The Demon On My Chest: Waking Up

by Dan Farris

  “Hello,” the unknown voice said. Fuck, is that a woman?

  “You speak English? Who--who are you? Where are you?”

  “We’re not speaking English. We’re speaking a language that no human should understand.”

  “Where are you?” ONe of the anacondas was crawling towards him. He stumbled back and fell to the ground. The anaconda crawled up to Sean and stared at him. “Please, don’t eat me.”

  Sean closed his eyes and lowered his head, preparing to be devoured. When nothing happened, he opened his eyes. Before him stood a naked woman. Her eyes were hazel, her skin was a mixture of green and brown, and her hair was pure blue, stopping at her shoulders.

  “You? You were the woman from the lake!”

  “I felt you, all the way in America. I felt your power. I knew you would come to me. I haven’t felt such power.” Sean slowly stood back up.

  “Wait a minute, it’s you! You’re… Gaia?”

  She nodded.

  “Mother Earth…wait. Aadon! If those people get him, they’ll find Mary Ann. I have to go find him.” Sean started to move, and all the animals howled at him.

  “Can you make them stop?” He asked.

  “After we talk a bit.” Gaia stared at Sean as if she was studying him. “What are you?”

  “What am I? What are you? Earth? How is this possible?”

  “I’m not Earth.”

  “But Aadon…he said you were the Earth.”

  “We’re standing on the Earth. We’re standing on my mother.”

  “Your mother?”

  “She was like the other planets once, but God kept intervening with this rock, until I was born. I sprung forth from deep within my mother.”

  “So, God is your...father?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is some heavy stuff. Have you ever spoken to Him? To God?”

  “No. When I first came into existence, I tried to, but he sent one of my brothers to tell me to stop calling for him, because I was a mistake. I wasn’t part of Father’s plans, he said. His name was Aadon.”

  “That’s how he knows about you! He told me that we would find you here. I came with him and someone else. He didn’t tell me about the other part. So, you don’t know what I am, do you?”

  “No, but I sense great power in you. I’ve never felt such power. Power that is not of this world.”

  “I don’t know what that means. And why are you living here in the rainforest?”

  “The humans have decimated my mother. I like to stay as far away from mankind as possible. I could destroy them, easily, but that would make Father very unhappy.”

  “That doesn’t sound like a pleasant existence. Watching your mother being abused, and you can’t do anything but watch.”

  “A mistake like me could wish for no better. I shouldn’t even exist.”

  “Don’t say that. God doesn’t make mistakes.”

  “You’re powerful, but very naïve, it seems.”

  “Do you know who knocked me out? And what happened to Aadon and Persephone?”

  “By the time I sent my friends to get you, they were all gone.”

  “If they took Aadon and Persephone, then why didn’t they take me? I’m the one they were after. Why didn’t they keep looking for me in the forest? I need to find them both before they tell the witches and warlocks bout Mary Ann.”

  “They have meaning to you? Aadon and this Persephone?”

  “Both of them are liars. They want to use me. I don’t trust either of them. But I must find them before they tell these people about Mary Ann, she’s my… the only thing I care about. And if they have Aadon, it’s only a matter of time before they find out about Mary Ann. I have to get to her first. You wouldn’t know how to get to The Darkness, would you?”

  “Your woman is in The Darkness?”

  “Yeah… She’s dead, but I love her.”

  “I’m sorry, I can’t help you. I do not have the power to enter The Darkness.”

  “Shit, guess I’m going to have to figure out another way to get there then.”

  “You can stay here, with me, until you figure it out. You’ll be safe. The humans will never find you here.” Gaia looked seductively at Sean.

  “Thanks, but I should be looking for Aadon and Persephone.”

  “How can you find them?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know.”

  Aadon and Persephone have been kidnapped by witches and warlocks. This is crazy. They want me so bad that they followed me all the way down here. Where are they now? They want to find me, all I have to do is let them.

