It didn’t matter though.
Mandy prayed for Paul’s well-being, she asked for God to give him strength and determination and courage. She asked that his feet be swift, his moves be direct and on-target, and his mind be sharp. If anything did happen to him, she asked God to take him up into Heaven because despite the fact that Paul was created by Satan, despite the fact that he had been a demon, Paul was now human and he was fighting for her. If Paul actually won and Satan did not honor his bargain for whatever reason, she asked that God give him the knowledge that he should leave. But more importantly than anything, she asked that somehow, God would be with Paul, fighting with him. Just His presence would calm Mandy down to a point, knowing that Paul was believed in by God.
After another half an hour, she was fully dressed and waiting. She had gotten a hold of her composure, and the tears her body wanted to cry wouldn’t just yet, not until this entire thing was over and not until she knew the outcome for it for certain. One of Satan’s guards went to her room and led her downstairs to an awaiting carriage which, he had told her, would take her to the event. Such a thing surprised Mandy only because she honestly believed that the duel would take place in this castle. However, when she reached what was known as merely the Colosseum, she understood why.
The Colosseum was an actual Coliseum. It was huge, and no doubt held different battles and duels. People, regular people that occupied Hell, were already lined up, waiting to get in. Because Mandy was most certainly a guest of honor, the carriage continued to drive until it reached a special entrance, and she was quickly ushered to her seat. Her mouth dropped open when she saw just how full the Colosseum was, and her eyes immediately scanned the ground, the platform where the duel would take place, but neither Satan nor Paul could be seen. At least not yet.
The wait wasn’t very long. Music started playing and people started cheering as both parties made their appearance. Mandy’s heart leapt in her throat upon seeing Paul, and when he made eye contact with her, she mouthed a sincere ‘I love you’ to him. He tried to give her a look of simple reassurance, but before he could convey anything in return, he was ushered to his side of the dueling platform while Satan made His appearance. The crowd, upon seeing their Master, jumped up and started going crazy for him.
And at that point, the duel commenced. Such a thing reminded Mandy of a speeding car and an old pedestrian. She knew there was no way the car would be able to slow down in time, knew the pedestrian was going to die, but she couldn’t not look at it. However, in this situation, she didn’t know who the speeding car was and who the old woman was.
However, it was easily defined fifteen minutes later. Satan, surprisingly, did not use any of the abilities He naturally had as a demon besides His agility and speed. However, when Paul looked as though he might have been able to attack Satan, all Satan did was flap His wings so He was in the air, causing Paul to miss.
Satan was a big, fat cheater.
Paul was actually a skillful fighter. He could pack a punch, throw a kick, and had enough agility to dodge or block when the tables were turned. However, he was no match for a demon, no match for someone who had more than just human abilities. He was going to lose the fight. Paul was going to lose. And there was absolutely nothing Mandy could do to stop it. She felt absolutely ridiculous, sitting in a chair that was supposed to signify how special she was, watching as her lover was killed by the hands of her soon-to-be demonic husband.
She had to do something.
Well, if Paul was going to die, maybe Mandy would too. Suicide was never on the forefront of Mandy’s mind, nor did she equate her plan with what she hoped to accomplish. It wasn’t like she was setting out to die. However, if Mandy left the vicinity of her box seats and went down to the Colleseum’s platform in order to help Paul, it could very well turn into a suicide mission. But as Mandy saw it, she really had no other choice, and hanging back, watching Paul die, surely wasn’t one of them.
Without fully comprehending what she was doing, Mandy stood up. There were no guards surrounding her, no guards that she could see at all. Satan hadn’t planned on her leaving; apparently He hadn’t expected her to. So then where were the guards? If they were anywhere, they would probably be surrounding the entrance of the Colleseum itself. Maybe Mandy would get lucky and not encounter any of them.
