by Laurèn Lee
“Not in the least bit.”
Liam stood and grabbed Charlotte’s arm. “Let’s go.”
“How about you stay here and I go?” Charlotte asked cheerfully.
Liam ignored her, guiding her out of The Heat while patrons stared as they walked by. Charlotte hip-checked Liam and strode in front of him.
“You’re so cute when you try to be independent.”
They stepped outside, and for the first time in two hours, Charlotte breathed in the cold, crisp air without feeling as though she was suffocating.
“What’s your endgame here?”
“What do you mean, my love?”
“I mean,” she started, “what is the point of all this? Why do you care if we’re together? Why are you back here in Buffalo? What do you hope to gain by keeping me captive?”
He chuckled. “You just can’t accept your fate, can you?”
“Not when it means I’m stuck with a murderous, rapist demon,” she huffed.
Liam smiled brightly, ignoring her jab.
“What are you going to do? Take over the world, or something?”
“Precisely,” Liam said.
Charlotte’s jaw dropped. Surely she’d only been teasing him. Could he want to take over the world? How would he even do it? Charlotte’s head throbbed, and she could barely register what started to unfold.
“Ready?” Liam asked with the crook of his arm out.
“For what?” Charlotte moaned as she rubbed her temples.
“I thought we’d go for a little joy ride to end the evening.”
“Do I have to?”
“Yes, Char. You do.”
Liam and Charlotte stood casually by the side of the road at a crosswalk on Franklin Street, still downtown.
“How are we going to get anywhere? We don’t have a car?” she reminded him.
“You’ll see.” He smirked.
A candy-apple red Charger pulled up to the red light, and Charlotte watched with large eyes as Liam approached the driver.
“Liam? What are you doing?” Charlotte hissed.
He ignored her. “Good evening,” he said to the driver, a twenty-something kid in jeans and a cozy flannel button-up.
“Uh, yeah, sure,” he replied cautiously.
“Such lovely weather,” Liam continued. The driver ignored him, and Charlotte sensed he couldn’t wait for the light to turn green. “You have a nice car!”
“Thanks, man,” he replied awkwardly.
“It would be a shame if someone took it,” Liam said.
The driver looked at Liam incredulously, and Charlotte noticed an instant change in his facial features. His eyes turned foggy as though a storm brewed within his eyesight. A goofy smile took over his impatient gaze, too.
“You can get out of the car now, chap,” Liam said.
“Yes, sir. No problem,” the driver responded as he stepped out of the vehicle. “Anything you need!”
“C’mon, Charlotte,” Liam beckoned.
Charlotte stood, confused and utterly perplexed as to how Liam had magicked the driver to hand over his keys. “Uh, Liam? This doesn’t seem right.”
“Get in.”
The driver, still with foggy eyes, smiled sheepishly and stared off into space as he walked down the street. The light had turned green, and Charlotte stepped into the Charger.
“How did you do that?”
“I am very powerful, Charlotte. Soon, you will appreciate what I’ve become.”
“You mean, ‘who’ you’ve become?” she corrected.
“No,” Liam insisted, “what I’ve become. Before you know it, you will see my power. It’s only a matter of time.” He sped off as soon as the light turned green.
A pit deeper than Hell spread within Charlotte’s core. She didn’t know what Liam had planned, but she knew it couldn’t be good.
9
Past
That night, after Adriel and Georgie’s cronies burned a few dozen people alive, Adriel slept as restlessly as any human could. He tossed and turned every which way, sweating out all the toxins within his body. He woke up drenched and frenzied.
He’d been staying in a quaint inn just outside of town. Only a few other guests stayed at the inn, and Adriel felt relieved to have some privacy. Although, he wished the rooms were kept more tidily; the bedding smelled faintly of urine, and the windows wouldn’t shut.
He shot up and yelped in fright. His vision blurred, and he sensed a presence in the room. He felt a pair of eyes watching him intently.
“Hello?” he called out helplessly.
“Hello,” a dark, deep voice replied.
Adriel rubbed his eyes furiously, but couldn’t make out the figure huddled in the corner of his room. The shadow swayed as though a man stood there. However, the figure was much larger than a man. His silhouette mirrored one of a monster.
“Who are you?” Adriel reached for his knife under the down pillow.
“That would be of no use against me,” the voice bellowed ominously.
“What’s your name?” Adriel’s hands trembled as he pulled them back into view.
“Me? Why, my name is Lucifer.”
Adriel bit his lip and attempted to take a deep breath. He needed to calm down and assess the situation. Lucifer: the name was familiar to him. Adriel’s mother prayed often and attended church every Sunday. That’s why she named him “Adriel,” after all.
“Why are you here, demon?”
The figure, still shrouded in shadow, let out a maniacal cackle. “I’m not just any demon. I’m the King of Demons.”
Adriel waved away the correction. “Why are you here?”
“You have great potential, Adriel.” Lucifer said, his arms crossed over his body.
“How do you know my name?” Adriel’s voice teetered with nervousness.
“I know many things. In fact, I know what you did earlier this evening. And I know what brought you here to Lockport, New York.”
