by Deb McEwan
‘Not all are servants of the demons. That would cause chaos and an unnatural balance against us. We have containment centres.’
Gabriella waited for the questions and was impressed that Claire managed to keep quiet for a few minutes. Raphael could see it was a battle of wills between the two women but knew that Claire didn’t stand a chance against his sister, yet.
‘Where are these centres?’ Claire couldn’t help herself.
‘We can’t contain them here, there are far too many of them. You will have heard of the expression hell on earth?’ Claire inclined her head. ‘Well this is one of the places…’
Having almost experienced the real hell, Claire had no desire to see the earthly version. She had heard many people exaggerate and refer to it, but never in a million years had she thought the place existed, literally. If this was part of her learning experience or to do with her so called special talents she could very well do without it. She closed her eyes and tried to inject some brave serum into her thoughts but her experience of the probing hands had affected her more than she cared to admit. Despite Claire’s natural curiosity and almost manic desire to know what was going on in the universe, she really did not want to go.
Seeing the expression on Claire’s face didn’t need a mind reader to know what she was thinking. Raphael knew that she had to meet some tough challenges and he’d already argued with Gabriella about what was and was not appropriate. His need to keep her out of harm’s way clashed with her training requirements. Although he accepted that she had to face some fears to enable her to reach her full potential, he just wanted to love and protect her and was sure that there would be further disagreements with both his sister and mother about the best way forward. Gabriella hadn’t flexed her wings and looking at his sister there was no tension or the look of concentration on her face that signalled imminent action. Even their mother couldn’t recognise the barely perceptible twinkle in her eyes that showed her twin she wanted to have a bit of fun. Had it been with anyone else Raphael might have joined in, but he hated seeing his Claire looking so vulnerable and terrified. Casting a glance at Gabriella and shaking his head he put an arm around Claire. Wrapped in the warmth and safety of her new love she closed her eyes, hoping to garner strength from him. Her trembling stopped.
He pushed a few curls behind her ear and put his lips to it. ‘You don’t have to go there, just watch. You need to know about this but must not discuss it. Understand?’
Claire felt like a pupil again and she relaxed against him while the scene below them unfolded.
A group of explorers were walking through a forest. One looked up but the canopy of trees blocked out the light and he wiped the sweat from his forehead. It was a fruitless exercise as within seconds, his head was wet again. His shirt was stuck to his body and he sighed and carried on walking, determined to find the cave that the indigenous people had written about for centuries but had to date remained illusive. The humidity was draining and the group plodded on slowly until they came into the clearing. Pressing on he told the others to follow him down into the bottom of the valley where he was almost sure lay the entrance to the cave. He looked up at the sheer cliff face and risked a glance skyward. The forecast had been for dry, sticky weather and it wasn’t even the wet season so he was surprised to see the dark clouds slowly gathering. Men had already died trying to find this place and Chris weighed up his options. Wiry and fit but at 72 he knew he didn’t have many chances left and had agreed with his wife that this would be his final attempt at this particular quest. He studied his son who was laughing and joking with the others, the centre of attention as usual. Ralph was a lover of adventure but with a low boredom threshold and Chris knew his son didn’t have the interest or determination to carry this through to the end after he retired. He closed his eyes and sighed, it was his dream and not Ralph’s and he couldn’t expect to live the rest of his life through his son. Ignoring the clouds but with a sense of foreboding he ordered the group to move on. As in previous expeditions this was where the locals left them. The tales of the place that had been instilled in them since childhood were still fresh in their memories and none would go willingly into infierno terrenal.
Halfway down Ralph called to his father. ‘Take a look at the sky!’
Chris didn’t need to look. He threw his pickaxe into the cliff wall in frustration and leaned into it, his head resting on his forearm while he tried to control his emotions. He’d willingly risk his own life to be able to realise his lifelong dream of finding the legendary cave that others doubted existed. He’d been ridiculed and laughed at and his many other discoveries had been negated by stubbornness and sheer refusal to admit that the cave known to the locals as hell on earth was purely a myth. If they pressed on and any of the group were swept away in the downpour, could he live with that on his conscience? He looked at them one by one, each seeing the question in his eyes and the answer was the same from all five, a definite shake of each head. As his son moved across the rock face and put a hand on his father’s arm, Chris felt no comfort from it, knowing that his efforts had been thwarted once again.
‘Will you tell him when his time comes?’ asked Claire, more to herself than to the angels. There was something else going on in the scene that she was trying to put her finger on but couldn’t quite figure it out.
‘That’s it,’ she snapped her thumb and middle finger together. ‘I’ve got it. Ralph is one of ours isn’t he?’
Raphael’s feeling of pride hid his initial shock. Claire was full of surprises and Gabriella might have been able to hide her own shock from Claire, but he could see right through her.
‘What makes you think that, Claire?’
‘I honestly don’t know, Gabriella. I just know he’s an old soul and a good one. I saw a kind of light shining around him, it was coming and going though. Does that make any sense?’
