by Adam Moon
He distanced himself physically, hoping that the feelings would diminish as he walked away. He took the stairs two at a time and was breathless by the time he reached the top, but not from the exertion of climbing the steps, it was from fighting his impulses to return to the woman of his dreams.
But he had to force those feelings away for now.
It worked, but it was bittersweet. He no longer felt like she was his whole world, but the absence of that feeling saddened him.
He shook his head. He had to get a grip. He was acting like a lovesick teenager, not the mighty fallen angel, Lucifer.
If his plan worked, God would soon enact the apocalypse and then the chess match would begin. And Lucifer only played to win.
Just as he was congratulating himself on his mastery over his base desires, he found himself outside the bathroom door again. He didn't know how he got there. He didn't remember descending the stairs or deciding that this was an acceptable idea. Before he could steel himself against opening the door, his hand reached out of its own accord, and opened it up. He was back in the room even as his thoughts screamed, run dammit, run.
Shelly ran to him and jumped into his arms. His thoughts evaporated, replaced by a joyous bliss he didn't think he even deserved.
He kissed her and she said, "I knew you couldn't leave me here."
He put her down and said, "Shelly, I need you to know that I have something big going on right now. I want you, but that will have to wait until my plan has reached fruition. Can you help me stay focused on that? Afterwards, I promise you the world, and then some."
She nodded her head eagerly. She said, "Are you planning to destroy Jack? Because I think you should reconsider. He's not that bad."
Lucifer didn't mean to, but he laughed right in her face.
She looked pissed so he explained. "Jack is a mere mosquito to someone like me. I am going to destroy God."
It was Shelly's turn to laugh but she stopped when Lucifer glared at her without a hint of compassion.
He said, "It is my purpose. He created me, loved me, and then disowned me. My punishment demands retribution. I will have my revenge even if it destroys me."
Now Shelly looked aghast. "I can't watch you die. I only just met you."
She felt like an idiot for giving in to her desires so easily but it felt so right.
"Then help me win."
"What's the plan then?"
"For now I can only hope that God doesn't call my bluff. If he believes that I have ascended to the throne as Devil and that I have unleashed the apocalypse, then he has no choice but to enact the Rapture. With all the good people gone, I'll breed an army of damned souls here on earth."
Shelly shook her head. "I still don't really get it."
"It's a numbers game. Once I have bred enough, I'll fight him. Until then, God's hands are tied. He can't fight me until I wage the war."
"Are you sure about that?"
"It is the doomsday prophecy. It is vague about when it will happen and who will take the throne but it is otherwise an ironclad prophecy with little room for interpretation. It will come true."
"I'll help you any way I can."
"For now, just help me from falling further in love with you. There's a suspicious part of me that thinks this was God's plan; to put us together to disrupt my process thereby derailing my plans."
"I sure hope you think more of me than that. I'm no one's pawn."
"Shelly, I fear we may both be his pawns. But you can win a chess match with two pawns if you're smart enough and make all the right moves."
Shelly realized she had every reason to hate God. Maybe not as much as Lucifer, but still. God had sent a horde of sex starved angels after her to rape her. Wasn't that reason enough to want revenge? She was starting to think so.
She said, "I'll do whatever it takes."
Time to go
The house was crumbling to pieces around them. Jack made for the stairs but Dick-eyes stopped him and beckoned for him to hop on.
Jack laughed heartily and was more than eager to ride a fucking dragon out of the decrepit house. He climbed what was left of the cinder block wall and then jumped up on the dragon's back.
Dick-eyes flapped his wings once and shot straight up into the air. The smoke swirled around in twin tornadoes before settling once more.
Dick-eyes came down gently on the lawn. Jack heard screams off in the distance and a cacophony of approaching sirens. His minions were waiting for him on the lawn.
Jack said, "You fuckers know where to meet us. Don't get caught, and kill as few civilians as necessary."
The werewolf howled and took off. Jack knew it wouldn't adhere to his command. It would probably kill every single civilian it came across. It might even go out of its way to rack up some extra kills.
The Goatraffe said, "Fuck off," then turned and meandered away. Jack didn't think the freaky creature would make it very far but he also didn't care. He hated that guy.
The cat jumped on the tiger's head. At first the tiger tried to buck it off but the cat clawed it's eyes and so it eventually relented. It too turned and took off at a run, the cat holding on for dear life as it went.
Mr. Pickles, the python sized caterpillar was wrapped around the hyena's neck and body like a grotesque scarf. The hyena didn't appear too pleased about its unwanted passenger but it too turned and wandered off, following orders.
Jack turned and looked up at his magnificent new steed. He was about to address it as Dick-eyes again but he now knew it's real name.
It was his loyal companion Cerberus, the guardian of the gates of hell.
He said, "Take me to him, Cerberus," and then he ran and jumped at the beast. He didn't quite make it to the top and he sure hoped he didn't look like a doofus scrambling up the last couple of feet. It was undignified for a person of his stature but at least he didn't fall flat on his ass.
Cerberus simply waited patiently for him to get situated. Then in a clear voice he said to Jack, "You can call me Dick-eyes if you still want to."
