Killing; I don’t know where exactly you stand there. But I’m sure if it’s done, you don’t personally do it. You leave it up to your Legions.
“Don’t cheat on your spouse. This is a beguiling one since you’re single and the father of orgies. You inspire sexual acts.” Belphegor opened his mouth. “I know, I know you inspire invention, too. Moving on. How, exactly, did you manage to get Mrs. Johnston’s building? Tyler’s explanation was fuzzy.”
“I offered her money, and she chose not to take it.”
“I wonder why.” Cody sighed. “Almost done. Don’t lie. Well,” he glanced at Hector, “she’s confirmed your story so far, but bending the truth to suit you, not sure if you get a pass. And the last Commandment, covet, which leads me back to Mrs. Johnston’s building. You really, really wanted it.”
“Guinevere wasn’t going to do anything with it, but let it be a blight in the reborn Main Street.” Belphegor remained cheerful against Cody’s icy glare. “I don’t recall your parents being naturalists.”
“What? Leave them out of it.”
“I don’t mean any disrespect to them. It’s curious Tyler and you seem more comfortable without clothes.” Cody blushed, realizing he hadn’t put his shirt back on but left it lying on the floor. “I’m not complaining or judging; you have magnificently built bodies. I wonder where it came from.”
“For someone who wants my help, flippant shouldn’t be your course of action.”
“I’m sorry, Cody. I thought we were bantering like roosters. You’re right; we should stay on track.” He put his goblet on the dresser, then sat on the edge of the bed, facing Cody. “Now, as I was saying, I prefer to follow God’s laws, not man’s. Humans do so much damage with all the laws put in place, then blame others when you get caught.
“Man’s laws are created to cover up your shame. I’ve never understood shame. It seems so vacuous to me. My kind wasn’t created with it in us, and neither was yours.”
Putting on a broad smile, he continued, “You see when Adam and Eve were escorted out of the divine garden, their eyes were opened to the truths about what was in a world they had no idea existed.
“The garden was the only place they had ever known, and then they had joined the ranks of the sinful creatures similar to them in many ways. The ones they joined weren’t as pulchritudinous. Correction, not all were hideously malformed. In fact, a small percentage of the population was unsightly.” Cody’s brow furrowed with confusion. Belphegor brightened. “You won’t find it in the Holy Book, but it’s true.”
“Who were they?” Cody asked.
“They were the beings God hoped Adam, Eve and their beautiful offspring never had the chance to meet. He wanted to keep his mistakes a secret from them.” He glanced at Hector standing helplessly in the hall, then continued his history lesson, “Some were actually more glorious than Adam and Eve. But they had traits God didn’t like. He wanted perfection, and they were far from it. They took pleasure as they saw fit, coupling with Angels though it was forbidden, creating the great Nephilim.” Glee brightened his face. “They were magnificent. Their destruction was horrible.”
Cody stared at Belphegor, not knowing what he should take from this strange speech, and had no choice but to take him on his word. Hector acted as though she didn't hear the soundtrack, only watching a silent movie without narrative cards, leaving no one to contradict or agree with the Fallen Angel. So much information flooded his brain that he needed to review it later.
“I’m sorry, I went off topic.” He chuckled. “Adam made it law for humans to cover themselves, hiding their glorious bodies from each other, which, as I mentioned before, you and Tyler are comfortable without clothing.”
Belphegor paused, Cody watched him as he returned to the window to fill his glass from the never empty carafe. He wasn’t sure whether this was the end of their discussion as the silence between them thickened. So many questions were yet to be asked, while others formed from this brief conversation. He still didn’t know how Belphegor expected him to help him return to Heaven.
“Don’t worry Cody. We will settle all the confusion swirling inside you. We have ample time for everything to be revealed. But, first, I want you to know I will never tell you an untruth. I have no reason. God gave you free-will, and I will never thwart any of your gifts.”
“How about exploiting them?” He nodded to Tyler.
“I will ask you to use your strengths. To do what you’re good at doing. Which I’m sure you see as exploitation.”
“And exactly what is it you expect me to do?”
Staring at the bustle of work being performed on the buildings lining Main Street, Belphegor seemed not to have heard the question. The wine swirled in the crystal glass with the slightest flicks of his wrist. Belphegor put it on the window ledge, turning back toward the room. As he returned to sit on the bed, the hue of his eyes deepened, staring at Cody.
“I want you to spread the message of God’s love around the world. I want everyone to know they are not alone in this life. I want—”
“To bring the Apocalypse,” Cody finished.
The Fallen Angel leaned back, sighing. Cody stood from the chair, anticipating what this demon planned for him now since he hadn’t spoken favorably of his plans.
“Cody,” Belphegor whispered. “Those are horrors written to scare people into bowing. I know you know this to be true.” Cody moved to the window. “Have you seen peace in the world in your lifetime?” Cody shook his head. “I don’t want an account of my misery to be told to the world.” Cody returned his gaze to him. Moisture accumulated at the base of his lashes, threatening to drop. Almost there. Belphegor thought, continuing, “I don’t want anyone worshipping me. I want the nastiness to stop, not for me, but for you. Do you understand?”
