ARCHANGEL
Page 47
“What are you?” Janine cried out, blood streaming down her battered face. “My Lord Lucifer would blast your souls to…”
“This Lucifer?” Abaddon cut her off, raising his left hand, clenching it into a fist.
Lucifer tumbled into reality at Abaddon’s feet. He leapt upright, hands flailing in outrage. The devil retreated fearfully from the aura of power surrounding Abaddon.
“You can’t keep doing that, you…”
“Silence!” Abaddon did not take his eyes off of Janine. “This Lucifer?”
“Oh my Lord Lucifer!” Janine stood, holding her hands out in supplication to Lucifer. “Please… can’t you…”
“Shut up, you stupid bitch!” Lucifer screamed, his face twisted in frustrated agony. He eyed Abaddon with undisguised fear. “Let me go. I’ll take this witch with me. She’ll burn like no one else has ever burned. I’ll…”
“Nooooooooo…” Janine gasped in horror. “I’ve done everything for you… I…”
“Enough!” Abaddon waved the woman to silence. “You can’t have her yet, Lucy. Raphael would like to speak with you first.”
The Archangel Raphael bore Lucifer to the floor. Janine covered her face, unable to bear the intense white light which emanated from Raphael, his fury a palpable entity. Lucifer lashed out with disdain, thinking to fling Raphael from him as one would a small child. Instead, Raphael cuffed the King of Hell across the face. Where Raphael’s hands grasped the Devil, sulfurous steam billowed out. Angelina and Catherine clapped hands over their ears as Lucifer’s screams pierced human sanity. Raphael released Lucifer, straightening away from the writhing angel of darkness.
“Thank you, brother,” Raphael said breathlessly to Abaddon. “It felt as good as I had imagined it would.”
“Lucy’s screams are very habit forming.” Abaddon smiled with satisfaction, snatching Lucifer up from the floor. He dangled the rapidly healing entity in front of Janine. “You may take this thing you’ve cultivated now, Lucy. It is what she has prayed for. Her evil on Earth is at an end.”
Abaddon released Lucifer. The Devil clasped the screaming Janine to him like a dear lost friend, twisting defensively away from Abaddon.
“For those moments of pain I will make your stay in my realm legendary, you stupid hag!” Lucifer barked into Janine’s face, turning toward Raphael and raising his free hand toward the Archangel.
Too fast for any to see, Abaddon’s sword sliced Lucifer’s hand off in the blink of an eye. Lucifer howled, traipsing through the room, dragging and pounding Janine’s body along.
“Don’t point that hand at my brother. Take your prize and go.”
“Wha…what of others I have made deals with?” Lucifer blurted out. “It’s what I do. I am within my right to take what souls come to me freely.”
Abaddon shrugged uncaringly. “I’ll let you know. It might be good not to equip your human converts with demon familiars. You bend the rules. I bend them back. Now get out of our sight before I’m tempted to have Raph toast you a while longer.”
Lucifer disappeared instantly, taking Janine bodily with him.
“How will you know Lucifer won’t simply release Janine somewhere else?” Catherine asked.
“I will know, little one.” Abaddon stroked Catherine’s cheek.
“Wow, I don’t know what smelled worse,” Angelina complained, her nose crinkled up in disgust, “Janine’s demon, or that Lucy burger you were frying up, Raph.”
“I think I’ve had enough of Las Vegas,” Raphael announced. “I’d like to check out the place in the mountains Gorby offered us if we are not redirected elsewhere.”
“Don’t you want another go at the dice table, Raph? I’m… ouch!” Angelina yelled, clutching her rear end. She shook her fist angrily at Raphael. He stood calmly, blowing on his finger as if it were a freshly discharged pistol. “You… you are so out of line!”
“Your point, Sister Cementhead?” Raphael asked with an innocent questioning look.
Angelina ducked behind Abaddon and Catherine, peaking out at Raphael defiantly.
“I’ll get you back, you… ouch!” Angelina rocked straight upwards, holding her injured nether region, looking at Raphael in angry disbelief. “You… you zapped me right through the Archangel of the Abyss.”
“Perhaps it would be wise to say no more of this, my love,” Abaddon advised, putting a protective arm around Angelina. “I think I can get Raphael to stop zapping you if you’ll quit listing his shortcomings.”
“Shortcomings?” Raphael repeated with mock indignation. “Come, let’s get out of here before I zap the wrong target and end up spending the night in the Abyss.”
Angelina caught up to Raphael at the door. “I’m sorry about Carol, Raph.”
“Nothing to be sorry about, Ange. She paid for her sins, and begged forgiveness. That was the feeling I had this morning before you woke up and why it was so confusing. She earned salvation.”
“Agent Pomada will be happy with this ending,” Catherine remarked from behind Angelina as they walked through Carol’s door. Anyone remember the name of the town nearest Gorby’s mountain retreat? I think he said it was past Placerville.”
“Pollack Pines,” Abaddon answered, holding the Hummer driver’s door open and helping Angelina into the driver’s seat.
“Think we’ll make it back to the mountains without a detour?” Angelina asked her three companions.
“There is always that chance,” Raphael replied. “If we hurry, we can call Pomada, get packed, and be on the road within the hour. In case we do get another mission while we’re heading to the Venetian, I vote Abaddon should run alongside the Hummer just to stay in shape.”
“Roowrrr?” Scooby Abaddon retorted.
The End