Again, slowly, we approached her, and again, slowly, we placed a hand gently on the child’s head …
“We are with you.”
“You have been gone for so long, Azeeza. Just when I was sure you weren’t just in my dreams you were gone.”
Now we find ourselves thankful for being a book made up of so many minds for every detail is remembered as easily as taking a breath of air. Now so more than ever the details of this position of servitude have become precious and we are sure we will visit these passages often for as long as we remain able to enjoy what’s been scribed here.
“I never left you, Victoria. We have been with you for every experience you’ve had since the day you were first pop … were brought into this world. We were by your side when Johnny and his friends were …” I couldn’t finish that sentence. None of us could.
“We have waited quietly by your side every minute of every single day for you to call on us.”
“You say, we, yet I only hear one voice in my head; yours. Who else is here with us, Azeeza?”
“That is a very short question with a very long answer, I’m afraid. Perhaps we should start instead with why you have finally called on us?”
Her reply was slow coming, but once she got past the beginning everything was clear and we knew we had purpose again.
“I believe you know how I can fix it so that I never have to deal with Johnny and his friends again. I … I want you to tell me how.”
“I understand what you’re asking, young one. You must understand what you ask will change the path of your life forever. You’re so young, are you sure you would want to do such a thing without knowing what your life might turn out to be like otherwise?” This really isn't a decision for a child to make. We ALL had the thought cross our minds that perhaps we were just seeking justice for Lusa and Vic, but this would be taking things too far.
“They killed my best friend, Azeeza …”
I could barely believe I was even trying to persuade her to rethink the choice she was making. This was the legacy once again coming into fruition and it is what I was created for.
“I am here to show and teach you that which you seek to know. You are young, though I can only assume you have given what you ask the most careful of consideration. Do you wish to continue, young one?”
“Yes. Yes I do.”
With her acceptance of this choice we placed within her mind the exact instructions with which she could use to carry out this act. This though she can’t possibly understand this will consummate her place within the history of the legacy. The very first thing for her to do was to take possession of the Book of the Damned. Since we now believed we understood why she hadn’t done this sooner we told her she had to first go to sleep, and once dreaming we could meet with her in the infiniteness. It didn’t take her too long to fall asleep as the exhaustion of this day was already weighing heavily on her. She didn’t fight it and was almost in a deep sleep before her head hit the pillow. We gave her just a few moments, and then reached in past her mind and into the realm without limitations. This is where her soul has access though her physical mind, but only when asleep.
There in an expanse so great no mortal words can adequately explain it, she was suspended in the blurriness of ideas yet to be coherent thoughts, the sharpness of ideas and thoughts already realized throughout the millennia, and the dark, shapeless, completely undefined questions and answers yet to be brought into the light. This is the realm of the sub consciousness; the realm we know better as the All of All.
Demons love the All of All just because of how easily ideas can be introduced as if they're the thoughts of those they choose to influence. They can introduce their own ideas into their victim’s heads to let germinate, or they could twist and pervert ideas their victim’s minds were still composing and yet to fully realize. But here, on this eve, it was just a place for introductions.
“Try not to be afraid of what you are about to see, child. We are just a representation of a mortal form. It's not complete as yours is.”
“I understand. I won't be afraid.”
We reached out and gently touched Vic’s shoulder. Her eyes slowly opened and she gazed upon our form for the first time. She was not frightened nor was she disgusted by what was before her, but quite the opposite; she seemed somewhat intrigued and curious. She smiled gently, and we couldn’t have been happier and more relieved by her response to us.
“To do what needs to be done, Vic, you must take possession of this book. You must at least lay your hands on our true form. What you see of yourself right now is actually your soul in what we call a fleshen form. It’s a representation of you based on what you know of yourself.”
We notice while instructing her, and quite by accident, that in her youth she still has no sexual identity. She’s literally the visage of a nude mannequin yet to be dressed in a department store. We know she’s female, and she has been dealing with the onset of puberty, but she has not yet grasped womanhood within herself. She’s still a blank slate in so many ways.
This would certainly settle many arguments in the mortal world were they able to see what we see. In basic, what she understands of herself is that she can shit and piss, but the innate preferences and mechanics of sexual functions have yet to manifest themselves because she only understands that women deal with such things; and she is no woman. Not yet. Nor is she embarrassed of her nude form in the open like this. Granted, no one can see her except us, but still, I would've expected at least a small show of modesty or shame of some kind. Instead she seems completely comfortable with herself.
“All you have to do is reach out and pull the book to you …” and with that our pages and body swirled about and returned to their shapes and layout originally constructed by Judas. Unfortunately this meant my face flattened and spread back out to act as the front cover of the book; I forgot how much I didn’t miss that, and she giggled at me.
