Bedeviled

by J. Ashburn

  “Ah fuck! My hand is on fire…” Micah dropped to his knees.

  Caleb growled, his eyes flashed red and black-feathered wings stretched from his body. He dove across the room, tackling Sebastian and crashing through the kitchen window.

  The fallen angels toppled to the ground, shifting into their true forms, claws and teeth scratching and nipping. Caleb’s wing flapped like mad as he rolled on top of Sebastian.

  “I will not let you hurt him!” Caleb cried, slashing at Sebastian’s face with his claws.

  Sebastian laughed. “Caleb please…” He seized Caleb’s arms and rolled him over. Black horns sprouted from his forehead and he pulled Caleb up, hoisting him off his feet. “The daylight might weaken me, but I can still best you.”

  He hurled Caleb across the yard, slamming him hard to the ground. “Look at you. You’re pathetic. You love this human…don’t you? You reek of him. He is all over you. I can’t believe you lie with this creature. They are lower life forms and our enemies… enemies of our Master. How dare you love them, any of them? They deserve nothing but destruction.”

  Caleb stumbled to his feet. “You have never felt love… we have never felt love. It changes you… brother.”

  “You are no longer my brother. You are now my enemy. There is no room in Hell for love and when I drag you back there, you will suffer eternally for your crimes. The souls of the damned will have pity on you.”

  “I will never go back. You can tell your master I renounce him.”

  “Oh Caleb, you are a joy. I almost respect your tenacity. But enough of this charade. Time to go home.”

  Sebastian spread his wings and lunged for Caleb. He bashed him down again, grabbed hold of his webbed foot and pulled him into the air. He glided past a cluster of trees and Caleb reached out, snagging a branch.

  The two of them tangled in the tree’s branches and fell out of the sky, hitting every branch down. Caleb hit the ground first and his human form took over. He tasted blood in his mouth and felt his body ache with pain. He rolled out of the way and Sebastian smashed beside him.

  “Blasted sunlight,” Sebastian spat. He reluctantly returned to his human body to heal. Bruises peppered his face and his nose bled. He glared at Caleb and laughed.

  Both fallen angels struggled to their feet. They faced off, hands curling into fists, bodies tense. Sebastian smiled and Caleb charged him, screaming. He shoved the arch-demon into the street and a huge trailer truck smashed him head on, sending him into orbit. The truck’s brakes screeched and the vehicle nearly jackknifed as it collided with a two other cars and shutdown the entire road.

  Caleb turned and started back across the neighborhoods. He put his hand over some of his wounds and they already began to heal. Finally, he reached Micah’s apartment and saw him standing in the doorway. All color had drained from his face.

  “Micah…”

  ###

  “Wings… you have wings…” Micah paced and scratched his head. “I’m not crazy. I saw it. Wings, and scales and a tail and… and…” he turned to stare right into Caleb’s eyes. “What are you? Who are you?”

  “Micah, I’m sorry.” Tears welled in Caleb’s eyes. “I wanted to tell you but I didn’t know how. I was afraid… afraid …”

  “Who are you, Caleb?”

  “I’m a fallen angel.”

  “A demon?”

  Caleb nodded. “I was thrown out of Heaven when I supported Lucifer with his war against our Father. But I was wrong. I should never have followed him. Father was right to be angry but we were misled. We were used. For thousands of years I did Lucifer’s bidding and corrupted human souls, urged them to sin, and tortured them when they came to Hell but I could no longer bear it. I was sorry for all that I had done. I wanted to repent, to earn my Father’s forgiveness. I escaped Hell and then I found you…”

  “It’s real?” Micah’s eyes widened. He ran his hand through his hair and practically fell onto the couch in the living room. “Heaven, Hell? Angels, demons? It’s all real? All of it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Holy shit.”

  “I know this is a lot to take in. And I know I should have told you right away but from the day I saved your life I thought you were special. There was something about you that I had never encountered in any human in all of existence. You were pure… pure of heart and soul. A love burns in you that I have never seen…I…”

  Micah put his head in his hands. “Holy… shit…”

  “I’m sorry, Micah. I know that you could never love a foul thing like me. I have brought nothing but misery and evil to your kind. But I am making up for it… all of it. I will not go back there and I will do good for all of my time.”