However, she had no idea where she was going. Nobody else was out of their seat, and to be honest, Mandy didn’t really blame them. They were all interested in this ridiculous fight when it was quite obvious who would win. That didn’t deter Mandy, despite the fact, and tilting her chin upward, she made it a point to search for an entrance to the platform as quickly as she could. Paul didn’t have much time, and if she didn’t get there soon, everything would be in vain.
Finally, after what felt like hours, Mandy managed to find an entrance and without warning, she flung the door open and hurried through it. Paul was definitely worse for wear, his body crumpled, beaten. He wasn’t even standing anymore, while Satan had his wings thrust out, his mouth moving, as though he was making some sort of spell. Without waiting, Mandy started to run towards Paul, and when she got close to him, she quickly positioned her body so it was masking Paul’s prepared to take whatever attack Satan was planning.
The young woman closed her eyes as a loud crash was heard and realized that this was it. She, too, was going to die.
Twenty-Eight
Mandy opened her eyes, but instead of being next to Paul, she was somewhere completely unfamiliar, at least to her right now. However, her entire body was aware, highly sensitive, and yet she felt no threat. Wherever she was, she knew that she was safe. Or, at least, she didn’t feel threatened.
The more she took in her surroundings, the more she realized that this place was, in fact, familiar to her, and yet she couldn’t place it. Deciding to walk around, she kept her eyes sharp and began to move about the room. There was hardly any furniture in the room so it was hard to place… Wait a minute. Lack of furniture could also be quite easy to place as well.
The apartment she shared with Paul. It had to be there. Where else could it be? Now she recognized everything. The couch. The fact that there wasn’t any television. In fact, she was currently standing a couple of feet from the place where the two had played Twister and then subsequently… Her face crimsoned at the thought, but her heart skipped a beat. That was where she and Paul first made love. It was an experience she had never believed she would ever have, and counted herself lucky. To make love to the one she loved. Her eyes started to mist, but there was no reason for her tears to cry, especially when the memories she was reminiscing on were happy. Hell, she didn’t even analyze why she was there and how she got here from Hell. It didn’t make any sense, but Mandy didn’t care. It was a nice reprieve.
But where was Paul?
Mandy continued to walk, thankful that she finally figured out just where she was. Her eyes skimmed the small bathroom the apartment had, and an amused smile touched her face. This was where Paul had been watching her shower. Not like he had actually seen anything, but the effect was still the same.
Her feet led her into the lone bedroom and she felt her heart catch in her chest. There was Paul, lying on the bed and looking at her with those pale blue eyes, as though he had expected her. Before she could stop herself, she rushed over to the bed and threw her arms around Paul, who quickly reciprocated the hug, burying his face against her shoulder. He inhaled sharply, allowing his senses to take in her scent, and then sighed with satisfaction.
“It feels so good to hold you again,” he murmured, pulling back a bit so he could look at her.
“Where are we?” Mandy asked him softly, trying to read his eyes.
“You’re dreaming,” he told her. “You’re going to have to wake up.”
Mandy felt herself get defensive. “I don’t want to get up,” she told him, her lips slipping into a pout. “I want to stay here. With you.”
Paul smiled at that, but his eyes looked sad.
“You can’t,” he told her, and that was when she noticed his white wings attached to his back. Did that mean…? Before Mandy could ask, he quickly told her, “I need you now. I need you. You need to go back to me. Will you do that?”
Mandy tried to look at the wings, but Paul still managed to hold onto her eyes with his own. Finally, Mandy nodded as a stray tear slid down her face. “I love you,” she told him quietly.
“And I love you,” Paul told her sincerely. “With all my heart. Now go. I’m waiting. I need you.”
Mandy knew the moment she was back in the Colleseum, and kept her eyes closed longer than necessary in hopes she wouldn’t have to meet her Maker quite so soon. However, Paul’s fading voice still penetrated her soul, and she knew that he wanted her awake, alert. She took a deep breath and opened one eye. Instead of seeing Satan, prepared to attack, however, she saw something entirely different.
Her heart pounded. Maybe she and Paul would survive. Maybe this would actually work in their favor.