The Book of the Damned stilled and presented itself to Victoria as it’s presented itself to the foulest demons in Hell so many times before. It hovered there before her and waited several long moments. Vic reached out slowly with one hand, and then the other. Her right hand gently rested on the front cover, and I could feel the warmth of her touch. Her fingers spread and explored the textures before grasping the thick stack of pages. Her left hand gently took hold of one of the ribs and pulled the book in tight, then she hugged it to her chest; rested her cheek upon the top edges, and her hair flowed over and further enveloped us in her personal confine.
Even we barely noticed the shift back to her bedroom where she was sitting on the edge of her bed hugging our human-ish form as we knelt on the floor. We didn’t notice shifting forms either. She could obviously see us with her mortal eyes now, and touch us with her mortal hands as she cupped this old woman’s face in her palms and stared into my empty eyes. Instantly we could feel this was a new beginning in a way not yet able to be defined.
Immediately Vic went to work on what have always been the tasks of the Devil. We shifted back again to the book’s form and our pages laid out for her to peruse. Vic produced a quill she used for calligraphy in English class, and then brought out a pad of parchment paper and a jar of black ink. I couldn’t help but reminisce about all the contracts I witnessed the creation of in Hell. Instead of a quill, paper, and inkwell the materials were a gnawed bone to write with and the flesh and blood taken from the damned that make up the landscape of Hell. Their skin was peeled from their bodies and partially dried near a flame of rage. Then the creator of the contract would sit by that fire and draw up a master contract. Then that demon persuaded any it could to sign in their own blood with the same gnawed bone the contract was drawn up with.
By the morning following Vic’s possession she had inked her first contract for the acquisition of a soul. No! Not a soul … This contract was penned to include all of the Sinful Seven for what they did to Vic. How brazen this girl is to believe she can take seven souls all at once. N
o one in Hell had ever achieved such a feat.
Once finished she stood from her small desk and placed the contract within her bag of schoolbooks.
“Thank you, Azeeza.” She spoke softly as she changed into a soft, white gown and slipped into the comfort and safety of her bed for a couple hours of sleep. I sat carefully into the rocking chair and listened as she cried for a moment, and then slipped into a deep sleep.
No mortal has ever been in this position before, and though I have the luxury of being able to discern whether it is right or wrong for a mortal, mine is a position of servitude. Yes, it’s wrong for a child, to have the abilities of the Devil. Only time can, and will, reveal the ramifications of such a truth.
Journal entry XVIII
Demons would be humbled by the veracity of this little girl. They might even tremble.
Once the opportunity showed itself she gave no sense of hesitation or reconsideration. Today, during the lunch recess, she purposely placed herself away from the other children in the schoolyard. In doing so she made sure Johnny and his fellow uterine discharges all noticed she was out in the open all alone.
The deed took place in a far corner of the grounds where a baseball diamond had long gone unused since improvements were made to the rest of the grounds. The ground was dry and dusty which was to prove useful, as I was about to learn of another ability this form now possessed now that Vic has taken possession of the book. The baseball diamond was also far enough away no one could eavesdrop on the event about to take place.
“Hey you little brat!” Johnny yelled to Victoria as he approached, “Did your mutt come out of that little accident okay or were they even able to find enough of her to put back together?” His words were spiteful and beyond mean and cruel, but Victoria exercised calm with Herculean effort.
“I want you all to come over here for a moment. I have something to offer you.” To say the least these seven little beasts were confused by her tone and calmness as they approached. I found myself anxious and even grinning slightly at the thought of what was possibly to transpire.
“You have teased me and hurt me in one way or another for almost as long as I can remember. I don’t know why, but I know you have always enjoyed hurting me. I want to offer you the ability to always be able to torture me however you choose for the rest of your lives.”
“You stupid little girl! We can already do that! We don’t need your permission!” Johnny’s tone was abrasive and cocky, but he was too confident and quick with his words. Victoria was ready for this.
“You’re a stupid little boy, Johnny! Or didn’t you notice that I never said a word about what really happened yesterday? You can only do what you want with me for as long as I don’t say anything to anyone. I’m offering you, all of you, permission to do as you please to me, with me, or with anything that’s mine, whatever you wish whenever you wish with no trouble for you of any kind. All you have to do is sign this little piece of paper … with your own blood.”
To say the least that piece of paper would be incriminating enough to warrant the whole town getting into an uproar over all eight of these children, but Vic wanted more than to simply get these kids into trouble. She wanted them in servitude to her and nothing less was going to do. For the first time in the history of the Book of the Damned I was seeing a contract being presented, not to overthrow a ruler, but for purely vengeful reasons instead.
The other kids all gathered around Johnny out of curiosity over the contents of the piece of paper in his hands. Their brows rose as they each read the written permission from Victoria which allowed them to do as they pleased to her, with her and with any or all of her worldly possessions, for the rest of their lives without fear of retribution or prosecution. All they had to do was sign the piece of paper in their own blood. The only stipulation was that each of their souls was to belong to Victoria, at their times of death, for as long as Victoria wished to have them, and so long as they passed away before Victoria does.