"No. And I'm sorry for that."
"No need. Lets go get Lucifer. I've always hated that punk. He ruined my home and he'll pay for it." As he spoke, little tendrils of smoke escaped from between his razor sharp fangs.
Jack was simply giddy to have this new warrior on his side and he felt like a chump for not realizing what was staring him right in the face this entire time.
Cerberus took flight and Jack had to hold on for fear of falling.
He could now see the strobing lights that accompanied the sirens of the police cars. They'd obviously be called by frightened neighbors but they were too late.
Lucky for them.
As Cerberus climbed higher into the clear blue sky, Jack thought, this is nothing like how I imagined this as a kid.
As a child he'd often daydreamed about owning a pet dragon and flying it away towards some new quest or battle. The reality was that the dragon was a true monster from hell that seemed to care little for his safety as it swooped up and down and around, smoke that trailed from its mouth was hitting Jack directly in the eyes, stinging them shut, and the quest might end up spelling his doom.
It was funny; earlier today, this huge beast had perched atop his head as a grotesque, but small enough spider, and now he was riding it into the sky, holding on with all his might. Quite the role reversal.
Finally he had enough of the swooping and daredevil flying maneuvers and he bonked Cerberus on the head with his meaty fist.
He said, "Slow down God damn it."
The dragon let out a hearty laugh, shot fire ahead of them, and then flew forward even faster.
"Fucker," Jack whispered.
Cerberus' voice fought against the howling wind. He said, "Your enemy is an angel with wings. How can you hope to fight him if you can't stand to fly?"
"I won't let him get off the ground."
"Good luck with that tactic," Cerberus said sarcastically.
Jack said, "Whatever d
ude. If you drop me I'll beat the crap out of you."
Cerberus laughed again which just pissed Jack off.
Stifling Desires
Shelly was an enabler. Lucifer had hoped she'd help him fight the urge to lust for her but she'd spent the past hour doing just the opposite. Apparently she had just as little control over her desires as he did.
Was this how a succubus operated? If so, he finally understood why one could spell trouble for the object of its desire.
He made a tough decision but one that he thought might help them rein in their passions. He decided to take Shelly home to meet Melanie and Jessie.
Shelly hated the idea but once Lucifer explained himself she reluctantly agreed.
The idea was that they'd be too uncomfortable in the presence of Melanie and the child to jump each others bones. It was worth a try despite how awful the idea sounded coming out of his mouth.
Shelly looked uncomfortable during the ride there and said, "Do you think your girlfriend will beat the tar out of me?"
"She's not my girlfriend. She's Jack's. I've never been intimate with her."
"Then why does she stay?"
"She loves Jack and she thinks I'm him. I think it's time to come clean."
He realized for the first time that he could let her and Jessie go free now that his plans were underway. They were basically worthless to him now anyway. He had to admit to himself that he'd miss them but not so much that he was willing to maintain this charade into the foreseeable future.
Plus Jessie had begun to creep him out these days. The kid was a weirdo.
But maybe he'd hang onto them for a while anyway. If Jack attacked, he would do so cautiously if he feared Melanie and Jessie might get caught in the cross-fire.
Yeah, he'd wait to release them. It was the smart thing to do.
Shelly said, "I want to take a hot shower as soon as you're done showing me off to the missus. I reek."
"You smell delicious to me."
They pulled over half a mile from the house and attacked each other with renewed vigor. Each time was like the first time.
Lucifer wondered just how much the prophecy had to do with these latest carnal desires. If Shelly was already pregnant then the prophecy was complete and he should no longer feel compelled to be with her. That meant that this was real. It wasn't preordained any more.
Lovers Reunited
Melanie had just finished strapping her thigh holsters on when she heard footsteps coming up the front sidewalk. Lucifer had tricked her for a year, taken the love of her life, and now she was going to have her revenge.
The booze helped fuel the hatred in her and give it teeth.
She didn't think bullets would stop Lucifer but she was done being a puppet. She had to make a stand even if it was a foolhardy one. Again, the booze helped inform her decision to confront the fallen angel.
Jessie's revelations had meant only one thing to her: She was all alone in this. If what he said was true then everyone had a side or an agenda, and she was just an afterthought. Well fuck that.
The only reason she hadn't packed her shit up already and hightailed it out of there was because Jessie wouldn't leave. Otherwise they'd be on their way to a normal life by now.
The front door opened so she took up her position at the top of the stairs like she had against the military folks. It was a good vantage point, but there was a loud, screaming part of her brain telling her that this could only end in her own death and that she was wasting her time. Too bad she didn't give a shit anymore.
She yelled out, "Stop Lucifer. I know who you are. I know you're not Jack."
A demonic voice shook the entire structure of the home. It said, "I am Jack. I'm back."
Melanie almost popped out of her hiding place and ran downstairs to embrace her long lost love when she saw a beast emerge into her line of sight below. It was humungous and hideous. Clearly Lucifer had shed his Jack suit. That could mean only one thing: He was done with the charades and he was going to dispense with her and Jessie.
