First Circle Club

by Alex Siegel

  Unfortunately, his phone didn't have the same endurance. The battery needed to be recharged. While he was at it, he would watch the latest news on television and maybe take a shower. Even though he was a dead man, personal hygiene was important. He liked to be clean when he released souls. A cheap motel was the perfect place to take care of his needs. Several semi-trucks in the parking lot were a good sign.

  The motel had two floors. The rooms on the lower floor connected directly to the parking lot. An exterior stairway and balcony provided access to the upper rooms. The walls were white stucco with decorative white stone in spots. He estimated the motel had about thirty rooms.

  Daniel tried to figure out where he would be safest. Even though he wasn't expecting an attack, it never hurt to take precautions. He decided a room at the end of the balcony on the second floor was probably best.

  He went into the small lobby. An old woman was behind the registration desk, and she barely reacted as he entered. Her face was a fixed mask of boredom and exhaustion.

  He was lucky and got the room he wanted. He paid in cash, thanked the clerk, and left.

  He went up to his room and dropped his suitcases on the bed. He opened up one suitcase and sorted through the contents until he found a spool of hair thin fishing line and a roll of scotch tape. He went back out into the warm night. He taped one end of the line to the balcony rail at knee height. He ran the line around the door of his room, and he carefully closed the door so he wouldn't break the fragile line. He wadded up a piece of facial tissue and wrapped the line around it. Now if anybody bumped the line outside, he would see the tissue move.

  Daniel closed all the curtains. He plugged his phone into his charger and his charger into the wall. Then he turned on the television. He flipped channels until he found a news station, but the report was about some foreign war instead of the death of the pastor. He was disappointed. He kept the volume down.

  He decided to pass the time by examining Furies' Bane again. He took the weapon out of his suitcase and held it up. The workmanship was extraordinary of course. The silver and gold barrel had a creamy smoothness more like warm butter than hard metal. The handle fit his hand perfectly. The weapon was so solid and hefty, it would've made a fine club.

  He looked closer and saw pictures drawn on the barrel with gold leaf. One showed a lion, and radiating semicircles indicated it was roaring. A little picture on the other side depicted a man with the same kind of semicircles. He didn't know what the art meant.

  Daniel looked into the barrel and saw glowing embers. He wished he knew how to fire the gun, but at least it wasn't in the hands of his enemies.

  He settled back in a chair and watched television. He kept one eye on the wadded tissue paper.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Virgil parked the car as quietly as possible. He used the brakes lightly so they wouldn't squeak.

  He was at the far end of a parking lot from a motel. He could tell it was the kind of place where the rooms were cheap, the sheets were not quite clean, and questions weren't asked. He had stayed in many such motels as a U.S. Marshal.

  He called Mei on his phone.

  "Are you at the motel?" she responded.

  "Yes," Virgil said. "Can you tell us which room?"

  "No. The positioning isn't that precise."

  "Thanks anyway. We'll figure it out from here. Bye." He put his phone in his pocket.

  Virgil, Lisa, Sara, and Alfred got out of the car. They were wearing all the body armor and weapons they could carry. Virgil was sporting an M16 rifle with a M203 grenade launcher slung under the barrel. If the team failed again, it would not be for lack of firepower.

  He looked at the cars and trucks in the parking lot, and he frowned.

  "There are a lot of civilians around," he said, "and I'm sure the walls are paper-thin. Shoot towards exterior walls so bullets don't go through the building. Be prepared to use close combat weapons to avoid civilian casualties."

  He had brought a fire axe which he hoped could chop Daniel into harmless bits. Sara and Alfred were armed with the same. Lisa was wielding her Chinese hook swords, but her automatic shotgun was also somewhat safe to use in the motel.

  Haymaker pulled up in his own car. He had stopped by his office to pick up a police sniper rifle. He angled his car so he could shoot out the passenger window comfortably.

  Virgil walked over, and Haymaker rolled down the window.

  "Ready?" Virgil said.

  Haymaker nodded. "I can't brag I'm the best shot in the world, but I should be able to hit a man at this range."