“I understand,” Cody said softly, wanting to put his arms around Belphegor.
“I chose you because you have a purity about you. Something the people of the world will feel as well.” He joined Cody at the window, placing his hand on his bare shoulder. “I think you’ll agree on how nice life will be when you don’t have to worry about what terrorists are doing in the town you live? They’ve already been in your backyard, and they will again. It’s only a matter of time before it gets worse.”
“People have been saying stuff like this for years, and nothing has—”
“You’re right, Cody,” he interrupted. “Nothing quite as big as the last Great War has happened. Trust me when I say this. It’s brewing.” He turned away from the window, and his smile gleamed. Hector’s mouth opened in a silent scream. “Think hard and long on this, Cody. In the end, you decide what happens.” They turned, facing each other. Knowing he didn’t have to say more to convince Cody, he finished by saying, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have things to attend to.”
Cody glanced around the room as though he were looking for what had pulled Belphegor’s attention away from him. Cody jabbed Tyler in the arm; he beamed up at his brother. At the door, he paused, silently pleading the Fallen Angel to say something else, anything else, but he didn’t. Without a word, he joined Hector, sorrow pouring from her, and Tyler, quietly closing the door on Belphegor’s satisfaction.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly.
Proverbs 20:30, KJV
“Isn’t it great!?” Tyler exclaimed, going down the stairs. At the landing, he stopped, noticing Cody didn’t follow. He looked up to the floor above. “You coming?” His smile hadn’t faded, but he hadn’t heard everything Belphegor had told Cody.
“No. I think I’ll take a bath.”
Tyler raised his eyebrows, not expecting the response. “Sure, you look like you’ve had a long day, and you don’t smell so good since you didn’t come home last night.” He pushed his lips out, lowering his eyelids. “You gonna tell me who you hooked up with last night?”
“It wasn’t anything like you think.” He blus
hed.
“Sure, sure.” Tyler chuckled. “Just ignore Dorothy, she’ll go away when you fill the tub.”
“Who? What?”
Tyler shrugged, then hopped down to the lobby.
Peeking in the bathroom, he saw it was empty, and entered, flicking on the light. He reached behind the curtain, turning the knobs to fill the tub, then putting his fingers under the faucet to make sure it was the right temperature before pulling up the stopper lever. Unbuttoning his pants, sliding them to the floor, he considered closing the door, but thought it unnecessary; there certainly weren’t any guests.
The hot water soothed the fatigue from the previous thirteen hours. Sliding under the surface, and holding his breath, he allowed his mind to pause and not think of anything.
His hair swayed around his head in the gentle flow of the water. Tiny bubbles drifted from his skin. Soft thuds echoed through the tub, disturbing the serenity of the smooth surface of the water. His eyes popped open, expecting Tyler to be standing over him in a feeble attempt to scare him. He flung himself up, screaming, water splashing the walls and floor. Jen chuckled in the living room below, thinking he’d met Dorothy, while the girl was pleased with his reaction.
“What are you doing in here, Dorothy? Can’t you see I’m taking a bath?”
She nodded, saying, “I’m not Dorothy. She won’t be back until you’re done.” Her smile bore teeth. “You must be Cody. I’ve heard them talking about you. Are you going to do it?”
“Do what?”
“What he wants?”
“How do you know about our conversation? Who are you anyway?”
“Becki.” She giggled. “I heard them.”
“Tyler and Jen? I thought he was comatose.”
“Nope, not them.”
“I don’t have time for riddles, Becki.” He growled. “Who are you talking about?
“You’re mean!”
She stepped away from the tub, turning and running from the room. Her long, blond hair whipped around her head.
All he wanted to do was relax. He knew the path he’d chosen was going to be long and hard. But for now, why wasn’t he allowed to have one minute to catch his breath?
His mind wandered to things he had wanted to be when he grew up. The first he remembered was proclaiming to his mom that he wanted to be a Pastor, later a Rock Star, followed by many others, which never stuck until he found Marketing in College. Becoming a Preacher hadn’t grazed his mind since he had lost interest in the idea when he was ten. Now, he’d come full circle, and he loved the idea.
The water cooled, and his fingers and toes puckered from being submerged too long. He pulled a towel from the rack on the wall, then dropped it to the floor after drying. Starting to put his pants on, he said, “Fuck it,” not caring whether Belphegor shuddered at the utterance. “I’m a ‘naturalist’ after all. And who’s going to see me?”
He wadded his clothes, leaving the tub to drain alone in the dark bathroom. Stopping abruptly, his vision locked on the doors down the hall, thinking he should tell Mr. Bel he agreed to do as he had asked.
