“You would rather die, huh? Well, how do you know? Have you ever tried it, or maybe you should ask your dear, sweet mommy!”
His voice was booming and raspy at the same time, and I could feel my shirt rip more as the seams began to separate under my weight.
Lucifer pulled me in close, so we were face-to-face. “I always get what I want! Either you do as you’re told, or I will drag you myself down into the deepest pit of Hell, and I will personally torture you each day. I will tear you apart in a different way, and then have you put back together in time for me to do it all over again. How does that sound, you little bastard?”
With every word he said, more and more of the strength and boldness left me until I felt as weak and defenseless as a newborn child, fresh from the womb. He lowered his tone, and he sounded like a snake as he spoke. His fiery eyes became slit, and I could even see a forked tongue moving in and out of his mouth like the serpent he was morphing in to.
“You have no idea of what I can do, and now there are no more deals to be had. You have tested my limits, so this is what you get. Keep things the way they are, and you do what I say when I say it, or I will literally make your life a living hell. You have until tomorrow night to make the right decision! I’ll be seeing you soon.”
His forked tongue came out of his mouth and brushed the side of my face. Then he opened his other hand and hit me in the chest, causing my shirt to tear away entirely.
I fell to the bottom of the mountain.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Lucifer
The Spirit Realm
I SURVEYED MY KINGDOMS as I summoned my dark powers to restore my beauty. I hated being in my fallen state. It reminded me of everything I had lost, but it served as a driving force to gain it all back. I hadn’t planned to stop at just getting my resplendent countenance back. Oh, no, not at all. I wouldn’t stop until I got what I set out to do over two thousand years ago. I wouldn’t stop until I took over all of Heaven, and had The One, his son, and his holy spirit kneel before me in surrender.
At that point I had been unaffected by the fires of Hell, but I knew the day would come when The One would cause them to consume me, and I shuddered at the thought. The One’s complete and total annihilation was the only way I could escape my fate of being burned forever in the Lake of Fire. I was terrified of that lake, and I did everything I could to not look at or think about that dreadful place. I wasn’t fooled over the seriousness of our plight like my underlings were, but a part of me figured they knew what awaited them at the end of the age. All of the demons and my fallen angelic brothers followed me because I was the strongest among them, and even in our depraved state, none had a snowball’s chance of defeating me.
The other reason why any of them followed me was that I was the only one who had a plan of trying to overthrow The One, so we could return to the third heaven. I was the wisest of all those who’d been cast out, for I was gifted with a breadth of knowledge far beyond anything they possessed. I also was the highest angel in all of Heaven. I was the seal of perfection, and I had every beautiful and precious stone set in my being. I had also walked among the fiery stones which no other angel had been able to do. As I looked down at myself, I was no longer perfect, and the stones had been ripped from my body the day I was cast out. I had to get it all back. I had to be made whole again. The loss of everything that was taken from me caused the greatest pain in my body.
Each and every time I had looked upon them, I was overwhelmed by their beauty, and the glorious gilded glow that proceeded from them always lifted my spirits. Because of my hard work and continued dedication, I had controlled the entire world for over a millennium. After all, I was the prince and the power of the air.
I watched as The One’s children who occupied the different kingdoms went about their daily lives and pursued their own lustful pleasures. Many of them would never know they served me their entire lives until the moment they stood before me as I pronounced judgment on them. My hatred for those contemptable beings was only matched by my necessity to control them. I would be nothing without them, for after all, those wretched half-breeds were the source of my strength. I called them half-breeds because they were not pure spirit beings like myself, but they were a spirit wrapped in a rotting corpse of a shell. Their sins were what powered me and my kingdom, and if they were to fully embrace The One, my kingdom would cease to exist.
I studied those miserable creatures for as long as they had existed, and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out why The One adored them so much. He even preferred them over the angelic, his original creation. I was the first angel The One ever made. I was The One’s covering Cherubim, and I faithfully and loyally served him. I trained the other angels as well as catered to his every whim, and I never asked for anything. I did as I was told, but when The One made man in his image, I felt he had betrayed all of his angels. I broke when he commanded all of Heaven to serve those inferior creatures. That was the ultimate slight, it was one I could not forgive.
I wanted what was rightfully mine since I was the first born, but since The One decided I was less-than worthy compared to his new creation, I would have to teach him a lesson. At first, I set out to try and be like The One to prove my worthiness, but when my attempts were ignored, I became enraged. My angelic brethren and I decided it was time to raise my throne above his, and he cast us all out like garbage. That was the day I set my sights on the total and complete destruction of his chosen creation. He would suffer as I had suffered.
Within a few short years, I had taken over the earth. I intimidated The One so badly he flooded the planet—a fact that still brings me joy because I got him to kill his own children. After the waters receded, he promised to never again flood the earth.
Then I simply deceived everyone again. There were so many who walked around in my kingdom unaware of how I dictated their every step, and once I had set my sights on an individual, they always bent to my will. Even the strongest among the half-breeds eventually succumbed to my leading, and very few got away.