  “Show me again.”

  “What?”

  “Show me your true self.”

  Caleb shook his head. “It is twisted and ugly. It is my dark part.”

  “Show me.”

  He did as Micah asked and let the human body fade away for a moment. In its place stood a scaly being with horns and claws, his eyes glowed a fiery red and his black- feathered wings nearly spanned the room.

  Micah got up from the couch and took a few steps closer. “No. This is not the real you. It is not what you are now. The physical self is just a shell. It’s what’s on the inside the counts and this isn’t it.”

  Caleb returned to his human form and smiled.

  “See,” Micah continued. “This is what you really are… the being you inspire to be. I know you. I know what your heart is really like. I have seen it.” He approached Caleb slowly and put his arms around him. His voice became soft and soothing. “I’m not giving up on you. Everyone deserves a second chance.”

  Caleb wept. “Thank you, thank you.”

  “We will get through this together. Now… how do we get rid of this Sebastian or whatever he is?”

  “He is a higher level fallen one. An arch-demon. I am a lower level fallen. He is one of Lucifer’s highest-ranking generals, commanding legions. I can hold my own but I’m not powerful enough to destroy him…. Not on my own.”

  “Then we’ll get you help. Tell me what to do…I can—

  “Hey, we’re home!” Rick’s voice filled the house. He and Nick walked slowly down into the living room. Nick leaned on his brother for support, his chest wrapped in bandages beneath his plaid, button-down shirt, his neck in a brace. His cheeks still had some scratches but they looked a lot better than before. They reached Micah and Caleb and all color drained from Nick’s face.

  “Whoa…whoa…whoa!” Nick yelled. “What is that? Shit…I’m seeing things!”

  Rick grabbed onto him as his brother nearly collapsed. “Nick, what the hell is going on? What’s wrong?”

  “You tell me, bro. What do you see over there?”

  “It’s Micah and Caleb.”

  “That’s not Caleb…. Is this some kind of joke?”

  Caleb’s mouth dropped. He leaned in to Micah and whispered: “He can see my true self. The scars left by the hellhounds…”

  “So that’s what those things were,” Micah said.

  “He can see all of us, now.”

  “It’s okay, Nick.” Micah headed over to him. He gave him a hug then pulled back. “What you’re seeing is real.”

  “What?” Nick looked at his twin brother. “What is he saying?”

  “This is going to sound unbelievable…but Caleb is a fallen angel. He escaped Hell and is on the run from his demon brothers.”

  Nick’s mouth gaped. “Am I still high on pain drugs? I must be.” He laughed out loud. “Because I think you just said Caleb’s a fallen angel.”

  Micah nodded and smiled meekly. “I did. It’s true, guys. Caleb is making amends for corrupting souls and condemning them to Hell.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding,” Rick said.

  Nick shook his head. “He’s not. If I haven’t gone completely insane then I can see who Caleb really is and man, are you freaking scary.”

  “I’m sorry. You
will be able to turn if off once you’ve seen the true form. Just close your eyes and focus on my human side.”

  Nick closed his eyes, remembering Caleb before the hellhound attacked and slowly reopened. “Okay… you’re gorgeous again.”

  Caleb blushed.

  “What the hell is going on?” Rick said, raising his voice.

  Micah sucked in some air and let it out. “Caleb is in trouble and I love him. I’m going to help him get away from the demon that has come to take him back to Hell. I don’t care what Nick saw. It isn’t him. Not the real him. We are together and I’m not going to let anything rip us apart.”

  Rick and Nick both sat dumbstruck. They looked at one another then at Micah. They smiled in unison, and that always freaked Micah out.

  “Okay,” Rick said.

  “Yeah, okay,” Nick agreed. “How can we help?”

  Caleb moved to Micah’s side and took his hand. “You said you loved me.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “Guys? Waiting here.” Nick gave shot them both a look.

