Jack's Back ((Ascension: Book 2))

by Adam Moon

  The goatraffe said, "Fuck off," at which point Lucifer decided to end this stupidity. But before he could take a single step towards the annoying creature, he was bowled over.

  He jumped to his feet in time to stop the werewolf from goring him. It lunged at him again, and he grabbed it by the snout. He picked it up and tossed it over his head, into the street. It yelped but quickly regained its composure as it got back to its feet. It rushed at him like a runaway freight train but Lucifer was ready. As soon as it was within striking distance he reached out with both hands, took the beasts head and twisted in one deft move. The werewolf fell into him, carried forward by its own momentum.

  But by the time it hit the ground it was already dead. As it erupted in a flash of blinding light, Lucifer said, "I'll see you on the other side pal."

  It was only then that he noticed the flames on his body had been almost completely extinguished. He was covered, head to toe, in goatraffe spit. It made his stomach turn. Lucifer moved towards the goatraffe and as it took a backwards step, it said, "Fuck off," one last time before it too erupted in a flash of light and subsequently vanished.

  Lucifer looked back at the car to make sure Shelly was still safe. He didn't know how many hell spawned creatures there were and he didn't know for sure whether they'd stoop low enough to go after her.

  She was sobbing uncontrollably in her seat. Her head was in her hands and her body shivered. He had to end this if only to end her misery.

  As the last flame flickered to death, he popped the trunk of the car again and grabbed some shop rags. He wiped the viscous spittle from him but there was a lot of it and it was too slippery to stick to the rags. He had to sort of wipe it off, using one rag after another.

  By the time he was done, he was still damp and smelled like a mixture between a barnyard and a gas station. Luckily he hadn't used up all of the gas from the can. He was about to go back to it and dump the remains over his body when he saw a white tiger standing between him and the can.

  The tiger had a blowhole and a thick red ooze gushed upwards from it. It splattered all over the road. Lucifer made for the gas can, figuring he could easily dispatch with the tiger on the way, but as soon as his feet touched the red ooze, they came out from under him. He hit the road hard and then had a tough time getting up as his hands and legs slipped around under his own weight.

  His vision went white so he knew the tiger had vanished in a flash; its work here done.

  He felt helpless. He couldn't gain purchase of the ground beneath him, try as he might.

  Then he heard the car door open. He turned in time to see Shelly bolt from the passenger seat. She worked her way around the red ooze and snatched the gas can up. She slid it towards Lucifer and he reached out to grab it but it whizzed right by him, just out of reach.

  Shelly muttered, "Shit," and ran back around the red fluid to retrieve the can again. This time her aim was true and Lucifer grabbed the can as it rushed towards him. He poured the contents over his head and body while laying in the road. It wasn't the most dignified way to do things but by now Lucifer just needed this to end.

  He flicked the Zippo and he burst into flames. Only then did he notice Cerberus laughing his stupid dragon ass off.

  Lucifer, Unbound

  Shelly got back in the passenger seat of the car and watched as the love of her life burned to a crisp. She was shaking from fear and adrenaline. Her mouth was dry and her finger tips were tingling.

  Only then did the distant sounds of sirens and gunshots come to her. She looked around, fearful of what might happen to the poor cops if they came upon this madness. Two blocks ahead of her she could just barely make out the shapes of police cruisers and cops standing beside them with their guns drawn. There was some sort of magnificent firefight going on and it took a few seconds for her to see exactly what it was they were shooting at. When she saw the hyena dashing this way and that, bashing into front fenders of cop cars to disable them and goring runaway policemen and women before they could reach the real battleground, she knew what was up. The hyena was guarding the upcoming fight between Jack and Lucifer. He wasn't about to allow any distractions.

  Then she heard a similar commotion behind her. Just a block past where Lucifer was burning she saw the Mr. Pickles the caterpillar, it's hairy body extended the entire width of the road, acting like a huge, impervious tire spike, it's spiky hard hairs puncturing every tire that touched them.

