ARCHANGEL

by Bernard Lee DeLeo

  “Gateway to Death Valley,” Catherine read from the middle of the welcoming sign. “How enticing.”

  “Raph, can you disguise us from whatever we’re after here?” Angelina asked. “I mean, can you hide the fact we’re a team of demon hunters and exorcists?”

  “For what reason, Ange? I would think a better question to be whether they can hide their essence from Abaddon and me.”

  “I will know them,” Abaddon stated.

  “It would be a help if we could confront them somewhere less conspicuous than the town square.” Angelina drove slowly along the boulevard. “Are we on the demon hotline everywhere we go?”

  “No, I think we took care of the ones charting our movements for Lucifer,” Raphael answered. “We do however stand out in a crowd. These demons are intelligent and cunning but they don’t attend conferences to compare notes - at least I don’t think they do. Everything we’ve faced so far knew we were coming because of Lucifer.”

  “Since he’s out of the picture, then…” Angelina began.

  “…then since the demons are not telepathically joined, unless Lucifer sends out E-mails or newsletters, our whereabouts will remain secret until we reveal our presence,” Raphael finished for her. “It is quite another thing to hide our aura.”

  “There’s a Burger King,” Catherine pointed. “I’d love to have a Whopper.”

  “Well, of course you would.” Angelina slowed to enter the Burger King parking lot. “I was thinking it would be nice not having to worry about them jumping out at us from around every corner like those ones on the dock.”

  “I have a theory about that,” Raphael replied. “Lucifer arranged the dock trap. With how things turned out I doubt he will be able to get anymore of the next gen demons to sacrifice themselves unless they can be assured of our destruction.”

  “They know we will not destroy Lucifer,” Abaddon added. “On the other hand, they know we have no such qualms about destroying them. Lucifer’s first followers will work his will blindly. The succeeding generations of his creations may have a different agenda.”

  “His only hope of throwing them into our path depends on convincing the demons they will surely be destroyed if they don’t do as he directs,” Raphael explained while Angelina parked the Hummer. “Lucifer will be in a weak position until he figures out some other way of watching our movements. I’m sure his connection with the demons is sporadic at best. They know how to reach him but I doubt he can reach them unless they allow it.”

  “For the king of hell, Lucifer seems to have very little control over anything,” Catherine noted as she exited the Hummer. “Wow, it’s hot here.”

  “Lucifer’s power lies in his advancement of evil and chaos. He cannot be both the embodiment of chaos and a genius at order and organization,” Raphael said.

  Catherine nodded her head in understanding. “That does seem a little contrived, but…”

  “But you were under the impression Lucifer was all powerful,” Abaddon interjected, holding the restaurant door open for his three friends.

  “Ouch,” Catherine said, blushing. “That thought came out wrong.”

  “That’s what happens when you’re concentrating on your stomach all the time,” Angelina jokingly admonished Catherine.

  “What is this Whopper you have an affinity for?” Abaddon asked Catherine as the four stood in line looking at the menu.

  “Right there,” Catherine pointed at the colorful picture of the famed hamburger dish. “I always liked Whoppers better than any other fast food burger. Would you like me to order for us?”

  “They are pretty good,” Angelina conceded. “I’m only fooling with Cat.”

  “They look very tempting,” Raphael replied. “We are not vegetarians.”

  “I will try this Whopper,” Abaddon agreed.

  “Whopper, fries, and a Coke for four,” Catherine ordered from the teenage girl with dark hair and a look of awe as she tried not to stare up at the two Archangels.

  “Coming right up,” the girl said. She made change for the two twenty dollar bills Raphael handed her. “Are…are you guys basketball players?”

  “No, we’re just tourists.”

  Catherine sniffed the air, looking at Raphael accusingly. “I smell vanilla.”

  “It’s my favorite,” the girl commented, returning Raphael’s smile and then looking around. “I wonder what they’re making back there with vanilla, maybe the milkshakes.”

  “Yes, I’m sure.” Catherine walked along the counter to where a young man who looked to be the same age as the cashier placed their food on a tray. “That must be it.”

  “I’m only being friendly.” Raphael picked up one of the food laden trays while Abaddon handled the other tray. “It looks like we have our choice of seating.”

  A family of four prepared to leave the restaurant - a young couple with two small boys. The boys’ mother kept the youngsters moving toward the door as they stared open-mouthed at the two Archangels. Both Raphael and Abaddon smiled and waved at them as their parents shooed the boys toward the exit. Angelina led the way over to a table near the window, laughing as she saw the little boys in the parking lot pointing and waving at them. It took their parents a few moments to settle them into their blue Saturn Vue SUV. The Archangels continued to wave at the boys as the family drove away. When they were all comfortable at the table, Catherine passed out the food and then quickly opened the wrapping of her Whopper. She took a huge bite, sighing with satisfaction while holding up a finger of warning pointed at Angelina.

  “How is it, Cat?” Raphael asked, amused at Angelina’s reaction to Catherine’s initial bite of her sandwich.