But Alec Williams...
That insignificant piece of trash refused me. Me! Nations trembled at the mere mention of my name, and I was told no by a man who had no angelic beings backing his refusal. There is no way he could have been able to resist my offerings.
I was on the edge of screaming out curses at the top of my lungs, but I contained myself for the moment. For there were those in the demonic realm who have tried to challenge me, and I could not appear weak. I wanted my underlings to believe I planned everything to go the way it did that day, so instead, I channeled my wrath and caused it to flow through my being. That strengthened me and sped up the process of restoring my previous once-held glorious demeanor.
The illusion was something I had to constantly focus on to maintain, but over the centuries, I had perfected it like an art form. It had become second nature to me. The only time it became a challenge was when I became enraged, and quickly everyone could see my fallen state, and I had even used that to horrify the disobedient into falling in line.
Now... There must have been a reason as to why Alec was able to resist me. He didn’t have the mark of the redeemed, and there were no angelic beings around him. Unless...No, it couldn’t be. Could he be considering giving his life to The One? Panic caused my arm to shiver, and my head to twitch repeatedly to the left several times until I focused on making it stop. My servants had not reported any angelic activity around him, and The Man had performed his job quite well. I didn’t understand how his refusal could have happened not once, but three separate times.
Then it hit me, and my breathing became rapid and my muscles flared for war as my mind zeroed in on the only possible reason as to why a mere man would be able to resist me and my best offerings. The One had to be after Alec, and was trying to keep me in the dark about his involvement. If that’s how he wanted to play it, then the game was on. I had lured many of his sons and daughters away from him, and they were mine to torment f
orever in Hell.
I smiled at the thought of wooing another of his beloved children away from him, and the comforts of peace returned to me. I would win the battle, and ultimately the war between us over Alec, but I had to return to Hell and devise a plan to lure in my prey.
A door of fire appeared and opened behind me. I slowly turned and heard the voices of the damned, moaning and crying out in their eternal pain for forgiveness and release. The wails always brought such joy to my ears because they would never receive even the slightest bit of relief. They were forever punished for their misdeeds. I stood straight and walked through the door as I began to plan the end of Alec Williams.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Alec Williams
Williams Industries Headquarters
Williams Point, New York
I CAME TO AT MY DESK. I sat back in my chair and tried to shake the haze from my brain. I had tried my best to explain away all of the strange events I encountered over the last days, but this time I knew what I’d experienced had truly occurred. I didn’t need to look at the many broken items strewn about the floor, the broken walls of my office, or the shirt that clung to me in tatters. I knew beyond a shadow of any doubt my life was in grave danger, and no amount of denying it would help me. It appeared to me I was destined to suffer for all eternity, and after everything I had learned, I truly felt it was what I deserved.
I looked at my watch for the time, but it had been smashed beyond recognition. I felt every bit of the beating I received. The clock across the room said six p.m. I’d been gone all day? I let out a grunt of pain as I tried to sit up in my chair. Everything hurt and my body was racked with pain, but luckily Lucifer hadn’t broken any of my bones. I tried to get up, and then the hair on my arms stood up, and the air filled with electricity and dread.
“Your time is running out.”
I sat straight back in my chair, utterly oblivious to the pain. The Man Wrapped in Darkness stood in front of my desk. I didn’t know how he got in the room, but I knew he hadn’t been there a moment ago. Then as quickly as he appeared, he vanished.
My heart pounded in my chest. Why was he there? Lucifer said The Man worked for him. Was that how Lucifer was going to get me to go along with his schemes?
He planned to torment me until I gave up.
Then I noticed The Man hadn’t left the room but stood in a dimly lit corner amidst numerous broken lamps. What in the world was he doing? Was he going to move around the room? Nothing the guy had done since he showed up had made any sense. I didn’t know how long he’d been there and wondered if he could make himself invisible. Did any of it really matter?
I was already dead.
His voice interrupted my endless questioning train of thought. “I told you I would be coming again very soon. You remember my question, don’t you?”
I hoped the strength I felt during Lucifer's temptations would return, or maybe the voice would quietly whisper the answer The Man wanted in my ear. Unfortunately, none of those things happened, and I sunk further into my chair. “Yes, I remember.”
“Good. Say it to me so I know you clearly remember what I asked you.”
“You asked me if I would continue on in my family’s footprints, extending the legacy that so many of the Williamses had furthered before me, or would I choose another path?”
I could see the outline of The Man move his head in approval amongst the darkness that swirled about him.
His harsh and graveled voice pierced through the darkness and cut me to my core like a knife would a piece of meat. I hated his voice. It disturbed me more than hearing Lucifer’s.
“Very good, so you were listening after all. Do you have an answer for me?”