  "Keep pumping rounds into him until you run out of ammunition. The first few will just piss him off. We have to keep pounding away until he's nothing but a smear."

  "Got it."

  Virgil nodded to the rest of his team. "Let's go."

  The four of them moved towards the motel. Virgil watched very closely for any movement. It was late enough that everybody except Daniel would be asleep.

  "I'll talk to the front desk and find out which room Daniel is in," Alfred said.

  Virgil raised his eyebrows. "Dressed like that?"

  Like the rest of them, Alfred had enough guns to satisfy even the most paranoid soldier. His primary weapon was an AK-47 which was slung across his chest.

  "I'll use my voice," he said. "I'll tell them we're a police SWAT team. It will be fine."

  He walked into the small lobby. Virgil watched through the glass as Alfred had a conversation with an old woman behind the desk. She was remarkably unreactive. Virgil wondered if this kind of thing happened often in her life.

  Alfred came out. "A man matching Daniel's description registered an hour ago. He's in room 215, end of the balcony. The desk clerk is giving us ten minutes before she calls the police."

  Virgil grimaced. "Not a huge amount of time, but it should be enough. Alfred, go behind the motel. If Daniel pops out that side, blast away with everything you got. Sara, you're in front. Lisa and I will enter the room. Let's move."

  Sara and Alfred ran off to find good firing positions. Virgil and Lisa walked around the hotel more cautiously. The room numbers were visible from the ground, and the way up was obvious.

  "Slow and quiet," Virgil said.

  "Then fast and violent," Lisa said.

  "Exactly."

  * * *

  Daniel was watching a horror movie about a serial killer stalking young couples in the woods. The victims were idiots, but the killer was even stupider. His entire plan was to wait for a youngster to wander off alone, usually after sex. Then came a lot of running and screaming followed by a needlessly gruesome death. With a little planning and preparation, the victims could've easily defeated the killer with makeshift weapons. The killer also had plenty of better options than lurking in the trees. Of course, if any character had behaved logically, the movie would've ended in ten minutes.

  Daniel saw the wad of tissue paper twitch. Somebody was outside his door, and they were moving silently.

  Daniel was on his feet in an instant. He already had a plan in mind. If his enemies were here, then they would have snipers posted around the building, so jumping out a window wasn't a great option. Even ordinary bullets could cripple him if they were big enough. Once he was down, he might never get back up.

  Daniel tossed Furies' Bane into an open suitcase. He didn't know how to fire the weapon, so it was useless to him. He pulled out a shotgun loaded with deer slugs. The massive bullets would be effective even against demon bodies.

  He assumed a firing position behind a cabinet with the shotgun aimed at the door. His plan was to fight within the confines of the motel initially. The noise from the gunfire would cause the residents to panic and flee. Then he would use the crowd as cover to make his escape. The snipers wouldn't shoot into a mass of civilians even if they spotted him.

  The plan required him to survive the initial assault though. He was as ready as he could be.

  * * *

  Virgil and Lisa were standing o
utside the door of room 215. They didn't know for a fact Daniel was in the room. It was possible a mistake had been made, and an innocent man was behind the door. Until the subject was positively identified, nonlethal tactics were mandatory.

  They were prepared though. Virgil had a flash-bang grenade, and Lisa had a smoke canister. He had his axe in the other hand, and she had her swords.

  Virgil heard a television in the room, and the lights were on. Somebody is awake, he thought.

  He counted down silently, just moving his lips. Lisa watched attentively. Her entire body was tense and ready for action.

  When he got to one, he kicked open the door and threw the grenade inside. She simultaneously tossed the smoke canister. They ducked down and covered their eyes.

  Virgil heard the boom of a large weapon even before the grenade exploded. It sounded like a shotgun or a rifle. The flash-bang was as loud as a cannon, and he saw the flash even with his eyes covered.

  He and Lisa had previously agreed that entering through the door was too obvious and risky. They ran a few paces along the balcony and crashed through a window instead. Shattered glass sprayed everywhere.