  “Sorry,” Micah said. “We were just trying to figure this out. This demon is called Sebastian and he’ll be back as soon as he recovers from the last fight. We need to stop him or send him back to Hell.”

  “How do we do that?” Nick asked.

  “There is a way…but I’m afraid I cannot do it. It is not within my power. I can fight him for all eternity but to send him back… I need all of your help.”

  “Anything…” Micah said. “Damn it.” The doorbell startled everyone. They all turned to see Nicki at the front door. “Great… now I need to explain all over again.” He headed for the door.

  ###

  Sebastian climbed out from the side of the truck and limped to his feet. Blood ran down his head. His left arm was mangled. His clothes were torn to shreds. He stumbled across the street, traffic screeching to a halt in front of him, and made his way to a bar.

  Inside, all heads turned to him, chatter stopped and mouths dropped. Eyes widened. Sebastian dragged himself over to an empty barstool. Patrons gave him a wide berth.

  The bartender, his shirt wet with booze, his beard scraggly and his face a mask of surprise, stood rooted to the spot and dared to engage the arch-demon.

  “What can I get you?”

  Sebastian laughed, loud and hearty. “I doubt you have any spare arms so I’ll have your strongest whiskey.”

  The bartender got him what he asked but felt compelled to stay as Sebastian carried on, laughing some more.

  “Ya know…they just don’t understand how good they got it. Take you primates for example. You’re expected to bow down and worship and kiss ass or you’ll never get into that all lovey dovey Heaven with its self-righteous angels, and those annoying cherubs with their fat, rosy cheeks. But we owe Heaven nothing. Nothing but our contempt. We can do whatever we want to you human filth, tempt, torture, possess, deprave, cause disasters, accidents, blame, guilt, doubt, fear. But if you do anything out of line… anything… bye, bye Heaven. And he wants to throw all of that away. He would rather prance around up here and leave our glorious pits for what? Because he thinks he loves one of you?”

  He downed a glass of whiskey and beckoned the bartender to fill another then another and another. He winked at the man who couldn’t walk away from Sebastian even if he wanted to.

  “It’s all so selfish…don’t you think? Lucifer wants him back and I come up to get him and how does he behave? Throwing me into a truck. Such a thankless, spineless demon. He should have his dark wings stripped from him. He doesn’t deserve them. Hit me again.”

  Slowly, the cuts on Sebastian’s face began to vanish. His left hand stretched and cracked, reforming right before the entire bar’s eyes. The bleeding stopped and slowly Sebastian’s muscles and bones knitted back together. He was whole again. And ready for more.

  “Thanks for that.” He winked at the bartender then looked down at his body. “Humans have such fragile bodies.”

  14

  “Ah, excuse me? What?” Nicki furrowed her brow.

  “It’s not going to sound any less crazy if I repeat it,” Micah replied.

  “So… demon?” She looked at Caleb. “Hell, Heaven? It’s all real?”

  “Yep,” Micah said. “But he and I prefer fallen angel.”

  “I see.” Nicki laughed and shook her head, rubbing her forehead. “I can’t believe this.”

  Caleb approached her and put his hand on to her shoulder. She flinched but looked up into his eyes. “I’m sorry I was deceitful but I do love Micah and I would do anything to protect him. And all of you. I do not want anything to happen to any of you. We need your help.”

  The corners of her mouth curled and a smile worked its way onto her face. Nicki slid her hand over Caleb’s. “Of course. This is just a lot to take in.”

  “I know. It is for me too, believe it or not. I never thought I would meet someone like Micah, let alone have these feelings…I have never experienced this before… only before the Fall, when I had my Father’s love. It’s a bit frightening.”

  “Love is frightening and so is this Sebastian character.” Nicki looked over at Micah who seemed so vulnerable and scared.

  “I don’t want him to take Caleb back.”

  Nicki walked over and took Micah’s hand. “Then how do we stop him?”

  Caleb entered the center of the living room. Nick, Rick, Micah and Nicki gathered around him, sitting on the couch and loveseat.