Bruce and Kelly were standing in front of Paul and Mandy, their stances defensive, prepared to attack if need be. But that wasn’t all. A swarm of God’s angels surrounded the Colleseum, their white wings leaving white feathers in an otherwise oblique place. They, too, were all positioned somewhat defensively, but Mandy knew at that moment that Satan would be foolish to attempt to fight because for every one demon, there were three angels. Most certainly, Satan would lose.
“…over,” Kelly finished, and Mandy realized that the couple was talking to Satan Himself. She strained her ears to listen wondering just how the two fallen angels pulled this off.
“Just what do you think you two Outsiders are doing?” Satan asked, looking between the two. “You both said you were mutual in this war, and now you’re here, betraying Me?”
“We made a deal with God,” Bruce said, his arms crossed over his chest as he regarded his Creator with a cool glare. “You take demons for granted when all we want is life. We never agreed with this war, but Your pride, Your vanity got in the way once again. You lost the first time, and now You’ve lost again.”
“We traded Your position for the mortality of every single demon that wants it,” Kelly told him. “We had hoped that God would guarantee us every one of our fellow fallen angels, but God will not tamper with freewill, even if it is against Him. And as long as we are good and moral as humans, He has guaranteed us a place in His kingdom. We will never see You again. And thank God for that.”
This time, Mandy couldn’t help but cry. This time for happiness.
They were safe. They were safe. They could go back home. They were free to fall in love and start a life together.
Mandy turned her head in hopes to catch eyes with Paul, to tell him everything if he hadn’t already heard. But the sight of Paul ruined her happiness. His eyes were closed and though he was breathing, his pulse was slow, almost lifeless.
“Kelly!” Mandy exclaimed, though she refused to take her eyes off of Paul. “Bruce! I need help! Please!”
She didn’t have to ask twice. Both Kelly and Bruce arrived at Mandy’s side, and when they saw Paul, they shared a look. Bruce quickly dropped to her knees while Kelly wrapped a comforting arm around Mandy’s shoulder, subtly pulling her away so Bruce could have as much room as he needed.
“We’ll take him to the castle,” Bruce said. “No one should be there, and we should be safe.”
“But how are we supposed to get there soon?” Mandy asked, her brow pushed together as she regarded the two helplessly. “You’re not… I mean, aren’t you human now?”
“Not yet,” Kelly said, and without warning, grabbed a hold of Mandy. “Hold on tight, Mandy.”
And Mandy did. The ride to the castle was five minutes, if that, and the black home was completely deserted by the time the four reached it. Mandy took charge by silently leading them to her bedroom, where Paul could rest safely. Bruce gently laid him on the bed, while Kelly disappeared to get disinfectant, bandages, and water. While she waited, Mandy paced up and down the room and Bruce simply leaned in the door frame, his face like a stone statue.
They both knew that Paul might not survive this, and they couldn’t do anything about it.
When Kelly returned, she quickly began to fix and dress Paul’s wounds. Mandy watched but she wasn’t really paying attention. She felt as though she was zoning out; she could see what was happening, but her brain didn’t analyze nor would it think about what was happening directly. In fact, if Mandy could describe how she was felling, she would probably pick the word numb. She was so worried, so sad, that she couldn’t even feel anything. Wasn’t that the step before the desire to feel some sort of pain? Not because she needed affixation or anything like that, but because pain might cure her numbness and give her tears a reason to fall. It would give her something to feel.
Kelly finished quickly, and then sighed, taking a step back to look at Paul with obvious shadows under her eyes. She glanced over at Bruce. “I feel…” She let her voice trail off. “The change… it’s going to happen soon. We need to rest.” When she turned around, she took in Mandy and felt her heart squeeze together in sympathy. “Mandy,” she said firmly, knowing she needed to get through to the woman. “You need to focus, okay? Paul needs you right now. Can you do that for me?”
He needs me, Mandy said, and shook her head. Now was not the time to feel sorry for herself. He needs me.
She nodded in assurance and walked over to Paul, before kneeling down and making a comfortable place for her to stay for however long she was needed.