  “I got it. I’m going back home. It’s me they want. I’ll wait for them to come for me, and they’ll take me to Aadon and Persephone. I just hope that Aadon hasn’t told them about Mary Ann yet.”

  “You came all this way to just go back? You would surrender yourself to these humans? They have the power to capture an angel. They sound dangerous.”

  “I have to make sure that Aadon and Persephone didn’t tell them about Mary Ann.”

  “What if the humans hurt you? What if they kill you?”

  “I don’t plan on dying. Maybe my powers will save me.”

  “You must go at once, then. One of my friends will lead you back to civilization.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Now, will you do me a favor?”

  “Of course. Anything!”

  Gaia touched Sean’s chest. “Lie with me, before you go.”

  “I…I...I can’t.”

  “Your woman?”

  “Yeah, I can’t betray her.”

  “Please. I’ve never laid with another creature before.”

  “I’ve never been more attracted to anything in my life. You’re perfect, but I can’t.”

  Gaia stared deeply into Sean’s eyes. Fuck! Don’t do it Sean, don’t do it. Gaia kissed Sean on the lips. He tried to push her away at first, but then stopped. Fuck, don’t do it, don’t do it, Mary Ann, Mary Ann. Sean finally pushed her away.

  “I can’t, I’m sorry. You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve cheated on women before, but Mary Ann, I love her. I can’t.”

  “She must be truly special, then. You can go, and should you ever change your mind, come find me. I may not be here, but I’m sure you’ll find a way. Maybe we’ll meet again in your dreams. Simeon, show him the way back.”

  From all the animals surrounding Sean and Gaia, a jaguar emerged. The jaguar roared at Sean and took off. Sean looked at Gaia a final time before following the jaguar. Shit, I must really be in love. I just turned down the hottest woman ever. I hope I can keep up with this jaguar. I hope he doesn’t try to eat me.

  Chapter 28-Rebecca

  Rebecca and Achcauthilli had been running non-stop for a few weeks.

  “You think we’ll make it? We’ve been seeing more and more demons above us,” said Rebecca.

  “Now she wants to talk? As long as this spell holds, we don’t have anything to worry about. No matter how many they are, they can’t see or sense us.”

  “If you believe that, then why have you avoided everything? Since we’ve been running, we haven’t come across a soul other than the demons in the sky. I don’t think you have full faith in this spell.”

  “I do, but better safe than sorry. Besides, at least we get some alone time.”

  “How lucky for me.” If Dagon finds us, I’ll never seen Pursan again.

  “Have you figured out who betrayed you to Dagon yet?” Rebecca remained silent. “What is it, you don’t trust me? You can trust me, I rescued you.”

  “You’re looking out for your own self-interest, so don’t play the hero.”

  Achcauthilli grinned.

  “And why is it taking us so long to get there?”

  “As a precaution, it’s best we take the long way. I hope Agrippa isn’t the one who betrayed your king. If so, then our future is not looking so bright. For me, no more capturing souls. No more wrestling, and I love wrestling. And for you
...”

  “Let’s stop talking.”

  “Oh no,” said Achcauthilli.

  “What is it? Are we there?”

  “The spell. It’s worn off.”

  “I told you this would happen!”

  “Calm down, we’re nearly there. We haven’t seen a demon above us in a while. Just a little further.”

  “Does anyone else live with Agrippa?”

  “Likely. Romans love to keep company. We best walk now, quietly.”

  They walked briefly, and then Achcauthilli suddenly stopped.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Perhaps this wasn’t such a good idea after all. All this time, we should have been looking for Pursan. I would have found him.”

  “The spell’s worn off. It was too risky. Dagon may have found us. Or someone else.”

  “Even without the spell, I could have avoided detection.”

  Rebecca looked at Achcauthilli, his eyes were looking in every direction. He was trembling.

  “You’re afraid, aren’t you? Weren’t you a warrior when you were on Earth?”

  “I may have been a warrior, but this is Hell. You and I have been lucky. We’re supposed to suffer for all eternity, you know. Have you seen what Hell is really like for humans who aren’t so lucky?”