  Virgil didn't stop moving. He crawled across the floor while the room filled with smoke. He peeked over a bed and glimpsed Daniel's face through the haze. It's him, Virgil thought.

  He noticed Furies' Bane in an open suitcase on the bed.

  Daniel swung a shotgun around and fired at Virgil. Virgil pulled his head back just in time, and a hole the size of a quarter appeared in a wall.

  Virgil couldn't use his own gun because of the risk to civilians. Daniel was leaning against an interior wall.

  Something touched Virgil's leg, and he realized Lisa was right behind him with her swords. If Virgil provided a distraction, she could attack Daniel.

  Virgil jumped up and ran across the room. A slug hit his body in the spot where his kidney would normally be. He dived into a bathroom.

  He heard a commotion and came back out. Lisa was attacking Daniel. He was fighting back with gleaming blades which had come out of his palms. The combatants were trading blows and parries, and they seemed evenly matched. Virgil charged into the fray with his axe in hand, intent on chopping Daniel into tiny chunks.

  Daniel kicked Lisa in the chest to knock her back. Instead of following up with another attack, he slashed at the wall. Cheap drywall didn't put up much resistance. He forced his body through the new opening and into the next motel room, taking his shotgun with him. A woman screamed.

  Virgil knew crawling through the same hole was a good way to get shot in the face, and he didn't want to get blinded again. He would go around.

  As he ran to the door, he noticed Furies' Bane again. He scooped it up. That might come in handy.

  He left the motel room. Guests were streaming into the parking lot, but he ignored them.

  Virgil went to the neighboring room by way of the balcony. Instead of busting down the door immediately, he peeked through the window. Daniel had a hostage. His left arm was wrapped around a woman's neck, and a blade sticking out of his thumb was against her throat. He was holding the shotgun with his right hand, and the barrel was pointed at the hole in the wall separating the two rooms. A man was lying on the floor bleeding from a belly wound.

  Lisa crept up next to Virgil and whispered, "What do we do?"

  He glanced at her. "Give me your Desert Eagle."

  She drew her .50 caliber pistol and handed it to him. He carefully aimed through the window at Daniel's right wrist. Virgil pulled the trigger, and Daniel's wrist exploded into black spray. The shotgun fell to the floor along with his hand. The muzzle blast also turned the entire window into shards of glass.

  Daniel turned towards Virgil.

  "Freeze!" Virgil yelled. "Or the next one blows off your head!"

  "I'll still kill the woman," Daniel said, "even without a head."

  Virgil knew it wasn't an idle boast. Daniel would be deaf and blind, but he could still function without a head.

  Virgil whispered to Lisa. "Get Sara up here. We have injured civilians."

  Lisa nodded and took out her phone.

  "What you're doing is wrong!" Virgil said to Daniel. "You can't keep sending souls to Heaven."

  "Why not?" Daniel replied. "The point of life is to get into Heaven, right?"

  "The point of life is to have a good life. Getting into Heaven is a natural consequence."

  "And did you get into Heaven?"

  "I made mistakes," Virgil said. "That doesn't make me wrong in this case."

  "God wants to be surrounded by virtuous, noble souls. I'm helping the Lord achieve that goal."

  "Now you speak for God? How incredibly arrogant. You think He wants His best young men and women to die before their time? Who do you really work for? Who is your secret master?"

  Daniel kept his mouth closed.

  "You're just a pawn," Virgil said, "and you don't even know the purpose of the game."

  "Maybe, but I'm sure my father and mother appreciate the extra company in Heaven."

  Sara arrived on the balcony. She looked anxiously through the broken window.

  "Your father is in Hell. One of his sins is turning you into a monster."

  "That's a lie!" Daniel said.

  Virgil smirked. "He warped you with guilt and shame. He filled your head with religious nonsense, and you turned it into a fantasy where you can be a superhero instead of a psycho."

  "No! That's not true!"

  Daniel stabbed the woman in the throat. Then he ran to the bathroom and leapt through a small back window. Virgil fired his gun and probably hit Daniel, but it didn't slow him down.

