wonder if there were any other colors in Hell. The walls of the room were bookcases, and they were filled with practically every book that had ever been written.
"Where are we?" Craig asked.
"This is my room," Karawan answered, "but that's not important right now. Why did you do that? You could have been in Heaven! I saw your face; I know you were... are sorry."
Craig hesitated before he answered. "Karawan, if I had said I was sorry, we would have been separated. I would never have seen you again. I couldn't bear to live like that, even in paradise. My heaven is here, with you. So, yes, I am sorry that a person's life was taken because of me, even a life like his. But, I didn't lie. Because I'm not sorry that it happened, because it brought me to you."