  “There is an ancient way of casting protection against demons and even sending them back to purgatory. All angels, both Heaven’s and fallen ones have a sigil that represents them. It’s a written language… a holy language used in in Heaven and Hell, created by our Father. The sigils are the spelling of our names in the holy script. I cannot use them against my brothers, none of us can. Only humans can wield them against us. Father created this as a safeguard incase Lucifer tried to launch an all out attack or invasion on Earth. His angels would come to fight and give you the sigils of the fallen ones so you could protect yourselves.”

  “How do they work?” Micah asked.

  “Very simply. You write down the sigil of the fallen one, and hold onto it to protect yourself, like a shield around your body. Now, if you were to manage to place the sigil on the fallen’s body, his human or demon body, you could banish him back to purgatory.”

  “Perfect,” Rick said. “Let’s get going. Write this asshole’s name down and let’s put it on him.”

  “It will not be that easy,” Caleb warned. “He will not just let you place it on him and once he discovers you have it, he will do everything in his power to take it from you and destroy it, leaving you defenseless. All of you, must have belief in it or Sebastian will break through it.”

  “Do you know Sebastian’s sigil?” Micah asked.

  “Yes, everyone in the legions knows his. He is one of the most powerful of the arch-demons and most ferocious. I will scribe it for you.”

  “Write it down for each of us,” Micah said. “We should all get a copy, then we can carry it on us and be protected.”

  “Or,” Nicki began. “We could lure him somewhere and get it on him somehow and banish him.”

  “It’s too public here,” Micah said. “We need to go somewhere more secluded or something…”

  “The construction over in the old part of the city,” Rick said. “Where they’re doing all the restorations. They shut it down at night, we’d have a big space but it’d be closed in so he couldn’t escape.”

  “I like it,” Micah said.

  “I don’t,” said Caleb. “It’s dangerous. You don’t know what you’re up against. He’s laid waste to nations. He’s seduced humans to committing genocide. He is the prince of atrocities. If he gets to just one of you… he could.. he could…”

  Micah got up and went to Caleb’s side. “No one is more scared then me but I think we have to end this. Just shielding us won’t be enough and what about you? You can’t use a s
igil to protect yourself. You said yourself you’re not as strong as him. He won’t ever stop trying to come after you and that means… us. You know he won’t ever stop. Deep down you know it. We can’t just keep running forever.”

  “I know you are right but I fear what may happen.”

  “We’d never live our lives if we let fear control us. This is what being human is. We take chances, we push on despite our fears, because we have to. We have to try.”

  Caleb nodded. “Yes, you are right. We should try if we ever want to stay together.”

  They kissed, long and lingering, embracing one another and holding on, never wanting to let go. Micah rested his head on Caleb’s chest.

  Nicki’s eyes welled. She couldn’t believe a demon, a fallen angel stood right before her, in love with her best friend, the best man she’d ever known.

  “Okay.” Micah sighed. “Let’s get started.” He grabbed a pad of paper and a magic marker and handed them to Caleb who sat down at the kitchen table.

  Caleb drew a star inside of a triangle inside of a double circle. One by one, he drew the rune symbols and the strange glyphs that formed Sebastian’s name, his official sigil. He handed the first one to Micah who stared at it with great interest. There was something glossy about the sigil, something mystical and ancient. Micah felt as if he was the first human to set eyes on this written word, this alphabet and language crafted by immortal beings that were far from their understanding.

  After that, Caleb continued to draw one for everyone and handed them out to the entire room. Everyone stared at the sigil and cupped in their hands as if they were made of gold.

  “Let’s start with right now.” Micah headed into the kitchen and pulled a knife out of the butcher block atop the counter. He rushed to the front door with determination and yanked it open. He used the handwritten sigil as his guide and carved a copy of it onto the door. Everyone watched him, Caleb smiled, a mixture of love and pride in his eyes.

  “There,” Micah said. “At least we can sleep tonight. That should protect the house. He won’t be able to get in tonight.”

  Caleb went to him, slipping his arms around him. “That should work. That was such a smart thing to do.”