She cocked her pistol and said, "Get out of this house if you know what's good for you. I'll shoot you dead, so help me God."
"Is that you Melanie? This is Jack. I look different now but it's me. Honest."
A giant horrendous head appeared at the foot of the stairs. Melanie shot. She was a crack shot so she knew she hadn't missed but the head remained, unharmed. A wicked smile of jagged teeth crossed the mottled, burnt face of the demon.
Could it really be Jack or was it Lucifer in the flesh, playing another trick on her?
Just for good measure, she shot it in the head again. The head didn't so much as shudder from the impact. The demon slowly ascended the stairs.
Melanie didn't realize she was wetting herself until it was already too late to stop it. She got to her feet and backed up a step, firing off another round as she did so. That one was useless against the monster too. As the demon closed the distance she gave up completely.
The beast was upon her in a second. But instead of tearing her legs off, it wrapped her up in a hug. It's skin was like steel and smelled of charcoal. Her skin stung and itched on contact. It was frightening but eerily familiar.
And the familiarity brought clarity with it. This was Jack, disfigured from his stint in hell. She wept openly and Jack hugged her tighter. Her skin stung less as the seconds ticked away. She heard his heart booming within his cavernous chest. He took her head in both of his hands and stared down, into her eyes. "I found you. I finally found you. I've missed you so much."
She noticed for the first time that his eyes were exactly the same green color and shape as Jack's eyes. If they weren't framed by such a grotesque face, they might almost be described as kindly.
She said, "I only just realized that the person I thought was you for the past year was really Lucifer in disguise. That's why I had my gun. I was going to try and fight him."
"Let me do that baby. You just get Jessie to safety."
She was about to say something along the lines of, Jessie can't be trusted. He might even be God in disguise, playing games with all of us, but she never got the chance. There was an almighty roar that came from outside. It sounded like it could have come from a dinosaur or a jet engine. Through the window, she saw a jet of molten lava streak across the front lawn.
"What the fuck is that?"
Jack stared through the window. His breath caught in his throat. Finally he said, "Do you remember that weird spider with the ding-dong and those human eyes? Well he came back with me and he turned into a kind of giant dragon thingy."
"Ok."
"Well he just gave me an early warning. Lucifer's coming."
"Shit."
"You got that right. Take Jessie out the back way. Wait, is Jessie alright? You haven't mentioned him yet."
"Yes he's fine. It's complicated. We'll make a break for it but you better come back to me in one piece."
Jack looked down at his hooves. "I don't think we have a future together. If I win, I understand that I have to return to hell immediately."
"But you just came back to me. You can't leave so soon." She could hardly believe she was saying this to the beast that loomed over her. But she was starting to see through the armored hide of the monster to the man within.
"We'll see what happens. Now go."
Late to the Party
"Cerberus!" Lucifer yelled. "You dare to go against me?"
Cerberus said, "You don't belong in hell. I should have never let you call it home. You are tainted meat."
"I'm about to take over hell you dip-shit. You've aligned yourself on the wrong side." This wasn't the first time this kind of thing had happened to Lucifer so he wasn't too surprised by the treachery.
Cerberus said, "Jack is here now. Jack is my master."
"So you are a pet then? I must say I like your new incarnation. What are you, a dragon or something?"
"Something like that."
"It suits you. So where is Jack then?"
<
br /> Cerberus turned its giant head away from Lucifer as an act of defiance. Lucifer decided right then that Cerberus would bear the brunt of hells punishments after he took it over.
He turned to Shelly who was cowering and hiding behind him, fearful of the goliath dragon parked on the front lawn.
He said, "Sorry about this. I need to dispense with Jack and then we can move on to better things. Sometimes when a mosquito buzzes around your head you lose sight of the bigger picture. I need to squash the mosquito. I know you've grown fond of him so I'm sorry for what I'm about to do."
Shelly was paralyzed with fear. She nodded dumbly as Lucifer took her hand and led her back to the car. He put her in the passenger seat and said, "This won't take long."
Then he popped the trunk and took out a five gallon gas canister. He walked ten feet from the car and started pouring the gas over his head.
He yelled at Cerberus, "Care to do the honors?"
Cerberus huffed and a thin wisp of smoke escaped from its mouth. "I'd rather get sentenced to an eternity in heaven than help you."
"Suit yourself."
Lucifer pulled a Zippo out of his pocket and lit it. He sparked up like a flare.
Shelly started screaming and tried to get out of the car to save him but he yelled, "I'm fine. This is how I shed the Jack suit."
She shook her head but she trusted him and remained seated. Now she was visibly shaking which just made Lucifer more furious that Jack had come here. Maybe he'd take his time with him. Jack had endured hell but Lucifer could do worse to him than hell ever had.
He was fully enflamed when he heard a gruff voice behind him saying, "Fuck off."
He turned in time to see what looked like a cross between a goat and a giraffe standing a few feet away. Then the thing spat on him. The spot where the spit hit his skin sizzled and the flame went out there. The goatraffe spat again and another spot went out.
Lucifer yelled, "You'll fucking pay for this when it's all over you ugly piece of shit.