I couldn’t take it anymore at that point. His last comment caused anger to well up in me, but it also filled me with boldness. It wasn’t the strength from before, but it was strength nonetheless. Besides what did it matter? The fact I was going to die seemed inevitable. Whether it happened today or thirty years from now made no difference to me. My mom and best friend were dead. My dad hated me from the day I was born, and I was beginning to see sweet release of death as a reprieve from my miserable existence.
“An answer to what? I don’t even understand your stupid question! I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“I told you I would be coming back, and when I do, I want an answer.”
“I don’t have one for you because I don’t know what you’re talking about! How many times do I have to tell you that before it sinks into your skull? If you even have a skull under all that darkness. And what is that anyway? A giant storm cloud?”
The Man moved toward me as if each step he took had purpose and meaning. I was sure I was going to be tossed around the room again by whatever that thing was. I always heard the world was a screwed up and scary place, and I realized then how true that was. My life itself had become a living hell.
“Oh let me guess,” I barked at him. “You’re going to come over here and throw me around the room as your boss did. Well, go ahead, because at this point, I don’t care. I’m a dead man anyway, so why don’t you do us both a favor and get it over with already.”
“I didn’t show up here to harm you this evening.” His voice had softened. “But your time is running out.”
I sagged farther into my seat, exhausted and defeated. I no longer possessed the strength or boldness my anger had gifted me from when I refused Lucifer, and I embraced my soon approaching fate. The last few weeks had been the worst of my life, and I realized my family and every member in it was a plague on the face of the earth. “I know my time is running out. Your boss just visited me and told me so.”
The Man stopped in front of my desk. Even at the close distance, I couldn’t make out any discernable features of who he was or what he looked like. He breathed deeply before he spoke. “I will return tomorrow night for your answer. Your time has run out.”
I looked down at my desk and nodded.
When I raised my head, The Man was gone.
I WAITED UNTIL I KNEW everyone had gone for the day before I decided to go home. Evidence of the beating I received at the hands of Lucifer could be seen by all, and I wanted to avoid anyone who’d notice and start rumors. A bruise began to form around my left eye and down my cheek, and my bottom lip had split open and was too sensitive to touch. It wept blood randomly during the day but didn’t look like it needed stitches. The possibility of internal bleeding was a real one. I could just imagine the conversation with the doctor.
Wow. Were you in a fight, Alec? Do I even want to see the other guy?
Funny you should ask, doc. Satan himself showed up at my office because apparently, my genius great-grandfather sold all of our souls to him for a successful company, and he wanted to make sure I would be obedient like my father and the others before him. When I refused, he beat the ever-livin’ crap out of me in my office, and then took me off to some creepy fantasy land. So, how was your day, doc?
I wouldn’t have believed it either if it hadn’t happened to me.
I packed my things, made sure I had the red and black leather book, and called for James to come and pick me up. I did my best to cover my ripped shirt with my jacket, but that too showed evidence of a fight.
When James pulled up, I kept my head down and turned away from him to quickly slide into the back seat. I breathed a difficult sigh of relief through obviously cracked ribs when he didn’t mention my appearance and closed the door.
There were so many things running through my mind, and I needed to make sense of it all. I didn’t understand The Man’s question, and what would The Man do to me tomorrow night when he showed up?
Would Lucifer show up with him? What would Lucifer do to me? I had accepted that I would not live through it, but there was a part of me that wanted to try.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Rachel Willenski
Williams Industries Headquarters – Accounting Division
Williams Point
, New York
MY HEART SANK INTO the pit of my stomach when I had seen Alec walk into his office where Lucifer waited. I wanted to be the only one who solely met with Lucifer, and envy consumed me like a wildfire. Again, I had to thank my father and Reviler for the secret cameras in Alec’s office when it belonged to Maxwell. I relished the opportunity to observe everything that transpired in Alec’s office. Reviler had shared many secrets with me since we started working together, but the tech he used intrigued me the most. Everything he had was far ahead of anything currently available at the time, and I wanted all he had. Reviler told me he would only give me what I needed when I needed it, to which I disagreed, so I would have to find a way to usurp him if he wouldn’t give me what I wanted.
However, that plan would have to wait as I turned my attention back to Alec as he slowly moved toward Lucifer and shook hands with him. I both hated and wanted to be in Alec’s shoes all at the same time. I would be Lucifer’s favored follower, and as I watched the two interact on my monitor, my hatred for Alec grew. I wish I would have had the foresight to kill Alec years ago. That would have robbed me of the joy of ruining every bit of happiness he ever had, but it also meant I wouldn’t be sitting there watching him with Lucifer. If Alec would have died when he was younger, I would already be the one running the company.
As I fumed about it, the dark powers stirred within me. I grabbed my ceramic coffee cup and crushed it to pieces in my right hand like it was made of paper. I rolled up the sleeve on my left arm and cut myself with a jagged piece of the cup in a fit of rage. I didn’t know why cutting myself in anger was my immediate go-to, but something inside compelled me to do so.
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