They could see she was trying to figure it all out and knew there was no point in doing so. Claire’s talents were a natural gift and the longer she remained in Cherussola, the stronger her gift would become. Neither had seen a gift develop so quickly and Gabriella wondered whether it was all actually Committee given or related to her ancestry. Raphael was deep in thought too, probably wondering the same thing, assumed Gabriella.
‘You are absolutely right, Claire,’ she decided not to tell her that it could take centuries for some to see what Claire had been able to in such a short time. ‘Let’s watch the rest and we’ll talk again later.’
Gabriella’s comments lacked the usual impatience and Claire sensed a new level of respect toward her. Something was going on here but she decided not to push it and for once, remained silent.
‘Just watch,’ whispered Raphael putting an arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him as the rain took hold and the men in the scene below made their way back up the cliff as fast and as carefully as their weary legs could take them. Claire assumed correctly that Ralph had arranged the rain as a timely deterrent.
The scene changed and it seemed like a different day. The rain had stopped and the explorers were nowhere to be seen. The plants and vegetation were thick and heavy in the area on display and even if the valley hadn’t been flooded, Claire thought there was little or no chance of anyone finding the entrance to the cave. Eventually they were shown the covered entrance and taken inside the dark cave. Claire could see the narrow passages and wet walls that appeared to go on forever, downwards and downwards. Even the most intrepid and talented explorer would find it difficult to survive in this place, never mind overcome it. When she was starting to get bored by the never-ending maze of passageways, one opened out into a large area with a pond at one side. She assumed that this was sometimes drier or bigger depending on the level of rainfall, the season, or whether there had been heavenly intervention.
‘What’s moving?’ she leaned over, trying to get a better look at the high ceiling of the cave, which appeared to be moving of its own volition. Once her eyes adjusted to the dimmer
light, she saw small wings upon wings coming and going and realised that the cave was teeming with bats.
‘Yuck.’
On further inspection, Claire could also see that the floor appeared to be moving and when she identified the presence as cockroaches, she was even more disgusted. Gabriella and Raphael or their assistants viewed the cave on a regular basis, so what came as a surprise to Claire was no more than routine to them. They spent the time watching her reactions and both knew that Claire wasn’t going to figure it out.
‘It does look like Hell on Earth, but there’s obviously something I’m not getting here?’ she looked to Gabriella for guidance.
‘The bats are good souls...’ said Raphael.
‘...and the cockroaches are evils...’ this from Gabriella and it reminded Claire of her brothers doing their twin conversation tag. Silence followed until she shook herself back to attention.
‘...We catch them and deposit them in the cave for eternity. They live on the guano produced by the bats.’
Claire looked from one to the other, wondering how angels were selected for the bat jobs.
‘We have a rota for the bats, and most of us have had a stint,’ said Gabriella. ‘Trust me, it’s not that bad unless...oh no,’ she tensed. ‘I’ll be back shortly. Raphael explain please.’ She disappeared with the usual whoosh and Raphael told Claire to keep watching.
After sleeping all day, the bats flew toward the cave’s entrance. ‘They feed mainly on mosquitos,’ said Raphael. ‘Keeping that population down is important to alleviate even more human suffering.
As the bats neared the cave entrance Claire saw something move in the undergrowth. The giant slithering object raised itself to its full size and struck. The first bat to leave the cave was taken completely by surprise as the boa seized its prey in its jaws and wrapped several coils around its victim, constricting until the bat had suffocated. The snake swallowed the bat headfirst. Claire knew this was no ordinary snake when she saw it kill and swallow another two bats in quick succession.
‘I thought they had to digest their prey first and wouldn’t need to eat anything else for a while?’ she’d remembered something from the nature programmes she’d been encouraged to watch as a child.
‘The only snakes that can find their way to the cave are those evils put there by the demons. They create as much havoc as they can and we have to sort it before it gets out of hand. Gabriella has taken a team to save the souls of the bats, but watch.’
A man holding a large knife appeared behind the snake. Claire thought it strange that the snake hadn’t detected his arrival by tremors on the ground and on closer inspection, noticed that the man was Ralph, the one she’d seen the light around earlier.
By the time the snake sensed the movement behind him it was too late and the knife had chopped off his head. The rest of his body slithered, taking a few seconds before messages from the reptile’s brain stopped and the snake was eventually completely still. Taking no chances the man calmly and efficiently chopped the snake into small pieces. Once satisfied that he’d completed his gruesome task, he wiped the knife on some large leaves nearby, returned it to its sheath, and disappeared back into the undergrowth.
‘So what happens if the bats are overcome by snakes and they kill a lot of them? Do the roaches escape and look elsewhere for food?’
‘Claire,’ Raphael’s eyes bored into hers and all trace of fun and warmth had disappeared. ‘When the demons have many evils to do their bidding, war, disease and pestilence are rife.’
‘Has it ever happened?’
Raphael laughed without humour. ‘Look back in history for an answer to that.’
Although safe and warm in his arms, a shiver ran through Claire. She knew she was being educated and trained for a purpose but hoped she’d never have to experience another evil encounter without Raphael by her side.
‘How does it work with the angels on Earth?’ Raphael replied with a kiss and she put her natural curiosity aside to deal with a more immediate need.