  “Excellent, Raph,” Catherine mumbled as she chewed. “I thought of having a Whopper more than a few times in prison. If I concentrated hard enough, I could almost smell it. Weird, huh?”

  “Let me take that one, Raph,” Angelina offered.

  “I think it’s important to be able to take pleasure in simple things.” Raphael ignored Angelina’s offer to reply in what Raphael figured rightly would be an extremely sarcastic way. “This Whopper does have a very enticing aroma.”

  Abaddon took a small bite of his Whopper and nodded approvingly. “I like this, Catherine.”

  “They are good,” Angelina allowed, swallowing her first bite.

  The companions ate in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the meal, before Angelina spoke up.

  “Want me to get you another Whopper, Cat? It seems you’ve inhaled the first one.”

  “Thank you for noticing.” Catherine looked around sheepishly at her companions.

  Raphael handed Catherine a ten dollar bill. “Go ahead and get another one, Cat. Angelina’s only joking with you. Right, Ange?”

  “That’s right, Cat. I promise not to mess with you anymore, okay? I’ll let you eat in peace.”

  “I would like another,” Catherine accepted the ten dollar bill and returned to the cashier’s counter.

  “You did mean what you said about not messing with her anymore, right Ange?”

  When Angelina kept silent, Raphael reached over and cupped Angelina’s chin in one massive hand as Abaddon grinned in enjoyment of the exchange.

  “Angelina?”

  “Fine!” Angelina wrinkled her nose at Raphael.

  Catherine sat down a moment later with her second Whopper, alternately eating her french-fries and taking more conservative bites of the sandwich. Angelina glanced out the window, chuckling as she saw a Sheriff’s squad car pull into the parking lot. Two huge deputies exited the vehicle after it was parked.

  “Okay, Raph, what did you do now? We can’t even have…” Angelina shut up immediately as she looked from the window to the two Archangels. “What?”

  Raphael and Abaddon sat stock still, watching the two deputies approaching the restaurant entrance.

  “It appears we will have to test your request concerning my ability to mask our identities, Ange,” Raphael whispered. “Those two are both demo
ns. Easy, my brother.”

  Abaddon’s countenance tightened perceptively as the entrance door to the Burger King opened and the deputies approached the cashier’s counter to order. The cashier seemed to know them and laughed at something the stockier one said. As if feeling Abaddon’s eyes, the taller deputy with closely cropped sandy colored hair glanced toward their table curiously. Abaddon clenched his left fist under the table, channeling the overwhelming urge to destroy vibrating through his body as if he were a tuning fork. With sheer will, Abaddon smiled at the deputy and waved at him slightly with his right hand. The deputy smiled back and nodded, shifting his attention to Catherine and Angelina. Raphael grinned appreciatively at the strength he knew it had taken for Abaddon to make his friendly gesture.

  Abaddon met Raphael’s glance briefly. He picked up his unfinished Whopper, taking a small bite as he dipped a French-fry into the ketchup on his tray. Angelina returned the deputy’s admiring look with a friendly smile and a small wave of her own. Nudging the stockier deputy’s arm as his darker haired companion waited for his change, the taller man whispered something in his friend’s ear. After receiving his change from the cashier, the deputy turned with a nonchalant look at the Archangels’ table, ignoring Abaddon and Raphael as he smiled at Angelina. Angelina repeated her little wave of recognition at the smaller man.

  “What are you doing, Sister Angelina?” Raphael gritted his teeth while maintaining his death mask smile.

  “Just trying to be friendly with the fiends from hell,” Angelina’s quick witted retort drew a chuckle from Catherine.

  After the two deputies picked up their trays they walked over to a table directly in front of the cashier. Instead of sitting down in front of their meals, the deputies approached the Archangels’ table.

  “Hello folks, you all just passing through our little town?” The dark haired deputy asked with a friendly grin which never touched his eyes.

  “Yes, officer,” Raphael answered, looking up at the deputy as if he had noticed him for the first time. “We’re on our way to Las Vegas.”

  “Thinkin’ to get lucky and win a bundle, huh?” The taller deputy commented, staring down at Catherine appraisingly.

  “We’d like to see some of the shows,” Catherine chimed in.

  “Say, I know who you two guys look like.” Angelina acted as if she had thought of something delightful.

  “That right?” The stocky deputy’s curious look could not hide the lust Angelina provoked in the man. “You two ladies could be models. You know that?”

  “Thanks,” Angelina replied. “Did you guys ever see that old TV show called CHIPs? You guys look just like the stars from the show. I can’t remember their names… ah…”

  “Jon and Ponce,” Catherine filled in the names. Raphael and Abaddon listened to the two nuns apprehensively. “Jon had longer hair than your buddy here but you look like Erik Estrada’s twin.”

  The nuns’ chatter perplexed the two demons. They exchanged looks of confusion as they listened for the next few minutes to Angelina describing the old classic TV program. Finally, the taller one began to get a vague feeling they were being put on. The smile he had pasted on his face since Angelina had started her recital began to fade.