The contract was very clear and none of them misunderstood what was written. The girls, and a couple of the boys, were hesitant about signing something which said their souls would be someone’s property. This was contrary to going to Heaven as they’ve been taught in their Sunday mass, but rest assured Johnny did as I expected as he spoke straight from his overblown ego and attacked his own friends for their well-warranted concerns.
“Don’t be such sissies you guys! What’s really going to happen?! It’s not like she can actually have our souls! Besides, we all know her parents are loaded and she’ll always have something we want, or be able to get something we want! Now she’s going to give us permission to always do what we want, when we want without getting in trouble, and all we have to do is sign a piece of paper? I’m in on this one, and I suggest all of you get in on it also!”
I gently passed my hand through their undisciplined little minds and saw thoughts ranging from the girls wanting Victoria’s future clothes and jewelry and even making use of her cars and home, to the boys universally wanting to drop in on Victoria to satisfy their every prurient little whim. Puberty is such a wonderfully predictable thing and the imaginations and hormones in the Sinful Seven’s brains, and at least a few of their groins, were working overtime because of the proposal before them.
“I’ve had enough of those stupid looks on your faces! Are you chicken-shits going to sign it or not?” That was all it took to finish pushing their egos in the direction Victoria wanted. Johnny stepped up to Vic and held out his hand as Victoria revealed a large needle used for sewing through leather and the quill with which she drew up the contract.
I looked about to see if anyone had noticed this little gathering, and when I found we had gained no unwanted attention, I instinctively looked for a way to keep this group out of sight for the moments the signings would take. As a reaction to the thoughts we were having within the book a large number of the pages comprising my mortal shape suddenly broke away and swirled about in a breeze that had kicked up. At first I pursued them, but then I stopped running about like a buffoon as I realized the many pages that had separated from me were creating the breeze. Soon the pages were swirling around us so rapidly they had caused a gust strong enough to raise up the dust on the dried out ground in thick enough clouds that we could no longer see the other children on the playgrounds just a short distance away. We were all now hidden within a massive dust devil. Fitting.
“What’s going on with this wind!?” Johnny exclaimed as the others looked about curiously.
“Afraid of a little wind and dirt?” Vic asked. Johnny’s expression showed he had to buck up and just sign the contract to not lose face with his friends.
One by one the Sinful Seven stepped up, and one by one Victoria pierced their fingers with the large needle so they could each dip the point of the quill in their own blood and sign the contract; she even brought a hardcover history book to provide a rigid surface so each of them could sign. After the last of them put their blood to the parchment Victoria pierced her own finger and signed also as the creator and curator of the contract. As the blood dried into the paper Victoria rolled it up and my loosed pages returned to me allowing the small dust devil to dissipate.
She did it; seven souls at one time and on the signing of her very first contract; and children to boot! Judas himself would have been impressed.
The end-of-lunch bell rang out and the children all knew they hadn’t the time to start taking advantage of this new pact just yet. But, they each believed their turns would come very soon.
Journal entry XIX
In Hell there are two kinds of collections:
Influence. These can take anywhere from days to decades, but typically lead to a much higher quality of souls gained.
Contracts. These are the immediate gratification collection of souls. It’s ALWAYS best to collect on a contract sooner rather than later. This because the mortal to be collected is left without any real constraints of free will. Not to mention the mortal under c
ontract could end up with a guardian angel who in turn provides just the right influence to fuck up the terms of the contract.
Collecting contracts quickly quite typically means creating circumstances conducive to quick collection. This can get messy and many times involves collateral damage.
The big challenge Vic created with this contract is the collection of seven souls. Ideally we’d want these missed abortion opportunities to all die at the same time. A plane crash would be ideal, but these seven bowel babies aren’t jet-setting anywhere anytime soon.
Leave it to Vic to put together a big piece of the puzzle. Tomorrow there’s a field trip for the classes. Vic’s bus stop is the last one in the afternoons, which means we have a window of opportunity, mostly shut as may seem.
Tonight, after Vic’s parents have gone to sleep, Vic is going to bundle up and take me on a tour of the neighborhood. Specifically we’re stopping by several of the Sinful Seven’s houses, starting with Johnny. Within their sleeping minds I’ll be impregnating their brains with seeds of frustration over Vic not being part of the field trip so they can harass her, along with remaining on the bus and convincing the bus driver to take all seven directly to Vic’s house at the end of the day. That’ll keep them on the bus longer and provide us with a greater opportunity for success. It also meets Vic’s requirement for keeping the death toll restricted to those seven as much as possible.
Journal entry to be continued …
It’s early in the morning and we believe our jaunt through the neighborhood was successful. We won’t know for sure though until this afternoon. The reconnaissance and seed-planting turned up a very interesting bit of information: for all his size and bluster, Johnny wears white pajama bottoms with little baby-blue teddy bears all over them to bed. Considering how far up his shins the ends were, these have been his favorites for a very long time.
Legacy of Judas - Book One Page 9
