by Tim Hawken
“Zoroaster came up with a plan. We would travel to Hell together, but first we had to create protected hiding places for both sets of keys. He left me in Purgatory and, using the keys to Hell, went to his monastery at the base of the Chinvar Bridge. He returned quickly with his seven demons before Satan could discover he’d entered the realm of the damned. In the safety of Purgatory, Zoroaster performed a dark rite. He drew out the souls of the seven demons and wrapped my keys to Heaven inside a weave of their spirits. He then encased the knot of their souls inside my own soul. He hid it deep within my body, impenetrable to see or feel by anyone but me.
“The demons willingly sacrificed their conscious ability to stay in their bodies in the hope that one day we could use the keys to bring truth through the universe.”
Judas had been weeping as Mary told the story. She kissed him on the cheek and took his hand. I looked away, down into the universe at our feet. It was hard to imagine that all of this had happened. Eternity held so many secrets that I might never know.
“Zoroaster then opened the door to Hell again and we went inside,” Mary continued. “Taking the seven empty shells of his demons with us, we locked the gate. We were now in the realm of Hell. Zoroaster took two full days to create a safe for his keys at the Chinvar Bridge Monastery, far away from the city of Hell.
“On the third day, we travelled in secret to visit you in the Forest of the Damned. Zoroaster wrapped us in an invisible shroud of elements and we approached your prison. Satan was there, whispering evil things in your ear. It felt like I had been gutted. I could only stand by and watch in horror. Zoroaster said there was nothing he could do to free you. He had already tried and failed.
“We returned to the Chinvar Bridge ready to pass back through to Purgatory, but I could not. I refused to leave you, Judas. The seven demon souls which dwelled inside me would ensure I could stay in Hell. There was enough collective sin sown in my soul to keep me from ever passing back. Zoroaster made me a promise that he would leave the keys to Purgatory safely hidden in Chinvar Bridge Monastery. He would take my place in Purgatory and help cleanse souls so they could pass to Heaven. I would keep the Keys to Heaven safe within my being.
“I went back into Hell and found Satan. He was intrigued by me. He could see within my soul seven perfect sins, yet I remained outwardly a human. The weave of the knot was so rendered that he was unable to read my thoughts. My true soul was hidden deep within. He asked who I was and I told him. I was Mary Magdalene. He laughed, and called me ‘The Whore of God.’
“I told him that I would do anything for him to release you, Judas. He said he would never, ever do it. He said I had nothing that he could desire and that he wanted to keep us both in Hell, away from God, for we had once walked beside him arm in arm. Satan then made a proposal: he would build for me what he called ‘a house of song’ to help relieve souls of their desires and move out of Hell. I would manage this place and in return he would give me wealth, status and security. Most importantly, he promised to leave you to your grief, never to whisper horrible things in your ear again. I agreed. It was the only way I could keep you safe and work on a way to free you.
“The ‘house of song’ Satan built is this brothel. I went back to my original profession and helped create Magdalene’s Mansion to help stop lustful souls going out and stealing humanity from their victims through vicious rapes. I fulfil fantasy in order to turn desire into realization and realization into the truth: that there is no happiness in physical pleasure alone. There must be a deeper connection.
“All of the men and women who work here are treated well. I teach them about the ways of the universe; I show them the truth. A high percentage of them pass over to Purgatory where I hope Zoroaster still resides, guiding them into the restful peace that lies in the Kingdom of Heaven. I have worked for centuries to turn this house into a place which can help rather than consume.
“Satan would come here sometimes when he wanted unalloyed sexual pleasure. I would not unleash him on my girls, so I took his lustful burdens on myself. I thought that maybe my service would convince him to release you, Judas. I was wrong. He would never commit. But I refused to let him break me. I make my own decisions, I am truthful about them and I am not sorry.
“One day, Satan came to me. I could tell that he was changed somehow. He began calling himself Asmodeus instead of Satan. He started asking me if I knew anything about a set of keys which could lead him into Heaven. The only way he could know of their existence was if he’d spoken to Zoroaster or God. Neither option seemed likely, but there could be no other explanation. I had told nobody the secret of my reason for being in Hell, and I was certain he couldn’t read my thoughts.
“I denied the keys’ existence. I went against my philosophy of Zoroastrian Truth to keep them safe. He demanded I give them up to him. He said that if I handed them to him he would free you. I did not trust him and continued to deny any existence of the keys. I know now, because of Michael, that Asmodeus is God reunited with his evil side. Before, I saw him as always kind and wise, even if I didn’t fully agree with him. Asmodeus is a different being altogether. He is perverted. He must be stopped. He must not be allowed to continue a reign of lies in Heaven.”
Mary turned and took me by both hands.
“Michael, you have freed my brother. I believe in your vision of a life without boundaries with all my heart. I have been waiting for someone like you to come along for almost two thousand years and finally you have arrived. You are the real messiah of mankind. I will do anything I can to help you achieve your goal, even if it means tearing down the walls of Purgatory that I wanted to create in the first place. I am your servant forever.”
She then turned back to Judas, holding out her arms to him.