Adriel scoffed. “You don’t know anything. You probably got my name from the man at the front desk.” Adriel refused to believe that Satan himself stood before him. It couldn’t be true. He wasn’t real. This couldn’t be real.
“I know you killed many people tonight. First, the two men in the woods. Then, their families. I know you listened to them scream while they burned alive. I know they weren’t the first victims of yours, either.”
Chills ran down Adriel’s spine. How could he know that? Was this man stalking him? Did he follow him from Oklahoma to New York?
“How do you know why I came to this town? I’ve only told one soul since I arrived.” Adriel thought back and cursed himself for telling that man, Jonathan, at George’s party about his true intentions. Excitement caught the best of him. He wouldn’t be so free going forward when talking to new people. He wondered how he’d silence the man, or beast, before him.
“I know one of the seven deadly sins has brought you here. Greed is a powerful thing. You believe you can trick George Cunningham into giving you a share of the canal, right? You think you can become rich by swindling a wealthy man? I can use a man like you,” the figure said.
“You can use a man like me? What are you talking about?”
The figure stepped forward, out of the shadows and into the faint light cast by the full moon outside. It was not a man standing before Adriel, but a creature from out of this world. His black hair, wild and untamed, rose straight up. His eyes glowed crimson red. His mouth curved into a malicious grin. He stood at least six and a half feet tall with the body of a god. He wore trousers and a top which tightly clung to his physique. Adriel half-wondered where his horns and tail were located. And did he have a pitchfork like in the storybooks?
“I could use a man like you to help me continue to rule the depths of Hell. I need someone like you to grow my army of demons.”
Adriel pushed back against his bed and smashed his back into the wooden bed frame. He didn’t even wince at the pain; shock had taken over his entire consciousness. T
his couldn’t be happening—it had to be a dream.
“You could be richer and more powerful than in your wildest dreams if you join me,” Lucifer offered.
“What do I have to do?” Adriel asked earnestly, the tremble returning to his hands.
“Well, not much. I need to nearly kill you and cull your soul before it leaves your body. I’ll need to put a piece of my essence into your body. Then, you will become a demon and then, your life will truly begin.” Energy and excitement radiated from Lucifer.
“What if I don’t want to become a demon?” Adriel asked carefully.
“I’m afraid you don’t have much choice in the matter right now. I’ve chosen you.”
“Me? Why me?”
“Because, Adriel, I see great potential in your future. I want to cultivate that potential. Together, we can make mankind bow down before us. We will rule the world, above and below the earth.” Lucifer lets out another maniacal laugh.
Adriel thought for a moment. This was undoubtedly a dream. He pinched himself sharply and winced in pain.
“What if I say no?”
“I will kill you regardless. Only I won’t bring you back to life.”
Adriel paused and thought deeply. Sure, he wanted money and power, but at the expense of giving up his soul? He shook his head and decided to turn down the deal. It had to be a trick, anyway, an illusion donned by his imagination.
“You want to deny the offer?” Lucifer asked.
Then, without notice, Adriel’s insides squeezed tightly as though a force beyond his control grasped his organs like a child’s plaything. Air rushed out of his lungs, and he was sure he would be squeezed to death.
Lucifer cackled at Adriel’s distress. Adriel looked toward the demon with his mouth agape. Was he causing him this much pain? His hands weren’t even near him. His vision flickered, and his heart pounded so viciously, he could hear the blood pumping in his ears. He didn’t want to die, not like this.
“I’ll do it,” Adriel whimpered, his face an awful shade of puce.
The wraithlike grip around his torso diminished a little. He could almost breathe again.
“What was that?” Lucifer asked. “You accept?”
Adriel nodded begrudgingly and waited for the nightmare to stop. “I accept.”
The vise grip ceased, and Adriel collapsed against his headboard. He was sure if he ever fell prey to a boa constrictor, that’s what it would feel like.
Lucifer grinned and revealed teeth as white as snow. The contrast between his grin and dark hair was astounding. He appeared before Adriel’s bed out of thin air, like magic. Adriel noticed he wasn’t unattractive, but couldn’t comprehend why this was happening in the first place.
Lucifer stroked Adriel’s hair. “You are going to be an incredible demon, my friend.”
Adriel shivered beneath his touch. Was this the consequence for his sins? Did he deserve to be punished for all his crimes against humanity?
“I’m ready,” he whispered. If the man, or demon, before him wanted to kill him, he might as well get it over with as quickly as possible.
“Let the fun begin!”
Lucifer stopped stroking Adriel and smiled maliciously. In the next moment, both his hands grasped Adriel’s throat. Adriel, in return, grabbed at Lucifer’s hands, trying desperately to release his shark-like vise upon him. But Adriel was no match for him.
Lucifer snapped Adriel’s neck and howled at the moon shining through the inn’s derelict window.
10
Liam sped up and down various one-way streets all around downtown Buffalo. Charlotte quickly realized he was trying to show off, but she wasn’t amused.
“Having fun?” Liam howled just before he cut off a moving truck on Delaware.
“You’re going to get us killed, idiot!”
Her head thumped with a hangover. She wasn’t in college anymore. Now, the hangovers started at night and lasted the next two days.