Both the first encounter with evils and the latest one to save the souls of the angel bats had left Gabriella feeling drained. She took no comfort from the familiar surroundings of her own wonderful white world. Dealing with evils made her feel unclean both mentally and physically and she vomited until there was nothing left. She then washed in pure water until all traces of evil had been completely purged from her system. Feeling more like her angelic self, she went to rally her troops and to find Ron and Sandy. Looking back to the first encounter Gabriella knew the reason the man was being shadowed by so many evils, what she didn’t know was who he was.
*****
As much as Mary cleaned her teeth and rinsed her mouth, she couldn’t get rid of the foul taste of the man she’d had to pleasure. Besides for this she was pleased he’d believed her about her monthlies and that she’d been able to set the date that she was supposed to lose her virginity, almost a week later. She was quickly learning that they thought with their snakes and not their brains and she would use this to her advantage. Before her big day the following week, he wanted to teach her a number of other tricks and she would have to spend the time in between her lessons planning how to deceive her trainer into thinking she was a virgin.
*****
The lion hunters returned triumphant early the following morning, with a lion that caused awe and amazement amongst all the orphans and staff, and wonder in the villages both near and far afield. Marion nearly vomited when she saw Val practically throw herself at Gary, telling him how brave and fearless he was. Now that she knew that something was going on with Gary and Daniel, Marion noticed the conspiratorial looks between them and wondered how she and Val had missed them in the past.
So Gary and his team of hunters were hailed as heroes and the orphanage population were able to sleep easy that night for the first time since Mary’s disappearance.
Looking at Gary made Val realise how much she cared for him. Not only was he lovely to look at, thoughtful, caring and incredibly macho, he had also risked his own life to save children who hadn’t had a very good start in theirs. Val was certain she could trust him; the only downside to their relationship was the falling out with Marion. She hoped that they could get over that hurdle and be friends again, sooner rather than later. When the adoration had died down, Val leaned up and whispered in Gary’s ear. A lecherous smile spread across his face and he looked down at Val and nodded, kissing her cheek at the same time. The look wasn’t lost on Marion and she guessed what was planned for later that night. When for a moment she locked eyes with Val, she gave a tiny shake of her head. Val shook her own head slowly then gave Gary a long kiss on the lips, answering Marion’s silent question. Marion left the foyer without a single word and made her way upstairs to her bed. She knew without doubt that she’d have to deal with the fallout from Val’s doomed relationship; the only question mark was when that would be.
*****
The man had insisted she perform the disgusting act. Luckily he’d drank a lot as she’d hoped, and hadn’t noticed her trying not to gag as his eyes had been closed for most of the time. Mary made a mental note. She’d have to learn to overcome the disgust and please them so they’d keep coming back. She’d managed to sneak the stuff into his drink as Tamara had instructed. Even with the drink and the drug he had still had full sex with her, although she was sure he wouldn’t be able to remember much about it. He was now sleeping and she’d smeared the blood she’d hidden earlier onto the bed sheet. When he awoke he would naturally assume that he’d taken her virginity. Mary could then relax and bide her time knowing that for every one that forced themselves upon her, the legacy would be a ticking time bomb of disease that they might be able to control but could never diffuse.
*****
‘Where are they?’ Gabriella was surprised that Raphael and Claire hadn’t yet returned to the common room.
‘If you mean Claire and Superman,’ said Ron, ‘don’t know. I haven’t seen Claire so shaken
before so I assume she’s still resting.’
Resting was probably the wrong word thought Gabriella but decided to leave them to it. ‘We need to go and find out more about the man being shadowed by the evils,’ she saw the look of terror on Sandy’s face. ‘Don’t worry, we’re taking plenty of back-up with us this time.’
‘But, Gabriella, what if...’
‘You’ll be perfectly safe, Sandy. This time. Sometimes we all have to do things outside our comfort zone. It makes us stronger.’
Ron nearly choked. Maybe running a marathon or climbing a mountain was his idea of doing something outside his comfort zone, not battling with evil, deranged souls whose sole purpose was to take pleasure from inflicting maximum pain for eternity.
‘Ron?’
‘Ready when you are, Gabriella,’ it wouldn’t do Sandy any good to see that he was bricking it as much as she was.
*****
Claire must have fallen asleep. Despite her near hell experience and the revelations that followed it, she woke up feeling completely happy and safe. Opening her eyes she took in her surroundings. Everything was a brilliant white and seemed to ooze sparkle, but without dazzling. The bed was the most comfortable she’d ever laid on and she felt as if she were being softly caressed, without actually being touched. The walls appeared to be covered in soft, large white feathers and when she got up from the bed and ran her hand down the wall, she giggled at the softness beneath her fingers.
‘You’re awake then?’
She turned to see her hero and they smiled at each other. Raphael opened his arms and it was the most natural thing for Claire to enter his embrace. She looked up at him and he leaned down. Their lips touched and Claire thought she would explode with light. She didn’t want that kiss to end but Raphael wanted to be absolutely sure this was the right time. He knew she was vulnerable because of the attack and still stunned having seen hell on earth, but wanted her to be with him because she found him attractive, not because she was in awe of him.