  The cars were all immobile but it appeared as though those cops were smarter than their fellows across the way because they were outside their cars, backing away from fright or maybe confusion.

  She felt something like an earthquake and the air crackled and heated up as her vision turned red. She was far too disoriented to take all of this mayhem in at once. It was like watching ten movies at one time.

  She saw a police helicopter whiz over the horizon. It was tipped on its side and the outside of it was sizzling. She didn't know what had caused the malfunction at first until she heard an almighty roar (the earthquake she'd felt seconds earlier) and felt that intense heat all around her again. The flame that came rushing out of the dragon's mouth was like a laser, with pinpoint accuracy and it hit the helicopter right on its side door. It exploded from the heat and the impact, breaking into pieces that rained down half a mile distant.

  Just when she didn't think she could take any more, her black cat, Prozac, crept through the open window and dropped into her lap. It purred as she put a shaky hand on it.

  Instantly she felt a familiar serene calm wash over her. She hardly cared that the cat was Jack's minion and therefore it would likely work against her new boyfriend Lucifer. She just enjoyed the peace it brought her. Then she realized that maybe the cat was never meant for Jack to use. Maybe it was meant for her all along.

  The red fluid that surrounded Lucifer in the road bubbled and popped as the flames from his erupted body reached it. Soon he was surrounded by a great wall of crackling fire. As the red fluid burned it evaporated and she watched as he gingerly got his feet beneath him.

  He slowly walked through the fire and emerged on the other side. He was still aflame but his skin looked charred and brittle now.

  The flames licked themselves to death and then he started to brush and claw at his burnt flesh. It fell away in vast clumps of ash and char.

  When he was done, the creature that emerged was more beautiful than anything Shelly had ever imagined possible.

  He was larger than Jack, with eyes that held the wisdom of the ages, a perfect complexion, shiny hair that looked like it smelled great, even though she knew it probably really smelled of gas, and perfectly black wings that jutted out from his shoulder blades.

  Her heart was racing. She had to stop herself from rushing him and jumping his bones all over again.

  The cat in her lap purred loudly, and once more, that surreal calm enveloped her senses. Her passions wept out through her pores and she slumped in her seat, at ease.

  She looked at Prozac and smiled. "Cock-blocker," she said with a trace of wry humor in her voice.

  Cutlery

  When Melanie woke Jessie, he rubbed his eyes and said, "I think I had another dream."

  Absently, as she uncovered him and nudged him to his feet, she said, "Oh yeah, what about?"

  "I don't remember."

  He seemed genuinely perplexed that he couldn't remember his dream. That worried her because his dreams brought insane things into the world.

  He pointed at his bedside table and said, "I must've dreamt about those."

  She turned and saw a knife and a fork, side by side. They didn't look out of place really except that they didn't resemble any of the silverware they owned.

  She said, "What do they do?"

  "I honestly don't know. But I think Jack needs them."

  "Are you kidding me? Jack is here right now and he's about to battle Lucifer. I'm not going to get in the middle of it just to give him silverware."

  "You should though."r />
  Melanie sighed and said, "Fine, I'll be right back and you'd better be dressed when I get here."

  Jessie yawned and said, "Ok."

  Melanie picked up the silverware set and rushed to the front entryway. Jack was just about to walk through the front door when he turned to her. She held out the fork and knife and said sheepishly, "Your son wants you to have these."

  He gave her a quizzical look before taking them in his hand.

  As soon as he took them they started to transform. They grew in size and malevolence. The knife twisted and elongated until it was as long as Jack was tall. It was four inches thick and pointed on either end. It was the cruelest looking spear Melanie had ever seen.

  The fork grew in much the same way. It thickened and elongated until it was as long as the spear. Jack had to juggle it to his other hand when it got too big. By the time it was done growing it was clearly some type of pitchfork or trident, and even meaner looking than the spear.