“I’d never let anyone hurt you, Charlotte,” Liam growled with narrowed eyes.
Charlotte looked at him inquisitively. He appeared genuinely protective of her. But, why? Did he still love her? Or did he want to keep her in one piece before he used her as a pawn in his future war?
“Where are we going?” Charlotte asked, noticing they’d passed the side street to their condo.
“I figured we’d take a little detour.”
Charlotte groaned. The last thing she wanted was to spend more time with Liam. Hadn’t he tortured her enough already?
“Okay, Romeo. Now where are we going?”
“You’ll see when we get there.”
Charlotte couldn’t help but reminisce about the first time Liam surprised her by taking her to a beach after hours to witness a meteor shower. What happened to that man? Did he ever truly exist? Or had he fooled her all along?
She gazed out the window, watching as the cars on the opposite side of the road sped toward them. She thought about what would happen if she forced Liam to veer into the oncoming traffic. Not that she wanted to die, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to live as Liam’s hostage.
Finally, Liam pulled into a deserted lot by the Niagara River. In the near distance, the Peace Bridge glowed majestically against the night sky. The bridge lighting changed colors ranging from royal purples to brilliant reds.
A soft breeze blew subtly through Charlotte’s long tendrils, and she closed her eyes. What she would give to float off into the wind and go wherever the breeze decided to take her. She’d be like a bird, commanding her direction and destiny.
“Wanna take a walk?”
“Not really,” Charlotte said, snapping back to reality.
Liam didn’t respond but walked ahead of Charlotte and toward the bridge. Charlotte gazed around her, and while she’d love to be alone, the quiet, desolate park scared her more than Liam could right now. She jogged to catch up to him, then walked beside him silently.
Charlotte promised herself she’d never fall for another asshole again, and this time she went off and agreed to marry one—probably the worst one. Did she do something in a past life to deserve this? Was it time to pay for lousy karma from another time? Regardless, she wished she’d never gotten wrapped up in this whole mess. She’d heard the expression, “It’s better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all,” but that shouldn’t apply to someone wearing a murderous demon’s engagement ring.
Twenty minutes later, they approached the undercarriage of the Peace Bridge. In the distance, it looked almost small, but up close, it could have reached the sky. Perspective changes when one least expects it.
“You look beautiful tonight,” Liam said.
“Please, don’t talk.”
“You always want to talk.”
“That was before I found out what you were capable of,” Charlotte spat.
Liam nodded and mimed zipping his lips.
Charlotte sat on the path and stared up at the glowing hunk of metal before her. Why couldn’t she change her colors like the bridge? She was red hot and fired up with Liam, but all she wanted was to be a cool, mellow blue with Adriel.
In the distance, sirens sounded, and Charlotte realized that even in the dead of night, farther away from the city, the noise would always find her.
“I really loved you, ya know?” Charlotte wiped away a single tear.
“I know.”
“You’ve shattered my heart beyond repair.”
“Will you let me fix it?” Liam brushed his hand against Charlotte's.
“It’s too late. You can’t glue the broken pieces back together. If we tried, we’d just injure ourselves even more on the broken glass.”
“I want to take care of you. I want to love you,” Liam said earnestly.
“I don’t want you to do that. I don't even want you to want to do that.”
“Can we please go home ?”
“You do realize if I take you back to the condo, I’m coming too?”
Charlotte groaned
. “Yes, I know.”
“Splendid!”
Liam extended his arm to help Charlotte stand, but she rolled her eyes and hoisted herself off the ground all on her own. They walked back to the car in silence, and Charlotte secretly wished she could have stayed under the bridge all night.
Liam drove them home, even though the word now made Charlotte cringe. She no longer felt at home with Liam by her side. She felt like a visitor—like she didn’t entirely belong anymore. When the safeties and securities of home are stripped away, a shelter becomes merely a house, and is no longer a comfort.
Charlotte stormed into the condo with Liam on her heels.
“Why are you in such a hurry to get inside? Ready for a little fun?” He winked.
“Fuck you. My head is about to explode.”
“Tsk, tsk, Charlotte. You used to be able to hold your liquor so well.”
If looks could kill, Charlotte would have gunned down her fiancé with her eyes at that moment.
“Come here,” Liam instructed.
“No!” Charlotte rifled through the medicine cabinet and looked for anything with acetaminophen.
“I mean it. Come here,” Liam asked more softly.
“I’d prefer it if you didn’t touch me,” she snarled.
Despite her resistance, Liam put his hot hands over her eyes. Charlotte squealed at first, but then grew quiet within seconds.
She whipped around and stared into the flames dancing around Liam’s pupils. “How did you do that?”
“Feeling better?”
She cautiously rubbed the back of her head. “The pain is gone! I feel back to normal.”
“Another little trick I picked up in Hell.”
“So, you have healing powers or something now?”
“Something like that.” Liam snickered.
“You’re unbearable,” she sighed.
“Care for another glass of wine?”
“Uh, no thanks. I just got rid of one hangover; I don’t want to earn another.”
“Suit yourself, then.” Liam poured himself a whiskey and eyed the bottle suspiciously. “Has someone been drinking my liquor?”
Charlotte shrugged.