“If he can survive the night, he has a better chance of making it through this,” Kelly told Mandy. “But… you have to remember, that he’s human now. It is very possible that he could die.”
Twenty-Nine
There were flames everywhere, and yet the smoke didn’t fill his senses too terribly. But his heart was aching. He was alone and surely he was in Hell. Where else would he be? And to be honest, he couldn’t exactly blame God, could he? Paul was a demon when he was born, and though he had changed – transformed – that wasn’t his doing, that was due to the fact that Mandy had sacrificed herself for him.
And yet, he was certain that if he was in Hell, his Creator would have been here gloating about the fact that Paul was truly dead and that he would remain in Hell for the rest of time. Well, at least Mandy was here. Was that a selfish thought? Maybe. Probably. If Paul could hope for anything, he would hope that Mandy had escaped, that she was alive and well and living her life to the best of her abilities, achieving her every desire and smiling that one smile he had fallen in love with…
He was stuck. Paul forced his thoughts away from Mandy and everything he missed about her in hopes that he might find his way out somehow. Such a thing was possible, wasn’t it? Anything was possible. And yet whatever direction he chose, flames would block his view. And they felt hot though they had yet to caress his skin.
Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind. If he was back in Hell, condemned for being a demon, surely he would still have his wings. It wouldn’t make sense if he didn’t, and if he did have his wings, then perhaps he could fly away from here? Escape through flight? It was most certainly possible, wasn’t it? And yet as Paul tried to, he couldn’t move. He was stuck on the rough ground. Glancing downwards, he looked around for a good shot of his of his shadow and when he did, his mouth dropped slightly.
No wings.
He was completely helpless, trapped here as the flames inched closer and closer to his lithe frame.
“Paul!”
Paul pressed his brows together. Now his ears were most certainly playing tricks on him because that voice sounded so like Mandy. Another one of the devil’s cruel tricks, Paul believed. Could he truly and utterly believe that it was her? He didn’t want to get his hopes up only to realize that he was foolish again. But the sound, the fact that he knew that voice better than any other voice… It filled him with such a serenity that he figured he could bear the pain the flames wou
ld most likely cause. She was stained in his mind, imprinted in her heart – he would never truly be alone because a piece of her would be with him for the rest of eternity.
That comforted him, if only a little.
“Paul!”
This time, the voice was much more urgent and much more… real. He furrowed his brow, wondering just what that was, who was saying these things. He subconsciously chewed his bottom lip, noticing just how close the flames were flickering closer to him. He could reach out in every direction and would most certainly get burned.
Pain. How ridiculous. Physical pain was nothing like the emotional turmoil that was currently gripping his heart in a vice-like grip, refusing to let go. He hadn’t even had a chance to say goodbye to her. What a joke. This whole entire situation… He had fallen in love with the one person he knew he shouldn’t have. And yet he didn’t regret it for a second. If someone gave him a do-over, if someone told him he could go back and do it all again, he would refuse. The pain hurt, sure, but in the end, it was worth it. And knowing that Mandy had loved him back… Well, now Paul truly did believe in miracles.
“Paul!”
God, that voice sounded as though it was so close to him. If he just reached up, he might touch it.
Up.
He had never considered reaching up before. He craned his neck upwards and what he saw caused his heart to falter and his mouth to drop open in utter amazement. He couldn’t fathom what he had done to deserve this, couldn’t understand the powers behind it, but somehow, Mandy was there. She was unaffected by the smoke, the flame, Hell’s disastrous environment. And she still looked absolutely beautiful, much like a ray of sunshine lighting up a world of darkness.
When he locked eyes with her, she smiled at him, and reached down. She seemed to be leaning on some sort of white substance. Was that a cloud? Was she… He blinked, completely surprised at what her position was implying, her presence was implying. She was here to save him. She was here to take him away from this misery.
Killing by Captivation: A Gods & Monsters Prequel (Gods & Monsters Trilogy Book 0) Page 13