  “I’ve seen a little: fields, a dome.”

  “I’ve been to nearly every corner of Hell. Every pain and terror that you can imagine, I’ve seen it. I’ve seen it. Physical torment, mental torment, emotional torment. I won’t let that happen to me, even if I have to run for all eternity. I won’t get captured.” Achcauthilli turned away from Rebecca and headed the other direction.

  “Where are you going?”

  “You don’t know who betrayed Pursan. If Agrippa did it, then it’s back to Dagon or worst. And me, I won’t risk it. I…I can’t.”

  “You’ve lost your nerve. You’re leaving me, then?”

  Achcauthilli looked toward the ground and ran off.

  Maybe he’s right. What if it was Agrippa? What if I’m walking toward eternal torment? What other options do I have? Run, and hope that Pursan finds me? No, that’s too risky. Agrippa didn’t betray him. This is my best option.

  Rebecca was contemplating her next move when someone uttered the words, in Latin, “What business do you have on my master’s lands?”

  Rebecca looked around and saw an old man wearing a dirty robe, absent any shoes. He had patches of gray hair on his head, he was severely overweight.

  “I said, what business do you have on my master’s lands?”

  Rebecca replied, in Latin, “I’m here to see Agrippa. Can you take me to him?”

  The old man scoffed. “You just can’t come and ask to speak to my master. Who are you?”

  “My name is Kate. I was sent to serve Agrippa.”

  “Sent by whom?”

  “King Pursan.”

  “The king sent you to serve my master? In what way can you serve him?”

  “That’s between me and him.”

  “Who do you think you are?”

  “You may serve Agrippa, but I was sent here by the master of your master. Shall I return to him, and tell him that...ah, what’s your name?”

  “Claudius.”

  “Shall I return to him and tell him that Claudius would not let me through?”

  “That won’t be necessary. Follow me.”

  Claudius walked ahead of Rebecca, and he walked very slowly and grunted with each step, as if he were in pain. I wonder if that’s the Claudius I’m thinking of. The second Emperor of Rome. No, it can’t be.

  “Your Latin is flawless. I nearly took you for a Roman,” he said.

  “How far are we from Agrippa?”

  “A day, at the most. We’ll get there soon enough.”

  I hope Dagon doesn’t find me before then.

  A day later, there appeared to be the outskirts of a city. It was a cluster of buildings, stadiums, and statues. The architecture was a mixture of all the civilizations that Rebecca had learned about in her books. Everything from ancient Roman villas to the houses and sky-rises she remembered seeing on Earth. She even saw a large, modern football stadium. From what she could tell, the city contained hundreds of souls, and their attire was just as different as their ethnicities.

  “Who are all these souls?”

  “Friends of the master. He saved everyone here from eternal torment, me included.”

  “Where do you live, Claudius?”

  “Not in the city; Master commands me to live on the edges. With no home. My sole purpose is to alert him to visitors.”

  They continued walking in the city, there was an enormous ancient Roman villa on top of a hill. “That must be where we’re going.” Claudius nodded.

  They walked toward the hill until they entered the large courtyard of the villa. “Stay. I’ll tell the master you’re here.” Claudius headed inside. He can’t be the one who betrayed Pursan. He can’t be.

  Claudius returned a short time later. “This way.” Rebecca followed Claudius. It took them nearly one hundred yards to finally enter the villa. Once inside, they passed by several rooms. How big is this place? Finally, they reached the biggest room in the villa. “He’s right inside.”

  “Thank you, Claudius.” Claudius headed out to the villa as Rebecca went inside the room.

  When she entered, Agrippa was sitting behind a short table. He wore a white toga. He stood when he saw Rebecca. “Rebecca! The king has been looking everywhere for you. Where did you go?”

  “One of Pursan’s soldiers, Dagon, took me.”

  “Dagon? Please, sit down.”

  “Apparently, he was ready to make his power play. His companion was, anyway.”