  Melanie felt a palpable power now emanate from Jack. He smiled wickedly.

  He said, "Thank you Melanie. These belong to me. I didn't even know I owned them until right now."

  He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

  She flushed and wrapped her arms as far as they would go around his waist. "Go kill that son of a bitch."

  "Yes dear."

  The Final Memory

  When Jack grabbed his weapons from Melanie, all of his lost memories rushed back like a tidal wave. The simple act of touching the weapons was all it took. And he knew why. The trident and the spear were weapons only the Devil could wield.

  He remembered everything now. He remembered the tortures of hell like they had only happened yesterday. At first the tortures were unbearable but as time went on, he actually learned to enjoy them, in a weird, sadistic kind of way. Because he knew that God had put the tortures in place, he refused to succumb to them.

  You weren't supposed to love hell, he knew this. Even Lucifer hated hell when he was there. But that's because Lucifer wasn't man enough to embrace it.

  As soon as the tortures weren't doing their job on Jack, they simply ceased. That was when he realized he was special. His hatred was too powerful for even hellfire to scour clean. He felt the powers of hell as though they were his powers. The more he became comfortable with them, the more they became a part of him.

  What Lucifer couldn't have known was that Jack's hatred, that had been subdued and hidden for his entire life, blossomed life a desert flower in the heat down there. His hatred transformed him into the very embodiment of hell.

  And then he had an epiphany: If hell couldn't affect him, maybe he could overcome hell itself.

  He fought off the demons and fallen angels that guarded the throne with ease. They each had that unique look of surprise that comes so very rarely. It happens only when ones rock solid preconceived notions are dumped on end effortlessly, with no forewarning. Apparently they were to guard it for Lucifer to ascend to when he damn well felt like it. Apparently they weren't ready for a guy like Jack to come along and take Lucifer's birthright like a bully taking a nerds lunch money.

  Well, fuck Lucifer. The seat was vacant; it needed an ass to make it complete and it should not have been kept waiting for a viable ass. Jack's was ably suited for the task.

  Soon after he took the throne, Cerberus and his fellows approached and swore their allegiance to him. Jack took them up on it.

  Task number one was: Find and kill Lucifer, and in doing so, save his family.

  The demons agreed but Cerberus explained to him that he could not retain his memories in the earth realm. The agony within his skull would certainly kill him instantly and then he'd be back at square one, stuck in hell. The memories had to trickle back so he could assimilate them and become numb to them, piece by piece.

  Jack thought he'd be able to handle it. He thought Cerberus wasn't giving him the credit he deserved, but he reluctantly agreed just to get the show on the road.

  This flood of memories couldn't have come at a better time. Jack was ready now. He could defeat Lucifer, probably pretty easily. He made ready to rush from the house and catch Lucifer by surprise.

  His heart was racing from the adrenaline rush of impending battle. It was time for revenge.

  Jack Attack

  Cerberus was ignoring Lucifer in that way you do when you want the object of your hatred to know you're ignoring them, just to piss them off.

  Lucifer knew he should probably kill it first. He didn't need Jack and Cerberus both coming at him at once. He could easily defeat them but it would go more quickly if he took them out one at a time, and Shelly would be less likely to get caught in the middle.

  But before he could destroy the dragon, Jack came bursting out of his house. The door shattered from its frame in shards of splintered wood, a few of them hitting Lucifer in the face, even from so far away.

  Lucifer yelled, "Use the handle next time you fucking idiot." It seemed like everyone was eager to break his front door lately.

  Jack was holding a mean looking trident and a spear.

  His red death ball whizzed through the air like a frenzied bat. It hit Lucifer in the face but the impact did no real damage. Jack didn't seem surprised that it didn't destroy him like it did the other ethereal creatures; Lucifer had ascended beyond any of Jack's past foes. Trinkets would do little to hurt him. The death ball flew out of sight, abandoned as a weapon for now.