He shook his head, sure the man already knew, and went downstairs. The bath was what he had needed. He hadn’t felt relaxed in many weeks. The serenity waned as he stood outside the apartment. His heart began to race, and his hand trembled, reaching for the knob.
Tyler and Jen sat on the couch, staring at the fluttering screen. Their attention immediately went to him. Jen blushed but was impressed with his muscular build and manhood. Tyler laughed, happy to see he wasn’t the only one in the family comfortable in the nude.
The longer he waited at the door without clothes, the more awkward he felt. Moving into the room, he placed himself between them and the TV, his mind finding words for him to speak.
“I come to you naked as a symbol of no secrets, showing you, I have nothing to hide, even this ugly tattoo.” He held up his arm; Jen didn’t see the tattoo as her gaze stuck on more important parts of his anatomy. “I’ve hidden something from you, Tyler. You need to know, so we can move forward without having to keep anything from each other. We are at the core of something great marking the future of the world. Without me telling you this, we cannot be a strong unit.” He swallowed a lump of saliva. “I’m gay.”
“Shut up!” Tyler said boisterously. “I have a gay brother. No way!”
Cody’s skin turned pink. “You knew?”
“Yeah, you told me when you were drunk the night we buried Mom and Dad. But you never brought it up again, so I didn’t, either. I figured you’d tell me again when you were ready and sober. I guess it’s now.”
Tyler jumped from the couch, hugging Cody, who wiggled from his embrace. “A little weird.” He looked at Jen’s beet-red face. “I told you the other night, don’t be embarrassed about what happened.”
She forced a smile, wishing Tyler had given her the detail. “Oh, it’s not that,” she lied. “It’s the two of you. Do you need to get a room? I have ten empty upstairs, and I don’t know how many downstairs.”
“Seven,” Tyler answered. “Haven’t you been down there?”
“No,” she moaned. “Bill said it was creepy.”
“Can’t be any worse than the way the theater is now.” Cody laughed. “Speaking of; you have workers down there. Why aren’t you down there?”
“The morning kinda got away from me.” Tyler’s turn to blush. “I figured they know what they’re doing. I can take the day off.”
“I don’t think Mr. Bel will agree.” Cody didn’t realize he hadn’t said Belphegor.
“You’re right.” He leaned down to kiss Jen. “I should check on things.”
“I’ll come with you.” He headed to his room. “But clothes aren’t optional.”
Jen glanced at Tyler, batting her lashes. “Does this mean we don’t have to wear clothes in the apartment?” She asked in jest.
“No, thank God.” He laughed, retrieving his shoes from the bedroom. “And I think from his speech that he’s taking the job Mr. Bel offered him.”
“You are correct,” Cody said, returning, wearing jeans and brown suede vest with no shirt beneath.
“Job?” Jen asked. “Managing the Five-and-Dime or selling tickets to local stage shows?”
“Actually.” Cody beamed. “I’m the main attraction.”
Her amazement grew, and her mouth popped open. At first, she wasn’t sure if he was joking (she hadn’t known him long enough to have his sense of humor pegged), but the gleam in his eye and the satisfied smile told her it was no joke. “I didn’t know you’re an actor.”
“I’m not. I will be spreading the Word of God to the world.”
Her head tilted to the side as she studied the brothers. This place never ceased to amaze her. Ghosts roamed the halls. A strange old man lived in the room on the other side of the wall from her bedroom. A little girl liked to hang out in the hotel. And a wealthy man, who somehow always seemed to get his way, lived in the rooms overlooking Main Street. Cody and Tyler left her amazed in the apartment. For a moment Hector stayed near Jen, shaking her head.
Tyler didn’t know what time the crew had arrived, but they had been fast at work all day. When they came to inspect their progress, he was impressed. All the damaged floor beams had been replaced, and the subfloor was being laid into place. The seats, which had been stored in the basement, were lined up starting at the open back of the theater to the alley. The old upholstery had been bagged, filling the Dumpster. In the morning, repainting them had been scheduled, followed by new, red velvet to cover the seats once they were cured.
Eli nodded to them from the back door of the restaurant as they passed, returning to the front of the theater. “Looks as though the show is going on after all.”
“It is,” Tyler said. He winked at Eli, then said to Cody, “Go on back, I need a word with Eli.” Cody shrugged, wondering whether his brother was trying to hook him up with the chef, who he did not think was gay. When Cody was around the corner, Tyler continued,
“I promised Mr. Bel I’d talk with you about Friday night.”
“Something wrong with the food?”
“No, it was amazing. He was afraid you were flirting too hard with Jen, trying to move in on my territory sort of thing.”
“Oh?” The tufts of his mustache bounced into a grin. “I’m sorry, man, she seemed bored.”
“No apologies needed.” He looked side to side, then back at Eli. “We aren’t exclusive.”
“Uh?”
“We’ve only been dating a few months, but we’ve been friends for a long time. I won’t be angry if anything happens. The hotel isn’t booked or anything, and she hangs out there all day, so I’d totally understand.”
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