  “You’re a talker, ain’t you, young lady?” The taller deputy interrupted. “My name’s Jack, not Jon, so…”

  “I wasn’t hinting you had the same name,” Angelina cut in innocently.

  “You’re right, Jack, she has a smart mouth on her too,” the dark haired deputy said. “My name ain’t Ponce or Erik neither. It’s Gary.”

  The deputy who had said his first name was Jack wore a name badge which gave his last name as Stevens. Deputy Stevens moved to where he could look at Abaddon. The Archangel chewed his food quietly, glancing out through the window in between bites.

  “You haven’t said much, Sir,” Stevens observed.

  “I was really hungry,” Abaddon replied.

  “You two in a basketball tournament in Las Vegas or something?” Gary asked. “Both of you look to be nearly seven feet tall.”

  Abaddon peered at the deputy’s name tag which had the name Kostas printed on it. “No, Officer Kostas, my brother and I were just looking to try our luck at the tables. We work as free lance advisors.”

  “Advisors?” Kostas repeated questioningly. “Advisors on what?”

  “Investments,” Raphael answered for Abaddon. “Securities, real estate…”

  “Minding your own business,” Angelina added.

  “You should really rein in your little lady there, friend,” Kostas advised Abaddon. “She needs to get her mouth in line with her good looks.”

  “I’ll make a note.” Abaddon calmly dipped another French-fry.

  “What my brother means,” Raphael injected quickly, “is that these two young ladies are our friends. Our smart mouth here is Angelina. Our more reserved companion is Catherine.”

  “Hi,” Angelina said with more enthusiasm than was needed. “Don’t let us keep you and Ponce from your lunch.”

  “Yes, very nice to meet you two officers.” Catherine changed the subject. “Is it at all scenic on the way to Las Vegas from here? It’s been pretty bland since we left Bakersfield.”

  Kostas, who had been staring daggers at Angelina, glanced over at Catherine finally with a noncommittal shrug. “It’s all desert, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “Let’s go eat, Gary. We have to hit the road shortly.” Stevens walked away with only a small hand gesture of dismissal toward the table. “You folks be careful out there.”

  “We will, officer,” Raphael replied. Kostas followed his partner over to the table where the deputies had deposited their trays.

  Catherine began stifling a giggle as Angelina imitated Kostas’ last look of intimidation toward her.

  “If you were going to simply betray us to the demons, Ange, why even bother asking me about masking our auras?” Raphael asked in little more than a whisper.

  “They didn’t suspect anything,” Angelina said confidently, giving Kostas another little wave as he looked their way. “I have a feeling we’re just a couple more potential targets for them.”

  “Do you know something I don’t?”

  “Holy Moly, Raph!” Angelina gestured at the heavens comically. “Haven’t you guys ever read a Steven King horror novel or saw a slasher movie? They might as well be actors in a TV show. They’re following the script.”

  “What Ange means is if you two did sense something really perverse about Baker when you saw it flashed on the Hummer GPS screen these two are the cause.”

  “Small doubt about that, Cat, but…”

  “But nothing, Raph,” Angelina cut in. “If they decide to target us, Jon and Ponce will let us get on our way and then stop us on the most desolate stretch of road they know of.”

  “Ange was just giving them a little more to think about. She has their attention too. That Kostas guy hasn’t looked away from burning a hole through Angelina since he sat down. If they hurry their lunches and take off before us it means…”

  “There they go, Cat,” Angelina broke in. The two deputies gathered up their remaining food and took it with them, waving to the cashier on their way out.

  Kostas turned his head toward the restaurant, looking directly in at Abaddon. Abaddon waved and Angelina broke into uncontrollable laughter. Catherine narrowly avoided launching her soft drink through her nose. She joined her friend in what appeared to Raphael and Abaddon as incomprehensible humor. Only after many moments did the two calm down enough for Raphael to speak.

  “What is it you two find so funny?”

  “They’ve decided on trapping us, Raph.” Catherine spoke as if she were instructing a third grader in the art of tying shoelaces.

  “It’s what we want them to do.” Angelina’s features betrayed her mounting excitement.

  Suddenly, Raphael began laughing and nodding his head in understanding.

  “Oh, very good, very good.”
Raphael could see Abaddon was listening uncomprehendingly to his companions. “They think to stop a vehicle full of sheep waiting for the slaughter, my brother, in the middle of nowhere - another easy day’s prey. Instead, they meet the Archangel of the Abyss.”

  A broad smile spread slowly over Abaddon’s face.

  “I shall not disappoint them.”

  “I’ll make a note,” Angelina repeated, putting her arms around Abaddon’s neck. “That was funny, my love.”

  “It was all I could think of other than maiming and killing.” Abaddon’s admission elicited more laughter.

  “Since you two have this all figured out. What should our next step be? If we’re following a script, how do these novels and horror movies get the bad things?”