  But then Lucifer took a closer look at the twin weapons Jack carried in each hand and only then did he realize he was fucked. Something was wrong. This wasn't Jack. Well it was, but he had changed into something far more elegant and ferocious, something able to handle the weapons he had with him.

  Jack thundered across the yard and Lucifer shrieked like a sissy just before Jack hit him with an uppercut to the jaw. Before his vision returned to him, Jack started to gore him in the belly with his horns.

  Lucifer jumped to the side and lashed out but Jack was far too fast. He hit Lucifer's arm away easily with his trident and then stabbed at him with the spear. Luckily Lucifer dodged the attack because the spear would have surely killed him.

  Now all he could think of was escaping. He had to get Shelly and they had to get the fuck out of here. He was in over his head. He hadn't imagined this kind of thing happening. It should have been impossible.

  Jack was no mere demon. His power was too much for that. He had taken the throne. He was the Devil. And that was how he'd managed to escape hell in just one year; because he wasn't a prisoner, but the warden, so he could leave whenever he damn well felt like it. Lucifer couldn't defeat the Devil; he was only an angel, albeit, a badass one. But the Devil was God's equal.

  Lucifer knew he stood no chance and just to punctuate it Jack bashed him over the head with his trident, then picked him up bodily and chucked him across the lawn like a rag doll.

  He got to his feet in time to see Shelly emerge from the car. A black cat was cradled in her arms and she came running for him, panic painted all over her features.

  He unfurled his mighty wings and took flight right before Jack lunged at him again. Now all thoughts were centered around keeping Shelly safe from whatever collateral damage might come her way.

  He swooped down and picked her up around the waist as gently but firmly as he could. Jack came for him again but missed his feet by inches. He flew upwards as fast as he could and then flew away.

  He heard Jack snarl and call him a fucking coward as he made his escape.

  But he knew he was defeated. He had to put some serious distance between him and Jack because Jack would surely mount Cerberus and give chase. He was weeping as he held Shelly to his chest.

  His entire existence was for nothing now. All of his planning had come crashing down in the past couple of minutes. Jack had stolen his destiny right out from under him and there was nothing he could do about it.

  How had Jack managed it? Why hadn't God destroyed him the second he ascended?

  But
more important to the current situation: How the hell were they going to escape with the Devil and Cerberus chasing after them?

  He had to call up every ounce of determination because there was no way he was going to let Shelly get hurt.

  He flapped his powerful wings as hard and fast as he could.

  Hell on Earth

  Melanie tried to stop him but Jessie was too fast. He ducked around her outstretched arms and rushed out the front door.

  When she came through the gaping hole that used to be her front entrance, what she saw could only be described as madness.

  A dragon was perched in the middle of the lawn, seemingly oblivious to the chaos surrounding it. The road was in flames. The air stunk of farm animals and lighter fuel. Car alarms were going off all over the neighborhood. A winged creature was flying off into the distance, clutching a young woman, and Jack was acting demented.

  He was snarling as he rushed towards the dragon. He leapt into the air with superhuman agility and mounted it. Then he looked down at her and Jessie and the air suddenly crackled with menace.

  He pointed at his young son and bellowed, "You!" His anger reached a fever pitch but it was now directed at Jessie.

  The angel in the distance receded from view and apparently had also receded from Jack's thoughts.

  He dismounted the dragon and strode forward.

  He said to Jessie, without a hint of fatherly love, "Alright motherfucker. When do we do this? I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

  Melanie looked at the small boy in his pajamas. If Jessie was frightened, he didn't show it.

  She looked back at Jack and said, "Stop it Jack."

  Jack gazed upon her and his expression softened. He explained evenly, "This boy is not who you think he is. This is the real enemy."

  The Light

  Jack ran at Jessie but when Jessie screamed, "Stop," Jack froze in time, mid-stride.