  Sara rushed to the injured woman.

  Virgil ran to the bathroom window and looked out. Daniel was running across a dark parking lot at a full sprint. Alfred was trying to snipe him with a rifle, but fleeing civilians kept getting in the way, and his shots were infrequent. It wasn't clear if the bullets were hitting their mark anyway.

  Virgil still had a Desert Eagle in his right hand, and his high angle allowed him to shoot over the civilians. He began to switch to his M16 because it was more accurate at long range.

  Then Virgil had another idea. He was holding Furies' Bane in his left hand. In a flash of inspiration, he realized how to fire the divine weapon. The little pictures on the barrel made sense now.

  Virgil aimed Furies' Bane as best he could despite a lack of sights. Then he roared like a lion. He took a deep breath and roared again.

  A beam of white light shot out of the barrel. A glowing white lion appeared on the parking lot, and it roared loudly enough to shake the walls of the motel. It was the size of a tank and had claws like scimitars. Virgil judged it could rip a car to shreds. The magical animal sniffed the air. Then it chased after Daniel with breathtaking speed.

  "Now that's cool," Virgil said.

  * * *

  Daniel looked back.

  "My God," he muttered. "What is that?"

  A lion was chasing him, but it wasn't any creature born on Earth. Its glowing white skin illuminated the night. Each bounding stride was fifty feet long. It could outrun a speeding car. Daniel had no hope of escape.

  He stopped and turned to meet his end bravely. He would fight until he could fight no more. He extended blades all over his body.

  The lion pounced on him. Enormous weight drove Daniel's body into the pavement like a sledgehammer driving a spike. Daniel briefly saw down the lion's throat before it bit off his head.

  He floated in absolute darkness for a moment. Then stars appeared and eventually formed a face.

  "Hello, Daniel," the face said.

  "Hello. Is that it? Am I done?"

  "Yes."

  "Did Virgil tell the truth about my father being in Hell?" Daniel said.

  "Yes. He was arrogant and wrathful."

  "Oh, but God is pleased with my work, right?"

  "I have not spoken with the Lord in an extremely long time," the face said, "but I imagine He
wouldn't approve in the slightest. Earth is meant to be a place where souls can find their destiny and express themselves fully. You cut that process short."

  Daniel was speechless.

  "But you're not the first to draw an erroneous conclusion," the face added. "The system itself is flawed, but thanks to you, those flaws are starting to be exposed. An avalanche begins with the fall of a single pebble. You were that pebble. This is where we part company forever. Good bye."

  "Wait. You're just going to leave me here? I don't even know where I am."

  "I promised you would not go back to Hell. I found a nice little loophole in the Contract for you instead. Enjoy your eternity of peace and quiet."

  The face faded away. Daniel was left in black, silent oblivion. He only had his thoughts to keep him company.

  They weren't pleasant thoughts.

  * * *

  Virgil watched the lion chew Daniel's body to shreds. Black blood dripped from its glowing white mouth.

  Lisa was also looking out the window. "Cool," she whispered.

  "My word exactly," Virgil said. "It looks like the mission is over. I guess we'd better head back to headquarters so we can make our final report to Mammon."

  "Do you think we'll be sent back to Limbo?"

  "I honestly don't know. Seems like we earned some extra credit, maybe enough to bump us up to Heaven."

  "But we also killed all those guards," Lisa said.

  "Yes." He frowned. "The mission was far from perfectly executed."

  He turned away from the bathroom window. Sara had already finished healing the woman who had been stabbed in the neck. The victim was alert, but she had an anxious expression. Sara was working on the man with the stomach wound now. Every time Sara exhaled, the injury shrank.

  "Barachiel might be upset about you using your powers," Virgil said.

  "I don't care," she replied. "Besides, I'm just putting things back the way they were before Daniel came along. That seems justifiable."

  "I suppose. Are you almost done? We need to go. The police will be here shortly, and we're dressed for the apocalypse. Questions will be asked."

  "Give me another minute," Sara said.