  “How did he even know about you?”

  “Someone must have betrayed Pursan. I’m glad it’s not you, Agrippa.”

  “I would never betray the king. I serve him for all time. But if Dagon took you, how did you escape?”

  “A brute named Achcauthilli rescued me. He was trying to garner favor with Pursan.”

  “So others know about you? This isn’t good. If Samael finds out…”

  “I know. What do we do then?”

  “How long has it been since you escaped from Dagon?”

  “A few weeks, I think.”

  “By now, Dagon would have assumed that you’ve returned to Pursan. He has two options: either tell Samael about you or attempt a coup for himself. We can’t do anything if he tells Samael.”

  “And the coup attempt… Pursan can stop him?”

  “I’m not so sure. Dagon is the most respected demon in the king’s army, and he’s a commander.”

  “If he convinces other demons to follow him… so what now?”

  “First, I’ll send a message to the king that you’re safe. He’d want to act quickly, assemble the war council to discuss his options.”

  “Can he survive this, if Dagon attempts a coup?”

  “I’ve served the king for over eight thousand years. I’m sure he has a contingency plan in place if one of his soldiers ever attempted a coup. But Samael… no one planned for that.” We may need Rahab sooner than we thought.

  “Agrippa, where is Pursan?”

  “I’m not exactly sure, but he told me where to send envoys whenever I need to contact him. I’ll send them out at once. Please, stay in my villa until the king and war council arrives.”

  “Okay.”

  “One of my servants will escort you to your room. You should get some sleep. We may be dead, but our souls still get weary. Benjamin!” A young man entered the room; he wore a white toga like Agrippa. His eyes were turned toward the floor.

  “Take Rebecca to a room.”

  “Yes, Master. This way, please.” Benjamin left the room, and Rebecca followed. He barely looks like a man.

  They passed by several doors before stopping at a large room. “How old were you when you died, Benjamin?” Asked Rebecca as she entered the room.

  �
��Sixteen.” Rebecca could barely hear him as he spoke.

  “You can look at me. I won’t hurt you. How long have you been in Hell?”

  “Seven hundred years.”

  “So you died in the 1840’s? You’ve been serving Agrippa that whole time?”

  “I’ve only been serving the master for a few years.”

  “How exactly do you serve Agrippa?”

  “I escort guests to their room.”

  “That’s it? That’s all you do?”

  Benjamin put his head back down. “I serve Master in whatever way pleases him.”

  “What did you do before you served, Agrippa?”

  Benjamin shook his head. “Will that be all ma’am?”

  “Yes, thank you.” Benjamin left Rebecca in the room alone. She looked out the window and saw people leaving the villa, headed out in every direction. Agrippa moves quickly. Then, she lay on the bed and rested.

  When Rebecca awoke, a beautiful woman was standing in the doorway. “You slept a long time. You must have traveled far to get here. Please, follow me to the courtyard; the other guests should be here soon.” Rebecca got out of bed and followed the woman.

  “Did Agrippa tell you who I was?” Rebecca asked.

  “Master doesn’t share such information with me. He said only to treat his guest with the utmost dignity and respect.”

  “What is your name?”

  “My name is Marianna.”

  “How do you serve Agrippa?”

  Marianna licked her lips and looked seductively at Rebecca. “I serve Master in whatever way pleases him. Did I say something wrong? You don’t appear well.”

  Rebecca and Marianna stood outside when a man entered the courtyard. He had a neat beard and wore a purple robe. As he walked toward them, his robe turned into a modern purple suit.

  “Are you two the welcoming party? Where’s Agrippa? I received his message. Am I the first one here?”

  “You’re a member of the war council? Who are you?” Rebecca asked.

  “Solomon. Who are you?”

  “Solomon…from the Bible?”

  “One and the same.”

  “I’m also a member of the war council.”

  “Really? At least we have an even number now. So, she must be the welcoming party. What a beauty.” Solomon walked toward Marianna and stroked her hair.