“Now do you understand, brother?” she asked tearfully. “I may not have done all of the right things, but I have done my best and I have done it with honesty. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me? I have lain with The Devil, but I have done it willingly to have us back together. Here we stand. All of my work has been worth this very moment.”
Judas looked at her with stony eyes. “Maybe you would have been better to stay in Heaven. I would never ask you to become a whore for me. Not ever.”
“Judas,” she cried. “I know you would never ask anything of me. I did it willingly. I may have given up my body at times, but I have never given up my divine soul. You have always said that is worth more than anything else in this existence. You are part of that soul, Judas, my only family. I beg you, look past all the lies and understand the truth. I love you with all my heart. I would do anything to make you happy. I want nothing but good for everyone in this universe.
Judas’ face softened. “I missed you, Mary. You were always the heart of the family.”
They embraced, shaking in each other’s arms; reunited after so many years. I held onto that moment and stored it inside me. It was what I would feel when I found Charlotte again.
“Where do we go from here?” I asked.
“We gather the keys,” Mary said, pulling away from her brother’s arms. “And we use them to tear down the walls that bind us.”
SIX
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN we will use them to tear down the walls?” I asked Mary. “We can use the keys to pass between worlds, but we can’t lead an army one by one through a small side gate. In any case, as you said, within three days we would be sucked back into Hell.”
Mary’s eyes shone.
“You’re right, Michael, you pay close attention. But I haven’t told you yet that Zoroaster believes he discovered something about the keys. Each set of keys comes as a pair of two. They allow anyone who is touching either key to travel together through the barrier’s gate. However, if you were to use both keys at the same time and press them inside the gate’s lock side by side, they will cause a block in the flow of the barrier wall. The barrier is a constant flow of energy, which needs to travel around in a never-ending circle to pull souls through it. If you create a block,
then the cycle stops moving. The flow will continue to try to push against the blockage, but the elements that the keys are made of are so unique that they are completely indestructible.”
Mary grew excited as she spoke, becoming even more animated while she explained the idea. Her hands were now clenched into tight fists, shaking.
“The flow of the circle will build up until the pressure becomes too great and the wall comes tumbling down.” She released her fists with an accentuated flick and held up her empty palms. “This is only a theory, but I’ve never known Zoroaster to be wrong on such things. If we are in possession of both the keys to the gates of Heaven and the keys to Hell then we can destroy all the barriers in the afterlife. It will create equality of souls in the universe, leaving only the separation of life and death to Earth. Borders will no longer exist and all will be able to move where they like!”
It seemed too perfect. I struggled in my mind to come up with a catch.
“Are you certain this will work?” I asked, my heart racing at the possibility.
“As certain as I can be,” she replied.
“Won’t God just put up the barriers again?” asked Judas.
“He couldn’t,” Mary said. “It took him centuries to build those walls, and that was without any hindrance in Heaven. If the millions of souls trapped here and Purgatory flooded up against him, it would be beyond his power to throw up the barriers again. We would have him in our grasp.”
She was right. I wanted so badly to believe this was all true. I needed it to be. I started to pace around in a small circle, looking down at Earth and Purgatory beneath us. If this could be done, it meant that Charlotte and I could be together again. It would be a major blow against Asmodeus and his creation. We could then rise up and take the freedom we deserved. My mind was stumbling over itself with possibilities. If it could be done, then we would do it. Everything was set out for us, we just needed to reach out and take it. What was our first step? I looked to Mary. She was literally the key to it all. She held all of the answers.
“How do we release the keys of Heaven from inside you?” I asked her.
Mary cast her eyes down. “That may prove more difficult than we think. I need an ordained Catholic priest to perform an exorcism on me.”
“Mary, no!” Judas said, moving to her side. “You’ve already been through enough pain. You can’t.”
“It’s not the pain I am concerned with,” she snapped at him. “It’s the availability of a true human priest in Hell. I’ve had years to look for one, and such a soul does not exist. The priests who come here are so steeped in sin that they are turned to demons almost immediately and are no longer clean enough to perform an exorcism. Either that or they repent so quickly that they move to Purgatory. They last no longer than a few days each time.”
I closed my eyes to think. We couldn’t be swayed by something that seemed so small in a plan that was so huge. We needed a priest, a human one. Going back to Earth might be possible. I’d done it once before to reap my revenge on Gideon. Yet, how would I bring a priest back to Hell with me? He’d have to be coming here already, would have to be a dead man walking. An idea occurred to me.
“What if we were to find a fresh soul that fits your criteria?” I asked Mary. “One so new to Hell that they haven’t had time for an orientation?”
“Who can find one so quickly?” she asked.
“Clytemnestra.”
SEVEN
JUDAS, MARY AND I WALKED INTO THE FOYER of Satan’s tower. The revenge demon, Marax, was at the front desk frantically answering phones. He paused as he saw us enter and stood to greet us.
“Lord Michael,” he said, letting the phones ring endlessly around him. “How can I be of service?”
“I need to speak with Clytemnestra,” I replied. His face grew dark at the mention of her name.
“She’s upstairs in her office with your friend Mr. Smith. I can ask her to come down to you.”
“We’ll go up, thank you, Marax.” I offered, continuing past him toward the elevator.
He moved back to his desk quickly and resumed answering calls.
We travelled upwards to floor 666. The doors opened. Smithy and Clytemnestra turned to see who was entering. The old pilot broke into a huge smile.
“Michael!” he said. “Nessy and me were just having a great chat.”
“Nessy?” I raised an eyebrow at her. She rolled her eyes, but smiled. “How are things progressing?” I continued. “I hope Smithy has been of some service.”
“I must admit, I never thought an old man could be so insightful,” said Clytemnestra. “Things are progressing well with the new suburb on the mountain. Souls are being filtered through orientation, although there are so many more with the Forest of the Damned. It’s taking longer than expected.”
“I trust your judgment,” I told her. “Actually, I’ve come to ask a favor, something that could prove very useful to our cause against Asmodeus.”
“So soon? Are we marching?”
“No, we’re a long way off that. We need a priest. One who is wholly human.”
“A priest?” She choked. “That’s…impossible. I’ll certainly search for you, but they are almost invariably demons by the time I reach them; that or they pass over to Heaven.”
“I understand it will prove difficult, but nothing is impossible. We have to be vigilant. It’s very important.”
“Of course.” She nodded. “I will do my best.”
The phone rang on the desk in the far corner of the room. Clytemnestra excused herself to answer it. “This had better be good Marax,” she snapped. “I’m with The Master.”
I turned to Smithy while she spoke on the phone.
“How is everything here?” I asked, putting my hand on his shoulder. “Really.”
“It’s all going well,” he whispered, leaning to my ear. “She isn’t very tactful with the staff. In fact she is downright rude if she thinks someone ranks below her. But she is getting the job done. The positive is she has been an angel to me. I suspect that’s because she knows you sent me.”
“Thank you,” I whispered back in gratitude. “And you’re calling her Nessy?”
“I can’t say her real name,” He admitted, turning red.
I chuckled.
“Don’t worry, Smithy, I find it hard as well.”
The sound of the phone slamming down made us spin around. Clytemnestra stood there looking at us, white as a ghost, her hands on her cheeks.
“We have a problem,” she said. “We need to go downstairs, now.”
EIGHT
AS THE DOORS OF THE ELEVATOR OPENED out onto the bottom floor of the building, we were met with carnage. Rocks and other missiles were being thrown into the windows all around. People outside were screaming.
Marax ran over to us.
“I’ve secured the doors,” he said. “It was all I could do to stop them stampeding in.”
“What’s going on?” I asked calmly. Inside my stomach was churning.
“I’m not sure. Just after you went upstairs, a march started rumbling down the street. Demons and humans with knives were cutting themselves open as they came towards the building,” he explained with worry etched into his face. “They were screaming to be freed from their existence, or something. They were coming for the doors so I barricaded them shut. That’s when they started climbing the walls outside. I didn’t know what to do, so I called you. I’m sorry if I have failed you.” He bowed his head toward his feet.
“You’ve done nothing wrong here,” I assured him. “Are you sure they can’t get in?”
“I’m sure,” he said, raising his head again. “This building is completely fortified against any attack. They can climb all they like; they won’t find a way in.”
Sickening thumps started beating outside. It sounded like people were beating wet bags of sand on the pavement. I moved closer to the windows to peer out. They weren’t bags. The people who were climbing the building were throwing th
emselves off onto the street. Their bodies would explode on the ground, bleeding out onto the street, creating a river of blood. The red tide was seeping beneath the doors onto the foyer floor. I watched aghast as their bodies healed. The mangled messes of bone and blood would then start scaling the walls again to plummet once more to the street.
“What on earth are they doing?” I asked, barely containing my emotion.
Smithy walked over to stand at my shoulder. He looked out of the bloodstained windows.
“It seems to be a protest,” he said. “Some of the people out there are holding signs.”
I followed his line of sight and could see the same thing. Thousands of demons and people were crowded outside, waving banners. Some said “We Want a True Death”; others read, “Release us from this Hell”.
“We have to do something.” I turned and pointed to Marax. “You. Stand ready to open the doors. Judas,” I said turning to him. “You’re coming outside with me. We need to make some sense of this. Everyone else, stay here.”
Mary moved forward. “Let me come,” she pleaded. “I might be able to help.”
I nodded. The three of us stood in front of the doors. “Ready, Marax,” I yelled. “Now!”
He opened the doors and I sent a strong wind blowing in front of us. Blood and bodies scattered onto the far end of the street. I pushed the gale outward further, to clear a wide circle.
“Stop!” I yelled, cutting off the wind of elements. “What is the meaning of this?” My voice rippled like thunder out into the crowd.
The demons gathered themselves quickly and started marching back toward the building. They were all screaming at us; everyone was yelling at once, over the top of each other. I couldn’t make sense of it. Another body splattered onto the ground at our feet, covering Judas in blood. One of the protestors threw a rock at Mary’s head. In the nick of time she ducked and it went clattering into the doors behind us.
“Stop!” I boomed again. “You have my undivided attention. Do you have a spokesperson? Anyone who can explain on your behalf exactly what it is that you want?”